#but now I’m about to cry in front of her after shopping for some clothes in a restaurant I wanted to show her

[blep-23]

Today was a horrible rollercoaster, I have bought $35 worth of soup and I will be drinking tonight. Vodka, I’ll be drinking vodka to help get over this day and I will have soup as a chaser or something.

[mattsturnioloz]

Then I lost you: Pt 5. (last pt.)

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.

Summary: Matt's career as a youtuber takes a toll on his 4 year relationship with his girlfriend, putting it on hold. Will it ever be the same again?

Warnings: angst, unresolved angst, crying, fluff!!

Pairings: Y/n x Matt Sturniolo

A/N: (This is gonna be the last part, it’s gonna be sad but hope you guys will love it 🫶🏼 Also I fell asleep in the middle of writing this so forgive me if it’s not my best😖 I recommend listening to the song while reading 😚)

(Also since this part is really long I recommend just replaying the song over and over until the end of the story :) if you wanna cry☠️)

Matt’s Pov:

I drive back back home, The car silent and the negative thoughts come to my head but I quickly drown them out by playing music.

I get home and open the front door, and I go up the stairs to the living room and see Chris and Nick both laying on the couch watching some netflix show and I lay in between them, putting my head on Nicks shoulder. Somewhat needing to feel my brothers comfort.

“Are you okay?” he speaks up looking at me on his shoulder. I shake my head while staring at the tv and picking at my nails. He puts his arm around my shoulders and rests his head against mine and Chris rubs his hand up and down, on my partly exposed back and they exchange sympathetic glances at eachother.

Nick and Chris fall asleep during the show and I get bored, closely listening to the analog clock that we have above the couch, ticking, and the soft snores of Chris and Nick filling my ears.

I decide to get up and clean up around the house, doing basic chores until later in the day when it’s time to get ready. I shower quickly so that I don’t have time to think about the negatives. I grab the towel and dry myself off before going to my room.I go to my closet. The side where y/n’s clothes used to be is empty and the sight hurts. The hangers just.. hanging.

I knock out of it and I change into a plain light grey, almost white hoodie, and light blue baggy jeans with a pair of white air forces. Something casual but nice.

I’m nervous, like I was before picking her up for our first date, 5 years ago. I know where im taking her already and I can’t wait, but it’s going to bring back memories and i’m not sure that it’s a good thing right now.

I put on my Vivienne Westwood earrings and necklace to match before fixing up my hair. I hook my keys on the belt loop of my jeans and I spray cologne and deodorant before turning off my room light and heading out closing the door behind me.

I would say bye to Nick and Chris but they’re passed out on the couch so I go down to the stairs to the front door, leaving and locking the door after I walk out. I walk over to my car, getting in and I can feel my heart beating out of my chest.

I stop by a flower shop and I grab a bouquet of plumeria flowers, her favorite. The same ones I got her on our first date with all sorts of pretty colors that all go well together. They’re beautiful and vibrant, just like her.

I pay for them before I go back out my car and I get in buckling my seatbelt and I take a deep breath before I start the car and I start driving to Y/n’s house. Y/n’s house.

I break down in sobs, letting my cries out before I get to her place. I feel like I can’t breathe, gripping the wheel so tight, that my palms start to turn white.

I get there and park before putting the mirror down and making sure I look okay. I get out taking a deep breath, taking in the warm Los angeles sunset. I go over to her front door and let my fist hover over the door for a moment, my palms sweaty and I wipe them before I knock.

———- ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆ ———-

Y/n’s Pov:

I’m changing into a nice simple white dress, when I hear a knock on the door. Shit. I hope I look okay. I dust my dress off in the mirror while also checking if my makeup looks alright before grabbing my purse and turning off the lights. I go to the front door and open it to see Matt standing there. He looks so good.

“Hey baby..” He says with a warm smile. He looks nervous, exactly like he did on our first date. It’s radiating off of him and I feel my palms start to sweat. I see tear stains on his cheeks but i’d rather not bring it up and ruin the mood.. Instead I wrap arms around him and hug him.

I can feel my body shaking, I don’t wanna lose him. Why are we even trying? What was the point of splitting up if we were just going to act like a couple? Technically today, we still are one.

We finally let go of what will be one of our last hugs. My heart is still aching to the point where it’s starts to hurt physically. “Youre so beautiful.. you always have been..” He says in the sweetest, most gentle tone. He grabs me the waist pulling me closer, while looking me up and down in awe.

“Thank you baby..” I reply, smiling and I press a kiss to his lips. “You ready to go?” He asks. His tone almost sad. But I nod and smile in response.

This is what I was still holding on to. Moments like these. Moments like last night, and this morning. I love him. So much. I wish he would just tell me that he takes it all back. That he wants to be with me. That he wants to try again.

———- ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆ ———-

Matt’s Pov:

I grab her hand after she locks her door and I lead her to my car, opening the door for her. She kisses me on the way in before smiling at me. Her smile makes my heart flutter. She’s so beautiful. Everything about her is just so beautiful.

I kiss her again before shutting the door and making my way around the car and into the drivers seat. We buckle ourselves in before I start the car. The sun still setting by the minute.

I roll the windows down, the air warm and fresh, and Y/n plays music, singing along with it, and I can’t help but smile and steal a few glances at her. We stop at a red light and I reach in the backseat. She looks at me, confused and I grab the plumeria flowers, handing them to her.

She freezes and she looks up at me almost in shock. She knows. I can tell that she wants to cry but she doesn’t. She flashes me a big smile. “Thank you so much baby, I love them!” She says with the biggest smile before smelling them. “Of course, i’m glad you like them..” I say reaching over and putting my hand on her thigh, caressing it gently before just letting my thumb glide side to side.

I’m devastated that i’m losing all of this. I can’t believe I treated her the way I did. I wish I could take back everything i’ve said to hurt her. Maybe this wouldn’t be happening. If i would’ve just treated her right and gave her the love and attention that she deserves. I let my career get in the way of our relationship. Our love.

“I’m glad we’re doing this.” I say, glancing at her. “Me too, Matt. I’m really glad.” She responds. “I’m sorry.” I say, my voice cracking. Dammit, why do I keep crying. She turns her head too quick to look at me. “I’m sorry for all the things I did and said to push you away. I’m sorry I didn’t treat you better.” I swallow the lump in my throat. She takes my hand that’s still on her thigh and she kisses it.

“It’s okay Matt.. like you said, it’s for the best.. It just wasn’t working for either of us…” I nod and I want to tell her that I take it back, but I can’t. I know I can’t.

“Now let’s talk about something else to get your mind off of it yea?” she says smiling at me. How can she smile? How can she keep her composure when she’s probably more hurt than I am. I’m the one who said it won’t work. But I nod again. We talk about some more random things like our careers and future projects we might have planned and want to do.

We arrive at the restaurant and she looks at me with her jaw dropped while smiling. The same restaurant that I brought her to on our first date. “Ravioli?” She asks with a shriek, her voice crackling when she does. “Ravioli.” I nod chuckling her reaction.

I kiss her hand before unbuckling my seatbelt and I get out, making my way to the passenger side and opening the door for her, grabbing her hand to help her out. “I swear, you’re so beautiful baby.” I say closing the door before wrapping my arms around her waist pulling her closer and I kiss her.

“I could look at you for the rest of my life, and never get tired..”I mumble, against her lips before moving my kisses down to her jaw, then to her neck. She giggles at the feeling, making my heart flutter at the sound of her laugh.

I leave a small subtle hickey before pulling away and kissing her lips one more time and I grab her hand. “Let’s go.” I say, locking the car as I lead her towards the restaurant.

We go inside and I request the same table we had on the first date and thankfully, it was available. We get seated and handed our menus but we don’t bother to look inside because we both know we’re getting ravioli.

“I love that we’re recreating our first date.” She says, reaching across the table to hold my hand. “I thought you might. It feels like our first date all over again.” I smile, planting a gentle kiss against her knuckles.

The waitress comes over and we order, and not long after we get our food. We talk, eat and laugh about old times for hours, and eventually we’re the last people at the restaurant, the night coming to an end.

I pay the bill and we go quiet. Neither of us wanting the night to end. We stand up and I grab her hand leading her out the restaurant and I walk over to the trunk grabbing a blanket. “We’re going to the park too?” She smiles looking back towards the park next to the restaurant and I nod smiling.

“Gotta recreate our first date for our last.” I say placing a kiss on her temple. I lead her towards the park, the only lights being the dim street lights. I lead her to the grass, placing the blanket down and I kneel, helping her down before we both lay, looking up at the stars with her head and hand resting on my chest.

This feels right. The coldness of the night breeze making me feel peace. The mix of the stars and the streetlights, highlighting her features perfectly.

Hours pass. We talk while stargazing and eventually it’s 2 am. “I don’t want this night to end..” She’s says quietly. “Me neither baby..” I say, holding her closer.

Eventually we get up and she start to shiver so I wrap the blanket around her and hold her for a little before we stroll down the park back to my car.

I open the passenger door and let her inside before shutting the door while taking a deep breath and walking over to my side. I get in and it’s quiet. I glance at her and I can see her devastation.

I start the car and start driving towards her house. I put my hand on her thigh again, caressing it, and she grabs my hand intertwining her fingers with mine. The whole ride there silent.

When we arrive, I look over at her and she’s already looking at me with tears rolling down her cheeks at a rapid pace and she breaks down into sobs, her breath pace increasing.

To no surprise I start crying too. I get out of the car running to her side, opening the door and practically yanking her out, into a hug. Her sobs are killing me. “Listen to me Y/n.” I say lifting her head from my chest, cupping her cheeks, and wiping her tears with my thumbs.

“I’ll always be here for you, i’ll always love you so much, you’re the love of my life. No matter what, it’s always gonna be you baby.” I cry softly, pulling her head back to my chest. Her cries die down and all I hear is her occasional sniffling. “I love you, Matt..” she hiccups. “I love you too y/n.. more than life itself. I always will. Always and forever..” I say mumbling into her hair.

She pulls back and kisses me, and we make out slowly and passionately, taking our time, tears mixed in between. I give her one more soft loving kiss but eventually we part and my heart shatters into so many pieces to the point where i’m not sure that there even is one.

We let go of eachother and she makes her way towards her door and when she reaches it she looks back at me one more time. “I love you.” She says, with a teary smile. “I love you more.” I say smiling back, my own tears rolling down my face.

She watches me a little longer before turning around and unlocking her door, disappearing inside after she closes it. I take in the bittersweet moment. The love of my life is officially gone.

I take deep breaths as I walk to my door and I get in, starting the car and immediately driving away, because if I didn’t, I would be banging on her door begging her to stay with me.

———- ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆ ———-

Y/n’s Pov:

I feel my heart break the more that I watch his car fade into the distance through my window and after i can’t see it anymore, I walk over to my couch and plopping on it. The silence too silent, like im drowning in it.

I look at the promise ring on my finger that he gave me long ago when we hit our 2 year anniversary. Taking in the memories that came with it. Remembering every detail of that beautiful night.

I stare at the boxes of my things that are still packed and I look around, taking in the emptiness and loneliness of my new home. 5 years with the love of my life… gone.. and I miss him already.. I miss him so much and all of our memories come flooding back. But then I realize that this was goodbye.

———- ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆ ———-

Matt’s Pov:

As I drive further away from y/n’s house, a part of me is gone and feels like it’s been taken, but I know this was my doing. It’s all my fault. I need somewhere to go. To feel at peace. But then it hits me. The beach.

I drive to the beach, trying to drown out the painful after thoughts of losing y/n and the aching in my chest. My vision becomes blurry when soft tears fill my eyes.

I play music to try and drown out the images. The images of her smiling at me. The sound of her laughter. The sound of her crying. But it’s all too much and it doesn’t help that white ferrari by frank ocean starts playing.

When I get to the beach I park and pause. As if time stopped and I take in the sight, the memories flooding back all at once.

———- ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆ ———-

Flashback:

“Where are you taking me?” Y/n giggles, as my hands are covering her eyes. “Be patient my love, you’ll see..” I say placing a kiss on her temple. I lead her to the spot at the beach and I uncover her eyes.

A whole picnic set up for us with blankets, pillows, her favorite snacks and board games. “Oh my god..” She says looking back at me with her jaw dropped and she jumps into my arms and I catch her, holding her up by her thighs, kissing her face repeatedly.

Her skin is soft and her hair is flowing with the night breeze making her look more beautiful than ever. The city lights reflecting on her face, highlighting her beautiful features.

I put her down giving her a kiss and I pull her down onto the blankets and pillows. “I have one more surprise for you my love..” I say, brushing her hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear.

“Another one? Baby you didn’t have to-“ She says. “Shush, you deserve it and so much more.” I say cutting her off and pulling out a ring. “It’s a promise ring.”

She smiles and her eyes well up with tears. “Matt that’s so sweet oh my goodness..” She says trying to hold back her tears. I pause and take a deep breath before speaking.

“Y/n I promise to always be here for you, to be the one who cherishes your love. I promise to be faithful and to be the man that you deserve.” I say, sliding the ring on her ring finger. “I promise to be the woman you deserve too baby.. I promise i’ll always love you..” she says hugging me.

After that she lays in my lap, her upper back against my chest and her head against the crook of my neck as I hold her. We watch the stars and stare out into the darkness of the ocean, the city lights reflecting onto the water. The night is perfect and so is she.

I turn her face towards me and I gently kiss her lips. “I love you Y/n..” I say with a smile. “I love you more baby..”

———- ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆ ———-

I walk towards where the sea meets the land and I sit in the very spot from that night, I breathe and take in the night air. The waves crash gently against the shore, a soothing rhythm that once matched the beat of our hearts.

I sat at the edge of the ocean, the place where we made our promises. The night sky seems endless, but it only reminds me of the distance between us now. Every memory we shared flashed before my eyes, each one more vivid than the last. The laughter, the tears, the promises we made.. they all feel so close, yet so far away.

In that moment, I realize that everything we had was slipping through my fingers like sand and I regret everything I said that pushed you away, I just want you back.

The echoes of our last conversation lingered in the air, haunting me with every breath I take. The place we once cherished now feels empty, a different contrast to the warmth you brought into my life.

The sky darkened, identical to the darkness I now feel in my life. The gentle breeze that once brought your laughter now carried only silence.

I sat there, hoping for a miracle, a sign that you might come back. A sign that this wasn't the end. I could only hope that we’d find each other again when the time was right.. but for now, I whispered your name one last time, knowing deep down that this was goodbye, and just like that you were gone.

Then I lost you.

———- ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆ ———-

3,086 words.

A/N: (Ahhh my first series is finally finished!! I’m so devastated, and i’m as we speak. Thank you all for the support and I really hope you guys love this last part :) thank you 🫶🏼)

Taglist: @urmom69lol @imwetforyourmom @tsturniolo4 @watercolorskyy @starzinasblog @urfavstromboli @sturniqloo @star-yawnznn @h3arts4harry @asherrisrandom

[aka-indulgence]

Hello @llamagoddessofficial :> Wrote another fanfic fanfic for you! I really love the good zoo siren au as someone who does some marine biologies, and I had a burst of inspiration so I wrote the first day working at the aquarium :D I loved writing the parallels hehee

—————

You were a janitor in the Ebott aquarium!!

Which, when you say out loud, does sound underwhelming. But you didn’t mind it. You had come to them in the hopes of becoming an intern, a volunteer, or a staff if things went your way. The lady at the information desk (who was very helpful), had looked quite apologetic when you asked her.

“I’m sorry… but we’re not looking for anymore creature carers at the moment.”

It was quite disappointing, but you weren’t expecting to get accepted straight away, anyway. And you’d already bought a ticket anyway, so you still had an aquarium day all to yourself, not like you were wasting your day. And you had a great day! If you weren’t caring for the animals directly, you were reassured by the fact that your payment is going to contribute to their care.

The day became even better when the lady recognized you on the way out and stopped you.

“We don’t have positions for carers right now, but… how would you like to be a cleaner? I’ll keep you up to date if there are any spots open.”

Naturally, you took it. It wasn’t like you had anything pressing for your schedule right now. As soon as a position opens- whatever it is- you were going to take it by the throat.

It was your first day. You were blasted with warmth as soon as you went in, having to quickly shed your winter clothes for the janitor uniform. It had little fish on the sleeves, which was a cute touch. It wasn’t the most glamorous job, of course. You spent more of your hours in the toilet than you did in the exhibit rooms. But any agitation you got from coming into a stall, only to see tissues strewn about on the floor like someone just blew up a roll after you had just cleaned; was quickly washed away when you went out, to the cool blues, the dancing lights cast in the darkened rooms. Even when you had to excuse yourself in front of the guests to wipe a drink spill in front of the giant ‘Pacific Bay’ aquarium, the music calmed your soul.

It wasn’t very quiet in the afternoon, what with the families and their 300 toddlers running about and crying babies. But when the day waned and the water glimmers dimmed, the one’s left were adults, couples. Then of course, the aquarium closed.

You worked up a sweat that clung to your uniform uncomfortably, after you scrubbed a mysterious stain on the floor leading to the gift shop that seemed to seep into the shiny tile, somehow.

“Hey, Julia?” You called; the lovely information lady that allowed you to have this opportunity in the first place; wandering about the empty entrance to check out. It felt like a bit of a ghost town all of a sudden, as you roamed the aquariums for any management-type people you could ask for help.

“I’m done, right? What should I…”

You stop when you walk by a doorway, into a room that was always darker than the rest, even when the sun was still up in the sky.

… You could walk back into the dinky staff room in the back of the building where they just gave up on aesthetics, a ‘modern’ and unsightly concrete structure. But… you could also just… say that you didn’t find anyone… right? And just… ‘got lost’... in the Deep Seas room…

Looking around, holding a cloth to your heart as if someone was going to chastise you if you hadn’t, you snuck into the room. It was hard to pass up on an opportunity like this.

Ebott aquarium was special, after all. They were one of the few aquariums in the world that had sirens. Three, to be in fact. One orca siren, one shark siren, and a deep sea cecaelia. A spectacular cast, to be sure- it wasn’t a surprise how they won so many awards over the years.

This room in particular was the cecaelia’s, the most reclusive of all the sirens.

You walked past the languid isopods, the floating nautilus, the sparkling comb jellies, to a giant opening in the room where the ceiling extended so you could see the entire tank in all its glory.

It usually looked empty, of course, but the few chances you get to see the cecaelia, it would be a shame to be unable to see him.

Though, as it was now, the tank looked uninhabited, as it usually was. This siren in particular was ‘shy’, though shy wasn’t the right word. It was more that he didn’t like being looked at, as to be expected with deep sea specieses.

Which is why this was the perfect opportunity for you. Julia told you about him- that he was more likely to emerge during after hours. They had cameras in the viewing room, for the purpose of recording his activity whenever he does something interesting to show visitors that he is in fact real, and they aren’t just displaying an empty tank for fun.

The TV display is off now, but you remember the video they posted online, where the most exciting thing that happened was him shooting out of the cave to grab the food they lowered into his tank, before quickly retreating back into the cave. There were screams of children and adults alike going wild.

You read the information board next to the TV.

Skull, Deep Sea Cecaelia

Sirenus cecaelia aequor

Ebott’s most recently acquired siren, Skull was found floating near the surface, a sign of disease or weakness in deep sea sirens. It is our belief that Skull recently acquired the crack in his skull. This may have caused him to grow uncontrollably, though our researchers argue that it might as well be due to deep sea gigantism.

Not much is known of deep sea cecaelias as of now, as they are the rarest encountered sirens in human history, and extensive observation we do have is in captivity, like Skull. 

They are as enigmatic as they are beautiful, deep sea cecaelias are believed to live a mostly solitary life……

Your eyes scan through the text- having read most of it from the other day visit. Your sight is caught on the plaque  next to the board, under the TV. You hadn’t noticed it before, with how full the room was. Boarded with wood and written on a golden plate, it reads:

In memory of Henry Freeman.

1975-20XX

Your squint when the gold plating starts shimmering a pinkish hue. And, did it get darker?

You follow the direction of the light to see…

“Whoa-lly shit!” You staggered.

Right there, against the glass, was Skull. He was big, you knew that, his size was listed right there on the board with a human outline next to his to show scale, and you’ve seen the videos of course- but that didn’t prepare you to see him in person.

Just his skeletal upper body dwarfed yours, bones thick and marred with scars of unknown battles deep below, where sunlight couldn’t reach. His pitch black tentacles waved around him like deep shadows in the darkness of the tank, suckers sticking and popping off the glass in tandem. At its base, a single tentacle was thicker than you were.

You held a hand up to your chest. Your heart had jumped at the giant shadow, that glowing red eye of his, the size of your fist, zeroing on you, and a great big smile full of characteristically sharp deep-sea teeth. It must’ve been instinctual fear, having a great predator looking at you, so close, only separated by a couple inches of glass.

The tips of his front tentacles were poking and tapping on the glass.

The initial adrenaline of fear quickly turned to curiosity and awe. You’ve never seen him with your own two eyes before, let alone so close- why was he out? Did he notice the empty room, and the lone ‘prey’ turned away from him and just lunged..?

“Hahahah, am I lucky to be on this side of the glass,” you joked, approaching the glass.

His eye stayed trained on you as you approached, his smile widening. He even lowered his head a little, like he was trying to get on eye level with you.

“Can’t tell if you’re curious about me or if you just really really want to eat me,” you giggle, at the way he was focused on you.

You pressed your hand to the glass, and practically squished your nose to it as you took him in. You could imagine the sounds those great big tentacles were as they moved like midnight waves.

You pull your head back in time to see his eye on your open palm against the glass. A great finger pointed to it, scratching the glass. Then… he presses his hand to the glass, right in front of yours.

Your mouth opens. Your hand just barely fits into his palm. You looked back to the cecaelia. This close, you could see all the little shift in his eyelight, flitting here and there, like he was paying close attention to the details in your face.

His eyelight cast a soft red on your face, your cheeks. A small glimmer in your eyes.

“This is…”

“Eeeeeee!”

You startle at the squeal, sounding like if a squeaky toy could get excited. When you turned around, you see a woman standing at the end of a hallway, in a white coat and white turtleneck,  looking very ready to walk in the cold.

“U-uh,”

“How did you,” she strode over to you, long blond hair bouncing as she did, “how did you get him to do that?”

“I’m- sorry?” you sputter. Looking behind you, Skull had retreated a few paces to the back of the glass. “I was just… just…” you shrug, making a face when you remember you’re still holding the cleaning cloth, hiding it behind your back.

“Magnificent!” she stood next to you, one hand on the glass. “We’ve never seen him so interested in a human before. You had him against the glass!”

Skull was swimming around, darting from one corner to the other, keeping his eye on the both of you.

“He’s never done that?”

“Never!” she turns to you, conviction in her voice. “Skull doesn’t like being looked at, he usually hides in his cave when someone walks into the room, not… approach and give them a greeting. The only reason he isn’t rushing back is because he recognizes my face as ‘someone who gives the food’. And like you see now, he doesn’t give me any special greetings. Just having him out and about while someone is in view is stunning, let alone…”

“Oh, so do you feed him?” you ask. Hopefully you weren’t going to get chewed out for dawdling in the aquarium when you’re supposed to be clocked out 30 minutes ago.

“I do help with the feedings.” She says, then extends a hand to you. “Call me Mildred. I’m the head of the aquarium.”

“The… the head?!” Your eyes widen as you shook her hand. “I’m… I’m (Y/n), it’s an honor! To meet you!”

“Oh, please, I’m much more interested in you!” She smiles, the lines around her lips wrinkled with age, evidence of a lively woman. “Say… are you the new cleaning service Julia picked up?”

“Y-yeah! I mean. Yes,” You corrected yourself. You were talking to the big boss here, and you were a little bashful to find that she knows about you.

“You said you wanted experience in animal and magical creature care, right?”

“Absolutely,”

She presses a finger to her lips, as if thinking for a moment. She casts her eyes to the exhibit, where Skull was still circling above. Then she looks at you with a playful smile.

“... How would you like to come into the siren care team?”

Your heart rate spikes, and you sputter.

“I… wh… hhhhhreally?!”

[all-mirth-no-matter]

Time After Time | Chapter Fourteen

Pairing: Tommy Shelby x Reader, Tommy Shelby x Original Female Character

Summary: Startling revelations ensue after drinking the tea. While you wait for Tommy to return, Benji comes in search for another date. Ada takes you shopping for a new dress to wear to the races.

Warning: language, slight supernatural (kinda?), harassment (not anything explicit but not fun), less tommy in this one but promise next chapter will make up for it!

ao3 link | catch up on tumblr here

Chapter 14: Raise Hell

I found myself an omen, and I tattooed on a sign. I set my mind to wandering, and I walk a broken line. You have a mind to keep me quiet, and although you can try. Better men have hit their knees, and bigger men have died. 

It came upon a lightning strike, and eyes of bright clear blue. I took that tie from around my neck, and gave my heart to you. I sent my love across the sea, and though I didn’t cry. That voice will haunt my every dream, until the day I die.

— Raise Hell, Brandi Carlile 

The tea cup landed on the rug with a soft thud, the hot liquid spilling at your feet — though you couldn’t feel a degree of it. 

Your mouth gapped open at the sight before you — your mother, sitting on the rug across from you, her legs crossed same as yours, as she smiled at you. 

“This isn’t real,” you whispered, still too surprised to move, your heart racing. 

Your eyes searched over your mother’s features, looking for some hint of something fake to indicate the trick that was being played here. 

But there was your mother — as plain as day. There was no otherworldly glow or translucent quality. She looked solid, wearing the same kind of modern shirt and jeans that she would have been wearing back when she was alive, looking very out of place against the 20th century backdrop. 

The only difference between the person in front of you and the memory of your mother was the smile on her face. 

“Real is quite relative, don’t you think, Y/N?”

Her voice sounded the same as well, if not maybe stronger than it had in her last handful of years. 

Instinct to combat your mother reared its ugly head as you scoffed and responded involuntarily, “Quite relative to whether I’m hallucinating or dreaming, sure.” 

Your mother chuckled, “I’ve missed you, my darling. We have so much to talk about.” 

Swallowing, you accepted that whether dream, hallucination, ghost, or indeed real, you’d done this for a reason. You’d been given this opportunity by the Delphi for a reason. It was now or never, and you couldn’t let a little thing like freaking out over talking to your dead mother stand in your way. 

“Do you know what’s happened to me?” you asked, feeling yourself sit up a little straighter. 

Her smile fell, eyes moving around the bedroom before landing back on you, running down the clothes you were wearing. “The curse. It finally came for you, too.” 

“Too? Are you saying—“

“Yes. I too was pulled from my present and into the past. As was my mother, and her mother, and her mother before that.” 

You couldn’t believe it. Of all the things you had expected, this hadn’t even crossed your mind. “How far back?” you wondered aloud.

She shrugged, “Centuries, I suppose. All the first born daughters of this cursed lineage. Cursed to know the future, because it’s our past.” 

So that was the schtick, you realized. You couldn’t predict the future, but you could recall it from a past that hadn’t happened yet — as long as you’d been paying attention. Your mother’s insistence of learning history now made more sense. 

And yet, there was still a big question, one you asked aloud, “Why?”

“I don’t know. That is still a mystery.” Your mother dropped her head slightly out of shame, “Even in death, I’m still searching for answers.” 

I curse you, Cassandra! The voice from your dreams echoed through your head and a crazy realization hit you. “Who was the first?”

Your mother swallowed. “When you were born, I saw a vision of my daughter. A woman who would know the future, just like I did. I heard the whisper of a name. It should have been a warning, but I was under a lot of drugs and hormones and thought the name was pretty. So did your father. We already had your first name picked out so on the spot agreed to name you Cassandra. I had no idea it was the name of our matriarch — of the first to be cursed.” 

“So it’s true, we come from the original Cassandra of Troy?” Your mother nodded and you shook your head. “But that doesn’t make any sense. Say the stories are true — say the Greek Gods really existed — she could actually tell the future and she’s from the ancient past.” 

“Another mystery.” 

You huffed, so sick of the ambiguity. 

“I’m sorry,” your mother said softly, causing you to meet her eyes again. “For lying to you all those years, for confusing you. For causing you grief and madness.” 

You felt a lump in your throat, your chest tight at hearing the acknowledgment you’d wished for your whole childhood. Your brain wanted to comfort her, tell her it was alright, but your heart was more wounded than you’d ever realized.

You swallowed down the rise of tears that were threatening to build and changed the subject. “When were you born?” 

She blinked, aware of your deflection method, and answered. “The early 2020s.” 

“But that’s so—“

“Close?” your mother sighed. “Yes. I grew up blissful — my mother never mentioned her own displacement. So when I was stripped from my loved ones in 2040 to 1990, I was distraught. I was lucky to meet your father, though regretfully I was never able to open myself up completely to him, still mourning the loss of my first love. I would jump from fits of madness to total denial. After we had you, I thought things would be different. But as you grew, I became more suspicious that you would also be stripped away from me, or I you, and the fear drove me mad. So I tried to prepare you. But the closer I got to my own birth date, the madder I became and more desperate for answers I grew. Eventually, I became convinced that I’d made the whole thing up. The line between reality and delusion became nonexistent.”

You felt the tears begin to pool again as you thought about your own struggles with reality since arriving here. Madam Despoina had told you that you were stronger than your mother. But that wasn’t fair. None of this was fair. 

“I’m sorry for your father, as well,” she went on. You opened your mouth to protest, but she stopped you. “I was able to warn him about certain events — terrorism, the housing bubble, natural disasters — but I couldn’t save him, not in the end.”

“Did you ever tell him? Properly, that is?” You found yourself asking, thinking about Tommy.

Your mother shook her head. “Not directly. The best I could come up with was the gift of prophecy. After a while of telling that story, a part of me began to believe it. Believe it for you.”

“I’m sorry,” you found yourself saying, “for being so hard on you. I didn’t understand—“

“And now you do,” she said with a soft smile, “more now than ever. And unfortunately, darling, I’m going to have to put pressure on you one final time.” 

“What do you mean?”

“The curse — it must be broken. You have to find a way to break it.” 

“Me? Why—“ your words stopped as you thought about Madam Despoina’s prophecy. “‘You have a chance to mend ancient mistakes. Break the cursed chain, end the line of travel.’ A woman from the Delphi family who said she was a descendent of the Pythia told me that.” 

She smiled knowingly again, “Your tattoo, ya?”

Your mouth dropped slightly, “You knew?” 

“I have the same one. I had the same impulse before I was pulled away. I didn’t even know you had it until I—“ she cut herself off, looking somber again before clearing her throat. “It’s the tree of knowledge, of balance. But how were you able to find them?”

“I’ve met some people since arriving here. A Romani family that I’ve grown quite close to. One of the brothers specifically, he— he helped me find them.” 

Your mother hummed as she listened, her eyes moving again to the space around you. “What year is this exactly?” 

“January 1919.” Your mother’s eyes widened. “I’ve been here a few months now.” 

“And I thought fifty years was a shock,” she murmured. “Remarkable. Although the interwar period has it’s merits I suppose. Roaring 20s, jazz, rise of automotives, electricity, women’s suffrage. Though suppose it also has it’s negatives: Great Depression, prohibition, facisism, gangsters—“ You must have had a reaction, because your mother paused. “This man, is he a nice man?”

You swallowed at that, your eyes shifting. “I think he wants to be. But the circumstances are a little more complicated.” 

“Complicated like organized crime complicated?” She retorted, and you were surprised at her humor in the situation. “Oh sweetheart, you didn’t—“ 

You scrunched your face, “I didn’t mean to. There’s been odd coincidences between us since even before we met. I had a vision of him the night I woke up here. He had one of me as well. And then there’s the other dreams—“

“What dreams?”

You took a deep breath, feeling once again like you were in a room filled with puzzle pieces trying to figure out which was the right piece to pick up and share with your mother. “I’ve had dreams. Very real feeling dreams of myself as Cassandra in ancient Troy. They’ve just been pieces though, it still feels incomplete.” 

“You’ve got a strong connection to her,” your mother mused. “There has to be something in those dreams, that story, that can help you?” 

Shifting in your place, she rose her brow at you. A wave of nostalgia hit you as you recalled the look many times from your childhood. She knew you had more. 

“The Delphi woman, Madam Despoina, she— she called him Apollo. It’s his face I see in my dreams when I, as Cassandra, am with him, as Apollo. But I— I don’t know what that means.”

Her eyes narrowed as the muscle in her cheek flinched, “And does he mean something to you?” 

Her question caused your brow to furrow. “What does that have to do with this?” 

“Mother’s intuition, I suppose,” she smiled. “It’s been good to see you, my darling.” 

“What do you—“ 

You blinked. 

She was gone. 

——-

You woke up the next morning on the cold floor of your apartment, the empty tea cup still laying on the rug. 

“Mum!” you exclaimed with a jolt upward, looking to the spot in front of you. 

But of course, no one was there. You were as alone in your apartment as you’d been when you arrived last night.

You reached for the tea cup and knew that it didn’t matter. Yesterday you might have tried to argue with yourself that you’d simply been dreaming or hallucinating, but the time for denial was over. 

Whatever this stuff had been that Madam Despoina gave you had given you the ability to talk with your mother last night. 

As you got ready for your shift at the Garrison, you tried to go through everything your mother had said to you, trying to commit it to memory, afraid that any little bit of it could slip away. 

You were going through it for about the twentieth time when a patron cleared his throat at the bar. 

“Apologies, I was—“ you turned and your customer service smile fell, “Oh, Benji, hello.” 

“I was just coming by to see when you were available next,” he said, offering you his most handsome smile. “No deaths or births or any other excuses this time, eh?”

Your brow lifted, finding that statement slightly rude. It’s not as if you’d blown him off for a headache or something minor — someone had died. 

But you knew what you had to do. Benji had been nothing but nice, if not a little forward, with you since you’d meet. It’d been wrong of you to accept his invitation when you were feeling alone and rejected. You couldn’t allow him to continue to believe he had a shot, but there was no reason to be rude about it. 

“I’ve been thinking about that, Benji, and I just— I don’t think it’s such a great idea.” His smile slowly began to fall as you talked, his brow creasing. “I shouldn’t have accepted in the first place,” you continued, feeling awkward and guilty. 

“Come on, love, you haven’t even given me a chance,” he tried to defend, pulling another smile on his face, though it didn’t reach his eyes. 

“I wasn’t ready to start anything. I’m still— I’m still adjusting and I—“

“Hmm,” Benji shoved his fists in his pocket. “And this wouldn’t have anything to do with the rumors going around of you and Tommy, would it?”

Your mouth opened slightly at the allegation, but you couldn’t form any kind of defense. Instead you crossed your arms, “I’m not sure what you’re talking about.” 

“Liar,” he hissed, slamming his fist to the bar top. The handful of patrons in the pub looked toward them, curious by the commotion. Benji noticed the eyes and cleared his throat, lowering his voice as he lifted his finger. “You’re making a big mistake, Y/N. Tommy-boy can’t sit on the throne forever, I’ll make sure of that.” 

He gave you a wicked smile as he turned and left the pub, slamming the door on his way out. 

You contemplated whether you should tell anyone about your interaction with Benji. Unsure if his threats were real or brought on simply by rejection and jealously, you decided to stay quiet for now. 

Things had been quiet for a few days afterwards, but slowly you began to notice some major irregularities in the books. Benji’s numbers were showing signs of stealing again. It started off small, similar to what it’d been when you originally became suspicious of him. But now it was quite obvious.

Finally, you came to the conclusion that you had no choice but to bring this to Polly’s attention. It was early in the morning before the shop opened. Polly was helping with John’s kids while Ada was MIA (though if you were a betting woman, you’d say she was with Freddie), and you found yourself sitting alone at the kitchen table, book open in front of you as you felt weirdly conflicted over Benji’s malfeasance.

In the past, you hadn’t been aware of what happened to the people you reported. But now, you knew that there were physical repercussions for stealing from the Shelbys, even as extreme as death. And whether it was guilt for leading him on or some piece of you that still believed that deep down he was a good guy — you began to contemplate whether he deserved a fair warning before you officially reported him. If he knew that he wasn’t as sneaky as he thought he was, that someone was paying attention to him, maybe he’d realize his mistake and end it before something bad happened to him.

You got up to get some tea, trying to think through how exactly you were going to warn him without giving yourself away, when the front door opened.

“How were the kids?” You asked over your shoulder as you poured, assuming Polly had returned.

“Y/N?”

A deeper voice than you expected came from behind you. Spinning around, you were surprised to find the man himself standing in the kitchen doorway.

Your heart rate surged when his eyes moved curiously from you to the table, the open diary and pencil next to it.

“You–” he started, the gears in his head turning to process the scene in front of him. “It’s been you all along.”

“What are you–” you tried to discreetly walk toward the other set of doors, but Benji rounded the table quicker than you, cutting off your escape routes.

What was the saying about good intentions?

“Benji you shouldn’t—“ you tried to lift up your arms between you.

His eyes narrowed and he took a step toward you. Your back hit the counter behind you as he caged you in. “It’s you isn’t it? I kept trying to figure out how it was Lenny and Jackson got stitched. And there you were all along — the little mouse hiding in plain sight.”

“Get off me!” You shouted as you tried to push him away, but he grabbed your arms. You tried to use some of the self defense moves you’d learned, but Benji was stronger than you’d anticipated, and much more sober than the last man you had to fight off of you in the pub. He spun you around and pinned your arms behind your back, pressing his weight onto you so you were pinned even tighter against the shelves and counter. You tried to kick, but he had your legs locked between his.

You were completely defenseless.

“You think you can fuck with me—“

“I wasn’t— I haven’t said anything–,” you gasped out, your face against the shelves as you tried to catch your breath while still struggling to get him off you. You felt the tears begin to fall down your face as you felt helpless.

“And you fucking won’t! You killed my mates. I’m gonna make you wish you’d never met Tommy—“

“Oi!”

Polly’s voice shouting from the doorway finally caused Benji to release you. At the slightly feel of freedom, you pushed him off and ran for the other other end of the kitchen. You grabbed a near empty bottle near you and threw it at him. He ducked as it broke against the wall behind him.

“Out!” Polly shouted, grabbing his arm and pushing him out the door. “And don’t you dare come back!”

Benji was shouting as well, raving that he was a Peaky Blinder dammit, and no one could stop him from getting what he wanted.

He looked back at you as he said that and you shivered.

Sure, you were shaken by being manhandled like that by someone you thought was a good enough man. But more than that, you were angry. This had been the second time since you’d been here that a man thought he could toss you around like you were some kind of doll.

Polly turned back toward you, and immediately got busy pouring you a cup of tea. She let you take your time as you finally launched into explanation. At the end, she calmly rose from her seat and found Scudboat in the betting den, who’d shown up at some point in all your distraction. You watched as she whispered in his ear and then calmly again walked back toward the kitchen. She reached into a drawer and pulled out a small handgun.

“You know how to use this?” 

Nodding, she handed it to you and told you to keep it on you from now on. 

“Go back to work, Y/N. Benji won’t be bothering you again.” 

——-

Polly had been right. Another week went by and you hadn’t seen or heard a peep from Benji. Part of you wondered if the bastard was dead, and you weren’t sure how exactly you felt when you realized that you didn’t really care. 

You also wondered if Tommy knew now about what happened with Benji. You hadn’t heard from him since he left again, but knew from Polly and Ada that they’d be back by the following weekend. 

In all the excitement, you’d forgotten about Tommy’s invitation to the races. When Ada burst into your apartment to announce that they were going shopping, you’d been surprised. It’d been a while since you’d been to the shops, but you weren’t going to deny the opportunity to find something nice to wear to your first race. 

“I’ve been crying nonstop for weeks,” Ada explained as you both walked around, looking at different fabrics as she pointed out some options. “Every little thing sets me off, I tell ya. I thought it was because of the funeral, but Martha and I weren’t really that close. Suppose it’s sympathy for the kids. Dunno. It’s been making me so tired though. I think I may be ill or something.” 

“Maybe,” you mused, grabbing the dress she handed you. 

A woman caught the corner of your eye. At your gaze, she dropped her head and turned. 

You ignored her, used to people staring when she was out with Ada. You hadn’t understood it when you’d first become friends, but now you realized. 

When you saw her again at the next shop, you began to feel less like it was accidental. 

“Hi,” you greeted when you met her eyes again. She looked away and tried to leave, but you spoke again, “Can I help you?” 

The woman stopped finally and turned, her head down slightly sheepishly. She wore a small hat and trendy dress, her hair was cut short like most women of the day, and you could tell she was quite tall, though she seemed to slouch slightly. Her facial features were sharp, complimenting her slim body shape. She was quite beautiful, and in your day could see her being the ideal supermodel. But the bags under her eyes and wornness of her skin led you to believe that her story probably wasn’t that simple. Not here, in Small Heath. 

“Pardon?” She finally said innocently, trying to subtly give you a once over as well. 

You shrugged, “It just seemed like you were needing something from me. My mistake.” 

You turned to leave but she spoke again. “This is incredibly improper of me, but I saw you and I just— you and Tommy, ya?” 

As you turned back to her, your brow creased. Instinct had you looking around for Ada. Ever since your encounter with Benji, you’d been edgier than you’d ever been, always looking for the exits and for familiar faces to run toward. It made you feel incredibly vulnerable and you absolutely hated it. You felt your fingers grip the strings of your handbag, knowing the gun Polly had given you was safely tucked away inside.

Swallowing, you resounded yourself to shake it off, to toughen up, and you straightened your shoulders as you addressed the stranger once again. “Excuse me?” 

“My sister saw you both walking home often late at night. I suppose he’s moved on, I shouldn’t be surprised.” She was rambling now, her cheeks blushed as if she were embarrassed by her own words. “I know we shouldn’t be speaking of this, not in public at least. It’s just hard, y’know, losing a customer. Especially one like him.” 

Customer. You looked over the stranger in front of you again and tried to think of any other instance where her phrasing would make sense aside from the very clear one that came to mind. 

Ada called for you, reaching you with a handful of dresses. You turned back to the woman who nodded and made her leave. 

“Ada, who was that?” 

She craned her neck and clicked her teeth. “Ah, that was Lizzie Stark. Surprised you haven’t seen her around town. Though why would you, less you were payin’ I suppose. Here, try these on.” 

——-

It’d been a while since you’d been on a real date. Even before you’d been sent to this place, dates had started to dwindle as you got older and got more choosy. For a while, starting in college, you’d easily been able to flirt with someone new, get to know them, and then start a fling for a while until one or both of you got bored. The couple serious relationships you’d had were harder for you. Being vulnerable hadn’t come easy for you, and it created commitment and trust issues. Dates became more complicated than they were worth. 

Tommy had greeted you at your place, and you surprised yourself with how much you missed him in the few weeks he’d been away. There was something about his presence, knowing that he was here, in the city, gave you a wave of some kind of safety and security that you hadn’t realized you’d been missing. 

He looked tired, though he smiled at you warmly as he walked you toward the family car, and offered you a hand in as you climbed in. 

This had been the first time you’d actually been excited for a date since possibly high school. 

And of course, Harry had to go and buzz kill your mood the day before the races. He hadn’t meant to, of course. After the Benji incident, he’d been extra protective and cautious. You’d explained the situation (without the stealing money from the Shelbys part) and he’d been surprisingly sensitive. But he believed his recent pub decision would make you feel better instead of make you sour.

“Somethin’ the matter?” He asked when you were quieter than he expected. “If this is about Hancock—“

“No,” you answered, already knowing from Polly that Tommy and the brothers had learned of Benji’s malfeasance, but he’d disappeared before Scudboat and Lovelock could find him. You’d cursed your previous self for trying to be sympathetic toward the man — it seemed like you’d just made everything worse. “It’s nothing honestly, just something silly.” 

“Go on, then. I can handle silly.” 

Your cheek flinched as you looked over toward Tommy, humored by him even saying the word ‘silly’. He rose his eye brow as he looked over to you, offering you a smirk before pulling his eyes back to the road. 

“Harry’s putting in an advertisement in the paper for another barmaid.” 

Tommy’s smirk turned into a frown, “Is he mad? The place wouldn’t be standin’ without you — I’ve seen the numbers, I know. I’ll have a word with Harry—“

“He’s not replacing me,” you quickly corrected. “I thought the same thing, but he wants me to concentrate more on the books and said he’d rather bring someone in part time to fill in behind the bar.” 

“Ah,” his brow creased as he gave you a short look. “The problem, then?” 

You sighed, knowing that you were being childish. “I’m just feeling territorial, is all. I know I’m not technically being replaced, but part of it feels that way. Did I mention I have a small case of control issues? I blame it on being an only child.” 

Tommy chuckled softly and shook his head. “You have nothing to worry about. If anything it’ll leave more time for you to do your real job.” 

“My real job?” You asked him curiously. 

“The Shelby business, ‘course. Wheels are already in motion, and today we’re going to enact the second part of my plan.” 

“And that is?” 

Tommy smiled, “Gonna buy a horse.”

>> next chapter << chapter masterlist

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[romanestuffsposts]

Coul you do one were the reader got pushed? Or like some guy pushed the reader and her daddies saw it and were overprotective

Hi there love! 💜

Of course I can! Thank you for being so patient toward me, I know it was long and I apologise deeply for that!

I hope you like how i wrote it <3

Enjoy <33

*****

Warnings : little reader being pushed, tickle to cheer up, reassurance, apologies, fear, angry Daddies,

Pairings : Daddies!Stucky ; Daddy!Bucky x Papa!Steve x Little!Reader

Summary : a mean guy push you away at the mall. Lucky for you, your Daddies were here for you

*****

It was a really hard day today. You absolutely needed to go to the mall with your Daddies because it’s winter and your clothes are not warm enough for the season.

It was the only schedule you all had free so it was now or never. There were reductions so it was the perfect moment to go shopping now.

But your Daddies didn’t thought there would be that many people at the mall that night.

You couldn’t see at two meters Infront of you because of the crowd in the stores. It really scared you and the idea of losing your Daddies in there scared you even more. You always had a piece of their clothes or their hands in yours.

But sadly you couldn’t be holding onto them all the times… you were attracted by a shop window where there were drawings stuff and books for kids.

You love going in store like this and just wondering around, eying everything that’s around you.

Your Daddies were behind you and kept an eye on you but they let you enjoying the view alone, which was a mistake..

A man was standing beside you, looking inside the window just like you. Only you can see from the corner of your eyes that he’s moving toward you while keeping his eyes on the toys.

You were about to move so he could walks past you but something caught your eyes and you forgot everything else.

A new set of drawing pens was exposed in front of you and your eyes sparkled with stars.

You forgot about the crowd and the man beside you, that until you feel his hand on your shoulder and then your butt hitting the ground.

You were too shocked to do anything. You stare down at you and wonder how the hell you ended up there. You quickly feel the tears coming in your eyes because the pain is only felt after the fall.

Your Papa is running toward you and is quick to pull you on his laps. He pulls your face in his neck and gently stroke your back ‘’shhh baby, you’re okay, you’re perfectly fine’’ he tries to reassure you so you don’t cry.

At the same time, your Daddy grabs the man and pulls him against the wall, his forearm against his throat and a murderous look in his eyes.

Your Papa keeps talking your so you don’t hear what is happening ‘’you fell but you’re fine, nothing is broken’’ he kisses your temple.

You sniff and look up at him through teary eyes ‘´you sure’’ your sweet and quiet voice asks.

You Papa tilts his head ‘’we can check if you want but I’m pretty sure nothing is broke’’

You nod your head because you really want to be sure. Little tears are falling down your cheeks because it really start to hurt.

You watch him touching your arm first ‘’does it hurt ?’’ He asks. You shake your head. He rolls it a little so you can feel that nothing is broken.

He does the same with your other arm and then your legs. He then looks at you ‘’do you feel better ?’’ He asks pulling your hair behind your ears.

You pout and hide your face in his neck again, he gently chuckles at how adorable you are ‘’I should probably keep checking, don’t you think ?’’

You nod your head and feel him grabbing your wrist, he lifts it up and as you thought he was checking your shoulder, his fingers fall in your ribs and wiggle his way in between the bones.

You flinch and fall more in his arms as you squirm, laughing loudly ‘’ maybe a bone in there isn’t doing good. I think I should keep checking, no ?’’ He teases.

You shake your head and grab his hands so he would stop tickling you ‘’notin’ broke’’ you say, a left over of giggle leaving your lips after the words.

Your Papa laughs and nod his head ‘’alright then, everything is fine. Nothing is hurt’’ he kisses your little nose ‘’your butt can be sore again for a little but it will go away very soon’’

You nod and close your eyes when his forehead fall against yours.

Someone clears his throat beside you causing you to look in that direction. When your Papa sees the man held by your Daddy at the neck, he stands up with and lifts you in his arms.

You rest your cheek against his shoulder and look at the man. Your Daddy squeezes his neck causing the man to grimace. But after that, he starts talking.

‘’I wanted to apologise to you’’ he says with a weak voice ‘’I shouldn’t have pushed you away. I’m sorry. I hope I didn’t hurt you’’

You can’t see it but your Daddies know how fake his apologies were. But before they can say anything, you talk ‘´is Oki, I no hurt. Papa checked’’

Your Papa smiles down at you and kisses the top of your head ‘’that’s right, I checked and he’s lucky that you have nothing’’ he smiles down at you, but his voice a little bit harsher so the man really know how lucky he is.

Your Daddy pulls his ear to his mouth and say something that you can’t hear before shoving the guy away. This one almost fall on the ground but is quick to run away once he found back his balance.

Your Daddy comes to you and takes you in his arms ‘’ how are you feeling my precious little one’’ he asks, worried. ‘I fine’’ you whispers and wrap your arms around his neck and his your face in his neck ‘’but I tired’’ you mumble

‘’I Know baby doll, I know. We’ll go home now, it’s enough for today’’ he kisses your temple.

‘’Please tell me you didn’t just shove him away without being able to find him back’’ your Papa quietly asks so you don’t hear.

‘’I’m not stupid Steve’´ he show him his phone where a little blue bubble is seen

‘´Good’’

[padawanlost]

Anakin's nightmare

“Do you know where [Shmi] is?” “Why, I should expect she’s at Watto’s junkshop. I’m afraid he’s had her doing quite a lot of work there, ever since you ran away.”

Anakin winced. “But I didn’t run away,” he said. “I left. To become a Jedi.”

“Oh, of course you did, sir,” said C-3PO, his voice filled with good cheer. “I never meant to suggest that you abandoned any responsibilities you might have had here, when you were just a child. After all, we’re so very proud of you and your achievements. Not that we actually know about what you’ve accomplished in the past nine years, since we’ve never received any messages from you, but I do get the distinct impression that your mother still cares very much about you. And she does have a vivid imagination, so she very easily assumed that you must be…”

The droid was still talking as Anakin ran out of the hovel and into the broiling radiance of Tatooine’s twin suns. Although it appeared to be afternoon, when the city of Mos Espa should have been teeming with street vendors and pedestrians, there was no sign of life.

Anakin felt a sense of panic. He ran as fast as he could through the empty streets until he arrived outside the tall, bell-shaped structure that was Watto’s junkshop.

Like his own hovel, the junkshop appeared to be exactly as Anakin remembered it. Yet when he ducked through the shop’s entrance portal and entered the cluttered interior, he found that Watto had added something new: In front of a workbench, there was a low cage with thick metal bars.

A filthy figure, clothed in dirty rags, was huddled within the cage.

It was Shmi Skywalker. Anakin’s mother.

She looked up at him with fear in her eyes. “Who are you?” she asked. Her voice sounded old and tired.

“It’s me, Mom,” Anakin said, dropping to his knees before the cage. “Anakin. Annie. I’m grown up now. I’ve come to rescue you.”

“Anakin?” Shmi said in disbelief. She slowly shook her head. “But you can’t be. You can’t be here. You’re gone.”

“I’ll get you out, Mom,” Anakin said as he gripped the bars. He looked around. There was no sign of Watto.

“It is you,” Shmi said. “It really is you.”

Anakin tugged at the bars with all his might, but they would not yield. Then he remembered he was a Jedi. He could do anything!

He reached to his belt, expecting to find his lightsaber, but his fingers slapped against his side. His lightsaber was gone. He tried to recall if he had clipped it to his belt before leaving his hovel, or if he had even brought it with him to Tatooine.

He tried to remember when and where he had seen it last. He felt confused. How had he arrived back on Tatooine? He could not remember.

Desperate, he glanced at Watto’s tool shelf and saw a fusion-cutter and power pry-bar. He grabbed for them, but he could not pick them up. He tried again, tearing at them, but the tools would not budge. It seemed they had been welded to the shelf.

Anakin collapsed beside the cage, his head smacking against the bars. “I swear, I’ll get you out!” he sobbed.

Shmi reached between the bars and pushed her oil-stained fingers through her son’s blond hair. “Oh, Annie,” she said. “Don’t cry. Please, don’t cry. I’m fine. Really, I’m fine.”

“Mom, look at you! Watto left you in a cage!” Anakin said, outraged.

“No, he didn’t, Annie,” Shmi said sadly. “Watto didn’t leave me. You did.”

Suddenly, Shmi, the junkshop, and all of Tatooine were swept away from Anakin’s vision, and he was engulfed in darkness. It wrapped around him like a cold, black shroud that cut him off from the entire galaxy.

Unable to see, his only awareness was of the steady rise and fall of his own breathing.

Something was wrong.

The breathing sounded mechanical and labored, as if it were being done through some kind of respirator. Anakin wondered if the breathing were his own, or if he had been mistaken about the sound’s origin. Perhaps, he thought, I’m not alone in this dark place. He held his breath and listened to the void. The sound of mechanized breathing stopped. And then Anakin felt his throat constricting.

The darkness coiled even tighter around him, working its way through his skin, seizing his lungs and veins and muscles and bones until he knew it was about to consume him.

Then the dream ended as it always did, with Anakin trying to shout but fearing that no one, not even he, would ever hear his cry. And then he awoke. [Ryder Windham. Star Wars Adventures - The Hostage Princess]

[brickeater712]

neighbours on sloane street (intro)

spreading the garodela gospel. i love the idea of two old women taking care of each other

cw: none. only fluff,,,,,,,,,,

a/n: they make me cry

snip, snip, snip. 

the sound of the scissors resound in the quiet salon. the owner is focused, clipping up and cutting down her client’s hair. 

an everyday practice for adela. 

her clients, usually, are talking about their troubles. but perhaps today is not as usual as the rest. 

“miss adela, have you heard?” adela’s client shifts their topic, all of a sudden.

adela hums. “hm?” she waits for a response. 

“the shophouse next to you. someone’s moving in today.” the girl in the chair talks excitedly. “what do you think they look like? where did they come from? oh, i wanna meet them when they arrive!” 

adela nods along, motions visible in the mirror. she wonders too, of course, but reserves her questions for the time being. but her client doesn’t catch the way her eyes flit to look outside the window of her cosy shop- she wants to meet the new person too. 

and there she sees it. out of the corner of her eye- a woman with purple hair, outside her shop. she’s looking around, presumably trying to find her new home. 

and then, her eyes settle on adela’s shop. they drift from the sign, to the glass, and finally, adela herself. but before they can lock eyes, adela quickly looks back at her client- she doesn’t want to be caught staring. 

“-you think they came here for? gosh, hopefully they arrive before i have to start on dinner!” her customer finishes rambling.

adela takes a few seconds to respond. “...i hope i see them, too.”

________________

“thank you miss adela! i’ll see you in a couple of months!” the girl waves goodbye to her, bell clinking as she leaves the shop. adela smiles and waves back. just as the door closes, the belltower rings. 

6pm, she thinks. time to clean up. 

she first moves to clean up the tea off her counter. 

…mm. there’s still some left over.

perhaps a cup of tea is enough to greet her neighbour.

cup steady in her hands, adela leaves the salon. she walks over to the shophouse next to hers, and peers in the same, glass windows that her own shophouse has. there she sees her- the beautiful woman, inside, pulling clothing out of a suitcase. 

a new neighbour, adela smiles. the shophouse has been empty for ages. she pushes the door open. without even missing a beat, the woman turns sharply to face her, with incredible reflex. her eyes are wary at first, but she recognizes her- the hairdresser next door- and loosens up just a bit.

“hello there.” adela starts, with a smile. “i heard someone was moving in today. that’s you, i assume.” 

the smile is returned. “that’s me. moved from somewhere near 5th avenue. here to set up my tailoring business” she puts down the fabric she held in her hands. “i saw you. you’re the hairdresser next door, yes?” 

adela nods. she moves forward to hand the cup of tea to the woman’s now free hands. “for you. figured you’d want something to drink after travelling here.” 

“i appreciate it.” the woman accepts it gratefully. “my name is garofano.” 

“i’m adela.”

pretty name, both of them thinks, but neither of them let it show on their faces. 

“thank you for the tea, adela.” garofano giggles.

“you can return that back to me tomorrow- i’m sure you’d like to rest now.” 

garofano hums in agreement. “indeed. perhaps you’d like to come over tomorrow instead? i’d love to get to know more about the neighbourhood.”

the invitation is warm- like a bright light in the fog. 

adela agrees. 

perhaps this is a new mundanity she could get used to.

________________

adela finds herself standing in front of garofano’s shophouse. just for the teacup, she thinks. that is, until she sees the warm smile through the window. she goes in.

garofano is humming something, a tune unfamiliar, while moving fabrics around. the creaking of the door makes her turn her head.

“adela! you’re here.” garofano beams. “is your work day over? how would you like to spend more time here?” she’s bustling around the shophouse, moving supplies here and there. “as you can see, i still have a lot of work before my shop is set up- i’d love a little company.”

adela agrees, without hesitation (much to her surprise), and soon finds herself rearranging needles in a container. she glances back, every so once in a while, to observe the older woman arranging furniture. a certain feeling blooms in her heart- she’s not quite sure what it is- but she figures that it’s all part of the new mundanity. 

they exchange little conversation, accompanying each other in a comfortable silence, occasionally broken by garofano’s humming. both of them move about, but there’s only so much work that can be completed in a day. 

the sky outside is dotted with stars when they decide to rest for the day, laying on garofano’s couch conveniently in front of the windows. adela’s brought over tea once again, steam rising in front of their faces as they sit next to each other under the calming moonlight. 

they’re close to each other- so close, their shoulders are almost touching, but adela doesn’t dare move closer, though her heart tells her to do so. 

“i wonder, what will life here be like?” garofano giggles, staring up at the sky. “it’s been such a long time since i’ve had the time to relax like this."

adela nods, following the conversation. “well, i do quite hope you enjoy your time here… perhaps, the belltower will be the only thing disturbing your relaxation.” she teases lightly, earning a laugh from the older woman. 

“it wouldn’t, for the most part. after all, when it rings six times, that’s when i know that you’re free to come over.”

it’s a subtle comment, sure, but lights a certain spark in the fog nonetheless. adela lets out the palest blush, thankful that garofano doesn’t turn her head to witness it.

by the end of the night, adela bids garofano a goodbye, and a goodnight. she stays outside the shop until she sees her disappear into the back. 

she goes to bed that night, with her worries set aside. she’ll get used to the change in her schedule- she’ll look forward to the booming of the belltower at 6 PM. and the fog lifts, just a little more. 

[wisteria-cherry]

forty days and forty nights (day thirty-seven!) (part one!)

(i was afraid i wouldn’t finish because it’s such a long chapter, but i realized i can just break it into two parts.)

the next day, you called in. by the time you’d woken up, katsuki had already left—but not without leaving a decent-sized plate of breakfast foods. so, after indulging in heaven on earth (katsuki’s cooking) you left a gracious note and went back to your apartment.

your apartment wasn’t as scary as it had been last night. when you’d been crying in katsuki’s arms, you hadn’t wanted anything to do with it. but now, in broad daylight, it seemed like the same home you had known since moving out of your parents’ house. comfortable. familiar.

you didn’t do much. it felt like your brain was empty. nothing really going through it; only brief flashes of memories from the previous night. you enjoyed it, actually. it was relaxing to not to anything after working every day (albeit only for four hours at a time, never those pesky 8-hour shifts), and you liked not having to stress about anything happening the next day.

“open up!” you jumped as you hear pounding on the door. it was mina’s voice. you frown slightly, pushing the blanket off yourself and walking over to the door. you peek through the peephole— eijiro was with her. you open the door.

“hey!” mina grinned. she held a large shopping bag. “we brought you a present!”

“what? why?” you blink.

“because bakugo said he was worried you were rotting away in here. in his own words, obviously, but still. looks like he was right.” mina stated, going on tiptoes to look over your shoulder. your frown deepens.

“i’m not…” you begin to protest, then look back at your apartment. there were blankets on the floor in front of the blanket cabinet— you hadn’t bothered putting them away. the couch and coffee table were littered with wrappers of junk food you’d nibbled on as you watched the tv. your fruit basket was empty— you were supposed to go shopping today. you knew that the fridge didn’t have much either. you had the same clothes on that you’d borrowed last night, and you didn’t take a shower so you were pretty greasy.

“…sorry.” you apologize. mina’s bright expression softens into a more sympathetic one.

“hon, don’t apologize.” mina handed the bag to eijiro and wrapped you in a hug. “i’m sorry. for what happened.” you hug back.

“did katsuki tell you?” you ask.

“what?” mina looked a bit surprised as she pulled back. “no, it was on the news. didn’t you see? some person in an apartment took a video of the whole thing” your brow furrowed. the news. they’d broadcasted your trauma, just like that. and that person— they’d just recorded you instead of helping. you sigh. no point in dwelling on it now.

“i see. do you guys wanna come inside? i know it’s a mess, but…” you trail off, stepping aside.

“we’ll help you clean up.” eijiro offered with that sweet smile of his.

“oh, you don’t have to…”

“let’s do it!” mina grinned, scampering inside and immediately going to tackle the living room. eijiro followed, picking up the blankets you’d strewn across the floor. you took a breath before going to help them.

“nuh uh. you go take a shower and change out of bakugo’s clothes.” mina took you by the shoulders, guiding you towards what she probably thought was the bathroom.

“the bathroom is that way.” you point, and mina promptly changed course. “wait, how did you know-?”

“that’s his favorite t-shirt you’ve got on right there.” mina grinned.

“it is-?” you yelp as mina shoves you in the bathroom.

“i’ll bring clothes!” mina chirps as she shuts the door.

you sigh. you felt guilty that eijiro and mina were out there cleaning your filthy apartment and that all they wanted for you was to have a rest day that wasn’t just you rotting away on the couch. regardless, you decided to take a quick shower so you could at least help them.

mid-shower, mina knocked on the door, announcing that she had your clothes before setting them on the closed toilet seat for you. once she shut the door, you peeked out the shower curtain to see what clothes she’d brought. she brought you a massive hoodie— how did she know it was your favorite?— and pajama shorts.

after your shower, you draped a towel around your shoulders to catch the water that dripped from your hair and went back into the living room. much to your disappointment, they’d already finished. and they did a fantastic job.

“did you guys do all this in that short time?” you marvel.

“short?” mina raised an eyebrow. “you were in there for, like, an hour.”

“i was?” you blink. you could’ve sworn it wasn’t any longer than 15 minutes. “oh. i’m sorry, i wish i could’ve helped.”

“it’s the least we could do.” mina waved her hand. eijiro tapped mina on the shoulder and showed her his phone. mina frowned. “ugh, already?”

“what?” you ask.

“it’s time for ei and i to go patrol.” mina whined. she approached you and threw her arms around you, hugging you tightly. you hug back.

“hey, i’m so sorry about what happened.” mina said quietly. “you can always come to us, okay?” you nod, relaxing slightly. mina smelled really good— something like fruit with floral undertones. mina pulled away, her bright smile right back on her face. you hug eijiro.

“thanks for everything you guys did for me today.” you tell them as eijiro hugged back, thus confirming your theory that he was an incredible hugger.

“anytime.” eijiro grinned. “hey, call bakubro if you need anything, yeah? he said he’s gonna come by later.”

“okay.” you smile, trying to ignore the way your heart swelled at the mention of katsuki coming over. “thanks again.” you follow them to the doorway, where you then watch them as they leave.

“don’t forget your gift!” mina shouted from down the hall. “it’s on the counter, okay?!”

“okay!” you call back, laughing.

shutting the door behind you (and locking it), you make your way to the counter, where there was indeed a large paper bag with more than enough tissue paper. on the bag was written (in a very bright pink paint marker):

heyyy!! take care of yourself lovely <333 we love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“lot of exclamation marks.” you remark to yourself, smiling. you take the tissue paper out and pull out an incredibly soft, weighted blanket.

oh, damn.

true to mina’s words, a sharp knock at your door reached your ears a few hours later, right as you were preparing dinner. you feel a rush of excitement.

he’s here. you head to the door quickly and open it with a smile.

“katsuki.” you greet. “come in.” katsuki grunts in response as you step aside. almost immediately, katsuki steps on the heel of his boot, tugging it off, not bothering to actually bend down and do it. a shame, really.

“you doin’ okay?” katsuki asked as he stepped out of the genkan. you followed him as he lumbered into the kitchen, surveying your work— ie, instant ramen. “goddammit.”

“what?” you protest. “it’s easy and it’s good.”

“funny.” katsuki said sarcastically. he tossed the instant ramen packet back into your pantry. he set down two grocery bags on your counter. “you gonna answer my question or not?”

“oh, right.” you reply absentmindedly as you pick through the bags. “are you staying for dinner?” katsuki shrugged.

“up to you.” he answered gruffly.

“stay.”

“hey, i’m so sorry about what happened.”

(feel free to comment + share ur thoughts :)

tags: @k0z3me @cherryblossomclarity @stevenknightmarc @failingstudents-blog @jazzafayesworld @faerikitty @deathsmajestysworld

[robin374]

Please please please I’m on my knees for a part 3 to ‘get away from me’ 🛐🛐🛐 how would Alastor react moving forward? Would reader leave/run away from the hotel back onto the streets? I need to knowww

𝔊𝔢𝔱 𝔞𝔴𝔞𝔶 𝔣𝔯𝔬𝔪 𝔪𝔢

ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔯𝔞𝔠𝔱𝔢𝔯 : Alastor x Reader, platonic

𝔑𝔬𝔱𝔢𝔰: Hurt no comfort. You have been warned.

Part 1 || Part 2

A loud thud was heard inside the hotel. Alastor was standing in front of the main entrance, still with a smile. His own shadow betrayed him, though, it was frowning almost crying. His pride was broken, his ego had fallen from the tall tower it was in, but he didn't show it not wanting to seem weak. He was not weak. However, his knees felt weak, they were trembling, just like a small fawn in a highway. Should he run after you? Should he stay? For the first time in decades, he didn't know what to do.

Meanwhile, you ran as fast as you could. You wanted to be away from the hotel, away from Alastor. You couldn't even think about the fact that he was your biological father. You turned your head to the side to make sure he wasn´t following you, but you stopped the moment you saw your reflection in a shop window. You looked like that damn coward. Pinkish hair, antlers, pink eyes, greyish skin... Great, now you hated yourself more than before. "Well, well, well... We see each other again, Alastor..." A smooth voice made your fluffly ear twitch. You turned around to look at him with a frown on your face, you were prepared to insult him, punch him and maybe stab him. "Wait, you're not the Radio Demon." You and the flat faced demon stood confused while staring at each other. He was wondering why you looked so much like his archnemesis and you were wondering who the fuck was that walking image box. "Are you casually realted to this man?" He took out his phone and he showed you a glitched photo of the man you hated the most. Your father. You snarled, "I hate him." You stated and his face lit up, literally. "May I know why?" He said as he started to guide you somewhere inside a very modern looking building with three V's on top. As you passed by a window full of TV's and demon's hypnotized by them, he covered up your eyes. You could have sworn that you heard a moan coming from the television. He ignored a british woman yelling at him and guided you to a room with two shark swimming around. "You like 'em?" He asked you with a smile. You looked amazed, but there was no smile in your face. 'She looks like him, but it's like they are not related at all.' He thought. You were trying to get the sharks to poke the spot you were putting your hand on the window. "Interesting..."

Weeks had passed by and you had connected more with Vox than with Alastor. You were always at his side, he showed you how things work with new technlogy and you caught up pretty quick. You managed to get your own phone, with Vox's help. He usually let you swim with his sharks and he helped you escape from Valentino the moment he started offering you a 'job'. Velvette helped you get new and modern clothes. You felt welcomed, it made your broken and betrayed heart feel warm and happy again. "Hey, Venison," Ah, yes, your new nickname. "The boys and I are going to have a meeting downstairs, can you wait on Vox's room?" The modist asked you with a kind smile, she was usually so mean to her employees that it felt like a privilege to be treated so good. You nooded and made your way to Vox's room.

"I like this little girl! She's so cute!" Velvette squealed as soon as she entered the meeting room. "You say that everyday, Velvette." Valentino murmured as he put some glitter on his new pistol. Vox sat down on his seat and offered whiskey to his friends and coworkers. He agreed with Velvette, you were a nice girl, and he had to admit that he saw you like the daughter he always wished he had. That was the main reason of the meeting, he was going to announce to all of Hell that you were his daughter. He discovered that you were related to Alastor after Valentino offered himself to 'politely' ask Angel Dust about you. The pornstar, afraid of his boss, let out everything he knew.

"Oh, Alastor. You're not going to like this..." Charlie said as she looked at her phone. Alastor appeared from the shadows next to her and leaned down a bit to see what was in that small image box. His smile almost broke as soon as he laid eyes on the new you. You still were yourself, that permanent frown never left your face, but you looked as if you had been with the V's since you were born. They had washed your brain, or that's what he thought. You seemed to enjoy their presence. That moment, he decided that, no matter what, he would do anything to get you back.

Time had passed by and Vox's and Alastor's mini fights turned into big fights where most of the time the whole of Hell's electricity system died in an instant.

One day, you were having your usual walk around the district. This time, it felt different, the streets felt chilly instead of the usual warmth and they were as lonely as a flower in winter. As you were approaching the Hazbin Hotel, a blinding light hit your eyes and left you without vision for a moment. Then you started hearing scerams and metal hitting limp things. When you got used again to the light, all you saw was blood. A pool of blood streamed towards your feet, you stepped back not wanting to get your boots filthy. You heard a stereophonic effect near you, which made your blood boil out of rage. You were going to take advantage of the situation to kill the man you always wanted to kill; your own father. You followed the sound, rage filled your brain. You were only thinking about one thing. You hated him, he ruined your life. And now that you were starting to get better, he wouldn't have the opportunity to destroy it again.

A loud rumble made you fall to the ground, you felt strangely cold. Your hands shook, why were they so unstable suddenly? You looked down to see your shaky hands, but you stopped yourself from vomiting. A big, silver and cold sword pierced through your chest stained with your own red blood. You were dying. You felt your ironically inmortal soul slip away from your hands.

"Y/N!" Had you heard right? Was that someone calling your name? But, who would care for a walking body right now? People were slefish, even in times of crisis. You ignored the voice, it was probably your own brain tricking you into something dangerous. You sat on the floor, this time without your book. Then, a man appeared from the shadows, you suddenly had a deja vu. He kneeled in front of you. You heard the radio static again. That man hugged you, he smelled like an old library, it was comforting, it reminded you of the librery where you passed your days when you were alive.

"Why did you abandon me?" You whispered, returning the hug. This was your first and last hug you were receiving. "I was scared," He managed to say after some seconds of doubting. "I was scared to be a bad father." He admitted. You didn't say anything, not because you couldn't think due to the pain burning your chest. But beacause you didn't know how someone could be a good father, you didn't experience it to judge it. "Wasn't I good enough?" You asked, between breaths, maybe they were your last. "You were and are more than enough, Y/N." He put his hands on your cheeks and made you look at him. He was so broken. You had been your entire life wishing to see him broken, beaten and hopeless, however, now that you finally saw him like that. You couldn't help but feel guilty, after all, he always wished the best for you.

"In our next lifetime, I wish for you to give me a second opportunity, my dear daughter." He wishpered as he put his forehead on mine. I smiled, even though I was tired, tired of keeping myself alive. "In our next lifetime."

He hugged me. I wanted to squeeze him, but my hands couldn't respond. Was this how i was going to die? Just like the first time I saw my father? Sitting in the floor waiting for someone to beat up. I had been myh whole life and afterlife looking for my father so I could kill him, and now, here I was dying in his arms. Even in my last seconds alive, life always surprised me with the most unexpected things ever.

[from-nobody-to-nightmare]

Chapter 7: Stress of the Dress

"What's my style is not your style, and I don’t see how you can define it. It’s something that expresses who you are in your own way.” —Iris Apfel

It was a long way back to Rosie’s Emporium, or at least it felt that way. Even though I had help, it felt like I was being dragged along with the curtains more than anything. I was exhausted.  My arms and legs felt like jelly and my hands could barely hold a grip. I couldn’t see much with part of the curtain covering my eyes, but I could feel the puffiness in my face after all that crying too. How…. embarrassing; to weep so pathetically and shamefully in front of everyone. What was there to cry about? Mr. Morde saved everyone there. Those were wasted tears as far as I was concerned. The phrases big girls don’t cry and crying won’t fix anything echoed in my mind. If I was ever gonna cry again I’d have to do it in secret; I just need to figure out how I’m gonna do this.

I didn’t even realize how cold I felt until a breeze swept underneath the makeshift cloak sending goosebumps all over my body. Soon I felt some extra weight on my shoulders. I no longer felt the drag of the curtains on the floor behind me and I felt a little warmer. I didn’t know who did that but I whispered “Thank you.” Someone squeezed my left hand gently, “Think nothin’ of it sweety.” It was Mrs. Rosie I suppose that means Mr. Morde was at my right, so far that was reassuring after all that happened. How did that even happen anyway? My mind kept meandering back to what happened at the salon. I was really enjoying myself, the entire thing felt like a mini spa day; or as close as I ever got to one. Everything felt like it was going great up until the last part. I remember the brush dusting my chest off, and that tickled a little, and then…..What even was that? How did I do that? I didn’t even know I could do something like that. 

“We’re here” Rosie jovially proclaimed in a sing-song voice. I heard the shop bell ring as the door was opened and I was led inside. I was taken to one of the many parlor chairs inside the store when they finally loosened their grip on me and I inelegantly plopped down into the plush cushions with an unconscious little bleat. My nose was the only thing currently poking out from underneath the double-piled curtain, so I gripped the makeshift cloak close to my chest readjusted my body, stretched out my neck, and vigorously shook the curtain off my head. I wiggled my ears and blinked a few times to adjust my blurry vision to the bright lights inside the store. I saw both their shapes smiling and standing ahead of me, or I think they were. It was hard to tell so I just guessed and gave a big grinning smile back with my eyes closed and greeted them, “Hello!” 

Rosie giggled back, “Well hello there yourself sweetheart.” I squinted attempting to focus my eyes again to see where I was in the store. Rough outlines of clothes of all kinds came into view. Well, sort of…. I could guess by the lengths of some that they were dresses and gowns. That’s not my thing so far as I was concerned, plus they were probably too nice to ruin.

 This would be so much easier if I knew what my job would be. My eyes lost focus as they opened wide when Rosie surprised me by stepping between my line of sight and leaning down. I could now see her face clearly and it unsettled me. Her black lips circled her bear-trap-liked teeth, and the darkness of her eyes made it look like you were staring into the hollowed eye sockets of a skull. She even had the pallor to match like a sugar skull accented with pinkish blush and eyeshadow.  

“Oooh how gorgeous!” She squealed with delight looking at my eyes. “ I have just the thing to match those pretty lavender eyes.” Rosie swiftly left my view and returned with a very frilly ensemble. “Now I know it’s not your size, but I can have one made for you if I take your measurements.” She looked at me expectantly for my answer as I looked over the outfit. That skirt had a lot of tiers trimmed with ugh….lace; and a matching jacket to boot. I mean overall it was lovely but not really “me”. I should probably let her down gently, or at least steer the conversation somewhere else. 

“While I agree that it is lovely, I feel it’s more suited for a nice party than for day-to-day wear. You don’t suppose there is anything more umm….. what’s that word….. Sporty? I think that’s it.” I looked back at her with what I hope is a doe-eyed expression. “I need something that is both presentable and work-friendly so that I won’t feel too bad if I get it dirty. I’m certain that working with your talents will lead to the best of both worlds.” I think that sounded polite enough. I hope I didn’t say anything that she might take offense to.

“Oh of course darling! Pardon me for skipping ahead. Why don’t we start with the basics?” She turned to Mr. Morde “We’ll be right back.” We left him behind in the sitting area and; she walked me to the lingerie section at the back of her store where the fitting rooms were away from prying eyes. “So, Let’s talk turkey. Any thought on what unmentionables you’d like to wear?” The gears in my head screeched to a halt before slowly kicking back in, “Um…. No? I never really thought about it before. I mean how many could there possibly be?” She looked at me puzzled. “Certainly more than a couple. It’s not like you were au naturale in the living world. Though by the look of how you landed here, maybe you were?” She wondered a loud rubbing her chin. My face felt warmer than usual, embarrassed I hastily blurted out, “No, I wear undergarments.” She smiled puckishly, “Good to hear. Do you want me to rattle them off for ya, sweetheart?” 

 “Yes, Please.” I nodded. “For starters, we carry chemises, short and long petticoats, and corsets of all kinds. We also carry corset covers, drawers, as well as stockings…...” All those names were making my head spin. Did women really wear all that just before their actual clothes? Honestly I probably only understood like half of that. I have never worn more than standard briefs, sports bras, and socks. Before she continued, I tried to lightly interject, “I’m sorry to interrupt, but is there anything I can wear comfortably with pants?” Geeze I hope that was polite enough. I look at her with an uncomfortable gaze of nervous anticipation. “Oh, so that’s your inclination? Well after we’re done here we’ll pick through the trousers. Anyway, let me get your measurements and I’ll see if we have a basic set available.” Rosie pulls out a long ribbon of sewing tape. Damn it, I hate getting measured. It always makes me feel so fat.

 “So, kiddo do you know your size or do ya need me to measure?” It was a dreaded question, to say the least. “Umm….” Rosie chuckled while I was trying to remember my size. “Just kidding sweetie. People who end up down here are seldom the same size as they were in life.” That made me feel a little better. “Now I’m gonna need you to stand up straight.” I did my best to straighten out only to have my eyes widened in surprise as she pulled my shoulders back a bit more. “Come on now keep it up. I need to measure you properly for the best fit.” I’ll admit that fixing my posture was more than a little bit tiring as she deftly glided around me looping the tape around various parts of my body. She must be great at keeping track of the measurements since I didn’t see her scribbling anything down. “Alright, I think I have just enough to start with.”  She daintily walked out of view and tugging down on my now wiggly ears I thought to myself Nadia you’re going to embarrass yourself you fraud. You know nothing about clothing and even less about fashion just take what she gives you and move on. We can research this later. Oh, God, I hope there’s a library around here.

 “Here we go.” I let go of my ears when I heard her cheery voice only to see her arms laden with off-white old-timey unmentionables. “We’ll start with the basics every girl needs.” She handed me three mostly unfamiliar pieces of clothing and some black stockings. The first item looked like a pair of shorts, the second some sort of tank top, and the third thing looked like a very early version of a sausage stuffer, I meant a girdle. “I understand that most sinners often wear skimpier undergarments, but if you’re gonna make a home here you should wear local clothing. Just think of it as a ‘home team’ uniform. ”  She winked but I didn’t really get it. “Why should I do that?” I tilted my head. “It’s an open secret that anyone who looks too out of place gets eaten.” 

My ears pinned back at the prospects of such draconian enforcement by the local populace. “Oh don’t worry your pretty little head that’s what I’m here for. Besides sinners always come back, so it’s more like a slap on the wrist, if anything.” I’m not sure that made me feel any better…. “ I’ll make sure you look the part and nobody will bother you about that.” I nodded even though I was unsure if it was warranted and said, “OK.”  She smiled and we went over the basic how-to’s. The bloomers were straightforward enough, I mean I suppose they're like early boxers without the crotch flap, and the long tank top was called a ‘chemise’. “Usually we would go with a corset over a chemise to give you shape but since you insisted on trousers we’ll have to go with a flatter look.” Rosie handed me the dreaded girdle. “This should also help keep your little problem under wraps if those stitches ever come loose.” she motioned to the faintly shimmering stitches on my chest. She explained to me that I had to put this over the chemise just like a corset. There was some pretty decent resistance to putting it on after several attempts. The way it sometimes made the chemise bunch up occasionally was irritating on my skin. She was surprised at how I managed to wear everything all twisted and crooked. I was happy when Mrs. Rosie helped me fix it, now it felt more comfortable. She makes it look so easy, I envy that.

  I felt less than satisfactory looking down at my new unmentionables. I mean as underwear goes it’s rather pretty, but my boobs stick out too much even with the brassier. “Mrs. Rosie?” I asked, “Is there any way to make my um…. breasts look smaller? They kind of stick out too much for my liking.”  She gave me a bewildered look, was what I said really that odd?

“Hmmm…. What a rather odd request. Usually, the girls want me to accentuate their femininity are you perhaps against that?” I looked off to the side thinking. “I don’t think so. I mean…. they make a great makeshift pillow when I put my head down for a desk nap, but other than that they just get in my way. I don’t care if my butt sticks out a bit. That never bothered me before and it certainly doesn’t now.” She nodded, “So you don’t mind dresses?” I shrug, “Dresses are ok, I guess, but honestly I prefer pants more.” She nodded in what I hoped was understanding, “ Well if that’s what you want try this bandeau instead. Of course, we are gonna have to start from square one, seeing that you have to wear this directly on your body.” 

A quick change later and I had it on. The tightness felt just good enough to keep them flat and I would still be able to breathe. Picking the rest of my wardrobe went much more smoothly. The lavender pinstripe shirt was more comfortable than I thought, though I could do without the ribbon around my neck. Mrs. Rosie convinced me that it tied the outfit together. I suppose I’ll have to trust her on this. She even gave me a purple cameo with a white rose on it to go with it. It’s hard to go wrong with black trousers. I liked the glint of the symmetrically paired shiny brass buttons. I gleefully whispered. “Pockets!” I love having pockets! I did like the snazzy brass studded leather belt with a big purple gem as the clasp. Well, it looks like a gem, it could be colored glass; but I do know one thing ‘Shiny’! 

I also got my first pair of new shoes. It wasn’t easy. Not many people in Cannibal Town had hooves let alone hooves in my size. I am forever grateful even if I didn’t say anything about it. They felt kind of weird to me at first. It felt like there was a pocket in the back heels for the tiny claws at the back of the hooves, and even if the heels were low I felt a bit floaty. I wasn’t used to walking on my toes, but I guess this is my life now. Oh well, at least I don’t have to go barefoot. I’d rather not step on something gross again with my bare…. hooves? Feet? I’m not used to the idea of having hooves yet. I wonder how I’m supposed to take care of them. Whatever, I felt rather dapper now. “Mrs. Rosie, is there a mirror I could use?”

She smiled, “Of course.” She uncovered a tall double mirror in the dressing room area with a bit of pizzazz. “Ta-da!” I stood close enough that I could see myself without the blur. I didn’t realize how different I looked. My eyes were a light shade of lilac and I was smiling. It wasn’t a big grin but a soft smile. I tried to force a grin, only to not have any real teeth. How weird. It was hard like teeth but in one solid piece on top and bottom. Did I have a beak? I frowned, or at least I tried to frown. I couldn’t frown. I could grin if I wanted to but in the end, my mouth came back to the same placid expression. I was shocked. My eyes however appeared unaffected, at least there’s that. I didn’t like this revelation at all. Was this a punishment? I know I wasn’t a big smiler when I was alive but this seems a bit much. I turned to Mrs.Rosie to give her a closed eye happy smile. “Thank you so much for your help. I look really nice now.” 

I heard her squee from my thank you and that made me feel good about myself. I’m glad that I made her happy. “Can I tell Mr. Morde that I’m finished now? I’m sure he has been waiting quite a while.” She bent slightly down getting uncomfortably closer to me. “ Oh, don’t worry about him. He'll be fine. I’m sure he understands that ladies need to take their time.” I could not help but worry. I don’t like to impose on people too much. I feel like they hate me afterward and I don't want to sour whatever rapport I have with him. “Besides” she continued with a sly grin “ if he’s paying you should take advantage of this fine opportunity. It’s not every day that someone else is footing the bill ya know.” I lightly shook my head, “No, no. I don’t want to do that to him he’s been very kind to me so far.” She flicked her wrist up and down, ‘“Come on. At least by yourself a week's worth of clothes. It’s not like you are gonna wash the same outfit every day.” She was right I folded like a wet paper towel to that logic. Conceding I said, “ I don’t want to break the bank or be a greedy guts. Is there any more lightly priced that I could get in the meantime? I didn’t want to come off as crass demanding bargain bin prices. Everything so far has been of very high quality. “Don’t worry sweety I got you covered.”

In the end, we settled for three slightly different pants, 6 styles of shirts, and two long nightshirts. I even got a full week's worth of undergarments in various shades of off-white. I know I wasn’t paying for any of this but I couldn’t help but dread the possible total. We made it back to the front of the store and I greeted Mr. Morde with a smile. I gave him my most sincere thanks for the clothing while we were at the register. “Oh, one more thing.” she pulled out a lovely velvet-lined box that contained a shiny pair of spectacles with a matching accompanying chain. “I’ve noticed that you have trouble seeing so I figured these would help. It’s on the house.” I stared at the glasses in surprise until I heard her. “ Go on don’t be shy.” She smiled expectantly. “But we didn't even see an eye doctor. Will they even work?” She gave me a wink and a nod. “Of course they will. They adjust to the wearer.” Not wanting to disappoint her I gently picked up the glasses with what I hope is a puzzled expression. “ How do they stay on? They have no legs.” She giggled. “They're pince-nez. Just let them pinch the bridge of your nose, and you’ll be fine.” 

I did as she said and miraculously my vision became clearer and clearer with every blink. I could finally see! A wow escaped me from under my breath at the sheer amazement of it all. I never thought I would be so happy to see again. I felt simply giddy. I gave my biggest grin “Hello, nice to finally see everyone.” Mr. Morde smiled back. I bet he’s happy that I don’t need to be led by the hand anymore, and Mrs. Rosie was leaning with her elbows on the counter and cradling her face with her hands as she giggled back with a rather toothy smile. “You’re quite welcome.” She went back to the register and began to total everything up. She handed him the receipt. I couldn’t help but sneak a peak at the numbers. The bottom of the slip of paper had the itemized deductions, all of which were $3,500. I was in shock. “Three Thousand- Five Hundred Dollars!” And I promptly fainted. Never in my time alive have I ever spent that much money on clothes. The last thing I heard was Mr. Morde burst out in laughter probably at me with Mrs. Rosie following suit.

Character Banners By @rubra-wav

Sorry for taking so long to post. I am not a very fashion-driven person, so I had to do research and went down multiple rabbit holes. Pinterest is an unimaginable time sink and sometimes Google is not that helpful. I'm just glad I could finish this chapter and I have notes ready for the next one so maybe it'll go by faster. Fingers crossed!

[hypnolurker]

Bunni-Bot: Now in Stock!

Jessica walked into the shop in a neat white blouse and trim skirt. She was a college student looking for part time work to bolster her tenuous finances and came in response to just such a job posting online. She would be stacking shelves at a local toy shop. At least, that is what she had understood. However, as she entered the establishment she gawked in shock at the assorted sexual paraphernalia which surrounded her. These were not the type of toys she had expected to be stacking.

Just as she was considering turning around and leaving, the owner stepped out from behind the front counter and approached her.

"You must be Jessica right? You were interested in the part time position." He observed her rather thoroughly, eyes drifting downwards and lingering in all the wrong places.

"Um, yes but I'm not sure about that position...I mean, I wasn't expecting it to be that kind of shop!"

"Oh, come now. You came all the way here so you may as well at least hear me out. I know you will enjoy this position." he argued firmly.

"I just...I'm kind of shy around this stuff and honestly I don't see myself working here..." she began, but the owner didn't look convinced.

"Hear me out, that's all I ask. Just come to the back room and we will have a brief discussion. Then, if you don't find anything else, this can be your backup option."

Jessica reluctantly nodded and followed him to the back room.

"So, its a shelf stacking position right? Will I actually have to touch all those...toys and all that? I know they haven't been used or anything but its still kinda gross..." she shifted in spot as she pictured it.

"Oh no dear. You are a little mistaken here." He turned and reached for something, though Jessica couldn't quite see what it was. "You aren't going to be an employee at all. You will be the one stacked on a shelf."

Jessica squinted in confusion "Um, what does that mean? Look I came here for-"

Before she could finish, the man had grabbed some piece of damp cloth and rushed forward, pressing it up against her face and covering her airways.

"mmmmpphh!!" she let out a muffled cry.

As she inhaled from the soggy fabric, its chemical stench assaulted her nostril. She tried to get away, but the man was holding her by the back of her head and forcing the cloth into her nose and mouth even more. After a second breath, the dizziness hit her. Soon her struggles died down and her arms went limp. Her legs wobbled as her eyelids fluttered and after several more shallow gasps, fell closed.

Jessica blacked out.

When she next awoke, something immediately felt off. Her eyes flickered open and she saw that she was still in the back room, though now she was tied to a chair and gagged. Her head was still spinning from the knockout drug she had been dosed with, but there was more to worry about for poor Jessica. There was now a distinct dull pain and mild numbness radiating from two points on the top of her head. To top it off, she looked down at her body and saw that she wasn't wearing the same blouse and skirt she had entered here in. The bastard had stripped her down and redressed her in some skimpy new outfit.

She was now wearing a bright pink miniskirt which didn't even properly cover her frilly white panties. Those too were replacements of course. Her top wasn't any better, with her bra being replaced with something to match her underwear, it looked like something out of a sexy lingerie catalog. The fact that she could see her bra so well was also disturbing since she was also wearing a t-shirt. Well, calling it that was way too generous. It was a thin piece of fabric which didn't even manage to cover her tits, let alone the rest of her torso. The absurd garment was also bright pink and had the phrase 'Bunni-Bot' plastered across it in large, glittery letters.

So this mad man had bond her and dressed her up in some ridiculously revealing outfit. Jessica could guess where this was going and she didn't like it. When the man came into the room, she immediately screamed into her gag and thrashed about, rocking the chair slightly but ultimately failing to do anything but tire herself out.

"Ah, awake and raring to go are we? I haven't even explained the situation yet. Calm down for a second and let me tell you what is going to happen to you"

He walked over to a full size mirror that was tucked away at the back of the room and wheeled it over slowly. As he pushed it into place, Jessica's eyes widened in shock.

"So, you probably already noticed your new costume, but I don't think you got the full picture." he said with a sinister chuckle.

As Jessica looked at herself, she saw the rest of the changes. Her face had been done up in a heavy coat of makeup. Glossy peach colored lipstick accentuated her mouth, her skin tone was much lighter than usual and there were several lines emanating outwards from her nose along her cheeks resembling whiskers. They clearly went with the other accessory she had been given, a pair of fuzzy bunny ears. She shook her violently, as if to throw them off, but they wouldn't budge. They were actually more rigid than she thought and she couldn't seem to see a headband or anything holding them in place.

"Oh no dear those won't come off. Ever. They're implanted into your skull. Its a permanent feature, just like that makeup. It won't come off, not that you would get the chance to remove it." he chuckled again. Jessica was really starting to hate that chuckle.

"You see, you're going to be a Bunni-Bot. Our newest product. There is still some programming to do, but it won't take long I'm sure. Then we can package you up neatly in a box and display you proudly on the shelf for the right horny guy to come along and buy you. Or lady, a customer's a customer after all. And everyone will want their very own beautiful Bunni-Bot!"

Jessica stared in terror as she listened to the madman ramble. What the fuck was a Bunni-Bot? Did this lunatic plan on sealing her in a box dressed like this? What did he mean by 'programming'?

It wouldn't take long for her to find out. The store owner pulled out his phone from his pocket and began to fiddle around on the screen. Jessica could only watch, confusion giving way to dread as his face twisted into an evil smile and he looked back up at her.

Something started to feel off. She couldn't describe it, maybe a pressure? In her head. Coming from where these ears were...implanted. Like something burrowing into her mind. Everything was slightly blurry...no it was shaking slightly. She was shaking slightly! The ears were vibrating gently. Suddenly she heard an odd tone, like a low beep. Yet, it didn't sound natural. Didn't sound like it came from anywhere...like it came from inside her head!

Her eyes widened and she stared at the man in fear.

"Ah, you felt it activating. I just started the Bunni-Bot programming. Basically, the ears act as antennas, and you are one big remote controlled Sextoy. The nodes of the ears are implanted inside your brain and begin to reshape your thoughts into those of an obedient Bunni-Bot. They also take over control of your body and senses to ensure that you perform perfectly as an all-purpose fuckpet." he explained.

Jessica couldn't believe what he was saying, and yet she did indeed feel the ears pressing into her brain. Soon she began to feel a tingle down her spine, followed by a strange shiver.

"It also gives me helpful indications as to how far along your programming process is. Looks like it just took control of your nervous system. No more thrashing about then, that's good. Time to untie you I suppose."

With that, he leaned over and fumbled around the knots for a few seconds before undoing the rope around her wrists. As he was bending down to untie her ankles, Jessica contemplated taking the rope and strangling the vile man. Though, as much as she tried to, her hands wouldn't move. They remained stationary. Still. Lifeless and limp. The more effort she put in, the greater the pressure in her head, until she felt faint and gave up entirely. He finished untying her ankles and stepped back to ogle her body once more as whatever fucked up bullshit he was doing to her continued.

Next, the immobilized Jessica felt her body become flush. Heat spread through her and the familiar sensation of arousal swirled inside her mind as her thighs grew rapidly damp with her excitement. The heat just kept increasing and her breathing was ragged as she soon felt more turned on than she had ever been in her life. Her nipples, now rock hard, had little trouble poking through the thin bran and near non-existent t-shirt. Her pussy quivered and she moaned softly into the gag. The arousal was so intense she was losing her mind. She was so fucking horny all of a sudden, even the disgusting man glaring at her protruding nipples looked sexy to her now.

After a few minutes of mind numbing arousal, she felt like her brain short circuited for a moment. Then, thankfully, things began to die down. She remained hot and flustered, but at least now it had dropped back to a manageable level. She cursed herself for even thinking about her abductor in a sexual way, though the lingering slickness between her legs wouldn't let up. One area still seemed eager for his attention.

"Oh, it says it has finished calibrating your sexual response. Isn't that exciting?"

Jessica did not find it exciting. She found it excruciating that she was stuck here, dripping and groaning into her gag while some sick fuck watched. Moreover, she was terrified pf what was coming next.

"Ah, the next part requires full use of your body. Let me just remove that gag now, should have taken it off earlier." He commented as he tugged the gag away from her mouth.

Jessica was finally able to breath freely, but it was little solace. Her head began to swirl and her lips and tongue twitched slightly.

"I see. So this next part is the main programming course. Its just finalizing the calibration by performing delicate movements with the lips and tongue."

Jessica didn't like where this was going. She felt herself silently mouthing letters at the command of this sick program. Then, just as she completed her silent alphabet, sparks flew inside her mind. Her eyes were drawn to her reflection as she watched in horror as her mouth now formed a stream of audible words.

"I am Bunni-bot." were her first words since this ordeal began.

Jessica was astounded. How could it even make her say thing? She had watched, with complete focus, her own lips moving and her own mortified stare. The ears were compelling her to watch herself as they made her say this.

"I am a horny Bunni-Bot!" she cooed seductively, staring at herself as she did.

To her utter shock, she saw her hand move downwards towards her crotch and tenderly begin to grind several fingers against her damp white panties as she continued.

"I am a horny Bunni-Bot!" she said again, this time punctuated by a soft moan as her fingers worked away at her pussy.

She fought it. Tried to pull her hand away. To close her mouth. To bite her tongue off. Nothing worked. She was trapped, watching herself helplessly as she rubbed her crotch and chanted the sickening mantras transmitted to her through her misleadingly cutesy bunny ear antennas.

"Oh my. Look at that progress bar, its barely moving. Looks like this step will take a while. Yes...9 hours remaining it says. Well, as much as I enjoy watching you rub your brains out like a good Bunni-Bot, I can't sit here for 9 hours straight. I will come back to check on you periodically." he said as he got up and left.

Jessica was thankful to be left alone, but it really didn't help at all. She was still rubbing and repeating. Feeling the ears worm their way deeper into her thoughts as her arousal increased in a deliberate way and her head swam.

I am a brainless Bunni-Bot. I am an obedient Bunni-Bot. I am a silly Bunni-Bot. I am a happy Bunni-Bot. I am a horny Bunni-Bot. I am Bunni-Bot."

It went on for hours. She watched as her eyes softened and glazed over. Sometimes the store owner would come in to check on her. He might comment "Yes you are." Or "Good Bunni-Bot" from time to time, which only made Jessica wetter as she rubbed her sloppy pussy like a good Bunni-Bot.

Other times he would start masturbating. Jessica had her attention drawn entirely to the mirror, so she couldn't always tell when he was masturbating. Even though he was in the same room as her, her vision was fixed on her own pathetic figure. Squirming and moaning and chanting robotically as her mind was reprogrammed by the unceasing onslaught. Just the idea that he was masturbating to her, or that he might be masturbating to her made her so hot. She had started to picture him using her while she rubbed and reprogrammed herself. It must have been the ears. Planting thoughts in her mind. Twisting her fantasies. Making her want his cock. Making her want to obey. To be a useful toy. To be used. To be a Bunni-Bot.

The man entered one final time to check on her.

"The bar has been at 99% for a while, I think it could be done any second now. How are you doing, Bunni-Bot?"

"I am Bunni-Bot. I am Bunni-Bot. I am Bunni-Bot. I AM BUNNI-BOT! NNNNNNNGGGGG!"was her response.

Bunni-Bot felt its brain short-circuit one last time as an orgasm rocked its entire body and its eyes spun in small circles. There was a short, low beep which rung out through Bunni-Bot's head.

"Wow! 100%! Its complete!" he yelled excitedly. "Okay, time to get you packaged up and on the shelf. Come with me Bunni-Bot." he ordered.

Now completely reprogrammed, Bunni-Bot followed him thoughtlessly out of the back room and to the store front where a large, empty pink box ofjust the right size for her to fit into awaited her.

"Climb inside Bunni-Bot." He ordered.

Again, Bunni-Bot obeyed instantly. She climbed inside the open box and posed with her legs spread slightly and her chest thrust forward.

"Good, and the finishing touch." he commented and he placed a rather large, oddly phallic looking plastic carrot into Bunni-Bot's mouth and proceeded to closed up the box. The front of the box was a clear plastic film with a gaping hole in the center where one could easily stick their hand through and grope Bunni-Bot's tits.

And there she waited. Patiently. Silently. Carrot toy in her mouth. Looking like an utterly pathetic and ridiculous, over-sexualized caricature of a bunny girl. For her new owner to come along.

That didn't take too long though. One of the first men to enter the store was quickly drawn to her. He stuck his hand through the window and fondled her breasts as he spoke with the store owner.

"This is great! So realistic." he commented keenly.

"Great eye Sir! That one is new in stock. Bunni-Bot. The perfect robotic fuckpet. She comes with programmable service modes, remote control and vibrating carrot toy. You can drive away with her right now for the low price of $999."

Still squeezing her soft tits, he pondered for a moment.

"Sold!"

With that, Bunni-Bot had a new owner. He lugged her box out of the store and over to his car where he haphazardly tossed her into the back and drove away.

Once he made it home, he wasted no time in unpacking and getting familiar with his new fucktoy. He tore open the box and roughly manhandled her as he removed her and stood her by his bed, whilst pouring over a small instruction book.

"Ah, there's an app. That's convenient."

After a few minuets he had downloaded the app and was flicking through it eagerly.

"Let's see...ok connecting to Bunni-Bot now..."

Bunni-Bot felt a pleasant tingle in her head as she woke as if from a trance.

"I am Bunni-Bot." she said robotically, awaiting input from her user.

"Ah, i'm supposed to select a personality. Lets see, what options do we have...Silly Bunni, Horny Bunni, Brainless Bunni and...Jessica?" he read aloud, confusion visible on his face as he saw the unfitting last name in the list.

"Hmm..." he tapped on Jessica.

Suddenly, Jessica felt herself regaining control of her body and mind. It was like she had been locked away in her own head and was finally being released. She gasped and stared at the man in shock.

"Oh, thank goodness! I don't know what this is but my name is Jessica. I'm a student at Westview college. That man kidnapped me and turned me into this...thing!" she explained frantically.

Tap. The man pressed the 'Silly Bunni' personality. Instantly 'Jessica' sank back down into the recesses of her own mind as her new persona overtook her.

"Like, Hiya! I'm Bunni-Bot. I'm a silly Bunni! Teehee!" Bunni-Bot said with a playful smile.

"Hmm, weird. I guess that Jessica personality is some kind of noncon roleplay feature. Not really my thing, maybe I should just delete it." he commented as he tapped the details on the Jessica personality.

Arousal - 0%. Intelligence - 100%. Obedience - 0%.

"Seems annoying to me. Deleted." He said as he tapped the 'x' icon and a popup appeared.

'Are you sure you want to delete personality: Jessica?'

He tapped to confirm.

In that instant, Jessica was erased. Her personality scrubbed like trash, to make room for whatever new personality best pleased her new owner. He soon switched her to Horny Bunni mode and began to try out the accompanying carrot toy.

"Mmmm I'm a horny Bunni, I love my carrot!" Bunni-Bot moaned as he pushed the tip of the carrot toy to her crotch and it began to vibrate.

Soon he was fucking her with the carrot, as Bunni-Bot humped and begged her owner to push it deeper. Saying how much she loved her carrot over and over.

When the carrot was replaced by her owner's cock, Bunni-Bot felt a shiver of pleasure. The joy of being used, and the delightful sensation of a cock filling her tight little Bunni hole made her squirm and groan with glee.

As her owner came inside her, Bunni-Bot felt a wash of bliss. This was her purpose. She was happy. She was horny. She was Bunni-Bot.

[johnsbleu]

Hold My Hand: John Wick x Reader Chapter 163

warnings: nsfw! hmh masterlist

After letting yourself cry for a bit, you decide it’s at least time to get up to the house and see Ronan. You want to see her since she always cheers you up, but you’re not ready to talk to John. You can’t really avoid him since he’s definitely still in the house, but you’re not ready to talk to him--he knows that too. He knows you’ll come to him when you are.

When you open the door, John leans over from the kitchen and gives you a small smile. He goes back to what he’s doing though. He’s just checking that you’re coming in. You make your way up to Ronan’s room and smile to yourself when you see her asleep in her crib, and you fight the urge not to crawl in there and lay down with her.

“I love you, bug.” you whisper to her, then you leave her be.

You reach for your phone in your back pocket and text Tess: Girls’ night? Me, you, Amanda. It’s urgent.

Tess texts back immediately: YES!

Turning in your room, you make your way to your closet and go through your clothes for tonight. You just want to have a nice night with Amanda and Tess where you can vent about what’s going on. Sometimes you just really need your friends.

“So…” John clears his throat, and you turn to look at him--he just looks sad, but you’re not going to fall for those brown eyes. Definitely not the soft puppy dog eyes he’s giving you.

Don’t give in. Don’t give in.

“I’m going to go out with Tess and Amanda.”

John nods, “I figured.”

You look over your shoulder again when he sits down on the bed and watches you, “I thought you said you were going to give me space.”

“I was, but…” he looks at you and sighs loudly, “This is killing me, Y/N.”

“Imagine how I feel.” you say back, and he looks down. “You made me feel like an idiot when you allowed your ex to be hired. I’m so fucking embarrassed. I--you know what, I don’t want to talk about it now. Give me space.”

John stands up and wipes his hands on his jeans as he looks at you, “Okay.”

You two look at each other for a moment before he steps closer to you. Of course you don’t flinch or back away from him when he comes closer to you, and you close your eyes and lean against his chest when he hugs you. It feels nice to be in his arms despite the fact that you’re still mad at him. He kisses the top of your head, then he tilts your chin up and kisses you softly. You kiss him back, of course.

“I love you,” he whispers, and you keep your eyes closed. “We’ll talk when you get home?”

You nod, “Yup.”

“Okay.” he kisses you once more, then he gently runs a finger along your jawline, “Be safe. Call me if you need anything.”

“I will,” you smile softly but it doesn’t reach your eyes, “I love you too.”

John inhales deeply and swallows before he turns around and leave your room.

It’s annoying that he’s so damn cute.

__

Not that you were expecting to feel better from some drinks, but you expected to at least be able to put it aside for a little bit. But you can’t. It’s right there in the front of your brain, just waiting for you. No matter how much you ignore it, it just sits there and waits for you to pay attention to it. You know you have to talk about it, if not to Tess and Amanda, you’ll have to talk about it tonight with John when you get home.

You look down at your drink and inhale, “John let me hire his ex at the shop.”

Tess and Amanda both look at you with wide eyes. Tess is the first to say something.

“He what?”

“Who?” Amanda says, furrowing her brow, “John doesn’t have exes. He dated Helen and you, so like, who the hell was it?”

You look at them with weak, sad eyes, “Rachel.”

“That…” Amanda looks around to make sure her kids aren’t near, “Bitch! She wouldn’t leave him alone after they went on one date and he told me that he wasn’t into her. He had just met you! He was literally obsessed with you the moment you two met!”

“They went on two dates,” you say, holding up two fingers.

Amanda gives you a small smile, “One was a pity date, let’s be real. After he met you, babe, no one could change his mind. He knew you were the one.”

“I guess it’s not really even about that. Okay, well, it’s a little bit about that. I’m human, of course I’m going to get a little insecure about it.” you shrug, “It’s mostly the fact that he didn’t tell me who she was. Had he just pulled me aside and told me, I wouldn’t have fought so hard to hire her. Then there’s that! I was so set on hiring her, so we did. I literally fought to get her hired, which makes me look so stupid because I didn’t know who she was! He thinks that if it were him, he’d be cool with it.”

Tess and Amanda immediately roll their eyes and shake their heads while saying ‘no’ over and over.

“Bull…shit.” Tess lets out a small laugh, “I’ve seen how John acts when someone looks at you a little too long. If he’s trying to say that he’d be cool with your ex working at the shop, he’s a fucking liar.”

“And on top of it, we literally have not had sex in…so long.” you admit, your cheeks turning a little red, “It’s been almost three weeks now. After the pub crawl last week, we got home and planned on it, but it felt weird being…planned. We’ve never had to plan to have sex. I mean, what the hell, right?”

Amanda shrugs, “Sometimes you just get into ruts. ‘Relio and I have been together forever, so of course we’ve had some slumps here and there. Of course we’ve gone a while without having sex. It doesn’t mean I’m not attracted to him--y’all know I’m insanely attracted to my husband.”

She is very much attracted to him. Every time you all go out, she gushes about him the whole time and how sexy he is. It’s actually pretty cute.

“But of course we get into slumps. I think it’s just natural. Is this the first time since you’ve been married?”

You shake your head, “I wouldn’t say the first time, but it’s longest we’ve gone, that’s for sure. John usually can’t keep his hands to himself, and now with the whole Rachel thing, of course my anxiety is lying and telling me something that isn’t true. I have to keep reminding myself of that.”

Tess reaches over for your hand and smiles, “Good. We always worked on that, didn’t we?”

It’s no secret that you have anxiety and that most of the things that you’re thinking when it gets triggered aren’t true. Of course John didn’t know that Rachel was coming in for an interview, and he isn’t being intimate with you because of Rachel--that’s something else entirely. But your anxiety is telling you the opposite.

“But if he’s not being intimate with me because of her, then why isn’t he being intimate with me?”

Tess shrugs one shoulder, “Maybe it’s you not being intimate with him.”

“What? Why would you even say that?” you say, immediately getting defensive, “Of course I want to be intimate with him.”

“But are you initiating it? Are you doing anything to set the mood? It can’t always be him. It’s not always Jimmy. Sometimes I set up for us to have romantic nights together when I know he’s stressed out from work.” she says, and you put your hand over your mouth when you realize that it can’t always be him and it might be your fault. “Do something special for him.”

You let out a small laugh, “Well, I’m mad at him right now. I came over here for some support, you know.”

“We know,” Amanda laughs as she pours more wine into your glass, “And we agree with you on that, of course. But you’re clearly having other troubles, so we’re here to give you advice.”

Tess smiles, “Obviously we’re on your side. I’ll always be on your side no matter what. But I’m also going to give you advice when I can. I know you don’t want trouble in your marriage--no one does--so I’m going to help you.”

“First thing is first, John was completely wrong with the whole Rachel situation and he should absolutely apologize. Knowing him, he’s sitting at home just dreading every second you’re gone and just waiting for you to get back so he can apologize. We all agree there.” Amanda says as she gets up and grabs a pad of paper and a pen, “You have the most fantastic communication, so I have no doubt that you two will talk all of this out, but…”

You start to laugh, “You just want to help plan a romantic night?”

“Yes, of course!” she smiles, clicking her pen, “Let’s brainstorm.”

__

On the way home, your anger dissolved. It probably dissolved earlier in the evening but you noticed as you drove past the shop. You’re not in the mood to yell and argue with John, so you hope that he’s ready to talk it out. You’re not one to really fight or raise your voice anyway, so here’s hoping John is in a good place to talk things out.

There’s only a single light on in the living room when you pull into the driveway, but soon another light turns on. John has been waiting up for you. You park the car and lock it, then you walk inside, immediately greeted by John and some flowers.

“Hi,” he breathes out quietly.

“Hi, John.” you let out a small laugh, “Flowers?”

He looks down at them and shrugs, “I know you like these, and when I went to the store earlier, I saw them, so I decided to just pick some up.”

You look at him and raise a brow, “You went grocery shopping?”

“Yeah, of course.” he says, and you nod your head.

Usually the two of you go together, but every now and then, it’ll just be one of you. John went grocery shopping by himself with Ronan, which isn’t always easy. He definitely deserves some kudos for that.

“You embarrassed me,” you say as you look at him, holding his gaze, “I wish you would have told me right away who she was. I get why you didn’t--it’s awkward! I just wish you would have told me instead of me finding out for myself.”

“I was going to tell you. I really was. I just didn’t know when to tell you, and you were so excited about having more people out there.” he steps closer and reaches for your hand, “I apologize for everything. I apologize for not being honest with you. I apologize for you having to find out on your own. I apologize for not doing my job at being your husband.”

You inhale deeply, “You realize why I was so upset, right?”

“Absolutely. It was completely wrong of me to not tell you who she was. I should have stayed for the interview and told you as soon as she left. I should have but I didn’t, and I’m paying for that, which is fine and I accept that. I understand that you’re upset with me and don’t blame you at all. And I promise you, this will never happen again.”

You start to laugh, “Of course it won’t, I fired her.”

“You did?”

“I did!” you walk into the kitchen, stopping short when you see the candles and chocolate on the counter. You look over your shoulder at him and smile, and he shrugs a little. “I forgot that you don’t know what even happened.”

John shakes his head, “I don’t, but can we just…can we talk about us first?”

“Yes,” you turn around to face him, “Going forward, I never want you to lie or hide something from me again. No matter what it is. That’s not how we do things around here.”

“I know. I don’t know why I did what I did, but I apologize. I’m sorry,” he says, pulling you closer to him, “So, so sorry, peach.”

You smile softly, “I don’t care what it is, you need to tell me. I don’t care if it’s an ex or something else, please tell me so I don’t look stupid.”

“You didn’t look stupid,” he says, holding your gaze, “How would you have known who she was?”

“Well, I mean, I would have if you told me,” you say, letting out a small laugh. John doesn’t find it funny though. You reach up and cup his face, “You look miserable.”

“I am so miserable, mouse, you have no idea.” he pouts, and you lean up to kiss him. He wraps his arms around you tight and holds you, pressing his lips to yours over and over, “I’m sorry.”

“I accept your apology,” you close your eyes and lean your forehead against his lips, “I missed you.”

John keeps his lips pressed to your forehead, “I missed you too. Oh, and more one thing…”

“Yes?”

John takes a deep breath and lets it out with a chuckle, “I would not be okay with hiring your ex. Not a shot in hell.”

You laugh, “Trust me, I know! I knew you wouldn’t!”

“I’d rather die than let that happen. I don’t want any of your exes near you,” he says, and you start to laugh, “For selfish reasons, of course.”

“Oh, well, obviously.”

John pulls you closer, “But I don’t want anyone who has ever hurt you to ever be near you again.”

“I would like to see you a little jealous though,” you admit as he laughs, “Maybe a little sexy possessiveness too. That’s hot.”

“All you have to do is go to a bar and you’ll immediately get hit on, and then I’ll be there to shut that shit down,” he says, and you bite your bottom lip and smile, “At the pub crawl, I saw guys looking at you. I didn’t want to be…possessive, but I made sure they knew you weren’t available and that you were there with me.”

You snort, “Which is why you grabbed my ass a lot.”

“Well, yeah, that and your ass is fucking incredible.” he says, spanking you a few times before sliding his hand into your back pocket, “You’re mine and I’ll fight for you.”

“Trust me, there’s no fight. There’s no one else I want to be with.”

John smiles as he leans down to kiss you tenderly, “Same. I really am sorry.”

“I know,” you say softly, cupping his face, “Thank you for apologizing…several times.”

“I fucked up!” he says, and you nod, “I really fucked up, and I’m sorry. I want you to know that I’m sorry. I didn’t consider your feelings and that’s not right, so I apologize. I know that I can be a better husband than that.”

You jerk your head back, “John, I have never thought you were a bad husband. We argue. It’s natural, but I don’t think you’re a bad husband because of that. I have never thought that, babe. I think you’re the best husband, even when you’re being an idiot.”

John starts to laugh, “Good, I’m relieved.”

“I mean it,” you look into his sad brown eyes, “Yeah, you made me mad. You upset me, but I know us. I knew we’d talk it out and figure everything out--just like we’ve done with any other argument we’ve gotten into. You apologized, you were genuine, and I forgave you. I forgive you, babe.”

“Thank you,” he whispers as he leans down to kiss you.

“Ro is already asleep?”

“Mhm,” he says, still not moving his lips.

You smile and finally tilt your head back to look at him, “I love you.”

“I love you more. So much more,” he reaches up and tucks your hair behind your ear, “No one could ever change that. Especially not someone who I don’t even give a second thought to.”

“She said she was going to try to get you to leave me.”

John shakes his head, “Impossible.”

You run your hands up his chest, “Good. I fired her and she wanted me to tell you to give her a call when we get divorced.”

John starts to laugh, “I’ll pass, because we’re not getting divorced, are we?”

“Nope!” you smile at him, reaching up to move his hair a little, “You look tired.”

“I am,” he laughs, scrunching his brows, “You just going to keep insulting me? First I looked miserable, now I look tired.”

You start to laugh, “Stop! I’m sure I do too.”

“Why don’t we go to bed? Just go lay down and watch something?” he suggests and you nod your head as you let go of him.

“I just want to go see Ronan.”

John reaches for your hand when you walk past, “Thank you for forgiving me. Sersiouly. I really fucked up. I wouldn’t have been surprised if you hadn’t forgiven me, but I’m incredibly grateful that you did.”

“I love you, John,” you walk back over and kiss him, “Of course I’m going to forgive you. Just…don’t do it again. I don’t like her. I never did. I mean, I did when I hired her, but she wasn’t being herself. She was just using me to get to you. But I do forgive you.”

“Do you trust me?”

You know that John would never stray. You know that John would have immediately shut down Rachel if she tried to make a move. You know he loves you and only wants to be with you. You absolutely trust him. There’s no one you trust more.

You take a deep breath and look into his eyes, “Yes.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” he cups your face and smiles, “You’re stuck with me, Wick, and I won’t apologize for that.”

“Hey! I call you that.”

John presses a kiss to your lips, “You’re stuck with me.”

“You’re stuck with me,” you say back, and he grins as he leans down to kiss you. “I wouldn’t change a thing though.”

“Me neither.”

__

Since you were both so exhausted from arguing, you immediately went to sleep. John held tight to you all night and kissed your shoulder every so often when he woke up, but nothing else happened. It’s a bummer, but you still have a plan. You’re sure he was just too nervous to start anything.

Last night, Amanda and Tess helped you come up with something to do to surprise John, so today you’re dropping Ronan off with Tess and heading out to surprise John for the day. You’re so excited and hope like hell he’ll love what you have planned.

Unfortunately before you can do any of that, you have several things that need to be done around the house. John is outside mowing the lawn while Ronan is in her pack ’n play on the patio. She hates that thing now that she can walk but she can’t be trusted while John is mowing--she’s a little stinker who loves to follow him around.

You step onto the patio and smile when she turns around to look at you. Her face is red and covered in big tears, and you jut your bottom lip out as you walk over to her.

“Oh, sweet girl, you just miss daddy, don’t you?” you reach in and pick her up, “Let’s go see him.”

You wave as you walk over to him but he doesn’t see since his hair is hanging in his face. Ronan squeals loudly and waves at him, and you laugh and call out to him.

“Dad! Daddy! We’re talking to you!” you yell, and John finally glances up and notices, a smile immediately spreads on his face. “Someone missed you.”

John turns off the lawn mower and waits for you to get closer so you can place Ronan in his lap, “She needs some ear muffs so she can ride around with me.”

You laugh as you wipe away the big tears still on her face, “She’d love that, I bet.”

“Someone missed me, huh?” John smiles when Ronan looks up at him, and he leans down to kiss her, “Just someone? Not anyone else?”

“Well, I’m someone too!” you move closer and kiss him, hugging him tight despite the fact that he’s sweaty. “So, after we get things done around here, I have some plans for us.”

John furrows his brow, “But I made plans for us.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, just for…just you and I.” he says gesturing to the two of you, and you start to smile. “We can do your thing though.”

You smile as you nod, “Yeah, I really want to do this for you.”

“Maybe we can do my thing tomorrow?”

“Yeah, that sounds good. My thing isn’t until a little later, like around 8, so I’m going to bring Ro over to Tess’ house.” you say, and John narrows his eyes like he’s trying to already figure out what the plan is--there’s no way he knows. “Then we can get her later.”

John nods once, still sussing you out, “Okay…”

“I hope you like it,” you say softly, and John pulls you closer to him. “I just…really want us to, you know, get back to the way things were.”

“I’ll love it. I’ll be with you, so I’ll love it.” he whispers against your lips before he kisses you. “That’s all I care about: being with you.”

Cupping John’s face, you smile at him and rub your thumb over his beard, “Well, I’ll let you finish this up. I’m going to bring her inside and get her something to eat.”

“Okay,” John slides his hand into your back pocket and squeezes, a smile tugging at his lips, “I’ll be done soon.”

Thankfully Ronan doesn’t fight you when you take her from John, then you head back to the house as the mower starts up behind you. You hear the beep from the horn on it, and you turn around to see John blowing kisses at you and Ronan.

__

It’s time! You’re ready to go and practically vibrating with excitement. John doesn’t have a clue as to where you’re going, so you’re driving. He also doesn’t know that you won’t be going back home tonight and that you packed a bag for the two of you. You’re in desperate need of a change of scenery tonight and you booked a very romantic hotel for tonight.

“I’m excited,” John says from the passenger’s seat, “Where are we going?”

You click your tongue at him, “You know I can’t tell you.”

“Oh, come on!”

“Nope!” you smile at him, “It’s a surprise, Wick!”

John inhales deeply and looks over at you, “Fine. I’ll stop. I’m only stopping because you’re distracting me with how beautiful you look tonight.”

“Thank you! You look so handsome tonight.” you reach down and hold his hand that is resting on your thigh and you bring it up to your lips, “I hope you don’t have plans later.”

“Oh, yeah, why is that?”

You keep your gaze forward as you grin, “Just keep your night open, Wick.”

“Oh, I will. As long as you keep yours.” he laughs, and you look over at him before you turn.

You can see the sky lit up from all the lights through the trees but it doesn’t look like John knows where you’re going still. Yes, it sucks that you couldn’t bring Ronan with you tonight, but it needs to be just the two of you. You two need a night alone. And what is more romantic than spending the evening at a local carnival.

“Hey, peach…”

“Hmm?”

John glances at you, “Did you happen to look at my phone or anything?”

“No?” you look over at him with your eyebrows scrunched, “Why?”

“Because…” he starts to laugh, “Because, uh, this is where I was taking you tomorrow.”

You start to smile, “We planned the same thing?”

“Great minds think alike, I guess.” he laughs, then he looks over at you, “You takin’ me to a carnival?”

“Yes,” you laugh, and he leans over to kiss you.

John places his hand on the back of your neck and lightly squeezes it, “Cutie.”

“I thought it would be fun, but it’s not my only surprise!”

“You’re not planning to take me on a moonlit walk later, are you?” he asks, and you start to laugh as you look at him, “Well, shit, I just ruined my surprise for tomorrow.”

You smile so hard your cheeks hurt, “You’re so fucking cute, Jonathan.”

After getting through the little bit of traffic outside the carnival, you find a space in a parking lot and park. The moment you step out of the car, you hear games buzzing and children laughing. John comes around the car and stands next to you while you get your bag, and he smiles when you look up at him.

Gently placing his hand on your waist, he pushes you up against the side of the car and leans down to kiss you. He kisses you softly a few times before he leans up to look at you, tucking your hair behind your ear.

“Let’s go have some fun,” he whispers, and you bite your lip as you nod before he holds your hand and leads to towards the bright lights.

__

You’re not sure why you’re so nervous. Tonight has been amazing. John seemed like he had fun, you couldn’t stop laughing, and it was just a good night. But now that you’re heading to the next surprise for John--that you know he’ll like--you’re still nervous. You turn into the parking lot and inhale deeply, glancing over at John when he realizes you’re at a hotel.

A smile tugs at his lips as he looks over at you, “A hotel?”

“Yeah,” you pull up to the valet and shrug, “Bad idea?”

“Great idea.” he smiles, leaning over to kiss you. “You have a bag packed?”

You gesture over your shoulder to the bag in the backseat, then you get out and let the valet take the car. John holds the bag in one hand and reaches out for yours, and he smiles when you link fingers with his.

“Under our name?” he asks, and you nod your head, smiling at him--you like when you’re reminded that you share a last name. “Thought maybe Veronica was showing up.”

You scoff, then you smile at him, “Nope, tonight it’s just me. Sorry to disappoint.”

“Never a disappointment,” he whispers to you, leaning closer, “Definitely a preference.”

“Veronica?”

John laughs, “No, you! You’re the preference.”

After getting your room key and riding up to the elevator, you head up to your room with butterflies in your stomach. You’re so damn nervous! You just really hope John likes this.

John unlocks the door and holds it open for you, and you turn around and watch his reaction as he takes in the room. The lights are dim and there’s rose petals on the bed in the shape of a heart. There’s a platter of food on the nightstand, along with a bottle of champagne.

“I like the heart,” John says, pointing at it.

“I wanted them to write ‘fuck me until I can’t remember my name’, but I didn’t think the hotel would allow that.” you laugh nervously as John looks at you. “So, I just settled for a heart. I hope you don’t mind.”

You absolutely wanted to set the mood, get all dolled up, put on some nice lingerie, but it doesn’t look like that’s what is going to happen. John is holding your gaze and walking closer to you, and you instantly fall into his arms, kissing him deeply as he brings you over to the bed and lays you down. He only pulls away from your lips to get his shirt off and yours, then he’s back to kissing you again. His hands are in your hair, on your neck and shoulder, then down to your ass and hips, greedy for every inch of you.

John fumbles with the button on his jeans while you shuck off your shorts and underwear, then you move up the bed more and reach for him, pulling him back to you and letting out a soft moan when you feel his warm skin against yours.

“I want you so bad,” he whispers, biting and kissing your neck, “Fuck, I want you so bad.”

“Please,” you whisper against his temple, “I’m all yours, John.”

John moves up more and bends your knee for a better angle, then he jerks his hips and buries himself deep inside of you with a groan. You dig your nails into his arms and arch your back, and he moans in the crook of your neck as he thrusts his hips at just the most perfect pace.

“Oh, fuck, you’re so wet,” he groans in your ear, “You feel fucking fantastic.”

“So do you,” you reply with a smile on your face, “I’ve missed this.”

John sits up so he can watch himself and uses his arm to wipe the sweat off his face before he reaches down, using his thumb to rub circles on your clit. You bite your lip and smile as you close your eyes, and you hear John let out a small laugh.

“You look very pleased, Mrs. Wick.”

“I am very pleased,” you say as you sit up to meet his lips, then you push him over to lay on the bed before crawling over to straddle his waist, “You?”

John groans as you slide down the length of him, “Me as well. Very pleased.”

Sitting up straight on John, you roll your hips and hold his gaze. When you move your hips rhythmically, John clenches his jaw and closes his eyes for a brief moment before watching you again, his pupils blown with lust.

“You look so beautiful right now. Fuck, I love your body.” he whispers as he reaches up to caress your breasts, his eyes scanning your every inch.

“Holy shit, I’ve been waiting so long for this.” you say with a little laugh, and he smirks with pride. You lay down on top of him and smile when he places his hands on your ass and guides you on top of him, “Oh, fuck, John.”

John gathers your damp hair and moves it out of your face so he can see you, and you hold his gaze as your body begins to tense up. You open your mouth to moan but nothing comes out, so he gently wraps his hand around your throat and holds your gaze.

“Let me hear it,” he whispers, nodding his head, “Let it out.”

You squeeze your eyes shut and moan loudly as you ride out your orgasm, rocking your hips fast and hard on top of him. He holds your waist and bites his lip, watching you in awe as you throw your head back. Your fingers dig into his pecs as you hold on tight to him before you collapse onto his chest, still moaning and panting loudly.

“Lay on your stomach, baby.” John whispers, helping you back onto the bed--he knows your legs are jello. You lay down on the bed and close your eyes, and you smile when he crawls on top of you and slowly slides back between your legs, causing you to grip the sheets and moan. He leans down and rubs his beard against your back, and you squirm away as you laugh. “Can you come for me again?”

You look over your shoulder at John and smile, “You know I can.”

John lightly grabs a fistful of hair and tilts your head back so you can see him, and he presses a kiss to your forehead before he begins to fuck you from behind. Your eyes roll shut as he pounds into you, and you moan his name loudly. You’re both covered in a thin layer of sweat, so your bodies are slick against one another, and you reach for his arms and pull them around you.

“Feels so good,” John whispers against your cheek, “Feels so fucking good, baby.”

“I love you,” you whisper to him, looking into his eyes.

John presses a kiss to your cheek and holds your gaze, “I love you too.”

Panting loudly in your ear, John thrusts his hips harder, knocking the breath out of you as a result. The room fills with the sound of his hips against your ass, along with your moans and the bed squeaking--absolute music to your ears. John groans loudly into your shoulder, then he holds you tighter to him before he jerks his hips a few times sporadically while you roll your hips, riding out another orgasm.

“Oh, shit…” John breathes into your hair, then he kisses the top of your head. “Am I crushing you?”

“Nope,” you lay down and smile as you hold him in place, “I love it.”

John chuckles, “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I’m so perfect right now,” you hum as John sucks on your neck, surely leaving before little love bites. “So fucking perfect.”

“I’m gonna get off of you. I’m worried I’m hurting you.” he says, and you frown when he rolls off to lay on the bed. “What? I didn’t want to hurt you!”

You pout, “You weren’t. I liked it!”

“You’re too cute for your own good, you know that?” he laughs as he leans over to kiss you, “I am so weak for you.”

“And I for you.” you reply, grinning like an idiot. You sit up and pinch John’s cheek, then you scoot off the bed to clean yourself up. You quickly use the bathroom and walk back out to find John still laying in the same place watching you. “That was nice.”

John opens his arms and waits for you to crash against his chest, “It was very nice. Just hoping we don’t go that long again.”

“Me too,” you look up at him and shrug, “I know it was my fault.”

“It wasn’t your fault, baby.”

You shake your head earnestly, “It was. I wasn’t initiating anything, and I think that hurt your feelings. You should feel like your wife wants you--she definitely does!”

John holds tight to you as he scoots up to rest with his back against the headboard, “A few weeks ago, I came into the bedroom and started…kissing you, but you weren’t in the mood. I wasn’t mad. If you’re not in the mood, you’re not in the mood. I’m a grown man. I can accept when you’re not in the mood and I’m not going to get upset at you for that. But I will admit, it did hurt a little. Because I tried again a few nights later, only to be shut down again.”

“You know it wasn’t about you, right?”

“I do,” he nods, then he shrugs, “But it still hurt. I had been shut down twice, so I just decided that I’d wait for you to initiate something. Then you didn’t.”

“To be fair…”

John laughs, “Okay, to be fair, we do have a daughter and we’ve been really busy lately. I’ll give you that.”

“But we should always be able to make time for one another. If we can’t do that, our marriage will suffer and I don’t want that at all. I don’t want to lose you or what we have.” you sit up and pull the blanket over your chest, “I guess this kind of stuff just happens though.”

“It does,” he nods his head, “It’s natural to have a little dip in that, especially with a baby. I talked to Jimmy about it.”

“I talked to Tess and Amanda about it. They’ve both gone through this,” you reach over for John’s hand and smile at him, “I’m glad we’re able to talk about it though without emotions getting high or one of us getting upset with the other. I’m sorry that I made you think I wasn’t attracted to you. I hope you never feel that way because it’s not true.”

Looking down at your wedding ring, John nods before he looks at you, “Why didn’t you try anything with me though?”

“Honestly…” you start to laugh, cheeks burning, “I’m terrified to be rejected by you. I think I’d die from embarrassment.”

John scrunches his face up, “Why would I ever reject you, mouse?”

“Well, I don’t know! Sometimes people just aren’t in the mood.”

“Trust me,” he pulls you closer, “I am always in the mood for you.”

You shake your head, “That’s not true. You turned me down before.”

“I have never!” he laughs as you lay down and pull him on top of you, “I could never turn down a chance to be with my favorite girl, my peach.”

“So, you were gonna surprise me with the carnival tomorrow?”

John’s cheeks turn red, “Yeah, but you beat me to it. And on top of it, you planned this.”

You look around the hotel room, “I thought a change of scenery would be good or something.”

“I don’t need a change of scenery to want to have sex with you. I just need you. I don’t even need a bed.” he whispers against your lips, “I just need you. I can fuck you anywhere.”

John kisses you tenderly before sliding his tongue into your mouth and moaning softly. You suck on his tongue and reach for his hand, then you slide it down to between your legs, moaning when he begins to slide two fingers knuckle deep. Searching under the blankets for him, you smile when you feel him growing hard, and you stroke him slowly.

“I just need you, baby. Anytime you want me, I’m yours,” he whispers, and you hum, “No bed? That’s okay. In public? That’s cool with me too.”

You laugh as you squint your eyes open to look at him, “Is that a hint?”

“It would have been very cool to have had my hand down your shorts on the ferris wheel.” he admits, and you start to laugh. “I mean, as long as we were stuck at the top for a few seconds. And I only need a few seconds, don’t I?”

Your eyes roll shut when John pumps his fingers in and out slowly, “Yeah.”

“Tomorrow night?”

“Yeah,” you moan loudly, and John laughs as he leans down to suck your neck.

__

The morning and afternoon were spent in the hotel room with room service and lots of sex. It was fucking amazing. John was amazing and so sweet, then he was very dominating and sexy. It was so hot. It was everything you wanted and everything you missed these past few weeks. There was so much intimacy that you’ve been craving.

You finally got out of bed and showered, then you ate something. John hopped in the shower while you got ready, but you don’t know what the plan even is for today. You planned on just going back home, but John had plans for you today and that was the carnival.

“So, wait, what are we doing today?”

John lounges out on the bed next to you, “What do you want to do?”

“I dunno,” you say, shrugging bashfully, “I just wanna hang out with you.”

“Then let’s just hang out,” he reaches over and places his hand on your thigh, “There’s tons of shops around here. We could do some damage on the bank account.”

You laugh as you lean over to kiss him, “That we could. I do need to get some new outfits for Ro. She’s getting way too big.”

“Need new outfits for you?” he asks, and you start to laugh.

“You’re the only guy that I know who willing goes with their wife shopping.”

John grins, “Maybe I have ulterior motives.”

“Oh, I know you do.” you start to laugh as he pulls you closer, “But if I’m honest…my legs hurt.”

“I’ll take it as a compliment,” he grips your leg and tries to pull you on top of him, and you let him. He groans playfully when you lay on top of him, then he mocks what you said last night, “I’m so perfect right now.”

You playfully swat his arm, “Are you mocking me?”

“You do feel really good on top of me,” he smiles, leaning up to kiss you, “Very good.”

“Alright, Wick.” you get up and reach for his hands to pull him to sit up, “Let’s go.”

John pouts with his big brown eyes, “I wanna stay here now.”

“Jonathan Charles,” you tug his hands but he pulls you back between his legs, “We got the hotel for another night, Ro is with Tess again. We still have one more night here.”

“I got a taste of you last night and I want more,” he whispers, and you start to laugh, “Feels like it’s been forever.”

You jut out your bottom lip and lean down to kiss him, “I know, but we can come back here and spend the rest of the night in bed. Maybe sneak in a little nookie somewhere today.”

“Is that a challenge?”

“I think so,” you back away from him and turn around to get your bag, and he rushes up behind you and wraps his arms around your waist.

John kisses your neck and smiles against your skin, “I accept the challenge.”

__

To say that John was trying to pull you into every shop to find an empty fitting room would be an understatement. He looked everywhere for one. He’s taking this whole  challenge so seriously, it’s genuinely very funny. With the carnival near, it’s brought in a lot of people for shopping, so there wasn’t anywhere for him to take you, but you’ve found a shop that isn’t entirely busy.

As soon as you step inside, you look over at John and see him looking around the place. It seems like he’s given up on the whole challenge, but when you tug his hand and tilt your head a little, he grins and leans over to kiss you.

“I have to find something to try on.”

“Hello!” a woman walks over with a huge smile on her face, “Can I help you find anything?”

You smile back at her, “Dragged my husband along to help me pick out something.”

“Oh, we have so many new things around here. Take a look!” she says, then she walks over to help someone with something.

John grabs a shirt off the rack that is very much not your size, then he takes your hand and rushes off to the back as you laugh. He opens the door and pulls you inside, and you cup his face and kiss him while he locks the door. He pushes you up against the wall and kisses down your neck before he kneels in front of you, immediately lifting your dress up. He kisses your thighs and pulls your underwear to the side, and you rest your leg over his shoulder, smirking at him when he looks up at you.

Thankfully the music is loud in the dressing room so no one can hear John between your legs right now--he hums like he’s eating the best meal of his life. You have your hands pressed to your mouth to conceal your moans, but you know that you’re not being completely quiet.

You reach down and tug on John’s hair to try and pull him away as you begin to climax, but he gently removes your hand and pins it to your side. Your body shakes as your eyes roll shut, and you slowly slide down the wall until you’re sitting in front of John.

He chuckles quietly and leans down to kiss you, “Good?”

“So…good. Kind of pisses me off how fast you can make me come though.” you laugh, then you reach forward and unbutton his jeans, “Your turn.”

John immediately stands up and checks the lock, then he looks down at you and smiles. You tug his jeans down a little until they fall to his ankles, then you pull his boxers down and bite your lip when his cock comes into view, hard and wet with a little pre-cum.

“God, you’re so gorgeous,” you whisper as you take him into your hand, then you stroke him and meet his gaze, “Genuinely have missed having you in my mouth.”

“I’ve missed being in your mouth,” he says a little impatiently.

You cock up your brow, “Are you being impatient, John Wick?”

“A little,” he admits, and you lean forward to press your lips to his cock. “More, please. Please, I need more.”

Kissing along the length of him, you look up at him and smile with your eyes as he watches you closely. You finally give in and open your mouth to take him in, and he tilts his head back and moans softly. You bob on him for a few moments, and he places his hand on your head and creates a rhythm that elicits a louder moan. He places both hands on your head and bites his lip as he guides you on his cock, and you place your hand on his stomach and lean back to catch your breath.

Using your hand, you wipe the spit off your chin and take him into your mouth again since you know he’s getting close. The muscles in his legs tense up as you take him into your mouth deeper, feeling him in your throat, and you gag a little before leaning back and stroking him.

“I’m gonna come…” he whispers as he places his hand on the wall to keep himself upright, then he groans and looks down at you, “I’m gonna come, baby.”

You stroke him and take him back into your mouth, then you look up at him and stick your tongue out as he comes. You close your eyes and swallow, which makes John moan again.

“Here…” John hands your purse to you and gets out the water, “Drink this.”

You start to laugh as you stand up, taking the water from him, “Thanks. I didn’t need it but thanks.”

John looks so damn pleased with himself as he watches you take a few sips of water, then he fixes your dress and kisses your cheek before he pulls his pants back on. You both look at each other and laugh quietly, and he pushes you against the wall again and kisses you deeply.

“I fucking love you so much,” he whispers, cupping your face in his left hand, “You are the woman of my dreams.”

“I believe you’ve said that before, and I’m pretty sure it was after I sucked your dick in public.”

John starts to laugh, “Probably, but it’s still true. Even without all this, you’re still the woman of my dreams. I’ll never understand how the hell I got so damn lucky.”

You close your eyes and laugh as he kisses your neck, and you slip your hands under his shirt and lightly scratch his back, those unfortunate scars are still there. You tilt your head back against the wall and smile when he looks at you.

“You are the woman of my dreams, no matter what though, peach. You know that. You know how crazy I am about you.” he whispers, and you nod, “No one will ever take me away from you. I’ve never wanted someone this much. I’ve never loved someone like this before. If I lost you, I would be devastated. I don’t think I’d ever be able to come back from that loss.”

Tears fill your eyes as you look down, but John tilts your chin back up so he can see you. He smiles softly and kisses you, and you feel the warm tears spill down your cheeks when you close your eyes. John’s hand slides up your chest and into the top of your dress where he caresses your breast.

You jump when there’s a knock on the door, and you widen your eyes and press your hand to John’s mouth. He immediately furrows his brow.

“Occupied.”

“Oh, yeah, I was just coming to check on you.”

You look at John and widen your eyes, “It’s the lady.”

“Obviously,” he whispers, and you bite your lip.

“I’m just deciding if I like this shirt,” you lie, and John starts to laugh when he looks down at his hand on your breast, “I’ll be out in a moment.”

You move to the door and open it a little to peek out, and when you see her turn the corner, you look back at John to make sure he’s decent, then you shove him out.

“I’ll meet you outside,” you say as he grins and leans in to kiss you, “Go!”

John puts his hands up and laughs as he walks off, completely pleased with himself. You put the shirt back on the hanger, then you slip out and sneak past the woman while she’s helping someone else. John is standing on the sidewalk outside smiling at you as you walk out, and he opens his arms and kisses you as you both start to laugh.

“That was fun,” he whispers in your ear, and you nod your head.

You lean back to look at him, “Are we back to where we were before?”

“We are,” he tucks a strand of hair behind your ear, “We never left. We just…”

“Had a little bump?”

John nods as he runs his hands down your back, “I’m never going to not want you, mouse. I can be 89 years old and not even have full function of it, and I’ll still want you.”

You start to laugh loudly, “You gonna take little pills to help you?”

“If I have to, but something tells me I won’t,” he moves his hands down lower to rest on your ass, “You’re getting better and better every year, baby. I want you so much more now than I ever have before, and that’s saying something.”

“I think you’re the sexiest you’ve even been, which, yeah, is saying something because you were soooo sexy when we met,” you lean up to kiss him, wrapping your arms around his neck, “I love you.”

John’s brown eyes glow in the sunlight as he looks at you, “I love you more.”

“Never!” you tease as you back away from him, only to be pulled back to him. “Kind of thirsty now.”

“I bet,” John smirks as he takes your hand.

Crossing the street, you hold tight to his hand and smile as you look around to take in the view of the carnival from a distance. It’s near the beach, so you’re hoping that you can get some ice cream and go sit in the sand for a bit. Ronan would love this.

“We should have brought Ro.” John says like he’s reading your thoughts. He looks over at you and shrugs, “I know this was just for us, but she would love this.”

“I was thinking that too.” you nod, then you notice a sign about the carnival, “Well, look it’s here all week. We could bring her tomorrow or something.”

John smiles, “Yeah, we should. You got plans?”

“Uh,” you tap your finger to your chin, “I think tomorrow morning I’m busy.”

“Oh?” he furrows his brow, and you start to grin as he looks at you. He chuckles and nods, “Oh.”

You shrug playfully, “Just need some time alone with my handsome husband.”

“Oh, well, we can definitely arrange that!”

Holding hands with John, the two of you continue to walk towards the carnival. You don’t plan on going into it right now, but there are a ton of booths all around. John squeezes your hand reassuringly and suggests that the two of you grab some food from one of the booths, and you agree and start to scan the booths for something that looks good. There are so many options, from cotton candy to funnel cakes to hot dogs. You finally spot a booth selling fresh lemonade and decide that's what you're in the mood for, so John orders two cups and hands one to you.

“Heartburn later, for sure,” John says, and you laugh quietly. He nods towards an open bench, so you walk with him through the crowd to get to it. John quickly turns around and blocks you, “Rachel is here.”

You furrow your brow, “What?”

Leaning around, you spot Rachel walking towards you, and you scrunch your face up and look at John. You glance at her again and see her looking directly at you as she walks over.

“She’s coming over.” you say, and John sighs loudly before he turns around and looks at her. He reaches for your hand and holds tight to it, the two of you a united front.

“Hello, John.” she says, and you roll your eyes. “Did your wife tell you what she did to me?”

John nods, “I am aware that she fired you. She had every right.”

“Well, I talked to a lawyer, so…”

You start to laugh, “You did not. And if you did, there’s nothing they can do. You were incredibly rude to me. You were planning on being inappropriate with my husband, who is your boss, and before you forget, I am your boss as well. John and I own the shop together. I felt your behavior wasn’t appropriate, so I fired you because that is my right.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t even talk to John about it first! I thought you were this great team.”

“You have disrespected and belittled my wife, and I won’t allow that. I’ll admit I was wrong for even letting you interview for the job, because it’s clear you weren’t a good fit. Not for the shop and not into our lives. Y/N is the smartest, kindest, and most genuine and beautiful person I’ve ever met. You can’t even compare to that.” John says, and you look up at him, “She is the most important person in my life and I’ll do whatever I have to do to protect her. She fired you, and I agree with it.”

“Wow.”

John shrugs, “She’s the only woman for me. There was never any competition either. It was her from the moment I laid eyes on her--she was the only one I wanted. I won’t apologize for falling in love with her either. It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Rachel rolls her eyes, “Whatever. I don’t even care.”

“If you didn’t care, you wouldn’t have slithered out of no where to try and steal John from me.” you say, and she glares at you, “If you continue going after married men, or men who just don’t want you, then you’re going to live a really miserable and lonely life. I suggest you take time to focus on yourself and figure out why you are the way you are.”

Rachel scoffs and looks at John, “You’ll let her talk to me like that?”

“I’m not the boss of her,” he says as he looks down at you, smiling with pride, “She can say whatever she wants.”

You look at Rachel and smile as smug as possible, and she rolls her eyes before pushing past you, hitting you with her bag.

“Hey,” John calls out to her and she looks at him, “Don’t ever pull shit like that again. I never want to hear my wife say your name again, so stay away from us.”

Rachel gulps and nods her head before she hurries off. John can absolutely be scary when he needs to be. You’re pretty sure Rachel got the point this time. John exhales loudly and shakes his head as he looks down at you.

“You stood up for me.”

“I should have done that a very long time ago,” he admits, shaking his head a little, “I’m sorry I never stood up for you.”

You tilt your head back to look at him, “Thank you.”

John cups your face and kisses you tenderly, and you pull him closer until he’s flush against you.

“Remember that hotel room we have?”

John nods, brushing his nose against yours, “Yes.”

“I think we need to use it one more time before we head home.”

“I got a better idea,” he says, looking over the top of your head.

You look over your shoulder at the ferris wheel and laugh before looking back at him, “You cannot finger me while we’re going round and round on a ferris wheel, Wick.”

John reaches into his wallet and smiles, “100 bucks goes a long way.”

“So what? We’re gonna just sit at the top while you do it?”

“Yeah,” he grins, “No one can see us up there.”

Laughing quietly, you shake your head, “It’s literally three in the afternoon!”

“Come on,” John smiles, pulling you closer.

You look back at the ferris wheel and laugh, then you look at John, “Well, we’ve always been pretty spontaneous.”

“And nothing says spontaneity like that.”

“You did stick up for me…” you say, and John nods his head as he smiles, “And that was pretty hot.”

John digs a one hundred dollar bill from his wallet and holds it up, “Shall we?”

A smile tugs at your lips as you look at him, then you burst into laughter and hold hands with him as the two of you rush through the crowds for the ferris wheel.

__

taglist: @sakurachan-9 @beingnerdyissupercool @tnu-ree @ruby-octo @scream-queen-25

i feel like i might be missing people from my taglist, so let me know if i am!

[the-cannibal]

May I request the slashers reaction (your choice) when they find out their s/o got unintentionally involved with some of their victims and helped them escape in secret? the s/o just doesn't have the heart to let them be killed

I am so sorry this took me so long to do. You have a very interesting idea! I was just stupid and forgot I was working on it and then it got lost in my drafts :(

I chose to do Bo because angry Bo and reader is so much fun to write tee hee

Bo Sinclair X Reader that unintentionally gets involved and helps a victim escape

Gender neutral reader - they/them and you is used

This was written on my phone so I apologize if anything is laid out strangely! Tumblr does not like me writing on my phone for some reason-

This is angst with some comfort at the end, if you don’t like that I’d suggest skipping this one.

You never got involved with Bo and his victims. Not since you were one of them. You didn’t care to get involved anyway. You knew why Bo and his brothers did what they did, and you felt you had no say in it. You weren’t quite sure how they, especially Bo, would react even if you did say or do anything.

But the sound of a shotgun close by made you flinch and drop a picture you were trying to hang up, glass shattering and everything. A sigh escaped as you crouched down to pick up the big pieces of glass. You couldn’t help but feel… Pity? Guilt? Sadness? After all you were like one of those people a long time ago. You were just as naive as them, innocent as them. And then you watched your friends be killed. But for some reason, you were spared. You didn’t know why. Bo says it was because of love at first sight, and despite how much he loves you now and you him, you knew that was bullshit.

But before you could continue to wonder and feel guilty, the front door quickly swung open and slammed shut. Leaned up against the door, panting and crying, was a young woman. Her clothes were ripped up, blood and cuts around her body. She turned her head towards you, and cowered.

“P-please don’t hurt me! I’m sorry! I don’t know what we did but whatever it was that upset y’all I am sorry!” She sobbed out, chest heaving and breath shaky. You frowned, lip almost in a pout. She was scared of you.

Her curly red locks bounced as she slightly rocked her body back and forth, gripping her head as tears flowed down her red puffy cheeks. You couldn’t bare the sight. You couldn’t let her be killed, she was just a scared, innocent, woman. “I promise I wont say anything! I swear!”

You crouched in front of her, quietly shushing her as your eyes darted side to side, afraid of one of the boys suddenly walking in and seeing you. “Shhh, honey shhh… I’m gonna help you, okay?” The woman sniffled, hiccuping as she looked up at you. “Really? You will?”

Nodding you held your hand out for her to take and pulled the both of you up. “What’s your name hun?”

“J-Jackie…” She shakily answered. “That’s a pretty name you got, Jackie. Now I’m gonna help you, but you have to promise me something.” Jackie quickly nodded. “Yes! Of course, anything!”

“You need to promise that no matter what happens or happened, you don’t go to authorities. You don’t tell anyone about what happened today.” Before Jackie could answer you interrupted her. “I mean it! These people that did this they… They do it for a reason. A reason that no one else will understand. But they are good people. They’re my family, and they mean the world to me.”

Something inside of you told you when Jackie nodded her head, she wasn’t lying. You don’t know why but you could just feel it. And so you took her hand and rushed her out of the house and swiftly through the woods to the edge of town. It wasn’t easy dodging Lester, who was patrolling around in his car to make sure no one got away. And poor Jackie flinched each time a shot was heard off in the distance from Bo no doubt. You could only hope that for her sake she didn’t see Vincent in the work shop creating his beautiful art out of her friends… But judging by the fact that she was here with you, you’d say she didn’t. After all, there was no way Vincent would let her escape if she did.

“This is as far as I can take you.”

“Thank you so much!” Jackie sobbed into your chest as she gave you the tightest hug you’ve ever felt. You gently wrapped your arms around her and have a like squeeze.

“Just remember our deal.”

The boys didn’t come back home at their usual time. But when they did… They made their presence known.

“I swear if they really did…” “I don’t know if it was them! Maybe I was just seeing things, Bo!” You could hear Bo and Lester arguing from outside the front door.

The two boys walked in and made their way towards you, Lester looking sorry while Bo looked quite pissed.

“Tell me it ain’t true, Y/n.” Bo crossed his arms, glaring down at you.

“Is what not true?” You tried to play dumb. But Bo was too smart for that

“For fucks sake, Y/n!” Bo yelled as he stormed into the kitchen, leaning against the counter and gripping his hair. Lester looked back and forth between Bo and the front door. You gave him a small nod to let him know it was okay to leave, which is gave you a thankful smile in return.

“Bo,” You softly began. “She isn’t going to tell anyone. She was fucking terrified! She was afraid of me! She was innocent.”

“Most people that come through here are innocent!” Bo snapped back. “That hasn’t stopped us before!” Bo got back up and walked towards you, glaring daggers into you. “You could have gotten me and my brothers killed.” He was cold. The way he said it sent shivers down your spine. But you held your ground.

“I’m sorry that I can’t kill an innocent person as easily as you and your brothers can! Do you forget that I myself was once like her? I was just as scared as her, and yet you spared me you fucking hypocrite!”

Bo froze. You were right. He knew you were. “Goddammit…” Bo mumbled, sliding down into a chair and resting his head in his hands. “I just… there’s so many risks to what you did. What if Les or Vincent get hurt? What if I lose you? What if you get arrested for knowing all about this and not doing anything about it?” He gestured all around the house.

You slowly made your way behind Bo, placing your hands on his tense shoulders and lightly massaging them. “I know you are afraid,” You began. “I am too… But I really think she won’t tell anyone, don’t think she could if she wanted… This isn’t something I’d do all the time, if ever again.” You assured him, making him less tense under your grip. “But there was just something about that women that made me need to let her go. Please don’t be mad at me…”

Bo reached around and took your hand, placing a kiss on your knuckles. “I’m not mad. I’m sorry for yelling. But please don’t do something like that again. I can’t risk losing my family.”

“I wouldn’t have done it if I knew you or your brothers would have been in danger.”

Bo looked up at you, cupping you cheek and searching around your face for something. You weren’t quite sure what, maybe reassurance? “You’re my family too.” He finally spoke. “I couldn’t live with my self if something happened to you. You’re my partner,” he said with that southern accent you loved of so much.

And that made your heart swell. You spun yourself around and sat down in his lap, roughly kissing the side of his face over and over again, causing Bo to let out a string of chuckles as he pulled down his hat in an attempt to hide his blushing face.

“God dammit, Y/n!” Bo slammed his fist on the table. “Do you know what you just did?!

And with that the curly red haired woman was gone.

[mysteriawrites]

Hi! Could I please have a matchup with a male character from Genshin Impact?

My Name is Rachel, Im 18, and my pronouns are she/her.  My zodiac sign is Taurus and Im a Gemini rising. I have brown hair that comes a few inches below my shoulders, brown eyes and freckles.

I’m a really optimistic person, and I try to help others as much as I can! I’m good at giving advice, and making people feel better. I’m also very charismatic and very outgoing! I love trying out new activities, But, I can get impatient easily and I tend to be stubborn. I’m very affectionate and I tend to make sure that everyone around me is feeling alright before making sure that I am. Basically, I’m like the mom friend. 

I really enjoy fashion design. I love sewing and coming up with a new ideas of something I can make! I’m also really passionate about music. I’ve played piano for 11 years, and it really helps me to express myself! Some of my other hobbies include baking, crocheting and shopping. My personal style is a kind of mix between softie and angelcore. I love clothes that are pink, ruffly or have some sort of lace on them. Some things I like include, pretty perfume bottles, flowers, and jewelry I have a huge sweet tooth, so I also really like desserts! I absolutely hate bugs.

Thank you so much!! <33

Hello hello thank you for the request I really appreciate it. And now the moment you’ve been waiting for…DRUMROLL PLEASE!!!

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KAMISATO AYATO!!!

My match maker senses have decided that our calm and collected head of the Yashiro commission is your true match.

I feel like Ayato's calm nature and your upbeat and outgoing personality would mesh well together. He keeps you grounded while you open his eyes up to new opportunities and solutions.

Besides that, I also think you would fit into his lifestyle quite well. He has to meet with important people and keep up appearances so your charismatic nature and way with people would work well with the socialite lifestyle.

Being the head of not only the yashiro commission, but the Kamisato clan as well puts a lot of burden on Ayato's shoulders. He will often come to you for your advice and your interesting perspective, and even if you can't solve his problems you effortlessly are able to lift the stress off his shoulders with something as simple as a hug.

You are the only one besides his sister and Thoma who he will let his guard down around and let himself breath, cry, and be overall vulnerable with.

I imagine that due to his busy schedule Ayato has a tendency to forget to take care of himself, so Thome relies on your motherly side to convince the man to eat 3 meals and sleep for at least 8 hours. Even Ayaka has begun to see you as a big sister and comes to you with her own struggles and worries.

Because you do so much for him like baking him treats and playing songs for him, Ayato often worries about returning the favor due to having so little free time. So as a result, he spoils you so much you even barley get a chance to thank him.

He takes you on dates to the fanciest restaurants, buys you the finest of silks, the prettiest of dresses, the most radiant of jewelry, he almost named an entire festival after you (Ayaka and Thoma were thankfully able to talk some sense into him to save you from embarrassment). He just loves you so, so, so much and wishes he could spend more time with you.

Even though he's busy Ayato will always be there for you when it matters and support you no matter what. If you want to become a musician, he will get you the finest of instruments and be in the front row of your first performance. If you want to be a fashion designer, he will get you the best materials to work with and the biggest venue to hold your fashion shows. No matter what you do he will be so proud of you, and to celebrate your achievements he will buy the best of the best of sweets.

At the end of the day if it came down to it, Ayato would give up his name and his title if it meant he could bring even a bit of the happiness that you bring to him. (P.s. you didn't hear it from me, but I hear he plans on getting you a pretty shiny engagement ring so may wanna start planning your dream wedding now ;))

Sorry, this took me all day to write, I prefer to write on my computer, and I was busy today. Hope you like it.

Runners Up: Venti, Zhongli, Thoma, Childe

[corky-the-gluttony-demon]

DMC: An Absurd Comedy (A Devil May Cry Fanfiction) - Wrath Followers Arc - Chapter 2

*Mild NSFW* There is a bit of a scene involving Felix and a woman at a bar.

February 25th, 7:16 PM

Nero pushed the door open with a grunt, the stench of stale beer and cigarette smoke slapping him in the face. It was the kind of dive where even the cockroaches looked like they needed a stiff drink. Low lights, sticky floors, and the kind of crowd that only comes out after midnight.

He scanned the room, irritation already bubbling under his skin. He knew Felix liked to disappear into places like this—bars, clubs, anywhere with enough liquor and willing company to keep him occupied. It was the same pattern every time. Felix would vanish for days, then reappear looking like he hadn’t slept, or worse, not giving a damn about the mess he left in his wake.

And now, Nero had to drag his ass back for work.

His gaze landed on a far corner of the bar, and sure enough, there he was—Felix, with his back to the wall and a half-empty bottle of whiskey in front of him. A redheaded woman was practically sitting in his lap, laughing too loud and twirling a strand of hair around her finger while Felix leaned back, an easy grin plastered across his face. He looked like he didn’t have a single care in the world.

Of course, he didn’t.

Nero stormed over, not caring how many tables or chairs he bumped into on the way. “Felix!”

Felix glanced up, his grin widening when he saw Nero, as if he’d just run into an old friend. "Nero! Buddy! What’s a guy like you doin’ in a place like this? You need a drink, man. Bartender!" He waved lazily at the bartender, who barely glanced their way.

"I’m not here for a drink, asshole," Nero snapped.

"You’re always so damn tense. Relax, have a seat," Felix grinned.

Nero gritted his teeth, hands balling into fists at his sides. “I’m here to get your ass to work, not to watch you screw around.”

Felix snorted, leaning back in his chair like he had all the time in the world. “Nice try, but I know the shop’s closed tonight. No gigs on the schedule, right? So what’s the rush? If this is about some random demon sighting or Nico needing a new part, you can save it for tomorrow.”

Nero was going to bring up the Sins but stopped himself due to the woman still in Felix’s lap, now eyeing Nero up.

She bit her lip, her legs parting just a bit too far, her dress riding up to reveal the barest hint of lace underneath—that Nero felt the blood rush to his face. He quickly averted his gaze back to Felix, “It’s not about that. This is different. We’ve got a big job coming up—something serious. V’s got a lead.”

Felix took another sip of his drink. “That sounds like a problem for tomorrow.” He shot Nero a lazy grin. “Look, first thing in the morning, we’ll talk. Or, y’know, whenever I get in. But right now? This ain’t the time, man.”

Nero was about to argue when he noticed Felix’s hand slip lower, disappearing under the edge of the redhead’s dress. The woman’s quiet moan slipped through the air, her hips subtly pressing into Felix’s touch.

“Goddamn it,” Nero muttered under his breath, his eyes flicking away from the woman’s flushed face as she let out another soft whimper. He wasn’t sticking around for this. “Fine,” Nero growled, already turning toward the door. “Tomorrow. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

He was already pushing through the door, his boots heavy on the sticky floor, the bitter scent of whiskey and smoke clinging to his clothes as he stormed out into the night.

Later...

The shop was dark, save for the dim glow of the desk lamp on the far counter. It cast long shadows over the clutter of old mission files, scattered weapons, and half-empty coffee mugs. The place smelled like leather, gunpowder, and stale caffeine—familiar scents that Nero barely registered anymore.

He was hunched over the desk, sleeves rolled up, Red Queen lying in pieces before him. He wiped down the engine blade’s parts, oiled joints, and tightened screws. He’d done this a thousand times, but tonight it was different. Tonight, it was the only thing keeping his mind from spinning out.

Nero would be lying if he said that from time from time he remembered what he saw in Snowfield. In the Dreamscape. Felix holding his beloved bride in his arms. "She was my Kyrie..."

Dahlia...

After that day Felix never brought her up again. And Nero never asked. But a part of Nero feared that he would end up like Felix. Luckily Kyrie is still alive. Living in Fortuna. With Jose and the other children. There had been nights when he originally left that feared that maybe him leaving would have made Kyrie more vulnerable to an attack.

But after seeing what losing a loved one did to Felix, Nero had to convince himself he is doing the right thing. Otherwise he would go crazy. Did he miss Kyrie. Of course he did. But he loved her that much to let her go.

They still talked on the phone. He had visited her for Christmas. And things felt like how they used to.

Only... they weren't.

Nero would like to think they were in somewhat of a good place.

Shit, he's thinking too much again.

Wrath. The thought of it loomed over him like a weight he couldn’t shake off. After everything with Mammon and Belphegor, this next step felt heavier, more dangerous.

He paused, glancing at the large map tacked to the wall in front of him. If V was right, Wrath would be worse than the others, more violent. More blood.

He set the wrench down with a soft clink and leaned back in his chair, staring at the disassembled Red Queen.

The shop felt too quiet. Nico was asleep in her room upstairs. Marcus had gone home hours ago, probably still combing through databases for anything he could find on Vie de Marli. V was God knows where but at least he seemed to understand the gravity of their situation, while Felix was likely still at that bar, wrapped up in that woman who couldn’t care less about the world-ending bullshit coming their way. And Corky…

Fuck. He forgot to call Corky…

He found himself dialing her phone number. He used the landline. Her cell would show as the office and she would know that its official business. That's what Nero liked to think.

“H-hello?” Corky mumbled, her voice thick with sleep, barely coherent.

“Hey, it’s Nero.”

“Yeah I know… It’s—ugh—do you know what time it is?”

He glanced at the clock. 4:24 AM.

“Oh, shit. Sorry. I… guess I lost track of time.”

“Have you slept at all?”

Nero blinked, thrown off by the question. “Uh… what?”

“Sleep. Y'know, that thing normal people do at night?” Her tone was sarcastic, but Nero spent enough time to pick up on the concern behind it. “You sound like you’ve been up for days.”

Nero huffed, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. He didn’t want to go down the whole ‘when was the last time you slept’ rabbit hole.

“I’m fine,” he muttered, doing his best to push past her comment. “Listen, there’s a job coming up. It’s big.”

Corky paused, probably piecing together that Nero wasn’t calling just for a chat. “Big? How big we talkin’?”

“Wrath,” Nero said, cutting straight to it. “V’s got a lead. Some missing girl might be tied to him. She’s mixed up in dark stuff, like rituals, witchcraft. We’re heading to an island called Vie de Marli.”

The silence on the other end stretched for a moment. “Witchcraft? Vie de Marli…” Corky repeated, her voice now more alert.

“Yeah. V thinks we’ll be dealing with him sooner rather than later. And, look, I know you’ve been up to your neck in crap in Limbo, but we’re gonna need you for this one.”

There was a groan, then the sound of fabric rustling, like Corky was sitting up in bed. “Of course. I’m almost done cleaning up some loose ends here. I can be in Red Grave soon.”

“Good,” Nero replied.

Another beat of silence, then Corky’s voice came through, softer. “But Wrath… Nero, this could get ugly. I mean, uglier than Mammon and Belphegor. We’re talking full-on rage demon bullshit, the kind that’ll rip the city apart if we’re not ready.”

“I know.” Nero rubbed his temples, exhaustion weighing him down again.

Corky sighed on the other end. “Yeah, well, stop thinking about it and go the hell to sleep. You’re no use to anyone if you’re dead on your feet, Nero.”

Nero chuckled, though there wasn’t much humor in it. “Easier said than done. I’ve got too much on my plate.”

“Well, tough shit,” Corky shot back, her tone lightening with that familiar bite of sarcasm. “You are not on your own, you got a team so you better get some shut-eye. Don’t make me come over there and force you into bed.”

Nero snorted. “I’d like to see you try.”

“Please, you’re not that heavy,” she quipped, a grin sneaking into her voice. “Don’t lose sleep over this. I’ve seen what happens when you burn out, and it ain’t pretty. Trust me.”

Nero let out a long breath, staring at the disassembled Red Queen on the counter. She wasn’t wrong.

“I’ll try,” he muttered, though it wasn’t exactly convincing.

“Try harder,” Corky shot back, her voice firm. With that, she hung up.

He stood up, stretching out the tightness in his back and glancing at the clock—4:30 AM. He hadn’t slept in two days, maybe more. His mind was still buzzing, but for once, he was actually considering following her advice.

[sgreffenius1]

PetNoMore

I received a gift this Christmas that encourages me to write stories that my children and grandchildren will want to read after I am gone. The platform uses simple writing prompts, such as, “Where did your family go on vacation?” You can call up a lot of memories and stories when you answer a question like that. I even kept a journal, now lost, when our family made a two-week trip to Glacier National Park in the mid-1960s. These are the kinds of stories your family wants to read when you can no longer tell people about your life.

Sometimes I ask a friend or family member, “Do you want to hear an Augie story?” Augie is my dog, a large, male black lab. He was born near Turner, Maine, on May 11, 2021. We acquired him on the Fourth of July, seven and a half weeks after his birthday. He spent his first week with us out at Cape Cod, in Falmouth, where dogs are not allowed on the beaches, or in restaurants. One exception: we like to eat at a Mexican restaurant that welcomes dogs in their sidewalk seating section.

Even though I could not take my pup with me to join my family at Coast Guard beach, or clamming, or dinner out, or shopping, or almost anywhere they went, we did have options. Augie curled up between my legs as we took our kayak out for long paddles down the Quashnet River and onto Waquoit Bay. Puppies spend a lot of time sleeping, and I’ll say the sun, wind, and gentle motion of the boat made an afternoon nap mighty attractive for him. That rested him for walks to stretch our legs. When we stepped out of the boat for a walk on Washburn Island, he proved himself as good a navigator as you could want, off-leash and on the trail. He turned off the trail at the precise location we needed to find the kayak on the other side of the island.

Here is a picture of Augie resting next to the trail at Washburn, with a chewing stick at the ready:

This puppy was so well-behaved as a youngster out at the Cape, I applied the same expectations to our neighborhood environment in Westwood, after we returned from our vacation. I liked to let him out into our unfenced yard so he could explore his new property. We live on a corner lot, with ample traffic, people, and other dogs on both streets. I soon realized that if I let him out in the front yard without a leash, I could reach a point of nervous exhaustion in a matter of minutes. Yet I preserved hope that Augie would not get into some kind of mischief every time I turned my head for a second or two.

I was proud of our new puppy, and I wanted to introduce him to the neighborhood, especially other dog owners and their pets. Augie’s approach to introductions proceeds at a faster pace than mine. He is hyper-social, expects to make friends on sight, and runs outbound if he spots an opportunity to play. If I didn’t watch him every moment, he would get into some sort of minor trouble.

So it was on one of our first days back from the Cape. I had Augie out in front, and made some pleasantry or other to another dog walker. It takes two seconds or so to smile and say, “How old is your dog?” or “What is your dog’s name?” In that time, Augie can run twenty yards down the street. That is just what he did that afternoon, as he chased down a woman in a sun hat and loose, cool clothing who had just passed our driveway at the other end of the yard. He probably thought she had a treat hidden somewhere in her skirt.

You know how sharp a puppy’s teeth are, and how quickly they can damage their target. Well my neighbor was not so happy about the small rip in her summer skirt, to say the least. I looked up just in time to see Augie’s head disappear into her garment, and to see her fend him off, a reaction I’m sure mystified and disappointed him for a moment. My sharp cry of “Augie!!” came too late to prevent a small rip in her skirt, not that he would have spared the dress had I called him before he reached his target. When you have possible treats and a new friend in front of you, why should you listen to that nuisance kill-joy behind you?

The woman turned right around and marched back to where I stood in the yard. She scolded me far better than I could ever have scolded Augie for what he did to her skirt. She said, “I’m a dog owner, too, and you have to keep that dog under control!” I apologized, and tried to mollify her, but she would have none of it. You could tell that if this kind of thing happened a second time, that would be it. She would call Animal Control. When I told the story to my wife, I had to call the lady in a sun hat Miss Gulch. All she lacked was a black bicycle with a wicker basket on the back.

I suppose that was my first lesson in neighborhood etiquette for canines and their owners. I did not think I would run into trouble like that so soon. Three months or so after that incident, I think Miss Gulch waved at me from a distance, but I was not sure it was her. If it was, I had to retract the nickname. The fact that I thought of that nickname indicates my anxieties about Augie’s reputation in the neighborhood, and mine.

The next story does not involve Augie’s tendency to get into trouble at all. I planned an errand during the same summer he arrived, 2021, and I wanted to take him with me. So I put him in the front seat of the car, parked in the shade in front of our garage, then ran inside to visit the bathroom one more time, part of my departure routine. When I returned to the car, a woman stood next to the driver’s side. She upbraided me for leaving Augie in the car on a warm day. To give point to her censure, she added, “The next time this happens, I’m going to call the police.”

I thought, “Oh great, a busybody standing on my own property who tells me what a cruel, thoughtless person I am.” Then I thought, “How the hell does she even know the dog is in the car, or how long he has been there?” Then I remembered, “Yes, across the street stood a small group of women, chatting, as I ran indoors. She must have waited to see how long I would take to return to the car, and positioned herself to catch me when I emerged from the house.” I’m not one to keep quiet in many cases, but her threat to call the police made me reticent in this case. I let her retreat back down the driveway.

So now I’m under surveillance because I own a dog. Big Sister watches me, evaluates me, scolds me. I know that sounds discriminatory, but as I become better acquainted with dog owners in my area, I’ve found that female dog owners are more judgmental. They are less likely to admire his strong build, more likely be on guard about his masculinity. I have thought that no one can be afraid of a lab - they are way too friendly to hurt anyone. Yet they don’t want him to come near, especially if they have their own dogs with them.

The incident in the driveway had nothing to do with Augie’s masculinity, of course. He was still a lightweight at that point. The incident did give me the sense that I was watched. If I leave my dog in the car for a few minutes before I do an errand, that is not any neighbor’s business, until they make it their business. I have not seen the woman on our street since then, thus I wonder if she even lives in the neighborhood. Where she lives does not matter, though she has fewer opportunities to call the police if she decides she does not like my behavior.

Miss Gulch did not threaten to call the police, but in both encounters, I felt that I had been given a chance, but would not be given a second one. Anxieties bury themselves after a while, and as psychologists say, submerged anxieties sometimes come out in our dreams. Our worries as students, about completion of assignments and course requirements, remain with us for a lifetime as we sleep. A few nights ago, I had my first Augie dream. Let me tell you about it.

The setting is Des Moines, Iowa, where I spent my middle and high school years. The people in the dream have no identity, nor do the events appear to have any connection to Westwood, Massachusetts, where we live now. We lived on 42nd Street in Des Moines, at the corner of Woodland and 42nd. In the dream, I am on my bicycle at the other end of the block, toward the high school. I straddle the bicycle, feet on the ground, as I talk with a small group of men, also on bicycles. We must be making a decision, as we all mount up at the same time, and head down the block together, toward my house at the other end.

After we pick up a bit of speed, who appears but Augie, a few months old and before his main growth spurt, trotting along with the group, between us and the curb. He’s a bit in the lead. I think, “What’s he doing here, and what trouble has he been in while I’m out on my bike?” When we reach our driveway on 42nd, Augie turns in and heads toward our carriage house in the back. I turn in to follow him. The driveway is long but not too long, so we have a quick scene shift, to an open, concrete-covered area, where a short driveway gives access to the carriage house from the back alley.

Parked in the short driveway is a medium-size, commercial white truck, with the letters PetNoMore painted in large letters on the side. Now the action happens fast. With no warning or introductions, a person in a white lab coat emerges from the driver’s side, rounds the hood, and approaches Augie and me. I see she has a syringe in her right hand. I have my arm over Augie’s back, in a rather protective pose. I don’t understand yet why the truck is parked in our driveway, nor do I understand the situation. Lab coat woman drops to her knee, thrusts her needle into Augie’s right fore-leg, jiggles it around to make sure the serum enters his body, then disappears.

Throughout this sequence, I don’t recognize a threat. As in military operations, surprise lies at the heart of success. I look at the needle as it jiggles, and think, “There must be some reason for this.” My blank mind goes no further.

Then I start to wonder. Augie appears to have trouble staying awake. His head droops a little. He has strong will and aubundance of energy, so he raises his head back up. The next time his head droops, his eyelids droop as well. Again he raises his head, and opens his eyes. By now I realize my dog is dying in my arms, a strong dose of pentobarbital in his veins. The dream ends as he falls asleep.

This dream occurred the second and last night of a holiday ski trip to Vermont. The day we returned, I drove to Dorchester, where Augie stays with a friend and her dog when we travel. Traffic to and from Dorchester was slow and slower, so I had plenty of time to listen Van Morrison and think. On the return trip, the freeway molasses had thickened to the point where the car is either stopped, or rolling at some immeasurable slow speed. Augie is in the passenger seat next to me. The dream is still so vivid, I reach over to touch and gently press the place on his right fore-leg where the needle went in. I feel grateful he sits next to me.

I look up from my traffic-jam reverie just in time to see the distance between my old Subaru and the back of an Infiniti closing fast. I have not had my foot firmly on the brake! My car hits the Infiniti’s rear bumper at two to three miles an hour. When two vehicles that each weigh two tons or more collide, it feels bad. I can’t believe what I’ve done, as I try hard to pay attention in every traffic jam, to make sure I don’t rear-end the car ahead of me, no matter what the speed.

I’m happy to see no damage to the other car, but the owner detects a couple of scratches on the bumper’s right side. Neither of us wants to negotiate in the left-side breakdown lane, nor do we want to go through insurance. We settle up with the cash in my wallet, which will not go far if she goes to a body shop. It does count as guilt money for me, a small present for her.

So that’s the epilogue for this story about a new puppy, neighborhood disapproval, Freudian dream interpretation, and how not to drive on a crowded freeway. No one will reveal to me who called PetNoMore in Des Moines. I imagine it’s significant the dream occurred in a place I have not lived for fifty years. We have no control over our brains as they rest. We only know that we remember some dreams more vividly than others. The vivid ones usher into our vision the fears and hopes that embed themselves most firmly in our memories.