#I will be insufferable after I apologize in advance | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

letshavedeernnertogether · 3 months

Text

Checkmate you

the plot is: you often play chess with alastor but alas you always lose to him. you tired of being a permanent loser and you propose him another game to revenge. alastor wants to make the game more entertaining so there's a new rule: the loser fulfills the winner's desire

words ≈ 6.3k

warnings: alastor is a mean player, reader has a crush on alastor, suddenly aggressive alastor, kissing on the chessboard, possibly grammar mistakes :(

author's note: i'm not a chess expert, i'm just a little girl who's visiting a chess club at my university. i just really wanted to combine my hatelove to chess with alastor and add something romantic

*. ⋆ ✧.·:·.* ☽ ･｡ﾟ･ ☾ *.·:·.✧ *. ⋆

You wanted revenge. You needed to revenge. You weren't a vindictive person, but you were so tired of this. You were tired of perpetual defeats, and what defeats! You were an experienced player and not so weak, although you didn't know all the theory or strategy and tactics. Surely, you had a lot to learn, but what was the most annoying is that Alastor was just the same. He'd never read anything from chess books, never learnt anything special about this game. Just like you.

Playing a game, you tried to calculate the moves, but you never foreknew the plan for you or for your opponent for more then two moves in advance. Alastor was an antithesis of you. It seemed that he foresaw any moves you could make, and he had a plan for each of them. He never thought too long about a move, because when you, for example, began to move your bishop forward, he already knew how many moves had left to checkmate you. “Darling, you should practice more.” You didn't know whether he had a strategy, but you did know it was impossible to impress him with any. Because, once again, he foreknew your every move, your every thought, your every emotion.

You were a calm player. No matter what move you or your opponent made, the expression on your face never changed. Keep your head cold, keep your face stone. You didn't think about your move for too long too but for other reasons. You prefered to have more time in reserve than dozens of moves calculated in advance, because you knew you weren't really good at this, and often you didn't notice really good moves at all, rushing to make a new move and realizing your mistake only when a chess piece was in a new place and your hand was lowered to the table. But even this didn't cause blush or pallor on your face. And this was your advantage, because everyone was convinced of your confidence, and no one ever knew what you were up to.

But not Alastor. He always knew and anticipated with pleasure your every defeat, reveling in it. Though Alastor was really a gentleman, always well-mannered, in a game he showed his more wayward nature. You liked Alastor and you even never scorned his sometimes mischievous behavior. But during a battle over the chessboard he was insufferable even for you.

He was that type of a player who said to you “Are you sure?” or “You have enough time to think twice, my dear.” when you took a piece in your hand. And all of this was said not with good intentions. His tone oozed venomous mockery, his eyes flashed with self-admiration and this toothy grin as sharp as his remark...

Both of you wore masks during a match, but you also remained silent, while Alastor just couldn't shut up. And though you were all patience, your claws dug into a dark wooden table when Alastor chuckled after another move you made. “Ah, apologize, darling! Please, continue!”. After that you had to use all your strength to keep a neutral expression on your face and not to show him how much his criticism bothered you and sometimes even scared you.

But he wasn't always this way. Sometimes, when you played for fun, just to enjoy the game, he was a courteous man again. Usually it happened when you played without a time control. Not only his smile became less strained, but you also let yourself make a joke about your not very smart move or about the way his expression changed when he weighed the best move. He adjusted his monocle and tilted his head, saying, “Just let me think, dear. And while I'm reflecting, do show me what you would do in my shoes! Oh, that's interesting…” In no control games he didn't hasten to checkmate you, didn't laugh at you (almost) and you didn't feel like being mocked.

You did like these games and their relaxing atmosphere. You could learn something new not only about chess but also about Alastor. Or even yourself. ”You know, my dear, I find intelligence the most attractive thing in a person. And I believe you're a very intelligent little thing.” Alastor told you this once during a game, making you for a whole week carrying these words in your head, smiling spontaneously when you remembered them and blushing, realizing it was the highest praise he gave you and your game.

But your last battle was terrible. Grins, chuckles, bemused looks at you, tilts of head… Maybe you weren't at your best, but it didn't mean he could behave like this. And moreover, other inhabitants of the hotel watched your game. Usually they didn't care, as they found chess boring, especially just watching others' games, but that time everyone, even Angel, were interested. They surrounded the table where you were playing, gasped when Alastor checked you, whispered when you tried to block him, sighed when he checked you again. His ever present smile turned to a grin, his eyes ran from the board to your face to see your ever-increasing despair, while your gaze was fixed on the pieces. You felt others’ gazes and it made you sweat more. To lose just in front of your opponent was unpleasantly but bearable, but to let others see your defeat was too much for your pride.

And then you lost.

You lost with the King and a single pawn that didn't even have time to reach to the opposite side of the chessboard, stopping on B7. You played whites, but it didn't help you. You played with sixty minutes of main time per player and with a thirty-second increment each move. But while Alastor was accumulating time, you were racking your brains, trying to figure out how to escape the defeat as you saw his pieces drawn up in the fatal for you position.

And now you wanted to make him feel what you felt. Hesitance. You wanted to make him doubt, to make him panic. You wished to see his eyes running all over the chessboard as he was trying to come up with the escape routes. You wanted to make him so panicked and so rejoiced at the move that he'd found that he would forget to press the button on the clock after that move. You wanted him desperated.

A thin predatory smile spread across your face when you imagined Alastor acting the same way as you, when he checked you and you knew that the last escape route was cut off. You smiled, imagining him tugging his hair in despair, and chuckled, imagining his frightened eyes and his crooked smile with clenched teeth.

But you knew it was impossible. And his face with ever present smug smile flashed before your eyes, making you drop your head on the bar counter with a dull sound.

“What's the matter, kid?” Husk asked you, dusting the counter.

“I wanna die,” You pronounced in the wooden surface.

“Mmm,” Was the answer.

‘And this is how we talk,’ you thought, lifting your head.

“Hey, Husk. Have you ever played with Alastor?” You were rewarded with a frown look. “In chess. Have you played chess with him ?”

“I won't tell you anythin’.” And he turned away to put the clean glasses on the shelves.

“I just want to win him,” You sighed. “I love playing with him, but… I’m tired. Especially after the last time.”

When Alastor put a rook opposite your King and pronounced slowly, as if he was savoring every sound of this word, “checkmate” you felt a soft palm on your shoulder. You heard Husk's voice, but didn't look at him. “You did a good job.” Charlie waltzed around the board, admiring Alastor's position. Angel shook his shoulder and told you some supporting words, but you barely heard them, looking afraid at Alastor. He didn't took you for a stupid, did he?

Husk looked at you over his shoulder, hearing your low sad voice. You looked so miserable.

“Listen, kid,” Husked said with a deep sigh, “I just don't understand why you like him so much, and I don't wanna see you get in trouble. It seems to me that you began to spend more time with him.”

Did he notice a pink hue on your cheeks when you looked away?

“Well, it's true we've become, um, closer. Because I do find him as a good company. It's always interesting to speak with him, and I really like the way he plays. He's so good at it, really!” Husk looked with a frown at you, and you smiled, remembering all the good games you shared with Alastor. “I just don't like that he's… snobbish? Sometimes.”

Husk just sniffed.

“And also I don't like that he revels in others’ failures.” Alastor’s laughter resounded in your head again. “And he doesn't just enjoy them, he literally savours my defeats! That's very annoying.”

“That's all he is.”

“So I want revenge.” You placed your hands on the counter, bending down and looking straight at the bartender. Husk started, seeing the red luster in your eyes. Your irises coloured in darker shade, but somehow they glistened in the poor light of the bar. He had a feeling that you could defeat Alastor. “I know I can't checkmate him, but at least I can make him sweat.”

Husk cleared his throat and said, “You play with him for a long time, surely, you know ‘bout his weak points.”

Your eyebrows flew high, when you understood that Husk was ready to help you, to give you some advice.

“I'm not sure about the weak points, maybe just the things he doesn't like. For example, a blitz game. It is always important to him to have time for thinking, though it seems like he knows all in advance. Hmm.” You tapped your lower lip with your forefinger, trying to remember what Alastor avoided in a chess game. Husk looked at you expectantly. Surely, there should be something else. “Well, once Alastor made an illegal move,” You said and fell silent.

Husk still looked at you expectantly, as if he was saying ‘It can't be all what you're about working with.’ And then he said, “And?”

You threw your hands in the air and exclaimed, “I truly don't know what to do!” and dropped your head on the counter again.

“Jus’ deal with it and stop playin’ with him.”

“I caaaan't.” Surely you couldn't. These games may not have always been pleasant, but it was the only chance to spend time alone with him. To know him better. To become closer.

Suddenly a new thought like lightning flashed in your mind. You immediately lifted your head, and Husk could almost see how the thoughts in your head formed a tricky plan. Your eyes lightened softer and brighter.

“It's hardly a plan, but-”

“Where you are, my dear!” You heard a static voice from behind, and then a large palm lay on your shoulder. “I'm looking for you all over the hotel! It's not often to see you in the company of our dear friend Husker!”

Husk rolled his eyes and turned to the shelves to take a bottle.

“Alastor! Just thought about you!” You said.

“You did?” Alastor leaned forward, squeezing your shoulder and looking in your eyes. Then he harshly let you go and sat next to you.

“Yes, I want to offer you something. A game in chess.” You looked at him, playfully tilting your head.

Alastor cocked his eyebrow at you, “Why, my dear, I expected it'd take more time for you to accept your last defeat.”

You winced at his words but then smiled as wide as you could and said, looking directly in his eyes, “No, I'm absolutely fine, thank you.”

“So what is your proposal then?”

“Nothing difficult! We play blitz. Time control is five minutes three seconds. Ten second increment. And we have a judge, who records all illegal moves, because two of them mean defeat. And here is the judge!”

Husk chucked on his booze when you waved your hands in his side. “No way,” He said, coming to his breath.

“Why not, my good man?” exclaimed Alastor, “I've never seen you as a judge! Must be very entertaining!”

Husk shifted his frown from you to Alastor, thinking who of you two was more to blame for his new part. His gaze fixed on you when he sighed.

“But, my dear,” Alastor looked at you, “the rules are a bit strict, don't you think?”

“Nope.” There was no way to use other rules. These were perfect. They included everything Alastor avoided.

“Hmm,” He tapped his chin with his forefinger. “How about that, I also have something to suggest!” His hand fell on your shoulder again and went down to your forearm, he leaned closer to you, invading your personal space and said, “The loser fulfills the winner's desire.”

* ☽ ･｡ﾟ･ ☾ *

On the appointed day you three met in the room where you and Alastor usually played. It was not a big room in dark brown colours with wooden furniture. It was always warm and cozy here, thanks to the fireplace with a merry bright flame. The bookcases lined the wall on both sides of the fireplace. A rectangular coffee table with a light pattern on the edges stood in the middle of the room and was surrounded with two loveseats on wooden legs. In the left side of the room there was a chess table and two soft chairs with dark red upholstery, the same fabric as on the sofas. The room was also decorated with paintings of Charlie's family and landscapes of hell, candles in the bronze scones, and an old thick carpet on the floor in the center. The windows were always curtained with heavy maroon blinds and the door was two-panel, decorated with simple right-angle carving.

It was your favorite room in the whole hotel. You liked it even more than your own quarters. You not only played chess here, it was also a mini-library of the hotel, where you always could find a good book to read near the cozy fireplace. It seemed to you that this room suited Alastor’s style better than the style of the entire hotel, and maybe it was another reason why you prefered to spend your time here. You even made this place more comfortable by bringing two blankets and a tray with a teapot and a couple of cups. Now Alastor was pouring tea for you, while you were explaining to Husk how to set the clock. Alastor came to you with a cup of hot tea for you in one hand and with his half emptied mug of coffee in the other one.

“Thank you,” You said, taking the aromatic drink.

Alastor smiled at you and sat on the free chair.

Husk was still troubling with the device, muttering curses under his breath.

It was 10 am, and usually you played much later, often ending your games in the dead of night. But last evening Alastor said that he had unforeseen circumstances that he needed to deal with as soon as tomorrow, so your game will have to be rescheduled either for another hour or another day. “Thousands apologies, darling.”

And as you couldn't wait any longer you suggested playing in the morning to Husk’s discontent. He hated mornings, while you were a morning person. And Alastor never seemed to sleep, so playing a quick game in the beginning of the day wasn't a problem for him.

You emptied your cup when Husk put the chess clock on the table and said,

“Here. You play with five minutes three seconds of main time per player and with a ten-second increment each move,” He looked questionly at you, and you nodded, saying everything was right. “You two play, and I make sure that none of you make unnecessary movements or illegal moves and all that shit. As Alastor played last game with blacks, you both decided that now it's his turn to use whites. Oh, and the loser will do anythin’ that the winner asks them to do.” Husk twitched, saying these words. His worried look fell on you, but you were looking at the chessboard and didn't notice it. “Is everythin’ clear?” You both nodded. “Great. Shake your hands.”

For the first time this day you looked at Alastor. He smiled at you with his ordinary smile, showing all his fangs. In the light of candles his eyes were gleaming with bright red and his long eyelashes casted shadows on his cheekbones. Alastor extended his hand to you, and you shook his palm, squeezing gently his long, cold fingers. A thought ran through your mind, that you were the only one in the hotel, or maybe even in whole hell, who touched his bare skin so often. The handshake was firm but tender as always. Alastor traced his fingertips over your palm, letting go of your hand, and a pleasant electrik wave ran through your spine. ‘Wonder, how many hands he shook are bloodless now?’

Husk pushed the button, and the room filled with a quiet ticking and the loud sound of wooden pieces moving on the board.

* ☽ ･｡ﾟ･ ☾ *

His fingers smoothly ran through the air, as if he was playing the invisible piano, when he was thinking which move was better for him to make. His long claw-like fingers took a piece contrasting brightly with the colour of his skin. With a graceful wave of his hand he put a wooden figure in a square with a short thud. Alastor held the claw of his forefinger on the top of the piece for less than a second, before letting it go and putting his hand on the table. The chess pieces seemed very small, being gripped between his long digits with sharp red tips. The pawns seemed most fragile in his grasp, the twin pieces looked firmer, and when Alastor took the Queen, you couldn't suppress the fear freezing your heart. Alastor often resorted to castling, and every time you were impressed how smoothly and easily he made it, taking both pieces in one palm, switching them quickly and putting them down on their new places.

The very movement of his hands was flowing and natural. You did like his hands, and often you felt hypnotized with them and forgot about a good move you wanted to make or even missed the precious seconds.

So this time you didn't let yourself look up, holding your gaze on the black and white board and glancing at the clock sometimes.

He moved a pawn, so did you, he moved a knight, you mirrored his move. You understood that the Spanish game started — the same opening you did in your last meeting. But this time you were not so aggressive, trying to attack a bishop and conquer the center. You just moved forward. You captured his knight, and Alastor had no choice but to capture yours too.

You were tired of feeling weak, tired of tryings to prove to him and yourself that you were a strong player, that you had a potential. Though every time meeting with Alastor at the chessboard, you said it was just for your own entertainment, just to enjoy the game no matter what the result awaited you, you still felt the urge to win. You played with everyone in the hotel, some you won on the first try, some you had to match several times to win, but after all you checkmated everyone at least once. Everyone but Alastor.

‘Not for long,’ You thought, placing all your remaining pawns (which amount was still huge and promising) in a zigzag line. And that was the moment when Alastor's hand, a very elegant and beautiful hand, hung in the air. His brows knitted in a thin line and one corner of his grin went higher. He took a piece, that was not the one to which his hand first reached, and made a move back. You repressed a smile.

After more three moves when you shifted only your pawns and didn't even try to attack Alastor but avoided him, Alastor said,

“Dear, I thought you wanted to play chess with me, not the fool.” He captured your pawn, and you took away his piece. Alastor frowned, sacrificing his last bishop.

“Why? You don't like my game?”

“It's not a game, dear,” He said, capturing another black piece. He began gradually clearing the center, though the board still looked absolutely messy. Your pawn fence was blocking any attack of him, because if he tried to capture your pawn, you would immediately capture his piece. Moreover, it was getting tightly on the board, and none of you could make a really good move until your pawns would be cleared away.

“It's an imitation.”

“I don't understand what you are talking about. If you don't like my strategy, try to defeat me then.”

“Oh, darling, I will.” He captured your bishop, and you quickly sheltered the unprotected Queen. “I highly doubt you have a strategy, after all.”

“Play and see.” You pronounced in a deadpan voice when he replaced your other piece with his one.

Now the silence was disturbed only by the loud claps on the bottoms of the clock and the sound of pieces moving on the chequered surface.

You glanced at the clock. You had forty seconds more than Alastor. A quiet sigh escaped from your lips, and you made another move.

Your hand flew over the board with a mad speed. You pushed the bottom with a harsh clack, which made Husk twitch every time. You didn't try to count the moves, nor Alastor's, nor yours, you just wanted to win the time. And soon it started to seem that you didn't lose minutes, but accumulated seconds.

“Illegal move.”

You froze when Husk stated it and paused the clock.

Was it your move now?

Your eyes ran madly over all black and white pieces, trying to find a mistake. Alastor sat in front of you, and you could feel how his own tension lay on your shoulders. You didn't dare to look at him, because you saw the mistake. Alastor looked like he was caught in a snare.

“Sorry, kid, didn't notice it before, but you move like a fuckin' hurricane,” Said Husk pointing at white unprotected King. “It seems that you attacked him a move ago, when you moved your pawn and opened a rook checking the King. And none of you noticed this in a rush, but so did I, so…”

You were afraid to look at Alastor but also you felt blushing on your cheeks. You outwitted him!

“Ok, let's go back to the position where you made the illegal move,” Said Husk, and the pieces were moved to the position they stood ten seconds ago, showing Alastor's defective position. Husk turned on the clock, and Alastor moved a knight, protecting the King.

You sighed, glancing at the clock. Almost a minute more than Alastor, and all he had was fifty six seconds. But you couldn't let yourself breathe a sigh of relief and relax, remembering how Alastor won you in an armageddon game, even though he played black. It was incredible how this man could win in any condition.

And as the number of your pieces diminished headily, and Alastor's annoyed grin became wider, you gave up all the thoughts about strategy. Now you could only use the time.

Your hand took a piece, moved it, stretched to the clock headlong, beaten them, and after three or four seconds you repeated everything. ‘When will it end?’ Your hand trembled and you missed the button on the clock, which now you took for your last resort. You understood you had a losing position, still you acted like you had an advantage, attacking Alastor over and over again, not letting him fulfill his plan of defeating you.

Your heart skipped a beat when you noticed it. The black King stood diagonally to the white Queen and was unprotected. How long was it? Why didn't Husk say anything? Did he notice it? Did Alastor notice it? You tried to give a deadpan expression to your face as if nothing had happened. You knew just several seconds separated you from the victory.

Alastor raised his hand to take a piece and froze. Did his gaze fall on your King? His hand reached to the Queen, but his claws didn't have time to grab the piece as Husk exclaimed “Time!”

You moved your eyes to the white clock face and saw a twinkling flag on Alastor's side. With a deep sigh you leaned back in your chair.

* ☽ ･｡ﾟ･ ☾ *

Though you wanted to triumph over him you didn't expect it could actually happen. Husk left the room, and the door was slammed by itself. You heard a click in the door, signaling that you were closed in the room tete-a-tete with Alastor. With defeated Alastor. And it scared you. He looked terribly irritated and to be honest you would feel the same. A defeat due to the elapsed time seemed to both of you dilettantish.

But you were scared not only because of his mood now. You were also afraid to tell him about your wish, especially when he was in such a mood. Last night you prepared yourself mostly to keep the poker face on you and to accept whatever his evil mind could ask you to do.

But now your mind had to command him, and you were not sure what to do with it. Yesterday you came up with a wish, but a playful one, not a wish you would actually voice him. After the game your brain felt melted, and you simply couldn't find strength to come up with something new, as you could hardly think right now. Moreover, you still felt stress and a bit of fear that didn't help you to come up with anything fruitful, but only made your hands tremble.

He sat opposite you, intertwined his fingers under his chin and resting his head on them. He stared at you with a cheshire smile and half lidded eyes, frowning. You thought that if he was a cat demon like Husk he would definitely shift his tail side to side in annoyance. You swallowed but didn't had time to open your mouth as Alastor ruined the silence,

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, I thought you were an honest player, my dear.” He said, shaking his head in disapproval, “You really think you can trick me in such a fraudulent way?!”

“Alastor, learn to accept defeat!”

“Pardon? I wasn't the one who kept silent about my pitiable state in order to later win in a completely cheating way!”

“It was you Queen, you didn't notice it! It's not my fault you blind as fuck and can't keep an eye on your own pieces! And!” You raised your forefinger like every time when you wanted to attract attention and hush your opponent, “Your illegal move was unnoticed by both of us until Husk pointed at it, and so was mine! So we're quits!”

You leaned back, crossing your arms. Alastor leaned both his hands on the table, his hair became more shaggy, and his smile was crooked, so you could see his black gums.

“Fair enough.” He suddenly pronounced and ran through his hair with his fingers. He placed his hands on the table again and tapped against the wood with the claws. “But still it was hardly a game, dear. That's not how we do it. You mixed up the pieces on the board like a child picking up chess for the first time, and made me correct all this chaos. You knocked on this hapless clock, accumulating time, but did not even use it wisely. And you even cheated, no no, my dear,” He waved his forefinger in the air when you tried to object,” you cheated when you didn’t defend your King, making an illegal move. I simply cannot forgive your shameless lie so easily.”

He stood up and you did the same, staying near the chess table. You agreed with Alastor, and knew that if you were him, you would be disappointed just the same. But still his words hurt you and you felt shame. It seemed you preferred a fair defeat to dishonest victory. Maybe not truly dishonest, but tricky after all.

Alastor nervously adjusted his sleeves, saying to you, “For I still find you quite a fraud and I guess I should give you a proper lesson, I do respect our rules, as distinct from someone,” He eyed at you from the corner of his eyes, smiling sharper, seeing your blush, “So, my little cheater, tell me your wish!”

Fuck. The wish.

“Darling, time is precious, I still have some business that must be finished.” He said when you didn't say anything.

“Um, Alastor, how about I tell you my wish later?”

He turned his head to you and looked at you, rising one brow. You felt yourself so embarrassed, you wished the ground would swallow you right now.

You murmured, “I just... I didn't expect I'll win. Yeah, I wanted to and tried to, but I didn't really believe I could… Soooo, I didn't prepare anything, and I don't know what to ask y-”

You didn't finish your sentence as Alastor harshly turned to you, pressed you to the chess table behind you, so the pieces quaked and fell on the floor with a deafening sound.

Alastor's hands were on the table both sides of you, and there was no way for you to escape, as he hovered over you and pronounced darkly and low,

“No.”

The room drowned in darkness, as if all the light was sucked out the moment he captured you, and now the only sources of light were his red glaring eyes and several candles illuminating weak yellow flame.

“Darling, you are trying much of my patience now, so do tell me your wish.”

And then the normal lighting returned, but the man in front of you didn't move away, still pressing you to the chessboard, on which you almost sat now. His face was a single inch from you and you could smell the aroma of coffee from him. His breath fanned your burning cheeks. His voice had less static filter now and was lower.

“Or do you really want to miss this opportunity, hmm? Do you really have nothing to ask for?”

Oh, you did have and you were not ready to miss the opportunity. But how to overcome fear and tell him your wish? You stared at him and thought that maybe the worst things had passed already — he saw you fiasco, but still played with you, and he saw your cheat, but still was ready to end what you started, as if everything was alleight. Maybe he actually treated you better than others in the hotel, as Angel once remarked.

So maybe you could do it easily with your daring wish?

Right now, with no opportunity to hide and looking straight into his eyes, you felt like that poor King, who was staring at the Queen, awaiting his death. But the time saved him. You didn't have the time control to come to your help. You hopelessly stared at the demon in front of you, trying to understand why he insisted so much on fulfilling your wish right now. And what was his wish?

“Well, Alastor, I have something.” You pronounced timidly, and his gaze softed. He leaned back slightly, but his arms still didn't let you move.

“I need your permission…” You started, looking in his eyes and feeling how your sweaty palms slid on the table's edge. Your hand touched a piece, it rolled through the board and fell on the floor. From the locked door you heard some voices. Your mouth was dry and you licked your lips before opening your mouth again.

“What is it, darling?”

Your knees got weak and you pressed back to the table more, and Alastor leaned closer to you, ruining what was left from your personal space. His hot breath burnt your face, and you were sure he could hear your rapid heartbeat.

“Close your eyes and don't interrupt me!” You exclaimed in one harsh breath.

Alastor leaned back, widely opening his eyes in bemusement.

“Very well.” His hands slipped off the table to hide behind his back when he made a tiny step back and straightened himself. Then he closed his eyes.

Your wish was bold, so you didn't voice it to Alastor. After seeing his rage you were ready to forget about your stupid want, but then…

He was too close to you, closer than ever. He was as close to you as he was in your daydreams.

Casting all your thoughts away, you made a step forward, rose on your toes, but even so your goal was far from you. ‘Why is he so tall?‘ Carefully you clutched the lapels of his suit and drew him closer to you.

Alastor felt your lips on him. He didn't open his eyes and didn't move at all. Your warm lips were pressed to his skin. It wasn't quite a kiss, but a tender, chaste peck in the corner of his lips, almost on his chin. You held him by his suit, and he needed to bend down a little, so you could accomplish your desire. He smiled softly, imagining you rising on your toes, trying to reach him. He bent down a little more.

You felt his skin was tight in a lip closed smile. You slowly parted your lips from him, but Alastor put his fingertips on your chin, not letting you move aside from him, and then led your lips to his.

Alastor pressed his lips to yours, harder than you and braver. He made a step forward, with one hand still holding your chin and the other one placing on your waist, and you appeared sitting on the chessboard again. The remained pieces tumbled down, and like through the water you heard worried voices and exclamations in the corridor. You could feel his smile getting wider when suddenly something cut your lower lip. It made you gasp and finally open your mouth, letting his tongue slip inside, so he captured your oral entirely. You moaned into his mouth, and Alastor gripped you tighter. He tiltied his head slightly, when you cupped his face in your soft palms and caressed his cheeks. Now you heard a low moan.

The voices became louder and more anxious, and the door-handle began to tremble. Into your cotton mind a thought creeped that it had to be the residents of the hotel, trying to open the door and see why what was going on in the room.

You were short of air, but a thought of parting from Alastor seemed terrifying. His tongue explored your oral hungry, intertwining with your own muscle. Now both his hands held you by your waist and pushed you closer to him, and you could feel and hear his heartbeat against yours. You heard another piece beating against the parquet, and something or someone hitting against the door.

You threw your head back just slightly when Alastor parted his lips from yours. His hands held your hips, eyes shining as bright as the hell moon, red and blinding. He breathed hard just like you.

Next moment the door was opened, and a group of worried demons, and one angel with a spear, burst into the room. Alastor stood already aside from you, close enough to hold you again, but far enough to stay unsuspected. You stood in front of the table among the fallen chess pieces, red as a blooming rose.

“What happened? Why you didn't opened the door?” Vaggie ran to you, ready to spear the man next you.

“Are you okay?” Charlie appeared from your right, “We heard a quarrel and then a sound of falling something,” She glanced on the floor.

“What have you done?! It's bad bad bad bad!” Niffty rushed around the table, picking up the pieces and examining the floor for scratches.

Husk glared at Alastor, who didn't take his eyes from you not for a second, since the door was opened.

Trying not to step on the pieces and shifting his face from you to Alastor, Angel came closer, “Jeez, toots! Seems like ya spent a really good time together!” You still bit your lip, hiding blood on it, and your bashful look couldn't hide from Angel's gaze. “What’s happened here?”

All the gaze turned to you, and unconsciously you moved back, bumping into Alastor.

“Nothing! We played a game and I won!” Amused looks on you. “And then we actually had a little quarrel, but now we resolved everything, so no worries, guys!”

A huge palm, so familiar to you, lay on your shoulder.

“Not everything, dear, you still have to convince me that you can checkmate me without your lie.” He stressed the last three words, lowering his voice.

“You cheated?” Angel exclaimed.

“I didn't.”

“O-ho-ho! Call it whatever you want, sweetheart, but you still owe me a game. A true game.” His dark gaze was fixed on you, hands squeezing your shoulder and you couldn't take your eyes away from his gleaming eyes. Everyone eyed on you in silence. “Now, my curious friends, there is really nothing to worry about, so you can get back to your affairs!”

Angel cocked a brow, and Husk sighed heavily. Niffty tried to find a lost Queen, and only her tiny waving legs were seen from under the sofa. After you convinced everybody once again that you were absolutely fine (and your lip was bit by you, because of a brainstorm during the game), and Niffty found all the pieces and no scratches on the parquet, you were alone with Alastor again. The crackling in the fireplace was the only sound in the room.

“Now, my dear, I have to go. Duty calls!” And before he left the room he leaned to you and said in low,” But, darling, when I come back the pieces must be on their places — Niffty always confuses the royals — because we play one more game tonight, according to the rules: a clock, a judge and a wish.” His eyes were scanning you and then he stretched his hand to you and wiped away the last red pearl from your lip just to lick it from his digit, causing a bright blush on your cheeks. “And don't you dare to fool me this time, dear.”

*. ⋆ ✧.·:·.* ☽ ･｡ﾟ･ ☾ *.·:·.✧ *. ⋆

fun fact: this game in chess is based on my personal experience, when i pissed off a grandmaster by setting up pawns as a fence (it was my first day at the club, don't judge me, and!! he started it first, and i just imitated his actions, but he blamed me, and then he offered a draw) and when i won a cool player by randomly placing pieces on the board (i was so fucking tired that day, but i won, and the player said "i just couldn't understand what was your plan!" and was like "i didn't have any")

#hazbin hotel fanfiction #hazbin hotel #alastor #alastor x reader #hazbin hotel x y/n #hazbin hotel alastor #alastor fanfiction #alastor x you

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cash-111 · 9 months

Text

Stress Relief

Pairing: Theodore Nott x reader

Content: comfort, fluff, bestfriend!Theo, friends to lovers, gender and house of the reader are not mentioned

Synopsis: reader is stressed by all of the school work they have and Theo won’t stand there an watch them deteriorate.

Length: short

A/N: I could write a sequel with smut if anyone were interested

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

5th year had been hard, with O.W.L.s and all, but 6th? Bloody hell, you couldn’t catch a break.

It wasn’t until it was too late to change, that you realized you had overestimated your will to study and make everything fit into your schedule.

With Quidditch practice, advanced standard subjects (and don’t let the “standard” fool you, there was nothing ‘standard’ about advanced potions and transfiguration), care of magical creatures, runes, bloody arithmancy… curse your stupid self for voluntarily picking up magic math on meth.

You had considered begging your teachers to let you drop a subject once or twice, but you were no quitter, and your stubborn, pride-ridden heart would never allow that.

So now you were scrambling to get work done and sprinting between classes, earning yourself a few scoldings from the faculty.

You were so preoccupied with staying afloat study-wise, that the previous time you usually dedicated to your friends had now been turned in power-naps and more, incessant, work.

Most of your friends decided to give you time, but your best friend, Theo, just ‘could not give you up’. So, he decided to work around the problem and hang out with you anyway even with all your protests.

“Theo would you just please get out?!”

You exasperated eventually, after he would keep trying to strike up conversation or annoy you to get you to stop ignoring him.

“And where would the fun be in that, love”

He’d reply nonchalantly every time.

This time you had had enough, though, and set yourself to do something you may or may not regret the next day.

“I AM DONE WITH YOU. I do not want to play around, I do not want to hear your insufferable jokes, or look at your stupid face. Your ‘fun’ is the LEAST of my concerns. I need to get work done. GET OUT.”

You shouted, getting impossibly close to his face and poking a finger into his chest, in an effort to be as intimidating as possible.

Theodore stared down at you, unmoving and calm. A more serious expression on his face. When suddenly, he pulled you into a hug.

You tried to protest but he shushed you quickly.

“You’ve been going through a lot these weeks, haven’t you?” His voice was soft, caring. It caught you off guard so off guard that you remained silent, mouth opening and closing at intervals.

“I know everything’s been weighing on you. I just want you to take it easy every once in a while” he sighed, his hand caressing through your hair. “And I just want you to know that you don’t have to keep up with everyone’s expectations. I’m proud of you, always.”

Tears started to prick at your eyes at his words. You hadn’t realized how much the stress of everything had been affecting you. You melted into him and buried you head into his chest.

“I don’t deserve you” you sobbed “I’m sorry for how mean I’ve been to you these past few weeks.”

“It’s okay, don’t apologize, love.” He kept you close to himself until you started to even out your breath again, holding you with such a firm tenderness, you almost forgot about your worries.

“Fuck, I just wish there was a way to let off steam and get away from all that bullshit…” you mumbled against him.

Theo cringed lightly at your words, his muscles unconsciously tensing.

“What?” You loosened the hug to look up at him once more. “Do you know a way?”

“Uhm”

He avoided your eye contact, a hint of pink displaying on his cheeks.

“There might be a way…”

#fanfiction #x reader #writing #theo x reader #theodore nott x reader #theodore nott #slytherin x reader #slytherin reader #ravenclaw reader #gryffindor reader #hufflepuff reader #gender neutral reader #friends to lovers #best friends

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femd-archive · 3 months

Note

can you do another oikawa x dom reader x iwazumi plz🥺🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

sorry for taking so long to reply! ˙◠˙ omg i love writing for iwaoi, i think it shows with this being the 3th fic that i have for them(ᵕ—ᴗ—) thank u for your request! ♡

BLOWING STEAM

pairing: haikyuu!! — oikawa x iwaizumi x fem!reader

word counting: 2.5k

summary: after a stressful day, tooru and hajime team up to make [name] blow off some steam

side note: english is not my first lenguage, so i apologize in advance for any grammar mistakes

Closing the door behind her, [Name] yawns as she starts taking her shoes off in the entrance at the same time. "I'm home" she announces, putting her backpack down and taking off her jacket.

A mix of soft and rushed footsteps are heard from afar. Soon, both Tooru and Hajime are standing in front of her with soft smiles on their faces, and that sight is enough to make all the stress of her the day melt away.

Tooru doesn't waste time to bring her into his arms in a hug. "Welcome home ~" he litters her neck with little kisses, making her giggle because it tickle.

Iwaizumi reaches out for [Name]'s bag on the floor and picks it up, throwing it over his shoulder. He then turn around again and looks at his partners with a tender gaze, enjoying seeing them express their feelings towards each other so easily and making his heart swell with love.

[Name] catches a sight of Iwaizumi's lovesick face as Tooru finally lets her go, even though he still had an arm wrapped around her waist. "I'm home" she repeats, this time with a more soft and tender tone, looking at her boyfriend like she just wanna melt in his arms, and so does he.

He nods, a small smile drawing on his lips. "Welcome home" he replies, scooting closer to leave a tender kiss on her lips. They linger there for a little bit, lips moving against each other like they don't want this moment to end.

Once they pulled apart —Iwaizumi leaving another little kiss on [Name]'s forehead— they walk to the living room hand in hand, and [Name] throws herself in the couch with a grown.

"Long day, baby?" Tooru asks, reaching a hand to caress her forearm, looking at her with such a tenderness in his eyes.

"Wouldn't you like to know" she sighs, closing her eyes. "The professor was insufferable today. Like, he's the one calling in sick 2 times per week, but it's our fault that we don't have enough material to study from for the finals?" she frows, a confused look plastered on her face, making her boyfriends laugh, "and he's snapped at me for telling him that!"

"No he didn't" Tooru gasps, eyebrows frowning as well.

"What an asshole" Hajime mumbles as he caresses [Name]'s thigh with his thumb.

"I know right? The worst part is that his subject is not even that important for the degree" exhausted, she rubs her hands on her face. "I don't know, for things like this I feel like quitting sometimes"

"Hey baby, don't say that" Tooru scoots closer, and so does Hajime, wrapping their arms around her figure. "I mean, if you want to quit then that's your choice, but don't let an asshole like that professor bring you down" the brunet leaves a kiss on her cheek, caressing her shoulder with his thumb.

Hajime nods. "You've worked so hard to get here to. This is your dream career" he reminded her. "Yeah, some professors can be insufferable, and that's gonna make you frustrated, but we're always gonna be here to listen to you vent and comfort you" he promises silently, keeping up with his caresses on her thigh.

Tooru's voice make [Name] turn around to him again. "We know you're strong, and you've got this, but it's okay to feel down sometimes" he reminds her again.

[Name]'s heart swell with love at her boyfriends' encouraging words, and she hopes she can convain even just a little bit of that love in the sweet kisses she leaves on their knuckles. "Thank you, loves. I really needed to hear that today"

Tooru smiles and leaves a little peck on her lips. "There's nothing to thank, cutie. Just boyfriends doing boyfriend things" he laughs as he watches Hajime attack her neck with kisses once again, smiling at the way she wiggles, trying to get away. "Say baby, are you up to some pampering? Or are you too tired?" making soft circular massages on her knee, the setter asks in a low tone.

"Oh ~ I would love some massages please. I think I have a knot on, like...my lower back" she comments, Hajime now leaving kisses down her shoulder.

Tooru chuckles. "We can get to that later" he moves from his spot on the couch until he's on his knees on the floor, between [Name]'s legs. "I was talking about a different type of pampering" he says with a sultring tone, hands caressing her inner thighs as he looks up at her with big doe eyes.

[Name] bits her bottom lip, already feeling aroused at the simple sight of her pretty boy on his knees for her. She reaches her hand out, dipping her fingers on his silky hair and combing it softly. Tooru closes his eyes, leaning into her loving touch.

"My sweet boy, always so eager to please" she moves her hand to caress his cheek.

Iwaizumi's sudden shuffle makes [Name] look back at him. He undid his embrace around her and she watches as he takes a spot next to Tooru on the floor, cheeks flushed pink as he looks to another direction. Tooru chuckles at his boyfriend's state and leaves a kiss on his cheek, finding him cute, just as [Name] did.

She smiles. "My two sweet boys" she puts emphasis on the number, reaching to caress Hajime's cheek as well, "I'll love to be pamper by the both of you" she bends over to leave a kiss on both their lips. "Thank you, loves"

"Don't thank us before we even make you cum" Tooru winks at her, making [Name] roll her eyes teasingly.

As she lays back on the couch, getting comfortable, she looks down at her boys. Oikawa had already lifted up her shirt, leaving small kisses on her hip as his hand runned up and down her right leg. Iwaizumi didn't fall bahind, also leaving some kisses in the other side of [Name]'s abdomen, his teeth brushing against the skin and softly biting it, leaving some barely noticable marks on there. She sighs, already melting into their loving touch and caresses.

Tooru's agile fingers undid the jean's button in a second, followed by the zipper. Both men moved in sync, taking each side of the clothing and wiggling off [Name]'s legs. Once they were off, they plaster a trail of kisses until they reach her crotch. Iwaizumi leaves a kiss on her clit over the fabric of her panties, and Tooru doesn't fall behind when he licks a long strip up and down, slightly sucking at her clit, also over the fabric.

[Name]'s whole body shake, letting out a shaky breath as her boyfriends continue to leave kisses on her inner tighs. "Fuck..." she whispers, trying to maintain her eyes on both of them as they work together again to take her panties off, finally freeing her wet pussy that lay in front of them.

Their eyes sparkle like it was their first time seeing it. Tooru's long fingers come up to spread her folds, getting them immediately wet. "So pretty..." he whispers, bitting his bottom lip down and looking up at his girlfriend with mischievous eyes. He looks back at Hajime, and Hajime looks back at him, sharing a secret lenguage that [Name] never picked up.

After a few more seconds of their lingering gaze, without warning, Hajime was the first to dive in [Name]'s wetness, making her throw her head back while closing her eyes. His tongue draws long strips from her slit to her clit again, before getting on sucking on it like it was his favorite meal.

Tooru's slender fingers surprises [Name] when she can feel two of them inserting themselves in her, slowly. She looks down on him, who's already looking at her with loving eyes, his free hand caressing her thigh as she gets use to the feeling of his fingers on her. Being so busy, they haven't have time to relax with each other, so it's been a while since any of them felt each other's touch.

"Can I?" the brunet asks after a while, still administrating caresses with his thumb on her thigh. [Name] only nods, sending him a reassuring smile. With that, he starts pumping his fingers, carefull not to hit Hajime in the jaw, but also not painfully slow for [Name] not to feel good.

The room fills up with [Name]'s moans and the wet sounds her boyfriends are getting out from her pussy. It's been a while since Hajime had move to his side, leaving a spot for Tooru to get in and also start lapping on their girlfriend's needy cunt. Now [Name] had to eager puppies, on their knees, eating her out like it was the best part of their day. And yes, it was.

Their tongues brushed against each other, as well as their breath became one, even sending shivers down [Name]'s body at how close their breath was. Tooru couldn't help the tentation, and sucked on Hajime's tongue, bringing them into a messy kiss. Chins dripping with their girlfriend's juice, they kiss slowly; lingering on the edge before attacking each other's lips again.

They pull apart, not before having a little peck, and moving back on [Name]'s waiting pussy. "That was so hot" looking at them through her eyelashes, she mumbles with a little smile.

Tooru smiles. "Mmh, yeah? You're hotter" he leaves a kiss on her inner thigh before diving into her cunt again.

Hajime follows him, and picks up his spot between her legs, both lapping on her folds at the same time their hands started gropping on their hard cocks over the fabric of their trousers. It didn't take long for them to whip them out, and starting to jack off as they savour their girlfriend out. Tooru's wrist motions were more desperate, while Hajime's where slower, most of his attenion focused on lapping [Name]'s folds.

Tooru goes in to suck her clit, closing his eyes as he enjoys her taste and the moans he's taking out of her, moaning for both making his girlfriend feel good and his hand ministrations on his cock. Hajime slips two of his fingers inside of her, pumping them as he looks up at his girlfried in awe, loving her expressions.

Feeling the heat pool in her lower stomach, [Name]'s eyebrows furrow deep, mouth hanging open as she feels her orgasm creeping closer.

"Mmgh, fuck. Guys...I'm gonna cum...gonna cum" [Name] started whispering like a mantra, bucking her hips up the men's faces. She reaches her hands to hold their heads, and both of them stick their tongue out so she could fuck their face, jacking their hard cocks off as they look up at her with those cute teary eyes.

[Name] cums, mouth agape in a silent moan and brows furrowed deep as her hips buck in her boyfriends' faces, clit pulsating as she cums all over their tongues. As she rides her orgasm, she collapses on the cushions as moans finally drags from her lips. She does her best to open her eyes, caughting the sight of her two boys bobbing their heads as they lick her pussy like some puppies, eyes close as they do so. So cute...

Letting out a gasp, her once tense body drops softly on the couch, chest moving up and down as she tries to regulate her erratic breath. Opening her eyes, she looks down at her boys, who are already looking at her with sweet smiles in their wet lips, hands caressing her legs to help her calm down after her orgasm. She smiles back at them, a tired smiled.

"C'mere" she whispers, motioning their empty spots in each side of her.

They climb the couch again, Tooru not wasting any time in kissing her lips, sharing some of her own taste in his tongue as they share a slow sensual kiss. Hajime kisses her neck, patiently waiting for his turn to kiss her too.

As they switch, [Name]'s hands find their way to her boyfriend's neglected cocks, starting to pump them without any other warning.

"Ah ~ baby...there's no need to-"

"Shhh" she interrupts Tooru after pulling away from Hajime's kiss. "It's my turn to treat you right. It's only fair after you treated me so good" shrugging her shoulders, she sends a smile her way and moves her focus on jacking them off.

The men's moans now fill the room in return, along with the squelching sounds of their pre being used as a kind of lube with each stroke. [Name] looks up at them, having a good timing to caught her boyfriends leaning in for a sloppy kiss, moaning in each other's mouths. She bites her bottom lip down. «So hot»

Tooru pulls away from the kiss with a 'pop' sound, hissing as his hand reaches to grab his girlfriend's wrist, wanting her to slow down but not doing more than just hold her wrist.

"Mmh, gonna cum?" she asks, leaving a kiss on his hip, looking up at him with a smile and then switching her gaze to Iwaizumi, who's biting down on his bottom lip, eyes closed as he tries so hard to not thrust his hips into [Name]'s closed fist.

"Yes..." Tooru answers with an airy tone, throwing his head back as he feels his orgasm coming.

"Go ahead, loves" she speeds her hand motions.

Iwaizumi's hand comes up to rest on her shoulder, seeking some kind of support as he feels his legs getting weak as ropes of cum sprout from his tip, landing on her lap and some on her shirt. Tooru follows behind, cumming with his girlfriend's name on his lips, bucking his hips up as his cum also lands on her lap, dirtying her thighs.

[Name] hugs Hajime from the waist as she sees his thighs trembling, also pulling Tooru close to her. They all end up cuddling on the couch, their erratic breaths being the only thing that could be heard on the room at the time.

Coming to his senses, Tooru chuckles, smooching [Name]'s cheek and then moving in closer to kiss Hajime's forehead as the trainer lays his head on the woman's shoulder. "That was so good" he mumbles, "did you like it, baby?" he asks, looking back at his girlfriend and littering her face with kisses.

"I loved it" she responds before kissing the brunet lips. Hajime moves from his spot on her shoulder to kiss her as well, and then being pulled in a more softer kiss with Tooru. "Thank you, loves. I think we all needed that" she lets out a laugh, hands coming to run her fingers through their hair.

"Absolutely" Iwaizumi comments, bringing a hand to scoop some of the cum that was splattered on [Name]'s thighs. "I think we also need a bath"

"I'll go get the water running" Tooru smiles content, kissing each of his partners cheek before getting up, legs still shaking a little bit.

"And I'll order something to eat once we're out" Hajime leaves another kiss on her cheek, putting his boxers on before getting up to look up for his phone.

[Name] layed there on the couch for a few more minutes, a fool-like smile on her face as she melts on the ongoing sensations and the memories of her lovers touch and kisses. She was so lucky to have such wonderful boyfriends.

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ghoulfuckersincorporated · 4 months

Note

your ghoul fics have me in a fuckin chokehold 😭😩 there's nothing i love more in life than a scary sexy man w questionable morals

not to be horny in anon but like... imagine the reader, after having been traveling together for a while, being an insufferable brat for a couple days, just tap dancing on coop's last nerve- but he's not gonna get rid of you, he's seen you in action, despite his lone-ranger status, you're too useful. too skilled. too good at surviving in the wasteland as a vaultie for this not to have been destined. at least that's what he tells himself to avoid facing the fact that, well, poor bastard caught feelings. basically this is a long winded way of me saying boot riding as punishment, cause the man deserves a free polish 😶

Grunt Work

Pairing: Cooper Howard/The Ghoul x Female Vault Dweller Reader

Word Count: 3,920

Warnings: smut (18+), BDSM-style dynamics, boot riding, masturbation (male), begging, mild hair pulling, mild cum play, Cooper is a softie (but a pissed off softie).

Notes: Anon, I wish you would've been here to see me read this request for the first time. I think a small part of my brain exploded. How did this become 4,000 words? It may have turned out softer than you envisioned (not the first time I've given that preface/apology and it certainly won't be the last; The Ghoul is soft deep inside and you cannot tell me otherwise!), and if so, I hope you still enjoy. Thank you for reading!

Every day with this girl was an exercise in self-restraint.

Granted, the type of self-restraint varied greatly from day to day, hour to hour. From the moment he had agreed to do business with the vaultie, she'd been testing his patience, his boundaries, his sense of what was normal.

Generally, he quite liked it. It was actually endlessly refreshing, he found, to spend time with someone who treated him like he was human, who he felt comfortable enough to actually relax a bit around. Someone who still had some sunshine left in them. Slowly, agonizingly so, they'd developed a bit of a rapport, then a genuine trust, which had eventually (and somewhat recently, given the scope of all the months they'd been traveling together) bloomed into more. What you'd call that "more", he wasn't really certain.

It had been the first time he'd allowed himself any sort of dalliance in that area since he'd divorced Barb all those years ago, and it had been both amazing and heartbreaking. Establishing that new attachment with his little vaultie had been the first time in lifetimes that he truly felt connected to his humanity, the way she'd kissed him and clung to him and sighed his name just like one would with any normal man.

He really had forgotten how wonderful it could be to be with someone, to let them get as close as they possibly could, even though he looked the way he did, acted the way he did, and refused to take off anything besides his duster, his gloves, and his hat.

He knew, deep down somewhere, that she wouldn't reject him simply for what his body looked like. Not at this point. Unfortunately, her feelings about his body didn't really change his feelings about his body. Still, getting to feel her and hold her close had been even better than he'd imagined.

But that new moment of connection, that next and first step, also meant he was fully closing the door on his time with Barb; he'd always been faithful to her, even after they'd split, since he'd really had no interest in dating again in the time after the paperwork was finalized. Then the world had ended and wasn't even a thought in his mind for ages. It had taken him months to even see the advances the girl had been making towards him, months more to reciprocate them.

As asinine as it would seem, becoming this close, actually giving himself to someone else physically and emotionally, made his two-centuries old divorce finally feel real. His ex-wife could still well be out there somewhere, as far as he knew, but they'd never be together again, even if by some wild chance they were reunited. Those special feelings he'd once held so deeply for her were no more.

When his companion had finally fallen asleep that night, tucked naked and warm against his side and wrapped in the tail of his duster, he had shed a few tears, something he genuinely didn't believe he was still capable of.

She didn't seem to be sleeping as deeply as she typically did that night, but if she'd overheard his incredibly vulnerable moment, she never let on or brought it up, and he was endlessly grateful for it.

Maybe he was just growing soft with old age.

She was also quite the burgeoning Wastelander, a shockingly good scavenger with a sharp eye for value and utility, small enough to fit in places that he couldn't, her little hands quick at hacking terminals and picking locks. But, despite her small size, she was quite strong, able to handle herself far better in most fights than he'd ever expected a vault-dweller to be capable of. He didn't necessarily need to watch over her every single second, but the urge persisted, nevertheless. Seeing her safe, seeing her happy, those things gave him a strange sense of inner peace that he hadn't felt in ages. It had become second nature to hover around her.

Besides, as of late, keeping an eye on her every second seemed to be his best bet to stay alive. He was genuinely unsure if his girl (Was that what she was?) had been dealing with an especially bad streak of luck over the last week, or what, but she was rapidly grating on his nerves much more usual.

First, she had managed to nose her way into a yao guai den and set the thing off chasing her, resulting in him taking a pretty nasty swipe to the side before they could put it down, several foot-long tears in his already worse-for-wear coat. However, she'd apologized profusely, spent a few hours that night mending and patching up his coat. He found it impossible to stay mad at her through either.

Then, she'd done the exact same thing a few days later, but with a pack of nightstalkers. He'd nearly lost a finger helping her fight them off, the shitty little things infinitely more tough than one might expect. After that, she was officially no longer in charge of picking where they slept, an arrangement he hadn't been fully aware he'd entered into until he'd had to put his foot down about it. Whatever, she'd pouted a bit and insisted it wasn't her fault. He didn't love how little she spoke to him when she was pouting, and her resolve for keeping at such things was irritatingly strong, but what bothered him more was how well it worked.

Eventually, he'd apologized for snapping at her. That night, she chose where they slept. He tried to not think too long on why he'd let her.

He didn't fully understand why he found himself acting this way around her, and only her. All he knew for sure was that he'd be devastated to lose her, as chagrined as the admission made him, and so he did his best to make things pleasant to keep her around.

What she'd pulled today, however, had managed to officially piss him off.

After a long week of iffy sleep and more scrapes with wildlife and fiends than usual, they had both been a tad testy by the time they'd reached the shabby little trading outpost at the edge of the Wastes, one of the last places you could reliably stop for clean water and supplies in this section of the desert going the way they'd come from. It was also a reliable place for him to obtain vials, and had come in handy to a life-saving degree more than once.

The girl had gotten slick-mouthed with the proprietor over the price of some fancy machine parts she'd scrounged up, insisting that they were worth far more than he was offering her. Granted, she was right; the man was attempting to swindle her, to some degree, but frankly, the damn things were cumbersome and heavy and he wouldn't even call the price she could theoretically get for them worth hauling them around in the heat. If it were him, he wouldn't have dragged them all this way, and would certainly ditch them now.

For reasons he couldn't fathom, though, her solution to the man offhandedly threatening to just keep the damn things had been to pull her pistol on him, which, of course, had set off an entire chain of unnecessary events. The owner's gun had come out, as well, then Cooper's, despite him actually trying to talk the situation down for once.

The man wouldn't relent, however, and he had been forced to shoot his hand off to end the conflict without her blood being spilled. Well, maybe not completely forced, but it certainly felt that way at the time. That particular trading outpost had been incredibly useful to him for well over a decade, and now he wouldn't be able to return.

If it had been anyone else, he probably would have shot them.

Not probably. He would have shot them.

But instead, here he was, tucked into a creaky old UV-eaten lawn chair, smoking and trying to disguise how unsettlingly happy he was to finally have some safe alone time with her beneath his annoyance at being inconvenienced. If there was one thing he hated, it was being inconvenienced. But, if there was one thing he greatly enjoyed, it was her company, so he was at a bit of an impasse.

It was moments like this where he wondered if he'd finally poisoned his brain with too much Jet or any other number of substances, the haze that consumed him every moment around her thick. Even now, when he was angrier with her than he'd ever been at any point in their travels, he couldn't focus on his legitimate grievance because he wanted her so badly. It was the single most irksome thing he'd ever experienced.

She was quickly sniffing out this weakness of his, perceptive little minx that she was. Increasingly, she was quick to soothe his bad moods with little touches and kisses, and it made him melt embarrassingly every single time. He'd been livid and silent as they'd trudged away from the building, both of them covered in rapidly-cooling blood spatter, when she'd brushed her hand along his back softly; a sort of apology, he supposed. Since then, his main source of anger had been himself and his lack of resolve when it came to this particular woman.

The old cowboy was determined to teach her a lesson today, though.

He'd spent the better part of an hour checking their perimeter once they'd come across this place, and the little sniper's nest where they were holed up had a great view of the area. It certainly wasn't much, little more than a rusty metal panel jammed between some rocks, a mattress, a chair, and a radio. But for the first time in a few weeks, things were safe, quiet, and calm. They had plenty of rations between the two of them, and water wasn't as much of a concern as it had been on their way in. She was so comfortable that she'd actually shed her boots and socks, her dainty little feet curled up underneath her as she nibbled away at something under the ramshackle "roof".

Now was the time. He just had to wait for the opportunity.

"You've been quiet since we left the traders." she said after a while of companionable, though mildly terse, silence. It wasn't a question, but at the same time very much was, and the casual, roundabout way she was addressing what was her own actions made him scowl slightly.

"You've been a pain in my ass these last few days, sugar." he said flatly, glaring at her as best as he could from under the brim of his hat. "Should be happy I've just been quiet now."

She actually rolled her eyes slightly, but clearly didn't think he'd seen it, keeping silent as she continued to eat. Increasingly bold for someone within grabbing distance. Cooper let a few seconds pass, studying her.

"Y'know, when I was in the marines, if you were a little shitheel, they'd make you do grunt work." he said eventually, voice matter-of-fact.

She pursed her lips at that, finishing up the can of beans she'd been steadily tucking into.

"I don't think I know what that is." she replied almost absentmindedly.

"It's the shit work no one ever wanted to do, so being assigned to it was intended as a punishment. Scrubbin' floors, toilets. Peelin' potatoes. Polishin' boots."

She chuckled at his anecdote as if it were meant to be entertaining, but the way he let her laugh hang in the silence, staring her down as she sat there curled up beside him, said otherwise. After a moment, she sort of narrowed her eyes at him, her tone low, almost conspiratory, when she asked:

"What're you playing at, cowboy?"

"I'm sayin' you're in trouble, cowgirl." he replied, reaching out to hold her chin solidly in his grip and watching her pout. "I'm sayin' that I think a little grunt work would do you and that attitude of yours some good, and I'm sayin' that I think you should polish my boots."

"Polish your boots?" she repeated, wrapping her tongue around each of the words like they were foreign to her.

"Pretty sure there ain't a functioning toilet within a hundred miles of where we're sitting, and I ain't got any potatoes. So…"

"You can't be serious." she said, her eyes full of curious suspicion as she looked him up and down.

Releasing her chin, the old ghoul set to removing his gloves, tugging his second hand free and using his naked pointer finger to draw a little 'x' over his heart.

"Serious as the grave, darlin'."

There were a few pregnant seconds of them staring one another down, waiting for the other to bend, to flinch. She even lifted her chin towards him, just enough for him to pick up on, an unspoken challenge. God, she was so like him.

"Now…be good and take your clothes off." he smirked, brows raising when she made to argue in response. Her lips worked their way between her teeth as she hesitated before slowly dropping all her armor from her arms and torso, then drawing the dirty shirt underneath over her head.

"Is that better, Coop?" she asked, letting her hair down out of the knot she'd tied it up into on top of her head, the strands framing her face as she worked him over again with those eyes of hers. Pulling herself up into a standing position, he did his best to ignore the way her bare breasts moved and dipped with gravity.

"Mmm. I think it would be more fittin' if you called me 'sir', frankly."

"You cannot be serious!" she insisted again, indignant as she slid the zipper on her trousers down, her tone making him chuckle despite himself. She just didn't know when to quit, and it was fucking adorable.

"Am I ever unserious?" he asked, ignoring the look she shot him back in favor of watching her slowly work the worn pants down over the curve of her ass, dropping them into a pile around her feet and leaving her standing there as naked as the day she was born. He felt his already-stiffening cock twitch slightly, resisting the urge to rub himself through the faded pinstripes of his pants. This was supposed to be a punishment for her, and doing that would give her too much opportunity to distract him.

"Aww, c'mon, boss." she sighed, pressing at a hidden button of his, cocking her head and sending that silky curtain around her face glinting in the light.

"I mean it, missy. You fucked up pretty bad today, and you need to be punished for it. And what did I just say?" he responded, fighting hard to keep his voice even and body still.

"Well…what else would you have in mind as a punishment, sir?" she purred as she stepped back towards him, batting those long, dark lashes his way. He managed to keep his eyes on hers and off of her body, a task that felt herculean as the ache in his gut grew more intense. For a split second, he wanted to give in to her, to pin her to the ground and fuck the attitude out of her like he'd wanted to for days. But there would be plenty of time for that later.

"I promise you that if you knew your other options, darlin', you'd choose this." he replied, finishing his smoke and tossing the butt away. Digging his inhaler out for a quick puff, he finally removed his hat and set it aside, reclining just enough to allow his feet to stick out a few inches in front of him.

She huffed at her little ploy failing to work, crossing her arms and cocking her hip slightly. Cooper's teeth dug into the inside of his cheek to keep back a grin.

"Well, are you gonna take them off?" she demanded.

He couldn't hold back his smirk at that, his head cocking as he continued to stare her down.

"Just how long are you gonna keep playin' dumb? You know it's gonna get cold when it gets dark."

Studying her face, he could see the faint lines of confusion there, and wondered if maybe she really didn't know what he meant.

"There's a reason I wanted you naked, honey, and it ain't just the view."

Though it certainly didn't hurt.

It took a few long, long seconds of her looking him up and down, wondering, but eventually the glow of realization lit up her face, followed by more brow furrowed confusion.

"How would that even work?" she asked, though her tone was more curious than argumentative.

"I suppose you'll figure it out, huh? Askin' an awful lot of questions for someone who's about to be freezin' their twat off in about half an hour." he said, watching with apparent glee as she fidgeted in place, pulling another cigarette out of his pocket and lighting it.

Still attempting to make a stand, she didn't move, chewing away at that bottom lip as she hesitated there. He could smell that she was already turned on.

"Go on. Get to work." he ordered softly, exhaling smoke through his nose, staring into her eyes.

After a heartbeat, she seemed to accept her fate and slowly lowered herself down onto her knees in front of him. That, too, made his cock jump. Her cheeks had a visible rosy hue as she clearly struggled to arch herself at the right angle to make proper contact; after a few long seconds of her huffy sighs, he took mercy on her and tilted the toe of his boot more skyward, allowing her to begin to rub herself back and forth across the dusty leather in earnest.

He watched as her face slowly morphed from mildly confused concentration to blossoming arousal, the tint in her cheeks growing until it consumed her entire face.

"How does it feel?" he asked quietly, taking another long drag off of his smoke.

"It feels good." she huffed, a light sheen of sweat glinting on her soft skin.

He reached out and grabbed a fistful of her hair at that, squeezing just enough to make her gasp, her eyes flying open to gaze up at him, wide and wet.

"Feels good what?" he demanded. "Given you an awful lot of chances on that, kid. Y'know, insubordination usually calls for more severe punishment."

"It feels good, sir." she replied, her hips stuttering slightly as she struggled to move them with her head fixed in place, her eyes falling shut again. He found it a little surprising that the mild pain hadn't stopped her or made her complain more. If anything, she'd seemed to like it. He took note of that for later.

"Tsk. Well, it's supposed to be a punishment, but I guess I can't help it if a little freak like you gets off on polishin' my boots. Guess I did know a guy in the service who really liked bein' made to scrub the floor, but, between you and me, I think he might've had a little thing for bein' pushed around and told what to do." Cooper's voice fell to a secretive murmur as he spoke to her, watching her eyes dart away as he teased her.

However, as he watched her slide herself back and forth across his foot, he found it more and more difficult to resist the urge to touch himself. When her eyes didn't open for several minutes, focused entirely on the sensation, it would seem, he took the opportunity to palm his cock, his hips eventually beginning to rock against his hand. That movement caught her attention, her gaze burning into him as she watched; this was a button of hers for whatever reason. Feeling emboldened and somewhat sure that she was too distracted to cause trouble, he quickly undid his belt and fly and tugged his erection free, a shiver running down his spine as he gave himself a few experimental pumps in the cooling air.

Unfortunately, he'd underestimated how coherent she still was, her head remaining low, but her right hand creeping up his leg towards his hand. He jerked his chin towards her, sending her jumping back a bit. However, she didn't look fearful, more chastened.

"Don't. You. Fuckin'. Dare." he growled, his hand not stilling for a moment. "If you touch me, I'm gonna put you over my knee and spank your little ass until you can't sit right for a week."

His threats only seemed to make her hotter, a throaty moan leaving her as she began to hump his boot with increased speed, all attempts at preserving any semblance of her dignity abandoned in the pursuit of her orgasm. The grip he was maintaining on himself tightened, and a growl ripped out of his chest in response as he fought to keep his eyes open and on her. If he could still sweat, he'd be pouring it just like her.

Cooper's leg jerked involuntarily as a particularly strong wave of pleasure shot up his spine, digging the toe of his boot harder into her weeping little slit, and she keened in response, her body beginning to twitch all over like it did when she was nearing her end.

"You close, honey? You wanna cum?" he asked feverishly, rapidly sprinting towards his own finish line.

She nodded rapidly, her breasts heaving with her strained breath as her nails dug into his thigh.

"Please, please, please..." she breathed over and over.

"Look at you, just cleaned the thing and you're about to make a mess all over it because you're such a needy little slut." he chastised, breaking down into a harsh whisper as he seized her by her hair once more, his cig hanging loosely from his lips. "Go on, baby. Cum all over my boot."

The labored whine she let out as she lost herself all over him, and the blissful way her face contorted as she cried out, was more than enough to finish him off, his release spurting all over his hand and stomach. They both growled and groaned their way through their shared release, her collapsing against the inside of his leg as she panted heavily. Working to control his own breathing, he let his head fall completely back with a blunted "thud" against the frame of the chair, releasing his grip on her head.

After a few quiet moments, they both rather sheepishly peeked at one another. He held his spend-covered hand up in front of her face, the mess catching the fading light as he reached out towards her.

"You're gonna have to clean that up, too." he said softly, rubbing some of the slickness across her lips, barely holding back a groan when the little pink tip of her tongue darted out to lap at his fingers as they passed by.

"Mmm. Yes, sir." she responded, gently laying her temple against the side of his knee, those big, round eyes slowly slipping shut. Cooper reached out and laid his palm against her head, petting her now-rumpled hair with more affection than he'd like to admit, admiring her in the golden-red hue of the evening sun.

"Don't get too comfy there, sweetheart." he said after a few quiet moments, his cock beginning to stir again. "Don't forget, I've got another boot."

#cooper howard #the ghoul #cooper howard smut #cooper howard x reader #cooper howard x you #ghoulcy #vaultghoul #fallout tv show #fallout prime #submission

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thefiery-phoenix · 6 months

Note

more Gun Park contents, please? him waking his girl in the morning perhaps? <3

I apologize in advance if this sucked 😔

In the past if someone would have told him he'd have fallen in love with someone he would have laughed at them at their face. And yet, here he was, lying next to you on both of your shared bed since he absolutely refuses to let you sleep alone since you belong in his arms, your rightful place

After a long day of dealing with insufferable brats and giving half the people their own sob backstories and extorting money from the gangs around the area, he wants to come back to you and hold you in his arms. Every night he holds you in his strong muscular arms as he pulls you close to him, teasing you as usual about how small you are compared to him. You both will talk about your day till you end up falling asleep. He'll caress your cheek softly and lovingly, for a man whose life was filled with violence and his hands filled with scars, he finds momentary solace and peace when he has you close to him. You're his heaven

He gently kisses your lips and drifts off to sleep. He wakes up before you and as his eyes open, he turns towards you to ensure you're still by his side and haven't made any silly escape attempts like the last time when you tried to escape him when he was asleep. He might be asleep but he has a sixth sense that can detect whenever you're planning to escape or do anything silly. He'll stare you while you're still asleep like a creep and he'll have no qualms about it. Is it so wrong to admire the features of the person that belongs to him

He'll smirk slightly to himself as he looks at your sleeping figure, pleased you haven't acted up and tried to escape from him as he'll gently push away the strands of your hair covering your face and he'll trace his thumb ever so gently along your bottom lip, trying to bask in the moment of solace and peace with you after ignoring the hundreds of missed calls from Goo

He'll bring you closer to him and if you fuss around in your sleep, he'll shush you and kiss your lips as he holds you close to him and smokes a cigarette. If you want to wake up, he'll gently prod you awake and if you're being fussy about it, his lips will curve into an amused smirk as he kisses your neck just to get a kick out of seeing your flustered and bashful expression. "Morning princess..." he'll whisper in his husky deep voice as he kisses your neck again. How glad he is to have taken you for himself...

#yandere lookism #yandere lookism characters #yandere gun park imagines #yandere gun park oneshots #yandere gun park headcanons #yandere gun park scenarios #yandere park jonggun x reader #yandere park jonggun headcanons #yandere park jonggun #dark lookism characters #dark lookism characters x reader #dark lookism x reader #yandere lookism x reader #lookism headcanons #lookism x reader #lookism

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so-long-soldier-writes · 2 months

Text

Survivors

theo raeken x reader

summary: people are being kidnapped and tested, and one day, you wake up with the startling realization that you're next. luckily, your captor releases you after something about you reminds him a little too much of himself.

tags: kidnapping, implied s3lf h4rm, implied child abuse, non-graphic

word count: 1.1k

a/n: i apologize in advance

also, i wrote this a month ago and haven't been able to title it! i've also had to rewatch parts of s5 bc i was so confused the first time around. this takes place before the chimeras start dying / when they're still being tested on and all that.

A dark cloth is pulled tightly around your head, and your hands are bound in rope. A metal pole supports your back, though it is uncomfortable between your shoulder blades. Two of your senses are rendered useless, forcing you to rely on the other three for support. Unfortunately, they aren't much help in a situation like this.

You sigh. There's no telling how long you've been here. You know you've faded in and out of consciousness three times now. This is the first time you've fully woken up and realized how endangered you actually are.

Even with the blindfold, you know you're in the dark. The hard and cold ground suggests a garage, storage building, or maybe even down in the tunnels, is where you're being kept. Who knows? A pill was forced down your throat the minute you were grabbed, your kidnapper rendering you completely unable to fight.

Speaking of which... Your kidnapper...

You wonder who they are. It's probably the doctors; they've been damning people for weeks now. Turning humans into creatures and throwing them back out into the world. Killing them if they're failures, but doing more tests if they seem to succeed.

Fear shoots down your spine as you realize you're next. You're captured, you must be their next test. You struggle against the ropes, but there's no give.

A heavy door is pushed to the side, and footsteps make their way towards you. You stop fighting immediately and prepare for the worst.

Someone crouches in front of you close enough that you can hear their breathing. They're calm in a way that horrifies you. They're not here to save you. No, no one knows you're here. No one is coming to save you.

You're startled by a gentle touch as two hands meet the sides of your head. Your blindfold is pulled down slowly, finally revealing the person on the other side. Their identity shocks you; a chill ices your body.

"You."

He sighs, glancing at the floor. "Sorry about this, Y/N. You're the one they wanted most."

"Really? And when'd you become their little errand boy, Theo? I thought you wanted Scott to trust you. Thought you wanted to be a part of his pack."

"it's all about survival, Y/N. There is a war, and I am loyal to whom I think will come out on top."

"You're wrong. The bad guys always lose, even if not in ways you'd expect. You will lose."

"Have that much faith in Scott, now do you? I don't see him coming to save you. You're all alone here. There's no getting out." You gulp visibly before you can stop yourself. "How's that for being the loser?"

"You're sick."

"Maybe. But at least I'm a realist."

You roll your eyes, looking away from him. Right now, his face is pissing you off just to see it. Two days ago, you'd admit you thought the little fucker was hot, but now, he's just a pain in your ass.

"Whatever," you snap, "have it your way. Just make it fast if you're going to kill me."

"Baby, if you've been following along, I'm not killing anyone. And the doctors aren't yet either. They're testing you all."

"For what? And don't 'baby' me."

He smiles. "To make the perfect monster. The best one for the cause."

"Which is?"

"Can't say."

"You're insufferable."

"And you're adorable when you're mad."

"Ugh!"

Theo takes a deep breath, then unties the cloth that was once around your eyes. He reaches around the side to undo the ropes, working at them for a good thirty seconds before unraveling the strongly-made knot.

"I do mean it when I say I'm sorry. Wish they picked anyone else, but they said you were special."

"I don't care, Theo. I already know this is the end for me. You're just drawing it out."

He slouches his shoulders before taking your wrists in his hands. He sits up on his knees, prepared to pull you up with him, but stops suddenly. Even in the darkness, the chimera can see the scars. Thin, white lines decorating the skin on your wrists. Some are more faded than others, but others look more recent. He stares at them for a moment, while you remain none the wiser, avoiding his gaze.

For a second, he's transported back to his childhood - kidnapped by the doctors at an early age, forced to undergo tests and experiments, and to live under their care. Forgotten by his family and haunted by his sister. The doctors didn't know how to raise a child, but they clearly didn't care. The torment he suffered still hurts every passing day, and even now, in Beacon Hills again, the pain hasn't ceased.

Theo bears plenty of scars of his own. Some are made by the doctors, some he brought on himself. It took him years to learn to not hate his body, to see the scars as a reminder that he's a survivor, not a failure.

His are littered around his body in places not well seen. The first time one of the doctors discovered them, he was punished accordingly. It's as if they're the only ones allowed to abuse him; how dare he bring it upon himself.

Theo looks at your scars and wonders what trauma is buried beneath them. What are you hiding? What emotional pain lies under the physical? Who knows your secrets, if anyone? It's none of his business, so he doesn't ask, but he closes his hands over your wrists and gulps.

"Run."

You look back at him, then at your clasped hands. "What?"

"Run. Run far from here and don't look back. Follow the pipes on the left side of the wall, and let them take you back above ground. Don't tell Scott anything I told you, it will only get you hurt. Just run, and don't let the doctors find you."

"Wait, why? I don't understand."

Theo pushes your hands into your chest and finally releases them. Fear floods through you as realization hits. He's seen you, seen your wrists, and your scars, and he's taking pity on you. But... he's letting you go.

"Just go, Y/N!" He yells in a whisper. "Go, before they come back. Any minute now, they're expecting you."

You scramble to your feet and look towards the pipes. The pipes on the left lead out, he said.

"But what about you?" You don't know why you ask. You don't know why you care. But, something deep inside you does.

"I'll be fine, I'll make up a lie. Just go!"

And so finally, you take off in the direction he points, still a little confused, but incredibly grateful.

Maybe there is some good in him. Maybe he's just as manipulated by the doctors as the rest of the chimeras. Maybe there's hope for him after all.

#theo raeken x reader #theo raeken x reader angst #theo raeken x reader oneshot #teen wolf fanfiction #tw: implied s3lf h4rm #tw: implied child abuse #i wrote this in a day #and then didn't post it for a month #also i hate the title but at least it's something so i can post it

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jj-5656 · 2 years

Text

First Impressions With; James Potter (Marauders)

A/N: Holy shit, hello again. Been a damn minute, six month hiatus yet again. First semester of college kicked my ass, but I can’t get this idea out of my head lately. To anyone who reads and even enjoys, please leave a comment. I love any and all feedback. Missed you guys, sorry I was MIA. :)

Summary: The one where you finally confront the egotistical chaser for Gryffindor, and realize things aren’t always as they seem.

TW: Descriptions of assault, attempted assault, ect. It’s lengthy asf apologies in advance

James Potter is undoubtedly the most insufferable, pompous, self-absorbed asshole to ever grace Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

You’re sure of it.

At least, that’s what you keep telling yourself as you grip the chilled glass of firewhisky between Lilly and Marlene. Watching the raven-haired boy amongst his friends in the Gryffindor common room. It’s a fairly relaxed night, you’d save the real partying for the weekends. Though you’d all survived a particularly difficult potions exam, and found it more than enough means to celebrate with a small get-together. There isn't much to worry about when it came to drinking under school-roof. Seeing as your prefect was one of the many students indulging in the nights activities, nursing his own glass along his friends. Remus is a sandy-haired, soft spoken student you’ve come to know through Lily and Marlene.

It’s a wonder he even gives the rambunctious Potter the time of day, let alone choose to call him a friend.

“Head boy, can you believe they’ve considered appointing him head boy for next year? James Potter, having authority over even the prefects, what a load of crap.”

“He’s not that bad, he’s actually quite pleasant at times.” You shoot a look to your redheaded best friend, who’d see the good in even the worst of people.

“Respectfully, Lilly, if I were to maliciously pour this drink onto your lap, you’d forgive me in a millisecond. I don’t necessarily trust your character judgement.”

“Ever the dramatic, y/n. And I’d forgive you because I love you, but not after ‘accidentally’ spilling my drink on you.” She kisses the crown of your head cheekily before grabbing you and Marlene’s empty glasses, seeking to refill them. You wave her affection off despite the blush of your cheeks.

And then Potter says something that catches your attention almost instantly.

“Where do you think the lonely bloke is now? Probably in his dorm, moping about like always.” The fellow sixth year seems to have had half a glass too many, sudden passionate disdain for the Slytherin hadn’t been a topic the entire night.

“You a fan of his, Potter?” You snap from the couch across him, catching the attention of the burly kid and his friends. The alcohol in your system also the cause of such an abrupt remark.

“Sorry?” He asks through a half-hearted laugh, incredulous gaze revealing the intense hazel in his eyes you hadn’t noticed before.

“Are you a fan, would you like an autograph or something? I only ask because he’s almost all you talk about. And you can’t seem to leave him alone.” Marlene straightens beside you, sharing a confused look with the rest of the boys sat beside James. Who quirks his head at your irritated tone.

“And you are?”

“Tired of your bullshit, leave the kid alone.” You’ve honestly been waiting for give the Chaser a piece of your mind since you saw him trip the sullen Slytherin in the library. You hate a bully, and you’d be damned to stand by and watch. Not to mention his incessant pestering of your kind-hearted best friend, who returns to you with full glasses and a stern look pointed your way. You ignore her silent disciplining, too enveloped in your staring match with the boy opposite you.

“Just a bit of fun, love. Nothing to get upset about.” Sirius, another acquaintance through your girlfriends, attempts to ease the tension. Setting a hand on James’ tensing shoulder.

“I don’t think he’s having much fun. Seems a bit one sided if you ask me.”

“But we didn’t. Ask you, I mean.” You cock your head, pleasantly surprised at Potter’s wit. Having mistaken him for the dumb on the spot type.

Maybe it’s not your business, maybe your actions are making an enemy for no reason. But you know the likes of James Potter.Coming from a wealthy, well-known wizard family. And Snape, who was a half-blood, and not a wealthy one at that. At least, you’d assumed from his hand-me-down robes and unkept clothes on the train your first year at Hogwarts. He’d confided in Lily a couple times, and from what you could understand he was simply a quiet boy who was terribly misunderstood. Being a half-blood yourself, you’d fallen victim to some snotty comments from other students. And if Potter’s quarrel with the boy was due to his status and lack of pure-blood, you wouldn’t dare let him get away with it.

“Maybe we should head up to the dorm-” Marlene starts before James interjects.

“Nonsense, we were just leaving. Have a wonderful rest of your night Marlene, Lills, and-” He pauses, eyes narrowing in silent challenge.

“Y/n.” You deadpan, pretending not to notice the anxious expressions of the boy’s friends and those of your own beside you.

He hums, giving you a once over before finishing the remaining contents of his glass in an embellished swoop. Setting it down with an intensity that makes Remus cringe. “Y/n.” He tests the word on his lips, tongue running over his teeth with a vexed smirk. “Pleasure, truly.”

“I’m sure.” You quip instantly, taking a particularly large sip of your own drink and tilting your glass in farewell. He scoffs, turning on his heel and heading to the boys’ dormitory without another word.

“Alright, what the fuck was that?” Dorcas accuses, having silently entered the room amongst the commotion. Her astonishment pulls a laugh from you, and Lilly’s eyes widen tenfold.

“Laughing, she’s laughing? Merlin, you amaze me!”

“I’m right, aren’t I? He’s mean to that poor boy for no reason. He’s pompous Lilly, thinks he’s better than some of us for being muggle-born. I wont tolerate it.”

“Has he said that? Has he personally told you that?”

“Doesn’t have to.” You cross your arms, defensive.” She only throws her arms up in exasperation as you begin to aid Marlene in cleaning up the room.

“He’s a bit messy as well.” The dark-haired girl holds up his empty glass, biting back a smile when Lilly smacks her palm to her forehead, exasperated.

***********

You’re at an actual party this time when you interact with James Potter again.

Ravenclaw is hosting after a successful round of midterms has finished. You can finally shake the mid-semester stress away and enjoy yourselves for the few days break you receive from classes. It took longer than expected to enter the house’s commons. Sirius had reassured you all he knew the riddle to get inside, until he in fact, did not know the riddle, and you were all left coughing through a fit of charmed smoke. Until a a soft-spoken second year, no less, walked by and allowed the group of you in.

“Beautiful, you’ve just earned yourself a glass of firewhisky, love.” Sirius yelps when Remus smacks him upside the head, watching as the younger student slips past the rest of you, past the celebratory atmosphere and straight to the dorms. The common room has been charmed to prohibit any students younger than sixth years of entering, thank Merlin.

Those from their respective houses usually enter these parties together, so you’re unfortunately grouped in with the marauders. Including James, who avoids any and all eye contact with you. Both of you sporting deep scowls until you’re finally able to disperse. Most older Hufflepuffs are already there, and Slytherin is the last to enter. Waltzing in with bottles of alcohol they most definitely wont share, contrary to the generosity of the other houses. Who all usually trade bottles of their specialty drinks to one another.

“I’m gonna grab a drink, what do you guys want?” You shout over the music and boisterous laughter emanating from the room, admiring the bronze and blue decorum of the foreign commons. Theres a universal “surprise me” from your girlfriends, and you head off to the drink table with a curt nod. There’s an array of liquors and mixers on the table, and you survey the options before deciding on a simple handful of Hog’s Head brews.

“I don’t take a girl like you to be so keen of draft beer.” Noah Lyre, a stalky seventh year smiles wickedly beside you. Like most Slytherins, a hint of judgement in his tone. “Here, try some of this, my own concoction.”

“I’m alright, thanks.” You offer a tight-lipped smile, nose scrunching from the bitter smell emanating from the shiny black flask from even a foot away. He takes a step closer, to which you raise your brows.

“I insist, you’ve got to at least try it.” He moves the flask toward you once more. To which you stick your hand out, irritated with his wandering eyes and unwavering persistence.

“I said I’m good, thanks.” Is all you say before side-stepping his towering figure and heading back toward your friends. Passing out their respective drinks and taking a few gulps of yours, attempting to brush the creepy interaction off.

“Everything alright?” Marlene leans close so you can hear her, you offer a reassuring smile and a quick nod.

“I think this is the part where you ask Sirius to dance, considering he’s been eyeing you since we got here.” You tease, Lilly and Dorcas following your eyes across the room where the marauders are settled. Sharing a round of shots and shaking their heads to rid themselves of the bitter taste. Marlene steps forward at Dorcas’ shoving, shooting the three of you a half-assed glare before headed toward the boys. Amongst them, James hasn’t rid himself of that pitiful look. Wallowing beside his cheerful friends and taking large sips of the drink in hand.You meet his eyes for a split second, heads ripping away from one another’s direction as if the actions singed your skin.

“Dorcas, look.” Lilly nudges the shorter girl excitedly in the direction of a Hufflepuff on the other side of the room. “It’s that sweet girl from potions who asked me about you, go talk to her!” Dorcas looks terrified, vehemently shaking her head as Lilly grabs her forearm.

“Absolutely not, I’ll make a fool of myself.”

“You will not! C’mon, I’ll introduce you.” The red-head beams as she tugs her along. You ignore the burning glare you receive as you ignore her mouthed ‘help me’ as she’s whisked away.

*******

The atmosphere’s become increasingly chaotic as the night pushes on. You’ve shared a few shots with Marlene and some other acquaintances from your classes. Having just left a rambunctious game of truth or drink before hading into the hall. Not quite near the dormitories, afraid of disturbing any sleeping students, you simply seek a little more quiet. Just near the communal bathrooms, you’re stood admiring a painting of Rowena Ravenclaw. Watching as an eagle swoops by in the background.

“There you are, I’ve been looking all over for you.” You spin on your heel to see Noah, significantly drunker now as compared to his last appearance

“I think you’ve got the wrong person.” You cross your arms, taking a couple steps back as he stumbles toward you.

“No, I don’t think so.” He sneers, same lustful eyes raking over your form. You square your shoulders at an attempt to appear bigger than you are, heart racing at the oncoming severity of the situation. He reaches out to play with a strand of your hair and you fight a gag at the overwhelming smell of liquor leaking from his pores.

“My friends will be wondering where I am, see you around.” You force out, attempting to shuffle past him when he takes strong hold of your wrist. Grip so tight you lose your breath. He tugs you into his chest, sneering when you struggle in his grasp.

“Get the fuck off me.” You all but shout, panic shooting through your chest when he backs you into a wall.

“Where are you going, love? I just got here.”

“Let me go, I fucking mean it.” You stomp on his foot, crying out when he he pulls you forward and smacks you against the wall. The back of your head coming into contact with the painting. Distantly, you hear the enchanted eagle squeak in surprise.

Your cries for help are muffled when he wraps his hand around your throat, forcing the air from your lungs as your eyes go wide in terror.

“Just behave, sweetheart. This’ll be so much more enjoyable if you do.” Tears prick at your eyes not only from the inability to breathe but from his revolting words. Faintly, you hear the unclasping of a belt buckle as you writhe and kick with all your might. He’s much larger than you are, though, pressing the force of his entire body weight onto you to cease your fight. With his free hand, Noah enclasps both of your wrists together and forces them above your head and against the cold, hard stone. You feel his lips graze your jaw as bile rises in your throat, mentally preparing for whats to come next before he’s suddenly ripped off of you.

You collapse to the floor, clutching your throat and gasping for air. The room spins, and you shake your head to come to your senses. It’s dark in this hall, but it’s clear whoever has the Slytherin blonde in his grasp is severely beating the shit out of him. You stumble to your feet, wiping the blurred moisture from your eyes to gather yourself. It’s then you realize the identity of the assailant. Unmistaking the familiar head of dark curls and tall, brooding figure.

James. Fucking. Potter.

Potter, landing blow after blow, doesn’t stop his assault even as blood (and what looks like a couple teeth) spews from Noah’s mouth.

You try to speak, but your own voice fails you. Strained and cracking from the pressure it’s been under. You cough, trying again with your hands out in front of you.

“J-James!” Is all you manage, croaked and unfamiliar to your ears. It’s the first time you’ve ever voiced his first name aloud. This must stun him, too, because he pauses his assault to look over his shoulder at you. Noah groans underneath him, and the disheveled Gryffindor spits on the floor next to him in utter disgust. There’s a final blow to his head that makes you wince, and Noah’s out cold.

James stands, wobbling for just a moment before he straightens. Rolling his neck in a slow circle, strained with effort. You take in his sharp, handsome features, still in pure shock. He takes in your trembling form and immediately snaps his head away. You quirk a brow, confused when he shakes his jacket off his shoulders and holds it out to you. Only when you look down do you realize your blouse has been torn. Quickly taking the fabric and wrapping it around your shoulders with deep embarrassment and misplaced shame.

Silently, James uncuffs his sleeves and rolls them up toward his elbows. “I’m gonna kill him,” he grabs the unconscious boy by the collar and pulls his arm back to lay yet another punch before you stop him. Hands clasped around his veined forearm and pulling it down.

“You’ll be expelled!”

“Fuck’s that matter?”

“You’re not thinking straight, look at him. He’s out, he wont be getting up any time soon. It’s fine, it’s over”

“It’s not fine. Nothing about this is fine.” He’s hot with anger, running a hand through his tousled hair and grimacing at the pain that shoots through up his arm.

“Your hands.” You whisper, to which the boy surveys his own handiwork, covered in blood and cut up from his own rings. He shrugs, eyes narrowing as he notices the uncontrollable trembling of the appendages. You reach out to touch them, but he pulls away. Afraid of any further pain. You pull your hands to your chest, shocked at the red marks already forming all over your wrists.

“You alright?” He mutters, tone softer than you’ve ever heard before. It’s odd, the sudden quiet of it all. Only the muffled music from the common room to be heard in the background.

“Better off than him, I suppose.” You make a meek attempt at a joke, nudging the bloodied boy on the floor with your foot.

To your surprise, three Slytherin boys scurry into the hallway. Stopping short in their tracks with mouths open wide. James steps in front of you without a second thought, wiping the excess blood onto his trousers and nodding his head toward the unconscious kid in front of him.

“Get him out of my fucking sight.” The trio doesn’t speak, shuffling into action the instant he finishes the command. It’s a struggle for them to lift up the dead weight, but they move fast enough after James releases an exasperated sigh. Right as they exit, James’ friends and your own stop dead in their tacks, trying to process all they’ve just seen. In the other room, the music cuts short, you and James both pull a face in understanding. This’ll be the talk of the school for the next week.

“We should go. All of us.” Remus announces, the rest of you nod. Your friends are on you in an instant, tugging the jacket tighter around you and checking your body for further injury. You let them hover, knowing they must be in almost as much shock as you. It’s a wordless shuffle back to the dorms, the boys ensuring their bodies shield your own as you make your way through the halls. You separate when you reach the common room of Gryffindor, and James is the last pair of eyes you meet with before sulking into your respective dorms.

It’s only when you reach your bed do you allow yourself to be overcome with sobs. The weight of all thats happened collapsing in on you. All the girls can do is stroke your hair and whisper idle reassurances. When you finally relax a little, Marlene waves her wand over your head. Casting a peaceful sleep spell to get you through the night.

**********

Taking the steps up into the boy’s dormitory has your heart racing. The memories of last night never having left your mind. Despite the lingering, slight hangover you’re fighting, the only real evidence of the assault is the bruising on your neck and wrists, faded now that Lilly’s cast a charm on them. The deep, purple marks, and the whispers of fellow students. Unsurprisingly, word got out about what happened, and there’s been a lot of stares. After a concise meeting with McGonagall, Noah’s been expelled. You overhear in a hushed conversation between a few third-years that he’d walked out of his dorm with his belongings in hand, head hanging low to conceal the developing shiners on his face. A few slow, deep breathes, to ground yourself before knocking on the door.

It’s Sirius who answers, offering the same sympathetic gaze you’ve been receiving all morning.

“Hey, love.” He offers simply, studying your anxious form.

“Hi, I didn’t mean to bother you guys I just...” You fumble over words despite having rehearsed this scenario a million time in the past hour. “I just wanted to return this to James, he lent it to me last night. I also never got to thank him, so please extend my gratitude when you see him.” You extend your arms, offering him the fabric in hand. Expecting him to accept it and bid you farewell. Cringing when you think you sound too formal and, well, rehearsed.

“Nonsense, you can tell him yourself when he comes back. He was called to Dumbledore’s office but he should be back any minute.” He reads your sullen expression at the mention of potential discipline for an incident he didn’t have to get involved in, but he waves his hand dismissively.

“Dumbledore knows what happened, might revoke a few points form Gryffindor but Prongs won’t be punished. It was self defense, really.” The raven haired boy comes to realize rambling on about the traumatic events are most likely not what you need to hear right now, so he clears his throat and smiles once again. Sirius Black, of course, does the complete opposite of what you’d expect him to do. Stepping aside to welcome you in. “Come in, come in, Remus just started a pot of tea.”

“Oh, no, thank you. I didn’t mean to intrude I just meant to drop this off and-”

“Please, we insist. Besides, I’ve been meaning to talk to you.”

“You have?”

“Of course.” There’s a few beats of silence, and you accept the cup of tea Remus offers with a kind smile. Feeling utterly undeserving of such gestures due to your last interaction. Sirius, realizing he’s supposed to be leading the conversation, then continues...

“I simply need to get to know any girl who can make Prongs speechless. And you did, in the common room the other night.”

“About that, I just wanted to apologize. I think I gave off the wrong impression and-”

“You can’t be serious, we loved it!” Sirius interrupts passionately.

“It was a little harsh, sure.” Remus translates for his dear friend, as usual. Albeit true. James can come off a little...” He searches for the appropriate words, handing Sirius a steaming cup as he continues. “...Brooding, at times. But he means well. He has a good heart, just a little ‘do before you think or say’ kind of guy.”

“So I’ve noticed.” You joke, not unkind.

“See! That there. You’re quite witty, and fiery as well. James needs that in his life!” Your eyes widen at his presumption, Remus winces.

“What he means to say, is James is quite stubborn. And doesn’t always listen to us when we try to nudge him in the right direction.” The lanky boy recovers, not before shooting Sirius a look.

“And I do?” You laugh, amused at the absurdity of such a notion.

“Yes.” They chime in unison, Sirius delighted in the abashed heat that singes your skin. He grips the chair in front of you, and you suddenly feel very small in their kitchenette of their dorm.

“Prongs, James, is not silenced very often, if at all. He was mute for like, two whole days after your little argument in commons.”

“Right.” You mutter, shame heavy in your tone. “I see now it was a bit, bitchy of me.” The two are a little taken aback by your language, though you continue anyway. “I didn’t have all the details about the situation. I just felt I had to say something...My mom’s a muggle, and I don’t know. I got defensive at the notion that he was the type of person to see her as less because she isn’t a witch. I made an assumption, a wrong one at that, and I feel terrible about it. Especially after last night.” Keys clatter as you finish, and you’re stunned to see James at the doorway, having heard your entire spiel.

“Oh, hey” You mutter plainly, horribly embarrassed.

“Hello.” James swallows, fiddling with the worn wrap covering his hand. “Does it hurt much?”

“Sorry?”

“The bruising,” he motions to his neck in reference to yours, and you realize Lilly’s charms have completely worn off now. You caress the tender skin with a wince, smiling softly in reassurance to the concerned looks it earns. You take out your wand, aiming to perform the spell once again before James shakes his head. “Don’t. You shouldn’t have to hide what happened. He should live with the shame. Should have kept hitting the bastard.” He mutters the last part to himself, fist closing tightly and then releasing, jaw tensing as he recalls the conflict.

“I think he got the message, Prongs.” Remus mumbles idly. James only shakes his head, clearing his throat and once again fiddling with the wraps around his hand.

“You should probably change those. Here, let me help.” You get up from your seat, surprising even yourself as you approach the much taller boy. opening the discarded first aid kit strewn on the kitchen counter, they must have left it out in last night’s commotion.

“It’s fine, really. I’ve had worse.” James tries to pull away but you grab his arm and bring it toward you. Eyes full of such sincerity the boy finds his mouth has gone dry. He hadn’t noticed how bad the bruising was until now. Up this close, he can see the discoloration shaping out where Noah’s fingers were. It makes his stomach turn, flashes of the image forever ingrained in his mind. He can only imagine how it must be for you. And despite your strained relationship, James Potter comes to the conclusion that he’s been awfully concerned over your well-being the past 24 hours.

“Please, it’s the least I can do.” Silently, you unravel the fraying wrap from his hands.

“You know it’s against school policy, James. Laying your hands on another student. I should expel you.”

“Professor-”

“No matter, I understand the reason behind your actions. While I won’t tolerate any more violence on your behalf, I think you did what was...necessary.”

James only nods, eager to go back to his dorm hide under his duvet. It’s all been so overwhelming. The stares, the whispers, the shaky feeling he’s had all say. Knowing you must be experiencing it tenfold.

“Now, please Mr. Potter, straight to your dormitory. And try and look as though I’ve actually disciplined you.”

James snaps out of his thoughts when you flinch. In his daze, he’d reached out toward your neck. And although you’re certain he’d never harm you, you’ve been avoiding any physical touch since the incident.

“Sorry, so sorry.” He manages dumbly, avoiding the not so subtle gawking of his friends. They know the boy better than himself, and know when he’s smitten over someone. Fuck, had he really just thought that?

“It’s alright. I’m still a little jumpy I guess.” You say plainly, not quite gathering the weight of your words until you notice their collective reactions. You hate it, the pitiful gazes. Looking at you as if one wrong move could break you.

“Sirius, we have to go do that thing.” Remus grabs the former by his arm, pulling him past you and James and toward the door. Sirius, still staring at the pair of you, clutches onto any furniture that will halt his friends actions.

“No, there is nowhere we need to be, I’m perfectly fine right here!” He shouts in a panic, seemingly enamored with the two of you.

“It’s very urgent, the thing we need to do. See you both at dinner.” Remus hurries his farewell, tugging a pouting, squirming Sirius all the way.

“It was just getting good!” You hear from down the hall before James shuts the door with his foot.

“What’s gotten into them?”

“You should know they are almost always that insufferable.” James deadpans, though there’s a faint fondness in his tone. You know he loves them much more than he’d like to admit. It’s endearing. You've just referred to James Potter as endearing...What a bizarre 24 hours.

“I don’t think I’ve said thank you yet.” You laugh, despite the absurdity of it all.

“No need to thank me.” He only shakes his head, watching as you pour a small container of bewitched ointment onto a cotton ball. It smells strongly of herbs and peppermint, and the muscled, supposedly tough sixth year pulls his hand away before you can dab it onto his knuckles with a small grunt.

“C’mon, I haven’t even started.” It’s the first time in a while he’s seen you genuinely smile since everything happened. You like to tease James Potter, and he likes it too.

“Smells awful, I’ll get Remus to find a healing spell.”

“You need topical medicine, not a spell that will ware off.” You tug at his arm once again, both shocked at the force of it, so strong he has to take a step forward. Close enough to feel the warmth emanating from you. He’d probably be able to smell your hair too, if the horrid ointment was capped. He’s once again taken aback by his own longing thoughts. Just two days ago, Potter considered you an enemy.

He sucks his teeth when you begin to apply the medicine, doing your best to be gentle. You pause, waiting for his signal to continue.

“Didn’t tell me it was gonna sting.”

“Would you have let me put it on if I did?” You shoot him that incredulous look again, and James has to bow his head so he can manage to speak. You’re much too intense for him to bear, he thinks. And he then understands how much trouble these feelings will get him in.

“There is a need. To thank you, I mean.” Unable to control the shudder of your shoulders when he releases a deep, pained breath from your work. Hoping he hasn’t noticed.

“Y/n, I already said-”

“James,” There’s his name on your lips again. And it seems the two of you recognize its foreign nature once more. “If you hadn’t stepped in he could have-” You stop yourself, swallowing hard to fight the nausea. “You and I both know what could have happened. I didn’t...I haven’t taken that gesture lightly. Let me appreciate that.” You’re stern albeit no less kind as you begin to re-wrap his knuckles. Skin grazing his as you go. He’s silent, staring so reverently it takes your breath away. “Thank you.”

“Welcome.” He whispers, and you swear you see. For only a millisecond, James Potter’s eyes avert to your lips. And you think he might kiss you. And you think you might want him to. He pushes a strand of hair from your face, leaning even closer to you. You blink, slow with a reminder breathe, as you realized you hadn’t been the last few seconds. His hand trails down to your jaw, gently tilting your head up toward him. You let your lids closing, awaiting his lips on yours at any moment.

“We should put ice on it.”

“What?” Your eyes shoot open, and James has just most definitely fucked that up.

“Your neck. There could be swelling.” He attempts to caress the skin there, but you step back, ears burning hot with embarrassment. Why did you think he was gonna kiss you, why did you want him to?

“Oh, sure. Right.” You watch as he fumbles about to the fridge, grabbing an ice pack and wrapping it in a paper towel before outstretching his hand toward you. Internally cringing when you take et instead of allowing him to place it on you. Merlin, I’m an idiot.

“Dinner. We should go eat.” You collect yourself, moving toward the door when James nods hurriedly.

“Right, dinner. I’m starving, actually” He fumbles horribly, wincing at the crack in his voice. “I’ll meet you down there.” You nod, reaching for the door when he stops you.

“Y/n?” You halt instantly, turning on your heel in hopes you haven fucked up as royally as you assume. The chaser scratched the back of his neck with a pained smile. “Thank you for returning the jacket. And, uh.” He gestures with his hands in reference to the bandaging. All you manage is a tight-lipped smile. And he swears he sees a hint of moisture pricking at your eyes, mouth agape to say something, anything. But you’re out the door before he can even blink. Not hearing the flood of curses escaping his mouth after kicking the kitchen bin in a fit of anger, clutching the now throbbing foot and hopping around the room like the bumbling idiot he is.

***********

Dinner is weird. Really weird. Sirius insists you and your girlfriends sit with the marauders. Taking you by the shoulders and sitting you right beside a silent James. Marlene and Lilly were delighted, having always wanted to sit by the boys. Though with your not-so-secret disdain for Potter had always made meals a little weird before. You’d talk mostly to Dorcas, who was always eager for good conversation if it meant she could listen and not have to talk as much as you did. You understood her quiet nature more than the other girls, and often borrowed whatever book she’d be willing to lend you in leu of shared analysis.

But now, Dorcas was looking between you and James with a shit-eating smirk. Much like that of Remus beside her, who pretended to be more interested in the book in hand rather than the two in front of him. Pushing the food around on their plate idly, whatever bites taken were chewed slow and with deep thought.

“This is nice,” Sirius chimes cheekily. “All of us, eating together. I think we’ve found ourselves an established group. Don’t ya think, Prongs?”

“What?” The boy voices beside you, much too loud to be appropriate. You’re both still getting stares from some of your peers. Although most of the buzz of what’s happened having worn off, now you’re seen sitting right beside one another. Bandages and all.

A couple of Slytherin girls make their gossip particularly obvious across the room, one of them pointing at you as the rest giggle along. You sink impossibly closer into your seat.

“Ignore them.” James mutters, practically seething as he stares them down. “They have half a mind to start double checking the locks on their doors. Seeing as that’s the type of boys they have lingering about in their house.” He finishes dryly, doing a double take when he finally glances your way. Fists clenched in rage once more as you blink away tears.

“He’s gone now, for good.” Marlene reassures, flicking Sirius on the forehead when he does little to conceal his searching of your teary eyes.

“How’s it feel, the bruising. You think the ice helped any?” James asks for what is likely the tenth time since you’ve sat down. Gently knocking your arm away that tries to stop him from taking hold of your chin. Surveying the discolored skin with a deep frown.

“Probably in the same condition as it was ten minutes ago. And the ten minutes before that.” Black deadpans, yelping when Lily kicks his shin from under the table. Smiling sweetly when you and James jerk your heads toward the commotion.

“Let’s change topics, yeah? Remus, how’s that book you’re reading there.” The sandy-haired boy is mid bite when she asks, mortified all the attention has turned to him.

“Lovely,” is all he manages, swallowing thickly.

“I’m gonna head up to bed.” You announce, tossing your napkin onto your barely touched plate of food with a feigned smile. They all straighten, offering a chorus of soft- spoken ‘goodnights’ as you rise from your seat.

“I’ll come with you.” Lilly moves to get up, but you wave your hand.

“No need, I’ll manage. See you up there.” You gather your things before heading toward the large doors of the great hall. Pulling up the collar of your dress shirt as you feel a few pairs of eyes follow you.

James scrambles from the table without a word, hot on your heels as you both exit.

“Y/n, wait up. Y/n!” You cease your movements, so sudden James has to steady himself on your shoulders. You look around, glaring at a few fourth years as they gawk at you. Whispering all the way. You pul your shoulder back to leave his grasp, guilt overcoming you when a flash of hurt overcomes his features.

“People are watching, Potter.” You mutter, paranoid eyes darting around you. James stiffens, pained by your sudden formalities.

“So what? Let them say whatever they’re gonna say. We know what happened.” He crosses his arms, brows taught with tension.

“It’s not that easy for me.” You defend, fiddling with your collar once again.

“I told you to stop covering that,” James reaches out to adjust the fabric himself. Further irritated when you pull his hand away.

“They aren’t going to spin this on you, James. You don’t understand.”

“I don’t understand, I think I’m well aware of whats gonna happen. This is all gonna blow over, and this school will be better off without that piece of shit.”

“No!” You blench at your own volume, shaking your head before continuing. “You want to know what they’ll say Potter? That I asked for it.” James steps back, disgusted at the notion.

“Why on Earth would they say that?”

“Because that’s what some people say to make themselves feel safer, it’s easier to blame me than him.” You shrug, throat tightening at the realization.

“Where’s this coming from?”

“There was a note, in the girls lavatory. Dorcas tried to throw it away so I wouldn’t see but, I did.” James studies your face, awaiting you to continue with soft eyes. “Some Slytherins are saying I made it up, since Noah’s such a good Quidditch player, was gonna be captain next year.”

“Good at Quidditch player, he’s a beater thats hit three of his teammates because he can’t aim.” It forces a strained chuckle from you, and you only shake your head.

“Doesn’t matter James, they’re saying I got him expelled for Gryffindor’s team because we’re-” You stop yourself, somehow even more uncomfortable.

“We’re what?” He cocks his head when you motion between yourselves, sighing at his confusion.

“That we’re together, James.”

“Oh.” He scratches his nose, shuffling through the beats of awkward silence.

“Yeah.”

“Well it’s all bullshit, why are you letting it get to you?” You practically draw in on yourself at his words, fresh tears begging to escape your eyes at his unbeknownst cruelty.

“Right, it’s all bullshit. You’re right, I should just let it go. We can get back to our normal routines and everyone will see it isn’t true.” You attempt to turn away from him, but he grabs the fabric of your robes.

“I’m sorry,” he laughs despite himself. “Am I missing something here?”

You falter, opening your mouth to respond but not quite sure what to say. He looks genuinely distressed, and you make one last attempt at extending an opportunity. “I don’t know, are you?” He’s silent, searching your face for answers you can’t give him. Panicking at the though of losing contact despite all you’ve been through.

“Did you mean what you said about me. In the dorms.”

“James, I told you-”

“No, you didn’t. Do you really believe I think you’re less than me because you’re a half-blood? You really think that matters to me?”

“No, not anymore, anyway.” James smirks, stepping closer when your brows furrow in confusion at his sudden mood change.

“So I’m not as pompous as you thought I was?”

“You most definitely have a big ego, Potter.”

“That’s not what I asked.” He takes your jaw in his hold, eyebrows raised in teasing inquiry. You lick your lips, swallowing thickly and avoiding his eyes.

“What d’you think they’d all say if I kissed you, then?” You almost cough, choking on your own saliva at his words. The cheeky bastard just keeps smiling, basking in your flushed demeanor.

“Oh eat slugs, Pott-” Your interrupted with his lips on yours, lifting off of your heels to make it easier for him. James, insufferable as always, is grinning the entire time.

“Yes! He made the first move, Remus. You owe me two galleons-” Sirius is cut off by his own whimper. What must be the lot of your spying friends shoves him into the hallway so he’s the only one caught, in which he stands speechless under your glares.

“A sweet little first year lost her cat, you guys seen it by any chance? No matter, I’ll keep looking for it. Bloody kids always losing their pets.” And Sirius, the dope that he is, begins to make kissing noises in a meek attempt at recovery. Feigned grumbles of “here, kitty.” Echo down the hallways before you hear his fleeting footsteps.

You press your forehead into James’ chest, utterly embarrassed and admittedly exhausted. What a bizarre 24 hours

748 notes · View notes

thrawns-babygirl · 2 years

Note

would you be comfortable writing pegging for crosshair? if so, uh 😳 something femdom like in your collared fic

if not, feel free to ignore. have a wonderful day!

Hey so uh I'm really sorry that this took so long. I have had a lot going on irl atm and tried my hardest to get this out for you within a reasonable timeframe.

Crosshair calls reader sir in this and i consider that entirely gender neutral because like, the clones call Ahsoka sir in the show so im still considering this femdom but its still relatively gender neutral despite the fact that it's afab reader.

Rating: E (18+) Warnings: Pegging, sub!cross, pet names, cross calls reader 'sir' Word Count: 2000+

Masterlist

(I apologies in advance for the quality of this one I have never pegged anyone irl or written pegging before so like..... sorry lmao)

There was a single word in the entirety of Galactic Standard Basic for what Crosshair was being today.

A fucking menace.

He has been snarky, rude, mean, downright unbearable all day. He turned the scathing remarks up to eleven, he was being entirely insufferable. The rest of his squad had absolutely zero idea what came over him so when you turn around in medbay to see the entirety of Clone Force 99 standing there sans Crosshair you knew they were there with a single request.

Control your man.

You let out a sigh as Hunter explains he’s at the shooting range at the moment, blowing off some steam with direct orders not to return to the barracks unless he’s lost his maker forsaken attitude and to probably expect him in your quarters after you finish your shift.

While you and Crosshair had never exactly made an announcement or made anything official, the rest of the Batch weren’t oblivious to the fact the two of you had a relationship of sorts. Him disappearing all night and coming back to the barracks the next day with marks and bites on his neck that mirrored yours was a pretty big hint. They all agreed not to push him about it, he would talk about it in his own time, and they had never brought it up to you. Until now that is.

“I don’t know what you expect me to do about his behaviour, you know as well as I do that when he’s in one of his moods only he can get himself out of it” you sign off a report, marking a group of cadets as medically fit for battle before turning to face the men in front of you.

“Nah you mellow him out big time” Wrecker states as if it was the most obvious thing in the galaxy. You simply raise an eyebrow at the large man before turning to the others. They simply nod in agreement before Hunter speaks up again; “Look we don’t care what’s going on but he’s being an absolutely insufferable di’kut today, and I know it’s not your job to settle him down, but if you could, I don’t know, do something to help calm him down before he comes back to the barracks we would appreciate it” he’s rubbing his temples. Damn, maybe he has been worse than usual.

“He means sex!” Wrecker belts out. Earning a chiding “Don’t be so crass Wrecker” from Tech before he also looks at you “he is correct though” he adjusts his goggles, somewhat uncomfortable with the topic of conversation. You sign off on the rest of your reports before logging off your terminal for the day before gathering your things, looking up at the batch you let out a sigh, “I’ll do what I can but I have no promises that I’ll be able to do anything about him” you power down your terminal and move towards the door to your office, Hunter opening it and ushering his brothers through before throwing a thankful look in your direction and following his squad back towards their barracks.

Its two hours later that there is an alert at your door signalling that you have a visitor. You make your way over to the entrance to your modest quarters, lights turned low, clad in only a thin robe as your door slides open revealing Crosshair, still in his armour, 773 Firepuncher resting against his hip as he taps his foot impatiently against the floor before barging past you into your room.

“Well hello to you too Crosshair” you close the door and turn to face him, watching as he leans his precious rifle against the wall of your room and begins shedding his armour, dropping the hard plastoid haphazardly to the ground before he’s standing before you in just his blacks. “Single braincell sharing di’kuts locked me out of the barracks” he huffs before removing his boots and laying back on your bed.

You chuckle at that, if there was one thing Crosshair could do, it was be very creative with insults. Usually however they were being thrown at the regs, not his own squad. “Well from what I’ve heard you’ve been a little abrasive today Cross” you smile at him, sitting down on the bed next to his stretched-out form, running a hand along his clothed thigh as he relaxes against your pillows, arms folded behind his head as his eyes track the movement of your hand against him. He just huffs, not bothering to deny it.

“Wanna talk about it?” you move fully onto the bed now, kneeling between his legs as your hands continue to soothe circles into the tense muscles.

“No.” he deadpans, eyes tracking the movement of your hands working their way up his calves to his thighs.

“Do you think your brothers deserve to be on the receiving end of your shitty attitude?” you side eye him. You do hate nagging him, but sometimes it does take a gentle nudge for your grump kinda-boyfriend to get the hint.

“No Sir” its almost a whisper, and your eyes widen slightly. Oh, so this is how he wants it to got tonight? Sir is only ever used in one context when it comes to you and Crosshair, usually its Doc or whatever name he chooses from a plethora of pet names he has for you.

Sir only means one thing.

You smirk down at him as he avoids eye contact with you. Crosshair is an experienced man, you knew this when you first started whatever this thing is that the two of you have going on, however he still sometimes has trouble giving up control without feeling well… embarrassed for lack of a better term.

You continue running your hands up his thighs, towards the growing tent in his undersuit, purposely avoiding it and moving your fingers into the waistband of his blacks, peeling the tight fabric from his body. “Blacks off, then hands by your sides. You don’t touch me or yourself unless instructed, understood?” ordering clones around comes rather naturally to you, considering the number of soldiers that seem to dislike medical exams more than separatists, you’ve developed a ‘no nonsense’ tone over your time working on Kamino that also happens to work very well in situations like these.

You move over to your bedside table, retrieving all the necessities, before turning back towards Crosshair who is now naked, hands by his sides and staring up at the ceiling just as you ordered. “Hm, looks like you can follow orders” you sneer at him, and you don’t miss the shudder that wracks his body as he finally makes eye contact with you. You pop open the bottle of lube, coating your fingers with a generous amount before tossing the closed bottle onto the bed. His cock is throbbing, beads of precum shining in the low light before rolling off the tip of his length and leaking onto his toned abs.

“Wider” is all you say, all you need to say as Crosshair opens his legs, allowing you access to his puckered hole. You run a single finger around the rim before slowly breaching him, pushing it inside ever so slowly. You watch his face for any signs of discomfort but his parted lips, rapid breathing and throbbing cock indicate anything but. You add a second finger, slowly scissoring his entrance open, trying to find that perfect spot that will have him coming apart at the seams.

He's writhing and moaning, fists still clenched obediently at his sides as he screws his eyes shut. You’re hitting that perfect spot inside of him over and over again but he knows he can’t cum yet, the two of you have done this enough that he knows he needs your permission to cum.

You run your free hand along his body, avoiding his weeping length, the pads of your fingers glide along his tensing abs as your didgets continue working him open. Once you’re satisfied that he is adequately prepared, you remove your fingers, earning a low groan from the man beneath you as you wipe them on the sheets next to you. “What do you want tonight? You’ve been such a good boy, no touching or talking out of turn. I’ll reward you by letting you decide what you get” you give him a sweet smile as he pants atop your sheets, sweat clinging to his body as he looks over at you with blown pupils.

“I… I want your cock…” you frown down at him, trying to look as disappointed as possible as if the sight of Crosshair looking entirely debauched beneath you wasn’t slowly eroding your dominant façade. “Now here I was about to reward you for being a good boy… that’s no way to ask for what you want” you stand up off the bed, moving to tie the robe tighter around you as you hear him whimper out a soft apology. “Sorry, Sir, please let me have your cock Sir” he looks like he’s about to move his arms to reach out for you before he steadies himself, keeping them firmly balled in the sheets of you bed by his sides.

You smile, he really was getting the hang of it. Removing the thin robe around your body and retrieving the leather harness from where it was placed on your bedside table, you slide it up your legs before securing it tightly around your body. The entire time Crosshair’s gaze is transfixed, as if he’s enthralled by the sight of you. You smile down at him again, face softening slightly as you take in his form. He’s absolutely ruined and you haven’t even gotten to the main course yet. Eyes blown wide, cock flushed and leaking, chest rising and falling with rapid ragged breaths.

“Hands and knees pretty boy” you order and him and he obeys immediately, shifting into position with a strangled “yes sir”.

You kneel behind him on the bed, resting the faux cock against his prepared entrance, teasing him before breaching him with the thick head of the strap. His eyes flutter shut, fists clenching and unclenching as he lets out a loud moan. You take a handful of his ass as you slowly feed the thick toy into him as he writhes and groans beneath you, head shoved into the pillow muffling his sounds as the stretch of the toy overwhelms him.

After what feels like an eternity, you’re fully sheathed inside of him, stretching him out before setting a brutal pace. “Does this feel good baby? Is this exactly what you needed to take your mind off things?” you’re panting now from thrusting in and out of him, hips pounding into his as you repeatedly hit that spot inside of him that has him whining and moaning your name. “Y-yes Sir kriff- Thank you sir” his voice has been reduced to a course whisper as he nears his peak at an alarming speed, his neglected cock leaking a steady stream of precum onto the sheets beneath him as he fists the sheets.

“Sir can I cum… Kriff sir please” his voice cracks on the last word. Usually you would make him work harder for it, beg more, but he seems to already be holding himself back and you can’t bring yourself to torture him anymore, especially since he’s been so good tonight. “Let go baby” your words send him over the edge, ecstasy washing over him as he lets out a string of ‘thank you’s before you pull out and he collapses onto the bed beneath him.

You rid yourself of the toy before turning on the shower. You walk over to the bed and hoist Crosshair up, carrying most of his weight on your shoulder as you lead him towards the running water.

“feeling better?” your voice is soft, its teasing edge from before nowhere to be found. The soft smile he gives you is proof enough that whatever mood he was in before has passed and you feel your chest swell with pride knowing that Wrecker was right, you do mellow him out. You watch him stand on unsteady legs under the warm water before leaving to change the sheets.

Despite being locked out of the barracks you always knew he was going to be staying in your room tonight.

@where-is-my-mind-tho @starborncyare @antishadow2021 @healingskywalker @crosshairlovebot

Let me know if you want to be added to my taglist for future Crossmut

#bad batch crosshair #tbb crosshair #crosshair smut #crosshair x reader #crosshair x reader smut #crosshair x you #tbb crosshair smut #bad batch crosshair smut #bad batch x reader #bad batch x reader smut #the bad batch crosshair #crosshair #tbb smut #bad batch smut #the bad batch smut #tbb x reader

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poetry-protest-pornography · 1 year

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Okay so

I can't stop thinking about this part:

Obviously, Boston is being insufferably cocky, but, when paired with this:

I have some thoughts about what happened in that photo booth.

So far, we've seen that Boston is exclusively a top (I really hate the terminology/strict adherence to roles,etc, but needs must. apologies in advance) and Top is definitely playing that energy up with Mew, but this is heavily implying that Top at least switches and maybe has a preference for bottoming, and Boston is offering him something neither of them think Mew can give him-- something he knows he's good at. Boston is saying "I've seen all of you in ways Mew hasn't, and I can do it again".

Whether Boston topped in the booth, or he learned that Top likes to get fucked later, it sure seems like it's being offered.

And when it's offered, Top looks so vulnerable for a second.

And when Boston says he can't forget about the time they hooked up? Look at Top's face? That little smile at being found worthy of remembering? Devastating.

Further Top is a bottom clues:

Mew giving Top just the tip of the cookie, and making him chase him for the pleasure, while looking smug as fuck about it, before eating the rest of the cookie

Look how pleased Top is:

And then Mew immediately tells him no more kisses allowed, that was it, to reward him for the table, and Top happy rolls with it.

(they're both all playing separate games with each other, but that's a whole different post)

I know in the car, Boston is very happily bouncing on Top, so clearly there's one person Boston is vers for, but I do wonder what the math was there for Boston to go from seeming to offer one thing (topping Top), to Boston getting what he's after (being proven desirable by this specific person). It's a weird power play at play, and I'm fascinated.

These bitches are so toxic, and my brain is fully consumed.

#only friends the series #only friends

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literary-illuminati · 1 year

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Book Review 52 – The Gods Are Bastards Volume Three by D. D. Webb

Okay this is properly a review for Books 8, 9, and 10 of the gargantuan serial – which I’ll freely admit I read more than a month ago in one week-long fugue along with all the books before them and the next few after. Which is to say I really shouldn’t have waited this long to write this review, and my apologies for all the vagueness and inaccuracies that are going to result. Which is a pity, because this is the best volume of the serial I’ve read and it isn’t even particularly close.

The serial continues the story of a Dungeons & Dragons-esque generic fantasy world advanced a couple hundred years and in the throes of a magical industrial revolution. The story theoretically stars the now-sophomore class of almost comically privileged and powerful students at what’s basically Adventurer University, but compared to the previous volumes they get barely any screentime in this one. Instead you get the Bishop of the god of thieves, the Archpope of the Universal Church, their respective pet openly-plotting-and-near-mutinous adventuring parties, political intrigue in the goddess of war, and a huntsman we’ve never met before learning the secrets of creation and also that his god was always just kind of a dick. It’s great! Also, to reiterate, the students get barely any screentime!

Really I kind of get the sense that I’m a deeply atypical fantasy reader, in that I find 90% of both involved romance plots and drawn out action scenes deeply tedious and basically the price you pay to get at the good parts of the story. In this case the good part is incredibly byzantine and too-complicated-by-half political shadowboxing carried out by proxies only barely kept on their masters’ leashes. Also several thousand words of pure exposition about the deep lore of the setting delivered by a malfunctioning AI.

Because yes, the big massive reveal of the volume is that the elder gods who were overthrown millennia before the story began had actually pulled a Lord of Light. The world runs on generic fantasy tropes because it was created by powermad demiurges who were also specifically insufferable 20th/21st century earth fantasy nerds. The different types of magic were just the results of them folding and rewriting physics, the fact that mortals can only access four is down to the vast majority getting wrecked when their creators died in the Titanomachy. Gnomes are an apparently successful attempt to perfect humanoid life.

This is, first and foremost, an absolutely hilarious bit of worldbuilding. Like, I actually burst out laughing. Knowing that orcs existed because the elder gods were big Tolkein and Warcraft fans may have permanently damaged my ability to take the setting seriously on its on terms but like, honestly? Probably worth it. Also just an excellent excuse for any shotcuts of contradictions in the worldbuilding and for all the kind of lazy fantasy worldbuilding tropes.

While it hasn’t happened yet, I hold out some hope that the increased pivot to the divine and Deep Lore means the serial will start to live up to its title and foreground the gods and their bastardry more – as I’ve said before, a narrative where the literal lords of creation are present but only because they just show up sometimes to descend to earth and make the protagonists lives easier is just boring. Which is why Archpope Justinian, the scheming mastermind who wants to overthrow heaven and earth and works exclusively through needlessly convoluted schemes that don’t stop a single person from knowing he’s to blame. I’m sorry but ‘somehow brainwashed the gods into making him their high priest so he can use the resources of their church as his personal power base’ is such a great bit. Also he’s opposed by literally every major POV so of course I need to root for him. (Honorary mention to Basra Syrinx, who is literally just The Worst in an incredibly entertaining way)

#book review #web serial #sff #the gods are bastards #d. d. webb

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mirkwoodshewolf · 3 months

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No following; Planet of the apes fanfic Chap. 10

*Author's note*

Carver really proves himself to be an ass in this chapter so I apologize in advance if I've made him twice insufferable than he was in the movie. But it'll balance out because now Lin and Caesar will have themselves a private little moment together which I think is bittersweet.

Warnings: mentions of suicide, swearing, Carver being a dumbass, gun violence, wolf attacks.

Taglist:

@plethora-of-things

@waddles03

@jd-johndeacon-or-jackdaniels

@gay-and-ready-to-cry

@psychosupernatural

@queen-paladin

__________________________________________________

I led the apes back to where I had left Malcolm and the others and I could hear one of the engines trying to start up but then voices telling the driver to stop. Of course Carver would try to bail out at the sight of all these apes. But as I walked down the hill I had left them at, I came up to Carver’s window and saw to no surprise a pistol in his hand.

“Put the damn gun away Carver, you’re already not popular with them do you want them to have a reason to hate you even more?”

“Shut up you bitch!”

“Wow, what are we in kindergarten now?”

“What did he say Lin?” asked Malcolm from the back seat behind Carver. I turned to him.

“You need to give them your guns. Every single one of them.”

“You can’t be serious.” Carver sneered as he aimed his pistol higher at the apes along the trees close by.

“It’s either that or no deal. You wanna lose the dam or do you want power back on in the city? Cause I would love to tell Dreyfus and the rest of the colony that we had a shot but you chose to fuck it up. Now that’s a bonfire I would love to see.” I quirked my brow at him at my last remark.

“So we give them our guns and he’ll let us work?” asked Malcolm to confirm.

“Yes. But if anyone leaves even one gun hidden, the deal’s off.” Malcolm nodded and got out of the truck, followed by Ellie, Alexander and eventually Carver.

After surrendering all the guns, Malcolm walked over to Caesar and said.

“Thank you. We’ll need a place to set up our camp. Then by morning we’ll get started on our work.” Caesar gave them a nod then said to Malcolm.

“Follow.” He urged his horse upward followed by a few apes trailing behind him while the rest of them headed back home. We grabbed all our camping gear and supplies and followed behind Caesar. After about 10 minutes of walking, we finally arrived at a stable clearing with enough room to set up all our tents.

“This is good, yeah this’ll do. Thank you.” Caesar nodded then as the rest of us began to set up camp, Malcolm introduced himself to Caesar. After he said his name a couple of times, Caesar then gave Malcolm his name and then rode off with the rest of the apes joining him.

We got our tents and equipment all set up by the time darkness settled over the forests. I had just finished my bowl of stew and was sitting right next to Alexander who was currently drawing in his sketchbook. I lightly peered over his shoulder and said to him.

“Propaganda.” He was currently drawing the day Caesar told us to go, but the way he had Caesar drawn was like those old propaganda political war cartoon drawings during WW2. He slightly jumped as he held his sketchbook closer. “If you’re gonna draw a chimpanzee, you gotta get the features correct, their actually not that different than a human’s face. Just slight more muscle and different structures of the face. Otherwise your art is nothing but propaganda, and I know you can draw better than that.”

“Were you an artist before the virus outbreak or something?” he asked me.

“A type of artist. Now I was nowhere near as skilled of an artist as you, but I did draw every now and then. Got really into drawing wild animals as a kid.” We soon heard a wolf’s howl echoing through the woods. “And that’s Toboe.”

“How can you be sure?” asked Kemp.

“He may be young but that pup’s got the lungs of a cheetah. When he howls, it’s like a long siren blaring out. That’s why I named him Toboe. It means ‘Howling’ in Japanese.”

“You also know Japanese?” asked Alexander.

“Had me a bit of an anime phase as a teenager.” I merely shrugged.

“You know the scary thing about them?” Foster soon spoke up. “They don’t need power, lights. Heat, nothing. That’s their advantage, that’s what makes them stronger. Both for your wolves and those apes.”

“Well way to kill the mood there, Foster.” I stated exasperatedly. “And they’re not my wolves, Jesus Christ how many times do I gotta say it?”

“Malcolm, I’m thinking one of us should stand guard tonight.” Suggested Kemp but Foster pointed out.

“With what? They took our guns.”

“Believe me if they wanted us dead, they would’ve done away with us a long time ago.” I told them.

“Maybe they’re just taking their time.” Carver said gravely. I gave an exaggerated eyeroll as I shook my head. “They already killed off half the planet already.”

“Come on.” Ellie spoke up.

“What?” asked Carver.

“You can’t honestly blame the apes.”

“Who the hell else am I going to blame? It was the Simian Flu.”

“It was a virus created by scientists in a lab. The chimps they were testing on didn’t really have a say in the matter.”

“Spare me the hippie-dippie bullshit. You’re telling me you don’t get sick to your stomach at the sight of them? Huh?” God Carver must’ve been a real blast pre-outbreak if this is his way of thinking. Better hope he never had children cause if he did….god he’s no better than Hunsiker was. But what Carver would say next would really cross the line, “Didn’t you have a little girl?”

“Carver that’s enough.” Malcolm warned him.

“How’d she die?”

“That’s enough!” Malcolm yelled.

“Or your wife for that matter?” challenged Carver as he now diverted his attention to Malcolm.

“Carver you better shut up before I kick your ass.” Foster threatened.

“Get in line there Foster.” I backed him up as I glared at Carver across the fire.

“Okay, I’m the asshole.” He said putting his baseball cap on top of his head.

“No, you’re a douchebag.” I said.

“And what of you? You’re just an outsider with no family. What makes you so special to be on your own?”

“You’re gonna have to come up with a better comeback Carver, cause I’ve been asking myself the same damn question for the past ten years.” I sneered before standing up and walked away from the camp.

“Lin!” Malcolm called out to me but I refused to listen. I came to another clearing about 30 paces away from the camp but I could still see the glimmer of the campfire and I looked up at the stars.

Yeah, why was I the only one to survive? Why me? Why just me? Mom and dad, grandpa, Caroline, Will…..why did they all have to leave me? I heard the rustle of bushes once again and I let out a soft gasp.

“Who’s there?” the bushes rustled again and slowly coming out was the large orangutan.

‘Lin?’ he signed to me.

‘Yes. What’s your name?’

‘It has been a long time, nightingale.’ My eyes briefly widened. Only two apes have ever referred to me as Nightingale. Caesar and….

“Maurice?” Maurice gave me a soft nod as he cooed lovingly. “Hehe…it sure has. I haven’t been called nightingale in years.”

‘You no longer play music?’

“Sadly no. I—lost the music in me a long, long, long time ago. Even before the world went to hell.” Maurice gave a solemn tilt of his head as he grumbled softly. “But now’s not the time to reminisce, is there a problem?”

‘No problem. Caesar asked me to bring you to him. Just you.’ I turned back towards the camp and narrowed my eyes. I could do with a break from those guys, especially Carver. I turned back to Maurice and signed.

‘Lead on.’ He then walked ahead and I followed close behind him. I was taken back to the heart of the Ape’s family home and taken up the large structure where I walked up the spiral staircase made of wood until I reached the very top of the structure’s peak. Maurice turned outward and sitting at the edge on top of a large boulder that looked over the entire Ape colony was Caesar.

‘Caesar.’ Maurice grunted out with a sign of his name. Caesar turned and the moment he saw me, he signed his thanks to Maurice and he took his leave, leaving Caesar and I alone.

I stayed in my spot waiting for Caesar to give me permission to come to him. He then gestured to me to come sit beside him and I walked over to him and sat down beside him. Even though it looked like the old days of the two of sitting side by side, it didn’t feel quite the same.

We were both different people than who we were in our youth, he was a strong, confident, and wise leader and I—I’m just a woman with a lot of shit and blood on her hands.

“What did you need to see me for?”

“Talk.” Caesar spoke after a moment of silence.

“Talk?” I parroted. He gave me a nod as he turned to face me. “Okay, what do you want to talk about?” I asked. He reached out and brushed a strand of my hair out of my face.

“New….hair.” I quirked up a smile. I brushed through my undercut bob hairstyle I’ve adapted.

“Yeah. Being in an apocalyptic world where humans are always trying to destroy each other, long hair just don’t cut it these days. No pun intended.” I softly scoffed. “It isn’t too much, is it?”

‘No. It’s fine. Suits you.’ I smiled softly again. ‘Do Will and the others still live?’ he signed. At the mention of them, my heart sunk and my throat went dry.

“They’re…..dead Caesar. All of them.” Caesar’s eyes softly narrowed but I could see the shock that was written on his face as I told him. “Grandpa died weeks after you were taken to the shelter. Alzheimer’s finally taking him away from us. Then after you all escaped deep into the Redwoods, that’s when the epidemic struck. San Fransisco became ground zero to an outbreak that even outrivaled the Black Plaque. Caroline died within a year. It was just Will and I. After her death, we were forced to be separated and monitored incase either one of us contracted the virus. Let’s just say I now understand what you and the other apes felt being caged up. Constantly being monitored, tested and observed 24/7. But you wanna know the worst part of it all, I wasn’t informed straight away of my uncle’s death. My only living relative left and they tell me he died two months after he had passed away from the virus.”

Rage boiled in my body as I clenched my hands into the earth, my arm trembling with anger.

“After a full year of being monitored and being declared ‘genetically immune’, I was tossed out into the streets. Alone. They just….sent me on my way and didn’t care what happened to me afterwards.” I let out a deep and heavy sigh. “I watched—my entire world burn to the ground. I saw—ugly, terrible things Caesar. Things you’d only see in movies or read about in books. I was just—drifting. And there were times when I…..” I sniffled and wiped across my nose and tried to hold back the tears, “I felt like ending it all.”

‘Why?’ Caesar signed urgently with a small grunt.

“I lost everything Caesar. I had no one left, and seeing how humanity was tearing itself apart I just felt like it was only a matter of time. Whether further down the line I would be taken by the virus, or taken out by human hands. It changed me and not for the better. I’m not the same girl I once was before and I hated myself so much for what this world turned me into.”

‘Do you still wish to die?’ he asked me. I looked up at the night sky to see all the stars and the half moon lighting up the sky.

“Sometimes. There are some days where I do still think about taking my own life. But there’s always something that stops me from doing that.” I turned towards him, “The hope that you were somehow alive. There would be some nights when I’d tell myself, ‘Lin. If you go through with this, you better realize that this is a permanent outcome. There’s no going back from suicide. And if you go through with this, you may never get to see Caesar’s face one last time.’”

I went to reach out and touch his face but I relented and set my hand back down into my lap.

“But look at you. I mean seriously look at you and your people Caesar, you’re thriving. In numbers that I had only dreamed of. Did you ever settle down? Start a family of your own?”

‘I have a beautiful wife, and two sons.’ He signed to me, a small but proud smile on his face and a loving look in his eyes.

“I’m happy for you Caesar. Truly I am. That’s all we ever wanted of you. Even uncle Will hoped that you were happy, that you’d might settle down, have a few kids. He’d be proud of you, just like I am.” We looked into each other’s eyes and smiled at each other.

A rumble of thunder soon boomed in the distance. I stood up and said to him.

“I should go before the storm arrives. It was great talking to you again Caesar.” As I went to leave, Caesar then spoke out my name.

“Lin,” I turned back to him. “Never….forgot. About you. Thought of you, some nights. And remembered….your music.” I wiped my nose again and let out a soft sniffle once again.

“Nice to know the feeling was mutual. Goodnight Caesar.” I then left the ape’s nest and Maurice guided me back to camp.

After I bid him a goodnight (and he the same), I walked back to camp to see that most of everyone had gone to bed all except for Malcolm. He was still sitting in the same spot by the fire when I had left, he looked up at me and said.

“Where’d you go?”

“Just for a walk. You know how much Carver pisses me off. You didn’t have to wait up on me.”

“I told you earlier Lin, you’re part of the colony. We look out for one another, and I won’t sleep or start anything until I know everyone on my team is present and accounted for.”

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’d make a damn good Colonel.” I headed back into my tent and got into my sleeping bag before popping in a few more of the sleeping pills I had managed to pack away in my pocket and fell asleep.

The next morning I woke up to the sight of 30 or so apes all waiting outside our campsite. Some standing in front of our tents, other sitting near our dowsed campfire and the rest surrounding the hillside.

Well time to go to work. I got dressed and walked out of my tent and saw Maurice standing outside of Alexander’s tent. I stretched myself out and signed to Maurice.

‘Good morning.’ Maurice gave me a nod before saying.

‘We found the wolves that were with you by our home. Caesar does not want them near the ape home.’ He signed to me. So they were close by, so that’s one good thing to know they’re not causing too much trouble.

‘I understand. They’re still wild animals but I’ll try to make it clear for them to understand to not wonder too close to the ape home.’ Maurice gave me a nod as I walked up towards Alexander’s tent. I entered inside and gently shook the young teen’s shoulder. “Alex? Alex, get up.” he groaned and opened his eyes. “We’ve got a lot to get done today.”

When he took notice of Maurice staring at him from behind me, I saw him slightly tense but I told him.

“Relax, he won’t hurt you. But I think he’s taken an interest in your book.” He looked down at his graphic novel before looking at Maurice who let out a low grunt as his eyes were fixated on the book. “Now come on, get up and ready. I’ll wake the others.” I left his tent and went to wake up the rest of the team.

I saved Carver for last as I took my canteen filled with water and dumped it all over his face. He jumped up from the cold shock of my water and I just left without another word before he could register just who it was that did it.

“Rise and shine ladies! Time to get to work!” I proclaimed as they each crawled out of their tents tiredly.

“How do you have this much energy for so early in the morning?” asked Kemp.

“I don’t. I was trained to wake up this early, and in this world the early bird catches the worm. Or in our case, the early workers get the dam up and running. Now let’s get going they’re not going to wait up on us.” That’s when everyone finally took notice of all the apes surrounding our camp.

Of course Carver jumped out of his skin but a smack from Foster calmed him down.

“Don’t we get to have breakfast first?” asked Kemp.

“We can eat after we’ve worked. Now let’s gather what we need and get to work.” I said as I gathered up all my supplies.

“Who died and made you the leader of this mission?” Carver accused.

“She’s right Carver. We’ve only got three days to get this dam up and running. It’s best we get to work now. We can manage without breakfast for today.” Malcolm backed me up as he and Ellie left to grab their own supplies. Once everyone had something to carry, the apes lead us back towards the dam.

I went with the guys into the dam to set up the explosives to clear off any blockage that would prevent more water from traveling through the dam’s system in order to get us the power we needed.

Carver now took over as leader since he knew all the ins and outs of how the dam worked from within. He led us down a stairway that led to the tunnels of the dam. Foster and I held our flashlights towards a circular door and Carver told Malcolm to turn the handle to the left three times to get it opened.

It took some grunt work since the door hadn’t been handled in over a decade but Malcolm finally got it opened. It was a tight fit but we could all manage to get through one at a time. Carver went first followed by Malcolm, me, Kemp and then Foster. We could all hear the water rushing from above and as we looked up, we saw a bunch of roots blocking the water from truly flowing.

“We gotta clear this blockage, Foster start setting up the explosives, Kemp get the wire train ready to go.” Malcolm said.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, hang on, you’re not actually thinking of setting off the explosives with us inside, are you?” I asked.

“We don’t have much choice Lin. Help Foster set up the explosives along the wall. Carver and I will try to clear a way to get through the rest of the tunnel.”

“C’mon Lin, you’re a better climber than me.” Foster said placing his hand on my shoulder. I walked with him back through the hole and helped him set up the explosives. We both had them up along the walls and roots above us.

Then we turned and helped Kemp connect all the wires to the main trigger while he got the fishing lure and handed it to Malcolm.

“Alright, we got as far down as we can, keep the line as straight as possible.” Malcolm told us we nodded and we then began to move further down the closing tunnel giving the line as much slack while making sure to not let anything happen to the wire.

One wrong move and we either cut the wire from the source, or risk setting the bombs too early and we all go BOOM! Carver army crawled both him and Malcolm (the both of them laying on what looked like an old wheeled square cart), they dragged the line as far as they could go.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, that’s all the wire we got.” Malcolm told Carver as he immediately stopped. “Brace yourselves.” He gave us one final warning, “Three, two, one.” Malcolm then pressed the trigger button and a muffled explosion was heard from behind the door.

But as the tunnel shook and dust sprinkled from above, I looked up and exclaimed.

“INCOMING!!” large pieces of rubble and debris from the dam soon fell on top of us, cutting us off from one another.

I felt myself being pinned by some rubble that was on my back. My face was barely above the water as I spat some of it out. My chest tightened as the panic was starting to set in. No matter what I tried to do, I was forced back into the water by the shifting weight of the debris that was on my back.

Oh god no not this again! This was just like back in the quarantine cell. The walls felt like they were closing in around me, tighter and tighter and it didn’t help that I couldn’t move and all I could see was darkness.

“Hey….HEY! HELP! MALCOLM! ELLIE!”

“LIN!? LIN WHERE ARE YOU!?” I heard Malcolm’s voice cry out.

“I’m pinned! I….I CAN’T MOVE! I’M TRAPPED!!” I cried out in a panic as I continued to spit out the water.

“HANG ON LIN! WE’LL GET YOU OUT! JUST STAY CALM!” Malcolm cried out again.

“Okay, JUST HURRY!! Please…..” I whimpered the last part. I tried to lift my head above the water but it kept flowing higher and higher.

Oh god, oh my god oh my god oh my god! This—this isn’t how I want to die. Weak and afraid, I can’t die like this, not down here! Oh God and Jesus Christ above if you have any ounce of mercy please don’t let me die down here!

I heard rubble being moved around and I saw a small beam of light coming through the cracks of the rubble. As more of the rubble and debris blocking my view was cleared away, I saw through the large hole that was now my sanctuary a few of the apes including Maurice and Caesar.

I wanted to speak but my throat was clenched in pure panic as I looked at the apes wide-eyed pleading for help. I saw through my blurred, panicked vision as Caesar gave the command and I saw as Maurice, Luca and another chimp proceeded to dig me out. I felt Caesar take my hand and with the other, he kept my head above the water and had me focus on him.

Bit by bit I felt the weight of the rubble being lifted off my back. Then once my feet were free, Caesar took my other arm and gently pulled me out of the tunnel. I was then brought onto his back as he carried me out of the dam and the second I felt the fresh air on my face, I let out a loud gasp and rolled off Caesar’s back and onto mine.

Even though I was free, my panic attack was still happening as now all I could hear was the loud ringing and the sounds of the water nearby were nothing but a muffled sound. Caesar’s face hovered over me as he looked at me concerningly, his hand holding the back of my head. Maurice soon came beside me, and I saw him lift my hand.

‘Heart beating too fast Caesar.’ I managed to see him sign out. I continued to breathe faster and faster, the air from my lungs rapidly leaving my body with each breath I took. My heartbeat pounding in my ears along with the high pitched ringing.

That’s when I felt my head being placed over Caesar’s chest. I could feel his chest slowly breathing in then out. I felt him repeat the process a few more times, breathing in nice and slow before exhaling out in the same manner. I felt my right ear being covered up and the ringing soon faded as I heard the sound of another heartbeat, a strong, steady heartbeat.

It was Caesar’s heart. Slowly I began to follow his pace, breathing in deep before exhaling out again. A few of my breaths were a bit sharp and shaky but in the end I was able to get my heart rate down and the world slowly became abrupt with clear sounds.

“Thank you…Caesar.” I breathed out after one last exhale. Slowly I stood up and felt a tense pain in my lower back. Maurice then signed to me.

‘How bad are you hurt?’

“Just some tension and throbbing pain. But I can stand up so that’s a good sign that I didn’t severe my spine down there.” I then steadily walked ahead, the two apes trailing behind me as we rejoined with the others.

Thankfully the guys managed to get out alright (well except for Carver who had a cut leg, oh well).

“Lin!” Malcolm came up as did Ellie.

“I’m fine, I can walk. Ellie, can you just check my back real quick?” I asked her.

“Yeah, yeah come on sit down.” She led me towards one of the logs as Foster handed me some water to not only drink but to clean my face off from the dust. “Where does it hurt?”

“My lower back, right in the middle. I was pinned by a huge mass of debris when the explosion happened. I still have feeling in my legs and didn’t have any problems walking except for some tension pain.”

“That’s good news at least.” Stated Ellie. “Do you mind if I—”

“Do what you need to do.” She then lifted my shirt up so that she could have a better look at my back. But I also knew that she’d be the only person to truly see all the old scars I had gotten from my days in the military. The whip marks and beatings I took when I served there.

“You uhh…definitely have some bruising on your lower back right in your lumbar area, you did get chewed up by the debris. But thankfully nothing too serious, just think of it like a road rash.”

“No wonder why I’m feeling that familiar stinging sensation. I once fell off my bike when I was nine and got road rash on my knee caps. Not a good day.” I then felt the familiar sensation of rubbing alcohol being pressed to my wound as I let out a sharp hiss but soon relaxed.

Ellie then applied some peroxide and then placed a band-aid over it when I soon felt something climbing onto my shoulder. I turned and saw a baby chimpanzee soon staring me straight in the eye.

“Well hello.” I greeted softly. The baby chimp soon climbed over my shoulder and soon fell into my lap. I smiled softly as I reached out my hand and held it out for him. He gave me hand a quick sniff before placing his tiny hand against my palm. It barely reached the ends of the center of my palm and he hooted curiously.

I turned to Caesar who was once again on his horse and signed to him.

‘This your son?’ Caesar gave me a soft look and a small nod. I also took notice of the younger male chimp who was eyeing me wearily. Now without the war paint on his face, I could clearly see the family resemblance between the baby chimp and this one. They both had Caesar’s facial structure. And while they had a more softer appearance than Caesar did at both their ages, I could still see the similarities.

After getting to know Caesar’s youngest son, he soon left my lap and soon took an interest in both Ellie and Alexander. Both of them were enamored of Caesar’s youngest son, and who could blame them? When chimps are little babies, they are about the cutest things on earth. Reminds me so much of Caesar when he was this small.

I also took notice how Foster’s usual stern expression softened as he watched Caesar’s youngest son interact with Ellie and Alexander. Even Kemp was smiling as he tried to take a better look at the baby from afar. As the baby, went from Ellie’s lap to Alexander’s now Ellie let out a laugh and held out her finger for the baby to grab, which he did as he curiously observed it.

The baby then went down and started to play with Alexander’s sneakers. Lifting the tongue up and releasing it to see it flick down. Alexander even began to talk with the baby in a calm, soft voice. But of course Carver had to ruin the moment as he demanded to Ellie.

“What are you doing? Are you finished?” he then turned his attention to Alexander and sneered, “What are you looking at?” God Carver really needs to take a fucking heel and relax. So long as he doesn’t do anything stupid, there’s no need to be paranoid over a baby chimpanzee. But as always with Carver, I spoke to soon.

I watched as the baby went into Carver’s suitcase and curiously begin to look through it. That’s when my eye caught the silver gleam of a shotgun underneath the cloth the baby just pulled back.

My heart raced as rage boiled within me but before I could speak, Carver the dumbass immediately got up and screamed at the baby.

“HEY! HEY! HEY GET OUT OF THERE!” that soon led to Caesar’s eldest son to go in and defend his younger brother. As Carver went for the baby, the young blue eyed chimp knocked Carver down to the ground with one shove. The young male chimp screeched defensively as he began to go after anyone that came near his brother or Carver. Knocking Kemp over then challenging getting into Foster’s face forcing him to back off

Carver then went for his case and cocked his shotgun as he aimed it at the male chimp getting his attention.

“HEY! I’ll kill you!” I immediately raced in as the male chimp gave a threatening hiss, baring his teeth.

“If you want to shoot someone then you shoot me! Look me in the eyes Carver and pull the trigger!” I held my arms out to ensure that not a single shot would harm Caesar’s first born son.

Carver growled then a blast from the gun sounded off. But I didn’t feel any pain nor did I hear anyone, neither ape nor man, scream. All except Carver’s.

I opened my eyes to see that Kiba had Carver’s arm in his teeth, Tsume had him on his back pinned by the shoulders, while Hige and Toboe stood in front of me protectively snarling at Carver, their tails high up and their fur riled up aggressively.

Slowly I walked around Hige and Toboe and stood over Tsume and stared blankly down at Carver. Kiba biting deeper into his arm as Carver continued to scream.

“Call off your damn wolves!” he hissed through his agony.

“I keep telling you they’re not my wolves.” I stated in a calm, cold tone. “They can do whatever they please, why I could just let Tsume finally have his revenge from you shooting out his ear. Or allow Kiba to tear your arm right out of its socket, much less of a hassle then ripping apart an elk’s leg. You broke our agreement Carver, for once in your life why couldn’t you just put your damned ego and paranoia aside and follow orders like a good little soldier!?” I snapped my last command.

I continued to glare down at him with my ice, cold and soulless stare.

“But your life, is not mine to take.” I let out a whistle and Kiba released Carver’s arm while Tsume begrudgingly got off of Carver and followed Kiba to stand with Hige and Toboe. Carver cradled his arm as I walked away allowing Caesar to come forward and just like he did a decade ago with Steven Jacobs, he stood over Carver’s pitiful body, his own weapon now turned against him as it was raised and ready to beat him.

“Don’t! Don’t Caesar no! No!” Malcolm pleaded. Caesar was enraged. And I felt partial blame for this since he trusted me, who knows if what I did to save his son would be enough to spare him from his wrath.

A father’s love is a strong and powerful thing after all.

He looked at the shotgun, observing it with distain and rage as he lowly growled.

“Said…..No. Guns.” He pointed the gun straight at Malcolm. Before quickly directing it at Ellie and Alexander.

“No.” Ellie quietly pleaded as she held her hands out in surrender as Malcolm pleaded with a quiet ‘please’. Caesar then directed his attention to Kemp who went up against one of the logs and held his hands up in surrender, before then pointing the gun at Foster who jumped back.

Caesar was at a standstill. He was smart enough to know how to pull the trigger, hell I even saw him clench it ever so tighter each time he directed it at a new person. But he lowered the gun and once again held it like a club before finally throwing it into the river.

Brief relief came across everyone’s face as the gun was now taken out of the picture, but that still didn’t save them from Caesar’s wrath. He turned back to Malcolm said he to him.

“I didn’t know.” Caesar trudged forward as he youngest son came running up to him. He picked his baby up, holding him protectively as he roared in Malcolm’s face.

“Human. Leave. NOW!!” Caesar then hooted for the apes to move out leaving us at the river’s edge. As they left, I saw Caesar’s eldest son glare at everyone else but when his eyes turned to me he seemed conflicted.

But his confliction soon reverted back to anger as he urged his horse onward and followed behind his father.

“Carver what the fuck is wrong with you man!? Why the hell did you keep a gun with you!?” demanded Foster.

“I’m glad I did! You saw how many there were. They would’ve killed us! You just saw how he almost killed me”

“Because you attacked one of them!” snapped Ellie.

“I can’t believe you all are turning against me for them. They’re responsible for killing half of humanity already! You know it would’ve been a matter of time before they attacked us!”

“If they ever did, hope they get to you first.” I spoke up.

“Of course you’d think that. The way you are with them, the way you defend them. Hell you’ve probably known they were up here and was fucking with their leader!” I turned my head sharply towards him, walked up to him and gave him a falcon punch so hard to the face, I heard his nose break.

“So far these apes have given me more reason to trust them than to trust you. Trust any of you!” I turned my attention to Malcolm and his crew. “I believe I made myself quite clear, No. GUNS! Malcolm, you’re the self-appointed leader here. Why didn’t you check Carver’s case since you knew he’d be the one least trustworthy to surrender his guns willingly!?”

“Lin I—”

“ANSWER THE GODDAMN QUESTION!” he remained silent. “That’s what I thought.” I sneered. My breathing sharpened as I rubbed my face harshly and scratched the saved part of my undercut. “I don’t even know why I took pity on all of you in the first place. From now on, I’m done with all of you. Leave these woods and give Dreyfus this message. Tell him if he dares send any soldiers here, The Hawk’s Eye will be waiting for him.”

I stormed into the woods with the pack trailing behind me.

#planet of the apes #dawn of the planet of the apes #planet of the apes x reader #planet of the apes fanfic #planet of the apes fanfiction #planet of the apes imagine #planet of the apes imagines #caesar #caesar x oc #caesar x reader #caesar imagine #caesar imagines #caesar fanfic #caesar fanfiction

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emxie · 2 years

Text

Asymptote Attraction

What happens when your long-time rival snaps? His frustrations may lead to something more.

Cyno x GN! Reader

Warnings: None

Yes, I’m writing a modern au story with Cyno based on a stupid math joke. I found someone suggesting something similar, in that he would totally be the nerd who would try and flirt with you through math puns. Me, being the nerd and student I am, actually appreciate these pick up lines, and therefore, would like to write about you and Cyno.

Also, this is a gratitude piece because CYNO CAME HOME!!!! I was so nervous I was going to lose the 50/50, but I got him! And I also got his weapon!!!!! I’m so happy that I need to write him a cute short story. Also…I’m aware this is like 3 months late since Cyno’s banner was in September-October. I was very busy, so I apologize for this being so behind schedule. Happy reading!

The hallways, not usually quiet, were no less loud today. You pressed your book bag closer to your chest, passing the jocks, primarily led by Itto, who were crowded at his locker.

“What’s up?” He nodded at you, raising a hand in greeting, before resuming his conversation with Kujou Sara. Surrounding him were Kuki, Beidou, and Kaeya, to name a few.

You returned his gesture with a timid wave, scuttling past them. It was almost third period, which meant the commencement of your calculus class was fast approaching.

Walking through the doorway of the classroom, you navigated toward your seat. Plopping down in your chair, you awaited the start of the mathematics class that you both despised and enjoyed.

You loved math itself. The intricacies of finding an answer through set formulas and having to try various things to get to the solution were never enough to satiate your love for learning. Being able to input variables and get a fixed outcome was the most comforting thing to you. The constancy of the subject made it one of your favorites.

Now, the resentment of the class. It was not due to any dislike or distaste for the subject itself. Oh no, not at all. In fact, you would have thought at the beginning of the school year that such partnership would have been beneficial. How wrong you were.

The presence of your enemy, archenemy as you liked to view him, continually dampened your enthusiasm for the class.

Cyno. The smartass of Teyvat High School. His social blunders never failed to enrage you, much less how he seemed to be doing these things on purpose. Just to get a reaction out of you.

Having been paired up with him at the beginning of the year, as the teacher thought that since you two were certainly the most intelligently gifted in mathematics, you would be a perfect match, you were looking forward to a brilliant and upstanding year with a solid and competent partner.

That, of course, was not the case. On the first day of class, he beat you to every single answer on the worksheet. And, to top it all off, he always ranked above you on class tests. Always. Even if he had scored higher than you by half a percent, he still maintained a perfect reign over the advanced subject.

And he would always tease you about your inferiority. Pointing out just how much better he was, even if he tried to appear unaware of the effect of his words, began to get tiresome. But, what could you do?

And so, you put up with his insufferable personality, no matter how much it pained you. Today would be no different.

Ah, there was the bane of your existence. He walked into the classroom, dressed in a dark purple sweatshirt and black jeans. His white hair possessed the volume of a cloud, fluffy and puffing out as if he hadn't cared to brush it before coming to school. The tips of his hair curled up, and through the thick wavy bundle of hair, you could barely see his face.

Dropping his backpack alongside his seat, he smirked at you.

“How are you?”

“Spare me the pleasantries.”

Rustling through his backpack, he glanced up at you briefly.

“You couldn’t pretend to be even a little excited to see me?”

“How could I? After you snatched the top score right out from under my nose, after that stupid word problem about surface area and volume, I can’t believe you think I’d forgive you.”

He shrugged, placing his folder on the table. “That’s your loss. It’s not my fault someone doesn’t understand how to set up two separate equations. You must have really enjoyed geometry.”

“For your information, I got As both semesters in Accelerated Geometry. Meanwhile you were struggling so hard in that class, I had to literally haul your ass behind mine in order to get you a passing grade. How’s that for stupidity?”

He narrowed his eyes at you, scoffing and flipping a strand of hair over his right eye.

“What, can’t handle the heat?”

“No.” He looked away, scanning his homework.

“You’re unbelievable,” you said, before directing your attention to your own homework.

The teacher started class, and not a word was said between you two for most of the period.

You furiously scribbled down the equation, writing it out to find the derivative. Looking at his paper, you scowled a little as you realized he was ahead of you by one problem.

You messily wrote the solution before moving onto the next one. Why, oh why, did it have to be a graph?

As you worked out the equation, grumbling under your breath as you had to derive a trigonometric function multiplied by a natural logarithm, you certainly weren’t focused on what Cyno was doing in front of you.

Having been a little ahead of you, he had already finished the problem. Glancing over his work, he huffed.

Red eyes concentrated on your hunched over form, currently clenching a mechanical pencil so hard that it seemed about to break. A tanned hand reached out, tapping your own in the middle of you drawing out a graph.

“What?” you snapped, looking up at him with annoyance glimmering in your gaze.

With a stoic expression, he lifted up his paper to show you something. It was the graph that you were aiming to draw. And…he was giving you the answer?

“Is this a joke?” You exclaimed.

He met your accusatory expression with something not condescending. Instead, he delicately pointed at the line on the graph.

“You’re the asymptote, and I’m the function.”

You blinked. What was he trying to say?

“I’m attracted to you. My love goes on for infinity.”

You scoffed at this declaration. “Nice joke, Cyno.”

His brilliant red eyes darkened. Huffing, he got up from his seat and walked straight out of the classroom.

Did you say something wrong? He had never reacted this badly to something before.

Your upper teeth tugged at your lower lip as your mind darted between countless possibilities. Should you go after him, or would that make things worse? Should you stay in here, but risk making him angrier?

Steadying your resolve, you got up from your chair and went out into the hallway, following the tracks of the white haired student.

Before long, you were able to locate him. He was leaning against a locker, slumped over so that the fluffy mane of hair shielded his eyes from your view.

“Cyno?” you called out cautiously.

A flash of red locked onto your figure through the white curtain shielding his tan skin.

He scoffed. “What do you want? Isn’t it enough to see me humiliated?”

“Well, I’ll admit that it is surprising to see you so worked up over me, the person you hate the most in the whole wide world, rejecting what said person believes is a joke just from how absurd it is.”

He muttered something.

“What?”

“I said, to you it may be a joke, but to me it meant my entire world crashing down.”

“Wait, so you actually like me?” You really couldn’t believe this boy who definitely didn’t make your heart flutter when he gazed at you with that intense scarlet stare, had the capacity to reciprocate even an inkling of what you felt.

“What do you think, you idiot?” His raspy voice did nothing to drown out the crashing waves of surprise cascading through your mind.

“I’ll be honest. I thought you despised me, Cyno.”

He turned his head so all you could see was the soft voluminous white hair that you had caught yourself daydreaming into a bit too often.

“I didn’t know how to tell you otherwise, so I challenged you at every turn. And now I feel like an idiot. It’s infuriating!”

He turned towards you, eyebrows furrowed and expression somber, trembling slightly as emotion threatened to spill over.

“Well, I guess that makes you my function. After all, I have to be the asymptote here, certainly infinite and with no end to my love for you.”

He shrunk back, looking for all intents and purposes like a small dog that had just been kicked.

“You do?”

Rolling your eyes, you reached out, grabbing his hand and placing it in your own.

“If this was what you were so worried about, you should have just told me straight up.”

Looking him dead in his stunning eyes, you explained, “I reciprocate all of your feelings. Honestly they’re probably tenfold to yours if how you’re acting is any indication.”

As he stood there, looking at a loss for words, you stepped forward, cupping his face with your hand. Your eyes flickered down to his lips before meeting his eyes once more.

He huffed a little, murmuring, “To hell with this.”

Cyno leaned in, capturing your lips in his. It was an innocent enough kiss, bordering on the edge of propriety as you felt his tongue flicker at the sides of your mouth.

You pushed him against the locker, pinning his shoulders to the metal surface as you leaned further into him. His hands roamed around your back before settling in your hair, gently twirling the locks.

It was everything you had dreamed of and more. His heavenly eyes were fluttering as you pushed him further into the locker, deepening the kiss.

“Cyno! Y/N!”

You shrank back immediately, dusting off your clothes and attempting to look as nonchalant as possible. Cyno looked just as flustered, his hair a mess and lips puffy. He looked down, hiding his face in the mass of white hair you had come to love.

One of your classmates rounded the corner. “There you two are! The teacher was wondering where you went. You guys better come back in soon. We have a quiz in a couple of minutes.”

Giving your assurances to them, you waited until they had gone out of sight before turning back to Cyno.

“So, what does that make us now?”

“Friends? More than that.” His gaze sharpened. “I’m not sure if we’re even dating. How about…frenemies?”

“I have something better. Adversaries in Affection.”

“I like that.” He smiled at you. What a beautiful smile. He looked so handsome whenever he wasn’t scowling at you.

You pursed your tender lips. “Are you ready to crush that quiz?”

“Only if I beat you,” he smirked, leaning forward to flick your forehead.

“Ouch!” you exclaimed. “Wait!” He had already bolted down half of the hallway.

“You idiot!” you screeched.

He only chuckled in reply as you ran to catch up with him, interlacing your fingers with his after only a moment of hesitation.

Math really could work wonders.

#genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #cyno x reader #cyno x y/n #cyno x you #cyno x gn reader #math jokes ftw

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jerzwriter · 1 year

Note

A scene with T’s reaction to finding out he does not have the right equipment

Hey Tash!

For those who don't know, this is in response to Ethan & Kaycee's conversation in Almost Home. I think it deserves a ficlet. 😉

Sorry, Tobias

Book: Open Heart Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Kaycee), Tobias Carrick Rating: Teen Words: 1,300 Summary: Tobias wants Kaycee to introduce him to her gorgeous friend, but when he won't take no for an answer, Kaycee has to set him straight. (No pun intended 😂) Participating in @choicesmonthlychallenge | Friends

It wasn't often that Ethan Ramsey took a day off, even after Kaycee convinced him that there was more to life than work. Sure, they took some trips... all planned well in advance... and if there was an emergency, he would call out. But on a whim? For fun? That would never be Ethan. Or Would it?

Since they were together, he and Kaycee never spent more than a few days apart, so her week-long business trip was a challenge for both. When Tobias suggested he take her first day back in Boston off and share some quality time together... Ethan jumped at the chance. Maybe things can change!

But after enjoying a delightful day off, Etha was quite eager to return to work, showing up an hour before his shift began.

"Hey, Boss!" Tobias grinned when Ethan entered the team's office. "Didn't expect to see you this early."

Ethan raised a brow at his friend. "Really? Have I given the appearance of someone who likes to be away from work for long?"

"It was one day," Tobias laughed. "And it depends. Pre-Kaycee, nah... you never gave that impression. You were an insufferable bore. But post-Kaycee, that's a whole other story. You almost seem human, so, yeah, I'm surprised."

Normally Ethan would engage in some verbal sparring with his friend and colleague, but all he did was offer a twisted grin. Even he had to admit it was true... things were different now that he had Kaycee, but she understood how time away from work unexpectedly left him with a nervous twitch.

"So, did you enjoy your day off?" Tobias teased. Ethan tried to ignore him, but the look on his face told Tobias all that needed to know. Clearing his throat, Ethan attempted to change the topic.

"I should thank you again. I wouldn't have been able to take the day if you hadn't offered to pick up my cases."

"Don't mention it, buddy. Always happy to help."

Ethan sat across from Tobias, and the two men began looking over their cases when Ethan thought back to something Kaycee had said.

"Are you?" He asked out of the blue.

Tobias looked around, a bit confused. "Am I what?"

"Are you always happy to help?"

"Yeah," Tobias replied, appearing to be offended at his words. "Can a man not do his friend a favor without being suspect? Jesus, Ethan! I'm not looking for a raise or something if that's what you're thinking....."

"I'm sorry," Ethan responded. "I know that... but," he chuckled. "I didn't think it was a raise you might be angling for."

Tobias shut his notebook and glared across the table. "Oh really? And what is it you think I was after... when I was just doing something nice for you and your girlfriend!"

“Kaycee did mention you showing an interest in a friend of hers… that’s all….”

“You know, Ethan, I’m hurt. The thought never crossed my mind… well, at least not in relation to this….”

“I believe you….”

“Well, I’m insulted!”

“Tobias, I apologized. It wasn’t my intent to insult you.”

“Good! Because now…” he stalled, with a shake of his head. “You know, forget it.”

“No,” Ethan insisted. “Continue.”

“I sort of forgot about her…. but now that you brought her up... well, yeah, I'd like to ask Kaycee about her. But now, if I do, it looks like that’s the reason I helped, which isn’t true. So essentially, what I’m saying is… you suck, Ramsey.”

Ethan couldn’t help but laugh. “Don't worry, many others share your sentiment. But you’re worrying for nothing because Jessica is a no-go for you.”

“Jessica?” Tobias sang as if the name alone set him on fire.

“Yes?”

“Nothing,” Tobias smiled salaciously. “It’s just that she’s a gorgeous, she’s a redhead, and….”

“And?”

“Jessica Rabbit,” Tobias growled as Ethan dragged a hand down his face.

“As I said….” Ethan declared. “Jessica is a no-go. That was true before your last comment, and it’s even more true now.”

“And why is that?" Tobias protested. "You know… I’m a good-looking guy, right?”

“I mean, you’re not my type….” Ethan countered.

Ignoring him, Tobias continued. “I’m charming, have a good personality… I’m a doctor… well educated, intelligent, loaded….”

“You forgot humble,” Ethan added.

“My point is, why can’t I take a shot with her?"

“She lives in Denver,” Ethan sighed. “Besides, with your track record, I don’t think setting you up with Kaycee’s friends is in the cards.”

“Oh, so you’re the only one capable of change? Maybe seeing what you and Kaycee have has me wanting that for myself. And Denver? No sweat… I can do long distance. It might be just the thing for me… you know… as I ease into my new, domesticated era.”

“No! End of story!” Ethan looked at his watch. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I want to speak with Dr. Donaldson before our team meeting.”

He got up and walked toward the door, abruptly turning around right before reaching it.

“And Tobias… don’t bother Kaycee with this. OK?”

“Don’t bother Kaycee with what?” a melodic voice asked.

Ethan turned to see Kaycee smiling brightly as she walked through the door.

“Kaycee….” Tobias grinned as Ethan let out a groan.

“Tobias, don’t….”

“Didn’t you need to see Dr. Donaldson before our meeting?” Tobias chastised. “Based on the clock, you have fifteen minutes. Now, seriously, how much damage could I do in fifteen minutes?”

“An awful lot,” Ethan insisted.

“Go see Donaldson!” Tobias hollered.

Ethan put his arm around Kaycee and offered her a sympathetic smile.

“I can handle Tobias,” Kaycee grinned before planting a kiss on Ethan’s lips.

“Gross,” Tobias mumbled.

After shooing Ethan out the door, Kaycee turned back to her teammate with a smirk.

“Gross? Really? I think you’re just jealous, Dr. Carrick.”

“Maybe you’re right, MacTavish. Maybe I want a brilliant, beautiful doctor of my own to nuzzle with. In fact, about your friend, Jessica….”

“I knew that’s why you covered for Ethan!” She playfully accused.

“No, it’s not!” He exclaimed, not picking up on her humorous tone.

“I know that,” Kaycee chortled. “Take it easy… but Jessica isn’t happening.”

“You too?” He replied with disgust. “What’s with you two? Ethan can change… he can be reformed, but I can’t.”

“I never said that,” she replied thoughtfully. “In fact, I’m confident that if you meet the one, you will be amazing husband material.”

“Husband material,” he gasped. “Slow down there, sweetheart… let’s not get ahead of ourselves now, OK? I’d just like an introduction to Jessica. We’ll see what happens after that.”

“No.”

“Why? Denver isn’t an issue for me. I….”

“No!”

“Why?”

“Because,” Kaycee flung her hands in frustration, “because you don’t have the proper equipment, Tobias.”

“Excuse me?” he sputtered. “I’ll have you know my equipment is top-notch, dear! Grade-A certified! I can get you references if you like. I assure you, it’ll be all 5-stars, enjoyed myself, would do again….”

“OK! Stop!” Kaycee held up a hand. “Stop! Please! No more! But Tobias, NO! See, Jessica…. Jessica is my ex-girlfriend, and no, she isn't bisexual. So… you really have nothing to offer her in this regard.”

Tobias raised a brow. “Wait… your ex-girlfriend?”

“Yes. Do you have a problem with that?”

“NO!” He affirmed. “No problem at all, it’s just… huh… you learn something new every day.”

“So anyway... while I agree, Jessica is an incredible catch… I’m afraid you’re not the right person to catch her.”

“Too bad… because she is a catch. If we’re being honest, I’m stumped over why you'd pick Ramsey over her…. if given the choices, I think….”

“Tobias….” Kaycee scolded.

“I’m just busting you,” he winked with his signature, charming smile. “But… do you have any other gorgeous, brilliant friends you'd be willing to hook me up with?”

Kaycee crossed her arms and gave him the once-over.

“Hmm… perhaps in a couple of years… after I put you through finishing school.”

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