#au roman reigns

[mysticreigns2]

The witch's seduction

Au Roman reigns x Alessandra (OC)

(a/n: I started this story on an old blog and never finished it!)

🪄 warnings: eventual smut, angst, fluff, gothic themes.

🪄tag list: @acknowledge-reigns @mzv11 @romanthereigns @romanreignshairdresser

🪄Banner is made by me. Do NOT repost my fics without my permission! Likes, comments, and reblogs are always appreciated!🩷

🪄if you wish to be tagged in my future fics please let me know! MINORS DNI!!!

🪄word count: 3,311

Dancing shadows and firelight were a everyday thing to her. The shadows had become friends. Familiar spirits just looking to cause mischief and scare her sister whenever she wandered a little to close. A sudden scream confirmed they had indeed done what she intended "Alessandra!!" Her sister Cassandra yelled. A deep giggle escaped her lips "i love you to!" Alessandra yelled back.

The sisters had done similar things since they were little and pranking each other had almost become boring to Alessandra. She carved something new. She carved change! The desire had become so strong that she knew there was a reason why, a witch always knows! Something better was out there for her but convincing anyone in her family compound that the outside world was safe, especially with the witch hunter out there, would be next to impossible.

She loved her family but coming into her own at the age of 28 had made her grow tired of the same old thing. "Alessandra, are you ok?" Cassandra asked. Alessandra smiled "have you ever wondered what's out there? What's beyond the gate?"

"I'll tell you what's out there! The witch hunter is out there!" Cassandra said"promise me you won't go out there!"

"I'm bored I'm here Cassandra! I snap my fingers and I get whatever I want! Just one Time I want something different!" Alessandra said.

Cassandra grabbed her sister's hand "listen to me! Nothing good is out there! We are safe in here! Please promise me you won't go out there!"

Alessandra sighed heavily "fine!"

Cassandra smiled "I love you!" She said giving her sister a kiss on the cheek.

"i love you to" alessandra smiled back.

Tonight while everyone was asleep Alessandra knew what she had to do. She was gonna sneak out of the compound! She was an adult after all, what really could they do?

Later that night

11pm, everyone is asleep and now is her chance. Walking to the gate of the compound she took a deep breath. She had already put a blinding fog over the compound so when the alarm did go off no one would see who it was. The alarm would take a few minutes to catch up so as quietly as she could she opened the gate, the henges groaning from not being used very often. A soft wind blowing alerted her she was doing something she wasn't supposed to but she didn't care!

On the other side of the gate she put her cloak over her head and shut the gate. The feeling of freedom she had just from that one small defiant move was overwhelming. She didn't have much time before the alarm went off and had to get as far away as she could. Walking through the Forest she saw creatures she'd never seen before. Fluffly creatures with buck teeth and long fluffy tales lived in the trees. Why was it day out here and night in her compound?

The deeper into the forest she went the more she loved it. Beautiful flowers that would never grow in her compound! Purple, red, pink, and blue. All beautiful shades. She picked one of the pink ones and put it to her nose "who are you?" She heard a man's voice say before she spun around and snapped her fingers to produce a dagger"witch!" The man yelled.

"witch hunter!" She yelled back taking her hold down making him stop in his tracks. She was beautiful! Her raven black hair framed her heart shaped face beautifully! Her deep brown eyes pierced through him, and her olive skin glowed in the sunlight. Her dagger was at his throat "whats your name?" He asked.

"Alessandra" she said

He smiled at her "you're not like the rest of them! None of them have ever come out here, yet you seem strangely relaxed in a foreign environment. Why?"

"i grow tired of being Able to snap my fingers and get what I want! Im bored and i've always wondered what's out here!" She said her dagger beginning to dig into his skin "why haven't you killed me already?"

He smiled at her "you're not like the rest of them! None of them have ever come out here, yet you seem strangely relaxed in a foreign environment. Why?"

"i grow tired of being Able to snap my fingers and get what I want! Im bored and i've always wondered what's out here!" She said her dagger beginning to dig into his skin "why haven't you killed me already?"

"i can see you're different! I mean you no harm! Please get rid of the dagger" he said.

Alessandra hesitated for a moment, never breaking her gaze away from his before finally making her dagger disappear "whats your name witch hunter?" She asked.

"Roman" he said putting his sword back in its sheeth "come! My cabin is just up the way" he said reaching his hand out "please come with me?"

"I will follow you witch hunter!" She said

"Roman!" He said lowering his hand in annoyance. He wasnt gonna earn her trust that easy and he knew it. Whatever happened he knew he wanted it to be with her. Something about her memorized him! He's been trained not to fall to a witch's charm and he never has. She never once tried to swoon him where most witches would. They walked the path to his cabin with her walking behind him to keep him in her line of sight. He said he meant her no harm but could she really be sure? Was this just a trap?

Soon they came to a clearing, a wheel with running water in the front "what is this strange thing?" She asked.

"that's a water mill" he said "it's where I get fresh water from!"

She was memorized at how the water turned the wheel, always running and always clear. As they walked to the door a familiar sound filled her ears "an owl?" She asked.

He smiled "something your familiar with?"

"owls are the wise ones! All seeing, and always protecting us!" She said.

"From what?" He asked

"You!" She said, her face dropping.

"Alessandra I promise I mean you no harm!" He said opening the door "here come in! Make yourself at home"

Walking in the cabin she looks around and there were candles like at her compound but they were different. They weren't floating like the ones at her compound. They were in strange golden sticks that held them in the Air.

"would you like something to eat?" He asked.

"oh I can just do this!" She said waving her hand as feast appeared in the table. "That's useful!" He smiled.

"I try!" She smiled before it faded "do you have a shower? It's dark now and I'd like to get some sleep!"

"down the hall to the right" he said "theres also a spare bedroom at the end of the hallway. I can grab you some towels if you like!"

"oh that won't be necessary!" She smiled as towels appeared in her hand.

he put his hands on his hips "of course not. I'll leave you to it"

She walked down the hallway to the shower and shut the door. The witch hunter was very handsome and not at all what she expected. She took a deep breath and set her towels down. She was gonna figure this out!

In the dinning room he sat and looked at the feast she had produced from thin air. The witch hunter wssnt supposed to allow a witch in his cabin let alone fall for one! If anyone found her here they'd both be in danger but it was to late now! They could discuss it in the morning. For now they both needed to clear their heads. A lot had to be taken in!

The next morning

Having gotten up before the witch hunter, Alessandra was out exploring the woods around his cabin. She looked at his water mill, still in awe of its simplicity yet complexity. Something so simple making yet so needed. The life force of his cabin dependent on its constant turning.

Pondering the previous night's events, her thoughts took her on a wondering maze down the waterfall that was before her, cascading into the river below it.

A sudden branch snapping brought her out of her thoughts and she turns Around quickly, producing the dagger that she had the day before and it meeting the same throat as before "we've got to stop meeting like this" he chuckled, throwing his hands up in surrender.

"I'm sorry witch Hunter but I'm still on edge. This place is still unfamiliar to me" she said turning back to the waterfall, seemingly hypnotized by it.

"Alessandra" he said "what is it about this river that has you so mesmorized?"

"it's familiar!" She said "I've seen it in a dream before but I don't remember the rest of the dream"

"premonitions?" He asked

"yes!" She said finally turning her head away from the river and looking at him. His shirtless torso being the first thing that caught her attention, then his tattoo that covered part of his chest, his whole right arm, and half his back. Her eyes following up to his face, his hair in a neat bun unlike the day before. He was the witch hunter but she couldn't deny her attraction to him "like what you see" he smirked, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"yes" she blurted out before covering her mouth realizing what she'd said "I'm sorry" she started to walk away but he gently grabbed her hand pulling her back to him, holding her close to him.

Before she could think he pressed his lips to hers with a need and hunger she'd never felt before as she reached for the sides of his face to pull him close before her mind caught up to what she was doing and she pulled away "this can never happen again!" She whispered before walking away into the woods.

"Alessandra Wait!" He yelled after her but she disappeared before he could get to her. He sighed heavily, realizing she felt what he did but because of who he was she couldn't love him or she wasn't ready to yet. He would have to let her come to him and she already had him under her spell without even realizing it.

He couldn't tell anyone he was in love with a witch. His fellow witch hunters would have him labeled as a heretic, something he knew would also put Alessandra in danger. Her family would come after him and most likely disown her. Until the witch hunters and witches could coincide they would have to keep their relationship secret.

He knew why she kissed him, the attraction was there for both of them. Alessandra was a beautiful woman! The kiss they had just shared had sent sparks through them both.

He walked back into the cabin, waiting for her to return. They had to talk about this. He could feel in his bones that Alessandra had felt that electricity to. Minutes seemed to pass like hours.

Minutes seemed to pass like hours. He worried about her being in an unfamiliar world, his world. As he sat in the cabin, a black mist began to form in the corner "Alessandra?" He asked, hoping it was her. Her beautiful black hair soon appeared, a smile plastered across his when he saw her.

"hello witch hunter!" She said, taking a seat across the table from him "I'm sorry about earlier!"

"don't be!" He smiled, hiding his joy that she hadn't forgotten about what happened "we do need to talk about that though!"

"witch hun- I mean Roman" she corrected herself, seeing the smile form on his face "I had to disappear because I couldn't bring myself to admit in the moment that I find the witch hunter attractive!" She said, trying to hide her smile, failing to hide it from his ever prying gaze. Her heart was pounding, she didn't quite understand why she was attracted to the witch hunter but she knew there must be a reason.

He stood up, walking across the room to where she was "attractive huh?" He smiled, the distance between them getting less and less as he inches himself towards her.

Her face flushed "I-" she couldn't speak for a moment, her usually snap back attitude gone.

"cat got your tongue? Or do I have the upper hand in this situation?" He smiled, stopping in front of her. She had to admit in this moment he did have the upper hand, he had her flustered, Something she wasn't use to.

She waved her hand, forming a small radio. Snapping her fingers, guitar chords began to play. It was a song that was familiar to her "Raven hair, and ruby lips" she sang, smiling at the witch hunter, lifting her hand "sparks fly from her finger tips" she smirked as small sparks shot from her fingers. She took off her cloak, revealing her outfit underneath. Her hips barely covered by a black skirt that was split on both sides, showing off her thick thighs, a midriff corset, revealing much of her cleavage.

He licked his lips at her, watching her sway to the music "she's a restless spirit on an endless flight! Oooo, witchy woman, see how high she flies!" She leaned against him, feeling him gently undo the straps to her corset."she held me spellbound in the night!"

A smile formed on his face, this was a different type of intimacy then he was use to. Most women would just throw themselves at him, but Alessandra made him come alive in ways he didn't know we're possible. Still swaying her hips to the music, she stopped when he gently grabbed her arm, pulling her to him.

In this moment, Alessandra knew the witch hunter was in control and she didn't know why but she liked it. He undid what was left of the straps to her corset, letting it slide off her breasts.

"you're beautiful!" He groaned, cupping her breasts in his large hands. She pulled her lower lip between her teeth, spinning herself around in his arms. Pushing his jacket off his shoulders, and ripping his shirt open, she pressed herself against him, their lips inches apart.

With a hunger he didn't know was in him, he smashed his lips to hers, kissing her as if he was trying to devour her. She returned the sentiment, running her hands down his hard chest, his muscles flexing at her touch. His desire for her growing with every move of their lips. Alessandra moaned Into their kiss, goosebumps forming when his hands touched her bare skin.

In that moment neither of them cared that their relationship was forbidden, Their desire for each other outweighing logic. Roman picked her up, wrapping her legs around his waist "this needs to come off!" He growled, as his lips attached themselves to her neck.

A smile formed on Alessandra's face as she waved her hand, removing both of their clothes "I can get use to this!" The witch hunter smiled.

"that's just the beginning!" She smiled, teleporting them to his room. When he realized where he was, Roman smirked "you little minx!"

Alessandra pulled her bottom lip between her teeth "what can I say? I know what I want!"

"so do I!" He smirked, slowly kissing down her stomach, to her hip "get a taste of magick, lick a witch!" As he went lower, he looked up at her, never breaking eye contact as his tongue flicked against her clit. Alessandra gasped, throwing her head back in ecstasy "fuck!" She groaned, undoing his hair that was still tied up in it's neat manbun, watching it cascade over his broad shoulders.

With each flick of his tongue he drove her closer to the edge. Her hands wove through his hair as he bucked her hips against his tongue. A deep chuckle escapes his lips "I knew you tasted delicious!" He growled.

"I d-didnt k-now-" Alessandra tried to speak but pleasure over took her, her back arching off the bed as she exploded on his lips. He lapped up every drop like a humming bird sipping nectar from a flower.

He helped her rise out her orgasm, licking his lips as he pulled away from her, his beard soaked with her juices "what were you going to say beautiful?" He asked with a soft, yet mischievous chuckle.

Her chest still having from the ecstas6she just experienced, she finally got to say what she had been trying to earlier "I didn't know you were a silver tongued menace!" She said in between breaths, a satisfied smile on her face.

"that's just the beginning!" He smirked, mimicking her earlier statement. He crawled over top of her, his lips finding her neck once more "my tongue works wonders but wait til I make you scream my name while I fuck this beautiful pussy!" He growled in her ear.

She moved her head to attach her lips to his neck, mimicking him "or is it you who's gonna be screaming my name while I'm bouncing on that cock!" She growled In his ear. Roman felt his cock twitch, she was the first woman to match his energy and it turned him on even more.

In a swift motion he flipped her over, lifting her ass in the air so her dripping pussy was against his hardened flesh. He teased her soaked core, sliding himself through her slick folds "so damn wet for me baby girl!" He growled.

"please!" She begged, wiggling her ass. He snakes his hand into her hair, pulling her head back "please what?" He said, his voice deep with need, but stern enough to make her pussy drip even more "please just fuck me!" She groaned.

Well since you asked so nicely!" He growled, sliding his hardened flesh in her warmth "uhn! You're fucking soaked baby!" He groaned, sliding In slowly, letting her adjust to him.

Alessandra buried her face in the pillow, trying to hide her loud groans "arch that back for me beautiful, let me hear those moans!" He growled, moving his hands to her hips.

"My gods you're so fucking tight! Mhm!!" His groans became louder as he bottomed out in her soaked pussy, pulling out before sliding back in again, each thrust harder then the last. Alessandra matches his rhythm, bouncing her ass against him "fuck! You feel so good!" Alessandra groaned, looking over her shoulder at him. Romans group.on her hips tightened. Her pussy was suckling him in each time he pulled out of her "fuck! The way that pussy is gripping my cock! Uhn! You've spoiled me any other woman! You little minx!" He growled.

Alessandra smiled, bouncing her ass against him more. Each time he'd hit her spot, her pussy would squeeze him, milking him as he fucked her into the bed.

Both of them knowing they were proving watched by both sides of magic but neither of them caring. They were to lost in the moment to care.

"Fuck!" Alessandra groaned, her walla tightening around him. "That's a good girl! Give it to me!" He growled, his own release nearing. He felt her walla squeeze him and Alessandra's groans echoed off the Walls.

"You just keep milking my cock! Fuck I'm gonna cum!" His groans echoed hers, his grip on her hips tightened as his thrusts became erratic, his orgasm spilling his seed Into her in what felt like the best orgasm of his life. Alessandra kept bouncing her hips against his, helping him ride out his orgasm.

He slowly pulled out of her before collapsing on the bed, his chest heaving up and down "c'mere beautiful!" He smiled at her, pulling her close to him "that was incredible!" He smiled.

Alessandra laid her head on his chest "the witch seduced the witch hunter!" She giggled..

He gave her a small kiss before he smiled at her "it would seem she did!"

[caramelcleopatraa]

The groupchat finds out you're a freak

Characters: Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, Trinity, Talia (OC), Roman

CW: Suggestive themes, alluding to sexual activities

🏷️ taglist @reignsboy19 @2-muchsauce @theninthwonder @harmshake @alichesmi @thesamoanqueen @msbigredmachine

@alyyaanna @empressdede @badbitchcentralinc @christinabae @fame-ass-ers @southerngirl41 @cyberdejos2 @murrylove

@sassginaswanmills @pixiedust4000 @shes2real @pittieprincess22 @wrestlingprincess80

[333creolelady]

Lady Of The Blue Bakunawa Ch.8

Roman Reigns (Pirate) X Black Afab! OC

Warnings: Mentions of su*c*dal ideation, use of the word Su*c*de, Death of animal, Gore, Cursing, Water accidents, Scary creatures, Angst (with fluff). Paranoia. This is a lengthy one guys.

Official Story Playlist link Here

Alternative Playlist link Here

Chapter 7 <-

Next chapter : TBA ->

Official story PL songs this chapter: Igloo, Will you help me, Going in, The sixth station, Too close, The Legend of Ashitaka

Alternative songs this chapter: Slow life, St Jude, Nothing but trouble, Time, Nice Dream, Motion picture soundtrack, Suzanne

Cover by: @joannasteez

Tags for those who asked about new chapter: @2-muchsauce @sortudademais @joannasteez

Roman POV

Roman sat on the Cabin floor watching Jane sleep in his arms while wearing her soaking wet clothes. His fingers brushed the sides of her face as he recalls the day he met her. It was much like this but in somewhat different circumstances. He could only describe this place as the feeling of being in a dream. Disconnected from his body, perhaps floating above it but still present. Tunnel visioned.

He remembers the feel of her heart racing against his flesh as they stared at the Dragon head on. Facing one’s own mortality was a humbling experience. He was as terrified as she was. He found no point in trying to avoid what would happen. All he could do was accept their ending. At least he would meet his end holding the woman he loved. Had he been alone, he wasn’t so sure if he would have accepted his fate so easily.But to have death graze his flesh and beckon him forward? To feel his soul bend, twist,and tear from his flesh. To feel the crash of the boat, the frigid water, the splintered wood. To feel the terror and the despair. It was simply unimaginable.

Through it all, he blanketed himself around her the best way he could. Reality bent around them. Screams of terror echoed in the gut of the beast. Her fingers clung to him and his to hers. They flipped, spinned, whirled, and were ultimately swallowed and submerged. And then…they were spat out into what could only be described as uncharted land.

It would seem as though this place was not of the world. It was foreign, alien, different. From what he could see out of the window, even the sand was a different color from what he was used to.

Some of his comrades woke up laying outside of the ship on the sand bed, others were still inside of the splintered ship. Jane and Himself ended up on the cabin floor, him at the door and her in the back of the room. He crawled towards her, ignoring the calls for him in the distance. He hadn’t moved a muscle and wouldn’t until he saw the light come back into her eyes again.

As she slept peacefully, her key was warm and glowing. He suspected that the dragon spared them because of that key. However, as long as she wore it, her life would be in danger. Her body was littered with bleeding scratches and deep purple bruises. His skin suffered the same fate. It felt like the boat itself had been ripped apart and then miraculously put back together.

An unrecognizable sense of gratitude washed over him when he saw her in their room, banged up but unscathed. To know that she had been spared. To know that he will feel his mouth on hers again, he will hear her voice, see her smile, feel her skin. Gratitude…sheer gratitude to be alive. Grateful to feel the heart beating in his chest, to hear waves crashing, to feel the dampness of his clothes. Grateful to be alive. Grateful to know the story didn’t end here. That they still had time. Yet, he was fearful of something that he could not place.

He could only surmise it as the fear of God. The same fear of God that many people around him possessed that he didn't quite understand before.. He never feared death. He didn’t have a particular God that he believed in or a religion he subscribed to. But some force…be it the Dragon, Universe, or something else entirely…spared him. He was spared and it was riveting and terrifying. Terrifying to be acquainted with the Black, quiet, stillness of Death and to be pulled out of it in an instant — reborn like a child.

Jane woke with a gasp calling his name, “ Roman…Roman ”, she rasped. The salt had burned her throat. His name was the first word she spoke after such a horrific thing. Almost as if her thoughts of him hadn’t stopped in her slumber.

“ You’re alive. We’re alive Jane”, he whispered in the crook of her neck.

“ Are you…are you sure ?”, she sniffled. He hummed against her cheek, pressing soft kisses to it.

Roman shrugs.“ The universe knew I promised you that ice cream ”, he chuckled. A cautious smile spread over her face as she finally opened her eyes. She cracked them open, blinking slowly to adjust to the light of the room. Her brown orbs looked around the cabin and then finally they focused on him, her pupils dilating in size when she saw his face. She smiled sweetly at him and him at her.

He could see that same gratitude on her face as well. “ I’m happy to be alive”, she whispered softly, closing her eyes again. And knowing what he knew now about Jane, that wasn’t always the case. He grateful for it.

“ I’m happy to be alive with you”, he said quietly. He pulls him to her with ease, and places her in his lap. They embrace in a comfortable silence. She pulled away holding his face..“ What will we do? Where are we? How will we get out of here ?”

“ I’m not sure.I don’t know. We still have a map. The compass is spinning on itself constantly. I don’t know if we’re actually anywhere …?”, said Roman. His face mirrored the same confusion as her own.

“ What do you mean ?”

“ I mean…I don’t think we’re in a place that’s to be considered…Worldly. ”

“ Worldy..”, she tried the words on her lips.

“ Yes…do you remember what happened ?”

“ I remember feeling like I was falling and now I'm here.”

“ The Dragon…?”, he hinted. Her eyes widened in terror thinking back to that fateful night on the boat. He adds, “ I don’t think we’re in some distant ocean anymore Jane. I think we’re inside the Dragon.”

A peculiar questioning look danced on her face as if she was not entirely convinced. She went to stand and Roman followed suit. She looked around the drenched cabin, looking at the ruined items.

“ If we get out of here, what I buy for you will pale in comparison to what you own now. Don’t worry, Dove.”

“ It’s not just my things Roman…yours too. All of it. All our belongings. Things that cannot be replaced.”

He looks at his soaked booked collection with pages ripped out. The room resembled the aftermath of a poltergeist “ Were alive…it’s all that matters. We will have more memories to make.”

“Not if we can’t leave this place”, she warned.

A voice calls out in the distance. “ Is she awake ??!”

The two walk out of the cabin to see Caden standing outside with a worried look. He rushes to inspect her. “ Are you alright ?? You were the last to wake up.”

“ I’m okay. No worries”, she urged, squeezing his hand in reassurance. Other voices call to for Roman’s attention.

“ Cap!!!!!’ “

“ Captain! “

“ Cap’n!”

Jane POV

Jane looked at him knowingly, not minding that he was clearly needed by his crew. He looks at her hesitantly.. a look that says “are you sure you’re okay?”. She smiles knowingly and nudges his arm in approval. He kisses her temple and heads back down to the sand to assist his men.

“ How long has it been?”, she asks Caden.

“ We’ve been here since the Sun was the highest. We are a couple hours from sunset I believe.”

“ That’s no good. It will get cold fast”, she warned

“ A couple of the men are in the tree line trying to find some dry wood to burn. We’ve found a few pieces.”

“ Was any food salvaged?”

“ Half of the jarred items. We don’t have enough food to last us on the way back. Maybe 2-3 months if we spread out the meals.”

“ We’ll have to live off the sea if it comes to it. Do we have any fresh water left ?”

“ No, it was lost to the sea. We’ve found a tree bearing fruit with water however”

“ Coconut. It will hold us over here but it won’t last if find a way to journey back. Rainwater will have to do but don’t drink it fresh– lest it turn your stomach. Boil it first”

“ Aye”, Caden leaves her to spread the word to the other members of the ship.

Worry fills her gut. Even if they live off the land and survive here for a few months, they won’t be able to survive the journey back without clean water. Their only hope was Roman—who’s descended from people who lived off the land for centuries. She overheard him explaining which plants were poisonous and which weren’t. He’d already known which fish were the best to eat ..which was helpful. However his memory failed him at times because of how long he’d been removed from his home. Two months without food was difficult but survivable. Without water however? Impending Death. The ship needed repairs that could take months to actually finish. This situation was impossible. Was the treasure really worth it if they wouldn’t live long enough to see use it ?

Instead of mentally spiraling she decides to start collecting personal items and mementos from the shore, sorting them into a large pile. She sees Roman in the distance talking with such conviction and frustration. Everybody looked so tired. Perhaps being reunited with their photos and personal belongings would bring them back some cheer.

She focused on her task until nightfall. Some of the men were able to find some dried wood behind the tree line and made a sizable bonfire. Everybody gathered around it. She walked through the crowd trying to find her love. Roman was on the opposite side, adding more wood to the flame. The heaviness of his eyes subsided when he saw her. She rushed over to his side, gluing herself to it like a second skin. She could feel his muscles relax as he wrapped his free hand around her waist. Things were bad but with him near…it was all manageable. She’d never felt that way about anyone before. “ Hungry?” He asks her. She nods.

One thing about living on the sea, every man had experience with fishing. Tonight they found a plethora of sea creatures to eat. Fish, crabs, muscles, a few lobsters, and even a baby squid. They pushed everything on sticks and broiled it over the fire before tearing it away with their teeth. Everyone was so hungry that barely anyone spoke but a few words during dinner. Too sun drunk and hungry to care about anything.

Roman fed her pieces of raw fish…the safe ones of course. She only really agreed to it because it was an excuse to feel his fingers in her mouth. She bit him playfully during the bigger bites which made him twitch away before his eyes darkened.

“ Oh how lucky you are that we have no room to ourselves”, he warned quietly. She chuckled quietly.Coming so close to death and being stranded had changed her feelings about many things. She smiled knowingly. If they made it out of this…the things she would let him do…

Her mind turned back to their current issue at hand. Food. Water. Fire. Boat. Treasure— in no order.

“ Do we have a plan?”, Caleb asked out loud. The men chewed in deep thought.

“ I’ve heard stories that the pirate who finds the treasure gets three wishes. Maybe if we find that treasure we can find a way to get out of here sooner and put an end to all of this ?”, said Cortez.

“ But there’s no way to know for sure. What if we make it there and there is no wish?”, asked Adhar.

“ What do we have left to lose at this point? We’ve already lost everything?”, Said Rory.

“ We have the coconuts and we’ll collect the rainwater. Everybody here can miss a meal… we’ll be okay but we must have the water. The seafood is plentiful..we can eat that along with our rations that we salvaged. I know a few plants that are edible. We can keep searching the forest for fruit”, Roman suggested.

“ What if it doesn’t rain and we run out of coconuts ? And what about the boat?”, said Jane.

“ We can rebuild a boat using the scraps we find. There is plenty of plank wood here from other ship wrecks. If it comes to it we’ll try to start this from scratch”, Said Roman.

Jane winced. “ I don’t know…that could take months.”

“ The time will pass anyway. Everyone is stable for now. We’ve got food and water. All that’s left to do is find that treasure and figure out how to use it to our advantage”, Roman urged.

“ Captain is right. We don’t have much else to lose”, Caden agreed.

Adhar spoke up. “ So when do we go?”,

“ Dawn. We all need rest first”, said Roman.

“ I volunteer my services Cap’n”, Said Rory.

“ As do I”, said William

“ And me.. Obviously ”, says Adhar.

“ And I”, Jane squeezes Roman’s hand reassuringly. She can already see the protest etching itself across Roman’s face. “ Remember..what you promised me.”

Roman sighs in frustration. “ I know…but this is more dangerous Jane. We don’t know what could come from this. There could be dangerous animals…poisonous insects. We don’t know what we’re up against.”

“ You feel it..I feel it. Remember ? We do this together. Besides, I have the key. The creature said I can’t take it off unless I open the treasure. I was meant to be by your side for this”, Jane pleads.

Roman looks at her in deep thought, “ I just want to protect you…”, he whispers quietly to her.

“ I know you do. You’ve done the best you can. I can’t ask for a better…”, the words fall short of her lips.

Roman’s brows furrow playfully. “A …Better ?”, he chuckled, wondering what she would say. She didn’t squirm or shy away from his teasing.

“ A better…. Match”, she muttered softly looking down at her half empty coconut.

“ That most certainly works”, he smiled, pouring the rest of his coconut water into her shell.

The rest of the night was filled with strategizing, the occasional chuckle thanks to Rory, and more eating. Rest followed and it came swiftly.

Roman POV

He was up before the sun, stomping out the weak flames left from the bonfire. He checks his map once, twice, thrice. His stomach was turning with an unexplainable anxiousness. This treasure would determine if everything was worth it.

If he was a better man he would say that finding Jane was the real treasure and to some degree it was. She came into his life and filled it with unimaginable joy. However, now the goal post has moved. It was his duty to make sure that the rest of Jane’s life was spent in comfort. Those riches were no longer his the moment his eyes laid on her and deep down he knew that. She was his greatest weakness and rarest Jewel now. It's said that pirates do not have a weakness for women. The sea was their betrothed, rum was their mistress, a good woman was a small vacation. Jane became an all encompassing paradise even at a time like this.

William awakened next, helping him sharpen blades and swords. Crossbows were prepared, Meat rations organized, Coconut water collected. Extra pairs of shoes and clothes were salvaged. After a brief meeting on the terms and conditions of this journey with his men, he was ready. Roman wakes Jane last and she’s quick to come to her senses, readying herself and her hair for the long journey ahead. He laces her boots for her when she’s done. Her fingers comb through his hair as he takes care of her. He noticed he enjoyed being in servitude to her above all else.

As the sun broke the horizon they headed off into the bushes. Roman was first in line and Jane was immediately behind him. He swatted their path with a machete, sinking deeper into an alien jungle with sounds they’ve never quite heard before.

In all the books he’s read about pirates and treasure, they never seem to emphasize just how much the walk winds you before anything else. 5 miles in heat with patches of sunlight peeking through at just the right moments to singe the skin. Biting gnats, snakes, loud fucking birds screeching every moment of the goddamned day. Breathing feels like being under a blanket. The humidity is dizzying. This part may very well be worse than the boat wreck.

“ Break… please for the love of god”, William groaned.

“ Alright. We’ll stop here until the sun gives some reprieve—Jane”, Roman beckons her to him and hands her some coconut water that he collected in a canister. She takes it gratefully.

“ Not to sound like a wuss but this might as well be soup”, Adhar sighed.

“ Better than nothing”, Jane laughed.

“ I’ll drink to that”, William chuckled

The group set down their bags and supplies to take a much needed rest. Roman checked his compass and it continued spinning just like it had on the boat. He looked at it questionably and put it back into his pocket. Jane caught his expression, sharing the same worried look.

“This was certainly not how I pictured it. Nothing like the rumors I’ve heard”, Rory spoke up.

“And what have you heard ?”, says Jane.

“Myth says that the place that holds the treasure is full of diversions and tricks of the eye”, said Rory.

“Ay… they say that entire crews slaughtered themselves from sheer paranoia”, Cortez warns.

“ Umm, you didn’t think that would have been a helpful piece of information to mention before we’re miles into the jungle”, Jane scoffed.

“ You all forget that many of the rumors that we’ve heard have not been true. Few have held up to their gossip. There is no need to worry yet”, Roman interjects.

“ And if it is?”, says Jane.

Roman’s tone is flippant now. “I’ll cut any tongue that rises against you”.

Jane’s brow raises in suspicion. “Even your own?”

“Especially my own”, Roman smirked.

A mischievous look appears on Jane’s face. “Spare it for me. I’ve grown fond of it.”

Noises of gagging and disgust roll across the group like school children. Jane laughs.

“ Alright you love birds. What we really need to be worried about is what god forsaken creatures lurk in the night “, Adhar warns.

“ Indeed. I’ve heard noises out of nightmares seep from the tree line when we were on the beach. They sound rather large”, says Cortez.

Roman scoffs “ We have enough knives and gunpowder in our inventory to turn whatever that is into beef tartar as far as i'm concerned. Instead of worrying about what’s to come, why don’t you all shut your mouths and preserve your breath. You’re going to need it”, Roman dismissed the crew. Jane playfully saluted him with an “Aye Aye Captain” gesture which he secretly found amusing.

And they indeed needed it. When the sun hid behind the trees they set foot towards the center of the island. The descent was hilly and rocky, requiring core muscles and quick recovery. And then suddenly the terrain changed from a vast jungle to damp, humid, and muddy. Adhar fell on his bottom and the others followed suit eventually. Roman was lucky enough to stay upright, which tickled Jane. She found it peculiar how a man so large seemed to have the balance and agility of a cat.

The night ended cold. They started a fire and put 1 person on guard at a time. Camp was set up and tents were rolled out before everyone had a quick bite to eat. The morning came stiff. Jane pulled herself to her feet, stretching to relieve the ache in her joints. She looked around at the crew. They were all sweaty, dirty, and flushed from the exhaustion and the heat.

Roman holds up a large jar. “I Have pickled eggs if anyone wants breakfast.”

“Yes”, said Jane.

“Thank fuck. I’m starving”, said Adhar.

“Is it your goal to make us shit ourselves in the middle of the damned jungle with so much as a leaf to wipe our asses ?”Rory asked seriously.

“Beggars can’t be choosers”, Cortez shrugged with a smirk.

Roman shook his head. “ Look, It’s either that or beans”, Roman declared.

The entire group groaned at the word beans.

After a painfully humble breakfast, the journey continued for another day. More hot terrins, more mud, more mosquitoes, more sweat. As if the universe finally decided to give the group a break, it started raining again. At first it was welcomed as they all sat in a circle cooling off from such a difficult day of walking. Twenty minutes pass and it’s still pouring hard, so hard that the rain pellets begin to sting. The greenery was sparse in this part of the island which meant there was nowhere to hide. Jane looked to the sky wondering how many more days of this could she endure? Her joints were aching, her hair was dry and brittle, she even had a sun rash. She grew up running barefoot on beaches as a small child, knowing her skin absorbed every bit of the heat that shined down on her. Now her skin was tight and raw like the skin on her lips.

“This was a mistake..” she whispered quietly, head hanging between her crouched knees as she sat on the sparse wet grass.

Maybe life on the boat was treasure enough. Maybe a new found love was the treasure. Maybe a handsome man with generous pockets was the treasure–not this. NOT this.

Roman turned to Jane, just as dried out as her. He didn't look tired like her, strangely enough. He assessed his crew. They were dirty, tired, and sizzling out of the motivation from the reduction of food.

“ Dove.. we are close. Another day or two and we should be there “, He mused.

“ I know, I know. I underestimated this journey is all”, she confessed.

“ We are on the right track… trust. Everything on this map has come to pass”, Roma explains.

Jane turned her defeated eyes to his compass and then back to him warily. She inspected the caked dirt under her nails. Maybe she should have stayed behind but she couldn't rest knowing that he might be in danger. She would be just as miserable back at the beach as she was now. However, she had the key. It would not have mattered anyway.. A deep chuckle tickled her ears and a sneer paused just behind her teeth. She was days shy of her period and incredibly irritable.

“What's so funny?” she snapped at Roman.

He looked at her quizzically. “ I didn't say anything love”, He frowned.

“ I heard you fucking laughing. You think this is funny?”, Jane grew increasingly angry. The laughter played in her head over and over again. Strange inquisitive eyes looked back at her. Did they all think she was a joke for coming on this trip? Better yet, did they find her to be a burden? Someone they always had to look after? Undoubtedly weaker. She could feel her composure cracking. She stood up, gathering her pack and started walking away. Roman was on her heels, calling out to her.

He grabs her forearm and spins her around. Her face is pulled back in a tight annoyance that he’s never seen before. If the circumstances were lighter he would chuckle at the cuteness of it. A slow smile spreads across his face thinking of all the times he would provoke her to annoyance on the boat just to tease her.

“And you have the nerve to do it again?”, she scoffs at that sly smirk. She would melt underneath it had she not been so upset.

“This place is playing tricks on your mind, on your heart and soon your desires I'm sure. Stay focused Jane….there is no time to crack under the pressure”, he reasons.

Her face dropped in confusion and embarrassment. He smiled softly at her, smoothing her hair back under the slick of the rain.

“ It’s not just you.. Adhar believes something is following us. William isn't sleeping. Cortez is talking to himself. Rory is paranoid. As for myself, recurring nightmares that are even worse than when I was on the ship. It’s not just you who’s feeling the pressure. Remember why you’re here. Remember why we did this Jane”, he spoke carefully and firmly in that soft and disarming tone that always unraveled her defenses. She looked behind him at the group. They looked just as defeated. How hasn't she seen it before? How was this place already crumbling their composure? Nothing has happened yet?

“ I- I’m sorry”, She muttered.

“ S’okay. Come. Let’s take a nap. You are over tired and clearly very cranky”, he coaxed.

It pained her to admit to herself that she was indeed tired. She woke up warm and damp from the sun's feeble attempt to dry everything the sky had drenched. Her mood had not lightened. The boys collected rain water and boiled it, bottling it in the leather flasks they brought with them. The hike continued and continued with no breaks in between. Roman was growing increasingly restless and the lack of sleep had not helped. Cortez looked like a zombie and William was silently losing it by the hour. Adhar had gone blank hours ago. Rory was having full conversations with himself. Jane’s paranoia was etched across her face and she wasn't hiding it all that well.

Roman POV

That night they set up camp in a drier terrain and everyone became increasingly withdrawn. Roman sat by the fire with some large insect skewered onto a makeshift shank that he cut from his knife. He twirled it over the fire watching its hairs singe and trickle into the flames. In his peripheral he can see Jane sharpening her knife while looking over her shoulder. She was becoming increasingly hostile and anti-social despite his attempts to settle her. Adhar was rocking back and forth in front of him, staring into the fire. Williams looked anxious, looking over at Jane as if she herself was anywhere near his equal in size and height. Rory was walking in circles angrily, torching large flies that circled the camp. Cortez's eyes darted to him and then Jane's in a worried manner.

Roman began to worry that this journey would end in the bloodshed of one another. In just a few days the crew had become shells of themselves, personifying their worst fears or habits. Was it this island? Was it the hunger? Was it the heat? His thoughts ponder the stories he’d heard in Pubs and Taverns. There were talks trips that ended in bloody murder with crews turning on each other. Other stories said crews went mad and ate each other. It all started to come back to him and soon he realized that he should not have let Jane come.

Suddenly Williams stormed over to Jane and she stood defensively, knife in hand at the ready.

“Give me back my fucking flask”, William sneered at her.

“ I don't have your flask you ignorant Ogre”, Jane snapped.

“ I saw you hide it in your fucking boot. I won't ask again. Give me my flask or so help me I will fucking –”,

Roman shouted, “ Hey ! Cut it out!”

“ Stay away from me. I’ll gut you like a fish if you get any closer!”, Jane warned.

“ That’s it!” William took a step forward pulling Jane's arm which prompted her to slice her blade across his arm drawing blood. Roman sprung into action, tackling William to the ground in a blind rage. He begins to hit him repeatedly. Cortez and Adhar rush to pull him off but his brute strength makes it a task. Jane snaps out of her haze and screams.

“ Roman, stop it!”, she cries. Tears fill her eyes watching William’s bloody face curl in confusion and anger. He wraps his pinned leg around Romans calf and flips him over. Now William is wailing against him but not for long, as Roman pulls William’s face towards his mouth and bites him.

A long, groaning, agonizing, high pitched screech floats through the thick night air. The sound is so distinct that it freezes everybody in place. They all quiet down to inspect– to see if what they just heard was real. Jane’s tearful face is pulled back in fear as she looks at Cortez. Cortez’s eyes are scarily wide, like saucers. He looks past her, staring at something in the distance. She slowly turns her head to look behind her. At first her eyes didn't catch the figure because it was pitched black outside the boundary of light that the fire provided.

However, once her eyes adjusted to the contrast, she could make out the shape of what she assumed was a man. Her eyes started at the feet first. The soles of the black boots were missing, exposing the gray withered feet underneath them. What little clothes were left on the body hung off in shreds which allowed the rotting flesh to peak through underneath them. It was a person, or rather, it once was a person. What once held two healthy eyes were now clouded with blue and gray tones. There was no iris in sight. The skin on the face was pulled tight, exposing the angles of the skull in a harsh light. The nose was half eaten by decay and the top part of its lip was missing, showing rotten upper teeth. The jaw jutted from its skull as it drooled a thick black substance. A gaping hole where its heart should be, mirrored the plants and trees that it stood in front of.

“ C…C”, Jane fought to get a word out. She was paralyzed, jaw slack and frozen with fear.

Before any sudden movement could be made the creature made another shrieking ear piercing cry and darted straight for Jane, knocking her flat on her butt with a thump. It began to claw at her as Jane held her hands out protectively. The men were on it in seconds.

There was no question that 5 men on 1 man would be an easy win. Yet, no matter how many times Roman or William sheathed their knives into the creature, it would continue snarling, roaring, and snapping at the group completely unfazed by the injury. Roman looked just as disturbed as Jane who still sat on the damp ground in shock. In utter disbelief, Roman pulled out his pistol and pressed the barrel against the forehead of the creature. Roman experimentally pulls the trigger and it bursts rotten brain fragments everywhere.

In a quiet shaky voice Cortez whispers “ Amalanhig.”

“ On a scale of 1-10 how fucked are we ?”, Rory groans. He studies the headless corpse on the ground. Another snarl in the distance jolts everyone on their feet. A second scream pushes everyone to grab their packs. A third screech sends multiple bodies of the undead barreling towards them, revealing themselves from behind the treeline.

“ Royally… Run!”, Adhar yells.

Roman hauls over his shoulder. There would be no room for mistakes, tripping, or falling behind. Jane didn’t protest at all, and he could tell by the fear in her face that she would completely disappear from this situation if she could.

Jane POV

What she did not expect was for these creatures to be so fast? They were agile on their feet, snarling and convulsing as they ran after the group. Jane counted 10 and then 20….30 or more? She slipped the gun from Romans holster on his waist and began to shoot with the ammunition he left inside. It was difficult to get a good shot because of the bouncing. Head shots were the only thing that got the creatures to stop. Eventually she was able to take out two of the creatures. Williams pulled his musket from its case and briefly stopped every few meters to shoot. Jane tried to help him as best she could but after a few minutes the men were getting winded and the undead started to gain on them.

“ FUCK!”, Roman snarled angrily.

Cortez called out in a worried winded tone as he sprinted alongside the men, “ If anybody has an idea..now would be a good time to say something!”

Before Roman could say anything Jane shouted, “Trees!”

“ And if they don't disperse!?” Rory shouted over the noise.

“ I smell water. I think there may be a clearing up ahead !”, said Roman

The last 2 minutes to the lake felt like ages. William nearly got bit and Jane ran out of gunpowder. Guns were to be used sparingly.

“ I see it! just up ahead guys!”, Adhar yells. Jane turns her neck to look behind her. A paddle boat can be seen in the distance. Jane could feel a scream rising in her throat thinking of all the things that could go wrong in these next pivotal moments. She whimpered, “ The boat isn’t big enough!”

“ I’ll push and you all paddle. You stay in that boat. Do you hear me?!”, Roman scolded. He could see the wheels turning in her head. He needed to ensure her safety.

The group descended into the water like a life raft. Roman harshly shoved Jane into the boat, in fear that she would protest or try to help him. Only 5 people could fit inside the paddle boat. Roman pushed the boat deeper into the water as quickly as he could. The creatures descended into the shallow shore, heavy on his tail. Rory and Adhar picked up the oars and began to row to add to the momentum. Just before Jane could let out a breath of relief, Roman is pulled under the water by the dozens of creatures that had sunken to the bottom. A blood curdling scream spills from Jane’s mouth,“ ROMAN NO!! NOO!!!!”. She lunges for the water but William holds her back.

“ LET GO OF ME! FUCKING LET GO!!”, She screeches as she tries to throw her legs over the side of the boat. She is no match for William’s strength.

William’s face hardens, “Captain's orders, nothing is to happen to you”, he explains.

“ You won’t have a Captain to take orders from if you do nothing!!”, She cries.

“ We swore to Roman to protect you and that’s just what we’ll do”, says Rory. His eyes were filled with tears as he continued to push the oar in sync with Cortez.

Jane looked around in disbelief. It would seem that she was out of the loop on this agreement. She kept checking the water for signs of him. Signs that he would spring back up. Unfortunately there was a heavy fog that persisted across the entirety of the lake and the shore had disappeared behind it.

After five minutes there was no sign of him as the night fell quiet and the groans of the creatures were distant and far away. The group was completely silent, all looking ahead with solemn expressions. All she heard was the oars hitting the water and the sound of her heartbeat in her ears. An unimaginable wail spilled from her mouth so violently that she had to brace her hands on her knees. The panic and grief washed over her in unrelenting waves as she looked around in disbelief. She could not catch her breath. She could not hold in the pain and the betrayal of his sacrifice.

“ He– this cant... I can’t. —”, she hiccuped. She began to feel dizzy. William pressed both of his hands on her shoulders. Adhar looked at her with a worried expression.

“ Breath Jane…. ”

Williams' attempts at calming Jane were useless. It was a second. She was in his arms moments before this and now he was gone? She blinked and he was gone? She was trembling now. There was nothing she could do. There was nothing that would change this. She sobbed despite the kind words that the group tried to pacify her with. What followed was a numbing silence.

She had no interest in finding the treasure now. She never really cared about the treasure. She came along with Roman because she had fallen in love with him. This was Roman’s dream. This was Roman’s story and she was happily a supporting character in it. What could any of this mean? What was the point of her falling for this man all those months ago, just for fate to rip them apart? Why would life give her this sweetness to take it away? She knew this was too good to be true. She knew it was only a matter of time before everything that she had was ripped from underneath her.

For the next hour, she stared at the boots she wore. He bought them for her at a small port where they only spoke Spanish. He dazzled her with his fluency when he purchased them. He laced her shoes for her a few mornings ago before they left. She counted the laces over and over again. One by one. She decided that she must never take the shoes off especially when it was the last thing he had done for her. Within 20 minutes, they reached the other side of the island. She physically had to be removed from the boat. Adhar grabbed onto her protectively, guiding her to sit on a beached log just a few meters from the water.

The men began to set up camp. This is where they would sleep for the night. Rory made a Bonfire. William heated up some of the jarred food items. Cortez loaded the pistols. That night she sat in front of the bonfire thinking. Rory had taken her weapons. He explained that Roman had told him to do it in the event that he passed. The thought earned a bitter chuckle out of her.

She woke up before everyone else. She was all vinegar, nothing but bitterness wafted from her. Another day in this inescapable hell. She thought the rest of the men would be lucky if they got out of this place. The boat rocked against the pebbled shore causing a scraping sound that got her attention. The very least she could do was look for him. She couldn’t let his body stay here, she wouldn’t stand for that.

She took the paddle boat out before anyone could stop her. The fog was thick, too thick to see that far in front of her. It didn’t stop her from calling his name. She didn’t know why she called for him knowing she saw him go under and never come up. Somewhere in her heart she wanted to be wrong. She could not fully accept the truth. There was not a single sign of life in the water, it felt just as dead as the corpses that still snapped and growled along the other side of the shore. She watched them in disdain, wondering how she could torture something that was already long gone.

She eventually turned the boat around, deciding to make a full perimeter of the Lake instead of cutting directly across. There could be no inch unchecked or disregarded. She knew that if she returned to the shore without his body she would not make it through the night.

It began to rain heavily which made it harder to see or hear. She screamed his name into the rain, wondering how much the downpour drowned out her voice.

Nothing…just stillness and rain. She began to cry again as her eyes scanned the water. She gave up the boat to the movement of the current. The tears wracked her as if it had happened all over again. A large thud pulled her out of her hysteria because the force of it knocked her forward onto her knees. She scrambled onto her feet to see a Giant piece of driftwood. She steadied herself and carefully walked to the edge of the boat. She assessed the boat for any damage and just over the edge she saw swirls of raven colored hair. Then she saw light skin, a nose, a mouth, ears, a face. She dove into the water without question.

She felt cold skin, hard muscles, hair, lips. She grabbed his limp body into her arms and positioned her body underneath his.. She mustered up as much strength as she could, a strength that she didn't even know was physically possible for her own body. She pushed him onto the boat gradually, screaming against the boat with each push forward. Eventually, she got his legs over the boat and climbed into it. With trembling hands, she placed her palms on either side of him and really looked at him. His full lips were blue and he practically had no color left to his skin. There weren’t any scratches on him or bites. He succumbed to the current. She bit her lip to hold in another cry. She placed her hands on his neck and she stilled in surprise. A light pulse….just a single flutter every few seconds. She scrambled to open his mouth and slotted hers against his. She blew hard, pushing her air into his lungs before she pressed on his chest. She pushed as hard as she could and gave him another hard gust of her air.

“ Pllleeasseee”, she cried. She continued with chest compressions. Thirty seconds rolled onto a minute. Another 30 seconds passed and then two minutes. At five minutes she began to panic, moving frantically to hold his nose and force more air. Two more hard pumps to his chest and he begins to sputter water from his mouth. A gust of relief floods her and she begins to sob.

“Baby….my baby…”, she whimpered. She could barely recognize the tone of her own voice. His eyes fluttered open as he began to cough up water. She sat him up, patting his back harshly to help him push out the fluid. The coughing went on for a good minute as he weakly slouched into his own lap. She grabbed his face and pressed it to her own. His bloodshot eyes remained closed as he took in big gulps of air, almost as if they were his very first.

“ You were gone ...I lost you”, she wailed against his weak form. A fragile hand pressed itself to her cheek.

“I-I’m here–”, he choked before choking for more air. She rested her forehead on his watching the comforting rise and fall of his chest. A chest she slept on every night.

“ Don’t you ever… EVER do that again. Do you understand me?! ”, she spat. She grabbed his face, forcing him to focus his eyes on hers.

“ Do you hear me!?”, she cried frantically

“ Okay… Okay”, He whispered delicately. He lost his voice and it was barely audible but his nod confirmed it. He was shivering and soon the cold would take him if she couldn’t get him warm. She picked up the oars and began paddling as quickly as she could back to the shore.

“ Adhar !”, she called out as they closed into the pebble bank.

“ Rory! I need your help!”,She yelled.

The men come flying out of the tent followed by Cortez and William.

“What the fuck!?”,Adhar rushed for the pair, dropping his sword on the ground.

“ I came just in time. Please we have to get him warm. Start a fire in front of the tent. He’s very weak”, she stepped out of the boat and three of the men picked him up infirmary style and placed him inside of Jane’s tent. She sprung into action, peeling off his clothes.

“ What happened ?”, said Adhar.

“ I went looking for him. I went to find his body. I wouldn't leave him in this place dead or alive. The boat mashed into driftwood and I found him floating in front of it –sinking to the bottom. I think he overexerted himself and the current pulled him under”, Jane’s tone was rushed as she pulled off his boots, throwing them behind her. Next came his shirt, weapon belt, and pants.

Roman’s teeth began to chatter, “ Jane…” he groaned.

“ I’m here… I’m here honey we just have to get you dry or you’ll get worse”, she assured in a panicked tone.

A tinge of embarrassment crossed Adhars face as he made prolonged eye contact with Roman’s bloodshot eyes, “ I’ll step out, give the man some dignity.”

Jane peeled off Roman’s underwear and placed his wet clothes in a pile at the front of the tent. She found a cotton blanket and began to rub his body with it vigorously, turning him over to dry his back and limbs. She then wrapped him in all the blankets she could possibly find . She reopened the tent to let the heat from the fire waft inside. Roman sits up now, though still very weak, he looks more alert now. William hands Jane a broth made from the animal bones that they cooked the night before. She places the mug under Roman’s lips and periodically feeds him the soup base. He takes it willingly and quietly.

On the other side of the fire Rory, Adhar, Cortez, and William sat patiently until Roman was ready to speak. Roman, still slow reacting and fairly tired, finally cleared his horse throat.

“ I….appreciate you all for taking care of my Jane while I was …gone”, he says quietly.

“ Cap’n’s orders, remember. We wouldn’t have let anything harm Jane. She’s one of us”, Saiid Rory. Jane smiles sadly knowing what she was planning to do.

“ How did you survive ?”, asked Cortez.

“ Those things pulled me down. I was able to get away but it was so dark that I could barely see. I was swimming in circles all night. I’d completely lost my sense of direction. I kept hearing things. I suppose I succumbed to my own exhaustion. There was nothing to hold onto so that I could rest. There were times I had to tread water just to catch my breath. Eventually I was able to make out a large piece of wood that was floating a couple feet away. I assume there was a current in that space or at least a light current. HadI not been so exhausted, I would have probably been able to swim through it but it swallowed me. A couple mouthfuls of water and I was …comatose. Dead to the world as far I knew,” Roman looked at Jane. She was still very upset at the whole ordeal but was holding back the tears.

“ You are very fortunate. Amalanhig are vicious creatures and they are relentless. I have never seen one before. If they are here, it means they were murdered here. If they would have dragged you to the bottom they would have likely eaten on your flesh for days”, Cortez warns.

Jane speaks up. “ He had a light pulse…I was doing compressions on him for ages. I can’t believe he even survived ”.

“ Well…what matters now is that we are all together. We’re finishing this journey how it was meant to be finished—as a group. Roman is here to guide us once more –after a few days of rest I suppose?”, says William.

Jane nodded, leaning into his side, “ No question about it. He’s too fragile for travel and now he’s at risk for infection. I’ll have to nurse him for a few days”, She sighed.

Roman snorted with humor, “ I’d protest but you’re fortunate I like you as my nurse.” He wrapped a protective arm around her.

The group said their goodnights individually, all heading off to bed. They grabbed the blankets that Jane borrowed to keep Roman warm. Rory went last, walking around the campfire. He crouched down and placed a firm hand on Roman’s shoulder. Roman looked up at him comically, just waiting for Rory to say something absurd and funny as always. A necessity at a time like this.

“ Glad to have you back. Just wanted to say…You’re lucky I respect you so much, otherwise I’d be royally pissed about you getting your ball sweat on my

Blanket Cap’n. No offense”, Rory smirked. Roman wheezes out a hearty, crackly, raspy laugh and Rory follows with an even crispier one. Jane shakes her headand rolls her eyes at their boyish humor. Rory takes his leave for the night.

Then it was just the two of them sitting in front of the fire. Roman flexed his muscles stiffly, clearly still in pain from moving them for so long. “Are you ready to go to sleep?”

Roman grunts in agreement, scooting himself further into the tent. Jane closes the tent and pulls off her boots. Roman watches her from a lying position, enjoying the view of her after such a horrible night. She turns to him and notices that he’s pulled off his blanket and was stark naked now that they had privacy. She decides to strip down to her undergarments. The fire had made it warm now, maybe too warm. When she was ready he pulled her onto his chest.

“ Are you okay?”, she asks quietly in the dark.

“ I’m okay. Are you okay?”, he says.

“ Not until we’re safe”, she sighs. He doesn’t respond but instead squeezes her hand reassuringly.

Jane nuzzled her face into his neck. “ I wish we were back on the ship…Or at some port where we could get ale and really greasy food. The simple things are what I miss the most. I don’t want to be here anymore”.

“ I know”, he says gently.

A beat of silence passes. Jane becomes distracted at the feel of his strong heart beat. A rhythm that she memorized a while ago. She remembers how weak it felt just a few hours ago.“ Why did you tell them to go on without you?”

“ I just wanted you safe. They can’t do that if they’re worried about rescuing me. I can take care of myself. I have for a very long time”, he sighs. She can hear the exhaustion settling in but she couldn’t help but protest. She didn’t want to argue.

“ Do you understand how close I was to joining you this morning in the lake ? I agreed to be a part of this crew because I fell in love with you. As much as I care for all our friends—the loss of you–I– I ”, she became flustered. He was unflinching.

“ If you follow me in death then I have failed you Jane.”

She inhales sharply. She doesn’t argue now. She let the words marinate and bounce around her head.

“ I would have hoped that if nothing else, I have shown you why life is a gift. Not something you waste behind anybody. Or any man for that matter”, he speaks softly and disarmingly. That tone. That tone he always takes with her in disagreements. Gentle, stern, vulnerable. He even presses his mouth to the top of her hair.

“ You knew what I would do…”, she said.

“ I did. That’s why I asked them to take your weapons just in case. Looking ahead you’re set up to live without me. You’ve got a home, a job waiting for you. You’ve even got an admirer in Adhar if you're willing. He would be more than happy to protect you in my absence. He already has as far as I’m concerned. You are so much more than just me Jane…”, rubs the side of her cheek with his finger lovingly. He can feel the wetness on her face and swipes it away.

Her tone turns wobbly. “ The way you’re speaking right now…as if this was a suicide mission.”

“ It wasn’t…but there is always a backup plan. Yet, fate has decided that we have more to do together. I found you…you found me. Clever how the tables turn. I should be thanking you.”

Jane said nothing. She just sniffles, trying to stop her nose from running. She cried enough today.

“ I’m sorry that I scared you. I’m sorry it even happened Jane. Allow me to make it up—-

“ I don’t want you to make it up. I don’t want anything else. I just need to feel you…I-I need to make sure you’re really here”, she sighs. She presses her face against his and he wraps his arms around her waist firmly.

The two of them fell asleep in an embrace. She woke up in the same position, face pressed into his neck and his arms still holding her. In fact, the next two days were spent mostly inside of the tent. Roman needed sleep and rest. The ambush with the undead called for a new strategy. The day time was reserved for sleeping and the night time would be reserved for traveling.

They packed up camp and rolled up their tents at sunset and restarted their journey. Roman’s accident was a hard reset on just how mind bending the island was. There was no more paranoia or anger. The only thing that mattered now was survival which outweighed the need for the treasure.

That same night of travel they evaluated Roman’s map. They had a full day of travel left which would be broken up in two nights. They would walk until dawn. Jane held onto Roman’s arm, happy with being the last two in the end of the line. She couldn't help but to keep glancing at him periodically to see if he was still himself. He was moving slower than usual and she knew that she was not completely healed from the event. On the fourth glance he caught her and smiled, placing his hand over her own.

“ Listen up you Ingrates”, he called out in a joking manner.

The group paused, giving him their full attention. He held up the map in his hand.

“ This map has an illustration on it suggesting that we are approaching the territory of hostile animals. All weapons should be loaded and ready for fire”, he warned

A slew of curses rolls throughout the group.

“ What Kind of animal ?”, Asks cortez.

“ I am not sure. It’s just an illustration of animal teeth with large canines. My bet is on some kind of large cat with how tropical the area is. It is imperative that all guns are loaded now. Be ready to run if need be. Jane you’re in the middle”, he speaks with an authoritative tone. Jane’s face drops in disappointment.

Jane rolls her eyes. “ You are playing the martyr again?”

“ Jane…. Please”, Roman sighs tiredly.

“ This is bullshit”, she scoffs.

“ Jane, you forget your necklace makes you a hot commodity. These creatures will likely go for you first. Why not make it harder for them?”, says Adhar.

She says nothing as she walks to the middle of the line. She tucks her necklace into her shirt and folds her arms. “ Alright, Let’s get this over with”.

The terrain turned into a dense, wet, thick jungle. Cortez had to cut through it with a machete. The landscape is slanted uphill and much more slippery. The sounds of birds chirping and squawking during the night was alarming, as this was usually an early morning to mid day occurrence. Large snakes slithered up trees in bright colors. Jane was not a fan of this as she was incredibly fearful of them. Spiders and scorpions darted out of the group's path. She frequently jumped from the feeling of plants touching her arms.

After 30 minutes of walking something cries out similar to the sound of a weeping man. The group stops, looking around in pure shock. Was someone stranded here? A Moorner perhaps? Another voice speaks Mandarin Chinese and a third speaks Portuguese. Women call out for help and screams yell out in agony. The panicked voices close in but they cannot be seen. Guns rise in the defense. The group forms a circle around Jane, looking for the threat.

“ HELPPPP MEEEE!!!”, A Woman screams.. The sound is so close it causes Jane to flinch and cover her head. She looks up and she can finally see it. Elongated canines the length of her hands, grey fur, stark yellow eyes, a muscular body measuring around 4 - 5 feet. It was a baboon dangling from a vine, but not just any baboon. This was the largest primate that shes ever seen. She didn’t know that baboons could even become so large. The animals stare at her, puffing thick clouds of foggy air into her face threateningly. A low rumble vibrated deep within its chest.

“ Jane…..do not…..move…. A muscle”, William says quietly.

“ We’re gonna take this niceeeee and slow…”, Roman walks up behind Jane, joining her in the circle. William is stationed behind the beast, pointing his gun for a headshot.

The creature begins to howl and hoot, getting progressively louder and louder directly in her face. Cortez, Rory, and Adhar covered the front, back, and side.

The primate opens it’s mouth. “ SHOOT THEM!!!”, a sound falls from the monkey's mouth like a puppet. It frightened her hearing what seemingly was the last words of someone who died by it’s hands.

The monkey drew closer “, NOOO!!”, it hissed. Jane flinched and the baboon dove for her. William opened fire into the back of its head. Roman pulled Jane backwards. Gunpowder flies as Jane dropped down and covered her head. Groups of Baboons screamed from the trees as sets of them set out to attack the group. Roman is back to back with jane as they shoot for the vital organs. With a swipe and tug of her left leg, Jane is knocked off her feet. She falls on her stomach dropping her weapon along the way.

“ AHHH!!”, Jane claws at the ground trying to gain leverage. Teeth poke the bottom of her ankle and she tenses waiting for the pain. Roman dives for the beast and begins to stomp it with the bottom of his shoe, before kicking it directly in the face. It stumbles back and Roman shoots it dead. Adhar screams in the distance as one of the creatures clamps onto his arm. William takes the back of his gun and slams it into the temple of the beast.

“ We have to make a run for it. We’re running out of ammunition!”, Cortez yelled over the noise. Jane grabs Adhar and rips a piece of his shirt off to wrap around his forearm.

“ Everybody run to higher ground!”,Roman bellowed over the sound of his gun.

The group took off uphill. The creatures were tailing them but the gunshots disrupted them enough to scare some of them off. Jane became worried for Adhar who was bleeding profusely and running made it worse. In the distance they saw the opening to what they assumed held the treasure. It was carved into the side of a rocky black mountain with an opening similar to a giant mouth. The entrance was lit up with torches of fire and that gave the crew an extra push for the last hundred meters. Cortez quickly grabbed two of the torches, throwing one to Roman and waving it towards the screaming primates. The fire was the only thing that pushed them back. After another five minutes of Cortez and Roman on defense, the monkeys finally fall back and return to the trees.

The cave was dark, damp, rocky, and unwelcoming. Droplets of water and the sound of shuffling feet reverberated all around them. Adhar was in pain and his hisses of discomfort popped and echoed against the walls.

“ Break”, Adhar called out. There was a much needed regroup after such a violent encounter. He slid down the wall and sat on his bum. Jane unwrapped his coverings and poured some of her water over the deep puncture wounds.

“ He will need stitches. It could begin to fester well before we reach the shore again ”, Jane stressed.

“ I know some herbs that will help”, Said Roman.

“ A poultice ?”, she confirms.

Roman nods. “ Ay”

“ I’ll be okay ”, Adhar reassured. Jane wasn’t convinced but the sooner they got to the treasure the better.

Everyone drank water and did a recount on their supplies. Cortez stayed behind with Adhar near the cave entrance. Roman, Jane, William, and Rory decided to keep going.

“ I hope this isn’t some trick or some dead end”, Jane sighed.

“ I don’t think so, look “, Rory pointed to the walls lit up by the fire. The walls of the cave were glittering with speckles of something. Jane stepped closer and her eyes widened. Gold ?

From the floor to the ceiling the deeper they walked, the more intense the specks of gold, silver, blue, greens, red, oranges and pinks became. Gemstones and Gold were etched in silver. A vibration on her chest made her clutch her key that was now glowing and warm.

They jogged down the entrance now, winded and anxious. Pretty soon the sounds of their feet touching the ground was interrupted by the crunch of them walking on rubies, diamonds, gold, silver. Minutes later they were knee deep in their riches. Every part of the cave was covered. Gold cups, necklaces, whole diamonds like the size of a clenched fist. And to think she imagined this reveal being more dramatic. Now the silence seemed louder than words. Pure shock. Pure disbelief. And then their shock came to a head. There it sat in all its glory. The treasure room that could put the British empire to shame. In the middle of the room sat a large chest. Jane’s key nearly floated off her neck.

“ This is it….I can’t believe it”, Jane scoffed. She glanced at Roman and he looked beside himself. She holds her hand out to him and he walks up beside her.

He chuckled. “ Well, it’s your key. Open it”, he urged.

Jane bit her lip in anticipation and stepped forward, positioning her key right over the keyhole.

“ Well this was not what I was expecting”, A deep, thunderous, incredibly raspy, feminine voice called out. Jane jumped back from the chest. The men stood with their weapons ready. Was this an ambush? A trap? What would it be this time?

“ And here I thought our introduction would be warmer. After all,you’re standing in my horde. Where are your manners? ”, The voice chuckled.

“ What is this place?!’, said Jane.

“ Your final test of course Don’t tell me you thought I would make it easy for you all? No, no. I had to truly be sure.”

“ This place. This island “, Jane emphasized.

“ This place is where all men go to die. The unworthy ones at least –which happens to be all”.

Fear grew and prickled along Jane’s skin. “ Will you let us have this treasure ?”

“ Not before your final test….”, the beast hissed.

Jane looked around cautiously. “ Okay…..”

“ Open the chest …”, the beast taunted.

Jane bent down slowly to her knees and grabbed her key. Carefully, she pushed the key into the lock and twisted it until she heard a click. Placing her hands on either side of the trunk, she lifted the lid to reveal a large crystal. It was red with an iridescent glow of several other colors that fragmented and twinkled under the light of the torches. It was shiny, glowing, and one of the most beautiful stones she’d ever seen. She cupped her hands and held it In her palms. With a closer view she could see a fleshy material on the inside that was beating like a heart.

“ And now your final test. The treasure from my horde and two wishes or…”, The beast trailed off . A pregnant pause fills the room.

Blackness fills her vision and suddenly she’s in front of two palm trees and sand is pooling between each of her toes. She looks out on the horizon and a woman in a long skirt, cotton shirt, and no shoes runs behind a toddler. Her hair is covered by a scarf that almost sits like a crown around the perimeter of her head. In the distance the child runs to a tall and lanky man who’s dipping his toes in the water. He’s wearing long cotton shorts that he rolled up to his calf and no shirt. His hair is cut short to his head. He picks up the toddler running to him and throws her in the air before catching her again. The woman joins them both and they kiss the toddler on either side of her face before heading towards Jane. They walk past her to the tiny houses that littered the shore. This woman was Jane’s mother and beside her was her Father.

“ M-Mom”, she calls out. The woman looks back curiously but her eyes never meet her daughters.

“ Mom”, she calls out in disbelief. The woman turns around and continues walking with her small family.

Jane follows them inside of their home. To her left sits an older man in his late 40’s smoking a pipe and drinking tea. He’s holding the toddler now, who’s tugging on his chin hair. He smiles fondly at the little girl with a heart aching reverence and adoration. The woman–her mother, begins to cook and her husband sits next to the older man. Jane’s grandfather who taught her how to read.

Then suddenly all four of them disappear and Jane’s mother reappears, gracefully older with her hair longer. Tiny streaks of gray peak through her hairline. It’s coily and long like her own and she can see herself in her mother more than ever before.

“ Mother, I’m heading out now”, A young teenage Jane walks out of her room and kisses her mother on her cheek.

“ Okay, enjoy yourself. Be back here by sunset. Tell your friend he’s welcome to join for dinner”, Her mother calls out. Young Jane looks like every possibility, every hope, every daydream, every unbroken thing. She is better…she’s happier. The young Jane joins a young man out on the porch and they walk to the market to meet friends.

“ Jane Ramlal. I offer you a life apart from the one you’ve come to know. A life without the pain, the loss, the fear, the suffering. I offer you parents and grandparents who never succumb to disease. A family intact. A young love that comes easy. I offer you friends who you grow old with. I offer you an ancestral home that is strong and standing. I offer you comfortability. Not a rich comfortability but just enough to be satisfied. I offer you a life outside of England.”

“ And if I accept?”, she asks carefully.

“ Roman is still a pirate on the Black pearl. You never meet. You never make it to this place. All for the small price of the life you were supposed to live. No harm comes to your friends but it is a life apart”, the dragon speaks in a conniving tone.

She goes back to the house and sees her mother sitting on the porch with her father and grandfather. They talk freely, cursing to the wind without a care. They all look so beautiful. She would be crazy not to accept this offer. She reaches her hand out to her mothers cheek and for a moment she can almost feel the heat of it. Her grandfather blows Tobacco in the air. Now she remembers why she liked the smell of Roman’s smoke. It reminded her of him.

With a long sigh she pulls away “ I…decline”, says Jane.

There is a long pause and for a moment she believes she’s trapped in this reality. Invisible.

“ May I ask…why”, the beats asked in a curious tone.

“ I wouldn't change who I am. I’m proud..of who I am. Without the pain of my life…I could not savor the sweetness that I know now. And I can’t…leave him. No matter how much I want this. I want him…more”, she whispers.

And with those words the facade falls away into Gold. Tears rim her eyes and she looks for Roman in a panic. Almost as if those minutes away from him would cause him to disappear forever. She sighs in relief when their eyes meet.

“ Clever girl. There are many men who would fall victim to their deepest desire. You’ve surprised me and that is difficult to do. I am in a good mood. For this I grant you four wishes and as much gold you all can carry”, The dragon chuckles. The stone turns to coins in her hands.

The room rumbles in laughter and cheer as bodies swarm Jane. Rory lifts onto his shoulders. Cortez and Adhar race further into the cave with shocked faces. They cheer for her. Roman is beside himself. This was it. It was over….it was finally over. They were rich. But most importantly they were alive. They could go home..or find home..

“ Rory put me down”, Jane laughed. He set her down on her feet and placed a fat wet kiss on the back of her hand.

Roman rolls his eyes “Watch it”, he hissed. Rory blows him a kiss and dives into coins like a warm summer lake. Roman pulls Jane into his chest and she wraps her arms around him. His mouth meets hers and she sighs from his touch.

“ What did you see?”, he whispers.

“ I’ll tell you later”, she says with another peck against his lips. He kisses her forehead, cradling her head against his hand.

“ Dragon… errr–miss”, Jane called out.

“ Yes”, the creature sighed with annoyance.

“ Can I cash in my wishes at any time ?”

“ If you must”, the creature said flippantly. Jane smiled at that.

“ My first wish. I wish for an elixir that cures any illness or affliction that refills itself every time it’s empty”, said Jane.

“ At once”, says the dragon. A bottle appears in her hand filled with a brown liquid and a dropper.

“ Adhar”, she calls over to him. He obliged her.

“ You- you didn’t have to waste your wish on me. Really. I would have been fine”, he stutters. There’s a flustered urgency in his tone.

“ We have to look out for each other. No matter what. It would be a shame if you got sick and died before you could go and spend your money “, she smirked. Jane places a few drops of the liquid onto his wound before wrapping it again. “ Better ?”

“ Ay…though it’s a bit itchy”, he says.

“ Means it’s healing”, Said Roman.

“ For my second wish, I wish for a device that will repel any evil creature or entity, land or sea, away from myself and the Entire crew in this cave which includes every member of the ship on the beach to ensure our safe travels”, she commands.

“ ……….Done”, says the Dragon. A talisman appears in her palm, a gray stone that’s tumbled smooth. It has some sort of protective marking on it. She closed it around her fist and put it into her pocket.

“ Why don’t we all collect what we can. We can talk about the last two wishes with the group?”, she says to the men. They all agree and begin dumping handfuls of the treasure into the chest that held the dragon stone.

Not only did they fill the chest, they filled other containers. Flasks. Buckets, their own chests, whatever they could find. By the time they left the cave the sun was shining over the trees.

They were expecting a long journey back to the beach but once they passed the treeline, they stepped out onto the sand. Dazed and confused, Jane looks back to see that they’d only traveled a couple hundred feet in the last 4 days.

“ I won’t even question it. Not the worst shit we’ve been through these past few days”, said Adhar. Everyone agreed.

A celebration that commenced the minute the rest of the pirates took notice of the six of them. That night a bonfire was made as Rory retold the dramatic and mind bending story of their journey. Jane sat in Roman’s lap laughing along with Rory’s impression of the Baboon that tackled him. Tonight there was a comfortable breeze. The perfect weather to sleep under the stars. Jane feels eyes on her and she lets them simmer onto her skin.

Roman leaned forward and kissed the side of her neck to get her attention . “ Are you going to tell me what you saw now ?”, he asks quietly. With everyone so distracted there was no better time.

Jane sighed and pressed her forehead to his. “ I was given the choice to go back to Trinidad and essentially live a fairytale. No one ever dies, I never go to London. Everyone would be happy. The catch was that we would never meet. You’d be a pirate and I’d be..far far away.”

“ Why didn’t you choose it?”, he asks curiously. He knew the answer but Roman felt that there could be more to her reasoning. It was hard to believe it was just himself.

She shrugs. “ Besides not wanting to leave you. Who says my life isn’t a fairytale ? And if it’s not already..why can’t it become one..one day?”, she asks him.

“ If I was a better man I would say that you should have chosen the story that would leave you unscathed. The story where life would have been easier.”

“ I am only looking forward now. There’s no need to look back anymore.”

A group vote determined what the third wish would be. The crew was most agreeable considering that everyone had their own treasure. Therefore, the third wish would be a large comfortable ship that was fully stocked with enough food and water to last them the entire journey back to the West.

The next day they set sail black to Europe. The crew celebrated that night and everyone was in good spirits with the promise of a good future ahead of them all. Pete the parrot was even in his cage as he had been before. Many talked about reuniting with loved ones, settling down, investing, marrying. Adhar had plans to go back to India at the end of the year and win back his lost love and give back to his community. Rory was a pirate through and through and wanted to continue sailing and seeing the world. Cortez wanted to visit his family but his heart belonged to the sea. William planned on figuring out the next steps with his wife and investing in her regardless of her decision to stay or go. Caden wanted to be a pirate and someday ..a Captain.

Jane and Roman sat on the wind deck away from the festivities. They talked for hours about all the exciting things that some of the other members wanted to do with their new freedom.

“ Everybody has this elaborate plan on what they’ll do and who they’ll become now. What will you do next ?”, she asked curiously.

Roman smirks. “ I of course would love to keep traveling and seeing the world. There’s much to be seen, wouldn’t you agree ?”, he asks.

Jane shrugged, “ Much indeed. Will you be keeping the ship?”

“ I’m not sure. I think…I may be ready for a break.”

“ A- A break?”, she stuttered.

“ Yes…this journey allowed room for introspection. Being a pirate is not always pretty. In fact, I only just recently allowed in the beautiful parts of life since I’ve met you.”

“ What are you saying Roman”, Jane grinned.

Roman chuckled. “ I think that you and I deserve a vacation. We also deserve to take that vacation for however long we so choose. Or it can be permanent. I am unmoved with either option.”

“ You wish to be on land for a while ?”, Jane’s brows raise in suspicion.

“ I do…the land of Paris to be exact. There is someone that I would like you to meet.”

“ Who ?”, she asked.

“ Someone a lot like me. I think Paris will be good for the senses.”

“ The senses you say? What aren’t you saying”, Jane squinted.

“ Just trust me”, Roman took another playful swig of ale.

“ Okay…well if you think this will be good. And if you think it is safe then I have no reason to protest. My only worry is my warrant.”

“ I will get that squared away with the courts as soon as we enter Europe.”

“ Fine… there is one other thing however”, Jane perked up. Roman looked back at her with his full attention.

“ What will I do with the last wish? I should let the crew decide, right?”

Roman pulled her back into his chest and rested his head on top of hers, engulfing her in his embrace. He bends down and presses his mouth just above her ear.

“ You spend that wish on whatever your heart desires. It is yours alone..”

End of chapter.

————

Authors note :

What do you think Jane’s final wish should be ?

[joannasteez]

tanks of blood (7) - eighteen is dangerous

pairing: biker!roman reigns x black reader warning: lots of teenage angst. descriptions of body insecurity. descriptions of alcohol consumption and reckless behavior (getting in a pool while drunk is very reckless, don't do that please!!) consensual underage intimacy (just a kiss!) reader is going through it unfortunately, sorry authors note: this is a flashback. reader is eighteen and roman is nineteen. word count: 7300 tagging: @333creolelady @harmshake @theninthwonder @thesamoanqueen @kill-the-artiste @empressdede @sortudademais @gg-trini @southerngirl41 @2-muchsauce

eighteen is a dangerous age to be alive. all of your almost adult thoughts and ideas and intentions strewn together by wild, colorful imagination, but, at times, for the sake of another. in front of your mirror, picking at your hair and pinching the elastic of a maybe too tight swim suit. the back cut out to reveal skin and your legs thicker now than they were last summer. frustration brimming harsh in your blood so well it's knotting in your throat. tears pricking your eyes. doom in your bones. because, fucking boys and their oh so amazing pool parties. water every place you step and the torment of maybe getting thrown in for shitty amusement. beer bottles floating everywhere and just-finished-with-high-school-teenagers too lightweight to hold their stomachs. not that you're any better. but at least you know that much about yourself. the pool, party and house courtesy of seth and the kegs of beer to come courtesy of dean no doubt. a friend of a friend of his who wants clout with the club so badly that he swiped his card on kegs for underaged leather bound boys. fucking men. 

and seth's guest bedroom is hot. sweltering so much that it nearly leaves you damp with sweat. your fingers undone with a trembling ache as you pull a pair of shorts over your thighs. overthinking on over drive. because he and his cousins and the rest of the "vip's" have yet to make an appearance. the common people waiting with bated breath for their loud, grimy noise filled entrance. a rumbling, chaotic spectacle filled with air's and aura's of a specific importance and nature that you'll always find too high maintenance to keep up with. but that's why eighteen is such a terrible time, despite maybe your exaggerations about the angst of it. this weird refurbishing of the soul. his mighty self importance aside, romans thoughts and opinions mattering now much more than they used to. your eyes yours still, brown and "shaped so prettily", as your mother likes to say, but not really. going about a constant examination for someone else. shaped against your face perfectly but living outside to look inward too. 

because would he like what you've done with your hair? the earrings you've decided on for the night? the way the swimsuit cuts out at the back? toes painted a different color from your fingernails but oddly cute all the same, because you couldn't be bothered with changing the shade. your tummy not as flat as last year and that scar still embedded in the center of your palm. eyes working for you but at the service of another. him. yes. eighteen is goddamn dangerous. 

that sweet silver necklace he gave you sometime ago. eyes all nervous and his fingers shaky as it clasped the lock of it before you kissed him. a warmth to his skin you never knew existed till that moment. the cool of the metal resting on your skin. dipping low a bit more than usual. the swimsuit made with built in cups. accentuating indeed. because swiping for it at the register of the sports store was easy. naomi at your side smiling bright and excited with a matching style in a different color. the try on process quick and sure with a good natured finality because her eyes were different. lacking that air of intense appraisal. a girls girl for you in the truest sense. her eighteen and your eighteen so similar sometimes. her dealings with jimmy like yours with roman. 

a knock against the bedroom, like a warning, before naomi bursts through. red solo cups in hand and a frustration running lines into her face. long, waist length braids, ponytailed up and away from her face. the bright neon of her swimsuit wet, and her legs dripping some on the carpet. 

you shift quick from the mirror. a creeping heat in your cheeks rising till it settles about your forehead. heart hammering before it plummets to your empty belly. the idea of somebody, anybody, finding you amidst such a vulnerable moment of self brought on scrutiny, absolutely troubling. embarrassing even. a damn scary state of affairs that nearly makes all the doubts and uncertainties breathe harder, heavier. with a better purpose. 

"you went to the pool?"

plopping to lay against the made bed. the fluff of the sheets comfortable despite the heat. maybe even comfortable enough to stay laid up against. a decision that feels more and more appetizing by the second. 

she stands just near the mirror where you'd been, setting down the cups to readjust her hair. a strong presence living along with her reflection. unflinching and sure and at ease. "i took a dip. enough not to get my hair wet", she starts. still corralling the long waist length hair. "i was tryin to wait around for you but somebody decided to abandon me last minute to come up here", giving a pointed look through the mirror. slivers of guilt slipping under your skin. but her fuss of it doesn't last very long, eyes rolling as she dips into an annoyance. "they all down there standin around all brainless n'shit, like they need to be told when to get in the pool. half of them is only here just to say they came anyways...". her steps shuffling over the carpet, cups in hand again. "...followers irk my nerves", she groans. eyes dropping quick over your body. "why are your shorts on?" 

you sit up. a quick, abrupt movement. driven by that suffocating air of hesitation you've fought with since slipping on the swimsuit. 

"should i take them off?"

and maybe naomi doesn't understand the painstaking work of such hesitation, or even if she does, it isn't shown. eyes living with all of the opposite actually. "where is this coming from? it was fine when we bought it, it's fine now", her body plopping beside yours. eyes shining with a scrutiny towards you for the first time tonight, and maybe the first time ever. but oddly enough, it doesn't burn the skin, and neither does it make your esteem shrivel. a sigh leaving her. hardened eyes, protective and familiar in their way, like you could have maybe felt them once before in another lifetime. something similar to how a sister looks to her less stronger one. "if you're worried about what he thinks, then forget his ass. he should be lucky you even lettin him breathe your air". 

and your nerves don't fall away all that quickly, but the air is less thick now. breathable. your eyes interested now in the cups she's bought. both filled with something pink, but the smell of it like that faithful burn of tequila. 

"you're right". 

she smiles."have i ever been wrong?"

your eyes rolling playfully. "no"

"exactly". shoving a cup in your hand before bursting up excited. "so sip on this and lets go mingle". 

and maybe you're like your mom about these things but "mingling" is for the fucking birds. an unexcitable process of small talk that does your head in. because no one actually cares about anything real, or different, or new, they just want to make good on first time impressions. all the real things, these scary little bits of air and unspoken moments between the words. something something, if we make the daughter of the vice president of the most infamous, illustrious, biker club in all of florida laugh and smile and twiddle her fucking thumbs, then we've made it to the inner inner ring, of the inner circle. which is a lie and a half. sweaty shoulders rubbing up at yours and the dampness nearly folding over your stomach with disgust as you follow naomi through to a less busy area of the backyard. the heat steeping in and weighing over everywhere. the crowd as idle as she said it was. hesitation in their bones as they wait for some fearless leader to make the first move of jumping in, so they of course then, can follow. 

you sip at your cup, and then nearly guzzle it the rest of the way. a cold, fruity bite to your tongue that helps ease the angst. 

your eyes peering over to the sliding door that connects the backyard and the inside of the house. like a mere gazing over would summon the not so true bane of your existence. a nineteen year old boy with a penchant for unscrewing your nerves loose. your words tongue tied when they aren't soothed into an easy quiet submission by the sweetness of his mouth. groaning little kisses that leave you frenzied and a little dazed and scared. because he has that way about him unfortunately. a lax sort of domineer. flirtatious eyes and quick little phrases that make your skin crawl something horrendous but excellent just the same. you literally despise him. mouth seeking your cup again. already at the end of your drink and feeling the hard rush in of it in your blood. warmth in your belly and a dizzying effect that loosens your anxieties. the type of buzz that asks for more. 

a small little table exists near a group of shrubs. a cloth bag nestled in a particularly thick way of leaves. your hand sticking down and into the bag to pull out a bottle of tequila. because seth said "only my buddies get the good shit", everyone else suffering with cheap beer they bought, waiting for dean and his kegs to arrive.  

 and with a harsh splash of water—some rando a little less than recklessly diving into the pool—does the party finally actualize. bodies corralling quickly in that cold wash of blue and the music a little louder. this concoction of whatever on your tongue and your urges less accounted for. 

surely this is what naomi means when she says "mingle". forgetting about yourself a little and just being. a hard task made easier when tequila doesn't give two shits about what it means to be perceived. eighteen not as dangerous when you've got liquid courage to slot a small battery in your back. 

"samir right?", his name calling sweetly on your tongue. the leaving of it gentle as you make to get closer to him. a tall-ish boy—but certainly not taller than roman—with a rich dark caramel complexion. charming hooded eyes and the cutest nose. his beer clutched for dear life in his hand like he'd maybe pay to be anywhere else. 

"uh, yeah". a cautious sort of surprise. like the possibility of speaking to him was slim to none. "how'd you know-"

"i seen you with yah dad before...", memory working amidst the alcohol. your words a little loose. stepping closer to him to get over the loud play of the music. his cologne nice in your nose. the type of scent made for double takes and "where'd you get it from?" questions. a silent wingman working as a possible conversation opener for anxious girls who maybe don't know that being this close makes for a heavier suggestion of familiarity. an intimate proximity like you know him more than just from seeing him around. "...he brings his car around my pops shop for tune ups n stuff. you look like him", and maybe the smile after that comment with the way you stand next to him implies something more than it should or more than you want it to but you don't notice. the fuzz of your brain winning the 'i dont give a fuck about being perceived' war. 

but samir is smiling and his shoulders are maybe not as slacked and bored. squared now with a new sense of purpose and open and facing you, like he's giving you the space to be as close as you'd like. like for some odd reason, if you fell into him, he'd catch you better, not that there'd be any reason for that but yeah...whatever, and the buzz is so obviously shaping your blood to run with a renewed sense of unawareness of present situations. thoughts roaming off to weird deep ends before they slip back close to where they belong. sipping at your cup again before you peer up to find him staring. a quick wandering of his earthy brown eyes, maybe at the silver of your necklace or the cup at your lips or maybe even a little below where your necklace dips in. 

samir's eyes bug. an embarrassment clinging to the shape. like he's just snatched himself out of the daze of staring at you. a throat clear that exposes the uncomfortableness in his own body at being made. "what're you drinkin?" 

"it's just juice and tequila, fruit punch i think...", taking a sip. "...beers not my thing". 

"s'not mine either", he gives. looking at his beer bottle unsatisfied. "kinda just grabbed it, cuz it's the only thing here". 

and maybe he'd have more fun if he were where you are? loose and slightly adrift. carefree amidst a sea of people who care too much. "if i say where the stash is, you won't tell right?"

"not a soul". 

your head juts, a motion for him to follow. his steps in rhythm with yours and that cologne staining his skin still flirting with your nose. like a light goading. this silent attempt to lure you into something unfamiliar. because all you know is the cool silver of this necklace, strong teasing fingers and that dark rumbling engine. the nineteen year old boy—who you don't think to name at the moment, not even in the secrecy of your thoughts—this not so true bane of your existence, is still, to you, a great big world of an almost man. tall and surrounding and new and the whole of what you feel for him still uncovered. so maybe it isn't exactly smart—even if such a rebellion lives in the name of a not so odd, half baked, tequila born, self esteem boost—to live so deeply in this state of coyness. a realization, or rather a confession, that threatens the carelessness binding your bones. 

eighteen a little dangerous still, playing loose and a little faster in your blood. because the liquid courage gives you this two-fold, uncanny, brazen sort of awareness. convictions flowing strong, parentally charged in a way that makes your ego break against it in bursting acts of rebellion. the midnight summer air sticky against the skin and baiting. the warmth like a second rushing in, a muggy air of defiance living beside the heat in your belly and the sweet flavor on your tongue. 

you push through that grouping of shrubs, revealing the hefty bottle. 

"shot?", a question but not really. more like a soft demand, styled with a smile and inviting eyes. 

the pour of it playing over samir's voice. a near drown out. "sure", he gives. the cup in his hand already before his decision can come into any finality. "cheers", the words slipping off to linger in the air like he's trying out the phrasing. like he's trying to please your excitement enough to keep it there on your lips. 

you take the stain of it on your tongue quickly. a clear burn that conquers easily on its way down. your throat humming to give it some ease but poor samir is reducing more by the seconds into a fit of coughs. the dry dirtiness of the tequila new for him. not yet to be overcome by the looseness it'll give his bones. 

you laugh. a fit of giggles living a little less than controllable. mixing a more digestible drink into his cup. something more similar to yours. "you don't drink too much huh?"

"nah", his face scrunching. expression embarrassed. "not really". 

"here", passing the cup back to him again. "try this". 

he sips at your concoction. face less screwed as the sweetness of it tempers the bitterness in his mouth. "s'pretty good", natural dark eyes a little brighter. a spark struck across them even. surely not made from janky pool lights that work no better than the old neighborhood street lamps. a courage to him that seems to settle in after he sips again. a courage that leaps with fresh legs. "you have, really, really beautiful eyes", tumbling out. unable to be stopped. the thought perhaps always there but now given the freedom to breathe. to walk and run.

"oh". dumbstruck. a load of giggling that bursts abrupt. not malicious, no. just the sort of drunken amusement caught from the suddenness of a thing. untamable almost if not for the fall of his face. making you feel awful, like shit. "i-..."

samir blinks. like he's just been un-dazed from a dream. "that was corny, i'm sorry".

"no, no, no, it's fine, i just-", your fingers trembling slightly. reaching across the little table to touch him. hands in his, to give him surety "i just-i didn't expect you to say that. thank you". 

"i'm interruptin something?" 

the question teasing as it leaves. flip flops shuffling before they flap down, smacking against the wet cement surrounding the pool. an obnoxious, creeping, entrance. it makes your blood more solid. hearing that mocking tone he gives. roman and the forever glimmer of mischief, spread about his eyes and his lips. like he's hinting the possibility of a storm. gaze drifting over your hands, the way they leave samir's, the proximity of your bodies and the ease of it. a knot in your belly, corralling in with a load of dirty little feelings. roman tall and broad. suffocatingly so. annoyingly so. like a tower. like a mountain that blocks the sun to cast a shadow. that burst of brazenness spreading fun under your skin, now tugging itself along to shuffle back into the dark nothing of a corner. but why should you have to cringe and recoil in and from your innocent fun? why couldn't you delight yourself in a little attention? was that so horrible? your arms crossing over. disruption, childlike and eager, running alongside the bold streak. 

"no". your smile tight lipped. voice bright. "just poppin samir's tequila cherry". 

samir chokes. coughs dangerously hard. roman's eyes slitting to narrow. his jaw giving a small clench before he returns your expression. a mirthless grin. "how nice. i hope he enjoyed it". 

"i think he did". 

roman's brows lift. your audaciousness funny. "lets ask". attention directing itself toward samir, who seems to be the most uncomfortable. 

"i uh", his hand setting the cup down. nervous, antsy and it irks you whole. "yeah, it was. it-it was fine". 

roman hums. shuffles up more till he's nearly flushed against your back. the fabric of his tank top blowing with the heat of the slim midnight breeze, hitting whats exposed of your skin. a reminder. your fists clenching. fucking asshole. the necklace at your chest still cool. in agreement with him. his presence this annoying, territorial claim. possessive and unwavering. your belly empty, your head swimming and frustration clinging to your nerves so well that it's stupid. because this is stupid. because annoyance shouldn't live like this, shouldn't find even ground with enjoyment so well. blood hot, something dizzy working behind your eyes. a complicated, rush of a feeling that has yet to be totally deciphered. 

"you're one of seth's buddies right?"

"yeah something like that". samir appearing less tall. shrunken in and a half step from paper frail. less willing to indulge his eyes. the interest in them gone and refusing to meet your face. and it sours whatever unnamed sweetness held for him. your curiosities gone. because allowing roman to destabilize him so easily. unbalanced and too shy for proper confidence. where was the fun, competitive edge, in that? a bold streak of something uneasy and conflicting and tricky. not simply rolling over and letting him win. thats what this was supposed to be. a riot for some damn reclamation. "i'm just gonna go", samir says. your eyes rolling as he gathers himself to leave the small safety of the table. 

you peer up at roman. the source of all this bullshit angst housed in your person. his face soft but angular somehow. tender lips existing as the object of your lingering desires. his shoulders wide and his body thick thanks to home cooked meals and too much football. your fists balling till they ache. tequila dulling the pain of your nails but doing nothing for the baseless frustration. this boy... this man... this whatever he is, so pretty and exacting and sure all the damn time. always testing and making attempts and looking. your skin less like skin and more like metal. like the tinny cold make of one of his many football trophies. and now you feel no better, no greater than samir. shrinking in and your throat tight again. dizzy and trembly. a leaf in the breeze. like you're back upstairs in seth's guest room, peering into the mirror. eyes yours, but more useful for him now. 

hate isn't too strong a word is it? your father says it sometimes. like the word is venom born, made to poison. says it and then kisses your mother anyways. kisses and hugs her and churns her indifference into pretty, wispy noise. rich and thick. honey inspired. so if that works. venom and honey. both thick and useful. then maybe they're the same. 

"you're such a dick", you cut at him. eyes rolling hard. making to step around him. but he's so tall and everywhere. a world and a half. 

and he laughs. like everything is so funny. like you're funny. a joke. sweetened tequila on the tongue. bathing your stomach. fuzzily in the brain. he thinks you're a joke. 

"how would you know, you've never seen one". 

you gasp. your shoulder trying it's hardest to check him. a barely registered move that gets you past him and closer to the pool. "ass", you yell. loud enough for people to hear. 

skin sticky. trembling still. exasperated. your feet a harsh descending as you stalk to the opposite edge of the pool. the beginning steps of the shallow end. dean there with a cup of beer in hand. hair long and already damp. 

"trouble in paradise?" 

your eyes cut. a sharp look to warn him. a deep breath as you breach the water with your foot. trying the cool of it. "your friend is a fuckin asshole", you give. 

he chuckles. like maybe he knows that to be a little true. "what'd he do?" and when you don't answer, occupied with settling into the chill of the pool, he turns his attention over to his friend. chuckling still. "what the hell did you do?"

roman flips his hand. a 'whatever' motion, like he couldn't be bothered to even care. 

your blood boils. loose and on fire. "what doesn't he do?!" loud and irritated enough for dean to hear. loud enough for roman. for seth and the twins and everyone else in between. but it doesn't stop the party. just adds to the air. to the drone of the festivities. to splashes of water, and the splatting smack of beach balls. to good feeling breezy wind and the thumping bass of music. to guys trying to flirt with girls and girls trying to quell their boyish half baked charms with coyness and shooing splashes of water. the party in full effect and alive. pulsing and balanced. and maybe you shouldn't be in the pool, all loose-brained and dizzy feeling. but the water feels good and the distance from roman is a welcomed addition. gets his cologne out of your nose and rids you of the sensation of his body along your back. 

but his mischief isn't done. stretches with a fresh awakened need to stress your nerves. the pull up and discard of his tank top a sensational performance. like he's mocking and poking and punishing you with the gasp and squeals of girls who pry at him with sharp hopeful eyes. his body dipping into the pool on the deep end before breaching up with his hair slicked back and dusting his shoulders. curling up as it meets the air all finger provoking like. 

you hate him. 

feet splashing behind you. dean stepping to sink further and further into the icy blue of the pool. a quick, resolute voice of mediation. "aaalright...", he draws out. "...none of this shitty, sulky, energy". his back to you, arms stretched out and waiting, like a human pool noodle. "hop on". 

but the water is safe here at the shallow end. close to the stairs and faraway from eyes and his prying little stare that grows more amused by the minute as you fight and fail to ignore it. "dean, i don't think thats a good—", your body up ended. water splashing as you panic. a fast jostling maneuver that forces you to grapple him as he lifts you onto his back. "dean!!!", thrilled and pissed and dazed behind the eyes still. arms and legs wrapping tight about him as he treads into the deep end. 

and he's all smiley, the little shit. "you don't got much of a choice unfortunately".

"i can't swim". 

"i know", patting the clinging wrap around of your arm. reassurance that barely makes a full registration about the body. "i ain't gonna let you drown sweets".

"sweets?"

"new nickname for you", he hums. satisfied with the ring of it.  

and you snort. set your head atop of his as he treads the water. because dean—and though it's unusual for him to fail at many things—is unfailing at pleasing his penchant for nicknaming people. you in particular. a little list of moniker's reflecting the growth of your relationship. from 'sis', at sixteen, to 'sissy' at seventeen, and then a very offhanded 'babe' for sometime. a jokey little term of affection you accepted, because the humor of it proved stupid and weird and annoying for roman. always silently bristling about it. these wordless little shifts in his expression. a disapproval he felt was maybe too childish to name properly. but dean didn't linger on it too long. a little razz of a name before moving on back to just calling you by your government. but 'sweets' is new. promotes something, maybe, a bit more delicate than the others. more endearing. 

"cute", you approve. "where are we going?"

"where the party is". 

your arms grow tighter. cinched threateningly at his neck. his little laughs and the edge of his weight against yours not doing much to make your irritations any true problem. but you try anyways. "i swear to God, and Jesus freakin Christ ambrose...", your voice biting. words slipping through your teeth. "...if you take me over to him on some kum ba yah bullshit, i will drown you. i will use all of my weight and pin you to the floor of this pool...", his sputters, chuckles flaming your blood. "...i will end you. i don't wanna talk to him". 

"you two go at it like a fuckin married couple, just—"

your name shrieks across the pool. a drawl of a mezzo soprano voice. pretty and clear like freshly cut diamonds. sing song like and attention grabbing. enough for dean to halt his treading and pivot. curiosities a shitty merging with some low level form of dread. tequila swimming in your stomach, this large, prong attached battery. a careless, suspicious, jolt of energy about your blood as you get closer to chauncey hayes and her mini crowd of personality destitute friends. and no, the dread doesn't spring off from some shriveling form of a fear absolute, but rather the regular anxieties of interacting with a girl too boy obsessed to think straight. because chauncey still roams free and ditsy-like in the halls of tenth grade socialization. a shark of a particular caliber. too small to be truly frightening but existing large enough to annoy already poorly wired nerves. tonight is not the night for this. tonight is not the night for chauncey hayes. 

"just the girl i wanted to chat it up with", she smiles. a little looser than tight lipped. like the work of ingratiating herself to you is a goal but not a top priority. sincerity casting bright for some seconds as she drops her eyes. "hi dean".

"ladies", he gives, to her and all her friends. polite and smirky like. their reactions amusing. 

"what's up?", you ask. ready to get it over with. your arms and legs clinging to dean still. less vexed. seeking comfort. 

"so um...", a faux bout of rumination. her eyes a light bright warm brown, glowing to contrast the cool blue of the pool. a summery colored bathing suit fitting her skin and her hair loose and curly. "...you're cool with the twins right?", her eyes flicking to jimmy and jey. reverential, bordering needy and crazed even. naomi atop jimmy in a similar fashion to how you cling to dean. but her body proves less anxious, more affectionate. the boys cornered and laughing gut deep with roman and seth. "like...deep family connects and all that good stuff?" 

"how federal of you", dean mumbles. 

and yes, blame it on the alcohol. spirits saturating your veins. curiosities fortified and blindly misguiding. so much so that your clues as to where this might lead are a bit blurred. a nameless teenaged ruin. oh yes, just blame everything on that fruity, semi-acrid taste steeped into your tongue. "i guess you could say that, yeah". 

"so whats the status on them then? ... like, i know jimmy and naomi are connected at the hip but roman specifically...", a rushing in where words intend to flow. heat and blood. the inner parts of your ears muddied with an ill feeling. a disruptive sensation. fingers alive with these little twitches. belly swimming. nausea maybe. a well, wet with liquor and a deep vexing. because what the actual hell? "...like what's his deal? is he taken?" 

dean laughs. from the base of his gut. abrupt and ill-controlled. amusement full in his cheeks. "oh young and the restless, eat shit, this is magic", he barks. 

"dean. shut. the fuck. up", you cut. tongue sharp like obsidian. shifting along his back. re-hooking your legs and focusing your eyes from that loose daze. for what? better posture maybe? a maneuvering perhaps that gives one of your arms more reach, more freedom. a reason unknown really. but your human pool noodle takes it as a sign to tread a step backwards. like he knows something you don't. "why do you ask?", your eyes slitting. no less curious, but the anxieties are fallen away to leave a spark of something vicious feeling in it's wake. an unchallenged sensation housed in your chest. a beating, a pulse. the pump of it venturing out to the center of your forehead and the tips of your toes. a thorough spreading about till you're filled with the brutality of it. a dangerous feeling. whole and sweet and grimy. 

"i mean...what do you mean why?", chauncey flicking her shitty little eyes over to roman. a dazzling appreciation in them that aches your teeth. "have you seen him?" 

you grin. mirthlessly. "what makes you think i'd know what he likes?" 

"you're always hanging around...", a patronizing go of words. her eyes rolling, the thought of it sticking to her odd and unwanted. like your proximity to him is more of a nuisance than a fulfillment of his own wants. of each others wants. "...i figured you had a little insider information". 

and the way your arms wrap around dean for stability, fingers clutching nails into his pale skin. anger attempting to be tempered but proving formidable and real bitchy. his throat grunting as he feels the violence of it. "ouch...", he pats your arm for reprieve. to draw you back off the ledge. that resolute voice of mediation coming back in full stride. awkward and stuttered. "...ok uh, so i think maybe...maybe in the spirit of pool parties and um...buoyancy? ...yeah that sounds right... that we should do a breathing exercise...y'know just something to chill us out—"

you cut off his rambling. "is this you trying to be funny?", his hands digging into your thighs to keep you up as you press forward. "your town cryin ass is always ten steps ahead on gossip but you don't know him and i are together?...", voice louder than before. erupting till its bouncing off pool waves to ripple out to the deep end. "...have been together?" 

she scoffs. fighting not to shrink. "he doesn't even talk you up, i—"

"ok, ok, wait!", dean calls out. bewildered at chauncey's nonchalance. treading back.

"girl are you fucking dense?", you yell. 

"ah shit", dean mumbles. backing away slowing. bones heavy amidst the water. 

but you keep going. laughing with teeth. a mild mannered hysteria. "do you not like your life?"

"are you threatening me?", chauncey shrieks. trembling but warring against it.   

"you know who i am", you give. amused and loose blooded. 

"ok, i think thats enough magic for tonight", dean mumbles. his thumb rubbing into your knee as he holds and carries you to the stairs resting at the center edge of the pool. 

the metal curve of the stepping rods cold to the touch. your bones tired and heavy. skin wet. an empty, drained, sensation coddling terribly well everywhere. that short bout of hysteria dead. the party goers unsure of when or how to resume. awkwardly existing under the torture of your fire. the buzz once sizzling your blood, growing neutral and ill-suited for this new lane of emotion. a merging onto something quiet and dejected. the thump of the music never returning to it's former glory, even as your feet press forward into the house. tracking in wet, an untouched collection of dry towels hanging near the entrance. your hand snatching one up, making a b-line for the other side of seth's house. his kitchen scarce of teenage bullshit—apart, of course, from your own—and the loud song of too trivial chatter. the large towel wrapping your body, a tender lean against the counter, trembling softly, waiting for the chill to stop. 

a gut wrenching sort of enervation plays dutifully under the skin. on cue and terribly in the pocket. a grimace worthy rhythm. it makes a disgusting, beautiful, cruel tune out of your nerves. bursting and wild, like the roar of an old iron made engine. a rumbling orchestra, dirty in its symphony, those residuals of anger oh so noisy in the body. feeling mighty and familiar. a fire and grime inherited surely. because who are you that it'd pass you by without troubling skin and bones and the thoughts made ready to leave your mouth?  and sure, maybe in her mischief, chauncey deserved to be dug into the ground, her knowing bright eyes filled with wanting to tear you apart for the fun of it, but not with the easy mean speak of your father. she didn't deserve the grime and blast of that tough leathery part of his nature. at least not from you. being a vessel, holding this much in the same way, it hurts too badly to keep in. hurts more letting it go. 

and roman is light footed as he steps into the kitchen. silent but full in presence. shaping the room to his body. but then again, everything looks quite too large for understanding when you've gone under such a quick, awful diminishing.

"sober yet?" 

"almost". 

he huffs through his mouth. a deep, amusing breath. "it's always the lightweights causing all the trouble", leaning up against the island that runs parallel to the counter. his eyes stitching to your skin. sewing in and binding themselves. "you gave the normals a show though, they'll have something to talk about for the rest of the summer". 

your eyes roll, turning away from him. opening the kitchen fridge to grab a bottle of water. opening it to take a sip, before the sarcasm drips. "m'so happy i could give your fans free entertainment, apparently the little strip tease wasn't enough for them". 

"takin my shirt off at a pool party is regular shit. i can't help it if girls like the way i look. i can't control how people react...", his face running hot with irritation. his cheeks dusting a faint red. loose curls joining up in his hands as he ties them into a small knot. " ...at least i wasn't baitin nobody. you get a little buzz and forget i exist apparently". 

but samir was an empty rebellion. not forgetfulness. a coup against the self to rid of the overpower of his influence. an attempt at reclamation—of eyes and thoughts and opinions—at not caring and just being. was it misguided? sure, but not malicious.  

"i can't help it if boys like the way i look". 

"you was eatin it up...", he flares. not loud but deep. accusatory and pissed. "...all giggly n'shit, like you never heard a compliment before". his body shuffling closer to gain advantage in your line of sight. "i give you compliments all the time and you act all meek like you can't take it". 

the plastic of the bottle gives a crinkling groan from the grip in your hand. your tired eyes meeting his. those last bits of looseness giving you the wherewithal to speak. "you wanted me to be a dick about it?" 

"have the same energy or somethin", he grits. "you damn near threatened chauncey". 

"she was makin it seem like i barely existed next to you!"

"because...you maybe don't", he breaks. urgent. his shoulders falling, unweighted now. like the thought has lived and shaped well in his mind for sometime. his face closer and troubled. a confusion born from frustration. "you don't want me next to you, you barely want me to touch you, and you hate when i look at you for too long, but you want everybody and they damn mama knownin we together". 

that nausea. dizziness behind the eyes. "thats not true—"

"are we together?" he asks. 

the air feeling harder to breathe. that bottle no longer clutched in your hand but too cold still and your ears flooding to the tips with heat. pressure welling up in your throat too much it starts to ache. fingers gathering to ball, nothing between them but the bite of your nails into the palms. the phantom of a thing they hold against for dear life. eyes prickling with a stabbing pain. the beginning of salty warmth that burns the skin. 

you chuckle. mirthless and panicked. "thats not a real question. you can't be for real right now". 

"you got somethin real to say to me then?" 

and it's all resting palpable at the tip of your tongue. but it lacks the proper brilliance. makes no quarrel with itself of possibly being undigestible. it lives wholly uncomfortable, eagerly so, with a streak of menace. and this, he wants you to spit out? to let fall and burn and weight over the air. displeasure true in the heart of your chest, melted and flamed and dangerous like the inner core of the earth. 

"why you so pressed to hear about what i got to say all the time? always lookin and diggin for stuff that don't matter". 

"if its you, it matters", he stresses. confusion wearing well in his eyes but his words sure. "if it's not, then whatever. i don't care". 

and this must be what drowning feels like. the flail of feet and arms and a hopeless horror. water sucked into the lungs, salty and raging against the palate. sinking the words with an evil diligence. but the body has a way about it. an uncanny, needy, pestering desire to survive. to live. so the drowning is not quick. and you are not overcome quickly. coughing and screaming, skin hot and cold and pale and wrinkling. blurry eyes and a gasp too large to contain for long enough. fingers pushing water to rush it behind, a play at propelling the weight of your bones beyond the surface. to say something, to be asked to speak truth to a wordless dread, is the painstaking performance of drowning. "...you have things... you have the club... all of your friends are my friends... it's easy, you get up one day and decide i'm not what you want, you can just leave". 

"no". an instant thing, thick fingers cradling your face. his eyes frightened and brown and displeased. "no". resolute. always so damn sure of himself. his hands pulling, a soft embrace and gesture, your eyes unable to leave him. frightful of being seen but too weak to leave the meeting of his. "that's not true. and you boxin me in like that, it's not fair". your fingers tired, clutched and nailing into his arms. his face, a world of a thing. freckled and soft and tanned. cutting sharper at the jaw but gentle still around the eyes. mouth and tongue delicate despite the cool edge of him, his nature. "when i said, way back before ,that i gotchu, it wasn't me gassin yah head up. i was being real". 

but he doesn't stop. doesn't drown under the roll in of a tumultuous wave. 

his thumb sweeping your cheek. to soothe the skin. to persuade it of his care. "i'm never lookin at you to find somethin wrong or to find a reason not to look", his eyes a slow wandering pace. brushing smooth over your features. your lips and cheeks blooming with a sensation only admiration can give. "it's hard not lookin at you". chuckling and his eyes rolling. "and yeah the way he said it was corny as hell, but samir ain't wrong. you never not look good to me". 

you can feel his breaths here. the draw of his mouth as his appreciation leads him closer. a bright sweetness on his tongue that quickens your blood. his nose a short dainty nudge into yours. anticipation filling the well of your body. 

"i like being next to you". tall body slipping up calm. closer. surrounding you against the kitchen counter. "i like touching you". thumb skimming along your lips. "ain't nothin awful about all that huh?" 

you shiver. the curl up of it riding along your spine. "no". 

"exactly". convincing brown eyes and an exacting little grin. "and nothin bad is gonna happen either. i gotchu. you're mine".

his words a sweet working spell. lips a teasing slot along yours, but never making the full embrace of a kiss. your desperation for it pure. dampens the odd, dirty, hard to digest ideas. 

he smiles. amused. "i snacked on a mint before i came in here so... you kinda gotta kiss me now".

you snort. slipping your fingers over his arms. holding tighter. the fresh scent on his tongue a gentle persuasion. 

"it's mandatory huh?" 

"yeah cause you been fallin off a lot actually. missin weekly quotas. thats real bad for business". 

"something's gotta be done i guess". 

he hums. planting tender and simple. tiny little pecks that lure you further into the give of his lips. a hand sweeping low, his arm curling about your waist, palms splayed. his fingers there bending and running dull to feel the supple fabric of your swimsuit beneath the towel. touching and testing his limits. seemingly waiting for you to pry yourself away. you breathe into his mouth, the air funneling out of your lungs. teeth a teasing bite into his lip. smiling and falling into him. his other hand meeting the exploration of the first. an unhurried pace over your body, along the line of your back. pressing in as it trails. a gasp melting on his tongue as it sweeps in, holding the tremble of you. "so pretty", he gives. littering your jaw with the affections of his mouth. your everything, feather feeling, weightless, arrested and held up in the strength of him. his smile curving into where he purses into your neck. the rhythm of your pulse playing into his kiss. 

[heart4reigns]

i wanted to know if i could ask for a Roman Reigns x fem reader imagine. Like based off that one tiktok sound, ‘are you in the mafia? Am i in the what?’ although he’s most definitely in the mafia lol

UNDERGROUND PROBLEMS, roman reigns.

warnings: cigarettes, alcohol, guns, violence, curse words, blood, slight age gap, pet names, creepy dude trying to flirt with you

tags: owww mafia roman in action.. i need him

summary: maybe it's okay to be suspicious of your rich boyfriend

THE sun was literally on top of your head. it was a great thing that you decided to buy an extra pair of sunscreen because the sun was going to be the death of you. the wind tingled your skin as you breathed out the fresh air. "hey, do not provoke me, i'll beat your asses in volley if i can!" you heard your boyfriend yelling at his cousins. "they're still going?" you asked. "looks like they're not stopping anytime soon." he chuckled. "a private beach, jimmy, jey, and solo. doesn't sound like a good combination to me."

yes. a private fucking beach. you told him you wanted to go to the pier for a date, but again, he just had to do something out of your reach–your boyfriend, roman, had a private beach near his house. you knew dating him was an extraordinary experience, he was very extra. at certain times you wondered about his life and why he didn't like going out to public places. "i hate crowded places." was always his answer.

you started dating him 6 months ago. the two of you met in a bar, for your best friend's brother farewell party. it was a stretch but hey, you could never decline free drinks. the two of you hit it off right away, finding similarities that you thought was kind of weird at that time. you were the polar opposite of him when you first met. he was intimidating, of course, he had the figure of a man you wouldn't mess with. but when the two of you started talking, he was a totally different person.

ever since your first meeting, your days were never filled with mundane things. sure, he was rich, but the way he treated you, it was like something that came out of the movies. he gave you the full princess treatment, even if you didn't ask for it. roman showered you with love, gifts, affection, and everything you could ask for. you were very lucky to have him in your life and he was very lucky to have you too.

"how are you enjoying this, baby?" he asked, tying his hair. "i love it, thank you, love." you looked at him with a smile. "although, you went very extra with it, i should know by now." you chuckled. roman held your head and kissed your forehead. "you deserve good things in life, baby." the warmth of his love gave you nothing but happiness. he was genuine and it showed. you couldn't help but to wonder about his daily life with you knowing only a little about his life.

you felt the sun disappear for a second. someone was standing in front of you. it was his personal assistant, paul. "sorry to bother you, but you have a call, chief." roman looked confused for a second. "i told you i'm not accepting any calls if i am with (y/n)." "it's from hunter, chief." he immediately let go of his embrace. "babygirl, how about you play with them? i have a very important call." you pouted. "okay."

"(Y/N)! FINALLY! SOLO SUCKS ASS, WE NEED ANOTHER PLAYER."

weekdays came and you were back in you class. not to study, but to teach. you were a college lecturer, teaching criminology. you loved your job and you loved your students. "good morning, as i promised after your finals, we're going to watch a movie." your class was filled with excitement. "jason suggested we watch joker, but no one voted for that movie. sorry jason." you let out a laugh. "asuka suggested the shining, with the highest votes, we are going to watch that today."

"these kids will be the death of me." the lecturer lounge was empty, leaving only your best friend and old college buddy, seth. he was practically your wingman in every scenario. he taught english literature, which was the class next to you. "looking rough, buddy." you chuckled at his distressed hair. "they beat my ass in word games. i'm devastated." he groaned, taking a seat in front of you. "where you going after this?" "home, i have to check their finals." he nodded. "well, stay safe. i think i might be sleeping here."

you checked the time, it was 11 pm. to your luck, roman was going to pick you up in 15 minutes. you pulled out a cigarette and lit it up. it was a bad habit, you knew–but a single cigarette after every lesson was something to look forward to. as you were walking outside the campus ground, you heard footsteps behind you. you felt goosebumps as you looked behind and didn't see anyone.

once again, to your luck, it was very dark. you were practically power-walking. your other hand was inside your bag, trying to look for a pepper spray–incase things went downhill. "hey, you alone?" an unfamiliar voice rang in your ears. "no, i'm waiting for my someone." your voice was laced with venom. "i don't see that someone here, how about you leave with me?" you shook your head. "sorry, he'll be here anytime soon."

"code 03." roman read the text solo sent to him. "fuck." anger boiled inside him. "paul take care of this deal, i got a code 03 from solo." paul nodded and took the paperwork inside his bag. "i don't want the fucking guns from damian, they're a rip-off. if they want to score a deal with us, tell them they shouldn't bring counterfeits in front of my fucking eyes." paul nodded.

code 03 meant that someone in the business was bothering you and he wasn't there to intervene. solo could've step up if things went to an extreme extend, but that would leave you more confused on how he got there in an instance. "dude, please leave me alone!" you yelled at him, looking for someone to help you. "i'm just being nice sweetheart, i can treat you nicely." he kept pestering you. seeing you like this broke solo's heart, he wanted to lunge on the guy but he had to wait for roman's command. the guy had a familiar tattoo on his neck, solo noticed that. the guy reached out for your arm. "come on!"

"she said no." you were relieved to see your boyfriend in front of you. "i don't give a shit about what she said." the guy said, still holding your arm. "get the fuck out of my face and let her go." your heart skipped a beat. you've never seen him like this. he was always a sweetheart to you, even with his cold facade. "just trying to give her a good time." the guy continued. "oh, you're going to have a very good time if you don't let her go now." the sentence was dripped with sarcasm. "let's go." roman slightly yanked your arm, pulling you away from the guy.

roman had to make sure that the guy wasn't following the two of you or he just might whip something out that you weren't supposed to see. he knew that guy, he was familiar with his face. "baby, are you okay?" as soon as you entered the car, he let his guard down. "i'm okay, love." you assured him that you were fine. "i'm sorry i wasn't there... baby, i'm sorry it happened." you shook your head. "love, i'm okay. now let's go back, i have to grade some papers." you gave him a reassuring smile. "let's get you ice cream first."

you passed the street that you were on earlier and the guy was nowhere to be seen. you could've sworn that you saw someone dragging the guy away, but it was probably your mind playing tricks as you were very tired.

after grading your papers and eating ice cream (which you insisted getting a cone but roman just had to buy the entire tub for you), you felt sleepy. "i'm going to bed." you announced, seeing your boyfriend slump on your couch watching football. "go to sleep baby, i'm still watching the game." you nodded and went over to give him a kiss. "i love you." "and i love you too, baby."

you were fast asleep and roman silently went outside your apartment, already thirsty for blood. you were his and no one should lay a finger on you. the drive to his warehouse went quick as he was already boiling with anger. the guy earlier was tied up to a chair, shaken up by the act. "well look who is here." his voice was deep, greeting the guy. "r- roman, i'm sorry." he stuttered. "sorry for what you did or sorry because your sorry-ass messed with the wrong person?"

jey, jimmy, and solo stood by waiting for his command. "i don't usually deal with situations like this. but you touched my girl and you're going to pay for it." roman barked, intimidating the guy. roman was in love, his cousins thought. he could't careless about other people except for his bloodline before he met you. his family business was his top priority, but now, you were always on his mind.

the first punch roman threw sent the guy on his back. all those private trainings pulled off. "who sent you?" he didn't answer. roman picked him up with force. "i said," he paused a second to throw another punch. "who sent you?" the guy cracked. "t- the judgement day! they didn't like how you insulted their shippings! they told me to get your girl to intimidate you." the fucking judgement day. roman clenched his fist, preparing for another punch.

blood splattered across the room. his fist was busted as well. "if you and your little emo band cross our path again, i'll fucking kill you. if i ever see you again, i'll fucking kill you." the guy was beaten up to an extent where he was already begging for roman to stop. "throw him somewhere in the east coast, give the judgement day some warning." jey nodded.

roman was powerful in many ways. he was feared by everyone, no one crossed his path and they knew not to mess with him. as one of the top dog for the mob business, everyone respected him. it was hard hiding things from you. he didn't want you to see him in a different light. so he told you that he was the one in charge of his family's company. there were almost slip ups along the way, but being the man he was, his secret was still safe–not for long.

his cousins; jey, jimmy, and solo all worked for him. they owe him their lives and they were ready to take a bullet for you and him any day. you were special for them, like a shining with light glimmered with hope, you were a breath of fresh air.

you woke up to the sound of his snoring. "love, get up. seth is picking me up today." he groaned in despair. "you know i can drive you or have the twins drive you there right?" you shook your head. "seth and i are going to our weekly lunch, it's a tradition since high school. you've met him countless times, i'm safe with him." roman was still on top of you, unbothered. "i'm going to kick your ass if you don't move in 5 seconds." "i'd like to see you try, babygirl."

lunch with seth was always fun. it was in his nature to make people laugh their asses off. "becky made me workout last sunday, my arms are sore." he complained. "because you never workout and your wife has her own gym." you stated the obvious. "well, you're a criminology lecturer and your boyfriend is a ceo, that doesn't add up too!" he defended himself with a chuckle following his sentence. "that's because i don't pry." you replied.

"i don't know, (y/n). it's kinda fishy." seth shrugged his shoulders. "what's kinda fishy?" you raised an eyebrow. "you've never been to his workplace, you don't know his work life. he doesn't like open places, always takes you on a private date. hell, the dude doesn't even have instagram. what if he's like a mafia or something?" his question made you laugh.

"seth, just because he's jacked doesn't mean he beats up people for a living. he's afraid of cockroaches, for fuck's sake!" you furrowed your brows. "well, i don't know. even my brother doesn't know what he's up to. but as long as you're happy, (y/n)." seth gave you a thumbs up while fixing his sunglasses. "you're thinking about it now!" he pointed his fork at you. "i am not! there's no way my boyfriend is in the mafia, he's just your regular joe!" "i've known you since we were babies, i know when you are thinking about something."

it did get to your head though. but you brushed it off, there's no way your oat milk-loving boyfriend was in the mafia. roman picked you up, exchanging goodbyes with seth. "you owe me a lighter!" seth yelled, waving at the two of you. "i don't owe you shit, rollins!" you laughed. "how was lunch?" roman asked, driving away from the cafe. "it was fun, we gossiped about you." his right arm was on the steering wheel, weirdly enough–covered by bandages, the other was holding yours. "gossiped about me? what'd you say?"

"oh we thought you were in the mafia, so like are you in the mafia?" you joked. for a second you saw him clenching his jaw and the grip on your arms tightened. "am i in the what?" he furrowed his brows. "i don't know, it all adds up." you continued your joke. "you have paul as your personal assistant, i've never been to your work and you rarely talk about it, you have random bruises on your back from 'working out'." yet again, the grip tightened.

he pulled over some random street. "baby, you know i am not in the mafia. that's just insane." roman chuckled. "right? seth is out of his mind, you know how he is!" roman had to be careful, as your best friend was picking up some clues. but he knew he couldn't hurt seth. you'd burn the entire world just to find out who laid a finger on your best friend. "paul has been working for my family since god knows when, you've never been to my work because there's nothing going on, it's just boring board meetings. i rarely talk about my work because i want to be a hearer not a talker, baby. i get bruises because i work out." he explained.

"baby, you don't really think i'm in the mafia right?" "no, that would be very stupid of me, love."

he was relieved. "okay baby, do you want to go somewhere tonight?" roman asked, starting the car again. "let's go watch a movie." he nodded. "right, i'll rent a place." "NOOOO, I DON'T WANT A PRIVATE NIGHT. LET'S JUST GO TO THE MALL NEXT TO MY PLACE." he was sure that you were going to be the death of him. "okay baby, whatever you say." roman would risk his life for yours. but little did you know, the mall was filled with his men. it was never a normal day with the mafia boss of the reigns clan.

"you do realize this is the first time we ever went to a public date?" you teased him. "yes." he was oddly wary of your presence. "are you okay? you look distracted." you furrowed your eyebrows. "baby, i'm okay." he made eye-contact, giving you a warm smile. "i just don't like going out in public places." he confessed. "i'm sorry, love. do you want to go home instead?" roman nodded, feeling very tense at the thought of being out. "okay, love. let's go home now."

the walk back to the parking lot was filled with conversations about the movie that you watched. "thank you for watching barbie with me." you chuckled as he rolled his eyes. "anything for my baby." he stole a kiss from you. "i knew you would like it." the black-haired male actually loved the movie. despite his strong persona, he was a softie. especially to you. "it was a fun date-" before you could finish your sentence, you heard screams coming from... solo? when did he get here? you thought.

there was a sudden bang outside. "GET DOWN!" solo yelled. roman immediately pushed you inside the car. "JEY, DRIVE!" roman yelled, taking off his sweater, revealing a gun strapped to his side. "WHAT THE FUCK!" you yelled in a state of panic. "I TOLD THOSE FUCKING EMO CLUB NOT TO MESS WITH ME, NOW I'M FUCKING PISSED." you've never seen roman like this. "PAUL, CLOSE THE DEAL WITH THEM. THEY FUCKING PISS ME OFF! THEY MESSED UP MY DATE NIGHT." roman yelled at the phone. the two of you almost got shot and you were only the one panicking.

"SO YOU ARE ACTUALLY IN THE MAFIA?" "YES BABY, I AM ACTUALLY IN THE MAFIA, NOW GET DOWN!"

a/n: THANKKK YOU FOR THE FIRST REQUEST <3333 i hope you enjoyed it!!! requests are always open!!

[bloodlinesgirly]

Guilty Conscience 1

Roman’s job is to protect people…but not like this, will lilith open the flood gates to her past and possibly destroy her own future? or will roman be the one to keep her from it?.

roman reigns x OC (lilith)

A/N: just something i wrote to get me out of this lil slump ive been in. this is my first AU so please bear with me!! i understand this might be hard to follow but i promise it will straighten out through the next few chapters! banner made by me also

word count: 1.7k

warnings: family trauma, violence, drug usuage, possible smut, restraints(ropes,blind folds), shadows to kidnapping, death

please let me know your thoughts!

“Get away from me!” Liliths screams broke through the silence of the dark home; it’s cold and empty, bare of any sense of love or family.

“You know you can’t stay here. Your father is getting suspicious." The tall man spoke, his grip searing into Lilith's bicep as he pulled her back.

“So let me go home.” She sobbed and thrashed against his grip, wincing at the bruises.

“You know I can’t do that either.” he growled. He pulled the strip of cloth that was once wrapped around his fingers around her eyes; the already dark room was now completely shadowless. This had been Lilith’s life for almost 5 years now. The day she turned 18, she was ripped from her home and her freedom; every couple months she would be met by the masked man who took her from one “hiding place” to another. The man never changed; he never gave out information and never allowed her to see him. She knew her father did things he wasn’t proud of, but he always protected her. So why was she taken from him?

-15 years ago-

“Lilly, you know your mother is a bad woman. She doesn’t care about you like I do, and she never will.” Levi spoke to his daughter softly. He muffled her cries with his shoulder. This has become a nightly occurrence, Lilith asking about her mother and why she was no longer allowed to speak to her.

“I don’t understand, Daddy." The 8-year-old whispered. Her eyes were bloodshot. Levi stroked the back of her head.

“You don’t need to. You just need to know that she's someone you don’t need. You have me; I'm the only one you need.” Lilith smiled a little as Levi hugged her tightly.

“Do you understand that, baby?” he whispered.

“I think so,” Lilith nodded.

“good. Now go to bed; I'll see you in the morning.” He ruffled her hair and left, closing Lilith's bedroom door. As soon as she heard the lock click, she rushed to her dresser. The baby pink drawers were littered with stickers and doodles she had made. The bottom drawer consisted of a letter from her mother filled with words she never got the chance to understand. Why is her dad keeping her mom away from her? Why did her mom tell her she’d always be protecting her if her dad says she’s the one she needs protection from? Liliths eyes filled with tears. She’s overwhelmed and confused. Everything has changed, and nothing feels normal.

-present day-

“Why are you still doing this?” Lilith's small frame was encased by the man’s larger one. His fingers worked diligently at tying her hands behind her back. Her cries sent shivers down his spine. His heart broke for the girl, but this was his job. He knew what he was signing up for when the offer approached him so many years ago. Roman has been a bodyguard for a long time. but never like this. sneaking a poor girl around the country, keeping her from the relationships he knew she needed and the information she cried for. He’s stayed strong for so long; the more time passes, the more guilt he faces and the more his heart shatters. He was protecting her from what was behind the closed doors of her broken family, and he knew that. But the door is cracking; he is cracking; it’s been 5 years of this. How much longer can he keep her from it? How long can he keep his identity sealed?

Roman took a deep breath to steady himself, adjusting the mask that sat upon his face.

“I’m trying to help you.” He spoke quietly.

“That’s what you always say. You’re not trying to help me; you ruined my life. You ruined me! Where’s my dad? He always protected me. What did you do to him?!” lilith screamed. Her voice echoed through the halls, and the hurt in her voice stained Roman’s mind. It’s something he would never be able to forget.

“I’m the one protecting you... whether you know it or not.” Roman never spoke to her much during these transports, afraid of letting her in, revealing too much. Throughout the years, he’s found himself connected to her in a way he never thought possible. Yes, it was his job to keep her safe. Keep her tucked away from the world in areas of his own safekeeping. But it’s more than that now; he’d do anything to keep her out of danger; he’d never forgive himself for putting her through all of this and then allowing the doors to open, exposing her to the tragedy, the lies, and most importantly, the pain that not only infected her past but slowly seeped into her future.

Lilith's mind raced as she felt herself hit the seats of the van. the same van she’s been familiar with for the last 5 years, she could describe every corner, every crack in the leather seats, to every paper that lay scattered on the floorboard. But when it came to the man driving, she knew almost nothing. not his face, his eye color, or even his name. But she knew the sound of his baritone voice, his stern tone, and the way every once in a while he almost sounded sorry. She knew the way he smelled as his arms wrapped around her thrashing body as he restrained her. She could sometimes even recognize his footsteps. Roman secured her to the seat and tightened her blindfold before walking around to the driver's seat. The leather squeaked with his weight. The van always smelt of evergreen; that never changed. Roman’s foot hit the petal, and they were off; the ride was silent. that never changed either.

Transport has become the only constant in Lilith's life. They always went the same; she was taken... She fought, she lost... She got in a car. drove for hours. welcome "home". “Home” only ever lasted for a few months, a small house tucked away, a bed, clothes she never got to enjoy out, and a stocked kitchen. Roman would come every once in a while to restock, but other than that, she was alone, locked in a place that held nothing but fear.

Lilith had lost track of how long they had been driving before the noise started. screeching metal, breaking the hours-long silence along with the rattling of the van. Her eyebrows furrowed and her breath picked up; her chest heaved as the noise grew louder. Lilith's wrists were red and raw from pulling at the rope that tied her; her yanking became frantic.

“stop that.” Roman said shortly. His mask was pulled up on his head now, and he ran his hand down his face, trying to figure out the noise. Finally, the car stalled. Roman pumped the gas and tried turning the key again. To no avail, the van wasn’t going to start.

“dammit!” His voice boomed. Lilith flinched as his fist hit the wheel. She heard the car door open and shut and knew Roman had stepped out. He walked around the truck to the hood, coughing a little due to the smoke that emitted from it. As he fumbled around the parts, Lilith still worked at the rope, rutting her head against the seat in an attempt to remove the blindfold. She had gotten it almost above her ears before she felt a hand steady her wrists and stop her.

“lilith.” Roman growled. He looked closely at her wrist; the rope was blistering. “You’re hurting yourself. stop." he spoke. Lilith didn’t respond; instead, she slumped down in her seat.

“We’re stuck for a while; might as well get comfortable.” Lilith gasped as he loosened the rope; Roman had never allowed her even the littlest bit of freedom on their drives.

“T-thanks,” Lilith spoke for the first time in hours. Her voice was gravelly and strained.

“Someone’s on their way to get us moving again.” While Roman was outside, he had made a call to one of the few people aware of these transports. For safety reasons, Roman was the only one to have contact with Lilith. No one else was allowed access to her whereabouts or even to her identification. Of course, some people were aware of the arrangement, but none of them knew anything more.

“You’ll sit in the trunk when he arrives... until then sit tight.”

The silence was heavy; the only thing that could be heard were the eratic sounds of Lilith's breaths contrasting with Roman’s calm ones.

“What’s your name?” Lilith questioned, her voice almost a whisper.

“I can’t tell you that.” roman sighed. Roman and Lilith had never been together this long before; he would make the drive, drop her off, and go wherever it was he went afterwards. never leaving time for curiosity and questions about himself. Lilith hesitated before responding.

“I hate you,” her voice quivered.

“I understand that.” Roman answered shortly. He was scared she would keep pushing. He knew he could only hold out for so long before he said too much.

“please.” As Lilith spoke, Roman watched a tear roll down her rose-tinted cheek. He stayed silent.

“It’s all I’m asking of you; you’ve taken everything from me, and you can't even give me that.” She raised her voice slightly. She was shaking; Roman could tell she was scared of him, scared of what he might do even though he’s never tried to punish her.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he grumbled. “I didn’t take anything from you. I don’t care what you think, but that wasn’t me.” Roman wished she could believe him... selfishly and unrealistically, he hoped one day she could understand. He could hear a car rumbling its way up the baron road they were stalled on. He began to tighten the ropes once again and move Lilith to the trunk, where she would stay until the car was running again.

“Roman,” he spoke. His breath caught in his throat as soon as the words left him, as if he couldn’t control it. “That’s my name.” he mumbled. All Lilith could do was nod. It’s taken 5 years, but maybe finally, she was slowly cracking through those doors on her own. She was going to free herself from all of this, no matter what it took.

[thlayli-ra]

RISE OF KNIGHT (part two)

Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

(Feel free to ask me anything about this au - I think about it too much!)

[mysticreigns2]

Burnin' for you (cyborg series 4)

Roman reigns x Esme (OC)

Cyborg series masterlist

👾warnings: smut (I might have gotten a little carried away!! Sorry not sorry!!), fluff, touch of angst, not proofread!

👾 Tag List: @mzv11 @acknowledge-reigns @romanreignshairdresser @my-roman-empiree @wrestlingprincess80 @zillasvilla @southerngirl41 @mandeelemons @romanthereigns

👾Banner is made by me. Do NOT repost my fics without my permission! Likes, comments, and reblogs are always appreciated.

👾if you wish to be tagged in my future fics please let me know. MINORS DNI!!!

👾word count: 1454

In the middle of the pouring down rain, a young woman walked soaked to the bone. Her hair dripped with the tears that fell from the sky. She'd been stranded by a date that she thought was going well. He had taken her to a restaurant in the middle of no where which should have been her first red flag, but she decided to give him a chance and ignore her intuition.

Cars one after the other passed by, teasing her relief from the sheer mass of water that was collecting on the side of the road. She had no idea where she was or how she was going to get home since the rain had destroyed her phone, her only connection with the outside world.

The rain hid the tears falling from her once bright eyes. She could only hope a stranger with a kind heart would stop and pick her up. In a moment that seemed like fate had smiled upon her a truck pulled over, the passenger door opening by itself 'thats quant' she thought to herself. Looking into see who was the driver, hoping it was someone she recognized, she saw the man from earlier, laughing at her. A sinister smile on his face. She backed up towards the corner field behind her "no you can't be who picks me up!"

Esme shot up in bed, the nightmare had gone on further this time. She looked over at the couch to see Roman in his usual spot, shut down for the night so he could recharge. She got up and walked over to him "Roman!" She said, hearing his circuits fire up. That was something that after 15 years she still wasn't use to "hello Esme!" He smiled, his smile fading when he saw her face "what's wrong beautiful? Did you have the nightmare again?" He asked, pulling her into his lap. Esme nodded her head "it got further this time. I saw his face!"

Roman rubbed her back soothingly, hoping he could calm her. She laid her head on his shoulder, relaxing into his arms. 15 years ago if someone had told her a cyborg would be her comfort, she would have said they were crazy, but Roman was always who she went to when she was upset. Danny wasn't that person and hadn't been for a long time, far beyond the 15 years that Esme and Roman had been together.

"hey, it's ok baby! I'm right here!" He cooed, hoping his words would soothe her.

"I'm scared! What if the dream gets more vivid? It's been doing that each time I have it!" She said, a mix of fear and anger on her face "what if it's a priminition?"

Roman chuckled "baby where are you gonna find any corn fields in space?"

Esme laughed, realizing how strange it must have sounded to be scared over a corn field. Roman smiled, kissing her forehead "there's that smile I love to see!"

"It does sound pretty silly doesn't it?" She said, a smile still on her face. He always knew how to make her forget all her problems.

The night light they had installed for Elana shined in the room, illuminating esme's face. Roman was still in awe that this beautiful woman chose him over all the others she could have had, both cyborg and human. He moved her hair out of her face "you're absolutely beautiful!" He smiled, leaning in to kiss her. Even after all these years she still was the most beautiful woman to him, even With all the stretch marks from her being pregnant, the wrinkles forming by the crease of her eyes. His woman was perfect!

Esme moved so she was straddling him, her thick thighs on either side of his, kissing his neck, a deep groan escaping him as she lightly scratched her teeth over his skin. She'd started wearing just a t shirt and panties to bed after Roman didn't shut down one night and snuck under the covers to devour her pussy, leading to a night of passion she'd never thought was possible, with human or cyborg. Less clothing made it easier for him to surprise her like that. Tonight she'd only had on an oversized t shirt.

"naughty girl!" He growled, running his hand along her slick folds "already so wet for me!" His finger rubbed circles on her clit, making her groan into his ear. He loves the sound of her feeling the pleasure he gave her. The little whimpers and sighs she made drove him absolutely crazy with want!

"Watch me lick you off my fingers!" He demanded, pulling her away from his neck. He brought his fingers to his mouth, licking them clean "you taste so damn good baby!" He growled.

Esme pulled her lower lip between her teeth, a smile hiding underneath "I love that little growl you do!"

"oh yeah?" He smiled, a mischievous glint in his eyes "so what if I do this?" He said, leaning forward to her ear "what if I bend you over this couch, slide my cock inside you and make the whole ship know my name?" His voice was husky and sent shivers down esme's spine.

"stand up! Bend over the couch!" He commanded, way hing her every move. Esme leaned over the arm of the couch, sticking her ass in the air. Roman ran his hand over the curve of her ass, a loud smack echoed in the room when his large hand swatted her ass, the sting exciting Esme even more "please!!" Esme begged.

He snaked his hand into her hair, pulling her head back, swatting her ass again with his other hand, rubbing it as she jolted "please what baby girl? What do you want?" He groaned, rubbing the tip of his throbbing cock against her pussy.

"please just fuck me!!" Esme begged, shaking her ass against him, trying to create friction.

"well since you asked so nicely!" He growled, pushing himself inside her, both of them letting out groans of pleasure "you always did fit me so well!" Roman groaned, grabbing her hips. Esme bounced her hips against him "hmmm, that's my good girl! Fuck yourself! Uhn! Fuck yes!" He held onto her hips to steady her, watching her use him for her own pleasure. He ran his hands along her back, lifting the shirt she still has on "how are you still so soft?!" He groaned.

"Please! Fuck me!" Esme groaned "I need-" she stopped when she felt him thrust into her, arching her back.

"You always did take me so well! Uhn! Fuck!" Romans groans and esme's whimpers became a melody in the room, a song of ecstasy. HE snakes his hand up her back and into her hair, pulling her head backwards, making Esme's mouth fall open "you look so damn sexy when you're cock drunk!" He groaned "flip over, I wanna watch my cock go into you!"

Esme flipped over on the arm of the couch, her legs falling open for him "better yet, I wanna taste you again!" He groaned, kneeling in front of her, her feet on his shoulders.

"so fucking wet for me!" He growled, flicking his tongue against her swollen clit. Esme through her head back, her back arching over the arm of the couch. Her hands running through his hair, gripping it tighter "so fucking delicious!" He groaned against her.

"please! I need you!" Esme groaned. Roman pulled away, the night light they'd had put in illuminating her juices on his beard. It drove Esme crazy with need "please! I need to feel you!"

Esme's groans and pleas ripped away the last bit of Roman's control, he buried himself deep inside her, the growls that escaped from his lips made Esme's pussy clench. She looked down to see his cock disappear inside her, re emerging covered in her juices "put your leg over my shoulder baby girl!" He groaned, lifting her leg, the new position allowing him to hit her spot even better "fuck! I'm so damn deep!"

Esme's legs shook "I can feel you're close baby! Be a good girl and let go for me!" He groaned, his thrusts getting harder, sending Esme over the edge "uhn! That's my good girl! Uhn!! Fucking milk my cyborg cock!"

Her pussy suckled him in like it didn't want to let him go, pulling his orgasm out of him. He collapsed on her stomach, both of them trying to catch their breath. He kissed her stomach, soft groans escaping his lips.

Small giggles escaped Esme "you are always so incredible!" She smiled at him.

He leaned forward to kiss her lips, smiling back "Baby girl I only burn for you!"

[caramelcleopatraa]

Twitter AU: Roman discovers tumblr

(i’m calling it twitter, tf is X? and i’m testing something out🫶🏾)

🏷️ taglist @reignsboy19 @2-muchsauce @theninthwonder @harmshake @alichesmi @thesamoanqueen @alyyaanna @empressdede @badbitchcentralinc @christinabae @fame-ass-ers @southerngirl41 @cyberdejos2 @murrylove @sassginaswanmills @pixiedust4000 @shes2real @pittieprincess22 @wrestlingprincess80 @msbigredmachine @sayyestoheav3nn @trippinsorrows

[333creolelady]

Lady Of The Blue Bakunawa Masterlist

Black Afab/OC X Roman Reigns (Pirate Au)

Synopsis: Unlikely foreigners meet under strange circumstances that send them on a quest for more than treasure.

Cover art: @joannasteez

Story Warnings: Heavily Detailed Sex, Racism, Violence, Mentions of past abuse, Mentions of past child abuse, Mentions of past SA, Mentions of discrimination, Mentions of colonization, Gore, Alcohol use, Drug use, Angst, Profanity, Critiques on the British Monarchy. Grief, Minors DNI.

Contains: Romance, Drama, Fantasy (sci-fi), Action/adventure.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Epilogue (short)

Story playlist link

Alternative playlist

Face claims 1 ,

Creative process for LOTBB 1, 2, 3

Questions about LOTBB: Here, Here, Here

[joannasteez]

tanks of blood (4) - i'll be your mirror

pairing: biker!roman reigns x black reader warning: angst. talks of parental neglect. consensual underage intimacy (just a kiss!) roman and reader are 17 & 16 in this flashback authors note: we going down that memory lane again. this chapter is inspired by the velvet underground's song "i'll be your mirror". it's such a bittersweet song, something that i think perfectly sums up the relationship. word count: 3900 tagging: @333creolelady @harmshake @theninthwonder @thesamoanqueen @kill-the-artiste @empressdede @spritelucozade @gg-trini

roman didn't, and still doesn't have the burden of being an only child—thank God—and certainly not the burden of being an only child to such disagreeable parents. i love you, i hate you, and then that heavy  drowning silence to follow. and no, he's never seen your mother and KG fight, but the after affects of such tumultuous affairs are always evident. cleaner and more clear than a chrome finish. a force fed sort of isolation he can feel, even if such feelings are just, to him, a secondary burden. pain by association. and he hates to imagine the messiness of it, that mangled and tattered sort of hurt littered everywhere, but his imagination is all he has, because you never say much about it.  leaving the air as dry and brittle as they had. but maybe if you do ever say something, give the silence a soft solemn touch, he can restore it the rest of the way. or try to at least. he can do or say or be something, enough of whatever you need to remedy what he can. but even the idea of that is scary, a new desire the sixteen year old him that existed the year prior wouldn't have. lacking so much urgency about anything that wasn't him inspired. 'you need to grow up fast', he'd heard his mother say once. maybe this is what she meant. his seventeen year old sensibilities a little different. a little more urgent than easy, a little more ardently driven. 

priorities are funny though. a list constantly shifting. everything ever that he liked, maybe even loved—parties, bikes, parties, girls, his hair, his bike—trumped by the state of your emotional being. which was interesting. a tire skid of an abrupt shift. and not to mention your hair, and your eyes and your face. full lips that love to pout in time with their irritations. and how would he notice that unless he was lingering? his eyes there, trailing up and over, down and everywhere. a twist in his belly, hearing you call his name. he can't help but to like it. to crave that rushing energy of getting you to squirm, to smile. to have your eyes fix themselves on him.  

and if he didn't like you so damn much he'd probably hate you. his heart sinking into himself all the time now. a habitual falling that couldn't be stopped. regardless of how deep he breathed. self soothing be damned. so its nothing new to work through, when he gets to you—twisting open the door with a spare key he forced you to get made for him because he hated the idea of you being alone a lot at night —comfortable in your very empty house but not really. wrestling still with his body, because doesn't it know he has a coolness to maintain? an air? a quality? prince of pensacola and all that nice prestigious shit. but maybe that wasn't the point. maybe that wasn't supposed to exist with you. his fingers playing over the velvet box in the right pocket of his sweatpants.

but when roman says empty, he doesn't mean barren because your house is homey. comfortable. lived in. theres just no one here to indulge in it. to indulge in earth tones and splashes of green. plants and throw blankets. KG staining the place with pops of black leather jackets and silver things. little harley bikes and idle jewelry. no one but you. but whatever you've done, it leaves him hungry. the air warm and savory scented. tomatoes and garlic and bread and other fragrant little seasonings. 

roman's sneakers thud over hardwood floors. your voice carrying from the lit kitchen. music low and melodic under your words, just enough to fill in the emptiness of the house. "roman i swear if you don't have my ice cream, please turn your ass about face and exit stage left". 

he leads himself into the kitchen easy paced. overly familiar with the lay of the house. sliding into a too tiny for him kitchen island table high chair. his body half way off the seat. "you tryin to kick me out when i have a key is real backwards shit". 

and you pout. full lips down turning. brows pulling. it makes the tip of his fingers itch. his tongue working over the roof of his mouth. he'd thought about it, once or twice. your mouth. questioned how good mango lip balm tastes. 

you throw a balled up napkin his way. "the one little thing i ask for, you keep forgetting. its like you hate me". 

"first", he starts. eyeing the portion of food you've tonged onto a plate. "that lil market you want it from is out of my way", snagging a fork and dipping it into the heat of the plate. your hand sliding him a can of coke. "second, its expensive as hell. tryna have me travel damn near across country for a forgettable ass flavor". 

you gasp offended. full on dramatics that confirm just how spoiled you are. because KG and your mother were many things. complicated people he couldn't at times understand. but they always gave you things. whether it was wanted or needed. you always had it. 

"my needs are forgettable?" 

his eyes roll playfully. pulling his fork to watch the heat rise from it. "gimme a few days. i'll draft up a nice fat invoice for your pops. show him just how needy you are. spending all my money".

"money you let me spend!", you give. smiling. because you were right. there was never a moment where he let you buy things around him. not since the development of such abrupt, overwhelming feelings. harsh butterfly's and hard to quell desire making him do things he otherwise wouldn't think of. and he never saw his dad do it. never saw his mother reach into her wallet. your fingers pointing to the once upon a time crew neck band tee that you cut into a tank top. "your contributions paid for this top by the way. and my shorts", the neck of it slit into a v shape that gave him a view he didn't need to see. it wouldn't do much but excite things that didn't need exciting. ideas that didn't need encouragement. not now anyways. the biker shorts hitting mid thigh, soft brown skin left to the air. and you seem none the wiser to his examinations. cleaning out the contents of the fridge. your voice carrying over to him still. "the best thing you can do for a woman is open up that little wallet of yours". 

roman snorts. sips at his coke with a smile. "when this so called woman shows up, give her my number so we can chat". 

your teeth suck. throwing in a little mumble of "whatever", taking a towel to the fridge shelves. a diligent but bizarre work of your hands. because the house was already clean. already presentable. there was no reason for you to drench cloths in pine scented product. to work in a wipe down that left reflections rivaling the fresh chrome finish of his father's vintage cruiser. maybe that's why you've been on him about ice cream pick ups and late night last minute shopping mall trips for band tees and flannel shirts. everything a project. a process to pass the time. and his sudden willingness to say yes to everything didn't help. it only drew him in. manifesting itself in the form of a little black velvet box. one which sat in his pocket, waiting for some much needed exposure. exposure roman is sure won't be given tonight. not if his fears have anything to say about it. obnoxiously loud, heart thumping fears. seventeen isn't the age for rejection anyways. and he's seen it before, he can do well without that type of pain. 

and with all this passion filled anxiety, roman goes unaware. tunnel visioned by thoughts and the impression of that velvet box pressing into his leg. levels the good heap of food you've given him easily. growing boy and all that jazz.

your reaction is cute though, when you do finally face him again. a play at disgust. pretty brown eyes watching the roll his tongue takes over his lips to taste the remnants of flavor. and he can feel the exacting of them. a sensation over his mouth from your eyes. hesitant and curious. 

"y'know you could've chewed it right? it wasn't going nowhere"

roman stands. a finished plate in one hand and his unfinished coke in the other. shuffling to the sink. "the way you mindin my business is kinda crazy actually". 

"the way you eat is crazy actually. very much like a starved animal". 

and roman does a lesser by the day rare thing, slipping out of the hesitancy that comes with what if's and unknowns. the saucy mess of his plate in his right hand, body inching close, smooth and unashamed, till he's caging you in between his height and the sink. his eyes catching onto the slight hitch in your shoulders as you flush up against the counter. his head tilting, narrowing in on the surprise of your face. the stillness in your body that comes with unsure thoughts. mixed desire. or at least. thats what he hopes. this would be bad if you absolutely hated everything about what he was doing. but he kills that way of thinking. pushes it to a deeper, quieter corner. his blood racing. something in him wanting to see you thrash and break against the hold of your resolve for him. for him only. "all that jealous energy for a plate of food is unnecessary. i got enough attention to go around".

you gasp. catching his drift. his thigh nudging into yours. this teasing, faint knock in that has your hands rushing into him. a not so hard pushing away. "be so fuckin for real right now".

"starin me down, watchin me cause you like the way i eat", his emphasis on words, sharper on some than others. it makes your nose flare and the pulling in your brows deepen. his body rife with sweet satisfaction. he smiles, teasing, and the slip of it catches your eyes again. "it's ok to admit i make you feel something". his hand reaching down to dump the plate in the sink and sit down his can of coke. a maneuvering that gets him closer, deeper into the warmth of your space. "squirmin n'shit away from me like you don't like it". 

your eyes dilate. a black heat pushing against the sweet docile brown. something new and unknown pushing against something comfortable and old. telling him everything he needs to know.

you bristle. short of breath."roman shut the fuck up and-...", your teeth sucking as you push against him again. "...and make yourself useful". getting away from what he's sure is suffocating air. and no this isn't totally his ego, but he knows that the intoxication of such a new feeling is more than likely overwhelming, because roman isn't new to making girls melt. to having them go weak and silly eyed for him. he was and is who he is, and the aura is natural, comes to him as true as would a birthright to the firstborn son of ancient nobility. but its never left such a satisfaction in him as it does now. 

"need me to eat somethin else?"

your fist balls around a towel you've picked up. standing in front the light of the open fridge. you hurl it fast to hit him, approaching to have your hands push at his solid chest. so obviously overdone by whatever truths you're fighting to avoid. because why else would it bother you so much if it isn't true. if you don't feel the same way he does. 

"close this", your finger pointing as his mouth. "wash this", directed at his still saucy plate. 

eyes rolling for dramatic effect. to really sink home that overflowing of disgust. you fooled nobody. nobody but yourself. 

"not sure if you know this...", his hands soapy and wet as he starts to clean his plate. heart pounding in his chest. a giant step of words tumbling down off his tongue. heavy and thumping as they hit the air less implied than they've ever been. "...but we can't work if you're gonna be violent to me. it's gotta be fifty-fifty. give and take and all that good shit". 

you wipe mindless at another fridge shelf. from what he can see of your face, the gears turning slow and cautious. "and what exactly is supposed to be workin?"

"don't be dense". he throws a look your way. mocking and a little impatient. 

you wince. a slight hitch in your arms. like such a thing to hear was painful. "roman. stop saying that", you scold. his name leaving you violent and parental. 

and he feels an immediate failing in his chest. a stuttering that forms as the complete summation of every heavy bout and measly piece of anxiety since he's taken his first step past your front door. of course he didn't mean to be so wounding as to bring up in your eyes a more than mild detesting but there it is. brown and burning and heavy. a loathing born from the awful slip of his memory. too comfortable in his slip from caution to reign in the no go phrasing. because KG—as cool as roman thinks him to be—says not so nice things sometimes. 'don't be dense', as a way to inspire common sense from the other guys romans age. ones that hang around lazily. doing half ass jobs and wasting his—your fathers— time. but it doesn't mean you hate it any less, even if it never is directed at you. 

"sorry", he gives softly. "sorry".

and the silence after is agony. like his body is working through the painstaking process of drowning. a suffocation that makes him squirm. uncomfortable in his skin. soft music playing still, the only thing that attempts to fill in the deep well of quiet. his hands toweling dry, leaning up against the sink to watch you work. steeping further into a self directed annoyance. the banter at one point ok. teasing but never so much that it made you go quiet. because quiet, from you, means that roman can't access whatever you're thinking. he can't gauge whatever feelings exist. and he's never been so brainless about a thing before, so disconnected that his words make you mount with a displeasured heat that quickly. again, this care for all of your feelings all the time. happening so quickly. when the fuck did that start and how the hell is he going to catch up? 

he needs to fill the silence. the loudness of it nearly killing him. 

"how's your mom?"

because he hasn't seen her for a while. her always less than warm stare and short words. smiles that don't reach the eyes and tense, unsure hugs. it was better when you both were younger. she gave him more to work with then. always smiling and cooking and present. her eyes bright and warm and brown, similar to the ones you have now. they looked at him with less distance then. 

the circular wipe down of your hand falters for some seconds. picks back up as if nothing has happened. "she's fine", your voice flat. unenthused. "went up north to visit family". 

and he's heard his own mother and father talk about it before. hushed words when they think others don't know. a sadness to the syllables. to the air when they say things. he figures its an excuse. visiting family is an excuse for other things. 

the curiosity crushes into him. for the sake of wanting to do something. to have you not be so quiet about it. so alone in it. "how long has she been gone-"

"a few days", sighing out answers. seemingly exhausted with his prying. you stack things back into a clean—it was already fairly clean—fridge. dumping out not so old containers and ceramic dishes into the sink. "she'll be back whenever". 

"whenever?"

you give him a look. one that peers up from under your lashes. one that says to stop. to drop the subject. to let it go. but roman is compelled by his own needs to get closer. to be something more than whatever it is that exists now. he wants to be let in. 

"listen", picking his brain for words to say. anything that will properly stick. "...i'm here... if you wanna talk about it... you don't have to shutdown-"

you wipe out a tupper-ware bowl. old food and a nasty smell. disinterested. "don't really know what you want me to say". 

romans jaw clenches. "don't do that". 

"don't do what?"

"don't downplay shit", words toughing out harsher than he means them to. he sighs, tightening his eyes and going for a deeper breath. "i'm just trying to-", but you maneuver about him regardless. eyes not meeting and your fingers soapy and wet with too hot water. like he's not there. a twist in his gut performs well enough that he thinks somehow it'll bruise internally. his jaw clenching. "stop ignoring me-"

the dishes in your hand drop hard. but somehow not breaking. the fire in your eyes small but dangerous. "s'nothin to say...", you start. each word cutting out. "...because everybody knows. because it's very fuckin obvious. she gets tired, she goes to visit family", your tone playing patronizing. like a parent to a child. "he gets tired, he stays at the clubhouse". 

"...and they leave you here alone", he finishes. upset for you. upset alongside you. why is that so hard for you to see? 

"oh really roman?", sarcasm washing over. "i didn't notice. thanks for telling me". 

and he doesn't really know what to do now. what to say. to much of an abrupt turn back into the banter could make you grow more sour. but he doesn't want to leave you to quietness either. doesn't want you to stew in the heat of all this unaccounted for anger. he's lost. ill feeling. but finally at least coming to some resignation of just how deep the care for you is steadily staking its claim into him. and that insistent scrubbing you're doing, roughing your hand into hot soapy water, almost mindless the way your arm works. like maybe whatever it is you're not saying, you're bleeding into the motions of it. your lips between your teeth. biting in. he wishes you'd just say something. even if that thing is small.  

the ceramic dish breaks. a clacking sort of crack from too much heat and pressure. weak and overworked. the water it suffers under running red from the spill of blood. the skin on your hand lifted and pooling steadily. the pieces dropping to shatter more as you let them go. beads of blood pull up still past your skin but you don't dare to move. shocked maybe? the pain waiting to sink in. 

"shit", a full registration. roman running to your bathroom. rummaging for anything first aid. bandaids and alcohol and gauze and ointments. but the cut itself was easy enough to bandage. yeah no, his speed isn't for the cut. it's for distance coloring your eyes and the way your body refuses to react. the speed of his running is to get back to that. to help that. attempt at a bandaging for that. or maybe thats not something mendable by his hand. maybe not at all.

the kitchen water is running when he comes in. hands full of helpful things and eyes filled with worry. your hand under cold water. grimacing with pain. 

"here", he gives. stripping paper towels and pressing them into your hand. holding tight to pressure over. staring hard at sad eyes. 

your hand pulls from his. releasing him. "thank you", fragile. on the precipice of breaking. soft breaths and a firm standing in front of him. amongst a too clean house and a bloody hand. your eyes not meeting. your lip suffering under the tension of weary teeth. and roman aches but the tower of his body stands over you present and waiting. a comfortable patience. your head falling into his chest. a lean in that asks for the permission to gain relief. if not from pain than from the  carrying of a full burden. something that can be shared. and he takes it gracefully. his arms coming over and around till you're flushed into his chest. fingers spread and soothing. a pleasant caress. 

you sniffle. small like but he can hear you. and maybe in this moment, this is all you can give. a simple cry without the heavy complexity of words. but it's enough. for him it's enough. 

and your face is warm when you decide to shift away from tear staining his shirt. his fingers feeling the brunt of the heat as he thumbs the wet streaks along your cheeks. feeding his eyes into yours. no examinations or readings. just simple presence. an undefiled attention. here now, not so similar to before, he knows what to say. 

"i gotchu". a tender thumbing caress just under glassy pink eyes. 

everything about you here soft and abruptly undone. 

his eyes slip against the seam of your lips. yours doing the same for his. looking away quickly to your hand. 

"i got blood on your shirt", you say. his hands leaving the comfort of your face. looking up to him from under wet curled lashes. "sorry". 

"it's cool", smiling. fingering the fabric of his t-shirt before tugging easy at yours. smudges of blood on it pressed in from the impact of your embrace. "we gotta get you a new tank top though. time to open up my little wallet i guess". 

"that and my ice cream is the least you can do". 

and roman goes about the work of wrapping your hand patiently. a tenderness he's never really known existed in his till the first breaths of this moment. soft music that played before, playing still. his fingers steady as the gauze folds over and over to cover the wound against your palm. 

he can still feel the impression of the velvet box in his pocket. the pressure of it calling to him. heart thudding ill-controlled. with no mind to give him reprieve. 

his thumb runs over the wrapping of gauze against your hand. taking in just how much he towers over you easily. something like possession working into his blood. wanting to keep you safe. 

he does the lesser and lesser rare thing. slipping out of hesitancy. 

"can i show you something?"

you nod. "show me".

the velvet box gets its much needed exposure. after living so long in the shadows of such a deep pocket. his thumb opening it to reveal a pretty silver necklace. slim and simple. a heart at the center covered in diamonds. surprise takes you whole, pretty post-tear brown eyes full of questions. 

"you like it?"

you nod again. "its pretty".

"it's yours if you want it". 

his heart. if you want it, it's yours. 

your eyes trail to his lips again. his tongue licking sly over them, feeling the burden of such a sensation. you reach on your toes, lips planting delicate and shy. an unsure take to his mouth that burst' the ways of his seventeen year old heart. he clutches the necklace dearly, the slim silver of it nestled in his palm as it circles your waist. hugging you in as his lips slot. pursing to pull against yours. a hum of sweet satisfaction slipping up as he maneuvers your mouth gracefully. something tender and fleeting, like a moan, from your throat. breaths heavy as you part from him. his nose knocking gentle into yours. mango lip balm sugary and addicting as he pecks your mouth again. 

he latches the pretty heart to secure around your neck. thumbing your cheeks. his body urging him to go for more. pursing against your lips for another kiss. 

angst and fluff… theyre so sweet!! makes all the present animosity and tension better i think. let me know what you think!!

[mamirhodessxox]

I hate you more (Part 1)

Mafia!Cody Rhodes x Fem OC!Mafia Reader

(Sasha Francesca Ricci) Enemies to lovers trope

Credits to @alyyaanna for helping me come up w the storyline because I had like 3 different mental breakdowns trying to figure out what to do

Storyline: Sasha was born into a world of darkness and fear, Despite the harsh circumstances she was out in she managed to drag herself into finding love at a young age especially when she least expected it but unfortunately not all love stories are fairytales, Sasha resented the man who once brought her love in her life just to leave and break her heart while having the audacity to invade her life many years once again and give her conflict of love and war on how she was to overcome the feelings she feared while trying to focus on her job with him being so close and invasive to her.

Contents: Smut in future chapters, Knife Play, Choking king, Degradation kink, Praising Kink, Alcohol, Smoking, Violence, Mentions of m1rder, drug dealing, Fluff, Angst, Fingering, oral sex.

🏷️ list: @ginswife @coolpastelartshoe @greatkoalawizard @cokolin044 @kotoriarlert @alicerosejensen @bunnybot55 @agent-dessis-posts @adollonyourshelf @mini-rhodes @southerngirl41

{~I'm very serious with you guys interacting with my writing!!!! it would make me so happy & excited, the more comments & reposts the more inspiration i have to write :) likes and comments are strongly appreciated so please COMMENT COMMENT COMMENT COMMEENNTTT the more comments the more content <3!!!~}

Fanfiction Inspired Playlist:

Miami Florida 2019

Sasha was a broken girl since the very age of 16, and it was all his fault, atleast that’s what she wanted it to seem like in her world, what really broke her wash the fact her mother never allowed her to have a regular life due to being constantly associated with the mafia & even becoming one at some point. But what really did it for her was the exact moment she met someone who she swore was the love of her life, his name was Cody, he was the most beautiful person she could have ever laid her eyes on, he made her feel like she was normal, loved, she was aware of who he was, He was known for his family being one of the most well known generational Mafia in Miami so far, They were together for years, Meanwhile Sasha had to get entail on who the new recent drug dealers were the moment she hit 21, one of many were known as Roman Reigns, She had concluded an investigation upon him that Cody didn’t enjoy at first & that is what made him push himself to leave her overall, once he broke things off with her she immediately came to the worst possible conclusion & that was him using her to get information on her mother which was far from being the case. Cody assumed she had been spying on him all this time and conspired against him whilst having an affair with Roman which was not the right idea.

For years she hated him for that very idea in her head, everyone knew it including her mother, Sasha felt as if she could never experience love the same way ever again, She got more serious within the business her mother forced to be apart of but some days all she could think about was Cody, and she had no idea as to why especially now, she would have dreams about him. Nobody could ever replace the love he gave her and made her feel, and she tried, she truly tried to forget him but he was a parasite in her mind, she had done everything she possibly could, Dated women, dated men, slept with women, slept with men, but nothing could rid the though of Cody from her brain, he engraved himself in there and she hated his guts for it.

If Sasha had the opportunity she would probably make his life a living hell for having the audacity to ruin her love life permanently. Sasha stood in front of a mirror in her room adjusting the suit she bought for today’s very important meeting as said in her mothers words. Randy walked in to check on her as she took forever to get ready, Randy was close with both Cody & Sasha’s family but he had an important role within her family’s business, he was in control with her mother meaning he got a say in most things, planned out most of the missions & kept everyone in check, he was a father figure to Sasha as hers walked out on her & her brother Seth. “You’ve been up here for 36 minutes Sasha wrap up whatever you’re doing and get down there. You’re the future face of the family you need to represent us all & show everyone you can run shit.” She stared at him through the mirror & nodded before turning around to actually face him “Fine. Let’s get this over with, I have shit to do.” He nodded and walked out with Sasha into her mother’s office where everyone met, She noticed someone familiar standing infront of the window with pitch black hair which made her quirk up a brow & look over at everyone, one of the girls Athena who ran the drug dealing side of business was known to keep Sasha from killing someone if she was present, what she couldn’t do was calm her down but she often had to hold Sasha back, She & Sasha also had a friends with benefits thing going on with no actual strings attached to the fooling around they did as it was mostly for pure fun, Athena immediately stood up and held onto her forearm which confused Sha, Seth pinched the bridge of his nose as he knew exactly who the man facing the window was. while Barbra Sasha & Seths mother cleared her throat.

“I’m glad everyone could make it, truly, especially you Sasha. Today we have recruited yet another member and even made a deal with his family, but most importantly I wanted to discuss to future of this family we have all created with each other over the years. As it is my duty to address certain things like the future face of the family and Business we run, some of you wondered who would take my place if a mission or deal ever went wrong & one of my two children had to take my place, & I will answer your concerns but first I would like to introduce our new addition of the family.” The man turned around while he fixed his watch that laid on his wrist & Sasha became enraged, he was the same man that ruined everything for her, Cody, It was fucking Cody. Athena & Randy sighed while Cody grinned & started taunting her “What’s the matter Sash’ I thought you would be thrilled to see me.” Seth widened his eyes and she escaped Athena & Randy’s grasp “What the fuck are you doing here!?” Seth ran up and held onto Sasha “Don’t do this, Not no-“ Barbra slammed her hands ontop of her desk and silenced the room “ENOUGH! You’re all acting like a bunch of goddamn fools!”

Sadha sneered at Cody & he just smirked taunting her with his presence. “As I was saying, I have made the decision to make a deal with Cody, I won’t go into details about the deal we have made but he is now apart of our team, our family, and our Business, whether you like it or not, now. Let’s talk about the most impo-“ Sasha shook her head “You must take me for a fucking fool mom, truly, I will not fucking stay in this room any longer than now especially when he is in it and if you expect me to not kill him you’re all a bunch of fucking idiots.” Sasha got in his face glaring “I fucking hate you with every molecule that runs through my goddamn body and if you even get in my way for a second I’m going to kill you & your goddamn family.” Cody hummed “Is that a threat Sasha?” She sneered “It’s whatever you make it to be.” She warned before pushing him away & storming out of the office while Seth sighed “Mom this is not a good idea, you know their past with each other, you know how insane Sasha is & if you really think she won’t do something then you really must be underestimating her.” Randy observed the situation while Athena almost went out there to get Sasha back he stopped her “Let her figure this one out Thena.” She frowned nodding. Seth left the office to chase after his sister but he immediately heard screaming around the house and yelling, he saw that the wallpaper within the hallways were ripped and then started hearing crashing within the kitchen which alerted everyone to leave the office and run to see what all the ruckus was. “I’LL KILL HIM! GET HIM OUT OF THIS GODDAMN HOUSE RIGHT NOW BEFORE I RIP HIS FUCKING HEAD OFF!!”

Everyone ran into the kitchen to see Sasha yelling and shouting over the situation while she broke every single dish she got her hands on. Glass slammed against the walls & floor Until randy & Seth ran past Cody & Athena and picked her up “That’s enough Sasha!” Seth shouted until she kicked herself out of their grasp and held a knife directly against Cody’s throat but her mother’s hand laid against her back “I think that’s quite enough from you Sasha.” For whatever reason the touch of her mother calmed her down somewhat while everyone stood in shock at the kitchen’s mess. “Why don’t you & I take a walk outside and discuss about this hm? Just you and me my sweet.” Sasha glared directly at Cody before moving the knife away from him while he cleared his throat & chuckled before Barbra took the knife out of her hand and laid her palm against her cheek “Why don’t you go outside & wait for me hm? Take a breather.” She nodded meekly & gave Cody one last glare before walking off as she made her way outside. Barbra cleared her throat turning to Cody “Just give her time to adjust, whatever happened with you two is still being treated delicately like an open wound.” He nodded “I’ll give her all the time she’ll need.” He said with slight sarcasm before Barbra walked off as everyone started cleaning up the kitchen.

Sasha sat on a stone bench in her designated area of the mansion where she would spend most of her time. Her heel dug into the dirt as she listened to the footsteps of her mother “That was quite the stunt today Barbra, How can I trust you will be the face of this bu-“ she scoffed “Is that all this is to you mom? Business? What happened to you actually caring about your children? Do you understand how fucked that is for you to do as my mother? You saw how he affected me, hurt me, broke my heart and yet you let him invade our fucking family and business for your own benefit?” She questioned as Barbra stood with her hands behind her back “I love you Sasha, I do, but you need to understand business is business, you need to trust me on this young lady.” Sasha scoffed shaking her head “You using my heartbreak to your benefit will never make me trust whatever fucking process this is.”

She shoved past her mother before storming inside the mansion & going up into her room 10 minutes before one of her closest friends walked in, Mariana handled most of the statistics when it came to business, she worked on heavy amounts of research on other well know family’s that were also doing shady shit under the table, But Mariana was a bestfriend to Sasha, she knew how you talk her down from acting on anything else more outrageous today and right now was one of those moments, she placed herself next to Sasha on her bed “You can’t let him get to you like that Sash’ you’re giving him the reaction he wants.” She sighed out while Sasha scoffed “this entire deal is bullshit Mari, it’s not fair.”

She frowned nodding running her hand down Sasha’s back & Sighed “I know, It’s all fucked up in it’s own way but you need to keep yourself together & make sure you don’t let him get to you.” She nodding in agreement while sighing before Mari got up “Just lay back today alright? You’re gonna piss yourself off thinking about him.” She said before leaving Sasha alone in her room, meanwhile Cody sat in one of the lounge rooms with Randy & Seth drinking “She’s acting like a goddamn Child.” Seth sighed shaking his head “You’re both annoying, You shouldn’t have been messing with her like that in the first place.” Cody scoffed setting down his glass “Bullshit she spied on me & my family & was sleeping with Roman, Randy could confirm that shit.” Seth turned to Randy & glared “Are you actually stupid?” Randy stood confused “Well it’s true is it not?” Seth groaned “No you fucking idiot, it’s not even close.” Randy furrowed his eyes “Yes it is? She was literally close with Roman the entire tim-“ Seth shook his head “No you dumbass She wad spying on Roman per moms request because his father is a well known fucking cocaine dealer, She was playing as his best friend & just assumed Cody knew. But then he fucking dumped Sasha so now since then she’s under the impression he was using her to get close to mom” Cody furrowed his brows “Well obviously I didn’t know Seth.” Seth made a fake dramatic face “OHH?? No fuck??!! Obviously you fucking didn’t because you’re just as fucking stupid as my sister.”

Cody glared & flipped him off, Randy scratched his neck & awkwardly cleared his throat “Well I mean it’s too late to fix anything now.” Seth rolled his eyes and tugged at his own hair “I’m going to slam my head through a bunch of glass.” Athena walked in & cleared her throat “Barbra gave us all a mission tonight, It’s in downtown Miami, club space, Randy has to make a drug deal & we all have to be some sort of distraction while Cody takes the buyer of the drugs car, It’s a 911 Turbo Cabriolet, He never paid the car owner his money & we’ve been requested to take it back, Sasha needs to distract one of his men which means You, Cody, aren’t allowed to distract her whatsoever tonight am I understood?” Cody hummed nodding “What drugs am I selling this time Thena?” Randy questioned while she handed him a list “everything on that list is what he’s buying. They’re all packed away and ready in your car.” He nodded and shoved the list in his pocket.

Hours later Sasha was getting ready in Athena’s bedroom, She wore a tight yet extremely short black dress followed with pumps before adjusting her hair, She stared at herself for a moment before adjusting her breasts which made Athena giggle in the background causing Sasha to smile a little before prancing over towards her, “Nervous?” She smiled shaking her head while Athena held her waist “With you wearing that? Of course I am.” Sasha laughed shaking her head while Thena ran her hands down her back and grabbed onto her ass humming which made Sasha sigh out and press a kiss into her neck “You sure we can’t skip out on this one?” Then chuckled shaking her head before lightly smacking her ass “You know we don’t have time to fuck tonight Sasha.” She pouted before Sasha laid Athena on the bed smirking “I’m sure I can get a-lot done in the span of 30 minutes.” Sasha grinned and pushed Athena’s dress up before snatching off her panties “so fucking wet..”

Meanwhile Cody & Seth waited downstairs & heard a loud shriek from upstairs which earned a confused reaction from Cody while Seth sighed “And she says she isn’t lesbian.” Cody looked over at Seth confused “That was Sash?” Seth nodded as he adjusted his button up shirt “It sure was Cody. It sure was.” Moments later Sasha & Athena finally came downstairs but she made eye contact with Cody & grabbed Athena’s jaw kissing her sloppily and patting her ass while he was watching before they walked out the door “Now your just showing off”

Cody mumbled following behind Seth Randy & Mariana followed behind after grabbing what the team would need, everyone soon met up at the nightclub, Music was blaring outside of the club & colorful lights flashed around the building, Sasha got out of her car & met with the rest of the group, She felt Cody burn holes into her through his stare as Randy & Athena went through the entire plan before separating from each-other, Sasha waited at the bar for a little bit as she eyed the man she was ordered to distract, He made direct eye contact with her before she turned her head into Cody’s direction who was looking behind one of the post ups the workers would stand at to guard the belongings of others but luckily one of them walked off, He looked over at Sasha and gave her the nod that signaled her to go & do what she needed to do. Sasha made her way over to the man sitting in the booth “What’s a man like you doing here all by himself?” He smirked sitting up “Who said I was alone Precioso?” He pointed towards his buddy’s direction which was the man buying drugs off of Randy.

She smiled flipping her hair a bit and sitting herself next to him while he wrapped his arm around his waist “So, what’s your drink tonight? You look like you need one.” She smiled politely and shook her head no as she noticed Cody found the keys & made his way towards the parking lot, unfortunately he didn’t like the response Sasha gave him “C’mon just one drink Chica preciosa” Seth noticed this from across the club aswell as Athena “I can’t drink tonight i-“ “So this is what you girls do now these days? You lead men on and can’t even accept a simple drink?” He grabbed her arm which set off alarms for the group as Seth started speaking into his earpiece alerting Cody

“We need you pulling up into the front asap, Sasha’s in a bit of a predicament” Cody sighed as he just unlocked the car “Jesus fucking christ, alright.” He groaned as Sasha was being tugged up “What the fuck? Let me go!” The guy glared and smacked her on the face “Stop being a stuck up bit-“ Randy grabbed the mans shoulder mumbling something in his ear causing him to let go while Seth ushered everyone out of the club, Sasha ran outside & saw Cody in the porsche “Sasha get in the goddamn car.” She shook her head “Fuck you I can drive myself” Cody sighed pinching the bridge of his nose “I don’t have time for this get in the fucking car” Athena drove off in Sasha’s leaving her no other choice but to get in.

The drive back home was silent & tense and once they arrived back to the mansion Cody yanked her out of the car “What the fu- Get your goddamn hands off of me!” Sasha shouted and shoved Cody off but he didn’t budge “Your a fucking pain in my ass Sasha you know that? I haven’t even been here for a full goddamn day and you already make me want to go fucking insane. Your a goddamn brat & that little stunt you pulled inside before we left wasn’t slick. I know your game & I’m not playing it.” She scoffed finally pushing him away from her “first of all you don’t ever put your hands on me, you lost that problem second of all You won’t speak to me like that because I will not allow it.” Cody sneered at Sasha “I fucking hate you.” She glared back “The feelings mutual.” She walked off clearly pissed off with him later following behind so he could go inside before the night came to an end.

For the next 3 weeks the house would be filled with Cody & Sasha arguing with each other but soon things became messy, Athena & Cody had started sleeping together but she was also a person he often vented to while she put pieces together & realized he still had love for Sasha. His emotions and adoration towards Sasha were confusing but she still knew he loved her still. One night Athena laid in his bed while she sat next to her putting on his clothes as guilt sank in that he was sleeping with one of Sasha’s close friends “This isn’t right.” He mumbled which caught Athenas ears “You realized that just now?” He turned and had a frown displayed on his face

“She drives me crazy Athena, No offense but she’s all I could think about.” She shrugged “None taken, I was waiting for one of you to say something.” He sighed running his hand through his black hair “I hate how she’s all I could think about.” Athena hummed as she put her clothes back on “it’s because she’s someone you’re supposed to be with.” He furrowed his expression & looked up at her “If I was in any committed relationship with Sasha we’d kill each other, I drive her up the fucking wall.” Athena shrugged “So? That’s the interesting part, You both hate each other so much it developed back into love and thats what makes you both resent each other even more, you both hate each other because thats all the two of you think about. You hate one another so much but yet you’d still kill for each other.”

He perked up a bit as he never thought about it that way “I love her Athena.” She hummed nodding “We all know this, You two are just too stupid to notice.” He sighed nodding before getting up “I’m gonna get water.” She hummed in approval as he left the room and made his way down into the kitchen where he was met with Sasha cleaning up the kitchen as a way to keep herself busy due to her not being able to sleep, “Didn’t expect you to be doing dishes at 3 in the morning Sash.” She hummed scrubbing away at dishes while he got himself a drink hating how the silence felt between this “I don’t want whatever this is to be like this forever.” Sasha stopped her movement “What you just expect us to start getting along and act like the world all unicorns and rainbows?” He glared and shut off the water and made her put the sponge down “No, I want us to be fucking civil, act normal.” Sasha frowned and smacked his hands away from her.

“Normal? None of this is normal Cody, I’m stuck in this shit show with you per my mothers orders, You realize your the same person who broke me? I hate you Cody, You ruined my goddamn life my forcing your perfect fucking face and hair and- and everything into my goddamn brain and giving me the love I only know & expect now. You ruined everything for me & I will forever hate you for that reason.” Sasha became choked up and started hitting him in the chest and arms and for awhile he just stood there taking it before grabbing her wrists “That’s enough Sasha!” She teared up but absolutely refused to let him see her cry, Cody let go of her arms & she back up for a minute & shook her head before walking out of the kitchen leaving him alone to his owns thoughts as he was just now realizing living under the same roof as her was almost going to be impossible to handle.

xtripleiiix’s Masterlist

[let-me-love-you-loki]

Welcome to Oblivion--Ch. 41

Chapter 41

            “I still hate this,” I said as I walked down the stairs toward the cage in the center of the gym. “Why do I keep doing this?”

            Roman tugged me a little closer to his side and kissed the top of my head. “Because you love him,” he replied. He leaned down and whispered in my ear. “And you secretly like the blood.”

            “Don’t you dare,” I hissed, punching him in the ribs lightly. “You know I freak out every time he gets out of that cage.”

            “When was the last time he lost?” Seth asked from just behind us. It had been a week or so since we’d kissed and were still figuring out how we would manage our relationship. In public and in private. It seemed that we were going to take our time to find our groove and our place in this.

            Roman chuckled and looked over his shoulder. “He hasn’t lost since baby girl here started coming.”

            Heat rushed into my face. I reached up to tuck my hair behind my ear as my heart skipped a beat. “There was that one against… what’s his face…”

            “He didn’t lose that one, Addy,” he teased. “Almost, but he beat the count. Knocked Jones’ teeth down his throat afterward. Literally.”

            Seth led the way down the line of chairs toward our usual seats. We’d been to so many fights that they were practically reserved. “You’re his good luck charm.”

            “I wish I wasn’t,” I murmured. “I hate seeing him bloodied and bruised.”

            Before any of us could say another word, music blared through the room. My chest constricted as my heart pounded against my ribs. I knew that Dean’s fight would be later in the evening, but I still couldn’t get my anxiety under control. I bounced my leg and rubbed my palms back and forth on my jeans. My palms were sweaty. For a moment, I thought I was going to be sick.

            “Why didn’t you let me bring my bag?” I grumbled at Seth after the third fight. I’d wanted to bring my backpack to get some reading done before Dean was up. Anything to distract myself from the worry that something would happen.

            Seth reached out and curled his fingers around mine. He squeezed my hand and brought it up to his lips. His lips were soft against my knuckles. “Because you’re going to be fine.”

            Looking up into his chocolate eyes, I thought for a moment that he was right. For that brief second, my heart settled into a normal rhythm and my agitated movements slowed.

            Then they called Dean’s fight.

            I gulped hard against the bile threatening to climb up my throat. This was the moment that I dreaded the most. Watching him come into that cage with his fists taped up, his face clear of scrapes, scratches, bruises, and blood. Knowing exactly what was going to happen in the next few minutes was enough to send adrenaline rushing through my veins. I wanted to run, to get as far away as possible. I wanted to slap him with the hope of knocking some sense into him because talking just didn’t seem to work.

            Dean appeared from the locker room in his jeans and boots. I couldn’t understand how he could fight in them, or why they allowed him to, but he insisted. At the door to the cage, he toed off his boots and pushed them aside. Barefoot, he walked forward as he rocked his shoulders back and forth. The muscles in his arms and shoulders flexed beneath his skin. He looked toward us, cornflower eyes landing on me. A faint smile curled the corners of his mouth.

            Then his gaze drifted, and his smile faded. His lips twisted into a snarl as he slammed the cage door behind him.

            “Something’s pissed him off,” Seth said, leaning toward me. “Was he like that earlier?”

            I looked toward Dean and then back at Seth. “No. He was… grumpy. Not this.”

            “Fuck.” Roman’s voice drew my attention. I turned to him, a question on my lips as I followed the line of his gaze.

            Dean stood on the far side of the cage, brows drawn together and jaw set. My stomach turned upside down at the rage in his eyes.

            The bell rang and he launched himself at his opponent, right arm already cocked back. The moment he was within reach, Dean threw his body into the punch. It landed square on the other guy’s jaw, knocking his head sideways. He stumbled backward, and Dean followed, pressing him back toward the wall of the cage. Dean beat into his opponent, throwing a series of elbows against the side of his head and jabs into his kidneys.

            He backed up, putting space between them. He pivoted on his back foot and let go a kick against the other guy’s ribs. His opponent blocked the kick and swept his other leg out from under him. Dean landed hard on his back, his head bouncing against the mat. I screamed and nearly jumped out of my seat. The sound must have gotten Dean’s attention as he turned his head toward me. His blue eyes were unfocused for a moment before the rage returned to his face and he rolled back onto his shoulders. In the blink of an eye, he had pushed off with his shoulders and hands to kip up to his feet again.

            Dean took a deep breath, cracked his neck on each side, and then curled his fingers in a bring it on gesture. I felt sick watching his opponent run at him, throwing elbows against Dean’s jaw. He followed up with a series of body shots that looked like they knocked the wind out of him. A deep red mark started to bloom over Dean’s left kidney and another along his ribs.

            My stomach clenched. I gagged. I wanted to run.

            Blood oozed from a split in Dean’s lip from one of the elbow shots. He wiped his mouth with his hand, crimson streaking against the white tape. I saw him glance down at it, almost as if he were fascinated at the sight. The distraction was enough for his opponent to throw a cross that rocked Dean’s head up and to the side.

            “Dean!” I screamed and lunged toward the cage. My fingers laced through the steel wiring. I couldn’t stop myself, even though I knew that he didn’t need any other distractions. A pair of arms wrapped around my waist and dragged me backward, practically ripping my fingers from their hold on the cage. I kicked and fought. “Let me go!”

            The arms tightened and tried to turn me around. “Addy. Addy, calm down.” Seth’s voice whispered firmly in my ear. “Relax.”

            “He’s hurt. Dean’s hurt,” I whimpered, clawing at Seth’s hoodie covered forearms. “Let me go. He’s hurt!”

            “If you don’t calm down, we’re taking you out of here,” he threatened softly. “You’re going to get him knocked out running at the cage like that. Relax, sweets.”

            Adrenaline rushed through every cell in my body. I couldn’t breathe. I wanted to run. I wanted to break into the cage to get him out. Even though the rational part of my brain knew that Seth was right, I couldn’t get past the sight of Dean so bloodied and beat up. It hadn’t ever been like this before.

            The sound of the bell reverberated through my bones. It sucked the air out of my lungs and the fight from my limbs. I sank back against Seth, grey edging the sides of my vision. I gasped for breath as tears rushed down my cheeks. There was no looking away from Dean as he stood on the other side of the cage. Red marks were already darkening into deep purple bruises. There was a gash on his jaw and another on his cheekbone, both oozing blood as his chest rose and fell as he panted.

            Our eyes met. For a moment, I thought I saw Dean’s blue eyes soften behind the obvious pain that clearly ran through his body. He looked back at me. Yearning lanced along my nerves. I just wanted to be where he was. He blinked and glanced away. My heart fell into my stomach as he squared up for the next round. Rage colored his features as the bell rang once again, launching him toward his opponent.

            I turned in Seth’s arms and hid my face against his shoulder. “I can’t watch anymore.”

            “Come on,” he said soothingly. “We’ll go out to the truck for a minute. Get some fresh air. It might help, sweets.”

            It was so hard to turn my back on the cage with Dean still inside. Since that very first time, I hadn’t missed one of Dean’s fights. I’d done everything it took to get there, to see him before he walked up those steps and after he ripped off the tape in the locker room. But now I couldn’t bear to watch. I couldn’t bear to listen, even though the sound of fists on flesh echoed against the rafters. My mind’s eye conjured up the worst possible images as Seth led me toward the exits.

            The moment we got outside, I doubled over retching and gagging. Seth rubbed the middle of my back even as he held my hair back with the other. The world spun around me. I couldn’t explain why I felt this way. Why, after all the fights I’d been to and how I’d actually started to enjoy them, I couldn’t bear to watch this time.

            “Deep breaths, Addy,” Seth murmured. “You’re good. Deep breaths.”

            I reached up and wrapped my fingers around his wrist. “I can’t—”

            He shushed me gently. “It’s okay. It’s okay. Deep breaths, sweets.”

            Muffled noise erupted from the gym. I could just make out the sound of cheering and the loud dinging of the bell that indicated a fight was over. I practically collapsed onto the sidewalk when I realized what it meant.

            “Stay here, just a second. I’m gonna go see what happened.” Seth squeezed my fingers before he went back inside. A few minutes later, he reemerged with Roman in tow. “He won.”

            Momentary relief flooded my veins. But Seth’s next words opened the floodgates of worry once again. “He looks like he got run over by a Mack truck. But he won.”

            Roman sank into a crouch next to me. “He’s okay, Addy. Dean’s good.”

            “Comparatively,” Seth interjected. “Phil’s gonna need six weeks in the hospital and some massive rehab. Dean just broke at least twelve bones in that guy’s body.”

            “Seth?”

            “Yeah?”

            “Shut up. You’re not helping.” Roman gripped me by the elbows and pulled me gently to my feet. Everything went grey and hazy as the blood rushed from my head to my feet. If it weren’t for Roman, I would have fallen right back down onto the concrete. “Dean’s fine. He’s a big boy and can take care of himself.”

            “I… I-I need to see him,” I whimpered. Before either of them could say a word, I ran toward the doors. My feet carried me away from the gym and down the hallway to the locker rooms. I pounded on the door with the flat of my hand, screaming his name at the top of my lungs.

            After a few moments, the door yanked inward. “What?!”

            My eyes lifted, taking in each inch of Dean and cataloguing his injuries. There was a rip in the front of his jeans that revealed a raised red welt along his thigh. His torso was crisscrossed with bruises that were already turning purple. The one over his right kidney ran from the base of his ribs all the way down to his hipbone. Another spread down his breastbone, and I swore that it was the size and shape of someone’s foot. His knuckles were busted and bloody. He had a split chin, busted lip, a gash on his jaw and cheekbone, what looked like a black eye, and another cut through his left eyebrow.

            Tears filled my eyes, spilling down over my cheeks and dripping onto my shirt. His face blurred, but not before I saw the angry disconnection in his gaze. I reached my fingertips toward his chest. He took a step back.

            “Are you okay?” I brushed at the tears and tried to take a deep breath. My clearing vision brought his injuries back into sharp focus.

            Dean crossed his arms over his chest, showing off a few other welts on his forearms and biceps. “I’m fine. You can go now. I’m sure they’re waiting.”

            I felt myself recoil just as if he’d shoved me. “What…?”

            He leaned his shoulder against the door, wincing as it put pressure on the bruise along his side. “Go back to the apartment or the dorm. I’m good. It’s about time you and Seth had a little alone time, isn’t it? That’s your timeline, right? Don’t let me get in the way.”

            Before I could say a word, Dean backed away and slammed the door in my face.

__________________

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[echoofasiren]

Call of a siren

Roman reigns x Y/n (though y/n isnt used)

Warnings: it's sad (I'm sorry!😭), I might make a sequel or part 2 depending on how this does, smut is mentioned but not in full detail.

"Don't touch that, it's cursed!" warned a handsome fisherman to a young boy poking at an object in the market.

The object was a small, intricately carved wooden box, its lid inlaid with a mosaic of shells and glittering stones. The boy's curiosity was piqued, but fear held his hand back. The fisherman's words painted a picture of dark magic and hidden dangers that seemed to resonate with the air of mystery surrounding the box.

The mermaid was more intrigued by the older fisherman, his scruffy beard damp with the morning dew and his long hair cascading down his shoulders.

Days later, the mermaid watched the same man from the murky waters of a nearby pond. She had stumbled upon this secret haven, a small pool of fresh water nestled between the salty sea and the land where the sailor she had fallen for lived. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity as she observed the mans tentative steps towards the water's edge. He was different from the other humans she had seen from afar.

The sailor, whose name she had discovered was Roman, often passed by the pond on his way home from the bustling docks. His footsteps grew familiar to her, the jingle of his keys and the rhythmic slap of his work boots against the cobblestone path. Her heart fluttered like a school of fish every time he approached, and she would swim closer to the surface, hoping for a glimpse of his handsome face.

One evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon and painted the sky with fiery strokes of orange and pink, Roman sat beside the pond. He looked weary, his eyes distant and lost in thought. The mermaid, unable to resist, rose from the water, her tail shimmering in the twilight. He glanced up, and for a brief moment, their eyes met. Surprise flickered in his gaze, but instead of fear, she saw wonder.

Slowly, she approached, her tail swishing gently in the still water. Roman's hand hovered over the surface, and she reached out tentatively, her webbed fingers brushing against his rough skin. The connection was electric, a silent promise of a bond forged. She sang to him, a haunting melody that wrapped around his heart like the coils of a sea serpent. His eyes grew soft, and he leaned closer, lost in the enchantment of her voice.

The mermaid revealed herself fully, her hair a cascade of emerald waves that matched the algae beneath the pond's surface. Roman's hand trembled as he stroked her cheek, feeling the smoothness of her skin, the reality of her existence. The fisherman's warning echoed in his mind, but the love that blossomed between them was too strong to be deterred by fear of the unknown.

They met every night in secret, their whispers and laughter echoing through the night air. Roman brought her gifts from the sea: pearls, starfish, and coral that she had only seen in the depths of her ocean home. She, in turn, shared her world with him through her enchanting tales of underwater palaces and the mysteries of the deep. They grew closer, their bond deepening with each shared moonlit moment.

One night, as the stars twinkled like distant eyes watching over them, Roman gathered the courage to confess his love. He spoke of his longing to be with her always, to explore the world she knew so well. The mermaid's heart swelled with joy, and she knew she could no longer deny her own desires. But the fear of her father's wrath weighed heavy on her mind. He had forbidden her from seeing humans again, especially after he discovered her love for a sailor.

Her father, the powerful sea king, had sensed the growing bond between her and Roman. His rage was a tempest that could swallow ships whole. The mermaid knew that revealing her secret would not only endanger her but also Roman. Yet, the love that surged through her veins was too potent to be silenced.

One fateful evening, as they lay tangled in the embrace of the pond's lilies, Roman whispered, "I've found a way for us to be together forever." He pulled out the wooden box the fisherman had warned the boy about. The mermaid's eyes widened with horror as she recognized the forbidden object. "A potion," he said, his voice filled with hope. "It's said to grant the drinker legs to walk on land."

Her heart raced. The very idea of leaving her home for love was both thrilling and terrifying. But she knew the risks—the human world was fraught with peril for her kind. Yet, the thought of never seeing Roman again was unbearable. She took the box from his trembling hands, her eyes locked onto his, silently asking if he truly understood what he was offering.

The potion inside was a murky concoction that smelled faintly of brine and decay. It bubbled with a life of its own, hinting at the powerful magic it contained. The mermaid could feel its pull, a siren's call from a bottle, promising a future she had only dreamed of.

Her thoughts swirled like the waters around her, torn between her love for Roman and the duty she owed her father. But as she gazed into his eyes, she knew she could not resist. With trembling hands, she uncorked the bottle and took a sip.

The potion was bitter, like the tears of the sea, and it burned a path down her throat. Her body convulsed, and she felt a searing pain as her tail began to split and change. Her scales fell away, revealing human-like legs beneath. She screamed in agony, but Roman held her tight, whispering soothing words into her ear. The transformation was swift, and when the pain subsided, she looked down to see her new form reflected in the moonlit water.

The mermaid took her first unsteady steps on the bank, her legs feeling foreign and awkward. Roman watched her with a mix of awe and concern, his eyes never leaving hers. With his strong arms around her waist, they stumbled towards his nearby cottage, their hearts racing in sync with every step.

The cottage was a humble abode, filled with the scent of tobacco and the salty tang of the sea. The mermaid marveled at the sensation of the wooden floor beneath her bare feet, the tickle of the coarse woolen rug as Roman laid her upon it. The softness of his bed was a stark contrast to the rocky ocean floor she was accustomed to. She felt exposed and vulnerable in her new form, yet safe in his arms.

They lay there, panting, their eyes locked in a silent conversation of love and fear. The potion's effects were complete, and she was fully human, if only for a night. Roman's hand traced the line of her spine, sending shivers down her body. She had never felt such tender touches before, and she arched into him, craving more. Their kisses grew urgent, a declaration of the love that had been brewing between them for weeks.

The mermaid's skin was pale and soft, a stark contrast to her usual scaly form. Her legs, though new and unfamiliar, felt alive with every stroke of his hand. Roman whispered sweet nothings into her ear, promising her a life of adventure and happiness on land. The sound of his voice was a warm embrace, soothing the ache in her soul.

Their passion grew like the tide, rising and falling with the rhythm of the waves outside. As they explored each other's bodies, the mermaid felt a yearning she had never known. Every touch, every kiss, was a revelation, a promise of a future she had never dared to dream of. Roman was gentle, his hands sure and loving as they discovered the uncharted territories of her new human form.

The night passed in a whirlwind of sensation, the moon casting a soft glow over their entwined figures. As dawn approached, the mermaid felt a pang of dread. The potion's magic was temporary, and she knew she had to return to the sea before the sun rose. Roman held her tightly, his eyes filled with a fierce determination to find a way to make their love last.

They stumbled back to the pond, the first light of day just beginning to peek over the horizon. The mermaid's legs were growing weary, the transformation already starting to reverse. She felt the scales begin to form beneath her skin, the pain a stark reminder of the price she had paid for this night of passion. Roman kissed her, his eyes shining with unshed tears.

[thlayli-ra]

RISE OF KNIGHT (part one)

Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

(Ever gone a bit daft over a nothing match that you've written and drawn a comic that was supposed to be a quick, silly thing and has somehow become an intricate au with detailed drawing requiring research into medieval armour and costume design...?)

(More to come 🥴)

[mysticreigns2]

Steel commanders (cyborg series 3)

Cyborg!Roman reigns x Esme (OC)

Warnings: smut, angst, fluff, not proofread.

Tag list: @mzv11 @acknowledge-reigns @romanreignshairdresser @romanthereigns @zillasvilla @wrestlingprincess80 @my-roman-empiree

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K6 had everything we needed. A breathable atmosphere, water, and plant and animal life for food. Humanity had found its new home. The sentinels had been destroyed by the black holes in the titan quarter, and our daughter was born 4 years ago! She had her daddy wrapped around her little finger! Finding them playing tea parties and him with a tiny little tea glass was adorable.

He also protected her from the dangers that were lurking around every corner. Human men were jealous that cyborgs were getting whatever woman they wanted even though they weren't totally human. The rise of the "I'm all man" movement made women fear for their safety. Their cyborg mates were being destroyed to get them alone.  After a while only about 400 cyborgs remained. Their population had been reduced to 1/10th of its original size.

In an attempt to save the cyborg population, the powers that be introduced 500 more cyborgs into K6, and waited. In the wave of the "I'm all man" movement, some cyborgs took it upon themselves create the equivalent of the cyborg police. They became known as the steel commanders!

_____

"Elana! Come on we gotta go!" I yelled , our daughter was always late, having no sense of time. I loved this little girl with all my heart, though she tested my patience more often then I'd like to admit. Her dad spoiled her! Whatever she wanted he got her! Toys, food, candy, you name it but I had to be the voice of reason a lot of times. I was the boring parent while he was the cool one.

I had almost finished packing her bag when her dad walked in the room "daddy!" She yelled. I put her down and as fast as her little legs could carry her she ran to him "Elana! Are you behaving for mommy?" He asked, and she giggled.

"She gets her onriness from you" I laughed.

He put his hand on his chest, trying to add dramatic effect "me?" He said "I'm not onry!"

"shall I remind you?" I said, trying not to laugh "of the time you pretended to be in shutdown mode just to see me in the shower?"

He wiggled his eye brows "we can always try that again, only this time-"

I put my finger over his lip "not in front of our daughter!"

He rolled his eyes, giving me the dramatic "ugh!" As if he did nothing wrong "is daddy in trouble?" Elana asked.

I held back a giggle "not yet, but he's pushing it!"

"daddy behave!" She said pointing her little finger at him.

"yeah daddy! Behave!" I winked at him, his eyes giving away how much it turned.him on when I called him daddy but he was controlling himself. Our 4 year old was still in his arms after all. He put her down and she ran off to her toy room to play for a moment. I knew I was in for it! He walked up behind me pressing his bulge against my ass "you feel what you do to me?" He growled "I love it when you call me daddy!" I bit my lip, I loved him being romantic but there was something about his dominant side that made me want to let him ravage me!

"what if I have Danny come and take Elana to her place for a few hours? I'll have you begging for mercy by the end of the night!" He growled, kissing up my shoulder.

"daddy?" Elana said, running into the kitchen. Roman looked up at Elana and saw 2 men behind her "Elana who are they?" Roman asked, his guard going up.

"they're looking for mommy!" She said.

I immediately went into mama bear mode "Elana go to your room! Now!" I yelled, watching her run off. I'm so glad I had taught her to lock he door just in case situations like this arose.

"you stay away from my daughter!" I yelled, the men laughing in my face "Esme it's not your daughter we want!" He said, a twisted smirk forming on his face "it's you darlin! See your man here isn't like us! He's only half human!"

"and?" I scoffed "he's three times the man you'll ever be!" I could see irritation forming on his face "look bitch! You're coming with us whether you want to or not!"

Roman and I had been through this before. He stays behind making them think that he's harmless. This time however, they knew he was a cyborg. That wasn't to our advantage anymore. The only option I had left was Danny! Danny was next door to us. All I had to do was hit the wall hard enough and she would hear it but that would be to obvious at this stage. I had to be suttle and quick!

And then I remembered, the panel to my room had a panic mode. Danny would hear it and come rushing over!

I felt the man tug at my arm pulling me away from Roman. He may have known Roman was a cyborg but he was still clearly afraid of him. Roman could tear the man to pieces before he even knew what hit him.

"Let her go!" Roman yell.

"Or what, bolts? You gonna kill us?" The men laughed.  I felt instant relief when they said that. 

"I'll rip your limbs off and shove them down your throat!" Roman said, his tone was sinister, yet oddly calm. In a split second I heard screaming and the man let go of me. I ran to Elana's room "Elana it's mommy! Open the door!" I heard the bolt unlock and the door opened "come ere, cover your ears and shut your eyes!" She plugged her little fingers in her ears. I shut my eyes, waiting for the screams of Terror and pain to stop.

I heard Romans cyborg voice take over him and I knew it was almost over "you'll never touch my wife or daughter again!" He yelled, before I heard the mans muffled gargled screams. Eventually they stopped, and I heard a loud thump. Roman had dropped his body to the floor.

I pounded in the wall to let Danny know that we needed her.

"Elana, Esme!!" Roman yelled, letting us know it was safe to come out. Elana hopped off my lap and walked to the door, slowly pulling it open "Elana! Are you alright, princess?" He smiled, opening his arms, embracing her as she ran to him "don't ever let strange people in again princess, ok?"

"where's your mother?" He asked.

"right here!" I smiled, walking towards him. All three of us stood there for a moment, wrapped in a giant embrace "I love my girls!" He smiled, kissing Elana on her forehead.

"I love you to daddy!" She said, as he turned to me, giving me a kiss "ewww!" Elana said, making us both laugh. A knock on the door brought us all out of the moment "Esme? It's Danny! Is everything ok?"

I walked over to the door, putting my hand on the panel. Danny's worried face met me when the door opened.

"esme you had me worried! I tho-" she stopped when she saw the limbs of the men scattered around "y'all don't get any peace do you?" She asked.

"on that note!" I said "you wanna have auntie night with Elana?" I smiled. She rolled her eyes at me, knowing why I had such a massive smile on my face.

"Elana! You wanna come stay the night with auntie Danny?" She asked. Elana went running over to her "i take that as a yes?" Danny smiled. Elana nodded her head.

"don't be to loud!" Danny laughed, making me cover my face. The door closed and I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around me, pulling me against a hard body. He kissed up my shoulder, moving my hair away from my neck. Slow, gentle kisses up the side of my neck, making my body go weak before he reached my ear "you're mine!" He growled, bending me over the couch, ripping my sweatpants off me "I've waited all day to pound your tight pussy! I'm aching to feel you around me!" He growled, sliding his pants down. He ran his thick fingers through my slick folds, before putting his finger to his lips, licking my juices off them "fucking delicious!" He groaned, sliding his thick cock through my slick folds before slowly sliding inside me "uhn! Still so fucking tight, Esme!"

My grip on the arm of the couch tightened, my eyes fluttered shut at the feeling of him filling me up. Slowly he pulled out only to slam back in, groans and growls escaping us both.  Knowing I could carry cyborg babies turned him on even more, seeing the breeding kink come out of him turned me on just as much as it did him.

I bounced my ass to his rhythm "you're gonna make me cum if you keep bouncing that ass against my cock like that!" He groaned, running his hand up my back and into my hair, grabbing a fist full and lifting me up just enough so he could wrap his hand around my throat, pounding into my aching pussy even harder. The sound of our skin slapping together filled the room "fuck baby girl! The way that pussy is grippin my cock I think your close!" He groaned, pounding into me harder "uhn!! Fuck baby! That's it! Cum on my cock!" He growled "when I fill this pussy you better keep all my cum inside you! I wanna see your belly swell with our baby again! I wanna fuck my son into you!" He growled. Fuck! He was fucking sexy when he was like this!

I felt my walls clench "ugh! Fuck! Yes!" I groaned.

"that's it baby! Let it go!" He growled, my orgasm rocking my body "uhn! That's it baby girl! Uhn! Milk my cock! Milk out every last drop!" He growled, his cock twitching inside me, filling me to the brim. He stilled, both of us trying to catch our breath "you're incredible!" He smiled,slowly pulling out of me, my legs buckling. He scooped me up before I fell and carried me to the bed, gently laying me on it. He crawled next me, pulling the covers over us "I love you Esme!"

My eyes began to flutter shut, exhaustion from the days events taking over "I love you to, Roman!"

He smiled, giving me a small kiss on my forehead "goodnight beautiful!"