#every shift was jarring and by the time the last one started i had a tough time getting into yet another story

[mikimeiko]

Kinds of Kindness (Yorgos Lanthimos, 2024)

[nadvs]

watch and learn (part three)

pairing fratboy! rafe cameron x female reader

rating explicit 18+

content warning drug and alcohol use

summary it takes one conversation with your college dorm neighbor to know you won’t get along. rafe is loud, rude, and short-tempered. after he overhears you talking about a disappointing fling, he loses his confidence in his sexual abilities and suggests you start hooking up to both improve your skills in the bedroom. you can’t stand him, but it’s too good of an offer to turn down.

» masterlist

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You’ve never had someone call you out the way Rafe does. It’s kind of jarring.

You listen to his instructions, peeling your clothes off in his backseat while he watches.

“Sit on my lap,” he tells you.

You instinctually cover your body while you throw your clothes into a pile, then straddle him fully naked.

“What’d I tell you last night?” Rafe asks lowly, his eyes on your lips.

“A lot of things,” you breathe a laugh. You tug at his soft shirt, pulling it off to see all of him.

“I said you’re hot,” he says once he’s shirtless. “Why’d you take your clothes off like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like you need to hide your body.”

“Did I?” You did. You know you did.

“You need my help more than I thought,” he teases.

You can’t stifle your laugh, gently slapping his chest.

“I’m getting hard already,” he says, looking down at himself. “And I just came. That’s how hot you are.”

You think of his words from last night. When a guy gives you a compliment, take it.

“Thank you,” you say, dipping your head to kiss him. His soft lips capture yours as you feel his hand drag over your thigh. After rubbing your leg for a few moments, he touches you where you need him most.

Rafe exhales in awe and pleasure under the kiss. You’re so soft, so drenched.

“Sucking dick gets you so wet,” he teases, shifting to kiss your neck. Warmth runs through you at the feeling of his mouth on your skin.

Rafe realizes just how nice you smell as his nose brushes against your neck. He slowly strokes your pussy, his fingertips dipping between your folds.

“That feels good,” you tell him. You realize once his hands are on you, you get lost in the pleasure, making it easier to talk to him. “Go side to side, too.”

Rafe twists his wrist to rub you how you tell him to, enjoying your pretty moans.

Your breath is hot against his cheek as he fondles you, the feeling and sounds of your wetness making him grow fully hard already.

He shuffles to slide the condom out of his pocket. He leans back to open it and slides it down his length.

Rafe loves that you perch up on your knees and guide him between your legs immediately, like you can’t wait another second to have him inside you.

You sink down onto him, the angle hitting you perfectly, your breath coming out shaky.

“Damn,” he groans, the pressure around his cock squeezing him. “You’re tight as fuck.”

You smile and start to rock, full of him, slowly adjusting to his big size, your cheek against his.

“You should…” you breathe. “You should touch my clit.”

His thumb finds your clit, pressing down and rubbing.

“How’s that?” Rafe’s voice is thick.

“Good,” you say, arching your back and continuing to rock, feeling him slide in and out of you at your pace. “Most girls need to be touched there to cum, even with penetration.”

He nods, taking in your words. He puts his mouth on your shoulder, sucking and kissing as you ride him, feeling like hot velvet around his cock.

He continues to fondle you, one hand over your pussy and the other at your waist, letting you ride him at the pace you want. You roll your hips over him, tingling all over.

The car gently rocks with your movement and when you put your hand up on the plush ceiling, pressing yourself down against him every time you reach his base, you both moan.

Your orgasm inches closer, the knot in your stomach tightening.

“Okay,” you whisper. “Okay, I’m almost… fuck.”

A loud moan spills out of you and when Rafe feels your walls spasm around his cock, he doesn’t want to feel anything else in the fucking world. This is all he needs, this pure bliss.

“Keep bouncing on it,” Rafe orders. His hands grip your hips to control the pace, digging his fingers into you hard and guiding you up and down.

His cock starts to twitch, his entire body tensing. Rafe throbs through his orgasm inside of you, spent and sticky with sweat.

Once you both tumble down from the high, you sit up off of him, his cock bobbing when it slides out of you.

“You’re… really good at riding dick,” Rafe huffs.

“Really?” You feel a bit bold now, shrugging as you say your next words. “That guy you heard me talking about wanted me to try reverse cowgirl. I wasn’t sure if I’d do a good job.”

“Shit, we were supposed to try that,” he says.

“We have time,” you laugh, sliding your panties on. “We’ll do a lot more.”

“Yeah?” Rafe’s tone is excited.

“I need more practice,” you say. Sex with him is too much fun to end this anytime soon. “And you guys call me the fun police. Ridiculous. I’m so fun.”

Rafe pinches his brows together, quickly getting dressed.

“Blake calls you that,” he says. “He asked about you. He’s… uh, a good guy.” He almost cringes at himself talking like this, but he figures he owes his frat brother the good word.

You tilt your head in thought. Blake’s cute. Tall. Nice. He actually felt bad for being so loud the other night, unlike Rafe, who still doesn’t seem to care.

“Did you tell your friends we’re hooking up?” you ask.

“Yeah, but they know it’s just sex. And Blake doesn’t get a lot of ass, so you don’t have to be all nervous if you let him hit.” Rafe’s voice has an edge to it as you put your shorts back on.

“So he doesn’t mess around?” you ask. “He’s like… a relationship kind of guy?”

Rafe immediately regrets saying anything, his mood dropping.

“I don’t fucking know,” he snaps. “Ask him yourself.”

Seeing that you actually seem interested is irritating. This could disrupt your arrangement. You’re not gonna keep fucking him if you’re dating his friend.

God. Dating. Committing to someone in college is idiotic to him. This is a time for fun.

Your shirt isn’t even fully on when Rafe opens the car door, the drop to the ground merely inches to him. He knows he should probably help you get out, but all he can feel is a twisted combination of anger and irritation and disappointment and it’s your fault. Blake’s, too.

He checks his phone while you climb out of the backseat.

“What a gentleman,” you chide, walking past him. “I know you’re not a touchy feely guy, but the average girl will feel pretty cheap if you act like such a douchebag after sex.”

“Cool,” he replies coldly. You turn to glare at him.

“You know what? I think I got all the practice I need,” you mutter.

Rafe’s eyes widen. Shit.

“What?” he asks, shutting the car door and catching up with you.

“Haven’t you heard of aftercare?” you say, avoiding eye contact with him as you continue to walk back towards the beach.

“No?” he says.

“Even when it’s just sex, like with us,” you explain, gesturing between you two, “you can’t act like that. Like a girl is just a piece of ass that you throw away when you’re done.”

Rafe never really thought about that. And honestly, he hates that he made you feel that way, no matter how much you irritated him.

“If I need to put it in a way so you give a shit,” you say, “a girl probably won’t fuck you again if you’re mean after sex. I’m not saying you need to hug me and call me the love of your life, but can’t you at least pretend to care enough to hold a conversation longer than, like ten seconds? Be a bit nicer? Maybe help me out of the car?”

Silence falls between you continue to pace, shoes padding over the concrete spanning the parking lot.

Rafe swallows the lump in his throat as your words settle into his mind. He doesn’t want to lose this.

“Sorry,” he finally says. “This is why we’re doing this, right? To learn? I’ll remember that next time.”

You look up at him.

“So you are capable of apologizing,” you say. You know it’s only because he wants to keep hooking up, but fuck it, so do you. “It’s fine. You’re… picking things up quickly.”

“Yeah?” His smile is cocky. The Rafe you know is back. “You were screaming.”

“I was not screaming,” you say, the ice between you melting.

You make your way back to the beach, legs still weak after what you just did. You find Liv and spend the rest of the night chatting with her, your eyes drifting between Blake, who seems like a sweet guy who knows how to respect a girl, and Rafe, who’s great in bed, but can be painfully rude and has zero emotional depth to him.

When you make it back to your dorm, the showers are full. You lie in bed, waiting it out, but end up falling asleep. When you wake up, it’s past two in the morning and you’re desperate to wash your hair.

Your shower is quick and hot. When you make it back to your door, however, your key won’t twist in the lock.

This happened a few days ago. You know if you keep trying, it’ll work. So, you try. And try. And try again.

Loud rattling pulls Rafe out of his slumber. He tries to fall back asleep, but it’s relentless. He angrily sighs and pulls his covers back, ready to tell whoever’s being so loud to shut the fuck up.

He opens his door to see you in front of yours. You’re sopping wet, wrapped in a towel.

“My door won’t open,” you say weakly.

Despite his grogginess, he can’t help but laugh. He’s in his boxers and his boxers only, the sight of his lean body stirring something inside of you.

“I’ll go wake up the R.A.,” you say, more to yourself than him. “They can call maintenance. And then I’ll call Liv to crash at her place. But my phone’s in my room... Ugh, whatever. I’ll figure it out.”

You nod and turn, but he stops you.

“Wait,” Rafe says. The thought of you running around in a towel and trying to reach people in the middle of the night makes his chest pinch in pain. “Just sleep in my room.”

“Really?” you ask, smile bright and relieved.

“Come on,” he orders impatiently. You rush past him into his dark room and he shuts the door behind you, turning on the light.

Your eyes travel over his room. Glossy textbooks that don’t look like they’ve been opened are scattered across his desk. His walls are bare except for one poster celebrating a football team by the window. There aren’t any family photos, but you figure that’s just a guy thing.

“Your room is so bro-y,” you mumble.

“That’s how you thank me?” Rafe grumbles, passing you to go to his dresser. You laugh at the comically large tub of protein powder sitting on his desk over his laptop.

“That one thing of protein powder is taking up, like the whole shelf.” You look at his back, his muscles big and taut. “I think it works, though.”

Rafe smirks and opens a drawer, taking out a pair of boxers and a shirt.

“Here,” he says, handing them to you. You take the soft clothes in your hands as he lies back down in his bed, shifting his big body to rest on his side. “I’ll sleep by the wall.”

You smile. Maybe Rafe isn’t as cold as you thought. Maybe he’s actually kind of… sweet.

“Just don’t try to cuddle me,” he warns. “None of that couple shit.”

Nevermind. This man is the epitome of emotional unavailability.

“Couple shit?” you scoff, hanging your towel over the back of his chair. “Yeah, no thanks. You’d be the worst boyfriend ever.”

“Can you hurry up?” Rafe urges tiredly. You pull his boxers over your body. You meet his gaze as you put his shirt on, realizing it has the Greek lettered name of his fraternity.

“You gave me this shirt on purpose,” you say, pinching the fabric.

“Maybe,” Rafe says with a lazy smile, recalling your little I hate frat boys comment the night you met.

“At least I look really hot in it,” you joke, leaning to turn the light off.

He knows you’re kidding around, but he kind of likes hearing you say something positive about your appearance, and thinking it’s because of the lessons he’s been giving you.

You lie down beside Rafe, your back to him, his pillow smelling like him.

“Sorry I woke you up,” you whisper into the dark. “And thanks for letting me crash. I don’t know why my key-”

“Shh,” he says, exhausted and placing a hand on your hip to shut you up.

“Sorry,” you laugh. “Night.”

He nuzzles into the pillow and keeps his hand where it is.

(part four)

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[jasminumdew]

Bear & Honey

Bear!Price x Beekeeper!Reader

Tag: fem reader, bear shifter John Price Word count:  638

It’s the second winter you’ll spend in this town. This one seems quite more brutal, with snow filling the ground in the beginning of November. Your beehives are all wrapped up, prepared for the bitter season. The bees started to become less active than in the warmer seasons since there were no flower fields blooming within this town in this temperature. To assist them, you mixed some sugar syrup and left it on the hive-top feeder. The beehives have been here for only half a year, so you’re not the most experienced when it comes to taking care of them. But your neighbor - John Price - was a great helper. You didn’t miss the way his crinkle eyes deepened when you asked him for help building the beehives. He sometimes stops by after work to check the frames or just to have some tablespoons of honey from you. He always offers to help you out, cause “that’s what neighbors are for, right?”. 

However, recently you’ve been quite concerned over his health. John seems to be vulnerable to the cold, you thought, for last winter you never saw him go outside. At first you thought he went out of town, but the dim yellow light of the heater through his windows says otherwise. The only interaction was that every two weeks he texted you, pleading with you to buy him some food and a big jar of wild honey. You didn’t mind driving a few extra miles to help your hot, older neighbor a bit. Poor guy, too sick to take care of himself, so you cooked an extra portion every meal then left it at his front porch. 

Last Sunday morning John went over your fences. There are bears around in this area lately, he said, though you’ve never seen or heard one, but John’s been living here for so long, so he must be right. Little did you know, the beehives are all destroyed by this early morning. All the honey was licked and devoured, even the frames were chewed and left the scattered debris all over the yard. You choked out a cry, throat tightening and eyes burning red, seeing months of your hard work dying out in front of you. It cannot be fixed, with the majority of the colony being eaten like this. The fences that John set up himself were also smashed by its massive weight. 

You immediately call John to come by, in fear of bears still lurking around. The phone keeps beeping but he never answers. Your heart was beating like a drum in your chest, since your houses were so close to each other, could it be that John has already encountered the bear and was attacked by it? You instantly grab the nearby uncapping knife and run to his house. The front door was wide open, deep scratches on the wall and his wallpaper being torn, the smell of grass and honey lingers in the air of his house exposing the presence of the unwanted intruder. Your body shivers, you slowly head to his kitchen where you heard his voice.

“John? Are you okay?”.  Before you finished your sentence, you saw John shape-shift into a giant brown bear just a few meters from you. His head snaps to your direction and runs towards you immediately. Before your head can even process what to do next, he pushes you to fall on your back, using his big furry body to pin you down. “Shh, don’t yell, calm down love”. Your lungs are burning from lack of air as you struggle to push him off of you. “I’m sorry for your hives, darling. I was starving, you’ll understand, right? You’ve been such a good girl for me. I can fix it in the spring, but for now, you’ll stay here with me”.

Note: this is my first time writing fiction so I know it's not really good, but I hope you guys had fun reading this.

[ramblingoak]

A Thousand Kisses

For an Anon that requested a lazy kiss with Copia.

Papa Emeritus IV x Reader

Warnings: soft, tired and kissable Copia, sfw, 540 words, not beta read (thank you to @gothdaddyissues for the dividers)

“I never want to move again.”

You grinned at Copia even though he couldn’t see it with his face buried in his pillow.  The poor man had been practicing with the ghouls all day for the upcoming tour.  When he finally showed up at your door it was with a hoarse voice and a stiff posture.  You couldn’t even get his clothes off without him groaning every time he had to move.  As soon as you had wiped off most of his makeup and made him take some painkillers he had collapsed onto the bed.

“You should really take a hot shower, otherwise you’re not gonna be able to move in the morning.”

“I can’t move now, amore.”  He turned his head to the side so his voice wasn’t muffled, his bright green eye focusing on you.  “I’m broken.”

“Broken, huh?  That’s too bad, Papa.  I’ll have to adjust my plans for tonight.”

“Pl-ah cazzo,”  Copia whimpered as he rolled onto his back, taking a few deep breaths before trying again.  “Plans, you say?”

“You know, just the usual.”  You toed off your shoes and crawled onto the bed, moving slowly until you were resting on your side next to him.  His chest rumbled like a purring cat when you rubbed a hand up and down his bare chest.  “A candlelit dinner, some dancing…”

“Please don’t say dancing right now.”  

He pouted when you laughed at him and you couldn’t resist shifting so you could kiss his full bottom lip.

“What about wobbling, Papa?  Would you wobble for me?”

“Amore, you know that I would normally do anything for you, yeah?”  You nodded before resting your chin on his chest.  He managed to bring a hand up to your cheek, swiping his thumb across it gently before speaking again.  “But Lilith herself couldn’t get me to wobble right now.”

He smiled softly when you kissed his palm before he laid his arm back down on the bed.  Even that had him wincing and you frowned down at him. 

“Is there anything I can do for you, Papa?  Anything at all.”

Copia was quiet and still for a few moments, long enough you almost thought he had fallen asleep.  You started to move away to let him rest but he slid an arm around your waist to keep you in place.

“Anything?”  He opened his eyes and gave you a lazy smile when he felt you nod against his chest again.  “A kiss then.”

“Just one?”

“Hmm, or two.  Three maybe, if you feel I deserve it.”

You leaned in to give him the first one, your lips lingering on his for a couple of seconds.  It was your turn to cup his cheek, rubbing at spot of white that you had missed earlier.  Copia’s eyes were bleary with sleep and you stifled a grin when you realized he probably wouldn’t last till the third kiss.  It didn’t matter though, you’d still give him all the tired and lazy kisses you could until he was asleep.

“You deserve a thousand kisses, Copia.”

“A thousand, amore?”  He smiled against your lips when you gave him the second one, his hand idly rubbing up and down your back while he gazed into your eyes.  “I’ll hold you to that.”

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[luveline]

𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐢𝐝 | 𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧

you start to second guess your relationship when eddie doesn't waylay you with his usual abundance of kisses after work. meanwhile, eddie tries to work out what's upsetting you, how to fix it, and most urgently, how to ask you a super important question. fem!reader, 5k

cw: eddie skipping meals at work, suggestive flirting

˚‧꒰ა ✮ ໒꒱‧˚

Eddie's borrowed headphones slip down your head as you dance. Nothing dramatic, a shoulder wiggle as you do the dishes. You can't hear the racket you're making, plates crashing into one another on the drying rack, the hot water pounding the basin, the clip of your sock-clad foot against wooden slats as you tap it. 

Your hands burn at the high temperature. Your fingertips are pruned, palms chapped as you finish washing Eddie's mountain of dishes. His whole apartment was in similar disarray before you arrived, laundry to the eyes and one of his haphazard book towers collapsed in the bedroom. The dishes had been scraped and rinsed but not washed, the laundry designated to one corner of the bathroom; Eddie's not unclean, necessarily, but unfocused. 

You had time. You don't mind coming over to help him out. 

Though if he knew you were here doing this he'd blow a gasket. I don't want you wasting your time doing shit I should've done a week ago, he'd say. 

It isn't time that matters to you. You'd take a couple of days out if it helped him, if it meant he could enjoy the place he lives to the fullest extent. Plus, you spend time here too. And you get to borrow his Walkman the whole time. Eddie has the best tapes. 

You hum along to the finishing line of the song and set the last clean cup upside down on the draining board. Satisfied at a job well done, you wipe the sink basin clean, drain suds from the sponge, and turn off the water. Cool air floats in through the open window, kissing your lightly perspiring skin hello. 

You dry your hands on a cloth and push Eddie's headphones carefully down to your neck, more than careful with his things. He works hard for everything he has, days and nights and any shift they want him to take. Most of it goes into his savings account. His spare change gets dropped into a washed out pasta sauce jar on the sill for a forthcoming rainy day. Ridiculous amounts of it get spent on you, and if you asked Eddie he'd say it was perfectly reasonable, sweetheart. 

You're not asking him. You don't think new clothes and sweet treats nearly every time you see him counts as reasonable, but you'd be a liar if you said you didn't appreciate it. 

Hence your unsanctioned use of his spare key. You buy him treats too, but money can't buy the satisfaction of a clean home. (Well, it could. Hiring a day maid might've been quicker and cleaner in the end, but would a day maid have put their heart and soul into dusting his figurines with a makeup brush for fifteen minutes?)

You turn around with Eddie on your mind, feeling grateful and tired at once. Your thoughts stutter at the warm body standing casually in the doorway, his shoulder pressed to the jam, a rucksack and a carabiner of keys hanging from his curled fingers. 

"Hey," Eddie says. 

You flinch like he's coming at you, startled by his sudden appearance. 

His laugh is apologetic, at least. "Woah! I thought you heard me, where's your head?" 

You slap a hand to your racing heart and huff out a breath that fans up your face. Eddie straightens from his cool guy slouch, dropping his keys on the counter and sliding his bag beside them. 

"It's around here somewhere," you say through a smile, trying and failing to glare at him as he puts his hands on your waist. "You scared me bad." 

"It was accidental." 

He pulls your hips to his and leans back. A close pressure without being particularly sexual. It's obvious that he's looking you over, like you might've miraculously run into harm in the sixteen hours you've been apart. 

"I didn't think you'd be back yet, sorry," you say breathlessly, still recuperating from your scare. 

"I'm the sorry one." 

He brings a hand to your face. If there's one thing you can count on with your boyfriend, it's that he's going to find an excuse to touch your face at least once a day, whether it be with the back of a ring-heavy finger trailing down your cheek lightly, or a flat, hot palm, calluses scratching ever so slightly as he squeezes it into whatever shape he feels like. Never cruel, but melding. 

He's in a mood. 

Not salacious. Teasing at most, he pulls a rough line down from the corner of your eye to your lips. 

"Why are you doing my dishes?" he asks. 

His hands smell like citrus scrub and white vinegar. They must've had him cleaning in the kitchen at work again. 

"So you wouldn't have to. I know you don't mean to let them pile up." 

"I'll find my laundry in the dryer, I'm guessing." 

"Nope. Folded in your dresser, more like."

He pulls your chest to his, the heat of his breath kissing your nose. It smells like the spearmint gum he chews obsessively during his morning shifts. Eddie has a theory that eating in the mornings is breaking a seal —you'll be much hungrier for the rest of the day than you would've been otherwise. Better to wait for lunch. 

You hate his theory (three meals a day plus as many snacks as he needs would be perfect,  if he could find the time) and his gum for what it represents. It reminds you that he likely hasn't eaten today, and you're quick to start brainstorming ideas for dinner from the ingredients you'd seen while cleaning. He has ground beef, enough eggs to make pasta, and a tupperware of frozen soup from last Wednesday. The world's your oyster. 

"What are you thinking about?" he asks. You don't have time to answer. "I wish you didn't do all the laundry, babe. Those stairs are a fucking killer." 

He leans that last inch. A kiss is coming any second now, your pulse capering between your ears. A hundred kisses shared between you and you wait for the next with the same calibre of excitement as you did for the first. 

"I owe you a deep tissue massage, right?" he murmurs. 

You beam at him, pushing the heel of your palm against his chest to widen the distance between you into something a little less heart-pounding. "You haven't eaten today, have you?" 

"I'm pretty hungry," he says, his voice smooth as angora silk. 

He looks, again, like he might kiss you. His eyes dip to your lips, a molten brown shining in the kitchen light. You wait, and you wait, but he doesn't close the gap. 

You push your smile to one side, your eyelashes twined in the corners from the force of it. Your smile isn't entirely genuine. It's cool if he doesn't wanna kiss you… sort of. He can do whatever he likes, of course, you'd never force him to kiss you just to keep you happy or for any other reason, but you're a little down at the idea that he doesn't want to. You love how they feel. You're used to them as both hello and goodbye. 

Eddie might not want to kiss you, but he isn't putting on a show, his amorous smirking a reality you battle with (read: give in to, enjoy, daydream about) on the regular. Perhaps he isn't eager to ravish you after a full day bussing tables. That's more than okay. 

However he might be feeling, you aren't going to let him go hungry a minute longer. "Dinner?" you ask. 

"I was thinking sloppy Joes," he says, his hand running down your arm. He turns for the fridge. You follow. "Brioche buns?" 

You step in front of him, the fridge door a cacophony of glass rattling as you tug it open. "I'm making them." 

Eddie wraps his arms around you, moving you bodily to the side. It's too quick for you to dig your heels in. 

"You used to be a gentleman," you complain. 

"No, I didn't." He taps your ankle with the rubber toe of his converse. 

You make dinner together, to each other's chagrin. Eddie steals spatulas and frying pan handles from your grip. You bump his hip away from the stove grill to toast buns. When you sit down together on the couch, it's at war, elbows digging into soft spots and cups placed out of reach on the coffee table. 

"Dick," you say. 

Eddie takes a bite, says, "You're the dick, dick," and starts shovelling fries onto your plate. "Giving me more fries is ridiculous. We should eat the same portions, we're the same age." 

"But one of us had breakfast and lunch, and one of us didn't," you say, using your fork to give his gifted fries straight back. 

And here's where you get the first inkling that something's making him not want to kiss you, emphasis on you. 

Eddie loves kissing you when he feels loved. For obvious starters, whenever you tell him you love him he makes sure to kiss your lips. When you make him laugh, when you wash his hair in the shower, when you draw stars into his palms, all those things garner a fond peck to the temple. He kisses the space just under your ear so often you're sure there's a contusion in the shape of his mouth there, permanent and purpling, his go-to whenever he's laying on top of you or hugging you from behind. 

You can count on a mildly greasy kiss no matter the meal. Eddie loves eating dinner together. He waits for you to get home, sometimes for hours, to share a plate with you. You've never not indulged him with a kiss. Tonight, he doesn't ask. 

It would be here. Name-calling dripping in affection, you elbow glancing off of his as you cut into your sloppy Joe, and the TV failing to cover the sound of a quick kiss before he digs in. You're gutted at the lack and surprised to have noticed it, but you don't go so far as to mourn the loss: Eddie's likely too hungry to think about kissing, that's all. Right?

Despite attempts to convince you otherwise, he's hungry. He finishes his plate in what feels like five big bites, hair tucked behind his ears, an innocent but far off look about him as he wipes his fingers in a piece of kitchen towel and leans back into the couch cushions with a small groan. 

"We should stop eating on the couch," he says. 

"You told me you wanted to sit here." You're confused. 

"It's like, testing fate. I'm a mess. I'll ruin it and have to get a new one I can't afford." 

You chew on a fry. "I mean," —you put your hand over your mouth, pleased when he turns to you with a ready-made smile, like the act of just looking at you is one he enjoys— "even if you drop something on it, we can Didi Seven it. Or get one of those fancy water vacuum things." 

"It's my couch," he says. "You wouldn't have to clean it." 

"You're my boyfriend," you respond, "so I wouldn't mind." 

"I'm your boyfriend," he says, his head tilted ever so slightly to one side. 

His lips close, his eyes tracking up and along the lines of your features with an unnameable emotion in his gaze. You'd like to say that it's love, but you're starting to think it's something else. 

"Don't say it like that. You sound too unsure," you say.

Amusement dances across his face. "Are you finished?" he asks, opening his hand for your tray. 

"No," you say, faux-stroppy. You take another fry. 

Eddie grabs his tray. He skirts around your legs and stops at your side. In his more dopey moods, he'd take your face into his hand again and hold your head still as he kisses your crown. 

He squeezes your shoulder. "I'm not unsure about anything," he says warmly. "I'll get you a drink, yeah? Ice?" 

A chuck under the chin with his forefinger and he's gone, leaving you sitting there wondering what's wrong with him. Home an hour now and not one single kiss? Is this the end of the honeymoon phase? How do people survive this shit, you think. It's agonising.

Your chewing turns morose. 

You and Eddie go through phases, waxing and waning, as most people do. There's always love there, but sometimes there's so much of it you don't know what to do with yourself besides lavish in it. Only yesterday morning he'd been in your bed, shirtless (as you often wish he'd be), dark ink like bruises in the low light where it climbed the lengths of his arms and his bare chest. You were lax under his touch, his nose and lips pressing to your skin as he kissed you from rib to soft tummy. Slow, kissing you as though he had nowhere else to be but there. As though his next shift wasn't thirty minutes around the corner. 

You were mortified when he blew a raspberry. Now you're thinking you might peel out of your shirt and ask him to do it again if it means he'll kiss you in any definition. 

"What are you thinking about?" he asks as he returns, his hand sliding along from your shoulder to the other while he steps over your legs. 

"What are you thinking about?" you ask. 

"Feeling very repetitive today, are we?" he teases, no consideration for your dinner tray as he collapses into the seat beside you. 

You're expecting his cheek on your shoulder, his hair tickling your upper arm. It doesn't come. Worried he's discouraged by your tray, you place it on the coffee table and sit back. You really want him to kiss you. 

Kissing someone isn't something you thought you'd want to do before you met Eddie. To be kissed, sure. To give a chaste peck, absolutely. But to have someone put their weight on you, to press at the seam of your lips with their own and to wade in like a steady wave, one breath at a time, until you're unsure where the boundary of your mouth begins and his ends, that was all new. Eddie kisses like he loves, loud and brash, rough and eager. Gentle when he needs to be but arduous. 

He makes you feel wanted in a thousand ways and the first is his greedy penchant for stealing a kiss or three at every opportunity. It's weird that he hasn't kissed you yet. He's acting weird. 

"You're being super weird," you say. You feel like a pressure cooker with steam pouring from the release valve. 

Eddie smirks at you. "That so? Any explanation attached to that, or are we name-calling? I have some names for you, if we are." 

"Oh, I have to know." 

"Figured you would." He throws his leg over your thigh. The firm muscle of it tenses as he wiggles his foot. 

"What were you gonna call me?" you prompt impatiently.   

"Sweetheart. Angel." He turns his cheek into the back of the couch, bringing his pinky to your face and drawing a line from the smoothest skin under your eye outward. "Pretty. Very pretty." 

"Says you," you murmur. If he thinks you're so pretty, why won't he kiss you? "I can't work out your angle today." 

"Am I acting differently?" he asks, seemingly unperturbed. 

No. He just hasn't kissed you. There might have been a moment when he first came home where you thought he was hesitating to kiss you, but since then he's acted exactly as he usually does (minus kissing, therefore making it unusual). 

You sigh, half serious and half wanton sadness. "No." His nose twitches. You startle. "What?" 

"Nothing." 

"What, do I have bad breath?" you ask, bringing a hurried palm to your mouth to try and test it. 

Eddie pulls your hand down, admonishing through a laugh, "You obviously don't. You know I'd tell you, babe." 

"Oh." 

"I got gum though, if you want it." 

You bat his chest. "I bet you do… I don't know what it is, then. I give up." 

"What's what?" he asks. He takes a curl of his hair around a painted fingernail. It coils on his finger, where he pinches the end, bringing it up to your chin and drawing a smile under your lips with the tip. 

"I… do I have something in my teeth? A zit? What's the issue?" you ask, lost. 

"There's no issue!" He laughs, and he curves his hand gently around your neck. "Why do you think there's an issue?" he asks. A thread of his voice wavers. Impossible to notice if you didn't know everything about him, down to the stray hair. 

"No, because," —your voice shrinks— "you're being off with me." You won't cry, but it's impossible to stop the doubt that seeps into your voice. "You're not…" 

Eddie strokes your neck with his thumb, growing serious. "I'm not what?" 

"You haven't kissed me." You avoid his eyes. "Not since you saw me." 

"I'm sorry," he says, immediately dipping forward. 

You pull back. "Wait–" 

Eddie waits. "What?" he asks. 

"I don't want you to kiss me just 'cus I asked you to." 

Eddie pushes his hand upward, his index finger shaped to your jawline. He rubs a quarter circle from your chin to your jaw tentatively with his thumb, an awful sorry look in his eyes that he gets whenever you're upset. "Well, I always want to kiss you," he confesses. His eyebrows furrow. "You know that, right?" 

"But you haven't, today." 

Is that pathetic? you panic. Noticing, caring, it feels so, so silly all of a sudden, you can't believe you spilled it that easily. You may as well have written clingy loser across your forehead in glaring pen. 

Eddie sees it. He doesn't cringe at you like you fear he will. 

"Ah," he says, almost humming, his lips barely parted, "that's just not okay, is it? My girl waiting on a kiss." 

He leans in. You shy away, wanting his kiss but wanting the run up more. Eddie follows your lead, keeping space between you, rubbing a diligent and affectionate circle into your cheek. His touch is soft enough to tickle. 

"I'm not trying to act desperate, I just figured– I thought there was a reason you hadn't," you say. 

Eddie asks you in his softest, most genial tones if he can kiss you. 

You don't say yes so much as you lift your chin and close your eyes. Your relief is sharp as he closes the fizzing space between you, as he guides your face to his and holds it there like a treasured pearl cupped in two palms. He makes a sound at the back of his throat that kills any doubts of his affection stone cold dead. Your lips part a millimetre if that, and Eddie slots into the gap, his hands growing less and less careful by the second, the pressure of his touch amping up. He moves back only long enough to turn his head, your noses bumping, another breathy sound slipping past his lips. You smother it gracelessly with a rougher reciprocation. 

It's not your longest kiss, but it works. It's the reassurement you needed. Eddie pulls away to suck in a harsh breath, the feeling foreign against your tingling lips. His face dips, his eyes out of view. His hands move in twin down the slope of your neck, languish, feel along the thin layer of your t-shirt as though he's looking for some secret answer. 

"I'm not trying to act weird around you, I'm just nervous," he says.

You feel your back aching, stiff as a rod. "Nervous?" you ask quietly. 

Eddie rests his forehead on your chin. He whispers a cuss, and then he sits up very tall and looks you in the eye. 

It takes him five seconds to tell you what it is that's making him anxious. In that time, you come up with a handful of things. I lost my job. I don't want to be with you anymore. There's someone else. There's no one else, but you did something that pissed me off/made me uncomfortable/disgusted me. I'm sick. None of your guesses are good, and none prepare you for what he asks next. 

"Would you wanna move in with me?" 

His hand meanders along your thigh. An awkward smile catches his lip like a fish hook, tugging it up on one side. 

"I… what?" 

"I think it's a good idea. I was trying to ask you yesterday, and now today it didn't feel right. I don't want you thinking I'm asking because you did my laundry." His hand warms your thigh, a pervasive heat. Your face is similarly hot. "We could split rent, and you could keep saving. You wouldn't have to deal with your shitty neighbours. You'd be closer to your job, and– and to me. It's a good idea," he repeats. "There's a ton of reasons it would be good for you, but I'm asking 'cus I missed you so bad last night I couldn't sleep. I wanna be with you whenever we can be." 

"You'd really want me to?" you ask. 

"You'd never have to wait for a kiss again," he says hopefully. "I know it's a big move. I get it if you're not ready." 

"I'm ready," you say. You don't know it's true until you've said it aloud. 

Delight sparks and catches like sun-dried tinder. Elation lights his eyes. "Holy shit, yeah? You want to?" 

"Yeah," you say, nodding emphatically, trying not to yell. "Yes, I want to. I'd love to! That would be–" 

"A dream," he finishes, snatching your waist into his grasp, basically yanking you into his arms.

"Amazing," you say, your arms forced over his shoulders. 

You wrap your arms around the back of his head, curls that smell of almond oil and a generous dollop of hair mousse crushed to your face. Your eyes slip closed. You suck in an inconspicuous breath, though your self-indulgent action is interrupted by a groan, Eddie squeezing you hard enough to make the bones in your back click three at a time. 

"I can't believe you, sweetheart. I don't kiss you for an hour and you think there's something wrong?" He laughs.

"I'm spoiled," you say sheepishly. To draw his attention, you add, "I can't believe you, afraid to ask me that! Why would I say no? I love you." 

"I love you, too," he says, pulling the small of your back tighter still so he can dig his nose into the side of your head. 

He kisses you all over the side of your face until you're painted in little warm patches from overexposure. A loved up mess, and dizzy with relief.

Relief and excitement. "How soon do you want me in here?" you ask, sitting back. 

"How soon do you want another kiss?" he asks. 

"Will we be stealing each other's questions all day?" you ask. 

"For the rest of time, if I get my way." 

"That's so corny," you whisper, ecstatic. 

Eddie pushes you down onto the couch cushions. You know before he so much as pulls up a knee that he's going to climb on top of you. You make room for him, your heart feeling like it could breach through your ribs one bone at a time. 

"What are you doing?" you whisper with a smile. 

"Making up for lost kisses."

—

Two Weeks Later

Eddie wakes to a kiss. 

Your arm thrown over his waist, your hand feeling greedily at the trim curve atop his hip, you've well and truly wrapped yourself around him. Like an octopus. He imagines the popping sound of your suckers if he tried to detach you (not that he'd want to). 

You're dotting shy, soft kisses down the column of his throat. "I love you," you say softly between them, a melody that turns him to jelly. "I love you. Love you, love you, love you." 

Your kisses are a compromise —after the general holy fucking shit-ism of your conversation a fortnight ago, Eddie put his foot down. He was out of his mind knowing his apartment was about to become yours, but he was also incredibly unhappy about the faces you'd made before he asked. He remembers your voice, your apprehension as you mumbled, "No, because, you're being off with me."  

Eddie had been totally off trying to figure out how to ask what was potentially the second most important question he could ever ask you; he was distracted enough by it that he totally forgot about kissing you senseless. And your worrying asked a totally new question he hadn't thought of before. Why does Eddie always kiss you first? And why had the lack of a kiss been seen as a bar, and not an invitation? 

Hence Project Kiss Me, Stupid. Or Project Kiss Me Stupid if he's feeling particularly in love (because you aren't stupid at all, but you may have made an unintelligent assumption (Eddie not kissing you for a few hours did not mean even slightly that he isn't gross in love). 

The project was more like a proposal. Eddie decided you should be making the first move more often, so you weren't ever left feeling like something was wrong between you for lack of a kiss again. "If you ever think I'm mad at you, plant one on me. I promise I won't be mad much longer," he told you.

You're passing with flying colours, as far as he's concerned. Eddie thinks your moving in was gift enough, but fuck, all these kisses? He's been a walking vestibule of love, and lust, and sickening fondness for two weeks now. Project Kiss Me Stupid is the best thing that's ever happened to him. He's a genius.

"Good morning," you say into his neck, a hint of teeth scratching him with the greeting. Eddie cups the back of your head with a weak, tired groan as your lips close over his pulse.

"Morning," he says. His voice is thick with the grit of sleep. 

"This is okay?" you ask, pausing in your kiss. 

Eddie tips his head back heavily into plush pillows, your pillows, fresh with new bedding to match the nightstands you'd decided on together. "Please," he says. His arm slides behind your back to belt you in. "I'm gonna think you don't like me anymore if you take any longer." 

"Very funny," you murmur. 

He knows he's forgiven for teasing when your face dives back into the crook of his neck. His eyes shutter closed, blissed, thinking, God, I could get used to this, when you nip him. 

"You didn't like my joke, I take it?" 

"It was funny," you say, giving him a scratching kiss.

"That's counter-intuitive," he warns. "I like it rough." 

You fall away from him to cover your face with both hands. He knows he's rubbing off on you at the sight, your head shaking a theatrical side to side that fails to hide real embarrassment beneath it. You look especially tortured. 

Eddie knows exactly how to fix it. 

˚‧꒰ა ✮ ໒꒱‧˚

thanks so much for reading! I really hope you enjoyed!

[love-byers]

if mlvn is supposed to be the main romance of the show, the no. 1 couple, why would the writers save their big i love you moment for a scene where there is so much distraction

there is so much going on here. el choking, mike shifting around and hesitating, will in the background, light flickering, multiple cuts to jonathan and argyle

and then of course the fact that el is in vecnas mind space which is visually displeasing. it's red, bloody looking, thunder is crashing, the vines are squelching, el is crying, max is dying, and also the depressing music conveniently titled "You're The Heart."

there is SO MUCH HAPPENING!! this moment is supposed to be about el and mike, but it couldn't be farther from that.

and for people saying "well that's just what was happening in the moment!", this isnt real life. the story can be literally whatever the duffers want it to be. they could've written the scene differently so there was more tenderness, intimacy, gentleness, emotion. they could've found time for mike and el to have a sweet moment to themselves where he apologizes, and then when el is choking she simply remembers that moment and all of her memories with mike over the years. but nope, it just had to be the other way.

this scene is an example of exactly how to create intimacy between 2 characters in a scene with multiple other people. they made sure to do it a specific way to build will and mike's relationship.

when joyce is talking to will, jonathan is standing in the background for most of it. they also cut to mike and hopper watching. we are reminded there are others in the shed. they cut to will multiple times as joyce talks.

this next thing may sound insignificant, but it's not. they cut to jonathan BEFORE he starts speaking. he watches will for a second, then starts talking about the day lonnie left. then it immediately cuts to joyce, before cutting back to jonathan kneeling down in front of will. as jonathan talks there are shots of just jonathan, jonathan and joyce, and will listening.

they saved mikes for last. every writer knows whatever comes last will have the most impact.

when mike starts speaking, will is still looking at jonathan. wills head shoots towards mike. only after that do we see mike, and he's already crying.

they don't cut away from mike until he says "you were just swinging by yourself" it cuts to will then. then we're back to mike, and it doesn't cut until he's done talking.

there's no music, no flickering, no one else making noise or talking. there's no noise besides mike speaking, will breathing, and crickets outside. it sounds oxymoronic to say this, but the crickets only emphasize how silent it is in the shed besides mike. it's so silent and calm in there that you can hear the crickets. you can barely see anything behind mike, it's just his face illuminated by the light. mike isn't yelling, he's talking softly. this is gentle. intimate.

then it cuts back to will, and he looks more emotional than he has this whole time they've been trying to break through to him. his eyes are red and glossy, his breaths are shuddering as he looks at mike, like he's about to break and cry.

when it cuts to joyce, it's jarring. it tears wills eyes from mike. because at this point we've completely forgotten that there are other people in the room. it's like mike and will are in their own little bubble, like they're the only two people in the world. go and rewatch the full scene, its striking how different mikes monologue to will is shot compared to the others. it suddenly feels so much more intimate and emotionally intense.

and it doesn't, not for a SECOND, lead you to believe mike is hesitant or struggling to tell the truth. it's like the words are spilling straight out of mikes heart into will's. he does not have to be pushed into this or encouraged. the moment jonathan was done talking mike knew exactly what he wanted to say, and he was already so emotional he was crying.

it's coming from him. from his heart.

looking at joyce

looking at jonathan

looking at mike.

and to any deniers here saying all of this is just because of wills feelings for mike..

that's cruel.

that's actually cruel.

it would be DIABOLICAL for the writers to give byler such a sweet emotional moment like this just for it to end in a character who's already on the struggle bus being completely heartbroken. that is straight up cruel to will.

and it would also be queerbaiting lolz

and before you go, quick question. can you imagine THIS mike avoiding wills hug?

i highly doubt it.

[asunflowerana]

cinnamon - Ushijima Wakatoshi

summary: you never thought making coffee could comfort someone. but you'll do every morning for Ushijima.

w: mentions of divorce.

n/a: i love how soothing ushiwaka can be.

Bling bling

The front door’s bell rings, announcing the presence of another customer craving a good cup of coffee this morning. You just finished the first steaming jar, placing it on the counter as you lead your eyes and smile to the first client of the day. Breads are heated, pastries fresh out of the oven; lucky for them, they came just to the right place.

You’ve been working at “Beans And Milk” for nearly six months to help with your school fees. Even though it gets quite busy during the week, you enjoy your work, especially after your supervisor let you customize the drinks of the house. The environment is pleasant, the tasks are simple, the tips are fair, customers are kind — well, mostly kind. And to make it even better, the shop’s 15 minutes away from your home.

Your kindness and proactiveness made you win the respect and hearts of a lot of customers, some already calling you by your name and making small talk. You’re truly grateful for how things are turning out, but there’s this one client that, different from the others, has been intriguing you since you started working there.

His name is Ushijima Wakatoshi.

He comes every weekday at 6:30 am sharp, orders a cup of latte with one spoonful of sugar, sits at the third table on the left row by the window, and stays there for about ten minutes before leaving, sometimes with a small tip. No chatting, no sudden movements, he doesn’t even use his phone: he just sits there, watching the street through the window, mind in an unknown place. 

As you are the first to arrive on the days you work, you ended up serving him alone a lot of times. It was strange at first, being alone with one of the most famous guys in town, but over time, you got used to his quiet and serene presence. You didn’t exchange many words though, your conversation consisted of “good morning”, “thank you” and “have a good day”.

The only time you both talked more than three sentences was when you took an act of courage and questioned him about his unchanging order: a cup of latte. You regretted the moment that question came out of your mouth, dreading to lose a customer, but you were surprised with his answer.

“I like the cinnamon touch.”

You almost didn’t hold the beaming smile you wanted to show him, chest filled with enthusiasm because that touch was made by you.Your creation, something you thought would complement this regular drink with its earthy and warm flavor, making it soothing to savor. You couldn’t imagine that someone one day would acknowledge and approve your effort. Ushijima’s words hold a lot of meaning to your heart, and since that day, you started to look forward to seeing him in the mornings. 

It didn’t last long, to your disappointment.. Because of the volleyball tournament, Ushijma was away from the shop for two weeks to compete. His absence made you feel a little lonely, but you were able to support him by watching his matches on TV. Not that he could hear your cheers, but it was a nice experience to see him out of the cafe environment, doing what he’s good at and putting all of him in the game. It made him even more admirable in your eyes. 

The shock of seeing Shiratorizawa lose the tournament final game was huge. Karasuno is an amazing team, even if they weren’t known, but it was almost guaranteed that the first school would go to the nationals. You started feeling anxious, imagining what Ushijma was going through at the moment, and wondering how he was dealing with it. 

If he had someone to support him as he needs.

The next day, you did a favor to one of your work colleagues and took the afternoon shift instead. Another quiet day, with just a few customers, and by 06:00 pm, you were closing the kitchen and preparing to leave. The “closed” sign was already hanging on the door, but that didn’t stop someone from knocking. 

You frown, but walk towards the door to check who it is, hoping the person would understand that the service was done for the day. 

Your eyes widen as you gaze at your last customer. “Ushijma? I’m about to close the shop and-”

“______.” He interjects, calling you by the name. Did he know your name all this time? You try not to let your mind wander, focusing your attention on him: the dark circles under his eyes, head slightly down, eyes averting yours as if in shame. Whatever it is, it’s making him uneasy. And making him speak. 

“I know you’re closing it, but I just need a cup of latte… please. ”

You don’t hesitate to step aside, making room for him to pass and leaving your bag on a nearby table. You have one last order to make. 

A quarter of espresso, half a cup of hot milk, and a touch of powdered cinnamon: the latte is ready, the heat of the milk exhaling through the glass cup. You lend it to Ushijma, who’s sitting at his usual table. You place it in front of him and move to leave him at peace, when he slowly holds your wrist, making you almost open your mouth in shock.. 

“I… I would appreciate some company, if you’re okay with that.” He admits, a bit timid.

Trying to make Ushijma as comfortable as possible, you comply with his request, sitting on the chair in front of him . Maybe he’s like that because of what happened one day ago, or maybe something more serious happened that made him want to escape to this humble cafe instead of staying at home. Regardless of his motives, you don’t want to give him more reasons to be sad. So you do the only thing you can think to support him: you keep him company.

“I’ve been visiting this cafe since elementary.” His deep, sonorous voice echoes around the place, while he moves his gaze to the window. “My dad loves a good espresso, so he used to bring me here before taking me to school. One day, I asked him why he did the same order every single time. He said 'because they took the cinnamon from my latte”. I didn’t know what that drink was, so when we got back home, he made it just the way he likes. It was the first time I tried coffee. And one of the best moments I had with him before the divorce.

He averts his gaze to stare at you. You can see a glimpse of comfort coming from it. "I’ve been coming here for a long time, but only when you came in, the latte became the one he likes. The one that should always be. With a touch of cinnamon.” A small smile appears on his face. A smile from someone who has just got what they needed. “So thank you , ______. For reminding me of the best moments in my life, every day I come here..”

You are speechless. A gesture of affection makes a difference, but you didn’t imagine it would be through a simple preparation of coffee. If this brings Ushijma and other people a comforting feeling, though, then you won’t stop anytime soon. “You’re welcome.” It's what you offer him, with a small promise to yourself.And now, like every other morning, the two of you remain quiet, but savoring not only a drink and a tip, but each other’s presence.

© asunflowerana 2024 — all rights reserved.

[keikikait]

ɴɪɢʜᴛ ꜱʜɪꜰᴛ (ʙɪᴋᴇʀ!ᴍᴇɢᴜᴍɪ x ꜰ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ)

this is part two. for part one, click here!

pairing: biker!megumi x f!reader (au, both are early to mid 20's)

word count: 2k

summary: after a rude encounter with your next door neighbour, you decide to spend distance yourself from him, spending most of your nights at a friends house.

warnings: SMUT (masturbation, f & m), MINORS DNI 18+, suggestive flirting, not proofread (oops), jealous megumi, slight self deprecation talk (so ig a slight angst warning)

a note: i promise part 3 won't be delayed as much!

please reblog and like, it means a lot! let me know what you think!

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧

Things have gotten worse since you last spoke.

Each day begins with the jarring sound of his motorcycle revving right outside your window, shattering the tranquility of the morning. The noise reverberates through your whole apartment, making it impossible to ignore. And to make matters worse, he started blasting the worst rap music you’ve ever heard from a portable speaker while he works on his bike on Saturday afternoons. The cacophony of noise fills the air, making it impossible to concentrate or find any semblance of peace within your own home. 

Even though you’ve been trying to avoid him, checking outside your window a few too many times before leaving so you don’t run into him, he’s still been plaguing your mind. You had caught him like a cold or the flu, and now you’re praying that you’ll one day be immune. Sleeping was practically impossible, even the strongest earplugs and the loudest white noise couldn’t block out the sound of his, frankly, stupid fucking bike. You go to work irritable and exhausted, having to hype yourself up in the bathroom before clocking in. You dread going home, begging your manager to let you work late, trying to find every excuse to hang back and avoid your inevitable negative interaction with Megumi.

After days of sleepless nights and endless worry, you had finally reached your breaking point. With a heavy heart, you had mustered up the courage to do something you'd been dreading — ask a friend for a favor. With trembling hands, you dialed your friend Yuji’s number, hoping that he would understand. To your immense relief, he listened patiently and without judgment. You poured out your heart, sharing the sleepless nights and the constant fear that had become your reality.

To your surprise, Yuji didn't hesitate, offering you a place to stay for the days Megumi would wake up early to head to work, a sanctuary where you could finally rest and recharge. You accepted his offer, overwhelmed with gratitude, knowing it would give you the solace you desperately needed. The nights before Megumi's shifts became a routine. You would gather your belongings and head to Yuji's place, seeking refuge from the darkness that seemed to engulf your apartment. 

Each night, you would lie awake in your friend's spare bedroom, listening to the sounds of the outside world. The gentle hum of traffic, the distant laughter of passersby — these were the sounds of a life that seemed so far removed from your own. Part of you loved your time spent away from Megumi. Part of you didn’t. Even though he was annoying, stuck up, and frankly a bitch, he was so pretty to look at. You couldn’t help yourself sometimes, sneakily taking glances at him through your window while he worked on his bike, shirtless and sweating under the Japanese summer sun.

You felt guilty in a way. He hated you, yet you didn’t hate him. Why are you hanging on so tight? You wanted to hate him so badly, especially while you were laying propped up on your bed, had between your soft thighs as you thrust two fingers in and out of your cunt. You couldn’t help yourself, biting your duvet cover to keep yourself from moaning his name too loudly while you came, hips bucking into your hand while you imagined the ways he would talk you through it. You couldn’t help but imagine how handsome he would look with you all over his mouth, grinning at you as you beg to cum. Would he let you? Sometimes you would get carried away, sliding your fingers over your clit to draw out another orgasm, one that would leave you silent curled in a ball on your bed. Megumi seemed like the type to overstimulate you just for fun, after all. He clouded your mind, engulfing you with visions of him encased in smoke. He was beautiful, finite, a shining white light you had a hard time looking at. You were, quite frankly, down bad. 

Suffer does the wolf, crawling to thee.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧

On the other side of the plaster wall, Megumi was having a similar experience. He couldn’t stop thinking about you, hoping if he revved his engine loud enough in the mornings you would come outside, all cute and grumpy with bedhead, yelling at him to quiet down. Maybe you would only be wearing a T-shirt too. He wondered what panties you would be wearing. Cotton? Lace? None at all?

He noticed your glances while he was working on his bike. After all, he did it shirtless hoping you would stare. All he wants is your attention, and can you blame him? You’re so soft and pretty, and all he wants to do is scoop you up and kiss you before bending you over his desk, his hand gripping your hair at the root as he fucks you dumb. He thinks about what you would sound like while he fucks you as he jerks off, one hand playing with his balls while the other strokes his cock up and down, teasing the tip with his fingers. He wonders what you would look like on your knees next to his bed, his cock draped across your face as you suck on his balls. He moans quietly when he cums, the liquid splattering onto his chest and abs and he wishes you were around to lick it up. Maybe after he would tug on your hair and have you thank him.

Megumi noticed a lot of things. He couldn't help but notice certain the frequent absences from your usual routine. With each passing day, Megumi's curiosity grew, and he started to pay closer attention to your whereabouts. That’s when he saw it, a dark blue car consistently parked at the entrance of the alleyway leading to your apartment building, the one you would climb in and out of on the days you were gone, the days you were away from him. Of course he took a note of the car, writing down the make and the model and the license plate, just in case.

Something else Megumi started noticing was your moans. You got braver and louder each time, and soon he noticed the way you would gasp and whimper and the little noise you made before you came. Megumi soon started feeling something he hadn’t felt in a while, jealousy. You had a boyfriend or a fuck-buddy, and whoever they are was able to make you cum. That part irritated him, he wanted to be the only one that could make you cum and shake on his cock or his tongue. The semantics of your relationship didn’t matter to him, but you were with someone who wasn’t him. So he waited for you to return, leaning against the railing of his small porch. He knew your schedule now, and you should be home any second. 

As the car pulls up, its headlights shine directly onto him, causing Megumi to avert his eyes. He watches as you step out of the car, bidding the driver, whom he can see now is a guy, farewell before making your way toward your door. The gravel crunched as the car reversed and smoothly drove away, leaving you and him standing alone in the tranquil evening. With a nimble hop, he crossed the railing and approached you, a faint smile playing across his lips. The world seemed to pause for a moment, as if time itself stood still, as you locked eyes with each other.

“Hey.” He says, climbing up onto your porch, swinging his legs over the barrier, and landing on his feet.

You don’t look up as you search for your keys. “You could’ve used the stairs.”

He grins. “Maybe I wanted to impress you.” The comment makes your cheeks warm, but you don’t reply as you continue to search through your seemingly endless tote bag. He sighs, “Listen, I have a question.”

You look up at him, and gods he is so pretty. You feel your blush deepen, trying not to gawk at the way his shoulders and arms look in that fucking black compression shirt. “Ask away.”

He crosses his arms over his chest. “So, you got a boyfriend?”

Your eyebrows furrow. “No. Why?” You finally find your keys, pulling them out as they jingle loudly from all of your keychains.

Megumi scoffs, keeping his arms crossed. “Come on. I’m not an idiot. I hear you moaning through the wall, you know.”

Your stomach lurches, your throat constricting. “Tha-that doesn’t mean anything.”

Megumi laughs, letting his arms drop to his side. “What about that guy that drives you everywhere?”

You put your key into the lock, swallowing hard. “He’s just my friend. I’ve been staying at his place recently-”

Megumi suddenly reaches out and grabs your hand, pulling the key out. “Don’t walk away. We’re having a conversation.” You gulp, holding onto your keys. He was right, that was kind of rude. “Continue.”

You take a shaky breath, unable to look him in the eyes, your gaze flicking around from the ground to the sunset behind him. “He’s just my friend. Nothing more.”

“Why aren’t you looking at me?” Megumi asks, trying to get in your line of sight. “Don’t look over there. Look at me.” You nod, looking at him, muttering an apology. Megumi smirks. “Good girl.”

Your throat dries up. This man is driving you crazy, and you can feel your thighs getting slick under your skirt. You subconsciously squeeze them together. “He-he isn’t my boyfriend. He’s just my friend.”

Megumi nods. “But you sleep together, right?”

“No.”

Megumi hums in response, getting closer to you. You instinctively back up until you hit the other railing. He towers over you, and you’re greeted with the smell of his cologne and shampoo as he smirks down at you. “Then what has you moaning so prettily, hmm? Is there another guy in your life?”

You shake your head. “N-no, I’m doing it, you know…solo.”

Megumi’s shoulders drop in relief. You don’t have anyone else. Does that mean he can have you all to himself? “What do you think about? When you touch yourself?” His voice is deep and smooth, right in your ear, causing your knees to buckle.

You gulp. “Nothing in particular.” He smirks. He doesn’t believe you. He reaches out to brush some hair out of your face but you move away, clutching your keys in your hands. He tries again, reaching for your arm this time, but you move away again.

You feel weird. He’s making an advance, one you aren’t opposed to, but you can’t seem to let your guard down and let him approach you. You sweat, shakily putting your key into the lock. You wanted to turn around, to throw your arms around him and let him take control of you, but you felt the familiar feeling of dread eating at your insides, sliding up your throat like bile. This almost felt too good to be true. You had spent weeks wishing for this exact moment, but now that it’s unraveling in front of you it’s hard to believe it’s happening and isn’t some sick, twisted joke. Had you stretched your self-worth too thin? Were you foolish for thinking Megumi would actually want you?

Megumi says your name so softly you almost didn’t hear it, concern etched on his face and laced in his voice. You ignore him, quickly unlocking your door and sliding inside your apartment, shutting the door in his face.

Megumi stands there, both confused and concerned. Had he come on too strong? Did he waste his one and only chance by scaring you? He reaches out to knock on your door before hesitating. He wanted a second chance, an opportunity to tell you that he didn’t mean it, that he didn’t want to make you uncomfortable or scared, but he couldn’t bring himself to press his knuckles onto the wood. He drops his hand and walks away, back to his apartment, feeling like he just ruined everything he could’ve had with you.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧

part three is here

★taglist: @whereflowerswenttodie, @rosieandthethorns (reply to this post if you want to be included in the taglist!)

[blackleatherjacketz]

Whatever Happens First

Eric Northman x Female Reader

Summary: Capitalism is a prison, and you enter into a contract with Eric to repay your student loans, not expecting to catch feelings.

Warnings: 18+ Only!, Explicit Sexual Content, Vampires, Blood Sucking, Prostitution, Kissing, Biting, Vaginal Sex, Cock Warming

Word Count: 500+

Read more Eric!

You hadn’t expected to fall this hard for Eric when you entered into this contract, figuring you could spread your legs for him until your student loans were officially paid off. But the way he looked at you when he pushed inside, the way he moaned your name like it was something sacred really dragged you in deeper than you had ever planned to go. In the beginning he was so quick to pull out, leaving you to the bitter cold solitude of your satin sheets, but each session you had together seemed to extend a little bit longer than the last. His bites had turned into kisses, his grasps into caresses as he purposefully took more time focusing on your guaranteed pleasure before finally letting his fangs emerge.

The look in his eye tonight is absolutely devious, as if he hadn’t just spent the past three hours taking you in every position possible, his body entwining with yours until you started to ache from how many times he’s stretched you from the inside out. Your inner muscles still flutter at the tantalizing thought of him driving that blissful feeling up into your flesh, how insatiable he looked as he generously fed your body’s most carnal cravings. You can’t get over how quickly his eyes rolled back into his head as he continually got lost in your viscera, sweat dripping down his face and neck from the insurmountable deluge of pleasure he poured into you.

But suddenly the pain in your thigh grows sharp, cramping into your muscle in a jarring, burning twinge up through you and into your hip as he continues to hold himself inside you. You shift your weight in order to hop off in hopes to ease the pain, but his strong hands pull you back down on top of him.

“Where do you think you’re going?” He looks up at you through heavily hooded lids.

“Eric,” you whine, giving him an annoyed look as you press down on his chest to get some leverage.

He only smirks as you exert yourself trying to get off of him again, chuckling as you hopelessly try to overpower him and break the connection between you.

“You wanna be a good little whore for me, don’t you?” Eric’s words shock you to your core as he sits up to kiss your chest, his hands still firm on your hips.

“Eric, please,” you whisper as he kisses his way up your neck, licking the remnants of blood off your skin and into his mouth.

“Don’t you?” He repeats breathily, gently thrusting his hips up into you despite still being flaccid, knowing full well what it will do to you.

“Uh-huh,” you nod, nearly jumping out of your skin as another wave of ecstasy works its way up through your sensitive, overstimulated tissue.

“I thought so.” He kisses your mouth sloppily, lazily licking your teeth and tongue before sucking your bottom lip into his mouth with a mischievous grin. He then spins you around and turns you on your side, wrapping his thigh around your knee to keep you in place in one fluid motion. He presses himself even deeper inside, his relaxed member still bigger than those of your past lovers at full attention as he kisses the back of your neck.

“Then you can keep me inside you like this until I fall asleep.” He playfully bites your earlobe, sucking on it as he tugs it away from your face before letting it bounce back into place. “Or until I get hard again. Whatever happens first.”

[trashmouth-richie]

the boy is mine // ziggy’s version ♡

@carolmunson prompt

♡firstly, i’m so excited about this, for the unification this could have for all of us fandom wide— hopefully there are more ideas like this in the future 💕

tw: depictions of hard times, established relationship, blue collar (?) vibes, money troubles, but you’re in love so it’s a non issue. fluffy, illusions to smut but nothing mentioned.

1.3k

the scene: a romantic night in at the trailer.

props included/mentioned (in passing or can hold bigger meaning): a throw pillow, vanilla frosting, a small notebook.

dialogue included (can be manipulated slightly if needed, can be placed in any order):- "i ran out of like, nice cups, is this okay?" - "aw, don't be like that. that's not even true."- "and you like that?"- "if you don't stop, we're gonna have a problem."

Birthdays.

Something rarely celebrated between the two of you. Even though you both agree every year would be different, every new year’s resolution—sworn to do it, but always falling short.

Until this year.

It wasn’t a pony or a working television, and still with the daily struggle of bills piling up and work slowing down— Eddie promised himself, your day would be special.

He dipped into the ‘broken window’ fund— started when some little shits tossed rocks at the “freak’s house”. It consisted of an empty pickle jar that lived in the same dark bottom cabinet holding the potatoes.

Just a few bucks, that’s all he would need until payday on friday.

The shopping basket was nearly pathetic looking as he scoured aisles for a special treat, realizing he had come up short when he needed an extra few bucks for gas.

Putting back the cake mix, the card, and a pack of twizzlers—Eddie left the store with a single can of vanilla frosting, the off brand kind.

He rushed home, hoping to still have enough time to beat you there before your shift ended at work.

Scrounging for the small notebook you got him for christmas, he flipped through the pages filled with past conversations about the pros and cons of leaving the trailer park, a forgotten list for groceries, and an even shorter list of bills that could be pushed back a few days.

He finally finds a clean sheet, clear of pen marks and gets to work. His hands flew with D&D esque inspired calligraphy, scrawling “happy birthday baby!” with a tiny jagged heart at the bottom with his initials.

A car door slams on creaky hinges and he knew you were home before even hearing your soft footsteps on the worn concrete— giving him only seconds to do a quick sniff of his pits and rake through his hair with his fingers— rings getting stuck along the way.

Your keys jingle on your finger as you lug your purse by its strap, nearly to the ground like you were walking a dog on a leash.

“There she is,”

The same cheesy charmer line he had greeted you with since you were teens meeting between classes by your locker, faces wedged almost as one to kiss as much as you could before being late. Hormones on fire.

Eddie ‘benjamin button’ Munson aged backwards, you were sure of it. Where you looked exhausted at any given hour, Eddie's puppy dog eyes grew bigger every day, not a single wrinkle on his cherub face.

“Hey babe,” you yawned with a hand covering your mouth, “did’y have a good day?”

His smile, all dimples and porcelain teeth stretched a mile wide along with his arms as you walked into them, pressing your cheek to the middle of his chest, arms slung lazy on his hips.

“Always a good day babe, never bad. And..someone, not sure who, has a birthday.”

Lifting your head his chin is dipped to you, “someone doesn’t like their birthday, Eddie— it’s a waste.”

You never had, it was never happy before Eddie— stemming from divorced parents fighting about which one should pick up the cake, and who was buying the gifts because ‘I did it last year’ which ultimately dissolved into you telling them not to worry about it because it was just another day.

“Aw don’t be like that,” Eddie frowns, “that’s not even true.”

You grumble into his shirt tossing your head further into him inhaling his scent. He kisses your hairline and strokes your back before working to remove your coat.

“Five years we’ve been together, it’s time we celebrate shit, sweetheart.”

Mumbling a drawn out ‘fiiine’ into him he tips your chin, with a curl of his forefinger, a little smirk on his lips.

“You’re really cute when you pout y’know it?”

“and you like that?”

His lips slot against yours, and you hum with content, “oh darlin’” he says with a fake southern drawl, “I love it.”

-

The tub was filled with the warmest temperature the water heater would allow— which wasn’t a lot, but still, it felt nice on your sore muscles from your shift at the same plant both Eddie and Wayne worked at, opposite shifts from you.

Eddie’s rings clacked on the plastic edge as he slid his long legs around yours into the water, sitting on the other end of the tub. He had helped you undress, hanging your coat on the back of a chair, giving you the beautiful homemade card that made tears spring to your eyes.

He followed behind you into the bathroom, running the water and putting the drain stopper into the drain before he ran back out to the kitchen returning with arms filled with stuff that he kept hidden from you until you were comfortably sitting in the cramped bathtub.

He plugged in an emerald strand of colorful christmas lights that you didn’t even know you had. It filled the cluttered countertop, weaving around the bar of soap and kitchen cup designated for holding your toothbrushes, lighting the bathroom in a cozy Christmas ambience… in April.

“We ran out of like, nice cups— is this okay?” He asked before pouring a can of Busch light into two red cups that were nabbed from Benny’s before it shut down.

Scrunching your face you move your arms from the depths of the water to reach out for his extended offering of warm beer, “when have we ever had nice cups?”

He laughed shrugging, “yeah, you’re right.”

Sitting square in front of you, long legs bent and wide open, Eddie holds up his cup in a cheers, “to you, my love, my sweet beautiful hotter than hell girl who for some reason fell for my charm, happy birthday.”

Clinking a his cup with yours you both smile before taking a swig of the cheap warm beer.

“mm, that’s nice.. what year?” you tease, never even having wine in your life.

He plays along like he always does, swirling the cup and putting the tip of his nose to the rim, “ah yes, a refined 1989 I believe— a good year for Busch I've heard.”

You both laugh until your sides ache. This is why you adored him, making a normal day special by just being him—corny, cheesy, poor— and you had never been happier.

“Oh, wait!” he exclaimed, reaching out of the tub, ribs stretching taunt against his skin, soap sliding down them.

He grabs a lighter from the counter and opens the tub of frosting. Brandishing a white waxed candle tucked behind his ear with the flair of a magician, he plants it in the center before lighting the wick and sitting down roughly in the tub, water splashing onto the floor.

The flame lit up his features, his tongue poked out in concentration, the yellow light filling his dark pudding eyes with a boyish glee, and then they met yours.

“Should I sing?”

You shake your head, happy tears stinging your eyes, “no, this is perfect,”

“Well make a wish.”

You close your eyes tight not knowing what to wish for because all you’ve ever wanted is right in front of you. Blowing out the candle you lean forward and kiss him square on the mouth, hard and deep.

The beer tipped into the tub and was long forgotten as your lips worked down his neck, wet strands of hair curled around, his arms pulling you in, making you sit on his naked lap, the frosting birthday cake sitting on the floor.

You kiss for awhile, your chest pressed into his, his hands squeezing your ass, the heel of his foot knocking the plug from the drain.

“If you don’t stop,” you mutter between kisses, “we’re gonna have a problem.”

Eddie smirks, dimples poking out, stroking your cheek thumb sweeping your swollen bit lip, “throw pillow is already on the bed, besides, I’m not afraid of a little trouble baby.”

[red-talkin-graves]

I feel like. HEA isn't too out of character for the smitten or princess tbh, and it feels like a very natural endpoint for the Damsel. I'm gonna. Ramble about it a lot below the cut

The smitten is blind to her flaws, single-minded, and obsessive. Even before the pristine cut all these traits were present. He never saw issue with the grey burning us alive. He never saw any issue with the razor cutting us to bits. He never took any issue with the deconstructed damsel, who existed as a two-dimensional cutout of a person that refused to have her own will and seemingly only existed for us. That's not really a healthy way to think of someone you love, I think. Which isn't to say there aren't chapters where the smitten does genuinely love the princess. The damsel just... doesn't strike me as one of them.

And the princess forgives the player so easily because the shifting mound is as we percieve her. In the damsel, we saw her as a loving being who would do anything for us, and in the chapter before, we refused to listen to the narrator's warnings(blinding ourselves to her flaws, creating the smitten). That perception becomes cemented into her nature. In the adversary, we had seen her as a capable fighter who we were evenly matched with, so that perception becomes part of her. This is how the princess is, as a narrative device and a character. There's a reason we get to the shifting mound by interacting with a mirror. She reflects what we see in her, and we see what she reflects, and that cycle goes around getting amplified every time. Every chapter is the last pushed to the extreme. The cage is the most extreme form of the prisoner, the apotheosis the most extreme evolution of the tower... she always amplifies what we see her as. And in the Damsel, we saw her as forgiving, loving; and willing to do anything for us.

Tbh I found the Damsel to be a very uncanny and uncomfortable chapter from the start, long before the pristine cut was released and even without having gotten the deconstructed ending myself. The Damsel was never romantic to me, she was always uncomfortable and jarring, because I know what it's like to be in her place, having to abandon my own autonomy and will to appease people just to survive. And I know what it's like to be loved by someone who takes no issue with me lacking autonomy, too.

At the start of the Damsel, she's still chained up. Her freedom is in our hands. She forgives us for the stabbing attempt in the damsel, and that becomes amplified. She loves us despite her lack of autonomy in the Damsel, and that gets amplified too. Even in the damsel, even after we bring her out of the cabin, she still is bound to our will for the few seconds before the world ends, because we still have the blade and still could kill her. HEA feels to me like where the Damsel was always going to end up, a natural continuation of how uncomfortable and uneasy the "romantic" parts of the Damsel were.

[corroded-hellfire]

The year is 1986. Eddie is in danger of not graduating (again). Reader is his girlfriend, and she’s tired of him not taking his future seriously, so she breaks up with him. He finally decides to get his sh*t together and buckles down. But is it too late? Will he graduate? Will the love of his life take him back? Up to you, bb!

xoxoxoxo, @munson-blurbs 💚💚 PS ily

Anything for you, my love! I hope you enjoy the way I broke Eddie’s heart. It hurt me more than it did him. ily2💚

Words: 5.2k

“Eddie, we’ve got to study,” you say. He’s kneeling behind you on his bed, pressing soft kisses along the back of your neck as you try to focus on the textbook laying open in your lap. 

“How am I supposed to concentrate, hmm? With you sitting on my bed, looking so beautiful,” Eddie says against your skin. 

“Okay,” you say, letting your book thump onto his sheets. “I’m gonna quiz you on stuff that’ll be on our finals. For every right answer, I’ll take off a piece of clothing. For every wrong answer, it’s an extra fifteen minutes of study time.”

“Fire away, baby.” Eddie lounges back against his wall and tucks his hands behind his head, a sinful smirk on his lips.

“Let’s start with English,” you say as you shift on the bed to face him. “What two Shakespeare plays are written entirely in verse?”

Eddie purses his lips, eyes searching his bedroom ceiling as if the answers were written across it in big bold letters. “Hamlet and…McBeth?” 

“King John and Richard II,” you say with a sigh. Eddie groans and lets his hands fall down to his lap. 

“Ehh, shit,” Eddie says. “But just because it had two answers doesn’t mean that’s half an hour of study time! That was one question, so only one fifteen-minute addition.”

“Fine,” you say, silently knowing this is all in vain anyway. Eddie’s been caring less and less about school lately, to the point where you’re afraid he’s going to fail senior year for the third time. “We’ll move onto biology.”

“Take your clothes off and I’ll give you a biology lesson.”

“Eddie,” you sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose. 

“Fine, fine, sorry. Go on.”

“What part of the brain deals with balance and coordination?”

One of his dark brown eyes squeezes closed and he tilts his head from side to side as if he’s deliberating what he wants for dinner. 

“The left part. No, wait, that’s a joke! I’m kidding, I’m kidding! Um…the frontal lobe?” Eddie winces, knowing that this was just a wild guess—it was the first part of the brain he could think of. 

“The cerebellum,” you say.

“Okay,” Eddie says, nodding his head. “I’ll remember that. The cerebrum controls balance and coordination.”

“The cerebellum,” you correct. 

Eddie groans, rolling the tension out of his neck before letting his head thump back against the wall. 

“Come on, hit me again.”

“Last one,” you say as you adjust your legs tucked underneath you. “History this time. What city was the first capital of the United States?”

“I know it wasn’t DC,” Eddie says, pointing his finger at you. “Hmm, what other cities were important then? Boston, Philly…Philly! Philadelphia!”

At the shake of your head, Eddie slumps down on the bed.

“New York City,” you tell him. 

“Ugh, fuck me.” Eddie rubs his hands over his face, and you give him a pat on the leg. 

“Not tonight, hot shot. Grab your books.”

Spending your free period in the library, pouring over books, you’re jarred out of the world of microeconomics by the chair across the table from you screeching against the floor as it’s pulled out. A dark figure plops down in it, and you glance up to see the dark leather jacket and black Judas Priest t-shirt that you’d sat next to in last period English. Eddie runs a hand over his unruly curls and shoots you a smile.

“Hey, babe.”

“Eddie, what the hell are you doing here?” you get out through gritted teeth. You’re almost certain the pencil in your hand is going to snap in half. “You’re supposed to be in history.”

“Ugh, O’Donnell,” Eddie complains, dropping his head back. “I swear, she was there for half the shit she’s telling us about. God, I couldn’t take it anymore. She’s just droning on and on. Told her I had to take a leak and knew this is where I’d find my best girl.”

“Eddie!” You all but shout his name before remembering you’re in the library and you lower your voice. “Eddie, you’re already in danger of failing her class. Among others. Should you really be skipping class?”

“Babe, it’s been five minutes,” he says with a chuckle, his carefree attitude that you usually love grating on your nerves. 

“Okay. So, go back and pay attention now.” Your tone is sharp and curt, but you’ve put up with this long enough. 

“Trying to get rid of me?” Eddie asks, jutting out his lower lip in what is an admittedly adorable pout. He leans forward on the table, letting his hand slide over to rest on top of one of yours.

“Trying to get you to graduate,” you say, snatching your hand away. Your boyfriend watches you with wide eyes as you slam your book closed and shove it into your backpack. Slinging it over your shoulder, you stand up and nod your head towards the library door. “Let’s go.”

Eddie follows behind you like a lost puppy as you storm out of the library and stalk down the hall. Once you’ve turned down an empty hallway, you spin around to face him. The anger in your eyes takes him aback, and he shoves his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

“You’re mad,” he says softly. 

“Yes, I’m mad,” you snap. “My boyfriend doesn’t seem to give a shit if he graduates high school or not.”

“I care,” Eddie defends weakly.

“If you cared, you’d be in class right now. Or would study with me when I ask—or at all! Jesus, Eddie, I’ve been trying for months to get you to take your future seriously.”

“My future with you is what’s most important,” Eddie says, hand reaching out for you. Hurt flashes across his face when you pull away, and it hurts you too. This isn’t what you wanted. You’ve never wanted to be the reason Eddie’s in pain. But you also can’t just sit by and let him do this to himself. 

“That’s part of the problem, Eddie. You’re so focused on me and not enough on you.” 

“Because I love you,” he says.

“I love you, too, Eddie,” you reply, tears starting to fill your eyes. “That’s why I’m so concerned about you. About your future.”

“I’ll go back to class,” Eddie says, taking a step closer to you. “I-I’ll study with you. Baby, I promise.”

“You’ve said that before.” You squeeze your eyes closed, resolving yourself to what you know you have to do. As much as you don’t want it. As much as it’s going to break your heart. “It’s not enough, Eddie.”

“Then what?” Eddie rests his hands on your upper arms. “Tell me what to do.”

“It’s too late,” you say, shaking your head. 

“W-What do you mean it’s too late?” But the dread in his eyes says he knows exactly what you mean. 

“You’re not taking your future seriously. I’ve tried so hard to help you, but there’s only so much I can push you. At some point you have to do it for yourself. I’m so tired of waiting for you to do it, though. It hurts me to sit here and watch you not care about you as much as I do.” 

“Sweetheart, please—.”

“Eddie, it’s over. We’re over.” 

Tears flood his eyes as his jaw hangs open. Eddie’s hands slip from your arms, and he stumbles back a step. You know the pain on his face must be reflected in your own. And maybe it means you’re a coward, but you can’t look at his broken expression anymore. Tucking your thumbs into your backpack straps, you turn around and walk down the empty hallway, away from Eddie.

Eddie feels numb. He’s walking around school in a haze. Friends try to talk to him in the hallway, but they sound like they’re underwater and Eddie can’t understand them. Gareth waves his hand in front of Eddie’s face, but he doesn’t even blink. Jeff grabs his shoulder, but Eddie doesn’t even feel it, he just keeps walking. It’s not until Dustin grabs Eddie by the zipper of his leather jacket and pushes him up against the lockers that the twenty-year-old snaps back to reality.

“What?” Eddie asks, big brown eyes blinking as he tries to focus on the shorter man in front of him.

“Are you okay? What the hell is going on?” Dustin asks. Eddie’s eyes find the floor and he shakes off Dustin’s hands. 

“She left me,” he mumbles. 

“What?” Gareth asks, leaning in to hear him better.

“She fucking broke up with me, okay?” His friends flinch as Eddie pushes himself off the lockers and runs his hands over his hair. They back away, giving him room to pace the small area around him. 

“Why?” Jeff asks, sounding half afraid to ask the question to his hot-tempered friend.

“She said I’m not taking my future seriously,” Eddie answers. “That I don’t seem to care that I’m failing classes. Again.” Out of the corner of his eye, Eddie can see his three friends share a look. He stops pacing and stares at them. “What?”

“I mean,” Jeff starts quietly, “she has a point.”

When Eddie just continues to stare, Dustin decides to speak up as well.

“She’s been trying real hard to help you, man. You haven’t seemed to care, though.”

“I…I care,” Eddie says. 

“When’s the last time she tried to get you to study?” Dustin asks.

“The other night.” Eddie remembers, thinking about how he failed your quiz. 

“And what did you do?” Dustin asks.

Eddie sighs and rubs a hand over his forehead. “Tried to have sex with her.” 

“This is probably a good thing,” Gareth says, shrinking in on himself when Eddie glares at him. “For you. So you can focus on school.”

Eddie scoffs. “She really think I’m gonna be able to focus on school after she shatters my heart like this? Fuck, I love her so much.”

“I’m sorry, man,” Jeff says. 

“Fuck this shit.” Eddie slams his fist against the lockers and strides down the hall, towards the exit.

When Eddie gets home, Wayne hasn’t left for work yet. He’s sitting on the couch, remote control in his hand as he points it at the small television and clicks through the channels. Eddie wrenches open the front door, dirty black boots stomping into the trailer before banging the door closed behind him. Wayne pauses his channel surfing to raise an eyebrow at his nephew.

“What’s the matter with you, boy?”

Ignoring the older man, Eddie strides down the hallway to his bedroom, footsteps so heavy they rattle the mugs hanging on the living room walls. Wayne was no stranger to Eddie temper tantrums—having raised him through puberty—but this is a level he hasn’t seen since the last time a letter from his father arrived. He gives it a few moments before deciding to see what’s going on with the brooding boy. Wayne hoists himself off the couch, groaning as his bones click and muscles tighten. 

The bedroom door isn’t fully closed, so Wayne swings it open to see Eddie lying flat on his back, staring up at the water-stained ceiling. He hadn’t even bothered to shed himself of the leather jacket or boots before plopping down. 

“I know I may not have taught you much in life, boy, but I know I taught you manners,” Wayne says. 

Eddie stays silent, which is never the case. That worries Wayne more than anything. 

“Eddie?”

“She dumped me.”

Wayne takes a moment to process what his nephew says. He places his hands on his hips and blows out a breath. 

“What happened?”

Eddie rubs his hands over his face before responding. When he does speak, his tone is bitter. “She said that I don’t care about my future. That she’s tired of sitting around while I’m out here being a dumbass.”

“She wouldn’t say that,” Wayne says with a shake of his head.

“Maybe not with those exact words.” Eddie forces himself to sit up, shoulders slumped. “But the same messaging.”

Sighing, Wayne sits down next to him and pats his shoulder. 

“I’m sorry to hear that. She’s a good kid.”

“I always told her that you like her more than you like me,” Eddie grumbles. 

“Only sometimes,” Wayne jokes with a small smile. “Now, you’re allowed to wallow for one day—two at the most. Then you get your ass in gear and get your act together.”

With a low groan, Eddie flops back down on the bed. “Don’t wanna.”

“Well,” Wayne says, pushing himself off the bed. “The girl is either gonna be right about you or wrong. It’s up to you which one it is.”

Wayne makes his way out of the bedroom and Eddie rolls over so he’s face down on his bed. He squeezes his eyes shut as the first of the tears begin to burn his eyes. The way his throat begins to tighten has Eddie gripping his blanket in his fists. Wayne’s words repeat in his head. Would you end up being right? Is everything you said about him true? Of course it is, he thinks to himself. He’s about to fail senior year for the third time—and he didn’t even care. Until now, he decides. Pushing himself off the bed, Eddie yanks his leather jacket off. He tosses it in the general direction of his closet, not caring where it lands as he bends down to pick his biology textbook from the floor. 

“Should be able to read this whole damn thing before finals.”

Eddie’s friends hardly recognize him at lunch the next day. Instead of arguing over Lucas missing another Hellfire meeting for a basketball game and munching on pretzels, he has his nose buried in a book. 

“Now I’ve seen everything,” Gareth says, dropping his tray on the tabletop. His brows pinch together when Eddie doesn’t even lift his head. 

“Is that Eddie Munson reading a book?” Jeff asks.

“And not just a book,” Dustin says as he slides into the seat next to his Dungeon Master. He picks the corner up to take a look at the cover to confirm his suspicions, but Eddie’s quick to slap his hand away so he can keep reading. “Eddie is reading Romeo and Juliet.”

“Look at this cultured man,” Gareth says. Still, Eddie doesn’t lift his head. 

“How far do you think this will go?” Mike asks. “Think we could shit talk Metallica?”

“I’m reading, I’m not deaf,” Eddie says. 

“Is this about—” Lucas starts but Dustin elbows him in the ribs. 

Finally, Eddie raises his eyes from the book and sends a death glare to all of his friends. He slams the book closed and snatches it up before striding out of the cafeteria. Weren’t these the same assholes who had told him that you were right about him not taking his future seriously? But the moment they see him trying to improve himself, they decide to make snide jokes. Eddie grumbles as he makes his way to the library, banging the door open and ignoring the sneer from the librarian as he drops down at a table. With a sigh, he opens the book again and continues where he left off before he was rudely interrupted. 

Two periods later, Eddie’s pretty sure Mrs. O’Donnell is going to have a heart attack after he raises his hand and answers a question correctly. The crone takes a moment before continuing her lecture and Eddie smirks in self-satisfaction. 

Once Eddie gets used to his eyes being tired from reading so much, and his headaches from the information overloads start to abate, he manages to bring his grades up. It takes a couple of weeks for him to finally see the difference, but when he does, he feels something that he’s not sure if he’s ever felt before: pride. Being proud of himself is odd at first, and he smokes a bit more than usual to dull the sensation, but he soon comes to enjoy it and the pleasant buzz he feels has nothing to do with the weed. 

A few weeks out from graduation, Eddie’s lounging on the wall in front of the school, stretched out as the late spring sun warms the afternoon, reading the assigned chapter in The Outsiders. A shadow falls across the pages of his book and Eddie squints as he looks up, finding you standing next to him, thumb hooked in the strap of your backpack, a strained smile on your face. 

“Hey, stranger,” you say. 

Eddie pushes himself into a sitting position, letting his long legs dangle over the side of the wall. He closes his book, keeping a ring clad finger between the pages that he’s currently on. 

“Hey,” Eddie says. This is the first time you’ve talked to one another since that day in the hallway. Neither of you had even contacted one another to give back stuff that was at the others’ houses. Eddie knows there’s a handful of his t-shirts at your place and he’s not sure if it comforts him or causes him pain to wonder if you still wear them to sleep. And he knows exactly where the David Bowie tapes that you left in his room are—one is in his stereo right now. He’s managed to either hide or push down the pain from the breakup, but he still spends most nights falling asleep to Space Oddity or Ziggy Stardust. It even got to the point where Wayne had come into his room and said, “As glad as I am that I don’t have to listen to your screaming music, you’ve gotta stop wallowing in pity. Or at least listen to Elvis or somethin’ while ya do.”

“I saw you in the library last week. And I’ve heard that you’ve been working really hard,” you tell him. “I’m glad, Eddie. That’s amazing.”

“Uh, thanks,” he says, nodding his head. Under the guise of avoiding the bright sun, he ducks his head down and looks at his white sneakers. But really, he’s not sure if he can look you in the eye for more than a second at a time. The sadness had given way to anger, which gave away to an empty, aching pain in the pit of his stomach. “I, um, started because I didn’t want you to be right. Apparently, you weren’t the only one who thought I needed to get my shit together. But, uh, now I’m doing it for me. Trying to put me first.”

“Good,” you say. Eddie looks up to see you giving him a genuine smile. The one not many other people got to see. You’re not attempting to give him a pep talk or play some kind of game with him. Eddie can tell that you’re being authentic and really are pleased to see him succeeding. “You deserve it, Eddie. I’m proud of you.”

The words affect him more than he would’ve thought. His throat feels tighter and suddenly the spring day feels like it’s a blisteringly hot August afternoon. “Thanks,” he manages to get out. 

“And I—um, I’m sorry. I really hope you know that I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“I know.” And he does. Now. He’d had moments of thinking you had done it as a way of calling him stupid or pathetic. But once the haziness of the initial heartbreak wore off, he realized you would never think that, let alone be cruel enough to insinuate it. 

“I guess I’ll see you around, Eddie,” you say, offering him a small wave. He nods his head in acknowledgment and tries to get back to his book. But too much of you fills his head for him to be able to focus on what Ponyboy is talking about.

Finals come and they go. Eddie waits with bated breath for the results, feeling more on edge, even with kicking up the pot smoking again. When Eddie sees that he’s passed every single exam, the high he feels is better than he could’ve imagined. Not quite as good as some drug highs and definitely nowhere as near the high you gave him, but it’s still good. For the first time in his life, Eddie is excited to come home and wave a school paper in Wayne’s face. In the past, it’d been a detention slip, a letter of reprimand from the principal, or a failed report card that he needed to have signed and returned. But this is something good. Better than good, Wayne tells him. 

“Looks like you’ve got to get yourself a cap and gown, boy.”

So, he does. When he puts them on the morning of graduation though, he groans at how the shade of green looks on him. Black was his best color, according to him, so something this bright just wasn’t him. 

He strolls over to his stereo near the window and firmly presses the play button. Heroes by David Bowie fills the small bedroom as Eddie takes another look at himself in the mirror. No one would look good in this color, he thinks. Well, he muses, that’s not true. You would look good in this color because it’s impossible for you to ever look anything less than breathtaking. 

I, I will be king 

And you, you will be queen

Eddie sighs and turns away from the mirror. Grabbing his keys off of his bedside table, Eddie clicks the pause button on his stereo before heading down the hallway. 

“See ya at the ceremony, old man,” Eddie says to his uncle before he’s out the trailer door. 

Only the graduates and school faculty get there this early, so the parking lot is relatively empty when Eddie pulls in. He hops out of his van and sees Jeff getting out of his car a few spaces over. 

“Glad to see you look as awful as I do in this shit,” Eddie says as he makes his way over to his fellow Hellfire member. 

“Black robes would’ve been brutal under this sun though, dude,” Jeff replies.

Eddie shrugs because he knows his friend is right. Together they walk towards the football field, a place Eddie actively tried to avoid all the years he spent here. It looks like most of the students are here already. Not long after Eddie spots Jason Carver straightening his tie, even though it’s under the gown, all the students are herded into the gymnasium to wait for the ceremony to begin. The gym smells even worse than normal with the whole senior class shoved inside. Eddie spies you off towards a corner, laughing about something with Nancy. It wouldn’t surprise him if you’re trying to make her laugh to take her mind off of the valedictorian speech she’s about to give. Eyes taking in how you look in the green cap and gown, Eddie knows he was right before; you are the only one who looks drop dead gorgeous in the graduation garment.  He knows his eyes have been on you for too long, but he can’t bring himself to tear them away.

“So, what’s going on there?” Jeff asks, seeing where his friend’s gaze lies. “You did what she wanted, right? Are you going to try and get back together with her?”

Eddie sighs and finally breaks his gaze away from you. Instead, he looks up into the rafters of the gym, squinting as the bright lights shine down.

“I don’t really think this was a ‘if you fix this, we’ll get back together’ type of situation,” Eddie says. “Besides, it’s been months. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s been on dates with a bunch of different guys by now.” 

“You still love her, though.” It’s not a question from Jeff, it’s a statement. A fact that was as obvious as the scuff marks on the floor of the gym. 

“Yeah,” Eddie says, not adding anything further. 

“Shouldn’t you at least try then?” Jeff asks. “You did all that hard work.”

“But I didn’t do it for her,” Eddie answers with a shake of his head. “I did it for me.”

“But you still did it,” Jeff points out. “It won’t be in vain either way, man, because you’re here right now. About to graduate. I’m just saying you should talk to her. See where things stand.”

“Maybe,” Eddie says with a sigh. 

Mrs. O’Donnell bustles into the room—well, as fast as she can at her age. Taking stock of the children around the gym, she claps her hands together to get their attention.

“Okay, okay, everyone. Time to line up. We’ll be starting soon.”

Jeff and Eddie let themselves be herded with the rest of their class and listen half-heartedly at instructions shouted at them as they make their way back outside. 

Once the ceremony starts, it’s long and boring. Nancy’s speech isn’t as bad as Eddie expected, though. But Principal Higgins has to talk, then just about every other school official that Eddie swears he’s never seen in the front office even after all the time he’s spent in there. Then the never ending list of names begins. Of course all the names are familiar to Eddie, but that doesn’t mean he cares enough to watch each of them walk across the stage, shake hands, and get their diploma. There are only a select few people that Eddie actually pays attention for. 

“Nancy Wheeler.”

“Robin Buckley.”

“Jason Carver.” Eddie pretends to gag.

“Chrissy Cunningham.”

“Jeff Donaldson.”

Then it’s your turn. Eddie can’t take his eyes off of you or the big grin on your face as you hop up on the stage and go through the long line of people none of you had ever heard of to shake their hands. Your eyes light up as your diploma is handed to you. Eddie doesn’t even realize he’s smiling along with you until his cheeks begin to ache. That settles it, he thinks. I have to talk to her. 

“Eddie Munson.”

Hearing his own name called over the loudspeaker jars him out of his thoughts. He’s distantly aware of people cheering for him as he makes his way to the stage, but it feels too weird to be real. People didn’t even cheer for him at Corroded Coffin shows. Eddie takes the steps up to the stage two at a time and forces a pleasant smile to his lips as he shakes Principal Higgins’ hand. The rest of the faces become a blur as he moves from person to person until he finally gets his diploma. He grins at the simple rolled up paper in his hands. It’s just a blank piece of paper until his real diploma comes in, he knows, but it means so much more. It’s proof that he did it. That he graduated at long last. The now-familiar pride swells up in him as he heads back to his seat among the students in the green sea of their robes. 

When the ceremony finally comes to an end, there’s hugging and crying and squealing coming from all around the football field. Eddie makes his way out into the parking lot where families are taking photos with their graduates, all smiles and congratulations. Wayne’s truck is hard to miss in the parking lot; by far the oldest vehicle there. Eddie heads in that direction and is greeted by a beaming uncle.

“M’so proud of you, boy.” Wayne pulls Eddie into a hug, which wasn’t a usual occurrence in the Munson household. “You put your mind to something and ya did it.”

“Thanks,” Eddie says, smiling sheepishly. 

“Congratulations.”

The familiar voice coming from behind him has Eddie spinning around so fast he hears his neck crack.

“Uh, thanks,” he says. “You too.” 

“C’mon, let me get a picture of the two of you,” Wayne says, pulling a camera that looks older than Eddie out of his pocket. 

Eddie is about to protest, not wanting to make you uncomfortable or feel obligated, but you’re looping your arm through his before he can even open his mouth. You tilt your head, close to Eddie’s shoulder but not quite touching, and smile prettily for the camera. Eddie musters his best look for the picture as well, but on the inside, he’s cringing as he imagines what that picture must look like.

“Perfect,” Wayne says. He unlocks his truck and tosses the camera inside. “I’ll see you later, Eddie?”

“Okay,” Eddie says.

Wayne pulls Eddie in for another hug before enveloping you in one as well.

“I’m real proud of both of you,” he says.

“Thanks, Wayne,” you reply.

Wayne climbs into his truck and gives the two of you one last wave before heading out of the parking lot. 

“So, uh,” Eddie starts at the same time you say, “So, listen.”

Eddie chuckles and nods his head at you. “You first.”

“Oh, I, um, was just going to ask if you were going to the party tonight. At Cat’s place.”

“I hadn’t really planned on it,” Eddie says as he unzips the graduation robe. “Why?”

“Well, uh, I—I was wondering if maybe you’d want to? I mean, I-I’ll be there. But if you don’t wanna, I totally understand.”

“You want me to?” Eddie asks, raising his eyebrows at you as he slips his hands into the pockets of his black jeans. 

“I do,” you say, a shy look that Eddie is unaccustomed to on your face. “Like I said, I get it if you don’t want to. But I had to at least ask.”

“I guess it wouldn’t kill me to go for a little while. Might be able to sell.”

“You don’t want to celebrate?” you ask. “Dance and drink?”

“Of all people, you should know better than anyone that I don’t dance,” Eddie says with a small smile. 

“But you drink,” you point out. 

“Why do you want to spend time with me?” Eddie asks, tilting his head to the side, like a puppy wondering what it’s human just said. Better to ask bluntly and get a clear answer then try to piece one together in his mind. 

“I need a reason?”

“Kind of. After you dumped me? Yeah, you do.”

“I miss you,” you admit, so quietly that Eddie almost misses it. “I’ve missed you from the moment I left you standing there in that hallway. So many times I almost caved and begged you to take me back. But then I’d see you studying, and it would remind me that you need to focus on you. And you did. Look what you accomplished. I’m really, really proud of you, Eddie.”

“Not bad for the school freak, huh?” Eddie asks, the beginnings of a smirk curling his pink lips. 

“I think you need a new nickname,” you muse. “We’re not in school anymore.”

“Maybe we can come up with one at the party tonight,” Eddie says, causing your face to light up in excitement. 

“Really? You’ll go with me?” you ask, eyes widening in hope.

“I’d be pretty dumb not to.”

“You’ve always been far from dumb, sweetheart,” you tell him. Hesitantly, you reach out and lace your fingers with his. “I think I came up with a new nickname for you, too.”

“Do tell,” Eddie says. 

“No more Eddie the Freak or Eddie the Banished,” you say, imitating Eddie’s Dungeon Master voice. “You are now Eddie the graduate.”

[bloatedandalone04]

In The Way I Need You | Part 9

Series Masterlist

➪in which you and clay label your relationship, and you also get some exciting news that he’s more than excited to celebrate with you, until you discover something from his past that has you second guessing things.

PSA: strongly suggested to read the warnings before proceeding.

WC; 5.8k | Do not repost this anywhere, reblogs are fine ♡

“I’m hungry,” Joey whined as you looked over at him with a smile from your spot at the kitchen table.

Your laptop was open in front of you, various job offers open on the tabs. “All you’ve done is eat since you got home from school,” you laugh and he pouts at you, making your smile grow a bit as you get up. “Alright, babe, I’ll get started on dinner.”

Joey smiled at you as he colored in the dog you outlined for him. “Can we have grilled cheese?” He asked and you nodded instantly, setting down the jar of tomato sauce and grabbing the loaf of bread instead. 

“Great idea,” you agree and move over to the stove. “What do you think? Should we make one for your dad? Like the first night I babysat you?” 

Joey nodded instantly with a smile. “Yeah!” You smile back and begin making the sandwiches as he added, “My dad doesn’t make things as good as you do.”

You hold back a laugh as you place a piece of bread in the pan. “That’s because your grandma spoiled him,”

Joey sets his orange crayon down and it rolls to the floor as he asks, “Am I spoiled?” 

Shaking your head, you walk over to him and bend down to pick up the crayon. “No,” you answer and kiss his cheek as you set the crayon onto the table. “You’re just sweet.”

He laughs at that and picks up a red crayon to get started on the house he drew earlier, and you resume your task of making dinner. 

Throughout the next hour, Joey effortlessly cracked you up with every little joke he made, and after you cleaned up the kitchen and let him draw one last picture, you scooped him up in your arms as you carried him out of the dining room and towards the stairs. 

Just as you step out into the hall, Clay ascends the first staircase with a tired look on his handsome face. “Hey,” he greets as he shrugs off his jacket. 

“Hi,” you say back as he leans down and kisses the top of Joey’s head. You blush when he discreetly kisses the side of yours before his son could see. “We’re just about to go have a bath.”

Clay nods and ruffles Joey’s hair. “Sounds good. I’ll be up to say goodnight, okay?”

Joey nods and clings onto your shirt as you gesture towards the kitchen. “I made you something,” you tell him and watch as his gaze softens. 

“Grilled cheese, daddy,” Joey beamed. “Like the first night.”

Clay’s expression shifts and it had you squeezing your thighs together as his blue eyes darkened the smallest bit. “Like the first night, huh?” He asked and placed his hand on your lower back.

Your breath hitches and you nod quickly. “At Joey’s request,” say quietly and the look he was now giving you was making you feel lightheaded. “You go eat, I’ll get him ready for bed.”

Clay lifted your shirt and ran his fingers along the bare skin of your back before he nodded. “Okay,” he then gently guided you towards the staircase. 

You were shaking a bit as you made your way up, and you had a hard time focusing on the task of bathing Joey and getting him clothed in his pajamas as you thought about the man downstairs. 

Clay was making you feel things you hadn’t felt in a long time. You felt like a young teen again who had her first crush and was beginning to discover all the ways a boy can make her feel. 

It was driving you crazy and you wanted him badly. 

“Goodnight, Joey,” you say as you tuck him under his covers. “I’ll see you soon, okay?”

“Okay,” he smiled up at you with tired eyes as he held onto his teddy bear. 

Just then Clay enters the room with the same look somewhat hidden in his eyes, and you move out of the way as he walks over to Joey. “Night, buddy,” he murmured, bending down to kiss his forehead. “Love you.”

“Love you,” the four year old said back before he closed his eyes and Clay began leading you out of the room. 

-

Clay wasn’t sure why his body felt like it was on fire right now. 

He was fine when he got home, and then you reminded him of the first night you watched Joey, and he thought about all that had happened since then, and now he found himself wanting you. 

He wanted to show you how much he appreciates you and adores having you around all the time, and he didn’t know how much longer he could keep his hands off you. 

Clay quietly shut Joey’s door behind him, and then he was alone with you in the hallway. Pulling you towards him with his hands on your waist, he leans down and connects your lips in a kiss that had him holding back a pathetic moan. 

He had only gone on one date with you, but he was already so whipped. 

You kiss him back with the same amount of neediness before pulling away with a breathless laugh, trailing your hands up his arms as you ask, “Did you have a good day or do you always come home in this good of a mood?”

“Had a good day,” he answered as he pulled you further down the hall and away from his son’s room. “An even better night.”

You laugh again and look up at him with wide eyes as he gently pushes you up against his closed bedroom door, his hands pushing up your shirt in order for him to be able to feel the smooth skin of your hips. “That’s good,” you trail off as he tugs at the belt loops on your jeans. “Clay.”

The way you said his name had him growling slightly. “I want you, baby,” he rasped and pressed kisses along your neck. “Will you let me taste you all over?”

You moan and lean your head back against the door as you nod quickly. “Yes,” you gave him a verbal answer when he didn’t advance any further, and he grinned at you before dropping to his knees. His fingers pop open the button on your jeans before he pulls the zipper down, his mouth pressing multiple kisses to the skin of your abdomen. “Clay.”

He groaned and pushed your jeans down your legs, running his hands up the backs of your thighs and creating goosebumps along your skin. “God, you make me crazy,” he muttered, leaning in and pressing an open mouthed kiss to your left hip. 

Your hands move to gently tug on his hair, his name tumbling from your lips again in a soft moan. Clay runs the tip of his tongue along the hem of your plain black panties before kissing you through the fabric and grinning at the way your body shook slightly. “You make me…make me crazy, too,” 

Clay hums in acknowledgement as he pulls at the lace. “Can I take these off, pretty girl?” You nod quickly and Clay slides the black material down your legs. He holds back a moan as he sees the most private part of you for the first time. “You’re pretty everywhere, huh, baby?”

Your soft whine meets his ears and he can’t stop himself from leaning in and licking a stripe up your wet folds. “Clay,” you moan and make a mess of his hair as your legs shake. “I can’t….can’t hold myself up if you’re going to do that. You make me feel things, Clay. I don’t think you realize just how perfect you are.”

Clay groans quietly. “Tell me,” he softly requested as he pressed a firm kiss to your clit. “Tell me what makes me perfect, because I’m pretty sure that you’re the perfect one here.”

“You’re….God, you’re such a good dad, Clay…seeing the way you interact with Joey sends me into a frenzy every time,” you begin in a quiet tone as you didn’t want to wake Joey up. “You’re so kind and sweet…sexy, fuck, you’re so sexy, Clay, it drives me insane.”

Clay laughed at that and it had you moaning louder than before. “You’ve got me blushing down here,” he teased as he hiked one of your thighs onto his shoulder. “Is that all?” 

He runs his index finger along your folds and you squirm a bit as you shake your head. “You always tell me to let you know that I got home safely…you care about everyone around you, including me for some reason,”

“I care about you because I like you, Y/n, a lot,” you blush at his words and softly caress his jaw with your fingers when licked up and down your slit. “And again, I do the bare minimum for you, but I want that to change.” 

He wanted to do everything for you, wanted to take care of you and Joey and come home to see the two of you all the time. 

It was way too early to be thinking about those kinds of things, but he couldn’t help it. You were perfect in every way, how could he not picture himself with you when you were what he had always wanted? 

“It’s okay,” you mumble, grinding against his mouth. “You do a lot for me, too.”

“Not enough,” he disagreed and pressed you against the door by your hips. “You make things easier for us, baby. For all of us.”

You whimper at his sweet words and he feels you push up against his hold as he sucks your bundle of nerves into his mouth. “Oh, God,” you moaned, making a real mess of his usually neat hair. “Feels so good, Clay.”

He hummed at that, and the sounds you were making went straight to his dick, but this wasn’t about him. It was about you and showing you how much he appreciated you since he wasn’t able to come up with the right words. 

Your grip on his hair tightened with each swipe of his tongue against you, and before long he was met with the beautiful sight of you coming undone above him. Your body shook and writhed against his mouth, and he cleaned up any evidence of what he made you do within seconds as you whimpered and whined. “Fuck, Clay,” you laughed when he finally pulled away before you got too stimulated. He pulled your jeans back up before standing to his full height and towering over you. “Hi.”

“Hi,” he said back, “I missed you yesterday.” 

“You saw me on Saturday,” you laugh as you brace your hands on his shoulders.  

He steadies you with a small smirk. “That’s too long,”

You shake your head with a playful eye roll as you watch him bend down to pick up your panties and stuff them into his pocket. “Am I gonna get those back?” 

Clay grinned and shook his head. “Consider it the first piece of clothing you leave at your…boyfriend’s house,” he said the last two words more quietly than the rest as he still wasn’t sure what the two of you were. 

Your eyes widen and you fail to hold back a pretty smile as you wrap your arms around his shoulders. “Boyfriend?” 

Clay felt his face heat up in fear that he may have overstepped a bit. “Too soon?”

You shake your head and kiss him quickly. “I don’t think so,” you answer. “People become official after just one date sometimes.”

“Sometimes?” He laughed and felt one of your hands slide down his chest. 

“Yeah, sometimes. I think we have a good thing here, though, Clay,” Your teasing smile, mixed with the way your hand was nearing his semi hard-on, had his breath catching in his throat. “Can I show my boyfriend how much I appreciate him?”

He really wanted you to, but he also didn’t want you to think that he was expecting it. Though, he also didn’t want to reject you, but luckily he didn’t have to as he heard his mom call out for him downstairs. “Raincheck?”

You nod and kiss him quickly before pulling away completely. “That’s my cue to go,” you mumble and begin to make your way to the stairs. 

Clay curses under his breath and adjusts himself in his pants before following after you. Hearing you call him your boyfriend had sealed his fate, and now he was fully hard but wouldn’t be able to take care of it until he was alone in his room. “Oh, there you are,” his mom smiled as she watched him descend the stairs behind you. “Both of you.”

You smile at her and take a deep breath, making Clay hold back a smirk at the redness still visible on your face. He couldn’t believe he had just gone down on you in the upstairs hall a few seconds ago, but he loved every single second of it. He wanted to get you alone like that more often, but the very obvious elephant in the room was standing in front of him. 

“Hi, Mrs. Beresford,” you greeted in a kind tone, and his mother just smiled at you.

“Y/n. You get the day off tomorrow,” she stated and Clay felt his own smile drop. “I have a meeting I can attend from home, so I’ll be able to pick up Joey from school.”

“Oh, okay,” you nod and look back at Clay. “I’ll just see you both on Wednesday, then?”

His mom smiled again as she nodded and walked around the two of you and up the stairs. You turn to him with a pout he wanted to kiss so badly and take his hand in yours. 

“That sucks, I won’t get to see you and Joey tomorrow,”

Clay shook his head as he guided you towards the first staircase. “You could swing by at dinner time,” he offered and you smiled up at him as you made it to the front door.

“You think your mom would mind?” You ask as you shrug your jacket on and slip into your converse. 

“She’s not the only one who lives here, pretty girl,” he pointed out and you rolled your eyes. 

“Right, I totally forgot,” 

He laughed and brought your hand up to his mouth, pressing a kiss to the back of it as he said. “Have a good night,”

“You too,” you smiled and leaned up to kiss his cheek. “I’ll text you when I’m home.”

Clay nodded and let you pull your hand free and leave his house, and it had been a whole thirty seconds before he began missing you. He missed the taste of you, and now that he’s had a moment alone with you in that way, he wanted more. 

He had to force himself to go back upstairs and get ready for bed, and after he was done showering he saw that you had texted him to let him know that you had gotten home safely.

He texted you back with a simple goodnight, then added a cheeky line about how he already missed the feeling of your body against his.

The next morning, Clay got ready for work and kissed Joey before leaving him in the care of his mom, and he was in the back of Rick’s car when you called him. He couldn’t even greet you before you were announcing, “I got that job!”

You sounded so happy, Clay was powerless to stop a smile from forming on his lips. “The one at that coffee shop?” 

“Yes!” You answer excitedly. “Jess called me a few minutes ago. I start on Thursday.”

“That’s awesome, baby,” he said as he got out of the car. “I knew you’d get it. Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” you were quiet for a few seconds before you spoke again, “I got the morning shifts, so I can still babysit Joey after school.” 

That had him letting out a breath of relief he didn’t know he was holding in. “That’s good. I won’t lose you as soon as I got you,” 

He knew you were blushing as you said, “You sure know how to make me feel special, Clay,” and laughed afterwards. “Jess invited me out for drinks tonight. Said she wanted to get to know me before my first shift, so I can’t come over for dinner.” 

“That sounds fun,” he said as he pushed the button for the elevator. “It might be nice to spend a night away from the kid, huh?”

You scoffed. “I’d rather spend it with you, but it’ll be good to get to know my boss,” you thought out loud before you added, “Must be nice to be your own boss, Mr Businessman.”

Clay laughed as the elevator arrived at the ground floor. “Trust me, it’s not all it’s made out to be,” he responded. “I’m getting into an elevator now, so I’ll probably lose you. Do you need a ride home later?”

“Maybe…I’ll let you know,” you answered. “I don’t want to wake you up, I might be out late.”

“I don’t mind,” he rasped as he entered the elevator. “Call me later, okay?”

“Okay,” you agree. “Have a good day.”

“You too,” he said back before he ended the call with a dumb smile on his face.

-

“Thank you so much for the opportunity!” You yell over the loud music at the bar. “I appreciate you taking a chance on me, despite my lack of experience.”

“It’s no problem, really,” Jess yelled back and smiled at you before taking a shot. You looked around the crowded room with tired eyes, and you knew you were close to your limit as your vision was beginning to blur. “Have you ever been here before?”

“No,” you answer and sip on your gin and tonic. “I’ve only been here for about a month, haven’t gotten out much yet.”

“Oh, babe, stay with me,” she laughed and placed her hand on your arm. “I know all the good places around here, and most of them don’t cost an arm and a leg to get in.”

You laugh, too. “Good to know,”

The music was making your head pound a bit, and when you checked the time on your phone, you saw that Clay had texted you a few minutes ago.

Clay Beresford: Hope you’re having a good night. The kid misses you, and so do I. 

You smile and blink away the blurriness as you text him back,

I miss you both! My night is going pretty well. A bit tired, though. 

Jess slides you a shot and you both take one as the song changes to a fast paced one, and that causes a table of guys a few rows down from yours to cheer loudly. Your new boss laughed and waved in their direction, but you just shook your head and playfully rolled your eyes. 

“What?” She asked with a laugh. “None of them catch your eye?”

You glance over your shoulder and look at each of the six guys before turning back to her and shaking your head. “No,” 

“Wow, tough critic,” she observed, reaching over and stealing the lime from the edge of your glass. “You already have a boyfriend then, I’m assuming?”

You begin to shake your head again, then remember the moment you shared with Clay last night, when he literally pushed you up against his bedroom door and went down on you, then called himself your boyfriend. “Actually, yeah,” you say with a smile. “As of last night.”

“No way,” she grinned and completely tuned out the table of guys as she slid her chair closer to yours, sucking on the lime as she asked, “Is he cute?”

You laughed and nodded, feeling like you and Jess were two old friends catching up. You were really hoping that a real, professional relationship could be formed with her, since your last attempt at one ended up with you dating the guy. “He’s very cute,” you reply and feel your phone buzz again. “That’s probably him now.”

Jess coos at you as she finishes off her beer and sets it down in the middle of the round table. 

Clay Beresford: Are you thinking about calling it a night soon? I can come pick you up.

You look at the time and realize that it was well past one in the morning, and it seemed like he hadn’t gone to sleep yet. “Oh, wow, it’s late,” you laugh in your tipsy state, and Jess pulls out her phone, too. 

“Fuck, it is,” she agreed and pulled out her wallet. “I should get going, but this was fun. I’m really excited to have you work at the shop with me.”

“Me, too,” you smile as she stands up. “How much-”

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” she waves you off. “I got the tab.”

“Really? Are you sure?”

“Of course,” she answered and pulled out some cash. “I invited you out, remember? Bills on me.”

You smile at her as you stand up as well. “Thank you, Jess, really,”

She smiled back and pulled you into a hug. “No worries,” she beamed, swaying slightly. “I’m gonna call a cab. Do you need a ride home?”

You open your mouth to respond just as your phone went off with an incoming call. “Um, I think I’m good,” you say and she nods, waving at you as she wanders off towards the bar. “Hi, boyfriend.” You sing when you accept the call.

“Hi,” he said back with a laugh. “You okay?”

“I’m fantastic,” you answer as you head over to the exit. “But I may actually need you to come get me.”

“Okay,” he murmured and you heard shuffling come from his end. “Where are you?”

“Uh, Hanson’s Pub,” you reply and hear the sound of a car door opening and closing. “I hope Rick isn’t mad he has to drive this late.”

“I don’t think he is,” Clay mumbled. “He’s probably sleeping right now.”

“What?” You ask as you lean against the wall beside the doors. “Don’t tell me you’re driving right now, Clay.”

“Okay, I won’t,” he said and you could hear the humor in his voice. 

“Clay! I thought you weren’t supposed to be driving…you know, because of your condition,” 

“Don’t worry about me, pretty girl,” was all he said and you sighed. “Just stay safe until I get there, okay?”

You hum in agreement, “Alright, but I’m chewing you out when I get in that car,”

“That’s fine,” he laughed. “I’ll be there soon,”

Then he hung up, and you were left to wait only a few minutes before walking outside and recognizing the black car across the street from the bar. You look both ways before crossing the empty road, bending to look at him when he rolled the window down with that smug smile painted on his lips. 

“Why do I find you being behind a wheel so sexy?” You ask as you lean in and kiss him deeply. 

He looked tired, and while that made you feel a bit guilty, you were also a bit turned on at his appearance. You were so used to seeing him dressed in formal clothing, so to be greeted with the sight of him in grey sweats and a white tee was a real treat. “Beats me,” he shrugged, nodding towards the passenger side door. “Get in, pretty girl.”

You hum and kiss him again before walking around the front of the car and settling in the passenger seat. “I can’t believe you’re driving me home right now,” you laugh and slur your words a bit. “Can’t believe I find it so hot.”

“You’ve had a lot to drink, huh, baby?” He grinned over at you as he drove in the direction of his house. 

“Maybe,” you trail off, looking at the dark surroundings. “Did you already forget where I live? My place is back there.”

“I know,” he laughed. “I just don’t like the idea of you nursing a hangover tomorrow by yourself.”

You gasp and jump a bit in your seat. “Are we having a sleepover?” You ask and lean over to place your hand on his thigh.

“Not that kind of sleepover,” he replied and took your hand in his. “Is that okay?”

“You’re asking me if I’m okay with sleeping in your bed?” You scoff and lace your fingers together. “I’d be dumb to reject that offer. I missed you today.”

Clay brings your joined hands up to his mouth and presses a kiss to the back of yours. “I missed you, too,”

The rest of the car ride went by in a comfortable silence, and you were stumbling a bit when you got out of the car after he parked on the side of the road. “Maybe I did have too much to drink,” you mutter as he walks over to you and wraps your arm around his shoulders. “But I’m lucky that my very attractive boyfriend is such a good guy and offered to take care of me.”

“Did I offer to do that?” He grunted as he helped you inside his house. “You must be thinking of someone else.”

You laugh loudly, then slap your hand over your mouth as you look over at Clay with wide eyes. “I’m sorry, I’ll be quiet,”

Clay just shook his head and guided you all the way upstairs and into his room, holding up most of your bodyweight as he did so. He gestured for you to sit on the edge of his bed, and you looked around the room you had only been in once with hooded eyes. 

“You’re so strong,” you slurred as he walked back to the door and locked it before kneeling on the floor in front of you. You gaze down at him with an excited grin as you press your thighs together. “Is this part two of what happened yesterday?” 

Shaking his head, Clay laughed quietly at the way your lips dropped in a pout. “Maybe when you’re sober,” he said as he took off your heels and set them onto the floor next to the bed. 

“Yeah,” you agreed in a tired tone as you lifted your arms. “I want to be able to clearly remember every second I get alone with you.”

Clay grunted softly as he tugged off your dress and grabbed one of his tees from his laundry basket. 

You snorted, “I just put your laundry away not that long ago, Clay,” you murmur as he slides the shirt over your body. “How do you possibly have that much again?”

“Are you forgetting the fact that we got together after you started babysitting my kid? Kids are messy,” He grinned down at you before leaning in and pressing a kiss to your forehead. “Come on, let’s go to bed.”

You nod with a yawn and stand up, only to lay down on the left side of his bed. 

You get under the covers as Clay turned the lights off and got in bed next to you, his brows furrowed in worry as he asked, “Are you okay?”

Nodding again, you slide over and rest your head on his chest. “More than okay,” you answer. “Thank you for getting me.”

He kissed the top of your head as you snuggled against his side. “I always will,”

And that was the last thing you heard before you fell asleep. 

Your head was pounding a bit when you woke up, and you looked around the somewhat familiar room with tired eyes. Sitting up, you groan and hold the top of your head as you look over and see the right side of the bed empty, and then you notice the various prescription bottles on the nightstand. “Clay?” You call out with a dry throat, then meet his blue eyes as he leaves the bathroom attached to his room, still wearing the sweats and tee from last night. 

“Morning,” he said in a quiet tone as he walked over to you with a glass of water. 

“Morning,” you say back with an embarrassed smile as you take the glass and aspirin from him. “Thank you.”

Clay smiled as he sat down next to you on the bed. “Did you sleep okay?”

You nod and set the water aside before taking his hand in yours. “Yeah, I slept great,” you reply and lace your fingers with his. “Thank you for picking me up, and for helping me nurse my hangover.”

Clay laughed and kissed your hand. “Of course,”

You lower your voice as you ask, “Is your mom still here? What time is it?”

“Almost eight,” he answered. “The little guy got up a few minutes ago and she said she’d take him to school for me before work.”

You nod and look around his room. “You’re off to work soon, too, then?”

“No,” he said, making you look up at him in surprise. “I got the day off.”

A smile forms on your lips as you push the sheet off your body and crawl over to him. “Do we have the whole day to ourselves, Mr Beresford?” You ask in a teasing tone as you straddle him.

Clay grabs hold of your waist as you settle against him. “We do,” he confirmed as you caressed both sides of his pretty face. “Maybe we can go on that second date? You know, celebrate your new job?”

You squeal quietly and nod, kissing his lips quickly. “I’d love that,” you smile then look down at what you’re wearing. “I don’t have anything to wear, though.”

Clay gives you a squeeze before gently pushing you aside and standing up. “We’ll stop by your place so you can get dressed,” he offered. “Wear something of mine in the meantime.”

You blush and smooth out his shirt on your body. “Wearing your clothes in public?” You gasp. “How scandalous.”

He shook his head as he walked to the door. “I’ll go make sure the house is empty, then we’ll go, okay?”

You nod and he smiled at you before leaving the room. 

With a big, dumb grin on your lips, you stand up and look around his neat room. On the fireplace mantel were a few pictures of Lilith and Joey when he was a bit smaller than he is now, and you felt your heart skip a beat at the one of Clay holding him when he was just a newborn. 

You missed Joey, and were actually looking forward to him coming home from school later. It may be moving too fast, but you could see yourself being with Clay for a long time. You were so into him and knew you were falling for both the Beresford boys, but you were doing so willingly. 

The only real problem was his mom, and even that you couldn’t blame her for. She was just looking out for her son after watching his first relationship fall apart and didn’t want to see him get hurt again. You could respect that.

One day he would tell his mom about you and him, but for now you’d just have to wait. If it meant you got to be with him, then of course you’d wait.

You walk over to his dresser and pull open the drawer with his t-shirts, and you smile at the difference in comparison to his much more formal button ups you were used to seeing him wear. 

You rummage through the options before spying a dark blue shirt, and you reach for it without a second thought. But, as you grabbed it, your eyes landed on the object hidden under it, and you dropped the shirt as your eyes narrowed. 

Picking the object up, you noticed that it was a picture in a frame, but not one of Lilith or Joey. It was of Clay and a brown haired girl, and they were smiling widely as they showed off their matching wedding bands. 

Insecurities immediately flood through you and you stumble away from the dresser as you hold onto the frame with both hands. 

This was her. 

This is Sam, Clay’s ex, and Joey’s mom.

She was pretty. Fuck, she was really pretty, and her picture was in his drawer. 

You tear your eyes away from the frame and bite down on your lip to stop it from quivering. 

You knew about Sam, and you knew about Lilith’s hatred towards her and Clay’s anger towards her, but to see her with him was a bit jarring. 

How could you compare to her when you’ve now just seen how beautiful they looked together? Sam was older, more mature than you are, and she was drop dead gorgeous. How could you compete with that?

You drop the picture onto the bed and look around the room, your eyes narrowing on your dress that was folded on the chair in the corner. 

Blinking away unshed tears, you strip yourself of his shirt and shove it into the laundry basket beside the chair, tugging on the dress you wore last night. 

You weren’t sure why you felt so bad right now, but you suddenly did not want to go on that second date with Clay today. You felt embarrassed and insecure and you wanted to leave as soon as possible.

So you pick up the dark blue shirt and shove it back into the drawer while holding back a dry sob. 

You had no right to be feeling like this; jealous of a person who had Clay long before you did, but you couldn’t help it. Seeing her brought on so many unexpected emotions, none of which you were wanting to feel after a night of drinking. 

Maybe he still loved her and that’s why their wedding picture was in his drawer. Maybe he was just with you in an attempt to get over her. Maybe he didn’t feel the same way about you that you felt about him. Maybe that’s why he was hiding his relationship with you.

You press the heel of your hand against your eyes as you pull open his bedroom door and nearly bump into Clay himself. “Woah,” he laughed as he steadied you. “What’s the rush? They just left.”

Shaking your head, you gently push him away from you and grip your heels in your hand, throwing your purse over your shoulder as you said, “I’m sorry, Clay, I don’t feel well,”

“What?” He asked as you quickly walked down the hallway and away from the very door he had you writhing against not even forty eight hours ago. “Wait. You don’t look good, Y/n, sit for a minute.”

You shake your head again and walk past Joey’s empty room. “I gotta go, I need some air,”

“Y/n,” he called after you, concern evident in his voice, but you just needed to get out. “Baby, wait.”

“I can’t,” you cry as you practically sprint down the stairs. “I can’t, okay?”

Then you were down the second staircase and out the front door before he could catch up with you.

-

Damnit, things were just getting good smh.

[trancylovecraft]

(AOEX) The Blood Of An Unwilling Covenant

PART 7 OF 8: Lucifer

(Yandere Platonic Demon Kings (Ba'al) x Reader)

SERIES SUMMARY:

BARISTA'S NOTE: sECOND TO LAST PART LETS GO!!!!! GENDER: Femme FANDOM: Blue Exorcist

☀☾☁☂★☀☾☁☂★☀☾☁☂★☀☾☁☂★☀☾☁☂★☀☾☁☂★☀☾☁☂★☀☾☁☂★

LAST PART ,AO3 LINK, SERIES MASTERLIST, NEXT PART

"Camera.. Check! Phone.. Check! Spare change of clothes.. Erm.."

Curtains half drawn over murky windows let light flood into the room, The early morning sun being not deterred by the soot dusting the window panes. It shone on the mess in the room, Shine rolling off ceramics and other illuminating surfaces.

Jars filled with demon bio-produce were piled up to the walls, Heavy-bound books of all sorts being just as tall. Clothes thrown everywhere, A mix of both hers and Lewins. All of it made for a gnarly sight and smell to come under.

But it was nothing compared to the current mess, If that was even possible. The old musty couch was strewn with more clothes than normal. TV still blaring some American cartoon as [F/N] paced back and forth between place to place.

She was somehow able to get around the place with relative ease. Opening up box after box stacked up top everywhere, Apartment still barely moved into.

"Heya.. You good there?" Lewin drawled as he watched [F/N] run back and forth to rummage through all the boxes in the room. Lewin himself was currently lazing upon the old burgundy couch, The one that had cushions torn and had been picked up on the side of the road by none other by the man himself.

[F/N] was almost foaming at the mouth, Even more so once she snapped her head over to him.

"Have you seen any of my clothes around here? I can't find the box with all my stuff in it- Ugh.." [F/N] winced once she drew her arm back out, A thick blue glow wrapped around it and hugging it tight with a slimy touch. A demon, And by the shape it took? No doubt a baby kraken.

Lewin, Ironically, Cracked a smile once he saw it.

"Oops, My bad!" He chuckled, Instantly raising a lazy hand to somehow shoo the demon away. "Linnaeus!"

And just as the demon had came, It had vanished at the summary of it's fatal verse. It seemed to writhe, Spasming and shaking before finally the grip around her loosened entirely. It fell, Hitting the floor as it's blue light started to flicker.

[F/N] looked at it's crumpled body, Disgust running through her features.

"Yeah, Keep your demons in their pens.. Damn it, Lew'.. This isn't the first time.." She scoffed, Pinching her brows with her now-free hand.

"Seriously.. You doin' good? I can see wrinkle lines appearing on your head." Lewin said, Gesturing to his own forehead hidden behind his mop of hair. She groaned, [F/N]'s eyes narrowing in on him.

"It's just.. I can't find my clothes and I need a separate pair in case these ones get ruined! Like I've already got my camera, A few notebooks.. Summoning papers, You know- But I still need my spare change and I can't find it for the life of me!" [F/N] exasperated, Sweat dusting her face.

"Don't you think you got enough?" Lewin said, Pointing over to the backpack sitting atop one of the heaps which so happened to be stuffed full of various items. All of which she listed, Including several other artefacts that seemed weird to where she'd be going.

"Not nearly! Since I wasn't able to go on the camping trip thing, I need to make sure I get everything right this time. It's gonna be a real big day for me!" [F/N] said as she turned back towards the boxes, Feverishly shifting through the contents once more.

Lewin grinned.

"Hah, You and me both.."

The True Cross Festival, The big day. Games, Dances, Fireworks, Food, Festivities. The event that every student in the school had been waiting for ever since they had been accepted into the institution.

Whispers of plans floated through the hallways, Excited chitters leading up to the day. God, [F/N] had been hearing it every second of the day just the week before. And now the big day was finally here.

For many it was a opportunity to ask out their crush due to the entry requirements, To others it was a time to relax and make memories. But to [F/N], It was a prime opportunity to investigate.

"Finally!" She grinned, Opening up another box to find all of her clothes packed neatly inside. Sweaters, Jeans and other types of accessories started to be yanked out of the box and into her arms.

Lewin watched as she piled another few pairs of clothing into her arms, Both for cold and hot weather and even another pair of underwear before hurriedly rushing over her bag and trying to stuff it all inside.

He pushed himself up to a sitting position on the old couch, Yawning lazily as he stretched.

"As I've said- You could really use to loose a few things in there, Ain't this suppose to be something you enjoy?" Lewin yawned once he finally stopped stretching, Staring at her from under his hair as she continued to try push the clothing into the overflowing bag.

"No- It's a way I can get more information about what's going down in there. Like the traitor and the blue night, The things we spoke about-" [F/N] said, Slightly wheezing as she tried to shove and shove everything down in there to no avail. Sweat gathering quicker on her face.

She tried once more, [F/N] pushing down the items on top.

All before she felt the arm of Lewin lightly tug at her wrist, Making her retract it quickly from her bag.

"Hey- What are you-"

"Oh yeah, Definetly overflowing.."

"Lewin- What are you doing?! Hey! Stop touching my stuff!"

"Keeping a few daggers in here? How'd you expect to get past security with all that?"

"Lewin stop it! It took ages to get everything in there! Stop it!"

"Okay, Maybe you can keep the summoning papers.."

"Thank you- HEY! That's my camera, Put it back! Put it back!"

"Aaaand, Ta-da!"

And just like that, The bag that [F/N] had so desperately tried to fill to the brim had depressed almost half it's weight before. Space now very much available inside, Only items spared being her general exorcism stuff and a few new things that Lewin had taken the liberty to throw in.

[F/N]'s jaw was as agape as her eyes, Staring into the new emptiness of her bag that Lewin had dared to meddle in.

"Lew'! Why the hell did you do that?! It took me ages to get everything in there, I need it all if I want to go snoop around in the school! You know, To help me get you evidence?!" [F/N] hissed as she placed her hands on her hips, Angrily staring up at Lewin who still had a lazy smile on his face.

He nodded, Scratching the back of his head.

"Yeah, Yeah. And you've been working really hard to do that! I mean you've already helped lead me to one of the traitors, And trust me, I appreciate that a bunch.. But I think you need to calm down." Lewin said.

[F/N] frowned as she looked at him, Aghast in her eyes yet somehow still mellowing out. Just a few months ago he had specifically told her to do some digging, Now he was telling her to stop it?

[F/N] scoffed.

"But.. But wasn't this something you wanted me to do? You know, Investigate? You can't tell me to stop once I've got invested in it too!" [F/N] exclaimed, Stepping closer to him.

Ever since she had the meeting in Mephisto's office, [F/N] had became just as enthralled as Lewin was in the investigation. Ever since she had gotten that horrid feeling about him, [F/N] knew that she needed to dig in more.

Snooping around teachers rooms, Sifting through file cabinets not meant for her. She had already gotten information and passed it over to Lewin, So after all this work how could he just tell her not to go further?

Lewin sighed.

"But I also said that you should get some friends, And hey! You have with all those exwires! I'm just thinking that you spend this time bonding like you kids usually do." Lewin explained as he in turn stepped closer, The two of them now staring eye to eye.

"They're not my friends.. They're just my classmates.." [F/N] said, And even she knew it was a lie.

"Whatever you say, Ya' munchkin. Just go out and have fun, Forget about the investigation for a few hours and I promise I'll let you throw rocks at the traitor I'm about to catch later." Lewin promised, Playfully reaching out a hand with his pinkie stuck up.

[F/N] huffed, Almost about to comment on his childish behaviour before she brushed it off and wrapped a pinkie of her own around his.

"Whatever.. You better keep your promise though, I've been dying to throw rocks at someone for ages now." She pouted, Pinky finger still firmly wrapped around Lewin's own.

He grinned.

"Of course. You just go have fun, Buy me a souvenir and I'll come back and pick you up at ten, Afterwards we'll hit a burger joint and then I'll let you throw rocks at him. Sound good?" Lewin asked.

[F/N] smiled.

"Yeah.." She said, Trying not to show her grin as she shied her view away from him.

And just like that, The hand that Lewin had joined with [F/N]'s pulled her closer. And before [F/N] knew it his thick arms wrapped around her, Bringing her into a hug.

[F/N] was surprised, Muscles tensing up as she felt his head rest atop hers which was currently pushed into the side of his chest. Lewin had not often hugged her before, Never showed much affection other than playful little punches.

But here he was, Bringing her in without restraint. [F/N] barely even cared about his horrible stench, Not when a hand rested on the back of her head, Another on her back. And just maybe, She started to relax.

Only a little.

"Now go scamper outta here, You're gonna miss your bus!" Lewin laughed as he pulled away from her, The silence he had undertaken before now broken. [F/N] was still standing in slight shock, Eyes wide as she looked up at him.

She blinked, Snapping back into reality.

"R-Right!" [F/N] exclaimed, Finally catching eye of the clock on the far wall. [F/N] tried to gather her thoughts once she gathered her stuff, Grabbing her bag strap and tossing it over her shoulder.

"See you soon, Lew'!" [F/N] called out, Finally reaching the door and turning the knob as she stepped out. She waved goodbye to him and he waved back with a lazy smile, Watching as she sprinted out the door.

A yellow raincoat hanging untouched on the hanger by the door.

☆♡☆

"Hey, Guys! Over here!"

The sun was held bright in the sky, A beautiful sight with no clouds to be seen, Just pure cerulean blue.

The uproar of chatter was already in the air, Sounds of people frolicking around the newly made stalls was the only thing in earshot. Rich smells of meat sizzling and the saccharine scent of sugar was also the only thing you could smell, The festival already starting to gain traction.

"Is that [F/N]? I thought she said she wasn't coming?" Konekomaru said, Turning his head as he watched her run over to them, Smiling slightly at being proven wrong.

"Huh? Oh- I guess she changed her mind!"

The air was fresh, [F/N] could tell as it flew behind her as she pranced over to the group standing just outside the entrance to the festivities. Their figures instantly recognisable as she stuttered to a halt in front of them.

"[F/N]! Thought you said you weren't coming?" Shima exclaimed incredulously as he watched her keel over to catch a breath, Eyes wide as he looked her up and down in her sweater and jeans combo.

"Change of plans.. Turns out I can make it after all.." [F/N] wheezed as she wiped the sweat off of her brow, Lungs burning as she raised herself back up to meet the eyes of her group.

Shima, Bon and Konekomaru. The trio of her classmates stood there in their own outfits, Ready for the festival. [F/N] tried to give them the best smile she could, Trying not to make it look like she hadn't dressed like a slob compared to them.

Bon huffed, Folding his arms.

"Seriously? I thought you said that you were gonna study instead since, You know, You failed your last demonic pharmaceuticals test?" He said as he raised a brow, Looking her up and down with that all too familiar judgemental stare.

[F/N] scoffed.

"And miss all the fun? Yeah no, I came to my senses!" [F/N] laughed as she lightly punched Bon on the side of the arm, Who suppressed a smirk as he lightly shoved her back. [F/N] cackled as she stuck out her tongue at him.

Bon rolled his eyes.

"You still need to study!"

"You still need to shut the fuck up!"

"Calm down you two, You're gonna cause a scene!" Konekomaru said, Moving so he was a human-barrier between the two.

Shima shook his head, Dramatically tutting as he looked at the two.

"Yeah, Exactly! You're really killing the mood you know, How am I suppose to get with hot girls if you two are bickering the entire time in the background? I still need to find a girl to get with so I can go to the dance festival later!" Shima whined as he gestured to the crowds packed behind him, All already enjoying the activities of the festival.

"Erm, I'm a girl?" [F/N] said, Gesturing to herself.

"I said hot girls, [F/N]." Shima replied with an innocent smile.

"HEY!"

[F/N] threw an insult back at Shima, To which Shima gave a passive-aggressive response. They barely even noticed when they got dragged off into the festival, Bon groaning as he lugged both [F/N] and Shima along with him, Konekomaru trying his best to calm the two down.

Only snapped out of it once the blaring noise caught up with her, A light shove by Bon and the smell of enticing meats. Blinking once she realised she was surrounded by a crowd and hundreds of stalls that seemed to muddle on the horizon.

She gulped, Sweat running down her brow with a slight smile.

This was gonna be a long day.

☆♡☆

"Aw man.. Never thought I'd say this, But it's good to get away from all the noise.. Huh?"

The sky was dark, Coloured the deepest of ebony blues and starless with all the light below. Unlike the morning there was a noticeable chill in the air, Either due to the passing time or the new altitude which the two had reached.

That saccharine scent was still lingering in the air, Beautiful tastes of all the food she had eaten still on her tongue. It was all so overwhelming to her, Even now as she stared down at the lights of the stalls did she still feel a rush.

One thing to the next, Perpetual motion. [F/N] had moved from stall to stall, Done party game after party game, Went through every classes activity set up from the festival and had laughed and screamed all the same.

They had met with Rin at his food stall and laughed along with him, They had went through the horror house and had gotten a good laugh when she watched Shima get scared by Shiemi. Izumo too they had passed not even a few minutes ago, Still lingering close by.

They had also lost Bon and Konekomaru somewhere else in the crowd, Konekomaru most likely going to talk with his date and Bon could be just about anywhere. So now it was just Shima and her, After everything that happened..

Dizzying, [F/N] felt. She sipped on the straw of the chocolate shake and let the taste try to calm her, Still cold in her hands and dripping down moisture from the sides. It helped, If only a little bit.

"You could say that again.. I mean, How many girls did you try to ask out?" [F/N] said to Shima as she lightly strolled beside him, High above the stalls in the higher part of the city. Looking lightly over the stone balcony to all the chaos below.

"Ugh! I can't even count and I usually always make sure to remember all the pretty faces I talk to!" Shima exasperated as he dragged his feet alongside her, Seemingly just as worn out from the celebrations as she was.

[F/N] rolled her eyes, Continuing to slurp on her milkshake.

"Just how much stuff I bought on it's own..! You know, My master insisted on emptying my bag before I got here and I'm actually kinda glad he did, Otherwise I wouldn't be able to carry all this.." [F/N] sighed as she readjusted the heaving backpack weighing her down, All stuffed to the brim with all the merchandise she knew her and Lewin would like.

He had slipped his card into her backpack, Something she had found out when rummaging through it. He had trusted her enough to spend his money wisely, Or more accurately trusted her to spend as much of his six-figure salary as she possibly could.

[F/N] smiled, Quietly thanking Lewin under her breath.

"..You and Lightning close?"

"Where'd that come from?" [F/N] asked as she turned to Shima, Who seemed to look back at her with a much more curious expression under the nights sky. Shima just smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

"Dunno, I guess I'm just curious is all. Since you were already his apprentice before joining cram school or whatever, You two related or something?" Shima asked as they made their way towards the balcony, The one overlooking the sea of lights below and where the wind flowed openly.

[F/N] huffed as she continued to drink her milkshake, Leaning over on the stone railings to look out below.

"Not biologically, No. But you know that trope you see in movies? The dickhead older brother who always messes with your stuff and annoys you to high hell? Yeah, That's him." [F/N] said, Rolling her eyes with a slight smirk.

Shima smiled rather forlornly as he leaned over on the balcony like she did, Light reflecting in his eyes.

"Yeah, I get that." He laughed slightly.

"Ah, Okay. Cause of all your brothers, Right?" [F/N] asked as she drew her eyes off the crowds for only a moment, Just to see Shima stare right back off into it. He didn't smile, Just nodded slowly.

He didn't speak either, The smile drawn on [F/N]'s face starting to lessen at the sound of silence. Instead she just brought her eyes back over to the sea of lights, Looking at the crowds below enjoying the festivities.

[F/N] sipped on her milkshake, Tasting the chocolate on her tongue. She should have known that his brothers would've been something difficult to talk about, Ever since the trip to Kyoto she had known something was off.

Especially since the death of the eldest, [F/N] should've taken that as the first sign. She continued sipping on her milkshake, A sort of scratchiness starting to build up in her throat. Shima never really talked about his brothers, Not here nor there.

[F/N] continued to sip on her milkshake, The lights starting to become much more.. Bright. Her nose scrunched up as she turned her head up to meet Shima, Who now seemed to be looking back down at her.

He smiled, Almost awkwardly.

"..Shima, I don't feel so good." [F/N] told him as she finally removed the straw from her mouth, Looking at her milkshake with a sort of queasiness in her eyes. A lightness in her head, A new stutter when she tried to stand.

What was happening? Her fingers started to shake, The muscles much more relaxed than they were suppose to be as the milkshake fell to the floor and splattered across the rocks. She stumbled, [F/N] starting to see two of each in her vision.

Shima hummed, Watching her gait with an unconcerned gaze.

"That must be the Rophynol finally kicking in then." He replied casually as he watched her start to double over.

[F/N] raised her head weakly as she near doubled over, Stumbling back as she stared at him with wide eyes. What little gathered conscious she had left recalled that drug, As clear as day she knew what it was.

Rophynol, Otherwise known as the date-rape drug.

Causes symptoms of confusion, Dizziness, Drowsiness, Lack of coordination, Loss of motor control and slurred speech. Often used by scummy people to knock out an unwilling victim, Usually for the purpose of..

Oh,

Oh fuck.

"Get- Get.. Get away.. Away!" [F/N] tried to yell but it came out as a wheeze, Stumbling back, Almost tripping over on her own feet. It felt like the world was spinning around her, Shaking around like it was encased in a snow globe.

There was no one around to help her, Everyone was so enthralled by the entertainment below that no one dared to come up here. Everyone except her and Shima, No one else around to hear her pleads for help.

Her eyes were wild as she looked at him, Like a cornered animal ready to bite.

His was casual, Looking at her with some synthetic sympathy.

"Don't worry, It's not what you're thinking. I'm not that much of a creep! I slipped it into your shake when you weren't looking earlier, Sorry 'bout this but my boss said that I was to return with you unharmed so.. Had to get creative with how I got you and all!" Shima laughed as he scratched the back of his head, Smiling innocently as if nothing was wrong.

[F/N] wheezed.

What? What was he saying? Who was.. Who was he talking..?

Illuminati.

[F/N] couldn't.. Couldn't get.. Get away. Get away. She needed to get away, Run.. Run away. Lewin, She needed to get Lewin.. Something was.. Something..

Shima got up from his leaning position on the balcony, Slightly stretching with a small yawn as he did.

"Alright, [F/N]. I'm gonna need you to come with me now, Okay? I ain't going to hurt you, My boss would kill me if I did!" He joked as he strolled towards her almost convulsing body, Her eyes untamed and barbaric.

His hands reached out, And in that moment [F/N] cried out.

"Ah-!" Shima yelped out once he felt a slice of what felt like a knife cross his cheek, A searing pain starting to settle into his skin. Blood spurted out from the paper-cut like wound, Muscles tensing.

In [F/N]'s shaky hands was a summoning paper, In her stupor somehow able to pull them out and cut her thumb.

Sylphs floated around her, Glowing an angry luminescent blue and the air around them much fresher than before, Angry faces starting to dart towards him like arrows.

"Aha-! You really are impressive, Should've expected as much from an Arc Knight's apprentice!" Shima complimented in a swift moment, Pulling out his k'rik from within a pocket of his suit and extending it to it's full length.

The gold gleamed in the air, The hoops on the end rattling as he slammed it down towards the oncoming sylphs.

But it stopped.

Before the end of his staff could hit the floor, The fresh air emitted by the sylphs had vanished from the sight. Shima paused in his movements, Eyes raising up to realise that they had disappeared entirely.

He blinked, Sight lowering down.

[F/N] laid fallen upon the rocky pavement, Mouth ajar and dripping in her own saliva. Eyes rolled up to their whites as she convulsed on the floor. The sylphs gone with her, Disappeared once she had finally fallen unconscious.

Shima let out the biggest sigh of his life.

Luckily he didn't need to deal with [F/N], Who had already shown skill incredible and insanely difficult to deal with talents in taming. It would've been impossible to capture her without any sedative, And he needed this to go smoothly.

He still had to find Izumo, Of course!

☆♡☆

"Honey..?!"

"Daddy!!"

The cries of the mans family called out from behind him, Echoing up and out of the dingy stairwell they stood in.

It was cold, Frigid even. If it wasn't for the welcoming warmth outside it could've been mistaken for the winter, Mostly due to the freezer-like chill and the damp dripping conditions around them.

The bloody and beaten man was knelt towards the floor, Keeled and prostrated before The Paladin, An Arc Knight and an entire legion of exorcists, All surrounding him like a pack of dogs ready to snap and bite down onto his flesh.

"We're only getting started now.. As you can see, Your task has ended in failure." Lewin mused as he stood before the shaking man, A grin on his face as he almost looked fascinated by the dribble of blood spurting out from his wounds.

"Could you quickly tell us what's on at the big event?" His family, Terrified and shaking, They called out to him in horror. Lewin paid them no mind as he moved forward, Bending his knees and crouching down towards him.

The man still had his own ichor dripping down his face, Iron tasted teeth turning into a snarl.

"Monster!" He barked, Blood splattering onto the floor in front of him.

"Uh oh! Should you be using such an attitude?" Lewin laughed with a child-like smile as he lowered closer to the man, A gleam in his eyes as he spoke. "I'm gonna have to ask your wife and son!"

The mans bloodshot eyes widened at that, Flicking back from Lewin to his family in the matter of seconds. Blood poured out of his mouth faster than his expression turned sour, Horrified as he watched his family be restrained by a group of exorcists.

He shook his head, Eyes agape as they connected with his wife's.

"Don't.. They don't know anything!" The traitor sputtered as he turned back to face Lewin, Who smiled all the same at him. His wife and son, His pride and joy. They wouldn't.. They wouldn't dare…

Would they?

Lewin chuckled as his eyes seemed to part from under his hair, His elongated pupils and a gleam sharper than a sword in his eyes. The man only watched in horror, Listening to him as he spoke.

"Why bother acting like a good guy now?" Lewin asked as he examined him from his bloody head to severed toes. That sadistic smile downturned, Much more malicious now. "Both of us are monsters in this regard. Cut it out."

Lewin turned his head to meet the eyes of the mans family.

"Then.. Shall we start?" Lewin asked and suddenly the group of exorcists started to pull and manhandle the mans kin, Hands on their shoulders starting to tug them back. Their eyes widening, Struggling to no avail within the hands of the exorcists.

The man gasped.

"Daddy!" His son called out, Terrified face already bursting with tears.

"W-What are you doing..?!" The traitor called out. His expression petrified as he watched his family start to be dragged away into the sea of exorcists surrounding them, His wife wailing as she tried to call out for her son, Her husband all the while yelling for them to take their hands off her.

The man cried.

"W-We're kidnapping two girls hiding within the Japanese division, Both within the hour!" He called out as Lewin raised to his feet, The man watching him with both ire and fear in his eyes. "They're important for our organisation and our goals!"

Lewin frowned, Looking down at the man as he had finally given him the information he had wanted to know. He hummed, Resting his hands on his hips.

"Their names are?" He asked as he looked down at him.

The traitor gulped, Tasting his own blood.

"Izumo Kamiki..!" He rasped. Lewin stepped closer, Almost urging him to go on as the entire exorcist legion listened on.

"..And [F/N] Light!"

Lewin's heart stopped.

☆♡☆

A blinding white muffled by blurred vision, That was all [F/N] could see.

It felt like she was on a ship sailing on a billowing sea, Waves rocking the boat back and forth along the waves as seafoam sloshed at the sides. Rainy too, Pattering against the wild wind of the sails and the rickety wood of the body.

[F/N] wasn't in control of the wheel, Not able to steer her way through the rushing waves or the inky black of the clouds above. She wasn't able to see either, The rain too thick and the wind too fast to even see a proper route out.

Lewin.. Where was her brother?

Her eyelids raised, Though heavy and numb she managed to wretch them open. That blinding white became so much more prominent, So much more scorching to her eyes as she groaned at the sudden light.

"Ah.. You're awake."

A voice like stricken thunder shook her awake, Her eyes becoming lightweight as they shot open to come face to face with a blindingly bright room. Her body felt numb, Unbelievably so. As she rolled her shoulders she barely felt the cushions against them, Nor the clothes it pushed against.

[F/N] groaned, Her heart beginning to pound in her chest especially once she saw a humanoid blur come into focus. It seemed to sit across from her on what appeared to be.. A rather antique looking couch?

"L-Lew.. Lewin..?" [F/N] mumbled out. Her mind in shambles and her vision unfocused. What happened to her? Did she pass out on the couch? Did Lewin carry her home? [F/N] sniffled slightly, Head spinning as she tried to focus her vision.

"You must be confused.. I understand. Your body must be aching, I understand that too. I apologise for the way we had extracted you.. However it was deemed to be the most painless out of our options.." What?

That didn't sound like Lewin. That didn't sound like the jovial tune that sung every time he spoke. It sounded much more delicate, Much more bleak. [F/N] didn't recognise that voice, It certainly wasn't Lewin.

Opening her eyes a bit further, She tried to see through the blinding light.

"W-Who are..-"

Her eyes finally focused on a man sitting adjacent from her, Upon a rather expensive looking couch from the renaissance era. [F/N]'s breath hitched in her throat, Eyes widening, Not caring about the light now-

It was a man.

[F/N] felt her heart stop entirely at the sight of him, Her mouth growing dry. He sat right in front of her on the opposite couch, One leg over the other with posture that could make an old lord envious.

His hair was a beautiful blonde, One that shone white under the candle-light of the candelabra above. His eyes a glorious viridian like the tailfeathers of a rosella, Pupils cut down into slits stared at her with a soft gleam-

He was a demon.

[F/N] wanted to run.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you.. [F/N]. This meeting is long overdue.."

She felt a wave of unease wash over her, Something was incredibly- Incredibly wrong. It wasn't the way he sat or the way he looked- No- It wasn't even the evident rot festering on his skin.

But it was just the air he gave off, So subtly overwhelming. A pit in her stomach forming as she looked at him closer and closer. He presented himself as dignified, As angelic even- But something about that just made [F/N] want to turn her head and puke-

He wasn't right. He was off-

[F/N] felt bile rise in the back of her throat.

"My name is Lucifer, Commander of The Illuminati and The King of Light." Lucifer spoke, His emerald eyes gleaming under the luminescence.

[F/N]'s heart stopped.

Her hands grasped the edges of the couch she sat on with a grip that could crush stone. The.. The King of Light? Lucifer? It couldn't be. But every cell, Every molecule, Every atom was screaming at her to run-

Something that could only be achieved by such accursed royalty.

"You are currently sitting within my estate, Again, I apologise for your rather abrupt summoning here." Lucifer spoke up once more as he slowly rested one of his legs over another, A hand gesturing towards the table. "Please, Feel free to indulge. These were specifically procured to your taste, You do enjoy sugar, Correct?"

[F/N] didn't want to eat, She wanted to puke. Her throat was dry yet she could do little but reach a trembling hand over to the collection of treats upon the table top. Trays of tarts, Plates stacked with parfait all on this antique little table.

Her fingers fumbling before grasping a macaroon, Her eyes never leaving the demon sitting across from her.

[F/N] couldn't even think.

Lucifer's face never changed. Never ticked, Never twitched. Watching calmly as she began to nibble on the outer shell of the macaroon, The one that happened to be the same flavour she had grown to favour. A gentle hum erupted from his throat.

[F/N] flinched.

"Is it to your liking?" Lucifer asks her, His expression unmoving as [F/N] froze up on the spot. [F/N] felt her mind race at such a simple question, Swallowing back what little of the macaroon she had ingested.

Don't be scared- Don't- Just don't try to look him in the eye- His eyes- Just don't-

"..Y-Yes- Uhm-" [F/N] blurted out. It came out hoarse as her hand darted up to pat her throat, Her jugular tensing.

"Homare." Lucifer called out, His voice a little louder than the melodious tone he held before. [F/N]'s eyes darted to her right as she heard firm, But swift footsteps make their way over to the table.

CLANK!

[F/N] gulped. Two tea cups were placed onto the table. Liquid pouring. A petite woman standing by [F/N]'s side with an ornate porcelain teapot in hand, Contrasted by the adorned look on her Illuminati uniform.

When did get she here?

Homare didn't look at [F/N] at all, Her eyes kept on the from behind her glasses. Lips thinned in a tight line. As she finished pouring the liquid, [F/N] quickly took the teacup. Anything to avoid his eyeline.

"You must be wondering why you're here." Lucifer spoke up once more, Homare's presence going ignored as she began to pour the simmering hot tea into the second cup. [F/N] bit her lip.

"L-Listen- I don't have any information to give you." [F/N] quickly said, Her words blurring together. "I don't- I don't get that kind of access. I've never been to- I've never even been to Italy..! I-"

"You are not here for information, We are aware you aren't privy to that kind of information." Lucifer cut in calmly as Homare finished pouring the tea into his cup, Gently picking it up as she drew back away from them, Somewhere back into the room.

[F/N] gulped.

"T-Then why-"

"You've caused quite a stir in Gehenna, Though I'm sure you are aware of that by now." Lucifer spoke, Taking a sip of his tea. "Even amongst my siblings, The other kings, You've made quite an impression on them."

Lucifer lowered the teacup from his lips, His eyelids fluttering as he set it down amongst the array of desserts on the table. Irises flicking back

"I have been hearing about you for quite a long time.. Ever since Astaroth had returned speaking of a little human girl who had caused his vessel's heart to start beating.." Lucifer trailed off, For once, His eyes narrowed. "I had excused it as the delusion brought on by his rapidly decaying body.. But then it was Iblis and Egyn.. Who both haven't stopped mentioning you, Even to this day.."

[F/N]'s grip on the tea cup tightened as he continued on, Memories of the day she had met the pair of kings flashing in her mind. They had remembered her, They didn't let go- Her penchant-

This was what Azazel had warned her about.

"I've been wanting to meet you, You see." Lucifer spoke, A glint appearing in the shimmer of his eyes. "Your.. Penchant, As you call it, I want you to explain it to me. Tell me how you inflict it on other demons, As it has become rather troubling.. Tell me, How do you make them believe they feel human love?"

[F/N] wanted to scoff, She really did.

Human love? As if such a creature could comprehend it.

Human love was gentle, Human love was passionate, Yet there was no string of words to ever describe it. You could call it kind, You could call it exciting. Bonding, Connecting, Warming.

But none of these were ever things such a monster could understand.

"I.. I-I don't know- I can't control it." [F/N] tried to explain, Ashamed of the terror rushing through her veins as she tried to make sense of her words. "I-It's not like I'm doing it on purpose- It just happens when I meet them, That- That somehow they just become more.. Friendly..?"

The word friendly tasted like venom on her tongue.

"I-I don't know how to explain it- I don't know how it happens. Just.." [F/N] took in a shaky breath, Raising her head up to him, Humiliated by what she was about to do. "P-Please, Let me go. I just want to go home- I don't have anything to give you just..! Please.."

Begging.

It made her feel disgusting.

But she needed to get out of here, Out of here before he became affected too.

Lucifer hummed, Unaffected by her words as he leaned back on the couch he was sitting in. He had picked up his tea again and began to sip on it once more, His body still tense, The rot on his skin continuing to fester.

"So you can't control it.." Lucifer mumbled as he peered down at the liquid circling in his teacup. [F/N] was sat on baited breath. Well aware of the eyes on her, The body guards, The Illuminati members that she was unable to see stationed about the room.

"N-No..- So could you please just.. Please let me go." [F/N] spoke quietly, Yet desperately, Trying her best to convince The King of Light to let her go. Like a mouse begging a cat to let it out from in-between it's claws.

Lucifer didn't respond. Just sat there. Staring down at his tea.

"P-Please.. I'm only an exwire, I couldn't do anything even if I tried-" The grip on the teacup handle tightened.

[F/N] cut herself off as she watched his jaw tighten, Shoulders squaring, The teacup beginning to shake from the sheer grasp he had on the handle.

"Commander..!"

CRASH!

[F/N]'s eyes widened as she watched the teacup slip from his fingers, Shattering on impact at the edge of the table. Lucifer groaned under his breath, Keeling over, His trembling gloved fingers grasping the ledge of the table.

Homare, The woman from before rushing over to his side followed by a small fleet of guards. [F/N] pushed herself back in suprise, Hadn't expecting the crowd as they rushed to their superiors side.

"What the-"

"It appears this body is much weaker than I had thought..-"

Lucifer grasped the side of his cheek, Where [F/N] watched as the decay visibly grew. She felt her eyes widen as Homare helped steady him. Her attention focused on him and only him, Her lips thinned. [F/N] blinked.

Was this her chance?

Demon Kings, Their bodies unable to handle their strength, Decaying faster the bigger they are. It was only correct that the strongest amongst them would be in constant pain, Constant torture.

She knew what she needed to do- To try.

[F/N] slowly released her grip on the couch. Lucifer keeled over, His guards and right-hand focused soley on him. Nudging herself to the side, Further, A little more. [F/N] needed to find summoning paper, Or at least something to prick her thumb-

[F/N] didn't expect to get far, Not without her dear sylphs-

CRASH!

[F/N] yelped.

Trays and platters fell to the floor, The desserts crumbling against the floor to make way for the arm that lunged out from amongst the small group. A hand grasped onto her wrist. A thinning, Shaky, Sickly hand with such unbelievable strength.

A pair of green eyes were illuminated through the parting of silvery hair, Wide, Staring at her. His instincts and his reflexes unmatched. [F/N] stared into them, Her throat going dry-

"Do not move-"

THUMP!

It was like a pin had been dropped in a silent room, Or a scream erupting within a library. It was the kind of thing that could be felt from miles away, Like the devastation of a tsunami or the the heat scorching off the sun.

And it was without any noise, Not much anyway.

His hand let go. [F/N] pushed herself back onto the couch, Her legs almost kicking in her scurry, Trying to get as far away from him as possible.

THUMP!

She knew what had happened when Lucifer had gasped for air, Like a drowning man taking his first breath of air. When his face moved like it had muscles underneath, Not tin and clockwork.

The guards all made barks of concern as he collapsed back onto the couch. Body jerking. His eyes wide as he stared up at the ceiling, Heaving, His chest raising up and down at an unnatural pace. His expression, It was-

"Commander..! Are you..-!"

"T-This heart.. This.." Lucifer breathed, In and out, His body splayed against the couch as his eyes lit up. The words of Homare went completely ignored. "This vessel-! T-This body..!"

Lucifer's hands grasped his vessel, One grasping the fabric and flesh covering his heart and the other almost frantically trailing up the rot that festered on the side of his face. His breathing ragged, Yet his body calm and almost relaxed.

"Commander..?" Homare's eyes widened as she watched him, Raising up as her eyes stared on with confusion. Lucifer grasped his chest, Where his heart was, His breathing slowing. Calming. If only a bit.

He shuddered, An audible shiver running down his spine. The fleet of guards stepped away from him, All looking at one and other at the scene. It was almost like his body had melted into the cushions, Relaxing, Like the numb procured from a good night's sleep.

"This body..!" Lucifer breathed out, His eyes aglow as he stared up at the ceiling above. His hand shook where it grasped his heart, The organ that began to thump. "There is no pain- I- What is.. It feels.. Good- No. It feels great..!"

Lucifer stirred, His head almost lolling to the side as he sat forward on the couch. His eyes looked almost dizzy, And if not for his unsightly self-control he would've collapsed right back onto the cushions.

[F/N] flinched when his head raised.

He was affected.

Lucifer's eyes snapped onto her, Widening, Watching.

"You..-!"

His voice sounded like he was parched, His eyes lighting up when he finally drew his attention back to her.

[F/N] could only yelp once she was yanked forward. When those hands grasped onto her wrists and tugged her forward. She almost collapsed over the table and the fallen trays, Barely grasping onto the edge to save herself.

"T-This was it..! I understand it now.. What my siblings were raving about, This is it..!" Lucifer rasped as he pulled her closer with such unthinkable strength, His stare scorching, Looking down at her- "You.. I understand now, Why they were so enthralled by you- I understand-!"

[F/N] yelped.

"No- No- NO-!" [F/N] yelled out, Unable to take it anymore. She cried out. Trying to yank her arm away from him to no avail. Lucifer only tightened his grip around her wrist. Painful, Almost bruising her skin.

"You..! You stay right there-!" Homare called out, A hiss in her voice as she quickly took charge and grasped onto [F/N]'s shoulder, Keeping her in place. [F/N] struggled, Trying her very best to get out of the woman's grasp but it was futile.

"L-Let go-!"

"Please.. Come closer." Lucifer almost begged, His voice quiet yet pleading as he relented the grasp he had on her to beckon her towards him.

Was the space between them too much? The two foot wide gap? [F/N] felt tears begin to prick in her eyes, Pure hatred running through her veins as Homare wrestled her up to her feet and began to shepherd her around the table.

She almost slipped on the polish of the wood, Trying to kick her way out of Homare's hold.

But it was useless.

[F/N] felt herself get pushed down onto the opposite couch, Her back hitting the cushions as a chill ran down her spine. Whenever this happened, Whenever another demon king got affected by her penchant she had always found a way out. To run or fight, She had always found a way out of here.

She always had. Always. Even now there was a way out, Wasn't there? There must be- Surely-

"There you are.. That is much better.." Lucifer spoke out, His voice returning to that gentle lilt though there was an undeniable warmth to it now. His eyes gleaming, Sitting there beside her, Facing her, His attention unwavering.

"Don't- Don't touch me-!" [F/N] cried out, Tears starting to trickle down her cheeks as Lucifer took them into his gloved palms. His touch was freezing, Even through the silky fabric.

It was enveloping too, His grasp a little too tight. How could she get out? How could she escape? His grasp make her skin feel dead and embalmed. The guards surrounded them, Homare especially keeping her eyes trained on [F/N] for any sudden movements.

Fuck. [F/N] trembled. There was no way she'd be able to get away, There was no chance. [F/N]'s reddening eyes were wide, Unable to remove them from Lucifer's. Tears falling down her face, Sizzling at her skin.

How could she get away? In the end she was still just a girl.

The same girl refused to follow her friend into the forest.

Oh, Who was [F/N] kidding?

She was still a kid.

A stupid, Scared, Sniffling little kid.

"No.. No. Why are you crying?" Lucifer asked quietly, Eyes narrowing. His thumb rubbing circles into the skin of her cheek. Wiping away the tears that erupted from her ducts. "It.. Does not feel good to see.. Tell me, What is it that you want? What will make you stop?"

[F/N] hiccupped.

"To go home-! Let me go home-!"

"-No. Anything but that." Lucifer answered quickly, His lips thinning. His hands holding her face growing tighter at her words. "I'll give you anything else.. You see, This vessel.. I have never been able to exist a moment in this world without pain.. An ache that never dissolved, Not until now.."

Lucifer's voice almost shook, The euphoria of normalcy was overwhelming, Overtaking. It was something he could feel in his very being. [F/N] hiccupped, Her throat aching.

Lucifer parted his eyes from hers for only a moment, Glancing up at his right-hand.

"Homare.. Please summon a cleaner to fix this mess as well as more tea." Lucifer ordered firmly, Still gripping [F/N]'s crying face in his hands as Homare saluted and bowed, Barking out a "Yes, Sir..!" before quickly making her way towards the rooms pair of doors.

It was only once they opened and shut did Lucifer return his gaze towards her. Such a sickening, Burning gaze.

It was calculating, Thinking, Asking himself what he was to do.

"Now.."

Tears continued to run down her face even when she was tugged closer. Gently, Yet firm as she felt his arms awkwardly rest around her in what could only be described as an android's attempt at a hug.

His movements were stiff, His limbs not use to the action he was doing. An arm around her back with another on the back of her head. He had leant down, Her head resting on his shoulder. It was if he was trying to mimic what others have done before, A fraudulent copy of what usually was such a genuine action.

[F/N] didn't even fight back, Not when she felt the stare of the entire guard on her back.

"..Does this make you feel better?" Lucifer asked after a moment, His head resting atop hers. [F/N] still shook in his grasp, His cold and mechanic grasp. Feeling his fingers weave themselves into her hair, Firmer than what she expected.

Awkward, But firm enough to ensure she would be unable to get out.

It didn't make her feel better, Not in the slightest. [F/N] tried her best to calm herself down, To think rationally. To imagine that she was hugging someone she actually loved, Like Lewin or Osceola or her friends from the cram school.

Friends, They really were her friends.

[F/N] sniffled, Trying to imagine she was with them and not Lucifer right now. Imagining the smell of ash in the classroom, The obnoxiously coloured halls, The echoing chatter that bounced around the room.

[F/N] missed them. Her friends. Her actual friends. She had companions for once in her life. She had a network, A system she could rely on when she fell, Knowing that they would help her get back up.

[F/N] hoped they were coming for her, To help her get out of here. Anywhere but here, Anywhere.

"Commander."

Homare had returned, Had it been that long? [F/N] saw her standing there through the blur of her tears, Arms positioned behind her back and her eyes a little bit wider than they were before.

There was no tray of tea in her hands like she was ordered to bring.

[F/N]'s eyes widened.

A sudden chill washing over her.

"Commander, I apologise for returning so quickly however I've just been informed that we have- Erm.. Guests." Homare coughed on the last part, Almost as if figuring out how to put it.

Readjusting her glasses she spoke once again.

"The other demon kings, They are here."

[F/N] felt her heart stop.

The demon kings.. They..

They were here?

Lucifer let go of [F/N] however reluctantly, Releasing her from his hold. He pushed himself up to his feet and readjusted his uniform, Settling the velvet of his cape back over his shoulders as he turned to face Homare.

"I had expected this much.. I can sense their presence already.." Lucifer spoke calmly as he dusted himself off. "Not just Astaroth, Iblis and Egyn.. I can sense that Beelzebub, Amaimon and Samael are here as well.."

"Yes, Commander. They are currently standing within the foyer as we speak, They are currently waiting for you."

"Is Samael willing to talk?"

"Yes, I believe he was the one that alerted Beelzebub and Amaimon here. He has not came with anyone from The Order."

"I see. Good."

[F/N] felt her heart near explode. The kings, Demons, The worst of them all.

They were here.

A cold sweat covered her skin worse than it had before, Tears and snot dribbling down her face even harder. All of them, The ones she had met over the years, They had never forgotten her and now they were here.

[F/N] couldn't fight, Couldn't scream, She couldn't run anymore like she had done so many times in the past.

This was it.

There was no escaping now.

"Prepare the master dining room for a feast, Summon the cooks to prepare food however last-minute. Whatever they deem is best."

"How many chairs, Commander?"

"Nine. I can sense Azazel has recently found himself a vessel, He should be arriving rather late but make room for him anyways."

Lucifer turned to her, The emerald in his eyes glinting as he looked down at her. That expression, The one of calm and collected demeanour holding something else now. Something much darker than his title suggested.

He turned to her, Examining her from head to toe.

"I suppose there would be no time to fix your appearance, Unfortunately. I don't believe that our siblings would stay patient much longer.." Lucifer remarked as he looked at her, Frozen there, Terrified out of her mind.

He turned to face her now, Homare already running off to complete her order. Lucifer looked at her from head to toe, At her expression of gritted teeth and sweat building on her brow.

Lucifer almost sighed.

"And I don't suppose you would come peacefully to the dining room either. You are still shaken from the unorthodox way I brought you here, Not to mention that I've heard you have a rather troublesome distaste for us demons." Lucifer almost lamented as he looked down at her.

He took a step forward, His hand raising in the air.

"Ah.. It's no matter. Today you have shown me how it feels to exist without pain, Without weakness." Lucifer spoke, Grateful, His words were dripping in it. "Even now I feel the beating of this vessel's heart, What a wonderous feeling. I understand what the rest of our siblings meant when they had told me.. And I thank you for that."

All of a sudden, He snapped his fingers.

[F/N] only heard the quick sounds of footsteps, Hundreds, Thousands. Echoing and ringing in her ears as she was hefted up to her feet. An arm under each of her pits, Carrying her, Holding her up with such daze in her expression.

Lucifer's gaze almost softened.

"This is familial love, Is it not? Even such a demon as I can be affected by it, By you." Lucifer spoke, So eerily, Dreamily. As the guards surrounding her began to take her away, Her mind in shambles with no more tears left to cry.

[F/N] felt her feet drag against the floor, Mind yelling at her- Screaming as she heard a door open.

Wishing this was all just a dream.

A ghost of a smile appeared across Lucifer's face, Only fitting on such a lifeless being.

"Don't try to fight or run, [F/N]. You may not favour demons, But as our newest sibling, You are sure to learn how to see things our way. However long it takes. Please, Try to behave yourself, Will you?"

The door slammed shut.

And suddenly, Everything turned black.

[byunpum]

Can I ask for a side story of dad!Tsu-tey, like he and Neytiri and Jake have to do important adult stuff with the new clan they are in leaving the kids do their own thing

And the Omiatkaya kids are with reader who is making lunch with the spice they have with them to cook and Tistreya, Amoung, and Rotxo, try forest people food and it turns out that it's quite spicy as it's a delicacy

Pair: Tsu'tey x Y/n daughter x sully family x Metkayina kids

Warning: None, Domestic moments, ao'nung being drama queen

Note: This would be like an alternate part to tsu'tey's "i can be a better father" series. You can read it HERE.

AVATAR MASTERLIST

Lo'ak had dragged his entire group of friends, including his brothers. Ao'nung, rotxo and tsireya were trailing behind the group of boys. They were proudly talking about their half-sister's culinary skills. "I know you're going to love it, Y/N is the best at making stew" lo'ak was excited. You had told him the day before, that you had collected everything to make his favorite dish. The metkayina kids were also excited, according to what their friends had told him this food was different from the ones they ate, which was something very tasty. 'Majestic;' as tuk said, as she jumped up and down with joy as they got closer to your marui.

The way to your marui was a bit further, as it was inside the jungle of one of the islands of the metkayina clan. So practically everyone was running. You were left alone, as your father had to go on a trip with Jake. So you were left alone with spider, and you had invited your siblings to have dinner at your home today. In the distance you can hear the voices of the group of friends. "We're here!!!" says neteyam, pushing lo'ak out of the way and entering the marui before anyone else. You laugh, watching as they were arguing over who was going to eat first. Meanwhile you were wiggling, and putting the last ingredients in. "Hey…calm down…there's food for everyone" you scold him, seeing how behind them you recognized three familiar faces. You say hello too, they looked a little shy. But you calm them down, telling them that they were practically family, that they were more than welcome.

All the boys sat down, waiting for the food to be ready. As they all talked and joked. They could smell it, the rich smell coming out of the pot. After a while, the food was ready. You bring out the plates, nice plates that you had brought from your old home. Handmade jars made by your father, perfect for when you made your stew. You hand everyone their respective plate, the metkayina boys were surprised to see the color and the rich smell coming out of this food. Tsireya watched as her friends were already beginning to eat. "Y/N this is delicious…thank you" says kiri, as she continued to eat.

"You're welcome…mmm I hope you like it. I want you to be honest with me, and tell me what you thought?" you speak, watching as ao'nung began to eat. Followed by roxto and tsireya. After the first bite, ao'nung started coughing but calmed down. Trying to calm down, as he watched your eyes widen in concern. "Everything okay?" you ask him. "Yes, yes…it's very …. yummy," ao'nung says coughing. Meanwhile tsireya, was eating quietly as was rotxo.

Rotxo was next to you, eating all the stew on his plate. This was not the first time he had eaten some of your food, but it was the first time he had eaten this dish. "Y/n this is delicious" says Rotxo, wagging his tail from side to side in happiness. You laugh a little, and shift your gaze. It looked so pretty.

"Y/N one question…what's that stuff at the end, it's like it stings, but it's delicious?" asks tsireya, the girl was excited about the food, it was something so new to her. She had never eaten anything like it. It was a very spicy dish.

"That's spicy…it's something special that Y/N puts in it," said neteyam. Meanwhile, ao'nung was still eating, but the more he ate the more red he was getting. But still, everyone ate every last drop of the stew. You start picking up the containers, everyone looked normal except for ao'nung who looked a little sick. He looked a little uncomfortable, and his face was red. You reach over, and touch his shoulder.

"Ao'nung are you okay?" you ask, watching as your friend fake a smile, but you could see his painful facial expressions. "Did something happen with the food?" you ask. "No…it was - delicious, it's just that I" ao'nung puts his hand to his stomach, you could hear the crunching sounds his stomach was making. As it is he twisted in pain. "You're not well…I think the spicy sauce made you sick" kiri says, as other guys came over to see what was wrong with their friend. "No…I'm fine, don't worry" speaks ao'nung, trying to hold back a mouthful of vomit.

"I think we should see mom" tsireya says, moving closer to her brother. Helping him up from the floor. Everyone was worried, because he was getting worse very fast. "Yes…come on, come on" you help tsireya carry ao'nung. The poor boy was trying to keep his balance.

.....

.....

"I think these tanks will last for about 5 months" tsu'tey says. Jake, neytiri and tsu'tey had set out from the morning on a quick trip to the camp in the hallelujah mountains. They were going to get some supplies, like oxygen for spider and Y/N. And find out if there was any new news. "Yes…I think up to 8 months." Says jake helping tsu'tey carry the oxygen tanks to his marui. When they arrived, they noticed that no one was there, and there was a mess of dirty dishes and cooking utensils. As if someone had walked past them, as if someone had left in a hurry.

Both men put down their oxygen tanks, and look at each other in confusion. Tsu'tey was already getting nervous. Just before either of them could speak, neytiri rushes into the marui. "Tsu'tey come…Y/N is in trouble" says neytiri. Tsu'tey runs out, behind neytiri and jake follows them. What could have happened, you were not a girl who made trouble. The group of friends arrived where he had indicated to neytiri. Tsu'tey saw how Y/N was at the entrance of Ronal's marui, next to her was spider. He was holding his sister's hand, and neteyam was in front of her calming her down. He could see how nervous she was.

The group of friends approached the boys. " Dad!!!" you whimper, running to hug your father. Tsu'tey hugs you back, patting your high back. " Dad…. I swear I didn't do anything!!!" you were a little agitated, neteyam walks over to his uncle. Like the big brother he was, he was going to clear the whole thing up. "Teyam, what happened?" asks Jake. Looking at his children cautiously, lo'ak was at his brother's side. Meanwhile spider, was still holding your hand. "I can explain everything…" speaks lo'ak. But his father makes a grimace for him to keep silent.

"Dad… Y/N prepared something to eat for all of us and we invited the guys. But the food that Y/N made was spicy. and apparently that was very bad for ao'nung. Ronal yelled at us, and made Y/N feel very bad" neteyam tries to explain everything that happened. Meanwhile you were trying to hold back your tears, it was the first time in your life that someone yelled at you the way Ronal did. You had never experienced a bad treatment from an elder. That hurt you, you were a very well-behaved, kind girl. You were obedient, and you hardly ever got into trouble. And now you felt very guilty.

"Dad…he was very bad. He even vomited blood, and it was my fault" you were trying to sound calm, but your crying voice was creeping in. " Sweetheart this is not your problem, you didn't do anything…calm down" tsu'tey tries to reassure you. Jake walks over to you, and strokes your hair. "Y/N I'm going to talk to ronal…you take it easy. Go with your dad to your home and rest" jake speaks, walking away to enter ronal's marui.

Tsu'tey tries to comfort you some more. He then asks neteyam as a favor to take his sister home. All your brothers take you to their marui. While Tsu'tey and Neytiri accompany Jake. No one was going to be yelling at his daughter, while tsu'tey tried to defend you. Jake tried to calm him down, they didn't want to get kicked out of the clan. The boy's stomach was pretty badly hurt, so what had happened had been very serious. But it was not justifiable the bad treatment that Ronal had given you. After discussing for a while, and making all things clear. Everyone went home.

Later in the evening, you were calmer. Your brothers had stayed with you. Then the rest of the family arrived. Tsu'tey prepared something to eat, so that everyone would calm down. Even Neytiri was comforting you, she felt that you did not deserve this bad treatment. And for such a simple thing, it was not your fault that the boy was so weak in the stomach. After dinner, everyone went home. Spider had gone to bed early, while tsu'tey was finishing a basket he would use to hunt fish. Meanwhile you, you wanted to go apologize to ao'nung.

"Hey, where are you going?" asks tsu'tey as he watches you walk out of the marui. "I'm going to walk for a while…I want to clear my head" you speak. Your father just gives you a smile, and keeps working.

You had to apologize to ao'nung. You felt guilty, after all you were the one who made that meal. Poor thing, he must feel terrible. After a while, you arrive at the marui of tsireya and her family. You were afraid that Ronal might see you and yell at you again. But to your good fortune, only tsireya is there. The girl sees you at the entrance, you had your arms crossed.

"Hey!!!" says tsireya in a low voice, approaching you. "Hey…how are you?" she asks you.

"I'm fine…. I came to check on ao'nung. I didn't get a chance to see him" you speak, lowering your head expecting tsireya to be upset with you. But you feel her take your hand, and begin to guide you to where ao'nung is supposed to be. "He's better…tired. But he's going to be fine" the girl says dragging you along with her. You are surprised at how big her marui is, it is very beautiful. You can see ao'nung lying on the ground, on a kind of makeshift bed. He was half awake, moving his face to see what his sister was doing.

"Hello" you speak softly trying not to make him uncomfortable. Ao'nung laughs, and you raise your hand a little. Waving at you foolishly, and making a sign for you to approach him. "Y/N you're here" he speaks, you could tell he was still in pain. You sit next to him, watching tsireya walk away, to do other things. "I want to apologize…I didn't mean for you to get like this" you try to apologize. But you hear a giggle coming from ao'nung. "You're silly!!!" the boy teases you. You give him a pinch on the shoulder, and he yelps in pain but doesn't stop laughing.

"I know it wasn't your fault, I'm just a giant baby….I should be the one apologizing" ao'nung stops talking, and takes your hand. To give it a squeeze and stroke the top of your hand with his thumb. "She shouldn't have yelled at you like that…it was unfair. I apologize sincerely, on behalf of this family and the clan. You are an honorable member, and I know you would never hurt anyone…least of all me, would you?" ao'nung went from a very touching speech, to being flirtatious in seconds. Winking at you, while seeing that you're blushing. " Yah, get off me…. idiot" you whine. Pulling further away from him, sticking out your tongue.

The two of you stay silent for a couple of seconds, until you move over and adjust one of ao'nung's curls. to lift you off the ground. "Well I'm glad you're okay…mmm tomorrow I'll make you a drink perfect for these things" you speak, as you see ao'nung's eyes widen. "Really…it's very good" you joke.

"I'll eat and drink whatever you give me…I don't mind. But only if you prepare it" he winks at you again. You look away, ignoring him. If he was right, he was still the same stupid as always. But even dumber and weaker.

[nausicaamusiclover20]

heyyyy I hope you feel well❣️

Can I request fluff fic reader (f) x current kirk hammett? they’re watching some horror movies and reader is so scared that she covers her face in his arm

I'm feeling good, thank you for asking, I hope you feel good too❤ I hope you like it!

Safe in his arms

 The room was dim, the only light coming from the flickering glow of the TV. It was one of those perfect nights—quiet, cozy, and calm. Kirk and I were curled up together on the couch, a blanket wrapped around us, a bowl of popcorn between us. We’d chosen a horror movie—something dark and creepy that would get under your skin, but I figured I could handle it. I loved a good scare. It wasn’t until the opening scene that I realized how real this one was going to be.

The movie had a slow, sinister start. Shadows crept across the screen, and the music was that kind of eerie, spine-chilling soundtrack that seemed to seep into the air, making everything feel tense. My heartbeat began to quicken, the hairs on the back of my neck prickling as the figure in the dark, the nun, started to make her appearance.

I tried to focus on the movie, but my nerves were already getting the best of me. Every creak, every whisper on the screen made my breath catch in my throat. The sound was deafening. The atmosphere in the room felt thicker with each passing minute. The nun—her dark figure, that terrifying face—was creeping into my thoughts, making me tense up every time the music swelled.

I shifted, leaning closer to Kirk. His warmth was a welcome comfort, but the air in the room had changed. The fear was building, rising with every second of the film. I tried to shake it off, but my body was betraying me. The tension in the air was almost unbearable, and I felt my heart thumping harder, faster.

Kirk must've noticed, because his gaze flicked over to me. "You alright?" he asked, his voice soft, but with that teasing edge he always had.

I smiled, though it felt forced. "Yeah, I’m good," I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt. The last thing I wanted was for him to know how easily I was getting spooked. But the feeling in my chest, the unease that had started to creep up on me, wouldn’t go away. Every time that figure appeared in the dark, my pulse would spike, and I’d find myself looking away from the screen, unable to shake the feeling of dread building up inside me.

It wasn’t long before it happened. The figure—the nun—loomed in the shadows again, and this time, the camera lingered on her face for just a beat too long. The silence was suffocating. The tension was unbearable. I could feel myself tense up completely. I didn’t know how much more I could take.

Then the music exploded—sharp, jarring—and I felt my body jump, my hands instinctively shooting up to cover my face, eyes squeezed shut as if blocking it out could make it stop.

But it wasn’t enough. The fear flooded my chest, overwhelming me. And before I even realized what I was doing, I turned toward Kirk, burying my face into the crook of his arm, my hands gripping his sleeve tightly.

Kirk’s arm was around me instantly, pulling me closer, his warmth flooding through me like a shield. The sound of the film, the low, menacing growl of the music, still vibrated through the air, but I felt a little less afraid with him holding me. I buried my face deeper into his arm, seeking the comfort I needed to escape the overwhelming fear that gripped me.

"Hey, it’s okay," Kirk’s voice was low and reassuring, his fingers brushing through my hair as he held me tightly. "You’re safe here."

The words did something to calm me. I still felt the fear crawling beneath my skin, but with him so close, I could breathe a little easier. The movie was still terrifying, but it didn’t seem as powerful when I was wrapped up in his arms. I took a shaky breath, letting his steady heartbeat against my ear ground me.

"I’m sorry," I mumbled, feeling a little embarrassed by how easily the film had gotten to me. I hated the idea of being so afraid, especially with someone like Kirk who always seemed so calm and in control.

He shook his head, smiling softly. "Don’t apologize," he said gently. "It’s just a movie. I’m right here, okay?"

I nodded, but I didn’t pull away from him. I couldn’t. The film was still full of those dark, ominous moments. The shadows in the room seemed to feel darker now, the silence stretching on longer, as though something terrible was waiting to leap out at me from the dark. I felt that terrifying sense of unease creeping into my chest again.

The figure on screen reappeared. This time, the nun was closer, moving silently through the dark, her face twisted in a grotesque smile. The music swelled again, the sound of her footsteps echoing, loud and sharp in the stillness. I flinched again, and this time, I buried my face deeper into Kirk’s arm. I could feel him holding me tighter, his presence a grounding force in the storm of fear that threatened to overtake me.

"You’re not alone in this," he whispered, his lips brushing the top of my head. "I’ve got you."

His words wrapped around me like a blanket, and somehow, I felt like the world outside us didn’t matter as much. It was just me and Kirk. The terrifying image of the nun, the creeping fear that had been suffocating me, started to fade into the background. As long as I had him with me, nothing seemed as scary.

I pulled back a little to look up at him, my eyes wide with a mixture of gratitude and affection.

"You’re really doing a great job of keeping me safe," I said, half-laughing, my voice still a little shaky.

Kirk smirked, adjusting his arm around me. "Well, it’s my job," he said with a wink. "Keeping you safe from movies and bad vibes—easy."

I laughed softly, the tension finally easing. "I guess I’ve got a pretty good bodyguard."

He chuckled, pressing a quick kiss to my forehead. "You bet you do."

For the rest of the movie, I stayed close to him, every time a scary moment came up, I buried my face in his arm again, but now there was a little less fear and a lot more laughter between us. His calm presence was enough to make the horror movie feel a little less terrifying, and every time I tensed up, Kirk was right there to calm me down, making me feel safe.

When the movie finally ended and the credits rolled, I let out a long breath. The tension that had been winding inside me slowly began to loosen, but I didn’t move right away. I stayed close to Kirk, my head resting on his shoulder, letting the safety of his embrace wash over me.

"That was... intense," I said, still a little breathless from the adrenaline.

Kirk smiled softly, brushing a strand of hair from my face. "I think you were more scared than I was," he teased, but his voice was gentle, full of affection.

I laughed, the sound shaky but genuine. "Yeah... I guess so," I admitted. "But I’m really glad you were here with me."

He squeezed me a little tighter, his voice low and sincere. "I’ll always be here for you," he said, pressing a kiss to my forehead. "Nothing’s getting past me, babe”

"Awwww, thank you, Kirky," I murmured, giving him a soft, quick kiss on the cheek. His skin was warm beneath my lips, and I felt the corners of my mouth curl into a smile as I pulled away.

Kirk smiled back, his eyes softening as he rubbed the back of my neck. "Anything for you," he said, his voice low and sincere.

With him by my side, I knew I’d always be safe. The world could throw all the scares and shadows it wanted at me, but with Kirk, I was never alone in facing them.