#accidental pregnancy au

[phoenixyfriend]

God I know Zoro is commonly understood as gay, but there is such a strong energy in me for Zoro/fem!Sanji with nigh-identical dynamics to canon, equally as bitchy and rivals and all that, just with an added risk of having to go to Chopper with a bun in the wrong kind of oven.

(Though tbf, manga Zoro is just really demi/gray-ace and could be bi, and also it's a possibility for trans man Sanji, so it doesn't even need to be a genderbend, fem!Sanji just the conversation that the groupchat was having when I started Thinknig…)

Sorry I am weirdly obsessed with pregnancy AUs

I do not have the energy to jump fandoms again, but I need to read some "Sanji and Zoro have to go to Chopper for an Incident" one-shots.

[dead-dolphins]

The little drabble I wrote for the Athlete Eren/Accidental Pregnancy AU has completely rekindled my love for it, and now I can’t stop thinking about how ridiculously head-over-heels Eren would be for Mikasa from the very beginning. Like??? So in love that he'd immediately ask her to stay over at his place, and, of course, ask if they can have sex 🤣🤣🤣

[highqueenofelfhame]

playlist // book cover

one two three four five six seven eight nine ten eleven

[muniimyg]

𐙚₊˚⊹ bbydaddy!yoongi (4) ⋆𐙚₊˚⊹

series m.list // taglist

🏷️ permanent taglist: @joonsjuice @pamzn @defzcl @whoa-jo @taetaecatboy @jksusawife @un06 @firesighgirl @rrosiitas @butterymin @parkinglot-nights @musicjournalsjdb @kissyfacekoo @jkslvsnella @vampcharxter @bloopkook @somehowukook @bbystarcandykoo @ddanasjk @luvismenu @remgeolli @parapiop7 @lil0u0 @crazyovayou @mggv97 @thvgukk @rpwprpwprpwprw

//

when yoongi calls to confirm the results of the blood test, reality hits all over again. 

you’re pregnant. 

his voice was gentle, with the same calm professionalism he uses with all his patients… but it couldn’t mask his genuine warmth as he told you the news. you want to believe he sounded excited but it was hard to tell. you settle for the telling warmth in his tone instead.

hearing it out loud brought a whole new set of feelings—joy, fear, and then something else: the unavoidable question of how you’d tell your friends.

having a clingy friendgroup is not for the weak. 

but having a clingy adult friend group—the kind who carve out time for you amidst career chaos, endless emails, and hectic schedules—is something else entirely. 

they’re the type who know what you’re thinking before you can even say it. the type who catch your tone shifting over text and who will show up unannounced if they don’t hear from you for a day. they mean well, but keeping things under wraps with them is practically impossible.

which is why telling them worries you. 

you can’t hide it.

you know you can’t.

truth be told, you don’t want to. they’re your friends and you love them to death. this baby is worth every second of celebration.

the thought had barely settled before it started to plague you.

how exactly do you explain this to a group of people who work together? who run a whole practice together? a group who’ll want to plan out everything with you, to fuss over you like you’re a ticking time bomb, and who—above all—will probably have a shitload of questions you don’t have answers to. 

they’re the people you’ve shared birthdays with, career changes, heartbreaks, and random tuesday nights. now you’re going to share this news, but there’s no manual on explaining an accidental pregnancy to your closest friends without it sounding like a rom-com gone wrong.

a part of you already know how they’ll react. 

they’d be thrilled, supportive, maybe a little over-the-top. 

and then confused.

yoongi?

as the father?

… what, when, where, and why?

not that he’s a bad guy or anything but simply because there were no (obvious) moments that led up to this…

regardless, it’s like you can almost hear jimin’s gasp, feel jin’s bear hug, and imagine hyemi tearing up before tackling you in her usual affectionate way.

they’ll want to be there for every step of this (probably more than you can handle) but that’s the beauty of having friends who genuinely make the time… friends who go out of their way to show up—not just when it’s convenient but because they want to. they’re the type who, as adults, choose each other over and over again despite life’s demands. 

you all take pride in being involved in each other’s lives—big moments, small moments, and now…

this moment.

but exactly how much is there to be proud of when you explain how nasty you and yoongi were with each other?

how this mess could’ve been avoided if you didn’t beg for him to creampie you?

yeah…

that’s a tough one.

as you’re still trying to figure out how to break the news, your timer dings.

you pull the last tray of brown butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies from the oven, the warm smell of melted chocolate filling the kitchen. you set the tray down with a sigh, hoping a night of stress-baking will take the edge off. but before you can even start on another batch, there’s a knock at your door.

before you can think to answer, hyemi is already pushing it open, holding an expensive wine bottle aloft like a trophy, her eyes alight with excitement.

“hyemi—”

“wine night!” she grins, crossing the room without hesitation, snagging a cookie from the cooling tray as she pushes the wine bottle toward you.

you catch the label and gasp. a prized chateau margaux. the kind of bottle she probably saved up for weeks (or borrowed namjoon’s credit card) to buy.

“you did not…” you say, eyes wide.

“oh, but i did,” she giggles, giving you a wink. “thank you, namjoon.”

you shake your head, a smile tugging at the corner of your mouth. “i knew it.”

“well?” she nudges the bottle toward you. “what are you waiting for? let’s open this and—”

you hesitate, trying to find the words. “i… i can’t tonight… or for the next few months.”

her smile falters. she clutches the bottle closer, looking genuinely wounded.

“w-wait, what? but—i fought namjoon for this, you know? and you’ve wanted this bottle for forever!”

“hyemi, i have to tell you something—”

“are you breaking up with me?” she jokes, only half-serious as she takes another bite of her cookie.

you roll your eyes and grab the cookie back from her hand, taking a bite yourself.

“it’s not you, it’s me.”

she laughs, swiping the cookie back with a shrug. “so what is it? and holy shit, these cookies are insane—”

“i can’t drink.”

“why? you’ve gone to work hungover before.”

you struggle to find the words, fingers tightening slightly around the bottle in your hands.

“no, it’s not that. it’s… different.”

hyemi’s brow furrows, her eyes narrowing as she peers at you, picking up on your hesitation. “what? don’t tell me you’re on some sober cleanse or something.”

“no… hyemi, i…”

“i mean if you are, i totally support you. i just think there’s too much good wine in this world and not enough time—”

“i’m pregnant.”

hyemi’s jaw drops, her eyes widening. her mouth opens and closes in shock, but before she can get a word out, there’s a loud crash behind you both.

you whip around to see the rest of the guys standing at the doorway.

jimin is frozen, a shattered wine bottle at his feet, red liquid pooling across the entryway as he stares at you in wide-eyed disbelief.

your eyes lock with yoongi’s, who stands in the middle of the group, his expression soft and steady as he takes you in. he tilts his head, just slightly, a quiet, unspoken reassurance passing between you two. you can feel your heart hammering, cheeks burning as you try to focus on anything other than his gaze.

the silence stretches for a beat too long before taehyung breaks it. 

“mommy?”

this isn’t exactly how you pictured them reacting to the news. 

as you sit on your couch, the atmosphere feels heavy. they’re in disbelief, and the only way they know how to process it is by falling into their medical roles.

nam joon and jin, being the doctors they are, sit close to you and begin a quick physical assessment and blood pressure test.

nam joon carefully rolls up your sleeve, a comforting smile on his face that softens the tension in the room. 

“just relax your arm for me,” he hums, positioning the cuff around your upper arm. his fingers brush against your skin, and you can’t help but notice how professional he is, even amidst the whirlwind of emotions flooding the room.

“you’ve been feeling okay, right? any nausea or dizziness?” he asks, focusing intently on the task at hand.

“tired. sleepy. think i’m nauseous the most, though,” you admit. “i throw up… like every other day.”

he nods, squeezing the bulb to inflate the cuff. “that’s completely normal.” he pauses, glancing up at you. “are you okay? emotionally and mentally?”

you nod, glancing around the room. “i’m fine.” 

your eyes meet yoongi’s.

he’s seated directly across from you, leaning forward, elbows on his knees, fingers interlaced. he’s watching you intently, with his usual cool indifference masking an intensity in his gaze. yoongi’s quiet presence anchors you, even though he says nothing.

should he say something?

what does he even say?

you don’t know.

he doesn’t know either.

as the cuff tightens around your arm, you take a deep breath, catching the supportive glances from everyone else nearby. their chatter fades into the background as nam joon’s focus brings you back to the moment.

“okay, let’s see what we have here,” nam joon murmurs, watching the gauge as the cuff slowly deflates. “hmmm. your pressure’s a little high but good overall. are you stressed?”

“a little right now,” you exhale. “guys, this is too much—“

“did you just do a home pregnancy test or go to the doctor?”

you freeze.

“oh shit,” taehyung calls from the doorway. he’s just been helping jimin and hobi clean up spilled wine. “screw the pregnancy test stuff—i wanna know who the babydaddy is.”

from the back, you hear jimin and hobi laugh as they finish picking up glass shards. taehyung raises a teasing brow. 

“okay but seriously… didn’t know you wanted a baby that bad, ___. could’ve just asked jungkook to help you out.”

yoongi straightens, shooting taehyung a sharp look. “alright. we good here? you guys did a quick physical and checked her blood pressure—”

“your babydaddy is clean, right?” jimin chimes in, feigning seriousness. “___, i hope he’s worth the labor and delivery.”

“oh my god. shut up,” you say, rolling your eyes.

it’s then that you glance at hyemi, who sits on the other side of the couch with jungkook. the two of them are stress-eating your cookies, crumbs dotting the space between them.

hyemi, chocolate smeared at the corner of her mouth, raises a brow. “is this why you’ve been so sick?”

“yeah,” you nod. “i got the confirmation yesterday.”

“yesterday?” her eyes widen, and she sets down the cookie, scooting closer to you. “oh my god, ___. this is huge! congratulations!” she grabs your hands, her excitement lighting up her face. “we’re happy about this, right? you want this?”

before you can answer, she wraps her arms around you, pulling you into a tight hug. you let yourself sink into her warmth, feeling the tension unravel.

“yes, i want this. ahhh! don’t make me cry,” you whisper, fighting back tears as you pull back, smiling through it. “god, it’s the pregnancy hormones.”

“already?” she gives you a small, amused smile and wipes at her eyes, fixing your hair. “i’m just so happy for you, ___. you’re going to be the best mom. seriously.”

“as long as her blood pressure stays stable—”

hyemi swats at him. “nam joon, shut up, yeah?”

yoongi lets out a quiet chuckle, leaning back with his hands in his pockets as he watches everyone swarm around you. though he’s giving his usual cool exterior, there’s something in his eyes—a soft, almost possessive gleam that’s hard to miss.

from the corner, jungkook sneaks in, sliding a little closer to you. 

“so,” he begins with a grin, “guess i’ll have to start calling you a milf now, huh?”

yoongi stiffens, jaw clenching almost imperceptibly, his eyes narrowing at jungkook. the tension isn’t lost on you as jungkook’s shoulder brushes against yours, and yoongi shifts in his seat, his gaze hardening in a way that feels oddly protective.

“so, seriously… who’s the babydaddy?” taehyung drawls from across the room, folding his arms with an amused smirk. “he’s clean, right? or should we head to the clinic and run a few tests? just to keep you and baby safe… big news and all, so we’re just trying to make sense of it.”

“god, you’re all insane.” you huff.

“maybe let ___ breathe,” yoongi mutters instantly. his gaze flicking between you and jungkook with a faintly annoyed look. “yah, she just confirmed she’s pregnant. that’s it.”

“that’s it,” you sigh repeating him. then, feeling a small wave of relief. “and honestly, why are the nurses in this room so immature? who can i report you guys to?”

jimin, taehyung, and jungkook laugh. 

“our bosses,” they reply in unison, completely unbothered.

the warmth of their support fills the room. 

as you soak in the moment, hyemi’s watchful eyes drift to yoongi.

he’s now casually seated beside you, close enough that his knee brushes against yours. every now and then, his hand lightly hovers by your arm or shoulder, his touch lingering just a little longer each time. hyemi tilts her head, something slowly clicking in her mind.

“wait a second,” she says, raising a brow. “yoongi… did you know about ___’s pregnancy before the rest of us?”

the room quiets, all eyes shifting to yoongi. before he can answer, jungkook—oblivious to the weight of the question—leans forward. 

“oh shit… is that what her blood test was for at the clinic? i might’ve accidentally seen the paperwork but didn’t peek—thought she was low on iron or something.”

silence falls over the room, each of them piecing things together. one by one, their eyes dart between you and yoongi, confusion shifting to surprise until jin’s eyes widen with realization.

“…wait,” jin’s voice is soft but full of shock.

yoongi keeps his gaze steady on you. 

his expression softening as he takes your hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. his thumb brushes over your knuckles, a small smile tugging at his lips. it’s subtle but full of meaning, and you feel warmth pool in your chest, despite the tension.

then taehyung breaks the silence, his eyes wide, mouth slightly open as he points at yoongi with dawning realization.

“...daddy?”

[whenuwishuponastar]

I need more perryshmirtz fanfics from Perry's POV where he's always thinking "how can anyone think this man is evil?? Look at him, he’s a wet cat"

I also need more fanfics with the tag "accidental baby acquisition", I just love reading father Heinz Doofenshmirtz in action, Vanessa being a big sister and Perry being a simp (someone at OWCA leaves an "Im not the stepdad Im the dad that stepped up" mug at Perry's desk)

[deikshen]

I have been awakened to the absolute need for Binghe to bond with Tianxi through his (new) little siblings

I mean, situation: reviving Su Xiyan, obviously she wouldn't want to go through pregnancy again lol but it's PIDW, there must be a fucking plant that can impregnate Tianlang-jun to give him something of his spoiled househusband dreams

And with Tianlang-jun having nothing else to do but seemingly have fun giving birth, actually!!! the number of little mini half-heavenly demons increases.

Binghe tries to be... not a constant, but something present, because they are babies and children and even though it is his family that he doesn't know, he has been well educated (by Shizun!!!) he will do his best. And like any traumatized child, he projects onto those little buns so similar yet so different from himself. The constant doubt "could I have had this? Could this have been my life?" is only overshadowed by "I had a life that led me to Shizun, so it's worth it."

However, both Su Xiyan and Tianlang-jun can put a period there. A "It may still be your life. You are still our son."

And Luo Binghe begins to attend more family dinners, bringing food, bringing gifts. He makes paper kites with his little brothers and reads them stories. When they're asleep, he listens to stories from his parents. Their lives, their adventures.

He... He looks like them. But like himself. It's strange to find similarities when there were never any in his life, and now he's surrounded by them. But that's okay. At night, he comes home, and Shizun (if he didn't come with him that particular night) waits for him, hugs him, and waits for Binghe to tell him how his day went.

And Luo Binghe is happy. He has a family, the one he chose. He has a husband he loves. He has unruly little siblings. He has another mother, alive. He has... well, Tianlang-jun.

He has more than he ever thought he would have. Even if it's been difficult to get to where he is, he's happy right now, with a family, a place to belong, and a home.

[shipmistress9]

Blueberries & Chocolate Chips - 08

Taglist (If you want on or off just let me know. 😊): @jurassicworldisbetter @b3anieperson

Read on AO3 or here. All chapters are links in my Empyrean Fanfiction Masterpost. 🥰

. o O o .

With wide eyes, Violet gazed at her reflection in the floor-length mirror in Xaden's bedroom. The dress she'd tried on at Luminance du Soleil had been beautiful, enough to leave her speechless. But this altered version? Even without wearing it yet and only loosely holding it to her body, it looked absolutely stunning with the little embellishments they'd talked about with Soleil Telery. All those glittery highlights where the fabric was gathered together at the shoulder and the waist, it was—

"Breathtaking." Violet turned to where Xaden stood in the door frame and was looking her over. "You’ll look beautiful."

Warmth spread across Violet's cheeks, and she ducked her head in an attempt to hide it. But, of course, Xaden noticed anyway.

"Hey," he said, softly, in a tone she doubted many others ever got to hear. "You'll fit right in. Don't worry. Almost perfectly."

Chuckling, Violet glanced down along the length of the dress. She wasn't really worried about how people at the gala would receive her, it didn't matter. Not as long as Xaden was with her. Still, his words made her smile. "Only almost?" she asked, throwing him a cheeky grin.

Xaden hummed, regarding her with a mischievous sparkle in his eyes. "Yeah. A tiny something is still missing," he said— and pulled a flat satin-covered box from behind his back.

Violet paled and could only stare as he stepped closer. Not at him, though, but at the jewellery box. Because that was what it was.

"Xaden, no!" she exclaimed. "We had a deal. The dress and shoes, that's it. But you were not allowed to buy jewell— By Dunne and Malek! Xaden, are you INSANE?"

Violet was pretty sure her heart had stopped beating as she stared at the collier that lay within the open box, along with matching bracelets and a set of impressive earrings. All pieces looked heavy, designed as an intricate tangle of countless metal vines surely built from massive white gold. And they were adorned with dozens of blue and green gem stones the size of fucking blueberries.

Shaking her head, Violet took a step backwards. "No, Xaden!" she said with surprising conviction, given that her hands and knees were shaking from the shock. "You can't give me jewellery like that. That's too much!"

Xaden's lips twitched. "Can't I?" He took the collier from the box and held it up against her collarbones, where it would sit a good deal above the daring neckline of the dress. "It fits perfectly, though."

Well… Violet couldn't really argue against that point. The jewels matched the colour of the dress, the silvery veins building a nice bridge to her hair. As if it had been made for her.

"Xaden, this is too much," she said again, but this time, it was barely more than a whisper, her voice trembling.

But Xaden's smile softened, the look in his eyes reassuring. "And if I say it's not a gift? And I promise I didn't spend a single coin on these pieces?"

Relaxing slightly, Violet didn't resist when he stepped behind her to fasten the collier behind her neck. "Is it a loan, then?" That happened sometimes, right? Jewellers loaning special pieces for fancy occasions?

But Xaden shook his head, a serene smile on his face. "Not quite," he said, walking around her to take in the fit before meeting her eyes again. "It's more of a family heirloom. This set belonged to my great-grandmother. When you tried this dress on I remembered it was still in that stuffy vault, and I thought they would go well together. Which they do."

Violet's eyes were stinging as she stared at her reflection in the mirror again, her fingers shaking as she let them glide along the treasure around her neck. The last duchess. That was who these had belonged to.

Seemed like Xaden really wanted to make a statement tonight.

Violet swallowed, her eyes slowly wandering back to where Xaden was looking at her with such softness on his face that she had to fight her tears for real. "Thank you, Xaden," she breathed. "It's… These are lovely. Thank you so much!"

"You're very welcome," he whispered, his lips brushing against her forehead.

Humming, Violet leaned closer, than clutched at the front of his shirt to pull him down for a real kiss. She wasn't sure how it could be possible that this wonderful man was hers. But he was, just like she was his, and she would forever be grateful for it.

"You better get ready, too," she sighed as she eventually let go of him, regretfully. "You haven't even changed yet."

With a small laugh, Xaden shook his head. "We still have over two hours, Vi. How long do you think it takes to put on a tux?"

Violet wrinkled her nose, but he had a point. "Well, I'll need those two hours," she sighed, glancing back at the mirror where her reflection was still wearing a comfortable sweat suit and her hair was still in a simple messy bun.

"Then I'll leave you to it," he said, leaning down for a quick kiss to her cheek again. "Call if you need anything."

Xaden left the room again, probably to beat Liam up on their video game console or whatever, and Violet let out a small sigh. To say that she was nervous wasn't exactly right, despite that queasy sensation in her stomach. Because she wasn't. She basically expected that, if Halden was truly going to be at the gala, he would most likely try to pull some shit. Or ignore her completely, but she didn't expect to be that lucky.

But…it didn't matter. Whatever Halden was going to do, it didn't matter. Because Xaden had chosen her, and he was all she needed.

A small petty part of her was looking forward to rubbing it in Halden's face that she was so much better off now without him. But the far bigger part just…didn't care. Halden was history. Xaden was her future.

It took her little over an hour to get ready, with her hair taking up most of that time. She probably could have simply gone for her usual braided coronet for the gala, it was certainly elegant enough. But it was also exactly that, simply what she usually wore. And for tonight, she wanted something more special. So she opted for another variation, also with a braided circle all around her head but more playful, more in style with the dress. It took her a couple of tries, weaving only a few strands into a braided band and leaving the rest in an artfully messy cascade around her shoulders. But eventually, she was satisfied with her look. Hopefully, Xaden would approve of it, too. He liked playing with her loose hair, didn't he?

After applying just the tiniest hint of makeup and lipstick, she was finally satisfied with her look, and went to put on the dress and the shoes Xaden had placed there ready for her. Then she took a last look at the mirror— and had to choke back a tiny gasp at the sight of her reflection. This altered version of the dress, tailored perfectly to her body… It was mesmerising. The way it wrapped around her curves in that intricate, playful way and seemed to flow and move even when she stood still, it was…absolutely perfect.

Beaming and with every movement of hers in this dress feeling so much more graceful than normal, Violet went to join the men in the living area. To her surprise, though, it was only Xaden waiting there, standing at the kitchen's bar— and looking absolutely ridiculously delicious in that black tux.

"My, my," she teased, miming fanning herself. "Someone's cleaning up nicely."

Xaden turned, clearly with a witty reply on the tip of his tongue. But when he spotted her, his face went slack.

"Holy shit," he muttered, his wide eyes slowly wandering over her entire form.

Violet blushed but threw him a seductive look from beneath her lashes. "That bad?"

Xaden let out a weak little laugh, then shook his head. He came towards her with slow steps, his hands landing on her hips.

"You look absolutely stunning," he murmured, his voice rough. His hands on her hips tightened, and he swallowed, hard. "Fuck," he rasped, leaning in to whisper into her ear. "We still have a little time, right? Because I'd really like to take you against that wall over there. Hard, just the way you like. Because you look delectably scrumptious."

Violet bit her lip as her entire lower body grew tight with want. "I'm all yours once we're back," she hummed into his ear, making sure her breath tickled along his neck. "But you're not ruining this outfit before we get to that gala, you hear me?"

"Shit," he grunted, his eyes pressed together tightly. "Let's get going right away. The sooner we get there the sooner we can leave again, right?"

Violet chuckled. "I don't think that's how it works."

Xaden took a deep breath, clearly forcing himself to calm down, and stepped back, bringing some space between them. He swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing, and nodded. "Probably not. They even want me to give a speech." He grimaced. "But we can get going now, anyways. If we're among the earlier guests, it'll be easier to introduce you to a few friends."

Grimacing at the reminder of the 'other guests', Violet reached for Xaden's hand. "Uhm, before we leave," she began. "There's something I wanted to t—"

"Say Cheeeeese!"

Violet flinched at the sudden interruption, turning just in time to be blinded by the flashlight on Liam's phone.

"Huh, that didn't turn out as I'd hoped." Liam cocked his head at his display, frowning. "Can you both look a little less spooked for a moment? It's not like you were doing anything forbidden out here in the very open space of our shared living room, were you?"

Xaden snorted. "What are you doing? Don't you think there will be enough photographers once we've reached the city hall?"

"Eh, those don't count." Liam rolled his eyes. "This is important. You two didn't think you could just slink off to prom without a parental photoshoot, did you?" His phone flashed again.

Violet's lips twitched and she had to cover her mouth with a hand. Liam had clearly spent too much time with Ridoc. "And whose parent are you, exactly?" she teased as they got into pose for a more serious picture. "Mine or Xaden's?"

Liam shrugged, lifting his phone to take a whole slew of photos from different angles. "Both? I mean, Ridoc and Sawyer were way more insistent that I send them proof of what's happening tonight than Bodhi was. Also, I bet Rhiannon will be happy to see these pictures as soon as she can, so… probably more yours, Vi."

"And do I pass the test?" Xaden asked with a raised eyebrow, his voice cool but Violet could hear the humour beneath. "Am I acceptable as her date? Oh, and are you going to give me the Dad lecture, too? Because I have news for you, we two already—"

"—are already late," Violet interrupted before Liam was choking to death on his laughter, even though she couldn't contain her own snickering, either. "Bye, Liam. See you on Monday."

"Bye, sweetie, have fun tonight," he called after them, then added, "Ah, they grow up so fast."

. o O o .

Violet and Xaden were still grinning when they took their seats in Xaden's car. But as soon as he was driving them out of the garage beneath the building, Violet's thoughts from before Liam had interrupted them returned with emphasis.

She had to tell Xaden.

Biting her lip, she glanced over at where he was entirely focused on the road ahead— or maybe just trying not to look at her dress too much— but decided that now was not the time to breach that topic. She had a lot of trust in Xaden's driving skills, but this could wait a few minutes longer.

Or maybe, she was just stalling.

Not that she was scared of telling Xaden, scared of how he might react or anything. And she wasn’t scared of dealing with Halden at the gala, either. Accepting Xaden's invitation had been her choice, and she was going to stick with it, for better or for worse. No, none of these things bothered her.

Still, by the time Xaden turned off the engine in the exclusive basement garage beneath the city hall, Violet was wringing her hands in her lap, the lipstick on her lower lip surely ruined from how she'd chewed on it.

"There we are," Xaden sighed, grimacing at where the first staff members were already waiting at the exit to make sure only invited guests entered— and that those deemed 'worthy' wouldn't have to open even one door themselves. "The viper's nest."

He reached for the door handle, but before he could open it, Violet had her hand on his arm, holding him back. "Xaden, wait," she said in a low voice, but at least it wasn't shaking. "There's something I need to tell you. Before we go in there."

Xaden leaned back into his seat, a small line between his eyes as he regarded her. "Oh? What's up, love? If you don't want to go in there after all, then that's fine. I can bring you home or back to Liam, and I'll—"

"No, that's not it," she reassured him with a small laugh. "I told you, I want to accompany you." Then she turned serious again. "It's just… Well, it's not really important or anything. But… You remember that ex I mentioned?"

Xaden's features darkened, his hands coming to rest on the steering wheel. "The one who cheated on you?" Violet nodded. "What about him? Has he been bothering you again?"

Violet lips twitched, and she had to fight a small grin. She had no doubts that Xaden would fight tooth and nail for her, even literally from what he’d told her about his weekly sparring training with Garrick. But then, she shook her head. "No, nothing like that. But he… Well, it's possible that he'll be here tonight, at the gala. As one of the guests."

Xaden's eye narrowed. "A guest?" He paused, and Violet took careful track of his features twitching between anger and confusion before settling on a cool composed mask again. "Who is your ex?"

Violet took a deep breath. "His name is Halden."

"Halden Tauri?" Xaden’s hands audibly tightened around the steering wheel. "That waste of life that cheated on you and hurt you was Halden Tauri?"

Mutely, Violet nodded. So they really knew each other…

A low rumbling noise came from Xaden's chest, almost a growl, and a moment later, he let out a hissed curse. "Well, fuck!"

Violet tugged her lower lip between her teeth, but didn’t take her eyes off him. "Are you angry?"

Xaden scoffed and shook his head. "Not at you," he said through gritted teeth. "But I kind of promised myself that if I ever get the chance, I'd like to punch your ex in the face. And Tauri is one of those people I would have liked to knock out many times already, so now having another reason makes it all too tempting." He let out a small humourless laugh. "But this gala is probably not the best place to do it," he grumbled.

Violet's lips tugged into a crooked smile. "So you wish I hadn’t told you now?"

Xaden took a moment to think, his death grip on the steering wheel loosening. "No." He shook his head. "I'd rather go in there knowing what happened. So… what did happen?"

"Are you sure you want to hear that now?" Violet asked, watching him carefully. "It might just rile you up more when everyone will already be looking at you." Shit, she really should have told him earlier.

But that was just it, wasn’t it? The reason why she hadn’t told him earlier? She wasn’t worried about dealing with Halden today, he meant nothing to her anymore. But that didn’t mean that reliving what he’d done when she did wouldn’t still be painful.

Xaden’s lips twitched into a grimace. "I probably don’t want to hear it, no. But I'd rather hear your version than whatever bullshit Tauri might come up with."

Yeah, Xaden clearly knew Halden rather well…

Violet inhaled deeply. "It started… a good while ago," she began in a low voice. "We met at a club, he was very charming, and when he asked for my number, I was flattered. He was handsome and some friends had clued me in that he was kind of famous, so…" She shrugged.

"…and so you became one of his conquests," Xaden muttered, and Violet flinched. A moment later, he threw her an apologetic grimace, his hand reaching for hers. “I’m sorry. It’s just… Tauri has a reputation, so…”

Violet nodded, and her fingers tightened around his. "It’s…okay. And yeah, that’s what happened," she confirmed, her gaze lowered. "When we had sex when he invited me to his flat a few days later, I let it slip that I couldn't get pregnant. I think I wanted to be honest, didn't want to give him any false expectations or something." She snorted, a sound Xaden echoed simultaneously. "But he said he didn't mind and would like to see me again. Told me I was 'special', not like other girls he'd picked up before. I didn't want to let myself believe that he truly meant it. But for a week straight, he sent one extravagant bouquet after the other to our flat until I agreed to meet with him again."

Thinking about it now, about Halden's true motives, made her sick, and she wrapped her arms around her middle. Xaden noticed, though, and when he reached for her hand, she gave it to him without a second thought, the warmth of his skin on her own so soothing.

"He told me he couldn't make our relationship public, for my sake," she went on in a bleak voice. "That his parents would never approve, that the press would tear me apart. That we had to keep us a secret. Rhiannon knew, of course, but nobody else. I was to come to his flat whenever he was in town so we could spend time together, every other weekend or so. And I had to enter through the back entrance so I wouldn't be seen.”

In his seat, Xaden sat entirely still, but at those last words, she could almost hear how he gritted his teeth. And even though she still dreaded all the things she would have to tell him… they suddenly didn’t seem that heavy anymore. Because she knew he’d have her back, would support her, would even hold her and let her cry if that was what she needed. And the next breath she took already felt a lot lighter.

"It didn't feel right to me, to lie to my friends about it all,” she sighed, regretfully. ”But he kept placating me, promising me that once he had convinced his parents to accept me, everything would be different. Kept sending me gifts to prove his sincerity and even agreed to come to our flat instead a couple of times, though always in disguise. Which was when he started sending expensive Home Decor stuff, too, because apparently, our flat was 'lacking'."

Violet sniffed, but couldn't suppress a small smirk as she remembered how she and Rhiannon had ritually destroyed every single obnoxious piece in one cleansing afternoon.

"Shit," Xaden grunted. "Yeah, that sounds like Tauri. Always eager to pass on his grandeur to everyone whom he considers 'less fortunate'."

Violet rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that sums it up well."

They fell silent for a moment, and Violet let her fingers brush over the back of Xaden’s hand, just basking in the tiny contact.

"And… how long were you together?" Xaden eventually asked. He sounded tense, as if he didn't really want to hear the answer, and if Violet was honest, she also didn't really want to admit the truth. How could she have been so stupid, how hadn’t she seen through Halden? How could she have been so naive? But she also knew that they both needed that truth.

"For about two years," she replied in a low voice. Xaden let out another low curse, and she wrinkled her nose. "Bet nobody suspected he was supposed to have a steady girlfriend throughout that time, eh?"

Xaden huffed a humourless laugh. "No, I'm sure that didn't come to anyone's mind," he said through gritted teeth.

Violet nodded at the confirmation of what she'd had suspected but hadn’t known for sure until then.

"I often thought about breaking things up with him," she continued with a sigh. "Because while that whole forbidden romance thing was kind of exciting at the beginning, it grew old pretty quickly. And I often felt like… like something was off. But he also could be sweet if he wanted to, and I just…"

“Hey,” Xaden squeezed her hand. “Don’t beat yourself up about that. If there’s one ‘good’ thing to be said about Halden Tauri it’s that he’s an exceptionally good liar.”

Violet looked up to find Xaden grimacing. “You’re probably right,” she sighed, then shrugged. "I think I deluded myself into believing that, if he was only using me, he would have got rid of me long ago. Why keep putting effort— nice words and expensive gifts— into keeping someone for sex when… when he could have had anyone? At any time. I thought his feelings were genuine and he was just bad at showing them sometimes."

"Until you found out he was cheating…"

Violet pressed her lips into a thin line. Not when he cheated. But then, she'd already known that Halden hadn't seen their 'relationship' as being as exclusive as she had.

"Yeah. It was… a few weeks ago. I'd just got my period and didn't feel like coming to his place just for sex before he'd inevitably fall asleep after a day of travel, and so I suggested I'd only come over the next day when I'd hopefully feel better. He… reacted with annoyance, and I couldn't really blame him. We hadn't seen each other in a couple of weeks because he'd had other obligations. So after our phone call there, I felt guilty, packed my overnight bag after all, and went to his place."

"And let me guess," Xaden said sympathetically. "When you arrived, he wasn't alone?"

"No, he wasn't." Violet grimaced. "I didn't even stay long enough to see her face, only heard their moans, saw her red mane where she was riding him. Then I bolted home as quickly as I could. Sent him a text that it was over."

Xaden snorted. "And how did he take that?"

"As you can expect from him," Violet said with something of a smile tugging at her lips at Xaden's tone. Gods, it felt so good to talk about it all with someone who knew Halden. "Although, when he stood in front of my door only two hours later, with a bag full of gifts and clearly devastated, there was a moment where I even considered forgiving him."

"And how did he screw that up?"

This time, the grimace of a smile that spread across her face was harsh, angry. "He didn't even apologise. He came to beg for my forgiveness, though not because he thought he’d made a mistake and was sorry. He simply demanded my forgiveness because, clearly, I didn't understand the full scope of his situation. Because, obviously, someone like me never could. The pressure he was under, at all times. That he had 'needs'." She scoffed. "It dawned on me then, that this probably hadn't been the first time. So when I kept refusing him, he…" She broke off, her chest tightening at the memories.

"…he showed his real face?" Xaden suggested, and she nodded. "I see. I think I get the picture."

And he probably did. He knew Halden, knew her situation, and was so good at piecing things together. So there was no need to repeat Halden's vile words out loud when reliving them in a flash of memories was already bad enough.

You’re so naive, you stupid whore. As if I’d ever consider someone like you as my girlfriend, my equal, when you’re nothing but a nobody.

So convenient to have you at my back and call, to fuck when I wanted to, to have you dote on me.

You were never anything but a pretty walking fuck toy, albeit a special one because I didn’t need to bother with stupid condomes. That’s why I kept you. Because, fuck, did it feel good to pump your scrawny body full of my cum.

Did you really believe I’d ever embarrass myself in public with someone as ordinary as you?

How could I’ve ever seen it as anything but an arrangement for sex when you aren’t even capable of bearing my children? As If I’d ever waste my time on someone as broken as you. Or worse, as if I’d waste my money to artificially put my child into you when there are hundreds of other girls just waiting for my blessing?

It once again made bile rise in her throat.

"Do you want me to drive you home?"

Thankfully, Xaden’s words tore her away from those memories, and when Violet looked up at him, his anger had taken a backseat in his features. All she could see was his honest concern. "Why would I?" she asked, calmly.

"Because you're right, he will be at this gala. And even though this, us, has nothing to do with him, he’ll see it as a challenge, an affront. Plus, you dumped him. He's not known for taking defeat lightly."

Violet took a deep breath and slowly let it out again. "I know. But I don't care about whatever he wants to dish out. He has no meaning to me anymore, and all he can achieve is making himself look ridiculous."

Xaden furrowed his brows. "Okay, I'll respect your choice. As long as you're not only coming for my sake."

Humming, Violet interlaced her fingers with his. "No, I'm not only coming for your sake, but also for my own." Xaden gave her a questioning look, and she sighed. "Because you asked me to come. Because you want me to be here."

"Of course, I want to have you here," Xaden murmured, still puzzled. "But I…"

"Halden told me about this gala," she explained before he could finish his sentence. "Back when things were still good. He complained about how boring and stuffy it would be, how pretentious to celebrate Aretia when, surely, the other cities in this area must be equally old, even without the records to prove it. ‘Certainly, Calldyr must be at least 500 years older,’" she mocked how he’d talked about the neighbouring city where his family had their residence, and her lips twitched into a smirk. "Even when I still hung on his every word, he sounded so strange then, because clearly he was eager to show off at this gala."

Xaden huffed a small laugh. "At least my reasons for not wanting to go to this gala are genuine. For a moment there, I was worried that Tauri and I might agree on something, but I guess we don't."

"Aside from how much you enjoy fucking me?" Violet laughed at Xaden's appalled expression.

"Okay, that's gross," he grunted. "But glad to see you can laugh about it."

Violet leaned over and placed a sweet kiss on his cheek. "Because of you."

"And…what have I done to earn that praise?" he asked, again in that soft voice only she got to hear, and she wanted to scream ‘This! This is why you’ve earned it all.’

Instead, Violet leaned back into her seat, her head tilted so she could look at him. "Because you asked." Xaden threw her another bewildered look and her smile softened. "I suggested to Halden that I could accompany him to this 'stuffy gala'. It was mostly supposed to be a joke, but a part of me also hoped he might use that platform to finally make our relationship official. But his reaction was anything but good. He made it clear that wouldn't ever be happening. And…" She sucked in a shaky breath. "And when he showed his real face, as you called it, he made a particular point about how the mere idea of taking someone like me to such a gala was completely abhorrent. That he'd be made the laughing stock for months and months if he ever had shown himself with me. So when you invited me to come with you… that's when it truly clicked. That you truly wanted me."

Xaden lifted her hand to his mouth and breathed a soft kiss onto her knuckles. "It's always been only you," he said with a crooked smile. "So, you want to come along to rub it in his face?"

Violet's lips twitched. "I want to come along for myself. To see what all the fuss is about and to show off this beautiful dress and the gorgeous jewels. I want to come along for you, so you don't have to endure it alone and to make it more bearable." Xaden had one eyebrow raised at her, so she added with a sly smirk, "And I want to come along to rub it in his face."

"That's my girl." Xaden's eyes were blazing with dark humour. "And under these circumstances, I can live with only being one third of the reason. Well, then..." He nodded at where several guests had already entered the city hall since they'd arrived. "Shall we?"

Excitement settled in Violet’s stomach, and she had to swallow to reign it in. “Yes,” she said, feeling a little lightheaded, giddy even. “Let’s go.”

[actually-well-written]

modern AU Luffy x reader. pregnancy when you broke up. Pure Fluff

Inspired: season 8 episode 24 of FRIENDS; @portgasbru

trigger warning: swearing and description of birth 

I know Luffy's a little of out character, but I thought that in the modern world he would be a little less childish and a bit of a burnt out adult. A person that was a very energetic and silly kid, but grow up in a not so free feeling world. Unlike his anime. 

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

"Deep breaths. Deep breaths." Luffy repeats, soothing her back and rubbing her forearm.

"MY BREATHS CAN'T GET ANY DEEPER!!!" She shouts out despite being out of breath. "Help me out of bed, I need to walk." She demands, holding out her hand for him to grab.

He springs out of the bed and helps her feet onto the floor. Grabbing into her side and her arm, they start pacing around the hospital room, Luffy holding her close.

Her pants and groans of pain, die down just a little bit as they both rub her swollen belly and take slow steps.

"Oh good Lord!" She whines out, the sweat on her forehead causing her hair to stick to her face. "Luffy, I swear to fucking God, I hate you so much!"

"What did I do?!" He asks, dewildered.

"You did this to me!!"

"Well, it was really a team effort." He jokes, rubbing his neck for self comfort.

She stops in her tracks and glares at him, taking a deep breath as her contraction stops for the moment.

Luffy holds (y/n) by her waist and looks over her stomach, he sighs anxiously, "this baby sure is takin' its time."

"No kidding."

Near the end of last year, Luffy and (y/n) broke up, and as fate would have it, about three days after, (y/n) found out she was pregnant.

Despite all that happened, she told Luffy, he is the father, it was in his right for him to know. (Y/n) Of course made it clear she didn't want him to do anything he didn't want to or become a part of something so sudden with hardly any preparation, but he wanted to be in the baby's life and she did always wanted children.

Thus, they agreed to have the baby, and share custody. Nothing more, nothing less. They could be parents and not have to be forced to date again.

Nine months later and after some preparations, her water broke and they rushed to the hospital. Now waiting for her to fully dilate in a semi private room, at the moment, no other person was in the room.

Luffy sets himself next to (y/n) and carefully wraps his arms around her, placing loving hand on her belly and laying his head on a pillow.

"...Luffy? Can I tell you something?" She whispers.

"Yeah?"

"I'm really scared right now."

"Scared?" He repeats, raising an eyebrow.

"Everyone and their mom's been telling me horror stories of deliveries gone wrong and yeah, I know pain was always gonna happen, but now that it's actually happening, im-im scared."

Luffy glances to the side, licking his lips as if the confession wasn't shocking at all. "It's ok, bab-(y/n). Everythin's gonna be fine."

"You don't know that." She whispers, crossing her arms in a self hug.

"Yes I do. Everythin' will be fine. This baby will be happy and healthy-well. Maybe not happy, babies come out crying right? Healthy then. Definitely healthy." He reassures, getting a little sidetracked.

She giggles, rubbing a circle on her stomach, "yeah?"

"Yeah. I promise."

The two smile and stare at each other. (Y/n) Awkwardly giggles and looks away.

"...you know what we haven't done?" She asks, changing the subject. "Agree on a name."

Luffy's expression immediately drops and he crosses his arms, turning away from her, "I'm telling you, Solo is an amazin' name."

"We are not naming our-could-be son after Han Solo!!"

"HE'S SO AMAZING!!" He raises his arms to his side in protest. "And we are not namin' our-could-be daughter Persephone."

"I don't like Persephone anymore." She confesses, placing a soothing hand on one of her swollen ankles.

"Good!"

"I was thinking, if it's a girl, Céleste?"

"Céleste...." He repeats in a whisper. "Yeah, I'm good with that."

"And if it's a boyyyy...." She trials off tilting her head to the side as if it follows her sentence. "Ace."

Luffy snaps his head around and raises his eyebrows in an annoyed expression, "that's not funny."

She laughs softly, running a hand through her hair. Her sweat wetting her palm. "It's a little funny."

He doesn't reply, but leans against the headboard, "Arie." He deadpans, staring down at the foot of the bed. "If it's a boy, Arie."

"....Arie," she repeats, smiling to herself, "ok, Arie it is."

"Welp, that took us longer than it should have." He chuckles, combing his hat hair with his fingers.

She takes notice, biting a nail, a habit she hopes doesn't pass onto her baby. "Luffy? Why did you take off your hat?"

"Huh?"

"Your hat." She points to his signature straw hat sitting on the beige night stand next to the bed.

"Oh, um-"

"You don't like taking it off. You wore it to our first date. Hell, you wore it when we were conceiving this thing." She chuckles, gesturing to her belly.

"Hehe, yeah, that thing's seen a lot." He whispers, a light blush on his cheeks.

"Why'd you take it off?"

Luffy pauses, and scratches his neck for the possible millionth time now, and glances around the room to not meet her eyes.

"Uh, the doctor looked at me kinda funny when she saw me wearin' it."

"So? I've seen you wear that thing with a full fancy suit."

"Well, I..I need to mature a little, don't you think?"

"What?! No! Where is this coming from? Who are you?! Luffy wouldn't say that!"

"I'm gonna be a father now, (y/n), I need to start actin' my age-"

"Don't ever say that again." She pouts, glancing down at his shirt to avoid eye contact, "I like that you're immature, you've always made me laugh and it's admirable how you're never afraid to be yourself in any situation. Why would you want to change that?"

He pauses, taking his head off the headboard and putting his arms between his legs, his elbows resting on his knees.

"Please, put it back on." She tucks a hair behind her ear, "It makes me anxious when you take it off."

"Huh? Why?" He raises his head a little.

"Because! It makes you look serious, especially when you're frowning. How am I supposed to be less scared, if you look like your getting ready for something bad?"

Luffy sighs, seeing her worried expression. Without saying anything, he reaches towards the nightstand and places his hat back on his head, not bothering to adjust the string.

(Y/n) Also stays silent, laying her head right under his shoulder, her fingers gently adjusting the string to tighten perfectly around Luffy's jawline.

He let's her, not speaking or moving, not even watching, instead focusing on the outside world, right through the room window. Watching as the people walk by, probably none of them having to deal with an accidental pregnancy or the complicated feelings it brings.

"Can you....talk?" She asks, softly, lowering her hands from the string and placing them on her lap.

"What?" He snaps his focus back to her, forcing his gaze away from the couple below sitting in a park bench as they drink coffee together. A bittersweet nostalgia feeling eating at his heart.

She frowns softly, her eyes feeling with a bit of anxiousness. "Talk. About...anything really. I love hearing you talk." She whispers, remembering all the times she used to ask him to talk in order to fall asleep.

"Anything?" He snorts, "don't get me started." He crosses his arms and titles his head, thinking of something to say that would help her forget about basically pushing out a nine pound bowling ball.

"I saw the trailer for a movie, but I don't remember what the movie was called. So I made Zoro drive me to the movie theater, to see if I could recognize it by the poster. Turns out it wasn't a movie, it was an ad for car insurance."

She laughs and grabs his arm, "how do you mix that up?"

"Ads are becoming movie level, (y/n). Don't judge me!" He giggles, playfully scolding her. "Anyways, I bought popcorn and then me and Zoro went to go see Oppenheimer instead."

"Is it good? I haven't watched it yet."

"Yeah, it was. Really loud though." He explains, rubbing his ears as if he can still hear it perfectly.

"I wanna see sonic three!" She states, bouncing her feet on the bed slightly.

"Oooh, me too!" His eyes lights up in excitement, the exact way she likes them. "Let's go see it when it comes out!"

"Uh, when it does, we'll have a seven month old."

"We'll take 'em with us!"

" I don't think the other people there would appreciate that." She giggles.

"Oh, right. Fuck." He exclaims, scratching his leg while thinking of a new solution.

She smiles brightly at him, reaching towards his hat and fixing it to balance better on his head. The action causes Luffy to pause and watch her as her eyes glance at him more times than actually needed.

She puts her hand on the bed, in the space between the two. He clears his throat and rubs his cheek.

"I've...I've been thinking." He starts, placing his arm across her back, rubbing his leg nervously.

"You can think?" She jokes, Luffy only ignoring it.

".....I think-"

The door opens, causing (y/n) and Luffy to turn. The doctor walks in, putting on clean new gloves. "Nineteen hours." She exclaims, stopping right at the foot of the bed, "How you doing?"

"Like if this baby doesn't come out now, I'm gonna cut my stomach open and make 'em." She deadpans, causing Luffy to widen his eyes.

The doctor nods in understanding, checking her dilation, an action (y/n) unfortunately became used too. "Welp, you're in luck."

"I'm sorry?" Luffy asks, getting off the bed in shock. The contraption pain forgotten for (y/n).

"You're fully dilated. Let's go have this baby." She proudly announces, calling in nurses to help move the bed.

"Wait-wait. No-what? What. What!?" She panics, as they roll her away into the hallways, Luffy right next to her, holding her hand. "I'm not ready for this!"

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

"FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!!" (y/n) Sobs out, inhaling rapidly.

"Ok, we stop in five seconds." The doctor announces. "Five.......four-"

"Threetwoone!" (Y/n) Whines out, immediately stopping and laying her head on the angled bed. Panting and crying.

"You're doing great, (y/n)." Luffy praises, moving the hair from her face. Her sweat sticking to his finger. His other hand wrapped around her leg, helping her keep them open.

"Take a break, alright? breathe and we start again in ten minutes." The doctor explains, pushing her chair away slightly.

"No. No. No. I can't. I can't push anymore." She whimpers, covering her face with a hand as she cries.

"Yes, yes you can, (y/n). You're the strongest woman I know." Luffy reassures, adjusting his grip.

"Talk. Talk. Talk. Please. Luffy, please." She pants. Grabbing onto the sheets and she pushes herself up more.

"Uh-um. I-I don't know what to say." He awkwardly laughs, whipping the sweat from his palms on one of the pillows.

"What were you gonna tell me? Back in the room, you were gonna tell me something."

"Oh. That, um. Can that wait-"

"Please. Please. Please. I-I need a distraction." She begs, closing her eyes tightly.

"I ... I was just gonna say that.... I think we should try again."

"Try what?" She asks, turning her head to look at him.

"Us." He exclaims, "when-when we broke up. I-I actually died. Like my chest hurt and I couldn't get out of bed. Then when you told me you were pregnant, I immediately thought that we should get back together." He confesses. "But you know, you told me you didn't want that, and I wanted to respect it, but after all these months, I kept missing you. You were right there, but I couldn't call you mine anymore and I missed it."

He glances at the floor and gulps, "I-I think we should try again. We have a kid now, we should be a family. I want to be a family. And I think you do too." He pauses, "I know I didn't say it enough when we were together, but I love you. I love you a lot and I don't think it can ever go away, because it can barely even fit in my body."

(Y/n) Stays silent, looking up at him with a wide eyed expression, her sobs causing her body to shake a bit and her tears still spill out of her eyes.

Luffy glances around the room, and clears his throat, "can you say something?" He whispers.

"...I don't know what to say." She confesses.

".... Say you still love me too."

"I do still love you." She breathed, "and honestly? When I found out I was pregnant, I hoped that it meant we got to try again, but I was scared, because what happens if we get hurt again and our baby gets in the mix."

"We won't get hurt again." He insisted, "I know I'm an idiot and pretty dumb, and I don't make good decisions, but it's okay, because you're amazing and perfect and i would learn calculus for you. I know with all my being we'll do it right this time. You deserve it, I deserve it. They deserve it."

They both pause and stare at each other in full love and tenderness. Leaning in, they smash their lips together in a passionate kiss. The hat sliding backwards a little and he places his hand on her cheek, they continue the kiss for a few more seconds.

The doctor places her hand on her heart and cooes. "I'm gonna call my baby daddy after this." One of the nurses whispers. The other three nod in understanding.

"Ok, if you guys are ready let's finish this up." The doctor pushed her chair closer, placing her hands on the bed.

The two pull away and turn back towards the doctor, "yes, please." (Y/n) Exclaims, the pain intensifying as another contraption starts. Luffy wraps his arm around her leg again and hold her hand with his other.

"Ok, now. Push."

She continues to push and cry, repeating the action for the next hour, when finally. The room is filled with baby cries.

(Y/n) Screams and sobs for the last time as she watches Luffy cut the umbilical cord. The nurse holds up the baby in front of them. "It's a boy." She says softly, before taking him away.

(Y/n) And Luffy smile at each other, he wipes away her tears, and she traced the scar on his cheek, a small action she didn't know she missed doing.

The nurse gives back the baby, now wrapped in a blue blanket. (Y/n) Takes him and places him perfectly in her arms. Luffy kisses him in his forehead as (y/n) admires him.

"Do we have a name?" A nurse asks, her hands on her hips, admiring the baby as well.

"Arie." Luffy and (y/n) reply in union, before glancing back at each other. They smile brightly, before sharing another kiss, the hat falling off this time, the string tugging on Luffy's neck a bit.

[dead-dolphins]

BTW I’ve noticed that in a lot of the books and fics I’ve read about accidental pregnancies, it’s usually the woman who ends up moving in with the man. To shake things up a bit, I’m going to make Eren the one who moves in with Mikasa. Honestly, I think it makes sense for a few reasons: first, Mikasa probably has more money than him, and second, she’s already a successful woman. So, yeah, he’ll be the one adjusting to her world, not the other way around. Hehehe.

[sarahowritesostucky]

Art: @hopelessartgeek

📖 "Medically Necessitated" Ch 10

Rated: Explicit Pairing: Bucky x Steve Tags: a/b/o, age gap, past rape, rape recovery, trauma recovery, pregnancy, medical trauma, hurt/comfort, mentions of CSA, religious fundamentalism, first time, gender dysphoria, male omegas having all the bits (peen & vagine) Summary: After a medical emergency brings him into the ER, Bucky escapes the religious cult he's been raised in. It's up to Steve, nurse practitioner and omega sex & repro specialist, to see him through a medically supervised heat.

Wait! I haven't read an earlier chapter! Story masterlist

10. Bea

Bucky and Steve negotiate what kind of relationship they're going to have.

Over the course of the following week, Bucky makes good use of the purchases from Twig ‘n’ Tuft. He arranges his new things in an obviously good mood, humming happily as he works. A few things get set aside for later use in the closet, but most of his efforts go towards Steve’s bed, changing out the sheets (they’re silkier now) and blankets (puffier), fluffing the pillows (there are a lot more now), and arranging everything just how he likes.

He’s nesting.

Steve stands in the doorway and watches for a bit, heart bursting with emotions that he knows are directly related to the bond. No way could he feel this utterly content and pleased just from watching a simple act of nesting, otherwise. His omega is feeling safe and comfortable in his home. Steve is providing for him and taking care of him, and it’s making Bucky happy. That’s all Steve wants.

“Need any help?” he asks, not surprised when Bucky says no. Omegas like to nest on their own. Steve is sure he’d mess up whatever Bucky’s nonsensical system is and wind up getting his head bitten off. “Okay then,” he says. “I’m gonna get ready for bed, so …” He grabs some pajamas from the dresser and heads in the direction of the bathroom, intending to brush his teeth and change. “You’re sure you want me in here?” he double checks. “I’m more than happy to take the couch again.”

Bucky rolls his eyes at him. “No Steve. That was pathetic. Six-foot man on a five-foot couch. Stop asking or you’re gonna give me a complex. I want you in here with me.”

Steve smiles gently. “Okay, Buck. Okay.” He goes into the bathroom and shuts the door behind himself. When he comes back out and climbs into the now-nested bed, he has a moment of indecision, unsure how close he should be, if Bucky wants his space, or if maybe Steve should try to touch—

Bucky scoots back to spoon directly against him, his back to Steve’s chest and a large pillow hugged in front of himself. “Mmm.”

Cautiously, Steve lets his arm drape over Bucky’s waist. “This okay?” he asks.

“Yeah,” Bucky sighs. He wiggles in place a little, settling. “Steve?”

“Mm?”

“... Thanks.” Bucky’s hand finds Steve’s where it rests just over his waist and gives a small squeeze. “For helping me. For everything. I’m glad I’m here with you.”

Steve’s heart melts into something useless and gooey, and he lets go of whatever awkwardness he’d still been holding onto. He pulls Bucky more securely against him and nuzzles into the back of his hair. “You’re welcome, Honey. I want you here. It’s gonna be okay.”

Bucky hums and cuddles further back against him. Later, once he’s dozed off, he purrs.

The next morning, Steve is still half-asleep when he’s suffused by the scent of happy, pregnant omega. He hums, vaguely aware that he’s surrounded by soft, good things. With his eyes still closed, he pulls the softness closer, smiling and nosing into that inherently pleasant scent. He feels so good, turned on and warm and safe. Mate, he thinks dreamily, rolling his hips once, and then again because it feels so pleasurable. Soft and good omega, mmm …

“Steve?” Bucky’s sleep-slurred voice. “Mm, whuddryadoin’?”

Steve wakes and his eyes fly open. He freezes in place, mortified as he realizes that he’s been rubbing his morning erection against Bucky’s boxer-clad ass for God only knows how long. “Oh, shit.” He hears Bucky’s low chuckle, but is still horrified at himself. “Sorry!” he hurries, removing his hands. “Sorry, sorry.”

He’s pulling away, but Bucky turns over in the bed and follows after him. He looks barely awake himself, his hair a mess and his eyes opened to puffy slits. He burrows in against Steve’s chest, rubbing his face on his tee shirt. “S’okay,” he mumbles. “You smell good.” He’s silent after that, and a minute later, his quiet snoring lets Steve know that he’s fallen back to sleep.

Steve untenses and allows himself to hold Bucky again—at first hesitantly, and then with more confidence. He lets his head fall back onto the pillow, his nose near Bucky’s hair. He closes his eyes and falls asleep.

The next time he wakes, it’s to Bucky kissing him on the mouth. Steve inhales and pulls back. “Buck, what’re you doing?”

Bucky blinks. “Kissing you.”

Well yeah, Steve wants to say. He feels bad for his lack of reaction when he sees Bucky’s expression begin to shutter.

“Am I not allowed to?” he asks. “Do you … do you not want that with me?”

Steve exhales. “No, Buck. It’s not that. I just don’t want you to feel like—”

“Like I have to,” Bucky says. “I know.” He moves closer, until their chests are touching. “I know you don’t want me to feel forced or … or coerced or whatever. But I don’t.” Carefully, watching Steve’s reactions, he leans in to kiss him again. When their lips meet, Steve’s stomach flutters with nerves. Bucky kisses him gently, and it’s so sweet and tender that it almost aches. Steve forces himself not to wrap his arms around Bucky’s waist again, not to press his leg in between Bucky’s legs and turn into him, push him down into the sheets like he wants to.

But he does kiss back.

They talk about it over breakfast. Steve is in the kitchen making eggs and sausage, and Bucky’s curled up in a corner of the couch with one of his nesting blankets. The tv is set to low volume on a local morning news program. Bucky’s the one who initiates the conversation.

“So, I’m your registered omega now.”

Steve tenses where he’s standing by the stove. “Oh. Yeah. Um …sorry.”

Bucky makes a face. “I’m the one who signed off on it. Why should you be sorry?”

“I dunno,” Steve mumbles. He looks down and focuses on shuffling the sausages around with the spatula he’s holding. Really, there’s a whole lot he’s sorry about. Bucky was a trauma survivor in need of help, and in very short order he’s been impregnated, bonded, and legally bound to an alpha he barely knows. Steve doesn’t know how to explain to Bucky what an injustice that is. “This all just happened so fast,” he says. “I don’t want you to feel like you don’t have choices.”

The tv clicks off, and the next thing Steve knows, Bucky is standing on the other side of the kitchen island, giving him a stern look. “Steve, stop.”

“Stop?” He glances down at the sausages. Stop…cooking?

“Stop feeling guilty about this," Bucky says, crossing his arms and leveling Steve with a look. “It makes me sad and I don’t like it.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.” He nods. “Look, I’ve been given choices out the wazoo, lately. Everybody back at the hospital made it perfectly clear to me that I didn’t have to go with you. But that’s what I wanted. I like you and I trust you, and you’re the father of my baby.”

Steve’s heart stutters in his chest at hearing it said aloud like that. Holy shit, he really is going to be a father, isn’t he? Holy shit, how the hell is he going to do that? He clears his throat and opens his mouth to say something, but Bucky says,

“And we’re bonded, aren’t we?”

“Yeah.” Steve remembers the eggs and hurries to give them a swirl in their pan. “Ah, yeah. We are.”

Bucky nods decisively. “So, I want to be in a relationship with you. A real one, including sex.”

Steve stops, spatula held midair in surprise. “You … what?”

“You, me, living here,” Bucky gestures around the apartment. “I know you’re not going to make me be physical with you, but I want to be.”

Steve’s heart is beating fast inside his chest now. He licks his lips. “Buck, you … you’re a minor. You're eighteen.” That seems like the most obvious problem to him, but Bucky just rolls his eyes.

“Almost nineteen. My birthday’s soon.”

Steve doesn’t know how to break it to him that this doesn’t exactly erase the massive age difference between them. “I’m thirty-one, Honey.” He struggles for what to say next, and of course Bucky mistakes his awkwardness for rejection.

He visibly draws back into himself. “If you don’t like me like that,” he hedges, “or if you aren’t really attracted to me, I wish you’d just say so. I can handle it, but I just need to know what we—”

“No, no. I do. I like you, Buck.” Steve hurriedly covers the pans with their respective lids and flicks both burners off, stepping around the island to pull Bucky into his arms. “And you’re beautiful, Honey. You’ve got to know that.” He hugs him, and Bucky all but melts against him, resting his cheek on Steve’s shoulder. The closeness instantly feels right. Steve can feel the omega relaxing at his words, his scent lightening back to something pleasant. He sighs. All his overthinking things has just left Bucky feeling unwanted, and that couldn’t be further from the truth. “I guess you can tell that I have some hang-ups,” he mutters.

Bucky scoffs. “Yeah. You worry too much.”

Yeah, he does. But Steve shrugs. He can’t help the second guessing and caution that comes so naturally to him at this point. He’s been trained ad-nauseam to be a victim’s advocate, to never take advantage. “I just want to make you happy,” he admits, giving Bucky a gentle squeeze. “I guess I need to start trusting you to be able to tell me how to do that.”

Bucky hums happily. “Yeah. Good.” He pulls back just enough to meet Steve’s eyes, and he smiles. Then, pointedly, he leans in and kisses him. It’s only a brief kiss, more a brush of lips than anything else, but it makes Steve’s skin tingle with pleasure. Bucky pulls back check, “So now I can kiss you any time I want, right?”

Steve forces a smile. “Yeah Buck. You can kiss me.”

Bucky kisses him once more, then lets him go. “And do other stuff,” he says happily, just as Steve is reaching up to grab plates out of the cabinet.

He freezes. “Oh. Um ...”

“Oh come on, Steve. You’ve fucked me six ways to Sunday already!”

Steve busts out in a surprised laugh, but he can feel his face heating at the intense visual memory that hits him: Bucky, in the heat suite, naked and moaning and coming undone. Steve shakes his head and grabs the spatula back up. “Jesus Buck. Come on over here and get your food.”

Bucky obeys with a smirk, and they heap their plates high with scrambled eggs and sausage links and sit at opposite ends of the couch. Their feet tangle in the middle as they eat. Bucky chews thoughtfully for a while and then says, out of the blue and with determination, “I should learn to cook.”

Steve grimaces down at his plate. “That bad, huh?”

“What? Oh, no!” Bucky laughs and eats more sausage. “No, this is great. I was just thinking how I could make you breakfast. Pancakes and stuff. Omelets. I mean, since you probably don’t have time to do it yourself when you have to get to work in the mornings. Right?"

Steve blinks, taken aback. “Wow that’s … that’s really sweet, Buck.” Bucky smiles and looks back down at his plate, and Steve says, “I still have the next few days off from work. We could try to get your school situation figured out, if you want?”

Bucky looks wary of this idea. “I dunno, Steve. I was always homeschooled. I don't …” He shifts uncomfortably. “I don’t know if I’m very smart.”

Steve tuts in disapproval. “Of course you’re smart. Just because you might not know certain facts doesn’t make you unintelligent. Remember what I told you?”

“Yeah I know. Bees pollinate flowers,” Bucky mumbles, his discomfort obvious. He’s still embarrassed about his past.

"Hey," Steve offers gently. He nudges Bucky’s socked foot with his own. “That’s what we’re gonna do. We’ll spend the last few days of my leave figuring out a schedule for you, okay? I’ll help you.” The past few days have gone quickly, eaten up by tv marathons, snuggle sessions, and walks around the neighborhood to familiarize Bucky with the immediate area where Steve lives. “We can map out where your sister’s new place is, where you’re going to go for therapy. I’ll even investigate how you might go about taking the GED, if you want. They have study materials. Shouldn’t be hard to figure out.” He keeps nudging Bucky’s foot with his until he gets a little smile from the kid. “You’ll get a transit pass for the train and the bus. You can be totally independent, scoot all over the city if you want.”

Bucky hums and tucks back into his food, but Steve can tell that he’s pleased by the prospect.

Steve still has the next few days off from work, the tail-end of what is officially titled as his “Registered New Mate Leave.”

Steve is forced to explain to—an understandably confused—Bucky, that even though “mates” really is just a social construct and not a true physical thing, the government in New York still uses the term in some of its policies and legislation. “I know it’s contradictory,” he apologizes, when Bucky first perks up at hearing him say the words ‘mate leave’. “It’s stupid, I know. But the important thing is that I have time off where I can help you get settled, yeah?”

Bucky agrees with a tiny nod (and later, a quietly-murmured: “It’s not stupid. I don’t mind being your mate,” which makes Steve fluster but which Bucky also says quietly enough and standing far away enough that Steve can pretend he didn’t hear him say it).

He buys Bucky a transit card and helps him learn how to use the app for the city bus system and the train on his phone, then they decide to take a practice trip together, riding the orange and then the purple line out to the address in Queens where Rebecca's new apartment complex is.

Steve sits next to Bucky on the train and watches as he spends the ride downloading various apps for things like GrubHub and Candy Crush onto his phone. It’s a little hard for Steve to remember that Bucky grew up in a restrictive and backwards cult, when he’s sitting there witnessing the kid take to the modern world like a fish takes to water.

Rebecca’s apartment is all the way out in Flushing. Steve makes a reference to The Nanny, which Bucky of course doesn’t get, because he didn’t grow up watching 90’s cable TV. So Steve promises to add it to their already massive streaming watchlist.

Rebecca has them stay for lunch, and Steve feels kind of bad when they leave her in her lonely apartment with stark walls and hardly any furniture or possessions. She’s still adjusting to the outside world, the same as Bucky is, and Steve is once again very, very glad that he’s been able to bring Bucky straight into a lived-in home with lots of warm things and Steve himself to help. He’d hate to think of Bucky struggling all on his own.

“We should have her over for dinner sometime,” he offers, when he and Bucky are back in Brooklyn and walking towards the OmCare social services building where Bucky’s scheduled for his afternoon intake and assessment. “Your sister, that is.”

“Ooh, yeah. We could do that?” Bucky looks hopeful. “I could make something.”

“Sure, why not?” They walk inside the building and Steve accompanies Bucky up to the check-in desk. He gives him a little side hug, which Bucky turns into a full-on hug, and then leans up and kisses him. It’s just a quick peck, but it makes Steve flush halfway down his neck.

Bucky smiles when he notices and holds Steve’s hand while they wait in line behind one other person. “You’re nice,” he mumbles.

“It’s your apartment, too. You’re allowed to have guests and go in and out and cook whenever you want. And I’m glad you’ve got your sister, and that she’s got you.” Steve squeezes his hand. “You’ve both overcome something huge. It’s not easy. I’m proud of you.”

Bucky beams and looks like he’ll say something else, but before he can, the receptionist calls him forward and he signs himself in. They take their seats in the waiting room, and before long Bucky is called back by a kind looking beta counselor, who introduces herself as Beatrice—"just Bea is fine"—Collins, and informs Steve that if he plans to stick around for the entire appointment, he’s got quite the wait ahead of him. Steve says he doesn’t mind. His phone has a full charge.

When Bucky comes out of the appointment—three hours later —Steve’s butt is numb from the waiting room chairs, and Bucky’s holding a folder stuffed full of papers. Steve can immediately tell that he’s in a very good mood. He looks ten times brighter than when he'd gone in. “How’d it go?” Steve asks.

“Great!"

"Yeah?"

"Uh huh. My counselor's nice.” Bucky recounts all of the different assessments that Bea had him complete during their session together. “I think she was expecting me to be super screwed up or something,” he jokes. “I don’t know what the heck the hospital told her.”

That you’re a gang rape trauma victim with culture shock and gender dysphoria, Steve thinks, but doesn’t say. He’s been relieved and surprised so far, at how well Bucky’s taken to accepting himself and his body, this bond and the news of an unplanned pregnancy. Steve doesn’t know how that’ll change as the pregnancy progresses, but he’s hopeful that him being there and being accepting of Bucky can help make a positive difference. “Did you get a schedule for therapy?” he asks, when they’re on the bus ride home.

“Mondays and Wednesdays at four,” Bucky says. “There’s a queer youth group that meets after. Bea said she thinks I’ll like it. I told her I’d give it a try.”

Steve blinks in surprise. “Oh. Okay. So ... do you feel like you’re, um, queer?”

Bucky smirks and shakes his head. “No. But I dunno, I might make friends there.”

“Oh yeah. Right, of course.”

His hand migrates to his stomach and he looks down at it. “I still feel really weird about it all. Being pregnant.”

Steve’s heart sinks and he fights not to let it show on his face. “Do you feel like you’re changing your mind? About keeping it?”

Bucky shakes his head but he won’t meet Steve’s eyes. “No, it’s not that. I don’t mean the baby. It’s more about how I’m, like …” He chews his lip as he thinks about it. “How I'm being like this so openly.”

“‘Like this’?”

He nods. “I know people can smell it. And eventually I’ll get big and people’ll see.”

“Yeah.” Steve’s hand creeps over the seat between them, cautious. He personally can’t wait to see Bucky get bigger, but of course he’d never say that. “Is ... that a bad thing?” he asks cautiously.

“No. Not bad. It just makes it so obvious about how I’m, um, you know.” Bucky hesitates for so long that Steve half expects him to throw out an obscene word. “How I'm … omega." He plucks at the front of his sweater, which they bought in the men’s omega clothing section at Target just the other day.

It isn’t much different in style from a typical men’s A/B sweater. Perhaps a bit tighter in the fit—slightly different seams, a more graceful neckline that’s indicative of the gender it’s meant for. Steve thinks it looks good on him, but now he starts to get self conscious and wonders if Bucky truly liked any of the clothes they bought for him the other day. Steve had tried to make it clear that Bucky could pick out anything he wanted. He doesn’t think he’d been the one to steer them in the direction of the men’s O department, rather than men's A/B, but he’ll be damned if he can convince himself of it now.

He opens his mouth to ask, but Bucky’s already speaking, “It wasn’t like that back home. Guys like me were … Well, people knew, of course, but we didn’t talk about it. You hid it, you didn’t go around openly acting all—” he cuts himself off and shakes his head. “Anyways, it’s just weird to be out in public, knowing everybody can tell. Seeing people act like it’s normal.”

Steve frowns and takes his hand. “It is normal, Buck.”

“I know. I know that. It’s just gonna take some getting used to." Bucky twists his lips and grumbles, "Bea says I’ve got ‘dysphoria’.”

“You do,” Steve says solemnly, thinking about how the kid had refused to even consider the men’s O style underwear at Target. They’d purchased a pack of A/B style briefs instead, which Steve had been happy to do for him. “It’s gonna take time,” he agrees kindly. “And that’s okay. It'll get easier, you'll become more comfortable about a lot of stuff. And for the things that don't feel right, well you know you can express your gender any way you want, right? You don't have to force yourself into some box. Not anymore." He gives Bucky's hand a comforting squeeze. "I think the queer group’s a great idea, Buck. You should go.”

Bucky’s scent gradually lightens, and he leans in against Steve’s side, allowing him to wrap an arm around his shoulders and hold him close for the remainder of the bus ride home.

“—and said she thinks I’ll do just fine on the GED,” Bucky tells Steve brightly the next night, when they’re fixing their dinners. “I can study for it online, and take it any time I want. She had this whole indicator test that said my scores were pretty good. Better than what she’s seen from uneducated people in the past.”

“You not uneducated, Buck,” Steve chides. “You were homeschooled.”

“Better than nothing,” Bucky mutters, but says nothing else, and they leave it at that.

They compromise and make little side salads to eat with the frozen dinners that Bucky picked out (the kid has atrocious taste in foods, and Steve has already purchased and paid for overnight shipping on the best prenatal vitamins that money can buy). They settle in to watch a few more episodes of The Nanny, which Bucky has decided that he loves. After that, he picks out a movie to watch, and they sit snuggled on the couch together, some of the new nesting blankets tucked around both of their shoulders.

It becomes apparent that Bucky has taken their previous discussion about physicality to heart. He’s very bold with how close he wants to be with Steve, sitting right up against him as soon as the movie starts and leaning more and more of his weight on him as time goes on. He purrs happily when Steve finally wraps an arm around his shoulders, gives him an affectionate tug against his body, and holds him close. They spend the rest of the movie that way.

By the time the credits roll, Bucky’s hand has been steadily creeping higher up Steve’s thigh for the better part of twenty minutes. They’ve snuggled the entire movie, but Bucky started touching with intent somewhere around the three-quarter mark, and Steve’s done nothing to stop him. He grunts softly when Bucky finally reaches the top of his thigh, and again when he boldly moves his hand and cups the front of his jeans. Steve’s been perked up for a while, and it feels good to finally be touched. “Buck,” he says softly.

Bucky turns into him, putting their faces close together. “Kiss me?” he murmurs, those two quiet words making his lips move in the barest, most enticing way. They look so soft.

Steve’s belly flutters with nerves in a way that it hasn’t done in a long time. Bucky’s so young and sweet, so innocent, and that really gets to Steve more than he wants to admit. He’s never had a virginity kink, but knowing that he’s the only one who’s ever made love to Bucky’s body, the only one who’s ever laid him down in soft spaces and shown him pleasure, God, it makes Steve weak to think about.

It makes him want so much, makes him want to show Bucky every single way there is in the world to feel good. Steve just wants to keep him and teach him and make him happy. And to feel all of that for someone he’s barely known is … It’s a lot. Steve knows they’re bonded, and that he should allow himself a little leeway, allow himself to indulge. Especially since Bucky’s all but in his lap now, having made his wishes crystal clear, lips hovering scant centimeters away from Steve’s own.

Steve closes the distance, pressing their mouths together in a gentle kiss. Bucky is soft, just as devastatingly sweet and soft as he looks, and Steve feels his blood run hotter at the sheer lust that courses through him. Fuck, he thinks despairingly. How is he ever going to control himself with this boy?

Bucky makes a tiny noise of pleasure as soon as they’re kissing, a sound that goes straight to Steve’s cock. He’s so eager, pressing closer, his hand between Steve’s legs molding to the shape of his erection and rubbing. Steve grunts and kisses him harder, and Bucky looses the sweetest little whimper. He abandons all pretense of restraint, turning fully into Steve, climbing into his lap and straddling him. His hands come up to cradle Steve’s face as they make out.

Steve groans at the first, hot swipe of Bucky’s tongue. He opens up to it and follows, his hands curling in hard at Bucky’s waist as they get more and more heated, more urgent. Bucky’s hips start grinding down in tight little circles, and when they break away from the kiss momentarily, Steve's slightly out of breath. “Buck,” he pants, and Bucky nods shakily in response.

“Yeah. Oh God, Steve. You feel so … I just wanna … nngh.”

Jesus, Steve thinks. It doesn’t even take a complete sentence from the boy to make heat pulse harder through his veins. He knows that part of it’s from the bond. Logically, he knows. He can feel Bucky’s arousal like an echo of his own, amplifying everything. His cock is throbbing against the seam of his jeans. Bucky’s been rocking needily against it as they kiss, and Steve can smell the omega’s arousal now, honey-sweet and tempting underneath the layers of his clothes. He’s getting wet.

It calls out to Steve’s instincts, makes him want to grab Bucky and tackle him to the floor, make him feel so good that he cries and comes apart for him within minutes. It’s not like it would be hard to do. Steve knows how an omega's body works, knows that he could have Bucky creaming on his fingers before the movie’s end credits are finished rolling. But he forces himself to hold back, because that’s not what he wants, not really. Not for Bucky’s first time in their home. Their home. Christ.

“Sweetheart,” he gasps, when Bucky switches to sucking on his neck and rubbing forwards instead of down, his clothed little cock grinding against Steve’s abs, giving off these needy little whines as he moves. Fuck, it’s sexy. And he’s got his mouth right over Steve’s glands, bringing blood to the surface of skin that’s still tender and sensitive from the recent bondmark. It’s healed by now, but the skin is still pink and thin, delicate from injury. It wouldn’t take much to get it to break all over again, and Steve feels saliva pool in his mouth as he imagines that the same must be true of Bucky’s mark. He grits his teeth and digs his fingers in hard at Bucky’s waist, trying to control himself. “Oh, Honey … okay wait. Wait wait wait.” He pulls back, panting, and after a moment Bucky does, too. His eyes open and flick over Steve’s face. He’s got such fantastic eyes. Irises that flare into a stormy cobalt, and then gray; his pupils blown huge with desire. Steve is fucking helpless under those eyes.

“Alpha,” Bucky breathes, saying it like it might as well be Steve’s name. “Can we? Please? I want it, I do. Please Steve, please take me back to our room.”

It’s such pretty begging. Steve’s hit hard in that instant by how utterly beautiful Bucky is. His dark lashes and plush lips, the wanting pinch between his brows, and the sweet, aroused, pregnant smell of him. Steve wonders how he ever thought he was going to be able to remain respectable, here. “Yeah?” he asks, pushing his hands under Bucky’s sweater to feel his skin. He digs his fingers into the soft give of his waist and feels him shudder. “You sure?”

Bucky grabs his face to kiss him forcefully, his hips jolting down again as he does. “Yes!” he laughs, kissing Steve hard, shoving his tongue inside his mouth with almost no skill. “Fuck, Steve. Come on. Pleease. You’re my Alpha, aren’t you?” He’s only asking lightheartedly, but Steve’s balls still clench and throb as if he’s been issued a challenge, and his growl still intensifies to something rich and possessive, rolling deep in his chest. Bucky makes a delighted sound at hearing it, and his scent spikes. He clings to Steve and tucks his face in his neck, humping him harder and moaning, “C’mon Alpha. Take me back there and hold me down. Make it feel better. Aren’t I your omega? Don’t you want to breed me up in our nest?”

“Fuck,” Steve says tightly. This kid’s too clever. He figures things out. “Bucky,” he growls.

“Yeah." Bucky drags his teeth over Steve’s bondmark and sucks, hard, on the glands. He releases with a 'pop' and a harshly whispered, “So make me feel good like you’re supposed to,” against the shell of Steve’s ear. And Steve breaks. He shoves up to standing with Bucky hoisted in his arms. The coffee table scrapes loudly across the floor when his shins hit it. Bucky squeaks at the sudden movement and grabs onto him, laughing delightedly. "Steve!"

Steve carries him back to the bedroom. He dumps him on the bed and Bucky scoots back and starts yanking off his clothes with haste. Steve stays standing and undresses, growling at him. “You’re a manipulative little shit, you know that?”

Bucky laughs. “If it gets me what I want," he preens, voice muffled by his tee shirt and sweater twisted halfway over his face.

Steve is naked first, and he helps Bucky by pulling off the briefs that he's trying to kick off his foot, tossing them away with a grin as he crawls over him on the bed. “And what is that, huh?” he asks, settling in the cradle of his hips, pleased when Bucky's legs part instinctively to make a place for him. Finally, their bodies finally pressed fully together, nothing between them anymore. It feels right. Bucky’s eyes are bright and joyful, his cheeks beautifully flushed as Steve settles on his forearms above him. Bucky whines and draws his knees up, humping against Steve's stomach, smearing his slick there. Steve traces the edge of one dark brow with his thumb. “Pretty boy. What do you want so bad, hm?”

“Thought that’d be obvious by now,” Bucky jokes, though some of the bravado has leached from his voice, replaced by a breathiness that betrays his nerves.

Steve glances down between them and sees Bucky’s cocklet, half hard and fattened up against his belly. And lower down, all that slick. It’s mind-bendingly hot, and Steve shoves a hand down between them, smearing through the mess and getting it all over his fingers. “So wet, Sweetheart,” he praises.

Bucky chokes out the prettiest little noise when Steve's fingers graze his soaked lips, and then wrap around his cocklet and start giving it light, coaxing strokes. “S-shit,” he whimpers, shoving up against Steve’s hand. “Ohn, sh-shit, Steve …”

“Mmhm.” Steve kisses him as he strokes, stopping frequently to pull back and watch the pleasure play out over his face. Bucky's little cock is almost fully hard in his hand. Steve looks down between their bodies to watch as he thumbs over the head again and again. He takes gentle hold of his foreskin and uses it to jerk him off right at the tip. The sight of it is enough to make him want to pop a knot. And lower down? Jesus wept, it’s pretty. Bucky’s slick is everywhere and his cunt is pink and swollen, the lips puffy and darkened from arousal. Jesus fucking Christ. Steve's overcome with the need to seal his mouth right over it.

He gets back on his knees, intending to do just that, pulling Bucky where he wants him in the sheets. He pushes Bucky’s knees apart and looks his fill. Bucky starts to whine and squirm at the close attention, but Steve hushes him and plays with his cock some more to distract him. “Shh, Honey. You’re so pretty down here.” He’s staring, can’t help but stare at the gorgeous spread of Bucky’s sex. He trails his fingers over it in the barest ghost of a touch, near reverent in how he plays with this delicate part of him. “Oh, Sweetheart. Look at you, so perfect.”

Bucky’s scent gets even more aroused, but with a growing hint of embarrassment to it that Steve doesn’t like. His nose wrinkles as he scents a twinge of humiliation, and realizes how bothered Bucky is. This isn’t going to be like at the hospital. Bucky no longer has the mental fog or the fevered drive of his heat to guide him through any of this.

Steve looks up and tries to convey what he feels for Bucky through his expression, through the bond that they share. He reaches out and cups his cheek. “What are you thinking, Sweet boy?” he asks sadly, knowingly. Because he can already see it: the self-deprecating thoughts that Bucky's having about his body, about what he’s been told all his life is wrong with it. Steve makes a miserable noise of contention, and Bucky’s lips quiver and his eyes slip closed. He’s shaking his head just the barest bit. Steve whines sadly. “Honey,”

“Nothing,” Bucky whispers, squirming unhappily and pressing his cheek into Steve’s palm. His sad little smile is heart wrenching. “It’s nothing. I’m fine.”

For the first time, Steve wishes that he’d gone in to speak privately with Bucky’s OmCare counselor the other day, so that he could’ve asked questions. Steve’s never been with someone with issues like Bucky has, at least not any longer than a few hectic days spent fucking in a heat suite. His job involves acute care, the during. He’s never been there to deal with the after. Bucky’s so beautiful laid out before him now, but Steve is keenly aware of how fragile he is, too. He doesn’t want to mess this up.

Slowly, he moves his hand from Bucky’s face and fits it around the front of his throat instead. He presses up and in under his jaw, and watches as Bucky’s eyes shoot open again. Steve levels him with a tender look. “Buck,” he tells him gently. “I want to lay down on my stomach, here.” He nods at the bed. “Right here, between your pretty legs.” Bucky swallows thickly beneath his palm, a hurt little pinch forming between his brows. One of his hands has come up to grip onto Steve’s wrist at his throat, but he isn’t pushing him away, and Steve keeps his hand there. “I think you’re so beautiful, Sweetheart. And I want to show you. I want to make you feel good.” Carefully, he leans down over him, so close that their lips brush together. But he keeps his eyes open, and so does Bucky, and he doesn’t kiss him. He stays like that, sharing breath with him and looking right into his eyes as he holds his neck with gentle dominance. … And with his other hand, he reaches down between his legs.

Bucky’s breath catches and trips at the first touch of Steve’s fingers, his face slipping between desire and shame and a whole host of other, vulnerable emotions. “S-steve,” he breathes.

“Mmhm.” He lets the pads of his fingers stroke softly along the lips of Bucky’s cunt, again and again, up and down, just barely touching. He’s soaked. “I want you to tell me,” Steve murmurs, and then he finally does kiss him—just once, just a tiny peck on the lips. Bucky tries to kiss back, but he denies him, maintaining that scant distance between their faces and waiting until Bucky opens his eyes again. Steve smiles. “Tell me, Bucky. Tell me to put my face down between your legs. Tell me to kiss you, to lick you.”

The whine Bucky makes is as bothered as the blush that stains his cheeks. He writhes underneath Steve, and Steve tightens his hand on his neck. He fits his thumb over his bonding glands and presses firmly. “I love every part of your body Buck, and I want you to see that. I want you to see what I see.” He gives him another kiss, and this time speaks directly against Bucky’s mouth. “Now give me permission to eat you out.”

“Fuck,” Bucky whimpers, but the shame in his scent has already peaked and is dissipating. It’s still there, but Steve can feel through the bond how his words have helped. Bucky squirms under him, a new gush of slick pooling around Steve’s fingers right after. “... E-eat me out, Steve.”

“Good boy. Oh, Bucky, Sweetheart,”

“Please … your mouth, your … please.”

Steve growls, more than satisfied. He mashes his mouth down hard on Bucky’s, kissing him fiercely to let him know he’s been so, so good for him. Then he shoves himself down the bed, dragging his cock against the sheets as he goes to get some relief. Bucky’s legs spread apart and Steve coaxes him with gentle murmurs to rest them over his shoulders. “There you go. Just like that, Beautiful.” He kisses the back of one calf as it moves and Bucky settles. He flicks his eyes up to Bucky, who’s staring down at him with parted lips and heavy-lidded eyes.

“Oh, Steve. Are you gonna?���

He moves instead of answering, shoulders pushing under Bucky’s thighs and arms wrapping around, tugging him closer. Bucky squeaks and Steve rumbles in satisfaction. “Goddamn,” he curses, rolling his hips down against the mattress some more. It’s barely a relief. “Baby,” he breathes, staring at Bucky’s pink folds, so wet and delicate, his little hole clenching on nothing. “Baby, you got no idea how good this pussy looks. Fuck.”

Bucky groans at the words, but he doesn’t get much chance to protest further because in the next second Steve is diving in. He seals his mouth over most of Bucky’s entire sex, just because he can, giving a big, indulgent suck and making absolutely filthy noises in the process. He laves the flat of his tongue, wide and firm and focused, up the pink cleft of his cunt, again and again, before setting in to a few moments of truly tongue fucking him—first with tiny little jabs that barely breach him and make him whine high and needy, then a series of longer, deeper pushes, going as far into Bucky’s body as he possibly can. Bucky downright wails after a moment of that, and Steve can hear the frustration in it, can hear how he wants more but doesn’t have the words to ask. That’s alright, though. Steve has given plenty of head in his life, and he knows what male omegas respond to best. He gets himself in gear and does what he knows will have Bucky coming in minutes.

“Jesus Chr-uh—” Bucky grunts, his hips shoving up hard against Steve’s face.

Steve hums around the cocklet in his mouth and tongues the underside, flicking over and over it like he would do to a woman’s clit. He’s got one hand holding Bucky’s hip down, and he uses the other to tease at the wet entrance of his slit, pressing with the tips of two fingers. It’s so tight that, for a long second, it doesn’t feel as if he’ll be able to get in. He hums his mouth on Buck’s cock and pushes harder … and slips in.

Bucky cries out sharply and both of his hands are suddenly in Steve’s hair, pulling him closer. His legs hook over his back, heels digging in. “Fuck, oh fuck, Steve yeah… yeahyeah … that … oh, ohplease, jus’likethat.”

Steve hums happily and curls his fingers, rubbing the right spots, letting his knuckles bump Bucky’s mound while he suckles with purpose at the head of his dick. He’s determined to get at least this first orgasm out of the way before he fucks him.

Bucky’s hands pull his head and his hips shove against Steve’s face as he arches and comes, the sweet, desperate sounds he makes as he reaches his climax music to Steve’s ears. His body contracts rhythmically as he releases, a hot gush of slick between his legs and Steve’s palm. Steve groans with his cocklet still held in his mouth. He pulls off, lifting his head to gaze up Bucky’s body but leaving his fingers buried inside his cunt. Bucky’s head is tossed back in the pillows, panting, his face lax from the trailing bliss of his orgasm.

Steve smiles and strokes his fingers inside a few more times, prolonging it for him as much as he can. When Bucky inhales hugely then sighs, his entire body going boneless, Steve pulls out. He dips down for one more, indulgent taste, then kisses his way back up Bucky’s stomach, up across his chest and neck. Bucky’s waiting for him with half-lidded eyes and a sated smile when he arrives to lie over top of him again. Steve hums, settling between his legs and kissing him lightly. He rocks his hips minutely, moving his cock through all that slick. “Feel good?” he asks, bending down to nose at his neck.

Bucky shivers in his arms and nods. “Mmm. Mmhm.”

Steve’s lips find Bucky’s bondmark and kiss it. “Good,” he murmurs. He flicks his tongue out against the delicate skin of the mark, imagining how good it would feel to bite him now, to sink his teeth in all over again, feel the skin break so tenderly and the blood welling out rich with pheromones, how much the sound of Bucky’s cries would turn him on. I want to claim you again, he thinks. I want you. His chest aches with how badly he wants to say those things, but he forces himself not to.

It’s not his place to scar Bucky up any worse than he already has, not when they aren’t mates. Bucky’s with him until the baby comes, maybe not long after. Steve has to let him have that choice, he can't be selfish and box him in, no matter how badly his instincts might make him want to. He rubs his lips over the bondmark instead, then just his nose, when the urge to bite won’t go away.

Beneath him, Bucky’s hips cant up further, receptive. His knees notch up higher about Steve’s waist. But after a moment of lazy writhing and making little seeking, wanting mewls, he freezes. “Oh. Um … Steve?”

“Mm?” Steve is rubbing his cock through the wet cleft of his sex, ready to be inside his omega, ready to feel that heaven again. He wedges a hand down to line himself up. “You ready, Honey?”

“Wait, no.” Steve pulls back, and Bucky winces in apology. “Ah, maybe I have to pee. Sorry.”

Steve laughs, relieved, and kisses him quickly. He rolls off of him and onto his back. “Don’t apologize. It happens.” He pats him on the hip affectionately and tells him to go. Bucky does, and Steve watches his naked backside as it disappears into the ensuite. He sighs heavily once he’s alone, scrubbing the heels of his hands over his eyes and resisting the urge to touch himself in Bucky’s absence. God, he’d really wanted to bite him again. That’s going to be a problem. He hears the toilet flush, then water running at the sink, then Bucky’s footsteps as he returns. Steve uncovers his face and smiles as Bucky climbs back on the bed. “Better?”

“Mmhm.”

Bucky's a typical omega, in that he responds very well to his orgasms. He’s loose and happy after his first, all the tension and insecurities from before gone for the moment. Steve knows his brain has just dumped a shit-ton of chemicals to tell him that he’s loved and safe and beautiful and cared for. He moves to pull him in close again, intending to get right back between his spread legs like he’d been before, but Bucky stops him with another hesitant,

“Wait.”

Steve pauses, and when Bucky pushes against his shoulder he takes the hint and returns to lying on his back, probably with a quizzical expression on his face. Bucky’s kneeling on the bedcovers beside him, looking shy but eager. Steve’s knot throbs at that look. “Buck?”

Bucky’s eyes rove over his body with interest plain on his face. At his sides, his hands make an aborted gesture towards Steve. “Um. I wanted to try …” He bites his lip, eyes trailing down to Steve’s erection where it lies wet and heavy against his belly, the shine of Bucky’s slick on it catching the room’s light. Bucky visibly trembles and reaches out with his hand again. This time, his fingers brush over the skin of Steve’s hip. He shifts in place on his knees. “Can I …”

“Yes,” Steve breathes, instantly harder just at the thought of Bucky touching him in that way—with his hands, his mouth, it doesn’t matter. Whatever it is that Bucky wants, Steve wants him to have it. The idea of his omega wanting him like this, wanting to explore his body, makes Steve hotter than anything he can imagine. “Anything you want,” he manages to croak out, forcing himself to remain still and let Bucky set the pace. “Go ahead.”

Bucky’s timid for another moment, leaning forward. His hands land lightly on Steve’s chest at first, then drag down, feeling his body. He takes a deep breath and seems to decide on something, his expression growing resolute. He straddles Steve’s thighs and leans forward to touch his chest again, taking more time to explore his pecs, ghost fingers over his nipples. It’s endearing how fascinated he still is. Steve supposes that they didn’t do much of this in the heat suite. Bucky had been too far into his cycle then, too needy and traumatized to even contemplate exploring Steve’s body when what he really needed was an alpha taking care of him. Now though, now he can explore. And the heat in his eyes as they rove Steve’s body shows that he very much wants to.

Steve swallows thickly and watches as his omega becomes familiar with him in this new way. His hands flow over Steve’s abs, fingertips tracing the lines of muscle, and then the hair that starts on his belly. He smooths his hands down over those flat planes, out to his hips, to the tops of his thighs and back up. But his eyes remain glued to Steve’s cock the entire time. It’s fully hard now, darkened in color from his arousal and the knot plumped at the base. Bucky’s eyes flick up once, just to check, and Steve gives him a shaky smile. “Go ahead, Sweetheart.”

Bucky touches his cock, wrapping his hand around the shaft like he’s afraid he’ll hurt Steve. “What should I do?” he whispers, fingers tightening the barest fraction and giving a cautious stroke. “I’ve never …”

Steve’s hips jerk up and he fights to keep himself still. “It’s okay,” he says. “You touch yourself, right? Just do that. It’s the same.”

Bucky’s eyes flick up, and Steve’s surprised to see humor there. Bucky twists his lips wryly. “It’s not the same,” he teases, looking back down pointedly at Steve’s humongous cock, and then his.

Steve chuckles. “Well, general idea.” He reaches down and puts his hand over Bucky’s hand where it’s holding his cock. Bucky inhales sharply and looks at him. Steve nods. “Anything you do is gonna feel so good for me, Buck,” he tells him honestly. “Go ahead. I just want to watch you have fun.” Bucky looks shocked at that for the barest of seconds, but then that look slips away, replaced by eagerness. He looks back down, licks his lips, and starts jerking Steve off in slow, exploring strokes. Steve groans and lets his head flop back into the pillow, closing his eyes after a moment. Bucky’s other hand appears at the top of his thigh. It slides inwards, squeezing the muscle, and Steve groans and spreads his legs a little for him, flexing his pelvis up. “Yeah,” he whispers. “Bucky.” Bucky’s touches grow bolder. He squeezes Steve’s cock harder and starts twisting his hand experimentally on the upstroke. His other hand migrates from Steve’s thigh to his balls, eliciting a grunt from Steve. “Oh,” he breathes, wanting Bucky to hear it in his voice, how good it is. “Honey, yeah. That’s just right.”

Bucky rolls his balls in his palm lightly, and when Steve tells him that he can tug on them a little, he obeys. “Touch my knot,” Steve whispers, when he can feel it swelling further. He moans unexpectedly loudly when Bucky’s hand closes around it though, and he’s opening his eyes and reaching down to grab Bucky’s wrists in alarm. “Nope, nope nope. No more of that,” he pants, wide-eyed.

Bucky laughs, looking proud. “Why not?”

Steve growls and tugs on Bucky's waist, making him fall down on top of him. “You know why not,” he rumbles, then kisses him firmly on the mouth.

It’s possessive, and Bucky moans into it, his hands curling over Steve’s shoulders and hips grinding down against his abs. They part from the kiss and Bucky sits up, his eyes sparkling. “I liked it though,” he says. He rocks down at a different angle, rubbing his cunt on Steve's belly and smearing his slick all over the place. He giggles when Steve groans and grabs his hips to stop him. “What if that’s what I wanted?” he asks. “What if I want to make you cum with my hands? Or my mouth?”

“Fuck.”

“I want to see it,” he says, eyes hot on Steve and his hips rocking lewdly against him. “One day. I wanna see it happen. In my hands. I want to hold it and see it get big.”

Steve really, really has to close his eyes for a second with that one. He bites the inside of his cheek hard enough to hurt. Because he simply cannot with Bucky and his virginal little attempts at dirty talk right now. “You better watch your mouth,” he warns, his voice sounding like he’s swallowed rocks. “Or you will see it.” Bucky’s grin is magnificent, but Steve raises an eyebrow and reminds him, “Alphas only cum once, Sweetheart. Up to you to decide where my knot is, when that happens.”

It’s adorable, how fast Bucky’s eyes widen at that, and then how he frowns and pouts about not getting to have his cake and eat it, too. Steve waits him out patiently, grateful to have a few seconds’ reprieve (and also fairly certain that he knows which way Bucky’s going to steer things).

“Fine,” Bucky eventually says, sighing dramatically as if he’s making the world’s most difficult choice. Steve grins and digs his fingers firmly into the fleshiness of his hips, preparing to flip them back over. But Bucky grunts in protest, and then he puts his hands on Steve's chest and shoves him back down to the bed with an adorable little omega growl. Steve feels his surge of confidence and playful dominance through the bond, and he grins up at him, understanding what he wants. “Yeah?”

Bucky pulls his bottom lip into his mouth and bites it, a little bit of self-consciousness slipping back in, even as he nods. “Uh huh. Can I?”

Steve groans. He sits up and yanks Bucky against him, one hand threaded into his hair just so he can kiss him, hard, one single time. He falls back down to the bed. “Of course you can,” he tells him, grabbing his hips again and kneading his fingers in. “Go on.”

His enthusiastic response seems to wipe away any remaining traces of Bucky’s doubt. The boy's scent is pure again, unpolluted by shame or uncertainty, and he licks his lips and focuses intently on kneeling up, reaching around behind himself for Steve’s cock, and lining it up with his entrance.

Steve helps him along, holding his dick steady at the base so that Bucky can focus on relaxing and taking him inside his body. “Hey,” he whispers, getting Bucky’s attention back on him. “Keep your eyes on me, okay?” Bucky flushes and exhales shakily at the command. He nods, eyes fixed on Steve’s face even as he lowers himself down and they touch. Steve’s cockhead presses, breaches Bucky’s body, and he sees Bucky’s lips part and his brow pinch.

"Oh."

“Just like that,” Steve soothes, petting his flank with one hand, guiding his hip down with the other. Bucky groans quietly as he sinks down and bottoms out, and Steve rewards him with a deep rumble of approval. “Thaat’s it, Honey. Oh, good boy.”

Bucky mewls and falls forward, bracing both hands on Steve’s chest. His eyes are clamped shut tightly and he starts moving, rocking forwards and back, hard and fast. But Steve only lets him have a moment of that frantic grinding before he’s shushing him and coaxing him to sit back, slow down, and open his eyes. “Yeah,” he says, stroking up to his waist and back down in praise. He tugs and pulls his hips, guiding him into the right motions. “Slow and easy. That’s right. Keep those pretty eyes open so Alpha can see, yeah?” Bucky nods, his pleasure-pained face and desperation for Steve's guidance just about the sweetest, most erotic thing Steve’s ever seen. He nods along encouragingly with Bucky. “Good boy. That's it. Look right at me while you make us feel so good.”

Bucky does, sitting back the way that Steve’s positioned him and learning to roll his hips in that slow, luxurious grind that feels absolutely exquisite. He’s able to keep at it that way for a long while, too, before his breathing eventually starts to pick up, getting heavier and faster, his face and chest gorgeously flushed. The wet sounds of all his slick are more intense, and Steve can tell from the scent of him, from the feeling of his cunt tightening and rippling around his dick, that he’s close to his second orgasm. Steve clenches his jaw and digs his heels into the sheets so he can fuck up against Bucky's grinding. He can feel his knot pulsing, about to swell. “Baby,” he grits out. “M’close.”

“Steve.”

“I’m gonna knot you,” he gasps. “Buck, oh, I’m gonna.”

It’s the first time he’s ever not asked it as a question, but he doesn’t have to worry about consent, because Bucky makes it immediately clear that Steve’s knot is exactly what he wants. “Fuck yeah,” he whines, face crumpling and both of his hands shooting forward to brace on Steve’s chest again. He grinds harder, faster, more desperately like he’d done in the beginning, and this time Steve lets him. He curses and wraps his arms around Bucky’s back when the boy collapses onto him. His knot pops, and Bucky wails and comes.

Steve shouts as he starts to come, too, his balls pulling up tight and his focus narrowing down to nothing but the point where their bodies are joined. God, it feels so good, so good, sofuckinggood. His hips rut mindlessly against their tie and he clutches onto Bucky, muffling his moans in the omega’s neck. He gasps and has to force his mouth away from Bucky’s bonding glands at the last second, when he realizes what he’s aiming for. He pants into the top of his shoulder instead as he comes. He loses track of space and time for that first, excruciating minute of his orgasm, and then flows back into himself for the heavenly three or four minutes of languorous pleasure that follow.

Meanwhile, Bucky pants and grinds himself out to at least one more climax, then collapses on Steve’s chest in sweaty exhaustion. "Oh. Oh, god."

Steve moans and wraps his arms fully around Bucky's waist, hugging their bodies tightly together while his balls keep emptying. "Hmmm," he sighs blissfully, eyes closed and nose buried in Bucky's hair. "'Mega."

Bucky whimpers a little and squirms on his knot, repeating his name in a tired, whispered slur, again and again, right against Steve’s left pec: “Steve, Ssteve … mmm, Ssteeve.”

Steve kisses the top of Bucky’s head and hums some more. He thinks he mumbles something in the general vicinity of, “Luv you,” before he drifts off to sleep, his cock still buried deep and his omega’s adoring, sated whispers still ringing in his ears.

Art: @hopelessartgeek

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[dramioneasks]

Oh Baby - AutumnFWoods - E, 16 chapters - He’d already removed her dress, leaving her naked, whist he was still fully clothed. “Always knew you’d be under me, one day.” He smirked, “gods I’m going to have you screaming.” Hermione gasped out, feeling his lips on her neck. Or After a bad break up, Hermione leaves a one night stand, with more than she expected.

[derrybyers]

accidental pregnancy!au with patrick

i’ll write an introduction blurb later bc this is all i can think about-

being so so horny n needy during your second trimester…

patrick is on the road and you just feel…different. like everything is turning you on, more than usual. you’re so, so wet and needy all the time now.

looking at pictures of him on your phone, using your vibrator on your fucking aching clit, and shocking yourself when an intense orgasm washes over you in thirty seconds…

having to get off multiple times a day just to ease the constant ache.

“pat, i can’t wait until you get home…” you say over the phone. “i’m so needy, so so desperate for you. need your big dick to fill me up, nothing else feels the same,” you practically cry to him. while fucking yourself with a dildo.

“fuuuck, baby girl. it’s driving me crazy that i can’t be there right now, making that pretty pussy full and satisfied.”

you’re whimpering, legs starting to shake as you gasp, “p-patrick, I cum so quick now. It’s the hormones, ‘m so sensitive, I-I think i’m gonna—”

he let out a loud groan and you could hear him fisting his cock. “go on, baby, cum for me. need to hear my girl fucking cum.”

when he finally came home you pretty much jumped each other.

a few bounces on his dick and you were already cumming. he fucking railed you, ate you out, sucked your tits until you couldn’t take it anymore. you lost count of how many orgasms you had but each one didn’t take long.

you’d be fucking when you woke up, in the shower, after lunch, before bed, etc

not being able to walk!

tldr patrick would be fucking obsessed with his needy pregnant girl and satisfying her.

[mammalsofaction]

He doesn't touch the stick.

He leaves in to stew in the sink as he sits hunched over the toilet, with the lid closed. He wants it to think about what it's done. It's dead silent in the bath, save for the rapid-rhythmic tap-tap-tap of his heels against the light green bathroom tiles. He has his lips pursed thinly and pressed against his hands steepled in thought. Thinking, spiralling, catastrophizing. He was too old for this. Why was he feeling this way? God knows this isn't even his first turn around the rodeo. He's probably mixing his metaphors.

He lets himself think about semi-phones and allegories as he brings himself to his feet again, so he can stare down the bowl of the sink, where he'd last dropped the recalcritant stick and it's damning results, staring up at him like a starving stray.

Heinz looks down, and stares, he doesn't touch it. It's damned little digital screen does not change. Simple black pixels on a backlit screen the colour of parchment.

Pregnant.

Heinz inhales deeply, and hunches further, metal fingers curling around the edges of the sink bowl. Suddenly he was all of 30 again, unmated and unwed, breaking down in the cramped bathroom of a ramshackle studio apartment in downtown Danville he rents with the money he barely earns from a failing bratwurst stand.

Pregnant with his best friend's baby. Jesus christ. He was too old to make the same mistakes, yet here he was now.

And he had no reason to believe it was going to turn out as well now as it had then.

[tinkrtailrsldrspy]

Gravity Falls Fanfic Ideas That I Will Not Finish But Encourage You To

= Billford Kid - Harper

(if you want, please steal these ideas, no credit needed - just send me a link once it's done cause I wanna read!)

“Harper,” the soft voice called. It held a gentleness to it that left the child feeling weightless as they drifted towards the sound. The voice was familiar, in an almost ethereal sense, fond and frustrating as it sang. “Harper. What are you doing here, silly little one?”

“Looking,” was Harper’s simple reply, mischievousness contained in every atom of their being.

“And what, may I inquire, are you looking for?”

“Dunno!”

“If you do not know what you are looking for, how do you know you’re looking for anything?”

“Just do!”

“Then might I suggest something you should find?”

“Hm… alright!”

“A way home.”

-

“I’ve been looking for you for a fucking reason, you jackass!” Bill Cipher shouted over the sounds of battle far below them. “And it has nothing to do with the damn portal!”

“Then it’s to do with killing me!” Stanford Pines shouted right back, dodging an incoming ballista by a hair. He dove out of the way, behind a wall Cipher had summoned for that exact purpose.

“If I wanted you dead, you’d already be dead!” Bill cried, red shivering through his triangular form as raged oozed from him.

“That’s not giving me a lot of confidence!” Ford laughed maniacally as he loaded his laser pistol and ducked around the wall, shooting with practiced ease. “How did you even find me here, anyways?”

“Bosco doesn’t like you!” Bill cackled as, with a flick of his finger, a barrage of blasts was transformed into a harmless colony of moths. Ford sent the demon an exasperated smile at the scene, knowing exactly what the creature was up to. Bill, for his part, was whistling as he floated at the top of his barrier, looking pointedly away.

“Bosco doesn’t like anyone!” Ford shot back with practiced ease eventually, pulling himself behind the barrier. He glanced up to see his former-Muse looking at him with… a look he didn’t particularly want to decipher at the moment. Instead, he dug into his coat pocket for a self-aiming grenade. Grabbing the pin with his teeth, he yanked it out before lobbing the jet-propelled thing into the field. It took a bit, but at the loud explosion and sounds of screaming, both Bill and Ford laughed uproariously. “If you’re not here to kill me, and it’s not about the portal, what the fuck do you want, Bill?”

“For you to meet your daughter.”

That… Ford froze at those words. Slowly, his head turned towards Bill, who had floated down to be eye-level with him. “You’re lying,” the human hissed, though a trembling note of uncertainty ran through it.

“Fordsy, come on. You should know me by now. If I’m gonna lie, it’s damn well gonna be believable,” Bill muttered, tilting his body slightly as though he were tipping his head to the side. Ford hesitated for a moment, glancing around at his rebel comrades fighting around him. And while he felt bad, this wasn’t his planet. It wasn’t his universe. Looking back at Bill, he gave the triangle a short nod. A hand was placed on his shoulder and with a snap of velvet-clad fingers, they were gone.

-

“Harper!” Bill called as they wandered through the Fearamid. Ford was keeping a sharp eye out for any danger, his hand resting atop his blaster as he did so. Soon enough, he could make out the sound of feet sprinting towards them. A small blur rounded the corner in front of them, and out of the corner of his eye he noticed Bill slip into his human form, smile wide across his face as he caught the now-airborne creature.

“Papa!” It screeched, forcing Ford to slam his hands over his ears. Dear Axolotl, what the fuck was that noise?!

“Inside voices, Starshine!” Bill laughed as he lightly booped the nose of the little girl in his arms.

Little girl.

…in his arms…

Ford lowered his hands slowly, eyes round as he took in what was happening in front of him. Bill Cipher, in the human form he had painstakingly crafted to fit Ford’s exacting standards, had a relaxed grin on his lips, single eye soft and adoring as it looked at the human-ish girl in his arms.

And the girl.

Long, lightly curling brown hair - just like Ford’s.

Large, round nose - just like Ford’s.

Ever-curious brown eyes- …eye… - just like Ford’s.

“I carried her for nine months only for her to end up looking like her father!” Bill chuckled as he leaned forward to nuzzle his darling daughter. She giggled happily, holding tightly to her parent before she turned to take in the stranger her papa had brought her. “Harper, I’d like you to meet your-”

“Friend,” Ford was quick to interrupt intended revelation of their relation, earning himself a dark glare from Bill. “A friend - of your Papa. My name is… Sixer.” He hesitantly told the girl, eyes darting up to confirm Bill hadn’t told her that particular nickname. The way Bill scoffed softly and looked away told him that the name was safe.

“I’m Harper!” the girl grinned, holding out her hand.

“What’s wrong, Sixer?” Bill hissed with a grin when Ford hesitated to take the proffered appendage. “Too scared to shake a little girl’s hand?”

“When she’s your daughter, better safe than sorry,” Ford grunted, though he did finally shake Harper’s hand. Thankfully, no flames sparked up from her little form, letting Ford exhale the cautious breath he had been holding.

“Harper!” Three heads turned to take in 8-ball as he hurried around the corner, panting heavily as he approached the trio. “Don’t! Don’t run off like that!”

“Papa called me!” Harper giggled, reaching for her papa’s Henchmaniac. “I can go wherever when Papa’s here!”

“Not without telling us first,” 8-ball scolded her softly as he took her from Bill. “You know how we worry!”

“She’s already six, 8-ball,” Bill intoned with a roll of his eyes. “She’s almost ready to start destroying galaxies of her own, I don’t see what harm there is in letting her roam unattended!”

A choked-off noise from Ford had Bill and 8-ball turning curiously to look at the human. Ford had turned a rather pale shade, hand clutching the fabric on his chest as he stared at Bill is disbelief and horror.

“You’ve been letting her roam around the Fearamid without supervision?!” Ford demanded, anger roiling like active lava in his guts. “And ‘already’ six?! She’s hardly old enough to be reading, let alone being left alone in the Nightmare Realm!”

Bill shrugged casually, lifting a hand to inspect his nails. “Can’t say I’m the best at knowing human aging and what’s appropriate,” he hummed absentmindedly, not bothering to look up at the human he was addressing. “I mean, it is ever so difficult to find humans traversing the multiverse - they don’t tend to just fall into one’s lap so easily.” A sly, vicious smile overtook Bill’s lips as dagger-sharp eyes lifted to Ford’s. “Sure is a shame we don’t have anyone who could possibly keep my little darling safe out here.”

Ford knew what Bill was doing.

He knew.

…and he also knew he was powerless against it.

“What do you want from me?” Ford asked softly, letting his head hang in defeat.

“Just your company!” Bill giggled manically, snatching Harper back from 8-ball without so much as a glance. The girl matched her papa’s giggle, screeching in joy when Bill held her out for Ford to take. “And for you to enjoy your time with our little angle.” Ford forced himself to carefully take the girl from Bill, awkwardly juggling her weight before she seemed to settle herself quite effectively.

“She’s your little angle, Bill,” Ford wanted to growl, to scream, to damn well bite the smirking demon before him. Instead, he looked to the little girl in his arms, who had tilted her head in curiosity at her new playmate.

“Pyronica said she’d help me make new princess dresses!” Harper blinked up at Ford with wide, innocent eyes.

“And… what does that have to do with me?” Ford asked in confusion.

“Pyronica is at her childhood friend’s bachelorette party,” Bill explained as he laid a hand atop his daughter’s head. “So my little Starshine needs someone to model for her! Isn’t that right, my darling?” Harper nodded her head eagerly. “And none of the other Henchmaniacs have the right bodies for it!”

“You do, Papa!” Harper admitted shyly, her voice excited. “Can you also help?”

“Hm…” Bill fell into a look of thought, rubbing his chin as he searched his mind for his schedule. “Well, I was going to torment those annoying Bakgalians…”

“Please?” Harper whined, sticking out her lower lip and stretching out the word.

“Oh, what the heck! I can always turn their hullinas inside out later!” Bill cried, throwing his arms in the air. “8-ball, take a break! Papa’s gonna spend some quality time with his family!”

With a horrid cackle, Bill snapped his fingers, and the newly-formed family disappeared.

-

“How, exactly, did this even happen?” Ford hissed quietly as Harper scrutinized the puffy dress she’d just magicked into existence on Bill.

“Remember that time in dimension 88^+/5?” Bill grinned back, though his voice was just as quiet, not wanting to disturb his little girl’s play.

“No,” Ford admitted reluctantly.

“Neither do I!” Bill snickered. “But apparently we scarred a few of the locals! Got the deets from them, and it turns out that those shots we were taking were laced with some all-inclusive magic!”

Ford sighed miserably. Of course. Of course the one time he’d given in to Bill and gotten black-out drunk with the demon would be the worst fucking time to do it. “Okay, what was the magic?” Ford reluctantly asked.

“Fertility, duh,” Bill rolled his eyes at the question. “So, it turns out that dimension 88^+/5 is so popular because it’s where all the infertile and inter-species couples go to get knocked up! I mean, it makes sense that there’s somewhere that caters to that sort of thing, but the fact that you ended up there is actually hilarious to me!”

“Not for me,” Ford sighed as Harper turned her attention back to him. “Almost done there, sweetie?”

“Ask me again and I’ll turn your mouth into a bottomless pit,” Harper muttered as she walked in slow circles around her human companion.

“His mouth is already a bottomless pit,” Bill needlessly contributed with a smirk.

“Bill!” Ford scolded, flushing a deep red. “That is- what are you teaching her?!”

“What?” Bill laughed. “There’s nothing wrong with re-arranging a body-part or two!”

“There is and you know it,” Ford hissed. “Harper, it’s not nice to threaten people after they ask you an honest question.”

Harper looked up at Ford, tilting her head in baffled confusion. “Of course it’s not nice,” she said. “But why should I be nice? I’m Princess of the Nightmare Realm!”

“And a human being,” Ford felt worry twist his gut. Sighing, he knelt down before the girl, resting calloused hands on her shoulders. “Yes, you’re a Princess, but that just means being nice and kind is even more important! You influence the actions of those around you. Wouldn’t you like a world that’s a bit nicer?”

Harper looked… well, she was blinking that big, brown eye at him, obviously not understanding what Ford was getting at.

“Starshine, listen to your father,” Bill murmured, patting her head. “It’s important to listen to those around you - even if they are wrong.” It took Ford a moment to realize what Bill had called him, snapping his head to give him a horrified look. Bill’s reaction was to laugh. “You think she hasn’t known who you are this whole time?” he guffawed.

“Papa’s shown me lots of your pictures, father!” Harper giggled. “But you’re so cute when you’re trying to hide something!”

“Dad,” Ford sighed in defeat. “Call me dad.”

-

“Dad!”

Ford turned at Harper’s scream, only able to reach for her before he was being violently dragged away, her name on his lips as she disappeared from his sight. His back hit something, hard, causing him to let out a pained, “Ooph!” as he finally stopped moving. Someone was talking behind him, but Ford was too busy blinking stars from his eyes to pay attention.

“Ford!”

Oh.

Oh.

Ford pushed himself to his feet, staggering slightly as he swatted Stanley’s hands away from him. Rage surged through him as he took in his twin brother grinning beside him, and before he could put any amount of thought into it - his fist was meeting Stan’s face.

“What is wrong with you?!” He shouted, taking a menacing step forward. “Do you realize what you’ve done, you idiot?! Is there no end to your stupidity?!”

“Hey, leave our Grunkle alone!” Two children darted in front of Stan, taking up defensive positions against him.

“Mabel,” Ford breathed. “Dipper.” The younger set of twins looked confused at his words, obviously not knowing who the well-dressed man before them was.

“How… do you know our names?” Dipper asked, his defensive position lowering cautiously.

“Of course I know who you are,” Ford huffed. “I’m your great uncle, Stanford! That idiot’s twin! Oh, and the author of that journal you’ve been carrying around with you.” The absolute whiplash that assaulted Ford as Dipper went from wary and careful to actively fanning himself as he tried not to hyper-ventilate. “You alright, kid?”

“I- that’s- oh my go- I-!” Dipper barely managed to stammer out.

“How do you know about all that?” Mabel seemed to have a solid head on her shoulders, Ford noted, as she was still standing protectively before her Grunkle as he tried to get his bearings.

“I know lots of things,” Ford chuckled as he knelt before the girl who reminded him so much of his own daughter. “Bill’s been keeping an eye on you two all summer! Well, at least since that trouble-maker Gideon summoned him.”

“Bill?!” Mabel and Dipper both shouted, jumping away from him. The action brought a carefree laugh out of him, a familiar smile falling across his lips.

“He’s a bit of a chaotic spirit, I’ll admit,” Ford nodded. “Deals are his bread and butter, after all. And I do apologize for the possession incident, Dipper, he rarely ever gets to physically interact with the real world and got a bit ahead of himself. I read him the riot act afterwards, I promise.” Dipper slowly nodded as he relaxed, though Mabel kept a tight hold on her brother.

“Ford…”

The dimensional traverser finally looked up at his younger twin with a heavy sigh, standing up slowly. Stan looked… he didn’t look regretful, exactly, more just… hurt and confused.

“I’m sorry, Stanley,” Ford murmured. “I… should not have done that.” Stan’s eyes widened at his words, hand stopping where it was massaging his cheek. “You caught me at a very bad time. My actions and words were harsh and uncalled for.”

“Who are you and what have you done with my brother?” Stan finally growled, eyes narrowing.

“Having kids can put a lot of things into perspective, Stan,” Ford half-heartedly chuckled. The way Stan’s eyes lit up, however, was worth the hit to Ford’s pride. “You managed to open that portal in the middle of my daughter’s birthday party! Bill is… not going to be pleased about that.”

“You have a daughter?” Stan breathed softly. “A real, actual daughter?”

“A real, actual daughter,” Ford nodded. “And, if I’m correct, you’ll be meeting her very soon!”

“How? The portal’s destroyed!” Dipper pointed out.

“Yes, but opening the portal while fully operational should have created a rift in space-time,” Ford explained as he began to search his old lab. “It’ll lead back to the Nightmare Realm, and I’m sure Bill’s looking for it as we speak. Aha!” He spotted the tiny rift hovering in the air, shimmering in the dim light of the lab.

“Isn’t… isn’t that bad?” Dipper asked. “I mean, you’re journal said-”

“My journal says a lot of things,” Ford waved off his concern. “Besides, I can’t very well let my daughter come here without her bearer! Would be horribly rude.” Ford was pushing debris away from the tiny tear, making room for it to expand.

“Wait, wait,” Stan hurried over to Ford, laying a firm hand on his shoulder. “You’re planning to bring your wife over here?”

Ford stopped his actions to turn and blink at Stan for a few moments. Which was all it took for him to burst out laughing. “No, no!” he guffawed. “I’m not married!” Stan didn’t know if that made it better or not. “No, Bill and I don’t believe in marriage! We only had the ceremony so Harper could plan the wedding, it wasn’t actually official. She was thrilled, of course, her papa looked lovely in his wedding gown!”

Stan swiftly grabbed Ford’s shoulders, forcing the man to stop and look at him. “Ford!” he hissed, shaking his brother. “You are making zero sense right now! What happened, while you were lost?! Christ, he must have tortured you…”

-

“Harper!” Ford called joyously, running forward with arms outstretched. The squeal his little girl let out was as ear-piercing as always, though Ford had long grown used to it. She slammed into her dad, hard, little body shaking as she held on tight. “Oh, my Sunshine, I am so sorry! I never meant to worry you, I promise!”

“Worry us,” Bill muttered as he floated over to his little family, transforming into his human form so he could wrap warm arms around them. “If your brother ever does that again, IQ, I’ll kill him myself!”

“You know how I always wondered what the first thing I’d do when I saw him again was?” Ford muttered. Bill hummed in affirmation. “Well, I may have punched him.”

Bill roared back with laughter, grinning from ear-to-ear. “That’s my Sixer!” he leaned down and shared a fierce kiss with his human, pulling away just before they could lose themselves in it.

“Ah!” Ford suddenly seemed to remember something. He turned around to wave at the rest of the Pines family, smiling giddily. “Mabel! Dipper! There’s someone I want you to meet!” The twins looked like they’d rather do anything else, but with a snap of his fingers, Bill propelled them forward to stand in front of the family. “Harper! These are your cousins, Mabel and Dipper!”

Harper peeked out from around her dad, single eye taking in the twins before her. She waved shyly, a soft smile on her lips. “Hi,” she murmured after her papa gently pushed her forward towards them. “I’m Harper.”

“Mabel,” the girl muttered.

“Dipper,” the boy grunted.

“You know you’re the same age as them?” Ford tried to encourage the three to find some sort of common ground.

“Why should we care?” Dipper growled. “She’s just going to destroy the world with her father! They’re both evil monsters!”

Harper reared back at that, eye widening and lips trembling. Bill hissed something under his breath as he jumped forward, sweeping his little girl into his arms and hiding her face away in his chest. “It’s alright, Starshine, they don’t mean that!”

“Yeah we do!” Mabel yelled back at them.

The glare Bill leveled at them felt like it could have turned them to stone. It was filled with a promise of a furious, fiery fate should they utter a single syllable more.

“She is not a monster,” Bill hissed.

“Dearest,” Ford tried to murmur. It did nothing to quell the ice-cold rage in Bill’s veins. He had already begun floating higher, shadows extending around him as black tendrils emerged from behind him, lashing out at anything they could reach.

“She is not a monste-” He was suddenly still, head slowly tilting down to see Ford smiling sadly up at him, hand holding gently to one of the tendrils. It whipped violently, leaving deep wounds in the human’s flesh. “Sixer!” Bill gasped, the tendrils and shadows retracting as he dove back down, eyes darting about to take in every injury he’d caused.

“It’s alright, Bill, I’m fine,” Ford murmured, reaching a hand up to cup Bill’s cheek. “Don’t lose yourself.”

“Dad!” Harper whined softly, reaching out for Ford with trembling arms.

“Daddy’s hurt right now, Harper, just, um-” Bill let out a soft whimper at the sight of Ford’s blood.

“I’m okay, Bill!” Ford chuckled. “It’s just a few flesh-wounds, nothing that won’t be healed up in a day or two.” He easily took Harper from Bill’s arms, letting their daughter check his injuries for herself. Bill nodded miserably, letting himself descend to the ground so he could wrap himself around Ford and Harper.

“Huh,” Stan muttered as he reached Mabel and Dipper. “You two, uh… really care about each other?” It was less a question and more a statement of fact.

“Very much so,” Ford murmured, looking across at his twin. “Look, he’s not perfect, and he’s got anger issues, but Bill and I have been getting couples counseling for the past four years for a reason! He’s been making real progress, he’s not the same person I wrote about in that old journal.”

[shipmistress9]

Blueberries & Chocolate Chips - 10

AN: Anymore on edge after how the last chapter ended? 😶

And once again BIIIIG thanks to @theoppositequeens for beta-reading and being the best suppport I could wish for. 🥰

Taglist (If you want on or off just let me know. 😊): @jurassicworldisbetter @b3anieperson

Read on AO3 or here. All chapters are links in my Empyrean Fanfiction Masterpost. 🥰

. o O o .

"Here you go, sir."

"Thanks," Xaden grunted, nodding at the bar keeper as he handed Xaden the towel-wrapped ice then winced as he held the cool bundle to his bruised knuckles. His punch had been well executed, nothing broken on his side and no split skin, either. That didn't mean his hand didn't sting, though—he hadn't pulled that punch in the slightest, after all. But despite the mild discomfort of that pain… Xaden didn't regret hitting Halden.

Not.

One.

Bit.

That asshole deserved his broken nose, deserved so much more. And not just for all the vile things he'd said about Violet.

Over and over, the scene from earlier flickered through Xaden’s mind. And every time, Tauri’s words made him sick to the stomach, too.

He loathed to think about what conditions Tauri might have wanted to force on Violet, what he undoubtedly did to other women.

How he’d groped Violet’s breast, as if she belonged to him.

And that phrase. Sugar daddy. Fuck… No wonder Violet had been so against him giving her gifts. And given Tauri’s last comments about putting up with Violet’s and her ‘exquisite’ tastes? Xaden scoffed. He had no doubt that Tauri had made her feel like that during their time together, too.

Xaden just hoped that… that she knew that wasn’t why he wanted to spoil her. And that he didn’t expect to ever have had enough of her.

But yeah… He couldn’t blame Violet for actually getting sick, just wished he could do more than merely ask Eya to look after her.

His eyes flickered towards the large entrance to the main hall, to where the restrooms lay. She had been in there for nearly twenty minutes already, and not being able to do anything but wait was driving him a little insane.

"Oh, wow," came a female voice from his right. "I couldn't quite believe it when I heard the rumours, but look who deigned to bless us with his presence."

Despite his worries about Violet, a smile tugged at Xaden's lips as he turned towards the newcomer. "Hey, Syrena."

Syrena snorted. "That's all? The first time we see each other in years, and all I get is a 'hey'?"

Xaden regarded her with a raised eyebrow. With her glossy black hair cut into an elegant pixie style against her fair skin, Syrena Cordella was a true beauty. But with growing up in close proximity thanks to their parents being friends, he'd never seen her as anything but an older sister. Which only had made it twice as weird when everyone had tried to pair him up with her little sister, and that was before Cat had turned out to be completely unhinged.

"Since when are you one for empty pleasantries?" Xaden asked, putting aside the by now dripping towel. "Besides, what do you want me to say? You must have already heard about what happened." This was part of why he'd always liked her. That, despite the environment they'd grown up in, she was always honest, sometimes even brutally so.

Laughing quietly, Syrena nodded. "Yeah, I heard. Seems like I missed all the action. Too bad, I would have loved to watch Halden getting what he deserves. Although, I'm surprised that the rumours seem to be true on every point." She nodded at his aching hand. "You really hit him?"

A grim smile of satisfaction tugged at the corners of Xaden's mouth. "I did. And, fuck, did it feel good to do it."

Syrena huffed. "Yeah, I don't doubt that. And I'm sure Sloane will be happy to read about it tomorrow, too. But…"

"But what?" Xaden demanded. "He more than deserved it." For what he'd done to Violet during their 'relationship' and for all the vile things he'd said today, but also for so many other things. For how he'd treated Sloane and countless other women over the years. The list was endless.

But Syrena just sighed. "I know. I'm not judging here. If anything, I came to congratulate you. But I still thought you were more prudent than to let yourself go like that. I thought you always tried to avoidany headlines, and now you're causing them?"

"I didn't cause anything," Xaden growled. "Halden's the one who, once again, refused to take no for an answer, and there were enough people around to see and hear what he did. Everyone knows what happened."

"Yeah. Except we both know that's not how it works." Syrena sat down on the stool next to him and waved to the bartender to bring her a drink. "Halden provides the gossip reporters with an endless stream of juicy headlines. For that alone, they like him far more than they like you. And he's not the one who started getting violent, is he?"

Xaden gritted his teeth. That last point was debatable, given how he’d touched Violet against her will. But this was exactly why he hated being a part of the so-called high society. The truth never mattered, only pretence and appearances. "Well, then I guess I'll be the bad guy in this," he muttered. "Because I won't apologise."

Syrena laughed, short but real. "Yeah, I didn't think you would. Just wanted you to be prepared for the attention you might get."

Xaden grimaced. Syrena was right about that. Maybe he should make a few phone calls tonight, see if he could at least give a statement to limit the speculations. Even as he hated playing by their rules.

"But since we're on the topic of apologies…” Syrena went on, unaware of his train of thoughts. She nodded in thanks at the bartender as he placed a whisky on the rocks in front of her, then took a careful sip. “I'm sorry to be the bringer of bad news, but—"

"Then don't," Xaden interrupted her. He could only think of one topic Syrena would approach him with, and it was not one he wanted to deal with tonight.

Syrena fell quiet but didn't cower either, just took another sip and waited.

Sighing, Xaden let his shoulders slump. "What did she do?"

"Nothing," Syrena said, swirling the drink in her glass. "Yet. But she's here."

"Fuck," Xaden hissed through gritted teeth. "I told her she's not welcome in Aretia anymore."

Syrena nodded, sagely. "You did. But she insisted that this gala, this biggest event for years to come, was not something she could miss. And given that you don't hold any real power, as you keep insisting on, you can't actually forbid her from entering the city proper. I'm surprised she stuck to your instructions for this long as it is."

Xaden let out a low curse and tightly clenched his fists, letting the sting in his knuckles ground him. "Well, tell her to stay away from me if she knows what's good for her. I might not be able to get her banned, but that doesn't mean I couldn't make her life here harder than she likes. This event is already more 'eventful' than I expected, I don't really need any other surprises, especially not from her."

Syrena's lips tightened into a grimace and she nodded. "I'll let her know. Let's hope she uses her common sense for once."

Xaden suppressed a scoff. Now, wouldn't that be a first? But instead of giving Syrena a reply, his head turned up in reflex, as if someone had called his name, his gaze flying directly to where Eya and Violet were just entering the main hall again.

Sometimes, he wondered what it was. What made him know instantly when she was close, when she entered a room, what made his body, his entire being react so strongly to her. But at that moment, the answer seemed incredibly obvious.

Violet was like a vision, like a shining star amidst his gloomy thoughts.

Her dress had been beautiful when she'd put it on earlier. But here, in the dim flickering light of a thousand 'candles', the translucent fabric seemed to take on a life of its own. Like a cloud of shadows that swirled around her, covering just enough to be decent, and with the blue and green threads flickering like lightning or sparks of woven magic. And he didn’t even want to get started on her hair, those mesmerising silver blades, where it was flowing around her like a waterfall, giving her an ethereal look, wild and untamed.

The answer to why she had this effect on him had to be that she wasn't real, that she was like a creature from a fairytale. That she was the manifestation of everything he hadn't even known he wanted. That there was a bond between them, her magic calling to him.

And maybe he'd taken a hit to the head, after all, if that was where his thoughts were wandering now. But, fuck, he didn't mind. Not when her gaze was flickering through the entire room to find him, too.

"Thanks for the warning, Syrena," he muttered as he stood up without taking his eyes off Violet. "But you'll have to excuse me now."

Syrena stood as well, her eyes following his. "So that's her? The woman you're throwing all your principals and rules overboard for?" She didn't sound condescending like others might have at those words, only openly curious. "She must be special."

Xaden's features softened, and he threw Syrena a small smile. "Yeah, she is."

He squeezed her shoulder in parting, then hurried over to where Violet looked a bit lost next to Eya, her arms wrapped tightly around herself.

"Hey," he said, his hand coming to rest on her upper arm, to hold her if she needed the contact. "Is everything okay again? Are you feeling better?"

Beneath his touch, Violet tensed. Her knuckles turned white with how tightly she clung to her clutch as she tilted her head up to look at him without truly meeting his eyes. "Yeah," she said with a smile he didn't believe for even a heartbeat. "Yeah, I'm fine."

. o O o .

If there was one thing Xaden knew then it was that Violet was not fine.

She was paler than before, visible to him even in the flickering golden light of the false candles and with the fresh layer of make-up she'd put on. She was tense, too, not as open and relaxed as before, even though she put up a good act and seemed to fool everyone else. But Soleil and the others didn't know her as well as he did, couldn't see that her smiles and laughter were entirely fake.

"Can I say I want to applaud you?" Masen gushed as they returned to their earlier table and, of course, talked about what happened with Tauri. "I only saw it from afar, but the way you hit him with your elbow and then used your heel? Fucking fantastic. And good thinking, too."

Violet grinned, even though it didn't truly reach her eyes. "I always wanted to try that, ever since watching Miss Congeniality as a teen. And this seemed like the perfect opportunity."

"Indeed it was," Soleil nodded, chuckling. "But in that case, it's a shame you only got to perform half of it. And while it's great Riorson took over for a bit, I'm truly disappointed you two left out the G of the S.I.N.G.-ing of all things. Now, that would have been satisfying to watch."

They all laughed, but while that was a statement Xaden couldn't agree more with, the satisfaction of imagining Tauri getting a good kick in the groin still fell flat against how hollow Violet's laughter sounded. As if she was nothing but a shell, her true self not really here.

Unable to keep his distance, Xaden leaned a bit closer, his arm brushing against hers. "Are you sure everything is okay?" he murmured, his chest tight with concern. "We can leave, you know? I made my appearance and gave my speech. Nothing's keeping us if you don't want to stay any longer."

Violet took a shaky breath and gave him a small smile—a little warmer than those before, but still not enough to fool him. "Yes, I'm okay," she replied, even as she drew back from him ever so slightly. "And I don't mind staying a bit longer. Enjoying the company, the atmosphere. Showing Halden that he didn't affect me."

Yeah, sure, he fucking didn't. Xaden gritted his teeth as he contemplated looking for Tauri and kicking him in the balls, after all. But it didn't seem to be what Violet wanted, so he stayed. Funny how that was the only thing keeping him back, though. Syrena had been right, he was ready to throw all his carefully constructed rules overboard when it came to Violet, and he didn't regret it even one bit.

But is that it?

Grimacing, Xaden tried to ignore the tiny voice in the back of his head. Ignored how, directly after the assault, Violet had sought his closeness without hesitation. How she'd only drawn back after he'd punched Tauri and now seemed to avoid him.

Swallowing, he placed his hand next to hers on the table, relieved when she didn't pull away. "Okay. But if you change your mind, let me know, alright?"

This time, there was a flicker of a true smile in her eyes as she looked at him, and it felt like the first time he could fucking breathe again since she'd hurtled away earlier.

"I will."

Trying not to hyperventilate, Xaden nodded. "Okay. And in the meantime, is there something you want me to get for you? Maybe a drink after all, to calm the nerves?"

Violet's smile turned into a grimace, albeit an amused one, her hand fluttering down over her stomach. "No, I don't think that would be a good idea," she chuckled weakly. "Something more soothing would probably be better. A ginger ale, maybe? Or I think I saw someone with a ginger lemonade earlier."

"Sure," Xaden nodded. Ginger was known to help with upset stomachs. "That's a good idea. I'll see what I can find for you."

He brushed his pinkie finger against hers but didn't linger to see how she reacted. They'd have to talk about what happened, but this was not the right place for that conversation.

It took Xaden a few minutes to locate where to get the ginger lemonade, not at the main bar but at a separate one where they served less modern drinks such as historical recipes and homemade lemonades. But at least his cold expression along with the spreading news about their encounter with Tauri seemed to keep most people from approaching him.

However, when he finally returned to their table, Violet was nowhere to be seen anymore.

A sinking feeling settled low in his chest as he looked around, foolishly hoping his eyes had just skipped over her. As if he couldn't feel that she wasn't there. But her clutch was gone, too. Did she… leave?

"Did Violet say where she went?" he asked, trying to sound as casual as he could. It wasn't that she couldn't go wherever she wanted, but… Shit, he didn't quite know where they stood at the moment.

Eya and Soleil looked around in confusion. "Uhm, I don't know?" Soleil said with a puzzled expression, swaying a little on her feet. "I didn't even notice that she left."

"She wanted to get some fresh air," Masen said, and Eya nodded at the large glass doors on one side of the hall.

"I think she went out into the gardens."

"I see." Xaden's head turned in that direction, dread settling in his stomach like lead. Violet was allowed to get some space if that was what she needed. And she was well able to look after herself, she'd already proven that once tonight. So there really was no reason for him to follow her directly—if she'd wanted his company, she could have waited for him.

And yet, he couldn't keep the dread in his stomach from growing even heavier. He'd give her ten minutes, he decided. Ten minutes, then he would go after her, make sure that she was alright.

Or maybe make that five…

Those five minutes seemed to stretch into an eternity already. With his fingers drumming restlessly onto the table, Xaden truly tried to pay attention to the story Eya was telling. But he couldn't keep his eyes from wandering to those glass doors, checking whether she was returning. Whether there was any visible commotion outside.

"I'll go and see what Violet's doing," he eventually announced once the time he'd set for himself was finally up. The ice in her lemonade had entirely melted by now.

Ignoring the insinuating looks his friends shared—and everyone else who tried to talk to him, too—Xaden strode through the hall and out into the gardens. They were beautifully cared for, he knew, with some of the large rhododendron bushes being over a century old. But even with how they were tastefully lit by countless lanterns hidden in the foliage, he couldn't spare the pretty ambience any mind, not when that feeling in his guts told him that something was off.

Xaden took two steps at a time as he walked down the stairs, leaving the terrace behind him, and strode down one of the convoluted paths. Only following his instincts.

It didn't take long until he heard her. Or rather… them.

"Leave me alone!"

That was Violet's voice, but it was thick and choked. As if she'd been crying.

"Only if you leave him alone," another female voice hissed, and a sensation like ice slid down Xaden's mind, making him go numb. Oh, fuck…

"Get it into your stupid little head. You're nothing, not even a real woman. Just a convenient hole to fuck. He'll come back to me once he's had his fun, you'll see. Sooner or later, he'll realise what it is he wants, what he needs. And that's certainly not a cripple like you."

Xaden could see them then, too. Violet was stumbling down the path in his direction, her arms wrapped tightly around herself and one hand wiping at her eyes. A string of low sobs and whimpers came from her chest, breaking something inside him, too. And behind her, following her and not once pausing in her mad rant was…

Taking a step forward, Xaden placed himself in their way, right into a spot of light from one of the hidden lanterns. It made both women pause in their steps, their expressions of shock and surprise so eerily opposite that it might have made him laugh if the situation was any different.

"What are you doing here, Cat?" His voice was cold as ice, his face unmoving.

Cat crossed her arms in front of her, her lips tensing with determination. "I'm making sure your little plaything learns her place," she spat. "Because she's delusional if she actually thinks you're serious about her. If you still need to sow your wild oats a bit, fine. Have your fun. But you and I know that you'll come crawling back to me once you've grown up and realise that she can't give you what you always wanted. She can't give you a family."

Another sob tore itself from Violet's chest, and she made another stumbling step. Away from Cat but not exactly in his direction, either.

"The only delusional one out here is you, Cat," he said through gritted teeth, slowly walking closer. "I don't want a family, and I certainly don't want you. The only one I want is Violet. Now, fuck off before I forget myself. I don't want to see you again, Catriona. Not ever."

Scoffing, Cat shook her head and despite the dim light out here, Xaden was sure she was rolling her eyes at him. "You're pathetic," she sneered. "Don't wait too long before you come crawling back to me, or I might change my mind, after all."

Please do, a small voice in the back of his head laughed, humourlessly, but Xaden didn't pay it any mind, just like he didn't spare one more glance at Cat as she stalked off into the gardens. Instead, all his attention was on Violet now where she stood a little off in a shadowy spot, her arms still wrapped so tightly around her as if she had to actively keep herself from falling apart. And if he wasn't mistaken, she was shaking like a leaf.

"Violet?" His voice was low, calm, and he took a careful step in her direction with his hands raised. As if approaching a scared animal. "Violet, are you okay? Did… did she harm you somehow?"

Violet took a hitching breath but shook her head. So there was that, at least. Her breathing didn't calm down, though, only grew quicker and shallower with every passing second. Her eyes, red-rimmed and swollen, flickered to meet his for a heartbeat, her lips forming his name—before she swayed and fell right into his arms.

"Fuck!" Xaden cursed but easily caught her, her body so light that gently lowering her to the ground took no effort at all. "Violet?

Shit, what was happening? What had Cat done to her before he’d found them? Or was Violet getting ill? Quickly, he checked her temperature—maybe a little higher than normal, but not alarming—and her pulse—it was racing. Dehydration, maybe? Or just an after effect of being sick? Hopefully just that. He couldn’t—

“Violet, please,” he urged, lightly patting her face in the hope of getting a reaction. He would not let his thoughts spiral into panic. “Violet, can you hear me?"

Violet groaned, her head moving where it rested against his shoulder. At least she wasn't out completely. With his free hand, Xaden caressed over her face until only moments later, she stirred again.

"Uh, w-what?" she mumbled, her eyes fluttering.

"You fainted," Xaden explained in as calm a voice as he could muster, even though he felt anything but calm. "Did Cat do something to you? Give you something or whatever?"

Violet frowned, as if trying to remember, then she shook her head. "No," she whispered. "She didn't harm me. I'm fine."

Xaden scoffed, his arms tightening around her. "Love, if there's one thing you're not then it's 'fine'. What happened?"

Violet was still for a moment, then shrugged. "I… just felt dizzy. Maybe it was all a bit much."

That wasn’t really what he’d meant. But if she didn’t want to talk about Cat right now, he couldn’t really blame her. Besides, ‘it all being a bit much’ was probably the understatement of the year. First Halden and then Cat, the worst that could have happened tonight.

"I'm so sorry," he murmured, his head dropping to rest against hers. "I didn't think Cat would show up to this gala, only learned that she came at all about an hour ago. I'm sorry I didn't warn you. But what did she tell you? You know that none of what she just said was the truth, right?"

Surely, Violet would know better, especially with what he'd already told her about Cat… right?

Violet let out a teary little laugh and nodded. "Oh, yeah, don't worry. I think she's even more unhinged than you made her out to be." Her lips tightened, though.

"Yeah, she is…" Nothing else to say to that, after all. "But come, let's get you inside. And something to drink? Can you walk or should I carry you?"

Violet grimaced, but with Xaden's help she made it back onto her own feet. "I think I can walk," she whispered, even though she held on tight to Xaden's arm. "But… I don't want to go back in there. I… I want to leave."

Xaden nodded. He couldn't very well blame her. "Okay."

Knowing his way around the City Hall well, Xaden led them towards a service entrance and through a row of corridors where they wouldn't encounter any of the elegant guests up in the main hall.

"Mr Riorson!" a young man in a waiter's uniform approached them. "Is anything the matter? Do you need something?" His gaze flickered from Xaden to Violet who was still noticeably pale, concern clear on his face.

"No, we don't need anything, thank you," Xaden replied, but then he made the man pause, after all. "But could you look for Soleil Terely or Masen Sanborn? Tell them that we left?"

"Of course, sir." The man hurried away, and Xaden hoped the hefty tip he’d pushed into the man’s hand as thanks would be enough to keep him from gossiping too much.

Xaden led Violet on through the maze of corridors until they'd reached the basement garage and his car. After helping her into her seat, Xaden crouched down next to her. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked again. "Maybe some water for the circulation? Or do you want me to bring you to a doctor?" He just couldn't help it, couldn't help worrying over her. This night had shaken him to the core, too. Reminded him of why he hadn't wanted to come in the first place. Some of these people were just…

But Violet just shook her head, her lips yet again in that not-quite-right smile. "No, it's okay," she murmured without meeting his eyes. "I'm already feeling better again. I just… I just want to go home."

Xaden nodded, grimacing. "I'm sorry." He never should have brought her here.

The drive back to Violet's flat was a quiet one. Xaden didn't know what to say except for another apology or inquiring after her well-being again, and both seemed stupid. He'd fucked up, and only time would tell how much the reality of this part of his life had truly shocked her. Whether it was something she could live with.

When he parked in front of her building, he found that Violet had already taken off every piece of jewellery he'd given her earlier and was holding them out for him.

"Thank you for these," she murmured, again with her eyes lowered. "They… they were truly beautiful."

Taking them, Xaden just nodded, mutely. He'd wanted to show her how much she meant to him. Wanted to make it clear that she wasn't just anyone to him, that he was serious about their relationship. But in hindsight, he felt like all these jewels had done was putting an even larger target on her. Because whatever gossip news the morning would bring, he wouldn't be the only one to bear the brunt of it. Hopefully, Violet stuck to her habit of not paying attention to those headlines.

Well, at least Masen had been happy to see them.

"Do you want me to come upstairs with you?" Xaden asked, even though he was sure he knew the answer already. She hadn't given him the jewels to simply stow them away in the car for the night.

Violet took a shaky breath, her shoulders curving in on herself. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I know we had other plans. But… no. I need… I think I need some time alone tonight."

Swallowing, Xaden nodded. He'd expected as much. "That's okay, no need to apologise." He gave her a smile he hoped was reassuring. "And whatever you need, just call, okay? Whenever, too. Even just to talk, or…" He shrugged. He just wanted her to know that… that he would give her all the support she needed.

"Yeah," she said as she opened her door. "I will."

Letting her leave the car felt horrible, like the worst thing he could do. Yet at the same time, there was nothing he could do or say to change it, nothing that wouldn't disrespect her wishes.

"Violet?" he called after her before she could close the door. It was enough to make her pause, to look at him, and the turmoil in her eyes nearly tore him apart. "I love you."

Violet's lips twitched into a sad little smile, her eyes turning glassy. "I love you, too."

Then she let the door fall closed.

. o O o .

AN: Before anyone asks... That thing between Halden and Sloane is not something that’s going to play any role. It just happened, and is part of why Xaden hates him so much. Basically, they’d slept together a few years ago, before Halden built his ‘reputation’, then Halden bragged about it publically, that he’d had sex with ‘Riorson’s little sister’.

Furthermore, today is the last day of school before the Easter holidays here. That means that, for the next two weeks, I’ll be a full-time mum and won’t have as much time to write, if any at all. I hope I can get out another chapter or two, but be prepared to maybe need a little more patience. Sorry! 😅

But isn't it so cute how worried Xaden is for her? 😇 (Also, you remember how I said I hate misunderstandings that could so easily be solved by just one simple conversation? I stand by that. But this? It's not just going to be a 'simple' conversation, if you get me? 😶)

[warpedpuppeteer]

That A/B/O idea with the accidental pregnancy ohhhhh my god I would eat that up the idea especially with heavy angst would be so chefs kiss amazing! Loved the bit you shared <3

Thank youuuu! Always loved writing a/b/o and there's a lack of Omega Eddie content in our fandom tbh. Really looking forward to write that heavy angst too because I usually go for fluff 😌