#fell free to bother me anytime

[incorrectnevermoor]

HELLO

I’m here to bother you because I have a question >:D

What do you think happened to Jack’s parents?

There’s never been any mention of them really.

Istg if this has already been answered in the books and I’ve skipped over it 😭

HEY!

It hasn’t been mentioned!

This is actually a very good question, considering Jack’s school is a boarding school, so his usual residence would be the Graysmark School for Bright Young Men, but he does mention that he’s been living at the Deucalion for “the past few years”, so it’d be safe to assume that he straight up doesn’t have another home, or at least, that he doesn’t go there.

I think the most popular theory is that he’s an orphan, since there’s no real mention or name for his parents, but I’d like to propose an alternative that’s a tad bit angstier: due to his knack, which we know he dislikes, his parents sent him over to Jupiter, so that they wouldn’t have to deal with it.

Allow me to elaborate on this. When we first meet Jack, he immediately dislikes Morrigan, correct? He doesn’t know anything about her other than the fact that she’s now his uncle’s protégé. Why would that be? Sure, we could chalk it up to him being a kid, but he’s around 13 in Nevermoor, I think that’s a little older than the time kids just decide they don’t like someone. No, what if he felt that way out of fear? What if he felt like, after his parents shipped him off, the only family he had contact with was trying to replace him?

It’d make for him to avoid his knack like he does, too. If he got basically pawned off because of it, wouldn’t it make sense that he’d try to use it as little as possible, like with his eyepatch? Sure, Jupiter is also a witness, he could teach Jack how to move past the discomfort and time things out in a way that’s sustainable. But would Jack want to learn? If his knack was deemed too much work for even his parents, would he even want to try and master it?

Food for thought.

[bahablastplz]

Resident Advisor: Changbin x Reader

Changbin is your R.A. and also your friend that you’ve been in the talking stage with for weeks. When he has to do room checks and he finds alcohol in your dorm, you tell him you’ll do anything for him not to snitch on you. 

content: smut, fluff, angst (reader is distressed) warnings: mention of bugs, college AU, kissing, oral (f! and m! receiving), alcohol, changbin has a huge coke can cock WC: 2700 A/N: happy birthday Changbin! I know it's a week late but I think he would find it in his heart to forgive me. also slightly ironic i was wine-drunk when i wrote this <3

Seo Changbin is beautiful. 

This, of course, has been an undeniable fact of life that you have been aware of since the first day of your sophomore year, your second year in college when you moved into your dorm room. 

The earth tilted on its axis when Changbin, your resident advisor, peeked his head into your room and introduced himself to you. He was a junior, a year above you, but as previously mentioned, a beautiful man with broad set shoulders and hair a color that fell between some shade of blue and purple. Your first thought when the R.A. had introduced himself to you was ‘damn, I need to spend more time with this man and get him to fall in love with me.’ But the glorious thing about him being your resident advisor was that he a.) lived in your dorm building on your floor, and b.) you had a free pass to bother him whenever you so pleased. 

And you did, shamelessly. Anytime you found any sort of reason to complain or bother Changbin, you could just knock on his door or even shoot him a text, as he had shared his number with every resident on your floor. And while anybody else might have been annoyed by the constant pestering, Changbin always seemed happy to help, no matter how small the issue. If there was a leak in your bathroom, you couldn’t remember the number to reach out to maintenance, or your neighbors were too loud, you were likely bothering him about it, to which he would greet you with a smile every time. 

One night in particular there was a cockroach in your room. The dorm building was a million years old and crustier than what was likely allowed by safety regulations, but you definitely had no qualms about bothering Changbin for this. 

“Queencard, I’m the top, I’m twerkin’ on the runway, I am a queencard you wanna be the queencard!” You heard from behind his closed doors the sounds of a fast and catchy girl group song, Changbin’s voice loud as he sang along with the lyrics. It made you pause a moment and giggle, knowing if he weren’t the R.A. he definitely would have received some noise complaints himself. 

Raising your hand you knocked on his door and the music came to a halt, Changbin opening the door while slightly out of breath. You realized that he must have been practicing the choreography or something, which made you grin a bit more before you remembered the situation at hand. 

“Y/N!” he smiled. “What can I help you with?”

“Changbin, hi,” you said to him, slightly teary-eyed. “Roach. There’s a roach in my room. I’m just– can you help?” 

He blinked at you for a moment, grabbing his keys and phone immediately before wordlessly ushering you out the door. He knew his way to your room already–as previously mentioned, this was not the first time you’ve bothered him–and he’s the one that bravely opened your door, grabbing one of your shoes from your shoe rack and holding it as if it were a weapon. 

Needless to say, that night ended in girly shrieks from the both of you, maniacal thumping and stomping that likely irritated your downstairs neighbors, and, thankfully, a dead roach. He was just as disturbed by the situation as you were, and you couldn’t help the fit of giggles once the bug was dead that escaped from your lips. He was just so dramatic and loud after the fact, recounting how gross and evil the creature was. You must have thanked him at least a million times, but that night you went to sleep with a smile. 

─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──

You texted Changbin all the time now, about the most menial of things. At some point, you weren’t sure when the line had crossed from ‘R.A. down the hall’ to ‘someone you text about food hall chicken nuggets and professors that refused to round up your grades,’ but you weren’t complaining. Fast forward to now, soon to be fall break, when you (and you’re entire floor) get an email from Changbin about room checks. 

You recall disregarding the email since you weren’t going home for fall break anyway. You’re staying on campus to get caught up on your assignments after midterms, plus a professor specifically requested your help in their lab over break for extra credit. Who were you to say no to that? You had already filled out the break contract, letting the school know that you were to be staying in your dorm over your break, so you had nothing to even worry about. Or so you thought. 

It’s 6 p.m. on the first day of break. You’re being very studious, just as you had planned (scrolling through tiktok on your phone with your assignments pulled up on your laptop), when you hear a knock at your door. You only slightly jump out of your skin, not expecting anybody else to even be in your dorm hall at this time. You peek through the peephole and let out an excited gasp. 

“Hi, Changbin!” you say excitedly, cracking the door open enough to slide out and greet him in the hall. “What are you still doing here?” 

You should have made the assumption that he’s ‘on duty,’ but you clearly weren’t thinking. Here he stands, wearing a polo that says ‘Resident Advisor’ in your school colors, his name tag adorned on his right side. He also clearly wasn’t expecting to see you, however, eyebrows quirked and a playful expression gleaming in his features. 

“Y/N,” he smiles as he addresses you. “I’m doing room checks, don’t you remember?” 

“Oh, that’s right,” you say, mentally kicking yourself. Of course it was just room checks. Part of you wishes he was just here for you, to spend time over break, but you know that’s a silly notion. He has a job to do, after all. “Well, I’ll be here all break, so you don’t need to check my room. Good luck, though! Hope you don’t find anything too crazy.”

You go to turn and head back into your room when he starts to speak again. “Yah! Doesn’t anybody ever read my emails?” You glance at him sideways, unsure what he’s talking about. “Everyone needs to have their room checked, if they’re staying on campus or not!” 

“What? Seriously?” you stammer. You really should have read that email. “Shit okay, give me like, 10 minutes to clean, okay? I gotta make sure there’s no roaches or anything.” 

You attempt to crack a joke and he does smile, even lets out a little giggle at your words. But when he explains to you that he’s not supposed to give you time to organize your room, just in case you’re hiding anything you’re not supposed to, you blanche. You’re not even really sure what to say as Changbin opens your door and starts his room check, you standing awkwardly behind him. 

You notice your mistake before he does, the large gallon-sized container of vodka on your dresser that you’re definitely not supposed to have. You really can’t even defend yourself there. You subtly shuffle to stand in front of the opposing object, staring down at your phone to feign disinterest. 

“Y/N?” you hear Changbin call. 

“Mhmm?”

“What’s behind you?” Shit. He totally knows. 

“Um. Nothing?” He walks to stand closer to you, a wide but slightly sad smile splayed on his face. 

“Please, please, don’t make me be the bad guy here.” 

“Fine. Can’t you seriously just like, close your eyes for one second? I’ll hide it and you won’t have to do a ridiculously long report, and I won’t tell anybody, please,” you beg. 

“Move, let me see what we’re working with.” With a sigh, you step to the side, revealing the extra large bottle of straight-up hard liquor. 

He picks it up, giving you a side-eye with an exasperated sigh. “Seriously? Why?” he practically whines. “You’re really gonna make me get you in trouble?” 

Fuck. The tears that prick at your eyes threaten to drop out and your face heats up. There seriously can’t be a worse situation that your crush having to write you up and get you into disciplinary trouble, all because you couldn’t be bothered to read a fucking email. 

“Changbin, please, I’ll do anything,” you beg, dropping to your knees in front of him, your hands clasped together. You don’t even look him in the eye. “I can’t afford to get in trouble over this, you don’t understand. What if I lose my scholarship? Fuck, my parents will kill me. I’ll do anything, I really mean it. I’ll never drink again. I’ll pay for your laundry for the year. I’ll even suck your dick–” 

“Woah woah, Y/N, it’s okay, I was just kidding–wait, what?” he freezes, your words finally catching up to him. What he thought was an attempt at teasing you, who had finally started to become his friend, had obviously gone a step too far. 

“You were joking?” you ask, finally getting the courage to look at him. You swipe your arm over your face, using it to wipe away your tears. You look up at him with these innocent doe eyes that go straight to his cock, especially after what you just said to him. 

“Yes, babygirl, I was just kidding. I’m not going to tell on you,” he says, staring down at you, the picture of perfection on your knees beneath him. “About… about what you said, Did you just say that because you were trying not to get in trouble, or… do you actually like me?”

“About sucking your dick?” He almost chokes on the saliva in his mouth. He nods timidly. “I meant it,” you confess. “I’ve liked you for a long time.” 

He blushes, moving forward to run his fingers through your hair. You notice the bulge in his jeans quite literally staring you in the face and you almost can’t believe your luck. You’re really going to get the opportunity to get with Changbin just because of an (almost) accidental confession? 

“You’re sure?” he asks, pushing back his own beautiful, purple-hued hair as he looks at you with lips slightly parted. You nod at him, moving to help him unbutton his jeans and he hisses at the contact of your hands against his clothed cock. “Fuck, baby,” he groans as you push his pants down just past his thighs, mouthing at him through his boxers. “Will you at least let me take you out on a date after this? This is really not the way I thought this would go,” he sighs, but his head is thrown back in pleasure nonetheless. 

“Yes, Binnie, I would really like that.” You notice him grin at your use of the nickname, losing his resolve at your response as he pushes down his boxers and lets you get a good look at his hardened length. He’s huge–you can’t help but blink at him for a moment, his cock just so girthy that you have a hard time wrapping your hand around it fully. His length is definitely longer than average but nothing to blink an eye at once you’ve gotten used to just how much girth he’s got. You do take a moment to appreciate his large, toned thighs, running your hands up and down the muscles before you wrap your lips around his tip. 

You set an almost brutal pace, eager to please him with your mouth as you use your free hands to help you cover what you can’t reach. You think about how much you would kill to take the time to properly worship him, every inch of skin and muscle that he has been working on, but your carnal desire and need for the man standing above you heavily outweighs that. He’s properly enjoying it too, a hand woven through your hair and breathy pants and moans let out at your actions, even something along the lines of praise whenever you suck him just right, and that just fuels your desire to do even better for him. 

You move your hands to cup his balls, heavy and tense with the need to spill, and you can tell he isn’t going to last long. You barely notice his hips as they grind forward into your mouth, meeting you halfway with every movement of your head along his length. When you look up and blink at him through your lashes he explodes, finally spilling into your mouth with a loud groan. You help him through his high, making sure you get every last drop of him before you swallow, smiling sweetly at the man.

He helps you off of the floor then, hoisting you up and off of your knees. You didn’t even notice the pain radiating through them from their spot on the hardwood, far too focused on pleasing the man in front of you. He checks on you though, scanning your body for any insight that you might not be okay before pulling you into a tight hug. You smile against him a moment, pulling away to speak before he crashes his lips hard into yours. It takes you by surprise, not expecting him to still be so eager and filled with desire after you helped him get his release, but the kiss is both full of thanks and an unsaid desire from his part as well. 

“Changbin–” you finally say, pulling away from the kiss in an attempt to catch your breath. 

“You’re stunning,” he tells you, his hands falling onto your hips before gazing intensely, almost scrutinizingly at your body in a way that would make you self-conscious if it were any man besides Changbin. “I was really hoping you liked me too. I don’t text every girl on this floor, you know. Just you. I’ll only kill roaches for you, do it all for you. Can I? Make you feel good too?” He asks, still somehow out of breath and full of lust at the sight of you. 

“You want to?” The words are barely out of your mouth before Changbin lifts you up effortlessly. You want to be surprised by this fact but you feel like that would be an insult to him, to his biceps that flex and bulge at the action, his muscles that he’s been working on very hard for this exact moment. Your legs wrap around his waist and he lays you against your bed, grabbing a pillow so that he’s now on his knees at the edge of your bed. 

He wastes no time slipping your shorts and panties off in one swift motion, taking the time to properly admire your glistening core. You want to be shy but you can’t, not before he’s eagerly diving in and lapping at your pussy like it’s his final meal. You both let out a moan and some string of words that sounds like, ‘oh my god,’ and he’s taking care of you with the same vigor and innate desire that you showed him just moments ago. 

He works you up quite quickly, his hands roaming all over your body in appreciation as his tongue flicks against your clit. Your hands occasionally fist at his hair and he takes a moment to stare at you with dark and hazy eyes before continuing his ministrations. When you get close to your release and your hips start to buck up he holds you down so effortlessly that it’s hot. You barely realize the way that he stares at your face once you reach your release, cumming all over his face as he laps at your core. He pays attention to every expression, every furrowed brow and sound you make, and he knows just when to stop before the stimulation becomes painful. 

Sitting up in bed to stare at him, you watch as he licks his lips, savoring your taste. He pulls you in for one final kiss and you can even taste the way your flavors combine, moaning into his mouth at the sweet and simple action. He helps you to pull your pants back up and even crawls into your bed for a few moments, stroking your hair as you lay upon his chest. Neither of you speak for a moment, relishing in the post-orgasmic bliss. 

He laughs. “Really? Tito’s? Is that worth getting into trouble over?” 

You smack his chest playfully. Something along the lines of “Shush,” is all you can come up with. 

“So, about that date?” 

You might be in love with Seo Changbin. 

─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──

[finsplurtz]

Chat I NEED a part two of the addicted fanfic with Izu with him being a mean dom bottom and us being sub top 😼

—and i go crazy because izuku mad cute pls give me more izuku

soo meann — izuku.midoriya

— dom ! male.reader x sub ! izuku midoriya

— contents : r4pe/non-con , subtop ! Male reader x dombot ! izuku , guilt tripping lol! and he’s mean .. , izuku slight sadistic fuck , hand job , biting , hitting , mad overstim , degrading nd praise , mention of izuku using u so he legit doesn’t gaf abt how u feel , knocking u unconscious , somnophilia if u squint

warnings : r4pe/non-can , lots of beating

- first part: addicted

✩°｡ ⋆⸜ 🎧✮

after what happened at your dorm, it was very evident how attached midoriya truly was to you. He wouldn’t even try and hide it around others, if it weren’t for you shoving him away every now and then, everyone would’ve known he was fucking himself on you every other night.

during these nights you slightly expected him to be nicer every now and then but he was getting meaner and meaner, he started to hurt you.

Every time you tried to have a serious talk with him about it, he would make YOU feel like the bad person, he’d knock u out and you’d wake up to him on top of you

you push it aside after doing it because of how good it feels to be inside the green haired boy, all the problems just disappear and izuku knows that.

one night you guys just got back from intense training, you were exhausted. Midoriya was still sorta hyper, so he decided to bother you a bit more.

you didn’t realize he was following after you to your dorm, you were practically dragging your feet because of how tired you were. Everything around you was just silent, you didn’t hear anything.

you walked in and grunted when your hyper baby jumped on you, falling to the floor you let out a sigh of annoyance. you turn your body around and look up at izuku who was straddling you, dark big eyes staring back at you.

“izu..im really tired, can we not do it tonight..?”

“…no..nono you’re not tired, just let me do this” he started to rub your crotch with the palm of his hand, leaned down and left kisses on your neck while you tried pushing him off.

“izuku I…thought we talked..about - ugh..~” you harshly grabbed his wrist and moved him off you.

“you need to stop when I tell yo—“ you felt a sting when he slapped your face with his free hand, you slowly looked back at him but he quickly grabbed your head in his hands and slammed it down onto the floor.

you groaned at the pain in the back of your head, you squirm under the guy trying to get away.

“you’ll let me do this.. stop being so difficult.” he got back on top of you and grinded his ass down on your clothed dick as you let out small whimpers.

you tried to get him off but he didn’t listen and kept doing his own thing, taking your dick out and beginning to stroke it, having you break apart under him.

anytime you got noisier he would just slap you, each time harsher than the last.

“p..please izuk..stop..” tears fell down your face while he stared up at you annoyingly. “stop crying..you know you love it when I touch you like this..” his thumb slid against your slit, a moan ripping out of your sore throat and your eyes rolling back.

“c..can’t you be…nicer..” you said thru whines, he kissed his teeth and sped up his pace jerking you off and dipping down to bite your neck.

“shut up..” he would say before sinking his teeth into your skin, drawing blood. you’d scream and pull at his hair to get him off you, but he’d just roughly slam your head back down on the floor.

your breathing sped up when you got closer to coming, when you did, izuku would sit back up and lick up your mess. he’d help himself up just above your dick, his hole already wet and loose due to the many times he’s done this.

“n..noo izuk..I just came p-please give me a bit..” you begged the green haired, your hands going over to his hips only for them to get swatted away.

you throw your head back when he sinked down onto your length, your hands twitching and breath hitching.

“don’t be selfish, since you already..came, I get to as well..” he lifted himself up and slowly sat back down starting at a slow pace making this hurt more.

He was extremely rough with you and extremely mean, always slapping, biting, hitting and pinching because he loved hearing you moan and whine in pain. His goal all the time, was to break you.

Have you come so much that you start shooting blanks, so much that you’re drooling and panting like a dog and begging him to keep fucking you.

he’s only nice when you’re on the brink of passing out, he’d cup your pink tear stained cheeks and kiss you passionately.

“you’re doing well sweetie… just take it like the good boy you are, yeah..?~” you’d slowly nod your head and give him a trembling slime. He’d give you so many kisses and make you feel so loved just to then knock you out

“you’re just a toy I use to fuck myself” and he’d push the back of your head down on the floor hard enough for you to lose consciousness.

but you never remember that part.

When you wake up, you have a bit of a headache and izuku is sleeping soundly next to you, you just can’t let go of him.

you just hope one day he’ll be nicer to you when using you:((

a/n; posting two days in a row yeah i’m fucking goated as hell

[peakyswritings]

Heart, Body and Soul || Tommy Shelby x OC

PART XI

Summary: the situation complicates further as Tommy’s stay in Sicily nears its end. It’s time for conversations, and things that have been buried for too long are brought to the light.

Warnings: mentions of arranged marriage, slow-burn, small age-gap (Tommy’s 30, Nina is in her early 20s), time-typical misogyny, references to past attempted assault, harassment, violence, angst, English is not my first language. This chapter is 18+, smut (I’m still not used to writing it but here we go). This is set between season 1 and 2.

Like in some previous chapters, some conversations are supposed to be in Italian but for obvious reasons I kept them in English.

A/N: sorry this is really long. I hope it makes up for the wait!

PREVIOUS CHAPTER

SERIES MASTERLIST

Dividers credits

Tommy’s proposal to Agnese had brought quite the hustle in the Ferrante’s property. A stream of relatives and friends had been coming to congratulate the new couple in the past few days, and people continuously came and went to make the arrangements for the wedding - or simply pry in the family business. And with the engagement party being held that night, it was impossible for Nina to step out of the house without bumping into some caterer or seamstress or, if she was particularly unlucky, some cantankerous old aunt who would stray away from her as if she were the Devil incarnated.

Her mood, which was already dark to begin with, had considerably worsened, forcing her to withdraw into isolation to avoid all possible conflict. She was easily irritated, she couldn’t stand her mother’s complaints, her father’s deceitfulness, her brothers’ haughtiness, and she couldn’t help herself from talking back or snapping when something bothered her. She could tell they were fed up with her insolence, that she was treading on thin ice, but she drew a twisted satisfaction from getting on their nerves. It was the only way she had to get back at them for the hell they were putting her through. Her role in the family, the impossibility of being something more than she was expected to be, the threat of a forced marriage with Stefano that was becoming less of a prospect and more of a certainty with each day that passed. And now that. Having to watch as the marriage between Tommy and Agnese took form, pretending with her cousin she was genuinely happy for her.

It was tearing her apart from the inside. At this point, Nina couldn’t wait for them to get married, so that Tommy would leave her house, her country, and set her free from the deep ache she felt every time he was near. It would be difficult, at first, but in time she’d forget about him, about the way he made her heart race, about how safe she felt in his arms.

“I’m going over to aunt Rita,” her mother hastily walked into the kitchen, holding a sewing box in her hands. “I’m helping her embroider the bedsheets for the trousseau.”

“Mhm.” Nina merely raised her eyes from the book she was pretending to read. Hearing about bedsheets and trousseaus was the last thing she needed in that moment, especially if it had to become yet another excuse to reproach her for not having the intention to get married anytime soon.

All of a sudden the book was soon snatched from her hands. When she raised her gaze, her mother was looking at her with a stern look on her face.

“Your friend has been invited to the party,” she said bitterly, as though the matter was somehow her daughter’s fault.

Nina’s heart fell to the pit of her stomach. It didn’t take a genius to understand who said friend was.

“The whole Spinietta family has been invited,” Maria went on, slamming the book on the table.

She swallowed harshly, the implications of that gesture rapidly sinking in. “Are you serious?”

“I warned you,” her mother pointed a finger at her. “If you had listened to me, maybe it would’ve been Angelo, not him.”

Nina rolled her eyes. Again with her friend’s son. What did she want, to put a death sentence on the poor man? She grabbed the cup of tea that had grown cold in front of her, and got up to pour its content in the sink.

“Did I tell you he’s a teacher?” Maria started again. “I bet he acts all intellectual just like you.”

“If he knows what’s good for him, he’ll intellectualise away from me. Unless he wants to get on the Spiniettas’ bad side, that is. Or dad’s.” She started to aggressively scrub the cup, taking out her anger on the fragile item. “And who says he’d be interested in me anyway?”

Her mother looked at her as if a second nose had grown on her face. Despite her unusual behaviour, Nina carried herself well, looked nice, had an education that most girls could only dream of. Her Italian was outstandingly clean, almost devoid of dialectal influences, and clear. Her brain worked incessantly, she had complex thoughts, and it was often difficult to keep up with her. Not to mention how she managed to give even men twice her age a hard time with the sole power of her words.

“Why wouldn’t he?”

“Maybe he’d find me ugly,” Nina shrugged, “or stupid.”

“You’re my daughter, you can’t be ugly or stupid.”

Nina let out a sigh, drying her hands on a towel. There was no point in arguing. In those situations, it was better to let her mum vent until she got tired of talking with a stone wall and gave up.

Maria dropped the sewing box on the table with a thud. Once she had her daughter’s attention back in her, she started speaking again, a grave expression on her face. “I don’t think you understand the situation you’re in. If your father says yes to Stefano, then he won’t be able to say no anymore,” she said lowly. “You need to act before he says yes.”

“He can’t force me.”

If her father really decided to go through with it, she’d drop the bomb on him that she wasn’t a virgin anymore. Maybe she could do it in front of Stefano, for the pleasure of watching his smug grin disappear from his face. Would she be irremediably deemed as a whore? Yes. Would she bring shame upon her whole family? Absolutely. It would still be better than being Spinietta’s wife.

“You can’t change my mind on this, mum,” she concluded in a tone that didn’t leave any room for discussion.

Her didn’t mother didn’t reply, but the disapproval was clear on her face.

“You know what?” Maria picked up the box from the table again and put it under her arm with a nervous gesture. “I don’t care. Do what you want,” she said sharply, leaving the kitchen.

As soon as she heard the front door closing, Nina exhaled deeply. That was another issue she’d have to deal with, apparently. She wasn’t sure her mother would give up so easily, and she was scared she’d try to act behind her back like her father was.

Her father. Her blood boiled in her veins as her mind went back to the reason why the argument she had just gotten out of had started in the first place. It was time to talk to him, to make it clear that she would never accept to marry that bastard, that she didn’t need time to decide cause she had already made up her mind. The sooner they had that conversation, the sooner all that would end. Hopefully.

Animated by a fiery resolution, Nina strode through the house with large, quick steps. She didn’t pay attention to her brothers, who were heading to the kitchen to have breakfast, nor to Tommy, who was waiting in the large hallway for her father to let him in, and was now looking at her with a puzzled look on his face.

She stormed in her father office, slamming the door behind her. He raised his head from the papers he was signing, looking at her questioningly, but not without a hint of reproach for bursting into his private room without even knocking.

“What does this mean?” Her voice came out more high-pitched than she intended. She stopped in front of the dark wooden desk, forcing him to pay attention to her.

“What are you talking about?”

“You know what I’m talking about.”

Her father leaned back in his chair, rolling his cigar between his fingers, keeping his oblivious facade. A new wave of rage ran through Nina, but she was careful to contain it. “You invited the Spinietta family to the engagement party,” she explained through gritted teeth.

Unimpressed by her accusations, he stubbed out his cigar, then folded is hands on his lap. “The Spiniettas are close friends of ours,” he said calmly.

“Right,” she let out a humourless laugh. “You became pretty close over the last month.”

“Business is growing.”

“Ah,” she nodded, raising her eyebrows. “Business.”

Her father clenched his jaw, and from the way his shoulders had stiffened she could tell he knew exactly where the conversation was going. And that he didn’t like her mocking tone.

“Is there a problem, Nina?”

“You tell me. Is there something going on that could be a problem for me?”

She wanted to hear it from him. She wanted him to admit it out loud. She was tired of being treated like she was crazy, like she was imagining things. She wanted honesty.

Vincenzo pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes as if hit by a sudden headache. “I need to talk to Mr Shelby, can we-”

“You’re talking to me,” Nina said firmly, raising her voice.

Her father straightened his back, leaning with his elbows on the wooden surface in front of him. He fixed his gaze on her, his features hardening with austerity. “Mind how you speak to me, I’m your father,” he warned her.

“So I should stay quiet while you make decisions about my life,” she spat out. The way he was trying to impose his authority on her just because he had no arguments to defend himself made her stomach churn.

“I’m not making decisions.”

“You are,” she slammed a hand on the the desk. “Do you really think I don’t know what you’re doing?”

Her father reached his hand out, keeping his voice still low. “Calm down.”

“I will not calm down!”

Ferrante took a deep breath, raising from his chair to properly speak to his daughter. If there was one thing he didn’t tolerate, it was disrespect, but getting angry wouldn’t work, not now, at least. It would only make Nina more stubborn. If he wanted her to listen to him, he needed to get his point across nicely.

“What do you want to do with your life?” he asked her, apparently changing the subject.

Nina furrowed her brows, taken aback by his question. She could sense he was trying to direct the conversation somewhere, and she was quick to pull herself together.

“I want to study,” she said steadily.

“You’ve finished school,” he countered.

“There’s university.”

“Women don’t go to university.”

Nina squinted her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. “Then I want to work.”

“Poor women need to work. Do you want to ruin your hands in a factory?”

A glimpse of irony flashed across his face. Once again, his purpose seemed to be to make her feel stupid, or naive, like she had no idea how the world worked. The thing was, he was right, to some extent. Nina had little experience, she didn’t know everything. But there were things she knew, things she didn’t like, and she wasn’t going to accept them just because that was how life was.

Vincenzo walked around his desk to approach her. He placed his hands on her shoulders, his expression softening. “I’m only worried about you,” he said. “About what your life will be like if you go on like this.”

“It’s my life, dad,” she whispered, feeling the tears well up in her eyes against her will. “Maybe you’re right, and I’m ruining myself with my own hands. But the choice is mine to make.”

Despite everything, she thought she could make him understand. There had to be a way to get through him, to make him see, she didn’t want to ruin the bond they had always had. Because she would make her own decisions either way, and she wished for him to support her. She needed him to support her.

“You’re my daughter. I can’t stand back and watch you do that to yourself,” he shook her slightly. “Let go of these fantasies, Nina. Real life is something else.”

Of course. How stupid of her to imagine that he could even try to understand. She shrugged his hands off, forcing back her tears. “You’re wrong.”

Her father nodded to himself, taking a step back. “We’ll see,” he simply said. “As for Stefano, I told you already. The choice is up to you, I’m not forcing you to do anything,” he reassured her, but his condescending tone had the opposite effect.

“You’re not forcing me to do anything, but that son of a bitch is always around.”

“Language.”

Nina scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief. He didn’t see the point. He didn’t want to see the point. He only cared about business, about power. Why was she wasting her time?

She made her way towards the door, but she stopped in her tracks when her hand grabbed the handle. After a moment of hesitation, she spoke again, but she didn’t around to look at him.

“You’re making a mistake.”

Tommy watched as Nina strode out of Ferrante’s study with a face like thunder. He had heard the screams, but he hadn’t been able to make out what the fuss was about, the long sequence of Italian sentences unfamiliar to him.

Those kinds of arguments had happened frequently, over the last three days. Nina had become unmanageable - not that she had ever been the manageable type. But she had gotten worse. If someone so much as glanced at her the wrong way or said one word too many, she’d turn it into an excuse to fight. She was sensitive, and snappish, and she seemed to have lost the ability to put on her mask of coolness and indifference. As a way to heal his wounded ego, which still burned from the things she had said to him, he told himself it was a good thing she had rejected him. If she had the gall to talk back to her father like that, there was no doubt she’d act even worse with her husband, and he had enough headaches already. And for sure, he would’ve never wanted to be at the receiving hand of her temper.

Nina stopped in front of him, recollecting herself, and Tommy couldn’t not notice she radiated the same frigidity as when they had met for the first time. “My father wants to see you, Mr Shelby,” she said coldly.

Ah, now she called him Mr Shelby. As if she hadn’t been whimpering his name in his ear a few nights before.

“I think we’re way past the formalities, sweetheart.”

His remark was enough to make her falter. She blinked up at him, shocked by his bluntness.

“Way past,” he repeated, raising his eyebrows.

“Will you lower your voice?” she hissed, taking a look around to make sure no one was near.

Tommy held back a smirk at her flustered state. Her usual frown had deepened, and a tinge of red had crept up her cheeks. Had the situation between them been different, he would’ve gladly went on. He had to remind himself he wasn’t in the position to tease her anymore. Nina had said it very clearly, she didn’t care about him. What had happened between them had been a mistake, she regretted it. She regretted him.

Then why were her eyes telling a different story?

Nina huffed, tucking a rebel strand of hair behind her ear. “He’s waiting for you,” she murmured.

Her arm brushed against his as she walked past him, sending a spark of electricity through his whole body. Leaving him wondering when he had gotten to the point where the slightest contact threatened to make his self-control crumble.

Nina examined her figure in the mirror, a niggling uneasiness taking over her. She wasn’t used to doll herself up like that. She had put on a beautiful dress for the occasion, done her makeup, managed to tame her long hair, and she had half-hoped she would be happy with the result once she was done. However, in her silk dress, in her makeup, with her hair away from her face, Nina felt like a fraud. Ridiculous, even.

She had always been the ugly duckling of the brood. When her cousins had started to bloom into beautiful women, she was still all elbows and knees, drawing the petty comments of her aunts, poorly hidden behind harmless jokes. She remembered all too well the embarrassment she felt every time they pointed out her flat chest, joking about how if she cut her hair she could be mistaken for a boy. She was ashamed to admit that even though she wasn’t that gawky kid anymore, those words had stuck with her. She tried to convince herself she didn’t care about being pretty, that her mind was her primary concern, but the truth was, sometimes she wanted to feel pretty.

Stop feeling sorry for yourself and just pretend, she told herself, straightening her back. It was a little exercise she had trained herself to do over the years. Head high, impassive face, don’t let them get to you, act like you know exactly what you want, walk like you know exactly where you’re going. It worked, most of the times. Maybe if she pretended long enough one day she’d be able to convince herself as well.

Once ready, she crossed the upstairs floor of the house, reaching the separate corridor in which her parents’ bedroom was located. Her mother was standing in front of a full-length mirror, fixing some pins in her hair. Nina leaned against the doorframe, and allowed herself to stay in her company for a while.

Out of the comfortable clothes she used to wear, out of the kitchen, out of the restraints of her role as a wife and a mother doomed to annihilate herself, she looked years younger. The dress she was wearing was modest, elegant, and the dark blue shade perfectly complimented her complexion. The shadow of a rare genuine smile grew on her face as she put on her pearl earrings, mixed with an emotion Nina couldn’t quite recognise. She could almost swear there were tears in her eyes. Nina realised she didn’t even remember the last time she had seen her mother taking care of her appearance like that, and that finally having the chance to do it must be a source of melancholy as well as joy. Was that what a life dedicated to the care of a whole family had done to her? Had she forgotten herself to that degree?

“What are you looking at?” Maria asked gruffly, glancing at her daughter through the mirror.

How sweet. Nina pursed her lips to hide a sly grin, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. “Nothing.”

Her mother frowned, smoothing down her dress, then she turned around to face her. She looked at the ground for a moment, then back at Nina, a hint of uncertainty in her eyes. “How do I look?”

A pang of sorrow spread in Nina’s chest at the thought that her mother might feel anything else but beautiful. “Stunning, mum,” she said truthfully.

“Is this too much?”

“No,” she shook her head. “It’s perfect.”

The older woman turned to the mirror again, her features softening. “Go downstairs, tell your father I’m almost ready.”

Reluctantly, Nina mustered up the courage to get out of her hiding, mechanical step after mechanical step, like a man facing the gallows. She didn’t want to go. She didn’t want to feel her relatives’ judgmental stares on her. She didn’t want to see Stefano. She didn’t want to watch Tommy and Agnese be officially presented as a couple. Husband and wife. It made her feel sick. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw Tommy standing on top of the staircase, checking the time on his pocket watch, handsome in his formal attire.

His head shot up upon hearing the sound of her footsteps, and for a while it felt like the whole world had stopped turning just for him to have that moment. That moment to look at her, to take in the sight of her in her long, light blue dress that enhanced her tanned skin; with her ebony hair pinned up, exposing her delicate neck and cleavage, instead of hiding her as usual.

“You…” Tommy’s breath hitched in his throat, his mouth dry. You’re beautiful.

He didn’t dare say it.

“Hi,” Nina murmured, fidgeting with her own fingers. She had no idea of what to do or say. Standing there and staring at him like an idiot was clearly not an option, so she decided to approach the stairs. But one look at the long series of steps was enough for her to understand that there was no way she could descend it in her heels without making a fool of herself. Had she been alone, she would’ve gripped the railing like her life depended on it and ungracefully stomped her way down.

As if he had read her mind, Tommy offered her his arm without uttering a single word. He limited himself to peering at her, his gaze indecipherable, intense. Nina accepted his help, trying not to think about how natural it felt to have her hand in the crook of his elbow as they climbed down the stairs. Her legs were shaking, probably not because of the shoes, and she just hoped she wouldn’t trip over her feet and ruinously fall on her face. When she walked down the last step, she realised she had been holding her breath the whole time.

“Thank you,” she whispered, letting go of his arm.

Tommy nodded, taking a step back.

He needed a drink - or possibly two or three - to give him the strength to get through the night. Now more than ever he felt like he was putting handcuffs around his wrists rather than a ring on his finger. He had been telling himself that everything was going reasonably well, that following the plan which had been made over a month before was the best thing to do. He was going to marry the woman they had chosen for him, a beautiful woman, who would make him look good. Agnese was sweet, and gentle. She would take care of the house, of him, give him children. He would have a good life with her. She would bring him peace, turn his house into a safe place away from the wickedness of his business.

Nina would’ve brought him the storm. With her, a life of confrontation, of compromise, maybe even conflict would’ve awaited him. He would’ve had to answer to her, to accept her sharp edges and the sides of her that weren’t easy to deal with.

No, he was lying to himself. Confrontation, compromise, conflict had been his daily bread since he was a kid. His restless nature had never cared for peace. His skin was thick enough not to get cut on her edges. And pain had never scared him anyway. But that didn’t matter. The wedding would be in two weeks, then he would leave that place behind. Leave Nina behind. He’d forget about her like he had forgotten about Grace. He had done it once, he could do it again. Even if he’d prefer to rip his heart out of his chest.

For the engagement party, Agnese’s family had chosen to celebrate in the garden that surrounded the two houses. Everything had been planned with the outmost care: there were tables, flowers, candles, waiters balancing trays of champagne, musicians playing mesmerising tunes. A whole team of chefs had been hired for the delicious dinner. Nina had been pleased to find out that she wouldn’t have to share the table with Stefano, this time, who had sat with his family and other guests far away from her. Nevertheless, she had barely touched her food. Her stomach was still twisted from the events of the day. Now she was standing aside, watching as some couples gathered to dance. Including Tommy and Agnese.

They were both beautiful. Exceptionally so. Agnese was radiant in her ivory dress, she glowed with the happiness of a girl who was about to see all her dreams come true. Tommy held her in his arms with great gentleness as they swayed to the rhythm, and despite the vicious bites of jealousy, Nina was unable to look away. He’d fall in love with Agnese, of that she was sure. Her cousin was stunning, and sweet, and caring, all things Nina was not. Tommy would fall in love with Agnese and realise how blind he had been for ever setting his eyes on someone like her.

A tall figure came to stand by her side, and she was engulfed by the smell of a strong cologne mixed with cigar smoke. The man exuded an aura of power, dominance, along with a calm that was nothing more than a cover for something far more dangerous, unpredictable. Vito Spinietta. Her body tensed, and she instinctively crossed her arms over her chest. Sending him a sideways glance, she was met with his calculating gaze. He was inspecting her, assessing her, searching for any weak point as though he could read into her.

“Good evening,” he said, not taking his eyes off her.

“Good evening.”

A heavy silence followed. Nina wasn’t a fool, she was aware that if Stefano’s brother had taken the trouble to go speak to her it wasn’t to make small talk. The heir to the Spinietta empire was too practical a man to waste his time on pleasantries, and certainly wasn’t there for the pleasure of her company.

“I know there’s no point beating around the bush with you,” he said, confirming her suspicions. “So I’ll be direct. I’m here on behalf of my brother.”

Nina tilted her head in amusement. Had it really become a family matter? Had a no on her part caused such commotion?

“Stefano’s a good guy,” he announced solemnly. “It’s just that sometimes he acts the wrong way.”

Nina had to hold back a dismissive laugh at his statement. A good guy. It was almost as pathetic as the excuse he had made up for his behaviour.

“What am I supposed to do with this information?”

“He cares about you.”

“So you’ve taken it upon yourself to play Cupid,” she said bitterly, with a little edge of sarcasm, earning herself a stern look. “It doesn’t suit you,” she shook her head, mocking him behind an expression that was meant to feign innocent honesty.

Vito raised his chin, reacting with silence to her insolent replies. “It would be good to unite the families, considering the circumstances,” he said instead. “And a rejection could be seen as…” he paused, searching her face. “An offence.”

His words had Nina knitting her eyebrows in a frown. He had pronounced them in an ambiguous, vague way, but she hadn’t missed the gloomy undertone. “Is this a threat?”

“What do you take me for?” he asked, clearly just pretending to be offended. “I’d never threaten a woman.”

He was playing the card of the man of honour. As if he and his brother hadn’t done even worse to the girls of the town. She had to say something now. Too long had she let Stefano scare her, she wouldn’t make the same mistake with Vito. The Spiniettas weren’t the only ones who got power, she came from a tough family as well, and she would no longer forget who she was.

“Listen,” she started, turning to properly look at him. “I’m not scared of you, or your brother, or your threats.”

Vito clenched his jaw, his mouth twisting into a grimace.

Nina took a step towards him, further decreasing the already short distance between them. “You two think you can do as you please because I am a woman?” she narrowed her eyes. “Think again. Cause one word from me and you’ll see your whole organisation fall around your ears.”

“Is this a threat?”

“It’s a promise.”

Nina wanted to see his mask slip. She wanted him to reveal himself, like Stefano had revealed himself not so long ago, when he had put his hands on her in her own house. She wanted him to give her a reason to draw her knife on him, there, in front of everyone. But Vito wasn’t Stefano. It would take a lot more to make him lose his composure.

Vito took a step back, observing her. He could see why his brother was so adamant on having her. Stefano had always loved a good challenge. He didn’t want someone obedient by nature, someone who would listen to his every command. He wanted someone difficult, someone he could take his time to bend. Or break. It would’ve taken way more than a few slaps to break that one.

Their conversation came to an end when Stefano walked up to Nina, holding out his hand to her. “Wanna dance?”

Nina took a look around. Her situation hadn’t gone unnoticed: most of the guests had been peering at her and Vito, trying to figure out what was going on, and now that Stefano had entered the picture, they were sending them subtle glances, waiting to see if Nina would’ve accepted his invitation. Her first instinct was to say no, but leaving him there in front of everyone would cause quite the stir, and surely take the attention away from the new couple. That was Agnese’s night, and she didn’t have the right to ruin it for her. Not after what she had already done. So she placed her hand in his, and unwillingly let him lead her to the dance floor.

His hand was light on her waist as he lead the dance, yet that contact felt heavy, violent. It made her skin crawl. She focused on the ground behind his shoulders, trying to ignore the weight of people’s stares on them. She was afraid to raise her head and find out Tommy was watching too.

It didn’t take her long to detach herself from her surroundings. She didn’t hear the music, she didn’t see the couples dancing around them, she was only uncomfortably aware of Stefano’s proximity, of the heat of his body, of the burning marks his hands seemed to leave into her flesh. He had the predatory eyes of a raptor as he scrutinised the uncovered parts of her body, taking on the appearance of a beast waiting for the right moment to bite.

“I love you, Nina,” he whispered in her ear, his tone pleading. “I want to make you happy. I want to give you everything.”

Nina could read it on his face. He did think he loved her, he was truly convinced that his sick obsession was love. It’s wasn’t merely a matter of wounded ego, he was sincerely hurt in his own, twisted way. And that was something that could potentially make him even more dangerous. A shiver ran down her spine, but she forced herself not to shy away, and she let him speak without interrupting him.

“I’ve made a lot of mistakes with you, and I want to fix them. Let me make it right.” His arm tightened around her as he brought her even closer. “I can be good to you.” There was desperation now in his voice. Nina tried to put some distance between them, but he didn’t let her. “I can be good to you, and you can be good to me. I’ll teach you how to be good to me.” His fingers curled around her hand in a painful grip. “Think about what we could be together. Say yes.”

Nina squeezed her eyes, overwhelmed by his insistent touch, his urgent words; disgusted by the image of them living in the same house that had forced itself into her mind; repulsed by his eagerness to mould her.

The music ended, bringing them back to reality. Nina was relieved to be able to pull away from Stefano, whose grip had finally loosened. He was out of his mind if he thought she could ever forget what he had done to her. A wave of rage ran through her, but she was careful not to let it show. Straightening her back, she looked him dead in the eyes, and just one word left her mouth.

“No.”

Stefano’s face fell, disappointment and anger battling in his irises, and his fist clenched by his side. However, Nina didn’t stay there to wait for a reaction. She turned on her heels and walked away from him, from the dance floor, from the crowd of nosy guests. Her inner turmoil grew with every step, and her state of panic was such that she didn’t even realise she had entered her house. With an irritated huff, she hastily fumbled with her impractical shoes and left them at the entrance, then sought refuge in her bedroom.

She took some deep breaths, rubbing her face. It felt like the more she tried to fix things, the more she made them worse, and there was no way out of that endless cycle. What was she supposed to do? How was she supposed to act? Who was she supposed to beg to drag her out of that situation? Because it was becoming clearer and clearer that she wouldn’t be able to make it by herself. When had things taken that turn? Had there been a mistake, a single, fateful mistake she had made that had caused all of that? Or was it someone else’s fault? Or was it no one’s fault?

Too many questions, not enough answers. Racking her brains to find a pattern, to put order to the events was useless. They were too tangled, too intricate. It hadn’t started when she had made love with Tommy, nor when he had kissed her, nor when he had appeared in her life. It hadn’t even started when she had pointed a knife at Stefano’s throat, nor when she had let him get close to her all those years ago at school. Had it started, perhaps, when she had insisted on studying? Was it her punishment for wanting more than she could have? More questions, still no answers. The worst thing was, she couldn’t see a way out.

There was a soft knocking on the open door, and when Nina turned around Tommy was there. He looked exhausted, as if the evening had drained him of all his energy. It was unusual to see him like that, he wasn’t the kind of man who let his distress show. For the first time, she realised how much the whole marriage situation had taken a toll on him.

If the reasonable part of her wanted him to leave, the other - the one she seemingly had no control over - needed him close to her. It was absurd how reassuring his presence felt. Maybe that was what had drawn her to him in the first place. When everything around her was swirling, when there was nothing certain or reliable, Tommy was stable, solid. Something to hold on to.

Nina forced those thoughts away. She was losing her mind. Tommy was the least stable thing in her life. He wasn’t there to stay, he would leave in two weeks time and she would never see him again, except for a few occasions, like Christmas or maybe weddings. Indulging in that kind of fantasy would only make things harder.

“Is this your plan?” Tommy suddenly asked, a hint of accusation leaking out of his neutral tone. “Say yes to Spinietta?”

Nina felt like a bucket of cold water had been thrown over her, and her musings disappeared to give way to pure surprise. “What?” she asked in disbelief, widening her eyes.

“You heard me.”

“That’s ridiculous, I’d never do that.”

“Is that why you were dancing with him?” he raised his eyebrows, pointing at the door with his finger, as if Stefano were outside the room.

Nina shook her head, still not believing they were actually having that conversation. “You shouldn’t mix whiskey with champagne,” she said dryly, her voice coming out harsher than she had intended. But Tommy didn’t seem fazed by it.

“You looked rather intimate,” he noted with a touch of contempt, too upset to realise how preposterous his assumptions sounded.

Nina’s mouth fell agape. She hadn’t missed the inflection in his voice. Was he… jealous? She squinted her eyes, taking a step towards him. “What’s this?” she inquired.

Her question seemed to catch him off guard. He wavered, and an emotion difficult to define flashed across his features. It was more than simply pain. It was like all the resentment Tommy had harboured since that fateful afternoon was flowing out, inexorable, making him unable to think with a clear mind. Biting back was the only way he had to protect the feelings he had foolishly let show. Guilt ate at her stomach at the sight, and she had to remind herself she had done what she had done for him, before anyone else.

As if finally coming back to himself, Tommy clenched his jaw, and took on his usual, impassive expression. “I can’t believe you,” he murmured. “After everything he’s done to you.”

Nina nervously fidgeted with her fingers, not knowing how to make him see that he couldn’t be more wrong. Did he think so little of her? “I’m not..” she trailed off, torn between her sense of guilt and her pride. The latter took the upper hand. She frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. “You have no right to lecture me.”

“True,” he nodded. “I have no right. Cause what happened between us was a mistake and you don’t care about me.”

That was the point. That had always been the point. Tommy thought she had cruelly played him, maybe even used him, just to discard him when she didn’t want him anymore. She exhaled deeply, not meeting his eyes. “It’s not like that.”

“It’s not like that,” he let out a humourless chuckle. “You said it, you’re taking it back now?”

“Stop it.”

“Eh?” Tommy’s voice raised, overlapping hers. “Are you taking it back?”

“I said stop.”

“You said-”

“I lied!” she snapped.

A tense silence fell in the room. Tommy blinked, and all the bitterness faded from his features. “Wha… what?” he stuttered, a confused frown forming on his face.

Nina didn’t regret her admission. She was so tired of pretending, of lying, of hurting him, and saying it out loud lifted a weight off her shoulders.

“I lied,” she repeated, more softly. “I never meant to hurt you. I…” her voice cracked. “I did it to protect you. To protect both of us.” There was no going back now. Her walls had been breached, and the words she had fought hard to keep to herself were leaving her lips before she had the chance to measure them. “Do you have any idea how much we’re risking? I’m risking? We talked about it, I told you how these things work.”

Tentatively, Tommy broke the distance between them, taking her chin between his thumb and forefinger, tilting her head up. “Is this what you’re scared of?” he asked incredulous, searching her face frantically, his frown deepening. “I’d never let anything bad happen to you. I’d never let anyone lay a fucking finger on you. You hear me?”

Nina believed him. He would stand between her and harm’s way without a second thought. But that was the problem. She took his hand in hers, rubbing her thumb over it before pulling it away from her face. “And what about you?”

“What?”

“Do you really think you could’ve changed your mind? That they would let you, at that point? You made your decision when you started courting Agnese.”

“Maybe they would’ve understood-”

“No. Her father would’ve wanted your head for humiliating his daughter. The deal would’ve been off and you would’ve been six feet underground in a matter of hours.”

And I’d never be able to forgive myself if something happened to you because of me, she wanted to add.

Tommy didn’t reply, but the pain in his eyes spoke for him. He knew she was right.

Nina gently stroked his cheek. “We never had a chance,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “And I’m not worth starting a war over.”

Tommy squeezed his eyelids, shaking his head as if to chase that unbearable thought away. Then, impetuously, he kicked the door shut and crushed his lips against hers. The force of the kiss knocked Nina’s breath out of her lungs, but she was quick to wrap her arms around his neck, pressing their bodies together.

Tommy backed her towards the dresser behind her, then he hoisted her up in his strong arms and sat her on it. A groan left his lips when Nina hooked a leg around him, bringing him even closer. His hands roamed down to her hips, gripping, squeezing, his tongue exploring her sweet mouth. He relished her warmth, her scent, her soft hands caressing his face, trying to imprint every little feeling into his memory. He wanted her, in the most raw, primal way. Because it was the only way he had to have her. Or at least, to delude himself he did. She was like water in his hands, she slipped through his fingers again and again, never letting him hold her, never letting him keep her. But with his fingers digging in her skin, she almost seemed real.

Pulling away to catch his breath, Tommy dropped his forehead into her neck, grabbing her waist. “You’re killing me,” he said, his voice hoarse. “You’re fucking killing me.”

Tears began to stream down Nina’s cheeks. She felt like the worst person alive. She was causing so much pain, to him, to herself. She gently stroked the back of his head, sniffling. “You should go,” she compelled herself to say, although in that moment she wanted nothing more than for him to stay. “They’ll notice your absence.”

“They’re all drunk, they won’t,” he contradicted her.

“Agnese will.”

“She’s with her sisters.”

“But-”

Tommy’s head shot up to look at her, silencing her with his icy glare. “Fuck them,” he husked, wiping away her tears.

Fuck them.

Their mouths collided again. Blood rushed through Nina’s veins as Tommy kissed her hungrily. She could feel him everywhere, she was completely enveloped by him, by his smell of soap, whiskey and cigarettes, by the feeling of his rough hands, and yet she wanted more. She wanted to crumble and be brought into a new existence, to melt in his arms and become one heart, one body, one soul.

They only parted so she could help Tommy get free of his jacket. He was back on her right away, leaving a trail of kisses from her neck down to her chest, his teeth grazing the soft skin from time to time, making goosebumps ripple down her skin. He impatiently lifted her dress, fingers brushing against her smooth legs. More free to move, Nina allowed him more space, and her insides clenched with desire when she felt the bulge in his trousers against her.

Tommy’s hand ghosted over her clothed sex, making her squirm in anticipation. “Tommy,” she moaned, urging him to touch her where she needed the most. Pushing her underwear to the side, he slid two digits into her wet entrance, coaxing a sinful, beautiful sound out of her lips. Nina held onto his shoulders as he started to move his fingers, squeezing her eyes shut.

“Look at me,” Tommy commanded, cupping her chin with his free hand. Her eyelids fluttered open, showing him her glossy eyes filled with pleasure, causing his cock to painfully twitch.

He pumped his fingers in and out of her, working her open, eliciting small gasps from her that threatened to make him lose his mind. His thumb went to stroke her clit, the unexpected motion making her yelp.

Fuck, she was so beautiful.

“Tommy, please…” she whispered, clutching the soft material of his shirt. “I need you.”

She didn’t need to say it twice. Wasting no time, Tommy slid his fingers out of her to get rid of her knickers, discarding them somewhere on the floor, then fumbled with his trousers, finally freeing himself from all restraints. He grabbed Nina’s thighs, pulling her closer to the edge of the dresser so he could position himself between her folds, then he entered her with one swift thrust, burying himself inside of her. Nina hid her face in his shoulder, one hand coming to cup the nape of his neck, the other clutching the fabric of his shirt. Tommy began to rock his hips, firmly yet slowly, giving her the time to adjust to the feeling of him stretching her walls.

Nina clung onto him as if he could shield her from the unknown, as if he were a shelter, a place where she could forget, even for a moment, the uncertain future that awaited her. A future she tried to escape from, but the more she ran, the more she found it on her heels, ready to catch her, to drag her into the darkness that had been threatening her for years.

Tommy’s pace quickened, becoming more desperate, almost brutal, arms wrapped around her waist, bringing every inch of their bodies together. Nina was surprised to find that was exactly what she needed in that moment. It kept her anchored to him and only him.

“You feel so good,” Tommy growled, digging his fingers in her flesh, and her cheeks burned at his words.

He set a merciless rhythm, pounding into her with sharp thrusts. Nina barely recognised the sounds that were coming out of her, but she was too lost in her pleasure to be worried about them. Breath hitched in her throat when he reached a particular spot that made her see stars, and he hit it again and again, drawing shaky whimpers out of her. With each minute that passed she felt closer and closer to her release, and Tommy must’ve been aware of that too. She let out a strangled noise when he brought a finger to her swollen clit, the fire in her abdomen too much to bear.

“C’mon, love,” he rasped. “Cum for me.”

He drew small circles on her sensitive bud, pushing her over the edge. Her walls fluttered around his cock, shockwaves gripping her body as she came undone. Tommy kept on thrusting into her, hips ruthlessly snapping as he chased his climax, until with a last, powerful thrust, he emptied himself inside of her, grunting in her ear.

For a while, neither of them moved. They stayed in each other’s embrace, panting, savouring that ephemeral semblance of peace. Nina nuzzled her cheek against his, the comforting scent of his aftershave filling her nostrils. Neither of them seemed to intend to let go first.

God, she didn’t want to let him go. Before she could control them, tears filled Nina’s eyes again, and she tried her best to prevent them from falling. Why did it have to be so hard? Why did she have to fall for the one man she could never have? Why did her happiness have to cause so much damage? The most irrational part of it was that despite all of that, being in his arms felt like the rightest thing in the world. They perfectly moulded together like they had been created just fit into each other’s arms, to fill each other’s voids. Nothing she had ever felt could compare to it.

Eventually, they moved apart. They fixed their clothes in silence, pulling themselves together as best they could. Not that Nina cared at all. There was no way she was going back to the party. No one would notice anyway.

“Go,” she whispered, brushing away a strand of hair that had fallen on his forehead. “They must be looking for you.”

Tommy gently cradled the back of her head, pressing a kiss on her forehead. “I’ll come to you later,” he promised.

Nina nodded, forcing herself to smile. But tears started flowing as soon as she watched him walk out the door.

NEXT CHAPTER

Heart, Body and Sould tag list

@zablife @queenofshinigamis @raincoffeeandfandoms / @justrainandcoffee @call-sign-shark

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@gaslysainz @brummiereader @loverhymeswith @fairypitou @prettywhenicry4

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General tag list:

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Tommy Shelby tag list:

@50svibes @bellabarnes1378

[girlfromflor]

atsumu and his infatuation with stoic!reader - part 2

wc: 2301 | tw: swear words, mentions of princess as a nickname for reader, but mostly is gn!reader | a/n: this is much longer than i expected

to say atsumu was whipped was an understatement. he was completely in love with you, absolutely unaware of everything else, no thoughts in his pretty head other than you, you, you. everyone could tell. he would always follow you around, even if it was just with his eyes. he would often offer to do whatever it was that you needed “do you need help?”, “don’t you want me to do that for you?”, “are you sure you don’t need anything?”. he would be the nicest guy ever with you, but totally rude with whoever tried to bug you – or hit on you for that matter. 

atsumu smiled, thinking he was so lucky you were so direct. he never really had any trouble reading your actions towards others – because when it came to you two he never really knew if he did understand right. but then he heard the dude’s reply, “couldn’t you at least ask for me to move? are you this disrespectful to your elders?” and his blood boiled. who was that guy to call you out like that? you didn’t react, though. with a blank expression, you talked very briefly and calmly, bothered that you had to prolong the dialogue when you should be heading to practice. “couldn’t you not stand in the way? and i am respectful to my elders, but only to the ones that deserve it, anyway.” and then you left, turned on your heels and went to astumu’s direction, knowing he would be there even if that meant he’d be late too.

one day you were leaving class a bit late to practice and accidently bumped into an older boy on the way out. atsumu, who was waiting for you at the end of the hallway – as usual –, only watched, waiting to see if you would need any assistance. the guy was ready to throw a bitter remark, but before he even said anything you started, “i’m sorry, you were standing in front of the door, there wasn’t much i could do.”

“i should’ve told him that–” he started, face burning up at the way someone could feel so comfortable being a dick with an angel like you. but you stopped him, holding his wrist with your right hand only to hook your fingers in his bracelet – the one he never stopped using since the day he received it, the one you gave him. you both kept walking towards the gym, your fingers on his bracelet as you said “thank you, for waiting for me” with your face serene, something he doesn’t usually see. then he understood, that stupid guy was not worth stressing about. he replied with a small laugh, much more at ease now that you all but wiped his anger with just a simple gesture of gratitude. “sure. anytime, love.”

as for the days you guys were off school, he could not bear to have no news from you, so he often sent a message or two only to be sure nothing happened and that you were fine. but you were such a dry texter, frequently replying with hand emojis and abbreviated words. he often waited for you two to be together to tell you things he was excited about, that way he wouldn’t misunderstand your words. although, there was one day. one where he felt such an excruciating longing after spending what felt like weeks without seeing you – you had skipped friday classes and it was sunday already, which meant almost three days away from you and it was just too much. 

so he grabbed his phone, his lock screen wallpaper making him smile – a photo he took of you when you fell asleep at the bus on your way back home after winning a game – as he unlocked it and looked for your number in his contact list. as soon as he found it he clicked the call button, a much sincere “hi! i missed you, love” falling from his lips when he was greeted with your soft, low voice. you were caught off guard, not expecting him to be so blunt like this. you flustered and covered your face with your free hand, forgetting that he couldn’t see you, replying with a muttered “uh, i didn’t expect you to say it like that.” as always a straightforward princess, he thought. but then you finished with “i missed you too, but we're gonna see each other tomorrow anyway, right?” 

he saw stars, your sentence hitting him so hard he had to take a deep breath to recompose himself. smiling ear to ear, eyes sparkling with this new found version of you, he tried to get more – always the eager one. “did you, huh? guess i can’t skip class now” he laughed at the teasing and you just braced yourself for what was to come, because you knew he wasn't finished “how could i ever deny that, especially now that i know you’ve been missing me, princess.”

you giggled, thinking he’s so endearing when he wants, always bringing you a much peaceful and warm feeling whenever he said things like that. you thought you could do what you always did – point out that he was too affectionate for no reason, maybe say “you would know everything about that, right?” but you felt too good for that, the “anonymity” of the phone call giving you enough courage to say what you really wanted. your voice sounded much more like a whisper – but he was too focused to miss anything – when you said “you better. three days are enough, don’t really want to stay another day away from you.”

he could almost see the pout forming in your lips as you finished your sentence and he could not believe that you were acting lovingly towards him. why? does it mean you feel the same as he does? or were you just being polite? did you even know what that did to him? he wanted to stay in this moment forever, he wanted to hear you say it over and over again. god, it was so unfair. why’d you have to be so goddamn perfect? “why are you so perfect? i don't know how to deal with it.”

after that, your call was just like any other conversation you guys had – except atsumu was extra happy this time. when you guys met the next day, he couldn’t hide his smile if his life depended on it. you guys talked like you always did, walked like you always did, but the feeling of fulfillment never left. and that made you think it was never not-romantic. you were never just friends, but how would it be now? it wasn’t until almost a whole month after your convo that you finally got your answer. 

“welcome to the club, then,” you whispered and atsumu was really starting to think the boys convinced you to prank him. you were even coping with his corniness. “could i be any other way? i have to get even with you somehow, right?” you blurted, mindlessly.

and he lost it. he was way too down for you for this to be okay. he dropped dead in his bed, eyes glassy thinking about what that meant. what it all meant. “why do you do this to me?” he voiced out, sounding weak and in much need for a hug.

but you’ve had enough, “why do you do the things you do to me? i don’t know if you know what it is, but it’s mutual, you know?” you said. sounding much more calmer than you actually were, you swore it was getting on your nerves. you knew it was time to be honest with him. you’ve been so infatuated with the boy but never managed to demonstrate just right.

afternoons at miya’s household were a very common, very nice thing between the inarizaki boys. they would often have sleepovers and game nights when there were no classes and everything was so light that time passed by almost too quickly. when you finally accepted to be part of the movie nights it was only because atsumu had tenderly caressed your face, asking very softly – very persuasively – for you to be there, he said he really needed you to go. so you went. knowing full well that he had taken advantage of a new found weakness of yours – his furrowed brows and pouting lips as he asks something to you and you could never deny his pretty pouting lips.

as you got there, atsumu greeted you with a tight hug before any of the boys could see you, thinking maybe you wouldn’t be too comfortable with pda – but mostly because he knew neither of you would hear the end of it. then he walked you in and as you took your shoes off you saw osamu standing by the couch offering his spot while waiting for you to join them. but you denied, a bit shy – which was atypical of you – as you walked past him and sat down the closest you could to atsumu. 

and that went pretty well for the night, you both on your own moment. sometimes making comments about the movie, sometimes complaining about the boys chit-chatting during it. but it came to an end and you had to go home. atsumu guided you to the front door, eyes dancing on your figure as he looked at you through his lashes and you knew something was about to come “thanks for coming, love. it was much nicer with you here, you know.”

everyone eyed you two, atsumu could already feel his cheeks growing kind of hot as aran started, “well, look at you getting comfy.”

you gave him a tight lipped smile, surprisingly not feeling shy at all anymore as you replied bluntly “nothing wrong with that, right?” then you turned to atsumu, hand resting on his knee, voice just a bit softer than the first time you spoke, “right?”

he laughed, a truehearted sound and it melted you. for a moment you let go of any restraints, your eyes glued on his as he smiled at you. you felt your heart so warm, your body was floating at the sudden realization that he was just as translucent with his feeling as you were with your bluntness. his arms came to rest on your shoulders as his hand shoved your face on his chest, ruffling your hair lovingly “yeah. right, love.”

you could only smile, feeling truthfully happy with the interaction and the boys decided to not comment on it, even as they saw the brush of atsumu’s lips on your forehead – a quick kiss being pressed there as he squeezed you lightly on his embrace – and your eyes sparkling, face just as calm and receptive, like they never saw before.

you nodded slowly, body swaying awkwardly as you asked, “are you going to kiss me?” your voice sincere and calm, your eyes low and your lips slightly pouting. 

he slowly grabbed your waist, eyes never leaving yours as he felt your hands on his shoulders and then on his neck. it took a lifetime for him to touch your lips with his own, but when he did, time felt like it stopped totally. the kiss was soft, calm and reassuring, both of you putting all your feelings in it. when his tongue dragged on yours slowly you felt like there was no floor touching your feet. you got closer to him, fingers running through his locks as your chests pressed together. atsumu was losing his mind, a soft sound leaving him as he felt you reward all his actions and advances with only one kiss. and he would never forget it. the urge to squeeze your waist overcame him. he did just that, hand caressing your hip as you guys broke apart, panting from the lack of air.

atsumu thought he couldn’t be happier, finally having the opportunity to feel this close to you. finally able to see your true colors. “do you want that?” he asked, lips forming an inevitable smirk, eyes flicking to your lips quickly before returning to yours. you stopped mid-track, the butterflies in your stomach making you remember the very first time you felt this – when you first met atsumu. your mind was racing, your eyes failed to maintain eye contact and fell on his lips, coincidentally right when he decided to wet them a bit – which he often does when feeling nervous. you flustered even harder, nervously looking back at his eyes only to get lost again.

you tried your hardest to remember what it was that he asked, but nothing came to mind and “huh?” was all that left your mouth.

he absolutely adored you, growing excited by the minute he repeated with a smile “do you want it? a kiss?” and that’s all that took for you to snap back to the moment, you brows furrowing as you said “are you for real?” he tilted his head to the side, smiling harder.

“yes…” you muttered, “i want a kiss.”

“i wanted to do that for so long, love…” he said, his arms hugged your waist and you kept yours around his neck.

“since we met,” you replied, his brows shooting up in confusion but you didn’t let him ask as you continued, “i wanted to do that since we met…”

he embraced you even harder, with all he could. his mind blank with only you, you, you replaying over and over. he drowned in your scent, with his face in your neck he whispered, “i don’t think i will ever have the strength to let you go.”

and you knew he wasn’t only talking about the hug you shared but it was okay, because you felt the same “i don’t think i will either.”

[radioisntdead]

Partner in crime

Alastor x gn! reader

Warnings: OOC, death, inaccurate portrayal of getting shot

Song used

You and Alastor had known each other for years, you were close childhood friends at least you thought you were,

You remember your mothers calling the two of you a couple of peas in a pod, or partners in crime,

It was funny, who would've thought the two of you would actually become partners in crime.

Maybe if you didn't have an unhealthy codependency on Alastor you wouldn't had ended up like you did.

When you're gone I feel alone again

You scrubbed away at the floor, cleaning away any remnant of the blood that was spilled that evening, Alastor had gone to bury the remains of the poor man he had slaughtered.

The voices cannot hold my hand

You would lure them in, you were good at lulling others into a false sense of security,

They keep me company at very best

and he'd kill them when they least expected it, sometimes you felt guilty but Alastor would be quick to convince you that your guilt was unnecessary, that the people whose lives the two of you stole away deserved it.

Distract me from my loneliness

They did deserve it right?

Maybe I'm just an anomaly

You continued scrubbing the floor clean, but no matter how hard you scrubbed you could never wash away the fact that someone had died there

Even my demons have their families

You wondered how their families reacted to their loved ones death, were they mournful, were they joyful? Did they not care? Did they even notice?

Truly something must be wrong with me

Would anyone notice if you died? Besides Alastor you didn't have many friends, sure you were kinda friends with Mimzy but that was only because of Alastor, and your family, well, let's not talk about that.

You really didn't have anyone but Alastor, and you were alright with that, if you had Alastor the rest of the world could burn for all you cared.

To need you as much as I do

You heard the door open, you hurriedly dropped the towel into the bucket of now cold water, grabbing another rag you wiped away the remaining liquid.

I was never meant to win

You smiled up at Alastor from the ground.

I was never meant to win

"Welcome back Alastor!"

I was never meant to win

Codependency is truly more harmful then people give it credit for.

You'd sacrifice anything, anyone just to remain by Alastor's side, just to see him smile which he did often.

Here's the reigns

You had done this who knows how many times,

Take ahold of me

Lure them in, hand over to Alastor and then clean up the aftermath while he hid the corpse.

Please don't let me go

You didn't change the routine by much, there wasn't much of a mess this time so Alastor asked that you tag along with him this time.

You do the talking

You held the lantern lighting his area as he dug a deep grave, wouldn't want the body resurfacing anytime soon right?

Sew up my mouth if I can't keep it closed

You whispered something to him before he climbed out of the hallow grave getting ready to put the poor soul he had mercilessly killed in it.

There's a dog barking right around the block

He had just gotten done burying the corpse, you were sat comfortably on the ground with the lantern in your lap, he reached out his hand to help you up.

You both froze when you heard the unmistakeable sound of dogs barking.

And a big ol' whistle blow

Alastor looked at you and you looked back at him, you quickly took his hand to pull yourself up, lantern in your free hand.

Run for it

The two of you ran, you could faintly hear the leaves crunching underneath your feet, the cold night wind stinging your face.

I'll keep em occupied for you

The barking got louder, and you tripped over a tree root, lantern falling onto the grass the candle inside falling just at the right angle to extinguish leaving you in the darkness, the only light coming from the moon and stars above.

Alastor kept running, did he know you fell? He wouldn't abandon you right?

Cause I love you, I love you so

You got up, not bothering to dust yourself off you continued running, you couldn't see Alastor.

Left me hangin at the station

You heard shouting.

Where was Alastor? Did he notice you were missing yet?

But you'll be back for me soon

You saw a glimpse of light.

I'm 'bout to die

You didn't even have time to make a noise as a gunshot was fired into your chest, you fell to the ground.

Where was Alastor? Did he get away? Or was he shot down like you were?

Yet the only thing I find i'm worried about is you

You shakily put a hand to the place where the bullet had just entered you, honestly it didn't hurt as much as you thought it would.

Something tells me you aren't coming

Your vision began to become blurry, was it the blood loss? You didn't think you'd die that quickly,

Would you get to see Alastor one last time?

Guess that I'm truly doomed

Alastor didn't notice you were gone did he? Or maybe he did? Did you really think a future cannibal, present serial killer like Alastor would come back for you? You were a liability.

I'm 'bout to die

It was funny, you knew what kind of person he was and you still held out hope that he wouldn't abandon you.

Yet the only thing I find I'm worried about is you

You still held out hope even as your blood covered the forest ground.

Tears swelled up in your eyes as you gazed up at the night sky,

You wondered if Alastor was looking up at the sky too, maybe he had gotten home already?

I'm 'bout to die

It was a good night to die, the last sight you'd see would be the star filled night sky.

Yet the thing on my mind seems to nearly be nothing but you

Alastor let out a string of French words as he turned around to go fetch you, hoping that you weren't too far behind.

I overhear your brain when it's close to mine

Branches and leaves crunched under his shoes as he sped through the woods.

Oh, I know that we're not the same

Your hope that he'd come back for you was slowly dwindling, the voices from before had disappeared, maybe they had fled, maybe they didn't know what they did, or maybe they just didn't care.

My heart's on the line

Alastor stopped by a tree for a moment to catch his breath, the only source of light was the moon and stars above.

I'm just a pawn in your game

To Alastor you were a expendable friend.

Not your partner in crime

In all reality though, To Alastor you were everything, he'd go through hell and back if you asked, he'd take down the most ruthless of people if it'd make you smile.

And you're slowly killing me

You felt tired, you wanted to close your eyes but you fought to keep them open.

You didn't want to die.

Taking your time

Alastor continued running, soon enough he stumbled upon you.

You're slowly killing me, taking your time

With red soaked clothing you laid limp on the ground.

You're slowly killing me

"[Name]? Mon étoile?"

Taking your- I was never meant to win

You smiled as you heard Alastor's voice.

You're slowly killing me

You didn't know if you were imagining it or if he really came back for you,

Maybe it was a last act of comfort given to you before you died.

Taking your- I was never meant to win

Alastor leaned down beside you, he gently put a hand on your cheek.

You're slowly killing me

You smiled at him, just barely being able to mutter an "Alastor."

And yet I don't mind You were never meant to win

You couldn't keep your eyes open anymore.

You're slowly killing me,

The last thing you saw was Alastor, and the last thing you heard was another gunshot.

But please take your time

At least the two of you would be reunited soon enough.

Good evening folks! Originally I was supposed to post the murder Valentino with JoJo Siwa playing in the background fic today but I hit a slump with the ending and plus I think may have eaten something unfortunate because I feel sick so uh, BACK TO BACK ANGST Y'ALL, ALASTOR TODAY, TV MAN TOMORROW!

[elllisaaa]

Hihi , im not really sure if it would be ur style of writing but i had a dream abt it and i thought u could write smth along those lines(i think for this fluff would be good🥹 but if u wanna add smut is fine too hehe)

Heres the prompt:

Basically most of the days you would be hanging out w ur bff beomgyu after sch, just hanging out in each other’s presence is enough. You guys wont force a conversation if its not needed n sitting in silence gives you both a peace of mind.(thise type of fs)

But one day u told him that u were going to an event with ur girl bff , where she could see her fav artist , and you being a supportive bestie decided to go with her!

Somehow thru the night things changed and you ended up with beomgyu saying these words: “ It’s always been you y/n, my eyes are only for you”

(Not rlly sure if this is how a prompt should be(if im giving too much cos this is my first prompt) but i hope it sparks interest >_<)

hiii anonie !! this definitely so damn cute, i got a little overboard with this one but i love it so much, it's so soft omgg ! this definitely such a good idea i love it, and don't worry - the longer your thoughts are, the more i'm happy !

BFF!BEOMGYU who never stops annoying you every day, be it by sending you tons of texts or by dropping by your place when he's done with his schedule. well, you always claim that he's annoying but he knows that it isn't the truth and that you're always happy to see him.

"by the way, i will not be there for our movie night tomorrow, i'm sorry." beomgyu turned to you with a judgemental look on his face. "you're letting me down !?" you rolled your eyes as you threw one of the cushions of your sofa at him. "don't be so dramatic. i'm just going to a fanmeeting with one of my friend because she didn't want to be alone."

and even if your reasons were very valid, beomgyu couldn't help but be bothered. you always spend your free time with him, and it didn't even matter if the two of you just laid in your bed in silence, watching a serie while playing stupid games on your phones. it didn't matter because what he seeked was your presence, feeling you by his side. he loved to know that he could lay his head on your lap anytime and that you would drop your phone to thread your fingers through his hair until he fell asleep.

but sometimes, just sometimes, he wished he could be even closer to you. the type of closeness that would allow him to feel jealous about you going to a fanmeeting of another idol. the type of closeness that would allow him to kiss you, and love you like you deserved to be loved.

a pout was visible on his face, but what was even more striking was the slighlty hurt look in his eyes. and even if your best friend was always a little drama queen whenever you cancelled plans with him or hung out with somebody else, you never took him too seriously, knowing that he just liked to yap. but today, it seemed different.

beomgyu didn't want to separate from your warm body, but he still sat up, already missing the feeling of your hands in his hair, but his heart was hurting too much to keep pretending this time. it was nothing, he was aware, and he didn't have any right being jealous or feeling like he was. but he did, and he wished you would feel the same even if it was impossible because he was him and you were yourself, and there was simply no way that you would love him like that.

"why are you taking it like that gyu ? i know it's a little late to let you know, i should've told you before but it's no big deal, yeah ? i'm free this weekend if you wanna come by after practice, i'll even cook for you if you want."

beomgyu could feel a knot forming in his throat the more you talked, realizing how wrong he was for making you feel guilty about something you weren't responsible for. but the question he was dying to ask still got out of his mouth, the words coming out almost against his will : "do you like him more than me ? do you think that he sings better ? is that why you're letting me down ?"

his shaking voice made your heart clench, and you paused the movie that was now serving as a background noise, focusing entirely on your best friend and the way he was fidgeting, not daring to look you in the eyes but he seemed more than anxious, more than sad.

"where is that coming from gyu ? i've never said that. or did i make you feel this way ?" but beomgyu shook his head no. "you didn't. it's just…" he stopped for a moment, seemingly thinking about something before he curled up on himself on your couch, gaze fixed on the frozen tv screen. "forget it, i'm just being selfish."

the entire mood had changed, but you couldn't care less - you were only very worried about your best friend. "you know you can be selfish sometimes, i don't mind. tell me what's going on, please ?" and beomgyu finally looked at you in the eyes, biting his lips as if he was still unsure about what he was going to say : "i'm making a big deal out of this because i want to be the only one you're fangirling over, okay ? i want to be the only one you find handsome, and the only one you gush to your friends about. i wanna be the only one for you because for me it has always been you y/n, my eyes are only on you."

you looked at him dumbfounded, as you clearly didn't expect a confession, especially from your best friend. but quickly, a little smile spread on your lips as you reached for beomgyu's hand. he let you do that, and he let you pull him closer to you too, your face only inches away from the other.

"you've always been the only one for me too gyu, i simply didn't think that you would feel the same because you're always surrounded by the most beautiful girls of the country, so why would you choose me ?" - "because i'm in love with you, so in love with you it hurts sometimes." your smile was matching his, and you could see his brown eyes sparkling with joy again. "i'm in love with you too, have been for so long." - "does that mean i can kiss you now ?" you chuckled but still nodded : "yes, you can."

so beomgyu kissed you, and the way his heart exploded in his ribcage was only another proof of how down bad for you he was. and he didn't want this feeling to ever stop if that meant he could wake up by your side every morning.

[echantedtoon]

Love Is Blind Ch8 Life Now

(Hey everyone. I just wanted to thank everyone who read this far and liked my story enough to read it to it's end. I had a lot of fun writing it and it makes me happy knowing some people loved it enough to read it fully. If you liked this consider checking out my other works. Thanks to everyone for reading this, faving it, or leaving a nice comment. And thank you to Koyoharu Gotouge for creating such wonderful characters and giving me the opportunity to make this wonderful story. Art not mine found on Pinterest.

EDIT: This last chapter might be really short so apologies for that.)

"Are you comfortable, Honey?"

"I am perfectly fine."

Despite his assurances he lifted up his arms to allow his wife to pull the blankets over him more and tuck them around his body to ensure he wouldn't be getting cold anytime soon. You hummed smiling at him before smiling at him. A hand coming out to you and you took initiative and grabbed it. He smiled wider at you, a hand crassessing softly over your knuckles. 

"Tell me what it looks like outside."

"It's chilly outside. Most of the leaves are falling off the trees already since it's autumn."

"Ah. A lovely transition from summer to winter. Such is nature's beauty."

"Yes...And peaceful." He hummed to you in question. "Well, we're free from any responsibilities for now, no one's bothering us, I get to finally have some time with you without someone interrupting-" A small kiss was given to his forehead making him sigh. "And for once the kids are sleeping-"

"DAD!!"

A flurry of footsteps started running up through the next room towards you and before you knew it, your door was thrown open and a small black haired blur came running right in. You barely had time to stop your son from throwing himself into his father's lap and possibly knocking your husband over. The small eight year old squirmed and looked on the verge of tears as you held him up. His watery lavender eyes stared up at you as his arms held out towards his father.

"Kiriya! What on earth are you doing out of bed?"

His response was to point behind him as one of his sisters entered with the hardest scowl a sleepy, cranky eight year old could have. "Kuina, hit me!!"

"Because you won't stop snoring!!," Your daughter shouted back with a point of her own. "You sound like a moose with a head cold!"

"I do not!"

Behind your angry daughter Kinata, Nichika, and Hinaki tiredly poked their heads out of the doorway leading back to their shared bedroom no doubt woken up by their brother's and sister's fighting. Your other three daughters all looked like some stage of tiredness with messy bed heads on their pale heads and either yawning, blinking half asleep, or rubbing their eyes. Your girls seemed to take the most after you with the exception of their father's purple eyes and Kiriya who looked like the perfect copy of his father. 

"You do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

They would've continued to argue if their father hadn't held up a hand to silence them. The children fell silent as their father tilted his head at the boy in your arms.. Before wordlessly reaching out to pull the blanket back. Wordlessly Kiriya squirmed himself free from your arms to instantly crawl himself into the futon next to his father who only silently wrapped the blanket back around them. Kiriya snuggling closer to him instinctively. ...And then the stomping started. Kuina stomped her way to her father's other side as the two siblings shot dirty looks at one another. Before Kuina crossed her arms, plopped herself on her bottom, and then also laid against their father's other side.

"You two need to be still," Kagaya spoke calmly, "Kuina, we have already talked about your temper. If something happens again, you're going to lose your privileges to town. Understood?"

"Fine."

"Very good. Now both of you sleep. We'll talk about this more in the morning."

You sighed. Well at least that was settled- ?? You blinked as at least three little bodies clambered onto you dragging their pillows and blankets until you're other three girls were either leaning against ikr in your lap in one way also wishing to not sleep alone now that two of their siblings also got to sleep cuddled up with your husband. You blinked before sighing and reaching out to rub their backs. 

"So much for our romantic evening."

A chuckle was your answer back.

[cinnamonest]

Male Majority AU brainrot has consumed me once again. Also cucking because we love it. Dropping this blurb here for no special reason, hoping you like it nonetheless hehe

Alhaitham is quite surprised when he finds out Kaveh got himself a girl. It was apparently, after his graduation right as the popularity of the architect spiked up. Before said architect fell into crippling debts as well. Only someone as brash as Kaveh wouldn’t see it coming, wouldn’t be prepared for that outcome. So it’s not as surprising to Alhaitham when his senpai beg him to house him and his girl. He accepts, though not without a price of course.

You see, Alhaitham has never paid much attention to the other sex before. Of course he has seen women, the Grand Sage, the Darshans, anyone of power has one always stuck to their side. Those higher-ups loves to brag, and frustrate Akademiya students even more since it’s practically impossible for anyone who hasn’t graduated to get a woman for themselves (and even then, it depends on how successful you are— beside, it’s difficult taking care of a being so delicate when you never have free time). But now that you’re here, living with him, he realises what he’s been missing.

You’re a bit shy, always worry about not bothering him, and you stiffen when he addresses you. You’re still adamant about showing how thankful you are for this housing arrangement though. While he’s working or reading at home, you always bring him water and snacks now and then. Always call him ‘sir Alhaitham’ or ‘master Alhaitham’. You try your best to greet him when he comes home, to compliment him, ‘W-well done at work today’ and it makes him laugh because you obviously have no idea what his job is. He acknowledges your efforts, but small things like you— they’ll never reach even an average man’s intelligence (you seem aware of that at the very least.).

He feels a bit bad for you too, your owner can’t see past his own nose. Kaveh does his best taking care of you, cuddling you, bringing you gifts, even ask your opinion on some of his architectural projects but he never tries to listen to you, does he? Anytime he finds you two interacting, the architect runs in-between screeching ‘Don’t speak to my darling you lunatic, you’ll corrupt my beloved! Are you alright sweetheart, he didn’t touch did he ?’. Such reaction only makes Alhaitham want to try to get closer to you more and more, see how far he can get away with things.

So he does, small touches here and there that ends up in cuddling sessions, bringing you some gifts now and then. ‘I need your presence at the Akademiya, please put this on and stick close to me.’ You’re unsure about putting the collar with a clear Alhaitham’s…. Yet you’re aware you don’t have a say in this, only following his order. You won’t do anything the whole day beside being arm candy, But what can Kaveh do about it, under the threat of removing him from the house? It teaches him a lesson as well— who is dumb enough to end up almost homeless while owning a girl? He truly doesn’t realise the danger he put you through there.

Perhaps Alhaitham should look into putting you into shared ownership. Stealing a girl is illegal of course, but cases of women who got a second owner because the first one fell under tough times aren’t unheard of. He’s getting tired of waiting, he’s been looking forward to bedding you for a while now.

AHHHHH I love this, Kaveh WOULD make a horrible financial decision like that lmao. Even in general it would be so awful, Alhaitham would absolutely be that third wheel that gets constantly inconvenienced because the other is constantly making adjustments and doing things without asking first lmao

Also since there's no like canonical heights to my knowledge, there's one part mentioning reader being comparatively shorter than them

----

To be fair, it's an act of benevolence to begin with. This unjust world is a constant weight on Kaveh's heart and mind, he's one of the most unfortunate people to have to exist in this universe, given he's such a bleeding heart. They have those charities and such that are supposed to advocate for better conditions and humane practices for the poor girls, and he's emptied his pockets for those more than once.

But buying one was not a selfish act, no. It may just be one, sure, and there are still plenty more suffering out there, but at least he can sleep well at night knowing he has made a difference, even if it's just in one person's life. After all, it was so pitiful and heart-wrenching, passing by those markets in town all the time and seeing them put in cages and look so miserable, he HAD to get one. It weighed on his soul, you know?

Such is how he justifies it, when questioned on it. He's doing a good thing. He's very happy about it initially, too.

Granted, it's not particularly normal for someone of his current economic status to make this decision, even pre-debt, it's not like he's super filthy rich or anything. He may or may not have taken out a loan... but no big deal... right...?

It's also true that neither of them have had any real opportunities to interact with the opposite sex — the Akademiya, of course, has no female students. Well, except for the fact that there's actually been a few cases of some particularly brazen, stupid girls being caught managing to disguise themselves for some time in attempts to get educational certification (presumably try to maintain the act long enough to become self-sufficient), but of course it never lasts long and is swiftly dealt with, given that students are incentivized by the policy that if someone discovers and rats a girl out to the institution, that person will get to keep her. But regardless, neither of them ever encountered such a thing.

Poor Kaveh is rather awkward at first, but he openly acknowledges that -- that is, he's more just awkward rather than shy, has no trouble being up-front and transparent about never having spoken directly to or been so close to a female before. He's pretty confident in his capability to be a good owner, though, he's done a lot of research and knows how to be sensitive and careful.

It's a fascinating experience, though. He's very touchy, and not even in a sexual way, often just reaching out to brush his hands over your skin, almost in a sort of awe. He realizes that for whatever reason, he had more or less subconsciously thought of them to be like inorganic objects, perhaps in part due to having spent almost more occasions seeing them portrayed in statues in architecture courses than in real life (which is very common -- no matter what nation you look at, one learns that in the anthropological sense of things, females are constantly made the subject of art, music, marblework, poetry, and virtually every other aspect of culture, often by men who have very little experience with real-life ones beyond their own mothers and the occasional few hours with prostitutes).

So it almost feels surprising to be reminded that you are made of flesh and blood, and thereby are, in fact, soft and warm and fleshy. It's an exhilarating feeling, holding onto you, even just the slightest touches and wrapping arms around you gives him a sort of natural chemical high, a buzz that's nearly overwhelming. Which, sure, he's heard described before, and has even read about quite extensively in anatomy and biology in the first years of general education, but experiencing it for oneself is totally different, and far more intense of a feeling than he had imagined.

He's really one of the best possible owners you could get, though. Very caring and doting, often to a point that it's suffocating.

And, of course, protective... which becomes an odd dynamic when he's forced to seek alternative living situations and you end up living with Alhaitham, seeing as most protective people probably would not be comfortable with a living situation in which one is living with another guy all the while.

Well, he is uncomfortable, but he doesn't have much of a choice. When his finances go plummeting, he knows who to reach out to... and while Alhaitham knows full well he'll give in and take you two in, there is some hesitation when he thinks about it. It could invite trouble, if someone sees you walking around the house and all... he'll just have to be careful.

Thankfully, Kaveh's still only paying rent for one person. Alhaitham did think about increasing it to something reasonable for two people, but... well, you're not really a "person," so to speak. When it comes to public transportation fees, usually females are considered a carry-on object, like a dog or a large suitcase, and only add an extra fee, which is less than the boarding cost for a person. So, out of generosity, he just leaves it as is.

Alhaitham soon comes to realize, however, that the decision to take you both in has some unforeseen consequences, namely being nagged and hounded about every little thing he does.

He's constantly getting chastised — they're fragile, you know, need ideal conditions. Yes, there needs to be a fire because your kind are very temperature sensitive (shouldn't he know that? Did he not pay any attention in biology??), yes he needs to buy (read: Alhaitham needs to buy) silk sheets because your skin is more fragile, yes they need to start buying (once more, read: Alhaitham needs to start buying) higher quality food for you because your it is critical that you get certain nutrients and vitamins or it will throw off your hormones and biles and all that and make you sick.

It's... irksome. He acts like every little issue that arises is the end of the world, exaggerates any harm that may come to you. And, of course, Kaveh tends to blame him for every negative thing. You get sick for a day and he claims it's because the house is too cold or too dusty, you tripped and fell and got carpet burn and it turned into a five minute lecture on how Alhaitham must have been the one to have mistakenly bunched up the edge of the rug and how he needs to be more careful, having a more fragile creature living here now. You knock something off the top of a cabinet (where they both tend to keep some foodstuffs), trying to reach it and it falls on your head, and soon Alhaitham finds his entire cabinets rearranged, optimized for your reach, and with the snacks you like placed in front of the other stuff.

Not to mention, of course, it's very awkward when he has to listen to you two go at it.

Kaveh's quick to justify that matter when Alhaitham makes some mildly passive-aggressive comment about it. No, it's not unethical nor coercion to have sex with you just because you depend on him for survival or anything. They NEED to have sex or they'll get sick... and in his defense, that's the common belief.

See, Sumeru is, predictably, the origin of a great deal of pseudoscience. Whereas other regions are more prone to bizarre and dumb traditional beliefs and stereotypes with no real basis that simply persist over time, Sumeru inhabitants prefer their misinformation to be peer-reviewed and doctoral-degree-verified, based on "studies" and "research" that is definitely not the sort where they intentionally set up the research to achieve predetermined results. You can even major in things of the sort at the Akademiya, like female medicine or female psychology, very lucrative fields seeing as they deal with primarily high-wealth clients (and otherwise men who are still willing to pay out the nose for the well-being of their beloved).

The Akademiya is also the world's leading institute on research for female hysteria, neurosis and psychosis, and cures thereof. The cause of such disorders is, generally, an imbalance of the humors and biles caused by hormonal deficiencies that are a direct result of the creature being undersexed. The Studies™ show that they become depressed and psychologically unwell as a result of several directly related causes, namely lack of orgasm and lack of having their pair-bonded mate's seed in them. Throws their brains off-balance.

Which is why Kaveh's not like the typical cruel, heartless person that buys these poor victimized girls just to use them like toys and objects, no, he's doing this because it's a necessary part of your care. The intention is what matters, and thereby makes it non-exploitative... also, of course, actually having mutual love for each other makes it non-exploitative, which he insists is the case... he's especially insistent of this after a certain someone muttered an unnecessary comment just loud enough for him to hear that 'she has every incentive to *act* like she loves you, you know,'  which left him upset for some time.

He's not wrong... you do gladly proclaim you do. That's how you've always been trained to act — even if you met your master ten seconds ago, you are ready at any moment to muster a smile and say you love him. The universally understood rules are simple: you love your master from the moment you meet him, you show no signs of discontentment, and you pretend as if you came into existence that very moment — never mentioning your past, acting as if any previous owners or living situations have been wiped from your memory, and above all, never comparing your current owner to a past one in a negative way.

Especially seeing as Kaveh is obviously... on edge. It's not like he isn't well aware of the ticking time bomb of a setup he's managed to find himself in. Staying in a home with some other guy, while having you around... it's asking for something to go wrong. Most people wouldn't dare, and would view the choice as a rather stupid one.

Thus, Kaveh is always trying to deter you from interacting, telling you that the man who owns the home is either too calloused and will be a bad influence, or too insensitive and will hurt your feelings; there's no way someone as thoughtless and dense as him would ever be able to appropriately, properly converse with your kind, known for emotionally sensitivity and all. Besides, you have no real reason to even want to speak to him, right?

So you can talk only when they're both around, when he's there to ensure Alhaitham doesn't say something stupidly insensitive or offensive. Which leads to some disputes, the two bicker back and forth even more than they would normally. And you... well, they can't be upset with you for at least trying to intervene, trying to be soft-spoken and sweet so as to not make it worse. It's very awkward for everyone involved.

His affection for you makes him that much more infuriated when he finds out that Alhaitham has been taking you out of the house and, in his mind, forcing you to spend time with him when you obviously have no desire to, parading you around as if you're his. It frustrates him, it upsets him, but... he can't really do anything.

On Alhaitham's end, though, it's only fair, so he thinks. Come on. What was he thinking? Knowing full well that Alhaitham doesn't have one, and yet he still basically wants to torment him by having you there? It feels like rubbing salt in a wound, of course he should know this was bound to happen eventually.

It's just slowly building up to a much bolder move, or rather, a compromise. Just... once a month, maybe. It's what he's owed, you know? And he'll be sure to fill out the paperwork verifying that he has partial ownership, meaning he's entitled to physical relations anyway.

With no other options, Kaveh is more or less forced to agree, albeit very very begrudginly... but, of course, with limits! He doesn't exactly have any right to set those limits, really, but Alhaitham agrees to them if for nothing else but to save himself the complaining and chastising he'd get otherwise. It's only a very small allowance, once per month and only once, no more than half an hour, and absolutely no other exchanges of any affection outside of that! Not that he can be there to enforce that, but he trusts you'll tell him if that bastard makes any move to touch you or kiss you or try anything whenever he's not around... won't you?

Not knowing what else to do (and stuck between trying to keep two rather stubborn individuals happy at the same time), you're very quick to assure him that of course you won't allow such a thing, and, of course, that you love him so much more, he's so much better and he's the only one that can actually make you feel good, so on and so on... he's not exactly happy about the situation, but your words placate him. For now, at least, until Alhaitham keeps pushing the bar for what he's allowed further, and further, and further...

[elliespassagerprincess]

just found this song a week or so ago, and i can’t help but think of ellie every time i listen to it.. it’s called ‘she calls me daddy’ by king mala… if you could write a fic based on it i would fxcking love it♡

She calls me daddy - (ellie williams x reader)

Hi anon! Firstly this song fucking slaps??? It low-key reminds me of moth to a flame by the weeknd just lesbian edition. Anyway I hope you enjoy <3333

This story is based off the song She calls me daddy by King Mala! If you can please listen to the song as you're reading:)

Pairing: ellie x fem!reader

requests are always open, feel free to leave one or just send me a song and I'll take it from there:)

Warnings: cheating, men, homophobic parents

Summary: You might be engaged but you still always go back to Ellie

wc: ????

She's a little bit psycho

But she follows

When I call in the middle of the night

It might be a little superficial

She plays with the boys

But she comes home to me

Little fucked up but I think it's official

'Cause she might be your girl

But she's calling me daddy

"Hi Els" she heard you talk with a hushed voice. A smile spread onto Ellies face at the sound of your voice.

"Can you come over? I miss you" Ellie admitted.

"I miss you too" she could hear the smile in your voice.

God why did you have to be so fucking cute?

Ellie couldn't even see your face, but she can imagine the blush that spreads across your cheeks. The way your eyes crinkle anytime she says anything to you.

She knew the affect she had on you, but if only you knew what you were doing to her. It's embarrassing to even think about it.

"I'll try to come..." you started.

Excitement filled Ellie, as she thought of everything the two of you could do. You could watch a movie, or she could do your hair.

Oh! Maybe you can paint her nails-

"but Josh is here so I'm not sure" you finished your sentence.

The joy Ellie felt moments ago fell flat at the mention of your fiancè's name. She wanted to groan whenever you mentioned him in any conversation.

Why do you care so much? You don't even love him.

You quickly said goodbye when Josh called you to join him and all Ellie could do was wish she was him.

He gets to spend time with you. He gets to see you everyday, he gets to spend the rest of his life with you.

What does Ellie get? A few hours with you before you are called by your dear future husband. Hushed calls and quick texts.

No, Ellie didn't deserve this at all, but yet she stayed because she couldn't get enough of you.

As much as Ellie pretends to be in control of your relationship, you were the one that had the final say. Whatever you wanted, she would do.

It's kind of fucked up if you think about it.

The way you're playing the perfect daughter and the perfect wife while you would always come back to Ellie that same night. How you would take pictures with your fiancé, and soon after send Ellie pictures no one but your so called spouse should see.

It never bothered Ellie. Because she always knew that you belonged to her, and even if you were getting married nothing would change that.

She's mine

She wears a collar with my name

Secretive but not ashamed

She's mine

But I never tie her down

They always come around

Mine

Does he know that you call Ellie when he falls asleep? Does he know the type of pictures you send her? Does he fucking know how bad he is in bed?

Ellie wonders if Josh suspects anything. Hee probably wouldn't. He's so fucking stupid anyway.

He doesn't even know what your favorite color is. But Ellie does. Ellie knows everything about you.

The amount of times you've cried over your math homework. The amount of stuffed animals you had in your room.

Did Josh even know how much you loved Barbie when you were younger? Of course he doesn't.

Ellie let out a sigh when she saw your phone light up.

She gently reached over your sleeping figure, to grab your phone, trying not to wake you up.

When she turned the phone on, a picture of you kissing Josh appeared as your lockscreen. Ellie gagged at the photo, before she checked who sent you a message.

It was from the "love of your life", the message read 5 simple words: "when are you coming home?".

Ellie scoffed when she saw the text.

Is he really this fucking clingy?

Ellie replied "no! Sorry baby, I'm staying over at a friends house!"

Josh didn't even ask who. All he did was left you on seen.

Wow.

'Fucking nonchalant bitch' Ellie thought to herself.

She put your back onto the side of your bed as she lay down to face you. Ellie gently brought her hand up to remove the hair from your face.

Was this going to be it? Were you going to lie to your family your whole life?

Ellie didn't know the answers to these questions. And she knew even if she asked you, you would always reply with "I don't know Ellie" or "I don't want to think about it".

What happens if your affair gets exposed? Do you guys get to live a happily ever after?

In the past, before Josh was even in the picture, you and Ellie faced this same issue.

The two of you were madly in love but you could never be together. Everything you did was in secret.

Ellie liked to imagine that the reason why she never asked you out was because she could never stay committed to one person.

Back in college, Ellie remembered how'd she'd bring a different girl back to her dorm almost every night. But as soon as the sun rises she'd chase the girl out and she'd end up going to your dorm to cuddle.

She would always assure herself, that the reason she never told you back then was because she thought she would cheat on you. Like she did in all her previous relationships. But she knew that was a lie.

She'd been in love with you since the sixth grade, she was just in denial of her sexuality and she was terrified of your parents.

Ellie continued to stare at your sleeping face, as the light from the moon shown in.

If only she knew the situation the two of you would be in now, then she would've fought harder for you back then.

You should see their face when they finally realize

That she plays with the boys

But she comes onto me

Wanna change her mind but I get unwise

'Cause she might be your girl

But she's calling me daddy

You always knew you liked girls. Ever since you were a little girl. Your parents believed that only man and women could fall in love with eachother. You couldn't tell utter the word "gay" infront of them.

How were you supposed to live a lie? How were you supposed to pretend?

You fell in love with Ellie when you were 15.

The day the two of you lay on picnic blanket eating dry pieces of bread because Ellie forgot to bring toppings. You remembered you told her a stupid knock knock joke and Ellie laughed at it.

She always laughed at everything you said. Even when it wasn't funny. You looked at her that day, as tears fell from her eyes at the amount of laughing she did.

You realize you liked her a little more as a friend.

In a gay way.

When you were 17 Ellie kissed you.

And god you thought it was magical.

It felt like fireworks exploding. The world around the two of you blur as your lips passionately danced together. It felt like how all the romance novels described it.

You knew since that day, since that kiss, that what you and Ellie had was real.

The two of you started dating soon after.

Your biggest fear was that your parents would've found out. You'd be sent to boarding school, Ellie would be taken away from you and you'd be treated like shit for loving someone.

Unfortunately your worst fears soon became a reality.

Your mother had walked in while you and Ellie shared a quick kiss, and all hell broke loose.

Your mother ran in yelling, pulling you away from Ellie.

She blamed Ellie for making you this way. She used to say Ellie brainwashed you. But if only she knew. If only she believed you when you told her, this was love.

Your mother held you in her arms, as you reached out for Ellie. And soon after that, Ellie was kicked out and banned to come to your house or anywhere near you.

You were sent to boarding school and for the rest of your life your parents made you feel like shit, they made you feel worthless because of your sexuality till Josh came along.

The only reason you agreed to even consider getting married to him was so that your parents thought that you would be "healed".

After you were sent to boarding school you lost contact with the women you loved. All the men you've been with never compared to Ellie.

And even when the two of you reunited, you both knew your story wasn't over.

The love you shared was stronger than anything.

And as you stood infront of the mirror, wearing your wedding gown, all you could do was imagine that Ellie was the one waiting for you and not Josh.

In the mess

She's responsible

Change her mind

It's impossible

Close your mouth

You, catch a fire

Watch the girl get

What she likes

Ellie stood up as the wedding music started playing.

The crowd erupted in cheers as you walked down the isle.

Ellie looked toward your husband to be, the grin on his face made her sick. She wanted nothing more than to get a chair and to hit him in the face.

Ellie watched as your father left you with your husband. That should be her standing there. Not Josh. You should be the one walking to her, she should be the one you wore that dress for.

But yet you stayed true to your parents and you chose to walk down the isle to get married to someone you felt nothing for.

She watched as she fake smiled, she watched as you said I do and as you said your vows.

"You are mine for a lifetime" Josh spoke as he finished his vows. No you weren't. You weren't his.

She watched the lips that she has kissed so many times kiss another person. The pit Ellie felt in her stomach grew heavier, it felt like she could vomit at any moment.

The second you and your husbands lips touched the crowd cheered and screamed. Chants of your new surname filled the room as you locked hands and faced the crowd with your new husband.

A smile spread across your beautiful face, as the two of you started exiting the church.

You and Ellie locked eyes, as you made your way out of church. You gave her a small wink. A smile spread onto Ellies face.

That wink gave her hope.

Just because you got married doesn't mean you have to stop seeing eachother.

You've always been hers.

You don't need a ring to prove it. You don't need a wedding to prove your love for eachother.

Even though you were married Ellie had nothing to worry about, because she knew at the end of the day you'd be calling her daddy.

Authors note: a less depressing one for the first time in a while lmfao, but don't worry your regular scheduled angst will return in my next post;).... remember you are loved and to always be kind, my requests are also always open. I love you all!

Yours truly,

Zia <3

[iwanty0uu]

Hey guys change of plans. my mom just pissed me off and i wanna run away in my backyard and hide in my dad’s car trunk so imma take it out on yall rn.

Growing Pains

I loudly slammed the door, gasping as I came to my senses.. “shit..” I should know better than to slam a door in my Jamaican mother’s household.

Before she could even start cursing, you opened it wide and yelled, “MOMMY I APOLOGIZE I NEVER DID MEAN TO MAKE THE DOOR SLAM LIKE THAT”,

I mentally sanded my eardrums, preparing for the hurricane of curses and insults that would flood from her mouth, “OH SO YOU MOVE TO FOREIGN AND THINK YOU’RE ONE OF THEM AMERICANS HUH? I WILL SEND YOU BACK TO YOUR GRANNY, GIRL.”

Being the daughter of two immigrants was hard enough, and considering you were one yourself made it even more irritating. Your mom decided it would be a great idea to ship you off to the land of the free, alone at fifteen, and send you to live with your aunt in a literal plantation in the city..New York.

The amount of paper colored faces that crossed your path at the airport was enough to send you into a frenzy, so after begging for 3 years (mostly because you would go to the Columbia University this school year and she wanted to brag about you on whatsapp) mommy dearest decided to pack up, take your dad and little brother to New York until you finished college, and explore.

Your brother was only a year younger than you, and always complained about how you got to do more than him, even though the fact that his girlfriend could sleep over anytime he wanted (with the door closed) was enough to prove how subconsciously sexist your parents could be, but whatever, you’re eighteen, homesick, and doing your baby bro who you dearly missed a favor.

But times like these, when your words wouldn’t even go through one of your mom’s ears much less the both of them always made you regret begging. Your words probably deflated and fell to the floor like some cartoon animation the second they came out of your mouth.

But that was how useless they were, and you always felt angry about it.. but you were a big girl and you should be trusted more. You didn’t smoke in the house or barley at all, you hated alcohol, and was still a virgin..mostly! But she still argued, and as usual, it made the tears well in your eyes, and your father attempting to mediate the dispute, and your brother trying his hardest to comfort you, even though he knows that he will never fully understand.

But little did she know..those tears watered the seed of rebellion that grew roots in your stomach and around your torso, sucking and squeezing until there was nothing left but long, smooth dips. The roots twisted and wrapped around your pelvis, making them grow full and round like the mounds on your chest and the one behind you.

Your hair full and thick, sunlight hardly passing through the thick leaf-like coils, and the beauty on your face, as beautiful as a forbidden fruit, the forbidden fruit. The fruit that led to the destruction of mankind.

Her words played in my mind like a record on repeat, I could never hate her, but if she didn’t want to understand me, then why bother be everything she couldn’t be?….

᪥᪥᪥

I loved writing this maybe ill make a pt 2! tell me if ya want it fr this was not planned negl I was on the bus making this but I’ll see yall again tmr!! (yes this is gonna be an aot fic🙄)

~𝓁ℯ𝓁ℯ！

[fan-fantasies]

Worth the Wait

A/N: this has the worst ending ever, but at least I got it done!

Pairing: Xavier Thorpe x female!Reader

Warnings: swearing, oral (f receiving), unprotected sex

The fire crackling in the corner of your room was no match for the bitter cold settling in outside. You watched out the window as the first few flakes fell to the ground. Fellow students ran quickly for shelter, to hunker down in preparation for the storm.

You chuckled to yourself at the foolishness of them, thinking that they could escape whatever was coming- wrapping their jackets tighter around them seeking some form of relief from the relentless cold.

The cold never bothered you, with being a vampire and all, which boded well for you growing up in chilly Vermont. The same could not be said for your roommate, Bri, who was a siren who preferred the warm waters of summertime.

“Can’t it just be June already?” She asked with a huff as she burst through the door. Her ‘friend’, Ajax, followed close behind.

“That’s not how Vermont works,” you said with a small smile playing on your lips. You pulled yourself from your seat at the window so join your friends.

“I just hate the cold so much,” she signed.

“I know a way to warm you up,” Ajax smirked at her.

“Shut up!”

“Yes, please shut up,” you fake gagged.

You thumbed through one of your favorite books as the two of them sat on Bri’s bed in awkward silence.

“So we were actually gonna study,” Bri said. You turned to look at the two of them curiously.

“Is that so?” You asked, trying to hide your amusement. “Well since you guys are going to…study…I suppose I’ll head down to the library and get some actual studying done.”

You sent Bri a wink as she mouthed a “thank you” before you walked out the door.

You did make your way to the library, just not the one open to the average student population.

Snapping twice, the passage to the Night Shades library opened, welcoming you in with a familiar warm glow. You set your bag at a table in the corner and pulled out your notebook. It wasn’t exactly studying, but writing was your passion and college work came easily enough that you could write in your free time.

Not much time had passed when you heard footsteps approaching. You let out an annoyed sigh and closed your journal- you had no intentions of socializing.

“Well, well, well- looks what the wind blew in,” a voice chuckled from the dark passage. “I thought bats were supposed to hang out in the belfries.”

“Actually, that’s a fantastic idea, Xavier. I think I’ll head there now,” you snapped. You stood up from your seat and shoved your journal back in your bag.

“Aw what’s the rush, sweetheart?” He asked in mock sadness.

You and Xavier were once close friends, and you secretly had hoped for it to turn into more. But once he started dating Bianca back in high school it was like you didn’t exist. Even after they broke up, he had become interested in Wednesday Addams so you continued to fly below his radar.

It didn’t surprise you when you two ended up at the same university nor did it surprise you when he continued to ignore you.

Everything changed, however, when he had asked you to the winter ball your freshman year.

“And why on earth would you think I’d want to go with you?” You nearly shrieked.

“Because you’re not going with anyone else?” Your jaw dropped at his statement.

“So you think you can ignore me for a couple years and I’ll just fall for your charms as soon as you decide you want me in your life again? Fuck you, Xavier,” you hissed.

“I wouldn’t be opposed; you’re pretty cute when you’re pissed,” he said with a smirk. Your stomach flipped at his words and the only thing you could think to do was trudge away from him.

After that encounter, he made it his mission to annoy and fluster you. You had no problem engaging in a battle of wits with him but anytime he got flirtatious your brain would turn to goo and you’d have to run away.

“You probably shouldn’t leave just yet, it’s getting pretty nasty out there.”

“Why did you come here then, if it’s so nasty outside?” You asked.

“I forgot something here the other day and needed to grab it,” he shrugged.

“Then by all means; grab whatever you want and head back to your room.”

You could see the wheels turning in his head before he smirked and walked over to you.

“Grab whatever I want, huh? Are you sure about that?” He asked, backing you up against the table.

“Xavier…”

“(Y/N)…”

You could feel his breath fan across your face. Your hands hurt from how hard you were gripping onto the table. He leaned in closer…and closer…until he pulled away completely.

You fought the urge to let out a whine as he backed away from you. You were disappointed, then sad (thinking maybe he had wanted you), and then angry for letting him trick you into thinking such a thing.

“You know what, Xavier? You can go fuck yourself! You’re such an asshole!”

“Is that so, sweetheart?”

You were the one to back him up this time, practically pinning him to the wall. The amused smirk never left his face while he stared at you.

“I’m sick of you messing with me! You drop me for whatever girl so much as looks your way and then all of a sudden you think it’s funny to flirt with me and joke around!”

“Who said I was joking?” He asked.

“That’s all you took away from that? My god, you’re really fucking dense,” you snapped. “I’m sick of you using me for your own amusement until you find another girl to mess with.”

Xavier grabbed your waist and flipped you, so you were now the one with your back pressed against the cool, stone wall.

“What if you’re wrong? What if you weren’t the one I was using?” He asked.

“That makes no sense.”

“Did it never occur to you that maybe I was using Bianca and Wednesday to get over you—the one girl that I wanted who wouldn’t return those feelings?”

“That’s fucking bullshit,” you said, refusing to fall for it. Xavier’s grip on your waist tightened as you heard a low growl coming from his chest.

Before you could think, his lips were on yours. The kiss was fast and angry, a tangle of teeth and tongue- years of pent up feelings were all being let out in that moment.

His hands roamed your body, appreciating every inch. His fingers crept dangerously close to your core from beneath your skirt. His lips found their way to your neck, pressing hot kisses to the base of your throat.

“Xavier..” you whimper. The man chuckled before falling to his knees before you. He pulled your stockings and panties down in one pull. The two of you made eye contact for a split second before he disappeared under your skirt.

You braced yourself against the wall as his tongue slid between your folds. He kitten licked your clit quickly before diving deeper into your pussy. You were a mess at his touch in no time at all. You knew no one had ever made you feel that good before and you were scared that he had ruined you for anyone else to come.

“Fuck, Xavier!”

Your hands tangled in his hair and pulled him closer to you. You could feel yourself coming closer and closer to your orgasm.

Your knees became weak as it crashed over you- Xavier supporting you as best he could while making sure to prolong your orgasm as long as possible.

“You tasted better than I ever imagined,” he said as he stood back up, locking lips with you again. The aftershocks from your orgasm along with tasting yourself on his tongue was enough to make your head swim.

“Do you want me to fuck you, baby? Want me to fill you with my cock?��� He growled as he fumbled with his belt.

“Hmm maybe,” you chuckled, a bit of clarity returning to you, remembering how much he’s teased you in the past. His actions froze and his eyes snapped to yours.

“Maybe? If you think I’m good with my mouth, just think about how good my cock will feel,” he said with a smirk.

“To be fair, I never said you were good with your mouth. You just assumed I wasn’t faking it,” you retorted. His smirk fell while yours grew. His eyes glossed over with anger.

“Do you really have to be such a brat right now?”

He grabbed a fistful of your hair and led you to the table where you were previously sat.

“I should shove my cock down your throat just to shut you up but I can’t wait,” he grunted, pushing you down to lean across the table.

“Patience is a virtue, Xavier,” you replied. He responded with a slap to your bare ass, skirt hiked over your waist.

“You can keep that virtue since I’m about to take yours, love,” he chuckled.

You could feel him line himself up with your entrance before giving you a few teasing thrusts, barely penetrating you.

“Is your answer still maybe?”

“Xavier, stop teasing!”

“Then beg.”

“Please, fuck me, Xavier! I need to feel your cock inside me, fucking me senseless til you fill my pussy with your cum.”

You swore you heard him moan before he even shoved his cock deep inside you. The stretch was painful at first, but it soon subsided into pleasure. His rough hand kneaded your ass as he thrust into you at a bruising pace.

“Fuck, you feel so good wrapped around my cock, baby,” he grunted. He snaked a hand underneath you and began to play with your clit. “Gotta cum for me first, beautiful.”

“Shit, don’t stop!”

“Wasn’t planning on it,” he chuckled.

He continued fucking you from behind as you felt that familiar pressure begin to build for a second time. A few more thrusts and you were screaming his name, eyes blinded with white hot pleasure.

Xavier wasn’t far behind, stilling inside you with your pussy still hugging tightly. He pulled out slowly, his cum dripping down your thighs.

He helped you stand up, legs still a bit shaky. You did your best to compose yourself and ignore what just transpired between the two of you.

“Soooo…” Xavier was the one to break the silence.

“What?”

“So are you my girlfriend now?” He asked. You couldn’t help the short laugh that came from your mouth.

“What makes you think I want to be your girlfriend?” You tried to play it cool but that’s what you had been wanting for years.

“I meant what I said about using the others. I’ve liked you for as long as I can remember but I was always scared you wouldn’t feel the same way,” he admitted.

“I did feel the same way,” you said. His face lit up for a second. “But you hurt me when you started to act like I didn’t exist, and then when you did, you were kind of a jerk to me.”

“I’m sorry for how I’ve treated you and if you’ll let me, I’d like the chance to prove to you just how much I care about you and make up for being an ass.”

You paused for a moment to think about it which made him terribly nervous.

“I’m gonna have to think about it for a little while,” you said.

“How long is a little while?” He asked. You tried to take a step toward the door but your legs nearly gave out beneath you.

“How about until I can walk properly again?” You said with a laugh, which broke the tension in the room.

“That may be a quite a long time then, because I don’t plan on letting you walk right so long as I have a day in it,” he said, pressing a kiss to your cheek while helping you regain your balance.

“Then quite a long time it will be then,” you chuckled. He pressed a sweet kiss to your lips before wrapping your jacket around you.

“You’re worth the wait, beautiful. Always have been.”

[rea-grimm]

Demon's Creed 4

When you had finally helped Lucifer enough with the documents and knew you would have a free evening, you set about your plan. 

Tonight after dinner, you brought him Levi's record. Lucifer was taken aback before he laid eyes on you. You felt like he could see right through you. He finally thanked you and took the record from you. 

As you returned to your room, a faint melody drifted down the hallway as Lucifer played the record. You passed the door to your room and headed for the stairs where you had heard the cries for help earlier.

You reached them and thought you heard the faint voice again. It was asking you for help now, too. That only made you feel more confident. You wanted to help this person.

You went up the stairs and grabbed the doorknob. It was unlocked. The room was small and dark. There was nothing there except an animus whose screen dimly lit the room. 

There was a figure lying on a chaise longue, and it was clear that it was hooked up to the machine. You moved closer and looked at the young man, whose consciousness was somewhere else entirely. 

You walked over to the screen to see where and when he was. You leaned closer to see better and touched the screen lightly. Before you knew it, you felt as if you were being pulled in. 

You were in a room of sorts, filled with pillows and curtains. There were no windows and no door you could use to get out. You turned around to see if you could find a door on the other side when you got scared. Standing directly in front of you was the same young man who was connected to the animus. 

"Can you get me out?" he asked. 

"Who are you?" you asked. However, he didn't answer you, he just asked you again if you could get him out of the animus. 

"I can try," you finally said. Truthfully, though, you weren't too sure. You had no idea how, but after this, you found yourself back in the attic next to the machine. 

You stood up, dusted yourself off, and walked over to the screen again. This time when you touched it, it didn't pull you in and you could finally look at the system. 

You got as far as you needed to go, but you couldn't just log out of the animus. The machine asked you for your passwords along with the codes. You had no idea what would happen if you entered it wrong. It could also trap him in there forever. 

Instead, you plugged in the flash drive you had connected to your computer and decided to try to crack the codes one at a time. 

🟉-🟉-🟉-🟉-🟉

In the safety of your room, you then connected to the animus through your computer. It was tricky, but eventually, you managed to hack into the machine. However, it took all night and part of the next day before a stable connection was made between your computer and the animus. 

Once it was done, however, you could certainly see where the young man was and contact him anytime, both via computer and phone. At first, he seemed annoying when you contacted him. It was like you were bothering him. 

But as you talked to him more, you got the impression that he was glad for your company. You had a feeling he must have been alone for so long, trapped in his ancestral home.

You had arranged hours when you talked together, but then he surprised you when he started writing to you outside of them. Mostly in the middle of the night. 

🟉-🟉-🟉-🟉-🟉

You were sitting on the bed, puzzling over the seals and also how to get through the passwords when the room shook. You sat up, startled by what it could be, when there was a crash and Mammon flew through the wall and landed at the foot of your bed. 

You were so scared you almost fell off the bed. You were about to ask what was going on when Beel came through the hole in the wall to get Mammon. 

You didn't find out until later that it was because Mammon had eaten Beel's favourite dessert. However, there was a giant hole in your temporary room. Until your room was repaired, Lucifer decided that you would sleep at Beel's. 

Mammon protested that you definitely shouldn't sleep there. However, all Lucifer had to do was give him a look and he shut up. 

In Beel's room, you were given a bed that belonged to his twin brother. You noticed he had a picture of them together on his nightstand. To your shock, you recognized his brother immediately. 

You had no idea how it was all connected, but it was certain that the young man trapped in the animus was his brother. You had been suspicious that he hadn't wanted to give you his name, but now it made some sense to you.

You talked to Beel for a while before bed, and he told you about his brother. Now you didn't have to worry about anyone eavesdropping on you. 

Then when you went to bed, Beel fell asleep first. You had a lot of thoughts going through your head, which were interrupted by a text message. You looked at your phone to see that it was Belphie, who was bored.

You started texting him, but you didn't want to confront him immediately. It wasn't until after a while that you asked him for the truth. He didn't even try to deny anything. 

He confirmed that he was Beel's brother, but he didn't tell you why he was in the animus. You took it as a step forward and you were sure that when the time came, you would eventually find out the truth.

Obey me! Masterlist

Demon’s Creed

[azures-bazar]

Hiiiiii ! ❤️ I love your soft!Arthur one shots and was wondering if you could eventually write about female!reader comforting Arthur after a meltdown or something ! Like he had a very bad day or he just feels bad and cries and all but is too ashamed to show he's sad ! thx !!

Angel’s Tears 

Hey there anon, thank you for your request ! It means a lot &lt;3 I love writing sad stuff (don't ask why, it's my cup of tea), and soft/sad Arthur is a part of my fav subjects lol

I'm sorry if it took me so long, I got really busy with my job and my free time is mostly consisting in me resting while playing Cyberpunk 2077 lol. Having a new graphic card helps a lot.

I hope you'll like it despite these awful mistakes I've made !

Arthur Morgan x Female!Reader 

Word count : 2.6k

Short summary : Arthur has been gone for three days and just came back after a dramatic set of events. You don’t want to leave him alone, so you’re taking him out for more privacy.

Warnings : mentions of torture and death

Tags : Chapter 3, Arthur is broken, angel tears, mentions of Isaac Morgan, you are Arthur’s treasure, soft boah, tears and kisses, some fluff, cute

It had been three days. Arthur had been gone for three days. This felt common for almost everyone around camp, but you genuinely thought he had been gone for weeks. You were used to have him wait for you by your tent every morning, sometimes passing his head between its flaps with a large smile. You loved being close to him when he was around camp, or when he was taking you to town. It was no secret for anyone that you had a little something for him, especially not to Mary-Beth. She had been quick to talk about this to Tilly, who told Karen, who then told Sean… who shouted about it all day long. That day, you wanted to dig a hole in the ground and never come out of it. 

As far as you could recall, Arthur had spent his entire day blushing anytime your eyes would meet his. What a sweet thing you were, right here, probably loving him as much as he loved you ! Arthur was not good as talking about what he felt, but something you were sure about was the reciprocity of your feelings. You could easily tell he was sweet on you by the very beautiful look he was giving you, by his bright smile whenever he was seeing you after being gone for some time, by his overall attitude. What made him fall for you was the night you fell asleep with your head on his shoulder while listening to Javier’s ballads. He had carried you to your tent and did not let go all night long, appreciating the way you clung onto him, still leaving by the morning before anyone would spot him. 

His absence was noticeable, days felt rather dull whenever he was not waiting by your tent in the morning like he usually did. While you were on guard duty, you did your best to focus on the surroundings rather than think about him and feel this void surrounding you. You missed his embrace, his overall presence around camp. Even if Sean wanted to fill this emptiness by… forcing you into hugs you did not like, you counted each hour separating you from Arthur’s return, notting them on a paper in order to be more prepared for the next time. You knew he would most likely bring you something from his travels, or maybe not. You did not care, you just wanted him back at this point. 

"Guess who’s back !" Karen shouted from the camp’s entrance 

You were cleaning your riffle with Charles as you spotted Arthur coming back to camp. You calmly placed your riffle aside and approached him, noticing how pale Arthur was, how shocked he seemed to be, how much blood covered his shirt. He barely smiled at you, giving you a soft kiss on the forehead before taking a wad of cash from his satchel and moving straight to Dutch’s tent to give it to him before quickly heading to the water to wash himself before Ms. Grimshaw would force him to do so. As you watched him pass by Javier without saying a word, you understood he did not want to be bothered, leading you to swallow your desire for an embrace and head back to your riffle-cleaning. You knew Arthur did not like being bothered and wanted to give some space. 

"Looks like he's not alright." Charles noted, glancing at Arthur who was cleaning his shirt 

"I’ll let him cool down a bit." you answered, nervously rubbing your riffle’s trigger. "You know how he is when he’s not in the mood."

"Yes, but I guess you should do something anyway. Leaving Arthur like this ain’t a good idea, that’s for sure." 

You nodded at Charles' advice, taking a few more minutes to finish your chore before carefully walking to Arthur who was now sitting on his cot in a brand new shirt and a pair of clean trousers, staring into space without noticing you were actually standing right before him. You cleared your throat a little, not daring to touch him just yet. You knew how unpredictable Arthur’s reactions could be whenever he was lost in his thoughts and dragged back to reality, you had seen him slap Bill one day as he was just trying to catch his attention. 

"Excuse me, Arthur." you said 

Morgan gently turned his head to you, a sweet smile bloomed on his pale and haggard face. You felt something was wrong with him by the way his eyes spoke to you, filled with emptiness and melancholy. You had no idea about what Arthur had been up to, but the blood that was covering his him when he came back to camp made you supposed he got into a brawl, or maybe worse. Much worse. Arthur was a tough man, believing brawls were actually quite enjoyable when you had the advantage over the situation. You strongly believed something bad had happened. 

"I’m heading to town." you restarted, crossing your hands behind your back. "Would you like to join me ?" 

"I just came back to camp, Y/N." Arthur smirked. "I don’t think Dutch would allow that." 

"Don’t worry, he will allow you to spend some time with me at the saloon. C’mon, let’s go !"

"Errr… Fine."

Arthur rolled eyes and grumbled as he stood up. Since the day you got inducted into the gang, anyone could notice he could hardly say no to you. Your mesmerising eyes and adorable face never helped him. He would have brought you the moon on a silver plate if he could. He always found himself scrambling to make you happy, and could obviously not refuse leaving camp with you. Even if he had just come back from a three days long journey, he genuinely believed a moment with you could make him feel better instead of hiding his frustration, sadness and overall exhaustion behind his tent flaps. 

You quickly headed to Dutch to tell him you were taking his boy out to town. Surprisingly enough, Van der Linde agreed and even gave you enough money to spend on a room and a bath at the saloon. Dutch had seen Arthur’s overall mood when he gave him the money he had collected and had felt quite worried about him. Arthur’s empty eyes and tense expression had reminded him of the one he had years ago, following his return from Eliza’s house after finding out that she and his son Isaac were dead. He knew his boy would probably feel better with you as he was aware of your natural ease to work him. Dutch gave you some food as well, believing Arthur should be hungry after his travels. 

"Sure, sweet girl." Dutch told you. "Make sure not to get into trouble."

Unexpectedly, Arthur insisted on riding your horse, believing his one needed some rest as much as he himself did. He left them to Kieran’s care as he climbed on your silver Turkoman, helping you up and placing you before him. One of his hands rested on your waist as the other one carefully held onto the bridle, he led you out of the hideout.

"Let's go, m'lady." he told you

Your short journey to Rhodes was rather quiet as Arthur did not speak at all, making you feel awkward, if not even uncomfortable. At the saloon, you quickly ordered some food at the counter while renting a room and a bath before heading straight to the bedroom, locking the door behind you. 

"What happened, Arthur ?" you asked 

"Some shit." Morgan responded without meeting your eyes, taking his boots off. "Nothing to worry ‘bout." 

"You were covered in blood, Arthur. I know you’re tough, but that look on your face… what happened ?" 

Arthur looked up and bit his lower lip, calmly breathing before sitting down. You approached him and sat beside him, placing your hand on his back. It made him shiver, any time you touched him felt like a treasure for Arthur. He sighed, understanding he could not get away with it, believing talking to you would make things better. 

"While I was ridin’ in Roanoke, spotted some Murfrees torturing a couple of hostages." he whispered. "Poor feller had his four limbs broken, I guess. His wife died before me. I tried stopping them, and then I spotted a lil’ boy nearby… heard his pa’ saying « Alexander », I guess that was his name."

Tears started streaming down his cheeks as soon as he mentioned the presence of the child. You kept listening to him, being somewhat aware that the worst had happened to this poor family. Judging by Arthur’s attitude and sudden sadness, you could easily guess about their demise. You had known about Arthur’s son during a random talk you had with him, you could only imagine how terrible it must have been for him to witness the Murfree’s torture on a family. 

"As I tried killin’ these damn Murfrees, one of them got out and took the child as the feller died beggin' me to find his son." Arthur hiccuped. "I tried runnin’ after them… looked for the kid for hours. Found his body at the bottom of a hill." 

Arthur quickly rubbed his eyes while bitting his lower lip. His hands clung onto his legs as you ran your fingers across his back. Witnessing the body of a child deeply broke him as he transposed the image of Isaac on him. On a boy who would have been about his son’s age by his death. 

"I could have done somethin’, Y/N…" he grumbled, turning his head to you. "I could've done somethin’… if only I had been here earlier… m-maybe…"

"You couldn’t have done anything." 

"I… I could have…"

"It’s alright, Arthur. It’s alright." 

You were heartbroken after hearing his distraught, his pain. There were no words to describe how bad you felt when you met his devastated gaze, tears streaming on his reddish cheeks, his wobbling lower lip. Your hand made its way through his hair, you played with it as Arthur buried his head against your shoulder. You passed your hand on his cheek, causing him to catch it while crying. It made you shiver a little, but you did not mind. In fact, you appreciated his complete trust, knowing he would have never spoken this way to anyone else but you. 

"I'm sorry, darlin'." Arthur sobbed. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

He wanted to feel your touch, he needed it. He needed you more than anything at this moment, and no words came out of his mouth to express his pain. He firmly held your hand on his cheek, letting out a few sobs as you carefully kissed the top of his head. Your other hand made its way to his shoulder, you left your thumbs rub it without bothering about what was surrounding you. Nothing else mattered but Arthur, nothing else. 

Poor man sobbed for long minutes while you kissed his temple at times, watching the sun go down through your window. You did not dare saying a word, believing it would break Arthur into pieces. Just a word and your favourite cowboy would probably collapse into your embrace, so you remained silent and allowed him to cry on your shoulder, rocking him back and forth at some point before he slowly moved away from, looking into your eyes with a soft smile. 

"Thank you, sweetheart." he whispered 

"Don’t thank me." you smiled. "I couldn’t leave you like that." 

"You’re a real treasure, you know that ?" 

You shrugged a little, your smile got wider. Arthur had told you a few times that your sole existence was one of his biggest treasures. He could not describe how safe he felt with you, how much your smile could make all the troubles go away in a mere second. You were one of the last pillars of his life, and he was quick to show it whenever you were with him. From embraces to two or three quick kisses on your lips, Arthur knew how to make you feel special.

As you were about to kiss his forehead one more time, Arthur quickly rose to change your target. Your lips landed on his instead, causing you to blush as he gently opened his mouth to make it last longer. You calmly took his face between your hands, keeping his head close to yours for a short while until moving back a little. Your bright smile made him blush, despite his darker shade was hard to notice due to the overall lightning in the room. 

"Yeah, you’re a treasure." Arthur said. "My beautiful treasure." 

"You’re going to make me blush." you chuckled 

"I’d love to, girl. I’d love to." 

The two of you talked for a long while up until a prostitute brought you some food on a plate, carefully placing it on your bedside table. Instead of allowing Arthur to take care of you as he usually did, you believed Morgan needed some rest and that you had to pay him back. You ate with him, listened to him talk about his discoveries, about these wild animals he had the opportunity to draw, about the overall strange ambiance he felt while travelling around Roanoke Ridge, being thankful the gang didn't settle there. He had brought you a beautiful emerald he had found somewhere near an old house, hidden in a crate. 

"It ain’t much, but I really thought you’d like it." he smiled. "I wanted to go to a jeweller and make a ring out of it, but ain’t got no time."

"It’s amazing, Arthur !" you praised him. "It’s a god damn emerald ! Of course I love it !"

"Just… don’t tell Dutch I gave you an emerald, right ? He'll get mad."

"I won’t tell anyone."

You watched Arthur eat his whole plate of fried fish so fast that you barely had time to start eating yours. You felt lucky Dutch had given you some more food, Arthur was hungry. He ate some bread, some of your vegetables and the two apples you had brought with you. Then, you dragged him to the bathroom, carefully undressing him as he looked at you with wide opened eyes. You had never seen him naked before, but did not care at all. In fact, it was even pleasant to see !

"Get in there so I can wash you." you said, placing your hands on your hips

"I ain’t a child, Y/N." Arthur said as he sat down in the bathtub 

"You sure ain’t. Just relax and lemme help you." 

Arthur shrugged as you started massaging his broad shoulders. He loudly moaned as you reached his neck, he absolutely adored having you press your hands on it. As far as he could remember, Arthur had always loved taking care of you. He loved staying by your bed when something was wrong or when you felt bad, he had helped you bathe following Blackwater’s botched heist to which you had participated and were traumatised for days. Arthur loved having you under his watch, having you doing the same for him was unusual, but worth it. He could breathe, he could forget.

It took him a few minutes to doze off. His soft snore made you smile as you dried your hands, sitting by the bathtub to look at him. What a handsome feller you had here ! His long eyelashes were quick to make many women jealous of him, it gave him a rather angelic look. Who would have thought that this tall and brawny man, his face wet with all these angel’s tears which had streamed on his cheeks, was an outlaw ? A man who had killed people, who had beaten some of them up ? Who would have thought that a man with such puppy eyes had blood on his hands ? 

"Ain’t you a handsome man…" you smiled 

The lack of response from Arthur’s part was no surprise. You watched him sleep, surrounded with this faint steam and soap bubbles, his eyes moving beneath his eyelids. You could not help but smile at this beautiful sight, you adored it. It was worth it, having Arthur rest like this was worth it. You knew he deserved it, you genuinely wanted him to be alright. And, that night, your presence healed his poor soul. You were everything for him, a reason to keep going.

You were his treasure. 

[s0urw00lf]

Bucky Barnes x Therapist!Reader

Summary: Bucky had a hard time trusting people obviously because of his past. So Sam recommended a therapist, not like the one he had before, someone who minded his time and didn’t rush him to open up. Bucky ends up trusting her a little more than he intended.

They aren’t as frequent as they used to be, but they were still just as bad and anyone could tell when Bucky had a nightmare. He would stay in a daze all day. He wouldn’t make any kind of conversation, or look anyone in the eyes as if he would feel guilty doing it. And the biggest giveaway was that he would avoid the topic completely. These were all the things Sam Wilson had told y/n to look out for during Bucky’s two time per week visits. Y/n was a therapist Sam had recommended to Bucky. He hasn’t expected for the lady to understand his situation, as she was way younger to him. But she did, she had been through somewhat the same thing he had, that’s what made her so easy to talk to. While Bucky’s experiences were far worse she understood to an extent, that made the sessions bearable.

One night in particular Bucky’s nightmare had gotten really bad. He woke with a start, sweating, and panting as if he had stopped breathing in his sleep. The nightmare kept playing over and over again in his head. He couldn’t close his eyes because he would see the eyes of all the lives he had taken. This caused him to turn up at your door, looking completely broken and helpless. “Bucky?” You said with folded arms trying to keep warm on the cold night. You had been sitting on the couch watching t.v. Dozing off, when you heard the quiet knocking at the door. You were tense opening the door ready for any kind of surprise but when you saw it was Bucky your tense demeanor completely fell.

You stared at him for a second in confusion as to why he was here but you didn’t ask, instead you invited him in “it’s cold out come in” you said mentioning inside your house. He took the invite and quietly stepped in rubbing his hands together in what you thought was guilt which his words confirmed. “Uh sorry for bothering you so late, it’s just Sam’s with his family I didn’t wanna bother him and you said that you were free to talk anytime so I-” he said but was cut off by you “buck it’s fine, do you uh want anything to drink?” You asked walking to the kitchen and pouring yourself a glass of water, he had told you to call him that a couple of weeks into the sessions. “Uh I’ll take whatever you’re drinking” he said standing awkwardly beside your small table. You nodded and poured home a glass as well, setting it down on the table beside where he was standing. “You can sit, if you want” you told him while taking a seat yourself, he nodded and sat as well. It was quiet in the room, not awkward or the kind where they were silently rushing to find something to talk about, it was simply quiet and Bucky liked that.

“I- I had a dream” he said, after taking a small sip of water. “Well a nightmare, it was one of the worse ones.” He muttered looking again at his clasped hands. You nodded “ do you wanna tell me about it?” you asked softly. He looked up at you, eyes shifting from his hands to your face as he hesitated to continue. “It’s one of those ones that you could see when you close your eyes, or uh- or when you look in someone else’s.” He said whit his voice getting lower and lower as he continued as if he kept up the same volume his voice would break. “It was my first assignment, with hydra” he described recalling the memory. “I had been assigned to assassinate a man no older than myself at the time.” “I could see the absolute terror in his eyes before i pulled the trigger.” He muttered summing up the dream. “When i was younger my mother always told me ‘the eyes are windows to the soul’. I never knew what she meant until I escaped hydra” he said now staring blankly at a wall as he finished recalling the moments he spoke of.

You hummed deep in thought. “Your mother must have been very wise” you said softly, holding the glass of almost empty water. “As wise as a woman could be in the 40’s” he said, chuckling quietly. This caused a small smile to break out on your face. “You wanna know what I see when I look in your eyes?” You asked softly leaning forward resting your elbows on the table. He just stared at her not knowing what to say. You took this as your queue to continue “I see a man, who has been set free but is still fighting his demons. Someone who has a heart of gold and someone ready to protect those he loves. Someone who didn’t deserve in any way what happened to him” you said. You stared at the man in striking blue eyes as you recited what you saw. Bucky sat unmoving just staring at you, before abruptly standing up and walking out the door with you calling after him as he made a beeline towards the sidewalk leading away from your house. You stared at the man’s fleeting figure until he turned the corner and you could no longer see him. You closed your door and slowly walked back to your couch turning off your kitchen light as you passed it. You sat thinking of what you could have said wrong to make him leave. ‘Was it me bringing up his past’ ‘the mention of hydra’ your brain ransacked itself trying to find where you went wrong. You had Been say for 20 minutes thinking of everything when you heard a small nimble knock at your door.

You swiftly made your way to open the door to tell whoever it was to ‘fuck off’ but it was Bucky, the same man who had left with 20 minutes ago with no explanation whatsoever. Before you could say anything he spoke up. “I haven’t had anyone really say anything like that since to me ever, not before hydra or after.” He said looking at you. He looked at you as if he were trying to piece together the right words to say. “I really like you, and I know it’s unprofessional for you to be romantically involved with me as your client, but would you go an a date… with me?” He asked with the softest expression you’d ever seen cross the man’s face. It’s a known fact that Bucky hadn’t been on a date since the 40’s when his charm was at its peak. You stared at him completely baffled, you knew he was right it was unprofessional, but you couldn’t deny the feelings you’d felt for him, so with little to no thought you said “yes, James Buchanan Barnes, I’d love to go on a date with you” you said letting a smile grace your face, as did he.

With that he left and you sat standing in the middle of your living room excited about your date.

[loaf-of-soup]

~Welcome Post~

little bit of info on me

name: Em

pronouns: she/they but anything works, switch it up as you see fit, it really doesn’t bother me

~ I’m a pisces, enfp, enneagram type 9 ~

I mostly just reblog stuff and make some silly little posts occasionally

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Stuff I like includes:

The Marauders

Riordanverse/pjo

anything greek mythology

Heathers (the musical)

Falsettos

Hadestown

Epic: the musical

Aristos: the musical

Rocky Horror Picture Show

The Amazing Devil

Platinum Moon

I Fell in Love with Hope

and probably other stuff that I’ll update along the way

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fun facts

I like doing pottery

the spider in my pfp is named Stack and he’s my son

I’ve done martial arts for a long time so that’s cool I guess

I love talking to people but I’m really bad at starting conversations. Please feel free to message me at anytime. Literally just say Hi, it’s fine if you’re awkward, I don’t care (I also probably won’t notice)