#and take rent for the month in the form of candy

[mintofhtagn]

HAPPY HECKIN' HALLOWEEN!! from my green aliens to you

[nicestgirlonline]

Something Sweet

Pairing: Sugar Daddy! Bucky Barnes x fem!Reader

Warnings: 18+ smut ahead!!! Thigh riding, public stuff, dirty talk, sugar relationships, power dynamics, dom/sub undertones

Word Count: 4.9K

Summary : A chance run in with a handsome stranger turns out to be the opportunity of a lifetime

a/n: for @the-slumberparty September Bingo Challenge! No bingo for me this round, I got it in JUST UNDER THE WIRE! Takes me waaaaayyy to long to write lol. Thanks for reading, I’d love your feedback! Reblogs and comments are love <3

You placed the candy bar on the counter in front of the very bored cashier. You dug through your purse and pulled out your debit card and handed it over. A queue had started to form behind you as you tapped your hand in anticipation. 

���Declined.” The cashier said, holding out the card for you. Your stomach dropped. You were afraid this was going to happen. You were so sure that you had enough in your account for at least a candy bar. You had paid the overdraft fees from last month, so you should have been set. Your stomach gurgled a bit. You were so hungry. 

“Um, can you try it again?” You asked, hoping it was some sort of mistake, that the bank was just a little slow to catch up with your account. She let out a sigh and placed it in the machine again.  

You could feel the stares behind you. You looked back at the line; directly behind you was a tall man dressed in a suit, checking his watch. He looked like he must be very important. He had dark brown hair that was neatly styled and just a touch of a five o’clock shadow. It was incredibly handsome. His icy blue eyes flicked from his Rolex to you, making you quickly turn back to the cashier. 

“Declined. Again.” The cashier handed it back this time with a look insisting you take the card from her. Humiliated, your cheeks began to turn red. 

“Sorry.” You mumbled as you shoved your card back into your purse so you could clear the shop as quickly as possible. In your haste, you accidentally ran into Mr. BusinessMan. You collided with his body like a brick wall. “Sorry! I’m so sorry! Fuck I’m a mess.” You cried out as you ran past him this time. 

You ran directly out onto the street, the cool air filling your lungs. You dropped down onto the curb to spend a minute catching your breath. You could feel your heart still racing, your body going into fight or flight mode. 

Money, money, money. It all always came back to money. If you didn't have the money for a god damn candy, how were you going to make rent in less than two weeks? Tears threatened to escape your eyes and you squeezed them shut. 

Here you were, no food in your stomach and soon to be no roof over your head. You looked at your phone, a flip phone from 2013 that miraculously still worked. The last text you had gotten was from your mom “Fridge broken. Send more this month.” 

God fucking damn it. 

“Hey! I think you forgot this.” A deep voice called out behind you. You turned to see the business man from the shop! Confused, you grabbed your purse and checked to make sure you hadn’t left your keys or something. The man held the bar you had left at the counter. He held it out to you. You didn’t go to grab it, you just stared.

“Oh. Um, you didn’t have to…” You began but he squatted down next to you and placed the candy on your lap. 

“We all have bad days. Doesn’t cost me nothing to be nice. You look like you deserve something sweet.” He had a very kind smile on his face. It did cost him something though, it cost him more than what was currently in your bank account. “You ok?”

“I’m…I’m ok. I’m going to be ok. Thank you, really.” You could feel the tears spilling over and you started to wipe your face so he wouldn’t see.

“You must really like candy to be crying over it.” He lightly joked, which only made you want to cry more. You let out a little laugh that sounded more like a strangled gasp. It was so overwhelming, the simple act of charity.

“It’s just…really really nice of you.” You gasped, the tears finally flowing freely. “I don’t remember the last time anyone has ever given me something…I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

“Hey, hey, hey, you’ve got nothing to apologize for.” He reached out and placed a hand on your shoulder to comfort you. “I’m James.”

You gave him your name, finally ceasing your tears. You took a deep breath, you couldn’t just fall apart in front of this kind stranger, he was probably running late to some sort of business meeting anyway.

“You have a way to get home?” he asked, he pulled out his phone and began to tap on it. You nodded your head. 

“Yes, yes I do. I have money left on a bus card, really thank you so much James.” He smiled at you when you said his name. He placed his phone back into his suit jacket. He took your hand and helped you up.  With your spiral into darkness slightly stalled, you took in your savior. He was so classically handsome. When you looked into his blue, blue eyes you felt like you were drowning in them. He tucked a piece of your hair behind your ear, your heart raced. 

“Get home safe, alright doll?” You nodded, clutching the candy bar to your chest. You took off down the street after giving a soft goodbye. The kindness of strangers had given you more hope than you had in a long time. 

You idly wondered about James as you ate on the bus. Your money problems were still lingering in the back of your mind but your thoughts were clear. 

You tore open the candy bar, taking a bite of the delicious treat. The chocolate melting on your tongue, the sugary sweetness coated your mouth. You got a rush from the sugar and let out a sigh. 

Maybe things were going to be ok, it was a sign that the universe was on your side. 

{}{}{}

You put on your waitress face and did your best to keep up the highest energy tonight. You were all bubbles and giggles throughout the shift. You would smile and laugh at every lame joke a customer would tell you.

Half way through your shift the place was packed. You should be grateful it was busy, you were getting good tips but hadn’t had a moment to breathe since you walked out onto the floor. You carefully balanced a tray of shots and an order of bacon-wrapped dates to drop off before you made it to the party that just sat down in your section. The hostess had put them back in the booth that was partially tucked away with velvet curtains. Big spenders for sure. You smoothed down your dress and tossed your hair over your shoulders as you made your way over. 

“Hiii how are we doing tonight Gentle--” You began your usually bubbly opener, voice high pitched and energetic but as you took in who was sitting in front of you, you stumbled. 

James. Your candy savior. The bodega hero. Him and three other men were waiting to be served. He was wearing a new suit, this one with no tie and a few buttons undone from his shirt. Damn he could really rock a suit, he filled this one out perfectly too. FUCK.  

“Ahem, excuse me gentlemen. So what can I start you off with?” You quickly recovered, grabbing your pad and pen and focusing your eyes on the paper. You prayed that with your heavy makeup and fluffed up hair that maybe he wouldn’t recognize you, or maybe just wouldn’t even remember. 

“Hey there sweetheart, hope my good looks didn’t startle you.” His charming grin grew as you bashfully waved your hand at him.

“Oh I'm used to handsome, it's just a little busy in here tonight. Are we just starting out the night? Maybe with some shots?” You offered with a grin of your own. He seemed pretty pleased with your flattery. James was silent as the other two ordered a round of shots, his gaze was fixed on you. You went to turn to put the order in but as you went James’s hand shot out and he grabbed your wrist. 

You froze and stayed.

“Hold on a minute Doll, you didn’t take my order yet.” His voice was low and easy. You lightly moved your hand out of his grasp to put pen to paper. You nodded to him hoping to get his order. “I want a whiskey. Neat. And bring the whole bottle out.”

“Whoa, we’re getting bottles tonight?”

“Sounds like you guys are going to have some fun!” You said quickly writing down the order with a flourish. This time you managed to escape to put the orders in. As you waited by the bar for the orders you felt your heart racing. It wasn’t just the adrenaline of the fast paced night. Seeing James again had put you completely off kilter. It was humiliating, the last time he saw you, you were crying in the street. He must find you so pathetic. If he even recognized you?

James and his party stayed practically til closing, ordering more and more. The bill they were racking up was so notable that Jeremy himself came out to thank them for their patronage. The other girls were all playfully jealous, it wasn’t you who could normally hook in the big spenders like that. 

“Sadly, it seems we’ve got to end it here. Little guy can’t hold his liquor.” James said motioning to the one you learned was named Sam.

“M’fine.” He slurred. The blonde man who was called Steve laughed and threw an arm around him as he swayed. The two made their way to the exit leaving you alone at the table with James. He smiled at you expectantly. You just wanted the night to be done with. 

“Whenever you’re ready!” you placed down the bill on the table. 

“Hold on Doll, I’m ready now.”  He pulled out a shiny black card from his wallet, and quickly scribbled down on the receipt. You took the card with a smile, ready to go charge it. You glanced down on the tip and your eyes nearly fell out of your head. 

He had given you a 100% tip.

“Problem?” He asked, innocently cocking his head to the side. You glanced at the bill again, rereading it as slowly as you could to try to make sure you weren’t mistaken.

“I think you might have mixed up the tip and the total-” 

“No mistake. I’m tipping for the fantastic service.” 

“I really don’t know how comfortable I am with that James. Is this because of this morning?” Your voice was pathetically small. 

“Oh so you do remember me?” He asked flatly. You looked up at him. His sudden tone made your stomach clench. 

“I mean…of course I do but that’s not very professional of me. I’m sorry-” You immediately tried to amend the situation. This was somehow your fault, you could tell. 

“You apologize a lot. You don’t have to be sorry for getting something you want.” James’s tone was no longer angry. 

“I don’t need pity.”

“It's not pity, Doll. You gave me a service and now I’m paying you what I think is fair. I know you probably aren’t used to people giving you what you’re worth. You probably don’t even know what your worth is, do you?” When his icy blue eyes met yours it was like you were really being seen for the first time. You loved it as much as you hated it. 

“I’m not…I’m not worth anything much. Here’s your card sir, have a good night.” 

You ran off, your face hot with humiliation. 

{}{}{}

You had hoped that would be the end of it. Even with the insane tip from James you were still on the outs with your money. Now that rent could be made there was the electricity, gas, and water. Then the money you would send back to your family, oh and food for yourself. You couldn’t forget that. You kept all ten shifts that you had managed to beg Jeremy for. The big night with James made him much more amenable to your requests. 

It was only for a split second but you saw him at the hostess table. With two different men at his side, there stood James for the second night in a row. You whipped your head around and scurried to the back. 

“Wanda, he’s here again. Again!” You squealed to your co-worker who was just preparing to start her shift. 

“Who, Mr. Moneybags? Well aren’t you lucky.” She said, giving you a playful glare. 

“I don’t want to deal with him again. Please take my table?” you pleaded. 

“Don’t need to ask me twice, I’ll be getting that nice tip tonight.”  She tossed her coppery hair over her shoulder and smoothed down her dress one final time before strutting out onto the floor. 

He wasn’t here for you, you told yourself. You were just being paranoid. Wanda was going to have all of them eating out of her hands by the end of the night, you told yourself as you started out towards your first table. You pushed it from your mind. 

But you couldn’t help but glance over to his table, and the glance was more than enough to see that James was not happy. Wanda and her incredible curves didn’t seem to distract him at all. You could see her laughing and chatting but James was a dark cloud.  

Fine, who cares, he was going to give Wanda a ludicrous tip because he was a generous tipper. He wasn’t pitying you, he wasn’t trying to give you charity, that's just who he is. You scamper towards the kitchen to put in your orders and hopefully hide out a while. 

Wanda came back towards the kitchen, placing her orders and grabbing the food that was ready. Her beautiful smile fading into a line when she made eye contact with you. 

“They were really really insistent that it has to be you tonight. Even just to go over and say hi. ” She said, her tone was dry. Nervous butterflies erupted in your stomach. You bit your lip. What could this possibly mean? 

{}{}{}

You were normally pretty steady in your heels, but the floor was suddenly uneven as you approached James’s table.

“Well hi there, gentlemen. I-I can take your drink orders tonight. Give Wanda a hand.” You babbled, trying not to flub over any words. 

James smirks at you victoriously. He doesn’t need to say anything, his eyes say it all. He had gotten his way.  

The party once again racked up a ridiculous tab.  Nothing was stopping him. The rest of the table had cleared out quickly, leaving just you and James. 

He opened his wallet and laid out the tip, bill by bill. He pushed the fat stack to you, not breaking eye contact once. 

It was multiple hundred dollar bills, but you were too stunned to count. The anxiety that had been building since you first caught a glimpse of James again finally came bursting out of you in a tidal wave. You tossed the cash back on to the table. 

“Please stop. I can’t…I can’t keep doing this, I don’t know what you expect from me.”  You gasped, allowing your facade to crack as you stared up at him with tears wetting your eyes. 

You weren’t scared. But you were confused. This sort of attention must have meant he wanted something from you and…you were fairly certain of what that was. 

“This is how this business works, you did something for me, and I paid for your services.”

“I -- I--” Your breath was caught in your throat as he leaned closer to you to tuck a lock of hair behind your ear. 

“Poor thing, you’ve never been treated well in your whole life, have you? I know why you’re so nervous. You’re not stupid, you're really smart. I don’t expect anything from you tonight.”

He took a breath and it was like he was stealing the air right from your lungs. “But. I would like to make an offer, if you’d be interested. I just want one hour of your time.” 

“I’m not a whore.” 

He caught your chin in his hand and made you look back at him, his eyes dark and humorless.

“What an ugly word. Nobody’s calling you that doll. Have dinner with me.” His thumb traced over the apple of your cheek.  

{}{}{}

One hour of your time. You kept thinking about it over and over again. It was just one hour. This ostentatiously wealthy man was paying you to have dinner with him. It’s not a crime. But it felt so dangerous. Sneaky and dirty. Part of it was terrifying but it was also…exciting. 

This restaurant was leaps and bounds above your place of work. It was all very classy. You tugged on your skirt just a bit, hoping you weren’t going to stick out. You were brought through the restaurant, up some stairs to a private party room. It was a huge table, with only two places set,  a glow with dozens of candle’s soft light. The walls were all windows, looking over the restaurant the other a breathtaking view of the city. 

James was waiting for you when you arrived. He looked you up and down appreciatively, his eyes lingering. He stood up like a gentleman when you got to the table. He pulled the chair out for you. 

“Oh um, thank you.” You said as he pushed you into your spot once you were seated. 

“No thanks necessary, Doll.” He placed the napkin from the plate on your lap before returning to the seat across from you. The waiter who brought you up took your drink orders before leaving you alone. 

The door clicked closed and suddenly there was a tense silence between you two. What was next? Were you supposed to say something? Or should you wait for him? 

“I trust the ride over was pleasant?”

“Yeah, um, no issues at all. I’ve never been here before, any recommendations?” Why were you so awkward? Should you be seductive? Should you be professional? Was this a business transaction or a date? Every time your eyes met his he looked hungry. For you. It made you flush. 

“You can get anything your heart desires. Pick out whatever has the most zeros next to the name.” He grinned. “The seabass is pretty good too.”

You wrinkled your nose a bit. “It's not too…fishy is it?” 

“Well it is fish.”

“But is it fishy fish?” James laughed at that. 

“It's a fishy fish. The steak is good too, but it's a steaky steak. So you know.” He joked. It made you laugh a bit too. It was like a spell was cast over you, the tension was released and your nerves vanished. The conversation flowed between the two of you easily.  

Your food came, he didn’t bring up anything. He had asked for an hour of your time, because he was going to propose something to you. You had friends who had “boyfriends” who weren’t really their boyfriends. Men who would pay for the fun that night, but they got paid back in other ways. 

You never had thought of yourself as that girl. But here you were. The anticipation made you nervous but you couldn’t deny the excitement.

He ordered dessert for the two of you, champagne and strawberries with cream and chocolate. 

You glanced at your phone, there was about ten minutes left of “your time” that he had purchased. 

“I hope I’m not so boring that you’re counting down the minutes.” James commented as you put your phone back in your purse. You shake your head.

“No I just…we have some things to discuss right? And an hour is what you asked for…”

“I am willing to pay overtime, if you’re still enjoying yourself. But if we’re down to the minute here, we should talk.” He folded his hands on the table. 

“I like you, I think that we can make something together. You seem like you need some help and call me old fashioned but I just can't resist a damsel in distress. I’m a busy man, with a lot of work and a full schedule, not really much time for dating. Not a fan of the apps either. What I am looking for is an arrangement. I want a companion and can keep you very well compensated for it.”

“So you’ve had…arrangements like this before.” You asked slowly. It didn’t make much sense to you. He was so unbelievably handsome. How could he have trouble finding anyone to be with?. He filled out his clothes so well, his strong square jaw made you want to swoon. How could it be you that he wanted? 

“Yes. Does that bother you?” 

“I-I’ve never done anything like this before.” You admitted. You cleared your throat. “What sort of things are you looking for from your…companion.” Your eyes were suddenly very focused on the bowl of strawberries in front of you. You hadn’t had a boyfriend before, but you’d been with men. Your idea of a sugar daddy was always a creepy old man, desperate for a young thing to fuck. But he didn’t seem desperate at all. The way he pinned you with his gaze was making you feel desperate for him. 

James reached out and placed his hand over yours.

“I am looking for everything. I want someone who’ll keep me company at home, someone I can buy gifts for, someone I can take out on dates.” He squeezed your hand, rubbing his thumb in circles over your wrist. “I’d like someone who’s going to stay the night too.”

Your stomach flipped. You knew what he meant. 

“Ah, like, sleepovers?” You giggled nervously. “I was never allowed to have those, as a kid. I always had to watch over my siblings.” 

“I didn’t have any either. Romanian immigrant parents. They didn’t really…get it?” James smiled, it was different from the grin that had been on his lips all night. It almost seemed shy.  “So maybe we should make up for lost time, hm?”

“But what would it be like? Being your…companion?” You were testing the waters. He was being a bit too vague for your liking. The word sugar baby had never been said but that’s what this was going to be wasn’t it? He wasn’t asking you to be his girlfriend. But he wanted you. And you wanted him. 

Should you get a contract? Or was that only something that happened in trashy romance novels?

He picked the bottle of champagne, his veins bulged in his strong grip. He easily flicked the cork off, popped the champagne with a loud bang that made you jolt. He smirked at your reaction. He poured himself a glass effortlessly then stood, walking to your side of the table. He was completely relaxed, in total control the whole time. 

He towered above you as he poured the bubbling liquor into the champagne flute in front of you. You could smell the rich musk of his cologne. He picked it up to offer it to you.

“If you agree to be mine, I would take you out to nice places like this, buy you whatever you like and then we would keep having fun all night.” His eyes sparkled. Your heart began to flutter, his eyes making you feel like you were the only person on earth. And you could get anything you wanted. 

You took the flute from him. You took a sip of the dry sparkling wine. It tasted expensive. 

“Do you want me to quit my job?” You said plainly. 

“Being CEO means I don't exactly have a 9-5 schedule and neither does a cocktail waitress. I don’t want to have to deal with scheduling around each other. Part of this is about you being available to me. You can take a leave of absence?” He was still standing, but had leaned against the table facing you. The CEO drop gave you a slight pause. You knew he was rich but…you were nervous to ask just how rich. Did it matter? You wondered to yourself. He was so handsome, you didn’t need specifics. You needed him.

“I don’t think that's an option for me.” You said trying not to roll your eyes. 

“Trying not to seem too pushy Doll, but…I want you to quit your job. I’ll be your job from now on. I can cover any of the expenses you’d need a job for. Being mine means spending late nights at my apartment, weekend trips to Europe, I don’t want you to worry about anything but me. If you agree, of course.”

He held out his hand to you. “Or is my time up?” 

You grabbed his hand. Your fingers interlocked. You nodded your head. James smiled and pulled you out of your seat. You quickly stood, eyes looking up into the icy blue pools that captivated you. His lips lightly pressed against yours. It was so soft and romantic, you surrendered to him easily. Your lips moved against him, assuring him, assuring yourself, you could do this. 

“You know why I got the strawberries right?” He asked as he pulled away motioning to the nearly forgotten dessert. 

“Yes…I’ve seen Pretty Woman. They bring out the sweetness of the champagne” You replied smartly. He laughed again. You made him laugh a lot, and every time you did your heart would race.

“I got them because I’m pretty sure you have a sweet tooth. And I thought it could be fun.” He scooped a dollop of cream onto a berry and brought it up to your lips. You obediently opened your mouth, taking a bite of the fruit. The bright, sharpness of the berry was contrasted by the fluffy sweetness of the cream. It was so decadent you needed a minute before you could take another bite. 

He pressed his hands against the small of your back and guided you slowly towards him.

He eased down onto the chair, planting his feet on the floor. 

He gripped your hips and pulled you to straddle his thigh. He guided you down and you followed his lead. You slowly lowered onto him.Your crotch rubbed against his thigh, you grabbed onto his shoulders to try and steady yourself. His fingers went to your dress and hiked it up to your waist.

You let out a gasp, your eyes quickly darting to the door. He grabbed your chin and pulled your focus back to him. 

“You don’t have to worry about anything tonight. You just have to be mine.”  He murmured, his breath fanning over your face. Your face was burning with embarrassment, you’d never been so intimate in public before.

He began to tap his heel making you bounce up and down. His hands went to your ass. The delicious friction made you bite down hard on your lip as your arousal started to mount. 

“James ahh--” You tried to ask but pleasure started to rocket up your core. Your eyes rolled back as he continued to rock you on his thighs. He shushed you, burying his face in your neck. His hands finally left your hips and grasped your breasts.  You moaned at the sensation. You wrapped your arms around his neck, arching your back bringing his face to your cleavage. 

Your hips moved of their own volition now, faster as the sweet ache between your legs grew. 

They glided over and over his thick thighs, building in speed as you chased after your high. Bouncing up and down, no longer concerned with anyone who might see. 

“What do you want?” he gasped. Suddenly stopping you mid thrust, his grip on your ass held you still. 

“Huh?” you whined, wiggling your hips a bit, but he held you firm. 

“Tell me sweetheart, how do I close this deal, what do you want?” James whispered in your ear, letting his breath tickle you. 

“I--” You took a moment. Your panties were soaked through, you could feel your slickness on his pants. You felt so wanton, but this was what you wanted. “I want my rent paid.”

“Done.” 

“And I want a new phone.” He just nodded as his lips connected with your neck. You moaned as he lightly bit down on your neck alternating between pain and sweet kisses. You suddenly felt powerful, more powerful than you ever had in your life. “I also have student loans and money for savings a-and my sister’s starting high school this year and she’s going to need a laptop, so--” 

His lips had finally worked your neck enough and collided with your lips. He kissed you so fiercely, so overwhelmingly hot that you completely lost your train of thought and surrendered to it. 

“Deal.” he panted as he pulled away from your lips, his forehead resting against yours. You started to ride his thigh again, desperate for a release as the coils inside you wind together tighter and tighter.

“Fuck Doll that’s right, use me, ride my thigh, you’re mine now. Show you how good it is to be mine.” James grunted as you chased your high.

Waves of pleasure came crashing over you. You writhed on his thigh, your panties sticking to the sides of your walls as you collapsed forward. Pressing your head to his shoulder, you could feel him chuckling.

You liked being his. You felt small in his lap as he smoothed down your dress. He wiped some of the sweat off your brows. 

You take another sip of the champagne. It wasn’t sweet, but you could get used to it.

[discoscoob]

⋆⭒˚.⋆ ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU

˙ ✩°˖🎄⋆｡˚ Ted Logan x Reader

KEANUVERSE SECRET SANTA: My contribution to @faerl’s Keanuverse secret santa project for my giftee @scarlettspectra! 🎁

SAN DIMAS, CHRISTMAS EVE 1992

Below a slanting ‘Merry Christmas’ banner, Ted is sprawled across the well worn, pre-loved couch, his long, gangly frame fitting awkwardly. Mismatched socked feet dangle over the edge of the armrest, while his arms drape snuggly around your waist as you nestle peacefully across his body with your head tucked under his chin. A santa hat sits askew atop his unruly dark locks that have fallen over his sleeping face.

You sniffle as the framed photo begins to gently blur from the gathering tears clouding your vision. Bill had captured the candid moment of you and Ted having a post Christmas dinner nap. How you wish you could travel back to that precious moment, nuzzled comfortably in Ted’s warm embrace. Of course, afterward, Bill had taken a permanent marker to both your faces, leaving the two of you with drawn-on moustaches until the new year — it earned Ted some strange glances when he served customers at Pretzels ‘n’ Cheese.

Carefully returning the photo to its pride of place on your nightstand, you pick up the mixtape Ted sent you. The hand drawn candy canes, forming the shape of a love-heart on the cover, brings a watery smile to your lips — reminding you how much thought he puts into even the simplest of gestures. The smooth melody of Please Come Home for Christmas by Charles Brown drifts from the cassette player and seeps straight into your aching heart, stoking the heavy swell of longing that presses against your chest.

Yesterday, Ted called you from a payphone at Fairbanks Airport with the devastating news that a blizzard was grounding all the flights, forcing him to holdover at the military base in Alaska for the holidays.

The moment you pressed the phone to your ear and he uttered your name in a quiet quiver, you knew something was wrong. Your heart sank like a boulder. He sounded so defeated. The two of you had exchanged stacks of letters filled with plans and promises of making the most of your time together over the holiday season, hoping to compensate for the months spent apart. Now, you can’t even talk to him over the phone because the lines are down.

You haven’t physically seen him since he left for military school in the spring — the longest the two of you have ever been apart since you met in high school. Both you and Bill had begged him not to go, insisting that you were happy to support him as he couch-surfed between your place and Bill’s dad’s after his own father flat-out refused to take him back in. That refusal came after he and Bill got evicted from their apartment for falling behind on the rent.

At that time, it felt like one knock back after another. With the band going nowhere, no matter how hard they tried, Ted couldn’t shake the feeling that he was a burden and a failure. His father’s relentless words would echo in the back of his mind, always there to remind him he would never amount to anything.

It had all come to a head one night after yet another failed audition to get on the bill at some music club. That’s when Ted ran into Colonel Oats. The man barely had to say a word — just a gruff “it’s not too late” — and something inside Ted broke. He was so beaten down, so full of self-doubt, that he thought it might be his only option left. A week later, he was packing for Alaska.

You had wept your heart out — not only for the fact that Ted would be miles away, but for how beat down he must’ve felt to even consider leaving in the first place. You had let him down. You hadn’t reminded him enough of how incredible he was. You hadn’t defeated his father’s voice in his head. You felt like a terrible girlfriend.

You cross the room, switch off the cassette player, and eject the mixtape just as the opening notes of Darlene Love’s Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) start playing. Ironically, most of the songs Ted had chosen were about longing for loved ones to be home for the holidays, and with him stormbound in Alaska, they’ve become unbearable to listen to.

Your doorbell chimes and you quickly check your reflection in the mirror above your dresser. Puffy red eyes stare back at you with glistening tears reflecting the glow of twinkling Christmas lights, you soak them up on the sleeve of your sweater in vain as more soon gather.

As soon as you open the door, a hard chest ploughs into you, almost knocking you off balance until a pair of strong arms swoop you off your feet — all before you even get a good look at your visitor. You would have kicked and screamed if it weren’t for the sweet scent of blue raspberry swaddling your senses, Ted’s favourite candy, inviting you to sink into his sturdy embrace.

With all the enthusiasm of a boisterous Great Dane, blissfully ignorant of its own colossal size and strength,

Ted clutches you tightly against him, his arms noticeably bulkier than the gangly limbs you recall.

He burrows his face into the curve of your neck as you cradle the back of his head, eager to delve your fingers into his thick tousled mane. Instead, they stroke over smooth, freshly chopped strands. You falter briefly, before pulling back to get your first proper look at him since he arrived on your doorstep.

“Your hair…” you blink, momentarily stunned as you drink in the sight of him. Where an unruly mop of tousled locks once sprouted and tumbled over his eyes, there’s now a military buzz cut, clipped uniformly to reveal the sharp angles of his face and stubble-dusted jaw.

You didn’t intend for that to be the first thing you said to him after all this time apart, it tumbled out before you could stop it. You wince, realising how many other things you could have — no, should have — said instead.

“You hate it.” Ted’s broad grin falters as he sheepishly rubs the nape of his neck, dipping his gaze to the floor, clearly self-conscious.

Your lips part, and you quickly shake your head, your heart hammering at the thought he might believe you could hate anything about him.

“You… your ears will get cold.” you caress his jaw, noticing the reddened tips of his ears.

Your concern eases his pink lips into a coy smile as he leans his rose-tinted cheek into your warm palm.

“Mhm… then you’d best let me in before I turn into a popsicle or something.”

Wrapping your fingers around the edge of his jacket, you tug him inside as he kicks the door shut against the cold with the heel of his combat boot. He eases his bass guitar case carefully against the wall and shrugs his heavy duffle bag off his shoulder, letting it thud softly to the floor.

“I don’t understand…” you step back deeper into the living room, still tugging Ted along with you. “How did you get here? I thought the flights were grounded.”

“Santa’s sleigh!” he jokes with a giggle, ducking his head to pepper kisses across your cheeks and forehead. His enormous hands hold you steady while his eyes sparkle with delight.

You’ve always known Ted to be affectionate — it’s undeniable that physical touch is his love language. But even by his standards, there’s a noticeable shift. As they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder — and in Ted’s case, bolder. His once restrained and hesitant displays of affection, shaped by his benign nature and lack of experience, have given way to a liberated eagerness to show you just how much he’s missed you.

“There’s this, like, total rich dude at school,” he pauses just long enough to rest his forehead against yours. “His dad’s some mayor or something, like, really important. He managed to pull a few strings and got a private jet to fly him out.”

He tucks a loose strand of hair behind your ear, his dilated pupils flicker to your neck. “And… he offered me a ride.”

“Wait…” there’s a noticeable flutter in your voice when he starts kissing the side of your neck, sending pleasant shivers down your spine. “A private jet?”

“Hm-hm…” his warm breath fans across your skin and you feel his lips twitch into a smile. “Felt like a total rockstar.”

Ted raises his head with a softening expression. “I missed you.” he murmurs, his doe eyes briefly meeting yours with timid sincerity, before dropping back to the carpeted floor.

“I missed you too, Ted. So much.” gently, you curl your forefinger under his chin, giving him a soft nudge to lift his head. As he looks up, you lean in and press a tender welcome home kiss to his lips.

˙ ✩°˖🎄⋆｡˚

Cocooned by Ted’s impressive wingspan, his chin hooks over your shoulder as his nimble fingers flit across the fretboard with a newfound ease. No longer is he serenading you with out-of-tune melodies or clumsy, off-beat riffs. Now, you’re motivated to softly sing along to the unmistakable, toe-tapping groove of one of your favourite songs.

The fluidity of his precise and controlled movements are so captivating, you’re locked in an almost hypnotic trance as your gaze lingers on his long and skilful fingers. The dedication he must’ve poured into practicing during his downtime at military school is remarkable, however, your unrestrained mind is soon bombarded with vivid images of all the possible ways you could reap the benefits of his enhanced dexterity.

Regrettably, the visions only intensify when he gently guides your far less experienced fingers along the neck of his bass while his breath tickles along the shell of your ear with soft-spoken instructions. You gulp, noticing that it’s not just the calloused tips of his fingers that are new. A fresh scar cuts across the back of his hand, presumably left behind by the whip of a snapped string — a subtle badge of honour to his devotion and passion for music.

Unfortunately, a dark cloud lingers at the back of your mind, casting a shadow over the moment, reminding you of how fleeting it is. When the new year arrives, Ted will return to Alaska and you won’t see him again until blossoms bloom on the trees and rainbows are painted across the sky after sunshowers. While you want to be content and savour the moment, there’s a throbbing ache in your chest that is impossible to ignore, it snatches your focus and prevents you from fully appreciating the time you have together.

“Babe, you totally keep zoning out.” Ted teases, cutting through your spiralling thoughts to pull your focus back to the present.

“Huh?” you freeze, trying to buy yourself some time to come up with an excuse by feigning confusion. You’re already working on eradicating whatever outward expression you were wearing as you nose-dived through the whirlwind of trepidation.

Your Ted, ever patient and sweet, sets his bass aside with care to give you his undivided attention, attentively settling his now-empty hands lightly on your knees.

“Something’s wrong. What is it?” he coaxes, his brows scrunching with concern.

You rearrange your face into a smile, trying to alleviate that heavy pressure in your chest.

“I’m just distracted by how skillful you’ve become with your fingers now.” you tease, your smile turning cheeky as you take his larger hand in your own, pressing your lips to his calloused tips.

“Oh…” Ted gulps, his cheeks tingeing pink as he shyly averts his gaze. Even after all these years together, Ted still becomes a flustered puppy at the slightest hint of suggestiveness.

In the background, Die Hard plays on the staticky TV. Neither of you have been paying much attention, but just as Hans Gruber plummets from the window of Nakatomi Plaza, Ted blurts out, "I'm not going back to Alaska in the new year."

Your head snaps toward him, your wide eyes meeting his as your mouth falls agape.

"What?"

"I'm not going back," he repeats, and the weight of his words settles over you like the warmest blanket, replacing the suffocating mass of anxiety that had been choking you moments before.

Your face eases into a genuine, uncontainable smile as your heart leaps weightlessly in your chest. You throw your arms around him, nearly knocking him across the couch in your excitement. “I’m so relieved you’re not leaving. I couldn’t bear saying goodbye again.”

“Me neither.” Ted mirrors your smile as he secures his arms around you properly, but there’s a slight shadow in his expression — something else lingering unsaid.

“There’s, uh… there’s more,” he says, tugging himself back but keeping his hands on your shoulders.

“More?”

“I’ve um… like put in an application to the LAPD.” the excitement bubbling in your chest is replaced by confusion.

"Wait. You want to be a cop?"

Ted nods slowly.

"Like... your dad?"

Ted looks startled, his brows shoot up and he waves his hands as if trying to manually wash away the thought from your mind.

“Woah, no way! That, like- he has nothing to do with it. I mean, I don’t care about what he thinks anymore. It’s… I dunno-” he looks down at his lap, his shoulders lifting slightly in a small shrug. “I had a lot of time to think in Alaska and… I guess I was actually pretty good at some of the stuff they taught us… for the first time in forever, I felt like I wasn’t flailing around trying to figure out what I’m supposed to do with my life. And maybe… maybe I could use that to help people… like be a hero or something.”

You tilt your head as his words settle over you, still processing them. Despite his sincerity, apprehension lingers. You can’t shake the worry that he might be rushing into something else he feels he has to do — just like he did with military school. "But... the LAPD?"

"Yeah." His gaze softens, and his lips curve into that sweet, earnest smile that always makes your heart flutter. "I don't want to go all the way back to Alaska. I can't stand the thought of being away from you again until the spring. If I stay in LA, I'll be much closer… and maybe…” he pauses, his smile turning hopeful. “Maybe you could even come with me…”

Your breath hitches at his words and the endearing sight of his hopeful smile. You don’t even question the thought of uprooting your life to follow Ted, there’s no doubt in your mind, your heart belongs with his. Before you can respond, his hand drifts up to play with a strand of your hair, idly twirling it around his finger as he gazes at you, his voice softening.

“I know it’s a lot to think about, you don’t have to decide anything right now.”

“I’d follow you anywhere, Ted.” you assure him, needing no time to make up your mind.

Ted’s face lights up brighter than the Christmas lights.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

He pulls you into his arms again, his fingers threading through your hair with care. You close your eyes, nestling into the crook of his neck as Ted tucks his head against your shoulder.

Credit to @scarlettspectra for the headcanon that Jack Traven is older Ted if he was sent to military school. I love that headcanon so much and I had to steal it writing this so technically this is a little bit of a pre-speed Jack fic too. Chopping off Ted’s floppy hair did hurt me though 😔

My little easter egg is that the rich kid who’s father is the mayor is Scott Favor who was forced to go to military school if he wanted to receive his inheritance

[cat-writes-sometimes]

The Face of Desire Book 2, Chapter 2

Justin Marks, 43 years old. Lived alone in a rented house just on the outskirts of South-Western Kentucky for only four months before the incident. He worked at a gas station at night and liked to go deer hunting during the day when it was hunting season, and went fishing when it wasn’t. He lived a secluded life. Didn’t talk to his family, barely went out with friends and didn’t garner much attention.

That was until he was found torn to ribbons on the livingroom floor by his landlord after failing to pay rent for three months.

Akemi scrolled through the photos of the crime scene on her laptop. Only a mushy mesh remained of him, all of his organs were missing.

“Do you need to look at that now?” Farah asked as she dunked a fry in ketchup. Chris sat next to her munching on his hamburger dripping condiments and burger juice all over his plate.

The highway diner was almost empty besides them and an elderly couple sitting on the other side. Everything about the diner was retro, but not in a stylish purposeful way. It was retro in the same way a car left to rust in a junkyard was antique. Akemi didn’t know why but the more unpolished and dusty the diner, the better the burgers.

“Reading in the car makes me nauseous.” Akemi said as she kept scrolling. Farah groaned and sipped her vanilla milkshake that had been overflowing onto the table.

The crime scene photos turned into records of prior 911 calls. Justin called the police 7 times since moving into the property claiming someone was breaking in. Things had been moved and there were strange noises and voices at night. The seventh time he was warned about the misuse of calling 911.

A sweetness floated over the thick aroma of frying oil and salt. It had a cotton candy sugaryness to it but held some deeper, earthy notes like dark chocolate or coffee. It wasn’t a bad smell, but it was strong.

Akemi looked over the edge of the laptop at Farah and Chris, his gaze shifted down to his side before coming back up to the table. Akemi could tell Farah and Chris’s hands were touching under the table. The sweet smell coming off them had been growing in the last year. Akemi didn’t press as to why they were keeping their relationship a secret from her, watching them sneak in little touches and kisses was actually kind of cute. Maybe they didn’t want Akemi to feel like a burden to them or left out. It felt nice that they cared enough about her to try and keep it hidden.

The miles stretched behind them as they drove deeper into rural Kentucky, the car’s low hum accompanied only by the distant chirping of cicadas. Three hours later, they reached a small town, where the landscape began to shift. The main road cut through a scattering of weathered storefronts—a diner with peeling paint, a hardware store, a tiny bank that looked older than the town itself. But soon, even these faded into the rearview mirror, replaced by dense trees and occasional lonely houses that seemed to lean into the shade for comfort.

Chris’s phone buzzed with the directions. “Take the next left,” he muttered, his voice breaking the stillness in the car.

They turned down a dirt road, where the forest thickened around them, the branches above forming a canopy that made the world seem darker. Gravel crunched under the car’s tires, the suspension groaning as they bumped over potholes that hadn’t seen repair in years. At the end of the road, they found it—their destination.

The mailbox stood like a sentinel at the edge of a driveway so overgrown it was almost unrecognizable as a path. It was stuffed to the brim with unopened letters and advertisements, the papers yellowed and curling at the edges. Some had fallen out and scattered across the ground, fluttering like dead leaves in the faint breeze.

Farah leaned forward in her seat, squinting at the sight. “Guess the post office gave up a while ago,” she murmured.

The driveway led to a rusting chain-link fence, its posts leaning crookedly in the uneven ground. Beyond it, the house sat hunched like a wounded animal, its peeling paint scabbed over with streaks of grime. The roof sagged slightly on one side, and the front steps were warped, the wood swollen and cracked from years of Kentucky sun and rain.

Chris approached the gate, pulling a set of bolt cutters from the trunk. He snapped the rusted chain in one quick motion, the sound sharp and jarring in the quiet. The gate swung open with a low, drawn-out screech, as though protesting their arrival.

Crime scene tape hung limply from the posts, faded to a dull, ghostly yellow by months of neglect. Chris began pulling it down, carefully unwinding the brittle strands as Farah looked on. “You’d think someone would’ve taken this down by now,” she muttered.

“Guess no one cares enough to bother,” Chris said, his voice flat. He dropped the last piece of tape to the ground, the wind catching it and dragging it a few feet along the dirt before it crumpled in defeat.

Akemi could feel the cursed energy radiated from the house the second they turned onto the road, before the crime scene tape was even visible. It pulsed from the peeling paint covering the wooden exterior with a sickly heat so thick she could almost see it, like a mirage on the pavement in the summer. .

The house had been vacant for quite some before Justin moved in. An investor bought it two years ago for dirt cheap and decided to flip it and rent it out in a wholesale deal with 50 other properties. Apparently the fact a triple homicide happened in the home ten years prior wasn’t a detriment to their bottom line. Kids in the town had reported seeing large silhouettes and hearing grinding noises coming from the house. It had become a local challenge to try and stay an hour inside. It was just luck that no one had been killed earlier.

When Farah and Chris got close to the front steps they felt it, stopping mid-stride like they hit an invisible wall.

“Damn, thats intense.” Chris mumbled. He tried to keep his snarky smile but it faltered. Farah walked next to him, her long black hair flowed softly in the wind as she brushed by his side.

“Looks like we’ll need one of everything.” Farah agreed, looking back at Akemi who was already opening the trunk. She pulled out two duffle bags and placed them on the dirt before slamming the trunk shut.

Akemi scanned the trees surrounding the house, lifting her head slightly. She digested the smells of the wind, but nothing stood out other than the sweetness of Farah and Chris and the usual notes of animals. Raw and basic, like the smell of tree bark or cut grass and as faint as a whisper.

She swung a duffle bag over each shoulder and joined the other two in the shadow of the front door.

“I can take one.” Chris offered but Akemi just smirked and shook her head. He always offered and she always declined. For Akemi the weight was nothing.

“You can open the door and say hi to whatever's waiting though.” Akemi motioned her head to the door.

Chris sighed and approached the dilapidated door, jiggling the knob with no success. He turned around and crossed his arms.

“Guess we need to go home.” He shrugged. Farah giggled and Akemi rolled her eyes.

Chris turned around and in one swift kick the door flew open sending a gust of stale air and cursed energy rushing out.

“Ladies first.”

The inside of the house looked normal. Two bedrooms, one bathroom that hadn’t seen a decent remodel in decades, a small kitchen with a dirty stove and cheap countertop, and a living room. Justin's furniture was as he left it but now a thick coat of dust covered every inch.

In the middle of the living room a large part of the carpet had been cut out with chunks of the floor and subfloor missing. The cuts were long and sharp, most likely a box cutter from when hazmat took away the biohazard material.

“So this is where Justin met his fate.” Farah said, standing over the void.

“Any chance it came out of the TV?” Chris said pointing to the mounted television on the wall.

“Like The Ring?” Akemi raised her eyebrows. Chris mumbled something along the lines of ‘Idunno’ and began unpacking one of the duffle bags.

The plan was to stay overnight and hope whatever killed Justin wanted an encore. Once it was killed their circus would be on the road heading to the next location, which would luckily take them out of Kentucky for the first time in two months.

As the sun set and the temperature dropped they set up camp inside, putting sheets over the dusty bed and sofa to keep the potential allergy attacks contained.

Akemi laid on the sofa staring at the ceiling in the dark. They would take turns sleeping in the bed, someone always staying awake on a scheduled shift. It wasn’t that Akemi needed to sleep, not deeply anyways. If anything came close she always woke up automatically. She would close her eyes but she could still hear and smell everything from behind that tissue paper thin veil of sleep. Not that Farah and Chris would know, Akemi never told them everything. Just enough.

She stared at the spiderweb in the corner of the room and watched as the large spider it called home devoured the fly that came in when they opened the door that afternoon. The crickets outside were deafeningly loud as the chirped relentless into the night. It felt nostalgic.

A branch snapped outside. In less than a second Akemi flickered to the window silently, her body sinking into the shadows as she peeked outside. Nothing was there, and there was still no smell. She stayed in the shadow perfectly still until a scent came across the air. It was pungent and complex, definitely not from a woodland creature. It was approaching the house and soon Akemi heard the heavy footfalls. Akemi smelled desire, but not the one they were looking for.

“Motherfucker…” Akemi cursed and she flashed into the forest. ...............................................

“It's right up ahead.”

“Ouch! I just stepped on a rock…” the girl whined, her voice cutting through the eerie stillness of the forest.

“It’s the woods. Of course there are rocks,” the first boy muttered, annoyance lacing his tone. “Watch where you’re walking.”

“Do you think we can catch something this time?” the girl pressed, her voice brightening as she picked up her pace to walk alongside him. “Like, for real catch a ghost on camera? My page is tanking—my last video barely hit two hundred views. People love haunted house crap, right? This could totally blow up.”

“If you can’t find a ghost here,” the second boy chimed in, lagging slightly behind them, “then you’re not finding one anywhere. Did you hear what happened to the guy who lived here? I read about it online—it was brutal. Like, guts everywhere brutal.” He grinned, as though the gore somehow justified their late-night expedition.

The girl slowed, wrapping her arms around herself. “I don’t know… this place gives me the creeps. What if there’s, like, a real psycho living here?”

“Ghosts don’t have guts,” the first boy said dismissively. “It’s just a house. C’mon, stop being such a—”

A sharp crack echoed from the trees behind them.

“Ahhhh!” the girl squealed, clutching the first boy’s arm. Her flashlight beam whipped wildly into the darkness, trembling as she pointed it at the underbrush. “I heard something!”

The boy groaned, tugging his arm free with a sharp huff. “It’s a forest, Tiffany. There’s always going to be noises. Wind, animals, whatever. You think a ghost is sneaking up on you?” He leaned down, picking up a rock to toss it playfully into the bushes. It landed with a soft thunk.

He straightened, rolling his eyes and turning back toward the house. “Let’s go. There’s nothing back—”

“FUCK!”

The boy staggered back with a yell, dropping his flashlight. It clattered against the dirt, rolling to a stop. The beam flickered for a moment before settling, its light shining directly on a pair of black boots standing a few feet ahead.

The three teens froze. The boy stumbled backward, his mouth moving wordlessly as his brain struggled to catch up with what he was seeing. Slowly, their eyes followed the beam of light upward—over the boots, up the legs clad in dark jeans, and to the pale face of a woman standing utterly still, her arms hanging loosely at her sides.

Akemi’s glassy, unblinking eyes reflected the flashlight’s glow, eerily bright against the inky backdrop of the trees. She didn’t move, didn’t speak. She simply watched them.

The girl whimpered, stepping closer to the boy. The second boy’s mouth fell open, his face draining of all color. They couldn’t have been older than seventeen, and Akemi could see every bit of their terror in the way their shoulders hunched and their knees bent, ready to run.

Akemi didn’t need to read their faces, though. Their desires radiated off them like cheap perfume, cloying and artificial. She wrinkled her nose at the sharp scent of unripe ambition. It hit her tongue like artificial fruit candy—oversaturated and painfully one-note.

She could see it clearly in her mind. The girl’s hunger to become famous, to be adored by people who didn’t know her, a desperate bid to escape her own insignificance. The boy she clung to wanted to impress her, to show her he wasn’t scared. The second boy’s desires were just as shallow—a need to impress him.

Akemi exhaled slowly, resisting the urge to gag.

“What are you doing here?” she asked finally, her voice low and steady.

The first boy, startled out of his trance, moved the girl behind him with a jerky motion, gripping her arm protectively. He squared his shoulders, trying to muster some bravado, but the slight tremor in his voice gave him away. “Who the hell are you?”

Akemi tilted her head, her eyes never leaving his. The light from the fallen flashlight caught the faint shimmer of her skin, the unnatural gleam of her gaze. She didn’t blink, didn’t move—only watched him with a predator’s stillness, letting the weight of the silence do the work for her.

The boy’s bravado faltered. His chest rose and fell in shallow, nervous breaths.

“What are you doing here?” Akemi repeated, her tone sharper now.

“We… we didn’t know anyone was here,” the girl stammered from behind him. Her voice was small, trembling, but she peeked out from around the boy’s arm with wide, terrified eyes.

“So you thought it was fine to trespass?” Akemi’s voice was flat, each word deliberate and cold.

The second boy, who had stayed silent until now, crossed his arms and took a step forward. His movements were stiff, but his gaze held a spark of defiance as he stared her down. “What about you? What are you doing here?”

Akemi turned her head toward him slowly, her movements smooth and deliberate, like the turning of a clock’s hand. Her glassy eyes narrowed slightly, a faint smirk pulling at the corner of her mouth.

“Go home.” Akemi said. Her tone made the three flinch. She kicked up the flashlight and the boy shielding the girl caught it. Akemi turned her back and began walking back to the house. The boy with the unfaltering stare took a step forward.

“Now wait just a-”

The trees shuddered and leaves fell in droves. The smell hit Akemi immediately and made her eyes water.

“Was that an earthquake?!” The girl screamed.

“Worse.” Akemi mumbled. She looked back at the three, “Get out of here if you want to live.” she said before she flickered back to the house leaving the teenagers scrambling for their lives. Looks like they would get their ghost story after all, Akemi thought.

Now standing before the house, Akemi moved like a shadow herself, gliding silently through the darkness. Her sharp eyes fixed on an unnatural figure standing just outside. It stood in front of the door, swaying slightly, its unnaturally long limbs hanging like twisted branches. Its knuckles nearly scraped the ground, its posture a grotesque mimicry of a human being.

The face—or what passed for one—was a nightmare. Its features melted and warped, as though someone had started sculpting a person and abandoned the effort halfway through. Its hollow, eyeless sockets were pointed toward the door, but Akemi could tell it wasn’t staring at anything. Drool streamed steadily from its gaping mouth, forming a glistening puddle at its feet. Its sickly grey skin bled into the surrounding darkness, making it almost impossible to tell where the thing ended and the night began.

She inhaled through her nose. That smell—spicy, acrid, and overpowering—hit her like a slap. Rage. Pure, concentrated anger, so sharp it made her tongue tingle. This curse wasn’t just dangerous. It was furious.

Akemi stepped forward, breaking free from the safety of the shadows. By now, Farah and Chris should have felt its cursed energy.

“Hey, handsome!” Akemi called, her voice sharp and taunting as she strode casually into the road.

The creature froze, its warped head tilting unnaturally to one side like a broken doll. Then it turned. Slowly. Its hollow sockets locked onto her, and for a moment, the world seemed to go quiet. The eyeless face was wrong—horribly, impossibly wrong. Where there should have been features, there was just a mouth. A massive, jagged maw that split its face in half. The teeth, long and needle-thin, glinted wetly in the moonlight. The jaw hung open, swinging loosely as if held together by broken hinges. Strings of saliva stretched and snapped as it moved.

Akemi didn’t flinch. She stood her ground as the creature’s long legs shifted and bent at strange, impossible angles. It took an awkward, lurching step forward, its joints cracking and popping with every movement. The spicy stench of its rage was suffocating now, heavy and oppressive, like breathing in smoke.

“You mad we’re inviting ourselves over?” Akemi teased, a wry smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.

The curse hissed, a sound that came from deep within its twisted form, wet and guttural. The spicy smell intensified, a sign she’d hit a nerve.

It lunged forward, its long, jagged limbs carrying it across the road with unnatural speed. Akemi held her ground, letting it come closer. She could see the moonlight gleaming off its red, writhing tongue now.

At the very last second, she shifted to the side.

BOOM. A shotgun blast ripped through the air, deafening in the stillness of the night. The curse jerked violently, its sickly grey torso exploding into black mist. The force of the shot sent it staggering backward. Its gangly, distorted arms rose weakly to clutch at the gaping hole where its chest had been, but before it could let out another sound, it collapsed onto the dirt road with a wet thud.

Thick black blood pooled quickly around the body, soaking into the dry earth.

Chris stepped forward from the shadows, popping the shells from his shotgun with practiced ease. The weapon gleamed faintly under the moonlight, the intricate carvings along the barrel catching the light. A cursed relic from 19th-century America—part of Akemi’s mother’s personal collection.

Chris reloaded the shotgun with a satisfying click. He stepped closer to the corpse and nudged it with the toe of his boot. The body rocked limply.

Farah approached cautiously, golden spirals of cursed energy coiled around her arms, ready to strike at a moment’s notice. “That’s it?” she asked, lowering her hands slightly when the corpse didn’t respond. “All that cursed energy, and it went down with one shot? That’s kind of disappointing.”

Akemi didn’t respond. Her eyes were locked on the curse’s dissolving remains. Black mist rose from the body, swirling faintly in the night air before vanishing completely. But something was wrong. The smell—the thick, choking stench of rage—wasn’t fading. If anything, it was growing stronger.

“That wasn’t it,” Akemi murmured. Her head turned sharply toward the house. The stench was pouring from it now, spilling out like a rotting corpse left too long in the sun. “It’s in the house,” she said, her voice tightening. “Let me go in first and—”

The words died in her throat as the front door exploded outward.

With a splintering crack, a massive, gnarled arm burst through the frame, sending shards of wood flying like shrapnel. The door frame looked comically small next to the limb, like a dollhouse crumbling under the weight of a giant. The arm stretched impossibly far, its sickly grey skin stretched taut over bone. Long, broken nails—each the size of a person—dug deep into the dirt driveway, gouging massive trenches into the earth.

Chris swore loudly, snapping the shotgun to his shoulder, the intricate carvings along its barrel glinting faintly in the light. Farah’s hands rose instinctively, the golden spirals around her arms flaring to life, spinning faster and brighter.

Akemi, her muscles coiled like a spring, clenched her fists. The monstrous limb groaned, nails carving trenches deeper into the dirt. She stepped forward, her boots crunching against the gravel, ready to crush the arm and whatever it belonged to into fragments.

But the moment her foot hovered an inch above the ground, the world disappeared.

Gone.

The house, the smell, the shattered door frame, Chris and Farah, even the sickly giant arm—all of it vanished as if ripped from existence.

Akemi froze, her blood running ice cold. She couldn’t see. She couldn’t smell. She couldn’t hear. The void was suffocating, absolute and overwhelming. This isn’t possible, she thought, panic flickering through her chest.

Ever since the day she was torn apart and stitched back together, her senses had never betrayed her. If her eyes failed, her nose could smell. If her ears faltered, vibrations whispered what her body couldn’t see. The complete absence of stimuli was alien and terrifying, like free-falling into an endless abyss.

Like a lifeline, the scent came first—sharp and damp, the unmistakable odor of rotting bone and wet decay.

A dim red light flickered into existence, faint at first, like the ember of a dying flame, then swelling into a weak but steady glow. The space around her emerged piece by piece from the darkness. She saw it all: the glistening wet walls, streaked with rivulets of thick red liquid, reflecting the light like molten glass. The ground beneath her boots rippled with a shallow layer of water, broken only by scattered bones stripped bare and white as marble.

She glanced upward, and her stomach turned. A massive, exposed spine ran the length of the ceiling, its vertebrae grotesquely oversized. Thick ribs curved downward from the spine, creating a cage around the space, each rib fused to the fleshy walls as if she were trapped inside a living creature.

Akemi’s boots squeaked faintly as she shifted her weight, the sound swallowed quickly by the oppressive space. She glanced down, relieved to see she was still wearing her dark jeans and long-sleeve black T-shirt. Thank God for the waterproof boots, she thought grimly.

The air was hot and humid, clinging to her skin, but it wasn’t the same choking heat from the house. No, this was different. The smell was sharper, almost ancient, like something that had been dead for centuries and only now decided to rise again.

“You’re still around?”

The voice was gravelly and deep, echoing across the cavernous space like a growl reverberating in her chest. Akemi’s head snapped towards the voice.

From the shadows, four glowing red eyes blinked into existence.

Want to read more? Check out The Face of Desire on A03 by Catrin, link in my blog.

[gorgin-gals-muses]

Some completely unsuspicious Whoppers are left on Halara's desk, whenever they may return to find the gift.

"This city just gets stranger and stranger..." Halara sighed as they went back to their apartment, rented out a few months ago when it became clear their investigation of Kanai Ward would be an extended stay. How much did those Candy Buttons put on them? It felt hard to tell. They waddled over to the bathroom, pulling out one of the high-performance Amaterasu-brand scales. The machine beeped to life. Let's see...

"752"

"That's... 25 pounds more." Halara sighed despondently. They'd be in dire need for new, custom-fitting clothing. Might as well go to the desk to order some now. They opened their desk compartment, taking out their laptop and a few other pieces of candy they usually bought to tide work over. The obese detective sat down in the office chair, causing it to creak in protest. At least they could still fit in this. They unwrapped a chocolate-coated ball and popped it into their mouth.

"Let's see, realistically, the most cost-efficient clothing option would be to ask Desuhiko, but I still need to ship out the raw materials for him. For 8 shirts, that would be..." They prattled off a few calculations as they searched the web for shipping, letting their belly pool out and dip towards the floor. It gurgled strongly, as if somewhat ill. Most likely the leftover side effects of those buttons. Halara blinked as they felt something cool suddenly press into it.

"What's..." Halara looked down. Their belly had started expanding in all directions, pouring further and further out as it touched the floor. They tried to wiggle out of their seat, but felt the armrests now tighter against their legs. Was it happening again? The chair was now less so squeaking in protest as it was screaming in terror, Halara's fatty hips busting the armrests out and the sheer weight of their expanding form breaking the piece of furniture with a quick snap. They fell onto the ground hard, their gigantic shockwave impact causing the desk and everything on it to nearly jump. Their laptop tumbled onto their lap with a hot slap, causing them to wince. Still, they needed it.

"Hhhngggh... come on, I... I can't reach it..." Halara sputtered out huge, gaspy, frantic breaths as they tried to reach over their widening, pancake tits and rapidly doubling stomach. Meanwhile, their computer started sliding away, towards the wall. Halara watched in terror as it slid into the crack between the wall and their stomach, disappearing. They nearly screamed as they heard a muffled, sickening crunch.

"I-I.... I really can't... hffth... do anything-" Halara strained their rapidly fattening face as far as it could. They were starting to feel that familiar sensation when their clothes broke under them; but with the desk, bed, and even the walls of the bedroom instead. They gaped open-mouthed as their stomach broke the former, shredding the legs in half and sending wood splinters over the floor that their pale, doughy mountain of flab was about to flood over. Rage and horror swam through their head, but all they could do was sit back and watch half the room be demolished under them. "W-where's my phone???"

It didn't matter. It was most likely out of reach, and almost certainly destroyed at this point. Maybe the best they could hope for was to wait and wish that the assailant would make themself known. Maybe they wouldn't get that chance.

[citynewsglobe]

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[irrelevantwriter]

Haven’t You Heard?

Pairing: Eddie Munson (Stranger Things) x Female Reader/You

Rating: SFW (later chapters will contain smut and will be tagged accordingly)

Warnings: Language, banter (i fucking love banter), Eddie swinging his feet while sitting on a counter (*whispers* baby girl)

Word Count: 1207

Summary: Part 2. You encounter Eddie in the least likely of places. 

A/N: Here’s part two in my Flattery Will Get You Everywhere series. We got more cute shit and more flirting. You will come to see that I fucks with banter as a form of flirting and foreplay. Hope you guys like it. Enjoy and share with your friends! Feedback is that good shit.💗

Disclaimer: As always, reader inserts are true reader inserts. If you find any specifics in regards to reader’s appearance, kindly let me know and I will fix that.

*Check out my other Eddie fics here

*Read Part 1 here

*Find future chapters here

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

“Are you serious Brenda?”

You asked the question, but you didn’t expect a real response. Mostly because you’d asked her the same exact question three times within the last hour.

You were on your way to the AC/DC concert, an event you had planned for months. And for some godforsaken reason unbeknownst to you, your friend had decided she needed to stop by Family Video to take back the VHS she’d rented a week ago.

“You know if I don’t they’ll charge me and my parents will be pissed,” she explained, hardly affected by your attitude.

You rolled your eyes but acquiesced. The show wasn’t far and you had enough time to get in and out.

Brenda made a hard right into the parking lot of the video store, barely stopping in enough time to not drive over the cement divider.

“Jesus Christ,” you muttered, peeling your finger off the door handle as she came to a complete stop. “Who gave you your fucking license?”

“Hawkins DMV. After the third try,” she boasted. As if that was worth bragging about.

“Be quick,” you ordered as you touched up your lipstick, seeing her grab the VHS and open her car door.

“You’re coming.”

At your blank expression she went on.

“I want some candy. Red vines. They got ‘em inside.”

You rolled your eyes, not bothering to hide the gesture. You also decided not to argue. You were already there so you might as well. You could pick up your own candy too. Plus, Brenda would get bitchy if she didn’t get her Red Vines.

You begrudgingly got out of the car and made your way to the front door, seeing a few figures behind the glass. The door chimed as you both passed through, Brenda making a beeline for the counter. You noticed Steve Harrington there with a girl, the both of them donning vests with the store’s logo. What you weren’t expecting to see was Eddie Munson sitting on top of the counter, legs dangling as he talked with a younger kid in a baseball cap that said “BYTE ME”.

When he finally noticed you, he was startled, looking at you for a long moment before believing you were really there. He waved, the action hesitant as the boy beside him spoke  too low for you to hear, but you could tell it was full of emotion. Whatever he was saying.

You waved back, making your way over as Brenda handled her movie situation. You hadn’t seen Eddie since that party at Reefer Rick’s nearly a month ago. You’d thought about him quite a bit in that time. Thought about how your friends were right. He was sweet. And you liked that about him. Whether or not he’d ever wanna mix it up with the likes of you was a different story. You’d heard he’d harbored a crush on Chrissy Cunningham. And while the girl was cute, she was safe. A person who always erred on the side of caution.

And that wasn’t you.

“Hi,” Eddie announced a little too loudly when you finally made it over to him. The boy next to him rolled his eyes, apparently unimpressed by the greeting.

“Hey…no sacrificing of virgins today?” you teased.

“Thursday’s, remember?” he retorted, putting a finger to his own head and tapping.

“Oh yeah…must’ve gotten it mixed up with my weekly orgies,” you threw back, belatedly realizing the boy was still standing near you both. “Shit, sorry,” you amended, wincing as Eddie laughed.

“No worries. This is Dustin. He’s good people. Also a fellow devil worshiper and member of Hellfire,” he explained, shaking Dustin’s shoulder with more enthusiasm than the young boy appreciated.

Dustin shook off Eddie’s touch and smiled at you, his eyes momentarily dropping to the black bustier top you wore. You hadn’t exactly been expecting to walk into Family Video looking like this.

You’d worn head to toe black. Your pants were leather and tight as shit. It’d taken you nearly fifteen minutes just to shimmy them on. A price you were willing to pay. You’d thrown a cropped denim jacket on over the glorified bra, more for practicality than any need for modesty. You looked ready to go to a concert. And you were suddenly very aware of that fact.

Eddie noticed Dustin’s stare and punched him in the shoulder, signaling for him to get lost. After a silent conversion passed between the two, Dustin tipped his hat at you and took off towards Steve Harrington on the other side of the counter.

“Sorry about him. He’s special,” Eddie whispered, making you laugh.

“S’okay. I wasn’t really prepared to come here,” you gestured to your outfit, feeling somewhat sheepish. That might’ve been a first for you.

“So this isn’t your quiet night in with a movie ensemble?”

You shook your head, smiling as he teased you.

“Well for the record, you look great,” he added, voice lowered and infused with sincerity.

You bit your lip, feeling like a googly-eyed schoolgirl. “Thanks, Munson.”

A meaningful gaze passed between you both before you broke it. You looked for Brenda, suddenly uncomfortable with Eddie’s vulnerability. And your own.

You found her at the counter, now flirting with Steve while the other girl in the vest and Dustin restocked shelves. You rolled your eyes at Brenda, knowing that despite her having a boyfriend, she’d never pass up a chance to flirt.

“Where you guys headed anyway?”

Eddie’s voice brought you back, focusing on him again and the juvenile way he kicked his legs out from atop the counter. It was just like at Reefer Rick’s party. Deja vu.

“Indianapolis. For the AC/DC show,” you supplied, fumbling with your purse.

His eyes widened and his lips broke out into a wide grin, energy suddenly radiating off him like a toddler.

“No shit! That’s awesome! How’d you score those tickets?”

“Brenda’s uncle. He knows a guy who knows a guy. Supposedly.”

“Hey!” you both turn in the direction of the voice, seeing it was Brenda waving you over.

“Shit, I was supposed to grab some candy,” you hastily explained, getting your wallet out so you could make a mad dash for the candy aisle.

“Have fun. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Eddie joked, wagging a finger at you in a mock sternness.

You giggled and began to back away as Brenda’s calls grew in impatience.

“Haven’t you heard, Munson? I do it all,” you flirted, disappearing with a wink.

You didn’t bother with the candy. You told Brenda you’d buy her drinks at the venue and a meal afterwards to compensate. You did it mostly to get her off your back about flirting with Eddie. She’d noticed at the party and at the Family Video. She encouraged your pursuit. The funny thing was, you hadn’t even realized it was a pursuit. You’d just been enjoying his company, but the more you thought about it, the more you definitely wanted to have sex with Eddie Munson.

“You’re going to fuck him, aren’t you?” Brenda asked, sipping from her Big Gulp cup.

You looked out the window, hearing Hells Bells play over the radio. The song made you think of Eddie and you smiled.

“Yeah, I am.”

[whaleofatjme1920]

Kinktober Day 12: Social Calls and Balaclavas 

Friends with Benefits [Spy X GN!AfabReader] 

[Warnings: fingering, nipple play, French, MINORS DNI]

[AN: Finally, a fic in which you don’t get creampied and well, it’s short. Would Spy really want me to write the whole thing? No. 551 words <3.]

Reblogs are appreciated!

Kinktober Masterlist

Would a good friend be buried knuckle deep inside your hole working you as if he’s known your body more intimately than any previous lover? Would a good friend’s lips swirl your nipples in his mouth, tasting you like sweet candy before whispering just how lovely you looked in the setting sun? Would a good friend do any of the things Spy is doing to you?

You bite at your knuckles as you feel his lips kiss across your chest. He maps you like he’s known you for years, and he has! You’re one of the only people to know his true name even though you know he doesn’t like it when he’s referred to by it. He’s one of your best friends, someone who keeps you grounded in ways no one ever could. 

But you don’t love him. Not like that. Not even when he caresses and licks you in all the right places. He knows you inside and out, quite literally. He loves you, but not in the way lovers do. The physical outlet that the two of you share with each other’s bodies is a bonding experience that allows you to show an affection you’d never shared with anyone else. You roll your hips upwards to meet his fingers better, amused at how his newly formed callouses do anything but scratch you. He’s so well manicured, a gentleman, even when he smells so strongly of cigarettes and a cologne that’s more expensive than a month’s rent. 

“Mon chou,” he hums before gently biting at your nipple, “are you feeling okay?” He always asks. It’s formal, yet informal tell that he wants to be a bit rougher than usual. Whenever he sleeps with you, which doesn’t happen as often as one might think, he’s something soft, a bit sweet. He often likes for you to take the reins and grow your pleasure from his body and all he has to offer for you. 

You run your fingers over his balaclava clad face and nod. “Yes,” you grin. You feel his fingers curl deeper inside of you before he presses his thumb against your clit. You moan softly before giggling and let him work you up harder and harder until you’re panting and flushed by heat. He’s smirking at you slightly, more than pleased he can bring your body to this kind of euphoria. Before you can peak, he pulls his fingers from your heat and moves his hand to the space between his legs. He strokes his cock a few times before rubbing the head against your slit. 

He hums softly before slowly sinking into you, his breath fans warmly against your skin. He smiles when your legs wrap tight around his waist and invites him to thrust a bit harder. “Mon dieu,” he rasps before gingerly biting at your nipples and rolling his hips strongly forwards. Quickly, he finds himself lost in the pleasure of your body and ruts forwards, his lips feverishly kissing you. “You feel so good,” he murmurs. 

You cry out for him and rake your nails along his back, letting him press deeper and deeper. “Fuck,” you hiss as you feel him press you harder into the bed. You arch your back slightly and pull him closer, basking in the feeling of pure adoration. 

[thatsthat24]

Sanderstober Art Prompts 2020

Amidst all the editing and business, I haven’t forgotten to at least begin a list of Inktober prompts for you all this month! I’ll be adding more as I go! And, of course, like always, even if we’ve passed by a certain date (like, for instance, if it’s October 9th, but you wanna share a prompt from October 1st), that’s, of COURSE, fine! And, also of course, you can always join and do prompts at any time, this is purely for fun! The list has now been completed!

Oct. 1st - Take your profile pic or a favorite profile pic in the past and create a spooky version! Double dog dare you to use it as your actual profile pic.

Oct. 2nd - Create a Suit or Dress inspired by a specific candy bar wrapper design!

Oct. 3rd - This year could almost BE a scary movie. I shudder to put this as a prompt… but what would a poster for that movie look like?

Oct. 4th - Because I think the world just needs more of this, I want you to try and create the most wholesome or cute image you can. Little animals? Yes please. Feel-good scenarios? YES PLEASE. This one’s vague, but I don’t care! Lol

Oct. 5th - Take a traditional scary tale (“The Headless Horseman”, “Frankenstein”, “Dracula” ) and portray a plot point or poke fun at a character or characters from the story in the form of a MEME!

Oct. 6th - Nightmare Before Christmas was a tale about if Halloween took over Christmas and made so many traditionally Christmas-y. What if the reverse happened? What would Christmas make Halloween to look like?

Oct. 7th - Avatar: The Last Airbender experienced a renaissance this year! So, in tribute to that, take any character from any other piece of media (animation, TV, movie, etc.) and depict THEM if they also were an uber fan of ATLA this year!

Oct. 8th - What do you think the Sanders Sides characters’ Halloween costumes would be this year??

Oct. 9th - What if the personification of the Moon came to Earth to experience the daytime? What if the personification of the Sun came to Earth to experience the nighttime?

Oct. 10th - Take your Zodiac sign… and make it FASHION!

Oct. 11th - Please depict any Halloween monster, traditional or from a movie, and how they’re currently dealing or adapting to life in 2020

Oct. 12th - Take any character from a fave piece of media of yours and create a Tarot card for that character!

Oct. 13th - Many of us have stories we’ve created in connection with certain songs we’ve heard. For this day, try depicting even just a scene of that story and what song inspired it! If you can’t recall any story connected with a song you’ve heard, maybe just make one up in connection with a fave song of yours!

Oct. 14th - Take a famous painting from any time in history… and October-fy it (Halloween-y or Fall-y would be awesome)

Oct. 15th - Take an ordinary, every day location or refuge (a playground, a library, a treehouse, etc.) and depict the landscape of an entire world based on that location

Oct. 16th - Two games that have helped distract us and gave us much-needed entertainment this year are Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Among Us! What if the characters from Animal Crossing… were in Among Us?

Oct. 17th - Contrarily… what if the characters from Among Us… were in Animal Crossing?

Oct. 18th - A perennial favorite - Depict your OTP and how they’re enjoying Halloween this year. Coordinating costumes? Maybe 2020 is affecting how they celebrate?

Oct. 19th - Take one of your favorite characters from any piece of media. What piece of social media would they thrive on? You could depict either what their media might look like if you’re seeing it on your phone or you can depict them filming or writing for that piece of social media!

Oct. 20th - draw your home state, province, county, or country... if it were a PERSON

Oct. 21st - I definitely have been seeing an upsurge in Uno card usage this year, especially the Reverse card. Take one or several characters, maybe all from the same series, or different characters from different series, and depict them on Uno cards that best reflect their personalities! Make a super cool Uno deck or just one cool Uno card!

Oct. 22nd - Take one (or more) of the Seven Deadly Sins [Greed, Wrath, Gluttony, Sloth, Lust, Pride, Envy] and personify them!

Oct. 23rd - There’s been a lot of movies that have taken fairy tales and modernized them for present day. What if we took a fairy tale… and put it in the distant future??

Oct. 24th - Take a non-human character from any piece of media, and depict how they’d look as a human!!

Oct. 25th - POETRY PROMPT - I wanted to include something on this list that focused a bit more on writing than art, but you are MORE than welcome to create artwork to accompany this. I think we all have one or two specific moments from a piece of media (tv show, movie, video game, book, etc.) that has affected us in such a poignant way that it lives in our minds rent free. Create a poem describing the events of this moment, trying to capture the very magic that impacted you so much.

Oct. 26th - What would a Disney character’s outfit be if they were a member of the Avengers?

Oct. 27th - What would a specific Avenger’s look be, if they were in a Disney movie??

Oct. 28th - There are traditional fears, the ones that comprise many a horror movie… and then there are more niche/unconventional fears, specific to you as a person. They can be potentially silly, or irrational, or conceptual… what would a movie poster look like with that fear being the main featured threat??

Oct. 29th - WRITING/POETRY PROMPT - Wanted to throw at least one more of these in here! Through writing (and, of course, artwork, if you’d prefer!), detail a beloved memory you have connected with either Autumn or Halloween.

Oct. 30th - There has almost been a Pokemon made to pay tribute to almost every animal or inanimate object (sword, lawnmower, sandcastle, key ring, magnets, etc.). Nevertheless, create a Pokemon from SOME object or animal that hasn’t been made and give it a name! Bonus points if you can then create an evolved form of it!

Oct. 31st - It is HALLOWEEN, baby!! Take any character(s), from media or your own OCs, and depict them celebrating Halloween!! It can be them celebrating in quarantine, or out and about since it’s fantastical, just aim for it to be wholesome and Halloween-y. We could always use a bit more of that on the 31st of October!!

I hope you all enjoy this list! Can’t wait to see what you all make! It’s always so much fun to see your creations. If you’d like me to see them, you can use this weird hashtag name #Sanderstober.

[tiens-letters]

with these hands, I vowed to love you

with these hands, I vowed to care for you

and with these hands, I ruined you

Childe (angst)

tw : slight gore and just pure pain

...

It was that time of the year again, going back to the snowy region was a bliss for you. Having to visit your fiancée's family was an unspoken tradition after he introduced you to them. They practically took you in as one of them immediately, especially that little angel brother of his.

Teucer.

The train ride was comfortable , the window giving you the familiar beauty of the snowy landscape of snezhenaya. It was snug inside the rather spacious compartment Childe rented out, even when you told him that you'd rather share a normal one due to your thrifty nature he'd shrug it off, claiming it that he has too much mora and nowhere to spend it on other than you.

Gifts from him would scare you as you knew these weren't anywhere cheap. Everything he gave was expensive, he loved showering you in gifts and it made you feel so overwhelmed.

"Ajax, you're spending too much." you were visibly sweating beside him as he picked out another one of the dresses on display at the local boutique of Liyue.

"I think this one would suit you better, don't you think so love?" of course he wasn't listening, placing the dress in front of you

"Ajax." you frowned at him

" I just want to spoil you." he whines

"I know but sometimes its just..." you stopped yourself before saying anything further in fear of offending him

"Was it too much again?" the tone in his voice softens as he puts back the dress, he knew how you didn't like that habit of his, formed from the first time he saw you down by the docks.

"One dress, Ajax. One is enough since you picked it out for me." you gave in not wanting to see him so dejected, he immediately brightens up as he pecks you on cheek before rushing off to a different aisle of clothing. Sighing, you sat down on the sofa present in the shop, watching the ginger decide thoroughly of what dress to buy.

But of course, your love for one another runs deeper than things bought off gold nor silver. No, it ran deeper than anything else, rivaling the oceanic depths.

"What are you thinking about hmm?" he hums below you, head resting against your lap.

"Im just happy to be visiting again, that's all." you smile, nimble hands brushing through his soft hair "Sleep well?"

"You bet I did." he grins taking your hand and placing a kiss to your beating pulse and then another and another, showering you in his deeply rooted affection. Soon his kisses reached where they are supposed to belong, those soft lips of yours and then inching their way to the sensitive spots on your neck, leaving marks only he can place on you.

Breathless and bothered, you pushed him back "The attendants are gonna see, you idiot." at least you still had some control in you

"They will only arrive when we call them , so its fine to have a little fun before we arrive." there was that sly grin of his as he continued in where you both left off, ears perking to hear more sounds exclusively for him and him only.

"You horny bastard!"

...

It was cozy by the hearth, you and his siblings huddled together in one single fleece blanket, steaming cups of hot cocoa in hand. Childish giggles and hushed stories erupted amongst you. Teucer having wrapped in your arms as he snuggled closer. Anthon and Tonia flanking your sides.

"Hey, who's fiancé do you think you guys are coveting?"

"Oh don't be like that, your siblings just miss them." his mother chided from the couch where she sat, an open book on her lap, she didn't seem to age and always looked so young that at first you were shocked to have been introduced to her.

"But mom, I haven't seen her all day." her son pouts as if he were still a child denied his candy

"Give me a break, you're always clinging onto her you know." his sister rolls those identical thalassic eyes at him "You wont die if you go a day without her."

"Listen here you little---"

"Ajax." you interjected, as much as you enjoy the siblingly banter of theirs, you cant have them going at each other with offensive words. His pleading gaze aimed at you as he practically begged for you both to go home.

"Please?"

"After I put Teucer to bed." you sighed, standing up with the youngest in your arms

"Seriously this guy." his sister groaned "I was having a good time."

"Tonia dear, we can continue our conversations tomorrow." you winked at her, it was a promise

"Fine."

Both of you bid farewell to his mother and made your way towards Teucer's room and tucking him in.

"Happy?" you turned to your fiancée, a narrowed look in your eyes as he grinned beside you

"Of course, sweetheart!" he pecked your lips as he pulled you closer

"Can you not do it in Teucer's room? Have some shame." his siblings' comments were endless, this time it was from his older brother.

"That's why were going home." Childe picked you up as you made a surprised yelp making the other party roll his eyes "Also, get ready to lose tomorrow brother. I'm getting that white deer for my lady."

"I'm looking forward to it."

The walk was short towards Childe's home as he preferred living alone. It was a grandiose manor and you were sure you will never get used to how big it was and filled with such furnitures of the finest quality.

"Well, how was your day darling?" you hummed, arms snaking around his neck

"Oh you wouldn't believe it."

...

It was there.

You felt it in the cold breeze that wafted into the room.

A shift in the flow of the wind, it was different yet familiar at the same time. Leaving the window open as the harsh temperatures of the night climbed and crawled inside. The curtains danced in the turbulent current of the gale, carrying songs only you could hear. Songs that made mountains tremble and build civilizations at the same time.

there was something foreboding, something terrifying and something heavy and dark that devoured anything in its path.

You heard him first before he came in through those doors, that tousled ginger hair of his caked with melting snowflakes in the warm glow of the lamps. His rugged appearance caused by the hunting competition between him and his older siblings induced his worn out state. That soft yet jaded smile of his was what welcomed you as he trudged inside the bedroom, lazily discarding his clothes on the basket for dirty laundry and entering the bathroom for a quick shower.

"why is the window open? " he asks you, sliding inside the warm covers

"I just wanted fresh air ." you smile as you shut the windows and pull the blinds enough for you to see the moon that hung above the sky. Joining him under the covers, you cradled him, his head resting on the crook of your neck. Your hands finding their way into those soft locks of his , entangling them as he hummed softly against you. Those arms of his that held weapons and skin littered with scars both old and new now held you close, so tenderly as if he'd never taken a life before.

"sing me a song, sweetheart. " his queries were simple yet genuine

"of course." you sang until you equated him to a sleeping newborn

It was warm, so warm that you could have mistaken it for a summer afternoon in Liyue, resting on the couch with silken pillows and window showcasing the view of the harbor below. The steaming cups of soothing tea Beidou would brew for you when nights became cold at times she would pay you a visit after trading that would take weeks, months and rarely years.

you slept.

Why is it cold? you wondered, Did Ajax open the windows?

You were blessed by the tsaritsa so such climates shouldn't matter to you.

You woke up.

A shadow was cast over you by the man youve sung to sleep. Virulent blue eyes looked at you with so much abhorrence, for a second you couldnt recognize them and thought it was a stranger to which you were ready to terminate.

"Ajax?" your voice was hoarse, as you slowly lost the feeling in your lips.

He was crazed, still trapped in that dreaming state of his, drifting between experiences. Today was a re-enactment of a memory he would never speak of, not even to you. There were parts of him he'd never tell you, such a soul as yours should never hear.

You choked and coughed as the metallic taste of mortal ichor filled your throat. How could you have not felt anything earlier? Was it because of your futile attempts to coax Ajax back into reality or was it because of the numerous thoughts your mind came up with to he answer as to why he is in such a virulent state. Excruciating pain filled your whole body as you writhed and struggled under his grip. It felt as if something was being ripped out of you.

"Ajax, darling come back to me." you cried, it took so much to even utter a word as you bled out, you know not where but you could feel it. The liquid vital for your survival was seeping out of you, flowing like a lazy river on an autumns day, only that it was warm, sticky and addicting.

"Ajax?" a hiss comes from that mouth, he cringes as you freed your numb hands to hold his face and he let you, seeing as to there was no point in stopping you as you dangerously danced on a tight rope of life and death. You couldn't tell in that delirious disposition of yours if his eyes were shifting between Ajax or the primal eyes of a beast hunting its prey.

It wasn't too late was it?

But why didn't your eyes meet his?

Who snuffed out all the lights?

"I've abandoned that name a long time ago."

The cold took over you completely, freezing you until you broke under his touch with words left dying in your ichor filled lips

and then fear was the last thing you felt.

fear that he might not return to his sweet, charming self.

fear that he will curse everything in his path.

fear that he might attempt to use different various methods to bring back what was lost

and fear of his ruination.

you care not for your death, even in your last minutes of life, you dare not blame him for what he's endured so far. only wishing he never had to experience such in the first place.

This is what the wind warned you about in its lullaby.

...

Childe woke up for the second time.

Oddly more worn out than the day before, but your songs always worked, how come? . He wondered if you left to make breakfast as the covers felt empty as he reached out for you. No, you were a late riser, always having to slumber in the middle of the warm covers of the bed you both share. It was he who mostly did the cooking in the morning. So your presence gone was a displacement in the moment of his waking.

His eyes had to adjust to the view of the room as he sat up, a yawn escaping his lips as he called for you. The pitter-patter sound of the water on the bathroom tiles were non-existent as he strained his ears to hear for any trace of you.

"What..." he was confused as to why the room was trashed, furniture broken in half and strewn about the room, the drapes shredded and laying on the floor and the mirror shattered to pieces, shards sharp enough to cut through skin yet he slept through such a thing?

his first concern was your safety as you had not been present in the room and it him.

the heavy stench of blood lingered in the air. His enjoyment for such things turned into something suffocating because blood was never shed in his own home nor in his very room. In the state of confusion, something dark caught his peripheral vision. A large blemish in the covers beside him, it was dyed a deep dark crimson and he knew well what it was. He began to shake in worry, telling himself not to panic until he finds you safe. All he could remember was you singing him to sleep, held captive in your soft arms, encased in your warmth, so how did it come to such a morning that looked like a result of a monster's tantrum. He calls out for you, his bare feet on the floor as splinters punctured them and he didnt care. he had to find you.

The hallways looked haunting, the portraits on the walls taunting him and he swore he was going lose it if he hadnt found you sooner, every room was achingly vacant and it felt like a dream. He calls for your name again in a frenzy as he rushes through the place, had the mansion been this big? he thinks as he runs down the stairs.

There in the fireplace, the dying embers of fire lit from the night before, wood giving away and turning into coal as the burning smell mingled with similar stench that engulfed the bedroom, the same dark liquid on the sheets was present as well, only that it was painted into the wall and bled down creating a cascading waterfall.

Because there you were, with arms spread out as if welcoming each and every sinner for solace and blessing them with forgiveness, the drying mortal ichor behind you creating a halo. Your lips upturned into something soft as if you'd do anything disgraceful to keep the effeminacy on a soul lost to ruin.

an angel crucified.

that oh so heavenly face of yours could rival anything beautiful, even statues would crumble under you, nations would go to war for you and bodies of those who want you would turn into a throne built for you and you only. You were immortally ethereal even in death.

Ajax, dear sweet Ajax felt his legs give away, energy having siphoned from him as he trembled so much that it could rival the mountains when they shook. Thalassic eyes, wide blown into grief, anguish and all other emotions crashed against him like strong waves that could drown anyone caught up in it. He knelt as pain spread through him like wildfire, burning, scorching and killing. Agonized cries filled the room and if someone were to pass by, they couldve mistaken it for a dying animal. He gasped and choked on his own breath as he dared to look at you, the tears freely flowing from his eyes, down to his pale cheek and finally falling off his trembling chin to be hungrily absorbed by the carpeted floor that was also tarnished by ichor.

He felt crazed as he wept and in that moment of insanity, he remembered. That most disgusting sin he's ever committed that he should never be pardoned for in the life he has right now and the next ones he will be in. Through the blur of tears, he saw his hands and he wished he didnt.

Sullied hands befitting a murderer.

He screams into the ground, doubling over as his hands find their way into his hair, gripping it and ripping out those jacinthe locks of his. He could never forgive himself now and he never will. He wails out loud until his own throat collapsed into a croaking mess.

and then he couldnt find himself no longer.

The sand of time seemed to trickle down slowly. His eldest siblings came looking for him, to continue the hunt. A once peaceful encounter turned into a nightmarish reality as they witnessed their brother rocking back and forth with you gingerly wrapped in his arms, mumbling your name. Lips pressed to your forehead as he prayed and begged for forgiveness over and over in hushed torn whispers as if it were enough to bring you back and cover that gaping hole in your abdomen.

"What did you do?"

...

"Brother, when are they coming back?"

Oh darling Teucer, innocence reflecting off his eyes as he tugged on his brother's sleeve. The toy you gifted him clutched tightly at his side.

"I dont know kid, their mission was sudden so its best to wait. Can you do that Teuc?" the truth about you was kept behind closed doors, only adults can speak of and if they did, it took time to keep the conversation smooth and off of any grief nor sadness when your name reached their tongue. The younger ones would never know until the time is right. When everything was taken care of and hearts moved on. 

Your funeral was held in secrecy yet was it was grand. Something that would hold the significance of your memories with them. It was beautiful, your favorite flowers lined along your coffin, and you. Looking ever so ethereal even when death has kissed you, clad in that dress Childe bought for you. 

"uh huh!" the youngest ginger nodded eagerly and skipped away as the eldest sighed into his hands, the pressure weighing heavily on his shoulders as he worried more and more about his younger sibling. Another memory, a mind broken and a his soul withering. was there any way to save him? 

Days seemed to go by as any glimpse of the man was scarce. Until one day they ceased to see him altogether. It started at lunch, a week after the funeral when it took everyone to coax him into eating more as he lost weight  and trickled down to a whole day. Cooped up in his room, clinging to a pillow with the fading scent of you. and then he was gone, like a snowflake melting upon ones forehead. They grew anxious and thought of the worse until they caught wind that he was back in Liyue from one of the agents only then were they allowed to breathe a little better. 

"Childe, what finds you here?" the calm tone of the geo archon's voice broke him out of his trance

"Have you seen my fiance?" Zhongli blinks at the question of the harbinger, he knew what befell you and yet this man before him seemed clueless enough as to what he committed. How Childe did what he did, he seemed to sympathize with in a way that would make him understand his behavior. 

" I have not." he couldnt bring himself to tell this man the truth. Perhaps he was sparing him, spearing that mind of his into spiraling down into nothingness and a heart that was held by a thin piece of thread. "Perhaps it is better to enjoy yourself while you wait for them." 

To deviate oneself from the loss might be the best way Childe right now until his mind is ready to accept the torment of the heavy truth that would slew this man. 

"I see. " he smiles and yet it feels so empty to Childe, the reason? He wouldnt know or atleast his mind wouldnt allow him to know 

"Ill see you around then Xiansheng." 

Everything that he portrayed lacked and all he could do as he's always did. 

...........

i had to.

I hope yall would get Childe :)

[the-witty-pen-name]

Deadbeat Pt. 8

Lee Bodecker x F!Reader

18+ ONLY

Warnings: age gap (reader is 21), fluff, angst, cursing, abandonment, toxic parent, violence, toxic siblings, infatuation, cheating/divorce, insecurity, mild housewife kink, mentions of prostitution, mentions of alcohol, corrupt official, fake relationship, jealousy, jail

Word Count: 3.5k

Summary: You work at the bar at the edge of town, the Sheriff is going through a divorce and needs to rent a room.

A/N:

IMPORTANT UPDATE

I made a Google form to be added to my taglists, so if you want to be added, the link is in my bio. I’ll only be adding people to the list if they requested to be added by filling out the form! This way all of the requests are just in one place so I don’t miss requests! Thank you!!!

Also, if you are liking this series, consider checking out my new Lee Bodecker series, The Nanny. Part One

Thank you all so much for reading and sharing my work. Everyone whose reached out and told me how much they love the story really makes my day, oh my gosh!! I love you all so much, I’m so thankful.

This is unedited, and I missed anything I should include as a warning let me know! I hope you all enjoy!

Also, even when this fic is over (it’s not yet don’t worry!), I want to continue writing for Lee and this reader, so send me ideas of what you would want to see! Smut, fluff, I just wanna hear ideas you think would match this story! Like moments of them living together, dreams, or even ideas for one shots of Arvin x Reader when they were dating if you want more from that aspect of the story... anything else you want to see with this story that will be like one shots that are part of this same universe. 

Tags and Requests are OPEN

Part One // Part Two // Part Three // Part Four // Part Five // Part Six // Part Seven

That’s the funny thing about time. More often than not it’s the one to dictate you and not the other way around. Rationalizations regarding time hardly ever work out in your favor.

Oh, I just need more time for this, and then everything will work out.

Just need to make it through this week and then next week will be better.

If I had had more time, I could’ve gotten everything done.

How often did those actually ever work out? Time, especially in this town, was never an ally. It worked against you, spreading and infecting as fast as a forest fire. Time let rumors spread and time allows for circumstances beyond your control to unfold. It’s the catalyst that expertly pulls people apart and sometimes if you’re lucky, back together.

Perhaps, two years ago, you would have thought you would have been one of the lucky ones. One of the select few that time actually heals, but you had since given up on that notion. Lee was gone, ripped from you as quickly as he had swooped in. Your job was ripped from you as well, leaving you incapable of supporting yourself. And now you had Tommy back as well you needed to worry about. That was the one positive in the whole mess Lee left you to clean up alone.

The events like a domino effect just tore things done one by one. Now the room is cleaned out and his things are tucked away in boxes in your garage just like his car. It was the only physical evidence that had proved it all had actually been real.

You didn’t even want to try to visit him at first. You were hurt, and felt used. He had kept so much from you, especially your job. His lies had been so effortless. It bothered you immensely. He let you believe you had been able to land it by yourself. Maybe you could have. But now you’ll never know. What employer is going to hire you now?

Tommy got a job fairly quickly and you found a job outside of town, away from the people who knew your name or Lee’s. The article published that revealed Lee had gotten you the job was evidence enough for the town that all the rumors and gossip that they spread with no forethought were actually true. You had slept with him for the job, of course. Some people pinned the blame on him and some on you.

It took you six months of him being gone before you would even go in his room. Anything of yours that had secured a permanent spot there you just went without. But you needed the money, and Tommy had the good idea to get another tenant. He helped you box everything up and move it all down to the corner of the garage, making it all out of sight out of mind.

You had managed to sneak several of his shirts into the bottom drawer of your dresser. You were impressed with how much of a front of indifference you were able to put up. You had made it like an assembly line, and you ignored the tug at your heart at how it reminded you of when he first moved in. Keeping busy kept your thoughts at bay. However, nothing prepared you to what you found in the drawer of his nightstand.

You had just wanted to get the work done fast, removing the whole drawer and dumped the contents into a cardboard box. It was mostly junk, but then a black velvety box had caught your eye. It stood out from everything else. You hadn’t been nosy, and up until this point, you hadn’t given much thought to any of the items you had been packing away. It was a necessity to keep you sane.  But like Pandora’s box, you really just couldn’t control the urge to open it. You reasoned it was probably cufflinks or something for special occasions he just never wore. But the temptation was just too much and you sat down on the floor and fished it out of the half-filled box. You opened it and you immediately burst into tears. Not once had you cried since he had been gone. You hadn’t given yourself the opportunity to, not when there were so many things that needed to be done.

It looked brand new, a gold band with a perfectly round diamond sat perched in the box that he had hidden away in the junk drawer he assumed you’d never have a reason to go through. You distinctly remember Janie’s ring had been white gold, and you remember Lee had told you she kept her ring. He said he didn’t want it back anyways; he had said over coffee one morning. Nope, this was yours and the receipt you found in the cardboard box confirmed it when you saw the date printed on the top. He had gotten it a month before your whole world went to shit.

For the next two weeks, you had kept it stashed away, hidden under the t-shirts you selfishly kept out as well. The weeks really started to blend together, just going through the motions and not really feeling like you were living. You were on autopilot. And before you had realized it, it was coming up on a year. Time had moved somehow simultaneously slow that year and also fast enough for you to lose track. You hadn’t moved on. You were just ignoring it, not wanting to acknowledge the hurt that was still behind your eyes, still as apparent since the day he was carted away.

One night, you don’t know what switch in your mind flipped, but you started crying in the shower and then couldn’t stop until you had cried yourself to sleep. You had just exhausted yourself and the cycle continued night after night as soon as you stepped in the door after work. You were lying on your bed, still in your clothes that you had worn to work even though it was way past midnight. You turned your head and just stared at the bottom drawer of the dresser, your eyes straining from the tears and also from the darkness. Maybe, just maybe, it would make you feel better. You got up, walked over to the dresser and sat crisscross in front of it. It was probably the first conscience decision you had made in weeks. Somehow it made you feel more alive.

Stripping down to just your underwear, and leaving the work clothes haphazardly in piles on the floor, you grabbed one of the t-shirts and pulled it over your head. Just the smell of him cleared your head. The way it was able to just aid your headache was almost instantaneous. It smelled like him. It grounded you, and had the opposite effect you thought it would have. You skeptically believed you were torturing yourself, and grabbing one of his shirts would make you feel worse. For the first time in a while, you felt comforted and finding a candy wrapper in the front pocket just made you smile.

You then pulled out the ring and looked at it, taking it out of the box for the first time. You slipped it onto your left ring finger. It was a little loose, but Lee didn’t do awful guessing your ring size. You didn’t care, you thought it fit perfectly. It was understated and stunning and you had never seen a nicer ring. It was simple, very unlike what your relationship had been. Actually, that wasn’t true, you realized. It was very easy falling in love with Lee, and when it was the two of you, it was perfect. It was the world and circumstances outside of your control that made it complicated. You also realize you had forgiven a while ago, but you had been too stubborn to admit it.

Fuck it. Fuck everything that you let overpower you for so long. What? The old ladies at Church call you a slut? Let them. The amount of weight that words hold over everyone here is so toxic. No one in this town was a saint. The whole town is held hostage by their own twisted dark secrets and the way people get by is just exposing the secrets of others. No one was moral. You hadn’t done anything wrong. What was your crime? You did nothing. Lee was as guilty as sin, but what made them better? What gives anyone the right to decide for themselves his motives, and ignore the good in him to villainize him?

It was early Saturday morning. Getting up from your spot, somehow feeling lighter on your feet, you see its after two in the morning. You settle back into your bed, and the revelation allows you to have the most restful sleep you can ever remember having. You woke up feeling refreshed, and feeling alive. Your head was clear. You still didn’t look good. Your undereye bags were dark and heavy. It would take more than a few hours of uninterrupted sleep to remedy those. The pain behind your eyes was still there, but the motive had changed. It was a longing, and a missing of him that weighed heavy on your head.

You wake up shortly after seven and your body doesn’t allow you to sleep in despite your attempts. You get ready for the day, changing into a pair of your fitted jeans that were cuffed, a pair of your Keds and one of your white t-shirts. You grabbed your purse, and made your way downstairs. Tommy had already left for work early and he doesn’t like to wake you. It was probably better, because had he been there, he would probably talk you out of what you were going to do.

The bus was pretty crowded, always was on Saturday morning. You hadn’t realized how close he was to you this whole time until you realized you had been on the bus for less than twenty minutes. This whole time, he had felt so far away, almost like he was erased, even though he was just in the next town. You arrived just as visiting hours had begun. You weren’t even sure you’d be allowed to see him, or if he’d want to see you. You hadn’t come before, and you wouldn’t blame him if he refused to see you. Hell, you didn’t even know what you’d say. You didn’t think about it once. You just wanted to see him.

The guard at the front desk took all your information and got you situated and then you just had to wait. It was probably less than fifteen minutes you had to sit there but it felt like forever. It was that familiar feeling of time messing with you again. Finally, the same guard returned and led you down a really bleak hallway, until you reached a room with a long table, with seats and dividers, and phone receivers. The seats situated across from each other separated by think glass. You gulped, you’d only ever seen rooms like this in the movies, and you shuddered facing where Lee had been stuck for so long. You weren’t the only one there, and other prisoners in beige scrubs were seated behind the glass talking over the receivers with their loved ones.

You took the seat the guard motioned to, and you thanked him. You were trying your best to not shake or show how nervous you were to see him again. You were scared he would hate you for not coming sooner, or he’d say he didn’t want to see you again. You couldn’t blame him. It has been a year. Yet, your heart leaps and betrays you when he walks in and any brave front you had is gone. He looks more tired than you, and his hair is slightly shorter than when you last saw him. But overall, it’s still Lee and goddamn, what you wouldn’t give to break the glass. The silence is deafening when he doesn’t even look up at you when he grabs the receiver. Does he not even want to look at you? He sat down without even looking up from his feet. He looks so defeated.

“Lee?” you ask softly into the receiver; you aren’t even sure if it picked up the sound. Apparently, it had because his eyes shot up at the sound of your voice. His eyes were wide and looked vulnerable as he scanned your face, like he was trying to keep from blinking.

“Oh sweetheart,” he gasps, “I’m so sorry. Everything- all of it. It was all my fault.” He also looks close to tears.

“I’m sorry I took so long,” you say, unable to pull your eyes from his.

“I didn’t expect you to even want to see me, darling,” he admits.

“You left an awful mess I had to clean up first,” you joke, making him chuckle halfheartedly.

“You deserve so much better,” he said sadly, “Settle down with someone your age, with a nice job or something- get out away from this place.”

“Christ, Lee, if I wanted that do you think I’d be here?” you joke. He smiles.

Four months ago, Arvin offered to drive you home from Church. Even with your brother being back, you still ended up going by yourself most Sundays. You weren’t even sure why you still showed up. It was an hour of being stuck in a room with a ton of people where you didn’t even have one ally. Actually, that wasn’t entirely true. You had Lenora, who’s sympathetic smiles from across the aisle let you know her silent solidarity, and you had Arvin, who wasn’t one to care what others thought much anyways.

Leaving Church now since the news was finally printed, no one tried to talk to you afterwards except for Arvin and his family. His grandmother was still as sweet as always, but you could see how much she pitied you. Arvin was always friendly still, and he had been so helpful with everything.

“I don’t even care if it was true you know,” he said suddenly, pulling your attention from the open window on the passenger side.

“If what was true?” you ask looking back to him.

“You know, how everyone is talking,” he says in a hushed tone, not wanting to actually say it.

“That I slept with the Sheriff to get the job?” You finish his sentence for him.

“Yeah, I- It doesn’t change anything,” he says, “You’re still you and I don’t care. We’re all human.”

“It’s not true,” you confirm, crossing your arms, and then looking back out at the passing landscape.

“Look (Y/N),” Arvin continued, “I’m sorry about what happened. I feel awful. I want to do anything I can to help you.”

“You’re always such a good friend to me,” you smile, “You shouldn’t be putting yourself out too much for my sake.”

“I want to,” he insists with a smile, “We got a history, you and me.”

“Yeah,” you say with a content sigh.

“I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately,” he admits nervously. He pulls in front of your house, and as usual he runs over quickly to get the door for you. “And just that we aren’t kids anymore,” he continues, and you nod. You dig for your keys as he talks.

“I got a job, pays pretty good,” he continues on, “You got a good job, and this old house. I know you better than anyone. I know it isn’t that romantic, but I’ve been thinking about this a lot. I’d love to marry you, if you’d have me.”

“A-Arvin, are you serious?” you ask, your heading whipping up at the sudden proposal you hadn’t anticipated.

“Tell me it wouldn’t make sense,” he laughs softly with a shrug, pushing his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.

“Arvin, I don’t want to just marry someone for the practicality of it,” you sigh.

“It’s you and me,” he continues, holding your shoulders gently and his eyes are latched onto yours. “I know I made a horrible mistake, but I have been trying so hard to make it up to you. You’re the only girl I ever loved- I never stopped. I loved you when we were eighteen, I love you know that we’re twenty-two and I swear if you let me, I can love you for the rest of my life.”

“Arvin…”

“It’s always been us, hasn’t it?” he asks rhetorically, “There’s never been anyone else…”

“I’m in love with Lee,” you say hurriedly, cutting him off before he continued.

“You what?”

“I’m in love with Lee,” you say again, slower and much more purposeful. You watch his whole expression fall, and it breaks your heart to hurt him.

“You’re in love with Sheriff Bodecker?” He asks, “That fucking deadbeat?”

“He’s not,” you insist, “You don’t know him…”

“You don’t either, (Y/N),” he cuts you off. “He’s no good and crooked. He manipulated you, took advantage…”

“No, he didn’t,” you affirm.

“(Y/N), he’s a liar, and he’s good at it,” he continues, “You don’t think he just up and told you anything he thought you’d want to hear to just get what he wanted…”

“You’re wrong!”

“He’s an alcoholic, no good drunk who took advantage of you with your mama gone…”

“Shut up!”

“He was using you!”

“You’re wrong, Arvin! You don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“Okay, fine,” he sighs, “Let’s say you’re right. So, you’re gonna wait for him? Wait out the five years until you’re twenty-six? And then after you wait for him to get out, how do you know he wants you? Then what are you going to do? I know right now you hate me, but God, (Y/N), I’m a good guy who only wants to put your happiness first… I’ve always put you first. I love you and I’m not going to make you play a ton of games or keep things a secret. I’ll run around this whole town right now screaming how much I love you at the top of my lungs so the whole town knows.”

“I don’t love you.”

Lee still can’t believe you’re finally here in front of him. He thought about this moment for so long. He had even tried to prepare himself to brace the possibility that you might never want anything to do with him ever again. His dreams would plague him with thoughts of you. Sometimes they were happy, and he’d be woken up with the horrible realization that they hadn’t been true, and others were worse. He’d dream about getting out, and seeing you with someone else. Married, and happy, and he wasn’t the one you settled down with. Sometimes, he wouldn’t actually see you with someone else, it was always just implied, or he’d see you with Arvin.

Most nights he’d jolt awake and be covered in sweat, and he would still be cursed by the images that flashed before him in his dreams. He just thinks about all the things he wished he could change and how much he’s hurt you. He just thinks about all the things he would say if he ever got to see you, or what he would do to try to win you back. Then, other nights, he’d be much more self-deprecating and he’d internally fight with himself about how you don’t want him anymore, and you’d realize he was never what you wanted.

Now, he can’t believe you’re here across the glass. He could see the pain and exhaustion behind your eyes and he hates that he is the cause of it. He can’t stop looking at you, and part of him thinks he’s actually back in his room, having another dream about you that he will wake up from and find himself alone again. His eyes scan your face and just wants to take in every part of you, it had been so long. Then his eyes land on a shimmer of something on your hand and he might just die in his seat.

“You found it?” he whispers, looking at the ring on your finger. You look puzzled and then you follow his gaze down to your hand. You had forgotten you hadn’t taken it off.

“Um, yeah,” you admit shyly, looking down at it, “I assumed it was mine.”

“It is,” he smiles, pressing his fingertips gently to the glass briefly. “If you really want it.”

“It’d be a shame for it to just sit in the box,” you shrug. Neither one of you say anything for a moment, neither one of you not knowing what to say to fill the silence.

“I’m going to wait for you,” you declare, aimlessly playing with the ring on your finger.

“Are you sure?” he asks. He can’t let himself get too hopeful. Not yet.

“I’ve never been surer of anything, Lee,” you affirm.

“I will make it up to you.”

“Yes, you will,” you joke, making him laugh.

“I love you,” he sighs relieved, like the weight of everything that has held him down this past year just vanished. You wanted him, and he wouldn’t lose you.

“I love you too.”

PART NINE

Taglist:

@scar-is-bi @jiminlife2k18 @asylummaniac01 @rosalynshields @charmed-asylum @jamesbuchananbuckybarnes1917 @alexandrathegreat3 @hersilencedscreams @malar-region @purplerain85 @vesper852 @smilewolfdolan @softshell-taco @champagnebucky @lilacmeadows @mollygetssherlockcoffee @bluebouquetcupcake29 @stucky-my-ship @moonliightbabes @sassy-kassaay @lharrietg @bbmommy0902​ @hoe-for-sebstan 

[juyeonjin]

Exquisite Encounter

Genre: Smut

Member: Taehyung, Jungkook

Warnings: smut, double penetration

Word Count: 2K

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Taehyung and Jungkook rented an apartment far near the coastal areas for the a week since they had the whole month off, with no schedule. The previous months before were well loaded, with constant performances and interviews and they just wanted to kick off and relax and just enjoy some tranquility. Initially it would have been with all the members but they thought it would be safer to not bring everyone since it can result in some unwanted scenarios. The other members also went to different places with Jin and Namjoon to a private Island and the rest to a rich friend's mansion, very far from the tumult of the city. Though separated, they all had one thing in common, doing what they can't do anymore because of how popular they were and busy they got. It was nearly eleven and they both got back from a luxurious restaurant and they would have arrived later if they were heading to a club to indulge in alcohol and have private lap dances but this time they had their own slut to use, who was waiting for them in the apartment.

You were a fan of them and mostly loved Jungkook and Taehyung and when you captivated the eyes of Taehyung during one of their concert, Taehyung asked one of the guards to bring you discreetly so he could meet you. Soon enough you were talking backstage and you couldn't keep your body from shaking from the nervosity and almost believed you were going to be banned from concerts for whatever reasons. "I swear, I didn't do anything, I didn't even bring my phone with me to take pictures or what not", you uttered in front of a smiling Taehyung who placed his still veiny hands from on your arm and replied, "Haha, you are so cute, do not worry you did nothing wrong, maybe only having my attention the whole time when I was on stage." When you heard that your heartbeat accelerated, and he then sighed, "How am I supposed to give you my number without your phone with you, pretty girl."

And that was it, the last amount of strength you had to keep you from mentally screaming, evaporating and your mind just, "What the fuck did I just hear, have I actually been knocked out by the guard that brought me here, is the man of my fucking dreams asking me out, ...!? wait does that mean I have to wipe out all information about me and start a brand new celebrity life, am I ready for this, I thought I was prepared but oh god, this is so sudden....", you stopped yourself from thinking when you heard a faint cough from the side and you wished you didn't turn your head to the direction when the Jeon Jeongguk made his way near his brother, all sweaty, veins very apparent and smirk on his face. "So I see I wasn't the only one to have been distracted by her the whole time I was performing", Jungkook said with a flirty tone and Taehyung smirked back at him then to you, and then replied with what could be the equivalent to the final blow to elimate the final boss in a game, "Her face and body just calls you and compels you to savour each moment your eyes lay on her", "My thoughts exactly hyung", Jk added.

___________________________________________

You were in a dream state for real cause how is this happening right now!? The two hottest man in the world and the ones behind your fantasies right there in front of you, talking to you and potentially wanting to date you? or was it just going to stop there, though you hoped it didn't since not only was your blood rushing so fast but the heat that formed in your core was clouding your thoughts and the desire to bring your fantasies to life was becoming harder to repel. "So if I understand, you both are in love with me," you said teasingly knowing well how they would react and you just wanted to hear that for some reason. "Love? Isn't it too fast princess, I don't even know your name yet and also I can only start considering after I get a taste of those lips" Taehyung said while Jungkook grinned knowing well what Taehyung was trying to do and he wouldn't want to miss that too. You would've have been taken aback if you weren't already thinking of both of them railing you against the wall of their company and without thinking too much of it, "Well if my first kiss will have to be with master Kim Taehyung, I can only comply, unless master Jeon might want to do it first" you said moving your eyes onto Jungkook who was loving everything that was going down right now.

Taehyung loved it too, he was going to fuck you but not with his eyes like he did while on stage. He loved how you teased them back, called him Master!? and he would be your first kiss!? unless Jungkook gets it first, which he wouldn't let happen since he was the one who brought you here and began all of this. Both him and Jungkook's bulge were being obviously apparent from their their pants and you noticed that and you could only internally scream, " Omg, it's actually going to happen!". The thought of both of them fucking you in all your holes, when they bring you back at the company or maybe in one of their houses? all sweaty and roughly pounding you and dumping several loads in you made you soaking wet however before that one last step of having them inside you, a staff came and urged the boys to come back. Though, it made you think and even realise that obviously they couldn't just make it happen liket that, unless they could? but now you felt you eyes starting to get wet as you thought that all of this would end. "Were they just playing? was it just some teasing and flirting and nothing more? Am I not going to have them inside of me?" Taehyung who sensed that you were starting to doubt got closer to you while Jungkook stayed behind. His hand held your wrists and he slowly came near your ears to whisper, "Do not worry, we will meet again, you just have to remember my number unless your mind would be to busy thinking of my cock." He then whispered his number slowly, the air coming from his lips tickling your ears softly and you could've have sworn you felt like he was fucking you from how intense all of this was, how close he was too you, how his breath traveled around your collarbone and his hands gripping your wrists.

He lifted his head and looked back at you with his adoring smile, which actually calmed you down and made you trust him and that you will see him and possibly Jungkook too again. "I sincerely hope I can see you again and up until then I would not stop thinking about you", he told you and Jungkook added, "Try to keep those lips for us until we see you again, baby."

Taehyung chuckled and you smiled back at them and you then you said jokingly, "Well I'm going to another concert in two days, so.... Idk what crazy thing is going to happen this time around", knowing very well you had no conceet to attend or whatsoever. They both happily smiled back at you guessing that you were teasing them again which made the anticpation to meet you even more intense and you couldn't help but let out a laugh, which they joined. They said goodbye to you and looked at you with gleaming smiles and with eyes that said, "See you soon" as you disappeared from their view.

___________________________________________

"Oh look at our baby, so impatient for her daddy's cock", Taehyung said with his deep voice that made your heat rise instantly. Jungkook and Taehyung got close to your naked body, kneeling on the long sofa and looked down at you with their piercing and lustful eyes. You couldn't believe it, it was really the start of a whole week of being the slut of these two hot men and the idea itself was enough inundate your veins with this erotic poison.

Taehyung: "Take off my pants and have my cock in your mouth baby, it's all yours."

You didn't hesitate to proceed and you unzipped his pants and pulled it down together with his gucci boxers. His was massive and already stained his boxers his pre-cum. You licked his whole length from the base to the tip with a slow tantalising motion, making you to keep your eyes fixed onto Taehyung's. Jungkook has already removed all of his clothes and was sitting next to your pretty figure.

Taehyung: "Come on baby, show me how you much you want this more than any candy,"

You nodded sheepishly and wrapped your lips around the head of his cock as you took all of it till it reach the back of your throat. Your gagging sound, didn't skip Taehyung as he groaned with his hips travelling back and forth into your warm entry, trammelling your breath.

Taehyung: "You love that hmmm? Pleasure your daddy's cock at the expense of your own comfort."

You removed his dick from your mouth as you nodded to him but he placed both of his hands at the back of your head as he penetrated your mouth and began bucking into your throat.

"I didn't say that you could take your mouth off now did I!?" Taehyung confronted.

Jungkook placed his hand onto your slit and began rubbing your sensitive area with a soft motion that made you wetter each second. You shifted and now you were enclosing Jungkook's dick inside your mouth. He hissed in satisfaction and began thrusting upwards into your mouth causing your eyes to water. Taehyung was behind your rounded butt and had his tongue work throughout your slit. He was so good at it, eating you like his favourite dessert. Before he could release into your mouth, Jungkook lifted you up by the hair, freeing his dick from your lips and he stared at your eyes for a few seconds. "Babe, you really love this cock of mine, hmmm, a little more and I would've you swallow my seeds. Taehyung it's time to make her go for a ride."

They were seated in opposite directions with their cocks aligning next to each other as you descended. You opened up nicely for them, welcoming their throbbing dicks inside your walls.

Jungkook: "Oh baby...., you are taking us so well."

Taehyung: "Mmmm yeah...., so wet and soft. You're gliding up and down so easily... fuck..."

The conjoined moans of the two men was the ideal music that made every motion of your hips more and more pleasurable. You couldn't hold it any longer and you came onto their dicks still inside on you. They both groaned louder when your walls tightened around them.

Jungkook: "Fuck..! That felt so good just now."

Taehyung: "Come on baby, be a good girl and make us cum inside of you."

Your bounced onto them a little faster, taking them as deep as you could until you felt their cocks shoot ropes of cum inside of you, filling you immensely that it was dripping out already.

You continued riding them for a few more seconds before sliding out and then got onto your knees on the floor. They both sat up on the couch and you went to suck Taehyung's cock slowly while jerking Jungkook's cock at the same pace.

Jungkook: "She was so good, right hyung..?"

Taehyung: "Yeahhh.... let's see if she can take us both in her other hole...", he replied lazily since you were sucking on his whole length still sensitive from the fuck you've just had.

[ratcourtjester]

What the hell do you even get rich people for Valentine's Day? Hal thought turning the little stuffed bear in his hand. The eyes were off center and it was holding a bright red heart that had the phrase 'I love you BEARY much' embroidered on it. Definitely not. He shook his head and put the poor thing back on the shelf before he decided to do it the favor of putting it out of its misery. He wished someone would have the courtesy of putting him put of his already. The store was packed with last minute shoppers and all the good stuff had been picked over already. Hal wouldn't of bothered if his boyfriend hadn't invited him out to dinner that night. A freaking Valentine's Day dinner. What was this, high school???

...Okay that felt a little harsh. Honestly, Hal didn't have anything against the Holiday. Free candy, quick hook-ups and half priced chocolate the next day? Honestly what wasn't to love? But he was actually in a relationship this year. And not with Carol who practically expected him to screw up on Valentine's Day (harsh but not exactly unwarranted) but with the goddamn Batman. To be fair, he probably also figured Hal was going to screw it up. He still wasn't 100% sure how this had all happened, really it was a blur of arguments, very close calls and some absolutely fantastic sex and then boom! He was meeting the guy's kids (officially) and they were living together (unofficially). 

It hadn't been all bad actually. Bruce was just as difficult as one could imagine when dating a bat-themed vigilante but if the man had Hal this stressed out about a commercial Holiday as nauseating as Valentine's Day than it was pretty safe to say Hal lov-

Lo-

...had strong feelings for him. After all, Bruce wasn't Batman all the time, though one would be hard pressed to get the billionaire to admit that. He was caring and tender when he felt safe enough to be. And alright he had a decent sense of humor. And he was fucking gorgeous to boot. And rich. Very, very rich. That had never really been a factor in what Hal found attractive in people but it certainly didn't hurt. It also, apparently, limited options when it came to getting them gifts.

He sighed looking at his cart filled only by two five pound bags of mixed candy and relented, taking the bear back off the shelf and tossing it in. Cass would like it at least.

-----------------

Two hours later, Hal was no closer to figuring out what the hell to get Bruce and was running dangerously close to being late, the chances of him getting laid that night getting slimmer and slimmer with every tick of the clock. He ran his fingers through his hair, gelling it back and looked himself over in the mirror, inspecting his face to make sure he hadn't missed any spots shaving. 

"Not bad, Jordan, not bad at all…" He hummed to his well dressed reflection. He wore a deep red button up and his nicest dress pants. Red wasn't normally his color but he figured he might as well be festive. Even if he didn't have anything to give. He sighed again deciding the flowers he had grabbed were going to have to do as put his cufflinks on. They had been his father's and he only really pulled them out for special occasions. He paused. In fact, the last time he had worn them was at Jim's wedding. It took him a second to let that sink in. As much as he had been telling himself it was just a date, he had almost subconsciously grabbed something he hadn't worn in almost a decade. Maybe this was more important to him than he let on. He looked over to the roses taunting him and groaned.

He was such a bad boyfriend. 

-----------------

Surprisingly, Hal arrived in Gotham just in time. Despite spending most of his off time in the Manor these days, he had opted to go back to his apartment when he got back on Earth just before he got the dinner invitation. If it bothered Bruce, he hadn't mentioned it in the few days in between. Letting the construct that made his suit up drop he landed within walking distance (but out of sight of prying eyes) of the manor and made the rest of the treck on foot. Alfred answered the door with a look that practically demanded to know why he even bothered knocking anymore at this point which he just answered with a grin.

"Hey Al, happy Valentine's Day." He said, fishing the tulip bulb from the bag of goodies he had brought the family. He figured the butler would enjoy the addition to his garden. 

"To you as well, Master Jordan." He took the plant with a small thank you. "Master Wayne will be down in a moment he's taking a call in-"

"Hal's here!" A shout from the staircase interrupted the family butler and him and Hal looked over just in time to watch the oldest launch himself over the railing and land with all the grace of an acrobatic cat before bounding over and enveloping Hal in a hug.

" Master Grayson ." Alfred hissed looking thoroughly unimpressed with his actions. Dick grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck as he let the older man go. 

"Sorry Alf, guess I just missed him."

"You saw him a week ago." Duke snorted coming out of the den but gave Hal a grin anyway.

"Are these for us?" Steph grinned, suddenly at Hal's side and going through the plastic bag as Alfred rolled his eyes and took his duffle bag for him. She pulled out the little monstrosity of a bear and her eyes lit up. "Oh, I love this guy. He for B?" She teased.

"For your girlfriend actually. Figured she'd like him more." He said, snorting as Cass took the little bear from the blond and gave him a small smile. "You're welcome, kid."

It wasn't long before the rest of the little bats tore into the bags of candy he had brought with the exception of Jason, who was out with Roy, and Dick, who left for his own date with Wally shortly after greeting Hal, and ran off. It was another ten minutes before Bruce came down, looking slightly irritated. However the look softened once his eyes landed on Hal. "You look nice." He commented.

"You look pissed." Hal countered and got an eye roll in return.

"Nothing you did." Bruce said, placing a hand on his hip and a kiss on his cheek, taking the offered flowers before pulling away smirking. "For once anyway."

"Hilarious, Spooky." He snorted and looked the other man over. He looked fantastic, no surprise, wearing a suit by some designer he definitely couldn't pronounce the name of. God this man was out of his league. He was ushered out with mentions of a reservation and a shout from Tim to 'have him home by midnight' soon after.

---------------------

In the months since dating Bruce Freaking Wayne, Hal had been treated to restaurants where he was sure the food cost more than his rent. Tonight was no different. Marble floors, molded walls and food that he couldn’t pronounce with his high-school level French, no expense was sparred. Hal still wasn't sure if these restaurants made him feel out of place or not but it definitely didn't make him feel any better about not getting B anything for the holiday. Spooky didn't have to be the world's greatest detective to pick up something was wrong.

"We can go somewhere else." He offered, sipping at the water the waiter had brought him. Hal shook his head.

"Its not that." He said and sighed when Bruce raised an eyebrow, clearly wanting him to continue. "I got you flowers."

"Yes and they were lovely." 

"No. I only got you flowers." Hal said in frustration. Whether he was frustrated with himself or Bruce's knack for being intentionally obtuse. "Not even from a real flower shop. I got them from the store because I didn't know what the hell else to get you. Because what do you get a billionaire? You could just buy anything you wanted-"

"Hal-"

"And its not like I could have taken you out somewhere instead anyway. Can you imagine the headlines in the gossip rags if you were caught slumming it with me somewhere-"

" Hal ," Bruce said a little firmer this time, stopping Hal from putting his foot in his mouth any further. "I didn't realize how much my financial status bothered you." And that tone was much too close to Batman for Hal's liking.

"It doesn't." Hal said firmly, trying his best to be reassuring. "I just...I didn't get you anything." And Bruce stared at him, calculating, forming his next plan of action. That look made Hal squirm in away that should of been uncomfortable. Especially since he just knew that was the look he had while wearing the cowl. Finally he spoke.

"You did. You got me flowers and you came here with me. I only asked for one of those things." And weirdly enough, that made Hal relax. The weight of expectation lifted from his shoulders. "Besides," Bruce continued, smirking over his glass. Hal raised an eyebrow and the smirk widened knowing he had the pilot's attention. "You can make it up to me on the way home."

Hal choked on his wine.

[up-to-some-good]

Part 6: ...and 1 time I did the opposite

I will warn you, this one is bad. If you want to save yourself some pain, don’t read below the cut.

Previous parts: 1 2 3 4 5

The Potters had been cooped up for over a year when they were finally given a break. It was Halloween, the anniversary of their first date, and Sirius and Remus offered to babysit Harry for one night so they could have some alone time. Dumbledore approved the idea and they couldn’t be more pleased. They loved their baby, but they needed a break.

“Don’t let him eat too many sweets,” Lily said, kissing Remus’s cheek.

“Lily,” he said calmly. “You’ve gone over the rules and routine about a hundred times and it’s pinned to the refrigerator. Go, have fun, stop worrying.”

She looked over at Harry, giggling from Sirius’s arms and sighed.

“I hate it when you’re right,” she said, joining James at the car. “I’ll see you three later.”

Remus waved and closed the door before turning back to his boyfriend, who was tickling his godson’s stomach and muttering nonsense at the giggling toddler. He would make a good dad, one day. Remus moved over to the pair and kissed Sirius’s forehead. Sirius handed the toddler over and turned to the kitchen.

“I’ll make us some dinner, you handle the baby,” he called as he walked away.

A few hours later, Remus finished drying the dishes and walked back to the living room where Sirius was with Harry. He was telling his godson about their first Halloween at Hogwarts, casting small pumpkins and bats out of sparks to illustrate the finer points of the story. Harry giggled and tugged at his hair, before swiping at the sparks and causing them to dissolve.

“Stop lurking, Moony,” Sirius said. “Come sit with us.”

He smirked before sitting with the two, joining in on the story telling until a clock somewhere in the house chimed eight times and both men gasped.

“It’s past your bedtime, Haz,” Sirius said, tickling his godson again. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“No!” Harry yelled, barely getting the word out through his giggles.

“Yes,” Sirius said. “Uncle Moony’s gonna take you and get you all snuggled up, okay?”

“Story?” Harry asked, now looking over at Remus earnestly.

“Of course,” Remus answered, dropping his wand on the coffee table.

He took the boy into his arms and started up the stairs. Halfway up, he heard Sirius’s footsteps clunking quickly into the entryway and his blood ran cold.

“Remus! Take Harry and run!” he yelled. “He’s here!”

He heard the front door opening as he entered Harry’s room and barricaded the door. His wand was downstairs on the coffee table. Dumbledore had the invisibility cloak and Sirius had the mirror. He was trapped.

He heard a muffled voice and a flash of green light refracted under the door. There was a loud thud.

“Sirius,” he whispered, falling to his knees. “No.”

He heard footsteps on the stairs, to quiet to come from Sirius’s heavy boots and moved to brace himself against the crib.

“Mooey?” Harry asked, too quietly.

“I’m here, Harry,” he said, barely holding back his tears. “It will be okay.”

The door was blasted off its hinges and Voldemort stepped into the room. Harry started crying. Remus didn’t turn to comfort him – he had to protect him first.

“Please, don’t,” Remus choked out.

Voldemort sighed.

“Black is dead,” he said mildly. “I could use a spare werewolf, Lupin. Step aside and you will be welcomed into my army.”

“I’d rather die,” he spat.

“As you wish.”

A flash of green light illuminated the room. Remus Lupin fell to the ground. Harry continued to cry as Voldemort turned his wand on the boy.

“Avada kedavra!”

The curse rebounded and the room exploded, leaving a crying toddler in the wreckage of his home, alone.

***

Lily was laughing as James drove home. It was the first time she had felt so calm in months. Her laughter died abruptly as they pulled up to their street and she saw flames. She grabbed James’s thigh and he sped up.

Their house was in flames, a hole in the left side where Harry’s room looked into the street. James was out of the car in a second, running to open the front door and falling to his knees as soon as he opened it. Lily was right behind him.

“Pads,” he choked out, sobbing.

Sirius was in the entrance hall, dead. His eyes were wide open, and his wand was nowhere around. Lily thought back to him at Hogwarts, laughing loudly with his arms around James’s shoulders, at their wedding, dancing with Remus, on the battlefield, eyes fierce and wand drawn. It was strange to see him so still.

A baby’s cry drew her attention. She squeezed James’s shoulder before turning to run up the stairs, shaking as she stepped over Sirius’s body.

She found Harry in his cot, the sole survivor in the house. Remus’s body was in front of his crib from where he had clearly tried to protect her son. She picked up the toddler and rocked him gently, willing herself not to collapse next to Remus and sob until she couldn’t breathe.

Remus, who had helped her with Care of Magical Creatures when she was struggling, missing a Hogsmeade weekend with the marauders, who had walked her down the aisle at her wedding, the first person she told she was pregnant, was dead.

She walked back downstairs to find James standing at the door, clutching the frame for support. He turned when he saw her and rushed to take Harry from her, wiping the blood off of his son’s forehead to reveal a curse scar.

“If I ever see Pettigrew again,” he muttered. “I’ll kill him.”

The funeral was a painful affair. Neither Sirius nor Remus had any family beside the Potters. The whole Order attended and praised them as heroes, but it didn’t dull the ache in James’s chest. Sirius, his brother, was killed. Remus, the love of Sirius’s life, had had to listen to his body crumple to the floor before he succumbed to the same fate. It was all Peter’s fault. They had trusted Peter with their lives, with Harry’s life, and he had betrayed them, for what? Power? He couldn’t make sense of it.

He tried to comfort himself that Lily was alive, that Harry was safe, but he couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if they had been home. He had lost almost everything and gotten so close to losing it all. It was unbearable.

Lily was quiet as they walked home. The house they were renting was empty. They had left Harry with Frank’s mother for the funeral and would pick him up later. For now, they needed a moment alone.

He knew something was wrong when he opened the door, year of war had given him instincts for that sort of thing. He didn’t have time to react before he and Lily were roughly tied up and brought to their knees, their wands taken.

Before them stood Bellatrix Lestrange, flanked by her husband and his brother. Behind them, a young boy stood quietly, thrumming with excitement. Bellatrix pointed her wand at James, one of the brothers pointed his at Lily. White hot pain rolled through James’s body, and he heard Lily cried out next to him. It stopped suddenly.

“The pain stops when you tell us where the Dark Lord is,” Bellatrix said.

Four wands now pointed at the Potters. No one would look for them for hours. They had no way out.

“We don’t know,” Lily panted out.

The pain started again.

James thought of Lily, laughing at Harry smashing the vase Petunia had given to them. He thought of Harry, mesmerised by his father’s animagus form. He thought about Sirius and Remus and his parents and everyone he had ever loved before he blacked out.

***  

Petunia Dursley did not like the wizarding hospital – St Muggo’s or whatever it was called. It smelled like a normal hospital, but off – something unidentifiable in the air. Her nephew clutched on to her shirt, especially quiet for a three-year-old. She didn’t like bringing him here, but the letter from Dumbledore had emphasised that she must, and she was rather afraid of the wizard. She couldn’t understand why the Potters were here in the first place, and why they didn’t ever seem to get better; no one had ever explained it to her, and she didn’t bother to ask. She had enough on her plate between Dudley and her nephew.

Lily Potter didn’t recognise them when they walked into the room. Her husband – Jack? – never even acknowledged them, staring out of the window and humming some inane tune. Both of them looked terrible, their skin sunken and grey, their hair dull with premature grey hairs. Both had lost the light in their eyes that Petunia had seen years ago.

Harry babbled at his mother while Petunia read a magazine. Her sister didn’t say a word and didn’t seem to hear her son either. Today, Lily’s husband seemed to be paying attention, his eyes flickering between Harry and Lily with what might be mistaken for interest if he weren’t completely insane

After half and hour she stood up to leave. She stalked into the corridor with Harry holding her hand. He was big enough to walk now, so she ensured he did whenever possible. A sound from behind her made her turn around.

Lily stood in the hallway and reached out to her son. Harry walked wearily over to her. She took his hand and placed and candy wrapper in his palm, squeezing his hand around it, before kissing his head and wondering back into her room, humming.

It was something, Petunia thought with a strange feeling of relief, something that looked like recovery.

[boop-le-snoot]

PARTY FAVOURS I CHAPTER 35

💖first time reader click here💖

Reader and Eddie going on their mission. They're all morons, okay? Some canon-typical violence, bad guys being bad guys. You guys can see that I treat the fighting plot points as total crack, right?

Eddie Brock was pissed, at the Avengers mostly - for not telling him of my accident - but also at me, for the fact that I didn't call him sooner. Venom had taken over at some point, eager to participate in my plan - and it I was being honest, my uncle's space boo was the one I had relied on to participate in the mayhem that was to be caused to finally let my family breathe in peace.

The Avengers wore various expressions of guilt when an angry Eddie stormed the tower, berating them for not getting into contact with him when I was in danger. Venom growled at them, too, just the right amount of teeth and drool for Tony to quickly usher me out to 'take a walk, have some fun, build a snowman' with uncle Eddie and Venom. It was almost too easy, too predictable. The guilt that reared it's ugly head was stomped down by me and two glasses of whiskey in Eddie's rented Airbnb as I went into the fine details of my plan.

Both I and Eddie were equally surprised when Venom dropped their sarcastic, angsty teenager attitude and approached the topic with maturity, giving valuable input. The goth space goo was much, much smarter than their first impressions showed. I belatedly remembered their remark about being an apex predator species... Scary.

The plan was pretty simple.

Eddie was a professional investigative reporter and an unregistered mutant, his files being hidden so deeply due to the alien nature of the symbiote that it was unlikely that underground gangs would have any idea as to who he truly was. His involvement with SHIELD was buried under so much red tape, even Coulson himself had very little idea about Eddie's body-mate.

My uncle would sniff around the mutant underworld, just enough to catch a whiff of the mercenary's whereabouts. It should be enough if he was as famous as Natasha claimed him to be. And if it wasn't enough... I'd be bait. I doubt that the merc knew the box has been retrieved and secured; every now and then, I still caught chatter about the SHIELD agents trailing me catching a person sent to monitor me. They weren't even trying to hide that hard.

I had my suspicions SHIELD was indirectly using me as bait, too, and both Eddie and Venom were inclined to agree with the notion. Over beers and ridiculous amount of chocolate cake, a third side of the operation Baby Thief had been formed. SHIELD played their own game, the Avengers and SI threw a ridiculous amount of resources on their own and then there was me and Eddie, two halves of a whole idiot.

For once, the plan didn't go south immediately off the bat. Eddie and Venom got the information - there was a lot of uproar in the mutant community, rumours about an artifact that would let them assume their rightful place in the world, pushing the pesky humans off their pedestal. I definitely supported mutant rights - but the common notion that violence was necessary to achieve the recognition of said rights didn't sit well with me at all. Eddie agreed with me, his own curiousity pushing him to dig deeper into the situation.

My uncle could be a brilliant investigative reporter with the proper motivation and his significant other at the side. I could never tire of Venom's stories: each and every time they saved Eddie from making a clown out of himself was remembered, documented and brought up at the quickest available opportunity. I haven't laughed so hard in months.

The positives of our plan? We got a hot trail and enough information to know about the mercenary's whereabouts. We possessed the manpower needed to off him in record time, Venom eagerly offering his digestive system for our convenience.

The negatives? We'd need to bring me. Apparently there was a hefty bounty on my pretty little head and the merc himself had given up trying to chase me, hiring a bunch of muscle to do the legwork for him instead. The mercenary, a man who went by the nickname Cadre, was an ex-shield agent, who knew enough to successfully avoid the organisation following hot on his heels.

And neither SHIELD, nor Tony nor Eddie knew who had ordered the retrieval of the artifact. The mysterious person had deep pockets: all of the men were supplied with high grade weaponry and the mutants participating in the missions had equipment specifically tailored to their powers.

Perhaps, I wasn't as clever as I wanted myself to be. There was something big and ugly brewing and the bounty on my head was just the tip of the iceberg. But what was done, was done, and Venom was looking forward to a hefty meal and we set the date of Eddie "kidnapping" me in a few days time.

I hoped I'd make it home for Christmas.

The biggest surprise was that nobody suspected anything. Not even Natasha's watchful eye and inherent knowledge of shit about to be stirred - somehow, Nat always just knew those things - had revealed itself and that's how I knew it was absolutely necessary for me to be successful. There was no room for failure. In the day before my planned trip to Cadre's lair, I forced the team into a movie night and took extra time with everybody, seeing as even the most cheerful people - Thor and Wanda - walked around with sullen faces for most of the time. Perhaps, deep down, I knew that chances of my plan going awry were pretty damn high.

It felt like I was leaving for war. And perhaps, I was. The nervous, anxious energy increased as the hour X drew closer and I couldn't hide it anymore. My insomnia wore Tony's face: I could see his disappointment as clear as day, but I figured he'd forgive me for the betrayal eventually. Every single thing I hid from my newfound family made me feel a traitor. Unfortunately, there was simply no other option.

That afternoon, Eddie picked me up from the tower and drove me to one of the hideouts that belonged to Cabre. He'd tied my hands together and blindfolded me, all for show of course, whilst Venom briefly connected with my body to induce a drowsy state of mind. I didn't actually mind to be drugged and was way more wary of the symbiote's effects on my body but the space pudding extended his tentacles so quickly, I barely had the time to even swear at them.

To my (and their) surprise, it wasn't as bad as we thought it would be. In my hazy state, I briefly head Venom growl that I could be a decent short-term host if something would to happen with Eddie; I did not know how that information made me feel but did not disregard it completely. I was out of my depth on this one yet marched on towards the danger with grim determination.

"Here's the girl," Eddie's voice penetrated through the curtain of chemicals that Venom had dosed me with; I was tossed none too gently on what felt like a mattress, the landing haphazard but not painful. Venom must've dulled my pain receptors, too. "Where's our money?"

I was unceremoniously groped, my face examined by a man with ice-cold hands. Whatever he found, he deemed it satisfactory. "I'm impressed," He whistled. "We've been trying to get her for months. Care to share how you achieved this?" The strange man sounded suspicious.

"WE HAVE OUR OWN TRICKS," Venom's deep voice filled out the room like thick smoke and I just knew that the man who had been groping me was twitching in discomfort. "SO?"

"Alright, alright," The man mumbled, voice unsteady. My drowsiness slowly began to recede and I finally could focus my eyes somewhat; Eddie was partially obscured by the writhing, onyx mass of his symbiote and the man was dialing up the phone, speaking in a rapid-fire dialect I did not know. "Cabre will be here in an hour. Care for a beer?" Just like that, the man was obviously attempting to placate Eddie.

"HOT CHOCOLATE," Venom announced flatly and I had to struggle to hold back my laughter at the image of a seven feet tall tentacle monster sipping hot cocoa from a tiny porcelain cup. My nerves had me feeling ten types of way, as usual, and props to Ven making me unable to speak. I would have already killed myself by running my mouth ten times over.

The hour passed by with me floating in my mindsphere, Eddie loudly playing Candy Crush on his phone and Venom consuming ridiculous amounts of hot chocolate. It was absurd and the eerie calm was beginning to make me suspicious; I had expected... More. Threatening thugs with guns, experiments, blood tests and physical violence. Instead, the man who met with Eddie was sitting with a vacant, bored expression as he practiced card tricks in the corner furthest away from Venom.

Finally, a knock on the door forced all of us to pay attention to the newcomer. It was a tall, massively built man in his early forties. His face was covered in scars, narrow red lines that looked like small cuts; one of his eyes was completely black while the other was blue. He looked like the man at the coffee shop but at the same time, nothing like him at all.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," His voice was low and quiet. If not for the heavyweight weapon hanging over his shoulder, I would have considered him to be one of those men who only look threatening but actually are gentle giants. With steps too quiet for a man his size, he approached me, crouching down to look me in the face. "Hello, child. I've been looking for you for a long time. It's a shame we had to meet this way," He removed the strands of hair sticking to my face. For all purposes, his touch could have been considered fatherly. "Richard, bring the money." With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the man who was babysitting me and Eddie and he promptly disappeared behind the steel door.

"Hello," Eddie briefly shook his hands with Cabre after the merc left me alone. I noted Venom had disappeared into the reporter's body completely. "We are Venom," Eddie introduced himself (they introduced themselves?).

"Cabre," The Merc watched my honorary uncle with a sharp eye, taking note of Eddie's lack of weapons, his worn clothes and the shaggy hair, the bags under his eyes. "Tell me, Venom, what do you know of this child?"

"Not much," Eddie shrugged, convincingly. "Just that the Avengers picked her up for some reason and locked her up in Stark's tower. We're guessing she didn't like it much 'cuz she kept sneaking out and trying to shake off the tail. Had to go through quite a few SHIELD agents to get to her," Just like we agreed, Eddie spoke with slight disdain towards Tony and SHIELD, making sure to let Cabre believe he was on the mutants' side. "We just need the money, man. Not many people will hire us," To top it up, Eddie spread his arms, showing his skin ripple and move on it's own prominently under his ratty t-shirt. Atta boy!

Cabre appeared to have bought the lie, chuffing sympathetically, before pulling out a tablet and typing on it. "Well, not for long. My superiors have found an artifact that, if unlocked properly, will render most of the technology suppressing mutant powers useless. They won't be able to get rid of us that easily anymore."

Eddie nodded eagerly, for all purposes appearing to be ecstatic about the news. "Yeah, heard some rumors here and there. Well, you and your superiors know where to find me. I could always go with some extra cash," He scratched his head, carefully watching Cabre's fingers dance on the keyboard. "What's the kid got to do with it anyway? Seems like an ordinary spoiled brat to me," Eddie threw me a look, blinking twice. The fatigue and wariness, courtesy of Venom, had begun to recede quite some time ago; with Eddie's signal, I knew the shitshow was about to start very soon.

Eddie was smart, however, finding out the bits of information SHIELD hadn't bothered to disclose to me. The residue that the cursed box had left in me was removed, so I could not understand why SHIELD was still guarding me. There had to have been another reason, a reason that neither of us knew for sure.

Cabre paused his typing. "We've been watching her for years. She's a genius. We were hoping she could help us solve a few problems..." The merc paused to rub the bridge of his nose. "We tried to get her to come willingly but her parents forbade her from it. My superiors suggested to use the artifact but something malfunctioned." For all purposes, Cabre was looking apologetic. "I am not overly fond of kidnapping children but some things just need to be done." With that, the man turned around, landing his eyes on me. "Glad to see you're up and about." Something about his smile was unnatural, forced, malicious.

"Charmed to meet you," I sat up, dazed and confused about the turn of events. The things he was saying, they didn't add up. I hadn't received any requests for my participation in ANY kind of project, illlegal or not. No scholarships, no internship offers. Something was very, very wrong.

As soon as Cabre's back was turned, Venom enveloped Eddie, turning themselves into the seven feet tall outer space monstrosity I had seen on the first day. Their combined form was terrifying - but Cabre's fingers merely twitched at the rapid change of the situation as he took slow steps towards me. "Hmm," His voice still quiet, he once again crouched in front of me. "You fought us off once but we are many. There is nowhere to run, child," Cabre's eyes began to darken, his speech turning flat.

I recognized the speech pattern, recalled the expressionless, vacant face that stared at me. Cabre was infected with the Legion from the cursed box; I hadn't prepared for that, hadn't even regarded that, thinking the little epic speech the demon had given me was a mere intimidation tactic. Fear bloomed within me, opening it's jaws like a hungry Venus flytrap but I refused to succumb to it, clenching my fists against the waves of paralyzing terror.

Venom made a confused growling noise behind me, extending a tentacle to push Cabre away; with a sickeningly wet splat, their whole form collided with the opposite wall, sliding down it like a puddle of misshapen goop. "MORSEL, GET OUT." The symbiote growled, reforming itself back.

"Silence, beast!" Cabre shrieked, unstrapping his weapon and aiming it at Venom. No bullets came out as he pressed the trigger but my ear started ringing, eyes watering as the whole form of the symbiote began to morph and ripple. Pained groans and whines came from them. A sonic gun?

"Screw you, man," I attempted to draw Cabre's attention to myself by kicking out a leg towards the gun, disrupting his arm briefly. Things were going to shit faster than a party full of teenagers and alcohol. "Fuck you, listen, FUCK YOU!" I knew antagonizing people was my best skill and that's what I did, figuring the time needed for Venom to reassemble themself could be acquired if Cabre was pissed off enough at me.

The backhand hurt, not going to lie. I saw stars from that one sloppy hit the possessed merc delivered to my face. The adrenaline rush allowed me to stay somewhat coherent and just like that time when I was trapped in my nightmares, I dove for Cabre, winding myself around him as both of us landed on the floor in a heap of limbs.

Despite my best hopes, Venom remained a puddle of black on the floor. I saw something shiny attach itself to Eddie's chest; apparently that something prevented them from combining into one again. My smaller size proved to be a great advantage; I remembered Venom's words about being a suitable short-term host and with a shriek, I placed my palm into the nearest piece of symbiote I could reach, my vision being obscured by blackness a second later.

THE TAG LIST IS NOW OPEN! @another-stark-sub ​ @mostly-marvel-musings  @vozit ​ @littlegasps @pilloclock ​ @shereadsinquiet @downeyreads ​ @hermione-grangers-wife ​ @individualistfem ​ @sleep-i-ness @capbrie @lillsxd @agustdowney @dee-vn @justanotherblonde23 @fanngirl19 @persephonehemingway @softie-socks @schemefrenzy @letsby @romeo-the-cactus @jelly-fishy-babie @mikariell95 @gladiosamicitias @warrior1-19 @toomanyrobins @i-cant-hangout-im-drumming

[princeanxious]

Trust is a Fragile, Fickle Demon.

Pairing: Analogical

Fandom: Sanders sides

Warnings: hurt/comfort, happy ending, mentions of childhood trauma, mentions of mental abuse, mentions of abusive parent, mentioned of past betrayed trust, trust issues, let me know if i missed anything!

Wordcount: 1.9k words

(A/n): this is sort of a short one, idk that im very proud of it, its written a little differently than I normally write so let me know if ya’ll like it? I tried!

Trust was something earned, gained, given, not expected. At least, to Logan, thats how it’d always been. The omega had learned young the mistake of trusting anyone so readily, a freely given token of connection that only served to hurt him in the long run.

Even now, Logan was aware his upbringing had been slightly rougher than his common peers. His therapists all readily, or subtly, pointed out that his alcoholic alpha of a single father who never should have been a parent to begin with was undoubtedly the root cause of many of his issues.

First of all of them was the lasting trauma of the emotional abuse he’d endured as a child and teenager. Never smart enough, never quiet enough, never clean enough. He was never enough, he was never going to be enough. He was a weak, broken, and useless omega in his father's eyes, and would never amount to anything more. And while he never wanted to believe it, often said he never believed any of it, he could only confidently say he didn’t truly believe even just part of it by the time he was 23.

Another was that he’d never been given any freedom to do as he pleased when he was younger. He never got to visit friends or do anything more fun than read at the library(and boy did he read any chance that he got back then). His first real social outing was when Roman, his then longtime college roommate and current best friend, had playfully offered for him to come join him to go buy icecream at midnight. But, that story is better saved for a different time.

All you need to know is that, that midnight ice cream became a bi-weekly routine, and the other omega learned more about Logan than he thought he’d ever get out of the closed off nerd that night. Perhaps one could even go so far to say that Roman was the reason Logan ever even dared to go to a therapist in the first place.

Logan had become very stunted from the childhood neglect he’d endured. Omegas had many self-soothing mannerisms built into their primal instincts to comfort themselves when stressed, like purring when upset(was well as when happy or content!) and nesting to decompress or hide in a safe zone when stressed. And well, Logan had pretty much stifled his purring by the time he was 14, and.. Completely stopped nesting by the time he was 9.

There had been no point, and both had become increasingly dangerous to do as he grew older. Anytime his father caught him purring, the Alpha would berate him for being ungrateful, seeing it as a weakness. And no matter how well he’d try to hide his safety nests, his father would inevitably find them and destroy them. Far too many afternoons were ruined when he came home to find his father in a drunken stupor and his newest safe haven wrecked beyond repair, and stinking to high heaven of alcohol and aggressive, angry alpha pheromones.

So he gave up. He gave up trying to make the nests in hopes for comfort, in hopes for a safe haven to hide away. The longest he’d gotten was hiding away in his closet for periods of a time before his father decided it didn’t deserve a closeable door anymore.

Roman had been horrified, and promptly dragged the other omega into his own nest in distress. They spent hours like that, Logan sobbing and tucked up tenderly into Roman’s protective embrace as the omega purred and crooned comfortingly enough for the both of them.

It would be Roman to encourage Logan to begin nesting again. They’d made a whole day out of it, going out and buying brand new nesting materials along with comfort food and rented movies. Slowly but surely, Logan rebuilt his nest for the first time in a little over 10 years, and he was in heaven. And day by day, every time he came home to it intact and undisturbed, Logan’s psyche was assured just a little more that the nest was safe, that he was finally safe.

And no one could really be surprised that Logan became viscerally protective of his nest, even more so than the average omega, at that. The first time they realized this, one of their mutual friends, a beta named Patton, had suddenly come close to his nest in excitement over the new addition. Logan had snarled loudly and aggressively before he’d even processed moving to guard his nest from the approaching threat. When Patton had taken multiple careful steps back in shock, Logan finally snapped out of the defensive mindset and realized what had happened. He’d apologized profusely, and was quick to try and make amends.

Patton understood the justified reaction after some light explanation and waved off the apologies immediately. Logan, though mortified at his own surprising lapse in control, was grateful that there had at least been no hard feelings in the end.

Safe to say, their friend group and subsequently any new friends made in the future would be warned, “Don’t approach, or touch, Logan’s nest.” And it was fine. Things were even looking up, Logan had started truly healing, and trusting people started to become a little less difficult!

So it would really come as a surprise to everyone, let alone Logan himself, when he started developing a small crush on the kind and patient(if a little anxious) Alpha who nearly daily visited the library Lo worked at to study. It was an honest shock, but, perhaps it wasn’t the worst thing in the world..?

Logan had never seriously considered dating another until Virgil came around, and the prospect of dating an alpha was frankly terrifying. But, Virgil was nice, he was caring and gentle with him, and yet unwaveringly respectful. He’d listen to Logan ramble about stars for hours and never interrupt him, only asking questions when Logan’s voice lulled or allowed him to speak. Virgil encouraged this, wanting Logan to open up and ramble and talk without fear of being shut down.

Roman had told Logan it was obvious Virgil was crushing hard on Logan, that they both had it bad for one another it seemed. Of course, nothing had to come of it if Logan didn’t want it to! But the thing was, he did. He did want something to come of it, if at the very least they could just remain friends.

It took a few more months, but Virgil eventually worked up enough confidence to ask Logan out, and the unwavering, almost immediate ‘Yes,’ had almost taken Virgil off guard. They wouldn’t share their first kiss for another few weeks, but neither of them minded.

Virgil slowly but surely was given the whole story, and expressed his own quiet outrage in the form of promising to never let that happen again, nor let Logan’s father near him again. It was a protective sentiment that almost scared Logan, but the protectiveness was born out of love and compassion, not selfishness and hate. So he let it slide, and contently tucked himself into Virgil’s warm embrace with a soft “thank you,” and the first very soft but very happy purr that he’d let out in years.

This alpha, he’d find him telling himself a year and a half into their relationship, this alpha was the one that would be allowed into his nest.

It didn’t bother Virgil personally, that he wasn’t allowed into his omega’s nest. No one was allowed near the nest except him, and even then he still got growled at plenty. He was completely aware that Logan had a deep instinctual fear of the destruction of his nest, sewn by the only parent he’d had growing up doing just that out of malice. Logan had made strides in his journey of healing though. The omega was confident in himself, and refused to be pushed aside or spoken over. Logan was highly independent, even during his heats, which made Virgil feel all the more love for him to be let into his omegas life.

Logan wasn’t dependent on him like society demanded he be, and Virgil didn’t mind in the slightest, because he knew Logan. He loved this omega and knew said omega loved him back. That was all that mattered to either of them.

It took another half a year before Logan finally tried breaking down some of his protective walls over his nest. He was tired, so tired of the separation. Having Virgil's scent heavily entwined with objects in his nest wasn’t enough anymore. At two years into their relationship, Logan’s instincts didn't feel the need to growl at Virgil for being near his nest anymore. He wanted Virgil in his nest, and that thought was jarring to realize.

And when he’d brought it up, Virgil had been quick to assure him that he didn’t have to force himself to let Virgil in, that Logan’s safe space was sacred and he never wanted Logan to feel pressured by anything to let him in.

Perhaps Logan kissed him soundly after that, and was reminded just how much he really loved Virgil. Virgil's insistence for Logan's comfort coming first only made him want to pull his alpha into his nest that much more.

But still, he agreed to take it slowly. Every day, Virgil would scoot a little closer to the edge of the nest, would hold Logan’s hand and stroke his hair, even sometimes daring to slowly lean over and kiss him with prior warning.

It took a full week to really prove to Virgil during their progress that they were ready to take this next step, that Logan truly and fully trusted Virgil and wanted him in his nest.

And when it finally happened, they’d made a little date out of the occasion, setting up snacks and candy, ordering take out and lining up a few documentaries to watch on Virgil’s laptop, getting into their nightclothes.

Virgil had been beyond nervous, and Logan understood why. They managed to soothe each other as everything fell into place, and Logan carefully walked Virgil step by step into his nest. With careful movements, they sat down and Virgil let himself be carefully arranged as he was leaned back into the nest. It took a second for Logan to finish tucking things against Virgil and pull a weighted comforter over them before he finally settled himself onto Virgil’s chest.

Despite their original nervousness towards the idea, everything felt right, now. Logan felt so unbelievably safe now that he was tucked into his alpha’s arms within the cocoon of his nest. It was amazing in its own right. And it takes Virgil chuckling lovingly for Logan to notice just how content they both are.

“You’re purring like crazy, L,” he murmurs with a smile, running his fingers up and down Logan’s rumbling back, “If you’re not careful you might fall asleep before we even get through the first documentary.” Logan just grins back, tilting his head to peck Virgil on the cheek.

“I see no downside to that, V, considering I’ll be falling asleep in my alpha’s safe embrace. What more could I ever want?”

Virgil flusters and hides his face in Logan’s hair as the omega laughs, hugging the other closer. Logan eventually does fall asleep in the middle of the second documentary, cuddled close and relaxed.

And really, there was no other place Logan would rather be.