#cautiously tagging this because i love her and i want to talk about her all the time

[kinaesthetiqueer]

the thing about loving nora so damn much is that i legally have to Make Her Go Through It. sometimes though, it feels so so so mean. however. i have to make my headcanons make sense from top to bottom.

so. per my headcanons on how her semblance works... once she was struck by lightning and her semblance unlocked, her passive ability unlocked too. rather than dissapating the tiny bits of electricity that her body naturally produces, like everyone else does, her body stores them. it's up to nora as to how she can deal with it.

before she gets a handle on it, she's a walking static producer. ever walked around in socks on carpet in the winter? she's like that, all the time. discharging whenever she touches anything that can conduct electricity. some of the less helpful instructors at tocsin (the vale combat school that my ren and nora attended from ages 13-17) force nora to wear rubber gloves when she's in class.

this, of course, doesn't actually help. she's still storing it up. nora copes by energizing herself with the excess electricity and just. Being Hyper. she always has been excitable but now she just bounces off the walls, because she doesn't know how else to spend the energy outside of combat.

ren doesn't know how to help her either. his semblance is strictly defensive/supportive. he has always been under intense stress to make sure he keeps it under control. they aren't on the streets anymore but nora feels compelled to make sure, should they ever end up there again, that she can pull more weight when it comes to keeping them safe.

if nora is worked up or stressed, she starts sparking. arcs of electricity come off her skin and they can hurt whoever gets close. it's a easy way to help her discharge, if you can get a grounded lightning rod close enough.

other lesser signs that she's not quite keeping it under wraps are, in order of increased severity: increased fidgeting/stimming (hilarious as a marker, as she's audhd af), static field as observed by her hair strands lifting up as if rubbed by a balloon, indigestion & nausea (too much energy messing with peristalsis); uncontrollable hiccups (excess electricity causing her diaphragm to spasm), and finally, the sparking.

these first two markers goes pretty much unnoticed by nora herself, though the rest of jnpr is pretty good at noticing when her hair starts going flyaway. ren can tell the difference between normal nora fidgets and too much energy! nora fidgets at a glance. when nora gets so bad that these side effects show, she tends to skip indigestion and nausea and go straight to hiccuping. rarely, like if she's in an argument with someone who doesn't know her well enough to point out her hair, she might reach the indigestion stage (for example, cordovin). however, hiccups come on fast when she's having a breakdown. they are her major sign that she needs to find some way to calm down and rein in her semblance.

she has two choices for doing so: sequestering it for later (a choice she makes when she's likely to be in combat soon) or discharging.

sequestering (storing) it requires her to rein in the electricity and sink it into her muscles. typically this means her thigh and butt muscles, as they are the largest. she creates a circuit of circulating electricity deep in her muscles and they slowly store the energy for later. (don't ask me about the biology here unless you want to be here all night; that is a promise, not a threat). she can also then use it to jump and leap. this is also why she skips so much!

storing/sequestering is what nora refers to as "sinking". it's not a term she really explains to anyone. in fact, she loathes explaining her semblance to people. firstly, no one expects her to understand how her semblance works, because she's hyper and bubbly and girly. secondly, people tend to get weirded out and wary of her when she explains, at least they did at tocsin. ren loves that she knows how both hers and his works.

she gets a lot of confidence and joy from it as jnpr works in private to train for the vytal festival, because jaune and pyrrha think her semblance is super cool. by the time vytal comes around, she's just stoked to be able to show off for the first time, since jaune decided they should keep it a secret until then.

on the other hand, discharging it is exactly what it seems. it's what she does when she doesn't need the extra energy or wants to be sure she's safe to touch others. she can discharge into the air (which causes a thunderclap of varying decibels, depending on how much electricity she discharges) or into the ground or to any grounded source. she can also do this offensively by throwing a bolt or striking something with precision.

after spending most of her time at tocsin wearing gloves, she keeps them in her beacon outfit, though fingerless, because she likes to comfort and the compression, but also she likes to know she's capable of safely touching people.

the mean thing that i was thinking of, which prompted this post, was nora being threatened with, and perhaps once subjected to, tocsin's cruelest 'therapy' which is to forcibly break a student's aura so that their semblance won't hurt anyone until they get it under control. which. may or may not have happened to her when she took a shower while charged, knocking out tocsin's campus water plant and electrocuting anyone who was also taking a shower at the same time. 🙃

anyways. i want to write a series of oneshots and drabbles that contains all my headcanons for the main kids' semblances and how they work and how they've adapted to them over time. im just a big sucker for logistics and after blake's semblance driving me batshit for months, i think it's what i deserve.

[dollfacefantasy]

Baby Bunny

pairing: leon kennedy x fem!bunny-hybrid!reader

summary: leon helps his sweet baby bunny through her heat.

cw: nsfw (18+), smut, p in v, masturbation, breeding kink, daddy kink

word count: 3.8k

a/n: i'm not sure how i feel about this one, but let's go with it. again, thank you everyone for reblogging and commenting, it means the world to me <3

tags: @sleepyluxe @kaitkatme @tosuckmyweenis @pupthepokemonenthusiast @bizzarethirst @death-paint @petitecolibri @iron-toxinz @wildest-dreams-at-midnight @nexysworld

In his personal life, Leon never wanted to be depended on. That was his job. He didn’t want that stuff following him home. He didn’t want to be tied down, to be responsible for someone like that. People depended on him in Raccoon city and look how that turned out. Every mission he’s been on for the last few years, he’s responsible for someone. It’s exhausting.

But as he nears 30, he starts to look at it differently. An aching sense of isolation grows in his heart. He starts to think about what it would be like having someone, having a companion of some sort. Suddenly, he’s not looking at being relied on as a detriment. Being depended on means having someone to care for, someone to love. There would be someone at the end of long days and the starts of his currently lonesome nights.

That’s how he finds himself with you scampering around his house. The sweetest little thing he’d ever seen. Your long floppy ears, cute little cottontail, those big sweet eyes. From the moment he saw you, he was a sucker for all of it.

A while back he had briefly heard of human-animal hybrids, but he didn’t think much about it. It didn’t really apply to him. If anything, the idea weirded him out a bit.

That was until he started thinking more about his dilemma. It seemed like one of them might be a good solution. He talked to a few people and did some online research and decided to at least look into it. It couldn’t hurt to visit an adoption center right?

He visited the place and was still a little freaked by the whole concept. He walked through the rooms, watching different hybrids move about and mess around. The lady guiding him throughout asked him different questions, trying to decipher what type of hybrid would best fit his needs. But all of her questions were irrelevant as soon as he spotted you.

You were undoubtedly the one. His baby bunny. Not only did he not want any other hybrid, but he didn’t think he could physically leave that place without talking to you at the very least.

He walked over to you cautiously. You kept to yourself, and he could tell from your body language alone how timid you were. He spoke with the softest, most soothing tone he could manage, but you were still so shy.

You’d told him your name so quietly he could barely hear. He didn’t touch you at all, fearing you may cry at something that personal. But he kept talking to you because while others may have found it challenging, he could see you fitting right in with him.

You’d be dependent, sure, but clearly you wouldn’t be overly needy for affection. It would be a good way for him to transition from being alone into having someone.

He kept getting to know you and trying to get through some of your walls. He talked with you about all sorts of things and let you ask your own questions so you could get to know him. By the end of the day, you hesitantly allowed him to stroke your ears.

It was that exact day he told you that he was interested in you coming to live with him. You were still very reserved, but you seemed receptive. You did a little trial run over the course of a week, and just as Leon thought, you were a great fit.

You had grown more comfortable with him in the months since that week even though your core personality hadn’t changed. You were still generally quiet, never asking for much and being appreciative of whatever he gave you. You’d talk with him openly now, mostly responding to him rather than starting conversations but speaking nevertheless. You slept in your own room, but as soon as you woke up, you’d come find him to hang out. It was a nice balance with you.

But Leon still wanted a little more. He would never push it on you, knowing it would make you withdraw again, but he always cherished the moments of progress with you. You warmed up enough that you came around to enjoy cuddling. Leon couldn’t believe how soft he’d become when you curled up to his side and tucked yourself under his arm. The first time you fell asleep in his embrace, he loved it so much he felt chest pains. Once or twice, he’d gotten you to fully sit on his lap, and he couldn’t stop beaming.

He could give you little kisses on your face now, and you’d give him a sweet smile in return that he couldn’t get enough of. You’d never kissed him yourself, but you would nuzzle his cheek in return which was enough to make him happy.

You were just such a sweetheart, a perfect companion for him. You didn’t complain when he had to go to work, but it wasn’t like you didn’t miss him. He could see the way your ears would slump and your eyes would dim as he gathered his stuff and headed for the door. But you also got so happy when he came back. You tried to seem as subdued as possible, but the way you lit up again in his presence was obvious.

The only thing you were still completely closed off about was when you went into heat. Leon understood what it was, he had been nervous about it since bringing you home, but he had no clue about how you dealt with it at all. Every time it happened, you’d shut yourself up in your room for however many days it took, and then return to him as if nothing had happened.

For your sake, he played along. He got the sense it was a touchy subject after bringing up the possibility of getting you some more toys for it and having you immediately shut it down. Your voice had become higher pitched with defensiveness, and your eyes wouldn’t meet his for the next few hours.

He had only wanted to help, but he couldn’t tell you why. Couldn’t tell you that your desperate moans kept him up at night when they echoed down the hall. Those broken whimpers that made it sound like you were crying, so worked up and in need of release that it brought you to tears. 

He also couldn’t share how it made his cock rise to attention. How those pretty little noises had him fucking his fist, other palm covering his mouth to muffle his grunts, searching for relief of his own. His precious baby bunny didn’t need to know all of that.

Today had been a long day. He was tired after dealing with all the bullshit that came with his job. Although, unlike in months prior, he wasn’t all doom and gloom driving home. The thought of his sweet girl at home waiting for him by the door kept his spirits somewhat up as he made the commute back.

To his surprise, you weren’t in the living room like normal. He walked through the room cautiously, a little on edge from the disruption to his routine. He goes into the kitchen and still doesn’t find you. He starts to walk to the back of the home and that’s when he hears something. Those soft, needy sounds of pleasure.

His eyebrows raise, but he continues walking. As he gets closer, he realizes something that adds another level of shock to this situation. The noises were coming from his room.

At this point, he was more concerned than anything else. He makes his way down the hallway to his room and slowly opens the door, cracking it open to peek inside.

His eyes widen as he sees you on his bed. You’re kneeling, doubled over though so your face is in the blankets, his pillow between your legs, and your hips rocking back and forth violently. You’re nude from the waist down, only wearing a shirt of his. One of your fists is clutching the blankets while you keep your face shoved against them in a weak attempt to muffle those cute noises.

His jaw goes slack at the sight. He wills himself to remain calm and not succumb to some of his own primal urges. He carefully steps into the room, trying to be quiet even though he couldn’t see a way to not startle you with his presence.

“Baby…” he says, using the most gentle voice he could manage.

You shoot up in bed, now kneeling vertically. Your eyes are wide like you’ve had the fright of your life, your expression clearly horrified that he’d caught you like this. And even though he tries not to look, he can’t help but notice that despite your reaction, your hips don’t stop rutting against the pillow.

“Daddy!” you gasp.

That short circuits his brain. He pauses for a good five seconds to grapple with what you just said. You’d never called him that before. Not that he minded necessarily… but it still gave him whiplash.

His reaction seems to cause you to realize what you had just blurted out. In the blink of an eye, you go from visibly horrified to completely mortified. Your eyes fill with tears as you whimper out “I’m so sorry, Daddy.”

Oh god, and now you’re crying. Leon was still silent as he tried to keep his composure, force the heat building inside of him to cool off before he approached you. Looking at you though, that sweet face with tears leaking down those round cheeks… It made him want to bounce you on his lap till you were crying for a whole other reason.

“It’s ok, sweetheart. It’s alright,” he reassures you as he walks to the bed. He sits on the edge, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on your face. “Is it… Are you in heat?”

“Yes,” you say, tone dripping with shame. You bite your lip and try to restrain any further whimpers. Your hips were slowing down but still moving. After a few moments though, another wave of choked cries erupt from your throat and more hot tears of humiliation slide down your skin. Your hands fly up to cover your face. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to. I-”

“Hey, hey, hey. Calm down. It’s ok,” he says softly. He cautiously takes your wrists and pulls them away from your face. He takes one of your hands in his, soothingly rubbing the back of your palm. You whimper at the touch, but he doesn’t say anything. “It’s ok, honey. I’m not mad. You can’t help it. I just want to make sure you’re ok.”

You look into his eyes with your tearful gaze. Your breathing was a little ragged from crying, but it seemed like he was calming you down slowly. You nod with uncertainty, waiting for him to make the next move.

He was also unsure of what to do. This was so unlike you, he’d never seen you this emotional for one, but he’d also never expected to see you in this position. And the entire time your hips were still grinding on that pillow, back and forth like a pendulum.

“Is it more intense this time?” he asks, keeping his tone gentle to not upset you again.

“I guess,” you whimper, “I just… I wanted you.”

It pained him to see you so uncomfortable and stressed out. He wanted you to be able to come to him with these types of things, to trust him with yourself when you’re in your most vulnerable state. It was clear that you desired that too, to some degree. You were in his room, humping his pillow, wearing his shirt.

“Well… I’m right here, baby. I want to help if I can. If you want me to,” he says.

Your skepticism is written all over your face. But you needed this even if you were a little nervous. He pats his lap encouragingly, and that’s the final push you need to let go of the pillow and crawl into his lap.

“There’s my baby bunny. Sweet girl,” he says softly as he gets you situated. He peppers a few tender kisses on your head and strokes your back.

You had only been there for a few seconds, but your hips were already squirming.

“What do you need, baby? Just tell Daddy, and you can have it,” he whispers. The title rolls off his tongue as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. It had caught him off guard when you said it, but after it rattled around in his head for a bit, it took root. Now, he just wanted to hear you say it again.

You whimper, looking at him through your lashes with those sweet eyes. At this point, you were all but riding his thigh. There’s a pause as you decide how to articulate your desire.

“I need… I need you,” you offer timidly.

“I know that, sweetheart,” he chuckles, “Try to be more specific for me. Daddy only wants to know so he can help you. Give you exactly what you need.”

He reaches up and cradles the back of your head, bringing you in to rest it on his shoulder. His other arm wraps around you and rubs your back. He holds  you as close as he can to give you that physical reassurance he knew you longed for in your condition.

You still hesitate, obviously working up your will to explicitly state your cravings.

“I want Daddy inside, wanna be bred,” you whimper, turning your face against his shoulder to hide your eyes. Your whole head felt hot with the weight of what you said. It was almost dizzying, but he swoops in with his cooing voice and gentle praises to keep you together.

“Poor baby,” he croons, “I don’t know how you handled this alone for so long, honey. That’s so unfair to you, all these big feelings you had to work through by yourself. So frustrating.”

You knew he was being excessively caring now, but you had no complaints. The loving cadence of his voice made your mind melt. All you could do is whimper and nod against his shoulder.

“You could’ve come to Daddy anytime you wanted. I could never say no to my sweet baby bunny, especially not about this,” he says, kissing your head and giving your ears a few loving strokes.

“I know. I’m sorry,” you say.

“Nothing to be sorry about, sweet girl. I’m here now. We’re gonna fix it. Daddy’s gonna make it all better,” he says.

He shifts you around a little so he can slide his pants down and free his hard cock. Your curious eyes dart back to his face after a quick look at the flushed tip and the veins spanning the shaft.

“You ready?” he asks softly.

“Mhm, need it,” you whimper in return, helping him get your hips into position.

He lowers you on to his cock. Both of you let out hushed noises of pleasure as the sensation strikes pleasure within you. His fingers are digging into the flesh of your hips as he slides further into you. Your arms tighten around him and your eyes already start to flutter at the snug fit.

You whine and babble out some nonsense when you’re finally flush against him. His cock twitches inside of you.

“I know, baby, I know,” he hushes you. You could hear the tension in his own voice from exerting so much restraint. “You feeling any better?”

“Little bit, need more Daddy,” you mewl.

“Just give yourself a second to adjust, angel,” he grunts. You were pulsing around him, making it harder for him to not let go. 

But it seems you’re feeling the same way. You shake your head in response to his words and start haphazardly squirming around, trying to move up and down while still in his hold.

“Need it Daddy,” you whine, “Can’t wait. Pretty please.”

Like he’d said, he couldn’t say no.

“If you’re sure, honey,” he says and loosens his grip, “Be a good bunny and bounce for Daddy.”

That’s all you need to hear before you’re bouncing up and down. Wet noises fill the room as your slick pussy takes him in and out. You close your eyes and tilt your head back, letting the embarrassment fade and just feeling the pleasure running through you.

Leon focuses on helping you keep your balance as you ride him. His own belly was twisting with ecstasy as your heat engulfs him over and over.

“That’s it, good baby,” he grunts, “Keep going, honey. Get it all out.”

You whine and continue on, up and down, up and down. More cute noises spill from your mouth as the head of his cock nudges all the right places. You ramble on, mumbling things like “love my daddy” over and over.

“Daddy loves you too, sweet girl,” he says softly.

He notices you starting to cling and whimper more. You were still riding, but your rhythm was becoming more awkward. You seemed more desperate even though you literally had him as close and as deep as physically possible.

He tries to help and do more of the work. He pulls you in close again and holds you against his body. Your face is pressed to his neck while he rubs the back of your head. His hips start to do the majority of the thrusting, bucking up into you fervently.

More incoherent strings of words escape you as you melt into his chest. You press a few sloppy kisses to the base of his neck. Despite him taking over, you were still being whiny and squirmy. He knew you were in discomfort, but it should be getting better, right?

“What is it, babydoll? What else do you need?” he coos.

Your head falls back and a sound of general pent up frustration escapes you. Your hips roll into his thrusts in large, needy movements.

“It’s not enough,” you cry, almost near tears from the ache between your thighs, “Need you more. Closer. Need it.”

You tug at his arms trying to get him to wrap them tighter. There wasn’t much Leon could do though. You were already as close as possible, any closer and you wouldn’t be able to move, which he was sure wouldn’t go over well with you. He felt so bad for you though. His sweet baby bunny suffering like this.

He watches you, your weak attempts at getting yourself off by rising and falling on his lap. He can’t take watching you struggle like this. Doing the only thing that could think of, he boosts you up and quickly flips you over.

You’re now pinned beneath him. His toned body is all over yours, heated skin pressed to you in every way. He spreads your arms out and holds your wrists down. His hips are against yours. He’s just grinding into you now, not even pulling out with his thrusts. He was as deep as possible. If this wasn’t enough, he didn’t know what else to do.

“How’s that, pretty girl? Is that how my baby bunny wants it? Wants Daddy nice and deep, ready to spill his cum and breed her cute pussy,” he breathes.

You nod eagerly, eyes rolling back at the relief you felt. This is what you needed. Feeling his weight on top of you, unable to move anywhere else.

“Mhm, this is what you need, sweet baby. You’re gonna take every last drop. Gonna keep it all in to make sure it takes too. If any leaks out, that just means I’ll have to fuck it back in. We’ll just have to go as many times as we need to,” he groans.

“Yes Daddy. Wanna take it all. Gonna be full of your cum for days,” you whimper.

“Yeah you will be. I think that’s what I’ll do from now on. Whenever my baby bunny goes into heat, I’ll have to stay home, make sure to keep you in bed, keep you plugged up full of Daddy at all times. That pretty little head won’t have to think about anything but being bred,” he says.

You just nod again, unable to get proper words out at the minute.

“I feel you squeezing, sweetheart. You getting ready to cum for Daddy?” he coos and reaches up to stroke your ears. He hikes your thighs up more, giving him a deeper angle to drive into you with. You gasp from the change, and your noises get higher as he rams in as much as he can without it being painful.

“Daddy!” you cry out. It’s all you can say. You had more, but it could only come out in the form of that one word right now. He’s all that was on your mind. Daddy daddy daddy.

“Yes, baby. Yes. Daddy’s here. Gonna fill you full of cum and then love on you for the rest of the night,” he purrs, “My baby was so brave, dealing with this all by yourself. But doesn’t it feel so much better when Daddy takes care of you?”

“Mhm, mhm,” you agree quickly.

Your hips start bucking while your body spasms. Leon knew this was it.

“Good girl, baby. Cum whenever you want. Let it feel good baby, get perfect and tight,” he says.

You do just that. You let the release wash over you. You shudder and dig your fingers into his muscles as the feelings bubble over.

“My perfect little bunny,” he praises softly while watching you let go.

It’s not much longer until his cock his pulsing violently within you. He thrusts as hard and as deep as possible before letting out a loud groan and burying his face in your neck.

“Fuck, baby, baby, baby,” he mumbles.

He spills it all inside you, hips twitching and arms locking around you. In the end, you’re both panting. He pulls back a little to kiss your forehead again. He looks down into your eyes.

“How’re you feeling now, sweet girl?” he asks softly.

“Better for now,” you answer. Your head starts to clear and return to its normal state.

He nods and kisses your head again. He rolls over onto his back, scooping you up against his chest while staying inside you. He rubs your back gently.

“You did so good, baby,” he whispers, “Now you see you don’t have to do that alone. You can trust me, sweetheart. I only want to help you. Keep you happy.”

You nod and look up at him lovingly.

“If this is what you need, this is what you need. We can get through it together,” he says softly.

“Together,” you agree softly and scoot up slightly, kissing him gently on the lips.

He smiles big and holds you closer somehow. He leans in for another kiss and another. He didn’t think he’d ever be able to get enough.

[mariclerc]

Soft fur | cl16

Summary: When your date with Charles takes an unexpected turn. Or when you have a new fluffy member in the family.

Warning: None, a lot of fluff from Charles and reader.

You and Charles have been dating for a long time, and occasionally you go on casual dates since you are both busy and hardly have time for a date as such, and today is one of those. You are both sitting in front of each other, the sun was coming through the window of the place, plates with half-eaten and delicious pastries occupy the space between you. You take a bite of a macaron, your eyes sparkle with delight.

“You're enjoying that, mon amour?” Charles asks while keeping a little smile on his face.

You nod with your mouth full. “Mmm! It's so light and airy, just like... Well, you.”

He chuckles. “Me? It's that because I'm sweet and fluffy? Flattery will take you so far, love.” He winks and reaches for your hand, intertwining your fingers. You blush lightly, a shy smile playing on your lips.

Moments later, you walk hand in hand down a cobblestone street. The afternoon sun warms up your skin, and the gentle murmur of conversation hangs in the air while you talk about everything and nothing at the same time.

“...and then the girl screamed very loudly in the office, and I was scared, she screamed because there was a bug in her coffee cup, she started shaking the cup, spilling coffee all over the floor. I swear it was something out of a movie.”

“Oh god, I can imagine it, baby.” he said while laughing.

Suddenly you feel something soft against your ankle, you stop and look down at the floor to see fluffy siamese kitten nuzzling you leg. Its emerald eyes looked at you with great curiosity and innocence.

“Oh god Charles, look! It's a kitty! It's so small, oh my!” You say while gasping.

He kneels while extending a hand. “Hello there, little one. Where did you come from?”

The kitten rubs against his palm, purring contentedly. You watch, your heart melting at the beautiful sight.

“It's so cute. Can we pet it?”

He smiles. “Of course, mon ange.”

He gently picks up the kitten, cradling it in his arms. You reach out with a shy smile, tentatively stroking its soft fur. Memories of your childhood flood back: begging your parents for a pet, daydreaming about cuddling with a furry friend, or simply being your companion while you study.

“You know? I always wanted a kitten when I was younger. But my parents never let me had one.” You said with your voice a little brittle.

He notice your wistful expression. “Is that something you still want princess?”

“I don't know... It seems a bit silly now, being an adult and all.” You say a little hesitantly.

Looks at you intently. “Silly? I don't think it's silly love. If it makes you happy, it's not necessarily silly.”

He holds the kitten out to you. You hesitate for a moment, then cautiously take it in your arms. The warmth of its tiny body fills you with a sense of comfort and joy.

“Thank you Charles.” You say in a whisper.

He smiles warmly, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “Consider it an early Valentine's day present.”

You let out a little giggle and continue walking together, now with your new furry friend, which is quite comfortable in your arms, the sun light becomes brighter and more resplendent. After walking for a while, you and Charles stand in a bustling pet store, the kitten nestled comfortably in your arms. Shelves overflow with cat toys, treats, and colorful accessories.

“There are many options! What can we choose?” Your eyes are wide with wonder.

He chuckles. “Well, let's ask the experts, don't we?” He approaches a friendly-looking employee wearing a name tag that reads "Sarah." “Hi there! We found a little lost soul and are looking for the perfect essentials to welcome it home.”

“Oh, how adorable! What a lucky kitty. Let's see what we can do.”

Sarah guides you through the maze of cat supplies, explaining the differences between food brands, litter types, and scratching posts. You bombard her with questions, your excitement growing with each answer.

***

Later, you stand in your cozy apartment, transforming a small corner of the living room into a cat sanctuary. Charles helps you assemble a cat condo, set up a litter box, and fill bowls with food and water. The kitten, now sporting a cute red collar and named "Sparks" by you, explores its new territory with playful curiosity.

“All ready! What do you think Sparks? Happy with your new digs?” You say while wiping some sweat from your forehead caused by the work of arranging things.

Sparks rubs against your leg, purring loudly. You kneel down and scoop it up, burying your face in its soft fur. A contented sigh escapes your lips.

“You look radiant, mon bébé! Even happier than with the pastries.” He said while wrapping his arms around you.

“Maybe it's the pastries, maybe it's the kitten, but mainly it's you. Thank you for making this dream come true, Charles!” You say with a little smile on your face as you lean into him.

He kisses your forehead, his eyes filled with love. Sparks, sensing the affection, snuggles closer to you, completing the picture of perfect domestic bliss.

“Now we have a little family!” He says while having a smile on his face.

“Maybe later, a little human addition to the family?” You say in a whisper.

Charles's eyes widen in surprise, followed by a slow, teasing grin. “Mon ange, are you proposing?”

“Maybe...” You say while blushing. “But I think for now we are fine the way we are.”

You don't rule out the idea of ​​having a family in the future, whether near or distant, with Charles, but at the moment you guys are pretty good with Sparks and their fun and curious things that they do every day and that make them smile at the least expected moment, no matter how stressed or tired you both are, Sparks is always there to make you smile.

[wonijin]

NEWJEANS WITH A CRUSH

how newjeans act when they have a crush

TAGS: headcanons. pure fluff. set in highschool.

KIM MINJI

• lowkey highkey a chicken

• her crush was so obvious even the school janitor knows. her eyes practically shoots hearts at the sight of you. her face lights up like a child opening presents when you're in the same vicinity as her

• one of the prettiest girl in the school but when you talk to her she turns to the lamest of losers

• can act a little more normal when she's around friends. but when its just the two of you, her steps are a little slower and she's a little more hyperaware of her surroundings. but her smile is undoubtedly wider and everything about her just glows.

• she just smiles at you like a fool, sometimes she forgets to even breath. you can run your mouth but she's too busy daydreaming for your words to register in her mush of a mind

• but she tries to recover by inviting you on study dates sessions. where you both never really study and just end up getting kicked out of the library.

• her friends were quick to get tired of the pinning. the secret glances and the fleeting touches were so painful to watch they had to intervene.

you sit idly at the swings, staring at the families and couple around you. the sun paints the park in orange glow. hearing footsteps behind you, you turn around to meet minji's eyes.

"hey," she greets as she sits beside you. "what did you want to meet up for?" she asks you and she looks so cute with one of her eyebrows raised and her lips in a small smile.

you furrow your eyebrows at her. "i was about to ask the same thing. you're the one who gave me a note saying you have something to tell me." you reach to your left pocket to take out a yellow note.

she watches you cautiously, her gut already forming a hunch. she could see it from a mile away. but its too late.

minji takes a note that looks similar to yours out of her back pocket. she watches your face attentively, witnessing how the gears on your mind twisted and turned before the realization dawning on you. she averts her eyes shyly.

"guess we got played, huh?" you smile bashfully. and minji's lips turned upward automatically.

suddenly, her face turned blank and at the corner of your eye you see her fists clench on her lap. she didn't look serious or nervous, just blank and frozen. yet, her eyes bore into your soul.

in her mind, minji thinks its far too late to turn back. there's no point in doing so even if she can anyway. you were here and she was in front of you. only a fool would let a chance like this go to waste. minji is a coward but she is no fool.

"i like you."

PHAM HANNI

• she would throw herself off a cliff before confessing her feelings. no, not because she's scared to be rejected. but she wants you to be the one to confess.

• flirts with you every opportunity she gets. and if there isn't any she makes one. her day cannot be over without seeing your blushing face.

• every time she compliments you its paired with a hug or a kiss in the cheek just to show she means it with all her heart

• then she teases you for being so flustered because she's cheeky.

• always touching you one way or another. whether it be linking your pinky fingers or leaning her head on your shoulder. you name it.

• hanni would be doing everything in the book apart from confessing. she doesn't mind how long it takes, she'll get you to confess to her.

• however, she does drop hints to speed things up. like making you sit through thousand of rom-coms. and when one of the protagonists profess their undying love, she always wonders how being confessed to feels like.

you sit at the couch with hanni curled up beside you. the two of you were wrapped in a fluffy blanket while the empty bowl of popcorn is nestled between hanni's arms. you don't know it but hanni doesn't move to place the bowl to the coffee table because she fears that moving an inch would make you remove your arms around her.

a familiar scene comes onscreen. you know this part, it's the scene where the main characters confess their feeling to each other. "we've watched this so many times. i can literally recite this scene word for word," you keep your gazed fixed on the screen.

"really? say it to me then," hanni's reply came natural, like she practiced saying that line a thousand times. your head snapped to the girl beside you to find her already waiting for your eyes.

"let's see it then," she challenges. her smirk ever widening. you yield.

"i love that you get cold when it's 71 degrees out. i love that it takes you an hour-and-a-half to order a sandwich." you recite the first two lines with the help of the actual movie, turning to it every time you forget a word.

your gaze fell to hanni one more time, and the lines came naturally flooding at the top of your head. yet, the words got stuck on your throat for a moment as you see her watch you with a fond smile. "i .. i love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you're looking at me like i'm nuts."

"i love that when I spend a day with you, i can still smell your perfume on my clothes," your smile fell slowly word by word. your heart skipped at the realization that the words, no matter how unoriginal, came straight from your heart.

hanni looks at you, overjoyed. her heart swells at every syllable that leaves your lips. she'd hang every star in the sky just for you.

"and i love that you are the last person i want to talk to before i go to sleep at night," you finish. and only then did you realize how close your faces are.

a silent second pass consisting of the sound of the forgotten movie in the background.

"i meant it. every word," you confess.

"took you long enough"

MARSH DANIELLE

• she's the first one to realize her crush on you. because she's that in tune with her emotions

• dani tries to make it obvious. and in hindsight it is.

• she leaves cute notes at your locker filled with pink hearts. that asks about your day, or reminds you to eat and never lets you forget to take care of yourself

• miss marsh makes time to talk to you everyday, going out of her to meet you no matter how inconvenient the situation is to her. her class might be at the other end of the school but she'd still show up to bring you a cup of coffee or tea.

• but you still don't notice any of her advances. and its starting to frustrate her.

• but could she blame you? she is friends with the whole school. it was only natural to think you were of her many close friends who she enjoys the company of

danielle walks besides you. you glance at her for a moment and god she is so bright. the sweetest. she shines as radiant like no other. and the best part is she's right beside you.

"thank you for always walking me. you're such a nice friend," you think at how she's been nothing but nice ever since you've met her. an angel.

you look back towards danielle to see her frowning at you like you just cursed at her. "what's wrong, dani?" you ask a bit worried at her sudden mood change.

"a...friend,"she mumbles the word to herself in disgust. her eyes on fixated on the ground.

"yeah? im glad you consider me close enough of a friend. i mean you have so many friends,bi just think im lucky," you say like its so obvious. and danielle finally meets your eyes, they held disappointment.

you were denser than she thought. or were you just deliberately looking the other way. her minds is breaking in two thinking of all the reasons why you still have not caught on to her intentions yet.

"i didn't think you were this oblivious," she says straight to your face and you were about to take offense when you realized you had no idea of what she's complaining about.

"well, why don't you stop sulking and tell me what the problem is so we can fix it, dani," you wait for her response eagerly. what has made sweet danielle so irritated. you ensure revenge on anything anyone that dares to harm precious dan-

"its you."

"what did i do?" your words came out like a cry, putting your hand on your heart dramatically in shock.

"you're too stupid to realize i like you."

KANG HAERIN

• poor girl never realized she had a crush on you.

• everything just came natural. she didn't think of you as a friend yet the thought of being your lover never crossed her mind either. and she never stopped to think what that meant

• she never missed your presence because she tries to follow you everywhere. although she resembles more like a lost puppy rather than a shadow.

• before everyone knew it, she was acting like your girlfriend. all the while she is still unaware of her own feelings.

• one day, she just start sitting with you during lunch. and from that day forward, you both eat together. sometimes in comforting silence, other times in quiet chatter.

• she didn't even notice she was waiting outside your classes just to walk you to your next.

• haerin needed the words of others to finally know what she's been feeling

"here. let me pay," you took your wallet out you pocket and opened it. suddenly, haerin placed her hand on top of yours.

"no. i was the one who invited you," her hand snatched the bill quickly. and when you tried to reach get it out of her palms, she puts it out of your reach.

thankfully, night time meant there were only a few people in the cafe. but that doesn't mean your little squabble didn't get their attention though.

"nope," your hand pulls her arm back gently. "come on, give me that."

"come get it then, shortie," she laughs at your attempts. haerin's heart jump as you try to get closer and closer. your hands brushed with her for a second, her skin tingling where your touch met hers.

"look, why don't we just split the bill?" you relent, you knew haerin too well to know she'd never hand that booklet over even if you attempt a thousand times.

"give up already?" she teases but she puts the bill down. and you take this chance to grab it and run to the cashier, handing her your money swiftly.

"come on, that's so unfair," haerin complained as she walked over to you, admitting defeat. she would've run to chase you but a part of her wanted to see the victorious smile adorning your face.

"shut up, loser," you stuck your tongue out. you look back towards the cashier who is looking at the both of you with a small smile. "oh to be young and in love again."

"oh- uh- we're not, actually we're...yeah," you fumble, making the old woman in front of you laugh.

"oh, i know." she smiles at you mysteriously like she knows something you don't. she hands you the receipt and you bow at her one last time before exiting the cafe.

you look behind you to see haerin deep in her thoughts. "hey don't mind what she sa-"

haerin puts a finger on her lips, "shush, i'm thinking." you roll your eyes playfully at her but still giving her silence like she wanted.

haerin's thoughts drift from the little ache she tries her hardest to ignore when you're away to the way her heart drums in her ear when you're near.

everything felt like a puzzle finally coming to place. well, she would've come to this conclusion on her own but she was too occupied pinning over you to notice. she wasn't shocked, more like "aha!"

haerin's hand caught your wrist to stop you from walking. the moonlight illuminating your confused face. she looks at you, chill and cool as ever. as if she'd let her voice waiver at a time like this.

she says in the steadiest voice like the words were as natural as uttering her own name, "i think i like you."

[guiltyasdave]

i’d beg you on my knees (to stay)

series masterlist • this is part V

pairing: Dave York x f!reader

word count: ~5.1k

summary: Dave opens up to you (somewhat). You have a good day and an even better evening. You just wish that you didn’t have so many feelings.

warnings/tags: explicit smut (-> 18+ only!), angst, feelings, fluff (kinda), smoking, alcohol consumption, infidelity (Dave is cheating on his wife), able-bodied reader, Dave pulls her hair, dom!Dave, sub!reader, hints of a sir kink and a degradation kink, fingering, unprotected p in v (it’s never stated in the fic but i headcanon that reader is on birth control), dirty talk, Dave is a menace, praise kink, one (1) ass slap, idiots in love, please let me know if i missed anything!

a/n: shoutout to @amanitacowboy, who, when i shared my notes that said “cigarettes?”, responded with “cigarettes!”, so now there are cigarettes.

dividers by @saradika-graphics <3

find my full masterlist here and follow @guiltyasdavenotifs for fic updates <3

“No, I don’t want to leave.”

You release a breath that you didn’t realize you’ve been holding. “But, what’s going on? You can talk to me. Please, I want to h-“

He cuts you off sharply. “Don’t say that you want to help me. That’s not- you can’t-“

His voice cracks and he rolls onto his back, his hands rubbing over his face. You don’t think that you have ever seen him this vulnerable.

“But I do,” you insist. “Just tell me. You can trust me, I promise.”

He heaves a sigh, his eyes finding yours in the semi-darkness. You cautiously let your hand wander across his chest, trying to soothe him, but half expecting that he’ll push it away. Instead, his fingers wrap tightly around yours, pressing your palm down onto his skin, holding onto you.

“I know, sweetheart. It’s not- it’s not about that.” You can see the conflicting emotions run across his face, like he’s debating what to say, until he finally sighs again.

“There are things that I can’t tell you. Not because I don’t trust you, but because it’s not safe. Do you understand that?” You nod your head quickly and he gives you a small smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “Okay. I don’t know how to explain this, but what I do, it’s- it’s dangerous. People that I know could get hurt, people that I…” he inhales sharply, “people that I care about. And last night in my dream, something happened to my daughters, and- and to you.”

He stumbles over his words, talking fast like he’s trying to get it all out as quickly as possible, his voice trembling, and you can’t help the way your heart breaks for him.

“Dave…” you whisper, your hands flying up to his face to comfort him, but he shakes his head and you bite your lip, falling silent again.

“I’m not good for you. I never should’ve taken you here, shit, I never should’ve taken you up to my room that night, back when… Something could happen to you and it would be my fault.”

The rational part of your brain tells you that this is the part where you should get scared, where you should start questioning your relationship with him for your own good. You believe every word that he says, you’ve felt the danger that’s surrounding him all along, even if he’s never admitted it this openly before. But instead, all you want to do is comfort him, wrap him in your arms until that pained look on his face and the shaking in his hands disappear. You want to tell him that you’ll make sure of it, that you’ll keep him safe, no matter how ridiculous that sounds.

You sit up and face him, noticing how his gaze follows you like he’s expecting you to get up and leave.

“Nothing’s gonna happen,” you whisper, looking straight into his eyes, trying to make him believe in your words. “Not to the girls, not to me. And not to you.”

He cups your face, his thumb smoothing over your cheek, as he looks at you, his expression tainted with sadness. “You don’t know that, sweetheart.” You cover his hand with yours, melting into the touch that you had been craving all day.

“But I know you. You don’t make mistakes. I trust you.”

You bend down to kiss him, swallowing your insecurities, praying that he’s done with shutting you out, praying that he’ll let you. You feel him hesitate for a brief moment before he tilts his head up to meet your mouth, his hand traveling from your cheek to your neck, holding you there as your lips softly move against the other's.

It feels like finding a piece of yourself that you didn’t know you’ve been missing, like things are finally sliding back into place the way they’re supposed to.

When you part from each other, a small smile is playing around his mouth like he can’t stop himself, his hand still on your neck and tangled in your hair, but not in the demanding way that you’re used to, but in a way that feels safe, like he’ll hold you close and not let you go.

You smile back at him and let your body sink down until you’re resting on his chest the way you have during the last few nights, until you can hear his heartbeat in your ear and feel the steady rise and fall of his breathing.

“Let’s just sleep, okay? We’ll figure it out. Let’s not…” You force your voice to remain steady. “…let’s not waste this time here.” He’s said that he doesn’t want to leave, and you believe him, but you’d be lying to yourself if there wasn’t a part of you that’s terrified that this trip is the last time that you’ll see him.

You feel Dave nod and press a kiss against your forehead and you can’t help the warmth that’s spreading through you. Maybe, just maybe, things will actually work out somehow. You haven’t addressed what you are to each other and you still can’t bring yourself to ask, but you like to think that he wouldn’t act like this if you didn’t mean something to him.

When you wake up the next morning, Dave is still asleep beside you. You study his handsome face, looking more peaceful and younger when he’s sleeping. It’s moments like these when you realize how tense he is most of the time, how often he clenches his jaw, how hard the look in his eyes gets.

You replay your conversation from last night in your head and despite the fact that you’re aware of how you should know better, you still don’t feel scared. At least not for yourself, not in the sense that you want to leave, to run away from him and the danger that he says comes with being close to him.

You’re… worried. About him. You had known that there was something dark about him, something that he could never fully shake off, no matter how hard you tried to help him, to let him release some of it. And no matter what he says, you know that you’re gonna keep on trying as long as he lets you.

You reach your hand out to touch his face, to glide your fingers softly over his jaw and the slight stubble there, tracing up his cheek until you reach his hair, disheveled from sleeping. You smile to yourself as you run your hand through it, lightly scratching his scalp and a low groan travels up his throat, his eyes blinking open slowly.

You had told yourself that things were good between the two of you again, but there’s a second of uncertainty in your head before his eyes find you and for a short moment you’re afraid that he might push you away again. A glimpse of tension flashes across his face as well, but when he takes in your smile and your hand in his hair, the corners of his mouth slowly turn upwards too.

“Hi,” you whisper, feeling like you might break the moment like bursting a bubble if you speak too loudly.

“Hey,” he answers, keeping his voice just as low. “Everything okay?”

You know what he means to ask but is probably scared to specify.

“Yes. Everything’s good,” you assure him, shifting your body to get closer to him until your head is resting on his chest once more. He starts drawing shapes on your arm and shoulder with his fingers, humming when goosebumps start to rise on your skin. You’re both quiet for a moment.

“You’re not… hurt?” he presses after a minute, with a hint of pain in his own voice. “I shouldn’t have… I didn’t take proper care of you yesterday. I’m sorry.” He exhales shakily and you gaze up at him, looking straight into his eyes, trying to convey your sincerity.

“It’s okay, I promise. I’m fine.”

He still looks unhappy, but nods eventually, pressing a kiss onto your forehead and pulling you into a hug.

You shower together, the warm water raining down on the both of you. Against your expectation, and while his hands are all over your body, working shampoo into your hair and soap onto your skin, his touch never turns sensual. You would have let it happen, you think, but it seems like he wants to make up for his lack of aftercare last night, taking care of you in this way now.

You enjoy it, being so close to him, a form of intimacy that you’ve rarely experienced with him before, if at all. It’s easy to let yourself fall into it, to let yourself imagine how it would be to always have him like this. His guard down, a touch of vulnerability still hanging in the air. You know that the last night has changed things between you, that you won’t be able to go back to pretending that there is nothing more than sex between you.

With this in mind, you almost get sad about the fact that you’re on borrowed time, that you’ll fly back home in a few days and that there’s no way that he’ll abandon his family to be with you. You don’t know if he even wants that. He’ll go back to his life and you’ll go back to yours and maybe, if you’re lucky, you’ll be able to convince him to keep meeting with you. Just for fun. No matter what he said last night, realistically, that is how it’s gonna go.

You sigh and lean back against him, relishing in the hot water and his hands on your skin. You’ll deal with that when you get there. Right now, for a few more days, he’s yours.

After staying put all day yesterday, you decide to go exploring the area today. The receptionist recommends a hiking trail that leads you up one of the smaller mountains that surround the hotel.

The hike is beautiful, the air a little cooler underneath the treetops and the sunlight falling through the trees creates small patterns of light on the ground. The higher you get, the more you get to overlook the rich tones of green of the surrounding forest and the small bays where the mountains give way to the sea.

You’ve never traveled much before and definitely not to a place like this. Your eyes are wide as you take in the scenery around you and you’re beaming every time you look at Dave. He’s gorgeous, a thin layer of sweat covering his face and his bare arms that you could stare at for hours, and the smile that he gives you every time your eyes meet could make you melt.

You keep things light, chatting with him like you’ve gotten used to in the past few days, excitedly pointing out whenever a new part of your surroundings catches your interest. It’s so easy to be with him like this. You don’t want it to end.

When you reach the mountaintop, you throw your arms around him and eagerly press your lips against his. His surprised huff makes you smile into the kiss.

“Thank you for taking me here,” you whisper against his mouth when you finally break the kiss. You take in the clear blue sky, the soft breeze that’s playing in your hair, now that you’re higher up and out of the trees, and the sound of the rolling waves deep below you that you can still make out. It almost feels too perfect to be true.

Dave shakes his head, as if to remind you that you don’t have to thank him, that you deserve it, like he’s already told you countless times. He’s looking around too, but his gaze keeps drifting back to your face, his smile deepening when you look back at him. He looks so beautiful like this, you think, the lines around his eyes deepening and his expression at ease.

No matter what happens, this is the version of him that you want to carry around in your memories forever.

He takes you out to dinner again this evening, insisting that you deserve the whole experience and ordering another meal that is one of the most delicious things that you’ve ever tasted. You’re gonna miss this place when you’re back home and cooking pasta in your tiny kitchen, you know that much.

You think back to your first evening here, a memory that feels like it happened a lifetime ago. His hands on your skin, his dirty words in your ear. The rush that you felt when he pushed your limits. Things between you were less intense then, you think, almost solely based on the physical parts of your relationship.

You had a crush on him, yes, but looking back, you don’t think that you knew him, not really. You’re not sure if he wanted this to happen, but he opened up to you during the past days, letting you in in a way that he didn’t before.

When you’re entering your suite again, you almost expect him to pounce on you the way he did every evening before. Instead, he leads you out to the balcony, pulls out a chair for you and brings another bottle of wine from the minibar.

That’s how you end up on the chair where you had your breakfast two days ago, when things still felt much… easier. You’re sharing the wine, drinking straight from the bottle and trading it back and forth between you, your feet are resting in Dave’s lap and he pulled out a packet of cigarettes five minutes ago, causing you to burst out laughing.

“What’s this? You of all people smoke?”

He rolled his eyes at you and wordlessly offered you a cigarette, which you eagerly accepted. You don’t smoke regularly (and neither does Dave, as he’s quick to let you know, only to take the edge off sometimes), but in this situation, it feels nice. Now you’re both blowing smoke out into the air and watching as the sun slowly sinks beneath the ocean’s surface, painting the sky and its reflection on the water orange.

You’re both tipsy, you feel like you’re giggling uncontrollably and Dave’s deep laughter comes much more easily as well. It’s nice, having your energies match like this and for the millionth time, you think that you could get used to being with him like this. Carefree, unhurried, just spending time together.

Eventually, he gently puts your feet back on the ground and stands up, gathering your hands in his and pulling you up as well. You stumble into him, another giggle on your lips. His arms encircle you and his broad hands splay over your back, pressing you against his body. His lips find yours, moving against your mouth with heated urgency.

You wrap your arms around his neck, your fingers tangling into the short hair and trying to pull him closer. His hands move to your hips, bunching up the fabric of your dress as he’s pawing at your body, his lips still pressing against yours. You move back inside, still wrapped up in each other, tripping over each other's feet and laughing into the kiss.

A feeling of warmth is spreading from your chest through your whole body, mixing with the familiar feeling of need that always rises up in you when he touches you like this. It grows and intensifies until you feel like you’re ablaze with longing for him, like you can’t possibly get close enough to him, like you want him just like this, right here, for forever.

“Dave…” you whine, one hand still desperately pulling at his hair while the other is moving down his torso until your fingers slip under his shirt and you’re met with the exhilarating feeling of his bare skin under your fingertips.

He groans as you slowly scratch your nails over his abdomen, feeling his muscles twitch at the sensation and his grip on your body becomes more demanding, maneuvering you until the back of your knees hits the bed. Dave pushes you down and follows you, caging you in with his arms propped up on either side of you. He’s still kissing you, his tongue licking into your mouth and eliciting soft moans from your throat as he starts toying with your nipple with one hand, flicking against the quickly hardening nub through the thin fabric of your dress.

“So beautiful,” he murmurs, pulling back a little and taking in your appearance, your swollen lips and the arousal that you know must be burning in your eyes. His intense gaze makes you feel shy and you tilt your face away from him a little, but he tuts at you, grabbing your chin and turning your head until you’re looking straight at him again.

“You look at me when I speak to you” he chastises you, his voice still nothing more than a smooth whisper.

“S-sorry, sir.”

The short display of dominance is enough for you to reach a new level of neediness for him and you’re acutely aware of the already obscene amount of wetness that’s gathering between your thighs.

A frown flies across his face and he seems lost in thought for a second.

“We’ll skip the ‘sir’ tonight,” he decides, a look that you can’t place flashing over his features.

You’re surprised, but not in a bad way. Warmth is spreading through you once more as you nod and raise your head to capture his lips again. His tongue is ravishing your mouth and his hands become more demanding, pushing your dress up until the fabric is pooling around your belly and your lacy underwear is revealed to him.

He sits back on his haunches and his hips force your legs apart, his fingers pressing into your thighs and you know that you can see how soaked you already are, how your panties are wet and sticking to your folds. He inhales sharply as his fingers inch closer to where you want them the most and his gaze is trained intently on your aching cunt.

He teasingly runs one finger over the fabric, giving your clit the lightest bit of pressure and your hips buck under his touch, desperately seeking out more contact.

“Always so responsive…” he murmurs, a smirk on his face, “and so goddamn needy.”

“Please, s- Dave,” you whine, his name feeling weird on your tongue in this setting, but you like it. It’s intimate, less like a game, more… real. Like he’s actually yours.

His eyes darken when you say his name, a possessiveness in his gaze when he looks at you. Like he feels it too.

“Please, what?”

He raises an eyebrow, his finger still rubbing over your panties while his other hand is planted on your hips, holding you down.

“Please touch me,” you whimper, squirming under him. He purses his lips, clearly mocking you.

“But I am touching you.”

“M-more, please.”

You’re already breathless, your mind overtaken with need for him. You reach your hands out, trying to pull him closer, to press his fingers against you, to give you anything. He leans forward again, propping himself up so that his face is hovering over yours.

“You want my fingers?” he rasps. You nod, another whine stuck in your throat. “Beg me. Say my name again.”

“Please, Dave. I need your fingers inside of me, please please please.” Your voice comes out shaky and too high, but you don’t care how pathetic you sound anymore, you just need him.

“Good girl,” he growls. Then his mouth is back on yours with a bruising kiss and he shoves your panties to the side, plunging two thick fingers into your tight heat without preamble. You gasp out something between a wail and a moan at the sudden stretch and he chuckles darkly.

He starts pumping his fingers into you, pulling back so that he can look at your face. More moans are falling from your lips, your back arching at the pleasure of his touch. You manage a breathless thank you and get rewarded with his mouth on your neck, sucking at the sensitive skin there while his fingers slow down and he starts curling them instead, hitting your g-spot again and again while his thumb swipes over your clit. You feel close to coming already, your nails helplessly digging into his shoulders as heat spreads through you, the pressure in your lower tummy pulling tighter and tighter.

“Can I- please, can I come, Dave?” you plead, not sure if you could hold it back if he says no.

“Yeah baby, you can come as many times as you want,” he breathes against your neck. “Looking so beautiful like this, you’re so good.”

The praise is what pushes you over the edge. You’re clinging to him as your walls contract around his fingers and your back arches higher. He gently works you through your orgasm, his fingers moving inside you until you squirm away from the overstimulation and he pulls them out.

You watch with hooded eyes as he brings them up to his mouth and starts sucking them clean, a low moan rising in his throat at your taste. You reach for them almost subconsciously and he chuckles.

“You want a taste?”

You nod quickly and start licking eagerly when he presents them to you, humming at the familiar tang of you and the thought that you’re also cleaning his saliva from his fingers right now.

“Good girl,” he coos again. His pupils are blown wide and you see the hunger in his eyes that you’re used to, but none of the usual cold and darkness.

Before you can linger on the thought, he works on pulling your dress over your head, leaving you bare underneath him except for your panties. He rarely lets you undress him, likes to play with the power imbalance of having you naked in front of him while he’s still fully dressed, but tonight, you feel like things are different.

You push yourself up into a sitting position and cautiously reach your fingers out towards the buttons of his shirt, looking at him with the silent question in your eyes. He gives you a nod and a soft smile and you almost melt into the mattress. You love when he’s rough with you, but this gentleness tugs at your heartstrings in a way that you’ve never experienced before.

You work the buttons open slowly, revealing the expanse of his chest, more tanned now after days in the sun. Your mouth waters at the sight of him and you lean forward to press your lips against his skin, inhaling his scent mixed with the lingering cigarette smoke and sighing softly.

“I-“ you begin saying, before your brain catches up with your mouth and you snap it shut quickly. You’ve never even allowed yourself to think those words when it comes to him, and now you’ve almost said them out loud. You feel heat rising in your cheeks and bury your face in the warm skin between his neck and his shoulder. You don’t love him. You don’t. You can’t. You’re just emotional because this situation right now is so different to what you’re used to. You don’t love him.

You take a deep breath and look up at him. “You’re beautiful,” you say instead, and you mean it. If he noticed your almost slip up, he doesn’t let it show. He shakes his head and laughs, wrapping an arm around you and pulling you against his chest.

“That’s you, sweetheart,” he murmurs into your hair. You lean into him for a few moments, trying to get your emotions back on track.

Then you keep unbuttoning his shirt, letting him help you to pull it off his shoulders and watching as he flings it into a corner of the room. Your hands roam over his shoulders, taking in his broadness, the silent strength that you know he possesses. You don’t think that you’ll ever get tired of just looking at him, but your fingers skim over the bulge in his pants and your body is screaming at you for more.

You watch him undo his belt and pants and impatiently slide your hand under his waistband, eager to feel the silken skin of his cock under your fingers. He inhales sharply when you wrap your hand around him, mesmerized by his hardness that you can’t wait to feel inside of you.

“Take these off? Please?” you ask, motioning to his pants and he gets up quickly, not even scolding you for your boldness but ridding himself of his clothes in a swift motion. You drink him in hungrily, his narrow hips and his hard cock that’s already leaking precum and has your mouth watering once more. You lick your lips absentmindedly as you shimmy out of your panties, leaving yourself just as bare as he is.

His eyes are trained on you as he walks around the bed and lies down, reaching for your hips and pulling you on top of him with a low “come here, baby”. You situate yourself, your thighs on either side of him, your hands on his chest, holding yourself upright. His cock nudges at your pussy and you experimentally shift your hips a little, feeling him glide through your wet folds and rubbing at your clit, making you gasp.

Dave’s hold on your hips tightens at your movement and he clenches his jaw. You lift yourself up a little, reaching down between you to position him at your entrance. It feels almost wrong to be in control like this and you glance up at him, suddenly unsure of yourself.

“Can I…?” you ask, biting your lip. The need to feel him inside of you is suddenly overwhelming.

“Yeah,” he answers, looking like the same need is taking over him right now, “make yourself feel good, sweetheart.”

You sink down on him, pure bliss coursing through your veins as his cock fills you up and stretches your walls. You’re a little sore from his rough treatment during the previous days, but the dull hint of pain only fuels your arousal. You open your mouth to a loud moan, all of your senses on fire, and start to slowly grind down on him. Your legs are trembling from the overwhelming pleasure of feeling him inside you.

“Good girl,” he coos, reaching up to cup your cheek. “Look at me, come on.” He slips his thumb into your mouth and you greedily suck on the digit. You obey without even thinking about it, keeping your eyes trained on his face as you start riding him faster, more moans escaping your mouth around his thumb.

Dave groans at your movement, the hand that’s not on your face digging into your hip in an almost painful way. You love that you have this effect on him and grind down harder, ignoring the way that your thighs are starting to burn. The drag of his cock inside of you feels like heaven.

“Fuck,” he moans, his fingers moving from your cheek into your hair. “You take me so well, looking so good like this. My good girl.”

His hips buck up into you, his cock nudging at your cervix and you fall forward, muffling a scream into his shoulder. His hands travel up your body and he holds you steady, thrusting into you. The change in angle lets him hit a different spot inside of you and you whimper against his neck, feeling like your limbs are turning to jelly.

He lands a single slap on your ass, not nearly as biting as you know he’s able to, but enough to make you break down on top of him as your second orgasm of the night hits you unexpectedly. It has you moaning out his name as you tremble, clawing at his shoulders while he presses you against his chest, his thrusts not relenting until your high subsides and leaves you shaking against him.

He gently slips out of you and rolls you both over, cradling your face in his hands and pressing his lips against yours. You smile into the kiss as you snuggle into his touch, still arching your body against him and holding him close. You still want more, want him to give you everything, to never let this end.

His fingers trail down, toying with your nipples, his touch so light that it has you squirming again in no time.

“Please,” you whimper, tugging at his hair, “more, Dave, please.”

You hear him groan under his breath when you say his name again. “Still feeling needy, sweetheart?” he asks, his hands on your tits turning rougher. You nod quickly, gasping when he pinches your nipples unexpectedly and another wave of arousal floods you.

He props himself up on his elbows and thrusts back into your dripping wet pussy with ease, knocking the air out of your lungs once more. His movements are fast and deep, filling you up again and again until his name is the only thing on your mind and on your tongue.

“Touch yourself,” he demands, pressing his sweat slicked forehead against yours, “give me one more, come on.”

You reach down before he even finishes speaking, rubbing at your swollen clit in quick circles. You can tell that he’s close from his erratic thrusts and the way he pants into your ear, and you want to give him everything that he asks for.

“Come on, be a good girl and give it to me,” he grits out, giving you a particular hard thrust. It hits deep inside of you and you feel your eyes rolling back into your head as you scream out his name and shatter around him.

Pure bliss is pulsing through you as his hips come to a stuttering halt and paint your insides with his cum, his own groan of your name echoing in your ear before he collapses on top of you.

His skin is flushed, hot under your fingertips as you wrap your arms around him and hold him close, breathing him in and kissing his neck. The urge to say those words grabs a hold of you once more, but you swallow them down, keeping silent and gently rubbing over his skin.

When Dave gets up, he gives you the most attentive aftercare that you’ve ever received from him. He cleans you up, runs you a bath, gets you something to eat and to drink, never leaves your side and wraps you up in your blanket when you’re finally back in bed. You protest at first, trying to convince him that it’s not necessary, that this was probably the softest he’s ever been with you, but he won’t hear it. You eventually realize that it’s his way of making up for the night before, so you let him, soaking up the care that you did miss 24 hours ago, letting him mend this connection between you.

When the lights are out, you curl into his chest again, the way you’ve gotten used to. His arm wraps around you and more kisses are placed on your forehead. You talk a bit before you fall asleep, your quiet voices filling the darkness of the room. Eventually, the conversation dies down and you close your eyes, ready to let sleep take you.

“I’ll get out,” he suddenly says, his tense voice ringing through the bedroom.

Your eyes fly back open, your head tilting up, trying to make out his face.

“Of my job,” he answers your silent question. “I can’t do it anymore, it’s not- it’s not worth it. Hasn’t been worth it for quite some time, really. I’ll get out.”

thank you so much for reading! if you enjoyed this, please consider reblogging or leaving a comment, it would mean a lot to me 🫶🏻

[gravehags]

his mother's blood

Pairing: Cardinal Copia x f!Reader (Curator!Reader)

Rating: Teen

Tags: EMERITUS FAMILY DRAMAAAAA, tokophobia, revelations, nihil being a fucking shitass, reader being the voice of reason, sister imperator gets a first name and it's exactly what you'd think it is

Words: 2,727

Summary: You know it's just a joke but you can't fight the dread that settles in your stomach the moment the words leave Terzo's mouth.

a/n: this was a lot!!! title comes from the ethel cain lyric "jesus can always reject his father but he cannot escape his mother's blood" :) you know for extra fun family pain

~~~

You feel as if both time and your heart stops the moment the words playfully exit Terzo’s mouth.

So when are you two going to give me a niece or nephew, huh?

The five of you were having a lovely time, sitting around the patio table in the Papas’ courtyard on the early summer evening. The sun had only just started to dip below the horizon and you were already tipsy off the sweet wine Secondo had supplied you with. As soon as Terzo says it you feel the color drain from your face as Copia kneels beside you and reaches for your hand.

“Terzo, don’t–”

You see Primo and Secondo furrow their brows, clearly aware that this is a sensitive topic not to be broached but Terzo doesn’t get the hint and nudges your arm.

“Come on,” he says with a grin, “you’d look so pretty all round and glowing–”

“Silenzio!” Copia shouts as he straightens. You know it’s the liquor that’s making the tears drop one after the other into your lap while your lip quivers and you can’t bring yourself to look at any of them.

“Che cazzo?” Terzo asks, “I’m just poking fun–sorellina, it was just a stupid joke please don’t–”

“You don’t get to joke about that,” Copia says and out of the corner of your eye you see his balled up fist shake, “I don’t want to hear you mention that again ever, do you hear me? I’m not fucking kidding, Terzo Emeritus.”

A stunned silence settles among the brothers while you hastily wipe your tears with the sleeve of your linen button down. You know there’s no way the evening will be recovered after this if you don’t explain why Terzo’s words filled you with such visible dread so you take a deep breath and exhale shakily.

“Do you guys know why Sister Imperator hired me?”

Copia looks down at you, alarmed, and once again kneels by your side.

“Amore, you don’t have to talk about this, it’s none of their business.”

“I know. But I’ve been meaning to ask them for a while…if they knew. If they knew about any of it.”

“Knew about what, fiore?” Primo asks cautiously, steepling his fingers.

“Um…so about…I don’t know a couple, few months back Sister Imperator had me come to her office where she proceeded to tell me that I was hired because–” you take another deep breath and squeeze your eyes shut and then open, “because I was chosen by your Unholy Father…to carry Copia’s child.”

Once again the stunned silence among the five of you is electric. Secondo’s jaw is dropped, Terzo looks horrified, and Primo radiates silent rage.

“What?”

“Y-yeah. She tried to convince me it would be an ‘honor’ despite the fact that I-I told her I don’t want a baby, ever. Tried to tell me I had to do it, that it was my purpose–”

Terzo stands abruptly and the other brothers follow suit. Copia remains squatted next to you holding your hand.

“Guys what are you do–”

“Quella dannata stronza,” Secondo growls, “she’ll pay for this.”

You look around at everyone in a panic.

“No, no, no you can’t let her know that you know a-and she’s backed off on the topic after Copia and I confronted her–”

“Sorellina, we love you, you know that. To know that that woman tried to force a fucking pregnancy on you–unthinkable. She should be excommunicated for even uttering the words to you. Maledetto inferno, this is the last straw.” Terzo grabs your free hand and places a kiss to the back of it. “You do not need to come, bella mia. You do not need to see this. Neither of you do.”

You gently pull your hand from Copia’s and stand, wiping off your cheeks.

“I think I - we - should be there to keep you from…from I don’t know, doing anything you’ll regret. Copia and I have already gotten our piece said with her after she tried to fire me–”

“She what?!” Secondo halfway roars. Primo is already gone down the cloister corridor and the four of you hustle after him. He leads you to an area of the abbey you’ve passed by but never entered which you assume is Sister Imperator’s wing. Primo approaches a door and doesn’t knock, instead flinging it open with such force you wince at the sound of the doorknob denting the drywall. In the large sitting room, in two high backed dark green chairs are Nihil, in his usual vestments and Sister Imperator, who wears a dark red robe snugly cinched around her. Nihil has a deep scowl etched into his wizened features but Sister only looks mildly irritated as if she’s misplaced her phone.

“Gentlemen, what is the meaning of–”

“Stronza!” Primo thunders, and you recoil in shock from the volume of his voice. Copia holds you tightly next to him by your elbow. “How dare you, how fucking dare you attempt to force a child on this girl.”

She looks at you with such raw contempt it makes your stomach roil with nausea.

“Really?” she asks, addressing you and Copia, “The two of you couldn’t keep this to yourselves?”

“The fact that they didn’t tell us sooner is a blessing to you,” Secondo snarls, stepping in front of you and Copia and breaking her line of sight. “I would have killed you myself if–”

“Silence, boy,” Nihil barks from his chair, “and remember to whom you are speaking.”

“I wasn’t talking to you, old man,” Secondo hisses, his eyes burning, “but since you insist on inserting yourself, how could you fucking agree to this?”

Nihil scoffs.

“Don’t be stupid, this was the will of the Council. Sister was simply enforcing their decision. And she was right to do so, it is an honor. One clearly unworthy of this–”

“Be very careful about the next words that leave your mouth, Nihil,” Copia says softly and for the first time in the year of knowing him you feel a horrible thrill at the idea of what he would do for you. Everyone falls silent.

“The Council knew?” Secondo says, clearly floored by this information, “Psaltarian would never have agreed to this, let alone the Director…something that is such a clear violation of the tenets of our religion?”

“Why?” Terzo interjects quietly, “Why was it so important that Copia of all people have a child?”

“I think you already know the answer to that,” Sister Imperator says, idly studying her fingernails. You feel Copia squeeze your arms as he holds you tighter to him. Secondo and Terzo glance at one another, clearly puzzled. Primo turns to look at you both, apologetic.

“The Antichrist need not have a bloodline,” he says softly and Copia inhales sharply next to you. You see Terzo’s jaw drop and the color drain from Secondo’s face. 

“You knew?” When Copia speaks, his voice makes you jump. “You–you knew?”

The mounting anger in his tone has you panicking, turning to him to console him but he’s staring Primo down with such fury it makes you shy away from him. At once, Secondo is at his side gripping his bicep as Terzo gently extricates you from Copia’s ever tightening grip.

“Copia, I always suspected but–”

“You fucking raised me!” Copia shouts, and the raw betrayal cracking his voice instantly makes tears spring to your eyes. You try to go to Copia’s side to comfort him but Terzo holds you snug against him with a strength you did not expect. “You were more of a father to me than this pezzo di merda–” he gestures sharply to Nihil, whose mouth is pulled in a severe frown but blessedly stays silent, “a-and you just let me grow up thinking I was some kind of freak? With no explanation?”

“Topolino, you–”

“Don’t fucking ‘topolino’ me, Primo.”

“Copia,” Primo says, softly but with great power, “I only ever had suspicions. It was bad enough that I - that any of us - couldn’t officially acknowledge you as our brother, how could I hoist this burden upon you as well? If it were true, I knew that in time you would come to realize it…I just never expected the knowledge to be wielded like a weapon by someone so vile–”

“By his mother,” Sister Imperator says, her voice loud and clear. The brothers turn to look at her, stunned, then look to Nihil.

“Even more unconscionable,” Primo says after a moment, his voice low. “To not only place disgusting expectations on the woman he loves but to expect him to blindly go along with it…where were you when he had doubts as a child? When he cried at night from his bad dreams? When we celebrated every birthday, just the four of us, convinced that Copia’s mother was dead just like the rest of ours? We expected the worst from him–” Primo jerks his head towards Nihil, “--but how dare you try to step in now forty-nine years after abandoning him, pretending to give a shit about him or his purpose. Shame on you, Mary.”

Everyone in the room inhales sharply and you’re shocked at the reveal of her true name. You expect her to look infuriated but when you glance at her all you see on her handsome face is exhaustion. You remember her words in her office about how Copia was taken from her as a baby and you’re filled with sickening remorse.

“That’s not right,” you say softly, and everyone swivels to you, “s-she didn’t have a choice. The Council insisted she give up all ties to Copia after his birth. She’s been a shitty mom, I’m not arguing that and I’m not defending her…but so much of it wasn’t her choice.”

You extricate yourself from Terzo’s grasp and walk the length of the room to stand by Imperator’s side. The brothers look stunned and Copia gives you a tiny, gentle smile.

“Listen, I didn’t tell you guys about this shit so everyone could fight about it or bring up anything else. I told you because this is a family and I wanted to be on the level with all of you. Because I want to be a part of it. I’m so…tired of the fucking tension between us,” you gesture between you and Sister Imperator, “on the topic. I’m done, I’m over it. It’s not happening and she knows that a-and the Council knows that. Right, Sister?”

You look at the woman next to you, your lips in a taut line, and her gaze softens to something that resembles respect.

“Exactly,” she says, matter-of-factly, “it’s water under the bridge, gentlemen.”

“Enough of this bullshit,” Nihil whines, and everyone jumps after having forgotten that he was even in the room. “Doesn’t anyone care what I have to say?”

You swear in the chorus of “no’s” that echo throughout the room you hear Sister’s voice and you bite your cheek to keep from smiling.

“Are we done here?” she says, straightening her robe, “Because my programs are about to come on and–”

“Yeah, we’re done,” Copia says, and you leave her side to come to his. “Goodnight, Sister. Goodnight, Papa.”

She nods at him with a smile while Nihil waves his hand dismissively, turning from his four sons to continue playing Candy Crush on his phone. Primo, Secondo, Terzo, and Copia all file out of the room but as you’re about to cross the threshold you hear your name being called from behind you. When you turn around, Imperator is smiling at you peculiarly from her chair.

“You continue to surprise me, dear. Well done handling the situation,” she says and you swear she gives you a small wink.

“Yeah uh, you’re welcome for not letting Secondo kill you, I guess,” you say with a nod before exiting and shutting the door behind you. Copia is waiting for you, giving you a look just as peculiar as Sister’s.

“What?” you ask softly, taking his hand.

“Nothing. I just love you, you know?”

He draws you in and you rest your forehead on his shoulder, his hand tenderly cupping your skull. The two of you hold one another for a moment and you both jump when you feel another body and arms enveloping you both.

“I am so sorry, topolino,” Primo murmurs as he strokes Copia’s hair, “and you, fiore mio, you should have never have had to hear any of that bullshit from start to finish.” He turns to place a kiss on the top of your head and suddenly you’re aware of another pair of arms wrapping around your little group. When you lift your head, Terzo grins at you before waving Secondo over.

“Come on you grumpy old fuck,” he says and you hear Secondo scoff.

“I’m only a year older than you, idiota,” he growls, but you feel him join the pod all the same. It takes a bit of straining, but you’re able to look up at Copia, who has his eyes shut as if he’s trying to cement the moment into his memory. It fills you with such affection, not just for your beloved, but for all the men surrounding you, and you sigh.

“Love you guys,” you murmur, and Terzo’s hand comes up to pet your hair.

“And we love you, sorellina.”

“Had you said the word, I would have killed her on the spot with my bare hands,” Secondo says, his voice muffled by Copia’s back. “I’ve been looking for an excuse.”

“That’s…actually really sweet in a fucked up way. Thanks for having my back.”

“Can we leave this hallway before we overhear Sister and Nihil fucking because–”

The five of you separate, everyone either making violent retching noises or groaning.

“That’s my mother, stronzo,” Copia finally says, giving Terzo a dirty look.

“And your father too, unfortunately,” Primo grimaces, leading the group back down the hall, “but at least you have the benefit of being able to claim a different father, topolino. We’re stuck with him.”

You wrap your arm around Copia’s waist as you exit the wing and he wraps his around your shoulder.

“I eh, don’t know about all of you,” your love begins, “but I could use a fucking drink after that. Secondo…?”

“On it,” Secondo says, striding down the hall ahead of you in the direction of the kitchen. Eventually the group makes its way back to the round patio table, and a shiver runs through you.

“Shit, it’s cold now that the sun’s gone down,” you announce, “and if I’m going to keep drinking I need something to eat because I do not want to end the night with Copia holding my hair. Let’s go meet Secondo and see if I can bully him into making me a grilled cheese.”

Primo and Terzo both snort.

“‘Bully him’ as if he wouldn’t bend over backwards for you, piccolina,” Terzo says, imitating his brother’s voice when he says the endearment. You swat at his arm.

“Stai zitto, stronzo,” you snap playfully and Primo and Copia both turn to you looking impressed.

“She’s been doing the eh, Duolingo app,” Copia explains, and you smile at the pride in his voice, “Well done, amore mio.”

“Non è niente di speciale,” you say demurely with a wide grin. Terzo cheers loudly as the four of you enter the kitchen.

“Be quiet, you fucking animal,” Secondo snarls from his place at the stove, where he’s currently pressing a spatula into two pieces of bread between which cheese oozes. Terzo turns to you and winks.

“Told you,” he says with a smirk before heading off in the direction of the wine cellar. Primo shakes his head and takes a seat at the small table in the corner and Copia pulls you into his side to place a wet kiss to your temple.

“Love you, dolcezza,” he murmurs. When his hand drifts to the small of your back you’re reminded of the first time you set foot in this kitchen and the way he comforted you after you burned the bruschetta. You look over at Primo, who yawns wide, then over to Secondo, who is singing under his breath as he flips your sandwich, to Terzo, who bounds into the room with way too much energy and carrying an alarming number of wine bottles. You look over at Copia.

“Ti amo di più.”

[nocasdatsgay]

Happiness is a Foreign Concept

Day 2: Legacy @erisweekofficial

Word Count: 1637 | Rating: T | Genre: Gen.

Characters: Eris, LOA, Male OC (Rowen), Elain, Lucien, Elain/Lucien’s children

Warnings: Contemplating the future, feelings of melancholy, talk of marriage and children | Read on AO3 | Masterlist 2024

Summary: Eris is feeling the pressures to marry and have an heir.

A/N: I fully admit I projected onto Eris in this. This fic about the struggle of uncertainty and the pressure to fit into expectations. Emotions are complex, and while a lot of people find peace quickly in choices they make, sometimes others don’t.

Gen Tag: @hieragalbatorixdottir @mybestfriendmademe @ninthcircleofprythian dividers by @tsunami-of-tears

The invitation laid in front of him on his desk unopened. Eris knew what it was at first glance. Elain’s famous loopy handwriting was on top, addressing the letter to him. Yet he couldn’t stomach the thought of opening it. It was no doubt another invitation to meet his new niece, Elain and Lucien’s third youngling but first girl. He should be happy for them. Instead he got up and poured himself a drink.

His whole life, all nearly seven hundred years of it, he told himself he was fine without a spouse, or a mate, or younglings. A spouse was a liability during his father’s reign. A mate was a death sentence. Younglings were out of the question. And his mother- he loved her dearly. But now with father gone and her newfound happiness in Day Court, she would not stop asking him if he had found someone. Or if, by luck, there was a babe on the way.

“I’m only asking because your brothers are so happy. I want that for you.”

He walked over to the window and nursed the glass of fire whiskey in his hand, shoving down his feelings. He was High Lord. He didn’t have time for romance. He was too busy fixing the wrongs of his father. His duty was to the court. And yet… He stared out into the jewel-toned leaves in the trees, his mind wandering. If his life had been different, if his father was kinder, would he have a spouse and younglings by now?

Melancholy settled in him and he shoved it down. He didn’t have time for ‘what ifs’. They only slowed him down though it didn’t help his mood. Later when he was sword fighting with Rowen, his mood had not changed. And it was showing. Rowen nicked his side, tearing his shirt. Eris stumbled and Rowen grabbed him by his arm.

“Are you ill or something? You never let me get that close to you,” his eyes dropped to the tear in Eris’s shirt.

“I’m fine.” He pulled his arm back. “Just having a hard time focusing.”

“Finally get yourself a lady friend?” Rowen grinned, his deep brown eyes looking his friend over and wiggling his brows.

“No,” Eris glared and he could feel the heat rise up in his body.

“Sorry,” Rowen threw his hands up. “I just haven’t seen you. Governors been talking and-“

“What did they say?” Eris held back his power enough to not command him, but his rage was increasing.

Rowen studied his friend again, frowning. “You’ve been High Lord now for a few decades. Things have settled. They talked like you were looking for a Lady.”

“Well I’m not.” Eris gripped his sword tightly.

“A Lord then?” Rowen asked softly.

Eris let out a growl. Eris had male and female lovers- a secret only Rowen knew as he was his look out for half of them. And while the governors would simply have to deal with it if he chose a male as his partner- it wasn’t the point.

“I’m not looking for anyone. Next time you hear talk, you tell me who it is and I will deal with them accordingly.” Rowen nodded, still eyeing him cautiously. Eris ignored the twist in his gut and put himself into a stance. “Let’s go again.”

A week later his mother came to the Forest house under the guise of spending tea time together. He should have known she only came to pester him. The moment she sat down she began to babble about Elain and Lucien’s newest youngling.

“Azalea is starting to crawl. Oh Eris, she’s so precious. First girl in a millenia. She reminds me of you when you were little. Curious about everything.” She looked off to the window, a whimsy glaze to her eyes. “The boys adore her. You should really come and-“

“I do not have time, mother.” Eris said sternly.

She was silent for a moment. “Surely High Lord duties are not so strenuous now. Unless you have other reasons-“

“Enough!” His mother froze and guilt washed over him. He sighed. “Mother. Please do not start with me.”

She finally exhaled heavily. “I just want you to be happy.”

“I am happy, mother.” Eris retorted, not looking at her.

“Are you?”

He truly didn’t know. Happiness was a foreign concept to someone who lived and breathed torment for centuries.

“I am.” A slight lie. “If this is about me not going to see Azalea, I will make plans this afternoon.”

He finally looked his mother in the eyes again. She knew he wasn’t being fully truthful, he could see it in the way she stared right through him.

“You should stay for dinner.” He added. “Piran is coming. Asher, Rowen, Claudia, and Celeste will also be there.”

His mother smiled. “I would enjoy that.”

Visiting the Day Court was always a tumultuous affair. Helion still gave him a weary look when he was present, despite having warmed up to him more over the decades. Thankfully it was his brother who greeted him, clad in his Day Court attire.

“I’ll never get used to seeing you in this.” Eris wrinkled his nose, looking his brother over. Day Court was always too simple for his tastes.

“Says the male buttoned up to his neck in this heat,” Lucien shot back. “Come meet the babe before I change my mind and send you home.”

On the way to their chambers, Lucien lamented that once Azalea was old enough, they would go back to the border of Spring and the Human Lands. Eris wrinkled his nose again but kept his mouth shut. He knew they stayed in Day so Elain could be close to her sisters and Lucien, to mother. He never understood their love of living so close to a land with no magic.

Eris’s expression softened once they entered the sitting area where Elain was holding up her new babe in her lap. She was already old enough to sit up without much help. Eris ignored the twinge of regret for waiting so long.

“Elain, beautiful as ever.” He walked up to her. “Motherhood has been much kinder to you than fatherhood has my brother.”

“Good to see you Eris,” Elain laughed and Eris could hear his brother grumbling behind him.

“You must be Azalea. Hello, sweet girl,” he crouched so he was eye level with the babe sitting in her mothers lap.

She was beautiful. Unlike her brothers, she inherited the Autumn red hair from Lucien. Her eyes were like her mother’s, wide and the color of a fawn. She was adorable in her little white floral dress. She grinned at him and when he smiled back, she waved her arms about.

“I think she likes you,” Elain said, watching her daughter.

“All babies love me. May I?” He stood and held out his hands questionably.

Elain didn’t hesitate to hand off Azalea. Eris ignored the ache in his heart as he took her, that momentary thought of how he didn’t have one of these to hold and cherish. He instead proceeded to coo at her and make her giggle. When the door opened, she squealed. He looked over to see two younglings rushing to him.

“Uncle Eris!” The two boys yelled in unison.

Eris braced himself and let them both run into him for a hug.

“Boys. My goodness you’ve gotten taller.”

The eldest, Andre, was at his waist before and now came up to his elbows. The middle boy, Apollo, was now up to his waist. He noted the boys' hair was lighter, more akin to the golden brown of their mothers than the darker locks they were born with originally.

“We want to show you the puzzles Aunt Nesta gave us.”

“I’ve got her,” Elain appeared behind him, taking the babe. She leaned in and whispered, “the boys have been looking forward to seeing you.”

He nodded. “Show me the way.”

With yells they dragged him out of the sitting room and into their rooms. Eris spent the rest of the afternoon putting together puzzles, play fighting, and Eris purposely letting Lucien win while fencing. Lucien finally took the boys to wash up and Eris was left to sit with Elain and Azalea in peace for a moment.

“She is beautiful, Elain.” He held Azalea in his lap, cooing at her and making her giggle. “She’s so happy.”

”She is a lot calmer than the boys were at that age. I fear once she starts crawling and walking, she will catch up to them.” Eris’s face must have faltered. “You seem troubled.”

Eris sighed heavily, gently adjusting the babe in his lap. “Mother is pestering me to marry and have younglings. Which is nothing new, but now the governors are talking. It’s just tiresome.”

Talking with Elain was always easy. He used to hate how loose his lips were around her but now it was a blessing. He didn’t have to mince words. She nodded.

“Is that what you want?”

”I don’t know.” He replied truthfully.

She hummed. “You can always take the boys if you get bored. I’m certain Azalea will also want to spend time with her uncle Eris when she’s older.”

“Thank you.”

The door opened and Apollo appeared around it. “Mama, papa said dinner is ready.”

“Tell him we are on our way.” Elain smiled and he disappeared back into the hall. She turned and took Azalea from Eris. “Happiness comes in all forms, Eris. Never feel like you have to fit into a mold.”

Eris laughed, a sour twinge in his tone. “My whole existence is nothing but fitting into a mold.”

“Then maybe,” She whispered as she stood. “You should break it and make your own.”

Eris gave her a soft smile. Maybe he should.

[littlemissmentallyunstable]

title: the mysterious blonde (PART 1)

pairing: grayson hawthorne x (first person) reader

synopsis: you are gigi’s best friend and you go over to her house to work on a school project, only to meet her mysterious brother who popped up a couple of months ago and turns out he’s just your type

parts: PART 1 PART 2 PART 3

warnings: it’s long

a/n: actually forgive me because this story is so long, don’t ask me why I got too carried away. there are two more parts as well if you make it through this and actually end up enjoying it. thank you for reading, requests are always open xx

tag list: there is no tag list but let me know if you want to be on it :)

Gigi and I trudge out of double history, so exhausted we look like we’re about to flop onto the floor. I actually think we might.

“That was the longest few hours of my life,” she says to me, her wide eyes almost look sad.

“Literally,” I groan, “why didn’t time seem to move?”

“I don’t know but my brain feels like mush,” she replied, rubbing her temples.

“I can second that,” I sigh.

“And all that homework she gave us! What was all that about?” my best friend exclaims, probably the closest to anger I’ll ever see her.

“I don’t even want to know,” I roll my eyes, “this subject is killing me, why did we even take history?”

“Because we have to,” she deadpans.

I groan aloud again, “this is so stupid.”

“You know saying it’s stupid is not going to change our position,” she tells me, putting an arm around my shoulder.

“I know, I know, but it feels good,” I explain.

“Yeah it does,” Gigi agrees, coming to a sudden halt before yelling , “this is stupid!”

The sound of her voice bounced off of the walls of the now lonely corridor that had been deserted at lunch hour. We continue walking.

“See?” I say, folding my arms across my chest, “feels good does it?”

“Better than peanut butter and jelly cookies,” she says, then pauses, “wait maybe not…”

I wrinkled my nose, “peanut butter and jelly cookies? That’s a low standard, literally anything is better.”

Gigi stops in her tracks, causing me to almost fall over. She stares at me, her face a mix of shock, horror and disbelief as she says, “You’re kidding me, right?”

I stare at her and cautiously answer, “…no?”

“Why are we even friends?” she asks.

The question takes me so off guard that I don’t get time to process it properly before I answer, “What?”

“You don’t like peanut butter and jelly cookies,” she states, “so why are we even friends?”

“Oh my gosh you’re going to disown me as a friend because I don’t like a cookie,” I ask flatly.

“It’s not just a cookie,” she says, a dangerously threatening glint in her eyes that I wasn’t familiar, “take that back. Right now.”

I hold my hands up in mock surrender, “I apologise to you and your love for peanut butter and jelly cookies.”

“Okay,” she smiles as we begin to walk again, “friendship sorted.”

I scoff and shake my head, not helping the smile on my face. We walk to the canteen together and grab our food. We don’t have the energy or effort to carry on conversation seen a history had sucked us dry of any joy or potential excitement to talk. We grab our food and sit where we always do in the summertime. Outside there’s a small wall tucked away. We climb up it as usual and each our lunch there, it’s much more peaceful than dealing with everyone else. Gigi looks as if she’s very fixated on the football game occurring on the field so I let my mind wander. I chew thoughtfully on some dry school bread, brainstorming ideas for the history project we’d just been set. It was only then I notice the absence Gigi’s sister.

“Where’s Savannah?” I suddenly ask.

“Oh I forgot, she’s playing at basketball tournament today,” Gigi replies, a cheerful undertone in her voice.

“That’s amazing,” I say, my eyes wide, “I hope she does well.”

“She will,” Gigi shrugs, “she always does.”

I smile, admiring Gigi’s purest and truest of faith for her sister. Savannah had always been super talented at basketball, on every team and the best one there. Me and Gigi would often go and watch her games, cheering annoyingly loudly from the side lines earning us both dirty looks from the pair of piercing grey eyes that belonged to Savannah. Though we all knew deep down she secretly loved the crazy support even if it did drive her up the wall.

“Hey wanna work on the project at mine later,” Gigi asks suddenly.

“Yeah sure,” I shrug, “I’ve got some of the stuff at my house, I’ll dash home get ready and bring them after school.”

“Sounds like a plan,” she nods, smiling from ear to ear.

“Great,” I smile back.

“Oh by the way, my brother will be there,” she adds quickly, testing the water to see if it might alter my decision.

“What the mystery one that popped out of nowhere that everyone calls the male version of Savannah?” I ask.

Gigi had told me about her mystery brother. When she went M.I.A for a whole week I had panicked like crazy. And that girl cannot lie to save her life. She explained all the happenings to me and I didn’t say a word to anyone. Though I’d never met the infamous Grayson Hawthorne. I didn’t even know he really existed before Gigi told me about him. Of course, I’d hear the name in passing due to the inheritance of a certain seventeen year old girl but other than that I never really knew who he was before Gigi.

“That would be the one,” she grins, swinging her legs up and down, “he always comes for dinner on Wednesdays.”

“Oh,” I say quickly, “don’t want to intrude on family stuff.”

Gigi and Savannah were close and they were close with their mother as well. I didn’t want to get in the way of spending time with their new found brother. Gigi had only ever told me good things about him but Savannah never talked of it much. She avoids the topic like the plague so I never asked. Secretly I think she really loves him.

“Oh no he won’t mind,” Gigi shrugs.

“Are you sure Gigi because-“

“Y/N I’m sure,” she says seriously putting her hands on my shoulders.

I nod and the bell goes off. I sigh, just have to get through the afternoon now.

***

As soon as school is over, I rush home and jump in the shower, flinging on the first clothes I find in my drawer. I fill a tote bag with bits and bobs we might need as well as some chocolate covered pretzels because Gigi goes feral for them. I leave my house, and just as I’m locking the door I get a text. My eyes flick to my phone, Gigi has sent a cat meme, of course. I open it to find a little tabby cat staring at me with its tongue stuck out with the text attached reading ‘where are you??’. I giggle and shake my head and drop a quick text back to tell her I’m on the way.

***

After a few buses and too much power walking for one girl, I arrive at the door breathless. I make a mental note that I need to workout more. I give the door a quick knock and wait awkwardly outside.

It swings open within a few minutes revealing a grinning Gigi, “Y/N!”

“Hey Gigi,” I say, giving her a quick hug as we step in.

“It’s like you guys haven’t been together all day,” comes another voice.

My head whips around to see familiar grey eyes and two blonde braids.

“Savannah!” I exclaim, rushing towards her and pulling her into an embrace

“Hey,” she laughs, hugging me back.

“How was your tournament?” I ask her.

“We won,” she shrugs as if it’s nothing, though it probably was to her.

“Of course,” I say, tilting my head, “sorry we couldn’t be there.”

“Don’t be, it’s not your fault,” she replies, “besides it was nice not having two maniacs howling your name.”

I turn to Gigi, “I think she just admitted she missed us.”

“She did, didn’t she?”

“Whatever helps you guys sleep at night,” Savannah says coolly, “heard about your history project, good luck, I’m glad it’s you and not me,”

“Thanks Sav,” I say sarcastically.

“You are so welcome Y/N,” she grins, ruffling my hair.

“And this is Grayson, my mysterious brother who pretends to be moody all of the time,” Gigi explains, gesturing to a boy.

Well I should say a man because holy mother of all saints and lords… he had the most gorgeous face I’ve ever laid eyes on. He was the pinnacle of perfection and so radiantly beautiful. He practically glowed. His hair was golden like some sort of buried treasure that glistened in the right lighting. He was tall and muscular, that was obvious even through his suit. A pretty face and a fit physique, it was a win win. I hadn’t even noticed he’d been standing there cautiously watching my interactions with his sisters. When our eyes met my legs almost buckled. They were a stormy grey that left me senseless. My heart thumped in my chest and butterflies flew up my stomach every which way. I could see his resemblance with Savannah but there were so many differences that made him… him.

“Hi,” I smile, trying not to blush or sound stupid, dismally failing at both and mentally ticking this off as one of my top ten most embarrassing moments of my whole life entire life.

“Hello Y/N,” he replies, not exactly smiling but not straight faced, somewhere in between, “I can assure you I do not pretend to be moody all of the time no matter what my sister has told you.”

His voice is so mellow it could melt butter with one sound.

“He does,” Gigi whispers loudly enough for him to hear

“It’s okay,” I say to Grayson, “I’m sure you don’t.”

“Gigi’s told me so much about you, it’s nice to finally meet you in person,” he says

I try to not act too surprised at the thought of Gigi telling her brother all about me. I make a mental note to talk to her about it later.

“You too,” I nod with another sweet smile

I was smiling so much my jaw started to ache. I notice Savannah slip away, most likely to go and relax her muscles after the tournament today. I look back to Grayson.

“Well I’ll let you guys get on,” he nods, like a man of business.

I nod and smile shyly. He returns the smile and Gigi takes my hand and pulls we towards the staircase. I get one last glimpse of him and then we’re gone. As we walk up the stairs I struggle to get Grayson out of my head, he’s like an annoying catchy song or advert repeating in a vicious circle… except it’s not annoying when I get to envisage his face. I shake my head and push him out of my mind, I cannot find him attractive, he’s Gigi’s brother for goodness’s sake.

“So now you’ve met my infamous secret brother,” Gigi smirks, nudging me.

“Now I have,” I nod, smiling.

“So now you officially know every inch of my life,” she tells me as we reach her bedroom door, “it’s kind of creepy when you think of it.”

“Then let’s not,” I shrug as we walk in.

We set up together on the floor and that’s when I pull out the bag of treats I’d bought for my addict of a friends. As soon as her eyes connect with the packaging they almost bulge out of her skull.

“You bought chocolate covered pretzels!” she screams, joy and awe written all over her face.

“Obviously,” I roll my eyes, handing her the bag.

“You are officially my favourite best friend ever,” she squeals, hugging them to her chest, like a mother would her child.

“Aren’t I your only best friend?” I say.

“Well yeah, but still…” Gigi trails off, as she opens the bag, “want one?”

“They’re all yours Gigi,” I tell her.

She hesitates for a moment, “Are you sure?”

“Very,” I reassure her, attempting to organise some of notes into piles.

“I’m paying you back,” she says confidently.

“Have fun trying,” I tease her, poking my tongue out,

“I will find a way,” she replied, determination thick in her voice.

Gigi and I only ever argued when it came to paying for things. We both were constantly trying to pay the other back for the 2 dollars they needed for a coffee or the movie tickets from the week before. But I’d gotten very inventive in preventing Gigi from paying me back.

“Sure you will sweetie,” I patronise her.

She ignores me, popping one of her chocolate covered pretzels into her mouth. She closes her eyes and tilts her head back and savours the taste.

“That is so amazingly yum,” she whispers.

“I’m glad,” I grin, “now come on. We have work to do.”

We work on the project for so long we lose track of time. Through giggles and shouts and possibly a few tears that neither of us will admit tomorrow, we’d gotten just short of halfway done. That is when Savannah calls us for dinner. Both in shock that we’d actually worked, made progress and managed to forget the time we go downstairs.

“You do realise that you both never shut up right?” Savannah says as we enter the room.

“Sorry,” I grin sheepishly, tucking the loose stands of hair behind my ears.

“I think it’s a good thing,” Gigi counters, “I like to talk.”

“Don’t we know it,” her sister rolls her eyes, sitting down at the table.

Four plates of streaming food sit on the table and we all take our places. Grayson joins us and sits down beside Savannah opposite me. I try not to hold my eyes on him for too long so it didn’t seem like I was staring but I couldn’t help but steal myself one glance. I’m driving myself crazy thinking about how my hand might fit perfectly into his and his pretty pretty mouth or that one tiny freckle just below his eyebrow, that I’d convinced myself I was the first to notice. I also really wanted this guys hair routine because his hair looked so silky and soft.

“How’s the project going?” Savannah asks over the clanging of silverware on plates.

“Good,” Gigi replies and then rethinks the decision, “I think.”

“We’re nearly halfway finished,” I explain, “but there’s a lot to do.”

“So much!” she groans, tipping her head back.

“What teacher do you have again?” Savannah asks us.

“Ms Harrison,” Gigi replies.

Savannah often wasn’t in our classes due to her extended sports timetable, so we didn’t have a lot of the same teachers. It was always kind of lonely without her.

She screws her face up, “I hate that woman.”

“She treats her subject like her child,” I roll my eyes, laughing.

“I mean when am I ever going to use history in my real life?” Gigi asks.

“You might need it in your job?” I shrug, taking a sip of water.

“As if,” she replies, giving me the look.

“What do you want to do Y/N?”

My head whips up and I stare directly at Grayson. His voice startles me. I’d almost forgotten he was there. It takes me far too long to process the question before I make some sort of awkward blubbering sound as I try and work out what to say.

“With what?” I blurt out, sounding really unsophisticated.

“Your life,” he clarifies.

My mind races at one hundred miles an hour, “big question…” I nervously giggle, “…erm I don’t really know,”

“Oh?” he replied, eyebrows slightly raised in… surprise, disapproval, shock?? I couldn’t tell he was almost impossible to read. I just wanted the ground to swallow me up from this embarrassment.

“I mean I don’t have a set plan,” I say quickly trying to patch things up, “I want to do something that makes me happy.”

“What makes you happy?”

“Stop questioning her Gray,” Gigi interrupts, “you’re creeping her out.”

I feel my cheeks heat up and I look down, suddenly taking an interest in the intricacy of the tablecloth.

“Sorry,” Grayson says. I couldn’t see his face but I would assume from his tone that he was also finding the tablecloth interesting right about now.

“No it’s fine,” I say, my eyes darting up for a millisecond and then straight back down.

There’s an uncomfortable silence and nothing can be heard. Not even breathing.

“Have you seen the new frappuccino on the menu at the coffee shop around the corner?” Gigi asks, breaking the deadly silence, “I think it’s honey and gingerbread.”

The conversation picks back up from there but Grayson doesn’t really make conversation after that. When dinner is over, we all clean up, mostly in silence. There were pockets of small talk here and there but not much. When we’re almost done, I make eye contact with Savannah and she gives me a look. A furrow my brows confused and tilt my head. She shakes her head, rolling her eyes slightly. She takes me by the arm and leads me into the bathroom.

“Savannah? What is this?” I ask her, absolutely baffled, “because it’s starting to feel like one of those murder mysteries except it’s not a mystery to me if I’m the one being murdered.”

“I’m not going to murder you,” she scoffs, “and if I was I would do it in a much classier way.”

“Oh thanks,” I say, sarcastically, “so why have you dragged me in here, please.”

“We need to talk,” she says, a serious look in her eyes.

I suddenly feel an odd sense of dread building up inside but laugh it off and attempt to make a joke, “look if you want to break up-“

She flashes a grin and then her face goes serious again. I suddenly get a wave of nervousness come over me and my brain flicks through every possible thing I could’ve messed up in the past few weeks.

“Why is it Sav? Did I do something?” I ask, concerned and scared.

“Can you stop eyeball flirting with my brother,” Savannah deadpans, “it’s making me uncomfortable.”

“What!?” I yell without thinking, before my hands fly to my mouth when I realise how loud I’ve been.

She sighs and starts to repeat her sentence, “can you stop eyeball-“

“I heard you the first time,” I tell her.

“Good, now can you?” Savannah asks, folding her arms across her chest and leaning back against the wall.

“I’m not eyeball flirting with anyone?” I hiss at her, maybe a bit too defensively.

“Okay, if you say so,” she says, “so can you stop ‘not eyeball flirting’ with my brother.”

“I can’t stop something I’m not doing,” I argue.

She stares at me, “you don’t want to fall for him.”

Her face doesn’t match her tone, it isn’t angry or aggressive, it’s concerned and worried.

“I’m not falling for him,” I reply softly, putting my hand on her arm, “I’ve barely met the poor guy.”

“He’s not a ‘poor guy’ by any long shot,” she laughs bitterly, “and if you think you like him, don’t. It’s a horrible road to go down.”

“Savannah I don’t like-“

“I know you,” she says sharply, stopping me mid sentence.

She’s right. She did know me. And I did like her brother… but she didn’t have to know just yet.

“He’s attractive, sure,” I shrug, trying to act cool and collected about the whole affair, “but it’s not like that.”

“Good,” Savannah says.

“Can we leave the almost murder scene now?” I joke, a smirk playing on my lips.

She rolls her eyes and shoves my shoulder playfully, “oh leave off.”

a/n: well done you made it to the end 😭😭 I’m so sorry but it’s not even over… PART 2 is coming up :) and I promise it’s more interesting that this part…

(this was originally just going to be one long piece of writing but I’ve split it into two now)

… more fics on my TIG masterlist

[thezombieprostitute]

So, there've been a few "cast your friends as your characters" going around. I was tagged in three of them:

@stargazingfangirl18 paired me with Mr. Freezy saying, "she’s a pure-hearted caretaker who is always looking out for and encouraging others."

@bigtreefest paired me with Curtis saying, "I can just see her loving the comfort Curtis provides and wanting to return the favor, paying attention to exactly what he needs."

And then @krirebr paired me with dark!Andy saying, "It's because I think if anyone could finally take down Andy, it's you. You're so strong and fierce that you'd leave that house in ashes behind you...He wouldn't stand a chance."

You can maybe see why I was laughing for so long over these. Apparently I'm quite the loving caretaker but I will shank a bitch. And I haven't been able to let go of this story idea based in Kris's Trapped AU that she assigned me to:

Normally Lloyd wouldn't care. Normally, someone yells at him for a defective girl, he tells them "caveat emptor" and blocks their number. But this was an unusual case.

Barber had asked for the most compliant girl in the group he'd been presented. Naturally Lloyd had recommended you. Surveillance indicated you were very polite, calm, quiet, all the shit Barber was looking for. Even after you'd been picked and kidnapped you were always well behaved, polite to the guards and other girls. You cried, sure, but so did all the girls. Hell, you even looked after the others. You were calm, quiet, compliant. But Barber was claiming you were hellion? A banshee? That couldn't be right. Lloyd needed to look into this.

He arrived at Barber's home. Took him a minute to make sure it was the right one, all the houses in this boring little suburb looked the same. He rang the doorbell and, thankfully, didn't have to wait long. His jaw almost dropped when he saw Barber, usually looking clean and crisp in his suits and button-ups, completely disheveled with bruises and scratch marks on him. Was that a bite mark as well?

Barber urges Lloyd inside quickly, "you sold me a defective product! I asked for quiet and compliant and you gave me a hellcat!"

Lloyd raises an eyebrow, "she did that to you?"

"Yes!" Barber takes a breath to steady himself. "I didn't think her being big and tall would be such a big deal. Just make her diet and she'd get that model-thin figure. But that's only if she behaves! She can, and does, fight back!"

Lloyd removes his sunglasses, "let me go talk to her. Where is she?"

Barber leads him downstairs to a door with a pad-key lock, "I'm lucky I thought to soundproof the damn basement. The neighbors definitely would've called the cops by now. Thank God there's no windows for them to see her, either."

The basement looks like a small, windowless apartment. There are dents in the walls and Lloyd's not sure if it was you or Barber who put them there. He sees you at a little table and whistles. As bad as Barber looked, you looked worse.

You look up at the sound of the whistle, expecting another fight, but actually smile when you see Lloyd. "Oh, hello Mr. Hansen," you chirp. "Does this mean I'm being returned to my preferred circle of hell?"

"What the hell happened? You were so well behaved when you were locked up, with a lot fewer niceties." Lloyd looks around the basement. "This place has heat, probably air conditioning. Looks nice, the food is probably better and you get much better clothes and blankets."

"Thank you!" Barber chimes in. He moves to speak more but between the rolling of your eyes and Lloyd's holding up a finger to stop him, he clams up.

"So why have you been so poorly behaved?" Lloyd cautiously moves closer to you but you're giving him no indication of lashing out.

"Because he makes no sense, Mr. Hansen," you tell him. "Your rules were easy to follow and made sense. His rules are incredibly stupid and whenever I asked for a reason for them he told me some bullshit about 'good wives don't question their husbands'. Which, quite frankly, is very dumb of him. A good wife calls you out on these things so you can become a better person."

"You need your rules to make sense?"

"Yes, Mr. Hansen. And, quite frankly, several of his rules and expectations are impossible for any human to really follow. I think he'd be better off with a robot wife or something."

Lloyd chuckles at that, "and you didn't take too well to being punished for not following the rules?"

Barber tries to speak but Lloyd, again, raises a finger at him, silently indicating he needs to shut up.

"It wasn't so bad, actually. The time-out room was nice and quiet and I didn't have to deal with him. So he tried to use the punishment room to get me to obey. Turns out, when I'm unable to fight back, I start laughing and can't stop. You can imagine how well that went over with Mr. I-Deserve-Only-The-Best-Things."

Lloyd chuckles, "you know, Sweetheart, when men buy their wives they're allowed to have expectations."

"Oh yes, of course, Mr. Hansen," you agree. "But requiring me to wake up over an hour before he does so I can do a makeup routine that he's set out for me and get my hair to look like how he wants it? Expecting me to be grateful I was kidnapped and sold? Expecting me to comfort him over his own ruined life when he's ruined mine?

And then there are the contradictory rules! I have to not lie to him but I have to tell him I love him? That I think he's handsome? That he's good to me? Directly contradictory!

Maybe any guy who buys me would want similar things but to insist it's my obligation because he thinks he deserves a good wife? Let's face it, Mr. Hansen, he's a semi-delusional, whiny bitch who just doesn't want to put in the work for an actual relationship."

Barber stomps towards you, clearly set to smack you and yell but Lloyd punches him in the stomach before he can. With the wind knocked out of him, Barber backs away and Lloyd moves over to you.

"You know, I normally don't give a shit what happens to my products after they're sold," he tells you. "But he is an unsatisfied customer. And a DA at that. That can be bad for business."

Your face contorts into a pout, "you're leaving me here with him? Can't you just kill me instead?"

"I've got other plans for you," Lloyd purrs. "You might not be good for Barber, but I think I've got someone else who would love you. But, I can't have an unhappy customer, either."

"I don't want anyone else to suffer because of him," you lower your head. "I'll behave, Mr. Hansen."

"Oh, no, no, you misunderstand," he chuckles. He pulls out his gun and shoots Barber, startling you. "We're gonna burn the place down and leave plenty of evidence that Mr. DA was dealing in human trafficking."

"Thank you, Mr. Hansen," you beam. "May I help with the burning down of this place? I could really use the therapy."

Lloyd laughs, "of course! And I'll go ahead and tell Everett I found him a girl who is kind, caring, attentive even, but can also defend herself from unwanted attention."

A million thanks to @krirebr for permission to write this!

Tagging: @alicedopey; @delicatebarness; @icefrozendeadlyqueen; @ronearoundblindly

[dyns33]

Only wastelands 4

Annnnnd here's part 4 !! I will be honest, I will need some time to finish this series. I know where I'm going, but I can't find the time or energy to write it.

Tag : @one-of-thewalkingdead @coolrobloxkid28 @thebumbqueen @rachmari @ilyvia @justme12200 @honeybunhottie @savanahc @gobbodoggo @bisasterbisexual @killingboredom @bonafideyapper @i-simp-for-mha-men @pixelatedprofilepic @ultimatreality @chattersstuff @harmfulb1tch @hellolettuce444 @miketastic25 @darkangel4121 @avidreadee123 @kaitttttttt @nullx1ety

It would have been a lie to say that Y/N hadn't prayed that Janey would be a better traveling companion to Lucy. The vaultie was not bad, but far too naive, talkative, not listening to advices.

Maybe she had been heard, or Cooper had been a great father, but the little girl was a true angel.

Obviously very clever for her age, she didn't need long explanations to see that the world had changed, that it was dangerous, and that it was a good idea to follow Y/N without asking too many questions.

Of course Janey still had some questions. This was perfectly normal. But she waited until they were safe, often before sleeping, to look at Y/N with her big, innocent eyes.

“Are we going to see dad soon ?”

"… Yes. He's not far away." the woman said as she checked her pitboy.

If the information was correct, Lucy was only a few days' walk away, and if Coop was still with her, then he would be reunited with his daughter soon. 219 years without seeing her, without any news, no clue on her location, and the almost evaporated hope of finding her still alive.

Of the things Y/N hadn't yet explained to Janey, the time that had passed since her forced separation from her father was one of the most complicated. The child probably thought she would find the man in the picture, smiling and with pink skin.

She nervously repeated that Cooper had been ill, but couldn't elaborate. Each time, Janey responded that her daddy was strong, and that he would get better soon, especially if they helped him.

Impossible to contradict this adorable child.

If she wanted to lie again, Y/N would have said that she wasn't walking as fast as she could because she wasn't sure what would happen when Janey saw her father. That would probably be a shock. Was she going to scream ? Cry ? Be afraid of him ?

It would break Cooper's heart. And she could repeat that she hated him, that she didn't care at all about his fate, Y/N didn't want to hurt him like that. Anyhow, but not like that.

There was also the possibility that he would react badly to seeing her. Vault Tech was so monstrous, they would have been able to clone Janey, or create a robot that looked like her, or even brainwash her at her mother's request.

He could also think that he had become too monstrous to approach such a pure being without harming her.

Maybe he had abandoned Y/N, thinking only of himself, but he would never do that to his own daughter. She couldn't believe it. The problem was that he would want the best for her, and he might think that was keeping his distance.

Y/N had imagined all these possibilities, but in reality, she knew perfectly well that they would just be happy to have each other again. If she was afraid, it was mainly for herself. For them.

She had been running from him for three years. Not that he seemed to be looking for her, but she had promised herself that their paths would never cross again or it would end badly.

She was not thinking of killing him. First because she had no chance against this cowboy, but above all because Y/N may have hated him for what he had done, she still loved him too much to really want his misfortune.

That was probably why everything was still very painful.

When the Pitboy beeped to indicate that they had arrived at their destination, Y/N observed the ruined building, Janey's hand still holding hers, awaiting orders.

Although fear kept one alive in the wastelands, one should never hesitate. Never.

Cautiously, motioning to the little girl not to make any noise, they approached what was obviously Lucy and the Ghoul's hiding place for the night.

With another gesture, Y/N indicated to Janey to stay at the end of the corridor, while she checked the place, until she found what they were looking for. And if necessary, she should flee.

As none of her reactions were normal, the vaultie seemed happy to see her, greeting her with a huge smile.

Sitting in a corner, hand on his rifle, Cooper didn't look so happy. Surprised, yes, nervous too. With a mixture of sadness and anger. Not really open to a reunion.

But he had celebrated their separation, he had no reason to want to see her again.

Y/N stared at his gun, wondering if he was going to shoot. No movement showed he intended to harm her, but he kept his hand on the trigger. Maybe he thought she was going to try something.

Slowly, so as not to rush him, and ignoring Lucy's long tirades about everything that had happened to them in New Vegas where they had not found her father, Y/N made Janey understand that she could come.

The weapon fell to the floor as she walked through the door. The hatred completely disappeared from Cooper Howard's eyes.

He just sat there, petrified by this vision of his past.

The poor kid shook a little, clinging to Y/N, not understanding what they were doing with these people. So Y/N got down on her level.

"This is Lucy, she was in a shelter like you and me. And… Janey. Janey, here's your father." she whispered with an uncertain voice.

The child looked at her, searching for a lie or joke on her face, before turning back to the Ghoul, who still hadn't moved.

It may have been instinct, the call of blood, or the great intelligence of this kid, but then she found her smile again, finally recognizing the man who was standing there.

"Daddy !"

While he had been stuck since their arrival, Cooper didn't hesitate for a second when Janey ran towards him. He opened his arms to welcome her, lifting her to embrace her tenderly, breathing a sigh of relief that he had been hoping for for two centuries.

Lucy didn't understand everything that was happening, but she placed a hand on her heart in front of this scene, knowing that she had to keep quiet for once. Nothing should spoil this moment.

"Janey… My lil cowgirl…" sobbed Cooper. "You're okay. You're here."

"I missed you, dad. Why didn't you come with me in the car ?"

"He… I told you, there was no more room. I was supposed to join you later, but there were problems. I'm sorry, my angel. I wanted to come."

“Mom said you left me.”

"Your mother… Your mother will have had bad information. I would never have left you. I would always come for you."

The sentence echoed in Y/N’s mind. A broken promise. Without really thinking about it, she touched the picture she always kept in her bag. If it had been of value to Cooper, it hadn't been enough for him to come get her.

Now that he had found Janey, that photo was forgotten. It was long forgotten, like Y/N, who no longer had any value.

At least this story would have a nice ending. Their paths had crossed so that she could bring back his little daughter. He had saved her, she had saved them. They were even now.

Still silent, she left the room, then the building, without attracting attention. Lucy was too busy crying, while Coop obviously only had eyes for his child.

By the time they realized she was gone, Y/N would already be far away.

Maybe the vaultie would want to follow her, thinking about using her pitboy, but there was no reason the cowboy would want the same thing. If his daughter wasn't enough, he would continue to search for the old MacLean, for Barbara, all those responsible for the end of the world.

But not Y/N. Even to thank her. He hadn't looked for her in 3 years, he had no reason to start now.

So it was a surprise when something passed around her at lightning speed, stopping her in her tracks as she was about to advance towards the desert.

It had been a long time, but she remembered that damn lasso and the habit of its owner perfectly.

“Leaving so soon, sweetheart ?”

Why wasn't he with Janey ? Why stop her ? Why not be happy to see her go, like last time ? He already had Lucy to annoy him, and even if he loved her, it wouldn't be easy to survive in this world with a child. Why make her suffer like this ? Why make her believe that she was important ?

She could ask him all these questions and finally get real answers, but Y/N was scared.

No sound came out of her mouth as she turned to face Cooper, who had regained his cold gaze. This blur between despair and hatred. As if he had a reason to be angry with her.

“Think we need to talk.” he said in a slow voice. “A real conversation, sugar.”

And from the man who hated idle chatter, long explanations, and really all human interaction, that was something.

[birdiewriteslit]

wildest dreams au

luke hughes x abigail abernathy

masterlist

note: this took me a week bc i have to go to school sorry y’all

abyabynathy

tagged _quinnhughes, lhughes06, jackhughes

Liked by jackhughes and 1,896,245 others

abyabynathy the boys are back in town

View comments

_quinnhughes DAMN STRAIGHT🗣️🗣️

jackhughes @/_quinnhughes 🙄🙄

abyabynathy @/jackhughes looks like someone’s mad about the loss

jackhughes @/abyabynathy don’t accuse me

rudeth skipping the bruins game??

abyabynathy @/rudeth this is the only exception

user1 @/rudeth why is he commenting

user2 @/rudeth are yall back together or something

trevorzegras when will you come to my game

abyabynathy @/trevorzegras @/dixiedamelio come get your man

user3 @/abyabynathy HER WHAT.

ekat19 miss my girl

abyabynathy @/ekat19 shameless days>>

madelyncline LOVE YOU DEAREST

❤️ by author

jamie.drysdale collab when🤔

abyabynathy @/jamie.drysdale hmmm

user1 @/jamie.drysdale @/trevorzegras well well well

January 6, 2024

—

messages 9:40 pm

jack: so what is going on with you and luke

jack: you guys were being weird earlier

abigail: jack we’re in the same room just talk to me

jack: luke’s in the other room i am being safe

abigail: whatever

jack: so why has he been ignoring you all night and why does quinn know and i don’t

abigail: how do you know that quinn knows🤨

jack: bc he told me not to ask

abigail: yet here we are

jack: i dont like the vibes i need to fix them this is weird

jack: you never fight

abigail: fine he’s mad bc i made peace with rudy and i was with him the other day

jack: is that it

jack: your breakup was toxic but if you’re good with him now idk why luke would be mad about it

—

Abigail bit her lip, glancing at Jack from across the couch. “There is something else,” she said quietly.

Jack looked up from his phone and set it down beside him. “What is it?”

“You can’t say anything to anyone because Luke and I haven’t talked about it yet.” Abigail scooted closer to Jack and held up her pinky.

Jack intertwined his pinky with hers and motioned with his other hand that his lips were zipped. “I won’t tell a soul.”

“Okay,” Abigail said cautiously. “Luke and I kissed on New Year’s.”

Jack’s eyes blew wide. “What?” he practically shouted. Abigail slapped her hands over his mouth.

“Shut the fuck up!” she reprimanded through gritted teeth.

Jack made wild gestures with his hands and pushed hers away from his face. “That’s not what I thought you were going to say. You can’t just do that!”

Abigail shrugged. “Well, sorry to be blunt but I’m not sure how else you wanted me to say it.”

“I cannot fucking believe this,” Jack whispered. Abigail felt obligated to say something, but Jack brought his finger up to shush her. “You told Quinn and not me?”

Abigail rolled her eyes. “No, idiot. He just knows Luke’s mad about Rudy. He doesn’t know about the kiss thing.”

Jack grinned. “So I’m special.”

“You are not special,” Abigail said, exasperated. “I just don’t know what to do about this. He hasn’t said anything about it.”

“Abby, he’s probably waiting for you to say something,” Jack rationalized. “You know how he is.”

“Maybe. Should I talk to him about it?” Abigail asked.

Jack looked hesitant. “Can I ask you something?”

“What?”

“Do you love him?”

Abigail’s eyes widened and she felt her heartbeat quicken in her chest. “Jack, what?”

“I’m serious, Abby,” he said, his face stern.

“Jesus, I don’t know. I don’t even know where to go from here,” she admitted, running a nervous hand through her hair.

“You better figure it out because this is a big thing and I don’t want either of you getting hurt,” he said seriously.

“I know.” Abigail nodded solemnly.

“Do you want to be with him or not?” Jack asked finally.

Abigail thought for a moment. She always stopped herself from thinking about Luke like this. It felt forbidden to want him the way that she knew she did.

That night, when they kissed, it felt like she was on fire. She had never felt like that with any of her exes, not even Rudy. She always felt different when she was around Luke. He wasn’t her brother like Jack and Quinn were. He never was, even when they were kids. She knew the answer to Jack’s first question.

“I do,” she confessed softly.

“Then you know what to.”

“Yeah.”

Jack stood from the couch. “Goodnight, Abby.”

“Goodnight, Jack.”

[purplesimmer455]

Megan heads inside too, and she runs into Tess in the hallway. "Hey you," she says, smiling cautiously. "Hey." Tess says, a weak smile on her face. Megan hesitates for a second before Tess pulls her into an embrace, stroking her hair as Megan sighs. "Are we okay, Tessie?" She asks quietly. "I think so. You and Iseul talked last night?" Tess asks hesitantly. "Yeah, we talked about a lot of stuff and decided to put our romantic past fully behind us, for good this time. Plus I told her I couldn't choose her over you and our kids just because of some past feelings and she understands." Megan admits and Tess nods. "I'm so glad Meggs, because I love you so much and I want to be with you despite everything. I'm not going to lie, last week I considered us separating for a while but didn't because of Emmy." She says and Megan nods, her heart racing. "I don't blame you for that Tessie. I just hope I can get your trust back even if it might take some time." She says and Tess nods, her face a bit less tense and her shoulders lighter. "You can, I think I still need a bit of time and in the mean time we can go to our family therapist* and talk it all out." Tess adds, and Megan nods. "Of course, we can do that." She says.

Later that night, Megan pulls Tess close and kisses her cheek, and they snuggle together in bed. "So, what do you think of going to Mt. Komorebi? Just me, you, Saf, Amir, and Emily." Megan suggests. "I'd love that, Meggs and toast." Tess says, her eyes lighting up. "Skiing with our nooboos during the day and woohooing you by the fireplace in our room at night." She adds and Megan grins. "Sure Tessie," she says, before Tess snuggles closer to her and they both start to get sleepier as they talk until they drift off.

Also, I included a cute photo of Tess doing a heart fingers thing as she looks at Megan, it's really cute. 😊

*Also @abbysimsfun I hope you don't mind me tagging you for another inspiration thing but you inspired me for this part because of how you had Heather and Conrad communicate so well in one post. 😄😊

[luchicm04]

Sinking in the Metkayina - chapter 2

Masterlist

Summary: Tonowari is obsessed. The atmosphere is completely opposite to the first chapter. For those who want to preserve the impressions from Chapter 1, I recommend not reading.

Pairing: Tonowari/Omatikaya!Fem Reader

Tag: #sinking in the metkayina fic

posted on ao3

Word count: +6k

All characters belong to Avatar, and all rights are reserved to the original work whose author allowed me to translate it.

Overall warnings: hurt/comfort, fluff, obsessive behavior⚠️

“Hey!!! Excuse me, are you part of the Omatikaya?”

“No. I’m from the Tawkami clan.”

“Well, can you stop by the Omatikaya then?”

“It is on the way, but…”

“Thank goodness...! Please, tell the Olo’eyktan of the Omatikaya that (Y/n) is alive and is now living with the Metkayina!”

Because she was happily living with Tonowari, she hadn’t thought about Jake or the humans who probably considered her dead… When she first got to the island, the human knew she would be rejected if she asked to pass on the news, and after that, she was busy collecting research samples in the ocean that she loved, so she forgot about it…

‘How could I forget just like that?’

Back at the base, she’ll have access to the conveniences and familiarity of civilization and research equipment.

After living for so long in tribal society using only the things permitted, she was so happy thinking about going back… She could examine the things she had collected there under a microscope and run them through all sorts of testing machines!!

Of course, there was the issue of the relationship with Tonowari, but she thought that she could just give him communication devices and talk to him every day. She thought that she would stay at the base for a while, and then move the necessary things and go back and forth between the Omatikaya and Metkayina.

(Y/n) believed that Tonowari would understand all of that.

Because he was an understanding man.

──

The human helicopter arrived earlier than expected; the Tawkami Na’vi must have quickly delivered the message.

(Y/n) barely managed to stop the tribesmen from attacking it, agitated by the landing of an unfamiliar mechanism, and shouted in joy at the man who had gotten off of it.

“Ralph!”

“(Y/n)! You’re alive!”

“You’re not getting rid of me that easily. It’s been so long...”

As soon as Ralph stepped on the sand, he ran to hug his colleague who he thought had passed away and cried tears of happiness. (Y/n), who was hugging him back, also shed tears. After being shipwrecked and lost for months, only then did she realize she had made it. She had survived.

“Have you been here this whole time?”

“Yeah, I forgot to try and contact you… Sorry.”

“It’s okay, I’m just grateful that you did now. Come on, let’s go back.”

The girl felt as if she had been slapped back to reality. “Huh?”

“Everyone’s waiting. Is your drinking capacity still intact?”

“Of course! ...Um, but…”

She hadn’t finished organizing everything yet. She hadn’t even said goodbye yet… But before she could utter a single word, a hand roughly pulled (Y/n), who had stayed still hesitantly, away from Ralph.

Tonowari spoke with a severe face, holding (Y/n)’s arm so tightly she almost fell on her knees. “What do you mean go back?” he questioned, having managed to overhear their conversation and remembering the few English words he had learned through the girl.

“Oh, right… I see you. My name is Ralph. I’m (Y/n)’s workmate.”

“I asked what did you mean with ‘go back’.”

“We are currently on war against our enemies alongside the Omatikaya. Didn’t (Y/n) say that she came from there?” Ralph explained, a bit cautiously.

“It doesn’t matter. The Metkayina is with whom (Y/n) is staying right now, and she won’t be going back.”

(Y/n) looked up at him in surprise. “Tonowari, what are you talking about…! Ralph, I’m sorry, I haven’t talked to the Na’vis here yet...”

“If we talk about this, will anything change?” The man continued to gaze intently at her.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you in advance, but… all my foundations are in the forest; I have to go back.”

“Are you leaving me?”

Ralph, sensing something was wrong judging by Tonowari’s frighteningly hardened expression, looked at (Y/n) with a face that demanded an explanation.

“I think you’re too worked up, let’s go inside and talk. Ralph, I’m sorry, but I can’t go back today. Can you return in three days?”

“Don’t come. She won’t leave.”

“Tonowari…! I’ll explain properly, Ralph, just go!”

“(Y/n), are you alright?”

“Yes, just go now!”

The human male got back on the helicopter, seeing that something was seriously wrong with his friend but couldn’t do anything about it. All he could do was shout, “I’ll be back in three days!”

When (Y/n) saw the helicopter take off, she looked around. Even though they didn’t know the details of the what was discussed, the observing people could tell that the human girl had been about to leave, and the young Na’vis were looking at her with hurt eyes.

“Guys, I didn’t mean to leave just like th- Ow! Tonowari…!”

While normally his heart would tremble even when (Y/n) pretended to be sick, the chief gripper her arm, almost dragging her and headed towards their shared marui.

“You need to explain yourself.”

“It hurts…!”

As soon as they arrived, Tonowari threw her arm away and spoke.

“Now tell me, what did you plan on doing?”

“This is a misunderstanding, Tonowari… It wasn’t my intention to leave you all like that.”

“How can I believe you?” he asked more softly with a deep voice.

“I was just planning to go back and rest for a bit, then come back and spend some time going back and forth between the two locations.”

“Without saying a word to anyone?”

“Tonowari, listen. I was going to go and come back, really.”

“I already asked, how can I believe you?”

“...Believe it or not, I’m going. Ralph is coming back in three days.”

Tonowari’s face, devoid of a single smile, was eerily frozen. “You’re going with that man? Leaving me behind?”

(Y/n) was starting to get a little scared. However, she thought it was a process that they had to go through anyway, so she continued to speak firmly.

“Ralph is just a co-worker. He’s just like any of my collagues.”

“...Ha. There are other men too?”

“What the hell does that have to do with…?”

“Alright, that’s the end of the story. You will stay here, and tell your ‘colleagues’ the same thing.”

“Tonowari!”

“Do not test my patience any longer.”

‘Well, what if I try it, huh?’

At this point, (Y/n) was pissed. She had explained it several times; why didn’t he listen? Didn’t she say she’d be coming back?? The girl sat down and started packing her things as if she was protesting.

“(Y/n),” he uttered her name in a chilling tone.

“I don’t want to talk right now.”

“(Y/n), I warned you.”

“Well then, what are you going to do?” she asked challengingly without turning back or stopping what she was doing.

Tonowari, who had been quietly looking down at (Y/n) with his mouth shut, roughly grabbed her arm and pulled her up… and threw her over his shoulder.

In an instant, her eye level rose to nearly 3 meters, and Tonowari headed towards the sea without even caring whether his hold was being harsh or not.

“Where are you going? Let go of me! Tonowari!”

As soon as he jumped into the sea with his head held high, (Y/n) froze when she saw his Skimwing approaching him as if it had been waiting for him. They were usually dangerous and she wasn’t even allowed to go near one, so it made no sense to put her in such a dangerous position. Regardless, Tonowari, who had gotten used to her trashing and made Tsaheylu with it, crossed through the water and headed somewhere unknown to her.

The place he took (Y/n), who was frightened and with no further intention of rebelling further, was… a small rocky island with rough waves crashing against it.

Tonowari reached the coastal cave there and laid (Y/n) down, exhausted from hear.

“This place has strong currents and brutal waves. You can’t possibly get close unless you have a Tsurak. Of course, you can’t get out of it either.”

“Are you out of your mind?!”

“There is a freshwater lake, so you will have a place to drink and wash. I will bring you food.”

“Tonowari! Are you hearing yourself right now?”

“I shall come twice a day.”

(Y/n), who was grasping for breath on the cave floor, suddenly got up and tried to fight against Tonowari, but she was easily subdued… The girl felt so wronged that she almost cried. She tried to escape from Tonowari’s hands and yelled almost in tears.

“W-why? Why are you doing this to me?”

“Because you are my mate.”

Tonowari’s eyes possessed an unreadable light as he said those words, and (Y/n) felt at a loss for words.

“I’ll be back in the evening, so cool your head and rest.”

The man let go of her arm and walked back to the beach, then rode off on his Skimwing without looking back.

Only a dazed (Y/n) remained on the rocky island.

──

(Y/n), who was crouching blankly in the cave, didn’t even know how much time had passed. All she could perceive was the wind blowing, the waves crashing, and the sky getting dark.

When Tonowari arrived, it was evening, as anticipated, with the sun setting.

He put down some fruits and other foods that (Y/n) liked and usually ate, and spoke, “I brought you something to eat.”

“I won’t.”

“You must in order to survive.”

“Then let me go.”

“That is not possible.”

(Y/n) chuckled.

“You won’t let me go back, you dragged me here and you confined me. What’s next?”

“Please, at least eat something.”

“And if I don’t? Will you force me?”

“No. I would never use violence on you.”

“You know, that’s really funny… I’m not eating, so take the food back. Or throw it away.”

After saying those words, Tonowari stared at (Y/n) with his mouth shot for a long time. He picked up a fruit, took a bite, and came closer. (Y/n) noticed what he was trying to do and struck his cheek with all her might, but his neck didn’t even turn… It looked like he was going to kiss her.

Blood was flowing from Tonowari’s mouth after their lips were glued together for a few seconds and then pulled away… The girl had bit his lip.

His finger touched his bruised lip and he looked at it with slight anger. “Nothing good will come from this.”

“If you know it won’t get any better, why are you doing this?”

“You don’t understand.”

“If it was going to be like this, why did you treat me so well?”

“(Y/n)-”

“Why did you make the people think you are a good mate, a good Na’vi?!”

Tears fell from (Y/n)’s eyes. Betrayal, sadness and resentment was all she could feel, but also a little bit of a desire to still believe… a faint hope that if she told him, he would listen.

“It’s not too late. Let me go.”

“...I love you.”

“Take me back, please...”

“I love you.”

“Please, don’t let me hate you…”

Tonowari just hugged her without even wiping the blood flowing from his mouth. (Y/n) was crying in hopelessness in his arms and beating his chest, asking how this could be called love… The hand that stroke (Y/n)’s back was as affectionate as ever, and that made (Y/n) fall into despair even more.

──

Tonowari came to see (Y/n) twice a day, as promised. Each time, the human didn’t open her mouth nor looked at him, but he paid no attention to it and continued to talk about the day’s events as if nothing had happened.

“Today I helped the children ride an Ilu for the first time. It made me happy… reminded me of my memories with you. I hope we get to do that soon.”

“The whole village is busy because it’s clam digging season.”

“The Tulkuns have created a new song and it’s so beautiful. I wish to listen to it together later...”

Every time the word ‘together’ came out, (Y/n) would snicker in amazement. It had been only a few days that they did everything together, but now it was a word that felt so distant.

On the sixth day that Tonowari came, the girl had a gut feeling that he had met Ralph again when she saw his mouth clenched even tighter than usual.

“That man came. I told him to go back because you wouldn’t be leaving.”

“...Are you satisfied now?”

“He said he’d be back again to keep looking for you. I can’t be at peace until then.”

“When will it be enough for you?”

“Until you become my mate completely.”

“Then, you’re screwed; you’ll never be satisfied in your life.”

“Don’t say that.”

“I used to be your mate, you know? You were the one who doubted me and ruined things.”

“That happened when you tried to leave without saying a word.”

“...Okay, talking any further will get us nowhere.”

Tonowari looked at (Y/n)’s back, who had turned around as if there was no point in arguing any longer, with eyes full of all kinds of emotions.

(Y/n) felt those gazes but ignored them and bit her lips tightly… She had no idea where it went wrong and whether they could turn this relationship around.

‘I wonder if I’ll ever get out of here…’

──

The girl didn’t bother to keep track of the number of days that passed from then on. She didn’t even count the amount of times Tonowari would visit her without fail, because she feared she’d go crazy if she realized she had been locked away alone that much time.

As always, the Na’vi got up, whispering his unanswered love and spoke caressing her face, which had become pale due to not eating properly (although much of what she ate, she had thrown up). “I’ll be leaving now for today. I shall be back tomorrow morning, so make sure you eat something before then.”

“...”

“I love you.”

(Y/n), as always, sat still without seeing him off. Soon, she heard the Skimwing’s wings flapping, meaning she had been left alone again.

‘How long has it been…’

As she stood blankly for a long time, (Y/n) realized that the sound could be heard once more, although faintly.

‘He said he’d come in the morning… Why is he back again?’

The human was not happy either way, so she sat there with her back to the sea.

“(Y/n), (Y/n)! Are you there?!”

Until she heard a woman’s voice.

“...Maunan?”

It was the Tsahìk of the Maetkayina.

As soon as she heard that voice, (Y/n) jumped up and ran out.

‘Please, please…’

It was Maunan, who jumped down after her Skimwing landed. When she saw the taller woman’s face, (Y/n) burst into tears and cried loudly.

“Maunan!!!”

“Eywa… Have you been here the whole time?”

“Yes, here… c-continuously… ugh...”

“The people were very worried.”

Maunan, seeing her haggard complexion, wiped her tears and did her best to comfort her.

“How did it come to this…?”

“Y-you came to save me? Can I leave now?”

The Na’vi looked at her pitifully, imagining how strong her desire was to be back at her home in the jungle. “No, not yet. There’s a limit to how far you can go with a Skimwing. There is an Ikran rider who is leaving for the forest soon. I’ll tell him to spread the news about what happened, so hold on here for three days.”

“Three days...”

“I believe three days will be enough for the Sky People to hear about it and come back. Is that alright with you?”

“Yes, I can handle it… Thank you… Thank you…”

“No need for that. It’s my fault for not stopping the situation in time.”

After soothing (Y/n), who was sobbing in relief that she would finally escape, Maunan said that she would be going and advised her not let herself be caught by Tonowari. Only after seeing the human nodding with a tearful face did she take off on her mount.

(Y/n) was left alone on the rocky island again, but she was no longer distressed.

‘Three days… I must hold out until then.’

(Y/n) started putting into her mouth the food that Tonowari had left behind, which she had never even looked at unless she was really close to dying… Up until then, she had not experienced any flavor when she ate, but for the first time in weeks since she had been trapped there, she could taste the sweetness of the fruit. After gulping down the water, she felt much more energetic.

The next morning, Tonowari, who brought food as usual, saw for the first time that (Y/n) had emptied the food.

“Will you be eating now?”

“...Yes...”

“Good. I was worried about you…” Tonowari said caressing her cheek, whose complexion had improved. And, again, for the first time, (Y/n) did not slap his hand away.

How long had it been since (Y/n) accepted Tonowari’s touch instead of rejecting it…? The man felt as if the two of them had gone back to how it used to be in the past, even if it was only for a moment. At that time, everything was happiness. (Y/n) loved him as if she would stay by his side forever, and with that alone, Tonowari felt like he had the whole world.

And now… although it had gotten better, he could still see her gaunt face and listless appearance. Tonowari suddenly felt a surge of emotion… How had it ended up like this? ...He had been happier than anyone else, but the feeling of having ruined it with his own hands struck his hands.

“...I’ll be going now.”

In the end, Tonowari couldn’t stay long that day and ran away from the rocky island… (Y/n) still didn’t see him off, but she watched his back as he rode off on his Skimwing for a long time.

──

Two days left

The next day, (Y/n) ate all the food Tonowari had brought, and some color returned to her pale face. After finishing all the clams that she especially liked, he was once again caught up in that inexplicable feeling as he watched (Y/n) resting as if she was full.

The girl blushed and said, “If you grill the clams next time, let’s eat them together.”

He vividly remembered (Y/n)’s first day of class, when he had felt sorry for her and had tried so hard to help her out due to her not even being able to open the clams.

Now that he thought about it, Tonowari may have started paying special attention to (Y/n) since that moment. Did he know back then that this would happen? If he had known… would he still have opened that clam?

Tonowari was overcome with all sorts of emotions as he looked at (Y/n)’s body, which had always been small, but now it somehow seemed even smaller… He remembered the memory of him hugging her small frame, kissing her and smiling. He also remembered the face that pretended not to have anything going on with him and kissed him briefly when no one was looking, and the voice that whispered that she loved him.

He felt like he had ruined it all.

Looking at (Y/n)’s expressionless face, Tonowari asked impulsively, “Can I hug you just this once?”

The human turned her head at those words and stared at him for a while without saying anything before answering quietly.

“...Alright.”

As always, Tonowari lowered his body, met her gaze, and hugged her affectionately. (Y/n) did not avoid him.

──

One day left

Tonowari, who had left the rocky island as if he was running away that day, recalled the fond feelings and memories that had welled up the moment he hugged (Y/n). Those whirlwind emotions didn’t go away even after lying down on the floor of his marui, so he couldn’t fall asleep and kept tossing and turning. The nights he had spent with (Y/n) were not like that at all.

Her body would lie down and fit perfectly into his arms, whispering “Good night, Tonowari.” and she’d finally close her eyes. When he opened his eyes in the morning, (Y/n)’s round eyes and the mischievous voice that teased him for being sleepy would be the first thing he’d see.

It was Tonowari who ruined it all.

Not (Y/n).

Tonowari got up and washed his face dry, going over his mother’s words on his head.

“Tomorrow, bring (Y/n) back and… apologize.”

He couldn’t help it.

Because Tonowari loved (Y/n) too much to give up her affectionate whispers and touches.

──

The third day came and (Y/n) opened her eyes. Even though it was just dawn, the girl was biting her fingernails nervously… She sat down and swayed her legs, then jumped up and ran to the beach, narrowing her eyes and searching the distant sky.

He’d come… He said he would… He had to get her out of there.

Before Tonowari arrived…

How long did she wait like that…? Who knows, because soon enough, she started hearing the familiar sound of a propeller from afar.

It was a helicopter! It was there to pick her up!

(Y/n) was so happy that she jumped up and down in place, screaming “H-here! I’m over here!!”

“(Y/n)! Oh my god, are you okay?!”

“Ralph…! Oh, God, thank you…”

Her eyes welled up with tears as she heard the English words… Ralph’s expression of shock at her appearance, which seemed to have almost lost half its life, was vivid.

“Let’s go. Quickly, we have to leave before that crazy guy gets here!”

The island was too small and uneven for a helicopter to land on, so Ralph reached out from the cabin of the vehicle that was a short distance from the ground. Right when she was about to grab his hand, (Y/n) hesitated for a moment.

‘If I leave now… it will be the end of me with Tonowari. Our relationship will be over, just like that.’

Despite all that catastrophe, the thought of it made the blood drain from her fingertips.

“Ralph, I…”

“(Y/n)!!!”

The sound of a Skimwing’s wings flapping was heard along with that scream.

As soon as he had seen the Sky People’s machine that he had already witnessed once, Tonowari understood the situation flew towards them at a fast speed, his face turning pale.

“(Y/n), I was wrong! Please, please don’t leave!”

A desperate cry… Tonowari was pleading, yelling as if pouring out everything inside him.

“Shit, he’s already here… Get in, (Y/n)!”

“I… Wait, I...”

“If we wait any longer, it’ll be too late!”

The man grabbed (Y/n)’s hesitating hand and pulled with all his might, and (Y/n) was put on the chopper’s back. It would have been right to leave without even looking back, but the girl couldn’t take her eyes off Tonowari even after getting on the helicopter.

“(Y/n), please, please…!! I was wrong, please! Please, just stay…!!”

The pilot, after confirming that his companion was safely on board, took off straight upward. Their ride, which had risen to a point beyond the reach of the Skimwing, took off towards the forest at an incomparable speed.

“(Y/n)!!!”

Leaving behind Tonowari’s desperate cries.

Ralph looked anxiously at the strangely quiet (Y/n) behind him after having saved her in the nick of time while they headed back to the jungle.

“Are… are you alright?”

“...Yeah, I’m fine. Thank you for saving me.”

This was the right thing.

It was right to cut off that kind of relationship.

For Tonowari’s sake, and for hers.

(Y/n) kept looking back without saying a word… After flying like that for a few hours, when they arrived at the forest, the humans who had been waiting hugged her and welcomed her with tears in their eyes.

“(Y/n)! God, look at your face…! Are you okay?”

“We’re so sorry, we should have looked for you more...”

“Get in, quickly. You need to eat something warm and rest.”

She went inside and drank warm coca with marshmallows floating on top for an unknown amount of time, and then went through a health checkup just in case. Except for a slight malnutrition caused by skipping meals, everything was fine, so her colleagues breathed out a sigh of relief.

“The body is not the problem, it’s the mind...”

“Shh, be quiet.”

“Why? Did I say something wrong?”

“Just… pay attention…!”

It was already known by everyone that she had been in a relationship with Tonowari, as it had been declared by Maunan… and being imprisoned by such a lover was not an experience that could be easily overlooked. Since none of the remaining humans had majored in counseling or anything like that, they all just gave her their best wishes and let her rest in peace.

(Y/n) came into her room, saying she wanted to be alone, and swept the desk she had not seen in a long time with her hand. There was no dust, as if it had been cleaned in advance. She still didn’t feel like she was back.

The girl laid on the bed and stared at the ceiling. The mattress was soft, fluffy and comfortable; unrivalled to the hammock or floor of the open-plan marui. Suddenly, as she was just laying there, she felt that the bed was too cold. Was it because there was no large body that hugged her warmly? Although she had slept alone the whole time she had been on that island, the empty space felt alien, as if they he had been with her the day before.

‘No, Tonowari is a bad man who pressured me, trapped me on that island, and then shamelessly forced me not to leave.

Whether he was kind or not.

Whether he gave me a warm hug or not.

Whether he whispered that he loved me or not.’

(Y/n) knew it was nonsense, but… she wanted to see Tonowari.

She hated it so much, but was it because she realized she could never see him again? Memories of Tonowari continued to come to her mind without stopping. When he first gave her a ride, when he made her a necklace out of pretty conch shells, when he made her laugh with the kids and told her stories about shells… All her good memories were with Tonowari.

That night, the only thing that could be heard from (Y/n)’s room was the sound of sobbing and crying nonstop.

Meanwhile, the humans were not over their worries… because… Tonowari knew that (Y/n) was residing with the Omatikaya and even more so, he was the Olo’eyktan of a clan… Jake had to maintain the best possible relationship with the other tribes or, in the worst-case scenario, there would be an armed conflict.

Her friends asked Jake what he was going to do, and the former avatar decided to stick to his stance of protecting (Y/n).

“If it weren’t for (Y/n) during the war, half of us would have died. (Y/n) is like you, a member of my tribe. I survived and became the leader, but I won’t abandon my people like old shoes. Instead, we should avoid conflict as much as possible… and we should also prevent (Y/n) and Tonowari from seeing each other.”

He thought everything would be okay once the war was over, but he put his hand on his forehead, troubled by another matter.

“That Olo’eyktan… should be here by now?”

“It’s a matter of time.”

“...Even if he does something, don’t tell (Y/n).”

“Of course.”

Jake was half prepared for war, half prepared for diplomacy. He’d go with other Na’vis armed with weapons and try his best to avoid conflict, but if things went unexpectedly… While tension hung over the entire base, (Y/n) just cried in her room or slept like she was dead. She didn’t want to do anything else; she didn’t have the energy for it.

Unfortunately for the humans, time flew by… and finally, a radio message came from a tribesman who was scouting on an Ikran.

“A sea Na’vi has been spotted. He is believed to be the Olo’eyktan of the Metkayina, riding a Pa’li.”

“Hmm… How many people are with him?”

“That’s… the strange thing.”

“Strange?”

“He is alone.”

Alone? The humans who heard the radio were muttering. So, that meant he didn’t plan on using force, right? That was good… Nevertheless, why come alone? What was he thinking?

“Ha… I’ll go over there and talk to him first; don’t let (Y/n) know. It’s best if you distract her so she can’t come out at all.”

“Should be easy enough. She just cries in her room and doesn’t go out anyway.”

──

“I see you, Tonowari.”

“I see you, JakeSully.”

Jake’s palms were slightly sweaty as he faced Tonowari. The Na’vi, who was nearly 3 meters tall and had a body that would make it difficult to predict the outcome if they fought, was looking down at him.

“I will not take much of your time. Allow me to talk to (Y/n).”

“That won’t be possible. You know why.”

“I’m not here to do any harm. I just want to talk, that’s all.”

“(Y/n) won’t want to see you.”

“...I know.”

“Then you know why I have no choice but to refuse your request.”

“Just let me talk to her. The consequences will be on me.”

──

“...Jane? What are you doing at the door?”

“Huh? Oh, I… I was just looking at something.”

“I’m going out. Can you please step aside?”

“E-eh? Ahaha… Shouldn’t you sleep a little more?”

“No, I already slept for some time… I wanted to go get some fresh air.”

“The weather outside is not that great today~ Just stay in your room!”

“…? It seemed okay when I looked through the window?”

“It’s hot and humid and not pleasant...!”

The girl stared oddly at her colleague.

“What’s wrong? It looks as if you’re trying to keep me from going out.”

“Huh? O-oh, uh… No~ No, it’s just that...”

“Is there any reason why I shouldn’t go out?”

“W-what? Of course not, why would there be? Ahaha~”

“…..”

“Ahahaha...”

“Is Tonowari here?”

It was something like an intuition that even (Y/n) couldn’t explain. An instinctive inkling that Tonowari had come to see here.

“Eh? What… What are you talking about? Why would that Na’vi be here?”

“Tonowari is here, isn’t here?”

“That’s not it- (Y/n)! (Y/n), where are you going, (Y/n)!!”

She pushed past Jane and hurried down the hallway. While she was running, (Y/n) felt several hands trying to get a hold of her saying “Hey! Grab her! Don’t let her out!”. She didn’t know where the strength came from, but she shook the all off and pushed the door open with all her might and got out.

She squinted for a moment under the dazzling sunlight, then opened her eyes and looked at the spot where Tonowari was standing still. Jake made a face of defeat and gestured to his friends next to him.

“Take her back in, hurry!”

“No, let me talk to him.”

“...(Y/n)?”

“It was me who got tied up in this mess, so it’s me who has to do it, not you.”

“...I’ll be watching from the side, just in case.”

“Thanks, Jake.”

And so, (Y/n) stood in front of Tonowari for the first time in a long time.

“...(Y/n).”

“Long time no see, Tonowari.”

“...I have a lot to say.”

“Try me.”

The man fell to his knees. Jake looked back and forth between them in confusion.

“...I’m sorry. It was all my fault, and I dare not ask for forgiveness. I… I apologize for everything.”

“What do you want?”

“Just let me stay by your side.”

“Are you asking me to go back?”

“No, I shall stay with you.”

“...You’re going to stay in the forest?”

“If you permit me.”

“You- you are Olo’eyktan.”

“I’ll leave everything behind. The sea has no meaning to em without you.”

(Y/n) bit her lip and looked at Tonowari.

“If that’s the case, why did you do it?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Do you know how brazen you’re being right now?”

“It’s all my fault.”

“After locking me up, you think you can fix everything with a few words?”

“The morning you left, I was going to give up everything and take you out.”

“Are you expecting me to believe that?”

“You don’t have to believe it, just… know that it’s the truth.”

“...What are you going to do from now on?”

“I will atone for my sins by your side. You don’t have to love me, and you can hit me if you wish.”

“You want me to stay by your side? Even in the end, you only think about your own good.”

“...I’m sorry.”

The human looked at the sky for a moment. It was as clear as the day (Y/n) escaped from the island, and there before her was her captor kneeling, waiting for his punishment.

What did she want to do? The woman shut her mouth and stared at Tonowari.

‘Kiss me. Give it a try first and then decide.’

──

“(Y/n), are you sure about this? Really sure?”

“I told you, I really am. And don’t you remember what my major is? It makes it more convenient to love by the sea.”

“If it was going to end up like this… why did we make such a fuss about it?”

“If anything happens, be sure to contact me, okay? Charge your communication equipment frequently, and hide it somewhere Tonowari doesn’t know about.”

“Ralph will come to see me anyway. It’s okay.”

(Y/n)’s colleagues were worried about her as she prepared to leave with a bundle of luggage loaded onto the helicopter. She tried to reassure them one by one, as she didn’t want them to be so concerned. However, a large, distracting sea Na’vi kept hovering around her, unable to sit still.

“Just come and hold my hand. Don’t worry about what others think.”

“Okay…?”

They all must have been glaring at Tonowari, who they didn’t and couldn’t trust. Ralph, who had decided to go to the Metkayina regularly to check on her while delivering goods, said “I’ll keep a close eye on her.”

“Don’t worry, I’m going to be fine.”

“Yeah, that didn’t turn out so well last time,” he said and then prepared for takeoff as soon as Tonowari got into the helicopter.

The Na’vi silently held (Y/n)’s hand, who was sitting next to him, and then carefully brought it to his mouth with anxious eyes, as if he was about to press his lips against it. (Y/n) just smiled while looking at him.

After taking them to the reef clan, unpacking her luggage and reassuring Ralph, who kept gazing at Tonowari with a distrustful look, he spoke one last time with her alone.

“Even if nothing happens, please contact me every day, okay?”

──

(Y/n) sat down comfortably, but Tonowari couldn’t help but fidget and look around.

“Sit down, this is your home.”

“...Our home.”

She looked around the marui… It felt strange, because nothing had really changed since then.

“I brought some decorations, so I’ll put it over there.”

“Do whatever you want.”

“I’ll keep the experimental equipment here. Don’t touch it.”

“I understand.”

While she unpacked, (Y/n) suddenly let out a deep breath. Tonowari seemed to hesitate before asking.

“Do you regret it?”

“You?”

“I regret many things… but I don’t regret being by your side.”

“That’s fine, then.”

When she approached Tonowari and opened her arms as if asking for a hug, he wavered for a moment and then embraced her in a familiar way.

“Listen to me carefully. If you do something like that in the future, I really won’t ever forgive you.”

“That will never happen again.”

“And be sure to thank Maunan. She saved me.”

“Of course.”

Only then did (Y/n) actually hug Tonowari’s neck and gave him a light kiss.

“Now, let’s get back to bedecking our home.”

“...Yes, our home.”

(Y/n) acted awkward for a while and didn’t express their love as freely as before. The experience had clearly left scars, and (Y/n) sometimes woke up from her sleep and looked around to see if she was back on that rocky island. Each time, she was comforted by the warmth that embraced her and gave her solace.

(Y/n) thought that was enough.

Normal – Na'vi

Italics – English

Vocabulary list: olo’eyktan (clan leader), marui (pods built in the giant mangrove-like trees alongside the shores and are protected from crashing waves by giant reef barriers), tsaheylu (bond, neural connection), tsurak (skimwing), tsahìk (head shaman, high priest, interpreter), ikran (mountain banshee), pa’li (direhorse)

[ssuperficialspacecadett]

Familiarity Breeds Contempt

Chapter Ten of the Through the Scope series | Chapter Eleven

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 4.1K

Chapter Overview: Rochelle and Frankie's relationship finally reaches a boiling point

TW: toxic relationship, mentions of cocaine, depictions of domestic assault/violence

Notes: hey everyone !! this is a heavier chapter,, so it didn't feel right to include a lot of the things i originally intended too. not to worry though because that's what next week is for hehe ((: thank u to @missbabyjay for being a blessing and giving me some inspo for the fight scene !! i updated the tag list so please let me know if i missed you/ you want to be added ! as usual ... my asks are always open and happy reading <3

*no use of y/n & female presenting reader*

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

“What’s going on?” Benny looks puzzled as Will holds your scared body with extreme care. He peers past his brother to find only Pope following closely behind. “Where’s Fish?”

“Dealin’ with his past.” Will sighs as he sets you down. 

You quietly wrap your arms around your body and turn to look back at the front door of the gym.

“His past? Could you be any more vague?” He brushes past his brother for you. Benny crouches down and cups your face in his hands while cautiously inspecting you. “What happened out there?”

“I don’t know. I really don't know. One minute everything is fine and then the next minute a car comes barreling towards all four of us and I’m being rushed inside.” 

He looks for his friends for more answers as he rubs your shoulder. When Will stays silent, Pope speaks up. 

“Crazy bitch decided it would be a good idea to show up here.” He offers.

“Rochelle?” Benny stands to his full height. “Rochelle is outside my fuckin’ gym? No way in hell.” He starts heading for the exit with murder in his eyes, but Will plants a steady hand on his chest. 

“Fish is takin’ care of it. Leave it be.”

“Leave it be?! How can you say that after everything she has done to him?” Benny spits.

“For the love of God will someone tell me what’s going on?!” You finally crack.

All three of them look at you with pained expressions. 

“As much as we want to tell you-” Pope starts.

“And we really want to tell you.” Benny quickly adds.

“This is something Catfish has to tell you himself. You deserve to hear it directly from him and not a third party, hermosa.” 

“But-” You begin.

“He will tell you, hon.” Will wraps his arms around you and you allow yourself to accept the comfort you so desperately need amidst the chaos. “You just need to be patient with him. His past, just like the rest of ours, is hard to talk about. I know it’s easier said than done, but trust us.”

You slowly move your own limbs around his torso and take a deep breath of his woodsy cologne. Of course he wears a scent that is reminiscent of trees. They are one in the same if you think about it. Both of them are tall, strong, able to stand firm in any weather, and always constant. Will is your oak tree and you cling on to him until the raging winds start to die down. Unfortunately, just as trees are predictable, the winds never are. Muffled yelling begins to seep through the door accompanied by pounding fists on glass.

***

“Francisco fucking Morales!” She screeches. “We need to talk!”

He starts walking towards her. “Yes, Rochelle. We do.”

“Oh!” She gasps dramatically. “So now you want to talk?! That’s funny because you have been avoiding my calls and texts for the past week! I haven’t heard from you since Saturday night! It wouldn’t have anything to do with that fucking receptionsit, would it?”

He knew this would happen. He knew that she would immediately bring you up.

“Do you know how many times you would disappear on me while we were dating, Rochelle?” He asks calmly. “But now that we aren’t dating and I’m the one not responding, it’s an issue for you?”

He can see it in her eyes that she's taken aback. In every argument that they have ever had in the history of their relationship, Frankie had always rolled over and bared his stomach to her. He never tried to fight back in order to preserve the peace. Clearly she thought that this time would be the same.

“Why haven’t you answered my question?! Does that receptionist have anything to do with you ignoring me?!”

“This is between me and you. Leave her out of this.” He wants to keep you as far away from her hooked claws as he can. He might not have been able to escape them, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to let her drag you down.

“So, that’s a yes!” She throws her hands up in the air as if she is celebrating a victory. “I’m also going to correctly assume that she’s the reason why you haven’t given me an answer about getting back together!”

You were the reason. You were without a doubt the reason. In the short time that he has known you and the even shorter time that he has been with you, you have given him things he didn’t think he was worthy of. You gave back all the kindness and care he gifted you tenfold. You listened when he talked, communicated with him about the little things, and above all, even if you didn’t know it yet, were patient with him. He knew he was a broken and shattered piece of glass, but you were like the sea. Your gentle waves came up and kissed his rough edges until they were soft and round. You were nothing like the relentless, careening waters that he knew Rochelle to be. That he thought all relationships to be. You never made him feel like he was in a perpetual state of purgatory waiting to be granted access to the Heaven that was your affection. You gave it to him so willingly and without hesitation.

“No, I’m the reason why you haven’t been given an answer about if we are getting back together. I don’t want to do this anymore,” He motions his hands in between the two of them. “I want something healthy.”

He watches her eyes grow wide at his words. The sheer weight of them slams down on her so hard that he swears he almost sees her knees buckle.

“You ‘want something healthy’?!” She mocks. “I pulled you out of the gutter when I met you!”

“Oh my fucking God.” He whispers. It’s like he’s looking in a mirror eight months ago. “You’re high, aren’t you? You could have killed all of us and yourself driving like that!” Anger starts to bubble below his cool demeanor.

“Don’t change the subject!” She bellows.

“You want to talk about pulling me out of the gutter? Fine! You pulling me out of the gutter caused me to lose my fucking pilots license! The best part was,” He can’t help but laugh dryly. “You didn’t even care! That didn’t even snap you back to reality! You never came to visit me in rehab either!” He takes a deep breath to get centered as he can feel himself getting sucked in. “I’m just as complicit in the drug use as you were. You may have shown it to me, but I continued to buy it. I know this. But, when I needed your support you bailed on me.”

“I gave you a distraction from all of those goddamn nightmares!” She hollers. “If you were too busy being high on coke then you wouldn’t have them!”

“You’re fucking deranged if you think that’s what help is supposed to be!”

“At least when you were with me, you knew I wouldn’t judge you for it!” She quips. “What has she said about your little ‘habit’, Frankie? Did she gasp? Did she move away when you tried to touch her? Did she tell you she needed time to be by herself to think everything over?” 

He stays quiet as he clenches his fists by his side. His nails are biting into the flesh of his palm, but he doesn’t care. Her words vibrate violently around in his head. He hadn’t told you about the coke, not yet at least. It wasn’t something he was comfortable coming right out and saying on a first date. The fear that it would make you look at him differently or even want to leave all together haunted him at night. Keeping it from you was wrong if he wanted to be in a relationship; however, he selfishly wanted to keep the image you had of him inside your head intact and uncorrupted. 

“Well look at that!” She giggles maniacally. “She doesn’t know. You haven’t fessed up, have you?”

“What she and I talk about doesn’t concern you, Rochelle. As a matter-of-fact, nothing I say or do should concern you from here on out.” He conjures images of you and uses them to keep him steady and put the final nail in the coffin. “Since you clearly didn’t understand what my silence meant this past week, I’ll waste my breath on you one last time. I don’t want to be in a relationship with you. I don’t want to associate with you. I don’t want to know you anymore.”

“Frankie, baby. Please-” Rochelle begs. She can feel him slipping out from where she verbally pinned him. The struggle for control was tipping in Frankie’s favor and she didn’t know what to do.

“Don’t pretend like you care now to make up for the fact that you never did the entire time. It’s over for good. I should have ended it officially long ago. I guess in a fucked up way you did help me when we did coke. Whenever I was high I could actually convince myself that I loved you.”

Frankie watches as the woman’s eyes across from him darken. Her lips contort into a sinister smile and she tilts her head to one side. It made his blood run cold at how quickly she could switch emotions.

“She’ll leave you, you know?” Her voice is thick with false sweetness. “If she doesn’t leave you when she finds out about the drugs, she will leave when she learns about the little ‘vacation’ you took.” 

He feels like he just got the air knocked out of him.

“Once she finds out that it’s all an illusion, you and all your friends, she’ll run for the hills. At the end of the day, you’re still the man who shot first.” 

There it is. There is her winning blow. There is that conniving woman he always knew she could be. She had a gift for knowing exactly what to say to destroy a person from the inside out. Every time she did it, that signature smile was always present. It seemed to grow wider each time she twisted her verbal blade into his stomach. Up until this point, Frankie had managed to remain relatively controlled. He knew she was sick, but he never dreamed she would bring up what happened in South America. He told her, in confidence, a little about what happened because he desperately needed to. He went to places he never imagined due to the guilt he felt about Tom’s death. Figuring that talking about it would lessen the pain, he opened up to her. Unfortunately, that only worked when the person he was talking to was actually listening. 

“Leave, Rochelle.” His voice waning under the strain of his plethora of emotions. “We’re done here.”

“I’m not done! I have something to tell that lovely woman hiding inside the gym!” She makes a mad dash to the gym entrance. When she frantically pulls on the handle and finds it locked, she resorts to yelling and slamming her hands against the glass. “Come out! Come out!” 

Frankie has caught up to her by this time and is trying to move her away. As angry as he was, he would never resort to being physical with her. 

“Rochelle, for the love of God get the fuck away! This isn’t going to fix anything!”

“Does it look like I care?!” She screams, turning her body to face him. “I don’t get dumped! That’s not how this works! I’m in control!” 

She starts to bring her fists down on Frankie now. He blocks her blows with his forearms and prays that the guys have kept you far enough away to where none of this madness reaches your ears. 

Loud sirens slice through Rochelle’s incomprehensible rambling. He looks past her flailing body and sees red and blue lights begin to paint the buildings on the street. As they get closer, its noise registers in her ears too. 

“You called the cops?! You called the fucking cops on me?!” She brings her balled up hands down harder and faster on Frankie’s makeshift shield. “Asshole! Asshole! You’re such an asshole!”

A police cruiser pulls into the parking lot and comes to a quick stop in front of the gym. Two officers immediately jump out of the car and rush over. Within minutes they have Rochelle pinned up against the wall of the gym and are attaching handcuffs to her writhing wrists. She keeps yelling things like ‘this is a misunderstanding’ and ‘we were just having a passionate argument’. Frankie watches as the cops have to force her into the back seat because she keeps trying to climb out. She looks like a rabid animal being caged.

“Goodbye, Rochelle.” He doesn’t know if this is the last time he will see her, but for now he knows he can sleep without having to keep one eye open.

Once they finally have her secured, one officer climbs into the passenger seat and the one makes his way over to Frankie. 

“Evenin’, sir. What can you tell me about the young lady?”

He has no idea how the cops arrived and no energy to speak with them. Frankie just wants the comfort of you.

“Uhh her name is Rochelle and I’m pretty sure she’s high right now. I really don’t have any other relevant information to give you. She just showed up here out of the blue.”

“Well, we were already goin’ to charge her with assault when we arrived on the scene, but I’ll have her drug tested when we get back to the station.” The man looks into the gym. “They know anythin’ about it?” 

Frankie turns and sees Benny leading Will, Pope, and you to the front. Benny unlocks the front door and you slip under his arm and scurry to Frankie’s side. He swaddles you in his arms as he buries his head in the curve of your neck. He doesn’t know which one of y’all is shaking harder at this point. 

“I’m Benjamin Miller, the owner of this gym. Maybe I could help answer some questions? My friends here were also outside when she sped through the parking lot earlier.”

Frankie looks up at his friend and nods in his direction. An unspoken ‘thank you’ for getting the attention off of him.

“Let’s get away from all this craziness, estrella. Walk with me.”

You feel him pull away from you, but reach down to take your hand. He holds it tightly as he guides you away from all the commotion. You follow him as he walks around the back side of Brass Knuckles until the sights and sounds of the evening fade away. Then it's only him and you leaning against the brick wall. There are so many questions buzzing around inside you, but no words come. You observe him take a small pack of cigarettes out of his back pocket. He thumbs one out and places it delicately between his lips. Then he looks over at you with tired eyes and offers you the pack. You shimmy one out for yourself, an act of solidarity, and wait as he gets the lighter. He lights yours first and then he takes care of himself. Only after he takes a long drag does he speak. 

“I’m sorry that you had to be a part of that.” He sounds distant when he speaks. You don’t think that he’s doing it on purpose. This must be a defense mechanism.

“Do you want to talk about it? I know it's still really raw, but I’ll listen if you want me too.” 

The sun had long set, but the faint glow from the end of his cigarette allows you to see a small smile pull at his lips.

“Would you settle for the sparknotes version right now? I promise I’ll give you the details tonight.” 

“Whatever you’re comfortable with.” You offer quietly.

“Did you-did you hear anything that she said?” 

“I heard her yell your name before Will and Pope got me completely inside. Then we all heard yelling, more her than you, and finally her banging on the door.” 

“To make a long story short, Rochelle showed up angry because I have been ignoring her since Saturday. Over a month ago, the day Benny hired you actually, she texted me saying she wanted to get back together. It wasn’t a healthy relationship, but it was the longest one I had been in so I was confused. It sounds silly.”

“No it doesn’t.” You reassure him. “Keep going.”

“Well, I knew I didn’t want to be in that relationship anymore and I just didn’t know what to tell her. Ignoring her was childish, I know, but it seemed like the best possible option at the time. I didn’t want to get into a big argument. I guess that blew up in my face, huh?” 

“You did what you thought would be best, Frankie. Unfortunately, things just go south sometimes.” 

“Hmm.” He nods at your statement. “Basically she was just angry that I didn’t want her in my life anymore. She’s not really used to being told ‘no’. You really didn’t hear anything specific though?”

“No.” You take a pull from your own cigarette. “The guys never let me leave the heavy bag area in the back.” 

“Good.” He breathes out. He sounds like he is coming back to you.

“But…” You turn your head up to face him. “They really should have kept a closer eye on me if they didn’t want me involved.”

“It was you!” He says, whipping his head to look at you.

“In their defense, they were all discussing what they should do about her showing up. Will wanted to let you figure it out yourself, Benny wanted to punch her out I'm pretty sure, and Pope was somewhere in the middle. I got tired of sitting there and listening to them bicker so I took my own course of action.”

“You amaze me, you know that?”

“What do you mean?” You feel your cheeks heat up.

“I just-I just can’t believe you did that. There were four people telling you to stay out of it and yet you still found a way to help me. I’ve never had someone like that in my life.”

“Your friends would drop everything for you!” 

“I know that.” He laughs lightly. “I mean I’ve never had a woman I’m … dating do that for me.”

“Oh, so we’re dating?” You tease.

“Yes? No? Talking? Courting, maybe?” 

“Courting?” You cough. You were in the middle of inhaling and that caught you off guard.

“Don’t laugh!” He says, shoving you in the shoulder. “I’ll be honest, I have no idea what we are. I just know I like whatever it is.”

“I like it too, Frankie. Labels can come later.” You take the hand he had resting by his side and interlace your fingers. “So…you smoke?”

“It’s not an everyday thing!” He rushes. “It just helps curb the anxiety in a stressful situation.”

“I get it.” You say honestly. 

“I haven’t had to use them in a little over a month.” His hand squeezes yours. “That’s about when you came into my life.” 

“I’m your new vice, huh?” 

“You have no idea, estrella.”

The two of you stand, hands together, letting the smoke from your cigarettes dance around in the air. The quiet that has encompassed y’all is welcome. You don’t hear the blaring sounds of the siren nor the damped dialogue between the police and your friends. It’s safe to say that the coast is clear and safe, but something keeps you here. Something keeps you both here. You can feel it in the way Frankie is breathing, the way that his thumb is rubbing over your skin, that he has more to tell you. He says your name barely above a whisper.

“Yes?”

“I know I said I would only give you a quick summary, but you deserve more than that. You deserve better than that.”

“Frankie, it can wait if you want it to.”

“This is something I need to tell you. I’ve been trying to figure out a way to explain it, but it’s just so hard.” You clutch his hand to let him know you’re listening. “It has to do with my Tuesday work meetings.” 

“Alright?” You aren’t really sure what that has to do with the current situation.

“I don’t really go- they aren’t work meetings. They’re meetings, but they focus on something other than my job. I uhh fuck.” He has to take a breath. “It’s a support group.” 

“For dealing with what you saw on missions?”

“For the things I did to erase what I saw on missions actually. I go to an NA meeting every Tuesday. I met Rochelle when I got back from a particularly bad one. We both kinda clung to each other although, in hindsight, we were both sinking ships. We would go out drinking all the time and when that stopped helping I started using cocaine. It just snowballed from there into something I couldn’t control. I ended up losing my pilot's license because my habit got so bad.”

“God, Frankie. I’m so sorry.” 

“The guys helped me get into a temporary rehab and then find a new job. I’ve been clean for eight months now.” 

“That’s amazing!” You're looking directly into those deep brown eyes. “I’m so proud of you!” 

“You’re what?” The pure shock on his face makes you want to sob.

“Frankie, I’m proud of you. Pulling yourself up after dealing with something like that isn’t easy in the slightest, but you did it. You found your footing and have been walking on your own for eight long months. Going to those weekly NA meetings proves that you are serious about recovery. You should be proud of yourself.”

“You don’t want to leave?” 

“Leave? Why would I want to leave?”

“I’m an addict.” He speaks softly.

“A recovering addict.” You say taking his face in your hand after discarding your cig. “You’re recovering. Please don’t discount all of your hard work. I’m so humbled that you wanted to tell me about this. It would be hard to support you if I left, now wouldn’t it?” 

He surges forward and swallows you in a kiss. His tongue tastes of sweet tobacco as it parts your lips. Your hands find his hair and knock away his cap so you can run your fingers through it. His moans fill your ears as you bite down on his bottom lip. He moves so he’s positioned in front of you. You feel the coarse brick nip at your exposed skin as he pushes your body against it. His hand comes down to roughly palm you through your shirt. You whine in approval as your back arches in a subconscious response to his actions. 

“It’s Pope! I’m coming back there! Y’all better not be doing anything I would be doing!” 

The two of you scramble to separate before you get caught like a couple of horny teenagers. Frankie is in the process of snatching his cap off the ground when Pope rounds the corner of the building. 

“Hi!” You say, breathing abnormally.

“Hello to you.” Pope says with a knowing grin. “Fish.” He nods

The man next to you returns the same greeting.

“Not to kill the vibe of whatever is going on here, but Benny is bitching up a storm.”

“Oh, God. What now?” You question.

“He can’t find his ring girl for this evening.” He smiles.

“It’s barely even 9 o’clock.” Frankie finally chimes in.

“Hey, don’t shoot the messenger.” Pope holds his hands up. “I was just told to come tell you to get your ass inside. You know how the Millers are about punctuality.” 

“Yeah, alright.” You concede. “Tell him I’m coming.” 

Pope throws each of you a devious wink before leaving. You throw your head back and sigh loudly when it's just you and Frankie again. 

“Want to accompany me into the lion's den?” You hold out your hand to him.

“Yes, but can I ask you something first?” 

“What’s up?” 

“Would you maybe, Christ I feel like a child, want to be my girlfriend? I know you said that labels could come later, but I don’t want to wait until later.”

Your smile could light up the entire alley. You throw your hands around his neck and kiss him. He learned from your last interaction and placed one hand on his cap and circled your lower back with the other. You can feel him smiling against you as you pepper his lips, his jaw, and any skin that you can reach with kisses. 

“Is that a ‘yes’?” He laughs when you finally release him. 

“Of course it’s a fucking yes! Francisco Morales, I would love to be your girlfriend!”

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

{tag list: @cutesyscreenname @rsquared31 @smol-beb @bitchwitch1981 @avastrasposts @hoeslingz @saltybutteredtoast @javicstories @c-justhere @pimosworld @modernperplexity @beboldbebravethings @mxtokko @moonliqhtszn @tanzthompson @megcads @myloveistoolittle @casa-boiardi @jitterbugs927 @partyofone3413 @pedrit0-pascalit0 @golden-library @pati-et-vivere @mashomasho @lilmizmoz @angstylittlepascal @sofiparallel @selflcontrol @adriennemichelle98 @painitemoondust @pedritosgirl2000 @tpwkmera @romanarose @missbabyjay }

[itsnotzka]

Lost Scenes Thursday! Get to know your favourite authors better. Show five scenes from either abandoned fics where you regret they will never see the light of day, or five scenes from WIPs where you are impatient to see them out there. Long, short, one-liner... it's all good reading. Tag five other authors where you are curious.

Sounds like fun :) I'm going to share only one though, as I don't want it to take me five years to answer this (choosing and editing is not my forte, can't you tell?🤭)

This is from a story called 'This Town is Plotting Against Me', originally written in Polish. It's inspired by one of my fics but has already accidentally turned into a different story 🤭 I'm not entirely sure if I'll ever publish it anywhere or be able to finish it, so here it is (quickly, quickly! before I change my mind 😅). It's a translated excerpt, I left the names unchanged :)

. . ....... . .

"Well, let me guess," Aleksander carefully placed the last book back in its rightful spot, straightening the peeling catalogue number on its spine. "The house collapsed while some local kids were ransacking it for fun. Five deaths at the scene, one person still missing."

Ms. Renata Kubasinska, a short, middle-aged librarian, shot him a disapproving look, her blue eyes flashing with irritation. "As if! You and your catastrophic imagination!" She frowned at the ceiling. “Even you would’ve heard about that, no matter how much of a recluse you are, don’t you think?"

"Alright, fair enough… We're not talking about me here. What about this house?" He smiled, steering the conversation back on track, wary that Ms. Kubasinska might start lecturing him about his solitary habits once again.

"Nothing about the house itself..." she muttered, irked. "But seems some woman’s moved in. Saw her car. It’s from Warsaw," she added in a hushed tone.

“So? Is there something wrong with her? Other than being a newcomer from a big city?” Aleksander feigned indifference as he pondered over another unexpected stain on a familiar book.

"Oh, you know..." She glanced at him sideways as he leaned against the bookshelf, staring out the window. "It’s just odd! Folks wonder what she’s up to there. Alone, can you imagine! In that creepy old house? It's a bit dodgy, innit?"

“Not really. Maybe she's a horror fan—there are plenty of those these days,” he laughed quietly, a bit taken aback. “Besides, Ms. Renata, you live alone too. And you know I wholeheartedly recommend that lifestyle.”

"I don't live alone, I've got my cats…" Renata huffed, disappointed by the young librarian’s lack of interest in her juiciest gossip. And she loved her gossip.

At that moment, the bell at the library reception desk rang, interrupting their conversation. Both Aleksander and Ms. Kubasinska turned towards the sound with a shared reluctance, each prepared to curse the world and anyone who dared to interrupt them, albeit for vastly different reasons.

“Will I ever be able to finish talking?!” the woman huffed.

“That bloody thing, I swear to–” Aleksander muttered simultaneously.

“Oh, no! Don’t you even try anything funny again!” she wagged her finger at him.

Before he could respond, the high-pitched, unbearably irritating 'ding-ding!' sound of the bell assaulted his ears once more, almost like a shock wave of an atomic bomb. He resolved then and there to rid himself of this nuisance once and for all, though it wouldn't be his first attempt. Oh, no. No matter where he hid the bell, Ms. Kubasinska always managed to find it. She might be clueless with computers or smartphones, any kind of technology was evil incarnate to her, but she possessed an uncanny knack for locating hidden desk bells.

“Go see who it is, love, eh?” Ms. Renata winked mischievously. “I’ll go make us a cuppa.”

“But Ms. Ren– oh, bugger…” the young librarian cursed inwardly at his own delay, because before he could protest, his coworker had already darted behind the office door.

With a sigh, he cautiously approached the reception desk, peering out from behind the bookshelf to assess the visitor and anticipate how much energy this innocent conversation would drain from him. He hoped the matter would be resolved swiftly and without hassle. That seemed unlikely, though, considering he didn’t recognise the person.

The young woman, appearing slightly impatient, swayed on her feet, then tapped one nervously. Just as she leaned forward to ring the bell a third time, Aleksander preempted her. Swiftly lunging forward, he deftly retrieved the metal, round bell and, with an air of nonchalance, stowed it in the third drawer of his desk, right beside the stapler and calculator. Not a perfect hiding spot, but good enough.

"That's better..." He sighed in relief, knowing the vexing device was tucked away, at least for the moment. Then, he finally turned his attention to the visitor. "Now. Welcome to Mystki’s library. How may I assist you?

[toxicanonymity]

WIP Wednesday

Ty for the tags @iamasaddie @beefrobeefcal @milla-frenchy @romanarose @gracieispunk and anyone else because I'm not getting all my tags.

Long ago I posted a WIP snippet of vampire Joel talking to a librarian, and I've axed that version in favor of a librarian with more personality/potential.

He sighs and opens it. Her message just says “Joel,” then a picture comes through. His stomach drops. It’s his search history. About taking care of adult human women and keeping them from running away. She must have taken it darkly. She would.

“God damnit,” he quietly curses himself. Of course he didn’t clear it. He didn’t even log off. God, he's an idiot. She's typing. Joel's heart is racing. She stops, then starts again, and he presses the heels of his palms into his temples. What now? Should he call her? She wouldn't tell anyone, but – Her message comes through with a woosh: “this is what librarians are for”

“Ha," he scoffs with the slightest smile. He shakes his head and turns the lock screen off without answering. He’s cautiously relieved, but a little worried too - He's seen her at her worst. God, he hopes that was her worst. What does she want?

Another message comes in: “let me help you"

-----------

Tiktoks for those unfamiliar with misty Quigley

Ty @dark-scape for helping name her 🙏

Lately I've posted riskier teasers bc I love to know people might react. guess this is kinda my test kitchen now. I'm a Beefro fangirl. Beefro is a genius.

np tags @noxturnalpascal @beskarandblasters @jupiter-soups @gasolinerainbowpuddles and anyone who wants. sorry if you already went!