#I'm stomping on some fUCKING glass when I get married

[jellybeanium124]

happy asexual sunday thinking about ed and stede on their wedding night sort of awkwardly like "so..." "do ya..." "would ya..." "uhhh..." "well if..." and then ed's like "mate the only traditions I was concerned about was the chuppah, ketubah, getting lifted in the chairs, and most importantly stopping on glass. we don't have to do anything else :)" and stede's like "yeah :) you looked like you really had fun stomping on that glass." and ed's like "I've been waiting to do that for like 40 years, so, fuck yeah I enjoyed it." "awww I'm so glad you finally got to do it." and then they cuddle and fall asleep.

[xhollowfaerie]

silverv drabbles #7

a/n: taking a break from the brain-erosive essay i have to finish to post this sexual tension/angst/"we're arguing like a shriveled up married couple" snippet I wrote a few days ago bc they're my meowmeows and I love when they have sexually charged screaming contests with each other <333

warnings: angst, aggressive arguing, Johnny being our favorite toxic boyfriend (it's a joke pls don't come for me)

V stormed into her Megabuilding H10 apartment, tossing her Second Conflict jacket off with disdain. Johnny’s eyes followed it as it dropped to the floor, rolling his eyes. Ah, shit, here we go again.

“I'm not your little fuckin’ girlfriend, Johnny!”

His mouth gaped, letting out an incredulous huff before his hands settled on his hips. “Who the fuck said you were?” His head shook in disbelief before shifting his weight to the other leg with a sneer. “Even I wouldn't stoop so low to bone some ‘Saka bitch. Still got a moral compass, y’know.”

She was furiously fiddling with a crystal decanter of scotch on the counter, finally managing to pour a sizable amount into a glass and turning to him with a fierce raise of her voice. The alcohol swayed dangerously back and forth as she motioned, a few drops splattering away from their confines and onto the carpet. “FUCK you and FUCK your compass! Matter of fact,” she held her hands up, taking a hearty sip. Exhaled. And glared at him again with renewed fervor, “I'm this close to sticking it so far up your ass you start singing in Japanese when it comes out the other side.”

He couldn't even find a witty retort, simply glaring daggers at her as she stomped in his direction, trying his best to ignore the infuriatingly sexy sound of her heels clacking against the floor and suppress a laugh. Shit, he lo- …maybe liked her humour. A little. Barely.

She aimed a manicured finger at his chest, holding it over his heart like a blade ready to strike. His skin prickled in anticipation right where it almost grazed him. “You're the one getting ridiculously jealous anytime I so much as breathe next to another man!”

He wanted to laugh in her face, but they both widened their eyes at the shared emotion that went through them. Another man. Like Honourable Prince Corpo, Mister “Under Other Circumstances”, her knight in shining armor? Like Mister Goody Two Shoes beat cop who was so disgustingly infatuated with her it made him sick - not to mention - fine, it pissed him the fuck off.

“I can literally feel you seething, you FUCKING GONK!”

“Holy fuck, V - do me a favor and just SHUT the FUCK. UP! Man, can you quit your bitchin' for a single fuckin’ second?”

“Thought you loved it when bitches screamed at you! What, mommy didn't give you enough goodnight kisses?”

“Why, wanna do something about that? Just askin’, seein’ as you insist on wearing that red fucking lipstick that drives me up the wall every damn day! Been thinkin’ it’d look great on my-”

“UGH, Johnny! You're SO disgusting! Stop. Talking.”

“Mind gettin’ your claws off my bicep, then? You're gropin’ me like a starved cougar.”

She let out a noise of disgust and immediately retreated once the realization hit her, whipping her hand as if to flick his germs off of her, crossing her arms in front of her chest. That was… unsettling. Neither of them had realized just how close they had gotten to each other during their yelling contest. Truthfully, she had grown much too used to his presence. She’d also rather go back to Arasaka before confessing that she’d lately begun to even… crave it. V downed the rest of her liquor before slamming the glass back down.

“You’re delusional, and pathetic. Have you maybe considered that not every woman wants to play with your egocentric, easily excitable little weiner?” 

“No, I haven’t, cause every woman and her fuckin’ boyfriend wanna take my magnificent Rottweiler out for a walk. And please, spare me the bullshit. Real big talk, comin’ from the bitch who got all wet when some BD spinner made her a fuckin’ sandwich. I ain’t no Prince Charming, but that was just sad. Tell me you got some semblance of TLC from a single gonk your entire life? There’s gotta be more than what I’ve seen in your past.”

The words were out before he had the time to think them over, immediately wishing he’d swallowed them, watching memories twist her face with heartbreak. He cussed under his breath, trying to reach a hand out when she balled her fists so hard her knuckles turned white. The delay of the pain as her nails sharply dug into her palm only furthered his descent into regret.

“V, I didn’t-” “Yeah, Johnny, there was a single person who showed me true love, and it wasn’t your superficial type bullshit. We weren’t fuckin’, it was never romantic. He was my fucking friend. My brother. Maybe you’d know somethin’ about that if you hadn’t ruined the life all the people who actually considered you one, like that poor fuckin’ bastard Kerry. I feel more and more sorry for him every day.”

He knew he shouldn’t, but he snarled. “Keep him out of it-” “Yeah? Like you keep Jackie outta your fuckin’ mouth? Every chance you get, you shove him, or Goro, or River, or fuckin’ Jenkins, hope that bastard’s rotting in hell, right in my face! Fuck’s sake, I’m not one of your little groupies, you insensitive, selfish asshole! And you know what? Even they had fuckin’ feelings that you trampled all over, just like you’ve done with every single person who ever gave a single shit about you. Just like you did with Rogue and just like you did-” “V, don’t-” “With Alt.”

Johnny acted before his - her - oh, who fuckin’ cares - their? brain, or the Relic, or CPU, or whatever the fuck had time to process it. Overtaken with anger, just like when they first met, he marched up to her and slammed her into the wall behind her by the shoulders, baring his teeth with aggression.

“What is it you want from me, huh? Want me to say I fucked up? Want me to admit I’m just a piece of shit? Think you can boss me around like all the cucks back at ‘Saka? Worse, think I’m your little choom? That we’re close? Let me tell you somethin’, V. You don���t know the first fuckin’ thing about me. The only reason I haven’t taken over your gonk fuckin’ brain is ‘cause I was still hopin’ you’d be useful. Well, turns out, I was wrong.”

She didn’t so much as flinch. Valerie’s expression was blank; the emptiness in her eyes reminded him much more of what she used to be like before she’d met Jackie. Johnny recalled - in the worst moment - feeling glad that they hadn’t met when she was still at ‘Saka, ‘cause that would’ve been a universe where they were guaranteed to kill each-other in cold blood. 

When she spoke, her voice was steady, calculated. Distant. “You done?”

She shoved him off without so much as a glance. Johnny scoffed, shoving his hands in his pockets as he paced away. “Yeah. Sure. We’re done.”

Mechanically, V poured another glass of scotch and used it to swallow an omega blocker pill. Johnny’s eyes flickered to her, lowering as he glitched out of her peripheral. She kicked her heels off and slid down the wall, burying her face between her knees, still holding onto her glass. The liquid swayed ever so slightly, her apartment now dead quiet as her body released a series of soundless sobs.

[spooky-bunnys]

Ran x Male Reader

Note: I'd like to thank @reallyromealone for this idea. I'd also like to thank him for encouraging me to write again. I'm very lucky to have him as a close friend and writing buddy.

The sight in front of (Name) was one he didn't get to see too often. While being married to a Bonten Executive can be extremely dangerous, it can also be extremely entertaining. (Name) watched Ran, Haru, and Rin having a shot contest. It was Rindou's birthday today so (Name) thought of having a small birthday with just Bonten.

While Ran wanted to go out Clubbing for his brothers birthday, (Name) convinced him otherwise. He just wanted them to all let loose somewhere they wouldn't get arrested so....easily. I mean who would call the police here? (Name) and Ran didn't have any neighbors. They lived alone in a huge house in the woods. Just like they always talked about.

"(Name)~" a voiced cooed in his ear. Arms wrapped loosely around his waist. (Name) playfully rolled his eyes and look over his shoulder where a very drunk Ran was staring lovingly at him. "Yes Rannabell?" (Name) heard someone choke and spit out their drink. Once he heard the laughter he knew immediately who it was. "Carefully Rinnypoo don't want you having to change clothes."

He heard someone else choke then spit and laughter. 'Haru'. (Name) rolled his eyes. His brother was always messing with the Haitani brothers. Ran pulled (Name) closer and pouted. "Pay attention to me!" (Name) groaned internally. A drunk Ran was a clingy Ran. "Say (Name) what's that on your face?" (Name) confused pulled his sleeve down and wiped his face.

Ran chuckled. "It's Handsomeness!~" (Name) looked at Ran weirdly. Ran smirked. "Can I ask for some directions?" (Name) more confused looked at his closest friend Kokonoi and his oldest brother. They both were recording and laughed quietly. "Ran where are you trying to go?" Kokonoi asked from behind his phone. Huge grin stretched across his face.

"(Name)'s heart of course!" Ran yelled proudly. (Name) rolled his eyes and tried to move away when he was interrupted. "Can I have your number? I lost mine." (Name) turned to his husband of almost 4 years and deadpanned. "Sorry your not my type." He brushed Ran's arms off and sat beside Takeomi. Ran stood there for a few moments before tears welled up into his eyes.

"I'm not your type?!" (Name) was done. Rindou and Haru were at this point rolling on the floor. Takeomi and Kokonoi couldn't stop laughing. Mochi and Kakucho looked at Ran like he was the dumbest person on Earth. Finally Mikey looked like he regretted agreeing to come to the little party. (Name) stood back up and gently grabbed Ran's arm.

"Alright Ran time for bed." Ran just kept asking (Name) what looks he was attracted to. While (Name) kept ignoring the questions. Just trying to get him to bed. Once arriving to the bedroom (Name) tried (keyword tried) helping Ran out of his suit but the man kept pushing him away. Crying about if he wasn't (Name)'s type he shouldn't be trying to undress him.

(Name) finally had enough. Throwing his arms up while huffing agitated. "Fine! Sleep in your fucking work clothes!" (Name) stomped out of the room and back into he living room checking on the guests. Rindou and Haru were passed out asleep on the floor. Takeomi and Kokonoi were joking about how Ran will be tomorrow. Kakucho, Mochi, and Mikey were leaving.

(Name) walked the three out. Thanking them for coming. When he got back inside he grabbed two blankets from behind his friend and eldest brother. Covering the two on the floor while also sliding couch pillows under thir heads. He nodded to the other two since they know where the guest rooms are they don't need to be shown.

He made his way to the kitchen. Made a glass of water and stopped by the bathroom. Grabbing the pain relief before making his way back to the bedroom. Ran was passed out on the bed. Pants half way down his legs blazer and tie on the floor shoes still on. (Name) ran his hand through his hair and fixed Ran into his bed clothes and under the covers. He put the glass of water and the pain relief on Ran's bedside table.

After changing clothes turning the light off and getting in bed (Name) could only chuckle and shake his head. He wasn't the only one who was gonna hold tonight over Ran's head. Morning is going to bed so interesting.

Ran woke up to sunlight peaking through the curtains. He groaned in annoyance but regretted it quickly with the huge headache he had. He opened his eyes and looked around. Noticing he was in is bed and in bed clothes he didn't think much of it. Ran noticed the glass of water and medication and smiled softly. His precious husband must have known he was gonna be hung over.

After taking some medication he looked at the other side of bed. (Name) was curled up. Cuddling the stuffed animal (animal type) Ran won for him on their first date. He leaned over kissing (Name)'s temple and smiles softly. "I wouldn't trade this for anything in the world." Ran cuddled up to (Name) and slowly fell back asleep.

BOUNS:

Ran: I wasn't that drunk last night!

Kokonoi: You flirted with (Name).

Ran: He's my husband! Of course I can flirt with him!

Takeomi: He joked about you not being his type and you literally cried.

Ran: I did not!

Kokoni: It's true. We have it recorded

Ran: ...

(Name): Then when I was trying to help you get ready for bed you kept pushing me away about how if you weren't my type I shouldn't be taking you to bed.

Ran: ...you recorded it?

Rindou and Sanzu: *wheezing on the floor*

[deuxcherise]

Breakin’ Dishes

C/w: Breaking dishes, unhealthy behavior, dubcon (?), manipulation, Stockholm Syndrome (?), married shenanigans, hair pulling, the dom here is short for domestic (LOL), fluff (?)

A/n: So I was listening to Breakin’ Dishes by Rihanna lately, and I think I wanna write about a brat. So this is kind of a scenario based on the imagine I wrote a day ago.

Masterlist | Lore

It was a mistake on your husband’s part, leaving you all alone at home like this.

THUNK! TINK! CRASH!

You throw another dish onto the floor, watching it break into a thousand pieces with a demented grin on your face. Shattered pieces join the rest of the broken porcelain.

You’ve been at this for the last thirty minutes. Why? Well, for one, you were stuck inside your house without a single key to get outside.

You've already tried the windows, throwing a chair at each one. Multiple times. They were fitted with reinforced ballistic glass, the same kind of material the government uses for cars transporting presidents. Courtesy of your stupid, controlling husband.

You have always been an indoors kind of person, but secondly you were spiraling from the lack of entertainment. No TV, no phone, no tablet, no computer–not even a game console.

“Those will pollute your mind,” your husband said, before he chucked them into the garbage can outside.

Yeah right.

You had to admit you understand the mindset for everything else, considering how controlled public information by the AI and whatnot, but as for the game console, your stupid husband was just jealous over your obsession with some handsome-looking enemy boss in one of your video games. You know it!

Remembering how much money you saved up to buy those games all going down the drain makes you chew on your bottom lip in frustration. The more you think about this injustice, the more the flames inside of your roars. You snatch some more dishes from the cupboards and smash them before stomping on the ground, wherever was clear of shattered porcelain, multiple times as you shriek your lungs out to the living room.

“I HATE YOU! I FUCKING HATE YOU! I'M GONNA DIVOR-”

“(Y/n)?”

Your voice leaves you as you slowly turn towards your beloved husband, who has just gotten home from grocery shopping. He sets the grocery bags down on the kitchen counter and comes over to wrap his arms around you.

You make a show of keeping your hands on his chest and pushing him away, but he knows you're just frustrated with him right now with how much strength you're putting into this. Much different from when he initially trapped you in this house. He has a little scar on the underside of his left jaw, from when you swiped at him with your nails.

He smiles at your cuteness and leans down to get his ‘welcome home’ kiss. You turn away. He shifts his head, and you turn again.

“Sweetheart?”

You turn your head again.

“(Y/nnnn)~ Gimme kiss. Kiss kiss.”

“Mm mm!” you hmphed, continuing to evade his kissing attempts.

“(Y/n). Give. Me. My kiss.”

“N-nyo! No kisses for you, stupid.”

He gathers all of your hair with one hand and pulls taut, forcing you to be still. Your eyes widen in shock before giving him a very displeased expression. That hurt! Now you definitely won't get any kisses! your face seems to say.

You can tell he's trying to keep a serious expression on his face, by the trembling of his lip and quirk of his brow, before it eventually breaks out into a grin and a chuckle. He pecks you on the lips before resting his forehead against yours.

“I love you, (Y/n),” he whispers, eyes full of adoration for you.

“I don't,” you snap.

He jerks at your hair, a warning. His smile stays on his face, but his eyes become a bit darker. “Hey… that's not nice, sweetheart. Say it back.”

“Say what back?”

His other hand playfully slaps your butt, making you flinch and almost moan before you swallow it immediately.

“Say you love me back, sweetheart.”

Of course, you love him. He's your YAN, literally designed for you to love and be loved by. Eternally. Everything he does is to win your affection. To understand you in all the ways another human couldn't possibly do. His existence depends on you.

But with the house arrest and destruction of your prized possessions, you're feeling less inclined to follow his whims.

“You love me back, sweetheart,” you repeat.

He chuckles and closes his eyes, shoulders quivering, before throwing his head back in laughter. Once he calms down, he presses his forehead against yours again, letting go of your hair to pull you close into a very tight hug.

“I do love you. So so much. I love you I love you I love you I love you. You know that, right?”

You purse your lips. “Yesh?”

“You know I had to throw it all away. I can't have your mind be eaten away by… indecency.”

Ah, so he knows what he did wrong but he's not apologizing.

“What? All of my games are PG-13!” you retort.

“One of them wasn't… What was it? Gold Seelie?”

“Golden Sphere,” you correct him. “Only because of the violence. It's not like I was going to turn violent and start killing people!”

“Oh… Really?” he teases, looking over your shoulder, most likely at the broken dishes on the floor.

“Your fault,” you spit.

He scoffs. “Sweetheart, we're both adults,” he says with a condescending tone. “You shouldn't be blaming others for your tantrum.”

“Your fault,” you insist, crossing your arms.

"(Y/n), we both know that's not true."

"....."

He hums, contemplative. “M’kay. My fault. I'm sorry, (Y/n).”

“For what?”

“I'm sorry for taking away your video games.”

“And?”

“And?” he repeats, confused.

You struggle to turn yourself around his tight embrace, facing away from him with your back to his front. Those who get it, get it. Those who don’t, don’t get any kisses. “Hmph!”

“I'm sorry for… taking away the TV and all of the other electronics?”

That isn't it. “Hmph!”

“I'm sorry for… locking you in the house? It's for your own safety, sweetheart.”

You still feel annoyed at that, but that's not it either. “Hmph!”

“(Y/nnnn). Give me a hint. Please. I can't stand it when you're mad at me and I can't do anything about it.”

You sigh. “... Stupid, we're married, aren't we?”

“Yes? Happily, I hope?”

“And married couples are supposed to do everything together…”

You could practically hear a lightbulb go off above your husband, much to your satisfaction.

“Ohhh. Were you lonely at home without me? Did I take too long? I'm sorry, (Y/n). Must’ve been boring at home without me. I’ll take you with me everywhere from now. I love you~”

He litters several kisses on the back of your head and neck. You giggle from how they tickle, grabbing onto his arms.

“Hey,” he pauses, “You still haven't said ‘I love you’ back yet.”

You hum playfully.

“(Y/nnnnn).”

“Hehe, I love you,” you finally said, turning your head to give him a kiss.

----------

[Extra]

You push the broom and dustpan into his hands. “Your fault,” you state.

He chuckles, taking the items out of your hands. “I know. I’m sorry. Anything for you as long as you don’t divorce me.”

You purse your lips and squint your eyes, humming contemplatively.

A look of horror appears on his face. “S-sweetheart!?”

[chesters-ocs]

butcher w the pre wedding jitters. am half asleep btw so thats my excuse

Waking up to a phone call, Sylvester answered groggily, not even seeing the ID without his glasses.

"... Wha..?" He slurs, only to hear the tired laughter of his neighbor

"Hey... Sorry, did I wake you?"

"... Fuck d'ya think? Go back to bed, you're married tomorrow." He murmurs, trying to not wake up his own husband as he sits upright in bed, the blanket pooling in his lap.

Mindlessly, he starts petting Monster, who had made her way over to him when he awoke, seeking affection, which he didn't have the heart to deny.

"No can do... I'm uh... on your porch..?" Butcher offers hesitantly, chuckling at the exasperated groan he heard.

Slowly rising from his feet, he gave the cat one last pet, as he slowly stalked outside the room and shut the door gently.

In a few seconds, the main entrance unlocks, causing Butcher to look up and chuckle, commenting "Someone forgot his glasses."

"Shuddup... Why are ya here?" Sylvester pries, sitting down next to Butcher on the steps leading up to the porch. As always, the larger man had a cigarette between his teeth.

"... Couldn't tell you. Anxiety?" Butcher offers, unconvinced himself.

"What, having second thoughts?"

"... Nah... more like worried he will."

Rolling his eyes, Sylvester stuck a hand out. Wordlessly obeying, Butcher drops a pack and a lighter in the outscretched hand with an amused grin, asking, "Still ain't allowed cigs inside?"

"Unfortunately. He loves his lungs or whatever."

"Typical."

A silence fell between the two smokers. Butcher gazing in the direction of his home, while Sylvester looks straight ahead into the clear skies of the early summer sunrise.

"... If it makes ya feel better.." Sylvester interrupts the silence, continuing when Butcher's eyes land on him, "I was the same. Had to take like... thrice the recommended dose to fall asleep. He still doesn't even know."

Butcher hums at the mental image.

"... But. I'm sure it'll go great. It's your big day. Just... hold it back on the whiskey and smokes, yeah? I told Vik to not say shit, but y'know. Maybe you'll get some good karma points for that... For once in your life."

"Hey! I'm not a totally evil person... Right?" He can't help but double check anyways.

"Nah. Insufferable, yeah. Evil? Never." The older man reassures, tapping the ash off the cigarette.

"... Thanks. Really."

Sylvester nods in response, and watches him stand up and pop his bones, speaking: "I'll... Go make breakfast. And have some caffeine."

"Go do that. I'm going to bed. See you tomorrow, big guy."

Butcher snorts at the nickname, before dropping and stomping out the butt of his vice.

Once making sure Butcher had left, Sylvester slid back under the covers, noting how Stone's arm trapped him there, even in his sleep.

The alarm blares 2 hours later.

[shallyne]

Feysand Week Day 7: Free Prompt

Runaway Bride and her Found Family

Last fic for Feysand Week :( it's already over, I'm so sad. @officialfeysandweek2023 enjoy, people

Words: 2,738

TW: Tamlin & Ianthe

Feyre is getting married. Or is she?

There was one question that always crept back, no matter how many times Feyre tried to push it back, shouldn't your wedding day be the happiest day of your life?

It would be, she knew that. She knew. She knew. Did she know? Yes, she did know. It was only her nerves that put her down. When the ceremony was over she would be happy. Married to the love of her life, Tamlin.

Feyre shuddered, earning a stern look from Ianthe and a worried look from Alis. It felt wrong, so wrong. She shouldn't feel that way. Tamlin, she loved him. Did she? Yes, of course she did.

Her hands began to shake and Feyre folded them together, taking a breath. Everything would be alright. Everything would be good. She would be safe. Would she? She would be loved.

The corset of her dress felt tight, too tight. She couldn't breathe.

"Would you leave me alone for a moment?" she asked Ianthe and Alis, her hands resting on her stomach. Deep breath. They looked at her, unsure. "Only five minutes."

Ianthe opened her mouth to reject but Alis spoke first, "Of course! We will check if everything is alright downstairs, call us if you need anything."

Ianthe wordlessly stomped outside, leaving Alis and Feyre alone for a quiet moment, who smiled up at Feyre, seeming almost sad. Alis' hand rested on Feyre's arm for a heartbeat longer than usual, reassurance, before she left the room too. A small weight lifted from Feyre's shoulder. She could breathe better. Only a little but it worked. She lifted her skirt, the mountains of tulle rustling on the bright marble floor as Feyre stalked over to the window, looking down at the venue. Guests began arriving. Some took their seats already, others held conversation. Every guest was one of Tamlin’s friends or business partners, Feyre knew no one, or only in passing. Tears welled in her eyes when she thought of the one seat that would stay vacant. You're making a mistake, Rhys threw at her the evening before. Such a big mistake that he wouldn't come, wouldn't watch her make that mistake. Feyre leaned her head against the cool glass, focused on not letting the tears fall. She wasn't making a mistake. She couldn't make a mistake because if that was a mistake, what did she do the last three years? Wasting time and energy in a relationship that would lead nowhere, in a man that was…let's not go there, she thought. Another voice whispering, and this is the man you want to marry?

No, it wasn't. She didn't want to marry Tamlin. It didn't matter how often she told herself that she loved him and nothing ever changed, he did. He became impatient, he lost his temper more often than not. Tamlin didn't love her anymore, he loved the idea of her. As much as Feyte still clung at the idea of him. They weren't the people anymore that they were when they met.

A sob wrecked through her, tears smearing her makeup. She wanted Rhys. She needed him. Why wasn't he here? He was always there for her. Did she fuck up that much? Why didn't she insist on Rhys attending?

The door opened behind her and she quickly stood straight, wiping tears away. "Five more minutes!" she said, trying to sound normal. "I'm almost done."

They didn't answer, but the door clicked shut, followed by footsteps inside the room. Anger bubbled up inside her, was five minutes too much to ask? She whirled around, ready to order them to leave her alone, but she was met with a pair of deep blue eyes, almost violet, that she knew better than anything else. Rhys. "What are you doing here?" she asked, any bite leaving her voice.

Rhys shrugged, sliding his hands on the pockets of his pants. "I wanted to apologize," he told her, his voice rough. Almost as if he had screamed. Feyre pushed that thought away, what nonsense. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like this, I'm sorry. If– If you still want me here, I'll stay. For you." he let his gaze wander from her skirt to her face, "Although I'm not so sure you even want to do this anymore." he smirked, as usual trying to smother the tension with humor, although it seemed forced.

Feyre stepped forward, sitting down on the green velvet chaise lounge. "You're right." Feyre said quietly, looking down at her shoes. She didn't look up when Rhys moved, didn't look up when the lock clicked, followed by a rustle, didn't look up when the chaise lounge dipped beside her under Rhys's weight, until he gripped her chin softly and tilted her head up. He held a white cloth for makeup removal and swiped it over her face. Feyre looked at the mascara stains, she must look crazy.

"Tell me one thing, Feyre darling," he said quietly, her heart fluttering at the nickname. "Do you want to marry Tamlin?"

Feyre looked him in the eye and for the first time she admitted the truth, to herself and Rhys, "No."

He threw the cloth to the side and said, "Get out of the dress then, we're going. Where are your clothes?"

Confused, she grabbed his hand when he stood up, "What? I can't just leave!"

"Yes, you can." he said, squeezing her hand. "You don't want to marry him. You don't have to. You don't owe him anything." Rhys took Feyre's face in her hands. "You would have gone through with this, I know you. But you don't have to. Let me be your voice of reason right now and get you out of here."

Feyre nodded, accepting Rhys's hand to help her up. She pointed to her set of clothes that Alis had already folded and put in a bag to take back to the manor. When he brought them over, she said, "You need to help me get out of this monstrosity."

Rhys huffed, keeping back his own comments about the dress and began to work on the corset. When it finally loosened, Feyre could breathe again. It didn't feel as if she was holding her breath anymore.

Rhys turned around and retrieved her sneakers when she shrugged the gown off, frowning as she kicked it to the side and pulled on her clothes. Gray sweatpants and a shirt from the college Rhys and her had attended.

Rhys came back, kneeling before her and holding her shoe, "Slip in."

"I am perfectly able to put shoes on myself, you know?"

Rhys rolled his eyes but smiled, "I know you're allergic to any help but please, let me help you this one time."

Feyre did as she asked, putting her hands on his shoulders for balance, but still said softly, "You're already helping enough, Rhys."

He went still for only a heartbeat, she wouldn't have realized if she didn't know him, before he tied her shoes and helped her into the other.

When they were done, she put the wedding dress on a hanger and quickly followed Rhys outside. Taking a left, Rhys pulled her back, pointing to the right where another staircase was. This must have been the staircase he had taken when he looked for her. They sneaked downstairs, when Feyre stopped, "I forgot my phone and my wallet!"

Rhys didn't turn around, didn't make a sound when he slid his hand in the inside pocket of his jacket and held up these two things.

"You're an angel," she whispered at him, earning one of his dazzling smiles.

It was a quick way until they reached the last floor, it was trickier to get out without being seen but they managed until they reached the foyer. The closer they got to the front door, the lighter Feyre felt. She looked back once, when she was so close to the doors that she could touch them, and locked eyes with Ianthe. Her pupils went wide as she looked between Rhys and Feyre, their interlocked hands. Her mouth opened, but Feyre already bolted down out of the with Rhys in tow, so that when Ianthe yelled "Tamlin!" it sounded far away, the sound getting more distant with every second.

"I'm parked down the road," Rhys said, tightening his grip on Feyres hand. They ran past other parked cars, their steps echoing on the street. There was a commotion behind them, slowly getting loud. "Don't look," Rhys told her when she was about to look over her shoulder.

"How far?" she asked out of breath, almost tripping over a pebble.

"Just right around the corner-" They turned, and Feyre took sight of the familiar black car. She almost sobbed out of relief, the sight feeling like home. Everything about Rhys felt like home, it always had, more than anything. Even running away from her own wedding felt natural with Rhys.

They let go of each other's hands as Rhys ran to the driver's side and Feyre to the passengers side, throwing themselves into the seat. As Rhys started the car and Feyre put the seatbelt on, she dared a look behind her. Tamlin just rounded the corner, looking angry. "Shit. Drive! Drive!" she ordered Rhys.

"I'm at it!" he replied and only when they left the parking spot, Feyre looked forward again. When they left the city altogether, she let herself relax. They didn't talk for a while until Rhys missed the exit to Feyre's apartment. She pointed it out but Rhys replied, "That's the first place he'll look for you. You're staying with me until he calms down."

Feyre watched him, the tension in his jaw as spoke. She didn't reply, fishing her phone out of his inner pocket and sent Tamlin a message. Maybe it was a shit way to break up like this but she was so thoroughly exhausted that she couldn't face him. He'd be mad, furious.

Rhysand was right when he told her that she was making a grave mistake. She knew when she stood in her suite just minutes ago but she realized when she saw Tamlin, running after them. She didn't feel anything. Not anymore.

Feyre stifled a yawn from the previous sleepless night as she looked out of the window. She didn't drive this street for a while but it's still as familiar as if she drove by here yesterday. It wasn't far anymore, they'd soon reach Rhys's townhouse. Rhys didn't talk, neither did she, but their silence wasn't uncomfortable. She was glad that he was there.

If the sight of Rhys's car was like a slap to her, the townhouse was like a punch. Home. A home she had missed for so long but she had ignored the homesickness, pushed it away. A foreign feeling to her that she couldn't place back then until now.

Feyre followed Rhys up the stairs to the front door, stopping in the foyer. He opened his mouth, when a rumbling came from the kitchen and another male voice sounded, "Already home, Rhysie? Did she kick your ass?"

Feyre stiffened, turning to Cassian, who just walked out of the door. He stopped in his tracks, staring at her, holding a half eaten muffin in his hands. Her nails buried in the skin of her palms as she tried to hold back the tears looking at her friend, who she had cut contact with step by step. Because of Tamlin. So many emotions were rumbling, thrashing, inside her that she couldn't place a specific one, except love.she loved her friends but she didn't know what to say, sure that they would hate her.

"What are you doing there?" a bright voice cut the tension like a ray of sunshine after a storm. This time Feyre couldn't suppress the tears welling in her eyes as Mor stepped out, her eyes going wide at the sight of Feyre. "You're home." she whispered and Feyre had the distinct feeling she didn't talk to Rhys. Her friend didn't even try to hold back her tears as she stormed forward, pulling Feyre into a hug. Feyre tightened her arms around Mor, burying her face in her shoulder as tears now fell.

"I'm sorry," she told her. Told them all. But it wasn't enough. Sorry didn't even begin to describe what Feyre felt. Another pair of strong arms enveloped them. Cassian.

"We know," he told Feyre.

"We're sorry, too," Mor sobbed.

Feyre shook her head. They shouldn't feel sorry. It was herself who pushed them all away, but she couldn't put it in words. Mor moved one hand away, but still gripped Feyre with another, and the next thing she knew was Rhys's scent enveloping him as his arms banded around them too.

"Let the girl take a breath," another familiar voice broke the moment. They all turned, looking at Amren.

"Hey," Feyre's voice cracked.

Amren’s expression didn't change but her gray eyes were twinkling, "Welcome back, girl." she nodded once and Feyre smiled, wiping her tears away.

"I'll show Feyre to her room!" Mor said, taking Feyre's hand. "You probably want to get rid of all the hair pins in your hair."

Feyre laughed, exhausted, and nodded. Mor led her into a bright room, decorated in ivory, cream and sage colors. She pointed to the chair at the dressing table then stood behind the chair. She started taking the pins out. Feyre sometimes caught her frowning in the mirror but she didn't say anything about it or the wedding or Tamlin, she told Feyre what the family was up to. Mor's apartment was getting renovated, so she stayed with Rhys in the meantime. Cassian's gym was going well, Azriel was visiting his mother, Amren was her usual grumpy self.

No one left the whole day, they all stayed until after dinner, catching up. It was weird but at the same time so familiar that Feyre sometimes could only watch their banter, soaking up all the familiarity that she could until they parted ways and Mor went to bed after giving Feyre a set of clothes for the night.

Now Feyre sat in her room, brushing her after-shower hair when there was a knock on her door. "Come in!" she called, expecting Mor who forgot something but it was Rhys opening the door.

He held up her wallet, "I just found that this was still in my jacket." he said, putting it down on her night stand. Feyre smiled at him in thanks, putting the hairbrush down. "How are you?"

Feyre sighed, patting the spot beside her for Rhys. He plopped on the bed, waiting for her answer, "Exhausted." she answered truthfully. "Relieved."

Rhys nodded, "It was a very long day."

"You tell me," she bumped her shoulder with his. "It feels like this morning is a lifetime away."

He smiled, bumping her shoulder in response. They went quiet for a moment until Rhys seemed to get nervous.

"What?"

He sighed, dragging his hands through his hair. "I–" she cleared his throat, "What changed your mind? When we talked yesterday, you were so sure. You were dead set on marrying Tamlin. What changed your mind?"

She shrugged, avoiding locking eyes with him. "You weren't there."

"You changed your mind because I wasn't there?" Feyre nodded. "But that doesn't change anything, yesterday you told me you love him and today-" today you don't.

Her head hurt. She was tired. "What do you want me to tell you, Rhys? I changed my mind."

"But you would have married him if I hadn't come," he said. Not a question, a fact. He was right, she would have. Feyre shrugged. "I want you to tell me the truth."

"Don't ask questions you don't want to know, Rhys." She replied, playing with the hem of her shirt.

Rhys stopped her hand, his own resting over her's, "I want to know, that's why I asked."

Feyre slowly turned her hands, intertwining their fingers. Rhys didn't move, he let her do it. He wanted this.

"I realized," she looked at him, they looked eyes and she took a deep breath. "I realized that it should have been you. It should have been you all along, Rhys, and I was a coward because I didn't want to ruin what we had. I already lost everything, I lost my family. I didn't want to lose you, either. It should have been you."

Feysand Taglist:

@captain-of-the-gwynriel-ship @edgyellie @starfall-spirit @rhysiedarling @corcracrow @sydney-fae25 @tothestarsandwhateverend @aayo-whatt @dreamlandreader

[jaca-rein-369]

Husbands' Best friend

Warnings: cheating, asshole husband, abuse

Quick summary: y/n is a young 25 year old married to her asshole husband when she was 19 and she has known he was cheating for a year Maby more before he was caught she was hurt but still wanted her son to be with his father but after her husband comes home late drunk and dinner wasn't on the table he hits her but she was used to it but it was the first time he has tried to hit Joesph so she grabs her and her sons stuff and runs to her husband's best friend.

"Mmh" I groan feeling the bed move and look over seeing my husband putting a watch a shoes on for work

"So you finally awake surprising" he says I roll my eyes

"Why do I need to be awake at 5:00 in the morning" I ask He knows I prefer to sleep in and I'm not a good morning person

" well I would be nice for once my Wife to make me breakfast" he says

"I cook you lunch a bring it to you at the office and make sure dinners is always set and ready when you get home and I still work and take care of are son that you never spend time with what is wrong wanting a little more sleep" I say to him sitting up know

"What ever and I do spend time with are son If he even is mine" he says and I'm pissed

" your one to fucking talk for all I know that girl or your bitch could be pregnant" I say wanting to cry

"Your impossible you know what at least she takes care of herself and her body" he says while getting up taking his brief case and leaving I sit in the bed crying the man I loved and the father of my son is a cruel hateful man as I'm crying I hear

" mommy why are you crying" my son Asks hugging me

"Notheing baby me and your dad just got some bad news" I tell him rubbing his face this beautiful baby boy that looks like me thank God

"Pls don't lie mommy he hurt you again don't worry mommy when I become big and strong I will protect you" he says I smile how did I get so lucky with this boy we cuddle and sleep in a little more today

(Y/n son his name will be Joseph)

(2 weeks later)

We were waiting for Don to get home but it's now 12:00 at night joesph is asleep but I was down stairs watching TV when I here the door slammed open I jump up and go look to see what happened and see a very very drunk Don he looks up and looks pissed he stomps up to me and looks into the kitchen

" WERE IS DINNER YOU FAT HOG" he yells in my face I whimper

" your late we have dinner at 9:00 it's 12:00 Don we saved you some it's ine the microwave " I tell him he it fumming and then a hard back hand connected with the left side of mi face I fall to the floor crying holding my cheek

" WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU  IM THE MAN OF THIS HOUSE YOU OBAY ME AND YOU WAIT TILL I EAT WERES THAT STUPID BOY" he screams for joesph to come down stairs

" No leave him out of this Don" I tell him looking up he started up stairs I run after him trying g to pull him back he slammed me to the wall choking me

" Don Don please leave home out of this.......... I can't breathe " he let's me go but continued up stairs when he sees joesph at the top

" GET DOWN HERE BOY"  joesph comes down I shake my head no he stops and Don turns to me and pushes me down the stairs I hit the bottom and little dizzy

"MOMMY LET ME GO MOMMY"  I hear my son yell I get up seeing my worst fear he was going to beat joesph I grab a glass art piece run up stairs and slam it into the back of his head he fell unconscious on the stairs I hug my son

" I'm so sorry baby we are leaving I need you to go pack your stuff please baby" he nods and hugs me again and runs to go pack I do the same I grab clothes my bathroom supplies and my important files with banking and hospital documents my money and shit like that I run to my sons room he is stuffing things in his suitcase I help him we run down stairs Don still knocked out we put are shoes on I grab my keys and we get out

I'm driving and I don't know were to go I can't believe we left were free I reach over holding my sons hand

And my phone rings it's Ethan Don's bestfriend and business partner we were all friends since high school I pick up

" hi Ethan " I say My voice cracks because of crying

" y/n what is wrong" he asks worried

"I....um can me a joesph come over for tonight I will explain there " I ask him

" of course I will meet you out side" he say

" ok I will see you soon "I say hanging up

" mommy don't worry we will be fine your stong and I'm strong because of you" joesph tells me I tear up again

" how did I get so blessed with you as my son" I ask

" the same way I got blessed with the best mother" I pull him to my side as much as I can

(At Ethans house)

We pull up and there he is he opens joesph door and goes wide eyed at my face I can only imagine how bad I look

"My God y/n what happened" he asks scared

" I will tell you everything but first can we get everything inside and joesph into bed" I ask turning the car off he nod and picks joesph up holding him close to his chest I get out and grab are bag lock the car and go inside

As we are inside joesph is in bed I put are bags in the bed room and go to the living room sitting next to Ethan

" tell me what happened y/n" Ethan asks I start to tear up

" it was Don" I say explaining the hole thing that happened crying by time I was done

" h-he hits you to" I shake my head

" only me he as never tryed to hit joesph till tonight and he won't get another chance I'm going to file for divorce tomorrow" I tell him

" you can stay with me for as long as you need um are you going to take him to Cort for abuse" I nod

" I have proof every time he has ever hit me I have photos of the marks and a voice recording of him yelling at me and joesph are old maid Lina said she would back me up she saw him hit me once" I tell him the truth

" I will back you up to I didn't know who I was working with this hole time I'm so sorry I never helped or was there" he said putting I

His head down I rub his back

" your here now and thank you for letting me a joesph stay the night" I thank him he then hugs Me I lay my head on his chest and arms around his torso his arms around my waist

"You to are staying with me till your back on your feet physically and mentally " he says kissing my head if I'm telling the truth I was blushing and that I have had a crush on Ethan for a year but I was still married to Don I had the urge to tell him

" Ethan can I tell you something" I look up at him still rapped in each other's arms

" of course what is it"

" um I've liked you for a while now I mean like like you" I tell him I expect him to be shocked or discusted but no he smiles

" I've liked liked you for a while to pisses me off I didn't protect you and joesph " I smile and hug him around the shoulders tight making us fall on the couch we laugh and then I yawn

" you should get to bed" he say we stand up I nod

" momma" I hear and turn around seeing a tired joesph I feel bad we must have woke him up

" yes baby what's wrong" I ask walking up to him he hugs me around the waist

" I can sleep will you hold me while I do" I smile when he was a baby he could never sleep with out me holding him I nod

" yes baby come on good night Ethan and thank you again" he nods smiled at me and joesph we go to bed I hold joesph close he falls asleep immediately but I can't sleep I'm scared Don will come but I hear a knock I look at the door seeing Ethan

" can't sleep can you" he asked I nod He walks over and gets into bed and holds me and joesph I feel comfortable and safe immediately

" thank you" I say

" any time babygirl" I hear him say before I fall asleep thinking maby we could have a happy life with Ethan

The end

[little-corritrice]

Light of My Life - Chapter 33

Synopsis - y/n was your ordinary young women, who happened to be the daughter of Christian Horner. She is there every race, and every day, See how she gets along with everyone, including a special someone.

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

Everyone went back inside, some still coming and talking to me about the wedding. I needed some air, so I walked to the balcony, over looking the garden. "You know, I never thought I would see you get married." I heard from behind me, making me turn. I smiled brightly, tears coming back again. "Mick..." I said, running into his arms. "He better treat you right, or I might just have to go hunting." He said, making me laugh through my tears. "Where were you?" I asked, pulling away to look at him. "Well, in the beginning, it was only formula drivers, and I was late. So, when everyone left to hide, I was stuck outside till he proposed." He explained, making me laugh. "I'm sorry. I hope you didn't wait too long." I said, making him shake his head.

We stayed hugging for a little before he said he would give me some alone time. I turned back to the balcony, resting my arms against it. I sighed out, inhaling the freshness, and enjoying the quietness. Arms wrapped around me, putting a small smile on my face. "Are you happy?" He asked. "Of course I am." I whispered, closing my eyes and leaning into Alex. "I wouldn't want it any other way." He said, swaying us side to side softly. "Me neither." I replied, squeezing his hands on my stomach. "Do you want children?" I asked, making him think for a second. "I never actually saw them in my future. But if it happens, I would love the kid forever." He said, kissing my head. I hummed, enjoying his presence. "Let's get back to the real world." I said, dragging him by the hand back to the reception hall where everyone was. 

As we came back in, everyone was gathered in a circle. I looked at Alex, and he looked pissed. "What do you see?" I asked, squeezing his hand. "Someone that I should I have fought myself." He said, going to the crowd. I rushed after him, squeezing myself through the people. I saw Ethan? "Why the fuck are you here?" Alex asked, getting in front of George and Lando. "I am here for a party." He said, sipping his champagne. Alex grabbed the glass, and threw it on the floor. "You weren't invited, so leave." He seethed, making Ethan smirk. "I see she is walking again. What a shame." He said, making Alex attack him. He lunged at him, throwing punches left and right as he sat on top of him. "You fucking dickhead." He screamed, still throwing punches.

I stood frozen, too shocked to do anything. I gasped, rushing to Alex. "Alex! Stop it! Let him go!" I screamed, trying to pull him away. He pushed me back, making me fall from my dress. "Daniel!" I screamed, making him rush forward. He grabbed ahold of Alex, as Lewis and Valtteri grabbed Ethan and escorted him out. I grabbed Alex by the arm, and dragged him to the bathroom. I locked the door, staring at him. He was looking down, taking deep breaths. "Alex, look at me." I said, making him shake his head. "Baby, I'm not mad at you." I said, coming over and lifting his head up. "You should be. I lost control of my temper." He said, moving from my grip. I sighed, bringing him in a hug. "If I remember correctly, I did as well." I said, smiling up at him. He sighed, shaking his head. "I caused a scene. At our engagement party." He said, laughing slightly. 

I laughed as well, stroking his cheek. "It's a damn good thing you used your head, and rented the restaurant and allowed no media to come in." I joked, making him stomp his foot. "I'm sorry though. I don't know if I embar-" He was saying, but I cut him off with a kiss and pulled away shortly after. "Stop it. I understand what you did. Now let's go out there and sum up this party so we can go home. I am quite tired." I said, patting his chest. He nodded, leaving a lingering kiss on my forehead. I smiled, grabbing his hand as we walked out. Everyone looked over, not saying anything. I just kept my head up and continued smiling. Alex did the same, but was looking down at me. We stopped in front of the crowd, and he started to speak. "Well, I am sorry about that. I may have lost my temper." He said, rubbing his neck. I chuckled, continuing the speech. "But we think it's probably best to end the night. Thank you all so much for coming and sticking around. I very much appreciate the engagement gifts, and some of the speeches you said." I said, smiling at everyone. They all agreed, everyone saying bye before heading home.

[kiridarling]

𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓.

request | Can I have royalty au (soon to be king bakugou) (and soon to be queen reader) , katsuki and reader are supposed to be getting married (not to eachother) but they end up sneaking around and doing IT with eachother so top!kats , exhibition , begging , dumbification and spanking THANK YOU💞💞

this lovely request was submitted for the kissing booth event (the rest of the drabbles come out soon, ahem :)) so, if this was your request, um...hAHA whoops.

katsuki bakugou | f!reader, royalty!au, infidelity, nondescript!fiancés, angst (gasp), fingering, exhibitionism, dumbification + more! minors dni!

— 3.7k words

“C'mon, princess...can I make you feel good once last time?

You're getting married.

No more ignorance is bliss, no more I didn't know any better—this is when you put all your childish antics to the side and fucking woman up, now in charge of the safety of your kingdom and its inhabitants and whatnot. So yes, you must snuff all your adolescent tendencies, and that includes sleeping with the Crowned Prince of the neighboring kingdom behind your fiancé's backs.

But, boys are stubborn. And stupid.

Ding ding ding!

"Excuse me, Everyone!" Your fiancé announces to the crowd in your dining room as he stumbles to his feet, spoon clinking against his glass. He nearly trips, but no one sees except yourself. "I would like to make a toast."

You frown. This wasn't a part of the rehearsal dinner.

"First of all, I would like to thank you all for being able to be with us tonight," he says, shoving the glass higher in the air. As red wine splashes over the rim, you think to remind him that isn't a toast, it's the beginning of a speech, but your comments have rarely deterred the man in the past. "As you’re all aware, this marriage is vital. Not only for our kingdom, but for the neighboring kingdom as well."

Your fiancé regards the Bakugou’s with a lift of his chalice. In the coming weeks, two arranged marriages will melt the four most influential kingdoms into two, and your fiancé and his family had the genius to throw a massive Gala to celebrate it. You wouldn’t be surprised if they got off to the idea of stretching themselves so thin their hair falls out at age thirty; they won’t even allow you to choose the type of dress for your wedding.

"I would also like to thank my lovely, lovely wife, for just being so... lovely.” Your fiancé chuckles, accompanied by an uncomfortable massage to your shoulder. The guests find amusement in how whipped he is as he gazes your way expectantly, conceivably wishing to see you swoon at the compliment. All you give him is a blank face. His elation falters.

"You know, when I first met this woman, I knew she was going to be the love of my life," your fiancé shakes your glare off. You purposely block out the rest of his story in favor of folding and unfolding your napkin again, puffing under your breath at the cheesy comment.

"Sap," you grunt to yourself, obviously. You don't expect anyone to hear, but there's a snort to your right. Your eyes lift from your lap—and straight into Katsuki's smug blood red ones. He winks at you from across the table and your eyes roll at that, though there's a small smile playing on your face that's impossible to hide.

"Isn't that right [Y/N]!...[Y/N]?"

You blink yourself back to life, eyes reluctantly leaving Katuski's hypnotic ones for the pair that make you nauseous, "Oh—u-um, yep!"

The place bursts in laughter and there's even a little smile dancing on Katsuki's face. He catches you staring so your eyes divert to your lap, but his remain a physical force against you for the rest of the night.

*selene — the greek goddess of the moon

The balcony is much nicer than the ballroom.

For one, it's the farthest place you could have gone from the commotion, all the way on the opposite side of the castle. It's a solid five-minute walk when you aren't in heels and a heavy petticoat, but it provides a lovely view of your front yard, subjecting you to watch the early-sleepers leave in their carriages to call it a night. Meanwhile, *Selene watches you from her telescope the moon with a sigh and a sad smile, because she's the only one who knows how completely and utterly alone you will be.

You glare at her—the goddess doesn't waver.

Bitch.

It's no secret that Gala’s like these get overwhelming—especially when you're the center of attention. You see Lord Shinsou (Earl) stuff the eager Lord Kaminari (Baron) into his silver-plated carriage before looking around to ensure no one saw, and blanche upon seeing your figure stood on the balcony. You salute so he knows his secret is safe with you, and relief washes over his face before he too hops into the carriage. What a scandal, you giggle.

Plenty of couples resign home after that; it makes you uneasy. You're unsure as to why, but you have the ever-increasing urge to nip at your fingernails until you don't have them anymore, and jamming the sharpest point of your heel into the concrete seems like the only proper way to release enough kinetic energy before you explode.

"He loves me."

He does, embarrassingly so—so what's the issue?

There isn't an issue; there shouldn't be. He reminds you how pretty you are and you compliment his influence. Neither of you are marrying down. You look good together. The kingdom's future power couple if you will, where you two supposedly mold the great future in your peculiarly young hands. There isn't an issue. You're the one for him, and he's the one for you.

The balcony door whines open. You don't turn around, praying whoever it is will see that it's occupied and turn the other cheek. Yet, the stomp of whoever's boots only grow louder until you’re adjacent to a shadow of a being, his chin lifted towards the stars. You catch a glimpse of blond hair, though dyed a pale white by the silver moon, and you two stand in a strangely comfortable silence, watching carriages roll out of your driveway.

The silence doesn’t last for long, though. It never does.

"D’ya always go disappearing like that?"

You frown. "What?"

"I don't fuckin' know," Katsuki grumbles—he has yet to look at you. Seems like Selene captures more than one person's attention tonight. "Blinked and you were gone."

Your frown only deepens, and you return your attention to the courtyard. "I didn't know you were paying attention."

The ash-blond presses his forearms against the railing for support. "I wasn't. He was."

Oh.

"Said he wants you to come back, so," Katsuki clicks his tongue, carmine red eyes finally flicking your way through the darkness. You don’t dare look at him. “You run off often, or what?"

"Tell him I'll come back in a second," you sigh, balancing your face in your hand. Katsuki says nothing, but he doesn't leave, and you hate that you don't mind.

Until he points towards a couple crossing the lawn and says, "Oi, that's the Duke from my fiancé's kingdom. Fucker tried to poison my dad for the throne—straightened him out real quick.”

"Why are you talking to me?" You snap like a cornered animal. Katsuki lifts an eyebrow.

"What? I can't have a goddamn conversation?"

"I—" your chest rises and falls with a reason to why he can't, but you can only come up with one—and you don't want to think about it.

"Listen. I don't like these things either, alright?" He huffs defensively, so defensively that you have to take a step back. "If I have the opportunity to get some fresh air, I'm gonna fuckin' take it."

You shrug, supposing it makes you one and the same. The wind blows, not harsh, but harsh enough to ruffle your gown, and make the gold jewelry decorating Katsuki's tunic jingle.

“So. I guess this is it, ain’t it?”

You sigh, “Katsuki, you know we—“

"Yeah yeah, that's all you fuckin' say," he growls bitterly, and you blink in a poor attempt to find where the animosity came from. His face twists in an ugly way as he sits his hands on his hips, nose scrunched to mockingly pitch his voice that doesn't sound like yours at all. "We can't, we shouldn't—"

"Because we shouldn't!" You nearly shout, and Katsuki jumps from how quickly you raise your voice. "Because—because if we get caught, we're fucked. And I can't go to sleep terrified that I'll wake up to an exposé tomorrow morning and get beheaded by the afternoon. So...please. Just stop."

Katsuki clicks his tongue.

"You don't love that asshole."

Your throat feels tight—much too tight to be comfortable, and your chest rises and falls with disbelief as you search for the words before you can talk again, eyes never dropping from the stars. You've had this conversation, fuck, you have it too often; often enough to know that he would say those exact words, and enough to know precisely what you'll say in response.

"I love him, Katsuki."

"No, no you fuckin' don't," the ash-blond chucks a laugh and it's nothing short of acrid, his words eating away at your skin more than you'd like them to. You sigh, resting your forearms on the railing too.

"I'm not having this conversation with you."

"Always gotta be so goddamn emotionally unavailable, huh?" He growls, glare set on the mountains presented in front of you. You feel his suit jacket hit your freezing shoulders, unaware of the cool temperatures until you feel the cloth brush against goosebumps. It’s your turn to laugh bitterly.

“Careful. People might think we’re getting married to each other.”

“One day you’ll let me fuckin’ live,” he grunts, and your eyes meet for the first time. His usual red is dyed a deep purple by the moonlight, their usual hardness traded for something much softer. “Can’t even give you a jacket when you’re shivering like a goddamn leaf in the wind.”

You give him a look of utter exhaustion because you’re tired—tired of all this running around and hiding, the secrecy. It eats at your insides like a caterpillar does a leaf, knowing that you go to sleep every night to a man who’ll barely touch you, but at the same time, feeling guilty that you don’t need nor want him to.

“Why are you here?”

Katsuki clicks his tongue. His warm body settles behind yours, close enough to feel the warmth but not close enough to feel him. “You looked lonely.”

“I thought my fiancé told you to get me?” You ask, raising a suspicious eyebrow. Katsuki rolls his eyes, his arms settling on both sides of yours.

“He did. But I didn’t refuse the damn request either.”

“You saw my loneliness all the way from the ballroom. What an eyesight,” you scoff. Katsuki’s eyes narrow, but it’s clear he’s fighting a grin because you’re a little shit who loves giving him a hard time. The ash-blond’s chest rises and falls, and he bites the inside of his cheek.

“You know what I mean.”

You snort, tilting your head to the right. You suppose you do.

“And I’m marrying a bitch,” he adds to his list of grievances, his hands finding yours to gently play with your fingers. You nod in agreement. A bitch she is.

“And...I’m really going to fuckin’ miss you.”

It might as well pass for nothing but a breath, eyes trained on your held hands. His chest suspends like he has more to say, but his teeth tear at the inside of his cheek before he can. “I—fuck, I get it, okay? I’m a selfish asshole—“

“This doesn’t have to do wit—“

“And I really, really need to get my fuckin’ priorities straight. I mean, they are, just not in the way they should be.”

“Hey,” you chastise, shaking his hands for his attention. “You can’t control who you love, okay?"

Katsuki grumbles at that but you refuse, turning around to look him in the eyes.

"And neither can I.”

You let go of his hands in favor of pulling him down via his cheeks and giving him a big fat kiss on the lips. It’s peckish and brief, but it’s sweet and gets your point across. It's comfortable.

“The hell was that for?” Katsuki asks once you pull away. Though you see him struggle to hide a grin, eyes squinting more than they should.

“Easy,” you say, stepping forwards (as if there’s any space for that), “You looked lonely.”

Katsuki snorts, dropping his head, “Bastard.”

“And I’m being married off to an asshole,” you lament, pulling his face so close to the point you’re sure the strain on his back has got to be anything but sexy. He accommodates anyways—Katsuki always has; and night seems to suspend along with his baited breath as he waits for the next line, eyes shining with a painful hope you’re about to confirm.

“And I’m really, really going to miss you,” you say, shaking your head at how utterly true that statement is. Fuck.

The vulnerability slowly fades from his eyes at that, and Katsuki hums, clammy hands finding their rightful place around your hips.

“You shouldn’t call him an asshole, you know,” he says, face inching so close you can smell the champagne on his breath. “He means well.”

“I didn’t know you cared,” you quip back, raising an eyebrow. Katsuki shrugs, and you don’t realize he’s backing you up until your back kisses the cool railing.

“Well. I can’t help but feel a little bad,” he says cheekily as he inches closer, “‘Cause I make you feel so good, don’t I, Princess? Last time I checked, better than he ever could.”

You scoff at his audacity though it’s all good-natured, eyes preferring the moon over his heated gaze as he turns you around to face the courtyard.

“Ah, ah,” he tuts, redirecting your attention using a finger on your jaw, “Eyes on me, Princess. You look really fuckin’ pretty under the stars, y’know.”

You snort at the compliment, rolling your eyes.

“‘M serious. A fuckin’ goddess,” he growls, leaving wet kisses up the column of your neck. Your breath hitches as he reaches your sweet spot and sucks, and you’re swatting him away before he can leave a mark.

“I sai—“

“One last time, Princess,” he bargains lowly as his hot hands slide their way from your waist to your breasts, taking their sweet time. Katsuki hooks his chin on your shoulder. “Lemme—Can I make you feel good one last time?”

You’re nodding with a whimper before you can berate yourself for being so fucking easy, the thought of not being able to indulge yourself with this, with him, any longer tosses any and all resistance out the window.

“Good,” Katsuki hums, tweaking your nipples through the bodice. “‘M gonna pay you back for being so good to me, yeah? For puttin' up with all my shit."

You scoff, mouth dropping to tell him you weren't putting up with his shit, but then a warm hand lands on your thigh—somehow, he's found a way under your dress. The hand slides up inner thigh and you feel Katsuki's chest shudder against your back as he finally reaches where you need him most.

"K-Kats—"

"Shhh, you don't want them to hear us, do you?" He grunts, pulling your panties to the side. You shiver from the change in temperature, watching another Duke and Duchess of half-drunkenly stumble into their carriages for the night, before there's a crack of a whip and hooves beat towards the exit. It's only a reminder of how painfully exposed you two are—one glance towards the balcony and any onlooker would know exactly what's happening. You hate it.

You hate that you don't.

"Atta girl," Katsuki purrs, groaning as he inserts a finger. You shiver, the weight of his being practically trapping you against the railing. "Always so fuckin' tight. I swear that asshole never fucks you right."

Katsuki's never been an impatient man and fills you with a second finger awfully fast, chuckling when you bite into the meat of your palm to hold back a whimper. His hips start to grind against the puff of your dress and he groans as quietly as he can, carelessly shoving down the sleeve of his suit jacket to bite into your shoulder.

You let out a broken moan much too loud for this time of night and it prompts Katsuki's free hand to stuff an equal amount of fingers into your mouth. "Y'know, something tells me you wanna get caught. You want the whole world to know how much you fuckin' hate that bastard, huh?"

You choke as Katsuki slides in a third digit next to the second, the slap of his palm against your pussy becoming nothing but obscene as your slick accentuates the sound. His hips speed up against your ass and that's enough friction to have the ash-blond groaning, along with the spit that drips down his forearm.

"So dirty for me, Princess," his hips stutter when you push back, tongue laving over the bite mark you'll probably have to conceal in the morning. Asshole. "You wanna cum like this, don't you? You're gonna cum all over my fingers in front of the entire royal court. Dumb little girl, can't even keep her mouth shut to keep us from gettin' caught."

You jam your heel into the balcony concrete so hard you positive it cracks before you're coming all over Katsuki's fingers, nearly choking on the ones in your mouth as you release the loudest broken moan you have that night. Katsuki's hips stutter against you and you're positive he's filling his boxers from the airy moan that follows, and his hand goes limp in your mouth before it slides out completely.

Your chests balloon in unison, his body draped over yours, and as you two catch your breath under the moonlight, you can’t help but think how much you’re going to miss this.

"Run away with me."

"I—" he does this. He always does this. He makes you feel on top of the world, acting like everything's fine, and then he pulls this shit on you. You look everywhere but him, nearly scoffing in disbelief. "Katsuki—"

"C'mon, Princess," Katsuki scrambles to flip you by the waist until your back is flush against the railing again and he’s cradling both your hands in his semi-damp ones. There’s a look in his eyes you don’t like, and it makes your chest burn. "Across the sea, people are movin’ over there and I—I know someone there, okay? Someone we could stay with, maybe help us get back on our feet an-and I found a fuckin’ ferry guy to take us across, and I can even pay him a little extra, o-or you, or—"

"Katsuki," you give him a sad smile, squeezing his hands tight. There's hope, too much hope in his eyes and it's fucking blinding. "Running away? I—this is—we have an obligation, we can't jus—"

"It'll be fine," he insists, stepping forwards and squeezing you back twice as hard. You sigh."I—the two kingdoms can merge or whatever the fuck they wanna do and then we'll be—"

"Katsuki."

"I—fuck Princess, I don't beg but goddammit, I'll do whatever you fuckin' want, get on my knees, I ca—"

"You really want to know what I want?"

Katsuki freezes. It's the first time you've ever seen some semblance of emotion in him that isn't anger or lust, with carmine red irises swimming in unshed tears—and fuck, you hate the sight. You want to shoot yourself in the fucking foot for what you’re about to do, but it’s for the best. It always is.

"Love her."

Katsuki looks at you, and his face drops, chest shuddering.

"I can't."

You drop his hands in favor of holding his face, thumbing at the hot tears running as they fall. God, Katsuki’s pretty—too pretty for his own good and he doesn’t even know it. His unsteady hands find themselves massaging your ribs and your foreheads knock together. "You need to try. Love her as much as you love me, yeah?"

"'S fuckin' impossible," Katsuki says with a wet snort, shaking his head with eyebrows raised. You giggle, throat impossibly tight.

"Almost, then? For me."

Katsuki’s red eyes stare at you through the darkness. You have half a mind to look the other way, but you figure you owe him this if nothing else, and as he lovingly absorbs your being under the moonlight for the last time, you really wish you could take your words back.

"I'll...fuck. Fine. I'll try." Katsuki resigns with a shrug, shaking his head. You two sniffle in unison and you suppress the strange urge to pinch him. "'M not gonna try to get over you, though. Sorry, not sorry."

You roll your eyes at that but it's all good-natured, followed by a choke you struggle to hide as his arms coil around your waist, "Then I won't either."

A genuine grin spreads across his face, and it’s borderline giddy—and a stark contrast against the waterworks. "She finally fuckin' admits it."

"Figured it was about time," you give him a wobbly smile before your eyes flicker to his, red blurring from being so close. Selene looks upon both of you with a reminiscent sigh.

"I love you, Katsuki Bakugou."

Katsuki sniffs before he laughs; it's wet, and near bitter, and he pulls you so close your face nearly shoves into his chest. "Fuck. Fuck, you're an asshole, you know that?"

"This is when you say it back," you bargain, squishing his cheeks. Katsuki presses his forehead deeper into yours.

"I love you too, Asshole."

He speaks with a softness you've never heard and it's like a gunshot to the heart, and as his lips inch closer to yours as your hands slide to thumb at his ears. One last kiss wouldn't hurt, would it?

Until there's a whistle and the click of footsteps. You and Katsuki jump a mile apart.

"Oh, [Y/N]! You're still out here in the cold?" Your fiancé asks with a raised eyebrow, but it seems like that's only an afterthought as he turns to Katsuki to say, "Your wife’s found the alcohol."

"Great," the ash-blond groans, understanding the translation—your fiancé is piss drunk in the ballroom.

"I do recommend you take her home. She's making quite a mess of the eclairs. And her face."

Katsuki heads inside without giving you a second glance, and your fiancé gives him a solid pat on the way in before turning to you halfway through the doorway, "Are you coming inside, Darling?"

"In a moment," you say with a smile. Your hand never leaves the railing. "Just getting some fresh air."

"Alrighty, then. I'll be in the bedroom. Waiting~" he winks, and with that, he's spinning on his heel, and you're alone with the moon again.

You watch Katsuki guide his inebriated fiancé into the carriage lovingly, with a smile on his face that isn't quite the one he wears with you but close enough, whispering whatever pleases her at the time with a chaste kiss on the cheek. You feel comfort in knowing that he has someone to love and someone to be loved by. He doesn't look your way—not once.

It's not until they drive away that you realize you still have his suit jacket draped over your shoulders. You don't doubt he did that on purpose, either.

Asshole.

[jerzwriter]

Day 11 (Part 2) - Pleasantly Surprised

Book: Open Heart

Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x MC (Casey MacTavish)

Title: Day 11 (Part 2) Pleasantly Surprised

Rating: Teen

Summary: Casey’s surprise party goes off without a hitch, but she has a surprise of her own for her guests. Tobias and Sienna create confusion, especially for Jackie.

Category: Fluffy Fluff

Warnings: Some language

A/N: I'm so sorry for the interruption in this fluffy little series. I hope to be able to get more of this up in the coming weeks.

A/N 1: Part of a series outlining the first two months after Ethan and Casey finally make it official. These can be read as part of the series or as stand alones. This series is meant to highlight the two-month period covered in the alternate OH ending found here.

A/N 2: You don't need to read these earlier fics in the series, but they may enhance the experience. I hope you enjoy this! Day 8 Fake Date HC

Series Masterlist

CHARACTERS BELONG TO PIXELBERRY STUDIOS

“Where is he!”

She was pissed. She may have been all but 5’2” and a hundred pounds soaking wet, but when she stomped across the wood floor at Donahue’s with all her might, you could hear the glasses clatter.

“Where is who?” Jackie asked.

“Tobias. Who else?”

“Fuck I know, but I’m sure glad I’m not him right now. Trouble in paradise?” Jackie chided.

“In para, in what… uggh! I have no time for this Jackie!”

Jackie still believed Sienna’s fake date with Tobias was a real one. She’d have to set that straight, later, after the night was over. Ethan had pulled off his weekend of surprises for Casey and Sienna was not going to be the one to ruin things tonight. Of course, being saddled with Tobias as her assistant was dampening her normally cheery personality. She spotted him across the bar, flames in her eyes.

“TOBIAS!!!!!!”

Startled, he turned around and grimaced, “What did I do now?”

“The fairy lights! Where are the fairy lights? I asked you to bring them!”

“They’re on the patio. I only told you ten times.”

“Those are the blue fairy lights! Did you bring the white ones?”

“I didn’t get white.”

It looks could kill… he would he’d be dead. Sienna rubbed her temples while trying to steady her breath. Jackie watched with an amused smirk from across the room.

“Is she always like this?” Tobias yelled over, looking for some sort of an ally in the craziness.

“Only when she’s planning a party. But she knows better than to mess like that with me.”

“Don’t be so sure, Jackie!”

“I don’t want to be an insensitive ass here, Trinh, but is the world going to freaking end if we only have blue fairy lights?”

She pulled him aside, “T. I just want tonight to be perfect for Casey! She’s my best friend!”

Touched by her sincerity, he toned down the snark he was well known for.

“It will be. But Casey will think it’s perfect because she’s with her friends, because the place looks beautiful, especially the blue lighting! She’ll have that oaf that she loves so much on her arm, and she’s engaged. What’s not perfect about that?”

“She’s engaged? Who, Casey? Oh my God, are Casey and Ethan engaged?”

“Hey, Inez, Angie…” Tobias greeted smoothly, “No! God, are you kidding? It took her three years to get the guy to say I think I sort of like you! You have a minimum of a decade before he caves and puts a rock on that finger. I was talking about her cousin, Lisa. She is coming in from Philly for the party. She was engaged to her boyfriend this past weekend. Casey told me the whole story and she will be so happy to see her and her fiancé in person. It’s all part of tonight’s surprise.”

“Awww! That was so sweet for Ethan to arrange for her to be here!” Angie smiled.

“No, it’s not! It’s disappointing. I was hoping it was Casey and Ethan. I’ve been wanting those two married for at least two years now!”

“Well, if it’s meant to be their day will come,” Sienna snapped. “Now, please get back to the patio! They’re not due for a little bit, but I want to play it safe.”

“Of course!” Angie said taking Inez’s hand and ushering her outside.

“Oh, boy, here it comes…” Tobias moaned rubbing his forehead.

Sienna turned around with steam coming out of her ears.

“Tobias Archibald Carrick!”

“Archibald?! That’s not my middle name?!”

“Well, it is now!!!! After all, I’ve put into this party, for my best friend, if you screw this up, so help me God, Ethan won’t have to kill you, I will take care of it for him.”

“Sienna, I haven’t screwed anything up? You’re exaggerating!”

“You totally almost outed the engagement, T!” Sienna yelled.

“Engagement!” Jackie gasped as she walked in, “What engagement?”

“You were saying?” he smirked.

Sienna turned around flabbergasted as Tobias stood smugly behind her.

“Oh, uhm, did you think I said engagement? Uhm, no I said arrangement. As in when are the flower arrangements going to arrive.”

Jackie crossed her arms and leered at Sienna, “You said engagement. Now spill or I am not lifting another finger to help you.”

“Well, the thing is, see…” Sienna said nervously.

“I asked her to marry me,” Tobias said calm as a cucumber.

“WHAT?” Jackie and Sienna said in unison.

“Wait a minute, why are you saying what? Like you didn’t know!”

“Ahhhh, no, I knew, I just, ahhhh….”

“She didn’t want anyone to know yet,” Tobias said looping his arm around Sienna’s waist as her eyes nearly bulged out of her head. “While she felt it was premature, she was also not inclined to turn me down. So we decided to just keep the news to ourselves for just a little while longer. It’s not like the wedding is tomorrow. So, Jackie can we count on you to keep this between us for now,” he winked.

Jackie’s eyes flashed to Sienna.

“You’re damn right it’s not long! What are you thinking, Sienna! Plus, this guy is a player.”

“I’m standing right here, Jackie,” Tobias deadpanned.

“I know,” she said staring him down.

“Jackie. Can we discuss this later? Casey’s party is all that matters right now.”

“Fine. But don’t you drink too much! Because, when you get home… we’re talking!”

She walked away slowly, giving Carrick the death stare.

“She is not invited to our wedding,” Tobias whispered.

Making sure Jackie was out of sight, Sienna spun around and smacked him in the chest.

“OW!”

“What were you thinking?”

“Oh, wait, I almost outed the golden couple, and it was a federal crime. You actually outed them and I’m the bad guy for bailing your ass out of it? Relax, Shortcake! Everyone will know the truth by the end of the night and then you tell Jackie we were joking. No one dies. We will laugh about it.”

Frazzled and frustrated Sienna stumbled to find words.

Tobias grinned, “I know, you are the first woman I have ever been fake-engaged to. I’m sure it’s overwhelming… it’s OK, you will adjust.”

“Just, just go arrange the blue fairy lights… and avoid Jackie.”

“You got it, boss!”

____________________

“So, none of your friends can make it to Donahue’s tonight?” Ethan asked, feigning disappointment.

“Sienna will be there, but no one else,” she answered a bit melancholy. “But it’s OK. I’ve had the most amazing weekend with my fiancé!! I will see the others soon, but at least the wedding planner-in-chief can be informed of our engagement this evening!”

Overcome with excitement, Casey let out a little squeal as she leaned over the center console, wrapped her arms around Ethan, and placed a peck on his cheek. He struggled to keep his eyes forced on the road.

“You know,” she said, “I love the hell out of you, Ethan; but sometimes I wonder what you did with the man I fell in love with.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means that if I would have merely suggested doing that to you in the past, you would have flipped out, recited the 18 traffic laws we would be violating, and questioned my moral character.”

“I would not have…. done all those things!”

She glared at him.

“Well, maybe,” he smiled. “You’ve had a good impact on me.”

“Or a bad one. It all depends on who you ask.”

“Well,” he said parking the car, “yours is the only one that matters, so what do you think?”

“Personally, I miss that obnoxious curmudgeon I fell in love with sometimes.”

“You may want to seek help for that.”

“See, that is precisely what I’m talking about. It’s hot.”

“Correction, I insist you seek help for that.”

They smiled as they walked arm in arm to Donahue’s, Ethan having received the “all-clear” codeword from Sienna.

“Hey, hey! Look what the wind blew in!” Reggie yelled when he saw the smiling couple walk in.

“Now, Casey, you and I are going to have to have a word. I barely see this man anymore now that he finally came to his senses with you.”

“Oh, Reggie! That’s not true, we’re still here a lot!”

“Look, this man practically lived here. Alone at this bar, that’s no way and I couldn’t be happier. And, yes, I still get to see him plenty.”

Casey smiled and looked up at Ethan who nodded.

“I think you should do the honors,” she said.

“What? What honors? What am I missing here?”

“Well, Reggie, it may take me a while to come to my senses, but when I do, I like to go big.”

He lifted Casey’s left hand up and smiled.

“What can I say? She was foolish enough to say yes.”

Reggie turned and looked at Casey, an incredulous look on his face.

“This isn’t a joke, right. I trust you; I don’t know that I trust him right now.”

“It’s not a joke,” Casey laughed, “not at all! I get to claim him as mine forever.”

“Well then congratulations are in order, come over here so I can give you some hugs!”

Casey scooted around the bar where Reggie wrapped her in a big bear hug.

“I meant that for you too, my friend, get back here now.”

“You want me to come back there… to hug you?”

“He didn’t stutter, dear,” Casey grinned.

Ethan shook his head and walked behind the bar and joined in the group hug.

“This is the best thing! This is the best news! And, you know what, I knew it. I called it!”

“Oh, you did, did you?” Ethan smirked.

“I sure did.”

“When? When did you call it?” Casey asked excitedly jumping up and down.

“The first night you came here, in that cute little outfit, your friends in the back. I called it then.”

“OK, I wasn’t going to believe you regardless, but could you at least try to make this a little more believable, Reggie?”

Reggie shot Ethan a look.

“You sat down with an inter… an intern and had drinks. Drinks. With an “s”. As in more than one. With an intern. And not just any intern, this beautiful young woman. I saw it in your eyes, it was written in the stars.”

Casey scrunched her nose and stuck her tongue out at Ethan.

“Oh, hold on now, Casey! Because I saw it in your eyes every bit as much as I saw it in his. So, let’s not get cocky now.”

“It’s not cocky! It’s just he doesn’t believe me when I say I knew it from the very start either. I knew it that night, he just tortured me and made me wait all this time.”

“Yes, he did. But, if he would have done it sooner, then maybe you wouldn’t be standing here today… behind my bar with a major rock on that finger. Things work out as they are supposed to and, in this case, they worked for the good.”

Casey hugged Reggie again, as a rowdy patron at the other end of the bar began demanding his attention.

“You know, I’ve kept you two long enough right now, Sienna is sitting outside waiting on you anyway. But you are coming back up here before you leave, I’m breaking out the good scotch.”

“Don’t I always break out the good scotch?”

Reggie laughed, “Oh, no, I’ve had something extra special on hold for a while. I can’t think of a better reason to open it.”

Casey leaned into Ethan’s side as Reggie walked away.

“Wow, extra special scotch. I hope that doesn’t replace getting engaged to me as the best moment of your week.”

“Casey, seriously? Nothing will ever top that. Unless Reggie has a bottle of Balvenie 50 I’m unaware of.”

“See, I told you it was a possibility! We better go see Sienna; I’m shocked she’s not already in here looking for us.”

“Well, she probably has a good seat at the fire pit that she’s not giving up.”

“Even more reason! She probably wants to kill us,” Casey said as they approached the back door, “she can't leave her seat and here we are keeping her waiting.”

“Well, I’d like to avoid a pissed-off Sienna,” he said opening the door.

“That’s something we all…”

Thunderous cheers greeted her as she stepped outside.

“SURPRISE!!!” “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!” “SURPRISE!!!!”

She took a step back, almost frightened at first. But she stumbled right into Ethan’s arms. He gently looped them around her waist and leaned in to place a gentle kiss behind her ear. And like that, everything was right with the world.

“Happy Birthday, baby,” he whispered lovingly.

“You, you did this?”

“Yes. I mean, Sienna and Tobias helped, but…”

“Damn straight we did,” Tobias said as leading the crowd to greet them.

He gave Casey a big hug.

“Happy Birthday, Gorgeous. I still don’t know what you see in this guy!”

As throngs of her loving friends surrounded her, Tobias pulled Ethan to the side.

“Hey, great work, this weekend, Buddy! I honestly didn’t think you had it in you!”

“Well, I couldn’t have done it without you and Sienna…”

“Oh, I know. That’s not why we’re here. I’m here to tell you that if you want your engagement to be a surprise, you better get that news out quick. Because that ring on her hand is currently being admired by the current occupants of the International Space Station. Don’t think the eyes out here aren’t going to see it.”

“Hmmm… you make a good point, for a change.”

“I was about to say congratulations, but now I’m just going to offer my condolences to Casey.”

Ethan gazed over at Casey. She was simply glowing. Surrounded by all of her roommates, Raf, Inez, Angie, Baz, Zaid, Harper, Naveen, numerous other co-workers, and even former patients who simply adored her. He loved seeing her encircled by so much affection, she deserved all of it and more. But he couldn’t help but think, if they funneled all the love for her there that night and multiplied it by a million, it still would not come close to how much love he held in his heart for her.

She turned around and her eyes locked on his. She raised her hand and waved for him to join her. As he made his way across the exquisitely decorated garden (thanks Sienna!), he chuckled. As of now, only four people present knew that he and Casey were dating, never mind engaged. Tonight, they would bring everyone up to speed.

“You know I think this is a good time to kiss me,” Casey grinned.

“It’s always a good time to kiss you,” he said shipping his hands around her waist. That simple act causing many to stop and stare.

“You did this on purpose, didn’t you?”

“What? Planned a surprise party? Yes, it’s not something one tends to do accidentally.”

“This is why you wouldn’t let me tell anyone we were dating right away, wasn’t it? You didn’t want me to tell them we were dating, you wanted me to tell them we were engaged. You knew along.”

“I was planning on doing this anyway,” he smiled, “but… this does play out well, doesn’t it? You deserved more than ‘yeah, no kidding’ when you told people your news.”

“We were pretty transparent after all. Weren’t we?”

“I guess so…” he mumbled leaning in closer to her.

“I mean, we only kissed in front of them once, and that was at gala over a year ago, since nothing really happened since….”

“We should do it again now….”

“I can support that….”

His hands sunk lower down her hips, as she raised hers to the back of his neck. Their lips met in a tender, but passionate kiss that lingered on and on. It drew more looks, gasps, and smiles with each passing second.

“Woah, wait… when did this happen?” Bryce asked.

Jackie rolled her eyes. “Three years ago, Scalpel Jockey! Nothing gets past you!”

“Wait, you two are together, together?” Bas asked astonished.

“Holy crap,” Casey said breaking away from the kiss, “so there were at least a couple of you who didn’t realize this.”

Aurora shook her head, “Well, I wouldn’t say we’re surprised, surprised. It’s just… you’re so … public.”

“You or me,” Ethan whispered into her ear.

“You,” she smiled as he leaned forward and kissed her neck.

“Oh, get a room!” Jackie yelled.

“Why, Jackie?” Ethan said with a broad smile, “Is it so wrong for a man to show affection to his fiancée in public?”

“His…. what now?”

“Oh, did we actually surprise you this time, Jackie?” Casey giggled.

“Ohmygod I knew it!!!!” Inez said running over to embrace them. “I knew there was no cousin!” she said to Angie over her shoulder.

“Wait… how long were you two a thing?” Baz asked.

“Are you serious?” Zaid said shaking his head, “You are a disgrace to our DNA.”

“Did you know about this?” Harper asked Naveen, who was smiling so bright you could almost see his cheeks hurt.

“Yes! Yes!! But I lost the bet among the parents. I was disappointed. In the bet, that is, not the engagement.”

“Wait? There are bets? Are these ongoing?” She asked.

Bryce stepped back from hugging Casey and saw Sienna smiling quietly behind them.

“And how long have you known about this?” he asked.

“Me, I haven’t…”

Bryce tilted his head and pursed his lips.

“Only a short while. I knew they were dating, and Ethan needed help pulling off all the surprises he had in store for her this past weekend. So, I was it. Well… me and Tobias,” she said motioning to him as he stood behind her.

“I pretty much lifted things and took her abuse,” Tobias emphasized.

Bryce clinked his beer bottle against Tobias’s, “Been there, done that, got the t-shirt friend.”

“HEY!” Sienna yelled.

“Wait,” Jackie said, “so clearly you two aren’t engaged.”

Bryce spit out his beer. “What?”

“It’s a long story,” Sienna said waving him off.

“But you guys did go on a date.”

“It was a fake date, Bryce. We needed a reason for you to reschedule her birthday pub crawl so Ethan could be with her this weekend. But I knew you’d be a total pain in the ass unless I gave you a valid reason of why I couldn’t go along.”

“So, you didn’t date him?” Jackie asked.

“No.”

“But I saw you coming out of the supply closet together!” Bryce exclaimed.

“Oh, no! You did not!” Tobias said nearly doubling over laughing.

“What’s so funny!”

“Nothing, just we gave them a really good show without intentionally giving them a really good show.”

“Goddamn it! I am disappointed, Trinh! I had a whole new level of respect for you!”

Casey and Ethan walked over, hand in hand, “Bryce, why have you lost respect for my wedding planner-in-chief?”

“Oh, Jeeze…” Tobias moaned. “I am not going to be assistant-wedding-planner-in-chief now, am I?”

“I’m disappointed,” Bryce said over Tobias, “because I thought they were sleeping together.”

“WHAT?” Casey and Ethan said in unison.

“Oh, there is much to fill you in on,” Sienna said shaking her head, “but for now, we have to celebrate!”

“What do you suggest we do first?”

“Well, I got a perfectly acceptable DJ for the night, we’re going to tell him to play our song. Dance with me, Rookie.”

“For the rest of my life,” she replied with stars in her eyes.

“I’m going to throw up,” Jackie said grabbing her drink.

“Hey, Shortie! Dance with me, for old times sakes?”

Sienna shook her head and smirked at Tobias.

“Why not?” She said, leading him to the dance floor. “I wasn’t that bad of a fake date, was I?”

“No, you were a fabulous fake date,” he answered, “I just would rather back waxed than ever have to be your party planning assistant ever again.”

Bryce looked at Jackie.

“So, what do you say we join them out…”

“Don’t even finish the sentence or I’ll hurt you.”

“We could also stand here and watch them as we drink our beers.”

“You’re learning!”

____________________

On the moonlit dancefloor, Ethan and Casey swayed in a world of their own.

“Are you happy?” he whispered.

“Hmmm, you could say that.”

“So, your last year in your twenties, Casey.”

“A distant memory for you, I know.”

“I could always take the ring back.”

“You wouldn’t dare!”

“So, how do you like being twenty-nine?”

“I love it!”

“Yeah, why?”

“Because that’s precisely how long it took me to end up exactly where I always belonged.”

“It may have taken me a little longer, but it was so worth the wait.”

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Ethan x Casy: @a-crepusculo

@choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

[thespiritoflife]

Pairing: Raymond Smith x reader

Summary: Your father finds himself in troubles with the dreaded Mickey and you pay for it.

Warnings: violence, nudity, swearing, mention of character's death, long story, grammatical errors

I don't know if I'll make a series of this. But you know, feedback is always appreciated!

Bloody rose 🥀

"You're doing great, Y / N!"  my friend Tracy said.

I smirked.  I did a Cartwheel for the last time and then I stopped.

"Thank you, hon," I shouted at her.

She handed me a towel.  "Take it. Then we have to go,"  she muttered.

"Where?"  I was in no hurry.  Oh, I loved Fridays.

"At that party, you fool,"  she said.

I sighed.  "Tracy, no. I'm not going to that party."

"Buut ... at least for me."  she threw dog eyes at me.

"No. I don't understand why you want me there, at all. I'm not a party woman. I hate parties. And you'll have a bunch of buddies there. And your boyfriend."

"God, there's no fun with you. Fine. I'll go there alone. But how do you spend Friday night? Staring at the ceiling?"

We started walking to the parking lot.  I laughed.  "No, Tracy. I'll relax. I'll go to the bathtub. I'll open my wine ... relax. I deserve it."

She didn't say anything.  She just turned her head inconspicuously in some direction.  I turned and rolled my eyes.

Josh was there.  My .. what?  Classmate.  And he kept flirting with me, even though I told him a thousand times that I am not interested.

"You should give him a chance, Y / N."

Sweet Tracy. 

Don't get me wrong, Josh is a great guy.  He's nice too.  Funny.  Athlete.

But he didn't attract me. 

I was not interested in the relationship.  I was attracted to guys, yes, but ... I haven't dated anyone yet.  And that was strange, according to other people.

"Y / N! Are you going from gymnastics, aren't you? You look like a goddess. Let's go for coffee!"

I moved to my car, which he was leaning on.

I smiled falsely.  "Josh .. I am.... Not. Interested..."

He waved his hand.  "You're just saying that today."

I told him this every day, but okay.

"But you can change your mind tomorrow, can't she, Tracy?"  he winked at her.

Tracy nodded.  "As Y / N's best friend, I promise Y / N will be only yours for coffee tomorrow."

"Tracy!"  I hissed.

She just shrugged innocently.

"That's great. See you tomorrow, then!"  Josh hugged me and walked away.

"You're great. Not to hold my side, no."  I told her angrily.

"Come on. You need fun. You can't just ... give him a chance at least once. Go on a date with him. Poor boy, he's been trying for you for years."

Her cell phone rang.  I knew immediately who was calling her.  I wanted to roll my eyes.  Really?

"Love!! Yeah! Come after me, we'll meet ... yes, there. Don't wait. What? I love you too. Have a nice day, I'm sending kisses."  Tracy's voice changed completely as she spoke to her boyfriend.  But completely.

"I'll say goodbye to you now, Y / N. Goodbye, at school! And enjoy your date."  she, too, walked away and waved cheerfully at me.

I got angry in the car and sighed in defeat. 

I stood in front of a huge luxury villa.  Yes, I live here.

I opened the door and a cat stopped at my feet immediately.  I leaned over.  "Mickey! You're hungry, aren't you?"

He whimpered in agreement.  I gave him granules and stroked him.  He was the only one in this house who kept me company.

I lived with my father.  He stopped here that very rarely.  He was really rich, he had his own business and he had some company.

I had a good relationship with him, but ... I missed him.  I didn't want to be alone.  I didn't have siblings and my mom ..

I looked at the painted picture. My father had her painted while she was still alive.

Yes, she died.  She died in a car accident when I was very young.  I don't remember her at all.

But she looked like me.  She had my hair and my eyes.

Okay, I'm going to relax.  I deserve it.

I was lying in the bathtub with my eyes closed.  I have dreamed.

"You're so beautiful, Y / N .." someone whispered to me.

"I love you," I said, holding someone's hand.

"I can't believe I finally married you."  someone said.

"Life is unpredictable .."

The smell of a candle hit my nose.  That wouldn't be weird, I lit the candle myself.  But what was strange was that ..

That I smelled a men's perfume.

I opened my eyes immediately.

An unknown man stood beside the bathtub, looking at me.  If it weren't for the bizarre situation, I would have thought he was attractive.  He had wide shoulders, an overgrown face, blond hair, blue eyes framed by stylish glasses.

I screamed in an instant.

What. The.  Fuck.  Is. This!

He immediately ran to me and stuffed my mouth.  "Be quiet, sweetheart. Please,"  he said in a rather pleasant voice.

I shook my head.  I didn't like it!  An unknown man was at my house!  And he probably wanted to kidnap me.

Suddenly male voices came from the hall.  I thought I heard my father.

My father is here.  Everything will be explained.

I calmed down.

The man noticed it too.  "I'll let go of my hand now, but you can't scream, do you promise?"

I nodded.

He released his hand, but at that moment I got up (yes, I got up naked from the bathtub) and left and put my feet on the floor.  I quickly took the only weapon I had and that was a hairdryer.

The man tried not to stare at my naked body, but he looked furious.  "What the fuck are you doing, girl?"

"If you don't tell me what's going on in a moment, I'll throw the hairdryer in the bathtub!"  I screamed.

"You're crazy."

I approached the bathtub.

"Would you like to kill yourself?"

"I have nothing else left! Tell!"  I shouted.

He shook his head.  "You'll find out at the right time ... well! Just don't get any closer to that fucking water!"  he shouted.

"Your father cheated on us and he has to pay for it. He's talking to my boss Mickey now."

"You're fucking kidding!"

"I don't, girl. And now, if you were so kind ..." he approached me.

He carefully took my hairdryer and I stared into space.  What?

I stomped on his leg, he screamed in pain and I wanted to run away from this bathroom, but he managed to grab me in his arms.

I swung in his arms like a furious puppy, and somehow he couldn't keep his balance and we both ended up in the bathtub again.

He was with me.

"Get off me! Immediately!"  I demanded.  I didn't like it, to hang out with a naked guy like that.

He took my hands.  I couldn't run away from him.  "If you try anything else, you'll just make trouble, young lady. Do you understand?"

I was silent.

"You understand?"  he repeated the question.

I nodded angrily.  What was I supposed to do?

He released me carefully and came out of the bathtub angrily.

He mumbled something under his nose, but I didn't listen to him.

I pressed my knees together.  I tried not to cry.  It's over with me.

"Do you have any clothes here?"  he asked me.

"I don't know," I said.

"Come on. Don't lie,"  he demanded an answer.

I gave it up.  "My father has something in that locker," I pointed to the locker.

The man walked over to her and opened it.  He started rummaging in it, but I didn't listen to him, I didn't notice.

It will be over with me.

I will die.

The man had changed in the meantime, but I wasn't looking at him.

I pressed my knees together and stared at the ceiling.

He walked over to me and looked at me regretfully.

"Put this on, please."  he held my clothes in his hand.

I had no desire to object.

I wanted to get up and fulfill his wish, but he stopped me.  "I'll leave your privacy. I'll be at the door."

I piled up and got dressed.  He was a gentleman.. who wants to kidnap me or something.

He locked the door and left.

HE ALREADY SAW ME NAKED but ok.

Dressed, I carefully opened the door.  He was there, leaning.  He offered me his shoulder, but I refused.

I walked into that fucking living room, where male voices came from.

I saw a few men.  Everyone in tuxedos and on the couch was sitting with my father.  He looked startled.

"Y / N!"  he shouted.

"What's going on, Dad? Will you kindly explain it to me?"

"I'd hear that, too," a man shrugged.

I ignored him and looked at my father.  "So?"

"Y / N, honey .. I didn't mean .."

"What did you do? Tell me straight."  I asked him.

"I ... I ... I had some business with them. I was late paying and ..."

"And?"

My father must have had something on his tongue, he didn't want to answer.

The guy answered me.  "He killed our man."

I felt sick.  "You're making fun of me, aren't you? My father wouldn't kill in his life ..."

"Confess to her."

"I'm sorry ..." my father looked at me.

I fell to my knees.  "Father, what did you do? You threw us in danger! We will die for you! You should not have gotten involved with any mafia!"

"I am sorry.."

"I don't want to hear anything from you anymore."  I wanted to cry, but I was silent.  I screamed inside.

The cat also broke into the living room. 

"Mickey," I whispered and took him in my arms.  He has always been my support.

The man, apparently the boss of it all, was intrigued.  "What did you call him?"

"Mickey,"  I said.

The man who was in the bathtub with me laughed.

The boss frowned at him.  "What happened to you, Raymond? You're in a different outfit."

How could they be so callous? 

"That's a long story,"  he said, looking at me.

I kept clutching Mickey, even though he was starting to get uncomfortable.

"Hey, let go of that cat, we need to talk."  the boss spoke to me.

"About what? Kill me right now,"  I shrugged.

The man laughed.  "No, it won't work that way. I have no plans to kill you. You're just a daughter ... of an evil father. You'll pay differently."

Sweat ran down my forehead.  "What are you going to do with my father?"

"It's none of your business anymore,"  he replied.

"Leave him alone. You better kill me."  I declared and finally released the cat.  He was running away from here.

He didn't want to be here.  Like me.

"Y / N!"  my father shouted, but I ignored him.

The boss scratched his chin.  "I call it ... child's love. Too bad your father doesn't love you that much. He offered your life to save his life."

For the second time, I felt like throwing up.

"What? That ... really?"  I looked at him.  I had tears in my eyes.  Finally, some tears.

It hurt.  Like hell.  My father wanted to say something, but I didn't listen to him.

My father betrayed me.

"But we won't grant his wish, will we, Ray?"

The man in the bathroom with me, apparently Raymond, nodded.

"Take the girl away, Ray."  the boss stood up.

Raymond came up to me.  I did not understand.

He took me.  "Come with me.."

"What, no!"  I shouted.

Raymond looked at me.  "Trust me, you don't want to see this. Come on."

"What..."

And then it went awry.  Raymond lost his temper with me, grabbed me hard, and took me away.  I didn't understand why.

And then I understood.

One of the boss's men aimed his gun at my father.  But my father did something weird.  He picked his gun by himself and shot himself in the forehead.

And suddenly I heard it.  The sound of a gun.

"No no!!!"  I screamed.

"Let me go!"  I shouted.  I already cried.  My father fell to the ground dead with a hole in the middle of his forehead.

"It's after him. It's his fault, sweetheart... he's decided that way ..."

He said something else to me, but I didn't notice him because I cried a lot.

I only heard snippets of sentences.

"... take her with you ...."

"... why me? I have nothing to do with her, Mickey ..."

"Don't ask me why, just do it until we decide what to do with her. She looks awful, put her to bed."

"Of course she looks awful. She lost her father ... I'll do as you say, boss ..."

Some days seem so boring.  Also, ordinary.  Immutable.  Nothing is happening.

And then there are such days.  When something happens that will change your life forever.

[xxisxxisxxis]

Gateway Drug | Part Ninety-Two

Words: 4.3K

Warning(s): explicit language, sexual situations, violence, drug abuse, domestic abuse

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Vivian strikes again. 

My leg shakes with each tap of my foot as I impatiently wait for her to come through that door. I've been waiting for nearly forty-five minutes. 

Maybe I scared her off with pitching a fit over her not telling me about her miscarriages. But I had a good reason to be upset. Addict or not, I fucking deserved to know what the hell was going on.

"Where's your wife?" Amber asks me, glancing at her watch. 

"Hiding more kids from me, probably." I mumble and she raises her brows, staring at me for a moment. 

"While we wait for her, can you do me a favor?" She asks and I shrug. "Take a few minutes to try to imagine what having kids during the last four years would have been like with your drug addiction. Because you would still have a drug addiction--babies wouldn't have changed that." She points out. "Honestly," she adds. "Close your eyes, and take some breaths, and just use your imagination as to what having children during these last few years would have done to you, and to your wife.

I take a breath and close my eyes, deciding it probably couldn't hurt to try to wrap my head around being a dad right now, especially with as many as she lost...

1984

...I feel Viv's weight shift from me, her eyes closed, a little hum comes from her when she turns her back to me but still keeps close, her feet tangled with mine, her lions mane of hair still spread out over my pillow as well as hers. Despite being half asleep, myself, I tighten my arms hold just under her ribs and pull her to me before my hand slides over her five-month pregnant stomach. 

I lull back to sleep, before I'm woken up merely minutes later by the sound of the baby crying and Vivian pulling herself away from me, putting her robe on to cover her naked body. 

She sighs under her breath, mumbling something, and I sit up. 

"I can go--"

"--No, I got it." She says, dismissively.

"Vivian, are you still pissed at me?" I ask. 

"You ditched me on our anniversary and stayed out all night smoking smack and partying with your moron friends."

"I offered for you to come out with us." I remind her.

"I'm pregnant and we have a daughter here, Nikki. One of us needs to remember that." She adds before stomping out. 

I roll my jaw and feel a spiteful twinge in my mind. 

Perhaps spiteful, perhaps wanting to chase away the guilt of ditching her last night…

I end up in the bathroom, chasing the dragon, curled under my high while hearing Vivian softly sing hymnals to the six-month old…

I assume she knows exactly where I'm at once she's done, because I hear her walk back to our bedroom and, when she usually comes to find me so she's not by herself, she doesn't come looking for me. 

1986

"...No, you idiot, not that…" I say to myself, rubbing my forehead, scribbling out the line of lyrics I've been fighting to get out. 

The door of mine and Viv's bedroom is soon bursting at the hinges, allowing me to fully hear Pierce crying while Frannie and Johnny come rushing into the room, squealing. 

"Hey, hey, hey!" I stop them before they can crawl under the bed. "What's goin' on?" I ask them, slowly hiding the Jack bottle in my bass case.

I spent last night freebasing and I'm still trying to coax myself down. 

Frannie looks at me with sharp green eyes, her brown hair knotty looking from wallowing on the living room carpet earlier...Johnny, brown eyes and red hair, just puts his attention on the pissed off Vivian that's stalking her way in here with the baby. 

"Um," Frannie starts, trying to think up her excuse. 

"Francesca and Johnathan tried to tote Pierce off again." Vivian states, eyeing the two toddlers with daggers, and they slowly sink down to try to use me as a human shield. 

"He's a new baby, Viv, they don't mean any harm. They just--"

"--Okay, well maybe if you put the bass down and actually come in here and help me out, you can supervise them while they 'hold' him, since I'm trying to start on dinner." She states. 

I glance at the kids and then at her…

"Or you can stare at me like an idiot, too." She mumbles, going to shut the door as she says, "You have no issue knocking me up but won't help me with them once they're out."

 I roll my jaw and grab my bottle of Jack, putting my bass back. 

What the fuck? 

If it wasn't for me writing songs, the band wouldn't have new material, which would mean no new album, which would mean no money--not enough to support her and three fuckings kids, anyway, so she should be thanking me for still wanting to provide for my fucking family. Because anybody else with three kids in two years would be putting a bullet through their skull. 

"C'mon, guys," I say to Frannie and Johnny, and they follow me out, Frannie reaching up to grab my hand. 

I put old cartoons on the TV while Viv puts Pierce down to sleep once he's drifted off. 

On her way out of the nursery, I'm stopping her in the hallway, my hand grasping her arm in a tight hold, roughly tugging her into the guest bathroom, cracking the door. 

I've got her against the counter, hand around her throat, gasping little breaths pushing past her lips for a moment as I say, "if you ever talk to me like that in front of my fucking kids again, I'll give you plenty to bitch about." I promise her, lowly, and she just looks up at me and nods. 

"Now turn around." I say next and she glances at the door. 

"Nikki, we don't have tim--"

"--They're watching TV. Turn around." I repeat and she grins a little, licking her lips and turns to face the mirror. 

I'm unzipping my pants, yanking her shorts down and pushing her panties to the side before grabbing a fist full of her hair and sliding it in, tilting my head back and grinning as she makes little whimpers in an attempt to keep from being loud. 

We've mastered the art of 'a good time in a short time,' and once we've both had our release, I'm zipping my pants back up, and she's still bent over the sink, hands white knuckling the edge of the counter, hair in her face, bite marks on her shoulders, cum down her shaking legs, trying to catch her breath.

I kiss the place between her shoulder blades, the back of her neck, her hair, my hand getting her hair from her face to look at her in the mirror.

She's looking at me with a little smile, right before, "I'm pregnant again," comes out and shatters my post-orgasm buzz. 

My knuckles sting as blood rolls down my fist, glass falling onto the counter, sink, and floor, when I drive my fist past her and into the mirror. 

She just hangs her head and I'm getting out, feeling the walls of the bathroom caving in on me. 

"Daddy, what's wrong?" Frannie asks as I grab my keys and my jacket. 

"Nothing, Frannie. Daddy's going out, alright?" I tell her. "When mommy gets in here give her a big hug." I add, seeing Johnny's too enthralled with Charlie Brown to notice I'm even leaving. 

I kiss her head and I'm out the door before Vivian gets out of the bathroom. 

I swear the only thing keeping us together is the fact that when divorce is an unspoken thought for either of us, she gets pregnant. 

I'm twenty-seven years old and I have a two year old, a one year old, a two month old, and now she's fucking knocked up again?!

How the hell is that even possible? Don't chicks need like six months for their bodies to reset after popping kids out or something? Jesus I married a PEZ dispenser with a never ending supply of eggs. 

By the time I get to where I'm going, I already regret it. 

Incense, crack fumes and perfume suffocate me as soon as she opens the door in her bra and panties. 

Not necessarily in a sexy way--more so in a higher than a kite and disheveled type of way. 

Which is perfectly fine with me because I don't need 'sexy' right now. I just need to get outta my head. 

Despite that, though, clothes come off, we end up on the living room floor, and instead of smoking a cigarette once we're finished, we opt for more erasure. 

"She's pregnant again." I confess to Tansy  out of nowhere after breathing out some smoke, my mind getting pushed aside, the crawling of my skin starting to settle. 

Blue eyes look at me as I hand it over before her greedy hands snatch it. 

"What?" She asks me. 

"Vivian's pregnant." I repeat. 

"I am, too." She says it so seriously that I look at her for a second, before seeing the very corner of her lips tug for a millisecond. 

"You're bullshitting me?" 

"I'm bullshitting you." She says, giggling, and 

I start ranting about it, my words getting more and more jumbled and lost the more hits of the pipe I take, until I'm not even worried about Vivian due to the paranoia that ensues. 

I get home at 5:00a.m….the day after the next. How low do I have to be to continuously go her best friend and my own moronic self pity? I don't know. 

I shut the door to the house and put my shit down, nearly tripping when I try to take my boots off. 

I'm on Halcions and Jack, and I think they're starting to kick in because I'm fucking exhausted. 

I glance at the living room scattered with toys and rub my face. 

I get it: "Mötley Crüe, don't give a fuck, fuck precautions, fuck all of it," but come on, man.

 How the hell could you be so fucking reckless?

I walk into our room, the lamp on Viv's night side table on while she's got one long leg out of the covers, laying on her stomach, arms under her pillow, the covers falling just enough to cover the tops of her thighs and her ass, her back and the side of her chest peeking out, exposed. 

She looks fucking beautiful.

Oh, yeah, that's how the hell I could be so reckless. 

I go rinse off in the shower for a second to try to wash away Tans and the drugs...maybe even guilt….

When I'm done, I peek out of the bathroom to see that she's still asleep, and I turn off her lamp and crawl into bed, closing my eyes for a moment. 

I feel her move closer to me before her lips are pressing to my cheek, hands running over my chest gently before she lays down, throws her leg over my stomach, and rests her cheek on my chest. 

"Are you still mad at me?" She questions softly, and I let out a breath.

"I'm mad at myself, Viv." I mumble. 

"Oh." She replies quietly. "I would get on birth control but it wouldn't react well with my Nardil."

"You mean the Nardil you aren't taking anyway?" 

She's silent. 

"Honestly at a point where I don't even want to have sex anymore because you're gonna end up getting pregnant." I add, gruffly. 

"Oh, come on, Nikki." She scoffs, not believing me. 

"I'm serious, Vivian. I'm tired of being a fucking baby mill." 

"Oh you're the baby mill? You just get your rocks off and I'm the one carrying the thing for nine months but you're the victim here?" 

She sits up and glares at me. 

"Yes! I am!" I argue. "You have this weird thing with cum that I've always thought was hot but now I'm starting to realize you're just trying to boulder me down." 

"Nikki, you've made it very clear that marriage and babies aren't bouldering you down. You still go out and party and do your drugs and your day drinking--you were just gone for over a day...so I don't want to hear, 'you're bouldering me down,' because I'm not. If you wanna leave, then leave." She snaps.

I roll my eyes and she goes back to her side of the bed and turns away from me, before she snatches all the covers away from me. 

I'm too tired for it so I just pass out. 

1987 

"Nikki!" Doc is banging away at my door, making me snarl to myself before capping my needle and hiding it under my pillow. 

"What?!" I bark out, going to the door. 

I swing it open, naked, aside from stained underwear, to see Vivian and my whole litter of kids.

"S-Surpise!" Viv tries to keep her tone light and cheery for the five kids around her, our brand new girls in her arms.  

I don't know how to react except to shut the door in their faces and angrily get my shit together. 

I'm out of the shower and dressed in the next hour, taking the smallest hit from the needle I hid, just as a maintenance dose, before I'm heading to Doc's room--where I'm assuming he took them when they realized I wasn't coming back out. 

I knock on the door and Viv opens it, looking up at me. 

"Suprise!" I mimic how she greeted me earlier, and she scowls at me and goes to slam the door in my face, but I'm stopping it with my hand and shoving it open. 

"Daddy!" Frannie, Johnny, and Pierce come running to me and I'm getting down and letting them attack me, wrapping my arms around them. Pierce is nearly two, now, and he's nearly as tall as Frannie. 

Dannie is walking cautiously to me, smiling at me and I meet him halfway and pick him up, kissing his cheek as I go over to the little babies Doc's supervising, one a replica of me, the other of Viv…

I lean down and kiss both of them, making them smile and kick their feet, excitedly. 

I wasn't there with them when they were born. 

I go over to Vivian, who's got her arms crossed, her jaw clenched.  

"Does Daddy get a kiss from Mommy, too?" I ask. 

"Daddy doesn't have to fuss at mommy for having more babies anytime soon because daddy isn't gonna get to be in the same bed as mommy for a long time." She replies. 

"Mommy seems to forget that the last three babies weren't even made in a bed." I reply. 

"Do you guys wanna few minutes alone? I can get Fred, Emi and Donna down here to help me." Doc offers and I look at him. 

"That's out of character and nice of you." I state suspiciously. 

"Despite you being an asshole, your kids aren't." He shrugs and I roll my eyes. 

I kiss all of them bye for a couple hours, and put Dannie down before tugging at Viv's hand once Fred and the girls get here...I see Donna and feel guilty…one of the chicks I cheated on my wife with is taking care of our kids…

When we get to a new room--mines so out of wack I don't want Viv to pass out--we do what we do best and in the aftermath, small talk in between breaks of making out, Vivian drops the ball. 

"I know you've been seeing her." She tells me out of nowhere when my lips press to her neck, quietly. 

My body tenses up. 

"What?" I sit up and she does, too. 

"There's no need to be shocked that I found out--we both know you wanted me to find out. Why the hell else would you leave letters you two write back and forth with each other, out in our closet where you know I'd find them?"

I just look at her. 

"You and Tansy, Nikki." She states, tears in her eyes. "Why the hell have you done this to me, Nikki? She's my best friend?" 

Is she serious? 

I get out of bed and pull my pants on, ignoring her. 

"I'm not shocked, you know, I always knew you'd be a deadbeat husband and a deadbeat dad, just like your father." 

I start clapping slowly, really appreciating her performance.

"Bravo, Vivian, really, you should get a fucking award for those tears." I state, fed up. "It's gotta be theatrics because what sense would it make for you to be genuinely upset I've been hooking up with Tansy, when you and Robbin have been seeing each other for two fucking years, now?!" 

Her eyes widen, she looks like a deer in headlights...which just confirms it all the more to me. 

"How fucked up do you have to be to cheat on your husband with his fucking brother, while pregnant with his fucking kid?" I ask and she takes heavy breaths, obviously trying to get her temper under control. "Not to mention that I'm starting to question if Dannie is even mine being as he looks nothing like me." 

She's slapping the piss out of me, tears streaming down her face. 

I rub at the stinging hot skin of my cheek and roll my jaw, staring at her a few seconds, before shoving her back to the bed, grabbing her shoulders, getting in her face while shouting, "you stupid fucking bitch, I fucking hate, you ruined my fucking life!" 

She's sobbing now, her head turned, mascara staining her cheeks as I push myself off of her and trudge to the door. 

"Cheating on me for two goddamn years, you fucking whore, who the hell do you think you are?! I can have kids with anybody, I can have anybody I want, but I fucking chose you and this is how you repay me?! Fuck you! There's a million fucking yous out there!" I throw a bottle at her and it misses by a couple inches and she sits up, trying to stand up as I open the door. 

"I'm getting my fucking kids away from you, you fucking crazy cunt!" I call and she's rushing out, wearing my t-shirt to cover herself up, grabbing my hand and yanking me to a halt before I can start to Doc's room. 

"You're not touching my kids, Nikki, I swear to God I'll fucking kill you, don't touch my fucking kids! You're fucking stoned!" She threatens me and I turn. 

"Oh, you'll kill me?!" I bow up at her and she punches me, her ring cutting my cheek, before she's hitting me again. 

She goes for a third time but I block her and shove her down, kicking her as hard as I can in the ribs, knocking the breath out of her. 

"Don't fucking touch me, you fucking slut." I smear the blood from my cheek, banging on Doc's door as she crawls a few feet before managing to pull herself up, resting against the wall, coming towards me. 

The door opens and I see Emi with Pierce in her arms. 

I don't say a word to her, I just grab him and smile at him, bouncing him a little, as I say, "Frannie, John, c'mon!" 

Of course they come, not realizing what's happening. 

Until Vivian's trying to pry Pierce from my hands. 

"Let go of my baby!" She screams at me, trying to bat me away from him while he starts whining. 

She hits me with her closed fist in my ear and I lose it, punching her so hard she hits the ground, Frannie and John immediately start crying upon seeing their mother bloody and dismayed.

The door opens more to reveal Doc as Emi looks at me, horrified, pulling John and Frannie back inside before Doc's snatching Pierce from me. 

"What the hell is going on?!" Doc shouts as guests peek their heads out of their doors. 

It's as if my demons give me the reins back and split, leaving me to look down at my beat up wife, crying, hearing my traumatized kids crying out behind the door. 

I just stumble back, my back hitting the wall before I'm sliding down it to the floor, staring off as Doc continues to yell at me...

...I blink, being pulled back to reality, staring down at the floor of Amber's office.

I'm not sure if we had kids by then, if Viv would have stayed or left. I'm not sure why I imagined I would've been with Tansy and not Vanity, why she would have had an affair with Robbin and not Duff...maybe I knew, subconsciously, that us having children at that time would have changed the way everything happened between us.

"I guess it was for the best." I reply to her, finally, looking at her. 

"Everything happens for a reason." She assures me. "There is a reason she didn't have any babies in the past four years." 

"Okay, wise one, is there any reason she isn't here today?" 

VIVIAN

"...Mom, and my brother Jon, my sister Carol, my brother Mark, my brother Bruce, my sister Joan, my other sister Claudia, and that's Matt--you know Matt," he glances at me and I nod, looking at the picture of the family, "And then there's me." He points to a toddler and I grin, looking at him. "My dad didn't wanna be in the picture, which I'm glad he wasn't because I would've cut him out if it, anyway when he left, so…" he shrugs, looking at it another moment. "Alright, let me show you to your room." He wiggles his brows and I giggle as he picks up my suitcase and leads me back down a hallway. 

"This is Joan's old room, obviously been redecorated because it's not covered in ABBA and Cher ." He mumbles. 

"I heard that!" Joan says from the living room. 

"No ya didn't!" He replies, smiling at me, putting my suitcase on the bed. "Everybody's coming over for dinner tonight so you have time to take a nap, get comfortable, whatever." He shrugs and I nod. 

"Okay." I tuck a piece of hair behind my ear. 

"I'm gonna go help my mom and Joan start cooking." He adds. 

"I can hel--"

"--You didn't sleep at all on the way up here, Viv."

"Because I wasn't tired." I lie and he looks at me. 

"Take a nap." He tells me, moving the suitcase off of my bed. 

"Fine." I roll my eyes. 

"Love you." He leaves me, shutting the door and I get on the bed, getting comfortable, and wondering what Nikki's doing right now...he's probably shitting a brick. 

After an hour, the door is opening and Duff's squeezing my fuzzy sock covered feet, making me laughs and yank my legs away from him. 

I haven't slept, but I've rested enough that I don't feel as sluggish. 

"You stink." I wrinkle my nose when he lays beside me. 

"Onions." He replies. "Joan kicked me out for chasing her around with the raw chicken." He adds. 

"And now raw chicken juice is on my feet?" I ask. 

"No, I washed my hands." He assures me. 

"Okay." I chuckle, rubbing my lips together. 

"Who all's coming to dinner?" I ask, next. "Jon, Bruce, Claudia, and my buddy Andy." He informs me. "Matt's coming up to go out for breakfast with me, you, Andy, and Joan tomorrow morning, and later this week we're gonna have a barbecue and you'll get to meet everybody, including my nieces and nephews." He adds and I raise my brows. 

"That's a lot of people." I reply, raising my brows.

"Very big family." He agrees. 

"It's weird." I say next and he furrows his brows. "Not like that, just...I don't know I'm used to being the only child, no cousins, no aunts or uncles--well, aside from aunt Lily--Nikki's not real close to his family, so we just...we're not really big on family." I shrug. "Well, dad is, he's always wanted more kids and a big family, I think, but my mom didn't so he didn't press her about it since she was ultimately the one who'd be carrying them." I add. 

"Do you want anymore kids?" He asks me and I let out a breath. 

"I'm not sure…" I trail off. "...I'd like to, but I don't know. I haven't thought about it, much." I lie and he nods. 

"Do you want anymore kids?" I ask him. 

"I do at some point, I don't think Mandy wants to, though. She says being a step-mom at the age of twenty-five is enough." He tells me. 

"Maybe she'll change her mind." I say. 

"She didn't want any kids when we first dated, so I think the only reason she's even making leeway for a stepchild is because she loves me." 

"It says a lot about her if she's willing to do that, though. A lot of women would've left." 

"Yeah, she's cooler about it than I thought she'd be." He agrees. "What did Nikki do when you first told him?" 

"He cried." I admit. "Like, a lot." 

"That's understandable." He says lowly. 

"Yeah, it is." I nod. "He's okay with it, now, though. He's not mad at either of us. I think he's more upset with himself about the whole thing." 

It's quiet for a few minutes before I get up enough courage to ask him, "are you happy?" 

"What do you mean?"

"Like...you know...our break up, and then you and Mandy are engaged now and I'm pregnant…"

"Oh, yeah, yeah, no, I'm great, Viv." He assures me, sounding genuine. "I don't know, things are a mess and crazy right now but I feel like it's falling into place at the same time, you know?"

I nod, smiling softly…

…I bought it for that moment.

I realized he was lying to himself the next morning at breakfast when he told the waitress to bring him a screwdriver--a triple--and, "just keep 'em coming."

[sillyrabbit81]

Her Heavy Cross

Summary: Three years after tragedy hits, Lana she decides to start dating again. She meets Will through a dating app and they begin an online romance. After months of constant requests, Lana relents and agrees to meet and go on an irl date with Will. But is Will who he says he is? Lana is quickly pulled into an intense relationship forcing her to confront her tragic past. Will Lana face it or will she close her heart forever?

Pairing: OMC x OFC

Word Count: approx 2.6k

Warnings: swearing, mention of death, angst

Authors Note: The story started as a Henry Cavill fanfiction but I changed it to be an original character, but shades of Henry are still there. Hope you enjoy the story and thanks for reading.

Part 12 Part 14

Part 13

Liam said we should drive to the restaurant. I wanted to get an Uber because I didn't think we would get a car park close to the restaurant. The shoes I was wearing were not made for walking.

"We don't have to worry about the car. They have a valet service," Liam said when I suggested an Uber would be better.

Of course, they do. I don't think I've ever used a valet service in my life, and Liam tells me like it's an everyday thing. I suppose it is for him. Earlier in the week, I was amazed to find out that he gets driven to work most days even though he only lives about 10 minutes away. No wonder movies and tv shows are so expensive to make if they have to pay for things like drivers on top of everything else.

I was excited about going in his car, though. I was itching to drive it. I wanted to ask him if I could, but I didn't. As stupid as it was, I was scared he'd say no. Every guy who had said no to letting me drive his car ended up being a prick. So I was floored when he said I could drive if I wanted.

"Really?" I asked. I was practically bouncing with excitement.

"Yeah, you seemed to like it. I was going to ask if you wanted to take it out before we got..." Liam paused, seemingly to look for the right word. "Distracted."

I clapped my hands and squealed like a child. I'm such a dag, but I was excited. I'd never driven a car that fast or expensive before.

The drive was exhilarating but too short. Its 5.0 litre, supercharged V8 engine was insanely powerful, and since it was AWD, its handling took me a bit to get used to. When we got to the restaurant, I couldn't stop smiling. "Thank you! That was heaps good!"

"You're hilarious."

"Why? What did I do?" I asked, getting out of the car and handing the keys to the valet and thanking him.

"Don't think I didn't notice that you deliberately went the long way and on the highway so you could drive faster."

"I don't know what you're talking about." I widened my eyes and tried to look innocent.

Liam just shook his head and placed his hand on my back, guiding me into the restaurant.

The food was modern Australian, Liam had a scotch fillet and salad, and I had barramundi. Liam wasn't drinking and said he would drive home. I had a couple of glasses of white wine and felt a bit sauced.

I had trouble staying awake on the way back to Liam's, and eventually, the rumble of the engine lulled me into sleep. The wine combined with the stressful week had caught up with me. I woke up when Liam pulled into the garage.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to doze off," I said as we got out of the car.

"Never mind," Liam said. "Come on, let's go to bed."

We walked across Liam's backyard holding hands. I looked around as the first time I was lead through here, I only had eyes for Liam. It was big for a house so close to the city. "You have a pool? I wish you would have told me. I would have brought my swimmers."

Liam opened his back door. "You don't need bathers," he said winking. I blushed then yawned. "Poor princess. Do you want a shower? Or straight to bed?"

I nodded, "yeah, a shower would be good. I've gotta wash this makeup off too." I kicked my heels off. The relief was euphoric, my calves were sore, and I rubbed them as I bent to pick up my shoes.

"Want a bath instead?" Liam asked, noticing my massage. It was sweet that he noticed little things like that. "The bathroom on the third floor has an enormous bath. I haven't had a chance to use it yet."

"Fuck, yes! That would be awesome. What other crazy shit do you have in this place? I think you'd better give me a tour tomorrow."

Liam laughed as we went up the lift. "Yeah, ok, there's a couple of things you might like that I've not shown you yet."

The bathroom was stunning, like a hotel or spa. The bath was the hero piece of the room, and it was huge. It sat in the middle of the bathroom on a raised platform and had tiled steps around it. The whole room was decorated to be a romantic space, a couples bathroom. Candles and body wash sat by the bath, and the room's lighting was warm. Robes hung on the wall near the tub. Although there were a shower and sinks, there was no toilet. The room was definitely built for romance, not practicality.

"I thought you said you hadn't used this bathroom."

"I haven't." I pointed out the candles, soaps, towels and robes. "A stylist got all that, fitted out each room with basics so I can move in, and it's all done." My jaw dropped.

"Your life..."

"Isn't normal." He interrupted with a half-smile. "I know." Liam started the bath. "Do you need anything? Your toiletry bag? Toothbrush?"

I nodded. Liam kissed me as he left to get my stuff. The bath would probably take 20 minutes to fill, so I thought I'd wash my make-up off and brush my teeth while it did. I got undressed and put one of the robes on. They were both huge, no his and hers, but it was warm and soft.

Liam returned, and I started to wash up. I put my hair in a bun with a scrunchy and washed my face. I brushed my teeth and saw that Liam was sitting on the edge of the bath, still fully clothed, watching the water fill up.

"You're not getting in?" I asked with a mouthful of toothbrush and toothpaste. Liam looked at me confused, so I finished brushing, rinsed and repeated my question.

Liam turned the water off, bath finally full and got up. "I thought maybe you'd like to soak by yourself for a while."

"No," I said. I wrapped my arms around Liam's waist, feeling short again as my head rested against his chest. "I want you to get in with me."

He lifted my chin and kissed me softly, almost lazily. "Alright, Sweetheart."

I lifted his jumper and raised it over his head. Liam had to help by ducking. He sat and took his shoes and socks off and then stood to remove his pants. I hung my robe back up, and we both got in the water. I sat between his legs and laid my back against his chest, my head resting on his shoulder. The water was bliss, almost too hot but soothing. Liam had put some fragrance in the water, and it smelled of lavender. Breathing it in relaxed me, and I closed my eyes.

Liam nuzzled into my neck and caressed my arm. I smiled as he kissed my neck and shoulders until I felt him stir against my back. He stopped kissing me, and he just held me close to his chest like he was trying not to get turned on. It didn't seem to be working as I could still feel him, but I admired his efforts.

"Lana, I want to ask you something," Liam said. His timbre was soft but echoed slightly through the room, making his words seem more ominous than he probably meant them to be.

My body tensed slightly, and hesitantly I said, "Okay."

He cleared his throat, and I realised he was nervous. I don't think I had heard him unsure like that before. I felt cold. "I uh, I have a premiere to attend on Thursday evening, one of Myra's. Tom, my agent, set it up." Oh fuck. He's not going to ask me to go with him, is he? "I would very much like it if you came with me." I sat up quickly, and water splashed everywhere. "Sarah said that since the cats out of the bag and I'm serious about you, you should come too." He added quickly.

I looked back at him, furious. "Why would you ask me that?"

"Because you're my fucking girlfriend." He was also mad now.

"I'm not your fucking girlfriend." I stood up and got out of the bath. I almost slipped on the tiles as I did. His hand shot out to steady me, but I pulled my arm out of his grasp. I stomped over to the robes and pulled one on. Then I grabbed my clothes from the floor.

"What are you doing?" Liam asked, getting out himself. He didn't put his robe on, and he just stood there. I don't know why, but that seemed to make me angrier.

"Getting my shit and going home."

"What the fuck, Lana? Why?"

I grabbed my bag and went to leave and found him blocking my way. "Because I want to, that's why. Get out of my way."

"What's wrong with you?"

"Just piss off."

"No, tell me what's wrong. Why don't you want to be seen with me? Why don't you want to be my girlfriend? I don't understand." He was shouting now, his voice full of anger and frustration. "You treat me like a fuck toy one minute, and the next, you're treating me like we've been married for ten years. What do you want from me? You say you aren't my girlfriend, but you sure act like you are. If you just want to fuck me, fine. Come over and fuck me, then leave. But don't lay with me and cuddle all day, cook me food, confide in me, talk to me at night until you fall asleep and make me fall in love with you. I can't take that."

For a moment, I softened. In so many ways, Liam was right. We had fallen into this relationship so easily. I felt like I knew him because we talked for months before meeting. I did enjoy hanging out with him talking. He's often felt like home to me, a safe place, a person I could trust. He was my boyfriend in everything but name. He saw the change in me and moved towards me.

I stiffened, "No, fuck you. Don't put this on me. I told you to go slow. I told you I don't want a relationship in the spotlight, and you won't listen to me." My frustration poured out. "You lured me in under false pretences with no thought about how I would feel. Like having the great Liam Cross interested in you would be enough. You're so fucking self-centred. I'm not impressed by all this," I waved my hand around the room, "Or that," I waved my hand at his naked body. "For fuck's sake, put some fucking clothes on. You're not that attractive."

Liam looked over at the robes and saw how far away they were. He shook his head. "I think we need to talk, Lana. You can't run away from this."

"You can't keep me here." He just raised an eyebrow. I gasped horrified. "You wouldn't?"

His body tensed, and he looked like he was going to try to stop me for a minute. But then his shoulders slumped, and he stepped aside.

"Thank you," I said through gritted teeth as I walked out.

I took the stairs down to his room and got dressed. He followed me, still naked and dripping water. I thought he would try to keep talking to me, but he went straight to his dressing room.

When he came out, he wore tracksuit pants, his chest was bare, and he still had beads of water clinging to his chest. My traitorous eyes looked him up and down, and I noticed it looked like he wasn't wearing underwear. Fuck me. He was magnificent. I tore my eyes away and back to packing my bag. I wasn't going to let his body distract me.

"Please, Lana, just talk to me."

"What's the point?"

"The point is so you'll let me in. You talk to me, you tell me things about you, and just as it cuts close to the bone, you clam up."

"I'm my own person, Liam. I'm allowed to have secrets." My bag was packed, and I stood up with it.

"Why didn't you tell me about Andy and your father's car accident? I had to read about it on the fucking internet."

I felt like I had been punched in the guts. I felt both hot and cold waves flow over me, and for a moment, I thought I was going to throw up.

"You're a fucking prick." I was raging.

"Alright, Lana, have it your way. Go back to being miserable and alone. Go put your wedding ring back on because obviously, you'd rather stay in love with a dead man than be seen with me." He was still shouting. Liam's body was taught, so much tension in his muscles. His lips almost looked cruel, twisted up into a sneer. His eyebrows were drawn low, making his eyes seem small.

"Yeah, you're right. I would. I shouldn't be here with you." I was near screaming now. I was irrational, tired, slightly drunk and drained. "I should be miserable and alone, and I should be thankful for that. It's my fucking fault he's dead. I fucking killed him. It should have been me. It's my fault..." I sobbed. The tears started, and I knew they couldn't be stopped. "Oh God, it's my fault." I couldn't breathe. I dropped my bag and clawed at my shirt, trying to get a breath. I was on my knees, now fighting the panic that threatened to overwhelm me.

Liam's arms came around me. I tried to push him away, fight him. He was too strong. "Shhhh shhh." He tried to soothe me. He rubbed my back. I wanted to scream at him to go away, to leave me alone. He wouldn't let go. He held me tighter until I couldn't fight anymore and just let myself go. He pulled me onto his lap, and I curled up into him as he whispered, "You're ok. It's ok." I kept sobbing until I clutched at his neck and cried into him.

I don't know how long we sat there. It felt like hours. "I'm sorry," I said when I had calmed. My throat was sore. I don't think I could have spoken any louder.

"Don't be. I shouldn't have pushed you. You were right. I was being selfish."

"I should have told you before you found out. It still hurts. I can deal with them being gone, but I can't get past the guilt. I should have been in the car with Dad. Andy was doing me a favour because I was too tired from Christmas. I wanted a day off, you know? A day where I didn't have to deal with people." My throat was feeling raw, and my mouth was dry.

"You don't have to tell me."

"No, I do. Just let me get through it, ok?" He nodded and pulled me into a more comfortable position on his lap. "I was supposed to take my Dad to Dave's house for a second Christmas. My parents had split up a couple of years ago. I fought with my mum the day before and didn't want to go through it all again the next day. My Dad couldn't drive anymore; his eyes were too bad. So Andy said he'd drop him off and I could stay in bed. He said he would tell them I had a migraine. So I laid in bed sleeping while my father and husband laid on the road, dying, trapped under a truck."

"I'm so sorry," Liam said. "I don't know how I would deal with that either. But it's not your fault. You know that, right?"

I didn't say anything. Liam was quiet after that. But he didn't let me go.

Part 14

[dreamingofmilk]

Stop

Synopsis: Erik gets into a lot of fights because of you. Maybe you aren't what he needs anymore.

Word Count: 2,233

Warnings: mild angst, cursing, mild smut

Getting ready with Erik was always, ALWAYS, a hassle, the two of you could never keep your hands off each other. And tonight was no different. You watched intently in the mirror as Erik showered in the clear glass shower. He looked spectacular as the waterfall showerhead cascaded him with water.

You were supposed to be doing your makeup, but how could you with a sight behind you like that? You took a deep breath and tried to focus on the task at hand, this was exactly why you two had to take separate showers, the temptation was real, it always had been. But you both promised your friends that you would be on time tonight, especially to help them set up. The two of you were leaving to visit Wakanda for two months this time and your friends always missed you while you were gone. 

“Babe!” Erik shouted as he stepped up behind you, his wet muscles on display and his dark blue towel hung loosely around his hips. You clenched your fist tightly in order to keep your hands to yourself. 

“Yeah?” You leaned back to look at him. He smirked down at you then kneeled down in front of you a gently wet hand caressing your face.

“You ain’t even got no foundation on. You've been staring at my dick this whole time from the mirror?” Your eyes widened in surprise, a heat crept over your cheeks. You kissed your teeth and pushed Erik away from you. Erik fell back laughing, his deep boyish laughter, filled you with rage. You smirked at him as you stood up to take off your robe, showing off the new lingerie you’d bought to tease him with. His jaw dropped as he watched you step around him and walk into the walk-in closet that held your outfit for the night.

Erik’s jaw clenched as he watched you slip the red dress over your hips. He stood up quickly and approached you in the closet.

“Where are you going with that on?” His hands grazed your hips, his fingers playing in the lace.

“To the party, duh.” Erik planted two soft kisses on your neck. His fingers started gripping your hips tightly. Your ass coming into contact with his hard-on.

“You wearing that, you must be planning on letting me hit it in Cam’s backroom?” 

Your heart rate increased at the idea of fucking him in public. Again. You pushed your ass back on him, sighing when you heard a deep groan leave his mouth. His fingers crept around to the front of your dress and snuck their way into your panties, pressing a delicious pressure into your clit.

You nodded, not completely aware of what you were agreeing to, your only thoughts were prayers that he wouldn’t stop. And he didn’t, his fingers dove deep into your wetness and quickly brought you to a leg-shaking climax, your new panties effectively ruined. You rested your hand on the railing in front of you. Trying to catch your breath as you watched Erik put his fingers into his mouth to taste your essence.

“You are not leaving the house in that short ass dress with this sexy ass lingerie on under it, choose one.” He softly kissed your neck again and left your closet to go change in his. 

*************

The party was going well until this guy approached you, aggressively. You tried to dissuade him repeatedly. You knew Erik would be pissed if he saw how aggressively this guy was handling you. Things could escalate quickly.

“No Tish don’t go get them we got this. Sir please leave me alone, I'm not interested.” You tried to remove your wrist from his tight hold, which was growing more painful by the second. 

“Come on sweets, you know I can take good care of you.” You tried to wrestle your arm free some more. You knew it was only a matter of time before Erik showed up on his own or Tish went to get him. 

“You’re hurting me.” You cried out. You stomped on his foot roughly only to be manhandled harder. Tish tried to step in only to be shoved aside. You knew this wasn’t going to end well. You really didn’t want Erik to have another body to add to his scars. You wanted him to get out of that lifestyle. But every five seconds it seemed like you were just pulling him right back in. 

You finally felt the guy let go of you and you looked up to see Erik’s hard eyes find you. He quickly checked you for injuries only to see you cradling your wrist delicately. 

You calmly watched Erik as he got into another fight. You knew his reputation preceded him because in the back corner of one of his homeboy’s house parties, no one paid him any mind as Kill knocked this guy out for putting his hands on you.

You were used to it by now, the annoyance blatant on your face as he continued to beat the guys face in. You looked around looking at the sparse crowd that paid Kill no attention. Most people knew that you were Kill’s fiancé, but you were fine enough that the ones that didn’t would always approach you trying to hit on you. Most stepped back once you told them you were engaged, but the few that didn’t made things more difficult for themselves. 

You understood why he was fighting right now, the guy had put his hands on you trying to get you to go home with him. 

But Erik’s anger began to scare you, it became too much sometimes. Erik told you before once he got started it was hard for him to stop. Especially when it has something to do with you. 

Erik loved you, it surprised you how much this man felt for you. Some days you couldn’t believe how much of a different person he was with you. But as much as he loved you. You loved him.

“Erik.” He stopped as soon as he heard your voice glancing back at you in the corner of the house party you two went to. “That’s enough Kill.” Erik looked back at the guy that he was holding up by his shirt, then back at you. He whispered a threat to the man, who now was sporting a swollen eye, then made his way to you. He placed a soft kiss on your lips and pulled you on to the dance floor. He wrapped an arm around you and pulled you close to him. 

You sighed as you rubbed your ass on to his growing hard-on. He rested his chin on your shoulder and wrapped his arms around you. You danced with him for a bit before pulling away asking him to come with you to the car. 

He held your hand, dapped up his friends with the other as you led the way out of the party. You lean against his brand new sports car and watch him as he lights a blunt. He offers it to you before he takes his first hit, shrugging when you decline his offer.

“This is getting to be too much Kill.” You state looking away from him and up at the starry sky. 

“What is?” He asks quietly looking at you, you make eye contact with him briefly then look down the car packed street and the full house party that you just came from. He stared at you from under his long eyelashes as he flicked the ashes off his blunt.

“This.” You pointed between the two of you. “Us.” Erik straightened up quickly, a growing sense of dread rising in his belly. He loved you so much, but sometimes you feel like a dream to him. Too good to be true. He knew after the first time you saw him fight, and you stuck around, you’d be the one he would marry. And when he told you about his plans for Wakanda, and you didn’t flinch but helped him perfect his ideas, you would be the one to carry his child. But even after all of that certainty, there was a small part of him that knew you were too good for him.

“You leaving me?” Erik stepped up to you. His height towering over you, his intention to intimidate you. But he forgot that you knew, you knew how much he loved you, that he would never do anything to intentionally harm the only light that’s been in his life for years other than school. 

So you shrugged in response to his words and his proximity. Your chest hurt doing this. But you knew this was coming, Kill was making more and more appearances and you were starting to believe that you were the cause of that. And it pains you to believe that he would go downhill into that dark place again, because of you. He told you about his past, who he ‘used’ to be before he met you. Before you helped him reconcile with his family, and help displaced people of African descent around the world.

Erik chuckled as he looked down at you, the love of his life, then away down the same empty street you were watching. You scared Erik, the very thought of you alone scared him. How in the world did you wrap him around your finger? The love he had for you was nerve-wracking, and the idea of you leaving was devastating. But he knew when you were this calm about something like this that he couldn’t react with all of his emotions. So he remained calm, he watched you quietly and took note of every reaction you had towards him.

“Why,” He asked softly, though he wanted to scream it.

“Cause, I don’t think I’m good for you. I can see how having me around tempts you to be more violent. I’m sending you backward, not helping you move forward like your cousins. I feel like being with me reminds you of a darker time. A time that you’ve grown past. You're a prince now baby, and I’m not helping you wear your crown well.” An incredulous look crossed his face.

“Baby what are you talking about! You are my crown. None of this means shit if I don’t have you.”

“I can’t be your crown when I cause you to react like this. Imagine if someone caught wind that the long lost Prince of Wakanda was with some hood rat like me. Someone who constantly jeopardized the safety of royalty.” Your voice lost its edge, you lost your fight. The more you spoke the more you realized you were right.

“I refuse to lose you because of some of the illogical fallacies you have created in your head. You mean too much to me for me to allow anyone and I mean anyone to put their hands on you, and you know that’s not going to change. Maybe what we need to do is move.” Erik said a tone of hope returning to his voice. He quickly stepped up to you and grabbed your hand, his finger gliding over your engagement ring. You’d agreed to marry him, that meant you loved him right? He’d had this thought running through his mind constantly ever since he proposed to you, and you agreed before he was acknowledged as a prince.

“Move?” You jerk your head back in confusion. You didn’t want to lose Erik, and if he had a compromise that took the two of you out of these dangerous situations then you were all ears.

Erik pulled you closer wrapping his arms around you tightly, his fingers grasped your chin and angled it up towards his face.

“I have been thinking about it. T’Challa offered me the job to stay here and work at the outreach center. But like you said I can see how this place has affected us, just like it did my father. I don’t want you to lose me like I did him. So let’s move, let’s go back to where we were supposed to be. T’Challa offered me the job here because he thought I wanted to stay, but he says Wakandans have a great need for a historian that can inform them of the lessons, the pain, and the history that they missed out on while being hidden away from the rest of the world. Not to mention Shuri demanded I bring my engineering skills back to her lab immediately.” Erik chuckled and swiped his thumb across your bottom lip, before pressing a soft kiss on your lips.

“You want to move to Wakanda?” You asked softly, your lips still tingling from his sweet kiss.

“With you. Yeah.” Erik mimicked your shrug from earlier, a soft smile fell on his face as he admired your beauty. “Whenever you’re ready, I’m ready.” He kissed you again, a slight pressure and sense of urgency fell behind this kiss. You smiled into the kiss as you felt Erik’s hand graze your ass, a tell-tell sign that you’d be getting some that night.

You couldn't say what your future looked like, but at that moment you knew with complete certainty that Erik was at the center of it. You looked into his eyes and smiled, your love for him clear in your expression.

“I’m ready.”

Taglist:

@aislinnsilver @wawakanda-btch @chaneajoyyy @marvelmaree

[darling-i-read-it]

Loud Words Silent Aftermath

Alex Law x reader

Word Count: 1.4k

Warnings: thoughts of cheating, break up, drinking

Author’s Note: Wow my love for Alex is like over the moon and I didn’t realize how much making angst to fluff made me happy cause the fluff damn

Requested: by anon, can we get some angsty alex law w a happy ending? i just love him so much!! have a nice day ur the best🥺🥰

Summary: the request

Genre: angst and then fluff FLUF

(not my gif)

You brushed your hair out of your face and wiped the mascara that had dripped down your face off. Your cheeks were wet with tears that were still flooding, despite your want for them to stop. The longer you looked at yourself in the mirror the more they came, annoying you further to the point where the tears only kept coming.

“Pull. Yourself. Together!” you screamed at your reflection in the mirror. Your grip on the vanity table was so hard that your knuckles had turned white.

You never really thought you and Alex would break up. You really thought that you were going to be that couple that dated in their twenties and got married and traveled the world with shitty jobs and a happy marriage. You had been dating for so many years you had forgotten that there was ever a possibility that you could break up. That was for couples who were faulty, fought a lot, didn’t compromise. Not you and Alex.

Sure, you bickered sometimes but you could count on your hands the amount of times you had really gone through it when you fought. The night still played in your head like a broken tape.

The slam of a door, the smell of alcohol in the air, screaming voices that weren’t really saying anything. The same old small bickering thing about him and Juliet. You never liked Juliet, you thought she was a bit weird if not to normal. You didn’t worry about the fact that she lived in the same apartment as your boyfriend just because you trusted him that much. Sure you joked about it darkly sometimes but David approached you, saying his girlfriend had slept with your boyfriend...words that refused to leave.

You asked him about it of course and you were so angry you figured you had forgotten to be civil. You didn’t really want to believe that he and Juliet had been together but it seemed obvious at the time.

And then you didn’t realize he had gone drinking, you didn’t realize he wasn’t in the right state of mind until he was yelling at you, hands flailing. You left and hadn’t been to the apartment since.

That had been a week ago.

You’d venture to say that’s the longest you and Alex had been away from each other since you started dating.

Alex sat in bed, watching the time click away on the clock. Each passing second felt like a knife in his throat and he sniffed, refusing to cry any more than he already had. He was still surprising his anger at David for ever putting that idea in your head. He knew you trusted him to the end of the earth and he hadn’t handled the situation well enough for you to believe him.

He cursed himself for ever going out drinking without you and with Juliet. It was completely friendly and it had been all through that night. But he hadn’t invited you and he should have.

Alex wanted to punch David’s lights out and curl in a ball and die. He swore before that he’d rather die than lose you.

The clock continued to tick.

The tears pooled even if Alex didn’t want them too.

You wiped your face one more time and left the apartment before you could retreat back to your room. Your two roommates gave you a look of pity as you wordlessly left down the few flights of stairs and out into the nightlife.

You waved down a taxi and had it take you to a club you had frequented with Alex. You wanted to be near him again even if you weren’t near him.

You supposed there was a part of you that wanted him to be there. To be drinking his problems away. When you entered the lifeless bar on a Tuesday you saw he wasn’t there and couldn’t help but feel disappointed. You ordered a drink and sat down on a stool.

“Alex, she isn’t going to be there,” David said, not looking up from his newspaper. Alex stopped, the door halfway open and stared at David.

“Fuck your fucking face for making her leave in the first place,” he sneered. He was this close to losing his temper again and he wouldn’t have any regrets hurting David like he did hurting you.

“I didn’t make her leave, you fought her.” Juliet entered the room and gave Alex a sympathetic look.

“Just go. Who knows maybe you’ll get lucky,” she said with a shrug. Alex gave David one more look of anger and slammed the door behind him, stomping down the stairs.

Alex shoved his hands in his pockets after pushing open the bar door. The air was heavy with the feeling of regret and Tuesday blues. He almost missed you, sitting on the bar stools, finishing an icy drink. You wiped your eyes of what he assumed were tears. He wasn’t sure if he should go over and talk to you or not but eventually his feet just moved for him and he sat in the stool beside you.

You looked surprised to see him if not a little relieved. You missed him. His hair, his eyes, his smile, his voice, his hands. He was in the same boat. Seeing you made his stomach bubble with warmth.

“I didn’t sleep with Juliet,” he stated. You gave him a small defeated smile.

“I know.” There was a second of silence as the bartender was making Alex his usual drink. You just watched him sit there and felt better despite not knowing where he stood on the relationship aspect of you.

“And i handled it really shitty and I just want to say I’m sorry,” he muttered like a hurt puppy. You looked at your empty glass, only the first one of the night.

“I was hysterical when you came home and I knew it wasn’t true I just spiraled. I’m sorry too,” you whispered. He wanted to take you in his arms. For a moment he worried he’d never be able to do that again, fear that the giggle make out sessions that had become a staple of his personality were no more.

“Can you ever..can we..is there a chance...fuck,” he started then stopped unable to find the words.

“Can you take me back?” you finally stumbled out and he let out a heavy breath of relief. He nodded quickly.

“Yes please. Yes.” He couldn’t stand it anymore and leaned over so that he could kiss you. You could feel where his tears were still damp as you cupped his face and almost wanted to cry for him, hating that you ever made him hurt.

“That’s the best kiss you’ve ever given me,” he whispered. You smiled and he realized how much that smile made him ache inside. He loved it.

“Even better than our bullshit first one in the rain?” you asked quietly.

“So much better.” You slid off the stool and he got up so that you could hug him, resting your head on his chest to hear his heartbeat. He hugged you like you might disappear.

“I'm never letting you out of my sight again,” you muttered. He laughed a little and was thankful the bar was nearly empty so no one could see him blushing like a mad man.

“Can I sleep at yours tonight?” he asked and you nodded quickly.

“The bed is so cold without you,” you told him seriously and he didn’t bother hiding his goofy smile.

“Are you called me hot Y/L/N?” he whispered like it was a dirty secret and you laughed hitting his chest and pulling away from him a bit.

“Oh fuck off Alex.”

Ewan: @daphne-fandom-writing , @satanslov3r @records-and-stardust @broodybats @starwarsprequelfangirl

[raindrop-on-a-spiderweb]

There's Just Something About The Neighbors

Requested AU--if Leonardo's father had been alive during the story.

***

Flora Haywood liked her new neighbors.

The last ones had been a pain, acting as though the fact that they had moved into a middle-class neighborhood gave them special privileges. They stayed up and partied til the dawn, laughing and hollering until she couldn't sleep any longer. When they moved out, it was a enormous relief. They hoped the newer neighbors were quieter.

They were.

It was a married couple and the husband's father. They moved in quietly one day, not a peep. She stopped by to take some cookies to her new neighbors and the wife thanked her wanly but never invited her inside. She was a pale little thing with long, straight brown hair. She kept tugging her sleeves over the bruises on her wrists ("got them while moving boxes"). 

Flora never saw them outside much. Occasionally the father or husband she would see walking to work, or the wife would be doing yardwork, but other than that, they kept themselves away from the other neighbors. The husband was a handsome blond man who always tipped his hat to her when he saw her on the street. Flora wasn't sure what his job was--she thought he was employed by his father in his business, although she never did find out what business it was. The son had mentioned it was something to do with clothing, possible a factory or high-quality tailor store. 

The only time she had seen the husband's father was when he turned up on her doorstep to inform her that her lawn was becoming too overgrown, and told her to mow it. Didn't ask. Told. That one meeting was enough for her, and she would be glad if she never had to see him again. 

She was surprised to see that apparently the couple had children, as she had never seen them outside. At the grocery store she had run into the wife, sporting a fresh bruise on her cheek and a split lip, and more concerningly, a baby bump and a two-year-old. The child had a chubby round face and thick black hair--recessive genes?

When Flora greeted the wife, she looked panicked and refused to answer any questions about her child. She left the store soon after. From then on, whenever the wife saw Flora outside her home, she ducked inside.

Flora's musings about the neighbors were pushed to the back of her mind when her daughter Caroline came back from college, reeking of pot and dressed like a beatnik. She was taking a semester off to work and raise money for a trip to California. She took odd jobs babysitting around the neighborhood, even for the Borgheses, which did not last long.

"That family is fucking creepy," Caroline told her mother. "Mr. Borghese's father is always staring at me. I'm pretty sure he wants to fuck me. And I think someone is beating those kids. They always have bloody noses and the husband won't let me give them baths; I think they're bruised. Someone should call the cops on them."

Flora was tempted. A couple times, when the sounds of an argument or children crying wafted over to her side of the street, she nearly did. But then she thought of the dark cars that occasionally would be parked in their driveway at night. Of the shady men who were always in and out of their house. And their Italian last name. And she thought better of it.

***

One day when Flora went out to get the mail the wife was sitting on the doorstep crying. One of her younger children, a little blonde girl who looked all of three, was trying to comfort her, but kept looking lost and crying as well. Flora went across the street. "Are you all right, Mrs. Borghese? What's the matter?"

Mrs. Borghese looked thinner than she ever had. Her eyes were holes in her face as she looked up at Flora. "My baby's dead."

"What?" Flora was shocked. "What happened?"

"He... I just... I went in and...his body..." she was talking wildly, seeming desperate to tell her but unwilling to admit to something.

The husband came outside and ushered her in, then picked up his daughter. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Haywood," he said coolly. "My wife has been dealing with a lot over the past few days. We've just had a family tragedy."

"I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can--"

"No, no. But thank you. We just need to deal with this as it comes." He entered the house again and closed the door after him. Flora craned her neck to try and see through the window in the door, but like most things in the Borghese family's life, it was covered tightly by a curtain.

***

Caroline was due for her trip to California, and was waiting outside for her friends to pick her up. Every time she looked over at the Borghese's house across the street she got a little more agitated. "I never saw no funeral for that kid."

"They probably held one privately. They're a private family."

"Too private. They're hiding something. It's fishy that half of those kids got black hair. Either she's screwing around on him or she's getting some on the side from dad-in-law."

Flora was horrified. "Caroline!"

"I'm not saying it was of her own will. That woman looks like a beaten dog half the time. The way the father in law treated her was weird, too. Always shouting at her and giving her orders. And her husband would just stand by and look on. Something fucked up is going on in that household! PROMISE me you'll call the police after we leave? Those poor kids don't deserve to live like that."

"I will," promised Flora, having no intention of doing so.

As she watched her daughter leave, speeding off in a dented Buick with her hippie friends, she looked across the street at the Borghese's house again. The father-in-law was on the porch, watching her. She wasn't close enough to discern his features, but his posture suggested something ominous, and she went inside quickly. The Borgheses were not neighbors you wanted angry.

***

Pippy, her Staffordshire terrier, had taken off across the street in pursuit of a squirrel. Flora was tromping around in her neighbor's backyards, yelling his name. She heard distant crying and snatches of conversation, and followed it out of curosity. After brushing aside a bush, she came to a tall wooden fence--the Borghese's garden, heavily fortified just like everything else about their house. She peered through a slat.

She had never seen their garden before--it was clean and well-kept, just like every other middle class garden. Neatly trimmed lawn, and a white porch swing hanging between two trees. From her vantage point, she was behind the porch swing, looking at the backs of Mr. and Mrs. Borghese as they say side by side on the swing.

The faint sobs that drifted through the air were punctuated with his gentle, soothing remarks. 

"Calm down, dolcezza. I'll kiss you, there. I'll make it all better..."

"Get off me. It needs to stop. You need to do something. You've done nothing in this marriage! You've been no help! You men, all you want is a warm hole to stick it in."

"That not true. I love you."

"If you really loved me you'd do something about this! He'll want to do it with me when you're in the room! And when the children are in the room! How can you let this happen? You call yourself a husband and a father?"

"Patience, we're talking about my father. My father. You are asking the impossible of me. It would be easier to flee to the moon than to go against my father."

"I'll kill myself! I'll kill myself and take every last one of our children with me! I can't live like this!"

"Patience--"

"I will never forgive you for what you did to my parents," she said, and her voice suddenly became icy. "But if you want the slightest, smallest glimmer of my gratitude--if you want me to give you the smallest modicum of respect as my husband and father of my children--the ones which are yours, anyway--"

Flora could not believe her ears. Her knees were hurting from crouching, and her lungs were screaming for air from holding her breath. The details--the unfurling tapestry of horror in front of her very eyes--were so unbelieveable she wondered if she were dreaming. Her daughter had been right. Caroline had been right all along. There was something very wrong with the Borgheses.

"There is nothing I can do. Patience, there is nothing. You're not the only victim here, Patience. How do you think it feels to me, having to watch this happen to you and the children? Do you know the last time I stood up to him? I was eight. Do you know what he did to me? He stomped my head into the floor until blood squirted from my nose. There is nothing I can do." He paused, and his voice became quieter. "Unless..."

The silence that followed was as tense as a bowstring, and Mrs. Borghese finally said, "No. What you're suggesting--it could go wrong. It WILL. He'll know. He'll know--"

The plank Flora had been leaning on shifted, the fence post moaning. The two whipped around, their conversation ceasing, and the minute before Flora turned away, she saw a huge, purpling bruise on the side of her face. Flora acted quickly, hurrying away into the treeline. When she was out of sight she let out a shaky sigh, leaning against a tree. Her legs were shaking, her heart pumping. She suddenly felt a sickening sense of danger. She was not supposed to hear that. 

***

Pippy came back home the next week, muddy and tail wagging, and resumed chasing Mickey, her gray tabby. Flora breathed a sigh of relief. She had barely ventured out of her house since that day, save for groceries, and refused to even look in the direction of the Borghese house. She agonized over whether to call the police. The only thing that stopped her was the fear that Silvio Borghese would find out--and what he would do to her, and, god forbid, Caroline if he did. The sickening knowledge of what was going on in that house made her want to retch. Every time she caught a glance of the children in the yard she wanted to rush over and rescue them. 

That day, the only member of the Borghese house outside was one of the daughters, a young girl with coke-bottle glasses and her thick black hair in pigtails. She was riding her trike down the sidewalk, glancing back at her house every few pedals. She never went past the perimeter of the house, and when she reached the end, turned and pedaled back to the other end. She was so preoccupied with not going past the invisible line that when she craned her neck back to look at the house she lost control and crashed to the ground.

Maternal instincts activating, Flora rushed out and over to the child, picking her up and cradling her. "Oh, my god! You poor thing, are you hurt? Come on, let me look at you."

***

The girl was nervous at being in Flora's home, she could tell. She sat ramrod-straight, her knees pulled together as Flora rummaged around in her bathroom cabinet looking for cotton and rubbing alcohol. 

As soon as Flora applied it, the girl's face went ashen. Tears streamed down her face and her jaw wobbled, but she didn't utter a peel.

It was very odd to Flora, who knew children cried at the smallest things. And this was a deep wound, too--she had skinned her knee. "You can cry, honey. It's okay."

The girl's words escaped in a shaky whisper. "Nonno hates it when we cry."

She said nothing else, and when Flora sent her home with a bandaged knee, the girl went up to the front door, dawdled a bit, looked back, and then finally, reluctantly, pulled the door open and was immediately yanked inside.

***

It had been a few years since the Borghese family moved in across the street. Their children were mostly old enough to go to school, and every day they slogged their way down the sidewalk to Catholic School in their little uniforms, the older ones holding the hands of the younger ones. She never saw them with friends from school or the neighborhood. The Borghese children kept to themselves. They were polite to Flora when they saw her, and spoke mostly in Italian amongst themselves. The only trouble she'd ever had with them was with the oldest son, a hulking child with blue eyes and two front teeth missing. She had found him torturing Pippy while he was tied up in her front yard. He had been beyond the fence, holding a sharp stick and trying to poke his eyes out. Flora had yelled at him, and he had smiled blankly at her with his gap-toothed grin, then turned and trudged back to his house. 

Mrs. Borghese was pregnant again. She was always pregnant. Flora had no idea what the household must have been like with so many children crammed in a medium-sized home, but she rarely heard any racket from the children. There was always an eerie silence from the other side of the street.

Only the sounds of an occasional argument between adults, which were few--at least until now--would sometimes pierce the silence. And it was becoming more common. She could discern the shrill, high voice of the wife, and then the booming, thunderous voice of the father-in-law. Sometimes she even heard one of the children, either crying or adding their voices to the fray. 

One evening when she was pruning her water lilies the wife came to her yard, wringing her hands and asking if she could borrow some peroxide and bandages. Her whole manner was nervy, and she kept stuttering. She wore a yellow gingham dress, but the apron was smudged with dirty fingerprints and the skirt had been ripped and badly mended.

Flora took her inside immediately. As she bent down to rifle through her products under the sink, Mrs. Borghese closed the curtains over the kitchen. As soon as the door had snapped shut, her manner had become more panicked. Mrs. Borghese turned to Flora. 

"Can you do something for me? Please?"

The woman looked so young. Battered and tired, but young. 

"Of course, honey."

"Can you drive me to a hotel? Just, any hotel. I need to--I just--please?"

"Alone? What about your husband? Will you be taking your children?"

She looked stressed. "No. Not them. None of them. I need to be alone. I need to get out of--"

Her rantings were cut short by a soft knock on the door. "Pazienza? What are you doing here? Please come home."

"No!" She cried. She was shaking. "I will not. Leonardo, go away. Leave me be. I won't go back to that house--and that man. You can't make me!"

"Che ne sarà dai bambini?" his voice had softened into barely legible Italian. "Li lascerete in pace?"

Mrs. Borghese fell silent. Her face held a rapidly crumbling resolve. Flora met her gaze and shook her head firmly. Mrs. Borghese's eyes hardened. "This thing has to end. Leonardo, for the good of our children, too. Call--call the police, call Sawyer, hell, you can call the federal fucking authorities if you want to go that route! But I'm not coming back, Leonardo! Not if you drag me kicking and screaming! None of you care about me, how I feel, if I'm tired, and the children, god, the children..."

"Pazienza," he said quietly. "Allora faremo."

She was quiet again. Her face was turned away from Flora, but her shoulders were stiff. On the nape of her neck, half-covered by her hair, Flora saw a thick white scar indented with looked like teeth prints. "Che succederà se falliamo?" She whispered.

"Non lo faremo. Lo faremo insieme. Lo faremo stasera. Stasera. Vieni fuori, dolcezza."

Whatever he said made her reach her breaking point, and she slowly reached out to unlatch the door. Mr. Borghese was standing outside, hair slicked from rain and his suit damp. His face was gentle, but froze minutely when he saw Flora. He probably had hoped she hadn't been listening in. He offered Flora a vague apology and led his wife back across the street, arm wrapped tightly around her shoulders. The streetlamp light glinted coldly off his golden curls.

Flora lay awake in bed, waiting for the argument to begin, the shouting between father-in-law and daughter-in-law. But she heard nothing. It was a quiet night in the sleepy suburb of Dearborne Heights. 

***

Flora was awoken by the scream of an ambulance. Fearing the worst, she threw off her covers and ran out onto the doorstep. 

There were police cars and an ambulance outside the Borghese house. Other neighbors were milling around--police cars were a rare sight in Dearborne Heights.

A policeman went over to push back against the nosy neighbors. "What happened?" Said Flora. "Was someone hurt? Did something happen to the children?"

"Reported suicide. Keep back, keep back."

Her worry broke when she saw the Borghese family huddled near the house, talking to another officer. Mr. Borghese looked calm as he gave his statement, but Mrs. Borghese looked shaken, clutching her many children close to her. Most of the children were crying, some of them looked to be in shock. But some of them had a carefully schooled look on their face similiar to their father's.

Eventually the family separated and got into police cars, and the crowd dispersed, as did the police cars themselves. Flora went back inside, her mind whirring. The whole situation seemed like a dream. The death, the couple, the conversation she had overheard--nothing added up.

Actually, she thought, everything DID add up. Just to a different answer.

***

The next morning Flora heard a knock at her door. She debated whether to answer it, hand hovering near the doorknob, until another, more irate knock sounded at the door.

Flora opened it hesitantly, and a man wearing a broad fedora barged in. He was dressed in a black suit; dark-haired, with wire-rimmed glasses that glinted coldly as he eyed her. "Flora Haywood?"

Flora nodded.

"Mind if I sit down?" He punctuated his words by pulling out a chair from her kitchen table and sitting down anyway. "I'm sure you've heard about the... unfortunate incident at 34 Knight Street, just across from you."

"...Yes... it was Mr. Borghese, Senior, am I correct?"

"I'm afraid so. Silvio Borghese. Single gunshot to the temple, self-inflicted. Horrible, horrible. I understand you knew the Borgheses personally."

"They're my neighbors, but I don't know them well."

His voice was as cold as his eyes. "So if, for example, someone from the police stopped by, and asked you some questions, what would you tell them?"

"Wh-what kind of questions?"

"Oh, you know, the usual. Whether you heard anything that night. Whether there had been any... discord in the Borghese household as of late. Simple things, routine things the police tend to ask."

She felt a chill come down her back. "Who are you?"

"A friend of Mr. Borghese, junior. Leonardo." He smiled and got up, perusing her keepsakes neatly lined up on the mantlespiece. To her horror, he picked up a photo of Caroline. "Your granddaughter?"

She swallowed a lump. "Daughter."

"Lovely woman. She looks about the age of my wife. Truly in the prime of her life. A young woman with her whole life ahead of her."

Flora would have done anything he had asked of her in that moment. "I don't know anything about the Borghese family. I heard nothing last night. I don't know a thing. The family keeps to themselves."

His eyes flicked up to meet hers. "And that's what you'll tell the police?"

"Yes, yes, that's what I'll tell the police! I don't know anything! Please, I have laundry to do. I can't sit around and talk all day!"

He smiled as he left, a smug secret smile that told her he had accomplished exactly he had come to accomplish. She locked the door, latched the windows, and immediately called Caroline. She sounded woozy on the other end and the sounds of partying were in the background, but she was safe. Flora cautioned her to be careful, and Caroline agreed in that sure-mom-I-promise tone that teenagers took when they had no intention of listening to their parents. After wrangling more promises out of her to call every day, Flora hung up and spent the rest of the day peering out the window, watching every car parked on the sidewalk and every passerby.

***

The police never came, thank god, and Flora assumed the whole situation was over and done for when the large Borghese family, sans the grandfather, moved back into their tan suburban house across from her.

It was as if a shadow had lifted from Knight Street. Within a week the high fence around their property had been knocked down. Flora saw Mr. Borghese building a treehouse with his sons in the large oak tree in their backyard. The Borghese children were out and about more, and they seemed to be making friends, for the first time, around the neighborhood. Mrs. Borghese saw Flora outside in the garden and smiled and waved, something she had never done before. She looked vibrant, healthy, with no bruises. She gave birth several months later to a baby girl, who she dropped off at Flora's sometimes to be babysat. Leonardo even held a block party, with his smiling, beautiful wife and their newborn the centerpiece.

In the blink of an eye it seemed that years had passed since then and the eldest son was going to high school. But Flora never lost that sense of unease. The neighbors were outwardly affluent, popular people...

But sometimes Mrs. Borghese would get a look on her face, and Flora knew what lurked under the surface was never far from bubbling over, and that the secrets Flora had touched on were too deep and numerous for her to understand.

Not that she had any desire to.