#cause i know already series are HARD for me

[mayrose713]

Beautifully Cruel World-Chapter 6

Series Masterlist | Previous | Next

ABO Non-Idol Stray Kids Universe Poly OT8 x Reader 18+ MDNI

Warnings in the Series Masterlist as well as any other information needed

I don't think you guys realize how hard it is for me to write Hyunjin and Seungmin as rude and mean, I just love them so much. I promise it's not forever though. I'm going to start refiring to Felix as an omega as the pack does all see him as one. He is still completely a beta though.

Chapter 6

Y/n has been wandering around the house a little bit to have a better understanding as to where everything is while most of the pack is out or doing their own things. She avoids going into any of the bedrooms she knows about, not wanting to invade anyone's privacy even though all four alphas and Jisung and Felix told her she’s welcome in theirs anytime she wants.

She hadn’t realized exactly how big the house was originally until she started to explore. There’s an indoor and outdoor pool that is connected and just has a  small opening under glass that separates it. They have an at home gym, which is where Changbin and Chan currently are. There’s a game room with a pool table, foosball, video game set with several consoles and a large TV and a lot of seating. As well as a small wet bar that looks like has some alcohol and snacks. She really only had gotten to glance in there though since Hyunjin is currently painting in there and made sure he didn’t notice her. 

She saw their den just off of the living room and dining room, it having a large nest to be able to fit the whole pack. She already knows that it was Felix who had made it. And saw the other four guest bedrooms already knowing the fifth one as Hannah’s since she’s been getting clothes from the closet each day. She had planned to wander around outside and see how big the grounds are but there has been something about the second floor that has been bothering her.

She had noticed that there were ten bedrooms and five bathrooms. Minho had told her whose rooms were whose of the packs as well as who was sharing which bathrooms, she’s sharing a bathroom with Felix and Jisung gets his own since he’s too messy, no one wanted to share. But there’s that tenth bedroom that he had just walked past and didn’t say anything about, and she wants to know what’s in it.

She quietly goes down the hallway and reaches the bedroom at the end right next to Chan's room. She glances around to make sure she’s alone before opening the door. She walks in and sees a bare bed and there’s a few boxes around. No decorations on the wall or even a dresser or desk. And the closet is empty. She feels a little guilty for snooping but she can’t help but to look inside the boxes. 

There’s a bunch of pictures in one box, it’s all of the pack from when they were younger except there’s another guy in each one that she doesn’t recognize. She goes through each one smiling at how cute the pack was so young but she’s curious as to who the ninth person is and wonders where he is now. 

“What the fuck are you doing in here?” A voice scares her causing her to drop the pictures back in the box as she looks up to see an angry Seungmin. 

“I-I was just… w-wandering the house.” She tries to explain herself. “To-to get a feel for everything.”

“You’re a guest here, you don’t get to just go around snooping.” He growls and grabs her bruised wrist hard, causing her to whimper as he drags her out of the room. “Besides, this room is off limits.”

“No-no one told me that.” She holds back making any other sounds of pain. “I’m sorry.”

Seungmin pushes her down the hall a little causing her to stumble. “Know your place, omega.”

“Seungmin.” Chan growls, having witnessed what just happened, still sweaty from his workout with Changbin.

The beta just glares at his alpha, not caring about any consequences. “Don’t go reprimanding me, she was snooping when she shouldn’t be.” He motions to the now closed door.

“I’m so-sorry.” Y/n curls in on herself scared the alpha’s going to lash out at her. “I didn’t know the room was off limits. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay baby girl.” Chan reaches a hand out to place on her cheek causing her to flinch a little before leaning into his touch which breaks Chan's heart. “I’m not mad at you, you didn’t know, no one had told you that there were any off limits rooms. It’s okay.”

“Seriously?” Seungmin grunts throwing his arms up in the air and rolls his eyes causing Chan to glare at him.

“Go to your room, Seungmin.” The alpha growls and his eyes harden when the younger boy doesn’t move. “NOW.”

The omega jumps a little at Chan’s voice and cowers when Seungmin stomps past.

“I’m sorry if that scared you.” Chan rubs his thumb on her cheek. “And I’m sorry for Seungmin, did he hurt you?”

Y/n shake’s her head no not wanting the beta to get in anymore trouble for hurting her wrist more but Chan saw how hard he had a hold of her injured wrist.

“I’m sorry for snooping.”

“You have no reason to apologize.” He coos. “No one told you that we keep that room closed for a reason. And you’re just trying to get a better understanding of the house, right?”

“Yeah.” She nods before looking away from him. “Can I ask why that room is off limits? And… who is that guy in the pictures?”

Chan sighs. “That room used to belong to that guy in the pictures.” She notices how he clenches his jaw as though it's a hard subject to talk about. “Can I tell you more another time? It’s a complicated and delicate subject. And I need to deal with Seungmin.”

“Yeah.” She whispers and just after, the sound of the front door opening and Jisung yelling her name is heard. 

“Why don’t you go see what the pups have for you.” Chan smiles and hurries her along before he goes to the youngest beta’s room

Y/n walks down the stairs to see Jisung, Felix and Jeongin bringing in bags and bags of pillows, blankets, plushies, and two bags of clothes.

“What is all of this?” Her eyes widen in shock before she moves to inspect the contents.

“Nesting materials.” Jisung beams at her as he starts pulling out some soft fluffy blankets. 

“Some for the communal nest in the den. I want you to help me remake it.” Felix starts to explain. “And some of it is for the rest of the house to start getting all of our scents on it so you can use them for nesting, both in your room and for us when we need to update the den.”

“And I picked out some comfy clothes for this weekend.” Jeongin shows her the variety of sleep shorts and pajama pants, soft t-shirts, sweatshirts and crewnecks. “We plan to take you on a proper shopping spree later.”

“You guys didn’t have to do all of this.” The omega feels a wave of emotions overcome her as she tries to hold back happy tears.

“Yes we did.” Jisung pulls her to him, wrapping her in a big hug. “You needed some proper stuff, we just happened to go a little bit overboard with it.”

“A little bit?” Changbin laughs walking into the living room from the home gym as he wipes the sweat away with a towel around his neck. “It looks like you guys bought the whole store.”

“We weren’t sure exactly which materials she would prefer more, so we got several of each.” Felix pouts as if it was a logical thought to him.

“How thoughtful.” The alpha ruffles Felix’s hair, kissing his head before pulling both Jisung and Y/n to his chest as the beta was still hugging her.

“Eww, hyung, you stink.” Jisung tries to move them away. “Go take a shower.

“Only if you join me, baby.” Changbin smirks at how flustered the younger one gets.

“Binnie, not in front of the omegas.” Jisung wines before letting go of Y/n as he gets dragged away by the alpha. 

“Gross.” Jeongin scrunches up his nose at the two before turning to the two omega’s. “I’ll go ahead and get your new clothes washed so you can put them away in your room. Lix, where do you want all the nesting materials?”

“Leave them for now, whatever we don’t use in the den I’ll distribute between all of the rooms to get everyone's scent.” 

Jeongin nods before taking the bags of clothes to the laundry room as Felix drags Y/n into the den.

“Alright, let's strip this nest and rebuild it.” Felix starts before noticing the omega standing outside of it unsure. “What’s wrong?”

“I’ve never actually built a nest before.” She rings her fingers together. “I don’t know what to do or how it’s supposed to go.”

“It’s okay, that’s why I’m here to help you.” He holds his hand out to her and brings her into the nest. “Your omega instincts are supposed to tell you how it wants it to feel like but I know yours are suppressed right now. So for now do it based on how you would want certain scents and textures where. Once the suppressants wear off and you're better we can redo it again with better instincts.”

Y/n nods and helps strip the nest before they get to work on rebuilding it. They use a mix of the old materials as they still have the packs scents on them as well as the new ones just bought as they both like how it feels. Once they were done they went around and distributed the rest of the blankets, pillows and plushies around the house. Felix took some to each of the members' rooms and Y/n placed some in the living room and the game room now the Hyunjin is no longer in there.

“I think we did good.” Felix beamed after they were both done and came back to the den. He grinned at the omega before tackling her into the nest, cuddling her. “Now I think it’s time for omega bonding.”

“You didn’t omega bond enough when you guys were making the nest?” Jeongin walks in with a basket of Y/n's new clean and folded clothes.”

“Not like this.” Felix pouts.

Jeongin smiles before motioning to the basket. “Where do you want me to put these, Y/nnie?”

“You can set them by the doorway, I’ll take them up to my room and put them away when Lixie lets go of me.” She smiles and wiggles against the other omega to make him laugh. “Thank you for washing them for me Innie, I could have done that later.”

“It’s no problem.” 

“Seriously?” Hyunjin walks in from the back door with some of his art supplies, stopping when he sees the two in the nest. “Now she’s contaminating our den?” Jeongin growls at the older member as the beta gets closer to the nest. “And did you guys let her remake the nest? There’s no way I’m doing anything in there now.”

“Jinnie, she needed to since she’s going to need to be in the den during her dry heat.” Felix sits up to reason with Hyunjin.

“Why?” He scoffs. “She can just stick it out in the room she’s staying in.”

“You stormed off when we were discussing everything about it so you don’t get to have a say on where she goes or how we go about this.” Jeongin crosses his arms trying to assert his dominance even though he's younger than the beta. 

“Whatever.” Hyunjin rolls his eyes and walks away heading upstairs. 

Felix pouts, wishing both Hyunjin and Seungmin would come around to their omega, his scent souring a little which causes Y/n’s to also sour as she feels she’s the cause of all of this.

Jeongin crawls into the nest and pulls the two to him. “Come here.” He coos as he scents both of them trying to sooth them as much as possible before just cuddling them. “My omegas.”

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾ ⋆⁺₊⋆

When Minho got home from work and getting groceries he texted the other three alphas to help him bring everything in but only Chan and Chanbin came.

“Where’s Innie?” 

“I haven't seen him since he got home from shopping with Ji and Lix.” Changbin furrows his brows as he opens the trunk. 

“Y/n didn’t exactly know what she likes for food and drinks since her family limited her.” Minho explains as they start grabbing bags. “So I got different kinds of snacks and drinks and just some normal filling foods for meals for her dry heat to make sure she gets enough nutrients and then after I plan to just make meals as normal and we'll learn what she likes and doesn’t like.”

“God I’m hating her family more and more each day.” Changbin growls as they take all the bags inside. 

“I’m pretty sure all of us feel the same way.” Chan sighs as he sets bags on the kitchen counter.

“I also got her some heating pads to hopefully help soothe the cramps.” Minho pulled them out of a bag and was about to put them in the den when he noticed Seungmin and Hyunjin standing in the doorway of it with their arms crossed. 

All the alphas walk over to question what they’re doing when they realize Jeongin is cuddled up with Y/n, Felix and Jisung, who had joined after showering with Changbin, in the nest napping. This causes the three alphas to melt at the sight of it, especially when they hear both omegas purring. They don’t get to hear Felix purr very often.

Minho notices that Y/n’s bruised wrist seems to be worse than it was when he had put the bruising cream on it this morning and is a bit irritated causing him to frown and furor his eyebrows. He gets Chan’s attention and motions to his wrist before pointing to her. Chan realizes what he means and scowls at how worse her wrist looks before mouthing Seungmin’s name. Minho huffs and glares at the beta before angrily turning back to putting the groceries away. 

Let me know if you want to be added to the tag list for this series

Tag list: @estella-novella @mbioooo0000 @ms-flowergirl @blindspot143 @sinfulfic @ihrtlix @arishoriasims @fic-for-readers @motheraiya55 @hwangrfrnd @pixie0627 @lxvxchxrlxttxbxrsx22-blog @juskz @borahae-reads @dreamerwasfound @galaxy4489

[dpspcehntr]

RAFAYEL: An Introduction

Zayne | Xavier | Sylus

Pairing: Rafayel x Reader

Word Count: 0.7K

Warnings: Switch!Rafayel, Switch!Reader, dirty talk, SO MUCH TEASING, MC is OOC, Oral (f receiving), fingering

Welcome to part 3 of this series! This series is me introducing you all to how I write for them. Requests are open and feel free to leave a comment cause I love them and read them. It also keeps me motivated!

A/N: Rafayel and the MC have a very established dynamic and they are having fun! I want to clarify cause sometimes I go overboard 😭. I love when switches do switch things 😭. MC might feel OOC but I based the dialogue on how I would like to banter with Raf so do with that what you will. Rafayel just gives such switch energy and I feel like we need to tap in. Could also be that I’m a switch and I love being a tease lool.

On the dance floor you already feel him getting hard as you grind on him. You knew what you were doing when you wore your this dress. A low cut number that accentuates your curves, barely covering your ass, thick thighs and long legs on display. You drape your arms behind you around his neck dancing in time with the music. Lost in the beat you forget he is loosing it behind you. His grip on your hips tightens to snap you back to the present.

“Don’t push it. You know what I’m capable of.”

You turn around ready to push it just a little further. His blush had spread to his entire face and neck. His eyes can’t meet yours, the tent in his pants becoming more obvious. You let out a chuckle at his ruined state.

“Yea fucking right. Your seconds from coming over a lil grinding. You’re all talk and no action.”

He huffs but before he can say more you’re moving closer to him. You gently press your body into him and cup his hard on. He scoffs as he looks to the side.

“Don’t push it. You know exactly what I’m capable of.”

You give him another squeeze, he’s seconds away from falling apart and you laugh. The music, dark lighting, and crowd are saving him but the thrill that anyone can see fuels you further. With your other hand you cup his face and lean his head down for a kiss. Desperate for more of your touch he yields and deepens the kiss. While distracted with his beautiful lips he grips your wrist that’s palming him and whispers on your lips.

“Did you forget I can smell your arousal or are you still intending to play games?”

You can no longer ignore the wet spot growing in your underwear, your desire for him bubbling just beneath your skin. Still, the game was fun and you couldn’t say no to the blush all over his face. Without another word he drags you off the dance floor toward the door. Outside you push him against the wall and lean up into his ear.

“Yea let’s keep playing this game, since you seem to keep enjoying yourself.”

He groans as you kiss his neck and exposed chest, letting his guard down.

“N-not here. Let’s me get the car.”

He slips out your grasp and straightens his collar and fluffs out his hair.

“Wait here.”

Not long after you see the valet pull up with one of his silly sports cars that he definitely bought to prove he has money. He strolls over to you and grabs your hand, opens the passenger door for you, and you slip in. It’s a short ride back to this studio but it feels like forever. You lean over, place a hand on this thigh, and leave open mouth kisses over his neck. The moment the door closes to the studio you’re instantly on each other. He pulls you into his arms, kissing your neck and chest feverishly as your arch into his touch. He pushes you back into the wall and continues to ravish you like a starved man. Teasing him is fun and so is the reward. He slides a hand down to your soaked underwear and pushes them to the side. Two fingers slide into you with ease and you hold him tighter for support. He slowly pumps them in and out of you as you grind into them. He slips them back out and kneels in front of you. He lightly flicks your clit and your hands slide into his hair. One hand grips your hip tightly preventing you from grinding on his face. He pushes his fingers back into you swiftly. He pumps his fingers in time with his licks. Your legs threaten to give out underneath you as your climax approaches. He continues to fuck his fingers into you at a brutal pace and suck hard on your throbbing clit.

“O-overachiever. I’m gonna cum on your face.”

He hums in response sending a wave through you. You’re right on the edge panting and moaning desperate for him to take you over. You start to clench around his fingers and soon the coil in your stomach snaps. You pull his hair hard as you gush over his fingers and lips. He hums in response as he laps up everything prolonging your release. You can barely hold yourself up when he comes up to kiss you. You taste yourself on his mouth as he moans. He pulls away from you with a string, his face flush, eyes low, and panting. You could feel yourself getting wet all over again for him as he leaves you back to his bedroom. The night has only just begun.

[fairyofsilence]

BEHIND HIS LENSE | 2/7 | TTIB SERIES | PREVIEW

Pairing: Photographer!Taehyung x PersonalAssistant!Reader

Warnings: +18, Yandere, manipulation, drugging, EXPLICIT NONCON; cunnilingus, rough sex, victim blaming, slut shaming, blackmailing, abuse of power, coercion.

Summary: After 4 long years of working for the extravagant photographer Vante, you decide to step down from your job after catching feelings for your boss, which you're sure he will never return.

But he's determined to show you that there's only one person he will consider his muse, and it's you.

I don't agree nor condone any of the actions made by any of the characters throughout the story, I also do not belive that any of the members of BTS would act this way or have this type of behaviour, this story it's fiction and it's written with the sole purpose of entertainment, please proceed with caution.

Word count: 0.8 k.

Just a quick preview of what's coming :)

In three days from now, you’ll be quitting the only job you’ve ever had.

You know you’re extremely lucky to have landed such a sought-after job with absolutely no experience at all, especially when you consider who you’re working for, but you had truly underestimated just how demanding this job was, the number of errands you do in a day will send a normal person into a coma. At first, things started to pile up pretty quickly, and eventually, you learned how to keep on top of things, becoming one of the best at what you do, but recently, there’s something that no matter how hard you tried to push it aside, you can’t seem to shake it off, and if the job was hard before that, this just had officially made it unbearable.

You’re falling in love with your boss.

At first it was nothing but a simple, innocent crush, to be fair, how can anyone blame you? Taehyung is an attractive man, and his charm rapidly made your 20-year-old-self infuriated, although that crush faded quite quickly (thanks to Taehyung’s insufferable attitude the first couple of months), these past couple of months have been messing with your head, quite frankly, you think you’re going insane with the amount of overthinking you’ve been doing, but there’s things you can’t make up, especially since other people have been noticing too.

It all started with a simple comment, your best friend had planted the seed into your brain.

“Wow, since when did you get a raise?” Sohee’s eyes nearly pop out of their sockets while she makes grabby hands at your new bag, you hand it out to her, and she touches it like it’s made of glass “How in the hell did you afford a brand-new Flamenco bag? I thought you said you were saving up for a new apartment!” Her tone is so high that you needed a second to digest what she just said, which leaves you more confused than you already are.

“What are you even talking about? If you think I bought this bag than I’ll have to reconsider all these years of friendship” You tried to joke around but Sohee doesn’t seem to be taking this lightly.

“How the hell did you get a 4-thousand-dollars bag then? You didn’t tell me you had a sugar daddy!” You almost faint when hearing the actual price of your new bag, but before she can say anything even more stupid, you quickly try to cover her mouth, but she swats your hand easily.

“Can you stop? I didn’t know it was this expensive!” She raises one of her brows at you and you feel the need to explain yourself “I don’t have a sugar daddy dumbass; Taehyung gave it to me the other day after a photoshoot” Sohee’s mouth opens so wide you have to restrain yourself to not laugh and cause an even bigger scene at the company’s cafeteria.

“Are you kidding me? Are you fucking him or something?” You gave Sohee a nasty look that she couldn’t care less about “I think the nicest thing Namjoon has ever done for me is saying ‘Please’ or ‘Thank you’, and he doesn’t even do that often, how the hell did you get your boss to give you a damn designer bag?” Her fixation over a bag is starting to get in your nerves, so you try to explain the situation to her.

“It was during a photoshoot like three days ago, he shot the new Loewe campaign and during a break I said that the color of this bag is very pretty, he asked if I liked the bag and I said yes because it was the biggest one where I could definitely fit everything I needed on it, he just nodded and by the end of the shoot he came to me with the bag on his hand telling me it was for me, I asked him why would he gave it to me and he just said ‘It matches your blouse’, kind of dumb if you ask me” Sohee was truly in a state of shock by the end of you explanation, and you didn’t know what to even say to her about that.

She’s speechless for a few seconds before she looks at you with an accusing stare.

“Wait a second, didn’t you tell me once that he made you send the girls he fucks a designer bag when he’s trying to fuck them?” Her eyebrows are almost reaching her hairline, and you don’t even know how to defend yourself because that was true.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean anything-” Sohee shuts you up with a single look, and you are forced to face the reality.

“Y/N, wake up, that man wants something from you, and it’s not anything casual if he’s giving you these types of gifts, we’ll let it slide this time” You scoff at her ‘we’ but she ignores you, “But if this keeps happening, you have two options, tell him to back off, or” Her tone was starting to piss you off, and you didn’t know if it was because she was being truly annoying, or because deep down you knew that she was right, “you can get more out of him, not just a designer bag”.

[captain-mj]

I can see who your favorite character is, my love. This post ain't even about him.

Before I get started, just want to say that the characters are multi-dimensional and can therefore be seen in multiple ways. Anyway! To explain my points!!

Yes, GhostGaz is lust. Absolutely. Gaz is one of the few characters that show genuine desire and want for things throughout the series. He smokes, he chats about things casually and also gets excited in Recon by Fire when he has multiple targets that he can snipe. Ghost is inhuman, lone wolf, desiring something he denies himself. Gaz is the most human (Soap stans argue with the wall) of most of the characters, being in my opinion one of the most well fleshed out ones.

They have complimentary personalities and aspects that I believe not only would have them fucking nasty, but also have them drawing towards each other constantly, wanting to be in each other's orbits, touching, etc. Lust also isn't just sex, lust is wanting something tangible in a way that defies God. Something I think the two of them already do very often.

SoapGhost as Greed. NOW HERE ME OUT. Y'all got listen for this one. Do they not get greedy over each other? Alejandro literally says he couldn't imagine calling Ghost Simon and what happened?? Yeah, he was told only Johnny could do it.

More seriously, the two of them constantly try to take more. Soap spend an entire mission trying to get more info out of Ghost about himself for no discernable reason. Ghost teases him, but he also encourages it so they can continue talking, rather than forcibly changing the subject. Soap also wants things. He wants medals, he wants to know more, he wants and wants and Soap is one of the few people that Ghost does show a want to hang out with. He also asks him questions and talks casually with him and presumably sits with him on rides so they can have each other's attention.

PriceGhost as Pride. You see, what I started this conversation, my idea was that I feel Price and Ghost, together, would be more prideful than the other ships. I don't mean this as to say they themselves are prideful, though my wife's explanation of Ghost being a victim of self-glorifying and self-justification (I'm not sure I agree on self-devoting, though that may be because I don't believe Ghost actually talks about his issues that much, even if I use it for plot purposes).

To look deeper at it though, the two of them are some of the highest ranking (though not THE highest ranking) out of the ships. I think Ghost would have a hard time separating Price the Captain from Price the Boyfriend. He wouldn't want to look weak in front of the Captain of his force. For Price, I have similar arguments. It's why I never quite liked PriceGaz, cause I just don't see Price as being able to truly be himself around his inferiors. The two of them wouldn't be able to truly be themselves around each other until they got over their pride. For them, this is more in the fact that Pride is the folly of their relationship. Idk, I just have a lot of thoughts.

You covered AleGhost in more depth than I can but I would argue going after Valeria the way he did was done more in Wrath than Pride, though I understand that with the sins, they intrinsically affect each other and honestly these two (characters and the win itself) parallel each other so much most sins could be put here. But both of them are such angry people at times. I feel like this is one of the few relationships in the list where issues are brought up, rather than allowed to fester.

Ghost ships but they’re themed as the seven deadly sins (PriceGhost is pride)

[littlespacereader]

I apologize for the wait! But the Halloween special is here! I wanted to surprise you guys and not tell you what fandom this fic was, leaving it a mystery…But now it’s here!! It’s a part of my kiddo series!! I watched a ton of Scooby-Doo to properly get a feel for how the story plays out. So I reworked it a bunch of times. But it’s here!! Please enjoy this Scooby Doo Halloween story with you and the Scooby Doo gang!

Joining the Mystery💚🧡👻

Happy late Halloween everyone!!🎃

Caregivers! Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy & GN Little! Reader (SFW!)

Tags- Scooby Doo typical scares, stolen stuffed animal, thumb sucking, cuddles, hugs, hand holding

It was getting kind of late, the sun was starting to set and the park was starting to die down.

I sat on the swings, lightly swinging back and forth with my stuffie in my lap. I didn’t want the day to end! It was already such a nice day at the park.

But it was going to start getting dark soon and I didn’t want to walk home alone in the dark. So reluctantly I got off the swings.

I grab my backpack and throw it over my shoulders before heading towards the park exit. Except…there’s a rough group of people over by the exit. I pause for a moment, trying to figure out my next move.

I walked towards the exit thinking maybe I could keep my head down and just walk my way through without making eye contact or talking to anyone. But the moment I started to get closer they all started cracking jokes and teasing me.

“Awwww! It’s the overgrown baby! Going home to Mommy and Daddy?” One said.

“You’re out late! Isn’t it past your bed time?” Another said.

Tears brimmed my eyes as they kept going on. Rather than continuing to deal with their rude comments I decided the best thing to do was to find another way out of the park.

I could hear them cracking jokes and calling out to me as I made my way towards the garden at the back of the park.

“Watch out baby! That garden is haunted!! The ghost of the garden will come and take you!”

Haunted? That’s so stupid. And ghost of the garden and even stupider name…wait is stupider a word?

I unlock the fence and start walking into the garden. I remember when I was younger this garden was beautiful. Filled with flowers and butterflies. But now it was laid without flowers or butterflies or really anything.

Weeds and other plants wrap around the metal covers that are now rusted. The wooden benches now broken or splintered. The brick path cracked under my feet.

I made my way through, holding my stuffie close to me as I tried to reach the other end of the garden when suddenly…

“HAHAHAHAHA!!!!” A creepy laughter breaks the silence of the evening. There, in the path in front of me appears….a ghost?!

“WHO IS IN MY GARDEN?!” He calls out with a haunting voice.

I scream, running as fast as I can back to the park and to the safety of the playground. I run and run and run as the ghost chases me. I can feel him right behind me.

I open the fence and trip, falling hard onto the mulch below.

“Like hey! Are you okay?”

Tears brim my eyes making it hard to see who said that. But soon a guy in a green shirt and his dog walk over to check on me.

“You had a nasty fall there.” He helps me to sit on the mulch, “Are you hurt?”

“I…don’t know…” my voice sounds wobbly as tears stream down my face.

The dog comes over and licks my face, causing me to smile. I giggle as he keeps going on. “That’s it Scoob! I think they’re feeling better now.”

“Just sit down and take a deep breath.” Another woman says as she runs over to us. She’s wearing an orange sweater, a red skirt and thick glasses. “Why were you running so fast?”

“S-Someone was chasing me.” I explain, “It was a ghost.”

“A G-G-GHOST?!” The green shirt guy and the dog said at the same time….wait the dog just talked?!

“You mean the ghost of the garden?” Another guy runs over, a part of the friend group. He’s wearing an ascot and a white shirt with blue pants.

Next to him, another girl with a purple dress. She ran over to me and kneels down. “You’re okay. Just scared you huh?” She pulls down a tissue from her handbag and wipes the remaining tears away. “There we are.”

She makes me feel better. I go to hold my stuffed animal close but…

“MY STUFFIE!” I stand and run over to the fence’s gate. “The ghost! He-He must’ve taken it, I must’ve dropped it…I…I…”

I start to get upset. “He took my stuffie….”

“Hey, hey, hey, it’s okay. I’m so sorry. Come here.” The guy in the white shirt pulls me into a hug, holding onto me tightly. “We’re going to get that stuffed animal back to you. I promise.”

“That’s strange,” the girl in the orange sweater starts to say, “First Tommy’s soccer ball and now their stuffed animal. This ghost is not haunting as much as it robbing.”

“And like why a garden? Usually they haunt mansion type places.” The green shirt guy brought up.

“There’s always been this legend that these grounds use to belong to a rich bachelor. He had this big mansion. And he was greedy, never letting anyone inside. After he died they turned it into a park for the public. And they say he haunts it because he’s angry everyone is on his property.” I explain to the group.

“That must be the ghost!” The green shirt guy says worried.

“There’s no such thing as ghosts. But there is someone who wants that garden all to themselves.” The orange shirt girl points out.

“Gang, looks like we have a mystery on our hands!” The white shirt guy says with a smile, wrapping an arm around me.

“I was afraid he’d say that…” the green shirt guy says worried again.

“And since your stuffed animal is at stake, you’re a part of this too. What do you say? Would you like to help us and stop this ghost for good?” The purple dress girl asked.

They all look to me with hopeful expressions. I immediately not my head. “Let’s save my stuffie!”

“Weah!” The dog agreed, saying a yeah.

“We haven’t even introduced ourselves! I’m Daphne.” The purple dress girl starts out saying.

“I’m Velma.” The orange sweater girl says after.

“I’m Fred.” The ascot guy introduces himself.

“I’m Shaggy.” The green shirt guy says, “And this is-.”

“Scooby Dooby Dooo!!” The dog happily says.

“Or Scooby Doo for short.” Fred jokes. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Y/N.” I introduce myself.

“It’s nice to meet you Y/N. Welcome to the Mystery Gang!” I smile, feeling so accepted with them already.

“Like, I don’t mean to interrupt this moment but I’m getting kinda hungry! Why don’t we go to the diner on 10th street?” Shaggy suggests.

“That’s a great idea Shaggy! We can talk about the mystery and share all the details with Y/N so we’re all on the same page.” Velma smiles.

“Come on gang, let’s go to the mystery machine.” Fred leads the way as we start to walk out of the park and to the parking lot. There sits a van, but not the white creepy van type of van.

No, this van is groovy! There’s flowers on the side, with unique colors like turquoise and orange! It looks so cool. “Y/N, you sit in the back with Shaggy and Scoob. Shaggy, make sure they’re buckled up and safe.” Fred instructs.

“Of course man. Like safety first!” Shaggy opens the side door of the van for me. I sit between him and Scooby Doo, and like instructed, he leans over and helps me with my buckle.

Then it was off to the diner!

~~~

We get one big booth that fits all of us. I sit between Shaggy and Daphne.

My eyes almost pop out of my head as I watch Shaggy and Scooby try to eat this skyscraper tall sandwiches.

“I didn’t know they made sandwiches that big!” I giggle.

“They make them special for us!” Shaggy smiles before he absolutely devours his sandwich.

“Weah! Big wandwich!” Scooby adds before eating his.

I giggle some more watching them go at it.

Daphne taps my shoulder, “You want anything to eat? It’s almost dinner time.”

“I’m okay…” I say a bit shy.

“Y/N, order whatever you want! It’s on us.” Fred smiles.

“No…I couldn’t-.”

“Please, it’s our treat.” He smiles back.

I debate on refusing more but they’re being so kind to me and it would be rude to refuse. “Could I have a milkshake? Strawberry please?”

Fred gives a gentle nod back, “Of course you can.” He pulls the waiter over and puts the order in for me.

“Great choice Y/N! I looooooovvvvvvveeeee milkshakes myself!” Shaggy drapes his arm around me.

“Reah! Rreat rhoice!” Scooby add, saying great choice.

“Now let’s get to what we know about this Ghost.” Velma starts saying. “We know he’s based on a legend, he alway appears at night or close to it. And it seems like each person who sees him, drops something and he keeps it.”

“Maybe it’s something with the garden itself. It’s been overkept for years.” I suggest.

“That’s a good point Y/N.” Fred praises.

“We talked with the mayor and he says it’s owned by the county, but since they don’t have the resources or fund to take care of it, it will soon closed permanently to the public.” Daphne explain.

“Well…” I start to say but look shy.

“What is it Y/N? Don’t be shy. We’re open to suggestions.” Fred smiles warmly.

“If it’s going to be closed…then we should see who would want the garden closed the most. Maybe someone chasing away anyone who wants to help?”

“Like great point Y/N!” Shaggy pats my back.

The waiter comes and drops off my milkshake. I thank him before taking a sip. “This is amazing!”

“See? I told you it was a great choice!” Shaggy smiles.

“We should split up tomorrow. Shaggy, Scooby and Y/N. You go back to the park. See if maybe you can scope out any possible suspects walking around or talking about the garden. Velma you check the public records, Daphne and I will talk to the Mayor again, see if he knows any more.” Fred plans outs

I nod my head, turning back to my milkshake to find it’s all gone. I look shocked but only to see the grin on Scooby-Doo’s face. I giggle and shake my head. “Scooby!” I playfully scold.

As they go about planning tomorrow, my eyes start to get heavy. I start to lean against Daphne, half listening to their conversation. My thumb finds its way to my mouth as I drift off in the diner.

I feel myself being carried and lifted from the booth. I wrap my arms around Fred as he carries me to van. I hear their hushed voices as he pulls the sliding door open and carefully puts me in the van.

I’m sat right next to Scooby and Shaggy. I rest against Shaggy’s side and feel Scoob rest his head in my lap before drifting off once again.

~~~

True to our plan, we spit up into two teams the next day. Shaggy, Scooby Doo and I go back to the park while Daphne, Velma and Fred go back to talk to city hall.

As we approach the park I can see the usual rough group of people standing by the entrance to the park. I immediately look worried.

Shaggy takes my hand, seeing the panicked look on my face. “Like what’s the matter?”

“That group of people over there. They’re the reason I tried to walk through the garden yesterday…they always make fun of me and say rude things…sometimes they push or try to grab my stuff.” I look down.

“You don’t need to worry about them today. Scoob and I will protect you.” He reassures with a small squeeze to my hand.

“Weah!” Scooby echos.

As we approach the park I can hear their snickering and their teases. I brace myself for it until…

Scooby runs in front of us and starts growling and barking at them. “RUN!” One of them yells before they all disburse.

I smile, letting go of Shaggy’s hand to hug Scooby. “My hero!”

Scooby giggles before licking my face again.

“I’ve seen that guy before.” Shaggy points to one of the guys who ran away. “I saw his photo on the Mayor’s desk.”

“He must be the Mayor’s son.” I suggest. “But what’s he doing here?”

“Wey! Who’s wat?” Scooby points out asking who’s that?

Shaggy and I pick up our heads to see a woman walking in the garden. She kneels down by a planter box, planting fresh flowers.

“Huh? I didn’t know they had a gardener.” I say confused. I mean if she’s the gardener she’s not doing a very good job of it. This place is overgrown and unkept.

“Let’s go talk to her. Maybe she knows what’s going on.” I squeezes Shaggy’s hand.

“B-B-But the ghost…” He says shaking.

“He only comes out in the evening or the night and it’s still the morning! Come on!”

We brace ourselves and enter the garden. There we meet the woman planting the flowers. Upon talking to her we learn a lot.

She knows about the ghost and has been chased away herself! She plants new flowers here each week and finds them ripped away each time. She’s on a committee to help bring the garden back. But it’s been ignored by the Mayor and city hall.

We talk to her for a while before rejoining with the rest of the Mystery Gang and share the details.

“Huh?” Velma says, adjusting her glasses. “I think I know who’s behind this mystery. But there’s only one way to find out…”

“We have to set a trap!” Fred says excited. “And I know just how we’re going to do it!”

~~~

Honestly, this is the craziest trap I’ve ever seen. Fred has been kind and patient enough to explain it not once but about 4 times to me. And each time I still can’t quite grasp it.

But simply put, from what I understand, Shaggy and Scooby are the bait. They get the ghost to chase them then this crazy trap gets sprung and then BAM! The ghost gets caught in a net.

We all wait in the garden, close by one another, waiting for Shaggy and Scooby to come running by. I hide being a large planter with Velma at my side.

I carefully peek my head out to see what’s going on when I hear Shaggy and Scooby start yelling and running.

They run down the broken brick path of the garden and right….into the trap….themselves…

Velma, Fred, Daphne and myself stand up and look shocked at the events. But we don’t have much time to stay shocked as the ghost starts chasing us!!

*Cue Scooby Doo running sequence.*

We run up the garden, down the garden, left, right, we even run so much the ghost ends up in front of us?! Then we run the other way!

I run ahead, grabbing the rope from the net and pulling it tightly. When the ghost comes by it trips on the rope and falls to the ground. Scooby runs up behind me, grabbing the net and throwing it on the ghost. We caught the ghost!

The police arrive and hold the ghost in handcuffs. “Now it’s time to see who’s really behind this haunting!” Velma announces before she takes the mask off.

And it’s…….THE MAYOR!

“The Mayor?!” We all say in unison.

“That’s right, Mayor Robertson. I became suspicious of the mayor when he said that the county didn’t have the resources to handle cleaning the park. So I did some digging on the Mayor and found out if this garden was to close, he would get a bonus in his paycheck.” Velma starts to explain.

“That’s why he dressed as a ghost, to scare anyone trying to fix the garden.” I start connecting the pieces.

“Precisely Y/N! When he heard about a committee that looked to fit the garden, he started to dress as the ghost to scare away anyone trying to fix it.” Velma goes on to say.

“He used his son as a way of getting the ghost name around town, refusing anyone to leave the park through the exit and instead by through the garden so they’d run into him. Once they’d start to go there, he’d use this,” Fred pulls a walkie talkie off the Mayor, “Walkie talkie to set up the scare.”

“B-But what about all the things he took? My stuffie?” I ask anxiously.

“That would be here.” Daphne walks over to one of the planters, she reaches behind it and grabs a box. “I saw this while we were waiting for Shaggy and Scooby to spring the trap.”

She brushes off the dirt on top before opening the cover to reveal a box full of different objects. But sitting on top sat my beloved stuffie!

I gasp, grabbing the stuffed animal and holding it close. The Mystery Gang smile, all gathering around me.

“Taking stuffed animals? Scaring kids and teens? All just to get a bonus check huh?” The police man nudges the Mayor.

“And I would’ve gotten away with it too if it weren’t for those meddling kids!” The Mayor yells.

We all laugh but Scooby has the last say, “Scooby-Dooby-Doo!”

~~~

As the Mayor is brought to the police car we all stand by the Mystery Machine. “I’ve had so much fun with you guys! Thank you again for helping get my stuffie back.”

“Of course! We’ve loved having you around.” Daphne smiles.

“But speaking of that…we wanted to ask…” Fred starts to lead on, “We have an extra seat in our van and in our group. You’ve helped us so much with this mystery. We could use someone like you for the next one.”

I look in awe of the group, “Really? You don’t care that I-.”

“Regress? Like no dude! If anything we’d love to help take care of you, especially on this mystery. We’ve had fun taking care of you! And we’d like to continue to.” Shaggy right away says.

“What do you say Y/N? Would you like to join us and solve some mysteries?” Velma asks with a smile as well.

I can’t helps but smile and nod my head excitedly, “Yes!! Yes! A million times yes!”

We all share a group hug together before we gather back into the van. Velma, Daphne and Fred in the front, with Shaggy, me and Scooby Doo.

The new Mystery Gang.💚🧡

[helluvapurf]

Thoughts on latest HB ep "Ghostf**kers" (*now that I've regained a bit more energy post-Halloween weekend lol*):

So the newest ep of HB has came & went from what I've seen- aaaand naturally feels like the best time for me to finally ramble about it now that its settled in my brain some more .3. Thoughts (+Spoilers) below~ NOTE: Most of this -does- get a lil rant-y below sooo... read at your own risk lol .w.;;

First things out of the way to start things off on a good note, the Pros:

To start off with... FINALLY we got some Millie focus for a major episode plot (-or more specifically, focus that doesn't get revolved back to Moxxie somehow lol)😭👏👏. Even if she still lowkey had to share the spotlight with Blitz, their friendship actually felt pretty sweet & compelling the more I watched them (esp their backstory & how Millie was allowed to stand up for herself + while also acknowledging the good in Blitz, once they talked things out 🥺👏). Which ngl, after these previous episodes reigning down HARD on this dude... idk, just felt refreshingly wholesome to see for this series, yknow?😊

New villain Rolando was pretty cool, and surprisingly spooky to watch as the second-half went on oml- .o.;; While I'm still a teensy bit confused how his powers/demon lore work (at least to what we already know about Hell limitations crossing to the human world, ex. succubi & their crystals), his underwater monster vibe gave some fun visuals to watch up until the climax. I'm not 100% familiar with John Waters' works, but damnnn he should take up voice-acting more often ngl~ 👀

FINALLY MAMA TILLA MAKES AN (on-screen) APPEARANCE 😭😭Her whole vibe & Blitz's clear love and regret over what happened to her... hhhhh my whole heart ;n; 💔

That pink client lady (Rita, I think her name is?) who assigned the hotel mission? I dig her vibe, its cute~ :3

I.M.P. feeling like a legitimate workplace family for once, with even Loona & Moxxie getting a nice lil moment towards the end?? More. Of this. Please. 👌👌

Even with the lil undertones of the Stol*itz drama from the past couple eps, I very much appreciate Blitz (+the show itself) acknowledging that what's been going is NOT a breakup ('cause... yknow, they never actually dated to begin with lol🤷‍♀️). It may not 100% fix how messy that particular narrative's been handled as of late (which I'll get to in a sec-), but eh... its a start in the right direction, I guess? .3.

Enjoyed all the colorful flashback looks given, never would I have thought I needed mercenary!Millie with a fluffy ponytail til nowww hlkjlk😩❤️

Aaaand as for the not-so-good bits (imo), aka the Cons:

Pacing felt kiiiinda all-over-the-place, I'll admit; like one min we're wasting a good chunk on Blitz's whining fest at the start (+some other pointless banter at the hotel), then the next it feels like we're breezing past Rolando's presence as the "big bad" by the end. Which... I guess I shouldn't be too harsh on given the production drama behind-the-scenes (aka: the leaked content that had to be cut & redone awhile back)... buuuut yeah, its just one of those things you can't help but notice either way 🤷‍♀️

Humor-wise wasn't... exactly at its strong point here, mainly just a lil overdone in the sex joke department imo though I guess thats also a bit par-for-the-course in a series like Hellaverse ngl- lol

Now, idk if this may be an unpopular opinion or not; but was I the only one who felt like Blitz's month-long mope fest over Stolas pretty... OOC, all things considered? .-. Like, okay its one thing for Blitz to still be understandably upset over how the last two eps went down (but being the "boss" he is, continues working anyway to keep I.M.P. afloat, as seen in the HB shorts)... but for Blitz of all people to just randomly use ALL his company's funds on useless junk, force his daughter Loona to stay up all night/not go home, drive Moxxie in a panic from all the budgeting issues this past month was just... wut- 🤦‍♀️ ...Mind you, this is meant to be the SAME Blitz who not even a few episodes ago begged Stolas to not take away the Grimoire (aka the key to his + his employee's livelihood), clearly being willing to do anything to not lose all he holds dear. You seriously expect me to believe he'd be the type to throw that all away (for a WHOLE month) to whine over some blue-blooded bird not noticing him? ...Yeaaaaah sorry, but I'm gonna have to call bs on that, chief 🙄

Kiiiinda tying in the last point, but as much as I enjoyed the tense thills gained from the "Rolando enters Blitz' mind to make him see his own flaws/past mistakes" sequence... I do have a few issues with some of these other "flashbacks" added to the mix: 1) Loona's groin kick towards Blitz in "Seeing Stars" (*wasn't Blitz's fault since ALL he did was tell her to be nice to clients... and was right about to apologize to Loona just seconds before the kick 😒*) 2) Blitz pushing Stolas' hand away in "Ozzies" (*which Blitz only did after Stolas hide his face away/didn't defend Blitz during the song*) 3) Stolas' hurt face at the end van scene of "Ozzie's" (*mind you, taking place while Blitz is rightfully standing up for himself/telling off Stolas for being a privileged creep all of S1*) 4) Stolas trying to present the Asmodean Crystal gift in "Full Moon" (*a whoooole mess in of itself I already covered prior-*) 5) Stolas angrily walking away from their pool fight + trash-talking Blitz in the "Motherf**kers" song + drunk whining + making out with a whole other dude in front of Blitz (*again, a huge mess I covered prior but TL;DR... most of that WASN'T fully-Blitz's fault in those instances??😑*)

Like... I dunno man, I don't mean to sound like I'm just ragging on Stolas per-episode as of late... but these last few points just keep giving me mixed signals than any genuine "hope" for him & Blitz to work out romantically tbh😔. For any canon couple in fiction, I WANT to see reasons for why they work best together, what kind of interests/aspects they've got in-common, what special "spark" is there that helps them stand out above all the other dynamics out there... but from what I see so far on Blitz's end, it honestly feels more like he's only gained these "feelings" for Stolas out of guilt... not because he actually wants him for him, y'know? :/ Which... ngl, sounds like a really sad precedent to send for a main-endgame couple, imho... 🤷‍♀️

-------

Soooo yeah, all that rant-y rambling aside... not a bad ep in the grand scheme of things! 👍👍Here's hoping the last few remaining eps (+possible shorts) for S2 keeps up the good work! 🙏

[srslyblvck]

the devil you know, avengers

pairing: avengers x fem!reader

synopsis: the avengers seem really desperate as they come to you—the person who went under their skin like no one else to help them win against hydra. while they are walking on eggshells around you, you are having fun causing chaos.

warnings: mentions of y/n (maybe), blood, violence, gore

word count: 3.5k

chapter: 6/?

series masterlist

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ YOU WOKE UP FEELING better than the night before. The weight of your past still lingered, but you'd managed to shove it back into the shadows where it belonged. You weren’t going to let it consume you. Not today. Today, you were back in control.

The cuffs were still locked around your wrists, the familiar, metallic weight always present, always suppressing the power that constantly hummed beneath your skin. You never had a choice in the matter—one of the Avengers would have to unlock them for you when the time came. But it didn’t matter right now. You were used to them.

As you made your way to the briefing room, you casually let the cuffs clink together, the sound echoing down the hall. You knew it would annoy the team, which was exactly why you did it. Might as well make an entrance.

Sure enough, as you pushed the door open and stepped inside, the collective sound of groans and sighs greeted you. Tony was seated at the head of the table, eyes glued to his tablet, while Natasha, Clint, Bucky, Sam, and Steve were all scattered around the room, already deep into their discussion.

Without missing a beat, you made your presence known by dropping into an empty chair with a loud clink of your cuffs against the table. “Miss me?” you asked, your tone dripping with sarcasm as you leaned back, folding your arms behind your head.

Tony didn’t even look up. “You ever enter a room without making a scene?”

“Why would I? Life’s more fun when you’re dramatic,” you quipped, tapping the cuffs together again, just to get on his nerves.

Clint shot you a glare, but it was more playful than serious. “Do you have to do that?”

You smirked. “Oh, was that bothering you? My bad.”

Steve finally stepped forward, arms crossed, looking as serious as ever. “Alright, let’s get started.”

Tony flicked a few holographic displays into the air with a casual wave of his hand. “So, as you know, our lovely friend here” —he gave a quick nod in your direction— “retrieved some decent intel from Hydra. Some of it’s encrypted, but we’ve already cracked most of it.”

You leaned back in your chair, eyes on the holograms. It was good to see the focus back on Hydra and not… well, not on you.

“Turns out,” Tony continued, “Hydra’s been working on something big. Bigger than we thought. They’ve got new tech—stuff we haven’t seen before. Weapons capable of destabilizing entire cities. It’s not just about targeting governments or military sites anymore. They want to cause mass chaos.”

Natasha leaned forward, studying the maps. “Their operations are spread thin, though. They’re pushing too hard, too fast. They can’t hold onto all this territory.”

“Which is where we come in,” Steve added, pointing to a section of the map. “We hit their key locations, cut off their supply lines, and cripple their command structure.”

“Sounds like a blast,” you said, leaning forward to get a better look at the holograms. “So, where do I get to have fun?”

Tony raised an eyebrow, glancing at you. “Your definition of fun tends to involve blowing things up.”

“And your point?”

“Nothing,” Tony said with a smirk, swiping at the display to pull up more detailed files. “Just making sure we know what we’re dealing with.”

The conversation flowed smoothly, and for once, you didn’t feel the weight of everyone’s attention pressing down on you. No one treated you any differently—at least, not much. Steve was still all business, Natasha was her usual sharp, observant self, and Clint, well, Clint never gave you a break. That was normal.

But Bucky… there was something in the way he watched you, something that wasn’t hostility. He wasn’t glaring. He wasn’t throwing daggers at you from across the room. Instead, he seemed… curious. Not pitying, not judging. Just trying to figure something out.

You didn’t like it.

So, naturally, you shot him a grin. “What’s the matter, Barnes? Finally come around to my charm?”

Bucky blinked, clearly caught off guard, and for a split second, he looked like he didn’t know how to respond. “No.”

“Well, that’s disappointing,” you said, leaning back with a fake sigh. “I thought we were making progress.”

Clint snorted. “You’ve got a weird way of measuring progress.”

“Progress is subjective,” you said, and that earned a few smirks from the team. You could feel the tension easing, and that’s how you liked it. Distractions. Jokes. Keep it light, keep it moving.

Steve pointed at another section of the map. “There’s one more thing. Hydra’s central hub for communications. It’s buried deep underground in a classified location. We’ve intercepted some chatter, and if we can hit that base, we might be able to knock out their entire intel network.”

“That’s our next target,” Natasha added, eyes sharp. “But we need to move quickly. Hydra knows we’re onto them.”

“Great,” you said, rubbing your hands together. “Can’t wait.”

As the meeting went on, you noticed something: no one brought up your past. Not a single mention of the files or your connection to Hydra. You knew they had seen it by now—they had to have. And yet, nothing. Steve didn’t ask. Natasha didn’t probe. Bucky didn’t push.

Maybe they were just giving you space, or maybe they understood that you weren’t ready to talk about it. Whatever the reason, you were grateful. You weren’t ready to deal with questions, and you sure as hell weren’t about to show any cracks.

By the end of the meeting, the team had laid out the next steps, and Tony was already preparing to crack more of the encrypted files. You stood up from your chair, stretching as you glanced around the room.

“Well, looks like I’ve got some time to kill before we go blow up a Hydra base. Anyone up for poker?” you asked, a grin spreading across your face.

Sam shook his head, laughing. “I’m not losing any more money to you.”

“Your loss,” you said with a shrug, heading for the door. “But don’t say I didn’t offer.”

As you left the room, you felt that familiar sense of control settle back into place. You were back to being you. The sarcastic comments, the cocky attitude—it was all armor, but it was armor you knew how to wear well. You weren’t going to let anyone see the cracks. Not now, not ever.

And if they suspected anything? Well, you’d just have to keep them guessing.

The next mission kicked off early the following day, and unlike the usual plan of sending you in solo to do the sneaky, chaotic work, this time the entire team was with you. It was rare for everyone to hit the field at once, but Hydra’s operation was too big, too dangerous to risk any mistakes. You didn’t mind—having the Avengers at your back meant more targets, more action, and of course, more chances to annoy the hell out of them.

The mission had been going smoothly, at least for the first part. The team moved like a well-oiled machine, each of you knowing your role. You were no exception, even if your powers were still suppressed by the cuffs locked around your wrists. But you didn’t let that stop you. Instead, you leaned into your usual brand of annoying commentary, letting your voice fill the comms with quips and sarcastic remarks to keep everyone on their toes.

"Any chance we can make this a little harder?" you muttered, flipping a Hydra soldier over your shoulder with ease. "I’m starting to get bored."

“Don’t jinx it,” Natasha warned, knocking out a guard with a swift elbow to the temple. “We’ve still got the hard part ahead.”

You clinked your cuffs against each other, deliberately irritating Clint, who shot you an exasperated look as he fired off a few arrows. “Are you seriously doing that now?”

You smirked, shrugging. “You know me. Gotta find some way to entertain myself while you all hog the fun.”

The team had split into two groups once inside the facility. You, Clint, Sam, and Steve were tasked with disabling Hydra’s weapon supply, while Tony, Natasha, and Bucky went after the intel. The plan was straightforward, at least for now. But you knew better than anyone that Hydra had a way of turning straightforward into a nightmare at a moment’s notice.

And it did.

As you and the others pushed deeper into the base, Hydra soldiers came at you in waves. It was fine at first—manageable. But soon, the corridors were swarming with them. You fought them off with every ounce of skill you had, but without your powers, it was harder to keep up the momentum.

“Guys,” Sam called from above, using his wings to stay out of reach of the Hydra soldiers, “it’s getting real crowded down here.”

“I’ve noticed!” Steve grunted, knocking out another guard as they just kept coming.

“Could really use a power boost right about now,” you muttered, driving your knee into a soldier’s stomach and slamming him into the floor.

“I’ll handle that,” Tony’s voice cut through the comms. “FRIDAY, release the cuffs.”

With a satisfying click, the cuffs around your wrists fell away, and instantly, you felt the rush of power flood back into you. The shadows around you twitched and stirred like old friends returning from a long vacation.

“Ah, much better,” you said with a grin as you launched into action. The shadows coiled around you like extensions of your body, yanking Hydra soldiers into the darkness before they could react.

“Show-off,” Clint grumbled, firing an arrow that exploded in a burst of smoke.

“Jealous?” you quipped, sweeping another soldier off his feet with a tendril of shadow. “I can teach you how to be cool later.”

“You wish.”

Despite the banter, things were heating up. Hydra wasn’t pulling any punches, and it became clear that they weren’t just trying to slow you down—they were trying to wipe you out. The team fought hard, but there were too many of them.

“Behind you!” Steve shouted suddenly.

You turned just in time to see a Hydra soldier charging at Clint with a weapon raised, ready to strike. Without thinking, you acted.

Throwing yourself in front of Clint, you summoned the shadows to wrap around the soldier’s legs, yanking him to the ground. But just as you moved to strike, a searing pain shot through your leg—a Hydra soldier behind you had gotten off a lucky shot with an energy weapon, the blast catching you in the thigh.

The impact sent you stumbling, your vision going white with pain for a split second. But you held your ground, gritting your teeth as you knocked the soldier away and slumped against the wall, one hand clutching your leg where blood was already soaking through the fabric of your suit.

Clint, who had been busy dealing with another guard, turned just in time to see what had happened. His eyes widened. “What the hell, man?!”

You gave him a strained smile, trying to play it off. “Just… you know. Thought you could use a hand.”

He glanced at the wound in your leg, his expression shifting from confusion to something almost like concern. “You’re hit.”

“Wow, you’re observant,” you muttered, wincing as you tried to stand up straight. The pain was sharp, but manageable. “I’m fine. Really.”

Steve appeared at your side, his shield held up to deflect another round of shots from the Hydra soldiers swarming around you. “We need to fall back. You’re injured.”

“I said I’m fine,” you repeated, trying to push the pain away as you summoned more shadows to keep the guards at bay. “Just a scratch.”

Clint raised an eyebrow. “You call that a scratch?”

“Sure. Why not?”

Despite the sarcasm, you could feel the wound slowing you down. Every step was agony, but you weren’t about to let the others see how much it hurt. You’d already saved Clint’s life—no point making a big deal out of the fact that you’d taken a hit for it.

“Alright, let’s finish this,” you grunted, waving the others ahead. “I can still fight.”

“You’re not going anywhere with that leg,” Steve said, clearly not buying your bravado.

“I can keep up, Rogers. Trust me.” You tried to push forward, but the pain flared up again, and you stumbled slightly.

Clint caught your arm, steadying you with a scowl. “Yeah, you’re not fine.”

“I’m still standing, aren’t I?” you shot back, though you knew you weren’t exactly proving your point.

Before either of you could argue further, Tony’s voice cut through the comms again. “Weapons system is down. We need to meet up at the extraction point, now.”

“Copy that,” Steve said, his voice tight. “We’re moving out.”

The team regrouped quickly, and despite your injury, you insisted on pulling your weight as you limped along with the others. Clint kept throwing you glances, like he expected you to collapse at any second, but you ignored him, focusing on getting to the exit before Hydra could regroup.

By the time you reached the quinjet, you were drenched in sweat, the pain in your leg pulsing with every step. You staggered up the ramp, trying not to let it show, but as soon as you were inside, you collapsed onto one of the seats, your breath ragged.

Natasha, who had been helping to cover the retreat, took one look at you and raised an eyebrow. “What happened to you?”

“Nothing I can’t handle,” you muttered, wincing as you pressed a hand to the wound in your leg.

Clint shook his head, sitting down across from you. “They took a hit saving my ass.”

Natasha’s eyes flicked between the two of you, and for a moment, she looked like she wanted to say something—probably some comment about heroics and recklessness—but she held back. Instead, she nodded and turned to help with the takeoff.

Tony was the last to board, hovering just above the ramp. “Alright, everyone in one piece?”

“More or less,” you muttered under your breath.

Tony glanced at you, his face hidden behind the mask of his suit, but you could practically feel his eye-roll. “Nice work out there. Try not to die before we get back, okay?”

“No promises,” you replied, leaning back as the quinjet took off, the adrenaline finally wearing off as the pain settled in. You’d taken a hit, sure, but you weren’t about to let it slow you down.

And at least Clint was still breathing.

That was a win in your book.

By the time the quinjet neared the Avengers compound, the adrenaline that had been keeping you going finally ran out. The pain in your leg had become a constant throb, and your vision blurred around the edges. You tried to shake it off, to stay focused, but the exhaustion weighed down on you like a lead blanket. Every breath felt heavier, harder to draw in.

“Hey, you good over there?” Clint asked, glancing at you from his seat across the quinjet.

“Yeah, just… tired,” you muttered, your voice quieter than you intended. “No big deal.”

But it was a big deal. You could feel yourself slipping. The room swayed, and you blinked rapidly, trying to stay conscious, but the darkness creeping in from the edges of your vision was relentless. You slumped back in your seat, your head lolling to the side as your body gave in to the exhaustion and pain.

“Uh, guys?” Clint’s voice came again, a little more urgent this time. “I think we’ve got a problem.”

You barely registered his words before everything went black.

When you woke up, everything was a blur of voices and movement. You were vaguely aware of someone speaking—Tony, maybe?—and the familiar sound of the quinjet’s engines humming beneath you. But you couldn’t move, couldn’t open your eyes.

"FRIDAY, check her vitals," Tony’s voice cut through the haze.

"Vitals are dropping," FRIDAY replied. "She's lost a significant amount of blood. She needs immediate medical attention."

There was a pause, and then another voice—Steve, calm but tense. "We need to get her to the medbay. Now."

You felt strong arms lift you off the seat, cradling you carefully but firmly. It wasn’t rough, but the movement sent a sharp jolt of pain through your leg, dragging you further out of the fog.

"Barnes, you’ve got her?" Tony asked, and you felt a shift in the air around you.

"Yeah," Bucky replied, his voice steady. "I’ve got her."

Bucky’s metal arm was cool against your skin, and despite the haze, you could feel how careful he was with you. He wasn’t his usual stiff self, the one who acted like you were a problem waiting to happen. This was different.

As the quinjet landed, Bucky carried you down the ramp, the world a blur of lights and voices around you. You weren’t fully aware of it, but you felt the rush of movement as the others cleared a path toward the medbay. You heard Steve barking orders, and then Tony was there, walking alongside Bucky, his voice calm but serious.

"Get Helen Cho on standby," Tony said to FRIDAY. "We need her in the medbay ASAP."

Your vision swam again, and for a moment, you lost track of time. When you came to, you were lying on a medbay bed, the cold metal of the table beneath you strangely comforting. The hum of machines filled the room, and the faint scent of antiseptic told you that you were in safe hands.

When you finally woke up, it took a second to remember where you were. The medbay was quiet, save for the faint beeping of a monitor nearby. You blinked a few times, adjusting to the bright lights above you, and then turned your head to the side.

Dr. Helen Cho stood nearby, looking through a tablet, her brow furrowed in concentration. You recognized her immediately, even through the post-mission haze. She had a reputation for being the best in her field, but right now, she just looked incredibly focused—and, if you were being honest, annoyingly attractive.

You grinned, the familiar cocky smirk returning as you found your voice. “Well, this is a nice way to wake up. Did you personally request to treat me, or is that just a bonus?”

Helen glanced up from her tablet, her expression changing from professional focus to a sly smile. “You’re awake, then. Good. I thought you might’ve decided to sleep through the whole thing.”

“I figured I’d give you a chance to admire my rugged good looks while I was out,” you said, your tone teasing as you leaned back into the pillow. “But I’m happy to keep you company now that I’m awake.”

She chuckled, setting the tablet down on the counter beside you. “I’ll admit, you’re not the worst patient I’ve had. But maybe save the flirting until after I’m done making sure you’re not going to bleed out.”

You raised an eyebrow, ignoring the dull ache in your leg. “Who says I can’t multitask? I can flirt and recover at the same time. You know, efficient use of my talents.”

Helen shook her head, clearly amused. “You’re something else, aren’t you?”

“I try,” you said, flashing her a grin. “Gotta keep things interesting around here. Though I’d be happy to hear your assessment of my… condition. I’m sure you’ve seen worse, but I bet I look really good while injured.”

She leaned over you, mockingly serious for a second. “Oh, no doubt. The blood really brings out your eyes.”

You were about to fire back another comment when the door slid open, and Bucky walked in, clearly not in the mood for banter.

“Alright, lovebirds, that’s enough,” Bucky said, raising an eyebrow at the two of you. “This is a medbay, not a date.”

You glanced at him with a smirk. “Jealous, Barnes?”

Bucky crossed his arms, unimpressed. “Please. I’m just here to make sure you don’t annoy the person who’s keeping you alive.”

Helen chuckled softly and stood back up, her expression turning more professional. “She's fine now. The wound was clean, no permanent damage. Just need to stay off her feet for a while.”

Bucky shot you a knowing look. “Hear that? That means no running off. Doctor’s orders.”

You raised your hands in mock surrender, trying not to wince at the soreness in your leg. “Fine, fine. I’ll take it easy.”

“Good,” Bucky said, though there was a glint of amusement in his eyes. “Because I don’t feel like dragging your unconscious body back to the med bay again anytime soon.”

Helen smiled at you, a teasing glint still in her eyes as she picked up her tablet. “I’ll leave you in Bucky's capable hands, then.”

You nodded, closing your eyes as the exhaustion finally caught up to you. You’d done your part, and for now, that was enough.

Before sleep fully claimed you, you couldn’t resist one last comment.

“Hey, Barnes?”

He stopped, turning back. “Yeah?”

“Tell Helen she can come check on me anytime.”

Bucky rolled his eyes. “Get some sleep.”

And with that, you drifted off, a satisfied smirk still on your face.

[stxrvel]

so....... what would you guys say if i said that........ ive been writing a fic...... thats not icft....... but its jungkook x f!reader being idiots in love...... friends to lovers........ with angst bc if you dont know already i am A SUCKER for angst......... and that it currently has 8k words and im just halfway through.................................

like........ what would you say.

[one-vivid-judgment]

The reason watching Yakuza gameplays is dangerous is cause you'd be watching all willy-nilly then suddenly the guy will go,,,

"DAMN, KIRYU HAS ASS"

[todayisafridaynight]

Sohei 🤝 Kazama: Bad dads

who even IS a good dad in this series like who even is a dad that we can all look at and go 'now THATS a good dad right there'

[blkkizzat]

@ 𝙭𝙓𝘿𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙂𝙤𝙙69𝙓𝙭 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮...

AND GOD KNOWS I'M TRYIN', BUT THERE'S JUST NO USE IN DENYING... ❤︎︎︎︎ THE OTAKU IS MINE ❤︎︎

⏯︎︎ OTAKU!GOJO X BIMBO!READER SERIES

bunny, how on earth did you end up dating this huge otaku nerd? urgh, you actually like him and match his freak too? and he buys you what?! omg! what will your friends think?!

⏯︎︎ 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘

𖦏 genre: college au

𖦏 ratings: 18+MDNI. unprotected, ecchi gojo, dubcon, cnc, bdsm, puppy play, public sex, creampies, spanking, sugar daddy/baby dynamics, edging, squirting, threesums, femdom, the ridiculous ass pervy pet names gojo gives you & reader is called 'bunny' in lieu of 'y/n'. each story will have warnings on its story page.

𖦏 pre register: comment to be tagged. i may not respond to everyone but rest assured if you comment you will be tagged!

𖦏 gamer's guide: all fics are listed in chronological order, but likely won't be written in chronological order. summaries subject to change slightly. they also will be written over time so please don't rush me for the next installment but feel free to ask me questions i love talking about this lil freak❤︎︎

⏯︎︎ 𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐍 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘:

𝐥𝐯𝐥 𝟏: ❝ DIGIMON—BUT MAKING U CUM IS MY REAL HOBBY! ❞

𖦏 your best friend gojo is a hopeless otaku virgin with zero rizz that's still obsessed with digimon—despite being a grown ass man. you're a slut who despite her best whoring efforts—can't cum. you'll take his v-card and he'll fix your broken pussy, deal? ⏯︎︎ plays: 13.3k

𝐥𝐯𝐥 𝟐: ❝ STICKS N' STONES MAY BREAK MY BONES BUT CHAINS N' WHIPS EXCITE ME! ❞

𖦏 so now that you have a filthy rich boyfie who is completely obsessed with you and has moved you into his house, you're winning, right? or you will be at least— if can survive a trip to the sex dungeon. don't worry it's professionally sanitized after each use! ...what? that's not what you're worried about? oh... ⏯︎︎ plays: lvl in-progress

𝐥𝐯𝐥 𝟑: ❝ AND ALL OF THAT WAS OKAY, CAUSE IT WAS IN A 3-WAY!❞

𖦏 the three of you: you, gojo and geto are like peas in a pod, especially since its summer! and if two of you start f*cking in that pod well its only natural that the third want to join in, right? besides, you both already want to f*ck him. just make sure your current boyfie doesn't get too jealous from how hard you are moaning on your other besties' joystick. your only his ecchi angel, remember? ⏯︎︎ plays: lvl in-progress

𝐥𝐯𝐥 𝟒: ❝ IN THE BEDROOM I BE SCREAMIN', BUT OUTSIDE I KEEP IT QUIET—OR TRY TO AT LEAST!❞

𖦏 you can only keep your relationship underwraps from the rest of your friend group for so long. but you need to ease them into the idea first! although, when there's a yacht party for nanami's bday how is your uber clingy otaku boyfie supposed to keep his hands off of you when you're looking like the most perfect pervy princess in that itty bitty swimsuit? ⏯︎︎ plays: lvl in-progress

𝐥𝐯𝐥 𝟓: ❝ YEAH, HE MY MAN, HE WAS NEVER YO TYPE! ❞

𖦏 school is back! thankfully you somehow manage to instill some kind of decency into your otaku boyfie over the summer so he can come across as normal enough to make his own friends. but did you do too good of a job? wait, he actually has a lil rizz now? you mean you aren't the only girl attracted to him anymore... hol'up! ⏯︎︎ plays: lvl in-progress

𝐥𝐯𝐥 𝟔: ❝ MOVE IT UP, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, OH—SWITCH IT UP LIKE NINTENDO! ❞

𖦏 hey, when did you become freaker than your otaku boyfie? so he caught you touching yourself to his femdom p0rn when he came back early from a business trip? yikes! now he wants to try it out with you? don't worry you will do a great job training your new play puppy boyfie! ⏯︎︎ plays: lvl in-progress

⏯︎︎ 𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐒:

𖦏 soundtrack: [ x ] 𖦏 moodboards: [ lvl 1 ] 𖦏 amazing art by amazing readers: [ x ] 𖦏 faq/thirsts: [ x ]

©𝐛𝐥𝐤𝐤𝐢𝐳𝐳𝐚𝐭 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒. 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐟𝐱, 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞.︎︎

[gloomwitchwrites]

You introduce your husband as your "boyfriend" to annoy them.

Anon! This prompt has me screaming! I really enjoyed writing for this one because it's such a fun idea. Sure, our 141 boys might be a little mad that they aren't being called by their proper title, but you know they'll just love punishing you for it.

I went a little different with this one. Instead of introductions, I made it so that reader is constantly referring to them as "boyfriend" in public settings. Depending on the situation, introductions wouldn't make sense if it was with friends, family, or coworkers because they would likely already know that they're "husband" and not "boyfriend." So i changed it up a bit in that way!

Some of these fall into spicy territory without being descriptive.

For the masterlist and how to submit your own request, click HERE

Content & Warnings (per the warnings MDNI): canon-typical swearing, suggestive themes, non-descriptive mentions of sex, fade to black, brief dirty talk

ao3 // taglist // main masterlist // imagines & what if series masterlist

Simon "Ghost" Riley

Simon shakes his head and you roll your eyes.

“We can ask someone for help,” you suggest, scanning the massive wall of televisions.

Simon grunts and crosses his arms. “No.”

Sometimes Simon’s stubbornness is cute—even sexy—but right now you’re just annoyed with him. It makes you want to stir up trouble, to cause a little chaos just for the fun of it. Pouting, you turn, eyes narrowing to find an associate of the electronics store. When you spot one near the HDMI cables, you take off, not caring if Simon follows.

“Excuse me.”

The man’s head perks up. “How can I help you?”

You gesture behind you, your hand smacking into Simon’s chest. “My boyfriend—”

“Boyfriend?” growls Simon, but you ignore him.

“—can’t decide on a television.”

Simon is not your boyfriend. He’s your husband. But he’s being stubborn, not making a decision, and you want out of this store.

Shifting, you place one hand on Simon’s large bicep, grinning like you haven’t done anything at all. Simon’s hand immediately grabs your ass, squeezing hard. A warning. One that you ignore.

“I can help with that,” replies the associate. You glance at the man’s nametag. Jim.

“Thank you so much, Jim.” You lean against Simon, giving Jim your best smile. “Getting this guy to commit to anything is so hard sometimes, ya know?”

Jim makes a noncommittal noise as he walks toward the wall of televisions. You start to follow but Simon’s hold on your ass tightens, keeping you pressed against him. Simon leans down, his lips brushing against your ear.

“What are you doing?” he whispers.

You elbow Simon in the side but it’s not hard. He lets go, keeping close to you as the two of you follow Jim over to the televisions. Standing back, you watch with glee as Simon is forced to talk to Jim. You stay out of it, but notice Simon’s gaze switching to you every so often.

You already know what he’s thinking. He’ll likely want to punish you, and sometimes those punishments are so sweet.

Once Simon selects something and the two of you are at the car, there is no safety net. Simon shuts the trunk and then you’re pressed against the car, your body trapped between it and Simon’s massive form.

“Boyfriend?” he accuses.

You shrug. “What do you mean?”

The growl in Simon’s throat comes out a groan. “Get in the car.” He lightly slaps your ass as you open the passenger door.

As you start to slide in, Simon’s hand returns, this time slipping under your skirt to find your thin, lace underwear. He tugs sharply, ripping the fabric.

“Simon!”

He stuffs the underwear into his pocket. “You don’t need these.” You feel your face growing hot.

Simon shuts your car door and walks around the driver’s side, hopping in. He reaches out, placing one large hand on your bare thigh. It roams upward, squeezing, sending a shiver of lust up your body to make your head spin. “When we get home, I’m fucking that boyfriend nonsense right out of you.”

Kyle "Gaz" Garrick

“I’m so sorry, but this isn’t what my boyfriend ordered.”

Kyle frowns and glances up from his phone’s screen. That’s your voice he hears, but the term of address isn’t right.

Boyfriend. Not husband, as it fucking should be.

Kyle glances in your direction but you’re not looking at him. You’re smiling sweetly at the barista behind the counter.

“It should be hot. Not iced. I might have messed up. I’m so sorry. I can pay for another.” You raise your hands in a placating gesture but the barista doesn’t appear fazed at all.

“No biggie. Keep that one. Won’t take me more than a minute or two.”

“Thank you so much.” You glance at Kyle, and your smirk tells him all he needs to know.

You’re being a tease. You’re doing this on purpose. The drink order is wrong, and you’re using this as an excuse to poke at him.

Kyle locks his phone and casually slides it into his pocket. Do you think you’re going to annoy him by doing this? Maybe. The little smirk on your face tells him that’s entirely what you have in mind.

But the joke is on you. Doesn’t matter if you refer to him as “boyfriend,” because all it’ll earn you is a punishment.

As the barista slides the new drink across the counter to you, you thank them profusely. “Thank you so much. My boyfriend will really appreciate it.”

The barista only nods and turns back to the espresso machine.

As you approach with the coffee, Kyle gentle removes the drink from your grasp.

“Boyfriend?” he asks, amused.

You shake your head like you have no idea what he’s on about. “What?”

Kyle laughs and snags the other drink from your hand. With shock on your face, he strides up to the counter. “Can you set these aside for us? Be right back.”

They only nod and continue working. Kyle snags your wrist and drags you to the little hallway that curves out around. There are a few private corners in there, and the hallway itself opens up into the nearby bookstore.

Kyle checks the handle on the unisex bathroom. Finding it unlocked, he draws you inside.

“Kyle,” you hiss, but he’s not having any of it.

Kyle engages the lock and presses you up against the door.

“You owe me an apology,” he says.

“For what?” Kyle tuts, his hand sliding to the back of your neck. “Get on your knees,” he murmurs, undoing his belt buckle with the other hand. “Apologize with that gorgeous mouth of yours.”

John Price

John leans back in his chair, agitation irritating his spine.

House hunting isn’t something he’s particularly excited about. He is happy that it’s with you, his wife, but the tediousness of it all is exhausting to him. John would rather have you select a few places to tour and then be done with it all. Money isn’t the issue. He just wants you to find a place you like and the two of you can go from there.

He’d live in a tent if that’s what you want.

“My boyfriend isn’t all that picky.”

Boyfriend? John is tugged from his inner musings by your voice and that term of address. Boyfriend. Why the fuck would you call him that? John isn’t your boyfriend. He’s your goddamn husband.

You reach out, planting a hand on his thigh. You squeeze softly as you always do when you’re trying to reassure him, but John frowns down at it, and then looks up at you. You’re not looking at him. You’re staring at the realtor, completely ignoring him.

John licks his lips, considering whether to correct you or not, or leaving it up to a simple mistake, but you do it again.

This time, John didn’t mishear you.

Your hand squeezes his thigh again and Price rests his hand over yours. His fingers enclose your palm and he holds firm. You glance at him and John shoots you his best warning look. You don’t even react. Don’t event blink.

No. He’s going to correct you. He is absolutely fucking correcting you.

The realtor pivots the computer monitor. “I think any boyfriend would agree that these are excellent selections.”

That’s fucking it.

Price shoots up from his seat, keeping a tight grip on your hand. “I need to speak with my—” John pauses, swallowing down his annoyance. “Girlfriend. Privately.”

The realtor shrugs, smiling, but John is already turning around, dragging you out the door. Outside, the stuffy, summer air does nothing to soothe his annoyance.

“Boyfriend? Fucking boyfriend?” John crosses his arms over his chest, looming over you.

You shrug. “What’s the problem?”

“Behave yourself,” he says, lowering his voice.

“Or what?” you ask in mock innocence.

So, this is what you want. John understands the moment the words leave your mouth. You’re fucking teasing him. Fine. He’ll make you learn.

“We are gonna go back in, thank the kind woman for her time, and then we’re leaving.”

“No. I want to stay.”

John leans in but he notices the way you glance away from him and back, clearly flustered. “Good girls don’t play games.”

“Funny,” you reply, head tilting slightly. “That as my boyfriend you have any authority over me.”

John pivots, blocking the view of the front door from you. “I will bend you over that bench so fast, wife.”

“You won’t,” you stammer.

John arches an eyebrow and you visibly swallow. “Want to test me?”

You pout, and then playfully shove him in the chest. “You’re terrible.”

As you turn for the door, John grabs your waist pulling you close. “You started it.”

John "Soap" MacTavish

“My boyfriend and I are redesigning our bathroom.”

Johnny’s attention splits. The associate showing him floor tiles is a distant thing. He might be talking about the newest ones on the market, but Johnny is no longer interested.

Did he just hear you right? Did you just call him boyfriend?

“That’s wonderful,” comes a reply, and Johnny notes an older woman talking to you near the laminate flooring that mimics wood. “Where is he?”

“Over there,” you wave at him, a smug smile on your face.

Boyfriend? Johnny is your fucking husband.

“Sir?” prompts the hardware store associate. “What do you think of these?”

Johnny grunts. “Fine. We’ll come back.” He waves the man off and starts for you even as you continuously refer to him as your boyfriend.

You’re doing it on purpose. You’re doing it to annoy him.

And it’s fucking working.

Johnny saddles up beside you, snaking his arm around your waist, pulling you taut against him.

“This is the boyfriend,” you begin, smiling.

“Husband,” corrects Johnny, flashing the same devious grin. He holds up his left hand, showing off the simple gold band. “Happily married to this one.”

The older woman’s eyes round.

“She likes to joke,” continues Johnny. “Come on, love. Better get home.”

Johnny easily guides you away. He leans down, whispering. “You little terror.”

“Bite me,” you reply.

“Oh. I will. Everywhere. When we get home.”

taglist:

@km-ffluv @glitterypirateduck @tiredmetalenthusiast @spicyspicyliving @miaraei

@coffeecaketornado @aykxz98 @kayden666 @unhinged-reader-36 @enarien

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@talooolaaloolla @hantheconqueror @littlemisscriesherselftosleep @umno-yeah

[rosicheeks]

What books do you think everyone should read?

Have you ever considered that octopi may be the best huggers?

What's the best sound? (Personally I say windchimes)

What is the best thing to dip pizza in?

Is Bigfoot was real, he might be, would he be hot?

-

Ngl I have not thought of that before 👀 I could see them being the best huggers……. Or just very slimy and slippery 😂

-

Oooo windchimes are so so lovely 🥰🥰🥰

In my opinion the best sound is a cappella music. Or even just choir music. Where different voice types come together and create beautiful harmonies 😍💖

-

I don’t typically dip my pizza in anything tbh

-

I meeeaaaaannnn I could see it 👀👀

I’m into tall and hairy people 🫣🤭

[captainreecejames]

Down Bad || My Ex is a Footballer OP81 Edition

links [masterlist][my ex series masterlist]

summary it's time you date someone actually your age

pairings ex!andy robertson x reader, oscar piastri x reader

warnings not a good relationship with robertson, cursing

notes guys I'm not a liverpool fan so this was hard for me [kidding]. this took so long because I had trouble getting the dynamic right also I got a new job and working two places has not been easy but I gotta make money in this world.

yn's message august 2022 ---------

ynusername posted august 2022 --------

liked by estebanocon, andyrobertson94 and others

ynusername it's race week again yay!!! But I can't be with my boyfriend booooo

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username1 girl drop him!!!

username2 no boooo actually yayyy!!!

username3 shame she can't be with andy for the start of the season ↳ username4 girl be serious, season started almost a month ago and she was at every home game ↳ username5 yn is a diehard liverpool fan don't worry she was supporting her man

andyrobertson94 gonna miss you babe! ↳ ynusername miss you more!

alo_oficial excited !! 🩷

username6 yn I mean this in the nicest way possible, he's too old for you and he's not good

ynusername posted december 2022 -----

liked by oscarpiastri, alpinef1team and others

ynusername 22 season recap! Thank you so much to Alpine for bringing me into the world of f1 and introducing me to some amazing people, I will always be grateful for the chance you took on me and have love in my heart for you! Now on to being at anfield 24/7 to support my man!!!

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username11 ahhhhh oscar!! I' m fine everything is fine

oscarpiastri have a good break yn! ↳ ynusername you too ossie!

username12 ossie??! i'm screaming i love it already. alpine why did you have to break up my bestfriends that i didn't know were best friends?

estebanocon gonna miss having you around yn! ↳ ynusername oh estie! i'll see you around don't worry.

username13 why the fuck is Andy not commenting? ↳ username14 cause he's a little bitch 👍🏼 ↳ username13 oop

alpinef1team we love you yn! ↳ ynusername gonna miss you babe

username15 damn Andy finally got what he wanted and won't even congratulate her on doing this job ↳ username16 I'm new here, what did Andy want? ↳ username15 he has publicly wanted yn to not work and basically be a housewife, also he's like almost 10 years older than her so it's like weird he wants her to be a kept woman

liverpoolfc we're ready for you! ♥️ by ynusername

yn's messages --------

twitter february 2023 --------

ynusername posted august 2023 -----

liked by landonorris, lance_stroll and others

ynusername first half of the season done with my boss featuring ossie when he sees me sneak into the mclaren garage

oscarpiastri that's literally a lie I don't look like that when you come in ↳ ynusername then why do I have a picture of you looking like that??? ↳ landonorris gonna back him up on this one he does NOT look like this when he sees you ↳ username21 WHAT DO YOU KNW LANDO AHARE WITH THE CLASS

username22 guys not to be dramatic but there's been no Liverpool mention in months, I think she broke up with andy ↳ username23 DONR GET ME EXCITED

ynusername posted december 2023 --------

liked by carmenmmundt, georgerussell63 and others

ynusername sad that the season is over but happy I get a short break from being a full time Alonso Wrangler and part time student. Also lance is sad he hasn't been in a season photo dump so here have this

carmenmmundt 🩶🩶

lance_stroll wtf? ↳ ynusername 🫶🏼 ↳ lance_stroll I sent that to mari ↳ ynusername and she sent it to me ↳ mariloublg_ and I'd do it again ↳ lance_stroll DONT GANG UP ON ME

username34 TWO(2) OSCAR PICTURES? we're winning oscaryn truthers ↳ username35 we need him in the first picture now, no swiping is the next goal

username36 wait, yn are you in classes right now? ↳ ynusername I'm taking 2 classes right now remotely for my masters! ↳ username36 OMG you go girl! ↳ ynusername thanks babe

february 2024

landonorris posted on his story

replies to your story

oscarpiastri delete this

landonorris HAHAHAH

alo_oficial working on getting her to realize

landonorris they are both so dumb

mclaren get a picture together

landonorris you got it boss 🫡

username36 IT'S YN RIGHT! TELL ME IT'S YN LN

ynusername posted march 2024

liked by astonmartinf1, oscarpiastri and others

ynusername and we're back!!! Starting off with some helmet swaps and getting papa stroll a debut on the page

landonorris damn papa stroll gets a pic before me?? ↳ lance_stroll it took me a year to get a debut and even then it was a shit one so shut up ↳ georgerussell63 haha you guys suck ↳ ynusername it's cause Carmen bribed me ↳ lance_stroll and mari didn't? ↳ ynusername she did, that picture is what she wanted ↳ landonorris so what youre saying is I need a gf to bribe you ↳ oscarpiastri damn guess youre never getting your debut on this page ↳ landonorris and how the fuck did you get here???

username41 where's that girl that wanted oscar on the first slide? ↳ username35 RIGHT HERE AND I'M THRIVING

lance_stroll also landonorris that's mr. stroll to you ↳ landonorris okay...

ynusername posted july 2024

liked by landonorris, alo_oficial and others

ynusername oscar i don't have the words to describe how proud i am of you right now but just know that I always believed in you and always will

username51 ughhhh, when will it be my turn

username52 OSCAR WIN SO YN POSTS JUST OSCAR YES

username53 username35 aRE YOU OKAY GIRL? ↳ username35 NO I'M NOT

username35 JUST OSCAR IN EVERY PIC??? AND HE'S CLEARLY LOOKING AT YN? IS THIS MY BIRTHDAY PRESENT?

username54 the way oscar was looking for her >>>

alo_oficial congratulations oscar! ↳ oscarpiastri thank you nando

oscarpiastri thank you yn, you're support means everything to me

username55 no offense but I was kinda expecting more from you here ↳ username35 you want her to confess her undying love for oscar here on a social media post? you want her to do it on the internet instead of just to him privately so you can consume media and be in the presence of a relationship that you clearly have no respect for nor no need to be apart of because they don't know you?? that's what you want? be fucking for real ♥️ by mariloublg_ ↳ username55 first of all you also have a parasocial relationship with them, second of all, it's not weird for me to want her to express more about this when his team was shit to him ↳ username35 i can be excited about her posting him and still fucking respect their privacy. they don't need to post anything for us and it is a PRIVILEDGE that we get to see this. if you make it weird for them and ruin their PRIVATE relationship because you personally think she should be more vocal on social media then maybe you need to do some reflection on how you interact with people

ynusername posted august 2024

liked by oscarpiastri, landonorris and others

ynusername summer break is over, now I go back to being a student

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landonorris yay i can have my osc back ↳ ynusername uhhh... no, you can borrow MY ossie ↳ landonorris agree to disagree ↳ oscarpiastri don't I get a say in this? ↳ ynusername depends ↳ oscarpiastri well i pick you yn ↳ ynusername then yes you get a say

lance_stroll it's about damn time ↳ estebanocon SAYS YOU ↳ alo_oficial none of you have spent as much time with her as I have! I'm the only one that get's to complain ↳ ynusername I was not that bad ↳ alo_oficial yes you were ↳ estebanocon yes you were ↳ lance_stroll yes you were ↳ pierregasly yes you were

oscarpiastri haha babe you have a crush on me? ↳ charles_leclerc you were just as bad ↳ landonorris what he said ↳ oscarpistri damn okay

username35 ahhhh!!! congrats yn and oscar ↳ ynusername thank you! and we both appreciate you being so supportive

username63 see everyone, it pays to be a decent human being! ^^

[singmyaubade]

Shades Of Cool

toxic!dark!rafe cameron x female!pogue!reader

summary: you are just living your life, completely normal and free. but, what happens when rafe cameron decides that you are his? he's danger.

warnings: smut! 18+ stalking, manipulation, rafe is obsessed with reader, fingering, swearing, unprotected sex, slight breeding kink, praise, oral (male receiving), dark!rafe cameron, choking, jealousy, violence, heavy smut..

a/n: i'm delighted I'm finally starting this, even if it took me so long. i genuinely hope you all enjoy this series. i understand that this a bit short, but the narrative is only getting started, so things will only get wilder! however, it is to be expected—this is a rafe cameron fic.

series

One thing that you hated about Outer Banks was how the heat still radiated at night, causing excessive amounts of water to be drank and a great amount of fans that blew hot air into your face.

It only made everyone irritable and only caused more arguments like now,

"I swear to god JJ, I am about to fucking murder you if you say another word," You hissed, giving him a glare as he mockingly grew scared.

"I agree," Cleo said before falling back into her nap.

"All I'm saying is that we have been moping around here for hours meanwhile we could be partying on the fresh beach and cool water," JJ replied, using his hands to represent the scenery to all of you.

"I'm going to have to agree with Y/N," Pope said, turning his head to JJ, "I'm already in tough shit with my parents for when you knocked over my great-grandmothers vase," Pope glared.

JJ put his hands up in defense, "I told you tequila makes me clumsy,"

"Besides every single Kook is there, including Rafe and if he sees Sarah with us, it will only bring another fight and you are not going back to jail," Kie warned, still closing her eyes while the fan blew the air in her face, blowing her hair.

"When have we ever been scared of Rafe?" JJ asked.

"When he gave me a full smackdown for doing my job," Pope scoffed.

"And when he almost drowned me," Sarah chimed in from across the room where she was laying on John B's legs on the carpet floor.

"And when he shot Sheriff Peterkin in front of us," John B added.

"And when-" Pope began.

"Okay that's enough," He said as you giggled, turning your head back to the fan.

You didn't know much about Rafe Cameron since you had moved to Outer Banks only last year and you had met the "star Pogues" a few months ago.

You had never really seen Rafe's face ever, only heard of him honestly.

But you didn't know if it was a bad thing.

All you had heard about was how evil and villainous he was which caused some places to be off limits for the fact that the boys couldn't handle another beat down with the Kooks and there was a greater matter at hand.

But still, you always were curious about "evil" Rafe Cameron.

"You guys are no fun," JJ pouted, sitting beside you on the couch.

You patted the lower part of his leg, "Poor baby," You sarcastically said to which moved his leg swiftly causing you to laugh.

Suddenly the lights and fans turned off as you all except for JJ groaned, knowing that meant the electricity was off you and you would have to deal with the heat and darkness.

Which meant the only choice was the beach party,

JJ cheered, "I win!"

You crossed your arms as you walked on the warm sand, lots of cheering and loud music around you. You could see the Kooks and the Pogues in their own groups, not daring to interact with eachother.

It was hard to get used to the fact that there were two groups of people based on economic statuses and that it meant that if you were one thing, the other one hated you.

You had never been to a place like that but you just kinda got used to it.

Yet you still could never tell which group was really which sometimes.

You were forced to walk around by yourself as John B and Sarah wandered off to a quiet spot while JJ started drinking with Kie as his babysitter and Cleo and Pope wandered around.

All of it sounded like a lot of third wheeling which made you stay away.

But you didn't mind being alone, you liked listening to the waves and watching the festivities that went along with a party.

And you knew that a beer would help you get more into the party festivities.

You walked over the keg where a man with a shaved head and a matching tank top and shorts poured himself a beer as you curiously looked at him.

You had to admit that he was one of the most attractive men you had seen before.

His lips were a perfect shade of pink and they were smooth like sucking on a cherry. His veins were bulging from his hands and you could see the peach fuzz on his jawline that you could only really see upclose.

You snapped out of your analysis as he looked at you as you waited there awkwardly, forming a smile on your face.

"Sorry to creepily stand here, I'm just trying to get a uh-" You said, pointing to the keg.

His face studied you for a second, almost as if he was trying to figure you out. You could tell by his face that he had never seen you before and he looked as if he was trying to figure out if you were a Kook or Pogue.

He chuckled, "Didn't mean to take so long, I wouldn't have if I had seen your pretty face sooner," He smirked, looking you up and down, causing you to blush.

You felt stupid for blushing over something that a man probably said to every pretty girl he saw but you felt something different about him.

You were taken aback by his boldness, "Do you say that to every women that waits for her turn on the keg?" You teased.

"Only the pretty ones," He replied, causing you to laugh.

"Smooth talker I see," You smiled.

"Always," He joked, "I swear I've never seen you around and usually, you know everyone in Outer Banks," He probed.

"Yeah, I just moved here last year," You answered, "I haven't made my rounds yet,"

"Figured," He said, "I would've definitely noticed you,"

"Pfft," You beamed, "I'm sure you would've walked past me on the beach, there are many beautiful girls here,"

"Nah," He laughed, looking off, "You are different from them,"

"How could you already assume that?" You asked, curiosity biting at you.

"For one, you aren't stuck up and preppy which is most the girls on this island," He grinned as you giggled.

"Ay, they aren't all like that," You replied.

"Most of 'em," He added, "But I don't pay much attention to them,"

"Figures," You said, eyebrow raising.

He saw your eyes move the keg and his cup before he offered his cup forward.

"Might as well take mine, I wouldn't feel proud of myself if I let you pour one yourself," He winked.

Great attempt at being a gentlemen.

"No no, I got it," You said before he shook his head.

"I insist" He said, his thumb grazing yours.

"Thank you," You smiled, "I'm Y/N" You introduced, taking the cup from him while extending your other hand for him to shake.

He shook your hand, "I'm Rafe," He replied with a smile as yours slowly fell.

The Rafe? The Rafe you were basically supposed to never interact with and who was the supposed devil? That Rafe?

"Rafe Cameron?" You asked, standing frozen.

"Guess my reputation precedes me," He joked as you didn't laugh but instead cleared your throat.

You took your hand back quickly, "Oh, i-it's nice to meet you," You cleared your throat, "My friends are waiting so I'm gonna-"

He clearly figured you out, "Pogue, I'm guessing?" He snickered.

Your face wrinkled, "Is that supposed to be a funny thing?"

"Hilarious actually," He answered, only angering you more.

"I don't see what's funny about that?" You crossed your arms with ur drink resting in your hand.

He wiped his jaw, "Must be tough at the bottom of the food chain,"

Your nose flared, "Must be tough being an elite asshole,"

He laughed, "I just think it's an unfortunate cause, I mean it's just unlucky," He smirked.

Asshole.

"Unlucky?" Your lip pursed, " I think what's more unlucky is thinking that your cool for a fucked up economic status that has been perpetuated on an island,"

"I just don't believe your friends belong on Outer Banks," He said, not a hint of hesitance in his voice.

He really believed in this bullshit.

"I mean you would really rather hang out with a group of dirty Pogues?" He snickered, looking off.

"Well I am one of them and they are my friends," You scoffed, "You seem more dirty than us," You insulted.

"Is that so?" Rafe mocked.

"Do you wanna talk about your father's dirty money?" You asked.

"I would watch that pretty mouth," He replied, inching closer.

"Or what?" You hummed, acting braver than you usually would.

"Fuck around and find out sweetheart," He came closer, breath fawning on your face.

The whiskey on his breath kissed your nose but not breaking your eye contact with him as you inched closer, eyes on his lips.

As he tried to close the gap, you threw the drink in his face. "Oohs" and snickers filled around the both of you as you stomped away from him.

He smirked, wiping the alcohol off of his face.

'What an asshole,' You thought,

Little did you know that Rafe only grew to like you more.

You found JJ and Kie sitting by the beach together as she laid her head on his shoulder. You were thinking about interrupting them but tarnish their moment, you choosing instead to call it a night and also you didn't feel like trying to find the rest of the group.

You were glad that you knew yourself enough to drive to the party considering that you got tired fast. You couldn't really see in the parking lot due to how dark it was and away from the lights.

You digged in your back pocket for your phone to pull out of the flashlight as you reached for your keys but dropped them instead in the process.

You audibly groaned as you searched on the floor in the darkness for the keys. You went on your knees with your flashing light, searching on the ground as you heard footsteps behind you, darting your flashlight behind you but seeing nothing.

You had a bad feeling but you thought it was paranoia because you were alone in the parking lot and maybe a little due to the interaction you had earlier with Rafe.

You couldn't stop thinking about how he came off as nice but switched so quickly into an elitist piece of shit.

Sounds like how they described him.

But still, there was a pit in your stomach that felt like butterflies when he grazed your thumb.

You sighed, pushing the thoughts out as you finally grabbed your keys, using the concrete-sanded floor push yourself back up off the ground.

Suddenly, you felt a cloth on your mouth and a hand covering your waist as your muffled screams filled the parking lot, trying to kick your attacker behind you.

You felt yourself drifting into the darkness as you screamed one last time,

And everything went black.

tags: @hysteriahall @avengersassemblee @lighttism @whereismymindnow @hotch-meeeeeuppppp @vi06ma01 @haven247 @vanessa-rafesgirl @blvebanisters @riordanness @aleidag1rly @muzanjackson22

[pellucid-constellations]

Of Oblivious Minds (2)

Pairing: Azriel x Reader

Summary: You're positive Azriel is in love with Elain. It seems so obvious. But Cassian is laughing at you and suddenly nothing makes quite so much sense anymore.

Word count: 3k

Warnings: Angst!! More pining and yearning

a/n: Here is part two! I love writing this little series :) There will definitely be more! let me know what you think ♡♡

Part 1, Part 3

~~

Sometimes you hated being a scholar. 

There were plenty of upsides to having such a cushy job, especially when your employer was the high lord himself. You got paid generously, got free access to the best libraries, and never had to pay rent. Millions of fae would kill to have your position. 

But as Cassian punched you in the ribs—for the third time—you found yourself questioning your role within the night court’s inner circle.

“Okay,” you breathed out, hunching over with a hand cradling your side. “Okay, please, Cass. Can we take a break?” 

Unfortunately, Cassian didn’t appreciate quitters. So, your feet were abruptly swept from under you and your back made contact with the floor. With a soft oof, the wind was knocked from your lungs. 

“C’mon, y/n, you’re better than that. I know you are.” 

You responded with a wheeze, blinking into the pale sun. 

This morning had been rough.

You’d been having some trouble sleeping, but that wasn’t necessarily unusual. Being alive for so long meant you had seen quite a few things, so nightmares came and went with the tide. You were going through a rough patch with them at the moment, and the lack of sleep was starting to catch up with you.

“You planning on laying there for the rest of the day?” Cassian asked, his large silhouette coming to block the light. 

You squinted up at him. “Maybe.” 

“Yeah, not happening.” 

You fought back a whine as the Illyrian pulled you up by your shoulders and steadied you. He nodded, giving you a moment to ready yourself back into position, and then bent his knees. Gods, you were going to be so sore later. 

It didn’t take long for you to end up on the floor again, this time on your stomach. Your chin cracked against the padded ring, your teeth snapping together at the impact. The sound made your brain vibrate as you rolled onto your side and held your temple. 

Cassian crouched down to the floor beside you and you could make out his worried brow amidst the shakiness of your vision. 

“What’s going on with you?” He brought his hand up to brush against your already bruising jaw. “We’ve been working on that move for weeks. You had it a few days ago.” 

You breathed through your nose and tried not to groan at the ache rolling through your body. “I think I’m just tired. I haven’t been sleeping very well.” 

At that, Cassian plopped down to a seat, keeping a hand at your elbow as you brought your own body up to mirror his. 

“You want to talk about it?” he questioned. 

“There isn’t much to say. I can’t remember them this time. It’s kind of strange—usually I remember them too much and that’s what makes it worse.” 

Cassian hummed in contemplation. He was always the one you went to the morning after a sleepless night. Cassian would listen as you talked through your nightmares, and you would do the same for him. He was a logical pillar in your life. 

But it was always Azriel you went to in the midst of them. You never talked about what you saw and he never asked. But it was always Azriel in the middle of the night. His shadows were a comfort in the pitch black and he was always quick to wrap his wings around you when it became too hard to breathe. 

You hadn’t gone to him these last few times.

The fact that you couldn’t remember your dreams was an unfortunate factor. Because if you knew what was causing you to wake up in a cold sweat every night, at least then you could talk about it. Or take a moment to rationalize. 

There was no rationalizing when the only thing you had to go off of was fear and hurt. 

“What does Azriel think?” Cassian asked after a small lapse in silence.

“What do you mean?” 

“Well, when you go to his room at night. What does he have to say about you not remembering?” 

You scoffed. And then scoffed again. “What? I don’t know what you’re talking about, I barely do that.” 

Cassian stared at you with a blank expression. “So we’re still doing that then. Got it.” He heaved himself up from the ground and then yanked you up alongside him.

“Still doing what?” you asked, trailing behind him as he reached for his canteen. He didn’t answer you, favoring the long gulps of water he was taking. You waited for him to finish and then asked again. He chose to unwrap his knuckles instead. “Cassian.” 

The man sighed. “Nothing, y/n. It’s just… It wasn’t a secret that you would go to his room after you had a rough night. Why do you think I never dragged you out here those mornings?” You cringed at his words. He shook his head. “There’s nothing wrong with that. Why do you hide it?” 

You didn’t have a good reason—well, you didn’t used to. You’d always sneak out of his room after the sun rose and never bring it up again. And there was never a solid explanation for why you evaded the topic. You knew Azriel would never hold it against you and you weren’t embarrassed for others to know that you sought out comfort in a friend. It just seemed like something you should keep to yourself. 

Now, though—now there was a good reason to wipe your actions from memory. To pretend they never happened and to never repeat them. 

“Cassian, Elain is my friend. Even if I did that in the past—in a friendly way—it would be wrong now.” 

A muscle in Cassian’s jaw twitched. “Right. Have you ever actually talked to Elain about her feelings?” 

“I don’t need to.” You reached down for your own water, ignoring the twinge in your side and the pulsing in your head. “She never stops talking about him. And they’re always together. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were already seeing each other.” 

“Who’s seeing each other?” 

The cool tone of Azriel’s voice washed over you and you whipped around to find him standing at the foot of the training ring, blades in hand. 

A nervous laugh fell from your lips and you fought the urge to slap your hand over your mouth. “Um, no one, just some friends I know.” 

“Who?” he asked again. 

“Oh, you don’t know them. Old friends.” 

The Shadowsinger raised a brow, sending Cassian a fleeting look. “I thought I knew all of your friends.” 

“You don’t. I know way more people than you. Even though you're older than me. Not by that much, though. Have you talked to Elain lately?” Words were spewing from your mouth in the worst combinations. You were never nervous around Azriel. What in the cauldron was wrong with you?

Azriel’s raised brow turned into a furrowed one and he blinked, assessing your face with a scrutinizing gaze. “Do you have a concussion?” He turned the Cassian, expression going from confused to provoked. “Did you give her a concussion?” 

“Honestly, maybe.” 

“I don’t have a concussion,” you rushed out, cutting off Cassian’s admission. “I was just leaving though. I’m tired. You guys can fight each other.” 

There was so much sudden pent-up energy inside of you that you had no intention of sleeping, but just seeing Azriel made you feel like you were intruding on something. Which was absurd. Azriel was your friend and had been your friend for centuries. Just because he loved Elain didn’t mean you had to avoid him. 

But this energy had to come from somewhere, and that somewhere was telling you to avoid him like the Illyrian flu. 

Making a break for it, you freed yourself from the training ring and attempted to skate past Azriel with a quick side smile, but he apparently had other plans. He caught your wrist as you walked past, glancing up at a “preoccupied” Cassian before turning to you with his wing out, giving the illusion of a private conversation. 

“You’re not sleeping well?” he asked, voice low. 

You warped your smile into one that met both sides of your mouth. “I’m okay.” 

Shadows crept over his shoulders and along his ears. His expression shifted and pinched and then returned neutral. “You know you can come to me if you need it.” 

“I’m okay, Az. Really.” 

“Would you tell me if you weren’t?”

Maybe before. 

“I’m a paper pusher, Az. I’m not out in the throes of battle,” you jested, scrunching your nose as you smiled up at him. “Nothing is that serious for me.” 

A lie. Something was that serious—serious enough to keep you up at night for the past week—but you couldn’t figure out what it was. 

“That is not what I asked,” he countered, sliding his hand up from your wrist to turn your chin. “You need to ice your jaw. Cassian shouldn’t be so rough with you.” 

“I’m okay,” you said again, words a pathetic repetition because your heart was beating so fast now and you needed to leave. Something was pulling at your chest and you needed to leave. 

“As you’ve said,” Azriel muttered, his fingers brushing down along the column of your throat. When his eyes flickered up and met your own, something inside of you lost its alignment.

You looked away before the feeling could return. Everything righted itself. You took a wobbly step back. 

“Have a good training session.” 

You turned on your heel and stalked away, feeling equal parts the betrayer and the betrayed. 

~~

“You mean that girl off-continent? The one from a century ago?” 

Cassian hummed. “Yeah, her. What I wouldn’t give for a visit from her.” 

“You’re a pig,” Mor replied, a scoff sharp on her lips.

“She didn’t think so.” 

You were eavesdropping. You didn’t like to, but somehow, in the time you’d spent in the inner circle, you’d picked up the habit. Oops.

Technically, you weren’t really eavesdropping. You had been in the room first. It wasn’t your fault Cassian and Mor decided to speak very loudly with only a few shelves separating you. If they wanted privacy they should have checked the area. 

“Is it that hard for you to get laid? You have to search off-continent?” 

Cassian’s responding laugh was almost defensive. “I’m sure you’d love to know about my sex life.” 

“I really wouldn’t, actually. You brought it up.” Mor paused. You heard her shift on the lounge chair. “I am, however, interested in Azriel’s.” 

“Aren’t we all,” Cassian droned. “Pretty obvious that he doesn't have one at the moment. Hasn’t had one in a while.” 

You felt your neck jolt at the reveal of that information. Azriel always kept his partners discrete, but you’d always known he’d had them. Many of them. You had no idea who they were or where he met them, but you would hear the girls occasionally... smell their perfume on a few rare nights. 

“You think? This whole time?” Mor asked, curiosity raising her voice an octave. 

“Mor, I think the sight of other females makes him want to vomit.” 

The book in your lap was all but obsolete. 

“Don’t be so dramatic.” 

Cassian tsked. “I’m not. He’s told me.” 

“I suppose that’s what having a mate does to a person.” 

Your fingers became abnormally cold, the center of your chest caving slightly.

Azriel had a mate? No, he would have told you.

He would have told you. 

Mor’s sweet voice slammed against your ears, harsh despite its nature. “Do you think he’ll tell her soon?” 

Cassian’s reply had you standing on shaking knees. “Hope so. He’s so in love with her it's suffocating. You should see when—” 

You were out of the room in a wisp, sliding out the small back door. The book you’d been reading was still clutched in your frozen grip and you held it against your chest as breathing became impossible. With a hand pressed to the wall and your head hung low, you sucked in air, greedy for some type of reprieve. 

You were happy for him. You were so, so happy for him. 

Right? 

The book fell from your grip, clattering to the floor. The pages collapsed in on themselves as it fell face down, and you listened to the paper crumple as your throat closed. Both hands now pressed to the cold wall. Why were you freezing? 

This made sense. It made sense. 

Of course Azriel had a mate and of course it was… Elain? 

No, it couldn’t be Elain. Elain was Lucien’s mate. 

Now you were confused as well as consumed. Your body was left aching from training and your mind was in a frenzy and you couldn’t even understand why you were reacting the way you were. 

It was completely plausible that Azriel had a mate and didn’t tell anyone about it. He was a private male who kept his lovers to himself, so of course he would keep his mate to himself as well. But he did tell someone about it. He told Cassian. And Mor knew. 

Your fingernails dug into stone.

Azriel didn’t love you. 

The thought came on so suddenly that you almost looked over your shoulder. It was as if the words had been whispered in your ear by some cruel, vicious wind. 

You had never cared if Azriel loved you before, because you knew that he did love you. Like a sister. You were Azriel’s family and he was yours. 

But as the thought of Azriel having a mate invaded your mind once more, your shaky legs propelled you forward, running from the creased book and the hallway that contained all of the worst things. 

You ran until you couldn't, until your toes hit the edge of the balcony on the far side of the house and the cool air of winter hit your cheeks. You had been so cold inside, but somehow the breeze felt even colder across your skin. 

“Y/n?” 

You gasped, whipping around and gripping the railing as it pressed into your spine. You couldn’t formulate words as Azriel stood before you. His hands raised up to his waist, reaching for you as he took in the way your chest heaved.

“What’s happened? What’s wrong?” he rushed. 

You only shook your head, squeezing your eyes shut. Embarrassment and confusion and a twisted sort of fear coursed through you. You couldn't look at him, afraid you would somehow see the bond connected to his chest—somehow notice things about him you hadn’t before. Maybe another shade of hazel in his eyes or a softness to his lips that you had never looked for. 

As you considered it now, it was obvious that you’d never let yourself look. 

Azriel was never supposed to be yours. 

“Talk to me, angel.” Azriel’s sweet whisper brushed against your skin. He was so close to you. You could feel him, but you refused to look. 

To see how everything had changed. 

“Let me fix it.” 

You heard the rush of wind from his wings as he expanded them outwards, followed closely behind by the whirling of his shadows, and it all clicked then. 

The images came quickly, dissipating just as fast. But they did their job, sending heavy, hot tears past the tight scrunch of your eyelids. 

Azriel with Elain. Azriel with Mor. Azriel with random, faceless women.

Him, in every iteration, with everyone that wasn’t you. 

That’s what had kept you up—the dreams plaguing your every resting moment. And you realized then that nothing had really changed at all. That you’d been in love with Azriel for longer than you’d been in love with anything. 

Your jaw trembled, your body rejecting the anguish that swept through you. Wind softly flowed from the west, swaying your skirts with a gentleness that made your breath shudder. That kind of gentleness was impossible. The world felt so cruel. 

“Y/n, tell me what happened. Should I get someone else?” Azriel pleaded. “Should I get Rhys?” 

Rhys could knock you out, and that would surely be a relief. You felt paralyzed by this overwhelming array of devastation. But Rhys would also have access to your thoughts. 

You shook your head. “No,” you said, but the word was lost in the wind. Azriel seemed to hear it anyway. “No, I want—I need to—go to sleep.” 

“You need to go to sleep?” He touched you now, something he seemed to have been avoiding. His hands came to rest behind your neck, thumbs at your jaw, and you pried your eyes open at the contact. You’d never seen the shadowsinger look so ruined, his hair askew, his eyes wild and panicked. “That doesn’t make any sense.” 

His expression was beseeching you for something you couldn’t give him. You hiccuped your next words out. 

“I’m—’m tired.” 

You wished you’d stayed oblivious. That you had never become privy to the depth of your feelings. 

This pain was immeasurable.