#a sunny place for shady people

[jojotier]

Any time the Elisa Lam case gets brought up in fiction I'm always just a little. Skeptical I guess bc like using such a fucked up irl case can go Real Sideways if you don't get the execution right, and while I trust Mariana Enriquez leagues more than I do the yiik guy I gotta wonder: how is she gonna spin this?

[myriad--starlings]

Memories never come at predictable moments. They're like cats that sleep peacefully in the sun, but when you dare to rub their bellies, they scratch you right in the eyes.

— A Sunny Place for Shady People, Mariana Enriquez (trans. Megan McDowell)

[the-final-sentence]

No one wanted to accept that Elisa was gone again.

Mariana Enríquez, from "A Sunny Place for Shady People"

[cessreads]

hello

[ijustkindalikebooks]

Review: A Sunny Place For Shady by Mariana Enriquez.

Mariana Enriquez's A Sunny Place for Shady People is her first story collection since the International Booker Prize-shortlisted The Dangers of Smoking in Bed. Featuring achingly human characters whose lives intertwine with ghosts, the occult and the macabre, the stories explore love, womanhood, LGBTQ counterculture, parenthood and Argentina's brutal past.

I do always find this author's work intriguing, so when I saw her latest collection on Netgalley, I asked if I could read it and I'm glad I did as we get a new collection of weird, dark and political stories that reflect the lives of different women in horrifying and twisted ways.

I do think the stronger half of this are the first two stories - the characters she creates and shines a light on, are people I think I've met and so many I've met, that these stories feel like you're walking into a scene of people that you know and that she has written with pinpoint precision into these stories which make for story that really pull you in and allow you to live in them.

The tone in these stories vmake you feel like these stories are being told to you and just you alone, like you are in on this book from the beginning and something important is being shared with you on every page. This sort of autumn campfire energy creates a sort of menace in these stories that draws you in, especially in Face Of Disgrace in particular, which builds the tension until the very last line of the story.

Sure there are stories where I'm sat there thinking 'what did I just read?' but all in all this is a great collection that took me some time to read because these stories can really get to you. I'd definitely check for trigger warnings with these stories as they cover a range of things that effect women, violence against women in particular is something that is a major part of many of these stories.

I need to read something light after finishing this.

(Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC for honest review).

[judgingbooksbycovers]

A Sunny Place for Shady People: Stories

By Mariana Enriquez.

[babadork]

From Black Eyes:

I didn't know what those black-eyed children were, but I sensed what they were capable of. There are some feelings that don't have words, and the way they "looked" at me was exactly that: a mute message from a shadowy place. You know if your child has stopped breathing in bed. Someone's eyes on your body when you think you're alone is a very clear sensation. The danger in a man's smile when he realizes his bestial physical superiority. Fire burns. Snow is slippery, so you have to take short little steps. I could not have another encounter with those black-eyed beings. Period.

[myoldsox]

Review: A Sunny Place for Shady People, by Mariana Enriquez, translated by Megan McDowell (Hogarth) – California Reading

Just reading through this; it is very good! 👍🏼

[emmalovesdilemmas]

“Don’t tell me anything that happened in the castle. Don’t tell anyone,” he whispered into my ear.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I replied, very seriously. “Maybe you do have a concussion.”

He pressed a finger into my chest. The gesture said: You know how to keep secrets.

It also said: Thank you.

A Sunny Place for Shady People; “Hyena Hymns”, Mariana Enríquez

[canon-gabriel-quotes]

Francis has definitely seen this blog now. You have been Linked. Recommended to him even.

I am aware of my fate. I stand tall knowing that no punishment can touch me, as I am already in the bad place.

[aidenwaites]

Also FINALLY got my hands on Unmask Alice

[bunbunlovestowrite]

Yandere!Tentacle Monster x Fem!Lighthouse keeper! Reader

Damn that title long

Cws: Tentacles are referred to as more than one, reader is a bit of a perv for wanting to bang monsters, consensual somnophilia, excessive cum, cumflation, penetration, the monster is buff ngl 💦, this is supposed to be freaky/kinky :p also reader is morally grey

SFW

You've always loved solitude. Even when you were a young girl in foster care.

Fog, mist, rain, thunder, dark clouds, all of those added to the feeling of being enclosed where no one else was.

You don't like sunny days. Not in an emo way but in a need for a calm, and the blistering sun couldn't bring you that.

Fast forward 20 something years and you struggle to stay at a job because of people. Rude customers, loud kids, lazy coworkers. Hell you got fired from your local grocer because you threw a cabbage at some entitled asshole.

And by some luck, you weren't in cuffs yet. Fate? Prolly lol

You were reading the newspaper one day and saw an ad for a lighthouse keeper. It must have been urgent if it was in the paper 4 times.

The people you met for the job were shady as hell. But they offered to pay good for you to just take care of the lighthouse completely alone for 6 months.

They put you on a boat and shipped your ass out to an island hours away from the mainland.

It had the lighthouse (duh), a cabin for you, a very small forest, and beaches covered in driftwood and seaweed.

It was foggy, cold, and wet with no sun peeking through the clouds.

Perfect.

The people who hired you were eager to get off the island. So immediately after showing you the basics they ran off.

The cabin was old and rustic, with a few holes in the roof that were covered by aged duct tape.

There was an outdoor shower and the place used gas lamps for light.

But you enjoyed it. The solitude.

Now let's skip to two months later.

You got the hang of keeping the light on and keeping it fixed. The stairs definitely worked you out though.

You spent 80% of your time using the small workshop to repair the cabin. It eventually looked slightly livable.

Everything was completely normal

Until that day on the beach.

You were outside your cabin showering.

The outdoor shower didn't exactly have curtains so you were exposed to the beach it faced.

The hot water kept you comfortable in the cold weather and you were relaxed...until you heard a growl.

You assumed it was an animal and looked around when you saw something light purple disappear into the ocean waves.

Coral you thought just coral

You went on with your week like nothing happened but you always felt watched.

It wasn't until one night during a storm you felt it.

A storm had hit the island hard, it was freezing and your shitty blankets did little.

You barely managed to fall asleep when something warm engulfed you, arms and slimy embraces.

You screamed in shock and fear but your unwelcome bedmate held you harder and wouldn't let you move.

It was only after you calmed down that it relaxed.

Light purple skin was what you noticed when looking down. With scales in areas that were slightly darker.

The tentacles were wrapped around your legs tightly, writhing in certain areas.

You got a better look when your holder put you on your back and sat above you.

A humanoid creature with light purple skin and what seemed to be a jellyfish head sat on its actual head. It had no nose and completely white eyes, not to mention a gentle smile.

It cooed at you, dragging it's hands up your stomach and sliding up your bra.

Slimy and warm, that was it's skin.

You normally would have thrashed and kicked, but maybe it was the pheromones the creature left out, or how one tentacle pressed right against your cunt through your damp shorts.

But you moaned when it touched you. A soft, unashamed moan.

The tentacle at your shorts practically tore them off, panties included, and it slid up and down your slit and flicked against your clit.

You watch as it's hand fondled your tits and pinched your nipples, its eyes slightly lidded.

You let your body roam down it's chest and saw it didn't have a cock. It was kinda like a ken doll. But the tentacles must have the same effect as one when you saw white precum drip from the larger tentacles tip.

More tentacles held your arms and legs open while the tentacle squirmed into you, thick and struggling.

There wasn't a part of you it didn't fill. Your stomach bulged slightly as it didn't wait and immediately moved in you, wiggling before pulling out and slamming back in.

The cabin was full of lewd wet noises and your cries, along with the creature chirps and coos while it pet your head that night.

NSFW

There wasn't a second it didn't have a tentacle on or in you.

Despite its main body being in the water there was a tentacle wrapped around your legs that you never found the start of.

It had an iron grip and wouldn't come off unless the creature itself was nearby.

When the tentacle wasn't dormant it would rub against your clit through your pants or would be in you, gently drawing orgasms after orgasms until you begged it to let you breathe.

The creature was never gone for more than a few hours. And when it came back it came with gifts.

Shells, pearls, fish, jewelry it made or rusty jewelery it found on the bottom of the ocean.

You noticed it liked it when you wore the jewelry during sex, mainly due to how much rougher it was.

Then there was the slight fear of getting knocked up.

Every single time you had sex you would try and tell it to pull out but it would just smile and pet your head before cumming in you for the third time that hour. And you loved it.

Sometimes, when you were especially needy, you'd put on more of a show when showering.

Even touching yourself when you knew it was watching. The creature loved it.

You'd see it stand in the water and would beckon you closer, to which you happily obliged.

You'd meet in the water and it would kiss you roughly before lifting your legs around its waist and kept you above the water as it fucked its tentacles deep into you. The water mixing with the (possible) gallons of cum that spilled from you

One of your favorite things was waking up to its coos and growls.

You'd be held tight by its tentacles while it found shoved it's tounge in your cunt, hitting deep spots with its flexible prongs.

Other times it would wake up to you using one of its tentacles, whining when you couldn't get it to stay stiff by itself. It would act asleep and slowly stiffens the tentacle so you could have your fun.

What a perv you are

But then again the sun's gonna blow up one day so :p

It seemed to have infinite stamina and an infinite libido.

It could be the most inconvenient time ever and all you need to do is give it a look before your suspended in the air by your hands while it curls a smaller tentacle around your clit and fucks you with its thick one.

The creature was possessive before you knew it was there, especially when people dropped off your supplies.

But now that your it's? A whole new genre of possessive.

On time you had to keep a straight face while talking to someone cause the mini tentacle was rubbed right against your g-spot while somehow rubbing your clit under your skirt.

It even started biting you hard enough to leave marks.

--

Requests are open :)

[myriad--starlings]

Walking along the bank of the Paraná and seeing a flock of birds means imagining yourself surrounded by castigated women, transformed against their will, longing to be human again. When you hear the songs of birds at night, when you can't sleep for the heat, you're listening to a concert of widowed cries, and of injustice. Millie always says that when they put her away, she thought she would eventually come home, but transformed into a bird. A cockatoo or a parrot, though, because they weren't going to get her to shut her mouth.

— A Sunny Place for Shady People, Mariana Enriquez (trans. Megan McDowell)

[angelbrainrot]

❝ leather black and eyes of blue. . . BLUE, BLUE, BLUE 𓂃 ⋄ 🎸 ❞

maisie and matt have always clashed heads with one another. growing up across the street from each other, they’ve never gotten along. maisie’s parents have classified matt as a danger she should stay far away from and she has no problem doing such. it’s not until after she goes to a party his band is playing at that she realizes all she needs is a little bit of alcohol to see that her real problem is the attraction she feels towards him. enemies are still enemies if they’ve slept with one another…right? maisie’s too drunk right now to care about anything she usually would when it comes to someone like matt, so she decides she’s okay with hating herself tomorrow if it means he’ll be on top of her tonight.

words: 7.1k

pairing: matt sturn x fem!oc

context: this is a flashback scene for my original fanfic, so there may be a heap of confusing background characters mentioned if u are reading this as a stand-alone ! guitarist!matt. (he also has shady shit going on) bratty!oc. enemies to lovers but they drunkenly sleep together once and this is them in the car otw to go sleep together. (this is from his perspective so u can kind of tell he’s always wanted her tho) ocs friend = sunny (fem!oc) + sunny = chris’ gf.

story: national anthem

WARNINGS: SMUT, oral (m receiving), unprotected p in v, petname usage (“baby”), nickname usage (“mason”)

┊͙✧˖*°࿐

after the party, when time came for the triplets, their bandmates, and their tag-alongs to pack into the band's van so that they could all leave together, it was decided that matt would not be the driver for once. he is actually just as plastered as the people he usually picks fun at for drinking so much.

it is obvious, however, that the reason being for such has to do with maisie's attendance tonight. sunny had already planned to come home with the triplets, but maisie's intentions were to simply walk across the street to her home after the party. matt just happened to come up lucky in changing her mind with the magic workings of his lips.

now, sunny has scrambled to the very back of the van with chris, and the two are very clearly appreciating their seats next to one another by sucking each other's faces off. maisie and matt are sat in the next row, matt rubbing at his forehead since he's still trying to get his dick to calm down from being around maisie all night as the girl herself seems peaceful in her drunken haze. then nick and roddy sit together, nick tipsy enough to make roddy smile a little more than usual and roddy as sober as always. quinton is driving, and dylan is more occupied with shooting amused looks into the back of the van every five minutes than picking the right songs for aux.

as matt's hard on is finally beginning to subside, maisie sits up a little straighter in her seat to turn and peak around at whatever sunny and chris are doing. matt purposefully keeps his head down as her eyes widen at sunny practically on top of chris, his hands cupping her breasts through her dress in the midst of their passionate make out. they're so slouched over the seats that they're out of most of the passengers' view, and maisie finds herself muttering, "damn," as she turns back around in her seat. she hasn't seen her best friend acting like such a freak in a long time.

she looks down to her lap and realizes she forgot to put her seatbelt on when she climbed into the car. chris and sunny clearly never bothered to do so either, so she isn't really worried about it. she glances over to matt and finds no belt keeping him safe either. her stare lingers though, specifically just on him.

he looks dangerously good tonight—good enough to make her ignore every raging red flag of his which has stopped her from ever getting to this point with him. but now she's next to him in a car with plans to go back to his place, and all she can think about is how bad she wants him. in this moment, it feels worse than anything she has ever wanted before. he's more-so a craving. he's been in the background of her life for ages now, but she's never been this close to him before, and now that she is, she's completely okay with hating herself in the morning.

if she really is finally giving into her deepest, darkest desire, she'll be damned if she doesn't have fun doing so.

she continues to unabashedly stare at him when he starts subconsciously rubbing the edge of his jaw with his hand, his eyes finally jumping to her in the lack of light the car's windows provide around them. his brows pull together slightly at the sight of her already looking at him, his voice low when he quietly asks, "what?"

maisie doesn't know how to answer. she can't come out and say "i just want you," when her ego would never let her say such a thing—not even drunk—but it's all that's floating her mind right now. wordlessly, she bites her lip. she knows it's a pathetic action just because it's in hopes he'll catch her drift, but she sticks by it as his hand drops from his face.

she watches the scrunch between his eyebrows deepen before his tongue darts out to wet his lips. "maisie," his voice has more rasp in it than before, and it has her biting down harder on her lip. his eyes shine extra due to the glimmer of the streetlights passing by through the surrounding windows, and maisie finds herself pushing her legs together at the saliva barely coating his lips being highlighted in her vision.

matt's eyes jump to the tightening of her thighs, noticing it just as the sound of chris and sunny's hushed moans overshadowing the music dylan is playing causes maisie's face to grow flush with some form of anger. it feels like she's missing out on fun she could be having as well when her best friend is getting it on right next to her. swiftly, she lets out a frustrated sigh. "matt," she breathes, turning in her seat to face him.

matt hears the whine in her voice and feels his pupils expand with lust, losing all train of thought as he finally reaches out to touch her. his hand smoothly slides onto her bare thigh, the instant warmth of her skin relieving some of the tension he feels, but not nearly enough. she’s been unattainable in his eyes for so long now through all of her fury, that knowing he can touch her however he likes is almost overwhelming. his hand creeps up further her thigh, reaching the bottom of her tight-fitting dress as his low-lidded eyes peer up to her. he leans his head back against the back of the car seat and softly murmurs, "mason..." the heat radiating off her skin warms him up entirely, and he wishes he could skip to the part where he gets to feel it everywhere.

letting out a mix of a huff and a grunt at matt's gentle whisper, maisie can officially not take this any longer. abruptly, she leans forward and firmly grabs his face with her hands to turn his head towards hers and push their lips together. she can practically feel matt's surprise at her sudden actions, his lips taking a second to catch up to hers. as soon as he's aware of what is happening and adjusted to the feeling of her mouth on his, however, his hand slides off of her thigh in attempt to begin to take control of their positioning.

he sits up as their lips work against one another, turning in his seat to face her as she is him. his back presses against the window behind him as he feels satisfied in their new position, now able to fully focus on maisie all over him. she gets closer and closer to him the deeper their kiss becomes, and matt is desperate to find the best place for his hands, them wandering from her waist, to her hips, to her neck.

once maisie breaks away from him for their first breath of air, she takes a moment to bring her hair behind her shoulders. matt's legs subconsciously spread to lean against the cramped walls of the other seats around them, and he doesn't think anything of the action until maisie is leaning into the space between them. his eyes widen as she comes close to him again, but this time, there is significantly less distance between them with her newfound positioning between his legs. he sucks in a sharp breath when their faces are inches from each other yet again, raising his hands to travel down her backside to the end of her dress.

maisie leans in to connect their lips once more, and this time her hands reside on the back of his neck. the kiss starts off slow, just as matt's hands find her ass, and it feels as if he could memorize the pattern of her lips in this sitting. it quickly grows passionate when her lips part and he smoothly slides his tongue into her mouth, her hands trailing up into the ends of his hair. her fingers slide through his short locks of hair, and he grunts at the way her acrylics scratch his scalp, squeezing her cheeks as a reflex.

it's at this time that his previous problem quickly becomes a reoccurring one. when maisie's hips rock against him sensually, his eyes suddenly snap open. suddenly pulling away from her, his hands slide off of her bottom to her hips instead. he clearly takes her off guard when he attempts to push her back, her eyebrows furrowing and her hands coming atop his to stop him. "what's wrong?" she whispers.

"i'd fuck you in this car if i could. you make me so fucking horny," he says hushedly, maisie's eyes widening almost instantly. she wants to laugh, but she'd be lying if she said she's not in the same boat as him right now, so she remains serious. she presses her lips together as her hands move to rest on the sides of his neck, watching him suck in a breath before whispering lowly, "i don't want anyone to see me hard."

maisie can't fight her wicked grin that follows; he should know by now that, that would only make her feel good. "i don't care," she responds confidently before ignoring his previous hesitancy completely and bringing his lips back to hers.

matt feels the blood shoot to his cock immediately and knows he shouldn't, but he melts so easily into maisie's kiss that it becomes a weakness of his he can not fight. his hands grip onto her ass again, and he can now pick up on how it arouses her by the sloppiness of her kissing when he does it. he continues to do it just to feel her struggle to keep up with him, and pulls away from her with a smirk so that she can catch her breath.

as maisie attempts to get her breathing back to normal speed, she can't help but pay attention to the way matt is pulling her against him. it seems to be something he's doing subconsciously with his hand placement, but it's distinctive to maisie as it causes his crotch to press further into her. their bodies are nearly perfectly aligned with her being between his legs, so feeling his cock hard underneath her has heat going right between her legs.

she bites down on her lip at the pressure of his dick rubbing against her through their clothes, quickly making an effort to try and push herself further onto him. matt's eyes widen at the action not going unnoticed in the slightest, his hands freezing as he looks at her. "what are you doing?"

"i can feel how big you are," she whispers to him lowly, taking pride in the shock of his expression following her bold words. she smiles at the panic which floods his features, surely because her sensual tone adds to his literal growing problem. she leans forward and moves her mouth down to his chin, beginning to kiss there and enjoying the feeling of his heart pounding against her.

"fuck, mason," matt's voice comes out disheveled as her mouth continues to lower down to his neck. he closes his eyes and enjoys the feeling of her sucking on his skin, finding this to be something he's only dreamt of before.

it's not until the music playing that they were barely paying attention to stops and nick loudly calls, "we're here!" that either of two take into account the presence of any other person in the van.

┊͙✧˖*°࿐

matt's dick is in pain and he's not sure it's the pleasant way anymore by the time him and maisie finally make it to his bedroom. he swings the door open and practically rushes for her to come inside, closing it the instant she's inside the room.

he lets out a sigh as he slowly turns around to face maisie and his bed, lifting a hand to quickly run it through his hair. he watches her stop stood in front of his bed and then glance around the room silently. while he expected her to take a moment to analyze his bedroom, of course, he's been fighting to get a real moment alone with her all night, so now that it's here, he just wants to make the most of it. he doesn't have time for this, so he steps forward.

he wraps his arms around her waist from behind, causing her to first tense up before she relaxes at his touch instead—much to his smugness. he lowers his lips to her neck and whispers against her skin, "i've been waiting for this."

maisie's eyes flutter shut at the little trail of kisses he presses into her skin. his lips are so much softer than she ever could have imagined and it makes this all the more worth it. with a deep breath, she maneuvers to spin around in his hold and come face-to-face with him. matt's eyes immediately flicker to her lips with their sudden closeness as she grabs ahold of his jaw. he expects her to pull him in for a kiss, when she instead says, "all i want to do right now is suck your dick."

matt's face practically lights up and it makes her want to laugh out loud. he breaks out into a schoolboy smile and his hands drop to give her ass a squeeze. "whatever you wanna do, baby."

she grins, turning the both of them around so that his back is to the bed rather than hers, and then pushes him back onto it with the shove of her hand. matt watches her with a smirk as he takes his cue to sit at the edge of the bed, his eyes lighting up with danger when she puts both of her hands on his knees to spread his legs before kneeling before him. his own hands move to rub the spots hers previously took after she moves to reach for his belt buckle.

he eagerly watches her undo it and then raises his hips to pull his jeans to his feet for her. he notices her eyes widen at the imprint of his dick through his boxers, his usual length intensified with how hard she's made him. when she sucks her bottom lip between her teeth, he feels his internal thought process break for the millionth time tonight.

she scoots close to him, resting her hands on his thighs and impossibly shooting more blood rushing to his dick. "i wish you had let me known what you were working with earlier, matt," she says lowly, her eyes trailing from him down to his boxers. she leans closer to his dick, keeping her eyes on the area as she finally lifts one of her hands up. she slowly manages to wrap her fingers around a bit of his length, matt's eyes closing at the sensation of finally feeling some relief. "so much time wasted..." she mutters, her other hand joining her current one to begin completely palming him through the fabric of his boxers.

"fuckkkk, mason," matt feels embarrassed in the fact that he already wants to moan, so he lifts his hips and causes her hands to drop. "let me take these off already," he says underneath his breath, not missing her drunken giggle at his rush to get undressed.

her laughter disappears the moment he peels back his boxers, however. matt's dick springs out immediately as he drops his boxers down with his jeans, and he feels smug in the awestruck look which takes over maisie's face. he notices the way she takes in a sudden breath, and the slight narrowing of her eyes as she takes a second to stupidly stare at it.

when her knees drag across the carpet to get as close to him as she needs to be, he grins to himself. he watches her struggle to push all her hair behind her shoulders and refrains from chuckling, deciding to bunch it all in his hands for her. he then feels her appreciation in the small action when her hands finally wrap around the base of his cock. his breath hitches, feeling her spit on the tip to create moisture before she spreads it by beginning to slowly pump his length. his eyes close almost automatically.

he lets go of her hair so that his hands rest on the bed next to each of his sides, giving him weight to lean back on when maisie opens her mouth and smooths her lips out to fit just the tip of his dick into her mouth. he feels her tongue swipe across the top and exhales a grunt, opening his eyes to watch her in action.

slowly, she lowers her head to fit more and more of him into her mouth until she has to lower one of her hands still lightly pumping his base. then, she begins to bob her head up and down, looking up at him to catch the first moan that leaves his mouth. she watches his head go back and feels motivated to only do better.

she picks up speed and matt is quickly pleased, judging by the bucking of his hips as an inaudible grunt falls from his mouth. "yeah," he mutters through breaths, keeping his eyes open through his quiet moaning to maintain eye contact with her. he grabs her hair once more, tightening his grip before becoming unable to fight closing his eyes and throwing his head back any longer. "just like that, mason."

she manages a hum, the vibration being felt on his cock and causing him to instinctively push down her head. maisie drops her only hand still on the base of his length to allow herself to fit as much of him in her mouth that she can with matt's sudden pushing, and in result, an ungodly gag leaves her mouth. the movement causes matt to suddenly lean forward, his lips parting. "fuck," he breathes. "fuck, mason, i'm about to-" he cuts himself off, struggling as his hips instinctively buck forward. maisie's head bobs quicker and quicker as matt closes his eyes, allowing his impending orgasm. "'m gonna cum."

maisie hums yet again, causing matt's grip to tighten further in her hair as the sensation was the last thing he needed. he moans audibly as liquid shoots straight from his tip into the back of maisie's throat, her head raising up and leaving his cock wet as she immediately swallows it all at once. matt grins, very pleased with the sight. "good girl."

she smiles amusedly at him as she catches her breath, raising a hand to wipe the back of her mouth and scooting back on the floor to take a second to breathe. matt feels like he has to catch his breath too, taking the moment to get his boxers back on. he doesn't bother with his jeans, leaving those on the floor with the shoes he also has to take off. that's when he glances over to maisie and notices her shoes still on her feet behind her. he raises his eyebrows. "you just did that with your heels on?"

maisie looks down to her feet, realizing he's right. she was in just a rush as him that she hadn't even noticed. quickly, she slips them off and stands up with a lazy shrug. "i'm a talented girl."

the corner of matt's lips turn upwards for obvious reasons, and he reaches out for maisie's back to pull her towards him still sitting on the bed. "clearly," he says playfully, glancing over her short dress that's been killing him the whole night before asking her, "does this zip?"

when she nods her head, he spins her around and moves her hair to the front for her to hold onto. he then unzips her dress from the top to the bottom, the noise filling up his quiet bedroom. his skin doesn't even touch hers, but he can still feel her warmth from being so close to her.

he spins her back around so that he can see her face, and then he begins to pull her dress off from the back. his eyes stay on her face at first, enjoying the tension in the eye contact, but as he slides the dress down past her chest, his eyes magnetically drop. he bites his tongue at the red lacey bra she has on underneath, feeling turned on all over again at her nipples peaking through the sheer parts of fabric.

matt must have stopped undressing her with the dress halfway down her body, because he can't focus on anything other than her tits until he notices her begin to finish the job for him. his eyes jump down to the rest of the dress sliding down her body, instantly sucking in a breath at the matching panties she has on. of course.

"do you like the red?" maisie asks in a whisper as her dress hits the floor, then stepping out of it and back between matt's legs.

"i love it," he answers unashamedly, his hands sliding from the back of her thighs to her ass—where they linger for an extra moment longer before roaming to her back, and then around to the front of her torso. his eyes roam her body hungrily as if he doesn't know where to explore first. he has a clue though, suddenly standing up from his bed as he rests his hands on her backside. "let me show you."

the corner of maisie's lips turn upwards wickedly, wordlessly nodding her head to comply to his wishes. his grin matches hers before he turns her around, maintaining eye contact as his hands linger around her sides before sliding off completely. maisie feels cold without his touch before he instructs her, "lay down."

maisie smirks, murmuring a playful, "yes, sir," before she turns around to face the bed. she is acutely aware of how this leaves her ass facing him as she crawls onto the bed, a secret smugness building in her chest at the sigh she hears leave his lips from the sight. once she's reached the pillows, she turns so that so she can rest her head back on them. her body is on display right in the center of the bed for matt still stood at the end to admire openly, maisie's ego boosting tremendously with the way he licks his lips. feeling hot and bothered, and ready for him to get on with it already, she tilts her head in the midst of his staring. "are you going to keep that shirt on the whole night or what?"

matt's eyebrows shoot up, amusement swirling in his eyes before he dryly laughs at her comment. the raspiness of the sound has maisie crossing her legs on the bed in anticipation as he is quick to listen to her, reaching for the end of his shirt and swiftly pulling it over his head with one hand. "you've got quite the mouth on you, mason," he says hoarsely as he approaches the bed, watching her prop herself up with the back of her elbows. his knees press against the bottom of the bed as he starts to climb on, a devilish look flooding his features when he teases, "need me to shut you up that badly?"

"i've only been waiting for it all night," she replies pointedly, growing frustrated with the strong want she feels for him.

matt smirks, coming further onto the bed and finally glancing down to her lower half. maisie feels herself grow bashful under his stare, subconsciously pushing her legs further together as his eyes scan over them. he notices the movement and gently places a hand just below her knees, sliding it over her smooth legs crossed together and looking up to her red face. "relax for me," he says softly, removing his hand as maisie nods and slowly begins to uncross her legs.

matt watches her move and waits until she's laid flat so that he can slide his hands underneath her, smoothly sliding them up the back of her thighs and feeling the goosebumps his touch he creates. he looks up to maisie as he continues furthering his hands enough to reach the lace trim of her panties bunched at her hips. he feels the corner of his lips raise when he smoothly slides his fingers underneath the fabric and maisie raises her hips up instinctively, prideful in the way she can't keep her lip out of the in between of her teeth.

he doesn't remove her underwear instantly as she was expecting, and instead, removes his fingers from underneath the sheer fabric completely. maisie huffs in frustration, letting her hips hit the comforter with a grunt as matt chuckles underneath his breath. he wants to take his time with her, so he leans forward after removing his hands from her entirely and moves his focus to the damp area in which the fabric is covering her core.

matt reaches one of his hands out to lightly graze his fingers over her panties, feeling the wetness and inhaling sharply. a smirk plays on his face when he hears maisie's breathing audibly change, and he feels lust take over him entirely when he retracts his hand and his fingers are left damp. he gazes up to maisie's face growing flusher at the minute. "all this for me?" he asks sensually, feeling his dick wake back up after his previous orgasm when he gets somewhat of a whimper in response from her. immediately, he reaches a hand back up to her panties, now feeling her wet folds through the thin fabric and getting his own pleasure in the loud breaths that leave her lips. "you're soaking through your panties, baby."

"can you just fuck me already?" she whines, arching her back to try and relieve some of all the tension she is feeling at the moment. matt's eyebrows raise, removing his hand from her panties and raising both of his hands to her legs instead. maisie whines at this too, surprising matt more and more with the neediness she is not hiding. she pulls her feet up to fold her legs against him as she desperately looks at matt, silently pleading with him when his hands slide up her legs.

"let me make you feel good first," he replies, still set on returning the favor when his words only seem to make her groan in disapproval.

"matt, please," she whines, shaking her head repeatedly as matt feels his jaw go slack. he feels awestruck at the sound of her begging—the sound of her begging for him. finally leaning her head back against the pillows once more, maisie looks at him serious and lust-driven. "i just want you to fuck me."

matt's hands freeze on her legs, the realization hitting him that his dick is as hard as stone in his boxers right now. it feels like the winds been knocked out of him, but he still manages to lean forward into the space between her legs. "are you sure?"

maisie rolls her eyes into the back of her head, taking the initiative to wrap her legs around him completely. "don't make me say it a third time," she says frustratedly, causing matt to finally realize she's being serious.

the fact that he's been given the green light dawning on him, he shoots forward in a quick effort to find her lips. after he situates his hands on the comforter above her head, maisie lets out a relieved grunt the second his mouth meets hers, and desperately reaches her hands around to his back. she grips onto his back muscles for the life of her as he slides his tongue into her mouth, nearly moaning at the broadness of his tattooed body underneath her fingertips.

he draws his lips from hers to give them a moment to catch their breath. "i've wanted this for so long," he just barely murmurs through the loudness of their breathing. and he doesn't even give her long enough to process his comment before his tongue is back in her mouth, making her forget he ever spoke entirely.

maisie sinks her nails into the skin of matt's back and he moans into her mouth, nearly creating a second pulse at her core. instinctively, she tightens her legs around him, causing him to moan again before he breaks their kiss to catch his breath in her neck. maisie feels something pressing into the warmth present between her legs and can't contain her gasp when she realizes what it is. "hard again already?" she can't help but tease, trailing her hands on his back to the end of his neck, and feeling him groan into her neck. "are you usually this easy to get bothered?"

"it's just you," he murmurs his response against her neck, causing her to sigh delightfully. he then begins softly kissing the skin there, maisie's eyes beginning to flutter close at the sensation. when it turns into sucking instead, her hands find their way to his hair.

she grips onto his hair like her life depends on it the more intense his sucking becomes. he purposefully allows his teeth to graze her skin before letting go and pressing a soft kiss to soothe the area. maisie finds herself wanting him more because of his ability to act so tender in such a passionate moment between them. she sucks in a breath as his kisses trail further down to her chest area, looking down to watch him treat her with such care.

as he begins sucking at a spot on her collarbone, one of his hands finally venture to cup her breast for the first time. he squeezes her tit through her bra, causing her to gently moan his name out, "matt." he continues to squeeze the tender area, growing more aggressive as her skin is nicked between his teeth. "matt," she repeats, growing louder in hopes that he'll pick up the pace they're going at.

she hears him let out a frustrated breath against her skin before he raises his head to peer up at her. he slides his hand underneath her bra, watching her breath hitch as he swipes his thumb over her nipple. "can i take this off?" he whispers.

"mhm," she just barely responds, matt smiling smugly before he raises himself up still in between her legs. he allows his hands to travel underneath maisie's torso, keeping his eyes on her as he undoes her bra while he can not see the back. maisie bites down on her lip once it pops undone, both of their gazes lowering immediately with the sound. seeing the sheer fabric grow loose has stars forming in his eyes, and he quickly pulls at it to try getting it off.

maisie raises her arms to get out of the straps when it becomes loose enough, and instantly, matt is only looking at her tits. "my god..." he mutters to himself as maisie tosses her bra onto the pillows behind them.

when she turns her head back around, she can't help but grin at the way he seems so awestruck seeing her naked. her grin is automatically wiped off, however, when matt shoots his hand forward to grip one of her tits bare. she lets out a surprised moan, catching the pleased expression on his face before he dives his mouth right onto her other one. she moans again at him kissing onto her soft skin all the while he continues squeezing and squeezing the other one, desperately bundling some of his hair in her hands. his mouth moves to her nipple, swiping his tongue over the sensitive area to hear her moan, "matt."

it's when maisie's nails begin to scratch at his scalp that his grip on her tit loosens and he grunts against the other one, looking up to see maisie's lustful features. "fuck, i could cum just looking at you," he says with the shake of his head, raising himself up just as she whines in reply to him. he closes his eyes, the sound going straight to his cock. "i need you on top of me," he tells her once he opens his eyes back up, her eyes widening as his hands suddenly slide around her upper back.

his words catch her off guard at first, but the thought of riding him has her complying the second she processes what he said. immediately, she loosens the hold her legs have on him, and he breaks out into a grin at the movement. quickly, he tightens his arms around her before pushing all of his weight to the side, successfully rolling himself onto his back and taking maisie with him.

she readjusts on top of him, moving her legs to where they're comfortable all the while matt feels her up. "that's better," he says more-so to himself. his hands slide up her sides to her bare tits, squeezing there eagerly and grinning a little too excitedly when she finally looks down at him.

it feels like he's staring at a goddess floating before him as he watches her flip her hair behind her shoulders. she lowers her hands down to her waist and matt's eyes follow her every step of the way, knowing she is moving to remove her underwear. he watches her bundle it up at the sides, sending chills down his spine when she looks at him before pulling it down. she brings it to her knees, then removing it from each of her legs one by one before throwing the red fabric onto the floor.

once maisie lowers her hips and rests her weight against him, matt immediately sucks in a breath at the feeling of her core right against the ache in his boxers. "oh shit," he instinctively begins to sit up, attempting to get a better look at her on top of him. "i can feel you—“ he struggles with the overwhelming sensation at his crotch. "fuck, i can feel how wet you are on my—“

"shhhh," maisie shushes his lust-driven ramble, forcing him to lay back with the push of her hand. his eyebrows shoot up to his forehead at her boldness, the twitch in his boxers leading her to believe that she just turned him on more. taking in a deep breath before, she suddenly pushes her hips forward to create more pressure between them. matt's jaw drops, barely containing his moan as maisie lets hers free. his eyes jump all over her face as she throws her head forward, looking at him to say, "you already feel so good, matt."

matt lets out a groan full of pent up sexual frustration, desperately gripping onto her hips and following her lead to pull her further against him. she closes her eyes, continuing to throw her head forward as she hears matt murmur through his own muffled moans, "just wanna be inside you."

maisie gasps as he pulls her against him more and more roughly. her need for him only growing worse and worse, she finally cries out, "okay, stop, stop, stop!" matt stops abruptly, his movements freezing at her sudden exclaim. she opens her eyes to find his expression panicked, so she simply catches her breath, diminishing his worries when she scoots back to give herself access to his boxers. matt internally calms himself once she begins messing with the waistband.

once she pulls the fabric down, matt's cock springs out immediately, causing him to sigh of relief. maisie is as quick as she can be when dragging his boxers down his legs, but matt shakes his head, urging her to stop with his nagging at her hips. "not enough time, baby," he mutters, catching her attention once she gets it just past his knees. she sighs and immediately gives up with his permission.

focusing her attention back on his hard dick stood stiff in front of her, she takes in a sharp breath. her eyes jump to the precum leaking out of his tip and reaches forward to swipe it off with her thumb. matt's hands instantly tighten at the sides of her hips, and maisie raises her thumb to her mouth, then sucking it agonizingly slow. "for fucks sake, maisie," he throws his head back against the pillows, causing her to smirk when he impatiently complains, "don't tease me, just fucking ride me."

"sure," she replies simply, smiling smugly before she slides her hands onto his stomach. he lets out a relieved sigh at the touch, watching her use him to hold her own weight up long enough to line herself up with him. she straightens her posture as she hovers above him, reaching down for his cock with one of her hands and aligning it perfectly with her core. matt is already softly moaning at the sensation of his tip being right at her entrance, forcing himself to nod his head when she slides her hand back to her other one on his stomach and looks to him for the go ahead.

slowly, maisie lowers herself onto his length, immediately overwhelmed with her own pussy stretching out to fit him. "oh my god," she gasps as his tip sinks into her, closing her eyes automatically as her mouth stays agape while forcing herself to continue. "fuck, matt, fuck, oh my go—" she continues to moan the further inside her he gets, instinctively opening her eyes as she gasps again the more she feels him stretch her out. "you're so big," she manages through her struggling, her hands sliding up his stomach as she finally fits all of him inside her. he's the biggest she's ever had, that's for sure.

"yeah, baby?" matt responds, his hands sliding up her abdomen as she instantly nods her head for him. she forces herself back up his length, and he smiles at her face of concentration, no longer able to resist himself before starting to readjust them so that he can sit up. he leans his back against the headboard so that he can get a better view of her, and maisie adjusts herself on his lap, her eyes rolling into the back of her head at his dick moving inside with her. he buries his face into her neck now that he can, whispering praise against her skin, "you feel so good." he hears a moan escape her and kisses her skin right as she begins to lower herself on him again. "so fucking tight," he exhales deeply as all of him fits inside her more quickly this time.

maisie lets out a pleased noise at his compliments, thanking him by beginning to pick up her speed now that she can grip onto his shoulders. she pushes his length in and out of her using all of her upper body strength, and the effort is immediately noticed, matt's hands desperately cupping her bouncing breasts as his breathing is hot on her neck—moans included and all. "so good, mason," his voice is barely heard through their loud breaths, but it's all maisie can hear, leaving her to moan as she pushes herself down onto him completely. an ungodly moan falls from his mouth. "so. fucking. good," he says through breaths.

maisie's moans seem to grow higher and higher, and hurried and more hurried the longer she goes on riding him. "oh, matt," she says through moans, leading matt to raise his head from the crook of his neck to take a look at her pre-orgasm face. seeing her all red and open-mouthed has him moaning extra as he leans his head back onto his headboard. "oh my god, matt."

dropping his hands from her breasts to her hips, he sees her nearing a climax and wants to help her get there. without a warning, he decides to switch their positioning by swiftly connecting their lips for a heated kiss. the sudden movement causes her to lose momentum in riding him as she tries to keep up with kissing him instead, and it grants him the perfect opportunity to lift himself up and turn her so that she'll switch places with him.

she breaks away from him when her back suddenly hits the bed, her eyes shooting open in surprise to find him now smirking down at her. "surprise, mason," he teases. her lips part in shock as his single chain hangs down in her face. she glances at his hands, which have found their place resting above her head, before she looks back to his prideful expression.

she sucks in a sharp breath, deciding to let him successfully silence her when he starts pushing himself in and out of her ferociously. his thrusts are full of much more force, causing maisie's claws to immediately dig straight lines into his back. "fuck, matt," she gets out through moans all in which matt keeps his eyes open to see. "oh, fuck, matt." the way her eyes close as her face scrunches up is getting him there just as much as her pussy. "i'm so— i— i'm—“

"i know, baby," he speaks breathily, finally closing his eyes to focus on his thrusting so that they'll both get there together. "me too."

he hits just the right spot for maisie to let out an ungodly moan underneath him, feeling her retract a hand from his back before it reaches out to instead grab the single charm hanging from his chain. his eyes shoot open just in time to see her breathily moan once more before she's pulling his lips down to hers. matt welcomes the action immediately, his tongue quickly passing through to her mouth. she's very sloppy with her kissing, and he takes that as a challenge, quickly speeding up his thrusts to feel her struggle more against him.

he can tell now that her orgasm is right around the corner, as her moans become the loudest they have all night. he chuckles against her lips, muttering, "trying to wake up the whole house, huh?" as he feels her grip on his chain tighten.

"shut u-up," she manages through the moans she begins to attempt to muffle, only amusing matt further as he watches her ride out her impending high. she forces her eyes open to get a good look at his smug face, their mouths still on top of each other as matt hits the right spot for the second time. unable to fight her eyes rolling back into her head, she moans into his mouth, "i'm about to— 'm gonna cum."

"keep moaning into my mouth like that and we both will," he replies to her without missing a beat, his own eyes screwing shut as he means his words completely. he can feel his movements grow sloppy as he roughly pounds in and out of her, his own climax coming just as hers is.

matt feels his orgasm nearing as maisie reaches hers while he is still inside of her, her hands meeting one another desperately at the back of his neck. she cries out matt's name repeatedly through all of her hushed moans, sending him right to the point he needs to get to. "louder, mason," he breathes through his own moans, his thrusts growing weaker as her chanting his name grows louder. "fuck, i need to— c-can i—“

"fill me up, baby," she interrupts him once she predicts his words, massaging his scalp with her nails as he immediately closes his eyes due to the pet name.

the sound of her calling him baby sends him into overdrive, managing a few more weak thrusts in and out of her before he defeatedly drops his head into her neck at the feeling of his hips bucking forward. he grips onto her sides roughly as he finishes inside her, muffling his moans into her neck until he's able to finally pull himself out of her completely and roll over onto his back.

the two lay there wordlessly for a few minutes to catch their breaths, and when matt finally turns his head to look at her, he's taken off guard by the sight of her bare breasts all over again. instantly, he looks away. "you've gotta cover up before i start trying for another round."

"gross," maisie instantly responds, spreading a grin across matt's face at her usual self coming back out to play so fast. he watches her get up from the bed, completely enthralled by her naked body, and raises his eyebrows when she turns to face him with her arms covering her tits. "where do you keep your clothes?"

┊͙✧˖*°࿐

WELLLLL THAT WAS CRAZY! literally half of this is them just moaning fuck. sry i physically can’t deal w pet names in every line it kills me. and i feel like this is way too detailed it's just the way i write :/

hopefully this gives u all some insight into why matt is so obvious w how bad he wants maisie cus THAT WOMAN LITERALLYYYY MATCHES HIS FREAK. regular maisie and drunken maisie on tumblr r 2 diff breeds i fear…

not sure why i forgot condoms exist in this so just go ahead and pretend maisie’s on the pill for me pls n ty 💖

[katyaromanoffpetrova]

Is this the end? (part I)

Katya is new at SHIELD. When she messes up during her probation, she thinks Fury will send her away. To ease the pain, she distances herself from Nat.

• Natasha Romanoff x Fem!OC • Wordcount: 2.6k • Warnings: angst, mentions of self-harm (not detailed) •A/N: I couldn't fit everything into one post, so there will be a part two in a few day's time :) Masterlist

Do not repost my work as your own or translate my work!!

2007

The Triskelion slowly emerged in the distance. Tall, massive, impressive. A building fit for a strong organization like SHIELD. A statement to scare off their enemies.

It used to intimidate Katya too, back when she worked for that enemy. All Hydra agents were warned to stay far away from SHIELD HQ, unless they wanted to die. 

But in the past few months, it had amazingly become her safe space. A place where she could breathe for the first time in her life. A place she eagerly returned to.

Not right now, though. 

On this sunny, late afternoon in cold November, Katya dreaded landing the Quinjet on the flight deck and getting out. Her hands shook as she pressed the buttons and flipped the switches, forcing her breathing to stay normal so the SHIELD agent in the co-pilot seat wasn't alerted of her anxiety. 

She failed her mission. She messed up. Badly. She let Fury down. 

And she was still on probation. 

Her boss was very clear; make one mistake and she's out. And Fury always meant what he said. Always.

Katya didn't think she could keep going if she was kicked out of the one place that showed her kindness. If she was forced to say goodbye to the love of her life once more. 

That was the worst of it all; her failure would come back on Natasha. Natasha who was responsible for her. Natasha who promised Fury that Katya was fit for duty. Natasha who had faith in her to become a better person.

Not only had Katya let herself, the safety of the world, and her boss down, she had disappointed the woman she loved. And that stung more than anything.

The Quinjet barely wobbled as it touched the ground—at least she could do one thing right—and Katya helped her co-pilot with the shutdown procedure before lifting her heavy body out of the pilot seat. 

She didn't want to go out there. As long as she was in the jet, she was safe from being fired. Or she could pretend that she was safe, at least. So Katya took her sweet time collecting her things, triple checking that the Quinjet was ready for its next use before reluctantly making her way outside. 

Her anxiety was miles high as she crossed the flight deck. She felt like a pig being led to the slaughter. Every step of her booted feet took more effort than the last. Katya kept her gaze ahead and avoided the scared agents that jumped out of her way, refusing to let them see the fear in her eyes. 

She thought about running. It was her first instinct after she managed to escape her mission earlier today. It shouldn't have taken her fifteen minutes to decide to call in a SHIELD pickup, but it did, and she felt so ashamed about it. 

That part of her life was supposed to be over. Done. But it tempted her like a line of coke tempted a drug addict. 

Being on the run, being alone, it was so much easier. The only responsibilities she had were to herself. The only person she could disappoint was herself. If she messed up on a shady deal, they would be hunting her for a while, but only her. 

Having people who counted on her was harder than she thought it would be. Emotions were harder than she thought they would be. Her default setting was to isolate and be alone. To run when things were bad.

But she wouldn't take the easy way out this time. She refused to. With a deep inhale, Katya stepped inside the building.

To her surprise, nothing happened. She expected some agent to materialize and take her to Fury, or for people to stare and gossip about her failure. She had even imagined Natasha standing there, a disappointed frown on her face. But life inside SHIELD HQ went on as usual. They barely spared her a glance.

Without further hesitation, Katya mixed with the group heading for the elevators. Maybe if she blended in, she could hide and avoid having her soul broken for a little longer. Maybe, if she was fast enough, she could make it to her room and hide from Natasha as long as possible. 

The agents around her should know how hard her heart pounded as they shuffled away from her. How scared she was. It could be the last time they saw her face. It could be her last day in this building. Her last time riding this elevator. 

Katya's throat closed up. The tiny room suddenly felt extremely crowded. Panic pressed on her lungs. When she arrived at her floor, she bumped some shoulders in her rush to get out. As soon as she crashed through her apartment door, she sank to the floor, shaking.

The silence inside her apartment was terrible. The thoughts in her head sounded ten times as loud in the silence. They were overwhelming. The angry voices screamed at her, calling her a failure, a loser, that she would be better off dead.

She wrapped her arms around her knees in search of comfort. Comfort that she didn't deserve from anyone else.

How did she manage to mess up this badly? The mission Fury gave her was so simple, nothing she hadn't done before. Infiltrate a Hydra building—one Katya had marked as one—and steal some information. In and out. 

But somehow, they spotted her. Katya still didn't know how. She knew nobody could have heard her, or seen her. But the alarms went off and all the exits were blocked. She was trapped with no way out.

It took her locking herself into a room and hotwiring one of the alarm boxes on the walls, to lift the blockades and escape. She ran for five miles through the hills and hid before calling a SHIELD jet to pick her up. 

Now they had seen her face, knew she worked for SHIELD, knew their facility was compromised, and knew what information they were after.

It was the worst thing she could have ever done. She might as well have sent them an email. Fury would not be taking this lightly. 

Katya only noticed she was hyperventilating when someone slammed a door shut down the hall that made her jump. 

She felt ridiculous, rocking back and forth like a baby on the floor of her apartment, but it was her apartment, her safe space. She felt in her bones that she started to belong here, that this was where she should be. So it hurt a million times more, knowing she herself was the reason she would lose it all.

Katya sat on the floor for hours, digging her nails into her arms until welts started to form. Only when dusk set in did she pick herself off the floor, exhausted and covered in cold sweat. Nobody had come to check on her. 

She did her coming-home routine on autopilot. Shower, unpack, turn on her phone that she couldn't take with her on the mission, eat something—even though her stomach was in knots and she felt nauseous.

She had four missed texts from Natasha, each more worried than the last.

Nat (3:44 PM): Welcome back. Hope the mission went according to plan :)

Nat (3:46 PM): Are you okay?

Nat (4:18 PM): Can't get out of this meeting, so I can't check in. Can you let me know if you're alright?

Nat (5:52 PM): I hope you fell asleep. Dinner later? My last meeting ends at 7. If I don't hear anything from you, I'm taking it as a yes.

Guilt started to pile up on Katya's shoulders. She couldn't tell Natasha what happened. She couldn't handle letting her down. She couldn't handle breaking her heart. She couldn't handle having her own heart broken again.

Katya left the messages unanswered. Maybe Natasha would take that as a sign to not come and find her later. 

She didn't. When she showed up at 7 PM and knocked on the door, Katya pretended to be asleep. She stayed "asleep" for the rest of the night and never answered the texts in the morning.

This streak of avoidance continued throughout the week. Katya woke up earlier on purpose, so she finished breakfast right when Natasha walked into the cafeteria. She changed her workout schedule from early mornings to the late evenings to avoid Natasha, who trained in the morning. She walked the other way when she saw Natasha in the hallway. She didn't answer texts, or answered very late. 

When Natasha did manage to talk to her long enough to make plans, Katya canceled them last minute with some lame excuse. 

It stung. It hurt every fiber of Katya's being to ignore Natasha like that. The woman didn't deserve it. She should be getting angry with her, but instead Katya triggered her insecurities too.

When she asked if Katya didn't want her around anymore, the blonde swore she heard her heart shatter.

But this was necessary. Even though Fury still hadn't called her in, Katya knew her exit from SHIELD was close. She needed to create a distance between herself and Natasha beforehand, so it would hurt less when that time came.

"Stop avoiding me."

It was lunchtime, Tuesday, and Natasha had finally managed to corner Katya. Literally. She'd grabbed her wrist in passing and forced her into a random supply closet in the hallway. Her body pressed Katya's against the wall, a fire in her green eyes.

"I'm not. I'm busy," Katya answered with a hint of annoyance, impatiently eyeing the door. She had places to be, people to avoid. 

"Don't lie to me," Natasha bit back, vulnerability in the back of her voice. "We're beyond that."

"Nat." Katya tried, avoiding her gaze at any cost. She didn't want to do this.

"What is going on? You better tell me right now," Natasha demanded.

Katya scowled. "Nothing. Let me go."

"Kat—"

"I said, let me go."

Slowly, Natasha stepped back, giving Katya enough space to escape. The brunette eagerly took advantage of that and slipped back into the hallway. They may not be in a good place, but they always respected each other's boundaries.

Natasha was at a complete loss. The only thing she knew was that everything changed after that mission. If she wanted to know why Katya was avoiding her, the key lay at that mission.

The problem was; her clearance wasn't high enough to get any information. She'd tried to get into the system, but it blocked her. The only thing left to try was going to the person who knew it all.

"I need to know what happened. And no confidentiality bullshit." 

Natasha stood in front of Fury's desk, her arms crossed over her chest. She was angry. At Katya, at herself, at the secrets. She was tired of the emotional rollercoaster, of being left in the dark. She wanted answers, now.

Fury lazily gazed up at her, unimpressed and calm. "It's simple. Petrova failed her mission."

A wave of nausea hit Natasha. Deep down, she wasn't surprised to hear this. She suspected something like this. But actually having it confirmed was something else. She, too, knew what it meant if Katya failed.

"Lots of us fail our missions."

"Correct. But we've also never had a Hydra deserter join us before," Fury said casually, reorganizing some folders on his desk.

Something clicked for Natasha. She didn't know the magnitude of the mission, or Katya's failure. But if Fury was this calm about it, and if Katya was still here, a week later, something else must be going on. As always, the Director of SHIELD had ulterior motives.

"You set her up," she realized with disgust. "You set her up to fail."

Fury didn't blink an eye at her accusation, only proving that she was right. "Only when they face death do people show their true faces."

Natasha boiled with anger, clenching her fists to keep herself contained. He really sent the woman she loved into a building full of hostiles just to prove her loyalty. "She could have died!"

"I knew she could get herself out of that situation."

Natasha had never felt as protective over someone as she did right now. "Katya doesn't deserve your mistrust. She's been loyal since she set foot inside this building. She hasn't lied about anything."

"Loyalty runs deep. We shouldn't underestimate her ties to her former employer."

Natasha swallowed back some nasty words. To call the Director of SHIELD an asshole was risky, even for her. Maybe especially for her.

"If your goal was to make her terrified of losing everything good she found, then you succeeded."

Fury sharply glanced up at her with his one good eye. "We are not a charity, Agent Romanoff. Petrova needs to understand that her stay here isn't guaranteed."

Natasha clenched her teeth together. What an outrageous way to prove a point. "If she has to go, I'm going with her. Just so you understand that too."

"Message received," Fury said dryly, returning his gaze to the desk. "Loud and clear."

A mess of emotions raged in her body as Natasha left his office and legged towards Katya's apartment. It was false hope that sent her there. Hope that her small, meaningless conversation with Fury would calm Katya down enough to talk to her. 

She was still furious at him. Furious for sending Katya into a trap, for mistrusting her, and for being the perfect director. She was angry because she couldn't be angry at him. In his position, it was a logical move to test Katya's loyalty.

But Natasha's love for the woman clouded her judgment. Funnily enough. 

"Open up." Her knocks were fast and impatient on Katya's door. "It's me, and I'm not leaving until you hear me out." She was determined this time, willing to kick the door in, now that she knew why Katya acted so strangely.

To her surprise, Katya opened the door. Her body shielded Natasha's wandering eyes from seeing her apartment. She had dark circles under her eyes, pale skin, and a slow way of moving about her. "What is it?"

Natasha pushed past her before Katya could stop her. It had been a while since she had been in the apartment, and what she saw broke her heart. "Why do you have everything packed?" Katya didn't answer. All her personal belongings were in bags. "You don't have to leave. It was a test. And I think you passed it."

Katya snapped her head up, her eyes suddenly wide awake. "How do you— Ты говорил с ним (You went and talked to him)?"

Natasha was taken aback by her sharp tone. "I—"

"мне не нужна няня (I don't need a babysitter)!" The brunette raised her voice. "I made a mistake during probation. He has every right to send me off, test or not!"

"But it's not a fair test if he set you up to fail!"

"That doesn't matter! Failing still isn't an option! Test or not!"

Natasha thought she would be easing Katya's mind. But the woman only saw failure, clouded by fear. Katya was too terrified to lose everything to think rationally. "You're being too hard on yourself," Natasha continued gently. "You're an amazing agent. All your other missions went perfectly."

Katya huffed, raising her arm to scratch her head. "You can save 20 people, but we both know you only remember the one you killed."

Natasha barely heard her words. When Katya lifted her arm, her short sleeve lifted enough to show red welts on her arms in the form of nails. Clearly self-inflicted. Pointedly, Natasha looked at that arm, the spots now carefully covered. "Nothing is worth doing that to yourself."

Katya watched her go with a broken look in her eyes.

[pinescent-and-gingerbread]

Hello, can I request Arthur x fem!Reader?

I was thinking of this: reader tries to teach how to play guitar to Arthur but it'll be kinda chaotic,something sweet and fun. I had this idea while listening to Javier singing cielito lindo.

Byee <3

࣪ ˖✧ Musical Interlude

✦ Pairing: Arthur Morgan x Fem!Reader ✦ Warnings/tags: None/pure fluff and silliness. ✦ Words: 1,9k ✦ a/n: Alright here it is, I hope you'll like it! NB: I made Arthur right-handed in this when canonically he seems to be ambidextrous; just thought it would be more convenient this way. As a guitar player myself, I loved writing this! (Arthur's pic is from my playthrough, guitar's pic from interest.)

Lately, life had been a little bit easier at camp. People were well-fed thanks to Mr. Pearson and the boys hunting copious amounts of animals, the swamps right next to Shady Belle providing unexpected resources like shrimps, alligator's eggs, or even 'gators themselves if one was bold enough to hunt them (which was definitely the case for some of the risk-takers in the gang.).

Jack had been saved and safely returned to his mother by John, Dutch, and Arthur a few days ago, and it definitely participated in keeping the mood bright and cheerful since his return party.

You were in a particularly happy mood yourself on this sunny afternoon, sitting on one of the boxes around the main campfire, tents and the usual mess of belongings specific to every camp containing a large amount of people surrounding you, making you feel at home. You liked this heterogeneous gathering of people's stuff; Hosea's book next to Dutch's almost extinguished cigar, little rocks Jack had gathered next to Charle's arrows, a half-eaten plate of stew abandoned there by John next to a letter that was probably Lenny's.

You liked this funny combination of objects; it made the camp feel full of life, homey, and convivial. It made you feel even more joyful.

"Hey Javier, you in the mood for a duo ?" You asked your charming Hispanic companion who had just finished eating on the big log around the campfire, putting his plate away.

"Always, mi princesa." The man happily answered, grabbing his guitar and yours that was carefully tidied just behind his and Uncle's banjo. He handed it to you, a big smile on his face.

You grabbed your instrument and placed it on your lap, left hand naturally placing itself around its neck, fingers pressing on the strings to warm them up a bit. Javier and you had always loved playing together; playing an instrument was already funny in normal times, but with another musician, it was even better. You could share the music, talk with each other in a language known only by artists, respond and play with each other in notes and phrases.

The dark-haired man had started playing an upbeat strumming, a fast, gypsy-like rhythm. You liked it, he was carrying you to allow you to solo on his rhythm. You gladly obliged, little grin on your face as your fingers danced on the neck, your other hand skillfully picking the right string every time, creating a harmonious melody on top of your friend's notes.

Some of the other members had gathered around you to listen, some whistling along as you played. Uncle was having the time of his life listening to you both, clapping his hands in rhythm. In the little group watching the show you were putting on, you noticed Arthur, subtle smile on his face, sipping on a cup of coffee, arms half-crossed. God, he was so beautiful even just like this, on a simple afternoon at camp, blue eyes bright with the light of the sun, light brown hair matching a sandy color flannel he had rolled up his elbows. You almost lost your rhythm when your eyes lingered on his bare forearms, and you quickly focused back on what you were doing, a sheepish little smile on your face.

After a prolonged moment of musical interlude, Javier thanked you and went back on with his day, explaining something about going fishing, which didn't surprise you. You were strumming mindlessly now, playing a little melody that was coming to you on the spot instead of an actual song. Most of the gang members walked off, some started around the campfire with you. Of course, Uncle was the first to sit on the white chair next to Javier's green tent, the old man had almost taken up residence on it; then came Hosea, opening a book as often after lunch, and finally Arthur, who came sitting right next to you on the blue box next to the brown one you were sat on, his cup of coffee left emptied on the floor.

You smiled at him, happy he wanted to rest for a while; it was rare for him to just come and sit by the fire, in fact, you were surprised he was even in camp on an afternoon at all, considering he was almost every day on a job or out hunting, coming back only for dinners and nights.

"Mr Morgan." You welcomed him with a sweet smile. Your mood was even brighter than before with him by your side.

"Miss Y/N..." He greeted you back, shifting a bit on the box, as if he was getting nervous. "You an' Javier play really well..." He began, deep voice drawling, always like he was taking his time to talk.

"Thanks, Arthur!" You claimed, genuinely happy he had liked it. With Arthur's usual poker face, it was sometimes hard to know what he was actually enjoying or not.

"I was wonderin'... Erm... Maybe..." He muttered under his breath, his eyes usually sharp and eager to make eye contact were now running away from yours. You could tell he was embarrassed, that piqued your curiosity and even softened your heart. He looked so cute like this.

"Yes...?" You inquired with an encouraging tone, offering him a reassuring smile, wanting him to understand he had nothing to feel embarrassed for.

"Maybe, you could show me some chords? I always wanted t' learn..." He probed you with a soft and interrogative tone. In a way, you had always liked how he acted more carefully and calmly around you.

"Oh! I would love to, Arthur." Your cheerful answer along with your enthusiasm made him crack up a big smile. Your heart felt lighter at this sight.

You gently offered him your instrument, placing it on his own lap.

"Alright, so. When you're right-handed, you put your left hand on the neck, and your right one on the strings." You explained to him, Arthur placing his hands where you told him, holding your guitar as carefully as if it was a newborn.

"Perfect. Now you need to pinch the strings to make a chord. For that, your fingers need to press this way-" You showed him by gesturing your fingers, curling them in the position they were supposed to have on the guitar. "What's good with you is that you already have calloused hands, so it won't hurt too much when pressing the strings."

Arthur tried to place them as you showed, but every time he tried he kept on letting them fall flat on the other strings; which made you laugh a bit.

"You need to curl them more, Arthur, or else we won't hear all the strings." You instructed him, and he chuckled a bit himself.

"Ah, this is more difficult than I thought..." He confessed in an amused tone, making fun of his own inexperience.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it. Just... Put them..." You bent over to him and gently used both your hands to make him properly grab the neck, and place his fingers how you wanted. "...This way."

Arthur tried to hold this position but it just felt so unnatural for his hand to be tensed like that. On top of that, your proximity and the soft touch of your fingers against his skin were definitely not helping making him more focused, not even mentioning how he could smell your delicate perfume when being close like this.

"A-Alright... Then ?" He asked you, trying to learn some more and focus back on the instrument, not his owner.

"Then, you strum the strings with your right hand, from up to down at first." You explained head tilted towards said hand, waiting for him to make a move.

Arthur did as you told, his fingers strumming way too hard, resulting in a horrible dissonant chord considering most of his fingers had moved on his left hand. You couldn't hold back a laugh at the sound he had made, and he followed you, feeling so ridiculous right now.

"Ah, damnit..."

"Arthur, you don't have to beat up the damn guitar!" You joked in between giggles, unable to contain yourself at the sight of the great Arthur Morgan struggling to play an instrument.

"This... Damned thing is sneaky; thought it was easy when lookin' at ya..." He mumbled, obviously frustrated by not succeeding, but also still a little amused at himself, the corner of his lips curling in a slight grin.

"Told you, you'll get used to it. You just have to keep playin'..."

As if to prove he could do it, Arthur tried again, but his index finger had moved again and was pinching the wrong string. When he tried strumming again, less softly, the chord began nicely, and both of you smiled triumphantly... Until the last string, when a terrible bum note ruined all his efforts.

You looked into his eyes, mouth trembling as you forced yourself not to burst out in laughter; he looked so frustrated, but the moment his eyes crossed yours, you both succumbed and exploded in a cacophony of laughing.

Hosea and Uncle had turned their head to your improbable duo, the sight of Arthur trying his best but miserably failing at hitting the good notes making them laugh too. Hosea's gaze caught yours, with this small knowing grin so typical of him, and you blushed a bit. Was it that obvious that you were spending the best afternoon trying to teach your beloved outlaw to play your favorite instrument?

"Y/N, I think it's useless, I'm way too shitty at this..." He admitted, a small but deep chuckle escaping from his chest.

"No no no, I told you before, you just need some practice. Look..."

You got up from the box and placed yourself right in front of him, grabbing each of his hands with each of yours. With your right one, you positioned his index and middle fingers properly to play the simplest chord, the E minor.

With your right hand, you gently guided his from up to down, making the tips of his fingers gently brush every string.

The chord finally ended up sounding right from start to finish, and Arthur let out a triumphant and sharp "Ah!", looking genuinely so happy it sounded good. You smiled fondly at him. How could a so violent and rough man look so adorable and goofy right now?

"See? You can do it." You asserted him, looking up at him in the eyes.

"Thank you miss, you did all the work..." He acknowledged, still smiling, the subtlest red covering his cheeks.

In the background, Hosea and Uncle were looking at each other with this specific look that was saying "There's definitely something between these two but we're not going to say anything".

You and Arthur spend another long moment trying to make him learn the simplest chords, those that require only two or three fingers. You two would crack up smile and laugh every time he would play a wrong chord, and honestly, it was the best day for you both in a long time.

As the sun was setting down, Arthur sighed deeply, realizing he hadn't done anything considered productive yet, spending his afternoon playing with you. He slowly handed you back your guitar, a gentle expression on his face.

"Thank you for your patience, darlin'. I don't know how you're dealin' with this awful skills of mine..."

"Come on, you've made some progress! Keep on training, Arthur. I'm sure you'll soon be the most famous player in the West, on top of being its fastest gunslinger. " You encouraged him, face as pleasant and lovely as a sweet peach on a hot summer day.

Your words made Arthur snort a last amused chuckle.

"You're puttin' too much hope on me, Miss." He concluded with an amused smile before leaving you, heart lighter, ideas brighter than when he had begun his day.

Arthur knew he wouldn't be very talented at guitar, but he also was certain he was going to ask you to teach him again some other day, and he would make sure to play more wrong notes, just to have the sweet opportunity to feel your tender touch on him again.