#but fucking hell i need to dig DEEP to get this story right

[ialwaysknewyouwerepunk]

.

[whateveriwant]

Actually I'm not done talking about Mr. Simon Fucks-Himself-Stupid Riley just yet :(

I'm picturing a scenario where you, a civilian, are visiting your boyfriend at his base. Maybe you're there to deliver something, like a file he forgot at home or the lunch he said he didn't need. Either way, whatever your cover story for being there is, the end result is the same: you, on your back, knees up by your ears, sprawled across Simon's desk as he fucks you like his life depends on it.

Being a Lieutenant grants him the luxury of having a private office where he can engage in such extracurriculars, but that doesn't mean it's without some major risks – namely, prying ears that might be lurking in the hallway outside.

But being discreet shouldn't be an issue, should it? I mean, a man known infamously as “Ghost” should have no problem staying quiet, right?

Wrong.

Turns out, not only does that tight hole of yours reduce your boyfriend to a dumb, drooling mess, it makes him a dumb, drooling mess who can't keep his fucking mouth shut.

So while you have the wherewithal to clamp a hand over your lips to try muffling your lewd noises, Simon is out here moaning and groaning unabashedly like something sent forward in time from the Paleolithic. You could try asking him to cover his mouth, but it seems an impossible task; his hands are a little preoccupied with making sure he doesn't fuck you right over the edge of his desk.

While you don't want to stop, you also don't want to get caught, so you settle for urging him to keep it down. It's after a third softly gasped ‘N-Need to be qu-quiet, Si’ that your warning finally worms its way into his brain, and he acts in a way to appease you, just… not how you expect.

Swiftly, Simon removes his hold of your waist and brings one of his arms forward. He grabs for the center of his t-shirt, tugs the material up, and quickly stuffs the fabric into his mouth.

It only takes a split second for the action to happen, but immediately, you see how effective it is. The moment that standard, army-issued tee is captured between Simon's teeth, there's a drastic reduction of noise in the room.

Now, he can fuck into you with reckless abandon, and he snaps his hips forward with enough force to make your whole body ripple. Even as you pulse and constrict around him (sometimes inadvertently, sometimes not), the sounds that climb their way up Simon's throat are heavily dampened by his cotton gag.

It's as Simon begins the ascent to his peak that the cloth in his mouth really comes into play. As he pumps into you, he starts grunting lowly, gutturally, exhaling through his nostrils in quick, harsh bursts. It's a deep sound, animalistic in nature, like a bull huffing before it digs its heels into the dirt and charges.

His thrusts turn sloppier and sloppier the closer he nears his high, his hips propelled forward only by some basic hindbrain instinct. His lashes start to flutter, his eyes roll towards the back of their sockets, and when he cums, he throws his head back in a full-blown snarl.

Simon's a bit shaky on his feet after he climaxes in you, but he manages to pull out before he stumbles backwards, plopping down heavily into his chair. As you start cleaning yourself up, you see how he makes no attempt to move. He just sits there, completely brainless, pants around his ankles and t-shirt still tucked between his teeth. You have to walk over to him and purposefully tug on the shirt to get him to release it, and once it's freed, you see the damage that's been done.

In the center of Simon's shirt rests a big, blotchy wet spot, like he's tried to do his own slobbery take on the classic Rorschach test. The fabric's been wrinkled to all hell and there's a few imprints left behind from where his teeth had bitten down, and if you were to inspect the hem closely, you'd see where he popped a stitch or two in his ecstasy.

The sight of his mangled shirt has you tutting in disapproval. He can't walk out of his office looking like this, and he certainly can't forgo wearing a shirt altogether. What would the people around base say if they saw their normally put together Lieutenant looking so unkempt? You don't think he'd ever hear the end of it, nor would you for that matter.

In the meantime, as you wait for Simon's brains to un-liquify themselves, maybe you can scrounge up something else for him to wear. There's got to be something lying around here to help make him presentable once again. It's too bad as part of your cover you didn't think to bring an extra set of clothes to change into.

You'll have to remember for next time.

[fixyourwritinghabits]

How to Handle Critique

I��ve got to admit, I wish I was one of those beatific saints that could take critique with a grateful smile. Instead, I am constantly suppressing a horrible little gremlin at the back of my head hissing at anything from legit plot critiques to grammar corrections. I’m well aware I used that comma wrong, GOD.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m very good at suppressing that gremlin, but the little bastard is still there. He exists because even though your brain knows critique can help, it also knows you worked damn hard on the thing being critiqued, and goddamnit, isn’t that enough???

Anyway, here are some tips on getting that gremlin to shut the hell up.

It is okay to be upset. You worked really hard on this thing, and now someone’s gone and pointed out all the things that suck about it. You cannot control how you feel about one thing or another, but you can allow yourself to feel that way and let it pass through you. Let your critique partner you’re taking time to reflect on it, and go for a walk. Do something else. Let those feelings pass through you before you get back to the page.

Give yourself time. Don’t feel like you need to correct things right away (unless they are minimal grammar tweaks). Some pieces of feedback might take awhile to sink in, especially when you’ve got a whole novel to wrestle through. Set it aside, think about something else for a week or so, and get back to it when you’ve reset.

Get a second opinion and/or ducky friend. It can be very hard to tell the difference between good and bad feedback sometimes. Someone who means very well could give feedback that just doesn’t work for you, and someone who doesn’t give two shits could have spotted that fatal flaw right away. You can bring in a real third party or just make use of the old rubber duck technique, where you talk through the issue with a friend or a Naruto poster telling you to Believe it. Working it out out-loud is a really effective technique to figure out what needs fixing and what doesn’t.

Guide critique-givers toward the feedback you want. I, a person who prefers straightforward fantasy and sci-fi, cannot give the fine-tooth points on how a romance novel should work. However, I can give feedback on what works for me and what doesn’t story-wise. Giving your beta reader or critique partner a list of questions to look for will help avoid vague feedback based on how they don’t like the genre. There are many ways to do this, but consider using the following as a base to tailor your own questions:

Did you get a good sense of the setting? Did the worldbuilding make sense to you?

Was this story clear? Where there any parts that seemed confusing?

What characters did you like and why? What characters didn’t you like?

Did any parts of the story feel slow or repetitive?

Did the beginning draw you in? Did the middle keep you engaged? Did the ending feel satisfying?

If you were to write [insert plot point here], what would you do differently?

Again, all of the above questions are up for debate depending on your goal, but we are rarely taught how to give good feedback, and a guided feedback session would work better for you than a free-for-all.

Figure out what kind of advice doesn’t work for you. It is really hard to give good feedback sometimes, even with guided questions. It can also be really hard to figure out why some feedback doesn’t click with you, and that’s a matter of digging deep to figure out what you really want. You may lean toward characters who are horrible fuck-ups, but your partner prefers more steady characters who always strive to do the right thing. Your characters, therefore, may never click with this person, no matter how much they want to help you. And that’s okay! Figuring out where your critique partner is coming from can help you figure out what parts of their feedback isn’t working for you. Sometimes the only thing you can do is thank them and move on, but you might also want to guide them to focus more on the plot or the worldbuilding when looking at your work.

And last, don’t focus on grammar. It’s great if they point that out, but if you end up changing everything, trying to fix that first is a waste of your time. Grammar tweaks last, plot points first.

And, I dunno, give yourself a treat to get that horrible little mind gremlin something else to focus on. Sometimes patting those bad feelings on the head and sending them away can help way more than ignoring them.

[darylsfavoritegirl]

HEYYYY IM HONESTLY SO FUCKING EXCITED WHAT DO YOU THINK ABT THESE HEADCANONS bc i wanted to do smth like for a while i just never could come up with anything but its easy in a sense sooo here you gooou

SFW

• I don't think his mommy issues are necessarily sexual, sometimes you would do something that would invoke that "motherly" "safe" or "warm" feeling inside of him. He would never be able to understand what it was or would tell anyone about it. It'd be one of the reasons why he'd care for you as much as he did. You'd make him feel safe by saying something or embracing your arms around him in a certain way which would make him commemorate his mother, though because his mom died when he was young, he wouldn't be able to understand it at all bc he doesn't consciously remember those moments with her. This man fr would think you'd cast a spell on him :D

• I just know this man is a feminist in the core. Growing up, he'd always hear Merle running his mouth about women and how they were like this and they were like that, overall his ignorant, blunt, dumb thoughts about women. He would witness his dad going off on benders with different women each time and how he'd vulgarly talk about them later. And hell maybe he's disrespected women or been really cruel to them but he still regrets it to this time and yeah we all know this man suffers in redemption, always trying to make up for his past mistakes and wrongs. Yet I'm %100 sure he loves seeing women thrive, turning into their best selves or just witness them be real badass and it might even give him some kind of arousal 👀👀. He is into that shit. I said what I said.

• One of his love languages is definitely showing you the places he'd used to spend his time in. Could be a special spot in the woods, could be a small cabin he'd used to get lit with people. Hell it could be random corner in town whenever you'd have to be in downtown for various reasons. He wouldn't even mind if those places brought him bad memories or unpleasant ones. He'd just like being there with you, doing whole ass story times and watch you react them with a wide-eyed expression. He did have a weird and a "crazy" life before the fall that'd make him feel like he was on mushrooms everytime just thinking about it. He'd love letting you know more and more about his past. It would just give him a reassuring feeling deep down. He would feel like it would bound you two together.

• That.man.has.a.sweet.tooth. He loves anything that has sugar. He'd always snack on candies or cookies or chocolates after a hangover. Or when he'd be on drugs. Sugar wakes him the fuck up and he loves the energy boost. He'd carry some candies in his pocket back in the day, eating them throughout the day when he'd feel his blood sugar dropping.

• He is definitely a car-date type of guy. He got more into it after the apocalpyse started and he met you. Sometimes you'd go on runs and you could sit in the car for hours, smoking, eating, talking or yk👀👀 if supplies you found weren't an emergency need. He absolutely savored those moments. You could sit for hours without speaking, in a complete silence. He appreciates quietude.

NSFW

• I know him having a breeding kink is well known and acknowledged but he's insane about it that it hurts. He loves seeing you all squirmed and whiny underneath him with all his cum inside of you, some of it dripping down your thighs. You couldn't always find the right pills for unplanned pregnancy risk and it WOULD drive him crazy to not be able to it.

• He just loves to see you messy beneath him. Hair all tangled, thighs shaking uncontrollably. Your fingers digging so deep on his shoulders that you'd cause his broad shoulders to bleed sometimes, he loved it. Your eyes are all glossy with pleasure. You both would love to go wild and leave sloppy kisses on eachother's bodies and wouldn't mind them drying on your bodies at all, leaving it all sticky.

• He loves being submissive as much as he loves being dominant. You can't convince me otherwise. If you gained his trust, he will be all yours, all needy beneath you while you ride his soul out of his damn body. Again, he adores a badass woman, a woman to take the lead. You would place your hands on his chest and sometimes hold his strong large biceps and he wouldn't dare to move an inch. He liked being vulnerable like that.

• He is just so patient it physically throws you over the edge. He'd get so close making you cum and he'd stop, teasing you with his tip or fingers or sometimes his tongue. He'd smirk at you and even make fun of you in a taunting way to overstimulate you and don't worry he'd make up for it with better ways. He knows what he is doing. It's just come natural to him.

• It's safe to say you are the one who teases him in the public most of the time, your feet tracing his legs up until it stops on his bulge under the table and he'd give a stern stare, trying to shrug and look indifferent as others would notice his suddenly-changing demenour. However, there'd be boring Alexandria dinners that Deanna would host and if you sat next to eachother, he'd place his large hand on your thigh and even dare to slip a finger on the fabric of your panties, starting to rub his middle finger harshly in circles while having full ass conversations with people and try to hide his subtle smirk bearing his face. He would do it rarely yet he'd be so good at it because no one would suspect a thing, he'd always make it look like he was resting his arm on your lap. You'd squirm under his warm touch and heat waves would wash all over you while trying to look normal as ever. And believe me, after those nights, when you'd confront about him about what he did at a dinner with 20 people, he'd act as if he doesn't understand a thing you're saying or would say "Don' kno' what yer talkin' 'bout." while shrugging his shoulders and turning to his side with a wicked grin.

FOOTNOTE

well this actually took shorter than i thought idk why i believed it would take me couple of days to finish one lmao i deadass wrote this in like an hour max ???? anyway i wish there were more but idc i was so impatient to post one of theseeee :)))

[loserboysandlithium]

Just thinking about being out with the gang and teasing Billy. Sitting on his lap, grinding on him and then him finally not able to take it and takes you to the bathroom and…

“Stop it...” Billy grumbles in your ear making you smirk.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” you reply sweetly as you shift in his lap once again, purposefully grinding across his clothed cock. You’ve been teasing him for about a half hour, his dick has been consistently growing harder and harder beneath you.

His large hand grips your waist tightly as he holds you in place, his lips come to your ear once again. “If you don’t fucking stop, then you’re gonna be in trouble, baby.” he growls, his deep voice sending shivers down your spine.

“Mmm.. how much trouble?” you giggle as you turn to face him, fluttering your eyelashes up at him. His blue eyes bore into yours as a delicious smile appears on his pretty lips.

“Bathroom, now.” he snips, standing suddenly, lifting you with him.

“We’ll uh- we gotta- we’ll be right back.” Billy says to the group, giving up on trying to come up with a story. His hand is firm on your wrist as he pulls you toward the bathroom of the bowling alley.

He swings open the door, spinning you against the wall as soon as you’re inside. His lips slam to yours, a hard kiss making you moan instantly. Your fingers tangle in his curls as your tongues swirl together wildly.

He quickly pulls down his jeans and your eyes land on his cock standing erect.

Fucking hell...

He pulls your dress up to your hips, yanking your panties to the floor roughly. "You're so perfect, baby." he praises and your stomach flutters as he steps closer.

You gasp as he hooks his arms under your thighs and lifts you off the ground with ease. Your legs wrap around his waist and you can feel his hard cock resting against your warmth.

“Little slut couldn’t even wait til we got home?” he taunts and you shake your head.

“Need you, Bills.” you whimper, your pussy aching for the familiar pleasure.

He places himself at your entrance and lets go of your thighs just a bit allowing you to slide down onto his cock slowly. You feel the delicious stretch.. he's so fucking big.

“Better baby? Just needed Daddy’s cock.” he mumbles drunkenly as he slides in a few more inches.

Your mouth drops open with a whiny gasp as you feel him enter you completely. He lets out a beautiful moan as your legs tighten around his waist.

“Y-Yes Daddy.” you stutter as your hands rest on his shoulders and he begins to thrust into you, holding you up against the wall of the bathroom.

The feeling of him inside of you is overwhelming every single time. You meet his blue eyes as he continues to thrust in and out.

“So needy… such a needy little thing.” he grins and you can’t do anything but cry out as his hands grip your ass and he begins really slamming you into the wall.

"Fuck!" You cry out as he hits deep inside, so fucking deep.

"God, that pussy feels so good." Billy groans as your breasts bounce wildly with every thrust of his hips.

"Billy.. I.." your head falls back against the wall as you struggle to speak.

Moans pour from your lips as your nails dig into his back. You’re trying to keep quiet but you can't control the noises coming out of your mouth as he pounds into you.

"Harder, baby! Harder!" You beg him and he chuckles wickedly as your head falls forwards onto his shoulder. He fucks you faster and faster. Each thrust somehow reaches deeper.

He rolls his hips up into you and you cross your ankles behind his back, holding him in deep. "Mmm... fuck my pussy, baby." you whine in his ear. "I'm so fucking wet.. so wet for you, Billy." You moan loudly before you bite down on his shoulder roughly.

"Jesus, baby." he moans raspily.

Your face is buried in his neck. Your moans are getting louder and louder in his ear making him fuck you harder and harder with every fucking one. Your pussy clenches around his cock and you’re fucking soaked.

"Does that feel good, baby?" he burns in your ear as your head rests on his shoulder.

"I...y-yes.." you try but it quickly turns into a moan as he quickens his pace even more. "Billy! Don't stop.. fuck baby.. don't stop!" You squeal and he begins lifting your ass, dropping you down onto his cock faster and faster until you’re a mumbling mess.

“Gonna- Billy I’m gonna-”

“Cum for me, sweet girl.” he moans, keeping his fast pace, slamming into your drenched pussy.

Your head falls back into the wall and your fingernails dig into his shoulder as you cum all over his cock. His lips find yours, swallowing your cries as his thrusts get sloppier and sloppier until he pumps you full of his cum.

He collapses into you, pressing your body completely against the wall as he buries his face in your neck.

“I love you, baby.”

“I love you more.”

K byeeee

[endwersed]

WIP Whenever

Tagged by the wonderful @hedwig221b 🩷

I'm giving my brain a (brief, I promise!) break from my current WIP to work on the start of the top voted idea from my recent long fic poll - thank you to everyone who joined in with that! My planned next story is going to be an ABO neighbours AU, where Derek is a firefighter and Stiles is a single parent. I've actually got the whole first scene already done, so... here's that! 😊

-

It is already gone midnight by the time Derek stumbles into his apartment building, exhaustion running bone deep as he crosses the lobby as quickly as his aching legs and weary feet will carry him. The imposing wall of mailboxes slides quickly past his consciousness as he steams by, the key to his own bitingly sharp where it digs into the meat of his thigh through his pocket, but he won’t take the time to stop and check it. Not tonight. Not with every strained muscle in his body screaming at him to dump himself into bed as soon as is physically possible.

Stuttering to a stop before the chipped-metal doors of the elevator, he summons what truly feels like every ounce of strength left within him to raise a hand up to the little grey button to his left. It takes him a moment of slow, sluggish, heavy blinks before he notices that grey has not shifted green, is not lit up with the promise of an imminent arrival. It takes a few moments more for him to realise there is a note, taped up to the door before his sapped-stupid face.

OUT OF ORDER

There it is. Spelled out right there, right in front of him. A stark white sheet of paper, blocked out with this bold, bright, blood-red lettering that makes his temples throb that kick harder. Out of fucking order.

“Fuck,” he mutters out loud, stinging eyes shut as he palms at his forehead. “Can today get any fucking worse?”

A question as rhetorical as it is futile. It’s not like there is anybody around to answer him.

His teeth grind together as his hand falls away from his face, dropping to hang limply down at his side. It is a real, genuine internal struggle to fight against the agitated claws that want to slice through his fingertips, and it is only his years of practice that keep them buried inside his skin, keep his palms safe from anything worse than the blunt score of ordinary nails.

Forcing his eyes open again, he twists away from the broken elevator and stomps the few paces it takes to be able to push through the solid door that leads him into the dimly lit stairwell.

Eight-oh-two. The number to his apartment, all the way up on the eighth goddamn floor. This truth puts an unreasonable and infuriating number of steps between his drained body and the familiar comforts of home right now.

Back when he first moved into this place, a little over a year ago, signing on for an apartment on one of the highest floors hadn’t even registered as a thought, as something worth even taking notice of. He is a werewolf, after all, with werewolf strength and werewolf stamina. An alpha werewolf, at that, and with all of the preternatural advantages that come along with that particular status. A few measly flights of stairs were nothing, not to him.

That arrogance is coming back around to bite him in the ass now, though. He was perhaps a little too hasty when he signed his name on that dotted line; perhaps lacking in the foresight needed to anticipate the apparent inevitably of returning home off the back of the shift from hell, only to find himself staring down the barrel of concrete stair after concrete stair after concrete goddamn stair.

He bites back the fatigued groan that wants to rip from his chest and lifts his leg to drop the first boot down onto the first step. Fantastic. Now only a hundred fucking more to go.

Climbing and climbing, heavy footstep after heavy footstep, his entire body singing its raucous protest with each and every stride onwards and upwards. He makes it up one flight, then two, then three and four and five, and it is when he is turning the corner for the sixth, rolling his neck to stretch out the deep crick in his joints, that his ears catch onto a nearby sound, quiet and unexpected.

It sounds like… shit. It sounds like a kid. It sounds like a child, a boy, young and scared and alone, definitely nowhere near old enough to be roaming the halls of this not-very-nice apartment building in their not-very-nice neighbourhood, this late at night and without any supervision.

Instantly, Derek stops short. He tilts his head to the side and holds his breath, listening, tuning into the sound of the boy humming a tune that Derek does not recognise, softly and shakily. The footsteps that Derek can hear are light, aimless and hesitant. The siren call of home, of bed, leaves him in a flash. He turns to follow where his ears can lead him.

With each hurried pace forwards, with each hastily rounded bend, the sound grows louder, easier to pinpoint. The humming in constant, quiet and rhythmically repetitive, but those footsteps falter, more than a few times, halting with a short catch of breath, a skipped beat of a heart. As Derek draws closer, his nose wrinkles around the sharp, sour scent of fear.

The kid isn’t far now. Derek can tell, because the boy has stopped moving entirely. Listening in to the faint thump of a back hitting a wall, the slow slide of fabric against painted plaster as the boy slides down it, another soft thud as he meets the carpeted floor beneath. He carries on humming, never deviating from that same, lilting tune. But Derek can still hear the small, broken, hiccupping sobs, choked and breathless in a way that makes Derek’s heart clench, makes him break into a speed he would not have considered himself capable of, only moments ago.

He is practically sprinting as he crosses that final stretch, pushing through another set of heavy doors and out into the hallway of a floor he has never ventured to before, until – he finds him.

Curled up on the floor, with his knees tucked up to his chin and his arms wound tightly around his shins, is the child. He cannot be much older than six, if that. He is wearing pyjamas, fire trucks printed all over the soft cotton pants, a large one taking up the middle of his chest. His brown hair is a messy mop on top of his head, sticking up wildly close to his temples, and his face is pale around his flushed cheeks, spilled tears staining tracks against his skin.

It is clear that the boy hasn’t noticed him yet. Derek can tell from the way his face stays buried against his legs, his wet eyes screwed shut and his lower lip wobbling with his tears. Derek slows himself down to a cautious kind of pace, careful to press on with light feet to avoid spooking the boy with any sudden noises.

At only a few steps away, Derek pauses, keeping his hands held out in front of him. He silently curses himself for not bothering to take the time to shower and change back at the station. He doesn’t need a mirror in front of him to remember that his white tank top is a mess of black soot, his face smudged with smoke and dirt. He knows that he hardly looks like the kind of adult a frightened little kid is likely to trust.

He has to give it a try, anyway.

“Hey,” he says gently, and the boy’s wide eyes snap up to look at him. “Are you lost?”

Now, Derek is not typically very good with kids. Something about him tends to just… scare them. Laura says it’s his face. Derek generally tells her to fuck off. He doesn’t necessarily disagree, though. Today, add in the fact that the last fire of the night left him looking like, well, this, and he finds himself at even more of a disadvantage than usual.

No answer comes from the boy. He simply blinks up at Derek, his eyes red and damp. He sniffs, a breath that trembles as he pulls it in, and he unwraps one arm from his legs to wipe at his cheek with the edge of one sleeve. His heart beats unsteadily as the scent of his fear takes on a bitter, panicky edge.

Derek lowers himself down to the ground, dropping down to his haunches, intentionally unhurried. He meets the boy at his level and does everything he can to look even just a little less terrifying than Laura always tells him his resting face is.

“It’s okay,” he tries again, hands clasping between his knees. “I just want to help you. Do you live in this building?”

A heavy beat passes in silence. He breaks into a soft smile when the boy finally gives him a slow nod.

“That’s good, that’s great,” he carries on. “Do you remember what floor you live on?”

This time, the boy shakes his head. The corners of his mouth turn down, his eyes growing watery again, the air salty with nearly shed tears as his chin wobbles. Derek takes one look at the boy’s distress and has to swallow around a thick lump in his throat, forcing the reassuring smile at his mouth not to waver.

“It’s okay, that’s fine, we can figure this out together.” He presses an open palm against his own chest. “My name is Derek. Can you tell me your name?”

Another pause. A good few seconds where the boy simply peers at him, merely stares with those big, brown, tearful eyes, so full of nerves, wide open with apprehension. Derek makes sure to hold the boy’s gaze steadily, not allowing the curve of his mouth to slip. He waits quietly, patiently, as the boy sniffs again, chin still trembling as he tilts it up into the air.

“Johnny,” he says.

His voice is so small, shaking as he speaks. Derek lets his smile open around his teeth.

“It’s nice to meet you, Johnny.” He nods down to Johnny’s shirt. “Do you like fire trucks?”

Johnny blinks owlishly at him for a second, before returning that smile with full force. His grin is huge, crooked and gap-toothed, and the scent of fear dissipates so quickly that Derek actually finds himself a little taken aback at such an abrupt shift in emotion.

“I love fire trucks,” Johnny says, with all of the childish sincerity in the world. “Did you know not all fire trucks are red? Sometimes they’re yellow, or green!”

Derek bites at the inside of his cheek, a slight ripple across his shoulders with his soft laughter.

“I did not know that,” he replies. “I’m a firefighter.”

Johnny’s jaw goes slack immediately. Derek doesn’t bother tamping down his next breath of laughter.

“That is so cool.” Johnny pushes forwards onto his knees, hands flat to the itchy carpet as he inches a little nearer. “Do you get to ride in the trucks?”

“I do,” Derek says.

“That is so cool,” Johnny repeats breathlessly.

Derek can feel his eyes crinkling with the spread of his smile, head tilting as he takes in Johnny’s earnest excitement. This kid is absolutely adorable, he cannot help but think. His parents must be missing him very much, if they’ve woken up and realised he has disappeared into the middle of the night.

“How did you end up out here?” Derek asks.

The easy smile falls away from Johnny’s lips at the question, pressing into a tight line instead, his eyebrows drawing quickly together. His eyes drift just over Derek’s shoulder, sliding to somewhere behind him, and Derek follows his gaze with a twist of his neck, finding himself staring through the window on the opposite wall, the night out beyond it black with darkness and white with stars.

“I couldn’t see the moon,” Johnny says when Derek turns back to him, his voice melted soft and scared once again. “I just wanted to see the moon, but then I got lost, and papa always says I should sing my lullaby and find a nice person to help if I get lost, but then I couldn’t find anyone, and I don’t know how to get home, and I –“

“Hey, hey,” Derek comes soothingly in, two palms held placatingly out. “It’s okay now. You found me, and I’m going to help you.”

Biting down on his bottom lip with the one front tooth he has left, Johnny nods. He chews for a quiet second, tilting his head slightly as he considers Derek, before crawling that tiny bit closer, still on his hands and knees.

“You live next door,” he says, quiet but confident. “I remember.”

Derek blinks. He doesn’t recognise this kid at all, cannot honestly say he has ever seen him before. He isn’t exactly pally with his neighbours, though. He isn’t exactly pally with anybody except his sister. Hell, he’s barely even pally with her.

Vaguely, he does recall that he got some new neighbours, a couple of new people moving into the vacant apartment beside him, maybe just a little under a month ago now. Now that he thinks about, he is relatively certain that it was a guy, an omega, a single parent with a young kid. It would make Derek’s job of getting Johnny home a whole lot easier, if true.

“Are you sure?” Derek asks.

Johnny nods, quick and sure.

“I’m sure,” he answers. “You have a doggy. He’s brown and he has floppy ears and you call him Buddy.”

Oh. Okay. Well, that clears that up, then.

“You’re right. I do have a dog called Buddy.” Derek puts his smile back in place as he extends a hand out. “Can I take you home now?”

Derek can sense Johnny’s hesitation even before he smells the faint wave of worry in the air.

“My papa says I shouldn’t go with strangers,” Johnny mumbles.

“Your papa’s right,” Derek replies immediately. “But I’m your neighbour, and I just want to make sure you get back home safely. Is that okay?”

One more long pause. One final slow nod. Johnny fits his small hand into Derek’s palm, fingers curling around Derek’s knuckles, taking Derek’s help as he clambers to his feet, limbs clumsy as he arranges himself into a standing position. Derek rises up with him, rolling up to full height and finding that the boy barely comes up to his waist.

A tilt of his head lets Johnny look up at Derek. That lopsided smile is back on his face as their eyes meet. He keeps his firm grip on Derek’s hand as they stand together.

“Okay,” he says. “I’d like to go home.”

“Okay,” Derek echoes back. “Let’s get you home.”

Any earlier exhaustion has faded into nonexistence as they climb the stairs in tandem. Johnny chatters away about what seems to amount to literally anything and everything that comes into his mind, and Derek is more than content to simply listen as they ascend, supplying a little him here or a quiet ah there, just to make sure Johnny knows he’s still listening.

It is only a few more flights until they reach their floor, Derek swinging the door open for Johnny to pull him through. Derek leads them deftly through winding halls, all the way to the far end, where Derek knows his apartment is, and, apparently, Johnny and his papa’s, too.

“Derek,” Johnny says, tugging at an attention he never actually lost, Derek humming an acknowledgement, anyway. “Can I meet your doggy?”

“Not tonight.” Derek holds back a laugh at the immediate pout that juts Johnny’s lower lip out. “We need to get you home, your papa will be worried about you. You can meet Buddy another time.”

Johnny’s eyes go wide as he gapes up at Derek. Derek smiles back down at him.

“You promise?” Johnny asks.

“I promise,” Derek vows.

A few more paces, and then they are coming to a stop in front of a closed door. Johnny falls quiet all at once as they stand before it, chipped metal numbers nailed into the wood, reading out a number close to Derek’s. Eight-oh-three. He wastes no time in raising a fist and knocking just beneath them.

Seconds pass. He does not hear even a shuffle of movement coming from inside. Maybe Johnny’s father is out. Maybe he woke up and discovered his kid missing and is out looking for him, roaming these halls in search of his wayward son. Derek tightens his hold on Johnny’s hand and knocks again.

This time around, something stirs to life on the other side. Bedsheets rustling, a lamp flicking on. A grumbled curse under breath and bare footsteps padding along a wooden floor. The click of a lock, a moment before the door inches cautiously open.

It really is just that, though – an inch. There is barely enough space between the door and its frame for Derek to peer through, to see into the darkness of the quiet apartment, to make out the shape of a sleep rumpled figure standing just inside, narrowed eyes fixing Derek with their suspicious gaze. If Derek didn’t have his superior vision, this would mostly be a blur to him, right now.

He is a werewolf, though. He can see what humans can’t.

The omega in front of him is clearly just roused from a deep sleep. His dark hair is a mess, entirely reminiscent of his son’s, and he is wearing nothing but a loose t-shirt, falling down slightly over one bony shoulder, a pair of boxer briefs keeping him modest on his lower half. He has freckles sweeping across the soft slope of his nose, moles dotting the height of his cheekbones, a sharp jaw and a pink mouth, currently pulled all the way down into a severe sort of frown. Even in these shadows, Derek can see that Johnny gets his big, brown, soulful eyes from his papa.

Absently, Derek wonders how the hell he didn’t notice an omega who looks like this moving in next door. He pushes the thought quickly aside and plasters a trustworthy smile onto his face.

“Yeah?” Johnny’s father prompts, his voice sleep-rough and palpably impatient.

“Uh, hi,” Derek says. “I think I found something that belongs to you.”

Derek tips his head pointedly down towards the space just at his side. He watches on as the guy follows with sceptical, unhappy eyes, right up until they take in the sight of his son, still holding tightly onto Derek’s hand, pressing firmly up against Derek’s leg. The very moment his gaze lands there, is widens with shock, not a second passing before he is swinging the door abruptly open with the harsh knock of his shoulder.

The heart beating away behind his ribcage ratchets into overdrive. The scent filling the air snaps instantly into fear.

“Johnny!” His face shifts into fury as he stares at Derek with apparent disgust. He reaches out immediately to snatch Johnny’s hand out of Derek’s, pulling the boy quickly into the apartment even as he still sneers at Derek. “What the fu– heck, dude? Who are you and why do you have my son?”

Derek takes a sensible step backwards as he throws two palms up.

“I found him downstairs,” he hastens to explain. “I was just helping him get back home, that’s all.”

“Derek lives next door, papa,” Johnny chimes in, blinking up at his father with a dopey grin, free arm clinging around the leg nearest to him. “He has the doggy. You remember the doggy, right, papa? The one with the ears?”

For a second, Johnny’s father just blinks right back down at him. His teeth grit together as he lifts the hand not gripping onto Johnny’s to scrub roughly over his face, skating up to run through his messy hair afterwards. His mouth purses around a shuddering sigh as he leans down towards his son.

“What were you doing downstairs in the first place, kid?” he asks.

It doesn’t look like Johnny wants to answer that one. Not for his father, at least. He drops his head to stare at where his socked feet are scuffing into the wooden floors, his mouth studiously shut and his eyes fixed anywhere but at his worried papa. Derek wonders just how many times this kid has gotten in trouble for pulling stunts like this before.

“He said he wanted to see the moon.” Derek isn’t entirely sure why he hasn’t backed off for his own apartment just yet, but he jumps in to help explain, all the same. The omega’s sharp gaze snaps back to him and Derek tries not to let himself be too bothered by the mistrust in his eyes. “I think he just got a little lost. Right, Johnny?”

“Uh huh,” Johnny mumbles, still not looking up.

Johnny’s father’s mouth is parted as his eyes swing between Derek and his son.

“He wanted to see the…” He trails off with a shake of his head, a crease between his eyebrows as a sigh pushes out from his lips. He drops down into a crouch, lifting a finger to crook beneath Johnny’s chin to tilt his head back up. “Johnny. What have I told you about wandering off without me?”

“Not to do it,” Johnny whispers.

“Exactly,” Johnny’s father breathes. “So why, kid?”

Instantly, Johnny’s chin wobbles. Derek genuinely has no idea how this kid’s father stays strong in the face of that. Especially not when his eyes go glassy, eyelashes starting to clump wetly together.

“I’m sorry, papa,” he says quietly.

Johnny’s father pulls him into a tight, quick hug. He lets Johnny press in closer, lets him tuck his little face into his neck, the fingers of one hand carding gently through the dark mess of Johnny’s hair. Derek simply watches silently, helplessly, and a little awkwardly, on.

“Don’t cry, sweetie,” Johnny’s father says softly. “I’m not mad. I just – I need you to be safe. Okay?”

“Okay,” Johnny sniffs wetly. “I am sorry, papa.”

“I know you are.” Johnny’s father presses his mouth to Johnny’s temple, a moment of touch before he pulls out of the hug just enough to look Johnny in the eye. “Now, I want you to go into your room and get back into bed. I’ll be in in just a minute so we can talk a little more. You understand?”

“Yes, papa.” Johnny turns his gaze up to Derek with a small, still tearful smile. “Thank you for helping me. I can’t wait to meet your doggy.”

“You’re more than welcome.” Derek offers a real, genuine smile in return. “I’m sure Buddy can’t wait to meet you, too.”

Sparing a final, impish, excitable grin in Derek’s direction, Johnny allows his father to guide him further inside the apartment with a firm hand pressing against his back. He throws an overly enthusiastic wave over his shoulder as he disappears into the darkness. Derek can’t help the fond smile that sticks to his mouth as he watches the kid go.

That smile slips entirely when he tears his gaze back to the boy’s father. This guy looks decidedly less impressed by Derek than Johnny did. With one eyebrow arched, he folds his arms defensively over his chest, pinning Derek in place with a long, hard, parental sort of frown, a clear accusation clinging to its edges.

“So,” he says. “You.”

Derek feels his eyebrows shoot halfway up his forehead.

“Me?” he replies. “What about me?”

The omega catches his tongue between his teeth. His big, brown eyes are narrowed down to slits.

“You just happened to be lurking the halls at,” he pauses to glance at something on the wall beside him, “one o’clock in the freaking morning?”

Derek forces himself to stay rigidly still, forces himself not to give into the almost overwhelming urge to capitulate into some kind of false confession under this guy’s harsh unwavering glare. He tips his chin up and shoves his hands as nonchalantly as he can into the depths of his pockets.

Even more so than his first encounter with Johnny, he is achingly aware of how the events of his shift have left him looking right about now.

“I work down at the fire station.” Unsurprisingly, he doesn’t get anywhere near the levels of enthusiasm from Johnny’s father as he did from Johnny when he reveals this career path. “I was just getting home from a shift when I heard him walking around on his own. Figured he could use some help.”

Johnny’s father purses his mouth, openly appraising Derek with the slow drag of his eyes. They sweep down and up the length of him, from his old jeans to his dirty tank to his smoky face. Eventually, the omega blows a sharp breath out through the slight parting of his lips, letting his eyes widen from their suspicious squint, at least just a little.

“Fine,” he sighs out. “I guess I should probably say… thank you, then.”

Derek scoffs a laugh at the complete absence of sincerity in his tone. He gives a short, disbelieving shake of his head as he stares incredulously back at this guy.

“Don’t strain something on my account,” he replies drily, before letting his own eyes narrow right back. “You know, you’ve got a good kid there. Smart. He only agreed to let me help him because he recognised me as your neighbour.”

Johnny’s father clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth. He rolls his eyes as he uncrosses his arms, letting them hang loosely down at his sides.

“Yeah,” he mutters. “He’s obsessed with your dog.”

“I gathered that.” Derek hesitates a second before ploughing on. “He really is welcome to meet him, if he wants. If it’s okay with you.”

It looks as though Johnny’s father barely even registers this offer. He waves a flippant hand in the air between their chests.

“Yeah, sure, whatever,” he says. “Look, it’s late. Thanks for not turning out to be a creep, I guess. I’ll see you around.”

Derek already has his mouth open around a response. A cutting, caustic, offended retort to this guy’s apparent indifference, apparent agitation, that Derek literally jut helped his son get safely back home. But, before a single word can pass through his gritted teeth, the door slams shut, right in his face. Echoingly loud and blatantly final, leaving Derek standing out alone in the harshly lit hallway.

He sighs. He was looking forward to getting his ass home, he supposes.

Digging his keys out of his pocket and only grumbling under his breath a little bit, he takes a quick sidestep until he can stand in front of his own front door, until he can shove the key into the lock and twist his wrist to kick it open. He hears the instant shift of Buddy waking up inside, soft paws against the wooden floor as he pads from his bed in the corner over to where Derek is stepping over the threshold.

The door snicks shut behind him as he crouches, scratching fingers going right to the spot behind Buddy’s ear that he loves. He is granted a low rumble and a wagging tail for his troubles.

“Hey, Buddy,” he greets. “I met a big fan of yours tonight.”

Buddy pulls his head away from Derek’s hand in favour of rolling himself onto the floor, belly-up in open invitation. Derek breathes out a laugh even as he immediately dives in to give pets as so politely requested. He lets his mind drift to next door as his fingers move through soft fur.

He wonders just how much of a scolding Johnny must be getting right now. He hopes the kid will actually listen this time around, will actually let the warning to not go roaming around the building late at night ever again on his own sink in. He tries to imagine how Johnny’s father must be feeling, scared and relieved all at once, such an instant flood of overwhelming emotion at being handed the kid he hadn’t even realised he had lost.

It would explain why he was so rude to Derek, just now.

Or maybe he’s just a dick. Who knows?

Either way – there is no point dwelling on it. In all honesty, that is very likely the first and last interaction that he will ever have with that pair, with that father and son, that omega and his kid. Derek should be putting his mind to more important things right now, like getting his ass into the shower, and then getting his ass into bed, precisely where it should have been a damn while ago already.

“C’mon,” he says as he stands up, Buddy rising with him. “Time for bed.”

If he happens to dream of big, brown eyes and a panting, pink mouth…

Well. That’s nobody’s business but his.

-

Low pressure tags! @crownofstardustandbone @dear-massacre @demonicfaerie @eevylynn @like-lazarus

@lucky-bishop @patolemus @raisesomehale @seaweed-water @violetfairydust

[plussizefantasia]

It's Always the Wife

Bucky Barnes x BlackCat!Reader

Chapter 4/6

<Prev / Next>

Word Count: 2.6k

Warnings: It's the danger part of the story so we've got guns and threats, talks of murder, alcohol, and language.

A/N Not a huge fan of this part but I got to the point where if I kept tweaking it I would go insane so.... here ya go. Part 5 coming this week!

Shit. Shit. Shit. 

How the hell had you missed this? How had you not realized that the lynchpin behind all of this was the wife? It’s always the wife, how could you miss that? 

Fuck Bucky Barnes. You’d bet your whole life savings on this somehow being his fault. If he hadn’t made you go to bed early you could’ve done some more digging and you probably wouldn’t have missed it. It was his fault. It was his stupid worrying and caring about your well-being that got you into this mess. 

“Ms. Longborne, I have to admit, you’re not exactly the first person that comes to mind when I think of a potential investor in our little… business. Didn’t you say that money should be used to help others, why are you interested in making more if you have all you need?” Mrs. Bowman looks you up and down, far more critically than she had when you two had first met when Bucky was at your side. He’s not here now, you’ll have to cover your own ass. 

“Mrs. Bowman I’m sure you’re well aware of the more theatrical part of society, playing the role of the wholesome heiress is good for business that's all.” 

“Dear, I’ve been playing my part for longer than you have and I never once had to lie to people to boost myself up in the world.” She takes a sip from her glass and sends you an all too condescending smile.

Thats bullshit shes not a natural blonde first of all you can see her roots growing out, and secondly, your pretty sure backroom and under-the-table dealing while keeping the facade of a happy and wholesome nuclear family to the American people counts as lying.

“Mrs. Bowman, lying is a bit of a harsh word I don’t think I ever lied to you. I find that when my money goes to charities and the like it makes people less likely to look into the way that I make that money. A small contribution to the commissioner’s wife’s favorite cause and suddenly he’s all the more willing to loom the other way. It's strategic, that’s all.”

“So, that’s what the sizable donation to my charity was, a red herring?” 

“Yes and no,” You take a sip of the whiskey in your glass, and resist the urge to make a face, you have no idea how Bucky drinks this stuff it tastes like disinfectant. “I needed to make sure that I got an invitation and I knew that such a large sum would draw some eyes, it cost a pretty penny but it got me this far didn’t it.”

“That it did, but I have to ask, why did you want to meet my husband so bad?” Mrs. Bowman placed her drink on the table next to her and began sauntering towards me. “I wouldn’t normally feel the need to step in when it comes to deals like this, I prefer to stay in the background I’m sure you understand. But you… Your very presence sends off alarm bells so tell me. Deborah, why shouldn’t I just kill you now and be done with this.”

The gun cocking behind you makes the hair on your neck stand up, you slowly turn and make eye contact with Hunter, a Smith, and Wesson leveled at you. He doesn’t make eye contact.

If you get out of this you’re going to slap the shit out of that metal-armed bastard. Didn’t he say he’d be right behind you?

You take a deep breath, if you show any weakness any hesitence you’ll get a bullet between the eyes. And you aren’t planning on dying today.

“Other than the fact that if I just suddenly go missing it’ll only raise questions? I think you’re bluffing. If you didn’t trust me even if a little bit you wouldn’t have brought me back here and you definitely wouldn’t have let me get a glimpse behind the curtain. If I didn’t know any better I’d say this was a test. And judging by the smirk spreading across Mr. Bowman’s face I think I just passed.” You cock your hip out to the side and rest the arm holding your glass on it. “Am I right? Or can Hunter get on with it and pull the damn trigger already.” 

“I wasn’t sure about you Ms. Longborne but anyone who can look a pistol in the eye and come out on top is someone I want on my side. So… let’s talk business.”

Holy Shit, that was too close, for a moment there you had a glimpse into an entirely different end, one where Bucky hears a gunshot and runs into the room only to see you bleeding out on the carpet, unable to do anything but hold you as life slips between your fingers. You can’t die, not until you tell a lot of people a lot of things. 

You shake your head to pull yourself back into the moment. 

“That’s the thing, Mrs. Bowman-”

“Julie, if we’re going to be partners we have to do away with the formalities now, I don’t deal with kiss-asses.”

“Alright, Julie, I need to know more about this business before I decide on anything. I may not have the most strict of morals but there are some things that even I won’t be involved in.” 

“Smart girl, alright what do you want to know.”

“Hunter let me in on a little bit of the financial aspect, said that you were looking for investors. Is that as far as I’ll go, I give you money and you give me back my returns or will this partnership be a more… involved one.” 

“Investor is a fun word, it implies that you have power. That won’t be the case. See unlike the shareholders of the corporate world I won’t be bowing to your whims, trying to satisfy whatever hold you think you have over me. I’ve worked far too hard to have someone think they can wave a couple thousand dollars around and control me.”

“I'm not in the controlling business Julie, I just want to be sure that my money isn’t going to be going to waste.” 

“So you want to know what’ll happen with your buy-in is that it?”

“Precisely, I don’t need to know all the gory details after all, I’ll need some plausible deniability if this whole thing falls apart after all.”

“Dear, why don’t I explain this part after all, it was my idea.” The governor cuts in, and you almost jump. You had forgotten he was even there, to be honest. 

“Sure, dear.” Julie pats her husband on the arm, her tone that of a mother speaking to a child. 

“Did you know that 8.8% of people in Alabama didn’t have health care as of two years ago? When I was elected I quickly and quietly ran a bill through the Senate and the House that mandated health insurance coverage. It’s now illegal to not have coverage which made a lot of people mad but created a big opening for opportunity. So I came up with an idea, and the best part is that It’s just on the right side of legal, legal enough that is. NexCare LLC; an insurance company entirely on paper, runs through several shell companies, and all the profits are shuffled into offshore accounts but it's mostly legit. And it insures over 25% of Alamaba’s citizens. They pay 24 Dollars a month for ‘complete coverage’,” he puts air quotes around the words and you start to feel the urge to punch his teeth out, “The coverage is just enough to make sure that people are following the law, but just convoluted enough that we don’t actually have to pay out for anything. We have the right to deny all claims yada yada. Essentially, we’ve created a way for the fine people of Alabama to essentially deposit their money right into our pockets.” 

Now you really want to knock this guy the fuck out. If he’s right and this is all on the right side of legal then there really is fuck all that you can do. You can’t arrest the man for owning an insurance company and if he’s crafted the contracts just right so that he doesn’t actually have to shell out for anything then there really isn’t anything you can do.

“Well Mr. Governor, that really is a spark of genius. And it’s all legal?” 

“It’s legal enough, we paid a lot of lawyers a lot of money to make sure of that.” Julie pipes in.

“And nobody knows that you own NexCare? How’d you work that out?” You bat your eyelashes at the man, hoping, praying for him to spill anything that you can use. 

“More legal mambo jumbo, I’m not too sure. Like you said, plausible deniability.”

“So why do you need my money, seems like you're pretty set up?”

“Expansion is expensive and the lawyers are demanding a higher cut in order to keep their mouths shut, this way everyone stays quiet and happy and we get to get more money from more people.”

“I don’t know, if you’ve already got people on the verge of spilling the beans then why would I want to be anywhere near that.” 

“Trust me Ms. Longborne we have ways of keeping people quiet.” 

“I’m going to need a little bit more than that Mr. Governor, I’m too pretty for prison.”

“God, Charles stop beating around the bush, Debrah here can handle some dirty work, can’t you darling?” Julie stepped in. “Being in power has its privilege and with an extra 3,000 a month into the hands of some police captains, we ensure that specific deaths don’t get investigated. That’s all, it’s a small percentage that reaches that point but it has happened.”

You can sure as shit arrest them for that though, bribery and accessory to murder at the very least. With enough digging, you could probably get the captains being bribed too. That wasn’t your job though, leave the digging to the team at Shield and they could do their arrest too for all you care. You just want to get the hell out of here as soon as possible.

“Let me get all this straight, you have a little arrangement with some shady as hell lawyers who are constantly on the verge of turning you in or extorting you and you need my money to keep them quiet so we can all keep charging the good people of Alabama for insurance that they’re legally required to have but will never see a single dime from?” 

Hunter sorts from his position lounging on the old couch behind you, “Pretty much nailed it, I told you guys she was smart.” He nods to his parents.

Julie purses her lips and looks back at you, “She may be smart but she still hasn’t given us an answer.”

“No, I haven’t, and I don’t plan to. At least not tonight. I’ve got some thinking to do but you’ve certainly piqued my interest.”

“I’m sure I don’t have to tell you what might happen should I hear that you’ve been a little loose-lipped about what we’ve told you.” Julie raises her eyebrows at you. God, you really hate these people.

“No, you don’t. I can assure you word getting out that I was even meeting with you about this would ruin my reputation as much as yours, my lips are sealed.” You sink back the rest of your drink. “But if you’ll excuse me, I’ve been away from my date for a little too long and I’m sure he’s wondering where I am. He’s a worrywart.”

“Well, I look forward to hearing from you.” The governor grabs your hand and shakes it, his grip just a tad too tight to be comfortable.

You don’t say anything after that, just push your way through the doors and sag against the wall once they’re closed. 

“Bucky? Can you still hear me?” 

“Loud and clear Kitty.”

The nickname makes you smile, leave it to Barnes to lift the mood after one of the most tense moments of your life.

“Did we get enough?” 

“The comms recorded the confession and the fact that all three of them are in on it, yeah we got plenty. You did good work.” You nod your head.

“James?”

He just hums.

“I’m ready to go home.”

“Two steps ahead of you.” The voice is all of a sudden much closer, you look up and see him standing over you, holding your coat in one arm and offering the other to help you off the floor. You don’t even remember getting down there.

He pulls you up effortlessly and you stop yourself from crashing into his chest by putting your hand out, it lands on his chest.

He practically pushes you off of him and shoves your coat into your arms. 

“Let’s go.” He doesn’t look to see if you’re following him, he just begins to stride away. 

What the fuck is wrong with him? One moment he’s complimenting you on a job well done and helping you off the floor and the next he’s acting like being too close to you will set him on fire or some shit.

You follow after him nevertheless, you weren’t lying when you said you wanted to go home, and you aren’t going to let Barne’s shitty attitude keep you from doing just that.

Bucky is handing some bills to the valet when you finally catch up to him, the car that the two of you drove here pulls up to the curb you’re standing at. You move to open the door to the passenger side, but before you can get there Bucky already has the handle in his hand and he swings it open for you. He gestures for you to go ahead and you don’t even try to stop the scoff that bubbles up your throat.

You get comfortable in your seat as Bucky walks around the trunk of the car and gets in on his own. He doesn’t buckle just pulls away from the curb quickly.

You don’t like this sense of deja vu, being trapped in a car with James Barnes, neither one of you speaking it’s all too familiar. Except this time, you aren’t uncomfortable, you’re angry, more than angry actually you kinda want to rip off this asshole's metal arm and beat him with it for being a dick. 

Minutes tick by. You don’t speak but you silently fume from the passenger seat. You look over at him a couple of times, you can’t read him. You’ve never really been able to read him and this time is no different. What you wouldn’t get for a glimpse inside his head though.

The car pulls up to a red light, the two of you are bathed in the deep color.

“What the fuck is your problem this time Barnes?”

“I don’t have a problem.” He shrugs.

“Obviously you do or you wouldn’t have acted like my very presence is annoying to you and you wouldn’t be giving me the silent treatment right now.”

“I don’t have a problem.” He insists again.

“Fine. Whatever, when you’re ready to talk to me like a goddamn adult then I’ll be here to listen but if all you’re going to do is ignore me then you can let me out of the car right the fuck now.”

“What?” 

“You heard me, let me out of the goddamn car.”

“I’m not letting you out of the car Y/N! You’re insane.”

“Let me out of the car, or tell me what’s wrong.”

He doesn’t speak, he looks into your eyes and all across your face but he doesn’t say a word.

You nod a solitary nod and reach for the door handle.

“I love you.”

 That stops you cold in your tracks.

[midwestmade29]

S.O.S 🚿

When @coleskingdom informed me that Will used to work construction, I wrote this story. We came up with this AU version of him and I kinda love it 🤭 Word Count: 1.5k Divider by: Me 🙂 *GIF is not mine

Disclaimers: Cursing, unprotected sex. Read at your own discretion.

When your shower is on the fritz, Will attempts to fix it for you...

The guy that usually helps Will with his house calls was home sick today, so when you called and needed repair services, he came alone. Will and his partner had been your go to business to call on whenever you needed work done around your house.

Once he arrived, Will apologized for how long he predicted it would take to fix your shower since he was on his own today. The truth is you didn’t mind at all. The way his jeans hung off his hips and the way they hugged his backside just right, you could stare at him all day. You offered to help him, but he declined politely. He got to work on the repairs while you secretly pouted on the couch.

When you heard “fuckin hell!” come from the bathroom followed by the sound of spraying water, you immediately jumped up and ran to investigate!

“Everything alright in there?” You called from the doorway.

“My wrench! Please get me my wrench!” Will shouted while pressing his hands over the water spraying in his face.

When you entered the bathroom and saw what was going on, you gasped and darted for his toolbox. In between digging through the tools and sneaking peeks at the sexy man standing in your bathtub, you couldn’t help but laugh.

“So uhh, does this mean you’ll be giving me a discount?” You teased. 

“It’s nice that you’re having a laugh miss, but if you don’t get me that wrench, we’re going to need a boat to get out of here,” he quipped. 

Once you placed the wrench in his hand, he corrected his mistake and stopped the water flow. Will was completely soaked from head to toe, water droplets fell from his hair onto his cheeks. He cleared his throat when he caught you staring at his taught muscles through his shirt that was clinging to his body, bringing your attention back to the issue at hand. Your cheeks were flushed as you walked over to the linen closet and grabbed a few towels off the shelf. On your way back over to Will, you slipped on a wet spot on the floor and went down with a thud!

Will hopped over the edge of the tub and rushed over to you, slipping and sliding the entire way before losing his balance and falling on top of you.

“Fuck!” He yelled when his body crashed against yours. “I’m so sorry miss, are you okay?!”

You let out a small groan from the soreness you started to feel in your tailbone, the weight of Will’s body pressed you into the hard bathroom floor.

“I…I’m fine. Are you okay?” You asked with a wince.

Will didn’t respond to you right away, instead he peered down at you with his now darkened eyes, tracing the outline of your lips with them. You swallowed hard when you felt his arousal pressing against your thigh.

A few drops of water fell onto your face from Will’s hair, but you didn’t move to wipe them away. You were in a daze looking up at the handsome man hovering above you while reveling in the way his body felt on top of yours. When another droplet fell and landed near your mouth, Will wiped it away with his thumb, his touch still lingering long after he pulled his finger away.

“Oh, shit! I’m sorry miss, I’m getting you all wet,” he murmured.

Once his words registered in his brain, you could tell he was embarrassed. Your giggles filled the room at the irony in his apology, because little did he know just how wet he really was making you. He lifted himself up and sat back on his heels while extending his hand out to you, pulling you up to your knees once you took it.

Your damp clothes made you shiver causing Will to instinctively place his hands on your arms and rub them up and down to warm you. His touch ignited a fire deep within you, making you feel bold and ready to pounce.

“Do you have any other clients you need to attend to once you leave here?” your question came out as nothing more than a breathy whisper.

“No miss, I don’t. Why do you ask?” “Good,” was your answer before you crashed your lips against Will’s, nearly knocking him over when you lunged at him!

At first, he was hesitant to kiss you back, but once you parted his lips with your tongue, he happily granted you access. You were now straddling his lap as he sat back on the floor, his back leaning against the bathtub. You eagerly tugged at Will’s soaked t-shirt, pulling it up over his head and tossing it on the floor with a splat. You took your time admiring his toned chest and let your eyes wander down to his happy trail, licking your lips when you thought about what the little line of hair lead to.

“Like what you see?” He teased, pulling your body flush against his as he captured your lips once more.

The friction against your clit as you began grinding against Will felt amazing, but it wasn’t enough. You needed more.

“Come with me,” you suggested. “Let’s take this somewhere more comfortable,”

Will took your hand as you lead him out of the bathroom and made your way to your bedroom. The entire way down the hallway, neither of you could keep your hands off each other! Will pressed your body against the wall and pinned you there while he stripped you of everything but your panties. Your back arched off the wall when he took one of your nipples in his mouth, licking and sucking the pink circle. His teeth grazed the stiff peak when he released it and kissed his way over to the other side. Your hands ran through his blonde locks while you watched him smile against your chest.

“I quite fancy you, miss. Especially the way your body responds so well to me,” 

The jeans that once hung off Will’s hips were now in a pile right outside your bedroom door. Your chest bounced slightly when you laid down on the mattress, your eyes never leaving Will’s as he removed his boxers. He crawled onto the bed and hooked his fingers under the waistband of your panties, sliding them down your thighs to your ankles, and let out a chuckle when you kicked them off eagerly.

Your heart raced with anticipation for what was to come next when Will parted your legs and got comfortable in between them. He gave you a cheeky smile as he rubbed his hard length through your folds, positioning himself at your entrance and slowly inching inside of you.

The first few thrusts of Will’s hips were slow and gentle as he pushed and pulled himself in and out, allowing you to adjust to him. Every movement he made was purposeful and methodical as he worshiped your body, bringing both of you closer to the sweet ecstasy of your releases.

“Fuckin hell you feel incredible,” Will groaned against your neck. “So beautiful love. God you’re so beautiful,”

Both of you were completed intoxicated by one another as your bodies melded together as one.

“Will!” you cried out breathlessly. “Will I’m so close!” Your sudden declaration and the feeling of your walls tightening around him only encouraged him to press on and quicken his pace. “My name sounds so fuckin sweet falling from that pretty mouth of yours, love. Go on, say it again!” his request was brash and needy.

The way he looked at you made you want nothing more than to please him, so you happily obliged and moaned his name again and again. Your body surrendered to Will as the tip of his length brushed up against your sweet spot moments before he came too. You clung tightly to him while your legs shook, and he emptied himself inside of you. You remained intertwined together until he was steady enough to ease himself out of you. Once you were situated in his arms, he pulled the covers over the two of you and absentmindedly drug his fingers up and down your arm. 

Comfortable silence filled the room the longer you laid together and fought off sleep, but it was interrupted when Will asked softly, “Can I tell you a secret, miss?”

“Of course you can,” you replied with a smile. “My partner is the one that usually handles our plumbing calls. I’m not worth shit when it comes to those kinds of repairs, but I just had to see you today. I figured I’d tinker around with your shower and figure it out as I went along. You can see how well that went. You’re welcome for your new indoor swimming pool by the way,” he laughed.

After swatting his chest playfully, you nuzzled in closer to Will and let out a contented sigh, choosing to lay in bed for a little while longer before tackling your mess of a bathroom. 

[artebris]

I swear I am normal. But.

I think I’ve got like “Ominis month” for 12/12 month, I’m sorry, I need it to be added in LGBTQ+ to be LGBTQO+, personal request.

.·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·. .·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·. .·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·.

I love so many Characters from so many fandoms, but THIS… is different.

Ominis is so deep and complex and simple at the same time. So inspiring. Making you think about so many things… Parents and kids relations, living as a blind, having a friend who is loosing himself in a darkness, loosing people you love, standing alone for what you believe. He is lonely. He suffered a lot. And yet never gave up on his believes, yet being able to be a kind of a trickster, finding joy in a simple things.

HL official description tells is he is more like a secondary character, but hell, how much story he could tell us, it is a whole another vision and perspective of the Gaunts. Seven month passed and I still learn a lot, explore so many different views. There are true gems in a mud, and there was no reason to dig into the Scriptorium to find them.

As for me, existence of Ominis is a prove itself that there was so much more to Salazar Slytherin inheritance that classic Gaunts were translating. Something Noctua Gaunt was searching wa right under her own nose.

So sorry that all is left from it is Voldemort.

But who knows. Blessed we are to imagine different scenarios in our heads, blessed we are to share. If someone from Gaunts ever deserved the proper continuation, it is Ominis and him alone. He could do it so much better.

.·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·. .·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·. .·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·.

I started a game as a regular Harry Potter fan. I was Sebastian fan in origins. But… When I first time saw that graceful posture near the window, mKing fun of first-years, I was streaming to my friend also and I was like “GOD DUDE IT’S A GAUNT WE ARE SO FUCKED.”

Well, as the plot of game ended, I could say I made a huge mistake waiting a weird shit from him. But I made no mistake, I did not expect how much fucked up I will end after diving into the fandom, inspired by this all.

No matter. I am still so into it. I am a person to choose one character and dive in deeply, exploring every corner of their personality and existence to the core. OC and Canon, usually my brains weirdly works as a response-creation, a mirroring of inspiration. I see something inspiring and my brain borns the “mirror” itself, it is beyond my control.

Arlene, my MC, in this case was formed like it. That is why she is so clanged to him, she is his “mirroring”. A response. And the more I get into this one, the more I feel, the more experience I get as a person. It seem still never-ending.

God, please send me a man like him. I would carry such a man on my hands.

.·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·. .·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·. .·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·.

[aplaceinthedark]

UGLY human NATURE

a WITCH story

Word Count: 2.5k+

CW: MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH, supernatural themes, body horror, depictions of graphic violence, witchcraft, description of digging up a body, owls (listen, don't judge, those things are freaky little fucks)

Nicholas panicked as he tried to assemble the pieces of what had once been his best friend.

Tears streamed down his face as he tried to remember what his Granny taught him about healing, but this seemed to be way beyond the healing point. This was probably at the Resurrecting-The-Dead point, and he knew that there would be nothing in Granny’s vast knowledge or hex books about this. 

“What’s dead should stay dead,” Granny had once taught him, in reference to what went on in the woods behind her house. “Those who die in these Woods don't tend to stay dead.” But Granny didn’t know that his best friend, his brother, had been lost to that curse, and Nicholas was not going to lose Noah again.

But it looked like he was going to anyway.

He hadn’t meant to unleash his magic on Noah, but it had acted as a defense mechanism. And Noah… well… he still couldn’t figure out what had happened.

Nicholas had heard the sound of his name being called by a voice he hadn’t heard in a year. That should’ve been his first warning. You don’t go responding to voices coming from the Woods; that was practically Rule Number One in the Appalachian Mountains. Except he would raise hell and haint if it meant bringing Noah home. So he crawled out the guest room window of his Granny’s house and ran into the Woods.

He didn’t call out for Noah. That was a rule he wouldn’t break. But after several minutes of walking, he didn’t need to. There stood Noah, all six foot three inches of him, probably twenty feet away, looking like death. Noah smiled in relief when his dark eyes met his.

They both had taken a step towards each other when Noah had doubled over, crying out in pain, and then something cracked in him. Cracked multiple times as Noah seemed to grow even taller. His limbs snapped and elongated, like he was a tree growing in fast motion. An old nursery rhyme came to Nicholas’ mind as it tried to comprehend what was happening right before him.

The Towering Man will lure you from your home And into the Woods where deep he roams He’ll snap your bones like brittle sticks After drawing you in with his clever little tricks

If you’re good and listen to your mama You’ll have no worries, you’ll have no drama Best keep your eyes upon the beaten path, Unless you want to taste the tree man’s wrath. 

Nicholas tried running, but he knew that his legs were no match for this abomination’s long appendages. Before he knew it, he was pinned to the ground, fighting for his life to get free. He managed to get a hand behind him, and suddenly his eyes were blinded by a bright light, and he was assaulted by a splitting headache. The pressure on him disappeared, and he scrambled up onto his feet. 

But when he turned around to survey what he had released, he fell back onto his knees. 

The creature was back to being Noah, but everything was wrong. Broken limbs, some twisted and snapped clean off. Instead of bones, there were sticks. But that was undoubtedly Noah’s face, staring up at him with lifeless eyes. Play with fire and you’ll get burned; another of Granny’s lessons.

He didn’t know why he was trying to put Noah back together like some kind of twisted puzzle or broken doll. All he knew was that he had to fix this before anyone found out. Tears dripped from his face and splashed onto the mix of skin and bark of his friend.

“Please, come back. I can’t lose you again,” he said. He tried to summon something, anything, to get his friend back. And the Woods answered.

Something was shining on his face. It wasn’t until it dripped down onto Noah’s body that he realized the light was coming from his tears, and where they landed, they quickly dissolved into Noah’s skin. The tears on Nicholas’ hands started to glow as well, and then his hands began glowing. He scrambled to put them on Noah’s chest. 

The light spread through the veins in Noah’s chest and through his limbs. With cracking and rustling sounds, the skin mended together, but retained the bark texture. Noah’s iris’ glowed gold, and suddenly his head twisted with a snap to look at Nicholas. His arm shot out, grabbing a fistful of Nicholas’ short hair to pull him closer. 

A yelp left Nicholas’ mouth, and for a second he thought that he had made a mistake; that he had let Noah’s quest to kill him continue, but Noah stopped pulling when Nicholas was hovering only a few inches over him. If someone happened to see them, they would probably think that they were about to kiss. Memories of what happened between them a few years ago came unbidden to Nicholas’ mind, and he had to fight the rush of heat to his face.

“You… idiot,” Noah gasped out. 

Nicholas laughed as the golden light left Noah’s eyes, and then he fell over, passed out cold.

And that was how Nicholas Ruffilo became the Witch, the practitioner of the Shenandoah Valley.

Nicholas had only ever set eyes on one haint in his life, and that was Noah. The Black Stag didn’t count because it had been a god. So meeting Nick and Joakim was unnerving.

Especially when one was a large, mangy-looking wolf and the other was a literal naked corpse.

“I… uh… hope I’m not too late,” he said, looking nervously between the two.

A few hours ago, he had been mindlessly sketching some tattoo designs for a client, when he felt like his brain was getting lobotomized. At first, it was just one word:

HELP.

It was easy to ignore at first. Just his mind playing tricks on him, probably from the combination of lack of sleep and the blue light of his tablet. But then he heard the voice again, with less pain and more familiarity:

NICK NICK NICK HELP NICK PLEASE HELP.

And with that, he jumped into action. 

If that really was Noah talking in his head, then the first place he should look was where he last saw him: in the old oak grove.

Nicholas practically sprinted into the woods, then doubled back because he realized that he might need a shovel, and then he was back on the task at hand. He felt reassured when he saw  two figures in the hollow, because why else would two random people meet in this place? Then again, why would these two particular… beings be there at all?

That’s when the dog shifted into a teenage boy, and Nicholas’ heart stopped.

“Nick Folio, at your service,” the boy said, grinning. His teeth were too long and sharp to be normal, but that’s not what unnerved Nicholas. 

Judging from the sudden tilting of his head, Nick must’ve been close to knowing why. “Have we met before?” he asked.

“I… Umm…”

“We have a task at hand,” the walking corpse said, though it looked like he had been perfectly fine to let the wolf do all the work.

“Do you even know why we’re doing this?” Nick asked, turning back towards the man.

“I do,” Nicholas said. The two haints looked at him. “There’s someone you need to meet.”

Between Nick’s claws and Nicholas’ shovel, they made quick work of the dirt. Nicholas didn’t have a clue how deep they would have to dig, but after a few feet, he had his answer when a dirty hand broke through the dark earth.

Nicholas threw aside the shovel as Nick shifted back into human form once again, and the two grabbed ahold of the hand and pulled. Eventually, another body emerged and crawled out. It was completely caked in mud, but Nicholas couldn’t help but gape at its head.

For immense branches were sprouting from it, giving the appearance of antlers.

“W… Water,” the man gasped in a familiar voice.

Nicholas was dreading this meeting.

He was tired of Granny trying to set him up with women. Didn’t matter where they were, she would ask anyone that looked even slightly close to his age if they were single. And at the old age of thirty, it embarrassed him to no end. He was also unfortunately raised to be a gentleman to strangers, so when Granny said that there was a “poor girl living by herself who needed help,” he couldn’t help but internally scream at his nice guy heart. 

But he was more interested in the fact that this girl had moved into Noah’s old house, despite the warning signs that were placed around the property and told throughout the town. Hell, Granny even told her about the offerings, and who wouldn’t run after hearing someone tell you to chuck a few animal bones into a tithing plate?

So either the girl was stupid, or she was brave - which was another word for stupid, in his mind.

As he got out of his car, Nicholas could sense a familiar presence on the edge of the property. To the unknowing or untrained eye, it might feel like a chill going up the spine, or as Nicholas’ family would say, “like someone walking over your grave.” But he was trained and knowing of what crept through this neck of the woods.

He knew in his soul when his eyes met the creature’s, and he leveled a look that said behave. He could hear a chuckle in his mind, one that would unnerve even the bravest hiker.

GOOD LUCK. THEY’RE SOMETHING ELSE.

Noah’s voice was, of course, no comfort. Of course Noah would’ve spied on the newcomer. It used to be his house, after all. But that use of pronouns at least shed some light so Nicholas could be polite.

Nicholas knocked on the door, acknowledging the silver platter that was neatly arranged to the left of the doorway, and waited. And waited.

And then the door opened, and he realized he might need Noah’s warning.

Their dark blonde hair was half up in a bun, the lower half barely reaching their shoulders. It left their angular face on full display, big brown eyes staring up at him. He couldn’t help the thought of how much those eyes reminded him of Noah’s. 

He managed to find his words before he could choke on his tongue. “I’m Nicholas,” he said. He punctuated his words with a small lift of the corners of his mouth.

They looked like they were surprised by his appearance as well. “Taylor.”

Something was off with the Woods, and with Nicholas as well.

His body lurches, causing his eyes to pop open. He gulps down a lungful of air to still his racing heart, though he knows it’s no use. Not this again…

Taylor stirs underneath him. "Nn… Nick? What's wrong?” they ask, their voice clogged with the sleep of the dead. 

Another nightmare, he wants to say as he sits up, but his mouth is dry and his tongue sticks to its roof. He scrubs his face with a tattooed hand and then rips the hair-tie out of his half undone ponytail. He feels like he’s about to jump out of his skin. He wants to scream. “I need a smoke.”

“Nick, wait–” He doesn’t hear the rest of Taylor's protest as he scrambles out of the bed, pulls some joggers on, and all but runs out the door.

It was chillier outside, despite the sweats and hoodie he managed to pull on over his bare skin. Probably should've put on shoes, he thinks as he lights up a cigarette with shaky fingers. 

Normally he would say that the off-ness he was feeling was because of the Woods, but a part of  him says that it’s different. He can feel the pull of the Hollow calling to him if he closes his eyes long enough.

It’s only been a few months since the events with the reformed Cult of the Black Stag. Only been a few months since his grandmother was killed. Only a few months since… since he died as well.

A shiver rolls down his spine. He pinches the bridge of his nose, as if he could rid himself of that thought. He had died, but he came back. He was okay. 

“Those who die in these Woods don't tend to stay dead.”  

He shakes his head vigorously. No, not because of some weird curse like what happened to his friends. Because of his own soul magic, safely stowed away in his partner's own soul by random happenstance. That was different. He was fine. 

Ever since that night that Taylor went into the woods and Nicholas healed them, he felt like something was missing from him. He thought it would've returned when Taylor brought him back to life, but he still felt off-kilter. Like a piece of him was still out there in the Woods. And of course, there wasn't anything in Granny's hex books about why he was having these nightmares.

Nicholas looks down at the tattoo of an owl on his right arm. Owls were considered guardians of his family, and so he had gotten one tattooed on him pretty early on; before he knew about his grandmother’s practice. Granny had tutted about it, mad that he had “made a mockery of their protector”, but eventually she acquiesced.

“Really wish you were here, Gram,” he mutters to the tattoo, as if Granny was really a part of him now. She would probably have known what his problem was, let alone how to help him. 

The sound of a scream from the Woods snaps Nicholas out of his head. His eyes dart to the trees, but his brain soon catches up, recognizing the sound. He sighs in both relief and annoyance. Just another barn owl; something he's heard plenty of times growing up out here. 

But this time, the sound stirs something in him: something akin to familiarity, but unlike the nostalgia of days past. He tilts his head, trying to get a better sense of what direction the call came from, because what if it came from the Watcher's Grove? What if something was going on with Noah while he was–

"NICK!"

He snaps out of his trance, and he quickly realizes he's no longer on the porch. He's standing on the edge of the property, one foot in the woods. And he has no idea how he got there. 

He turns around and looks back at the house. The porch light is on now, and Taylor is standing on the steps, Jerry in their arms. Even from where he is, he can see the panic in their eyes.

He quickly jogs back to the house. "I'm fine, I'm fine," he says, quickly kissing them on the forehead. Except now he's slightly even more shaky than before. Jerry squirms as he’s pressed in between them, and meows angrily. Nicholas pulls away.

They both go inside and Nicholas locks the door behind him. Taylor looks up at him with dark, worried eyes, and he groans internally. 

There was no way he’s going to be able to keep this from them.

[bloodgulchblog]

Have you seen that YouTube video where some guy reads every Halo novel back to back and then reviews them? If so what did you think

The Brian David Gilbert one? Oh yeah, all my friends showed me it when it came out. (It was honestly kind of cute seeing how many people thought of me immediately.)

Rewatching it to refresh myself because it's been a couple years and a full-novel reread for me since the last time...

High fiving BDG because the Master Chief parts of The Flood were definitely the most boring parts.

He didn't have anything to say about First Strike which I think is a shame because I think it's better than The Fall of Reach and actually has A Theme I Find Interesting.

Rightful recognition of Contact Harvest as pretty damn good.

Rightful recognition of the Forerunner Trilogy as dense oldschool-style SF with deep worldbuilding. (Also the San'Shyuum thing.)

I disagree with him about, and have significant problems with, Kilo Five. He is correct that Kilo Five actually delves into some of the dark places in Halo in a way it really needed, and I would even say that its writing is extremely engaging by Halo novel standards. However, while he does notice the obvious parallels between what ONI is doing post-war and the kind of shit the CIA has pulled again and again irl, I think he misses some of the subtext I see where it feels like it justifies some shit a liiiiittle too much if you know the author's irl politics re: the military. He also doesn't seem to notice the character assassinations (particularly of Catherine Halsey) that I and a lot of other fans see/object to in those books. I kind of gaze into the middle distance with a haunted expression at the suggestion that these are the ones to read if you don't touch any of the others just because they are, ironically, so heavy-handed and feel like they treat certain kinds of evil as inevitable in a way that actually feels way worse to me than the excuse plot offered by the earlier/lighter Halo novels. (But idk, that's me? Nobody is committing a crime if they disagree with my frenzied insane person red string diagrams about Kilo Five.)

I'd swap Pariah for Dirt in the Evolutions anthology if it were me, but I think these are solid standouts.

Broken Circle is neat but really nonessential he's not wrong.

A one-sentence review of New Blood is probably not enough space to get into how fucked up the Spartan-IV program is, but yeah. New Blood is fun if you don't find Buck's first person narration annoying. (It comes and goes for me in that one.)

BDG you're an absolute sweetheart, I think Hunters in the Dark is kind of goofy in a way I cannot in good conscience ignore if I'm gonna review it. But it really really is so much fun and I love that one a lot anyway. The "it's like Halo 3... 2" observation is solid.

High fiving him again because I also found Last Light disappointing. And it is also a me problem.

Fractures!

Hell yeah these are all good pulls from Fractures, I would say Shadow of Intent is the pick of the litter in that anthology for me. Interesting that as a Kilo Five enjoyer he didn't single out Rossbach's World, which is the last we've heard about Osman and Black Box. (Also, that one is good.) I think Oasis is worth an honorable mention because I'm an Envoy stan, and the Forerunner stories are interesting but I wouldn't go for them if you don't already have a healthy interest in the trilogy.

This tangent is so fucking funny now that we know more things:

Oh BDG, oh buddy, it's really not for the people like you and me huh. (Disclaimer: I have no idea if BDG likes the Halo tv show or not and I have no desire to dig up evidence about it.)

Also, while you're here, this is the bloodgulchblog origin story:

Smoke and Shadow is fun so it's a little sad that when he ends that sentence with "whatever," I can't actually say he's wrong to. (Sorry Rion your part of the lore just.... hasn't... touched anything that touches anything else anymore.)

ENVOY IS GOOD AND EVERYONE SHOULD CARE ABOUT IT okay okay I'm cool I'm normal, anyway. Envoy is the Halo novel that restored my faith in reading Halo novels and reminded me that authors can care and know how to do nuanced, interesting themes in this space. It's great. Everyone in this book has war refugee trauma (except the Spartans which have Spartan trauma) and that's incredible to me. Please care about Envoy if you have spare room in your heart for Halo side characters.

I am cheered to see someone indifferent to the Veta Lopis stories, but I still feel petty for feeling it.

I don't have a lot to say about Legacy of Onyx here but it's always so fun seeing someone else suffer and care.

Bad Blood, the Blood is Bad now is a fun joke but lol yeah. It does have this very vital moment where Chief and Arbiter talk, though. For the first and only time in years.

PROPS FOR NOTICING THE YA NOVELS they're actually pretty nice.

"The Master Chief is the protagonist and boy does he shoot some people" is most of how I feel about Silent Storm and Oblivion too, I know they have their fans but Troy Denning's Chief books don't do much for me personally.

Renegades hadn't had its followup Point of Light yet but yeah, Spark stuff is interesting.

I had to remember that oh yeah, there are multiple books now that didn't exist when this was made. I wonder if he read them?

OKAY I THINK THAT'S ALL I HAD TO SAY as always if y'all want specific book opinions, I might have a tag for them. Or just yell in my ask box, I'm sure I can scrounge up some thoughts.

[roonyxx]

The Raven: Part 5

Summary: A new threat to the world brings the boys back in action. She is big and bad, very bad. But is everything as it seems or is there more to her story?

Pairing: Dean x reader

Trope: enemies to lovers

Word count: 2345

Chapter warnings: language, a hint of smut

A/N:  I know it has been AGES since I wrote, i'm trying to get back into it. I know nothing really exiting happens in this chapter but it is one of the most complicated stories I have done and it needs some building. I really hope you like it!

The Raven Masterlist

My Masterlist

Buy me a coffee

“We need to go to Heaven” Sam says as he takes care of the wounds from her nails on my neck, “They’re clearly doing something not good up there.”

“Yeah, but we can’t just go there, they’ll jump on us.” I sigh and Sam finishes up cleaning my wounds and looks me in the eyes.

“You still dream of her?” he asks me.

“No, actually…” I rub the back of my head before continuing, “I only had really good dreams. Like I’m floating in clouds and there are these phantom hands gently touching me.”

“Touching you…?” Sam says warily.

I push his shoulder “Not like that. Perv.” I chuckle.

“That’s kinda weird no? You think it’s her?”

“Why would she do that? Maybe there’s a second player in all of this and we just haven’t discovered yet.” I say.

“I doubt that.” Sam sighs and nods at the wounds on my neck “Try to keep them clean, they’re pretty deep.”

I nod and get up. Looking toward Cas and Rowena we start discussing of what to do next. We talk and plan for hours but everything seems useless, powerless against her.

Rowena went back to Hell with a promise to alert us as soon as she notices something bad about to happen.

Like a dead army rising.

Cas goes I don’t know where after, I lost my attention in the few hours after midnight we talked. I just want my bed.

At four in the morning I’m finally in it.

I hum as lips kiss my neck, hands roaming my chest. With my eyes closed I welcome the feeling. It’s soft and warm.

Plenty of little kisses litter the skin of my neck and I arch my face down in a chance to kiss those plumb lips. A soft chuckle fills my ears and makes my body tremble in delight.

“Always so eager” an angelic voice, as the angels should be, rings around me making me relax even more.

“What can I say, I’m a man who doesn’t mind more.” I answer.

The hands and kisses stop then, just for a minute to then continue downwards, over my chest to my tummy. Hands slither down my sides until they rest on my thighs.

Lips touch my pelvic bone and I draw in a sharp breath, my cock twitching to attention.

The voice makes a warm hum before wrapping a hand around my cock, grip firm, but buttery soft.

I moan and it echoes around us, “y-yes.”

I feel a pair of lips smiling against the side of my shaft before the little kisses start again.

“So beautiful.” The voice mewls. A tongue darts out next and takes a little lick against my skin.

My stomach contracts, it feels immensely intimate, these soft touches and kisses and yet it feels more intense than anything I have ever felt before.

“F-fuck.” I breathe out as the lips wrap around my tip and a tongue starts licking the slit. A humming sound makes my cock vibrate in the mouth, my hand reaches down, wanting to grab some hair. To tug at it. But my fingers meet only air.

The sucking intensifies and I gasp, holding onto my own thighs instead. My nails digging into my skin.

“O-oh god.” I moan and a hand wraps around the base of my cock while another holds my balls, rolling them into their palm.

The sucking grows faster and the hand pumps in time with the mouth while giving a firm squeeze to my balls.

“I- I’m going to come.” I gasp out, my body is arching into this mouth, this sweet delicious warmth.

“Let go for me, Dean.” The voice sings to me right before I explode.

My eyes fly open just in time to see my cum cover my own stomach and sheets, I moan odiously loud as my hips arch off my bed in time with the ropes of cum flowing over my skin.

I pant loud and look at the white ropes covering my freckles, my hands gripping my thighs. A jasmine scent heavily covering my room.

I don’t remember going to bed naked, and I don’t remember having a wet dream since I was a teen. A blush crawls over my face as I quickly grab a shirt to wipe myself clean.

I hope Sam didn’t hear.

Was it her…?

“You okay?” Sam asks me over his cup of coffee the next morning.

“Yes, why?”

“You look… I don’t know. Different. Like on edge.” He shrugs.

I am on edge… I can’t stop thinking of that dream, of the voice and the lips and the hands. I got up, took a shower and had to take care of myself again because I’m so on edge. Even now it takes all my concentration on disgusting things to not get hard again.

“I’m okay, just annoyed by this case. I want it over with.” I sip from my coffee and take a bite out of my bacon.

“Cas is taking us to Heaven today, he still hasn’t enough power to check the timeline himself but he says he knows how we can check it. And he said he knew a side door.”

“Okay, so we’re finding out what she did today?” I hopefully ask.

“Normally yes, at least we will get a step in the right direction.”

That same afternoon Cas takes us up, his side door has no guards or anyone for that matter. Which is perfect for us.

“There is a time surveillance room. There we can see everything that ever happened to the timeline.” Cas says as he leads us through the white halls of Heaven.

“Everything?” Sam says, “Isn’t that like… a lot, how will we ever find what she did.”

“An anomaly in the timeline is usually very clear. It’s not supposed to be there.” His quick gait slows down and we stay behind him. He stops in front of a blue door.

“It’s here. Let me handle the time observers.”

Cas goes in first, Sam and me following after. There is no one inside.

“This isn’t normal” Cas says with a frown, “Not once in history have they left their place. This is why it went unnoticed, there was no one to sound the alarm. I have no idea how she got her hands on them…”

“Well she clearly did, I mean, Sam and I kill angels all the time. It’s not that hard.” I shrug.

“They’re not angels, they’re beings especially designed to be time line observers. God only made two. Their role is as important as Death.” He says worriedly.

“Will it be a problem that they’re gone?” Sam asks.

“New ones should have already come into existence but… I think she’s stopping it from happening. That’s… impossible.”

“Well, she’s done more impossible things, let’s get to what we are here for before these new dudes show up, okay?” I step forward and look into the blue room, the extremely empty blue room.

“So what are we supposed to look for?” I ask.

“You can’t see it. It’s not meant for human eyes. Here,” Cas comes towards Sam and me, “close your eyes.” After we do that he touches our eye lids, we open them again and both stumble a little.

The room is one big ball of fine wires, they give light and there’s a flow to them. Tiny bursts of green, red, purple and yellow light flowing through them.

“Each color is a code. Green is important moments being born, red is important moments dying. Purple is a fixed point in time and yellow is paradox warning.” Cas explains.

“Wow” Sam is turning around in pure wonder “This is incredible.”

I’m looking too, it makes no sense, I have no idea which line is the future or the past. It’s too messy to figure out. I frown when I see a black line that stops and a new white line sprouting from the side of it before continuing slowly.

“What does black mean?” I ask as I point at it.

“It means it’s dead.” Cas goes near it and gently grabs hold of it. “this is what she did. She stopped the current line, killed it and made a new one.”

“She killed… time?” Sam says.

“Yes”

“How?” I say alarmingly, time isn’t alive, or is it?

“I don’t know, but she did it. And look” he brings it closer to us. “There.”

He points to right at the end of the line where a faint red light is glowing.

“A moment died?” Sam says.

“Yes. But sometimes a moment can be an important person, like a King”

“Can you see what it was?” I ask Cas.

“I can’t only the time observers can read the signs. But something happened and she erased it from happening and created an entire new line, only God has done that before.”

“So she killed someone, and created a new time line.” Sam says.

“It is possible she didn’t create the time line. The color codes are important points in time. It could have been that she killed someone before their time at that killed the time line and so a new one was born.” Cas explains to us.

“She said Heaven took something from her, maybe she killed for revenge?” Sam wonders.

“Probably yes. But how will we ever find out who?”

“I’ll do what I can in here” Cas says as he looks around the room, “You two should go back, this will take me a while. Maybe I can find what this all means.”

After that Cas sends us back home while he stays in the time room.

“What if she killed Death? Or any other important thing.” Sam begins, “How do we even fix that?”

“I don’t know… It just makes no sense.” I rub my face and when my fingers pass my nose I smell the jasmine strong.

It’s been growing stronger these last few days.

“We need to talk to her again.” I state.

“What… Dean she nearly killed us last time, it won’t stop her this time.”

“Don’t you wonder why? Why she didn’t? ” I ask my brother.

“She said there would be consequences, but I think she can handle those easily if she can kill time.”

“Then why are we still breathing? Like everything else, it doesn’t make sense. I think we need to talk to her again. It’s the only way we’ll find out.” I look my brother down with determination. Because I know I am right. We keep finding little pieces and bits but we will never get the full scope without her.

“How do you want to talk to her?” he sighs in defeat.

“Well, we know where she lives.” I grin.

We’re back in front of her little house in the middle of the forest. Such a strange view, her place is beautiful on this hot summer day. It looks cozy and homey. Not at all the house of a villain.

It is made of wood with a black roof and tiny cute windows on the front. Around the house there are many vines  with white flowers that crawl over the entire house.

It’s been three weeks since we went to Heaven, Cas is still in Heaven, trying to figure out what happened but it takes time.

I’m not extremely patient so I convinced Sam to come without Cas.

I walk up to her front door and notice the smell is Jasmine. Her house is covered in it.

“What are you doing?” Sam alarmingly asks me in a shouted whisper.

“Knocking, the last time we broke in nothing good happened. So I’m trying a different approach.” As soon as I say that last word I knock three times before I lose my nerves to actually do it.

I have mixed feelings about being here. Because she is evil, and terrifying but… there is a part of me that’s not so sure about that. I think there is more about her story. That she is hiding something.

My dreams haven’t stopped… every night I dream of those hands and lips, touching me, cherishing me.

Worshipping me.

And I can’t help but let my mind wander it’s her… it almost has to be. It could be a trick, some way to distract or trap me, I’m not sure. I didn’t tell Sam about it, I don’t think he’ll understand it. Sam can be very judgmental towards me, and I have no need for that now.

I’m judging myself enough for the both of us.

The door opens and there she is. The beautiful version of herself.

Her Y/H/C is lose and dangling down her back, she’s wearing those same sunglasses so I can’t see her eyes. Her skin has a beautiful summery glow to it and for some reason I notice she’s not wearing any shoes under her light summer dress that cuts off just above the knees and has a low cut out, creating a deep cleavage.

“Eyes up here, Deanie boy.” She says and pulls me from whatever enchantment her body has on me.

“Not much for warnings, are you?” she sighs and crosses her arms over her chest, it makes her look so human.

“Why are you here?”

“We want to talk.” Sam says because apparently my mouth is not working but something else is…

I keep staring at her lips and hands, are it those that kiss and touch me in my dreams? The smell is more intense here, but not at all overwhelming.

“Talk? Aren’t you normally the stab first, talk later type of guys?”

“Normally yes, but clearly that doesn’t work.” I answer her.

“And why should I talk to you and not just kill you?”

“Because you keep saying that and never doing it, so I think we’re safe.” I look at my reflection into those sunglasses, wishing I could look into her eyes.

She looks the both of us over and for whatever reason, she steps aside and lets us in.

Forever Tags 2023: @jay-and-dean @wittysunflower @flamencodiva  @lyss-dw79 @waywardbaby @chocolateheart @magssteenkamp @snowlovespie @awkward-and-indecisive @hobby27 @yvonneeeee

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A Century Without You (TRIPLE A BIRTHDAY SPECIAL!)

A/N: I… I think this is the biggest fic I have ever created… But still, it’s so worth it. To everyone who stayed and listened to my stories, to my mutuals, thank you from the bottom of my heart. So please enjoy my fanfic! ✨✨✨

August 22, 1940

It was rowdier in the manor that day, even when the sun and its overwhelming August heat were now long gone and replaced with the warm breeze now that night has fallen. Groaning in irritation, Ayato kicks his feet up on the couch and scratches at his red locks. "Damn it, why is it still hot?" he complains, sweat still clinging to his back as he tries to soothe his dry throat. His eyes find the blond vampire with her back facing him, swinging a pair of shoes in her hand. "Oi, you! Yeah, you! Make takoyaki for Ore-sama! "Ayato yelled out, he can recall that two of those girls had the same hair color as Shu, yet even after those three were taken in by that Old Fart, he never bothered with their names and just stuck with whatever he called them in his head.

Well, if he can differentiate between the blond ones, that is.

The blond vampire turned her head to face Ayato."...What?" she asked, a mixture of confusion and annoyance lacing around her voice. "Oh! So, you finally came out of your room today, Shut-In? Make me takoyaki!" Ayato hooted, not moving an inch from the couch he lays on. Akemi could only narrow her eyes, clearly exasperated by his behavior. "What on earth would you think that I know how to make takoyaki? I don't even know what that takoyaki is."

Ayato clicked his tongue, annoyed at Akemi's avoidance. "Tch, then get Crazy Eyes to make me takoyaki! She's the one who can cook, right? Oi! Don't ignore me!" The red-headed vampire raises himself from the couch, making his way to follow Akemi. "Go away, Ayato." she hissed, her eyes finally glowing an intense shade of blue. "You don't get to boss me around, Shut In!" Ayato claimed, grabbing Akemi's wrist, "You better make it up to me for wasting my time, so give me your blood." Akemi glared at him in disbelief, "MY GODS, what's with you and why can't you take no for an answer?" Akemi shouted, already feeling her blood boil, literally.

"Haha! So that Four-Eyes was right all this time! Your blood can get hotter! It actually smells good from far away... You might as well be Ore-sama's!" Ayato laughed in wonder, tightening his grip around Akemi's wrist, making her yelp. Before Ayato could bring Akemi closer, a familiar voice rings in the hallways with no one to be seen. "Ore-sama this, Ore-sama that, you get on my nerves." Ayato clicks his tongue in annoyance, "Tch, always ruining my fun. Oi Subaru, I know that it's you! Come out!" Akemi’s eyes lit up at the sound of the youngest’s voice as she takes her chance to escape and run away from Ayato, much to his dismay.

Not getting a chance to grumble at his failed attempt on finding food, Subaru finally shows himself and pushes Ayato against the wall, “What the hell were you going to do to her?” he grunted, his knuckles growing white when he digs his hands into Ayato’s shoulders. “Heh, why do you care so much? That was none of your business!" Ayato snarked, baring his fangs against the younger vampire. The red-headed vampire grunted and pushed his younger brother off him, "Fine, whatever, you just had to ruin the mood. Go run after her for all I care." Ayato huffed in frustration, shoving his hands deep into his pockets as he stomped away, leaving Subaru alone in the hallway.

"Tch, not again..." Subaru muttered under his breath after his eyes shifted to the painted wall, he pinned Ayato to, now covered in cracks from the impact caused by the youngest's strength. Yet the fact that Reiji will scold him about how that wall needs a new paint job didn't scare him as Subaru finally looked around and realize the blonde vampire he just rescued was nowhere in sight. "Shit... Shit! Where the fuck did she run off to?" he asked himself, starting to rush down the stairs to that one place where she would most likely go to find some sort of peace.

That place where laid his eyes on her for the first time.

From then on, he found himself running back to her, calling her again and again...

"AKEMI!"

"OI AKEMI!"

"AKEMI, WHERE ARE YOU?"

After minutes of running around the garden, calling out to Akemi, Subaru finally found her making her way into the forest behind the garden, jumping over the bushes and throwing her shoes behind. "The fuck are you going? Are you trying to get yourself hurt again? Hey!" the younger vampire yelled, grabbing the pair of shoes that were left behind and crossing over the rose bushes, his eyes not leaving her silhouette as branches snap under his leather boots. "Why are you following me too? I just want to go outside!" Akemi asked as she hopped onto a recently fallen log, putting her barefoot in front of the other like a balancing act. "What are you trying to do? You know you can't run away from here!" Subaru yelled, finally catching up to Akemi to reach out for her hand only for her to pull away from his grasp, causing her to almost fall off the log until she regained her balance.

Just as Subaru was about to scold her again, Akemi placed both her hands on his shoulder to support herself, the log giving her enough inches to tower him. "Relax, running away from good food and a soft bed is not a good idea to begin with." Akemi frowned, letting go of Subaru’s broad shoulder and pulling her long dress to her knees as she lands back on the grass. "I just want to go out, I remember there was a lake nearby and wanted to confirm. Let a girl explore." After having his question answered, Subaru only let out a huff, putting his hands in his pockets, "Fine, but don't blame me if you get hurt or anything. I won't carry you back." Akemi scratched her nose at him. "Yes, sure, could I have my shoes back? Or are you going to keep holding it?" she asked, noticing her shoes in Subaru's hands, he grunts and throws them back to her waiting for her to lace them up before they continued walking to the lake.

The pair stayed silent for the most part, aside from the younger's complaints and the blonde’s cool replies, the atmosphere around them felt calm and almost peaceful. Perhaps it's because they were far from the other brothers? It did not take long for Subaru to break the silence again, "Why did you leave now of all times? You barely left your room in the beginning." Akemi let out a hum, seemingly lost in thought as she picks up the stones off the ground. "Well... It's still summer here, right? What day is it today? August 22, right?" Subaru's brows furrowed. "What about it?" Akemi gave Subaru a small smile, a moment of silence filled the forest around them. Akemi tries to make the small stones in her fingers skip across the water to no avail.

"It's going to be our birthday in two days," said Akemi, those words tasted so sweet in her mouth.

Our birthday. Not mine. Ours.

Subaru could feel his undead heart drop to his stomach, the gears in his head finally understanding what Akemi meant "Ours? Y... You never told me..." Akemi just shrugged, seeming apathetic about her birth. "Both of my sisters were still being found, I didn't know if they were dead or not... It never felt right to celebrate without them too... so I never told any of you," she whispered, hugging her knees, and placing her chin on top, hiding her face from the youngest and he watched her intently.

The pair did not visit that subject again, even as they walked back to the manor.

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

"Of course, I know about their birthdays, why are you telling me this of all times?" Reiji asked, sorting through the tubes in his lap. Subaru huffs as he gets up from the chair. “Hah? How?” Subaru asked, restraining himself from smacking the tubes away from Reiji’s hands. “The new one told me while I was tutoring her, Amaya,” Reiji recalled, her Japanese was still broken, still resorting to hand gestures to talk to him, a habit he will need to break as soon as possible. Before Subaru could talk again, Reiji intervened, "If you are so worried about the celebration, I have already prepared a list of what to do for the occasion" he explained carefully, pulling his gloves off as he makes his way to the sink, and starts washing his hands vigorously. 'How the fuck did he make preparations? We don't even have a week to pull this off.' Subaru thinks to himself, knowing he only found out about their birthdays just recently. “As much as this needs to be fully elaborated, we should put this conversation aside for now. We will discuss it later after we gather everyone, is that clear?” Reiji asked Subaru, watching the youngest who only crossed his arms. "... Fine," Subaru muttered as he slammed the door behind him.

Reiji pushes his glasses back up, his hands now dried, "Good grief... where to start?" he sighs, finally letting the triplets' birthday dawn on him, and realizing he may not know where to begin. He knew that the manor housed many mortal girls and very few had the chance to celebrate their birthday once, he even recalls the many times his father told him and his brothers to attend balls and parties in the Demon World to entertain vampire nobles and ladies for many occasions. Despite all of this, Reiji still wonders if the girls follow the customs of the Demon World or have long adapted to human customs. "Hmph, it seems this will be more difficult than it seems," Reiji confirms to himself, pulling a new pair of gloves over his hands as he makes his way downstairs. After all, a birthday party cannot be planned by itself.

"So, I have gathered you all today for important news." Reiji starts, already eyeing his good-for-nothing brothers who seemed distracted except for Subaru who seemed the most interested, which surprised him. "Tch, what is it now? Is there a new bride coming or something?" Ayato asks, leaning against the chair, already feeling impatient. "It must be, I won't forgive you if you're lying to me and Teddy." Kanato cried, hugging his stuffed bear closer as Laito let out a laugh. "Aw, come on everyone, it's Reiji we're talking about, it must be suuuper serious, right? ~" Instead of snapping at his brothers, Subaru remained quiet until he couldn't help it. "It's Akemi's birthday next week..." Subaru explained before Reiji could announce the news, causing everyone's eyes to be on him at the sudden revelation, the youngest feels his face grow hot. "I…It's also Asa's and Amaya's... they're triplets like you three..." Subaru added, turning his face away from his brothers.

“Hah? Them? Triplets like us? Impossible!!” Ayato exclaimed, slamming his hands on the coffee table. On the couch, the eldest Sakamaki sighs, combing through his blonde locks, “It’s not impossible, triplets are just rarer than twins. Honesty, you can’t seem to understand something so simple.” Shu muttered, annoyed at the sudden outburst. Feeling a migraine coming, Reiji inches between in brow in hopes of alleviating the pain, “Yes, as you all know thanks to Subaru, Asa, Akemi, and Amaya are triplets, and their birthday is coming next week. Hence why I had to exclude them, for now, to inform you beforehand.” He elaborated.

Laito perks up at the news while a shadow looms over Kanato’s face as he tightens his hold on Teddy, “Ehhh~ Now this is interesting news after all! Three pretty ladies sharing the same birthday~” he exclaimed, clapping his hands in delight. “Oi, don’t think about anything funny, you pervert!” Subaru snapped, his fist colliding against the wall. “Now calm down, Subaru, I know how much you love playing The White Knight when you’re with lil Pretty Akemi, but I thought that we as brothers could make their first birthday here more special by making this a surprise? Fufu~” Laito chucked, not missing a beat, and catching the youngest's attention with his idea. "... I suppose that we can follow Laito's idea for the triplets' first birthday together." Reiji hums in approval as he adjusts his glasses, "So for our itinerary, we will follow human customs for their birthday, which means we will need to prepare decorations, cake, and their gifts. Does anyone have any ideas on where to host the event?" Reiji asks his brothers.

"I will not allow them to go to my doll room!!" Kanato yells as his grip on Teddy tightens. "THAT WOMAN HAS THE NERVE TO BOSS ME AROUND AND DOES WHATEVER SHE PLEASES YET FATHER DID NOT PUNISH HER ONCE." he wailed, fat tears rolling down his round cheeks. Now awake from Kanato's tantrums, the eldest sits up from the couch, "How bothersome... just host it in the garden or something. They would like flowers, won't they?" Shu sighs as he rubs his ears. "No way! The food will get cold and blown away and shit! Let's just do it in the dining area, Ore-sama will show them the wonders of Takoyaki!" Ayato protested. Subaru can feel his jaw tighten as he clenches his teeth, "Shut up! That's just something you want to eat! Stop acting like it's your birthday." he snaps, stomping towards the red-headed vampire.

Before Ayato could snap back, Reiji claps his hands together "Settle down everyone, we must make the most out of the ample time we have before the occasion." Subaru let out a huff in frustration but let himself back down... for now. "Okay then, so here's the plan as of now, I will handle the decorations in the dining room, Kanato, and Ayato, I will give you a list of ingredients of what to buy during the weekend as well as instructions on how to prepare them. I will handle the decorations and tableware in the dining room. As for the rest... I suppose you can gain insight on what kinds of gifts to give them." Reiji suggests, his eyes glaring daggers at the eldest who somehow found sleep again, "And Shu, you better help on your part, these girls are not just any vampires picked off the streets, they are our cousins from our mother's side, taken in by Father himself. So do us a favor and stop being a good-for-nothing starting now." Awaken once more, the looks over at his younger brother, still unphased by his endless disdain towards him.

"It can't be helped, can't it... Pwahhh, what a pain..."

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

August 23, 1940, 7:00 PM

When Reiji calls everyone down for dinner, Amaya darts her eyes around the table, looking over at the brothers’ expressions. ‘Despite everyone behaving the same as usual, the air around them seemed to have changed’ she ponders over the thought as she munches on her fish. Unable to contain her curiosity, she reaches towards her eldest sister, “Alice- I mean… Asa, do you think the brothers are acting weird?” Amaya asks in Romanian as she tugs at her sleeve. “They’re an odd bunch, but I’m not sure I’m following your train of thought,” Asa replies, also in Romanian, looking over at Ayato who was poking his food around, clearly not feeling an appetite over the tuna on his plate. Amaya’s brows furrowed, “Are you sure? They- “

“Miss Amaya, it is impolite to talk while others are still eating.” Reiji cuts Amaya off as he places his cup down on the saucer, causing Amaya to jump up from her seat, “Also, might I remind you we are residing in Japan, do try and speak Japanese outside our lessons. No one else will speak in Romanian to you.” he adds before going back to eating. “Okay…” Amaya mutters as she grabs her fork, staring over at the sausages far from her grasp. The black-haired vampire stretches her neck forward, noticing the sausages were in Shu’s direction. “Shu… Shu…” Amaya called out, her voice loud enough to make the sleeping vampire stir in his sleep.

Eventually, after Amaya's insistent calls, the eldest opened his eyes, "Mmn, what is it?" he asks, "The sausage..." Amaya whispers, pointing at the platter near him.  The blonde's brows furrow in confusion, still not fully awake, "Cârnat... you want the carrots?" Shu mutters groggily, pushing the plate of vegetables towards Amaya who only looked at the plate in shock and confusion. "No no no, sausage..." she asks once more, only for her pleas to fall short, "Here, get what you want." Shu yawned, already closing his eyes once more to drift off to sleep leaving Amaya pouting at her dilemma.

The predicament did not go unnoticed, “It’s the sausage, right?” Akemi asks her younger sister sitting across from her, Amaya nods aggressively at her sister’s question. Akemi furrowed her brow at the vampire sitting next to her, his auburn hair already setting her off as she taps at his shoulder, “Laito… the sausages please…” she grimaced as she watches a smirk stretch across Laito’s face, “Oh~ Mademoiselle, I thought you never ask, here you go~“Laito purrs as he drags the platter to her direction, Akemi forces  herself to smile, “Thank you.” She grumbles as she gets hold of the plate, tempted to tear Laito’s bony fingers off her hand as he attempts to intertwine their fingers together.

Akemi takes a deep breath, trying to alleviate her anger, “Amaya, here, get what you want.” She sighs, letting herself smile for a moment to see her sister’s happy face, still somehow in disbelief that it’s been months since Amaya arrived, that she’s still sitting across her, alive. Asa shoots a worried glance, Akemi can already hear her sister trying to say, ‘Are you okay?’ from her frown as she waves her off, plastering a bigger smile to lift her eldest sister’s worries. “Maybe later? After we’re done eating?” Akemi whispers, Asa gives her another glance before she nods, and goes back to eating, leaving the clinking of utensils to fill the silence.

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

“You will not sit next to Laito under any circumstances. Ever. Again.” Asa declares as she paces around, the clacking of her heeled boots echoes in Akemi’s bedroom. “… It wasn’t as bad as last time. It’s getting a bit better.” Akemi sighs, holding Amaya close in her arms as they sit at the foot of the bed, watching them both, painfully oblivious to what her older sisters were discussing.  Asa stops in her tracks to face Akemi, "Absolutely not, I will ask Reiji about the seating assignments and make sure none of us are too close to the triplets." she refutes, finally letting herself sit on an armchair, "Oh... Why must this happen? I know me and Kanato don't see eye to eye but then I hear what Ayato and Laito did to you, and it was only today? To think you spend five years like this and I wasn't around-" Akemi frowns at her eldest' sister, not wanting to meet her eyes, "Okay, okay, we will address this to Reiji another time, he's been busy lately." Akemi concedes as she lets Amaya leave her grasp, letting herself make herself at home in Akemi's bed. "Do you think they're planning to do something cool for our birthday? It’s tomorrow now." Amaya asks her sisters in Romanian as she rolls around in bed.

Akemi's eyes widen at Amaya's question, "I'm not exactly sure if they're even planning for our birthday in the first place." she ponders to herself, making sure Amaya doesn't fall off her bed from rolling around. "Besides, even if they're preparing to celebrate, I would rather do the cooking. I can't imagine them in the kitchen at all, they might as well blow up the entire everything inside to pieces." Asa adds, shaking her head at the thought of even Ayato in the kitchen, that alone seems impossible. "Hmm, I guess we can plan our birthday? Should we? It's been too long." Amaya asks her sisters again, the determined look in her eyes did not escape her sisters' eyes.

Asa gave her a smile in return, "I suppose so? Well, we will only need a cake, won't we?" she questioned as she gets up from the armchair to sit beside her sisters. "Is there any flavor you both want for tomorrow?"

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

August 24, 1940, 4:00PM

“Would you lot behave for once? Is it so hard to mix both dry and wet ingredients?” Reiji exclaims, beholding a horrifying sight. The once spotless kitchen was now covered in a mixture of batter, flour, and broken eggs. “I ain’t doing this on purpose, ya know! Oi! Kanato put that damn bear down for fucks sake!” Ayato hollered at the purple-haired vampire who only glared at him, “Shut up! You don’t get to boss me around! You’re going to soil Teddy’s vest.” Kanato snapped, almost tearing Teddy’s head off from the commotion. “Oi! What the hell is going on there?!” The youngest shouts as he makes his way into the kitchen, holding several gift boxes in his hands towering over his head, “Uwah, what a mess, take the rest of the gifts, Subaru-kun, place the gifts somewhere safe. I feel like this cake is almost beyond saving.” Laito exclaims, tossing the bags in his arms in Subaru’s direction.

“Ahh?! The fuck do you think you’re doing?! Laito, come back here!!” Subaru shouted to no avail as Laito makes his way to the kitchen, not listening to the youngest. Left with no choice, Subaru slowly makes his way to the dining hall and lets out a breath of relief as he plops all the gifts down on the dining table. “Che, those assholes… making me carry all this… Shit, is ‘that gift’ okay?” he frantically sorts through the gifts, trying to remember which gift belongs to whom until he found a small box that he remembers picking while he and Laito looked around. “Phew… it didn’t break…” Subaru sighs in relief, as he opens the small box, tracing his fingers at its contents. “… Pwaah, you’re not planning on proposing to that girl this soon, are you?” Shu asks, lying down on the floor as he catches the youngest off guard. “H… Haah?!! No! W… What are you talking about??!!” Subaru stuttered out, shoving the box down into his pocket, far from sight.

“I’m just saying, if it wasn’t your temper, that may be the thing that scares her off… Haah... I’m tired.” Shu yawns, turning to his side as Subaru stacks the gifts around the eldest, hiding him from plain sight. “Just shut up! What I’ll give her later is none. Of. Your. Business.” Subaru grunted between his gritted teeth, trying to exercise caution as he places the bags and boxes on a table next to the sleeping vampire. Just as Subaru finishes sorting through the gifts, loud blasts ring from the kitchen.

“Uwah… This is more hopeless than I thought.” Laito huffed as he inspected the oven, which had been charred black alongside what should have been a cake. “Well, I guess we still have one more shot at making this cake, don’t we, Ayato-kun? ~” Laito asks, looking over his shoulder, “Oi Kanato, what are you trying to put in the damn batter? This is our last chance to make this cake work!” Ayato yelled, grabbing Kanato by the shoulder to reveal a bottle held close to his chest. Reiji snatches the bottle from Kanato’s grasp to inspect it, “…! I’ve been searching for this for the past few days… Kanato, were you trying to poison the cake?” Reiji interrogates the petite vampire who just glared at him, his nails clawing at the stuffed bear, ripping it open. “SHUT UP, SHE DESERVES EVERY SINGLE DROP OF IT, I’LL FORCE IT DOWN HER THROAT!!” Kanato wailed, his flailing arms pushing the bowls and utensils down to the ground only to stop midway with a crazed look in his eyes. “Fufu, I’ve talked it out with Teddy, We’ve already decided to kill her, and you can’t change our minds.” Kanato giggled hysterically, unaware of the stuffing falling from the stuffed bear, soaking up the fallen egg yolks.

“Kanato, cease what you’re doing at once! Father has instructed us not to kill them!” Reiji fumes, heat rising to his temples as he tries to stop the purple-haired vampire’s tantrums, “Ayato, bring your brother to his room to calm down, I’ll take over from here.” he instructed as he grabs a rag to wipe the counter. Ayato clicks his tongue in annoyance. “Tch, Oi, hysteric, quit crying already and take a shower, you reek of eggs!” he ordered, hoisting Kanato over his shoulder as he makes his way up the stairs, Leaving Laito and Subaru in the ruined kitchen. “Good grief… How are you three able to destroy this kitchen more than you’ve already done?” Reiji shuddered, pushing his glasses back to his face, debating whether he should lay his eyes on the mess again.

“Well, it appears I’ll have to handle the rest of this by myself. Laito, go upstairs and clean up. Most importantly, make sure none of the girls ever come down until everything is ready. They should not see anything- “Before Reiji could finish, he suddenly held his tongue once his eyes darted to the door, revealing the blonde vampire looking over at the state of the kitchen with a frown on her face. “Reiji, what’s the meaning of this?” Asa asks as her brows furrowed, trying to comprehend the situation at hand. “T… This is none of your concern, besides, what are you doing in the kitchen so suddenly?” Reiji chastised, attempting to deflect the question Asa gave him, “That’s right, Asa-chan~ You looked rather fatigued today, do you not? Let Reiji take care of this mess while I escort you back upstairs! ~” Laito suggested, while he grabs at Asa’s shoulders, forcing the blonde vampire out of the kitchen.

Taken aback, Asa struggles in Laito’s hold, causing his fingers to dig deeper into her shoulders. “Laito, let go of me, I’m clearly fine.” she demanded, turning her head to face the vampire behind her, “Aw, Miss Asa, can’t I show concern towards you? It would be a shame if you didn’t spend time with your sisters as much as you want, won’t it?” Laito laughs, ignoring the blonde vampire who only glared daggers at him. “That is none of your concern, I went to the kitchen to- “ Just as Asa was about to finish explaining, Laito quickly pushed her into Akemi’s room. “Yes, I’m sure you have your plans, but the kitchen is currently occupied at the moment, I’ll see all of you later at the dining hall, don’t leave the room till we say so, Bye now~!” Laito exclaimed cheerfully, slamming the door behind him.

Akemi jumps from her bed in shock at the sudden noise, “Wha… Just what’s going on down there?” she asks, clearly shaken from the noise. Frustrated, Asa drags her hand down her face, already feeling the pressure in her temples, “If I’m being honest right now, I’m loathing the fact that I was right about the kitchen blowing up.” She sighs, plopping herself on Akemi’s bed only to hear a yelp of pain coming from an unusual lump under the rose-patterned bedsheets. Taken aback, Akemi crawls towards the lump, pulling the bedsheets back to see Amaya rubbing her head in pain. “Amaya?! When did you get here?!” Akemi exclaimed, inspecting the youngest head for injuries. “Sorry… I just… I don’t want to be alone right now… It’s too loud.” Amaya whimpered, laying her head down back on the bed, “Shh, it’s okay… It’s not your fault.” Asa cooed, patting the youngest’s head.

“Both of you, I’m truly sorry… If I haven’t been so caught up with… everything. Maybe we would have at least had a candle to blow out.” Asa apologizes, looking down at her sisters with a melancholic look in her eyes. “Whatever disaster going on downstairs is not your fault.” Akemi protested as she grabbed Asa by the shoulders, “It doesn’t matter, we’re finally together after… who knows how long…” Akemi whimpered, trying to hide her grief, “If it helps… I’m sorry it took so long for me to get here… I truly owe it to that man for finding me.” Amaya apologizes, shuffling closer to wedge herself between her sisters.

Just before anyone could speak again, three precise knocks came from the door, “Akemi? Are you in there? Are your sisters with you right now? It’s Reiji.” Confused, Akemi lifted herself off the bed and made her way to the door, revealing Reiji, who looked more gaunt than usual. “Good gods… what on earth happened to you?” Akemi gasps, inspecting the plum-haired vampire only to be pushed back slightly, “That is not important right now. Do dress up in your best and take this with you.” Reiji ordered as he handed Akemi small but intricately decorated box. “Wait… what-“ Akemi stuttered and before she could call out to Reiji, he already left.

Curiouser than ever, Amaya perked up and made her way to inspect the box, Marveling in its intense red color. “Oh? What do you think is inside? Can we open it?” she asks, her fingers snatching the smaller box and cradling it in her hands before opening its contents. “Let’s see… ‘Please come down to the dining hall in your best.’ Asa reads, looking over at her sisters. Squealing in glee, Amaya clasps Akemi’s hand, “I knew it, there is a birthday party for us! Akemi, help me pick what to wear!” Akemi shakes her head, trying to hide her smile caused by her youngest sister’s infectious happiness.

“Okay…Okay, let’s go and get dressed.”

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

August 24, 1940, 6:00 PM

“I can smell something sweet coming from downstairs!” Amaya exclaimed as she made her way down the stairs, “Slow down, Amaya, you’ll trip on your skirt.” Asa called out, pulling her long gloves over her arms while Akemi attempted to smoothen out any wrinkles on her evening gown. ‘It can’t be… there’s no way that they could pull something like this in less than a week…’ Akemi ponders as she makes her way to the dining hall, only to be met with the once-dark dining room now flooded with bright lights from the flick of a switch.

“Happy birthday, Asa-chan! Akemi-chan! Amaya-chan! We prepared all this just for the three of you!” Laito exclaimed, his arms spread wide, revealing the room decorated with several balloons scattered across the floor, The tables now have different kinds of food on display as well as a large strawberry cake, surrounded by gifts in different sizes. “Took you three long enough, does that mean we can dig into the Takoyaki, right?” Ayato grumbled, looking over at the plates. "That’s right, I too am sick of waiting, we can finally have the opportunity to eat some sweets. Don't you think, Teddy?" Kanato cooed, now cradling Teddy who is now stitched back together.

Amaya looked over her shoulder to meet her sisters’ gaze, trying to contain her excitement, “See??! I told you so! Isn’t this the best thing ever?” she squealed as she tugged Asa’s hand, pointing at the decorated room with so much wonder in her eyes. “… I… so that explains the fiasco in the kitchen. You let your brothers handle the cooking? It caused so much of a racket.” Asa hummed in thought, looking over at Reiji. “Well, we had to split up the tasks to prepare for this occasion as best as you can with only two days. If it concerns you, I did end up cooking most of the food in the end. Well then, you three, take your respective seats next to each other.” Reiji explains as he adjusts his glasses again, his eyes looking over Amaya and Asa take their seats, leaving the chair between them empty. “Akemi, what’s wrong? Over here!” Amaya waved at her sister who stood still with her lips parted in surprise.

“Hmm? She seems to be frozen in place. Oiii~ Akemi-chan? Earth to Akemi-chan~” Laito chimed, waving his hands in front of Akemi, only to be taken aback by the tears trickling down her face. “O… Oi, why are you crying? Akemi?” Subaru stammered as he made his way towards her and reached out to hold her gloved hand, squeezing it in hopes of bringing her comfort. “Haah… You better sit down first. Otherwise, this party won’t start. Shu sighs as he watches Subaru help Akemi take a seat between her sisters. “… Are you alright? Is there something on your mind?” Asa questions as she hands her sister a handkerchief that Akemi takes while Amaya watches her, keeping quiet. “Ah… I thought I’d never be able to celebrate like this after all this time… It was so hard for me to even mention it.” She sobs, clenching the handkerchief in her hands as more tears run down her face.

Subaru looks over at the weeping vampire, after letting himself think, he eventually turns Akemi’s chair to face him, kneeling to her level in hopes of seeing her face. “… Don’t be so glum, they’re here now, aren’t they?” he asks, his eyes not leaving Akemi’s as she stares at him in disbelief, “You don’t need to be swayed by these unnecessary thoughts anymore… I… Your sisters can keep you company now.” Subaru corrects himself, gripping the edges of Akemi’s seat, feeling more at peace once her tears have ceased. “Oh, Subaru…I…” Akemi murmurs, trembling slightly at the gesture as she reaches for his face.

“Besides, I wanted to give this to you. Happy birthday.” Subaru huffs as he pulls a small box out of his pocket and places it in Akemi’s hands, piquing her curiosity. “… Ah? What are you trying to pull off? Are you trying to tie the knot with her or something?” Ayato prods, “Oooh~ that reminds me, it was me and Subaru who thought about what to give you girls on your birthday, He was so secretive about what he wanted to give you, nfu~” Laito exclaimed, causing Amaya to perk up and look over at Akemi, “Oh… Oh! What’s going on??! Akemi, what’s going on between you and Subaru??” Amaya interrogated as she jumped from her seat, eager for an answer.

Subaru feels his face getting hot as red paints his cheeks “Sh… Shut up! It’s not like that! Quit it, both of you!” he yells, causing Shu to chuckle at the youngest “Sure, it’s definitely not like what everyone is imagining.” Shu smirks. “Hah! No wonder you’re clingy with her. Can’t blame you though, she’s really easy on the eyes. “ Ayato snarks, causing Subaru to glare at him as Akemi opens her gift. “Oh… this is…” Akemi gasps as she pulls a small tin case from the box, opening it to reveal rouge with a dusty-pink hue. “I didn’t know what color you wanted, so I just picked whatever… You can just throw it out if you want-” Subaru mutters until he is shocked as warm hands cupped his face. “No, I love it. I love it so much! Thank you! Thank you so much!” Akemi cried as she wrapped her arms around his neck, letting Subaru stroke her hair.

“Wait…Does that mean I also have gifts?” Amaya asks, looking over at the pile of gifts keenly”, Reiji places a hand on her shoulder, “Not yet, we will open the gifts after we have eaten. Come everyone, the food will get cold at this rate.” He ordered, causing a wave of excitement amongst the hungry vampires. “About time! Oi, you three, you better try some of the Takoyaki made by Ore-sama!” Ayato claimed, shoving Takoyaki onto Asa’s plate. “Ah, how thoughtful of you.” Asa thanked him as she inspected the pile of takoyakis on her plate before distributing the bigger ones between her sisters “Here, try this.” Asa smiles. “It looks tasty.” Amaya squeals, Akemi nodding along to her sister’s statement. “Huh? What did she just say?” Ayato squints, at Amaya, suspicious about what she just said. “She said it looks tasty.” Asa replied as she patted Ayato’s shoulder “Of course, I helped in the kitchen after all!” Ayato boasts, a grin plastered on his face.

“Why can’t we cut the cake already? I’m sick of waiting, aren’t you too, Teddy?” Kanato whines, looking over at the strawberry cake. “It does look pretty, doesn’t it?” Akemi chimed, causing the petite vampire to look at her, “Do you like strawberries, Akemi-san?” he asked, “Strawberries are my favorite, raspberry is nice too.“ Akemi replies, Kanato smiles at the answers, “Fufu~ Of course that’s the right answer. Right, Teddy?” he asks, holding the now-mended Teddy close. “Che, save it for later. Eat first.” Subaru grunts, his words heavily contrast with when he tucks a blonde lock behind Akemi’s ear.

“Before we eat, I would like to make a toast” Reiji declared as he raised a glass of champagne, “I would like to this glass to my cousins, Asa, Akemi, and our new addition, Amaya. Despite all the hardships you may have faced during your years apart.” A pause filled the room as Reiji noticed that Shu was fast asleep in his chair. Giggles filled the room as Reiji made his way to shake Shu awake, causing him to stand up and pull a crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket. “Pwaah…Now we celebrate not only your birth but the first year you are now together after so long. Cheers to the three of you.” Shu declared, raising his glass high up before taking a sip.

Smiling amongst themselves, Asa, Akemi, and Amaya raise their glasses with their new family.

“Cheers!”

[mistake-responsibility]

PINNED

Send PINNED for a scene from my muse's past in which they were stuck somewhere, literally or figuratively

His chest hit the wall first, and all the air inside escaped him. He couldn’t even make a sound of pain as his arm twisted in a way it really shouldn’t.

“ That what it takes to shut you up? I should’ve done this a long time ago.”

Someone laughed behind him, reminding him to struggle as best he could. It’s no use- Jimmy’s never been very strong compared to his peers- and they laugh harder.

“ Of course. You only can talk big when you’ve got blonde by your side, but the second it’s just you, you’re worthless.”

A hand digs into his hair, pulling his head back. He only sees the man for a second before his face hits the wall too, some wet sound as pain shoots through his body and heat runs down his face. He finally lets out a strangled cry at the feeling.

“ Where’d it all go, huh? What happened to James? I thought you were gonna ‘rock my shit’. Said you were gonna fold me, so where? Where is it, motherfucker?”

He doesn’t even remember saying any of that. What the hell were these guys mad about? Just some asshole and two goons, that’s all they were. What did he do to make this guy so mad?

“ You get what you fuckin deserve. Thought you could lay hands on her knowing she was mine? She told me everything.”

Oh. Right. Yeah. Party. Girl. Drunken flirting and kissing. She initiated it. He stopped it. Jesus christ, of course the bitch turned the story on him the second he points out she should be macking on someone else.

This was a stupid fight to pick, and not one that he could win. He glances around desperately for anyone, anyone. People are walking by and not saying anything. Of fucking course. Some are watching with partial interest.

Where the fuck is Curly? Where the fuck is he? The only glimpse of blonde he sees isn’t from anyone he knows. Sure, he told Curly he needed space, but he didn’t mean it. He should just know that Jimmy didn’t actually want to be alone. He was so getting onto him after-

His arm is twisted further behind his back and he cries out, thrashing as best he can. “ Get off me, get the fuck off me!”

“ Awww. Cute as ever. Get your camera out, alright? We’re gonna make him beg.”

Oh like fuck they were. How do you shut down something, how do you make a crowd scatter? He racked his mind, then took a deep breath, and

“ HE HAS A FUCKING GUN!”

His attackers went silent, trying to figure out who he meant. But now people were looking. Now people cared.

“ Hey, shut the fuck up, you sc-”

“ HE’S GOT A FUCKING GUN, GET OFF OF ME! SOMEONE HELP!”

Somebody stood up and started hurrying over. His assailants knew better. Who would be believed, the guy with the broken nose or the assholes with a vendetta?

His arm was freed and he managed to get a punch in before the gang scurried off, not eager to be caught under false pretenses. Someone was talking to him, trying to comfort him, hand on his shoulder. He didn’t really pay attention.

Where was he?

Where was Curly?

Looks like if he wanted something done, he had to do it himself.

[xtrashmammalstefx]

That’s My Man (An Austin Abrams Smut)

Requested By: @tiamcconnellx​   

WARNINGS: Smut!, Choking, Attempted rape!, language

Notes: Hey guys! So I just want to clarify some stuff for this fic real quick. In this story you are Norman Reedus' s daughter, and a member of The Walking Dead Cast, duh. Oh, and I will have a life update post later this week (maybe) where I will explain my absence and future plans. Okay I’ll shut up now. Enjoy!

You know how sometimes when you meet someone you get this feeling you’ve never really felt before. Like something inside you is just like: I need this person, I need to know this person… Well, for me that’s the feeling I got when I first met Austin.

He wasn’t your typical type of handsome, but damn did he have a smile that was more infectious than a zombie bite. Not to mention he was (is) wicked talented at acting. He, Chandler, and I basically became the ultimate trio during our stints on The Walking Dead.

My dad wasn’t too thrilled at the idea. I mean, sure, he loved and trusted Chan with his life (having watched him grow for the past few season) but he didn’t exactly know Austin all too well.

“Your dad’s still giving me the look,” Austin whined as we took a break between scenes. Sure enough my dad was giving him the ‘fuck up you little shit, I dare you’ look he reserved for any guy that was interested in me. I sighed.

“He’s just nervous because he knows what scene we’re about to shoot,” I said. I swear I thought my dad was going to burst a blood vessel when he first read the script for this episode. After all, it included the most mature scene I’ve ever filmed, and one I dreaded more than anything. I mean… I knew what was coming since the writers and director had discussed it with us previously but god damn did they pick a hell of a way to start things.

“You nervous?” Austin asked.

“Definitely,” I said before turning my head to face him and placing my hand in his. “But I trust you not to hurt me too bad.”

“I can’t even begin to imagine myself hurting you… your dad would fucking kill me.” Austin said smiling lazily at me. I chuckled slightly.

“ABRAMS! REEDUS! GET IN POSITION WE’RE READY TO FILM THE NEXT SCENE!” The director hollered at us.

Austin and I stood up and went behind the door to my character’s Alexandria house. “You ready?” I whispered.

Austin took a deep breath. “No, but then again in a zombie apocalypse there’s no such thing.”

“True,” I agreed as the director ordered everyone to be quiet on the set.

‘AND ACTION!” Right on cue Austin’s face contorted with fury and pain, and he burst through the door. I counted the seconds and then followed.

“RON! RON PLEASE STOP!” I grabbed his hand and he threw my hand away.

“NO, I’M DONE! I’M FUCKING DONE!” He looked at me as though I was the worst person in the world. Tears began streaming down my face.

“I-It wasn’t what it… I swear I didn’t mean to…”

“Just, stop,” Austin said. “Don’t even try bullshitting your way out of this. I could see it ever since he first came to my house. I could see it in your fucking face.” I stepped back in fear, pressing my body against the door. “You fucking loved him even then.” Austin said stepping closer to me. “Hell, you were probably thinking of him the night we fucked for the first time, weren’t you?” He brought his hand to my neck. “WEREN’T YOU!” He squeezed, digging his fingers slightly into my neck.

“N-N…”

“DON’T LIE TO ME!” He screamed at me squeezing a little tighter. My tears were streaming even worse as I looked up at him.

“Y-Yes,” I wheezed out. Now Austen was the one crying.

“Then I guess there’s only one thing left to do,” he said before crashing his lips against mine. This is where I nearly fucked up the scene. I was supposed to fight him, loath his very touch… but at that moment I couldn’t be more in love with him. A fact that shocked me to the point where I quickly remembered what we were doing and began to struggle. I placed my hands on his chest and started trying to push him away. He just grabbed them and placed them on either side of my head and continued to aggressively kiss me. He then grabbed me and dragged me to the side of the porch (my character was related to a recluse who insisted on surrounding the porch in a black tarp, and duct taping the shit out of the windows) where he laid us down. I kicked and screamed but he just held me down and used his weight to keep me down while he reached down to undo his zipper. That’s when Chan appeared ripping him off of me. Chan punched him in the face and the scene was over.

I wiped the tears from my eyes and stood up.

“Fuck, remind me never to piss you off, man,” Austin said rubbing his chin.

Chan just chuckled. “No problem, though if you ever try something like that for real I’m not the one that’s gonna be doing the hitting.”

“Damn right he’s not,” Dad appeared on the porch. “You okay, baby?”

“I’m fine dad,” I said.

“Just checking,” he said. We all stepped down off of the porch and took a breather while the set was prepped for the next scene which would be with just Chan and me.

“I didn’t hurt you too bad did I?” Austin asked once we both had taken a much needed drink of water.

“No,” I assured him. “You were actually kind of perfect.”

He smirked. “Yeah, a perfect piece of shit.”

“Yeah, well, that’s just Ron for ya. He’s a dick with a narrow view of the world, but you… you’re different.”

“How so?”

“You’re better,” I said. “How’s the face by the way?”

“Oh, it’s fine, a little sore but, can’t say it wasn’t deserved,” he said. I reached up and brushed my lips against the violently pink skin.

“Better?”

“Sort of, but…”

“But?”

“You missed it?”

“I did?” He nodded before ducking his head down and pressing his lips against mine. That same feeling I had earlier came back, only this time is a thousand times stronger. Ron kissed with anger, a burning rage he could no longer control...but Austin? He kissed with a mind numbing passion, as though letting you know how just how much he’d been holding in his heart for you. Our arms snaked around each other and I felt his hand brush my ass. I think I would’ve let him do more if we weren’t on the clock.

“REEDUS! YOU’RE DUE IN MAKE UP!” The director hollered at us making us jump apart.

“Oh, um, right, I’m on my way.” I turned back to Austin. “To be continued?”

He smiled. “You bet.”

I was still thinking about him as I made my way into the make up trailer. The make-up artist did his magic and made it so I looked like I had bruises on my neck from where Austin had dug his fingers when he was choking me. It looked brutal and uncomfortably real.

When I got back to the water table Austin was talking with Chan who was first to see me coming. “Holy shit,” he said causing Austin to turn around.

“Oh fuck!”

Both guys were staring at my new bruises.

“Yeah apparently you’re a lot stronger than you look,” I said trying to lighten the mood.

“Kind of makes me wish I did more than just deck you in the face,” Chan said.

“Makes me kinda wish you did,” Austin said starting to reach his hand out.

“Ah, no touchy!” I said stepping back.

Austin was about to say something when…

“RIGGS! REEDUS! YOU’RE UP!” Chan stood by and motioned with his hand.

“After you, my lady,” he said.

We were in my ‘bedroom’ now. I took my place on the bed, curling up in the ball. I thought of the saddest things… Bambi, my favorite Harry Potter characters dying, and stuff like that. Eventually tears sprung from my eyes. Chan took his place by the door.

“ACTION!”

Chan knocked on the door. “Come in,” I said sniffing back tears. Chan slowly stepped in.

“Hey,” he whispered. Looking at him I started to cry a little harder. Chan closed the door and hurried over to me. He sat on the bed infront of me and pulled me into his arms. I buried my face in the crook of his neck and continued to sob. Chan’s lips brushed the top of my head as his hand cradled the back of my head. “It’s okay, Say… it’s okay, darling, just… just let it out.”

I breathed a heavy sigh and, hesitantly, kissed Chan on the neck.

He gasped and pulled back. “Say…”

“Carl, please, just… do what you were going to do earlier,” I said.

“Y-You sure?” I nodded. He closed his eyes and breathed a sigh before placing his lips on the corner of my forehead. His lips trailed down until they found mine. I tangled my fingers in his hair and deepened the kiss. His hands wandered down until they reached the hem of my shirt. I pulled back and let him take it off just as the camera switched over to the one behind my back. “Beautiful.” Chan muttered looking at me in awe.

I started unbuttoning his shirt, placing kisses on his chest as I did. After I pushed the fabric off of his shoulders he laid us down.

“AND CUT!”

Chan helped me up and handed me my shirt, blushing hard.

Later we were back in the bedroom except this time we were very naked; me under the blankets, and Chan with one leg and his crotch covered by a bit of my sheet. He held me against him, both of us freshly sprayed with mist to make us look sweaty and glowing.

“I love you,” Chan said gently with a vulnerability you could just tell Carl had carried with him for a long long time.

“I-” The door burst open and Andrew walked in.

“WHAT THE- CARL!”

“DAD! WHAT’RE YOU-?” We scrambled for our clothes.

“Glen just radioed, there’s a storm of walkers heading right towards the gate!”

Fully dressed I reached under my bed and grabbed my shotgun.

Chan’s eyes grew wide. “What’re you..?”

“Honeymoon’s over Carl, time to kick some walker ass.” I said cocking my gun. I followed them out of the room.

“CUT! AND THAT’S A WRAP!”

Chan and I high-fived on a job well done before heading to our trailers to shower and change.

Austin was waiting by mine.

“Hey, I thought you were done for today?”

“Yeah well, I didn’t exactly feel like leaving yet,” he said not looking quite right.

“You okay?” He nodded. “You sure?”

He nodded but didn’t convince me that everything was okay.

“Austin?”

He sighed. “I’m just… I was kinda hoping I could see you like that…” he motioned at the set. “Before Chan I mean…”

“You make it sound as if he got a good show.”

“Didn’t he?”

“Not even close,” I said. “He’s actually quite the gentleman, you know. First make out scene he only saw my bra and was quick to help me cover up. Just now he actually closed his eyes when I took my robe off and didn’t open them until I was covered. As for post-coital well, he was focused more on his on-screen dad than anyone else.”

“Damn, he really is an upstanding guy,” he said.

“Yeah he is,” I said stepping up to Austin. “And he is also a really great friend. I love the guy like a brother which is a far cry from what I feel about you.”

“Really?” I nodded bringing my lips to his. He moved to deepen it but I pulled back.

“Hold onto that thought for a minute while I wash up,” I said opening my trailer door. Austin followed me in.

He sat down on the small couch while I ducked behind the screen and disrobed before entering the small shower beside it. I washed my hair and used a special cleanser to erase my choke marks. I had just gotten the last one off when the shower curtain was pushed aside. I watched as Austin stepped in and swung the curtain shut behind him. He was naked, his scrawny body exposed fully to me. I was about to ask what he was doing when it caught my eye.

He was at half mast and only growing straighter, and harder.

He approached me and placed his hands on my hips. “C’mere,” he muttered ducking his head down for a kiss. As soon as his lips were flushed with mine I wrapped my arms around him and let him lift me up.

I gasped as he stretched me. He groaned slightly. “Fuck… I-I didn’t hurt you too bad did I?”

“Not at all,” I muttered.

“Good,” he muttered bringing his lips back to mine. He held me against the shower wall as he continued to thrust in and out of me. I tried to bite back any noise it brought out of me but the sensation was just too good.

“Fuck, Aus, you feel so good,” I moaned as he started thrusting harder. “Oh fuck yeah right there, right there.”

I felt myself tense up in my core and I knew it I was about to fucking burst.

“You’re gonna cum aren’t you?” I nodded moan louder and louder. “Ugh, it’s alright… just cum on me… cum on my cock.”

The tension became too much and I was practically screaming as I tightened around him.

He continued to thrust as I came down from it a shivering mess. “C-Couch,” I said. “Take me to the couch.”

He shut the water off, threw the curtain back and carried me to the small couch. “Sit down,” I said. He did so keeping me in his arms. I started rocking my hips on him.

“Oh, fuck,” he moaned as I continued to bounce on him vigorously. Before I knew it the tension I felt earlier came back.

I moaned as it came closer and closer. “Fuck I’m gonna cum again!”

“Me too,” Austin groaned. I leaned back, screaming again,  as my body tensed up, clenching around him.

“Oh fuck!” I felt his warmth shoot into me as his body stiffened, his groans filling the air. We then collapsed on the coach, breathless and dazed.

“I think that just may be the most powerful orgasm of my life,” I breathed, my heart still racing.

“Same here, I… I think my dick is gonna need some time to recover.” Austin laughed.

“Sorry,” I said.

“Don’t be, it was so fucking worth it.” He smiled tiredly at me.

“I love you, Austin.”

“I-” There was a knock at my door and a frantic yell.

‘Y/N REEDUS YOU BETTER ANSWER THIS DOOR AND PROVE TO ME THAT YOU’RE ALIVE OR SO HELP ME I WILL BREAK THE FUCKER DOWN!”

We grabbed our clothes in a panic and got dressed. “Coming dad!”

Once we were dressed and I tamed my post-sex head, I opened the door.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“Someone said they heard screaming… thought you might be in trouble so…” Austin unintentionally choked out a laugh and I immediately elbow him in the ribs. “What’s so funny?”

“Uh, nothing,” I said feeling my cheeks grow warm, the fucking traitors. Dad looked from me to Austin and as he did his face contorted from confusion to a Reedus level of fucking fury.

“TELL ME I’M WRONG RIGHT FUCKING NOW!” Dad demanded. “TELL ME YOU WEREN’T JUST IN THERE DOING WHAT I THINK YOU WERE FUCKING DOING!”

“Oh shit,” Austin muttered shrinking back. “Should I run?” He asked me.

“OH YOU BETTER FUCKING RUN!” Austin shrieked and bolted out of my trailer with my dad on his tail.

“DAD NO!” I hollered before chasing after my dad and my man.

[wildmtthyme]

Chapter 6: Duty Calls

Warnings: Slight abandonment issues if you squint.

Chapter Notes: None.

Synopsis: Simon was no stranger to torture and frankly, as far as torture went? This was pretty tame. What he hadn't ever experienced before, however, was coming out the other side with more than when he went in. - A random drabble that turned into a full blown story. The original title had been "Fairytale Stuff" but I changed it after some thought.

<- Chapter 5 - Chapter 7 ->

Series Masterlist

A week later, he got his first deployment notice. And he found himself in the rather uncomfortable position of having to tell her that he’d be leaving for what was only supposed to be a month but could honestly be anywhere from that to three or four months. She… didn’t take it well.

He clinched his jaw as he stood in her living room, arms folded over his chest as she sat near frozen on the couch he helped her move in here. Where? He shook his head. He hadn’t removed his mask… he couldn’t. Not right now. His gear was all still on, too. Wh… how long again? “One month.” Are you sure? He shook his head.

He’d never had to do… this… before. The only people who gave a shit about him were people he was going with so… he was out of his depth. Will you be able to call me? He lifted a single shoulder in a rare show of uncertainty. Will I know anything? Another hesitation before he gave another shrug. Do you know anything? She had a bite to those words, frustration bleeding into them.

His eyes flicked down to her, since he’d been just staring at the wall over her head. But she was digging her fingers into her hair, her elbows on her knees. How the hell could he tell her that he didn’t fucking like this either? That for the first time in his career, he didn’t like this shit. He didn’t want to leave her here unprotected and alone. If he could, and he knew how incredibly stupid it was, he’d take her with him. But a warzone was no place for her. Even if he knew she was tough as nails. “I’ll call if I can.” He heard himself say. Fuck… those words sounded so damned cheesy. When are you leaving? He frowned then.

“In the morning.” She looked up at him then, her eyes big and round, her lips slack. So soon?! He swallowed down the sudden tension in his throat and gave her a curt nod. He watched her look around as if she were still kind of processing that. Are… are you staying here tonight? He tightened the muscles around his mouth and didn’t say anything. She looked back at him and he shook his head no. He watched her give him a subtle nod but it was shaky.

Shit, why the hell did it feel like he was doing something wrong?! He needed to study the mission details and get caught up with a lot of shit just like the rest of the team and he couldn’t do that here! His fingers ached from how tight he was gripping his biceps… his hands itched to reach out to her. “I… I gotta—” Wait! He had started to say he had to go… but she was on her feet in a flash, darting out of her sitting room.

He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding and paced a few anxious steps. He took a deep breath and tried to tell himself that this was… this was fine. This was… this was just how—she hurried back into the room, holding something out to him. Her eyes were blood-shot and glassy. She sniffled… and it felt like a lance to his heart, knowing she’d been crying over him. Here. I… I want you to take this with you.

He blinked and looked down at her hand and… just… felt everything inside him and around him go still. He reached and took the braid from her hand… no thicker than a marker but… it was a braided lock of her hair. He closed the gap between them, his lips parted in… shock? He wasn’t sure but… he ran his fingers through the side of her hair that he saw she’d taken the barrette out of, feeling the sudden stop of a few inches at her hair line. He felt her hand hang on his wrist and her weight lean into his hand. It’s supposed to be for luck, right? He huffed a humorless laugh and found himself pressing his hands against the sides of her neck, thumbs up along her temples… bending down until he could press his brow to hers.

“Fairytale stuff, princess.” He was trying to joke… make light of it. She huffed her own humorless laugh before he felt her damn near throw herself at him, her arms tight around his neck. Her body was shaking so much. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up as he straightened, holding her in a tight embrace. You have to come back. He nodded, turning and pressing his face into her hair. “I will.” He wanted to tell her that nothing could keep him from her, but the words stuck to the roof of his mouth. “I… I want to stay the night but…” He swallowed thickly. “I gotta study up on the mission.” He breathed out. He felt her nod. Come back. She whispered the words so quiet and he heard the bone-deep fear in them. “I will, love.” He said into her hair. When he climbed into his truck… he already had her braid tucked into his interior vest pocket, where it’d stay.