#I’m so down for what these two could have been so thank you Frontier for having given me a past time

[ran-orimoto]

Sometimes I watch this episode and I sit on it, on this scene in particular , think about it so hard because its simplicity holds such a … Subtly tragical tone I ended up catching on my second rewatch (of thousand). And, you know, on my third rewatch it kinda started hurting.

Looking back at the whole season and the way Junpei and Izumi have been written in their arcs and their resolution, I think Junpei eventually remains the loneliest of the lonely between them and it just sucks how Izumi got to open about her solitude to him, then she got support from everyone else and truly felt included in a family, whereas Junpei just had to put up with his struggles on his own, fighting against his own shadow throwing mean truths at him.

This scene in particular is really harsh on him and in my opinion it kinda needed a sort of continuation in the form of a parallelism. Junpei and Izumi are the Frontier relationship that got most amount of those, especially in the bridge from ep 4 to this episode. They got a very linear development always making it clear how they are different sides of the same coin, how they are a mirror to each other and can grow up thanks to looking at the most uncomfortable masks of themselves through each other. So, it’s absolutely a shame the writers allowed Izumi to get away with that.

“Don’t talk like you know!”

Izumi, you just don’t know anything about him.

Still, the most bittersweet and, again, extremely tragical detail is that back then, Junpei didn’t even know he was as lonely as her, either. He just lies down on the grass, staring at her while letting her viciously vent at him. He’s concerned about her outburst, but doesn’t really realize he’s as miserable as her, if not even more miserable, because tell me if it’s not just sad to be a kid believing to have thousand of friends around him, be totally blind about the greyness your life is actually dominated by. He can’t acknowledge the reason why he followed Izumi on the train in a first place was connected to how lonely he felt she was. As lonely as him.

You can laugh about this statement of mine but, seriously, they pulled a sort of Mr Gatsby character here.

On a brighter note, though, I also like wondering if what Izumi says in the very first drama isn’t a hint about how she eventually understood that as well. “You have got lot on your mind but like keeping it all inside”. Maybe, just maybe, she also came to feeling all the stuff he concealed behind his magical tricks.

Honestly, how depressing Junpei’s backstory is. We just got to see a little of it and it still hit home.

[chaoticbardlady99]

Hello again! I’m so glad my prompt inspired you! I really enjoyed the first part of “Admiring from Afar” and I look forward to seeing what happens next! 😊

Admiring from Afar Pt 2 (Astarion x GN! Reader)

Author note: Thank you so much anon! I am so glad you enjoyed it! I hope everyone likes this part as much as the last one- I wasn't expecting the last one to get so many notes! Thank you to everyone who liked, commented, and shared Part 1- it truly means the world to me!!!

Tag-list: @hyperfixationwhore, @ophelias-flowerss, @support-local-bands, @kahelis

CW: Broken bones and reparing them, minor violence, angst (?)

Picture belongs to silverformymonsters on Tumblr.

*I have only proof read this once.

If you missed part one- find the link below:

Here's the link you little weirdo

Your screams of pain rattle through camp for what feels like hours. Halsin had told everyone that resetting your bones and putting them together again would not be a pleasant or easy process. Astarion is pacing outside his tent- fists clenching and unclenching as he watches Wyll talk to Karlach by the fire.

Shadowheart and Halsin had kicked Astarion out of your tent an hour ago when they began setting your compound fracture- you had woken up with your mouth open in a silent scream and tears pouring down your face. Astarion regrets threatening Halsin’s life- he wants to be in there with you. He knows he would still feel helpless, but at least he could try to comfort you. It would be more than what Wyll is doing anyway.

 Astarion’s head snaps towards the campfire when Wyll lets out a bellowing laugh at something Karlach has said. Astarion walks up to Wyll and Karlach mindlessly- only one goal in mind.

 Karlach notices him and gives him a sad smile, “Hey fangs-”

  Karlach’s sentence starts as fast as it stops.

 Astarion’s fist collides with Wyll’s face- making the other man fall flat on his back from the force of the punch. Astarion is feeling borderline feral and based on the fearful, angry look in Wyll’s good eye, Wyll knows he is about to snap too.

  Astarion goes to punch him again, but is abruptly pulled backwards by Karlach.

 “Wow there,” Karlach says with a nervous chuckle, “I know tensions are high right now- but I’m going to have to call a party foul on you, Fangs.” 

 “Let me continue spoiling the party then,” he says through clenched teeth.

  Wyll stands back up and holds the tip of his short sword to Astarion’s throat.

"Hells Wyll, is that really necessary," Karlach groans.

Wyll ignores her- his eyes peering menacingly back into Astarion's.

  “What in the hells did I even do to you, Spawn?” Wyll asks hotly, fire burning behind his eyes.

 “Me!?” Astarion scoffs,” It’s what you didn’t do for Tav! Do you make a point of letting every person you bed get nearly slaughtered, almighty Blade of Frontiers?”

 Wyll’s anger turns to confusion and then his face lights up with clarity.

 “Astarion,” Wyll says slowly, “I didn’t bed Tav. In fact, they rejected me because, and I quote, ‘I really like Astarion and I’m not looking elsewhere.’” 

   Astarion feels all the strength and anger leave his body after Wyll’s statement. Karlach lets him go and he wordlessy walks back to his tent. 

  He sits down amongst the pile of pillows and pulls out your broken glasses from his pocket. He thumbs the crooked metal as he starts to connect the dots. 

  He had only seen the kiss, but he hadn’t stayed for the aftermath of the kiss. If he had just waited five more seconds, maybe, you wouldn’t be in so much pain right now. His jealousy and insecurities had won out over everything the two of you had together.

He isn’t just a body to you- someone to appease your sexual appetite while you romance every person in camp.

You weren’t upset because you had been caught.

 You had genuinely been on the verge of tears due to him unceremoniously dumping you. Astarion didn’t even give you a chance to speak-to defend yourself. Instead, he specifically stole the words right out of your mouth which was something he makes a point of not doing. He packed up all of your belongings faster than he’s ever done anything before. He told you to leave. Leave- in the coldest voice he could have used. He rendered you heartbroken and speechless all in one conversation. Right after you had so sweetly called him “Star” and just rejected a man who was a far more appropriate option for you than him.

  Astarion had assumed you were as tired as you were because you had stayed up all night with Wyll. He buries his face in his hands as more realizations come to the forefront of his mind. 

  You were tired because you had spent the whole night terrified, alone, and in the cold. Heartbroken and Homesick in that horrible tent of yours that you never ended up replacing because you didn’t have to. Would never need to again. 

  He was your protector, your piece of happiness in this scary place, and he turned on you. 

  Astarion begins to feel ill and tears prick his eyes as another tearful scream rips through the air. He had inadvertently left you out for the slaughter and your misery right now is his fault alone. 

  A knock on the wood of his tent jolts him from his thoughts. He gets up and is shocked to see Karlach standing at the entrance of his tent. Astarion tries to hide the nervousness he’s feeling- he really is hoping that punch didn’t earn him a stake.

 “Don’t look so nervous Fangs,” she offers him an easy smile,” I just came to check on you. I know you guys are close and that was a hell of a shiner you left on Wyll.”

  Astarion looks away from Karlach’s friendly face and tries to blink away the tears threatening to spill down his face.

 “I appreciate you checking in one me, but I can assure you that-”

 “You’re fine? That you’re not suffering? Cause I sure am! Tav is like family to me and I regret not rushing over to help them” Karlach pauses and when he doesn’t say anything, she continues, “It’s okay if you aren’t okay. It’s not some secret that you are in love with Tav or they you. We all can see how much you love each other.”

   “In love?” Astarion whispers

 Lae’zel pipes up from next door, “It’s disgustingly clear to everyone but you. You even bed them like you are in love with them. You humans have strange mating rituals. Added note- please keep it down. Some of us sleep.”

  Astarion stares at Lae’zel blankly- not sure what he’s supposed to take from that statement as Lae’zel turns to go to bed. Karlach coughs uncomfortably and chuckles.

   “After the tiefling party,” she smiles ruefully, "they showed me that necklace they made for you and I knew they were smitten.”

  Astarion stares at Karlach in confusion and Karlach’s eyes go wide with realization.

  “What Necklace?”

 “Necklace? Hm weird Astarion, why are you so hyperficated on necklaces SHEEESHH. If you want a necklace so bad, just go buy one. Better yet I’ll buy one for you. No, SIX!” 

   Astarion goes to protest when Karlach interrupts him again.

 “Anyway, I know you have their glasses and I was thinking about taking them to Dammon and seeing if he can fix them. I’ll get that necklace you are so worried about while I’m there too.”

  He rolls his eyes at the tiefling- it’s obvious that she is not willing to elaborate about the necklace and he’s sure this is news that he’d much rather hear from you anyway. Also, Astarion is well aware of Karlach’s massive, horny (She asked him for advice once, never again) crush on the blacksmith and he knows that she will take every opportunity she can to see him. The fact that she also gets to help you at the same time is probably a bonus for her. Astarion hands Karlach the glasses after making her promise to keep them safe. 

   Astarion sighs before making the trek over to your tent- each step feeling heavier than the other.  Shadowheart steps out of your tent right as he’s about to knock on the wooden beams that hold up your mediocre hovel. 

  “They are asking for you,” she says tiredly.

  “Shadowheart,” he pauses, “ I owe you one for helping them and being patient with… me when I yelled at you and Halsin before.”

  “Huh, that sounded dangerously close to a ‘Thank you’ and an ‘I’m sorry’, Astarion,” Shadowheart teases as she walks by him, “love has made you soft.”

  There’s that word again. Maybe that is what he’s been feeling towards you this whole time, but he can’t be for sure. He would have to explore these feelings later when he is less stressed, tired, and desperate to be near you. 

  He crawls into your dimly lit tent and you are meekly sitting upright, looking at him expectantly. He immediately sits down in front of you and gently cups your face in his hands. He leaves a sweet kiss on your forehead, then he kisses your lips.

Astarion takes his time kissing you, pulling you into his lap so that he can support your weak, healing body. Warm tears are streaming down your checks by the time he pulls away. You let out a hiccup as you go to speak- effectively surprising both of you. Astarion chuckles as he traces circles with his fingers on your back.

  “Yo-uu like me aga-in?” you hiccup between tears.

   Well that broke him.

  “Darling, I never stopped,” he states matter-of-factly while he wipes away your tears.

 “Then why?” 

  Astarion takes a deep breath before starting.

  “I saw Wyll kiss you, but I didn’t stay to get the whole picture,” his voice coming out sheepishly, “I didn’t think I was capable of experiencing so many uncomfortable feelings at one time; Well, until that happened.”

  Astarion feels his own tears begin to go down his cheeks, “I didn’t want you to hurt me so I hurt you first. I am so sorry, my Love. I understand if you wish for me to go.” 

    Your hands make their way into his hair, gently detangling it and then you move to his tear stained face and kiss the tears away. Lovingly, you use your hands to bring his eyes to yours and Astarion leans into your touch. 

  “It’s okay my Star, I understand. However, I will never forgive you if you leave me.," you pause," Again.”

      He barks out a laugh, “then I guess I can never leave your side?”

   “Silvanus, no,” you wrinkle your nose in the most endearing way, “I have no desire to have the ever loving crap kicked out of me again.”

 “And I share that sentiment- I would prefer you never have the ‘ever loving crap kicked out’ of you again.”

  You slap his arm softly at his mpression of you and you erupt in giggles. Astarion can’t help but smile up at you. The warmth in his chest is absolutely undeniable. You, the bewitchingly good-natured thing that you are, have taken up all the space in his cold, dead heart. You have stood by him through everything and now you have forgiven him as easily as you had walked away from him when he told you to. He doesn’t deserve someone as good as you. As incredible as you. 

  Astarion knows in his gut that he is going to have to talk to you about his initial intentions, then he will give you his feelings served up on a silver platter. If you reject him, he definitely deserves it. But by the Gods does he want you to return his feelings and be able to look past his previous motives.

  For now though, he’s going to pretend like none of that is around the corner. He'll pretend that he does deserve this- deserve you.

  Astarion is going to just let himself bask in your grandeur and shower you with all the affections his actions had stolen from you both over the last 24 hours. 

  You are smiling at him and then a flash of remembrance crosses your face- prompting you to pop up out of his lap and ungracefully crawl towards your pack. Astarion watches you with curiosity and amusement as you throw items out of the bag, cursing, and grumbling “whereeee areee youuuuu????” 

          ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

  You look back at him awkwardly, “The whole not having my glasses thing is a real bummer, but I promise you that this neuroticism has purpose.” 

 “Oh don’t worry about that Darling, if your neuroticism hasn’t scared me off yet, it certainly won’t now.”

 You roll your eyes at him and return to digging through your pack until you feel the pouch at the very bottom of the bag.  With an “Aha!” you twist around and crawl back to Astarion and sit in front of him(in criss-cross applesauce obviously). Astarion pouts as you push his arms away when he tries to pull you back on to his lap. 

  “I will sit on your lap all night and never leave if that is what you desire, but I insist that you must open this first.” 

 You hand him the black pouch with the necklace inside. You are practically bouncing in anticipation as he unfolds the silk handkerchief, revealing the necklace. 

  Astarion looks up at you with an unreadable expression (you literally can't fucking see) and then down at the necklace. You anxiously play with your hands.

  “It’s a- uh, well. You had been upset about Gale and the invisibility necklace so I made you one out of Oxen bone,” you ramble, “I know it’s not really your style, but I tried to make it a little bit shiny. It allows you to become invisible- I tested it out myself. Oh and I picked Cadaith for the design because the rune’s meaning reminds me of you- grace, power, and music of the stars….”

  You are blue in the face from your spiel and Astarion still hasn’t looked up from the necklace.

  Gods he must really hate it. 

   Astarion clears his throat and wipes his eyes. He grabs one of your hands, gently sliding his thumb over your knuckles before planting a soft kiss on each of them.

 “This is the kindest thing anyone has ever done for me,” he puts the necklace on and then continues, “thank you my love, it’s the most wonderful thing I own.”

   You beam and lean forward to leave a chaste kiss on his lips, due to not having your glasses, you miss abysmally and kiss his nose- both of you chuckling as he guides your lips to his. As you pull back, a gust of bone chilling wind comes in through one of the holes in your tarp. You shiver involuntarily and  Astarion glares at you, unamused, as you scratch the back of your head while adorning an awkward smile.

 “Speaking of things that I own,” Astarion’s now teasing grin giving away his irritated facade, “I would be honored if you would move back into my tent with me.” 

  You feel your grin stretch from ear to ear and you quickly roll up your bed roll. You follow Astarion out of your tent and take his hand when he offers it to you. You walk with him across the clearing- Karlach whoops, whistles, and cheers as you walk by the fire. You stifle your laughter as Astarion pulls you into his tent. He grabs your bedroll and throws it to the side.

Astarion lifts you up and puts you lying flat on his bed roll. Astarion kisses you deeply, coaxing a moan from your lips. He pulls back and looks at you- you huff in frustration. Astarion begins to kiss along your jawline and down your neck. You can see his eyes to some extent, but the rest of him is a no go.

 “You didn’t happen to recover my glasses did you?”

You feel Astarion freeze before slowly bringing his face back up to yours.

  “Don’t worry my dear, it’s already being taken care of," he says, then whispers, "by Dammon.”

  Your stomach drops all the way to your ass. Your ears grow hot with rage and Astarion begins to kiss your face relentlessly- trying to unfurl the fury settling into your features. You can tell he is trying to hold back his laughter at your painfully cute, but angry expression.

 “What do you mean the blacksmith is taking care of my glasses?”

[moonselune]

Omg I’m so happy to have found someone as talented as you are that writes for Minthy ♥️

Can you please do a jealous Minthara punishing female reader because she danced with Wyll. Ty!!

Oh love love love love love love love this request and thank you so much for your kind words xox

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Minthara x f!reader | Just a dance

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

The night had been one of celebration, a rare moment of respite where you allowed yourself to let loose. The campfire crackled, laughter filled the air, and music played, luring everyone to dance. You had found yourself swept up in the moment, twirling and laughing with Wyll, the dashing Blade of Frontiers.

He was a good dancer, probably one of the best dance partners you had in a while. You two matched moves toe-to-toe and put on a good show for the others. His charming smile and infectious energy made the dance enjoyable, but it was innocent.

You had no idea of the storm brewing within Minthara, who watched from the shadows, her eyes narrowing with each passing second.

As the music faded and the night grew late, you felt a hand grip your wrist with surprising strength. Before you could react, Minthara pulled you away from the camp, her expression dark and unreadable. Her eyes blazed with a mixture of jealousy and possessiveness, and you knew you were in trouble.

"Minthara, what's wrong?" you asked, your voice barely a whisper as she marched you into the privacy of your shared tent. She didn't answer immediately. Instead, she purposefully tripped you and pushed you against the bedroll, her hands firm and unyielding.

"You think you can dance with him, flaunt yourself like that, and not face any consequences?" she hissed, her breath hot against your ear.

"It was just a dance," you tried to protest, but Minthara's grip tightened, silencing you.

"Just a dance?" she mocked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "You belong to me. Only me."

Her eyes bore into yours, and you saw the intensity of her emotions laid bare. There was no reasoning with her when she was like this, and a shiver of anticipation ran down your spine.

Without another word, she began her work. Her lips found your neck, and she bit down hard, marking you with a fierce possessiveness. You gasped at the sudden pain, but it quickly morphed into a heady mixture of pleasure and your submission followed quickly afterwards. Her hands roamed your body, leaving bruises in their wake, each one a testament to her claim over you.

"Minthara, please," you tried to speak, but she silenced you with a growl, her fingers digging into your hips.

"You don't get to plead," she said, her voice low and dangerous. "You need to be reminded who you belong to." Her teeth grazed your skin, leaving a trail of hickeys that would be impossible to hide. Each mark was a declaration, a visible reminder to everyone of her dominance.

Your body responded to her touch, a confusing blend of pain and arousal making you dizzy. You knew there was no use resisting; Minthara was relentless when it came to staking her claim. As she moved lower, her hands gripping your thighs, you could only gasp and cling to her, your protests turning into moans.

"You're mine," she whispered against your skin, her voice softer now but no less intense. "And I will make sure you never forget it."

What followed was a blur of passion and possession, Minthara's need to assert her dominance drove her actions intensely. By the time she was done, her claim staked, your body was a canvas of her marks, each bruise and hickey a testament to her jealousy love. Your breasts, your shoulders, your back, your thighs, your hips, nowhere had been saved from Minthara's tirade.

As you lay there, breathless and exhausted, Minthara finally softened. She pulled you close, her arms wrapping around you possessively, pressing softer kisses to the temple of your head. You smiled and leant in to her touch, lazily drawing figures on her arm with your index finger as she held you.

"You are mine," she repeated, her voice gentler now, filled with a fierce kind of love. You nodded, too drained to speak, but your heart swelled with affection for her. Despite her abrasiveness, you knew she loved you deeply.

"I'm yours," you whispered, snuggling into her embrace. Minthara kissed your forehead, her fingers tracing the marks she had left on your body.

"Never forget it," she murmured, her jealousy finally beginning to ebb away, giving way to a tender protectiveness. She couldn't lose you to anyone else, wouldn't lose you.

You closed your eyes, feeling safe and cherished in her arms. The night had been intense, but it was a reminder of the depth of Minthara's feelings for you. As you drifted off to sleep, you knew that no matter what, you were loved and claimed by your darling fierce drow beside you.

Bonus ! :

You stumbled out of the tent, a towel wrapped round you as you headed for the river, hoping the cool water would bring you some relief to the pleasurable aches that tortured your body. You had assumed everyone was still in their tent, preparing for the day, you knew Minthara had gone out with Karlach, hunting for breakfast. But the gods were not smiling upon you that day.

"Oh my god, Lae'zel!" Astarion sang out with mock shock, as he pointed at you, just emerging from his tent, "Our dearest leader has been turned into one of your Githyanki fellows!"

Lae'zel stepped out of her tent with crossed arms, expecting not to be amused by Astarion's jest but when she took in your bruised form a smile tugged on her lips. "Kin, tell me, from what creche do you hail from?"

"Can you not tell? She is from creche Mintha-OW" Astarion's taunting got cut off by you throwing a nearby ladle at him, and you quickly stormed off to the river. Although you were irritated, you could not deny the sense of pride, bearing Minthara's marks. You felt cherished, adored even.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

I adored writing this, and I hope you enjoyed reading it ! -Seluney xox

[canadianfangirl-95]

Take Care.

Frankie Morales fanfiction x OFC! Female

Summary: Frankie and the Triple Frontier guys go to their local bar to get Frankie a date. He decides to pursue the new bartender.

Rating: 18+, minors DNI.

Warning: smut, p in v, oral f receiving

Hey, this is my first time writing in more than a decade and I have been loving everyone's work on here so much I wanted to give it a try. please let me know if you enjoyed or if you have any feedback! Also, I am Canadian so there are definitely some spelling that may be different from American and also some simple things like how in Canada the waitress brings the credit machine to the table instead of taking the card, stuff like that. Anyway, I'm rambling, enjoy!

Word count; 11k+

The dimly lit sign of the bar had a few letters burnt out of it. The green leather booths hadn’t been updated since the place opened 20 years ago. The wood bar had been meticulously cared for and still shone with the polish it received weekly. It was a humble bar, a place for regulars and the odd collection of students who would trickle in from the college 10 miles from there. But that sign laid up against the burnt orange Texan sky made a certain group of ex-military men, trying to find their place back in a world that has very much changed since their time in the service, feel like they could have a few beers and cheers to forget about the worries in their lives.

The four men poured into the bar at their usual time every other Friday night. They were all busy in life right now but made sure they still got together on a regular basis. They would laugh about old times, be each other’s wing men so that at least of them could get lucky from time to time and remind themselves how exceptionally bad Santiago is at pool for someone who is such a sharpshooter in the field.

Benny and Will slid in on opposite sides of their regular spot to meet in the middle on the c shaped booth, followed by Santiago on the right side and Frankie on the left edge, always sitting with his right leg slightly in the aisle to stretch out.

Santiago scanned the room intently, not unusual as this was a habit the four of them had developed during their time in the service, however his face gave Frankie an uneasy feeling when it suddenly met his with a half smirk.

“Okay boys, I know we all like to have our fun on these nights, but tonight we are focusing on Morales alright?” Santiago said firmly to Benny and Will with an outstretched hand pointed at Frankie.

Frankie instantly furrowed his brow at this sudden declaration, “What do you mean focus on me?” He scanned Benny and Wills’ faces to see if they were in on something he wasn’t aware of.

“I mean,” Santiago started, leaning forward on the wood table, his face becoming more illuminated under the low glow of the hanging light pendant above them, “you need to get laid because it has for one, been too damn long, two, you’re shit at talking to women lately and three as your roommate I’m sick of hearing you listen to Alanis Morisette on repeat.” Santiago counted the reasons in his right hand before laying it flat on the table and quirking his left eyebrow up at his friend.

Before Frankie could open his mouth fully, Will interjected pointing lazily in Frankies direction. “He doesn’t need a cheap hookup, Pope. What Frankie needs is a relationship to get back into it. A nice girl that will take care of him.” Will crossed his arms and rested his back gently on the booth as he gave Frankie a reassuring smile.

“Nah, I’m with Pope on this one.” Benny perked up, “One night between the sheets and then he’s back in the streets.” He had a shit eating grin on his face like he always did whenever someone talked about a hook up. Benny being the ladies’ man he is was always down to support his friends getting some.

“Thank you, Benny, someone’s got some sense here.” Santiago tilted his head toward Benny who nodded back.

“Do I get a say in this?” Frankie asked callously, his right hand waived slightly in the air with his question and his other perched underneath his chin as he listened to his friends dive into the dampness that is his love life.

“No.” all three men said in unison with a quick glance at him. He gave a huff and watched as they all returned to a conversation he was seemingly excluded from.

“Now I’m not saying he doesn’t need someone to take care of him, I’m just saying he needs someone to take, care, of him you know what I mean?” Santiago winked and dragged out a select few words to make his point.

“Ohh yeah.” Benny slyly chimed in.

Will pulled his shoulders off the back of the booth and shifted his body toward Santiago who instantly felt his lecture being prepared, “No, no he needs someone to take care of him in more ways than just physically. He needs be taken care of emotionally as well.”

The three men spurred into a loud retort of their opinions, hands waving back and forth towards Frankie as he looked at the fishing painting laden behind Bennys head that he’s seen a hundred times before.  Frankie knows he hasn’t been in a relationship or even had a hook up in almost a year. He had finalized his divorce 3 years ago and since then he hasn’t had much luck with women, so he lost interest in trying. The dating apps were getting routine as well. Some girl in her twenties he had nothing in common with and couldn’t even tolerate enough to get through a one night stand was pretty typical.

They were all so distracted in their own nonsense they didn’t notice when she suddenly appeared at the edge of the table with her notepad and pen in hand. After a quiet hello and no interest from the men she brazenly tapped her pen on the table between them and they all stopped mid-sentence to turn and look at her with the same taken aback expression on their faces.

“Hi, um, sorry to interrupt, I’m Sadie and I’ll be taking care of you this evening.” She said with a weary smile to the group of ridiculously good-looking men.

All four men looked at her face, tan and freckled with a wide smile that lit up her green eyes. Beautiful amber red hair that fell loosely down her back with a slight curl. And then down to her white tank crop top, short black waitress apron tied around her hips with a few highlighters and a bottle cap opener tucked in over light wash flare legged ripped jeans. Finishing off the look with red cowboy boots, close enough of a colour to match her hair.

Their heads immediately snapped back to one another’s and then back at hers as she sheepishly waited their response. Frankie pulled the hand that had been resting under his chin down to his lap with an interested look.

Santiago shifted in his seat, turning on his heart winning smile as an idea grew behind his eyes. “Sadie, you said?”

She smiled and nodded back to him, holding her pen to her paper now. Expecting to take his order next. But Santiago was never known to be predictable.

He slid his left elbow to rest on the top of the booth and angled himself toward her. The three other men shared a quick glance at each other, unsure where he was going with this interaction.

“I’ve never seen you here before, when did you start?”

“It will be two weeks tomorrow actually.” She responded with a pleasant smile.

“Huh, how long have you been bartending?” He asked.

She pursed her lips to think and squinted as she replied, “About 5 years. But I just do it to pay for my schooling.” Her hair flowed on her shoulder, and she brushed the piece on her left side onto her back, revealing more of her perfectly tanned and freckled skin under the bright white top.

Santiago raised his eyebrows at this information, egging him on to continue the conversation. “What are you in school for?”

“I’m getting my master’s in child psychology through an online university.” Sadie replied with a confident smile, clearly prideful of her career choice.

Santiago pressed on, “Wow that is amazing. Good for you, where were you working before you came here?”

With a huff she shrugged, “I was just at this one chain restaurant across town. But I didn’t get good tips there and as my education is ridiculously expensive, I decided to make a change.”

“What brought you to our little slice of paradise?” Santiago quipped with a charming smile.

Frankie watched as his friend went back and forth with the beautiful bartender. She wasn’t Santiagos typical type, so he was skeptical on what his motive to have this lengthy of a conversation with her was. Not that Frankie was minding as he was as intrigued with this woman as Santiago seemed to be.

She hummed; she was surprisingly pleased with the actual interest in her. But she knew the type, the charmer. Luckily, she knew exactly how to deal with a charmer in her years in the bartending industry. Get them to blink first.

“My friend actually used to work here for a few months. She said that there are so many regulars that you get the opportunity to get to know people and then they start taking care of you and tipping well.” Sadie spoke confidently, knowing she had the attention of these men and thought now would be a good time to turn the tables. “Plus, and her words not mine,” she waived her hands casually, still holding the pen and notepad in her right hand. “She said if you have a great ass you’ll get great tips. So, here I am.” She chuckled.

Frankie, Benny and Will all blushed briefly, but Santiago stayed with his eyes firm on the target.

“So, you’re saying you have a great ass?” he quickly retorted.

“I guess that will be decided on how good your tip is.” She leaned forward slightly, not breaking eye contact with the man until he finally broke and turned his head with a chuckle.

“Do you say that to all your customers to get a better tip?”

Sadie smiled, “Only if I’m sure they’ll fall for it.”

Damn, Frankie thought. Smart, quick, and funny. He’s concerned Santiagos interest is more peaked than he thought and now he’s the one who’s been sitting idly by while his best friend flirts with one of the most perfect women he’s ever met.

Santigo laughed this jab off and turned to look at the boys. All of whom had an approving look on their faces of the verbal joust they just witnessed between their cocky friend and the new bartender.

When he turned back to her, smile still brazen on his face, he said “We’ll get two pitchers of Corona. We’ll do four by the end of the night so each of us will take one on our bills.”

She wrote down the order, and then looked up and asked, “What can I put down for names on the bills?”

“Santi, that’s Will, Benny and Frankie.” Santiago smiled while gesturing to the guys around the table. “I’ll take one of these on mine.”

“I’ll take the other.” Will raised his hand and smiled when she nodded at him.

“Alright,” she penned in her notepad. “Santi, Will, Benny and Frankie. Will do you ever go by Willy or Billy?” she asked with a soft look.

Will sat up straighter, chuckling slightly. “Uh, no not really. Why?”

“Oh, I just thought if you did then all your names would rhyme, and you could be a fun boy band with rhyming names that’s all.” She said with a giggle. The guys all laughed and tried to convince Will it would be a good change. To which he shook his head.

Sadie stole a quick glance at Frankie whose eyes hadn’t left her for much of the conversation. Not that she minded, his deep brown eyes and curly hair pushing itself out from underneath his baseball hat were cute. She is accustomed daily to lingering glances of men, but this one made her breath catch slightly before speaking again.

“Well then, two pitchers of Corona and one opportunity to check out my ass without judgement coming right up.” She crossed a line on the note pad and turned swiftly towards the bar. Hips swinging a little more than she’d like to admit.

All the men graciously took their opportunity and turned their heads slightly to catch a sight of her walking away.

Santiago turned quickly to the group, “Guys, she’s the one.”

“The one?” Benny asked, arms folded over his chest and leaned back as far as he could. Trying to get comfortable as the biggest guy in the booth.

“Yes, the one we were just talking about. For Frankie.” Santiago gestured to his friend who perked his eyebrows up at the new thought that Santiago wasn’t interested in Sadie at all. “It can go both ways, he could either have a great hook up with a hot bartender and then just keep a professional relationship with her here if there’s nothing more to it, or he could get into a relationship with a great, smart, nice and competent girl.”

Frankie adjusted himself in his seat. “What if it went South and she was pissed at me. Then all we have is a bartender at our favourite spot spitting in our pitchers.” He didn’t think she’d be the type, but he was also incredibly nervous by Santiagos proposition.

They all took a beat, taking in this possible outcome. They looked over at Sadie at the bar. She was pouring a tall beer for a woman and chatting in a bubbly and infatuating way. She reached below the bar and tossed a coaster onto the top. She placed the beer on top of the coaster and slid it over to the customer with a bright smile. The men all watched as she flung her hair over her back and gathered it loosely in her right hand while she fanned her face with her left, seemingly making a comment about the heat behind the bar with the warm lights above her. Her skin shone and her eyes squinted slightly as she talked, moistening her lips as she listened to her coworker.

Santiago turned back to the group, “Yeah, I think that’s worth the risk buddy. At least it would be for me.”  A devilish grin wiping his face.

Frankie’s gaze didn’t waver from her. He observed her low neckline that curved on her plush chest. The way her tan stomach peaked out below her top showing off her belly button ring. The tattoos on various parts of her body that he would love to get a closer look of, or taste.

He adjusted himself slightly before making eye contact with Santiago. “Alright, I’m in.” They all cheered, and Benny patted him on the back. “But I don’t even know where to start man.”

“That’s why you have me, don’t sweat it okay.” Santiago dove into his seemly well thought out plan considering he only met Sadie a mere minutes ago. “When she brings the drinks back, we’ll get her talking again, make sure you actually contribute this time.” He gave a pointing glare to his friend, which made Frankie shrug his shoulders slightly, making him appear a bit smaller. “And then about 20 minutes later, you go over to the bar, order some food, and strike up a conversation. We’ll see where we’re at after that.”

The three men nodded at this suggestion. Frankie was suddenly never more nervous for his beer to arrive. Ironically, he needed the beer to make him able to go through with this. He hasn’t felt this nervous around a woman in longer than he can remember.

Benny and Will started into their typical conversation about Ben’s upcoming fight. They all loved Benny’s hobby. It provided them with great entertainment and an opportunity to get into the ring themselves during his training to get out a bit of frustrations. Will was just diving into the schedule and reminding the guys when they needed to check in as security detail when Sadie appeared from the bar with two pitchers in one hand four beer mugs in the other and 4 coasters tucked into the strap of her tank top.

“Whoa, incoming.” Santiago said as he cleared his phone and wallet off the table to make room.

Sadie carefully placed the two pitches down before grabbing the coasters from her strap and tossing them down one by one in front of the men. She then sat each glass atop the coasters and put her hands on her hips with a huff.

“Well then, and they say bartending isn’t a physical job.” A thanks coming round the table from each of the men. “Can I take care of anything else for you right now?”

Before the group was able to speak a rowdy bunch of college boys pushed themselves through the door and stumbled to a table nearby. Sadie rolled her eyes at the sight.

“Are you okay?” Frankie asked, earning him an approving look from Santiago.

“Yeah, it’s just the college kids that come in here can get really annoying and handsy. It’s fine though, better than dealing with men who probably have daughters the same age as me asking what time I get done my shift.” She looked somewhat deflated at the reality of her job, that it wasn’t all pouring drinks and chatting with nice handsome men.

The guys all looked at each other, they had spent plenty of time with guys like that in the service. The one’s who would try to take up skirt shots of the waitresses when they would go out as a group. It made them apologetic for their gender.

“Sucks, sorry about that.” Benny finally rang out on behalf of the group.

She just gave a half smile, her eyes a little dimmer than before as she mentally prepared to go over and get their orders.

“Well, you don’t have to worry about anything like that tonight. We’ll keep an eye on them. This guy right here,” Frankie threw a hand on Ben’s shoulder, “is a big MMA fighter and the rest of us do security for him at the fights. If they get out of hand, I’m sure we can take care of them.”

Sadie lifted her head a little higher, impressed by the apparent knight in shining armor sitting to her left, ready to take care of her. “Hm, thanks Frankie. I’ll keep you- that, that in mind.” She stammered, before retreating over to the table with the college boys. Head held a little higher knowing she wouldn’t have to call one of the cooks from the back to throw a guy out like she’s had to do twice already at her new place of work.

Frankie watched intently, keeping an eye on the three college guys while they gawked at Sadie and her uncomfortably smiling back at them. Finally breaking attention when Santiago snaps his fingers at him.

“That was perfect buddy. A little damsel in distress and hero thing going on. She thinks she needs you to take care of her, very well played.”

“I wasn’t playing her; it sucks she has to deal with that shit at work and I wanted her to know that she could relax a bit tonight.”

“Fair enough, either way. I think she’s starting to like you. Which brings us to our next stage of the plan.” He rubbed his palms together with a devilish grin. Benny and Will chuckled at the commitment their friend had to his masterful plan. If he had a whiteboard available right now, he would’ve done a whole chart of each move he wanted Frankie to make.

“Why use our poor excuse of security work as an example and not oh I don’t know, our years in the military?” Will asked with his head cocked.

Frankie finished pouring his drink and hummed, “I’ll tell her, just a uh- topic of conversation for later.” He finally grinned, not wanting to reveal too much to her so he would have something to talk to her about later.

Half an hour later, the men had been nursing their beers in an effort to prevent an unplanned visit from Sadie if she noticed they needed a refill. All the while she stole glances to the booth wherever she was and with whomever she was talking to. Frankie saw her hold her position behind the bar long enough without anyone else talking to her and decided it was his opportunity to have another talk with her.

He slinked up from his seat in the booth, with his friend’s encouragement and walked over to the bar. She was illuminated by low hanging lights and beer company signs. There were bottles of liquor along the wall behind her and stacks of glasses of all sorts of shapes and sizes.  

“Hey,” she beamed at him when he leaned against the counter. “Can I help you with anything?”

Frankie calmed his nerves the best he could, wiping a bit of peanut dust off the bar in front of him. “Yeah, uh we were actually just wondering if we could get an order of the nachos for the table.”

She blushed, slightly embarrassed, “Oh sorry I guess I haven’t checked in on you guys in a while.”

“No, no it’s fine. You’re obviously busy tonight.”

Sadie smiled at his consideration and moved over to the computer. “Well, still sorry about that. But I promise I’ll take care of you now.” She worked quickly on the computer and then looked up at him. “Whose tab should I put it on?”

“Uhm,” He looked over his shoulder at his friends, and snickered at Santiago briefly. “Put it on Pope’s tab.”

“Pope?” she looked back puzzled.

“Shit, sorry, Santi.”

She nodded, finishing the order. “Those will be out in about 15 minutes.”

“Great, thanks.” Frankie tapped his hands on the bar, unsure how to keep this conversation going.

She grabbed a washcloth and spray and started cleaning up a spill on the counter below her. “So, Frankie” Her thought was stopped abruptly by the sound of a group in the corner cheering and clinking their beer mugs. She chuckled to herself at the interruption. “Since you guys aren’t a boy band, how did y’all meet?”

There’s that topic of conversation he was waiting for. “We all served together, in the military.” He said causally.

Sadie lifted her eyebrows, clearly impressed by the new information about these lovely strangers she’d just met. “Wow, well thank you for your service I guess.” They shared a smile. “Is that where Santis nickname comes from?”

“Yeah, yeah. He’s Pope, Will is iron head, and I’m uh- Catfish. Fish for short.” He nodded away shyly.

“That’s so cool. It’s nice to see you’re all still so close. But wait, what’s Bennys nickname?”

Frankie rubbed his chin; thankful she didn’t immediately dive into the reason for his nickname. “He actually doesn’t have one. He came up the ranks a little later than the rest of us and the nicknames had already been dealt out so, a bit of an oversight by us.”

“Huh,” she simmered in his explanation briefly. “So, what do you do now?”

“I was a pilot when I was in active duty so now, I’m an instructor for the base in the next town over.” He loved telling women he was a pilot; it was something a step above what everyone else did during their time in the service, so it made him feel a little special.

She clearly thought he was special too, as she stopped cleaning to put one hand on her hip where her jeans were a little too low and her shirt was a little too high. How Frankie wanted to feel how soft she must be in that spot as he stared at her hand. “That’s really cool Frankie. It must be amazing being up there and in control of it all.”

“It is, I really enjoy flying. I could uh, take you up sometime in a helicopter if you’d like.”

“Oh Frankie, I don’t make good enough tips here that I could afford a private helicopter tour.” She laughed, grabbing some glasses to clean.

“No, it wouldn’t, I wouldn’t charge you anything. I bring friends up all the time.” He stated, hoping to not sound too forward.

She peered up at him through her eyelashes, interested in his forwardness. “So, I would qualify for the friend discount then? Didn’t you just meet me an hour ago?” Sadie blushed, she liked the thought of being Frankies friend, or more.

“Would you believe I’ve always made friends fast?” He asked, “On my first day of basic Santi picked me out of the crowd, sat right down next to me because I looked the quietest of the group and he didn’t want to deal with all the typical macho army guys. We’ve been best friends ever since.”

Sadie looked down at the counter she was cleaning and thought for a moment. “Well, I’m so busy right now my best friend is pretty much my mom so making a new friend wouldn’t be so bad now that I think of it.”

Frankie started to respond, but one of Sadie’s coworkers came behind the bar and asked her to talk to the manager as they needed to see her.

“Alright I’ll be right there. I’ll get those nachos out to you as soon as they’re ready Frankie.”

Before he could say anything, she retreated to the back area for employees with a smile in his direction.

Frankie returned to his friends and slid into the booth. “So, how’d it go?” Santiago pressed.

“Good, the nachos will be out in like, 10 minutes.” Frankie said casually, sipping on his beer.

Santiago looked around breathlessly before sputtering, “I don’t give a damn about the nachos.”

Benny raised his hand, “I uh, actually do give a damn about the nachos.” Always ready to eat a full meal no matter the time of day.

“Fish, how did it go with Sadieee.” He elongated her name to accentuate how visibly annoyed he is about his friend’s slack attitude.

Frankie and Benny chuckled to themselves, “It was good man alright. She’s nice. I told her about us serving together, the nicknames came up, offered her a ride in a helicopter. You know, casual stuff.” He looked to the Millers who nodded along. Frankie was trying his best not to seem too excited, because truthfully, he was already developing a big crush just from the few interactions with her.

Santiago tilted his head at his unsuspecting friend. “You invited her for a helicopter ride? The second time you talked to her.”

Frankie shrugged, “Yeah, it just came up. Girls like that stuff. She thought it was cool when I told her about it so, I don’t know.” His nervousness grew with the line of questioning.

“What happened to leaving it open for a one-night stand?”

“It still can be, or maybe it could be something real. I’d prefer the latter but, we’ll see I guess.”

Santiago leaned back in his seat, unsure where to go in his plan based on this new information. He stewed for a few minutes while the guys went back into conversation.

His train of thought was cut when Sadie appeared and placed the nachos on the table. “Here you go, I’ll be right back with some plates.”

She returned and placed the plates on the table, she then unexpectedly pulled a water bottle out of her apron and pulled a chair up to the front of the booth to sit down from a nearby table.

The group looked with surprise at the sudden guest at their table. Frankie thanked the stars that they asked for the nachos when they did.

“Sorry to interrupt but I am finally on a break, and I just found out that the other closer for the night was the girl that called in today.” She took a sip from her water before proceeding. “So that means I am closing by myself and something that typically takes 30 minutes is going to take an hour. Yay me, and I don’t really have any interest in sitting in that dreary break room right now to wallow in my self-pity for how late I am going to get home tonight.”

“Hey, it’s no problem, more the merrier.” Will leaned in to cheer her with his beer and her water bottle.

“So, the nick name thing. I have multiple questions.” She started.

The group of men laughed, “Okay what you got.” Santiago asked.

“Pope, where the hell did that come from, because from my slight interactions with you, I would personally point you towards a more Southern direction in that aspect.” She touched her hands to her chest and laughed along with Santiago.

“I gave a lot of speeches back in the day and really laid on my so-called wisdom a little thick which ended up earning me the title.” He shrugged with his laugh and pulled his beer up to his lips, without breaking eye contact.

“Huh, interesting. And Benny,” she suddenly turned her attention to the younger man over to her left who pointed at himself cautiously. “No nick name. That doesn’t seem fair.”

“Don’t even get me started,” he leaned forward. The rest of the men groaned, apparently hearing this over and over again. “I totally got shafted on that.”

Sadie propped her right hand under her chin leaning forward. Frankie at his angle could see a side view of her cleavage and realized he needed to drop his glance quickly before she noticed. “Well, what would your nick name be if you could choose one now?”

Without hesitation Benny beamed with excitement. “Oh, I have been thinking about this for a damn long time. If I could pick my name, it would be Steel Heart.”

She looked at him puzzled, “Steel Heart?” he nodded confidently. “Because your brother is Iron Head and you what, steal women’s hearts?”

“Bingo.” Benny grinned shooting her a finger gun and a wink, clearly enjoying his moment.

The rest of the group looked at each other and revealed in Bennys excitement.

“Seriously man?” Will questioned.

“Oh, because Iron Head is so damn cool?”

“Well, yeah I mean it is.” Will said, shrugging against his brother who was giving him an annoyed look.

“What about you hermosa what would your nick name be?” Frankie asked Sadie softly. Her eyes flicked to him, and he felt his heart skip a beat. She brushed her hair behind her left ear and put her mouth to her shoulder to meet his eyes. They stared at each other for a moment while she contemplated the question.

She finally turned back to the group from the little bubble she and Frankie had been enjoying themselves in. “Oh, I don’t think I can answer that right now, that’s too big of a decision. Check back in next time I see you and maybe I’ll have an idea.” She smirked at him, very much hoping there would be a next time she saw him.

Frankie nodded, accepting this answer, and soaking in the attention he got from her. He wanted to know what it was like to have his mouth on her shoulder like she had just done. He thought about pulling her strap down with his teeth and running his mouth along her soft shoulder up to her neck as she gasped for more -.

“Fish!”

Frankie looked frantically, realizing he had completely zoned out and missed whatever just happened. He’s praying he had at least let his eyes fall to table and not leave them on Sadie’s shoulder the whole time. Will leaned over, “Fish did you hear me?”

“No, sorry I must’ve zoned out for a second, what’s up?” He squinted his eyes trying to pay attention as the group smirked at his lack of attention.

Will continued, “Sadie asked where Catfish came from, I said you should be the one to answer that.” He winked.

Frankie slouched down, there goes that relief. “I had a hard time growing facial hair when I was what, twenty-three. Anyway, they said it looked like catfish whiskers.” He slumped further down and tried to avoid the gaze of Sadie. While the guys chuckled at their long-standing joke. She leaned over and put a hand on his arm with a squeeze. She could tell he was uncomfortable and didn’t like the story.

“Hey, it’s okay. Your facial hair is pretty cute now and that’s all that matters.” Sadie missed the glances of the other men as they enjoyed the moment their friend was having with the girl they were trying to set him up with all night. She winked and lingered her glance at the man now blushing.

Frankies eyes burned into her with want and desire, she felt herself flutter suddenly and a warmness grew in her gut as she thought about how long her hand has been on his arm. She pulled away and tucked her hand under her chin, trying to cover how flushed she felt her chest becoming.

Ruining the moment, the group of college boys had started making more noise and gesturing to her. She sat up straight in her seat and grabbed her water bottle. “Well, I’d say that’s my cue to get back to it.” She huffed.

Sadie stood back up and adjusted her apron on her hips. “Thanks for the distraction guys, want me to get you those next pitchers?”

They all nodded with half smiles as she went back to the bar to drop off her water bottle. She then slowly strutted over to the table the college guys were sitting at and stood with her back to the men in the booth.

“Hey guys can I help you with anything?” Sadie asked cautiously, scratching her scalp with the back of her pen and doing whatever she could not to make eye contact with the insufferable boys who were obviously checking her out.

The boys shuffled and stifled their laughs, the one sitting to the right of Sadie had a backwards hat on and blonde hair peeking out. He wore a crisp new white t shirt and his hands had clearly never seen a day of work in his life. “Yeah, we were just wondering which one of those guys over there is your boyfriend?” He nodded back to the booth Frankie and the guys were sitting in.

Sadie looked over her shoulder briefly and then back at the guy whose eyes were like daggers. “I’m sorry?”

“Well, you’ve been paying them an awful lot more amount of attention than you’ve been giving us, so I just assumed one of them was your boyfriend.” He shrugged with a mischievous smile.

She could tell his intentions were not sincere, so she played his little game in hopes she could move on quickly. “Uh, yeah sorry, my boyfriend is over there with his friends, so I was checking in during my break. So, do you need a refill or any food before the kitchen closes?” She tucked her head down toward her notepad to deflect his eyes.

“Which one?”

“Hm?” Her eyebrows almost touched the base of her nose with how low she pulled them at his question.

“Which one is your boyfriend?” He nodded towards the group again and rubbed his chin with a sly smile. The other two boys chuckled into their fists at the interaction.

Sadie pulled her head up, getting more annoyed by the second. She looked over her shoulder again and caught Frankies’ eyes who seemed to be fixed on the group. “The one with the hat.” She said, trying to be as casual as possible.

The guy looked back at Frankie whose eyes didn’t leave the table despite his friends engaging in conversation again. Frankie could see the smugness radiating off this guy and didn’t trust to take his eyes off him for a second.

He turned back to give his buddies a smug look and they smiled along with him. “He looks like the jealous type.”

She pulled her lips tight, “Yeah I guess so.” Her uncomfortableness grew by the second. Why do they always have so much shit to say she thought to herself. She thought back to Frankie and the guys and made a mental note to write down that order of pitchers she almost forgot about when she was lost in Frankies brown eyes.

“So uh, he wouldn’t really like this then.” With one swift motion he took Sadie’s right wrist and began to pull her down to sit on his lap. She huffed with shock but before she was able to push herself off him a loud voice thundered from behind.

“Hey! Get your damn hands off her!”

The kid jumped in his skin and pushed her up before looking back to see Frankie standing up beside the booth, the three other men’s attention turned as well but more in shock of Frankies abrupt reaction. The boy threw his hands up near his face, clearly shocked by the reaction of Frankie. He was obviously trying to get some sort of reaction, but he was now fearing he was about to be dragged outside by this furious pit-bull of a man who was baring his teeth.

Sadie turned her shocked look from Frankie back to the guy. She smoothed out her apron and drew her head high. “What he fucking said!” She pointed at Frankie as her voice grew towards the boy. “I’ll get your bills.” She huffed and stormed off towards the bar.

Frankie gave the kid one last look of disgust before Benny had him settled back into his seat.

“Okay down boy it’s fine.” Santiago tried to reassure his friend who was still fuming in his seat. “Well, I’d say you definitely have her attention now, I’ll take care of this. You two just make sure he doesn’t go all bull in a China shop in here alright?” Santiago nodded at the Millers who did their best to calm their friend.

Santiago slipped out of the booth and peeked at Sadie behind the bar. Her back was to them, working on the bills for the pricks at the table he is now approaching. The three boys watched him approach them, settling deep into their chairs. He leaned forward between two of them and rested his hands firmly on the edge of the table.

“Listen, I’m not gonna let me buddy there beat the shit out of you, which yes, he could easily do. But just take this moment as an opportunity to grow, you know, learn something and do better next time. Maybe don’t sexually harass bartenders anymore, or anyone for that matter. And definitely don’t intentionally piss off an ex special ops soldier, got it?” They looked at him with side eyes, fearing they may turn to stone if they made direct eye contact with him. He nodded and pulled his hands away, not before leaning in one last time and whispering, “Oh, and you better fucking tip good.” He winked, and the boys nodded.

Santiago sauntered back to the booth just as Sadie wrapped up her computer work and turned to go back to the table. She grabbed a debit machine and marched over with her head held high. She did her best to ignore the agonizing stir Frankies little outburst had given her, and how badly she wanted to show him how much she appreciated it.

The guys watched as she closed off their bills, giving them icy stares and barely acknowledging their existence. The whole time they creepily snuck a peak at the four men all staring with daggers in their eyes as they waited for the three to leave.

Once they were paid up, they said their meek thanks to Sadie, who responded with a cold, “Yeah whatever.” and made their way out of the bar.

Frankie relaxed a bit once he saw the guys leave, but he relaxed even more when Sadie appeared with a tray carrying two pitchers and a small glass.

“Alright, here’s those two pitchers, on Benny and Frankies tabs.” She said as she settled the pitchers in the middle of the table. “And one,” she grabbed the small glass that seemed to be a rum and coke. “thank you, on the house.” She leaned forward and placed the glass in front of Frankie before making eye contact with him and leaning in to rest a small kiss on his cheek. Frankies eyes fell to her mouth, and he wished she had closed the gap. He smiled and said thanks before she pulled away and went back to the bar.

The men all turned to Frankie, eyes wide at his interaction.

“Buddy, that is what I’m talking about.” Santiago cheered.

Benny and Will also showed their celebration as Frankie took a sip of his new drink.

“Now, I’ve been thinking about your closing move alright? She said she doesn’t have any help to close the bar down right?”

Frankie nodded at Santiago, agreeing with this statement.

“Well, there’s your in. Offer to stay and help her close. You and her alone in the empty bar for half an hour. Talk, make sure you show you’re interested. Graze your hand on her hip when you squeeze past her behind the bar. Stuff like that, and then boom once all the work is done. Close the deal.” He clapped his hands together and leaned forward with excitement. He hasn’t been more focused on a target in years.

Frankie nodded and agreed to this proposition. He sat in silence for a while as the other men talked and thought about how his cheek felt after Sadie kissed it. How it would feel to have that same softness grace his lips. Her hair smelt like lavender when she got that close to him, and he wanted nothing more than to grab the back of her head and lead her to his lips.

The night wore on without incident. Finally, Sadie came to the table with bills in hand and her machine. She started with Santiago, keying in his total and passing the machine to him while she chatted with the others about how sore her feet were from walking all night. Santiago passed the machine back to her and she watched as the receipt filed out. She pulled it from the machine without looking at the content and held it to her chest.

“Alright, moment of truth. Does Santi think I have a great ass?” She indicated to the boys with a nod that she needed a drum roll. The three men kindly obliged and started drumming their fingers on the table, Santiago rolled his eyes and leaned his head back against the top of the booth. With a beat she pulled the receipt up to her face and dropped it with an open mouth smile on her face. “He does!”

They all cheered enthusiastically, except for Santiago who waved his hands conceding.

Sadie moved on to Will, and upon pulling his receipt through commented, “Hm, Will is more of a boob guy, good to know.” She smirked at him, and Benny smacked his shoulder with a full body laugh.

“Whoa, whoa that is not fair.” He laughed.

Sadie grinned and started keying in Bennys order. “I’m just kidding you, Willy.” She looked up and winked. He leaned back in his seat with a gapped expression, finding the interaction humorous of course. “I gotta joke a little bit otherwise jobs like this eat you alive.”

They all hummed in response, recalling all the pranks and jokes they used to get into in the service. No matter the circumstances, they still found a way to keep their head straight through some humor.

 Sadie finished up all the bills, thanking Frankie with a gushing smile for his overzealous tip.

“Well, it was really nice to meet you all. I hope to take care of you all again soon.” She smiled and the guys said their thanks and started piling out of the booth.

Santiago patted his friend on back, “Aright buddy this is it. Good luck, I hope it works out however would make you the happiest.”

Frankie gave his friends an assuring nod before doing a quick jog to catch up with Sadie as she moved back to the bar.

“Hey Sadie?”

She turned, surprised and pleased that Frankie wasn’t following his friends out the door. “Hey Frankie, what’s up?”

Frankie rubbed his hands on his faded jeans, trying to calm himself once more. “Are you still closing by yourself tonight?”

“Yeah, unfortunately. The kitchen left an hour ago and the manager and other bartender will be leaving in a few minutes. Why?”

“Well, I uh, I don’t have any place to be, so I was wondering if you wanted some help?” he said cautiously.

She eyed him through squinted lids and looked at him up and down. Worn out baseball hat that probably hasn’t left his head in decades over curly brown hair. A tight grey T-shirt under a loose flannel shirt. Light jeans that probably didn’t start out that way but have been worn in the sun too long and washed too many times. He seemed harmless enough and he’s treated her well so far tonight, in fact so well she had started finding herself walking by him just to ensure he could catch a glimpse of her through the night.

“So, you want to stay late and help me clean, because you have nowhere else to be?” She asked with a pointed look.

He swallowed deep, “Yeah I just thought you would like the help and maybe the company.” He tried his best to sound light, meanwhile his ears with ringing with nervousness.

She took a beat to think once more, “So you’d help me clean and then we would both get to our own beds at a decent time tonight, right?” She emphasized “own”.

He nodded in agreement, “Sure, of course.”

Sadie started back behind the bar again and Frankie followed like a dog chasing a bone. “Alright Fish, you stay put here and once everyone else is gone we’ll get started.” With that she disappeared behind the employee entrance door.

Frankie sat at the bar by himself for 20 minutes, watching as the other customers exited slowly and as the rest of the staff said their goodnights to Sadie and then retreated to the employee entrance. It was 1:15am when she locked the door and closed the shades to the front windows.

She sauntered over to him, her cowboy boots clicking as she walked. She ran her finger from shoulder to shoulder on Frankies back. He felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up at the sensation. “Let’s get cleaning Mr. Helpful.”

Over the course of the next thirty minutes, they did just that. They cleaned and restocked the bar, all while recounting vacation stories, and childhood memories. Sadie talked about how she had gone into finance right out of high school and found it unfulfilling so she decided to go back to school in her late twenties to do something she could be proud of. Frankie talked of his friendship with the guys and although they had to go through terrible times to all be together, they were all still thankful they had the opportunity because now they have each other.

All the while Frankie kept Santiagos notes tucked away in head. He would graze his hand on hers when she would pass him something. He held her waist in place as he scooted behind her at the bar. He brushed her hair off her face when her hands were in rubber gloves doing dishes. Each time he had a physical interaction with her she felt that familiar burning sensation she had felt when Frankie had yelled at that prick that got handsy with her. She caught herself staring at his lips as he spoke and trying to position herself in a way that they would have to have some sort of physical contact. She couldn’t even understand why she was doing it all. She just wanted him to want her so badly.

Frankie finished his half of the cleaning list and approached Sadie who was at the pool table. She was leaned over wiping down the last part of the wood finished edges. He held his gaze on her ass and admired how plump it looked in her tight jeans. He shook his head to throw the devilish thoughts out of it and met her eyes when she turned to look at him.

“Well, that’s that. Thank you for all the help.” She threw the cloth into a bucket on the floor and leaned against the pool table with her arms crossed.

He took a few steps in and placed his left hand on the pool table beside her, resting some of his weight on it. “It was no problem hermosa. I had fun.” He smiled at her.

She squinted her eyes slightly, “That’s the second time you’ve called me that. What does it mean?”

He looked her up and down shyly, “Beautiful.” He said softly, meeting her eyes with an intense gaze.

She inhaled deeply, her chest rising and falling in an extremely noticeable way. Frankie grinned at this as he checked out her cleavage quickly. She looked down at her feet for a moment, trying to determine the best way to respond to such a compliment. She lifted her head back up at him and asked, “Do you call all your friends beautiful?”

Frankie shrugged, shifting his weight slightly. “No,” he paused “Just you, and Benny of course.” He chuckled.

She rolled her head back with her laugh, “Well I don’t blame you; he is VERY pretty.” She grinned back at him.

“Truthfully though,” he leaned in slightly, trying to gage her physical response. “I’m not sure I still want to be your friend. I think I may want a little more than that.”

Sadie felt herself flush, “Well would I still get the discount on the helicopter rides?” she asked softly, intensifying her gaze.

He leaned in further, staring at her lips as he spoke. “Of course, it also comes with lots of other perks too.”

“Hm, like what?” She tilted her head up, catching a glimpse of him moistening his lips as she spoke.

“Like this.” He leaned in fully and latched his mouth onto hers.

It was a soft kiss, not wanting to read too much into things. She didn’t pull away, but he was still unsure if she was just being friendly. He broke the kiss and pulled his face away a few inches to look at her. She unfolded her arms and grazed one finger along his jaw line.

“That seems like a pretty good perk, but you said there’d be lots right?” She lowered her eyebrows and parted her lips, meeting his gaze.

He smirked and stepped into her, placing his hands on her hips as hers moved around his neck. They both opened their mouths for one another and deepened the kiss. It was hungry and passionate. He ran his hands over the exposed skin on her lower back and moaned at the warmth. Sadie glided her right hand around the curls at the top of Frankies neck and slid her left up and down his chest.

Frankie moved his hands lower to grab her plush thighs and in a swift motion hoisted her up to be seated on the edge of the pool table. She parted her legs for him, and he stood flush with her chest heaving against his.

She pulled away to start planting desperate kisses on his neck and he rubbed his hands on her ass through her tight jeans as she made her way up to swirl her tongue around in his left ear. He moaned at the feeling and her deep breathing in his ear. He ducked his head, and she pulled back so he could slot his mouth on hers again. He pulled her closer, so her aching core was pressed up against his stiff boner in his jeans. She gasped at the sensation of feeling how hard he was, and he revealed in the warmth radiating off her.

Frankie pulled off to start kissing down her neck. He moved the hair off her left shoulder with his hand as he nipped at her supple skin. He made his way down to her shoulder and groaned at how soft she was against his lips, better than he had imagined earlier. He nipped at her and grabbed the thin white strap with his teeth to pull it over and off to hang on her arm. He licked a stripe from the top of her shoulder up her neck and brought his hand up to palm her breast.

Sadie moaned and smiled with her eyes closed. “Okay, okay Frankie.” He pulled his head up to meet her eyes. “I just started here two weeks ago, and while I haven’t had the opportunity to read the employee handbook yet, I am fairly positive there will be something in there along the lines of don’t fuck the customers on the pool table.” He grinned at her and placed a kiss on her forehead. “So, why don’t we just go back to my place?”

He hummed, “I don’t know, didn’t you say something about ending up in our own beds tonight?” He emphasized own as she had done earlier.

She rolled her eyes, “Well I guess I’ve been persuaded otherwise.”

He reached his hand up and pulled the strap of her top back onto her shoulder, grazing his finger down her arm to rest his hand on the edge of the pool table. “Alright, well let’s get going then, because I’ve still got lots of perks to show you.” He popped his eyebrows up and gave her a knowing smile.

The energy between the two was electric as he helped her slide down the pool table back onto the floor. She took his hand and led him to the back to slip out of the employee entrance, locking the door as she left. They walked hand in hand to her red car. Based on the boots and the car, he was beginning to figure out her favourite colour. This theory was confirmed when he slid into her passenger seat and noticed the red fuzzy dice hanging from the rear-view mirror. He smiled to himself; he had fuzzy dice in his truck too.  

The drive to her apartment was quiet but comfortable. They stole glances here and there and nodded along to the radio, each of them growing with excitement for what was to come. Frankie rested his hand on her thigh and rubbed tiny circles on the exposed part of her leg through a hole in her jeans. She silently thanked herself for her choice of pants today as the feeling of his calloused thumb stroking her thigh made her core ache for more. She peeked down at his hands and noticed just how large his fingers were. She snapped her head back up with eyes wide and tried to focus on the lights along the streets.

When they arrived at her apartment, it was after 2am. He followed her up the stairs, not wanting to keep too far of a distance from her as his hands ached to feel her again.

“This is me.” She nodded to the apartment door coming up on their right. She fumbled with her keys as she tried to unlock the door, her nerves getting higher by the second. Finally, the lock clicked, and she pushed the door open. She stepped into her apartment and stood in front of the door holding it open for Frankie.

He nodded and walked into the apartment, looking around as he did. There was a white kitchen with an eat in island. The island was covered in notebooks, textbooks, and pens. He imagined her hunched over working on her assignments and grinned to himself. The rest of the room had a small living area with a bright red couch facing a tv. The walls were decorated with framed floral photos and there were a variety of house plants along the windowsill. He stood near the island as she closed the door and put her keys and purse on the counter by the wall.

Sadie rounded the corner of the island, and he turned his head towards her, wrapping his left arm around her waist and pulling her in. She wrapped her hands around his sides, and he pulled her face into his with his right hand. Planting a desperate kiss to her plush lips. She released her lips from his and slowly brought her hand to his, leading him further into the apartment, into her bedroom.

The room was bright white with a white comforter. There were pops of colour with more floral accents adorned the walls. The makeup vanity had large circular bulbs around a round mirror with makeup scattered along the vanity top. Sadie walked over to the bedside table where a blush pink lamp sat and flicked on the light. Frankie admired how she looked in the dim lighting and rested his hands in his pockets as he watched her sit on the bed and take her boots off. Grunting as she popped the snug boots off her feet. She wiggled her toes at the relief from being on her feet all evening.

She stood up and rounded the bed towards him, he gave her a sheepish grin and brushed her hair off her shoulder before cupping her jaw with his hand.

She beamed up at him, “Hi.” She giggled.

Frankie smirked, “Hey you.” And leaned in planting an open mouth kiss on her.

He started backing her up towards the bed until the back of her knees hit the edge. He peeled his plaid shirt off his shoulders and threw it on the floor behind him. She reached for the bottom of his t-shirt and pulled it up over his head, only breaking the kiss to move his shirt past and over his shoulders. He quickly grabbed his hat off his head and shifted it from one hand to the other as he pulled his arms out of his shirt. Placing it back on his head backwards. She ran her hands down his bare chest, stopping to rub her fingers on his treasure trail above his jeans.

The moonlight shone in her window above her bed through the light white curtains. He rubbed his hands along her back until he reached the bottom of her tank top and pulled it over her head. He did quick work to remove her strapless tan bra as well and tossed it aside. Frankie broke away slightly, enough so he could gawk at her supple breasts.

“Fuck, you are so sexy hermosa.” He pressed their bare chests against each other and slowly laid her down on the bed as she scooted backwards so her head was near the pillows.

He hovered above her and broke off the kiss to unbutton her jeans. He slid them down her legs, grabbing her socks as pulled them off. He slowly crawled back up the bed admiring her tan body underneath him. He slid a finger up and down her thigh before grazing it over her entrance atop her lace white panties. He hummed to himself, “Already this wet for me baby?”

“Oh Frankie, I started getting wet for you the minute you took care of those idiots at the bar for me.” She answered, moving her hips slightly to get more pressure from Frankies finger.

“Mmm, yeah? You like it when I take care of you?” She nodded, “You want me to take care of you right now?”

She looked desperate now, the teasing was getting the better of her. “Fuck, yes, Frankie please.”

He took her panties in his hands and yanked them down her legs, the teasing had seemingly stopped and he was going full tilt now.

He dropped down onto the bed and spread her legs with his rough hands, lining his face up with her dripping core, aching for relief. He took one last look at her body illuminated by the lamplight and licked a long stripe between her folds. She moaned in response. He started off so light, just tickling her with his tongue. It made her shiver, feeling his tongue dance around lightly between her thighs. She moved her hands to his head, slightly tugging at the soft curls peeking out under his hat. He continued this slow pace until she felt herself arching her back and reaching behind herself to the headboard.

Sadie suddenly felt a wave of pleasure as her orgasm overtook her and she moaned. Only as she started did he finally start applying pressure, causing her orgasm to linger for far longer than she’s used to. When she came down from her high, he picked up his pace and sucked on her clit until it popped out of his mouth.

“Fuck, Frankie. That was amazing.” She ran her hand over her face and tried to snap back into the moment.

He continued licking her core, “Mm not done with you yet baby.”

Frankie traced his fingers up her thigh before burying two deep in her pussy. She whined at the sudden sensation. He curled his fingers tightly inside her and licked her clit. She couldn’t help but buck her hips up into him as she writhed beneath his face. In and out he pulled his fingers, curling them more and more until she felt the snap in her gut again and flowed into her second orgasm. He pumped her still, letting her ride it out on his face.

When she finally came to a still and stopped moaning his name, he plucked his fingers out and wiped his face with his other hand. He crawled up the bed and met her gaze.

Sadie grabbed his face with her hands and pulled him in for a needy kiss. “How the fuck do you still have pants on?” She asked with a smile as she looked down between them.

Frankie rolled off her and swiftly tugged his pants down with his socks. Leaving him in his tight black Clavin Klein boxer briefs. He began to roll back onto her, “Uh uh, those too Fish.” She pointed at his boxers, and he smiled, rolling back over to pull them away and fling them off the bed. She took a wide look at his size and could feel the dampness pooling between her legs. “Fucking hell Frankie, how did you get the nickname Fish and not- fucking horse with that thing?” She gawked.

He smiled and rolled himself back onto her, “Well I don’t go showing it off or anything. Hey do you have?”

“Oh yeah in that drawer.” She pointed to the nightstand with the lamp on it and he leaned over to pull it open and pluck a condom package out of it. He quickly rolled it on and lined himself up at her entrance.

“You ready baby?” he asked playfully.

She nodded and bit her lip, he leaned down and met her lips with his as he reached his hand down, guiding himself into her.

Her breath hitched and broke the kiss as she felt the stretch of him. She met his eye contact with a wide look as she was overwhelmed by the feeling. He bit his lip and groaned, “You feel so good hermosa.”

He started rocking his hips back and forth slowly, going deeper each time until she was completely filled up. She grabbed his neck to steady herself underneath him as she tried to focus and not be completely tipped over the edge immediately. But she was already so overstimulated by the two orgasms. He picked up his pace and crashed his lips to hers. They made out desperately as he rocked into her, hitting his thighs against her hips. It was all tongue and teeth and moans between them.

“Oh baby, I’m so close.” His words falling from his mouth with barely any air left in his lungs.

She was dancing on the edge of immense pleasure as he gave two final deep thrust and grunted as he filled the condom. The way his cock swelled during his orgasm pushed her over the edge and she came crashing down into another for herself while he slowly rocked his hips, bringing them both down. He collapsed onto her chest and exhaled, trying to catch his breath.

Finally, he rolled off her and laid his forearm on his head as she panted beside him.

“That was,” he started.

“Fucking incredible.” She finished for him.

He smiled and rolled over, giving a loving kiss to her forehead before propping himself up and exiting the room to find the bathroom.

Sadie collected herself enough to ease her tired body under the comforter and turn off the lamp. Frankie came back in and smiled at her snuggled up, still lit up by the moonlight above her. He walked back over to the bed and slid in beside her. She rolled over and rested her head on his chest while his arm found its place behind her.

She drew little circles on his chest as she enjoyed how content the moment was.

“So, do you have any plans tomorrow. Or today I guess.” He chuckled as he looked at the time on his watch.

She grinned, “No I don’t think so.”

“Hm, would you want to hang out?”

“Sure, that’d be nice Frankie.” She smiled to herself as she warmed her face on his chest.

He rubbed her shoulder with his hand, “Anything you got in mind?”

She propped herself up to look at him and he met her eyes. “Well, I have had this evening long dream of going up in a helicopter with a handsome pilot.” She winked.

Frankie gave out a huffed chuckle, “I think I can take care of that for you.”

[gosmigenergy]

KINKTOBER 2023 / Day Two

FROTTAGE / SEXUAL FRUSTRATION / VIRGINITY

( Triple Frontier Boys x F!Reader )

Summary: After a conscious decision to stop dating, your friend invites you to fight night where more than one person catches your eye.

Rating: 12A?

Warnings: Mentions of dating/bad relationships, allusions to a non-monogamous relationship, language, drinking, teeny bit of masturbation, no use of Y/N

Word Count: 4.4k

Notes: When @absurdthirst announced their Kinktober 2023 list, I actually got inspired to start writing and I’m now taking the plunge by posting them online. It’s been a few years since I wrote smut so bear with me. If there is anything spoken in italics, it’s Santiago or Francisco speaking in Spanish, I didn’t want to just Google translate and butcher it. My brain also didn’t do this in numerical order hence why there is no Day 01 though this story seemed more of a fitting start.

I may not complete the entire list so be ready for sporadic updates, enjoy!

The story of how you ended up in an open relationship with four, rather handsome guys was a simple one.

You were lonely and horny but also indecisive.

Your notable chastity came after a series of shitty relationships and dates with men. After being ghosted, catfished and caught up in a quick partnership with a toxic dom, you had pretty much given up on the male species. Except, once a few months had passed, the sexual urge came back, you couldn’t fathom the strength to go out and find people but there is only so much a toy can do.

“A cage fight? What are we going to do at a cage fight?”

“I don’t know,” your friend spoke with a tone that indicated she knew something you didn’t. “But there will be plenty of men.”

You roll your eyes, she was desperate to get you back out there, she also knew you well enough to know fighting your sexual nature was soon going to become a struggle and she couldn’t handle the idea of another crap hook up for you.

“Fine.”

That evening you found yourself outside of town, in front of a sorry looking hanger with your friend waiting for the rest of the group, watching the slim picking choices of men. 

“If I wanted a frat boy, I could have just gone to that one bar.”

Your friend scoffed, “Frat boys are not the only option here.”

They weren’t but they seemed to be the better option. 

Every other man you saw, you wouldn’t touch with a barge pole. Amongst the Frat boys was portly bikers who could barely remain on their bikes, those who you could only describe as rednecks and guys so terrifying, the idea of approaching them didn’t even come to the forefront of your mind.

“How long do you think the girls are going to be?”

“Fashionably late,” she shrugs.

“There’s a strong possibility they’ll miss their guy.”

You have flashbacks to when you went to a concert and they arrived so late, they only made it in time for the main act. The pair of you had sworn never to attend anything with them unless you had your tickets and could make your way to the venue without them. Tonight, you were both a little worried about how they’d be when they turned up and in an event like this, they’d stand out in the crowd.

You hugged your frame, bobbing up and down on the balls of your feet.

“Could we just get them to message when they’re here?”

“We’ll give them another 20 minutes.”

The flurry of people thickened and you stood to one side to allow everyone to pass without having to go around you. You were watching the time pass by on your phone when your friend’s announcement interrupted you.

“They’re here.”

“Thank fuck.”

You raise your head, about to look passed the incoming audience when you caught sight of someone.

He has his head ducked low underneath a baseball cap, his outfit in shades of navy and grey, hands stuffed in tight jeans pockets. Under the brim, his brown eyes flicked up to yours like he knew he was being watched. A smile came to his lips, brightening his five o’clock shadow, the moment between you was brief.

He carried on walking and you kept your eyes in front, swallowing as you felt his gaze still on you.

“Are you ok?” Your friend queried.

“I’m fine.”

The temperature rises in your cheeks.

“Uh-huh.”

In the venue, the group of you squeezed into a middle row on one side of the cage. The rest of the girls had already arrived a little bit ‘squiffy’ as they put it and on the second round of drinks, you’d offered to head to the overcrowded bar.

You had spent the evening rejecting offers from all sort of men, the cheesiest chat up lines plugged to you in every kind of way - ‘when do you get in the ring’, ‘what’s a girl like you doing in a place like this’ etcetera, etcetera. Your mystery man was nowhere to be seen and you think he was just a figment of your imagination.

Pushing your way through the throng, you manage to grab onto the trim of the makeshift bar and haul yourself forward. You lean your weight on your elbows and wait patiently for one of the bar staff to finish serving another drunkard.

“So, what’s a little girl like you doing in a place like this?”

The way they said ‘little girl’ made your skin crawl, even the guy next to you clocked your discomfort.

“Out with friends and would rather be left alone, thank you.”

“Aw, come on, I just want to talk.”

“I’d rather not, I’ve had plenty of men try and talk to me tonight and I told them the exact same thing. Please leave me alone.”

There was movement behind you but you thought it best not to make eye contact. You felt the air pass your shoulder as the guy next to you threw up a hand and caught the other man’s wrist that was inches away from your body.

“Hey, she’s already asked you nicely to leave her alone.”

Oh god, was a fight going to start because of you?

The growing tension had your heart pounding and your knuckles became white as you held your nerve.

“Who are you, her boyfriend?”

“If I was, would it stop you harassing her?”

The man behind you mumbled something incoherently before squirming out of the guy���s grip and staggering away.

“Thank you,” you finally look his way, giving him a smile.

He smiled, giving you a gestured nod, “You’re welcome.”

Even in this light, he had baby blue eyes and delicate freckles along his cheek bones. His upper body was wide, holding it’s own against wave after wave of people coming in to wait along the bar.

“You have some pretty quick reflexes, are you sure you’re not meant to be in that cage?”

He laughs, shaking his head.

“Nah, not my kind of thing. How about you? That look could have knocked him dead.”

“There’d be a lot bodies on the floor if it worked,” you quip. “I’m here as chaperone to the group of forlorn looking girls waiting for their man.”

His smile broaden, digging dimples into his cheeks.

“And who might that be?”

“Benny Miller,” you shrug.

You’ve been invited to watch him fight but actually have no fucking idea what he looks like, the girls have just been swooning about his ridiculous six pack.

“Really? He’s going to be thrilled.”

“You think?”

“I’m his brother, of course I know.”

You cock your head, eyebrows arching, maybe you could understand the fascination with this fighter if his brother is anything to go by.

“Oh god, how many Millers are there?”

His laugh is contagious.

“Only the two of us. If you count brothers in arms, there’s four.”

You should have guessed with those reflexes he was some sort of military.

Just as you’re about to speak, a bar man appears and he allows you to order your round first, five shots should come quickly. Juggling to get a grip of five tiny plastic glasses in two hands, you flash him another smile.

“Thanks…” You falter, “Sorry, I didn’t ask your name.”

“Will.”

You introduce yourself and thank him again before slipping into the stream of people, excusing and apologising to anyone who got in your way.

“You were gone a while,” you friend said inquisitively after taking a shot of sour cherry flavoured liquor.

You hum, “I got harassed at the bar and Benny Miller’s brother stepped in as my knight in shining armour.”

She laughs, checking quickly to see if the other girls heard.

“What is with you tonight? First that guy at the entrance, now the brother.”

“His name is Will and I haven’t seen that other guy since.”

It was nice to know he wasn’t imaginary.

There were a few rounds before Benny’s, the girls squealing and looking away as two guys beat the living daylight out of each other. They shouldn’t have been there, too much blood, too much violence and too much sweat from the crowd washing over them and it wasn’t like they could talk either.

The break came and as the other girls insisted on another drink, you politely excused yourself to breath some cool outside air.

You refused the offer of a cigarette when you stepped out the doors, eyes flitting to see if there was an empty bench or some patch of grass where you could escape the huddle of people congregating. Wandering around, you found yourself at the side entrance of the hanger, a lone person leaning a brick low barring wall.

There couldn’t be any harm sitting with him, he seemed harmless enough.

“Do you mind if I sit here?”

The man glanced over, brown curls flicking from under his cap.

“Go ahead.”

You side, jumping to rest your ass before taking a massive swing of water from the fountain you’d discovered on your way out.

There was a moment of silence before he spoke.

“No offence but you don’t seem one for violence.”

“What makes you say that?”

“You look too sweet and innocent,” he shrugged.

You hum, “Who says I’m innocent?”

He laughs, dropping his head before taking a swig of beer, eyes in front of him.

“I apologise.”

“That’s ok, I get what you’re saying, it’s been pretty brutal so far.”

His tongue flicked over his bottom lip, “I’ve seen worse.”

“Well, for the sake of the girls I’m with, I hope Benny Miller don’t get the shit beaten out of him.”

“Don’t worry, he won’t.”

He sounded so sure and that’s when your brain made the connection to what Will said earlier.

“You’re one of his brothers in arms, aren’t you?”

The man leaned back, placing one hand on his thigh, the little target tattoo on his hand stretching. He faced you now with a furrowed brow and parted lips, his eyes dark as you could see his mind working out how you knew.

“I bumped into Will at the bar.”

His expression seemed to soften.

“He told you about me?”

“Not specifically,” you winced, trying not to hurt his feelings. “We just got talking.”

The corners of his lips twitched, “He did mention meeting a pretty girl at the bar.”

You had to look away, your cheeks and chest immediately on fire, a spark that travelled your lower belly, spreading with desire. Will said you were pretty and he just clarified the comment, your friend was right, what is with you tonight?

He was just about to speak until the heavy swing of the door made you jump, he barely moved an inch.

“You better get you ass in here, Benny will lose his shit if you ain’t there to walk him in.”

For a brief moment, you couldn’t see who was attached to the voice but it was smooth.

They step out from behind the door and you saw the edge of a blue bomber jacket and the navy peak of a cap, his soft slopping nose and the five o’clock shadow along his sharp jawline.

Oh no.

It was if he caught something out of the corner of his eye, like he saw his friend and wondered why there was another person sat next to him, who was the other person sat next to him. His one eyebrow was arched, his lip straight until he recognised the face.

“Didn’t I catch your eye earlier?”

“I’m sure it was the other way round,” you remark wittily.

He smiled, nodding, “Agree to disagree.”

“If you say so.”

“Are you going to chat up all my guys tonight?”

He points between you and the other guy.

“I think you’ll find they keep chatting to me.”

He laughs, nodding again.

Both of the men shared a look, understanding each other though no word was exchanged, it was annoying yet somewhat enticing.

You wished you could know what they were thinking.

“Come on, Fish, he’s going on in a couple of minutes.”

He got up from the wall, abandoning the empty cup but he glanced one last time at you.

“Fish?”

“Nickname,” he stuffed his hands in his pockets. “It’s Frankie to everyone else.”

You tell him your name and he smiles, nodding as he walked away. Frankie pats the other man on the back, stating ‘hermano’ and sauntering away, readjusting his cap before he disappeared into the venue.

Slipping off the wall, you went to say goodbye before he gestured for you to come through the back.

“Thanks.”

The door slammed behind him and he followed you, body unbelievably close, his breath mixing with the heat contained in the hanger.

“So, do I get to know your name?”

Glancing over your shoulder, he still has that soft smile, eyes roaming what was in front of him that caused goosebumps to arrive on your skin.

“No.”

You walked passed rows of lockers and tired wooden benches before he stopped, letting you walk a little further.

“Go to your left and follow the corridor to the double doors.”

You nod, “See you in there?”

His smile grew, “Sure.”

Following his instructions, the corridor felt like it went on for miles, the music muffled through the brickwork, the only sound your shoes squeaking on tiles. You were trying to wrap your head around what was going on, how had you met three guys in one night who all knew each other and seemed, to you anyway, to be caught in your gravitational pull? Or was your friend right, were you just that ridiculously horny after months of your own hand or toys?

You shake your head, taking a deep breath before joining civilisation again.

“They wanted to get closer,” your friend said, rolling her eyes.

“Aren’t we technically in the splash zone now?”

“D’you think they’re bothered?”

She was right, the rest of the girls were far too gone to even worry about being covered in sweat, beer and possibly blood, all you prayed for is none of them got ahead of themselves and flashed the fighter at the worst time.

After Benny’s name got introduced over the speakers and the match started, you finally saw the other three from the group, distorted opposite by the wire hexagons that followed the cage. Even they were sensible enough to sit several rows back, they cheered and backed Benny the whole way through and when the opportunity arose, fleetingly looked to you.

A heat washed over your body.

“They said this is the way!”

The girls were giggling, tottering up the corridor as fast as they could in heels. You and your other friend held back, mostly to ensure you weren’t connected to the fangirls who were trying to find a battered and bruised man.

You pretended you didn’t know where the locker room was though you were there moments earlier, you couldn’t face the queries from your friend.

“He’ll be in here,” a friend beckons everyone over.

“And I’m out,” you hold your hands up. “I’m not sneaking into the boys locker room.”

“Really? I thought you’d quite like a photographic memory for tonight.”

You shake you head, “I have the internet for that.”

She laughs, nudging your hip.

“I’m just going to see how this all plays out.”

“Sure.”

She pushes you away and you stagger to an empty space on the wall, leaning against it and allowing the cold to spread across you back. Tipping your head back, you close your eyes, taking a breath.

“Don’t want to join your friends.”

A familiar voice breaks the silence.

“Do you always hang round in the shadows?”

He scoffs, “No.”

“I’d rather not be associated with,” you wave a hand. “Their actions.”

He moves to the wall opposite you, copying your stance, his smile curling as he can hear the chaos in the distance.

“You know it’s a shame,” he looked at you through the corner of his eyes. “He would have liked to have met you.”

You scowl, tilting your head.

“You’ve been talking about me?”

“Will and Fish are quite enamoured with you.”

“And you?”

Your heart was pounding, the blood rushing to your head. You were nervous to hear his answer, tongue sweeping over your dry lips and all he could do was smile, breaking eye contact.

“I don’t think you could handle me.”

You hum, “I like a challenge.”

He pursed his lips, cocking his head to one side.

“You look too sweet for me, honey.”

The way he said ‘honey’ was intoxicating, smooth with a hint of his Spanish pronunciation, it made your heart flutter. You push yourself off the wall and take a few steps over to him, folding your arms across your chest, standing tall.

You look him up and down, your expression scrunching, you’d seen someone like him before not exactly like him but they all appear the same.

“Maybe that’s just what you need… A good girl who’ll do as she’s told.”

He turned to face you, eyes almost black and you swallowed. His smile crocked into a smirk, he noticed the falter in your otherwise firm stance. Moving his body close, he leaned forward, hands placed to his hips. He brought his lips to the shell of your ear.

“Then give me your phone.”

You do as you’re told, unlocking the screen as you hand it over.

Taking it in one hand, he gives you space and taps away before giving it back. You check the details on the phone.

Santiago Garcia is a new contact.

“Give us a message if you need anything.”

You blinked at the screen then up at him, his face had softened.

“I’ll hold you to that, Santiago.”

He winked and walked away, out of your vision, he shooed the girls away.

—

“So, did ask her?”

The guys had driven to a late night diner after the match, part of Benny’s post match routine was stuffing his face with a load of carbs.

“Not quite,” Santiago took a bite of a fry. “I gave her my number.”

Benny practically made a raspberry noise like a child.

Santiago shook his head, throwing his hands up, “The balls in her court.”

“You should have just asked her.”

Frankie took a swig of his coffee, “This isn’t the kind of thing you just walk up and ask, she would have run a fucking mile.”

Benny pointed with his fork, “This is why I should have done it.”

Frankie burst into laughter, Santiago and Will shaking their heads, he has no fucking idea.

“What?”

“There’s no way she would have taken the offer from you,” Will was trying to contain his laughter, cheeks turning a faint hue of pink. “I trust Pope, the balls in her court now.”

Benny ladled the last of his food onto his fork, “Do you think she’ll bite?”

Santiago was praying to every god that you did even though he was far from religious. This is the first time back since he felt anything, it was unusual that he found himself vying for attention with the other boys.

This was new territory for him and he’s done a lot of shit.

He thinks back to the conversation with you, he didn’t expect what came out of your mouth and it was like the lure of a siren to a sailor. It’s why he reconsidered you as an option. Sure, you cracked a little when he got close yet who wouldn’t and that’s when he guessed you may have seen it before.

His fingers have been twitching to check his phone all night.

“You’re guess is as good as mine.”

And you were laying in bed contemplating whether it was too early to message him.

After the fight, you thought you’d just go home and crash, you thought wrong.

Stripping off, you decided to take a shower to get rid of the grime from the night. You had an idea you were wet, you just didn’t realise how much your arousal had pooled. There was so many factors you could blame - several matches where two sweaty, semi dressed men were in close proximity to each other, three men’s eyes watching you and your eyes met, Santiago centimetres from your face.

The water fell soothing down your skin and you settled two fingers against your clit, rubbing gently. Closing your eyes, you pictured the fine details, the blonde of Will’s hair, the wideness of Frankie’s hand, the musk of Santiago’s aftershave.

You dragged your fingers along your folds, gasping as you sunk them into your burning cunt.

It was embarrassing how quickly you came to the thought of them, you hands reaching for the cool tiles of your bathroom as your legs threatened to give way. Your breath was shaking, your body vibrating as the warmth travelled up your spine.

“Fuck.”

A message popped up on your phone from your friend, hoping that you had a good night, the winking face emoji a hint to the boys. Messaging now seemed desperate, your teeth grazed you lip.

Rolling over, you prayed that sleep would take you.

You decided against messaging Santiago in the morning, you were groggy and unmotivated with suggestions of a possible meet up would fall on deaf ears. It was in the afternoon, after some good food and a walk in the fresh air that you felt ready.

‘And when you say anything, what did you have in mind?’

That was the question that lead you to the bar tonight.

As it was a dive bar, or so you and your friends believed, you didn’t wear anything fancy however it didn’t mean you under dressed. You wore a dress that accentuated the curves of your body, hiding it with an oversized jacket and trainers. Taking a breath, you pushed through the doors, the vision of Santiago stood at the bar ordering.

“I was beginning to think you weren’t coming.”

“I’m fashionably late,” you retort, taking a note out of your friends’ books.

He laughed, “What are you drinking?”

He bought you a drink and you went to join the boys at the table, finally being introduced to Benny.

“I was kind of insulted you didn’t want to meet me but I’ll forgive you.”

The five of you talked about everything and anything, you learned that Frankie was a pilot, Santiago chased cartels for years after being in the military because he couldn’t stand still and the Miller brothers spent their youth on a family farm. After food and another round, Benny decided that it was the perfect time to get the conversation rolling on to why you were here.

“Are we gonna do this or not?”

He was straight to the point.

“Christ, Benny,” Will could have kicked him under the table. “Always thinking with that dick of yours.”

You guessed the implication would be something sexual, you got that from Santiago last night but his text gave you nothing, actually the whole evening gave you nothing. It was just nice to be in the company of four very different yet very attractive men who hadn’t push any boundaries.

Frankie lifted his cap and ran his fingers through brown curls, his focus pulling to Santiago.

“You want to start? You’re better with words.”

It’s also more his kind of thing, is what he left out, but it wasn’t easy.

Your eyes flicked to every man around the table. Frankie couldn’t make eye contact, Benny glanced between you and Santiago while Will seemed to be the calmest of the lot.

“We got talking yesterday about a girl we saw at the fight and it turns out we were talking about the same one. Now, the guys haven’t really done this before, I’ve shared before but not quite like this —“

“Wait, did you just say shared?”

It was alarmingly hot all of the sudden.

“Yes, I did,” he rubbed the scar along his neck.

Frankie chuckled to himself, “I guess there is no easy way of saying it.”

Santiago could see your mind working overtime, the knot in your brows tightening. Your lips opened before you stopped and thought over your words again.

“Do you guys want a five way?”

You wouldn’t complain if they did.

Benny and Santiago’s brows seemingly raised.

“Not quite, sweetheart,” Will lowered his tone, closing in on you so his frame blocked the rest of the bar from your vision. “We’re thinking more, we share you out evenly, four ways.”

You blink, tongue running over your dry lips, just the thought alone had settled between your thighs.

“So, a different guy every night?”

“If you want,” Benny chimed in.

Santiago shrugged, “I was thinking more of a weekly schedule.”

That would make sense.

Your mind was processing the concept, it could be good, yet it could also be bad, catastrophically bad. That’s what happened with that dom, they made all these promises, that they’d buy you all these rewards and gifts if you did what they wanted, they never came. They had you running round in circles, doing a load of shit you thought you wanted to do when in actuality, you didn’t. They manipulated you until you finally said no and then they gaslighted you into thinking it was all your fault when it never was.

Could these guys do that too?

“What are you thinking, querida?” Frankie broke through the silence.

“Just the string of bad relationships that came before this,” you take a swig of your drink, catching his puppy dog eyes. “Not that I’m saying this is a bad idea, it’s just…”

You chose your words carefully.

“I’d need to see the terms and conditions.”

He nodded, “That’s fair.”

“I’ll get the papers to you in the morning,” Santiago joked.

“I better not see any spelling mistakes or the deal’s off.”

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that, Will’s my copywriter.”

You tried to keep the upper hand but you broke, the smile cracking on your lips.

“Sooo, is that a yes?”

Benny’s eyes were darting from person to person, this conversation was too cryptic for him, he wanted a firm answer.

“It’s a maybe.”

He pouted, nodding, “I’m taking that as a positive, celebratory shots on me.”

The rest of the boys groaned as he slipped out of the booth towards the bar, Will apologising for his brother’s enthusiasm given the fact you didn’t give a solid ‘yes’. You thought you’d pretty much ruled men out and then suddenly the universe had gifted you four of them.

Maybe this was the end of that dry spell, the possibility of your sexual awakening and more and honestly, you didn’t mind at all.

[pimosworld]

The story of us- Final Chapter

Pairing-Triple Frontier boys x f!reader

Chapter summary-The boys find a way to make your birthday very special.

CW-18+, Angst,Fluff,lots of fluff, tears but happy tears.

WK-5k

A/N- This is my first completed series so I’m very proud of myself for that accomplishment. I’m not saying goodbye to this group so please be on the lookout for future stories involving them as their relationship progresses. Thanks for sticking around 🤍 all of you.

[Series Masterlist][Main Masterlist]

Not beta read

Final chapter-It’s my party

“Come in officers.” You don’t skip a beat as you move aside to let the two men enter your home. Your training won’t allow you to let on that your heart is beating a mile a minute.

  You gesture them over to your dining room table to have a seat. Of course the couch feels more personal and you don’t want them to be comfortable. The more comfortable they are, the longer they’ll stay. You want to be able to sit with your nervous legs concealed under a table versus on display for them to judge your movements. 

  They likely know as much as they can about you. Your military background and a basic knowledge of your schooling and home life. What they likely don’t know is you are no basic militant soldier and you’ve had them clocked since they stepped through the threshold of your home. 

  Any form of torture or interrogation you’ve been through will make this look like child’s play. 

  You have a seat at the head of the table facing the door. Not offering them something to drink was another tactic in making sure they were uncomfortable enough to make this quick. 

  “We just want to ask you a few questions regarding your boyfriend Michael’s disappearance.”

  “Ex.” The officer who couldn’t keep his eyes away from the low cut neckline of your tank top looks up at you finally. “Sorry to interrupt but we broke up weeks ago.” 

  “Well that would explain why one of his coworkers reported him missing and not you.” Officer Williams seems to be offering up information you don’t necessarily need but could definitely be used to your benefit. “She seemed to be under the impression you two were still together.” 

  “We got into a pretty big argument and I asked him to leave. He hadn’t been acting himself lately and he didn’t really react well to my questioning his odd behavior.” You hold his eye contact as he waits for you to continue. “I have a box of his things that he never came to get if you want to take a look.” 

  He perks up at that and you stand to head out of the kitchen towards your bedroom. You don’t miss the way the other officer watches you walk clearly not having any sense of decorum about him. 

  You linger in the hallway a moment listening to their hushed voices. “She doesn’t know anything, let's just go.” 

  “I know but I need to go through the routine.” He says through gritted teeth. 

  Your leaving gave you a moment to breathe and come up with some idea of what you were going to say when they inevitably brought up the boys. 

  You set the box down in front of the shorter officer and he goes for it like a kid being handed a toy to keep himself busy. Leaving you with the one who had some semblance of professionalism. 

  He tilts his head towards the ornate bouquets on your countertop. “Those all for you? You must be a lucky woman.” 

  “Oh my friends spoil me, they dropped those off earlier.” Not entirely a lie.

  “What’s the occasion if you don’t mind me asking?” I do mind actually.

  “It’s my birthday in a few days.” The mention of your birthday makes you wonder if you would even be able to see them or know what’s going on. 

  The other officer seems bored of looking through the box of his random assortment of clothes and paperwork that he left as he slides it forward. 

  “I don’t really see anything in here but I’d like to take it off your hands if you don’t mind?” You throw your hands up and he tucks the box under his arm as he stands seemingly ready to go. 

  “Well officer Williams and I should be getting out of your hair.” He offers a tight lipped smile at his partner who doesn’t manage to disguise his eye roll from you. 

  You’re torn between acting like you don’t care about his disappearance and not wanting to come off like you care too much about your ex boyfriend. It would be a little suspicious even without evidence that you’re involved that you could care less about someone you spent over six months with. Truthfully you’re relieved. 

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t offer you any more information.” They wave you off in your attempt to sound concerned. 

  “It’s probably for the best since he was involved in some pretty shady business dealings.” The more competent of the two turns around to hand you his card. “I’m sure you’re more than capable of handling yourself, but if anyone comes around here giving you trouble or asking questions about him you give me a call.” His wink suggests something else and now you’ve all but written off these two idiots, who are no doubt on a wild good chase. 

  “Those your delta buddies?” The other officer gestures to their photo on the wall with you strategically placed in the middle. 

  Annoyed at pointing out the obvious but forced to bite back a smart retort. “Yes, that was taken shortly after I joined.” 

  “Well I’m sure you could call on one of them if you run into any trouble.” They chuckled to themselves as they stepped out into your front porch. 

  You have no idea 

  ****

  Will closes the laptop just after you close your front door. He runs his hands through his hair as he stares up at the ceiling, breathing a sigh of relief. It’s done

  Santiago’s idea to purposely leave you in the dark offered you the chance to have a genuine interaction should the cops show up. Which they assumed they would since you were his most recent relationship. 

  Ben’s already left from the table, no doubt to start packing his bags because he knew once the cops left they were going to head home. Ben may have worn his heart on his sleeve but they were all holding on by a thread not being able to talk to you or see you in person. 

  The little glimpses of you they got through the camera only served as a means of torture. Watching you do the most menial task in the kitchen while dancing or kicking your feet on the couch when the book your reading gets interesting. They want to be there for those things everyday. 

  Someday

  The next mission, which they had days to plan out being holed up in the safe house was orchestrating your birthday. You always told them not to make a big deal about it. Just being with you boys is allI want. 

  They skated on that for too long. You deserved more for your birthday than the normal hang out at the bar in your usual spot. You are a big deal so they should make you feel like one. Especially if they were going to show you how committed they are. 

  Everyone had their specific tasks tailored to their skill level and you’d be a fool to think each of them weren’t going to treat this like the most important thing they’ve ever done. 

  All doubts about their relationship or what people would think were out the window before they even stepped foot into the safe house. 

  If they were willing to travel to another country and steal a drug lord's money, they could just as easily tell society to fuck off when it comes to you.

  ****

  You haven’t slept that well in a long time. Some may find it odd after being questioned by the police, but Mike being gone puts you at ease. Knowing whatever happened to him was not by accident and whatever they did, it was for you. 

  You were completely ruined for any other man when you stepped foot into their lives. It’s a shame it’s taken you this long to notice because you’ve wasted so much time. 

  Your relationships with each of them over the years have developed into something you can’t live without. You couldn’t put your finger on why your brain wouldn’t allow you to look at any one of them as just a friend. It made things difficult when your lives were on the line so you shoved it down deep somewhere to hide away and never resurface. Until Tom passed away and all those feelings came flooding back and instead of embracing it, you ran head first in the wrong direction. 

  It’s a little sick and twisted but you really have your ex to thank for pushing them back into your life and making all of you open your eyes up to see the most perfect thing was already happening right in front of you. 

  You're thankful you have work to keep you busy today. You know it’s highly likely they’ll be coming home from wherever they are and you don’t want to sit by your phone all day waiting for a call or text. 

  You hop in your shower letting the hot water (scalding) as Frankie would put it cascade over you. Washing the last few weeks away, the steam is opening up your lungs and you feel like you can breathe for the first time in a long time. You nearly choke on it as you hear your phone ping from the counter. Almost breaking your neck and towel rack in the process of jumping out to read your text. 

  Benjamin: I'll be seeing you this week honey

                                          When

Benjamin:😘

  You stand their half naked soaking the mat beneath you as you wait for a response. You look up and see your blurry reflection in the mirror and get a sneaky idea. Your hands brush quickly over the mirror streaking the glass but revealing you just enough. You pull the towel up slightly before you bite your lip and snap a photo. 

  Image 

               Benjamin: Sweetheart you’re killing me. 

                    Benjamin: I’ll see you on Wednesday 

 

  ****

  Wednesday couldn’t come soon enough. Thankfully you weren’t assigned to the ER today so you had time to rush home and shower, unsure of when Ben would be showing up or if he was planning on staying.

  You put on your  favorite leggings that hugged your curves perfectly and your old army tee shirt. After giving yourself a once over in front of the floor length mirror you dabbed on some new perfume that you treated yourself to for your birthday. 

  The doorbell rings and you try not to sprint to the door as you shuffle through your hallway, taking a slow deep breath before opening it.

  Your legs nearly buckle at the sight of Ben on your porch, looking the most nervous you’ve ever seen him. He’s shakily holding a piece of canvas paper in his hands as he sways back and forth. He has a blue polo on to match his eyes and a pair of tan slacks. His hair is combed back out of his face and he looks so handsome you could cry. 

  “I missed you.” He breathes out like it’s the first time his lungs have had air in weeks. 

  You can’t help yourself when you launch into his arms and he clings to you like his life depends on it. 

It feels like an eternity as you stand on your front porch just holding him, breathing in his scent. A new cologne you don’t recognize that washes over you. 

  “Oh shit the paper.” He reluctantly lets you go to smooth out the paper he dropped on the ground as you try to glance at it and he holds it back from you with a wink. 

  “What’s that?” You gesture towards it as he skims it over again like he’s reciting lines. 

  “It’s an itinerary.” He smiles at you then and your heart can’t take how much you’ve truly missed him. 

  You step aside awkwardly to let him in but he doesn’t move from his spot on the porch. “Are you coming in?” 

  “I’m not supposed to.” He sounds a little defeated as he says it which causes even more confusion for you. “Read the itinerary and leave…”

  “Oh so you’re here on strict orders?” You’re hoping the teasing will ease some of this tension. “So read it to me.” You step further into the house far enough away that he would have to follow. 

  “You think you’re slick?” You nod your head as you sit down on the couch with your legs tucked under you. 

  He mumbles something under his breath about getting in trouble as he sits next to you. “There will be a special delivery here, when you get off work tomorrow.” 

  “What..”

  “Obviously I can’t tell you what it is or that would ruin the surprise. Just be here to sign for it at 7.” He shifts a little on the couch so he’s facing you. 

  “Friday Maria is taking you to do some kind of spa day.” His emphasis on spa has you laughing. 

  Santiago’s sister Maria was always your number one fan. She was the woman you could confide in when you were constantly surrounded by men who just didn’t understand. You know she always secretly hoped you’d end up with Santi but you’re sure she has no idea what’s actually going on. She just recently moved closer to Santi after her divorce and you feel a little guilty for not having reached out sooner. You didn’t want to burden her with your own issues when she was just getting her life back together.

  “Saturday at seven a limo will arrive to pick you up and take you to a separate location for dinner.” He sets the paper face down on the coffee table and smooths his hands along his slacks. 

  “Ben, the first rule of kidnapping is never let them take you to a second location.” 

  “Don’t worry sweetheart, you can trust the driver.” He winks at you again and if he doesn’t stop you're going to have to glue his eye shut. 

  “So…I guess you have to go now right?” 

  “Ya…I should go.” Ben doesn’t move as he watches you fidget with a run on the couch thread. 

  His hand reaches out to still your movements and you finally look at him. It’s been so long since he took you on that date and by the way you’re looking at him it would be so easy to just walk you down your hallway. To the bedroom he’s been in so many times to simply sleep. He could cave like Santiago and you would let him. 

  He leans in, pressing you back against the headrest of the couch. His face is just inches from yours as you close your eyes. His fingers trace the outline of your bottom lip and then trail down your neck as he cups the back of your head and finally presses his lips to yours. It’s soft and slow, like you're just breathing each other in. He tastes like mint with a hint of your cherry lip balm that you left in his car ages ago. 

  He pulls away reluctantly and rests his forehead against yours. “I promise after Saturday, we won’t have to keep stopping this short.” 

  You groaned under your breath. “I don’t know what that means.” 

  He kisses your forehead and stands from the couch, pulling you with him. Without your shoes on it feels like he towers over you. You wrap your arms around him one last time, burying your face in his chest. 

  “You’ll know what it means soon enough hon’.”

  ****

  Texting the boys to find out what your special delivery was of course yielded no results. You resigned yourself to guessing throughout your work day as to what it might be. 

  Your house couldn’t possibly hold any more flower arrangements and you don’t think they would get you a pet. Or would they? You don’t think they would do something that rash for your birthday, but then again Mike was nowhere to be found and that wasn’t of his own doing. 

  You make it home just in time to make yourself a quick dinner, grilled cheese and tomato soup one of your favorites. You’re hardly paying attention to the show you put on when the doorbell rings. You bolt up from the couch and open the door hoping to see one of the boys. 

  A beautiful woman in a crisp black suit is standing next to a rack with black garment bags lined along it. 

  You look down briefly at your shorts and oversized shirt. You’re two for two opening the door to some very well dressed individuals, while in your lounge clothes. 

  I have a delivery, I’ll need you to sign off as she says your name. She hands you a small pad to sign and you politely step aside as she wheels it into your home. 

  “Is there anywhere in particular you’d like me to place this?” 

  “There is fine, thank you.” You haven’t torn your eyes from the rack as you try to decipher what’s inside.

  She offers you a courteous smile as she exits through the front door. You stand there briefly as you watch her walk to a sleek black delivery van and drive away. 

  You slam the door and push the rack to your bedroom so fast you almost knock it over. It’s safe to assume it’s clothing so you strip down to your panties and fish your nice bra out of your top dresser drawer. 

  The sound of the zipper and rustling fabric is all you can hear over the sound of your rapid breaths. Your hands are shaking with excitement as you open the first bag to reveal a navy blue satin dress. You take it off the hanger and notice the intricate straps on the back, opting to forgo those and just step into it. 

  You pull the thin straps over your shoulder as you look at yourself in the large mirror in your bedroom. It’s been a while since you got really dressed up, and despite your unkempt hair and no makeup you feel so beautiful in it. 

  You smooth your hands down the silky fabric and straighten up a little. 

  You look good

  Your excitement starts to build as you quickly realize you have several more items to try on. You delicately extract yourself from this dress so as to not damage it. There’s one way you get to keep all of these so you need to treat them very carefully until you decide what you’re wearing. 

  The next dress is a burnt orange color with a velvety smooth fabric. You brush your thumb across it reveling in the way it feels, knowing how good it will feel in your skin. 

  It is decidedly less difficult than the first and stretchy enough that you can pull it over your head. It has thicker straps and a slit going up your left thigh. The first dress was beautiful but this is leading so far. 

  You set his dress on the hanger and put it in your closet before moving on to the next. 

  The next is a bright yellow strapless dress. The fabric is chiffon and it’s so far the most revealing thing you could possibly own. It’s stunning when you pull it out but you’re also wondering how exactly you're going to zip this. It’s sort of origami on the top and has a train which you love. 

  You zip it as far as you can by yourself and even with it slightly agape in the back the boning in the bodice is cinching you in. You round your shoulders back with your hands on your hips as you marvel at the image before you. Part of you wanted to take a picture of each one and send it but now you’re certain they want this to be a surprise. 

  If picking the best of four was going to be your future you were going to have to get really good at making diplomatic decisions. 

  The final garment bag has a note attached to the top. 

  We know you’ll look beautiful in any of these but please pick your favorite to wear on your birthday. Don’t be worried about the weather or being in front of a crowd when making your decision. 

  As if they could read your mind. They know you might think twice about wearing a few of them in public and the humidity at times could be unbearable even with nothing on.

  They are all yours to keep. Happy Birthday Honey. 

  You feverishly wipe your eyes and set the note down on your bed. 

  The final garment bag reveals a sparkling red dress. You walk backwards as you pull it out and the layers of fabric trail behind it. You hold it up to your chest in the mirror and try your best to compose yourself. It’s all so overwhelming and exhilarating all at once. 

  You're careful with the straps as you step into the dress. They might as well be non-existent with how thin they are. The sweetheart neckline is doing wonders for your chest and the silhouette billows out into an A line skirt. You do a twirl in the mirror as the fabric rustles the ground. You feel like a princess in this dress and you find yourself staring for far longer than you want to. 

  You glance around looking for your phone, remembering you left it in the living room. You traipse through the house in your dress and find it sitting on the arm of the couch. It’s been over an hour. A text from Santi not long ago is your only notification. 

  Santiago: What ya doing cariño 

  You type out a quick reply and wait until you see those three dots. 

                          Playing dress up

  Santiago: How is it going

                            Very well

  Santiago: Which one are you wearing now

                            You know I can’t tell you

  Santiago: It’s the red one

                            Goodnight Santiago

  Santiago: Goodnight cariño 

  ****

  You're nervously pacing your living room, waiting for Maria to arrive. You haven’t seen her since the wedding and that marriage fell apart faster than it was conceived. You’re embarrassed that you haven’t reached out to see how she’s doing but Colombia happened around the same time and you both took a step back. Days turned into weeks turned into months and neither of you knew where to pick up again. 

  Your doorbell rings ripping you from your thoughts as you take a deep breath for the third time this week and answer the door. 

  Her back is to you, admiring the flowers on your trellis when you open the door. She turns to you with that same blank expression that Santiago has all but perfected. The tears brimming her eyes give way to the demeanor she’s clinging to. 

  Much like Santiago it doesn’t take much for her to break as she steps forward and pulls you into her arms. You can hardly understand each other as you mumble apologies through tears and a little bit of her hair is in your mouth as you cling to her. It’s sloppy and messy and you love it. You missed her so much and the relief washes over you at the realization that she missed you just as much. 

  “I think we both need this today.” She leans back and frames your face with her hands, wiping your tears with her thumbs. “Are you ready to be pampered?” 

  You nod, still too overwhelmed to speak without choking back tears. 

  “Okay Honey let’s go.”

  ****

  You’re thankful they booked you a couples massage. The thought of being alone right now after spending such a great day with your friend was paralyzing. 

  She had a lot of questions for you about your life over the last few years. You didn’t have a lot of answers for her but you did your best to put her at ease. 

  You're lying side by side on separate tables as two strangers try to rub years of stress and worry out of your sore muscles. It’s comfortably quiet for some time as you take in the tranquil white noise and smell the lavender and eucalyptus in the room. 

  “I’m glad you guys finally figured it out.” Her voice is slightly muffled with her head down on the massage table. You don’t know if she’s referring to Santi or if she even knows half of what’s going on. “I just have one question for you.” 

  “Sure…ask me anything.” 

  “Do you know what you’re doing?” You think for a moment at the weight of her question. You turn your head on its side so she can hear you clearly before answering. 

  “Not a clue.” 

  She turns her head to you and smiles. “Good…people who know what they’re doing scare me.” 

  You both laugh and she reaches out to lock her finger with yours as they dangle between the two tables. 

  ****

  You stare at yourself for the second time this week in this beautiful dress. It was perfect for whatever tonight had in store. 

  It’s five till and you're anxiously awaiting your ride as you stand by the door placing the strappy heels on your feet. 

  For the first time all week, you hear a light knock instead of the doorbell. When you open it you’re met with Frankie dressed in a tight black button down and black slacks. His hair is on display which you assume has some kind of product or gel. His brown curls frame his face perfectly as he smiles down at you. 

  He leans in, placing a kiss on your cheek. “You look…beautiful.”

  “You don’t look too bad yourself Morales.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment even though you didn’t pick my dress.” He takes your hand as you  step out onto the front porch. You turn around but he’s already got his spare key in hand, locking up behind you. 

  “You’ll just have to take me somewhere I can wear it.” 

  “That can be arranged.” He helps you down the steps as a long black limousine comes into view in front of your driveway. He opens the door for you and helps you slide in before he starts to close it. 

  “What are you doing?” 

  “Someone has to drive hermosa.” He closes the door, shrouding you in darkness until the car starts up and the back seats are lined with soft yellow lights. 

  This is by far the most extravagant display of affection and attention they’ve ever paid to your birthday. Every year you’d spent together you told them you simply just wanted to enjoy their company. 

  It didn’t bother you that you always went a little too hard on their birthdays because that’s how you show love. You think this may be their way of making up for doing just the bare minimum and then some. 

  It’s hard to tell where you're going with the sun having set and the dark tint of the windows. It’s not until you pull up to the airfield where Frankie works that you recognize your surroundings. 

  Coming into view is an open hanger with the boys standing in front. It’s a beautiful sight seeing them all standing there…waiting for you. Santi and Ben are talking to each other as Will stares down at a small piece of paper. 

  Frankie heads over to them before opening your door. Santiago looks at him and grins as he makes his way over. He has the most adoration in his eyes as he opens the door for you. 

  “Fuck…you look beautiful.” 

  He holds his hand out for you as you try to swallow the lump in your throat. Ben lets out a low whistle as you exit the car. You’ve been in hostage situations less nerve wracking than this moment. 

  They lead you to the open hanger and you’re taken aback at the romantic set up. A singular plane in the background.White roses and candles line the table set up for five. 

  “So…how did we do?” Frankie’s deep baritone voice settles into your bones as his hand rests against your back. 

  How do you tell them it’s the most beautiful thing anyone has ever done for you? How do you tell them you’ve been waiting for this moment longer than you’d care to admit? 

  You turn to him then as he sees the tears in your eyes. 

  “Please don’t cry.” 

  “Don’t worry they’re happy tears.” You laugh as he wipes your cheeks. 

  Frankie pulls up a chair behind you and you sit as he goes to stand by the other three. 

  Will digs into his pocket and pulls out the piece of paper he was reading when you arrived. He opens it and folds it back quickly. 

  “I was going to read some things we all wrote down, but it doesn’t sound right anymore.” He pauses briefly as the others stare in confusion. “I’m sick of listing out reasons why this works. I can’t explain in words how I feel…how we feel about you.”

  “You’re doing great.” The sarcasm dripping from Benny’s voice has you chuckle. 

  You’re glad Will seems just as nervous as you are. He was always the one who had a way with words and now here he is unable to form a coherent thought. 

  “All I’m saying is, we want you to give whatever this is between us a chance. Life feels so much better with you in it everyday.”

  You can hear yourself saying yes before he even finishes what he’s said.

  “Did you expect me to say anything other than yes.” 

  “I don’t know sweetheart, I’ve never done anything like this before.” Ben claps his brother on the shoulder as they all surround you. 

  “So…what do we do now?” 

  Santi leans in and kisses your cheek. 

  “We have our first date.” 

Comments and reblogs are much appreciated

The dresses

The birthday

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[astoryisaloveaffair]

Fix You - Chapter 15 - High and Dry

*gif by @pedrohub

Pairing: Frankie “Catfish” Morales x Fem!Reader

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Chapter Summary: 🤷‍♀️

Word Count: 4K

Rating: Explicit!! 18+!

Chapter Warnings: Cussing, violence, drugs, sex fantasies. I will not be warning anything else due to spoiling the story. We are all grown. You can stop reading when you want to.

A/N: Thank you all for being so patient! I hope this doesn’t disappoint! It is a bit shorter than my chapters in this fic usually are but ending it where I did felt right, and I don’t want to beat you over the head with F E E L I N G S. Please keep in mind for this chapter that I am continuing based off the exact themes from Triple Frontier. If you find some things in Triple Frontier offensive, I probably wouldn’t continue reading. This has been the arc I have been working towards for almost two years, and I'm not going to waver. Just stick with me like you have been. It’ll be worth it.

* If a character is speaking in Spanish, I will put “[ ]” around the dialogue. I speak pretty decent Spanish but not good enough for this 🫠

Suggested Songs: “High and Dry” by Radiohead, “Breathe Me” by Sia, “Demons” by Guster, “Cry” by Cigarettes After Sex, “Cold Little Heart” by Michael Kiwanuka

For a few seconds you can’t even figure out what you’re looking at. Or maybe you can, but your brain doesn’t want to process it, the black of the night and the black of the gun meld together so there isn’t a clear outline.

It’s the shiny glint off the gun barrel under the streetlight that makes it real, and then you startle again when a male voice calls to you, muffled through the door.

“Get out of the car!!

You blink, your hand on your chest slowly inching towards your phone that you stashed into your bra in order to not carry a purse at the fair.

“Ah ah ah. No moving except open the door or I will blow your fucking brains out. You be good, I won’t hurt you. Get out.”

Your thoughts race and it feels like you’re silent for almost five whole minutes but you know it’s only seconds, because your hand reaches for the door.

You’re quick enough to figure out that if you try to put the key back in the ignition, he will shoot you before you can leave. If you pull out your phone, he will shoot you before you can place a call. If you try to hide, he could break the window in and grab you and it will make him pissed off.

Your only option here is to fight. You have no idea what this man’s intentions are and you are not going to ignore any chance you may have. Maybe if you hit him and ran—-

You swallow and open the door.

Immediately a gloved hand shoots in and grabs you by your hair, yanking you out of your seat and stumbling to your feet. There’s no respite once you catch your balance, as the man’s other hand pushes you hard in the chest back against the hard shell of your car and covers your mouth with the most foul smelling gloved hand you’d ever smelt.

It’s then that you notice, before you can even try to fight and make a break for it, that there isn’t just one man. It’s four. And all are dressed in black with masks on, completely encircling you. One presses a gun right up under your raised jaw, the other two aim at you from a distance.

There’s no way you can run. You can’t fight off four men, it would be suicide. But you’re not sure what other alternative you have. They might kill you anyways. Or they might let you go…after getting what they want. What they want could be worse. Your brain shuts down in panic, your eyes watering because your body will not allow you to close your eyes out of adrenaline or fear.

Then he speaks to you again.

“Where is the money”. You simply continue to stare, confused.

The man leans in closer, where his nose would be under the mask almost touching your own. It does nothing to dull how rank his breath and B.O. is.

“I’m going to let you talk, you be quiet and do not scream or I shoot you. Yes?”

You nod erratically, and he takes the rancid glove off your mouth.

For a moment you do consider screaming. But it wouldn't matter. By the time someone would even make it all the way across the parking lot to help you’d already be dead.

He asks again. “Where is the money?”

“What money?” You scrunch up your brow and you can hear your voice wavering. They know how scared you are. The gun against your neck pushes deeper, and you can feel the metal forming a bruise with how oppressive it is. “I–I don’t know what you—I have my credit card! You can take it, please have it!” Your right hand gropes its way into the open door of your car like you could magically summon the wallet to your hand.

“No. The money. The money they stole. Where is it?! They’re your sweethearts, yes? They share the money with you, and killed many of us. We came for the money.”

Your heart drops into your stomach as the night’s events flash before you at hyperspeed.

“How he went on a STUPID fucking mission with these idiots to burglarize a fucking drug lord completely off paper?...

Fuck. Fuck. But why would they come for you?

“I—I don’t know where it is. I, I understand now. I just learned this, I know what you’re talking about but I don’t have it, I don’t know where it is, they didn’t tell me anything about this, I swear—”

Your head almost recoils back with the force of his gloved hand, the large palm connecting to your cheek, leaving it stinging and your nose feeling like someone ripped it open. Your eyes water once more as you struggle not to start crying. Stay strong. You have to stay strong. Do not cry.

The man who spoke to you starts pulling you away from your car and into the dark, and despite it being an idea you’d already talked yourself out of, your instinct is to resist. “I told you, I don’t know where it is! I don’t! No–I’m not going anywhere! I don’t care how much you hit me–”

One of them turns to the other, rapidly speaking in Spanish that, thank god, you know just enough to interpret.

[“We should just kill this whore, then kill the big one’s other woman and take the baby. They can always get a new whore. They will come for the baby.”]

And suddenly it’s like your brain is the most clear it’s every been. “No! No, I’ll go! Take me, they’ll come for me, I promise. They will. And—and I’m easier to transport than a baby. You’d have to take care of it right?? Until they come?? That would be a lot of work! I’m—-I won’t fight I swear! Please just take me I promise you’ll get the money. Okay?”

The men look at each other, sending some secret silent message you can’t interpret. You look at the one standing in front of you. You can barely even see his eyes in the dark.

“Please. They’ll come.”

And then you don’t remember anything else.

It took everything he had in him not to turn and look at you, to shoot up off the couch and peer out that window to watch you leave, to rip the door open and run to you, apologizing for all of it. But he didn’t.

Instead, he sat there with his head in his hands, eyes screwed shut to keep the threatening tears from spilling out. Eventually, time and space faded out, he felt nothing but everything. It felt like he had been sitting on that couch forever and also for just one second. He felt dead inside. When he finally got up and trudged down the hall to bed, it was three in the morning.

He wakes to Gabi crying. “Fuck.” He grunts, as he rolls over to glare at his phone that didn’t go off. Except it did go off. He had slept through it, and it was almost 11am. His head is killing him, and he presses his lower palms into his eyes to try and alleviate the pain. It felt like he had a hangover, but he hadn’t had a drink or used. An emotional hangover.

Frankie hauls himself out of bed and stumbles to Gabi’s room, she is absolutely beside herself calling for him and rattling the railing on her crib. He can tell her diaper is full and she hasn’t had breakfast and now he feels like extra shit because of that.

“God, baby, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry honey…” he scoops her up and pulls her to his chest, cooing and lightly bouncing her to soothe the cries. “Daddy didn’t feel good, I don’t know what happened, I’m so sorry. Are you ok?” She sniffs and nods, wiping away a snot bubble. “Ok so I know you’re starving but you would probably also feel more comfortable after a bath. Does that sound good? Which would you like first?”

Gabi sniffles again. “um…baff.”

Frankie nods and carries her to the bathroom, immediately taking off her soiled clothes and starting to run the bath. While they wait, he softly brushes her hair, using his fingers to gently separate the cute little mats she sometimes gets in her curls.

He bathed her in silence, and he knows Gabi knows something is wrong, as she usually likes to play with her sea animal toys when she is in the bath. Today she is simply swirling the bubbly water with her finger.

He doesn’t know what to say. He doesn’t know what she understood and what she didn’t. When he broke up with Lex she was too young to realize or know any better but now…now she was aware. And she had loved you…

So did he. His chest seizes in a searing pain as he thinks of you, the way your face looked when he said what he said. He hadn’t meant any of it.

It was a new level of heartbreak, because he had known better not to cater to his impulsive stubbornness, the insults and hateful comments that spill out of his mouth when he gets caught, when he feels backed into a corner. He knew better and he couldn't stop himself, his defensive and selfishness overwhelming him. And then you asked him about the farmers he shot. And it hit him.

He was a bad person. There was no denying it. He’d wanted to keep that side of himself away from you, he’d change the topic or just blatantly lie, but he liked the man he was with you, he wanted to prolong the feeling as long as he could before he messed it up. And he messed it up.

It suddenly didn’t matter to him in that moment that you could possibly forgive him. You SHOULDN'T forgive him. His past, his life, his actual shitty personality…you deserved more. You were so young, you could find someone new easily who didn’t have all his problems. So he pushed you away.

And you were fun to fuck, I’ll admit that. Let me do fucking anything…

He whips around and all but flings the toilet seat cover off the entire toilet and promptly vomits.

He is a horrible person…but he knew, deep down, that you would have forgiven him, that you would have stayed. And as the world fell apart and it all came crashing down around him, he knew you shouldn’t. But it still pissed him off that you listened to him, even when he knew this was right. He could not deny he selfishly still also wanted you to come back, to refuse to leave and beg and plead and tell him how much you love him. Everything is so complicated.

He pulls his head up and rests it in the crook of his arm along the rim of the tub. He feels a light poking and looks up to see Gabi.

“Daddy we done?”

He blinks, looking down like he had forgotten where he was and what he was doing. He reached for the loofah to rinse it from soap later. The water was getting cold.

Jesus fucking Christ.

He says nothing and nods, wrapping her up in a blanket and putting on her favorite mermaid scale leggings and a little Fleetwood Mac shirt you’d gotten her so she could match with him.

After settling Gabi with her food, he trudges into the living room, collapsing on the couch and opening his phone.

It barely rings before it’s picked up.

“Hey, Fish…was just ‘bout to text you. You ok?”

“No.”

Will began to speak, but Frankie cut him off. “Look I need you to watch Gabi for a couple days. I’m…off my dad game. Can I bring her over?”

“Yea…sure.”

Frankie could hear the hesitation in Will’s voice.

“I’m not gonna use.”

“I didn’t say you would.”

“Right. Be there in a bit.”

He told them mostly everything. If there was one thing he learned from you, it was that talking about it did make him feel better.

They said nothing at first but listened, offering words of support, because there was nothing to say. Your reaction was completely justified, and you were rightfully upset about being lied to. So was Maidali.

“Yea she won’t talk to me right now either.” Will sighs, and Frankie feels a twang of guilt that he had spent the entire time talking about himself.

His sad eyes make contact with Will’s. “I’m sorry.”

“It is what it is. Hopefully she can get over it. Flower too.”

“She won’t.” They could see this was a struggle for Frankie just from the muscles clenching in his jaw. “I made her.”

“What do you mean?”

“I made her break up with me. I—-said some really horrible shit. Shit I didn’t mean. Well, maybe I did at first cause I was mad but also…she doesn’t deserve this.”

“Deserve what?” Said Benny.

“Me, this, everything!” He throws his arms up gesturing to himself and around him before they thump back down on the couch cushions. “I wish I did deserve her but I don’t, and she has so much life ahead of her! I don’t want to tie her down to an old, fucked up, lying murderer, ok.”

“So…you White Fanged her?”

“….I don’t fucking know what that means, Benny.”

“Like, you loved her and knew she needed to be out there in the wild, it’s where she belongs, so you threw stones and shit at her to make her hate you and leave?”

Frankie blinks. “…yea.”

“But you still love her? You still want her, yea?”!

“Yes, but—“

“Well text her! Call her! Do something!”

Frankie hangs his head. “I already did. Cause I’m fucking weak. But it didn’t deliver. She blocked me. It’s what I deserve. It’s over.”

Before either of them could speak he stood up, indicating the discussion was over.

“Listen, just…watch Gabi for a couple days for me so I can feel like fucking shit and get over it and not have to listen to Lex’s fucking nagging if I ask her to take Gabi early.”

Will and Benny nod, each giving him a long hug before he said goodbye to Gabi and trudged right out the door.

And immediately texted his dealer.

He knew he shouldn’t. This wasn’t like his argument with you. He knew damn well he shouldn’t do this, that it would ruin his life probably. The difference is he just didn’t give a fuck. He didn’t deserve sobriety. He didn’t deserve good things. And he was tired of feeling the excruciating pain of heartbreak and abandonment that he had never wanted to feel again. The sharp twisting and turning in his chest coupled with nausea and dread. He felt you in every fucking heartbeat. He felt like he was dying.

He didn’t want to feel it this time.

He sighs, finished with chopping the chunky white powdered clumps up with his credit card, grabs a dollar bill from a his wallet, rolls it up, puts one end to the line of cocaine and the other his nostril, looks up—

And sees pictures of him and Gabi. At the zoo, washing his truck together with hose water splashing everywhere. A photo you took of Frankie and Gabi sleeping spooned together on the couch.

All new memories. All memories he got within the past 6 months. Memories he never would have gotten if he was still using.

No. He did still deserve that. Despite everything, he deserved to have Gabi in his life, and deserved to have a life sober. It was fucking poison, not just for his body but his soul and his life and his sense of self and even if it hurt, even if…

Even if you never come back to him. Because you told him he needs to fix himself for himself.

What you meant to him…what he had with you before he fucked it up, it meant everything to him. It wasn’t right to just get completely blitzed out to get through the pain. He needed to feel the pain. You deserved that, at least.

Before he can think about it he scoops the powder into his palm and runs to the toilet, throws the powder and the rest of the dime bag in, and flushes. Then he heads straight to bed.

He stayed in bed for days. Yea, he got up to eat, use the bathroom, answer “are you alive” texts, eat some crap junk food. But immediately after he would collapse back into bed.

He jacked off thinking of you constantly and hated himself for it. Your smile, the way you whimper his name as you came on his cock, he’d scroll through your secret nasty WhatsApp chat blowing his load to everything you’d texted to him, the voice notes you’d send him when he was at work of you masterbating and thinking of him…

That last time he’d fucked you when you’d been sleepy on the couch only in one of his old giant tshirts, how he’d pulled your panties to the side to look at you, so perfect and flushed. He’d placed a pretty kiss against your pussy and crawled over you, pulling his boxers down and pushed himself into you, groaning with a smile as your eyes fluttered open with a gasp. He’d slowly rocked into you as you whimpered in his ear, “Frankie Frankie Frankie Frankie I love you I love you I love you…” He had kissed you as you came because he loved hearing your moans vibrate against his lips.

That one time you joked about getting pregnant while he was fucking you and he had cum so fast he didn’t even know what happened.

Your pretty eyes looking up at him as you sucked him off, taking him deep and letting him cum where he wanted.

Your laughter.

Your smell. The sheets on your side of the bed still smelled like you, and after he orgasmed to you, he’d fall asleep clutching the pillow you used, burrowing his head into it as far as he could to remember your smell, pretending it was really you. Your smell was fading. It scared him.

He started not caring about meals when he learned you'd apparently blocked all his friends, even Benny.

It’s really over.

He slept for days. Because at least when he was asleep, he was either with you, or not conscious to realize he wasn’t.

You wake up to your entire body vibrating and your head searing with pain. The ground is cold, hard, and smells weird and your skin sticks to its texture. You feel liquid dripping slowly from your scalp and you try to wipe your brow but you can’t, and as you emerge from the foggyness in your head, you discover you have your hands bound and arms pulled behind your back. Your legs were bound too, all the way up to the knee and wow, obviously that’s why your shoulders and neck hurt so much.

You’re further disoriented as whatever transport you are in swerves in a tilt to the right and you slide across the floor and into a pile of boxes against the wall. A corner hits you in the back and you almost gasp out all your air from the force but you had a nasty rag stuffed in your mouth.

“Eh!” A sharp voice from further up in the vehicle calls. “You stop moving or I throw you out the plane!”

The plane. The rumbling was from you being in the fucking air, the texture sticking to your body was the metal framework of the cabin, and you didn’t know where the fuck you were going. You try to slow your breathing so you don’t hyperventilate and panic.

Surely the government watches all the planes flying around, right? They can’t just fly a plane in the airspace without them noticing? Right?!

But the plan is not stopped, not challenged, not asked to land.

You look over the top of the boxes and notice there’s a window, and you struggle to push yourself up against the cartons with your bound hands to stand, and continuing to use those boxes, you shimmy on bound legs to look out the tiny window.

You were flying over the ocean.

No one will be able to find you.

It’s finally too much. So you cry.

[pedroscurls]

Third Time’s A Charm (Part 5).

Character(s): Victoria (Frankie’s wife), Reader (female, second person POV), and Frankie “Catfish” Morales Summary: You bump into Frankie’s wife while he and the guys are in Colombia. However, when the guys finally come back home, something doesn’t sit right with you and Frankie surprises you by asking you for a favor. Word Count: 1,970 Author's Note: Things are picking up y’all... And it’s only going to get more complicated from here. I decided not to write the action scenes that the guys had to do in Triple Frontier because well, we all know what happened. Instead, I wanted to explore more of how it affected Frankie. Anyway, thank you all for reading and sticking around!🥹 Warning: None.

You busied yourself the week the guys were gone, focusing solely on work. You kept your promise to Tom, making sure to check in on Tess and he was right, she was growing so fast. You wanted to reach out to Frankie, to any of the guys, but decided against it. They had to focus on Lorea, knowing full well that outside distractions were just going to get in the way. So, you kept yourself busy, hoping that the days would pass quicker until the guys came home. 

There were a couple of days left before they would be coming home and you decided to go to the store after work. You had held office hours for your students, which only a handful took advantage of. You knew you needed to buy dinner, having forgotten to eat lunch as you wondered how the guys were doing, hoping that they were safe. Santiago described the mission down to each little detail and you hoped that there weren’t any roadblocks that would cause them trouble. 

As you were driving, your mind drifted to Frankie. The moments you both shared in the last week brought back so many memories and so many feelings that you thought were completely gone. You still loved him, there was no doubt about it. Being in his arms, feeling his soft touches, realizing that he still loved you too brought conflicting emotions for you. While yes, it felt great to know that he still felt the same way, there was a part of you that remembered he was married. 

You knew that you couldn’t go further than letting him know that you would still be here for him. He was already spoken for and the only thing you could do was love him from afar. Since Frankie married Victoria, there had been lingering thoughts about whether or not you made the right decision to leave for California for school. Maybe you both should have at least tried to make it work as a long distance relationship. Would it have made any difference? Would you both have made it through those two years? Neither you nor Frankie would ever know and now, you both had to deal with the decisions you both made. 

You made it to the nearby grocery store, stepping out of your car and walking inside. You didn’t know what you wanted to eat or cook, so you aimlessly walked the aisles, hoping that something would stand out to you. You had looked down at your phone for a moment before bumping into someone, instantly apologizing. She was taller than you and when she turned around, you felt the color in your face immediately drain. It was like you had seen a ghost. 

“Victoria,” you said quietly. “I am so sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going.” 

Victoria just looked at you. She had told you to stay away from Frankie, to respect her and their marriage, but neither the guys nor Frankie knew about that. It was something that you decided to keep to yourself, not wanting the guys’ image of Victoria tainted by your gossip. You certainly didn’t want to put Frankie in a tough spot either, so you respected her wishes and kept your distance. 

“It’s been a while,” she finally said. “How are you?” 

You cleared your throat, giving her a small smile. “Um, good. Busy, you know, with work and all, but I’m good. How are you?” 

You both were standing in the middle of the wine aisle, staring at each other. You could feel the tension thicken in the air, knowing that you both shared a love for the same man. It was awkward and you could feel your heart beating out of your chest. 

“I’m good too,” Victoria said. “Frankie’s in Colombia, with the boys.” She smiled, looking over at you. “Something about a boy’s trip since Santiago is back in town.”

Your brow furrowed slightly. Frankie had lied to Victoria and you didn’t know why. You also wondered how much Frankie withheld from Victoria. Instead of showing any ounce of confusion, you decided to play along with it. 

“Oh, that’s right. Santiago did mention something about that. Sounds like the boys are all back together,” you replied, letting out a quiet laugh. 

“Hope they’re not causing trouble,” Victoria added. “I believe they’ll be back the day after tomorrow.” 

You just nodded. You knew exactly what time they were supposed to be back, but didn’t want Victoria to know that you also knew. “Oh, that’s nice. I bet they can’t wait to get home.”

Victoria just smiled. “Yeah, I do miss my Frankie.”

My Frankie. It made you tighten your jaw temporarily. You were surprised at the jealousy that was bubbling within you, but technically, she was right. Frankie was hers. It just served as another reminder that your chance with him had passed. Right person, wrong time. 

“How are you guys by the way?” You decided to ask, watching her smile falter for a moment. “Benny and Will tell me how he’s doing from time to time, but I haven’t spoken to him since… Since you pulled me aside that one night.”

Victoria nodded, knowing exactly what you were referring to. “We’re great,” she lied. “You know how marriages are. We’re actually gonna go to couple’s therapy when he gets back, figured it’d help us grow and get closer.”

All you could do was nod. Couple therapy. You had to wonder if there was any truth to Victoria’s words, but that was only because a part of you hoped that Frankie would choose you in the end. It was a selfish thought, considering that he was already in a committed relationship. 

“That’s great,” you said with a forced smile. “Good for you both.” 

“How about you? You seeing anyone?” She asked. 

You shook your head. “Too busy with work,” you laughed quietly. “I don’t really have much time to date.” That was partially the truth, but you couldn’t admit to her that there was a part of you that probably would never get into a real relationship ever again. Not after Frankie. The bar he set was too high and no other man after him had ever come close. No, you definitely could not say that to her. After all, she was the woman married to the man you loved. 

Victoria nodded. “You should get out there, have some fun. Sometimes, I do miss it.” 

“Miss being single?” 

“Yeah,” she admitted. “The thrill of it.”

“Thrill?” You laughed. “Dating is terrible. I’d rather not.” 

Victoria shrugged, letting out a quiet laugh. “That’s what I hear, but it doesn’t seem too bad.” 

“Well, you’re lucky. You’re married, so you don’t have to worry about any of that.” 

“I guess,” Victoria said. “Anyway, we should get together one day.”

You looked at her, eyes narrowing slightly. “Maybe,” you said honestly. “I’m sure it’d be fun.”

Victoria smiled and then motioned over her shoulder. “Well, I’ll let you go. I’ll give you a text later this week or something and maybe we can plan for brunch.”

Again, you forced a smile, opting to be polite instead of reminding this woman of the horrendous things she said to you last year. It was like a complete switch and you didn’t know what her agenda was, what she was trying to do. “That sounds great. Well, have a good night. It was nice seeing you.” 

You both gave each other an awkward hug, said your goodbyes, and walked in opposite directions. You let out a heavy breath and shut your eyes for a moment. You missed the guys and especially, you missed Frankie. 

—

A couple days passed and you were surprised by Santiago’s text. He had told you that you didn’t need to pick them up at their airport anymore. Something didn’t sit well with you, so instead of replying, you decided to give him a call. 

“Santi,” you said. 

“We’re home already,” Santiago blurted out. 

“What?” You could tell by the sound of his voice that things didn’t go the way he had planned. There was guilt, sadness, and disappointment laced in the tone of his voice. “What happened? Are you guys okay?” 

“Listen, I’ll give you a call back later.”

“Santi–” Before you could continue, he had already hung up the phone. You sighed, not particularly enjoying the feeling of uncertainty that settled in the pit of your stomach. 

So, you decided to call Will. No answer. 

Benny, didn’t pick up. 

Tom, straight to voicemail. 

There was only one person left to call and you didn’t know if you should, remembering your run-in with Victoria. Sighing heavily, you decided to call Frankie anyway. If she picked up, you knew that you could lie and say that you were just concerned for the rest of the guys. 

But when Frankie answered, your heart skipped a beat. 

“Hermosa,” he said. 

“Frankie,” you sighed. “What the hell is going on? Are you guys okay?” 

Then, Frankie surprised you by replying, “Can I come over?” 

“Y–Yeah, just you?” 

“Just me, is that okay?” 

“Only if you tell me what’s going on,” you said. 

“I’ll tell you everything, hermosa. I just– I need you right now,” his voice cracked. Your heart broke. Something happened in Colombia and you were determined to find out what. 

Twenty minutes passed and you heard a knock at your door. Standing from your couch, you opened the door to see Frankie standing on your doorstep, clean shaven, sad eyes, and most importantly, with a duffel bag in hand. 

“Frankie, are you–” 

He dropped his bag and instantly took a step forward, wrapping his arms around your waist tightly. He buried his face against the crook of your neck and just held you there. You could feel the tension in his shoulders, the tightness in his back, and you gently wrapped your arms around him as well.

“I got you,” you whispered. “You’re safe.” 

Frankie just tightened his grip around you further. He held you like that for a few seconds longer before he pulled back to look down at you. Something was wrong, so very wrong. 

“Come on in,” you said. 

Frankie stepped inside and set his bag in the corner, removing his shoes. You shut the door and before you could say another word, Frankie grabbed your hand and pulled you to him again. While you appreciated being in his arms, the silence coming from Frankie was so loud. 

“Frankie, what in the hell is going on?”

“Can I stay here for a few days?” He asked quietly. “I just– I have a lot to think about and I’d rather do it in a safe place.”

“But Victoria–”

“It’ll be fine.” Frankie sighed. “We’re taking a bit of a break right now and–”

“A break?” You pulled away from him and shook your head. “Frankie, what’s wrong?” 

“Colombia was–” He took a deep breath and shut his eyes. All Frankie could see was Tom’s lifeless body. They weren’t on alert, not realizing that they were being followed by two teenage boys as an act of revenge. Frankie shook his head and looked down at you with soft, pleading eyes. “Please…”

You didn’t know what was going on, what had happened, but seeing Frankie so visibly upset broke your heart. You let out a quiet sigh and nodded. “Okay,” you sighed. “Okay, but you have to sleep on the couch.”

Frankie nodded. “That’s fair.” 

You took his hand and looked up at him, noticing the pain in his eyes. “I’m not going to ask unless you want to tell me, but I just– I need to know if you guys are okay.”

Frankie looked at you, biting the inside of his cheek and responding. 

“No…” He replied quietly. “We’re not…”

---

Part 6.

Taglist: @harriedandharassed​, @tanzthompson​, @casa-boiardi​

[the-delta-42]

The Walking Dead Game What Ifs: What if Kenny was leading Delta?

[First] [Previous] [Next]

Found

What if Kenny was leading Delta?

Clementine went to kill Abel, only to feel a gun pressed against the back of her head.

“Is this really how you want to die, fucker?” Clementine froze, before slowly turning her head.

“…Kenny?”

Kenny froze, before looking at the girl who’d kicked Abel’s ass, “Clementine?”

“You know this bitch?” Spat Abel, as Kenny looked at the little boy.

“…Is, is that…?” Kenny lowered the gun.

“AJ.” Clementine looked at him, “This is Kenny.”

“The funny guy?” AJ looked up at Kenny, “That’s that on his face?”

“It’s called a beard, AJ.” Clementine let out a laugh, before she looked at Kenny, “H-how’d you survive? I saw Walkers…”

“Well, you’re not gonna believe it,” Kenny started chuckling, “but I got my ass saved, by Lilly.”

“Lilly?” Clementine frowned, “I thought she’d’ve killed you.”

“She was tempted.” Shrugged Kenny, “But, she didn’t.”

Clementine was silent, before glancing at Abel.

Kenny cleared his throat, “Look, Clem, we’re supposed to meet with the leader of a community, maybe you might make him a bit more comfortable with us.”

“Marlon?” Asked Clementine, looking at Kenny.

“Yeah, how’d you know?” Asked Kenny, making Clementine sigh.

“He’s dead.” Answered Clementine, “AJ…shot him.”

“What?” Kenny’s gaze snapped to AJ, “Why?”

“He was a bad guy.” Answered AJ, making Clementine sigh.

“I know,” Sighed Clementine, “I did a terrible job, I screwed up, I-”

“What do you mean he was a ‘bad guy’?” Asked Kenny, frowning at AJ.

“He was going to hurt Clem.” Answered AJ, “He was pointing a gun at her.”

“That fucker.” Swore Kenny, “If he wasn’t already dead, I’d kill him.”

“What do we do now?” Asked Abel, looking at Kenny.

Kenny looked at Clementine, then at AJ, “Why do you come with us? Be like old times.”

Clementine let out a huff, “Are the others there? I think I could use having Lee around.”

Kenny sighed, “I think we all could.”

Clementine looked at AJ, before making her decision, “Yeah, we’ll come with you.”

Kenny smiled, “C’mon, Clem. You’re gonna love it.”

F

Clementine looked around the boat, letting out a whistle, “So, I guess you finally got your boat.”

“Only after six years.” Responded Kenny, “Got a few people your age, you might rub off on one of ‘em.”

“I heard someone mention a war of some kind.” Said Clementine, “Who’s it against?”

“A bunch of psychos who’ve been raiding and destroying other communities.” Answered Kenny, “They call themselves the New Frontier.”

Clementine froze, “They’ve started again?”

“Again?” Frowned Kenny, “You know those guys?”

“Yeah, they raided on the orders of one of their leaders,” Said Clementine, getting a frown from Lilly, “they… ‘reorganised’. I, I can’t believe Javi of all people would start raiding again.”

“People change, Clem.” Sighed Kenny, “The way the world is…”

Clementine frowned, “Have you tried getting in contact with them?”

“They won’t answer.” Answered Lilly, “We’ve tried all other approaches.”

“Let me try,” Clementine looked at Lilly, “Please.”

F

Clementine frowned, waiting for Kenny to say if they were in range.

“Okay, try now!” Called Kenny, prompting Clementine to press the broadcast button.

“Javi?” Clementine felt anxiety crawl in her veins, “Javi, it’s Clementine.”

“Clem?” Javi’s voice came out of the radio, “Thank god, you’re okay.”

“Javi, I heard the New Frontier’s raiding again.” Clementine cut straight to the chase, “Please tell me it’s not true.”

“It’s not.” Promised Javi, “We’ve…we’ve got a bit of a problem.”

“What problem?”

“Some of Joan’s old loyalists.” Answered Javi, “We’ve been trying to round them up, but they’re like cockroaches. We’re fighting a war on two fronts.”

Clementine glanced at Lilly, “I think…I know someone who could help.”

F

Clementine wanted to laugh, she didn’t think she’d be so happy to see Javi and his family again. Clementine let out a laugh when Gabe hugged her.

“I’m so happy to see you!” Gabe grinned down at her, “How’re you?”

“So,” Clementine glanced at Minerva, one of the girls Kenny told her about, “Who’s the boyfriend?”

“He’s not my boyfriend.” Clementine felt her face heat up.

“Sure, I believe you,” Smirked Minerva, “Thousands wouldn’t.”

“Fuck off.”

“You’re still in his arms.” Said Minerva in a sing-song tone.

Clementine and Gabe immediately jumped apart, “R-right, so, theses raiders...”

F

Clementine ducked as the wall she was hiding behind splintered; they’d planned this attack with Javi’s group for nearly three months. So far, they were winning.

“Clem.” Kenny passed an object to her, “Wanna show off your throwin’ arm?”

Clementine gave Kenny a smirk, before pulling the pin out of the grenade and throwing it.

Meanwhile, back on the boat, AJ watched the fighting going on in the distance, wondering if Clementine was hurt.

“What’s on your mind?” AJ glanced at Lilly.

“What if Clementine gets hurt?” Asked AJ.

“Then we hope for the best and do our best to move on.” Said Lilly, “I almost lost myself by burying myself in my grief after my father died.”

“Was he bitten?”

“No, he had a heart attack,” Answered Lilly, “we were three months into the outbreak, back then, Clementine was a little girl, about eight.”

AJ listened to Lilly’s story, trying to wrap his head Clementine being a little girl.

F

Lilly walked through Richmond’s streets with AJ, looking for Clementine and Kenny. She paused when she saw Clementine’s hat. Picking it up, Lilly caught sight of Kenny. His right arm was bandaged up and he was slumped against a wall.

“Kenny?” The man jerked, before looking up, “Where’s Clementine?”

“Through there.” Answered Kenny, pointing at a park, “The damn fuckers were using Walkers as traps. One managed to get through Clem’s boot.”

“She’s bit?” Asked Lilly, dread filling her.

“They’re cutting her leg off.” Sighed Kenny, “The last few folks I knew who’d cut the bit off ended up dying anyway.”

“Clem’s strong.” Said Lilly, looking down at Kenny.

“Is she?” Kenny gave a humourless laugh, “Or is she so broken, she just looks strong?”

Lilly was quiet for a moment.

“Her getting bit wasn’t your fault, Kenny.” Said Lilly, “She’s practically an adult now, she’s more than capable to look after herself and AJ. She’s proven that multiple times.”

“I know.” Kenny’s tone was defeated, “I just, fuck, I keep seeing the little girl asking me was chalk or watching me work on the RV while Lee was on lookout duty. I look at her and I see a child I failed.”

“You didn’t fail her.” Said a new voice, Lilly recognised her as Eleanor, “She’s awake and asking for you.”

Kenny, Lilly and AJ followed the woman over to a bed, where a pale Clementine was staring at the sky.

“Clem?” Eleanor gently touched Clementine’s shoulder, “They’re here.”

Clementine looked at Lilly, Kenny and AJ, “Hey.” Her voice sounded weak.

“You look like hell.” Said Lilly, as Clementine pulled herself into a sitting position.

“I feel like hell.” Retorted Clementine, looking around, “I, er, I have to tell you something.”

“If it’s about the leg—” Kenny was cut off.

“I’m pregnant.”

Kenny fell silent.

“Well, I wasn’t expecting that…” Said Lilly, before frowning, “I take it that Gabe guy is the father.”

Clementine nodded, “He’s…still unaccounted for.”

“Maybe he’s rounding up survivors.” Suggested Kenny, getting a frown from Lilly.

“They’ve already brought the last group of them in.” Responded Clementine, looking down at her lap, “He’s dead. I don’t know how I know, I just…” Clementine swallowed, “I just know.”

Kenny sat down next to her, hugging her as she broke down.

F

“Are you sure I can’t convince you to come back with me?” Asked Minerva, as Sophie and a couple others gathered their bags, “I mean, you could bury that hatchet with the others.”

“No,” Sighed Clementine, “I’ve got AJ to keep an eye on, we might visit at some point, you know, help smooth things out with the coalition when it takes off.”

Minerva glanced down, “What are you gonna call her?”

Clementine let out a laugh, “Let’s wait for them to screaming their lungs out before naming them, alright? I don’t want to decide on Sam only for them to look like a Dan.”

“You guys got your radios?” Came Kenny’s voice, getting Minerva to wave it at him, “Good, we’ll be in the area for about a week, before heading back to Richmond to resupply.”

They said their goodbyes and waved them off. Clementine felt a smile forming on her lips, before some movement got her attention. Frowning, Clementine focused on it.

“Funny lookin’ Walker, Clem?” Asked Lilly, as Clementine’s frown deepened.

“What Walker stops to take a shit?”

Lilly frowned, before focusing on the ‘Walker’, “What the hell?”

F

“Oh, I never thought I’d be happy to see this dump again.” Groaned Sophie, as they reached the gate, “Hey, Justin, I think I can see your girlfriend.”

“Oh, fuck you.”

An arrow hit the ground in front of them, “Hold it!”

“Hey, Willy,” Grinned Erin, “we’re home!”

Willy stared at them, before yelling, “Guys! They’re back!”

In the blink of an eye, Mitch was at the gate, his face like thunder, with Louis and Violet close behind him. Mitch stared at Minerva’s small group.

“Well?” Asked Sophie, planting her hands on her hips, “Aren’t you going to let us in?”

The gate swung open, and Violet rushed at Minerva.

“Oh,” Sophie looked at Louis, “where’s Marlon?”

“Oh…” Louis scratched the back of his head, “he’s dead. I’m sorry, Soph.”

“He was murdered by some kid.” Spat Mitch, getting a scowl from Sophie.

“AJ is not just ‘some kid’,” Said Sophie, “he’s very smart, if you don’t antagonise him.”

“Wait, you’ve met him?” Asked Louis, disbelief filling him.

“Yeah, the Delta picked him and Clementine up nearly a year ago.” Said Sophie, as Minerva detangled herself from Violet, “She’s actually the reason we’re coming back here.”

“Yeah, she can fight.” Laughed Justin, “I mean, she thew that grenade like a pro.”

“T-they’re alive?” Asked Violet, looking between them, “Are they with you?”

“Oh, no,” Answered Erin, “Clem and AJ stayed on the boat, she’s got a baby coming.”

“What?” Asked Louis, freezing.

“Yeah, after she sorted things out with the New Frontier, she met up with some friends she had,” Shrugged Sophie, “She and Gabe, one of her friends, hit it off, dated, Clem got pregnant, the remains of the Rogue Frontier were defeated, Clem got bit, and Gabe died.”

“They might visit at some point.” Said Minerva, “I’m going to sit down.”

F

“This place…” Kenny looked around Ericson’s, “is a fucking fortress.”

“Kenny.” Said Clementine, reproachfully, covering her daughter’s ears.

“Sorry.”

“It’s been a while since we’ve seen them.” Said Lilly, as they trailed behind Javi and a couple of the other Coalition leaders.

“Oh, please.” Scoffed Clementine, “As if they’d be any different.”

“Let’s hope you’re right.” Said Lilly, as they walked through the gate.

“AJ, don’t wander off.” Warned Clementine as they walked through the yard.

The Ericson’s group had been laughing at something before they noticed their guests, Minerva grinning and jumping to her feet, “You’re here!”

“Yeah,” Chuckled Kenny, “word of warning, we got little ears about.”

Sophie perked up, “Wait, you mean Clem’s with you?”

Kenny nodded.

“So that means…” Sophie jumped up and rushed past the other leaders, making a beeline for Clementine, “Oh, she is so cute!”

Minerva quickly joined her, dragging Violet with her, Clementine tried not to laugh at how three of the toughest people she knew were cooing at a baby.

“I told you she was a girl.”

“Shut up, Min.” Scoffed Clementine, as her daughter gurgled.

“What’s she called?” Asked Violet, frowning at the baby’s spit bubbles.

“Hope.” Answered Clementine, “I know it seems a bit sappy, but it’s what I felt when I first held her.”

“Clementine didn’t tell me where she came from.” Said AJ, suddenly appearing next to Clementine, “Or how she stopped being fat.”

Clementine sighed, as Sophie cracked up.

F

“You know,” Kenny looked around the grounds, as Javi and Jesus watched Hope, “this place would be a fortress, if you cleared all the areas of the place.”

Mitch scoffed, opting to glare at Clementine and AJ.

“How’re we supposed to do that?” Asked Violet, from her place lounging against Minerva.

“Well, takin’ out the Walkers in the gym would be a start.” Said Kenny, before noticing Louis staring at Clementine, “Hey, Bob Marley! Whatcha starin’ at?”

“W-what?” Louis jumped, making Kenny frown, before he followed Louis’s gaze.

“Maybe he’s making sure that psycho and her brat don’t kill us.” Snapped Mitch, making everyone go silent.

“Well,” Minerva spoke up, “Marlon did sell Sophie and I to a bunch of raiders before Lilly and Kenny took over, so, I’m not losing any sleep over him getting shot in the face.”

“Back of the head.” Corrected Aasim, “Marlon was shot in the back of the head.”

“And he’d been planning on selling Clementine and AJ to the same Raiders.” Said Violet, “Louis and I heard a gunshot, but we thought Clem and AJ were dealing with a Walker or something.”

“No, she just tried to kick our teeth out.” Muttered Kenny, as Clementine looked over.

“What are they doin’?” Asked Ruby, as Tenn moved over to Clementine and AJ.

“Well,” Javi moved over, “Clem’s still recovering from giving birth, and AJ’s not happy over being take out of the field.”

“So, why’s Clementine playing with her leg?” Asked Ruby, as Clementine leaned down adjusted her boot.

“Her prosthetic’s probably chafing.” Said Lilly, as Clementine removed her leg, “Yep, looks like the wound’s reopened.”

F

“If you could change anything you’ve done,” Clementine thought out loud, “what would it be?”

Her, Kenny, Lilly and Javi were sitting around a fire, the Ericson survivors had decided to turn in, Clementine had put AJ and Hope to bed, and the other coalition visitors had gone to sleep.

“Anything?” Asked Javi, letting out a laugh, “I’d stop Mariana from being killed.”

“You’re niece?” Asked Kenny, before looking to the sky, “I’d try and stop Duck from getting bit, or not cave Larry’s head in, or removing Lee’s arm sooner, or, fuck, I don’t know.”

“I’d stop myself from shooting Carley.” Said Lilly, “I keep seeing her face, I mistook her being tired as her betraying us.”

“I’d not talk to that stranger,” Said Clementine, “stop Lee from getting bit. Who knows, it might stop Sarah from dying, or stop me from getting caught by that gang.”

“Maybe,” Lilly’s voice was quiet, “we’ll see them again.”

“Are you kidding?” Huffed Clementine, “The stuff I’ve done? There’s no way I’m seeing the pearly gates.”

“That’s bullshit.” Scoffed Kenny, “You mourn for the people you’ve killed, even in cases where you shouldn’t. If that don’t get you in, then none of us are getting in.”

“You know,” Said Clementine, “back when this started, I’d pretend that we were just one big family on an adventure. Lee and Carley were my parents, you and Katjaa were my uncle and aunt, Duck was my cousin, Lilly was my other aunt and Larry was my really grumpy grandpa.”

Lilly let out a snort, “What were Ben and Mark?”

“Neighbour and family pet.”

“Which was which?”

Next Story: What if Troy assaulted Clementine in the Comic Book Store? (TW: Implied/Refenced Rape/Non-Con)

[pintsizemama]

Picture with Santa

Day 15

Welcome to the 2022 Christmas Writing Challenge!

Summary: You and Frankie take Maria to see Santa, and she asks for something very unexpected for Christmas.

Pairings: Frankie Morales x Reader (female), Frankie Morales x You

Fandom: Triple Frontier

Rating: Mature 18+ ONLY

Word Count: 816

Warnings: fluff, step family dynamics, mentions of PTSD…let me know if I missed anything!

Day 14 Day 16 Christmas Masterlist Main Masterlist AO3 Join my taglist

Frankie stood next to you shifting from one foot to other. The mall was crowded…like really crowded. You were in line to see Santa. Maria was bouncing up and down with excitement. You glanced at Frankie again. He kept adjusting his cap, his eyes darting around.

“I didn’t think it would be this busy so early in the month still,” you whispered.

“Me either,” he said softly, his eyes not meeting yours. You noticed his hand flexing—a telltale sign Frankie was stressed. He hated crowds. His PTSD was easily triggered in settings like this which was why you usually avoided large gatherings as much as possible. He had been going to therapy—and it was helping a lot—but he still struggled.

Unfortunately this was the earliest you had been able to bring Maria to see Santa. She had been with her mom until the first of the month, and Frankie’s work schedule had been crazy up until yesterday. He had piled as much work in as he could the first week of the month so he could take the rest of the month off to be with Maria.

Frankie flexed his hand again and you reached out and grasped it gently in yours. He glanced up at you and you squeezed his hand reassuringly.

“I’m ok,” he said quietly.

“I know, baby,” you said just as quietly. He smiled and leaned in to kiss you softly on the lips.

“Eww,” Maria squeaked.

“Eww?” You laughed. “You think it’s gross when your daddy kisses me?”

“It’s gross when anyone kisses,” Maria told you both, “but I guess it’s not so bad when you guys do it.”

“Oh yeah, mija?” Frankie asked with a raised brow.

“Yeah, you guys are in love, so I’ll forgive you,” she said with a sigh.

“Oh, well, thank you for your blessing,” Frankie laughed. He picked her up and placed a big, loud kiss on her cheek. “Is it gross when I kiss you?”

“Never!” Maria decreed.

“I’m glad to hear it,” Frankie said with exaggerated relief. He set her back down and noticed the line had moved. “We’re next, Maria!”

“Yes!” She cheered. “I am so ready to tell Santa what I want.” Finally it was her turn. She ran up and practically jumped into the poor guy’s lap. You both smiled and pulled your phones out to take pictures.

“Ho! Ho! Ho!” Santa said merrily. “Have you been a good girl this year?”

“Yes, Santa,” Maria answered immediately.

“Well, that’s wonderful,” Santa said. “Do you know what you want for Christmas?”

“I do,” Maria said with a nod. “There’s actually two things.” She took a deep breath in. “I really want a new bike…mine is too small, and it’s too babyish.”

“Oh, thank God,” Frankie moaned quietly. He had already bought her a new bike for Christmas, so he didn’t have to scramble to find her a gift from Santa.

“And what was the other thing you want?” Santa asked her.

“I want my Daddy to marry his girlfriend,” she said with a huge smile. Your eyes widened and your jaw dropped. Neither of you were expecting that.

“She’s really awesome,” Maria continued, “and she makes my Daddy so happy. I want her to be my second mom—officially.” Your mouth opened and closed several times. You were completely at a loss for words. Tears gathered in your eyes.

Frankie’s heart was swelling in his chest. Maria loved you. She wanted you to be her second mom…holy shit. He didn’t think he could be any happier in that moment. He pulled you close and kissed the top of your head. Your eyes were glued to Maria and overflowing with tears of joy. Santa glanced up at him, a question in his eyes. Frankie nodded once, and Santa turned his attention back to Maria. He leaned down and whispered something in her ear. Maria beamed with happiness.

“Thank you, Santa!” She said joyfully. She hopped down. “Merry Christmas!” She ran back over to you both.

“Maria, honey,” You sniffed tearfully. “That was…oh, sweet girl, I love you so much!” Maria threw her arms around you.

“I love you too!” She said, muffled against your clothes. When she stepped back Frankie knelt down to be on eye level with his daughter.

“You really feel that way, mija?” He asked.

“Yes, Daddy,” she replied.

“What did Santa tell you?” He said quietly, not wanting you to overhear.

“He told me he could work some Christmas magic for me,” Maria answered. Frankie nodded, happy the man had been able to deduce what his nod meant. Neither you nor Maria knew about the engagement ring sitting in his safe at the house. He had been planning to propose on Valentine’s Day—but that was so cliché. It looked like he needed to bump that date up a few weeks.

Day 16

Join my taglist

If you enjoy my blog and would like to support it, you can always buy me a coffee. Not necessary, but always appreciated.

Taglist:

@burrito-stuffs @greeneyedblondie44 @hnt-escape @just-here-for-the-moment @kirsteng42 @maxwell--lord @mswarriorbabe80 @peach-child @amneris21 @dreedhudson @harriedandharassed @fatimaisabelpascal @mendes-bae @quica-quica-quica @stevie75 @wildmoonflower @emilianamason @gioispunk

[leighsartworks216]

Cure Wounds

Wyll Ravengard x male!OC

Super self-indulgent smut between my dnd OC Romero and Wyll. If you have any questions about Romero, please please please ask!! I love talking about him and some of the stuff I reference here is kinda "if you know you know" (like mentions of his family), so if you wanna know, please ask

Thank you @shenanigans-and-imagines for encouraging me to write more self-indulgent oc fics <333

SMUT BELOW THE CUT

Warnings: swearing, scratching, marking each other (hickeys), bruises, brief mention of battle scars, anal fingering and sex, possibly OOC Wyll

Word Count: 4,364

Main Masterlist

First Baldur's Gate 3 Masterlist - Second Baldur's Gate 3 Masterlist

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“Do you remember how I used to heal you?”

Wyll chuckled, grinning at the mere memories that passed through his mind. “How could I forget? You would insist on kissing each bruise and cut, singing spells all the while.”

Warm sun flooded through the gauzy curtains that hung before the balcony doors. It warmed their skin, golden beams highlighting the scars they’d earned over their adventure to free their minds of tadpoles. It had turned out much more involved than any of them could have guessed. And despite the stories and tales that came of it, they were both quite glad for it to be over.

Romero lifted himself from his lover’s chest, the soft sheets slipping down his body as he supported himself on his arms to lean over his beloved. “I had to sing, it makes the spells more potent.”

“I don’t believe that for a second.”

“I’m a bard! What about it sounds untrue?”

“That you only did such a thing with me, for starters,” Wyll said through a laugh. He reached up and carefully weaved his fingers through Romero’s long dreads, threading the thick strands between each digit and holding on lightly. It was always a treat to see his hair loose, rather than tied up by the ribbon he carried around. It fell wildly over his shoulders and framed his face. Wyll felt lucky to see him like this. “If anyone else were injured, a quick spell under your breath and they were right as rain.”

Romero leaned down until his chest pressed to Wyll’s, both rising and falling in a dance with each inhale and exhale. Their noses were only inches apart. Their eyes flickered about their faces, openly admiring the man they married. Sometimes, Wyll could not believe he had been so fortunate to stumble across Romero’s path thanks to that damned nautolid. After seven years, he remembered what it meant to be Wyll Ravengard, not only the Blade of Frontiers.

“Would you rather I’d kissed all their wounds, too?” the bard teased.

“Not as such, no, but I can’t help wondering why you did so with me.” When Romero smirked wide and devilish, he quickly added, “For reasons other than being your partner.”

Romero snickered, but he did not answer right away. His smile softened. “Because of my reputation, you mean?”

Wyll hummed, apologetically. “You weren’t exactly well known for long-term relationships.”

“No one in my family is - you’re perhaps the first among any of us to be properly courted.” He sighed softly and ducked his head to brush his nose along his neck, closing his eyes and appreciating the gift he’d been granted to indulge in this closeness. “I never did it to lure you into sex,” he assured in a whisper. “I never wished to pressure you like that… But I still wanted to love you, in the best way I knew how. Being able to kiss you - just kiss you - my love, it satisfied me more than an ocean of ale or banquet of roast meats ever could.”

Wyll let out a quiet breath. “Just to kiss me.”

“Even now,” he said, pulling back to speak face-to-face, “if you said for the rest of our days, this was all I could have: a cuddle and nothing else - I would never want for more.”

Their hearts thudded pleasantly against their ribs in a call-and-response of their souls, each beat like the skipping step of two lovestruck fools frolicking through an endless field of wildflowers, hand in hand. In all his past sexual encounters, never had Romero ever felt like this with anyone before Wyll. Never had his heart raced at the mere thought of a touch, nor had his mind been so consumed with thoughts of the other, no matter how mundane. It was addictive in its own right. And he prayed to any god willing to listen that this feeling would never fade.

Wyll smiled, warm and adoring, as his hand slipped from Romero’s hair to his cheek. “You can have much more than a cuddle, my love,” he promised. “No singing required.”

Chuckles and grins got in the way as he pulled his husband down to him, teeth clacking and lips barely brushing in the clumsy mess of it all. But it was wonderful. Once they could gather themselves, their laughs died down and the kiss became one for the ages: tender and gentle, yet full of passion.

Romero leaned more weight to one hand so he could tangle the other in Wyll’s hair. It had grown longer since the end of their quest. He took great pleasure in helping his beloved wash and retwist his locs, and he adored being able to tug on it in moments like this. Wyll vocalized his enjoyment with a groan, urging his head back further into the pillow despite his horns poking into the plush so he could follow the pull.

“How much more than a cuddle?” Romero teased into the kiss.

Wyll grabbed his waist and guided his lover to straddle his lap. Then he pushed himself up to a sit, chasing Romero’s lips, never wishing to be parted from them. He was free to do so, to experience moments like this not in one night of debauchery to be forgotten, but for years to come. He slid his hand along his back, pressing the bard closer. Romero acted in kind, one of his hands pulling him closer by his hair, and the other cradling his neck fondly. The calloused pad of his thumb stroked along Wyll’s scars, brushing along his stubble. When Wyll pulled away, Romero let him, but wouldn’t allow him to stray too far, pressing their foreheads together and sharing each breath.

He peered up at his lover with his one good eye, now a bloody red from Mizora’s punishment. Dark brown eyes looked back at him, blown with affection and lust. Even when he’d sprouted horns and ridges, he’d never looked at Wyll any differently. There was never disgust in his eyes directed at him. He left a chaste kiss at the corner of his mouth.

“As I said in my vows, Wyll Ravengard belongs to you.” he whispered. This close, he could feel the way Romero’s heart skipped a beat. The awe in his eyes - the full realization of what those words meant. I have your heart, and you have mine.

So long ago it seemed, when Romero flirted and fawned over Wyll, they kissed. A proper kiss, but it never went any further. Wyll wanted to do this properly, to wait. He could not have Romero’s body without first having his heart. And now he did, just as Romero had his.

Romero crashed his lips against Wyll’s, kissing him with as much passion and love as he could muster. His heart felt like it was bursting with love, almost painful as he desperately tried to be as close to his husband as possible. He slid a dextrous hand along Wyll’s spine, pushing his nightshirt up as he traced the ridges and scars that adorned his body. He pulled away from the kiss just long enough to maneuver the shirt over his horns and toss it to the floor, and then his hand was back in his hair, tugging him close, and his teeth were nipping at his plush lips.

“I love you,” he murmured in between each kiss. He couldn’t stop saying it. And Wyll couldn’t stop smiling like an idiot each time he did.

“I love you, too. By Balduran’s blade, I love you.” He worked quickly at the buttons of Romero’s shirt. It was half open already, as Romero loved to show off his chest and the tattoo on his right peck.

Once it was fully undone, he pushed his hands inside, caressing the warm skin now exposed to him. Romero sighed, arching his back just to have more contact. Gods, his skin was so soft. He felt down his back, up his sides, his stomach - everywhere he could reach. It would never be enough.

Wyll pulled away from the kiss, but his mouth immediately found purchase on his neck. The hand in his hair tightened, tugging and pressing him further into his skin, the other digging blunt nails into his shoulder. He could just imagine his beloved’s face. His eyes closed as he whines and begs for more, his mouth parted as he moans. When Wyll finds his pulse point just below his jaw, Romero won’t let him move until he sucks a mark into his skin, a pretty bruise that claimed ownership. He was certain he would have his own marks before all was done.

He trailed his mouth lower, lips brushing over his Adam’s apple and collarbones in open-mouth kisses. He deviated at his sternum to kiss and nip at his tattoo. It was a six-pointed star, denoting himself as a child of a famous bard who had more children than Wyll could fully wrap his head around. He traced each line, bit at each point, sucked at the open center. Romero groaned, craning his neck to place a kiss on Wyll’s head.

“My love, I need you,” he breathed. “Please.”

Wyll grabbed his waist and pressed to designate a side. He did not have the strength to push his love around, but Romero certainly did.

With arms wrapped around his neck, he was rolled over. Romero’s head fell back into the plush of pillows and Wyll was above him, trapped by the legs around his hips. He was tugged up by his horns into another crushing kiss. If their lips were not bruised and swollen, he would think it a miracle of the gods.

Romero slid his tongue along Wyll’s bottom lip. He opened his mouth instantly, moaning and tilting his head, wishing for more. He dug his nails into the bard’s hips, pushing down the hem of his sleep pants so he could grab even more, to trace his thumbs along the v-line that led like a pointing arrow to his arousal. His mouth watered at the idea of kissing along those creases, of marking his love where only he could see and enjoy. Of taking him into his mouth and placing his hands on his horns so he could be guided, used for his love to take all the pleasure he could ever want from him.

But not right now. They were too desperate to feel each other, to become as one. Soon, he told himself. He would make a whole day to spend with his love, with no politics or expectations, just to experience everything they could offer each other. One day.

His hands slid further into his pants, following his skin to grasp onto his ass and lift his hips up to grind against his own. They moaned into each other’s mouths at the slightest bit of friction. They could each feel just how aroused the other was. It was maddening.

He pulled away from the kiss, breathless. Romero loosened his hold on his hips, relaxing his legs so Wyll could sit up and push them apart further. They both looked like messes, he was sure, but he could not help admiring how beautiful his husband looked when he was so eager and marked up.

“Tell me what you want of me.” He guided Romero’s pants down his hips, lifting him up by his ass so he could slip them out from under him. Further still, his mismatched eyes could not tear from the beautiful half-lidded brown eyes of his lover as his cock sprung free from its cloth prison. He sidled back as he guided them down his legs. “Tell me everything you want me to do, and I will. Anything you ask of me,” he breathed, finally tossing the pants to the side and guiding one of his legs up so he could kiss his thigh, sucking at the skin by his knee, worshipping every inch he could, “say the word and it is yours.”

Gods, Romero’s head was spinning. A million images and desires flickered through his mind, ways to be taken and take in return, to taste and feel. The thoughts that filled his head, of Wyll in so many positions, so debauched and used, it would have sent him over the edge in an instant if he had been getting himself off. The mere prospect alone, of a partner who put themselves in another’s hands so easily, to be manipulated like putty to any whim or desire - it would occupy his every waking thought for weeks if he wasn’t careful.

“I need you to fuck me,” he told him. “I need to feel you inside of me, I need you to- Gods.” His hips bucked against air as Wyll slowly, so slowly, trailed his way down his inner thigh. Seeing his face so close to his aching cock had him flushing with arousal and want. “I need you to touch me and kiss me and just fucking fuck me, please.”

“So articulate,” Wyll teased against his skin. Romero whined. He’d never take it to heart; he fell apart so easily under Wyll, all flowery expressions of love were the first to devolve.

Wyll slid off the end of the bed to remove his pants, already much too hard and much too needy. Just the sight of his husband laid out on their shared bed, golden-brown skin gleaming in the sun’s morning rays, had his member twitching with anticipation.

He crawled back on the bed, over his lover, kissing him deeply as he reached into the nightstand for the bottle of oil. Romero grabbed Wyll’s hips and drew him down, grinding their dicks together. They moaned desperately, barely able to keep their mouths connected. Thanks to Mizora’s punishment, Wyll’s cock was lined with bumps and ridges. It had been extremely embarrassing at first, and a point of self-consciousness on their wedding night, but Romero had assured Wyll in multiple ways (though most often with his mouth) it was not an unwelcome part of his curse.

He poured a generous amount of oil into his hand and dropped the closed bottle on the bed beside them. With one hand, he pushed one of Romero’s legs up against his chest, and with the other he gently prodded at his entrance.

Romero hissed as a finger was slowly pushed inside him, followed soon after by another. He had to pull away to catch his breath, burying his face in Wyll’s neck as he wrapped his arms around Wyll. His fingers slid carefully in and out of him, pushing as far as they would reach and pulling out almost entirely before he pressed in again. Breathless curses fanned across Wyll’s scarred skin, mixed with little pecks and beautiful keening sounds, like music to his ears. When he was opened enough to push a third finger in, he felt Romero’s cock twitch against his, weeping with precum.

“Please,” he whimpered. He grabbed at Wyll’s ass, dug his nails in at his shoulder blade, trying to pull him as close as he possibly could. “I’m ready, I need you. Please, my love, need you inside me.”

He eased his fingers out of him and poured more oil into his hand. He rubbed it along his cock, knuckles brushing along the underside of Romero’s drawing out needy little breaths. He pulled back slightly to see what he was doing as he lined himself up. Romero’s stomach was already glistening with both their precum, the tell-tale drips of Wyll’s own decorating his cock. He had to restrain himself so he didn’t try to clean him up with his mouth.

Slowly, as gently as he could manage, the head of his cock pushed into his asshole. A guttural moan reverberated from the bard’s throat, choking off at the end as his cock pushed deeper and stretched him further.

It felt so fucking incredible. Tight walls clenching around him with the slightest movement, the heat enveloping him. Wyll groaned as he fully sheathed himself inside. He ran a hand along Romero’s side, caressing him and urging him to relax into it.

“If I ever get used to this feeling,” Wyll murmured by his ear, “I could be tempted to make another deal to remember it again.”

Romero chuckled airily, running a hand down Wyll’s locs and softly tangling his fingers in the ends. “Don’t worry, my prince, I’ll make sure you never get used to it.”

They laughed quietly together, holding each other close in a tender moment. When the laughter died down, Romero pulled his head from Wyll’s neck and kissed him. It was not lustful or desperate. It was slow and sweet, as if all time around them stopped just so they could indulge in this moment.

They pulled away slowly and pressed their foreheads together. Wyll looked at Romero so warmly, and so attentively, waiting for his signal before he moved again. They stayed there for a moment longer. Then, Romero nodded, and Wyll slowly pulled out.

They choked on shared air as the bumps and ridges lining Wyll’s cock grated and rubbed against Romero’s sensitive walls. Almost all the way out, he thrust slowly back in, fully seated once more. A pitiful whine came unbidden from his husband’s throat. He did not wait long before his hips were moving at a slow, consistent rhythm.

Someone swore, but Wyll couldn’t tell if it was him or Romero. The result was the same: Wyll picked up the pace, thrusting faster, losing himself to the pleasure, spurned on by every choked, panted breath and quiet plea for more, more, more. He pressed his cheek to Romero’s temple, wishing he could bury his face in his neck without risk of butting him with his horns. How he would happily ravage the skin there, feeling the vibration of his cries against his lips. Maybe Romero sensed the way he held back, felt the strain in his neck and shoulders not to give in lest he hurt his beloved, for he grabbed Wyll’s horn, pulled to make the young Duke crane his neck, and kissed feverishly over his pulse, his Adam’s apple, his jawline.

He sucked and bit a matching mark just below his jaw, where his heart could be felt strongest, as it raced and rushed with ecstasy. He cried Wyll’s name by his ear, before his words devolved into stammered nonsense before biting just under his earlobe in a lousy attempt to try getting his wits back.

Wyll pushed Romero’s other leg back against his chest, hands pressing under his knees to keep him contorted just like that. Gods, just like that.

He dug his nails into his skin, clawing at his flesh and urging himself to go faster, fuck him harder. He broke himself out of Romero’s hold to crash his mouth against his, open-mouthed and panting.

Birds chirped, greeting the new day. Down below, the market was waking up, stalls being set up and vendors chatting with each other. None of it mattered. None of it reached even the edge of their senses. Wyll growled and Romero swallowed it, responding with his own moan. Nothing else mattered.

Romero scratched at Wyll’s back and arched his own, longing to feel every inch of him that he could. Wyll hissed at the sting, but the pain faded from his mind when he was pulled close so the bard could hug him, crooning like the most beautiful songbird by his ear. Wyll felt the knuckles of Romero’s other hand brush his stomach as he stroked himself, fucking into his hand as Wyll’s thrusts became rushed and uneven.

“Love you,” Romero muttered breathlessly, choking on a moan. “Love you so much. ‘M yours. Gods, you have me. You have all of me. My beautiful prince.”

Wyll let go of one of his legs to cup his cheek. Romero immediately responded to the touch, moving to press his forehead to Wyll’s. His eyes fought through ecstasy to look up at him, half-lidded eyes squeezing tight before being forced open to see his husband.

“My handsome knight,” Wyll gasped. “So close.” His hips stuttered and his eyes shut, a whine leaving him as he pressed his forehead harder against his love’s. “Let me fill you. Let me fall apart with you. I want to be one with you, my love.”

Romero leaned up to kiss him, and Wyll responded in kind. His heart raced as his hips faltered, frantically thrusting as deep as he could possibly go, his pelvis crushing against Romero’s. He cried out, mouth falling open around his beloved’s name, panted and whining, lips still brushing against each other because they couldn’t bear the idea of parting.

His hot cum spilled in large spurts, driving Romero mad as he was filled. Romero tugged desperately at his cock, squeezing as his hips bucked up into his hand, until he finally found his release. A guttural groan morphed into a high-pitched whine as he worked himself through his orgasm, cum coating his stomach and hand. He only stopped when he became so oversensitive it hurt.

They laid there, panting, clinging to each other. Sweat glistened on their bodies in the mid-morning sun. Too soon they would have to greet the day, too soon Wyll would be dragged into courtly meetings and Romero would venture off into the city to help with what rebuilding he could. They wouldn’t see each other again until late in the evening, if they didn’t make an effort to share lunch together, and more often than not these days they had to forgo that small slice of domestic bliss. Staying here, even hot and sticky and sweaty, let them linger just that moment longer.

When Romero caught his breath, he slid his hand from Wyll’s shoulder to his cheek. He guided Wyll into a kiss once more, soft, barely even a brush of lips. Goosebumps trailed the young Duke’s skin at the delicacy. He should have known it would not last, however.

He felt the smirk grow on his lover’s lips before he saw it, and before he registered what mischief his love would pull now.

Romero trailed kisses along his cheek, down his jaw, and to the dark bruise he’d left at his pulse. It was sensitive to even the lightest brush, a slight hiss escaping Wyll when a kiss was placed over the darkest section. His lips brushed over it again, but before Wyll could scold him, the song-like whisper of Te curo hit his ears and the pain was gone.

He burst out laughing. He carefully slid out of Romero so he could sit back on his knees, still chuckling, his red eye gleaming with joy and fondness. “Do not tell me this was your plan all along.”

“It wasn’t!” Romero quickly assured him through a cackle. “But how could I resist? Far be it from me to leave a lover suffering because I couldn’t help myself.”

“I don’t know about ‘suffering’ - I quite liked it.” He brushed a thumb over the bruises at Romero’s neck. “And I know you did, but I suspect you’re not going to let me heal you.”

Romero chuckled, taking Wyll’s hand and curling his fingers so he could kiss his knuckles, asking playfully, “Would you like me to let you heal me?”

Wyll sighed, contemplative, a soft grin on his lips as he studied the constellations decorating his neck and chest. His love would walk down the streets of Baldur’s Gate, shirt wide open, marks on full display for the populace. It made Wyll flush just imagining it, but it stirred something unpleasant in his gut. As much as he loved marking his husband for himself to see, the thought of everyone else seeing it and knowing their private business made him feel exposed.

“Yes,” he finally answered. Romero smiled, understanding without words the thoughts going on in that head of his. He was always good at reading people, understanding their reasoning, how they thought, but he knew no one as well as he knew his husband.

Wyll slipped his hand from the warm grasp of his beloved, not without a kind squeeze to his fingers first. Romero watched in quiet admiration at the magical abilities of his love, as his hands performed practiced poses, glowing in mystical light. Wyll had a habit of casting his spells with a strong voice, like the words alone would strike terror into his foes. Even now, with a rough Sanitatem ius, a red elixir in a bottle forms itself in his hand.

He uncorks it and cups the back of the bard’s neck, lifting his head and bringing the lip of the bottle to his mouth. Romero didn’t take his eyes off Wyll’s, watching him with warm, dark eyes mellowed with overwhelming affection. He dutifully swallowed every ounce as his head was guided back to follow the tilt of the bottle, Adam’s apple bobbing and bruises already fading with each second. Once the bottle was empty, vanishing into thin air in a wisp of color, Wyll couldn’t resist leaning down and kissing him. His tongue ran along Romero’s lower lip, tasting the lingering flavor of liquid heat. A mere taste alone sent a jolt through his system.

He sighed softly, contentedly, as he slowly pulled away. “Come on, my love.” He slipped carefully off the end of the bed, legs aching from kneeling on them so long. He could only imagine Romero’s plight when he finally stretched out his legs with a quiet hiss, taking Wyll’s hand to help him off the bed. “It’s about time we got cleaned up.”

Romero rested a hand at Wyll’s lower back as they walked together to the bathroom. Wyll’s arm wrapped around his waist, tucked under the open shirt hanging from his shoulders, and rubbing mindless circles into his hip.

Wyll jolted when Romero playfully pinched his butt. The bard had a wide, stupid grin on his face. “I love you!”

Romero laughed as Wyll playfully shoved him away, just hard enough to have him stumbling. There was a bright smile on his face. “I love you, too, you damned fool.”

---

Fun fact: The spell Healing Elixir is a 1st level Warlock spell, and it didn't have a verbal phrase from bg3 that I could find. Te curo is latin for "I cure you", so I just translated "Healing Elixir" into latin to get "sanitatem ius" :)

[artofalyksandr]

Forever yours, faithfully

Accompanying ficlet below the cut. Please be kind, I haven’t written fanfic in like 8 years, and I have no beta

Journey was playing from Gareth and Eddie’s room, again. Eddie at least had the decency to turn it down when Gareth walked in, but he didn’t bother changing the tape.

“Hey, Eds. How ya feeling?”

Eddie was quiet for a while, sitting on his bed staring into the middle distance. Gareth sat gently beside him, accustomed to Eddie’s quiet moments and willing to wait. 

“I want to add something to the set list.”

“Okay,” Gareth nodded. “Whatcha thinkin’?”

Instead of answering, Eddie turned the stereo back up. An introductory instrumental began and soon enough, Steve Perry started crooning through the speakers.

Highway run, into the midnight sun

Wheels go ‘round and ‘round, you’re on my mind

Oh, the situation was worse than Gareth thought. 

“Sure, Eds, we can totally do that.” 

Eddie seemed to relax at Gareth’s lack of protest. “Thanks, Gare.”

Gareth nodded and patted Eddie’s shoulder. He left Eddie to his dissociative moping and headed down to the reception desk to use their phone.

It wasn’t a secret how much Eddie missed Steve. The two had been nearly attached at the hip since the awful events of Spring Break ‘86. Gareth didn’t know what all went down in that week but when Eddie showed up nearly dead after a town-wide witch hunt, Steve hardly left his side. They hadn’t been apart for more than two weeks since. The longer they were apart, the grouchier Eddie got. 

Gareth loved Eddie, he did. Eddie was his brother in all the ways that really mattered, but even he had his limits. And it turns out his limit was Journey. 

The line rang once, then twice. Halfway through the third ring, the other end picked up.

“Harrington residence: this is Steve.”

“Hey, Steve. It’s Gareth, is Robin at yours?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Can I talk to her?”

Gareth heard a muffled conversation and some shuffling on the other end before he finally heard Robin pick up the reciever.

“Go for Robin.”

“Hey, Robin, it’s Gareth. We’ve got a problem.”

“Tour life kicking your ass?”

“No, actually it’s been really good so far, we’re all having a blast. But I’m worried about Eddie, really worried. A few nights ago I caught him listening to Journey. Journey, Robin! And when I came back to our room tonight, he just turned the tape down instead of changing it. He want’s to add ‘Faithfully’ to the set list.”

“Shit, that’s bad.” Robin hissed. “Do you think it’s time?”

“Yeah, I think it is.”

Before Corroded Coffin left on tour, Robin and Gareth had agreed that they could call if their respective best friends seemed to be spiralling without their partner. Without question, or justification, they would fly Steve out to whichever city the band would play next so he and Eddie could meet up. 

“Okay, we’ll be there. What’s your next stop? ”

Gareth let out a sigh of relief. “Next up is Boston, day after tomorrow.”

“That’s perfect actually, I’ll coordinate with Nance. I’ll just tell Steve we’re going to visit her.”

That’s right, Nancy Wheeler was going to college in Boston. 

“Thank you so much, Robin.”

“Don’t worry about it. Eddie’s not the only one who’s been having a hard time with the extended separation,” Robin sounded tired on the other end of the line. “I’m just more used to Journey on repeat than you are.”

“Steve’s been listening to it too, huh?”

“He keeps it to once a day, for my sake. But, yes. Frontiers is part the daily music rotation.”

Something clicked in the back of Gareth’s head. If he could pull it off, he’d be the best friend/pseudo-brother ever. 

“Hey, Robin? I’ve got a kind of crazy idea.”

Gareth pitched his idea to her. 

“Holy shit, that’s brilliant! I’ll take care of everything until we get to Boston.”

“I’ll give your names to security and set it up with the road crew. We’ll see you guys in Boston.”

When Gareth hung up the phone a few minutes later, he had Nancy Wheeler’s Boston phone number in hand and a lighter much lighter heart. He and the guys could deal with Eddie as he was for another 48 hours. 

On the way back to the room he was sharing with Eddie, Gareth stopped by Jeff and Frank’s room to let them know about the addition to their set list and the surprise for Eddie.

*****

Rehearsal and sound check went as smoothly as they could have. They played through “Faithfully” a few times to make sure they had enough of a handle on it that they wouldn’t make complete fools of themselves during the show. They followed up with a few originals, and some of their favorite covers just to loosen up.

When Eddie stepped aside to check a couple of things with their sound engineer, Gareth took the opportunity to fill in the other two on the last bit of his plan. The Hawkins crew were set to arrive any minute and Gareth was going to need Jeff and Frank’s help if he was going to keep this a surprise until show time.

One of the guys from the venue’s security team waved Gareth down when the band broke for lunch.

“We’ve got some folks up at the front waiting for you. Asked for you, specifically.”

“Yeah, I’ve been expecting them, thanks.”

He nodded at Frank and Jeff and followed the burly security guy towards the front of house. When he stepped into the mid-day sun he saw Steve, Robin, and Nancy waiting for him and grinned.

“Would you look at what the cat dragged in,” Gareth laughed as he pulled Robin into a hug. He shook Nancy’s hand cordially and gave Steve a brotherly one-armed hug. “It’s really good to see you guys.”

Gareth held the door and beckoned the three of them inside. As they made their way back through the arena, he filled Steve and Nancy in on the plan, with intermitent comments from Robin. Nancy’s face lit up and Steve’s softened. 

“Gareth, if we can pull this off, its going to be incredible. I seriously owe you.” 

“We can talk about repayment later, Harrington. Let’s get this thing moving. Nancy, you’re up.”

Nancy nodded and followed the security guy towards the green room to drag Eddie offsite for lunch. Gareth brought Steve and Robin to the stage where Jeff and Frank were waiting.

“There he is!” Jeff called jovially, jogging over to the three of them. “The man of the hour.”

“Hey, Jeff, Frank,” Steve accepted the friendly hug from Jeff and returned the stoic nod he got from Frank. “I hear it’s going to be quite the show tonight.”

“That’s the plan,” Gareth said clapping him on the shoulder.

“Alright, dinguses, let’s get started. We don’t have a whole lot of time and we’ve got a laundry list of things to get done before Eddie and Nance get back.” Robin called to them from where she’d perched herself on one of the speakers.

Gareth nodded. “You heard the lady, let’s get started.”

*****

The show was going incredibly well, especially considering Eddie’s recent mood. The crowd was absolutely insane, feeding into the band’s adrenaline. As their current song came to an end, Gareth glanced into the wings where, sure enough, Steve, Robin, and Nancy were waiting for their cue. 

Eddie shook himself out at the mic stand and looked back at Gareth. Gareth returned the look with a supportive smile and a thumbs up. 

“Alright everybody. The energy tonight is insane, but I’d like to bring it down for a sec. Then we’ll be right back to the usual shit for the big finish with some crowd favorites.”

Jeff and Frank checked the tuning on their guitar and bass respectively and gave a few experimental strums, then gave Eddie matching thumbs ups.

“This next song isn’t our usual sound, like at all, but it means a lot to me. If I’m being honest with you guys tonight, the last few weeks of tour have been a bit hard for me. There’s someone back home who I’ve been really missing and this song reminds me of him. So, Stevie Boy, this one’s for you. I love you.” 

Eddie pulled the microphone from its stand and stepped back, turning his back to the anticpating crowd. Jeff and Frank began the opening instrumental with a quick coordinating glance and one last reassuring nod from Gareth where he sat behind his drum kit. Eddie let out a deep breath and brought the mic to his mouth.

Highway run, into the midnight sun

Wheels go ‘round and ‘round, you’re on my mind

Eddie bounced on his toes and spun to face the crowd.

Restless hearts, sleep alone tonight

Sendin’ all my love along the wire

Gareth turned to the wings. Steve gave him a nervous smile, but he nodded nonetheless. They were all set and ready to go. At the front of the stage, Eddie continued the ballad.

They say that the road ain’t no place to start a family

Right down the line it’s been you and me

And lovin’ a music man ain’t always what it’s supposed to be

Gareth watched from behind his drum kit as Eddie’s shoulders began to shake.

Oh, boy, you stand by me

I’m forever yours

Faithfully

As Jeff and Frank picked up the pause in the lyrics, Gareth gave a meaningful nod into the wings and watched Steve step into the stage lights. 

Standing on stage with the other members of Corroded Coffin dressed in their cut-off band tees, leather, chains, and torn jeans, Steve stood out. He was dressed in a weird cross of Eddie’s style and his own. He wore a black polo with thin red stripes, dark wash jeans, sneakers, and Eddie’s old battle vest. Someone, presumably Robin, had lined Steve’s eyes with a touch of kohl, and while Gareth couldn’t be sure, it looked like Steve might be wearing lip gloss. Nice touch, Buckley. 

Steve stepped further down stage and picked up the next verse without missing a beat, matching Eddie perfectly. 

Circus life under the big-top world

We all need the clowns to make us smile

Eddie’s head whipped around and he stopped, microphone still raised. 

Steve, God bless him, kept going like this was nothing out of the ordinary.

Through space and time, always another show

Eddie’s brain seemed to reboot just in time and he took the next line. 

Wonderin’ where I am lost without you

Steve met Eddie at center stage and took his hand gently. Eddie’s grin was unmatched, his eyes glistening. Watching the two of them from his vantage point, it occured to Gareth that Eddie and Steve were passing the song back and forth between them. Like they’d done this before, just without an audience.

And being apart ain’t easy on this love affair

Two strangers learn to fall in love again

I get the joy of rediscovering you

Eddie moved his hand to Steve’s cheek, his touch so gentle and full of love. Steve dropped his now empty hand to the “S” tattoo that sat on Eddie’s hip bone, just above the waistband of his leather and mesh pants. There was so much love between them, and just witnessing it took Gareth’s breath away. 

Oh, boy, you stand by me

I’m forever yours

Faithfully

Eddie and Steve let the crowd sing the vocalizations, taking the moment to absorb each other before Eddie brought it home. 

Faithfully

I’m still yours

I’m forever yours

Forever yours

Faithfully

Jeff and Frank played out the final notes to an awestruck crowd. Eddie launched himself into Steve’s arms, his shoulders heaving and the crowd roared with applause. Steve cradled Eddie’s face in his hands. The two of them seemed to be having a conversation and the world outside that conversation didn’t matter. 

Gareth let them have their moment before tapping the kick drum a few times to get their attention. Steve looked up at Gareth atop his raised platform that housed his kit and gave him a half-hearted apologetic smile. He squeezed Eddie’s hip, running his thumb over the tattoo and muttered quickly to Eddie. Steve kissed Eddie’s knuckles and took his leave, retreating into the cheering arms of his best friend and his ex-girlfriend.

Eddie turned back to the crowd. 

“Holy shit, you guys.”

The crowd cheered below him. 

“Well, that was our surprise guest, Steve. At least, he was a surprise to me. But you guys came for a Corroded Coffin show and with the time we’ve got left, that’s what you’re gonna get! Let’s rock this!”

*****

After the encore, Corroded Coffin poured off stage, buzzing with adrenaline. Eddie ran to meet Steve, sweeping his boyfriend into a fierce hug.

“Holy shit, Stevie! The hell are you doing in Boston?”

“Robin said we were coming to visit Nancy, but apparently she and Gareth were scheming behind our backs.”

Eddie looked over to Robin, who shook her head pointed at Gareth. “Unfortunately, I can’t take credit for this one. The whole thing was his idea.” 

Gareth twirled his drumsticks nervously. 

“Gareth?” Eddie prompted.

“Look, dude, I love you but I couldn’t stand listening to Journey for another three weeks. And when you said you wanted to add “Faithfully” to the set list, I knew it was time to call my emergency back up. So two nights ago, I called Steve’s place and talked to Robin. And it all kind of spiralled from there.”

The awe on Eddie’s face was unmatched and Gareth couldn’t look directly at him. Eddie pulled into a hug and let out a quiet sob into Gareth’s shoulder. 

“Thank you,” he whispered.

If asked later, Gareth would deny his own watery eyes as he hugged his brother. 

“Of course, Eds. Any time.”

[bough-25]

What it means to be a Leader

Written by @2blueberrylover2 (thank u so much for this once again 🩵🩷🩵🩷)

Bough sighed as he strummed, picking at the chords on his bass. It had been a rough day, and things were starting to wear him down.

He had decided to step away from everything for a while, making his way outside to sit down and play on his bass, trying to focus his mind.

He growled in irritation, slamming his clenched paw onto the ground.

'This isn’t helping.’

Making sure to be careful in his irritation, Bough set his bass to the side, not wanting to damage it as it had been a gift for Gift Given Day from his Lotus.

He leaned forward on his knees and held his head in his hands.

As he sat there, he could hear light footsteps approaching him. Looking up, he saw Frontier standing in front of him.

He watched as Frontier sat beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Almost immediately, Bough started tearing up, though he fought to keep it back.

“Frontier… I have no idea what I’m doing.”

“Bough-”

“I don’t even understand why Pa chose me! It’s almost too much. I’m one troll, and despite having no memory from before, I wasn’t even born here.”

Bough growled to himself as he ran a paw through his hair, his tail flicking sporadically behind him.

“I know Pa has been raising me to take this position, and he’s ensured I have the education, but it's nothing like what I planned for.”

“Well-”

Frontier tried to speak up again but was, once again, cut off by Bough.

“Barb would be so much better at this. She's been learning this stuff a lot longer.”

“But she-”

“I know! I know she's the queen of the hard rock trolls and I can't expect her to be the leader of both.”

For the first time since Frontier sat down, Bough finally looked over at him.

“Shit, I'm sorry… I shouldn't be putting this all on you.”

Frontier brought his hand up and ruffled Boughs hair in response, sending him a gentle smile.

“What if I'm not made to be a leader…”

“You are.”

With those two words, Frontier wrapped his arm around Boughs shoulders and pulled him closer before wrapping his other arm around his back.

“We all believe in you, Bough. You have this. And we'll be here with you.”

Knowing they were along, Bough let a single tear slip down his face as he hugged Frontier back.

“You have what it takes to be a leader.”

[sinisterlutist]

1, 5, 6, 10, 13 (Rainy), 22 (Past the Stargazing Season - Mili)

1. Song that’s currently stuck in your head

Find Your Flame from Sonic Frontiers, particularly the line

‘Now here we go, it's the end of the show/ Hear them, they’re calling your name/ Cause in the end/ It’s you and your friends/ You’ll find your flame’

I’m not really a big fan of hard rock with yelly/screamy bits in it, but man, I love the chorus, bridge, and lyrics of this one enough that I can listen to it!

(Also, secondarily, bc I’ve been writing this on and off for a while now, Luisa’s Bones by Crooked Fingers has now wormed its way back into my head.)

5. Songs to calm you down

Soooo much ambient stuff, and a LOT of game music! I’ll try and mix in some variety here.

Fukurou — Kokia

Quiet Water — Toby Fox (Undertale)

Late Night — Pokemon Legends: Arceus

The Valley — Lucas Paakh (William & Sly)

Best of Antent — Antent (playlist arranged(?) by BLUME) look I just pop that on when I need to sleep, it’s great, super relaxing.

6. Songs that pump you up

Gr8 Story — covered by Takanori Oyama and Toshiyuki Toyonaga (this is a character cover by the voice actors of two of my favorite characters of one of the endings of one of my favorite animes. It never fails to make me smile. It HAS to be this version, the original is just not nearly as good.)

Fortune Days — The Glitch Mob (you’d be surprised how cool this makes you feel just walking somewhere)

Guitarmass — Infected Mushroom

フェイク (Fake) — Eve

Let’s Face It I’m Cute — 11 Acorn Street

街 (City) — Vivid Bad Squad (Project Sekai)

10. What’s a song you love that might surprise some people?

This is actually really hard, I’m not sure? Uhhh, how about You’re Crashing, But You’re No Wave by Fall Out Boy? I don’t really listen to a lot of music most people consider popular, but this one was on someone’s character playlist (which are ALSO something I don’t usually check out, but I’m sure you can guess who it was for), and honestly, it’s just such a jam anyway? I love the lyrics.

13. Give me a mood and I’ll pick a song that fits it (Rainy)

Dance of the Spirituals — Jonny Southard

This one is just one of the nicest piano pieces I’ve ever heard, and pairs beautifully with rain and a good book.

Hatachi no Koi — Lamp

Lamp in general is just full of songs that could put you right to sleep in the rain- and they’re cute, too. I think you’ll like this one :)

22. Based on my blog, give me a song you think I should listen to, I’ll share my thoughts. (Past the Stargazing Season - Mili)

… wow. Okay, so I was gonna start off with “oh man, this voice- the first time I heard it was in the rhythm game Deemo, I loved the song pack with this voice,” and then the song went on and I was reading the lyrics and I have a feeling I think I know why you sent me this song and thinking about that possible situation with this playing and all that, uhhh, I cried? That was amazing. Sheesh, man. Wow. I had an entire experience in the span of 4 minutes. Thank you.

I loved answering these. Thank you for asking them. Criminy. I’m gonna go lay down.

「x」

[thelightsandtheroses]

Theories? Ideas? Triple frontier?? Spill the tea babe

Thank you so much for the ask, lovely! Ah, Triple Frontier - I actually rewatched the film twice recently when I was travelling as my film for the flight. I just genuinely adore Frankie Morales and I really want to write something for him. I apologise in advance if this answer is way too long!

My fic idea for Frankie: I really want to play with some tropes I love but haven’t written before. I’ve already seen some done brilliantly in this fandom (e.g. brother’s best friend) so I want to leave those for now as I’m not sure my idea would add anything new to that trope but there are some fun ones to still explore.

I am a big fan of he falls first and friends to lovers, both of which I think are quite Frankie Morales in general.

The idea I’m currently playing with is post film, with Frankie in the position of kind of part way through getting himself together again; he’s single, trying to get more visitation with his kid, is finally trying to stop couch surfing and get his licence back so he’s not entirely at rock bottom but he’s not where he wants to be. He meets the reader, though I’m still deciding if I want to make them an ofc as writing as the reader is newer to me and feels slightly less natural but then practice might help! My current ideas is to have the Reader coming in as the friend of Benny’s new girlfriend (or possibly some other way I’m still ironing that out) who hasn’t been in Florida long and ends up becoming good friends with the boys. The other idea I have for this which I’m leaning more towards is she’s linked to Tom somehow - because while I am not a fan of Tom it could be super interesting to use this to explore life after the film too for the boys and her finding out more about what happened. Like maybe she’s his niece or sister who has moved back to Florida? Anyway, the Reader has her own past she’s working through, and the two of them connect but neither of them realise at first the other likes the other that way so they’re both hiding their feelings and trying to get themselves to a version of themselves they think will be more ready for the other, not realising where they are. Hopefully it will be better and less vague than it sounds writing it down here. I also have a bodyguard au idea for him but I’ve never written a plot like that so I’m a little nervous.

My general Frankie head-canons and theories

I feel like the movie just broke him systematically over an hour and half so I kind of want to write something that’s about him putting himself back together again. Also I think he was done with Pope’s scheme before he even got on the plane. He did it for loyalty over anything else.

Also I think as much as we’re told about his loyalty and friendship with Pope, some of that to me read as more of the actors’ friendship coming through than just the script. Maybe it’s me, so I’m interested to see how I could explore that friendship more in the wake of the film, like Pope looks pretty worried about Frankie at the end but is also talking about going to Australia.

I have a whole playlist I’ve been building for Frankie and writing him/the idea I mentioned. There’s a fair bit of Taylor Swift (like all my playlists) but also I have some 90s there, some Fleetwood Mac (Frankie loves Fleetwood Mac, I’m sure of it) and also a song called Sometimes by Gerry Cinnamon which felt quite Frankie to me.

Other ideas: I’ve been playing with a couple of ideas for some Joel Miller fics too - more one shots, one idea I have is about bonding over music and the other is a Jackson era idea

Thank you so much for the ask and hopefully I haven’t rambled too much

[pimosworld]

Moonshine

TLOU x Triple Frontier crossover AU

Pairing-Joel Miller x f!reader x Francisco Morales

CW-18+,MDNI,NSFW, alcohol consumption, angst,fluff,oral male receiving,cockwarming, canon typical violence, kidnapping,protective Joel,protective Frankie, minor character death, comfort

Chapter summary- Things come to a head when Joel leaves the QZ. Cain’s greed boils over into all your lives and the boys put their skills to use.

WK-6k

A/N- This is it folks and then the epilogue. Thank you for all sticking around. We are saying goodbye to this beloved trio…for now.

Character link

[Series Masterlist][Main Masterlist]

Not beta read

Final Chapter-Speakeasy

Joel could be extremely stubborn, but it seems you were going to take the cake in that competition. It’s been two days since Joel told you he needed to leave the QZ for supplies. He swore to you he would never put himself in danger again. Your best option at keeping him from leaving at this point was the silent treatment and it seemed you were determined to hold true to that despite today being the day he is supposed to leave. 

  “You gonna stomp around all day or ya gonna talk to me?” Joel tries to cage you in against the counter but you slip out of his grasp and stomp towards the bedroom. 

  Frankie sends him an apologetic look as he waves him off. 

  “This isn’t the first time she’s been pissed at me  and it certainly won’t be the last.” Joel resumes drying the dishes you left in the sink as Frankie looks towards the hallway where you disappeared. 

  Joel turns to him when he’s done with a look more stern than his normal demeanor. He’s nervously rubbing his hands together and Frankie fights the urge to tell him to stay. He wants to tell him everything you’ve expressed over the last few days. He wants to tell him that he has all he could ever want inside these walls…but Frankie knows that’s not true. 

  Things are different now. It’s not just about their survival. People relied on Joel to take care of their families and his last few runs have come up short since he wasn’t the one overseeing it. Things were ‘stolen’ or people went missing. Much like his brother Tommy, Joel was growing tired of sitting idly back without getting his hands dirty. 

  “I’ve been meanin’ to talk to you about something before I go.” He sets out two glasses from the cabinet and grabs a bottle from under the sink that Frankie’s never seen before. His eyes aren’t focused on the glass but he pours all the same. 

  “Before you start… just know I’m not going anywhere.” Joel flicks his eyes to Frankie briefly before swallowing it down in one gulp. 

  “If something happens to me…”

  “Nothing is going to happen to you!” You emerge from the hallway fuming.“You don’t have to go.”

  Frankie winces at the sight of your bloodshot eyes. Tears streaming down your face as Joel crosses the room to pull you into his arms. You try to push him away but he’s much stronger than you as his hold on you tightens. 

  “Stop fightin’ me Shine.” He half shouts into your hair as you pound your hands on his chest. 

  “I don’t want you to go.” Your inaudible sobs are breaking Frankie’s heart. Joel has been your security blanket since you arrived in Boston and you can’t fathom a life without him. 

  “You know I have to go.” He rocks you slowly in his arms and rubs your back as your breathing comes back to you in shallow sobs. You nod your head against him and he tilts your chin up to face him. “Shine.”

  “I know.” You feel a warm presence behind you pressing into your back and large hands come between you and Joel to caress your front. 

  “I’m gonna be here for you no matter what hermosa.” Frankie sounds like he’s on the verge of tears and it breaks your heart to think he doesn’t understand how much you appreciate him. 

  “Shit Frankie I’m sorry.” You turn around burying your face in his neck, inhaling his scent you’ve grown so addicted to. “I didn’t mean to…”

  His lips are on yours in an instant, all the feelings and desperation he’s trying to convey in this one kiss is enough to silence you. You kiss him deeply, your tongue licking into his mouth as Joel’s lips find your neck. Your soft moan almost stifles the quiet words whispered against your lips. 

  “I love you.” Frankie hears your sharp intake of breath and Joel’s hands stilling on your waist as the moment hangs in the air. “I love you both.” 

  You don’t think your heart can take the simultaneous feel of it swelling and breaking all at once. Frankie loves you…and Joel, he finally decides to tell you both. Maybe as a last stitch effort to get him to stay. Or maybe he truly does love you and he realizes this may be his last chance to tell you while you’re all in the same room. 

  He’s waiting for a response for what seems like an eternity and the feeling of worry and guilt start to creep over him. He can see the look in your eyes like he’s holding your heart in the palm of his hands and Joel who refuses to meet his gaze. He can sense his mistake, much like yours of trying to ignore Joel these last few days in a final triumphant tantrum to get him to stay. 

  But this is not that. He’s loved you for months, just afraid to tell you and open up a part of him he thought long dormant before him and the boys made their trek to Boston. You came barreling into his life, not taking no for an answer and challenging him every step of the way. Joel surprised him from the beginning, turning out to be quite the opposite of the persona he lets on. He may be hard around the edges but inside he’s soft and sweet and just needing to be loved all the same. 

  “I’ve felt this way for a long time, I wanted to tell you the other night but after you said you were leaving it just didn’t feel like the right time.” Joel finally looks up then and smiles at him and Frankie knows maybe now was not such a good time either but he couldn’t wait any longer. 

  “We love you too Francisco.” Joel gently kisses the back of your head. “This one was pretty eager to tell ya’ months ago but I didn’t want to push.”

  Joel closes the small space between him and Frankie as his lips tenderly meet his. It’s short and sweet yet you know it still holds the same weight of his words. 

  “You know I still gotta go.” Frankie rests his forehead against Joel’s and nods once. 

  None of you speak for a while and you think if you keep your eyes closed maybe you could stay like this forever. 

  ****

Joel doesn’t say anything as you feverishly pack his bag full of stuff he knows is probably too much to carry but it’s not worth it right now to tell you to stop. It’s adorable the way you mutter under your breath about needing to keep warm and hydrated. He’s sitting on the bed against the pillows trying to burn this memory in his brain…just in case. 

  If he waits any longer to leave he’ll be late to meet the few others that he’s making the short trip with. Some older locals he knew he could trust wanted to gather some more supplies before winter. They also knew how to handle a gun in case they ran into any trouble. Which he assumed may happen since his last few scouts he sent out for supplies came back with little to nothing and seemed downright spooked to even tell him. 

  He couldn’t afford to send any of the boys, he needed all hands on to run the bar and make sure his presence was still known. Charity would likely never forgive him if he sent Santiago and he would never put his family in any unnecessary danger. He needed Francisco to stay for obvious reasons and part of him just wanted to prove to himself that he hadn’t forgotten what it was like to be out there. 

  Tommy always lingered in the back of his mind as he lived his quiet and relatively peaceful life. He wanted that so badly for him but Cain had other motives and he couldn’t convince his brother to leave that life behind. Ultimately that cost him his life and so Joel swore to you he wouldn’t put you in a position to mourn anyone else. 

  “Shine I think that’ll be enough to last me a few weeks. I’m only gonna be gone a few days.” He stills your hand as you try to zip his pack. He places a kiss on each one of your knuckles and then a final on your palm. “I’ll be back in a few days, I promise.” 

  “Don’t promise.” You look up to him with tears streaming down your face. 

  “I’m gonna promise anyway.” 

  ****

  The bar is not open today so that leaves you with nothing except your thoughts running wild. Frankie follows you around like a lost puppy as you try to find new ways to clean and organize the same space. You know he’s trying to be supportive but you just wish he would do something…anything really besides follow you around the house. 

  Frankie can see you’re wound tight. He knows all too well the feeling of wanting to be in control of something you have no control over. 

  You need a distraction 

  “Did you say something?” You turn to Frankie as he leans against the wall in the hallway.

  “I said…you need a distraction.”  He takes a few steps towards you and holds out his hand waiting for you to accept it. “I promise I won’t bite…unless you want me to.” 

  “Okay.” 

  He smiles at you as you take his hand. He says nothing as he leads you from the hallway to the living room. The early sunset peeking through the blinds is all the light you can see as he sits on the couch. He positions you between his legs as he looks up at you with those brown puppy dog eyes. You’re already feeling better and thoroughly distracted as he rubs his large palms up and down the back of your thighs. 

  “So…what do you want to do?” It’s a pleasant nervousness thrumming through your veins as he sits back and you try to keep your eyes level with his face and not on the stretch of his pants as his legs relax. 

  “Whatever you want to do Mi Luna.” His face reads calm and collected but his hands are fidgeting at his side and you realize he’s struggling just as much as you are with Joel being gone. 

  “Whatever I want.” Your teasing tone as you start to pull your shirt over your head has him equal parts worried and excited. 

  You weren’t expecting to put on a show today so you’re feeling a little self conscious in your basic panties and bra but the way Frankie is looking at you like he wants to devour you makes you want to prolong this a bit. 

  You drop to your knees in front of him and lean forward to pull on the waistband of his sweatpants. He lifts his hips slightly to help you as you let the fabric pool at his feet. You can’t help the look in your eyes when you see how turned on he is already. The way his breathing picks up as you splay your hands on his thighs and dig your fingers into the muscled flesh.

  He curses under his breath as you take him in your hand and pump him a few times. You place your other hand on his stomach as he tries to keep his hips still. “I’ve barely touched you.” 

  “Fuck I know.” It’s more of a response to himself than it is to you. 

  You move your hand briefly before your lips are wrapping around the tip of his cock. Teasing with your tongue at first until you sink down slowly enveloping him in your mouth. You don’t stop until your lips meet the base of his cock and you still there for a moment before swallowing. 

  “Holy fuck.” You’ve never taken him this far before and Frankie’s brain short circuits when you start to bob your head up and down his cock, the lewd sounds coming from your mouth spur him on as your other hand still firmly on his stomach presses down. An unfamiliar groan leaves his lips and he has to bite down bordering on painful so he doesn’t finish embarrassingly fast. 

  “I’m close hermosa.” 

  You swirl your tongue again and come off with a pop as you lean back on your heels to catch your breath. 

  “I need your shirt off Francisco.” He rips his shirt off, his hat clambering to the floor somewhere behind him as you take off your bra and panties. 

  You settle your thighs on either side of his hips as you hover over him. You haven’t told him he can’t touch you but he follows your silent instruction as his hands nearly tear the fabric of the couch with his grip. You reach down and line him up with you as you sink down slowly.

  He’s always a stretch but he usually gets you ready…on his fingers, his tongue for as long as you’ll let him. You don’t have the patience today and you’re loving the control. His eyes are squeezed shut as you moan into the feeling of pleasure as you’re fully seated on his cock. 

  “You can touch me.” Your voice quivers a little as his hands grip your hips. He starts to lift you slightly when your hand goes to his shoulder to stop him. “I just want to stay like this for a minute.”

  “Okay.” His voice barely above a whisper. 

  His hands loosen slightly as you lean forward, eating your head in the crook of his neck. He smells like your lavender body wash and sweat and you release a breath you didn’t know you were holding. 

  You shift a little as you wrap your arms around him and he pulses inside you. A soft whimper leaves your lips and his hands tighten their grip on you again. “Is this okay?” 

  You can feel him nod his head as he places a kiss to your cheek. “More than okay.” 

  “I love you Francisco.”

  “I love you too Shine.”

  ****

  The last few days at the bar have been hellish. The business has helped you keep your mind off Joel so you’ve enjoyed the chaos. 

  You can tell Frankie’s been on edge. A similar look in his eyes to when you first met Joel. He’s not sleeping and barely eating. You talked to Ben before starting work today and he assured you he’d check on him when things started to wind down for the night. It didn’t seem that things would be winding down anytime soon though. 

  Joel didn’t discriminate in his bar, any patron was welcome. Whether it be a tired mother getting off her shift in the kitchen or a FEDRA officer unwinding after a day of carrying out questionable orders. 

  His only rule was no fighting in his establishment. 

  As quiet as you tried to keep his absence, people talked. It was evident with all the rowdiness of the night that people knew he was gone. The boys were intimidating to most but they were new. Joel’s name held weight and with him being gone it provided opportunities for challengers. 

  You and Charity did your best to keep up with the high demand as the boys tried to keep the patrons in line. 

  You told Frankie early on in the night to help his friends. You could see him grappling with making sure you were okay and standing by on the sidelines trying not to feel useless. 

  “Go, I'll be fine.” 

  The nagging part of your brain that tells you, how long can he put up with being your glorified babysitter. The part of your brain that tells you he’s going to get sick of you. It’s the devil on your shoulder that tells you he needs something else to do or he’s going to leave eventually.

  “Are you sure?” 

  Frankie shouldn’t listen to you. That part of his brain keeps telling him you’re going to get sick of being treated like a child. You survived just fine before he got here so why shouldn’t he go be with his friends. Eventually you’re going to get sick of him just watching over you. 

  If the two of you would’ve just got out of your heads you could’ve avoided this whole situation. 

  ****

  Your head is pounding and your throat is dry. Your neck hurts from being stuck in the same position for god knows how long. 

  It’s like waking up from a nap and you have no idea how you fell asleep or where you are. As you blink your eyes open you see a room much like your old apartment above the bar. It’s clearly daytime as the sun peeks through the dark curtains. The last thing you remember was being behind the bar….last night. 

  Your hands are poorly tied behind your back as you sit in a small wooden chair in the middle of this room. It’s well kept and smells of a cheap heady cologne. You can just barely feel a loose thread between your fingers as you start to pull on some of the loose rope. 

  “Well look who's awake.” 

  Joel is going to be pissed 

  ****

  “Tell me again…from the beginning.” 

  “Listen Joel, it happened so fast-.” Joel holds up his hand to stop Will from speaking. 

  “I want you to tell me.” He points to Frankie who hasn’t let his eyes leave the floor. 

  Frankie’s been silent since Joel walked into the bar this morning. They had been up all night trying to figure out what happened to you. 

  ****

  “Frankie just go, Will looks like he could use the help.” 

  Frankie looks to Will, struggling to break up a fight between two men. Santi is at the front door helping Benny handle another situation. He can’t just sit by and watch, he needs to do something. He looks at you one last time as you take someone’s order before heading over to Will. 

  He couldn’t have been gone for more than a minute. 

  He’s seen these guys here before…together. These were the guys harassing you a few weeks ago. He’s not sure why they’re having a disagreement but Will has it handled by the time he’s made it over to them. 

  They leave of their own accord thankfully and it seems whatever disgruntled patron Benny and Santi were handling left also. 

  Frankie returns to the bar but you’re nowhere to be found. He asked a woman who was seated at the end… a regular, where you went. She waved her hand off down the hall and mumbled something about you running off after some people. She was no help as drunk as she was, most likely not even aware of her surroundings. 

  Frankie takes off out the back to the alley, his heart is pounding in his chest as he runs to the street. No sign of you or any life for that matter this late at night. He doesn’t care how much trouble he gets in for waking the neighbors as he yells your name. 

  Santiago runs out to him on the street and takes in his frantic state. Not bothering to ask and further piss Frankie off.

   He had one job and now he has no idea where you are or even where to begin to look for you. 

  “We need to close the bar.”

  “I’m on it Fish.” Santi disappears inside while Frankie stands helpless on the street. 

  ****

  It’s been hours…

  The FEDRA officers didn’t take too kindly to the boys telling them to drink elsewhere if they didn’t turn a blind eye to the curfew hours so they could search for you. 

  Will has a sneaking suspicion that you couldn’t possibly have gone far without being seen, but no one seems to know anything. 

  The sun is starting to come up as they make their way back to the bar, Ben’s guilt ridden face has nothing on the way Frankie feels at this very moment. 

  The situation isn’t much better once Joel arrives taking in their disheveled appearance. 

  “Y’all look like shit.”

  Ironically enough Frankie thinks Joel’s seen better days and he’s back much sooner than anticipated. He already looks pissed and he doesn’t even know what’s happened to you. 

  ****

  “Are you stupid Cain?” 

  “Sweetheart, I'm a lot smarter than your bodyguards.” He comes into your view with a smug grin on his face. 

  Whatever idea he’s got conjured up in his brain you’re sure is not thought through. The only thing you know for certain is Joel is going to kill him. 

  “You know Joel is going to come get me.” 

  “That’s the plan, Sweetheart.” He crouches low in front of your chair, tilting his head side to side.

  “He’s going to bring reinforcements.” You know he’s not easily intimidated but he knew next to nothing about the boys. 

  “I’m countin on it Shine.” 

  He laughs as you spit in his face, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe his eyes. “You don’t get to call me Shine.” 

  “You’re not really in a position to give orders are ya?” He tugs on the restraints around your legs as you try to lunge at him. 

  “So what’s your plan? You just gonna keep me tied up here forever?” He’s too cocky to not tell you what his motives are. You know you can get out of this poorly tied rope around your wrist, all you need to do is bide your time. 

  “You know you could’ve just accepted my offer to let you work here. You may even change your mind about me when Joel doesn’t have a bar for you to work in.” He stands and gently strokes your cheek. “The cavalry is gonna come lookin for you, and my men will be cleaning him out for everything he owns.” 

  Stupid, what a stupid plan. 

  Cain never was one to think ahead. He always underestimated Joel and that bothered him. It’s why he took Tommy under his wing. The only way to manipulate Joel was to hit him where it hurt. 

  Some people just couldn’t leave well enough alone. The world ending brought out the best and worst in people and knowing Cain you could guess it wasn’t too far of a push to become one of the worst. His greed will always be the driving force to what makes him tick, but it will also be the reason for his demise. 

  ****

  “I know where she is.” Joel sounds oddly calm for everything they just told him. “I should’ve killed that son of a bitch a long time ago.” 

  “Who?” Ben looks to Joel but it’s Frankie who speaks first.

  “Cain.” Joel nods his head as Frankie clenches his fist. The thought of him even laying a finger on your head has his blood boiling. 

  Pope and Will wanted to take him out months ago but Joel didn’t want to disturb the peace. He can see it written all over their faces now. Cain was not someone who deserved peace. 

  “So let’s go kill him then.” Joel chuckles at Ben’s enthusiasm as he lays out a glass and puts himself a whiskey. 

  “Since you’re so eager to help, here’s what we’re gonna do.” 

  Frankie doesn’t like the idea of Joel going alone but he insists that this is the only way this plan will work. Joel was more than confident in your skills and he knew it wouldn’t be long before you got yourself out of whatever predicament you were in. 

  Santiago takes Charity to Joel’s place so he won’t have to worry about her. 

  Joel knew Cain would be sending his men to the bar to case and destroy the place. He ran into some trouble on his way back into the QZ when two guys tried to ambush them. By the time Joel had them tied to a tree they were begging for their lives. He let them live in return for information on who hired them. Cain had been intercepting his supplies for months, but it still wasn’t enough for him. He got greedy. 

  Greed is a bottomless pit

  ****

  One of Cain’s men had been pacing outside your room, when you finally stopped hearing footsteps you got to work on the rope. 

  Next time I’m using zip ties

  You try to clear your head of the thought. The first time Joel tied you up and timed you. You were out of it before he could get started. 

  You feel one of the ropes loosen around your sore wrists as you shake the hand free. It’s a relief to be able to move your shoulder. With the help of your free hand the rest is done in now time. You lean forward stretching your back as you undo the ropes around your ankles. 

  A sudden creak in the floorboards has you pause your movements. You hold your breath for what feels like an eternity and start slowly moving again. Your chair makes a similar nose beneath you and you let out a sigh of relief knowing the noise came from inside the room. 

  You make your way over to the window and thank your lucky stars there’s a fire escape. The sun is just starting to set as you crawl out and sneak down to the alley below. 

  ****

  Joel takes one deep breath before he opens the door to Cain’s place. He doesn’t miss this side of town, the way it smells, the way it looks all just remind him of how he was before. It’s time to finally close that chapter of his life and move on. 

  “Well look what the cat dragged in.” Cain is sitting in the middle of the room. The inside hasn’t changed much, except for the dingy chairs and tables that almost resemble Joel’s. “Where are your lap dogs.” He claps his hands together as Joel takes a seat across from him. 

  “They’ll be here shortly.” Joel’s pistol is situated in the back of his jeans but he makes no move to reveal it. 

  There’s a man in the corner he notices is armed.

  “I don’t think it would be a wise decision to do anything rash with your bride upstairs.” He snaps his fingers and the man disappears down the hall. He can faintly hear him climbing the stairs, Joel’s focused on counting his steps as Cain drones on. 

  “Now…she can live here with me. Or she can die with you. The choice is yours Joel.” 

  The footsteps have stopped. 

  “We could’ve continued to coexist in peace. Despite the fishy circumstances of my brother's death.” 

  One set of footsteps resume

  Cain chuckles under his breath. “It was fishy wasn’t it? If I hadn’t shot him in the leg the clickers would’ve got me too.”

  If Joel was certain you were gone and safe he would’ve shot him between the eyes right then and there but he needed to be sure. 

  The floorboard creaks in the hallway 

  Cain ducks his head as Joel raises his pistol to shoot. Hitting the man square in the chest as he rounds the corner. He wishes he could frame the look on his face when you don’t appear in the hallway. 

  ****

  The cold stinging your face as you run through the streets is a welcome feeling. Your lungs burn and your feet are screaming at you to take a break but you can’t stop until you reach home. The full moon lights your way as each passing landmark starts to look more familiar. 

  The light is on in the house as you look up at the window. You can’t climb the stairs fast enough as the door is already being flung open. Frankie looks worse than you do, his hair is a mess and his eyes are bloodshot. 

  He almost knocks the wind out of you as he pulls you into his arms. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again.” You're shivering in his arms now that your adrenaline has worn off. “I didn’t know where you went.” 

  “Let the girl come inside Frankie.” 

  He laughs and steps aside as he wipes his eyes. Charity is standing in the living room looking just as worried as him but still smiling. 

  “I told you she’d come straight here.” She holds out a blanket for you and pulls you into a warm embrace. 

  Frankie has a seat at the dining table, probably for the first time in over a day. “I still don’t know how Joel was so sure you’d make it out.” 

  “Because Cain is first and foremost an idiot. He never thinks things through.” He gestures for you to come to him and you take a seat in his lap. “Wait…you said Joel…he's back?”

  “Oh ya…he came back early, Shine.” Charity gives you that look. The look that tells you he’s finally handling it. “The boys are just tying up some loose ends and then they’ll meet back here.” 

  Frankie lets you go barely enough to turn and face him. You gently brush his curls out of his face and he sighs as he closes his eyes. “I take it I missed quite a bit.” You say as he narrows his eyes at you. 

  “Why did you run off like that?” His tone comes off more worried than accusatory, and that makes you feel that much worse. 

  “I saw someone run off without paying, and you guys had your hands pretty full.” He raises his eyebrows at you but stays silent. “ So I chased him down the hall…and he went out the back, and now that I’m saying it out loud it sounds pretty stupid.” 

  “What are we gonna do with you?” He looks at you incredulously and kisses your forehead. 

  “Hon you must be hungry.” Charity is in the kitchen pulling out a pot and your stomach grumbles at the thought of not having eaten in so long. 

  “I should probably shower.” He sniffs you and makes a face as you playfully swat his chest. 

  “Don’t get lost on your way.” 

  “I promise I won’t.” 

  ****

  “Listen Joel.” Cain looks at his henchmen bleeding out in the hallway. “We can come to some sort of agreement.” 

  “Oh I’m sure we can.” Joel shoots him in his kneecaps and he keels over in pain. 

  “Are you fucking crazy?” 

  Ben, Will and Santiago enter through the back, Joel gestures at the man dead in the doorway. “Take him down to the basement.” Will and Ben drag him off down the hall as Santiago approaches Joel. 

  “Crazy is thinking you can take what’s mine and get away with it.” 

  Joel and Santi carry Cain to the basement to join his dead friend. It’s cold and dingy, the dead body isn’t going to help the smell much and he didn’t have any supplies down here it seems. The poorly built ones are often flooded in the winter, he can tell by the mold creeping up the wall that this particular basement probably does. 

  They toss Cain on the ground as the man tries and fails to stand. 

  “What the hell are you gonna do Joel, you can’t just leave me down here.” 

  “Ya he’s right, you should at least give him some food.” Will chimes in, the obvious sarcasm dripping from his voice. 

  “He’s got food right there.” Ben points to the dead man’s body and they all laugh amongst themselves. 

  They file out one by one leaving Joel last to close the door. “I’m giving you a better chance than you gave my brother.” He takes one last look at Cain before slamming it shut. 

  “Lock it up boys, we’re going home.”

  ****

  You’re finally all nice and cozy, freshly showered and fed. You’re nestled on the couch between Frankie and Charity when you hear footsteps and soft chatter coming from the stairwell. 

  Joel comes in with the boys in tow as they all drop their bags at the door. You bolt off the couch and run to him practically knocking him over. “I missed you too, Shine.” He cradles your head in his large palm as he breathes you in. You smell fresh like the lavender soap you use and he knows he desperately needs a shower but he wants to relish in this a little longer. 

  “I want everyone to stay here tonight if that’s alright with you.” He lets you go as you take in his appearance, he’s seen better days but he’s still your Joel. Just a few more wrinkles, his eyes don’t seem as sad.

  “Of course it’s alright with me.” 

  “Why don’t you get everyone situated while I shower.” Joel winks at Frankie before heading down the hallway. You know they’ll say their proper hellos and I missed you’s later. 

  You look around the room at Will and Benny laughing about something. Santi swaying by the couch with Charity singing something sweet in her ear. Frankie is looking at you, probably thinking the same thing you are. It’s a relief to have all his favorite people under one roof. Safe 

  “Well.” You clap your hands together. “You and Santi can have the spare room. Will and Ben can flip a coin for the couch. I have an extra cot and some blankets I can bring in.”

  “I’m sleeping on the couch. I'm the older brother.” He ruffles his hair as Ben swats his hand away. 

  “That’s fine I’ll just sleep with them.” He gestures to Frankie and comes over to lift you up bridal style. 

  “It’s not that kind of sleepover Ben.” You pat his cheek and mouth a silent sorry as he puts you down. 

  “Fine, but if I hear any noise coming from either of your rooms I’m coming in.” You give him a thumbs up as they roll their eyes at the younger Miller. 

  ****

  It doesn’t take long for the house to quiet down. Everyone is exhausted from the last few days' events. You’re exactly where you want to be, situated perfectly between Frankie and Joel. His hair is still wet from the shower as you run your fingers through his curls. Frankie’s chest is warm on your back and his arm is draped over the both of you. 

  It’s too late to talk about anything that transpired and you’re not sure if it will ever get addressed. All you know is Joel hasn’t looked this peaceful since you’ve met him. 

  The last thing Frankie said before he drifted off the sleep was ‘I love you’ , something he wanted to be sure he’d be able to say to both of you in the same room again. 

  You think maybe Joel is asleep as he mutters something under his breath. He looks down at you, his eyes just barely visible in the dark room, dimly lit by the moon. 

  “Hmm?” He tilts your chin up and kisses you slowly. 

  “I said I’m never leavin you again.” His kisses grow sleepier by the moment as you feel Frankie’s grip tighten on you. 

  “You promise?” 

  “Ya Moonshine, I promise.” 

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