#based off me this morning when I lost my glasses and couldn’t find them for an hour

[pyrefection]

Aether, after losing his reading glasses, squinting his eyes while he tries to do the Sunday morning crossword at the breakfast table

[e-dubbc11]

Just One Day

Photos are not mine. They are courtesy of Pinterest/Google.

Pairing: Billy Russo x F! Reader

Warnings: A couple of swear words, talks of abandonment, tiny bit of angst if you squint but not really. This is all of the fluff, the fluffiest of them all. It’s the cutest, it’s so cute it’s nauseating.

Word Count: 6.7k-ish ( I am SO sorry it’s a little long but it needed to be)

Summary: It’s holiday time! Reader is an owner of a small boutique. A handsome stranger walks by her shop every morning, they start to talk and he tells her he doesn’t enjoy this time of year, she asks him to give her one day to change his mind.

A/N: This is based off of an ask from my sweet sweet Lily @munsonownsmyass She asked for Christmas fluff and that is exactly what she is getting. It is all the Christmas fluff wrapped into one fic. You wanted a hallmark movie? Well a hallmark movie you shall have! Now, I tried to find out what time of year it was that Billy’s mother left him at the fire station but I couldn’t find it anywhere so I just made it so it was at Christmas time and since it’s my story, I do what I want 😆. I really hope you all like it!

As always, thank you for reading!  I appreciate it so much and comments, reblogs are welcome and encouraged. Don’t be shy to tell me your favorite part. 💕💕 💕

The countdown to Christmas had officially started today, the day after Thanksgiving, also known as Black Friday. Shoppers were out and about early that morning, customers in and out of your little boutique shopping for gifts, and this time of year it was hard to keep items in stock.

Your little shop was doing very well considering it was New York City, the home of Dillard’s, Bergdorf Goodman, and Bloomingdale’s. Maybe it was because your shop had a lot of items that weren’t necessarily mainstream style, they were unique.

Clothing pieces were mainly black or white, you carried a lot of jewelry that you called “toned down rock star,” most of the pieces had studs or rivets on them, dainty skull necklaces and earrings were all over the counter and in the glass cases, and fairy lights hung around mirrors and in the display window.

It was a combination of rock and femininity, leather and lace, and you were very proud of what you had built. Your hard work was paying off.

Before opening earlier that morning, you had been busy changing up your display window when he walked by. He was dressed in a dark gray suit, long winter coat, scarf wrapped around his neck and carrying a cup of coffee. You couldn’t help but stare at the man’s beautiful deep brown eyes, they looked like two polished pieces of black onyx, his dark brown, almost black, hair was perfectly styled and he had a short well-groomed beard.

He smiled as he walked past you decorating your window, that perfect smile. He was the most handsome man you had ever laid eyes on and he was smiling at you.

The following week, he walked by every day and at the same time, 7:45 sharp. You thought he must be a man of routine and always so punctual. The suits were always different but the smile never was, his smile was always the same as it was every day—perfect, and you always knew what time it was when he walked by.

On an early December morning, you were busy trying to move some items from the store floor to the display window and completely lost track of the time. It wasn’t until you heard light taps on the glass that you realized what time it was, there he was standing outside your display window smiling and he extended his long fingers in the air to wave to you—it was 7:45.

You could feel the heat rising to your cheeks, oh no—you felt yourself blushing when he made a pointing motion over towards the front door to your store. He wanted to come inside.

Immediately the hair on the back of your neck started to stand up and your hands started to get warm, why did he want to come inside? Maybe he saw something in the window he wanted for his girlfriend, there’s no way a man that handsome would NOT have a girlfriend, right? You walked over to your front door to unlock it.

God, he was even more handsome up close, you didn’t know that was even possible.

“Good mornin’, I know you’re not open yet but I just wanted to ask you a question.” He said in a friendly voice, he had a slight New York accent.

“Oh! Of course, please come inside, it’s quite cold out there this morning.” You made the motion to invite him inside and pulled the shade back down, the store was still closed after all. “Was there something in the window you liked? Sometimes it’s hard to keep items in stock so if you saw something for your girlfriend, I could set it aside for you.”

With an ever so slight glow in his eyes, he was looking around, taking everything in and smiling while he did so. He seemed to really like the vibe of your store.

“Actually, I don’t have a girlfriend. I just wanted to ask you—do you change your display window every mornin’?” He asked.

He didn’t have a girlfriend. A smile spread across your face, the butterflies in your stomach were hard to control, and you weren’t expecting that question, so you started to chuckle a little. “Oh! Well, for the month of December, yes I do. I get a lot of fun little gift items this time of year and it seems to help bring people into the store so I like to try and show off as much as I can in the window, hopefully people see something they like.”

You were holding one of the newer items that came in recently and you were on your way to place it in the display when he tapped on the glass. “Like these! I just got these in the other day, chocolates filled with different kinds of alcohol.”

The handsome man’s eyes lit up when you mentioned the word “chocolate,” he must have a sweet tooth.

“Plus I love this time of year, and I love to decorate. It’s a lot of fun, don’t you think so Mister?”

His smile wasn’t as bright after you said that. “Oh I am so sorry, it’s Russo…Billy Russo.” He extended his hand for you to shake it.

“I’m y/n, it’s nice to meet you Billy.” You said, shaking his hand.

“It’s nice to meet you too y/n. And I’ll take your word for it, I don’t really enjoy this time of year.” He said.

You didn’t even know Billy but it broke your heart to hear him say that. His dark chocolate eyes looked so sad, there must be a reason as to why but you didn’t want to push him to talk about something he was clearly a little uncomfortable talking about.

He interrupted the silence. “Well I’m sorry y/n but I do have to get to work, I would love to look around the next time I come by, if that’s alright.”

“I’d like that, Billy. It was very nice to meet you.” You said to him.

“It was very nice to meet you too, y/n.” He said with a smile on his face. “Will I see you tomorrow?” He asked.

“7:45, right?” You joked.

“7:45.” He said.

On your way home that night, you thought of Billy. You knew not everyone enjoyed the holiday season, people had their reasons but for Billy, something told you that he wanted to like it but had every reason not to.

What were his reasons? Could you convince him otherwise? You did know one thing…that you’d like to try. But would he agree to it? Well, the worst thing he can say is no. Now you would just have to work up the courage to ask him.

Another week had passed before you could ask Billy to spend the day with you. During that week, he came to the shop every morning before he went into work at 7:45 like he always did, he even brought you a coffee which was very sweet of him.

You learned some things about him during that week also. He told you he owns his own company, he was in the marines, and very briefly mentioned he grew up in a group home. It was obvious Billy didn’t want to talk about that at all, which you couldn’t blame him for.

The fact that he even mentioned it surprised you but still, you didn’t want to pry or ask a lot of questions if it made him uneasy. But he loved to ask you questions, about your shop, about your family, about your life. He certainly did seem interested in you. Maybe now was a good time to ask him.

“Billy, I’d like you to give me one day to convince you that the holiday and Christmas seasons can be amazing and fun. What would you say to that?” You finally asked him. Your heart was beating right out of your chest wondering if he would say no.

He flashed you a slight smile and said “I’d say you have your work cut out for you, but let’s see what ya got anyway.”

You were so surprised by his response, you weren’t sure you heard him correctly. “Really?!”

“But what if you can’t?” Billy asked.

You glanced at the floor and back up to his handsome face. “Then I’ll never ever bother you about it again. You are free to continue to bah humbug your way through life and I won’t judge you for it. But I get to plan the entire day and you can’t say no to anything, deal?” You extended your arm for him to shake your hand.

Billy firmly gripped your hand and shook it with a confident look in his eyes. “It’s a deal, y/n. So when do we start?” He asked.

“What’s today, Wednesday? Meet me here on Saturday morning, 7 am.” You told him.

He rolled his eyes. “7 am?!! Come on y/n, that’s so early for a Saturday!”

“What did I say, Mr. Russo? I said you couldn’t say no to anything, remember?” You said with a slightly wicked smile.

“Alright, alright…7 am, Saturday morning, I’ll be here.” He sulked a little, but only a little and tried to bite back a smile. “Anyway, I gotta get to work. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“7:45, right?” You asked.

“7:45.” Billy said.

A light snow fell on the city Friday night into Saturday morning and you thought it couldn’t be more perfect for today with Billy. You were going to make sure to show him a good time and maybe, just maybe he would have second thoughts about the holidays and Christmas.

He texted you earlier that morning to ask what he should wear because he didn’t know what kind of activities you would be doing. Always a marine, you couldn’t say that Billy was never prepared, you really liked that about him. So you told him to dress warm, in layers, there would be a lot of outdoor activities and a few indoor ones too.

He texted back Ok great…I can’t wait to see what you have planned.

As usual, Billy was on time. 7 o’clock on the dot. He had on black jeans, black boots, a leather jacket and a winter hat. Does this man ever NOT look handsome? He caught you putting the finishing touches on your display window for the day.

“Wait a minute, what time did you get here this morning anyway to change your window around?” He asked in complete disbelief.

“I think it was around 5:30? Maybe? I can’t remember. It was early though.” You were full of energy, excited to take on the day.

“You’re insane y/n, absolutely insane to be up this early on a Saturday morning. Here…” He chuckled a little while handing you your coffee.

It was hard not to laugh at him, he did look a little sleepy but he’s not going to have time to be tired with everything you have planned for today. “Thank you.” You took the coffee from his hand, and brushed his fingers with yours, they were warm after being inside his black leather gloves. “You excited for today?!” You asked him with your eyes wide and a giant smile across your face.

“Not as excited as you are but I am excited. I don’t want you to get your hopes up though, like I said before, you have your work cut out for you.” He said.

“Challenge accepted, Mr. Russo. Challenge accepted.” You stated with confidence.

“So what’s our first mission?” Billy asked with a smile on his face.

You smiled back at him. “Mission…are you ever NOT a marine? Never mind, I know the answer to that. Ok, Mr. Russo…to the park!! Let’s go!” And you gently pushed him out the front door of the shop.

When you arrived at Central Park, the walkways hadn’t even been cleared from last night’s snowfall but it wasn’t that much so it was quite easy to walk through. The park was so beautiful after fresh snow had fallen, everything was covered and everything was very quiet. It was just very peaceful.

“I’m so excited it snowed a little last night, now we can make a snowman!” You told him.

“Y/n, there isn’t that much snow on the ground, how are we gonna make a snowman?” He asked you with a furrowed brow.

“Well, we’ll just have to make a little baby snowman then.” You said. “Remember, you can’t say no!”

The snow was the perfect consistency for making a snowman, not too light or powdery and just heavy enough to stick together. You watched Billy start to roll the base of the snowman, he was concentrating very hard, trying to get it perfectly round and smooth.

Such a perfectionist, you wondered what his apartment must look like. You imagine it must look like a museum, everything has its place, it’s very clean, and it probably could use a woman’s touch. No, no, no you can’t be thinking about that, Billy wasn’t yours. This was just an outing with a friend, nothing more.

He placed the head of the snowman on top of the body and asked “Ok y/n, but what about the face?” He asked.

Luckily, you were prepared for that question. You pulled out a small plastic bag from your backpack that contained two small rocks for the eyes and a baby carrot for the nose.

Laughing at you, Billy asked “You packed the snowman’s face in your bag for the day?!! What else do you have in there?” He made a motion like he was going to open your backpack when you pulled away.

“Don’t worry about what else I have in here, now crouch down so I can take a picture of you with your baby snowman.” You said.

“Only if we take one together too.” He said softly. “It is OUR baby snowman, after all.”

You stared at him for a brief minute. There was something about the way he said those words that was so sincere and warm. The smile on his face wasn’t forced or fake, it was genuine. He even smiled with his eyes, the way he looked at you with those intense brown eyes sent shivers down your spine. Oh no, your crush on Billy Russo was real, it was very real. Hopefully, he didn’t notice.

After taking a couple pictures, he asked what was next on the agenda. “Where is the cruise director taking me next?”

“We’re going to feed the ducks, follow me please.” You said with excitement.

The two of you walked side by side towards the bridge, talking and laughing together. When you reached the bridge, you opened your backpack and pulled out three small bags that held uncooked oatmeal, grapes that were cut in half, and rice. Billy started to laugh again.

“Ok, seriously y/n what else do you have in there? I’m half expecting you to pull a rabbit out of there the next time you open it.” He said.

“Ok, after this, I don’t have any other weird shit in my bag, I promise. It’s just food for the ducks.” You said.

Billy looked a little confused. “We used to just feed the ducks bread when we were kids, what is this stuff?” He held the bags in his hands, carefully looking them over. “Oatmeal, grapes, and rice? These ducks are eating better than I am!” He said jokingly.

Billy Russo made you laugh, at times he made you laugh like a crazy person which you loved. Having someone around that could make you laugh like that was just something you needed in your life, you’ve always loved having people around that you can laugh with.

Billy was easy to talk to also, even though he didn’t say that much, he always wanted you to talk and he loved listening to you especially when you talked about your family. Maybe it was because he never had one and wondered what it was like? You couldn’t be sure.

While you were feeding the ducks, Billy did do a little more talking about the way he grew up, his time in the marines but he never revealed too much. He was still very guarded and he kept a lot inside but it seemed like he was starting to trust you a little more. You continued to talk to try and make him feel at ease.

“My father used to take me here when I was little.” You told him. “There were always so many swimming around, like there are right now. See that one down there with the little tuft of feathers on his head?” Billy nodded. “There was one just like it when we used to come here a long time ago, he was the one who would eat out of my hands. He had no fear. I always wanted to be more like that duck, but I’m just shy and scared of everything.” You tried to laugh it off a little and dropped your gaze from Billy’s face to the water down below.

You could feel Billy staring at you while you continued to stare down into the water and feeding the ducks from the different bags of food. He reached into the bag with the rice in it, looked at it, and gingerly touched the back of your hand before taking the rice out of the bag. Did he mean to do that? It was probably just an accident.

“I’d say you’re pretty fearless.” Billy stated. “Taking someone that you barely know on an adventure like this just to try and help a cynic enjoy the holiday season more. That took some guts y/n, asking me here today. I’m very happy that you did though.”

You felt yourself start to blush a little but looked down again towards the duck food which seemed to disappear from the bags rather quickly but that’s only because you and Billy just talked and talked on that bridge for at least an hour.

“The bags are empty, does that mean we’re movin’ on to the next thing?” Billy asked. He really did look like he was having fun.

“It sure does! Are you ready?” You asked him as you grabbed the sleeve of his jacket.

“Lead the way, y/n. Lead the way.” He said with a glimmer in his eyes.

It was time for ice skating at Rockefeller Center. It was apparent that Billy had never been on ice skates before, wobbling back and forth, trying to keep his balance. It was amusing to watch.

“Do you want me to get you one of those walkers like they give to the kids?” You giggled.

Billy narrowed his eyes and glared at you, if looks could kill. He was not amused for the briefest of minutes before you took his hand in yours. “Pick one foot up, then do the other one, make sure you shift your weight from one foot to the other. Keep your other arm out for balance. That’s it.” He was starting to get the hang of it. “Do you think you could push off with one foot and skate up ahead of me?”

He tried to push off but forgot to let go of your hand and you both went tumbling down onto the ice. He felt terrible though for causing you to fall.

“Shit, y/n. I’m sorry—that was my fault. I forgot to let go. Are you hurt?” He asked with a concerned tone to his voice, looking you over to check to see if you were hurt. You could tell he was a little angry with himself yet you still found it endearing, the perfectionist in him wanted to get it right and definitely did NOT want to hurt you.

“It’s ok, Billy. It’s ok, really.” You told him grabbing his hand again. “I’m not hurt, I’m fine. Have we done enough skating for today? Are you ready for a couple of indoor activities?”

Billy nodded, still mad at himself for dragging you down onto the ice with him.

You pulled him to his feet and skated, very slowly, back to the entrance to the rink and walked over to the bench to take your skates off. Billy angrily untied the laces to his skates and you felt like you had to ask. “Billy? Are you ok? I’m sorry about the skating—I probably should have asked if you were comfortable before just pushing you out onto the ice, so if I—“

He interrupted you. “No, it’s not that y/n. It’s not, I just—“ He paused then turned to look at you. You could tell it was difficult for him to tell you what he was feeling so you didn’t push, you just let him go at his own pace. “If I had hurt you, I don’t know what—ah shit, why do I feel like such an asshole when I try and say what I feel?!”

It was your turn to interrupt him. “But you didn’t hurt me Billy, I told you I’m fine. It’s not my first time falling down on ice skates. My very first time on ice skates, I looked like Bambi out there so you don’t have to apologize for that.” You knew it was difficult for him to say how he felt and you were happy that he tried and that’s all you could have asked for.

He smiled a little.

“Now come on, Mr. Russo—let’s go get you a hot cocoa bomb.” You said.

“A what?” He asked.

“You’ll see.” You answered.

After looking at Rockefeller Center Christmas tree for a few minutes, you headed to a coffee shop close by called Maman, you made your way there just to get out of the cold winter air for a little while. Billy looked confused when you gave him two cups for the hot cocoa.

“I thought we were getting hot chocolate.” He said.

“We are, these are hot cocoa bombs.” You told him.

Still looking quite confused, Billy asked “Ok, well how does it work?”

One mug had the hot chocolate bomb in it and the other had the hot milk in it.

“So just pour the hot milk onto the chocolate ball and all the fun stuff in the middle will be released, I got the one with marshmallows inside, don’t forget to use your peppermint spoon to stir it.”

Billy looked at you like you were crazy. “Ok, so the milk will melt this and the hot chocolate and the marshmallows are inside? Is that what you’re saying?”

“Yes. Here…watch me.” You proceeded to pour the milk over the chocolate, releasing the marshmallows from inside the shell and they floated to the top. “Now it’s your turn.”

When he did his, there was a childlike smile that danced across his face. After Billy told you a little more about the group home earlier, you thought about how he never really got to be a kid and do the things that little kids do like build a snowman, or have hot chocolate and that in a way made you feel sad for him and made you realize just how special your childhood was because there were children out there that didn’t grow up the way you did, Billy being one of them.

“Well, you’re right y/n, that is fun and it’s delicious.” He had a tiny bit of marshmallow on the tip of his nose which made you chuckle.

“What’s so funny?” He asked you.

Still laughing you told him. “You—uh you have a little marshmallow on your nose, lemme just get that.” And you wiped it off with a napkin, but you felt yourself blushing again while you did it. Your ears and your cheeks were warm which moved through your entire body. You weren’t cold anymore, you actually felt like you were sweating a little. Again, you were hoping Billy didn’t notice.

After enjoying your hot chocolate and a quick snack, it was off to another location but you didn’t tell him where you were going. Walking along the sidewalk, the two of you just talked and talked, Billy walked very close to you and always on the outside of the sidewalk, where the traffic was.

He never let you walk on the outside, it was like he was protecting you. You had been listening so intently that you almost walked right past it, the revolving door, the black sign with the gold letters—FAO Schwarz.

“You brought me to a toy store?” He said. There was a little excitement in his voice.

“I didn’t bring you to just ANY toy store, I brought you to THE toy store!!” You said enthusiastically. “I also have a surprise for you.” You said with a sly smile. “Come this way.”

The two of you walked through the store looking at all of the holiday and Christmas decorations, lights and ornament displays, beautiful wreaths adorned with bows and white lights caught his attention, and the toys—oh the toys.

You watched all the children playing, and walked past a few playing on the giant dance-on piano. Billy was smiling at the kids sliding and dancing on the piano.

And then there was the room with all the candy, his eyes were glowing at the sight. You should have known better than to take a man with a giant sweet tooth into a room full of candy.

After you stopped him from buying all of the candy in the room, you took him to where his surprised was. The gentleman behind the counter asked him “Are you Mr. Russo?”

Surprised, Billy said “Uh yes, yes I am.” He turned around to face you and asked “Uh, what is this, y/n?”

You lightly clapped your hands together. “Merry almost Christmas, Billy! You get to build your own remote control racecar!”

Billy closed his eyes and you’ve never seen a smile as big as the one he just gave you. Shaking his head slightly in disbelief, he looked at you like you hung the stars in the sky.

He was getting to experience things he clearly never got to experience as a child, he was speechless and the smile on his face made you the happiest person in the room.

Billy pulled you into his chest for the biggest hug you’ve probably ever received, his body was warm, you could feel how strong he was by his embrace and you could feel his abs and chest through the shirt he was wearing, and the scent of his cologne was intoxicating. It was spicy and unbelievably sexy. You didn’t want the hug to end but you pulled away anyway.

“Well, get to work Mr. Russo. Go build that car!” You told him.

Watching Billy put together his racecar so meticulously made you think that because of how he grew up, he most likely takes very good care of everything he has. He knows what it’s like to have nothing, to come from nothing so when he gets something, he treasures it.

Leaving the store, Billy couldn’t stop smiling. “You didn’t have to do this, y/n. Thank you. I can’t remember the last time anyone did something like this for me, if ever. Just…thank you.”

You didn’t know who was smiling bigger, you or him. “You’re welcome, Billy.”

“It’s starting to get dark, are we done for the day?” He asked sounding a little disappointed.

“Absolutely not, sir. I have one more thing planned but we have to take a drive if you’re up for it.” You said.

“I am definitely up for it. When do we leave?” Billy asked.

“As soon as we get back to the shop and I can get my car.” You said looking up at him through your lashes.

“Well I can’t wait to see what else you have in store for me, y/n.” He said.

You had been in the car for a few minutes when Billy realized the two of you were leaving the city. “Oh we’re leaving the city? Where are you taking me?”

“Well, we have a little bit of a ride but we’re going to my hometown. I love driving around looking at Christmas lights so I thought I would take you to all my favorite spots if that’s alright?” You said.

“That sounds great.” He said.

Your time in the car with Billy was spent singing along to 80’s metal, some classic rock, with some 80’s and 90’s hip-hop thrown in there. The two of you exchanged bad jokes, he kept an eye out for cops (because you were speeding just a little), and you really couldn’t remember the last time you laughed this much or had more fun.

The smile never left his face, whether he was looking out the window or glancing at you. With a lull in the action, you thought maybe now would be a good time to ask—he could always say he didn’t want to talk about it.

“Billy?” You said softly.

“Yeah?” He said.

“Now, you can tell me to mind my own business or tell me you’d rather not talk about it but, I just—“ you paused for a minute.

He looked at you like he knew what you were going to ask him.

“Why don’t you like the holiday season or Christmas?” You finally asked him.

Billy took a deep breath, brushed his beard with his fingers, and even though you couldn’t really look back at him because you were driving, he turned his body slightly to look at you.

Taking the exit into your hometown, there was a parking lot off to the right so you pulled over because you wanted to look at him.

“I wasn’t completely honest when I told you I was an orphan.” He told you. “I had a mother, I should say I still have a mother but she…she was a drug addict who wanted nothing to do with me. Now, I don’t remember a lot but the memory of her leaving me is vivid…” He paused for a minute and glanced out the window before he continued.

“She just dropped me off at a fire station in Albany, it was cold outside and there were Christmas lights around the front door frame and a picture of Santa taped to the door. So I don’t remember the date but I do remember those things and yeah that’s why I uh, really don’t like this time of year. She left me, like a piece of trash on the side of the road, she left me.” His voice hitched as he spoke and he gnashed his teeth. He was angry which he had every right to be.

You had never heard anything as heartbreaking as the story Billy just told you, except it wasn’t a story, it was real life—his life. No wonder he hated this time of year, how awful to be reminded of that every year, every time you saw a Christmas light or a Santa Claus, to know that the woman that is supposed to love and protect you, abandoned you and never looked back.

A tear rolled down your cheek. “Billy—I, I am so sorry. I’m sorry I asked, I completely understand why—you—“ Another tear fell onto your pant leg and you were left speechless, your throat felt dry and all you wanted to do was pull Billy into your arms to hug him.

You had a feeling of shame deep down in the pit of your stomach remembering you were taking Billy to look at Christmas lights, which was probably the last thing he wanted to do.

“Shit, this is probably the absolute worst thing I could do—take you to look at displays of Christmas lights. I’m gonna turn around, we can go back to the city and—“

Billy stopped you. “No, No y/n. I don’t want you to do that.”

“But Billy, this whole day must have been—“ You started to say.

But he interrupted you again. “One of the best days of my life—there is nothing I can say to thank you enough for what you did for me today. You know I didn’t even think of her once today until you asked me about it? Not once. It’s normally on my mind every minute of every day this time of year but YOU made me forget all of that.”

He leaned over the center console of the car and brushed your tear stained cheeks with his thumbs, the sadness in his eyes suddenly disappeared as he inched as close as he could get to you.

Frozen in place and trembling slightly, you didn’t know what to do but you didn’t have to do anything. Resting his forehead against yours for a moment, he then pulled back a little to only lean in again, you closed your eyes as his lips met yours, his long slender fingers traced the soft skin of your neck and back up so his hands could caress your face once again.

“I’m sorry y/n. I’ve wanted to do that for a while. I don’t know if you could tell but I kinda have a crush on you.” Billy confessed with a smile.

This time you moved in closer to him, taking his hat off so you could touch his hair that was just as dark as his eyes, and you whispered in his ear.

“Well, I kinda have a crush on you too Mr. Russo. I have ever since the first day you walked by my shop.” You kissed him on the cheek and grazed his beard with your fingers as your lips moved from his cheek to his lips. The taste of peppermint on his lips lingered from the candy he had earlier and he kissed you back with more intensity, parting your lips with his tongue. He entangled his hands in your hair and pulled back so he could pepper kisses on your cheeks and down your neck.

“I’m glad the feeling is mutual.” He said with a warm smile and he kissed your forehead, his lips felt soft against your skin despite being out in the cold for most of the day. “If you’re still up for it, I’d like to go see the Christmas lights like you planned…please?”

You looked into his deep brown eyes, he was being sincere and not just humoring you.

“Are you sure, Billy? Because I really can just turn around and head back—I don’t want—“

He cut you off with another kiss and then that perfect smile. “I’m sure, sweet girl. I’m sure.”

You nodded. “Well ok then! The first display isn’t too far away. You ready for our final mission, handsome?” You asked.

“Ready.” He said with a wink and a smile.

You drove around your hometown for the next couple of hours, showing Billy all of your favorite displays of lights, a few were set to music which he had never seen before, you went down one street where every single house was decorated, including their yard. That street was one of your favorites to drive down, you could tell he was staring at you, smiling because you were smiling and he looked…happy.

Afterwards, the two of you ended up enjoying pizza and beer at one of your favorite places in town. Billy loved to hold and kiss your hand, he loved to listen to your stories, including the one about your 21st birthday that started in the very bar you were sitting in and didn’t end until you walked through all of downtown and had a drink in every bar.

“…So needless to say, that ended poorly.” You said while laughing. There was another question you wanted to ask Billy, you were nervous but you asked anyway.

“Why did you agree to do this with me today, Billy?” You blurted out.

He took your other hand in his and glanced down at the table quickly and back up to have your eyes meet his and said “I’ve noticed this since my company has taken off, because I wear expensive suits and drive a nice car, the women I’ve dated…they’re all about what I can do for them. What nice restaurant can I take them to, what kind of flowers can I buy them, or gifts I can give them.”

He paused and squeezed your hand a little tighter. “You didn’t do that. You wanted to do something for me and never expected anything in return—I—I never knew what that was like before today. And even though this time of year will always be hard for me, you gave me something I never thought I would have—a happy memory at Christmas time. Thank you…for everything.”

The tears stung the back of your eyes, as you tried to keep it together but you couldn’t help but blink and let them stream down your cheeks. Your heart felt like it was going to leap out of your chest, that’s really all you ever wanted was to give him a happy memory.

A memory that would make him smile every time he thought about it, you knew it would put a smile on your face every time the thought crossed your mind.

You leaned across the table to kiss him again. “You’re very welcome, Billy.”

You will never forget every time Billy smiled that day, from the walk to the park in the snow, the childlike smile he gave you when you showed him how the hot cocoa bomb worked, the light in his eyes when you told him he was going to build his own racecar, to when he told you he had a crush on you. He didn’t even really need to say it, every single smile felt like…a “thank you.”

The Not Too Distant Future

The water beneath the bridge rippled with the movement of all the ducks swimming by, back and forth they swam, gobbling up all of the food that was thrown into the water. Your diamond engagement and wedding rings shining brightly in the early December morning sunshine, even his gold wedding band reflected the sunlight as the two of you had to fight the other little hand reaching in to get some rice to throw down to the ducks.

“They eating it, mommy!” The little boy said, your little boy.

“Yes they are, baby.” You told him.

He was a carbon copy of his handsome father with beautiful dark brown eyes and hair to match. “The duck goes quack quack, daddy!”

“Yes it does, buddy.” Billy said smiling down at his son, watching him reach his chubby little hand down into the bag. Your little boy would laugh every time he’d see the ducks eat the food he threw down to them.

And there was your husband, you could feel him stealing glances at you. They were all for you, the woman who made him a husband and a father. He loved you more than anything, he loved you for giving him the family that he never had but always wanted.

Billy watched his son as he put his hand inside the bag to get more food but it was empty. “All gone!!” The little boy said as he took off running towards the other side of the bridge.

“Benjamin William Russo, don’t you run away from me!” You playfully yelled as you chased him down before he could get to the other side, the toddler laughing as you scooped him up in your arms, and blowing a raspberry on his chubby red cheeks. And Billy not able to take his eyes off of the two loves of his life, smiling his perfect smile at the both of you.

“Alright buddy, let’s go get a hot cocoa bomb.” Billy said.

Little Benjamin Russo looked at his father slightly confused. “What’s that, daddy?”

Billy looked at his son, kissed you on the forehead, and focused on his son again. “You’ll see, buddy. Mommy will show you. She showed me.” He leaned in to kiss you on the lips. “She showed me…everything.”

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If you’d like to be added to (or removed from) my tag list for the ever so handsome Billy Russo, just let me know and thank you again for reading! 💕

[creativepawsworld]

Silence - Chapter 43

Pairing = Thomas Shelby x Reader

Summary = Ana has a craving but doesn’t want to ruin their evening and keeps quiet about it. But Tommy always finds out. 

Warnings = Language, Grammar, Fluffs, Alcohol, Smoking.

Word Count = 2424

Note = This chapter is based on an anonymous suggestion about Ana craving fish and chips and Tommy going to get it despite being annoyed. So whoever you are...I hope  you enjoy it. Happy Friday. 

It had been a few days since that evening in the betting shop. Both John and Arthur couldn't believe that my parents agreed to 'sell' me to settle a debt. That was the thing about the Shelby family, they were quite progressive when it came to women and the idea of selling someone off against their will disgusted them.

As the news fell,  I could see the turmoil behind Arthur's eyes – instantly blaming himself once again.

I hadn't heard from either brother since Tommy had sent them off on a stakeout to make sure that the voice I heard matched up to the face they were able to see. The only issue was that had to enter enemy territory, therefore they would have to move without getting caught otherwise – war.

It was late in the evening when Tommy returned home, a stoic look on his face as he whipped the peaked cap from his head, hanging it on the hook along with his coat. He nodded his head in my direction as he passed, opening the cupboard to pull out his glass and pouring a hefty measure of the brown liquid.

"Long day?" I asked, circling the rim of my tea cup with my finger. I could feel the tension in him the minute he walked through the door.

"It was." He responded flatly, looking ahead towards the bedroom, the gears in his head still churning, never stopping.

"Do you want something to eat?" I asked, standing to my feet, taking the now empty cup with me, and moving next to him, his woody yet smoky scent filling my nose as I placed the cup into the sink.

"No, I'm alright. Have you eaten?" He asked, eyes flickering over to me.

"Not yet." I shook my head, reaching out to take the glass from his hand, placing it on the table, and stepping into his space, resting my hands on his chest, simply enjoying his closeness.

"Why?"

"Why haven't you?" I challenged back, pushing my hands up until they lay on his shoulders. Glancing down to watch my hands I noticed a red stain on the collar of his shirt.

Furrowing, I took the fabric into my hand, rubbing it between my fingers. Not moving. Swallowing back, my eyes slowly made their way back up to his eyes. They were watching me intently, a coldness in them sent a shiver down my spine.

I felt my breathing stop as the realisation hit me.

Nodding, I cleared my throat, offering Tommy a small smile before stepping away from him, putting my arms around myself as I thought about what he has done. It had to be done. He was protecting me, at least that was what I would tell myself.

Walking towards the sofa, I sat down, taking the paper in my hands reading over the headlines to distract myself from the truth.

"I did it for you."

"Can you take off the shirt? I can try and get the stain out but it may be a lost cause at this point." I answered, glancing over toward him. "I'll be going shopping with Esme in the morning so I will pick up a new shirt."

"Did you make it hurt?" I asked, closing my eyes at the tingling feeling rushing through my body due to his loving touches.

Unsure of what to say, Tommy simply nodded. His nimble fingers worked the buttons of his waistcoat removing it along with his jacket with a sigh.

Moving to walk past me, he placed a soft kiss on the top of my head, a hand resting on my shoulder.

"To an extent." He replied, pulling away to unbutton the white shirt.

Turning around to face him, I kneeled on the sofa, reaching a hand out to pull him closer to me, undoing a few buttons myself.  "Will they know it was you?"

"No." His answer was short, quick. "Arthur and John are dealing with the body. It will look like a mugging gone wrong."

"Okay" I nodded, looking up at him through my eyelashes. "Probably best we burn this shirt, limit any suspicion."

"Agreed" Tommy nodded, pulling the white fabric from his shoulders revealing his long sleeve undershirt.

Throwing the shirt on the back of the sofa, he walked around the sofa towards the fireplace, nudging the dulling embers with the poker before throwing on more coal and bringing it to light once more.

Standing to his feet he patted down the remains of the coal on his trousers, reaching a hand out for me to pass him the shirt. Taking the material in my hands our fingers grazed as I passed it along, watching the entire thing burn once Tommy tossed it on the burning fire.

"You need to eat Stace," Tommy spoke, bringing my attention away from the fire. He stood before me, hands resting on his hips, eyes looking down at my sitting position.

"I know but I don't want to cook." I sighed, playing with the material of my dress.

"Then let's go out for dinner eh? You deserve it"

******

Looking over the menu, I couldn't help but sigh nothing was grabbing my attention. My mind continuously went back to the local fish and chip shop a few streets back, the smell had my mouth watering and my stomach grumbling. But Tommy wanted to treat me, so I kept my mouth shut.

"What are you thinking?" Tommy asked next to me.

The waiter instantly recognised Tommy when we walked through the door. He had sat us towards the back of the restaurant, in a booth far away from anyone else, giving us privacy.

There were plenty of opinions on the menu, chicken, beef, fish you name it, they had it. But it wasn't what I wanted. I wanted dirty and greasy food tonight.

"Uhm, I don't know." I forced out a smile. Nights like this were rare, I didn't want to ruin the moment between Tommy and me. I was determined to enjoy it.

"What about you?" I asked, glancing over at him. He wasn't even looking at the menu he was rolling an unlit cigarette along his lips – his eyes taking in the environment around him.

"A smoke and a whiskey will do me love."

"Tommy that isn't much of a meal" I huffed out a breath of annoyance but there was no point in arguing with him when he was like this.

The waiter returned with a smile, asking if we were ready to order, to which Tommy looked over at me expectantly. "Do you need a few more moments Ma'am?"

"Oh um no, no I…" I stumble over my words before something fell from my lips. "Chicken, yeah the ah spring chicken please."

"And for you Sir?"

"More whiskey." Tommy titled his quickly emptying glass towards the waiter who simply nodded, writing it down on his little pad before disappearing. "What going on in that pretty little head?"

"Nothing." I smiled, sneaking a peak at him while my fingers rubbed the hemlines of the cotton napkins. "This place is nice."

"Do you like it?" Tommy asked, nodding thanks to the waiter once he returned with a large glass of whiskey. "Honestly?" A smile grew on the sides of his lips, it was like he could read me like the chapters of his favourite book.

"It is definitely a date night place to be." I nodded, returning the smile.

Leaning over to him I waited until he exhaled the smoke from his mouth before pressing a soft kiss to his lips, staying there a little longer before pulling away completely.

“Thank you” 

"You are welcome." Tommy nodded, puffing heavily on the cigarette. "But you don't have to thank me."

"I want to, I know how busy you are Tommy and it's little moments like this that make me smile."

"Is that right eh?" He smirked, noticing the redness of my cheeks. I wasn't embarrassed admitting my feelings to Tommy, quite the opposite. I rather loved him knowing how he made me feel. It got me all hot and bothered inside.

"You know I love you right."

"You remind me every morning and night."

"Does that bother you?"

"Don't ever stop," Tommy confirmed, leaning across and pressing his lips tightly against mine. His hand rested on the back of my head, deepening the kiss when the young waiter returned with my dinner, forcing us apart.

"Thank you"

"Anything else please don't be afraid to let me know."

******

"Don't you like it?" Tommy asked noticing how I was moving the food from one side of the plate to the other.

"No, it is. It's lovely" I nodded not a word of a lie. It was rather nice, beautiful in fact but it wasn't hitting the spot. It wasn't what the baby wanted.  "Would you like a taste?"

"How long have we known each other Anastasia?" Tommy huffed out ignoring what I had asked as his hand reached up to wave at the waiter.

"Almost three years?" I answered, the question catching me off guard.

"Exactly" Tommy nodded at me, the waiter returning to the table with a nervous smile on his face. "We will be taking the chicken home."

Tommy had told the young waiter, who seemed speechless before him. With a quick nod of his head, he lifted my plate scurrying off towards the back to fulfill the request.  

"Why did you do that?" I asked, afraid that I had upset him in some way. My brain worked overtime thinking of how I could have possibly done it within such a short space of time.

"Because." Tommy sighed, finishing the last of his whiskey before standing to his feet, and fixing the collar of his suit jacket around his neck. "You're not enjoying it."

"I'm sorry" I whimpered, feeling overcome with emotion.

Tommy's movements stopped as he looked over at me, tears in my eyes, my bottom lip quivering. Glancing over his shoulder he checked to see if something had caught my eye to upset me, not quite understanding where this show of emotion had come from.

"Why are you crying eh?" He asked softly, sliding back into the booth next to me, his soft hand came up to caress my face. Leaning into his touch, I tried in vain to stop the tears from falling from my eyes.

"You took me here so we could have a special night together and I ruined it."

"Jesus Stace, you didn't ruin anything." Tommy exhaled, the candlelight on the table catching the blue of his eyes. "but I know you, you weren't having a good time."

"Like you were?" I scoffed, reaching up and pushing aside a stray tear. "I don't know what's wrong with me Tom. I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for yeah?" Tommy rested his forehead against mine briefly before the sounds of footsteps pulled him away.

"Your food Mr. Shelby." The young waiter had returned, placing the chicken on the table, wrapped and ready to go. Tommy nodded his thanks, reaching into his trousers pocket and pulling out some notes, handing them over to the boy before waving him away.

"Come on, let's get you home."

Walking through the cold streets that were Birmingham, I wrapped the coat tighter around myself as Tommy guided me home, a gentle hand around my back as we moved around the late-night crowd.

I had to suppress an unsatisfied moan as we passed the fish and chip shop once more, my stomach almost growled at the smell. It was obvious what the baby had wanted. I had told myself that when Tommy returned to work later tonight, I would satisfy these cravings.

Returning home, I put my coat on the hook, giving Tommy a soft smile as I hoovered around him by the exit, waiting for him to tell me he was going to the betting shop.

"What's that look for?" He asked, removing the cap from his head, and holding it in his hands for a moment before shoving it into his coat pocket.

"Nothing." I shook my head, squinting at him.

"You sure?" Tommy chuckled, shrugging the coat from his shoulders.

"Are you not going to the betting shop tonight?"

"No, I told you Arthur and John are settling what needs to be done. I'm spending the evening with you."

"Oh"

"Oh?" Tommy repeated, placing his hands on my hips. "What? You want rid of me? You playing around Miss Adler?"

"No, God no Tommy I would never."

"Good"

"It's just I thought you would return to work like you always do," I answered carefully, using the softest tone I could muster. Tommy just stared through me, eyes squinting as if he could read my thoughts.

"What's going on?" Tommy asked, already growing bored of the back and forth between us.

"It's nothing" I tried to play off but he wasn't having it. His hands on my hips squeezed tighter, the expression on his face turning emotionless as he waited. "Well, I was going to go out and get something."

"What?"

"Doesn't ma-"

"Anastasia I swear to God I am not…"

"I was going to that fish and chips place on Queen's road. The baby wants it real bad."

"The baby wants it?" Tommy asked, a smile pulling at his lips at the mention of his growing child.

"Yeah, we smelled it on the way to the restaurant. It smelled so good Tommy."

"If that was what you wanted why didn't you say something before eh?" Tommy asked with a deep sigh, his index finger and thumb coming up to pinch his nose, eyes closed in frustration.

"Because I didn't want to ruin your evening."

"It was your evening Stace." Tommy pointed out, throwing his hand from his face, reaching over to grab his jacket from the kitchen chair, throwing it around his shoulders, ready to brave the evening once more.

"I should have said something, I'm sorry."

"Yeah, you should have but don't be sorry." Tommy pointed his finger at me after he put his peaked cap over his head. "I'll be back soon." He nodded, pressing his lips against mine before disappearing out the door.

I couldn't stop the smile growing on my face at the thought of Birmingham's most feared gangster disappearing into the night to get me and our baby the food we had been craving all night. It was the little things that proved just how much Tommy loved me.

Taglist

@shelbyteller @seleneshelby @forgottenpeakywriter @babayaga67 @sweetmilkshakeluminary @slutforcoffein @sydneyyyya @happysparklingshadows @margew76   @midnightmagpiemama  @pierre-gasssllyy    @duckybird101

[toothpastecanyon]

The Comfort of Agony, Chapter 6

For the first time in his eternal life, Alcor had been  bound. He couldn't leave even if he wanted to... so it was just as well  that he didn't want to leave, right? After all, this was what Mizar  wanted.

He didn't know what she was so angry with him for, but he probably deserved it.

See most updated version on Archive of Our Own.

______________________________________________________________

Mag never liked when he woke up on his feet. He came back to himself, blinked the morning sun out of his eyes - and immediately groaned as all the pain hit him like a truck. His palms were stinging; he opened them to see deep gashes through the bases of his fingers, the blood smeared down his forearms. Broken glass crunched under his feet as he stepped back.

“Wha…?” He managed, turning to see a rumpled bed behind him; there was a hole in the drywall, and blood spattered over the headboard. “Oh, shit - where am I? What did I…”

And he trailed off, because there was writing in the blood - writing, and below it a messy star in a circle, a symbol that set his heart thumping in his chest. There were distant sirens as Mag stepped closer, his eyes narrowing as he read the dripping words.

THE BLOOD OF MY ENEMY’S KIN SHALL FLOOD THE GUTTERS

MAGNUS WRIGHT YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR SINS

His breath stopped. His mind was flashing back to the last thing he remembered; playing cards with Piper in the living room. He looked out the shattered door and saw the table they sat at, the cards scattered on the carpet, and suddenly the silence struck a terror in him.

“Piper?” He breathed, and looked at the blood on the bed, the broken glass of her bedroom window. “No… no, no, no, Piper! Piper!”

He charged into the living room, eyes darting wildly about like he could find her hidden somewhere; he didn’t know why, but he started opening cupboards. “Piper! Piper, are you there! Are you okay? Where are you! Where is she!”

That question he directed at his arm; a moment later there was a searing pain that made him stop and clasp a hand over it. The pain was burning hot, and he pulled at the sleeve of his jumpsuit, pulled it up enough to expose a pattern of glowing white symbols etched into his skin. They flared up and down in intensity, and after a moment, Mag frowned.

“The mirror? Of course I have it, but that doesn’t matter now! Where’s- agh!”

The pain twisted like a knife in his forearm, and he scowled.

“I didn’t- what do you mean, I lost it?” His other hand reached into his jumpsuit. “It’s right-."

And he stopped dead, because it wasn’t there. He felt around for the newspaper, then drew out his hand and patted his body down - slowly at first, but with an increasing urgency.

“No, no, I… I know I had it last night! I couldn’t have lost it!”

But it wasn’t there; his eyes set on the couch, and he leapt to it, checking the sides, tearing the cushions off, grabbing the side and tipping the whole thing up to check the floor… but no mirror. He let it fall with a thump, backing away, looking up at the growing whine of sirens.

“I couldn’t have lost it,” he echoed, shaking his head. “What… What happened last night? What happened to my daughter?”

He winced as the runes flared up. They shone through his jumpsuit, and let off wisps of smoke.

“The Dreamer’s Star?” Mag’s expression darkened. “Of course, they wanted the mirror. And they took my little girl… where are they now?”

The runes didn’t respond to that. Mag clenched his fists, and lifted up his arm.

“Come on, tell me! We’re wasting time!” It still didn’t respond, and he groaned, paced in place, ran a hand through his hair. “What do you want - do you, do you want an apology! Look, I know it was a bad idea to go and see her before the drop off, I know! You were right, you were always right… I-I’m sorry, okay! Just let me fix this!”

His pacing slowed, and he let out a sigh that slumped his shoulders. He leaned on the counter, staring down at the cards on the floor.

“I’m sorry…” he whispered, and shut his eyes. “I’m so sorry, sweetie. What have I done? I just, I just wanted to see you again, I didn’t… I-I never would’ve…” He put his head into his hands. “Oh, god… just tell me she’s okay. Tell me it’s not too late. Please.”

Nothing happened for a moment, and Mag tensed at the blaring sound of sirens - close, they could be in the parking lot. He made to pick himself up, but as he got to his feet, his arm suddenly stiffened with a supernatural energy. It lifted up, and pointed somewhere behind him. He blinked, then let out a breath.

“She’s alive…” His arm lowered, and his relief quickly darkened into a dead-eyed determination. “They’re taking her out of town, huh. Well, they’d better run. They’d better fucking run.”

There were footsteps outside. Lots of footsteps; Mag turned around just as there was a strong knocking at the door.

“Police!” Bellowed a voice, and Mag scowled; he advanced towards it, grabbing a wine bottle on the way there. “Police, open up! If anyone’s in there-“

He didn’t finish his sentence; Mag stood in front of the door, tensed his muscles, and aimed a kick just above the doorknob. It swung open violently, and he could hear a cry as it rammed into an officer; three others crouched in the entrance and he was on them in a second, bodychecking one to the ground and smashing another over the head with the wine bottle. The third one fired and he felt the bullets like hard punches to his chest, but he’d been shot before; he advanced on the man until he could see the whites of his eyes, grabbed him roughly by the throat, and dragged him halfway over the first story railing until his feet were kicking in the air.

“Keys,” he hissed, but the man was trying to claw out of his grip, his eyes bugged out with terror. Mag shook him. “Car keys, now! Hand ‘em over!”

With shaking hands, the officer dug in his pocket and handed over a ring of keys. Mag dashed him to the floor where he lay gasping and holding his neck, and bent down to pick up the gun he’d dropped.

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll st-“ Mag coughed, and held his chest. “You-you’ll st-t-ay out of my way.”

Then he stumbled down the stairs, leaning hard on the rail, hacking and wincing at the sharp, deep pain. He felt like he couldn’t get enough air; he spat out a wad of blood, and grimaced at the spreading red stains on his jumpsuit.

“Heal me any time now,” he muttered, staggering towards the flashing lights in the parking lot. “Any time at all‘s good.”

His vision was starting to grey at the edges, but just before he passed out he could feel a surge of power go through him; the pain spiked, and then fell away entirely. He looked down his shirt to see four points of white light fading from his skin, leaving only scars behind. He took a deep, full breath, and let it out with a grin.

“That’s better.” He clicked the car key and saw which cruiser flashed. He headed towards that one, opened the door, and bent down to fit himself inside the driver’s seat. “Ugh, how short was this guy? Gotta put the seat back.”

He did so, but his knees were still almost touching the steering wheel. The radio was chattering urgently; voices were calling all units to this address, and he grimaced.

“Yup, gotta go,” he said, and turned the key in the ignition. It roared to life, and he gripped the wheel. “Alright. Oh-kay. Don’t worry, Piper. I’m coming for you. I promise.”

He hoped those words would reach his daughter somehow, and they did. At the same time as he sped out of the parking lot towards her with sirens blaring, Piper, driving down the freeway as fast as she dared, felt an unexplained chill go down her spine.

She shivered, and pressed the accelerator all the way down to the floor.

______________________________________________________________

Piper liked to be prepared. She was never less than fifteen minutes early to anything; she checked the reviews before going into any restaurant. Her friends didn’t throw her surprise birthday parties - they knew she liked to see what was coming.

She gave a grim smile now as she popped the trunk of her car. It was funny, because even though she couldn’t have possibly predicted the hellish morning she’d had… somehow she’d even managed to prepare for this, too. She took a spare set of work clothes from the trunk, glanced around the library parking lot, and hurried back into her car.

“Piper!” Alcor, propped up on her front seat, was trying to peer up over the dashboard. “Come on, we can’t stop long. Let’s go.”

“I gotta change, just give me a second.” Piper slipped off her tattered cardigan, hesitated, and draped it over the mirror.

“Hey!”

“I said I have to change.” Quickly Piper did so, and lifted up the cardigan. “Okay, I’m ready.”

“Stupid mirror.” Alcor was floating there with his arms crossed; he stayed like that as she picked him up. “I can barely see anything from in here.”

“You wanted to see me change?”

“Wha- wait, no no no!” He flushed a deep beet red; Piper almost snorted at that. “That’s not what I- I just- I just meant in general! I’m sorry, I-“

“No, it’s okay, I know what you meant.” She drew out of the car, and shut the door. “I’d probably go mad if I spent a decade in that little thing.”

“Well, it was fine when I didn’t have to do anything outside of it.” He grumbled; the perspective seemed to stay on him as he walked to the side and sat down on a couch. “Now I’m just getting tipped over or covered up and then suddenly I have no idea what’s going on - ugh, and I used to know everything!”

“Everything?” Piper arched an eyebrow as she started towards the library. “What do you mean, everything?”

“I mean, everything! Demons are omniscient!”

“Then- wait, why are we going to a library?” She stopped. “If you know everything-“

“Well, I don’t know everything now .” He gave a sigh at her confused expression. “It’s - it’s complicated, it’s more like… I could know anything if I concentrated on it, but I didn’t literally have every answer in the world in my head. That would be… that would be bad.”

His expression darkened for a moment, and Piper shivered, remembered exactly who she was talking to. The mirror seemed to get colder for a moment, and then he cleared his throat and smiled again.

“But hey, who needs omniscience when you’ve got the internet? We’ll figure this out.”

“I hope so.” She made her way up the steps to the front door, and glanced down at the mirror. “Uh, having said that… I’ll probably need to stick you in my bag.”

He wrinkled his nose, but nodded. “Ugh, yeah, you’re right. Just keep an eye out for any weird auras, okay?”

“Weird auras?”

“Yeah! You’ve got the Sight, right?”

“No… Do I need it?”

“Oh.” He looked worried. “Uh, no, no! You’ll be fine, just… just keep an eye out, okay?”

With that encouraging note, she stuffed him in her purse; an idea struck her, and she pulled out her phone and put it to her ear like she was on a call. She opened the door to a rush of cool air, and glanced around; a couple rows of shelves to one side, and a row of computers to the other. There were a few people milling around, but they paid her no attention.

“Okay,” she whispered. “The computers, right?”

“Yeah, of course!” He spoke a little too loudly, and paused when she shushed him. “What? Oh, right, library. Sorry.”

Rolling her eyes, Piper made her way to the computers and took a seat in the quietest corner. There was a guy three seats down who appeared to be asleep on the keyboard; she gave him a glance over, then put her bag on the table between them and positioned Alcor so he could see the screen.

“Okay, is this- oops!” She accidentally tipped him over, and gave an apologetic smile as she lifted him back up. “Uh, sorry.”

“It’s fine.” His wings twitched as he waved her away. “Let’s just find that angel. Can you find any articles about Mag’s arrest?”

Piper grimaced. “All too many,” she muttered, but as she typed it in, she realized that was old news.

ARMED AND DANGEROUS: POLICE ADVISE RESIDENTS STAY INSIDE AFTER ‘VICIOUS’ HOME INVASION, FUGITIVE MAGNUS WRIGHT SUSPECTED

‘I Heard Her Screaming’ Residents of Apartment Complex Shaken After ‘Vicious’ Home Invasion Leaves Four Injured, Fate of Resident Unknown

MISSING VICTIM OF HOME INVASION IS DAUGHTER OF FUGITIVE MAGNUS WRIGHT: THE SEARCH IS ON FOR PENELOPE ‘PIPER’ WRIGHT

That last headline - along with a picture of her graduation photo - sent her heart right into her throat, and she instinctively ducked her head down before realising that would only make her look more suspicious. “We’ve got to get out of here,” she breathed.

“We need answers first.”

“But what if someone spots me?”

“No one’s going to spot you.” He crossed his arms. “Just act natural, okay?”

“Act natural?” She hissed. “I’m front page news, how am I supposed to-“

“Shhh!”

Piper hesitated. “Right. Okay, okay, okay, I just need to… I just need to calm down.”

She took a breath, and looked around - the guy was still asleep next to her, and nobody around seemed to have taken notice. Another breath, and she nodded to herself. Just act natural, she thought, and quickly scrolled off the article with her picture on it.

“Wait, wait!” Alcor said, she paused. “Look at that one!”

“Which one?” She asked, but noticed it as soon as the question left her lips:

PHOTOS EMERGE OF DREAMBENDER CIRCLE, CRYPTIC MESSAGE LEFT IN APARTMENT OF MISSING PIPER WRIGHT

“Dreambender circle?” Piper frowned as she clicked in. “That’s you, right?”

“It is.” Alcor was frowning as she scrolled down the page. “There it is - stop there.”

Piper stopped, and stared at the photo: it was a ghastly summoning circle painted in red on her wall, with a message that made her heart skip a beat.

“The blood of my enemy’s kin shall flood the gutters,” she echoed. “What the hell? That wasn’t there when I left. Did… did Mag write that?”

“No.” Alcor said in a low voice; she drew back at his expression. “And that circle - you won’t see the difference, but there’s subtle markings in the pattern that cancel it out. I wouldn’t be drawn to this one at all.”

“So?”

“So, the being who drew it wanted it to look like my circle, but didn’t want me to notice it at all.” His face was hollow, all in shadow but for a dangerous shine in his eyes. “Piper. Look up articles for the night Scarlett died.”

The sentence took a moment to register, and then Piper recoiled. “Wh-what? Why?”

But he didn’t respond, and Piper could see wisps of smoke drifting up from where the mirror was touching her bag. With a gulp, she did as she was told.

“Uh, this is the main one I’ve read,” she said, bringing up an article and turning the monitor a little towards him. A shiver went down her spine as she watched Alcor begin to read.

SEARCH FOR KIDNAPPED CHILD ENDS IN TRAGEDY FOR WRIGHT FAMILY

A two-week search for kidnapped child Scarlett Wright has ended in tragedy for parents David and Magnus Wright as her remains were recovered in a fire at an abandoned factory building this Friday. Police say evidence of demonic summoning are present at the scene and are investigating this as a criminal matter.

“We do have evidence that this horrible act was done as part of a demonic summoning,” says Chief of Police Devon Strauss. “What we can't confirm is whether the fire was deliberately set after the summoning to destroy evidence, or if it went wrong somehow and it was the demon that caused the blaze.”

Officially, the identity of the summoned demon is unknown, but there is no uncertainty in the Wright household.

“It was Alcor.” Says David, the father of Scarlett Wright. His husband Magnus, who works as a firefighter, was tragically present at the blaze as a first responder and recovered the body of his own daughter. “There is no question in his [Magnus’] mind, it was Alcor. He saw the bodies, he saw the circle, he saw the demon itself. There’s no question.”

He is understandably devastated by this outcome, but hopes Scarlett’s story will prevent future tragedies.

“I’ve read a lot about this [Alcor] since the news broke, I’ve seen a lot of misinformation about this demon in particular. People say he’s a ‘safe’ demon, that he’s kind to children, I see a lot of reports of children … summoning him, and all I have to say is don’t. Please, please don’t. If he’s so kind to children, then why did he take my daughter away from me? She was nine months old, she did nothing wrong, and now she’s gone, forever. And my family will never be the same.”

Piper had read that article a long time ago, and every now and then throughout the years she’d read it again… but only ever once. It was a creepy feeling, to read in dispassionate tones the tragedy that had torn her family apart so long ago… and that last line, from her dad. She wondered sometimes why he’d said that, if it was just because of Scarlett… or if even days after her murder, he knew something in Mag was changing.

A loud sound suddenly startled her. Her phone, right next to her ear - it was ringing, and she felt a flush of shame when she saw who it was.

“Dad…” she murmured, and held it gently, staring down until the name disappeared from her screen. The kidnapping, the demon summoning, the news articles… this must all seem so cruelly familiar to him.

She had to let him know she was okay. The ding of a text only made her more sure; she clicked into it, and her heart sank as she read:

Piper, I love you more than anyone else in the world. Please, if you can read this, tell me you’re okay. Please come back home to me. I love you.

A growling sound brought her back to reality; she looked up, and realised people were staring. She looked down, and saw why. A deep, rumbling growl was coming from her bag; Alcor’s yellow eyes were pressed up to the mirror’s surface, and all the colour in his face had drained to black but for a series of sharp golden lines. He smashed a fist against the surface, and the sound echoed through the quiet library like a rung bell.

The sleeping guy was awake now, and leaning away. “Uh, ma’am?” He started, nervously. “Your bag…”

Piper stood up abruptly. “My… my dog,” she managed, and backed up. “I have to go.”

Ducking her head, she hurried away from prying eyes. She ducked into her car, grabbed the mirror - and dropped it with a swear.

“Agh, that’s hot!” She flapped her hand in the air, and glared down at Alcor. “Hey, what the hell was that? What happened to inconspicuous? Hello?”

He didn’t respond, and her frown deepened. Wisps of smoke were still coming up from her bag, so she wrapped the handle in her tattered cardigan, drew it out, and dropped it face down on the other seat. There we go - like a sort of time out until he could calm down, she supposed.

She was giving a time out to a demon, Piper thought, and gave a wry smile before the sound of another text wiped it off her face:

I can see someone read this message. Is that you, Piper?

Or is this Magnus?

He was still typing, and Piper watched, a lump in her throat. Eventually it appeared:

I don’t know what happened at the apartment, but if you harmed our daughter at all then I never loved you. Not even after you were arrested did I think you were capable of this. Please stop this. Turn yourself in and bring her back safe.

He was still typing, but Piper couldn’t bear to leave him like this any longer.

It’s Piper, Dad. I’m safe. I love you.

Almost as soon as she sent that text her phone started to ring. Piper stared at it for a moment… and then with trembling hands, she raised it to her ear.

“Dad?” She said, and she could hear a shaky breath of air on the other end of the line. She could hear her father’s voice, and she didn’t realise how much she’d been aching to hear it again until she felt tears welling up in her eyes.

“It’s me, Piper. It’s Dad, I-I’m here.” The voice was thick and shaky, and breathless with relief. “It’s… are you okay? What happened? Where are you?”

Piper had wanted to reassure her Dad; she’d picked it up expecting to be able to say something brave, to tell him that she couldn’t come home yet but she was safe, that he didn’t have to worry about her…. But god, she heard his voice, and she just burst into tears.

“Oh, Piper…” Her father’s voice was soft, and soothing. “It’s going to be okay, sweetie. I’m so sorry this is happening, but it’s going to be okay, okay?”

Piper just nodded, silently, tears running down her face.

“Just tell me what you can, okay? I want to help you. Do you know where you are?” And now she was shaking her head, even as he continued. “I have, I have the police here, they can come, they can help-”

“Can’t…” Piper managed. “You, y-you can’t…”

“Why not?”

She looked over at Alcor, lying silent now beside her, and another sob wracked her shoulders as she realised all the words in the world couldn’t explain to him the trouble she was in.

“Why not, Piper?”

“I…” her face crumpled. “I-I c-can’t…”

“Why-”

“I’m sorry,” she said, and then she hung up. It rang again, and she dropped it on the floor and put her head in her hands, shaking her head as it rang, rang, rang, rang…

And then it went silent. Piper swallowed hard, took a shuddering breath, and tried to rub her eyes.

“I’m sorry.”

That voice came from the mirror. Piper looked at it face down on the seat, but made no move to touch it.

After a moment, she sighed, and looked away. “I’m making a mistake, aren’t I.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Because I don’t know what I’m doing. I mean, what if you’re lying to me?” She pressed her chin against the window, the glass cold against her cheek. “What if you’re just… just pretending you didn’t, and I’m running away from everyone who could help me?” She felt a lump rising in her throat. “What would be so bad if I just called him back up and gave you away to the police and went home? Huh? Why can’t I do that?”

Alcor didn’t say anything for a moment. When he did speak, it was quiet. “I wish you could do that. I really do. You didn’t deserve any of this.”

“Okay.”

“I’m sorry for that. And I’m sorry about earlier, in the library.” He paused there, like he was thinking carefully about how to phrase this. “Piper?”

She looked back at him, and he continued.

“About that article… there’s something I’m quite certain of, now.” His voice was still quiet, but there was a hardness to it, now, a sense that it was an effort to keep it calm and even. “I’ve…  been set up. I never killed Scarlett.”

“You already told me that.”

“But somebody wanted you to think I did… wanted Mag to think I did. They wanted him to h̵a̷t̴e̸ ̶m̴e̸. They wanted him to bind me, and it w̴o̴r̴k̷e̴d̸. I̵ f̶̫̓ȩ̵͒l̷͍͂l ̶̲͘f̶̛͚ỏ̸̥r it,̵͆ Ĩ̵͕ c̸̣͂an̴̈'̴tbȇ̶̠ḻ̶̉ĭ̵̜e̸̘͐v̶̤̄ȩ̴͠ ̸͙͘I̷͇͗-”

“Alcor?” Piper sat up, reached out, and turned the mirror over. Alcor was in that eerie brickwork form; he saw her and took a step back, his fists clenched, his whole form quivering, his eyes blazing with demonic fury… and a genuine fear that put a lump in her throat. “Alcor?” She spoke again, and watched him swallow, hard.

“You know who it is, right?” He stepped closer, and the whiter-than-white runes encircling his image flickered as fast as the beating of her heart. “You know who I’m talking about?”

And Piper did. “Yeah,” she said, and distantly she was aware of a great anger rising up like a tidal wave within her, of the blood rushing in her ears. “I know who you’re talking about. It’s that angel.”

[beelzebuddy-catan]

The Not Entirely Human-Human Exchange Student pt. 2

Summary: Cass manages to shock the student body at RAD when she makes her first pact with Mammon. She doesn't have time to think about it as she begins uncovering the dark secrets haunting the House of Lamentation. Warnings: Swearing, mentions of death, heavily implied sexual content Spoilers: Lesson two and Lilith's status Characters: Cass (OC), Lucifer, Mammon, Levi, Satan, Asmo, Beel, Lilith, Diavolo, Barbatos, Solomon, Luke, Simeon, Preta (OC), and Vassago (OC). Notes: (1) Lilith is absolutely a little shit (affectionate) who just likes pulling pranks and messing with people she loves. (2) I love the idea of MC finding Mammon's credit card without Lucifer's hint. Part One • Next Part

“Call me by my name,” she demanded.

“Fuck,” Mammon hissed, eyes wide. “Is this all ‘cause of the pact?! Listen to me hum-” he stopped, as if he physically couldn’t finish the word. “Hu-hum-FINE, Cass!” They stared at each other, Mammon catching his breath. Cass wondered how much energy it took to fight off whatever control the pact had over him. “Look, just because may be in control of my body doesn’t mean you own my mind.”

“I don’t want to own you,” Cass said, surprising him. “I literally only asked you to call me by my name. I’d expect even demons to have that level of decorum.”

He didn’t say anything at first, but his frustration seemed to fade. “Where is it?” Cass tilted her head in confusion. She already gave him his credit card, what else did he want. “The mark?” Silence. “You really don’t know anything about pacts do ya? When you make a pact, you have a mark to show it.”

His eyes fell to her hand, as if he already knew it would be there. She followed his gaze to her left hand. Oh. Wrapping around her pointer finger was an intricate golden design. It faded towards the top, the design tightening at the base. It almost looked like a ring, a sigil resting in the middle like a stone. Cass gasped, taken aback at how beautiful it was.

Cass glanced down at the map Lucifer had given her and back up at the hallway. At this point she’d be lucky if she found her classes, let alone found them on time. Apparently giving the new student a tour was too kind for demons.

Her morning hadn’t gone great. Besides having no idea where she was going and Mammon being missing, she’d been assigned to wake him up earlier. She’d ended up just poking him in the face, only to be thrown to the floor. Now, she was lost in a giant school, no idea where to go. She shoved the map in her bag, deciding to go in what she thought was the right direction and hope she got lucky enough to run into someone she knew.

“Hey, that’s the human everyone’s talking about.” She heard someone whisper but opted to stay still. “Can’t believe Mammon got assigned to watch over her.”

“Doncha think that’s pretty lucky for us? We can devour this human before even Beel does, and they won’t know it was us.”

The first demon snickered in response. Before she could take a step, they started to jeer and catcall. Cass swung her backpack over her other shoulder, walking up to the demons with a cheery smile. Their cocky demeanors only grew.

“If you so much as even try to touch me, I will rip off whatever appendage of yours I can find, be it your arm, leg, horn, tail, whatever, and shove it so far up your ass I can pull it back out your throat. Then, I’ll pour holy oil into any open orifice and light it on fire while you’re still alive. And, as you burn and the light leave your eyes, the last thing you’ll see is me enjoying a glass of ice water.” Cass blinked her eyes innocently, her smile never faltering. “Do you happen to know what the cafeteria serving today?” Her smile finally fell as she stared into the second demon’s eyes, not blinking as she finished. “I’m caving barbecue.”

Neither of them moved, shock rooting them in their place. A third demon, standing off to the side stifled a laugh. Their black horns and eyes stood out against their pale skin and white hair.  Whoever they talking to looked equal parts impressed and disinterested. Cass flashed them a smile before walking towards where she hoped her class was. She only took a few steps before someone fell into step next to her.

“Hey, you’re Cass, right?” She cast him a look but didn’t respond. He laughed before continuing. “You don’t have to be suspicious of me.  I’m Solomon, the other exchange student. When I heard Mammon was looking after you, I thought Lucifer was just messing with you. Now, I’m not so sure.”

Cass stopped and crossed her arms. Something felt too convenient about the only other human showing up next to her right when she needed help. “I can handle myself with demons. Mind telling me where 2122b is?”

“You’re asking for my help? But you’ve got the great Mammon!” Cass didn’t miss the sarcasm lacing his tone. “Why should I just give you that information?”

“Help another human out? You are human still, aren’t you?”

“Hmm,” he smiled. “There are times even I’m not so sure. After obtaining the ring of wisdom from someone in a very high position and forming 72 pacts,” he paused glancing at her, “I became a wicked sorcerer. Or, that’s what they say about me. I am fairly sure I am still human. I’m happy to prove it to you if needed.”

Cass twirled a piece of her hair and giggled, taking a wild guess he was the same Solomon written about in theology. “It’s no wonder you got 700 women to marry you, you’re so charming.” She rolled her eyes and walked away without giving him another glance. She was stopped again after a few steps by Lucifer. “Morning?”

“It seems you’ve already become something of a celebrity. Is your plan to simply threaten any demon who talks about you?” Cass hummed, not really caring to have a conversation when she still didn’t know where her fucking class was. Honestly, if threatening demons who treated her like dirt or a meal was how she survived, that’s how she survived. “While I understand it is inevitable you associated with Solomon, you should know he can’t be trusted. Unlike you, he can wield powerful magic and will try to subjugate even a powerful demon given the chance.”

“Got it, I can’t trust the only human here, but demons are good.” Cass went to step around him before pausing, remembering her conversation with Levi yesterday. Lucifer had hidden Mammon’s credit card, the credit card needed to make a pact with Mammon. Maybe she should just come out and ask him where it was.

“Is there something you want to ask me?” Lucifer smirked, as if knowing she needed something from him.

“Where is room 2122b?” She asked. Maybe she could get Lilith to tell her.

“Is that all? I would have thought you had question about Mammon.” Cass didn’t answer, not giving him the satisfaction. “If you go down this hall and take the first right and it’ll be the second door on the left.”

“Great, thank you,” Cass said, going to her first class of the day.

As much as she wanted to focus, she couldn’t. While the material was interesting, it was too much being thrown into a new world. Especially considering she’d been told she’d be living with seven brothers but had only met six.

At this point, all she knew about the final brother was he had long, greyish indigo hair with white tips and was comfortable enough to fall asleep leaning against Beel. Given his brothers were avatars of the six of the seven deadly sins, she assumed he was the avatar of sloth. It probably wasn’t abnormal for him to fall asleep against anyone.

The rest of the day was a cycle of thinking about each of the brothers and how to find Mammon’s credit card. She should have just asked Lucifer. She had to look up what a credit card was. How was she supposed to find one hidden in a strange, unknown house by a strange, unknown demon? The only seemingly valuable thing she’d come across was freezing credit, which seemed like a good option if Lucifer didn’t want Mammon to spend money.

“If I was going to hide a credit card to freeze someone’s spending, where would I put it?” Cass said out loud. She was lying upside down on her couch, head hanging off the edge. “It’s not literally frozen. He’s been around for centuries. It has to mean something else.”

“Does it though?” A voice interrupted her thoughts. Cass opened her eyes to see Lilith floating upside down, staring at her. “Look, I love Lucifer, but he finds dad jokes a bit too funny.” Cass didn’t answer, unsure what dad jokes were. “Predictable jokes, puns?”

Cass spun around. “Are you saying he literally froze Mammon’s credit card? Wouldn’t someone have found it by now?”

Lilith didn’t answer, simply giving Cass a look before disappearing. Was everyone in the Devildom cryptic as hell? It was past midnight. If she went to the kitchen now, there was a chance she wouldn’t run into anyone. It was probably safter to go now than in the middle of the day.

Cass tried to be as quiet as possible going to the kitchen. Luckily, she didn’t run into anyone. Part of her had debated texting Levi but decided against it. If Lilith was messing with her or her hunch was wrong, she’d rather he not know about it. She managed not to scream when she ran into Beel as she walked into the kitchen.

“Why you going to the kitchen so late?”

 She was drawn to Beel. Despite the fact that he expressed less emotions than the other brothers and was harder to read, something about him felt safe. She could tell he was a caring person, or demon, he just had a harder time of showing it.

“I was just getting a glass of water,” Cass lied. She wasn’t sure why. Something told her Beel wouldn’t care why she was in the kitchen. He huffed in response, going to leave. Suddenly she remembered the picture, the indigo haired demon slumped against Beel in the picture. “Hey, Beel, can I ask you something?”

“What?”

“Diavolo said I’d be living here with you and your brothers. He said there were seven of you, but I haven’t met your youngest brother. I was wondering–”

“Don’t ever mention him in front of Lucifer” Beel cut her off “ and don’t bother asking the rest of us. We don’t talk about him. Even though he’s our brother, we have to treat him like he doesn’t exist, it’s not fair,” Beel trailed off. Another crack. “But since no one can defy Lucifer, that’s that. Besides, it’s not any of your business.”

Cass reached out, grabbing Beel’s arm as he went to leave. “I know it doesn’t mean anything, and I’m just this random human forced to live with you, but if you need someone to talk to,” Cass paused, looking up at Beel. He didn’t say anything, but for a moment, it looked like he wanted to. “Have a nice night, Beel.”

He didn’t say anything, just nodded before walking out of the room. She should ask Lilith next time she appeared. Despite not talking about the seventh brother, it clearly weighed on Beel. The longer she was in the Devildom, the more she started to think she might be an empath. She was trapped in a house with six broken demons who needed help and was beginning to feel like her purpose was to help them.

“That’s not important right now,” she whispered. One thing at a time Cass, damn. Start with the credit card and pact and move on to whatever the fuck was haunting these demons after.

She checked to make sure Beel had actually left before opening the freezer. She was certain Lilith was messing with her when she looked into the nearly empty freezer. Beel must have eaten everything possible, because it looked like the only thing left was ice. Well, ice and what looked like freezer burnt ice cream from God knows how long ago. She shoved it out of the way in frustration.

As she went to slam the door shut, a glint of light caught her eye. Buried in ice, underneath the ice cream was a golden credit card. She pulled it out, but was unable to read the name. It had to be Mammon’s. Why else would there be a credit card in the freezer. She threw the frozen card in the sink, running hot water over it.

As the ice melted, she sighed. Step one, complete. Now she just needed to get Mammon to agree to a pact. When Levi first suggested it, she hadn’t really cared much either way. Pact or not, she was still stuck here with no memory. As she thought about it at school, though, she realized it would be nice to have some level of control over her situation, as well as someone on her side in the Devildom, willingly or not.

Cass sat on the edge of the counter, waiting for the ice to melt. When the ice was almost gone, she picked the card up. Sure enough, in silver lettering was Mammon’s name. Cass stared at the card, wondering what her next move was. It wasn’t until she heard his gasp that she realized Mammon had walked into the kitchen.

“IS THAT GOLDIE? DIDJA FIND MY CARD HUMAN?” Mammon yelled, rushing towards her. He went to grab the card, but Cass shoved it into her back pocket before he could. “Whadda think you’re doin’?”

“Leveraging your card for my benefit?” Mammon looked at her in disbelief. “Make a pact with me, and I’ll give you your precious card.”

“NO WAY!” Mammon snapped. “What makes you think The Great Mammon, one of the rulers of the Devildom would ever make a pact? Let some human be the boss of me?”

”Oh Luuuuccccifffeeeer,” Cass called.

Mammon’s eyes widened in fear, hand going to cover her mouth. He stepped between her legs, eyes pleading with her to be quiet. He didn’t move for a while, maybe waiting for his fear to subside or until he felt he could trust Cass not to say anything.

“You’re serious right now?” He asked, pulling his hand away. Cass nodded, though she wasn’t. “Fuck, fine.”

He stepped back, hand going to his belt. It took a second for Cass to register what he was doing. “Um, what the fuck are you doing?”

He glanced at her in disbelief. “What do you think?” Cass stared at him, eyes wide in confusion. “I thought ya wanted to make a pact.”

“Yeah?”

Mammon threw his hands up in frustration. “Are ya aware of a different way to make a pact?”

“I guess I don’t know how to make one.” Mammon stared at her. “I literally don’t even know my last name, what makes you think I’d know how to make a pact with a demon?!”

“I’d expect ya to look it up at the very least.” When Cass didn’t answer, Mammon rolled his eyes and continued, “pacts gotta be consummated.”

“Oh,” Cass answered, “OH!”

“Havin’ second thoughts?” Mammon asked, hand going to grab his credit card from her back pocket. “We don’t have to do anything ya know? You can give me my card and we can forget this ever happened.”

Cass smacked his hand away. “It’s not a second thought. It’s just,” she paused, not sure how to phrase it. “I just, I don’t have my memories.” Mammon didn’t answer, waiting for her to continue. “I don’t know if I’ve done, if I’ve ever, you know.” She gestured in the space between them.

Before she knew what was happening, Mammon’s hands flew to the counter beside her. His grasp was so tight that the butcher block split in his grip. “Don’t, don’t say things like that to a demon.” His voice was quiet, like he was trying his hardest to restrain himself. Cass didn’t answer, not sure what he meant. He continued, not meeting her eyes. “I’m a demon.”

“Oh really?”

Mammon scoffed, the counter cracking more under his grip. “Ya can’t say things like that to a demon. Our whole thing is corruptin’ humans. Do ya realize what your doing to me right now?”

“Oh,” she repeated, “OH!” Mammon didn’t answer, almost as if he was trying to calm his erratic breathing. “Fuck it,” she breathed. Mammon’s head snapped up, finally meeting her gaze. “Let’s make a pact.

His hands left the counter at the speed of light, grabbing her hips pulling her closer. Their lips met in a bruising kiss. Before Cass had time to process what was happening, he had lifted her off the counter and was moving towards the door. Her arms tightened around his neck, clutching to him as if he was going to drop her.

“Wh-what, what are you doing?”

“You think I want any of my brothers comin’ in and seein’ ya this,” he scoffed, “fuck I’m surprised Asmo didn’t smell you and come down here already.”

“SMELL?” She gasped, but Mammon didn’t answer. Before she knew it, they were in his room and she was being thrown on his bed. Levi wasn’t kidding when he said he was fast. She barely had time to catch her breath, let alone stop her head from spinning before Mammon was kissing her again. And so, her first pact was made.

---

Cass stared at the ceiling of Mammon’s room. She’d expected there to be something more to making a pact besides saying something in Latin and sleeping with the demon. Cass glanced at Mammon, who was lying next to her, also avoiding her gaze.

“That was,” he started.

“Unexpected?”

“Sure,” he answered, but something in his voice told her that wasn’t what he was thinking.

He got up and started getting dressed. Cass sat up, holding the sheet up against her, not really sure what to say that could break the tension. She didn’t know how pacts work, much less what it meant to make one. Was this Mammon’s first pact with human? She almost asked but stopped herself. Why did it matter? 

“Um,” Cass said, breaking the silence. Mammon looked over his shoulder but didn’t say anything. “Is it, can demons, can I get pregnant?”

Mammon’s movement froze, eyes widening. After a moment, he started dressing, moving faster than before. Cass didn’t move, terror rushing through her. Something in his response told her it wasn’t the risk of pregnancy that had him moving like that.

“Mammon?” He didn’t respond. “MAMMON!” Finally, he looked at her. Her voice fell quiet under his gaze, “what happens to humans who are pregnant with demons?” Again, he didn’t answer, her question only making him move faster. Panic rushed through her. For the first time since arriving in the Devildom she honestly felt afraid. “MAMMON!” She said, summing as much energy as he could. “Am I going to die?”

He kneeled next to her, hands cupping her face. He looked at her with genuine emotions, and it scared the hell out of her. “No, do you think the Great Mammon would let that happen?”

Cass fought back tears. He looked as unsure as she felt. Fuck. Why hadn’t she thought of that earlier? It hadn’t even crossed her mind. Why would it have? She didn’t know anything about demons and humans. It was the uncertainty in Mammon’s answer that scared her. Had he acted like he didn’t care about her, that would have been better, more comforting.

“Stop.” Mammon’s voice pulled her from her thoughts. He held her eye contact, concern laced in his gaze. “You’re gonna be fine, okay? I’ll talk to Lucifer, and he’ll know what to do. It’ll be fine.” It sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than her. “I’ll go now, okay?”

Mammon made a move towards the door and Cass stood, grabbing the closest shirt she could find. Mammon opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when he saw her dressing. She didn’t notice his staring at first, flinching under his gaze when she finally looked up.

“Sorry, I just grabbed something. I figured it’d be faster than trying to find mine,” she said, pulling at the edge of his button up nervously. It was large enough that it was falling off one shoulder, the hem landing midthigh.

She tried taking a step towards Mammon but lost her footing. He was by her side in an instant, catching her. “Ya really think your going to be able to walk to Lucifer’s room?”

“Well, I’m not just going to sit around here waiting.” Mammon and Cass held a silent starting contest before he finally resigned, scooping her up bridal style. “Wha–?”

“I’ll just carry you.”

Cass didn’t bother arguing, knowing already how much faster it would be. She closed her eyes, turning her head into Mammon’s chest feeling a wave of motion sickness at his movement. It wasn’t until she heard a knock that she opened her eyes. A moment later, the door swung open revealing a disappointed Lucifer. It looked like he was about to start scolding whoever had knocked on the door when he must have realized why they were there.

---

Cass stared at the fire behind Lucifer. He’d been lecturing Mammon for the last hour, occasionally passing a condescending comment her way. She was having a hard time concentrating on anything he said, though. She couldn’t shake Mammon’s reaction to her earlier from her thoughts.

“Can’t ya do this later?” Mammon hissed. “There are more pressing issues.”

“If you had any semblance of self-control, there wouldn’t be.”

“I had self-control, considerin’ she was going on about being a virgin. Don’t act like you wouldn’t have done the same–”

“I wasn’t going on about being a virgin. I literally said I have no memories–”

“I don’t care what the circumstances were.” Cass looked away from Mammon, trying not to roll her eyes. Lucifer handed her a small vial. “This potion will prevent pregnancy. I had some made on the off chance you surprised us and made a pact. Though, I didn’t expect it to be so quick.”

As she drank the potion, Lucifer muttered something in what sounded like Latin. “Well, the potion is most effective before being intimate, it won’t hurt to take it after.” He handed her a piece of paper with something written in a foreign language. “This is a spell to help strengthen the effects. Any demon will be able to perform it with ease. Well, any demon worth making a pact with. I’ll work with Barbatos to make more potion, should you end up needing more. Please try to refrain yourself until then, no matter how hard you find it.”

“EXCUSE ME? Thanks for the potion, though I could do without the haughty tone.” She stood up, glaring at Lucifer. “Ass,” she said under her breath as she stormed towards the door, letting it slam behind her.  

Cass groaned, falling into her bed. Of all the things she expected to happen that evening, that wasn’t one of them. She rolled over to look at the time when she saw Lilith sitting on the edge of her table. She was grinning, feet swinging beneath her.

“He likes you,” she laughed. “Lucifer.”

“He has a funny way of showing it.”

“Yeah.”

“Wait, Lilith, you’ve been here for a while, right?” The ghost nodded. “Can you tell me about their seventh brother?”

Lilith’s feet stopped moving. She sighed, jumping off the table to start pacing. “No.”

“Seriously?” Cass demanded.

“shhhh.” Lilith glared at her. “They can’t know I’m here.”

“I thought you wanted me to help them! I can’t help them if I don’t know anything. Why is everything a secret?”

Lilith looked at her with understanding, but it only made Cass angrier. Why did it feel like she was playing a game where everyone knew the rules except her. It was frustrating enough talking to the brothers, but at least she could understand their perspective.

They didn’t ask her to be here, Diavolo did. Lilith, on the other hand, asked her to help. Cass’s only goal was to survive for the year and try to get her memories back. Despite wanting to help the brothers, if they didn’t let her, she couldn’t force them to accept her help.

“I want to tell you, I do, really.” Against her better judgement, Cass believed her. “If you know too much about them though, they won’t trust you. You have to earn their trust, or they’ll just shut you out more. They’ve been burned in the past, which is why they act that way.”

“Can you tell me anything? How do you know them? Why can’t they know you’re here? You told me you’ve tried contacting them before. What changed?”

She didn’t say anything for a minute. “Fine, but you can’t tell them. At least not yet.”

---

Asmo had been laughing for the last ten minutes, despite Satan telling him to quiet down. Apparently, Cass making a pact with Mammon was one of the funniest things he’d heard in a while. She was too busy replaying her conversation with Lilith to care about the little insults he was making towards her.

So, Lilith was their sister from the Celestial Realm. Well, that explained her ethereal nature and why she cared so much about them. Honestly, Cass should have seen it sooner given how many similar features she had to the brothers.

“If they know you knew about me, they won’t trust you. They’ll be angry and resent you.” It made sense. While Lilith wouldn’t tell her what happened that led to her being a ghost in the Devildom that her brothers couldn’t see nor what made their dynamics so bizarre, Cass understood why she couldn’t tell them. She knew they all had their defenses built so strong it would take a miracle to break through them.

“I don’t know what’s more surprising, an average human like you making a pact with Mammon so fast or you teaming up with Levi to make it happen.”

“All that matters is I got my money back from Mammon AND my figurine. I’ll finally be able to buy the Blu-ray box set of Journey to the Devildom: The Tale of a Little She-Devil and her Reluctant Companio! The initial rounds even have tickets to a live event,” Levi said.

“I never thought I’d see a human win over Levi, but here we are,” Satan mused, speaking over Levi.

Levi stopped mid rant. “Excuse me?! Nobody won me over. Especially not some non-otaku normie human. We had a purely business relationship due to our aligned interests.”

Levi huffed, crossing his arms and glaring at the center of the table, refusing to meet anyone’s eyes. Cass didn’t miss the blush appearing at Satan’s words though. She also didn’t miss the way Beel was trying to sneak food off her plate, though she used sneak lightly. She pushed her plate towards him, not having much of an appetite.

“You know, we should be careful or we might find ourselves in a pact with Cass as well. If you had to choose one of us to forge a pact with next, who would it be, Cass?”

She glanced at Asmo before her eyes flashed to the other demons at the table. She didn’t care to have the pact she had, let alone more of them. Besides, the question seemed like a trap. She’s certain no matter how she answered it would end with one of them insulting her.

“None of you, I’m not interested.”

“WHAT?! Do you know how offensive that is? It’s as if you think we’re not worth making a pact with. Yet you made one with that stupid, poor excuse of a dem-” Asmo was interrupted by Mammon smacking the back of his head. “OW! I can’t believe you STRUCK my beautiful, beautiful head! Not even Lucifer has done something like that!”

“Stop callin’ me a poor excuse for a demon, you pea brain. Y’all think you’re so great. None of this would’ve happened if Lucifer hadn’t taken my precious Goldie away from me and hidden her against her will.”

The brothers responded in disgust to Mammon personifying his credit card. Cass wasn’t sure Levi was one to talk considering his unnerving infatuation with an animation or Asmo given his self-obsession. She was just grateful the conversation was no longer focused on her. She wasn’t in much of a mood to talk. Besides, Mammon seemed to have more of knack of sticking his foot in his mouth than her. His mocking of Lucifer continuing despite him standing behind Mammon.

“You know, he’s so stupid it’s almost sad,” Asmo noted as Mammon rubbed his head where Lucifer had hit him.

“It’s almost like we’re being punished by having him as our brother.”

Lucifer sat down, speaking directly to her, ignoring his brothers’ continued squabbling. “Cass, I didn’t say it last night, but it’s quite the accomplishment managing a pact in such a short time.”

“Well, I supposed if you hadn’t been too busy implying I was a whore, you would have gotten around to it.”

Lucifer chuckled, shaking his head. “Perhaps, but Diavolo will be pleased regardless.”

“Oi, human!” Cass rolled her eyes at Mammon’s voice. “Don’t sit there with your heads in the clouds, we gotta go.”

Cass pushed her chair out, knowing her three options were to walk with Mammon, with the other brothers, or alone. Surprisingly, Mammon was the safest or quietest option. She followed him out of the dining room towards the door, not bothering to tune into his complaints.

“Hey, don’t go thinkin’ you can ignore the Great Mammon just ‘cause you managed to make some pact, human!”

Cass stopped in her tracks glaring at him. “Seriously?” He huffed, sticking his arms out. “You still won’t call me by my name?”

“No, I won’t. You’re just a lowly human, come back in a million years and maybe I’ll consider calling ya by your name. Learn your place, ‘cause if you don’t, I swear I’ll make you my next meal. Let’s go, human.”

“Call me by my name or I’m not going,” Cass said, crossing her arms.

“What makes you think I care if you go?”

“Call me by my name,” she demanded.

“Fuck,” Mammon hissed, eyes wide. “Is this all ‘cause of the pact?! Listen to me hum-” he stopped, as if he physically couldn’t finish the word. “Hu-hum-FINE, Cass!” They stared at each other, Mammon catching his breath. Cass wondered how much energy it took to fight off whatever control the pact had over him. “Look, just because may be in control of my body doesn’t mean you own my mind.”

“I don’t want to own you,” Cass said, surprising him. “I literally only asked you to call me by my name. I’d expect even demons to have that level of decorum.”

He didn’t say anything at first, but his frustration seemed to fade. “Where is it?” Cass tilted her head in confusion. She already gave him his credit card, what else did he want. “The mark?” Silence. “You really don’t know anything about pacts do ya? When you make a pact, you have a mark to show it.”

His eyes fell to her hand, as if he already knew it would be there. She followed his gaze to her left hand. Oh. Wrapping around her pointer finger was an intricate golden design. It faded towards the top, the design tightening at the base. It almost looked like a ring, a sigil resting in the middle like a stone. Cass gasped, taken aback at how beautiful it was.

“How did–”

“When you woke me up yesterday,” Mammon answered, not looking away from her hand. “The mark appears where you first touch a demon.”

---

Mammon didn’t say much after they left. He did keep looking at her hand, taking in the mark. Cass didn’t blame him. It almost seemed to catch the light like real gold. She traced over it, but it didn’t feel like anything. She had been starting at it since she’d gotten to her first class.

“Whenever an important announcement is made, the demons around here couldn’t care less. Yet, rumors spread like wildfire. The uproar about the new exchange student hadn’t even subsided, and now this.”

“Don’t say that Barbatos! This gossip ensures everyone is watching this human, making it harder for any demon to go after Cass’s soul.”

“Which is especially important given Mammon’s not doing a very good job as a guardian.”

Diavolo sat across from Cass. “I must say, I can’t believe you managed to forge a pact with Mammon. That’s no small feat.”

“I suppose it stands as proof that you chose well bringing this human here, Lord Diavolo,” Barbatos praised.

“Sometimes I wish I could trade a certain idiot brother of mine for Barbatos,” Lucifer said.

“It is sometimes said that a truly wise man does not flaunt his talents, he keeps them secret.”

Barbatos smiled at Lucifer, but it had a mocking aura to it. Lucifer scoffed, as if the very thought of Mammon having any talents was laughable. Cass tried not to smile at the reaction. He really did act like the protective older brother.

“I’ve heard it said that the most thick-headed child is always the cutest.”

“I don’t even want to think of Mammon as my child.”

“See how he doesn’t deny the part of Mammon being cute.” Cass looked up at the unknown voice. His laugh sounded almost like music. “Out of all seven of you brothers, you are, without a doubt, the most troublesome.”  

“That almost sounds like a compliment, Simeon.”

“Well, it’s not,” another unknown voice interjected. Cass was surprised to see what looked like a ten-year child in front of her.

“Allow me to introduce you, Cass,” Diavolo said, noticing her surprise. “This is Simeon and Luke. They are our exchange students from the Celestial Realm. As you can probably guess, they are angels.”

“Well, Simeon is an angel. Luke is more of a chihuahua.”

“I am NOT a chihuahua,” Luke yelled. “I may be a low-ranking angel, but I’ll have you know that I report directly to Michael the Archangel!”

“Luke, calm down, there’s no need to make such a fuss.” Simeon turned to Cass, flashing a dazzling smile. Unlike the demons, there was genuine warmth behind the action. “It is a pleasure to meet you Cass, we’ve heard a lot of rumors!” The warning bell rang through the room. “I apologize for any trouble we’ve caused, Cass, but I look forward to getting to know you better.”

Diavolo and Barbatos followed Simeon out of the room. Lucifer looked like he was about to say something to Cass, but decided against it. Luke stayed behind, glaring at the door Lucifer had just exited through.

“Are you okay?”

“Never trust a demon, Cass, especially if that demon is Lucifer. I was against this exchange program from the beginning, especially bringing humans to the Devildom. You need to be safe, and Mammon certainly isn’t going to help.”

Luke’s hand landed on hers and he looked at her with so much concern it warmed her heart. For the first time since arriving, she felt there was someone that genuinely cared about her, not just cared about her surviving because Diavolo wanted the exchange program to succeed. Luke left without another word, leaving her to wonder how much him and Simeon and him knew about the brothers.

---

Solomon laughed, laughing down his cards. “Read ‘em and reap. It’s a straight flush.” Asmo groaned, throwing his loosing hand on the table. “That’s 183 wins for me!”

“Are you using magic?”

“I am but a simple human, an innocent lamb. I’d appreciate if you wouldn’t accuse me of behaving like you demons.”

“How can you say that with a straight face, Solomon? I think you may be the least innocent of all of us.”

“Is that truly what you think of me, Satan?” Solomon joked, shuffling the cards. “I must say, it’s lucky Mammon isn’t here, he likely would have broken my record-breaking winning streak by now.”

Satan nodded in agreement. “You’re right, considering he’s usually such dolt, he is surprisingly good at making money.”

“Shouldn’t you be a bit more respectful towards Mammon? You’re always putting him down, despite him being your older brother.”

A third demon sat down next to Solomon at his question. “Have you met Mammon?”

“See, even Vas knows how impossible that is, and he’s not even Mammon’s brother!” The warning bell rang. “You’re running a bit late today, Vas, Preta make you late again?”

“Actually, we ran into Beel and he was telling us about the pact the new exchange student managed to make with Mammon.” At his words, Satan and Asmo started laughing. “How did she manage that?”

“I honestly don’t know. She found Mammon’s hidden credit card on her own. Lucifer was quite impressed. He kept mentioning his surprise at breakfast,” Satan answered. “I think the rest of are just as surprised that Mammon actually agreed to make a pact.”

“It seems like everyone is acting like making a pact is a huge thing. Sure, it’s funny Cass tricked Mammon, but the pact itself isn’t that big of a deal. Take Solomon and me, we’re in a pact. You also have one with Barabtos and Vasago!” Vas scoffed at Asmo. “What? You must have had a reason to make a pact.”

“I lost a bet with Preta, I didn’t exactly want to make one.” Solomon smiled at Vas, knowing despite the reason behind the pact, they were actually quite close.

“I have to agree with Vas. Generally, demons are too proud to make pacts.”

“I’ve been very fortunate but can’t afford to be complacent. Otherwise, Cass might make a pact with Lucifer before I can.”  

Asmo giggled at Solomon’s words, his demeanor showing a lack of concern. Both him and Vas were well aware of how Solomon was at this point. Satan shot Solomon a curious glance, but let it go. Solomon likely wasn’t concerned given he didn’t need to rush in making Lucifer like him. Though Satan doubted he’d ever win Lucifer over enough to agree to that.

“Judging from how Beel was talking, Lucifer is already growing fond of the human. Preta took a liking to her yesterday too. I wouldn’t be surprised if they tried to befriend her.”

“We may need to give Cass a bit of a warning. We were already joking about Beel eating her, but Preta is a whole different story. Given Lucifer’s added a new favorite person to his list along with Mammon, he wouldn’t take to kindly to her being eaten.”

Solomon pocketed the pack of cards as Satan took his seat and the final bell rung. They were in for a much more interesting semester than any of them had expected when Cass was first chosen. Hopefully it continued to be positive surprises.

---

“Never trust a demon.”

Cass kept thinking about Luke’s warning. When Luke had left the classroom, the calming aura he and Simeon had lingered. She wanted to hold them at arm’s length. Being angels didn’t make her immediately trust them. Both of them had a sincerity about them that made it hard not to though.

It reminded her of Lilith. Just like Lilith, Luke’s warning held some hidden knowledge that he wasn’t willing to share. She didn’t need his warning though. She didn’t need to know his reasoning behind it. She already distrusted Lucifer. Unlike his brothers, it always felt like he was playing a game, never revealing his hand even though everyone else’s cards were showing. Lucifer had a hidden card up his sleeve that he wasn’t sharing with his family.

A soft voice echoed through the room, startling her. Lilith was nowhere to be seen. Though Cass wouldn’t put it past the ghost to pull a prank, the voice was unfamiliar. She stood on her bed, trying to get closer to the vent.

“Someone, please, help me.”

The voice was just as faint. She could barely make on the words. Why was there someone calling for help? Was it another ghost that nobody could hear? Or was it something all the brothers were aware of and just learned to ignore? Well, she couldn’t sleep anyways.

Cass walked through the halls on her toes, praying to whatever higher power might be listening that she didn’t wake any of the brothers. She paused every so often to check that she could still hear the voice, letting it guide her towards the source.

When the voice was at its loudest, she realized the path was a dead end. She wasn’t even sure what part of the house she was in. She stood in a short hall that ended with a window. There was a large family portrait hanging on one wall, opposite was the only door. It wasn’t unlocked but it was only a closet for storage.

“Help! Please!”

“I’m trying,” Cass whispered, not sure if they could even hear her. “Maybe there’s another hall I missed?” She closed the closet door, ready to backtrack when Lilith appeared beside the family portrait. “About time you showed up. Want to give me a hint to how to find the person in the vents?”

Lilith laughed, tapping the edge of the painting. Cass gave her a skeptical look before inspecting the frame. No fucking way. She pushed the painting to the side revealing an indent from a hidden door. Of course, this creepy house would have hidden doors and secret passageways.

Luckily the picture was light despite the size. Cass pressed on the door, not sure how it opened. There was a click and the door swung backwards, revealing a small room with a stone, spiral staircase with an iron railing. Cass’s jaw dropped staring up into the darkness.

Before she could even take a step, a gloved hand wrapped around her wrist, and pulled her back. She suppressed a surprise scream. Lucifer’s ruby eyes glistened in the dark. A smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. It seemed he was just as surprised as Cass to find someone in the room.

“This is no place for humans, you need to go back to your room.” He stepped around her, blocking the way to the stairs. Lilith lounged on the stairs behind him, rolling her eyes at his warning.

“Okay,” Cass said.

Lucifer took a step towards her, expecting to follow her out. Before she second guessed herself, she rushed under his outstretched arm, towards the stairs. Within a second, Lucifer had pulled her back, wrapping his arms around her, constricting her movement. His breath ghosting over her ear as he chuckled softly.

“You are quite brazen. You do know that don’t you?”

“I figured at least saying the answer you wanted would help you save face,” Cass answered, failing to escape his grasp.

“I’m not giving you a choice, Cass. Go back to your room if you value your life. This is the Devildom after all, you need to follow certain rules to ensure your safety.” He let Cass go without warning, causing her to stumble out of the room. She turned around in time to see the door close behind her.

“What are you hiding, Lucifer?” She whispered, staring at the door.  

[echrai]

My grandmother went to be with all of her loved ones who had walked before her on the morning of May 7th, and I can only imagine that she greeted them with as much rejoicing there as she ever did here.

Unlike my grandfather, my relationship with my grandmother is the furthest thing in the world from complicated. It was always easy. It was comfortable. It was home. She was baking bread and cookies homemade fudge and cross stitch and crochet and french fries at the Burger King at Andrews Air Force base. For the majority of my life my grandfather was an incidental accessory to the brightness that was my grandmother, and it broke my heart when that light dimmed at all eleven years ago when Sharon died.

I really think that it shattered both of our hearts in similar ways. We could barely look at each other for years without crying. Each of us a memory of what was lost and how alone we felt in holding it. She lost a daughter. I lost a mother. But we had each other in the middle of it all. An anchor to the grief we couldn’t articulate.

My grandmother was stacks and stacks of books and old movies and the air and space museum and the library of Congress. Music. Humming along with the radio. She was Christmas morning presents in a pink chair covered in an afghan. She is a bookmark in every book. She was orange juice in an old Tupperware cup. Raspberry tea with too much honey. A chocolate pudding snuck before bed. The soft humming click of a sewing machine. Click of her low heels and swish of her pocketbook on a Sunday morning. Hiss of hairspray. Turning pages of the hymnal to make sure I was keeping up with the verses.

Piano, and choir, and handbells. Sunday school. Church dinners. Oxen Hill farm. Making lunch for Grandpa before he went to work and greeting him with a snack when he got home. She is me standing on a chair in the kitchen to help knead bread. She is magnets on the never used front door. She’s a stuffed otter, and a seal, and a Garfield pillow. She is every new family child’s star baby blanket. She is my baby blanket. She is my Puck, when a tiny one year old wouldn’t put down a stuffed cat. She is the scolding I got after cutting the eyebrows off a mink teddy bear hiding under the coffee table.

She is hummingbirds. She is a stained glass Angel on the tv stand. Grapes from the backyard. Bubbles and playing in the bathtub water. Mickey Mouse computer games.

She was souvenirs from every trip. She was handing me a new book to take home every time I visited. She was always asking if I had met anyone that made me happy, and she was delighted when my answer was finally yes. She took a sum total of 24 hours to find her way to a God that loves my wife as much as I do. And who would never hesitate to be in my corner.

She was an only child from rural Indiana who joined the navy to have a future that looked different than her parents. She raised three children in Maryland, South Carolina, Florida, and California while my grandfather was deployed. After her children were grown she became a research librarian, never stopped learning new things, and was sharp as a fucking tack.

She was easy with praise and with joy and support and also firm in what she thought was right and wrong. She was the gentler, softer half of their marriage but she was also someone you never wanted to cross. They were equals in every way and loved each other fully. She followed where Troy led, and often waited until he came back to lead her where she intended them both to end up.

She was my eternal constant, the reason for my name. The first person to hold me when I was born. She took me to the nursery, carried me herself while my father stayed with my mother. My entire life she was a steady presence that I counted on to be there. Always safe. The last piece of home. I knew she would be gone one day but I would be lying if I said I was ready. I’ve always known that losing her would be the next axis shift in my world and it is.

Fair winds and following seas Meme. I love you.

[dajaregambler]

HeliosR - Lock On The Lost Night - Chapter 13

Translation of chapter 13 of the event ‘Lock On The Lost Night’ from ‘Helios Rising Heroes’.

Bar owner: “This customer that drops by every now and then was wearing it around his neck. He’s here now which made me remember.”

Bar owner: “He’s quietly drinking but it’s starting to get uncomfortable with how many friends of his keep popping up, one after the other…”

Keith: ……

Keith: Got it, we’ll be right there so stay put. Don’t think ‘bout doing anything against them

Brad: Keith, that phone call now….

Keith: Brad, I finally remembered everything now… That rosary was given to me from a guy at that sports bar.

Brad: ….!

Keith: While thinking it was somewhere ‘round here, we went to look after it…..

Brad: And then we ultimately ended there…. 

Keith: Might be related to that smugglers organization if he’s wearing the same kind of rosary. Let’s hurry up and go to that bar 

Brad: Yes

-

Bar owner: Welcome

Keith: ‘Sup, owner

Keith: …Where’s them guys you mentioned on the phone?

Bar owner: They’re playing billiards in the back. There’s about 20 guys in there…

Brad: Sir, gather the other customers and bring them outside just to be sure. I’ve contacted the police and they should be on standby outside too.

Bar owner: Okay. I’ll sneak out of here before they start suspecting anything. Would be good if nothing happened though…

Keith: In that case we’ll just fool ‘em and sit down for a few drinks with everyone.

Bar owner: Alright then. Take care, you two

-

Brad: There’s only young men here. Would be ideal if we could identify them but… 

Keith: Can’t say whether they belong to that smugglers organization…. Although I do have a hunch which one’s the leader of the pack.

Brad: Hmm…?

Keith: (The glass he’s drinking from is some rye whiskey of the finest quality, and the cue stick he’s using is a high-class one that ain’t easy to come by…..)

Keith: (So the boss is that guy playing right now.)

Keith: Yo, that’s some nice skill ya got there

Smugglers boss: Thank you. Want to have a match?

Keith: Unfortunately, my hands are tied here

Smugglers boss: …!

Keith: Surprised, eh? Was pretty damn surprised myself when I woke up in the morning. While digging in my pockets to find some kinda key, I found this rosary in there

Smugglers boss: ……

Smugglers boss: ……So you’re the heroes that wrecked my base.

Keith: “Your base” huh. What’s the leader of a smugglers organization doing here out of all places?

Smugglers boss: …..There’s a nice line-up of alcohol, and I come here to play. Well, we’ve been having a meeting too.

Keith: This is a nice sports bar here. Go somewhere else if ya got things to discuss. 

Keith: Or would ya like to be driven out by force instead?

Smugglers boss: You sure are acting brave for a guy in handcuffs! Oi, do something about these guys!

Keith & Brad: !

Smugglers boss: Those handcuffs were intended to be exhibited at a former auction. Once they pop off your corpses, we can put ‘em up for sale again.

Smugglers boss: We’ll pass ‘em off as handcuffs even heroes couldn’t get out off!

Keith: What a greedy bastard

Brad: All's grist that comes to his mill, I suppose

Smugglers boss: Think you can go up against this many guys while you’re like that!? What a sorry excuse for heroes we have here!

Brad: Keith, I think you know this already but---

Keith: No using powers, yeah? Sheesh, how long are ya gonna be ordering people around for

Brad: I’ll cover your back. Focus on the ones in front of you.

Keith: Heh, no need to tell me

Smugglers boss: Get their asses in one go!

Smugglers: Yeah!!!!!

[bradshawsbaby]

Sweet Revenge

Pairing: Rooster x Wife!Reader

Author’s Note: Based on this request from @idkaboutthisblog​. Hope you like it!

Warnings: Rooster Bradshaw in a pair of gray sweatpants.

- You had been eagerly awaiting Rooster’s return home all day.

- Of course, you always looked forward to your husband coming home from work, but you were particularly impatient today because tonight you were finally going to get to binge the new season of Peaky Blinders.

- You and Rooster had binged the earlier seasons whenever you had a free night together, and the newest season had dropped weeks ago. Rooster had been particularly busy with some intense training exercises, however, and the two of you hadn’t had a chance to watch it yet since he usually came home exhausted.

- Tonight, his training was ending earlier and he had promised that you were finally going to get a chance to sit down and binge.

- Knowing that he was going to be home any minute, you get Netflix set up on the TV, lay your favorite throw blanket on the couch, and head to the kitchen to throw a bag of popcorn in the microwave.

- With your AirPods in, you don’t hear him come up behind you until he’s got you in his arms, swinging you around and pressing a kiss to your temple.

- “Ah, Peaky Blinders time!” you exclaim, jumping into his arms and wrapping your legs around his waist.

- Rooster chuckles and presses a kiss to the tip of your nose as he sets you back down on the floor. “Let me take a quick shower, and then I’m all yours.”

- You were practically bouncing on the couch in excitement when he returned 15 minutes later, wearing nothing but a pair of gray sweatpants. If you weren’t so desperate to watch the show, you might have found yourself desperate for something else.

- “Crap, I forgot the wine,” you realize, looking at the large bowl of popcorn sitting on the coffee table. “Be right back! Don’t start without me!”

- You couldn’t have been gone for more than two minutes, but when you return with two large glasses of wine, you find your husband sprawled out on the couch, passed out and snoring.

- “No, no, no,” you groan, hurrying to put the wine glasses down so that you can shake his muscled shoulders. “Rooster!” Nothing. “Bradley!” More snores. “Bradley Bradshaw!”

- It’s hopeless. You know he’s not going to wake up once he’s knocked out like that. “Damn you, Bradshaw,” you moan in disappointment. You would kill him if you didn’t love him so much.

- Covering him with the blanket, you sigh and prepare to go to bed when a stack of sticky notes sitting on the coffee table grabs your attention and a wicked idea enters your mind.

- “Good night, Lieutenant,” you murmur with a playful smirk several minutes later, sauntering off to your bedroom.

- As soon as Rooster opens his eyes the next morning, he realizes what he did. “Shit,” he groans, feeling guilty when he sees the blanket you covered him with.

- When he glances up at the TV, he’s surprised to find it covered with sticky notes.

- Good morning, my love!

- The new season was SO good!

- Hope you don’t mind that I watched without you!

- I absolutely couldn’t believe it when…

- “No!” Rooster exclaims as the rest of the sticky notes divulge plot twists and spoilers about his favorite British gangsters.

- “Did you say something, darling?” you ask innocently, biting back a smile as you walk into the living room, wrapped in your silk robe.

- “Baby!” he whines, holding up the sticky notes. “Is this really…? Did you really…?”

- He looks so crestfallen, like a lost puppy, that you can’t bear to torture him for another moment.

- Stepping over to him, you take the sticky notes out of his hand and throw them over your shoulder. “I was going to make you suffer for a little while, but you look so sad that my heart just can’t take it,” you confess, wrapping your arms around his shoulders. “I didn’t really watch it. I made all those spoilers up,” you grin, kissing the surprised look off his face.

- “Well aren’t you just a naughty little thing,” Rooster grins, squeezing you closer to his bare chest. “And here I was, ready to apologize for falling asleep on you last night.”

- “Well you still should,” you tease, standing on your tiptoes to kiss him again. “And I can think of a few ways how,” you add with a wink, tugging on the waistband of his sweatpants.

- “Your wish is my command, honey,” he laughs, scooping you into his arms and carrying you back to bed.

- You do end up binging the new season of Peaky Blinders that day, but not until much, much later.

[thewritetofreespeech]

Could I request the Obey Me guys as well as the Now Dateables?

Perhaps M/C crawling into bed with them wanting to be held and to be touched.

Perhaps a little nsfw added in 🤤😉

note: this is the only imagine/scenario I will do for all 11 boys. cuz I’m a thirsty bitch. the rest of the time we will stick to the rules of HCs only.

Additionally, the plot has been changed slightly to ‘coming to their room at night’. Sorry. If you want NSFW stuff for a specific boy, based on the provided content, I’ll do it but 11 boys is too much even for my thirsty trappy ass.

Obey Me Boys + MC Crawling into Bed with Them

Lucifer

Lucifer sighed over his paper work. Would his turmoil never cease? 

Sometimes he felt like he had fallen into a lower level of the Devildom. Like the 13th circle of hell where the preferred torture method for lost souls was endless paperwork. A modern day Sisyphus, only instead of a boulder it was forms.

He heard the door to his room quietly click open & then close. He doesn’t look up from his paper work as he knew who it was. There was only one person, ok maybe two, who would come into his room this late at night without knocking. “What is it [Y/N]?”

“I was um...wait, you wear reading glasses?”

Lucifer frowned and looked up from his paper work now. “Magical reading glasses. For reading magical text.” They were required to read some of the magical scripts he was combing over. “What is it [Y/N]?”

The human squirmed a little when he asked again. Seeming to think over the answer, or more precisely how to explain it. “I couldn’t sleep.” They finally confess. “I was wondering if I could stay in here with you, but....you’re busy.”

Lucifer arched a brow slightly, but then moved some of the papers he had completed to make space for them. “Come on. I won’t be much longer.”

[Y/N] smiled at him and scampered over. Crawling in under the silk sheets, and as close as possible to him with him on top of them as they could. “Thank you Lucifer.”

“Of course, my dearest one.” He replied with a soft smile, leaning down to kiss the top of their head before returning to his work. Renewed in his commitment to get this done so he could spend the night with [Y/N].

Mammon

It was late. It was almost 3:00 in the morning by the time he got home, and it had been a shitty night.

Mammon had been at the casino. Gambling, drinking, dancing, the usual. His luck turned sour around 11:00 and, stupid Mammon, had spent the remaining four hours trying to turn it around. That of course didn’t work so now he was even more broke, defeated, and feeling like crap for his failure; regretting Lucifer finding out and making him feel worse. Fuck it had been the worst night.

He rounded the corner to his room and looked up in surprise to see [Y/N] at his door. “What are you doing here?” His voice seemed to surprise them too as they jumped a little before turning to him.

“Oh I was…coming to see if you wanted to hang out?”

“Hang out?” Mammon repeated with an arched brow. “Ya know it’s like 3:00 in the morning, right?”

“O-Oh…is it? I guess I miss read the time.” [Y/N] began to fidget, then muttered some apology about going back to their room.

The demon reached out and caught their hand before they could get far. “Hey, what’s wrong? Nobody comes out here in the middle of the night without a reason.” Or they were out super late like him.

[Y/N] looked down, then decided to tell the truth. “I couldn’t sleep. So I wanted to see you.”

Mammon blinked behind his shades. He hadn’t been expecting that. Now it was his turn to fidget as he realized out of all the people in the world, [Y/N] had chosen to come see him.

“Yeah well…of course ya’d come to the Great Mammon for help. I uh…guess you can stay in here with me tonight.”

He showered to get the smoke & stink of shame off before crawling into bed with [Y/N]. His little human already drifting off just being in his covers. Mammon wrapped his arms around them and held them close. Maybe it wasn’t the worst night after all.

Levi

Of course he was awake when [Y/N] came to his room. The latest install of Kenji Momotaro: Demon Slayer Warrior Prince had just been released that day, and Levi he been playing it since he had gotten his hands on it. He wouldn’t be sleeping for a while.

When he heard the knock on his door, initially missing it over the sound of his game and tunnel vision, Levi paused for the first time in hours to go see who it was. “[Y/N]-chan?”

“Can…I stay in here with you?” They asked. Catching Levi by surprise. “I can’t sleep in my room.”

The blunette blushed violently, and covered his face. “Y-Y-You….You want to sleep in here with me??”

“Is…that ok?” They asked cautiously. Seeming let down by his reaction.

“No. I mean! Yes! W-What I mean is, I’m not going to bed right now. I’m grinding through my new game so….you might not be happy in here.” Plus, his bed was a bathtub. Which was only comfortable to him.

“Oh. Well…I don’t want to mess up your game. If that’s more important to you.”

“That’s not what I meant!” Levi outburst. Then quickly covered his mouth in embarrassment. “I…I just don’t think you’ll get a lot of sleep in here. I only like my room after all.”

“I like your room.” If Levi turned any redder, he was going to get a nose bleed. “It’s dark, which is nice. Plus the aquariums are really soothing. And…you’re there. I just wanted to be around you since I couldn’t sleep, but I guess that’s silly.”

The demon had to cover his mouth again. This time over threat of nose bleed. He was so red from embarrassment, but also incredibly moved by [Y/N]’s words, that he quickly responded, “you can stay with me.”

He moved aside and let [Y/N] in. Leading them over to his game area where he laid out some plushies as a bed, and pulled out a blanket to cover them. “I-I-I…I’m gonna keep playing since I’m not tired. But I’ll put my headphones on so I don’t disturb you. Y-Y-You can lay down here and i-i-if you fall asleep I won’t mind.”

“Thanks Levi.” He had to gulp at the cute sleepy way they said his name, before they tucked in and he went back to his game.

He couldn’t concentrate for the rest of the game, with [Y/N] so close. Choosing to use his leg as a pillow. Eventually he gave up and leaned back against the edge of his tub, not daring to disturb them and actually getting a good night sleep as well.

Asmo

There were few things that Asmo considered sacred. Love. Vitality. The Louis Vuitton spring collection.

But the one thing he considered sacred most of all, was his beauty sleep regiment.

The Avatar of Lust had a strict sleep schedule to give his body the best rejuvenation possible, and amplify his beauty. Everyone knew about it, and choose to leave Asmo alone; per his wishes.

Which was why it was so frustrating when his rest was disturbed by a knock at the door.

Asmo grumbled under his sleep mask at the light rapping that wouldn’t go away. Irritated by the noise, and now the worry lines whoever it was was putting into his forehead. He pushed his mask up to his hair line and got up out of bed towards the door. “What?!” He said in a not cute, very moody outburst when he opened it. Seeing [Y/N] standing there, startled by his ugly display. “Oh, [Y/N]-kun. It’s you.”

“Y-Yeah. Yeah it’s me. Sorry to wake you, I’ll just…go.”

“Wait [Y/N]! I’m sorry. If I had known it was you paying me a late night visit, I would have been much nicer and answered the door sooner.”

“Well I….couldn’t sleep so…-“Ahhhh~! You couldn’t sleep so you decided to come to me?? How naughty!”

[Y/N] frowned and turned to leave, but Asmo apologized quickly for being cheeky. “Did you want to stay with me tonight? That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?” He could tell he was right, but the human was second guessing themselves on coming here. “I promise I’ll behave. Really.”

[Y/N] seemed to trust them, and came into the room & into bed with Asmo. He was practically giddy with them being so close, but was true to his word and supplied no funny stuff for the evening. Just rest and cuddles.

In the morning, he couldn’t wait to tell his brothers how he slept with [Y/N] last night. Causing quite the intentional misunderstanding and ruckus over breakfast that day.

Satan

Satan was getting ready for bed. Pjs on, teeth brushed, uniform set out for tomorrow, and on his bed reading one last chapter of his latest book, when he heard the knock at the door.

At first he thought it was a branch hitting the glass of his window. But when he heard it again, he knew it was at his door, and had a very The Raven moment before he went to answer it.

“[Y/N]? What are you doing here? It’s so late.”

“I know, I know,” the replied, scratching the back of their head. “I just…I couldn’t sleep. I tried but I just couldn’t get to sleep, and wanted to see you.” They look up at him with big doe eyes and ask, “can I stay with you tonight?”

Of course, he couldn’t say no. Not with a look like that. Or more importantly, he’d never say no to [Y/N]. Satan offered them a soft smile and nodded before letting them in.

“What were you reading?” They asked, as the climbed into bed first. Watching Satan put his book away for them.

“Oh, just a new fiction series I found. Simeon recommended it to me.” He said as he climbed into bed as well.

“What’s it about?”

He told them the premise of the story, and eventually read aloud the first few chapters to them as they curled up beside him. Falling asleep soon after.

Satan smiled again, and put the book back away, before leaning down to kiss their forehead and curl in beside them. Ready for bed now.

Beel

It was pretty late when he heard the knock on the door. And a miracle he heard it at all.

Belphie was the sleeper out of the two of them, but Beel wasn’t exactly a light sleeper either. Between his workouts, large meals, and having to get up early for his morning workouts, the red head was usually dead to the world when his head hit the pillow. But, still, when he heard the quite knock on the door he woke up. 

If he were a thinker like Satan or the others, he would have thought that it was maybe their bond that woke him. Instead he just trudged half asleep towards the door to open it. “[Y/N]?”

“S-Sorry....” They apologize and look towards the ground as Beel looked at them curiously. “I knew you were asleep, but I still woke you up. I’m sorry.”

“Is something wrong?” Beel asked. A bit more awake now that he knew it was them and they seemed distressed. [Y/N] shrugged. “Did you have a bad dream?” 

They pause for a while, but then shrug again. He might not be a thinker like the others, but he was smart enough to know what that meant. He reached out to take their hand and pulled them into his room. Leading them over to his bed and pulling them onto it.

“Don’t worry. You can stay here.” Beel said, holding [Y/N] to his chest in a horizonal hug. “I’ll keep you safe. You don’t have to worry while I’m here. Go back to sleep.”

His words seem to do the trick, and [Y/N] feel back asleep. Beel stayed awake a little while longer. Combing his fingers through their hair, before he too fell back asleep.

Belphie

He heard the conversation from the door, but didn’t bother getting up.

The only thing that could break through when he was asleep was Beel and [Y/N]’s voice. So hearing them both woke him up pretty quickly, although it seemed to be handled. 

He tried to go back to sleep after hearing you settle in, but it didn’t work. The usually lazy demon kept fidgeting in his sleep, trying to get comfortable, and even counting sheep to try and go back to dream land. Nothing worked. And he knew why.

Belphie got up out of bed, hugging his pillow to his chest, and walked over to the over bed across the room and kicked it. When Beel and [Y/N] looked up at him half asleep he demanded, “move over.” He couldn’t sleep know that [Y/N] was cuddling up with someone else and not him. Especially in the same room.

[Y/N] huffed in their sleep and laid back down, scooching closer to Beel to try and make space. Beel, on the other hand, smile sleepily up as his twin and properly moved over; back pressed against the wall with [Y/N] at his chest to give him as much space as possible.

Belphie smiled back at him, then dropped his pillow to climb in. Instantly falling asleep. Holding on to his twin and beloved [Y/N] for the rest of the night.

Simeon

Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. Those were the words that Simeon tried to live by

He was just about to slip under the covers happily, when he heard a small knock at the door. It was so faint & small, that he assumed it was Luke needing something. So he quickly went over to answer it without putting his robe on.

“Oh…[Y/N]….” The angel said, feeling his cheeks heat up and clinching for his imaginary robe to cover his pjs, when he realized it was you. “What are you doing here?”

He didn’t mean in the Hall. You were stay in the other dorm for a while as an infestation of some icky, demon creepy crawly, that just loved to nibble on humans was dealt with in the House of Lamentation. Luke of course had been thrilled you were staying with them, insisting that the change be made permanent to keep you away from those rowdy demons. Simeon couldn’t really agree on the demon part, but he wouldn’t be disappointed if you stayed here more.

“I…couldn’t sleep,” you tell him. “New surroundings and all. I was…wondering if I could stay in your room?”

The angel seemed to bristle in surprise at your words. Taken aback, but also in the warm feeling that was spreading through his chest. God have mercy…..

“I don’t know if that would be appropriate.”

“Please?” [Y/N] beckoned. He had to gulp down the lump, and instantaneous urge to say yes, building in his throat. “I just don’t want to sleep alone. I keep thinking about those things in my room back at the dorm. And being around you is so comforting. Just for tonight? I’ll sleep on the couch and everything if that’s a problem.”

“I wouldn’t let you do that.” Simeon insisted. He would never let them sleep on the couch like some vagabond. “Well….alright. But just for tonight. And just because you’re feeling unsettled.” He doesn’t know who he was trying to convince more: them or himself.

He didn’t get much sleep that night. Tense, and trying to remain appropriate even is they slept next to him. But, in a way, it was the best night he had ever had.

Solomon

He always stayed up late. The late to early morning hours were the best time for magic. The witching hour. He was knee deep into his research & spell casting when he heard the knock at the door.

“I..saw the light on…” [Y/N] said when he opened the door. “Are you…going to bed soon?”

Solomon blinked for a moment, then looked down at his pocket watch. Oh, it was rather late. But….“No. I still have quite a bit of work to do.”

The other human sighed, then turned to leave from his door just as suddenly as they came. “Wait. What is it?” He asked, stopping them.

They turn, and seem to debate about answering before, “I couldn’t sleep and was thinking it might be nice to cuddle with you.” Solomon blinked again. In surprise this time. “Stupid, right?”

No, not stupid, he thought. It was just no on had ever asked to cuddle with him before. His body and cool demeanor might be misleading, but he was a very fierce sorcerer. Powerful, and awe inspiring. He had made cities tremble in his young days, and was powerful enough to independently bind one of the strongest demons in hell. Cuddles were not something that one usually thought of when it came to him.

He opened the door to let them in and said, “if you can’t sleep, I can make you a potion.” When that didn’t seem to go over well he corrected with, “or…I could lay down with you for a moment.”

The ‘moment’ turned into the whole evening, because the second his head hit the pillow, he instantly fell asleep. Lulled to dream land by his many late nights, and the warm embrace of [Y/N]. Perhaps there were better things than just getting research done.

Diavolo

He groaned in his sleep. Then rolled over on his side, immediately pulling [Y/N] in when he was in close proximity of them. It was a reflex at this point.

At first, he had tried to keep his distance from the human exchange student. No good would come from it, and it was inappropriate that the future King & patron of the program would be involved with one of the terrestrial candidates. But he couldn’t help it.

Their brightness. Their smile. Their hope for the program and just life won him over and now he couldn’t stand to be further apart from them than a second.

“It’s morning....”

Divaolo groaned and buried his head into the back of their neck. “Five more minutes...”

“We can’t. It’s morning.” [Y/N] insisted. Jutting their hips back against his front; which had the opposite effect of trying to get him out of bed. “If you don’t go, Barbatos will start looking for you. And if he teleports into my room it will be a whole thing.”

That certainly was a metaphoric splash of cold water.

The prince groaned again, and buried himself deeper for a second, before he compliantly agreed and got up. The little full bed in the student dorms joyful of his departure, as it squeaked happily as he tried to leave it.

“Can I come again tonight?” Diavolo asked, as he adjusted his ornate bed clothes. He never slept in them. Like most things in his life, they were all for show.

[Y/N] smiled at him from under their covers and said, “of course.”

His heart swelled at their smile and the promise of later. Surging forward he gave them an impassioned good morning kiss, and told them, “wait up for me.” Before he disappeared in a whirl of black smoke to his own bedroom.

It felt terribly cold now. But he only had to wait until tonight. That he could live for.

Barbatos

The work of a butler is never really done.

There were always things to do. More chores to complete. More tasks to do. Particularly in the life of the royal butler. But Barbatos never complained about his job. He was literally born for it, and took great pride in his work. No matter how small the task.

When he heard the small bell, harking a summons from on of the guest rooms, Barbatos stopped polishing the silver and immediately went upstairs to see what was needed. “You called, [Y/N]?” He asked upon arrival. Calm as ever, and ready to help. “How may I be of assistance?”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called you up here.” They apologized. “I just….couldn’t sleep.”

Barbatos chuckled a little with a soft smile. “No need to apologize, [Y/N]. You’re a guest here, and a friend of the young master.” As well as a dear person to him. “I’m happy to help with anything you need. Might I make you some soothing nightshade tea? That seems to do the trick for most people.”

“N-No. No I…I was wondering….if you’d just sit with me for a while.” The human looked down at the ornate bed spread. Picking at the embroidery in a nervous manner. “Til I fall back asleep?”

The demon smiled again, and came over to sit on the edge of the bed. Holding them in the most comfortable manner possible with him on top of the covers, and them under them. “That is a simple thing.” He told them softly. “Close your eyes. I shall stay with you until you are asleep, and make sure you are taken care of.”

“Thank you.” [Y/N] said lazily. Already closing their eyes and falling back asleep with him close.

The work of a butler was never really done. But this was a task he was happy to do.

[sacredsorceress]

Secrets (Three) || Bucky Barnes

pairing: bucky barnes x reader

summary: bucky, natasha and sam find out where you’ve been taken and attempt to find you and bring you back. meanwhile you find yourself in an icy situation.

a/n: reblogs and replies are super appreciated!

word count: 3.1k

warnings: full angst, mentions of kidnapping and blood, someone attempts to kill reader as vengeance, violence

Prologue, One, Two

masterlist || request || taglist

When Sam’s eyes met Natasha’s as he and Bucky burst in through the doors of the lab at the Avengers Compound, he immediately grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her to the side, leaving Bucky to speak to Banner.

“What’s going-”

Before Natasha could even finish her sentence however, Sam cut her off in a hushed voice.

“Bucky didn’t tell his wife anything.” Sam explained, glancing over his shoulder to make sure the super soldier wasn’t listening. “Nothing about being a 100 year-old man. Nothing about being a super soldier-”

“Barnes didn’t tell her anything?” She asked.

“Nothing.” Sam confirmed. “He’s been lying to her this whole time.”

Glancing over at the other man in the room, Natasha shook her head.

“Shit.” She swore. “You think you know somebody... why didn’t Barnes tell her?”

“He figured she would leave-”

“So what?” Natasha said. “How can you start a family with someone and you don’t even tell them the truth? Hell, Barton told Laura everything a month into their relationship. That’s not an excuse.”

Thinking of her friend who had died for her back on Vormir so she could bring the soul stone back home, she could feel the anger running through her veins, but as quickly as it had washed over her, it had faded away as she looked at the man in front of her and the distress he was in.

“It just... it makes me sick, you know?” Sam said. “I should of... I should of noticed this... I should have known. Maybe she wouldn’t be in this mess right now if-”

Shaking her head, understanding the path Sam was heading down, Natasha laid her hand gently on Sam’s shoulder.

“This isn’t your fault, Sam.” She reassured him. “It’s not your job to take care of him. He should’ve known better.”

Sam knew that she was right. Bucky was a grown man, older than him who should have known better than to lie to those he cared about, but Sam couldn't help but feel guilty, knowing there was a woman out there who was kidnapped because of his friend’s mistakes.

Noticing the slump in Sam’s shoulder’s, she squeezed his shoulder once more before pulling away.

“We’re going to handle this, Wilson. It’s okay.” Natasha reassured him one last time. “I’m used to cleaning up after you boys- this isn’t any different.”

Leaving Sam in his spot, Natasha made her way to the center of the lab besides where Bucky was standing on the other side of a counter facing Bruce.

“Well,” Burce said holding Bucky’s phone in his hands. “It looks like you don’t even need my help. Her phone’s location is still on.”

Drumming his fingers on the table and tapping his foot against the linoleum floor, Bucky began to feel his heart race in his chest.

“And?” He asked, raising his voice. “That’s it? You can’t give us more than her phone location-”

Glancing between Bruce and Bucky, Natasha turned her attention to the man beside her, laying her hand his metal one, halting his fingers from tapping against the countertop.

“Woah Barnes.” She eased. “Calm down-”

“Don’t tell me to calm down!” He shouted once again, pulling his hand away from Natasha’s. “This is my wife.” He said, turning back to Bruce. “You can’t do better than a phone location? What makes you think she’s even there and she didn’t just drop it-”

“I don’t know your wife, but I’m guessing people don’t just lose their phones at old S.H.I.E.L.D bases.” Bruce said, cutting him off.

Sliding the device back across the table, Bucky caught the phone in his hands, glancing between your phone’s location on his screen and the other Avengers in the room.

“That doesn’t make any sense.” Sam said, making his way over from the other side of the room. “Why wouldn’t they get rid of her phone?”

Although the others in the room continued to discuss why you would be there and where there course of action would go from there, Bucky had tuned them out, staring at a wall on the far side of the room.

He understood why they didn’t turn your location off or throw your phone away. Better yet, he knew the S.H.I.E.L.D base you were at... he had been there himself. They had held him there, cryogenically freezing him during his time as the Winter Soldier.

Thinking about you in the base and the implications of what that meant, Bucky’s hands began to shake. As his phone fell from his hands, the sound of the glass shattering notified the other members in the room, halting their conversation. They turned their attention towards Bucky.

“Barnes?” Natasha asked.

“Buck-“

“They want us to go there and get her.” Bucky said, his mouth going dry. “They want me... I... I know this place.”

Glancing at each other and then the sullen man, Natasha was the first speak up.

“How do you know the place, Barnes?”

Beginning to feel his heart quicken in his chest, he attempted to find the words to explain the situation to those in front of him.

“They used to hold me there.” Bucky said. “That’s where they... that’s where they kept me frozen when they didn’t need me.”

At his confession, Natasha was the first one to move from her spot. Making her way over to Bucky, she picked his phone up off the floor and shoved it into his chest.

“If that’s true, we have to move now.” Natasha said, patting Sam’s back, making her way towards the door. “Suit up, boys!”

-

You swore if you had eaten within the past 16 hours you would have thrown up by now. The videos didn’t stop with the first one. The man forced you to watch more and more across all decades with so many different victims. It was sickening. After sitting there for so long your eyes began to burn and your stomach began to churn you squeezed your eyes shut, throwing your head back.

“Why are you showing me all of this?” You asked the man beside you. “I didn't... I didn’t know. If I had... I don’t... why are you coming after him? What did he do to you?”

Pulling the tablet away from your face, placing it on the table besides him, the man made his way over to the front of where you were seated, kneeling on the floor front of you.

“I’m glad you have finally asked, Mrs. Barnes-”

“Y/n.” You cut him off. “My name is Y/n.”

Not missing the fact that you had so quickly dissociated yourself from the man you had once called your husband earlier that day, the man continued.

“Y/n,” He said, testing the name before continuing. “You want to know why I want the Winter Soldier?” 

You nodded.

“I want the winter soldier because he killed my wife.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, bitterness lacing every syllable, your eyes widened and you began to feel the pace of your heart quicken in your chest.

“I’m so sorr-“

“I went to your home this morning with the intention of finding your husband and killing him for what he did to my wife.” The still unnamed man said, pushing himself up from where he was kneeling in front of you, pacing around your chair. “They said she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time... she was innocent. She didn’t do anything.”

Although the man had kidnapped you, you felt your heart shatter in your chest for him. He had lost his wife. A woman who had no place losing her life, but did by the hands of a brainwashed assassin... your husband.

The same man who had told you nothing about the past. The same man who had lied to your face all these years.

The reason you were now sitting tied up in a seat in an abandoned operations base.

“So, imagine my surprise when I find he has a wife of his own.” The man said, stopping in front of you.

As he leaned forward, his face inching closer to yours, you leaned back in your seat desperate to get away from him.

Seeing the anger and despair in his eyes that were inches away from yours, you began to feel your own tears prickle in your eyes as you struggled in the seat, realizing now that you would be his mode of revenge.

“I didn’t... I didn’t do anything.” You pleaded. “I didn’t even know!”

Stepping away from you, you watched as the two other men descended the staircase, standing behind the man in charge.

“I understand, Y/n.” He said. “You were just a woman who got caught in another man’s mess. I feel sorry for you... I do... you were in the wrong place for far too long a time and you didn’t even know it. It saddens me to do this, Y/n, but your husband has to pay.”

Watching as the two men walked past their boss to your chair, turning it around to face the wall behind you, you were suddenly met with the holding tube you had seen photos of Bucky in during his time in cryo standing against the wall.

“What- wait!” You shouted, struggling in your seat. “There has to be something I can do-“

Despite your struggling you felt as the two men undid the ties on the ropes that had been wrapped around your wrists and ankles, each taking one of your arms in their’s.

“No wait!” You shouted at the man in charge. “Please! I didn’t do anything! I didn’t know!”

Rather than reply you watched as the man pinched the bridge of his nose, turning his back towards you.

Kicking at the ground below you, they dragged you towards the container, your heels scratched against the cold floor as you shouted, tears running down your face as you begged them to let you go.

In the end it was futile as they threw you into the container, slamming the door shut before you even had time to scramble to your feet. Hearing the door click in the lock you slammed the palms of your hands against the glass, beginning to hear the rush of air out of the vents and the cold bite of frost against your skin.

-

As soon as Sam threw the car into park, Bucky swung the door open and rushed out of the vehicle, Natasha quick on his heal.

“I know Y/n is in there, Barnes,” She said. “But we need to be careful in there. We don’t know who we’re dealing with.”

Glaring at Natasha, he shook his head, clicking the safety off on his gun.

“We’re dealing with someone who took my wife.” He said seriously, kicking in the door of the base. “That’s all I need to know.”

Entering first into the building, memories began to rush into Bucky’s mind- chopped up pieces of a life lived by someone else.

When his mind had been freed he had hoped that he would never have to see the inside of one of these facilities again but he should’ve known he wouldn’t be so lucky. Something was always going to come back to get him- he had just hoped it was him- now he wished it wasn’t you.

Making his way down a familiar staircase, leading down to the open area of the base where he used to be kept, he listened for any sign of where you were. You had to be there. When he shoved open the doors to the balcony that overlooked the large room he leaned over the railing, watching as two men slammed the door to the container shut, a loud ring sounding throughout the room.

Making his way towards the stairs leading down from the balcony, he heard pounding against the glass of the container coming from the inside.

“Y/n!” Bucky shouted, for once being glad he had been given the serum with the rate he was rushing down the stairs.

As soon as your name left his lips, the three other men in the room snapped their heads towards the super soldier.

“Mr. Barnes.” The man in charge greeted him, still standing straight in his spot. “I had hoped you would have gotten here sooner.”

Glancing over the man’s shoulder, Bucky’s gun raised and pointed at the man, he heard the sound of your palms pounding against the walls of the container, the sound of your wedding ring scratching against the glass with each blow.

Dropping the gun from his hands, the sound of its impact ringing throughout the room, he ran over to the container. Searching for a way to unlatch the handle, Bucky watched as the temperature in the container began to drop dramatically. His palms slamming against the glass, his eyes met yours on the other side, but before he was sure you even had time to register his presence, he watched as your eyelids fell shut, your body going slump against the walls of the container.

The ice beginning to freeze over the glass, Bucky pulled at the handle of the container, his nail beds growing bloody as he tried his hardest to pull it open and free you once and for all.

“Fuck!” He shouted.

“Mr. Barnes-”

Before the asshole in charge could speak once more, Bucky heard as the man grunted. Glancing over his shoulder as he continued to pull the handle, groaning from the strain that it did not seem to be giving at all, he watched as Natasha kicked the man in the stomach.

Just as the man fell to the ground, however, the two other men in the room came after Bucky. Feeling one of their hands land on his arm, Bucky released the handle form his grasp, grabbing the collar of one of the men’s shirts and shoved him back against the container, knocking him unconscious.

The other man with a knife in his hand came hurling at Bucky directly after. Dodging the blade, Bucky swiftly punched the man’s stomach, a grunt emitting from his mouth, swinging at Bucky once again. This time he caught the arm of the man, attempting to twist the knife out of his grasp. Just as the blade was about to fall, the man fell into Bucky’s arms and when he looked up his eyes met Sam’s.

“I could have handled that.” Bucky told him, turning his attention back to the container.

“I’m sure.” Sam lied.

Watching as the dial on the thermometer continued to drop far below where even he had been frozen at, Bucky’s heart began to once again race in his chest.

“Shit!” He shouted.

“It’s futile, Mr. Barnes.” He heard the only conscious man- the one in charge say. “She’s going below temperatures no man has ever come back from.”

Feeling the tears beginning to flood in his eyes as he watched the glass frost over, he felt Sam’s hand on his shoulder.

“Buck?” He said. “Don’t listen to him. We’re going to get this open.”

Although he heard his friend, his mind was elsewhere, thinking of how this was all his fault. You were innocent. You didn't deserve to die for his sins- especially those you didn’t even know about. Staring at the glass, he had begun to lose hope until he saw one tiny crack beginning to form in the glass in the place he had just thrown the first man who came after him. Beginning to form an idea, Bucky shrugged Sam’s hand off of his shoulder.

Throwing his vibranium fist against the glass, he heard as the crack grew. Punching his fist against the glass once again, he watched as the line stretched across the glass.

Having all the confirmation he needed, he began throwing both of his fists against the glass- vibranium and flesh. He ignored the sound of Sam’s voice, for sure advising him against damaging his bloodied, flesh hand against the glass, continuing to try his hardest to get to you.

He had to get to you.

He had to.

Glancing at the dial once again, the temperature had dropped so far it had gone past where even the thermometer could recognize.

Even though he knew better, he had to convince himself that you were going to be okay because you had to.

He couldn’t do this without you.

He didn’t want to.

Throwing one last punch with his flesh hand, the glass shattered, falling at his feet and scratching up his already torn, bloodied hand.

Sticking his vibranium arm inside the container, ice immediately frosted over it, freezing his arm in the spot. Still, he reached out for you, his unmoving fingers hooking into your frozen t-shirt, pulling you out of the container.

As soon as your body met the floor outside of the container, the ground around you began to turn to ice, matching the substance that coated your entire form.

“What the-” Sam said, stepping out of the range of the ice.

Kneeling beside your body, his knees freezing on the ice, he looked for any sign that you were still inside the icicle surrounding you. When your eyes didn’t open, he stuck his flesh hand above your face. When he saw and felt the frost begin to coat the palm of his hand, he sighed in relief.

You were breathing.

By some miracle, you were alive.

“She’s alive.” Bucky mumbled to himself, barely believing it. “She’s alive!”

Making a fist, the ice cracked off of his hands and he looked up to meet Natasha and Sam’s wide eyes.

“Is that... coming from her?” Sam asked, looking at the ice surrounding the ground in front of him.

“We have to get her out of here.” Natasha said, slipping her jacket off of her own shoulders, slowly stepping on the ice and wrapping it around your unconscious figure. “We should take her back to the Compound.”

Nodding and still in shock, Bucky made his way towards you, picking you up and off the ground, careful to only hold you where your body was covered in Natasha’s jacket, your body still covered in ice.

“What about the other guys?” Sam asked, gesturing to the three other unconscious men in the room.

“I called someone to handle it.” She said.

Staring at the ice surrounding the ground, your body coated in frost and the ice spreading down the back of Bucky’s shirt as he carried you, Natasha glanced between the two men.

“Something tells me we have something more important to worry about.”

[earlgreydream]

war.

| 1940s!bucky x reader | angst |

warnings: mentions of blood, violence, war, etc... general angst 

Your feet smacked the pavement as you ran. Your muscles felt like they were burning in fire, but you kept going, terrified. Bombs crashed all around you, buildings crumbled, and the ground shook as if it were going to open up and swallow you. You almost wished it would. 

Gunshots popped and bullets whizzed past your ears. You made it to a rocky staircase, and you tried to run down when you tripped. You tumbled down the stone stairs, smacking against the ground, blood rising to the surface of your hands and knees. You swore, and before you could stand up again, the soldiers surrounded you. 

You screamed as your ankles were grabbed, and you were flipped onto your back. 

“Stop! it’s a woman!” A soldier called as your cloak was ripped from your body. You were hyperventilating, panic seizing you as you stared up at the American soldiers. The dagger sheathed in your belt was confiscated, and the men stared down at you. 

“Please!” you begged for mercy, your accent thickening in your desperation. 

“Sergeant Barnes?” The soldiers looked to their leader, the man who had yelled for them to stop attacking you. 

“We are not going to kill her!” He sounded angry.

“What if she’s a spy?”

“I’m not, I swear. My home was bombed, I was running in fear!” You cried, pleading with him for mercy. 

“We cannot leave her in the streets-”

“Of course not.” The Sergeant spoke to his soldier, wearing a uniform different than the others. You winced at a sharp pain in your side, and you looked down to see blood soaking through your dress. You began to feel lightheaded, but you were terrified to black out and be left at the mercy of the likely sex-deprived soldiers that were invading your country.

Your eyes grew heavy and you moaned in pain, gripping the wound on your side from hitting a rock in your fall down the stairs. 

“We need to get her to the medbay, come on!” 

The words echoed in your head as you were lifted by the leader, carried in his arms. You wanted to struggle and try to make a run for it, but you were far too weak and you had nowhere to go. 

“You’re safe, doll, I’m going to protect you.”

Your head dropped as you slipped into unconsciousness, limp in his arms.

Bucky stood over your unconscious body as the best medic treated your wounds. She wrapped your hands and stitched the gash on your side, and Bucky winced as he watched. 

“Will she be alright?” he asked the medic anxiously.

“Yes, she’ll be fine. I think she’s asleep from the shock.” The medic nodded, and he breathed a sigh of relief. 

She wrapped the wound on your side and left Bucky with some morphine to give you when you needed it, instructing him to monitor you. 

“Do you think she’s a spy, or a soldier?”

“No, there’s nothing that would suggest that. I think she really was just a victim-- collateral damage.” 

Bucky was alone with you, then. He sat beside his bed that you were currently sleeping on, in his private chambers, away from the men who wouldn’t be able to keep their hands to themselves with a pretty young girl unconscious. 

Your eyes opened slowly, and you looked around, disoriented. You tried to sit up, but weakly sank back against the pillows. You noticed him sitting beside you, and you looked down. You were now wearing loose pants, and an oversized t shirt-- an army green, from a soldier. 

“Did you-?!” You cried in horror. 

“No, no. The medic cleaned your wounds and changed you. She said you’re going to be fine!” Bucky assured you quickly, and you relaxed a bit. 

“Are you going to kill me? Or keep me as a prisoner of war?” You asked, turning your head to look at him. 

“No. You’re not a captive, or a war criminal.” He shook his head. He handed you a glass of water, and a piece of buttered bread and some blackberries. You accepted them with a quiet thanks, and he sat back, giving you space.

“What’s your name?”

“Y/N.”

A small smile pulled at his lips, and you gazed down at your lap.

“I’m James Buchanan Barnes.” 

You spent two weeks recovering in his quarters, while he slept on a cot, guarding you and making sure you slept and had plenty to eat and drink. He’d opened up to you in that time, telling you about growing up in Brooklyn, New York. He had been drafted into the war, not really wanting to go overseas and kill people, and hurt innocents in the process-- innocents like you. Bucky was consumed with guilt, and was growing fond of you. 

He wished that he could just leave, go back to America and take you with him.  He had learned that you weren’t any kind of enemy like others suspected. You were orphaned by the war, by your own people. Almost everyone you knew and loved had been lost in the bloodbath, and now you were alone, struggling for survival in what felt like an apocalypse. 

Bucky convinced you to get some fresh air, and go outside. You’d stayed hidden under his protection, feeling safer with him than you had in years, since the war started. 

“James...” 

“It will be fine.” 

You took a walk with him, holding his hand as you walked through the soft grass. You giggled as he picked a daisy, handing it to you with a smile. 

“Are you trying to impress me?” You asked, blushing as you looked into sweet grey eyes.

“Is it working?” He grinned boyishly at you, and you saw a glimpse of the real James, not the soldier. He leaned down and kissed you, and you wrapped your arms around his neck, squeezing him tightly. 

“I love you, Y/N” He smiled at the bright spot in the misery, the girl he began to wake up for. His gaze was filled with adoration as he looked at you, a rescue from the streets of a war-torn village.

“You’re not bringing that nazi bitch with us!” A soldier shouted, and Bucky was at his throat immediately. 

“Don’t ever speak about her that way!” Bucky yelled, pinning him to the wall by the throat, a gun pressed against his chest. 

“Stop!” You cried, trying to pull Bucky off, not wanting him to murder the soldier in front of you, and all his troops. 

“Sergeant Barnes, you cannot seriously think of bringing Y/N to the Danish border with us.” Steve, Bucky’s loyal friend asked, giving you a pathetic look.

“Shut up, of course she’s coming with us!” Bucky wrapped an arm around you, trying to calm your shaking.

“Sergeant, she’s a nazi.”

“She’s NOT!” Bucky fired off a shot, and you winced against him. The bullet sank into the wall, but you were sobbing with fear, memories of being shot at flooding your mind and taking over your ability to think. 

“Ever since she came, you’re not the leader you were. You’re not thinking clearly!” Steve argued with him as if you weren’t there. 

You already knew what everybody thought of you. There was no hiding it. To the Americans, you were just a nazi whore that Bucky kept around for sex, and nothing more. They didn’t know the way he kissed you, the way your eyes sparkled with joy at even the slightest bit of attention from him. When you had nightmares, Bucky read to you from one of his books, or sang a song softly from Ella Fitzgerald. 

There was no one else. Every day, every night, all Bucky could think about was you. Leaving the war, taking you back to America, and building a life with you. He thought of a brownstone in Brooklyn, buying you dresses and making a family with you. He wanted to spin you around and dance with you to records in your living room, and take you on dates to a drive-in-movie. He wanted you to be the last thing he saw at night and the first thing in the morning. He was in love with you. And you were in love with him.

But you couldn’t escape the slurs and hate of his colleagues, and dearest friends. You knew it would be nothing like what you would receive in Brooklyn, your accent and broken English giving you away. It would make Bucky an outcast too-- a former soldier who left the war for an enemy girl. He would be a disgrace. 

You knew you could receive asylum in Denmark, a country not plagued by the war like elsewhere. You’d be a refugee, but you could join their society safely, and build a real life there. You traveled with the soldiers, transported there safely. 

You laid in bed with Bucky, kissing him sweetly. He ran his fingers through your hair, your head on his chest. He talked about New York pizza, and you smiled, tracing shapes on his skin with your fingertips. His voice sounded so happy when he talked about a future with you, you felt like your heart was going to shatter. 

“I love you, James.” 

“I love you more than the stars, Y/N.”

You pretended to sleep, but fear and nausea kept you up all night. You didn’t stir as Bucky got up for an early meeting with an officer at the American Embassy in Denmark. 

As soon as he was gone, you were on your feet. You got dressed silently, slipping money and a knife into your clothes and pulling a coat on over it. Tears blinded you and made it more difficult, as well as struggling to be quiet in the dark so you didn’t catch the attention of Bucky’s soldiers. 

The sun had barely peaked above the horizon, the sky still mostly dark, and the world asleep. You broke into a run, escaping out the window in the back. You ran from the base, getting as far away as you could. Your heart shattered into a million tiny pieces, pain shooting through your chest. 

Nightfall, you made it to a home for female refugees, women left alone by the war. You were dirty and exhausted, and barely able to breathe. You had sobbed the entire day as you traveled, making it nearly to Århus. 

“Welcome. You’re safe now.” A danish woman said, embracing you as you were taken inside the safehouse. You broke down in her arms, screams of heartache ripping through your chest.

“Y/N! I’m home, doll!” Bucky called, opening the door. His brow furrowed in confusion upon finding an empty room. He went to the bathroom, checking to see if you were in the shower. He couldn’t find you, and he walked through the halls. 

“Has anyone seen Y/N?” He asked every soldier desperately, all of them shaking their heads. 

He went back to his room, finding a note written inside of the book cover on his bedside, left open. 

I love you. more than the stars. I hope you understand.

He screamed your name, dropping down to his knees, his head falling into his hands as he rocked back and forth. Steve ran in, dropping down and wrapping his arms around Bucky as he fell apart. Sobs wracked his body, his dreams falling apart, his lover slipping through his fingers. He had just gotten news that he could be honorably discharged in three months, to start a family with you. He came home to tell you that you just had to stick it out a little longer. The flowers he brought were discarded and littered amongst the floorboards. 

[comfortbucky]

Hey! Can i request a cold, lonely ex-hydra reader × bucky who falls in love with her. Adding some panic attacks and nightmares of the reader.

i love this idea!!! thank u for submitting🥰

𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗲 ⋆｡˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆ ｡˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡˚ ⋆

pairing: avenger!bucky x ex-HYDRA!fem!reader

tags: enemies(?) to lovers, angst (if u squint), soft!bucky

warnings: canon level violence, description of injuries, blood is mentioned, panic attacks, anxiety, nightmares

A/N: i just came up with a random name for the HYDRA leader the reader is after🤣 so just ,,, ignore // also!!!! i tried out a different writing style than what i’m used to! hope u don’t mind🥺 just been feeling like a lot of my writing is the same and wanted to try something new!!!

word count: 3.5k (this is so long LMAO sorry 😭 literally why am i like this)

my masterlist!

completed requests!

The suit that you once considered a second skin, now felt uncomfortable and constricting, like a python squeezing the life out of you. Although, it made sense since the very organization of the uniform you were wearing did exactly that.

HYDRA.

For so long you were just another mindless pawn to them, just doing without every actually thinking. Unlike your younger brother, Alex. They indoctrinated him as well, getting a hold of both of you from a young age, but he was there when Captain America took down S.H.I.E.L.D. and it changed his entire worldview. You found everything he said about “freedom” to be stupid, naive, and dangerous. And you would later prove yourself correct.

You pull yourself from your thoughts as a group of HYDRA soldiers walk past the shrubbery you hid behind. Quickly and quietly, you get up and join them as they march towards the HYDRA base. As soon as you get inside, you manage to slip away from the rest of the group to search for your target.

Since HYDRA took the possibility of you ever having a normal life away, as far as you were concerned, your only purpose in life was to kill the man who was at the center of it all, Viktor Cross. And after months of tracking him down, formulating the perfect plan, that’s exactly what you were going to do today.

You make your way towards one of the main lab facilities, gun in hand when you see several unconscious guards lying on the floor in front of you. Shifting your gaze up, you see that the door has been ripped open, grip marks on the sides.

This was not part of the plan.

As you squeeze through the open door and enter the lab, you come to a halt, frozen in shock. There’s your target, Viktor, shoved against the wall by none other than Captain America himself. You almost let out a chuckle in disbelief at the irony of the situation. Instead, you take a step forward, and the glass cracks beneath your feet, alerting the men of your presence.

Shit.

Immediately, both sets of eyes are on you. Viktor’s lips curve into a smirk as you make your way to them.

“Agent- Miss Y/N,” he corrects himself. “What a pleasant surprise.” You ignore him and look to address Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America.

“Let him go and give him to me,” you start, Steve eyeing you cautiously. “So I can kill him,” you snarl, quickly turning to Viktor to see that his smirk had been wiped off his face.

“Aren’t you HYDRA?” He questions, nodding to your suit and eliciting a cackle from Viktor.

“Not anymore,” you mumble, before lifting a leg to kick Steve in his side. You hit him across the face with the end of your gun for good measure. He stumbles over, giving you enough time to grab Viktor’s collar, before he falls to the floor, and slam him back against the wall. His eyes are full of desperation and you felt nothing but pure, burning rage. You shove the barrel of your gun under his chin and place your hand on the trigger.

“You were such a gifted agent, Y/N. Don’t throw away such potential, come back.”

“Go to hell.”

Before you could pull the trigger, a force propels you to the ground and you feel a sharp pain in your side. Silence and then ringing fills your eyes as you squint your eyes to try and visualize the situation. Your vision is blurry, but clear enough to clouds of smoke engulf Viktor’s figure as he escapes. A muffled voice from behind you speaks, but you can’t make out any of the words they’re saying. You look down to see red. Just crimson red, staining your abdomen. Hands land on your shoulders, shaking you gently as your vision fades to black.

Viktor is in front of you, the barrel of his gun directed right at your head. He smirks as he moves his hand to the trigger.

“Hail, HYDRA.”

A gunshot goes off, forcing you to shoot up in bed, gasping for air. As you start to regain your senses, you realize you’re surrounded by a group of strangers. Well, not complete strangers, the Avengers to be exact. Part of your job required you to study their files, learn everything about them. You could recite from memory where and when they were born, their greatest strengths and weaknesses. Suddenly, your side starts to burn with pain, and you carefully lean back in bed. There’s an array of wires and tubes connected to you and you hear the rhythmic beeping of various machines. You’re in a hospital, or some sort of medical facility.

“That, is exactly why I said we should use restraints.”

You’re staring at the ceiling when you hear Iron Man, AKA Tony Stark, speak.

“Tony, she lost a liter of blood, she’s not going anywhere.”

Steve appears in your view, looking down at you.

“Hey, you’re okay. You’re safe.”

You shift your gaze away from him. The last thing you expected to come out of this mission was to meet the Avengers, let alone them save you.

Steve sighs, “We’re not gonna hurt you. We wanna find Viktor too.”

There’s nothing he could say that could get you to speak. Your hatred for HYDRA didn’t mean you suddenly liked the Avengers. If anything, they were part of the problem too, so you stay silent.

“Told you, she’s not gonna talk,” Tony quips. From your research, you had come to learn that he was an arrogant man, and his statement only proved you right. “Maybe you should get Manchurian Candidate to come down, give her an ex-HYDRA buddy,” he says sarcastically.

Upon hearing “ex-HYDRA buddy,” you furrow your brows. Maybe it was the lack of blood in your body, but it took you a second to process his words and understand who he was referring to. Your eyes dart back to look at Steve’s but he’s gone.

“I’ll be back.” His voice trails off as he exits the room.

You’re still staring at the ceiling when you hear footsteps return and then several others departing.

There’s only one other person in the room beside you. Without even looking up, you already know who it is. His breathing was slow and steady until you started to shift in bed to reposition yourself. His breath hitched for a moment, before returning back to his normal breathing pattern.

“Killing him isn’t gonna make you feel better.” His comment makes you roll your eyes as you slowly sit up to look at him. There were no logical thoughts in your head, all you could feel was pain and fury. Anger swelled within you, your emotions boiling over.

“That’s rich, coming from the Fist of HYDRA,” you spat out. As soon as the words left your mouth, you felt your stomach drop. It was an unfamiliar feeling, one you hadn’t felt in a while. What was it? Regret?

Bucky’s face fell but he kept his eyes on you. It was a look that made you feel worse, worse than the searing pain in your side.

“I’m not a killer anymore,” he said in a tone so gentle, you felt another strange, new emotion but couldn’t quite label it. You quickly shift gears to avoid addressing the uncomfortable feelings swirling around in your stomach.

“Are you keeping me hostage to lure Viktor in? Because it's not going to work." Bucky shook his head.

"We want..." he trailed off, causing you to tilt your head in curiosity. “We need your help finding him.” You scoffed.

“What do I get out of it?” Bucky’s silence gave you your answer. Shaking your head, you start to disconnect yourself from the multitude of wires attached to you and get out of bed.

“You’re gonna hurt yourself,” he started, as you threw off your blanket and sat on the edge of the bed.

Standing up quickly, the blood from your head pooled in your legs, causing you to feel dizzy. Your head spun and your arms reached out for something, anything stable to grab onto. It was a metal hand. Despite it being cool to the touch, it ignited a heat to rise to your cheeks. You look down and mumble a thank you as Bucky helps you back into bed.

Letting out a sigh, you realize with the condition you’re in, you can’t leave. Definitely not well enough to go after Viktor alone. Shutting your eyes and pinching the bridge of your nose, you curse under your breath.

“Fine,” you finally speak, keeping your eyes closed. Bucky nods, even though you don’t see, and you hear him walk off.

After a couple days of rest, you were cleared by Bruce to get discharged. Viktor had gone deep in hiding, making your job to find him a lot harder. Tony had so graciously given you an extra room in the tower, right next to Bucky’s. He was probably the one person you saw the most, purely due to location, and the fact that everyone else cautiously kept their distance from you. It made sense though, since you rarely spoke to anyone and spent most of your time in the lab looking for any clues of Viktor’s location. When you weren’t searching for him, you were training in the gym. Bucky was there a lot too, both of you waking up at ungodly hours of the morning. No words were ever exchanged between the two of you, and yet, there was some level of comfort you felt being around him. Must’ve been an ex-HYDRA thing.

“What’s on your mind?” You walk over to Alex and sit on the edge of the bed next to him. He sighs.

“What if,” he starts, furrowing his brows. “What if freedom is good?” He speaks quietly, fearful of HYDRA listening in on your conversation.

It feels like you’ve got the wind knocked out of you.

“Alex,” you grab him by the shoulders. “What the hell are you talking about?” You’re searching his eyes, trying to understand what’s gotten into him.

“Captain America.” The biggest threat to HYDRA’s existence. He looks down at his hands. “He was willing to risk his life for it. It has to be worth something right?” Alex looks back up to you with a look in his eyes that you haven’t seen since you were children. Uncertainty. You sigh and pull him into your chest, stroking his hair.

“I don’t know, kiddo. Maybe.”

You wake up in a cold sweat, panting. Hot tears fall from the corners of your eyes. It’s the same dream you’ve had for the last week. Although, you wouldn’t consider it a dream necessarily, but it wasn’t a nightmare either. Just a bittersweet memory.

Bucky could tell that something was up with you for the past week. Despite having gone through a bit of therapy, Steve’s idea, the nightmares still came to him. So Bucky was already wide awake when he heard your weeping on the other side of the wall. It didn’t help that he was also a light sleeper with super-soldier hearing. He didn’t know what was causing you to be so upset, but he didn’t want to intrude and ask. Neither of you had spoken to the other since you first arrived.

But this night was different from the rest. Usually, you would flip endlessly through channels on ur TV until you eventually fell asleep, but it wasn’t working this time. There’s a tight pain in your chest and suddenly, you’re suffocating. You rip off your covers and spring out of bed, tripping on your blankets along the way. At this point, you don’t even register the pain of slamming down, face-first on the ground. Panic has taken over your body, tears now streaming down your face. You squeeze your eyes shut, hoping for relief.

He wasn’t planning on doing anything until he heard a loud thud from your room. Immediately, Bucky gets up and arrives at your door. It’s rude to just barge into someone’s room, his mom taught him that from a young age, so he settles on knocking. You don’t hear it though, the only sound you hear is the sound of your rapid breathing as you hyperventilate. Bucky hears it too and ultimately decides on inviting himself into your room.

“Y/N?”

You’re lying on your side, curled up in a fetal position with your hands covering your face, when Bucky opens the door. He quickly arrives by your side, kneeling beside you, as he examines you for any injuries.

“Are you hurt?”

You manage to shake your head in response, anxiety still flowing through your veins. Unfortunately, Bucky’s familiar with panic attacks, having had them himself. But he also knows that everyone deals with them a bit differently. Guess he did manage to learn some useful things from therapy.

“Can you try breathing with me?”

He starts to take deep breaths in and out until he sees you start to follow along with him, your hands still covering your face. There’s a part of you that feels stupid for keeping them there, but they help ground you, so you continue to shield your face. After what feels like an hour, but was probably only 10 minutes, your panic subsides. That’s when a wave of embarrassment hits you, realizing that it had been Bucky with you during your panic attack.

Slowly removing your hands from your face, you’re greeted by piercing blue eyes. You blink a couple times, realizing that Bucky had taken a spot on the ground, lying on his side to face you, his hands pressed together under his head like a pillow. He smiles and you feel warm. It’s terrifying, the new feelings that Bucky has caused you to feel and yet, you don’t mind.

“You feelin’ better?” You nod and smile back, something you haven’t genuinely done in a while.

“Thank you, Bucky.”

You stare at each other in silence, lying side by side. There’s no physical touch involved but somehow, this moment, it feels intimate. Bucky breaks the silence.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” He speaks in a voice so soft, it almost sounded like a whisper.

It might’ve been the fact that he just calmed you down from a panic attack, but as you looked into his eyes, you felt the walls you had built up for the last year slowly come crashing down.

“He killed my brother,” you reply, maintaining your eyes on Bucky. You searched his eyes for any fear or pity, but all you could find was a look of understanding. His eyes were starting to become a safe place for you.

“Alex was there when Steve took down S.H.I.E.L.D., HYDRA along with it. He wanted out, out of the organization.” Taking a deep breath, you continue. “Word got around about a “rat,” so I took the blame. Viktor was about to shoot me when Alex’s dumbass ran in front of me, sacrificing himself.” You let out a chuckle, your vision getting blurry as tears swelled in your eyes. “He was a goddamn idiot, but he also had a heart of gold.”

As you start to cry, Bucky hesitatingly extends an arm to hover over your body, trying to gauge your reaction. Physical touch was something he struggled with during the beginning of his recovery, and he didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable. He’s reassured when you grab onto his shirt and pull yourself closer to him, and wraps an arm around you, his other hand softly stroking your head.

You hadn’t cried like this since Alex died, bottling up all of your emotions to focus on finding the man responsible for his death. But as you sobbed into Bucky’s chest, you realize that your love for Alex had transformed into an ugly, burning hatred for Viktor. He wouldn’t want this. You didn’t want it, at least, not anymore. The only thing you wanted was your brother back, and that was impossible.

Bucky held you in his arms until you fell asleep, listening to the sounds of your slow, rhythmic breathing, dozing off shortly after.

That night with Bucky had softened your cold, hard exterior that you initially presented yourself with. You would willingly spar with Nat in the training room and join the team for breakfast or dinner. Everyone noticed and, while at first thrown off by it, happily embraced it. Especially Bucky.

Initially, he got up to work out in the early hours of the morning as a habit. Now, he woke up to see you. His heart did flips in his chest every time he walked in the gym and saw you. Since that night, you started to acknowledge his presence, turning to smile and wave as he walked through the doors. It was something he looked forward to every day.

During the day, you were focused hard on tracking down Viktor and Bucky knew that. But he also knew he wanted to spend more time with you. He looked for reasons to enter the lab, whether it was offering snacks to you throughout the day or helping Bruce or, even Tony. Anything to see you again.

Bucky realized that there was a deeper, stronger emotion that he felt for you when he would wake up in the middle of the night from a nightmare. The first thing he thought about was you. Specifically, how you were the only thing that could possibly calm him down. Although he’d come in that night to help you with your panic attack, you ended up helping him as well. He hadn’t slept as soundly and peacefully as he did with you. And you hadn’t either. There were several nights when neither of you could sleep and ended up running into each other. It slowly became a routine that would begin in the kitchen, exchanging life stories, and end on the couch in the common area, entangled in each other’s arms.

Tonight you didn’t show up and Bucky panicked. He stared at the kitchen clock. It had been 20 minutes and you still hadn’t shown up. Bucky racked his brain for anything he could’ve done to scare you off, but came up with nothing. It wasn’t like you two had been officially together, Bucky had no idea what you were to each other. All he knew is that he wanted to be with you, always.

You were soundly asleep in bed, passing out as soon as your head hit the pillow. It was a particularly physically exhausting day for you, training with both Nat and Steve.

Bucky was so caught up with the thoughts racing through his head, he hadn’t noticed that his feet had taken him right to your door. He stands there for a moment, silently debating what to do. Grumbling under his breath, he musters up the courage to knock on your door. Right as he was about to turn away and shuffle off to his room, your door opens. You greet him with a yawn and a tired smile.

“Oh, hey Bucky.”

He looks at the bags under your eyes and feels instant regret wash over him, realizing that you weren’t avoiding him, but just getting some sleep.

“Sorry,” he looks down at his feet. You frown and place a hand on his cheek to lift his head up.

“Something wrong?” He avoids your gaze, partially because he’s embarrassed and partially because his cheeks were turning red because of your touch.

“No.” You cross your arms and let out a sigh.

“You’re a bad liar.” It’s his turn to sigh, as he scratches the back of his head.

“You didn’t come to the kitchen,” he lets out, in almost a whisper. It hits you. You were so tired, you had completely forgotten about your nightly tradition. “It’s stupid, sorry. I shouldn’t have woken you up," he mumbles. Bucky begins to walk off but you grab his hand. When he turns to look at you, his brows are raised at your touch.

As you start to speak, you pull him close, facing you. “It’s not stupid.” His hands move to hold your waist as yours move to wrap around his neck. You pause, an idea popping into your head. “I’m kind of tired from training today, wanna just come sleep with me?” He nods and you drag him to your bed, nestling into his arms as he holds you to his chest, his chin resting above your head. You tilt your head back to see him looking down at you. There’s a fluttering feeling in your chest and you smile.

“Just for future reference, you have an open invitation to cuddle with me, anytime.” Bucky chuckles at your offer.

“I’ll keep that in mind, doll.”

Bucky cups your face in his hand and you nuzzle your cheek in his palm. His eyes dart down to your lips before returning to your eyes.

Then, the most delicate, sweetest kiss you’ve ever received is on your lips.

You flutter your eyes open as you both pull apart. He quickly kisses your nose before pulling you back into his chest, speaking softly.

“And you have an open invitation to kiss me, anytime.”

[kouomi]

Golden Touches

Summary: Everyone is born with marks that turn gold when your soulmate touches you. How could meeting someone for the first time turn into meeting your soulmate? (F!Reader x Tsukishima Kei)

Warnings: none!

Word Count: 1,558

A/N: sorry for getting this out late! I don’t think this is my best work as it’s the first thing I ever wrote for Haikyuu but here it is!

My Masterlist

Posted: March 26 2020, 6:15 PM EST

(Pic that inspired this)

Everyone was painted with colors. Each individual was their own canvas that had splotches of paint splattered across their skin that almost looked random had you not known what they meant. That’s how your parents explained it to you, at least. When you’re born your marks are black which are how most people’s are, but when a specific person touches them they turn gold; this specific person being your soulmate. The marks were where the hands of your soulmate would touch you for the first time. The most common mark people had was small streaks on their hands or arms where their soulmates hand would graze their skin temporarily, some had their palm painted black along with the shadow of fingers on the back of their hand, and some even had a hand print or knuckles painted on their cheek where they’d inevitably be hit. Everyone’s was unique to them, and they each held their own future story.

You stated at your marks everyday, always wondering if today would be the day they’d go from black splotches to lovely sparkles. Your marks were much less generic than most, a large handprint angled with the tips of the fingers towards your shoulder splayed across the front corner of the base of your neck, your collarbone, and the top of your chest. It was rather unusual and the way it was positioned made it seem like they’d be behind you which confused you even more. You were happy to have a unique mark as it made the moment you’d meet them feel more special, but it constantly left you wondering about the conditions of when you’d meet, what situation you’d be in where that would be the first place someone would touch you.

It was a rather warm day as it was nearing summer so you’d left the top buttons of your uniform unbuttoned and let your jacket slip off of your shoulders and hang loosely around your elbows. Your eyes lazily skimmed over the crowds of your classmates, jealously spiking in you every time you saw someone with gold splashed across their skin instead of black. Very few people met their soulmates in high school and you envied those that were so lucky as to do so.

“Y/n!” You look up and find Yachi waving a hand in front of your face. “Can you come with me to the volleyball practice after school?”

“Hm? Why?”

“So we can work on the project after school,” She reminded you and you inwardly cringe at the mention of it, “We still have to finish it before tomorrow.”

“Sure, I’ll be there.” You answer, watching as a wide smile crosses the blondes face.

“Great, see you there!” She waves before heading down the stairs and getting lost in the crowd.

A heavy sigh leaves you as you pull out your phone and put in your earbuds, clicking on your playlist and letting the noise of your favorite song fill your ears. You did your best to ignore the stares of others as you made your way to the cafeteria, though you always knew they were there. You’d gotten used to being stared at by people who were examining your soulmate mark but it never made it any less annoying. You’d had some of these “admirers” come up from behind you and not so graciously lay their hand on your chest trying to match up to your mark, always landing a slap to the face after they did so. You didn’t know how many times you’d had to tell them off that it couldn’t be justified just by what they claimed was curiosity but it never changed anything.

“Hey Y/n, what’s up?” Hinata asks with a small wave.

“Hi Hinata, Kageyama.” You greet, slowing your pace for a moment so they can catch up to you. “I’m gonna be at your practice today.”

“Why?”

“Yachi and I have a project,” You reply “what, do you not want me there or something?”

“What? No!” Kageyama exclaims making you and Hinata laugh.

“Calm down I was joking.”

The three of you continue to poke fun at each other all the way to the cafeteria, especially you and Hinata making Kageyama mad as it was easy to do so with the quick tempered setter.

“Do you two ever stop fighting?” Another voice says as they approach your table. You turn around and find two boys, one a very tall blond with glasses and an annoyed look on his face and the other a more timid looking boy with green hair and freckles.

“Who’s that?” You ask your friends as the new boys sit down.

“This is Tsukishima and Yamaguchi.” Hinata says, “They’re on the volleyball team.”

“Hi!” Yamaguchi greets with a welcoming smile, “nice to meet you.”

“You too.” You reply with similar smile.

The other boy, Tsukishima, doesn’t say anything, only glances at you before looking back at his food. He seems like to be the quiet type, his silent judging stare would probably warn off anyone else but you found it amusing. Your eyes scanned them for their soulmate marks, finding them after a few moments. Yamaguchis was mostly covered by the sleeve of his shirt but you could slightly make out the edge of a black mark around his wrist and on the back of Tsukishimas hand you could see a smaller black hand print, the mark going around the side of his hand so the thumb was on his palm.

“Do you make a habit of staring?” The blonde asks, making you look up from his hand as he pulls it away, hiding it out of sight under the table.

“Curiosity’s natural.” You shrug in response, smirking when his expression flashes to shock before he covers it with slight disgust. He clicks his tongue, his eyes temporarily flashing down to look at your mark before he looks back to his food.

After lunch your evening classes dragged by, none of your teachers words sticking to your brain as you watched the clocks hands slowly tick by. Finally after what felt like hours the last bell rang and let you out of your final class, filing into the stream of students exiting the school. As everyone else left you stopped at your locker, leaving your books inside before heading towards the gym where volleyball practice was held. You stared down at your phone as you walked so you couldn’t see anything else around you, the world around you practically lost to your senses.

“Watch out!” A voice yells, forcing you to look up and see a volleyball flying towards you.

You freeze up as the ball cuts through the air, your feet planted in the ground though you knew you should move out of the path of the object. You’re suddenly yanked to the side by someone who was behind you, your phone being knocked out of your hand and to the ground by the sudden movement. Their hand was firm on the front of your body as their arm was crossing your body having pulled you into themselves just as the ball slams into where you were standing seconds before. Your hand flies up to grip theirs, your heart pounding at the close encounter.

The person behind you quickly retracts their arm making you turn around, surprise taking on your expression as you see who’d saved you.

“How could you be so stupid as to not move out of the way of the ball flying at your face?” Tsukishima asks with a scoff, leaning down to pick up your phone. You were about to snap back at him, a rebuttal on the tip of your tongue though it’s quickly lost when you see the once black hand that was on his had turned gold.

“Are you just gonna stare at me again?” He scoffs as he reaches out to hand you your phone, his eyes widening when he sees a flash of gold on your chest.

Almost simultaneously you look down at yourself and he looks at his hand before you look back at each other’s marks and finally at each other.

“No fucking way.” You whisper to yourself, seeing the shocked look in his eyes.

It’s dead silent between the two of you for what feels like a lifetime, his hand still holding out your phone as you both try to figure out something to say. How could he be your soulmate when you’d only met this morning? Had the universe somehow made a mistake?

Tsukishimas eyes bare into your from behind his glasses as for once he finds himself at a loss for words, trying to piece together how this was his soulmate. He doesn’t know you. There was nothing forcing him to talk to you or start a relationship solely based off of the marks. Yet,

Yet there was something pulling you towards him. Something in you was drawing closer to him, taking your hand and dragging you along. There was some part of him that had sparked something in you, and whether it was just the surprise of your soulmate marks or it was a genuine feeling, you found yourself giving into it, a smile crossing your face.

“Tsukishima, right?”

“Uh, yeah.” He responds, still processing what had happened, “You’re the weirdo duos friend.”

“It’s Y/n. We’re...”

“Soulmates.”

You both smile.

“Soulmates.”

[anika-ann]

Walk Me Home Tonight (S.R.)

Type: one-shot, songfic

Pairing: Steve Rogers x reader     Word count: 4700

Summary: Sometimes it’s hard to be in a celebratory mood when all you can think of is that life sucks and that being left on your own to drown your sorrows is for the best.

Sometimes people who care about you know better than yourself and come crashing your party of one.

Sometimes, despite the popular belief, you do realize how lucky you are having been introduced to Steve Rogers.

Warnings: mention of blood and violence and death, mention of alcohol, angst, fluff and language

A/N: P!nk’s Walk Me Home just does something to me, alright? Music video included - it’s soooo beautiful.

*✧･*✧･*✧･*✧･*✧･*✧･*✧･

You stared at the amber liquid, lazily making it roll in the glass with idle motions of your wrist. It reflected the rather soft lights of the bar, an exquisite game of colour you found fascinating enough to dull your mind and muffle the noise of the party.

It wasn’t that you were a party pooper, not usually anyway; just… the timing wasn’t ideal.

Of course, Sharon could hardly move her birthday to make it more convenient for you, less so a party her colleagues had decided to throw for her. You knew Agent Carter for quite some time now; she had joined SHIELD about the same time as you, going through the same tough training. Except unlike you – and initially without your knowledge – she had an image to live up to.

You might even call her a friend, your chest bursting in pride for her when her hard work had finally borne some fruit and she had been promoted to an assistant director of the intelligence agency. Among other things, it earned her a lot of new potential friends.

You were hardly acting like one tonight, much to your own annoyance. But for some reason, you found it difficult to leave your momentary emotional baggage at the doorstep, slipping it off as easily as your coat. You had wished her all the best, conversed for a tiny bit and then happily made space for others, for the forming line of guests waiting to celebrate with her as well.

Then you retreated to your spot at the bar, possibly annoying the bartender, who would have been more delighted seeing some heavier drinker occupying your seat, tipping generously, instead of having you nursing each glass of alcohol for about two hours.

You weren’t even sure why you were still here; you had given up on the attempt on small talk with anyone, apparently unwittingly chasing away any potential company. And here you thought misery did love company – perhaps you were wrong, at least when it came to birthday parties of gorgeous women loved by everyone. You might as well pack up your bottom and sulk at home.

You were stubbornly shushing the voice in the back of your skull, whispering about knowing precisely why you remained in your seat; about feeling less alone here, despite being a literal loner in a crowd.

You downed the rest of the bitter scotch, basking in the burn which it left on its way down your throat, your eyelids slipping shut in content, the noise in your brain falling silent completely for few blissful moments.

“Party of one?” a male voice gently asked, the tinniest note of teasing in it and while your heart skipped a startled beat at being addressed, you felt the burn in your throat slip lower, warming your chest and causing the corners of your mouth turn up just a fraction.

 There's something in the way you roll your eyes Takes me back to a better time When I saw everything is good But now you're the only thing that's good

 “Felt like crashing it?” you hummed in response, side-eyeing the intruder and found a pair of cerulean eyes staring back. He blindly waved off the eager bartender who was about to offer him a drink.

Ah, poor guy. No tips for him tonight.

“Well, I didn’t get an invitation. Looks like crashing was my only option.”

You sighed tiredly despite Steve’s kind teasing. Tonight was just… so exhausting. Tonight. Today. This week. Gah, this whole month. This fucking year--- okay, maybe you were exaggerating, because you were simply crossing the line, moving from relaxed buzzed drunk to a miserable one.

Battling with yourself, arguing whether you should send him to hell – nicely, because Steve was nothing but kind, he was always so kind, goddammit, gentle humour spiced with the ability to become an utter troll, still benign though, that was why you usually enjoyed his company so much after all-… – or call it a night.

Or should you order another drink? Was there a point? You might cross the line to a clingy drunk eventually and you weren’t certain that was a good idea.

It was probably about as good of an idea as coming to a party despite feeling like shit on an emotional roller-coaster, dangerously inclining towards a very bad mood to put it mildly.

You tilted your head to side as you looked at Steve properly, tight blue shirt flattering his supersoldier frame, black pants with desperately needed leather belt considering his thin waist, his blonde hair a mess, gaze fixed on you, observing. Always observing to read people, to anticipate behaviour, evaluate the threat; sometimes simply to be considerate, to… to be compassionate.

Dammit, Steve.

“Must have got lost in the mail then,” you said eventually, offering a weak smile. “Sorry.”

“Nah, it’s alright,” he shrugged it off, the curve of his lips more distinct than yours. As if he was offering to cheer you up. Sweet, but possibly vain effort tonight. Sometimes, things simply piled up and there was no escape. Such was the fate of a government agent. And human, for that matter. “Doesn’t look like much fun and I think it’s about to end anyway.”

“I guess…”

 Tryna stand up on my own two feet This conversation ain't comin' easily And darling, I know it's getting late So what do you say we leave this place?

 This time, Steve actually made an eye contact with the bartender, who eagerly rushed to him at instant. His excited expression fell when he noticed you were pulling out your wallet to close your tab. You didn’t have the strength to shoot him an apologetic smile.

Steve’s eyes were on you the whole time, you could feel them, and you wondered why. Until he spoke again, as soon as the other man left.

“Come on. I’ll walk you home,” he offered gentlemanly, coaxing you into saying yes, possibly unaware of the effect which such tone had on people.

Or perhaps he knew, using exactly that when he was trying to talk someone down, to calm them, gain their trust. The joke was on him, because it was a vain effort; you trusted him fully already. Surely, he knew that.

Right?

Trust was the solid base the team of Avengers needed and since you somehow found yourself with them, it involved you too. The team stood and fell on trust and mutual respect. But it meant so much more – they were friends. They cared about each other, about their well-being.

Right now, Steve was being a good friend and a good teammate.

And you were being exactly that too when you turned his kind proposition down.

“No, it’s fine. There are still some people who are actually able to speak coherently with you. Go enjoy yourself. I’ll be okay.”

“It’s three in the morning,” he pointed out, as if admonishing you for not noticing. Your eyebrow rose deliberately.

“…and?”

“And I’d feel better if you weren’t walking the streets alone,” he replied easily, ignoring the hint of snark in your comeback as you made your way to the coat-stand.

Still walking on the line of miserable and pleasantly buzzed, you couldn’t find it in yourself to be mean to him for such patronizing approach. He had been raised this way and despite his open mind and admirable respect to women, he slipped sometimes.

“Steve, I’m a SHIELD agent basically turned Avenger. I can take care of my-“

“But you don’t have to. And-” He gestured subtly back towards the bar and a metaphorical lightbulb flickered above your head.

Not patronizing then, god forbid chauvinist; Peggy Carter would rise from the death to beat him with his own shield, with Natasha’s enthusiastic help, if he was showing any sign of aforementioned qualities and he was well-aware of that.

Just mother-henning then, the way Steve excelled at.

It brought the first honest smile of the night to your lips. You made sure to face him so he could see how wholesome his company was for you.

“I’m not too drunk, Steve. I had like two glasses of scotch,” you assured him, gently brushing his forearm before reaching for your coat and scarf. “And two beers.”

“I know,” he stated, stealing your coat only to hold it out for you to slip into it.

God, the woman who would once win his heart was about to be one lucky bitch.

Jim has never done this for me, flashed through your mind and you instantly shushed the whining voice in your head. Instead, you went over what he just said, blinking in surprise.

Huh? He… knew?

“I… might have kept an eye on you,” he admitted tentatively, the tips of his fingers brushing your shoulder before retreating and letting you to cocoon in the fabric.

“Why?”

Why would he keep an eye on you? Sure, teammates and friends and all that, but for some reason, you doubted he kept an eye on Tony, the only other Avenger (beside Steve, not Steve and you, you don’t count, a voice hissed in your mind and you winced) who attended the party, not being on any mission at the moment.

Why did Steve feel like you needed a chaperone?

No, that was too harsh of a word for him, you were certain his intentions were everything but malicious, but… why?

 Walk me home in the dead of night I can't be alone with all that's on my mind, mhm So say you'll stay with me tonight 'Cause there is so much wrong going on outside

 The genuine wonder must have been audible in your voice, much like your shock must have been clear in your expression, because Steve seemed sheepish all of sudden, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.

“Well, I mean, I know that you probably wouldn’t-“ he started, only to grimace. “It’s not that I think you’re an alcoholic! It’s just that... you--- and it’s only been-…“

-four days since you got dumped, you finished the unspoken sentence and tried your best to ignore the cold seeping into your bones at the reminder.

One of the reasons why you had been in a sour mood and deciding to drink alone. Your amazing asshole of a boyfriend had dumped you, metaphorically kicking you while you had already been down. Lovely.

“-I was worried. But you didn’t look like you were interested in having company, I didn’t want to be a bother and-“

You pulled Steve out of his misery by placing a hand over his forearm, which stopped the words spilling uncontrollably from his mouth.

He was actually being very sweet and thoughtful. It kinda made you feel bad, because… you weren’t looking for dragging someone down with you. As it was, he had his own reasons to not be happy about partying tonight, but feeling like he had to keep an eye on you probably didn’t help to lift his spirits.

“-and you had to spend some time with the woman of the hour,” you finished instead of him slowly, hoping you sounded at least half as thoughtful as he did and that you didn’t appear to be the greatest bitch, stealing attention from Sharon. “That’s understandable, Steve. It is her birthday party and I’m the one being antisocial.”

You bit down your lip, lowering your gaze, because the infamous worried wrinkle appeared on Steve’s forehead and you just knew he was about to protest and you… honestly felt bad about your behaviour and the welcoming colour of his eyes was not helping to make you feel any better, because of course he probably thought it was perfectly normal to look out for you instead of allowing himself to enjoy the night and- ugh.

“You… you shouldn’t have to look out for me. Your attention could have been fully on the birthday girl.”

Naturally, Steve Rogers basically shrugged it off. Covering your hand on him with his large palm, he slouched to look into your eyes once more. Insistent bastard, no doubt aware of your inability to say no to his amiable face.

“That’s what friends are for. Now, can I walk you home?”

You shook your head with a sad smile, rising your gaze towards the ceiling, hoping it came out as an exasperation at his stubbornness and not as it truly was – you in fact attempting to keep your tears at bay, because, miserable drunk, dumped four days ago apart from other things and there he was, asshole perfect, Steve fucking Rogers, gentleman and friend extraordinaire, caring for your well-being more than Jim ever had.

A twinkle appeared in his eye when he recognized he won and you chuckled, sealing his victory out loud.

“Yes, Steve. You can walk me home. It’s conveniently located on the way to yours.”

He smirked when he shrugged on his own coat. “Happy coincidences…”

 There's something in the way I wanna cry That makes me think we'll make it out alive So come on and show me how we're good I think that we could do some good, mhm

 Once you left the bar, silence fell on you, feeling heavy as did the cold November air.

Heavy and awkward. While you could tell with certainty you were barely affected by the alcohol you had drunk, your steps were wobbly, knees shaky as if you were a baby horse trying to stand up for the first time.

Steve walked by your side, majestic in his thigh-length coat, hands snugged in its pockets only halfway as if he was waiting for you needing his support. It irritated you as much as it warmed your heart.

On top of everything, you would swear every lone person you met stared at you, staring you up and down until they seemed to register Steve’s imposing frame and quickly went back to their business. It annoyed you to no end; it was just proving Steve’s point that you shouldn’t walk the streets alone at such hour, government agent or not.

“I would have been fine, you know,” you hummed, cautiously breaking the relative quiet.

It was never truly quiet in New York City, only rush hours alternating with calmer ones. You didn’t mind it; you enjoyed the city. Sometimes quiet meant that thoughts won the opportunity to become too loud; tonight, for some reason, despite the silence, Steve prevented that ever since he joined you.

It dawned to you then, how ungrateful you sounded and you quickly added “But thanks.” –  a whisper full of honesty.

“Uh-huh.”

Perhaps the silence weighted so much because your mood wasn’t the only cause of it.

Steve was showing you that he worried; surely, you could as well? Because you did, worry about him that was.

“…are you? Okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” he asked distractedly, but you could hear the frown on his face, the image of his nose scrunched in confusion painted in front of your eyes even without looking at him.

“Just… today-” you nudged him once more and vaguely eyed your watch only to be reminded that ‘today’ was a confusing term. “Or, more like, yesterday…”

A sharp inhale was drawn at your side and you could sense as he started closing off, putting up his walls so no one would catch a scent of his weakness. You hated when he tried to do that. You would have thought you were past that. You liked to consider you two friends at least.

Tonight was simply not your night. Of either of you, apparently.

“What about it-?“

You sighed, fighting the urge to roll your eyes. Were you truly such a crappy company, an insensitive friend or was there something sorrowful and cranky in the air, preventing your communication channels from tuning to the same frequency?

You were aware what the day meant for him – another painful reminder of what he had lost with crashing the plane in the forties only to wake up in a new millennium.

Though this particular loss – of his mother – haunted him even back in what some people called his days. It was an utter non-sense. Steve belonged there as much as he belonged here. He was brave enough to try and stubborn enough to succeed in fitting in.

“Nothing, I guess,” you sighed once more, this time rolling your eyes. “…Mr. Nothing Can Touch Me.”

The wry nickname hung in the air for a while, the faint noise of the night city washing over your pair. When Steve broke it again, there was a barely audible crack in his voice.

“I… I’m okay. I think. I… should be. It’s been so long. Decades,” he mused, turning his gaze to the sky. His eyes glistened and if you didn’t know him, hadn’t witnessed his walls lowering before, you would have thought it was just the streetlights reflecting.

You knew better. Tentatively, your fingers brushed his, not remembering when his hands had left his pockets. You were grateful for it now, especially when he didn’t retrieve from your touch instantly.

“Not for you,” you pointed out quietly, rewarded by the softest squeeze of his warm hand.

The heaviness and tension you had felt before resolved with the gesture. Something finally fell into place and you were almost you again and he was almost him.

Two figures, carrying their griefcases, but functioning and… harmonizing once more.

“How did you know?”

“That’s what friends are for, Steve,” you echoed his earlier words, sending a tiny smile his way, meeting his glassy gaze. “They remember important dates, good or bad.”

“No one else did. Not that I can actually hold it against Buck, of course... but no one… you…” his voice trailed off as he lost his train of thought – or perhaps he had never truly directed it to the station in the first place.

Your shoulders moved a fraction, a hint of a shrug-off. His hand wrapped around yours tighter in silent appreciation, not showing any sign of intending to let go.

And you were alright with that. More than alright.

Walk me home in the dead of night I can't be alone with all that's on my mind, mhm So say you'll stay with me tonight 'Cause there is so much wrong going on outside

Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh

His presence was always immense, overwhelming even; yet so comfortable you didn’t have the slightest problem with opening your heart to him, offering it to him even when it was bleeding. And now, finally tuned together, it was no different.

You bared your heart to him, even if it hurt.

“She didn’t make it,” you whispered, voice pained in the dead of the night and he didn’t react, letting you to gather strength to elaborate. You cleared your throat as the lump grew in it.  “Kayla, one of the kids… from last week’s mission. I found out yesterday… she-she didn’t make it, she had too many injuries. Word is that perhaps it was even a blessing. A relief.”

“I’m so sorry,” Steve repented, his grip growing stronger just a fraction, enough to make your chest and eyes burn.

“Yeah, so am I.”

Whatever he heard in your voice, it caused his fingers twitch in your hand, his footsteps slowing down. “You know that wasn’t your fault, right?”

“Wasn’t it? If I was faster, if I-“

Steve stopped in his tracks completely, pulling at your hand to make you do the same and face him.

You closed your eyes when his blue ones met them, unable to stand the urgency in them. His free hand curled around your shoulder, caressing in attempt at comfort.

“Hey, hey, don’t do that to yourself.” Hypocrite, you threw back at him in your mind, stubbornly keeping your eyelids shut, simply knowing that if you saw the sincerity in his gaze in addition to the fervour he spoke with, you might actually believe him. “You did your best. I know that, Nat and Buck know, everyone does. A monster you helped to put behind bars hurt the kids. Not you. You saved so many lives.”

You shook your head with a sigh, staring straight ahead as you turned on your heels and continued your path. Steve, never letting go of your hand, followed reluctantly.

“Sometimes I think he might have been right, you know?”

Peripherally, you saw him frown again and you cursed yourself for drinking – it untangled your tongue and his stupid face made your spill your guts to him, vomit emotion. You weren’t too secretive about your feelings most of the time, but damn, you hated how alcohol pushed your boundaries of sharing them.

“… Jim. He said that maybe I should give it up. That I’m just running alongside you, heroes, pretending to be one of you, but in the end, I’m not even close to being as good-“

Steve’s feet took roots in the ground, his steely grip forcing you to stop – as long as you wanted to keep your hand attached, which yeah, you kinda did.

“I feel like taking a detour now,” he muttered darkly and for a short moment, confusion was everything you felt, blissfully overtaking the anger, the sorrow, the helplessness and the feeling of utter uselessness.

“Huh?”

“Where does Jim live?” Steve spitted out the name venomously and you couldn’t help the wave of affection washing over you. Affection towards this treasure of a man who apparently wanted to punch another human being because it offended his friend. “He has no business saying something like that. Especially if his bullshit actually affects you-”

“Steve, he wasn’t wrong, I’m just-“ you sputtered, caught off guard when you registered the fire in his glare.

“We all make mistakes. But that’s beside the point, because you didn’t even make any that day. I read the report, and I know you, you put everything you got and more into the rescue mission. How can he-“ he hissed, literally taking a calming breath as both of his hands balled into fist.

Well, one of them only nearly, since it was still holding yours. It actually stung a bit, the bones in your hand close to grinding against each other.

“-I haven’t met him many times, but if he said that instead of comforting you after an incredibly draining mission, then I’m glad that that asshole is gone from your life. … though I would still appreciate his address.”

Blinking away the few stray tears that welled up, you forced a smile as Steve’s strict glare found yours. It felt good, seeing his indignation; having someone else exasperated on how Jim had reacted. He should have given you a hug and hold you tight; that was what you would wish for. Instead, he told you to stop complaining and when you accused him of not supporting you, he called you a whiny bitch who should make up her damn mind and broke things off.

You deeply appreciated Steve’s display of chivalry, hell, you half-considered giving away the address just so Jim would hear someone else agreeing with you, but you were honestly just tired. And you had a feeling Steve wouldn’t stay only at words and seeing any more blood, any more aggression would have been too much for you tonight.

Tonight, you… you needed serenity and comfort.

“…thank you. That… that means a lot. But… maybe just walk me home? Please? Could you walk me home, Steve?” you pleaded softly, barely audible, not caring it sounded like weeping of a needy child.

Unbeknownst to you, that was the last thing you resembled in Steve’s eyes. Your imploring gaze, vulnerable and open, it moved something inside him, his anger silenced for the moment, leaving him defenceless, unable to say no. Not that he had an intention to do so. He always had trouble saying no to you.

So he forced his fists to relax, running his thumb over the back of your hand and whispered the only word that made sense.

“Always.”

You settled back to the comfortable silence after that.

 Walk me home in the dead of night 'Cause I can't be alone with all that's on my mind Say you'll stay with me tonight 'Cause there is so much wrong going on

 You reached the Tower hand in hand.

Neither of you released the other. Not during the elevator ride, not when you walked the halls lined with doors leading to each’s private quarters.

You were still holding onto each other when you came to a stop in front of your door; rest assured, Steve Rogers would lead you right to your door even if his was only at the end of the very same corridor.

Standing nearly chest to chest, his eyes bored into yours with seriousness that surprised you.

“For the record, you do a great deal of good,” he reassured you, saying it as if he truly meant it. It tugged at your heart, sweet and bitter. “You’re amazing and you’re the most authentic of all of us. I admire you.”

That claim caused you to chuckle. Now he was laying it on a bit thick, downright exaggerating.

“You admire me? Steve, that’s really nice of you to say, but don’t be ridi-“

Your words died in your throat when his large palm splayed over your cheek, cradling it gently. When the paddle of his thumb swiped over your other cheek, soft smile playing on his lips, his irises bright with a promise, time seemingly stopped along with your heart.

“And you’re a great friend to the whole team, a wonderful person. Do me a favour and finally learn to accept a compliment,” he asked of you in hushed voice, the electric blue and green of his eyes locking you in. “If he didn’t praise you enough for you to get used to it, he was doing something wrong.”

You gulped, a silly association with the word ‘praise’ allowing you to break from the cage of his gaze that had previously had your mind gone blank.

“I’m not a dog to be praised, Steve…”

One corner of his lips – and when did they got so close anyway? – twitched. And then a tender kiss landed on your forehead, just the softest brush of lips against your skin. The gesture, utterly incomprehensible for you, had your eyelids flutter shut.

“I’m very much aware. Believe me, doll, I know. Thank you for letting me walk you home.”

You only nodded at the ridiculous statement – why was he thanking you? – too perplexed at the fact his lips had made contact with your skin. When did you cross the line towards the delusional drunk?

His fingertips caressed your face as he let go, wishing you to have a good night. Too baffled, you were unable to respond until he had already made his way to his door and you suddenly missed the warmth of his presence.

Breaking free from your haze, you acted on impulse, apparently startling him when you called his name out of blue so urgently.

“Steve!”

Whipping his head around to look at you, you felt your heart jump into your throat.

“Uh… are you ready to go to bed or… or maybe… would you like to watch a movie or something?” With me?

I don’t think I’m ready to be alone. Ready to be without you.

Even from the distance, you would swear you saw his lips spread in a slow honey-sweet smile.

“I think I’d like that,” he called out lowly. “Ten minutes? I’ll get the blankets. You pick the movie.”

“See you in ten then.”

You pretended that your heart didn’t flutter, sending a wave of familiar tingle through your chest and to your fingers, as you slipped inside your room with your mouth curled up in a content smile.

 Walk me home in the dead of night I can't be alone with all that's on my mind So say you'll stay with me tonight 'Cause there is so much wrong There is so much wrong There is so much wrong going on outside

*✧･ Bonus *✧･

If Tony found them two and half hour later, closing credits rolling, the pair curled up and cuddling on the couch, you fast asleep in Steve’s arms, and he noticed that the supersoldier was in fact only faking to avoid an interrogation from the Ironman himself, he didn’t mention it. He just whispered to FRIDAY to turn off the TV and turn off the dimmed lights completely.

He hoped Rogers would treat you the way you deserved, unlike the man who now had farts announcing a received e-mail or texts, unable to change it, and a laptop turning on randomly, dead-pale children staring at him from the screen with hollow eyes and in clothes dripping water. Tony would hate to have to hack more tech again just to avenge your broken heart without your knowledge any time soon.

He’d rather suffer watching the two of his friends being disgustingly sweet on each other.

Probably.

*✧･*✧･*✧･*✧･*✧･*✧･*✧･

S.R. masterlist

*✧･*✧･*✧･*✧･*✧･*✧･*✧･

Silent thanks to the person who came up with the word ‘griefcase’ as an alternative to emotional baggage.

Also, I’m pretty sure songfics aren’t supposed to be so long... oops?

Thank you for reading!

[melliflovs]

Domain Expansion - Gojo x Reader

Word Count: 2,093

Warnings: voyeurism, degradation, oral male receiving

Summary: Gojo gets too impatient to make it home and has his way with you.

A/N: This has been bouncing around in my head for like two days after getting the idea from a TikTok, I don't know if it's been done yet

"Gojo," You giggled pushing his hand off your thigh. "We're in public." The hideous bright orange vinyl seats clung to your bare legs as he subtly pushed your skirt up under the wooden table. You were tempted to indulge him, his fingers slowly sliding back up to the inside of your thighs. Right before you shifted to give him easier access, two of your students slid into the booth across you. Clearing your throat you quickly closed your legs, his hand slowly retreating.

Yuji placed a basket of fries in the center of the table, "Thanks" You grinned picking one up and eating it. "So, boys let's talk fingers." Both you and Gojo were pro keeping Itadori alive for the time being, possibly the only ones in the curse killing world who were. Over the past week, you and Gojo had curated a list of where you could potentially locate Sukuna's fingers - the past week may or may not have also included you being bent over the desk in between teaching lessons. It wasn't a secret that the two of you were together but you did try to keep things discreet.

You pulled out the list of finger locations, giving one to both students with a grin, "This is where you should be able to find them. I-" You were cut off by the feeling of Gojo's hand returning, making quick work of opening your legs back up and sliding his fingers to the inside of your thighs. He didn't move for a moment after that, letting you decide what you want.

"Boys, could you guys order me a soda really quick?" You asked a sweet smile on your face. "How about a burger too" Gojo added, "Extra cheese."

The two students stood up in unison, uttering "Yes sensei" under their breaths as they went. You watched as they approached the register, opening their mouths to talk to the waitress. Turning back to your boyfriend you subtly hiked up your skirt, your thin black lace panties exposed to his eyes only. His eyes widened behind his glasses. He leaned in closer to you, his voice coming out in a low purr, "Wear those just for me? What a good girl."

One of his arms wrapped around you, drawing small circles on your shoulder. "Do you know what I'd do to you if they weren't with us? I'd fuck you on his table if I could. In front of everyone here."

A blush spread across your face, you felt as if you would melt into the floor from embarrassment. You were ashamed of how well his words were working. Your reaction only seemed to spur him on further. "I bet you like the idea of being bent over and fucked until you can't think anymore while everyone watches."

You tried to clench your thighs together but he held them open with one hand, "Tsk, tsk, too late for that." Your breath hitched in your throat as you felt his fingertip run up and down your clothed folds. His breath was hot on your neck as he leaned down again.

"So wet already? I guess it does get you off." Smirking he moved your panties aside, "I'll rip them off later." Slowly he trailed his finger up to your clit circling it before dipping back down towards your entrance, slowly entering you with a single digit.

"W-What if they notice." You stuttered out as he began pumping, his palm grinding against your clit.

"What if they do?"

Your eyes got wide, "Gojo we can't-"

He tilted your head towards his, kissing you softly for a moment before pulling away. Grabbing your hand he pulled you out of the booth and taking you out the back exit while your students cluelessly waited patiently for the food.

When you exited the door you found yourselves in an empty alley, Satoru wasted no time in pushing you up against the brick wall. He kissed you slowly now that he had you to himself. His tongue invaded your mouth with ease as wrapped your arms around his shoulders, tugging lightly on his white hair. He let out a low moan, grinding into you lightly. His bulge pressed against you, the weight of it reminding you how badly you wanted to feel it in your hands.

Switching positions you pushed Gojo against the wall, never breaking eye contact as you sunk to your knees. You toyed with the button on his pants, the bulge straining the material. Slowly you leaned forward and nuzzled your nose against it, looking up at him from under your eyelashes. His hand came down, stroking your hair and cheek before his thumb brushed over your lip.

You didn't hesitate in opening your mouth for him as he slipped his finger in. You sucked it immediately. Gojo looked down at you, lust clouding his eyes as your tongue swirled around his digit. You began to unbutton his pants, his finger was fun but it wouldn't satisfy like other things could. You released his finger with a pop as you pulled down his pants, his cock springing out eagerly.

Taking your time you slowly stroked him, tracing his veins with your fingers. You felt his hand lace through your hair, holding it back for you. You tilted it up, look deeply into his eyes as you licked a stripe from base to tip, swirling around his light pink head.

He grinned down at you, "Just like that, baby. Just how I like it." You leisurely worked your mouth down around his cock, taking your time as you took him. Gojo was beginning to grow impatient, his hips bucking lightly into your mouth, his tip hitting the back of your throat. You choked for a second, breathing deeply through your nose as tears pricked at your eyes. "Dirty whore." He growled, "Look so pretty wrapped around my cock like that"

His words made your head feel light and the heat between your legs swell. His hand still holding your hair back began to guide you up and down on him, you hummed around his length the vibrations sending sparks through Gojo as he moaned your name quietly.

Such a powerful person falling apart just from the warmth of your mouth.

You reached a hand down to rub yourself, the palm of your hand giving you temporary release as the feeling grew and closing your eyes blissfully. Getting lost in the feeling your movements stalled, momentarily focusing on your own pleasure. Gojo used his hand to pull himself from your mouth, watching you get lost in your approaching high. Without warning he crouched down in front of you, long legs surrounding you on either side. Swiftly he grabbed your hand, halting your finish. Your eyes snapped open to be met with his.

"Gojo, please." You whined, trying to take your hand out of his grasp.

"Only I can make you cum right now. Even if it is in this disgusting alley and you're on your hands and knees on the fucking ground." You nodded dumbly at him, surprised by his words, and incredibly turned on. "That's my good girl." He said, leaning forward and kissing you softly on the lips, his own hand finding his way down to the bottom of your skirt. Effortlessly his fingers slipped into your panties and began thumbing at your clit. Sparks flew through your body as the previous flame was reignited.

"Gojo." You moaned loudly, your body happy to have his hands on it. You reacted in ways you couldn't even comprehend when he touched you. You said his name again, even louder than the last time.

"Oi." He whispered, leaning towards your ear, "Need to be quieter, only I get to see you like this. No one else can hear you like this-" He was cut off by laughter at the other end of the alley by the street. A group of three men walked by. They paused for a moment, peering through the darkness. You tensed in Gojo's arms.

His hand brushed over your hair, petting you softly. With a smirk, he whispered in your ear. "Domain expansion."

Suddenly the area around you turned pitch black wind whipping around you and just like that the two of you were surrounded by the void still sitting crouched in front of each other. "Peace and quiet." You smiled, leaning forward and kissing Gojo. Pushing him onto his back you climbed on top of him. His cock was trapped between your stomach and his. Gojo's slender fingers went to your thighs, slowly hiking your skirt up once again like he had in the diner only this time you let him. He slid you forward, your clothed core rubbing over his length.

Simultaneously you both moaned, "Fuck, (y/n). Need you so badly." You lifted yourself up for a second, pulling your panties off, careful not to lose your balance. "Skirt stays on." Gojo smirked, clearly happy with your choice of style this morning. The black tennis skirt was lifted up to your hips as you lowered yourself back on him. Slowly you rubbed your wet folds along his length, you were practically dripping at this point.

Gojo watched in awe as you moved along him. You looked so unbelievably hot in the short skirt, even more so with it bunched up at your hips as you tried to tease him. It was working, don't get him wrong, but it seemed to be working better on yourself. Soft pants and quiet moans leaving your lips as his tip brushed against your clit.

"Please, Satoru." You begged quietly, what you were doing felt fantastic but it wasn't going to push the growing feeling off the edge, and it wouldn't do it for him either. He lifted you once more effortlessly, a strong hand gripping your soft skin as his other grasped his cock. With the distance between the two of you, Gojo rubbed his tip along your soaked folds. Slowly he eased himself inside you. His thick length stretched you out as you pulsed and mewled around him.

Gojo let out a groan as you enveloped him, your heat ready and wanting. He watched as your eyes rolled back from the feeling of finally getting what you needed. Gojo began working his hips, fucking you hard and fast from below. "Fuck, Gojo. F-Feels so good." You stuttered, his cock bumping the deepest parts of you as you yelled out in euphoria. You raked your hands through his messy hair, pulling lightly as he fucked you.

His fast pace made your breasts bounce up and down, his eyes trained on your clothed chest. Your hardened nipples were visible from the thin material of the shirt you wore. Catching you off guard he pulled your shirt up with his hand, exposing your bare chest. Leaning forward he sucked one of your nipples into his mouth, his tongue swirling around the sensitive bud. He sucked harshly on the supple flesh, marking it for days to come.

Between his hard cock buried inside you and his teeth and tongue lapping at your tits you quickly became a mess, moaning wantonly. You felt the waves of electricity begin to rise as his thrusts grew sloppier and his breathing got more erratic. His mouth never left your chest, latched onto you as you broke, shaking around him and pulling his head in between your breast, pulling at his hair. "Fuck, Gojo. So deep."

You heard him exhale deeply, sputtering as he chased his own release, cumming inside you. He kept thrusting, his cum mixing with your slick as it spilled out of you and onto his thighs. Sweat beaded at both of your foreheads, exhaustion soon approaching. His mouth continued to leave sloppy open mouthed kisses on your chest before dropping your shirt back down and giving you a soft peck on your lips.

You gave him a sleepy grin, "Do you think they noticed we left?" You asked as you slowly pulled yourself off him. Your legs shook slightly as you stood, straightening out your skirt.

Gojo zipped up his pants and smirked at the noticeably wet mark on his pants. "Probably." He said, standing up and walking towards you. Pulling you closer to him, giving you a kiss on your forehead. "I'll handle them later. I hope they took our food to go. Could really use it after that."

For a moment you both stayed in his domain, finding comfort in the void and in each other's arms.

[desiredmalfoy]

You Walked Away From Me (Fred x Reader)

House: Left it for the reader to choose

Relationship: Fred x Reader (Draco x Reader friendship??)

Genre: Angst

Word Count: 2.4 K

I’m back with another more Fred Angst! I listened to drivers license by Olivia Rodrigo when writing this. It’s not really based on it but the song helped me get in that mindset. It’s such an amazing song! This is is in the same universe as the Dear Malfoy one I wrote. You don’t have to read it to enjoy this but I highly recommend that you do! No Voldemort in this universe. Italics are the readers thoughts. Also no Angelina slander! I had to pick a female character. 

Masterlist

Enjoy! :)

Falling out of love is expected, especially if two souls aren’t meant to be.

He had told me not to worry about her. She’s only a friend....

It was natural for Fred to be around Angelina Johnson. They were in the same year and she was the Gryffindor quidditch captain. It was only natural for their worlds to intertwine.  But that didn’t mean you didn’t worry about her being around your boyfriend. Every insecurity you’ve ever felt multiplied every time you saw her. She was tall like the models you saw grace the covers of the muggle magazines, she was just as pretty as them. Plus she had a good amount of the boys at Hogwarts vying for her attention. You felt so young and immature compared to her. Which was one of the reasons you refused to tell Fred of your constant thoughts of the insecurities you felt. 

You had no reason to be insecure about the time he spent with her. 

Because he had honestly not given you a reason to doubt him. He had never given you a reason to be suspicious of him. Your relationship with him had honestly been a dream until right now. He had asked you to the Yule Ball in such a simple and intimate manner. The whirlwind that was your fourth year also brought you love. You didn’t think you would ever find someone who truly loved you for you. But Fred showed you that he did. Someone who made every day worth it. During the summer you wrote to each other every day until he finally invited you to come over to the burrow. Your parents were hesitant to let you go at first since this year was different. You would around your boyfriend but you had managed to convince them after informing them that your Ginny and Hermione would also be there and that you had previously visited them already. 

He had even told you he loved you for the first time while you were there. You thought everything in your relationship was going smoothly.

This year was Fred’s final year at Hogwarts so it was expected for him to be much busier than usual. You would never hold that against him. He had spoken to you about his plans to open a shop with George after leaving school. But that didn’t mean he didn’t have to finish this year, Molly would not permit that to happen. But he still made time for you no matter what. He would look for you at every chance he had. You treasured each fleeting moment with the ginger boy who had stolen your heart. 

But things started to change slowly and you couldn’t help but notice.

Maybe you should’ve paid more attention to the changes you saw in him. The newfound lack of time he now had for you. The way you noticed he no longer looked at you the same way. When he no longer held your hand for long. The way he toned you out when you spoke to him about the newest adventure you had read. He had always asked for the book after you so he could read it for himself too. Slowly over time, he stopped asking what you were reading and wanting to be a part of your world. 

I wish I could’ve erased all our time together.

You were going to sneak into the boy’s dormitories to return to give Fred back his potions book he had accidentally left in the library when the two of you were studying. This was the first time in a couple of days she had even spent more than five minutes with her boyfriend. He had suggested that they study together and you had jumped on the opportunity to spend more time with him. Even if it was in silence but you were with him.

Normally she would’ve kept the book and just gave it to him in the morning. But with his unusual behavior as of recently, you weren’t sure you would even see him in the morning before class. Snape already had it out for Fred and him showing up without his potions book would definitely be costly for him. 

She was used to sneaking into the dormitory as she sometimes hung out with Fred in his room. She walked to the familiar door she was used to seeing. You stopped suddenly when she heard Fred’s voice. He was talking to someone and she wanted to make sure she wasn’t intruding into the conversation. Must be George or another dorm mate. 

That’s when she heard a female voice. Angelina 

“Fred are you sure what you’re saying”, Angelina said softly, you could barely hear her. 

There was a pause for a couple of seconds. What do they mean? 

“Yes”, Fred finally spoke. “I like you…”

“But what about (y/n)”, Angelina questioned him. You can hear that her voice had started to become shaky. 

You felt your heart breaking as if it was physically being shattered. It felt as if someone had torn it straight from your chest and now was mercilessly breaking your glass heart it into nothing.

You had heard enough and you pushed the door open without much warning. You startled the both of them as they jumped far away from each other. 

“Oh hey (y/n)...wha-what’s wrong”, Fred stuttered as he made his way toward you.

“You left your potions book in the library”, you answered showing zero emotion in your voice as you threw the book on his bed. It bounced off his mattress and landed with a hard thud on the floor. 

“I need to talk to you alone”, you said as you emphasized the last word directly at Angelina. 

They gave each other a look and Angelina exited the room. As she was leaving her eyes kept looking between the two of you. But you kept your vision trained on Fred and didn’t spare a glance at the girl leaving.

“Since when Fred”, you spoke coldly to him as soon as you heard the door close.

“I-I-I….please let me explain”, Fred said as he attempted to grab your hands. You pulled them away as if his touch was burning you. Maybe it did in a way.

“Then explain and no excuses.” Tears were already forming in your eyes.

“Since the end of October”, he said while looking at you.

“The more time we spent together, the more I realized my feelings were changing”, he continued to speak to you. “Things changed (y/n) and I’m sorry.”

“You said you loved me”, you cried softly as tears were now pouring down your face. Your voice betrayed what you truly felt. You wanted to yell at him until your throat got raw and could no longer yell at him. “I guess you never truly meant it when you said you loved me.”

“I did! I-I...thought I di-...the love changed from romantic to simply as a friend. I meant it when I said it”, Fred exclaimed as he ran his fingers through his hands. Completely frustrated at the situation before him that he created. “Please (y/n), I still love you and care about you as my friend.”

“Stop! You don’t get to call me your friend Fred Weasley”, you yelled at him. This outburst surprised him as he had never seen you act this way. “You lost that privilege.”

“I didn’t want to hurt you”, Fred said while looking into your eyes pleadingly. 

All that pent up anger and insecurities were finally spilling over. She was over this.

“Just shut up….you’re such a git Fred Weasley”, you said while angrily wiping the tears on your face. “It’s obviously over but that’s exactly what you wanted.”

“(y/n), please…..”

“Some Gryffindor you are, you’re nothing but a coward Fred Weasley.”

Wanting to get the final word in she quickly left his room and slammed the door. She hurried down the hall of the boys’ dormitories looking to get out of here as soon as possible. It felt like she was suffocating. 

She accidentally bumped into someone as she was exiting the common room. She threw out a lame apology and kept walking without stopping. She didn’t really care at this moment. She hurried down the school looking for a place that they wouldn’t look for her. She just wanted to be alone today. 

I wish I could turn back time to the moments we were happier. 

(Y/N) sat at the top of the astronomy tower with tears spilling from her eyes. At some point, she could no longer cry and just let the tears silently slip from her eyes. Her body felt heavy from the minutes she had already spent sobbing. Her eyes were swollen and all she wanted to do was close them and sleep. But she was outside right now and she honestly didn’t feel like getting up right now. (Y/N) felt pathetic at the fact that she thought Fred had ever truly loved her. He claimed that at one point he did but she couldn’t even be sure of that. The presence of the moon and stars that glistened in the sky brought some peace to her at this moment. (Y/N) was so lost in her thoughts that she failed to hear the footsteps coming up the tower. 

“(Y/L/N)? What are you doing here”, questioned a voice that (y/n) immediately recognized. 

Draco Malfoy.

She quickly whipped her head to face the boy who was making his way towards her. 

“Look Malfoy”, (y/n) responded with a long sigh. “I’m not in the mood today. So if you’re going to throw some insults my way…. just do it. I don’t care anymore.”

“You seem like a mess (y/l/n)”, Draco said as he sat down on the floor next to (y/n). He still kept his distance though. 

“You sure have a way with words Malfoy”, (y/n) said with an eye roll. “So charming.”

“I’m stating the obvious. What’s wrong?”

“Why should I tell you”, she responded defensively. “So you can go tell the rest of your friends and tease me about it.”

“Fine. Then don’t say anything.”

There were a few seconds of silence before he spoke again

“I wouldn’t kick you when you are already down”, Draco said so quietly that (y/n) could barely hear him say it. 

“Why wouldn’t you? You clearly hate me”, she scoffed at him.

“I never hated you (y/n). I just greatly disliked those you decided to make yourself an acquaintance with”, he said nonchalantly. 

“Well...you’re in luck because I definitely won’t be around them now”, (y/n) said simply as she stared at Draco. 

Draco only starred at her with a confused expression on his face. He honestly didn’t know what to say next.

“He cheated on me”, (y/n) finally said to him. She saw his eyes soften at her confession.

“And you know what’s worse? My supposed friends probably knew. George definitely did”, (y/n) said as she ranted to Draco. Someone she never thought she would even speak to unless it was to trade snide remarks. 

“Well if they never told you they were never truly your friend.”

“Plus he’s their brother and much closer to him. It’s only expected that I’m going to be the one pushed to the side.”

“Well if you need someone to talk to, I’m here every night.”

“Why are you being so nice to me”, (y/n) questioned him. They had never been on best terms but it’s because she had learned to ignore him and pay no attention to his remarks.

“Everyone needs someone to talk to and like I said I never hated you.” 

(Y/N) thought about this for a while. She was conflicted on trusting Draco, especially after their shared history. She was emotionally vulnerable at the moment and wasn’t in the best mindset to make a decision.

“It’s getting late, we should go before one of the prefects comes up here”, (y/n) said to him.

“Your right”, he said simply as he stood up. “The offer still stands (y/l/n).”

With that Draco Malfoy walked away from her and left her baffled at what just had occurred. 

Darling how I wish last night was just a nightmare…

(Y/N) had been trying to avoid her friends the whole day. She decided to not show up to breakfast and avoid the awkward situation. Plus they were her only friends and she didn’t really have anywhere else to sit other than with maybe Luna. She was more of an acquaintance but she knew that she wouldn’t deny her a spot. She had skipped any class that she shared with them and hid from the rest of the day. But she couldn’t skip dinner. She was hungry and her candy stash was depleting quickly. Plus she couldn’t live off sweets. She had to go.

As she walked into the great hall, she felt nervous about what she was going to do. She didn’t want to face this right now. She was going to just keep on walking and make her way towards Luna. But once she entered she only made it a short distance before her entire mind went blank when she made eye contact with Fred. Hermione saw her next and started to stand up to make her way towards her. She has to get out of here.

Maybe she could live off her candy for a couple more days. She turned around quickly and started to make her way towards the door. But someone grabbed her hand. Not right here.

“Come sit here (y/l/n)”, Draco said as she looked down at him. He was sitting by himself and that was unusual considering that his friends were always around.

“Your friends won’t mind”, she questioned him. She noticed that her friends had all turned their attention to her and Draco. They were all looking at them.

“It doesn’t matter what they think.”

She looked at Draco and then at Hermione who was still standing and assessing the situation. She took her hand away from Draco’s grasp and sat down next to him. She turned to look at them one more time. They looked extremely confused at her actions. Fred looked at her with obvious annoyance on his face. She couldn’t believe he even thought he had the right to be annoyed.

She knew she couldn’t run from them, but she would deal with that another day.

I’m thinking of maybe continuing this?? 

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