#John: *uncomfortable* Change the subject?

[charlotteking23]

The Lion's Lamb - Chapter 7 - MV1/33

Max Verstappen x reader

The Lion's Lamb Series: Aesthetics, Ch.1, Ch.2, Ch.3, Ch.4, Ch.5, Ch.6, Ch.8, Ch.9

Over the next few days, the two would meet up casually, either to get coffee at the cafe they met at, going for walks, and even getting casual dinners together.

Their conversations usually surround you, about your life, dreams, and aspirations.

Whenever the conversation switched over to Max, mainly about his line of work, he would always quickly change the subject.

You thought it was odd, but figured it wasn't something he wanted to talk about and he'd open up when he wanted to.

It was Friday evening and sadly Max was pushed into a boys nights with his friends, leaving you to figure out what to do for the night.

You knew Max had told you to text him if you needed him, but you didn't want to bug him, especially if he was around his friends.

You didn't want to be the type of girl that would continuously blow up a man's phone while he was out.

It was around 8pm when Amelia came storming into your room, "you're coming out with me tonight."

"Why do I have to go out?" You asked.

"Well I can't go alone," Amelia said dramatically, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Cant you go out with your friends? I really don't feel like going out tonight."

"You have too! Who knows what will happen to a young, pretty girl like me all alone at a club!"

You bit your lip while nodding your head slowly, feeling guilty if you left Amelia to go out alone and something were to happen to her.

"Great!" We leave at 10:30," Amelia said smugly before happily leaving the room.

By 10:45, the two girls had arrived at the club. You're trying your best to keep close to your roommate as they made their way through the busiest club in Monaco to get to the bar.

It was true that Amelia wanted the girl to go out with her so she wouldn't be alone, but it wasn't the full truth.

She knew how pretty the you were, how your aura of innocence you projected attracted men like a moth to a flame.

You had no idea that your roommate was using you to attract men. You were playing the oblivious wing man.

After ordering both of the girls a drink, Amelia was quick to pull you out onto the dance floor before you could even think about protesting.

While your roommate started dancing, trying to attract men towards her while you sat there awkwardly taking small sips of your drink.

You were uncomfortable with the amount of people surrounding you causing you to feel claustrophobic.

They were on the dance floor long before two men found their way towards to the pair.

One was blonde with brown eyes, average built and height. The other was brunette with brown eyes so dark they could be mistaken for black. But this man was shorter then the other but slightly more built. They were both attractive looking, and just by looking at them, a person could tell they reeked of daddy's money.

While the blonde went over to Amelia and whispered something in  her ear, the brunette stood there, staring at you. The look in his eyes made you nervous and intimidated the hell out of you.

"We're joining them at their table," Amelia interrupted before grabbing you by the hand and dragging you to the two men's booth.

Amelia is moving to sit next to the blonde and the brunette coming to sit next to you, uncomfortably close.

"I'm John," the man stated after an awkward amount of time passed with them just sitting in silence.

"(your name)," the girl responds softly, giving the man a small smile, trying to be polite.

The smirk that rested on John's face told the girl everything she needed to know. He knew he was an attractive man and used it to his advantage.

He knew that any girl at that club would be clawing to get his attention, yet he was intrigued on the one girl who didn't want it.

You continued to talk to him, making small talk because you didn't know any better.

You thought you were being polite and just trying to make it through the night. John took it for flirting.

Little did he know that the only person you were interested in was a blue eyed Dutchman.

"What is a pretty girl like you doing in a place like this?" John asks while slowing inching closer towards you, resting his arm behind you on the back of the booth.

"My roommate wanted me to come out with," you politely stated, deciding to ignore the compliment and keep it short.

Before John could continue, alcohol was brought to their table. John, his friend and Amelia all were taking shots, the man next to her talking at least 5 in a 30 minute period.

They asked the girl if she wanted some, but you declined, okay with sipping what was left of your original drink.

It didn't take long for John to make his move after that. Thought their conversation, he had scooted closer until his knees were touching her.

His arm behind your back, causing you to be slightly trapped when he leaned in and started to run his hand up your thigh.

"Why don't you and I get out of here baby," he whispered in her ear, his lips grazing her ear.

You quickly jumped back from your seat, trying to get out of his reach.

"No," you stated sharply, but fear filled your entire body. You turned to catch Amelia's eyes to try to signal to her for help, but she was too busy making out with John's friend.

"Come on sweetheart, you wouldn't be here dressed in that sexy little dress if you weren't trying to get someone attention," he said slowly moving closer again, like a predator stalking its prey.

In an instant, you stood up mumbling about having to go to the bathroom. you bolted to the toilets in hopes of escaping the situation.

Max had spent the evening hanging with his friends and playing videos games together.

He hadn't done it in a while since meeting you, but you insisted he hang out with his friends, thinking he never gets to see them because he travels so often.

He was glad he did it because he had time to relax a bit before their next race in Qatar next weekend.

He arrived home close to midnight, and immediately laid down in bed, ready for a good nights rest when his phone sudden rang.

Looking at the caller ID he couldn't help the smile that erupted across his face.

"Hello beautiful," he said gently.

"M-Max," he heard your weak stuttering voice through the phone.

"What's wrong?" He asked, sitting up immediately.

"I'm scared." Your broken words echoed through the phone, leaving an impact on his heart with those two words.

"I-I went out with Amelia, a-and this man started to put his h-hand up my dress and I'm scared."

"Where are you? I'll come and get you right now"

"I don't know," you say softly, "I've never been here before. I don't remember the name."

"Okay love, can you send me your location?" He spoke softly, not wanting to cause anymore fear or anxiety.

"Okay," you mumble.

Max looked at where you were at and luckily the club was only 5 minutes away from his apartment.

"Okay love, I'll be there in 10 minutes. Why don't you go wait outside in front so the bouncers can watch out for you."

"Okay," you stated quickly before hanging up.

The Dutchman quickly bolted towards his front door, scared out of his mind. In his line of work, fear wasn't an option.

If they have fear while driving, they wouldn't survive. For the first time in his life he actually felt fear when hearing your meek voice say those words.

I'm scared

Those words echoes through his brain as he drove to his little lamb. He felt like someone stabbed him in the heart.

He made a promise to himself that his little lamb will never have to feel this way ever again.

You decided you had to grab Amelia and take her with you, or at least have to decency to tell her you're leaving if she refuses to come with you.

Swiftly, you left the bathroom to go back to the booth where you end up finding no one except one person, John.

"Where's Amelia?" You asked with hesitancy, wanting nothing more than to just leave.

"She left sweetheart," he said with a smirk.

"What?"

"She went home with David," he started to make his way closer to her again, his eyes darkening even more than they already were, "Now it's just me and you daring. Why don't we go and have some fun?"

"No," You said, taking a few steps back, "my friend is waiting for me outside."

Without another word, you finally made your way towards the exit, deciding not to give John the chance to keep coming after you.

It wasn't until you felt the cool Monaco breeze on your skin did you actually let out a breath of relief. You tried to even out your breathing, calming herself down but you couldn't.

The loud pounding of the music emitted from the club caused you to slowly make your way down the street towards the street corner.

You started up in the night sky. A wave of peace and calm washed over you as you gazed upon the stars that filled up the dark night sky.

Sadly, this peace did not last long as you felt a hand grip your arm tightly, making you cry out in pain as the person turned you towards them.

John stands before you again, yanking your body closer to him, leaving no room for you to struggle.

You scratched and tried to fight him but he quickly gripped your wrist, tight enough that there will surely be a bruise there tomorrow.

"I've been looked my everywhere for you darling," he whispered close to ear, pulling back with a wicked grin on his face.

"Let go of me," You hoped your voice would come out strong but it came out weak and fearful.

"I can't do that sweetheart," he tilted his head slightly to the side, starting you down like you were a monkey in a zoo, "you're coming with me."

"No!" You shouted hoping that someone would hear you. You need to escape somehow now or else-. You honestly didn't want to think about what would happen if you didn't.

"Stop fighting," John snaps, annoyed at your struggling, but You refused to go down without a fight.

One minute you struggled with John, the next you were being pulled away from him into someone else's arms.

This person wrapped you up in their arms, their firm chest provided you some form of comfort.

You didn't care who this person was, anyone was better than being stuck with John.

"Don't you dare fucking touch her!" The rumble of a familiar voice vibrated through the chest you currently leaned into.

Max.

Taglist: @shelbyteller, @smithieandy, @fangirlforever2000, @herexpertcollector, @vip-access, @genevieve-blr, @a-beaverhausen

[klausysworld]

Hiii I was wondering if you could write a klaus oneshot where the reader is enemies with klaus but klaus finds out she has cancer and is all alone and begins to fall in love with her or something like that.

I totally understand if you don’t want to do or you’re uncomfortable with it.

I’ve Got You

(This is on a very sensitive subject, please don’t read if it will upset you too much and know that if you are suffering or know someone who is, nobody is alone)

Cancer was something that had torn up Y/n’s life. It caused her to push people away all of the time. She didn’t want to be too close to anyone, not when the doctors couldn’t tell her how long she had left.

For a while they thought that the cancer had gone but she didn’t want to risk anything only for it to come back.

So she continued to be closed off, even from her own family.

Being Elena and Jeremy’s sister was hard enough, let alone growing up having cancer. Having two parents who were involved in medical care was both a dream and a nightmare. They made her live according to their timetable and their rules as to what would ‘help’. She knew, even as a child, that her family struggled much like any family would struggle to afford treatment and research and she hated herself for costing them so much.

She was kept separate from her siblings, built little to no bond with them. When her parents died, there was nobody to care for her or at least give her hope. She couldn’t afford hospital bills on her own, she had to seek out other family, like Uncle John and he did help however when he lost his life, she lost the chance of hers.

The people at the hospital knew Y/n well, they wanted to help best they could. She was supplied with medication in the form of pills to at least somewhat control the cancer and they had hope that she would be able to take part in a chemotherapy treatment program that would take place within the next year. That was as much hope as she could have to go on.

And she tried to hold onto that, she would imagine the day that they told her she would be able to live her life full without so much risk.

But at the same time, she didn’t really believe it would happen for her. Not anymore.

Sometimes she wished that a vampire would just kill her, out her out of her misery. Other times she wanted to survive everything her dreadful life threw at her and live a long healthy life to its fullest.

It was why she was so up and down with how she behaved. It was why the way she was around certain people changed so drastically, like Klaus.

Sometimes she wanted to see how many buttons she could push, she wanted to make him kill her so at least it wasn’t cancer that took her out. Other times, she just wish he’d disappear and leave both her and her family alone.

She would wonder if, had no vampires ever turned up to Mystic falls, if she would have been able to connect with her siblings some more, if Jenna would have given her some hope.

Those thoughts made her mad, but also sad. That’s when she would get snappy. Sometimes she didn’t mean to annoy him but she couldn’t help herself.

But unfortunately it made people dislike her which in some cases was a good thing because it meant people wouldn’t miss her if she did die but it also meant that she was even more alone.

Y/n was too young to deal with something so big, it was no surprise she didn’t know how to manage it. The problem was that nobody else knew how to either and so she was forced to try do it herself.

The medication she had been on since young caused an imbalance of hormones and had stunted her growth in areas. It made her hair thin and caused her to become feeble and delicate to an extent. Of course she tried her hardest to build up her strength but she wasn’t stupid, she knew it was much easier for her to become out of breath, to become exhausted or hurt. It was because of this that people like Damon would dismiss her and why she would be cast aside without any explanation. Not that she needed a reason, she already knew.

In some ways, she liked that Klaus didn’t know that she had cancer. He would be boisterous around her, tease and taunt her like he would anyone else. Because to him, she was like everyone else. She wasn’t a delicate little thing that needed to be avoided and fixed.

Sometimes he could go a little far, once he had her by the throat, cutting off her airways as he threatened her. He didn’t know that after he left she was spluttering blood all over the floor as she coughed and wheezed for air. She struggled for it anyway, she didn’t like someone taking it from her. But she never said anything to him, of course she was a little more cautious but she enjoyed pissing him off when she could.

When she was little, kids were cruel. If she wanted to play, they would give her funny looks and say they didn’t want to play with her. They acted like she was contagious, or an alien. She hated it.

So even if Klaus’s attention was ill intended, at least it was directed at her.

————————————————————————

Klaus originally saw her as another inconvenience. He met her when he was in Alarics body, when he went over to the Gilbert’s house to harass Jenna and frightened the others. Turns out their sister Y/n also hadn’t been clued in on who he really was. She had wondered down the stairs still in her pyjamas, smiling subtly at him and going to the cupboard to grab some biscuits. Once she had sat down and began munching, Stefan was storming in and telling her and Jenna to run. At that point Y/n just looked tired and begrudgingly got dragged out the house by a hysterical Jenna.

The next time was at a hospital after he had taken Elena from senior prank night. She was sat in the waiting room, lead across the seats as though she had been there hours. He came and sat beside her, spoke to her and told her to tell Damon to never threaten him again. She agreed without compulsion and kept her trap shut about anything else.

The following few times he saw her, she was less tired and more firey. That’s when he began to take a strange liking to her. She always had something to snap back at him no matter how dark the last thing he said was.

Somehow she seemed to know exactly how to make him tick. Knew how to tease him enough to make him want her to shut up but not enough to physically make her. Though occasionally she went too far and he would break.

Sometimes he felt a weird sensation of guilt swirling inside him, he never knew what to do about that. He didn’t enjoy that.

When she became tired, she was moody and would say things to purposely make him angry. And klaus’s anger management had never been great. He didn’t always mean to react to quick and harshly but he couldn’t help it. Especially when he didn’t understand why she was so angry sometimes.

He knew that she was very much seen as irrelevant when it came to her siblings and the Salvatore’s etc. He couldn’t understand why exactly, she was not less useful than Elena was as far as he could see. Still he didn’t ask or dig on it, it didn’t matter to him if she was apart of the little gang or not. She seemed to hang around him anyway.

He took an amount of joy in their playful banter and teasing nature when around each other. He also liked to push at her buttons the same way she did his. But he wasn’t as good at knowing how far he could go, often she would end up storming off and he’d be left feeling guilty and there’d frustrate which lead to annoyance and anger.

————————————————————————

Klaus hadn’t once guessed that the reason for her mood swings or her pushed to the side nature was due to cancer.

He hadn’t been expecting to see her name on labels of samples of blood.

He was in the hospital for blood obviously, even though he drank mostly straight from the vein, with all his hybrids and his busy schedule sometimes blood bag was easier.

He happened to come across the samples and spotted a familiar name. His curiosity peeked. Of course he originally guessed that it was just normal things like she had given blood or that she had low iron. But something within him told him to look further.

So he began to compel people to get him her files and information. But turns out he didn’t need to, as soon as he said her name the receptionist was yapping on.

“Oh the poor girl, in and out of here since she was just a toddler” she began, sighing and clicking for Y/n’s name on the computer.

“Really?” He questioned, his brows furrowed.

“Uhuh, next appointment is…oh! Tomorrow” she smiled and Klaus nodded pretending to know

“Right for..”

“Collection and a check up” she smiled and turned around to find something, a bag. She placed the paper back infront of him with contained the prescription pills that would control the cancer to some level. He smiled back at her though it didn’t reach his eyes and picked up the packet, reading what they were and what they did.

His heart dropped a little and he hesitantly handed them back to the receptionist. “Thank you, I’d take them to her but if she has a check up tomorrow anyway then I expect it’s easier if she get them herself” he muttered, his voice quiet as he felt a strange sadness forming somewhere inside him.

“Of course” the woman answered “Will you be with her tomorrow?” She asks with the tilt of her head.

“I might be” he replied, unsure and she nodded slightly back

“I’m sure she’d like it if you did, nobodies been with her for a scan for over a year now” she sighed and his heart ached.

He left shortly after and tried to find her. Eventually he found her, much to his surprise, at his house. She was sat on his sofa with a glass of wine and one of his hybrids, chatting about whatever. Without caring he made his way over and grabbed her by the arm.

“Klaus!” She yelped as he began to pull her away from the hybrid.

“He just wants to drain you love, come on upstairs” he murmured, pushing her up the stairs and grabbing the bottle of wine from the table.

“Well he might just be nice” she muttered

“Perhaps but I don’t like the odds” he replied as he pulled her into his room

“Right, because you care if he kills me” she grumbled and his stomach turned uncomfortably. No longer did the joking of her death amuse him like it once did.

When she noticed his silence and the look he had in his eyes, she knew that he knew. It was stupid look of pity that everyone had and that slightly uncomfortable stance because they don’t know how to act around her anymore.

She sighed and glanced to the floor and then him. “Can you not?” She whispered and he frowned confused

“Not what-“

“Oh don’t do that. I know you know. Its fine. I’ve had it forever you don’t have to be weird” she mumbled as she sat on his bed, laying back and staring up at the ceiling tiredly.

“I don’t know what-“

“Cancer Klaus. It’s not a scary word, it’s not Voldemort” she grumbled

“What-?” He questioned confused

“Doesn’t matter it’s not the point” she whispered and he frowned

“You never said anything about it” he muttered as he sat beside her.

“It’s not really the best conversation topic. Plus we’re not that close” she mumbled

“Well…you’re in my bed so I’ve done something right” he joked lightly and she smiled

“I guess so” she whispered.

Klaus laid down beside Y/n quietly. It was a little odd to be so close to her without either of them having ill intentions. He did feel bad though that he made her uncomfortable but he couldn’t help but act a little off. His mind had been replaying every time he had hurt her, he wondered how much it had endangered her life.

It confused him as to why he had this care for her. He couldn’t have cared less about week ago if she had been killed but knowing that she actually, most likely, would die much sooner than expected made him feel something. To know that she was living in pain and fear of when it would catch up to her.

Klaus was a man who liked control, he couldn’t imagine having something like cancer hanging over his life everyday acting as a threat ever time she breathed.

“So you-“

“I don’t wanna talk about it” she mumbled, cutting him off. He fell into silence and sighed softly.

Y/n stared at the ceiling, wishing it would fall on her in this moment. She hated that he knew. Of course she didn’t exactly hide it from him but she also didn’t want him to know. Not because it was something she was embarrassed of, or because she feared he would used it against her. Simply because it meant there was one more person who would look at her like she was incapable and weak. She didn’t want to be stared at like an animal at a zoo by anyone else.

She’d rather he be cruel to her and tell her how pathetic she was just for being a human. She’d rather he scare her and hurt her like he did everyone else in town than look at her like he was now.

She felt her eyes drain of the life that they usually held when around Klaus. With a lump forming in her throat and a heavy weight of disappointment on top of her, she pushed herself up and got off his bed.

“I’m gonna go home” she muttered, ignoring the way he sat up and looked after her with worry.

“Love-“ he called, standing up to follow her as she made her way down his stairs.

“I don’t want to talk, I want to go home” she huffed.

“Sweetheart-“

“Shut up Klaus” she snapped “stop calling me cute little names and looking at me like I’m a three-legged puppy! You don’t like me, I’m annoying and useless to you” she sighed, her voice becoming desperate and she hated how pathetic she sounded.

“You’re dying” he whispered

“Everyone’s dying” she mumbled “I’m just doing it faster” before leaving his house, closing the door behind her.

Klaus left her alone for a little while, and she avoided him also.

He did however go back to the hospital after she had her most recent scan. He compelled the surgeon to show he what was happening, where it was and what that meant. He wanted to know why she wasn’t getting more help, they told him there was very little chance of her surviving even with chemotherapy. Klaus argued they should still try and they informed him of the treatment trial coming up in two months time. Demands were made, he would pay for everything and they would tell her that she qualified to have it free. He didn’t really care what lie they told her just so long as she accepted it.

And she did, Klaus received a phone call telling him so.

Klaus still had no explanation for his sudden change of heart, why he wanted her to get better so badly. He didn’t know why, he just did.

He felt a little sad that she wouldn’t hang around him anymore. Not many people willingly spoke to him, even if it was just some teasing and playful banter. He missed it.

When she had her first dosage of chemo, he found himself in her hospital room. It upset him that nobody had come with her or shown any care at all.

Klaus quietly wondered through the hospital, it was halfway into the night and quiet as he searched for her room. His expression softened when he saw her curled up in a bed, the machine beside her beeping quietly. A singular rose was placed beside her bed as he pulled a chair over to her and leaned down to kiss her cheek softly. It was an odd gesture coming from the hybrid but he tried not to dwell on it as he sat beside her for a while.

Klaus came back during the night as her treatment continued, he would leave her a rose and often a note. He would never know how much it meant to her.

One night he ran his fingers through her hair, only for a handful of strands to come out with his hand. His eyes had enlarged as he quickly put it in the bin and gently lifted to her head to find a clump of hair on her pillow. He didn’t want her to find it in the morning and be upset and so removed it himself.

He didn’t mean to wake her up. She knew it was him without a doubt when she felt her face against someone’s chest. She could hear his soft muttering and the sound of his hand behind her head. It took her a minute to figure out what he was doing and when the realisation hit her she just stared at his chest exhausted. Y/n could remember when all her hair fell out the first time, when she was little and the other kids would poke fun while the parents would tell her how brave she was while staring at her with that helpless, pitiful face. She didn’t want to see it on Klaus’s face as well so she pretended to stay asleep.

After a moment he laid her back down and pulled the blanket back up. “There we go” he murmured softly as he smoothed it over “it’s all going to be just fine” he whispered, stroking her arm gently. She kept her eyes closed and her breathing steady until he left, she couldn’t stop the tears rolling after he was gone. She hated feeling sorry for herself all of the time but it seemed she could never catch a break.

It wasn’t long before she was back home, still on chemo but home. Jeremy was living in Denver and Elena basically lived at the Salvatores so Y/n had the house to herself. She didn’t go out much, she never really had. She only did recently to annoy Klaus but she didn’t want to be around him anymore either so she found that staying inside was better.

However Klaus had different ideas and so wound up on her doorstep, nocking incessantly until she answered.

“Finally love, you and me worried” he sighed and she narrowed her eyes

“What do you want?” She snapped, she was wrapped up in a blanket and wore a hat on her head. Klaud wasn’t sure if it was because she was cold or because she had given in and shaved her head.

“It’s lovely to see you too” he smiled sarcasticly and she glared. “I wanted to see how you were doing” he answered.

“I’m doing fine. How are you doing?” She replied stiffly

“Ah you know…family troubles” he mumbled and she hummed

“Elijah?” She question

“All of them” Klaus muttered “three brothers, a sister and a mother. I can only be glad I’ve already killed my father…though that didn’t stop mother”

Y/n let out a breathy laugh and glance down “I’ll grab my shoes and we’ll talk and walk.” She told him before closing the door. Klaus smiled to himself as he waited a second before she came out ready. She was completely wrapped up, hat gloves coat. Still he didn’t ask, just remained happy to be with her.

They spoke about the sudden arrival of his family and the ball. He said he hoped she would come but her silence wasn’t convincing.

“You don’t have to” he told her “I know you don’t like people and you barely like me enough” he smiled and she returned it weakly.

“I don’t really think it’s a good idea” she mumbled and he nodded, of course he was a little disappointed but he wasn’t exactly surprised either.

“Then perhaps you’ll have to give me a dance another time?” He offered and she shrugged playfully with a smile

“I might be able to come for just one dance, but I go home straight after?” She compromised and he grinned

“Perfect” he whispered and cupped her face. The smile soon vanished from his lips as he felt how hot her skin was to touch “you’re burning” he mumbled before unzipping her coat and pulling her hat off. Immediately she made a sound of upset and grabbed for the hat. His eyes softened as she stared at him with a mixture of emotions.

She wanted to die. That was it. She wanted the cancer to take her in that moment. Stupid Klaus. She wasn’t sure why having no hair made her feel so bad, she had a nice shaped head but her past experience with peoples reactions caused her to hate it.

“Put it back” she whimpered but he shook his head. His hands gently pulled her coat off and then her gloves.

“You have a fever, you’re boiling, I’m taking you home” he told her as he leant down and lifted her up. She looked at him like he was crazy, she didn’t understand what kind of bond they had or what feelings they held for eachother. She didn’t why he would like her of all people. Was it pity? She hoped not, she’d be so pissed off it was.

“Fevers are normal” she mumbled “you don’t gotta worry”

“Normal or not, it’s best we get rid of it so that it doesn’t hurt you” he answered as he carried her towards her house. She couldn’t help but smile a little when he said ‘we’. In a way it reminded her of how her parents would care her and tell her that it was something they would all get through.

He felt her relax a little in his hold and glanced down to see her looking up at him with a lost look in her eye as he approached her door.

“I can’t come in but I trust that you’ll know how to cool off? I can take you to my house otherwise” he told her as he placed her down and passed her things back to her as she got inside.

“I’ll be fine, thank you” she told him with a small smile before closing the door.

Later that day she received a package containing a dress, shoes that matched and a silver necklace with her birthstone hanging from it. She smiled a little and put it somewhere safe ready for the next evening.

Then she continued to settle her fever and take a nap. She woke back up, watched a few films, messaged Klaus to let him know she was okay now, and finally took her meds when she ate her dinner before going to sleep.

In the morning she continued her everyday routine and lounging around until it was only a couple hours before the ball that the mikaelsons were throwing. She had argued with herself all day whether she should go. She knew people would talk, seeing the cancer kid with Klaus Mikaelson. Not that it was date. No no. That would be weird…

Eventually she decided she would go, dance the first dance and then go home. She just hoped that the exhaustion wouldn’t hit her too hard while she was out or that she wouldn’t fall sick until she got back home.

Y/n never got to go to events like Elena and Jeremy did when she was little, but her mother would dress her up when she was in the house sometimes to make her feel happy and pretty for a day. That was the only way she knew what she was doing when it came to her face. She had stolen some from Elena’s room as she only had the basics for herself.

She put on everything he had given her and looked in the mirror. Her hands touched her head with a small sigh before she called a cab that took her to the mansion.

She stood outside it for a few minutes, unsure whether she should just turn around and walk in. Klaud didn’t give her that option when he came wondering outside, his eyes looking around for her hopefully. She smiled a little to herself and began to walk towards him, his gaze met hers halfway and he quickly flashed beside her.

“You came” he whispered, pulling her in for an unexpected hug. He pulled back and cleared his throat “sorry” he muttered awkwardly before grabbing her hand and leading her inside. “You look gorgeous by the way, you always look gorgeous but…not that- “

“Thank you” she cut him off with a smile and squeezed his hand in appreciation. “Am I late? I didn’t mean to stand there for so long” she asked quietly, glancing around and seeing the entire town moving around his home.

“It’s okay, the first dance only just started” he told her, leading her further inside.

“I never really learned to dance” she whispered nervously

“That’s alright” he murmured “I’ve got you” he told her and she believed him.

She let him guide her throughout the dance, she kept her eyes on him and tried to ignore any stares. Klaus kept her close and offered a death glare to anyone who even glanced their way. Time flew, they danced for nearly six full songs before he felt her body go momentarily limp to his. Thankfully his arm was around her waist already so he kept her up. She regained her balance in seconds but it was clear that something was wrong.

“I’m going to take you upstairs, alright love?” He murmured to her but she shook her head

“I can’t do the stairs…I’m dizzy” she whispered and he nodded

“I know, I didn’t expect you to walk up them” he told her before gently tugging her away from the people. They walked straight past Elijah and Elena talking, both turned to face them with looked of confusion and surprise as Klaus told her to let him help her. He kept upright so that nobody would know she was being carried as he supported her weight up each step. Once at the top they walked past Finn and Esther, his mother eyed the girl with that same pity as most and shook her head at Finn in a way that told him to leave them alone as Klaus lead her into his room carefully.

He laid her down on his bed, propping her up with pillows and cupping her face gently. Her eyes focused on his as his cool hands soothed her skin.

“You feel okay love?” He asked softly

“Yeah I’m ok” she nodded as her head began to settle. She felt a little nauseous but less faint. “I should go home” she mumbled, pushing herself up but he shook his head and laid her back down.

“Stay here tonight love, I’ll look after you” he told her

“Can’t, gotta have my meds” she muttered and he nodded

“I’ll go get them okay? You stay in here, find a shirt of mine to wear to bed and I’ll go get your pills.” He decided, standing up

“Klaus…you’re not invited in” she whispered and he sighed

“Then I’ll go to the hospital and get some, I know what you need”

“It’s easier if I go home” she argued

“I want you here” he told her seriously and with a sigh she nodded.He nodded in return and stroked her face, and her smooth head gently. “You can wear whatever you like okay?” He smiled and she nodded, watching as he left.

Klaus quickly made his way out the room, rushing down the stairs and out the house. Stopping for only a second to tell Elijah to keep people downstairs.

Once he was back from the hospital with her medication she was wrapped in his duvet, dressed in his shirt and her panties with no makeup left on her face while scrolling through Netflix on his TV. He smiled at the sight and close the door behind him with a click. Her head lifted to see him and he made his way over with the bottle in one hand and a glass of water in the other.

“Thank you Klaus” she whispered gratefully as she swallowed a pill before handing back the glass which he placed on a coaster on his bedside table.

He grabbed a shirt and some plaid pants before disappearing into his conjoined bathroom. He remerged from the room in a couple minutes ready for sleep. He had a sofa in his room, a mini fridge and everything. Y/n wandered if he ever actually had to leave his room.

Klaus opened a cabinet filled with blankets and pillows and pulled a couple out and setting up a bed on the couch making Y/n frown a little, guilt and confusion swirling.

“You done have to sleep there” she told him “You could sleep here if you want…or I could go on the sofa, I don’t mind” she offered, slipping out of the bed and making her way to the couch but he spun her straight back around and lead her back to bed.

“Under no circumstances will you not be in that bed” he told her, a level of authority in his tone as he put her to bed. “I don’t want to disturb your sleep by stealing half the bed” he teased.

“No it’s okay, I like sharing” she smiled and he raised a brow as he sat down infront of her.

“Oh? Do you share beds often?” He teased with narrowed eyes. Klaus didn’t like the thought of Y/n sleeping with anyone but himself. Even if it was just a nap.

“No” she whispered, her cheeks bushing pink “sometimes when I was sick my mom would sleep with me” she shrugged and he smiled.

“I doubt I’ll be anything like your mother sweetheart” he chuckled and she rolled her eyes

“Oh just come lay down, you know that’s not-“

“I know, I know” he murmured playfully as he laid beside her. She huffed out a breath dramatically and he grinned, pulling her against him. It was strange to be so close to him, teasing and laughing again. She liked it though, and so did he.

Klaus shifted himself under the duvet and pulled it around them. He hadn’t had a girl in his bed for a while, especially the past few months. All he could think of was her so why would he want some other woman? It had been even longer since he had a girl in his bed with no expectations of sex. That hadn’t happened in decades.

Something about it was nice, innocent.

Y/n on the other hand had never shared a bed with a man, never been touched or ever really thought that a guy would want to touch her. She didn’t think Klaus would either, especially not when she looked like she did. She’d lost a lot of weight from the chemo, her stamina was low, she bruised easy and she had no hair which threw most boys off. Boys her own age at least. Not Klaus.

He couldn’t have cared less about something so simplistic. Sure, she had pretty hair at one point but it didn’t define her. He liked her as she was, of course he wanted her to be cancer free and happy but he’d still love her while she wasn’t.

Love. Was it too strong of a word? He wasn’t sure.

Especially not when he was looking at her like he was now. Seeing her so openly vulnerable and curled up against him, sleepy eyes set on the tv and her body hidden under the quilt though he could feel her legs touching his.

It wasn’t long before they were snuggled up and half asleep. She was barely conscious when Elijah’s head popped into the room to check on Niklaus. The brothers had a brief conversation on how the night went, Elijah expressed his caution around their mother Klaus said he couldn’t be bothered with it anymore. Elijah left when Y/n began to stir and Klaus’s focus became her.

He slept with her throughout the night, he woke to find her missing and his heart sank. Thankfully she wondered back in from the bathroom a few minutes later and crawled back to bed with a yawn. Klaus’s lips upturned and he pulled her close again. She looked up at him with a small smile which grew when their eyes met.

“Hi” she whispered and he smiled

“Hi” he uttered back, pulling her as close to his side as he could before she was under him. She glanced to the time, seeing it was still really early. She groaned softly and closed her eyes. Klaus hummed softly and brushed the backs of his fingers across her cheek bones softly. “You look so pretty” he whispered.

Her cheeks tinted red and she rolled onto her side to hide her face from him but it only resulted in him spooning her. He kissed the back of her head making her go redder and her fingers to hold onto the sheets beneath. Klaus pressed close to her, too close. The second she felt something hard against her backside her body went tense and she panicked. Klaus felt her fear and quickly pulled himself away from her but she was already getting out of bed.

“I have to go, I’m sorry” she whispered, heading for the door but he sped infront of her.

“Love-“

“I gotta go”

“Let me drive you, and at least give you something to wear” he mumbled, disappointed with himself for scaring her. She nodded when she realised she was still in just her underwear and his shirt. He sped into Rebekah’s room which was unsurprisingly empty as she had ended up staying the night in Damon Salvatores bed.

He came back and she pulled the jeans on before he drove her home. It was quiet and he hated that he’d ruined the night. He should have thought about it and known she wouldn’t want that, he hadn’t intended to do anything other than sleep but she was so close and he couldn’t help but want. His desire always won though in this case it made him lose big time.

He apologised quietly when she got out the car and she told him it was okay and that she overreacted. Neither of them were particularly pleased with how they responded.

Y/n thought about how the moment could have played out a hundred times over and kicked herself for not just letting him have her. But she knew she would have regretted it.

They both decided to pretend the incident didn’t happen when they saw eachother next. Klaus had turned up on her doorstep that same night, it was clear he had been crying but she mention it. She wrapped her arms around him as he told her that his family had left again and that his mother wanted him dead. She ended up back in his bed, using his chest as a pillow once more.

In fact she ended up in his house, his bed a lot. Especially as her chemo treatment continued, when she wasn’t in hospital he managed to coax her to his house.

“I enjoy our sleepovers” he teased making her bite back a smile and glare playfully.

“Technically you don’t even need sleep” she reminded and he rolled his eyes.

“Well I like sleeping with you” he murmured with a wink and she laughed.

For a little while, things seemed to be getting better. She felt happier and somewhat healthier. She was more confident in herself when Klaus was around, he helped her see her beauty and her worth. For a moment she truly believed that everything would be better.

But things could never just be so simple.

At the end of her chemotherapeutic treatment, she went into the hospital as expected. Klaus didn’t go with her this time, Y/n had told him that the appointment wasn’t for another week because she wanted good news as a surprise.

How she wished it was good news.

She knew as soon as she saw the nurses face. When she told her that the treatment hadn’t worked the way they hoped, she just nodded and asked how much she owed. They shook their heads and reminded her that it was ‘free’ and she went home.

All this had done was just confirm that she wouldn’t live even half of what everyone else would. A quarter if she was lucky.

Vampire blood couldn’t save her, magic couldn’t save her. She just had to accept it and live with it for however long.

That wasn’t even the hard part for her, the hard part was telling Klaus.

After her appointment she went back to his home. He wasn’t in but she went up to his room anyway, besides it was basically her soon now too.

She stared at the bed, god she loved that bed. It was like a cloud and when she had Klaus holding her tight aswell? She only hoped heaven would be similar.

She tapped her fingers against her arm as she thought. With a sigh she went and had a shower, got back out and stared at herself in the full length mirror that Klaus had in his bathroom for whatever reason. She smiled and laughed through her nose at the thought.

Y/n had a lot of clothes at Klaus’s now, she pulled on one of the only actual sets of underwear she owned and sat down on the bed. She adjusted the straps on her bra for a few minutes and fiddled with her panties so they sat how she wanted them to.

Klaus was home shortly after and made his way upstairs to his room. His breath got caught in his throat the second he saw her.

They teased eachother and made little jokes about sex, they both entertained the idea in their heads but he never actually thought she would be the one to make the move.

He didn’t know what the final push was that made her give in but he wouldn’t push it away.

Within seconds he was on that bed, gently pushing her down onto her back and hovering over her. His lips met hers in a deep passion that heated them both. Her legs were nudged apart so he could lay between them. She kissed him back with as much love as should had in an effort to make him understand how much he meant to her.

His hands stroked up her sides gently, holding her waist perfectly. His mouth pressed to hers repeatedly before moving down to her neck. Y/n’s eyes kept shut as she felt the soft tingle of every touch, her hands slid down and unbuckled his belt. She pulled it through the loops with a tug and pushed it aside.

Klaus pulled back and looked down at her hands, he gently took them in his hands and lifted them to his lips, kissing the backs of them. “We don’t need to rush, we have all the time in the world” he whispered, the words made her eyes prick with tears but she held them back.

“I know…I just need you now” she told him quietly making him smile. He leant back down and kissed from her collarbone down. Y/n watched as goosebumps lined her skin and his hands slid her panties down her legs slowly so that she had the option to stop him.

He pressed soft kisses to her knees and then up along her thighs. His hands caressed her legs gently as he pressed an open mouthed kiss to her pussy. Y/n’s body jerked away from his mouth at the unfamiliar feeling and he smiled.

“It’s alright love, I’ve got you” he told her before running his tongue through her folds and up to her clit. Her legs went over his shoulder as her hands went to his hair, feeling the soft curls as her body filled with heat. Klaus rest his head against one of her thighs so he could look up at her as his tongue flicked gently at her little button. Her brows pulled together and a soft sound escaped her as she felt his teasing.

“Klaus” she whispered softly, a slightly tremble in her voice as his fingers made their way up and gently traced her pussy lips. He hummed quietly in response, letting the gentle vibrations tickle her nerves pleasantly. The words ‘I love you’ were on the tip of her tongue but she didn’t utter them, not yet. She worried that he would want to know why she chose now to tell him, why now to give herself to him. And if he did find out why, everything would be ruined.

A shaky breath left her and she put her focus back on him. She pulled at his soft hair gently, telling him to give her more and he eagerly obliged. He slipped a finger into her halfway, moving it slowly to help ease the foreign feeling upon her. His tongue still licked at her clit, though now with a little more pressure.

Her back arched a little and a breathy moan left her lips making him push his finger in so it was knuckle deep before pulling it out with a slight curve. He watched her tighten around nothing as her hips rolled a little to try get his touch back inside her.

“Do you like how it feels love?” He murmured with a kiss to her clit. She nodded and pulled at his curls gently.

“I do” she whispered “I love it” she confirmed and he smirked a little.

“I love it too” he smiled and sucked her clit into his mouth making her squirm and moan his name. She inhaled deeply and leant her head back against the pillows and two fingers began to stretch her open as they pushed in as far as they could’ve.

She took soft but long breaths as her body filled with heat and her hips ground her pussy against his fingers as they curled into her and found her spot. Her back curved off the bed and he smiled to himself, happy to bring her pleasure.

His fingers met the thrusts of her hips and his tongue lay flat against her clit, letting her rub against it as quick as she needed. A soft cry left her and her pussy squeezed his fingers tightly, her thighs squished his head making him chuckle and suck on her softly. He pulled away before she could come undone and pulled her down the bed so her legs were at his hips instead.

He leant down to kiss her lips making her wrinkle her nose and dodge him.

“Sweetheart, you can’t deny my kisses now” he murmured as she wriggled.

“You can’t kiss me after that” she whined and he laughed

“You taste lovely” he teased

“I’m good not knowing” she laughed and he narrowed his eyes before attacking her with kisses all over her face making her squeal and push at his chest playfully. Eventually he caught her lips and had her succumb to the kiss. A soft moan escaped her and he smiled.

“Can I keep going love?” He asked softly as he used one of his hands to undo his jeans. She nodded kissed his jaw softly, her eyes fluttering as she felt his bare legs against hers. Her body tensed for a moment as his cock rest against her thigh and her hand gripped his shoulder. “I’ll be slow” he whispered, “don’t worry Y/n”.

She nodded again and tightened her legs round his waist. Klaus cupped the back of her head with one hand while the other guided his tip into her weeping hole. She whimpered at the stretch and he kissed her cheek, holding her close.

She nuzzled close and clung to him as he pushed another two inches into her and gently rocked in and out of her, getting another inch into her with each thrust until eventually she took all of him. He stayed they for a while, stroking away the little tears that gathered in the corners of her eyes and kissing her lips softly.

“It’s okay love” he told her gently, “you know I’ve got you”

She nodded weakly and kept her face in the crook of his neck as he began to move again. Soft little moans slipped past her lips and vibrated against his throat as he thrust into her slowly. His hips moved perfectly to stroke all the right places inside her.

Y/n’s hands held onto him tightly, so did her pussy.

Klaus kissed her skin gently as he rocked into her, his hand slid down between their bodies and he began to stroke her swollen clit. She let out a little cry and he grunted as his cock was squeezed.

“You’re doing so good sweetheart” he murmured as he began to speed up. His eyes closed as he focused on pleasing her body, he could hear the repeated sound of his skin meeting hers along with the whimpers that tumbled past her mouth. He could feel her body growing tired and knew she wouldn’t be able to go on much more. He stroked her skin soothingly while his other hand rubbed quick circles on her pretty clit.

Her body tensed and she cried his name as her body let go around his. Klaus hugged her close as he thrust into her slowly, his hips came to a stop and she panted softly for air. He kissed her lips softly and pulled out. His hand stroked his cock quickly and he squeezed it tightly until he came onto her stomach. She moaned softly and tugged at him for a kiss.

His lips pressed to hers lovingly and rolled onto his back, pulling her ontop of him. Y/n smiled down at him and caressed his chest gently.

“I love you” she whispered and his heart warmed even more

“I love you too” he told her, wrapping his arms around her waist and sitting up. He stood up with her in his arms and carried her to the bathroom. He turned the shower on and brought them both under the warm water.

“I can stand” she mumbled and he hummed but didn’t put her down. Instead he kept ahold of her as he helped clean them both off. She leant against him, her head in his neck as he wrapped a towel big enough to be a double duvet. He kissed her head and dried them off before setting her back on his bed. He pulled one of his shirts over her head and pulled some panties up her legs. “Thank you” Y/n whispered with a smile.

“Of course” he smiled back and laid beside her in his sleep pants. Klaus held her to him, his lips pulled up in contentment and he closed his eyes. He held her close they slept and woke up early to prepare breakfast.

Klaus wanted this relationship to be right. He wanted to treat her like he knew he could and show that he meant his love for her. So he went downstairs and cooked up some pancakes and bacon for his girl. He plated it up and poured them both drinks, he set the table for them and made his way back upstairs.

His movements faltered for a moment as he heard the sound of gagging. Hurriedly he made his way to the bathroom to see her heaving over the toilet. Quickly he kneeled beside her and caressed her back, her hand reached for tissue as she wiped her mouth, dumping the tissue ontop of her sock and flushing the toilet. He helped her up and wrapped his arms around her waits from behind as she brushed her teeth. She apologised quietly but he shook his head and kissed her cheek.

“I got you something love” he told Y/n softly before leading her downstairs. She looked up at him with a soft look in her eyes as he pulled out her seat at the table. She sat down and smiled as he pushed her in and sat opposite her with his food also.

“You know you didn’t have to?” She whispered softly and Klaus hummed

“Of course I did” he answered “I’ll always look after you”

Y/n’s smile wavered a little but she pulled back together. They ate their food and she helped him clean up. After they got dressed and he started to talk. When Klaus starts talking he doesn’t tend to stop until he absolutely has to.

Usually Y/n didn’t mind his rants and rambles but this time it was about them. He started going on about all the things they could do together and how once her cancer was gone then they would go wherever she wanted and he went on and on. After a while however, Y/n just couldn’t help it.

Her eyes had been watering for a full twenty minutes and as soon as the first tear fell, well it was like a waterfall. Klaus’s face dropped within seconds and his heart sunk. Panic flooded him and he quickly pulled her into his lap. He tried to calm her but had no idea what was wrong to begin with. Well not at first.

She tried to leave, push him away like she knew she should have at the start. He wouldn’t let her though. Not now. He had to block the exit, ended up yelling for her to tell him what was wrong. Instead of an actual answer she told him that she didn’t want to be with him, she began to say hurtful things. She needed him to not love her. Not if there was no hope of living. She didn’t want to leave him missing her, she would rather he hated her and was glad she was gone. Or at least that’s how she thought in that moment.

Klaus was never good when it came to emotions. He didn’t understand the sudden change of heart, the hatred that suddenly blossomed. But he knew something was wrong, she didn’t look angry or disgusted by him like she tried to claim she was. She just looked scared and borderline devastated.

He stared at her for a while and she didn’t dare say anything else. Klaud didn’t want to believe it to begin with. But it was the only thing that made sense. With slight hesitation he stepped to her, he overpowered her shoving hands and forced her into a hug. It only took a moment for her to collapse into it, cries shaking through her without a break.

“I’m gonna take you everywhere” he mumbled softly, kissing her smooth head continuously. She made a sound of distress and she shushed her gently “anywhere you want sweetheart. It doesn’t matter how long we have, I will not have you live it alone and in self-pity” he argued and she shook.

He picked her up and sat down with her on the sofa, he grabbed a world map and brought it over to her. “Come on love, you choose somewhere and I’ll get us in a plane, have you ever flown?” He asked, swallowing any tears or sadness down. Right now he just needed to keep her with him. He would go anywhere, do anything to ensure that she was happy for however long she had to live.

“We can’t just-“

“Yes we can. We will. We don’t even have to pack, I’ll buy you everything new from wherever we go. Just pick a continent, we’ll do a country from each and see how you’re feeling before we go again” he whispered, desperation seeping into his tone.

“You’re making it worse for yourself” she uttered, wiping her tears.

“It’ll be a hundred times worse if I’m not with you” he argued, a tear dropping from his lashes.

They both went quiet and let the situation fully dawn on them for a little while. Finally Y/n glanced to the map. “I’ve always heard Europe was pretty” she mused quietly and Klaus wiped his eyes, pulling a smile onto his face as he pulled her close and kissed the side of her head.

“It’s beautiful. I’ll call for a private jet and we shall leave in a few hours. Would you like to tell your family that you’ll be away?” He asked but she shook her head no. “Then please, just trust me my love?”

“I do…and I’m sorry for-“

“Don’t be. Just know that I love you and that I will always have you no matter what” he told her, a kiss to her lips to seal the promise.

“I love you” she uttered, they repeated it back to one another as she made her way into his lap and rest her face in his neck.

Everything else was forgotten.

The doppelgänger, hybrids, Salvatore’s, Mikaelsons. They would all have to wait.

[holmesianlove]

Chapter 2 - Biscuits

John sat with his head in his hands groaning low in his throat as Mrs Hudson prepared some tea. She loved her boys. Sherlock, she’d known for a long time now and had taken on the role of a surrogate mother of sorts. That boy’s parents did not come to London enough to check on their son, and his older brother was far too stifling, in her opinion. Sherlock had never had a chance to just breathe for himself. So Martha Hudson had made it her mission to make his life as comfortable as possible within some very strict constraints. She was not the landlady. But she also cared for him deeply.

The day John Watson entered the scene, everything changed for the better. Sherlock’s entire demeanour was different now. The minute she saw them together, she had assumed romance because Sherlock had never seemed to light, so inspired as he did with this boy in the room. She still had hope. One day they’d sort themselves out.

“You know, John,” she began carefully, “Sherlock can be an acquired taste.”

John huffed loudly, lifting his face long enough to give her a dark expression before returning back to his posture of despair.

“Sherlock loves his experiments…”

“I’m green, Mrs Hudson. Green,” he moaned back looking up at her.

“I think it’s a great compliment that he feels comfortable enough with you to try these things. Don’t you?” she tried enthusiastically, placing a cup of tea in front of him and then bring over a plate of biscuits and cupcakes to set on the table, which had, unfortunately been iced with a lovely matching shade of green.

John looked at her horrified.

“Merely an unfortunate coincidence,” she sighed. “Sorry.”

He grumbled something to himself and took a sip of the tea. The two of them sat in silence for a decent length of time but somehow it didn’t feel uncomfortable. “You think this is a sign of friendship?” he finally asked.

Mrs Hudson shrugged and sipped her tea.

“I think it’s convenience. Before me he had no-one to experiment on and now here I am. A live bloody subject,” he grumbled.

“John,” Mrs Hudson said, scolding him. “You’re so much more than that to Sherlock and you know it.”

“I was supposed to have a date!” John cried out.

Mrs Hudson couldn’t help chuckling.

“He always, always ruins my dates.”

“Let’s be honest dear, you don’t enjoy them. You’ve told me that many a time,” she reminded him with a stern look.

John simply sighed. And the silence returned.

“Well,” Mrs Hudson said with a huff. “I know it, even if you don’t. You’re the best thing to happen to that boy. He certainly knows it. And while I can appreciated that being green is not conducive to dating…”

John gave her a look.

“I can’t argue with you there,” she conceded. “But I will tell you this: Sherlock Holmes comes from a wealthy family who own property all over the country.”

John frowned not understanding where that was going.

“The poor boy was being suffocated by his parents and his brother watching over his every move, ever since… well you know about the drugs, at least in theory. I have known him a long time and I offered him the flat. I owe him a favour or two myself,” she said with a stiff smile.

“Your husband,” John said with a nod of understanding. “So?”

“Sherlock doesn’t need a flatmate, John. He has money,” she continued. “He had already been living here on his own for a while before you.”

“He told me he’d just moved in,” John said, sitting straighter, his voice rising slightly, ready for a battle, despite it being with the wrong person.”

“Exactly.”

“You’re saying he allowed me to move in so he had someone to experiment on and I’m paying for the privilege?” he moaned.

She chuckled quietly. “No, John. I’m saying he usually prefers to live alone and doesn’t like people but he offered you the room, after a very short conversation, from what I understand.”

John’s shoulders relaxed. “A very strange and short conversation, yes.”

“And you took it with no argument,” she reminded him.

“Yes, that’s true. I… well I had nothing much else to lose.”

“Indeed,” she said, passing him a cupcake which he took. He started playing with the wrapper, unfolding it as he thought.

When he didn’t say anything she spoke again. “You needed each other, I think,” she said quietly.

“Why does he have to make things so difficult?” John moaned, biting into the cupcake. He looked up at Mrs Hudson with a clear appreciation for her baking and returned to eating it.

“The minute I saw you both together, I knew that you had saved each other’s lives,” she finally admitted.

John would have argued but he had a mouth full of cake so he worked on that as he thought and at least from his point of view she was absolutely right.

Mrs Hudson picked up her tea cup and paused. “Is it true that Mycroft whisked you off and made threats?” She had heard this from Sherlock at some point and always wanted to ask.

John looked at her in surprise. “It most certainly is. He has a lot to answer for,” John scoffed. “But he doesn’t scare me.”

“And that’s why Sherlock trusts you. He knows. You’re his protector now. His family are far quieter because they know you’re here and they trust you too.”

“No.” John frowned. “I doubt that.”

“It’s true, John. You have changed Sherlock. And that sweet boy may struggle to tell you so, but you mean a great deal to him.” She reached out and patted John’s hand that was resting on the table. “He’s like a school boy playing pranks on a crush.”

John spat out the mouthful of tea he had taken in and Mrs Hudson sat back in shock, pulling her hand away and sitting up straighter. “John Hamish Watson!” she scolded.

“I… wait, how do you know my middle name?!” he squeaked.

“Sherlock may be an idiot when it comes to you, but I assure you I am not. My husband worked with the cartel. I have ways,” she sighed, getting up to fetch a cloth.

John sat staring into space. What in God’s name was she even talking about?

“It’s not a crush Mrs Hudson,” John finally said.

“No. You’re right about that,” she agreed as she wiped the table.

John relaxed visibly and sat back in his chair.

“It was merely an analogy,” she said gently.

“Well good. I thought I’d cleared it up with you that first day. We’re not a couple. I’m not gay, and Sherlock Holmes does not have a crush on me that induces him to experiment on me… to stop my dates.” As he finished the thought he hesitated. He hoped that wasn’t the purpose of this in any case.

“You’re absolutely right. He doesn’t have a crush. Sherlock Holmes loves you with his whole being,” Mrs Hudson said, levelling a very firm look at John.

John froze in her gaze, swallowing hard. If he’d been a normal colour it would have drained from his face. And thank goodness he was green so she couldn’t see the blush that then rose on his cheeks, though he knew full well that Martha Hudson could see past the green. She knew everything.

They remained frozen like that for what felt like an uncomfortable age as John processed her words. He felt his entire body respond to them.

“John!” Sherlock called out from the doorway.

John twisted around to see Sherlock standing there, relieved at the interruption but then terrified at the thought he might have heard the conversation.

“How long have you…?”

“John, we have to go!” he rushed on excitedly. “There’s no time for cups of tea!”

“Sherlock Holmes!” Mrs Hudson scolded.

Sherlock’s shoulders dropped and he walked around the table to where she was standing and placed a kiss on her cheek.

“Better,” she said. “Honestly your manners sometimes.” She rolled her eyes.

“John. Come on! Get up. There’s a case.” He reached over and grabbed a biscuit, taking a bite and flashing Mrs Hudson a wink before rushing back out.

John sat for a moment. He had far bigger problems now. He leapt up, ran over to her and gave her a kiss too. “Thank you for the tea!” he cried out, as he chased after Sherlock Holmes.

The colour of his skin had been long forgotten. The game was on!

——

@notjustamumj @lisbeth-kk @helloliriels @totallysilvergirl @221beloved @safedistancefrombeingsmart @givemesherbet-blog-blog @naefelldaurk

@phoenix27884

[djarins-cyare]

I have so many questions about "Din needs an iphone charger to find out what Pedro Pascal looks like" 🤣 Is Din in a modern-day AU? Are we in a wormhole where the Mandalorian, iphones, and Pedro exist together? Is this code for an upgrade on his helmet tech?

Hey Cas! Thanks for asking about this one; it’s one of my favourites!

I love all your ideas, but this is your classic “Earthling in the SWU” story, except with a kind of… meta twist, I guess. I’ll do my best to explain.

Usually, when you get an Earthling in the SWU fic, it’s just assumed that Din would look like Pedro because that’s what he looks like on our screens. But what does that say about the universe our Earthling Reader has ended up in? Have they been sucked into the TV? Are they now in an entirely fictional universe? How can it exist? Or have they been transported into an AU?

To my mind, there are three possibilities:

Yeah, our Earthling Reader has been transported into the fictional realm created by George Lucas and specifically crafted by John Favreau and Dave Filoni, and Din does indeed look like Pedro. It’s like the movies Last Action Hero and Pleasantville – they’re literally sucked inside the movie or TV. This is uncomfortably deterministic since every event is crafted by writers, so essentially, it makes Favroni into gods. Everything that happens to our Earthling!Reader in that realm is predetermined since we know how Star Wars turns out. I don’t like this option much.

Although Star Wars began as fiction, our Earthling!Reader wanted to be part of it so badly that they somehow wished it into existence. So now, a new universe exists IRL, and they have been transported into it. Since it started as fiction, Din does indeed look like Pedro. This universe is a brand new offshoot and not subject to the fictional rules of Star Wars, so our Earthling!Reader can manipulate events to change the outcome of things. I like this option!

The Star Wars Universe exists as a real alternate universe somewhere alongside ours, and somehow (let’s say via the Force or some lowkey Earthly version of it), George Lucas and other prominent Star Wars writers have dreamed/sensed the events occurring over there and have woven them into stories. They think they have great imaginations, but they’re actually Force-sensitive or as close as you can get to it in this universe. Perhaps Favreau cast Pedro as Din specifically because, in his mind’s eye, that actor looked the most like the person he saw in his visions/imagination. In this scenario, the version of Din that our Earthling!Reader meets may not look precisely like Pedro at all. Similar, yes, all the features match up on paper, but somehow slightly different. This is an intriguing option.

In this fic (which I have now given the hasty title: Face Reality), Earthling!Reader has no idea which of the above options applies, although she has been very honest with Din about where she comes from. She explains that in her “universe” (for want of a better word since she doesn’t know if it’s an actual AU), his story and the stories of others he knows are told as fiction for entertainment. In an effort to spare him the existential crisis of “OMG, I’m just a character in someone’s narrative, I’m not a Real Boy”, she continues with the idea of this place being an already-existing universe that people in her world can sense (i.e. option number 3 above), but the question of whether he looks like Pedro or not comes up…

…particularly when Din discovers that some of the stories are visual. He freaks out. He worries an entire universe of people might have seen him without his helmet, and his creed is now in tatters. So, he becomes obsessed with finding out precisely what Pedro looks like and whether or not they’re identical. The trouble is, everything that Earthling!Reader tells him seems to fit him exactly.

So yeah. He’s having an existential crisis… she’s having an existential crisis… and, oh yeah, they both fancy the fuck out of each other.

Lots going on!

I actually have several scenes of this written already, but most are pretty piecemeal. I’ve got bits of the one where they meet, and everything I explained above comes out, but it’s very raw and unedited. Fortunately, the one where they talk about the iPhone charger was pretty solid already, so I’ve decided to give you the whole of that one, which is like 1k words (admittedly, I polished it up a little first and tweaked it to make it self-contained). Enjoy!

This WIP Folder game is really helping me get some of my WIPs in shape, I’m loving it!

Face Reality

“Tell me what he looks like,” Din asks. “Describe him.”

Not this again. He’s been relentlessly interrogating you about Pedro’s appearance for two days now.

“I already did. How many times do you need to hear it before you quit asking?”

He shakes his helmet. “However many it takes to figure this out. Your description could fit millions of humans across the galaxy – me included.”

You know he’s prevaricating. You’ve described the man’s teeth, for fuck’s sake – there are definitely not millions of humans with an extra tooth in front of their lower right lateral incisor. No, the problem is less about your descriptive skills and more about his increasing panic with every new detail you offer.

You’ve tried reassuring him. You’ve tried arguing with him. This time, you take a futile stab at redirecting him. “Well, at least we’ve established you don’t look like Brendan Wayne. That’s a win.”

The withering look Din sends your way comes through the barrier of his visor loud and clear.

“I need more,” he insists, desperation edging his tone. “If he looks like me, and you’ve seen my face….”

A strangled sound of irritation escapes you as you press your palms against your closed eyes. For a guy who’s recently learned his entire existence is considered a work of fiction in your reality, he’s freakishly hung up on his religious adherence. Or maybe it’s the fact that if he does look like Pedro, he’ll need to face the fact that he’s essentially a copy of someone else and not a Real Boy in his own right.

And you get it; you do. But it’s also fucking frustrating when you’ve got some pretty insurmountable problems of your own. After all, you still don’t know how you got here, nor where ‘here’ actually is. Were you sucked into your TV and all this is fiction, or are you in an independently existing alternate universe that George Lucas has dreams about that he makes into movies?

Your companion is not the only one having an existential crisis here.

“There must be more you can tell me. Be specific,” Din demands, and his unyielding insistence triggers your frayed nerves to finally unravel. You miss home, and being stuck in a possibly fictional universe is enough of a headfuck without this endless back-and-forth.

“I’ve been as specific as I can be!” you snap. “I’ve described everything about him in extreme detail, right down to the epic combination of sexy nose scar and cute little heart-shaped beard patches. I don’t know what more you want. It’s just Pedro being his usual gorgeous self, only extra sad and broody. I get that you’re scared about this, but can you please just give it a rest?”

It takes a couple of seconds for your brain to catch up with your mouth, but when it does…

Shit. You got a little carried away there. Please, God – or whatever deities rule over this galaxy far, far away – don’t let him notice how much you’re practically drooling over Pedro.

“You think he’s… gorgeous?” Din ventures hesitantly.

Fucksticks.

Backpedal! Reverse thrusters! Fall back to base camp!

“I mean….” You screw your eyes shut, searching for a way out of this latest living nightmare, but there’s no denying it now. “Yeah?”

A heavy silence descends. You can’t tell whether Din remains hung up on his potentially broken creed or if he’s moved on to wondering how your attraction to Pedro might translate to him if it turns out they do look alike. Become an apostate but gain an admirer… probably not a fair trade in his eyes.

Well, you wanted him to shut up. Mission accomplished. Except it looks like you now have the opposite problem.

If anything, you’ve made things worse.

Fuck, he still hasn’t said anything. Thor? Or is Odin the one in charge? Wait, wrong franchise. Maker? You’re pretty sure only droids pray to the Maker in Star Wars, but at this point, you’ll gladly supplicate a damn space toaster if it’ll end this awkward silence.

And then suddenly, an idea strikes. Whether it’s divine intervention or sheer desperation oiling your overtaxed, still-weirded-out brain into gear, you can’t be sure. What you do know is that you feel like a prize idiot for not thinking of it sooner.

“My phone!” you exclaim, rifling through your bag until you find your iPhone at the very bottom. You present it with a flourish. “The battery’s been dead for days, and it’s not like this galaxy has 5G, so I didn’t even think about it before.”

Din’s visor locks onto the black slab, and you self-consciously flick away some lint clinging to the curling edges of your screen protector. His helmet tilts inquisitively – still mute, still mysterious.

“It’s like a comlink, but it does a lot more, including capturing different types of images. There’s an image of Pedro as Din on here, but I have no charger with me. Not that there’s anywhere to plug in an iPhone charger in this universe. Y’all seriously need to install some USB-C ports.”

His visor tilts back down to the device, interest apparently piqued.

“If you can find a way to recharge the battery, I can show you what he looks like,” you explain, holding out the phone. “Then you’ll know if your creed is intact.”

He accepts the proffered device, turning it over in his gloved hands, and you point out the charger port at the base.

“Do whatever you need to – take it apart if you really have to – but just… don’t break it. I don’t have much left from home. There are photos of my friends and family on there too, so if you can get it powered up….”

Cradling the battered piece of your heart with a tenderness you know he typically reserves for Grogu, Din nods and rumbles, “Thank you. I’ll look after it.”

There we go. Tension diffused, problem solved. Or partially solved. Or… vaguely moving in the direction of being solved.

Whatever. At least now you can get back to fantasising about what’s under that helmet in peace.

[anon-sect]

Picture source: @its.my.shoez Instagram account

Chaze loved his Converse sneakers. He had them for a long time as anyone would be able to tell. So far, they have held up over the years on the outside, but inside was different. The insoles were badly worn out. Wearing them was sometimes uncomfortable, but he really loved these sneakers. He could try replacing them with insoles, but in time, they would wear down just like the one inside them now. He needed insoles that would never wear down and last for ages.

One month later, Chaze had created an indestructible formula that could be applied to make indestructible insoles, but it would only work on living matter instead of normal insoles. The only way to make such an insole was to transform a person into one. He needed to test his indestructible formula on two tests subjects. He knew exactly who to try it on. There were two such individuals he had in mind.

Chaze invited Tommy and John over to one of the private break rooms in the office to have a chat with them. They didn't suspect anything odd about another coworker inviting them to a private conversation. They showed up exactly on break time. Chaze had three drinks in front of him. Two were laced with a special paralyzing concoction along with the indestructible formula. One was a normal drink. He made sure to mark the normal drink so that he didn't accidentally drink out of the wrong cup.

"Tommy and John, we haven't talked much, and I just wanted to get to know you two." Chaze paused, seemly quite friendly with them. "It's often we work together, but never socialize beyond work talk. Here, have a drink with me." He handed them both a cup.

"This is great, actually. Just to have a normal chat for a change." John commented as he took a drink from his cup. "Yeah, I totally agree. We never had outside of work conversations with you." Tommy added as he took several gulps from his cup as well. "This drink is really good," Tommy added as he finished the whole cup. "It's so tasty. What is it exactly?" John asked back.

"It's something special I made for the three of us." Chaze told them with a friendly smile, knowing that the two formulas should take effect any second now. He was ready to put these two in a new position on the job; a position that best serves his feet.

John felt strange. He suddenly found himself unable to move. He tried to speak and even was unable to do that. He did notice a sadistic smile appearing on Chaze's face.

Tommy was mentally panicking. He felt trapped in his body. Unable to move or speak was highly uncomfortable. The sadistic smile on Chaze face said all he should know at that moment. This chat was all a clever rouse for something he had been planning, and the two of them fell for it.

Chaze was pleased that his plan worked perfectly. He brought out his TF device. The setting was already in and ready to turn his two unsuspecting coworkers into the very insoles that would make his sneakers comfortable again. "I needed us to be alone so that I could make you two into a pair of indestructible insoles to make my sneakers more comfortable. You would be much more useful that way." He fired the TF device at both of them, so ready to put them in the bottom of his Converse.

Both Tommy and John watched in horror as Chaze and their whole environment grew in size. They were shrinking and were forming into insoles. Their bodies soon were flat yet with a soft cushioning effect. They were laying in the very chairs they were once sitting in as human beings. They saw Chaze grab them up. Tommy was forced into the left shoe, and John was put into the right shoe.

After placing in his new insoles, Chaze put his Converse back on his feet. He instantly felt comfort under his feet. The new insoles were working out perfectly. He didn't have to get rid of his favorite sneakers thanks to his new insoles. It was true his new insoles were former humans, but they were repurposed to a much better use. He went back to his office to continue working.

John was disgusted by the odor he was trapped in. To make matters worse, he could feel the worn-out insole beneath him. It was painful being pressed down on it. The pressure from Chaze's foot wasn't helping much either. The socked foot had a slight odor to them as well, but not as bad as the sneaker he was trapped in. All of his senses were stronger than when he was human. His senses had him in a hell beyond words could describe. He mentally begged Chaze to let him go. Even though it had only been a few minutes, it felt like an eternity in a stinky pit.

Tommy wasn't having too bad of an experience. The worn-out insole was definitely a pain in the back to be pressed down on. The foot odor in the shoe was bad, but he had a foot fetish. This was one of his fantasies. He was now a living insole trapped in a shoe. To him, it didn't matter whose foot he was trapped under. He was loving every moment that Chaze stepped on him. He didn't want it to ever end. Chaze was his owner, and he would gladly serve his foot forever. He was loving the strong foot odor of the shoe. It was his Master's foot odor. He found himself in foot fetish heaven.

At the end of the work day, Chaze was amazed at how comfortable his feet felt. His new insoles were just perfect. He didn't know if his former coworkers were loving their new existence or hating every moment. And he honestly didn't care at the same time. They were objects under his feet and nothing more. He heard that their coworkers were looking for Tommy and John. He was even asked if he saw them. He told them that he had lunch with them and that was the last time he saw them. He lied and said that he didn't know where they went after lunch. Soon, people will forget about them. But he would always be grateful for the sacrifice for them to make his feet comfortable.

[mimizficsz]

Hi could I request a JD x female reader flirting headcanons (before and after they start dating). All his bad pick lines and ways to try and impress her, but they never work lol

Y was this so goddamn short

My brain got stuck in the middle of writing this and I had to pause for 2 days just for it to turn out this short.

JD x reader headcanons : flirting

Warnings: Sexual/Nsfw flirting , Nothing physical tbh. DNI if you’re uncomfortable with this type of stuff, Minors DNI.

-At first he'd probably be all showy when he saw you. You know, trying to get you to see him do cool stuff but he obviously fails...

-After several embarrassing attempts, he got your number somehow (Or however they communicate but I’m pretty sure they have the internet in trolls in some shorts)

-When you get to know him, as in chatting with him more, hanging out with him, randomly in conversations he'd drop stupid pick up lines and either you'd brush it off and ccompletely ignore it, flirt back, or laugh (Maybe don’t do the last option, the first time you did he felt so embarrassed he locked himself in rhonda for 2 days without ever coming out)

-The flirty “jokes” would eventually get more and more meaningful… As in stupid poetry type of flirting. Except he accidentally offends and insults you most of the time while trying to do it.

“..Your voice is so deafening”

“Excuse you?”

Most of the time he won’t even realize it until he’s laying in his bed

-Now when you start flirting back or even flirting with him first, he’s just all… “Huh”, “Am I tweaking right now” , “WHAHRHFHEHFHHS” , and “Oh shit” basically he’d start malfunctioning and have passed out on several occasions.

-Somehow he actually caught you off guard once after trying to make his own pick up lines from what Branch taught him (he forced Branch to help him get better with flirting respectfully)

“I can stay here forever and get lost in your eyes..”

You just stare at him all like “Is this really John Dory?”

Turns into awkward silence once he notices himself staring way too long until one of you changes the subject.

Flirting but you’re dating now :]

-Watch as the flirting becomes so much more fucking explicit

-It’s either you or JD that starts it. Either way, the other would just be in disbelief. “Did he/they really just say that?”

-Overtime the explicit flirting becomes normalized :p but I think that you’d occasionally catch JD off guard.

John was sipping on coffee and you brought up a random topic while brewing your own

“Which name do you like to be called by more? JD, John, John dory, Dory??”

“I honestly don’t know babe.”

“I think John is the best. It’s the most moanable out of all of them”

“PFHFGT— WHAT?”

“What??”

Now he has to clean his shorts because he spat coffee on them.

Or something like,

“I actually hate you so much.”

“Doesn’t seem like it based on what you kept saying last night.”

“JOHN DORY”

[kneelingshadowsalome]

Would you mind talking more about Ghost? I dig your interpretation on him so i'm curious if you'd share your thoughts; since i know how COD in general writes these characters and we know romance isn't on the table for them, ESP for someone like Ghost (even confimred by his voice actor too!)

So all that aside, in your opinion, what would it take to win Ghost's heart (or well, Simon's)? :)

It's great to hear you like my interpretation of Ghost! I'll gladly share my thoughts on this, the supposed love life of Simon Riley is one of my favorite subjects 🧐

Thoughts on what would it take to win Simon's heart under the cut ->

To be honest I see it highly unlikely that Ghost would date. I think Samuel Roukin's opinion on this matter was spot on. Simon's traumatic background, trust issues, the need to stay anonymous and his profession as a special ops soldier is just too heavy a combo. His family's murder and multiple betrayals have pushed him on a path of extreme independence and made him evade any kind of attachment.

That being said... I'm a hopeless romantic and love to imagine scenarios just like every other little simp here 🩷💋, and I've pictured (and occasionally written) him to be drawn to someone who is principally the opposite of himself, but who also has a dash of angst in their heart and firsthand experience or at least some basic understanding of complex trauma.

A positive vibes only/sunshine type of person would not resonate well with his darkness, and a carefree joker would only annoy him. Then again, there's Soap – but the thing with John MacTavish is that he shares the same profession and in that way, is not a stranger to the Underworld. Their banter is also evidence enough that Soap is not afraid of Ghost's madness and even looks up to him – actually a perfect way to make someone like Ghost enjoy your company. This man has a terrible praise kink but he can't stand spineless bootlickers. So the adoration should happen in a "I trust you and would follow you to hell & back" kind of way.

However, due to the shit he's been through, I'd say (contrary to popular headcanon, I dunno?) that Simon would likely fall for someone outside the military world. First of all, he's very uncomfortable with the fact that his partner has to fear for his safety. But the fear of losing his partner to the dangers of this profession would be a little too much. It would only trigger a shitload of PTSD stuff. The fear of losing a loved one again would override the mutual experience and bonding through warfare, all the elements which otherwise might be pull factors in a military love interest. On the other hand, people with traumatic backgrounds tend to repeat the pattern, no matter how horrific or unsafe, simply because it's familiar. Still, I'd say someone from the base personnel would be a more alluring option for him. The shared hell, so to say, could make the foundations of this relationship quite dark. Not that it's necessarily a bad thing!

Deep down, Simon would be attracted to softness. Not innocence, per se, just something different from the realm in which he operates. This is why I think he could definitely fall for "a normie". He would appreciate dark humor and a certain kind of fearlessness, however. What ultimately would win his heart is someone who can stand, even cherish, his melancholy and cynicism and life choices and who is not on a quest to change or "fix" him.

I think Simon's ultimate wish is to find a home because he has lost it (or hasn't really had one in the first place). He's a leader and has to provide safety and support on a daily basis to the people under his command. But who offers support and safety to him? He knows how to protect people but doesn't know how to create a safe space, so he would appreciate someone who makes him feel he's finally found his way home. I think he yearns for a small measure of peace and a slice of normal life to wash away the adrenaline and blood and filth, he wants a small corner free from the demons that haunt him, even if he would reluctantly (if ever) admit that he does.

[jrow]

May Prompt (17)

Day 16 here. Day 18 here.

Chaos

It is absolute chaos.

He closes his eyes for a just a moment. The constant screaming he can handle but the non-stop motion is difficult to handle. It pulls his attention in every direction and there is no order to speak of. His usual ability to predict the future is useless here and he has no idea what will happen next.

Not so different from the inner chaos he’s been experiencing these past few days. Entirely unpredictable. Often unbearable.

At least Rosie seems to be enjoying herself.

Thursday is park day. It’s a tradition for John and Rosie to come after nursery regardless of weather. John said Rosie had been inconsolable the one time there was lightning and they had to miss it. And today it’s unseasonably warm, so of course Sherlock insisted on taking her.

John had been … strange about the whole thing, though. Actually, John was strange anytime the subject of Rosie came up today. Fidgety. Uncomfortable. And he said some preposterous things. John seems to think that watching Rosie is some grand burden and that Sherlock must surely be eager for time alone at Baker street. It’s ridiculous—as if he’ll be spending one more second in that flat before John can be there with him.

He almost told John as much but that … well that would be revealing too much.

So instead he just rolled his eyes and left. Left to come to the park and enjoy the sunshine (along with every other family in Putney it seems).

He sighs and watches Rosie unsuccessfully try to climb up the slide. She makes it about halfway up before gravity takes over and she is back on the ground. A little boy quickly jumps over her to take his turn, only to meet the same fate.

He looks to the sky and thinks about the progress they made today on the case (in between John’s naps). It helped that their attention was no longer divided, now that they knew of the link between the thief and the hospital intruder. Although, infuriatingly, his brother is pointedly not telling them what that link is. The bastard.

Over the day, it became clear that the jewelry stores hit by the thief weren’t as randomly chosen as he previously thought. The appearance of disorder, chaos even, was a carefully constructed illusion—when he examined the full complement of evidence (including new video footage shared by Mycroft) he could see that every single element was intentionally done to look amateurish. Glass broken in inefficient ways. Cameras covered by crude methods. Alarms disabled almost by luck. But it was all planned. That changes the profile of who they are looking for quite dramatically.

He feels both guilt and anger about not seeing it earlier. Guilt because if he solved this sooner, John wouldn’t be in that awful hospital bed. Anger because the reason he didn’t is because he didn’t have all the facts. If he didn’t have Rosie to take care of, he might have gone to the yard to scream at a few people.

But, instead he is at the park.

He looks back at the slide but Rosie has moved to …. he scans the play structure and area around it, but doesn’t see her blond pigtail anywhere. His heart starts racing and he stands, eyes darting over the space. His eyes lock on the the stairs—she’s been known to enjoy playing in the cold sand under there, hidden from view. He quickly starts making his way over to peak in, but is stopped by that perfect little voice.

“Lock! I hiding!”

He turns and sees her, laying down beside the boy from the slide, behind the big plastic turtle. In his panic, he didn’t let look at the ground. And then he was so focused on the stairs that he walked right past her.

“Good work, Rosie,” he says, finding himself smiling.

John is an idiot. Rosie isn’t a burden at all.

@keirgreeneyes @raina-at @totallysilvergirl @meetinginsamarra @jolieblack @phoenix27884 @friday411 @calaisreno @quimerasyutopias @lisbeth-kk @safedistancefrombeingsmart @momma2boys @helloliriels @dapetty

[mrsparrasblog]

Highschool AU pt.2

Summary: You and your Brother moved away from Austria because of your parents Divorce, making you attend Northbridge Academy in Exeter, England. On your first day you meet the bullied Simon Riley and the overly extroverted John MacTavish. As if dealing with puberty, sports and your grades wasn't hard enough you fell in love not only with your Bestfriend Simon but also with Johnny, that Johnny was in love with both of you didn't make the Dynamic better

Pt.1

November 1990

As the days passed, you fell into a comfortable routine. You made a point to sit next to Simon in every class, despite Johnny's attempts to claim the seat besides you. You got used to Johnny though; he was funny and surprisingly smart. He even beat you in physics once, which made you incredibly mad. You always wanted to excel in academics; sometimes it felt like it was the only thing you were good at—getting good grades. If you couldn't be good at that, what special thing would be left in you?

"Lizzie, it's just an A, who cares if it's not an A+? You won't die from it," Simon nagged. He never understood your drive to excel in school. He wasn’t bad himself, though; he mostly got Bs, especially in math, history, and chemistry. He had some Cs in English and Housekeeping —claiming it was unimportant for him that he did poorly in sewing. He was right, though; that's why you didn’t pick that incredibly dumb subject and chose advanced German instead, which was like a free pass for you. Unfortunately, you were in the same class as John, the annoying new friend of your brother. He was always so flirty, although he was cute.

"How do you know? Maybe I'll fall dead on the ground in the next second."

"Would be a blessing for some of us," Simon replied. After a few weeks of school, you were surprised to find out that Simon wasn’t like he looked. He wasn’t shy and uncomfortable; he pulled lots of jokes—bad ones—next to you. Worse, his humor was dry and mean, making you chuckle all the time, which he secretly loved.

"You're an idiot, Si."

"And still, I'm your favorite, Lizzie."

"Only because Johnny isn’t a real challenge to you."

"Don’t let Johnny hear that; he will be mad."

"Maybe he needs a bit of an ego shrink," You laughed.

Simon and you walked towards your table. It was like in all those American movies you watched when you were allowed to watch TV. Tiffany and her squad had their own table, and then there were tables full of footballers where Kyle sat most of the time, except when Johnny begged him to sit with you. Michael, like the perfect big brother he was, was always where you were. And where Michael was, John and sometimes Nik would be, if he didn’t spend 90% of his time in detention.

Every Thursday was mail delivery day, the best part of the week. You always looked forward to a letter from Dad. He told you about all the different places he visited for work, and there was always a postcard in the letter. You had over 120 postcards, all placed on the wall of your dorm. At least that made you feel at home. Northbridge Academy wasn’t as bad as you feared at the beginning. The teachers were great, the school was fun, and you had Simon and Johnny. The only downside was my dorm mates. While the boys were more than lucky despite Si complaining about Michael's snoring, they still had a nice group. Meanwhile, you were stuck with Tiffany, Laurie, and Anne in a room, and it was even worse than you imagined.

Simon opened his mail, and his expression changed. He tried to regain his composure quickly, but he couldn't fool me. You knew something was up, so you poked him under the table, trying to get his mail. Surprisingly, he gave it to you without any further resistance, and for once, You wished he hadn’t.

Hello Simon, Im on a camping trip with your Mom and Thomas. Don´t bother coming over the long weekend. We wont be there. Stay at your trust fund school. Dad 

"Si—"

"No, Lizzie." He stood up and left the table, surprising everyone else who hadn’t noticed anything. Typical boys. You followed him into his dorm and sat next to him on the bed.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's not a big deal, Lizzie. They're just on vacation."

"Is it?"

"Lizzie."

"You know you could come with Mich and me. Mom wouldn’t mind at all; she loves hosting people and all that stuff. We can spend more time together, and you don’t need to stay in this musty room—like, really, do you boys even clean?" You laughed at the chaos of the room. Everywhere, there were paint stains, football shoes, and, on what you guessed was Nik’s and John’s bed, an E-guitar was placed.

"Lizzie, it’s okay. You know I can practice a bit before the start of ice hockey season."

"Pleaseeeeeeee." You looked at him with puppy eyes. I needed him to come with me.

"Okay, but only this once." He agreed, and you gave him a big bear hug.

SIMONS POV 

"Whit dae ye mean ye gang hame wi' Ellie?"

"Was invited," I said shortly.

"Was invited too," John chimed in, while he tuned his guitar, making noises not safe for humanity.

"How come is a' body invited 'cept me?" Johnny started to whine. The answer would be easy for anyone with eyes: she doesn’t like his flirting, she is scared of things like this, and asking her to marry him after she gave him a cookie wasn’t the smartest choice.

"I wasn’t invited," Kyle replied shortly.

"You're not invited, Johnny, 'cause ye need to tone it down with my sister. She is only 13; she doesn’t care about boys right now. And asking her at any chance if she wants to marry you makes her scared. Ye don’t know anything about girls, do ye?" That was the most words I've heard from König since, well, ever, but he was right. Johnny needed to tone it down. I didn’t like how Lizzie felt insecure whenever he did it and clung to me. The truth is Lizzie wasn’t afraid of him or anything; she even liked Johnny as a friend. She just thought his advances were jokes. Johnny liked to joke a lot, giving him the reputation of a class clown. And so, his big gestures for her felt like a joke to her, especially since she was so insecure at heart. I just never understood why? She was smart, funny, much cooler than any other girl, and she was pretty, not that I would ever tell that to someone.

"Just trying to be good, König," Johnny muttered.

"If ye weren’t a lovesick little puppy, he’d probably punch you into oblivion," John mentioned.

"You can come too, Johnny," König replied, still giving him the big brother glance.

"Sweet."

"Wait, how do we all fit in a car?" I asked, afraid that Johnny would take my place, and I needed to stay here. But everyone just looked at me weirdly, and I didn’t know why.

The next day, on our way to Lizzie's house, I finally knew why. There was a fucking limousine with black windows, probably bulletproof, like in James Bond movies. A small man in his 50s walked outside of the car wearing a black suit and smiling as he walked towards Lizzie, taking her baggage from her hands.

"He doesn’t look like Lizzie’s Dad," I said. It was true; they didn’t look similar, but still, she hugged him like you’d hug a family member, I guess?

John started to laugh. "You really don’t know a lot about Beth." Beth? Why did he call my Lizzie Beth? That was a shitty name.

"I know a lot about her."

"Not about her world, little one." I hated it when people reduced me for my small frame. I didn’t want to be the skinny short boy walking behind Lizzie all the time in need of her support. At least she didn’t see me that way.

"Si, John, Johnny, that’s Alfred, he is our family, Butler," Lizzie said, smiling at Alfred like he was a family member more than a Butler.

We sat down in the limo. Lizzie, of course, sat next to me, much to the dislike of Johnny. He kinda grew on me, though; he was funny and extroverted, and he wasn’t as posh as Kyle, who was a nice bloke but just didn’t get it. He was always complaining, as if he had problems, of course, he hadn’t. He was rich, good at football, and good-looking.

Lizzie fell asleep after a while, her head resting on my shoulder. I didn’t dare to move for the rest of the ride. She looked so peaceful when she didn’t move her lips and spoke.

"Mate, that's unfair. Why does Lizzie sleep on you instead of me?" Johnny whined, but I ignored him. "I liked her first, brocade and everything, Simon."

"You don’t call dips on my sister, or I'll cut your tongue out," König spoke calmly. He was confusing me; he was mostly silent but always threatened everyone who came too close to Lizzie. He never threatened me though, of course not; no one saw a threat in me.

We arrived at a big white mansion, almost looking like the Buckingham Palace. I knew Lizzie was rich, but this rich? I should probably search Kortac up, what they did, and how her dad must be so rich.

John only shrugged as if it was nothing, making me feel like I was the dumb one. This wasn’t normal; why are they acting like this?

As I stepped into Lizzie's villa, my jaw practically hit the floor. I mean, I've seen big houses before, but this was something else. The entrance was like walking into a palace or something. The marble floors were so shiny

; I could see my reflection in them. And those pillars! They were taller than any trees I've ever seen, reaching up to a ceiling painted with fancy designs that made me feel like I was in a museum.

I couldn't help but gawk as I made my way through the place. The living room was like a dream. Soft, velvet couches and chairs were everywhere, so plush you could practically sink into them. Paintings and tapestries covered the walls, like something out of a history book. And don't even get me started on the fireplace! It was huge, with flames dancing and crackling like something out of a movie. All around were paintings that probably cost more than Mom's salary as a nurse.

The dining room was even more posh. A long, mahogany table stretched out in front of me, set with fancy plates and silverware that looked like they belonged in a museum. A chandelier hung overhead, sparkling with crystals and casting a warm light over everything.

In the kitchen, everything was shiny and new. Stainless steel appliances lined the walls, and there were bowls of fruit and baskets of bread everywhere. It smelled amazing, like something out of a cooking show. Chefs walked around the house; they had fucking chefs? I thought the Butler was much, but they had more staff. Didn’t rich people know how to cook for themselves?

As I wandered around, I couldn't help but feel a little jealous. I mean, we have a house; it's nice and all, but it's nothing like this. Lizzie's family must be really rich to live in a place like this. But as much as I envied her, I couldn't help but feel grateful that she was my friend, never judging me because of my scholarship like Tiffany did, and by the looks of it, Tiffany wasn’t even half as wealthy as Lizzie and König are.

"Mutter, Vater, Ich dachte Papa ist in Salzburg gerade," König said. He sounded more confident when he spoke German.

Lizzie's parents looked like nice people; her Dad was the tallest man I've ever seen and looked a bit intimidating, while her mom looked a lot like Lizzie herself, just older.

"Dein Vater hat gehört, ihr kommt hier her und ist direkt gekommen," her dad replied.

"Also, seid ihr nicht wieder zusammen?" Lizzie’s voice sounded so different in German, but she still sounded nice and soft.

"Nein, und sprech Englisch, das ist unhöflich gegenüber deinen Gästen," her mom scolded, her voice too loud for the small room.

"So, who do we have here?" Lizzie’s father asked curiously.

"I'm John Price, sir."

"Oh, like William Price?"

"Yes, that's my old man."

"We worked together quite a bit for his campaign."

"Wait, my dad worked with Kortac?" John lost the color of his face, and I really needed to know what the fuck Kortac is.

"I'm Johnny MacTavish."

"Well, didn’t hear of your family," Lizzie’s dad mustered Johnny.

"Richard, be nice," Lizzie’s mom scolded, in a tone too loud for the room. "Okay, and you are?" She gestured to me.

"Simon Riley, nice to meet you both, sir," I replied politely, shaking his hand, only to get my hand crushed.

As I followed Lizzie's family into the dining room, I couldn't believe my eyes. The table was like something out of a fancy restaurant, but way bigger. There were so many dishes spread out that I had never seen or tried before. I mean, I knew what a salad was and some of the other stuff, but there were these little black things in jars that Lizzie's dad called "caviar." I had no idea what that was, but everyone seemed to be enjoying it, so I tried a tiny bit. It was salty and kinda strange, definitely not like anything I'd ever eaten. Johnny looked as confused as me; of course, the academy had fancy food, but this was weird. And so much different from what mom cooked for us, and I longed for her lasagna right now.

Then there were all these different forks and spoons and knives laid out next to the plates. I was used to just one fork and one spoon at home, but here, it was like a whole set of tools just for eating. I glanced over at Lizzie, who noticed my confusion and tried to discreetly explain which fork to use for which course. But I could tell I was still getting it wrong.

Lizzie's family seemed used to all this fancy stuff, chatting away as they effortlessly used their array of utensils. Meanwhile, I was struggling not to knock over a glass or use the wrong fork. Her mom smiled kindly at me and offered some advice on what to try next, but I couldn't shake the feeling of being out of place. John and König, of course, knew how to act. I noticed how Lizzie’s dad liked John, but Lizzie’s mom definitely liked me.

It was strange; they were so familiar with each other, chatting at dinner and laughing, listening to Lizzie ramble about the school teaching shitty German. It was so different than at home; no one screamed, no one cried, and, most importantly, no one punched each other.

Johnny and I slept in one of the various guest chambers, and it was so comfortable, the best sleep I've ever had until I heard Lizzie scream from next door. I ran towards her room; I didn’t know what was wrong, but I needed to find out.

She lay in her luxurious room, whining and shaking in her sleep. I always thought rich families like these never had any problems, but here she was having night terrors.

I sat next to her in bed, brushing my hand towards her silky hair. "I'm here, Lizzie, everything is good."

"Please don’t kill me; I don’t know anything," she cried, and then König walked in, pushing me to the side while grabbing her in his bulky arms, whispering to her something in German until she calmed down and slept peacefully again. Now, all of us stood in her room. I just wanted to comfort Lizzie, telling her everything would be fine again.

"What was this?" John asked.

"Nightmares."

"That’s more than nightmares, mate," Johnny said, earning a death glare from König. I didn’t know what I thought, but I stood up and walked towards her bed again, cuddling her like Mom and Dad always did. For the first time, I could protect someone, and I’d protect her like she protected me.

"LEAVE."

"No, she is my best friend; I won’t leave." Slowly, after minutes, John and Johnny climbed into Lizzie’s bed. All of us wanted to comfort the girl who gave us everything every day. And so all five of us played together in the bed, eager to protect her from whatever haunted her. It was nice; having her in my arms was the last thought before I slowly drifted into a peaceful sleep.

[queer-ragnelle]

to make changes to a story or to criticize it you have to first understand and respect it. arthurian legend exists on a wide spectrum the scope of which cannot be overstated. that’s not an excuse. try to interpret the deeper themes behind the layers of sometimes uncomfortable medieval subject matter anyway.

insofar as retellings go, merlin characterization varies wildly and i like many of them—from mary stewart’s asexual sweet thoughtful dad type to t. h. white’s silly weirdo old man to phyllis ann karr’s creepy inhuman predator type. i just need to be narratively convinced of it.

the movie sword of lancelot (1963) had a dagonet that told fun rhymes and offered worldly advice. king arthur (2004) dagonet was a stoic warrior with two lines of dialogue in the entire film and didn’t smile once. guess which film understood the material it drew from better and utilized the character in a meaningful way.

comprehension and respect is what sets john boorman’s excalibur (1981) at the top and leaves cursed (2020) wallowing at the bottom of the barrel. i’m not watching bc i heard the legendary sword excalibur was going to be on screen—i’m watching bc i want to become emotionally invested in a cleverly written character with lofty goals and interesting flaws wielding it. i want to root for them, imperfect though they be. but their faults have to be an intentional and thoughtful writing choice, not a result of poor planning on the creator’s part, and not an attempt to “fix” the medieval material and market to as broad an audience as possible. great king bad husband arthur succeeds where girlboss nimue fails.

i don’t want arthurian legend to suffer as greek mythology has suffered. i don’t want any of it watered down for modern sensibilities but neither do i want game of thrones 2. i don’t claim to be the final judge of what a “good” or “bad” arthurian adaptation is by any means. i like all of them! but i have read enough medieval literature and modern retellings and watched every film and show and documentary on the subject i can find, so i’m coming from that angle when i say a successful adaptation of medieval stories should act as a continuation of tradition. that can only be achieved when one considers the merit of the story above all else. capitalism will try to strangle it but we can’t let that happen. palatability or edginess for the sake of being palatable or edgy has no place in mythology and literary tradition.

all good stories are balanced, and the only way to be balanced is to admire the original stories and appreciate them for what they are, products of their time though they may be, and determine what the most compelling story you can tell with that material is. then write it down without any agenda in mind. it’s an art, not a science. so in the wake of booktok trends and weaksauce fantasy adaptations the likes of witcher (2019) and rings of power (2022) created by people who don’t like or understand the source material besieging our feeds, let’s create something beautiful. go forth and make stuff. gay knights and gay rights.

[dcnatural]

You Don't Know How Hard I Can Make It

Word Count: 2327

Pairing: Sister!Reader x Sam

Rating: Explicit

Synopsis: A long time ago, you and Sam were more than just siblings, until John put a stop to that. Now John is gone and you, Sam and Dean travel across the country fighting demons and monsters. And, even though Sam claims to be over your affair, he keeps getting very flustered whenever he see your lips in actions.

Or: Four times you tease Sam with your mouth, and one time in which you finally suck him.

A/N: Work written for the @macrocest winter bingo, filling the prompt for "finger sucking".

You were sitting across from Sam at a diner, listening as your younger brother complained about Dean's latest prank when you noticed a stray bit of whipped cream on the corner of his mouth. Without thinking, you reached across the table and swiped your thumb over it.

"There," you murmured, automatically bringing your thumb to your lips and sucking it clean.

You didn't even register what you'd done until you saw Sam's expression shift. His jaw tightened, his shoulders went stiff, and his eyes widened. It was as if you had just short-circuited his brain. 

Your cheeks flushed as you realized too late how intimate the gesture had been. "I… uh… I just noticed you had some... whipped cream."

Sam's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, his hazel eyes darting between your face and your thumb. He cleared his throat and he tried to recompose himself. "Yeah, I know," he said, his voice slightly hoarse. "I was saving it for later." He laughed at his own joke, but his smile was strained. He grabbed his napkin and wiped his mouth, even though you'd already taken care of it. His fingers fidgeted with the edge of the paper, like he needed something to do with his hands.

Trying to change the subject, Sam went back to complaining about Dean's behaviour, but you weren't really listening. Your focus remained on Sam, on how his ears had turned pink, on the way his knee bounced under the table. His nervousness told you exactly what you needed to know: he wasn't over you. Not at all.

You smirked, taking a slow sip of your milkshake. Interesting .

* * *

It was a blisteringly hot day, and the gas station's freezer section had been your salvation. You emerged victorious, peeling open a bright red popsicle as you and Sam leaned against the store's wall watching while Dean tinkered with the smoking engine of the Impala. It didn't take you long to realise that Sam kept sneaking glances at you.

You took a long, exaggerated lick, the sugary sweetness of the cherry popsicle coating your tongue. Sam's gaze flicked up from his phone, landing on you before quickly darting back to his screen.

He cleared his throat, "You know, those things are full of chemicals and stuff. Not exactly healthy."

You smirked, "Oh, Sam. Let a girl have a bit of fun. The forbidden fruit is always more delicious, isn't it?" You paused, letting the words hang in the air, before giving the popsicle another slow lick, letting your tongue linger over the surface, swirling around the top deliberately before taking a slow, exaggerated suck. Then another.

Sam shifted uncomfortably, crossing his legs and trying to act casual despite the flush creeping up his neck. "Yeah, well, just don't want you getting sick or anything."

You shrugged. "I'll be fine", you said, licking a stray drip off the tip with the flat of your tongue. When you sneaked a glance towards him, you couldn't help but notice the volume in his pants. 

His eyes followed your gaze and quickly turned around. "Gonna go help Dean", he mumbled as he went towards your other brother.

You watched him go, flicking your tongue over the popsicle again just for the hell of it and holding back a grin. That had been too easy.

* * *

Sam had been avoiding you in the past few days, tensing up whenever you got close to him. He had even objected when you called shotgun after he announced he was going to drive, but of course you had gotten your way and now sat in the passenger seat, sipping lazily from a glass Coke bottle, letting the cool fizz linger on your tongue before swallowing. 

The Impala rumbled down the highway, the steady hum of the engine filling the warm night air. Sam was clearly bothered by having you on his side: shoulders tense, hands gripping the wheel a little too tightly, jaw set like he was determined to focus on the road and nothing else.

But you knew better. You could see the way his eyes flicked towards you every few seconds, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed hard. You couldn't help but smile, knowing you were the cause of his distraction. 

You took another sip, letting your lips wrap around the bottle, your eyes never leaving Sam's profile. "So, Sam," you said, your voice a sultry purr, "what's got you all worked up today?" 

He glanced at you, the way his fingers tapped against the steering wheel giving away his nervousness. "Nothing, just... driving," he muttered, his voice a low growl.

You could see the muscle in his cheek twitch, a telltale sign that he was struggling to keep his composure. You knew you were playing with fire, but you couldn't help it. You were loving teasing him, to see him squirm.

Dean, who was sprawled out in the backseat and seemingly dozing off, groaned loudly and sat up. "Oh my god," he muttered, then suddenly, his head popped between the two front seats. "Alright, that's it. Spill it."

Sam flinched so hard the car swerved slightly. "Jesus, Dean! What ? "

Dean narrowed his eyes at him. "What's what ? You. You've been acting weird as hell, dude. And you, sis" he said, turning his attention to you, "you're looking like the cat that got the cream.

You puckered your lips. "The cream? Not yet," you threw Sam a wink as you said finished your sentence.

Sam choked. Full-on, coughed on his own spit choked. He barely kept the car steady as he thumped his fist against his chest.

 Dean flopped back against the seat. "See what I mean? You're so wound up you can't even drive straight. Are you two back into fucking?" Dean then shook his head, hands rubbing his temples in an attempt to drive away the forming headache. "Actually, I don't wanna know. But I do know that you two need to just…" he waved a hand vaguely, "to figure it out."

Sam shot him a glare, ears burning red. "Would you just shut up ?"

Dean just smirked and shut his eyes again.

You took another sip of Coke, biting back a grin as you settled into your seat. This road trip was turning out to be very entertaining. You were having too much fun with this new game of yours. 

* * *

Dean had wandered off to a bar, leaving you and Sam alone in the motel room with takeout. The food was good, but the real entertainment was watching Sam struggle with the mess. A smear of barbecue sauce clung to his index finger. You watched him hesitate, clearly debating whether to wipe it on a napkin or just go for it.

Before he could decide, you grabbed his wrist. "Here," you said smoothly, lifting his hand toward your mouth. "Let me help with that."

Sam's eyes widened slightly, but he didn't pull away. You could see the pulse at his wrist quickening as you leaned in, your tongue darting out to lick the sauce off his finger. You made a show of it, your eyes locked onto his, sucking gently as you pulled back, before popping off his finger with a little smirk.

"Mmm," you hummed, releasing his finger with a pop. "Delicious."

Sam swallowed hard, looking as if he was about to explode. "You're my sister, you know that?" he said, his voice coming out a little hoarse.

You shrugged, releasing his wrist and leaning back in your seat. "So what? It's not like Dad is here to stop us now."

He chuckled, shaking his head and picking up his burger. "That was a teenage mistake", he said, thinking back to when you two had begun a relationship as teens, only for John to promptly try to kick Sam out of the family for doing that, even though it had been your idea in the first place. 

Leaning back, you stretched your arms behind your head. "Either way, what were you saying?"

He swallowed hard. "I…Uhhh. Nothing. Never mind."

* * *

Once more, Dean had left you and Sam alone in a motel while he went out to scout a location. If you didn't know better, you would assume Dean was trying to help you and Sam get back together.

You sat on the edge of your bed, watching Sam from the corner of your eye as he read about the creatures haunting this town, his back hunched over a pile of books that he had got in the town's library. His broad shoulders were tense, and his jaw was clenched. You could almost see the gears turning in his head as he tried to figure out a way to kill whatever monster was plaguing the town.

"Sam," you said, breaking the silence. "Aren't you tired of working? You've been reading all day." 

Sam looked up from his book, his hazel eyes meeting yours. You smiled, glad to have finally caught his attention. Sam's gaze lingered on you for a moment before he sighed and closed his book. 

"I could use a break," he admitted, rising up from his seat and stretching his arms above his head. His t-shirt rode up, revealing a sliver of tanned skin and toned abs, and you couldn't help but let your eyes wander. "What do you suggest?"

You smirked, a perfect plan coming to your mind. "Well, you need to relax. You have been so tense lately. And I know just how," you said, your voice low and sultry. You stood up, walking towards him with a sway in your hips that you knew would catch his eye. Sam watched you, his eyes darkening as you approached, his breath hitching slightly.

"Oh yeah?" he asked, his voice rough.

You stopped in front of him, close enough that you could feel the heat radiating off his body. You reached up, tracing your fingers along his jawline, feeling the stubble under your touch. Sam's eyes fluttered closed for a moment, his breath hitching again. You leaned in, your lips brushing against his ear as you whispered, "I know what you need, Sammy. Let me take care of you."

You felt his body tense slightly, and you knew he was trying to resist. But you also knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't be able to deny you for long. It was delightful to watch the effect you had on him. You pulled back, looking into his eyes, and you saw the moment he gave in. His eyes softened, and he let out a soft sigh.

"Fuck, you're gonna be the death of me, aren't you?" he murmured. You smiled in satisfaction and brought your lips to his, kissing him deeply. Sam responded immediately, his  hands finding their way to your waist and pulling you closer to him. You broke the kiss to trail your lips down his neck, nipping and sucking until you heard him groan.

"Fuck, that feels good," he breathed out, his hands tangling in your hair. You grinned against his skin and continued your exploration, your hands finding the hem of his pants and pushing them down, along with his underwear. Sam's cock sprang free, hard and ready, and you felt yourself start drooling at the sight.

"Already so hard for me," you murmured as you kneeled in front of him. "Just like the old times." Sam groaned, his hips jerking forward as you wrapped your hand around his shaft. You stroked him slowly, feeling him pulse in your hand. You leaned in, your tongue flicking out to lick the precum beading at the tip. You looked up at him, your eyes meeting his. "I have been wanting to do this for days," you said, before wrapping your lips around the head of his cock.

You could taste the saltiness of his precum, and it only spurred you on. You needed more. You wanted to make him come undone, to hear him moan your name, to feel him lose control. You wanted to remind him of what he had been missing all these years. Sam groaned, his hands tangling in your hair as you took him deeper into your mouth, his length hitting the back of your throat. You could feel him throbbing against your tongue as you began to move your head back and forth. 

"Fuck, you're so good at that," Sam groaned, his hips moving in time with your head. You felt his hands tighten in your hair, guiding your movements as you took him deeper and deeper. Spit dripped from your chin, falling onto your breasts, and your eyes watered every time he pushed it too far. But you didn't care. You wanted to make him feel so damn good that he would forget any moral concerns and lose control.

You hummed around him, the vibrations eliciting a guttural moan from Sam. "Shit, I had missed this", he rasped, his breath coming in short gasps. "You're so goddamn good at this." His dirty talk only spurred you on, and began to suck him harder. You could feel his body tensing, his hips moving faster, fucking your mouth with reckless abandon. You moved your hand to his balls, gently squeezing and massaging them, feeling them tighten in your palm.

Sam chanted your name, his breath coming in short, sharp gasps. You felt his cock throbbing in your mouth, ready to explode. You wanted to push him over the edge, make him scream your name. You doubled your efforts, taking him as deep as you could, your nose pressed against his stomach, and his body trembled.

Soon enough, you felt him explode, his cock pulsing as he filled your mouth with his hot seed. You swallowed every drop before pulling back. You stood up, wiping the corner of your mouth with your finger, before sucking it clean, your eyes never leaving his.

"Told you I know what you need," you said, with a wink.

[biisexualemma]

ifs and buts. rafe cameron (pt.4)

word count: 2.6k

warnings: mention of alcohol

requested: kinda

plot: you're trying to figure out what's going between you and rafe

part 1 / part 2 / part 3 / part 5 / part 6

your eyebrows furrowed, your loose gaze dragging over to where you felt a hand gently shaking your shoulder. your eyes refocused to see kie sitting next to you, her knees tucked up to her chest and her hand dropping from your shoulder. your eyes were a little wide now when they moved to sarah opposite you, both girls watching you carefully.

"you're in your head tonight," sarah observed. you both sat with legs outstretched and intertwined with each others, her foot nudged your thigh. "you ok?"

you slouched forward a little, letting out a deep sigh you hadn't realised you'd been holding in. you grabbed onto her leg and giving it a soft squeeze. "i'm good," you reassured them both, though they didn't look too convinced.

you couldn't help feeling distracted, and you weren't very good at hiding it clearly. you hated admitting it, even if it was only to yourself, but rafe had been stuck in the back of your mind for days. you hadn't seen or heard from him since the incident at the club a few days ago, and all you could do was replay it in your head. were you too harsh? he was trying to help— he did help you out, but this was rafe cameron. he didn't help anyone but himself. so why did he help you? on multiple occasions.

you wanted to get all of this off your chest, to stop the questions running around in your mind and get some perspective but you couldn't with either of them. you already knew how they felt about him, especially sarah, they would immediately think the worst. you couldn't blame them, a few days ago you would've done the same thing. 

"how 'bout you guys?" you gave them a soft smile from behind the nearly-empty beer can in your hand. "i feel like i never see you anymore."

kie narrowed her eyes at you, she wasn't letting you off that easy. "don't change the subject," she never was one to let something go until it was settled. "c'mon, since when do you keep secrets?"

you rolled your eyes teasingly, a nervous laugh leaving your lips. "i don't! who said i was keeping secrets?" you were too defensive, you realised as soon as you said it.

"is it your dad? has he been away again--"

"no," you cut sarah off quickly, shaking your head. they were both looking at you with intensity, waiting for you to crack. they knew you well, and what you were was a bad liar. "guys, i'm serious, i'm fine—" kie gave you a stern look and you stopped, letting out a huff.

"it's just-- something that's been bugging me."

kie tilted her head to the side from where her chin rested on her knees, her eyes softened as she tried to understand. sarah, however, lit up with a gasp, "is it a boy thing?"

you involuntarily winced, and if she hadn't caught you before, she had now. her mouth slowly stretched into a smile, and kie quickly straightened herself out. "shit, you gotta' tell us now."

"it's not a boy thing," you tried to clarify, but it wasn't enough it would seem because they both gave you a quizzical lift of their brows almost in unison, causing you to laugh a little and roll your eyes. "i mean, he's a boy but there's no thing. at least not right now."

"explain," was all kie said, tucking her chin back into her knees, ready to listen intently.

you let out a small huff. you could tell them the gist of the situation without telling them who it involves, right?

you let out a soft groan before beginning. "it's just confusing," you explained, a little uncomfortably, knowing what they'd say if they knew who you were talking about. "i don't know what he wants from me."

sarah hummed, nodding her head as kie spoke, "boys are like that."

"john b was hopeless at the start— seriously, it wasn't until i spelled it out for him that he actually made a move," she smiled as she said it, clearly fond of the memory that was appearing in her head right at that moment. you just hummed, leaning back and propping yourself up with your arms. you head rolled back, eyes falling on the dark night sky above you, slipping back into your thoughts.

"yeah, pope wasn't much better, honestly," kie shrugged from her curled up little ball. "boys are kind of hopeless."

this wasn't at all helping your situation. if only you could tell them everything. you were beginning to feel kind of rotten, keeping it from them like this. you weren't a comfortable liar or secret keeper, it just wasn't in your nature. but until you figured out exactly was going on with rafe and what he was getting out of it, you knew it was best to keep it to yourself. you didn't want everyone getting involved when it could turn out to be absolutely nothing.

"maybe he just doesn't know where he stands with you," sarah suggested. your eyes were tired as they focused back on her again. "you could just confront him, and go from there."

you mulled it over quietly for a moment, "maybe," you were already spacing out again as you replied. 

you sat in silence for a while, thinking about all your options. you were pretty sure sarah and kie carried on the conversation but you were way back in your head by then. you had to speak to rafe, and the sooner the better. you needed to know what he was thinking, planning. was this a game to him? did he see you as a prize to win over? maybe, or maybe he really meant what he said and he was just looking out for you. so did that mean this was all purely platonic? or did he do it because he cared? every thought and possibility swam around in your head, it was making you dizzy and tired.

until you felt an arm wrap around your shoulders, pulling you into their side. again, pulled out of your head with your eyes half glassed over, you saw jj at your side. "what's with the sad faces? get drinking!" you couldn't help but crack a smile as he shook you back and forth and handed you another beer. this was going to be a long night for all of you.

—

"you'll get your ass beat if you walk over into this house," you shooed john b away from the both of you, frowning as he persisted. you had sarah propped up next to you, her arm over your shoulder as you walked up to her house. she'd had a little too much to drink after jj had ploughed everyone with more beer and she was now insisting she'd forgotten how to walk. john b naturally wanted to make sure she got to bed safe, but you weren't having it. "get your ass back in that twinkie," you demanded, pushing him away this time and thankfully he begrudgingly listened, making his way back to the van where the rest of the pogues were waiting to take you home.

"john b's sooo cute," she mumbled in a drunken haze. it amazed you how in a matter of hours she'd managed to get herself into such a state. "don't you think?" you couldn't help but smile, she was in love even when she was off her face, it was pretty sweet. you just wished she could be in love and walk straight at the same time. "actually, don't answer that."

"woah," you panicked a little when she stumbled crossing over the doorframe and into the foyer, barely keeping her upright. you only hoped her dad was fast asleep, because he was absolutely the last person who needed to see this right now. "careful."

"you be careful," she fired back, feigning a frown but couldn't help herself from giggling. she was a happy drunk, which was nice, but also meant she was loud and didn't know when to shut up. "you wanna hear how smart i am?" she halted as you reached the bottom of the stairs, her whole body swivelling to face you, practically nose to nose as she swayed. you knew the route to her bedroom well, you just needed sarah to cooperate. 

you hushed her, trying not to laugh as she began to sing her abc's. "sarah-- sarah please," you shrugged her upwards as she began to slide down, her head falling onto your shoulder. "just help me with the stairs a little-- i'm begging--"

"what the hell--" your eyes darted up and up and up, head craned back in panic that you'd been caught by wade. but you weren't that lucky. rafe stood on the floor above you two, his head poked over the railing, eyebrows furrowed tightly. he was irritated, you could tell even from this far away. "--are you doing?"

"rafe," you spoke in a panicked whisper, desperation struck across your face because you didn't know how to handle this situation at all.

"rafe? where?" sarah's head shot up from your shoulder, her eyes darting all around her but never towards where rafe was actually moving across the landing and to the top of the stairs. "y/n, hide quick!" 

she grabbed your shoulders and in one swift movement she was cowering behind your back, very obviously still in plain sight. you huffed, wrapping your arms around where she wobbled behind you, trying to keep her upright. 

"please, help me get her to bed," you begged, a slight whine to your voice as he made his way down the stairs in a huff. you noticed he was wearing sweats and a t-shirt as he grew closer making you think you'd woken him up. this was confirmed when he reached the two of you at the base of the stairs and saw his hair strewn about and his slightly squinted eyes.

he let out an exasperated sigh as he looked over at his little sister who had been hiding behind you, but was now half asleep as she lay against your back. "you are so lucky dad is out of town tonight," he spoke to his sister before he began moving her away from you carefully. he wrapped an arm around her waist, throwing one arm over his shoulder, before instructing you to grab the other side, which you did. "how did you even end up like this?" he grunted softly as held up most of her weight, while you were keeping her somewhat steady.

"well--" you began to speak for her because it seemed she was half asleep at this point and wasn't really registering anything anyone was saying.

"actually, let me guess," he cut you off, taking off on a bit of a rant as he struggled up the last few steps before taking a breather once he reached the top. he looked passed his sister and over you, where you stood looking guilty as sin. "john b was involved."

that seemed to perk her up, "where?" she mumbled, lifting her head up to look for him even though her eyes were closed. "john b-- john b--" she raised her voice to a shout the second time and rafe immediately clamped his hand over his sisters mouth.

"shut up. you're gonna' wake up wheezie," he said in a harsh whisper. having had quite enough of all of this, rafe dragged his sister down the hall to her room with you trailing along side them both trying to keep up. 

"aw wheeze, i wanna give her a squeeze," her voice growing quieter, her eyelids heavy. "pleeease?" her voice trailed off before her eyes shut completely and the two of you were now carrying dead weight.

rafe took her whole weight from you, leaving you in the doorway as he hauled her over to her bed, before dropping her with a thud onto the mattress. he let out a few deep breaths before grabbing her legs and repositioning her, throwing a cover over her as she let out a quiet snores.

"as if it was even possible, you're even more annoying when you're drunk," he mumbled under his breath as he turned away from his younger sister, his eyes rolling to the side. he'd almost forgotten you were there until he saw you standing still in the doorway looking pretty guilty.

"i'm so sorry," you quickly apologised after he ushered you out of the room and closed the door, leaving him standing over you in the hallway. "i didn't even realise she'd drank that much until it was too late."

he shook his head dismissively, "dad's not home so she won't get in trouble," he sighed, running a hand over his face, rubbing his tired eyes for a second. you felt really bad for waking him up like this, but you were also kind of glad because you were sure you probably would've ended up leaving sarah to sleep on the staircase otherwise. "but what's new with that," he mumbled that last part under his breath.

you didn't know what to say, you stood quietly, thumb in your mouth as you chewed your nail, feeling a little bit embarrassed and a tad bit tipsy. your eyes lifted upwards when you felt his hands land either side of you on your shoulders, you hadn't realised you begun to sway a little. he ducked his head a little to get a good look at you. "do i need to put you to bed too?" his squinted his eyes a little, he was teasing you.

you shook your head, unable to move your eyes away from his blue ones. you wondered how they could still look so blue when it was pretty dark in this hallway. his hands moved to either arm, giving them a gentle squeeze, his eyes examining you thoroughly. he just hummed before letting go of you.

you let out a breath you hadn't known you'd been holding in.

"were you sleeping?" he shrugged off your question but your eyebrows still knitted together with guilt. "i really am sorry, i tried to get her to be quiet but she's so much heavier and louder than she looks."

he shook his head dismissively again, "my sister isn't known for doing as she's told," he meant it teasingly but you couldn't help but chew down on your bottom lip. you were nervous and bursting with a million questions for him, but now didn't feel like the right time. especially since there were three teenage boys waiting for your return just outside.

"ok, well, i'm gonna go," you said after a minute of silence between the two of you. 

"how are you getting home?" he asked, eyes watching you carefully.

"the boys are outside waiting," you answered.

"i don't love the sound of that," he muttered. he glanced away from you for a second, his jaw tightened slightly. he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants, his frame still towering over you. what did he mean? you had to know, you were dying to know.

"they're just friends," you don't know why you clarify but you do. you don't know why you don't just leave without saying anything else. there's no real, solid reason for you to continue standing here, waiting.

he was quiet again before speaking. "you can crash here if you want."

"i don't think that's a good idea," you answered almost immediately.

"why's that?" he had such an eerie calmness about him.

"they're waiting for me," you repeat.

"so?" he raised an eyebrow, shrugging his shoulders. he saw the uncertainty on your face, eyes not knowing where to look, but they wouldn't look at him again. "tell 'em you're crashing with sarah."

"why should i?" you wanted him to give you something, a hint of anything.

"why not?" you cringed as he said it, you shook your head.

"no... thanks," you mumbled, taking a step away from him. maybe it had all been in your head. rafe seemed to be oblivious to you in any other way than as his sisters friend. and that was ok with you, you just had to let go of the idea you had in your head that he was doing this because he might actually foster feelings for you.

taglist:

@lail1010

@julielightwood

@dudenhaaa27

@lilmaybank

@mad-die45

@mk15x

[the-blossica-fan]

A new Phenomenon has rocked the Suitcase. This time, from X. Thanks, bud -_-

A machine malfunctioned next to Jiu and Yenisei, but... they're fine. Physically, mentally? Normal...

They brush it off, and go to bed.

...

And then, they both wake up as guys.

I present: The Genderbend Phenomenon. I am sorry in advance 😭

Gonna need some soda for this one

And there you have it, a new invention for X's shoe Xtreme Talent, which should have, and I quote, "made your physical appearance stand out more". Well, taking himself and only himself into the equation, turns out it has the opposite effect on girls!

After the generous experiment performed with the accidental help of Jiu Niangzi, who got a little too curious for her own good, he learned that he should have experimented with more subjects because...

Well, he has yet to see the results of an awakened.

Back to Jiu Niangzi. Could you imagine the jumpscare that it is waking up one morning to see your lovely girlfriend and in her place see a handsome man?! Where's her girlfriend??

Same happens to Yenisei after being awoken by a girly scream, but she's able to calm down rather quickly after the "stranger" starts talking with a familiar accent.

"Where's Yenisei??"

"What-- I'm Yenisei!"

"No you're not! Yenisei is a girl!"

"I am a girl??"

"No you're not??"

And it's then where they both fall into realization that, well, neither are a girl, both are young guys staring at each other very shocked. Yeah it took a while to get used to it.

Jiu probably didn't mind the change, a Xiangrui can get used to these changes quickly, right? Well, her hair length is the same, the only thing that's awkward is clothing but even that is easily solvable (she asked Zima for some clothes)

Yenisei was the one to struggle the most. Same hair length, that's true, but also the weird feeling of not being in your body is uncomfortable. She did try to get used to it, but she does miss her normal body.

And now you have two pretty guys hanging around!

This experiment gave X a perfect idea... Making another one that can turn guys into girls, perfect for whatever the hell he's thinking of. Yeah he had John Titor help him out, he's not a girl (yet)

[swifty-fox]

MOTA Hockey AU, so tell me about Buck and Bucky's first kiss! Or when they realize they're gonna date :D

OOO okay well this may be subject to change once i start writing (I dont control the characters they control me)

but I think that Bucky kinda makes a real ass of himself at first (SHOCKING)

As i've said, Gale kinda corners Bucky for a quick n dirty long before they're even friends and once they're in the same team Bucky is relentless in his teasing of Buck about it (in situations where he doesnt risk outing him) he's also REAL interested in that happening again please and thank you. Big Buck is pretty much like 'fuck off and fuck you (not sexy' for much of it.

Because it's a new team they do a lottery system for rooming together when traveling in hotels and Buck and Bucky by some weird twist of fate (author loving cliches) they draw straws to room together at least for the first season. This creates a lot of negative tension just due to their different game-day rituals as i went into but also because Bucky continues to hit on gale and try to tempt him into bed. It kinda has the opposite effect and kinda scares the fuck out of Buck and it kinda all comes to a head where a bit too drunk Bucky's trying all his moves in the book and he's kinda got Buck semi cornered in the room and while he isn't doing anything past the line of consent he DOES finally fucking realize "oh this isnt Gale playing a game or playing hard to get I am genuinely making him uncomfortable"

Cue him feeling awful. Cue him going to Curt to be like 'uh i really fucked up bad'

Cue curt threatening to knock Bucky's fake teeth in if he doesn't apologize and leave that boy alone because what the fuck Bucky.

and Bucky's a good guy he is and he genuinely feels so bad and slimy because he's like a dog with a bone and he let it go to far so next time he and Gale are in the hotel room he apologizes with his whole chest and promises he's done. "No more hitting on you. We're teammates and that's it. On my Ma's grave."

And Bucky keeps his word! He stops with the flirtation (past general hockey flirting you see between teammates) he stops propositioning him. He stops turning his music up louder during pre-game prep every time he sees Gale twitch with annoyance. And I think when he gives Gale that space he does the best thing he could have done and gives Gale the opportunity to actually know John. To work with him and bond with him and they start creating a really beautiful friendship out of it.

I think fast forward to their second year playing together. It's not a playoff game, the're well off from that but it has been an unusually rough game. Curt was ejected for a dirty hit and then mouthing off to the ref, Croz got pulled from second line to fill in Curts spot and he's honestly doing better than people expected but he doesnt play with Rosie and Buck usually and it's showing.

Buck lost a tooth after a nasty high-stick and his jaw is going to be BRUISED tomorrow. Both their first line D-men are down with injury so it's the rookies. They're fighting for their LIVES and man they somehow manage to eek out that win and it's just exhilerating. Buck and Bucky are in the middle of the celly pile and their masks are pressed together and they're just grinning and staring into eachothers eyes.

Later they're the last two in the locker room and Gale grabs John and pushes him against the wall in the deepest most passionate kiss that John literally almost goes weak at the knees. He's never been kissed like that before in his life.

I don't think after that they have like a "we are boyfriends" conversation. But they do end up together. They're rooming together at that point full time and slowly but surely Gale just starts spending every night in John's bed

[blueberri-blu]

My Request Rules ♡*⁠.⁠✧♫

Please feel free to submit requests! I love interacting with y'all! (⁠人⁠ ⁠•͈⁠ᴗ⁠•͈⁠)⑅˖⁠♡

Here's my Master list ^^ (I'm currently only doing TMNT!)

And My Writing Prompts

Tags:

All of my works are under the #bluberri writes tag and anything I reblog is under the #reblog tag!

Who I write for...

TMNT (from 2012 forward)

Who I may write for in The Future...

The Boys (Hughie, Billy, Kimiko, Frenchie, M.M. and Starlight for now)

Sherlock Holmes BBC (John & Sherlock for now)

BNHA

What I Write...

Fluff

Suggestive

Comfort

What I Won't Write...

Smut (for now)

Yandere/dark themes

Incest

Non-con

Angst without comfort (for now)

If an ask makes me uncomfortable then I will answer it by saying I'm not comfortable doing it, and will probably add it to this list

Please note these rules are subject to change, so please check them before requesting, thank you ^^

Also! Anyone who submits an anon ask, please pick an emoji or specific name for me to call you! <3

[menlove]

could you tell us some more about lord hear my prayer? looove some religious imagery <3

GOD SAME it was born entirely out of a) john my beloved by sufjan stevens and b) the fact that there's not a lot of religious imagery in mclennon fics and i wanted to change this. it kind of stalled bc i wrote this big long scene in paris & then realized it didn't really... fit well w the theme of the fic? so i threw it into my "killed darlings" folder but lamented bc i lost like 3k of this fic & lost steam. but i 10000% wanna finish this one.

it's john's pov and basically centers around the idea of paul as a religion to john. inspired MAINLYYYY by the lyric "i've seen religion from jesus to paul" which is taken as like ya know being about beatlemania but when you have on yaoi goggles like me....

anyway, here's a snippet!

1953

The wooden pew was uncomfortable and unforgiving under John’s arse as the twelve year old shifted, squinting in the morning light at the painting hanging at the front of the room. In the soft, golden sunshine and aided by his piss-poor eyesight, the rough brushstrokes had faded out, giving the subject an ethereal sort of look that’d left him feeling like the wind’d been knocked out of him. 

Course, John knew who Jesus was. Been dragged to enough sermons with Mimi and George to get the gist of it, but looking at the painting, John thought he might get it. A little. The figure in the painting was- well, beautiful, in a way he’d never seen a man painted to be. The man’s eyes were turned heavenward, eyelashes falling over supple cheeks, golden curls spilling around his shoulders. All brought together by strong, masculine hands clasped in front of him as he prayed, veins painted with a care that had John’s heart racing uncomfortably in his chest. 

Truth be told, he’d never understood the whole Jesus thing. Now, he wasn’t an atheist or summat- only the truly worst sorts of people were, at least that’s what his auntie said. But it was all just a little hard to believe, wasn’t it? Sounded more like the books he liked to read than something that actually happened. If God was out there healing the sick and the blind, then why was John’s vision still shite? Didn’t make a lick of sense, not to him. But staring at the painting, he thought- well, if that’s what he’d looked like, he probably would’ve followed him too. 

Not in any queer way, mind, just the same sort of way he gotten a right thrill out of Carl, one of the year nines, inviting him with the rest of the lads for a smoke. Leaned against the brick of the school wall, choking on smoke and feeling his head spin from the rush, he’d looked up and seen the smoke from all the boys’ ciggies clouding around Carl’s face and thought it looked right out of a film. It was the same sort of feeling he felt now, twisting up in his chest and tugging.

Was that what people were talkin’ about, then? When the little old ladies would coo about the spirit of the lord? Maybe that was it- the painful, swooping feeling stuck under John’s ribs as he blinked up at the painting, remembering Carl’s toothy grin as he’d laughed and laughed and laughed at John’s coughing. His pink tongue poking out between those teeth, head tipped back to reveal a long neck and protruding Adam’s apple. 

John’s cheeks had started to heat and he shifted to lean back against the unforgiving pew, crossing his arms over his chest, feeling embarrassed for reasons he couldn’t even begin to place. Next to him, Mimi shot him a look, reaching over to pinch his shoulder until he sat up again. He sighed, uncrossing his arms with a scowl, eyes flicking away from the painting. Up by the pulpit, the priest’s strong voice washed over the crowd, Bible clutched in one outstretched hand.

“We must remember, from Corinthians, what the Lord has said of all earthly temptations,” the priest began. He cleared his throat, sweeping his eyes over the congregation, imploring them to listen. John already knew he wouldn’t understand- those old words were too jumbled up and confusing. “‘There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.’”

At the front of the church hall, the priest looked tired. His hair was thinning and he’d swept it forward in some attempt to pretend it wasn’t. What was probably a handsome face when he was John’s age had turned sour, like fruit that’d been sitting out on the kitchen table too long. His nose was a deep red, speaking to just what sorts of temptations  Nah, he decided, fixing his gaze on the blue polka-dot fabric of the woman’s dress sitting in front of him, he didn’t get it all.