#and although his body hair is probably a little darker than that i doubt it’s red

[paintedpeeta]

How hairy is peeta do you think

this question caught me off guard because honestly I’ve never though about it before 💀

but thinking back the only time peeta’s body hair is referenced, is when Katniss reminiscences about washing him by the stream in their first games;

“-in the arena at least some of the boys got to keep their body hair whereas none of the girls did. I can remember Peeta’s now, as I bathed him by the stream. Very blond in the sunlight, once the mud and blood had been washed away. Only his face remained completely smooth.” [catching fire, chapter 4]

and to me that makes me think he’s pretty hairy 💀 she says he’s very blond in the sunlight (not ginger, sorry to the ladies who like that, but katniss clearly says his body hair is blond) and also that only his face is smooth - which sounds like he’s sort of covered, at least sparsely, in hair.

[marvelwitchergilmore]

Wedding Day Disaster

Summary; Dean Winchester x Fe!OC (but feel free to see yourself as OC) ~ After a wedding disaster, Alice finds herself in a popular road house making friends with the owner...

Warning; Fluff, illusions to smut, kissing, mentions of cheating, violence, swearing.

The night was darker than ever. The rain had been pouring for a few hours earlier, as the darkness had been rolling in but now it was mostly bone dry anywhere you looked. 

Ignoring the ringing of her phone and the material of her dress, Alice pulled in on the right down a small country road. She could see the taillights of a car just a few meters ahead of her and by the time she rolled into park, there were easily a dozen or more cars in the same positon as hers. Though, she highly doubted any of the passengers inside of them were going through what she was right this moment. 

Clicking the button of her seatbelt, she opened up the door, locked the car behind her and walked inside. Some of the couples outside looked at her for a few more seconds than she would have liked but soon went back to smoking their cigarettes and chatting away. 

It was the same inside. People stared. The small moments of silence were defening to her as she passed a couple of tables but people tried their best to carry on their conversations. She was just glad she hadn’t gone with the ballgown when shopping with her mother and aunt 8 months ago. 

The bartender, however...well, his silence was the most defening. But also the most comforting. His green eyes had spotted her the moment she got out of her car. The white dress making her stand out like a sore thumb. He watched as she made her way over to the bar and before she could even sit down, he already had a glass on the counter top and a bottle of whiskey pouring a double.

She took the glass in the hand and downed the lot in two gulps before placing the glass down. And he did the same again. And so did she. 

“Thank you.” Alice managed to say once the burning of the liquor stopped. 

“Just yell if you need anything. The name’s Dean.”

“Alice.”

Dean nodded and went back to work, serving multiple customers at a time whilst she sat in the corner of the bar, looking around her. People were having fun, laughing, smiling, drinking, arguing, playing games. There were a couple of navy officers in the corner playing pool -- they must have been travelling through the town. Maybe they had come back home?

Alice wasn’t really keeping track of time. She just looked down at her phone and the numbers in brackets beside each caller ID. 

8 missed calls from Mom. 17 missed calls from Sadie. 6 missed calls from Husband. 

I should probably change that. 

With a few clicks, although hesitant, Alice changed the Caller ID back to what it had been when she first met him. Ronny. 

The bastard. The lying, cheating-

“Hey,” 

Alice jumped a little and looked up from the trunk of her car. She had left the bar a few minutes ago in search of something a tad more comfortable. 

“Hi.” Alice replied to Dean before she began to rummage through the trunk again. She had to have some clothes somewhere.

“I thought you might want to borrow these.” Dean held out a pile of clothes consisting of jeans, an plaid overshirt, an old t-shirt and a belt. “I’m not trying to be creepy. I just want to help.”

Alice scanned Dean’s face and body for a moment. She didn’t get this feeling very often, but she knew she could trust him. She couldn’t just quiet put her finger on why, though. Maybe it was a ‘just because’. 

“Thanks.” Alice smiled, taking the pile from his hands. She moved back and sat down on the rim of the trunk, placing the pile on her lap and streching out his legs. 

Dean was cautious as he sat down beside her, streching out his own legs and folding his arms across his chest. 

Alice looked up from the ground, shaking her head to move the hair from her eyes so she could see the stars above her. “Go ahead, ask. I know you want to.”

Dean shook his head and tried his best to lie. “N-No. I-I don’t want to-”

“Dean.” Alice looked at him. “Just ask. I know you’re dying to.”

Dean gave a sorry smile. “Okay. What are you doing in a wedding dress in a place like this? Unless your groom is running late?”

“Well,” Alice sighed. “I was meant to be getting married today, at 2 o’clock this afternoon. Only, when he was meant to be getting ready to meet me down the isle, he was getting undressed with one of my bridesmaid’s helping him.”

“Ooh.”

“You said it.” Alice chuckled. “Yeah, after..half an hour of silent-shock, yelling and enough cursing to make even a sailor blush, I got in my car and started driving.”

“How long were you two together?”

“Nearly 6 years.” Alice explained. “Got engaged after 4. We were going to get married last year but the venue fell through and it was where my parents wanted to hold it so, we had to wait.”

Dean nodded, letting the following silence settle for a few moments before speaking. 

“Well, there’s a bathroom on the otherside of the bar where you can get changed and there’s enough liquor to make you forget your own name. What do you say? See you there in 30?”

Alice looked down to her dress for a moment before looking up to Dean. “Better make it 20.”

Dean smiled, clapped his hands and stood up. “Well, then.” Dean held out his hand and helped Alice up. “I’ll see you in 20.”

He saw her in 15. 

She left the bathroom with her white gown drapped over her arm in the dress bag from her trunk while the clothing she borrowed was a little big on her but she made it work. Besides, it was more comfortable. 

In the bathroom mirror, she had removed the golden pins from her hair and let the curles in her hair fall around her face. If this day had gone any other way, she would think she looked pretty...whimsical. Dreamy. Like in the way you look in a morning and find the love of your life cooking breakfast. Dreamy in the way that you see yourself how they see you on a Sunday morning. 

Alice pulled half of her hair back and pinned it up without thinking about it. Some of her baby hairs still fell, framing her face. And, finally, with the use of a small make-up bag from her trunk, she removed her fancy make-up from her face before drying it. 

Now she looked more like herself. 

“That was quick. You look good, by the way.” Dean said as he moved around behind the bar and popped the caps off a couple of beers before passing them to each customer. 

“Thanks.”

“So? What’s your poison?”

“Beer. Please.” 

“Coming up.”

Within seconds, a beer was infront of her and she took a swig of the alcohol. “So? Where do you want to begin?”

“I don’t know. Where do you want me to begin?”

“How about the beginning?” Dean asked, looking to her as he mixed a cocktail. 

Alice smiled. “The beginning is probably always the best place to start.”

So Alice begun. And Dean listened. Throughout it all. 

She started from when she had first met Ronny. There wasn’t much to say so she soon skipped to the engagment and everything that happened between then and the wedding. 

“Ronny’s a dick. You deserve better.” 

Alice smiled. “Thanks. I think you’re the first to say that to me. Well, second. Sadie would have said the same if we had time to talk before I left.”

“Why? What did you folks say?” But Alice didn’t answer straight away. Instead, she stood up and lifted the door to the bar. 

“What are you doing?”

More, many more customers had arrived sicne Alice walked through the doors. “I’m helping. You’re working alone back here and can’t serve everyone all at once. Though you are trying hard to prove otherwise.”

Dean studied her for a moment before walking backwards and pulling a dishtowel from the lower cupboard handle. 

“You ever worked in a bar before?”

“Not to my parents knowledge.”

Dean smirked and walked towards her before placing the towel over her shoulder. “Okay then.”

Alice began taking orders and soon found herself in competiton with Dean. Customers egging them on. 

“She’s making a mockery out of you, boy.” An older Irish gentleman mocked causing both Dean and Alcie to look at one another and chuckle.

“She sure is, Henry. She sure is.”

This continued throughout the night until eventually people began to head home and Dean began to clean up, Alice helping by clearing the tables and turning the chairs upside down onto the tops before moving to bolt the door. 

Dean poured them both a shot each before replacing the bottle. Lifting his glass, Alice did the same. 

“To...new beginning?”

Alice smiled. “To new beginning.”

The both downed the shot and turned the glasses over. 

“So, tell me.” Dean began. “What do your folks think of all of this?”

“They thought I should still marry him.” Alice fixed herself on one of the barstools, folding over her dishtowel as Dean kept his eyes on her and moved backwards to place back the bottles of liquor they had used. 

“You’re kidding!”

Alice shook her head with a light smile. It was nice to know someone other than Sadie and herself disagreed with her parents. 

“I am not.” Alice replied. “My mom pulled me aside, me thinking she was about to tell me I should maybe have a drink to take the edge off...but no. She was telling me I should forget it happened. After all,” Suddenly Alice took on a tone which signaled to Dean that these were not her words but rather her mother’s. “A girl like me is only so lucky to find a guy who likes me the way Ronny does.”

“Shit. She really said that?”

“She really said that.” Alice nodded, looking down. “Maybe that’s why I stuck with it for so long. I got so many of the same comments growing up. You’ll never find a guy if you dress like that. You’ll never get a job with a mouth like that.”

“Well, you’ve always got a job here. After tonight, any roadhouse would be lucky to have you pouring the drinks.” It sounded odd, but Alice took it as a compliment. 

“Thanks.”

“You got a place to stay?”

“I saw a motel about half a mile up the road so I’ll stay there until I sort something out.” 

Dean raised his eyebrows. “You’re staying in town?”

“Might aswell.” Alice shrugged. “The company I work for, they had an opening pop up about a week ago. Make a few calls, find an apartment, a fresh start?”

“Are you not meant to take a mourning period?”

Alice shrugged again. “Maybe. Probably. But right now I’m too tired and too angry to cry. Thank you, Dean. For everything.”

“You know where I am if you need me.” Dean smiled before Alice left. 

However, as she got to the door, she quickly turned back and hugged him. “I mean it. Thank you.”

Dean smiled. “Anytime, Alice.”

“G’night, Dean.”

“Night, Alice.”

Over the following months, Alice worked through...everything. 

After spending two weeks crying - out of frustration, anger or sadness, she didin’t know - she called Sadie and had her go to her shared apartment and get her stuff out. Sadie wouldn’t have any trouble with running into Ronny since he got on the place and jetted off to Cuba for three weeks with the bridesmaid he’d been sleeping with for the last 10 months. 

Sadie sent everything belonging to Alice to her in a couple of boxes which Dean helped her sort through. 

There were a few items she wanted to keep, like photos of herself and her friends, but the rest of it...she either donated or drove to an old scrap yard which was Dean’s surprise one late Thurday, and beat the crap and smashed up each piece that could be. 

After that, Alice conversed with Sadie to make sure her trnasfer was made as quickly and as smoothly as it could be before herself and Dean went apartment hunting. 

Every place Alice went on her own, something felt off with each apartment and she always found it. She didn’t know what it was but she knew it was something. It was the water, or the electrics. So, when Dean offered his help, she accepted. 

And she soon found it. 

It was a two bedroom apartment, although the second bedroom wasn’t big enough to fit a human adult and their belongings so she would turn it into an office. Dean helped her shop Ikea and a few other places to pick out her furniture and appliances, him pushing the cart as she checked things off her list. She even helped him score a date in Target. 

Although, she prevented one from happening when he helped her move in. 

“Ow, what?” Dean asked, holding his arm where Alice had smacked his arm.

“You are not sleeping with someone who lived a few doors down. I’m not even moved in yet and I don’t want her asking me why you didn’t call her last night.”

“But she could be my future wife,” Dean argued.

“Well, if she is, then talk to her at the Roadhouse. She comes in every Tuesday.”

“But I’m busy.”

“You made time for me on a Saturday night. If you really want to talk to her, then you’ll find a way. Now, how do we set up this bookshelf?”

The pair of them fell asleep that night in the living room, Dean covering Alice up with a blanket before doing the same with himself. 

And then, after six months, Alice got a surprise. 

Alice and Dean were tidying the place up since someone had come in and made an offer to Dean he couldn’t refuse, to hold a surprise birthday party/engagment party for a couple in town so the place would be filled with the regulars and their families. 

Except, as they were cleaning and setting up for the next day, someone walked in whilst Dean had his back to the counter and Alice was in the back.

“We’re closed. Come back tomorrow- No. Day after tomorrow. We’re closed then, too.” Dean called out as he closed the cash register. 

“Please, this will only take a second.”

Dean turned around as he flipped the dish towel over his shoulder. “Bar’s closed. Go home.”

“Please. Just...I’m looking for Alice-” The guy, who Dean didn’t like on sight, stopped talking as Alice came from the back, carrying a case of beers. 

“Ronald.”

He smiled. And it made Alice’s stomach queezy. “Alice. You...You’re looking...well.”

Alice rolled her eyes and slammed the case on the counter, Dean knowing better than to stand in her way. He quickly stepped back as she tore open the cardboard case and unloaded the beers into the fridge. 

“Ever the complimenter, Ronald.”

“What ever happened to Ronny?” He joked but the look Alice shot him, he quickly shut up with that angle. 

Ronny was brutally tortured and killed before being brought back to life only to die again because it was the lesser fate. 

“I was hoping we could talk...privately.”

“Speak.”

“Er...Alice. I said privately.” 

“And I said, Speak.” Alice stopped packing the beers and lent her hands on the lower bar. 

Dean stood back and watched what unfolded. How painfully awkward it was and how, by the end of the 10 minute conversation -- not that Dean was timing it or anything -- Ronny walked out with his tail between his legs and, after listening to the shouts and few swear words leave Alice’s mouth, he realised there was no chance in hell she’d ever go back to him. 

Alice waited until his car had left the lot and his tail-lights disappeared onto the main road before she turned around and sunk her hands into her face. 

“You okay?”

Alice removed her hands and nodded, folding her arms around herself. “Yeah. I’m sorry you had to-”

“Oh, no. Don’t be. That was...awesome.”

Alice smiled. “Thanks.”

Suddenly, Dean was in front of her, holding her close in a hug. God, she needed that. She needed that hug. She needed to yell at him once more. She needed...this.

And she would have. For another four years...until it became more than she expected. 

It had been a busy night filled with laughter, dancing and music. 

It was Henry’s second retirement party since his other one lasted all around 5 minutes before he was off to work again. He’d been driving his wife mad being stuck inside the house all day with nothing to do. 

“This one will stick.”

“You keep telling yourself that, Henry.”

The banter continued all night and, as the time creeped closer to 10, Henry and his old friends from work called Dean over across the bar. 

“When are you going to ask her?”

“Ask who?” Dean asked. 

Henry nodded over to Alice who was currently talking to Henry’s daughter who was holding their own baby in their arms. 

“Ask Alice. To dance. Good lord man! Have you not asked the girl out yet?”

“I think she’d kill me if I did.” Dean joked. 

“Go on, lad. Ask the girl.” Henry slammed his hand down on the bar. “Or Holt here might just beat you to it.”

Dean looked back with a smile before looking back, placing down his towel and walking over. 

“That’s it, lad.”

“Alice!”

Alice turned around as Dean came closer. “Care to dance?”

“Didn’t think you did.”

“Maybe I just needed the right partner.” Dean suggested which, if she was being honest, sent butterflies fluttering around her stomach. 

“Okay then.”

Soon the pair found themselves on the dance floor, dancing along to the music as the band played and sung away. The music was from the 40s. Although not exactly Dean’s type, he didn’t much care. He was with Alice and that was all that mattered. 

Alice was spun out and spun in, and even dipped in Dean’s arms as they danced along. It helped that both were dressed as though from that ear or similar. It had been one of Henry’s requests. For everyone to dress as they once had, back in the day. 

He’d never admit it, but he was a sentimentalist. 

And this retirement would probably last a week at most. 

Only, something seemed to change when the music changed to something slower. Holding each other close, temples pressed together. Dean never thought he would be doing this. Falling in love. Dancing. Wishing he could spend every day with Alice.

He could hear Henry’s voice in the back of his head as he quoted Leap Year. “Dammit man,” he’d slap his hand on the counter, “Kiss the girl.”

That had been a few years ago now. Maybe 2? But he gave that speech almost every week. 

Eventually, the night drew to a close and the pair found themselves in a situation that happened every Saturday night or thereabouts. 

Alice began clearing the tables and flipping the chairs before moving to bolt the door, meanwhile Dean cleared away the glasses, replace the bottles of liquor but not before pouring them both a shot each. 

Dean walked around and met Alice on the other side of the bar before handing her the shot. 

“To Henry.”

“To Henry.” Alice smiled before clinking her glass against Dean’s and both of them downing it. 

Dean sat with his back to the bolted door whilst Alice sat in front of him.

“How long do you think this one will last?”

“I’d give him 4 days. Tops. Grady was telling me Henry’s already started looking in the Newspaper. He thinks she doesn’t know, but she does.”

Dean smiled. “That’s Henry for you.”

Dean watched as Alice looked around the roadhouse. 

“What is it?”

“Nothing,” Alice smiled. “Just...this place.”

“What about this place?” Dean asked. 

“If you had told me 4 years ago that this is where I would spend all my time...”

Dean looked around. “Same. I bought this place on a whim, what, 10 years ago? But I wouldn’t want to change a thing.”

“Not even one thing?”

As they looked at one another, everything of the last four years...every moment, every look, every thought, smile and laughter came into one and, between looked from each other’s eyes to lips and back again multiple times. It all finally came together. 

It was odd, but not because it was bad. Because it was good. 

Alice pulled back, but not too far before she leaned in again. By the end of their second kiss, they both pulled back and after a beat, they smiled. This was it. They were always meant to be friends first but this...together, it felt right. 

Both leaned in back again, this time, smiling and more than ready. The kisses grew more heated, Dean standing with his hands pulling Alice in closer by her face and neck. 

A small moan came from Alice’s throat as Dean suddenly lifted her, as she went to stand up, and placed her on the countertop of the bar, his hands roaming her body, pulling her closer as Alice’s hands went around his neck and into his hair. 

Between the kisses, Alice managed to speak -- though she was seconds from completely never being able to speak again. 

“Upstairs.” More kisses. “Now.”

Dean half smirked, half smiled. “Yes, ma’am.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

The morning light slowly faded in. Above the headboard of his bed lay a window, looking out across the land and hills in the distance. The curtains lay open a little wider since Dean woke up. The light came in with waves of glitter that shimmered above them. 

He didn’t know how long he’d been awake. Maybe half an hour? But he wouldn’t move an inch. Beside him, Alice was still asleep and he wouldn’t move for the world. 

“Morning.”

Dean turned his head and found Alice awake, and smiled. “Morning.”

Alice smiled back before burying her head downwards. Dean turned to his side and kissed her forehead with a chuckle. Alice could feel his smile against her skin with the rumble of his voice. 

“You’re beautiful.”

Alice soon looked back up, the pair just watching one another until the other made the first move. 

Alice lent up for a moment, kissing his lips before bringing her hand to his cheek to draw him in closer. Is this what she’d been missing for the last four years?

Dean and herself both smiled into the kiss but before Alice could pull him in closer, he made the first move. Alice found herself lying on her back as Dean’s arms wrapped securely around her and deepened the kiss. 

Neither could ask for anything better.

[apompkwrites]

love in their own way || albedo, childe, xiao, zhongli

masterlist characters: albedo, childe, xiao, zhongli genre: fluff summary: in which their s/o's aren't as forward about their emotions, but still manage to have their little tells that express their love. notes: i hope this meets the request! i had a lot of fun writing this! i just want the boys to be happy :)

albedo -

i like to think albedo is secretly clingy but doesn't allow himself to show it to anyone.

naturally, it's just because he's always holed up with his work.

when he consciously does it... it's because he's nervous.

remember the end of his quest when he's talking to himself at dragonspine?

that's why he's nervous.

anyway!!

he's not too bothered by the fact that you're more reserved.

he has a lot of work so he can't really dwell on the idea for too long.

just you being there when he's working is good enough for him :D

as we all know, this boy is very into experimentation and learning.

so trying to decipher your minuscule facial changes is actually really interesting to him!

he has a bunch of notes just on the little details he can find about you.

and since he's so observant, it doesn't take him long to realize that there are certain signs that only appear around him.

he'll notice them when he's painting you.

whenever he's waiting for results, he'll use the time to draw you <3

because he's done this, he practically has you memorized.

so imagine his surprise when he sees your expression change whenever he leaves your sight.

it takes him a while to actually be able to see this, but i'm sure it's because of timaeus and sucrose.

after all, they're around you a lot whenever albedo is busy.

they probably take a picture to show him something they did while he was gone and that's when he notices.

he doesn't even have to look at a different picture of you.

he can just tell you look different.

the little crinkle next to your eyes was gone.

your lips were more pursed than usual.

you now had a crease in between your brows you didn't have before.

the next time he sees you, he'll hold up the picture next to your face to confirm they're different.

he wants to ask why there's a "clear" difference in your appearance but he already knows why.

he'll ask you just to be sure, though--

your cheeks get a tiny tiny bit darker when you answer wholeheartedly.

it does make him chuckle when he hears that you're so smitten for him in your monotonous voice.

the picture sucrose and timaeus took isn't his favorite of you, so he ends up taking a new one when you two are both exploring dragonspine.

it's a reminder of how much you really love him <3

childe -

out of the four boys here, he's definitely (in my opinion) the most affectionate.

like, this boy will take whatever he can get to just hold you for a second.

especially if you're also from snezhnaya but came all the way to liyue to keep him company.

he's very family-oriented as we've seen, so he treasures these relationships.

now, with an unaffectionate s/o?

honestly, i don't think he'd be too upset about it.

like i said, he really treasures these familial relationships.

because of this, it's his top priority to make sure you feel comfortable in the relationship.

he won't necessarily keep his distance, but he won't be too clingy either.

he'll stand right beside you, enough to where you can almost feel his skin touching yours.

as for your expressionlessness...

it'll take him a bit to really understand how you're feeling.

it's a lot of communication because he doesn't want to mess anything up.

near the beginning of the relationship, he'd ask how you're feeling and if there's anything bothering you.

but once he finally notices the subtle differences in your face, such as a slight eyebrow raise or a tilt of the head, he'll be able to read you easier.

nothing too complex, but just enough for him to tell your emotions.

there is one subtle change that he always looks for, however.

he's realized, with the help of zhongli of course, that there is a specific characteristic that only happens when he's in your line of sight.

your lips are normally pressed in a fine line.

however, around him, the corners lift up ever-so-slightly.

the only reason he's able to see it is that he'll catch himself staring at your lips because he wants a kiss :)

once he sees that, he starts noticing your little quirks whenever you're around him.

you'll lean closer to him as you're walking through liyue harbor.

your eyes start to soften as he talks on and on about his day (and complains about scaramouche--).

he loves the idea that all of these little details about you only happen around him,

it makes him feel... important.

and loved.

even if he holds back from touching you, he'll settle for seeing your cold exterior melt around him.

xiao -

he's not too well versed in affection...

i mean, he's the vigilant yaksha that is known for being stoic just like you are.

you two are basically carbon copies of each other.

no affection and no clear expressions of love.

people (who know both you and xiao) often forget that you two are actually together.

like, they just think you two sit in silence when you're both tired of dealing with people.

they... aren't necessarily wrong.

the two of you are often found sitting at the balcony looking over liyue.

sometimes you bring him almond tofu to share :)

it's very rare for the two of you to actively show your love for each other, mainly because you both know your feelings.

although... xiao does have those moments.

it's not like he's completely oblivious to the whispers about you two.

and on the days where his karma acts up, he gets insecure.

he's... really scared that one day you'll leave just like the others.

it doesn't matter if you're a mortal or an adeptus, he's scared that one day he'll wake up and you'll be gone.

and if that ever comes, he's scared you'll pass on either doubting your feelings or his.

it doesn't help when he notices the difference in your attitude and appearance when he's around.

his first instinct is that he's doing something bad.

either you're angry or upset at his mere existence...

verr goldet's the one who has to explain why you seem different.

she's quite observant on her own, especially because you're the first person that xiao actively enjoys being around.

she'll be the one to tell him that it isn't because you're mad at him.

you have minuscule changes because that's how xiao makes you feel.

you're so soft around him and she can tell just from the small interactions she's seen of you.

for example, when you're talking to the chef downstairs, you have the same expression that xiao has when he's talking to people.

you're annoyed but you know how to handle it.

but when you're around xiao, it's like everything that bothers you disappears.

it's like you're in your own domain whenever he's around.

nothing else matters except for him.

and even if she's relying on small observations and pure intuition, she can tell that the changes are good.

your eyes that seem to look anywhere besides the person you are talking to are completely different from the ones that seem to only focus on xiao.

your normally stiff body relaxes every time you summon xiao at the balcony.

the tiny smile that graces your lips when you disappear to the top of the inn for hours on end.

verr goldet's explanation calms his heart.

his worries seem to disappear and the next time he sees you...

this is the one thing his karma can't take away. he'll be sure of it.

zhongli -

zhongli is also another person who isn't well versed in relationships.

although he isn't as inexperienced as xiao, it'll take some time for him to figure it out.

he's not someone who craves affection like it's the only thing keeping him alive.

he definitely would appreciate it but he completely understands that it isn't something you tend to give.

so instead, he'll show his love in the smaller things.

such as telling you stories, sharing tea, going out on walks, etc.

he's another person who is very observant, especially in people close to him.

his storytelling friends often ask him about your relationship with one another.

they try to bring it to his attention that you may not be as interested as he thinks you are.

of course, he'll simply laugh them off and tell them that they should listen to the person who knows you best.

he'll turn those questions into a big story and explain how they're mistaken about you.

he's never actively told anyone this, save for hu tao who tries to bug him into telling her, but he'll tell them about all of the tiny details that tell him your feelings.

when you're feeling upset, you puff out your cheeks a small bit.

when you're angry, your glare hardens at whatever is making you mad.

when you're happy, your lips part slightly.

when you're in love... well, that's a detail he'll keep for himself.

he's quick to say goodbye to his peers, practically rushing back to your shared home.

he's greeted by you as soon as he opens the door.

your stoic expressions... would be exactly the same to anyone else.

but to him, it's like you've lit up like a small puppy seeing their human parents come home after years.

you don't run up to him, but you turn to look at him and away from the book on the table.

he'll greet you with a quiet nod, pulling out the chair and sitting next to you.

he'll take the book from you, taking in your appearance for a moment.

your shoulders relax by a hair and you move your chair an inch closer to his.

you don't lean your head on his shoulder but you lean towards him as if you were about to.

it's these moments that make everything worth it to zhongli.

here, in your home and in your life, he's simply zhongli.

the man you fell in love with and allowed your reserved self to open up to.

and he would trade anything just to have these moments with you.

[novamirmirsblog]

No more bed

Word count: 2113

Genre: Not actually sure :3

Request: No

Warnings: Swearing, kissing?

A/N that's the end of the only one bed trope. Technically requests are now closed but if you think of another overused trope you want me to write then feel free to send it in!

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

You didn't eat that night and went straight to bed when you got too tired to focus on the words. You had made sure the pillow wall was twice the size it was to begin with. You turned off your light when you heard Natasha's footsteps come to the door, turning your back to her and pretending to be asleep. Your breaths were deep and completely even, there was no way Natasha could have guessed you were still awake. You felt her hesitate over you and the smell of reheated food invaded your nose and then heard her walk away.

The words she said back in that forest shouldn't have hurt you as much but they did. You shouldn't care what she thinks. It doesn't matter that she doesn't believe in your skills as an agent, that she doesn't think you're pretty enough to grab someone's attention.

If Natasha thought the bickering and coolness was bad at the start of the week, she was in for a shock. When she finally came back to that tiny, godforsaken bed and did her usual trick of sliding her foot over the pillow wall, you got up, took a pillow and the spare blanket and went to sleep on the rug in the living room.

When morning rolled around, you couldn't even be bothered to talk to her, focusing much more on the task ahead, just wanting this week to be over. It wasn't even the hurt you were feeling, it was the frustration that you felt hurt that drove you to stop talking to her. You hated her. She was annoying. She had no respect for anything anyone does.

You spent most the day preparing for the party that evening. Sure, it shouldn't take you over half a day to get ready but you had finished your paperwork early and you wanted to try on every single dress and suit SHIELD had supplied you with. You ended up choosing a navy blue, off the shoulder ball gown. Thinking logistically, it was quite possibly one of the worst things you could have worn. A pantsuit would have been a much more suitable choice and yet you looked and - more importantly - felt hot in the dress.

~~~~~

"You're not seriously wearing that are you?" Natasha asked as we both began to change into our formal wear. She had let you splurge out on a taxi but only after you had to walk what felt like 500 miles so no one would know where you were staying.

"Why not?" You asked with a fakeness in your voice "It's a no contact mission, plus, no one would look at me anyway, right?"

"Y/n, that's not what I-"

"Oh look. We're here." You get out the cab before Natasha can finish what she's saying.

Ivan might be an evil person, but he sure does know how to throw a party. It was elegant and high class and he made his way over to you as soon as he saw you. You had both agreed that you would keep him distracted while Natasha grabbed the relevant information.

"Dorogaya, u tebya poluchilos!" (Darling, you made it!) Ivan opened his arms wide, grabbed you by the shoulders and placed a kiss on both of your cheeks.

"Konechno, kak ya mog ignorirovat' takuyu ​​zagadku?" (Of course, how could I ignore something so mysterious?) You laughed and he moved his arm to around your waist.

"Prikhodite, prikhodite, yest' lyudi, kotorykh vy dolzhny vstretit'" (Come, come, there are people you should meet)

~~~~~

Ivan spent most the night introducing you to different 'modelling' agencies. You knew what he was doing, he was showing you off to potential buyers. Ivan ran a human trafficking ring along with some other not so nice business. You weren't worried - not in the slightest. Although, as the night drew on and Natasha still hadn't said anything, you were getting a little more... concerned.

You managed to excuse yourself to the bathroom. Once inside, you tapped the earpiece repeatedly, praying Natasha would answer you.

"Romanoff where are you? Have you got the data?"

Silence

"Seriously, I'm sorry I've been ignoring you but this is childish now."

More silence

"I'll let you have the bed?"

Static rang out in your ear.

Of course SHIELD gave you a crappy ear piece. It was ridiculous. They provided you with three million dresses but couldn't give you a working piece of tech.

Just as you pulled out the burner phone, you felt a needle slide into your neck and the world went black.

~~~~~

"Y/n I have the data."

Nothing. Maybe you were still mad at her.

"Y/n do you copy?"

Still nothing.

"Y/n?"

Natasha's heart beat a little faster.

"Come on Y/n. I'm sorry. I'll let you have the bed?" Her burner phone pinged. It was your location. Shit.

~~~~~

You woke up and looked around, seeing that you were in the rundown hideout, you put your head back on the pillow. Everything felt heavy.

"You were drugged." Natasha states, standing in the corner of the room, her arms crossed and eyes never leaving you.

"Oh." It was all you could muster up the energy to say.

"We leave tomorrow morning."

You push yourself up into a sitting position. "How long was I out?"

"3 hours."

You looked at Natasha, really looked at her. "Then why are you still covered in blood?"

Everything of Natasha's had some kind of bloodstain. She hadn't even washed her hands. It may have been dark in the corner she was standing in, having only the side lamp to illuminate the room, but her skin seemingly glowed, making the blood stand out.

She turned around and left, heading towards the bathroom. You wanted to get up to follow her but while your mouth worked again, your legs did not. Apparently whatever they used on you was a lot stronger than you thought because you fell out of the bed. Again. Natasha rushed out, getting to you in an instant, except this time there were no sly remarks.

"Careful princess, people might think you care." You grin, only for it to drop immediately when you saw a slight wetness to the corners of her eyes. "Hey, it's okay." You said softly. If she wasn't as close to you, Natasha would have missed it.

"I didn't know where you were. I-I thought you had gone off to try and prove something and then I saw you lying there, in some basement Ivan had. You-you looked so... dead."

"But I'm not." you reached up and gingerly stroked her hair, not wanting to spook her. "And look!" You gestured to your toes that were wiggling "I can feel my legs again!"

Natasha let out a slightly wet laugh. "I'm really sorry."

"For what? These things happen all the time. Although I will say, you seem to be unlucky because my missions always go wrong with you." You nudged her shoulder, crossing your legs so you faced her, both of you still on the floor.

"For making you think you weren't attractive. For basically drugging you myself."

"Don't be ridiculous Natasha. You didn't drug me."

"I might as well have done! If I had just agreed with you instead of fighting you, then you wouldn't have felt like you had to prove anything."

"You think I'm attractive?"

"Seriously? That's what we're choosing to focus on now."

"Umm yes? I know it wasn't your fault at all but now I want to hear about how attractive I am." You smirked and Natasha stood up abruptly.

"I'm having a shower."

"Is that a nice cold shower for you to try to get over me?" You shouted as she slammed the door shut.

~~~~~

Natasha came out of the shower half an hour later, towel drying her hair.

"I think you're attractive too." You whispered out, half hoping Natasha wouldn't hear it.

She stilled. Looking at you, trying to see if you were lying.

"Then why do you hate me?"

"I don't think I do. Not anymore."

Natasha stayed silent, encouraging you to continue.

"I didn't like the avengers in general. You guys all act like you're so much better than us. You get all the perks of looking good and none of the paperwork. You don't know the amount of times I've seen top level agents filling out avenger paperwork when they should be out in the field. I thought you were all lazy but spending this week with you... well it made me realise that maybe you're not all that bad."

Natasha had moved herself to the bed, just watching you speak. You looked over to her, signalling that you had finished all that you wanted to say.

"I'm sorry I ever made you doubt yourself. I'll talk to the team about actually doing their paperwork. Who's the worst?" She asked, curiosity laced in her tone

"Steve."

Natasha let out a full blown laugh at that. "Wait seriously?"

"Yup. I see him all the time, constantly trying to offload his paperwork to someone else. I always thought it would be Tony but it's definitely Steve, then Bruce. Then it's probably Tony."

"I promise I'll try to make them stop."

"I wouldn't make promises you can't keep." You laughed.

"Why...why did you doubt me?" You asked, a little more serious than before.

"It's not that I doubted you... I guess I just didn't like the way you spoke to Ivan..."

"You mean the flirting?"

"Maybe..."

You sat in silence for a bit, you couldn't figure out why. It's not like it was against any rules and it all worked in your favour. Then, it clicked.

"Natasha Romanoff were you jealous!" You let out a slight gasp and grinned at her.

"No. No of course not." Natasha got defensive. There was no way she was jealous of that old, wrinkly, nasty smelling man.

"Aww princess!" You adjusted yourself so you were completely facing her. "I can flirt with you too if you want." Your voice got slightly lower and your eyelids dropped a fraction, making your pupils seem bigger. While you raised your voice a few octaves for Ivan, you knew that to seduce a woman you had to lower it a little.

"Stop it." Natasha hit you.

"But why baby?" You grabbed her chin and tilted her face towards you. "Now you don't have to be jealous." You sent her a wink and let her chin go, watching as her eyes got a little darker.

"Go away. I want nothing to do with you or your terrible flirting."

"You say my flirting is terrible" Your voice now back to normal, "But your body is saying something different."

"Wrong. My body is saying nothing."

"No?"

No."

"Okay then! Night night princess." You leant over to switch off the light when Natasha grabbed your arm, causing you to look back over to her.

"Calling me princess... it - ugh... well it -" Natasha looked conflicted before glancing up to you, looking at your lips and kissing you.

You were shocked. You knew you shouldn't have been. All the signs were there and you were a very good flirt but actually feeling her lips on yours made your brain short-circuit. You kissed her back and climbed into her lap.

"We're not doing it here." You said when you both broke the kiss

"Why not?" Natasha looked at you, her hands running all over you.

"Because I'm 90% sure there are rats and I really don't want to catch something"

Natasha laughed and kissed you a little more. "Fair enough. We should stop this now then."

You kissed her neck. "Yes. We should definitely stop now."

~~~~~

Just before you were due to leave, you called Natasha into the bedroom.

"Y/n, we have to go."

"I know I know but watch." You bounced excitedly as you threw a match at the bed.

"Y/n what the hell!?"

"Well, if you remember correctly, I said that if you crossed the pillow divide, I would burn the bed with you in it. As you can see, I'm generously leaving you out of the bed. You're welcome."

Natasha just looked at you. "I can't believe I like you."

"Aww you like me? That's kind of embarrassing for you." You laughed as you linked arms with her, walking to the jet, but not before Natasha convinced you to put out the fire on the bed.

You watched as the fire fizzled out and silently thanked that damn bed for bringing you and Natasha closer. Literally. It didn't mean you weren't going to have a long chat with Fury about proper size beds though.

[sweetlycreations]

perfect place - n.jaemin

Pairing: na jaemin x female!reader

wc: 1.1k

:jaemin didn’t really have that much faith in fate, but how else was he at the perfect place at the perfect time

piano serenaded him through your home, fainted candles burning followed by the smell of spices wafting through the air. he didn’t know how or when he became so lucky, he always thought that fate wouldn’t come to him despite how hard he wanted it to. 

but then he saw you, his future, his best friend. his wife. 

you seemed to make every day that little warmer, the way you smiled brought him to his knees at any given point. you seemed to know exactly what to say and when to say it.

he was always so curious how he was able to fall in love with you, how he was able to be guided to the exact place where you were sitting that day

as he walked through the path of the gardens, jaemin couldn’t help but feel envious of the hidden love stories that he knew surrounded him. he always joked that he didn’t need to fall in love, that he was happy to wait for fate.

as he walked down the footpath a rumble of thunder loomed in the distance, closing his eyes in frustration he hurried further down, he knew there was a small gazebo further down the track, his cousin had gotten married there merely weeks prior. 

the one day jaemin wanted to take out his new camera to get some shots, it had to rain, just his luck.

arriving as the rain began to fall he hid the camera and lenses under his shirt, praying that he would reach the gazebo in enough speed. but upon his arrival he halted, seeming as he wasn’t the only person to get caught in the rain.

on a little mat, surrounded by pencils and some pictures taped to the ground, sat a girl that took his breath away. her hair fell neatly down her back, her fingers lightly danced across the page, by the looks of it she hadn’t noticed his arrival.

upon closer inspection he saw the white in her ears, letting out a small breath he realised she had music playing. she probably hadn’t even noticed that the rain had started.

sitting in the opposite end of the rounded gazebo, he watched the rain fall, it wasn’t heavy but soft, falling like waited tears. it was constant but there wasn’t a harsh feeling, it was oddly comforting. 

he sat going through the pictures he had taken from when the sun was shining, admiring how the colours seemed so real even in the stills.

“oh, hello” a voice broke through the calm of the rain, looking up he made eye contact with a girl that he swore made his heart stop. 

“..hi, sorry i didn’t mean to crash your creative time, the rain just started and I didn’t want to get caught out in it is all” he felt the need to explain that he didn’t mean to disturb you.

he probably sounded like the biggest creep just mumbling on and on about the rain, the rain he was sure that you were now aware of.

“really it’s fine, you can move closer if you like, less risk of getting hit by any,” my god jaemin had never heard a voice as beautiful as yours. it was soft yet melodic, calming but carried strength. 

he had barely spoken to you and he was falling harder than he knew was possible, it was like every dream he had ever had about love at first sight came true in every possibility and boy he was hoping that he never had to see the sun again if it meant being with you.

“you seem lost in your thoughts” you looked at him with the kindest eyes, he felt his lips lift with every passing syllable, 

“slightly, is this your work? the pictures taped to the ground” shifting the focus from him to your art seemed to work wonders, you smile began to grow

“mmmhmm, I was just passing sometime, practicing shadings and such, although I wasn’t able to find a reference photo I really wanted” the pout growing made jaemin furrow his brows, looking troubled even in the slightest way wasn’t something he was fond of seeing on your face

“it looks beautiful regardless, if you don’t mind me asking what kind of photo did you want?”

he watched as you looked out into the rain, “there’s a flower bed, next to a statue at the end of the path, it’s got the most beautiful colours and I’ve never been able to get a picture that does it justice”

smiling to himself, he looked down at the current photo he had showing on preview screen, “do you mean like this?”

as he handed you his camera he let out a breathy laugh as your face lit up, “that’s exactly what I meant... do you mind if I take a quick photo on my phone, so I can reference it?”

jaemin looked out to the sky, the rain certainly wasn’t easing anytime soon, if anything the clouds grew darker, looking at you and then laying on the ground with an arm behind his head 

“how about this, you can just use my camera so you can see the image clearly - it doesn’t look like we’re going anywhere soon. but, you owe me” as he opened one eye he could see the way you looked down at him, god he could look into your eyes for eternity. 

“deal”

as an hour turned into two jaemin laid on the ground, listening to the rain fall onto the roof and your pencils scratching the paper in front of you, he didn’t know when he fell asleep but he felt your hand lightly shaking him back to reality.

“here, thankyou for that. you know I never got your name, I’m [name]”

taking his camera back he turned it off, noticing the low battery, “jaemin, it’s a pleasure”

as he sat up, subconsciously moving closer to your side, you both welcomed the new silence between you, you broke the silence as you turned to face him

“what is your part of the deal?” turning his head he smiled again, he felt like he was constantly smiling at you

“don’t worry about it” you huffed and completely turned your body towards him, “come on jaemin... you let me use your photo, trusted me with your camera”

he let out a laugh, “how do you know it won’t be a weird request then? you’re willing to trust me?”

“..I am” 

closing his eyes he thought of the perfect thing, “dance with me”

letting out your own laugh you gave him a look of doubt, “a dance? really?”

nodding his head, he pulled you to stand with him, “I would like to have a dance with the pretty artist, here in the rain. do you still trust me?”

walking further from the mat that the two of you had migrated on, you held out your hand, “play a song then”

he came out of his daydream as he heard the familiar melody flow through the home, quietly he made his way to your side,

“dance with me?”

[supremeinlilac]

Greiving for something not lost

Sally Mckenna x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 5.1k

Warnings: Canon death, mentions of suicide, grief, slight mention of nsfw activities but it’s literally nothing.

A/n: Here’s the exchange gift for @cissa-calls , and I hope it’s not too dark for you :/ I researched a lot of Greek Mythology because you said you enjoyed it so it’s based around a myth, although as always I got carried away so it ended up only being a small portion. I hope you like it :))

Instead of taking the direct route to the Cortez, you idled down the backstreets of LA, one hand stuffed deeply into your pocket as you scuffed feet against stones on the path. It did little to clear the fog in your brain after yet another argument with Sally, it was always too loud in the city and you seemed to never be able to silence it enough to think.

Sally had promised you, time and time again that the next job would be the last, and you clutch at the hopes that each time she’d be telling the truth. Each time you’d fumble with fingers against the hem of her jacket and beg her to stay, and she’d pry them off and tell you not to follow her.

“The Hotel Cortez is not a place for you babe,” she’d say, and then she’d be gone.

Usually, you’d accept that, and would wait by the window for glimpses of her silhouette along the street when she’d returned. Your heart would thrum in protest against your ribs almost painfully until you’d see her safe again. This time, you’d both cried and fumed. Neither understood the other, neither wanting to admit that they feared what that meant.

Your other hand held a small spray of white anemones, and an apology scribbled on paper. You had to rehearse it before you met with her again, she seemed to be able to sense when you weren’t genuine. You’d wanted flowers of a darker colour, they were more Sally, but had had to settle with that of purity and innocence. Not Sally at all, but you were still too proud and stubborn to stalk around more shops to find the perfect gift for her when you’d both been in the wrong.

The detour meant you’d probably find your girlfriend already high, stumbling aimlessly around rooms with that grin on her face that always made you want to kiss it off her. No doubt that tonight would end as it always did. Possessive and passionate in your shared bed. Sometimes you wouldn’t even reach it. Sorry with Sally was always spoken through sex.

The thought of apologising through kisses and softly idle fingertips had your pace quickening, and the guilt heating up within you. You didn’t like fighting with Sally, and you sure as hell didn’t like what you fought about, but you loved to bribe her back to you this way. But as you turned the corner to the hotel, the guilt in your stomach dropped into that of dread, and a lump formed so quickly in your throat that you felt you would choke on it with what you saw.

Aphrodite had warned Adonis about the dangers, just like you had Sally, and yet, here they both lay. It was as if her body blurred into two with your tears, two lovers, separated by the cruel twist of deaths knife in a hollow chest.

You seemed to be able to do nothing but stagger towards her, vision smoky and you prayed it was a dream. That you may stir in the sheets beside Sally, and she’d reach to still your tremors like the silent hand of a god against the rumble of an earthquake. Be still my love, do not fear what can not hurt you. I’m here, reach for me.

Now, you wished for something as merciful as a dream.

Her face paled to grey as you neared, and the world seemed to fall away. Passers by seemed unaffected as hurried feet carried them home, anxious to block out the city with thick blinds and gentle music. Your despair willowed to nothing, a commotion simply on the other side of the road wasn’t a rarity. The city had seen it all before.

It turns out the Hotel Cortez wasn’t a place for her either.

You felt like throwing yourself to the ground beside her, bare knees scraping against the harsh pavement, yet you’d welcome the pain beside your lover. White noise filled your ears, and only the blaring of car horns could cut through its insistent ringing. You couldn’t even hear yourself crying for help to anyone who might listen.

Her eyes were wide, glassy and pleading, but you saw no life in them. The glass gave way to murky water and it was clear you’d reached her too late. Defeated, you crumpled beside her, flowers forgotten in leu of pressing lips to her temple and whispering the apology as if it may be heard by her soul and it might return to her body. To you.

You wanted to close her eyes with gentle fingertips but feared that if she stopped seeing you then it would be the end. That it would mean she was gone.

A flower sprang where he lay, hours after Adonis’ death, a deep crimson anemone that bore the shade of his blood. Born from the sweet nectar from Aphrodite’s hand, the wildflower bloomed. Beautiful trauma.

The flowers on the ground by your side seemed to wilt, sensing the sour odour of deaths passing, they hung their heads in mourning and shrank into their petals. Heavy with grief. White anemones turned red under the suns dying love, its light bowing behind the buildings so it may pretend to have not bared silent witness to souls divided.

Aphrodite pleaded for her lover’s life in the underworld, so he could be with her once again in life. You would have plead as she did, knelt and sold your soul for Sally to be returned. You would have done as Aphrodite did, if you thought it would help. If you thought that someone could see your pain and render it pure enough to grant the impossible.

In the real world, there are no gracious second chances for such a fickle thing as love.

And now, it seemed that the Hotel Cortez would be her place, tied to her always in death.

You stayed by her side until the coroner arrived to take her away. You couldn’t cry, instead just watched through eyes of steel as the back doors of the van were slammed obnoxiously, ringing in your ears long after it had pulled away and been lost to the traffic. You vaguely registered someone’s hand on your shoulder, a soothing motion, talking as if underwater, muffled and unintelligible. You felt like you were barely clinging to driftwood on an unsettled sea, each swell of a wave bigger than the last.

In shock- you heard someone say. Suicide. That broke your haze.

When you’d got home that night, the silence had screamed at you. It had been too quiet to sleep, and you ached for the way she’d blast music loud enough to warrant the neighbours complaints the next day, so you’d have to bake horrendously in the kitchen cookies as apologies. Or when she’d strum against her guitar and the gentle tones would pull you from your work and into her lap to watch her fingers manipulate the instrument into art.

You craved the shrill laughter of Sally when she’d prank you childishly, how she’d pull you towards her and you’d see how joy creased her face beautifully. You’d always want to make her laugh and brush the pads of curious fingers over the dimples formed and make her shy away.

You’d never hear her song again, you realised, blinking away tears when the guitar propped in the corner caught your eye. Chest heaving painfully, you half wanted to grasp it by the neck and slam it against the ground over and over until anger diffused and you could cry into its shards. The other half, the winning half, wanted to pick it up and set it against you, ghost fingers over its strings so the thrum was barely audible. She’d played this tune, taught you this tune, and you vowed you’d never forget it. Fingers in her shadow, you ran them over the smooth wood, eyes closed and head back on the sofa.

She was everywhere in the apartment, and it only served to remind you that she was also nowhere.

The suffocating hands of her absence pressed against you, a ribbon of blackened ash around your ribs, until they threatened to crack under its pressure. Was it possible to miss how she hurt? Your lover, with her wild hair and glassy eyes, you could see her as she was, you would drunk in how she would move. Dancing slowly in an empty room, as if the world were watching her.

Wild hair was born to writhing snakes, and you feared to look directly into her eyes now. Death had claimed her as its own, and you refused to accept her insistent fate. She’d return. You’d look into her eyes and see that of your lover, and not of Medusa. Lungs of stone, how could they swell to receive the gift of a breath without her beside you?

Now you drowned the guilt, drunk in its depths instead of in her eyes.

Stuck in endless loops of questioning what if. What if you hadn’t taken the detour, what if you hadn’t argued, or if you had made her stay instead of letting her leave the apartment? Would she still be alive?

It wasn’t your fault but oh, how that option seemed so sweet in this moment. To be swarmed with an actual reason to hate, how it would be easier than the reality. You’d rather have yourself to blame than have no one. Responsibility for actions you weren’t even sure of. Questions unanswered by police, that would remain unanswered because the only person with the solution was gone. What had happened?

The pressure seemed to build up in your head, an unbearable thickness of thoughts that had nowhere to go but to force themselves down your throat so you’d choke on them, and the feeling of sickness would resurface. They’d swim in your gut like parasite and never still.

It was worse at night.

Distractions were less and your emotions ran so far above you on blackened clouds, so out of reach that you doubted you’d ever be able to wrestle them back into submission. Would they eternally be dancing in mockery and pulling at marionette strings in your limbs? A shell of your former self, only held up by unpredictable emotions that could burn you with their ice just as much as their fire.

After your first day back at work after the incident, you’d returned home exhausted, wanting nothing more than to collapse into yourself on the sofa and cradle one of her jackets. You forgot the lock the door on your way in, and remembered hours later, after the sun had drooped once more that you needed to lock yourself with your thoughts again for the night.

You reached into your handbag, searching for something that seemed menial now, and instead your fingers curled around her packet of cigarettes. You stopped, hand still in the bag, and your breath caught painfully in your throat.

It had been the first since that night, raw and salty tears that burned your eyes red and blurred your vision. The kind of crying that wore you to nothing within minutes and had you clutching bony fingers to your chest as if to pry open ribs and reach your lungs. You couldn’t breathe.

Everything caught up with you, and you felt as if you were falling alongside her, scrabbling to find purchase against nothing. The rational side of your brain knew that you wouldn’t crash to the ground, but you couldn’t help but be brought back to her side in that moment, a whirlwind of emotions that you couldn’t control, circling your head in a way that made you dizzy with your grief.

Her pale face, mottled with the tears of her death invaded your mind, the blood staining the pavement. Suddenly you felt hot with it, as if the sticky blood was covering you, pulling you to drown. You could smell its invasive metallic scent, almost taste its musk in your throat with every breath. It was thick, and you were clawing at your arms to try and wipe it away. It was everywhere, and then it was nowhere, and you wondered why you’d been tricked by grief in the first place.

Shaking, your fingers had flipped open the packet and picked one out. You didn’t smoke, yet trembling hands found the lighter and lips found the filter which already had a smudge of red on it. Almost as if Sally had gone to light it but changed her mind, discarding it back for later use. She never used it again, now it was you that drew in an unsteady breath, drawing the panel door to the side as you took the rest of the cigarettes onto the small apartment balcony you both shared to smoke them, alone.

There was really only room for one person out there at a time, yet you and Sally would huddle together on the nights when the city would keep you awake, and she’d wrap pale arms around your waist and nuzzle her chin into the crook of your neck. Passing her cigarette back and forth you’d overlook the streets below and watch the living.

You’d both used to wonder what it would be like to lead the lives of those people below, those on their way to work before the sun even surfaced over the horizon and set its path for the day. Working before the pair of you had even been asleep. The banality of their routine, oh, how you both pitied them. They’d work boring jobs to pay the rent for the whitewashed walls they’d come home to each night, eat the same meals at the same time, prepared by wives wearing lines of age, deeply set in valleys on their faces. These people always looked older than their years, tired and worn from work and children born to save a marriage already lost.

You’d used to pity them, yet now, you craved the intimacy of a boring life with someone you loved. You’d rather the predictability of this life than the one you had now. Nothing.

On the balcony, you smoked all the remaining cigarettes in the pack. Usually, you didn’t smoke, but you did, just to feel close to her again. Curling your fingers around the butt the way that she used to, and blowing the smoke out, watching it furl and twist into the cold night. You craved the warm roughness of her hands.

She’d kiss you with the lingering taste of those cigarettes, and you’d grown addicted to it. Still, once you’d finished the packet, you’d found yourself unable to rebuy them.

Slowly, you forgot its essence. You felt like you were forgetting her.

In the news, you waited for them to show a photo of Sally, one detached from everything she’d grown to be, beside a headline of death. The low hum of the city news was background noise to your grief, and you ached for someone to care enough to tell about her passing. For weeks, there was nothing. There was nothing and then there was everything, all at once, and in that moment, you knew that you would’ve preferred the nothing.

They said she’d jumped.

They hadn’t known her, and they said she’d jumped.

How dare they when you’d screamed at them until hoarse that she would never, that she promised she would never? The quick solution, one that wouldn’t raise questions, or demand the precious funds of the very system she’d been cheated by, to fork out for justice. She was an addict, they’d said. Painting the sky above her head an angry black, with clouds that swirled with viscous intent. She was a junkie, and therefore the answer was simple.

Death had been an inevitability with a life like that, habits like that. A person such as that.

You wasted grief on your anger, long nights where you’d clutch the phone to your mottled cheek with whitening knuckles, cursing everyone who’d rendered your love unimportant. You’d fall asleep on hold to police that had no more answers for you, no more pitied excuses and apologies for a loss they knew nothing about.

And it was on one of those long nights, when you sought for comfort that could be not offered by the living, that you reach for the memory of the dead. Running fingers deliberately slowly over the clothes that hung in the wardrobe, fingering through her dresses on the railing before slowly closing the door again, leaning against it and sinking to the floor.

You’d opened all her drawers that night, some for the first time. Spritzed her dresses with her perfume that still stood on the mantle, revitalised Sally in the apartment with her smell. It was as if you were back to then, when she’d return from work, stroppy and tired, yet still reach for her perfume and generously sprayed the air that she’d then dance into.

Picking one of her band shirts out of the drawer, you slipped your shirt off and replaced it with hers. It was soft cotton, the one she’d most frequently sleep in, and it brought you warmth like her hugs used to, arms enclosing you and grounding you in moments of fear.

You slept in it that night. Telling yourself that that would be it and then it would return to the drawer. But one night stretched painfully into three, and you found yourself unable to sever the small mercy you’d given yourself in wearing her clothes, the attachment to her that only you would know when you walked the street. No one else knew the chain you wore were hers, the boots, the dress. No one knew sally because there was no one left to know.

It had been a year since that day.

You’d woken with a headache and turned over in bed, wanting to shelter yourself from the day with blankets, sleep until the moon shone and the day turned into the next. You knew you could do that, but guilt had you pulling on the covers and groaning as the sunlight poured like liquid through the slit in the curtains.

It was going to be a long day. You already felt tired.

Pulling one of Sally’s band shirts over your head, you traipsed sluggishly through the apartment, purposefully ignoring the mess, like she would after a night of drinking. Not that it mattered today. You unhooked Sally’s oversized jacket from the peg and slumped it over your shoulder. Today was the day, you’d decided. You were going to visit her grave.

In the past year, you’d planned to visit her grave on several occasions, but avoided it at the last second. You couldn’t stand the thought of Sally trapped there, tied to the soil when she should be dancing upon it with you.

Sally couldn’t be tied down to a single place, she moved freely, without reign. It was how she liked it, and how you’d learned to love her. Labels had never been her thing. And now she was labelled on stone, with a corny phrase that she’d hate, with a date too early, a life too short. Sally deserved to be free.

She was the wind, unpredictable and changing and wild, she would go where she pleased and return on the breeze. Sally would’ve hated being buried, and yet through the selfish need to have a real place to visit her, she had been. You can’t capture the wind in bare hands, can’t collar it or tame it and make it beg. It controls you and you have no choice but to concede to it.

That was Sally.

Even now, a year later, you found yourself faltering. The gates of the cemetery loomed ahead of you, and your hands bunched at the material of your pants nervously. You could feel it calling, begging almost, for you to simply reach out and push the gate open with a metallic creak of protest. To visit the place you’d always avoided.

But just as you always did, you lost your nerve, sighing and peering down the road for a reason to be drawn away. For a distraction, even just for a moment. An excuse to gather your thoughts just enough to face your lover.

A corner shop caught your eye, with the newspapers in the windows just begging for customers. How convenient. Stuffing hands into pockets, you strode over the road with new purpose.

Dragging yourself down the claustrophobic aisles in the store, you distracted yourself with exited colours on packaging, picking items of shelves and replacing them further down the aisle. You didn’t care for tidiness today.

When a shop attendant asked you if you needed any help, you gave him a sad smile in appreciation and picked up a small bunch of white anemone flowers, her flowers. Last year, they’d been a peace offering, this year, an apology. The employee shuffled along again, and you set your eyes down to the floor.

Flowers in hand, you made your way to the till, placing them delicately onto the counter and fiddling for coins in your coat. You hadn’t planned on buying anything, so neglected to bring your wallet. Luckily, this was a coat you’d not worn since Sally’s death, and she was a fan of keeping loose change in the deep pockets.

“Is that everything for today?” the woman behind the till chirped with the voice of someone with long experience in public services. It cried out in tired falsity, in ‘how long have I left on my shift?’ It was a line well-rehearsed and overused.

Just as you were about to nod in answer, your eyes caught the tobacco cabinet behind the bored check out assistant. “What brand?” She asked pointedly, and you stared dumbly past her. Had Sally ever bought cigarettes from this store? Shaking out the thought from your mind, you answered her, asking for Sally’s brand and quickly paying and leaving.

Outside the shop, you held the package tentatively in your palm, fingering at the packaging as she used to when she was nervous. She’d wrap a tune with her chipped nails against the boxes edge, and you’d coax it from her, and dip her under the moonlight in your arms. Now, holding the cigarettes held no comfort for you, feeling both foreign and familiar, it left you aching for her.

Still, you found yourself unable to visit her grave. It was all too real to see where she lay. You needed something tying Sally to you that wasn’t so physical. You laughed to yourself. How ironic it was, to force her into a grave for something so trivial as to have a place to call her resting place, only to find yourself too weak to face your choice.

Instead, you took a left, and then another, and then a right, and continued until you could no longer smell your own fear in the air with the concept of her grave. Deeper into the city, where the pollution stained white houses grey, you could breathe clearly again. Guilt will consume a person, clog their lungs with it until their breathing is laborious and the weight drags them down into their thoughts.

You’d walked this route before, one year before, with white anemones and an apology in hand. You’d never gotten to tell Sally what you’d wanted, but perhaps you’d take her the flowers, and smoke her cigarettes in the window where she’d fell. You’d tell her what you didn’t get the chance to.

The hotel was just as you remembered it, flickering neon 34w`lights that read ‘Hotel Cortez’, and the eery alleys and parked cars that seemed to be in the same position as the year prior. It was as if time had paused, hotel residents left their cars and had never returned to them.

You weren’t really aware of yourself in that moment, feet leading a silent path as you found yourself stuck in a memory. When you reached the place you found her, your feet faltered, and you couldn’t tear your eyes from the paving.

The pavement was clear, physically untainted, and any normal pedestrian would question your loitering. But although it appeared to be clean, you know because you’ve seen, you’ve remembered. The pain that would still remain, deep in the cracks of the paving stone, no matter how much scrubbing the clean up team undoubtably did after Sally’s body was removed, they couldn’t remove. They couldn’t fade the scarring, or the feeling of death that overcame you when you stared at the place she’d laid.

Someone bumped your shoulder as they passed on the street, muttered remarks about people standing in the middle of the street, and you raised your eyes to watch them walk away. When you looked back at the stone, the connection to it had been lost, and you found yourself unable to re-enter the trance you’d been in.

Pressing through the hotel doors, you left the light of the sun behind, left the living, and joined the death of the dusky lobby. Wondering through its room, you imagined Sally doing the same, with confident strides and a purpose. It was a nice place for downtown LA, you had to admit, but you couldn’t shake the eerie feeling that came with it, of being watched by invisible eyes in the walls. The feeling one gets when you visit a place where death rules over occupants.

You looked up to the next floor, and swore you saw a flash of an animal print coat moving behind the barriers. No. Must’ve been the lighting change from coming inside.

A woman pointed you towards the bar, and you nodded towards her. Did all visitors come for the hotels bar? She seemed to know exactly what you needed, tired eyes searching for something not quite there.

In the bar, you drank and you smoked and spoke with the woman behind the bar who must’ve noticed the void behind your eyes. She didn’t question you, why you were alone, just slid extra drinks across the table with a wink and a smile. You didn’t return it, opting for a grateful grimace instead.

All of a sudden, the smell of Sally’s perfume seemed to melt into your senses, overpowering that of the cigarette, and the liquor, until your head swam with memories linked with its scent. You didn’t remember spraying it this morning, and it confused you. It was so strong, and real. It didn’t seem like your brain was tricking you with its musk, like it so often would with a silhouette against the apartment window.

Suffocated by Sally. You drowned in its poetry.

Searching for its origin, your eyes roamed the bar. It was real, you figured. Turning on the bar stool, your eyes met those that you thought you’d forgotten, and you found they were exactly like you remembered. Sally stood, leant against the wall opposite you, arms folded at her chest yet wearing cheeks stained with tears and widened eyes. You scrambled out of your chair, and the world fell away from you. You didn’t even try and catch it when she was next to you.

You palmed at your eyes, begging yourself to wake up from what must be a dream. Despite knowing she wasn’t real, you ached for your mind to stay in this fantasy so at least you wouldn’t be alone. Removing your hands, you felt yourself lighten. Sally remained still, unmoving yet she was closer that ever. You could reach and brush against her cheek if only your arms would cooperate.

“Y/n?” she breathed, in that choked up voice, and you were falling again.

As if trapped in a dream, you startled awake with the feeling of cool fingers massaging against your scalp. The room was foreign, and it smelled like her. Foreign, yet startingly familiar as if you’d been there before.

Sally was curled into your side, and your breathing laboured again. You didn’t understand how she was here, you- you buried her. Sniffling broke your doubts, and Sally adjusted her head atop your chest. When you wiggled beneath her, her sniffs turned to coos, and her fingers in your hair and clutching your top were soothing at your cheeks.

“I love you, I’m here,” she flustered, worrying her lip between teeth, and you could see the moon in between buildings outside the window. It watched you with bated breath and shone onto her pale skin until her tears seemed to shine. “Say I love you Sally.”

Sitting up against the pillows, you caught her face in your hands, cupping it so she couldn’t move away as you remembered the outlines of her eyes, lips, the curve of her jaw and cheekbones. “I love you,” you found yourself admitting, tears welling in eyes that couldn’t believe what they were witnessing, “are you real?”

“I’m-” Sally started, faltering as if she didn’t quite know the answer either. “I’m here.”

You wanted to apologise anew, whisper the memorised speech that you’d spoken to her that night, but the words seemed to catch in your throat, sharp like the barbs from barbed wire were caught against the delicate skin. Instead, you pulled her in to brush lips against hers, testing slowly if they actually would meet and not melt through what your mind was making up.

They did meet, and you muffled a wail against hers, all the pent-up grief for the woman you were now kissing resurfacing. Fingers clung to her coat, which was still soft beneath your touch, and you pulled her closer to you. She cried, and you cried, and hands met to brush them away.

“I missed you baby.”

You didn’t stop to think about what it meant that she was here. Focusing only on her hands linked firmly in yours, and how she deserved to feel the taut string of a guitar again. You’d bring it to her, and she’d play her song. You’d hear her voice and feel the vibrations of her throat against your lips as she sang.

You’d do it all again.

Time you thought was lost was now frozen, suspended in a single heartbeat. She hadn’t aged a single day, and yet her eyes showed more trouble than you’d ever seen. You couldn’t wait to return and kiss away her worries, reintroduce yourself and love her and be loved like you both deserved. But for now, you were content to simply exist in her presence again.

You wouldn’t take her for granted.

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[tsarisfanfiction]

Libel (Part 2)

Fandom: Thunderbirds Rating: Teen Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Family Characters: John, Scott, Grandma, Tracy Family

Day 6 “touch and go” for @whumptober-archive and for the prompt bruises my muses decided to add on to my day 3 chapter, so have a rather displeased John.  I’m not expecting this one to go any further, but then again I wasn’t expecting to add onto it at all, so who knows what’ll happen the rest of this month.

<<< Part 1

Grandma was waiting for them when they got home, the smell of something heavenly and clearly take-out wafting through the front door as it opened, and John felt a flash of guilt for forgetting to warn her about Scott’s physical condition when her mouth parted slightly in clear shock.

Scott’s weight had increased against him slowly but steadily as they’d finished the trek home, until his head was resting against John’s and his arm hung awkwardly around his shoulder. His eyes were rimmed with an angry red, and salted tear tracks cut down across the blossoming bruises.  One eye, in addition to the tell-tale sign of crying, was swelling shut with a purple-black mark blooming around it, but while that was the worst mark on his face, there was barely any untouched skin. The exposed arms were also littered with colour, including vibrant handprints that told a story all of their own.

John was certain that Scott’s t-shirt was concealing more.

“What happened?” Grandma demanded after a moment, swooping in and gingerly cupping Scott’s face in her hands.  His brother’s messenger bag dropped to the floor, and John let his own do the same without ever relinquishing his grip around Scott’s waist.  Scott was clearly feeling the emotional damage more than the physical, but that didn’t mean that the physical didn’t promise pain in his brother’s future.

The weight against him increased again as Scott sagged at the question.  John couldn’t see his face very well from his angle, but considering how wrecked his big brother was about the whole thing – and understandably so, in John’s furious opinion – he couldn’t envisage him repeating the tale again.

“Bullies,” he said shortly, enough to give an answer without tormenting Scott further by retelling the whole thing in his earshot.  At some point the rest of the family needed to know that Scott and Christie were no longer together – preferably before one of them made an innocent comment – but he wasn’t going to dredge that up in Scott’s vicinity.

In his pocket, Scott’s phone hadn’t stopped vibrating with incoming messages.  If they were all along the same vein as the ones John had seen initially, he was very glad he’d decided to, for all intents and purposes, confiscate his big brother’s phone.  He’d probably need to change his number before it was safe to give it back.

“Terrible children,” Grandma muttered beneath her breath, before slowly stepping back and letting her hands reluctantly part with Scott’s face.  “Your dinner’s in the kitchen and your brothers are upstairs in bed.”  Had they stayed out that late?  “Alan’s sharing with Virgil and Gordon tonight so you two don’t need to worry about him.”  That was a relief – John loved Alan, and neither he nor Scott minded sharing a bedroom with the youngest, but tonight the last thing Scott needed was Alan’s innocent blue eyes forcing him to struggle to hold himself together.

Dinner sounded – and smelled – inviting.  Grandma had taken his warning text seriously and gone straight for Scott’s favourites, from the smell of it.  It was definitely a pleasant surprise in John’s book, and he hoped that Scott was up for trying to stomach at least some of the comfort food.  If nothing else, the apple pie, whose cinnamon-tinted scent was wafting through invitingly, should entice his brother in.

Scott hadn’t said a word since choking out what had to be an extremely brief summary of events, and his silence continued as he kicked off his sneakers – still not separating from John for a single moment.

It was familiar behaviour;going to a brother for comfort when the world went mad was a common tactic, but the brother they all went to was Scott.  He was never the one seeking comfort – that is, until now, and John couldn’t blame him in the slightest, so he stayed close and kept one arm around his brother without saying anything, hoping that it would help Scott as much as Scott’s presence always helped him.

“Get some food in your stomachs,” Grandma instructed.  “Scott, have you taken any painkillers?”

Hair rustled in John’s ear as Scott shook his head.  He still didn’t say a word and John rubbed his back gently.

“I’ll get you some,” she said, ushering them through the kitchen door.  “Once you’ve eaten, Scott, I want you to take a hot bath.”  She didn’t wait for a response before disappearing, leaving John to guide his brother over to the table, where Scott’s favourite burger waited.

To his relief, Scott didn’t need any convincing to eat, although the way he mechanically took each bite told John that he wasn’t really tasting it.  The apple pie went down a little better – while Scott still didn’t speak, or smile, his mouthfuls seemed to be a little more organic, and irregularly frequent.  John ate his own in equal silence, aware of the still-vibrating phone in his pocket but refusing to check the messages while Scott was next to him.

Grandma reappeared with Tylenol and a cold compress as Scott sipped at the soda, both of which were gratefully received, even if Scott’s reaction remained unusually muted.  Still, he finished his meal, accepted the painkillers without a fuss, and let Grandma press the compress gently over his swollen-shut eye, which was as much as John could ask, given the situation.

All the while, Scott stayed in physical contact with him, leaning in and seemingly trusting John to hold him up so he didn’t fall to the floor.  It felt rather like a metaphor, so when Grandma eased the compress back again several minutes later and nudged Scott towards the bathroom where she promised a nice, warm bath was waiting for him he didn’t hesitate to escort him.

The door clicked shut behind them and Scott sank onto the tiled floor, wrapping his arms around his knees. John settled down beside him and put his arm around him again, letting his brother lean in to the touch.  Silence continued to reign.

Outside the room, he could hear the running feet of several brothers – probably all of them – and the subsequent scolding for running in the house, followed by a reminder that they should be in bed and that they’d see their eldest brothers in the morning. John would be very surprised if no black or blond heads poked into his and Scott’s room during the night.  Dad was moving around, apparently finally appearing from his office for food, and John heard the outraged outburst as Grandma no doubt told him about Scott.

At least John could be confident that Scott wouldn’t be allowed into school tomorrow – with both Grandma and Dad on the warpath, his brother would be kept safely at home, likely not doing any work at all, although he might poke at some of his preferred subjects.

Speaking of his brother, Scott was showing no signs of getting in the water.  John nudged him gently.  “It’s going to get cold,” he prompted.  “Do you want me to leave?”

His brother groaned lightly, but straightened enough to yank at his top.  John shifted out of the way as the fabric came off over messy brown hair, and did his best not to let his reaction show on his face.

As suspected, Scott’s torso was awful.  Bruises littered the skin, the fabric doing almost nothing to protect it from the blows it had taken, leaving it a rainbow of red hues.  One in particular caught John’s attention – a large, darker area that sprawled across one side as though it’d been hit multiple times in quick succession. It took him a moment to yank his eyes away, shifting his entire body until Scott was out of view, and not turning back until water splashed and then stilled again.

Only his brother’s head and shoulders were visible over the edge of the bath, complete with one arm hanging over the side, fingertips just brushing the cool tiles of the floor. The heat of the water was rapidly adding even more pink to Scott’s skin, as though it needed it when there were enough broken blood vessels below his brother’s skin to change the hue all by themselves.  Even with the painkillers Grandma had bestowed, John knew Scott was in for a sleepless night.

Then again, the heartbreak probably hurt more than everything else put together.

“Do you want me to leave?” he asked again, already gathering his legs underneath himself in preparation.

“No,” Scott rasped, the first word he’d spoken since returning home.  His voice sounded scraped raw and weak, and John obediently settled back down again.  “Please.”

John was going to destroy everyone who had a hand in reducing his big brother to this.  There would be no mercy, and a large number of them were obligingly making his life much easier by blowing up Scott’s phone with messages his brother would never see hide nor hair of.

“Okay,” he agreed, settling his back against the toilet and shifting around until it was halfway comfortable. From that angle, Scott couldn’t see anything that might be on a phone screen, so while his big brother soaked in an attempt to ease the bruising, John got to work.

First was a message to Grandma from his own phone, giving her the basic rundown of events.  She didn’t reply, but she did leave him on read, so he knew she had seen it.

There was no doubt in John’s mind that she would do everything in her considerable influence and power to make sure Scott didn’t have to go in to school again, or at least until it all blew over.  His big brother was in good hands.

Still, John was not about to let things lie himself, either.  Scott’s phone was a veritable goldmine of information, and while there was little John could do without his laptop, he could at least take note of the names sending threats and begin to scheme how he was going to get revenge.

No one hurt his brother and got away with it.

Quiet sobs that started up after a while, muffled in a way that sounded like Scott had a hand or arm over his mouth.  John reached out for the dangling arm and tangled his fingers lightly with Scott’s even as he scoured his way through the social media of Christie’s two brothers, looking for the most damaging place to hit them back.  If he played it right, he could ruin their football aspirations with a neat black mark on their record.

Oh, he understood why they’d reacted the way they had – if he’d gone to Scott and said someone had hurt him, there was no way Scott wouldn’t have launched himself straight into the situation entirely on his side.  That didn’t mean John was going to spare them from retribution; he wasn’t that benevolent.

Christie herself he left for the moment.  If he was going to hurt everyone who had hurt Scott, he was going to destroy the girl behind it all in the first place, and that would require his full attention. It would be most efficient to eliminate everyone else involved first.

From the state of Scott’s phone, it was a long list of targets, but John was nothing if not thorough as he sifted through the hateful messages.

Some of them were truly vile, and there were threats in there that made John feel sick just thinking about them.  He set those aside to show Grandma; some things needed an adult’s intervention to handle effectively, and he was certain that some of the threats were jail-worthy if acted upon.

Scott had barely moved since getting into the bath, and John wondered if he was falling asleep in the pleasant warmth.  Part of him hoped so; it was much better than wallowing in negative thoughts, especially ones he didn’t deserve.  He squeezed his brother’s fingers lightly and was rewarded with a twitch in return.

His brother still didn’t talk.  Not when he stopped crying again, wiping away tears with a wet arm.  Not when Grandma lightly knocked on the door to suggest that they get ready for bed.  Not when he got out of the bath, either, skin pruned and wrinkly, and John averted his gaze so he didn’t see anything he didn’t want to as Scott slowly dried off.

Dad was waiting when they left the bathroom, Scott wrapped up snugly in his favourite pyjamas, and wordlessly folded Scott into a big, warm hug which his big brother sank into bonelessly.  John took the chance to slip away, finding Grandma downstairs and slipping her Scott’s phone.

She took one look at the first message on the screen and her face turned to granite.

“Neither of you are going to school tomorrow,” she told him.  John hadn’t expected to be included in that, but it was clear there was no arguing.  It worked in his favour anyway; vengeance would be easier to enact using his laptop without the prying eyes of hovering classmates.  “And whatever you’re planning, John, don’t get caught.”

She followed him back up the stairs.  Dad and Scott had migrated into their bedroom and John took the chance to get into his own pyjamas – although sleep wasn’t on his agenda just yet – before going to join them.

A door creeping open as he passed caught his attention and he paused to see three pairs of worried eyes peering out.

“Is Scott okay?”  Alan was the one that spoke, not yet aware of the nuances of the indoor voice, but making a good go at whispering regardless.  John could see the question reflected in two pairs of brown eyes as well and sighed, shoulders slumping.

“He broke up with Christie,” he explained, keeping his own voice low enough that there was no way the brother in question would be able to hear from down the hall.  It was Virgil’s eyes he met, knowing that he was the only one old enough to comprehend what his next words would mean.  “It was a bad breakup.”  Sure enough, chestnut brown eyes widened.

“But is he okay?” Gordon asked, frowning, and John swallowed, not wanting to lie, but not wanting them to worry, either.

He settled on shrugging.  “He will be.”  I hope.

They surged forwards, apparently taking that as an invitation to go see him, and John had to plant himself firmly in the doorway to stop them. There was no way Scott would want them to see him in his current state.

“Tomorrow,” he said, somewhat sharply.  “He needs space right now.”

They grumbled malcontentedly, but he stood firm, pulling upon his rarely used big brother clout to get them to obey until the door closed again.

In all likelihood, they’d be sneaking in later, but hopefully Scott would be less visibly distraught by then.

John padded into his bedroom and headed straight for his bed.  Dad was sitting with Scott on his brother’s bed, arms firmly around him and one hand running through his hair as he sobbed. From the way he was slumped, and the weakness of the sobs, Scott was on the cusp of sleep.  John wasn’t naïve enough to think that he’d sleep all through the night, not with all those bruises, but he’d gladly support any sleep Scott could get.

For his part, he pulled up his phone and continued scrolling through the names of Scott’s year mates.  Most of them had left a message on his phone.

“Don’t stay up too late,” Dad cautioned suddenly and he jumped, checking the time to see it was much later than he’d realised.  Scott was neatly tucked into bed, the vision of a perfect slumber ruined by the tear tracks down his face.

“I won’t,” he shrugged, an acknowledgement but not a promise.  “Night, Dad.”

“Goodnight, John.”  He was pulled into a brief hug, kiss pressed against his brow, before Dad slipped out of the room, leaving him with his sleeping brother.

Armed with his laptop, phone, and the simmering fury kept at a boil by the sight of his battered brother, John got to work.

[wangshuus]

liquid sin || kaeya alberich

pairing: kaeya alberich/gn.reader

genre: drama

wc: 1.9k

cw: mature themes, alcohol, poisoning, unhealthy relationship

summary: the calvary captain was more of a hassle than you thought. wherever you were, he was always one step ahead.

note: this is a repost lol. tysm for 100 followers i really appreciate it <3 also a little a/n at the end :)

lightly proofread. please excuse any errors.

fic below the cut.

“Kaeya Alberich, you know of the Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius, do you not?”

“I’ve heard my fair share. He’s got himself quite a reputation.”

“I suppose that’ll suffice. That knight has been far too much of a hassle for us. He’s swift, agile with the way he handles things. He’ll use whatever means to get what he wants or needs so be cautious and rid of him in any way you wish. I trust you’ll be able to handle this so I’m counting on you.”

“Yes, as you wish.”

--

Tedious.

That was the best word to describe the situation you roped yourself into.

Kaeya Alberich, the esteemed Cavalry Captain of the Knights in Mondstadt was nothing short of a challenge. You were never one to question anything you were assigned to and you thought that this was gonna be some quick easy clean up but it was anything but that. You had to find a way to weave yourself into getting close to the said captain and by doing so, you had to play the long game. He was not a person that you wanted to underestimate by any means because the dwindling gossip you’ve heard about the man was nothing but the truth.

The moment you decided you would get involved with the man was the very moment the game between the two of you had begun. It was an unspoken exchange of moves that on the surface, was nothing but courteous and flirtatious remarks but in reality, these actions were laced with ulterior motives that each side hoped would bring them to be victorious in this little game. You weren’t a fool nor did you take him for one either. You knew that whatever you two had going had a darker side to the situation and yet, you decided to play along.

But it was getting exhausting. Although, perhaps that’s what he wanted.

To drain you, to get you in a vulnerable spot.

But you refused to let it get to that point.

And so you decided tonight was the night.

--

“They serve wonderful food as per usual. Never fails to disappoint me, truly.” You said as you opened the door to your place whilst you resided in Mondstadt.

“Of course, dear. I wouldn’t bring you to a place that was anything less than perfect. Only this best for you.” He smoothly said, speaking his part in the way he always does. So polished, so suave.

You simply chuckled at his response as you led the two of you inside.

“It’s not much but it does get the job done. Make yourself comfortable on the couch while I get you a drink, alright?”

“You flatter me too much. Don’t make me wait too long, though.” He playfully spoke.

He watched your figure disappear into the depths of your kitchen. His eyes began to trail around and scan around the room, observing the environment to the best of his ability. His hand traveled to the pocket at his side as he smirked to himself, simply awaiting for the events that the night holds to unfold before him.

--

You retreated into your kitchen as you retrieved the necessary materials to go about making Kaeya’s drink since according to you, this could be one of the last ones he might ever have. You popped open a fresh bottle of sparkling wine and poured it into the finest wine glass you had at the moment, three parts of crisp Dandelion Wine following right after, supplied from the famous Dawn Winery. You had gathered these fine wines specially for him, deciding it was appropriate to get the job done with ‘Death After Noon’, a concoction the blue-haired male fancied. You garnished it with small mint leaves as you pulled out the final ingredient for your mix.

You retrieved a small vile from your pocket that held a small amount of clear liquid. You dabbled in the art of alchemy in order to help you with the jobs you were assigned and in this case, it’d surely come in handy. You had prepared this poison just for this mission, making it so it wouldn’t kick in immediately but when it did, it would most definitely get the job done. You stirred the man’s drink together, making sure that everything was well mixed. You held the glass up, observing it thoroughly before heading back to where your target sat.

You walked up to him, holding the glass towards him, motioning him to take the drink.

“Death After Noon, huh? You know me too well, don’t you dear?” He smirked as he observed the drink filled glass he held between his fingers.

“Of course I do. Just a second I’ll be right ba--.” Before you could finish your sentence and take your leave, he grabbed your wrist, coercing you to stay.

“Won’t you come here and sit with me?” He asked, though it was a demand more than anything.

If you had decided to pull away and flee, it’d be far too obvious that there was something up and so, you decided to take a gamble on the situation and comply. He pulled you onto down, setting you on top of him, your legs straddling his lap as you faced him. The hand that held your wrist made its way to the small of you back as he held you firmly in place. You put both of your palms against his chest in an attempt to widen the distance between the two of you but to no avail.

Though the two of you had aimlessly flirted with each other, you had never found yourself this close to him. You got an up-close look at the captain as there was only so much distance between the two of you. Despite your duty in the situation, you couldn’t help but let a dusting of pink make an appearance on your cheeks. You had decided that faking up a shy, oblivious facade was the best way to go about in an attempt to drown out your suspicion.

“What do you have up your sleeve, Captain?” You called out to him by his title.

“I should be asking you the same thing, dear. Don’t play coy with me darling, we both know what’s going on here.” He spoke.

Your face dropped a little hearing his words, thinking that he may be quicker to catch onto things than you expected. Your eyes looked over to his drink that remained untouched as he continued to swirl the drink in his glass that he held between his fingertips.

“Is the drink not to your liking?” You asked in an attempt to change the subject.

He hummed as his attention diverted to the drink, observing it just as intently as the way you scanned it before you gave it to him. His eyes turned back to you, a dark look fogging over them.

“It seems you didn’t make a drink for yourself. I insist you have some of mine.” “Oh, but I made it for y--” You get cut off.

“I insist.” He firmly states.

You gulped, accepting your fate at hand.

“Now,” He started off.

The hand that was at the small of your back trailed its way up to the back of your neck, forming a firm hold on you once again. He brought you closer to him as he pressed the cold glass against your lips.

“Be good and open up wide for me.” He said as he titled your head back slightly, tipping the glass at an angle so that the liquid sin began to make its way into your mouth. You felt the cold mix make its way down your throat and you probably would’ve enjoyed the delectable drink if it weren’t lethal.

“You know, you’re quite the actor yourself, to which I will commend you for. You’re a quick one sweetheart, but I’m quicker.” He teased.

You were baffled beyond belief. You had planned and strategized to the point where you thought you were at least three steps ahead. In reality, wherever you were, Kaeya stood in front of you, taunting you from his spot.

“I was fully aware of the little game we had going on here. However, it was far too entertaining for me to want to stop. It’s like playing with fire, isn’t it?” He spoke.

He held a smug look on his face, one that simply mocked you. It was the face of someone who knew they claimed victory; victorious he was in this little game between the two of you. Your eyes begin to dart around as you begin to think of a way to make an escape. You could only hope that you would have enough time before your body decides to give out. Perhaps if you were lucky, you could even find an antidote. However, knowing your luck in the situation as of right now, you doubt Lady Luck would be on your side today. His grip at the back of your neck tightened and you flinched.

“Look at me.” He boomed with a demanding tone that he had never used with you until today.

He watched your throat move as you swallowed the liquid, scornful eyes burning with mockful vengeance as he reigned dominant in this situation. He was beyond ecstatic with the way the situation unfolded before him, the way you unfolded before him. He was able to turn the predator into the prey just by playing his cards right and oh how perfectly did he play them. The liquid slowly but surely disappeared as only a small bit remained in the glass-- and he was going to make you finish every last drop of it.

“That’s it, that’s good, love. Be a dear and take every last drop. We wouldn’t want this lovely drink to go to waste now, would we?” He spoke out, dumping the last of the contents into your mouth and setting the empty glass on the side table on the

“There you go. You were so good and you finished like I told you so. I could almost forgive you for poisoning me but unfortunately, I’m expecting a little more from you. Maybe if you continue to be good for me, I’ll consider forgiving you.” He smugly said.

The hand supporting your neck went back down to your waist as his other free hand made its way to your face. He wipes off the small amount of the liquid that dribbled down the side of your mouth. His thumb slides across your bottom lip, getting a feel for its softness before going in and indulging himself in your lips. He figured he didn’t even need alcohol to get drunk anymore, not when your lips made him feel tipsy as they were pressed against his own. Perhaps in your own way, you had trapped him with your own delectable taste that could rival his beloved Death After Noon; though he would never admit to it right now. He pulled away and looked you dead in the eyes as his one hand forced you to look at him.

“However, if you try and pull that stunt again, I’ll have you begging for me to just poison you instead.” He threatened.

His hand dropped from your face as it slipped into his pocket, grabbing something from inside. He pulled out a small little vile, similar to that of which carried toxic poison.

“You wouldn’t want this little game between us to end so soon, would you? Now, open up and take this antidote, sweetheart. The fun is just starting after all.”

A/N: First of all, all the inspiration and ideas are credited to chamberofsecretbooks on Tiktok. Saw the one video with this concept and I just HAD to write for Kaeya. I did make a few adjustments to it but all ideas stemmed from that one video lolol. Also, if you haven’t seen THE Kaeya video, please watch it. It is god tier. Anyways, Kaeya supremacy <3

[mari-beau]

GIVE ME A REASON: PART SEVEN -A Rogue One fanfic

Final part to this story! 😘😘😘

Read on AO3

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Title: Give Me A Reason: Part Seven

Genre: Hurt/Comfort

Characters: Jyn Erso POV, Cassian Andor

Pairing: Cassian/Jyn (mostly pre-ship?)

Spoilers: Rogue One; Episode IV A New Hope

Setting: Post-Rogue One AU (Cassian & Jyn live); Also during/post A New Hope

Warnings: None?

Words: 2,888

Story Summary: Jyn’s entire universe has been turned on its head, so maybe she’s clinging a little too hard to the one thing she feels certain of (strangely enough) as she tries to figure out her place in the galaxy. And maybe she’s being a little overprotective of a wounded captain.

Also can be found on AO3.

Nervous.

The hardened rebel spy was nervous. So was Jyn, of course, but it was still a surprise to find the tangible expression of Cassian’s jangled nerves. She thought he’d be better at hiding it. At hiding all of his emotions when he wanted.

But maybe he didn’t feel the need to hide it from her? Although it was a subconscious tick he probably wasn’t aware of… Which wasn’t helping the butterflies in Jyn’s own stomach. In fact, it was really starting to annoy her.

She reached for his hand, wrapping her fingers around his in an attempt to still their drumming against the side of his leg. He was still standing, but with no thanks to the Alliance. The inconsiderate bastards could’ve maybe provided a chair for the wounded captain. Not that Cassian would’ve accepted, anyway. At least everyone was just milling about until the ceremony started, so they were able to take a position against the wall, allowing Cassian to casually lean against the immense stonework for support.

He’d been looking around the large hall, watching the crowd of Alliance personnel and council members, observing and evaluating, as the spy habitually did. But when she touched him, his eyes snapped immediately to her hand on his. They widened and then that furrow formed between his brows and he frowned.

So that was how it was going to be?

In his bed, he could hold her so tight their bodies practically fused together, could nuzzle her neck, his lips could ghost over her skin in tantalizing, teasing non-kisses, he could lean into the touch of her palm on his cheek, make salacious pleased noises when she stroked his head and neck, or trailed fingers down his spine. But any sort of affectionate display in public wasn’t allowed.

Not that she wouldn’t have grabbed his hand to still his annoyingly drumming fingers if they were only just friends. They were only just friends, anyway.

He twisted his hand free, gently, casually, but removed it from her grasp nonetheless.

His dark eyes met hers and she held the gaze. Let him see the hurt, even as she thought it a stupid thing to feel hurt about. And yet… Meeting Cassian Andor had redefined her world, her existence, how she felt, how she dealt with those feelings. Her very place in the galaxy seemed to have changed.

Because here she was in a giant hall in a ruined temple, surrounded by hundreds of Alliance soldiers, waiting for a princess to tell her ‘good job’ or some such. But even stranger, she was standing beside a person she truly trusted. She couldn’t remember ever trusting anyone before, not wholeheartedly, with no reservations, no reluctance or doubt. Not since she was a child living in that cozy home with her parents that now seemed a dream.

This seemed rather dreamlike, too. Mon Mothma, the head of the Alliance’s council, dressed in regal white, looking like some ethereal being -maybe the ones Cassian had told her about in that intimate, vulnerable moment- had entered the hall and a hush formed as everyone scrambled into neat military rows, coming to attention as the elegant woman approached the dias.

She began to give a speech, but Jyn couldn’t focus on it. Cassian had started fidgeting again, shifting his weight and drumming his fingers against his leg. It seemed so entirely unlike him, and yet Jyn could sympathize. She had always tried to maintain an unreadable exterior, too, or rather, she had always tried not to feel things because everything she felt was too painful. She imagined it was similar with Cassian. And she imagined he was likewise nervous now, because being the center of attention felt wrong in every way, and just such a situation was imminent.

Jyn hated the idea of Cassian’s vulnerability being exposed to the world, that he would be required to limp the ridiculous distance up to the dias at the front of the room, in front of everyone, probably with her assistance, if he’d accept it. The man did not deserve anyone’s pity. They should only respect him for everything he’d done for the rebellion, for everything he’d sacrificed. And from what Jyn could tell, he didn’t even want that, it was so ingrained in him to work in the shadows.

She grabbed his hand again, but it was honestly more to calm herself than him. This time, though, his fingers encircled hers and did not pull away. His attention remained on Mon Mothma as she finished up her speech and introduced the princess.

Dank farrik.

Princess Leia was young and pretty, likewise clothed in regal white, but in a dress that hugged her perfect curves and accented the elegant line of her neck. Her brown hair and dark eyes offset her perfect porcelain skin. More enticing, the princess had the bearing of someone like Mon Mothma, but there was something more lively in her, adventurous and passionate maybe. Jyn would’ve felt justified in her previous unwarranted flash of jealousy when Cassian had described Leia Organa as if he knew the young woman, if Jyn didn’t find the princess extremely attractive herself. Force, if it didn’t feel like Cassian had been imprinted on her very soul, and if Jyn’s libido hadn’t already decided it wanted him and no one else would suffice… But a princess would’ve been way out of her league, anyway.

Cassian’s fingers squeezed her hand, and he leaned in, a whisper tickling her ear.

“You’re staring.”

“I’m just paying attention,” she whispered back.

A very quiet chuckle escaped him.

“Sure,” he said and she glared at him but continued to hold his hand, an anchor against the tide of nerves roiling in her stomach. “Why were you surprised that I might... kiss men sometimes? You like both men and women, too?”

“I rarely like anyone.” She stroked her thumb over the soft flesh at the base of his thumb. “But when I’m attracted to someone, it doesn’t seem to matter what their gender is.”

If they were pretty, they were pretty. She couldn’t really say why or what criteria made someone attractive to her. Although Leia had some gorgeous brown eyes. And so did Cassian for that matter, although his were a little darker, and as much playful as perceptive as they studied her face. And maybe she had become so soft that she’d gone to actual mush, because she could stare into those eyes forever.

Was that her thing? Is that what did it for her? Was she an ‘eyes’ girl?

Oh. Maybe she was. Because she found herself utterly captivated by Cassian’s beautiful eyes, finding everything she wanted and more in their dark depths... An if she didn’t know better... She could swear that he wanted-

“Captain Andor. Jyn Erso.”

Jyn nearly jumped out of her skin. Alarm likewise flashed across Cassian’s face before it was promptly hidden by a facade of professional pleasantness as he straightened. His hand slipped out of hers but landed at the small of her back to urge her forward out of the ranks.

And then Jyn found herself face to face with Leia Organa. And felt such gratitude that the princess had come to them and not made Cassian come to her, limping on an unsteady, barely begun to heal leg, that Jyn found herself smiling broadly, genuinely, at the kriffing gorgeous young woman.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done for the rebellion. I know you’ve lost much.”

Jyn bowed her head, although being as small as she was, the even more petite princess still could’ve managed to drape the medal over her head with no problem.

“We all have lost too much,” Cassian said, after bowing to receive his own medal from the princess.

Leia Organa was good at maintaining her facade but Jyn saw the sadness in the young woman’s eyes. Jyn had cried while Cassian was in deep, medicated sleep, when she heard that Alderaan had been destroyed, feeling like she had failed after all. But what pain that loss was to its princess, Jyn couldn’t quite fathom. She had lost much, her parents, her childhood, but she had never loved an entire planet, full of people who she was a leader to. She had sort of led a unit of soldiers. And they all had died. And that was agony.

Except for Cassian. She still had Cassian. And if Jyn was honest, he was more than an entire world to her. He was a kriffing galaxy. She slid her arm around his waist because his hand on her back was not providing enough contact when Jyn felt like she might fall to pieces at any moment.

“I’m truly glad you both survived Scarif,” Princess Leia said, as if the loss of just two more lives would’ve crushed her, that the knowledge that some had survived, that some could and would survive this fight, was what kept her going. “Your bravery has saved us all.”

“Thank you,” Jyn said, unable to think of anything else to say.

The princess inclined her head, a bittersweet smile on her face, before she turned and began walking back to the dias. When Jyn returned her attention to Cassian, he was looking at her again with that expression in his eyes.

“We should probably get back in line,” she whispered, but was unable to break away from his captivating gaze.

“When have you ever been one to stay in line, Jyn Erso?” There was the small flash of his tongue wetting his bottom lip and Jyn nearly forgot how to breathe. No longer fixated by his eyes but his mouth. Was he-

His hand at the small of her back urged her closer, his other hand cupping her face and-

Oh.

Cassian Andor’s kiss was… Perfection. It was everything a first kiss, any kiss should be, excited and eager at the start, making it perhaps a little too rough when his mouth crashed against hers, but then suddenly softer, gentle, a tentative question, which she returned, sliding her lips against his, parting them in invitation, which he accepted, deepening the kiss. He tilted his head, angling his mouth against hers, sucking at her top lip then her bottom, submitting to her own explorative press and slide of her lips, the small nips she made with the edge of her teeth. His tongue darted over her lips, swiping into her mouth just the smallest fraction, just enough to tease and tantalize and make her release a groan of pure carnal want.

The room, the world, had faded away entirely but suddenly came crashing back hard. People were hooting and clapping, whistling and chuckling and shouting lewd, encouraging comments. Cassian broke the kiss, breathing heavily as he rested his forehead against hers for a moment.

He had just kissed her. In front of everyone. They might as well have been standing on that dias, in front of the princess, making out for the entire Alliance to see.

“You kissed me,” she said, still incredulous.

“Yes,” Cassian met her gaze with his dark brown eyes, which seemed to be honest-to-goodness twinkling, for Force’s sake. “And you kissed me back.”

“But, you kissed me. In public. In front of everyone.”

“Yes.” Cassian was a good liar, pretending that it wasn’t a big deal for him to so openly display an emotion such as affection. He shrugged. “It was a bit territorial of me. Sorry.”

Jyn hadn’t even thought of that. She was so busy fighting her possessive feelings for Cassian, it hadn’t occurred to her he might be feeling possessive of her.

“Don’t apologize.” Don’t take it back. Please.

He smiled at her. And parts of her that she hadn’t previously known existed before meeting him, responded, filling her with warmth, as seemed inevitable whenever she was in the glow of that smile of his.

“Let’s get out of here while we can,” he leaned in to whisper, a little closer than necessary so that his mouth was just a couple of teasing inches away from hers.

“Yeah,” Jyn whispered back. “Your leg must be bothering you. I think we need to get you back to bed.”

His mouth twitched and he raised his eyebrows at her. Like he was in any condition to follow through on the innuendo that she actually hadn’t intended.

“Do you know of… er… a back way out of here?” Jyn asked as they ducked back into line. Things seemed to be picking up for the next part of the ceremony. And she’d honestly had enough pomp and circumstance for the day.

“Of course. I’m a spy,” Cassian said, giving Jyn a wink as he took her hand and somehow began to sidle through the ranks of rebel soldiers, weaving seamlessly between them and towing Jyn along, none the worse for wear for his injured leg.

They managed to reach the wall, slide along it and duck into a shadowy corner that was the entrance to a hidden narrow hallway just as all the troops came to attention and did an about face. Apparently the heroes of the Battle of Yavin were making their grand entrance. Jyn would’ve been curious about them if she wasn’t being towed along by the most compelling person she’d ever met, the most frustrating, uptight, passionate, tortured, beautiful man in the galaxy.

Halfway back to his quarters, his limp was worsening, so Jyn pulled her hand out of his and slipped her arm around his waist. It was difficult to say whether he maybe just wasn’t as much a stubbornly independent sort as she thought, or whether he trusted her like no other. But either way, he accepted her help and being snuggled up against him felt like where she belonged.

When they reached his quarters, Cassian collapsed onto his bed with a sigh. It had been a long day, even for her, and she was only recovering from comparatively minor injuries. So she was actually a little surprised when he didn’t immediately pass out. Instead, he gave her that look again.

“Come here.” Sitting up, he reached for her. And Jyn came, more than willingly, practically jumping into his lap, only hesitating when part of her shouted to be careful not to hurt him.

He smiled. Oh, that smile.

“It’s okay.” His hands found her waist. And oh, they fit her curves like they were made to hold her.

“But your injuries. I don’t want-”

“Straddle me.” He tugged gently at her waist. Heat blazed through her, and a wanting she’d never experienced the likes of before. “You can keep your weight off me that way, if you want.”

“Oh, right.” She put a knee on the bed on either side of his thighs, settled onto his lap without -he was right- placing her full weight on him. Cassian made a pleased noise, his hands never leaving her waist, but beginning to stroke up and down her sides, beneath her vest but separated from her bare skin by the fabric of her shirt, which she was honestly a bit thankful for. Her senses, her kriffing emotions, were already overwhelmed, especially when she looked down to find his face tilted up towards hers, his pretty dark eyes fixed on her, showing her everything he kept locked up so deep inside.

His eyes were all soft and imploring, filled with a desperate need to give and receive affection, to be understood and loved, to connect with another person on a soul deep level, emotionally… physically. It made her heart race and her skin prickle with gooseflesh. She had the same longing she had never been able to define before.

Jyn took his face in her hands, leaned down and kissed him. It was as good as the first time. Maybe even better. No less eager for one another, the ambrace was enthusiastic and a bit sloppy. But it slowed to that intense teasing exploration of one another, this time deepened by their tongues eager to taste one another, stroke and caress. The kiss was seeking and answering. It was… It was...

Kissing Cassian was a revelation. Not just confirmation that her attraction to him was reciprocated, but a soul-baring epiphany.

Most of her life, all of her adult life, Jyn had had nothing beyond surviving, no reason for living besides that death was the alternative. Cassian had tried to give her one, give her the Cause, his cause, the Rebellion. And for a while, she’d adopted it. She would still make it hers. But she was too cynical for it to be her reason for living. And if she was truly honest with herself, it was only her Cause because it was his.

Cassian Andor had given her something to live for, something to fight for, but it wasn’t what either of them pretended it was.

He was her reason. He was her Cause.

The kiss broke, and Jyn rested her forehead against his, the need to be close persisting despite the biological requirement that they break for want of air. His hands released her waist to cradle her face.

“Cassian…” She could barely recognize her own breathy whisper, could not find any words.

His thumbs stroke her cheeks and he sighed, his voice low and husky when he spoke.

“Me, too, Jyn. Me, too.”

END

[the-lady-writes-what]

26. Mirio Togata

          Theme: Incubus

          Kinks: Wet dreams, somnophilia, non-con, rough sex, breeding

Yeah. I don’t know how male orgasms work, so this will probably be inaccurate. I’m not that big into actually having sex and I’m not in a comfortable level with my male friends how orgasms feel for them. I don’t know what else to tell you.

Very OC Mirio. And you know what else? He’s canonically 18.

Masterlist

Spread your legs for me.

This was a dream and a damned good one at that. Laying on top of you was a young man, ripped like a Greek god. He ordered you around with a honeyed voice. It worked like magic. You opened your legs and allowed him to slip between them. His large, protruding member grazed against your slit before parting your wet folds as powerful-looking hands stood on either side of your head. You stared up from your pillow and into the ocean-blue eyes leering at your body. He snagged your lower lip between his teeth and sucked. 

Your eyes snapped back to the blue ones staring at you. You licked your lips. Your mouth was parched; you couldn't speak. 

You dared to look down at the body shifting between your legs. You gaped at the small bulge in your lower belly, where the cock was fully seated inside of you. Hips snapped into you, making you arch your back of your mattress.

You feel good, don't you, sunshine?

Don't you worry. Let me take care of everything.

Your legs trembled the next morning. It was worse between your legs, and the muscles of your inner thighs ached with every step. Your lower back screamed at you. When you looked at yourself in the bathroom mirror, you hardly recognized your own reflection. You were pale with dark circles under your eyes. You struggled to remember what time you went to bed. Your mind was running on two brain cells as you tried to work out what happened the night before. You remembered going to bed, but after that, you couldn't remember anything at all. Dreams weren't supposed to be remembered, yet it felt like you had one. In the back of your mind, you saw a man, a handsome man, sharing your bed. He was…inside you. His cock was pounding your insides like nothing else mattered to him except make you come hard. But you couldn't remember if he succeeded. 

You scrubbed yourself clean in the shower and ventured back to your bed. Carefully, you peeled back the covers. Sure enough, there was a wet stain. You quickly tore the sheets off your mattress and dumped them in the hamper. No one was going to see, but you felt better with a clean set. 

At work, people were already noticing the difference. 

"Hey, Y/N, are you okay?" Momo asked. 

"Hm?" Was all that you could manage. 

"You look like you pulled an all-nighter. Late-night project?" 

You shook your head. "No, just had a bizarre dream."

You flitted away before Momo could see the faint blush coming over your cheeks. You fueled yourself with coffee all day in an attempt to stay awake. A knock at your office had you snapping upright in your chair and spinning around to face the door. Mr. Toshinori stood in your doorway.

"L/N, do you have a second?"

You tried not to rub sleep from your eyes. 

"Sure, what do you need?"

"I'd like to introduce a new colleague to you. He just transferred from a different branch, so I'm showing him around. Togata, this is L/N-san."

You couldn't tell if blood drained from your face or sped towards your face. The other man in your office doorway looked uncomfortably familiar. He was broad as he was tall with a mop of blonde hair. His ocean-blue eyes beamed when he saw you.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, L/N," said Togata. "I'm Mirio. Mirio Togata."

You slowly rose from your chair. You wondered if your skirt was long enough to hide your knocking knees. You reached out to shake his hand and instantly regret that decision. His palm was warm—no, hot. It was hot to the touch, and it took everything you had not to wrench your hand away. Mirio's fingers were giant compared to yours. He gripped your hand almost possessively, but with Mr. Toshinori in the same room, that much Mirio could do. The moment your hands touched, a shiver ran up your spine. You lurched forward and almost fell into Mirio's arms. You clamped your hand over your mouth to prevent your new co-worker and boss from hearing you moan. 

"L/N, what's wrong? You look sick," said Mr. Toshinori. 

"I think…I think I should go home. I'm not feeling so hot." You managed to stammer out. 

"By all means, L/N. If you're not feeling well, you should get some rest. I'll fill out the paperwork, and you can sign it off when you get back."

"Thank you, sir," you mumbled. 

Mr. Toshinori and Mirio left the room. You gathered up your stuff, signed out of your computer, and headed out. As you rounded the corner, you felt someone follow behind you. You turned to see Mirio a few steps at your back. 

"If you don't mind, I'd like to help you to your car. Mr. Toshinori was kind of enough to let me help you since you don't look so good," said Mirio.

"T-Thanks." 

Mirio stayed a few steps behind you rather than walk right at your back. Which you were grateful if anyone asked. The personal space was needed before you passed out. That all changed when you realized that you would have to take the elevator to get to the parking garage below, which meant you had to share it with Mirio standing within arm's reach of you. 

The elevator doors closed with a solemn grumble. Your heart pounded inside your chest. You glanced at Mirio from time to time, waiting for him to make a move. Although what should you be expecting? Were you that suspicious of a man you just met just because he looked similar to the one in your wet dream? Coincidence, you thought. It was all just a coincidence. You were silly, really. A niggling doubt in the back of your mind said otherwise. Mirio didn't just look similar to the man in your dream, he was too tentative, and the way his eyes followed you around should have shot up several red flags. You ignored it in favor of acting like a sensible, rational human being. 

Mirio caught you looking at him once or twice on the way down that seemed to take a century. He merely smiled and kept his hands to himself. If he indeed was the man from your dream, then he would hesitate to put his hands all over you the moment the elevator's doors closed shut. Someone like that wouldn't give a damn about the security cameras either. His smile made you melt; you were practically a puddle when you exited the elevator. Mirio followed behind as you sprinted for your car. You bit your lip. Was this such a good idea to let a strange know what kind of car you drive and what your license plate read? No, no, that couldn't be the same kind of man Mirio was. He was too polite for that creepiness. 

You made it to your car without further incident. Your heart still raced a mile a minute. Mirio stood in the periphery of your vision, never far from your sight. He remained a respectful distance away. 

"Thank you so much for your help. I hope we get to work on future projects together," you said as you fished your car keys out of your purse.

"Let me get the door for you."

Mirio moved so quickly that you didn't have time to protest. He plucked the keys from your hand, pressed the button that would unlock the car, and opened the driver-side door for you. Puzzled, you didn't think twice about the matter. You settled your stuff in the passenger seat next to you and buckled in. You bated your eyelashes without thinking anything wrong. A little flirting never hurt right. 

"Thank you," you said. 

"Not a problem." Mirio beamed. His smile could melt icecaps.

Shutting the door, Mirio leaned through the window you don't remember rolling down. 

"I'll see you tonight." His voice was velveteen. 

Your brows furrowed at his meaning. You were a deer caught in a pair of headlights when you turned to look at him. Those same ocean-blue eyes held a darker intent than merely working with you. It was the vastness of the open sea, cold and ruthless. His eyes were a void meant to suck you in and drown you in their maddening depths. Mirio's smile dimmed to a smirk, and he walked away. You watched him from your car how he turned away, walked back to the elevator, and climb inside. Before the doors closed him in, you swore that Mirio winked at you before disappearing. 

The rest of your day was a blur. You dressed in your favorite pajamas and hoped that some food and mindless channel surfing would solve all your problems. Not only were you not getting paid, but your excuse was also rather lame. As you sat on your couch and stared into your television screen, you wondered when was the last time you got a full night of sleep. You blanked. There had to be a time when you did, but you couldn't remember. Your brain was a jumbled mess, all thanks to those cursed dreams you'd been having. You couldn't even remember the last time you had an ordinary, non-sexy dream with a stranger you hadn't met until today. 

You almost loathed it when it grew dark. Night meant bedtime, and bedtime meant dreams. The longer your brain festered on those dreams, the more you grew to dread them. You looked at your reflection in the bathroom mirror as you brushed your teeth. You took a more extended look at the dark circles beneath your eyes and the sullenness taking over your face. Were your cheeks always that shallow? You spat, rinsed, and turned off the light. 

Mirio slipped through every wall and door to get inside your apartment. He would climb through every fence in the world just to get to you. Your scent was absolutely divine; it drove him insane with want. He licked his lips as he broke past the last barrier keeping you from him. The path to the bedroom was easy and one that he knew like the back of his hand. Mirio mapped out your entire apartment during his nightly trips. 

You paused at your bedside before peeling back the covers. Slowly, you got beneath your blankets and pulled them up to your neck. For the longest time, you lay there stiff as a board under your blanket and sheets. Your eyes darted around the room just to see if your new co-worker was lurking there. You set your phone face down on the nightstand after fifteen minutes of you lying in bed and staring at the ceiling. You flipped your bedside lamp off with a sigh.

You closed your eyes, still expecting Mirio to slink in. The room was silent. The only noise you could make out were the soft footsteps from the people in the apartment above you and the gust of wind against your windowpane. A prayer fell from your lips that whatever was coming for you in the night would leave you be.

He stood at the foot of the bed to watch you sleep. You snuggled up to your blankets like a child seeking protection. A few pieces of cloth weren't enough to protect you from him. Mirio crept a bit closer. When he was stood beside you, he peeled away the blankets and sheets. Lavender wafted up to his nose. 

"Changed your sheets after last night, eh? You humans are so peculiar about your habitats. It is a shame, though. I might have wanted you to sleep a little longer in your come. Get you used to it. Oh, well."

His hands worked the buttons of your sleep shirt, and the silken fabric fell away with no more than a gentle tug. Your long bottoms made him scowl. How dare you hide your lovely from him. That alone deserved punishment. You murmured in your sleep as Mirio tugged your pants and underwear down in one go. Tonight, he had no intention of putting you back together again. You would sleep naked after he was done with you. The only thing he wished he could do was to see your face when you woke up and found yourself naked. No matter. Good things come to those who wait. 

Mirio wasted no time dishevelling his clothes. Being a demon, he could have easily dissolved them or faded through them. He wanted this to be special and want to remember every detail. The act of stripping down made him feel a bit more compatible with you, a human. It was pretend, a show. Eventually, you would see his proper form and tremble. For now, Mirio settled for having you like this, vulnerable to his power and entirely at his mercy. 

He climbed into bed with you and reclined on his side. His tongue ran across his lips just by looking at your body. You shivered in the cold. You should have stirred and awoken to your body bare of even a sheet to protect you from his gaze. Mirio's magic made it impossible for you to open your eyes unless he desired it so. You were going to belong to him shortly enough, but why spoil it now? Mirio thought himself cruel for dragging it out like this but admitted to liking this game.

Mirio ran a finger down the column of your throat and let it trail down to your belly button and back again. He hummed with delight as he touched your smooth skin. He palmed your breast and tweaked your nipple to a stiff peak. Mirio shifted on the bed until his lips found your neck and suckled. He kissed your shoulders and licked your skin. Mirio's large hands groped your chest. 

"You fill my hands up nicely, Y/N. Your body feels like it already belongs to me," he murmured against your skin. 

Mirio placed his knee against your cunt, rubbing your clit occasionally against the hard muscle. He drew your knees upwards and settled himself firmly between your legs. Kissing your lips, his hands never left your chest. While he kissed your mouth, his hands never ceased to pinch and massage your chest. His cock grew stiff, just thinking about what it would look like sandwiched in the middle of your perfect breasts. 

"More time for that later. Let's get down to business, shall we, sunshine?" 

Mirio lined his cock against your pussy, now soppy wet from his ministrations. He smiled to himself at how easy it was to manipulate your body towards his needs. If you had been awake, he imagined that your eyes would roll into the back of your head at the stretch. His cock slipped in with only a little resistance. Your walls clenched around his intrusion before easing up. His first thrust helped him bottom out. Mirio closed his eyes at the feel of your body wet, warm, and tight for him. For him alone. 

"That's my sunshine. That's my girl. Oh, yes," Mirio grunted.

His hands bruised your hips as he dragged you up and down his cock, forced it to meet him thrust for thrust. While you slept, your walls clamped down around Mirio's cock. He snapped his hips back and forth as he felt your strength leave your body and enter him. Call it 'tit for tat.' Mirio was giving your body all the pleasure it could ever need and the seed it so desperately wanted. The only price was just a little bit of your energy. Soon, very soon, Mirio wouldn't need to take any more from you. He would be able to have you all to himself, and no force on earth could stop him. 

Mirio adored the sweet squelching sounds your pussy made as he pounded into it. You were flooding him with your juices, and you didn't even know it. He couldn't wait to see what your eyes looked like when he pleasured your consciousness. Though your mind was too far gone to realize that it wasn't merely a dream, you couldn't wake up until Mirio wanted you to. This was the way of his kind, only most were one and done. Mirio needed more and more of you to himself. He couldn't stop after one feeding. The only way for him to keep you without draining away your life was a simple spell. All he had to do was get you pregnant. 

You were close; he could feel it. Pleasured seared down his spine and threatened to burst, but he wanted to hold out a little while longer. Mirio moved faster, faster. He saw the bruises forming on your hips, the tighter he held on. He would rather crush your hips than stop when you were both so close. Your cunt squeezed around him. 

"That's it, good girl. Squeeze me. I'm going to give you everything. Better not spill a drop."

You whined in your sleep as you arched your back. Mirio watched your face as it scrunched up. In pain or ecstasy, it was hard to tell the difference. Your body convulsed around him. Your floodgates opened to him and coated Mirio's cock with your come. It was more than enough to allow Mirio to do the same. The searing tingle shot down his spine and burst like an explosion. He stopped gripping your hips to seize hold of the headboard and hold it tight. Mirio shoved his cock in as far as it would go to ensure that none of his come leaked out. He could feel himself releasing so quickly that it made his head spin. When the final drop hit, he slowly, reluctantly, pulled away from your welcoming cunt. Your insides and your inner thighs were covered in him, just the way he liked. 

Mirio dressed then looked over his shoulder at your sleeping and battered form. There were bound to be questions when you woke up, but it was a shame he couldn't see it. He satisfied himself for now by kissing your forehead and whispering, "Pleasant dreams."

[the-mad-starker]

StarkerFestivals Holiday Exchange: Good Omegas

For @kingnorth​, So this fill is mostly cock stupid cumslut omega Peter but I also took something from the other prompts to come up with this 😅 I hope you like it 💗

Summary: 

Good omegas obey their alphas. Even tied up with a gag and blindfold, good omegas obey. Peter wants to prove he's a good omega.

WC: 2661

(AO3 Link)

Notes: Bondage, a/b/o dynamics, omega Peter, alpha Tony, heat cycles, facial, some dirty talk (also the bondage in here is realllly superficially researched so please don't come after me 😱) also, position is loosely based on this reference pic Here for how Peter's tied up

❄️❄️❄️

Caught up in numbers and equations, it was easy for Tony's brain to push aside any distractions. It was only when the soft whimpers grew louder that the alpha finally turned away from the monitor and looked to the side where his favorite spiderling was bound and waiting.

Peter made such a pretty sight, smooth, lovely skin flushed pink. The omega had been stripped completely, naked except for the red bands that kept him tied up, pretty as a picture. Bold and beautiful, they tied his arms behind his back and connected with similar bands that bound his ankles to his thighs, leaving his immobile and hogtied on the floor. Red was such a vibrant and attention-grabbing color. It suited Tony but seeing his color on the sweet omega was a far better picture. 

Around his head, Tony's tie was secured over his eyes. From where he sat, Tony could even see where the tears soaked into the fabric and turned it into a darker red. The color matched the boy's pretty lips even while they were stretched around a ball gag.

The alpha wasn't too worried even though the boy was increasingly begging for his attention the longer he was kept there. The position wasn't the most comfortable but Tony's nanotech would adjust to Peter's needy little squirming to a certain point. For someone like Spider-Man who had such a bendy little body, it wasn't too much of a hardship.

No, the reason his pretty little omega was crying for him was because he wanted to get fucked. Tony was several feet away from the boy but even that short distance was too much. It was enough to have Peter try to entice him closer Once the alpha came closer, it'd be easier for him to seduce Tony and get what he really wanted. 

The alpha's cock.

Tony remained where he sat although once he was reminded of the visual his mentee made, his cock started hardening in his pants. The boy couldn't see him anyway so Tony felt completely at ease about bringing a hand to his cock.

"What's wrong, kid?" Tony asked, voice low and intimate, as he started to touch himself over his clothing. It felt good to acknowledge the building pressure in his body. "It hasn't even been ten minutes and you're already hopeless."

The omega's restless wiggling stopped as he listened to Tony speak. His entire body trembled from the heat and his scent was enough to intoxicate alphas from miles away. It was good that Tony's labs were scentproof, as well as soundproof.

When Tony didn't continue, the omega grew restless once more. A soft noise escaped the bound boy but Tony wasn't taking the bait just yet.

Instead, the alpha started unzipping his pants. Peter jerked as though he'd been slapped. Without the boy's loud whimpering, the sound of the zipper being pulled down made it clear just what Tony was doing. Peter recognized that sound and trembled from the implication.

"You know," Tony sighed as he looked at the omega with hungry eyes. "I didn't expect it of you, kid. Didn't think you'd have the balls to come here… Stinking of heat and fuck me pheromones… Oh, fuck… Already so fucking hard and it's your damn fault..."

Tony had been caught off guard when the boy showed up, literally presenting himself as a sweet little morsel for the alpha to devour. 

It was too easy to believe that he was an innocent victim to biology just like Tony.

But Peter was an omega and omegas like him were dangerous with their sweet scents capable of scrambling an alpha's mind. Wide-eyed with color creeping up his neck, the beginnings of a heat just setting in… Peter had grabbed onto the older man and clung to him with pleading eyes as though he wasn't dripping wet between his thighs and begging to be fucked.

Tony had resisted all the others in the past but Peter… He couldn't resist Peter. He didn't want to. But that didn't mean he had to give in right then and there. No, he was going to give the sweet boy what he wanted but on his terms.

If Peter wanted Tony Stark as his mate, he was going to have to earn it. He'd have to take the full brunt of Tony's desire that had built up over years and years of restraint, of knowing that touching Peter, sweet, innocent Peter, would've been the worst thing to happen to either of them.

Because Tony would never let him go once he did.

The alpha's cock was dripping for the boy. Big, fat, cloudy beads formed at the tip and dribbled down the thick hot length. He squeezed the tip and more slid down, leaving trails of glistening wetness to cover his cock.

Tony was producing so much precum, his body getting ready to fuck. To breed. He had never felt like this until Peter came into his life, into his territory, that brilliant spark of sharp intelligence glazing over with the savage hunger of heat.

"Mmph–" Peter made a soft protest, muffled around the gag. He could hear the distinctive sound of flesh on flesh, Tony jerking off as he watched the omega writhe against the bonds.

That sound, amongst all others, made something inside the alpha snap.

Tony got up and his cock was heavy enough that it didn't stand straight up. Instead, it swayed between his thighs, thick and undeniable, as he walked over to the bound boy.

Peter's fuck me pheromones assaulted him the closer he got and a lesser alpha would've just mounted the boy right then and there. Pressed the boy's face to the cool tiles of Tony's lab with the alpha himself rutting into him, hard and fast.

Tony didn't doubt for a minute that that wasn't what Peter wanted. The boy would be drooling around the gag, mindless and straight up drunk off getting his first alpha cock.

With a grunt, Tony grabbed those precious curls and urged the boy to his knees. Peter whimpered but he was so pliant, so willing to obey to get what he wanted.

Then, as though to make up for his rough behavior, Tony gently removed the tie.

There was a glassy sheen to Peter's eyes as he blinked in the dim light. Then those eyes of his focused, the black expanding hungrily as he was met with the alpha's cock right in front of his face. He strained forward, against Tony's grip, as though he wasn't currently gagged and could take the alpha's cock into his mouth.

"Ahh… mmm…" He still couldn't talk but he didn't need to. Tony knew what he wanted to say.

Alpha.

"Look at you…" Tony murmured, completely transfixed on his heat addled protege. "Smartest omega in the world… Could probably break these bonds like matchsticks and here you are… Drooling for my cock. Letting yourself be bound and tied up like this… Just so you can taste my cum, huh?"

Peter whimpered but he didn't deny it. Didn't shake his head. He slowly leaned forward and this time, Tony loosened his grip and let the boy nuzzle against his dripping cock.

The way Peter's eyes drooped to half-mast and the soft, desperate little moan… He was getting a good dose of Tony's scent, getting wetter and wetter just by breathing him in.

"Slutty little omega," Tony cooed, petting the boy's hair back to get a better look at his face. "Slutty little cumdump. You'd let me fuck you… Let me knot this pretty mouth of yours… You'd let me do all that without a mating bite, won't you?"

A sharp inhale was his answer, the boy's eyes widening with the proposition. They both wanted more than that but with Peter as he was, he wouldn't turn down Tony's offer. 

The answer was clear. 

Yesyesyes. 

He'd let Tony do it. Let the older man defile his body, his hole, his mouth…

Tony's mouth curled up into a pleased smile, his own gaze lowering to the boy's lips.

Peter didn't have those big pouty lips that were often featured on magazines whenever people praised soft omega features. They were thin and often chapped, something Tony noticed early on. It still didn't stop the alpha from wanting to see them bruised from his teeth or wrapped sweetly around his cock.

He caressed the boy's cheek, thumb brushing over the strap that held the gag in place. Peter turned towards his hand and nuzzled against his palm, beseeching for more.

"Oh, sweetheart… What a mess you've found yourself in," Tony sighed, his subconsciously swaying towards the boy. "But you're gonna have to be a good omega for me. Are you a good omega, baby?"

Peter nodded eagerly, doe eyes pleading for Tony's praise but the alpha just continued talking.

"We'll see, won't we? First, I'm gonna wreck this pretty mouth of yours," Tony told him softly, "and you're gonna let me. You're just gonna be a nice wet hole for my cock, okay, baby? Maybe once I clear my head, I'll fuck that needy hole of yours. Maybe even give you that knot you're crying about."

Tony knew Peter wanted to protest. He could see it in the way the boy trembled, that desperate need to get fucked overriding logical sense. Instead, he heeded Tony's words and melted into his touch, lashes drifting closed as he accepted his fate.

That was all Tony needed to start.

He didn't even need to activate his armor to haul the boy into the air. His muscles strained to do it but Peter was on the lighter build for omegas. He fit perfectly in Tony's arms.

It only took a moment for Tony to reach his destination. The setup had been created while Tony worked and Peter was made to wait.

He set Peter down in the middle of the lab and commanded his nanotech to work. It was often hard for people to grasp the concept of his nanotechnology but what was known only scratched the surface of their capabilities. Whenever they thought about it, they imagined the hard, unforgiving metal that made up his suits. They didn't think about how it was flexible or how it could change and bend to Tony's will.

Tony didn't need rope to haul the boy up into the air. The nanotech simply melded with the supple bands binding the boy and designed like this… It was everything he needed. It attached to a secure ring hanging from the ceiling, slowly shortening in length until Peter hung suspended in the air at just the right height. And because Tony didn't want to break his new omega, he added even more support to lessen the strain on the boy's body, more bands crossing over pale, flushed skin and joining to the ring.

He would need that support for what Tony was planning to do.

"Comfy?" Tony murmured as he petted Peter's hair.

The expression on Peter's face was one of awe and unrestrained eagerness. He knew what was coming.

Slowly but gently, Tony undid the gag and let it fall to the floor with a thunk. Like a good boy, Peter kept his mouth open, his pink little tongue just waiting for Tony's cock. His eyes fluttered closed as he gave himself to his alpha.

A pleased purr rumbled in Tony's chest as he moved closer, angling his aching cockhead to the boy's lips.

"That's it…" Tony hissed as he finally got to press his cock inside a nice warm hole. The thick mushroom shaped tip of his cock was already enough to stuff Peter's mouth full. "That's it, baby… Suck on alpha's cock…"

The boy couldn't help moaning as he tried. His lips stretched over Tony's tip and he sucked, sloppy and unrefined, just desperate to please his alpha. Regardless of technique or finesse, it still felt like heaven to the older man.

Tony's hips stuttered forward, intent on burying his cock down to the root. He wanted every inch in Peter's mouth, wanted the boy to take everything in until that cute little nose of his was buried in the short curls of Tony's groin.

"You can do better, kid…" Tony panted as he curled his fingers into Peter's hair, pulling him closer. "Gotta show me what a good omega you are… Gotta show alpha you can take all of it…"

Peter tried so hard, Tony could see how hard the boy tried. His brows were pinched together in concentration and his tears were gleaming in the corner of his eyes. His tongue writhed beneath the heavy weight of Tony's erection even as his cheeks hollowed in an attempt to suck him in.

He took the steady push of cock as best as he could and Tony did his best not to choke him with it. They'd play with that another time. Slow and steady, Tony fucked the boy's mouth, edging more and more of his length inside that lovely warmth.

With Peter suspended in the air, Tony was able to use it to rock the boy back and forth on his cock. Tony established a rhythm, fucking Peter's mouth and moaning over how fucking good it felt.

"That's it, Pete…" Tony groaned when the omega dutifully swallowed him down. The boy peered at him through his lashes, so beautiful with Tony's cock in his mouth. "So good, baby… Took every inch like a good omega…"

Tony licked his lips and felt that undeniable hunger to do more. To really fuck the boy's mouth.

"Now… Now, alpha's show you the next step…" Tony grunted as he started to really push and pull the boy into his cock. "Alpha's gonna need to fuck this mouth every day. Gotta make sure you can take it whenever I want it. Ugh, that's it, baby… Relax that throat… Let alpha fuck it just like this…"

Peter whimpered around his mouthful. His eyes were squeezed shut as Tony made good use of his mouth. In between the gasps of air and dirty moans, Tony heard that oh so distinctive sound of someone struggling to take it, grunts mixed with soft choking sounds.

The omega looked up at him, cock stupid and still begging for a taste of Tony's cum.

He gave it to him.

The alpha held the boy's face tight as he bottomed out. He grunted, his cock thickening and growing even more, encased as it was in the boy's throat. Peter's lips brushed against the knot and he whined, wanting that, too.

"Good omega…" Tony groaned. Peter didn't struggle, didn't fight against his alpha. He let Tony do whatever he wanted to him and even now, mouth full of cock, he only wanted to please the older man.

With a snarl, Tony pulled out and let loose on the boy's astonished face. Load after load, he spilled all that creamy essence across Peter's face, marking the omega as his.

Peter moaned in rapture, tongue hanging out and spit dripping down his chin and the corner of his lips. He was a mess, a beautiful mess, and Tony only made it worse.

The alpha's cum spilled all over his face. There was a shot of cum across the bridge of his nose. More dripped from his eyebrow and spilled down on his cheek. And of course, there was a good helping in his mouth.

Like a good boy, Peter held his alpha's cum, waiting with a fervent gaze as Tony took in his handwork. His omega was still hard, his cocklet leaking between his legs. Good.

Tony swiped his cum along the boy's mouth with his cum wet tip, adding more glaze to that pretty mouth.

"Lick every drop," Tony said, shivering when the boy's tongue slid out and swiped at the tip with hungry kittenish licks. "Good… Swallow it all down, baby. Get every single drop."

And like a good omega, Peter did. 

[kathonyxbee]

Preventing Another Duel

Happy Belated Kate and Anthony Week! 🐝🌷

This is late, I know, but it took me a while to figure out this fit which I planned for Day 5. Sorry about that. So, this is basically the fic for Day 5 of Kathony Week 🐝🌷

Day 5: "scared of my wife"

Set during TSPWL, knowing about the duel with Simon, Kate hides Anthony's pistols to keep him from engaging in another duel that might get him killed.

Or, Kate is a very protective wife even if it means taking extreme measures and Anthony is a little scared of her.

“Mama?” Edmund asked in a small voice as Kate closed the book she’d just read the boys, and Kate looked up to find both her boys looking up at her with curious expressions on both their faces. Edmund was a mirror image of her husband, the same brown eyes, the same nose, the same shape of his mouth, the same mop of brown hair. Miles was more of a mixture of them both, with Anthony’s bone structure and nose, but her mouth and eyes, darker than Edmund’s, and her hair, a mop of black, unruly curls.

“Yes, darling?”

Her boys exchanged a look, nudging each other until Miles turned to her.

“Was Auntie El kidnapped by pirates?” Miles asked in a small voice. Kate gasped, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise.

“Miles, why would you say such a thing?” she asked, her brows furrowing in confusion.

“Isn’t that why Grandmama Violet went to the bank to make sure her funds were in order?” Edmund piped up, his brown eyes blinking at her with curiosity.

“Edmund! Where did you hear that?” she stared at her eldest in shock, and concern. They’d all been on edge for the past few days, ever since Eloise had disappeared. Anthony was currently out with Colin and Gregory, doing Lord knows what, while most of the women of the family, minus Francesca and Sophie, were off at Number 5. Even Edwina, her sister, had been alerted, Kate sending her a frazzled note as soon as she could, and Mary, too, both of them writing back to express their concern.

Kate had been at Number 5, too, most of the afternoon, doing her best to comfort Violet, who was beside herself, and keep an eye on Hyacinth and the household, but had left just before dinner since she needed to put Charlotte to bed and Edmund and Miles needed to be bathed, too, and put to bed. Daphne, too, had left not long after, her four children in tow.

Edmund looked down, a crease, much like his father’s, forming between his eyebrows and Miles pinched his lips together.

“Well-” her eldest started, but Miles cut him off.

“You see, Mama, Auntie Hyacinth was telling us this story,” he started to explain, looking up to meet her eyes, “about pirates and this cousin of the Bridgertons who was kidnapped by pirates and then married one of them and we just thought that Auntie El-” he rambled, trying to explain.

Kate snorted, cutting him off, and both her sons looked at her in surprise as she succumbed to laughter, unable to stop herself.

“Mama? Are you alright?” Edmund murmured, looking at her in concern. “You are acting so strange…”

Finally, Kate managed to stop laughing, and she let out a heavy sigh before crouching in front of her sons, and reached for their hands, clasping them in hers.

“My darlings,” she said softly, giving them a wobbly smile, “your Aunt Hyacinth lives for adventure, but don’t listen to her and let her fill your head with nonsense. Your Aunt Eloise was not kidnapped by pirates,” she told them as firmly as she could. She didn’t like being too firm with the boys, but she was tired and worried for Eloise, and she wasn’t going to entertain this ridiculous theory.

Both boys, sensing that their mother was in a no-nonsense mood, nodded solemnly, letting out a “yes, Mama,” in unison.

And then, Miles added, “but, mama, do you think Auntie El might have been kidnapped, still?”

“Not by a pirate,” Edmund supplied.

Kate sighed, “I don’t think so,” she told them. “Edmund, Miles, your Auntie El is strong, and smart, and she would never let herself kidnapped-”

“Do you think Papa will have to duel anyone?” Miles interrupted her to chime in.

“Miles!” Kate gasped. “Why would you-”

“Because he and Uncle Simon dueled before Uncle Simon married Auntie Daff,” Edmund chimed in.

Kate sighed, huffing, “Edmund, Miles, your father is not going to duel anyone,” told them, once again trying to sound as authoritative as she could. “Not if I have anything to say about it,” she added, under her breath.

Miles’ eyes filled with tears, “are you certain, Mama?” he asked, his voice small, and Kate heart ached as she cupped his small face.

“Of course, darling,” she said softly, wiping away the few tears that had spilled onto his cheeks, still chubby with baby fat. “Your Papa is not going to do anything of the sort, I promise. Not if it means taking him away from us. If there is a conflict with your Aunt Eloise, your father will resolve it in a most civilized manner indeed. All right, boys?”

“Yes, Mama,” they mumbled in unison.

“Now, off to bed with you two,” she told them, nudging them to their beds. Although Bridgerton House had enough bedrooms for all of them, Edmund and Miles were still sharing a room, thought Kate wasn’t sure if it was for Miles’ or Edmund’s benefit. She didn’t mind. When the boys weren’t up mischief, they were the best of friends and both Kate and Anthony were so happy, since both of them had siblings and loved their siblings very much. So much so that Anthony was ready to duel any man who would ever attempt to bring harm or ruin to any of his sisters. Kate did not want to think of what Anthony might do when Charlotte would grow up and have her season. He’d probably convert to Catholicism so he could lock her in a convent. She shook herself and stood up, bending to kiss each boy, bidding them goodnight.

“Goodnight, my darlings,” she whispered, exiting the room.

“Goodnight, Mama,” they both whispered as she shut the door, turning off the light.

Once the door was firmly shot behind her, Kate listened, making sure her husband hadn’t returned before making her way to Anthony’s study. She passed Mrs. Wilson, the housekeeper she’d inherited from her mother-in-law upon their move to Bridgerton House.

“Is everything all right, my lady?” Mrs. Wilson asked, her face filled with concern. “Any word on Miss Eloise?” And, Kate was reminded that Mrs. Wilson had worked for the Bridgertons for years, that she’d known Eloise since she was born, that she was just as worried as anyone.

Kate shook her head, “no, Mrs. Wilson, sadly I don’t know anything. I was just putting the boys to bed. Charlotte is already sleeping,” she told her with a tense smile. “I, uh, I need something from Lord Bridgerton’s study. You may retire for the night, I should like to wait for my husband,” she added softly.

“Of course, my lady. Goodnight,” Mrs. Wilson murmured before going off, leaving Kate alone once more. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Kate made her way to Anthony’s study, shutting the door behind her before getting to work, looking for her husband’s pistols. She’d be damned if she let another duel happen, no matter what.

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Barely an hour later, after Kate had retrieved and hidden the pistols, sending a letter to her sister-in-law, Sophie, warning her to hide Benedict’s, too, she retired to the drawing room and requested a pot of tea, hoping to calm her nerves. Newton joined her, settling at her feet. She’d just filled her cup with the tea, when the door burst open, causing Newton to lift his head in alarm, and she looked up to find Anthony standing there, a harried-looking Humboldt beside him, Colin and Gregory not far behind.

“Anthony!” she exclaimed, standing up, setting her cup aside. “What-”

“We know where Eloise is!” he announced, striding into the room, passing poor Humboldt, his brothers scrambling to join. Newton became alert, too, rushing over to Anthony and the other two, yapping at their feet. Anthony merely bent down to scratch him behind his ear with a quiet, “good evening, Newton,” which made Kate grin.

“Oh!” she let out a sigh of relief. “Where is she? Is she all right?” she asked as she met Anthony for a hug in the middle of the room, his grip tightening on her, holding her close while Colin and Gregory both lingered behind, Colin no doubt ordering food and more tea. After a few more seconds, he finally released her, but not before pressing a chaste kiss to her lips, and she could feel the tension melt from his body, a tension that hadn’t left him in the past few days.

“She’s all right,” he told her, pulling her to the sofa, Colin and Gregory both plopping down on another one. Newton joined them, the two brothers immediately patting him and rubbing his belly. “Or, at least I hope so,” he added, a little more subdued, and she could hear the worry in his voice, see it in the crease between his eyebrows, a crease that had been permanent for the past few days, and all she’d wanted was to brush it away, but she knew that until he saw Eloise alive and well with his own eyes, it would not disappear.

“Well, what happened?” she asked, glancing at the other two Bridgerton brothers.

“She’s run off!” Gregory replied, his lips twitching with amusement, and Colin snorted. “She’s run off to marry a man,” he added for clarification. Kate’s eyebrows shot up in surprise and she gasped.

“Run off? To get married? Eloise?” she asked, still trying to process the thought.

“Oh, yes,” Colin murmured.

“To a Sir Phillip Crane,” Anthony grunted, unamused. “We found a letter and a pressed flower behind her desk,” he added.

“Actually, Pen found it,” Colin chimed in, smiling proudly, and Kate rolled her eyes. Newlyweds.

“That was a very sensible idea, having Pen look, wasn’t it?” she quipped, a small smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. “I wonder who thought of it…”

Anthony sighed, “yes, you were right to suggest it, dear wife,” he told her, bringing her hand to his lips and pressing a tender kiss to her knuckles. “Quite sensible of you,” he added.

“Indeed. I am the sensible sister, after all,” she murmured acerbically. “And, where is this Sir Phillip Crane located?” she wondered, taking another sip of her tea.

“In Gloucestershire,” Anthony answered her question. “Not very far from Wiltshire, where Benedict and Sophie live,” he added.

“We’ll be heading there,” Colin informed her. “We must deal with this Sir Phillip individual as soon as possible,” he said, cracking his knuckles.

“I assume Benedict will join you?” she asked, though she already knew the answer. Benedict was Eloise’s favorite brother, after all, the two of them sharing a very close bond.

“Indeed,” Anthony nodded.

“I am, too,” Gregory chimed in. “I should like to give that Sir Phillip a piece of my mind,” he added, crossing his arms, trying to appear as scary as his older brothers, but he failed. Still, Kate found it sweet that Gregory was ready to beat up a man he didn’t know for his siter.

“Absolutely not!” Anthony snapped.

“I agree with Anthony, Greg. I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Colin added, trying to sound a little more gentle.

“And, I think it’s a splendid idea for Gregory to go,” Kate chimed in, straightening up a little. “He is your brother, too, and if he wants to go, he should. He is three-and-twenty, after all. He’s an adult,” she said, glancing over at her husband who had an inscrutable expression on his face. She reached for him, her fingers gripping his wrist lightly, bringing his attention to her, and their gazes met. “Anthony,” she said gently, “I know you think of Gregory as a child, but he isn’t. And, if he wants to go, you should take him with you,” she said softly, rubbing her thumb over his knuckles in a comforting manner, and she felt Anthony relax slightly beneath her fingertips.

Anthony sighed heavily, but they both knew she’d won the argument, and she couldn’t help but smirk, a little too pleased with herself.

“Very well. Gregory, you may join us,” he declared, and Gregory beamed, please. Then, Anthony stood up, “now, I shall go make preparations right now.” And, with that he stalked out of the room, no doubt going to his study.

The remaining Bridgerton brothers glanced at each other.

“Think he’ll duel Sir Phillip, too?” Gregory whispered, or tried to, anyway, but Kate heard him.

“I’m sure,” Colin nodded just as Humboldt returned with a tray of food. “Oh, Humboldt, you are a Godsend!” he exclaimed upon seeing the food.

The butler grinned, “not quite, Mr. Bridgerton. I am just doing my job,” he muttered.

“Thank you, Humboldt,” Kate added with a smile as Newton yapped at Colin and Gregory’s feet.

And then, there was the sound of crashing coming from down the hall, grabbing their attention.

“Kate!” Anthony bellowed loudly and Kate stood up, seeing Newton lift his head, too, but he made no move to leave the room. “Kate!” he yelled again, and she sighed.

“Excuse me, I am going to see what your brother is yelling about,” she told the other two before leaving the drawing room and rushing to Anthony’s study.

“Anthony!” she hissed as she entered the study, shutting the door behind her. “Do you want to wake Charlotte or the boys up?”

“Forgive me,” he muttered apologetically. Then, he turned to her, “Kate, darling, have you seen my pistols by any chance? They were in their case and I really do need them,” he said sweetly, but she wasn’t fooled by his tone.

“Nice try, Anthony,” she rolled her eyes. “I hid them,” she told him simply, not seeing any reason to hide the fact.

Anthony grunted, “Kate, you must give them to me,” he told her firmly. “I need them right now,” he added.

“To do what? Duel him? Absolutely not!” she snapped, scowling, crossing her arms.

“Kate…” Anthony edged out, gritting his teeth in annoyance. “I need them, and I don’t want to waste all night looking for them, so would you please just tell me where they are?”

“Now why would I do that?” she tutted. “I’m not going to enable you to get killed,” she added, pursing her lips, trying to catch his gaze.

“Kate…” he muttered, trailing off before he moved closer to her. “She is my sister. I must defend her honor,” he added, a hint of desperation in his tone.

She sighed, her expression softening as she lifted her hand to cup his cheek. “And you are my husband,” she said sofly, her gaze meeting his, her dark brown eyes staring into him, searching for something, something like an answer.

“Kate, when gentlemen are faced with certain situations, they must do what needs to be done. I am very well-educated in the matter, I know what to do,” he said, his own voice husky as he instinctively leaned into her touch.

Kate rolled her eyes, “ah, yes… leave it to the men. Of course. Because you know exactly what to do,” she grumbled. “Don’t be ridiculous, Anthony. Duels aren’t guaranteed. No matter how well you know what needs to be done, you can never predict how that bullet will move,” she said, pursing her lips.

Anthony just shook his head and pulled away, averting his gaze, and Kate’s stomach flipped nervously.

“What happens if you kill him?” she asked in a low voice, her heart hammering in her chest.

Without looking at her, her husband sighed, “I shall have to run away. Benedict will be head of the family in every way that matters and when Edmund is of age he can take over,” he told her.

“You would abandon me?” she asked, her voice uncharacteristically small, and she tried to catch her husband’s gaze, but he seemed intent on avoiding it.

“I would not have a choice. But, hopefully it won’t come to that if Eloise marries him,” he sighed.

Her brows knitted together as she struggled to ask her next question. “And, if you- if Sir Phillip k- kills you?” she whispered, her voice breaking on the last word.

“Edmund would inherit everything,” he told her, his own voice low, defeated.

“You would do that to Edmund? After what your father’s death-”

“Don’t bring father into this!” he growled. “That was an accident-”

“And this would be of your own reckless stupidity!” she snapped, cutting him off. “Yes, that sounds like a much better idea, Anthony. Either you kill him and you’re as good as dead or he kills you and you leave your children without a father and me a widow? Capital idea, my lord!”

“Kate-” he tried cutting in, but she didn’t let him, she wouldn’t let him.

“After everything we’ve been through, after all the pain you’ve endured thinking you would die soon, you would do something so reckless?” she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest as she glared at him. “How could you even… how could you even fathom leaving me?” she asked, shaking her head. “Leaving the boys and Charlotte?”

“Kate…” he repeated, but this time his voice was low, defeated, and she shook his head.

Slowly, she made her way to him and reached to cup his cheek once more, her thumb stroking along his jaw, and Anthony immediately relaxed, leaning into her touch.

“Anthony,” she murmured softly, “look at me. Please look at me, Anthony,” she begged. Finally, he tilted his head and met her gaze, his deep brown eyes shining with emotion, that crease between his eyebrows formed, a mark of the turmoil he felt. “Do you know what the boys asked me when I was tucking them in?”

“What?” he whispered.

“They asked me if their papa would duel like he did with Uncle Simon,” she told him, her voice gentle, not judging. “And, I told them you wouldn’t. I promised them you wouldn’t. I promised them, do you hear me?”

He nodded.

“I made a promise to our sons that you wouldn’t do anything like that. Don’t make me break that promise, Anthony. Don’t duel Sir Phillip. Just go and deal with this like a civilized person, okay? I know you can do it.”

Finally, he nodded, though the crease was still there, that tiny indentation of his skin that told her of her husband’s emotional state.

“Say it,” she whispered, her own voice thick with emotion. Her face was mere inches from his, their noses almost brushing, their breaths mingling a little. “Say it, Anthony,” she repeated, her voice a breathless whisper, cracking.

He sighed, “okay. I promise I will not challenge Sir Phillip Crane to a duel,” he told her, his voice firm, but resigned. “I give you my word, Kate. Do you hear me? I give you my word,” he swore, his voice firmer this time.

“Good,” she nodded. “You better not get yourself killed, or I will kill you myself,” she hissed, and his lips twitched slightly in amusement, but he nodded, still. Kate lifted her finger up and caressed the crease between his eyebrows, trying to smoothen it before tilting her head and brushing her lips against it, kissing it. When she pulled away, she looked into her husband’s eyes again, “I mean it, Anthony. Don’t you dare try to do something like that or I’ll kill you myself,” she added.

“I won’t. I promise,” he muttered before tilting his head and pressing a kiss to the inside of her palm. Then, he wrapped his free hand around her waist and pulled her closer. “Oh, come here, wife,” he whispered, pulling her in for a kiss she eagerly returned.

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“What is the child doing here?” Benedict demanded as soon as Anthony, Colin and Gregory hoped out of the carriage.

“I am not a child!” Gregory snapped, affronted.

Colin shrugged, “he’s not. He’s an adult. What were we supposed to do? Leave him there?”

“Yes!” Both Benedict and him exclaimed, huffing in annoyance. Colin and Gregory both shot him pointed looks.

He sighed, raking a hand through his hair, “unfortunately we could not leave him. Kate wouldn’t let me. She practically forced me to take him,” he informed his younger brother.

Benedict nodded, “I see.”

“Hmph.”

Colin grinned jovially, “isn’t this great? A Bridgerton Brothers adventure?”

Anthony scowled at him, “Colin, do I need to remind you what exactly we’re doing here?”

“No, of course not! We shall all attack Sir Phillip,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Perhaps we should duel him,” he added. Gregory snickered. Anthony scowled.

“Colin is right,” Benedict said.

“About what?”

“Dueling Sir Phillip, of course! I hope you brought your pistols,” his younger brother said, his lip twitching slightly.

Anthony said nothing in response and merely swallowed thickly.

“Well?” Benedict snapped, turning to him. “Where are they?”

Anthony sighed, and did his best not to meet his younger brother’s gaze. Colin and Gregory exchanged amused looks, and Anthony flashed them both a glare.

“Don’t even-” he hissed when the two younger Bridgerton brothers looked to each other again while Benedict just looked confused.

“Anthony-” Gregory started to explain, his lip twitching slightly.

“Our dearest brother-” Colin interjected, eyes shining with mirth.

“Oh, do get on with it,” Anthony muttered, filled with irritation. Colin snorted.

Gregory just beamed, “well, you see, Benedict, our dearest brother, Anthony-”

Realization dawned on Benedict’s face. “You don’t have them,” he said, letting out a heavy, disappointed sigh.

“No, I do not,” he nodded, not particularly pleased with the situation himself, but he was hoping to keep the exact circumstances to himself. “Are the horses ready?”

“Yes, they are,” Benedict said, leading the three of them to where the horses were saddled up and ready, Colin and Gregory hoping onto two of the horses without waiting for them.

“Do you have yours?” he asked as Benedict hopped onto his own horse, and he grasped onto the saddle, lifting himself up and swinging his leg over, mounting himself.

“No,” Benedict shrugged. “I couldn’t find them, but I figured you’d bring them,” he said as the two of them steered their horses ahead. Behind them, Colin and Gregory snickered. “What is up with those two?” he asked, nodding his head over at the two younger brothers.

“I have no idea. Do you know the way to Romney Hall?” he asked his brother, who just grunted in the affirmative. Colin and Gregory continued muttering quietly between themselves, snickering and laughing like two idiots.

“Okay!” Benedict snapped. “Why are the two of you laughing like two idiots?”

Colin grinned devilishly while Gregory merely grinned, and Anthony wanted the earth to swallow him whole.

“Oh, for the love of God-” he groaned as he kicked his horse, urging the animal into a slow trot.

“Kate took them!” Colin exclaimed gleefully.

“And, hid them,” Gregory snickered.

“Oh,” Benedict shrugged. “Why didn’t you find them? I hear the two of you always play with hiding your lucky mallet. Why didn’t you just look for it?” he asked as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Anthony stiffened slightly, much to the amusement of his younger brothers. He cleared his throat, “well, you see, Benedict,” he drawled, “I would have except-”

“-except he’s absolutely terrified of her!” Colin chimed, and Gregory chortled while Benedict snorted, obviously amused himself.

Anthony just groaned as they continued to laugh. His brothers were absolutely ridiculous, currently having a laugh at his expense, at the fact that he was scared of his wife. But, if any of them had seen Kate earlier, they would have been scared, too.

“Yes, I am scared of my wife!” he snapped angrily, yanking on his reigns and pulling his horse to a stop. His brothers did the same. “And, if you fools had a wife like mine you would be, too! Yes, Kate hid those bloody pistols and even if I tried looking for them, I would have never found them in time!” he shouted. “Where are your pistols, Benedict? Huh?”

“Uh…” his brother trailed off.

“I thought so!” he huffed. “There will be no duels. God willing, this Sir Phillip Crane person hasn’t hurt Eloise and she’ll marry him and that will be the end of it,” he said, not leaving any room for argument.

“And, if he hurt her?” Gregory asked, exchanging a nervous look with Colin.

“If he’s hurt her, I won’t need to duel him to kill him,” he growled before kicking his horse hard, urging the animal forward into a gallop, his brothers all struggling to catch up with him.

[il-ballo-della-vita-maneskin]

Hello! Can I get Måneskin matchup? 💚

Appearance: She/her. 179,5cm tall, rectangle body shape. Fair skin complexion with quite a few birthmarks. Dyed brown with honey-red highlights, shoulder-length, straight hair with bangs. The left eye is a mix of two colors – a smaller portion of (darker) greyish-blue and a larger portion of hazel; while the right eye is just a (lighter) greyish-blue. Heptagon face shape with two dimples on the left cheek and one on the right cheek (only visible while smiling). A gap between the upper front teeth.

Personality (good and bad traits): Ever since I was a kid, I was always quite mature for my age – I identify myself as an old soul. I come off as polite and well-mannered to strangers, yet I tend to keep it to myself by being reserved. But, that’s because I have social anxiety and I’m nervous and shy when meeting/talking to people. The only people I’m comfortable with being with my inner circle – closest friends and family. I am usually more “open” with my friends than with my family. With my friends I can be my “truest-self” – I smile more, I laugh more, I feel more accepted and understood. I am the mom and the fashionista of the group. Don’t get me wrong, I am fiercely protective of my family, especially of my mother and younger sister. But, lately, I’ve been feeling like the “black sheep” of the family, Cinderella who’s been taken advantage of. I express my affection for the people I care about in little, but practical, ways. I can be a little stiff when it comes to open, gushy displays of affection. Others turn to me for help and advice. I’m kind-hearted and generous, always ready to help a person in need. Always have been motherly towards children. Very awkward at keeping small talk (usually with people that I’m not that close with). Absolutely, hate speaking in front of a public, and if I do, because of my nervousness, I tend to mess up my words and/or I practice whatever I’m about to say in my head at first. I appreciate the simplicity and am often most comfortable when I’m not getting too much attention from the world. I am sensitive – both to criticism and to others’ feelings (I sponge up the feelings and moods of people and the environment around me). Have a hard time saying no or expressing my true thoughts, feelings. I get influenced by other people’s opinions/thoughts quite hard (I take everything to the heart), that is why I tend to keep a lot to myself (may come off as a little bit tense, secretive, mysterious). I avoid the harsh reality by daydreaming (almost every day) – imagining myself in situations far from my current circumstances. Sort of like a self-escape. I worry a lot and overthink almost everything. I am easily distracted and my attention span can be quite short. I have an internal struggle between my needs and wants. I can lack focus and be indecisive as a result – when I decide on one route, I am pulled in another direction at the same time (“But what if…”, “on the other hand...”). That is why I’m having a bit of a struggle with deciding what I want to do in the future (career-wise). I am easily overwhelmed by pressure and stress. There is a self-destructive side to me (self-critical, lack of self-confidence) that I’m working on by confronting my fears (coming out of my shell). Don’t like taking pictures, or other people taking pictures of me. I feel most content when I’ve straightened out all the details of everyday life. I have a routine, that I follow by mostly every day, and if something small changes in that routine, I start to have a small internal anxiety attack. Also, I like to do things my own way, like, when it comes to cleaning the house or organizing stuff, etc. I get triggered even if people don’t do the laundry the way I do. I guess you could describe me as a perfectionist, clean/control freak. In triggering situations I can be impulsive, spontaneous, quick to act. Quick flare-ups of anger/annoyance when being provoked on my patience. Even when I’m feeling low, I manage to find humor in life and have fun with whatever I do have. Although I tend to bottle things up, I am an emotional person and my emotions are genuine – I love and care deeply and passionately and wish no ill will upon anyone, yet it hards for me to imagine someone falling in love with me or just liking me.

Hobbies, likes: My hobbies are cleaning, writing (re-writing song lyrics, making small notes, writing stories), listening to any type of music, catching up on my favorite films and TV shows, hanging out with friends, going to the cinema, or the club, being out in nature, reading, traveling. I like history, cooking, fashion magazines (or fashion in general), road trips, spirituality, mythology, books, orange juice, previous decades, cottage-core, dark academia.

Overall: Hufflepuff. INFP-T. Bi-sexual. Pisces-Aries cusp sign. “Looks like could kill you, but is actually a cinnamon roll.” A feminist, support LGBTQ+ community. That’s it, thank you!

ethan, ethan, ethan

he is also an introvent and seems mature, so i think he would very easily understand where you are coming from. he would appreciate your routine, but would also try to get you out of your shell. don’t get me wrong, he wouldn’t do anything you’re uncomfortable with, but would try to make you comfortable with being more open, both to new experiences and new people.

whenever you panic over something, worry too much or have doubts, he would be there to comfort you and stop you from feeling low. when it comes to being too affected and influenced by other people’s opinions and thoughts, i think he would definitely understand, as someone who needs to listen to what people want from him and his band, but would always be there to help you understand that your opinion is valid and the most important one. he would also remind you all the time that you deserve to be loved and that you are loved.

you would be hanging out with your friends and go to parties with them whenever you both feel like it, but would also spend much time just reading, cooking, going for long walks and to cinemas on your own. i also think road trips, whether with friends or not, where you listen to music, bring orange juice and travel to places you would both like to visit would be a must.

to people you would seem like a quiet and shy, cute couple, though you’d probably be far louder and more playful when with people you hold dear.

have a great day💕

[lokidrabbles]

Tolerance (Loki x Reader)

After Loki is injured in battle, him and reader share their first kiss together

A/N: Another short one shot focused on more relationship building through dialogue between Loki and reader. I’ve had this one in my mind for a while, I hope you all enjoy. As always, gender neutral reader!

Warnings: None, fluff and general cheesy flirting

It was hard to believe that Loki, or Thor for that matter, would ever become seriously injured during the small scuffles between the Avengers and anyone wanting to cause trouble in the city. The Asgardians were tough, that went without saying, and although a new wave of criminals and super humans were making themselves present in the world, it was nothing out of the ordinary for the brothers.

The news of Loki being sent to the infirmary after having a semi-truck thrown at him both surprised and worried you at the same time. Actually, you knew exactly how it had all gone down based on the reports you had gotten back from the accompanying agents that same day. In the intensity of the battle, one of the suspects with considerable inhuman strength had flung a full sized semi-truck at Loki, knocking him out for a good while. Of course, Loki recovered slowly with a couple of scratches on his face, but Thor was more than insistent about his brother being properly attended by the ‘healers’ at the facility.

You empathized with Thor. He had taken his role as the overprotective older brother rather well after the loss of Asgard a year ago, and you knew he’d just about do anything to make sure Loki remained in one piece. You could picture Loki’s gigantic pout when he would indeed be admitted to the facility’s care unit to make sure no serious injuries had been present. Even for an Asgardian, you figured there would be caution to take when blacking out in the middle of a fight. Unsurprisingly, nothing serious appeared other than Loki being extremely furious and uncomfortable getting poked and prodded by all the nursing staff. You knew it would be in his favor to remain compliant with all the procedures so Thor would settle down over his well being. Their relationship was admirable, but mostly hilarious.

You made sure to take a visit to Loki in his room after work to humor him (he’d appreciate that), but mostly to also make sure he was telling the truth about being without injury. You supposed you also took a protective approach to him, knowing he’d be out there within the front lines of danger. And yes, you were fully aware that Loki was just as tough as Thor and would probably need more than an 18-wheeler to fully take him out, but the nagging thought of ‘what if’ continued to pester you throughout the day.

When you arrived, Thor was still very present by his brother’s side. You slapped your mouth to hold back a snort once you took a look at Loki. He appeared very out of place laying in that hospital bed and you could tell by the twitch in his brow that he was aching to get the hell out of there. Thor had apparently gone on a tangent on how he was victorious in the battle, praising his quick thinking and strength to get everyone out of a sticky situation (Loki included.) From your time getting to know the dark haired Asgardian, you knew one of the most irritating things to him was Thor boasting about himself when it was clearly not asked for. The pout you had imagined earlier was worn all over his face.

“Hey there Asgard entourage, I’m glad to see the both of you are doing well.” You said out loud, hoping to save Loki from his brother’s rambling.

“Was there ever any doubt?” Thor asked cheekily, causing Loki’s eyes to roll to the back of his head.

“I mean, it’s hard to imagine for anyone around these parts to survive a blow like that.” You mentioned while raising your brow at Loki.

“Norns, is that really the news of the day? Mortals tend to obsess over the most mundane of things, it’s rather annoying.” Loki commented while rubbing his temples.

“Oh, you know the Midgardians brother, they collectively work together to ensure everyone in the team in safe and sound. And that includes you too, my honorary Avenger.” Thor replied while giving a quick jab at his shoulder.

You had to give it to Thor despite Loki’s interjections. While he was still in one whole piece, you could tell he was very worn out by the altercation. His hair was a matted mess (though you would never tell him), his cheek had a notable scratch you imagined would completely scar and heal in a couple of days, his eyes were darker and heavier than usual and part of his forearm had been bandaged up tightly. It was a first for you, seeing Loki semi-damaged after battle. You knew worse had been done to him, but the nagging thought continued to bring you closer to his bedside.

“Ooh, Avenger. I like the sound of that.” You said teasingly, following along with Thor’s own.

“You know, I believe this visit has met its limit already. Why don’t the both of you maybe, get lost somewhere far, far away from here?” Loki asked through gritted teeth.

Both you and Thor made a very dangerous and irritating team against Loki, and your sniggering only caused the God of Thunder to roar out a boisterous laugh. Loki was in hell. 

“Very well brother, I’ll take your word.” Thor said while wiping away the tears forming in his eyes. “You are certain you are completely well, correct?“

“Please leave already.”

“Not until-” Thor said and then cut off as he raised his fish and landed a rather loud punch on the side of Loki’s shoulder. You saw Loki’s body flop to the side and back, biting his lips in the obvious tremendous amount of pain he was in. As tough as he was, you’d imagine taking a punch from Thor would still hurt like hell. Brotherly love after all.

“Make sure he rests well, don’t let him out of your sight.” Thor commanded to you while walking out of the infirmary, leaving both you and Loki.

“Sorry about that, I couldn’t help it.” You said, clearing the humor out of your throat. “You want me to leave too?

“You’re fine, as long as you don’t throw at fist at my shoulder either.”

You winked at him and made yourself comfortable in a chair beside his bed. “You’re rather cute when you’re being the little brother.”

“I think I’d rather not be called ‘little brother’, especially coming from you.” He said while propping himself upwards. You immediately caught onto his shallow breath. Was he in pain?

“Thor’s got a point though. You do look like hell. I mean, I know it’s not anything life threatening, but even I can tell that fight took a lot out of you.”

He scoffed, and then bit his lower lip. “Rather shameful I can’t tolerate stuff as well as I could in my youth. I’m alive, but my back has been tormenting me.” 

“Youth huh? What, like a thousand years ago?” It wasn’t a stupid question, but it caused him to chuckle.

“You say like that’s an eternity ago.” He replied, turning his neck carefully to look at you. “You’ve made me feel quite old now mortal.”

“Oh please. You’re still in your prime and I’m sure you know that. Just admit it’s not about you getting old and about getting knocked the eff over in battle. It happens to everyone. Err, every super being.”

“That’s a very odd way to want to cheer me up, but it is appreciated regardless.” He commented briefly.

“If it gives you any respite, I am glad to see that you’re doing well, albeit from a couple of scratches.” You said genuinely. “And no I won’t go off on a tangent like Thor. “

He remained silent for a bit and his piercing gaze remained on you. “You shouldn’t need to worry about me, especially with the weak foes we encounter on this planet. I’ve lived for thousands of years. I’ve had worse.”

A crooked smile formed on your face. “Well, thanks. But it’s just hard to shake away that worry. Take it from your brother, this is something you’re just gonna have to deal with every time something like this happens. The unfortunate thing is you’re gonna have to deal with me pestering you too.”

“Thor can be intolerable, but I wouldn’t mind it at all from you.”

You didn’t know if it was the mood of the room or your gut instinct, but it was certainly something you had longed to do for some time. You felt your body stand and lean over to his face . His eyes followed along with your movements with no intention of stopping you. You got closer to him, allowing you to briskly kiss the side of his cheek. His skin felt soft on your lips only for a brief moment and you pulled back before making things even awkward. Both your eyes and his instantly connected, unable to break away from the line of sight.

You were unsure of what he’d make of it and you’d know to be wary about Loki rejecting your advances or simply revealing to you he is not interested in you in an intimate way. But the thought of him being injured, or possibly losing him in battle encouraged your to be a bit more bolder with your intentions. You knew it wouldn’t be nothing unexpected or uncalled for and you only hoped he wouldn’t completely be put off with your actions.

“That’s rather bold of you mortal.” He said with a cunning smirk. “Yet, you seemed to have missed my lips, if that’s what you were aiming for.”

You beamed at his response, but played well at remaining cool about it. “Hmm, what’s in it for me? How good are Asgardians at kissing?”

“Only the best in the nine realms. Too coy to find out for yourself?” He asked.

You had a hunch he’d be very flirty once he’d be more comfortable around you and it almost seemed to easy to just give into the gratification of kissing him.

“Wait, are you serious?” You asked, wondering if he was messing with you or simply giving into the moment as well.

“Were you not?”

“No, I mean, I am serious. I just didn’t think you’d feel the same. We’re always just dicking around with each other, it’s hard to tell.”

“I don’t throw my lips just at anyone you know. Consider yourself lucky human. Now, come on over.”

He reached over the back of the head, just to pull you closer to him, finally allowing you to have much desired taste of him. It was aggressive at first, but you then felt him soften, as if also wanting to savor the flavor of your own lips. You pulled back again, catching your breath. You saw how his lips remained parted, practically begging for more from you, but you held yourself back from possibly jumping on the bed along with him.

“Okay, that was pretty good.” You managed to say.

“Now that is something I’m still very talented at.” His arrogance at no bounds at times, but you secretly enjoyed that part of him.

“So I don’t need to tell you about how I feel about you, right? Because that would be excruciatingly painful to do at the moment.” You admitted to him, doing your best at hiding the redness in your face.

“Hmm. I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want...yet, perhaps it would make me feel better since I am quite sore from that battle. A morale boost, won’t you agree?“

“This was a mistake.”

He grinned widely and you knew he would milk every single thing out of this as much as he could. “No need to be modest. You can tell me what’s the best thing about me. Perhaps my looks, or my sorcery? Perhaps my intelligence as well? Of course, there’s just so many things to consider.”

“Uh, sure.” You said reluctantly.

“You’re no fun.”

You giggled, pecking him really quickly on his cheek again. “What I can say is that you’d look really, really good getting some rest for the rest of the day. It’s tempting to see you laid out here, but I think I’d prefer to see you strolling around with that eccentric cape of yours in tip too shape.”

“I suppose that would be wise thing to do. Honestly, I just need a few hours. I should be more than fine tomorrow. I promise.”

“Good to hear. Come visit me at my office tomorrow then, yeah?” You asked, making your way out of the infirmary.

“Of course...and thank you.”

---

[calm-and-wine]

(I’d be) everything you need

hello beautiful people - here is a little fun story written for the @1dffchallenges​ quarantine challenge.

huge thank you to @booksncoffee​​ for another stunning banner and to @yourpolaroid07 (i have no idea why i can’t tag you) for being the greatest gem and reading over it for me and correcting all my stupid mistakes.

so, here it is, hope it will make you smile because i sure did have a lot of fun writing this. if you like it, please come talk to me

(I’d be) everything you need

(Niall’s texts are in bold, Katie’s are in italics)

 “Mum, I swear I’ll be fine. I’ll place an order and just get some takeaway tonight.” Katie assured, having had this discussion pretty much every time they spoke over the last few days.

 “Bug, you have no idea how long an order is processed right now. It can take up to a week, if not longer. You can’t order all your meals,” her mum reasoned.

 “Well, what do you want me to do?” she huffed irritated. Sure, she knew her mum had the best intentions and was probably worried, but she had just gotten off the flight. It was an especially cold and windy night in England and all she wanted was to get into her bed. Even the perspective of having to spend the next two weeks locked up in her flat, didn’t make her crave home any less.

 “Just call Niall. I’m sure he’d be happy to help.”

Katie rolled her eyes, glad her mother couldn’t see her. She mentioned asking Niall for help before Katie even left the country. But she did not want to contact Niall. Her and Niall weren’t exactly friends. Sure, they’ve known each other for years, but Niall Horan was Josh’s friend, not hers. Did she have a crush on her older brother’s best friend? Well, that was a whole other story and not the point at all.

 She hadn’t even seen Niall in forever. The last time they were both back home was over a year ago. And now she was just supposed to call him up and ask for help? Katie did not like asking for help, having to rely on others, owe any favours. Especially from people who weren’t her family. Or family-like.

 “Okay, mum, I’m getting into the cab. Have a good night, yeah?” she said, partly because she did indeed hail a taxi, but mostly because she didn’t want to go in circles in this conversation, they’ve been over it already. Sure, Katie didn’t really have anyone close enough to rely on at times like these, she had a few colleagues, but those were mates to go to a pub with once a month or have a small chat in the break room, not burden them with groceries, because of the mandatory quarantine upon her return.

 Her mum sighed, knowing she couldn’t make her daughter do anything. “You too, sweetie. Keep in touch, please. Let me know if anything is wrong,” she said, the worry evident in her voice.

 “Of course, love you,” Katie replied, her irritation dissolving slightly. There wasn’t a doubt in her head that her mum’s heart was in the right place, but she hated when people worried about her like that, some part of her always felt guilty for making them feel that way.

  1st day of quarantine

 “Hello?” Katie answered her ringing phone, curious about who it might be. It was usual for her to get unknown calls on her work phone, but not her private one.

 “Kitty Kat!” She didn’t even have to ask to know who was on the other side of the line, not only the booming happy voice was familiar, but there was only one person who called her that. And even though she spent years telling him that the nickname was awful, after not hearing it for so long, it made her smile.

 “Hello Niall,” she said, setting her laptop down on the coffee table and focusing on the call.

 “Heard you need some help. I did hesitate to accept though, because I was quite hurt it was Josh calling me and not you.” He sounded exactly how she remembered, his voice laced with a joking undertone, his usual easygoing attitude seeping through.

 “I… I’m fine, really.” Katie was gonna kill her brother. Maybe he wanted to help, but he made her look incompetent to take care of herself, which she did not appreciate.

 “Oh, so you’re not stuck at home for the next two weeks with an empty fridge?” She didn’t even have to see Niall to know he just raised a brow in mock surprise. She could just tell from his tone. But she did wonder what he looked like now. Whether his hair was still natural brown instead of the blonde he used to dye it. Whether his shoulders were even wider than the last time she had seen him. Whether he still had a very small belly from all the beer he had been drinking or maybe he had abs now.

 “Umm.. No, I have some leftover takeaway from last night,” she assured, just slightly embarrassed.

 He sighed. “Look, it’s no problem, I promise. Just text me the list, I have a few hours before work anyway.”

 Katie hesitated for a moment, but no matter how much she hated admitting it, she really did need help. “Okay, thank you.”

 “Oh and text me your address, too. How does your brother not know where you live?” He sounded surprised, which she understood, considering she had a pretty good relationship with Josh.

 She chuckled. “Because he’s a little prick who hasn’t visited me yet. And surprisingly enough, he never orders me any gifts.”

 Niall snickered. “He’s twice your height, I think that’s barely ‘little’. And he’s older.”

 “Heeeey, he’s not that much taller than me!” She whined offended, even though he was.

 He let out a laugh, a true belly laugh, one she hadn’t heard in years actually. But she’d know that laugh anytime anywhere, he just had one of those special ones. “Sure, sure. And he’s not even that tall either, you’re just tiny.”

 “No, I’m not!” She disagreed, although she definitely didn’t count to the tall part of the population. But she was not that short.

 “That’s okay, you’re cute.” His words made Katie blush. She was sure he thought nothing of them, the words slipping easily off his tongue, like he didn’t even have to think about them. “Oh and don’t do that thing when you’ll try and buy everything for the next two weeks, I really don’t mind doing a few more grocery runs for you. Wouldn’t want you to get sick from unfresh foods.”

 She licked her lips to keep from smiling, because of how thoughtful he was. “Thank you.”

 “Okay, I’m hanging up then, it’s good to talk to you again, Kitty Kat.” The whole conversation made her heart beat a teeny tiny bit faster, the warmth of hearing a familiar voice and Niall being so nice, flowing through her entire body.

 “You too, Niall. And thank you, I’ll send the list in a minute.”

 So she did, trying to keep it as basic as possible, only the actual necessary products. Her intercom rang a mere hour later. She buzzed Niall in and waited behind closed doors, having to restrain herself from observing him through the peephole. He knocked on her door softly to let her know he was leaving the bags. She waited a few seconds, giving him time to leave safely, after all the whole point of this was avoiding interactions with other people. She brought the bags inside and pretty much sprinted to the window, hoping he hadn’t left yet. She was lucky enough to have a window going out onto the entrance of the building.

 It was a few seconds before Niall appeared outside. Katie didn’t have a clear view of him, especially not his face, but she noticed his hair was darker, long gone was the blonde he used to dye it into. He seemed taller, though that was pretty unlikely. More muscular. He looked grown up. Seeing him like this, after quite some time, she felt a slight flutter in her stomach. It made her excited. And Katie wondered whether he thought about her like that, imagining what she looked like now, whether she changed, what hairstyle was she wearing, whether she gained weight or slimmed down, what kind of makeup did she like now. Was he excited to find out?

 She didn’t like admitting it, but truth be told, she always had a little crush on Niall Horan. And Katie hated it, because it was such a cliche, liking your older brother’s best friend. But she did. Niall was funny and kind. He loved bickering with her, but it wasn’t like her brother’s teasing, it made her feel special. He had a nickname just for her. Kitty Kat came to be because Josh liked calling her Kate, knowing she hated it, it not being her actual name. But Niall’s nickname didn’t make her irritated, no matter how much she pretended it did. It made her warm inside, like she was important enough to be referred to in an individual way.

 But she had to stop thinking those thoughts Niall was helping her because he had a good heart. And because he was a family friend. That was it. He did not have a special place in his heart for her, no matter how much she imagined he maybe did in the past.

 She moved from the window a few minutes after he disappeared and went to unpack the groceries. She was irritated there was no receipt, Niall was supposed to let her know how much she owed him, having refused when she offered to transfer some money beforehand. But there was another piece of paper. A post-it note stuck to the carton of eggs.

 please let me know as soon as you need anything else. i’ll be doing some shopping for myself later in the week, so it’s no problem. happy to help, N xx

 She refused to dwell on the xs. But the note as a whole was very sweet. In fact, Katie may or may not have put it on her fridge.

  5th day of quarantine

 Katie was trying to work through the splitting headache, but it was not going well. The last three days, she felt like the headache and burning eyes were her only constant companions. Other than that, she was feeling okay. No cough, no temperature, nothing. It was just because she was staring at the screen all day (and some nights), working and working, crunching numbers, filling and checking spreadsheets. Her eye actually started twitching yesterday, which wasn’t a good sign. Unfortunately, she ran out of ibuprofen. And magnesium. She was quite desperate, the pain making it near impossible to focus on anything.

 So eventually, she gave in, sending a text to Niall.

 very sorry to be a bother, but could you maybe possibly go to the pharmacy for me?

 She did not expect her phone to start ringing just a second after. Since that first day, Niall hadn’t called her. He checked in on her a few times (almost every day, sometimes just sending her memes or funny things that happened to him, instead of starting the conversation with “are you alright?”), but it was always through texts. But now he was calling her and she was so shocked, it must have been at least a fourth ring when she answered.

 “Hiya, sorry, it’s okay if -” she started.

 He didn’t let her finish though, rushing out his questions, sounding a little bit worried. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling alright?”

 “Yeah, I’m okay, just ran out of ibuprofen,” she explained.

 “Do you have any symptoms?” he asked, not entirely convinced.

 “No, no, it’s not that,” she assured. “Just a splitting headache from too much work and computer time. And also a magnesium deficiency, probably.”

 “Are you sure?” he asked again, but this time his voice was much calmer, almost back to normal.

 “Yes, I’ve been drinking a shit ton of coffee everyday to even attempt to keep up with my work and I’m just a bit wiped out.”

 “Okay, I can’t really go out right now, I’m at work, but -”

 This time Katie was the one who cut him off. “Oh, it’s fine, really.”

 “BUT,” he continued despite the interruption, his voice a bit more stern, “I just texted my roommate, so it shouldn’t take too long.”

 If only he could see her now, he would notice a look of horror that crossed her face. “No, Niall, I don’t want to bother anyone.”

 “Oh stop, he’s a nice guy and he can leave his work for half an hour. He owed me a favour anyway.” Niall made it seem like the most trivial thing and she really did need the medicine, so she gave up fighting.

 “Well, be sure to thank him for me,” she said instead. “Buy him a nice beer.”

 He chuckled. “Okay, I will. But you’re really okay? You’d tell me if you were getting sick, right?”

 “Well, it’s not like you could come take care of me anyway.” She meant it as a joke, expecting Niall to let out another of his signature chuckles, but he did quite the opposite, sounding a bit exasperated.

 “Why not?”

 “I can’t exactly see people at the moment, remember?” She said gently, not really sure about his mood.

 Niall huffed. “Do you really think I’d care about that? Just let you be alone if you were sick?”

 She swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. All she wanted to ask was ‘why wouldn’t you’, but she bit her lip, too afraid, not wanting to make things weird just because she probably thought a bit too much about his words.

 Katie took a breath before speaking, trying to sound lighthearted. “Well, it’s good I’m not sick, so you don’t have to risk your own health.”

 “You’d let me know though, right?” He persisted.

 “Yeah, I would.” She wanted to add another joke saying she’d need someone to get her medicine, but the mood was not light and funny, the atmosphere suddenly very thick.

 “Alright, good.” It seemed like he finally exhaled after getting his answer. “Well, I have to go back to work, I’ll text you when Pete brings the meds.”

 “Okay. Thank you,” was all Katie could muster out through her fighting thoughts.

 ~~

 how’s the headache?

 completely gone, thanks to your brilliant roommate

 heeeey i’m the one who sent him on that quest!

 hahahaha

 i know

 thank you, again

 damn, i never thought i’d be saying so many thank yous to niall horan

 can’t say i’m complaining

 but on a more serious note, do you like pop quizzes?

 hmmm yeah? i think i only did pub quiz like once or twice, but it was fun

 why?

 me and a few mates are doing one tomorrow, you should join

 how bad is your memory? i can’t go to the pub

 who’s talking about a pub?

 we’re doing it on zoom

 oh

 it’s still staring at the screen, but it’s not work and it seems like you need some fun

 yeah, i guess i kinda do. thank you, but i don’t want to impose

 you won’t, i just invited you

 still…

 it’s just a few mates, i promise it’s all good. i actually already told them you’re joining

and they hate being blown off

 oh yeah, no pressure

 haha no but seriously, if you don’t want to that’s fine, but i think you’ll enjoy it

 okay. thank you. you’ll send me the details?

 of course

 should i prepare anything?

 nope, just yourself. and your brilliant mind

 we’re switching, someone else preparing questions everytime, so you have to wait your turn

 The mention of her becoming a part of their regular quiz made her stomach flutter slightly. She dared having this little hope of actually becoming friends with Niall, or rather maintaining some form of contact, but this was still unexpected. But also very nice to know he kind of wanted that too.

  6th day of quarantine

 When Katie’s phone started ringing and she noticed her brother’s face lighting up the screen, she smiled. The last time they had spoken was when she called to give him a piece of mind for calling Niall for her, but she actually loved and appreciated her brother very much. Maybe they weren’t the absolute closest, but they had a good relationship. There was this knowledge deep down that they’d jump through fire for the other, if need be.

 “Hiya,” she answered, wrapping up the email she was writing (she might or might not be getting some work done on a Saturday).

 “Why is Niall calling me asking about your favourite alcohol?” Josh asked right away, no hello needed. He sounded very curious, loving to pry into her life a bit.

 Katie laughed, having received a text from Niall informing her of a package waiting outside her door, which turned out to be three bottles of wine and a note saying quizzes are no fun without booze.

 “What can I say, he takes good care of my needs,” she replied, half-jokingly.

 “I told him it’s whiskey,” her brother informed, very much knowing she did not like whiskey. The only drink she was able to swallow was whiskey sour, but it was definitely not her favourite.

 “Wow, thanks for that, Jojo,” she said, her words dripping with sarcasm.

 He whined at the nickname he hated, but had to endure since they were kids.

 “He did call bullshit though and asked about wine. So I told him red, naturally.” Just by his tone, she could say he had a shit-eating grin on his face, very proud of himself.

 Katie furrowed her brows. All three bottles that were sitting in her fridge currently were white. Either Niall knew her brother well enough to catch the lies, which he probably did after years of friendship, or he somehow knew her.

 “You’re a dick,” she laughed.

 “That’s what older brothers are for, Kate. But in a serious matter, I hope you’re not getting too buddy-buddy, I couldn’t stand you two ganging up on me.”

 She bit her lip, deciding it was probably best to not mention her plans for tonight. It wasn’t a big deal anyway, Niall was just a nice guy, who was probably feeling sorry for her, because she had no friends here and was sitting alone for days, spending most of her time working.

 “Oh we’re gonna be best friends in no time, you should be very scared.”

 ~~

 Katie was nervous. In fact, she was nervous about a number of things. First of all, the quiz with Niall’s friends. She didn’t know any of those people and she was scared of making a fool of herself. Secondly, she was about to skype with Niall. He offered to have a little chat before the quiz, so he could introduce the group a little, explain who’s who and all that. But it was going to be the first time she’d truly see him and he, her. Well, through the screen of course, but still.

 And now she was worrying she might have gone a little overboard with her look. It was nice to have a reason to dress up in something fancier than leggings and an oversized sweater, to even put some makeup on. But, because it was the first time Niall will see her in quite a bit (especially up close), she made an actual effort. (But she didn’t care about that, she was not wondering whether he’ll even pay attention to her looks, not at all).

 When the music she was playing suddenly cut off, replaced with the ringtone of an incoming skype call, her throat instantly dried up. She took a sip of her wine before answering, her laptop screen taken over by Niall’s smiling face, literally brightening it up.

 He was wearing a button down, it wasn’t necessarily an elegant one, but still a nice one, his hair looked styled, like he actually took the time to tame it. It seemed like he made sure to look good, like he cared. And it excited her because maybe, just maybe, he wanted to look good for her too. Or maybe he liked someone from his friend group and was dressing up for them.

 “I see you’re putting the wine to good use. Did I pick a good one?” he asked, taking a sip of his beer, a proud grin on his face.

 Katie smiled, her nerves slightly easing. No matter how much he might have changed and grown, he was still familiar.

 “Yes, thank you. Although I am a bit worried what kind of idea you have of me based on the amount of bottles you got me,” she joked, taking another sip.

 He let out a booming laugh, one that made something in her flutter. “Nah, there’s just never enough wine,” he shrugged. “Although personally I'm more of a beer guy. But you have over a week more of quarantine, you may need it.”

 “I heard you sought some guidance from my brother,” she inquired with a raised brow, sly grin taking over her features.

 Niall grunted, covering his face in embarrassment. To her, it was incredibly cute that he went to so much trouble just to get her something she liked. “Did he really sell me out? What an asshole.”

 “Yup,” she replied, actually proud of her brother for telling her. “But, surprisingly enough, you didn’t buy red wine. Nor whiskey, thankfully.”

 “Yeah, I figured he was lying, I remember how much you both loved teasing each other,” he chuckled just at the memory of many fights and banters. “Apparently, still can’t let the opportunity pass.”

 “Oh, never,” she laughed along with him. “Okay, talk to me about your friends. What should I expect?”

 “Wait, before we get to that, why do you actually need to quarantine? Were you on some crazy vacations?” he asked the question that’s been on his mind ever since his roommate asked him about it.

 “Oh. Well, not really, I was visiting Frankie, that’s my best friend from uni. She lives in Brussels now. I was thinking of cancelling, but we spent most of the time just staying in or being really careful, you know, not taking any unnecessary risks, so I guess the worst part was the flight.” She shrugged, constantly wishing her two best friends weren’t scattered around the world.

 “I see,” he nodded in understanding. “Had a good time, then?”

 “Oh yeah, very! Haven’t seen her in forever. Really needed that as well. I, um…,” she tucked her hair behind her ear timidly, looking down for a second. “I don’t have many friends here, really. As you might have noticed,” she chuckled nervously.

 “Finding it hard to meet people?” he asked with furrowed brows, but didn’t even wait for a response, another question coming to his mind. “Actually, how long have you lived here? I think the last I’d heard, you were in Chicago?”

 “Seattle,” she corrected. “Yeah, I left like 7 months ago. I got offered a transfer here and a little promotion, I guess, a chance to prove myself, which was an amazing opportunity. I had to go to San Francisco for 4 weeks of training, before coming here though.” She explained, hoping he wouldn’t dig deeper on the subject, because it was not a conversation she wanted to have with him right now.

 “That sounds amazing, congrats,” he said simply and she exhaled in relief.

 “Thanks,” she chuckled. “But yeah, so I’ve been here a while, but haven’t really made friends yet.”

 “I guess working from home is not really helpful, huh?” he observed.

 “No, it definitely isn’t.”

 “Well, I’m always around if you want to hang out. Or go out once this whole pandemic calms down,” he proposed and she smiled appreciatively. “Okay, let’s give you some dirt on my mates, then.”

 ~~

 The quiz was actually very fun. Katie hadn’t laughed that much in a bit, it would be a very long time if she hadn’t counted her time in Belgium. She met six of Niall’s friends, two of them were friends from work, plus a girlfriend of one of them, one was a friend from his little soccer team and the last two were friends from uni, who were also a couple. Everyone was incredibly nice, making sure she felt welcomed and included, going as far as explaining most of their inside jokes.

 They had this tradition of one question dedicated to each person taking part, so they gave Katie a minute to come up with her own question about herself, since they didn’t know her well enough. She panicked a bit, her mind going blank, so she went with what came to her mind first, which was who she went to prom with, the answers being her ex that she broke up with a week before, her best friend or alone. Surprisingly, no one got it right, not even Niall.

 “Did you really go to prom with your ex?” he asked, when they talked right after the quiz. It just so happened that they ended up being the only two left on the call, everyone else disconnecting as soon as they were finished.

 “Yup,” she laughed, filling up her wine glass. They were both pretty tipsy already, on their path to drunk. “But we were friendly! You know, we were just going to different unis and stuff, it just wasn’t that serious. And everyone else was already taken!”

 “Well, you could have always asked me,” he said, shrugging nonchalantly.

 “Are you kidding? You used to tease me about it whenever I saw you my senior year!”

 He did, whenever he came home from uni (which was a lot during his first year) and saw her, always asking whether she had a hot date yet.

 “Yeah, ‘cause I wanted to take you!” Niall exclaimed.

 “What? Now that’s just lies,” she chuckled incredulously.

“Absolutely not, I had a little crush on you.”  Niall’s eyes were focused on his fingers picking at the beer bottle label.

 “No, you didn’t,” she shook her head, although her mind went straight back to the question about him in the quiz - who was his first crush. The answer choices were his teacher, his friend’s mum or his friend’s sister. As soon as it was asked, he whined, a blush flushing his cheeks. But when it was announced that the correct answer was his friend’s sister, she was pretty sure his eyes were trained on her, like he wanted to see her reaction. As much as a rational part of her brain didn’t want to misinterpret the whole situation and get false hope, she did wonder if there was a possibility that it might have been her.

 “Excuse me, I think I know my feelings better, thank you very much,” he said, pretending to be offended. “I just hid it well. Maybe too well.” Niall added the last part as an afterthought, quietly, but not enough for her to miss it.

 Maybe it was the wine, or maybe just Niall’s (virtual) presence that had her feeling brave, like he made her giddily nervous, but also brought a sense of safety and calm. Whatever it was, she was feeling brave enough to say, “funny, I had a crush on you, too. What a cliche, huh?”

 He scrunched his brows in confusion. “How so?”

 She shrugged, little half-smile on her face. “Liking your brother’s best friend.”

 “More cliche than liking your best friend’s little sister?” He inquired, before taking a gulp of beer.

 She laughed, her mind a bit too fuzzy to comprehend that they just admitted to liking each other. Once upon a time, at least. “I guess we’re just a pair of walking cliches.” Katie quirked as she hid  her timid smile behind her wine glass.

  10th day of quarantine

 Katie was fucked, there was no other way to put it. She was usually so good with planning and thinking ahead, always trying to be prepared, but at the most unfortunate time, it slipped her mind. She forgot her period was coming, or rather she forgot she was running out of tampons. And now she was stuck in her apartment, pondering if the possible fee for violating the quarantine is worth saving her from the massive embarrassment. Even though she was actually too responsible to go out now.

 If Niall was a good friend, she wouldn’t have that much of a problem asking him for it. She would have no problem asking him if he was a woman. And she would definitely have less of a problem, if she didn’t like him.

 But, no matter what, she had a problem and he was pretty much the only person she could count on to help her right now. So she swallowed her pride, pulled all of her courage and rang Niall, because she felt like, no matter how embarrassing, the situation required a proper call, not a text.

 He answered on the second ring. “Hey, everything good? You’re not dying, are ya?” His words were joking, but his voice had a serious undertone, he even sounded a little worried.

 “A bit,” she chuckled nervously, “but not because of the obvious. You’re not going to the shop today by any chance?”

 “What do you need?” he asked, instead of answering her question.

 “Well, this will be awkward, but…” Katie started, but hesitated for a second, biting her lip.

 “Hit me,” he encouraged.

 “I got my period and I forgot I have like one tampon left.” Even though she obviously couldn’t see him, she closed her eyes, like her shame burned them, spitting out the words as fast as possible.

 “Oh,” he let out a little sound of surprise, clearing his throat right after to mask it. “Alright, just send me which ones you want and I’ll get them.”

 “I hate being a burden.”

 “Stop it, you’re not a burden,” he reassured right away. “I was actually going to the shop anyway, need a few things. Just text me, so I don’t forget and add whatever else you want, yeah?”

 Niall’s words made her smile, she wasn’t sure if he really was going shopping, or just said it to make her feel better, but she just appreciated his reaction, not making a big deal out of it, just accepting her ask and thinking nothing more of it. She knew a lot of guys who would be so lost hearing that kind of request, but Niall was nothing if not alright. And that was just another great quality of his that she needed to add to the list in her mind that was growing scarily quick.

 “Okay, thank you. You’re saving my life, kinda.”

 “Mmm, I’m sure we’ll figure out a way for you to pay me back, no worries,” he laughed, before ending the call.

 An hour later, Katie got the text to pick up the bag from her door. There was no sign of Niall, as usual, but there was a bag with not only the tampons she asked for, but also with two different types of pads, a bag of chips, frozen pizza, some fresh fruits, four different chocolate bars and cookies n cream ice cream. There was also another note inside.

 thought some of those might help make you feel better, N xx

 And there he was with the xs again. It was probably just the way he signed everything. Either way, the care package was incredibly thoughtful, so Katie picked up her phone to text him.

 was not expecting a package like that. that’s a lot of stuff. but thank you, that’s very sweet

 just wasn’t sure what you like. El always ate pretty much sweets only, while Lil loved stuffing herself with salty snacks and fast foods

 Elaine and Liliana were his older sisters, Lil was married and with a child on the way, five years older than Niall, while Elaine was just two years older than him. Maybe that was the reason why he had no problem helping her today, having grown up with sisters always made guys act a bit different, or at least that’s what her mum always said.

 wasn’t sure about the ice cream flavour though, so played it a bit safe

 cookies and creams is a good one

 what’s your favourite?

 pistachio

 okay, noted

 Katie couldn’t explain why, but even little comments like that made her heart beat just a tiny bit faster. It wasn’t just because he was attentive to details, but it was like he wanted to know more about her, to soak every piece of information in. And then there were comments like that, the kind that made her think about the future, not just the immediate one right after her quarantine, but the actual future. Will they just stay friendly? Become best friends? Or will one of them be brave enough to make the first step into more? Katie didn’t know if there was more in the cards. When it came to her, it wasn’t just that stupid crush from her youth that came back. The feelings grew and were constantly growing, as she got to know more and more of Niall. But she didn’t know how he was feeling. Maybe there were signs, but she was never that great at reading them. Time will tell if one of them will pluck the courage to take that leap of faith, or if she just misread the situations. A part of her was very anxious about it, but another part was excited. And all of her was hopeful.

  12th day of quarantine

 “Catch me up on your life. I feel like the last time I really knew what was happening with you was high school,” Niall inquired, folding his hands to rest his chin on top. He looked adorable like this.

 It was a Friday night and they were skyping. Just the two of them, having drinks over video call. As it turns out, they do their pop quiz every other week and so he asked her if she wanted to hang out with him to survive her last days of solitude.

 “Oh, you think you knew what was going on in my life back then?” Katie chuckled, a sly grin on her face.

 “Well, I was in your house like every other day,” he reasoned.

 “Please, even I didn’t know what was happening in my life at that time.” She joked, because, if she was being honest, high school was a mess.

 He laughed. “Yeah, okay, point taken. But still, how was uni for you? How did you end up at the company you’re working for now?”

 “Uni was fun. Stressful, most of the time, but I have some good memories. And the company was just a fluke,” she shrugged, taking a sip of her wine, the last bottle of the three Niall bought her last week.

 “Was it hard leaving Seattle behind?” he asked.

 “Um..” she got embarrassed, nibbling on her bottom lip, clearly thinking over her answer. “Yes and no, I guess. I mean… I had a boyfriend,” she admitted, going into the story she didn’t like retelling, but actually didn’t mind that much right now. Not only because she trusted Niall, but because she was over that whole situation, even if it still brought up some unpleasant memories. “We had been together for about two years. And he didn’t want to move here with me. Like, didn’t even consider it. Just outright told me to reject the offer, basically. And most of our friends took his side. I guess they were mostly his friends to begin with, but it still stung. So yeah, it was hard, but there also really wasn’t much left for me there.” When she finished, she shrugged again, hoping to look quite unbothered, as it really was just a thing of the past. Katie took another sip of wine, while Niall looked at her with a look that she couldn’t decipher. But thankfully, it wasn’t pitiful.

 “Okay, first, I’m sorry,” he said after a second. “But second, that was such a dick move. I mean, it was a huge opportunity for you and he expected you to just give it up? Like an ultimatum? Not even ‘we can work it out’ or something?” He sounded genuinely surprised, even a little disgusted, which made Katie smile slightly, his reaction making her feel better.

 “It was more like ‘if you’re even considering taking it, then fuck you’, so yeah, pretty much,” she said, her words feeling much lighter than before.

 “Wow,” Niall chuckled humorlessly. “He really did not know how lucky he was to have you.”

 “Stoooop,” she said, her face growing hot.

 “No, I’m serious. I’d say good riddance to him.”

 “I kinda see it now too, to be honest,” she admitted, a faint smile on her lips. “It did make me realise how he didn’t really love me. Noticed a bunch of not great behaviours, actually. So hey, it’s all for the better.”

 “Oh for sure.”

 “What about you? Any tragic love story?” Katie asked, reaching for her glass.

 “Umm…” he took a big gulp of his beer, while she raised her brow, indicating it was her time to grill him. “Kinda the opposite of your story, actually,” Niall admitted.

 “You’re joking,” she gasped, her eyes growing wider.

 “Nope,” he shook his head, a half-smile on his lips. “I followed my girlfriend here. She got a great job, so I came with. It wasn’t far anyway, but yeah, she was the reason. I did say no to a proper job opportunity myself for that, actually. And then she dumped me four months later. Taking most of our mutual friends with her as well.”

 Katie was pretty much speechless. She did hear he had a girlfriend, they moved in together here, but she hadn’t heard when it ended and definitely not how. “Wow,” a shaky laugh escaped her lips. “Bad breakup?” she asked after a second.

 Niall licked his lips. “Not the worst, I mean, there wasn’t any cheating or anything, although she did get another boyfriend like two weeks later. But it did suck. We got a flat together and everything. I get that you can fall out of love with someone or whatever, but I did rearrange my life for her, so you know, if she was having doubts back then…” He let his voice linger. It’s been a while since he thought about her, even the last time they accidentally crossed paths a few months ago, he hadn’t really felt anything anymore.

 “She should have said it,” Katie finished his thought and he nodded.

 “Yeah. It felt a little out of the blue. But it’s been over a year now, so I’ve dealt with that. It was the most exciting story about my life, though. Other than that it’s just work, footie, pub quizzes and booze,” he chuckled, taking another gulp of his beer, as to prove his point.

 “A boring life is the best kind, though,” she noticed. “I think it’s so underrated. I’d take stability over drama anyday.”

 “Yes! Thank you!” Niall got excited, scooting a little closer and even pointing a finger at her through the screen. “That’s what I think too.”

 “Great minds think alike,” she laughed, moving her finger between them two.

 It was probably the most personal conversation she had ever had with Niall. And it felt good. Maybe not exactly because their stories were good, but because she felt like there was a certain level of understanding. He was such an easy person to talk to, no matter the subject. And this conversation, hearing his story, made her appreciate him even more, especially his character. Being willing to sacrifice himself for love was a big thing. She just hoped that he still had it in him, that the past didn’t make him close his heart off, but by his honesty and vulnerability, she didn’t think that was the case. And that really did make her happy.

 They were quiet for a moment, at first just kind of looking at each other with soft eyes, feeling somehow connected, even through a computer screen. But then Katie furrowed her brows before crossing her eyes, which made Niall also pull a face, before they both burst out laughing.

 “Well, I didn’t know the friends who took her side, but the ones you have now are pretty great,” she said, closing the subject. “Thanks for inviting me to the quiz last week, it was a lot of fun.”

 “Thank you for joining us. And you know you’re already invited to the next one.”

 Katie smiled, looking down for a second. When she raised her eyes again, Niall was giving her a weird look, like he couldn’t figure her out.

 “What?” she asked.

 He shrugged. “You say thank you too much.”

 She chuckled, “well, I was raised right.”

 “Yeah, but you don’t have to say it for everything. We’re actually just hoping you won’t blow us off when your quarantine is over,” he said.

 “You? Never,” she said, her words making matching grins appear on both their faces.

  1 day after quarantine

 To be honest, Katie didn’t know what she was doing. It was the first day of her freedom and she invited Niall for dinner. She was making a dish that was his favourite when they were younger, her mum used to always tell Josh to invite Niall around, when she was cooking it. She wanted to do something nice for him, to repay him for all the help. Another reason might have been the fact that she really wanted to see him. As nice as texting and skype was, she wanted to be face to face with him, hear his voice clearly, not slightly distorted by her laptop speakers. Maybe even touch him.

 To say she was nervous would be an understatement. She went crazy yesterday, cleaning the entire flat, then ironing half of her clothes, because she couldn’t decide on one outfit she might want to wear. She eventually settled on a casual black skirt, with a slightly sheer, emerald blouse. Her hair was pinned up a bit messily, while she still hadn’t decided if she’s gonna keep it that way or let it loose, or maybe tie it up… She put some makeup on, but didn’t want to overdo it. It was just a casual dinner with a childhood friend, after all.

 Just seconds after she turned off the stove, her doorbell rang. It was like the sound went to her heart instead of her ears, making it beat just a little bit faster, excited about the person waiting outside.

 Katie pulled off her apron quickly and went to welcome her guest, finally.

 “Hiya,” Niall said as soon as she pulled the door open. He squeezed in next to her, handing her a bottle of wine and taking off his jacket. “Oh my god, do I smell chilli?” he asked, turning to face her as soon as he hung it up.

 Katie smiled, just seeing him made her happy, but his words and the excited glint in his eyes made her even happier. “Yeah. I got my mum’s recipe, so hopefully it’ll be at least half as good as hers,” she shrugged innocently, trying to check him out as discreetly as possible.

 He looked good, the screen did him no justice and he looked good even then. In the flesh he looked more buff, definitely spent his lockdown working out. His hair looked softer and more fluffy and there was a slight stubble on his face. The simple t-shirt he was wearing clung beautifully to his bicep.

 “That recipe is like your family’s best kept secret,” he said, eyes wide.

 She laughed. “It’s really not, my mum just didn’t want yours to have it, because she loved you coming over and praising her.”

 “Oh and you’re hoping for that same praise, aren’t you?” Niall asked, with a raised brow.

 She chuckled again, shrugging her shoulder like she didn’t even know what he was talking about. And then he took a step closer and wrapped her in a hug.

 “It’s good to finally see you properly. You look beautiful,” he said so close to her ear, she could feel his breath on her neck, raising goosebumps on its way.

 It only took her a second to settle into the hug, her arms around his waist, her face nuzzled into his neck, breathing in the mixture of freshly washed clothes and his cologne. The thing was, Niall was an amazing hugger. She knew it before, but now that he was slightly bigger, he was even better. And he smelt amazing. Katie had to force herself to pull away before it became an awkwardly long embrace.

 “You look good as well, it’s nice to actually hang out.”

 “Thanks for inviting me.”

 “Thanks for all the help. Come on, I just turned the stove off, so we should eat while it’s hot.”

 She gestured for him to go first into the kitchen, creating herself an opportunity to unashamedly look at his ass, which looked pretty good in his dark grey trousers.

 Katie had been stressing all day if they’d have something to talk about. They had skyped twice and texted throughout most days, they were about to run out of topics to discuss at some point, right?

 Well, apparently not anytime soon. They spent the whole meal talking between bites, Niall pretty much moaning at the first taste of chilli, which made Katie laugh unattractively, covering her mouth in an attempt to keep the food from spilling out. But the conversation just flowed so naturally between them. They actually sat at the table, in front of empty plates for almost an hour, just chatting, before they ran out of wine which eventually prompted them to move. They cleared the plates, opened another bottle of wine, this time the white one Niall had brought, and moved to the sofa.

 “Can I ask you something?” Niall asked, waiting a second after they settled, while she was quickly responding to a text from her mum.

 “Sure,” she said, putting her phone down and twisting her body towards him, one leg bent on the couch.

 He looked down for a second, then licked his lips, before meeting her eyes again carefully. “Is this a date?”

 “Well…” She bit her lip. “It was meant as a thank you, but I guess…” She hesitated for a second, but then saw a small flash of light in his eyes, which gave her that little bit of courage she needed. “It could be. If you want it to be.”

 “See, that’s a tricky question,” he said with a grin, which made Katie raise her brows in question. “Because yes, I would very much like to be dating you, but it’s also weird not being the one organising the date, especially the first one. I just showed up, while you planned the whole thing.”

 She laughed, her heart feeling instantly lighter, looking at him with admiration. “You can always take a lead with the second one.”

 “Deal.”

 He brushed the hair that escaped her updo out of her face, putting it behind her ear. Katie was pretty sure he was about to kiss her, but she didn’t want to wait a second longer, his earlier words giving her enough courage to lean in and be the one to initiate the kiss.

 He tasted like wine and chilli, probably exactly the same way she did, but somehow the kiss was sweet, their mouths finding their rhythm easily, almost like they were meant to work together.

 When they parted, she let out a soft laugh. One of disbelief. And happiness. She just kissed Niall. And now she had a bunch of butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

 “What are you laughing about? Was it that terrible?” he asked, his voice a little bit panicked.

 “No, god no, it was great,” Katie rushed to assure him, in case he couldn’t tell her emotions by the huge grin on her face. “It’s just… Unexpected. I really did not think we would end up like this.”

 “How so?” His arm was holding her hip, as if he was making sure she didn’t pull away.

 “I mean… Well, did you ever think we’d be here?” she asked him, not really sure how to explain her thoughts.

 “Um… Not really, no. I used to think we’d date at some point, but when we had both gone to uni that hope kinda died,” he admitted.

 “Really?”

 “Yeah. Why are ya so surprised?” He chuckled at her reaction.

 “I mean…” Katie hesitated for a moment, reaching for his hand to play with the ring on his finger. “Yeah, we apparently had a crush on each other back in the day. And we’ve known each other forever, but we also didn’t know each other that well, not really.”

 “Yeah,” Niall sighed in understanding, “it’s this weird feeling of knowing someone for years while also just truly learning about them now. But it’s not necessarily bad though, is it?”

 “Not at all, I like learning more about you. Getting closer to you.” She gave him a gentle smile, which he returned right away,

 “That feeling is very mutual.”

 “Life just works in a weird way, doesn’t it? We’ve been living pretty close to each other for months without even realising. And we haven’t spoken for over a year, but now it just…”

 “Something clicked,” he shrugged, flicking her palm to trace mindless patterns on the back of it.

 “Yeah, it did.”

 “Maybe it was meant to be.” His words were so light, but at the same time, they held so much conviction, they made Katie’s heart soar.

 “I guess we’ll have to wait and see, huh?” she asked cheekily. “I think it all depends on what you’ll prepare for that second date.”

 He chuckled. “Oh wow, well, that chilli is gonna be hard to beat. But I feel like all the shopping I’ve done for you should count for something, you know, like a little advance.”

 “Oh great, we haven’t even started dating properly and you’re already slacking. Nice one, Horan.”

 Her words made him let out a booming laugh, his head thrown back. And all she could do was look at him and admire the beautiful man beside her, thanking the universe for giving them a chance to find each other.

 ~~

 “Do you have a morning shift tomorrow?” Katie asked, when another episode had ended. They talked some more, then kissed some more, before eventually settling down to watch some tv, enjoying the quiet moments of just holding each other, having more than enough words between them that night.

 Even the small fact of him choosing a tv show to start watching together instead of a movie made her do a little mental note in her head. Because it was one more thing indicating that he wanted to do this again. If she even had any doubts still.

 “Mmmm, no,” he says, rubbing at his eye sleepily. “I’m starting at two in the afternoon.”

 Katie learned he had 3 possible work shifts when he texted her at midnight that he’s at the shop and they’ve run out of the cereal she wanted. He was an IT support specialist, which she found very interesting, although she didn’t understand a lot of his explanation when she asked him about his job.

 “Do you wanna stay the night?” she asked. When he looked at her surprised, a flush appeared on her cheeks. “Just to watch another episode and go to sleep, I didn’t mean… like..”

 “No, yeah, of course, I wouldn’t want to…” he rushed to say.

 “Oh, you wouldn’t?” She looked at him with an arched brow, playful smile on her face. “So you’re not into me?”

 “What? Shit, no, of course I am, come on, you should know that.” He raised his brows and both their minds went back to a moment when they were kissing earlier (well, some people would probably call it making out) and she felt his hardening dick on her tight.

 She bit her lip to sustain a smile, because it was nice to feel that way, to feel wanted, but also for the other person to be open about it, not afraid to admit his feelings towards her. It’s been a while since she felt like that. Sexy, free, confident. A bit vulnerable, but safe.

 “Yeah, I guess I do,” she said with a wicked smile, planting a kiss on his lips.

 It was crazy how comfortable she felt with him. She didn’t hesitate to cuddle up to his body, didn’t think about going in for a kiss, even despite it being just hours since their first one. With Niall, there were just no doubts, not anymore.

 “So sleep or one more episode?” he asked, his arm tucking her closer to him.

 “Are you gonna fall asleep halfway through?”

 “Nope, I’m pretty awake now, your proposal made me come alive again,” he chuckled, tickling her side, which made her yelp in surprise.

 So they watched two more episodes before eventually getting ready to sleep. Katie took pride in being a good host, providing Niall with fresh towels and a toothbrush, before he even got the chance to ask. She also made him take the bathroom first, so she could put the blanket covering her bed and all the extra pillows away. She did a quick scroll through her socials, deliberately avoiding a text from Frankie, asking how the night had gone. She could wait until tomorrow, when Katie would call her for a proper gossip.

 “Do you mind if I sleep in just my boxers?” Niall asked, walking out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped securely around his waist, his glistening chest on full display. He had definitely been working out. “I can wear a shirt too, if you want me to.”

 Katie shook her head. “Whatever you’re comfortable with, I’m good with whatever,” she said, passing him with a smile to take her turn getting ready to sleep.

 She tried to be as quick as possible, removing her makeup and brushing teeth. When she emerged, Niall was tucked in bed, on the left side, which was exactly the one that had always been empty, since she slept on the right.

 Her pajamas were simple, consisting of cotton shorts and a simple t-shirt. After all, they still had time for something sexier, you shouldn’t play all your cards right away.

 “First date and you already got me into bed,” he said watching her climb under the sheets. “Damn, woman, you’re good.”

 There was a huge grin on his face, which made it impossible for her not to mirror his expression.

 “You took my side,” she said, fluffing her pillow before lying down. The bedside lamp was the only source of light in the room, which bathed them both in the golden glow. Niall couldn’t tear his eyes away from her, she looked stunning.

 “Oh shit, sorry, it actually looked less slept on,” he started explaining, making a move to get up. “We can switch.”

 Katie laughed, putting a hand on his shoulder to stop him. “I’m just messing with you, you got it right.”

 “Uhhh I hate you,” he whined, burrowing his head in the pillow. For a second he wished he really was on the wrong side, because then the pillow would smell of Katie and not fabric softener.

 “Oh but you don’t. I’m pretty sure you said you liked me, actually,” she chuckled, loving the joking atmosphere that felt so natural between them.

 “You’re lucky I have a soft spot for you,” he turned his head to look at her again. She moved closer, resting her head on the edge of his pillow, before moving after a second to plant a kiss on his lips.

 It was impossible to not feel how his lips stretched into a smile during the kiss. It seemed like they spent the whole night just smiling and kissing. But neither of them were complaining.

 With Niall it was all so easy. Sure, at times she might be a bit nervous, especially right before seeing him or talking to him, but once she felt his presence, most of it went away. She felt free. He had seen her do so much stupid shit over the years, she just knew he wouldn’t judge or be put off. It was just that level of comfort and familiarity, that was what he brought her. And she didn’t understand how, but at the same time he made her feel giddy and excited. It was like he calmed her and made her heart beat faster at the same time. It was against her logic, but she decided not to question it. Because there was no question to her that it was a good thing. She liked that feeling. She craved that feeling.

 It was crazy how unexpectedly things could happen. Two weeks ago she didn’t even want to call him, not wanting to bother him, any relationship between them vanished over more than a year ago. And now she wanted to keep in contact with him as much as possible. She wanted to talk to him everyday. Somehow, over such a short time, he became a constant part of her day, whether it was sharing memes, random thoughts or having actual deep conversations. She never even thought she’d be here, falling for someone so fast. Least of all, falling for Josh’s best friend. But that was a funny thing about life and love, it crept up on you when you least expected it. And sometimes, it did so in simply the best way.

 The pandemic was a horrific thing that affected countless people’s lives, but in a surprising twist of events, it gave Katie a light in such a dark time. And that light went by the name of none other than Niall Horan.

[ailec-12]

Ahhhhhhh congrats to reaching 100!!! It‘s super deserved! Could I request something for House Potter, please? Like, maybe something with Sev and Sirius along the lines of hurt/comfort? But no pressure, if that is too much or would be too fast-forward into the story! :) thanks!!

Thank you so much, Anon, you're so sweet! I'm sorry you've had to wait so long to see this prompt done —I hope you'll actually see it!—, especially since it was the first one I started to write back in October. I just got a little stuck with it halfway through, but I loved it and hope you'll enjoy it, too.

I decided to take today off to rest and, though I know I probably shouldn't have, I couldn't help sitting down and finally finishing this prompt. I don't have the energy to edit it, but I wanted to post it anyway.

So, this is set in the future, but let's imagine Sev and Sirius have made no progress whatsoever in the meantime. Also, the Potters have either moved out or gone on holiday.

Also on AO3.

No Harm Done

He told himself, as he took James’s broom without breathing a word of it to anyone, that it was okay. James did let him have it, so it was none of Sirius’s business what Severus did with it. A voice in his head begged to differ, but he ignored it and ploughed on.

He was nervous and excited, although, in all honesty, it was hard to distinguish one feeling from the other. After all, the clench in his stomach and the tingling in his fingers seemed to fit well together. It was the first time he would be flying alone and his mouth had become completely dry long before he had sneaked out the broom. Still, he had no doubts about wanting to carry on with his plan and Sirius, who had come to watch over them and was currently sleeping on the sofa with Harry, did not ever need to know.

The day was clear, if a little windy. Severus mounted and kicked the ground once, firmly. The broom took off at once and he gripped the handle tightly before relaxing his grip ever so slightly.

Flying felt great, exhilarating. Any fears he may have harboured stayed well below him.

He was not confident enough yet to try some of the stunts that James performed as easily as breathing. However, he enjoying riding higher than any of the adults would likely have allowed as well as going round and round in progressively smaller circles. He was enjoying himself so much that, when he started to descend, he miscalculated the higher speed he had achieved. When he saw the ground come closer far too fast, he pulled up the handle abruptly and the broom responded with a sharp jump. Startled, Severus saw his own fall in slow motion: the way his hands failed to regain hold of the wood, how his body flew a bit higher than the broom and how the ground greeting him face first. The world around him went deadly silent.

The impact left no air in his lungs. He tried to take a breath and succeeded after a few desperate attempts. The pain came afterwards. Gingerly, he sat up to examine the damage. Although the grass had surely softened his fall, one of his arms hurt from the wrist to the elbow. His jumper was covered with green stains, as were his jeans. Luckily, he had not ripped anything off, but his knees hurt when he stood up.

All these thoughts were forgotten once he spotted the broom. James’s racing broom, the once he had used for matches at Hogwarts. Severus’s blood ran cold. If he had broken the damn thing…

His hands were shaking uncontrollably when he took it, but his heart began to beat again as he observed no major damage. There were some sticks that stuck out of place and a few scratches on the handle that would not look amiss in a well-worn broom —that is, if James did not keep his in prime condition. He was bound to notice, Severus knew, fearing the moment. He might be lucky enough that James may just think he forgot to fix it before putting it away the last time he rode it. Severus was aware that he was not half bad at lying and, although it left a bitter taste on his tongue sometimes, he was too much of a coward to take the blame if he could avoid it.

And yet, his thoughts were useless, for he never had the chance to do any of it. Halfway through the house, the back door slammed open and revealed Sirius, thus freezing Severus on the spot.

“Where the—” Sirius started to yell. Then, he saw Severus and strode in his direction. The boy gripped the broom, but did not move. “What the fuck, Snape? You were flying?”

His hands were trembling again as he offered the broom. He had been caught, so there was nothing to do but manage the damage.

“I didn’t break it, it’s fine,” he said mulishly, as if that could cover up the fact that he was unable to look up, instead keeping his eyes focused on Sirius’s tight fists.

“What the hell happened to you, though? Did you roll down a hill? Wait, did you fall while you were flying?” Sirius did not snatch the broom while berating him, as Severus had expected. “Fuck, you’re hurt.”

His tone became strangely flat when delivering the last sentence and the boy was unsure how he should interpret it. What could Sirius plan to do with that information?

“I’m fine,” he snapped, just in case.

Sirius’s fists relaxed a little.

“Really? So blood just comes out of your knee on occasion?”

His black eyes snapped down and he saw a darker stain than the ones from grass and dirt. His cheeks became warmer and he faced Sirius’s smirk, offering a scowl of his own.

“I’m fine. May I go to clean up?”

His heart was beating very fast. What if Sirius said ‘no’? Severus did not understand why that was so frightening. The most the man could do was not let him get out of his dirty clothes, maybe force him to stand in a corner all day until Lily and James got home past his bedtime. Sirius could not hurt him, they would not allow it —they had promised. And yet, Severus waited with bated breath for the answer.

“Let me check first. I don’t need anyone come down on me ‘cause I neglected you.”

For some reason, that did it. Severus dropped the broom and made a dash for the door that led inside the house. ‘Stupid,’ he would think a second later, when he realised he should have run in the opposite direction, even if the open field did not feel any safer when the other was a grown wizard with a wand.

Before he was aware of what was happening, there was something encircling his waist and trapping him.

“L– Let me go!” He could not help the way his voice sounded high pitched and scared. He did not want anyone to know he was scared.

He hit Sirius’s arm and tried to kick him, too. He struggled for a while and did not stop to see whether he was doing any real damage. He felt numb and detached and maybe fear was still there despite his best efforts.

“Ow, ow! Snape, stop! Bollocks, you twat, I was j– Okay, that’s it!”

And then, the ground under his feet disappeared. He may have let out a pathetic shrill until he got hold of himself, shut his eyes very tightly and kept still. His breathes were the only sound for a short second. Then, a likely livid Sirius carried him inside the house, stomping all the while. He took him to the living room and put him down in front of the couch. Nearby, Harry was playing with his moving animal toys.

“Sit down,” Sirius growled and Severus obeyed.

At the same time, Harry stumbled over them and demanded,

“Sev, play!”

The older boy only shook his head, leaving Sirius to explain just in how much trouble he was at the moment.

“Harry, I’ve got an important mission for you,” Sirius said, solemnly but still warmer than he ever addressed Severus. The toddler looked up. “You watch that Snape stays put till I come back, all right?”

Harry nodded, reciprocating the solemnity, and turning back around, repeated his request to play together. Severus refused in silence, letting his hair fall on his face and focusing on not letting fall the tears that had started to gather in his eyes.

He had mucked it up really badly that time. He had panicked and attacked an adult —a man that James considered his own brother. The world was a blur and his ragged breaths flooded his ears.

“Snape.”

An impatient voice broke his train of thought. Minutes could have passed, or perhaps hours. He looked up and saw a very irritated Sirius holding up a familiar blue bottle in one hand and his wand in another.

“Calmer now, aren’t you?” the man huffed. “Roll up your trouser leg, let me see what we’re dealing with.”

Severus shook his head vehemently. He did not understand what was going on, but his eyes were still fixed on the wand. His breathing was still making that horrible sound.

“Hurt?” pipped up Harry somewhere next to him.

“Yeah, mate, Snape’s hurt and too ruddy stubborn to let me help.”

Help? What did Sirius understand for help when it came down to a brat like him?

“No ‘Nape, Sev!” Harry corrected all of a sudden, drawing Severus’s attention to the pair.

There was a small chubby finger pointed at him and, when he looked at Sirius —his face, not his wand—, the man had a bemused expression.

“Right,” he said after a moment, turning his terrible grey eyes towards Severus. “Well, Sev, will you please roll up your trouser leg so I can heal your knee?”

Sirius dragged the short nickname with all the smugness he was able to muster and the boy found he did not like it any better than hearing his surname.

“I’m fine,” he tried once again, but his voice sounded small and frightened as his anger failed to rise.

Sirius let out a weary sigh and handed him the blue bottle. After looking between the children, he decided to put his wand between his teeth. Then, with no hurry, he proceeded to pull up Severus’s damaged trousers himself.

The bottle trembled in his grasp. The boy bit his lip and tightened his fingers around it. Staying still was his only task now.

Sirius was excruciatingly slow until he finally revealed the cut on his knee. It had stopped bleeding and clearly did not merit so much care, but there was no comment on it or the mess it had made. In fact, for once, Sirius forwent his habitual cutting remarks and kept mostly quiet, only speaking to assure Harry that everything was okay.

Severus was pretty sure he stopped breathing when the wand came near him. Yet, he did not move. He felt something warm and, when he looked down, the cut had disappeared. A cold feeling ensued as Sirius washed the dry blood away with a cloth under Severus’s fascinated gaze. The bottle was taken from his hands as Sirius began to apply it on his knee, even though the bruise had not appeared yet.

Next, the man rolled up his other trouser leg.

“Does it hurt here, too?”

Severus was about to shake his head again, but Sirius was staring at him intently and the boy knew his lie would be caught.

“Just a little,” he mumbled, looking back down.

Some balm was applied on that area as well without another word. Severus pondered whether he could ask for some for his wrist and elbow, but Sirius proceeded to examine his arms himself. The boy could not help a sharp intake of breath when Sirius took hold of his wrist.

“This has swollen.”

“It’s not broken,” Severus hurried to assure.

Sirius frowned at him, although he did not look angry.

“No, it’s not, but let me…”

And he moved his wand in a different pattern until both the redness and swelling had faded away. Still, he applied some balm there and on his elbow. Severus had no idea whether he should be more surprised that Sirius was healing him or that he apparently knew where to look for injuries.

At long last, they were done and Sirius obliged Harry by sitting him on his lap. A dense silence settled between him and Severus, who tried to still his fingers by burying them in the hem of his jumper. Eventually, the boy was the one to break the quiet.

“The broom…” he started, peeking at the open door, in the direction where the magical object remained lying on the grass.

“Accio Prongs’s broom.”

Harry was very excited to see his father’s broom flying towards them and Sirius let him grab the end of the handle while he examined it. Severus could not relax completely, but at least the man’s face was not giving him any more reason to panic.

“We’ve all fallen on our arses while riding; more than once, actually,” Sirius remarked, almost offhandedly. Then, he looked up, straight into Severus’s black eyes. “There’s no harm done, so I suppose no one needs to know… as long as you’re careful next time and let someone know before flying off.”

The unexpected reprieve from Sirius of all people took a moment to register in Severus’s brain. He hurried to wipe the shock off his face and nodded with all his might.

“I will, I swear!”

The man looked at him for a bit longer, until he turned to his godson with a big smirk.

“Harry, you up for beating Severus at Exploding Snap?”