#black swing arm wall lamps

[carinuseanpaganism]

Dallas Bedroom Large contemporary master bedroom idea with a medium-toned wood floor, white walls, and no fireplace

[loveyubrides]

Bedroom - Master Bedroom - large contemporary master medium tone wood floor bedroom idea with white walls and no fireplace

[hayleymulch-art]

Bedroom - Master

[demon-eight]

Library Family Room Chicago Remodeling ideas for a mid-sized contemporary enclosed family room library with gray walls, no fireplace, and a television stand.

[rotthepoet]

Come Home (Dark!Mattheo Riddle x Reader)

Notes; DEAD DOVE: DO NOT EAT. Dark!Matty has been plaguing my mind and I need an outlet omg. I lowkey rewrote some lore for this, so essentially the battle of Hogwarts takes place but Voldemort's influence still lives on through Mattheo, who basically runs the new Knights of Walpurgis(The slytherin boys). Everyone is evil, all good business. 

Warnings; again, DEAD DOVE: DO NOT EAT. Dark!Mattheo, Murder/death/gore, stalking, kidnapping, mattheo might highkey be ooc but its fine, dubcon(reader REALLY wants him but like.. morals?), oral(F! And M!), mention of fem masturbation, predator/prey dynamic, spitting, degradation, lowkey breeding kink?, piv, lowkey porn with plot, Stockholm syndrome if you squint, at least he kinda gets a redemption arc

This one goes out to my beautiful @nottswitch i hope dark!mattheo comes to life and fucks us both <3

Word count; 6.3k

ﾟ+*:ꔫ:*﹤

The bitter breeze in the frigid air pricks through my thin shirt as the diner door swings open and shut again as a customer disappears into the icky black of our winter night. I stare out after him, a farewell unspoken on my lips as I cast my gaze towards an orange, flickering lamp post lining the parallel street, and I realize how truly cold it is inside the shabby eatery. 

As I tug the embarrassingly short, mandated skirt I'm forced to wear, I can only think of the comforting and safe walls of Hogwarts, my home only months ago, yearning for the soft crackle of a fireplace and the ambient chatter of portraits lining the walls. The muggles had nothing as interesting, nothing as familiar as the light of the silver moon passing through the large windows of the great hall. Nothing as comfortable as my own home back in England, with my mother and fathers smiling faces. Nothing as comfortable as the safe, unscarred arms of the once-kind boy I loved what feels like so long ago. 

Being on the lam for about a month now, I've been skipping towns and laying low where I can. It’s not often, but when I'm able to stay in a town for longer than a week, I take pitiful muggle jobs, my current being to take orders at a local diner, “famous for their milkshakes”, although fame must mean four regular visitors in this nowhere town. 

Jean, the gray-haired woman who owns the diner I work at, leans over the counter and points at the analog clock hanging on the wall. It reads almost 1:30, and it finally sets in how tired I am. She hums and looks me up and down, standing in the middle of the floor, standing stiff as a board while holding a broom. She clicks her tongue and shakes her head, a small smile gracing her aged face. 

“I’m sorry, I zoned out.” I apologize, leaning the non-flying broom against a nearby booth, and smooth out my wind-swept hair. 

Jean just shakes her head, “Go on and head home. You did good today.” she hums in approvement, tossing me my room key that was previously hanging on a hook in the kitchen. “Be careful out there, the papers said another storm is coming.” she warned, but a storm is the furthest thing from my mind as I push open the door. Silver light flashes across the street and my heart nearly stops beating, a pit forms in the bottom of my stomach. My eyes squint, finally adjusting to the lack of light, catch the face of a mannequin in the window of a shop. I let out a breath I don’t realize I’m holding and relax as I realize the moon had simply caught the silver details on the faux person. I turn on my heel and carry on down the dimly lit pavement towards my motel. 

It’s just as run down as everything else in this town, water stains stretching across the ceiling like swatches of muddy paint, and the hideous carpet crunches underneath my feet. It isn’t much. It is nothing, in fact, but a roof over my head and sanctuary from the ruthless dangers outside. 

I drop each article of clothing from my body onto the yellowing tile of the bathroom floor, stepping into the freezing cold water of the shower. I shudder, goosebumps racking through my body as I allow the water to wash away the grease and sweat, I collected today. I run a baby blue loofa over my skin, suds washing away with the now lukewarm stream. I close my eyes, and take a deep breath, and the smell of metallic rust from the old pipes fills my nostrils. 

Blood. So much blood. It covers my hands, and my knees, my face, and my clothes. I practically wade through a pool of it, the dark hallways of that god awful manor stretch on infinitely, and the smell of rot and decay suffocates my senses. My heart nearly beats out of my chest as his strong arms wrap around me as I collapse to the floor, and I'm hyper aware of the many motionless bodies lying at my feet. His lips brush against my neck, rough and wet, and I wonder if they have blood on them too. I wouldn’t put it past him. Malicious is not a word I thought I would ever use to describe my lover, the man I thought I was going to marry one day, but like many other things before, he proved me wrong. His warm hands caress the soft fat of my thighs, slipping underneath the loose fabric of my shorts, and he leans into my ear. “They’re all gone now… Let’s go take a shower.” 

I release a shaky breath and turn off the water, letting it drip from my head and down my face, mingling with salty tears. Wiping my face with my wet palms, which did nothing in retrospect, I sigh. I can’t go back there; I can never go back there. It isn’t safe anymore. He isn’t safe anymore. Come on, I can’t keep feeling bad for myself. This is ridiculous, and as I step out of the shower and dress myself, I feel a newfound sense of determination. Sleep, for the first time in months, finds me easily with her warm embrace. 

ﾟ+*:ꔫ:*﹤

As most things in my life do, my high spirits came to an abrupt end. Smoke fills my lungs, but there's a strange taste to it. It’s not a fire, no, it was tobacco. A smell I was all too familiar with. I sat up in bed, and my eyes met the inky black eyes of his silver, skull mask. My breath catches in my throat, only for me to cough out the smoke from his cigarette.

He couldn’t have found me this easily. It’s a bad dream, it has to be. Merlin forgive me, God save me, tell me this is just a dream! The mask on his face shifts a little, clearly amused at my coughing fit. “Have anything to say?”

Say anything. Stop gaping at him like a fish, you are a powerful witch, almost top of your class in DADA. Almost. Second place, notably. Right behind him.

Mattheo Riddle.

A sob racks through my body, tears falling down my cheeks before I even realize, and I’m paralyzed in place. Half of me wants to crawl into his arms, to beg for forgiveness, to beg for him to take me home. Home to that wretched, dark house, with blood seeped into the wood. With blood-stained grout on the kitchen tile. With blood-stained walls. So, so much blood. The other half of me screams at me to run. To run, to run, run, run, RUN! For god's sake, run! 

I push myself out of bed, fast enough to catch Mattheo by surprise. He flicks his cigarette to the side, letting it roll along the carpet floor. My hand reaches for my wand resting on a table beside the door as I duck out of his reaching arms, and I stumble to my feet as he lunges after me. I throw open the door, pulling it shut in his face as he screams for me.

“You bitch! Come back here!” he screams through the wood, struggling with the now sweat-slick doorknob. 

The door splinters open with the blast of, “Bombarda!”, but I scramble down the wet, cold streets, my bare feet scratch against the rough pavement as I sprint, thankful that it had been just warm enough to not freeze. I duck down another street, pulling out my wand to apparate elsewhere. I rack my brain for a safe location. Hogwarts? I might be able to, but I don’t want to risk splinching. My job? It might separate me long enough to get my shit together. 

Air is knocked out of me as a heavy body slams into mine, knocking my wand out of my hand. A heavy, black boot pins my wrist to the ground, and a silver mask that was not Riddle’s leans over me. He laughs under the mask, but I can’t tell which of his mentally fucked goons had caught me. I reach for my wand, but another set of boots kicks it out of my reach. Leather gloved hands grab my hair and lift me up to face the group now circling me. 

“She looks pitiful, really. Like an angry kitten.” An Italian accent draws next to my ear with a mocking snicker, and I thrash to kick Theodore Nott anywhere I can, luckily landing a solid blow to his shin. He curses in pain, and hisses something inaudible underneath his mask as he throws me back to the ground. The rough concrete scratches against my exposed skin, drawing blood from the soft flesh. I yelp in pain, landing at the feet of someone else. A black, steel-toed boot presses against my cheek, pushing my head to the side as I watch another figure ominously approach. I would recognize my Mattheo’s casual amble anywhere, and he peered down at my stray wand laying at his feet.

I don’t even have time to protest as he steps his boot onto the wood, sparks fizzing out around the magic object as it snaps under his weight. A choked sob escapes me as he approaches, my eyes wide with horror and betrayal.

“Enough of this, love. It’s time to come home,” He drawls, kneeling down to my level and lifting my chin to meet his empty gaze. “Be a good girl and come back to me, I’m tired of this little game of yours.”

“Fuck. You.” I spat on the silver of his skull-like mask, noting the wild look in my own eyes as the saliva slips down its reflective surface.

Mattheo groaned and tugged off his mask, and my breath caught in my throat. What the hell is wrong with me? I can’t think this awful man who betrayed me, threatened me, hunted me down, can still be attractive. Then again, he was still the man I had loved–part of me still does love– all those years ago. The handsome face I fell asleep looking at, the doe eyes I found comfort in. He looked roguish now, his brown curls were longer than the last time I had seen him, and he had a new scar running across his cheek from our last encounter. My mouth goes dry as he leans into my face, his breath hot against my lips. 

“I’ve missed you, love,” He practically purred, pressing his dry lips against my trembling ones. I whine against him, wriggling my body underneath the heavy weight of whoever was holding me. 

Mattheo groaned, gripping my chin harder, “You used to be so obedient, pet, but don’t worry. I’ll fix you.” he mumbled, kissing my forehead as I felt his wand pressed to my temple. He mumbled an incantation against my skin, and I felt my body go limp before my eyes closed themselves, and sleep consumed me. 

ﾟ+*:ꔫ:*﹤

It was cold, damp, and reeked of copper and mold. My body laid on the floor, sore and unresponsive to my will to move. As my senses came back to me, I tried climbing to my feet, but a chain tugged my ankle back to the floor. I tumbled to the stone floor, scraping my hands against its rough surface. I whimper in pain, and only as I go to wipe my hands on my pants do I realize I’m completely nude. Horror racks through my body as I take in my surrounding and own appearance. I know I'm back in that old house, that old, disgusting, horrible house of horrors, and tears fall from my stinging eyes again.

I don’t know how long I laid on that floor, shaking from the cold as I sob into the air, screaming and cursing with conviction, damning Riddle’s name to an eternity in hell. I scream, and wail, and cry until I tire myself out, my voice breaking into nothing but a hushed plea for freedom. 

I fight sleep, sitting myself against a wall near my chain, breathing deep into my burning lungs. My eyes drift closed, but I will them open as the loud creak of a door alerts me. It’s only then that I notice a stairwell, casted in a white light with the newly opened door, and my heart nervously skips a beat as a tall shadow approaches the stairwell. The stairs creak under his weight as he descends to what I can only infer is a basement, and I stare up at his form.

Mattheo wasn’t nearly as scary like this, dressed in black slacks and a loose white shirt. Had he not been so threatening, and the reason I was chained to the basement floor, I would have swooned over the top buttons being undone. Perhaps I still do get butterflies in my stomach, but that may just be nausea. 

He looks down at me with an expression I can only describe as mock sympathy, clicking his tongue softly. “Down here for less than three hours and you’ve already managed to hurt yourself,” he scolded me, shaking his head in disappointment, “My clumsy girl, what am I going to do with you?” 

The smile he cracked made me want to claw his eyes out, or kiss him, and I worry that he may have slipped me a love potion. My ears ring, and my head suddenly aches with a mild pain, and Mattheo smirks.

“Like the shirt, do you?” He teased, kneeling down to my level. I curse under my breath, face heating up with anger (Or embarrassment, I can’t really tell), of course I forget he’s a legilimens. “Drop the act darling, I know you’re going to crack eventually. Save us both the trouble so I can finally bring you back to bed.” His warm hand tenderly caressed my cold cheek, and I fought the urge to lean into the comforting touch. “I hate seeing you down here like this, but you need to remember your place.”

My eyes snap back to his, and I whip my head to the side to bite his hand. He scowls and rips his hand away, reeling it back and back-handing me across the face. It knocks my breath out of my chest, and the rings on his fingers cut my cheek. Metallic blood drips to the floor. 

“Fine. Stay down here and bleed out for all I care.” He snaps, rubbing his sore hand as he turns on his heel and storms up the stairs. The door slams loudly behind him, and I’m engulfed in sudden darkness.

ﾟ+*:ꔫ:*﹤

My cheek and hands had long stopped bleeding the next time he came back, staining my skin red with its slick. My head lifts as the door opens again, and light makes my eyes dilate painfully. Mattheo trudges down the stairs, his head hanging low, and a small white box hanging from his hand. He approaches me and kneels at my level. I meet his gaze, glaring into his soft eyes.

“Darling, you know I didn’t mean to hit you, right?” He mumbled, holding my chin to twist my cheek towards him, his rough actions bringing tears to my eyes. “I was just so worked up, and you were pushing too many buttons, you’ll forgive me, right?” He asks hopefully, but I don’t answer him.

He sighs in defeat, opening the little box and retrieving a cloth and bottle full of a clear liquid. My eyes go wide, and I scramble backwards as far as the chain allows me to. “No, No, Mattheo please don’t-” I plead, heart racing as he looks at me with confusion.

A smile breaks across his face, “Oh darling, no, no, it’s just alcohol.” he laughs a bit, a deep sound that makes pleasant shivers run down my spine and too an embarrassing heat between my legs. What the fuck is wrong with me? He approaches me again, dousing the cloth with the solution before taking my hands. He shushes my soft whines as he presses it to my scraped palms, which makes me hiss at the burning sensation. “Good girl, there we go. That’s much better, isn’t it?” he asks as he takes a roll of gauze from the box and wraps each of my hands. He lifts my palms to his lips, pressing a storm of soft pecks and kisses to the gauze and skin. My face heats up at the gesture, and I force myself to look away. He was always so chivalrous for a monster, though it hurt to call him that even after everything.

He presses the cloth to my cheek next, his thumb tracing calming circles into the opposite cheek. “Such a pretty girl, my pretty girl.” He whispered, placing a bandage over my skin. Just like my palms, he kisses my cheek, though much slower and intimate this time. “I don’t want to hurt you, you know?” he promised, leaning over my trembling body. He looked down at me, eyes drifting past my collarbone, and he whistled softly. “A sight for sore eyes… and It’s all mine.” He smirked, leaning down as he supported his weight on his forearms. His chapped lips press suspiciously soft kisses to my neck. A loud thud coming from upstairs makes Mattheo groan and pull away. He looks down at me, wide eyed beneath him, “I’ll be right back, love, don’t worry your pretty little head.” He hummed, patting my cheek as he stood up. 

He casts me one last yearning glance before he shuts the door again, much softer this time. I lean back against the stone, releasing a breath I didn’t know I was holding, and try to ignore the wetness between my thighs as I drift off to sleep.

ﾟ+*:ꔫ:*﹤

I’m startled awake as the basement door slams shut, and heavy footsteps descend to my prison. Mattheo storms into view, and before I can even get a word out, he grabs me by the hair and pulls me up to my knees. He sneers down at me, and my head is spinning from the sudden switch up.

“Incompetent assholes. Have to do everything myself around here,” He mumbled, not really speaking to me rather than himself. He doesn’t loosen his grip on my hair as his other hand tugs apart the button of his slacks. 

My eyes go wide with shock, and he pulls my hair, forcing my chin up to look at him. “Open your mouth,” He demands, his voice lacking his previous warmth, and I'm reminded that this is not my Matty. My lip quivers and I shake my head slightly. Mattheo pulls his half-hard cock from the confines of his black briefs and pulls me by the hair to his tip. “I don’t have time for this attitude, I said open your mouth.”

I don’t even have a moment to react before his leaking tip is pressed against my mouth. He pushes his way past, groaning as my wet lips engulf his mushroomed tip. He pulls on my hair again, forcing himself further into my warm hole. “There you go, not so hard, was it? Now suck.” He orders in a tone I’ve never heard him use in bed before, and as he bucks his hips towards my face, I whine in protest while the ache returns to my lower stomach. My jaw relaxes on its own, familiar with the girth of his hung cock. An almost inaudible whine slips through my throat, and he groans at the tightness. One more tug lets me know his patience is running thin, and I reach my bandaged hand up to stroke the rest of him while I focus on his tip.

Mattheo bites back a moan, his hips stuttering as I descend further down onto his length. His leaky tip presses against the back of my throat, and he holds my head in place while he rocks his hips further into me. My nose presses against his groin as he slips down the back of my throat, and his grip moves from my hair to my throat, feeling my neck bulge with every movement. Saliva drips past him and down my chin, dribbling to the floor in thick droplets. He shudders as my throat tightens around him, nearly swallowing the head. 

“Yeah, yeah… Fuck baby. Keep going for me, almost there,” He mumbles, rocking his hips faster than before. I whine around him, my own hand slipping down to the ache at my core. My fingers gingerly brush against my clit, and the soft moan I try to let out makes Mattheo’s head roll back. Hot spurts of his seed shoot down my throat and my glossy eyes go wide at the feeling.

“Swallow,” Is all he says, and obediently, I do. He pulls my head off of him, his cum mixing with the drool in my mouth when it drips down my chin. He grips my face between his index finger and thumb, collecting the mess with a swipe of his finger and pushing it back into my sore mouth. “All of it.” 

When I satisfied him, he pushed me back to the ground, and I yelped in pain as I collided against the stone surface. “When I come down here, I want you on your knees waiting for my dick. Understand?”

I nod weakly, and he smirks down at me. “Good girl. Keep it up and maybe I’ll bring you back upstairs.” He says, before pulling back up his pants and running a hand through his hair. 

When he leaves again, I’m left with an unbearable, wet mess.

ﾟ+*:ꔫ:*﹤

With nothing else to do in my makeshift prison, I sleep a lot. And when I wake up, I force myself to sleep again. I sleep God knows how long before the door opens again, and Mattheo trudges down the stairs. I scramble to my knees, honestly fearing what might happen if I disobey him, and when Mattheo catches sight of me, he smiles. 

“There’s my pretty girl.” He hums, holding a platter with a bowl of something steaming, a slice of some sort of bread, and a bottle of water. My stomach growls as its divine aroma fills my senses, and I can’t remember the last time I’ve eaten. 

Mattheo sits down in front of me and puts the tray between up. He rests his elbow on his knee and leans into his palm. “Eat,” he orders me, gesturing to the platter with the wave of his free hand. “Or would you prefer I feed you myself?” He asks with a smirk, watching how I shift from my knees to rest on my hip. I grab the water bottle first, chugging half of it in one go, before I subconsciously offer him a sip. What’s mine is his. Was his. Was. I look up at him, taking the water and sipping from it. I tore my gaze away before he noticed.

“I don’t want to stay in the basement anymore,” I mumble, dipping the bread into the soup before taking a bite, shivering at its deliciousness. Mattheo sighed and shook his head. “You know I can’t do that yet. You ran away, darling. I can’t trust you won’t do that again,” He explained, reaching his hand across the way to rub my knee soothingly. I sigh and push the tray away, my appetite gone. Mattheo frowned and moved the tray away, leaning over me. “Princess, c’mon, don’t be this way.” he hummed, pushing me onto my back. My heart rate quickened, and he definitely noticed. “But you’re right. I’ve been neglecting you… That’s why you ran away right? My poor girl was lonely and scared.” he hummed, pressing his lips to my collar bone. “Not anymore. My attention is solely on you, I promise.” 

My head rolled back a little, lolling onto the floor as he trailed his kisses down my sternum, stopping at my breasts to gently knead them. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach as I reached for his hair, tugging gently on his loose curls. He groaned in response, his lips finding my perked nipple and taking it into his warm mouth. His other hand slipped down my soft stomach, dipping between my thighs. Out of reflex, I squeezed them together, and Mattheo parted from my tit. He sat back on his haunches, using his strong, scarred hands to pull apart my thighs and admire my glistening, needy cunt.

“It’s been all about me, huh? Need to show my girls some love.” He mumbled, before dipping his head down. His warm breath fanned across my puffy lips, and I shivered at the breeze. He didn’t waste a second more, drawing a long, needy moan from my lips as he licked a long strip from my hole to my clit. My hands tangle into his hair again, and my mouth falls open with pleasure. “Fuck, Matty–” the nickname fell from my lips without a second thought, and he practically purrs against me. His hands grip my thighs, pulling them over his shoulders as he dives nose deep into my pussy. My back arches off the floor as a string of curses flies from my lips. I feel his wet appendage push against my hole, and I clench at the feeling as his nose brushes against my sensitive bud. I tug on his hair again, “Fuck, Fuck, Fuck!” I mewl, my edge fast approaching as Mattheo swirls his tongue over my clit. He sloppily makes out with my lower lips, pulling me closer to the edge with each passing second, and I’m in near tears when there's a loud crash up above us. 

Mattheo practically roars in anger, pulling his soaked face away from my aching cunt, the knot in my stomach loosening at the sudden separation. I whine and sit up, trying to pull him back down, but he stops me with a firm hold on my wrist. “Stay here and don’t make a sound.” he ordered, “I need to take care of this, and I promise as soon as I’m done, I’ll come right back.”

Anger flashes through me, and I bite back my cries. “Don’t you dare leave me like this, Riddle.” I snap, and he gives me a warning look that makes goosebumps prick at my skin. He leans in, pressing a wet kiss to my lips, and I can feel him shiver as I lick my own arousal from his lips. “I’ll be right back, princess. Be good for me, and we can talk about a reward.”

And with that, he left yet again.

ﾟ+*:ꔫ:*﹤

I was starting to get sick of his mind games, switching up his attitude, finally giving me relief before ripping it away from me. Fuck. What am I saying? I watched him murder dozens of people; I watched lives being taken right in front of me. I shiver at the memory and try to focus on anything else before it becomes too much to bear. 

I hate how he makes me feel. Sometimes he’s my Mattheo, and sometimes he’s nothing but a parasite attached to a face I can’t help but love. My back hits a wall, and I can’t count how long he’s been gone. I miss his warm, familiar touch, but anything was better than the cold, dark basement. I close my eyes, my lip trembling as I reach my hand down, fingers hesitantly spreading my folds. Cold air hit my wet lips, and I gasp at the feeling. I brush my fingertips against my hole, whining softly at the pleasure that coursed through my body. Maybe I'm sick in the head, maybe I hit my head too hard one day on the run and never recovered. Maybe I never really hated Mattheo. 

What is wrong with me?

I don’t move when the door opens again. I glare at him, anger coursing through my veins. This was not ‘right back’. As Mattheo’s black boot lands on the stone floor, my mouth goes dry. He’s weaning that stupid mask again, and that stupid costume, tilting his head stupidly at me. He approaches me in a way that makes my heart race in fear, like I'm nothing but cowardly prey between the jaws of a large wolf. 

He knees down, retrieving his hand from his pocket. Wordlessly, he unlocks the chain around my ankle, and he looks up at me. With another wave of his wand, I’m dressed in a loose tank top and shorts. It’s not much at all, but it’s better than naked. A rush of emotions rushes through my chest, and I almost gratefully throw my arms around Mattheo, but he stops me. 

“Go. Run,” He orders, stepping aside. I stare up at him in confusion, mounted to my spot on the ground. “I said run, little pet, like you want to.” He pulls me from the ground, pressing my cold body up against his comforting warmth. “Run, and if I catch you,” he leaned down into my ear, and through the skull mouth of his mask I could feel his breath fanning across my ear. “Well, I think you know what’s going to happen.”

I still don’t move, wondering if he would be less harsh if I stayed with him, but he only laughed. “Such a good girl, don’t worry,” he pulled his mask up just enough to expose his pearly white teeth. They sunk into the soft flesh just beneath my ear, “I’ll always find you. Go, now.”

I don’t know what possessed me, but my feet started moving on their own. I raced up the stairs of the basement and pushed past the door. The house was just as I remembered, dark with walls that were too tall, black cloths hung over the complaining portraits. I was disoriented in the dark, but my feet carried me through the house until I found the overtly large entrance. I pushed open the doors and ran out into the cold, snowy night. 

Frost nipped at each of my limps, and my lungs found it harder to breathe the frigid air. I ran anyway, out towards the woods surrounding the manor. I cast a glance over my shoulder, finding Mattheo staring back at me through the blacked-out eyes of his mask. I ducked into the tree line, just as he started his casual stroll towards me. Cocky bastard. 

I run for as long as I can before my lungs give out. I leaned against a tree, walking slowly into a clearing. I take a deep breath, pulling my arms behind my head to breathe deeper. Just as I find a moment of peace, a branch snaps behind me. I whip my head around, my heart racing as Mattheo approaches me. He doesn’t run, only walks towards me with his hands stuffed into his pockets. He ditched that awful mask, and I can see the smirk pulling at the edge of his lips. I stumble backwards, falling into the fresh snow. He continues his pace, unbothered by my racing heart as I scramble away from him and finally back to my feet. I don’t get one leg in front of the other before strong arms are wrapped around my waist, slipping under the loose fabric of my shirt.

“I win,” He mumbles in my ear, voice dark and raspy. It sends a chill down my spine that pools in my underwear. 

Mattheo throws me over his shoulder, ignoring my flailing lips as he walks back to the manor. “Didn’t even get a mile, love. Lost your talent it seems, or maybe you knew you’d miss me too much.” he teased, running his warm hands up my thigh, pressing a kiss to my exposed skin. 

It isn’t long before we’re back at the manor, and I thank every god I'm in good ties with when he walks past the basement. He takes me to his room instead, our room, the room where I've fallen apart under his touch more times than I can count. 

I breathe in his familiar scent as he deposits me on the bed, and I roll over to bury my burning face in the pillows. Mattheo chuckles at me and grabs my hips, pulling me back against him as he grinds his hardening bulge against the plushness of my ass. 

“You’ve been extra obedient, haven’t you?” he asked, his voice dripping with a tone I could quite place. Lust? Possession? Love? It all blurred together as he rutted his hips against me. “Good girls deserve a reward, don’t they?” he asked, before hooking his fingers at the hem of my shorts. He pulled them down to expose my glistening cunt. He spread me out along his fingers, admiring the way my pussy pulsed around nothing. He leaned in, pressing a possessive kiss to my clit, holding my hips as I try to buck away from him. 

His warm fingers trace along my thighs, sleeping between my legs and collecting the arousal that pooled there. I release a shaky breath into the pillow as his finger circles my clit, and I arch my back to present myself further. He hums in appreciation, trailing his finger further up to my dripping hole, slowly pushing his middle finger inside of me. I gasp at the intrusion, not being able to remember the last time something so long had been inside of me. I keen under his touch, gripping the sheets for stability as he slowly pumps his finger in and out of me. A moan escapes me as he curls his finger, and his thumb brushes against my needy pearl again. Mattheo adds a second finger, spreading out my tight, gummy walls. I crumble under his touch, mouth falling open and eyes going half lidded as he pulls his fingers from me. 

I hear him dropping his pants, and the bed dips behind me yet again as he leans his body completely over mine. His arm wraps around my neck, pressing me close to his chest while his breath fans across my face. The tip of his cock presses against me, and I whine at the sensation, pushing my hips back against him.

“Needy girl, thought you didn’t need me anymore.” He teased, pushing just the bulbous tip into my hole. It’s enough to make the knot in my stomach tighten, and I shake my head. “Need you, Matty, Need you so bad.” I admit, face flushed with embarrassment as he smirks. “Gonna run away again?”

He doesn’t let me get an answer out before he’s pressing further inside of me, the stretch burning pleasantly while my eyes roll back. His arm around my throat tightens, “I asked you a question, darling.” He teased, licking away the stray tear that fell from my eyes. I gasp as his cock brushes against a gummy bundle of nerves, and my head drops to the pillows. He tugs me back against him, pushing even further until he balls slapped against me. “No! No, never gonna leave again,” I promised, involuntary whines spilling from my throat. 

Mattheo pulls his hips back before drilling them back into me, “Good girl,” He grins as he sets a punishing pace, watching my face contort into pleasure underneath him. “Who owns you?” he asks, and I push back against his hips desperately. “You! You do, God, you do!” I moan, feeling my head go light from the lack of airflow. 

“God isn’t here, Love, It’s just me now.”

He drills into my pulsating hole, my back arching at his every thrust as my brain goes mushy from the pleasure. The arm around my throat pulls away, slipping down my stomach to find my pearl. His fingers are just as fast as his pace, and I can’t fight back the whorish moans in my throat. His lips attach to my shoulder, biting a possessive mark into my skin as he fucks me good, better than he ever had before. 

Tears fall from my eyes, and my hand grips his desperately as I’m worked to my edge. “Matty, Matty please…” I trail off into a string of moans, and Mattheo adjusts himself behind me. He bucks his hips into me once more, and I fall apart all over him. My pussy flutters around his cock, and he rides out my orgasm with a few last thrusts of his hips, before he spills his hot seed deep into my womb. Mattheo collapses on top of me, still deep inside as he pins my body to the bed. He hums into my neck, burying himself in my skin. 

“That’s my good girl. Let’s go take a shower.”

[angelsleepinggurl]

𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙖 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙙𝙧𝙪𝙣𝙠 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙣𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙮?

𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒. You find yourself at a party, unwillingingly but as the night goes on you end up in bed with the guy who pisses you off the most, tooru oikawa.

wc . around 3,962

tags . oikawatooru. oikawax reader. fratboyoikawa! x reader. oikawatooruxreader smut. fratboyxnerd. fratboyxnerd smut. all characters are above 18 years old. cunniligus. drunkeness, makingout, spanking,praise, pet names.

↶ೃ✧˚. ❃ ↷ ˊ-↶ೃ✧˚. ❃ ↷ ˊ-↶ೃ✧˚. ❃ ↷ ˊ-↶ೃ✧˚. ❃ ↷ ˊ-↶ೃ✧˚. ❃ ↷

There you are, in November-like weather. In shorts and a low-cut tank top, you repeatedly bang on your neighbour's door for them to open up. The crisp air is nipping at your cheeks and the sky is a deep, dark blue, almost black, with just a hint of the day’s last light lingering on the horizon.

To your surprise, the person wanted to speak to was right there. He leans against the door with arms reaching above him flexing his bicep. Shaking your head you look him in the eyes.

"Hey doll, you here for the party?" He asks, the amusement evident in his smirk and voice as he shows off his perfect pearly whites in a cocky smile. Tooru Oikawa, the school’s idol. Not only is he the king of the court, but he’s king of the school and apparently the world. He’s also the guy you grind your gears, his stupid smirk, stupid voice and his lack of sense really drive you up the wall. Seeing him literally ruins your day. The brunette doesn't even try to hide the fact that his eyes are roaming all over your body staying on some parts longer than other.

"Hey." You snap your fingers, narrowing his attention back to you. "I'm not here to join, I'm here to tell you to turn the fuckin music down." You’ve been trying to study for your finals. Keyword: trying.

"Oh, you like the music? Yo Trey!" He shouts turning back. His shirt relatively covers him, but his figure still shows through it. His broad-toned back, with muscles that are flexed with his veins hand on the door. "Trey turn up the music man!" He shouts back and once he's done he turns around to you.

"Did that  fix your problem darling?" He asks smugly, watching you bubble up with irritation.

"Fuck you jerk." You respond storming back home, you simply don’t have time for him. There isn’t any point in trying to change those who simply didn’t want it.

"Come back later the party's lit princess." He shouts at you, though you don't reply back instead you just ignore him. "Look at that ass." He says to himself before swinging himself back inside.

You turn the key in the lock, and as the door swings open, a wave of warmth envelops you, immediately soothing your chilled skin. The contrast between the frigid outdoors and the cosy interior is striking. You step inside and close the door behind you, shutting out the biting cold and the darkness of the November evening. The soft glow of lamps fills the room, casting a warm, inviting light that makes everything seem more welcoming. Kicking off your slides, you feel the softness of the rug underfoot.

You finally get back to your room, prepared to tackle another hour of “Chemistry.” Not your best subject, but those outstanding grades don’t make themselves. Yet, before you can put your earphones in, a ping from your phone flashes across your screen. Usually, you would’ve ignored it but the consecutive pinging told you that this was your best friend, Amber.

Please, please, please come to the party.

You know the one next door to you.

I saw Theo cheat on me.

A loud sigh escapes your lips.

Fuck.

Quite ironically, minutes later you're at his doorstep again, this time not in shorts and a top, seeing a very amused Oikawa standing at the door, a stupid smirk on his face.

"Came back so soon? Don't worry it wouldn't be a party without you.” he teases, watching you intently as you shove past him.

“I’m not here for you.” you scoff, slipping through the crowd of people. The bass from the music vibrates through your chest, mingling with the sound of countless conversations and bursts of laughter. The air is thick with the smell of sweat, spilt beer, and a hint of something smoky. The hallway is crowded, bodies pressing against you as people weave in and out of rooms.

“Amber?” you shout as you knock on the bathroom door, to no avail. You make your way to the kitchen where Oikawa and his buddies are chugging down drinks like there’s no tomorrow. The table is covered with droplets and puddles of vodka and beer. Bottles and red solo cups cover every surface, and someone is mixing drinks with exaggerated flair. You flee the room and rush upstairs trying to find your friend. With every door you can open, there are either people passed out, on their phones or creating conversation. The next door you open reveals your friend sitting on the floor, near the end of a bed crying her eyes out and your heart breaks.

“Amber.” you coo, rushing towards her and cradling her in your arms, feeling her body shudder as he breaks down. Your shirt is slowly starting to get wet from her tears, but you don’t mind, you’ll stay as long as you need for her. Stroking her hair, the two of you sit in silence her muffled sobs filling it up. Once her breathing has calmed down, she lifts her hair to look up at you with her sorrowful, sorrowful eyes. “Wanna tell me what happened?” you ask her, wiping away her mascara tears for her.

“He-He.” she hiccups and takes a minute to steady herself, “He was in another room talking to some other blonde girl.” This causes you to raise your eyebrow, the whole situation does, he doesn’t seem like the type of guy to cheat on Amber, he was whipped for her. Well, goes to show how rotten men’s hearts are. Never trust a man. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. You haven't done anything to deserve that and the fact that he had the nerve to talk to another girl at a public place, goes to show how dumb he is. There’s nothing in his head, and you are so much better than him, you’re better off without him.”

Amber nods slowly, looking you in the eyes as she processes all you’ve told her. Amber is too precious for her feelings to be toyed with like this. Your best friend speaks up amidst the silence, “ They were talking about some surprise too. Oh God.” and now she’s wailing and weeping in your arms again, she’s utterly devasted and it’s all his fault. You shush and coo Amber as the both of you rock on the floor for a couple of minutes, calming down.

Then in the heat of it all the bastard himself dares to show his face, acting all confused and concerned. “Amber there you are. “ he exclaims rushing to her side.

“Hold it,” you say sternly. “First of all, you have the balls to show yourself after you humiliated my best friend, Second of all, I hope you know you’re not the shit you make yourself out to be, Thirdly-” The boy rudely interrupts you claiming that it isn’t like that at all and you’ve got it all wrong. “I don’t wanna hear your excuses.” you spit at him. Amber moves from beside you and the both of you stop your heated argument to look at her. Her hair shields her face as she looks downwards.

“I wanna hear what he has to say.” she says quietly, slowly lifting her head.

“I don’t know what you heard but I am NOT cheating on you, baby I swear.” He pleads, falling to his knees. Dramatic much.

“Then what surprise were you gonna show that blond girl, huh?”

“What?”

“Don’t act dumb, you came here to fuck her.”

“No you’re not listening to me.” the boy sighs in defeat and continues in a lowered voice, “The surprise is for you. I was asking that girl to her cheerleading friends to set up banners for you at school on Monday?”

“But why would I need stupid banners?”

The boy takes a minute and takes a deep breath, “Because I wanna give you a promise ring.” This statement shocks the both of you and you suddenly feel like you shouldn't be here anymore. You look back at Amber who’s eyes are reignited with their usual sparkle. Int he silence, she bits her cheek before turning to you, “Could you give us a minute?” You give her an ‘Are you sure?’ look and she nods smiling at you. You leave the room and shut the door behind you, being welcomed by the obnoxious loudness of the partygoers.

Sighing you make your way downstairs, your feet leading the way to the kitchen. A drink or two wouldn't hurt. You say to yourself.

You said that 4 drinks ago. Feeling satisfied, you pour a final fifth cup and walk out to the back of the house, needing a minute away from the noise. It’s nice, the dark sky and stars above you, the cool wind occasionally sweeping past you. Leaning against the wall, you tilt your head back and close your eyes. You’ll head home in a couple of minutes again. Though your peace is disturbed when an annoying voice speaks up saying “Guess who?” and poking your side.

“Ugh it’s you.” you lean up off the wall and face away from the setter, not in the mood to deal with his antics.

“Bad girl,” he says teasingly, noticing the red cup in your hand. “I didn’t know you had this side of you.”

“I didn’t know you could be so annoying.” you snap back, giving him a glare.

“Ouch, princess.”, rolling your eyes again you tip your head back as you finish the last few drops of the alcoholic beverages, and Oikawa’s eyes are glued on you. Watching as some of it dribbles down your chin. He’s never even imagined this side of you. But then again, they always say the quiet ones are the crazy ones. It almost makes him wonder what else you-

“Are you gonna keep staring at me or what? Finding a hard time generating a demeaning comment to fire at me?” You ask staring straight ahead of you, and it catches him off guard.

“Can I not admire a pretty girl?” he says smoothly, it comes naturally to him. Your check immediately turns red but your face remains neutral.

“Can it, idiot. “

“No seriously, you’re hot. Such a shame that you keep your nose stuck in those damn books.”

“Those ‘damn books’ are gonna help me have a good future, unlike these bullshit parties you throw.” Once the comment leaves your mouth, instantly regret it, feeling the bite it must have on him. The boy throws his head down and starts walking in a mini circle. “Sorry,” you mutter shrinking into yourself in shame.

“Don’t worry bout it. Not the first time I’ve heard it.” He stops walking and looks up at the sky too, ashamed to look up you resort to looking off into the distance. “How many of those have you had?” he asks, taking the plastic cup from your hand and crushing it in his, swiftly changing the subject.

“Five.”

“FIVE! And you’re not drunk?” he asks surprised.

“Tipsy. Built-in heavyweight,” you tell him, explaining your high tolerance for it and he makes a face of understanding. He lifts his arm and throws the plastic cup into the distance. One thing you’ve never understood about Oikawa is how he was always so cool and collected. His confidence just seemed effortless and you wondered what he did to have the whole school down at his knees.

“Are you gonna keep staring at me or do you have no snarky comment to aim at me?” the brunette asks, smirking playfully. He’s got you there. The wind blows and your hair gets picked up in it, moving gently as you look down at the grass beneath you. “Is there anything I don’t know about you miss?” the brunette asks. It’s almost like something in you switches, and all of a sudden it’s becoming apparent to you how good-looking the guy is. Allegedly of course. Incredulously tall, athletic and handsome. Your can’t seem to keep your eyes off his arms, soaking it all up as if seeing a man for the first time. “What do you mean by that?”

“Well,” he starts off, walking back towards you, “you seem pretty comfortable with the alcohol is there anything else to this side of you I should know about.” his voice is completely seductive, simply words that he’s saying they just seem to be calling out to you.

“I’m not telling you more than you need to know.” with the way respond it's evident that this isn’t your first time. You're smirking back at him too, your nerves feel electric and it’s making you giddy. You're biting your lip and everything but you can’t control it. He’s just right here. The boy returns to his natural position, on the wall next to you. “I’m still not very fond of you, Oikawa.”

“I know, doll.” he replies.

Then what is it about his stupid face that you want to kiss so much? What is it about his stupid hair that you want to run your finger through? What is it about his stupid stupid body, that you can’t seem to get enough of, that you want your hands to roam all over? No, this isn’t why you’re here. You’ve got to go home and be responsible and accountable for your future. You don’t have time for this or him.

“Fuck it.” you mutter under your breath, and in one swift movement, your hand is on the side of his face, guiding it towards yours and you press your lips against his. You don't know what seems to be controlling you, but whatever it is, you’re not complaining anymore. The kiss is reciprocated instantly by him as he turns to keep you back on the wall standing in front of you. His hands are on the sides of your face, cupping them gently as he savours the way your lips feel between his, the way you’re leaning into him. Your hands land around his neck as the both of you make out under the night sky. It doesn't;t take long before the kiss escalates in intensity. Mouths open wider, the kiss gets sloppier and hands drop lower as the heat inside you rises. His hand rubs the small of your back slowly and he deepens the kiss and your hands are ever so slowly sliding down his stomach. The both of you play the battle of the tongue, wrestling to fight for dominance. The kiss is almost erotic, the two fo you may as well take each other right then and then. His other hand slips on your waist, gripping it comfortably and you groan as the kiss gets sloppier.

Due to lack of oxygen, the both of you separate, taking in deep breaths. If it wasn’t for stupid air, you wouldn't have to stop, you would still be sucking his stupid face off. His lips are left more reddish than usual and you can’t get enough of the look. He’s about to start all over again, but you stop him, “I’m gonna get a drink.” you say breathlessly, it almost sounds like something you didn’t even want to do. It was painful pulling away from him. The second you enter the house you run into the kitchen in desperate search of some alcohol. You’ve never chugged anything down so fast, still feeling electric from the kiss, your mind just can't stop replaying it. Once you manage to calm yourself down you head back out into the heat of the party. Hot bodies pressing against you and drunk shouts and screams fill your ears, but they don’t make their way to you. No. Your mind has blocked all of it out, now your brain is full of him. You’re frantically searching for him in the crowd, but to no avail, he’s nowhere to be seen. That is until you look up and see him standing next to a door, looking down right at you. From what you can read, he raises his eyebrows at you and tilts his head towards the door.

You’re slipping through the crowd with absolute ease as if you’re being pulled by a string to him. You don’t know what’s so addictive about him and his beauty today, even as he stands there, door open, he looks absolutely enticing. You enter the room and the door shuts behind you, before you can register what’s happening the tall brunette stands in front of you, trapping you between him and the door. A smirk tugs on your lips as you reach up to him, pull his shirt down and dive in for another kiss. The way the both of you it’s almost as if you’ll never see each other again. “God you’re sexy.” Oikawa groans between breaths. His hands slip down to your ass, groping it passionately, before signalling for you to jump. Your legs effortlessly wrap around his waist as he walks backwards to the bed, turning to lay you on your back. Your hands slip from around his neck down to his shirt as you impatiently tug at it. Without having to be told, he swiftly pulls it off with one arm, resuming to attack your neck now. You groan once his lips touch you again, feeling an ache when they leave. His large hand crawls up your top gently roaming your stomach before you guide his hands further up. He slithers his hands back out and slides your top off from above your arms.

His lips are now gently peppering kisses on your mounds of flesh, his hands gently squeezing and groping them. You attempt to wiggle your sweats off, leaving you in only your panties and bra. You help him by quickly slipping your bra off too, releasing your breasts and your hardened nipples. The boy gingerly takes one to the mouth, passionately sucking, his other hand lightly brushing over your clit through your panties. The boy makes it a mission to give each tit equal attention. Your moans are filling up his ear and driving him crazy, sounding different from the monotone speaking voice you always talk to him with. He can’t get enough. Occasionally he presses with his fingers tips and sucks generously, but now you’re starting to find it hard to lay still, the overload in pleasure is too much. “Tooru.” you whine out but the boy is too absorbed in his work. The boy decided it isn’t fair for you to cum this way, so he hooks his fingers around your panties and pulls them down, sliding them off your leg and into your pocket.

“Hey wait-” you start, getting ready to confront him about his thriving, but you’re interrupted as his mouth latches to your soaked cunt, eager to lap up your juices. The feeling of his tongue swirling around the hardened bud makes your back arch. “Mhm fuck Tooru.” the way you purr out his name, makes his tongue work faster, licking ardently. Your fingers land in his fluffy brown locks, tangling them together from pure ecstasy. The feeling driving you wild, you’re whimpering and mewling from his touch. You’re rolling your hips against his face once a finger gets added into the mix. “Don’t stop-fuck-Don’t stop.” you plead breathlessly, your eyes screwed shut from bliss. Your fingers grip his hair tighter though he doesn’t seem to mind, eager to have you release all over your face. “’M close, so close.” you cry out, toes curling once his nose nudges up against your lips, the extra sensation pushing you over the edge. The cum spills out of you in an instant, coating his handsome face in your fluids.

You release your grip from his hair as you come down from our high, your toes uncurling. Oikawa is fast to clear up your cum, and even faster to pull his pants and boxers off. In all honesty, you weren’t expecting Oikawa to be big like that. You were just expecting average to slightly average but that simply wasn’t the case. The brunette gives himself a couple of pumps before telling you to “turn a round. Face down ass up.”

You’re lying in anticipation and soon you feel him press against your entrance, teasingly sliding it along your folds. You whine in frustration, wiggling your hips. “Just put it in already.”

“Patience princess.” he coos, grabbing a hold of your hip before fully sinking in. Your walls seem to stretch to fit around him and once he bottoms out, his tip brushing against your cervix the both of you sigh. It doesn’t take long for him to start moving, slowly at first, rocking his hips at a pace that would make you comfortable, but that’s long forgotten once he gets used to the feeling of your gummy walls clamping down on his. “Fuuckk you’re tight.” he groans, using your hips as a guide. With every thrust, your ass jiggles and the guy can’t keep his eyes off how mesmerising it looks. The sound of skin slapping fills the room and fuels him even more, it’s addicting. You’re chanting his name like your life depends on it, gripping the sheets beneath you. “Atta girl.” he groans, thrusting in you harder. You’re head is reeling and soon you’re seeing stars, tears run down your face as you try to squirm away from the incessant bullying on your drenched cunt. “Try running away from me dollface?” he asks only pulling you closer. A harsh smack on your ass and you yelp. “Answer me.”

“Noo - mhm- hah.” your moans are high pitched and you squeal once the brunette places his spare hand on your clit, rubbing rapidly. The sensations are too much and you’re crying out his name, your toes are curly and you’re vision is going blurry. “Hah-Mghf - Gonna come Tooru.”

“You wanna come?”

“Fuck yes!” you scream out, feeling your high building up.

“You’re gonna come all over my dick and be nasty?” he asks, momentarily taking his hands off your now bruised hip to smack your ass again, addicted to the recoil. all you can do is moan in response as he ruts into you. The both of you are a mess, groaning and whimpering until you finally peak. Tooru’s continuous pounding makes you sensitive, it makes you cry out as your climax is prolonged. The boy chases his high and th both of you are panting, feeling delirious.

Eventually, he pulls out of you, his dick covered in your cum from tip to base, and you’re dripping with the mixture of both of you. You whine when he pulls out of you, feeling empty all of a sudden.

Tooru moves your hair out of your face and behind your ears with in one swift motion, his finger grazing your wet cheek and your legs quiver. The guy gets the both of you cleaned up the best he can before laying up in the bed, between the soft sheets. Soon after he joins you and the birth of you are resting, enjoying each other’s presence. Your head in his chest, his hands in your hair.

In an instant, the door flies open and standing there is a relieved Amber, walking further into the room. The both of you freeze, unsure of what to do, though the both of you realise that MAber hasn’t processed the sight in front of her. “There you are, I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Hi Oikawa. Why are you still sat down we need to go?” she asks raising her eyebrow. Oikawa begins grinning waiting for their realisation to dawn on her, and once it does her eyes go like saucers.

“WHAAAAAAAT?!”

↶ೃ✧˚. ❃ ↷ ˊ-↶ೃ✧˚. ❃ ↷ ˊ-↶ೃ✧˚. ❃ ↷ ˊ-↶ೃ✧˚. ❃ ↷ ˊ-↶ೃ✧˚. ❃ ↷

this took me soooooooo long to write and I'm super hungry. Does anyone know how to write any faster?

[anama-cara]

fight club (dark!joel miller x f!reader; dead dove do not eat)

Summary: Post outbreak set in the Boston QZ. You decide to go against Joel in an underground QZ fight club for some extra coin. Joel doesn't take kindly to the competition and decides to punish you in his own special way. Word count: 3.6k

Warnings/tags: Dead Dove Do Not Eat. 18+ minors dni. Unprotected PIV, fingering (f receiving), slapping, choking, hair pulling, violence, blood, degradation, curse word, age gap, dark content, noncon, dubcon.   

a/n: This is the darkest one I’ve written so far so let me know what you think. Author is 18+ Written for #deaddovedecember2023 hosted by @romana-after-dark

You’ve had your fair share of blunders and brushes with death, but this has got to be one of the stupidest things you’ve ever done. But you’re desperate. Really freaking desperate. And desperate people throw out all caution and logic and good old fashioned common sense. So here you are, sweaty hair plastered to your forehead, heart racing, knuckles bloody. And you’re about to make another terrible mistake.

You’ve been in the Boston QZ for about 2 years now and every side hustle and grift you’ve tried has ultimately failed. One of your fellow con artists mentioned some back-alley action, an illegal underground fight club. So you follow his direction to the hideout, through an alley to the back of an abandoned building and down the stairs to the basement. You think the place must have been used for storage before, its mostly unfinished. It’s a large square room with low ceilings. All the furniture has been pushed to the sides of the room, leaving the center open. There’s a mob of people shouting and cheering, mostly large men but you spot a couple of females too. You recognize a few faces amongst the crowd as smugglers you’ve previously dealt with. There are a few lamps in the corners of the room but it’s still dimly lit. There’s a poker table pushed up against the wall, bottles of alcohol, and a caged rooster in the back. You guess this place does everything – speakeasy, gambling, cock fighting, and the ring.

There’s smoke in the air that burns your eyes and when you walk little clouds of dust follow in your footsteps. The smell of sweat, alcohol, and cigarettes engulfs your senses. The place is packed and noisy with swearing and shouting. You push through a throng of people to get to the bookie sitting on a high stool in the corner. She’s wearing a red and black flannel with black jeans and combat boots. She nods to you as you approach.

“Never seen you here, but if you’re here that means one of us trusted you enough let you in. Welcome. So, what can I do for you? Who ya bettin’ on?” She nods to the ring.

Ring is a generous term. Really it’s a cleared away area in the center of the room with a white circle on the floor drawn in chalk. There are two burly men inside fighting it out, fists flailing and blood flying. You notice that one has several teeth missing and cauliflower ear. He seems to be winning.

You turn back to her. “I’m not betting, I’m here to fight.”

She pauses to read your face and once she sees you’re serious she chuckles. She looks you up and down, taking in your skinny arms and round unscarred face. She holds out her hand. “The name’s Tess.”

You take her hand with a firm grip.

“Alright girl, you’re in. But I hope you know what you’re doing.” She gives you all the rules. Basically, you win if your opponent steps out of the ring or they don’t get up after a 10 second count. “I’ll be rootin’ for ya.” She says as you turn to leave. She sounds sincere.

You’re already starting to feel sick. Your stomach is turning, you’re so nauseous and the loud noises and metallic smell of blood isn’t helping. You go to a corner room, as far away as possible, and sit on a flipped over crate to wait. You’re wearing a loose t-shirt with your green cargo jacket overtop, black leggings, and your combat boots. You watch your swinging feet, trying to calm your nerves and not think about the sound of crunching bone you just heard. You wonder whose nose was just broken, Big Guy or Toothless.

As you’re sitting, zoning out, you feel someone walk up beside you. Your head snaps up.

“Hi there.”

Now this is a face you definitely don’t know. You’d remember him. He’s probably in his late 40’s, tall and broad shouldered with patchy facial hair, a strong nose and jaw line, and a pinched brow that makes it look like he’s permanently scowling. But there’s something in his dark brown eyes that catches your attention. It’s alluring and yet it makes you very uneasy. There’s a danger hidden there. He sits on the crate next to you with a sigh. He’s wearing jeans and a tight grey t-shirt that shows off his sculped chest and hugs his tanned biceps. That catches your attention too. You watch his muscles flex as he lowers himself onto the crate. Maybe you’re staring too long. He kicks you crate with a heavy boot.

“Hello?”

Even his voice is entrancing, gruff, dark, masculine, with a thick Texan accent. You blink and clear your throat. “Hi.” You say flatly. You try to appear confident and nonchalant, like you’re bored with this whole thing. Like you’re not scared shitless right now. You’re trying to convince yourself just as much as him.

“You come here often?” He asks and you can’t help but smile at the lame joke. His eyes move to your lips as you smile and his own form a wicked grin. It scares you. Your mouth falls back.

“Um no, this is my first time here. My first match in the ring.”

“You’re fighting?” He sounds equally surprised and impressed. His eyes light up and that predatory grin appears on his face again. “Little thing like you… going up against these grown men. You must be one tough little girl.”

You shift your weight, his words making you uncomfortable.

He quietly adds, “How I like ‘em. A fighter.”

Before you get a chance to respond there’s a roar of the crowd and you watch as they drag a body from the ring and prop him against the wall. You hope he’s just unconscious. You turn back to the stranger but he’s gone. The crowd quiets and you hear Tess call out, “Next round is against my partner Joel. Y’all know Joel. Any takers?”

You get to your feet. The crowd is too thick to see the opponent in the ring. But you don’t even care to see what he looks like first, no point sizing him up. You know all these fighters will be bigger and stronger than you. You have to do it now before you lose the small amount of courage you have left. You can’t sit still any longer.

“Here.” You call out. As you walk to the ring you tell yourself over and over again that they may have more muscle, but you rely on your speed and your skill.

You push through the circle of onlookers, most don’t even seem to notice you or bother to move out of the way. You’re too short to see over their heads so you raise your hand in the air and repeat, “here!” Finally they part. Faces look down at you as you pass and you can read the looks of disbelief and amusement in their eyes. You step over the line of chalk and face Tess. “I challenge,” you say in your most confident voice. Tess looks uncertain, even worried for you. Her throat bobs and she looks like she might say something, but instead she just nods. You turn to face your opponent. Oh shit, it’s the stranger. Joel. You know his name now. He’s giving you that horrible predatory grin again as he looks you up and down shamelessly. He’s so cocky it boils your blood.

“Well look who it is, Newbie.”

You snarl in response but he just laughs at you.

“Begin,” Tess announces.

You start circling each other, moving clockwise as you study each other’s movements, looking for the right time to pounce. You kick up dust as you slide your feet. Your boot catches on something sticky, dried blood. You push the thought from your mind, concentrating on watching Joel. You observe his muscles flexing, his balance, the length of his strides and his footwork. You can tell he’s strong, but he’s slower. You’ll use that to your advantage. During these brief moments of sizing each other up you’ve kept your own strengths hidden. You copied his pace, circling him just as slowly with deliberately timed steps. You want your real fighting style to remain a surprise. You want this fight over quickly, a few strong punches from him and you’d be lights out. You know you can’t overpower him and keep him down for a 10 count, so the only way is to trick him into stepping over the white line.

The crowd is getting impatient, their jeering getting louder and more vulgar as they scream at him to pummel you. With no warning, no tell, he lunges at you and lands a right hook into your jaw, rattling your brain. You dodge his incoming blow, ducking under his arm and side stepping past him. So maybe he’s not so slow after all, that’s okay, you’ll just be faster. Your jaw is aching and you taste blood in your mouth. You spit on the floor and Joel smiles. Just one punch and you’re already dizzy. He closes the gap in one step, towering above you with a vicious gleam in his eye. He does a jab cross combo and you manage to block both. As he’s pulling his fist back you land a hook right into his ribs lightning fast, then quickly pull your punch back and step back into your fighting stance with your guard raised. He looks a little surprised. You actually snuck a blow in. The crowd cheers and his surprise turns to anger. It chills your blood and weakens your knees but you stand your ground. Furious, he attacks you in a brutal volley, jab, cross, hook, elbow. He’s pummeling you with hit after hit and you’re moving swiftly, weaving under his fists as you step backwards, leading him closer to the edge of the ring. Your heel touches the chalk. He throws a powerful cross but he’s late on the recoil so you grab his wrist, leaning into his momentum and pulling his arm, swinging him to the right. He takes a single step to correct his balance. A single step that’s out of the circle.

You drop his wrist as the crowd erupts in shouts of approval at the surprise and swearing as bets are lost. You turn on your heel, not even bothering to look at Joel as you march up to Tess.

“Well color me impressed. If you come back again you could probably make a lot more ration cards. Everyone likes an underdog ya know.” Spectators flock to her, passing up cigarettes, pills, bullets, and food, you even spot a piece of gum. After a minute of tallying she hands you a stack of ration cards. You stuff them in your jacket pocket and nod farewell. This should tide you over for a while, at least until you find another smuggling job. Tess seems okay but you hope you never have to come back here.

You rush out of the hideout and exit into the alleyway where you lean up against the wall and breathe in deeply, relishing the fresh cool night air. You close your eyes for a moment and relax your head back against the cool concrete, letting your body calm down after all the adrenaline.

A hand wraps around your throat, squeezing and cutting off your air. Gasping, your eyes flutter open and you stare wildly at the man in front of you. Joel. His face is flushed and his eyes are black. You choke out, “J-Joel, what-“ but he squeezes even tighter and your plea dies.

“Shut up bitch,” he snaps. Oh you made a big mistake. Now you understand what kind of man Joel is. You humiliated him when you won. You took his power. And he wants it back.

“How dare you trick me like that.”

You’re desperately shaking your head, unable to speak. He slams your head back into the wall. You feel your scalp scrap against the concrete and blood seep into your hair.

“You think you’re better than me, is that it? Huh?” With his other hand he grabs a fistful of your hair. “Huh? Answer me!” he shouts.

You shake your head desperately. He feels the blood on the back of your head now and slides his hand from your hair. Holding it up, he angles his hand to better see in the light from the streetlamp, admiring the sight of your blood on his fingertips. His other fingers are still pushing into your throat, bruising the skin underneath. You have to get out of here. Not knowing what else to do you kick him in the groin, hoping he’ll drop you or at least loosen his grip. It works and you wrench free. You run one, two steps before he catches you and slams you into the wall. You squeal. His hands pin your wrists against the cold wall by your sides and his body is pressed into yours, squishing you against the wall so tightly you can’t move. His chest is heaving and his breath is in your face as he looks down at you.

“Joel please,” you plead desperately.

“Oh now you have manners.” He scoffs. “Too late little girl,” he says darkly. You whine in desperation and his lethal gaze shift to one of greed. “Oh honey you’re giving me a new idea for how to punish you.” He smiles and you watch as lust clouds his gaze. You feel his cock twitch against your middle. Your eyes widen in terror and you gulp. His predator gaze deepens as he clocks your fear. He feeds off of it. He takes your wrists and pins them above your head with one large hand.

“Gotta show you some respect little girl. Put ya in your place.” He leans his hips into you, pushing you deeper into the hard wall as he grinds into you. With no warning he slaps you across your face. It stings as you feel tears forming in your eyes.

“That’s better. Cry for me girly. Think you can beat me, no, I’ll show who’s in control here.” His other hand other slips beneath the hem of your t-shirt and reaches up to grab at your breast. He gropes you roughly, his cold callous fingers kneading into you. He flicks your nipple and you cringe at the pain, but harden under his touch as he rubs it between his finger and thumb. He groans and his hips grind into you again, rutting up against you and pushing you roughly. You feel your skin grating against the rough concrete behind you. He kisses you sloppily, greedily making out with your unresponsive mouth as you try to turn away. He drops his hand from your breast and slides his hand around your neck again.

“I’m gonna let go and yer' gonna take off your pants. Got that little girl?” You spit in his face. He laughs like a mad man. “You’re a fighter. I said I liked ‘em feisty. You remembered, huh girly?”

Then he abruptly stops and he squeezes so tightly you see black spots. “But right now I need you to behave.” You nod vigorously.

“Good girl.” He releases his tight grip and drops your hands. You undo your pants and push them down with your underwear and are about to step out of them when he stops you. “Leave it.” It restricts your movement more, you can’t run.

 “That’s it, good job girly. Now me.” He commands. You undo his belt with shaking fingers and tug his zipper down. You tentatively pause and he smacks your hip. “I didn’t stay stop,” he growls. You tug his pants and boxers down to his thighs and his cock springs free. He’s so big and angry looking that you start to cry.

“Fuckin’ weak.” He wraps a hand around the base of his cock and strokes himself slowly as you watch. The thumbs the tip of his cock where a bead of precum is leaking out. He raises he fingers to your mouth and slides his thumb over your lower lip roughly before pushing it inside your mouth.

 “No biting.” His thumb glides over your teeth and he pushes further. Your tongue flicks against him instinctively and his cock twitches. “You like this girly? You a little slut?” With his thumb deep in your mouth you’re unable to answer but your eyes glare at him. He just smirks. He taps your jaw with his other fingers then brings them to your lips as you open your mouth wider. You suck on his fingers, saliva gathering on them. When he's satisfied, he pulls them out with a lewd wet noise. He pets your check once with the back of his hand. You feel the scratch of the dried blood as his split knucks skim across your face.

He reaches down between you and slides two fingers into you without hesitation. The stretch burns and your muscles clench in surprise. “Fuck, so tight.” He slides his fingers in and out, punishing your hole as you try to adjust. “We gotta stretch you out a bit if you’re gonna fit this big cock.” He pushes another finger in and you scream. He glares at you and silences your scream with his mouth. He bites your lower lip as he fucks you with his fingers. You taste blood as he pulls way.

After a few more thrusts he feels your body adjust and your slick starts to seep onto his hand. He laughs, “Not such a tough girl now huh?” Your face reddens in embarrassment as your body betrays you.

He slides his fingers out and slaps your wet pussy. “Just a little slut. Knew you wanted this cock.” He pushes his fingers through your folds, playing with you and gathering your slick. He slides his fist down his cock, spreading the wetness.

 “Wanna see you cry on this cock.” With his fist wrapped around the base he guides himself and notches at your entrance then pushes all the way inside you, filling you up and splitting you open. You gasp at the stretch and struggle against him. He clicks his tongue. “None of that, stay still,” he grunts as he pulls out to the tip then slams back in to you. “Gotta take your punishment,” another hard dominating thrust.  

“Gonna ruin your little pussy.” He’s hitting something deep inside you with each painstakingly hard thrust. You feel your body responding, heat pooling and your walls flutter around him. He pulls out halfway and pushes back in, setting a new shallow pace as he fucks you against the wall. It’s faster and more desperate. You see sweat forming on his brow. You think you could probably get out of his grip right now if you tried, he’s distracted and out of breath already. But for some reason you don’t. You stay still as he brutally rails you, your back arching against the wall causing you’re your shoulder blades to sting as the scrape the wall.

The sounds of skin slapping slick skin and groaning fill the narrow alley. The street light flickers and for the first time it dawns on you that anyone could walk by and see you. You shiver and try to push against Joel’s hold but he growls at you through gritted teeth. “I said stay still.”

He’s close, you can see it on his scrunched-up face, so you relax and decide to just let him finish. Your body is marked with purple fingerprints and red marks where he slapped you. The blood in your hair has dried. Maybe it was stupid to fight him, you think as he continues to pound you. He feels good inside you, you can’t deny that. You close your eyes and focus on that feeling now, your hips moving to grind into him. It building and building and you can’t stop it as you come on his cock with a cry. Your walls squeeze his cock and it’s enough to send him spilling into you. His muscles twitch and he presses his entire body up against you, flattening you with his full weight as he comes inside you with a groan. You feel the warm gush of his cum inside you as it spreads and fills you. He sighs and slides out with a lewd squelching sound.

“Hmmmm, hope you learned your lesson little girl.”

Your legs are shaking, cum trickling down your thighs. He steps back and releases his hold on your wrists. You slide down the wall and sit crumpled on the cold ground. He drags his cock against your check once before stuffing it back into his pants and fixing his belt. He smirks down at you, proud of his work. “See ya around,” he says before stalking off, leaving you sitting alone in the dirty alley, pants still around your ankles.

You look down and watch his seed seeping out of you. You gulp, feeling your sore throat ache from his chokehold. You swipe your fingers over your cheek, wiping away your tears cooling against the night air. Your fingers brush against your bloodied swollen lips from his crushing kiss and drift to your sides where you see red prints marking your skin. Your fingers slide lower and find the wetness on your thighs. Without thinking you draw your fingers up to your mouth and suck, tasting him. Hand in your mouth you snap back to reality and glance down the alley to make sure no one is looking. You scrambling up, hand against the wall in support. You hurriedly pull up your pants and rush out of the alley in humiliation.

[bloo-the-dragon]

Heads and Tails

This took me way too long to write. Hah...

A small follow up to the first (two) chapters of In Our Dreams written by my good friend @emrystheblue please go read it first if you havn't already!

Anyways - Ruin suffers from chronic pains due to a crooked tail a result of a badly healed break from long ago. Today the pain is a little worse than usual and Eclipse tries to help. Little over 4k words be prepared should you hit that read more!

(Also on a03!)

~~~

A thump and a crash followed by a sharp squark was the oh so wonderful alarm Eclipse had to wake him that morning.

Or afternoon. Evening? Something along those lines. How long had he been asleep?

He blinked blearily at the wall, his fuzzy processors struggling to boot up fully and leaving him briefly disoriented. For a split second his memory glitched and he forgot where he was and who he was- but a small refresh quickly fixed the issue, leaving only a small log in his files as the only evidence something had occured despite him not recalling it. Eclipse simply ignored it though. He was more than used to it.

Once his processors finally finished booting up, Eclipse raised his head sluggishly to regard the doorway, squinting as he tried to remember what had woken him up. Another small thump and an annoyed sharp chirrup from across the apartment slotted the jigsaw piece of memory into place and the dark orange robot deadpanned. Ah. Ruin.

The hell was that fish up to now?

Resisting the strong urge to flop and sigh into his pillow, Eclipse grumbled, sitting up and swinging his legs around to stand. A short bout of dizzyness had him placing a hand on the desk to keep his balance, and the other against his head, displacing the rays that crowned it. After taking a moment to gather his bearings and for the dizzyness to subside, the dark coloured animatronic wearily trudged the short distance across the small bedroom and into the main living area.

The immediate first thing Eclipse noticed was Ruin was on the floor next to a toppled over table lamp. Panic flared within him briefly but then the mer let out an annoyed growl as he tried to push himself up from the floor. Eclipse caught a glimpse of the mers legs trying to form but failing causing hm to flop back down again with a loud thump.

Well that explained the noise.

Eclipse leaned against the doorway and crossed his arms in an unimpressed manner. 'What the hell are you doing?'

Ruin clearly hadn't expected Eclipse was behind him as he squeaked in surprise and turned his head toward the orange and black animatronic, a sheepish look crossing his features and the yellow frills that crowned the mers head pressing back a little.

'Oh! Eclipse! He- hello I didn't see you there' a nervous laugh followed by a small cheep, 'I um... did I wake you? I'm sorry! I was just trying to get to the couch you see and... Well.. ' The mer trailed off and Eclipse followed his gaze down toward Ruins crooked tail that was now partially coiled around him. Ruin gave it a small flick when he realised Eclipse was looking too but winced as he did so.

Eclipse frowned. Shifting himself off the doorway, he took a few steps forward and crouched down with a small grunt as he begun to inspect the mer. Ruin had since stopped trying to form his legs which Eclipse was internally glad for as seeing them form always weirded him out. But going by how the fish was trying to form them combined with the obvious sound of him falling over before, they must have disappeared without the mers input.

He glanced up and raised an eyebrow at Ruin. 'So what happened to your legs? Did they run away or something?' 

Ruin chittered in a way that Eclipse couldn't tell if was amusement or annoyance. 'Ahh very funny. But hmm... i've mentioned before it does require some ah... effort on my end to keep them extended yes?'

Eclipse nodded. 

'Yes yes! Well- Umm..'

The mer trailed off again suddenly becoming a lot more sheepish as he glanced away from Eclipse who's frown deepened. 'So... what? You lost focus?'

Ruin whistled quietly, and he winced as he shifted himself. 'In a manner of speaking...'

Eclipse's gaze returned to the tail, taking note of the faint tremors running across the scaley skin and how curled in and guarded Ruin appeared to be with it. He tilted his head thoughtfully, rays slowly spinning before halting with a click as he came to a conclusion.

'It's hurting again isn't it.'

It wasn't a question. Ruin let out a nervous laugh followed by a small whistle, drumming his webbed fingers on the floor.

'Aha... Well, yes but you needn't worry yourself dear I'm pretty used to it at this point as you know-'

Eclipse gave him a look and Ruin shrank into himself a little, mismatched sky blue and scarlet eyes flicking downwards as he became very interested all of a sudden in the carpet. 'Anyways enough about me, how are you feeling dear? Did you sleep well?' A pair of white pupils appeared which looked up to meet Eclipse's. 'No nightmares i hope?'

Eclipse gave him a sour look at that question but opted to ignore in favour of reaching his hand out to hover just above the shivering scales but refraining from touching. 'Why the hell didn't you tell me about this? And just how long has it been hurting for?'

The mer's tail twitched and he huffed with a small fishy pout. 'It's very rude to ignore someone you know-'

'Answer the damn question Ruin'

Ruin's head fins flattened back at the sharp tone in Eclipse's voice and the robot felt a tiny spark of guilt at his small outburst. He took in a simulated breath and followed it with a softer, 'please.'

There was a few seconds of silence from the mer before Ruin let out a sigh, his shoulders slumping in clear defeat. 'A few days..'

Eclipse snapped his head up to stare at Ruin in disbelief. 'A few days?! You've been in pain for days and and you didn't fucking tell me?'

Ruin's head fins flattened back again very briefly before flaring out and flickered in clear irritation.'I didn't want you to fuss! You've not been well yourself dear-'

'I'm fine Ru!'

'No you have not been fine Eclipse!' Ruin cuts him off with a sharp click, and his tail thumped the ground behind him. However doing so was clearly a mistake as the mer let out a pained hiss, coiling in on himself as he chittered out some explicitives in his own tongue. This immedietely alarmed Eclipse but Ruin held up a hand before he could do anything, gritting his sharp teeth as he continued, his voice laced still with soft hissing and chitters.

'You have not been fine. You have been sleeping restless for the past few days, but that's not even the worst of it! You- You've been...' Ruin paused, drawing in a deep breath. His eyes fall away from Eclipse, his claws gripping and digging into the carpet in clear distress.

Eclipse sat a little stunned, simply observing Ruin as the navy blue mer continued to claw at the carpet. He then releases an exasperated sigh and imitating a habit Ruin had done with him many times before, reached out and somewhat awkwardly placed his hands on top of the mers webbed ones who went very still at the contact. He didn't pull away though, and a small cheep brought Ruin's eyes back to meet his.

'I've been what Ruin?' Eclipse prompts his tone a touch softer than before.

Ruin was silent a lot longer this time. His head fins twitched, flattening back and flaring out again multiple times betraying his inner emotions. Eventually he huffed a small sigh followed by a soft whistle. 'You've been forgetting things dear.'

Eclipse tensed. 

Oh.

So that's what it was. 

...Well shit.

Eclipse looked away from Ruin, his rays retracting a bit. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't already aware of it. He knew that since a few days ago his memory has been acting up again, and while he hasn't been losing huge chunks there have been spotty moments he can't recall. Ruin had been helping to fill in the blanks for him though, and in fact now Eclipse thought about it, the mer had been hovering around him a lot more than usual lately.

Eclipse tolerated the clinginess even if it irked him a bit at times. But it had helped on a couple occasions. Small moments where he'd wake up from a nap and forget where he was who he was, but then he'd get a face full of yellow frills or a tail flopping over his stomach and it'd bring him back again.

Even today, when his memory began to fail him after waking up the sounds of Ruin in the house kept him grounded. Speaking of, he must have fallen silent for too long as Ruin cheeped softly and Eclipse felt his thumbs gently stroking his hands that still lay atop the mers. He lifted his eyes up to meet the mismatched pair of sky blue and scarlet ones that were focused on him in concern.

Eclipse huffed, giving the mer's hands a gentle squeeze. 'Alright. Fine. So my memory is shit it always has been and some days its worse than others' He notes how Ruins claws dig into the carpet again but he chooses not to mention instead continuing with 'but right now I'm fine. I'm managing. You on the other hand-'

He glanced thoughtfully at the mers tail. 'I'm going to assume you can't walk or move much right now, because of the pain right? That's why your legs disappeared too. Too much pain to focus or whatever.'

Ruin was silent for a moment before he sighed and then nodded. 'Yes. That is correct unfortunately.' 

The dark animatronic hummed, wracking his broken brain for remedies on pain relief. They didn't have any painkillers in the house as Eclipse hardly saw the need to stock up on them as they did nothing for him. He wasn't even sure if they would help a magical creature like Ruin but he made a mental note to buy some next time he went to the store anyway. Granted he didn't forget that too.

The mer seemed to realise what Eclipse was thinking and he perked up a bit, 'If you'd like to help, some ice from the- the...' Ruin paused a moment muttering something in his own language before continuing with 'freezer yes! Some ice from there should be enough to help ease it a little!'

'We only have so much ice right now Ru and not enough to cover all of' Eclipse gestures to Ruin 'that.'

'...Are you calling me fat?'

Eclipse ignored him, his brow furrowing as he considered something. 'I wonder...'

The animatronic goes silent for a moment that is just long enough that Ruin begins to worry that he's zoning out again. He jolts slightly when Eclipse suddenly leans back and smacks his hands on his legs as he comes to a conclusion.

'Alright Ru. Bathtime.'

Ruin blinked, taken off guard by the sudden change in subject. 'What?'

Eclipse didn't give the mer any time to fully process before he moved forward and slipped his arms under Ruin who cheeped in alarm.

'E-Eclipse wait wait WAIT- '

Ignoring the mers protests, Eclipse grunted as he hoisted the mer up who released a rather undignified squeak. As Eclipse took a moment to adjust his hold on the mer and maintain his balance, Ruin warbled out a mix of words before finally managing something understandable.

'E-Eclipse, dear please is this really necessary-'

Ruin was cut off by Eclipse shooting him a glare and he shrank down a bit, giving a nervous chuckle.

'Ah... This isn't up for debate it it?'

Eclipse said nothing simply turning and heading toward the bathroom. Ruin signed flopping in his arms. 'As you will then.'

Eclipse pushes open the door to the bathroom with his foot, shuffling himself and the fish inside being careful not to bump the mers tail on the doorway. He set carefully Ruin down on the mats and the mer let out a questioning chirrup as Eclipse leaned over the bathtub. The animatronic cheeped back put of instinct but said nothing as he turns on the faucets. Once the tub reached just above half full, he turned off the taps before turning to Ruin and pointing at the water.

'Get in.'

Ruin blinked looking between Eclipse and the half filled tub. 'Pardon?'

Eclipse gives him a deadpan stare before sighing and bending down to pick up Ruin again.

'Ah- ah- Eclipse wait what are you doING-'

Ruin cuts off with a small alarmed squeak when the tip of his tail comes into contact with what turned out to be surprisingly cold water. Normally this would not be an issue for the mer as he's swam in cold waters before but going from relatively warm room temperature to rather chillingly cold water was a bit sudden even for him.

As such he coiled his tail up best he could despite the sharp aches shooting through his tail and pressed himself closer to Eclipse, glancing between him and the cold bath. It doesn't take long for Ruin to catch onto what Eclipse's intention here is and while it is very sweet even so...

A nervous laugh escapes him. 'Ahh.. Eclipse dear while I'm sure the intention here is well meaning are you sure this is... a good idea?' The mer eyed the bath tub warily, curling maybe just a bit closer to the robot holding him. 'It does seem a bit.. excessive does it not?'

Ruin trailed off, his nervous gaze meeting Eclipse who simply stared back with a half lidded gaze. 'No.' He deadpanned and Ruin yelped as he was plopped straight into the icy water.

Ruin splashed about a bit and Eclipse had to take a couple steps back to avoid the worst of the cold water as some sloshed over the side of the tub. Finally Ruin righted himself, poking his head up out of the water and looking quite bewildered. He locked eyes with Eclipse and an annoyed pout crossed his fishy features followed by a small hiss.

'Proud of yourself are you?'

Eclipses deadpan stare cracked as a smile tugged the corner of his mouth. 'Very.'

The mer rolled his eyes and sank more into the water in defeat. 'Of course you are.' He sounded exasperated but there was a small chirrup added to the end of his words that told of him not being genuinely mad.

Eclipse settled down beside him crossing his legs beneath him. 'How do you feel now?'

Ruin grumbled, though it was more a soft low warble. 'Adjusting. Still sore but it is easing up a bit. However' He shot Eclipse a bemused look, 'I would appreciate not being dunked straight into cold water without warning next time dear.'

Eclipse huffed and crossed his arms. 'I'm not apologising. You needed this.'

Ruin hummed followed by a gentle whistle. 'I know dear. I.. I know.'

They sat in silence as Ruin relaxed more into the tub. Eclipse notes he still looks tense and he watches how Ruins tail quivers. Maybe he made the water a bit too cold, and he asks Ruin who waves him off. 'No it's fine dear. I'm just sore still. Give it a bit and i'll be fine.'

Eclipse wasn't fully convinced however. He knew the cold would help but it clearly wasn't working as fast as he hoped. Should have expected this, of course with flesh wounds the pain couldn't simply go away that easily. Made him glad for once he was made from metal and wires instead of flesh and bone.

Eclipse wracked his mind again for anything else that could help ease the pain more for his fishy companion. There was something he could try, something he'd known about for a while. In fact he'd considered it already before the cold bath thing but he wasn't sure how well Ruin would feel about having a sore and sensitive area touched. Another shudder and a small subdued hiss from Ruin was all the prompting Eclipse needed though, and he tapped the side of the bath with a single finger to get the mers attention.

'Can I.. try something?' Eclipse asked, gesturing his hand toward Ruins tail. Ruin tilted his head curiously, his tail twitching but he doesn't move away.

'I.. suppose? What was it you were wanting to do?'

'Something I've seen humans do. It's meant to help ease pain' Eclipse added on when he noticed how Ruins head fins flattened back slightly.

The mer seemed a little unsure but he nodded. 'I trust you dear. Go ahead'

Alright. Now he's just not gotta mess this up. Tentatively Eclipse extends his hand toward Ruin' tail, half expecting the dark blue mer to shift away but he remained still, simply watching as the animatronics fingers made contact. Eclipse very slowly and gently applied pressure as he begun to run his hand across the scaled skin, being careful to avoid the torn fins.

The scales were cold under his fingers, thanks to the water but it wasn't really a bother. He continued to run his fingers across the area applying gentle pressure as he moved his hands across the mers tail. He could feel the uneven shape under his hands reminding him of the crooked bones that lay beneath the flesh. He tried not to think about it too much, lest the anger of what those humans did to the mer cause him to accidently unsheath his claws. That would certainly not be of any help here.

'Is this... helping?'

Ruin who had been leaning his head contentedly against the bath side opened a sky blue eye. 'Hmm?'

'This is it.. helping at all?'

Ruin hummed followed by a soft whistle. 'It is! The pain is lingering still I'm afraid but this is helping make it more' another small whistle as he closes his eye again 'manageable.'

Eclipse hums but says no more, continuing the movement as he let's his thoughts wander, specifically to earlier when Ruin said he'd been having memory trouble again. Eclipse was still aware of it of course, infact he knew when it had started, ever since he woke up that night with Ruin laying on top of him and the mer had refused to shift for a couple hours after. Not that Eclipse could complain, the extra rest had been well needed afterall. 

He frowned, his fingers absentmindedly drawing circles in the mers tail. Now he thought about it... he didn't recall anything from that night. At all. And while he had later found Ruin had been rummaging through the freezer again, he had also found some of the furniture had been knocked over or moved. Eclipse hadn't thought much of it at the time being too tired to bother, but now...

A chilling revelation runs through his endoskeleton spine. Had he... had another episode? Had he chased Ruin through the house but he didn't remember it?

Usually his episodes were nothing more than moments of sudden aggression but they were usually just angry snappish words and insults directed at anyone in the near vicinity. Nothing ever physical, and Ruin knew well enough to leave Eclipse alone whenever those happened. 

But now he was wondering... what if it changed that night? What if it got worse and he chased Ruin down?

His fingers go still as Eclipse stares down at the yellow lined tail, turmulous thoughts overloading his mind and not realising his fans beginning to speed up.

Did he do this? Did he hurt him?

'Eclipse?'

Eclipse jolts not realising how still he had become and looks to Ruin who now has both eyes open, looking at him with concern.

Ruin cheeped. 'You were zoning out again sweetheart. Are you alright?'

'I'm-' Eclipses voice box glitches and he takes a moment to reset it before trying again. 'I'm fine... but.' He looks to Ruins tail again, conflicted emotions swirling around inside of him, making hm feel sick. He didn't want to ask but at the same time he had to know.

'What happened that night? Did i...' the words die in his throat. Eclipse doesn't know if he has the mental capacity to hear the answer.

The mer tilts his head, his eyes scanning Eclipses face. 'You mean the one from a few days ago, yes?' A silent nod. Ruin sighed, resting his chin on the edge of the bathtub as he reached out a webbed hand to brush Eclipse's rays. 'No it... it wasn't anything you did if that's what you're worried about. I... you.. you were calling for me.' A small sheepish chuckle followed by a small sad cheep, his thumb tracing a pattern on the dark orange ray. 'I might have panicked a little.'

Eclipse would have snorted at that but all he could manage was a half hearted huff from his vents, too focused on leaning against the gentle petting of his rays. 'Because of the fish? The very ones you know you're not allowed to have?'

A stuttered chirrup 'w-well yes! But...' Ruin trailed off with a whistle, sinking into the water a bit and withdrawing his hand much to Eclipse's internal dismay. 'You... you were panicking too dear. And when I made it to you you didn't.. '

'Didn't what?'

'...you didn't recognise me.'

That makes Eclipse freeze, his hand that had begun massaging the scales again going still.

'..What?'

Ruin sank even more, a low whine escaping him. 'I don't know why. But you looked at me and.. it was as if I were a stranger. But you kept calling out so... I kept calling back.'

Eclipse stares at Ruin, not knowing what to say and any words that he does attempt to form die before they can even be processed in his voicebox. He tried to access the memory files from that night but nothing came up either. The files were non existent. They must have corrupted and his systems deleted them during a reboot which means he must have crashed again. He hadn't had a crash for a long while so that was concerning.

And the fact Ruin had witnessed it too. Eclipse felt guilt knaw at him on the inside, and he released a shuddery vent. 'I.. I didn't mean to scare you.'

A soft chirrup. 'I know dear. I'm just glad you came back to me.'

This time a distant thought in the back of Eclipses head poked up but he immediately shut that thought out. No he was not going back into that line of thinking again. Not now. Not now...

However he didn't want to talk about it anymore. Knowing that he was experiencing crashes again was already in and of itself a great concern. He knew what those meant. And he could only hope it was just a one off this time.

'Do you want to watch a movie?' Eclipse suddenly blurted out. Ruin blinked at the sudden change in subject, and Eclipse himself was surprised by his own suggestion. But before he could backtrack, Ruin perked up with a small grin.

'Certainly! That would be nice!'

Eclipse felt his frame relax a little. 'Alright. How's the tail?'

Ruin hummed, flicking his tail a bit and sending a small water splash at Eclipse who hissed and swiped at the water droplets. Ruin trilled in amusement. 'It's feeling a little better!'

Eclipse huffed, wiping water from his face. 'Good' he stood up with a grunt, 'well when you're ready hop on out and we can go put one on.'

Ruin chirruped in reply and he rolled around in the tub a bit before hoisting himself up and slipping out and onto the mats. He released a small trill when Eclipse threw a towel over his head and began to playfully growl and hiss as he swiped at the offending soft material. Eclipse snorted at the dramatic display, and knelt down again to help dry the wriggling mer whos energy quickly waned and Ruin releases a soft warble as he leans back against Eclipse letting him finish drying him off. He still nipped a bit whenever the towel brushed his nose.

Once done, the dark orange and black animatronic tossed the damp towel into the laundry basket and grabbed a fresh dry one to wrap around Ruin before hoisting him up into his arms. Ruin doesn't complain this time, instead hooking an arm around his shoulder and pointing dramatically to the doorway.

'To the couch we go! Onwards my noble steed!'

Eclipse rolled his eyes but he couldn't help the small smile that tugged the corners of his mouth. He takes them to the living area and sets Ruin down onto the sofa, who let's out a small chirrup and curls up onto the pillows under the soft towel with a content trill. Eclipse meanwhile goes through the selection of dvds from the drawer under the TV. 

'Alright what's it gonna be Ru? You can pick this time.'

A small hum followed by a click 'Shrek if you wouldn't mind dear!'

'Again? We've watched it three times already.'

'And we shall watch it a fourth time! It is a good film. But we could always watch anime instead-'

'No no Shrek it is' Eclipse mused, deftly plucking the disc out of the casing and slotting it into the player. 'We're not watching another twelve hours of One Piece.'

An amused chirrup. 'Very well then!'

As the movie starts up Eclipse plops onto the sofa beside Ruin who quite quickly shuffles up and crawls onto Eclipse's lap. Normally Eclipse would not permit such close cuddlyness but this time he allows it. In fact he even wraps an arm around the mer and helps pull him up a little more so Ruin's head is tucked under his chin, the yellow frills brushing against his neck. Not an entirely unpleasant feeling Eclipse finds.

'Could we watch the other ones too?' Ruin asks as he snuggles into the comfortable hold.

'Yeah we can do that. Except the third film. That one's shit.'

A small chuckle, 'it's existence is well ignored i assure you.'

The two fall into a comfortable silence, with Eclipse holding Ruin close with one arm while his other continues to gently and half mindlessly massage the mers tail. Ruin does not seem bothered by it, and going by the faint rumbling emitting from him seems to be enjoying it still. Ruin likewise keeps one of his webbed hands over the one Eclipse has wrapped around him, his thumb rubbing circles on the back of his metal hand.

As the movie begins, Ruin tilts his head back a bit to regard Eclipse who raises an eyebrow. 'What?'

Ruin chirruped before gently nuzzling his head against Eclipse's chin. 'Thankyou dear.'

Eclipse's fans sped up a little and he simulated a cough to hide it. ''Yeah sure. Don't mention it.' 

Ruin whistles but says no more, and the two continue to watch the movie.

[duckymcdoorknob]

@https-kenma @tohrusoftie it’s your mansss 🥹

Tagging Gen: @lisiwalker, @rebloging-everything, @sweetenertea, @quoikuu, @tetsunova, @evielt13 @keyz-writes, @tohrusoftie, @sparrowb3nscloset, @elliotsbooks, @littleesfw, @0s0me0n30, @chrimsss , @hyeque

The gentle colors of the rising sun peeked through the horizon, shining into the windows of the winery. It couldn’t have been any later than 6:00 in the morning. It was a quiet, tranquil morning, for not even the usual conversations of the blue jays had begun to echo into the room.

Wispy hairs stood staticky as a delicate, little head arose from its previous resting position. Inquisitive eyes drank in the world around, sending distress signals to the brain due to the absence of discernible objects.

This was an emergency, they figured, and it was time to fix it.

The serene environment was soon spoiled by the sounds of a tiny voice, whining under the light of the shining sun.

Both you and Diluc awoke to the soft sounds of distress that reverberated down the hall. You both groaned groggily, a gasp leaving your lips upon hearing the noise. You clicked on your bedside lamp, rubbing your eyes.

Before you could ever consider moving, your eyes flickered to your husband. Clad in a tight, black tee shirt and sweatpants, he was hastily tying his unkept hair into a sloppy ponytail. Thick with exhaustion, your hearing distorted his words. All you could register before your head hit the pillow were five words:

“Rest, love. I’ll get her.”

Diluc had to admit that he had not been the father he had wanted to be quite yet. He had been absolutely slumped at the tavern, and important customers and suppliers never seemed to want to stay in their own homes, instead opting to invade his for pointless meetings.

To be honest, your husband just wanted to spend some quality time with his little girl.

Gently turning the doorknob to the nursery, the male peeked into the room. He was met by the warm colors of the sunrise adorning the shimmering flowers painted on the walls. The sounds of cheerful birds finally made their presence atop of the serene sounds of placid water.

Glistening (E/C) eyes locked onto his own exhausted, crimson ones. However, in that moment, the loss of sleep seemed to be the furthest matter on his mind. With the smile of a patient saint, Diluc carefully scooped up your baby girl into his arms, resting her head against his shoulder.

“Why, good morning, (B/N). Have you decided to take on your morning a bit early today?” The sweetest chuckle escaped his lips as her own slipped into a yawn.

“Why don’t we take a visit outside?” He offered her, taking one of her little feet between his thumb and forefinger.

With a look of satisfaction, Diluc carefully walked down the stairs, bidding the cooing maids a good morning. He sat down on the porch swing, (B/N) in his arms, running his fingers over her red hair, and watching as the sun rises.

“Your grandfather used to do this with me and your Uncle Kaeya every single morning… isn’t that incredible?”

Of course, she didn’t understand a word he said, but the feeling of her daddy’s gentle touch, and the rumble of his chest as he spoke, lulled her right back off to sleep.

“Eeeeevery morning, that’s right. And poor Adelinde would have to chase Uncle Kaeya around just to get him to-“ Diluc smiled as he brought the baby’s head up to his lips, kissing her forehead like the touch of an angel.

“Sweet dreams, my precious girl.”

—

BONUS:

You woke up about ten minutes later, stretching groggily before sliding on your slippers. You leaned over to meet your husband’s lips for a “good morning” kiss, but fell face first onto the mattress. You chuckled to yourself as you remembered where he went,

With a yawn, you walked to the nursery, only to find the door wide open and both your husband and daughter missing. You smiled.

Of course…

Trudging sleepily down the stairs, you didn’t even have to utter the inquiry as to your beloveds’ whereabouts, for the maids squealed incoherently, pointing to the front door of the winery.

When you opened the door, your heart exploded at the sight before you: your husband cradling your tiny baby like it was his lifeline, the two of them dreaming pleasantly as the sun continued to rise over the horizon of Teyvat.

Another smile graced your lips as you carefully sat next to the two of them, leaning your head on Diluc’s shoulder. You plucked a dandelion off of the potted plant to your right, closing your eyes as you whispered a prayer and blew the seeds away…

“Thank you. Barbatos, for your blessing of my beautiful family.”

—————♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎—————

[evilfloralfoolery]

Daggers and Deception- Part 5

Plotfuckers, ahoy! Shit is about to get weird.

**If you enjoy my work or the work of my fellow plotfuckers, please comment and/or reblog. We need and appreciate the support! Likes are appreciated, but wordfuckers need words, too. Commentary is VERY important to us! Most of us do this for free and this is all we ask of you. Thank you!!**

__________________________________

Three plates of lasagna and barely passable bath later, Grimm has managed to make himself a drowsy mess who doesn't even bother to comb his unruly mane into submission before face-planting on to the spacious bed.  If he'd been poisoned, at least he'd die clean and full. 

The wound has not yet begun to throb at level 10 with his activity level and he takes the opportunity to slip deeper into relaxation, something he hasn't felt in a good three days since the damn shooting fiasco.  What had happened to that asshole, anyway?  Supposedly, Ace had shot him, but no one could find the bastard afterwards.  Blood on concrete with a trail that led to nowhere and an empty jacket at the end of an alleyway was all that had been left.  It was some weird, cryptic shit.  Bleeding men didn’t just vanish into thin air.  He’d had help somehow.  Someone must have been waiting somewhere.  They’d missed it.  And that was probably what bothered Grimm the most.  He didn’t just “miss” things.  Aside from his father, Grimm was possibly the most observant gun-toting asshole out there.  Nothing escaped his scrutiny.  Nothing. 

And then, there was the matter of not finding a weapon at the scene.  Ace claimed he’d shot the guy in the spine, dead center.  Just how he’d held onto a gun, ran, and then consequently escaped didn’t add up.  Maybe Ace should’ve shot him again.

From the opposite end of the bedroom, curtains flitter in the cold night air, but he can't be bothered to get up and close the window just yet.  He'd start sneezing his ass off eventually and that might motivate him to actually do something about it.  Maybe.  For now, he'd deal.  Cold weather may not agree with his sinuses, but it sure agreed with the rest of his body.  Nice not to be basted in sweat for once. 

But the lamp is another story.  The light from beneath the shade is a dull headache instigation and he manages to pull the cord to shut it off before flopping back atop the sheets with a sigh.  It'd be great if his neighbor would play some Beethoven or some shit, but he hasn't heard a peep out of the guy since before his bath.  Either he was off throwing knives at trees again or he'd sneezed himself into a coma or something.  Whatever the reason, it was quiet.  Too damn quiet.

And that shit was making him uneasy.  He reaches for his phone and taps the side, but gets a red flash of a battery light instead.

"Well, fuck you, too," he mumbles. 

Better get up and charge it.  Never know when Max might call for him for whatever reason.  Some rookie might do something stupid.  Or some seasoned professional. 

He struggles into a sitting position and fumbles for the cord on the lamp again, cursing a blue streak when the little fucker decides to break off in his hand instead of turn on the goddamn light. 

Perfect. Dead phone, dead lamp, bum arm.  That oughta make fumbling around in the dark shitloads of fun. 

His fingers find the edge of the mattress as his vision adjusts to the black-as-hell room and he swings his legs over the side, bare feet hitting the wood floor.  One step towards the wall.  The outline of the wingback chair is within reach, the moon finally emerging from behind the clouds to illuminate the room enough for decent sight.

He takes a step towards the armoire near the bedroom door, reaches out into the moonlit darkness and freezes in place. 

Something isn't . . . . something . . .

Just beyond his reach is a slab of darkness, an inky black that's ten times blacker than black should have any business being. Grimm blinks.  Squints into the space.  It's a shadow.  A trick of light.  No?

Mother fucker, it's a person.

His breath catches and he snatches the Glock from the nightstand, aiming it into the darkness with his good arm.

"I don't know who's there, but if you're hurtin' for a bullet in your ass, you're gonna get it.” His voice drops into the lowest end of a serious growl.

Somewhere close to him, the darkness growls back. 

A chill claws its way up his spine.  What in the name of fuck?

"How'd you get in here . . . " Grimm says more to himself than to whoever is lurking there in the damn corner.

Or whatever. 

A low, almost inhumane chuckle echoes from somewhere near the bed now.  Or the armoire.  Or the dresser?  Who the fuck chuckles in stereo like that?  

And that's enough of this shit.

Grimm lunges forward, but meets only empty air as the inky blackness dissipates into nothingness.  Upon the nightstand, the lamp flickers to life and the phone in his back pocket vibrates.

He jerks it out of his pocket and taps the side button, staring when the thing lights up and comes back on.  Full battery power. Like nothing had happened.  

Yeah, no.  Nope. Not today, Satan. 

Shoving the phone back into his pocket, he slips his holster over his shoulders so the gun has a better place to rest.  Always felt more comfortable with it that way.  He’s just shoved the 19X into place when a knock at the front door sounds, brisk and insistent.

Goddamn it, he’s way too jumpy for this shit.  And Grimm is never “jumpy.” 

"Calm the fuck down, I'm coming," he barks and stalks down the hall to front door where he takes a moment to peer through the little peephole thing like a smart person. 

Outside in the hallway, his neighbor is waiting sans glasses, his long mane of silver waves spilling over his shoulders, his gaze steady and expectant.  

At midnight.  Okay, then.  

Grimm unlatches the door and cracks it to loosen the useless chain before opening it up. 

Indigo's demeanor is calm, but something in his gaze is sharp and intense, the man's eyes a damn near impossible shade of vibrant aqua. Grimm leans against the door frame and tilts his head.

"Something wrong?"

Indigo glances over his shoulder for a fleeting instant before meeting his gaze.

"Have you left your window open perchance?"

What the fuck kind of question is that?  Grimm scratches the back of his head with his free hand in a lazy rub of fingers.

"I might've," he says.  "What's it to you?"

"The heating unit in this building is quite unstable," Indigo says.  "If it runs all evening due to such a thing, it could pose a fire hazard."

Come the fuck on.

Grimm attempts to fold his arms before realizing his shoulder is gonna fucking scream, which would ruin his tall, imposing judgment pose, but whatever.  He settles for a downward glance and the cocking of an eyebrow instead.

"That's some pretty bullshit you just spouted," he says.  "You wanna tell me why you're really here?"

"The window, Grimm," Indigo says.  "Have you left it unattended?"

Obviously.  It's not like he's standing in front of it all damn day.

"Look," Grimm says.  "I don't know what the fuck your problem is, but---"

Without so much as a word, Indigo barges his way in and walks with a purposeful stride towards his bedroom, leaving Grimm gaping in his wake. Who the hell did this guy think he was?  

"Hey, just a goddamn minute, buddy!"  Grimm storms after him.  Sort of.  It's suddenly really damn difficult to walk, like his feet are anchors instead of flesh and bone. He struggles against what feels like imaginary mud.  Cement.  Some shit.  

Was he high?  No, he hadn’t taken anyth---

“What’d you put in that lasagna, huh??”  

Indigo appears in the hallway near his bedroom, nudging the door shut with his foot.  “If I had the intent to poison or drug you, the effect would have been instant.” 

Calmly.  Like he’s done this crap before or something.  But at least whatever weird struggle he’d been caught up in was over.  Walking was possible now and he wastes no time in stomping over to where Indigo still stands, intending to adopt a hardline stance, but yet again, the bum arm fucks that up.  Hard to look intimidating with your hand on your damn hip. 

“You didn’t come over here to close my fucking window,” Grimm says.

“Except that this is exactly what I have done,” Indigo counters.  

Grimm narrows his eyes before taking a peek inside the bedroom where sure enough, the window is shut, latched, and the curtains are drawn.  

“I suggest you leave it be, lest you burn down the entire estate.”

The guy is telling the truth, but not entirely.  Grimm can feel that much.  His built-in bullshit detector is on high alert, but the half-cocked truth is a pretty good foil.  And what’s more convincing is that Indigo fully believes in the weight of his words.  He could probably pass a polygraph with that kind of steely calm.

“So,” Grimm begins, scratching at the stubble on his chin.  “You knew my window was open and you felt like it was sworn duty to come over here and tell me to close the fucker because the place might go up in flames.”

“Correct,” Indigo says.

“Uh huh.”  Grimm tilts his head.  “And how’d you know my window was open? You can’t see that from your place.”  

“It has been open since this afternoon,” Indigo says. He levels his stare at Grimm with a studious sternness that could rival an FBI agent. “Surely you recall watching me from your vantage point near the edge of the wall.”

Grimm opens his mouth.  Closes it. 

 Well, fuck.  

He didn’t think the guy could see him from all the way up there, much less know what he was looking at.  

“I assumed that no one had told you to close the windows, so I figured I had best tell you myself,” Indigo continues.  “Now, if you will excuse me, the hour has grown late and I must retire.”

“Gonna cartwheel across the yard some more in the morning?”  Grimm says.  “Maybe throw some more knives at shit?”

Indigo’s posture stiffens almost imperceptibly, but his expression betrays nothing.  “Goodnight, Grimm.”  

For a moment, Grimm considers grabbing his upper arm to detain him or at least blocking the door with his body, but Indigo has excused himself already and made it into the hallway before Grimm can so much as blink.  What the ---- he hadn’t even seen the guy move, much less walk the fuck out of the door.

The sound of a creaking door clicking shut followed by the turn of a deadbolt is his only reply.  

“I ain’t done talkin’ to you!” Grimm half-shouts into the hallway.

(TBC....)

[apritellointeractive]

Sworn to Devotion: Chapter 3 - Part 1

>> Readers select the color Green.

(Art by @lovelyladylavie)

April stares out into the city below her from one of the castle’s balconies, her arms resting on the dirty apricot-colored stone beneath her. Some buildings have pointed roofs made of rich mahogany; others have flat tops with red-brick chimneys. A wide array of colors decorate the outside walls of homes and businesses, creating a chaotic yet beautiful landscape for her to take in.

There is so much energy, so much life, in this kingdom. 

It’s such a stark contrast compared to the one she grew up in, with hundreds of grey stone houses with yellow-straw roofs. Orderly, but boring. 

But the kingdom she was born into will not be her home for much longer, will it?

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

The deep rumbling voice catches her off guard, and she turns her head to the side. It’s Prince Raph, or at least she thinks it is. Parts of his body are blurry, mixing in with the colors behind him like watercolor on a canvas. But his towering form is unmistakable, along with his spikey shell and long alligator-like tail. 

“Yeah, it is,” April admits, looking back over the sea of colors.

The two of them continue to watch over their kingdom, a light breeze ruffling the princess’s hair and the skirt of her shredded dress. It’s peaceful, and all she wants to do is sit back and enjoy the view. 

The sky suddenly changes from a light blue to navy blue, and lights from oil lamps and mystic crystals flicker on, transforming the city into a yokai-made night sky.

April gasps, “Wow…”

She’s so enraptured by the view that she almost doesn’t notice the tapping on her shoulder or the familiar voice of her knight.

“Princess…”

“Not now, Dee,” she chides, still staring at the stunning scene in front of her. 

The tapping on her shoulder gets more insistent. “Princess April, you need to wake up!”

April turns her head to discover that the blurry imagination of Prince Raph has been replaced with a more well-defined Sir Donatello. She can see everything, from the dirt covering his kogake to the red jewels adorning his chest plate. She gasps as charming brown eyes stare into hers, and she feels a light blush dust her cheeks. 

The knight lifts his hand toward her face. “April! Wake up!”

The gentle but unexpected double tap on her cheek instantly brings April back to reality, her eyes snapping open.

Her brow instantly furrows. “Hey! What was tha-urmph!”

Her knight’s hand quickly covers her mouth. “Shh!” His voice is low and quick. “Quiet! The enemy’s nearby.”

April calms down—well, as much as she can—and strains her ears, trying to hear whatever caught her knight's attention. In the distance, she hears men shouting, and they’re not voices she recognizes.

She presses herself against the stone behind her as her knight removes his hand from her mouth and places it back on his bō. He turns his body slightly to look out into the forest while partially shielding her from view.

In the distance April can see the warm glow of a lit torch, and she bites her lip.

The ball of fire gets closer, and they notice that there are two people, both dressed in the same black outfits as the people who tried to kidnap her. They’re looking around, scanning the forest meticulously. 

The princess shrinks to make herself as small as possible, hiding behind her knight while peaking her eyes over his shoulder. 

And they still get closer.

As the man on the left swings his torch, he looks directly at them. He stops in his tracks and straightens up.

April stops breathing as Donnie readies his weapon. 

But before the man could inform his partner, or shout for backup, a mystic green light flashes out of nowhere and hits the two men in the back. The torch extinguishes as both men fall to the ground, either knocked out or dead.

A few seconds of tense silence pass before a lavender light flickers to life, illuminating the face of an older woman. She looks over the two bodies, pursing her lips with dissatisfaction.

April blinks her eyes. Wait, is her skin pink?

The woman—or maybe yokai—notices them, smiles, and hops over the bodies to make her way over to them. 

“Oh thank heavens I finally found you!” Her voice is sweet and bubbly as she walks over to them, her curly golden hair bouncing with each step. “I was so worried when I heard that the princess had been kidnapped! It’s so good to see you in one piece.”

The lady extends a hand, only to be thwacked by Sir Donatello’s bō. “Not so fast! I don’t know who you are and what your intentions are with the princess. Better start talking before I figure out what my F.A.B. spray does.”

The lady looks startled, blinking her eyes rapidly.

Princess April looks between the two. While her knight is correct—they don’t know who she is or what she’s up to—she did knock out the two men trying to her hunt down.

Maybe she’s trustworthy?

April gives their mysterious savior another look down. Her skin is definitely pastel pink, with a few dark fuchsia freckles dappled over her face and arms. She wears a rich purple dress paired with a pointy purple hat. 

The princess bites her lip. She looks friendly, but is she trustworthy?

April… >> Interrogates the lady. 

[eboneeblak]

A Tale Between Two Devils (Excerpt)

A southern gothic horror

She hears a creak; the old wooden floors bend and wane. Under the door, a shadow emerges. It swings open.

His figure is tall and large, encapsulating the doorway. His gnarled, black fingers crawl the walls, searching for the lamp, which flickers on.

Reverand Ezekial, my father. Mother shyly hides behind, in his shadow.

He shines a light onto the bed, revealing my cold glare.  I gnash and snarl, the cold metal cuff slashing my bloodied wrist.

I growl; unadulterated and animalistic madness envelopes me. I thrust my body towards him, nails curved, seething with joy at the idea of slicing his face. My body contorts with rage. Mockingly, my Father and my mother desperately shield themselves with crucifixes.

I mustered up my slobber, now a scarcity, spatting at them. Anger flashes across my father's face; he lunges at me! I’m inches from his clutch, bracing for our customary fight. He stops dead in his tracks, irritated, his eyes turn back; it’s a white man. He grips my father, restraining his arms, keeping his face relaxed and calm. Immediately, I cower away, trembling at the sight of this white stranger, huddling in the corner of the bed.

The white man releases his grip and treads towards me, inspecting my cuffs. I stiffen in fear as he kneels beside me. His pale palm grazes my forehead.

                              “Who are you?” I shiver.

He lifts a glass of ice-cold water to my chapped lips.

                    “Dr. Schultz, I'm a child psychologist. I’m here to help you.”  His voice is gentle and velvety.

My eyes narrow, gulping the water down.

The fresh nectar soothes my arid mouth. I empty the glass in only a few seconds, continuing to watch him suspiciously.

He is not here to save you, the voice whispers gently inside of me.

               “Don’t get too close to her, Doctor.” My mother blurts, revealing her bandaged hand.

I stare daggers at her, and a crucifix falls, barely missing her head. She gasps.

                   “I think it is time for both of you to leave the room.”

 Dr. Schultz stands and dismisses my parents. I glare at them as they scurry away, slamming the door shut. Dr. Schultz let out a great sigh and then returned his attention to me.

“I have traveled from New York to investigate the first case of a colored girl allegedly possessed by the devil.” He stares at me, marveling at me as if I were an unknown creature. I sit nervously, avoiding his gaze.

What devil have I come across?

[skellyflowers]

Worst Uber Ever

I was 7 years old when it happened. When life as I knew it was irreversibly changed. My master wanted to protect me from the truth about the war. She used to say that she would tell me about it when I was older and that I shouldn't try to grow up too quickly. I was so jealous of her older students, they got to know her secret.

I'm starting to forget her face. My last memory of her was being shoved into a starfighter with the other kids as the clones that were with us had suddenly attacked. The ship we were in almost crashed into an incoming clone transport ship.

I don't remember much of my life a few years after that. I lived on a few different planets in my youth. Then I heard about the fall of the Empire. That's why I have stayed on Xerxen-5 for so long. I know that 5 years isn't long for some people but it is for me. The only other place I have lived long term was Palos, in a monastery.

Then I grew up and moved around again for a few years before settling on Xerxen. I only planned to stay for a year at most. But now I am part of the community. It's a nice feeling.

My walk to work is the same as usual. I leave my apartment, say hi to the neighbors, and stop at the corner store for a snack. I liked working at the music lounge. Being the front desk host isn't really hard, it helps that the main clientele rarely cause any trouble. There are a few bad apples but nothing we can't handle.

Any other long night means I don't get out of the lounge until 2 a.m. I walk to the light rail as I always do. But tonight I decided to take a shortcut. Not a great idea. Especially when the shortcut is an alley. But I was really tired, maybe if I took a nap before work I would have noticed that I was followed.

It’s not until I hear a bottle brake that I realize two men were behind me. I recognize them, they are regulars at the lounge.I kicked them out last week for getting too drunk and grabbing a waitress. I hope they are too drunk right now.

“Where are you going in such a hurry?” One slurs. “Me and Dom were looking for another drinking partner.”

“No thanks, I got an early morning.” I say, trying to get out of the situation.

“Aww, come on. A pretty little thing like you shouldn’t be alone.” Says Dom. “Besides you owe us for kicking us out that night.” 

Shit. They remember! I got to go.

Dom manages to get his arm around my shoulders. He smells horrible.

“So you get a drink with us, we see where the night takes us and then we will be even.” What he is implying makes me sick.

“No. I’m going home.” I say sternly.

“That's fine. We can skip the drink.” Says the other guy. OH FUCK NO!

I punch Dom in his ribs and he crumbles. He grabs at his side. Then he swings a fist at me, I move just enough that it misses my face but hits my shoulder. I counter with a kick, it connects but Dom holds on to my ankle. He then sweeps my other leg and I land on my back. Dom sits on top of me and gets ready to punch me. I  then do something I haven’t done in months, I reach out to the Force. Dom then is launched off me and hits the alley wall. I hear the other man yell at me. Probably an insult. I get ready for him to run at me. 

But he doesn’t. Instead after a few steps he falls on his face and is dragged backwards by his feet. I didn’t do that. Who else is here?

The one lamp post in the alley suddenly turns on. I see that the guy is strung upside down on a fire escape. In the light is a man in head to toe armor. It is all black with a gold symbol that looks like wings painted across his helmet. That looks like Mandalorian armor! That’s the last thing I need right now. When he is done securing the rope to the lamp post he looks toward me.

“Are you ok?” He asks.

“Yes.” I don’t know how much of the fight he saw. But I know I can’t stay here. I might not be able to stay on this planet.

“Good. Are you far from your home? We should leave, sooner rather than later.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you!”

“I’m here to help. I’m not going to hurt you. I’m IV.”

The guy he strung up the fire escape starts to groan. That must mean he is waking up. Then almost in slow motion he starts to yell and swing his arms.

“I SAW YOU! I SAW WHAT YOU DID! JEDI!”

IV punches the guy and knocks him out. Atleast is think he does, I am running at full speed to my apartment. I need my things and get out of here. Who knows how many other people heard “Jedi" and called the authorities. The Empire is willing to pay big money for anyone who is Force sensitive.

Back in my simple apartment I picked up my emergency bag. I always try to stay ready to leave at a moment's notice. The only thing I need to figure out now is how to get off world before the Empire shuts down the Space Ports.

When I exit my apartment IV is standing there. What does he want? I need to get out of here!

“Are you ready to go? We shouldn’t stay any longer than needed.”

“Stop saying ‘we’ there is no ‘we’! I am not going anywhere with you!” I start to move towards the Space Port.

“I was sent by Cal Kestis. He's a jedi.” That stops me in my tracks.

“What?”

“He hired me to find you and bring you off world to meet him.”

“How does he know about me?”

“He said something about a ‘pull’ I didn’t really understand.” He pauses. “He said that a few months ago he felt someone reach out asking for help.”

I think for a moment. I did have an absolutely horrid day a few months ago. A combination of little sleep, being depressed, multiple work shifts and harassing customers. I just wanted to hear my Master’s voice one more time. I didn’t think I had actually reached out to anyone. I decided to take a chance.

“Where is he?” I ask.

“He asked me to bring you to Por.” IV explains. “It’s a remote forest planet. It’s safe.”

“Ok, let’s go.” I say after a pause.

“Ok. My ship is outside the city. We should go quickly.” I nod and follow him. I can’t believe I'm going along with a total stranger.

In ten minutes IV leads me to an Omicron Attack Shuttle. I throw my bag in the storage area and sit in the co-pilot seat. IV starts the take off protocol. We get out of Xerxen-5's atmosphere. But just as IV enters coordinates on his ship's navigation a huge Empire Cruiser jumps out of hyperspace in front of us. A communication request alarm rings in the cockpit.

“Unknown ship identify yourself.” Says a voice over the Communications Relay.

“I’m just a transport vessel. I’m moving cargo.” IV lies.

“Send over your transport code.”

IV looks over at me. I can assume he sees the panic in my face. He then turns his whole body to face me.

“Put your seatbelt on. This might get rough.”

I do as asked. IV does the same. What is he going to do?

“Send over your transport code. NOW!” When IV doesn’t send a code the voice makes one last communication “Disengage your engines and prepare to be boarded.”

IV engages the ship’s thrusters to fly under the Empreal Cruiser. The cargo bay doors open up and five Tie-Fighters fly out toward us. The ships immediately open fire at us. IV begins evasive maneuvers to avoid being hit by blaster fire. I was glad he told me to put on a seat belt when he does a barrel roll and I feel myself lift off my seat.

“As soon as I can get a window I’ll get into Hyperspace.” IV says as we get hit. “Shields at 75%.”

A fighter flies ahead of us and tries to blast right at the cockpit! IV made a last second swerve and the blast hit the fighter behind us. IV shoots the fighter and it explodes. We take another shot in the side and an alarm starts to go off.

“That was a hard hit. Shields at 25%” says IV “I have an idea.”

“What are you doing?” I ask. All the spinning is going to make me sick.

“I'm going to lose them on that planet ahead of us. Hul Prime has a thick atmosphere and multiple mountain ranges. We can use that to confuse them and get a chance to get into Hyperspace.”

“Ok, at least you have a plan.”

We got shot one last time in the back left engine. The cockpit fills with red lights and alarms. 

“What does that diagram next to you say?!” IV yells.

“Left engine out, Shields at 0%.”

“Shit.” That’s not good. “We’re going to crash.” That’s really not good.

We break the atmosphere of Hul Prime. I don’t know if the whole planet is frozen over or just this part. If we weren’t being chased and shot at this place would be really beautiful. IV is doing his best to avoid hitting any mountains and being shot at.

“There is a valley with a cave ahead. I will try to crash there. Brace yourself.”

I hold on to my seatbelt and wait for the impact. The ship slams onto the ground and slides on the icy ground. The nose of the ship hits a rock wall and buries the ship in snow and ice. The whiplash made me hit my head on the seat headrest. I’m not sure how long I was knocked out. When I am fully aware I see that IV is pointing a flashlight in my face.

“What happened?” I ask.

“We crashed. The back of the ship is buried in the snow.”

“Are we still getting chased?”

“No, but a scout team might come looking for us.” He puts a canteen in my face. “Drink this, I’ll see what the damage is.”

I take a drink and wait for a few minutes. I look for IV in the ship’s hull but he isn’t there. I walk out of the ship and see IV looking into an open panel by the ship’s engine. He looks over at me once I get close to him.

“I’m sorry this happened.”

“I don’t think you did it on purpose.” His shoulders bounce once as he gets a short laugh. “What’s wrong with the ship?”

“It’s good news and bad news. Good news is that the engines can be fixed. Bad news is that I don’t have the tools to fix the hull.”

“What’s wrong with the hull?”

“Did you miss the huge hole? It probably happened when we hit the rock wall.”

“Can I help?”

“Yes, grab the flamethrower and clear the snow behind us. We didn’t slide into the cave.”

I walk back into the ship to look for the flamethrower. I noticed a flashing light on the ship's console. Surprisingly, the ship's navigation is still online, and I see that IV let out a mapping drone. I look out of the window as the drone returns to the ship. I watch as a map of the area is displayed. 

According to the map we crashed right outside of a cave system. And given that there is an ice wall, I assume this was a waterfall. I scroll around the map and see that down the tunnel there is a hole that leads outside. I wonder if that could be a way out.

“Did you send out a map drone?” I ask.

“Yes, why did it come back?”

“Yes. I think I saw a way out.”

“Really? Show me.”

We walk back into the ship and I show him the map. He scrolls around the map just as I did. After he ran a diagnostic check on the ship.

“If we can't get out of here today we will have heat for the night.”

“What if I go check? If you can get the ship online I can tell you where to go.”

He stays quiet for a little while. I don't know what he is looking at but I assume it's the ice wall in front of us. Just when I think he isn't going to answer me at all, his head turns towards me.

“Alright. Get the flamethrower and a commlink. Watch your step, and call if you need anything.”

I can't help the smile that grows on my face. I'm happy we're building trust. It's been a while since I really thought I could. Looking over my shoulder for years has been exhausting.

I grab the flamethrower and melt a hole in the ice big enough for me to pass through. Ice is only a few inches thick so if we can leave it will be easy to melt the ice enough for the ship to get past it. The tunnel is big enough for ship, but covered in ice. I follow a path down the tunnel until I see a crack in the ceiling.  

After following the crack I see a hole! I can hear the wind and I can see clouds rolling by. I'm not sure if it is big enough for the ship to fly out of but it's a start.

“Hey, I found the hole on the map.”

“Good. I'm on my way.”

After about ten minutes IV meets me in the tunnel. He looks up at the hole in the ceiling for a few moments. He then taps the side on his helmet and looks around the tunnel.

“It will be a tight squeeze, but I can get the ship out of here.”

As we walked back to the ship a chunk of ice fell from the ceiling. IV pulled me to his side just before the ice would have landed on my head. The ice shattered like glass and we both looked to the ceiling. I can’t see anything but I do hear a rumble. Then another chunk of ice falls, this one even bigger! As IV and I dodge the falling ice I see it! It’s a huge Ice Wrym! At Least 10 meters long!

“Run!” IV shouts as the creature roars at us.

As we run back to the ship I hear an explosion go off behind us. Followed by another roar. I don’t look back, it’s probably not a good idea anyway. As I see the ship, still behind the ice wall I feel IV slam into me. As I look over to him I see that he is now shooting at the beast.

“Get back to the ship and see if the cannons are online!”

I ran even faster than before to reach the hole I melted earlier. I get into the ship and see what is online. All the while trying not to get too distracted by the roaring just behind the ice wall.

The ship growls to life with lights and alarms. I check to see what systems are online. Engines, navigation and the hyperactive are active but not the guns! The one thing I need to help IV. I hope he is ok. I don't hear his blaster firing anymore.

“IV are you ok?” I ask with the ship's commlink.

“I'm holding it back with the flamethrower. Get the guns online!” 

I can't. They're not online and by the time I could get them online it would be too late. I only have one idea. I ran to the back of the ship to find my bag. I need to help IV.

I haven't picked up my lightsaber in years. It's a little small now that I'm an adult. But somehow it still feels right. I run back outside and squeeze through the hole in the ice. The Ice Wyrm is blasted by the flamethrower. IV has managed to push the beast back down the tunnel. 

The Wyrm then whips around and slams IV with its tail. It wraps its tail around IV’S ankle. The creature then climbed on to the ceiling. IV is now dangling upside down. I activate my lightsaber and the blade comes alive with blue light and a hum. It feels good to have my saber and to use it again,almost nostalgic. But I can reminisce later, IV needs my help.

“HEY! PUT HIM DOWN!” I shout. 

The beast roars in response, then charges at me still on the ceiling. I took on a defensive stance, as I started to make a plan. My first goal is to get IV free from the Wyrm’s grip. I don’t want to kill the beast, we did crash into its home, but I still prepare myself just in case. I dodge the Wyrm as it runs into one ice wall and causes a huge icicle to fall in the center of the tunnel. I use it to my advantage.

I climb on to the icicle while the Creature is recovering from the hit from the wall. IV is still being held by the ankle. I see him trying to get free. I reactivate my blade and jump down from the ice. I bring the blade down on the Wyrm’s tail and make a clean cut. The Wyrm lets out a n ear piercing scream of pain. I can help but feel a twinge of guilt as the Wyrm runs back.

Thinking that the fight was over I helped IV stand. He says he is fine, just dizzy. I start to help him look for his blaster and the flamethrower. IV finds the blaster with ease, and I see that the flamethrower is in two pieces. As I go to collect the pieces I hear another rumble. Oh no.

Further down the tunnel I see the Wyrm charging towards me again. Its mouth wide ready to strike. Razor sharp fangs ready to tear me apart. Somewhere I hear IV yell something. I took out my lightsaber one last time. As the Wyrm dived at me I used the force to lift myself over its head. I then bury the blade into the Wyrm’s head. The beast screams and flails its body before falling dead.

“You ok?” IV asks as I climb off the beast.

“Yes. I was hoping it would just leave. I didn't want to kill it.” I can feel the sting of tears in my eyes.

“You didn’t have a choice. You did it to protect yourself, to protect me too.”

The reassurance makes me feel a little better. IV gently leads me back to the ship. He works on some part of the ship to get the guns back online. Once he finishes he makes sure everything in the hull is tied down and then seals the cockpit. We start the journey by blasting down the ice wall and make our way out.

Thankfully the rest of the journey goes smoothly. I don’t think that my heart could take more excitement right now. I managed to get a nap while in hyperspace. I wake up just before we exit hyperspace. Just as IV said Por is remote, and full of thick forests. After IV finds a suitable place to land we hike to the meet spot with Cal.

I feel Cal before I see him. He and two other people come out of the trees. IV approaches first and he and Cal shake hands. IV then waves me over to introduce myself. After that Cal takes me to a cave and begins to test my abilities as I told him about my past and the journey to get to him. I feel a bit vulnerable talking about myself in front of strangers but I power through the feeling.

“You are still one with the force.” Cal says after my tests.

“What do I do now? I don’t really have anywhere to go.”

“I can train you, if you would like. You have a place here. I know it's not much.” Cal then takes a pause. “Think about it, tonight you need rest.”

I exit out of the cave and see IV still sitting outside. This is now the second time he has been waiting for me. I tell him about the tests and Cal’s offer. He agrees that I should rest before I make a decision. So I do just that.

In the morning I get more details from Cal about what to expect if I stay. Cal will do everything in his power to help me to improve my skills. Both in the force and in combat. One of Cal’s goals is to find any surviving jedi and make a safe home for them. That helps me make a choice.

After my meeting with Cal I looked for IV. He is on his ship talking to someone. I plan to wait until he is done with his conversation until the hologram of another Black armor Mandlorian tells IV I am in the room with him.

“Is that your rescuer IV?” he asks, crossing his arms.

“I’ll call you back, Vessel.” Iv says abruptly. I can’t see his face but I can feel how flustered he suddenly is. “How did it go?”

“I’m going to stay with Cal. I want to improve my skills, I owe it to myself.”

“That sounds good. I’ll be back after I get repairs on my ship. One of my friends is close to a mechanic. They are only a few systems away.”

“You’re coming back?” I ask. “I would have thought that your job was done a day ago.”

“You saved my life. I am in your debt. By creed I must repay you. You're not getting rid of me so easily.”

“You sure about that? I'm pretty good at avoiding danger, plus you just saw me kill a monster.”

“I guess we are stuck with each other.”

“I like the sound of that.”

[everythingmarvelbxm1012]

I'll Not Forget You

Here's the prologue to I'll Not Forget You. The link leads you to the other chapters uploaded on AO3. I will include a poll in the near-future to see if people want me to upload the other chapters onto Tumblr. The overall summary for this fic: After waking up with Steve from under the ice you are hired by Fury and do light field work for S.H.I.E.L.D. still grappling with the feelings of losing Bucky.

Prologue

2011, NEW YORK

The first thing you registered was the sound of a radio. It was a little bit scratchy, but it worked nonetheless. You stayed there a few moments, feeling the lightest breeze across your face. A tiny tendril of your hair ghosted over your cheek and upper lip. You took a deep breath, opened your eyes, and sat up, trying to think about something, place yourself. You were wearing a t-shirt with the emblem of the Strategic Scientific Reserve on the front and pants.    

You saw a man–Steve–a number of feet from you in a bed of his own. He appeared to be sleeping, wearing the same shirt as you, sprawled on his back. Boots on his feet, which made you look down at your own. Nope, just socks, but a pair of shoes right on the floor near the end of the bed. The radio was still playing, but you weren’t paying attention, you were focused on placing yourself in the in moment.     

What time is it? Where am I? Remember. Steve, Captain America. One of your best friends. Hydra. The war. S.S.R. Peggy Carter. You tried to recall the last thing you remember. Your answer to any type of panic, call on your friends. Convenient Steve was there.    

“Steve. Steve!” Steve opened his eyes, slowly swinging his legs over the side of the bed, using his arms to prop himself up to face you.    

As he sat up, you took in the room, the space around you. The room was a fair size. Not large, but not tiny. The bottom half of the walls were painted blue. An all too familiar blue. Bucky. Your other best friend. He…he died .    

You pushed the thought out of your mind for the time being and continued taking in the room. The top half of the walls were painted white and a small nightstand was between you and Steve’s bed with a lamp, a pitcher of water, a cup, and a washcloth on it. The lamp was on, odd since the sun was shining in. There was a chair in the corner andne open window where the breeze must have been coming from. A light switch near the door, across the room from you.    

Your attention returned to Steve who looked to be in deep concentration over something. You wondered for a moment what was going through his head before you said his name again. Everything felt foggy and some part of you would find solace in hearing Steve’s voice. “Steve!”    

He shook his head, a look of concentration still plastered on his face. “Radio.”

Before you could understand what he meant a woman walked in. She was beautiful, long brown, curly hair, placed neatly behind her ears. White shirt with a collar. Black tie. Black skirt.    

She tilted her head to the side, before closing the door, gently behind her. “Good morning.” The breeze from the windows picked up again.    

You and Steve both turn to face her, Steve it with concern written all over his face. You took a deep, long breath trying to settle yourself in the moment. Before you could even think to respond, Steve spoke up.     

“Where are we?” You just nodded. Good question, Steve . Your brain was too fogged over to think of anything else.      

The woman, presumably a nurse, gave a small smile, placing her hands behind herself. “You are in New York. In a recovery room.” She gave another smile.    

You just nodded, but Steve looked over his shoulder at the radio on a dresser in the corner. You realized the radio was still playing, but this time you started actually listening to what was being said. The guy on the radio talking about the Dodgers. Steve, looked back at the nurse, your ears still listening to the radio before you understood what Steve had meant by radio. Before Steve could say anything you found your voice, your first words besides ‘Steve’ being uttered. “New York? Are we actually in New York, ma’am?” Is this some sick trick on Hydra’s end? Am I dead?      

The nurse gave a confused look, blinking a few times at the questions. She cleared her throat before speaking. “What do you mean, ma’am? Yes, we are in New York.” She gave a slightly awkward smile. Something didn’t sit right in your gut.     

You and Steve were on the same wavelength at this point because Steve spat out the words you were thinking. Not word for word, but the idea was there. “The game that the gentleman is announcing. That was a game from 1941. I was at the game.”   

You nodded your head. Why would a game from 1941 be played over the radio if it’s 1944? The look of confusion grew on your face as the nurse appeared to shift uncomfortably. You and Steve both glanced at each other without turning your heads before your gaze returned back to the nurse. Steve stood walking towards the woman. She wasn’t a nurse in your mind, not anymore. Something in your gut told you to run. You side-eyed the shoes at the edge of the bed as you pulled them on, as subtle as possible.   

“I’m going to ask one more time.” Steve sounded ten times more authoritative this time, looking down at the woman, a foot from her. “Where are we?”   

“Sir, Captain Rogers.” She said, calmly, not moving a muscle though you saw something in her hand a bright red blinking.     

You’d seen enough bloodshed. Your gut did not like this and you did what you thought of in that moment. You hadn’t seen Bucky fall, but you knew he had. Hydra had taken enough of your friends. This strange woman was not about to hurt the one friend and thing you were sure of. You immediately stood and walked up to Steve’s side.

“Where are we,” Steve demanded before the door opened and two men dressed in black entered causing you to take a step back. Steve jumped forward shoving the women and two men out of the way. Your instinct was simply to follow.   

Steve pushed them both, through a wall which only lead to another room, a larger room. You followed Steve. It was a larger room and you couldn’t care to look around you. There were doors and that was something. You ran towards them, Steve taking just a moment to look take in the rather bland surrounding of the room.    

You heard the woman shouting desperately, “Captain Rogers! Ma’am! Wait.”     

You weren’t stopping, and neither was Steve. You both ran through the doors into a long hallway—men and women dressed in suits. The wall opposite was just windows. Everyone seemed to turn their heads in your direction. Adrenaline was coursing through your body.        

You heard the woman shouting again. “All agents. Code 13. I repeat, Code 13.”     

Upon those words, you swear every person in that hall suddenly ran at you and Steve ran towards what appeared to be more doors. You didn’t know where they led, but it meant somewhere else so you followed Steve, running as quickly as possible. The doors led outside and all you could see were people and cars speeding down the road. A large building looming over you. You pushed people out of your way as you ran into the street and across to the other side only to see Steve run down the road. You ran after him. Damned serum makes you too fast for me, Steve. You finally caught up with him as multiple black, fancy-looking cars surrounded you and Steve.      

“Damnit.” You muttered as you and Steve stood back to back, walking in circles against each other to check your surroundings. Above you, open skies. All around you large signs and moving pictures. There was too much around you, you couldn’t think. You were overwhelmed. Your heart rate felt like it could rocket you billions of miles from where you were standing. You tried to take a deep breath. Some mysterious voice said something, but you didn’t make it out. Everything blurred. You were plummeting towards the earth. The last thing you remember was Steve standing over you saying your name and then everything went black.

[saltmannequin]

thank you for the music

eddie munson x gn!reader

wc: 500

summary: pure fluff. you and eddie dancing to abba.

————

The moonlight glowed through the window of Eddie’s bedroom as you were stirred from your peaceful sleep by the muffled sounds of music coming from the front of the trailer. You sluggishly looked over at the clock that read 2:04am before shifting your body out of the comforts of Eddie’s bed and into the hall.

The sounds of ABBA floated through the small hallway, and as you neared the kitchen, you could see your boyfriend swaying slowly by himself in the dimly lit living room. You stopped, resting your weight against the wall.

Eddie turned a short moment after, almost sensing your presence. He smiled widely as he saw your sleepy figure, hair sticking out every which way.

" ‘Mornin’ baby" He drew closer to you as you took him all in. His hair was tied messily into a low bun with a few strands framing his face. He wore a pair of red checkered pyjama bottoms and a faded black sabbath tee that you had cropped for him. The warm light that was emitted from a lamp in the corner of the room cast shadows on his cheek. He looked like perfection.

"Mornin’ Teddy" You nodded at him tiredly as he snaked his arms around your waist, pulling you into a hug. You placed your arms on his shoulders, hands resting on the back of his neck.

The track skipped on the vinyl skipped, and the slow piano melodies began to fill the room.

‘I’m nothing special; in fact, I’m a bit of a bore..’

You had pulled away slightly, now looking into Eddie’s brown doe eyes, as you both swayed to the music slightly.

‘If I tell a joke, you’ve probably heard it before..’

"Y’know you look real cute when you’re tired" Eddie connected his forehead with yours as you smiled bashfully.

"You look real cute when you’re dancing to ABBA" You nudged his head slightly with yours.

‘But I have a talent, a wonderful thing..’

You leaned in, brushing your nose against Eddie’s.

‘ ‘Cause everyone listens when I start to sing..’

He closed the gap, pressing his plump lips softly against yours.

‘I’m so grateful and proud..’

You became lost in the kiss instantly, his smell engulfing you, the feeling of his lips encapsulating yours so perfectly.

‘All I want is to sing it out loud..’

Suddenly, Eddie pulled away, and as the chorus came in full swing, his hand grasped one of your wrists, motioning for you to let go, and took hold of your hand, spinning you once, before pulling you back in.

You swayed with your hands on his chest and his around your waist. You laid your head just where his heart was and closed your eyes.

‘Who can live without it? I ask in all honesty

What would life be? Without a song or a dance, what are we?..’

-

thankyou for reading!⭐️

[1800classiccherries]

Good night!

⚘ 1610!Miles Morales x black!fem!reader

⚘ fluff! teen romance, heights, sneaking out (?)

⚘ summary: Late at night, Miles pays Y/n a visit asking to go for a swing.

⚘ wc: 828

Jazz was filling your otherwise quiet room as you lay on your bed facing the ceiling with your legs up against the wall. From below your room, you could hear the faint sounds of a party, and outside your window, the never-ending sound of cars and people in the city went by. 

You close your eyes for a moment letting the music push away your thoughts. That night you weren't really thinking about anything in particular, just various things like your week, funny memories, how you'll decorate your future apartment, things you need to do the following day, etc. You could say you were just in a thinking mood.

Under the sound of jazz, you hear a faint tapping at your window. At this hour? You thought to yourself, craning your neck to look at the source of the sound. Your boyfriend, Miles, is crouched there at the window in his Spiderman suit, putting a hand up when he sees that you noticed him.

While you had been listening to jazz and thinking about random things, Miles was (surprisingly) listening to nothing and thinking of you. So instead of trying to fight it, he suited up and swung to your place, assuming you were still up.

Sitting now upright, you crawl off the bed and over to the window to let Miles in. 

“Hey,” you were giving him a look that, while trying to seem inviting, was asking ‘what are you doing here so late.’

“Hi,” he looks around your room, taking in the music and warm feeling of a dark room being lit with lamps and candles. “I, uhm, couldn’t get you off my mind, so I thought I’d swing by… hope you don’t mind.”

“No, I don’t mind. I was just sitting around, thinking.” 

“About anything in particular?” Miles asks with caring and interested eyes.

“No, not really. Plus, I can’t seem to remember now that you're here.” You laugh sheepishly.

Miles looks down at the ground before looking back up at you with a smile, “Wanna go for a swing?”

“Yeah, I’ll get my suit” You walk to your closet, getting the spider suit Miles made for you so that if you were to go swinging with him, your identity would be concealed as well.

Once you’re suited up, you climb out your window, shutting it behind you, meeting Miles on the fire escape. As you wrap your arms around him, he shoots a web out to the nearest building taking off.

While you weren’t the biggest fan of swinging around with the occasional free fall that never failed to freak you out, you did love the views. From up high, looking down at all the lights and people brought a warm sense of comfort, knowing that there were so many other lives out there and that you weren’t really alone.

Miles smiles to himself, feeling your heartbeat against his chest, laughing whenever he free falls, causing you to tighten your hold on him. After a while, he pulls over to a rooftop taking his arm away from your waist. You take a few steps back and look around at the view, and while you look at the view, Miles is looking at you. Seeing the city lights shine on your face and sparkle in your eyes, he was in awe, and when you turned to look at him, he felt his heart stop beating.

“What is it?” You asked with a smile when you caught him starting.

“Nothing, it’s nothing,” he brushes off shyly once he snaps out of his daze.

Walking to the edge of the rooftop, Miles takes a seat, legs dangling off the edge. You follow suit and rest your head on his shoulder.

“Tell me about your day,” you prompt, not wanting to goback home quite yet.

And you got your wish. The two of you stayed on that rooftop talking about any and everything, from school and music to family and spider-people. Miles was one of those people you felt like you could tell anything to; he also reciprocated the feeling.

After what easily could’ve been hours, you realize the time, “We should probably head back now.”

“Yeah, you won’t get in trouble or anything, right?” he stands, putting out his hand for you to take, making sure you don’t fall.

“Nah, I’m pretty sure everyone was asleep when you came.”

Now back at the fire escape, you slide open your window and climb into your room, careful to not make any sounds.

Once you’re in, you take off your mask, and turn back around, leaning out of the window slightly, “Thank you for tonight, Miles. I had a great time.”

“Yeah, me too.” You begin to walk away from the window but stop when you hear Miles’s hushed voice.

“Wait,” you walk back to the window, “hm?”

Miles gently places a hand on your cheek and a sweet kiss on your lips, 

“Good night, Y/n.”

“Good night, Miles.”

Thanks for reading! (^^)/