#I took Friday and the weekend off for my second job and I’m keeping that

[cultivating-wildflowers]

Found myself with free time on my hands (weekend plans with friends fell through because one of the girls is sick 😭). I get to go home and, after my second job tonight, do nothing until Sunday. Which is great because it’s been a crazy day.

[readyforthegarden]

30 Minutes or Less

A continuation of Adonis and Angel's relationship since their first meetup.

Pairing: Danny Wagner x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Smut, slightly rough sex, roleplay, Danny being an absolute demon in the most delicious way 18+ ONLY MINORS DNI!!!

♥️♥️♥️

Friday nights were usually date nights for you and Danny. Ever since you two met up, your Adonis had swept you off your feet, and your relationship quickly fell into place. It should have felt rushed, too fast and startling, the way your sleepovers turned into duffle bags filled with a weeks worth of clothes, until finally your lease was up and Danny offered for you to live with him. There wasn’t a moment of hesitancy between you two, and that weekend, he was driving you insane in a tank top cut to the hem on the sides, driving a UHaul with all of your belongings to his house, that damn backwards baseball cap keeping his curls from tangling in the wind coming in the open window.

Since then you both tried to establish nights to spend together. He’d gotten a new job at a music studio, playing fill-in instruments for various artists coming through and recording, and trying his hand at producing. You had been in awe of his talents, his home filled with instruments, a drum kit in the basement, a wall of guitars with a mandolin in between, a small piano and keyboard sat on the opposite side of the basement. It amazed you how he could walk up to an instrument and play it without a thought. 

Tonight was Friday night date night, and you were perched on the couch in a pair of soft cotton shorts and a cropped tank top, watching trash tv to pass the time. 

Your phone rang, and you paused the show you were watching, picking it up and tapping on the answer button, seeing Danny’s face pop up, illuminated by the studio parking lot lights as he sat in his car. 

“Hi baby!” you grinned watching him smile as he heard your voice.

“Hi to you too, angel.” his crooked smile still made your heart swoon. “I’m on my way home, I’m sorry I’m running a little later than usual. Date night is gonna be a little lame this week.” 

“It’s okay, I waited for you for dinner, do you want to pick something up on your way home?” Danny nodded, stretching out in his seat after he placed his phone on the magnetic holder.

“Yeah, do you have anything in mind?” you pursed your lips, and thought on it. 

“Ooh, you know what? Pizza sounds really good right now.”

“From that place on 6th street or the one by our house?” 

“You know I’m thinking from the place on 6th. Extra mushrooms, extra cheese.” Danny laughed, nodding again. 

“Okay, if you call it in I’ll pick it up for us.” you giggled, noting his backward cap and speaking before thinking.

“Aww, and you look like a delivery guy too, with your hat. My own personal pizza delivery boy.” It took a second for it to register with Danny, and then you saw it, a spark of Adonis that flickered in his eyes from time to time. 

“Yeah? Will I get a good tip if I make it home in thirty minutes or less?” his voice was low, and he leaned in closer to the phone. You had gotten more bold since being with Danny, working off him to rile him up when he got like this.

“I don’t know, I don’t have very much money,” you feigned a sad, innocent look, batting your eyelashes. “I’m sure we could work something out.” You angled the phone down, showing him the low cut crop top you’d been hanging around the house in, squeezing your arms to your chest so your breasts nearly spilled out the neckline.

“Shit,” Danny sighed. “Order the pizza, now. I’m on my way.” you giggled as you watched him adjust himself with one hand, hanging up with the other and you called in the pizza order. Once that was placed, you jumped up, running to the bedroom where your vanity waited. You took a small reusable makeup removing pad, wiping under your eyes with it making sure any mascara that had ran through your day was washed away. 

After reapplying your mascara and running your tube of lip balm over your lips quickly. Running to the bathroom, you flipped on the light, running a brush through your hair and fluffing it up, before running back to the bedroom, grabbing your favorite perfume and spritzing your neck, wrists, the backs of your knees, and your ankles with it. You checked your phone, only ten more minute before Danny would come screeching into the driveway. You quickly shimmied your shorts down, changing out of your regular panties and started digging through your drawer, trying to find that one lacy pair that drove him wild. 

Once you’d found them, you slipped them on and pulled your shorts up over them, before scurrying out to the couch, posing to look like you did absolutely nothing since getting off the phone with him. You unpaused your show, but couldn’t pay attention. You kept your ears focused for the sound of Danny pulling into the drive, the lights of every passing car making your heart thump out of your chest with anticipation. You were able to distract yourself, finally starting to pay attention to the show on the television. For how long, you weren’t sure, but just as an argument started riling up, a knock sounded at the front door, startling you. 

You furrowed your brow, opening the door to see Danny standing there, pizza box balanced on his open palm. He was still wearing the backward ball cap, and his crooked smile still made your heart flip.

“Hey, I have a delivery for this address?” Danny smirked. Catching on quick, you leaned against the doorframe.

“Oh yeah, I ordered that, about twenty minutes ago.” you replied.

“Awesome, that’ll be $18.75.” Danny replied, holding his other hand out. Biting your bottom lip, you batted your lashes at him as he looked at you expectantly.

“Oh gosh, I’m so sorry,” you pretended to pat yourself down, giving a little shrug. “I don’t have any cash on me.”

“Oh,” Danny let his hand fall, his eyes raking up and down your body. 

“You drove all this way, and I’m really hungry…” you began. “Why don’t you come inside, and we can work something out.” Danny’s eyes flickered again and you opened the door, letting him inside. Once the door was closed, you led him into the kitchen, gesturing for him to place the pizza on the counter. 

“So, what did you have in mind for payment?” Danny asked, looking around the room. You moved to stand in front of him, placing your hand on his chest, feeling him flex the muscles of his pecs under his shirt. You glanced up at him through your lashes, smirking. 

“I was wondering if we could exchange favors?” your voice lowered slightly, a sultry tone exuding as you felt his breath quicken under your hand. “You give me the pizza for free, and I give you the best blowjob you’ve ever had.” Danny’s eyebrow quirked, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. 

“I don’t know, my boss will be pretty pissed if I don’t bring back the cash.” you let your hand travel down his torso, your fingertips resting at the top of his belt buckle, tapping the metal with the tip of your fingernails. You kept eye contact with him as you moved past it, cupping his growing erection through the denim of his jeans.

“Feels like you’d rather stay,” you hummed, leaning in and bumping the tip of his nose with yours, bringing your lips close enough to just graze his, teasing Danny with a kiss you knew he was dying to have after not seeing you all day. Palming him a little rougher, you spoke again as you felt his bulge grow harder in your hand. “I promise the tip will be worth it.”

“O-Okay,” not being sure if it was your Adonis staying in character or that you had really startled him, you smiled, slowly undoing his belt buckle as you finally gave into him and gave him the kiss he was longing for. One of his hands came up behind your head, holding your lips in place as he took his fill of them, waiting until you were at the point of tugging down his jeans and boxer briefs. 

When he let you go, you slowly sank to your knees on the kitchen floor, gently taking his long cock in your hand. Leaning forward, you flattened your tongue, giving the underside a long, soft lick before teasing the head with the tip of your tongue, circling around the edge. Giving small kitten licks just under the head, you heard Danny breathe out slowly. You were lucky in the fact that Danny seemed to be a giver in the bedroom, and you knew it was taking a lot for him to let you switch roles.

Torturously working your mouth over him, you tried to take all of him, tears stinging your eyes as you held back a small gagging reflex as he hit the back of your throat. One of Danny’s large hands rested softly on the top of your head, fingers twitching in your hair as you hollowed out your cheeks, the other held his shirt flat against his stomach, making sure the soft cotton didn’t obstruct his view of you. Swallowing around him, you heard him suck in a sharp breath, letting out a quiet moan, his fingers on your head starting to massage your scalp while his hand helped push you forward while you bobbed.

“Shit, that feels good,” he sighed. You felt yourself swell with pride at his praise, letting your tongue trace the vein running along the underside of his cock, flicking the tip just under the head before continuing your motions. Danny’s hand left his stomach, reaching out and grabbing the edge of the kitchen counter next to him, leaning on it to stay upright as his breathing picked up. You used one of your hands to stroke what your mouth couldn’t fully take between deep throated swallows, the other came up to cup his balls, massaging them and feeling them begin to tighten in your palm. You took him in your mouth one more time, down to the base, the tip of your nose being tickled by the curly, coarse hairs on his pelvis. 

Danny’s hand left the counter, coming to join the other on your head, holding you in that position for a few seconds before he gently thrust his hips before pulling your head off of him. You looked up at him, mouth open and unashamedly letting a string of spit dangle between your bottom lip and the tip of his cock. Leaning forward, you pressed your wet lips to the tip, giving it a kiss before licking the beading pre-cum from it and licking it off your lips. 

His hands fell from your head, one coming under your chin and tugging you up from your knees, so you were standing in front of him. He brought your lips to his, licking across them before finally pressing against yours, his other hand tugging down your cotton shorts and feeling the lace you’d hidden beneath them.

“I have a feeling you were planning this all along.” Danny smirked against your mouth, his thick fingers rubbing against your soaked through panties, making you him. His thumb still rested on your chin, swiping against your bottom lip. “You’re so wet, it would be a shame for me to leave you like this.”

“Please,” you whispered, leaning into his body. Danny smirked down at you before backing up, giving you space and making you feel cold.

“Get on the counter.” Danny commanded, Adonis appearing in his eyes again, needing control. You hesitated for a moment, but jumped up onto the cold granite a shiver running down your spine as your warm skin made contact. Danny sauntered his way over to you, caging you in-between his arms as he sealed your lips with a kiss. “How about I taste that pretty pussy of yours before I really get my money’s worth?”

Your knees rested against Danny’s sides as you nodded and he pushed up your cropped tank top above your breasts, immediately cupping them, swiping his thumbs across your already pebbled nipples. His callused fingertips always applied just the right pressure to make you crave more and more from him, and you were on the verge of begging when he leaned down, taking your left nipple into his mouth. Your head leaned back, knocking into the cabinet and making the dishes inside shake. You let out a soft laugh, and you could feel Danny break against your skin, a chuckle vibrating against you.

He sucked softly on your swollen bud, twirling his tongue around it while his other hand rolled your right one before his thumb and forefinger, pinching softly. Your back arched while tingling shot down between your legs, and you felt yourself getting wetter.  Your hips wriggled against the counter as Danny switched his mouths attention to your right breast. The heat between your thighs felt like it was getting hotter and hotter, and you could feel your pussy start to pulse. 

Danny let his hands take your waist, holding you steady as his lips moved to the valley between your breasts, slowly kissing down your body. Smirking at how eager you were, already shifting to try and bring your body closer to his face. Danny removed his hands from your waist for a moment, lowering himself and wrapping his arms around your legs, grabbing your hips and balancing you precariously on the edge of the counter. 

“Baby, you are positively glistening for me.” he breathed, looking up at you through his lashes.  “Makes me think you’ve had this fantasy before.” he pressed soft kisses along your inner thighs, nipping gently at the skin as he got closer.

“Stop teasing, please,” you whined, gripping the edge of the counter as he licked his lips, adjusting your legs over his shoulders.

“As you wish,” Danny delved between your thighs, a moan spilling from you as his mouth expertly lapped against your wet pussy. One of your hands moved to rest on top of his head, the backward baseball cap still there. You raked your nails against the material, the scratch sound music to your ears as the sounds of Danny’s mouth on you echoed in the kitchen. He clasped his lips around your clit, suckling it while running his tongue around it in quick circles.

His name fell from your lips, you didn’t care about the role-play anymore, you just wanted to praise the man for his talents in making you unravel. Danny moved between your sucking and circling your clit and leaving hot, open mouthed kisses against you. One of his hands left your thighs, his thick fingertips tracing along your folds, gently prodding and teasing you as you started clenching around nothing. After letting you whine and rock your hips, grinning into your pussy all the while, he slid in his middle and ring fingers inside you, finally relieving the ache between your thighs. 

Danny moved his other hand to your pelvis, holding your body down as you rocked against his hand and face.

“You’re gonna slip off if you keep shimmying like that,” Danny gasped, pulling away from your pussy, looking up at you. From the tip of his nose to the end of his chin, his face was glistening with your juices, a sight that made you feel even more ravenous than before. “Stay still for me.” you nodded, guiding his head back to your clit, moaning again as he took it back in his mouth. He picked up the pace with his tongue, circling your clit and applying just the right pressure as he quickened the pistoning motion with his hand. It was becoming more and more difficult to keep your promise to stay still, and Danny could tell by the shaking in your thighs on his shoulders that you were getting close. You felt the fire in your stomach ignite and spread through your veins as your fingers clawed at the granite below you and the fabric of his hat.

“Fuck!” you gasped, your body tensing as you came, Danny continuing to work you over as you rode out your orgasm, panting and still clawing at him. When your body relaxed, Danny pulled away bringing his hand up to his lips, sucking them clean while staring you down and stepping out of his pants and boxer briefs.

You were slumped against the cabinets, but not for too long, as Danny had slid his arms under you and moved you to the living room. You couldn’t help but lean up and kiss him as he walked carefully, tasting yourself on him and moaning.

“You tasted so good baby,” Danny hummed as he placed your feet on the floor by the arm of the couch. He cupped your face in his large hand, the other holding you up. “Felt so good on my fingers, squeezing so tight.” Danny turned you around, bending you over the arm of the couch. Your face rested on a small couch pillow, and you could feel Danny’s hands rubbing up and down the globes of your ass.

Not being able to help yourself, you wiggled your ass in front of him, making him chuckle.

“Eager, are we?”

“Yes, I need to feel you,” you whined, near-panting already. “Please, fuck me already!” Danny gripped your ass cheeks hard and slapped on, sending a jolt through you as you felt him like himself up behind you, running the tip of his hard cock through your folds, collecting the wetness there. Whimpers were falling from your open mouth as he teased the head in before pulling away, coming back and pushing in again and then pulling completely away. “Dammit Danny!”

As soon as the curse in his name flew out of your mouth, he roughly slid into you, jolting you again and making you cry out. Danny wasted no time in building you up, his thrusts hard and fast, the slapping of your skin echoing throughout the house, almost being drowned out by your moans. You were reaching back behind you, clawing to touch some part of him when one of his large hands gathered both your wrists, tugging your upper body up. The new angle hit your sweet spot, a new fresh string of curses tumbling from your mouth as Danny continued ramming into you, primal grunts spilling from his own.

“Fuck that feels so good Danny,” you gasped, the words stuttering out as your body was jostled by his movements. You couldn’t help but relish the delicious drag of his cock inside you as he pulled out and pushed back in over and over, it was something you’d never forget.

“Yeah baby?” Danny grunted out. “Gonna come all over my cock? Make this delivery worth it?” Leave it to him to still keep up at least a glimmer of the roleplay you had long forgotten.

“Yeah,” you panted, “M-make it so-so worth it!” You could feel the coil in your abdomen tightening again, you face flushing as you came to the edge. Your fingers curled, latching onto whatever they could of Danny’s hand, something to anchor yourself as your second climax crashed over you. Danny let go of your wrists but was quick to wrap his arms around your chest and torso, hands squeezing your tits as he put his lips to your ear.

“There’s my beautiful Angel,” he whispered lowly, between harsh breaths. “That’s my good girl.”

“Your good girl,” you agreed, bringing a hand up and tangling in his curls, finally knocking the hat off his head. “Taking your cock so well,” Danny’s hips began to falter as you talked back, and he squeezed you tight to his body as he spilled into you, pressing kisses along your cheek, neck, and shoulder. You let your head fall back, resting on his own broad shoulder, both of you catching your breath.

“S’pose we should go shower.” Danny whispered after a few moments. Your bodies were tacky from drying sweat and made a noise as he gently peeled away from you.

“Yeah, the pizza is already cold anyway.” you laughed softly. Danny turned you around, grinning at you as he cupped your face, his one arm still holding you up.

“Would you mind if the delivery boy stayed and grabbed a slice? I worked up quite the appetite.”

“Not at all,” you smirked, hopping up on your tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips. “Consider it your tip.”

♥️♥️♥️

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[jessicaloons]

Chapter 24:

Every time you call me crazy I get more crazy

Masterlist - Previous - Next

"You look like shit? Didn’t you sleep?" Daniel’s first words when he walked inside.

"Actually no. I haven’t." I bit back.

"Are you getting sick?"

"No. I just couldn’t sleep. Are you ready? Can we go?"

"Yeah. Just your suitcase and we’re ready to go, but remind me again, why you don’t ask your dad to drive you?" Daniel asked and I sighed.

"Because he and Liam will come on Friday. More driving. Less talking."

"Oh wow you’re really grumpy." he groaned.

"I just need to grab something and then we can go." I said and he nodded.

I opened the bathroom drawer taking out the blue pill packaging and popped one of the pills out, swallowing it dry, when Mum walked in.

"What was that?" she asked curiously and I looked at her.

"Birth control?" I threw the package into my toiletry bag before Mum fished it back out.

"Is it a new packaging?" she looked at it and I shook my head "A new one? Why?"

"The one I was taking won’t be produced anymore? So now I’m taking this one." I said and she read the back of the package.

"Does it have the same hormones and stuff?" she asked and I shrugged my shoulders.

"I don’t know? As long as it’s doing its job." I said but then I took in a deep breath. Awkward.

"I pretend like I didn’t hear that… but Lizzie, switching to a different pill is nothing you should take easy. You might experience some side effects while your body adjusts to the new one? How long are you taking it already?" she sounded really concerned and I took the package out of her hand.

"Taking the last one of this package on Sunday. And it’s the first month with it. And I’m feeling good. No side effects. Can I please go now? This conversation is… weird. Go talk with Sissy about this kinda stuff." I threw the package back in my toiletry bag again and kissed her cheek "I see you in Monza? Before Monza? I don’t even know myself?"

"Yeah we’ll figure it out. But Lizzie, sweetheart? Please keep the side effects in mind! Just in case!" she said and I sighed.

"Yup. I will." I went back downstairs where Daniel still waited "Ready?"

"Ready!" he opened the door for me, taking my duffel bag out of my hand and loading it in the trunk of my car.

As soon as we were inside I took my shoes off and leaned back.

"Can you make it in under 4 hours?" I joked.

"It’s your car. Every speeding ticket I will get is yours to deal with, then yes."

"Go for it!" I closed my eyes. Trying to get at least a little bit of sleep.

Failed attempt.

"Welcome back to the second half of the season, Lizzie! How are you? How was the summer break? What did you do?" Will Buxton asked.

"I am fantastic! Thank you. The summer break was way too short, I could use some more time with my family and friends! But it was also way too long because I can’t wait to get back in my car again! And as for what I did, I spent some time with my family, then a little with my friends and then I focused on getting back in shape. A lot of work outs." I smiled at him and he nodded.

"Lizzie, we know that Spa, after the Nürburgring, is your favourite race track. How excited are you, breezing past this historical track this weekend with an F1 car?"

"You have no idea! I honestly can’t wait to get in the car and just go for it! Race like there is no tomorrow!" I said euphorically.

"What can we expect from Audi this weekend?"

"Our car should work around here quite well, at least on paper. So yeah, I’d say something great!"

"Something great?"

"Oh yes."

P8. Decent. Not more. Not less. Nothing great.

"Lizzie, how was it, driving a Formula one car around this track, racing up eau rouge?" Lawrence Barretto asked.

"Well. After not the best feeling and results on Friday. An okayish Saturday… today was a bit of an up. The car felt better. The race was fun. We maximised our point as much as possible with Valtteri in P7 and me in P8. There wasn’t much more in it for us this weekend."

"You were quite- umm… euphoric, at the beginning of the weekend, in terms of Audi’s performance, what lead to that? And why didn’t the great as you had prognosed happen?"

"Yeah, I had a good feeling and was excited to race again and I let the data fool me a little. I was hoping for a better result, if I’m honest, but we’ll come back stronger next week in Zandvoort."

"Thank you, Lizzie!" one last smile and it was done.

Julie and I walked in silence back and before we reached our hospitality, she pulled me aside.

"Are you okay?" she asked and I nodded, slightly confused "You’re a little- umm how do I put this… you’re a little squeamish this weekend?"

"Squeamish? What do you mean? What? When?" I asked her.

"You were sometimes overly optimistic, the next minute you were… more reserved? Maybe even sensitive? You just were a little off the whole weekend. What ever it is. You know you can talk to me if you need to?"

"Yeah sure, but it’s all good! Really!" I tried to appease her and she nodded, right as Paul bumped into us.

"Oh shit, sorry!" he looked at me and smiled "Oh it’s you, girls. Ready for a waaay to loo long meeting?" he stepped in between us and put his arms around our shoulders.

"Can’t wait…" I mumbled and he laughed.

"You guys go ahead, I have to make a call." Julie walked away.

"The weekend wasn’t too bad, you know?" Paul said and I shook my head.

"I made too many mistakes." I mumbled and he pulled me even closer.

"But P8 is not that bad! Come on! Cheer up a little!"

"It’s okay, I guess?" I sighed and looked up, saw how Charles’ eyes were glued to me, Paul following my look.

"He’s in the second fastest car and struggled, a lot, so I’d say his weekend was worse." Paul laughed loudly and I saw how Charles walked away.

"Very funny." I groaned and we entered the Audi hospitality.

"Oh, come on! I’m just kidding!" Paul rolled his eyes and pulled his arm from my shoulder.

"And always jokes on Charles’ expanse."

Before Paul could answer Pete waved me over and I walked off, thankful to leave this conversation behind. Just this last meeting and then back to the hotel. And then back to Monaco.

"Alright. Run down. Just the flat itself, rank them worst to best." Charles handed me my salad.

"Umm- I don’t know? I have to consider everything not just the flat? The price, the neighbour hood? That one I liked but is on the 5th floor with no elevator? Not so easy!" I sighed, stabbing my salad half-heartedly.

"This way it’s easier? Rank them first and then we’ll talk about the price, the pros, the cons. But we have to start somewhere." he said and I put my bowl down leaning back, closing my eyes "Come on Lizzie, don’t think too much."

"Stop rushing me!" I hissed and Charles looked at me "You think telling me over an over to stop thinking is helpful? It’s not, just so you know!" I sat back up and grabbed my salad, shoving a fork full in my mouth.

"I’m sorry cara mia but you said you want to narrow it down to 2 options today…" Charles said.

"I know! But you… this… uggghhh! I can’t decide, okay?" I looked at my salad and groaned "God I’m so hungry and this salad is just… bland and soggy. I want fries. Or a Pizza. Literally anything is better than this half dead salad."

"Oh. Umm… I made it the way you always make it. Maybe I- I don’t know. Maybe I did something wrong?" Charles said a little dejectedly, grabbing my bowl and getting up. The way his shoulders slumped down made my heart clench.

"Wait! I’m sorry! The salad is fine! It’s good. I’m sorry… I don’t know what’s wrong with me today? Maybe this whole moving to Monaco thing isn’t the right decision? Maybe I should think about it again? I don’t know? Having my own place? That’s a lot of responsibility? I don’t know if I’m ready for that? I mean, I can’t even narrow the list down? Yeah, let’s- let’s don’t do this today? Just forget about it!" I rambled and Charles looked at me confused.

"Are you okay? You’re a little… off?" he asked carefully.

"What? Because I don’t like your salad?" I snapped and clapped my hand over my mouth "I’m sorry! I’m so, so sorry! What is wrong with me today?"

"It’s okay, come here." Charles sat down next to me and pulled me into his lap "You’re stressed. It’s a lot going on right now. You’re just a little out of it today." he kissed my temple "Hey! Don’t cry? It’s okay!" he wiped a stray tear away and made me look at him.

"I don’t even know why I’m crying? I was mean to you and now I’m crying? What is wrong with me?" I sniffled a little.

"You have a bad day. We all have them, it’s okay." he kissed my cheek "Tomorrow will be better."

I really hoped that he was right.

Charles POV:

"Why aren’t we flying with Max more often?" Lizzie asked and I chuckled.

"Because we fly with vista most of the time." I answered and she rolled her eyes.

"You mean you fly vista and I have to fly commercial because your team doesn’t want me in their jet anymore…"

"It won’t happen again, okay?" I said and she shrugged her shoulders.

"I’m asking Max in the future. When I live in Monaco I could join him."

"So you still want to move here?" I asked carefully.

"Of course? Why wouldn’t I?" she said and I sighed.

Since yesterday it was a constant up and down. One minute she wanted to move. The next she didn’t. One minute she wanted fries. The next a yoghurt. I seriously was at my wit’s end. Thankfully the car stopped and we got out. Max was waving at us and Lizzie hugged him as soon as we were at the jet.

"Thanks for taking us with you! Ferrari doesn’t want me anymore!" Lizzie said to him and walked up the stairs.

Max looked after her, cocking an eyebrow as soon as he turned to me again.

"Don’t ask. But yeah. Thank you for letting us tag along." I clapped his back.

"No worries mate!" he laughed and we got inside, where Lizzie sat next to Penelope, reading a book with her.

"Hey Charles." Kelly greeted me and I hugged her.

"Hey Kelly, how are you?"

"Good as always." she smiled and sat down in front of Penelope and Lizzie.

I smiled at the little girl, she waved back smiling and then I followed Max to the back of the jet.

"Home race? Excited?" I asked Max and he shrugged his shoulders.

"I mean it’s home. Of course. But last year it proved to be a track I’m doing well so, yeah we’ll see." he said and I nodded.

"I wish I could say that I’ll give you a run for your money… but no. I’m not sure if our car will work there." I chuckled a little.

"I’m sure you’ll still be a pain in my ass."

"I’ll try."

I watched Lizzie intently the whole flight. She played with Penelope. Read her stories about fairies and princesses. Coloured in some pictures with her. And I could swear that I even saw Lizzie wiping away a tear once.

As soon as we arrived and got out of the jet we said goodbye to Max, Kelly and Penelope and headed straight to our hotel.

"I think I’m lying down for a bit." Lizzie came out of the bathroom, already changed into sweatpants and shirt, clutching her stomach.

"Are you okay? You’re a little pale?" I put my hand on her forehead to check her temperature "And you’re a little warm?"

"My stomach is a bit in shambles and I’m tired… but I’m fine, really. Just exhausted." she kissed my cheek and plopped down on the bed, snuggling into the sheets "Wake me up if you want to go out for dinner, or order something, okay?"

"Yeah, sure. Rest a little." I closed the curtains and left the room, right as I received a call from Sylvia. Great. "Sylvia." I greeted her while shutting the balcony door behind me.

"Charles. Tomorrow there are some shoots planned. Mia will send you the exact details later on. Then there is also a dinner tomorrow in the evening, you and Carlos need to attend."

"Okay. Anything else?" I sat down on the bench.

"There is one thing we need to talk about. It’s about Monza. It’s our home race, we have to represent Ferrari perfectly! Ferrari should be the main focus of everything. We can’t have any negative press next week, you understand?"

"You mean Lizzie is supposed to stay silent this weekend? You want me to tell her to not say anything slightly negative about Ferrari?" my annoyance hit the roof.

"Yes."

"I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but last weekend she didn’t say anything… although she was asked a lot…"

"It’s good that she finally complies!"

"She doesn’t have to comply to anything…"

"Charles. This is only about what’s best for Ferrari!"

"Whatever. If that’s all?"

"Yes."

"Ciao Sylvia." I hung up, closing my eyes. After a while I was dozing off.

"Charlie?" Lizzie’s quiet voice made me flinch "I’m sorry." she walked outside, sitting down next to me.

"Hey cara mia, how do you feel?" I pushed a strand of hair out of her face and she yawned.

"Hungry."

"Hungry? What do you want?"

"Fries and a chocolate milkshake."

"Fries and a chocolate milkshake? Are you sure? Your stomach is a little sensitive?"

"I just want something greasy and salty mixed with something sweet."

"Okay. Yeah sure, I’ll order it."

"No, wait… umm just- I don’t know order whatever you want that’s fine."

"I can order you a milkshake and fries? That’s okay?"

"No… I don’t want a milkshake anymore…"

"Cara mia what is it? We can order a milkshake? It’s fine!"

"I know that we can, but I- I only like that fudge brownie chocolate one from KFC…" she mumbled and looked down

"Umm… okay. I’m sure there is a KFC around here somewhere. You go back to bed and I go and get you that milkshake and some fries." I got up, gently pulling her with me.

"Are you sure? I can change and come with you and then we eat there?"

"No it’s okay. You lay back, I get the food."

"Really?"

"Yes! Really! Now hush and relax!" I kissed her forehead and left.

While driving I thought about the last couple of days and my mind always came to one conclusion. The one that made my stomach drop. Was I out of my mind for thinking that? I called the only person I knew who could help me.

"Hi Charles."

"Hey Marta, how are you?"

"Oh you know, some days are good, some days are not so good…"

"Yeah I know, I mean, no I don’t know obviously… but I understand…"

"How’s Zandvoort?"

"It’s nice."

"Okay… any particular reason why you’re calling?"

"Actually yes… what I’m telling you know… just tell me that I’m not going crazy, okay?"

"Umm… sure?"

"The last couple of days… Lizzie was- different. She had terrible mood swings, one minute she’s all giddy and giggly, the next she’s furious and scary and then she’s super emotional and cries… she has an appetite like a bear… wanting to eat literally everything, but then really just eats like a mouse, because her stomach is in shambles how she called it. She’s pale, tired and exhausted, also a little warm oh and now I’m on my way to KFC getting her a special chocolate milkshake and fries… Lizzie hates chocolate ice cream! But a chocolate milkshake is fine all of a sudden? That all sounds like… is she…"

"…pregnant?"

"Oh god. I- I was so thinking that it was just in my head."

"I mean, it sounds really typical, mood swings, exhaustion, weird cravings…"

"What am I doing now?"

"Talk to her? And then you have to decide…"

"I don’t understand it… I mean…" I stopped abruptly.

"You used contraception?"

"Yes! I mean… not always, she’s taking birth control, so yeah…"

"Hmm. Well it can happen. It’s not impossible… but- well it could have another reason, I think, was she like this ever before?"

"No? Why?"

"Well- god this is awkward. I never thought I would have this kind of conversation with you… actually with any other guy besides from Riccardo?"

"Just help me, Marta, please I’m freaking out!"

"Some girls are like this when they’re on their period. But if she was never like this before? Then yeah…"

"Really? I thought it’s just being moody and having cramps… although yeah, Lizzie never had anything like that?"

"You said she’s taking birth control? prevent you from going through all the troubles us girls are doomed with in this horrible week we have to experience every month."

"I’m sorry."

"Why are you apologising? It’s not like it’s your fault?" she laughed.

"I don’t know. Sorry."

"So. What are you going to do now?"

"Bringing Lizzie her food. And then try to talk to her?"

"Yeah… I guess that’s the only thing you can do… if you need someone to talk later on, you can call me, okay? Anytime."

"Thanks Marta. Really!"

"No worries, Charles. Take care."

"You too, on both of you!"

"I will."

Fucking hell.

I watched Lizzie eat and sip on her milkshake, thinking about how to approach the topic. How do you ask your girlfriend if she’s pregnant?

"Thank you Charlie." she kissed my cheek while happily munching on her fries.

My palms were sweaty. I had to just ask her. That’s all I could do. Ask her. Talk to her.

"Lizzie? Can we talk?" I asked and she looked up, nodding "How do I put this? Umm- the last days… you’ve been a little…"

"Overly emotional? Squeamish?"

"Yeah?"

"I know… and I’m so sorry! I have no idea why!"

"You don’t?" I asked carefully and she cocked an eyebrow.

"No? Why would I?"

"Okay. Cara mia, you know that I love you, right? And whatever happens, we’re in this together, okay?"

"What are you even talking about?"

"Mood swings, weird cravings, stomach bug, exhaustion? Lizzie… I think you’re pregnant." I waited for her reaction. Waited for the realisation to hit her. Settling in. Her expression changing. And I expected everything… but not her throwing her head back laughing. Tears rolling down her cheeks. Wheezing.

"Pregnant?" she breathed out, clutching her stomach.

"Why are you laughing? The way you acted these past few days?" I looked at her puzzled.

"Charlie! I’m not pregnant! I’m on birth control!"

"It’s still possible!"

"Yeah maybe, but I’m definitely not pregnant!"

"What makes you so sure?"

"Hmm. I don’t know? Maybe my period that started today?" she chuckled a little, sipping on her shake.

"Okay? But why… why are you so emotional?" I felt stupid. Confused.

Lizzie looked at me for a while, then she groaned and got up, returning a moment later with a small blue package.

"Oh how I hate it when she’s right."

"Who? What do you mean?"

"Mum! She saw that it’s a different one! And she warned me that there could be side effects!"

"I have really no idea what you’re talking about?"

"I’m taking new birth control pills for a month now! Mum said it could be that while my body adjusts to the new pills I would go through some side effects!"

"Oh."

"Oh indeed."

"Will you now always be like this?" I almost whispered it.

"God, I hope not? I was never like this? I can’t do that once a month! I can’t turn into this monster? I mean? Charles, I was driving myself crazy with how I acted!" she panicked a little and I held her hand and squeezed it.

"You weren’t that bad!" I tried to reassure her.

"I was! I was a crazy bitch! I definitely have to speak with my doctor about it as soon as I’m back home!"

"Okay, yeah, do that!"

We sat in silence for the next minutes, both lost in our thoughts. And although the thought of having a baby with Lizzie was something I definitely wanted, it was a thought for the future. Something we had yet to talk about. For now, I was relieved. A pregnancy now, would’ve meant that Lizzie had to give up her dream she fought so hard for. All the sacrifices, the hours of hard work, the blood, sweat and tears. The horrible treatment of the media over the past months. It would’ve been all for nothing. And that would’ve been unfair.

"Charles?" Lizzie patted my arm and I looked at her "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Sure. I’m just… I’m relieved that we solved the mystery of your umm-…"

"Unstableness?" she laughed and I rolled my eyes.

"You weren’t that bad! I mean… you did insult my salad, which I thought tasted not too bad, so yeah maybe unstable is the right word."

"The salad was good! Really! I never experienced something like that. I hated everything in that moment, including myself. What a cliché. Girl on her period gets grumpy and whiney and has weird cravings?"

"A little, yes. And that’s all because you switched the pills?"

"Mum said it could happen. I didn’t expect it to be like this to be honest."

"But you never had it before? Does that mean that… umm did the old one- god why is this so weird?"

"Talking about birth control pills and my period? Well… if you think it’s weird for you? Imagine how I feel…" and she was right. I just realised now, how flushed her cheeks were.

"Okay. This shouldn’t be this awkward. It’s normal, right? I know what happens during your- period. It’s a natural thing. You’re my girlfriend. We’re grown ups, we can talk about it."

"I guess so."

"Did you always take birth control? I know you since we’re 8. I never saw you acting like this?"

"I had my first period with 14 almost 15. Actually a little later than anyone I knew. But because of the racing I asked Mum even before I had it the first time if I could take birth control to regulate or no, the better word would be schedule, it. She was a little hesitant but we went to a gynaecologist and I explained why I wanted it and it was okay. So yeah I always took it, for 10 years now and it’s always perfectly scheduled."

"I didn’t know that you can schedule it? So you always have it on the same days?" I was genuinely curious.

"I take the pills for 21 days. Then wait for 7 days and then take the next 21 pills. One package consists of 21 pills. And in that break in between I have my period."

"And your pill always took care of the side effects of a period?"

"Yep. And I really hope this one does as well. I mean as soon as my body adjusts to it."

"Okay. Now I’m well informed." I chuckled a little and pulled Lizzie closer, her cheeks still slightly read "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, it’s just… I don’t even really talk with Mum about these kinda things? With Shima maybe, but yeah that’s it. But now with you? I guess I didn’t expect that?"

"Me neither, but it’s okay, no?"

"Weirdly yes?" she giggled a little and I kissed her temple "Shower, bed, movie?"

"Sounds good!"

After our last meeting I waited for Seb to leave his hospitality and waved him over.

"Lizzie, how are you?" he hugged me and I smiled.

"I’m good! You? How’s Hanna and the kids?"

"Oh you know us. All good."

"Yeah!" I chuckled a little nervously.

"So what is this secret little meeting about?"

"You remember that Spanish blogger? Journalist? Whatever? Yeah? I know he’s banned… but… can that ban be lifted?"

"Why? He was banned for 10 races, not 4."

"I know. It’s just that… I shouldn’t have give him this much attention! I should’ve just stand my ground! Ignore him. Be the bigger person. Show everyone that I don’t back down no matter what they’re throwing my way!"

"I don’t know Lizzie. There is a line when it’s just not tolerable anymore and he was crossing that quite a lot, especially after that article."

"I know. Sorry. I should’ve thought about that. Never mind."

"Is everything okay, Lizzie?"

"Yeah sure. I just wanted to, you know, held my head up and show the world that I don’t care about what they’re saying. Anyone. So having Diaz back here would be a good start. I’ve seen him ranting about how he got banned because of the article and many people said it’s only because I’m an emotional and sensitive girl that the FIA decided this… would something like this come up about another male driver they wouldn’t even react…"

"But you know it’s not true, right? Sure, the inappropriate questions he was asking was one of the reasons but that article played an even bigger part."

"Okay… thank you. I mean for yeah everything."

"I will talk with someone, maybe there is a way we can reduce the ban? Under certain conditions… I will let you know!" he hugged me and then left.

Back in my driver room I opened up Instagram and clicked on the family holiday dump. s.d.esp. That comment. I knew it was him. I could literally feel it. I opened a DM.

I talked to someone to lift your ban. I tried my best. The decision is out of my hands. The article was the main reason for the ban.

I watched the three dots anxiously. It felt like hours when the dots finally disappeared. And two words appeared.

Try harder.

"You’re quiet?" JK asked and I shrugged my shoulders.

"I’m focused."

"Okay, if you say so…"

"Yup."

We were warming up for quali and my stomach was still in turmoil. It was cramping like never before. Leaning against a wall I took a deep breath, watching how Andrea and Charles played football a couple of metres away. I picked up my jump rope and began again when Paul walked out with something to drink.

"Here."

"Thanks." I grabbed the bottle and took a sip before putting it down and warming up again, when a sharp pain in my lower stomach made me flinch "Fuck." I groaned.

"Are you okay?" Paul asked, grabbing my arm and I nodded "You’re pale?"

"I’m fine. I think I ate something bad." I mumbled and he stroked my arm up and down "I’m good. Really!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yep. I just need to warm up now. Need to focus." I grabbed the jump rope, that I dropped before and began my routine. JK coming back with a ball.

"Two sets and you’re done."

"Yeah."

I watched how Paul sat down on a box, his back to Charles and Andrea, who were still playing football. It didn’t even take 10 seconds for the ball flying through the air, hitting Paul in the back, making him jump up.

"Oooops! Sorry! Can you pass me the ball, please?" Charles shouted, a big grin on his face.

Paul mumbled something and threw the ball back, sitting back down on the box, right as the ball came flying back, hitting the back of his head. I could clearly see the anger rising in his face when Charles jogged over, casually picking up the ball, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I’m really sorry, mate! I guess now we now why I’m not a football player!" he chuckled and walked back to Andrea and I saw them high five.

"I go back to our garage, before he uses me as target again." Paul seethed and left.

"That was purely intentional…" JK laughed and I sighed a little.

"Yeah… probably."

"Good. Paul needs to back the hell off. I don’t know how many signals you already sent him to leave you alone, he doesn’t seem to get it."

"Uh-huh." I felt another wave of pain.

"Okay. What is going on? You’re in pain. I’ve seen it the past days every then and now? What’s going on?" JK took the jump rope out of my hand and pushed me down on the box.

"Nothing serious…"

"Care to share?"

"No."

"Hey cara mia, are you okay?" Charles stood in front of me.

"Yeah… it’s…" I sighed and pointed at my stomach and he looked at me confused but then he understood.

"Oh okay? Still?" he sat down next to me and I leaned against him.

"It sucks. I feel hot and my suit is like it’s too tight on me. God I hate it."

"You sure you can drive?" he whispered and I nodded.

"I have to. But I need to focus. I need to set my fastest lap at my first try."

"Can you just focus on driving safe?"

"I’ll try."

"Lizzie."

"Hey, that’s more than enough. I can’t do more right now!"

"Okay. Now come on. It’s almost time." he jumped down from the box and helped me get off.

Q1 was fine. No cramps. No nothing. But right as I started setting a time in Q2 another cramp made me flinch and I under steered. Knowing that correcting my mistake would cost some time, I decided to abort the lap.

"I need another out lap and then try again."

"Copy. Tyres looking good."

"Okay."

I inwardly cursed. I definitely had to talk to my doctor back home. I never felt this uncomfortable in the cockpit. The heat was abnormal and the pressure of the g forces, never a problem before, made me feel like my body could burst at any minute. But I had to work through it. I couldn’t let this stop me. I rounded the last corner and accelerated. Focus. I could do that. No matter what happened.

"That’s currently P3. Good job."

"Who’s still on track?"

"Charles, Max, Perez, Norris, Hamilton."

"Okay. I’m coming in."

"Alright."

I made it into Q3 and was ready to set a time. Determined to not let anything stop me, a red flag crashed all my hopes.

"That’s P6, Lizzie."

"Is Lando okay?"

"Yes, he is."

"Alright. Good job, guys."

I jumped out of the car, ready to get rid off my suit, which felt so uncomfortable. I shrugged out of it, rolled it down to my waist.

"You’re sweaty…" JK looked at my soaked fireproofs and I sighed.

"I feel like I’ve been in a sauna for hours. I need a shirt or something."

"Here’s a hoodie."

"Thanks."

As soon as I changed into the hoodie Julie picked me up for the interviews.

I walked back to the pits, shaking my head in disbelief. Helmet still on. Not even 2 laps in and my race was already over. After an amazing start, overtaking George and Carlos right at the start, the latter was retaliating with a risky move, slashing my whole side pod open, forcing me to retire the car. I watched as some cars used the safety car to pit early and sighed. I felt good today. After the last 3 days full of cramps and just don’t feeling like myself in the car, today was a good day. I was confident to achieve a good result, maybe even a podium today, and that start just proved me right.

"I’m sorry, guys. Maybe I didn’t leave him enough space?" I said as I walked up to the Audi pit wall, hugging Felix.

"You couldn’t do anything to prevent it. He drove straight into you. It’s under investigation."

"Okay."

I thanked my mechanics and the rest of the team and went straight to my interviews. Just to get it over with.

"Sorry again, Lizzie. More luck next week in Monza, hopefully!" Rachel Brookes from SkyUK waved me goodbye and I forced a smile.

"I go and change, then I’ll be back in the garage." Julie only nodded and left me alone. I changed and grabbed my phone, returning to the garage, where I grabbed a headset and sat down, watching the race. Charles did well, he didn’t struggle as much as he anticipated it. He battled with George more than once, switching between P2 and P3. Unfortunately Valtteri had to retire his car in lap 55 due to an . And our garage went dead silent. No one spoke, we all just watched how a mad Valtteri returned back to the garage, thanking the whole team, plopping down next to me. I patted his back and he sighed.

"Not the best weekend for us."

"Nope absolutely not." I chuckled bitterly and watched how Charles came closer to Max, but George also closer to Charles. Another lap gone as Charles reported that his tyres were gone and he was right, he slipped around the track and I wished the race was over every couple of seconds. And when it finally was, Max had won his home Grand Prix, with George in P2 and Charles in P3.

"Hey Lizzie." Joris hugged me when I joined him, waiting for Charles "Sorry about your race."

"Don’t worry, it’s okay." I said and he put his arm around my shoulder.

"Next week in Monza you’ll be back on the podium."

"If you say so!" I laughed and he squeezed my shoulder, right as Charles parked his car and got out.

"I know so!" Joris said, determined and I nodded.

"Okay. I believe in your words!"

Charles thanked his team when he saw me, taking his helmet off and Joris pushed me right into him.

"Good job, Charlie!" I smiled and he pulled me into him.

"I’m so sorry that your race ended this early, cara mia." he whispered and I nodded "Are you okay? Did you crash out?"

"No?" I sighed, he didn’t know what happened "I had to retire because my side pod was slashed open…" he pulled away, looking at me with big eyes.

"What happened?"

"Umm… I overtook George and Carlos right at the start and- well when Carlos had the chance to overtake he drove straight into me." I could see the wheels turning in his head, his look changing from confusion to anger.

"I had no idea…" he began but I shook my head.

"It doesn’t matter, it’s done! You go celebrate your P3 now! Come on!" I cheered him on and he hugged me before he walked off.

"It sucks, sure, but it is what it is." I sighed and Charles shook his head.

"It’s unfair! He didn’t even get a penalty? He went straight into you!" Charles was pacing back and forth "I honestly don’t know why he targets you all the damn time? What did you do to him?"

"I was honest? Criticised the team for favouring him in races where they shouldn’t have? I don’t know and I don’t care…"

"Lizzie… I don’t want you guys ruining each other’s races over and over again…" he sighed and sat down next to me.

"I never did anything! Tell him!"

"I already did! But I will have a talk with him again… this is getting out of hand."

"Next weekend is Monza. He will try everything to leave me behind…"

"Yeah. Monza."

"Don’t worry. I will only say nice things about Ferrari." I rolled my eyes.

"Lizzie…" he began but I leaned into him, putting my head on his shoulder.

"It’s okay, I really try my best to not say anything… I did it last week, I did it this week, even after your teammate ended my race, next week I’ll just do the same."

"I hate asking that of you." Charles sighed and kissed my head.

"You’re not asking for it, I’m just doing it… I know how Ferrari works. I don’t want to get you into trouble."

"What did I do to deserve you?" he whispered and I laughed and sat up, looking into his eyes.

"You’re the perfect guy, that’s what you did!" I kissed his cheek.

"Oh come on!" he laughed "When I’m the perfect guy, then you’re the perfect girl!"

"Probably not but okay." Charles rolled his eyes and pulled me into him.

"I just want this day to be over and fly back home, have a nice and relaxing day with you before the Monza madness starts." he whispered against my neck.

"Me too."

"I don’t want to leave you. I want to stay here. Stupid meeting."

"It will be alright. Come on. Off you go." I laughed and he groaned but got up.

"Okay. But only if I get a kiss." he sighed dramatically and I chuckled, cupping his cheeks and pulling him closer.

"If you insist." I sighed and put my lips onto his pillowy ones. He kissed me softly and I smiled into our kiss.

"Now I have the energy to leave…" he kissed my nose and straightened his back "I’ll pick you up." I nodded and he left.

After a couple of moments I got up as well, when I saw someone approaching me cautiously. As soon as I saw who it was, I had to fight the urge to roll my eyes.

"Lizzie." her voice overly sweet.

"Sylvia, how can I help you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why would you be lurking around behind the Audi hospitality if you’re not looking for me?"

"I’m not lurking around. I was looking for Charles."

"You just missed him."

"Good."

"Good." I said and turned a little, but she didn’t move "Just say whatever you have to say."

"Next weekend is important for us. Our team. As well as our drivers."

"I’m aware."

"We can’t have negative media attention."

"Wouldn’t be too good for you."

"So you agree?

"Agree?"

"That you shouldn’t be criticising Ferrari at this special weekend?"

"Ahhh, now we get to it. You want me to stay silent."

"Yes."

"You know, if Ferrari won’t fuck up, I will stay silent. It’s as easy as that." before she could reply I walked away.

I wouldn’t say anything about Ferrari, for Charles, I knew how much Monza meant to him. But Sylvia didn’t need to know that.

Little Note:

Chapter 24 - Well, nothing special happened here. I had some anons regarding my chapter length, so I tried to keep it a little shorter than usually this time. I also was asked about how and if Lizzie’s period would affect her on a race weekend. So I tried to bring it in a little. I googled a little and also talked with friends about well their period 😅 as someone who never had any issues at all, I had to find some sources 🤷🏻‍♀️

Next chapter: MONZA…

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[z-h-i-e]

The difference now is that retail didn’t used to be shit. I went back to my original retail job twice (and both times returned to a promotion). I worked for a ‘mom and pop’ store, literally. We were family there. I went to my boss’ house for Christmas parties. They gave us yearly bonuses based on how well the sales were for the year. When an employee turned 18, they started a retirement plan for them, not because they had to, because it was the right thing. We had bowling parties. They hired a comedy group to come in and perform at the store after hours for the crew one time. Years later, I was in a newspaper and they cut it out and framed it on construction paper with a glitter border and had a cute former employee message with it and hung it in the lobby.

But more than all that, they treated us like people. When I started and they asked what to call me and I said Zhie, no one questioned it. When I had theater and orchestra, I had off Friday nights and weekends. When I started college, they had a party for me and made sure I could attend all my classes. I got a job on campus and left them, but when that job ended six months later they hired me back within two weeks (basically the day they found out I was looking for a job)—as a manager.

And when things went bad, they took care of us. Disrespectful customers were asked not to return. Really bad weather? We were told to use our judgement and close early to get home safe. And so many nice customers. Sure, there were people who were jerknuggets but they were few and tended not to be return customers.

When I go to stores I can’t say I’m always like, ideal customer — typically due to the self checkout kiosks — but I find myself trying to chat and joke with any clerk who says hi. I had a nice chat today with the clerk at Speedway; he’s always saying fun things, so I try to at least say hi and thank you and have a good one if I don’t have time for more talking (tonight we did talk about my un-vacation). I had a problem at the craft store the other day and the clerk had to return and rering the whole order (neither of us noticed it rang through 23 of something I had 2 of until we finished the transaction). As I was joking with her while the manager came up to verify, she said something like ‘you’re just an angel, being so nice, you know that?��� And the thing is, all of us can be that to clerks, even on a shitty day, because I was indeed having a shitty day that day, and I could have been a jerk about the register mistake, but #1 she’s not the person who made the prior shitiness happen and #2 it takes a lot more energy to be an asshole. Far better to laugh about not needing 23 bottles of glitter paint even if the universe thought I did. (It also rang up 4 candy bars instead of 2, but for that I just grabbed two more candy bars—I mean if the universe wants me to buy two more Hershey bars with almonds, who am I to argue?)

Going back to part the first - said store is gone, run out of business by big boxes and the internet. So my last bit is, to keep good little stores in business to be islands of retail paradise, we have to shop at them when we can. It’s why I pick up comics at an independent store instead of getting them ordered from somewhere online or buying digital, and pick up soup and bread and produce at the fruit market that is LGBTQIA friendly and STILL has plexi up to protect their workers, and order Chinese food from the family business down the street instead of a chain store where it’s technically faster and cheaper and has a drive thru. It’s because I want to see these places stick around, I want to see opportunities for people to work at places that are happy and good.

Pulling on the info from the second bit above — I enjoyed working Black Friday when I worked retail. #1 - we didn’t open until noon so that employees could sleep in from Thanksgiving or go out and shop elsewhere.. #2 - we didn’t have special sales. Whatever the normal sales were was it.. #3 - because of #1 & 2 at a time of no internet shopping, we still got tons of happy customers because they had gone elsewhere, elsewhere was out, and we had what they needed.

I wish we had a mindset collectively and an economy that could support more small businesses.

People always gloss over how mentally damaging it can be to work in retail. I fucking hate that whenever I say “I could never work in retail again” someone has to reply “You snowflake millennials can’t take a starter job because you have to INTERACT with other people” No. Fuck you. I’ve worked as a planetarium host. I’ve worked as a public speaker. I’ve worked as a tutor and as a student teacher. I can work with people. I can work with crowds. Retail was fucking different. Retail was being treated as a subhuman. Retail was being treated so poorly that you have anxiety attacks before work. Having to work retail was a factor in my last suicide attempt. If I hear you say one fucking word about retail workers playing the victim I will personally break every bone in your body. Fuck You.

[hollandorks]

middle of the night

battinson!bruce wayne x f!reader

chapter four

summary:  y/n’s life changes immensely, starting with the Batman falling out of the sky right in front of her and ending with a promising new job at Wayne Manor. As her life intertwines with that of both Batman and Bruce Wayne, she begins to figure out that there’s more to both than meets the eye. No spoilers for the Batman movie.

a/n: Listen I’ve already written almost eleven chapters of this nonsense and having a blast. So I’m keeping the momentum going and posting another chapter! I’ve been seriously having so much fun writing this. Enjoy this nice, long chapter. I thrive off reader feedback so please feel free to drop a comment, ask, or even yell in the tags if you reblog! Also let me know if you would like to be tagged in future updates. Also if you don’t see your tag and requested one, some won’t work for me! 

Series Masterlist

word count: 3374

But she couldn’t deny that she wanted, just a little bit, to solve the mystery of Bruce Wayne.

The third time y/n saw Bruce Wayne, he was standing in the center of the foyer looking absolutely bewildered. 

She had worked for him nearly two full weeks. It was a Friday. She was nearly done with the second floor and had started on the library. She wasn’t looking forward to the weekend this time, though. She’d be back at the Iceberg Lounge that night as well as the next night. But at least she had been able to deposit her first paycheck during lunch. She had a nice payment ready to take to the Penguin. 

“Mr. Wayne?” she asked softly. His head snapped up. Of all things he was…blushing? Today he was dressed in a smart suit that was tailored to his tall frame. He looked…good. More than good. Now she was the one blushing. 

“Good mo–afternoon, y/n.” 

She blinked. She hadn’t realized he knew her name. 

“Is there something I can help you with, Mr. Wayne?” 

“Bruce, please.” He gave a twitch of the lips that she thought was meant to be a smile. “I–no. I was just admiring the flowers. I’m on my way to a meeting.” 

Her cheeks heated in earnest now. She had placed a fresh bouquet of flowers–purchased on the way back from the bank on her lunch break–and arranged them on a table centered in the foyer. The manor was in desperate need of light and color. 

“They look nice,” he continued softly. He lightly touched one of the flowers with a fingertip. He shifted almost awkwardly under her scrutiny. He put a pair of sunglasses on. “Have a good night.” 

And then he was gone again. 

For someone so reclusive, he sure didn’t seem to be home a lot, y/n mused. 

As she got ready for work at the club later that evening, she made sure to tuck the envelope of cash into her bra where it would be safest. She put on makeup, her own version of armor, and made sure her hair was done just so. The Penguin wasn’t hands on with his employees, but he did expect a certain level of excellence from everyone. And it started with looks. Her button up shirt was tight with a couple of buttons undone, her black skirt shorter than she would have liked. And her uniform–and those of the other waitresses and bartenders– was a lot more modest than those of any dancers, performers, and everyone who worked in the VIP club downstairs. 

She took a taxi from the gates of Wayne Manor to the nearest subway station and rode from there to the Iceberg Lounge. She tried her best to ignore the catcalls her work uniform garnered as she rode. She was used to it. 

After being let in the back door of the club by one of the bouncers, she was escorted straight to the Penguin. 

He lounged on a cushy sofa in his office. There were glass windows that muffled the noise of the music and overlooked the club below. The scars on his face were thrown into sharp relief with every flash of the lights. 

She held out the envelope. “This month’s payment, plus three percent interest.” 

The Penguin counted it quickly, then sat back as if he had absolutely no care in the world. She supposed he didn’t. Not when people like her brought people like him envelopes of cash to keep themselves alive. 

“Bruce Wayne’s paying you good to keep his bed warm then, eh sweetheart?” He chuckled, and the peanut gallery of thugs around him chuckled right along with him. Including the asshole who’d bruised her cheek a few weeks ago. “No matter, long as I get my money back some way or another. Get to work. You’re at the bar with Jack tonight.” 

“Yes sir,” she said through clenched teeth. She hoped the hate didn’t show on her face. She wanted to hit him. She wished she were someone like Batman, able to take care of herself and hurt men like the Penguin. Men who deserved it.  

But all she did was smile pretty and get to work. 

Her shift passed achingly slowly. As she worked she wondered if the regular patrons were spreading rumors about her. Were they whispering that men who touched her got punched in the face? Or were they whispering that she was Bruce Wayne’s whore? She wondered if any of the goons upstairs had started whispers about her new job. 

She felt eyes on her, all around her, their gazes heavy and unsettling as she cleaned a glass. She imagined she heard them whispering. If Bruce Wayne paid her, what could they get her to do for money? The people who frequented this club were not good people, no matter what jobs they held during the day. Police. Lawyer. Councilman. Doctor. Politician. In this club, they were all the same. They were all men who thought they were owed certain things. Things they paid men like the Penguin to give them. 

The glass in her hands shattered. 

With a muffled curse she bent to clean it up. A thin slice opened on her palm and began to sting from the residual alcohol. A drop of blood beaded on the wound and shone red in the strobing lights of the club. 

“Clumsy girl,” a man drawled from the bar. “Though I can’t say I mind the view.” 

She could feel his hungry gaze on her backside. It felt like hot grease on her skin, slipping and sliding and burning her. The club went quiet, drowned out by the rush of her own rage in her ears. 

When she straightened, bloodied palm clenched in her good hand, she realized that the club around her had actually gone quiet. As quiet as it could get with blaring music. 

On the steps leading up to the Penguin’s office was the Batman. 

She blinked furiously. Strobe lights flashed red and white and red again. She saw snapshots of him moving, throwing a punch, catching a blow on his forearm. It was like watching a stop motion movie. Like watching flashes of a dream. Penguin’s bodyguards were stopping him from pushing his way up the stairs to the office.

He was here, in the Iceberg Lounge. 

In the next flash, the Penguin was there. He was smiling. They exchanged words. Or maybe Penguin spoke while Batman listened. 

Within a minute, Batman was following him up to his office. 

What could Batman possibly be doing here? 

“Now that’s something you don’t see everyday,” the same sleazebag slurred. He smiled up at her from where he drooped over the bar. He had thick eyebrows and a receding hairline. “Reckon he’s coming to buy something?” He waggled his eyebrows. 

Y/n scoffed. “I doubt it. He’s probably threatening my boss.” She hated calling him that, “her boss.” But here, image was everything. And words counted for that, too. She owed an extra twenty thousand for badmouthing the Penguin to one of the other girls back when she’d first been hired, after her mom died. It was one reason she was always careful here. And one reason she didn’t trust any of her fellow employees. They traded information for the Penguin’s favor, for the smallest chance of their debts being lowered, without a care for anyone else. She couldn’t blame them. If she was any more desperate, she would do the same thing. So instead she kept to herself. 

“Hey, you’re bleeding there, baby,” the man cooed. “Let me take you somewhere to patch you up.” 

She gave the man a tight smile. “No thank you.” 

She quickly finished sweeping up the glass and then called to the other bartender, Jack. She held up her bloody hand in a wave and indicated with her other hand she’d be back in five minutes. Jack, she’d learned, was just another of the Penguin’s thugs who happened to know how to make mixed drinks. He was posted at the bar as a sort of undercover bouncer. In case anything happened, he had a pistol under his suit jacket and a shotgun under the bar. And he wasn’t afraid to tattle on his coworkers either.

She shoved her way around the perimeter of the crowd towards the shitty employee bathrooms in the back. At least they were quiet. She grabbed a bandage from her bag in her employee locker and shoved the bathroom door open with her foot. 

A drop of dark red blood splashed against the dingy white sink. In the harsh fluorescents, y/n looked haggard. What was Batman doing here, of all places? She wanted to burst into Penguin’s office. Damn the consequences. She’d thought about Batman more times that she cared to admit to herself. She couldn’t get him out of her head. What was he doing here?

She cursed colorfully as she struggled to bandage the cut one-handed. 

The door banged open behind her.

“Occupied, asshole!” she shouted over the music that came blaring through the open door. . 

Batman appeared as a dark shadow against the single bright white light above them. 

It was as if her thoughts had summoned him.

She hated that her heart stuttered the way it did. 

“What are you–what are you doing here? You’re not supposed to be back here.” 

“I could ask you the same thing, y/n,” he said in a low growl. She closed her eyes and let the sound of his voice wash over her. “You work here?”

“You remember me?” she asked. 

“Of course I remember you.” He slid his gauntlets off and took the bandage from her. “Did someone do this to you?” 

Had someone slipped her something? Why did it feel like a hallucination every time she saw him? The sheer darkness of him, made of shadows, clashed with the brilliance of the fluorescents.

He took her injured hand in both of his. His skin was warm, almost hot. Electricity zinged up and down her arm from the connection of skin on skin. His fingers were rough with callouses but gentle as he fixed the bandage over her torn skin. 

She realized he’d asked a question. “I broke a glass.” Dazed, she watched his long fingers deftly patch her up. “Is this a dream? Is a vigilante really putting a bandaid on me right now?” 

A corner of his lips turned up in a half smile that was gone in the blink of an eye. 

“I recognized you,” he said quietly. He stepped back from her, which wasn’t far in the small bathroom. “I needed to ask if you knew anything about the women who’ve been disappearing.” 

She blinked. “What?” she said stupidly. “What women?” 

“Three women have disappeared in the past month. Only one body has been found. They all worked here.” 

Y/n slumped against the dirty tile wall. “Three?” she echoed. Her eyes traced the line of his jaw of their own accord. She watched, enraptured, as he put his gloves and gauntlets back on. “I don’t–I didn’t know anything about that. Is that why you’re here? Questioning the Penguin?” 

“Yes. He swears he knows nothing. Asked why he would waste a valuable resource.” 

Her skin crawled at the word. Resource. Not employees. No care at all for the women they were–the women they’d been. Gotham had a bad habit of chewing up women and spitting them back out dead while men like the Penguin looked the other way. 

“The Penguin’s a piece of shit,” she spat, “but he’s got a point. He values his employees for what they can bring him. And if I didn’t know them or about their disappearances…” She hesitated. She could get in a lot of trouble if Penguin knew she was telling him anything at all. Trouble that got girls killed. But this was Batman. He wanted to help. He would help. “That means they worked downstairs. There’s…that’s where…worse things happen.” 

Batman studied her without expression. 

She shouldn’t say anything else. He could figure it out from there. “I have to get back to work. See you around.” 

He moved out of the way as she opened the door. She stepped past him. Close. Too close. 

She quickly made sure no one else was around before hustling back to the bar. 

The creep from earlier was gone now, thank God, but there was an end of the night rush to contend with. Everyone wanted one last drink before the upstairs bar closed. A couple of patrons were shown downstairs while everyone else had to clear out. Y/n’s gaze skipped past them with well-practiced ease. She was used to ignoring faces here. If she recognized anyone, if she ever tried to tie them to this place, she would be one of the women who disappeared.

God, three women had disappeared? There had been no indication that something sinister was happening downstairs. At least, anything more sinister than usual. Something bad was happening downstairs if three women had already disappeared. Y/n had heard about the sort of things that happened down there. The sort of men that frequented the space. The meetings that happened between them. The expectations of the women–and few men–that worked there every night. 

As she fielded orders and mixed and poured drinks, she found herself watching every shadow for a sign of Batman. She knew he was long gone by now. But she hoped for one more glimpse of him. Just one. At least someone was looking for those women. 

Finally, finally, last call was over and she cleaned up while Jack cashed out the register. All of her tips went to the Penguin, of course. But she wasn’t totally sure they went towards her debts. She was afraid to ask, in case they didn’t. 

It hit her then, fully hit her, that those were problems of the past. Just one paycheck signed by Bruce Wayne had already made such a huge difference in her life. Exhausted tears pricked her eyes. She only had to do one more night of this for the next week, instead of five more nights. 

She leaned heavily against the storeroom shelves for a minute, letting that sink in. 

She finished restocking the bar feeling lighter than she had in years. 

As y/n changed and gathered her things from her locker, her thoughts turned to her encounter with Batman. The feeling of his bare hands on hers. The intensity that emanated from him. His quiet, deep voice. She hoped she saw him again. 

Her thoughts were still wrapped up in her encounter with Batman as she stepped into the back alley. The bouncer at the back door nodded at her from his post right inside the door. He held his phone in one hand and a small cup of coffee in the other. 

Cool air wrapped around her shoulders. The air was as fresh as it got inside of city limits. A hint of autumn came with the breeze. Y/n paused and inhaled deeply. She loved this moment every time she left the Iceberg Lounge. The moment she could shake off the night, forget for a little while that she worked there and why. 

Someone roughly grabbed her wrist. 

“There you are, baby,” a voice said. “I’ve been waiting half the night out here for you.” 

It was the man from earlier. The one who’d had such a good time watching her clean up broken glass. Y/n tried to yank her arm out of his grip. He held on tighter. It seemed as if he’d sobered up quite a bit while he’d been waiting. The bones in her wrist ground together painfully. 

“Let me go,” she said in a low, dangerous voice. She moved her other hand slowly around to where the taser waited in her back pocket. 

“Aw, come on, don’t be like that. I heard about your little deal with Bruce Wayne.” So fast she couldn’t act, he grabbed her other wrist. “How much does he pay you for a night? I promise I can compensate you for your time.” 

“I’m not for sale, asshole,” she spat in his face. Fear wrapped ice cold tendrils around her heart. She could barely breathe. She’d heard of stuff like this happening outside of this club, but she’d always been so careful. She should have kept her taser in her hand. Kept her gun at her side. She should have punched the asshole at the bar earlier and dealt with the consequences later. “If you want to buy someone, you have to be invited downstairs! Now let me go.” 

The man growled and shoved her roughly against the bricks. Pain exploded from the back of her head where it collided with the wall. He still held fast to her wrists. “You bitch,” he practically crooned. His lips nuzzled against her ear. She wanted to vomit. To scream. But this was Gotham. No one came running when someone yelled for help. She had to get free. Had to get to her taser. Had to, before it was too late. Before–before–she couldn’t finish the thought. “Fine. Don’t accept my generous offer. Besides, what’s the saying? Why buy what you can take for free?” 

He kissed her full on the mouth just as she tried to scream. He bit her lip, hard, and coppery blood filled her mouth. She thrashed against him. She could feel him pressed against her. Her struggling was making him more excited. He liked feeling powerful. 

One of his hands finally gave up one of hers to paw at her chest. She reared back and headbutted him, then made a grab for the taser while he howled in pain and called her every dirty curse word he could think of. 

Right as her taser lit up the flesh on the inside of his thigh, he was yanked roughly off of his feet from behind. 

Batman’s fist connected with the man’s face once. Twice. Three times. Four. 

“You couldn’t have stepped in sooner?” she shouted at the Batman as he tossed the now-unconscious man to the ground. “You fucking–he could have–he–” 

Batman turned to face her. Her words stuttered to an abrupt halt. 

“I’m sorry,” he said. His jaw was clenched so tight she was surprised it didn’t shatter. “I couldn’t tell from my vantage point that anything was wrong at first. I saw him waiting out here, but–” 

She shoved both of her hands into his chest. “You asshole!” He didn’t budge in the slightest. All at once the fight left her. She wiped furiously at her neck where the man’s disgusting lips had touched her. She needed a shower. Or some bleach. Or bleach and then a shower. She spit out a mouthful of blood. She may or may not have aimed it at the man on the ground. Then she aimed a vicious kick at his side. 

“I’m sorry,” Batman said again in his low growl of a voice. “Although I am impressed with how you handled yourself.” 

She huffed a humorless laugh. “Yeah, well. It’s Gotham. People who don’t at least have pepper spray are idiots. Especially because you can’t be everywhere at once.” Did she imagine it, or did something like hurt pass over what she could see of his face? Backtracking, she quickly added, “Thank you. By the way. Feel free to hit him a few more times if you want. And thanks for patching me up earlier.” 

He stared at her for a long moment. “You’re welcome,” he finally said. 

“I should let you get back to…crime fighting. I have to get home.” She didn’t want to leave, but she was starting to feel this long night in her bones. She wanted to sleep all day, sleep until her next shift. She wanted to quit this job. She tried to hide the shaking of her hands by clenching them into fists. 

“Be careful, y/n,” he said. 

“I will.” She pressed the button on the taser for emphasis and watched its satisfying zap. She thought she caught the ghost of a smile before he disappeared into the shadows at the end of the alley. 

She didn’t notice his shadow following her to the subway station, making sure she arrived safely.

Next Chapter

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[autumnwritcs]

dearxeden​:

autumnwritcs·:

“Six in the morning? That’s quite early.” Simon wasn’t really surprised, he knew pastries took time, it was a hard and precision job so it made sense things started early at the shop. “I imagine you might be tired so I’ll do my best to make the morning worth it when you could be resting or doing anything else.” He smiled. “No, no classes today, I’ve distributed my lessons so that I get Friday free all day, only to keep working and grading papers all weekend.” He added with a laugh. “But it’s not the same pressure as to follow a schedule so I can take the time to walk around or meet with new acquaintances.” He had originally taken the day off so he could spend time with his daughter but it was not the moment to reveal that to Miriam. As the approached the gallery, Simon fished his wallet to pay for their tickets. “Have you come to se the exhibition already?”

“It’s alright. You get used to it over time.” Miriam assured him. Those times of worked helped her a lot for her and her daughter’s schedule. Her mother was able to bring her to school and Miriam was able to pick her girl up. However these days, she was lucky that Sandra was already old enough to do that on her own and Miriam able to spend time with her new acquaintance. “Sounds so boring and dull. Grading papers, preparing classes… luckily you are able to enjoy some art now. Some excitement for the eye at least.” Miriam added with a chuckle. “Yeah, I’ve been here once with my d… ehm dear friend.” She tried to save herself from spilling the existence of her daughter. “You aren’t trying to pay for our tickets, are you? - I’m absolutely going to pay you back, Simon. You really don’t need to.” Miriam spoke later in a mumble, nudging him and gave the woman behind the counter a small smile.

"It's definitely a new experience and one I'm definitely not getting fond of but i believe that all experiences are useful for something. Though I've got to admit mt students are quite inventive when they don't know the answer to something and it makes me want to go back to writing. “I am.” Simon agreed with a grin though the way looked at her, he was mostly referring to Miriam as said excitement. He cocked his head at the curious way she addressed to her friend but he didn’t comment on it and moved on to pay the tickets. “Yeah? Well, I’ll trust your expert guide, then. Though your tip at the end of the tour will depend on your skills.” Simon teased. “Well, of course, you wouldn’t think I’d made you pay, did you? And I’m definitely not taking that money so don’t bother.” He had leaned to her ear level to speak low like Miriam had and he hoovered his lips over her skin for a few seconds. “Your perfume is exquisite.” He said before straightening. “So, where do we begin?” 

[diaphragmjellyfish]

Research

Finally wrote something again! Sorry it took so long. 

How exactly do you get a dog to lose your scent? Because avoiding your werewolf boyfriend Embry was proving a lot harder than you had anticipated. Last weekend was… eventful. You guys had finally done it. Gone all the way. After 6 months of dating and an imprint bond, you both finally decided you were ready to take that next step. And you’ve only had one thought since that night. 

That shit hurted. 

It was borderline unbearable. The pain was searing. You lied there until Embry was done, faking moans and even faking the Big O, and you were less than eager to do it again. Were you broken? He seemed to enjoy it, so obviously you were to blame. He’d been super clingy and lovey since that night, even more so than usual, and you didn’t have the heart to be around him knowing you had faked it like that. What if he found out? He’d be crushed. What if he wanted to do it again? You couldn’t take that pain another night. What if he faked it too and was going to break up with you the next time he saw you? Yeah, no. Avoidance was the way to go. 

He wanted to take you out to see a movie. You mysteriously came down with a case of allergies in the middle of winter. 

He wanted to pick you up after school and give you a ride home. You had the sudden urge to join a club that was meeting after school that day. 

He called, your phone was on silent. 

He texted, you suddenly became illiterate. 

But he kept trying. God, why was he making this so difficult?! Thoughts like this swirled through your head as you walked the long way home from school. He knew your usual route, so obviously that was out of the question. You took a path through the woods that would eventually spit you out right by the beach where you could sit and think. The forest had always felt like a second home to you. Peaceful, comfortable, private. You walked for some time before hearing twigs snapping in the distance. Probably a rabbit or something. Louder snapping. Bigger sticks. Definitely not a rabbit. You halted, waiting for the creature to pass, when a large gray wolf stalked out of the trees. 

Damn. 

He was wearing the softest, cutest, most “kicked puppy” look on his face that you had ever seen. Head bowed, he walked up to you slowly, whining. So he had noticed your avoidance. You held your hand out to him, petting the thick fur between his ears. He sniffed your hand, giving it a soft lick. 

“Hi,” you whispered. He whined louder at this. “Embry…” you started, before he crouched down, a silent cue for you to get on his back. He waited. 

Guess this was inevitable. And at least him showing up in wolf form gave you some time to think about how exactly you would explain what had happened. With another soft sigh, you climbed up on his back, holding the fur tightly as he trotted off into the trees. After about 5 minutes, you realized that he was taking you to Sam and Emily’s house. You weren’t in the mood to be around the rest of the pack right now. 

“Embry, I’m kind of busy today. I don’t really have time to hang out with the pack.” 

He ignored you, trotting along as if your statement was the buzz of a mosquito in his ear. When you reached the house, however, you quickly realized that no one else was there. They must all be out. It was a Friday afternoon, after all. 

When you reached the lawn, Embry stopped and crouched once more so you could dismount. When you did, he ran off behind the house, walking back out several minutes later as the inky-haired boy you had grown to love. His face was full of sadness, yours full of anxiety. 

“Let’s go for a walk,” he said. 

You silently followed him down the path that led to the cliffs, waiting for him to say something else. He never did, only kept walking. You struggled to keep up, but were too stubborn in your silence to ask him to slow down. You both finally reached the rocky cliffs jutting out over the frigid ocean. He stopped, staring out at the horizon. You paused next to him, waiting. After another several minutes of silence, you grew impatient. 

“It’s supposed to snow Monday,” you said. 

You waited. Silence. 

“The news said they might even cancel school.” 

A pause. Nothing. 

“I don’t know about you, but I could definitely use a three day weeken-”

“Is there something you want to tell me?” he cut you off, seeming agitated. For as long as you’d known Embry, he was never in a bad mood. Never anything but happy. Maybe sad on a few occasions, but never angry. Never frustrated. And it was making you nervous. 

And now it was your turn to be silent. Yes! You wanted to say. You hurt me! But you couldn’t. Wouldn’t. He didn’t do it on purpose, so why would you make him feel guilty about something that was your problem and your problem alone? 

“Because, if I’m counting correctly, it’s been 5 days since I’ve so much as heard from you. Barely a text back. Not a call, not a ‘hey! I’m super busy this week.’ Why are you avoiding me? I thought… after last weekend, we should be more in love than ever right?! Did it not mean anything to you?” 

You remained quiet, tears pooling in your eyes. You gave no sign that you were going to respond, so he kept going. 

“Just tell me where your fucking head is at, Y/N. You can’t keep brushing me off like this. Did I do something wrong? Do you regret what we did? Am I, like… not ripped enough for you or something?” 

“Embry, no,” you pleaded. You could see the insecurity behind his eyes. You had to tell him what was going on, but you knew it would crush him. “It’s not that at all.” 

He waited. “Then what?” 

You closed your eyes, a tear slipping down your face. You wiped it away quickly before taking a deep breath. “I have been avoiding you.” You looked up at his face at this, finding tears building up in his own eyes. “I love you, Embry. But last weekend, just… I can’t do that again.” 

He clenched his jaw, looking anywhere but your face and nodded. He was hurt. You definitely could have worded that better. 

“Let me explain,” you pleaded. He wouldn’t look at you still, but didn’t walk away, so you kept going. “I think I might be broken or something, because that… It didn’t feel right.” 

At this, he looked back at your face, switching from hurt to concerned almost immediately. 

“Why would you think you’re broken?” 

Another pause. “I know you would never hurt me on purpose…”

“You were in pain?” he panicked, fresh tears pricking in his eyes. 

“It’s not your fault,” you hurried. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that? Why would you let me keep going?!” 

“I’m sorry!” you cried, causing him to walk up and embrace you. You sobbed into his chest as he pet your hair, all signs of anger gone. “You were having a good time, and I didn’t wanna ruin it, but it hurt so bad…” 

“Shhhhh,” he cooed as he rocked you from side to side, letting you calm down. “It’s okay.” 

After several minutes, you finally stopped crying. He didn’t falter in his embrace, only left light kisses on your forehead and cheek. 

“Y/N, I am so sorry,” he whispered into your hair. 

“It’s not your fault,” you replied. 

“Yes, it is. I’m supposed to take care of you. It was my job to make you feel good, and you were hurting that bad and I didn’t even notice.” You sniffled, just enjoying being in his arms. A few more minutes passed as you both calmed down. 

“To be fair, I did take a drama class last semester. I’d say I put on a pretty convincing performance,” you added weakly, an attempt to lighten the mood. 

He huffed a laugh, if for no other reason than to make you feel better. “Had me fooled,” he added. 

You smiled, looking up at him. “I’m sorry for avoiding you.” 

“It’s okay. I just wish you would have told me as soon as it started to hurt that you wanted to stop.” 

“I know. I should have, I just got all in my head about it.” 

“And I’m sorry for hurting you. I’ll never forgive myself, and I understand if you don’t want to be with me anymore,” he answered, nervously awaiting your response. 

“I forgive you. And of course I still want to be with you, Embry. I love you. We just need to work on our communication skills a little bit,” you laughed. 

“We do. And I’ll start. I would really love another chance to make you feel good. If you promise to be honest about how you’re feeling, I know I can do a way better job. But I understand completely if you wanna wait a while… or if you never wanna do it again. You’re in charge here.” 

His words had your heart melting. He really did care about you, and you knew that if you had told him in the moment that you were in pain, he would have done anything to get you feeling good. You were always his first priority. 

“I’d be willing to try again, but what we did last time didn’t work. I think we need to think of some new techniques or something,” you mumbled shyly. 

“Tell you what. I’ll do some research, get some stuff, and you can come over tonight… if you want to. And we can maybe try again? And if you get there and aren’t feeling up to it, we can just watch a movie and cuddle. No pressure… I just miss you.” 

You thought for a second. Worst case scenario, you’d cuddle on the couch and eat junk food. You trusted Embry completely, and if you said stop, you knew he would. 

“Okay,” you replied. 

__________________________________

After a long shower, some fresh makeup, and a cute-yet-comfortable outfit, you were ready to go over to Embry’s. Sure, the nerves were kicking in, but you trusted him when he said he would do some research. When you pulled up, he was already standing in the doorway smiling. You ran out and gave him a giant bear hug (or wolf hug), and he picked you up and carried you into his room, kicking the door closed with his foot. 

“I missed you,” he said, face buried in your hair. 

“You saw me like 3 hours ago,” you giggled in response. 

“Yeah, but I haven’t seen you all week! Gotta get my Y/N fill or I might die!” 

You laughed loudly, hands threading up into his hair as he sat down on the bed with you seated in his lap. 

“Yeah, yeah, just try not to crowd me,” you cheekily replied. 

He raised an eyebrow before tackling you back onto the bed, tickling you like a maniac and placing playful kisses all over your face and neck. 

“Like this?! Don’t crowd you like this?” 

“Embry stop!” you laughed, trying to suck in a breath between his manic tickles. When he finally stopped, he was lying between your legs, one hand grasping both your wrists above your head, the other propped beside you so as to not crush you. He stared lovingly at your face before leaning down and placing a soft kiss on your lips. His grip on your arms loosened, as if to say You can stop me anytime, but you didn’t. You kissed him back, arms staying in place to tell him that you were okay. 

The kisses grew slightly more heated, but Embry kept them gentle. And every time you thought he was about to take things to the next step, he’d just kiss you some more. You were growing slightly impatient, breath labored and blood pumping fast. Your stomach became slightly warm, and every time you leaned up, he’d pull away. 

“You’re being mean,” you whimpered. 

He just looked at you and smirked before leaning down and capturing your lips once more. You could feel your blood heat in every part of your body. From your head to your toes, you felt warm and fuzzy, yet desperate for more,,, more touch, more pressure, more Embry. Growing frustrated, you hooked your legs around his waist and tried your best to pull him closer, unintentionally grinding your hips into his. When he brushed up against your core, you let out an involuntary sigh. It actually felt nice. He smiled into the kiss, pulling his lips away from yours and dragging them down to your jaw, and then your neck, suckling and sucking and leaving light red marks that made your head spin. The hand that was holding your wrists came down behind your back and up into your hair, firmly pulling your head back to give him better access to your neck. 

This movement made your entire back arch up into his body. His grip in your hair tightened slightly, lips sucking your skin up into his mouth as he nibbled, before soothing with his tongue. Your toes curled, legs pulling him impossibly closer. When he felt this, he ground his hips down into yours. The combination of his hands, lips, and weight on top of you made you let out a gasp. Your hands held onto his shoulders for dear life, pulling his shirt up in an attempt to take it off. He got the hint and sat up to remove it, being away from your body for far too long for your taste. He didn’t lower fully back down, however, instead sliding his warm hands under your shirt and onto your stomach. You sat up, taking your sweatshirt off and throwing it violently across the room. His eyes widened as they looked down at your bare chest in an almost feral fashion. He gripped your thighs, tugging you down the bed with ease, and resuming his position on top of you, hands roaming all over your torso. He cupped your breasts gently, rolling your nipples softly between his fingers. You shut your eyes and threw your head back, enjoying the sensations. His kisses trailed from your neck and down to your chest, softly. Lovingly. When he reached your nipples, his tongue poked out and licked around each of them, before taking them into his mouth and sucking. His hands continued to caress your back, and he took his sweet time switching from one breast to the other, and back again, until he felt your skin grow almost as hot as his. You were writhing underneath him, panting as your mind tried to comprehend the sensations. And his mouth, God it was so warm. You felt him kiss the undersides of your breasts, and then your stomach, and then lower… 

When he reached the waistband of your leggings, he brought his hands up as if to pull them off of you. He stopped, looking up at you for permission. You gave a lazy nod Yes, and lifted your hips to help him. He pulled your underwear off as well, spreading your legs and almost salivating at the sight of your soaking pussy. Not wanting to waste another second, he once again began placing kisses on your lower stomach, and then down to your hip bones, scraping his teeth lightly against the skin, which had you shuddering. He trailed lower, to where your thighs met your core, and began to suck lightly and the soft skin there. Your clit was throbbing by now, desperate for any sort of attention. You thrust your hips up, desperate for his mouth on the place you needed him, but he only pulled your legs over his shoulders and brought his arms across your stomach to hold you in place. Your hands went to his hair in an effort to control any aspect of this situation, but the boy was strong. He teased and teased and teased, until you thought you might very well crawl out of your own skin if he didn’t properly touch you soon. Embry brought his face right up to your center and licked into your entrance, making your toes curl once more. His hands gripped your hips as he brought you as far onto his tongue as he could, nose not quite brushing where you still needed him. 

“Embry…” you whimpered, about to tell him what you needed. 

“I know, baby. I got you,” he spoke, as he finally brought his warm tongue to lick a firm stripe up to your clit, swirling it around and sucking the swollen nub into his mouth. 

You let out a moan. A real one. Your first real one. And it only encouraged Embry, as he began to suck and lick with a steady rhythm that caused your legs to shake. You felt your stomach start to coil after several minutes of this, hands fisting Embry’s hair even tighter. It felt amazing, but that coil wouldn’t snap. He started to notice you coming down slightly, orgasm fading away, when he brought his index finger into your mouth. You sucked on instinct, before he pulled it out and brought it down to your entrance. He swirled the digit around a few times and began to push in slowly. One knuckle. Then two. And then he was fully in you. Sucking your clit into his mouth yet again, he rubbed his finger up into your front wall, massaging the ridges there. 

“Oh… Embry, oh my God,” you moaned. He used more pressure, and then brought his finger out and added another, slowly pushing them in together and resuming the ‘come-hither’ motion. You felt your muscles shake, losing all control, and the coil in your stomach tightened rapidly once again, only this time, it broke. Your back arched, eyes shut tight, mouth open in a silent scream as you came hard. Waves of pleasure drove through you, hands holding his head firmly onto your center. When you came down and opened your eyes, you looked down at his face to see an excited grin. 

“If you tell me that was fake, I think I’ll cry,” he chirped. 

You calmed your hard breathing enough to mutter a “That was real.” 

“Do you wanna keep going?” he asked. 

You nodded, taking note of the obvious tent in his shorts. You reached a hand down to grasp him, when he grabbed your wrist and said “Nuh-uh, I’m still making it up to you.” 

He stood up off the bed and went over to a plastic shopping bag on his desk. He opened it and pulled out a condom, some lube, and a small pink toy. Your eyes widened, and he cockily stated, “told you I’d do some research. Come here Sweetheart.” He held a hand out to help you up, and moved you so that you were on your hands and knees, bum facing him as he stood at the edge of the bed. He tore the condom packet open with his teeth and rolled it on, and then opened the bottle of lube and slathered it all over himself. He then brought what was left on his hand up to your sensitive core, distributing the substance gently. Throwing the bottle onto the floor, he lined himself up with your entrance. 

“You sure you wanna keep going?” he asked. You nodded in response. “I need you to say it, babe.” 

“Yes, I want to keep going, Em,” you almost cried. 

“Okay, but I need you to tell me if it hurts even a little. Promise?” 

“Promise.” 

He grasped your hip with one hand, guiding himself in with the other. Slowly, carefully, he became fully seated inside you, giving you a moment to adjust. You felt no pain, just a delicious stretch inside your walls. When Embry saw that you were relaxed, he pulled himself out a couple of inches and softly thrusted back in, looking for any signs of discomfort. He found none, and continued. He dragged himself in and out of you at a torturous pace that made your breathing pick up yet again. You needed more. You began rocking yourself back onto him, begging for a faster pace, and he complied. He pulled out several inches more this time, shoving back in at a quicker pace that had your toes curling and your moans going up in pitch. At this, he stopped holding back. Embry began pounding into you, hands gripping your hips tight enough to leave the good kind of bruise. You were moaning loudly, brain turning to mush. This is what sex was supposed to be like. What you’d always imagined it would be like. Passionate, loving, amazing. 

Embry found himself reaching the edge, but would not allow himself to finish before you. He reached down onto the bed for the small pink toy that you had forgotten about. He flicked it on, brought his other hand down and around your throat to pull you up against him, and held the small vibrator right onto your clit. The pounding pressure of his dick paired with the fervent vibrations had you seeing stars. You came. Hard. You didn’t know how long the orgasm had lasted. When you came to, you were lying on your back on the bed, breathing still labored, as Embry cleaned your thighs off with a damp towel. He noticed you looking up at him. 

“Hey, Sweetheart,” he cooed.

“Hey,” you responded weakly. 

“How ya doing?” 

“Really good,” you laughed. 

“Yeah?” he beamed at you as you nodded in response. “Good. I’m gonna get you some water and then we can cuddle, okay?” You only smiled in contentment as he walked off into the hallway, returning shortly with a cup of cold water. “Sit up for me?” 

“Can’t,” you answered, eliciting a laugh from him. 

“C’mon, I’ll help you,” he spoke as he gently held the back of your head, supporting you as you leaned up to drink from the cup he was holding up to your mouth. After you took a few sips, he seemed satisfied and placed the cup on the floor, lying down next to you and pulling you close. “If you start ignoring me after that, I might have to kill you,” he teased. 

“Don’t worry. I won’t ever ignore you again.” You sighed in contentment, listening to Embry’s soothing heartbeat, before you began to wonder. “By the way, what the heck kind of research did you do?” 

He huffed a laugh before responding, “Some guy on the internet called Owen Grey.” 

[gladerwolfstarkimagines]

Zuko x Mai’s Sister Series: Part Three

Zuko’s birthday brings all his friends to the Fire Nation meaning you finally get to meet them! The only down side is nobody knows about the two of you by eyes and ears are everywhere, including those of your sister Mai.

Part one here

Part two here

____

So you and Zuko started dating secretly and it was honestly pretty easy. Your weekly meetings were basically already informal so now you just officially classed them as dates. You also stayed in the palace on every visit which made your access to one another pretty straightforward. True to his word Zuko helped you keep your job at the prison and he more than took your mind off your parents disowning you. You missed Tomtom terribly and dreaded the day you’d have to discuss the matter with Mai but safe in the palace walls with your childhood crush it all seemed so far away.  Zuko’s birthday was fast approaching and he told you he’d invited all his friends to the palace so this would be your last visit alone together for 2 weeks. None of Zuko’s friends or anyone knew about the two of you so you’d have to act like friends around them which would be difficult. So you intended to make the most of the time you had and so did Zuko apparently.

Zuko knew you had a fondness for nature and so he transformed the library (your favourite place in the palace) into an indoor garden. He was practically bouncing on his feet when he met you off the airship and led you to the door gleefully. You pushed open the door and gasped. Plants and flowers were absolutely everywhere! Leaves littered the floor so densely you couldn’t even see the floorboards. A large tree sat in the centre, its branches reaching up to the second floor. Lanterns were hung everywhere and plants coiled up the bookcases. “Zuko...” you breathed “this must’ve taken you ages”. “Well I had help” he smiled “Daon and Okuno took the lead” he said nodding to two servants nearby “and the gardeners were so helpful. Thank you all for your help” Zuko smiled bowing to them and the servants beamed back also bowing. You smiled to see how kind Zuko was to his staff and linked your arm through his “I love it, thank you so much...I’m the luckiest person alive”. Zuko smiled trailing your cheekbone with his hand “I wouldn’t say that, that’s my title” and he kissed you softly. 

You and Zuko stayed in the room all day and you relaxed on a sofa Zuko had somehow managed to match to the indoor oasis. “I’m pleased how it turned out but I am sad the turtle ducks didn’t work out”. You chuckled “you were going to put ducks in here? How?”. Zuko smiled “see the idea was to get a large area of water which we could later turn into a fountain but the ducks didn’t agree...we brought them in here just to see how they’d handle being inside and they were very boisterous. They attacked the bookshelves and considering your love of libraries I figured you wouldn’t appreciate that”. You chuckled “no I wouldn’t, you know me well”. Zuko blushed “well considering we’ve known each other practically all our lives i’m pleased to hear you say that”. You smiled and leant back into him enjoying the gentle breeze and the wonderful sights and smells. Zuko really did plan the best dates, even if you couldn’t leave the palace. 

 As you prepared to leave after your weekend together Zuko briefed you on the following weeks activities. “So next week" Zuko said "everyone is coming friday and I know you work Thursdays but if you maybe wanted to come up on the evening we could have one night alone together?". "Deal" you agreed "then i can give you your present". Zuko sighed "y/n i said no gifts". "I know but i can’t not get my boyfriend a present!" you cried. Zuko frowned and you grabbed his hand gently "it’s nothing fancy i promise just a small gesture to show you how much you mean to mean to me".  That made Zuko blush wildly and it cracked right through his restraint. Zuko frown turned into a smile and he pulled you to him holding you against him "fine...".

1 week later 

Zuko’s birthday rolled around soon enough and you showed up on the Thursday as agreed. You arrived and made your way to Zuko’s quarters like you did every time, when you heard voices. You opened the door and froze to see a group of four people all with Zuko. Judging by their appearance and with all everything Zuko had told you about them you deduced this was Sokka, Katara, Toph and the Avatar. "Y/n!" Zuko cried spotting you and you smiled awkwardly "hi, i’m glad i’m not the only one who arrived early" you said pretending to be relieved. "Not at all" Zuko smiled "everyone this is my friend y/n, y/n this is Sokka, Katara, Toph and Aang" he said introducing you to each of them in turn. You shook everyone’s hands and enjoyed their witty comments. "Wait Zuko you have friends other than us?" Katara asked pretending to be shocked and Zuko rolled his eyes "ha ha, i’ve actually known y/n longer than any of you, we went to school together". "No way! What was Zuko like in school?" Aang cried and you smiled "honestly? He wasn’t that good at it". "Hey" Zuko cried and you smiled "i’m teasing, he always put in a lot of effort but finished second sadly". Aang and the others all laughed but Sokka paused "you look really familiar...". "Ow..." you said looking down "you probably know my sister, some people say we have a resemblance". "Who’s your sister?" Katara asked and you took a breath "Mai". "Of course!" Sokka cried "you look identical!". "Well i wouldn’t say identical" you stated panicked and Zuko nodded quickly coming to your defence. "Yeah their faces are completely different". "Practically twins!" Toph cried and you went to argue with her before realising she was teasing you. You laughed and shook your head "well anyway, Mai’s my older sister". "Older so you're....". "Same age as me" Zuko said. "4 months older actually" you corrected him and Zuko smirked “and she never lets me forget it”.

You stayed with the gang talking for over an hour and found they were all very likeable. You saw why Zuko was so fond of them and were looking forward to spending more of the weekend with them but honestly after all the travelling you were just rather tired. So when there was a lull in conversation you explained you were going to retire for the night and they all bid you goodnight. Zuko caught your eye and stood up “of course but you don’t know where your room is, let me show you” and he led you from the room. You’d been to the palace more times than you could count at this stage and stayed in the same room every time...but the gang didn’t know that. So you and Zuko slipped out of the room together and when you were far away enough Zuko spun to you. "Y/n i’m so sorry! I had no idea they were coming today” he started but you shook your head "don’t be silly, it’s not anyone’s fault! I know how much your friends mean to you, i’m happy they're here early!". Zuko smiled "i have missed them....what do you think of them?". "They’re exactly how i imagined they’d be' you smiled "they're lovely". "Great! Zuko smiled pleased “I hoped you’d like them and I’m looking forward to having all the people I care about under one roof”. You nodded “me too, it’ll be different to our usual visits but a good different i’m sure”. Zuko nodded “about that...seeing as we won’t get our last evening alone how about you go wait for me in my room and i’ll get away as soon as I can. We can atleast salvage a few hours together?”. You smiled "i’m all for that but don’t ditch your friends for me, you can see me any time this is a special occasion! Go enjoy it! Don’t worry about me i’ll be fine”. Zuko nodded “good point, okay I won’t leave my friends early but maybe you could sleep in my room anyway? I just like being beside you". You blushed but nodded "okay i’ll head to yours and wait but take all the time you need, okay?". Zuko nodded smiling at you "got it, i’ll see you later" and you noticed how happy and carefree he seemed. The sight alone was enough to make you happy and you smiled watching him walk away. You’d have to invite his friends over more often.

You fell asleep before Zuko came to bed but woke up to find him tangled with you and smiled. You leant closer into him and admired how handsome he was. His hair down, his expressions relaxed, so you did what you’d wanted to since you got here and kissed him softly. Zuko kissed you back opening his eyes sleepily "how did you know I was awake?" he smiled. “Your eyes were moving behind your eyelids and your breath was too fast, plus you’ve never slept in later than me ever” you smiled. Zuko smiled pulling you closer “okay you caught me but can you blame me? You make it very hard to get out of bed”. “You’re one to talk!” you cried. Zuko grinned “really? You still find me attractive like this? All sleepy and smelly?". You smiled "you mean all adorable looking with that bedhead? Your hair looks really good down". Zuko knew you liked his hair and smiled "i may have left it down when i got into bed for this reason". "You sneak" you cried but Zuko just pulled you even closer so you rested atop of him "hey i’m sorry but i’m weak, I love seeing you look at me in that way...the way you're looking at me right now" he said his voice going deeper and you kissed him. Zuko kissed you back passionately and pulled you down beside him. As much as you could’ve stayed there forever you were aware there was a palace of people waiting to see Zuko and knew if you didn’t stop this soon you’d just stay in bed all morning. So you disentangled yourself and stood up "nope i’m not falling for that again. One kiss with you turns into five, which turns into a whole morning laid in bed together and while that is definitely not a bad situation to be in we have a busy weekend planned remember?”. Zuko sighed sitting up “we do...but maybe they can all just go away as a birthday present to me”. You laughed “everyone is here to celebrate you, there are worse problems to have”. “I suppose” Zuko nodded “but you’ll come back and stay with me tonight as well won’t you? I like waking up beside you and if I can’t touch you all day I atleast want you beside me at night”. You nodded kissing him softly “I promise we can make up for it every night” and Zuko’s eyes lit up “okay! In that case the day doesn’t seem as bad anymore!” and he sprung out of bed.

Zuko had to handle some Firelord duties so you walked to the dining room alone. Zuko’s friends were already in there when you entered and you walked in awkwardly when someone cried your name and flung themselves at you. “Y/n!" Ty lee screeched and you laughed hugging her back. "It’s so good to see you" Ty lee smiled "you’ve changed so much and somehow also look the exact same”. You smiled taking her hand "it’s great to see you too! When did you get in?". "This morning, you?". "Last night" you smiled and Ty lee grinned "this is going to be so great! All of us back together again! Mai kept me up to date with you but i haven’t seen you in the flesh for ages". "Is Mai coming too?" Katara asked and you nodded “yes Mai is invited". "Won't that be awkward?" Sokka asked and you frowned as Toph agreed "yeah i mean weren’t Zuko and Mai childhood sweethearts". You looked down awkwardly but luckily you had a saviour. "i mean they broke up 2 years ago and Mai’s dating another guy, i think you guys are being dramatic" Suki said and you smiled at her. Of course being Zuko’s bodyguard Suki knew the two of you were dating but she’d promised Zuko not to tell anyone and you could tell she meant it. Suki noticed your smile and gave you a subtle wink, you made a mental note to tell Zuko all the Kyoshi Warriors deserved raises starting with their leader. Ty lee agreed "yeah Mai and Zuko are cool now, they’ll be fine". "Is she bringing her new boyfriend?" Sokka asked you and you paused as he looked at you for an answer "i’m not sure...". "No she’s not" Ty lee jumped in and Sokka nodded "yeah that’d be awkward, when does she get here?". Again Sokka directed the question at you and again you didn’t know the answer even though she was your own sister. You paused and looked to Ty lee who smiled reassuringly "sometime this afternoon" she answered. The others all nodded and you hoped they hadn’t noticed how uncomfortable talking about your sister made you. 

After breakfast it was agreed you’d all go outside a play a friendly game of Fireball until Zuko was done. He finished early with his duties and came out to join in. Of course bending wasn’t allowed but as Ty lee started using her gymnastic skills and Toph used her senses to predict where people were going to move everyone just started cheating mercilessly. That was when the fun and chaos started. You’d never seen Zuko laugh so much and honestly hadn’t had such a good time in ages, but when Toph threw a large rock at Sokka and actually hit him that was when it was decided the game should end.

So you all returned to the palace to find someone was waiting for you in the dining room. "Mai!" Ty lee cried rushing forwards once again to strangle your sister with a hug. Zuko placed a hand on your back gently and you nodded to him subtly telling him it was okay. You’d be expected to interact with Mai given she was your sister so you stepped forwards with a large smile on your face. "Mai" you grinned "it’s so nice to see you". "You too!” Mai nodded her eyes flitting over you trying to take you all in "it feels like it’s been ages". "It does” you agreed hugging her when Zuko appeared. "Mai it’s great to see you" he said saving you and you stepped back relieved. You made your way to the back of the room where Sokka was watching the whole thing, an ice pack pressed to his head. "Still think we look identical?" you asked."Nahhhh you look way different" he said and you nodded "now did i hear Zuko correctly or did he say you designed the early versions of the current Fire Nation ships?" you asked, fully intending to draw Sokka into a long conversation and it worked. Sokka chatted to you until dinner was ready meaning Mai didn’t get a chance to. It wasn’t that you disliked your sister just she was your big sister and could always see straight through you. You worried five minutes alone together and she’d guess you were dating Zuko, got disowned and had changed your shampoo just because she was that powerful. 

So you did everything to avoid her but at dinner the table was rather small and you were sat right across from her. "So i hear you and Zuko have been working of reforms" Mai said and you nodded glancing at him "yes, we’re seeing some amazing progress". "That’s really great, i’m so pleased you’re finally getting to do your improvements" your sister said giving one of her rare smiles. You smiled back "well it’s all thanks to Zuko really". "Not at all!” Zuko objected “it’s all y/n’s ideas and she’s the one doing all the hard work. I just make people do as she says" Zuko smiled and everyone laughed. "Sorry what does the project entail?" Ty lee asked and you took a breath "so for about 6 months now me and Zuko have been working on reforming the prison system". "As a former guard i can say it’s needed" Sokka commented and you nodded "exactly! Our focus at the moment is to improve general prisoner treatment so no more fighting prisoners, less abuse, nicer treatment as well as more effective rehabilitation and reformation". Everyone around the table nodded and seemed to really respect what you were doing. They all told you how good it sounded and offered to help if you needed anything. To say you were touched was an understatement. You’d never had that with a group of people before, you’d never had them all acknowledge what you were doing and openly encourage you. It was nice and you felt happy. You caught Zuko watching you and blushed. He seemed really proud of you and you worried his smug smile might make everyone suspicious but nobody seemed to notice. Afterwards everyone retired to the living room for some after-dinner games. It was really nice to see representation from all the nations. Aang convinced you all to play this old Airbender game at it was the clear favourite but perhaps too much. Everyone got very competitive and Katara and Sokka began sibling arguing over who actually won. Aang suggested a break to let them cool off and everyone agreed. People drifted off to go get drinks or use the toilet and you turned to find Mai making a beeline for you. “Hey” you smiled cautiously and Mai nodded “can we talk?”. You froze “erm sure! What about?  How are things? How’s Kei Lo?”. Mai sighed "Y/n i ...I know you’re not speaking to mom and dad. I felt awful i had no clue how bad things had gotten, can we please talk privately about it later". The others all returned and you’d never been so happy to have a bunch of people walk into a room. You nodded "of course" and squeezed Mai’s hand "we’ll talk later" before stepping away. Zuko appeared beside you "you okay?" he whispered. You nodded "great, thanks for all that at dinner". He smiled “I was trying not to be too obvious but i think i failed with all the compliments". "I was just as bad" you grinned. “Y/n, Zuko you coming?” Sokka called and you both jumped before rushing back over. 

The party games continued well into the night and you stifled back any yawns to continue with the fun. It would all have to end soon but nobody wanted to admit defeat yet. Zuko stepped away on some Firelord business and you all waited for him chatting and lingering around the room. When it had been a while you turned to go and find where Zuko had gone and banged into someone. Suki crashed into you spilling her drink all over you and gasped. "Y/n i’m so sorry" she cried but you shook your head "it’s okay really...". "No i’m such a clutz". "It’s fine i’ll just go change" you smiled and left the room. As you exited Mai entered and she paused "y/n where are you going?". "Just to change my shirt". "You’re not avoiding me are you?" she asked and you paused "what? Of course not!". "Because it’s been hours since dinner and you still haven’t spoken to me". "Mai i’m not running away i just need to change, i’ll be right back". "You promise?" Mai asked and you nodded "i promise". "Okay thanks y/n, sorry for all that. I was just worried you were avoiding me". You smiled "no problem, see you soon" and walked away. You were almost at your own room when a door opened and you were tugged inside. You stumbled into Zuko’s room and blinked. “Suki deserves a raise" Zuko told you with a smile and you stared "you planned this?". "Yep, to get you alone with me" Zuko smiled "i figured tonight would be our only chance so i recruited Suki...that’s not too desperate is it?". "Not at all" you smiled "although for future reference any plans that don’t involve liquids being thrown on me would get my vote”. Zuko noticed your damp clothes and nodded “yeah I didn’t think that part through did i...well I guess i’ll just have to make it up to you”. ***

When the clock struck midnight you were still awake and you turned to Zuko with a smile. "It’s officially your birthday, happy birthday!”. Zuko nodded "it is, I've caught you up again". You rolled your eyes making Zuko chuckle. Your face then went really serious and Zuko was about to ask you what was wrong when you spoke. "Zuko i...just wanted to say, i’m really glad you’re my boyfriend and we met again". "Me too" Zuko agreed kissing your hand and you smiled. "You've made my life better in every way and you're so caring and kind...i love you so much for that". Zuko paused and saw the blush on your cheeks. He’d told you he loved you before but this was your first time saying it. He knew emotions were difficult for you and that this took a lot for you to say. "That’s it, this is my best birthday ever" Zuko exclaimed and your blush deepened. "I mean it" Zuko smiled "hearing you say that...i love you too y/n". You smiled curling into him more "i like that". You woke up wrapped with Zuko and the memory of last night came back to you. You smiled and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Good morning?" Zuko asked opening an eye and you nodded "good morning" and kissed him again. You were very enthusiastic and Zuko picked up on this. When you separated he had a big grin "what was that for?" Zuko asked and you smiled “no reason, i’m just happy. I feel the best i’ve ever felt and I can’t look at you without wanting to kiss you”. Zuko chuckled "well i’m not opposed to that" and kissed you again. Seeing as it was a special occasion you weren’t opposed to spending more time in bed but then something important came to mind.

"Your present" you gasped leaping out of bed "I forgot to give it to you the other night, can we go get it? I really want to see you open it". Zuko nodded and the two of you got ready before cautiously hurrying to your room. Zuko sat on the sofa and you passed him a box "here". Zuko took it frowning and you smirked "i promise it cost me barely anything". Zuko looked at you "promise?". You nodded "i hope you like it”. "I’m sure i will..." Zuko started before he saw what it was. Your family crest was the first thing Zuko noticed and the traditional Fire Nation design was unmissable. You were giving him your family’s heirloom which was a big deal in the Fire Nation, it was one of the most important things you could give someone. You’d turned it into a beautiful necklace and although it might not have cost much the meaning was priceless. "Y/n i can’t accept this" Zuko said trying to hand you the box but you pushed his hands back "Zuko please, I want you to have it. My grandfather gave it me and told me to give it to one person I loved and trusted more than anything and that’s you Zuko. He told me I’d know when the time was right and I do. It’s the one thing i have to give of my lineage and you’re the one person i want to have it". Zuko blushed and closed his hand around the necklace "you know you're gonna be able to get me to do anything by telling me that don’t you?". You smirked "maybe...but it’s all true". Zuko leant forwards and kissed you softly "thank you it’s the nicest present i’ve ever received, help me put it on?". You fastened the clasp around Zuko’s neck and he smiled inspecting it in a mirror. "I’ll have to hide it or your crest will give away our relationship but it’ll always be under my shirt" Zuko told you. You smiled at how sweet and oddly comforting that was. "Sounds great" and stared up at him happily when there was a loud knock. The door opened before either of you could react and Mai called your name before she froze looking at you and Zuko stood together in shock.    “Mai” you gasped “I was just giving Zuko his present...are you okay?”. “I was looking for you, you never came back last night”. Your eyes widened “our talk! Mai i’m so sorry! I came to change my shirt when I realised I hadn’t wrapped Zuko’s present and by the time I finished with all that I fell asleep, i’m so sorry do you want to talk now?”. Mai nodded and Zuko coughed “i’ll leave you both alone, thanks again y/n” and with a smile he left. The door closed and you turned to Mai “so you heard about my falling out with mom and dad?”. Mai stared at the bed for so long you repeated yourself “Mai?”. She jumped before shaking her head “sorry, yes they told me you have virtually disowned yourself?”. You nodded your head “they told me I had the end of the year before they did it to me so I decided to beat them to it”. “They did what!” Mai cried and you paused “i’m guessing they left that part out?”. Mai nodded her head “they did...y/n why didn’t you tell me?”. You paused confused what to say. “Truthfully? The thought never crossed my mind” you replied and Mai looked down upset “but i’m your sister, I know we’re not that close but i’ll always be there for you”. You smiled “I know Mai I feel the same way”. “No but you’re the little sister! You shouldn’t feel the same....are you okay for money? I don’t remember how well your job pays”. You nodded “I can sustain myself don’t worry”. “Where are you living?”. You paused “well mainly just by the prison, I don’t have anywhere else because I don’t need it, I work a lot”. Mai frowned “well you know you always have a room with me and Kei Lo right?”. You grinned “you moved in together?”. Mai nodded smiling “a few weeks ago”. “I’m so pleased for you!” you smiled “we really haven’t been very good sisters have we?”. Mai frowned “we haven’t”. “Well maybe we could change that?” you offered “attempt to stay in contact more?”. Mai nodded “i’m terrible with letters but what if we met up once a month or so? I could come to you or you could come to me? I could even invite Tomtom over too....i’m guessing you haven’t been able to see him since...”. You nodded your head “i miss him a lot, how is he?”. “He’s good, he misses you too...he told me”. That almost broke your heart and Mai could tell so she took your hand “don’t worry y/n, for once I’m going to act like the big sister and protect you both, I promise”. You threw your arms around Mai in a hug and it felt like your worries had been healed by your older sister. Talk over, you and Mai followed the noise to find Zuko opening his presents from everyone else. You sat down beside Mai at one end and watched as Zuko opened an odd-shaped present from Ty lee. “What is it?” Zuko asked and you saw Ty le frown. “Zuko it’s a shoehorn” you called “remember you said the other week how you always wanted one as a kid?”. Zuko smiled at the memory and looked to Ty lee “you remembered?”. She smiled “of course!....do you hate it?”. “No it’s lovely” Zuko smiled and you grinned to see Ty lee smile. Katara passed Zuko his presents and she paused at the last one “who’s this one from?”. You took one look at the expensive wrapping paper and smiled. Zuko did too. “Azula” you both said. “She was really pleased with herself I wonder what it...” Zuko started before he gasped “no way the fifth edition!”. “The what?” Toph asked. You smiled and went to explain before you figured it’d be best someone else did. “They’re these old Fire Nation stories our mom used to read us. Our father destroyed them all or so we thought" Zuko told her. “Is that it now?” you asked “that’s the last one for your collection right?”. Zuko grinned “it is! I am so reading these to de-stress after council meetings”. You smiled at Zuko adoringly and resisted the urge to hug him.

As today was Zuko’s official birthday a huge ball was being thrown. His family all came, his mother, little sister, Iroh as well as half the Fire Nation. You didn’t get to see him much but it was okay, the past few days had been pretty fun and you had all of Zuko’s friends to keep you entertained. 

Throughout the first portion of the evening where everyone was arriving you noticed Mai’s eye kept going to you and you wondered why. You’d caught her eyes on you all day come to think of it and it was unnerving. You felt like there was something hanging over you which apparently there was.  

After dinner you returned to your room to change shoes and turned to find Mai had followed you making you jump. “Mai are you okay?” you asked trying to calm your racing heart. “We need to talk” she replied in answer. You gulped and let her in the room. "Y/n i lied earlier, i came into your room late last night and you weren’t here". "Ow i errr went for a walk" you lied. Mai raised an eyebrow "and i moved your shoe onto the middle of the bed to see if you came back at any point in the night. The shoe was in the same position this morning y/n, you didn’t sleep in your own bed last night so who’s were you in?". You blinked rapidly trying to come up with a lie when Mai breathed "you were with Zuko weren’t you?". You shook your head "what because you saw him in here this morning? No...". "I saw you gave him grandfather’s pendant y/n. I spotted it when Zuko bent forward to pick up Azula’s present. Not to mention how obvious the signs were when i started looking for them. The two of you were practically always staring at each other or having cute meaningful moments. It’s very clear what’s going on y/n". You couldn’t think of any way out of it and so you burst into an apology "Mai i’m so sorry!" you cried. “We’ve been dating for 3 months now and I never meant to keep it from you but I just didn’t know how to tell you and I didn’t want to hurt you...”. “3 months?” Mai asked and you nodded “yes, officially 3 months but I guess it’s been going on before that, Mai let me explain everything....”. “Are you happy?” Mai asked suddenly and you paused “I...what?”. “Are you happy?” she repeated “I can see Zuko is, but are you?”. You nodded your head “so happy”. “Then that’s all that matters”. 

You froze “but I....aren’t you upset?”. Mai shook her head “When we were kids I remember Azula telling me you and Zuko liked each other and it made me mad because I liked him too. I knew I used my power as an older sibling to intimidate you and it always haunted me...I thought Azula was wrong as you and Zuko never interacted or showed interest in one another but I knew you were good at hiding your feelings and always wondered if you were just pretending...I see I was right. Y/n I’m so sorry for making you feel like he was mine”. You blinked “I...it wasn’t your fault”. “It was and i’m just happy you and Zuko have found each other after all that”. You smiled slightly “it was very lucky, if I hadn’t come here for the reforms...I’d not have found the strength to leave mom and dad, to go for that promotion, my life would still be consumed by work...Zuko’s been amazing”. Mai smiled “so it’s pretty serious huh?”. You blushed “I don’t know...I mean I love him but it’s only been 3 months officially”. “Wait you love him?”. You blushed and looked down “why is that too soon to say? I’ve never dated anyone before so don’t know the typical timelines”. Mai chuckled “it’s never too soon, you love someone when you love them but i’ve never seen you get emotional around anyone so to hear you say you love him...I can tell this is real and I’m so pleased for you”. Mai hugged you and you clutched her tightly “I wanted to tell you for months, I’m so sorry Mai”. Mai soothed you wiping away your tears “you did nothing wrong y/n’s it’s fine” and hugged you once more.

You and Mai returned to the party and you didn’t think anyone would have noticed your absence but one person did. Suki passed you a note in familiar handwriting asking you to meet in Zuko’s office. You made your way there and found Zuko waiting in the dark. He jumped as the door opened and rushed over to you immediately “y/n are you okay? I noticed Mai and you were gone and when I asked Ty lee she said Mai had something to discuss with you. Is everything okay? She doesn’t know does she?”. “She does but it’s okay, she’s fine with it!” you cried smiling and Zuko paused “she is? She wasn’t angry?”. You shook your head “she asked if we were happy and when I told her we were she said that was all that mattered. She’s cool with it”. Zuko laughed “wow...that’s amazing! Although i’m sorry, I should’ve told Mai rather than it all falling on you”. You shook your head “it’s fine, she took it well so I don’t care. I just feel so happy. A few months ago I was just living day by day and now I have so much more! My life passion is being fulfilled through the reforms, I finally feel like I have a sister and I have an amazing boyfriend who I’m head over heels for...it feels like a dream”. Zuko stepped closer “I know...but I assure you it’s real and I’m not going to let anything ruin it”. Zuko came to stand right in front of you and you looked up at him suddenly bashful. Even in the dim light his eyes shone and he looked very beautiful. Zuko moved even closer, leaning in to kiss you when the clock suddenly struck. You remembered the fireworks were meant to start at 9 o’clock and panicked “we’re late! We have to get you downstairs to the gardens...”. You went to rush away when Zuko when caught your hand and pulled you back “that can wait” and he crashed into you. You never got tired of kissing Zuko but moments like this were just magical. Just when you were running out of breath a large bang sounded and colour emerged in the sky. You both pulled away and you laughed to see you had the best seats in the house to view the fireworks. “This is amazing!” you cried and Zuko smiled “glad you like it...I wanted to share this with you so I pulled some strings and made sure the fireworks would go off no matter what”. “You’re the best” you grinned and Zuko chuckled “look who’s talking” and tugged you into a hug. You stayed pressed together watching the fireworks and you couldn’t remember a more beautiful moment in your life.  

____

When I first watched the show I thought Mai was just a horrible sister and then I rewatched it and read the comics and now I think she’d actually be an amazing sister! I love Mai so much 🥰

Also I think this is the last part (mainly cus I don’t know where else I can take the plot line) so thank you for reading all 3 parts!!!

[suituuup]

day twenty - cupcakes

set in the chef!Beca - baker!Chloe universe

*

“Alright, now sugar,” Chloe said, handing her daughter the measurer. “Two cups.”

Charlie nodded, carefully filling it from the bag of white sugar and dropping it into the bowl. “One,” she said, then repeated the motion. “Two.”

“Nice job,” Chloe told her with a smile. Their four year-old loved to cook (they would have returned her otherwise, her wife liked to joke), and suggested they make red velvet cupcakes for Mama’s birthday. “You remember what comes next, Peanut?”

“Stir and then eggs!”

“Good. You’re almost ready to become my assistant at the bakery.”

“Nuh-huh. I’m a chef like Mama,” Charlie objected, pointing on the inscription on her little chef vest: Chef Charlie Mitchell.

“My bad,” Chloe said, chuckling.

“Maybe I can work at the bakery on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and at the restaurant on Thursdays and Fridays,” the five-year-old suggested. “And play on the weekends.”

Chloe stifled another laugh. “And what about school?”

“School’s overrated.”

“Oh, I see.”

Keeping a watchful eye on her daughter, Chloe grabbed her phone to send Beca a text.

your child just told me that school’s overrated.

Charlie carefully cracked all three eggs, disposing of the shells before stirring again, just as Chloe’s phone lit up with Beca’s reply.

We’re definitely in trouble with this one

“Mommy you’re not focused.”

Chloe looked away from her phone. “Sorry, babes. You’re just so good at it I feel like you can do everything on your own now.” She smiled. “You know, this is the first cupcake Mama ever tasted.”

“Ever?”

“No, from my bakery,” Chloe clarified with a laugh. “She came in to ask me out, and I gave her a few cupcakes to go.”

“My arm’s tired, mommy.”

“Okay, I’ll take over.”

The cupcakes went into the oven next, and they spent twenty minutes decorating them with rainbow buttercream. The sound of keys in the lock made Charlie gasp. “It’s not ready!!”

“Just needs a candle,” Chloe reassured her. “Go distract Mama while I light it.”

Charlie nodded and sprang from her stool, running to the door just as Beca opened it.

“Happy birthday Mama,” she exclaimed, grinning brightly as she collided into Beca for a hug. “Make a wish!”

“Aw, thank you, bug,” Beca murmured, squeezing her tight. She had left before Charlie was awake, needing to run errands for the restaurant.

“We made cupcakes! The ones Mommy made for you when you met!”

Beca hummed, smiling. “You did? That’s really sweet.”

Charlie took her hand and tugged her to the island. “You need to make a wish.”

“Hello,” Beca said to Chloe, leaning in for a kiss. She focused back on her daughter. “What should I wish for since I’ve got everything I need?”

“Mmm. A puppy?”

Beca and Chloe both laughed. “Smarty pants,” Beca said, bopping her nose. “Okay, I got something.” She closed her eyes for a few seconds, then blew on the candle.

“What did you ask for!” Charlie immediately demanded.

“Nuh-huh, I can’t tell you or it won’t come true,” Beca told her, raising an eyebrow. She plucked the cupcake off the island and took a bite, humming as she met her wife’s eyes. “As good as nine years ago.”

[infernal-fire]

suburban dream

summary: how do you wake up from a nightmare? is it a nightmare if you’ve been asleep the whole time?

major warnings: noncon/dubcon smut, stalking, mention of pregnancy, some cum play (check the prompts for indications of other warnings)

a/n: this is for @iraot​’s 1.1k writing challenge. BIG congrats on 1.1k (i cannot explain how glad i am that others get to read your amazing work) and another BIG thank you for hosting this challenge.

Here are the results of my wheel spins:

Kink wheel: daddy kink, somnophilia, breeding kink Character wheel: Jake Jensen Situation wheel: Neighbours AU

You let out a breath of relief as you dropped the last brown box into the corner of the room. How you managed to own this much stuff, you’d never know. Glanced around the living room, it was difficult to decide where to begin. After much contemplation, you huffed and picked up the pizza catalogue, deciding to call it a day. 

It was unbearable to leave the house in the mess that it was. On the other hand, your right hip wailed in agony every time you bent down. Lacking the much-needed support of friends or family, you had no option but to suck it up and unpack… but that can wait till tomorrow. 

Fishing out just the necessities for the night, you climbed up the stairs and headed into the master bedroom. Massive house for one person, you noted. You did insist that an apartment would suffice but Tony was a stickler for rules.

All Stark employees have to be residents of a Stark-Jensen neighbourhood. 

Before getting the job, you weren’t even aware that “Stark-Jensen” neighbourhoods were a thing; it was a term coined by the tech company itself, referring to neighbourhoods that are protected by Stark-Jensen technology. The crime rate in these neighbourhoods are always startlingly low, the odd criminal or two being from inside the community itself. All things considered, how could you say no to free housing? 

Sure, the security measures assured that you never had to worry, but it also made you wonder why they were there in the first place. This place was as secure as the Stark Tower; why? You tried not to ask too many questions, afraid of getting on Tony’s bad side. Besides, it isn’t characteristic of him to give you a straight answer anyway. 

Life is good, your most harrowing concern at the moment being that your new place had no curtains. It had been a long time since things were calm and you were just recognizing that your days had been free of storms for some time now. Counting your blessings for the second time that night, you stepped into the shower and reminded yourself of all the things to be grateful for. 

To say you were in a good mood was an understatement. You finished your night routine right as the pizza was delivered and excitedly skipped down. No one told you how fun living alone was but they didn’t need to - you quickly found that independence is a glorious necessity in everyone’s life.

Jake stood bewildered at your person throwing the door open. He gripped the pizza box tight to ensure he didn’t drop it and continued to look at you like you had grown a third head. He never was very good with his words, but your beauty truly inhibited his ability to think.

“Hi?” you asked.

“Hey, I-I’m your neighbour, Jake. Saw that you were moving in and I came to ask if you need any help.” 

“Oh,” you contemplated, looking past him. “Where’s the pizza person?”

“I paid for it. Housewarming gift?” he  said like a question and handed it over. 

You received the warm box and waited for him to say something as he fiddled with his hands. His smile looks so familiar but you couldn’t place your finger on it. 

“So…Do you need help?” He looked up right at the end. You grinned at how shy he was.

“I would really appreciate the help tomorrow,” you replied casually. 

“Oh, so… I’ll come by tomorrow morning?” He looked hopeful, as if you were the one handing him the olive branch. You took a once-over of his build, sure that he would come handy when your hip gives up again and nodded in response. 

He nodded back slowly and turned around to leave, but seeing him at your doorstep felt eerily similar to a puppy left out in the rain. 

“I don’t think I can finish this pizza alone,” you called out. He turned around, a glint of happiness apparent in the shine of his eyes. 

“Do you have time to help me with this right now?” It was your turn to look hopeful and you really hoped this cutie took the bait.

He did. 

You couldn’t ignore the nagging at the back of your head that you had seen him somewhere. You also couldn’t dismiss the fact that dinner together was just a little awkward. The conversation started off with small talk, and it didn’t take a genius to tell that neither of you enjoyed it. Luckily, it shifted to talks about the neighbourhood and your old job. After that, the words flowed easily, the two of you bonding like you had known each other forever. Although it was smooth sailing, you couldn’t help but wonder how he knows so much about the neighbourhood security measures. When he mentioned that he had lived there for about 6 years, you chalked it up to a simple accumulation of knowledge he must’ve acquired from being around for so long. 

“So everyone who lives around here works for Stark-Jensen, right?” you questioned, trailing your finger on the rim of your second wine glass for the night.

“Yeah, for the most part. Though it’s hard to tell who works for who.”

You chuckled in agreement.

“What is it with that? I mean, I work for Stark, and my colleagues, too… but exclusively for Stark. Jensen does exist right?”

“Yeah,” he snickered, “He does. Stark makes the tech and Jensen does the coding.”

“So they’re a two-man team, but Tony’s the face of the company? Seems sort of unfair,” you muttered, quirking your brow a little. 

Jake smiled at your comment, glanced at his hands and looked back up at you. 

“Maybe he wants it to be that way.” He nudged his glasses up and took a little sip of his wine while peering at you. 

You cocked your head to the side and considered the information. Your head was hazy and you needed to stop drinking; alcohol and cute guys are not a good mix. 

“Wait.” You squinted at him. 

“Does that mean you’re a Stark-Jensen employee?” 

He let out a chortle and took your glass from you. 

“Hey, hey I want that back!” you whined, not even caring that you’re embarrassing yourself. 

“I think that’s enough for today.” He gently helped you up, waiting for you to move. 

“I can usually handle my liquor,” you promised, clinging onto his broad form for support. 

He started moving you up to your lone mattress in the corner of your room, softly laying you down. 

“Jake,” you caught his arm. “You didn’t answer the question. Do you work for Stark-Jensen?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

You pouted at his answer, still gripping his wrist like you owned him. He tenderly pried your fingers off him and placed them on your belly. 

“See you tomorrow,” he mumbled as he left your room. You drifted asleep easily, blissfully unaware of how you’d never be able to live down the humiliation of your drunken stupor. 

The next day, you hoped Jake wouldn’t show up. It would save you from the burning heat that crept up your neck every time you recalled the night before.

Unfortunately, Jake had found it way too amusing an opportunity to tease you, showing up at your doorstep at 10 AM on the dot. 

The day went on without a hitch, the conversation picking up easily from where you left off. Jake found it endearing when you groaned at the mention of your state, only after three glasses of wine. The question of his employment never crossed your mind again, both of you having way too much fun unpacking. You felt ten times better knowing that your neighbour was a loveable, single, hunky nerd; it made the stress of settling in that much better. 

Of course, like all good things, the weekend came to an end. Monday morning, you eagerly prepped yourself for a new week at the office. Being Tony’s right hand took five rounds of interviews as well as background checks into every living relative you had. After the turbulent hiring process, you found that the job was not any easier. Luckily, the move had you feeling more thankful about being in sync with all the Stark tech; with FRIDAY managing your house and personal appointments, it was easier to keep track of Tony’s day. 

You stepped out of the house and shielded your eyes from the beautiful day. Just then, your lovely new friend stepped onto his porch wearing casual attire.

“Have fun at work!” he called after you.

“Thanks! Are you going to work?”

“Yes, I am.” You took in his outfit one more time, chuckling as you wondered what job would pay enough to live here while dressed in sweats.

“Well, in case I don’t see ya’... Good afternoon, good evening and good night!” you exclaim loudly. 

Jake giggled like a schoolboy and waved goodbye before ducking into his car. 

Tony’s 10 AM meeting has been pushed to 11 AM, Miss L/N. 

“No, no, that won’t do! He has another meeting at 12 PM, the timing will clash. FRIDAY, who was he supposed to meet at 10 AM?”

Speaking to the AI felt more like talking to yourself, but with time, you assured yourself that it would look as cool as Stark when handling your things.

He’s meeting Mr Jensen, the co-founder of Stark-Jensen. I believe you have not met him yet. 

“Yeah, I haven’t. Could you call him for me, FRIDAY?”

Sorry Miss L/N, Mr Jensen’s phone is switched off. He has already notified Tony of the change in plans. 

“What an asshole,” you grumbled. 

On the contrary, I think you would like Mr Jensen, Miss L/N.

“You can just call me Y/N, FRIDAY. Oh, and, send out a notification to all of today’s meeting hosts and tell them to push it by one hour. If they complain, send them my number to take up any problems they have.” 

It’ll be done by the time you reach your office. 

“Thank you,” you smiled and pulled into your parking spot, right beside Tony’s. 

It was hard to imagine what would’ve happened today if Tony didn’t give you access to FRIDAY. Calling each meeting host and personally asking them to push their meetings seemed like a tedious and mind-bending task. And frankly, you didn’t ever look forward to talking to Karen’s. But now, you would never have to know; FRIDAY was an absolute godsend. 

You stepped onto the other side of security clearance just as the clock struck 9 AM. Strutting up to your office, you made a mental checklist of everything you need to do during the day. Usually, Tony didn’t require you to sit in for his meetings. He has a different set of assistants for note-taking purposes. 

Too consumed by your thoughts, you didn’t notice the large picture of Jake and Tony sitting side by side on the wall beside the elevators. You also didn’t notice Jake’s smirk as he passed by you with ease. He would’ve stopped to say hi, but he knew that you didn’t realize who he was yet. Now he just had to figure out a way to get you to show up to his and Tony’s meeting and give you the heart attack of a lifetime. 

Beep, beep.

The Stark-watch buzzed on your wrist, letting you know that Tony was calling for you. You had barely even stepped into the elevator and he was already whining like a baby. 

You shook your head and stepped into the doorframe of his lab.

“Come here!” his voice called from the far end of a lab. Your suspicions of him being under the work table were confirmed when he wheeled out on his back and handed you a wrench. 

“Do me a favour. Tighten this for me?” 

He handed you the arm of an Iron Man suit, what you assumed was his latest mark. He already lived at the lab as it was, you wondered how he ever had time for Pepper. 

“Come on, put your arm into it L/N! You know what, you’re distracted, give it here.”

“Did you call me here to tighten your screws?” You shifted your weight onto one leg and crossed your arms. It was sassy of you, but Tony’s assistant needs to have some backbone, famously said by Rhodey.

“Well, you know me, screws always loose.” He knocked on his head and chuckled at his own joke. You sighed and turned to walk out. 

“I need you to sit in for my 11 o’clock. And cancel everything else today.”

You gasped and turned again, marching to where he was lying down. 

“Tony Stark, you have no regard for anyone’s time! I already pushed everything back by one hour because of your buddy Jensen and now you’re asking me to cancel everything?”

“I know, and I agree. I wish I could go to the mind-numbing meetings with corporate clowns, but I want to show you and Jensen something cool.”

He stopped fiddling with his toy just long enough to glance at you. 

You sighed and called for FRIDAY, groaning for the umpteenth time since that morning. Why were you acting like this was the first time he’s done this? It was probably your lack of energy from moving. You couldn’t wait to get home and maybe call Jake over for dinner. Now that you considered this possibility, time seemed to pass slower, but at least there was something worthwhile to look forward to. 

When 10:55 rolled around, you were sitting in Tony’s lab, patiently waiting as Tony set up his latest invention for demonstration. 

“Where’s your buddy?” you asked, checking your watch for the time again. 

“On his way,” he replied without turning away from his work. 

He paused and took a step back to admire his work before facing you. 

“You haven’t met Jake, have you?”

“Jake?”

Right on cue, Jake walked through the doors of the labs and you whipped around to find your grinning friend.

“Howdy neighbour,” Jake sneered. 

“Oh, right. You live beside each other,” Tony muttered as he gathered some more things from his desk. 

You shamelessly inhaled the pinewood and vanilla-infused scent of Jake as he sat down beside you. To have him so close to you was a dangerous thing, your cunt unknowingly clenching every time he moved his biceps. 

“Stop making heart-eyes at him.”

You threw whatever was in your hand at Tony’s head, and it happened to be a pen. It narrowly missed as he ducked and doubled over in laughter at your embarrassment. The bastard took sick pleasure in it so he often made it a point to humiliate you, but it usually wasn’t in front of the co-CEO of the world’s largest tech company. 

The rest of your time in that lab went on without any heart attacks - as far as anyone knew, the slick between your thighs doesn’t account for a ‘heart attack’, per se. You shouldn’t even be thinking about Jake like that. He was technically your boss too. 

Tony dismissed you at lunch and told you to take the rest of the day off, much to your delight. You slid into your car and dropped your head onto the steering wheel.

You had barely moved into the neighbourhood and you’re already finding ways to be fired.

~Time skip~

You sighed and laid back in the over-the-top maternity chair Jake got you for feeding. Your baby gurgled as curled his little fingers into his palm before knocking on your breast once. With a light chuckle, you cooed as the little bundle began falling asleep. 

This was the only place in the house that had a sliver of sunlight gracing the inside of the house. 

You could have outdoor privileges if you didn’t pull that little stunt. 

Could you really blame yourself for trying to leave? How were you to know that it’s impossible to leave a Stark-Jensen neighbourhood?

Because it says “Stark-Jensen” in the name, you dumbass. 

Fair enough.

You lost count of how many times you sigh on the daily, instead opting to count the number of times you’re able to hold off a mental breakdown. Today, you got the rare privilege of privacy, with Jake being gone to another one of Stark’s presentation.

You reminisced about the last time you sat in Tony’s lab and watched him explain his latest creation. Little did you know that the first time you sat with Jake in there would also be the last time you ever sat in there. 

You gently placed the Jim in the cradle. Again, one of the many over-the-top investments made by Jake to ensure the baby got state-of-the-art care. The way Jensen had made you sit beside him as he put the contraption together almost had you lurching. But you didn’t want to wake the baby. The horridness of the memories cannot outweigh your will to keep Jimmy from crying.

“Look at it!”, Jake excitedly spun the box to show you. It must’ve cost an unreasonable amount of money - not that he couldn’t spare to spend the coin, but the purchase confirmed your worst suspicions; he was serious about this all. 

Your eyes, puffy from the days of crying, were barely open. Yet you still nodded, figuring that if you put up with his enthusiasm now, he’ll let you go to sleep without raping you like he did every night. 

Anyway, you were wrong. 

When did everything go so wrong?; How?

You picked up your phone. Your eyes flickered between the only two contacts saved on it. Jake made sure you couldn’t do anything except call him or Tony.

You missed your ex-boss (who was always more of a friend to you). But, it was obvious that calling him wasn’t worth it and would rarely yield any fruitful conversation. Tony always spoke as if he were walking on glass around you and your words were always monitored and censored by Jake. It didn’t take long to figure that one out. 

“I don’t know what happened, Tony, she’s just unhinged,” Jake explained over the phone. In the background, you struggled against the bonds that held you to his bedframe. You sobbed harder into your gag and tried to scream ‘help’. All that came out was a shriek. 

“You hear her? She’s completely unfit to come into work… What happened? I don’t know man… She’s breaking down under all the stress. A few days of rest might do the trick. No, no, you don’t have to come down. I’ll take care of it.” 

He ended the call and you went limp, pausing your hysteria. He smiled at you as if he hadn’t kidnapped you. As if he hadn’t just made Tony believe that you were off your rockers. As if he hadn’t just fucked you five times over the span of 48 hours. 

He had planned every step of your entrapment to the letter and it was all going according to his plan.

You put your phone facedown on the dining table and walked back upstairs to your room. His room. Your room, too. 

Never, you internally screamed.

Well, it’s too late to debate it. 

You stood at the foot of your bed and traced the footboard. He took you countless amount of times on this bed and every instance held some clue that he was working up to what was happening now. You could see that now - but what was the point now?

You giggled as Jake pushed you onto his bed. Who knew this golden retriever could be so rough?

“Shhshshshhh” you slurred and Jake laughed in response. 

“Tony’s not here, baby,” he replied, climbing on top of you. 

“We’re not gonna get fired?” 

“He can’t fire me, sweetheart.”

“Oh… yeah.” You frowned, remembering that your risqué relationship was only risky for you. 

In your drunken haze, you didn’t realize Jake was rubbing his bulbous tip against your folds, gathering slick. 

“Condom?” 

“Don’t have,” Jake lied. 

“Oh,” you hesitated. 

“It’ll feel so good, baby.” He nuzzled his nose into the crook of your neck and sunk in before you had the chance to protest. 

“Jakeeee,” you whined. Writhing under his grasp, you shook your head side-to-side as he vigorously fucked into you. 

He abruptly stopped and pulled out. “What have I said about saying my name?”

“I’m sorry, daddy,” you sheepishly say. 

“That’s right, slut. You’re gonna make me a daddy, right?” He pushed back in. 

“Yeah, you are. Gonna make me a daddy, so call me daddy.”

The implication of his words flew right over your head in your drunken haze and blank mind. Any ounce of sense that you had left was being fucked out by his thick length. 

“Gonna blow my load. Fill you tight cunt, not gonna last long.”

His words were broken with loud moans. He couldn’t think straight with your warm, wet pussy inviting him in over and over. 

As you shook from an overwhelming orgasm, your pussy involuntarily clenched, causing Jake to lose any last bit of restraint he was holding onto. He pushed in as far as he could go as you flailed around. He pinned your arms down and pressed his mouth into yours, delivering a hot and heavy kiss that had you panting. 

He pulled out, but the string of cum that followed made you blanch. You never were one for cum play. Still, you didn’t protest when Jake pushed everything back in with two fingers. 

“Gotta’ make sure you’re full baby.”

You shake your head now, but again, what’s the point? It’s all done and dusted. Though, you should give yourself some credit. Even if you had realized earlier, it wouldn’t have made a difference. He would’ve realized that you knew before you could’ve even thought about escaping.

As you drifted asleep, you adjusted the volume of the baby monitor one last time and slumped into the fluffy pillows. 

How do you wake up from dreams? Was it by pinching yourself? You couldn’t wake up from the nightmare that was your reality when you pinched yourself. You doubted that would work right now. You couldn’t recall how to open your eyes. Instead, you whimpered in your sleep, reliving the moment Jake finally revealed his ulterior motive

“You did what?” Jake was seething, but the only indication of it was his clenching jaw and red face. His tone was the perfect embodiment of the calm before a storm. 

“I know you aren’t happy… but Jake, you- you’re always talking about babies and a family. It was so overwhelming and I… I-I…” You were shivering now, unable to withstand the heat of his glare. You had never been on the receiving end of his anger. Hell, you had never even seen him angry. 

“I didn’t have an abortion, Jake, for god’s sake stop looking at me like a killed a baby! Plan B is not a crime. I’m only even bringing this up because I started on birth control anyway. Plan B every time we have sex is just not practical or feasible.”

At this point, you could’ve been speaking to a wall. Jake still hadn’t said anything and you were beginning to wonder if he had even been listening. 

“I can’t believe I didn’t notice,” he whispered, at last. 

“What?”

“I watch you do everything, I can’t believe I didn’t know about the Plan B.”

“What… What are you saying?”

“I said,” Jake stood up, “I’ve basically been watching you 24/7. And I don’t know how I didn’t notice this.” 

“What do you mean watching me?” Tears in your waterline were threatening to blur your vision but you blinked furiously in an attempt to keep looking Jake in the eyes.

 “You think FRIDAY works for you?” 

Jake leisurely cracked each knuckle and took a step towards you. You took one back. 

“Oh, now, don’t be like that.”

You woke from your nightmare that was the boiling pot and jumped straight into the fire. Jake was already moving in and out of your channel, moaning about how he missed you too much. 

You tried to adjust yourself but he caught your arms and pulled out just long enough to flip you onto your stomach. 

When he pushed back in, the hopelessness of your life manifested as tears; it happens every once in a while. 

Today, you had a new record: you were able to hold off a total of 7 breakdowns.

But, of course, that was right before he pinched you awake every time.

Masterlist

[tom-holland-parker]

Secrets

Summary: Tom is terrified about you finding out his job but when he brings you to his house he has no choice but to tell you

Pairing: Mob!tom x reader

Warning: SMALL mention of murder but nothing bad

Word count: 2374

Masterlist

"This is your house" you said in shock as Tom helped you out of the car. It was the largest house you'd ever seen and it was crazy to think that it belonged to the man you're dating. He chuckled grabbing your hand as he guided you through the front door, "it one of my houses"

You rolled your eyes looking around the fancy living room. You kept your hands to yourself, afraid that you would break something that cost more than you could imagine. "You're telling me that we've been spending weekends in my tiny studio apartment when you have a living room that size of my building"

Tom smiled watching you explore every part of the large room. "I like your small apartment. It's very cute" You stared at him with suspicious eyes, "what exactly did you say you do for a living?" 

He took a deep breath trying to remain calm as he remembered the lie he told you, "I'm CEO of a waste management company". It wasn't a complete lie, if you changed waste to people and management to murder. The truth is that Tom was too afraid to tell you that he ran one of the largest mobs in London. He was afraid you'd react badly and never want to see him again. Even though he’d only been dating you for 7 months he was completely whipped and would do anything for you.  Lying was his way of protecting you and buying time so he could find the right way to tell you what he does for a living.

You tilted your head in confusion but didn't push for detail. Instead you nodded and grabbed his hand, "so am I going to get the grand tour or are we spending the whole day in your living room". He smiled, guiding you into the other rooms. 

///

“And this is the library” Tom said as he opened the door to the large room covered floor to ceiling in bookshelves. You looked around, fascinated by all the books in the room. “Don’t get too excited, they're all history and law books” Tom said, chuckling as you sighed in disappointment. 

“You have a library in your house and you decide to fill it with boring books” You crossed your arms, “I’m convinced you’re a psychopath”. He chuckled as he stood in front of you, grabbing your chin to gently push your head up. He placed a kiss on your forehead before sighing, “I’ll clear off an entire bookshelf so you can put whatever books you want” 

“Well there's the classics, ” You began to list off all the books you could think of, “oh and there obviously-”

“Boss we got a problem” You were interrupted by a tall muscular man. Tom’s lips went thin and his jaw tightened, it didn’t take a genius to show he was annoyed. You stared in confusion but remained quiet. “Deal with it” Tom said, you flinched at the violence in his voice, “I don’t want to be bothered unless it’s an emergency” 

The man nodded his head leaving the room silently. “Your workers just hang around your house?” You questioned as Tom’s face softened again. He chuckled nervously, “I prefer to have them close to me in case anything goes wrong” 

“Interesting tactic” You joked, “It must be fun to be your employee”. He shrugged, “They still find ways to annoy me”

“But it’s waste management, how hard is it to keep track of garbage?” You asked. He laughed in amusement, as if you were telling a joke, “You’d be surprised”

“Seriously though all you have to do is pick up that trash and-” Tom interrupted holding his finger to your lips. “Enough about my job, it’s for me to worry about” He bopped your nose gently before smiling, “How’d you like to see the green house?” 

You gasped, “Why wasn’t that the first thing you showed me? Let’s go”. Tom sighed in relief, happy that you stopped asking questions, “This way Love” 

He grabbed your hand guiding you out the library to the stairs, “No one ever really uses it because no one here gardens” He explained as you got closer to the backyard, “But I saw all those plants in your apartment and figured you could find some use for it” 

It was a complete lie actually. Tom had seen the way you covered your apartment with various plants, he loved the way you took care of them as if they were real children. When he returned home that night he bought a greenhouse for his backyard, knowing that it would be a place that can make you happy whenever you came to his house. 

“This is so cool” Your eyes lit up as you walked in, hands grazing along the tables and large piles of dirt bags. You were mentally mapping out where you were going to put different plants when you heard a knock on the glass door. Another man, still tall but this time less muscular, entered whispering to Tom. You watched as Tom's eyes filled with a mixture of anger and annoyance. The man quickly left as Tom turned to you, "Darling I'm sorry I have business to handle real quick, how about you go to the living room and pick a movie for us to watch and I'll get to you as soon as possible" 

Your eyes widened nervously, "you're leaving me in the house alone?"

He chuckled grabbing your hands to lead you out the greenhouse. "No I'll be in my office in the west wing" he pointed towards the tall man from before who stood waiting outside the door, "if you need me for any reason just tell Charlie and he'll get me right away" 

You nodded your head as Tom let go of your hand, "Charlie will take you back to the living room, I'll be done as soon as possible". Tom quickly kissed your forehead before walking back into the house. You turned to Charlie, giving him an awkward smile as he began walking you to the living room. 

After an hour of sitting on the couch and staring at the television you started to get bored. You couldn't stop the little voice inside your head telling you to start exploring the house. You sighed, turning off the TV. Charlie, who had remained silent the entire time, stared at you in confusion trying to figure out exactly what you were going to do. "Where's Tom's office?" You asked, standing up from the couch. Charlie stood silent for a moment before taking a deep breath, "do you need him?"

You shook your head, "No but I'm bored and since you're not going to talk to me I might as well find something to do?"

"As much as I'd love to help you" he said sarcastically, "Tom gave me specific instructions to make sure you don't wander off"  

You rolled your eyes and crossed your arms, throwing yourself back on the couch as you tried to think of a way past him. You knew trying to physically overpower him wouldn't work. Trying to seduce him was useless because you sucked at flirting, something Tom loved about you. You smiled, decided to do the only thing you knew best, catch them off guard. 

"Can we at least play a game or something. I'm sure there's playing cards around here somewhere" you said looking around the room for the deck of cards. You remembered Tom telling you how he hosted poker night every Friday with his brothers. Charlie sighed grabbing the pack from the poker set on top of the large mantle. 

You took them from his hand motioning for him to sit on the floor in front of the coffee table as you shuffled and divided the cards. "Have you ever played spit?" You asked setting the game up

He shrugged, "I've played a game or two" 

"Great get ready to lose" you joked as you grabbed your cards and started the game. It only took 4 rounds for Charlie to start getting comfortable and if you weren't set on finding Tom you would've played this game with him all day. "Where's the bathroom?" You asked as he shuffled the cards for another around. He pointed towards the hallway not giving much thought about it, "its down the hall to your left. Gold doorknob"

You nodded getting up from the table and walking out the room. As quietly as you could you walked up the stairs. You didn't know exactly where Tom's office was located but you knew that the Library was in the West wing so it had to be close by. 

You slowed your pace once you reached the library doors, listening for any sort of noise that would point out the office. It didn't take long for you to hear a muffled voice shouting. You took a deep breath following the voice to the door at the end of the hall. The shouts were louder but you could tell it wasn't Tom's voice. 

You hesitantly placed your ear on the door listening for some sort of context. "This is the second time him and his gang have done this. I want him dead" the voice shouted. You imagine it belonged to a stressed middle aged man and laughed at the idea of the man's face turning red with anger. 

"You can't just kill him. You still have deals with him that need to end first" You heard Tom's surprisingly calm voice. It shocked you how nonchalant he was about the topic of murder. The man began to shout again but you were distracted by the large hand that grasped your shoulder. You turned slowly not surprised to see Charlie standing in front of you, his face disappointed. "You must want me to get fired" he whispered 

You smiled at him as your hand grabbed the doorknob. He moved to grasp your wrist but wasn't quick enough. The door was open and you both were stumbling in the large room. You watched as all eyes turned to you and Charlie, everyone clearly confused by your entrance. Well everyone but Tom, who had a mixture of worry and anger on his face.

It was that very moment that Tom knew he wouldn't be able to hide this from you. He watched as you looked around the room, embarrassment taking over your body, obviously unaware of what was being discussed. 

"I'm sorry" you said, your voice was small and you could feel your face heating up in embarrassment. Tom sighed, looking like he was having a small moral debate with himself. He lifted his hand motioning for you to come over. You slowly walked past the others in the room who were still staring at you in confusion. 

Tom pat his lap, signaling for you to sit. You did as you were told feeling more confident now that his arm was wrapped around your waist. "Listen Jimmy, it's not going to happen until you close all business ends with him. End of story now get out" Tom demanded. 

The man, who was actually younger than you'd imagined, sighed in acceptance and he nodded his head and quickly left with two men trailing behind him. "I'll deal with you later Charlie get out" Tom said with a tired voice as he rubbed his eyes.

You stared at him awkwardly not sure if you wanted to bring up the conversation you overheard. "Wandering around a large house like this can be dangerous" Tom said as he stared at you.

You bit your lip nervously not sure how to respond, "I'm sorry" you whispered staring tm down at the chain around him neck, "don't be mad at Charlie its not his fault"

"I'm not mad" Tom's fingers fiddled with the hem of your dress, "just happy you're safe". You chuckled, "you say that like there was some sort of danger in the house"

His lips went thin as he let out a deep breath. He looked at you, one hand rubbing you back the other gripping your chin, pulling you closer to him as he gave you a kiss. "I have to tell you something" 

"What's wrong?" He bit his lip nervously, "I've been lying about my job. I'm the leader of the biggest mafia in London" 

Your body froze with shock, not sure how to respond to that. "Um" you hesitated, "like Scarface?" He couldn't hide the smile forming on his face, he found your obliviousness adorable, "yes just like Scarface" 

You knew that the reasonable response would've been to run away and never speak to Tom again, but some part of you knew that Tom was still the man you loved no matter what he did. You just had to accept that you loved a dangerous and powerful man. You sighed, "well if we're telling secrets I'm a hard core criminal"

Tom stared at you in confusion, "what?" You chuckled, "yeah in high school I went through a hardcore shoplifting stage I can pretty much steal anything” You smiled as Tom’s laughter filled the room. “But seriously I don’t get why you lied, Mafia boss sounds kinda hot” 

“Sounds hot until you're dead because someone doesn’t like you” He said as he absentmindedly drew traced shapes on your thigh with his fingers. You rolled your eyes, “Don’t try and scare me away because it’s not gonna work”

“I’m just saying I don’t want you to get into something you regret” He whispered. You sighed, “Tom will it calm you down if I told you I love you and I’m not going anywhere?” His eyes shot towards you, shock filling them. 

“Are you serious?” He asked. You chuckled, “yes now say it back before I start overthinking”. He let out a deep breath, moving you so you straddle his legs, “I love you” he whispered as he kissed your neck, “I love you so much”

“Is that a gun in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?” You joked as your hips grinded against his. He paused reaching down to pull out the handgun from his waist, you laughed as he placed it on the table, “oh a gun” 

[the-soliloquies-of-sadists]

#204

“Hey son, when I took you in Friday, I figured that it would be Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest before your part would arrive. Well I just got an e-mail that your part is on backorder that it will be two to four weeks before it will come in. So I need to know what you plan on doing. I can take you to the car rental place in the next town and you can continue driving the rest of the way to that job interview on Wednesday. Or you can stay here with me until your part comes in. But if you choose that, I’m going to want from you more than you were willing to give this weekend. Granted you definitely know how to suck a man’s cock. It’s hard to find a mouth that can take me. The thing is that I need more. A lot more. If you stay here with me, you will be expected to do those things. The choice is yours….

“But you have to make it quick. For you to make it to that interview, we need to go right now before my shop opens. What do you want to do? Apply to a job where you would continue to be corporate slave, or do you want to be treated like a different kind of slave? I mean I control everything. Everything. Decide now…. Let me say this, if you say yes, I’m going to fuck your ass right here and now. Here let me take my dick out for you to see in the daylight. Fucking huge huh? Come over here and take it in your hands. Just as you remember it? Why don’t you get on your knees and take me in your mouth. Taste my pre-cum. Man your mouth is so moist. Feels good. So you wanna stay? Good boy. Good choice.

“Put a lot of spit on it. Slather it up. Let me go through the rule changes. You balked at licking my pits or eating my ass, without me taking a shower first. Fag, I like my stink. It’s a stink that comes from hard work. I plan on taking a shower whenever I feel like it. In between your mouth will clean me up. In fact your mouth is going to be used a lot. In this building is not only a shitter but there’s also a mattress on the floor in there. While I am working on cars, you will be on the mattress servicing the men waiting for their work to get done.

“Seeing that you had me tow your car from the rest area on the interstate, one that is known for cruising, servicing anonymous men should come as second nature. And under no circumstances will you tell the men no. That includes eating ass. There’s no way around it. There’s a rimseat next to the mattress in there. You will spend a lot of time under it, and I don’t plan on taking a shower before I plant my big ol’ sweaty shithole on your faggot face. Wait, why did you stop? Now you balk? Oh hell no. You will eat my shithole. You will eat other men’s shitholes. Their pits too. And you will drink my piss. None of these are up for debate.

“Now get up and bend over. Put your face on this engine. You are about to be cunted. You know what a cunt it? It is a piece of meat that men use, or better yet abuse, to get their nut only to be cast off like a used piece of toilet paper. When a cunthole is on a queerboy like you, that makes you a faggot. Now open up that cunt, my hog is coming in. Scream mother fucker. We are out in the middle of nowhere. Scream. No one can hear you.

It’s just you and me… and the deputy who just pulled in. Keep screaming, he likes hearing it too. You’ll recognize him from the rest area. He’s the one that called me to tow you here. He and I go way back. We have this shit down; he finds the boys and brings them to me. I feel them out for their potential and he does what he does to wipe them off the grid.

“Fag, after you throated me that first night, I decided you were never leaving here. Oh look what he has in his hands. Shackles! That’s right, we are chaining you inside that room. As I said, there’s going to be men coming through there looking for service. They don’t give a fuck that you are chained up. Hell, most of them are potential buyers of you. Are you crying? Fuck. This is nothing compared to what’s ahead of you. That deputy is not only a pig like me but he’s a cruel bastard with a ramrod of a cock. I’m going to cum. Tears from despair do that every time.”

[muns0n86]

Red Lightning | Eddie Munson x OC (Chapter 1)

Chapter 1: Sprinkling of Hellfire

pairings: eddie x fem!oc

synopsis: The night of the Hawkins High championship game and the last session of Eddie’s Cult of Vecna campaign. What could go wrong?

warnings: vague descriptions of violence, mentions of ptsd, short scene where oc is high

word count: 7340

previous chapter: PROLOGUE

a/n: just mentioning again that this will also be up on ao3! (muns0n86) ALSO i was totally bullshitting my way through the d&d scenes so don’t come for me pls. it is not accurate to actual gameplay lol

    Thunder boomed in The Palace.

    I stopped scribbling on my legal pad and bent over the counter. Within one of the rows of arcade games, a group of young school ditchers were playing an intense game of Dragon’s Lair. From the sound of them, it seemed like they just died for the fourth time in a row.

    The one at the joystick looked a lot like Nancy’s brother Mike.

    The group as a whole reminded me a lot of, what Steve and I called, the “Core Four” or sometimes “Little Dudes.” Though they really weren’t so little anymore. They were all a bit taller than me now and in their first year of high school.

    “You nerds die again?” I asked, propping myself up on my elbows.

    “Mike” looked over, confused, and then nodded, disappointed. “Yeah…”

    “You guys’ll get it,” I said. “I know a group that did.” I leaned back onto the chair.

    Fridays were usually pretty busy days for The Palace–even if it was a “school day.” But not today, not with Hawkins High’s championship game happening later in the evening. A few kids ditching school had come and gone but the rest of the young demographic were in school, passing the time until the prep rally. I thank God I didn’t have to deal with that bullshit now but, hey, I guess it would beat sitting at this counter doing essentially nothing for 6 hours.

    I focused back on my drawing, a crude ballpoint pen sketch of my view of the arcade. I was no Michelangelo but I thought it looked nice. I tore out the page and placed it beside the legal pad, prepping to start another drawing. I looked up. The same view. The same arcade. Nothing interesting. I couldn’t even conjure something up in my imagination. God, this is boring. I tapped my pen on the paper, glancing between my watch and the clock on the wall. Tick, tick, tick. 2:34. I hopped off the counter stool and walked over to Jeff’s office.

    “Hey.” I leaned my head in the doorway. “I’m gonna take five.”

    Jeff took a minute to register my presence.

    Jeff, or Mr. Robinson, as we're supposed to call him, was a cool guy–keeps to himself and his office, makes the rounds with the “customers” when they’re around. He was about my mom’s age. In fact, they went to school together, like the majority of the middle-aged people around Hawkins did. Also, in fact, their acquaintance was the only reason I got this job.

    He looked up from his computer and checked the clock. “Might as well take thirty.” He sighed. “Slow day.”

    I raised my hands. “Fine with me.”

    I walked back over to the counter, pushed up the hinged extension, and headed out. As the door closed behind me, the kids began cheering in victory. Told you you’d get it. I set my hands on my hips and took a deep breath. The air was crisp and laced with the smell of oak trees. Spring was in full swing.

Family Video was right next to The Palace, which meant that 5 days a week, I was a five-second walk away from Steve Harrington–and Robin Buckley during the weekend.

    The little bell dangling from the door handle jingled as I strolled in. I looked around. No customers.

    I went up to the counter. Keith was on the other side of it, brainlessly watching the TV overhead, his back turned to the front door. Steve, from what I could hear, was rummaging around in their return shelf near the back.

    “Hey, nerds,” I said.

    No response.

    I rolled my eyes. “I’m here to return ‘You’re a Couple of Idiots.’”

    “Steve!” Keith called unenthusiastically, not detecting the obviously fake movie name.

    Steve’s hair and eyes bobbed up from behind a shelf.

     “Dana!” He turned a corner out of the aisle, a tower of tapes tucked under his chin, precariously set on one arm and the other pushing a full cart.

    I gave a small wave. “Hey.”

    Keith contorted his upper body to look at me behind him. “Oh.” He looked me up and down. “Hey.” Then he went back to watching a rerun of Charlie’s Angels.

    Steve passed behind me, disappearing into another aisle.

    “Need any help with that?” I asked after him.

    “Nah, I got it,” his disembodied voice said.

    I picked up the movie catalog and rifled through its pages.

    “By the way.” He stretched his arm up where I could see it and pointed in my direction. “I forgot to ask you earlier because Robin was word-vomiting all over the place.” He emerged from the aisle and crossed behind me again, his stack a little shorter. “You going to the game tonight?”

     “Maybe. You taking…” Saturday Night Fever, Stars Wars: A New Hope, Superman. “Heather or whatever?”

     He lifted his head. “Brenda…” He hesitated, then mumbled, “and the last girl was Heidi,” before ducking behind the Action Films shelf again.

     “ Brenda .” I highlight the name in a mental list of all the girls Harrington’s dated, crossing out the previous: Heidi.

     “Are you taking anyone to the game?”

    Steve and I are, I guess, close friends. We’ve gone through a lot of shit together. Supernatural happenings, monsters, kidnapping, Hawkins. We were best buds back in middle school, when his hair was bigger than his head–not that it’s any less big; then he went to high school ahead of me, got some new friends, and we weren’t really talking much; then best buds again when he wasn’t so much of an ass anymore in senior year. Now, in what should be my first year and his second year in college, I tell him a lot of things, especially now–about family life, existential crises, the nightmares. Things only he could understand. The one thing I refuse to tell him about is my love life, though. His question did in fact bring someone to mind but he’s not exactly the type you’d bring to a basketball game, especially since he calls it “balls-in-laundry-baskets.”

    Eddie Munson.

    I have been with Eddie Munson since my freshman year. He was a sophomore with a head of shaggy hair that was growing out from a buzzcut. I was the “fresh meat” who tried too hard and nobody cared. We were both outcasts in our own ways–his being more metal than mine–and we found each other. I eventually got to blend in with the crowd a bit but Eddie always remained… Eddie. He would play harmless pranks on the teachers, talk loud and proud about the things he believed in, and play Dungeons & Dragons with the other “freaks.” I hated that word. Freak. But Eddie didn’t care. He wore the identity like a badge of honor, not giving a shit about what other people thought–including Steve; Steve whose big heart unfortunately is still a little judgmental at times.

    I haven’t told Eddie anything about the past few years. Not about fighting a Demogorgon in Jonathon’s house, not about beating Billy’s ass in–again–the Byer’s house or going down into a dingy hole to light it up and hurt the Mindflayer, or even about getting stuck in a secret Russian military base underground with Steve and Robin. He was better off not knowing. It was safer this way. But that doesn’t mean it didn’t pain me in some way for him not to know. The days after something crazy would happen, he would see me all banged up and he’d be real concerned and I would just brush it off as the result of some crazy klutz accident. And being who he is, he wouldn’t push further about it–he just wanted me to get better. It pains me even more so now that the trauma of it all seems to be catching up to me. There are days where we’ll be hanging out and I just… disappear in my head–like my mind is just floating. The nights are worse. There’ve been so many times where I’ve woken up in a cold sweat, or I’ve screamed, or I can’t stop shaking no matter how many blankets he puts on me. I told him it’s night terrors that I never really grew out of; he anticipates it now.

    So I keep this mutual existence separated.

    I tell Steve everything but not about Eddie and I tell Eddie everything but not about what keeps me up at night.

    I opened the New Movies selection, wanting to change the subject. “Hey, I didn’t know you guys had…” I named the first one I made out. “‘Back to the Future’ already!”

    Steve set down his last under-the-chin tape and walked toward me. He glanced at the mini thumbnail on the page and muttered a quiet, “Yeah…” We continued staring at the page, silently remembering the events of last summer.

--

    Holy shit. I stood at the store front, watching Steve cut through the crowded mall. He was wearing the same exact dopey Scoops Ahoy sailor uniform as mine. As he approached, my palm flew up to my mouth to stifle a hearty snort. He finally made eye contact and rolled his eyes.

    “Shut up.”

--

    The straps of the gurney were tight on my wrists and ankles. There was no way for me to move. A light shone directly in my face and I couldn't see beyond it. Everything was hazy.

    “Who do you work for?” A deep, accented voice asked for the millionth time.

    “I… told you.” I was slurring my words. “I work for a goddamn ice cream shop.”

    In a second, the black bite guard was shoved in between my teeth again. There was a repetitive clicking noise then the hum of electricity. It began at a low register and got louder and higher pitched as they turned the dial.

    I thrashed and tried to pry my arms free but to no avail. Panic was setting in again and suddenly I registered the dampened sounds coming from either side of me, just on the other sides of the concrete walls. Fists making contact and grunts of pain, then a muffled “Screw you!” and strained screams. Steve and Robin.

    Closing in on the sides of my head were gloved hands holding open metal prongs with flat disks on the ends. I braced myself.

--

    Dustin and Erica left us to sit down at the other end of the row. Robin grabbed a handful of popcorn from the bucket on Steve’s lap and shoved her still laughing mouth full of it. I couldn’t even remember why we were laughing but, damn, was it funny. A person in the row behind shushed us. We laughed even more.

    “Oh, look, look,” I said, tapping Robin’s shoulder and pointing at the screen.

    We shut up for about a second and then Dr. Brown’s white hair was violently blown backwards. Steve giggled like a little girl and Robin snorted and choked on her popcorn. I wiped the tears off of my flushed cheeks.

    “I need water,” Robin said hoarsely.

    Steve jumped to action like some macho man and led us out the side door in pursuit of a water fountain. When we did find one just outside the theater entrance, he draped himself over the water fountain and gulped down the stream like it was his last chance to drink water ever. Robin and I leaned against the posters waiting for our turn. I stared at Robin’s eyes, which were completely bloodshot. They seemed to move in a weird way on her face. Like her eyelids were breathing or something.

    “That’s amazing,” Steve said, sputtering water all over himself.

    “So, like, I wasn’t totally focused in there or anything, but I’m pretty sure…” Robin’s eyebrows lifted. “... that mom was trying to bang her son.”

    My jaw went slack. Was that what the movie was about?

    Steve sputtered again. “Wait, wait, the hot chick was Alex P. Keaton’s mom?”

    “Yeah, I’m pretty sure.” She nudged me. “Right?”

    Honestly, I didn’t really understand what the hell she was talking about, I was too focused on her hair that now looked like it was moving on its own. Like long grass in water. So I nodded.

    “See!”

    “But they’re the same age,” Steve said.

    “No, but he went back in time.”

    “Then why is it called Back to the Future?” He rebutted.

    “He has to go back to the future because he’s in the past. So, the future is actually

the present, which is his time.”

    “Wha… What?”

    Robin groaned and shoved Steve off the fountain. “No, no, it’s my turn. You’ve had enough.”

    “I didn’t understand a word any of you guys said,” I muttered and walked with Steve over to the railing. My head lolled backwards and I caught a glimpse of the lights. “Hey, you guys ever look up at the ceiling?”

    The lights of the ceiling seemed to pulsate with glowing halos. Rays shot out of every cell and spun slowly in a trance-inducing manner. It was beautiful.

    Steve called over Robin and the three of us stood there taking in the sight.

    Then the two started groaning and dashed to the bathroom. Huh, guess they can’t hold their drugs.

--

    I stared out the back of Nancy’s car. The goddamn ugly blob was still following us. Jesus, was it huge but, thankfully, slow.

    The walkie-talkie in Robin’s lap was quiet for a second, then it crackled.

    “Turn around.” Dustin was… singing?

    I twisted around to look at Steve and Robin. What the hell?

    “Look at what you see.”

    We stared at each other, then back down at the walkie.

    “In her face… The mirror of your dreams.” Suzie’s voice chimed in. “Make believe I’m everywhere, given in the light, written on the pages is, the answer to… a Neverending Story!”

Are you kidding me?

--

    Without looking, I picked up the fireworks from the basket and lit the fuses. I tossed one to Steve and handed one to Robin.

    “Hey, asshole!” Steve yelled at the Mindflayer. “Over here!” He threw the firework over the railing and the explosive blew up in its face, sending sparks everywhere.

    Robin threw hers and I threw mine. I reached back down into the basket.

    “Shit,” I muttered. “Steve!”

    He looked back at me frantically. I tilted up the basket. Empty. Robin and I shared a glance. No more fireworks. No more time. Steve grabbed the walkie and screamed into it. “Dustin! We’re out of time!”

--

He was the first to look away and, maybe not so unconsciously, he rubbed the spot on his rib that had been pummeled and broken.

     I closed the catalog and pushed it away. “No. I’m not taking anyone. I’m not going, anyway.”

    “What?” He leaned his back against the counter. “Come on, Sinclair’s playing tonight. And the band is gonna be there, so Robin’s gonna be in full dork attire.”

     “Look, I’ll try to slip in if I can.” I shrugged, turning around to lean on the counter like him. “But I got something else going on tonight.”

    “What could be more important than the championship game?”

    I squinted at him. I can’t tell if you’re joking. “A lot of things, Harrington. A lot of things.” In truth, it was D&D with Hellfire. It was the last session of Eddie’s Cult of Vecna campaign.

    He rolled his eyes. “Anyways, since Robin didn’t want to, we need to talk about Vickie returning Fast Times–”

    “At 53 minutes and 5 seconds?”

    We stared at each other until we both broke out in stifled smiles.

    “Boobies,” he whispered.

    “Boobies.”

The clock was already chiming for 6PM by the time I got home.

    I clambered up the stairs, toward my room. Once I locked the door, I dropped my belongings on the floor, kicked my shoes off, and started undressing. Shit, shit, shit. I had to be at the school auditorium in 20 minutes.

    “Dana? Is that you?” Mom called from across the hall.

    “Yeah, Mom!” I yelled back. “Who else would it be?” I whispered to the air.

    She knocked gently on my door. “I just got back from aerobics. You heading out?”

    “Yup, Hellfire meeting tonight!” I replied, yanking my shirt over my head.

    “Alright, well, I’m gonna hop in the shower so lock the door behind you.” Her footsteps retreated. “Keys are in the kitchen!”

    I chucked my shirt into the empty hamper and rummaged through my drawers to find my Hellfire shirt. Where the hell is it? I opened my mouth to ask Mom if she knew where it was but then the water kicked on and I knew I’d have to look for it myself. Still only in my jeans and bra, I ran down to the basement, where the washer and dryer were rumbling away. She must’ve grabbed it. I threw open the lid of the washer first. Inside, the clothes sloshed around in the watery suds. I could make out two of my work vests, some of Mom’s and my own miscellaneous clothing, and Mom’s aerobics clothes. I shut its lid and threw open the dryer. Gray crew socks, dark wash jeans, black undershirts, and the Hellfire shirt. I fished it out from the spinning mass and felt it in my hands.

    “Damn it.” Still damp.

    I glanced at my watch. 6:05. Gotta go. I ran back to my room and dove for the box underneath my bed. It was full of stuff that Eddie “accidentally” left behind–a few of them being: one of his lighters, numerous guitar picks, some tapes he wanted me to listen to, and a spare Hellfire shirt from when we made the first batch here at the house. I shoved the box back under the bed and got up off the floor. I brought the shirt up to my nose and took a small whiff. It smelled like cigarettes. I reached for a bottle of perfume on the dresser, held the shirt an arms length away, and sprayed away. I sniffed it again. Floral perfume with undernotes of teenage rebellion. It would have to do.

    By 6:10, I was in my car, speeding toward Hawkins High–hair a mess, overly-perfumed shirt on, binder of sheet music in the passenger seat.

I crossed the parking lot to the other wing of the school, beside where the championship game was being held. From the looks of it, beside some stragglers catching a last minute smoke, the crowd had already funneled in to watch. Good . That meant Steve wasn’t gonna catch me in the act of abandoning Lucas’ game. I knew he’d be upset that I was ditching him and what could possibly be Lucas’ big night for a Dungeons and Dragons session with Mike, Dustin, and… Eddie.

    I paused at what I recognized to be Steve’s car and bit my lip. Maybe I can watch for just a couple minutes. 6:16. I can spare a few minutes.

    The gymnasium was jam packed with people. The energy was buzzing with excitement. The cheerleaders were riling up the crowd with their pom-poms, the band played the school anthem, and people were holding up signs in support of the Hawkins team. If there is one thing Hawkins knows how to do, it’s make a big deal out of a small event.

    I scanned the crowd for familiar faces. Steve was up on the bleachers with… Bailey? Bonnie? Robin was indeed in her full dorky band uniform, standing beside Vickie. Lucas was on the bench, where, for his sake, I hoped he wouldn’t be for the whole night. I noticed that neither of his parents were there nor his sister. Max wasn’t present, either.

    “Hey!” Nancy. “Steve said you weren’t gonna make it tonight!” I could barely hear her over the noise. She tucked her notepad under her arm and gave me a small hug.

    “I know!” I yelled back. “But I decided that I could at least show my face, you know?”

    The trumpet section started and Nancy had to talk directly into my ear. “You aren’t staying?”

    I shook my head with an apologetic smile and she nodded sympathetically before heading back over to her journalist group. Steve spotted me and waved his arm over his head to say hello, which prompted Robin to do the same. I waved back.

    “Everyone now please rise for our national anthem,” Principal Higgins spoke into the mic. “Singing for us tonight, we have a very special guest. All the way from Nashville, our very own… Tammy Thompson!”

    Walking in like a superstar was Tammy Thomspon, dressed in what I could only describe as a Madonna/Cyndi Lauper type getup. My eyes could’ve popped out of my head. And when I made eye contact with Steve and Robin, theirs could've done the same thing. Then she started singing. Jesus. Christ. I looked back up at Steve, who turned his head slowly and glanced between me and Robin.

    “Muppet,” he mouthed.

    Principal Higgins looked over his shoulder at me as I stifled a giggle. I pretended to yawn and flashed him a smile. I eyed the time on the board. 6:21. Shit. I waved a hand to catch Robin’s attention. When she looked over, I pointed at Tammy and mouthed, “Tell me all about it later!”

I burst into the other wing, sprinted to the auditorium, and snuck in through the backstage door. The boys appeared to be already prepped for the night. Eddie was seated at the head of the foldout table, on the throne left behind on stage from the end-of-year play, with his goons standing around like they usually do. Behind Eddie, the Hellfire Club sign was hanging off of a turret of the castle facade. Gareth, who worked Audio/Visual for the play, had turned on the stage lights to a dim and moody setting. They also set up red candles all around the area. They had done a decent job of making the place adventure ready.

    “Sorry I’m late!” I said, as I made my way to the grand piano at the edge of the stage.

    The boys started talking over each other, making exaggerated complaints like they usually did if I was a little tardy. I smiled and brushed them off.

    Eddie looked up from his handbook and poorly feigned concern. “Thought we weren’t gonna have music tonight.” He pushed back his chair and sauntered over to stand beside me. He was backlit by a red spotlight and his figure cast a shadow over mine. But I could still detect that mischievous look in his eye. “You ready?”

    I unlatched the needed sheets from the binder and spread them out on the stand. “Duh.” I tilted my chin to look up at him. “Got a bunch of new music just for you.”

    He seated himself next to me. “Just for me, huh?” He slung an arm around my shoulders and started skimming his eyes over the music. “All originals?”

    “All originals,” I replied. I couldn’t quite gauge his reaction yet. When Eddie was concentrating, he would kinda look like a deer in headlights. His eyes would go a bit wide, trying to really take in whatever visual information he can get. Like a little kid.

    After another short moment of silence, he turned his head to look at me and smiled softly. God, I love that smile. He brought his hand up to my head and planted a gentle kiss above my eyebrow. “You amaze me,” he whispered in my ear. “And you smell good.”

    I nudged him with my elbow and rolled my eyes. After all these years, I still get a bit flustered when he’d say things like that.

    “Get a room!” Jeff yelled and the others hollered and moaned.

    Eddie, still hovering over the crook of my neck, stuck his arm out toward them and gave them the finger. Shaking his head, he stuck his tongue in his cheek and headed back to his throne. “Alright! Where the hell is Henderson and Wheeler? They better have a damn proper sub.”

The room was completely silent, except for the humming of the lights. Mike and Dustin had entered the room–followed by Erica Sinclair, wearing the American flag on her back. They looked prepared for battle. I turned to fully face the scene and smirked. Erica… Of course. I had almost forgotten that Erica slowly took Lucas’ place in the D&D home sessions with Mike and Dustin. This is gonna be interesting.

    Eddie stared at them, contemplating. Then he blurted out, cockily. “Absolutely not.”

    “You asked for a sub,” Dustin said. “We delivered.” He gestured to Erica. I pursed my lips. He was going to need more than just delivering to win Eddie’s approval for a sub. Before Mike, Dustin, and Lucas joined, when Eddie was appointed the new Dungeon Master, Gareth tried to bring in a sub, too. Some poor kid he roped in from his theater class’ backstage crew. It did not end well.

    Eddie leaned forward, amused. “This is Hellfire Club. Not Babysitting Club.” No, that would be Steve’s department.

    “I’m eleven, you long-haired freak,” Erica replied. I leaned an elbow against the edge of the piano and smothered a smile. I was reminded of Star Court and her… friendly first exchange with that Murray Bauman guy.

    “My, my, the child speaks.” Eddie’s eyes were glimmering now with the opportunity of a verbal challenge. He walked up to her. “So… what’s your name, child?”

    “Erica Sinclair.”

    He smirked. “So this is Sinclair’s infamous sister.”

    “He’s sharp,” she said to Dustin and Mike. The boys shared a chuckle, which was cut short by one glare from Eddie.

    He bent over to her height. “What’s your class and level? Level one, dwarf?”

    Erica gripped her handbook tighter. “My name is Lady Applejack. And I’m a chaotic good half-elf rogue, level 14. And I will sneak behind any monster you throw my way and stab them in the back with my poison soaked Kukri. And I’ll smile as I watch them die a slow, agonizing death. So we gonna do this or we gonna keep chitchatting like this is your mommy’s book club?”

    I banged out some ominous chords to break the tension. Eddie glanced back at me. “Come on. She can handle it.”

    Tipping her head to the side to make eye contact, Erica waved. “Hi, Dana.”

    I waved back. “Hi, Erica.”

    Eddie looked back and forth between me and Erica. “Fast friends, huh?”

    “You have no idea, freak.”

    The tough look on his face transformed into an impressed smile. He extended his hand. “Welcome to Hellfire.”

We were all on the edge of our seats. My hands fluttered on the keys, a slow and ominous tune pouring out of the piano. The candles lapped at the stagnant air. In a menacing tone, Eddie narrated his campaign.

    “Hail Lord Vecna,” he growled. “They turn to you… remove their hoods. You recognize most of them from Makbar.” He lowered his voice further. “But there is one you do not recognize, his skin shriveled, desiccated. And something else… He is not only missing his left arm.” He lifted himself out of his throne and folded his left arm behind him, his right coming up slowly over his head. “But his left eye!”

    The Club broke into an uproar as I transitioned to the next sheet of music, appropriately named “Vecna.”

    Eddie, still covering his eye, looked back at me with that stupid wide grin. It was just like he had planned. They didn’t suspect a thing.

--

    “Then they take off their hoods and…” Eddie trailed off the end of his twenty minute D&D narration ramble. He was telling me about the next part of his campaign. He stopped pacing and stood at the end of my bed, his fists raised like he’s about to take off a metaphysical hood. “And…”

    “And what?” I asked, readjusting my seated position to face him. “What happens next?” I wasn’t fully comprehending what he was saying because of the cold medicine, but I liked the sound of his voice and how he told stories. He gave all the different characters their own voices and described their appearances to full detail. He would make the sound effects of all the weapons and magical trills of enchantments and spells. He was a great storyteller.

    He rapped his fist on the open pages of his handbook. “I’m not sure.”

    “You aren’t sure?” I squinted at him. “You, Dungeon Master. Are. Not. Sure.”

    “That,” he said with a raised brow and a smirk, “is not helping… But I was thinking maybe a chaotic evil oracle like the one from–”

    “What if you brought Vecna back? He was interesting. Sure, Kas killed him but Vecna’s cult is full of wizards and necromancers and shit, right? He can be like… a cat with nine lives.”

    He returned the hard squint.

    “What? You think I’ve just been sitting pretty for the past five years at Hellfire?” I rubbed my nose. “I can come up with some pretty sick campaigns if I wanted to.”

    Eddie laughed and shook his head. “I have no doubt in my mind.”

--

    “Vecna’s dead!”

    “So it was thought, my friends. So it was thought.” Eddie held up the Vecna game piece and slammed it down on the board. “But Vecna lives!”

    They stared at the board in disbelief. I could see the gears turning in each of their heads.

    “So what’s the plan here, my loyal minions?”

    Dustin finally moved his hand off his mouth. “I say we fight.”

    “To the death,” Erica said. Then they started chanting the phrase in unison. To the death.

    Eddie slumped back down in his throne, satisfied with himself. I gave out a howl as I played the intense build up of “Vecna.”

The fight was getting more and more perilous. Vecna was down to only 15 hit points but the group would be risking their already mercilessly low hit points, too. If they didn’t kill Vecna in the next couple rounds, that would be it.

    “Time out! Time out!”

    Gareth scrambled for the far edge of the stage curtain and motioned for the rest to join him. They huddled up and started prattling on about their battle strategy. Meanwhile, Eddie got up to stretch his legs and I took a sip of water.

    I watched Eddie over the lip of the plastic cup. He was faced away from me, still eyeing the group. He stretched his arms over his head, elongating his torso, and his shirt lifted up ever so slightly. His muscles flexed and dimples formed at the base of his spine. Just above them, the edge of a tattoo on the small of his back peeked out from under the hem. I knew that tattoo well. I drew it up and put it there in junior year with a needle and ink Eddie got from a friend. An iteration of Kas the Bloody-Handed’s sword. The border of the tattoo was kinda blown out now because I didn’t know what the hell I was doing but Eddie thought it still looked cool.

    Eddie crossed his arms and turned around. “Hey, I’m not paying you to sit around,” he said, puffing out his chest like a cartoon businessman.

    I rolled my eyes overdramatically. “You don’t pay me at all.”

    “Maybe I should start.” He leaned forward on the piano. “How much we thinking?”

    “Ah, I don’t know…” I drummed my fingers on my chin. “Hourly rate of like five bucks? And then maybe a couple thou’ to cover the past few years?”

    “Damn,” he said. “Hard bargain. Better be worth it.”

    “Oh, I am.” I paused. “Or if you don’t want to go into debt… you could just come see me later. That should make up for it.”

    Eddie’s eyes lit up and he rolled his shoulders back. The corners of his lips curled up as he ran his tongue over his teeth. “Alright, let’s wrap this shit up.” He turned on his heel and went back to his throne.

Erica rattled the D20 in her hands.

    The boys hovered around her, pleading with the invisible forces of fate, destiny, and nature.

    “Please!”

    “Come on!”

    She let it fly.

    My hands lifted from the keys–I, too, was engrossed in the rolling dice.

    Breath bated.

    “Please!”

    “Come on!”

     Come on.

    The dice stopped.

    They froze.

    “What?!” I screamed, pushing back the bench. “What is it?!”

    Erica raised her arms. “Crit hit!”

    We broke out in hearty cheers. The boys hugged each other like a band of brothers, while Erica stood front and center, hands on her hips like a proud warrior. I gave them the applause they deserved. Eddie bowed and extended his arms to them. Good game.

     “Alright, freaks, I will see you all in two weeks.”

    Eddie waved them off as they headed out into the hallway. The door whined shut and he got back to cleaning up. We puttered around quietly. He folded up his handbook, the game board, the plastic table. I blew out the candles and put them back in the prop closet, setting them on the floor to make sure the melted wax didn’t get anywhere. He squared up my sheet music and clipped them back in my binder. I pushed Eddie’s throne flush against the plywood turret and stood on it to take down the Hellfire Club sign.

    This was a part of Hellfire I enjoyed deeply. Both of us hopped up off excitement but drained from the social interaction, silently doing our civilian duty and cleaning up after ourselves. I loved when our minds were consumed by our tasks and we kept passing by one another like two pinballs bouncing around a platform. When he needed to put something away but I was standing in front of the thing’s destination, he would stand right behind and reach his arm around me and I could feel him breathe in my ear. If he needed to squeeze by, he’d put his hands on my waist or my back or my hip ever so gently. Something about this almost-weekly routine felt so… right. I always imagined this is what it would be like when we moved out of Hawkins and got our own place and had friends over for dinner. I hoped this is what it would be like.

    “M’lady,” Eddie said, holding out a hand for me to take.

    “Kind sir,” I replied, stepping off the chair. I curtsied then crossed the stage to shove the sign up on a bookshelf. Eddie trailed behind with my bag.

    “Hey, uh…” He glanced at his watch. “I’ll see you later, alright? I gotta see Chrissy Cunningham about something.”

    I spun around, stunned. “Chrissy? What’s that about?”

    Chrissy Cunningham. The girl destined to be senior queen bee of Hawkins High since middle school. She was a nice girl, a couple years younger than me, Eddie, and Steve, always sweet, even when others gave her looks behind her back.

    “It’s nothing.” He snaked his arm around my waist and pulled me in. “I’ll be real quick and come straight to see you. I promise.”

    I held my face up to his, almost brushing our lips together. “Straight to see me.”

    He stared at my mouth. His lips parted and he took in a sharp breath. “Straight to see you.”

I walked out of the wing, a wall of chilly night wind hitting my face. People were streaming out of the school and into their cars. It seemed as if our team won the championship for once. Tonight’s athletes, still glistening with sweat, were congratulating each other and being congratulated by parents and peers. A little further down the lot, I spotted Jason and his jerks barreling into their van. Lucas followed behind. Christ. Lucas. He didn’t look happy.

    “Dana!”

    Steve waved from his car. I waved back. Please don’t– He ran up to me.

    “Lucas– Holy shit!” He pushed his wild hair back. “You should’ve seen him! He was flying!”

    I grabbed Steve’s shoulders. “He was off the bench?!”

    “He wasn’t just off the bench, he sunk the winning shot!”

     Shit. “He sunk the winning shot?” My arms sank to my sides. The squeal of Jason’s van cut through the murmuring in the parking lot. “I missed it?”

    “Yeah.” Steve’s smiles wavered. “Where the hell were you?”

    “I… just went to see Mike and Dustin,” I said.

    “So… you missed Lucas’ first game to sit in on their game of D-and-D… which they do every week.”

    “I didn’t sit in. I just–”

    “Steve!” His date called from inside his car. We glanced at her, then back at each other.

    “Linda’s calling you,” I muttered.

    He stared down at me and shook his head. “Brenda! Her name is Brenda.”

    I didn’t know what to say and we stood in silence like we did at the video store. Then he walked away.

    “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said over his shoulder.

    “Steve–” Too late. He got into his car. “Goddamn it.”

    I knew how much the kids meant to him. With his parents? It’s no wonder. And I knew it meant a lot for me to be there, too. We were the “Babysitters” after all. I wanted to kick myself.

    I’d apologize to him tomorrow. Lucas, too.

    But, first, a shower.

Back at home, Mom was down the hall brushing her teeth, while I settled in my room to wait for Eddie. I picked up my dirty clothes from the floor and tossed them into the hamper, catching the scent of the Hellfire shirt in my nose. The floral perfume had worn off a bit, leaving it with the smell of cigarettes again. I sniffed my arm to make sure the shower had removed that smell from my skin. It did.

    I transferred the clutter off the bed and nestled in the comforter, squeezing the excess water from my hair with a small towel.

    “Dana, I’m heading to bed!” Mom yelled from her room.

    “Okay, ‘night!”

    I picked up the college pamphlet on my bedside table and leafed through it. It was for Hawkins Community College. Steve, unable to go to any hotshot schools because of his grades, was thinking of attending here, too, but he preferred working better. I should’ve applied last year–I meant to, I really did–but I felt like I needed to be working toward a goal, which I didn’t have. Like Steve, I took a gap year to “find myself” before committing to school again. Now, a year later, still haven’t found myself, I think. Mom didn’t push me about it but I could tell she wished I was doing more with my life. I can’t say that I didn’t wish the same, either.

    Outside, I heard a familiar engine revving up the road.

    It stopped in front of the house.

    Then a familiar knock came from the window.

     Eddie.

    I stood up, walked over to the window, and pushed aside the curtain. I smiled. Out on the roof, Eddie was sitting there with his knees tucked up to his chest. He whipped his head toward me. His eyes were wide– No…

     Wild.

    My smile dropped. I have seen these eyes before in the mirror, when I wake up from a nightmare or I get spooked by the sound of a chair scraping against the floor.

     Scared.

    I pushed up the pane. I glanced over at the yard, where his truck had dug up a patch of grass at the corner of the driveway. “Eddie?”

    His eyes softened. “Something bad happened… Something really bad."

[sariahsue]

A Cat of Their Own - Ch 9

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

Sabine closed the register and waved goodbye to the last customers as Marinette shuffled into the bakery. A cold gust of wind blew in with her, and the door chime tinkled.

"How was school?"

"Fine, Mama," Marinette said, dropping her backpack on the floor next to the counter. It was Friday afternoon, and business was slow. Only the two of them and Tom were left in the bakery, but Marinette checked over her shoulder anyway before opening her purse and sliding a cookie off the counter and into her purse for Tikki. "Can you text Cat Noir and ask if he can play some video games?"

"Don't you have some homework to do?" Tom asked, poking his head through the kitchen door. A small cloud of flour puffed off his hands as he clapped them on his apron.

"No. We have two tests on Monday, so we're just studying this weekend instead. I've already got a study session planned with Alya."

That was one of the many things that had changed since Marinette's discovery that Adrien liked someone else. She used to have a study group with Alya, Nino, and Adrien (that she'd insisted on calling "study dates"), but the group had been split in two, and Marinette's grades were suffering for it. Or maybe that was just the heartbreak. Sabine sent the message, and Cat Noir texted back quickly.

"He said he's sorry, but he has fencing practice. He can play in an hour or so. Is that okay? Marinette?"

Marinette was staring at her, wide-eyed and unseeing. "Fencing?" she asked faintly. "He fences?"

"Why?" Tom asked, concerned. He wiped his hands one final time and leaned toward her.

"Fencing and Mandarin," Marinette said, her forehead scrunched in concentration. "Has he said anything about basketball? Or piano or a job he doesn't like?"

This sounded like identity information. Sabine looked up at Tom before answering. He looked as worried as she felt. "I'm not sure about basketball or a job, but he's mentioned piano lessons before."

"He's been playing for years," Tom added. "Are you-"

Tom's voice faltered at Marinette's reaction. She swayed on the spot and looked like she was about to be sick.

"Are you feeling well, sweetheart?" If she truly was figuring out his identity, why was she looking so upset? She racked her own memory for someone Marinette would know with those traits and came up empty. Was it someone bad?

"Fine. It's just a lot of coincidences." She reached for her purse and took out her phone and started swiping through her contacts. "He can't really be the same person. Can I see your phone?"

"What are you going to do?" asked Tom, handing it over.

"I've got to be wrong, but I have to check. If I don't- I just need to get this crazy idea out of my head." Her voice became softer and softer until it died away as she scrolled through his contact list. She stopped when she found the entry for Catson. "There's no way. It's just a lot of coincidences." Her finger hovered over the screen a few more seconds, like she was afraid of what she might find. "I'm just proving it's not true before it drives me nuts. That's all."

Sabine wasn't sure if Marinette was even speaking to them at this point. Even though she'd insisted it was fine, babbling like this was never a good sign.

An identity reveal was one of Marinette's greatest fears. It didn't make any sense to Sabine. And she reminded herself that it didn't matter. Whatever happened, she would listen and be responsive to whatever Marinette thought was distressing.

"I have to be wrong," Marinette whispered, and she punched open the contact and held up her own phone for comparison, careful to keep both screens hidden from view so they couldn't see the name she was looking at. Her eyes flicked back and forth between the two numbers, steadily growing wider, her face more panicked.

"Honey?" Sabine asked. She braced for impact.

"THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE!" Marinette practically threw Tom's phone back at him and bolted up the stairway, screaming incoherently.

Tikki stayed behind. "Everything is fine," she said, flying in front of them when they made to follow Marinette up the stairs and into their apartment.

"Fine?" they asked together.

"She's just surprised." The kwami floated lazily through the air, antennae bobbing slowly. "This is wonderful, really. I've been waiting for this since you traded phone numbers! And now it's here!" Her voice, normally squeaky, rose even higher in pitch.

"Should we go check on her anyway?" Tom asked. A customer walked in right at that moment, bell chiming happily, and Tikki dove out of sight behind the counter.

"I'll go talk to her," Sabine said, patting the register absently. Tikki followed closely, gliding along the floor out of sight.

Marinette wasn't in the living room or the bathroom, so Sabine knocked softly on the trapdoor that led to her bedroom. When no one answered, she pushed it open and peeked inside. Marinette lay on her back across her chaise, head buried under a small pink pillow. That was a good sign. If she'd wanted to be alone, she would have gone to the balcony. She was looking for someone to talk to. Sabine let herself in and sat down on the floor next to her.

"I knew texting was a bad idea," Marinette said in a muffled voice.

"Everything's fine, Marinette," Tikki said, flitting up to stroke the tips of her hair. "You'll see. It's not so bad."

Sabine frowned. Had she sounded like that just a few days ago? Dismissive?

"I know who he is," Marinette said, ignoring the comment. "And now I have to tell him that I figured it out. This changes everything!"

Sabine saw her opening. "Everything? Really?"

"YES!" Marinette wailed. "I'll never see him the same way again!"

"Does it change the fact that you're a good team?"

Marinette paused. "Well, no, but-"

If she'd had his contact in her phone, it meant that they were at least on speaking terms as civilians, which gave Sabine another idea. "Does it change that you're friends in or out of the mask?"

"No." She flopped onto her stomach and buried her face into the pillow.

"Or that you want to protect each other? That he is, in your own words, your 'favorite dork'?"

Marinette had no response for these questions, which left a chance for Tikki to sneak into the conversation. "Does it make you like him less?"

Sabine watched as one half of Marinette's left cheek, the only part of her face she could see, went bright red. Tikki had known which question to ask, apparently.

"Change is always scary," Sabine said, undoing Marinette's pigtails so she could stroke her hair. That had always calmed her down as a child. It usually worked on the teenager, as well. "But it can be scary in a good way sometimes." Tikki nodded her approval of that sentiment but kept quiet, and Sabine was grateful for the silent backup.

After a few minutes of hair stroking, Marinette seemed to have calmed down enough for coherent conversation again.

"Do you know him well?" Sabine asked. "The boy under the mask?" She had his phone number, so the answer was probably yes.

"I thought I did," Marinette said, turning her head to face her mother. It didn't look like she'd been crying. Perhaps Tikki had been right. She wasn't upset, just in shock. Marinette took a deep breath and closed her eyes before continuing. "But I got so many things wrong about him. About both of them!"

"Like what?" Sabine asked.

"Like everything! I thought Cat Noir was just this big, showy goofball."

"He does come off that way sometimes," Sabine said. "Does he not act that way as a civilian?"

Marinette shook her head. "Huh. He's been texting you two this whole time. Civilian him, I mean. I thought he'd been texting that girl he likes..."

"Do you know who the girl is?" Sabine asked.

"That..." Marinette said. "That girl is..." She picked the pillow back up, and buried her head underneath it, shrieking quietly into the chaise cushion. Tikki was almost batted into the corner of the room by her flailing feet.

A loud knock rapped at the trapdoor, and Sabine deftly avoided thrashing limbs as she rose to open it.

Tom poked his head in cautiously. "I've got hot chocolate for her. How's she doing?"

"Oh, she's great!" Tikki answered, a broad smile on her face.

"Why didn't you tell me about this?!" Marinette wailed. "I told him so many stupid things!"

"And I'm sure he'll still love you."

Sabine took the tray from Tom and moved to let him in. It was heavy with five mugs of hot chocolate (Marinette always had two when she was upset), and a pile of cookies.

Despite her tantrum, Marinette was still up for eating half the pile of cookies herself. Tikki ate the other half.

Aside from staring into space with blank eyes, she looked like she was absorbing the new information. The food was a helpful distraction, and Sabine saw another opening. "So one of your greatest fears came true today," she said as Marinette worked on the final cookie. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I'm waiting for something to go wrong." Marinette spoke to the floor more than to them. "This is such a huge security risk. Some of the akumas we've faced can use mind control. We've gotten captured a few times. What if I'm forced to reveal who he is? I'm going to put him into danger!"

"That does sound terrible," Sabine said.

Marinette sat up straighter and smiled gratefully at her. "Thank you."

"Haven't you fought mind controlling akumas before?" Tom asked. "Like Zombizou?"

"Well, yeah," Marinette said, leaning into her mother's side.

"You've never run into that problem before. No one's ever been able to make you reveal his identity," Sabine said. "And it's been two years."

"That's because I didn't know before!" Marinette said. "Now that I do, that will change."

"Have they ever tried to make you?" Tikki asked.

Marinette hesitated. "No."

"And why is that?"

Marinette didn't have an answer, so she sidestepped. "Tikki, if people think we know each others' identities, they'll probably start trying to make us. Who's side are you on?"

"Has anyone ever tried to make you reveal your own identity?" Sabine asked.

Marinette thought about it, and then folded her arms in protest. "Well," she said. "It's still against the rules."

"The rules we have now aren't always the rules," Tikki said. "They change with each different situation, and I'd say this changes the situation you're in quite a lot."

"Is there anything else that could go wrong from this?" Sabine asked, taking Marinette's hand. "Could we prevent the worst from happening before it does?"

"The worst…" Marinette said, nibbling the edge of a cookie. "If an akuma making us give up our secrets isn't bad enough for you, I don't know what is."

"Is that it?" Sabine said.

Marinette shook her head slowly. "And just… it changes so much."

"Do you think you might be worrying about this more than you need to?" Sabine asked. When Marinette didn't answer, Sabine turned to Tikki for help. "Has anything like this happened before?" Surely, it must have, and she wanted the kwami's opinion.

"Identities get exchanged almost every time," Tikki said. "And it's usually fine. Though," she paused, "every situation is different."

They let Marinette take in that information in silence.

"It's game night tomorrow," Tom said after the cookies and hot chocolate were all gone. The three of them were crammed onto the chaise, Marinette squished in the middle, not that she was complaining.

"It's still on," Marinette said. "And he should be done fencing practice in a few minutes. I need to talk to him." She put down her cup and licked the rest of the chocolate off of her lips.

"Are you going to-" Sabine began.

"Tell him who I am?" Marinette said. She stopped to consider, but she finally shook her head. "No. And I'm not telling you who he is either. Come on, Tikki. Spots on!" In a whirl of pink and sparkles, their little girl disappeared onto the balcony.

----

Cat Noir was slightly panicking – only slightly – as he waited for Ladybug at the top of the Palais Garnier. Ladybug had called him on his baton as soon as he'd gotten out of fencing practice, informing him something urgent had come up, and they needed to talk about in person, as soon as possible. Nothing was really wrong she'd said, but her tone made him hurry. He'd been pacing between the statues on the roof, mentally running through worst-case scenarios, since he'd arrived. It was fortunate for him that he didn't need to wait long.

Instead of dropping in beside him like she normally would, she landed softly on the opposite end of the roof and started walking toward him slowly. It gave his heart plenty of time to start pumping at double speed. Her hair was a mess, and she didn't look up at him as she got nearer. She'd said nothing was wrong, so why was she acting like something was wrong?

"Hey," he said when she got close enough, offering a little smile and wave that she didn't return, or even see.

"I know who you are." The words tumbled out so fast that she almost tripped over them. She still hadn't looked at him. "I told you trading phone numbers was a bad idea. We shared too much information, and... now I know who you really are."

His heart clenched. She had learned his identity and she probably hated him and she'd come to tell him they couldn't be partners anymore. "A-are you sure?" Cat Noir asked. "Because you could have gotten-"

"Yes, I'm sure," she said, meeting his eyes for the first time. And smiling. "Adrien."

An electric current coursed through his whole body at the name. But it wasn't from shock. He'd never been so happy to hear his own name before.

"I can't tell you how I found out," she said, eyes dropping back down to her hands that were clasped in front of her, "because then you'd be able to figure me out too."

"Did you tell your parents yet?" he asked. The question felt mechanical, disconnected from the surreal joy he felt. Ladybug knew who he was. She wasn't upset. The reveal had happened, and he hadn't even been there for it!

"No," she said, shaking her head for added emphasis. "And I'm not going to."

"I'm fine with it," he said. "I don't care if they-"

"I do! The fewer people that know, the safer you'll be."

"Is that the real reason?"

Ladybug studied his boots and didn't answer.

"So I guess that rules out me learning who you are today, huh?" He tried to hide his disappointment.

She glanced up at him, her head cocked to the side, eyes pinched with concern. She'd heard the hurt through the humor. "Not... not yet," she said, voice shaking slightly. "I'm not ready yet. I should tell you. I mean, you deserve to know and it would make everything easier, but I'm just not-"

"Hey," he said, grabbing her shoulders and cutting off her babbling. Ladybug rarely got nervous, but he knew her well enough to know that word soup was her most reliable anxious tell. "It's okay," he said. "I understand." He waited before continuing, making sure he had her full attention. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I never want to pressure you into anything."

With his hands on her shoulders, he felt the moment that the tension left them. Her whole frame seemed to unwind slightly, and she smiled up at him.

"Thank you," she said. "I do want to tell you. Just..."

"Just not yet," he finished. "I get it. Take your time." He let go of her shoulders and took a step back. She would need space right now. The best way he could make her feel better would be to let her deal with this information in her own way, even though he desperately wanted to wrap her in a hug and shout with joy. She knew who he was!

Ladybug waved goodbye and took off, like he had expected she would, but not before doing something completely unexpected. She took a step closer to him, stepped on her tiptoes, and kissed him on the cheek.

Cat Noir didn't move from that spot for a long, long time.

Read chapter 10 here

----

Tag list: @redhoodsdoll @lunadensmidnightprowl @fleurie3am15inspo @ladybug-182 @vixen-uchiha @secretacademia @little-boats-on-a-lake @wonderbat91939 @thecatsart0406 @heinrode @dawn-the-rithmatist @maybe-potato @tbehartoo @lovej0w0y @nonbeenary-enbee @marimause-15

[danielxricciardo]

Can you do one with Dani? Maybe with 56&58 from angst prompts, like they have a kid from a fling but aren’t dating/together

Summary: You have a daughter with Daniel from a one-night stand.

Warnings: angst, fluff, swearing

Word count: 1.7k

56. “I was alone with my baby. My own thoughts terrified me. And you never bothered to call.”

58. “I keep trying to be a better mother, even when everything I do seems to backfire.”

You can boast that up until the age of 22 you were a model person.

You were the perfect daughter: you were home every holiday or birthday, you never argued with your parents and you made sure to call them every day since you moved out of their home.

You were the perfect older sister: you gave your younger siblings money without your parents' knowledge, you helped them when they asked for your help, and you tried to give them advice when they needed it.

You were the perfect friend: when your friends called you that they needed a shoulder to cry on, you were right next to them with a box of ice cream.

You were the perfect employee: you always got to work earlier, you stayed after-hours to finish all your work and to help others and you did your job perfectly.

But now you're 24 and everything is fucked up.

You moved in with your parents again and you no longer have that perfect relationship with them. You resigned from your job and from all the gang of friends you had, you were left with only one friend: Emilia.

Why?

Because now you had a daughter, resulting from a one-night stand.

You were a single mother who relied on the help and support of those around her.

Given that there was nothing more than a one-night stand between you and Kiera's father on your birthday night, you didn't know if it would be appropriate to post him on Instagram and say, 'Hey, 'sup, I don't know if you remember me, you drank a lot of whiskey that night, but we fucked and now you have a baby. Congratulations!' What kind of psychopath does that?

Not to mention that he is a public figure, of course, he wouldn't believe you and say you're just a money-obsessed girl; that if he saw the message on Instagram, obviously.

But it was going to be your daughter's second birthday and you were starting to get remorseful. Sure, you accepted your life as a single mother and you knew you wouldn't have a happy ending like in the princess books you read to Kiara, but it wasn't right for your daughter. She needs a father in her life. And it wasn't fair for Daniel not to know he had a daughter. Of course, you can only tell him and it is up to him to choose what to do with this information: whether he wants to be part of Kiara's life or not. At least you would have tried.

That weekend was going to be the Grand Prix of Great Britain and you didn't do much flying there, and, anyway, you could stay with your cousin you haven't seen in about 5 years.

Although your daughter's father was a well-known Formula 1 driver, you have never been to a race, and you were amazed by the very high prices for a ticket with access to the paddock.

You had a choice of which day to go and tell Daniel, probably, the news of his life.

You were sure you didn't want to tell him on Sunday. Before the race? Maybe he had an accident and he would have hurt himself. So no.

Saturday? Before qualifying? If you had told him then he would have gone to qualifications, he would not have focused and he would have come out on a low position. So no.

So you decided on Friday.

You left your cousin's house in the morning for the circuit where the race took place. You passed security without a problem with Kiara. You could walk through the paddock without any problems looking for your baby's father.

You knew that the best chance of finding Daniel was to go to McLaren Hospitality. On the way there, everyone you met stopped to look at Kaira, wondering how beautiful she was. You thanked them and prayed that they would not realize that she was Daniel's daughter, considering that she was almost identical to him; you could take her curly hair and smile as a positive result of the paternity test.

"What a beautiful baby!" you hear a girl standing in front of Red Bull Racing with Max Verstappen, and you immediately realize it's Kelly Piquet; good thing you documented yourself before you came.

You see her come and lean over the stroller.

"Oh my God, what beautiful eyes she has! What's her name?"

"Kiara," you answer and you look panicked as Max comes towards you.

"Look, Max! Isn't she a beautiful girl?"

Max smiles. "Yes, she is."

"What is such a small child doing here? She's going to hear very loud noises."

Damn it. What would you answer now?

"We came to walk around and meet some drivers," you answer as convincingly as you can. "It's never too early to start, right?" you giggle.

The two laughed, apparently they believed you.

But you immediately felt your legs soften and you saw Daniel walking with his teammate. You bit your lip and held on to the stroller better. All the courage left you and you wanted to leave.

"A baby!" Lando gasps and comes towards you.

Wonderful! Everyone behaved as if they had never seen a baby in their life, pathetic.

Daniel came after him, looking at you strangely. Did he recognize you? He also looks at Kiera and smiles.

You could've died there. You wanted to cry and you couldn't take your eyes off Daniel.

The next thing you saw was black.

You woke up lying on a bed, someone was holding a cold water pad on your forehead. And your head hurt a hell of a lot.

"Hey, are you okay?" Lando, who was next to you asks.

"Mhm, my head hurts."

"Oh, yes, you hit yourself a little when you fainted but a doctor came and consulted you while you were still unconscious and said you were fine. Can I get you something?"

"Just water."

"Coming right now," he says and gets up from next to you, leaving the room.

Kiera! Where was she? You get out of bed immediately, even though it made your head spin and you felt like throwing up.

"Hey, hey, hey, calm down!" Daniel says and gets up from his chair with Kiera in his arms.

You look at Kiera and breathe a sigh of relief.

"You seem so familiar to me," says Daniel and you want to faint again. "What's your name?"

"Y/N."

He seemed to be thinking. He didn't know how he knew you and you were afraid to tell him anything now.

"Wait! Spain, 2 years ago! It was like your birthday and we did shots together, right?"

Fuck. He remembered.

"Yes."

Daniel was smiling. Did he only remember the shots in the club?

"About that night..." you say and catch Daniel's attention. You signal to Kiera who is playing with some keys in Daniel's arms.

Daniel looked at the little girl and it was as if you could see the wheels spinning in his head.

"Wait a minute..."

"I brought you water, do you feel bet-"

"Go away!" Daniel shouts at Lando. Lando gets scared and gives you your water bottle then leaves. "What were you saying?"

You bite your lip.

"Kiera is your daughter."

"Dada!"

Daniel was speechless. His eyes were wide and they seemed to be coming out of their sockets and he was looking at Kiera. You didn't know how to interpret his reaction.

"Are you serious?"

"I don't know why you think I'm kidding."

"Are you sure I'm the father?"

You snort and get out of bed, you go to him and take Kiera out of his arms.

"What do you think? That I go to different wealthy men and tell them that they have a baby with me to give me money? I came to tell you because I thought Kiera would do well to have a father in her life. But I see that her father is not interested at all. You haven't even called me in all these years."

Daniel frowns and looks at you.

"What are you talking about?"

"The next morning I woke up before you and left my phone number on a note. I left it on your nightstand."

All the color was drained from his face.

"I didn't see the note."

You snort again.

“I realize it was a bad idea. I was alone with my baby. My own thoughts terrified me. And you never bothered to call.” you say and a few tears run down your face.

"Hey, hey, hey! You don't get to cry! I found out I lost the first few years of her life! You should have come earlier to tell me! You could come here, I don't know, you could contact me on Facebook, Instagram!"

"Yeah, sure! You doubted me now, if you'd have woken up with a message from me on Instagram you would have believed me immediately!"

"I believe you now," he says and puts a hand on your shoulder. "Please, I want to know more about her life. Can you stay?"

You looked at him with tears in your eyes. Is this really happening?

You both sat on the bed and Daniel took his daughter in his arms.

"Her full name is Kiera Hazel. In two weeks she'll be 2 years old." you start saying it with a big smile on your face. "Her first word was 'dada'."

Daniel laughs and looks at her.

"Was it hard to raise her alone so far?"

“I keep trying to be a better mother, even when everything I do seems to backfire. I had to resign from work because I couldn't divide my time between work and her, I moved back with my parents... All my friends left me, so yes, it's been pretty hard. But it's worth it when I see her smile.”

"I'm sorry you had to go through this alone. If you allow me, I want to be in her life. I want to help you."

"That will be great, actually," you smile.

[adorerdraco]

I’m Here ✧ Draco x Reader

Request: Hi, so I’m not sure if you’re taking these kinds of fics for Draco, but I’ve been feeling really down lately, and I was wondering if you could write a one shot or a scenario where the reader has been having a really bad day/week and Draco comforts them? And maybe Draco lays the reader on his chest and he hums a small tune to make the reader feel better? You can ignore this if it’s an issue, but I’d really appreciate it. I love all of your fics btw! They make me really happy <3

Warnings: none bc mostly fluff, some tears, super soft!draco

Words: 1.9K

A/N: i saw this and had to do it effective immediately bc i am feeling the exact same wayyy so this was really nice to think about ;( thank you so much for requesting this and for reading my stuff and i’m so glad i can help in a way <3 i’m sending you nothing but peace, love, and light !!! but i really hope this is gooood <3 do not own gif

Life was punishing you, you thought. It had to be. Because there was no way how in the span of a week everything in your day-to-day life had gone from okay to borderline catastrophic. It was as if every situation you were in was taking its form in the worst case possible scenario and all you could do was watch hopelessly as things continuously got worse sprinkled with small misfortunes in between.

It started on a regular Monday morning, sitting down for breakfast in the Great Hall with blissful ignorance. Halfway through eating your toast, your owl had come in through the open large glass windows and dropped a letter onto your plate from home that left you some very unfortunate news and had set forth a ripple effect that began making everything else go downhill as your days progressed. By the end of the school week, you had managed to blow up a potion, lose house points because of said potion when it splashed onto some people and had some physically altering effects, tripped over your footing and fell in the middle of a crowded corridor, failed a surprise quiz, forgot to turn in an essay, got into an argument with a friend, accidentally slept in and missed a morning class, and took a trip to the hospital wing for a migraine that didn’t want to leave you alone. You could’ve sworn you had somehow been thrown into purgatory, or limbo, or something outer-worldly. 

“Are you alright?” Draco had asked you right after breakfast that Monday morning as he was walking you to your first class. “What was in the letter your owl gave you? You look worried.”

“It was nothing,” you dismissed quickly, trying to put on a half-hearted smile while you spoke to make it more convincing. “I’m fine, just tired.”

It was the beginning of the week, and he did keep you up late the night before when you were sneaking around together, so he just shook his head up and down and took your excuse even though he felt like there was more to it than you were letting on. But as the days went on, he was becoming more observant of the way you were acting and even looking. He didn’t like that every morning he saw the shadows under your eyes get deeper and darker, and he didn’t like how you would close your eyes in pain when you would groan about your headache. He also didn’t like the way he hadn’t seen you truly smile or laugh all week even when he tried countless times to amuse you or cheer you up. But what he didn’t like most of all was that he felt like there was nothing he could do. 

On Wednesday afternoon, he tried asking you again. You were sitting in the Quad with him on a bench and he was telling you a story from earlier in the day about how he had ‘accidentally’ tripped this Gryffindor boy and got Snape to take away house points from him that he thought for sure would you make laugh or perhaps give him a disapproving redirection, but when he glanced up to see your reaction, he noticed you weren’t even listening, to begin with. You had been staring down at your shoes and the way they lined up against the cracks in the pavement, kicking around some gravel as your mind was running a million thoughts per second.

“Love?” He said to you softly. You looked up at him swiftly with a quiet questioning hum, e/c eyes widened slightly from being ripped away from your thoughts suddenly. “You know if something’s bothering you, you can talk to me.”

“I know,” you nodded warmly. “I’m okay, Dray. I’m honestly just tired.”

And you were telling the truth, in a sense. You really were tired; physically, mentally, emotionally.

He frowned, dissatisfied with your answer. “Right, well if anything at all comes up, I’m here.”

From then on, Draco took it upon himself to try and increase his affections and compliments. He would hug you a little tighter, kiss you a little longer, whisper sweet little nothings into your ear before he left you for class. You felt a little bad lying to him, withholding the truth from him, and you saw the concern in his light gray’s when you’d meet him in the mornings and for the rest of the day, but it only made you feel a tad bit worse. You were starting to feel guilty for the way he was worrying, feeling like you were dragging him down into the dumps with you and raining on his usual carefree parades.

On Friday morning, you didn’t meet him for breakfast and you were out of the Great Hall faster than he could catch you. He felt like a stalker when he walked by your class, peeking his head in to see if you were there and well. He spotted you sitting at your desk, hunched over your unopened books with a grimace on your face and your head in your hands. He wanted to go in and whisk you away to somewhere far and quiet, but the Professor had caught him by the door and sent him on his way before he could even think of doing anything of the sort.

You felt the day had gone by extremely slow, relative to how the week was moving and also impossibly dismal. You were counting down the minutes until the end of the school day, ready to run to your dorm right after your last class and bury yourself deep into your duvet and pillows for the rest of the weekend.

Head still pounding, you trudged over to your final class, stopping outside the doors when you saw a small group of your housemates standing around with unnerved expressions as they passed each other papers and spoke in hushed tensed tones.

“I studied all night but my friend took the test earlier and she told me during lunch that it had stuff on it that wasn’t even in the reading!” You heard one exclaim in distress.

“We have a test?” You accidentally said aloud and a pair of eyes turned to look at you confusingly.

“Yeah? Professor’s been telling us all week.”

A scoff of disbelief escaped your lips, an overwhelming sense of defeat washing over you as you turned briskly on your heel and in the opposite direction of your classroom. Tears started pricking at your eyes, you felt the stinging of them wanting to be released but you refused to let them all out in the open and especially in front of people who were still taking their time to head to their classes. 

You were making a beeline towards your common room, blinking rapidly to try and clear your vision that was quickly pooling with unshed tears while trying to steady your breathing in another failed attempt to calm yourself. You were nearly there, you could tell by the paintings and doors that you passed by and the black stain splattered on the floor you saw every day on your way to the dorms from someone’s dropped ink bottle that Filch hasn’t been able to get rid of. 

Almost there, you kept repeatedly reminding yourself.

All hope of solace was gone when you didn’t notice the body you had unknowingly crashed into. All you felt were strong hands around your biceps, holding you in place from toppling backward and the very familiar scent of expensive cologne and mint.

“Y/N? Why aren’t you in class?” You looked up at the platinum blond sadly, his worried eyes searching yours with such care that it pushed you over the edge.

You didn’t answer him and instead wrapped your arms tightly around Draco’s middle, burying your face deep into his robes and letting out quiet and frail weeps that broke his heart. He held you tightly, pressing kisses to the top of your head and muttering soft “I’m here’s” into your hair. You stayed in his embrace for a few minutes, letting your tears freely fall into his vest with a sense of relief that only he was able to give you at this point in time.

“I’m sorry I cried on you,” you choked out when you pulled away from him, desperately wiping away at your eyes with the back of your sleeve.

“You don’t ever have to apologize for that,” he said quickly. He brought his hand up to your face, his thumb swiping delicately over a stray tear that was sitting on your jaw while you closed your eyes in comfort. “Do you want to go back to my room? I can set you up really nicely and we can talk if you’d like?”

“Yes please, I’d like that a lot.”

Draco interlocked your fingers with his, bringing the pair up to his lips with a warm kiss on the back of your hand before walking the two of you over to the entrance of the Slytherin common room. It was empty when you walked in, not a soul in sight since everyone was still in class and it made it much easier for him to sneak you into his singular Prefect room you were now extremely grateful he had. He watched contently when you shed off your robes and kicked off your shoes and immediately slipped into one of his dark green jumpers that fit you big. 

You were perched on the edge of his bed, his scent from his sweater engulfing you and doing a much better job of calming you down than you wanted to admit. He followed in your footsteps and changed into something comfier and when he finally sat beside you with his hand falling over yours as an encouragement to talk - you did. You vented to him all about the letter from home, the migraine, your classes, the argument between you and your friend, and everything else that came to mind.

“And I feel bad for ignoring you and not telling you all this before but I didn’t want to burden you,” you finished with sniffles, gazing up at him with a gloomy expression. 

“Y/N, I love you, and nothing you say to me is a burden,” he frowned slightly, “when I tell you I’m here, I mean it, for anything. You’re so important to me and it kills me to see you upset.”

In a careful movement, he had scooted towards you and affectionately cupped your face before placing a loving kiss on your forehead and murmured to you, “don’t ever hesitate to come to me.”

You let him pull you under his covers, draping his large duvet over your entangled bodies with your head resting right above his chest, the steady beatings of his heart instantly sending you into a much-needed peace. His chin was rested right atop your head and you felt his fingers run up and down your arm soothingly while he thought.

“Is there anything else I can do to make you feel better?” He asked quietly.

“Can you help me fall asleep?” you muttered, closing your eyes gently when his hand smoothed over the back of your hair. You felt him nod against your head and after a small moment silence, you heard him begin to hum the faint tune of your favorite song.

You lied there in bliss, enjoying the way his chest was vibrating against your ear and the way his fingers were playing with the ends of your hair, curling the strands around his fingers and then moving upwards to massage your scalp. And for a minute, everything was finally okay again as you drifted off into a peaceful sleep, a full heart and with your love calmly lulling you away with a soft and now distant humming.