#but i’m impatient. so instead of asking for a hug or whatever i ask him to slap me. which means nothing.

[urdeadbestfriend]

twin beds are made for sharing but no one else gets it

[keraawrites]

Every good girl needs a lil thug 𝜗𝜚

Summary: Dealer Eren AU, Eren tells everyone your his woman, even if he never officially asked you and maybe your getting tired of the uncertainty. ۶ৎ Eren x black fem reader ۶ৎ

Context: A little angsty, use of the word nigga, pet names (Daddy, baby, mama, ma etc) drug use, alcohol use, car sex, cowgirl, make up sex, choking,kind of possessive Eren (?)

Word count — 6.4k {I didn't expect it to be this long}

Your nails tapped against the keys of your MacBook, the soft clack filling the quiet of the library. Your black-rimmed glasses sat perched on your nose as you switched between your textbook and the half-written essay on your screen, perfectly focused.

It was a early Friday evening, and most students were already slipping into weekend mode—either scrambling to finish assignments last minute or just skipping the effort altogether. But you were different. You had goals. A full-ride scholarship didn’t keep itself, and you weren’t about to start slipping now.

Everyone on campus knew you were that girl—the straight-A student, always turning in assignments early. The type who had professors wrapped around her finger and a résumé that could humble anyone.

So, naturally, it surprised people when they found out who you spent most of your time with.

Because if you were the campus good girl—the golden standard—then Eren Yeager was the opposite.

He was that guy. The one who had been selling on campus since freshman year, the one who professors side-eyed but never caught, the one who moved through life like it was his for the taking. A bad habit you never could quite shake.

And yet, despite all of that, everyone knew what it was.

You belonged to him. Even if he’d never said it.

The iced pistachio latte sitting next to you had long since watered down, forgotten in favour of deciphering the never-ending debate between nature and nurture. But just as you started getting in the zone, your phone buzzed against the desk.

Then it buzzed again.

And then, the real interruption—your phone started ringing.

You sighed, already knowing who it was before you even looked at the screen. A small, involuntary smile tugged at your lips as you picked up.

"Yes Eren."

“Where you at?” His voice came through the speaker, smooth but with that usual edge of impatience. You could hear the low hum of music in the background.

“The library,” you replied, stretching your arms over your head. “Some of us actually care about midterms, you know.”

Eren chuckled, deep and amused. “Damn, you always tryna make me feel dumb or somethin’?”

You rolled your eyes but couldn’t stop the grin that tugged at your lips. “I’m just saying, you could be studying too instead of—”

“Instead of making money?” he cut in, voice teasing but smug. “C’mon, princess, you know that essay ain’t finna keep you warm tonight.”

You sighed, leaning back in your chair. Eren had this way of slipping into your head, making you forget whatever self-discipline you were trying to cling to. You and Eren had this thing going since Freshman year, you both juniors in college now and even though he wasn’t technically your boyfriend and you weren't technically his girlfriend, he was your man as much as you were his woman.

“I need to finish this paragraph at least,” you muttered, already knowing you’d fold.

Eren hummed like he wasn’t buying it. “Mmm. I'm outside.”

And with that, he hung up. No goodbye, no waiting for you to agree—because he knew you would.

You exhaled sharply, shutting your laptop with a soft thud. Sliding your glasses off and packing up your things, you tossed your cold latte in the trash and slung your coach tote over your shoulder.

When you stepped outside, the fall air was crisp, wrapping around you as your eyes scanned the parking lot. Sure enough, there he was—leaned against his black Charger, a joint tucked behind his ears.

Eren's eyes watched as you walked out of the library, your purple juicy couture tracksuit hugged your curves nicely, the colour blending in perfectly with your mocha skin tone, your bag slung over your shoulder as your hair was pulled into a slick back pony.

Eren loved it when you wore the things he got you, yes you had your own money but that didn't mean he couldn't spoil you every now and again.

"I like spoiling my woman" he always told you and you always hit back with a "Technically not your woman'. He would always kiss his teeth when you told him some shit like that always telling you not to play with him.

Eren smirked down at you, his 6 foot 3 frame towering over you as you tiptoed up to give him a quick kiss on the lips. Sliding into the passenger seat of Eren’s Charger as he opened the door for you, like he always did. You got comfortable as he flicked his lighter, taking a slow drag from his joint before passing it to you. The familiar scent of weed and his cologne filled the car, wrapping around you like a second skin.

His hand sliding up your thigh before shifting gears and pulling off. The drive to your apartment was quiet, save for the low bass of his playlist and the occasional back-and-forth about your classes, which he only half-listened to. He always did that—acted like he didn’t care, but asked just enough questions to let you know he was listening.

Once you stepped inside your apartment, the familiar warmth of your space wrapped around you, the scent of vanilla candles lingering in the air. You tossed your bag onto the couch and flopped down, stretching across the cushions. Eren sat on the floor between your legs, leaning against the couch as he started up his PlayStation.

He always left it there like he owned the place. In a sense, he did; he always gave you money for your bills even when you told him that you could pay your own way, but again, that didn't stop him.

The air around you two was calming, your fingers traced lazy circles against his scalp, your fresh set dragging lightly as he focused on the game. The room was dim, the soft glow of the TV flickering across his sharp features. He was so at ease like he had all the time in the world.

Meanwhile, you could feel everything.

Weed always had you feelin’ soft, needy in a way you couldn’t ignore. It had you noticing the warmth of his skin, the way his hoodie had bunched up just enough to expose his toned stomach, the way he sat between your legs like he belonged there.

Without thinking, you leaned down, pressing your lips against the side of his neck.

Eren’s fingers froze on the controller. "Damn, ma," he muttered, tilting his head slightly to let you in. "Now you wanna act up?"

You hummed against his skin, your lips traveling lower, kissing along his jaw. His breath hitched slightly, but he didn’t stop you. He never did.

His hands slid up your thighs, gripping gently as you moved lower, biting at his pulse point. "You high high, huh?" he teased, voice rougher now.

"Maybe," you admitted, your fingers slipping under the hem of his hoodie, feeling the warmth of his skin.

Eren exhaled slowly, like he was trying to keep his composure. But the way he gripped your legs told you he wasn’t unaffected. "You always do this," he murmured, voice low. "Get a lil' faded, start actin’ like you can’t keep your hands off me."

You smirked, as you continued your work. His groans becoming more vocal as your lips made the way to the sensitive part under his ear. His fingers world against your legs, sliding higher and higher, and just as he turned slightly to pull you fully into his lap— His phone buzzed. Again. And again.

You tried to ignore it, focusing on the warmth of his skin. But his phone continued to go off, kissing his teeth he sat up, sighing through his nose, you already knew what was coming.

You exhaled sharply as he reached for his phone, your fingers slipping from beneath his hoodie.

"Who is it?" you asked, even though you already knew.

“Gotta make a stop,” Eren muttered, rubbing his thumb over his lip as he read his messages. “Some people want a pick-up at that party over on 5th.”

The warmth from moments ago cooled instantly. You leaned back against the couch, arms crossing over your chest as you stared at the tv, screen paused on the game he was playing.

Eren noticed the shift in your mood immediately. "What?"

"Nothing."

"Nah, don’t do that," he muttered, twisting to look at you.

You sighed, picking at your nails. "I just… thought we were gonna chill."

He frowned slightly, like the thought genuinely hadn’t crossed his mind. "I was chillin’—you’re the one who started somethin’." His lips curved slightly. "Not that I’m complainin’."

You shot him a look, unimpressed. It wasn’t even that you were mad, exactly. You knew who he was, what he did, and what came with it. But still, it stung a little that he was so quick to get up and go when you barely had any time together.

Eren sighed, stretching as he stood up. "Look, come with me. Party’s probably lit. You might as well."

You hesitated but ultimately shook your head. "Nah, I’m good."

Eren studied you for a second, he leaned down to give you a quick kiss. Feeling sour, you turned your head but that didn't stop him. Gripping your cheeks tightly, he brought your face close to his.

"Stop with the attitude, I'll be back soon." He kissed you, giving your face another quick squeeze before he was out the door.

You didn’t even realise how much time had passed. The blunt you had smoked, long forgotten as your eyes laid heavy, the soft base of your R&B mix playing in the background.

Before you could get to the point of your high paranoia, the sound of your phone vibrating against the coffee table broke your thoughts.

You grabbed it lazily, assuming it was Eren texting some half-assed “be back soon” message. But instead, the group chat with Mikasa and Sasha lit up your screen.

📲 Mikasa: Heard Eren left your ass again.

📲 Sasha: LMAOOO figures.

📲 You: Can y’all be serious for ONCE.

📲 Mikasa: We are serious. You’re sitting in your apartment pissed off and high while he’s at a party.

📲 Sasha: And you know he’s gonna be getting hit on.

You rolled your eyes, even though you had thought about that part.

📲 You: What do you bitches want?

📲 Mikasa: We’re outside.

📲 Sasha: Open up.

Your eyebrows shot up. You tossed your phone onto the couch and rushed to the door, pulling it open.

Sure enough, Mikasa and Sasha were on your doorstep, looking smug as hell.

"Y’all are insane," you said, stepping back to let them in.

Mikasa barely glanced at you as she walked inside, her tight black leather pants fit her like a glove and she paired it off with a black plunge crop top.

"We’re getting you out of here."

Sasha grinned, already making herself at home on your couch, the doughnut in her hand didn't go unnoticed as you gestured for her to give you a piece.

"You don’t really wanna sit here all night, do you?"

You grumbled as you took another bite from the sweet treat. "I wasn’t gonna—"

"Please." Sasha waved you off. "You were about to scroll TikTok and fall asleep."

Mikasa smirked. "Meanwhile, Eren is at a party, surrounded by girls who don’t care that he’s technically yours."

Your jaw clenched. Technically.

"This is your brother we're talking about." You had met Eren originally through Mikasa; she was your roommate freshman year and introduced Eren to you as her brother. The dark haired girl quickly told you how she was adopted into the family when they were young and has referred to the green-eyed boy as her brother ever since.

"Yes and if my brother doesn't know that when he has a good girl he must keep her then I don't know what our parents taught him."

Sasha clapped her hands. "Soooo, let’s remind him exactly who you are."

You rolled your eyes at the two before heading up to your room, the speakers began blaring with Doechii as the two sorted through your wardrobe.

You perched yourself on the ottoman in front of your vanity, your hair, already straightened from earlier was easy to style. In no time it was in a half-up, half-down pony, the lace of your frontal melting into your skin.

You gathered your makeup, taking your time as you started with your base. The foundation melted into your skin like butter, smooth and effortless, enhancing what was already there.

You quickly finished up, dousing yourself in that vanilla spray that always drove him wild before you turned to your bed, an outfit waiting for you.

Your brows rose as you noticed the dress that lay against your sheets. "He's never seen me in this."

Mikasa scoffed, "Figured, seeing as it's still got the tag on it and how short it is."

You remembered when you bought it; Eren had given you money for your nails and a mini shopping spree a couple weeks ago. The dress was gorgeous and you wanted to surprise him in it but never got the chance.

"So what'd you think?" You bit your lip, trying not to ruin your gloss as your thoughts raced through your head.

"Why the fuck not."

The house was packed.

Music rattled the floors, bass shaking the walls as bodies pressed together in the dim, neon-lit space. The air was thick with weed and cheap booze, the kind of mix that blurred the edges of the night, made everything feel a little slower, a little easier.

Eren leaned back in his chair, one arm draped over the couch, fingers lazily scrolling through his phone. The notifications on his screen were meaningless. Random names, new orders, people trying to talk to him. But not you.

The last time he saw you, you were warm and needy in his lap, nails dragging over his chest, lips soft and sweet against his jaw, begging for his attention.

And he left.

Not because he wanted to.

But because when people hit his line, he handled business. That’s just how it was.

Didn’t mean he wasn’t thinking about you.

Eren barely registered Connie saying something next to him, some joke that made the others laugh. He forced a small smirk, flicking ash from his blunt as he exhaled a slow, heavy cloud of smoke.

But his mind was elsewhere.

"Hey, Eren."

The voice was familiar, laced with an unwelcome sweetness that had him clenching his jaw before he even turned his head.

Historia.

Connie smirked knowingly from beside him, shaking his head like he had front-row seats to the bullshit that was about to unfold.

Eren sucked his teeth, dragging from his blunt before exhaling slow. "Historia."

His eyes barely flickered in her direction, just enough to take in the skimpy outfit—the clear attempt at getting his attention. He was unimpressed.

Didn’t matter how much she tried.

Didn’t matter that they had one night together at some party years ago before he met you.

Historia never really understood that he wasn’t interested. And worse? She refused to take the hint.

She perched herself onto the couch beside him, leaning in a little too close, twirling a strand of blonde hair around her fingers like it was some cute little accident.

"You’ve been busy," she purred. "Haven't seen you in months."

Eren exhaled sharply through his nose, tapping his blunt over the ashtray. "You don’t need to see me."

The blonde giggled, ignoring the obvious dismissal. "Oh, come on. You’re not still mad about all that, are you?"

"Mad?" Eren smirked, finally turning to her. His green eyes were sharp, a dangerous kind of amusement flickering behind them. "I don’t think about you enough to be mad."

Historia’s smile wavered. Just slightly.

Connie stifled a laugh beside him.

Eren barely paid her another glance, before Connie got his attention.

"Oh, you're not gonna like this," Connie muttered, nudging him.

Eren’s brows furrowed. "The fuck you talking about?"

Connie didn’t answer. Just tilted his chin toward the kitchen, toward the center of the attention shift that had swept through the room.

Eren followed his gaze—

And his stomach fucking dropped.

Fuck.

There you were.

Looking so goddamn good it made his jaw tighten, made his grip flex around the blunt between his fingers.

You were perched against the kitchen island, head tilted back, laughing at something Jean was saying—his hand way too damn close to your hip for Eren’s liking.

And the dress—where the fuck did you get that dress?

Fuck, fuck, fuuckkkkk.

It was short. Short enough to make his chest tighten, to make his blood boil. It hugged every inch of your body in a way that had heads turning—too many heads.

Eren bit down on his lower lip, tongue flicking over his teeth as he felt something hot and possessive crawl up his spine.

He could already hear the shit he was about to say to you when he got you alone. Could already feel his hands on your hips, gripping, marking, reminding you exactly who you belonged to.

"You're still dealing with that slut?"

The sound of Historia’s voice snapped his attention back, sharp and sudden.

Eren kissed his teeth, his jaw going tight as he turned toward her, gaze dark.

"Watch your fucking mouth."

Historia shrank back slightly but rolled her eyes, mumbling something under her breath. Eren was already over it.

He pushed himself up from the couch, blunt still balanced between his fingers, but he didn’t head toward you just yet.

Because he was pissed.

But he was also intrigued.

You were playing with him.

That dress. The makeup. That perfume he knew you were wearing—the vanilla one he fucking loved. Here, surrounded by guys who had way too much confidence in his absence.

Your glittery lip gloss caught the low light of the room as you took a slow sip of your drink, lashes fluttering as you side-eyed him through the crowd.

His fingers twitched.

He wanted to let his hands wander, drag up your thighs, lift that stupidly short dress just to prove a point—

Jean leaned in a little closer, saying something low in your ear.

Eren saw the way you smiled, soft and teasing.

And that was it.

The brunette pushed off the wall, exhaling sharply as he made his way toward you.

He barely heard Jean still talking beside you. The other man was laughing, leaning in close, and that—that was already too much.

"Erm, sir, you better behave yourself, or Mikasa will string you up."

You laughed, shaking your head at Jean’s attempt at flirting—his well-practiced, half-serious effort. You knew damn well his heart was set on Mikasa, had been for years, but he just couldn’t bring himself to make a move.

Jean grinned, opening his mouth to reply—

But he never got the chance.

Brushing past him, Eren slammed his shoulder into Jean’s so forcefully it nearly knocked him off balance.

"Hey, man, what the—”

Jean barely got the words out before Eren’s presence swallowed the space between you.

That scent—his scent—hit you before you could even turn your head. The familiar, dangerously intoxicating mix that smelled like home. It was the same scent that lingered on your pillows, in the oversized hoodie he left behind, the one you swore you weren’t attached to—but never gave back.

Your heart stuttered.

Standing in front of you, towering over you, broad shoulders squared, muscles tense beneath his fitted black tee. His jaw was tight, lips pressed together in that signature Eren scowl.

But it was his eyes that got you.

Darkened, sharp, the color of a sea before a storm.

They didn’t just look at you—they devoured you.

You tilted your head slightly, feigning complete oblivion to the tension crackling between you.

Raising a brow, you spoke first. "Hey."

Eren didn’t blink. "What you doing here?"

You tilted your drink to your lips, taking a slow sip, letting the seconds stretch.

Then, with a shrug, "Having a good time, obviously. You were right, party is lit.”

You felt the tick in Eren’s jaw before you saw it. His eyes flickered, dropping down to your thighs.

"Yeah?" His voice was deceptively calm, but the way his fingers flexed at his sides told another story. "With him?"

His chin jerked slightly toward Jean.

Jean, to his credit, held his ground. He didn’t back away, didn’t fold, but you could feel the shift.

You smirked, tilting your head slightly. "You left, didn’t you?"

Eren's eyes narrowed. "You know why I left." Yeah, to sell drugs, which seemed to be more important than you, so you weren't gonna make it easy for him.

"Don't you have some people to sell to?" You didn't give him a chance to reply because you were already off, the announcement of beer pong was made and you dragged Sasha with you.

Eren felt his eyes twitch, his blood boiling as he watched you walk away from him in that damn dress.

You felt your heart beat against your chest, the adrenaline from the blunt you guys had smoked on the way still coursing through your veins.

You had left Eren to stew in his feelings. You knew you would fall into his arms later tonight but not without making your point-- you weren't gonna be just a ‘technically’ anymore, and he better know it.

The laughter left your lips, your high making you feel like you were on top of the world as you and Sasha won the round of beer pong. Your eyes searched the crowd unconsciously for him and it wasn't hard for you to find his piercing green eyes already watching you.

You felt the dip in your stomach, his eyes watching you before he gestured for you to follow him. He got up, brushing past people who tried to get his attention but he was already out the door.

You felt hot, you swallowed softly before downing the tequila shot that Sasha had left for you. You brushed and weaved between drunken bodies, you couldn't subdue the underlying feelings of anxiety that swelled in your chest. You didn't know what to expect, but you knew one thing for certain, you were gonna give Eren a piece of your mind tonight.

You finally made it outside, your eyes landing on Eren who leaned up against his charger. You released a breath you didn't even realise you were holding, shaking yourself of your jittery nerves as you approached him.

Rolling your eyes, you climbed into his Charger, the familiar scent of cologne, weed, and leather swallowing you whole.

The tension inside the car was thick, suffocating.

You weren’t looking at him. Not even a glance. Instead, your fingers tapped aimlessly against your phone screen, scrolling through nothing just to keep yourself busy. Just to keep yourself from breaking first.

You barely heard him kiss his teeth before the phone was snatched from your hands.

“What the fuck is your problem?”

Your head snapped toward him, fire instantly flaring in your chest. “Nah, don’t do that shit. Don’t sit here acting like you got a reason to be mad when—”

He cut you off, voice sharp. “You really gon’ come here, dressed like that, act like you don’t see me, treat me like I’m one of those little boys?”

Your blood boiled. "Eren—"

“Nah, fuck that.” His fingers flexed tighter around your phone like he was this close to throwing it out the damn window. “You know damn well not to play me like that.”

“And you know damn well not to talk to me like that, Eren.” Your voice was low, firm, laced with the anger that had been simmering in your chest all damn night.

His grip on the steering wheel turned his knuckles white as he pulled away from the curb, driving with that reckless kind of speed that mirrored exactly how he was feeling.

But you weren’t scared.

You were tired.

Tired of this damn game.

Tired of the way he made you question everything.

Tired of knowing what this was, feeling what this was, but never hearing it from him.

You stared out the window, arms crossed over your chest, heart pounding. You didn’t even know where the hell he was driving—somewhere dark, somewhere quiet, away from the house party and the bullshit.

Then, he was pulling over. Throwing the car into park, exhaling sharply like he was trying to get himself together but failing miserably.

Silence stretched between you.

“…Mama.”

His voice was different now. Softer.

Your breath hitched.

Your throat tightened.

You sniffed, and that’s when you realised—fuck. You were crying.

You hadn’t even noticed. Hadn’t felt the tears until they were already sliding down your cheeks, hot and angry and full of everything you’d been trying to hold in.

Eren cursed under his breath. “Shit.”

You turned your head, wiping at your face quickly, trying to hide. But Eren wasn’t having it.

He reached over, unbuckling your seatbelt, his touch surprisingly gentle for how frustrated he’d been just moments ago. Then his hands were on your face—thumbs brushing over your cheeks, wiping away the tears like it hurt him to see them.

He hated himself for putting them there.

“Baby,” he murmured, shaking his head. “Talk to me.”

You wanted to.

Wanted to lay it all out, make him feel every ounce of the doubt, the hurt, the longing you felt every time he left you in limbo. Every time he acted like he owned you, but never actually claimed you.

But your voice wouldn’t work.

Wouldn’t come out past the lump in your throat.

Eren’s breath was heavy, his fingers gripping your jaw as his forehead pressed against yours. “I got you, aight? Always.”

And for once, you needed to hear more.

Because that wasn’t enough anymore.

"Didn't think this shit would get to me, Eren, but it is—"

Your voice broke mid-sentence, frustration bubbling over as your hands curled into fists on your lap.

Eren's face was tight, his breath uneven as he leaned in closer, eyes searching yours. “What, baby? Talk to me. What’s going on?”

"Us, Eren!" Your voice cracked. “If you could even call it an ‘us.’”

His brows furrowed, jaw tightening like he already knew where this was going but still wasn’t ready to hear it.

“I haven't looked at another nigga since I met you," you continued, voice shaking. "And I know you don't fuck with these other hoes, but Eren, it hurts."

His chest rose sharply at that.

"It hurts that I'm still questioning if we're solid,” you pressed, voice thick with emotion. “It hurts that I don’t even know where I stand with you. It hurts that you’d rather do drops than spend time with me—”

"That's not true, Y/N—"

"Isn't it?" you snapped, eyes shining as you met his gaze.

Eren fell silent.

You let out a choked laugh, shaking your head as you wiped angrily at your face, black mascara smearing against your fingers. Your lips trembled, the weight of everything crushing down on you all at once.

“I be defending you like a dumbass, making excuses for you,” you sniffed, voice quieter now, “telling myself you’re busy, that you got shit to handle—but you always got time for them fucking drops, don’t you?”

Eren inhaled sharply, fingers curling into his hoodie.

You exhaled shakily, voice barely above a whisper. “I just—I don’t know if you’re ever gonna choose me, Eren. Not just when it’s convenient, not just when you’re in the mood—but really choose me.”

Silence.

Thick. Heavy.

“Fuck.”

Eren’s voice was strained, barely audible. His head dropped for a second, fingers gripping the back of his neck like he was trying to hold himself together.

He turned to you. Hand cupping your cheek, fingers sliding beneath your jaw, forcing you to look at him.

“Nah, baby, don’t say that,” he murmured, voice raw. “You are my choice. You been my choice.”

Your breath hitched.

“I was just too fuckin’ stupid to say it,” he admitted, shaking his head, green eyes dark and serious. “Too fuckin’ comfortable thinking you already knew.”

Your lashes fluttered, heart squeezing as his thumb brushed away the mascara streaks on your cheeks.

“Y/N, you’re my world,” he murmured. “All this shit? This hustle? It don’t mean shit without you. I was out here moving like I had all the time in the world to show you, when really?” His breath came out heavy. “I shoulda been making it clearevery fucking day.”

Your lips parted slightly, but no words came out.

“I shoulda told you from jump,” Eren continued, leaning in until his forehead was nearly against yours, his hand warm against your face. “You are my girl. You been my girl. No more guessing, no more waiting, no more thinking I’ma let you go ‘cause that shit’s never happening.”

Tears welled in your eyes again, but this time, for a different reason.

“Baby,” he breathed, fingers sliding down to your chin. “I got you. I see you. And I love you.”

Your breath caught in your throat.

Eren pulled back just enough to search your face, his own filled with an aching kind of sincerity. “Say something, ma. Please.”

Your lip quivered. "You love me?"

He let out a low chuckle, the sound soft, almost disbelieving. “Yeah, baby. More than you fucking know.”

Your heartbeat pounded in your ears.

And that’s when you lost it.

You didn’t think. Didn’t hesitate. Didn’t let another second pass where you weren’t on him.

You surged forward, crashing your lips against his, hands threading into his soft brown hair, tugging hard.

Eren groaned into your mouth, his hand immediately gripping your waist, his other palm cupping the back of your head as he yanked you even closer.

The kiss was everything.

Soft, but desperate. Sweet, but needy.

His teeth nipped at your bottom lip, making you gasp, and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue past your lips, deepening the kiss as his fingers flexed against your skin.

You shifted, moving up onto your knees in the passenger seat, pressing your body against his, feeling his warmth, his presence everywhere all at once.

Eren groaned, his hands sliding down to your thighs, gripping them tight before slipping beneath your dress, fingers pressing into your soft skin.

You whined against his lips, pressing yourself harder against him, needing more.

“Fuck, baby,” he murmured between kisses, his voice rough, almost strained. “You tryna kill me?”

“Love you too Ren,” you breathed, dragging your lips along his jaw, your kisses turning messy, wet, needy.

Eren’s grip tightened on your thighs, his breath heavy as he let you have your way with him. Let you take what you needed from him.

Because God, he owed you that much.

His tongue parts your lips, exploring the warm cavern of your mouth with a passionate intensity. His hands roam freely over your body now, one tracing delicate patterns on the inside of your thighs.

Every touch is filled with desire and love, Eren had always made you feel special when you guys had sex but this time was different.

“Fuck, baby, wanna do this in your bed—show you how much I love you,” Eren murmurs, his voice low and rough, his lips brushing against your ear.

Your lips trail down his jaw, nipping at the sensitive skin of his throat, leaving faint marks as you shake your head. “Can’t wait, Renny,” you whisper, your voice breathy and filled with need. Your nails scrape against his belt buckle, the sound of metal clinking in the quiet car. “You can show me again later. Need you now. Please, Daddy.”

Eren groans, the sound deep and guttural, vibrating through his chest as his hands move to adjust the seat. With a quick press of the button, the seat reclines, and you giggle softly as he maneuvers you both as you help take off his trousers.

"Anything for you, baby. Take what you need," Eren breathes, his eyes dark with desire as they roam over your form. Your dress rides up your thighs as you roll your hips against him, the deep brown of your skin contrasting beautifully against his pale chest as you bunch up his shirt. Your hands press firmly against his muscles, feeling them flex beneath your touch as you begin to rock against him.

Tiny whimpers left out lips as your clothed clit rocked against him. His hands find the blunt from the cup holder, lighting it up. The smoke curls lazily in the air as he watches you move, mesmerised by the way your body rolls against his, the way your lips part with each breath.

"Fuck, you're perfect," he murmurs, his free hand sliding up your thigh, disappearing beneath the hem of your dress. His fingers find the delicate lace of your thong, pulling it aside as he taps your thigh gently. You lift yourself up, the fabric of your dress bunched up around your waist as you guide yourself down onto him.

A deep moan escapes your lips as you take him in, your walls stretching to accommodate him. His hands grip your hips, steadying you as you adjust to the feeling of fullness.

"That's it, ma," he groans, watching as you begin to move, setting a rhythm that has both of you gasping.

The feeling of your walls clenching around him has Eren shuddering, his head falling back against the seat as he groans deeply. His hands grip your hips tightly, his fingers digging into your soft skin as he tries to steady himself. The sight of you above him—your dress bunched around your waist, your dark skin glowing in the dim light, your lips parted as you adjust to him—has him on the edge already.

You lean forward, your hands pressing against his chest for balance, feeling the rapid thrum of his heartbeat beneath your palms. Slowly, you begin to move, rolling your hips in a deliberate rhythm that has both of you gasping. Eren’s hands slide up your thighs, his touch firm yet reverent, as if he’s trying to memorize every inch of you.

“Fuck, baby,” he rasps, his voice thick with need. “You feel so good.”

You bite your lip, swiveling your hips to take him deeper, the stretch of him making you shiver. His emerald eyes flutter shut for a moment, his jaw clenching as he tries to hold himself back, but the way you move—so confident, so in control—has him unraveling beneath you.

“That’s it,” he groans, his voice low and guttural, as you pick up the pace.

The sound of your bodies moving together fills the car, the leather seat creaking beneath him, the windows fogging even more. His hands slide back to your hips, guiding you as you ride him, his grip firm but not controlling, letting you set the pace.

"So good, fuck," You gasp, each roll of your hips sending sparks of pleasure through your body. Your thighs tremble as you ride him, the sound of your ass slapping against his thighs fills the car along with your moans. Eren's hands grip your waist tighter, guiding your movements as you take him deeper.

"Shit, baby," He groans, his voice rough with need as he watches you move above him. The sight of you—lost in pleasure, taking what you need—has him close to the edge. His thumb finds your clit, circling it with just the right pressure.

"Right there, Renny, please!" Your walls clench around him as the pressure builds, your movements becoming more erratic. He took one more drag of his blunt before his other hand slid up your back, pulling you down to shotgun.

He groans as you take what he gives you, moaning softly as you let out the excess smoke before his hand wraps around your throat, bringing your lips down to his.

You squealed into the kiss as his arm wrapped around your waist, his feet planted firmly as he drove up into you with vigour.

"Don't want you to ever question us again. You are mine, gonna get your name on my chest."

"E-eren please."

"Everything I do is for you, will prove it to you for the rest of your life. Never wanna make you cry again unless-- fuck-- unless it's like this." You nodded aimlessly to everything he was saying, your teeth buried into his neck as you approached your orgasm.

"Eren, I'm gonna cum."

You felt his hand tighten around your neck, a silent scream drew past your lips as you felt yourself cum around him.

"There you go mama, fuck-- doing so well for me." He hisses as he still drives up into you. His hands now on your ass as he continues to guide you on his dick.

"Eren." You whine as your hands try to push off his chest. He quickly hand your wrists behind your back, kissing the side of your neck as he chased his own orgasm.

"Just a little more baby, please," he pleads, slowing his thrusts as he knows how sensitive you are after cumming but it still doesn't stop him. He groans from the feel of your pussy constricting, practically begging to swallow him deeper.

The lewd sounds of your pussy fill the car, the tip of his dick kissing that spot before he’s shoving it back in.

"'So fucking good," you moan, your voice a hazy drunken mess as you feel another orgasm approaching.

With a final thrust, you both reach your peak together. Your walls clench around him as pleasure courses through your body, your thighs trembling as you mould into his body. Eren holds you close, pressing soft kisses to your temple as you both come down from your high, your breathing slowly returning to normal.

"You mean it?"

Eren chuckles, his fingers running along the bare of your back. It takes everything in you to lift up your head to meet his eyes but boy are you glad you did.

"Every fucking word. I'm so fucking sorry, you are 100% mine, I love you, everything I do and will do is for you baby. I will never stop telling you." You smile, leaning in to kiss him, hands pressed tightly underneath his shirt.

"You really gonna get my name tatted?"

"Yup, and get you a big 'ol chain with my name written in gold."

𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘮𝘦, 𝘳𝘦𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘴, 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘢𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘴 ©

[luvjunie]

— headcanons. miles morales (earth42)

EARTH42!MILES who buys you whatever you want, whenever you want. you don’t even have to say anything, as soon as he notices your focus has gravitated towards a display in a mall’s window, he’s stopped in front of it and digging out his wallet.

“you want that?” “no, baby, it’s fine. it’s probably really expensive anyway.” “i don’t remember asking the price. do you want that, yes or no?”

EARTH42!MILES who shows up to your house to take you on you guys’ first date, two bouquets of roses cradled in the fold of his arm instead of one. he was raised by mama rio, after all, so he knows better than to show up to a girl’s house with only his words to impress her mother.

“wow, these are beautiful, miles… thank you. who’s the other one for?” “for your moms, to say thanks for letting me take you out.”

EARTH42!MILES who is so deeply regressed into the act of suppressing his love and affection for others, in fear that he’ll get too attached, only to lose you just like he did his dad. he doesn’t know if he can survive something like that happening again, so it takes a while for him to actually open himself up to you.

“i’m not going anywhere, miles. you can let me in, it’s okay.” “you promise?” “i promise, my love.”

EARTH42!MILES who gets so flustered when you kiss him or compliment him or hold his hand, though it doesn’t come off that way due to how good he is at hiding his true feelings. his stoic expression makes you think he just doesn’t like it, so you back off some. your fears are assuaged when you come over one day and skip your usual greeting of smothering him in kisses or confessions on how much you’ve missed him, and instead settle for giving him a brief, simple hug.

“¿qué pasa, mamí, what i do? ion get no love today?”

EARTH42!MILES who wasn’t the best at texting at first—often leaving you wondering where he was for most of the day or if he was even alive—but has since stepped his game up.

9:30 AM

[mi novio]: goodmorning mi vida, how you sleep?

11:30 am

[mi novio]: you eat anything yet?

2:34 PM

[mi novio]: i miss you

6:20 PM

[mi novio]: ima be busy at around 7, jus lyk so you don’t worry bout where i’m at. i’ll text you when i’m free, okay chiquita?

EARTH42!MILES who asks for a picture of you every time you get your hair done, because he’s too impatient to wait until the two of you hangout again.

[mi novio]: lemme see your hair and make sure your face in it too, i wanna see how pretty my baby look

[you]: attachment: 1 image [you]: you like it?

[mi novio]: lord have mercy it just keeps gettin’ better. [mi novio]: goddamn you look good [mi novio]: nah i gotta see this shit in person im omw

EARTH42!MILES who literally gets offended when he sees you wearing something he didn’t buy.

“where’d you get these from? i don’t remember buying them for you.” “yeah… i got them from the mall last week when i got paid.” “oh, what, so you sayin you don’t need me no more? it’s like that now, mamí?”

EARTH42!MILES who knows he can always run to you when things get rough; when it all becomes too much for him to handle on his own and he can feel his resolve withering. he knows that all he has to do is push open the window you leave cracked for him, climb through it and slip into bed next to you with his head nuzzled into your chest. you’re the only thing that helps him off the ledge nowadays.

“you wanna talk about it, papa?” ��nah, not really. can- can you just hold me?” “i can do that.”

- please do not copy, plagiarize, or repost my works to other sites!

likes, comments, and reblogs are very appreciated 💗

[kymerawrites]

"You're such a bloody drama queen," Simon grumbled under his breath, smoking a cigarette as he watched her pace back and forth. He didn't move an inch from his spot on the couch, arms crossed over his chest. It was always like this with her; they argue, they make up, they argue again. It was a vicious cycle they couldn't seem to break free from. He took a drag of his cigarette before blowing out a stream of smoke, eyes still locked on her

"Can't you just sit still for a bloody second?" Simon snapped, his irritation getting the better of him. "You're giving me a damn headache with all that walking around." He tapped his fingers impatiently on the armrest, his gaze following her every movement. He couldn't help but feel frustrated by her constant need for motion, like a caged animal.

"I could if you'd stop being such a controlling arsehole," she shot back, stopping in her tracks to glare at him. "Sorry if my pacing bothers you, but I have the right to move around in my own home." She crossed her arms, her defiant stance mirroring his.

"Your home?" Simon echoed, a mocking edge to his voice. He snorted, extinguishing his cigarette in the ash tray. "Last I checked, we share this apartment. And believe me, I didn't ask for a fidgety partner who can't sit still for two seconds."

“God for fuck sakes Simon, you make me pace this way. Can’t you see that?!” I said irritated

He rolled his eyes, clearly unperturbed by her retort. "Oh, and it's all my fault that you're pacing around like a maniac?" He leaned back on the couch, his gaze sharpening. "Maybe, just maybe, you should try taking some responsibility for your own actions instead of blaming everything on me. Ever thought of that?"

I huffed in annoyance, not backing down from his gaze. "And maybe you should stop making me so bloody irritated that I can't stand still! You're always bossing me around, like I'm some sort of property and not a person with my own thoughts and feelings."

He stood up abruptly, his tall frame towering over her. "You know damn well that's not true," he growled, his voice low and dangerous. "I don't treat you like a bloody object. I care about you, even if you can't see it. And if I come off as controlling sometimes, it's because I want to bloody protect you."

“Oh no, it’s you and your fucking lieutenant, commander whatever the fuck you are act in my space.” I scoffed

His eyes narrowed at her sarcastic remark. "Watch your bloody tongue," he warned, his tone more menacing than before. "You know damn well what I do for a living, and I don't appreciate your tone. But while we're on the subject, you could learn a thing or two about respecting your partner. Maybe if you weren't such a bloody pain in the arse all the time, I wouldn't have to step in and take charge."

That comment hit me, just a little to make me shift from mad to confused “so, if I’m such a pain to you, such a..liability why not leave me?”

He gritted his teeth, his frustration mounting. "Because goddamn it, I care about you," he snapped. "Despite all your attitude and stubbornness, I can't just walk away. Believe me, I've bloody tried. But deep down, I know I can't let you go. Even if you drive me mad with all your whining and dramatics."

I turned around not to face him “you can also just say you love me.”

He sighed, raking a hand through his hair. "Bloody hell," he muttered under his breath. He walked closer to her, his movements slow and deliberate. "I do love you, alright? But love doesn't make this any easier. It complicates everything. Because even though I love you, you still piss me off like no one else can, and it drives me bloody insane."

He grabbed my waist and hugged me from behind I just smirked “and yet I think you love all the sass and drama I give you don’t you?”

He let out a scoff, his fingers digging into her waist. "Bloody hell, you know me too well," he muttered. "Yes, there's something infuriatingly addicting about your damn attitude and all the drama you bring into my life." He buried his face in her neck, inhaling her scent.

He chuckled softly against her skin, his breath warm and tickling. "Bloody hell, you drive me wild with it. Part of me wants to strangle you, and the other part..." He trailed off, his hand roaming higher up her body, tracing her curves.

“Finish that sentence si..” I whispered

He nipped at her earlobe, his voice low and gravelly. "And the other part wants to do things that I can't even say in public." He spun her around to face him, his gaze dark and intense. "You have no idea the effect you have on me, how you make me feel. It's maddening, it's intoxicating and it's all your damn fault."

He pushed her against the wall, his body pressing against hers. His hands gripped her wrists, pinning them above her head. "You know what else is maddening?" he growled, his face mere inches away from hers. "How bloody irresistible you are when you're all defiant and stubborn like this. It's like you're begging for me to put you in your place."

He dipped his head, his lips brushing against her neck, leaving a trail of warm, open-mouthed kisses. "And the worse part is, you know damn well you have me wrapped around your little finger. Even when you're infuriating me, I can't get you out of my head." He nipped at her skin, his teeth grazing her sensitive spots.

He dipped his head, his lips brushing against her neck, leaving a trail of warm, open-mouthed kisses. "And the worse part is, you know damn well you have me wrapped around your little finger. Even when you're infuriating me, I can't get you out of my head." He nipped at her skin, his teeth grazing her sensitive spots.

He shifted his body, pressing his thigh between her legs. "You push my buttons on purpose, just so you can get a reaction out of me. And bloody hell, you always get the reaction you want." He pinned her even tighter against the wall, trapping her in his embrace.

His lips found hers in a hard, possessive kiss. He dominated the kiss, his tongue delving into her mouth, claiming her in a way that was both rough and passionate. He pushed his body flush against hers, his hands roaming down to grip her thighs, lifting her up against the wall.

“You’re too good for me si..” I laughed as he lifted my legs on the wall forcing me to embrace them around his waist

He grunted with the effort, his muscles straining as he pressed her against the wall. "Bloody hell, you're a menace," he growled, his lips finding her neck again, sucking and nibbling on her sensitive skin. "Bloody menace with your damn legs wrapped around me like this. Drives me wild to have you like this, all vulnerable and pliable in my arms."

He ground his hips into hers, his arousal evident against her core. "And you're damn wrong about that. I'm not too good for you. I'm just bloody addicted to the way you make me feel, like you're a poison I can't get enough of."

I rolled my eyes “just kiss me already lovebird.” I smiled

He chuckled at her cheeky remark, his eyes dark and intense. "Bloody smartass," he murmured, before capturing her lips in another fierce kiss. He devoured her, his tongue delving into her mouth and dominating the kiss. The kiss was rough and passionate, full of pent-up desire and frustration.

And ofcourse they kissed and made up just for the cycle to continue

[thoughtfulfiction]

Stolen Glances

Author’s note: reposting my old work on this side blog! Let me know if you’d like to read a specific one. Thank you for reading!

Warning: alcohol and drinking mentioned

Five days. That wasn’t even a full week. It should be relatively simple. You and your friends were going to spend a few days at the Fern Ridge Reservoir in a luxury home that Justin had rented out for the group. Everyone had their own rooms, the house was massive and you’d get to relax off the grid and recharge your batteries. There was relatively nothing to complain about.

“So…are you going to tell Justin you’re into him yet or just keep torturing yourself?” Your friend Bree asks, snapping you out of your daydream, carrying her bags to the car. The two of you had flown into Oregon from LA and were driving to the lake with Charlie and Tate, two of Justin’s friends that had really become like family to you in the last few years.

“She’s more likely to admit her feelings when she’s dead.” Tate scoffs while grabbing your backpack and shoving it in the trunk. “I want to have faith in you kid but, I just don’t know if you’ve got it in you right now.”

Charlie walks out of his house and hands you your water bottle, “you can tell him when you’re ready. Don’t listen to them, they're just impatient. Like five year olds who keep asking their mom to buy them McDonald’s on the way home.”

You simply nodded, staring daggers at your friends after Charlie came in and defended you. He hopped in the driver’s seat while Bree and Tate sat in the back. Looking out the window, you let your mind roam, both excited and nervous for what this little trip had in store.

It really wasn’t your fault, falling for him was like waking up on the couch with the tv on and not even remembering that you fell asleep. One day he was a good friend, a friend who you met years ago when he was a rookie living in a frat house in Costa Mesa. Then, somewhere along the way you fell for his unwavering kindness and his sense of humor. Or maybe it was the way the corner of his mouth tilts up sometimes in a side grin. Or his ability to always look like he just rolled out of bed but somehow still looked extremely put together. Everything about Justin, especially the little things, made you want him more. You just couldn’t bring yourself to tell him that. Admitting your feelings would just complicate things. And what if he didn’t even feel the same way? The thought of listening to him let you down easy while trying to spare you the embarrassment really just made you want to crawl into a hole on the side of the road and never come out.

So yes, long story short, these so-called “feelings?” You had no choice but to take them to the grave.

“Can we just have a nice relaxing weekend and enjoy ourselves? We can leave the drama and whatever else for when we get back to California, please.”

They simply nodded and you caught Tate and Bree sharing a look but you didn’t want to even think about what that could mean for you, instead deciding to focus on the scenery for another 20 minutes before the house came into view. Charlie started honking as soon as he pulled into the driveway and Gabe came running out, pulling you in for a hug.

“Hey neighbor.” He mutters out, giving you a squeeze.

“We haven’t lived next to each other in four years, Gabe.”

“Best year of my life honestly. I don’t think I’ve had more junk food…ever.”

Bree comes up behind the two of you and gets a hug of her own. “That’s because you and Nabers here kept suggesting pizza and ice cream nights. When y/n told me some NFL guys moved in next door I thought we’d be seeing more vegetables and less Oreos but it really was the best time.”

The guys unloaded all the bags from the car while you and Bree caught up with Gabe’s girlfriend Jordan. She informed you that Justin had gone out to get groceries with one of her good friends that she brought with her.

“Katie just thinks Justin is the sweetest thing ever so I figured why not introduce them. I’m tired of watching her drool over his old Instagram pictures. Hoping to play Cupid this weekend.” She jokes and you force out a small laugh, feeling your stomach turn at what this girl could possibly look like.

An hour later Bree rushes into your room and closes the door behind her after everyone has finally met and introduced themselves. “I know you said no drama but—”

“Nope, I don’t wanna hear it,” you interrupt her while you unpack your bag. “We are in a freaking mansion, on the water. Let’s focus on that!”

“Or…” she sits on the bed, completely interrupting your flow. “We could just acknowledge the fact that she took the room right next to Justin’s after knowing him for approximately two seconds. And she looks like the second coming of Candice Swanepoel. I mean, it’s kind of unfair,” she huffs.

You shake your head with a laugh. “She’s gorgeous, it’s pretty unreal. And definitely unfair. But we are going to focus on other things like having fun, enjoying the weather and spending quality time with our friends. Maybe have a couple strawberry margaritas with sugar on the rim. And we will be nice to Katie, even if she does look like an OG Victoria secret model before SavagexFenty kicked them to the curb. We will be welcoming and nice.”

She looks up at the ceiling like she can’t hear you and then back at you to face your pointed look, warning her to be on her best behavior. “Fine. I will be nice to Candice Jr.”

“Thank you.” You roll your eyes and pat her on the back.

Justin suggested riding jet skis which sounded amazing until Katie said she’d just finished touching up her makeup. Bree was about to make a snide comment but you elbowed her in the side before she could get the words out. Gabe and Jordan were taking a nap and Charlie was on the phone with one of the parents of the high school team he was coaching so you, Bree, Tate and Justin headed out after changing into your swimsuits.

Everyone found a life jacket that fit them just right and you hopped onto the back of Justin’s jet ski.

“Please promise me you won’t drive this thing like a grandma. I’m here for a good time, not a long time.” You joke, grabbing onto his waist. His laugh vibrates against you and you bite back a smile. He takes off and the two of you bounce against the water leaving you holding on for dear life. After a few minutes, you get used to it and it honestly feels freeing, just you and him out on the open water, taking a tour of the homes that are a little ways away until he stops at a man made cave, far away from any prying eyes.

“What are you doing?” You ask, feeling your heartbeat in your ears. Even in the shade, the reflection of the water hitting his eyes made you feel insane. And you couldn’t stop looking at him if you tried, not that you were trying very hard in the first place.

“Have you ever driven a jet ski before?” You shake your head no and he motions for you to switch spots with him. He leans over you to show you where the on switch is and how to work the speed and the brake, curving his hands over yours on the handles.

The smile that is threatening to take over your face is too much, so you settle for a joke. “You, Justin Herbert, giving up…control? This is a moment in history.”

“Just drive,” his cheeks heat up, turning a light shade of pink, “and try to get us back to the house in one piece, please.” You may or may not have driven as fast as you could with a few extra turns just to feel his body against yours for a little bit longer.

Although the afternoon was a victory, the evening brought you right back to reality. Katie had practically been glued to his side ever since you came back to the house. She sat next to him at dinner and practically jumped into the loveseat after he sat down for movie night. You resisted the urge to roll your eyes and walked into the kitchen to grab some kettle corn, taking your time in the kitchen before eventually making your way back to your seat. Luckily it was a movie you’d seen a dozen times so you weren’t missing anything. If anything, the movie in front of you was nothing compared to the horror film to your right, so Charlie cracked a joke to get you out of your head. Justin was so focused on watching his friend make you laugh that he didn’t even realize that Katie had fallen asleep on his shoulder, holding onto his arm like it was her personal body pillow. You caught a glimpse of the domestic scene that looked straight out of a romcom and it almost made you want to call it a night right then and there. But you sat through it and watched some random girl cozy up to the man you’d had serious feelings for…for the last year.

The next morning, you woke up later than usual. Truth was, you hadn’t gotten much sleep since you were thinking about Justin and Katie all night and you needed something else to focus on. You walked into the bathroom you were sharing with Bree to brush your teeth and get ready for the day.

When you swung the door open you froze, staring for a brief moment before covering your eyes. “Um—I’m so sorry I had no idea you were in here! Why, why are you in here? Doesn’t the master bedroom have a bathroom attached?”

Justin quickly covered up, grabbing his towel and wrapping it around his waist. “Bree liked the mirror in my bathroom so I let her use it. I thought the door was locked, how did you get in?”

“The lock is broken, Bree didn’t tell you that?”

He lets out a nervous laugh, “she may have neglected to mention that.” You were going to kill her.

“I’m gonna—I’m gonna go. So sorry again for the—you know what? I’m just gonna leave and we can act like this didn’t happen.” You close the door before he can utter a word and you head back to your room, silently praying that no one finds out about this.

He couldn’t take it anymore. You were avoiding him like the plague the entire day. Since the morning you’d hardly looked at him, even when he pulled you aside to assure you that your little encounter this morning, although awkward, was totally fine. He even sat through watching you and Charlie go tubing together and share a pizza at lunch, but his final straw was when he saw you taking a nap together in Charlie’s bed with the tv playing. The two of you had always been close but the quarterback couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that something more was going on and he didn’t like it. This trip was supposed to be about him getting to spend some quality time with you before training camp and Charlie knew that. Nothing was going according to plan and Justin knew he had to do something about it.

He rushed to get ready for dinner and let out a sigh of relief when he found you in the kitchen. “I know it’s none of my business but, is there something going on with you and Charlie?”

You took a big breath, not exactly ready to have this conversation and yet here you were. “No,” you state blankly, “there’s nothing going on between Charlie and I.”

“Then what’s going on? You’ve barely said two words to me all day so there has to be a problem.” Justin knew he had no right to be jealous, especially of one of his best friends but something was just nagging at him to keep asking questions. It was like word vomit and he couldn’t stop.

“Why are we even talking about this right now? It’s really not a big deal Justin, seriously, just let it go please.”

He clearly wasn’t having your attempts to dodge him. “No! I'm not going to let it go until you tell me. I mean, if this is about this morning I thought we handled that.” You don’t miss the subtle clench in his jaw. His patience is quickly running out and you really don’t get why this has him so worked up. Possibly because you’re so focused on your own rollercoaster of emotions.

“It’s not about this morning!” You blurt out. He was backing you into a corner, literally.

His pleading eyes were begging you to talk to him. “Then what is it about?”

“You! It’s about you. How I feel about you is a problem. It is THE problem, okay?” You shake your head, mentally shutting down at the look on his face. There it was, that horrible look you wished you’d never see…pity. Honestly? It looked worse in real life than it ever had in your nightmares and the sigh he gave you afterwards was just the icing on the humiliation cake.

“Y/n, I—”

“Are you guys ready to head out for dinner?” Gabe pops his head in, catching an immediate whiff of the uncomfortable air in the room. “Uh sorry. Was I interrupting something?”

“No.” You fold your arms across your chest, creating a physical and emotional barrier between the two of you.

“Yes,” Justin says at the same time, furrowing his eyebrows and giving you a sideways glance, his gaze softening at your watery eyes.

“You didn’t interrupt anything,” you huff out with a sniff, after a quick swipe under your eye you step around the man who was whispering for you to wait. You ignored him and kept moving your way out of the house, sliding into the car without turning back. Charlie took one look at you and asked if everything was okay but you really weren’t sure how to answer. How you were really feeling would surely bring you to tears and you really didn’t feel like crying in a car full of people.

That evening, your phone lit up as you sat motionless in your bed, contemplating going home the next morning. Of course it was a text from Justin.

I know you’re awake, I can’t sleep either. Can we please talk?

You texted him back a simple “fine” and there were two tiny knocks on your door less than a minute later. He was probably standing outside your room door when he texted.

“We didn’t get to finish our conversation earlier.” His voice is even deeper due to the exhaustion. You didn’t even think that was possible.

“I said everything I needed to,” you say with a casual shrug.

“Well good because I need you to listen,” Justin closes the door behind him and takes in a breath. “You’re one of my best friends…”

“Oh god please. You don’t have to let me down gently. I’m a big girl I can—”

“I’m not done. And I’m not—I’m not letting you down gently. I’m not letting you down at all. You have been one of the most consistently good things in my life and somewhere along the way you became a lot more than consistency. You’ve become somewhat of a necessity, an essential part of my life that I don’t think I can or want to live without.” He sighs, running a hand over his face with a sigh and you just stand there, limbs shaking in anticipation, waiting for him to get to his main point.

Justin closes his eyes, visibly collecting himself and his thoughts. “What I’m trying to say is that you aren’t the only one with feelings here. And that your feelings? They aren’t a problem.”

“You—you mean that you share the…you like me too?” You laugh a little, in complete disbelief.

He steps toward you, nodding with a smile of his own. “I really like you.”

“Wait…but what about Cand—Katie? She’s gorgeous, fun and is super into you. Plus she looks borderline perfect in the morning from what I gathered. I’m pretty sure I drool in my sleep sometimes and I have eye boogers.”

That really sends him over the edge and he covers his mouth to stifle a laugh. “It’s a good thing I love eye boogers, they’re my favorite.”

You smack his chest at the playful joke and his energy pulls you in, pressing your bodies together like magnets. And right there you feel like a kid again, standing next to your crush with your heart racing. He leans down and his lips brush against yours and he asks if this is okay, causing you to nod because obviously you want this with him, and more. Your lips fit together seamlessly and he tilts your head up by lightly cupping your face, running his thumb across the length of your jaw while deepening the kiss. Your entire body is covered in goosebumps even though the kiss is so soft and gentle. He pulls away slightly, pecking your lips after he takes a second as to not rush into things too quickly, waiting too long to ruin the moment. Pure bliss coats all of his senses as he begins peppering your face with more feathery kisses, silently willing himself to always remember the softness of your skin and how amazing it feels to finally be this close.

“You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to do that,” the grin he’s sporting is taking over his entire being and before you can respond he’s kissing you again. You happily oblige, smiling against his lips with a satisfied hum.

The next morning you were pretty sure you were still smiling. You woke up feeling super comfortable, turning around to catch a glimpse of him, thinking about pinching yourself to make sure this was real. He looks so peaceful, his clothed chest moving up and down rhythmically, a slight pout on his face. You can’t help but run your fingers through his hair, smiling to yourself once again when he begins to stir in his sleep. With his eyes still closed, he pulls you into his arms, lazily kissing you like he’s been doing this for years.

“Good morning,” he whispers, his eyes finally open, looking alert and bright.

“Good morning, I cannot believe you practically tackled me first thing in the morning. I probably have morning breath.”

“You don’t and even if you did, I wouldn’t care. And you don’t have eye boogers or drool on your face, you look really good first thing in the morning. The most incredible sight to wake up to.” You want to kiss him again but you decide it’s best to hold off, leaning over to check the time on his phone. “It’s 5am, you should probably head back to your room before everyone wakes up and this turns into a CIA interrogation.”

He chuckles, kissing your forehead before he gets up to stretch out his limbs. “We have all the time in the world to figure this out when we get back to LA, keeping this between us is probably our best bet for now. I do not want to hear all of Tate’s questions. And Gabe would be even worse, he’s been telling me to do this for years.”

You tilt your head towards him and whisper yell, “you’ve thought about this for years and didn’t say anything?”

“Yeah, you’re not the only one who was helplessly pining over someone and refused to say anything about their feelings out of fear of rejection. I was scared too. And now I’m not. Now, I’m going to head back to my bed and count down the minutes until I get to kiss you again.”

You shake your head, laying back down ready for your second round of sleep. “You’re a dork.”

“I am. And that is your favorite thing about me. Get some sleep, I’ll see you in a few hours.”

Waking up again around 8:30, you realize that skipping out on dinner last night has come back to haunt you. Gingerly walking down the stairs as to not wake anyone up, you tip toe into the kitchen quietly, only to find Katie already up and pouring a glass of orange juice.

“Good morning,” she sings, looking bright and cheery. Maybe in another life she was Giselle from Enchanted because she could definitely be some sort of Disney princess. “I’m so glad you’re awake because I need some advice. Do you think Justin would want pancakes or waffles? I wanna surprise him with this breakfast tray and I just want everything to look right you know? So what do you think?”

I think his tongue was practically down my throat last night and he’d probably want to have me for breakfast but I can’t say any of that. “Um let’s see. Definitely pancakes and skip out on the orange juice cause he’ll probably want some coffee.” As painful as it is to help her, you know this small sacrifice will pay off. You’ve basically already got the guy, there’s no use in rubbing it in the poor girl’s face when you won’t be seeing her anymore two days from now.

Katie nods excitedly, prepping her pancake batter and thanking you several times. You settle for a bagel with cream cheese and head back upstairs to get ready for the day. The afternoon isn’t very eventful, you realize that the guys had already left for a fishing expedition earlier in the morning so Katie’s breakfast was cold by the time Justin got back. He looked at you hesitantly, waiting for you to nod your head before he thanked her and tossed the food in the microwave. Jordan suggested the group go out to a bar/club that night since you and Bree had been mentioning these famous strawberry margaritas since the day you arrived.

The music was loud as soon as you walked in. Gabe ordered the first round of drinks and you snuck out of the booth to reapply some mascara while the other girls browsed the marg menu. A knock on the door startles you into dropping your makeup in the sink.

“Occupied!” You yell out.

“It’s me.” Smiling to yourself at the familiar voice, you lock the door behind you when Justin walks in.

“Hi.”

Your face is in his hands with the mascara long forgotten as he softly says “c’mere,” leaning down to capture your lips with your back still against the door. He tastes like the shot of Don Julio you all just took and a little bit of mint. Your hand is in his hair again, pulling it ever so slightly so you are still as close to him as humanly possible without standing on your toes. Justin knows you both have to be back soon before anyone notices but the thought of your body not being practically glued to his makes him really want to go home. The kiss today is sloppier than last night, there’s more urgency, more fire. Neither of you thought it could get better but your hands are all over each other, your arms struggling to wrap itself around his bicep and at some point he had a handful of your ass. Not that you were complaining.

The kiss leaves you breathless, letting out a soft laugh as you pat him on the chest. “We should stop. I don’t want to but, we have to unfortunately.”

His lips curl into a small frown, almost a pout and you are seconds away from kissing him again. “I know. You should go first and I’ll be right out. Definitely need to splash some cold water on my face or something, I need a minute.”

Nodding your head in understanding, you step out to give him some space, but not before he grabs your hand and kisses the inside of your wrist.

An hour later you’re two margs and two shots in. Katie has been hanging all over Justin as soon as he got back from the bathroom and it’s taking everything in you to prevent yourself from yelling at her to get her hands off of him. And bless his heart he really is trying to keep his distance, catching your eye with an apologetic look every time she finds her way next to him again but it’s really getting exhausting.

“We should go dance!” Bree exclaims, snapping you out of your jealous rage. You nod immediately, desperate to look at anything other than what is happening at your table.

🎶H-O-T-T-O-G-O

Snap and clap and touch your toes

Raise your hands, now body roll

Dance it out, you're hot to go

H-O-T-T-O-G-O

Snap and clap and touch your toes

Raise your hands, now body roll

H-O-T-T-O-G-O🎶

You found yourself singing your heart out with not only Bree but some guys that also knew every word to the song. Getting lost in the moment and also not being remotely close to being sober you danced, letting him grab your hand and spin you around as Chappell Roan continued to play.

“I’m Matt,” the stranger tells you when the song is finished.

You hold your hand out, “y/n. You’re not a bad duet partner Matt.”

“You’re not so bad yourself,” he laughs, still holding onto you.

An awkward silences washes over the moment when you begin to sober up a bit and pull your hand back. “I need to grab some water, excuse me.”

“Hello! Earth to y/n! That guy was cute and totally into you. What the hell is your problem?” Bree lectures you as you sit at the bar.

He’s cute but he’s not Justin, you think to yourself. “I just needed a drink that was a lot of dancing and it’s hot out there.”

Your excuse is pointless because you feel a presence behind you. “Can I get three waters please?”

Bree looks at Matt, thanking him and grabbing her water bottle to give you some privacy. He settles in the bar stool next to you and slides the water in your direction. “Are you from here? Because I’d remember a face like that walking around.”

The sentiment would usually make you feel good but now you just wished a certain someone was giving you flirty compliments. “I’m only here for a few more days unfortunately. Then it’s back to real life.”

“Well maybe I could convince you to come back? Make this some sort of regular thing? Us seeing each other?”

Back at the table, Justin was staring daggers at the bar area. As soon as Bree sat down without you, Tate asked where you were.

“Attagirl.” The football player heard his friend say and he moved around in his seat to get release the building tension in his shoulders. Katie was next to him saying something but all he could focus on was how close this guy was sitting next to you. Did the chairs really need to be that close?

“Bro, Justin.“ Charlie snaps in his face.

“What?” His tone was a bit more aggressive and irate than he intended but he couldn’t help it.

“If you hold that bottle any tighter you’re gonna shatter the glass man.”

He hadn’t even noticed he was treating the Nectarine Premiere bottle like it was a stress ball. The man slid it away from him on the table, turning his gaze back to the bar. You were laughing at something the guy was saying and the way the guy was looking at you was eating him alive.

Katie placed her hand on his thigh and kept going with her story that she’d been telling. Justin couldn’t take it anymore.

He plucked her hand off of him and got up when he saw you and the guy heading outside. “Excuse me.” The group watched him take several long strides until he was out the door.

Matt looks up with his mouth open as soon as Justin comes into view. “Dude, you’re Justin Herbert! I’m a huge fan man I bought your jersey last year. Wear it every Sunday.”

“It’s uh—it’s nice to meet you…”

“Oh it’s Matt.”

“Matt,” he says slowly trying to get rid of the bitterness in his voice but it doesn’t go unnoticed by you. Matt is too busy being a fanboy to see that anything is wrong. They take a selfie and Justin sends him on his way, the fan now too excited to have remembered he was trying to get your number.

Justin blows out a breath, staring at you until he hears you laugh. “This isn’t funny,” he groans.

“On the contrary, it’s hilarious. I’ve had to deal with it for the last three days. You didn’t even last an hour before running over here and putting a stop to it.”

“I didn’t run,” he counters, “I walked—very quickly. Not my fault I have long legs.”

You take a sip of your water. “Sure. Now how are you going to get yourself out of this? We said we weren’t going to tell them until we talked about what this is.”

“We did say that but I know what this is. I want to be with you. I want to kiss you, hold your hand, dance with you. I want…I want us to be together. That was the whole point of this trip.”

Furrowing your eyebrows, you urge him to explain. “I told Charlie I was ready. Planned this entire getaway to have one last trip before camp but I also didn’t want to leave again without telling you how I feel. What better place to tell someone you love them than at the lake?”

“You love me?”

He grabs your hand, feeling a sudden need for you to anchor him to the ground. “I love everything about you. I’m just sorry it took me this long to tell you the truth.”

“Better late than never. I love you too, a lot.”

He smiles again, a weight lifted off of him that he’d been carrying for quite some time. Justin is so happy that he doesn’t think he’s capable of words right now.

“Come here,” you tell him and he immediately closes any distance between you.

You give him a slow kiss, knowing you have all the time in the world to get to be with him.

Until a knock on the window startles you apart.

“I FREAKING KNEW IT!” Bree yells.

“Finally.” Charlie says shaking his head.

Justin rests his forehead against yours, too far gone to even care about PDA. He’d deal with the consequences later. “Do we have to go back in there and answer all their questions?”

“I think I’m gonna need one more kiss before we go,” you whisper.

Your brand new boyfriend nods in excitement, leaning in immediately. “Yes ma’am.”

[orikixx]

Blueprints & Heartbeats (9/?)

Part: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Featuring: Nanami Kento

Cw: fem reader, wc 2.8k words, not proofread

Summary: academic rivals to lovers! a mixup in the architecture group project forces you to team up with Nanami Kento, the serious and stoic student. But maybe, he isn’t as brooding as you thought?

Author's note: to the anon who motivated me to continue this.. thank you😭 I’ve been working on it for a while so I hope you guys like this💕

It’s almost 4 pm now, and Nanami is mentally beating himself up over whether he went too far, opening himself up like that to you. He’s pacing around his dorm, nervously eyeing his palette, colorful oil paints laid out in neat, deliberate swatches, a few small brushes and a glass of water waiting nearby.

You knock on his door, a little hesitant. It’s not as if you haven’t been here before, but this time, it feels… different. The air surrounding you is buzzing, barely able to contain your excitement as your foot impatiently taps against the pavement. “Wonder what’s taking him so long,” you murmur, raising your hand to knock again, yet this time, it lands on his broad chest.

“Good afternoon, y/n. Sorry for the wait.” The moment you look up at him, there’s a big smile plastered on your face, and you happily step inside. Nanami looks at you, dumbfounded, until he finally closes the door. “You’re such a dork, Kenny”. He sighs at that, trying to be as little awkward as possible when you hug him, your small frame lost in his.

Nanami feels like he’ll never get used to you, even as you sit on the stool he’s set in front of his own, looking like you belong exactly in his dorm room. “You’re staring so much, didn’t even start drawing me yet!” “I’m.. figuring out your proportions.” He mentally curses himself for that, knowing that with the amount of time he’s spent observing you, he remembers every single detail about your face.

Suddenly, you light up. “Do you need me to do any specific poses? I can think of a few.. interesting ones”. Nanami groans loudly, causing you to giggle.

“You’re so uptight again, is something wrong?” Your eyebrows furrowed, a small pout on your lips, as the man in front of you suddenly won’t take his eyes off the canvas.

Nanami feels blush creeping up his neck, and he remembers his conversation with Gojo, thinking about how maybe he should get over himself and ask you out today.

“I’m all good. You just look very captivating today, even more than usual.”

“You can’t just say that!”

Nanami is unsure of what to respond to that, having mustered up all his courage just to tell you that last sentence. He blushes furiously now, picking up his graphite pencil and starting to roughly sketch your features. When his eyes finally dart in your direction, he can tell you’re blushing as well.

You try relaxing your face from your former pout at his sternness, not wanting to make this assignment any harder for him. “So.. do you have any other friends, that I don’t know of?” You hear Nanami sucking in a breath, and try your hardest to keep a natural expression.

“Not really, no. You’re the only one who stayed long enough to make me open up.”

You smile at that, though it’s a rather sad statement. “Would you mind keeping that expression for me?” Nanami’s eyebrows are now furrowed, staring at your face with concentration.

“The smile?”

“Yes, it makes your eyes appear lighter.”

You smile harder at that, and when Nanami finally looks at the canvas, picking up a small brush, you can see a small smile forming on his lips as well.

Nanami feels like his heart might explode out of his chest. The girl he’s been wanting for… well, too long, is currently giving him fuck me eyes without even realizing it. He tries focusing on the drawing instead, soft oil strokes on white canvas, when you speak again.

“You think it’s time for another brainrot lesson?” Immediately, a loud groan follows, making you laugh. “Whatever you want, y/n. Just stay still.” “Whatever you say, Kenny.”

You ponder for a moment, thinking about which brainrot should you teach the poor man this time. “Alright kento, you got two options yeah? When John Pork is calling, do you pick up or not?” “Who is John Pork?” Nanami sounds so serious it scares you, and you hold your laugh in.

“I’ll show you later. Now, since we’ve got plenty of time, what do you know about low taper fade?” “As far as I’m concerned, it’s a haircut, correct?” “You sound terrified, Kento”. Nanami gets up from his stool, now towering over you.

“Such a bratty little thing.” His fingers come up to trace your cheek, almost, before he stops himself. “Stay just like this for a moment,” Nanami says, surprisingly soft. You, of course, obey, looking up at his face, body looming over yours.

Nanami observes your face, trying to etch it into his soul. “Can I..” he murmurs softly, rough fingers brushing against your jaw. You nod, and he gently traces your cheek. You can feel blush spreading all over your neck, surely dusting your cheeks pink.

“Kento?” You look up at him, heart thrumming so loud he must be able to hear it as well. “This is necessary for the process, y/n.” He whispers that, hazel eyes lingering on your lips as his fingers trace your temple.

Your face is on fire now, eyes gleaming as you try catching Nanami’s gaze, yet his eyes are glued to your lips. “You know, you could kiss me if you want to that bad,” you say softly.

In just a moment, his hands are off you, and he’s facing away. “Fuck, too far? I didn’t mean to Kento, I was just-“

“For the love of god y/n, you sit here looking like a fucking angel, and then you say these things..”

Nanami pinches the bridge of his nose, and you sit there, speechless, for the first time.

“You.. what?” Nanami sighs, finally turning back to look at you. “It would be so wrong of me, to kiss you without even asking you out first..” You stand up, feeling his warm body almost touching yours, and you sigh.

“Well then, you better ask me out Kento, we don’t have all day”. Nanami notices, of course, that although you put on a confident front, your fingers nervously twirl the edge of your tank top, and your eyes are somewhat worried, looking up at him.

He tries to stay composed, ears bright red when he takes your hand is his bigger one, bringing it to his chest.

“Would you like to go on a date with me, y/n? I would love to take you to out, if you would allow it.” He braces himself for rejection, even though he knows you feel the same, as your big, gleaming eyes now happily squint at him.

“Fuck yeah, took you long enough, silly boy,” you say happily, arms immediately wrapping around him. You smile so hard your face hurts, burying your face Nanami’s chest, squealing like a little girl until you feel his hands on your shoulders, gently prying you away. You pout at him, crossing your arms and huffing as he chuckles. “Now..” he murmurs, leaning down and finally kissing you.

You stay still for a second, caught by surprise, before your hands immediately tangle in his hair, latching onto his lips like your life depends on it. One of his hands cups your cheek, moving lower to trace your the curve of your jaw before settling at your nape, drawing you deeper into the kiss.

The kiss is slow, deliberate, a taste of something sweet, long desired. Nanami’s lips are firm and surprisingly soft, tasting of coffee and something that’s just uniquely him. You can’t help yourself but bite on his lower lip, making him gasp and let go of the kiss.

You whine at the loss of his warmth, hands moving from his blond locks to grip onto his broad shoulders. Standing on your toes, you whisper in his ear- “You’re so annoying, I barely got to taste you”. Nanami blushes furiously, his hand wandering down to squeeze your hips.

“How am I the annoying one, when you sit here, looking at me with these tantalizing eyes?”

It’s your turn to blush, burying your face in his chest again. “Ugh, you have to stop doing that Kento!” You whine, and he chuckles, kissing the crown of your head.

“Come on, I need to finish your portrait.” With a sigh, you slump back onto the stool, and Nanami sits down at his. He picks up the brush again, continuing the gentle strokes on the canvas before speaking again.

“I’m sorry if I have been.. harsh, with the kiss. It’s a little embarrassing, but I have been craving you for so long, I couldn’t help myself.”

You smile, using all your willpower to not get up and kiss him again. “It’s alright Kento, really, I wanted you for a while as well,” you say, happily watching his cheeks changing shades of red.

“I can’t focus when you tell me things like that y/n. It makes me want to.. never mind.”

“You’re so shy it’s almost funny,” you say with a giggle, making him groan. “Do me a favor, just this once, and talk about anything else, please?”

You can’t say no to his defeated face, so then Nanami quietly cleans his paint brush, listening to you ramble about some show you’ve started watching recently, and how you think he’d like it.

After about an hour of rambling on your side, and hums of agreement on his, the portrait is finished. Nanami carefully places the canvas aside, the oil paint still wet, sticking onto his fingers. It’s almost 6 pm now, and you remember promising Gojo you’d meet up later today. You get up from the stool, quietly walking to stand by Nanami as he washes his hands in the kitchen sink.

The smell of the paint lingers in air of his dorm room, and you sneakily wrap your hands around his waist, hugging him from behind. “Would you mind staying for a little while more?” “Can’t, I promised Satoru I’ll see him today,” you say, smiling when he turns around to look at you. You rest your chin on his chest, looking up at his chiseled face.

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow. Will it be okay if I will pick you up at 7 pm for our date?” “Of course Kenny”. Nanami hums, and you let your body melt against his, his arms wrapping around your lower back as you savor the warmth.

“I can drop you off wherever you two are meeting, if you would like that.” “Awww, Kento you’re so mushy already, love that,” you say and giggle, laughing when he groans and buries his face in your hair. “Seriously though, I wouldn’t mind, thank you” and with that, you plant a small kiss on his cheek.

Still in his embrace, you pull out your phone, calling Gojo. You bicker for a couple minutes, eventually agreeing to meet up at some café downtown. When you hang up, Nanami is already there with his car keys in his hand.

“Are you ready to go? Or do you want to stop by your dorm first?”

“You’re too sweet Kento, and I’m good, we can head there now” you poke his nose before opening his dorm’s door, standing there as you wait for him to exit. “Ladies first,” you snicker with a small smile as he passes you, sighing and shaking his head disapprovingly. After he locks the door, he swiftly opens the passenger seat door for you, humming when you murmur a thank you.

Nanami gets in and starts the car, and once he’s on the highway, he puts his palm on your thigh, thumb brushing the soft skin. “I’m honestly surprised, I thought you’d only be driving in the 10 and 2 position,” you snicker and put your hand on top of his.

“Maybe I’m careful, but I can’t help myself when a beautiful woman is sitting right beside me.” You smile at that, stroking his palm as he stares at the road ahead. After a little while you get to the café, and Nanami pulls over just long enough for you to kiss him and say thanks. “Text me when you need pickup, okay?” “It’s okay, I’ll just walk ba-“ “Just text me.” You sigh, and with another kiss you part ways, as you see Gojo waiting for you at the entrance.

You sigh internally, knowing what’s about to come as you walk towards the white haired man. You approach him, and before even entering the place, he immediately jumps on you with a hug.

“What the fuck was that kiss? Girl you better tell me everything” Gojo almost yells that, and you quickly hush him down, walking inside.

After getting your matcha, and Gojo his overly sweet latte, you two sit down. “Okay so before I start you gotta promise not to yell again, I can’t have everyone here staring,” you say with an eye roll, and he eagerly nods. “Whatever you say, just fucking tell me already!”

You almost laugh at his whiney tone, before telling him about everything that happened with Nanami today. You can tell he’s having a hard time containing his excitement, and when you tell him that Nanami insisted on picking you up as well, he damn near cries.

“There’s no way, he’s definitely obsessed with you y/n” “Stop that, we just kissed!” You bury your face in your hands and whine, cheeks burning as you remember the feeling of Nanami’s lips on yours. “Either way, you clearly like him more than you let on,” Gojo says with a big grin.

“What’s up with that smile? You look creepy as fuck,” you snicker, watching him dramatically feign offense. “Can’t I be happy that my best friend finally got a normal boyfriend?” “He isn’t even my boyfriend yet!” You sigh, sipping on your matcha and leaning back in your chair.

“Oh you want him soooo bad, you’re just clueless to it idiot,” Gojo says, grinning again. You decide to stop fighting with him, and change the topic.

“Did you and Kento, like.. tell something to the professor? When you handled her?” You ask, your voice quieter now. “We did, I thought Nanami told you she won’t come near you again” you sigh, facepalming as you remember that night.

“He did, but we’re supposed to have a class with her tomorrow so I’m wondering how it’s gonna go..” Gojo sighs, grabbing his phone. “I’ll text him, we’ll find a way to handle it before class” he says reassuringly, shooting Nanami a quick text before putting the phone back down.

After another hour of the two of you yapping about absolutely everything, you decide it’s time to go. You send Nanami a text, asking if he’s still okay with picking you up, and he immediately replies that he’s on his way.

Gojo leans over the table, peeking over to read your texts. “Fucking lovebirds, I told you he’s obsessed!” Saying that grants him a smack on the head, making him huff and puff as you two walk outside, and he waits with you until Nanami gets there.

When his car pulls over, you both say goodbye with a quick hug, and you happily walk over to the car, getting in and landing a small kiss on Nanami’s cheek, much to Gojo’s delight, who’s still watching you and how flustered the man beside you gets.

“Thanks for coming Kento, you really didn’t have to,” you say softly, a big smile on your face. You feel like a kid, getting excited to see him when you’ve left his place only a couple hours ago, but you can’t help yourself.

“Of course y/n, it’s my pleasure. I want to make sure you get back safely.” He starts driving, and again puts his hand on your thigh. You don’t say anything this time, you simply play with his fingers for the entire drive. When he stops in front of your dorm, you unbuckle your seatbelt and turn around in your seat, now facing him.

“Have a good night Ken, hope you have sweet dreams”. You lean in, and he cups your cheeks, warm lips enveloping yours, and you whine into the kiss. His tongue prods at the seam of your lips, asking for entrance, one that you grant him, moaning softly as the muscle invades your mouth.

Fingers gripping his hair, you break the kiss, panting, your eyes gleaming. Nanami blushes, his breath eventually slowing down. “You too, pretty girl. I’ll see you before class.” You nod and hug him, and then leave the car, entering the dorm building.

You can hear him driving off, and enter your dorm room. You take a deep breath, and finally allow yourself to happily jump around and squeal happily. You can’t believe this, that Nanami actually did all of this just for you. The way he’s changed, everything he said today, sounding all too poetic coming out of his pretty lips.

You sigh dreamily, getting into your pjs, and comfortably cuddle under the thick blankets of your bed, wishing you had asked him to stay over. You may miss him already, which you find slightly embarrassing, but you know you’ll see him tomorrow morning, and you just can’t wait.

Divider credit: @soulari

Taglist: @yourname-exee @realalpacorn @zayuriluvs @galactacium @queenofthekill @nuhahani @nanamineedstherapy @des-todoroki @linaaeatsfamilies @darkstudentsaladbakery @sttaejoon-blog @sosole

[qrrieterisunnq]

if you don’t write smut ignore this :)

jack and berrys first time and jack shiny so sweet and soft and making berry feel so beautiful

No More Virgin - Jack Hughes

Thank you for requesting my lovely! It's a bit longer so I hope it doesn't mind And I'm sorry for taking so long and sorry for it being shitty.💖🤣MINORS DNI - 18+ content

PART OF STRAWBERRY GIRL AU

strawberry girl masterlist

“I-I’m ready, Jack,” Amara says while she stands in front of her man, nervously fidgeting with her fingers, not daring to look at him. "I uhm, I think I'm ready."

Jack who's sitting on the couch, looks up at her, his eyes wide, but a smirk rests on his lips. He knows what his girl is talking about, but he doesn't expect her to come to him and tell him just like that.

“Why so suddenly?” Jack asks, reaching his hands out for hers to take them.

“I…uhm…I don’t know. Just feel like I’m ready.” She whispers looking at him with doe eyes. Gosh, she’s so fucking beautiful is what runs through his mind.

Jack stands up hovering slightly over her and looking down at her with a smirk. His right hand cups her cheek, tilting her head as he leans down pressing his lips on hers.

He knows he should probably ask her if she’s ready but knowing her and her personality, he doesn’t.

Amara’s arms sneak around his waist, moaning softly in the kiss. Jack chuckles quietly, caressing her cheeks with his thumbs.

“We’re not doing it now,” he whispers in the kiss. “Today, after our game, we won’t go to the club if we win instead we’ll go home and celebrate the win like this.”

“Okay,” she swallows hard, looking into his beautiful eyes. “But you have to shoot at least one goal.” She smirks and giggles when a surprised look washes over his features.

“Well, then I’ll shoot a hattrick.” He mumbles in the kiss with a wide grin. Amara just shakes her head at his cockiness and kisses him again.

Jack is breathing heavily as he and the other Devils make their way into a locker room with wide grins on their lips.

Laughter fills the locker room as the boys start to undress themselves from their gears. Coach walks in and grins at them clapping his hands to get their attention for at least a few minutes.

“You did amazing guys!” he shouts clapping his hands. “Johnny! Defence was amazing keep going like that! The offense wasn’t the best but compared to theirs it was great. And the last thing I want to say before Nico gets the word is,” he trails off looking around the locker room until his eyes land on Jack. “Jack! Congratulations on your first hat trick!” He shouts and the guys cheer and clap their hands with laughter and shouts of Jack’s name.

Nico grins when he stands in front of Jack with their hat trick hat. “You played a hell of a game bro!” Nico sets the hat on Jack’s head with a grin on his lips.

“Thanks, man!” Jack smiles hugging Nico and grinning when the photographer takes a photo of him with the ridiculous big hat.

“Yeah! Now listen to me! We have a few days off which doesn’t mean we won’t have any practice, except for tomorrow. That’s a free day for all of you, enjoy your time with family, celebrate, and do whatever shit you want to do, but the day after tomorrow is two-hour practice at 6 am sharp and then at 8 pm only for an hour.” This is the last thing the coach says before he and the staff leave the locker room leaving all of the guys in there. Jack doesn’t waste any time and he undresses himself and hops in a shower so he doesn’t smell so bad when he comes home to Berry.

With a smile on his lips, he bids goodbye to the guys and gets out of the arena. He waves to the fans on his way out of the garage and drives to his apartment complex. Grin doesn’t leave his lips as he says hi to the lobby man, walks into the elevator, pushes the button of his apartment, and clicks the code on the keyboard, making the elevator move to his apartment.

Amara is impatiently waiting for the door to open and jumping on her place lightly. The door swings open, and Ara throws herself on him peppering his face with kisses while he giggles at the welcome he receives.

“I’m so proud of you Jacky!” she kisses his lips, making him let out a soft moan.

“Thank you,” He whispers and pulls away just to put his bag on the ground and comes back to her pulling her to his chest with hands on her hips. His eyes roam her figure and he lets out a low groan at the sight of her bare legs and his shirt low on her shoulders. “Fuck you look beautiful.”

“Thank you.” She giggles, soothing her hands over his chest. She clasps his hand in hers and makes her way into their bedroom. Jack closes the doors behind them observing her movements.

He can see how nervous she is but she’s trying to be confident, which makes his heart flutter with pride. “Look at me, baby.” He sighs reaching for her hand and turning her around. “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”

“And you are the most handsome man I’ve ever seen.” She blushes lowering her head.

Jack chuckles and leans down to capture her lips with his. His hands go to her hips as he slowly backs her to their bed and slowly lays her down his lips still on hers in a hungry but slow kiss.

He swallows her moans when his hands travel down her torso, brushing the sides of her breasts. Her back is arched slightly at the feeling of his hands on her skin.

“Jack,” she moans throwing her head back with her eyes rolling back. “Fuck.” She cusses and Jack chuckles at her language.

“Am I making my innocent Berry cussing?” he whispers in her ear his lips playing with her ear lobe.

“Yeah.” She says her breaths are heavy and her eyes are fixed on his face. Jack leans down, connecting their lips in a heated kiss, and his hands land under her knees as he urges her to wrap them around his waist.

“You are gorgeous, baby.” A blush appears on Amara’s cheeks from the compliment.

“You too.” She giggles her hands playing with the hem of his shirt.

“You want me to put it off?” he asks, a cocky smirk playing on his lips. Amara bites her lower lip and nods her head. “Then do it.”

Amara looks up at him with wide eyes, but her hands automatically do what he says. Her hands slide under the shirt, caressing his skin before she pulls it over his head, smiling at the view of his bare and toned chest.

“Can I?” he asks, tugging at the shirt she’s wearing. Amara just nods her shy eyes watching his face carefully. Jack sits on his heels and helps her sit up so he can pull the shirt over her head.

Amara always thought she would be extremely nervous about someone seeing her naked, but with Jack, she feels loved and beautiful like she never felt before.

“Fuck, Berry, you are so fucking gorgeous.” He let out a groan at the sight of her full breasts. With his eyes locked on hers, he lowers his head down to capture her left nipple between his lips, gently nibbling at it.

Amara lets out a surprised gasp that is followed by a loud moan when she feels the pleasure running through her.

“You taste so good,” He mumbles into her skin as his lips move to the other nipple, playing with it for a while. After he has his time with her breasts he moves his kisses down her stomach until they reach her panties. “May I?”

Amata looks deeply into his eyes looking for some type of disgust in them but when she finds none she nods with a small smile her hands nervously playing with his hair.

“Are you sure? I can see how nervous you are.” Concern is in his eyes as he watches her from down there.

“I’m positive, plus I know you’re jerking off in the shower so.” She shrugs giggling at Jack’s surprised and little ashamed expression.

With a chuckle Jack pulls down her panties, observing her beautiful pussy. “Fuck you are so beautiful.” He whispers and his middle finger slides through her folds, which makes Amara moan.

“No,” Amara takes his head in her palms shaking her head when Jack leans down to kiss her pussy. “I’m not really ready for this.”

“Okay,” he smiles at her and turns his head to kiss her palm. “But I can use my fingers, right?”

“Yeah.” her voice is not even above a whisper as she speaks. She shivers when Jack's finger slides across her clit and down to her entrance.

“Relax, it won’t hurt.” With that Jack pushes his middle finger in her, holding a groan in his throat. He looks up at his girl, whose head is thrown back and her mouth is open in ‘o’ shape. His wrist starts moving from itself while his eyes keep glutted on her face.

When a loud moan escapes her lips Jack increases the speed and adds another finger earning yet another loud moan from her. “Does it feel good Berry?” he murmurs his voice hoarse as he watches his girl getting to the edge. Jack groans when she squeezes around him, her tight walls tightening even more around his fingers.

“Yeah.” She shudders out tightening her walls around him again.

“Fuck, baby. You’re so tight. Keep squeezing my fingers like that.” He groans leaning down to place his lips on her’s in a soft kiss.

"So fucking beautiful my love." he keeps whispering sweet things in her ear while she moans and squeezes around his thick fingers.

Her orgasm is slowly but intensely shooting through her body as she moans loudly her whole body shaking from the pleasure.

“Gosh, Jacky, what was that?” she looked at him with shock. Jack chuckles kissing her forehead before answering.

“That was your first orgasm my sweet berry,” he says before he pulls his fingers from her and brings them to his mouth groaning at the sweet taste. Amara looks at him with wide eyes catching his wrist. “What baby? I’m just tasting you.” Smirking he leans down, pressing his lips on hers, letting her taste her sweet juices.

She moans at the taste of herself, her hands running down Jack's back. With a smile, Jack pulls away standing up and stripping from his pants taking the boxers all the way down with them. Amara takes in his toned chest and muscles while he stands there with a smirk on his face. She blushes when her eyes land on his big cock.

“You like what you see?” Jack asks teasingly, taking his cock in his hand and stroking it a  few times as Amara watches him.

“Yeah.” She squeaks, her hand clapping around her mouth as Jack giggles. Jack slowly climbs up to her so his face is on the same level as hers. He bends down a presses their lips together in a sweet kiss.

“I know you already said that but are you sure you want this?” he asks her again stroking her cheeks with his thumb. Amara looks at him with a soft smile, her hands cupping his cheeks. She pulls him down pressing her lips to his in a hungry kiss.

“Is this enough for an answer?” she asks him, a smirk on her lips.

“Yeah,” He smiles at her, and his hand trails down her side, until he reaches her knee. He wraps it around his waist, his eyes never leaving her. Amara groans when she feels his cock on her pussy. “I’ll go slowly okay?”

“Okay.” She swallows hard when she feels his cock rubbing against her entrance.

“Relax, baby,” He whispers as he slowly pushes himself into her. Amara shifts under his body and he stills for a second, watching her features. “It’s okay baby, just relax okay?”

Amara nods, breathing in and then out, relaxing her muscles, which allow Jack to slide more into her, stretching her walls. Amara lets out a soft moan at the pain and pleasure mixed together.

“Oh fuck. You feel so great.” Jack groans in Berry’s neck as soon as he’s fully inside her. He can feel her wall tightening around his cock and her fingers scratching his scalp. “Can I move?” he asks pushing himself up on his forearms so he can look her in the eyes.

“Please.” She moans and grinds her hips against his. Jack chuckles and presses his lips against her forehead as he starts moving slowly.

“Fuck.” He groans and squeezes her tight as his hips jerk a little too quickly, earning a loud gasp from Amara.

“Oh my gosh.” She moans kissing his shoulder and squeezing around his cock when he hits the spongy spot.

“Keep squeezing me, baby,” he says as he pounds into her increasing the speed of his thrusts. “Just like that beautiful.” He smashes his lips on her, his tongue making its way into her mouth, fighting with hers for power.

“Jack,” She moans as she feels her another orgasm approaching really fast. “I-I think I’m coming.”

Jack smirks leaning on his right hand, bringing his left one down to her clit rubbing it at a quick pace to bring her to her orgasm. As soon as she finishes, Jack pulls out of her, lying down next to her and pulling her in a hug.

“What about you?” she looks up at him with a confusion written all over her face.

“I’m fine, Berry. Today was about you not about me.” He smiles and kisses her forehead but doesn’t miss when Amara pulls the blanket around her body.

[wish-i-were-heather]

LADIES FIRST ⤵ GRAYSON HAWTHORNE X LYRA KANE

ABOUT: 1306 words

STORY: grayson and lyra get a little distracted on their way to a formal event

WARNINGS: uhh i mean its grayson and lyra so i guess kinda suggestive but like its fine

requested by @maybxlle <33

A/N: they're such a hot couple im gonna cry

Grayson stood in front of the mirror, adjusting his tie for what felt like the hundredth time. It didn’t really need to be fixed, he’d done it right the first time, but he had nothing better to do as he waited. The hotel room they were sharing was small; despite Grayson obviously being a Hawthorne, they hadn’t gotten a fancy room. Just a simple one with a bed, a bathroom, and a closet.

That was mostly insistence from Lyra. 

He forced his hands down to his side as his eyes focused behind him in the mirror. The bathroom door was closed, and had been closed for the past hour. “Lyra,” Grayson finally called. “How much longer are you going to take?”

“You can’t rush perfection,” her muffled voice responded through the door. 

“You’re always perfect. I don’t see why you need to put in all this effort.”

“Flattery isn’t going to hurry me, Gray,” she sang.

Grayson sighed. He turned around and walked away from the mirror and towards the door. When he checked the time on his watch, it read 5:30 PM. “It starts at six.”

“I know,” Lyra said. “It’s a five minute drive. We’re fine.”

“I have to get there early,” he told her, growing more impatient. “Avery asked if I could give a few words before it starts.”

“What? Why you?”

He laughed, a sound that very few people got to hear. “You wound me.”

“Want me to kiss you better?”

“You can’t kiss me through a closed door.”

She didn’t respond.

“Lyra,” Grayson repeated, his tone growing serious. But there was a smile on his face despite himself. “I’m about five minutes away from going in there and carrying you out.”

“Five minutes?” She echoed. “I’m going to need at least six.”

“You’re impossible.”

“And you love it.”

He didn’t argue with that. 

Instead, he stepped closer to the bathroom door and hesitated for only a second, his hand hovering over the handle of the door. But then he opened it, willing to deal with whatever complaints he got from Lyra. 

But the moment he opened the door, Grayson froze. 

Lyra was standing in front of the mirror, doing the last touches of her makeup. He didn’t really know what she was doing, what brush did what, any of that, but it didn’t matter. He could only stare at her in awe, enchantment, adoration, in love as she applied her lipstick, paying him no mind.

The dress she wore was a deep red that hugged her curves in all the right places. It had a small slit on the bottom that stopped just at the top of her leg, just before it revealed too much. 

Her hair was styled perfectly, falling down past her shoulders with such grace that he wondered if she was real. The lipstick she’d just finished applying was a matching shade of red to the dress, and the rest of her makeup only made her even more stunning. 

Grayson found himself unable to look away. 

He could only stare. No words managed to escape him. No praises, no compliments. Just the way his eyes traveled her up and down, like taking her in for the very first time.

Lyra put the lid on her lipstick and turned to him, a grin making its way onto her face when he saw him.

“Did I manage to make the Grayson Davenport Hawthorne speechless?”

Grayson blinked a few times, struggling to find his voice. Speechless he certainly was. 

“You always do, Lyra Catalina Kane.”

Her smile widened. “I am honored to have that power. Now since you forced your way in here, could you please help?” She asked, turning around so he could see the back of her dress, where the zipper was only halfway done. He nodded.

There was a moment where they stood in silence, intimately close to each other, his hand pulling the zipper.

“Zip it up, Grayson.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Once the dress was zipped up, Grayson let his fingers stay on the small of her back. They stilled there for a moment before his hand slid up to her neck. He leaned forward, pressing his chest against his back.

“You know,” he whispered in her ear. “This dress doesn’t leave much to the imagination.”

Lyra laughed, turning around to face him properly. “Is that a problem?”

“Depends on who’s looking.” His hand found her leg, slowly making its way up it.

“Don’t worry, Grayson,” she told him, leaning into his touch. “I’m not dressing up for anyone but you.”

He nodded dumbly as his hand wandered its way under the bottom of he dress. “Mhm.” 

Lyra took in a sharp breath.

“If you keep this up-”

Grayson interrupted her by pressing a kiss to her neck.

He felt her shiver underneath his touch. The kiss was slow at first, letting his mouth linger for a moment, feeling her warmth and being able to smell her sweet perfume. 

Lyra’s breath caught, her eyes fluttering shut as she leaned towards him. Her hands gripped the bottom of his suit jacket, careful not to undo the effort he’d put into his outfit. Still, she held onto him like he was the only thing keeping her steady.

Grayson’s hand paused just under the fabric of her dress, knowing they couldn’t take it too far. 

Not yet.

He placed another kiss right under her ear, his breath hot against her skin. “If I keep this up then what, sweetheart?”

She swallowed hard. “Then we might be late.”

Grayson chuckled before he leaned back just a bit, locking his eyes with hers. “And would that be such a bad thing?”

“Depends on what you have in mind instead.”

Without breaking eye contact, Grayson tilted her chin up to further face him. He then closed his eyes and closed what little space was left between them as their lips connected. 

Lyra responded eagerly, moving with equal intensity. The kiss deepened as they leaned impossibly closer to each other, as if trying to merge into one. Her hands made their way up to his shoulders, pulling him even more towards her. His hand found the back of her neck, slowly so as to not ruin her hair. 

When they finally broke apart, after what felt like a million years, they were both breathless, their faces flush. 

“We should probably get going,” Grayson said, his voice unintentionally deep. He cleared his throat. “Jameson will question us if we’re late.”

“As if he doesn’t always.”

Grayson watched as Lyra collected her things from the counter, hastily tossed it into her handbag, and pointed to her shoes on the floor. High heels that would take more time than they had to put on.

“It’s fine,” she said as she went to pick them up. “I'll put them on during the drive there. Let’s go. Can’t have you being late.”

But Grayson was there in a heartbeat, snatching the heels from the floor. Without a word, he slipped off his own shoes. 

“Gray, I love that you’re trying to be gentlemanly, but it’s just a walk downstairs-”

“Wear my shoes or I’ll carry you.”

Lyra paused for a moment, as if considering her options. With a defeated sigh, she stepped into his clearly oversized shoes. “Better?” She asked. “Now that I look like a clown?”

Grayson shook his head, smiling.

“Not a clown. A queen.”

“I can’t with you,” she said, laughing despite herself. “Okay, let’s go.”

Grayson led her out the bathroom door. He checked that they had all their belongings, and then checked his watch. 5:46. He’d have no time to practice his speech before giving it, how wonderful. 

He didn’t mind, though. It was worth it. 

For Lyra.

He opened the door with one hand, holding her shoes in the other.

“Ladies first.”

the writing above belongs to me. please do not copy, modify, repost on other sites or claim as your own. © 2024 wish-i-were-heather

TAGS: (until i figure out how to fix it they're gonna stay down here) @littlemissmentallyunstable @gretag13 @lanterns-and-daydreams @whatsamongus @alwaysthefangirl

@emelia07 @f4iry-bell @low-caloriesmonsterultra @that-daughter-of-hephaestus

@maybxlle @xoxo-vee @elysianwayy77 - lmk if you wanna be added or removed from the taglist <3

[swappedman]

Twin Swaps, Logan/Brielle Part 1

While Caleb was at Nathan’s house preparing for his swap for the night, Logan leaned against the wall of a quiet café, casually checking his phone as he waited. This was a bigger swap than usual—not just a night out or a skipped dinner, but two weeks. A full-blown vacation trade.

The girl—Brielle—showed up five minutes late, looking every bit the polished sorority princess he expected. Long blonde hair, full lips, perfect makeup even for a casual meet-up. She was wearing a cropped burgundy top and black miniskirt, clearly relaxed in her own skin. From the impatient look on her face, she was so over this.

“Logan?” she asked, crossing her arms.

“That’s me.” He smirked. “You’re Brielle.”

She sighed dramatically, flipping her hair over one shoulder. “Yeah, yeah. Listen, I just need this trip gone. My friend Cassidy is the worst, and I refuse to be stuck in a resort with her for two weeks.”

Logan chuckled. “So, instead of faking an excuse, you’re paying me to take your place.”

She shrugged. “My parents already spent the money, and Cassidy would lose her mind if I backed out. But if I’m not technically the one going, then problem solved.”

Logan nodded. “Fair enough.”

Brielle narrowed her eyes. “You are good at this, right? I don’t need Cassidy or anyone getting suspicious.”

“I’ve done way harder swaps than this. As long as you give me enough details, I’ll be Brielle for the two weeks, no problem.”

She hesitated, then sighed. “Alright, let’s just do this.”

Logan reached out and lightly grabbed her wrist. The swap hit instantly. A rush of heat, a pulling sensation, the odd disorienting shift of losing himself—then suddenly, it was over.

He blinked. The world felt off—he was shorter, lighter, his balance completely different. His vision adjusted, and when he looked down, the sight of Brielle’s slim, toned body greeted him. Her tight burgundy top hugged his new figure, and long blonde hair brushed over his shoulders.

Across from him, Brielle—now in Logan’s body—stumbled, eyes wide as she stared at herself.

“Oh my god,” she muttered, touching her face.

Logan smirked, his new lips curling in amusement. “Welcome to the business.”

Brielle shook her head, adjusting to her new frame. “We need to go back to my place so you can pack.”

Logan flipped her hair over his shoulder, amused at how natural the motion felt. “Lead the way.”

The walk back to Brielle’s apartment felt surreal. The sway of his hips, the bounce of his chest—everything about this body moved differently. It wasn’t unpleasant, just… new. By the time they arrived, Logan had mostly adjusted.

Inside, Brielle’s apartment was exactly what he expected: clean, stylish, and filled with little decorative touches. Logan sat on her bed, crossing his legs instinctively before rolling his eyes at himself.

“Alright,” Brielle said, clapping her hands together. “I need you to pack like me—so cute outfits, bikinis, and definitely not whatever guy logic tells you is enough.”

Logan smirked. “Yeah, yeah. I’ve got this. I’ll see you in two weeks!” he said as he pushed Brielle in his body out the door.

As he packed, he couldn’t help but admire his reflection in the mirror. This was going to be an interesting 14 days.

[abiiors]

VEEEEEEE, i messaged you a few days ago that i was at work and thinking many thoughts of ross and i am once again at work and thinking many thoughts of our big beautiful man…

IN PARTICULAR idk why this is the scenario on my mind but ROSS HAVING A CRUSH ON YOU 🤭🤭🤭 and being sosoooooo smitten and soft for you…. (gnawing at my enclosure) like in this scenario i keep thinking about, it’s ross waiting for you to show up to like an intimate gathering of friends and you’ve met the boys and everyone before through charli cause that’s bestie (need her expeditiously) and you and ross really hit it off!! his head is full of nothing but thoughts of you!! so he’s clearly distracted until you get there then he’s all smiles and laughs and gentle touches (need to be institutionalized) but ALSO until you get there he’s all impatient and antsy asking charli if you let her know what time you’d be there but he asks it more than once so everyone starts teasing him for having a crush and then they tease him even more once you get there cause his whole demeanor changes i’m thinking many normal thoughts 😍😍😍

OH MY GODDDDDDD ANON YOU'RE IN MY HEAD BECAUSE THIS IS LITERALLY A SLEEP SCENARIO FOR ME!!!! i love the whole dynamic of having a crush so much, it's just SO. SOFT. 😭😭

yes, absolutely, you've been introduced to their friend group through charli because she is the fucking coolest and makes an offhanded comment like "hmmm you know what now that you're single, there's someone i wanna introduce you to" (that someone being ross obv) and you do absolutely hit it off but maybe you're both a bit shy at first to ask each other out immediately. like you like each other a lot and worry that the other might not feel the same but oh lordddd he is so down bad.

he's quite good at hiding it though, or maybe he thinks he's quite good at hiding it 🤭 like he won't go up to charli and directly ask her when you're coming. he'd instead just casually be like "oh, thought your friend was coming too, isn't she?" all cool and aloof as if he doesn't care, he's just 'curious' but charli instantly clocks it and smirks at him like "well, aren't you curious!!! she's running a bit late don't worry. she'll be here in 15, i just got a text from her."

and he spends the next 15 minutes trying not to hover near the door so he can be the one to open it once the doorbell rings. anyway, he isn't the one to open it--george is. and you go around saying hello to people and hugging both george and charli before you shyly wave at ross and fix your hair a bit (self conscious, it was kinda windy outside and ross finds it so adorable that your hair is all unruly and messy in a very effortlessly sexy way)

charli immediately hooks her arm with yours and pulls you towards ross and goes "so ross is really good at making cocktails and you were saying how you were gasping for a good martini!" and then she sorta pushes you both together towards her home bar and says "go ahead, use whatever you like"

while your back is turned she also throws a wink at ross who rolls his eyes and mouths a silent thank you (she really is a good wingwoman) and well turns out he is really good at making cocktails. you even comment on it and he's like "come on i'll teach you." so you hold the shaker in your hands a bit unsure until you feel him right behind you and so close that you can almost feel the heat radiating off him. his cologne is mouth-wateringly good and you fucking want to turn around and pull him into a kiss.

he is no better tho--his heart is fucking hammering in his chest because he really does fancy you so much and you're so fucking close to him. so he does the second best thing which is wrapping his hand over yours under the guise of teaching you how to make a martini.

your hand is so small and soft in his and it's like the first time he's ever properly touched you so he feels like he's fucking sixteen again. no one is paying attention to the martini, you're both just busy blushing and being idiots in general. <3

[spectres-scribbles]

Countdown

Prologue

May 3040

“It’s over, right?” Erend asked as he hugged Aloy from the side as the squad gathered around each other, reunited and victorious.

Aloy said nothing, for now.

Let them revel in this hard-earned victory. They’d earned it.

The truth could wait for a few days, until they were back at the Base.

“Let’s get out of here, shall we?” She said instead.

Enthusiastic agreements met that question and together, the squad retraced their steps out of the base, eager to be gone from the place.

- - - - - - - - - -

They set up camp once they were back on the mainland so that they could tend to their injuries.

Unsurprisingly, Sylens continued on his way up the coast without stopping or saying anything other than a quick “I’ll be in contact” to Aloy.

“Where’s he going?” Erend asked, watching the fake-Banuk’s Charger disappear into the darkness.

“Tilda’s mansion, I think.” Aloy responded. “It’s just up the coast from here.”

“What for?”

“Knowing him, he’s probably going to start going through the base, now that the Zeniths are no longer a threat.”

“More shiny toys for him to play with?”

“I guess we’ll see.” Aloy responded with a shrug.

“What was he talking about, with that whole ‘You people will need my help’ bit, anyway?” Erend commented.

Aloy and Beta shared a look at that.

They’d hoped to wait, but now that the question had been asked, there was no way that they could blow it off completely.

“We thought the fight was over with the Zeniths, but in truth, it’s barely just begun.” Aloy told the group.

“Barely begun?” Kotallo repeated. “What do you mean?”

“We’ll explain it all when we get back to Base. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it all, in truth.”

“Must be serious if even you’re having trouble with it.” Erend noted.

“Understatement of the century,” Aloy mirthlessly told her Oseram friend. “For now, we focus on getting back to Base, then we plan our next move.”

τ - ι - κ - μ - χ - θ

After Zo had checked her and cleared her, Beta went straight to work, beginning to check GAIA’s rig. Shortly after, Aloy found her when she was cleared as well.

“The rig seems okay, no external damage.” Beta reported as Aloy approached her. “I haven’t started any diagnostics on GAIA herself, though.”

Despite the clinical air she was trying to project, Aloy seemed to sense that something was bothering her sister, for she reached out to put a hand on the younger clone’s shoulder. “Hey, you okay?”

Without warning, Beta turned away from the rig to bury herself in Aloy’s arms.

“He was my first real friend,” Beta murmured thickly into Aloy’s neck.

Unlike the others, Beta hadn’t had any chance to mourn Varl. Literally the minute the Zeniths returned to the base, they’d shoved Beta into the chair, chained her, and forced her to work on integrating HEPHAESTUS into GAIA. Whatever little rest she had, she was tortured via virtual reality dissociation.

Gerard had even used Varl’s murder to crush Beta’s spirits so that she wouldn’t try to fight what she was being forced to do, which had anguished her to no end. It had only been when Aloy contacted her via Tilda’s data channel that she had regained some hope, enough to hold on until Aloy and her other friends had come for her.

“I know.” Aloy murmured back, trying to comfort Beta, but feeling awkward while doing it. “I’m sorry I was so impatient and ignorant back then. I treated you the way I was, and I shouldn’t have.”

“Did you guys…?” Beta quietly asked but was unable to finish the sentence.

“Yeah, we buried and held a funeral for him.” Aloy answered with a nod. “It was the main reason why we took so long to rescue you once I stopped Regalla and her army from slaughtering Hekarro and forced Sylens to join us. His memorial is outside the eastern exit to the Base-”

“So he can see Plainsong and the Sacred Lands like he and Zo liked to do.” Beta finished, nodding. “I’m glad.”

“Dinner’s ready!” Zo, who turned her focus to the evening meal after having finished the squad’s medical exams, announced from her place at the campfire.

Aloy pulled back a little to look at Beta. “Hungry?”

“Starving.”

ψ - σ - ρ - ξ - ζ - ε

Their meal was quick and easy: Beanweed Bites with canteens of water to wash it down. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to sate everyone’s hunger. Even Erend, who preferred ale to water, didn’t complain, glad to have food in his belly.

“You can have that when we’re back at Base.” Zo told him with a roll of her eyes, earning a chuckle from the rest of the squad as they rolled out their bedrolls.

Aloy tasked her two Clawstriders to watch duty patrolling the area around their camp to act as a deterrent for troublemakers, while the Sunwing perched in nearby ruins for a bird’s eye view of the area. Their herd of Chargers were grazing peacefully nearby but would react to fight alongside the Combat machines if there was trouble during the night.

With all that done, Aloy turned her focus to her own bedding. As she was doing that, Beta approached her.

“Can I sleep with you?” Beta asked Aloy timidly, as around them, the rest of the squad got settled for bed around the campfire. “I just… don’t think I can… I don’t want to be alone…”

Beta could still see Erik Visser stabbing Varl, hear his taunting words to the Nora Brave as the light had left Varl’s eyes, every single time she closed her own.

The psychological torment she’d endured was still too fresh, and she needed a physical connection with her kin to anchor her and keep the darkness at bay, to show her that all of this was real and not a figment of her mind.

That her sister and her other friends had really come for her and ended the Zeniths, once and for all.

“Yeah, of course. Not a problem.” Aloy didn’t hesitate to nod her head, understanding her twin’s trauma, raising the blanket so Beta could climb in.

It wasn’t long before the sisters drifted off to sleep, Beta clinging to Aloy’s arm that rested between them to ground herself.

- - - - - - - - - -

Beta’s sleep didn’t last.

Sometime in the night, the younger clone bolted upright in bed, screaming out in terror, which quickly woke the rest of the camp.

“Wha’s happening?” Erend asked, sitting up but still mostly asleep, as he frantically grabbed blindly for his warhammer. “Who’s attacking?!”

Zo scowled at him. “Stow your hammer, Erend. We’re not under attack.”

“Then why…?”

“Why do you think, given what the Zeniths were doing to Beta? She had a nightmare.”

“Easy, sister. Easy.” Aloy murmured softly to Beta, mostly ignoring the exchange between Zo and Erend, sitting up and gathering the younger woman in her arms to offer physical comfort to her sister. “You’re safe, Beta. You’re safe.”

“The Zeniths…” Beta whimpered out.

“Are dead. They can’t hurt you anymore.” Aloy assured.

“Or any of us.” Alva said softly as she sat down beside Aloy and Beta and began to rub Beta’s back to offer further comfort. “We all made sure of that.”

Eventually, Beta calmed down, but it was a while before sleep claimed her again.

Alva and Aloy stayed with her the entire time, even as the rest of the squad dozed off around them, offering comfort and assurance until she felt safe enough to try again.

“Thank you for that,” Aloy said softly to Alva as she lowered Beta back to the bedroll.

“Don’t mention it.” Alva replied just as softly as she went back to her own bedroll. “I imagine that it’s going to take some time for her to feel completely safe again after what she was put through. Makes you wish you could strangle the shitheads, doesn’t it?”

Aloy could just make out Alva’s scowl as she got settled back in her own bed, and couldn’t help but grin a little at how well and truly stirred up the Quen Diviner was on Beta’s behalf, as she only swore like that when she was really pissed off and didn’t care about being polite.

“Oh, strangling would only be the start of what I’d do to them if I could, trust me.” Aloy replied darkly before trying to clear her mind so that she could also get some more sleep. “Night.”

“Goodnight.” Alva replied.

Sleep didn’t claim Aloy again for a while after that as well, but she contented herself with watching Beta as she did, glad that the younger clone at least was getting her much needed rest.

- - - - - - - - - -

The next three days were spent travelling, their pace steady to give injuries time to heal.

Beta rode with Aloy on one of her Clawstriders, cuddled up to her elder’s back, occasionally drifting off to sleep as they journeyed.

They stopped at Fenrise the first night, Gattak happily welcoming them into the settlement and giving then food and beds for the night, and The Grove the second, where Hekarro was relieved to see Aloy and her squad return in one piece, and had happily put them up for the night as well.

From there, they made the final push to the Base.

Throughout the entire trip, it was clear that the questions about what Aloy had said about the fight having only just begun burned bright in the minds of the rest of the squad, but they respected Aloy’s need to be given a chance to wrap her head around the revelation of Nemesis and kept their talk inconsequential and light.

Even when they got back to Base, Aloy and Beta were given their space, Beta focusing on restoring GAIA after Erend and Aloy had brought the rig inside, though the squad did come together to celebrate their victory against the Zeniths with a feast the following night after their return, the feast food coming from every tribe to represent their unified efforts against their enemy.

Initially, Aloy just watched her friends enjoy the celebrations from the sidelines, not really participating herself, but eventually, Erend dragged her in, before raising a toast to their success, and she gave in and joined the revelry.

When she had retired for the night, she’d hung Elisabet’s and Rost’s pendants side by side on their display rack, contemplating them as she thought about the battle that was coming, before someone knocking on her door pulled her out of those thoughts.

Beta was on the other side, a blanket and pillow roll in her arms, and Aloy didn’t hesitate to let her in.

ψ - σ - ρ - ξ - ζ - ε

There’s another battle ahead, Elisabet.

Very different from the one you fought.

It’s not about the distant hope of creating a new world, it’s about preserving the one we have.

ψ - σ - ρ - ξ - ζ - ε

The next day, the group gathered in GAIA’s chamber after lunch, where Aloy delivered the news about Nemesis to her friends.

“Fire and spit!” Erend exclaimed as Aloy finished speaking.

The rest of the group, sans Beta, were likewise stunned.

“How in the name of the Ten are we supposed to fight such a thing?” Kotallo breathed out, tearing his gaze from the digital representation of Nemesis that GAIA was projecting for the squad to look at Aloy.

“I don’t know, honestly.” Aloy earnestly told her friends. “But this is why Sylens is going through the Zenith base; in the hopes of finding something - anything - that may help us fight it.

“When will it arrive?” Alva asked.

“According to GAIA’s calculations; sometime between May 3041 and December 3042. It should be noted that GAIA hasn’t detected it yet, as Nemesis is too far out of range of what she can hear right now. That range is based on a few assumptions about how long the Zeniths were planning to stay here. Once she detects it, she estimates that we’ll have about six months to finish up preparations for it.”

“And what’s happening with HEPHAESTUS? Are we going to try and capture it again?” Zo queried.

“HEPH’s going to be a bit of a wild card.” Beta spoke now. “Contact with the Zenith network will likely have supercharged it, giving it access to new technologies, tools and upgrades.”

“So we’re going to see even more deadly and dangerous machines popping up from now on? Lovely.” Erend drawled.

“Even though the merge with GAIA was aborted, she was able to copy some of the original HEPH code base. On top of that, Sylens has already extracted some extremely helpful data from the Zenith copy of APOLLO. Combined, these developments should enable GAIA to exert significantly more influence over the terraforming system.” Beta informed the squad. “She won't be able to take direct control of machines, or stop HEPH from building new combat units. But she estimates that by deploying a variety of workarounds, she can stabilize the biosphere within a year. So we don't all die, at least not before Nemesis arrives.”

“But to answer your question; since GAIA now has some of HEPH's source code, we should be able to develop new strategies to contain it.” Beta told Zo. “It'll take time, of course, since HEPH will likely write Omega Clearance out of its code like it did with Alpha Clearance, if it hasn’t already, so a repeat of GEMINI is out of the question.”

“So what’s the plan?” Erend asked Aloy.

“Right now, getting word out to the tribes about the coming threat is paramount.” Aloy told the group. “We need to find allies that can help and are willing to fight when the time comes. We need to be united, all of us, if we’re going to stand a chance at stopping this thing.”

“I can talk to Morlund. His family is well known in the Claim, so, between the two of us, we should be able to grab some people’s attention.” Erend offered after a few moments of thought.

“I’ll return to Landfall to inform Bohai.” Alva told the squad. “I’m sure he’ll want to return to the Delta now that the storms won’t sink what ships we have left. He’ll speak to the Emperor on our behalf.”

“And what about you? Will you go as well?” Erend asked Alva.

Alva shook her head. “I can’t, in good conscience, leave now, not knowing what’s coming. Like Aloy said; we have to fight this thing together. I choose to stay and fight. For my sister, for my parents, for my people.”

“Thank you.” Aloy said to Alva sincerely. “I know it won’t be easy to stay when the ships set sail.”

“I came to this land to find a way to save my family. I can’t leave now.” Alva reiterated. “And I’m sure that once the word spreads through Landfall, I won’t be the only one who’ll make that same choice.”

“I would like to give Bohai one of our Focuses before he departs, however, so that we can expand the network to the Delta, once GAIA’s completely up and running again, if that’s okay?” Alva continued, turning to Aloy to make her request.

Aloy nodded her head. “Of course. Take as many as you want. The same goes for the rest of you when you go. We need to start expanding the network with allies that we can call on when Nemesis arrives.”

“He’ll find a way to use it to his advantage with the Board of Overseers, I don’t doubt it.” Alva warned, regarding Bohai. “No Diviner in the history of the tribe has ever had access to a later model Focus before now, and he’ll exploit that to the fullest. But I’m sure that he will petition the Emperor for aid.”

“I figured as much.” Aloy nodded, having expected that Bohai would do as Alva described, but was willing to turn a blind eye to it if it meant that the Quen homeland would be warned of the threat and potentially send help. “Do you think the Emperor will listen?”

“To be honest, I don’t know. But I hope so.” Alva freely admitted.

“Time will tell, I guess.” Aloy responded.

“The Chorus will likely take some time to convince, but I’m sure that I can do it.” Zo spoke next. “Then I’ll head east, to the Sacred Lands. I owe it to Varl to tell his mother of what happened to him, and about her coming grandchild. And to tell the Nora of the coming threat.”

Erend looked to Aloy in surprise at this. “You’re not going to tell them?”

“I’ll have to face them at some point, being the Anointed, but for now, I’ll be staying here.” The Nora huntress replied. “I’ll have to head back east at some point, to speak with the Banuk about Nemesis, so I’ll probably visit the Embrace then. Of all the tribes, the Nora are probably going to be the trickiest to communicate with, since they’ll more then likely refuse to wear a Focus, outside of a few brave souls.”

Aloy quietly wondered if Teb, or even Nakoa, might consider it.

She’d have to see when she went there.

“Just be mindful, you might not get the warmest reception when they learn of your pregnancy, with it being unsanctioned. Especially with Varl being the War-Chief’s son.” Aloy warned Zo.

“Varl warned me when we started trying to have a child, that he’d face the wrath of the Nora for it, and me as well, because of that.” Zo nodded. “I’m prepared for whatever they throw at me. But thank you, for thinking of me.”

Aloy smiled. “It’s what friends do, right?”

“We owe you for stopping Regalla’s slaughter, as well as for what would have happened if she had succeeded.” Kotallo spoke last. “The Chief wants to repay that debt. The Tenakth will answer your call.”

Aloy nodded back, even as a plan started to form in her mind for something she could do to help Hekarro and the Marshals to rally and unify the Tenakth.

The Focus network would be part one of her plan.

Mentally shaking her head, and stowing those thoughts for later, Aloy focused her thoughts back on the meeting. “All of you, be careful, okay? Don’t hesitate to reach out if you need help, and I’ll do what I can. And if you don’t mind, I’d like to have squad meetings via holo every couple of weeks for us to keep checking in with each other for status reports and the like.”

The squad didn’t hesitate to agree to that request, deeming it essential going forward.

With the meeting done, the squad trickled out, no doubt to start their various preparations for their departure the following day.

“The fellowship is breaking up.” Beta murmured to Aloy after the others had gone and it was only them and GAIA left, clearly saddened by what was happening, even if it was necessary.

The squad were family to each other now, as well as the first real friends Beta had ever had.

It would be so different, for both of them, walking around Base from now on and not hearing Erend’s music at full blast, or helping Zo with meal preparation, or playing Machine Strike with Kotallo, or talking with Varl about whatever latest thing he’d been reading up on, or helping Alva with her research.

“For now, we are.” Aloy replied, hugging her sister from the side. “But I’ve no doubt that when Nemesis arrives, we’ll all come back together again to face it.”

ψ - σ - ρ - ξ - ζ - ε

My friends have a new mission - to spread the word and ask for help.

They’ve taken it in stride.

I think it’s because they’ve always known what I’ve only just started to understand.

That the people of this world have the strength to fight any battle, the ingenuity to solve any problem, the courage to overcome any obstacle. And the resilience to rise after any setback.

ψ - σ - ρ - ξ - ζ - ε

After having one last breakfast together, the squad, sans Aloy and Beta, began to depart.

Kotallo and Zo were the first to leave.

“A word? Aloy asked Kotallo as he was collecting his things from his room.

“How can I help?” Kotallo asked.

“I’m not sure what the Tenakth do regarding the dead, but I was wondering if Hekarro would want Regalla’s body, if we can find it?” Aloy asked, getting to the point.

“For all the heinous things she did, she did redeem herself in the end.” Kotallo replied. “I believe the Chief will want to bury her with full honours at the Grove.”

Aloy nodded her head. “Meet me at the Sunwing site above Base when you’re ready to go.”

- - - - - - - - - -

Overriding all three Sunwings without them attacking each other took timing, and a little bit of luck, but Aloy succeeded just in time.

To say that Kotallo was stunned when he emerged to find Aloy standing by one of the newly tamed machines would be an understatement.

< < < JTF-10 > > >

“Commander?” The Marshal asked, even as his heart began to soar at what he thought was happening.

“It’s yours.” Aloy told him, gesturing at the machine, confirming Kotallo’s thoughts. “I figured that if you’re to spread the word among the Tenakth about Nemesis, that you’d need a little help.”

Kotallo was speechless for a few moments.

Aloy had seen the harm the wrong people could do with tamed machines.

That she trusted him like this, giving him his own Wings of the Ten…

“You honour me, Aloy.” Kotallo, finding his voice, bowed deeply to his commanding officer.

“I’m assuming that Hekarro and the other Marshals would also appreciate their own Sunwings?” Aloy asked, but Kotallo could see that she already knew the answer, knowing what she did about how the Tenakth revered the Wings of the Ten.

Already, many Tenakth were calling Aloy ‘She Who Flies on the Wings of the Ten’ for what she had done stopping Regalla’s attack on the Grove, and Hekarro had mentioned to Kotallo, during the GAIA Gang’s stopover there days prior, that the tribe’s Painters were planning on coming together to paint a mural in the Grove to honour Aloy’s heroic actions.

“To help get the tribe ready? Most definitely.” Kotallo responded, his mind already imagining how things would change going forward.

The combination of the Sunwings and the Focus network would make the Marshals far more effective in their jobs, allowing them to travel the Clan Lands quicker than before and also be able to report back to the clan Commanders and Hekarro without having to return to a clan’s capital or the Grove in order to do so, and would make them considerably more formidable against the remnants of Regalla’s rebels, or any other trouble-makers, if they tried to act against the Chief or the tribe again.

“It’ll probably take me a week or two to override the rest and deliver them to the Grove.” Aloy told him, partially in warning.

“That’s fine.” Kotallo assured. “It’s better that you take your time doing this.”

Kotallo understood that the process could be tricky if Aloy was trying to tame more then one machine at a time, that a tamed machine could start attacking wild ones due to its programming being changed before she’d moved on to the next.

“Alright then. Ready to learn how to fly?”

All Tenakth dreamed of being able to do this, of flying in the air like the Ten had once done.

That it was becoming a reality for him…

“I was born ready.”

- - - - - - - - - -

Kotallo was a natural, as it turned out, mastering the basics of flying fairly quickly, and before long, he and Aloy, along with the two spare Sunwings, were on their way back to the Zenith base, Kotallo smiling subtly the whole time, clearly revelling in what he was doing, of the feeling of the wind on his face.

- - - - - - - - - -

Once they were flying over the base, they were greeted with an unexpected site; the previously pristine printer was now a smoking ruin of twisted metal.

“HEPHAESTUS’s work?” Kotallo asked Aloy.

“Or Gerard’s, to prevent it from spitting out any more Zero Dawn machines.” Aloy surmised. “Either way, it’s one good thing in our favour. Nemesis won’t be able to use it against us.”

“That’s certainly true.” Kotallo agreed.

“Though I suspect that that will only be a temporary setback for it, if it really wants to use it.” Aloy added realistically.

Kotallo chuckled.

It was typical of Aloy to see all sides, but that was what made her such a good leader: because she took everything into account.

Though that also worked against her, when something occurred that she hadn’t planned for, like Varl’s death, and she acted like it was her personal failure that she’d failed to predict everything.

“There is that.” The Marshal agreed.

After that, it wasn’t long before they arrived at their destination, finding a small mound of Spectre corpses and some debris waiting for them.

“A fitting death, indeed.” Kotallo commented as he took in the sight. “But how are we going to get to Regalla’s body?”

Aloy answered with action, flying her Sunwing to the topmost Specter and used her machine to start shifting the felled machine by gripping one of it’s arms in the Sunwing’s talons and pulling it down one side of the mound.

Kotallo quickly followed his commander’s lead on the other side.

- - - - - - - - - -

In the end, they moved one shy of a dozen machines before they found Regalla’s battered body, mostly intact, her greatsword broken on the ground beside her.

Aloy steered her Sunwing away from the site to land in a clear spot nearby so that she could dismount, taking something from her machine’s back before she approached the fallen woman.

Kotallo also landed his Sunwing in a clear space and followed Aloy in.

“Give me a hand?” Aloy asked Kotallo as she dropped what she was carrying on the ground, revealing that it was a bag of some sort as she unzipped and opened it up, though it looked big enough that Regalla’s body would fit inside. “I don’t think I can lift her body on my own.”

“You take her legs.” Kotallo directed as he bent to slip his arms under the body’s shoulders and Aloy did the same on her end. “On three. One… Two… Three.”

Between the two of them, they manoeuvred the body into the waiting bag.

Afterwards, as Aloy was rigging up grips for the Sunwing to carry the body with from her grapple rope, Kotallo gathered up Regalla’s sword, and her mask, and placed them in the bag as well before Aloy zipped it up.

Once Aloy was sure that her knot-work was secure, she stood to face Kotallo.

“You want to carry her, or me?”

“I will.” Kotallo volunteered.

With a nod of her head, Aloy gestured to Kotallo’s Sunwing, indicating that he should mount up. “I’ll help you take hold.”

Nodding back, the Marshal mounted his machine and took to the air, bringing it to hover where Aloy was waiting, holding up the grips until Kotallo’s Sunwing had a good grasp on them, then she stepped back out of the downdraught.

“Alright, take her up a bit so I can see if the rope will hold.” Aloy called up to him. “I’d rather test it now while we’re close to the ground then when we’re on our way back and high in the sky.”

‘Wise.” Kotallo returned with a nod, before doing as Aloy asked.

After a few minutes of hovering in the air, and seeing that the rope was still holding strong, Aloy nodded her head, then made her way back to her own waiting Sunwing.

“Ready to get out of here?” She asked once she was also in the air.

“More than ready.”

With a chuckle, Aloy recalled the spare Sunwings, who had been set to a patrolling watch once Aloy and Kotallo had started excavating for Regalla’s remains, and then they were on their way back to the mainland.

- - - - - - - - - -

As they flew, Kotallo studied the aftermath of the battle beneath them as they passed, the sparking heaps of machines - Specter and Zero Dawn alike - as well as the bodies of the fallen Zeniths.

Part of him had wished that he could have been a member of the main attacking force, to see HEPHAESTUS churning out machines to take on the weakened Zeniths and their army of Specters for himself, as well as to fight alongside the rest of the squad, but he contented himself with the knowledge that what he and Alva had been tasked with had been just as important to the mission’s success.

Not only had they given the squad a fighting chance against their enemies, but they’d also made the discovery of what would eventually lead to Aloy and Beta uncovering the truth of what was really going on, and that was something he’d always be proud of.

- - - - - - - - - -

By the time they got back to the Grove, it was late afternoon, and the sun was just starting to set in the west.

Even so, the arrival of the four tamed Sunwings caused a stir among the Tenakth who were posted there, the young soldiers gawping at the sight as Aloy’s and Kotallo’s Sunwings came in to land, though Kotallo had to carefully drop his cargo on the ground first before his Sunwing could, the spare Sunwings following their lead, which quickly brought Hekarro, Dekka and Ivvira to investigate the hubbub.

“Marshal. Champion.” Hekarro greeted them both as they dismounted from their machines.

“Chief.” - “Hekarro.”

Kotallo and Aloy returned tandem greetings.

“What brings you here?”

“We bring Regalla’s body for burial.” Kotallo told his Chief, gesturing to the bag in front of his Sunwing.

Hekarro crouched down and touched the bag. “She died a good death?”

“Her help was instrumental in helping get the rest of the squad, minus myself and Diviner Alva, past some Specters and further into the Zenith base.” Kotallo reported. “She felled nearly a dozen of them before they killed her.”

Hekarro nodded as he stood back up.

“I’m glad to hear that for her sake. She got the death she was seeking that I was unable to deliver.” Hekarro then called to two of the nearby posted guards. “Nexx. Drevva.”

The two snapped to attention and came over.

“See that the body is taken to Tevvona to begin preparations for burial.” Hekarro instructed the two young soldiers.

“Yes, Chief.”

“The rope is yours, I assume?” Hekarro asked Aloy, noting that the young woman was missing her normally ever-present grapple.

“My grapple rope.” Aloy confirmed.

“Tell Tevvona that the rope is to be returned in one piece to the Champion.” Hekarro further instructed.

“Yes, Chief.”

The four Tenakth and one Nora watched as the two young soldiers carefully shouldered the body between them and departed the throne room and trekked towards their intended destination.

“Is there somewhere we can speak privately?” Aloy asked Hekarro, her expression solemn, once the two men were out of sight.

“Follow me.” Hekarro said and led the way to the strategy room.

- - - - - - - - - -

“Does this have something to do with the mission you’ve just completed? Your attack on the mysterious island next to the Valley of the Fallen?” Hekarro asked Aloy as they gathered around the planning table, Aloy and Kotallo on one side, Hekarro, Dekka and Ivvira on the other.

They’d stopped and spent the night at the Grove on their way to the Zenith base as well as on their return back to Base, so Hekarro had been aware that something was happening, and where, but not the specifics of it, and that it was therefore no coincidence that they were back just days after completing said mission and looking quite serious to boot.

“It does. The island was home to some living Old Ones called Zeniths. They kidnapped my sister, killed one of our squad, and took something from us that was imperative that we get back.”

Kotallo could see that Hekarro and the others had questions regarding the Zeniths, about how any of the Old Ones could still be alive after the Time of Ashes, so he intervened to get their attention back on the reason that Aloy had asked for this audience with him.

“I’ll explain about the Zeniths at a later time, Chief, but for now, it’s imperative that you hear what Aloy has to say.” Kotallo told Hekarro.

“Very well.” Hekarro nodded at the younger man before focusing back on Aloy. “And what did these… Zeniths take from you?”

“A living Vision called GAIA.” Kotallo told his fellow Tenakth. “GAIA is the reason that any of us exist after the fall of the Old Ones.”

“GAIA was created by an Old One called Elisabet Sobeck while the Metal Devils were wiping them out.” Aloy picked up the explanation, projecting an image of Elisabet for them to look at. “GAIA was tasked with bringing life back to Earth once the Old Ones had been wiped out. And as Kotallo said, she succeeded.”

Dekka was quick to pick up Aloy and Elisabet’s similarities. “You look exactly like her, Aloy, albeit younger, but how can that be?”

“Because I’m a clone - a copy - of her.”

“And why is that?” Dekka asked, puzzled but curious.

“Because twenty years ago, something threatened life on Earth. To protect us, protect all life, GAIA sacrificed herself to stop it.” Aloy explained before turning to address Hekarro. “That day that AETHER fled here? The day you saw the Faraday Vision here in the Grove? That was the day GAIA destroyed herself in the east. It’s also when I was created.

“GAIA knew that only someone with Elisabet’s blood and bone would be able to gain access to certain special Old One ruins through them, be able to fix what was about to happen by bringing GAIA back to life. The Derangement, the storms, the famine, the Blight, and indirectly, the Red Raids, all of that happened because GAIA wasn’t around to guide the machines trying to fix the world.”

“And you succeeded in that mission?” Hekarro asked, though he clearly had already guessed the answer, as things had started to get better in the months since he’d first met the flame-haired huntress and she’d spoken of her mission to him.

Aloy nodded in conformation. “I, with the aid of Varl and Zo, was able to revive her shortly after entering the West. She’s in our base in the mountains above Plainsong. But even though she was restored at that point, she couldn’t yet start to fix things.”

“And that’s where what you came here seeking comes into play?” Hekarro guessed.

Aloy nodded. “AETHER, and the others like it, which we called sub-functions, are the tools GAIA uses to repair and maintain the world. When GAIA sacrificed herself, they fled, seeking refuge wherever they could find containers big enough to store them, including here, and once they’d done that, they tried to continue with their work, but without GAIA’s guiding hand, their efforts led to what happened: ruin.”

“But we weren’t the only ones seeking to fix GAIA, the Zeniths were, too. Which is where my sister comes into this. Just as GAIA knew that only someone of Elisabet’s blood could fix her, the Zeniths knew it as well, creating Beta in the same way that I was so that they could also gain access to those same special ruins.”

“But your sister defected from these Zeniths and joined you and your squad.”

Aloy nodded. “At the time, we believed that the Zeniths intended to use GAIA to clean slate the Earth, killing all human life, so that they could make the world they wanted. Beta couldn’t stand that and hated them for how they’d treated her while she was growing up, so once we discovered each other’s existence, she escaped them as soon as she was able to, sending a distress call to GAIA that she knew I wouldn’t ignore.

“But even without Beta or GAIA, the Zeniths knew that my squad and I were working on fixing GAIA, so all they had to do was sit back and wait, putting a watch on the final sub-function, named HEPHAESTUS, knowing we’d have to go after it eventually to capture it as well, as it was the most important tool for GAIA to fix the world.”

“And what does this HEPHAESTUS do?”

“It creates the machines. The Derangement is entirely its work, as it was trying to protect the machines from human hunters.” Aloy explained. “Trapping HEPHAESTUS wasn’t as easy as it was with AETHER or the others, as it had grown too large for the container I used to return them to GAIA in once I’d retrieved them, and it was spread throughout the Cauldrons. Sites where the machines are created.” Aloy added at Ivvira’s puzzled look.

“To trap HEPHAESTUS, we had to corner it in a special Cauldron, the one south-west of Scalding Spear, the one the Desert Tenakth revere as the Gate of the Vanquished.”

“Special how?”

“It has two cores, due to earthquakes occurring while it was being constructed. GAIA needed to install herself in one core and contain HEPHAESTUS in the other so that we could begin to return it to her. But the second we did that, the Zeniths knew where we were, and they came for us. They killed Varl, incapacitated me, and took Beta and GAIA. They would have killed me also, if one of them didn’t turn on the others to save me.”

“One of the Zeniths defected to your side?” asked the Chief.

Aloy nodded again. “Yes. Her name was Tilda. She helped me plan and carry out the attack on the Zenith base. She also told me about the bomb I dropped on the Grove to stop Regalla’s assault.”

“Impressive.”

“Which leads to our attack on their base. During the attack, I had Alva and Kotallo split off from the main squad to strike a critical target that would help the rest of the squad’s infiltration.”

“You speak of the knowledge-seeker, yes? The young woman with the different looking Old One relic? The one whose tribe is on the Isle of Spires?” Dekka asked Aloy.

“The one with a thousand questions to ask you about the Visions during our stopovers here?” Aloy finished with a slight chuckle. “Yeah, she’s the one.”

“Anyway, the other part of their mission, once that was done and the Zenith computers were vulnerable, was for Alva to go through the Zenith files to find out if Tilda was hiding anything from us, as I didn’t fully trust her motivations.”

“I take it from your demeanour that they did find something?” Hekarro asked after studying Aloy for a moment.

Taking a breath, Aloy began to tell Hekarro, Dekka and Ivvira about what they’d learned.

“Yeah, Alva did. And this is what I found out…”

- - - - - - - - - -

“Blood of the Ten…” Hekarro breathed out, leaning heavily on the table, as Aloy and Kotallo finished their report.

Dekka and Ivvira were likewise shell-shocked, though they stood back from the table, also trying to wrap their heads around what they’d just been told.

“That’s why we’re here now; seeking allies. No single tribe will be able to defeat this thing alone. We have to come together if we’re to stand a chance at stopping it. Because if we don’t…” Aloy trailed off.

Hekarro understood the unspoken.

“The Tenakth will answer your call. Our arakhs are yours, Aloy of the Nora.” Hekarro, pushing off the table to stand straight, pledged to Aloy without hesitation. “We will gladly fight at your side against this threat.”

Kotallo nodded, having expected that Hekarro would swear to Aloy once he heard about Nemesis.

All Tenakth loved a good fight, and there would be no greater battle for his tribe then fighting to protect their world, and all life in it, from being snuffed out.

“I assume that you want Kotallo to spread the word on your behalf amongst the Clans?” Hekarro perceptively asked, looking between Kotallo and Aloy.

It was well known that Kotallo was a member of Aloy’s squad, so it was only logical that he do this task within his tribe for his CO.

Aloy nodded. “It’s why I’m returning him to your command for the time being.”

Hekarro nodded back before he addressed the younger man. “Marshal.”

“Yes, Chief?” Kotallo responded.

“I will still require you to do your duties as a Marshal from time to time, but henceforth, your primary task is to do what your Commander has asked you to do.”

“I understand, Chief.” Kotallo nodded his head to Hekarro, then repeated the action to Aloy. “Commander.”

“Marshal.” Aloy returned the nod.

“I will endeavour to make sure that he’s returned to your command, when the time comes, in one piece.” Hekarro told Aloy seriously, understanding that the GAIA Gang would be front and center when the fight finally began.

“I’d appreciate that.” Aloy thanked Hekarro. “And I actually have a couple of things to give you to help with that, as well as to help unify and rally the Tenakth. The first are these…”

Reaching into one of her back pouches, Aloy brought out three Focuses, coming around the table to give one each to Hekarro, Dekka and Ivvira.

“Your Old One relic?” Hekarro asked as he studied the tiny piece of metal in his fingers.

“It’s called a Focus.” Aloy explained, then gestured to where her Focus sat on her temple. “They go on the temple, just like mine.”

One by one, the three Tenakth did as instructed, the Focuses adhering to their skin when they were close enough and activating, which startled them at first as they experienced the Focus’ Second Sight and what it revealed for the first time.

“This is how you see the world?” Dekka breathed out as she got used to the display around her.

“Ever since I was a little girl.” Aloy responded, sounding a little wistful as she spoke those words, and Kotallo knew why: that was what she’d said to Varl the first time he’d donned his Focus.

“You activate and deactivate the Focus by tapping it, just like this.” Kotallo told his Chief, the Chaplain and his fellow Marshal, showing them how, so that they could deactivate them for now. “I can teach you the rest of the functions with time.”

“Kotallo has the rest of the Tenakth’s Focuses, to be distributed to the rest of the Marshals, the Clan Commanders and the Chaplains, as well as anyone else he deems worthy and trustworthy of them.” Aloy explained to Hekarro. “You’ll be connected to our greater network from now on, be able to contact any member of it, if you wish, including myself and members of my squad, but GAIA can set up a seperate network, just for the Tenakth, if you want her to.”

“I thank you.” Hekarro nodded.

“The second part are the Sunwings. Kotallo has his. The first spare is yours.” Aloy said to Hekarro. “And the last…”

Ivvira perked up and looked hopefully at Aloy. “Is mine?”

“A training tool, for now, to allow the Marshals to get used to flying. You’ll get yours soon enough.” Aloy corrected with a chuckle before turning back to Hekarro. “I should be able to tame the remaining machines - for the Marshals, at least - over the next couple of weeks and will bring them here as I do. If you feel that there are others who deserve one, who won’t abuse the privilege, let me know, and I can tame more at a later date.”

“You have my thanks and gratitude for this, Aloy. These gifts will make the Marshals far more effective at their jobs.” Hekarro thanked Aloy profusely, clearly recognising, like Kotallo had, the show of trust and faith that Aloy was putting in him and his tribe in doing what she had.

“And far more formidable against what remains of the rebels, or any other trouble-makers.” Ivvira enthused. “I almost wish that they would try something, though, if only to see the look on their faces when we show up on our own Wings of the Ten.”

Kotallo chuckled at that, having imagined it himself.

“There’s one last thing that the Focus can do for you.” Aloy told Hekarro. “Perhaps the most important thing.”

“And what might that be?”

Activating her Focus, Aloy displayed a table containing the Latin alphabet for Hekarro, Dekka and Ivvira to look at.

“Carja glyphs?” Hekarro asked after a moment of studying the table, clearly remembering Fashav’s journal.

“The Old Ones called it the alphabet.” Aloy corrected. “It’s how they read and wrote. Each Focus contains an educational module that will teach you how to as well.”

Hekarro blinked at that, then pulled his Focus from his temple to look at it. “This little relic can teach me and my people the written language of the Old Ones?”

Aloy nodded. “Just as I learned when I was a girl. Just as Kotallo did when he joined my team.”

“Of all the things you’ve offered today, this is by far the most precious. Thank you, Aloy. We won’t forget this.”

“It’s why you were reaching out to Avad, isn’t it? To learn how, so that the Tenakth could record their history in another way, and not lose it?” Aloy asked rhetorically in return, already knowing the answer.

Hekarro simply nodded his head in answer.

“For you and the others who have a Focus, you can learn at your convenience, but for the rest of the Tenakth, I was thinking that the Chaplains could expand their duties and become teachers of the written word as well.”

“As they should.” Hekarro nodded in agreement, seeing that Aloy understood his tribe well enough to give this task to the ones best suited to it, even despite being an outlander, before turning to Dekka. “Do you agree, Chaplain?”

“I do, Chief. Thank you for this, Aloy.” Dekka offered her own thanks to the young woman for the opportunity she was giving them. “I’ll get word to Jetakka and Gerrah.”

“If you’re ever stuck, or need help, with this, or anything else, don’t hesitate to reach out.” Aloy informed Hekarro. “I’m staying in the West for now and I’m more than happy to assist wherever and however I can.”

Hekarro nodded his head. “I will keep that in mind. Thank you, Aloy.”

- - - - - - - - - -

“You’re more than welcome to stay here for the night, if you wish.” Kotallo told Aloy as they made their way back to where Aloy’s Sunwing was waiting, pausing as one of the guards returned Aloy’s grapple and the bag to her.

“Thanks for the offer, but I’ll have to pass. We all saw how fragile Beta was after we rescued her, and with the Base now empty, I’d rather not leave her there alone right now, at least until she’s feeling a bit better.”

They’d all seen how shaken Beta had been, and they’d kept themselves in her sights at all times those first few days after her rescue, so she knew that what had happened was real and that she was safe.

Not to mention that her nightmares continued to plague her nightly.

“I understand. Fly safe, Aloy.”

“Will do. I’ll see you in a few days with the next lot of Sunwings.” Aloy offered in parting as her Sunwing took to the skies.

ψ - σ - ρ - ξ - ζ - ε

“Erend and Alva get away okay?” Aloy asked when she returned to the Base, not surprised to find Beta in GAIA’s chamber, checking over the reinstalled AI.

“Yeah. Erend was going to escort her to the ferry to make sure she got there safely, then return to the Hidden Ember.” Beta told her sister as Aloy came to a stop beside her and embraced the younger clone from the side as she worked. “He said he’d call when he got back, so we knew he was okay.”

Beta looked up from her work, suddenly timid and uncertain about what she wanted to ask. “Hey… um… you wanna watch some eps of Second Time Around with me after dinner?”

In the past, Aloy had deemed such things as irrelevant, preferring to remain focused on the mission, so she understood Beta’s hesitance to ask her about it now, but after they’d hashed out their differences, Aloy had vowed that she would start treating Beta with the kindness that she was overdue to receive, which included showing interest in the things her sister loved.

“Sure. Why not?”

Beta beamed in response. “Really?”

“Really.” Aloy affirmed. “Though speaking of dinner…”

Beta just smiled, knowing of her sister’s love of food, and let herself be led out of GAIA’s chamber and towards the kitchen.

ψ - σ - ρ - ξ - ζ - ε

As for me, I can’t say that I’m not afraid.

What lies ahead will be harder than anything we've faced before.

But I know I can put the fear aside, because for the first time in my life... I feel like I’m not alone.

ψ - σ - ρ - ξ - ζ - ε

[thenomadclan]

The Day of Fathers

(A Yautja Predator Short Story)

The sounds of the plasma engine hummed through the ship, the steady like vibrations upon laying in the bed was almost relaxing or even therapeutic. Nomad slowly began to wake up, having his eyes meet a feminine pale white as snow Yautja with pink stripes. The female he was looking at was his mate Cji’ru’öld (Snow), he admired her sleeping beauty as she purred from whatever that head was dreaming. Gently he caressed his mates cheeks to her dreadlocks, while in response she sleepily leaned into the caressed palm. Gently he pressed his forehead against her which then began to wake her up, she looked in confusion but allowed it. “Mmmm what are you doing Red” she asked still trying to wake up, Nomad replied “I’m just admiring my lovely Snowflakes beauty and Grace”. She blushed/clicked in embarrassment as she placed her head against his chest, what was a moment of hiding turned into one where she began to listen to his steady heart.

Nomad didn’t pull away not pushed her off, instead let her head rest on him as he pet her dreadlocks down her back, purring lovingly. As this moment stretched longer they were met by the sound of their door WHOOSHING open, quickly Nomad looked at the sight of two red & white blurs tackling him and Snow. He groaned in pain but saw his two children, La’kee was the eldest, he was just like Nomad with long dreadlocks and red skin but the difference being the white stripes he got from his mother. Pok’I was the youngest, sporting a lightish red but had dark red stripes with white secondary stripes.:“Wake up! Father! Mother! We are almost there!” La’kee said excitedly, Nomad teasing said “Mmmmm whatever could you mean?” Trying to have his sons believe I forgot what this trip was about. “WAIT! MOTHER PLEASE DON’T TELL US FATHER FORGOT!?” Pok’I said as she was on Snow, cuddling next to her. Snow have a look of ‘okay cut it out’ to Nomad, he replied that he’s excited to bring them home and begin their first day of training.

A couple of hours later they arrived at the planet of Yautja Prime, flying directly to a city that was made as a meet up. Upon arriving at the docking port, Nomad was met with two big Yautja’s built like human tanks. As intimidating as they looked, they instantly welcomed Nomad and Snow with hugs so tight bones could accidentally turn to dust. It was Boulder & Basher, Nomads half sisters, they had been holding down the fort of Nomads Clan while he and his Mate were having some family time alone with their children. “Brother! It’s good to see you! How was trip?!” Boulder asked as she placed Nomad down while playing with her nephew and niece, much to the jealousy of Basher. “It was great, a nice vacation that was well earned. How is everyone back at the Clan?” Nomad replied as he got La’kee & Pok’I off Bolder and set them on his shoulders.

“They miss their leader, understandably having itchy trigger fingers, they are desperate for a hunt” Basher said as she put down Snow, Nomad agreed it has been awhile since a worthy hunt had been conducted. “Tell you what, why don’t you take Snow & Pok’I to the Clan to get situated while me and La’kee here do alittle bonding. I promise as soon as I’m done we will hunt something that’ll quench the thirst of the impatient hunters.” Nomad stated which Boulder and Basher were happy to report as they escorted Snow & Pok’I to their home hut. Nomad breathed easier as he held La’kee on his shoulders, walking around the streets of Yautja Primes City. His son watched as many passed by, either giving his father a dirty look or one of praise.

“Father, is being apart of your clan bad” he asked almost concerned, Nomad looked up at his son alittle worried “Never my son, being a Nomad is a great honor, being apart of a Clan that saved Yautja Prime? Who wouldn’t wanna be apart of it!” He said hoping to calm his son. “Then why do others look down on us” his son brought up, and it was a fair question as Nomad took his son off his shoulders. “La’kee I won’t lie to you, the Nomad Clan originally was that of Bad Bloods simply wanting to survive, but when pushed they pushed back harder to the point that every hated them. It was my job to redeem the clan and I did…but not without the help of your Elder Drago” Nomad said as he then showed a statue of a Yautja with a mechanical arm, samurai like armor, and a flag he held showing the clan symbol. La’kee looked up at the statue and at the words on the stone, written was the names of all the Nomad Clan that had lost their lives in the pursuit of redeeming themselves and the Clan. “Who was he to you” La’kee asked looking back at Nomad, “He was a Father that I never had” Nomad replied as he held his son close and looking up at the statue that just like Drago, forever stood tall.

-The End-

Happy Fathers Day ^^

Characters:

-Nomad (Art by Tsitra1288 on TikTok)

-Boulder & Basher (Art by Jaid_Wing)

-Snow / Cji’ru’öld

-Drago (Art by Takkel)

@bunnyraptor69 @black-suns-rim @captainraye @captainrayessketches @chillxxdash @daswhox @exileraptorda-goat1906437 @glitterfilledcriminal @gracecelestial @ghostwraith7 @kazumiabi @loser-brain @leechandoki @lunaerebus @queenlybeastly @shaymin-99 @skadi-gemini @vinylghast @wolfsnowphoenix @whereisxyro

[depressedhatakekakashi]

Midnight

Iwa Gai: Midnight

Words: 2,364

Pairing: Kakagai

Characters: Maito Gai, Hatake Kakashi, Tsunade, Shizune

Eleven fifty-seven pm.

Only a few minutes left until midnight, and instead of hanging out with his friends celebrating the upcoming new year, Gai was sitting on his roof watching the stars sparkling high in the sky.

There were a hundred other things that he could be doing with his time, but this was the only place he felt some small sort of peace. The only spot in all of Iwagakure where he could be alone with all of his thoughts. 

“I wonder,” his eyes scanned over the sky, taking in every single star that he could see. “Are you seeing this sky tonight? Are we watching it together?”

There weren’t a lot of things that they could do together. After all, they were technically enemies and it wasn’t as though they could go see each other whenever they wanted to. If that was an option, Gai would be in Konoha with him. He’d be holding him in his arms, kissing him, and never letting go. 

He’d be waiting impatiently for the day when he got to meet their child, rather than sulking on a roof alone staring up at the stars knowing that he’d probably never get to see the child he already loved so much. 

Every day away from his lover was a painful reminder of the lives they lived.

The secrecy that had to surround their relationship, to the point where Gai couldn’t even tell his closest friends that he was going to be a father because they’d all turn their backs on him and call him a traitor.

All for the crime of falling in love with someone from another village. 

“What are you doing?” he asked as one of the stars sparkled under his watchful eye. 

Eleven Fifty-Nine pm. 

Time was ticking. Another year was coming to an end, and yet nothing had changed.

Gai would continue forward just as he always had. He’d crawl down off of this roof and join his friends in the celebration. He’d drink, cheer, laugh, and pretend that everything was alright. 

Another year gone and another new year ahead of him, and it would all be exactly the same, except this time there was a child. 

A little one with his blood coursing through their veins, who he would never get to see with his own eyes because as good as Kakashi was he’d never be able to keep a baby quiet long enough to get out of the village and meet him.

They’d be caught if they tried, and everything would be over for them. It simply wasn’t a risk worth taking after all of the work they’d put in to keep their little secret, even if it broke his heart knowing that he’d never get to hug his child or tell them just how much he loved them.

Twelve am.

The clock rang through the little village, alerting them to the start of a brand new year. Below him, the village erupted in cheer as the clock struck twelve, and suddenly the stars disappeared behind the blinding light of the fireworks that erupted into the air. “Ah, whatever. I’m sure you’re having fun. Anyways,” settling back in his spot, he watched as a giant green flower formed among the fireworks. “Happy New Year.”

Two twelve am. 

Kakashi felt exhausted. His body ached all over and whatever drug Tsunade-sama had given him was beginning to wear off leaving him feeling more nauseous than he ever had in the past nine months. All he wanted to do was close his eyes and fall asleep, but he couldn’t. 

His body may have been tired, but his mind was racing. Going a hundred miles a minute, it kept bringing up all sorts of possible scenarios as he watched Tsunade-sama and Shizune with their backs turned to him, crouched over the table they were working at.

The table where they had set everything up for the new baby. 

Something’s wrong.

He shook his head, determined to ignore all of the worries swirling around in his mind. For nine months everything had been fine. He’d lived in clothes that were two sizes too big for him, and eaten food that he wouldn’t have even thought of touching before, but it was alright. He was healthy.

His kid was healthy.

It could change in a second.

Another unwanted thought that he shoved to the back of his mind. Reading all of those medical textbooks while he was off missions hadn’t done much to settle his anxieties, which seemed ridiculous when he really thought about it because he rarely allowed anything to get to him like this.

Everything could go wrong at all times. That was simply a fact of life. One mistake on a mission could result in him losing his life, or burying another precious person far too early. It had always bothered him, but he’d never allowed that information to get to him. It was simply a fact he couldn’t change.

This was different, though. The life on the line wasn’t his own or another trained shinobi, but a child. 

A baby.

One small mistake on his part could cost that child their life, and he wasn’t sure that was something he could live with. Not just because it would break his own heart knowing he’d failed to protect his own child, but because he knew it would shatter Gai’s heart.

 “Tsunade-sama,” he tried to sit up, but his body refused to allow him that simple movement. Every bone in his body revolted, refusing to allow him to even get an elbow under his body or lift move his head so that he could get a better view of what was going on. “I-”

“Settle down, Kakashi,” there was an unusual calmness to her voice. This wasn’t the same strained calm of the Hokage he’d come to know, or the angry calm of a woman who’d had too much to drink and had to deal with inappropriate comments from a horny man. No, this was something he’d never heard in her voice before. A calmness that most likely came from years of experience as a doctor who needed to know how to settle her patience, but which still made him feel as though he was speaking to someone completely different.

“There,” Shizune’s cheerful voice cut through his thoughts, pulling his attention to her as she turned around in her spot and began making her way toward him. “Check-up is all done.”

“Check up…” Once again he tried to sit up, and once again his body refused to allow him to do so. Instead, he was forced to lay there watching as Shizune came to a stop at his side, a little bundle of purple tucked away in her arms. “How-”

“She’s in good health,” Tsunade answered, a tender smile on her face when she turned to meet Kakashi’s eye. “Which is impressive considering I know you haven’t been doing everything I told you to, and-” she held up a hand to silence him when he tried to argue. “Don’t try to deny it. Captain Yamato has been keeping me updated. Including the little bit about hedging.”

There was no argument to be had. Kakashi had done that, but he’d made a calculated decision when his friends had insisted on taking him to the Onsen for a relaxing day. The last thing he’d wanted was to walk out with his body on display when it was a body that made him cringe to look at. 

He’d just have to have a chat with Tenzo about ratting him out like that.

“You want to hold her?” looking back at Shizune, he watched as she held the little bundle out toward him. “She’s asleep right now, but we have bottles ready for when she wakes up.”

Before he could respond, Shizune was laying the bundle in his arms and helping him to adjust his hold so that the baby's head was supported in the curve of his arm. It was a little awkward at first, but as soon as he laid his eyes on her tiny face he forgot all about the way his arm ached under the extra weight.

All that mattered was her.

Her beautiful busy eyebrows that looked far too big for a newborn child, the brilliant silver hair that lay flat against her head shining under the light. Even the mole under her chin was beautiful in his opinion, and growing up he’d always hated seeing the matching mole that sat just under his bottom lip.

“She’s perfect.”

“Of course she is,” Shizune giggled. “Doesn’t every parent think that about their child?”

Thinking back to his own childhood, he couldn’t help but agree. It had always seemed to him that his father thought he was perfect, even when he could think of times when he was quite the opposite. 

A parent's love was often blinding, even to the mistakes that their children made. 

“Hello,” he whispered, focusing his full attention on the little one sleeping so soundly in his arms. “I- still don’t have a name for you. I’m sorry.”

“You’ll think of one,” Tsunade-sama assured him as she came up to his other side and claimed the seat at his side. A seat which she had told him before would usually be reserved for the child’s other parent, but which was left empty.

After all, the other parent couldn’t be there. Even if Tsunade-sama wanted to allow him into the village, which she had made clear she didn’t when she finally got Kakashi to admit to who it was, she couldn’t.

He was an enemy shinobi, and unless Konoha and Iwagakure suddenly decided to form an actual peace agreement rather than a flimsy truce that could crumble at any moment, he would never be allowed into the village.

So instead, Tsunade-sama claimed the seat, and Kakashi found he couldn’t complain. At least he wasn’t alone. 

“Well,” leaning forward, she stared at the child lying so peacefully in Kakashi’s arms while Shizune busied herself with cleaning the table they had just used to do their check-up. “What next?”

Kakashi simply shrugged his shoulders. For once, he didn’t have a plan. Even thinking about what he wanted to do next hurt his head because half of the things on that list he’d never be able to do without causing himself a lot of pain. 

Still, he needed to provide an answer. Something small to give himself a sense of direction and to provide Tsunade-sama with some assurance that he wasn’t going to pack up his life and leave now that his child was born. A worry which he had no doubt had been running through her mind from the moment he told her who the other father was. 

“Next…” he whispered, thinking through all of the paths he could take. The ones that wouldn’t get him into trouble or turn his entire world upside down. “Well, I think we should let Yamato in.”

Shizune barely contained her laughter when he said that. “He is waiting outside,” she admitted with a shy smile when Tsunade-sama glanced her way. “He said he couldn’t focus knowing that his niece or nephew might be stuck with just their dad until he got the messenger bird.”

“Oh wow,” Kakashi groaned. “A whole five minutes with just me. How terrible.”

A hand came down on top of his head, ruffling his hair slightly. For a second it felt like he was five years old again and it was his weird aunt Tsunade sitting beside him, rather than the village leader.

It provided Kakashi with a comforting feeling that he hadn’t realized he was missing until that moment. 

“I’ll go get him,” she said, motioning for Shizune to follow her out of the room. “And we’ll give you those five minutes before he heads in, so make sure to use them well.”

With that, they were off. The door swung open to allow for their escape and promptly swung closed behind them and suddenly Kakashi was alone. Just him and his newborn child in a large empty room.

Five minutes. That was all he had and there was so much he wanted to say. Stories he wanted to tell her about the father that she may never get the chance to meet. Promises he wanted to whisper even though he wasn’t certain he could ever keep them. A whole history of how she had come to exist in this world, and how much he already loved her.

He didn’t have the time, though.

Five minutes just wasn’t enough.

So, instead of telling her all of the things he desperately wished he could, he opted for something much simpler. Words that he hoped would follow her for the rest of her life regardless of what else happened.

“Hello,” he whispered, smiling down at her as she moved her head against his arm. “You are…” the words caught in his throat, refusing to come out until he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. They weren’t particularly hard to say, but there were so many emotions that threatened to flood out as soon as the words left his mouth. Once he was certain he’d brought his feelings back under control he opened his eyes and smiled down at her once more. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered, chuckling when he heard the words falling from his mouth. “Gorgeous, in fact. He’d love you, just as I do.”

After a moment he dragged his eyes away from her adorable face and looked out the window at the night sky. “You’re probably asleep,” he spoke, knowing his words would never be heard by the one he wanted so badly to speak to, but saying them anyway. “It’s an exciting day. I suspect you’ll need your sleep so you’re ready for it,” high above in the night sky the stars twinkled. A brilliant sight that would have absorbed his attention any other night, but which seemed so dull in comparison to the tiny bundle laying in his arms. 

“Happy Birthday,” he sighed as his heart ached in his chest. “I think I outdid everyone else this year for presents.”

[lex-play]

Light My Soul on Fire pt 9

Katsuki adjusted the sleeves of his burnt orange button up as he walked, making sure they both rested right below the crook of his elbow.

Izuku had sent him an address to meet, which had surprised Katsuki a bit, having expected to meet at the little omega’s apartment. It made him all the more curious about where they were going.

Katsuki was both surprised and not surprised at all to be downtown, and once he was sure his sleeves weren’t lopsided, he pulled out his phone to see how close he was to the location.

He stopped abruptly when he realized it was right across the street.

The restaurant was cute, not very big, with string lights and vines set up around the outside in a manner that was welcoming and sweet. As Katsuki rushed across the street, he noticed a wooden a-frame sign sitting outside the open door.

Artist Exhibition Gallery

Open until midnight

Admission ¥XX

There was a small list of artists, none of which Katsuki recognized, and instead of making a fool of himself by going looking for the nerd, he pulled his phone out and sent a text.

>> I’m outside, I think.

It took a bit to get a response, long enough for Katsuki to get concerned, but eventually his phone vibrated with a message.

<< yay!

<< come inside and give the hostess your name.

<< you’re on the guest list

<< I’ll come meet you

Katsuki smiled, pocketed his phone, and walked right up to the counter where the hostess stood.

“Bakugou Katsuki,” he said, a bit impatiently. The omega hostess hadn’t said anything, instead just looked him up and down in a way that he immediately recognized. She started at his tone and moved to check the list in front of her.

“You’re a guest for Midoriya?”

The shock in her tone set his teeth on edge.

“Yes. Am I good to go in?”

She pursed her lips and nodded.

“Hey, if-“

“Kacchan!” Izuku cut off whatever the annoying extra had started to say, and Katsuki felt his annoyance melt away almost instantly.

“Hey,” Katsuki said. “You look good.”

That was putting it mildly. The little nerd looked fucking edible. The long black shirt was long in the back and sides but short in the front, which drew attention to his small waist and the white pants hugged his thighs deliciously.

“You too. I’m glad you could make it,” Izuku beamed at him before turning to the hostess, his smile sharper than before. “Enjoy your evening, Togeike.”

Katsuki stifled a laugh as Izuku linked their arms together and led Katsuki further into the restaurant.

“You know her?” Katsuki asked as he glanced around. One half of the restaurant had been cleared for the exhibition, paintings hung on the walls and propped on easels for easy display, while the other was left to its usual devices. Katsuki had never been to one of these events before, so he didn’t know if the setup was normal or not, but he liked it.

“I’ve had a few exhibits here before and she’s always worked during them. She’s…” Izuku paused, seemingly trying to find the right words. “She’s kind of off. I’m not sure if it’s just me she acts weird towards, or if it’s all of the artists, but she’s made some comments and I’ve caught her whispering to other employees while staring at me so I usually do my best to avoid her.”

Katsuki frowned and glanced back towards the front of the restaurant, only to find the omega in question staring at them with an expression Katsuki could recognize in his sleep.

Envy.

~*~*~*~*~

I’m in a bit of a bind so I’m going back to doing 500 word updates on any of my fics for $10. That includes fics on twit that I haven’t moved over yet. If anyone would like to contribute it would be super helpful and appreciated. 🥰

[boundless-xxx]

Every time Elizabeth looked at the manor, she felt an unpleasant sensation in her stomach. She wondered what would become of her when the slaveholders discovered she didn’t know how to function in the kitchen.

  Such was her anguish that Elizabeth asked for help from one of the slave women who had been a cook before ending up at Bayou Boeuf. As luck would have it, the woman gave Elizabeth an old wrinkled page book she had brought with her from her West Africa village, which nevertheless contained quite a few recipes and was useful.

  Before dawn, the door of her barracks abruptly opened with a loud bang. She quickly scrambled for the book and kept it hidden under her dress.

  “Rise and shine, nigger.”

The sun took the liberty of bouncing into the gloomy barracks, granting bright light and silhouetting Master Johnson. His face remained in shadow, but she could see his dirty blonde hair was wet and messy.

Some of the female slaves she shared the shack with sat up startled, but all of their eyes were on her. Elizabeth didn’t return his greeting, deciding to stay bundled in her blanket and glower. Johnson sniffed impatiently, removing his arms from the door and snapped his fingers as if expecting her to heel.

Her hands balled.  

“Get up, nigga. It’s time to begin.”

Standing slowly, letting the blanket fall off her hips, she brushed lingering dirt off her clothes. Johnson snapped his fingers again, and she moved willingly—coasting to his side exactly as he wanted. He scowled; his gaze full of suspicion.

She gave him an empty smile. He wouldn’t know that by Epps’ trying to break her last night, he only gave her a new avenue of strength.

I’m ready.

For whatever he threw at me.

I’ll survive.

Until she no longer needed to try.

Running her hands through her hair, she quickly gave up with the tangles.

“You think that will save you, nigga? Lookin’ presentable?” His voice was blizzard and snow.

She didn’t say a word. He gritted his jaw and his hands curled beside his spread legs. Her muscles braced for punishment.

Without a sound, he grabbed hold of her upper arm, spun her around, and marched her backward out of the barracks. The morning sun kissed her skin and she embraced it, hugging it close, so Johnson’s ice didn’t slice her into pieces. His fingers tightened around her arm but she refused to claw at his hold.

She’ll repay in kind. Whatever she did to him in self-defense, she knew she’d get back ten times worse. But none of that mattered now because she knew how to survive.

By being above them.

By being untouchable on the inside even while they broke her on the outside.

“You think you got it all figured out, don’t ya?” Keeping her emotions buried, she stared blankly at the man who dared touch her. Johnson was cold stone with sharp contours, piercing blue eyes, gravelly voice, and imposing personality. If it wasn’t for the greed glowing in his eyes, she would’ve preferred him. But despite Epp’s granite exterior and sharpness, she knew in her heart she was better off being his plaything than this Johnson.

  There was something missing inside him.

  A soul.

  His lips pulled into a cruel smile; his fingers tightened until every inch of her wanted to jerk away.  “I get what you doin’. But mark my words. You won’t win.”

  Shaking her, he unwound his fingers, then smoothed the front of his pants. The sun gleamed on the gold buckle of his belt and her heart stuttered but the jolt was over quickly as he pushed right past her. She followed him trying hard to keep up with his fast pace, like a pathetic puppy dog.

When they reached the manor, he didn’t lead her to the front but instead went through a small garden to the back door. Without saying a word, he grabbed her arm again and ushered her into the kitchen, slamming the door closed behind her.

  After a few minutes, Elizabeth managed to calm down and thought it best to start preparing breakfast without wasting time. She tried to memorize where the spices were, where they kept the food and managed to light the fire.

  There was a deafening silence in the house, but she soon realized that she was not the only slave there. While cooking, she noticed a few slaves moving about the house silently, their heads bowed and avoiding all eye contact.  

                      While she made sure breakfast didn't get cold, a female slave walked into the kitchen. She was dark, slim, and her hair was cut short to her scalp. There was an air of loftiness in her movement, that neither labor, nor weariness, nor punishment was able to destroy. Elizabeth greeted her and tried to introduce herself, but the woman was startled in fright. She put a finger to her lips for Elizabeth to be silent, ignoring her and took the dishes that were prepared.

  Elizabeth remained locked inside the kitchen, assuming that her task would be there the entire day. A few hours later, the same woman who had served breakfast appeared and informed Elizabeth of the lunches and dinners that Master Epps liked. She could hardly memorize half of the dishes she listed and before leaving, the woman told Elizabeth to prepare plenty of food for dinner because he was expecting guests.

  Elizabeth got to work. She remembered O’s words and had to admit that working in the house was going to be much easier to survive. The chances of her being whipped or even falling ill were low now that she wasn’t constantly under the watchful eye of all the slave masters.

  As it began to get dark, deep male southern voices filled the house. She couldn’t hear them clearly except when they laughed in unison or sang some song.

  The woman who was in charge of serving came back into the kitchen. She looked at the plates that were ready to take and turned to Elizabeth and whispered that it was a good thing that she had made enough food. Inside, Elizabeth felt some relief because she was scared that it wasn't enough. It gave her time to prepare more dishes and get the cake out of the oven before the woman came back. Despite what the woman had said, the food disappeared without having any intention of being left over. She worked like a madwoman carrying rations and seemed a little more nervous than necessary.

  When dinner was coming to an end, the woman was ordered to get more drinks from down in the cellar, leaving Elizabeth to bring out the sweet potato pie. “Be discreet an don’t make no mistakes... Don't look at nobody either," she warned Elizabeth before going down below.

  Elizabeth’s legs began to tremble. "It's just a matter of bringing a piece of cake," she thought, trying to calm down. She swallowed hard and with her head bowed she headed to the dining room with the plate in her hand. Arriving at the door, she saw that the white men had taken off their jackets. They had on their shirts of white linen or cotton, with high turnover collars. They spoke and laughed in such casual tones. Epps presided over the table with another man, who was the only one that looked serious.

  There was a male slave at the end of the table, dressed in brown and red livery pulling at a rope. Elizabeth did a quick glance up to see that it was attached to a wooden panel mounted on the dining room ceiling, acting as a fan to create a breeze.

  She approached carefully, leaving the cake on the table. The owner’s gaze immediately shifted from her hands directly to her eyes. His pupils dilated and his smile widened, giving him that perverse aspect, she had seen before. She looked away and left the room quickly.

  Before it was midnight, the guests left, and the house fell silent. That was when the woman who had helped her all day showed up. "My name’s Patsy," she whispered softly.

  “Elizabeth." She replied, trying to exchange a glance with her.

  The back door of the villa opened, and Johnson broke into the kitchen, startling both of the women.

  "You," he said, pointing his finger firmly at Patsy. Her eyes widened in fear. “Orders of Master Epps go on, get. Return to the barracks. Mastah Epps don't want you hangin’ around his house.”

  Patsy nodded, and the overseer slammed the door behind him loudly. Without questioning his orders, Patsy started to clean up quickly with Elizabeth imitating her. When the kitchen was spotless, Patsy said goodbye but Elizabeth quickly grabbed onto her arm. "Wait... Where are you going?" she asked nervously.

  “To sleep. You heard Massa Johnson, you stay ‘ere.”

  “Why? Where have the others gone? Why can't I go with them?”

  Patsy let out a tired laugh and then gave her a curious look. "I don't know, but you is lucky. This here’s less cold than in the barracks... even in the cella’. You gotta do what they tell you," she said.

  When the door closed behind her, it left an unpleasant silence and Elizabeth suddenly felt very alone.

  After cleaning and making sure the candles in the kitchen were out, she silently went down the wooden stairs that led to the cellar to sleep. It was gloomy, damp and only illuminated by faint candlelight. On the walls there were some shelves with liquors from all sources. There was a window which hardly any outside light would enter. It looked more sinister than the little shack she had been sleeping in before. The only difference was she wasn’t alone and now thought she wasn't lucky as that woman had said.

  She sat on the stiff mattress that creaked from the wood, despite her light weight. She was so exhausted that the minute she closed her eyes she fell fast asleep.

  “Wake up, Elizabeth,” a low soft voice whispered.

  She tossed and turned in her bed, fighting something in

her head, but she didn’t know what it was.

  “Come on, darling. Wake up, you’re dreaming,” it said

Again.

  She felt a large warm hand gently shake her shoulder. And then, finally, her eyes opened and she jack-knifed out of bed, her loud gasps on the verge of screams as she tried to cling to her state of sudden reality.

  “Hey, Elizabeth, it’s okay. It was only a dream.”

  And then, she felt a familiar warm hand on her back, rubbing softly up and down, and she was calm almost immediately.

  She looked over to find Josh sitting up in bed, concern on his face as he tried to comfort her. A huge wave of relief abruptly washed over her as her hand reached up to touch his stubble covered face.

  He felt real.

  This felt real.

  And when Elizabeth finally came to that conclusion, she quickly clutched onto him,

holding him as tight as she could so that he could never let go, instantly melting when her skin connected with his body heat.

  So real.

  “Hey, what’s wrong? What happened?” he asked her

softly with that same concern in his voice again.

  It made her want to cry.

  “I just had the most horrifying dream ever.”

  “You’re okay, Elizabeth. Everything is fine,” Josh said

reassuringly.

  God, just hearing his voice was a symphony of relief, a chorus of salvation.

  It gave her the soothing confirmation that she was safe, that she wasn’t a slave and that she was home …where she belonged.

  “I know,” She said, sniffling back tears, thankful none of it was real.

  He pulled back, taking her face in his hands, and softly rubbed her cheeks with his thumbs. “Tell me what happened,” he said.

  “I dreamed I… I went back in time. To the 1800s and I was a slave! And I was sold to this man. This horrible man and I …”

  She suddenly felt strange.

  Like sick to her stomach strange.

  “And what, Elizabeth?” Josh pressed.

  “And …” She tried to continue with her story, but her stomach continued to ache with a strange pressure that seemed to wrap itself entirely around her torso. She suddenly couldn’t breathe; she felt the panic rise as her blood rushed and her heart began to race.

  Darkness shrouded her vision, and she could no longer see Josh.

  “Josh?” She called out to him, but there was no answer. “Josh!”

  She felt the pressure grow until her limbs gradually locked in place. Something was constricting her, coiling and tightening around her like a boa constrictor, squeezing the life out of her.

  “No, no, no, no!” She screamed.

  It wasn’t real.

  It wasn’t supposed to be real.

  Darkness consumed her until she felt invaded by it. She couldn’t move, she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t see, yet all she could hear was a hauntingly familiar voice echoing in the background. 

“Mine,” it kept saying. “All mine.” 

She fought with all her might to move, but not a single muscle was able to penetrate the force. She couldn’t even scream. 

Jolting from the bed, she woke up. She was a sweaty mess, her chest heaved as she sucked in heavy breaths. Her heart raced as she put her head in her hands trying to calm down. 

Heavy footsteps from above startled her even more. She looked up, the sound coming from the wooden stairs getting louder and closer. Tears poured from her eyes as she realized that dream had been the false one, and she was still trapped in her nightmare. 

Quickly, Elizabeth got out of the bed wiping her tears away but she froze. Before she could even see him, she felt his presence.

The atmosphere turned thick with tension, heavy with expectation.

Epps reached the bottom step. His clothes were wrinkled, his white collar shirt was unbuttoned and his hair was tousled some of it sticking to his forehead that glistened with sweat, his eyes glazed over, shiny and unfocused and by the way his body swayed, he was clearly intoxicated.

He looked left, then right, as if searching for something. She thought he was looking for something to drink but his cold eyes locked on hers. Her heart raced as he walked slowly towards her, closing the distance between them.

A furious shadow darkened his face. "Where the bones from dinner?" His tone was anger tempered with restraint. She knew it from their past encounters.

Her throat closed up. For a second, she just stared at him, paralyzed by terror. She couldn’t hear anything but the roaring of her own heartbeat in her ears.

He sighed heavily, and stepped closer, crowding her. “When I ask you a question, I expect a verbal answer. Is that understood?” he practically growled.

“Yes, master.”

He glared down at her, a warning clear across his face. “The bones from dinner are for my dogs... Where are they?” 

She swallowed and answered him in a weak voice trying to apologize. "I threw them away. I didn't know—" 

He tutted under his breath. “Well that’s the problem, ain’t it? You don’t know. You think you do. You think all of this is a joke.”

   She shook her head violently. “No! I don’t! I swear I— 

His hand lashed out grabbing by her throat. “I done told Pats, she told you and don’t you dare call her a liar!” His voice was a low snarl and filled with a devious danger she didn’t want to experience. 

“She didn’t tell me anything,” Elizabeth said between breaths. “I didn’t know—” 

His other hand quickly found its way into her hair and yanked hard, effectively shutting her up. 

“You wanna keep arguin’ with me and make it worse?” he asked menacingly, his lips grazed over her jaw. 

“No.” she breathed. 

���Then learn to shut your mouth.” 

She sniffed back her angry tears as she sank her teeth into her tongue. She didn’t think it was possible to hate this man anymore than she already did. 

He released his grip around her throat but kept his fingers wrapped tight in her hair, burning her scalp. He practically dragged her backward, his grip on her hair was so tight it blinded her with pain. She couldn’t help but groan in agony as he kept his arm down at his side, she had to crouch and walk at the same time. He dragged her along up the stairs and through the house. He didn’t even wait for her to back-peddle, just clutched her hard, dragging her like a dead corpse.  She struggled to keep up, stumbling until they were outside. 

His shoes crunched against the dirt. “You ain’t never goin grasp the depth of what all this means til you been educated. You done pissed me off so much so that—” Slamming to a halt, he shoved her shoulder blades. “Get on your knees.” 

She wheeled forward, crashing from standing to landing on all fours. 

No! 

She winced as the gravel bit into her palms; her knees throbbed as sharp pebbles cut into her skin. She looked up, her face swollen and achy from unpermitted tears welling as deep as a bottomless lake. 

The was the truth. This humiliation and admittance of power. 

Epps towered above her, his legs planted wide, face etched in livid anger. “I’m a firm advocator of rewardin’ good behavior but after tonight you proven there’s nothin’ to reward. You’re a wild, unwillin’, spoiled nigger who’ll learn her place.” 

Leaning down, he grabbed her hair, jerking it hard. She couldn’t speak. Her throat was pulled back, the pressure stopping all sounds and swallows. “I have a good mind to whip you right here. To break whatever sense of entitlement or hope you’re holdin’ onto.” He shook her. 

Her eyes watered in pain. When she remained silent, he snarled, “You sleepin’ with the dogs. They have better obedience than you niggers, perhaps you can learn from them on what I expect.” 

She sniffed, fighting so hard against the tears. 

She didn’t even care that she wouldn’t sleep in a bed. She was past worrying about sanitary conditions or nutritious food. All she wanted was freedom. All she needed was some time alone to gather her scattered self-worth and remember who she was. 

“Move,” Epps breathed, his beloved silence smoothing his outburst from before. “Don’t make me show you how a good dog moves.” 

He wants you to crawl. 

He wants to destroy you.

Using her hair as the leash, Epps paced beside her as she went from stationary to crawling. She crawled like an animal. She crawled like a pet. She crawled from the house passing the trees and cotton fields all the way to the kennel. 

[billyloomiswhore4]

Crazy for you | Chapter Four

Chapter four is here!!! send me requests for short drabbles and ill give you my take on it. i love when you guys ask me questions about my fics or send requests!!! anyways here it is.

Warnings: billy has a weird obsession with the way you smell, poor randy never gets the girl, smut next chapter!

-

He didn’t think he’d have to see you until third period, but when he steps into the hall after first period he sees you. You’re leaning against his locker, waiting for him.

He can’t stop thinking about the way you smelled. It was like vanilla body wash and honey, but with that underlying smell of girl. The one he smells on Sidney, but yours is different. It’s sweeter, more intoxicating.  He can’t get enough of it, god how he wants to just walk up to you and pull you into a hug, just so he can smell you again. It makes his head spin.

But he doesn’t instead he walks to his locker, attempting to ignore you. But you don’t move, and you don’t say anything, so he just ends up standing there next to his locker waiting for you.

“Hey?” he sounds confused, that's the games he’s decided to play, pretend like he was completely wasted.

“Hey.” Your voice sounds nervous, but still has anger laced in it. 

“You’re uh, standing in front of my locker.” He lets out a chuckle, and pretends not to know why you’re angry. 

“Yeah, I know.” You deadpan, eyes piercing daggers on his own. He stands there awkwardly for a moment, with his hands in his pockets. You suddenly say, “What are you playing at Billy?”

He stares at you for a moment, “What?”

“The other night? What was that?”  You’re outright angry now. He decides to put on a show for you. He sighs, and runs his hands through his hair. 

“I’m sorry, I don’t exactly remember what happened. I was kind of hammered.” He pushes out an awkward chuckle. 

“Oh,” Your face drops of all anger, and you seem embarrassed. “I’m sorry, I thought you- nevermind.” You push yourself off his locker and walk away. And he stares after you, a slight smirk on his lips. He praises himself in his mind for the act, and begins getting him stuff from his locker. 

–

The next time he sees you is actually third period. Usually you sit right next to him so you can pick his brain about whatever topic is the day's discussion. But today you sit on the other side of the classroom, next to Randy. It makes his heart ache, he loves your little talks. You always seem so interested in  what he has to say. Sidney never listens, she just talks to him and expects him to hang on to every word, he hates it and he hates her. 

He also hates Randy, especially when he’s looking at you like that. You seem deep in conversation with him, and when you laugh Billy clenches his fist. 

How could you be so oblivious, he understands why you can’t tell he likes you, he hides it. But Randy? He’s basically making heart eyes at you, and you have no idea. Sometimes he wishes he could just take what he wants, he’s impatient. But then he remembers the plan, and with the newfound information he received from your diary he knows it’s fool proof. 

He just needs to control himself, until tonight. They made a few changes to the plan last night, and it seems perfect. He just has to wait. 

You never realized Randy was so funny, but if you're being perfectly honest it seems like he saved up all his jokes and decided to just spew them at you all in one class. 

He says something stupid about the movie Halloween and you giggle, attempting to cover it up with your palm. He smiles, and flushes red when you put your hand on his arm to push him softly. 

Your smile fades quickly, “You okay there? You're really red.”

“Yeah- yeah I'm good, just a little hot.” He sputters, and his voice cracks at the end. He laughs it off and you smile at him and continue your conversation.  

—

The school day passes quicker than normal, lunch was a bore and before you know it you’re sitting in your bed, watching some random horror movie. You had just finished writing in your diary, which was conveniently placed on your bed when you came home from school. At around eight pm you hear the phone start ringing downstairs. 

You get up, slip on your fluffy slippers and make your way down the stairs. The phone is on its last ring by the time you answer it. 

“Hey Sid.” You recognize the number. Billy stands in the woods right behind your house, waiting for the perfect moment. He and Stu fought for hours for who to be the one to do it, eventually Stu caved.

Sid said something over the phone, but Billy knew he’d be seeing her tonight too. 

“No, I think I'm just gonna stay home tonight, but have fun with Tate.” You smile into the phone, and for a second Billy thinks he might faint.

You hang up, and set the phone down, turning and walking back to the stairs. The phone rings again, this time you huff, turning back to the phone. You answer, and say, “I told you, Sid. I don’t wanna hang out tonight.” 

“Oooo, trouble in paradise?” the modulated voice teases. 

A smile breaks out on your face. “Well hello, mr ghostface.” You tease back.

“Hey, princess.” He grins behind the mask.He said it less sultry than before, not wanting to scare you off again. 

“What are you doing?” You ask, playing with your hair. 

“Watching you..i’ve decided i’m gonna play with you tonight.” 

“Oh yeah?” Your voice comes out light and breathless.

“Hide and seek. Go unlock the back door, and then go hide somewhere.” You unlock the door and hold the phone to your ear. 

“How do I know you won’t cheat?”

“Oh princess, Y’know I don’t play fair.”

You laugh at that, hanging up and making your way upstairs. You wiggle underneath your bed. 

You hear him making his way up the stairs, heavy footsteps booming through the house. He passes your bedroom door, and then stops. You slap a hand over your mouth to quiet your breathing. 

The footsteps track back to your door, and your bedroom door opens, light flooding in from the hall. Billy ‘tsk’s to himself, wondering how stupid you could be to hide in your own bedroom.  But maybe you want him to find you? 

The footsteps trail into your room, but then slowly make their way out of the room. You let out a sigh of relief. 

Suddenly something is wrapping around your ankles and yanking you out from underneath the bed. You find yourself turning onto your back in the struggle, and your giggles are immediately silenced. He’s holding a giant knife, and he immediately presses it to your throat.

“Found you.”

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