#also “I picked a rare-pair” bingo

[thevikingwoman]

saw some post earlier this month with 'finish your wip february' and I thought Nope, I'm not going to pick up old wips, I got A Plan for a bunch of Meryta stories I want to write and I'm not going to get through all of the wips for her anyway

and today I was commuting and randomly thought about the unfinished solavellan infidelity fic I was writing for a kinkybingo in 2021 and you know what

there's a few more days in february, I can do this right?

[late-to-the-party-81]

Her Alpha

AN: It’s Alpha Steve time!It feels good to be updating all my series 😀 This fits in between Surprise, Surprise and Birthday Gifts

@noseyrosey1597 asked: I’m obsessed with Alpha nomad Steve and his omega. Could you possibly do a one shot where she meets the team? Maybe she doesn’t like Tony

Endless thanks to my beta,  @endlesstwanted. Likes are loved, reblogs are golden. Mood board by me and dividers by @firefly-graphics

Join my tag list here

Bingo and Challenge fills:

@steverogersbingo  - A1 - Alpha Steve

Master list | SRB Master list | Series Master list

Summary: It’s not even been 24 hours since you and Steve were reunited, but it’s the start of the next chapter - you’re moving in with him at the Avengers Compound, which also means it’s time to meet the team. You’ve just got to hope you can keep your pregnancy hormones under control.

Relationship: Alpha Steve x Pregnant Omega Reader

Word count: 2.8k

CW: A/B/O, Sexual content (P in V sex, pregnancy sex, knotting), Steve’s dirty talk, smidge Angst, hormonal and aggressive Omega Reader, Pet names (Omega, sweetheart, Mama).

You woke up, an almost long forgotten feeling of contentment suffusing you, and turned within the pair of thick arms that held you. With a sigh you looked up into the face of Steve, your Alpha. You lifted your hand and smoothed a lock of his hair back from his forehead, marvelling at the sheer beauty of him. It was almost criminal, the way his long eyelashes kissed his freckled skin. A happy chirp made its way out of your throat and Steve stirred, pulling you tighter to his body. 

If it weren’t for the ache on your neck, or the echoing one between your legs, you’d still believe this was a dream. Five months had gone without you seeing each other, longer than anytime before, but now the sporadic visits were finally over. The Accords were rescinded, Steve was no longer a criminal on the run and you could truly be together. Today Steve would be taking you to where he lived, the Avengers Compound in upstate New York, and you wouldn’t have to put up with this shitty, damp apartment anymore. You’d have a nice place to live, access to a state of the art medical facility for when your pup (or pups) came, and you’d get to meet all of Steve’s friends. What a difference a day made.

You sighed again and tilted your head to press your lips against Steve’s. His eyes were still closed, but you knew he wasn’t fully asleep because he deepened the kiss almost immediately and a muscular thigh, covered in coarse hair, pushed its way between your legs. You rocked against it as he kissed you, despite the fact that it increased the ache that was there. You welcomed the mild discomfort because it meant he was really here with you.

“Morning, ‘Mega,” Steve mumbled against your lips. He rolled onto his back and pulled you with him so you were straddling his hips, his morning wood slotting against your sex. Your fingers threaded into the slightly too long hair at the nap of his neck and he let out a pleasured growl.

“Morning, Alpha,” you purred as you lightly ground down onto him. You were wet already, a combination of being back in your Alpha’s arms along with being in your second trimester - your libido had picked up and Steve couldn’t have returned at a better time.

“Ready to leave this all behind?” he asked as his large hands landed on your hips and helped you move back and forth over his length, covering it in your arousal.

“Mmm-hmm,” you confirmed. “Although I’m not ready to leave this bed yet. There’s something I wanna do first.” You lifted your body, took Steve in hand and then sunk back down, a feeling of bliss suffusing your whole being. You were glad that it hadn’t been that long since he was last inside you so that you didn’t need to go through any arduous prep.

“Oh, sweetheart. Fuck.” You very rarely took the lead like this - you blamed your hormones - and Steve’s eyes rolled back in his head. “That’s it, Mama. Ride me. Take what you need. Look so god-damn sexy, carrying my pups. If I could I fuck some more into you. Jeez.”

The power trip was making you dizzy with arousal. You wanted him to lose his mind due to his want and desire for you. He was your Alpha - your mate. You were pregnant with his pups, and now you were going to start the rest of your life together this very day.

As you rocked atop him, Steve ran a hand up your body to cup one of your breasts. His thumb flicked over your engorged nipple and you gasped at the sensation as your body clenched around his length. Your whole body was much more sensitive now.

“Steve,” you keened, and sped up your movements. “So close, Alpha. Make me come, please!” You knew he was close as well because you could feel his swelling knot teasing your entrance. 

“Your wish is my command, Omega.” His other hand dropped to your clit and he drew matching circles over it, both hands working in tandem on different parts of your body to pull you over the edge. You moaned loudly as the pleasure hit, rocking back and forth on his cock as your pussy spasmed. A second dart of pleasure hit you as Steve’s knot popped and you felt his cum fill you up. Steve’s noises of ecstacy merged with yours as your movements slowed and then finally stilled. You collapsed on top of him, breathing heavily, your bodies still joined together.

“We don’t need to pack up until this afternoon, do we?” you asked. Steve chuckled, his body jiggling yours as he did.

“You don’t need to do anything, Omega. I can sort it out while you’re having a nap.” He pressed a kiss to the top of your head.

“Oh, good,” you replied and then let out a yawn. “I find myself worn out for some reason.”

“I wonder why,” Steve replied with a snort. “Now relax. Let your Alpha deal with all the mundane stuff.

As the car made its way up the long drive leading to the large, white compound, you felt your stomach flutter in anticipation. You’d never met the other Avengers, having only encountered Steve by chance just before he went on the run. It had been like one of those moments from an old movie, where your eyes had met across a crowded room. You’d approached each other warily, sensing a connection but being sensibly cautious. Then you’d each caught the scent of the other, and that had been it. It was a miracle you hadn’t just started fucking in the middle of the coffeeshop, the way your body had reacted - your inner Omega would have done so, happily. Luckily, Steve was a little bit more controlled and managed to at least wait until you’d had one dinner together before agreeing to come back to your apartment with you. 

That had been just over two years ago, and given how he’d mated you and then had to disappear, only returning for your heat or his rut, your relationship could be termed a whirlwind. Now you were going to meet his friends - his family - and announce that you were going to be having his pups in a matter of months. Your hands twisted in the fabric of your coat, and you pulled your lower lip between your teeth to chew on it.

Picking up on your anxiety, Steve pulled you tighter into his embrace and used his thumb to release your lip from its torture.

“They’re gonna love you, Omega. I promise.” His deep voice soothed you and you rested your head on his chest.

“You’re sure?” you asked quietly.

“How could they not? You’re so sweet and kind. And when they know you’re carrying my pups they’re gonna be thrilled. Happy likes you already, so you have nothing to worry about.”

You flicked your eyes up to the driver’s mirror, catching the glance of the tall, broad and cheerful Beta who’d turned up to whisk you and Steve back to the compound. Apparently he was Tony Stark's Head of Security and you’d been put straight at ease when he’d greeted you with a genuine smile and a ‘Nice to meet you, ma’am.’ You hoped the rest of the introductions would go as smoothly.

The car came to a halt, and you looked out of the tinted window in awe at the enormity of the site. 

“Here we go, Mama - home sweet home.” Steve got out of the car and then held out his hand to assist you. “Let’s head on over to the common room - the others are waiting. Happy will sort out your bags for us.”

Unused to this level of attention, you spun around to face the security specialist. “Oh, you don’t have to. I’m sure we can…”

Happy held up his hand and flashed you a grin. “It’s not a problem at all, ma’am. It’s practically a holiday compared to some of the things Mr Stark asks me to do.”

You giggled back as you wondered what on earth Iron Man had his staff doing? You’d wouldn’t ask though, getting the feeling that you’d regret knowing the answer.

With your arm tucked safely in his, Steve led you into the state of the art compound and along a maze of corridors. Each one looked the same. Your confusion and apprehension must have shown on your face.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart - you’ll learn your way around in no time, and while you’re getting there, you can just ask FRIDAY for help - she’s Tony’s AI and can help with whatever you need.” Steve lifted his head and addressed the ceiling. “Isn’t that right, FRIDAY?”

“It is, Captain. I’m here to assist in any way possible.”

You jumped as the voice came out of hidden speakers, and Steve couldn’t hide his smile.

“Is she always listening?” you whispered, pulling Steve down closer to you. The thought that there would be a computer intelligence that would be able to hear you… your cheeks started to heat at the thought.

Steve shook his head. “She does continually monitor us and the surroundings as standard, but not everything is for her computer eyes, sweetheart. We can tell her when to engage the privacy protocols.” He gripped your chin between his thumb and forefinger and leant closer. “Some things are just for me, Omega.” He let out a little growl and nipped at your lower lip, making you jump for the second time in as many minutes, although for totally different reasons. His eyes were dark and his expression held all sorts of promises, but you knew there was no time for that at this moment. Besides, the wait would just make it better.

Your mate obviously had the same idea, as he started walking again, keeping his stride short so he wasn’t dragging you along.

“So, Bucky, Nat, Wanda and Vision live on site. Sam splits his time between here and DC. Clint also splits his time. Thor has rooms here for when he’s visiting from Asgard - at least with his hammer he doesn’t have to worry about the commute time. Tony and Pepper obviously have their own place, but Tony spends a lot of time here, mainly because Pepper’s banned all his large tech and tinkering stuff from their house. Tony should be here, or at least on his way over. He said he was desperate to meet you.”

“Why does that worry me?” you jested.

“He’ll just flirt with you - that’s what Tony does. And he’ll mainly do it to wind me up.” He screwed up his face and you giggled. The idea that you’d even respond to the flirting of someone who wasn’t your Alpha was laughable.

Steve had done a good job of distracting to you, because you didn’t even think about the fact that you must be near your destination until Steve steered you through an open doorway and into a room that housed a large number of sofas, a massive TV, a kitchenette, a foosball table and seven other people.

“And here we are,” said Steve as he came to a halt, moving you in front of him with his arms clasped around your waist. “Everyone, this is my beautiful Omega. Sweetheart - this is everyone.”

You knew your eyes were bugging out of your head. You were in the presence of literal superheroes - your brain had long gotten over the fact that Steve was Captain America - and didn’t for the life of you know how you were going to adjust. 

One of them pushed away from the wall and walked towards you with a shy smile, long dark hair flopping over his brow. “Hey, Doll. I’m Bucky, it’s nice to meet you. Sorry I kept Stevie away from you for so long.”

You grinned back at him and shook his proffered hand. At this distance you could tell he was an Alpha, just like Steve. His scent wasn’t unpleasant - metal, sandalwood and fresh snow - but it didn’t speak to you like Steve’s did. His blend of spring sunshine, lemon thyme and honey called to your Omega in a way that no other Alpha’s ever had. “It’s good to meet you too. I’m looking forward to finding out all of Steve’s deep dark secrets from you.”

Bucky threw back his head and laughed, and you heard Steve mutter something under his breath that sounded like ‘I thought it was Tony I’d have to worry about’.

The next to step forward was a petite, but lethal looking red-head. You knew from news reports that this was the Black Widow - or Natasha. “Hi, I’m Nat. I’m glad that this idiot finally managed to find someone to put up with him.”

You sniggered behind your hand as Steve let out a cry of mock anger. Hearing all of the banter made your heart soar. It really was like meeting Steve’s family. 

He introduced you around to the others, and you subtly scented them as they got close. Nat had a strange scent - like a cross between an Alpha and a Beta, and you didn’t know what to make of it. Sam and Thor were both Alphas, Clint was a Beta, Wanda an Omega, and Vision was just Null, being an artificial construct.

Your inner Omega was slightly concerned by Wanda for a few moments, until you realised that she and Steve obviously had a big brother-little sister vibe going on and you relaxed.

“Now,” said Steve, “the only person left to meet is…”

There was a crashing and clattering noise from the hallway, and then another man appeared - there was no mistaking who it was.

“...Tony.” Steve finished.

Tony swaggered into the room, walking up to you and Steve.

“Hey Capsicle, sorry I’m late.” He clapped his hand jovially on Steve’s shoulder and grinned.

Before you even knew what you were doing, you’d pulled away from Steve, grasped Tony’s wrist, and pulled it away so he was no longer touching your Alpha. Your upper lip curled and a snarl left your mouth.

“My mate,” you spat at the surprised Omega.

The room fell silent and you felt nine pairs of eyes focussed on you, but your hindbrain was in control, protecting your growing family from this interloper.

“Umm, sweetheart?” Steve placed his hand on your back between your shoulder blades. “Are you alright?”

You growled, eyes still focussed on Tony, who had much more of your Alpha’s scent lingering to him than you were happy with.

“My Alpha,” you bit out, stepping up into Tony’s personal space. “Mine.”

“Okay…” Tony breathed out, slowly removing your hand from him and taking a few steps back, looking you up and down as if he was trying to see what was under your coat. “So, ummm, I think congratulations are in order! I’m guessing that’s what’s set you off.”

From the corner of your eye, you saw Vision cock his head and heard him whisper to Wanda. “I think I’ve missed something, dearest.”

“She’s pregnant and she sees Tony as a threat,” Wanda whispered back.

Tony coughed awkwardly and drew your attention back to him.

“I can assure you that I’m not after Ste - your Alpha. I have an Alpha of my own. See.” He pulled down the collar of his shirt, showing you his mating scar.

Your eyes narrowed as you peered at him. “You smell of my Alpha.” The accusatory tone was obvious, and you could feel Steve shifting awkwardly behind you.

“Well, we do spend a lot of time together. We’re friends. I was helping him yesterday - trying to find you.”

You snarled again and Tony’s eyes went wide, as though he thought you might leap forward and try to rip his throat out with your teeth. Your inner Omega was considering it.

“B-But,” Tony continued, “I smell of my own Alpha - Pepper - more. Here…” he held his wrist out towards you, and cautiously you leant forward and sniffed. Tony smelled of oil, coffee and amber. Steve’s scent lingered on him, but it was almost drowned out by another set of notes - vanilla, jasmine and lemon.

“Hhmmph.” You grunted out a non-committal noise, but backed up towards Steve again, taking hold of his arm and aggressively scenting at his wrist - publicly claiming him -, never letting your gaze leave Tony.

“Sweetheart? Omega? Would you like to go to our apartment now and have a little rest?” Steve spoke tentatively, as though you were a bomb set on a hair trigger.

“Not rest. Knot.” you retorted before grabbing his hand and dragging him out of the room. “FRIDAY - which way to Captain Rogers’ apartment?”

The Avengers watched you go, and then looked at each other as soon as you were out of view.

“Well,” said Tony as he breathed out heavily. “I might have to keep my distance from Cap for the next few months.” 

Nat chuckled. “Might be best, especially if you want to keep your larynx intact.”

Tony brought his hand up to cup his own throat, lips twisting wryly. “Yeah. At least we know one thing - she’s not gonna let Rogers walk all over her.”

Tag list: @km-ffluv, @wheezy-stucky, @kmc1989, @kombatfather1796, @christywrites, @alexakeyloveloki, @wolfsmom1, @doasyoudesireandlive, @goldylions

[zerobaselove]

my favorite | park gunwook

pairing: gunwook x reader

genre: fluff

word count: 939

warnings: none! lowercase intended, not proofread

prompts: 7. "dont tell me you're jealous" 30. "you make it hard to think straight"

notes: my wookie ohhh i love him so bad. i've been pretty busy lately but i did manage to pop this out in a pretty quick time so <3 anything for him tbh

ever since you started dating gunwook you had found yourself getting close with the other members; it was inevitable really, always visiting gunwook at practice and the dorms meant you were also always visiting them. surprisingly you actually got along really well with everyone, despite your fear that they wouldn't like you.

you had especially gotten to be on good terms with gunwook's best friend, gyuvin. he was always fun to be around and the three of you found it easy to hang out together without anything being weird. it was nice. after years of longing for a close group of friends, you finally had one, and you had gunwook; it didn't get much better than that.

today was a day off for the boys, a rare occasion that you knew you had to take advantage of. according to gunwook he had the dorm all to himself, almost. gyuvin was there too, both deciding to stay in on the free day instead of going shopping or out with friends like the others. so in an attempt to be nice, you stopped at the store to grab them some snacks for all their hard work lately.

you grabbed a few snacks, one you had seen gyuvin eating with gunwook once, a safe option you'd like to think, as well as some drinks and gunwook's absolute favorite snack.

soon enough you found yourself knocking on the door to their dorm, hearing some muffled shuffling before being greeted with gyuvin's smile. "oh gunwook is just in the shower, c'mon in." he opened the door, gesturing you into the kitchen as he locked the door behind you.

"i brought treats!" you enthused, holding the convenience store bag in your hand before reaching in to grab the snacks you got for gyuvin.

the two of you chatted for a bit, gyuvin even sharing his snack with you to show his gratitude until gunwook made an entrance. his hair was still damp and sticking to his forehead, partnered with the glasses resting on his nose. "hi love," he came up behind you to drape his arms over your shoulders. you relaxed into his touch despite the drips of cold water coming off of his hair, giving him a similar greeting before standing up, not noticing the way his eyes grazed over you and gyuvin in front of him.

"you two go have fun, i have to catch up on a show." gyuvin smiled, heading off to his bedroom with his drink, opting to leave his snack on the counter. now that you were alone you couldn't help but notice the expression plastered across gunwook's face. "what's wrong wook?" you questioned, bringing your hand up to brush a damp strand of hair from his eyes.

"it's nothing," he mumbled, barely audible through the pout that he displayed as his arms crossed in front of him.

gunwook was stubborn, this wasn't news to you, but he also knew you weren't stupid, so you ran over anything that could've made him upset today. you quickly scanned the room, eyes landing on the snacks and the empty seat that once sat gyuvin a few minutes ago. bingo.

"wook," you chuckled, "don't tell me you're jealous."

"you got him snacks," he pouted again, unable to control his tone as he stood there staring at you. you could only laugh for a moment as you picked up the bag on the floor, "i got you snacks too, silly." you pulled out a bag of home run balls and a carton of chocolate milk for the boy sulking in front of you before holding it out to him.

he couldn't help the smile that spread across his face, "those are my favorites, how'd you know?"

"i pay attention gunwook," you placed the snacks down on the table as you gestured for him to sit with you. "did you really think i'd get gyuvin snacks and not you?" he shrunk into himself at the statement; yeah, it seemed a little weird that you'd do that, but he didn't always prove to be the smartest when it came to the person he loved.

he shook his head, mumbling a "no" under his breath as he shyly opened the chocolate milk carton. "thank you." his voice was a little louder this time.

"no need to thank me," you ruffled his hair, letting out a small chuckle at the endearing boy in front of you, "you're cute when you're jealous by the way."

the blush that dusted across his cheeks didn't go unnoticed by you, and you couldn't help but wonder how you got so lucky to have such a cute boy in your life.

"listen it's not my fault," he sighed, taking another sip of his drink, "you just," he paused for a moment, "you make it hard to think straight."

now it was your turn to blush, a little flustered at the innocent confession from the boy sitting beside you. you took a few moments to compose yourself before responding, "well i'm honored," a slight questioning tone in your voice, but genuine nonetheless.

a shy smile spread across his lips as he grabbed your hand with his free hand, the other holding the snacks and his drink, "well c'mon," he started, pulling you off towards his room, "you promised me you'd play games with me."

and that's how your afternoon went; back and forth bickering as you competed in various games. as much as you loved your boyfriend, you'd be damned if you went easy on him, so that incident wouldn't be the last time you saw pouty gunwook before the day was over.

[clotpolesonly]

What A Day This Has Been, What A Rare Mood I'm In

why, it's almost like being in looove!! i'm so very fond of this ship and i can't BELIEVE nothing has been written for it already 🥺 so when i found the Smash The Champagne event on dreamwidth, i jumped on the chance to write their first fic!!!! and it also just so happened to end up on my TRC rare pair/kink event bingo card, which was extremely fortuitous 😂 (also fortuitous that someone reminded me i signed up for this cuz i wholesale forgot, LOL) | Gansey/Matthew | 2.2k | Gen | Post-Canon | Established Relationship | Anxious Gansey | Matthew is Good at Feelings | Emotional Hurt/Comfort | (also on AO3)

.

Gansey was having A Day. That was the way his mother put it, at least, when she experienced moods like these. A Day—capital letters—was one where the mind simply was not up to containing itself and thus either spilled out haphazardly and made a mess all over everything or took a leave of absence and left behind nothing at all of substance to fill the space between one's ears. Either way, it was conducive to neither productivity nor restfulness.

Gansey's mind had not quite made itself up as to which route it was going to take for this Day, but the unproductive restlessness had already made itself emphatically known. It had taken him three tries to eat something that could reasonably be called breakfast because he'd kept picking things up and then putting them back down, forgetting that none of it had made it into his mouth. Now there were bran muffins and granola bars and cereal bowls scattered around Monmouth. Knowing him, they would probably be there until the end of time. They were just part of the decor now. He could build an entire aesthetic around it. Haphazardly Maintained Diner At Closing Time Chic would be very popular on pinterest.

Not even the prospect of his boyfriend coming over had managed to pull Gansey out of his mood, at least partly because he had forgotten about the planned rendezvous. Or, more accurately, he had forgotten what day it was and that time moved, mostly, in a linear fashion and thus said rendezvous was quickly approaching. By the time the door opened, Gansey was quite engrossed with staring uncomprehendingly at the pieces of cardboard he was almost certain would form a small building if he were so inclined as to pick up the glue gun that he'd left somewhere that was not here. Sadly, the building had not built itself in the last hour or so.

The door clanging shut startled Gansey rather more than he would have liked to admit. Helen had once accused him of being horse-like—easily spooked—and he hated to prove her right, but the last two years had been rough on his nerves. Perhaps he should embrace his equine nature. Blinders as a fashion statement! Yellow, perhaps, to match his favorite sweater.

A hand descended onto Gansey's head, tugging gently on his hair. Gansey obligingly tipped his head backward until a familiar, grinning face came into view.

“Hey, dude,” Matthew said. “'Sup?”

Gansey closed his eyes and sagged back against Matthew's legs. “Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”

Matthew ran his fingers through Gansey's hair again, unconcerned about being used as a structural support. He was tall and sturdy; it was a common occurrence. He hummed blithely. “There's always something. Right? Can't be, like, nothing-nothing or else you wouldn't be alive.”

That made some amount of sense. There was always something. If it wasn't one thing, it was another. Oftentimes, it was many things at once, overlapping in such a way to ensure that there were always at least two or three somethings of varying magnitudes. Gansey couldn't remember if he'd left his glue gun plugged in or not. Monmouth was not on fire yet, so he presumed he hadn't, but he couldn't be sure.

Matthew's hand had trailed downward, abandoning Gansey's hair to squeeze his shoulder instead. The muscle ached something fierce; was he tense? He was. He hadn't noticed. The kneading of Matthew's strong fingers hurt in a good way.

“Is that my shirt?”

Gansey opened his eyes to look. There, blazoned across his own chest, was a large cartoon leprechaun. He flushed.

“Ah.” He cleared his throat. “Yes, it appears so. I must have grabbed it without noticing. I wasn't feeling particularly on the ball this morning. I hope you don't mind.”

When Matthew laughed, Gansey felt the vibrations of it through his whole body. The hand on his  shoulder slid down a little further, far enough to give the leprechaun's face a fond pat where it rested over Gansey's right pectoral.

“Why would I mind?” Matthew asked. “I think it suits you. You should wear this every day.”

He folded himself over Gansey's body far enough to kiss his cheek. Gansey could feel the smile pressed into his skin and he tried valiantly to smile back, but the way Matthew's forehead creased when he pulled back told him he didn't do a very good job of it. Matthew tried again with an upside-down kiss that landed a little clumsily on the side of Gansey's mouth. When that didn't elicit the desired response either, he unfolded himself and nudged his knee into Gansey's back to get him to sit up properly. Gansey did so with a sinking feeling already in his stomach that stayed stubbornly put as Matthew scooted the cardboard pieces away so that he could sit cross-legged directly in front of him.

“Hey,” Matthew said again, once he was settled. His eyes were bright in the afternoon sunlight that streamed through the wall of windows. They didn't have quite the same intensity as Ronan's, or the sharpness of Declan's, but they were warm and they didn't waver from Gansey's face when he asked, “For real, bro, what's going on? Are you okay?”

Because there was nothing going on, and because there were many overlapping things going on, and because he hadn't eaten a proper breakfast and was wearing someone else's shirt, and because the tiny building had not built itself and the glue gun was AWOL, and because of the yawning hole nibbling away at his chest that he'd long since learned to live with, and because Matthew had come in smiling and no longer was, and because this was A Day, Gansey said, “I'm fine.”

For a moment, Matthew simply looked at him, warm eyes roving Gansey's features like they were a particularly inscrutable bit of academic text. The next, the crease in Matthew's brow deepened into a proper frown. His voice was not harsh when he spoke, because Matthew was not prone to harshness, but there was a sharpness that did not come out often.

“Please don't lie to me.”

Gansey flushed again, shame this time instead of the softer spread of embarrassment. “It's not—” His mouth closed again because it was a lie and he was not fine. His mind had spilled out and there was nothing left behind, not even the words to explain. It was simply A Day. Humiliatingly, his eyes stung with the sudden threat of tears. He hastily stuck his fingers underneath his glasses to press against them, as if that might force them back.

There was a shuffling noise and something bumped against Gansey's knees—Matthew's knees, now butted up to his to allow Matthew to be closer to him. Strong, gentle fingers took hold of Gansey's other hand.

“No, don't cry!” he said. “I'm sorry, I just— Don't tell me you're okay if you're not okay. You don't have to do that. I don't want you to.”

Gansey waited until the clench in his throat loosened enough to free his voice before he turned his hand to lace their fingers together. He tried to choose his words carefully; they were dangerous on the best of days, he knew, and everything felt precariously balanced on Days. “I don't want to burden you, Matthew. You shouldn't have to worry about me. We shouldn't both have to be upset about nothing.”

Matthew frowned again and Gansey braced for the metaphorical blow, for Matthew to take his hand back and leave. But he didn't.

“Maybe I want to worry about you,” he said instead with a stubborn light in his eye that was pure Lynch. “You don't just get to blow me off and decide what I worry about and what I don't. I get enough of that from Declan, remember?”

Gansey did remember. He'd gotten back from his gap year road trip with Blue and Henry to find the Lynch family in a truly woeful state, and the worst fracture had been between the eldest and youngest of the brothers. Matthew with his burgeoning understanding of himself, struggling for independence, and Declan, clinging to how they used to be like it might keep him from drowning in all the changing tides. Gansey wasn't quite sure how or why it had come about, but he had become Matthew's confidante, the non-familial shoulder to lean on, the sympathetic ear when he needed to feel heard.

“I'm sorry,” he said, the hole in him threatening to swallow him up. “I didn't mean to—”

“I don't need you to be sorry, Gansey,” Matthew told him. “I just need you to talk to me. Okay? Don't shut me out. Tell me what's wrong.”

Gansey shook his head, helpless. “I don't know. I don't know how to say it.”

Matthew didn't seem perturbed by this. He shrugged a little and a wry smile tugged up the corner of his mouth. “You can always just say you feel like shit.”

A laugh caught Gansey by surprise. The force of it seemed to pop some kind of balloon in his chest and suddenly his lungs could expand. He took a deep breath and let it out. “Yeah,” he said. “I guess I do just feel like shit.”

“That's okay.” Matthew quickly banished his smile. “I mean, it's not okay, because you feel bad! And feeling bad sucks! But it's okay to feel bad and, like, just say so. You don't need to write an essay about it, you know what I mean? Sometimes a day just sucks. Say la vee or whatever.”

The French was shamefully mangled, but it made Gansey smile for the first time all day. “C'est la vie indeed.”

Matthew's grin returned in full sunny force. “Yeah, that! Now, do you wanna cuddle or not? I bet that would make you feel a lot better. Or we could make out! That might work too. I'm game for either. We could order a pizza? Also, why is your glue gun under your bed? That seems like a weird place for it to be.”

By the end of this little monologue, Matthew had stood up and dragged Gansey to his feet as well. They were already halfway to the bed by the time Gansey thought to say, “Pizza sounds nice.”

“Then we'll order pizza,” Matthew said easily, phone already in hand to put in the order. “Like, five of them, so you can have some for later.”

Gansey allowed himself to be nudged into sitting on the edge of his bed. “I do not need five pizzas.”

“You might need them later, though.” Matthew still had a hold of his hand with the one not currently in use. “It never hurts to be prepared. Like a boy scout.”

“Even a boy scout couldn't find time to eat five whole pizzas before they went bad,” Gansey pointed out, half-heartedly grabbing at Matthew's wrist to pull his phone screen into view and make sure he wasn't actually ordering that. “May I remind you that my mini fridge isn't big enough to preserve all that.”

Matthew cheerfully ignored him. He finished the order with a flourish, put his phone away, and pushed Gansey to lie back on the bed properly. It was barely big enough to hold both of them, if only because Matthew was so damn tall, but they were well accustomed with how to order their limbs to make it work. Some people may have felt smushed underneath someone as large as Matthew, but it was a grounding weight for Gansey. Some part of him heaved a sigh of relief to be so blanketed, and the rest of him joined in when Matthew wiggled into the right position to kiss him.

Still, Gansey had to ask. “The food?”

Matthew rolled his eyes. “I only ordered two pizzas,” he said with an air of martyrdom. “One for you and one for me.”

Gansey still felt that was a little excessive, but Matthew was kissing him again so he found that he didn't really care. Just a small, quick kiss. Then another one. And another one. And another, until an irrepressible laugh rendered Gansey momentarily unkissable. Matthew beamed down at him, obviously very pleased with himself. He glanced down, eyes lingering, and bit his lip. His cheeks looked a bit pink.

“I really do like you in my shirt,” he admitted. “You should definitely wear my clothes more often.”

Gansey suddenly felt warm all over, so full of affection and gratitude and want that it might spill out of him haphazardly and make a mess all over everything. He didn't have the words to explain that either, but that was okay. He pulled Matthew down into a kiss instead, this one slow and thorough.

“If you want that,” he murmured against Matthew's parted lips, “you'll have to take something off and not put it back on.”

Matthew's face lit up with mischief. “Oh, is that how it is?”

“We've got twelve minutes until the pizza gets here.”

“I think we can do it in ten.”

With that challenge on the table, Matthew set to his task with great enthusiasm. He took off many things and, obligingly, left them off. His bright green button-down was elected as the most steal-able of the bunch and he took pleasure in folding it carefully and putting it away in one of the perennially-open suitcases that had played the part of Gansey's dresser for the last four years. The pizza delivery man got an eyeful, accidentally, and a very generous tip, on purpose.

Gansey decided that perhaps not every Day had to be a bad one.

.

[endlesstwanted]

Picking Love

My entry for @fleurdelouvemonth day 22 prompt — Apple picking, inspired by this Stony drabble 🍎🥧

Fandom: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (TV), Captain America (Movies)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Sarah Wilson, minor Steve/Tony

Tags: Modern: No Powers, Meet-Cute, Apples, Flirting

Summary: Tony takes Bucky to the farmers’ market as an excuse to meet with his new fling, but Bucky makes the best out of it with the idea to bake something for his sister’s birthday.

Wordcount: 2k

Also created for: @buckybarnesevents’ Build-a-Bucky-Bingo — Farmer’s market / @slumberpartybingo — Would you rather ... Cook dinner OR eat out / @multifandom-flash’s taboo bingo — Please Put Some Clothes On / @tonystarkbingo — Asking For Trouble / @buckybarnesbingo — Terrible choices / @lyricalescape — “Light the signal fire, proceed without hesitation.”

Excerpt:

“Okay, I gotta say I was definitely not expecting that,” the woman said.

“Why is that?” Bucky frowned, but he side-smiled too. “Is it my long hair or my cool tattoos, the one telling you I’ve never baked a thing in my life?” he joked.

“None of those, actually.” She laughed, and Bucky’s chest filled up with joy in knowing it was because of him. “Only said that because I rarely see people baking anything with fruit lately. Apple pies specially, they’re often bought from bakeries. I’m surprised, but in a good way.”

Continue reading on Ao3!

[every-marveler-ever]

Fairness of Lego Distribution

Marvel Rare Pair Bingo Round 2 | 📪 @marvelrarepairbingo | Crime/Mob AU

All Caps Bingo Round 1 | 🤷 @allcapsbingo | Washington D.C.

Stony AUinverse Round 1 | 😝 @stonyauniverse | Surprise Facetime

2023 masterlist :: (ao3 link)

RATING: Teen WARNING: Mob Boss AU, Tony Stark can be mean, Sam Wilson doesn't care, Peter Parker is adorable, "LANGUAGE!"

Nobody knows why there is a shipment coming from Washington DC or what it includes. They just know Tony didn't make it, and Tony doesn't love when people do things without telling him. | Steve Rogers/Tony Stark

rpb 📪 round 2 | acb 🤷 round 1 | saub 😝 round 1

“Why the fuck would we be agreeing on shipment from Washington DC?” Tony asks in frustration across the room, sitting at a large table with those he trusts sitting around him. People who definitely shouldn’t have let this large of a shipment go underneath the radar until now. Sometimes it felt like Tony needed to do all the work between them. 

While everyone else looks around to weather scared of the outcome if they don’t find out, Sam Wilson plays with the gun on his waistband, unfazed. “Steve brought them, thought you knew about it,” he shrugs and as Steve’s best friend it is times like this that Tony is regretful to let him into the inner circle, “I think he mentioned about it being for Peter.” 

That is not as shocking as one might expect for it to be in a mob boss’ home. Peter had quickly taken over the home once moving in and Tony wouldn’t have it any other way. He loved Steve and he loved Peter even more because Peter was half of Steve with even chubbier cheeks and more quick wit than the adults knew what to do with. 

His brain was also incredible and Tony was proud that he could be trusted to nourish it. 

Tony bites his lip not sure how to respond. He was never good at holding his tongue, “what the hell is in that shipment?” Because he expects and hopes that it is not what their normal shipments consist of, drugs and weapons. 

Clint flips through pages and pages of shipping information and location details looking for details disclosing what is in the container stuck in Washington DC. If it is for Peter it could be anything. In the first few months (the first year even) of Peter and Steve living with Tony Steve didn’t feel comfortable spending the ludicrous amounts of money Tony had, but that has slowly changed in the last six months with Peter starting school. Some may blame Tony for always spoiling the younger boy (and Steve) which eventually would rub off on his partner. 

“I think it’s Lego?” Clint finally comes to the conclusion which makes Tony sigh. Lego is huge in their household, Peter, as most six-year-olds are, is obsessed and Tony is happy to indulge and help him build the large sets that his money can afford. It gives them bonding time in the lab which doesn’t give Steve a heart attack thinking the environment is unsafe. 

It isn’t like Tony to just shrug off a large shipment, but for this, it seemed okay. 

Sam rolls his eyes, “we are just letting one of our trucks ship 200 pounds of Lego from Washinton DC to Manhattan because Steve okayed it?” This is the reason that Tony lets Sam sit on the board because he sees through the bullshit that Tony often doesn’t when it comes to his partner. 

Holding his hand up Tony takes to his phone, quieting everybody in the room. The phone displays a Facetime screen, ringing until the person on the other side picks up. 

“Hey babe, is everything okay?” Tony smiles at just the voice of his partner. Steve displayed on the screen doesn’t seem to be bothered by the interference with his sunbathing time if his background of the mansions pool and sun chair is anything to notice. “Yeah everything is fine, I am just wondering what Lego is in the shipment from Washington? Something we can’t get here?” Tony asks with no malicious intent and it makes Sam think that they should let him speak to Steve more often in meetings if this is the reaction. 

Steve on the screen tilts his head from side to side, “I was talking to Natasha and she said that the white house used to get exclusive US Lego, which I thought was unfair, so I asked, politely. They agreed to send some for Peter, said he was so adorable the last time he was there, he deserves an award.” The proud look on both Steve's and Tony’s faces is alike in different ways, Steve is for Peter, and Tony’s is for Steve. 

It is just like Steve to think of the fairness in the world, even when it just comes to Lego distribution. 

Tony pausing gives Steve time to keep adding to his story and reasoning, “And I thought any of the spare Lego because I am sure there will be double ups with how much you buy him, we could donate them,” Tony, while offended, is also extremely proud, “or sell them off at an auction dinner if you think that’s a better idea.” Steve is right, there probably will be multiples of sets and there may be sets that Peter might not want, considering them too easy, and both ideas are great ones. It really shows that Steve is fitting more and more into their world. 

This life is much better with Steve, and Peter, in it. Tony smiles politely talking to the phone again, “I have to go, but we should definitely discuss your ideas later, maybe over a nice dinner.” The smile on Steve’s face is bright enough to light the entire room and maybe the one over as well, “love you, babe,” he responds to Tony mimicking the phrase before hanging up the call. 

The atmosphere shifts and Tony’s smile fades and becomes the stern look that he leads with. 

“What’s next,” he asks waiting for a quick response. Sam thinks to himself that they need Steve more often in these meetings because whoever is going next is not going to get the same type of treatment that Clint just got for his update. 

But he will just sit and wait knowing he’s okay, smiling even. 

“Why the fuck did you think talking to, fucking Hammer was a good idea!”

Yeah, he can just sit back and watch.

Cards: (📪 3/25) (🤷 6/25) (😝1/25)

[betweenbreaths]

the lonely nights

A/N: Finally getting started on my one piece bingo card since i'm on leave this week!

@onepiece-bingo

prompt: lullaby

Taking the night watch is, for the most part, uneventful. 

Tonight is no different for Roronoa Zoro as he drinks in the sea view, the sound of waves rocking beneath the ship and the silent moonlight filtering through the windows of the crow’s nest. It’s a rare moment of peace that’s hard to come by in the New World, and even harder to come by where the Strawhats are concerned.

With everyone sound asleep and no troublemakers up and about creating havoc like they usually do, Zoro finds himself having the time to kick back his legs, lean back and relax for a little bit. The night is quiet and peaceful as always, and it looks like it’ll be another uneventful one, seeing as everyone is asleep and there’s nothing within view of the distant horizon. 

But it’s not another hour in, when he picks up the sound of something else blending in with the gentle whisper of the seabreeze: the humming of a soft, melancholic tune, along with what sounds like a violin. 

Standing up and gathering his swords, Zoro heads out of the crow’s nest, following the source of the sound to the head of the Sunny, where a familiar silhouette soon comes into view. 

“Brook?”

The music doesn’t stop — clearly, the man didn’t hear Zoro, or his approaching footsteps. 

It’s only when Zoro places a hand on the unassuming crew member’s shoulder, that the music comes to a startling halt and is cut by a loud shriek. The skeleton practically jumps out of his skin as he whirls around to face what he probably thinks is a ghost at this hour. 

“Z-Zoro-san!” Brook exclaims, clutching his ribs. “You almost gave me a heart attack— not that I have a heart since I’m dead though, yohohohohoho!”

“It’s late. Shouldn’t you be asleep?” Zoro asks, the joke completely flying over his head. “What are you doing out here?” 

“Ah…” Brook’s smile falters, and he picks up the violin bow that he had dropped earlier, before straightening his coat. 

“I couldn’t sleep, so I thought I would play some music to lull myself to sleep.”

“I see.” 

The pair falls silent, neither really knowing what to say. To fill in the silence, Brook starts tuning his violin, while Zoro tries to remember the faint tune that Brook had been singing to himself earlier. 

“That song, it sounded familiar,” he comments, to which Brook responds with a chuckle that sounds almost sad.

“Yes, I was actually playing Bink’s Sake. A slower rendition of it, if you will.”

“Haven’t heard you play this before.”

“Well, it’s meant to be a merry song. It’s not so fun to sing along to when I play it like this.” 

Brook offers Zoro a smile, before raising his violin to his chin once more and positioning his fingers on the fingerboard. Gracefully, he raises the violin bow and begins to play the same faint tune that Zoro heard earlier from the crow’s nest.

The familiar melody brings to mind memories of the many banquets the Strawhats have enjoyed together. Zoro is no musician himself, but even he is no stranger to the lyrics of this famous song that his crewmates love belting out each time Brook plays it for them. As the music goes on, the lyrics to each note easily come to Zoro’s mind, but the difference is that for some reason, this time the melody carries a weight that tugs at his heartstrings. 

Brook’s face shows it all — the thin, grim line of his mouth, the blank stare towards the ocean, and the slight, almost unnoticeable, tremor in his humming.

Zoro decides then to make himself at home, setting his swords down and laying on the wooden deck as the song goes on. 

“You play this often?” he finds himself asking after a while.

Brook’s shoulders shake lightly as he chuckles.

“Just on the nights that feel a little lonely.”

“I see.”

Zoro closes his eye, the soothing tune beckoning him into the peaceful darkness. “It’s not half bad.”

“Thank you, Zoro-san. Also, sorry to disturb your night watch. Don’t mind me; you can head back to the crow’s nest.” 

“It’s fine. I’ll stay here for a while,” Zoro says curtly, leaving it at that. 

Brook doesn’t say anything; the swordsman doesn’t really think much of it, until he hears the music pick up speed just a little, as if rejuvenated. 

“Thank you. For being here.” 

Night watches are uneventful for the most part, and it’s not half bad when you have someone to spend it with.

[nick-close]

Glenn Close/Erin O'Neil for the ship bingo!

You also can just pick a less known/popular ship if you want too

I HAVE A PLAYLIST FOR THESE MOTHERFUCKERS. (Curse of curves is on it which is so cursed and I don’t know why but I’m not gonna take it off cuz it’s funny)

I love rare pairs tbh, that’s really probably the reason they appeal to me- but let me explain myself ok. First of all Glenn ships supreme always forever. Second? Sometimes you need a classic ‘charismatic trauma dump x woman who hates him��� ship. Something about seeing this big fucking idiot dumbass you’ve thought was annoying but now he’s playing guitar on your couch while you’re doing witchcraft… and there’s an awareness now that wasn’t THERE before.

This ship ONLY WORKS AFTER PRISON AND BEFORE DEATH THO !!!! Because Glenn has enough introspection to realize the shit he’s fucked up- so you get him like. Awkwardly thinking he SHOULD apologize for the whole. Not healing her thing. Now he’s aware of it and feels bad. But he isn’t sure how to bring it up. And it’s been so long. And he still doesn’t wanna harsh the vibes. He’s fucked around AND found out. Idk.. he’s lost everything and all he can do now is be depressed and then show surprising amounts of interest in her alchemy because ‘holy shit you can just do that???’

Plus he feels kinda detached from the other dads so it’s nice for him to have someone who frankly isn’t gonna push him on his issues or make it about the kids. She’s not trying to fix him! She knows it isn’t her problem and so does Glenn. This isn’t ‘competent woman can solve his trauma’ it’s ‘competent woman is not gonna put up with him unless he genuinely improves himself, but does give him a place to breathe between his efforts.’ Also they are both catty motherfuckers who’ll shit talk people. And Glenn knows how to listen.

Also I think people misinterpret the moment in the trial a lot when he gives her the drawing. But he was backing her the fuck up like ‘I was trying to burn down oakvale like u wanted B)’ which I think is fun. Also Glenn doesn’t eat vegetables unless they’re fried so. W. Overall good, sorry for my paragraphs.

[mtap-comics]

Welcome back to my Bad Things Happen Bingo! After 8 Weeks I'm finally able to post the next prompt.

Fandom: My time at Portia

Pairing: Arlo x Female Builder

Summary: Elenya and Remi successfully freed Arlo, Sam and Mint from Ingall’s Mine and defeated this strange AI without any significant injuries. But then why were there black dots dancing in her field of vision?

Word count: 6,992

Prompt: Doesn't Realize They've Been Injured

Author’s note: I'm really sorry it took me so long again, but I hope the lenght of it makes up for it. That prompt was also the most requested one, so I hope I did it justice. I really struggle with actions scenes and I'm still not happy with it, but I think you're not here for that, anyway, so... :D

I'm also sorry in advance for what you are about to read. You will probably know what I mean when you get there.^^ You can thank my past self for that scene, who thought it a good idea to implement that damn sweater in every one of those works.

But now I won't keep you any longer and wish you a happy reading!

Warnings: Blood and Injury, Angst and Fluff, Nightmares, Mentions of death

Read on AO3: Link

Black Dots

Adrenaline was rushing through Elenya's body.

She had been fighting her way through Ingall's Mine with Remington for almost an hour now. Worm after worm stood in their way, locked doors had to be repaired and even a human-like creature tried to stop them from rescuing Arlo, Sam and Mint.

But at last they seemed to be getting closer to their goal. In front of them were lots of dead worms and in between, Sam's boxing gloves.

While Remi picked them up, she propped herself up for a moment on the handle of her hammer. Remi had given it to her because it was better than her simple iron sword, and while it was pretty fun to fight with, it was damn heavy.

Her arms were burning from the effort, and she was going to have some nasty sore muscles tomorrow, but she didn't care much about that right now. The main thing was that she could see for herself that Arlo was actually alright.

Even though he had assured them that nothing had happened to them in the cave-in, she couldn't shake the anxiety that had been consuming her since the collapse. Never in her life had she been so afraid for someone as when they were standing in front of the huge pile of rocks and there was no sign of life from the three of them at first.

Only a few weeks before, Arlo had given her a heart knot after he had accidentally broken her nose and she had accepted it overjoyed. Her nose has since healed without any lasting damage, while her relationship with Arlo flourished. Rarely had she felt as happy as when she was around Arlo, and that he felt the same way was something she would never have dreamed of before.

But for the time being, they decided to keep their relationship a secret. They knew how quickly such news spread around the village, and they wanted to enjoy their privacy, at least for a while. Fortunately, this wasn't too difficult, as their daily routine didn't change much. Only the two of them knew that their dinners together had changed from friendly to romantic, and the intimate hugs and tender kisses took place behind closed doors.

The last few weeks had been just perfect, so of course something had to burst their pink bubble.

With a deep breath, Elenya straightened up again and with a confirming nod to Remi, the two walked deeper into the mine. Not much longer, and hopefully she would soon be able to embrace Arlo again.

Another closed gate and a few scattered worms stood in their way, but they weren't any more of an obstacle than the others, and finally the three missing ones came into view.

Deep below them they stood, crowded together behind a rock and in the middle of the room was a...

"What on earth is that?" Remi's horrified voice rang out from beside her, and she looked up at him in equal horror.

"I don't know, but I don't think it's friendly. Quick, we have to help them!" 

As quickly and quietly as they could, they hurried down the steel staircase that wound once around the room. The closer they got to the floor, the better they could see the construct that threatened their friends. It seemed to be an AI robot, consisting of a round body with a giant drill as its base and 3 long arms with huge, sharp-looking claws as hands.

It looked angry and damn dangerous.

"Remi!" Sam was the first to spot them and at her delighted exclamation, Arlo and Mint turned to them as well. 

Elenya's eyes swept over the group, but stopped worriedly at Mint's head. A bloody bandage was wrapped around his head, but the engineer stood upright and his gaze was clear, if frightened. An encouraging nod from him reassured her, and she finally let her gaze drift to Arlo.

Like the other two, he was covered from head to toe in dust and a small scratch adorned his cheek, but otherwise he did indeed appear to be unharmed and a huge weight fell from her chest. Exhausted, her shoulders slumped, and when she heard his voice, she could have cried with relief.

He was alright!

"Just in time, come on, we need to handle this thing!" Relief mixed with determination showed on Arlo’s face and with a soft sigh, Elenya straightened her shoulders again. 

Her arms burned from the exertion, and her exhaustion caught up with her now that some of the tension and adrenaline had worn off, but she didn't have time to sit down. The danger was not over yet.

Immediately Arlo's worried gaze turned to her, but she waved him off. He could probably see her exertion of the last hour, but they had no time to rest. For the moment, the robot seemed content to stand silently in front of them, but who knows when it would feel threatened by them and attack. It was better if they struck first.

With one last deep breath, they nodded to each other and the four of them attacked the robot while Mint backed further away from the fight.

A new wave of adrenaline allowed Elenya to swing her hammer with the same force as before, but even this seemed to do no good. The robot was extremely fast and they had to dodge more than they could actually attack, but even when they did manage to land a hit, their efforts didn't even seem to leave a scratch.

Desperately, she tried to smash the joints of one of the arms with her hammer, hoping that would slow it down, but the material just wouldn't budge. Frustrated, she examined the robot.

Damn it, this thing had to have a weak point! Only where?

"Elenya! Watch out!" Startled, Elenya backed away from the robot at Arlo's warning shout, and just in time. Because the robot jumped up, pulled its arms to its body and rammed its drill tip into the ground, spinning wildly around itself.

Unfortunately, she didn't manage to pull herself completely out of its reach and her brown leather jacket was caught by one of its claws. She was knocked to the ground.

A brief pain in her left side was accompanied by three startled yelps, but she barely noticed. Because just as the robot stopped spinning, she saw it from her vantage point on the floor. A weak point.

One of their attacks must have had an effect after all, because under one of the three arms something had come loose that looked a lot like an energy source. If she could destroy it, then this fight would finally be over.

Gathering all her strength once more, she straightened up and used the time that Arlo, Sam and Remi were trying to distract the robot from her to grab her hammer, duck under the swinging arms and slam the hammer into the power source with all her might. The force of the blow vibrated through her arms, but her attack had paid off.

The robot suddenly went completely still and then collapsed. Amazed, she looked at the now lifeless pile of metal in front of her, and it took a moment for the reality to sink in that the battle was over.

Wide-eyed, she looked to the three Civil Corps members standing on the other side of the robot, who looked at her just as dumbfounded until Sam let out a whoop.

"Woohoo! You did it!" Proudly, Sam came over to her and clapped her shoulder approvingly. "I knew you had it in you, kid."

The heady feeling of a battle won rushed through her body, and laughing, she thanked Sam for the compliment.

The feeling didn't last long, though, and exhaustion quickly took over. With trembling muscles, she set her hammer down on the ground and then propped herself up on the handle to catch her breath. Mint had joined them again in the meantime, and she left it to the four of them to figure out what the robot was all about.

It was only a gentle touch to her shoulder that made her look back up, and her gaze immediately met familiar blue eyes that looked at her with concern.

"Hey, are you alright? Are you hurt?" Arlo's soft voice enveloped her like a warm blanket and she would have liked nothing more than to snuggle against his strong chest and let his arms wrap around her. Instead, she hurried to stand up straight so he wouldn't worry so much.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just pretty exhausted." A tired smile settled on her lips and Arlo's gaze softened.

"I'll take your word for that. You fought really well. Remi was just praising you to the skies." A proud smile settled on his lips and she felt her cheeks redden.

God, she always felt like a teenage girl whose crush had just smiled at her when she got a compliment from Arlo.

Before she could sheepishly thank him, though, Remi came over to them and took the heavy hammer from her.

"Come on you two. Let's get the hell out of here."

"Oh God, yes, please. I've had enough tunnels and sand for now." Accompanied by Arlo's soft chuckle that followed her words, they followed Mint who, tracking a draft of wind, led them out of the mine.

For a moment, she was able to keep up with the group, but the further they went, the more her adrenaline level dropped and the heavier her legs became. Black dots danced in her field of vision and an overwhelming tiredness came over her. Exhausted, she stopped.

Damn, she had apparently exerted herself a lot more than she had first thought. But she couldn't rest yet. She had to at least make it home.

With a vigorous shake of her head, she tried to dispel the dots and hurried to catch up with the others again before anyone noticed how far behind she had fallen.

A bit of her energy returned when they finally found an exit and the warm evening sun greeted them. Finally they were out of that dark mine.

Elenya didn't pay much attention to where they came out, instead fixing her gaze firmly on Arlo's back. The sight calmed the still not completely disappeared anxiety inside her and her steps felt a little lighter.

Only Mint's delighted "Mayor Gale!" made her look up and with astonishment she realised that the very same man was running towards them together with Gust, Albert, Paulie, Dr. Xu and even Higgins.

Concerned, the group stopped in front of them and naturally wanted to know what had happened. Arlo, of course, immediately took on the task of summarising what had happened, but Elenya had trouble following the conversation. The black spots were back and she discreetly moved away from the group.

For a moment she let her eyes fall shut and took a few deep breaths. The better oxygen intake seemed to help, because when she opened her eyes again, the black dots had disappeared and she could just see the others heading back towards the city. 

Only Arlo turned to her and she hurried to catch up with him again. Now that they were no longer being watched, a warm look graced his face and she instantly felt better. With a smile, she stopped in front of him.

“I'm glad we got out of that ordeal without anyone getting hurt. I didn't get to say this earlier, but thanks for sticking your neck out and coming to our rescue back there.” He smiled at her and she felt how finally the rest of the anxiety drained from her body.

It sometimes shocked her, how a simple smile from him could make her feel so at ease.

She opened her mouth to answer him. Wanted to tell him how glad she was that he was okay, that he wasn't buried under all those rocks, but no sound came out.

Her head suddenly felt a lot heavier and her tongue wouldn't cooperate. 

What was wrong with her?

Arlo's face contorted with concern when she didn't answer him and he took a step toward her.

"Elenya? Is everything all right? You're really pale." His right hand lifted, gently coming to rest against her cheek, and it was as if that touch snapped her body out of a daze.

Pain suddenly ripped through her like a burning fire, blazing up her left side. With a pained gasp, she pressed her hand against the aching spot, only to encounter something wet. Confused, she looked down at herself.

What...?

She couldn't see anything on her dark jacket, but when she removed her hand from her side, it came back smeared with blood. Quickly she pressed it back.

Oh...

Arlo, who had followed her gaze, drew in a shocked breath at the sight. "Elenya! You're bleeding! What happened?" He grabbed her hand in panic, pulling it away from the wound so he could see better, and she had no strength to fight back.

Nausea had mixed with the woozy feeling in her head and the black dots dancing before her eyes became more and more. Her legs buckled.

Before she could hit the ground, though, strong arms caught her and once again her name left Arlo's lips in alarm. As carefully as he could, he lowered her to the ground and suddenly she found the blue sky in her field of vision instead of Arlo's worried eyes.

"Damn! What happened? Talk to me, Elenya. Come on." Frantically, he set about opening her jacket. Each movement of the fabric sent new waves of searing pain through her side, and with a whimper she tried to push his hands away.

"I know, I know. I'm so sorry, sweetie, but I need to know where you're hurt. It'll be over in a moment." Arlo’s words sounded pained and she wanted to tell him it wasn't his fault, that it was okay, but her tongue still wouldn't obey her.

The black dots in front of her eyes became bigger and the world started spinning, intensifying her nausea and so she closed her eyes with a low moan. But when Arlo suddenly let out a loud curse, they shot open again.

"Bloody hell!" Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him begin to rummage wildly in his waist bag.

Surprised, she tried to catch a glimpse of her now free abdomen, but she had no strength left to lift her head.

Was it really that bad? Why hadn't she noticed it until just now?

She didn’t get any further with the train of thought.

Two hands suddenly pressed firmly on her injury and for a moment her world consisted only of pain. A weak cry escaped her and Arlo's eyes appeared in her field of vision, both hands not leaving her side.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. But I really need to stop the bleeding. You've already lost way too much blood. Please hang in there, okay? It's going to be okay." Comfortingly, he briefly pressed his forehead against hers and then turned to look at the departing group, not letting up the pressure on her wound.

"SAM! Bring Dr. Xu back here! Now! Elenya's hurt!"

Startled, Elenya flinched at the suddenly loud words, sending a new wave of pain through her body. Tears gathered in her eyes and desperately she placed her left hand on Arlos, who she realised was pressing a bunch of compresses tightly against her side.

"Shh, sweetheart, it's okay. Help is on the way. It's going to be okay." Warm lips pressed against her forehead, but she was barely aware of the touch.

The fog in her brain grew thicker, the nausea increased, and more and more loud voices gathered around her until all that was left was a loud roaring in her ears.

Her tears overflowed, cold sweat spread all over her body and she felt her heart pounding in her chest. 

What was happening to her?

She was terrified. She didn't know what was happening anymore. All around her, voices were talking in panic, hands were tugging at her jacket, her whole abdomen was on fire and the only familiar thing she felt was the big hands under hers.

But when they also disappeared and were replaced by others, she lost herself in her panic. She tried to fight back against the hands, tried to get away from all the voices, but only more pain shot through her body, making her cry out weakly.

Where was Arlo?

The voices grew louder, frightening her even more, but then they were back. The warm hands. They softly cupped her face, gently brushing away her tears, and an even warmer voice broke through the roaring in her ears.

"I'm here, sweetheart. I'm here. Nothing is going to happen to you. You're safe. I promise. But you need to stop moving, please. Dr. Xu is trying to help you. Everything is going to be okay." 

Relieved, she opened her eyes with difficulty and directly met Arlo's beloved blue eyes. His face was upside down, as he was kneeling behind her head, but that didn’t diminish the effect he had on her. Immediately, all the tension disappeared from her body, along with the voices around her, and all that remained was Arlo.

“That’s it. You are doing great, sweetheart. Just keep those pretty eyes on me.” His voice was pitched to a soothing tone, his worry and panic well hidden behind a mask and it managed to calm her racing heart. Sweet words and pet names left his lips ceaselessly, enveloping her in a blanket of comfort, while his thumbs caressed her cheeks, effectively brushing the tears away that didn’t stop flowing from her eyes.

Her eyes drooped.

She barely noticed what happened to her body anymore. The pain had faded to the background, leaving a weird pressure behind, the roaring back in her ears droned out Arlos voice and his face vanished behind black dots.

Her eyes closed.

“No, no, no! Keep your eyes open, sweetheart. Come on, look at me!” Frantic, Arlo softly patted her cheek, tried to get her attention, but she couldn’t hold on any longer.

Her world got dark and the last clear thought that ran through her mind was:

Well, there goes their secret relationship.

~~~~~~

Elenya awoke a short time later to a world of pain. Her body was being jolted, sending wave after wave of pain through her body and she wondered what was going on.

Where was she? What happened? Was that... a humming engine?

She could feel strong arms wrapped around her upper body, a warm chest pressed against her right side and her head seemed to rest against a shoulder. The familiarity of the body holding her managed to quell the panic that wanted to rise in her. But what it couldn’t quell was the pain.

It was licking at her whole left side like flames, burning her up like nothing she had ever felt before. She only realised her constant whimpering when the hand who had been holding her waist came up to rest gently against her cheek, the thumb rubbing soothing circles against her skin and a soft voice spoke right beside her left ear.

“Shh, you are okay, sweetheart. We’re almost there. Just hold on a little longer. You are doing so great.” Warm lips pressed against her forehead and she tried to concentrate on that point of contact instead of the pain, but then the DeeDee she supposed she sat in, jolted even more and with a cry of pain, new tears flowed from her eyes.

“Hurts…” Her voice was weak, barely more than a whisper, but Arlo heard her.

The arm around her shoulder tightened even more and the hand cupping her cheek softly wiped her tears away.

“I know, sweetheart, I know. But we are almost at the clinic, I promise. Soon you will feel a lot better.” Pain and worry sat deep in his voice and she felt bad. Even though she couldn’t recall what happened, she hated when people had to worry about her. But the pain was all encompassing, taking over her mind and she couldn’t do anything to reassure him.

The world started to fade again. She could hear how Arlo tried to keep her from passing out again, but she lost the fight against the darkness.

~~~~~~

Elenya woke to a deep voice, who seemed to be telling a story.

“Did you know that Remi grew up here in Portia, before he moved out to Lucien? We were best friends back then, too and because he was 2 years older than me, my parents gave him the task to keep an eye out for me. Not that it did much good, as I'm sure you can imagine..”

The tale went on, but the words blended together in her mind, leaving her with a sense of security. She didn't know where she was or what had happened, but she knew that as long as the owner of that wonderful voice was with her, she was safe.

“... and well, that really didn’t go well for me. You should have seen the face of my mother. I don't think she has ever been as angry in her life as she was at that moment.” A warm laugh ran through the room, washing over her like a soft summer breeze and instinctively her head turned to the source of it.

To her dismay, the laugh immediately stopped as she did that, but then a big hand softly cupped her left cheek and with a happy sigh, she nestled into the warm palm.

“Hey there, sweetheart. Can you hear me?” The warm voice was back, whispering softly somewhere above her head, and with a confirming humm, she snuggled even more into the hand.

“That’s great. Do you think you can open your eyes for me?” The thumb resting on her cheek started to stroke the patch of soft skin underneath her eye, as if he wanted to encourage her, but she scrunched up her face in protest.

She didn’t want to open her eyes. It was nice and dark behind her eyelids, she felt like she was floating on a cloud and she wasn’t really sure she could open them even if she wanted to. Her eyelids were as heavy as lead, and even just snuggling into the warm hand took a lot more effort than it should have.

The warm laugh was back, filling her with happiness.

“That’s okay, sweetheart. I’m just glad you’re okay. You really had me worried.” Warm lips pressed against her forehead, lingering there for a moment and she almost fell back asleep when the words registered in her brain.

Worried? Why was he worried? Where was she anyway? What had happened? Should she be worried too?

These questions sparked a panic in her that she couldn't explain, but the warm voice was quick to reassure her.

"Shh, sweetheart, you're okay. Just get some rest. I'm here." Another long kiss was pressed to her forehead and the hand on her cheek went up and began to gently stroke through her hair. Soothed by the words and the caresses, she fell back into an exhausted sleep.

But the dreams that greeted her there were anything but restful.

She found herself in the middle of an underground labyrinth, full of crossroads and endless tunnels. Wherever she looked, there was only sand and stone, illuminated by a single torch ominously fixed to the wall directly in front of her.

Where was she? What was this place? And how did she get out of here?

Frightened, she looked around.

A sudden gust of cold wind woke her from her panic-stricken stupor, and startled, she reached for the torch that was threatening to be extinguished by the gust of wind.

No! This was her only source of light!

She quickly shielded the flame from the strong gust of wind with her body, her heart racing in her chest.

Oh God, please don't go out....

Fortunately, the gust of wind disappeared as quickly as it came, and relieved, she dropped her tense shoulders. At least she still had light.

But her relief didn't last long.

"Why are you just standing here like a fool? Aren't you going to save him?"

Terrified, she flinched. Where did that voice come from? What did it want from her? And who was she supposed to save?

Frantically, she looked around in all directions, but couldn't make out the voice's origin. 

"Come on, what are you waiting for? He doesn't have much time left." A sinister laugh echoed through the empty tunnels. "Or do you want the light in his pretty blue eyes to die out forever?" 

Blue eyes? Oh God, did it mean...? No, please no...

Full of panic, she started to run. She ran as fast as she had ever run before. Ran through the endless corridors until she hit a dead end and was forced to turn around.

God, how was she going to find him in all those tunnels? He could be anywhere.

She ran even faster.

"Yes, that's it. Run! Run for his life!" The eerie voice chased her. Laughed at her maliciously when she ran into another dead end, and the panic in Elenya grew.

A stabbing pain had started to spread in her left side, and completely out of breath she stopped in front of the next dead end. Desperate tears flowed incessantly from her eyes and in hopelessness she sank to her knees.

How was she supposed to find him? She didn't even know which corridors she had already walked down and which not. She was completely lost.

"Oh, are you giving up already? What a pity. He would have still had a chance. But whatever. Then I guess he'll have taken his last breath soon." A false, pitying sigh echoed over her head and with renewed energy she straightened up again.

No, she couldn't give up! She had to save him!

Ignoring the pain in her side, she ran again. And then finally, after two more dead ends, she saw a strange light in the next tunnel. That had to be him.

Pulling together the last of her strength, she ran even faster until she could see the scene before her, bringing her to a horrified halt.

Oh no...

Another dead end opened up before her, but this time it was different. A cave-in blocked the way and under the rocks he lay. Arlo.

His familiar shock of red hair lay on the ground in front of her and on shaky legs she approached him, her heart threatening to jump out of her chest.

Please don't be dead. Please don't.

She dropped to her knees in front of his head, the torch falling to the ground beside her.

"No... Arlo..." Paralyzed, she stared at him. His eyes were closed, blood was running down his face from a wound on his forehead and from the corner of his mouth, a grotesque contrast to his pale face, and further down she didn't dare look. For everything beyond his shoulders was covered by huge rocks.

"No..." With trembling hands she tried to feel a pulse, pressing her fingers tightly against his neck, but... there was nothing. Desperately she tried the other side, but there too.... nothing. 

"No, no, no. Please, Arlo. Please, you can't..." Deep sobs shook her body as she desperately tried to find a sign of life when the eerie voice suddenly sounded again.

"You're too late. You let him die." Another cruel laugh followed the mocking words and pure anguish coursed through Elenya.

No, it couldn't be! She had to save him!

Desperately she tried to lift the rocks from his body, ignoring the growing pain in her left side, but it was useless. She was too weak.

Sobbing, she collapsed back next to his head. Tears streamed down her cheeks and completely shattered, she pressed her forehead against Arlo’s.

"I'm so sorry, Arlo. Please come back to me. Please. You can't leave me alone, please..." With each sob his name left her lips, praying that he would just please wake up. But his eyes didn’t open.

Suddenly, a gentle, warm wind brushed her cheeks, softly drying her tears, and a beloved voice echoed through the tunnels this time.

"Shh, I'm here, sweetheart. Everything is fine. I'm here. We are safe. I've got you." The warm wind enveloped her more and more, bringing with it a wonderful scent, and suddenly she was no longer in that awful tunnel, but standing in a green field, beautiful flowers all around her and the sun shining warmly in the sky.

"I’m here, darling. Get some rest. I'll take care of you."

Her head snapped to her right in wonder.

Arlo was here! And his eyes were open. Warm and full of life, he looked at her, a loving smile on his lips, and tears of relief escaped her eyes. Big, calloused hands cupped her face tenderly, brushing away her tears and she let herself fall into his strong arms.

The pain in her left side was still there, but if Arlo told her it was okay to rest, she was going to do it.

Her world plunged into warm darkness.

~~~~~~

Elenya woke again to a deep, warm voice, but this time it seemed to be reading from a book. The voice was calm and steady, rumbling deep in the owner's chest, and it filled her with a deep calmness. Together with the wonderful scent that rested right in front of her nose, she felt warm and safe.

For a while she hovered in the state between sleeping and waking, letting the warm voice envelop her until more and more of her senses woke up. She could feel a large, rough hand gently holding hers, the thumb of that hand softly caressing her fingers. Could feel her face buried in something soft, something soft from which emanated that wonderful smell. 

Instinctively she buried her nose even more in the soft fabric, inhaling deeply the familiar smell and letting out a happy sigh.

Mmm... Arlo...

The latter didn't seem to have noticed that she had woken up, so she tried to gently squeeze his hand. Unfortunately, her body was so exhausted that she hardly had any strength, so her fingers only twitched slightly.

But it seemed to have been enough, because immediately the voice died away, the hand pulled out of hers, and she could hear a chair being pushed back. A short time later, a large, warm hand came to her cheek and happily she snuggled into the palm.

"Elenya? Sweetie, are you awake?" There was hope and concern in his voice and she wondered what had happened.

Why was he so worried?

To get to the bottom of this question, she opened her eyes. It took her a few tries before her eyes would even stay open, her eyelids much heavier than usual, but when she could finally see clearly, she was rewarded for her efforts. Arlo's face greeted her, his blue eyes full of warmth and love.

“There you are.” A fond smile graced his lips and sleepily, she smiled back.

The hand that had been cradling her cheek moved up and started to pet her head, which elicited another happy sigh from her. For a while, they just stared at each other until the soft look on Arlo’s face turned to concern.

“How are you feeling, sweetheart? Are you in pain?” The hand in her hair drew back and she whined in protest.

Why would he stop? That had been the best feeling in the world!

Longingly, her eyes followed the retreating hand. Maybe if she stared long enough at it, he would put it back?

“Sweetheart?” At Arlo’s concerned voice, her gaze snapped back to him and she remembered that he had asked her a question.

Right. He had asked her if she was in pain. But why would she be in pain? She couldn’t remember getting hurt…

Strained, she went through her memories, hoping to find out what had happened. But the only thing she could remember was a lot of sand. Sand and Remington, oddly enough.

Looking for answers, she glanced up at Arlo, who was still looking at her with deep concern.

“What…?” Speaking was a mistake. That single word sent her into a coughing fit, sending a sudden pain through her left side and Arlo instantly had a glass of water in his hands, holding it carefully against her lips. With his other hand, he slightly lifted her head so that she could drink better. Gratefully, she drank the cool water, relishing in the way it wetted her dry throat.

“Slowly, sweetheart. Don't choke on it.”

When the glass was empty, Arlo carefully set her head back into the pillows, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead as he did so and set the glass back to where it came from.

Elenya didn't notice much of that, though. The pain in her left side distracted her far too much. The pain was not too strong, rather dull, and she suspected that a lot of painkillers were responsible for that, but she still wanted to know what exactly she was dealing with.

Carefully, she raised her trembling right hand, but before she could make contact with her side, she was stopped by a large, warm hand.

“Don’t.” Apologetically, Arlo gently lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a loving kiss to it, mindful of the IV needle she now realised was inserted into the back of her hand.

“Dr. Xu had to fix you up with a lot of stitches. He won’t be pleased if you ruin his hard work.” A short pause. “Again.”

Stitches? And what did he mean by "again"? What had happened, and why couldn't she remember anything?

Desperately, she looked at Arlo.

"Arlo...what happened?" Slight panic mixed into her voice and Arlo quickly put his hand back to her cheek to soothe her.

"Hey, don't worry about it. Everything's fine. What's the last thing you remember?"

Good question. A few separate images flashed through her hazy brain, but they just didn't make sense. There was sand, a strange robot, she thought, and a mop of green hair.

"I... I don't know. There is sand... and Remi? But... I don't know..." A single, frustrated tear escaped her eye, but Arlo quickly wiped it away.

"Shh, it's okay. Dr. Xu already said you might not remember. You lost a lot of blood, so that was to be expected. I'll tell you what happened." Careful not to disturb her, he sat on the edge of the bed and raised her right hand, which he still held tightly, to his lips once more, pressing a gentle kiss on each finger. Immediately warmth spread through her body and her troubled thoughts calmed down.

"So, Mint, Sam and I were in the new Eufala tunnel when it suddenly collapsed. The debris blocked our way out, so you and Remi tried to reach us through Ingall's Mine. I'm afraid I can't tell you what happened along the way, but you found us just in time. An old robot, consisting of 3 long legs and a giant drill, had been awakened by the construction work and was anything but friendly to us. The four of us, mostly you to be precise, managed to defeat it and Mint found us a way out of the mine. We had just told Mayor Gale what had happened, he was waiting for us outside, and everyone had left for the town, when I suddenly noticed how pale you were. I didn't know what was wrong, so I reached out for you and then..." A haunted look settled on his face and he swallowed hard.

"God... You just collapsed in my arms. I thought... Fuck, you scared the shit out of me. There was so much blood everywhere, which you couldn't see on your dark jacket, and when I finally uncovered your stomach, there was this huge gaping wound on your left side. I don't know how you were even able to walk with that." The painful look on his face made Elenya feel bad.

Even with his narration, she still couldn't remember, but it must have been terrible. She didn't mean to cause him such pain. But before she could say anything, Arlo continued.

"Fortunately, Gale had brought Dr. Xu with him, so he was able to help you quickly. I don't know what would have happened if he hadn't been there. You had already lost so much blood and I could barely stop the bleeding myself..." His voice broke on the last words and apologetically she squeezed his hand gently. She didn't want him to think about it too much.

"We don't know exactly how you were injured, but we assume that a claw from the robot got you. Your skin was shredded more than it was cut and it took Dr. Xu a long time to patch you up. There will be a scar, but it should be straight and even."

The gentle, loving look was back on his face and the hand that had left her cheek during the recounting came back and with his thumb he stroked her cheek tenderly.

"Nothing that would make you any less beautiful to me." The words and the affectionate smile brought a blush to her face and, embarrassed, she hid her face in his hand.

Damn it, he couldn't just throw something like that in the room! 

Apart from the fact that she hadn't been worried about that at all. What concerned her much more was the fact that it had taken so long for anyone to even notice that she was hurt. Why hadn't she said anything?

She asked Arlo the very same question.

"I don't think you had even noticed it yourself. God, I was so angry with you at first. Why hadn't you told me you were hurt? You were almost bleeding to death! But then I remembered your face. You looked so confused when you saw the blood. I think your body was so pumped with adrenaline that you didn't feel anything. Only when the excitement was over did your body allow anything else to register. But please don't worry too much about that, okay? I'm just glad you're feeling better and you're going to get back on your feet."

Warm lips pressed against hers and Elenya happily returned the kiss. It was gentle and at the same time a little desperate, but no less wonderful for that. Enveloped in Arlo’s wonderful scent and warmth, her body relaxed and an incredible exhaustion spread through her. Her lips no longer wanted to obey her and a frustrated grumble escaped.

She couldn't be exhausted again! She had only just woken up. Who knows how long she had already been asleep.

With a soft chuckle, Arlo broke away from her. "It's okay, darling. Get some rest. Your body's been through a lot." Gently he began stroking her hair again and with a sigh she gave in.

Exhausted, her eyes closed and she buried her face back into the soft fabric still lying next to her head. Before she fell asleep, though, the thought of what that fabric actually was returned to her mind.

Curious, her eyes opened again and met a grey bundle, which she guessed from the smell was a sweater from Arlo. Puzzled, she looked up at the owner, who was watching her intently.

"Arlo?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Why is there a sweater of yours lying there?"

To her further amazement, a slight blush came over his face and eagerly she waited for the answer.

"Oh... you were suddenly having terrible nightmares. You had started writhing, opening your stitches again, and Dr. Xu and Phyllis just couldn't calm you down. You were calling out for me in your sleep, so Dr. Xu dragged me out of the shower I had been in, and luckily I was finally able to calm you down. I don't know what you were dreaming about, but it must have been terrible. It broke my heart to see you so frightened. I tried to stay by your side all the time after that, but Sam and Remi made me eat and sleep, so I thought maybe a sweater with my scent on it would keep the nightmares away." The blush on his face deepened and her heart swelled with love.

She couldn't remember the nightmares either, thankfully, but she did remember the feeling of safety and security emanating from Arlo's comforting scent.

Lovingly, she smiled up at him. "Thank you, Arlo. That really helped me a lot. When you're around, I always feel safe and protected."

She could literally see his chest swell with pride at her words and couldn't help a soft giggle. After all, she knew his strong protective instinct and loved him for it.

But she also saw what he was trying to hide from her. The guilt. The guilt that he had not protected her. Of course that was nonsense and she would try to talk him out of it when she was no longer so exhausted, but she hoped that showing him how safe she still felt with him would be enough for now.

But now she was finally losing the battle against exhaustion and so she buried her face back into the wonderful smelling sweater and closed her eyes.

"I'm glad you feel that way. I will always protect you, I promise. Now go to sleep, darling. I'll be here when you wake up." A warm, lingering kiss against her temple was the last thing she felt before she fell into a restful sleep.

[taylorshope]

So, Ship Bingo time! :D

Jessica/Matt?

Conrad/Brad?

Daniel/Taylor?

Eric/Rachel/Nick?

Jamie/Kate?

Emma/Abigail?

Feel free to pick the ones you want to do :)

Also, I would be interested to know what your favorite "rare pairing" is!

Ooooh ok let's go!

Jessica and Matt: I don't personally ship them but I see why people do. They're cute

Conrad and Brad: Don't really ship it but it's cute. It's just that that... one dialogue will haunt me forever lmao

Daniel and Taylor: I love them so much if I ignore the whole... thing, ya know

Rachel Eric and Nick: Could be nice but the whole love triangle thing is kinda annoying plus Eric and Nick hate each other so idk

Jamie and Kate: I prefer them as enemies to friends but also that would be adorable

Emma and Abi: Cute! A little overrated but I like them

Idk if I really have any rare pairings but sometimes I see some that would be cute

[softprettything]

late bloomer, ch ii

AO3 | Previous | Next

Fandom: OHSHC

Pairing: Kyoya/Reader

Tags: 18+, A/B/O Dynamics, College AU, Fake Dating, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Slice of Life, Eventual Smut

Summary: Nobody ever said falling in love with your best friend would be easy.

late bloomer, ch ii

One would think that, at twenty-two, you would maybe have the whole independent adult thing figured out by now. 

“Have you seen my copy of Pride and Prejudice?” You pick up a shirt off the floor and chuck it into the hamper. It misses. You ignore it, too busy scanning the rest of your room. It looks like a hurricane passed through. Half because you’ve spent the past five minutes tearing it apart in search of the missing book, and half because…well, evidently, you haven’t figured out the independent adult thing, in whole or in part, very well at all.

Your roommate’s in the kitchen when you walk out, pouring over a textbook, as per the usual. “Morning,” you greet her. 

“Morning.” With her eyes fixed firmly on the page, she pushes a mug of green tea in your direction. You accept it mindlessly. “I thought you took it to bed with you.”

“So did I. Last minute annotations. But it was gone when I woke up.”

“Did you leave it on the nightstand?”

“Nope.”

“Under the pillow?”

“I shook out the whole bed. Nothing.”

“Backpack?”

You dash back to your bedroom, balancing the mug haphazardly on the pile of books next to your lamp. Backpack, backpack, where is your backpack….aha! You hit the floor, peering under your bed. Bingo. And sure enough, zipped in the front pocket, is a well-worn copy of P&P.

“You’re a genius,” you call out to Haruhi, and finally take a sip of the tea as you return to the kitchen. Green, as always—you’re not a coffee person, but you need the caffeine. Ideal temperature. Steeped to perfection. “My hero. When’s your first class today?”

“Don’t have any.” 

“Lucky.” The mug of coffee by her left hand is almost empty already. “Did you sleep last night?” For as long as you’ve known her, Haruhi has had an almost freakish ability to complete inhuman amounts of work without succumbing to illness or fatigue. 

“I slept enough.”

“Haruhi.” You plop down in the chair across from her, and point to the fridge. “What did we say about sleep this semester? On the goal chart?”

The goal chart in question is a sheet of looseleaf magnet-ed to the freezer, where you’ll both be forced to see it in the morning, with a Venn Diagram drawn in faded orange Sharpie. It’s got things like 7 hours every night on Haruhi’s side, keep room clean on yours, and a big, bold LESS CAFFEINE scrawled in the section where the circles overlap. Clearly, you’re both off to a great start.

“We also said you were going to stop signing up for classes on Humanities Hill.” She angles her phone towards you. 8:48. 

“Shit.” You scoop up your backpack, plant a kiss on her head, and head for the door. “Love you. See you later.”

“Have a good class.” 

When you glance back, you see she’s finally looked up at you, away from the book, with a rare Haruhi smile. Subtle. Perfect. You’re blushing as you walk down the stairs.

Then you take another look at your phone, and take off sprinting down the sidewalk.

********************************

According to Google Maps, Humanities Hill—the cluster of buildings on the far side of campus where most of the English and Philosophy department hold court—is about a fifteen minute walk from your cramped one-point-five-bedroom apartment (you’re pretty sure your room was originally intended as a walk-in closet)—and that’s without a thin layer of snow on the ground, and the wind blowing full-force into your face. You somehow make it in nine. The seminar table is almost full, with only a few seats left. You slide into one by the windows, between a pretty blonde girl and a scruffy redhead with glasses and a manbun.

“I’m assuming you’re (Y/N)?” he asks, ticking off a box on the tablet in front of him when you nod. “Great. We’re just waiting on one more person, but I think…” He checks the watch on his wrist. “Yep. Let’s get started, and they can catch up when they get here. Awesome. So!” He claps his hands, and the general chatter in the room dies down. “Hey everyone! Welcome to The Radical Dynamics of Jane Austen. Abe here, I’ll be leading the class. I’m a third year post-doc fellow at Ouran, doing crossover work in the English and Gender Studies departments. I mostly work with Professor Sara Suzuki, if you’ve ever taken any of her classes.” A murmur of recognition ripples around the table. “Awesome. This is my second time teaching the course, so I’m looking forward to being able to share with you guys whatever insight I can, and also to hear what you have to say, and hopefully get some fresh perspectives. This field is always super relevant, and changing, and it starts here, with conversations like these.”

As everyone goes around the table introducing themselves—and as the caffeine kicks in—you feel the excitement well up in you. You’ve wanted to take this class since you were a freshman in the undergraduate school, and took a lecture about A/B/O in world literature with Professor Suzuki. Back then, you’d been attending Ouran on a pre-med scholarship. Suzuki was a trailblazer in her field; back then she had already won several awards for her research, and in the present-day you’d heard rumors floating that, at thirty-six, she was already being considered for tenure.

You remember what it felt like to see her speak. The realization that, not only was this something that people could study—this was something people studied and took seriously. You’d finished out your pre-med degree, but—with no small amount of encouragement from Haruhi—had decided to take a risk and apply to Ouran’s graduate program in humanities anyway. 

And, by some miracle, you’d gotten in. 

Which meant applying for boatloads of other scholarships, sure—and upping your shifts at the cafe down the block—but it also meant you got to be here. In rooms like these. Even a full semester in, you can’t help but feel the happy glow of having accomplished the impossible.

The blonde—Elle—finishes introducing herself, and nods at you. You beam. “Hi everyone! My name is (Y/N), and I’m a first year grad student here, as well. I went to Ouran for my undergrad degree, and I’m just—”

You’re interrupted by a loud bang from the direction of the door. All eyes turn. 

“Ah. Mr…” Abe glances down at his attendance roster. “Ootori. Nice of you to join us.”

[iam93percentstardust]

A very happy birthday month to you! I’m a fan of your Stony fics. If you’re still taking prompts, could you do one with a Las Vegas backdrop? Maybe Steve’s first time there with Tony for some reason? I was supposed to have my first trip there ever but Covid cancelled it. Maybe at least they can have a happy ending there. 🙂

Thank you! I’m glad you’re enjoying the Stony fics!

So sorry your Las Vegas trip was cancelled, that’s really awful. I sort of went to Vegas once (it was a layover in the airport). The only thing I remember about the whole thing was the 5 bajillion slot machines in the airport terminals

Since I know so little about Vegas, I ended up going with the getting married in Vegas trope instead of something about the casinos. I also hope you don’t mind that I used this for my bingo square, but I saw the happy ending part in your ask and got inspired for my happily ever after square (details below the cut)

Here’s to Las Vegas

The day after Steve gets married, he wakes up in a Las Vegas hotel with a ring on his finger and Tony Stark snuggled up beside him.

Most days, Steve wakes up the second his alarm goes off, alert and ready for his run. This day, however, he drifts into wakefulness slowly, comfortably lying on his back. He’s warm and there’s a heavy weight on his stomach and chest, pressing him down into sheets that feel so much nicer on his bare skin than the ones he has at home. That’s the second thing he notices: he’s not wearing any clothes, not even the boxer-briefs he normally wears in lieu of pajamas. And the third thing he notices is that there’s something soft tickling his chin.

He slowly blinks his eyes open. He’s somewhere with high vaulted ceilings and an expensive-looking chandelier, which means it’s not Tony’s place (he thinks chandeliers are tacky) and it’s definitely not Steve’s (he can’t afford a chandelier). Whatever it is on his chest shifts and Steve looks down. Tony is draped across him, the top of his head tucked under Steve’s chin, their arms and legs tangled together. He’s breathing deep and even, still asleep even though sunlight is pouring through the window.

Steve smiles at the sight and raises his head enough to kiss Tony’s curls. He doesn’t often get to wake up with Tony. Steve lives in Brooklyn and Tony lives in Manhattan and they’re both so busy—Tony with SI’s R&D and Steve with his teaching—that they decided early on in their relationship that spending every single night together was a bad idea because one of them would always end up late to work. So this makes for a nice change.

Tony stirs, inhaling deeply. Steve brings his hand up to stroke over Tony’s hair, the way he likes it when they both have a rare day when neither of them have to be anywhere so they can spend the night. That’s when he sees it.

The ring.

The one that’s sitting on the ring finger of his left hand, exactly where it should be—except he’s not supposed to be wearing it for another week.

In the sleepy haze of waking up, he’d forgotten what they’d done last night but the memories are filtering in. Flashes of Tony excitedly talking him into finding a chapel and wrangling a couple witnesses from off the street and filing the marriage license a whole week early because both of them were more than tired of the wedding planning, the swell of emotions he’d felt at hearing Tony declared his husband and sweeping Tony off his feet and back to their hotel, kissing the whole way and probably scandalizing their Uber driver.

He groans and tips his head back against the pillows. Tony makes a low sound and yawns widely before slowly opening his eyes. He looks a little like an adorable kitten and Steve can’t resist kissing the top of his head again.

“Wuzzgoinon?” Tony mumbles sleepily.

“What’s going on,” Steve says, “is that your mother is going to kill us. No, she’s going to kill me, because you’re her darling angel who can do no wrong and she’s never once thought I’m good enough for you.”

“No, you’re better,” Tony says around another yawn. “Why is my mama going to kill you?”

Steve picks up Tony’s left hand and waves it in front of his face. Tony goes cross-eyed trying to make out what’s different about his hand. “Oh,” he says eventually and lays his head back down on Steve’s chest.

“Oh?” Steve asks. “That’s it? That’s all you have to say?”

“If Mama didn’t want us to elope, she shouldn’t have sent us to Vegas by ourselves to pick up the rings,” Tony says, as though he’s pointing out something reasonable, even though this is the most absurd thing that’s ever happened in Steve’s entire life—and his best friends are Bucky and Sam. Those two are the very definition of absurd. “Everyone knows what happens in Vegas.”

“This is your fault,” Steve informs him. “If you hadn’t insisted on this particular jeweler—”

“Hmm maybe I was planning this,” Tony hums, closing his eyes again.

And that’s… that’s actually entirely possible. Ever since they got engaged, Tony has been complaining about the big white wedding Mrs. Stark wants them to have and threatening to steal Steve away to the courthouse to elope. Steve had thought he’d calmed down about the whole affair after Mrs. Stark’s tearful outburst about her just wanting her baby to have the perfect wedding (Tony is nothing if not his mama’s boy), but maybe he’d been planning on this instead. He had thought it odd when Tony had insisted on a small-name jeweler in Las Vegas who wouldn’t ship to New York, thereby forcing them to travel to pick up the rings, but if Tony had been planning this all along…

“Did you?” he asks before he can stop himself.

Tony stares up at him for a long moment, blinking. Then he dryly says, “Yes, Steve. I, who has never made a decision that wasn’t impulsive even once in my entire life, somehow managed to both plan out a trip to Vegas to get married and keep it a secret from the love of my life who knows everything I’m thinking before even I know it.”

“Well, when you put it like that,” Steve says, grinning at him. What they’ve just done hits him and he laughs giddily. He sits up, pulling Tony up with him to give him a closed-mouthed good morning kiss. “We’re married.”

Tony smiles happily and kisses him again. “Yeah, we are. Good morning, Mr. Stark-Rogers.”

He likes the sound of that. He really likes the sound of that. Another kiss. “What are we going to tell everyone?” he asks.

“Hmm. How about we got so caught up in the thrill of picking up the rings that we abandoned all reason and got married here? It’s not like the big white wedding my mama wants even really matters in the grand scheme of things. It’s the marriage license that counts.”

“She’s still going to want it.”

“Undoubtedly. And we’ll give it to her. But this is nice, isn’t it?” Tony peers up at him anxiously. “No fuss, no caterers with ten different meal plans for all the restrictions, no Great-Auntie Mildred who shouts for the minister to speak louder. No stress at all.”

Steve leans back against the headboard, thinking about it. Tony’s right. They dealt with a lot less stress by getting married this way. But it isn’t just Great-Auntie Mildred that they left behind, it’s their friends too. It’s hard to know how he feels about that.

But then he starts thinking about the wedding picture the photographer had handed them before they left the chapel last night. Steve had tucked it into his wallet for safekeeping, and he reaches over to the bedside table to grab it, pulling the photo out so he can look at it. It’s a picture of their kiss. They’re holding onto each other so tight he’s not sure a piece of paper would fit between them, smiling so broadly that it’s barely a kiss at all. And he thinks about the engagement pictures Mrs. Stark had sent out in the announcement and wedding invitations: poised and perfect and not a smile to be seen anywhere.

“Yeah,” he says eventually, pulling Tony against his chest. Tony snuggles in, warm and beautiful and all Steve’s. “This was pretty damn perfect.”

Tony sighs contentedly and presses a kiss right over Steve’s heart. “Good.”

“But your mother’s still going to kill me.”

“We just won’t tell her,” Tony replies dismissively. “We’ll get married again and we won’t have to worry about the wedding because we’ll know we’re already married.”

“She’s going to notice the rings.”

“Not if we spend the whole week here.”

Steve stills. He hadn’t thought of that. It would solve a lot of problems, not least that Mrs. Stark would finally have free reign to do whatever she wanted with the wedding without any input from either of them. She was doing anyway, but at least now, they don’t have to hear about how their small family affair has turned into the society event of the year.

Tony continues in a wheedling voice, “Call out all our friends, treat it like an extended bachelor party—or our first honeymoon, take your pick.”

Steve stops him right there with another kiss, lingering this time. “And what are we going to do on our first honeymoon?”

“Blow all our money on slot machines. Count cards at the poker table. Go see some really truly ridiculous shows,” Tony says with a shrug. “What everyone does when they’re in Vegas.”

“Hmm somehow I don’t think counting cards is what everyone does.”

“I suppose everyone didn’t grow up with Ana Jarvis,” Tony muses. Steve laughs because it’s true. Howard might think that Tony is a troublemaker all on his own, but everyone knows that Tony learned it from the best.

He’s distracted out of his thoughts by Tony picking up his hand and gently kissing his wedding ring. “It’s the first day of the rest of our lives, darling,” Tony murmurs. “We can do whatever we want.”

Details for @tonystarkbingo

Title of Fill: Here's to Las Vegas Collaborator: iam93percentstardust Card Number: 4012 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29676711 Square Filled: A3 - Free Square Ship/Main Pairing: Stevetony Rating: T Major Tags/Warnings/Triggers: Established Relationship, Fluff, Marriage Summary: The day after Steve gets married, he wakes up in a Las Vegas hotel with a ring on his finger and Tony Stark snuggled up beside him. Word Count: 1558

[miiracleboys]

Some really rare pairs, Oikiyo and Oisuga?

ship bingo!

(oisuga below the cut)

oikiyo

checked off:

i like it platonically: oh it would be so interesting to see them be friends. oikawa has a tendency for sweet words and charm and kiyoko’s very direct and sees through stuff like that immediately. oikawa would not be immune to getting knocked down a peg around her. on the other hand, kiyoko’s friends include suga and daichi, so she’s definitely not above enabling a little bit of mischief here and there. they’re also both very observant and in-tune with the people around them—the two of them strategizing together? damn.

aesthetically it’s GREAT: they’re both very pretty. there would be no survivors.

not my thing

i’m conflicted about it: i don’t see the appeal as a ship. that said, it would be so fucking funny, especially given oikawa’s current concern when he swears he’s not bothered by how he said, like, three words to kiyoko and she shut him down immediately.

final verdict: mean bi/distinguished bi solidarity

oisuga

checked off:

i like it platonically: i really like the idea of them being friends! i’ve seen a few fics that have that idea to them, and it works. suga’s gentler and more steady but he would have absolutely no problem keeping up with oikawa in a conversation or an argument. he can match him in wits and he has shades of being a little shit that i think oikawa would be delighted by. there’s a lot more to suga than might meet the eye, and oikawa picks up on that. further, they’re foils to each other in terms of playing style and personality and i love their parallels to one another. i’d love for them to hang out. i think they’d have fun.

aesthetically it’s GREAT: it’s cute! i’ve seen some fanart float by. like oikiyo, they’re also both gorgeous. plus their lighter color schemes are pretty cool, especially with suga’s silver paired with oikawa’s blue.

i like it in theory: i see it as a bit of a lighter ship (like atsuhina; i love connections that are years-deep and devotion and all that but sometimes you also just want some guys hanging out) but it could easily get deeper and more serious because of how they reflect one another. i like the idea of it the more i think about it and i think it has a lot of potential, but in practice i haven’t really been able to find any fics that seized my attention. it has to hit the right spot.

would/do read fic about it

i’m open to it: send recs 👀

final verdict: shit talker 4 shit talker

[imagineteamfreewill]

A Good Kind of Not Okay

Title: A Good Kind of Not Okay

Pairing: Nanny!Reader x Director!Sam

Word Count: 4,414

Warnings: A little bit of pining

Square Filled: Director!Sam

Summary: Sam is a single dad who also happens to be one of the world’s most famous movie directors. When he struggles to care for his daughter like he wants, he hires the reader to help care for his pride and joy.

A/N: This is a submission for the 2020-2021 SPN AU Bingo (@spnaubingo​). Please let me know what you think. Enjoy!

X

_______________

Sam was running late. Again. Filming was behind schedule for the third time that week, and as the director, he had to stay until everything was finished. Of course, he was part of the reason why the filming was behind schedule. He couldn’t help it. Sam was a perfectionist, and he always had been. That’s what got him hired.

“I’m so sorry I’m late,” Sam said. He glanced down the street and then turned. “I’m on my way, I should be there in ten minutes.”

“Mr. Winchester, we’ve talked about this.”

“I know, I’m sorry. I’ll be there soon.” He ended the call before the center director could chew him out any further. He felt bad enough as it was, he didn’t need more reminders and warnings about being late. He really did try to keep a normal schedule, and he always made arrangements if the filming was scheduled to go late into the night or early in the morning, but there were some things that were out of his control.

The roads were blessedly empty and Sam pulled into the parking lot in just over five minutes. He wasn’t normally one to speed, especially if Elsie was in the car with him, but it was times like these when he was thankful for the extra horsepower. The Charger was the last big thing he’d bought for himself before his daughter was born and he rarely took advantage of its capabilities. Dean constantly nagged him about it.

Climbing out of the car, he grabbed his phone from the cupholder and rushed inside where he knew Elsie was waiting. The day care was completely deserted except for her and the director, who was sitting in one of the waiting room chairs, alternating between watching the front doors and the small child perched at the plastic drawing table beside her. Even the lights in the back playrooms and the office were off.

“Mr. Winchester, I’m glad you made it here okay.”

“Daddy!” Elsie bolted from her chair, abandoning her backpack and leaving the crayons to roll off the table and onto the floor. Sam crouched to scoop her up as soon as she was in arm’s reach, and his daughter immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her face against his shoulder. 

“Hey, sweetheart. I’m sorry I’m late,” he murmured, and he cradled the back of her tiny head in his hand. He still couldn’t get over how tiny she was, even at four years old.

The director stood from her seat, clipboard and radio in hand. She gave him a scolding look. “Mr. Winchester—”

“Please, call me Sam,” he interrupted. “And I know, you can’t keep waiting with her. It won’t happen again.”

Her expression turned withering. “That’s becoming a catchphrase for you. I’m sorry, Mr. Winchester, but Elsie can’t keep coming to Gilded Hearts after the end of this week. We have very strict policies about parent pick-up and you signed a contract agreeing to uphold them. You’ve broken that contract multiple times this week alone, and I can’t count the number of times you’ve broken it otherwise.”

Sam frowned, shifting Elsie in his arms so he could pick up her backpack with one hand. “You’re kicking her out? Please, don’t kick her out just because I messed up a few—”

“It’s been more than a few times,” the director pointed out. “If it had been an emergency, it would be a different story, but we can’t keep staying late with her because you can’t seem to be able to pick her at the time you agreed upon when Elsie first started coming here.”

Lifting her head, Elsie looked up at Sam with big, hazel eyes. She’d perfected his own puppy dog expression solely to use on Sam and her Uncle Dean, and Sam’s heart sunk. The guilt settled in and suddenly all he could think about was how selfish he’d been. He’d been putting work in front of his daughter, something he promised he’d never do, and now he had to face the consequences.

“Okay. You said the end of this week?” Sam asked, sighing. The director nodded and gave him a polite, albeit tight, smile. “Alright. Thanks for staying with her. Have a good night.”

The director waved goodbye to Elsie, then watched in silence as Sam carried her out to the car. It was still sunny out and Elsie squinted, whining a little when he stepped out of the shade provided by the enormous oak trees that guarded the day care’s entrance.

“I know. Your sunglasses are in the car, honey.” Sam dug his keys back out of his pocket and unlocked the backseat, then carefully situated Elsie in her carseat. The tiny pair of Minnie Mouse sunglasses were right where they always were, and once his daughter was buckled in, he handed them to her so she could slip them on. She did so immediately.

“Are you sad, Daddy?” she asked. Elsie reached out a hand, grabbing onto Sam’s coat before he could back out of the doorway and go around to the driver’s side.

“I’m not sad, babygirl. Daddy’s just tired from work. Are you hungry? You ready to go home and eat?”

After a moment, Elsie nodded and let go of his coat. Sam shut the door and let out a long sigh as he went around the back of the car. His head was pounding and he was exhausted from shooting in the heat all day, but getting food in his little girl’s stomach and making sure that she got everything else she needed before bedtime had to be his priority right now. Then he would have to figure out where she was going to spend her days after the week was over. She couldn’t exactly come to work with him on an R-rated movie set. The impending migraine would have to wait.

_______________

“What’s your name?” the little girl asked, and you raised your eyebrows at her for a brief moment, then crouched down to her level.

“I’m Y/N. What’s yours?”

She held onto the door handle with both hands, swinging her weight on it as she stared at you. “I’m not supposed to tell strangers my name.”

“That’s very smart,” you replied, smiling. “Is your daddy home?”

“Who’s asking?”

A laugh almost slipped out at the cliché response, but you carefully held it back. You started to answer when a very tall, very handsome man in a suit stepped up behind the little girl in the tutu.

Nodding, you stood and held out your hand for him to shake. “I’m Y/N, from the nanny agency. Are you Mr. Winchester?”

The man smiled politely and shook your hand before reaching down to scoop up Elsie. He held her on one hip and stepped aside, gesturing for you to come in. He didn’t even seem to be bothered that his shirt and jacket were now rumpled from being squashed by the little girl and her very fluffy tutu, nor did he seem phased when she reached out to hold onto the tie around his neck.

“It’s nice to meet you, Y/N. Please, call me Sam. I’m glad you could come on such short notice.”

“It’s not a problem,” you replied. You glanced around the entryway of Sam’s enormous house, a little surprised. It was grand, but compared to some of the others in the neighborhood, this house seemed more… lived in. Turning around, you smiled politely. “Is there anything you wanted to ask me that wasn’t in my file? I know that they already sent over my resume, references, and bio, but there’s always something that people want to know.”

Sam gave you a once-over before closing the door. “You’re a live-in nanny, right?” he asked. You nodded. “I don’t have any questions, but how about you check out the guest room before you decide if you want to stay? The last nanny we tried had some issues with it.”

“Issues?” you repeated, suddenly a bit more hesitant, and Sam gestured for you to follow him up the stairs. You did, glad that you’d left your suitcase in the car. The staircase was immense and it would’ve been a pain to drag it up all the way.

As you walked, Elsie chattered to Sam, who glanced at her and replied when necessary. You couldn’t hear everything they said, but it was clear that he cared deeply for her. Every nod, every thoughtful reply, every second of eye contact he offered her reassured you that this would be a good family to work with for your next position. It would certainly be better than your last one, that was for sure.

When you finally arrived at the opposite end of the hallway, Sam pushed open a door and gestured for you to enter first. You did, taking a look around. The “guest room” was more like a deluxe suite and you had to remind yourself not to let your mouth hang open as you took it all in. It made you wonder if there was some sort of housekeeper or maid that cleaned Sam’s house, because there was no way he kept the room as beautiful as it was, worked, and took care of his gorgeous little girl.

“It’s got an attached bathroom with a shower and a tub, and you’ll have your own private balcony. It overlooks the backyard and the pool, which you’re welcome to use at any time. There’s a walk-in closet through that door,” Sam pointed to a closed door off to the right of the bathroom, “And there’s an office across the hall you can use if you want. There’s a printer and internet hookups in case you’re having problems with the WiFi. You shouldn’t, but it never hurts to be prepared. Of course, if you don’t like the furniture I’ve got in here we can move it and you can put your own things in. I hired a decorator for the whole house when I first moved in and I haven’t done anything with the room since then.

You nodded, a bit overwhelmed. “Right. Can I ask what the issue was? That the last nanny had?”

“She didn’t like the view from the balcony, apparently, and she complained that she was too close to Elsie’s room.” You frowned and Sam shrugged. The distaste was clear in his voice as he continued, “She said she preferred to have a room near the other adults in the household instead of the child that she cares for. My room is on the other side of the stairs we came up.”

Elsie started to wiggle in his arms and he set her down, not looking away from you. She instantly ran over to the bed and climbed on top to sprawl out over the plush white comforter.

“The room is great, Sam,” you replied, nodding. “It’s amazing, actually.” You glanced back at Elsie and sat on the edge of the mattress. “How’s the bed? Comfy?”

Elsie giggled and nodded before rolling onto her stomach to look at Sam. “Is this my new nanny?”

“I think so,” Sam replied. He looked over at you and you nodded. “Looks like it, Elsie girl! You can show her your room and your playroom in a few minutes, okay? First we gotta do the grown-up stuff.”

Grinning, the little girl scrambled off the bed to run off to another part of the house. She shouted a quick “Okay!” on her way out of the room.

“So, you think you’d be okay being her nanny? Obviously I’ll let you look over the contract and you can take it to a lawyer if you need—”

“That’s not really necessary,” you told him, holding up your hand to stop Sam from going any further. “I’ll look it over downstairs if you wouldn’t mind getting me something to drink while I read.”

“Water okay?”

You nodded, and you and Sam headed downstairs where the contract was waiting.

_______________

Working for Sam was one of the best things that had ever happened to you. Not only was Elsie adorable and one of the smartest, funniest kids you’d ever nannied, but her dad was amazing, too. He never failed to make you laugh and though he was constantly overworking himself during the day, you admired the way that his focus was entirely on Elsie and his homelife as soon as he parked in the garage. Even if he finished work at three in the morning, he came looking for his daughter the minute he was home. If she was awake, she was always more than happy to cuddle up and watch a movie, go swimming in their pool, or just show him the pictures she’d worked on for him during the day. Then, as soon as the little princess was in bed, Sam’s attention turned to you. That was one of the best parts of your job, though it was becoming a problem. No matter what Sam did and despite your best efforts, your crush kept growing. He was just too great, and you worried that someday you’d be heartbroken when he brought home some gorgeous movie star. Then you’d have to quit, and not only would you be out of a job, but the best two people in your life would immediately become a part of your past. That was the last thing you wanted.

It wasn’t until you’d been the nanny for eight months that Sam asked you to bring Elsie to set. The request caught you off guard—usually he avoided involving Elsie in anything that had to do with his work because of the nature of his films—but you knew that he was a smart guy, so you loaded up the almost-five-year-old into your car and drove to the address he’d texted.

“Daddy!” Elsie squealed. Sam’s head turned towards you and he smiled wide when he saw Elsie dragging you by the hand across the packed dirt of the filming site. She had insisted on wearing her princess dress, and the sight of her in the poofy, sparkly dress and Minnie Mouse sunglasses was enough to make anyone laugh. You were thankful you’d put your own sunglasses on before you’d climbed out of the car, otherwise the sun’s glare would have been too bright for you to even see Sam. He had his glasses on as well, and you briefly wondered if he’d take them off at some point so you could see his eyes in the sunlight.

“Hi, Bug!” As soon as she was within his reach, Sam picked her up and swung her up onto his shoulders. The move was almost one fluid motion and though he did it all the time, you still marveled and Elsie still giggled.

The man Sam had been talking to—you vaguely recognized his face from a magazine in the grocery store checkout—was dressed in an elaborate suit of leather armor. He glanced over at you as you approached, but he quickly turned his attention back to Sam.

“So what are you going to do about her?” the man asked.

Sam glanced at him before looking up at Elsie, smiling wide. “We’ll have a talk. Don’t worry about it, Erick.”

Ah, so he’s the action hero, you thought, and you looked the actor up and down. He looks shorter in person.

Erick turned and caught you staring at him, and his lip curled up in disgust. “Who are you?”

“She’s my best friend!” Elsie replied before anyone else could. You smiled on instinct.

“Right...” Erick drawled. He looked up at Elsie and the disgusted look on his face didn’t fade even as he walked away to a u-shaped cluster of chairs and makeup vanities. He was immediately swarmed by women fussing over his hair, makeup, and costume.

Once he was fair enough away, you turned towards Sam with raised eyebrows. “So. This is the movie business,” you retorted.

He laughed and adjusted his grip on Elsie’s little legs. “Something like it, yeah. Don’t worry about him, he’s always like that. It’s not one of his redeeming features, but he was the favorite for this role. Do you guys want a tour of the set?”

Elsie cheered and wiggled a little on Sam’s shoulders, and he tightened his grip accordingly. You nodded in agreement.

“A tour would be great, Sam, but aren’t you on your lunch break?”

Sam shrugged and started walking. You followed close behind as he began to explain the set in terms that Elsie could understand. She was smart, and she loved big words, but she was still just a kid. After a while, he managed to commandeer a golf cart for the three of you, and you ended up riding around not only just the set, but in between all the trailers and the service roads that surrounded the site. You had to admit that the area was beautiful, even if it was hot and dusty.

Eventually, you, Sam, and Elsie ended up outside his trailer. It was smaller than the actors’, but he explained as you followed him up the steps that he really didn’t use it much, and he only had one for this part of production because they were filming in a more remote location than usual. Food was waiting for you on the small dining table inside, and all three of you breathed a sigh of relief at the air conditioning.

“Can I come to set tomorrow?” Elsie asked as she climbed up onto the couch.

Sam handed her the hot dog from the container marked with her name and smiled a little. “Not tomorrow, Ells. Maybe another day,” he said. He picked up the two remaining containers and held out the one with your name scrawled across the top.

After murmuring your thanks, you settled down on the opposite side of Elsie from him and opened the styrofoam box. Your favorite sandwich was inside and you smiled over at Sam, a little bit surprised that he’d remembered. He didn’t make or order you food often, since you normally ate with Elsie during the day and on your own at night so that Elsie’s attention wasn’t divided between the two of you.

“You mentioned that it was your favorite that one time we went to the boardwalk,” Sam said, noticing your surprise. “It just kinda stuck in my brain, and I saw it on the menu when I was ordering our lunches before you got here.”

“I can’t believe you remembered that,” you replied, honestly shocked. No one had ever remembered your usual order. “Thank you.”

Sam nodded in reply and the three of you dug into your meals in relative silence. Elsie finished first, like usual, and she was starting to dig through the things in Sam’s trailer when there was a knock at the door.

Elated, the little girl ran over and tugged it open, the force of which pushed her down to sit on the top step of the entry. “Hi!” she cried, and you sat up on the couch to see who she was talking to.

“Hi!” a woman chuckled. After a second, Elsie popped back up and led the short-haired woman into the trailer by the hand. “Is this your daughter, Sam?”

“No, this is a monster!” Sam grabbed Elsie around the waist and pulled her into his lap, growling playfully. Elsie squealed and squirmed as he tickled her, and the woman laughed. You smiled too, but you reached over to move Sam’s half-eaten meal out of the way. You’d seen this play out too many times to think that he and Elsie would be able to avoid knocking it onto the rug.

Elsie finally freed herself from Sam’s grasp and scrambled into yours. You wrapped them around her, hugging her tightly, and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Sam caught your eye and grinned wide before looking back at the woman still standing in his trailer.

“What’s going on, Jody? Are we having a wardrobe problem again?” he asked, getting to his feet.

She shook her head. “No, but I heard a certain someone in here really likes princesses, and I thought I could give her a little tour of the wardrobe trailer,” Jody replied with a slow smile.

“Right, the wardrobe trailer with all the princess dresses…” Sam looked back at Elsie, who was watching him and Jody with wide eyes. She’d cued in on the key words in their conversation and was practically vibrating with excitement in your arms. “What do you say, Elsie? Would you like to go with Miss Jody to see the princess dresses for daddy’s movie?”

Elsie nodded vigorously and you let her down off your lap. She grabbed Jody’s outstretched hand with a wide smile and waved at Sam as she was led down the steps that led out of his trailer. The door slammed behind her and Jody, and after a second, you stood and gathered up two of the discarded lunch containers. 

Sam stared at you as you carried them over to the trash, and finally you looked up at him. “What?”

“Nothing,” he quickly replied, shaking his head. “Nothing.”

“You’re staring at me, Sam. There’s not something on the back of my pants, right? Or shirt?” You twisted, trying to get a look at your back just in case, and your face grew hot at the idea that you’d been walking around with Sam-freaking-Winchester, the super hot, award-winning director, all the while looking like a slob.

“No, no. I just…” Sam sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. He watched through the window as some of the crew members walked by outside, then dropped his hand back down and looked back at you. “We need to talk about something.”

Oh no.

“Sure, is everything okay?”

Sam sat back down on the couch and gestured for you to return to your own seat. You did, and you purposefully folded your hands in your lap so that you wouldn’t fidget and give away how nervous you felt. Your stomach was twisted up in knots.

“Yes. I mean, no, but… It’s a good kind of not okay.”

“Oh…Okay.”

“That didn’t make sense,” Sam said after a second.

“No, it didn’t,” you agreed, smiling a little. “Is this about Elsie? Is there something different you maybe want me to do with her? Or do you think it’s time for her to go back to a daycare, or even a preschool? She’s almost in Kindergarten anyway. I really don’t mind just watching her in the mornings and afternoons, if that’s what you need.”

“Do you not want to work with Elsie anymore?” His eyebrows furrowed and you quickly backtracked. “Because if you don’t—”

“No! No, I love Elsie. She’s an amazing kid, Sam. I just… I’m trying to figure out what you mean. A good kind of not okay?”

Sam sighed and nodded. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees for a few moments as he thought, then leaned back and relaxed against the couch cushions. You watched in silence, and with each passing second, the feeling that you might puke just from the suspense of the whole thing grew.

“I like you, Y/N. I like you a lot,” Sam finally said.

“I like you and Elsie too, Sam, but what’s that got to do with this?”

“No.” He shook his head, reaching over to put one large hand over your folded ones. You froze, absolutely stunned. Sam had never touched you except for handshakes, or maybe in passing when he took Elsie from you.

“Y/N, I really like you. I like you in the non-professional sense.”

Oh.

“I like you in the romantic sense,” Sam continued. “And I’d really like to see you romantically, but you’re my employee. I don’t want to cross any boundaries, and the only reason I’m telling you this is because I think that you might want the same thing.”

You swallowed, looking down. Slowly, you relaxed your grip on your hands and let him take one of them in his. After a second, his thumb began to rub over your skin and the feeling was hypnotizing. “I do. Want the same,” you added. “I’ve liked you a long time, Sam.”

“I don’t want you to feel pressured, Y/N.”

Looking up at him, you shook your head and squeezed his hand. “I don’t. I don’t feel pressured, Sam. I really do like you, and I was honestly worried I’d have to quit if you ever brought home some famous movie star or something. I wouldn’t have been able to handle it.”

Sam smiled wide, his eyes lighting up. “Do you know how long I’ve been wanting to hear you say that?” You shook your head. “A really long time, Y/N. Almost the whole time you’ve been Elsie’s nanny,” he admitted, and you grinned back at him.

Any nerves you’d had were completely gone now. Sam’s touch—even though it was just his thumb on the back of your hand—was more soothing than you could’ve ever imagined, and though the butterflies in your stomach were alive and well, you’d hoped for a while that you and Sam would have this conversation.

“Really?”

He nodded and brought your hand up to his lips to kiss it. The butterflies leaped for joy.

“That’s a long time. I didn’t even catch on,” you told him.

“I had to be careful. And to be honest, the only reason I suspected you liked me back is because Elsie started talking about how you and I act like one of her friend’s parents whenever we’re together. She started asking questions and it made me think.”

You laughed. “That little girl has got a brain bigger than yours. She’s gonna grow up amazing.”

Sam hadn’t stopped grinning at you and you felt your face grow warm under all the attention. If this was an old black and white movie, you would’ve swooned by now, but now his smile was beginning to fade. You sensed that the other shoe was about to drop and your own smile wilted.

“I’ve got you to thank for a lot of that,” Sam said, his voice softer. “We can’t be together if you're my employee, Y/N.”

“We’ll figure it out,” you murmured. After a second, you gave him a sly smile. “You and Elsie just need to put your big brains together.”

_______________

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[every-marveler-ever]

Sleepy Movie Nights

Flufftober Day 7: Movie Marathon

🗯️ IRONHUSBAND BINGO ROUND 4 - Movie Night

masterlist

(Ao3 Link)

PAIRING(S): Tony Stark/James 'Rhodey' Rhodes

RATING: General

WARNING(S): Platonic cuddling, chasing, running

flufftober | ihb 🗯️ round 4

Movie night gets sprung upon Rhodey and then he remembers he’s supposed to be a parent. Tony is interrupted by all this and Pepper is glaring at him.

Peter: Are we still on for movie night tonight? 

Rhodey: Movie Night?

Harley: We’re replacing lab day with a movie night?

Peter: Mr Stark told me about it on Tuesday

Peter: I think? He said we could do a marathon fo movies!

Rhodey: Tones is currently in a meeting

Harley: Tony? In a meeting? I think you have the wrong guy

Rhodey: Ha ha ha

Rhodey: Do you guys need picking up after school?

Peter: Yes, please!

Harley: If you can

Rhodey: I’ll see you both outside the school at 3

Putting his phone down Rhodey sighs at what he knows his husband has organised. Tony isn’t always the best at communication but movie nights aren’t rare either it was something regular that the team used to do when they would all be at the tower. Now that there are a lot fewer of them movie nights are few and far between and so it makes Rhodey excited that they could share it with their pseudo sons. 

Little feet remind him that despite his two sons being at school he does have one more that’s not. “Morgan, what are you doing?” He yells out towards the hallway as the small girl only seems to be running further away. Laughing he chases after her much quicker than the 4-year-old, “I thought you were taking a nap missy!” He mumbles ruffling her hair and sticking her into one place.

Morgan scrunches up her face at being caught, “I had energy!” She yells trying to get out of her dads hands. Feet running at a million miles an hour, “I need to move!” Punching her little fists into her dad's chest, Rhodey is glad that he was an airforce pilot because he’s fairly sure he would have tumbled if it weren’t for his tough training.

His time also taught him how to compromise in particular tough situations, “Peter and Harley are coming for movie night tonight, you don’t want to fall asleep during movie night do you?” Morgan’s face goes into shock at the mention of her brothers with excitement she giggles. Rhodey places a finger over her mouth, muffling the giggles, “let’s go take a nap with dad now so we can stay up super late tonight,” by super late Rhodey means 7 pm but Morgan doesn’t need to know that. 

Carrying Morgan to the couch Rhodey covers her with a warm blanket and multiple of her Teddy bears, “night daddy,” Morgan muffles scrunching up into a tight ball.  

“Night baby girl,” Rhodey smiles sitting on the couch with her and before he knows it his own eyelids drop and he realises that he’s incredibly tired. Parenting is difficult.

.

Sitting in on the meeting Tony can feel his own eyelids dropping at the number swarming through his head, this meeting has gone on for way too long and somebody keeps extending it. The spider-man ringtone starts blasting through the meeting from Tony’s phone and Pepper is glaring at him, “sorry,” Tony mumbles an apology stepping out of the room. 

Taking the phone call from Peter he sighs, “Pete are you okay? Do you need something?” He can hear muffles on the other side of the phone from Harley and it’s only confusing Tony more. “Peter I need some help here Pepper is glaring at me from walking out of the meeting.” Tony smiles sheepishly back at Pepper through the glass pointing at the phone and creating a spider with his hands.

Peter after muffling talking to Harley speak into the speaker, “Rhodye was supposed to pick us up for movie night tonight but he’s not here. Can you come to pick us up or do you want us to take the subway?” Peter suggests wincing at the small swear that Tony says through the phone.

Typing quickly Tony shoots off a text to Pepper getting a thumbs up through the glass as he watches Pepper read his conflict of interest, “yeah Pete I'm coming to pick you both up, we might have to reschedule movie night though, I’m not sure what’s up with Rhodey.” From the sense of Tony’s voice, Peter knows he’s worried and so he hands the phone to Hsrley instead, his hands shaking.

Harley taking the phone sighs in relief, “thanks Tony, see you soon.” The phone hangs up and Tony rushes to the car park downstairs worried not only for his 2 sons but for his partner as well. 

.

After picking up the 2 boys Tony rushes home, leaving the boys in the dust as he continues to rush into the penthouse, clearly worried. He stops in his steps, Peter and Harley hitting his back, “shhh,” he whispers a smile on his face as he watches his husband and daughter curled up on the couch together. 

Peeking over Tony’s shoulder Peter has a similar smile, “maybe we can move movie night to the cinema room instead,” he says with a slight laugh to his tone.

Tony turns around to them both putting his arms around their shoulder, “sounds like a great idea, we can let them sleep.” The three of them leave Rhodey and Morgan to sleep having their own movie marathon instead. 

Cards: @flufftober @ironhusbandsbingo

[pressedinthepages]

Scene

next fill for @witcher-rarepair-summer-bingo

also big thanks to @major-trouble for beta-ing and @sometimesiwrite and @rawrkinjd , as well as friends in the Cake Shop for helping me spin this story together <3

Prompt: Remote/Magical Toys

Relationship: Geralt/Eskel

Rating: Explicit

Content Warnings: modern au, soft dom/sub play, subspace, domspace, public sex (kinda), marking, bruising, reverse stripping (aka getting dressed), dressing each other, edging, orgasm denial, frottage, penetrative and oral sex (m/m)

Summary: After a hard day, Geralt found his husband, Eskel, getting ready to treat him to a relaxing evening out.

Geralt sighed as he pressed the garage control that was hooked onto his visor. He leaned his head back against the well-worn interior for just a moment before pulling out his keys from the ignition and pushing open the driver’s door. The bed creaked as its weight resettled from Geralt rising out of the truck. He pushed the door shut with his hip, wincing a bit as the hinges groaned. Gotta add WD-40 to the list.

He ran his hand down the line of his jaw, scratching the tired skin lightly. His feet hurt, his back hurt, hells, even his eyes felt strained on the drive home in the light from the late afternoon sun. But even before he opened the door that led into the house, Geralt could feel the low thrum of music being played just a bit too loud, and he wouldn’t have been able to suppress the grin on his lips if he tried. Eskel was cleaning.

Something low and cozy unfurled itself in Geralt’s stomach, stretching out languidly in the relief of feeling at home. Eskel, with his broad shoulders and penchant for wearing trousers that were just a tad bit too snug around his bum, was just beyond that door, tidying his big ol’ heart away while waiting for Geralt’s return. Coming home to his husband never failed to make Geralt’s knees wobbly with affection and sweet words spill unbidden into the air. No matter what had happened that day, no matter how drained Geralt felt before he crossed the threshold into their home, Eskel was somehow always exactly what he needed.

And it varied. A lot. Some days, Geralt needed soft words and cuddles on the couch that stretched into the pastel lights of pre-dawn. Other days, Geralt needed Eskel’s sharp wit and bold hands that took him apart atop their crimson bed sheets. And still others, such as this day that found Geralt, he didn’t really know what he needed. He was really looking forward to their dinner out, a chance to relax and unwind without any of the outside world pressuring in, but he couldn’t quite place where he needed his head to be to feel at peace.

Geralt shook his head fondly as he turned the brass knob, stepping through and letting it click shut behind him. The sweet, crisp scent of Pinesol greeted him as he walked into the house before toeing off his work boots in the laundry room. Geralt’s socked feet padded quietly out into the hallway, following the sound of instrumental lo-fi playing through a speaker towards the kitchen, where he was met with a pair of fiery golden eyes and a palm facing him, willing him to stop in his tracks.

“AH, ah, don’t come into the kitchen. Just mopped,” Eskel smiled as Geralt backed away with a smirk, his own palms turned up in peace. “Just have this last corner to hit and then I’m good to go.”

Geralt hummed and leaned on the frame of the doorway, his eyes tracking down the swell of Eskel’s arms at the seams of his well-worn henley, the dark hair flopping down into his eyes with just the hint of a little curl at the ends. Eskel turned his back to him and pushed the mop into the corner, scooting backwards bit by bit.

“Hair’s getting long,” Geralt drawled. “You’ll be needing some of my hair ties soon enough.”

Eskel huffed and glanced over his shoulder, still swiping back and forth across the floor and blowing his hair away from his eyes. “Got an appointment next week for a trim, it’s gettin’ to be a bit mu-”

“Cancel it,” Geralt whispered as Eskel reached the edge of the tile and his bum knocked into Geralt’s hips. Geralt set his hands on Eskel’s waist as he stood to his full height. One of his hands trailed up Eskel’s back and tangled into the soft strands of hair at the nape of his neck. “I like it long like this…”

Eskel hummed from low in his chest, rumbling back into Geralt. “I’ll think about it.”

Geralt pressed his lips into the hollow of Eskel’s neck. “Please do. We should get ready for dinner.”

Eskel nodded and swallowed thickly, taking a calming breath before reaching for the mop bucket and toting it back into the laundry room. He wiped the sweat from his brow, the echo of Geralt’s lips still floating on his neck. He heard the low hum of the water heater kick on as Geralt got into the shower, so he unceremoniously dumped out the dirty water and left the mop propped up to dry.

He puttered around briefly, rinsing off his hands and patting them dry on his jeans as popped back into the kitchen, keeping his feet light as he grabbed a glass from the cabinet. He quickly filled it with ice and water from the dispenser in the refrigerator before walking back down the hallway towards their bedroom. Eskel pondered as he walked, honing in on Geralt’s disposition. He had clearly been in a good enough mood to be a tease, but Eskel wasn’t blind. He could see the dark circles tinging the tender skin under Geralt’s eyes, the weight of his consciousness dangling heavily from his solar plexus and pressing behind his ears.

Eskel moved over to the bedside table and set the glass of water down and left his phone to charge before walking to their closet. He had an idea, and a damned good one at that. He just needed to move quickly in getting himself ready so that he could focus on what Geralt needed. Eskel stripped out of his comfortable lounging clothes and chucked them aside, cocking his hip as he decided what to wear.

He slid on a slightly more respectable pair of jeans that hugged his ass quite nicely, sitting comfortably on his hips. Next, a simple hunter green button-down, loosely tucked in with the top few buttons left undone. Eskel finished it off with a dark brown leather belt and a pair of grey oxfords. Easy enough, he thought as he heard the shower turn off. Now, for the fun.

Eskel strode back and forth between the closet and the bed a few times, depositing new items with every pass. A pair of dark, not-quite-black jeans, a blue shirt with silver pearly buttons and a subtle paisley print, a soft pair of briefs, all folded neatly at the edge of the bed. Geralt’s most comfortable pair of nice boots, the soft leather buttery as Eskel set them with a pair of socks peeking out.

A simple black box, no larger than a shoe box, was set atop the comforter as well. It had been tucked away for a solid two weeks, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to reveal as Eskel’s surprise. Eskel put his hands on his hips and looked down at the spread just as the bathroom door opened, the soft spice of Geralt’s body wash carried over on a burst of steam. Eskel turned around and smiled as Geralt quirked his brow at him. “What, no red shirt tonight?”

“Variety’s the spice of life, Geralt.” Eskel tracked his eyes slowly, obviously, reverently over Geralt’s hair already neatly tied at the nape of his neck, down his broad chest and his narrow waist, his skin glistening with water droplets that trailed their way down to the towel slung around Geralt’s waist. “Speaking of, can we do a scene tonight?”

Eskel flicked his eyes back up to Geralt’s face, his sharp eyes catching the blush that just barely crept up Geralt’s neck. It even peeked a bit over the faint freckles on Geralt’s cheeks, like watercolors sweeping across parchment. It was that, those little things that no others had the privilege of witnessing, that always gave Eskel the most euphoric sense of joy.

Geralt nodded and cleared his throat lightly. “What-uh, what did you have in mind?”

Eskel held out his hand and his smile grew as Geralt slipped his fingers in between his own. “I want to take care of you, let you have a quiet night where you can get away from all those thoughts bouncing around your skull.”

Geralt hummed and looked over Eskel’s shoulder to the bed with a cheeky smirk. “Picked out an outfit for me?���

“Mhm.” Eskel ran his other hand up Geralt’s shoulder and watched the goosebumps bloom in its wake. “Figured that even if you don’t wanna scene, I could still help you get ready.”

“Tell me more.” Geralt appraised the box on the bed suspiciously, but with an enthusiastic glint in his eyes.

Eskel followed his gaze. “We’ve got a quiet booth for dinner tonight, set aside in a corner. I’ll dress you, be sweet. But I figured that tonight might be good to try this out…”

He turned and grabbed the box, handing it to Geralt to open. Geralt’s fingers worked quickly, tipping the lid open and turning out what lay inside into his palm. It was a toy made of velvety black silicone, a sleek graduating plug with a tapered tip and a flared base. It was reminiscent of some of the toys that they had used in the past, but Geralt could tell by the way that Eskel was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet that he was in for a pleasant reveal of just what this toy had to offer.

“I’ll work you open,” Eskel rumbled, reaching behind him for his phone, “and put that in. I-I’d like for you to wear it at dinner. And...I’ll be able to do this-” Eskel pressed on the screen on his phone and the toy gently vibrated in Geralt’s palm, practically silent, “whenever I want.”

“A-are you gonna make me cum at the table?” Geralt whispered, glancing back and forth between Eskel’s fingers and the still-vibrating plug.

“Would you like that?” Eskel asked, removing his thumb from his phone, letting the toy fall still.

Geralt swallowed thickly and let his mind wander. No work, no outside world. Only Eskel, the man that he loved more than words could dare to say, doting on him and showering him in pleasure that he so rarely afforded himself. It didn’t take long for Geralt to make up his mind. “Y-yeah, I’d like that.”

“Then when we get back home,” Eskel slipped his phone into his pocket and rolled his sleeves up to his forearms, revealing olive skin dusted with pearly scars here and there, “we can indulge more. But I think we should just keep the scene for the dinner.”

Geralt nodded, “I agree. I know that I’m going to want to ravish you by the time we get back here.”

Eskel brought his hand up to Geralt’s neck and pulled him in, resting their foreheads together and closing his eyes. He breathed in deeply, the soft musk of clean Geralt warming his chest and down his hips. “Safewords?”

“You know my word.”

“Doesn’t matter. Still need you to tell me.”

Geralt sighed with a smile that betrayed the tease on his tongue. “Steel.”

Eskel nodded. “Steel.”

“And yours?”

“Silver.” The word dripped from Eskel’s lips, passed merely on his breath to Geralt’s ears.

“Silver.” Eskel watched Geralt’s eyes begin to haze over with his eagerness, his readiness for what was so close to come.

“Ready then?” Geralt nodded and blinked, clearing himself for the touch of Eskel’s hands and the mind-bending surge of Eskel’s being bleeding into his own.

Eskel took a deep breath and felt himself slip into the role, the dominant, the caretaker. He stood up straight and allowed all of the bold streaks within him to flare out into the very tips of his fingers where he reached to pull Geralt to the edge of the bed. “Let’s get you dressed, love.”

Geralt sighed as soon as he felt Eskel’s strong touch on his skin. Eskel could feel the steady thrum of his heart in his chest, and he watched Geralt’s eyes haze over and flick down, slipping into his own role as the submissive, the wanted, the cared-for. A lazy smile pulled at his lips when he looked back up into Eskel’s eyes, and Eskel could practically taste the adoration that swam around in his vision.

Geralt’s skin was warm and dry as Eskel ran his hands over his shoulders and down to the towel at his waist. He untied the little knot and pulled it away, leaving Geralt’s side for a moment to hang it on the hook on the bathroom door. He heard the low whine that tore itself from Geralt’s throat and he hummed reassuringly. “Don’t worry, love. Just don’t want to leave a mess. You saw all the cleanin’ I did today?”

Geralt nodded as Eskel came back to him, stopping behind him and resting his hands on his hips. He peered around and met Geralt’s gaze when he turned his head, two pairs of maple-gold eyes boring into each other. “Did it for you. I’ll always do it for you, anything.”

Geralt gasped as Eskel’s hands pushed at his hips, leading him to prop one knee up on the edge of the bed and brace himself on his hands atop the dark sheets. Something low and intense burned in Eskel’s stomach at the little noise, so acutely aware of how difficult it was to drag noises like that from Geralt. “Y-hmm. You know that I’d do anything for you, Eskel. You need only ask.”

“I do,” Eskel murmured, kissing down the line of Geralt’s spine, smirking at the goosebumps that erupted around his hips, “in a heartbeat. You’re my everything, and I know that you love me more than you can rightly say.”

Geralt could feel the denim of Eskel’s jeans scratching against the backs of his bare thighs, setting their two roles apart in stark contrast. Naked, needy, exposed. Dressed, giving, guarding. The rough planes of Eskel’s cheek glanced over the small of Geralt’s back as he kneaded his hands gently into the swells of Geralt’s bum, leading him into the headspace of comfort, care, trust. Geralt felt the reins of his mind loosening with each moment that passed, yielding to the loving hands that roved restlessly atop his skin.

Eskel’s blood thrummed molten in his veins as he reached to the bedside table and found the bottle of lube, watching the little shudder along Geralt’s hips as he clicked open the cap. “Now,” he groused, slicking his fingers in a generous amount of the lubricant. “Don’t want to get you too worked up. This is for later, but I want you to be stretched out and comfortable.”

“A-alright-” Geralt hummed as Eskel gently pushed at the tight ring of muscle between his thighs, not actually pushing in, but more around. Loosening him. Relaxing him.

Eskel’s mind and body warred with themselves as he watched Geralt shake ever so slightly under the ministrations of his fingers. Eskel inhaled deeply, centering his energy in his pelvis and the tender spots behind his ears. He slowly pushed into Geralt’s entrance just up to his first knuckle, smoothing his other hand back and forth over Geralt’s hip. He bit the inside of his cheek in an effort to keep it together, dammit as the keen from behind Geralt’s teeth reached his ears, the sight of Geralt’s toes curling as he attempted to quell any other little noises from betraying his tender state. Geralt’s hole fluttered and pulsed around him as he slid his finger out and back in again, working it just a bit deeper each time. Once he was buried up to the knuckle, Eskel let out a breath that he hadn’t realized that he had been holding.

“Gods, Geralt,” he breathed, entranced by the sight of his finger, shining with lube, pressing in and out and around Geralt’s entrance. Eskel’s cock was certainly showing interest, twitching in the rough confines of his jeans. “You always feel so fucking good for me.”

Geralt’s breath punched out of his chest, his arms suddenly falling slack so his hands bunched in the soft fabric beneath them, his face braced against the comforter. A small voice at the back end of his mind fought the praise, told him that he didn’t need it, that he didn’t deserve it. But this was Eskel talking. Eskel, who had known every inch of Geralt, inside and out, for as long as either of them could remember. Eskel, whose own secure walls had been methodically weathered by Geralt’s love. Eskel, who loved him more and more every day.

So Geralt really couldn’t find it in himself to listen to that insignificant voice. It wasn’t terribly often that either of them had the opportunity to scene quite like this, as Geralt’s mind tended to be far more...stubborn than Eskel’s when it came to letting go. Oh, but when he could? Geralt indulged.

Eskel dripped more lube down Geralt’s cheeks, sliding in a second finger on his next pass. Geralt’s back arched and Eskel watched as the muscles in Geralt’s thighs and down to his calves rippled. Geralt let out a shuddering breath, the end tinged with a growl from the back of his throat.

Patience, Eskel. He had a very specific goal in mind, and that goal required resistance, endurance, restraint. Never mind that his cock was trying valiantly to make itself known, to get him to just rip his trousers off and sink into that tight, wet heat. Eskel hung his head as he worked Geralt open, willing himself calm, searching out the path to Geralt’s pleasure that had become so well traveled for him.

Geralt pushed his hips back into Eskel’s fingers, searching for more. “Esk, please. I-I need-”

“I know what you need, love,” Eskel hummed and tightened his hold on Geralt’s hip, stopping the roll of his hips back onto his hand, “and what you need, Geralt, is a bit of patience.”

Geralt gasped as Eskel thrust a third finger inside of him, stretching him wider and searching for that hidden spot nestled away. Eskel shifted, placing his knee up on the bed beside Geralt and twisting his arm so that he could crook his fingers just so. He finally brushed over that spot that sent stars up Geralt’s spine, but he didn’t linger. He couldn’t.

“You ready?” Eskel rumbled, loosening his grip on Geralt’s hip. A low growl peeled from his chest when he saw the red marks shaped in the pads of his fingers, knowing that they would soon be pretty purple bruises on one of Geralt’s most intimate spots.

“Y-yes,” Geralt sighed, sliding into a whine as Eskel pulled his fingers from inside of him. The toy was light in Eskel’s hand as he coated it with lube, dripping an extra little bit between Geralt’s cheeks as well before pressing it just barely against his entrance.

Geralt tried to rock back into the contact, his hand reaching back and grasping desperately to twine his fingers with Eskel’s. Eskel’s heart soared in his chest, feeling just how badly Geralt wanted this. He stroked his thumb over the back of Geralt’s fingers as his other hand slowly guided the toy into Geralt, lightly thrusting through the tight ring of muscle until it sat comfortably flushed inside of him.

Now, it was nowhere near the size of Eskel’s cock. It was only about the length of a typical plug, and the girth of two of Eskel’s thick fingers. But it still filled Geralt quite nicely, his slender fingers clenching the blanket with enough vigor to leave creases in their wake. His eyes rolled back into his head and all he knew was pleasure in its purest form, a constant thrum inside of him as his body adjusted to the toy.

Eskel couldn’t tear his eyes away. Geralt, bent over on the bed, his shoulders heaving with heavy breaths, his ass shining with the lube that dripped languidly down the insides of his thighs. The peek of the toy, a black flare sitting nestled along the slope of the inside of Geralt’s cheeks. Eskel slid his hands through the coarse hair on Geralt’s thighs and back up once again, spreading his ass and taking one last, long look.

“You alright if I go grab a towel? Need to get you cleaned up before dinner.” Eskel murmured low, trying to keep his voice steady and calm while a different part of his brain that he was trying very hard to ignore was stomping its feet and losing itself in the ideas of just what Eskel could do with Geralt right now, dammit.

Geralt grunted and relaxed his hands, searching for words that landed no further than the tip of his tongue. Eskel grinned to himself as he watched the gears kick back on in Geralt’s head, cracking through the haze of the subspace that he had so gently, so lightly been cradled into. He hadn’t truly slipped completely into that haze beneath consciousness, but he was lingering in that odd, yet still quite pleasant, space in-between.

Eskel shook his head and gave Geralt just a moment longer. It was so easy for either of them to fall silent while in the cozy embrace of subspace, even one as light as where Geralt found himself. But then, when adjustments needed to be made and the two of them needed to move on to the next part of the scene, they needed words. Not mumbles, not shaken heads. Clear, not cock-drunk words, that show that they came from a settled mind and knew just what they wanted.

“Geralt,” Eskel gently stroked his thumb back and forth on Geralt’s hip, coaxing him back into himself and lowering his head down to be level with Geralt’s. “Need you to use your words. Tell me, can I get a towel for you?”

Geralt’s chin turned lazily towards him, his honey-golden eyes blinking with an ever so slight furrow of his brow. “M-mhmm. Yes, Eskel. I’m good. I’m here.”

Eskel nodded, pressing his lips to Geralt’s temple and scritching the hairs at the nape of Geralt’s neck. “Alright, I’ll be quick.”

He stepped into the bathroom and found a clean washrag, running it under some warm water and ringing it back out before quickly washing his own hands. As he stepped back into the bedroom, Eskel found Geralt sprawled exactly as he left him, thighs open and head resting on the comforter. “Melitele help me,” he whispered so as not to startle him out of his fragile state of bliss, “Geralt, you are far too pretty.”

Geralt grunted again, a huff of laughter playing on his tongue. “Nuh-uh,” his voice was muffled where his lips turned into the soft red blanket, “y...you’re too pretty. With your long hair, fuck. Can’t wait to pull on it.”

Eskel shook his head and smiled, carefully reaching out to drag his fingers up Geralt’s leg. His heart warmed in his chest and the swell of Geralt’s wish sent lovely visions through his head. “Hush, you. Let me clean this up…”

He slid the warm towel around Geralt’s bum, gently wiping away the stray lube and beads of sweat that had found their way into the small of Geralt’s back and down around where the toy poked temptingly out of him. Eskel hummed low as he went, carefully wiping around Geralt’s front and finding him a bit more than half-hard.

“Well,” Eskel rumbled, using a firm hand to clean away the last few drops of lube from where they had dripped down his thighs, “someone has been enjoying themselves…”

“Mhm,” Geralt sighed, lifting his head up and propping himself onto his hands. “No shit. You were buried to the knuckles and have been whispering sweet things into my ear. Can you blame me?”

“Never,” Eskel whispered, wiping his hands off and pressing his lips to Geralt’s shoulder blade. “Now, I need you to roll over so we can get you dressed. Go slow, don’t want to jostle anything unnecessarily. And don’t even think about tryin’ to help me get you dressed. That’s my job.”

Normally, Geralt would give him snark with his sharp tongue about getting him worked open and kind of sticky so soon after his shower. He wouldn’t want the praise, the soft attention. But Geralt in this role? He had needs locked away that his conscious mind wouldn’t let spill from his lips, wouldn’t allow him to seek out with just anyone. But Eskel? Oh, Eskel had torn right past the walls that Geralt had kept so strongly built around his most tender parts long ago, but it wasn’t often that Geralt let himself get this relaxed, this malleable.

Eskel guided Geralt gently but with confident hands, hands that had squeezed and molded and felt every inch of skin on his body more times than either of them could count. Eskel smoothed his hands down Geralt’s hips and over his thighs as he settled on his bum with his legs hanging off the side of the bed, resting back on his elbows and looking up at him through his lashes. He’d started the journey back into himself from the fog of pleasure, though he was still pliant and smiley when he met Eskel’s eyes.

“How’s it feel, Geralt?” Eskel’s breath caught in his throat when Geralt swallowed thickly and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. His cock, nestled half-hard at his hip, was beginning to flag just a tad, though it was clear that Geralt was fighting for any modicum of self-restraint.

“Mmm. ‘s good. Comfortable.” Geralt’s voice was rough gravel at the bottom of a riverbed, bubbling and tumbling up his throat. Eskel squeezed Geralt’s thighs, reassuring them both in the soft gesture.

Eskel nodded with decisiveness, letting his fingers slip from Geralt’s legs. “Right then. Let’s get movin’. Underwear first.”

Eskel picked up the soft dark pair of briefs, running his fingers along the waistband. He knelt down between Geralt’s legs, pressing his lips to the inside of his knee. He slipped the shorts over one of Geralt’s feet, followed closely by the other. He pulled them up slowly, letting them chase the path that his lips made until he reached the crest of Geralt’s hip. Eskel tapped his fingers on the side of Geralt’s leg and flicked his eyes up to him, a wordless request. Geralt clenched his jaw as he lifted his hips off the bed and Eskel quickly pulled the underwear into place.

Geralt let out a soft punched noise from his chest as he landed back down on the bed. “Alright?” Eskel asked, standing back to his full height.

“Mhm,” Geralt sighed, his eyes fluttering slightly. “Just...snug in there. ‘S nice.”

“Good,” Eskel grinned, reaching down to adjust how Geralt’s cock was sitting in the soft cradle of the briefs. He was hot and heavy in his palm, valiantly pulsing with Eskel’s barest touch. “Now, give me your hands. I’m gonna help you up and into your pants.”

Geralt grunted, moving like his arms were pushing through jello, slowly sitting up and slipping his fingers into Eskel’s. His chest was flushed pretty pink and his skin was pleasantly warm to the touch. Eskel gently pulled him up, smoothing his hands up Geralt’s arms as he adjusted his weight to standing on his feet once more.

“There’s my man,” Eskel growled from the space nestled right beneath his sternum. Geralt’s knees wobbled as he gasped into Eskel’s ear, clenching his teeth before setting himself right once more.

“M’kay,” Geralt swallowed and nodded, that same soft look still swimming in his eyes. “We can do pants now.”

Eskel pressed his palm firmly into Geralt’s chest above his heart, running his fingers through the dark thatch of chest hair. He leaned over to the bed and picked up the neatly folded jeans, letting them open as he dropped back to the floor at Geralt’s feet. He felt Geralt’s eyes on the crown of his head as he situated the legs of the pants in between them.

“Ask first,” Eskel looked up, catching the bright flicker of Geralt’s eyes boring down into him.

Geralt’s cheeks flushed a bit further, trailing down his chest. “C-can I touch you? Please?”

That was always the most difficult part for Geralt, scene or no. Saying, out loud, what he desired. Not for lack of trying on either of their parts, and they had known each other intimately for so long that they knew, most of the time, just what the other was seeking. But they both knew, too, how long Geralt’s stubbornness would keep him bottled up and silent, keeping down his own wants and needs in pursuit of Eskel’s. But that wouldn’t do.

So Eskel, in an effort to nudge Geralt into being more comfortable with saying what he needed, asked him to. Often. And Geralt had responded well, especially when Eskel offered his soft, gentle praise in return.

“Of course, love,” Eskel said, lowering his voice to as growly as it dared get. “I am yours to touch, always.”

Gods-be-fucking-damned, Geralt thought as he looked down at Eskel, his face level with Geralt’s still quite interested cock and his comfortably full ass. Eskel was clearly affected too, his chest flushed red through the peek at the top of his shirt, his trousers just a tad too snug around his arousal. Geralt threaded his fingers in the soft mahogany strands of Eskel’s hair, just running idly as Eskel’s hand found his ankle.

“This one first,” Eskel said, still staring directly into Geralt’s eyes. Geralt lifted his foot and let Eskel slide the denim over and up, letting the leg pool around his ankle when he led it back down to the floor.

“And the other, now.” A mirrored repeat, Geralt’s fingers still running rivers in Eskel’s hair. Longer than it had been in quite a while. Little curls on the end, enticing him to wrap his fingers in and hold fast. But that wasn’t part of the plan.

Not that night, anyways.

Eskel stood slowly, hooking his fingers into the waistband and dragging the jeans up Geralt’s legs. The denim hugged his legs firmly when Eskel stood back to his full height, his eyes still locked with Geralt’s as he settled the waistband on his hips and did up the zipper and buttons. Geralt had softened enough by that point so as not to be completely obvious in the tight pants, though Eskel still used a gentle hand to guide his cock into a comfortable position.

Geralt bit the inside of his cheek as he felt Eskel’s hands smooth up over his stomach and onto his neck, cupping his cheeks and pressing a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth. Geralt turned his head just a tad and slotted their lips together, not pushing or deepening, just sort of... holding each other, feeling the sweet embrace of their lips against one another. Geralt sighed as Eskel moved away, grabbing Geralt’s shirt off of the bed.

“Come now,” Eskel chuckled, “can’t just kiss you all day. We’d never actually get to dinner.”

Eskel led Geralt with a hand on his hip to spin, his chest now at Geralt’s back. Eskel dragged his nose down the slope of Geralt’s shoulder as he slid the sleeves of the shirt over Geralt’s hands and up his arms. The fabric was cool over his flushed skin, light and breezy despite the stuffy appearance. Eskel adjusted it so it sat correctly over Geralt’s broad shoulders and skated his hands back down to Geralt’s hips. He tapped his left hand twice right over Geralt’s hipbone, prompting a spin once more.

Geralt smirked and spun around on the balls of his feet, just slow enough that he knew would push and prod at the bottom of Eskel’s almost endless well of patience. He knew he had hit it perfectly when Eskel’s crooked brow came into view, one of his hands resting comfortably on his cocked hip.

“How long do you think I can keep this up before you look at your watch?” Geralt drawled, playful affection tinting the heavy snark in his voice.

“Geralt…”

“Well, you’ve spent a decent chunk of time playing with my ass, at this rate we won’t be getting to any sort of restaurant before …”

Eskel tilted his head, a playful warning, but a warning all the same. He was, after all, the one in charge. “As much as I would love to watch you try and find out, we’re not testin’ my resolve this evening. Not yet.”

Eskel smirked, hooking his fingers into Geralt’s belt loops and yanking, slotting their hips together and brushing their noses. “For now though,” he whispered into Geralt’s mouth, having ended that bout of silliness quite effectively, “let’s wrap this up, shall we?”

He ran his hands up beneath the edges of Geralt’s shirt, all the way up to his collarbones before grabbing onto the fabric. Eskel started a few buttons down, showing off a triangle of pale skin marked with shiny scars and smattered freckles. Eskel’s fingers danced quickly down the rest of the pearly buttons, neatening and straightening as he went all the way down to the last one. He leaned in and pressed his lips to Geralt’s cheek as his hands snaked around his waist, tucking the hem of the shirt snugly into the band of his trousers as they moved back around to the front.

Geralt returned the peck on the cheek before Eskel backed too far away, smiling at the soft blush that skated over Eskel’s nose. “Anything else?”

“Sit back down on the edge of the bed,” Eskel slipped his phone out of his pocket and looked at the time before setting it on the comforter. “Need to get your shoes on, then we should be ready to go.”

Geralt nodded and sat, kicking his feet idly while Eskel knelt back on the floor. “Got my good boots out?”

Eskel looked up at him through his lashes, “Of course I got the good ones, this is not amateur hour, Geralt.”

Geralt nodded and set his feet on Eskel’s thighs. “I like these boots.”

Eskel smiled and pressed his lips to the inside of Geralt’s thighs, kissing the rough denim and feeling the yield of the soft flesh nestled beneath. “I know. ‘S why I picked them.”

Eskel moved quickly, easily slipping the socks onto Geralt’s feet, followed by the comfortable leather boots. Eskel did up the laces, only knotting them a single time. Just as Geralt preferred.

He stood, bracing his hands on the bed on either side of Geralt’s thighs. He kissed Geralt gently before grabbing his phone, backing up just outside of arm’s reach. “Right then, love. Wanted to ask you something. Would you like to see how the toy feels when it’s on before we leave, or would you rather it be a surprise?”

Geralt met Eskel’s eyes, finding them clear and soft. Not the eyes of his dom, demanding answers and compliance with only a look. No, those were Eskel’s eyes. The eyes of the man with a heart of gold that Geralt loved more than life itself. Geralt shook away the last tendrils of the hazy submissive role that had enveloped him so nicely over the last while, mulling over his two options clearly in his mind.

If there was something that Geralt tried to avoid at all costs, it was surprises. Generally speaking, it was rare that anything ever truly surprised him, but there were always some exceptions. Even still, he preferred to be prepared for any possible outcome, especially when his ass was involved.

But fuck, when it came to Eskel? He would put his life in Eskel’s hands without a second thought. He knew that Eskel would never do anything to put him too far outside of his own self, his own comfort. Eskel knew him better than any other person, inside and out. He would never ask for anything outside of what Geralt would ever want, and he would handle Geralt with the finest gloves like the finest china.

Geralt’s eyes flicked to Eskel’s fingers. Before, when he had been teasing, Eskel’s fingers tapped his hip and flexed impatiently. An act. But in that moment, while Geralt was deciding just how he wanted to find his pleasure? His fingers were still, his posture relaxed and his eyes searching Geralt’s as if he could find the answers to all of life’s problems in the sunrise-golden irises.

Geralt cleared his throat and smoothed his hands over his thighs. “I...I want it to be a surprise, please.”

Eskel smiled warmly, clicking to lock his phone and slipping it back into his pocket. “Alright, good. But...and just so you know, I would’ve said this either way, but you have to be vocal with me. Need you to be honest, all evening. Less, more, not enough, stop. Anything and everything that you’re feelin’, I need to know. You have to promise me that, Geralt.”

Sure, Geralt was putting his trust, his vulnerability, his control, into Eskel’s well-worn hands. But...not really. They both had control, they both knew that this was a two-person dance that needed communication. And Geralt knew that Eskel would never ask for something that Geralt could not give, not now and not ever. So Geralt didn’t need to think twice about nodding, saying, “Of course, Eskel. I promise.”

“Wonderful,” Eskel rumbled, slipping back into the dominant headspace now that he had gotten confirmation of their needs. “Now, let’s get in the car.”

The car ride was quiet, peaceful. Eskel drove, one of his hands gripping onto Geralt’s thigh the entire journey. Not with any sort of force, but strong enough for Geralt’s mind to latch on to and yearn for more. Besides that, Geralt didn’t really know where they were heading. He figured it would be somewhere nice, especially as Eskel had spent so long planning this evening out.

“I can hear you thinkin’ from over here,” Eskel grinned, peering over at him before returning his eyes to the road. “Go on. Ask.”

Geralt swallowed and blinked out the window at the sunset, bright oranges and reds and purples painted across the sky. “What, uh… where are we going for dinner?”

Eskel grinned and squeezed his thigh lightly, pouring every ounce of his love into the tips of his fingers to bleed into Geralt’s leg. “I’m taking us to Falenti’s, I know you like their Saltimbocca…”

Geralt’s eyes lit up and flicked over to Eskel, finding the self-satisfied grin that tugged at the scar over his cheek. “I do love that sauce. Will… will you order for us?”

“Was hoping you’d ask that,” Eskel blinked slowly, his voice tumbling lower and lower the closer they got to the restaurant. “I like when you let me take care of you like this. You won’t have to think about a thing.”

Geralt preened the slightest bit in his seat and threaded his fingers with Eskel’s, letting Eskel stroke his thumb over the back of his knuckles as they pulled into the parking lot.

The weight of the toy in Geralt’s bum shifted as he rose out of the car, drawing a gasp up into his chest. Eskel knew, of course, and walked around to slide his hand back into Geralt’s. “Alright? Still good?”

Geralt grinned and leaned his head onto Eskel’s shoulder. “Yeah, still good. I’m… I’m excited.”

Eskel’s eyes went soft and his smile felt so much more real in that moment when he pressed his lips onto the crown of Geralt’s head. “Me too, love. Me too.”

Eskel led the two of them into the restaurant, a burst of cool air welcoming them as the door opened. They approached the host stand, finding a young woman with kind eyes and a bright, if not a little too much so, smile on her face. “Hello gentlemen, doing alright this evening?”

Eskel smiled and pulled Geralt closer, wrapping his arm around Geralt’s hip. “We’re doin’ wonderful, thank you. We have a reservation under ‘Rivia,’ please.”

The young woman tapped a few keys on the desktop in front of her before grabbing two menus. “Follow me to your table, your server will be right with you.”

Eskel guided Geralt by the hip, feeling the barely-there softness of the tummy that he had been trying to get Geralt to build for years beneath his fingers. Just as requested, the two of them were escorted to a booth in the corner, sequestered away from other patrons. Private, or as much as they could be in a public restaurant.

It was dark, lit only by a lone sconce on the wall that bathed the mahogany table in a warm glow. “As I said, your server will be with you shortly.” The young woman left their menus on the table and departed, leaving the two men to relax into their seats across from one another.

Eskel watched Geralt shimmy and shift around in the seat, attempting to find a comfortable position with the secret hidden inside of him. Eskel smirked, pulling his phone out of his pocket and onto the table, Geralt’s eyes immediately shooting over to it and back up to Eskel.

“Now, we won’t start at least until I’ve ordered,” Eskel said as he opened his menu, his tone borderline flippant. “After, though, ’s free game.”

Their server came over, another young woman dressed entirely in black, with a black apron tied around her waist. “Hello gentlemen,” her voice was quiet and calm, gentle waves in the dark air. “My name is Lou, I’ll be your server this evening. Can I start you boys off with something to drink, or are you ready to order?”

Eskel slid his foot up the outside of Geralt’s calf, causing him to jump slightly in his seat. Eskel grinned with a wink before turning to Lou. “I think we’re ready, actually. We’ll just do water to drink, and we’ll start with the Zucchini Fritti. I’ll have the chicken Bellini, and he’ll have the Veal Saltimbocca. We’ll have to see how we’re feelin’ for dessert, so we’ll decide on that later.” Eskel’s voice was still low, almost growly, and Geralt was mesmerized as he listed off their order. Struck dumb, he watched their server bounce away before returning with their glasses of water, leaving them alone once more.

Eskel sipped his water, looking straight over the table at Geralt, whose own eyes were glued to where Eskel’s free hand now hovered over the screen of his phone.

“T-thank you for ordering for us, Eskel,” Geralt murmured, watching the minute tease of Eskel’s fingers just barely not touching the screen.

“You’re very welcome, my love,” Eskel replied, just as quietly. “Wanna start you slow, so you have a chance to get used to the feeling.”

Geralt nodded, feeling a rush of heat bloom up his chest as he squirmed a bit in his seat. Eskel chuckled, seeing the enthusiastic glint in Geralt’s eyes as a good sign.

Geralt watched as Eskel finally, gently pressed his finger to the base of the phone and dragged up, only just barely on the screen. He felt the toy rumble to life, and he gasped despite being prepared for the sensation. It was pleasant, and Geralt already itched for more.

Geralt hummed and let his eyes fall closed, his fingers gripping onto the edge of the table. “Fuck, Eskel,” he breathed, his lungs playing catch-up with how intensely his heart was beating, “f-feels so good.”

Eskel was enraptured, watching in real time as that familiar submissive haze fell over Geralt’s eyes. “’M glad, will this be what you need?”

Geralt nodded and swallowed thickly, letting his head fall to his chest. Eskel hummed and drew his fingers up under Geralt’s chin, lifting his eyes back up to him. “Words, love.”

Geralt’s cheeks flushed and Eskel smiled, keeping his eyes soft. “Y-yes, Esk. It’ll b-nnng. It’ll be perfect.”

Eskel bit the inside of his cheek as he spotted their server returning to their table just as Geralt’s hips started to shift back and forth, chasing the soft vibrations of the toy. Eskel took his finger off of the phone and Geralt’s eyes shot open, defiant and his mouth fell into a grimace that disappeared as soon as their server came into view.

“Alright boys, one order of the Zucchini Fritti. Anything else I can get for you?”

“No, thank you,” Eskel said, shooting a sly look at Geralt out of the corner of his eye.

Lou left them once more and Geralt sagged into the cushions, his chest heaving with deep breaths. “Shit. Can always trust you to let me get all caught up and then fucking cut me off-”

Eskel hummed and reached for one of the little rounds of crispy zucchini. “You gotta trust that I know what’ll be good for you. Within reason, of course, but I want you to be able to let me take the reins. Without attitude.”

“You love my attitude.”

“I do, just as I love the rest of you. But if you want to be bratty, maybe I’ll just keep you on the edge all night, not let you finish at all?”

Geralt coughed as he sipped his water, sitting back up in his seat. Well. I guess that’s me shutting up... for now. “N-no. I’ll behave. Promise.”

Eskel grinned wolfishly. “Good. Now, let’s eat for a bit, then we can keep playing.”

They ate quietly, letting their minds relax and settle back into the liminal space nestled between their brows. As the plate was emptied, Eskel reached across the table and grabbed onto Geralt’s hand. Lou came back around and took the dish, letting them know that it may be a while before their entrees came out, as there had been a mishap in the kitchens.

“Not a worry, Lou,” Eskel smiled kindly, “we’re a patient bunch.”

“Most of the time…” Geralt grumbled under his breath.

Eskel clenched his jaw and shot Geralt a Look with his eyebrows raised. “When it counts, we’re very patient. Don’t worry about us Lou, we’ll just... relax for a bit.”

Lou had no sooner spun on her heel away from her table when Eskel slid his finger back onto the screen of his phone, cueing the toy inside of Geralt to vibrate significantly more intensely than it had before. Geralt clenched his fingers in Eskel’s hand and his body clenched before relaxing right back into the weight of the toy. His hips thrusted absently with the vibrations, following the pattern that Eskel drew back and forth on his phone.

In the back of his mind, Geralt was minutely aware of their public situation, especially as the crotch of his trousers drew tighter around his growing erection. But Eskel was whispering across the table to him, boring his golden eyes up and down Geralt’s body as if it were the first and only time that he’d ever get the chance to see him like this.

“Gods, Geralt,” Eskel breathed, tracing arches up and down on his phone to increase and decrease the speed of the vibrations of the toy in waves. “You know, I bet that if anyone were to look over here right now and see you thrustin’ up so desperately into nothing, they’d be so godsdamned jealous of me... cause I’m the one that gets to sit here and watch.”

Geralt felt like he couldn’t breathe, his body like one big nerve ending that kept twitching and shaking. The toy pressed against his prostate and he could feel his cock leaking into his briefs, and he just barely bit back a moan that threatened to escape from behind his teeth. Geralt glanced up at Eskel and came this fucking close to cumming in his pants then and there.

To anyone on the outside looking in, anyone who didn’t know the intimate tells that Eskel so carefully kept stowed away, he would almost look bored as he absentmindedly scrolled around on his phone. But Geralt, who knew every minute thing that made Eskel who he was, could see right past it. Eskel’s barrel chest, dusted with coarse dark hair that peeked through the V of his unbuttoned shirt, was flushed maroon and hitched with deep breaths taken through his nose. His hand, still gripped in Geralt’s fingers, was sweaty and his eyes were dark and lusty as they tore like fire over Geralt’s skin.

Eskel slowed the toy down, tapering the vibrations until they stopped all together. Geralt knew now to trust in Eskel’s judgement, especially considering that he really was gloriously oblivious to the specifics of their surroundings. Eskel took a deep breath in and leaned over, giving his hand one last squeeze before letting go. “Food’s on the way. Take a deep breath, love, you’re doing so fuckin’ well.”

Geralt let a dopey smile pull at his lips as he stretched his fingers and his legs out, still comfortably aroused, and maybe a little frustrated with being cut off again, but endlessly loved. His mind swam with the look in Eskel’s eyes, the lingering warmth of Eskel’s hand still nestled in the grip of his fingers.

Two steaming plates were set before them, deep aromas tickling Geralt’s nostrils. His mouth, having already been watering from their previous activities, sighed in contentment.

“Alright, how’s everything look?” Lou asked, looking back and forth between Eskel and Geralt.

“Looks perfect, Lou. Thank you.” Eskel smiled as Lou turned away, lifting his fork and putting together a generous mouthful of sautéed chicken smothered in a creamy white wine sauce with roasted peppers and olives. His eyes fluttered shut as the softly savoury taste hit his tongue, indulgent and instantly satisfying the craving in his stomach. He still felt the tingles of a craving much lower, baser, but it was quieted for the time being.

Geralt discreetly adjusted himself as soon as Lou had stepped away, giving him the perfect timing to make himself comfortable once more. His prosciutto wrapped veal wafted a heady scent of sage and fire-roasted garlic up to smother his senses, and though Geralt could not ignore the still weight resting in his bum, he found himself seeking out the intense flavors that rested atop the plate.

The two of them ate in relative silence for a bit, broken only by the occasional murmur or offer to try each others’ dish. Every now and then, Eskel would nudge his knee up against Geralt’s, putting soft pressure to just... feel him.

“Geralt...” Eskel put down his fork and finished chewing, looking for his husband’s eyes across the table.

“Yes, love?” Geralt’s eyes flicked up briefly to Eskel’s, then back again when he saw the fond look at him across the table.

“Can—sorry, do you mind if we step out? I’d like to just talk for a bit if that’s alright. Only if you want, if you need to stay in it, I’m happy to stay.”

Geralt’s chewing slowed as he, too, lowered his fork. “Sure, we can pause. You alright?”

Eskel smiled reassuringly, “Yes, Geralt, I’ve never been better.” He reached for Geralt’s hand across the table, “I’m just… I’m incredibly happy, you know. With the life we built and the life we share.”

“It’s quite something, isn’t it?” Geralt said fondly. “If we can ever get the tiling in the downstairs bathroom finished.”

“That is your pet project Geralt, and you know it.”

“Well, if it’s any consolation, I finally decided on the colour—”

“Aaand let me guess: you’re waitin’ for it to go on sale?”

“That was one time, Eskel, and you know it.”

“That’s all beside the point. This all started because I was feelin’ a bit romantic, you ornery old thing.”

“Alright, alright. I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to side track you. There’s a reason I married you, you know?” Geralt sighed fondly and rested his chin in his hand.

“Only the one?”

Geralt shook his head with a smirk turning the corner of his lip. “If we’re counting the entirety of ‘Eskel’ as a single thing, then yeah. Just the one. Although, putting a vibrating plug in my ass and taking me out to dinner is pretty high on the list.”

“Shame those things weren’t around for our wedding night,” Eskel cheeked, waggling his eyebrows.

Geralt narrowed his eyes playfully. “First of all, are you calling us old? Secondly, I cannot imagine walking around with this thing in my ass at our reception.”

Eskel shrugged. “Who said it would’ve been you wearing it?”

“Careful, now. I can’t get too far away from the scene or I’ll never get back in.”

Stroking his thumb over the back of Geralt’s knuckles, Eskel smiled softly. “Of course, love. Maybe we’ll revisit that idea later. You know, sometimes I wonder just what I did to deserve you in my life.”

Geralt’s heart swelled and he squeezed Eskel’s hand. “You didn’t have to do anything, Esk. We deserve each other, always.”

“I love you Geralt, I can’t say it enough times, but I do. So much.”

“I know, Eskel. I love you too, forever.”

They slipped back into a comfortable silence, just relaxing and enjoying each other’s air. Their plates slowly emptied, neither of them bothering to worry about saving anything for leftovers. Just as Geralt was sopping up the remainder of the sauce at the bottom of his plate with a chunk of bread, Eskel coughed lightly.

“Wanna get back into the scene, love?”

Geralt nodded, giving Eskel’s hand one last squeeze before slipping it away. “Yeah, that’d be nice. Might need a minute, though.”

Eskel smoothed his hand on his jeans and set his fork down on his barren plate. He dropped his voice back down into the just barely growly register that he knew set Geralt’s blood alight. “What do you need from me?”

Geralt’s fingers flinched and he dropped the bread onto the plate, spattering the sauce just a bit. “Shit, just that. J-just talk to me for a second.”

Eskel cocked his head and leaned back in his seat, letting that bold streak that rested low in his stomach crawl up into his chest and down the line of his shoulders. “Want me to tell you how good you’ve been all evening? How I’ve been sittin’ here, watchin’ you give yourself over to me like it’s still that very first time, or maybe how nicely you fit in the palm of my hand?”

Geralt’s eyes, already hazy and soft, followed Eskel’s hand as he reached over to his neglected phone. He felt himself clench around the toy in anticipation, but Eskel only slipped the phone into his pocket and bored his intensely golden eyes back into him, so deep that Geralt felt his very being warm with the twin suns of Eskel’s eyes.

“You alright, Geralt? Feelin’ good, drifty?”

Geralt hummed and nodded his head, resting his hand in his lap, letting just the tip of his fingers brush over his comfortably interested cock. His breath pushed out of his lungs in a soft keen, briefly closing his eyes in an effort to keep himself together under Eskel’s scrutinizing gaze.

“Geralt, I need words. Feelin’ good?”

Geralt cleared his throat and reopened his eyes, patting his own thigh a few times to wrangle what little bit of control that he still felt behind his eyes. “Y-yeah, Esk. ‘M floaty. But not too floaty…”

“Good,” Eskel rumbled, and Geralt felt the soft vibrations up his spine even without the toy inside of him even being turned on. “Will you be alright for me to run to the restroom for a moment?”

Geralt clenched his jaw with a light chuckle. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. I’ll try not to get into too much trouble without you here.”

Eskel smirked. “Geralt, that’s the only time you ever do get into trouble. Ah, hang on. Lou’s coming back, but I’ll take care of her. Just be good for me, yeah?”

Geralt hummed a quiet, “Yeah, Esk,” just as Lou rounded the corner of their table. “Everything good here? I’m guessing you won’t need any boxes,” she smiled, lifting their empty plates away from the table and balancing them on her arm.

Eskel smiled back, crossing his legs beneath the table and brushing against Geralt’s shin. “It was delicious. Now, I think we’re actually going to skip dessert tonight, but is there any way that we can just sit here for a bit longer? We don’t get to go out terribly often, an-”

Lou held up her free hand and shook her head with a grin. “Not a worry, gentlemen. You can have this spot for as long as you’d like, and I’ll leave you be. Just poke your head around if you need anything, and I’ll leave the check up at the host stand.”

Eskel nodded and he shifted in his seat, the weight of his phone burning a hole into his patience. “That’s perfect, Lou. Thank you so much, we’ll be sure to give you a shout if we need anything, but I think we’re good for the time being.”

“Wonderful,” she smiled and turned away, leaving Eskel to quirk his brow at Geralt.

“Sure you’ll be alright?”

“Mhm. I’m good. Gonna miss hearing you talk. But ‘s okay. You’ll be right back.”

Eskel smiled and nodded. “I sure will. Won’t be but a moment. Promise.”

Geralt watched through hooded eyes as Eskel sauntered off towards the restrooms, his shoulders broad and imposing even through the low, dim lights of the dining area. Geralt’s mind felt warm and while he immediately felt the loss of Eskel being within his reach, he knew that rationally, Eskel would never actually leave him for long, especially not during a scene. Over the years, they’ve figured out a balance, a dance back and forth of where their hard boundaries lie, and what could give with the well of their trust. Geralt allowed himself to relax back into his seat and his mind began to wander, floating out into the hazy edges of his awareness while waiting for Eskel’s return.

In the meantime, Eskel pushed open the swinging door to the restroom and let it fall shut behind him. He took a deep, calming breath in through his nose and held it, clenching his jaw as he counted back from ten. Watching Geralt, so willing, so relaxed, so eager, fuck it was doing things to his head. Well, and to his cock.

Eskel stepped up to one of the urinals and undid his belt and opened the fly of his jeans, letting his half-hard cock bounce into the open air. He was tempted, just for a moment, to take himself well and truly in hand and finally grant himself that sweet relief that had been hovering on the horizon for the better part of the evening. But no, no he couldn’t do that. It would be wrong, a cheat in their game. They were both clearly aware of the expectations, and Geralt had handed himself over to Eskel with the explicit trust that Eskel would be in complete control. And Eskel choosing to get up and leave Geralt alone in the tender embrace of his light subspace while he jerked off in the bathroom felt... wrong. Like he distorted and tainted the trust that was so delicately gifted to him and had lost control.

They both knew that nights like this, placing their very beings into the hands of one another in pursuit of comfort and indulgence, were for each other. They focused in on what the other needed, what they wanted. Geralt trusted Eskel to handle him with hands honed from years of practice with each other, and Eskel trusted Geralt to do the same.

Eskel sighed and hung his head, closing his eyes and focusing on anything other than the hot thrum of his blood calling him to seek out his climax. He relieved himself quickly, tucking himself back into his jeans and washing his hands. The hum of the hand-dryer was still resounding off the walls as Eskel glanced around the empty bathroom. He smirked to himself as he slipped his phone out of his pocket. Just a tease…

Geralt’s mind had just started to feel thorny around the edges, turning in on itself with harsh spikes when he felt that same soft rumble start up at the base of his spine. Ah, he thought to himself as his lips turned up in a soft grin, just as I was starting to miss him.

His arousal swelled between his thighs as the vibrations intensified, growing higher and dipping back down to a gentle hum in slow waves. Geralt’s mind wandered to Eskel, his beautiful, glorious Eskel, hidden away and still thinking of him. He arched his back and tried to sink his hips into the comforting pulsations inside of him, so achingly close to the sensitive bundle of nerves that had been relaxed away. His body yearned for more, everything tensing and relaxing and seeking out that which had not yet been awarded.

Three long, hard bursts shot up his spine and Geralt gasped, his eyes flicking over to where Eskel was exiting through the restroom door. His eyes were on Geralt the entire way back to the table, but Geralt’s eyes were on Eskel’s thumb, still pressing up and down on the screen of his phone. Feeling the patterns as he watched the separate movements that caused them in real time made his cock flex hard in his jeans, his hips stuttering as he felt the beginnings of climax overtake him.

“Not yet,” Eskel growled as he slid back into his seat, lifting his thumb completely from the phone screen. The toy came to a halt, dragging the explosive release of Geralt’s climax back down into the small of his belly as his lungs heaved in desperate breaths.

The phone clattered onto the table just as Geralt felt the tinglings of feeling return back to his fingers where they had been gripping onto the edge of the table. Geralt clenched and unclenched his jaw, seeking Eskel’s eyes in his own.

“Got pretty close there, huh?” Eskel drawled, thick and husky with just the hint of a tease seeping from behind his teeth.

Geralt swallowed thickly and nodded, screwing his eyes shut, still achingly within reach of his climax, even without the constant hum of the toy inside of him.

“Do you wanna cum, Geralt?”

His eyes shot back open and found Eskel’s finger hovering over the phone’s screen. He felt every thing all around them: the cool air coming from the vents above them, the well worn cushions beneath them, the lacquered wood beneath his fingers, the rough denim over his thighs. The soft cotton of his briefs sliding and pressing into his cock, slick and catching with the amount of precome that had been leaking from his neglected tip.

“Tell me,” Eskel whispered, coaxing Geralt along, putting the words right at the tip of his tongue, leaving Geralt with only the need to push them from his lungs. “Tell me, and you’ll have it.”

The air felt suspended around them for what could have been the beginnings of a lifetime. Neither of them could look away, their golden eyes melting into ore between their prone forms. Geralt was ready, so fucking ready, and Eskel was ready to give it to him. It wasn’t exactly the most difficult choice that Geralt had ever had to make.

“Yes,” Geralt breathed, tasting his desperation claw its way up from his chest. “P-please, Esk. M... make me cum.”

Eskel smiled, his teeth bared and almost wild as he pressed his finger firmy down to the screen, causing the toy to vibrate strong and fast and hard, pulsing against Geralt’s prostate and fucking holding there. They both knew how close Geralt was. His cheeks were flushed high and pink, trailing in soft brushstrokes down his neck and below the collar of his shirt. Eskel reached out with his free hand and grasped onto Geralt’s once more, watching Geralt’s hips reach a breaking point in their rhythm before suddenly stilling.

Geralt came with only the slightest noise, just little stunted, guttural grunts escaping up out of his chest, his eyes screwed shut as his climax overtook him. Geralt’s hips twitched and stuttered in aborted thrusts, completely unconsciously. His conscious mind was nowhere to be found, floating through time and space with the comfort of being cared for and grasped onto whiting out his vision. His mouth hung agape and he threw his head back against the high back of the chair, his chest heaving, racing, trying to bring him back into his own mind and into Eskel’s waiting hands.

Their surroundings started to push at the fuzzy edges of Geralt’s mind, the muted sounds of a still busy restaurant, Eskel’s finger slowing the toy down to a low rumble, the cooling wetness pooled in his briefs. Eskel’s voice, fading into the soft mush of his mind, “-so fucking good, Geralt. So beautiful, you’re killin’ me. You’ve gotta know how much I need you, need you more than air, love.”

Geralt blinked his eyes back open, finding Eskel in a... precarious position. His own chest dark and ruddy, little pearls of sweat beading in the hollows of his exposed collarbones. Sitting across from Geralt with his broad shoulders, hips slightly slumped to accommodate the now far-too-tight crotch of his trousers, eyes dark, mouth open slightly with his free hand beneath the edge of the table. Gerat could see from the way that he was moving that he was just barely palming himself through his pants, not seeking his own climax yet, but so starvingly desperate that he truly could not help himself.

Eskel’s thumb rubbed slow, soothing circles over the back of Geralt’s knuckles, escorting his mind with an anchor to tether his focus. “M-may I come sit next to you?”

Geralt smiled dopily and nodded, chuckling a bit as Eskel clambered out of his seat and into the spot at his side with all of the grace of an over-excited newborn horse that hadn’t quite found its legs yet. Eskel set his hand at the nape of Geralt’s neck and pulled him close, slotting their lips together with a fervor that only barely made its way to the light of day. Eskel rumbled soft whispers into Geralt’s mouth as they kissed, praises and words of wonderment, somehow sounding half-drunk and stone-cold sober in the same breath.

Eskel pulled back only enough to allow words to drift over the air between their lips, resting their foreheads together and rubbing his thumbs back and forth through the soft hairs at the base of Geralt’s skull. “How’re you feeling, love? Comin’ back?”

Geralt smiled, blinking slowly at Eskel and glancing around. He was no longer exactly blindingly comfortable, especially with the feeling of his own spend cooling in the tight embrace of his briefs, though he still felt safe and content and sated, wrapped in Eskel’s arms. “Yeah, Esk. ‘M good. That was... fuck, that was nice.”

The smile that Eskel shot Geralt was one that would saunter unbidden through Geralt’s mind until the day he ceased breathing on this earth. It was light and soft, lilies preening in the moonlight under which they bloomed. “Yeah? Here, hang on. You sh-”

“Yeah yeah, drink some water. I know,” Geralt grinned, pecking his husband on the lips once more before pulling away, though Eskel still kept him comfortably within his embrace. The glass of water, sweaty with condensation, was cool as Geralt lifted it to his mouth, letting it calm his humming muscles as the water spilled out and down into his throat. “You always break out of the scene so soon, ‘s always when I cum-”

“You’re just so damn sweet when you finish, Ger…” Eskel nuzzled his nose into the crook of Geralt’s neck, his brown curls tickling the tender skin and bringing goosebumps in their wake.

The weight of the toy still sat warm inside of Geralt, and though he flexed around just the smallest tinge of oversensitivity, it was... well. It was another thing for his mind to focus in on and cling to. “So, handsome,” Geralt set the empty glass down onto the table and ran his finger down Eskel’s neck, trailing through the dark thatch of chest hair that peeked out and hooked into the V of his open shirt. “Wanna let me take you home?”

They wasted no time in making themselves scarce, Eskel nearly ripping his jeans in his haste to remove his wallet from his pocket. He left a (thankfully, already prepared) wad of cash on the table as a tip for Lou and tucked his far too obvious for polite company erection into the waist of his pants. Eskel scooted out of the booth first, holding out a hand for Geralt to take as he followed suit.

They hurried to the host stand, settling their bill before leaving, tearing through the front doors as if their very lives depended on them getting back to their home right the fuck now. Eskel reached over the center console once they got into the car and kissed Geralt with enough heat to make a damn volcano jealous, nipping his lip and breathing his name into his mouth before pulling away like he had been struck by lightning.

“Gotta-” Eskel swallowed thickly and put on his seatbelt with a look on his face like it was physically paining him to part from the soft warmth of Geralt’s lips. “Gotta get home, or else I’m just gonna fuck you in the car.”

Geralt hummed and did up his own seatbelt, letting Eskel shift the car into drive and pull away from the restaurant and onto the highway. “A tempting offer. But both of our backs would be fucking shot in the morning. Gettin’ too old for that.”

Eskel chuckled, crooking his eyebrow. “You’re tellin’ me. Maybe we should take up yoga-”

“Don’t you even start. Unless I get to watch you do nude yoga on a mountaintop while the sun is rising, I don’t wanna hear it.”

“Maybe we’ll head up the mountains for our next vacation, see the leaves change colors?”

Geralt sighed with a lazy smile playing at his lips. “T-that’d be nice.”

Eskel hummed, and they sat in comfortable silence for a while. That is, until they got about halfway home and Geralt started to get bored. He looked over into Eskel’s lap, finding him still hard and tenting his jeans, his hands twitching restlessly on the steering wheel.

“You know,” Geralt hummed, reaching over and placing his hand high up on Eskel’s thigh, firm and holding fast just shy of where he knew Eskel was aching for his touch. “I have some ideas for just what I’d like for us to do when we get home.”

Eskel quirked his brow and kept his eyes stubbornly on the road, though his knuckles grew white with how hard he was gripping the steering wheel. “Y-yeah?”

Geralt then started whispering, honey-laced sweetness tinging the fucking list that he rattled off into Eskel’s ear. Everything from how he wanted to draw out Eskel’s pleasure for as long as he could last, down to licking the salt of his spend off of every inch of where he marked Eskel’s body as his own. Eskel groaned and his breath hitched every now and then, his knee bouncing with anticipation and just the briefest tinge of impatience.

Eskel threw the car into park once they pulled far enough into their driveway to not get clipped by cars passing on the road, his parking job about as straight as he was. He jumped out of the car and didn’t even make it to the damned door before he started stripping out of his clothes, popping open the buttons of his green button down and tugging it free from where it had been tucked into his jeans. Geralt followed behind him with a smirk, stepping across the threshold of the house and over Eskel’s haphazardly abandoned shoes.

Geralt pulled the front door shut and locked it just as Eskel crowded up behind him, spinning him ‘round and cupping the nape of his neck with his hand.

Eskel kissed him deeply, licking into his mouth and moaning, trying to undo the dainty, pearly buttons of Geralt’s shirt that he had so delicately done up only a few hours prior.

“Geralt,” he could taste Eskel’s moan on the tip of his tongue, calling out to him and begging for everything that he had.

“Yes, love?”

“Take me to bed.” Eskel’s eyes were wide and dark with lust as he finally yanked the sleeves down Geralt’s arms and let it fall to the floor.

Geralt led him towards the stairs, both of them frantically stripping their clothes away, leaving Eskel completely bare and Geralt still in his briefs when they got to the foot of their bed. Eskel dropped to his knees and mouthed at the soft cotton of Geralt’s briefs, nosing along the mostly-soft cock that was still damp with his spend.

Eskel’s eys swam with the vision of Geralt, his hands spread out on their table as his climax washed over him, his eyes hazed and his jaw slack with all-encompassing pleasure. Eskel shifted his knees forward and dragged his hard cock along Geralt’s shin as he teased his cock with his lips, suckling and groaning into his hip.

“E-Esk,” Geralt breathed, sinking his fingers into mahogany brown hair that had no business being as soft as it was. “Fuckkk, you’re too good to me.”

Eskel shook his head and rutted his hips against Geralt’s leg, dripping precome into the coarse hairs that trailed down towards his feet. “N-no. Not good enough. Never good enough for you. But you make… you make me better. Better than I ever thought I could be.”

Geralt knew that feeling. Hells, he felt it every damn day. But they both knew, logically, that they were everything that the other needed, everything they wanted. Eskel would say it though, whenever it popped into his mind, he would question why Geralt chose him. After all these years, everything that they went through together, he still couldn’t let himself believe that he could be enough for Geralt.

Geralt gently tugged Eskel’s hair, tilting his head back to look him in the eyes. Those beautiful golden eyes, brimming suns nestled in the warmest face one could ever hope to find.

“Doesn’t matter if you think you’re good enough,” Geralt murmured, tracing the line of Eskel’s brow and down his jaw, “but that I choose you. Everyday, I choose you. I love you more than every moon, every planet, every star in the sky. And I love you more every day.”

Eskel groaned and leaned forward, licking the line of Geralt’s growing arousal through his briefs. He could taste Geralt’s spend through his briefs as he licked and sucked at the dark fabric, coaxing his husband back to full hardness while Geralt’s fingers combed his hair back from his face, his spine shuddering.

“F-fuck,” Eskel gasped, resting his forehead into the crook of Geralt’s hip, still licking softly at the base of his cock through his briefs. “Ger, I-I need to be inside of you, please”

Well, and who was Geralt to deny a request like that?

"Hmmm, best quit dawdling with my briefs, then. Get in me," Geralt rumbled with his fingers still snugly nestled in Eskel's hair.

"Is this proactive enough for you, then?" Eskel smirked up at Geralt as he yanked his briefs down his legs. Geralt chuckled as he stepped out of them and Eskel shouldered his way between his thighs. He was gentle as he reached back behind Geralt’s balls, wrapping his fingers around the base of the toy and wiggling it free, soothing his fingers around the now empty, pliant hole. “Fuck, you’re still so fucking wet. All this lube and cum here, bet I could just slip right into this loose little hole, couldn’t I?”

And then Geralt felt his feet leave the ground as Eskel gripped hard onto his hips and shoved him backwards, sending him flying through the air to bounce onto the bed. Now, Geralt would deny it till the day he died, but he let out a short, barking, high pitched squeal of delight in the brief moment of being sent airborne by his husband’s hands.

Eskel crawled onto the bed and hovered over him, growling as Geralt planted his feet and twisted the two of them, pushing and yanking and wrestling atop the covers until Geralt was firmly settled atop Eskel, straddling his tree-trunk thighs.

Geralt settled his bum on Eskel’s hips, slotting their cocks together and thrusting lightly, sending sparks up both of their spines at the sudden rush of pleasure that shot through their bones. Eskel keened from the backs of his teeth and his grip tightened on Geralt’s hips. “D-don’t tease, please-“

Geralt grinned wolfishly. “You’ve been teasing me all night, love. You can’t take even a little?”

Eskel growled and his hips thrust harder, faster, bouncing Geralt in his lap. “You already came, I’ve been half-hard since I got you dressed.”

Geralt ground his hips down and cut Eskel off with a groan, still the great heft of muscle and softness under his hands. “I want to ruin you, love.”

Eskel moaned and threw his head back. “Do it, please Geralt. I’m yours. Fuckin’ wreck me.”

Geralt shifted his hips and lifted up on his knees, taking Eskel’s cock in his hand. He watched the shiver ripple through the small of Eskel’s stomach before he scooted himself forward and lined him up at his comfortably stretched entrance and started to sink down oh so slowly.

“F-f... fucking shit, Esk-” Geralt could barely connect strings between words as he was filled so completely, so perfectly.

Eskel moaned loud and unabashedly, his voice cracking as Geralt’s hips met flush with his own. “I-I was right. Sti-mmm. Still so fuckin’ loose, took me like nothing.”

“Now,” Geralt leaned down and brushed his thumbs over Eskel’s nipples, relishing the shockwave that it sent through the surface of his skin. “I’m going to ride you, and I want to make you cum so hard that you won’t be able to walk until tomorrow. Deal?”

Eskels eyes rolled back in his head as Geralt clenched his muscles around his cock, groaning into the space that kept Geralt’s lips just out of reach of his own. “Hu-h... yes, fuck. Deal, p-please…”

Geralt circled his hips and rolled back and forth, not driving Eskel in and out, just coaxing him into every nook and cranny nestled away inside of him. He sat up, bracing his hands on Eskel’s chest, his fingers dimpling into the soft muscle that tensed under his touch. “Mmm, feel so good, love. I wanna watch you shatter for me-”

Eskel’s breath hitched as Geralt shifted up and rocked back down, the slick slide of his hole gripping his cock like the last tether to the map of euphoria he was so desperately following. “I-shit, not... not gonna last long, not like this--”

Geralt leaned back down, the angle pushing Eskel deeper inside of him with each soft, devastatingly slow roll of his hips. “Then don't.”

Eskel felt every inch of his cock dragging along Geralt’s walls, impossibly warm and slick and tight, overwhelming him as he finally found the path to his release. But Geralt was trying him, forcing his hand at patience and restraint. Long, slow thrusts down, driving them further into truly becoming one. His mind frayed at the edges, electric tendrils sparking alight as Geralt’s pace just barely, minutely started to falter, both of them finding themselves at the edge of their patience.

And as Geralt was ruining Eskel, Eskel blabbered endlessly about how good Geralt was. How he loved seeing that floaty look in Geralt's eyes at dinner, knowing Geralt was trusting him entirely. Fuck, how good he looked when he came, and how Eskel could hardly control himself.

Eskel knew how to make it go a little faster. Geralt admired Eskel’s patience, it was something that had cradled him during the hardest days and the warmest times. Especially since Geralt had the patience of a hamster. All it took was a little... tactile persuasion.

Eskel’s hands found those same marks on Geralt’s hips that he had left behind earlier in the evening and fucking lifted him, dropping him back down as Eskel’s cock drove into him at the pace he’d been chasing so desperately.

Geralt slid his hips up and down, taking off at a breakneck pace that Eskel encouraged with wordless gasps and huffs from the depths of his lungs. Their skin slapped hard, Eskel’s shouts of pleasure tearing from his throat nearly drowning out Geralt’s sighs and quiet groans in response.

Geralt tried to keep control, to keep Eskel worn thin and ragged. But Eskel had at least 50 pounds of muscle on him, and besides, Geralt was fucking weak for being a little manhandled like he was nothing. He could feel every shudder that worked its way beneath Eskel’s skin, calling out to him and enticing him closer and closer to his own release.

“E-Esk-” Geralt breathed, his thighs quaking and his stomach clenching with anticipation of what was about to spill from his lips. “Ta...take what you need. F-fuck me, go on-”

Eskel ground his hips up, shoving his cock deep within Geralt with a dull roar that clawed its way from his throat and into the static air that dripped with their arousals. Eskel sat up and wrapped his arms around Geralt’s waist, his fingers digging into the hollows at his shoulder blades before twisting them around, practically throwing Geralt down onto the bed and hovering over him.

His hair, soft and curled at the ends, dripping beads of sweat onto Geralt’s cheeks, hung down in curtains that bounced and flailed as Eskel ploughed into Geralt. He was mindless, everything he ever wanted to know was hurtling towards him relentlessly from where it was tucked away inside of Geralt. Eskel would follow Geralt to the very ends of the Earth, and Melitele’s tits, it fucking felt like he was about to find that threshold.

Their arousal kept building, bouncing and amplifying off of each other, neither of them able to so much as think further than the immediate moment. Completely lost, with only each other to guide them. It was an overwhelming, all encompassing euphoria that just refused to reach a peak. They sprinted together, needing just that one last little push to finally plummet into blissful oblivion.

It was Geralt who finally spoke, husky whispers as his nails scratched along Eskel’s scalp, clawing at his hair in an effort to find something to hang on to. His bottom lip was swollen from where he’d been biting it, and the words tumbled off of his tongue unbidden. “Esk-love, p…please-“

Geralt didn’t often beg. But when he did? It was almost exclusively when Eskel was balls deep inside of him. And Eskel was weak for it.

The fucking sound that Eskel made when he climaxed was world-shattering, to say the least. A growl torn up from his chest that bursted into a shout, followed by high, breathy gasps into Geralt’s mouth. Eskel’s eyes screwed shut as he ground deep, his hips stuttering and his jaw flexing and shaking as his climax overtook him. Geralt felt the vibrations of Eskel’s chest where it pressed into his own, and when Eskel finally leaned down and mashed his lips to Geralt’s:that’s what finally set him off.

Geralt’s cock flexed and his legs shook where they were wrapped around Eskel’s waist, hot white spurts of spend shooting out of him. Nothing outside of that moment mattered, there was nothing that existed other than the heavy weight of Eskel resting atop him and grinding as he spilled into Geralt. Geralt’s body shook with waves of pleasure that threatened to send him into an impossible spiral into endless euphoria.

Eskel dragged his hands along Geralt’s sides, pressing his lips to any and every inch of skin that he could reach as their orgasms faded, leaving them dripping sweat and breathlessly gasping into each other.

“Damn,” Eskel panted, his voice hoarse and lined with velvet. “Geralt, you came on the sheets again.”

“Fuck,” Geralt twisted his head around, finding the small pools of his spend seeping into the dark maroon of their sheets. He grinned and stuck his tongue out, lapping up a few drops of spend from where it had spattered onto Eskel’s chin. “You love it. I’ll throw the laundry in before I go to work tomorrow.”

“We gotta get better about puttin’ the towel down,” Eskel sighed, resting his forehead down onto Geralt’s. He felt the occasional stunted flutter of Geralt’s ass around his softening cock and fuck he was so warm and good and everything Eskel could ever dream to want.

“Sheet’s are already fucked, go ahead and pull out,” Geralt murmured, trailing his fingers through Eskel’s hair and twisting around the ends.

“What if I wanna keep it in? Just for a bit,” Eskel rumbled, brushing their noses together and blinking his bright golden eyes with just enough softness to melt Geralt’s heart.

Geralt hummed and ran his hands down Eskel’s flanks. “I like when you keep me full. I could take a little nap like this.”

“Go ahead,” Eskel whispered, watching Geralt’s eyelids flutter diligently. “Rest, love. You know I’ll still be here come morning.”

Geralt shook his head and huffed from his nose. “Nuh-uh. W-wanna just hold you. Like this.”

They lay together like that for a long while, Eskel wrapped up in a tight warmth and feeling Geralt’s hands slowly track up and down and across the planes of his back. Everything was so soft, so warm, and watching Geralt’s eyes slowly drift shut, stubbornly blinking back open before falling closed, was lulling him into that liminal space that drifted just before sleep.

“L-“ Geralt cleared his throat and pressed his lips to the corner of Eskel’s mouth, right in the crook of his scar. “Love you, Esk.”

Eskel rolled them to the side and tucked Geralt into his chest, shifting their legs so that Eskel’s soft cock could still rest nestled inside of Geralt. “Love you too, Geralt. Endlessly.”