#fic: cruel summer | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

nottyoursbutmine · 5 months ago

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cruel summer | t.n

pairing: theodore nott x hufflepuff soulmate reader

the one where nott and Y/N never wanted a soulmate. so why can’t they stop thinking about each other after they agree to never talk about it again?

this is my first writing and you can totally tell. it’s super long for no reason so pls be nice. it has 3 OC in hufflepuff. totally wrote this overnight so I rushed the ending can you tell?

cruel summer - taylor swift

—

You’re listening to your best friend, Sophia, as you’re walking towards the Great Hall. For the past two weeks she has been ranting about the same thing, Blaise Zabini, her soulmate.

As she’s going on about the colors of trees, our uniforms, and flowers you can’t help but space off. They met while being paired up during Potions and spoke their first soulmate words to each other. She has always wanted to meet her soulmate and ever since then, she’s been happier than ever.

You have never wanted to meet your soulmate. The thought of being trapped down and having children will not be your future.

“Are you even listening to me?” Sophia asks.

“Oh, um…of course I was, Blaise is perfect, the sky is magical?” You say with uncertainty. You’re arriving at the Great Hall and approach your table to sit down.

She gives you a look and says, “No, you know exactly what I was saying…please Y/N!”

“Can I just ask why is this so important to you? I mean, it’s not as if we would have anything in common. Slytherin do not make friends with Hufflepuffs,” you say with a straight face. Compared to her always happy demeanor, you were the type of girl who looked at the glass half empty. Not to say you weren’t kind to everyone you met, but you were a realist.

“I have been trying to introduce you to Blaises’ friends since we met… please?” As she sits across from you at the table, she gives you her biggest smile, one that you can never say no to.

As you pick at your food, you finally give in. “Okay, fine but we have to invite the rest of the girls.”

She squeals, leans over the table and gives you a hug. You’ve never been one for physical contact but you’ve been friends with Sophia since diapers, so you do your best and pat her back.

You’re sitting on your bed with your curtains drawn staring at the words on your wrist, thinking about the power they hold. Your entire future is determined by your first words with a stranger. The words were harsh, feeding into your whole ‘wanting to be alone,’ thing. You wonder what their words say.

Seeing colors is something you have also always wondered about. What are the colors of your eyes and hair? What is the color green and why does it make nature look so beautiful? What about flowers? And the color of your clothes?

However, does spending forever with someone you didn’t get to choose sound worth it? You have heard stories of colors fading for people who have lost their soulmate or chosen to be alone, you wonder if that’s true.

You hear the door burst open and Sophia say, “Okay, get ready everyone! We’re going to the Slytherin common room.”

You pull your curtains back, then look at Violet and Ariana, Violet lets out a small laugh from her bed and says “What?”

“Yup! We are meeting Blaise, Riddle, Nott, Berkshire, and Malfoy in 1 hour,” Sophia says, “so you all better start getting ready.”

You all get up with a groan as you get up and all go into the bathroom to get ready. You decide to put on a warm sweatshirt/sweats set because it’s cold out and blowout your hair. You exit the bathroom and all make your way out of the Hufflepuff house.

Walking to the Slytherin common room seemed faster than it should have been. Sophia talked most of the way, assuring us that this will be fun. She always seemed to be the positive one in our group. She states that the guys are nicer in person and only look scary from afar or something like that.

As you get closer you see Zabini waiting outside. Sophia walked towards Blaise, greeting him with a kiss. “Blaise, these are my friends, Violet, Ariana and Y/N.”

He shakes Violet’s and Ariana’s hand, trying to make a good first impression on his soulmates friends and as he extends his hand towards you and Sophia stops him, “Y/N doesn’t touch.”

You feel your heart get warm, you didn’t know how you were going to get out of that awkward situation. She knows you so well, you just give her a small smile as a thank you.

He just chuckles and says, “Exactly like someone else I know. Okay, c’mon the guys are inside.” As you walk in you can’t help but look around, even though you can’t see colors, the Slytherin common room has always been famously talked about and you wanted to know what the fuss was about.

You see Berkshire sitting on an armchair, reading a book. Malfoy is sitting on the floor with his back to the couch and he’s doing homework on the table. Riddle laying on a couch and Nott laying on the couch across from him talking you think about Herbology.

“Girls, these are the guys, right there is Malfoy. Right there is Riddle, over there is Nott, and there is Berkshire.” Zabini says pointing over at them without looking, without caring. It made you internally laugh.

Your eyes glaze over the boys and you just give them a smile. The girls give the boys their biggest smile and say hello, Ariana even goes as far as to give her famous flirtatious hugs. Not that you are judging, these guys are attractive.

Nott and Riddle sit down on the couches to make room for you girls. You sit next at the end of the couch to the left of Violet, who’s in the middle sitting next to Riddle. Ariana is sitting across from you, to the right of Sophia. Sophia is sitting next to Zabini, who’s finally sitting next to Nott at the very left. Berkshire is hadn’t moved from his place in the arm chair and Malfoy had collected his homework, but was still sitting on the floor.

The usual topics come by, grades, hate for the teachers, holidays, and the usual family drama. “Okay let’s get real, has everyone here met their soulmate?” Ariana asks.

Berkshire begins to rant about his soulmate, one that everyone knew he had. It was nice to hear him say those sweet words about her.

Malfoy rolls his eyes and says, “Doesn’t everyone already know the answer to this question? It’s not as if this school doesn’t spread the word as soon as it happens.”

Riddle laughs looking over at him, “You’re just upset because Granger is mad at you right now.”

“I don’t know why you don’t go apologize to her like I’ve been saying, staying here isn’t going to help her forgive you,” Berkshire says.

“He’s right, you need to man up and go to her dorm,” Nott speaks up, “if you don’t she’ll be pissed forever man.”

Malfoy looks like he wants to kill all his friends as he gets up and storms out of the common room, assumingely on his way to the Gryffindor house.

Malfoy, Berkshire, and Zabini are the only ones in the group who have found their soulmates, leaving Riddle and Nott to find theirs.

As everyone but Nott and you answer the question, the tension shifts. “So Y/L/N, have you found your soulmate?” Riddle asks, a hint of suggestiveness in his voice.

All eyes fall on you, “Um...No, I haven’t, but I don’t want to either, so…” you say trailing off.

“You don’t want to? Sounds familiar. Can we ask why you don’t want to?” He pries while glancing to the side, at something or someone. You’re not sure if you imagine it but everyone leans in closer, except for Nott of course, who’s sitting against the couch, eyes not leaving you.

“Well, let’s just say, I’m not going to let some words, colors, and a stranger determine a future I have already envisioned for myself, one that does not have a soulmate,” you have the straightest face and you’re not sure if it’s just your natural face or if you’re just annoyed by all these questions.

The boys sit in silence as they all give each other looks to your answer, however Nott is just staring at you and for some reason you’re afraid to look his way.

It seems like the night has ended with what you said and you decide you need to leave to room immediately. “Okay well, if that’s all I’m going now…I have to go to the library to finish my homework.”

Violet and Ariana follow you out, Sophia stays behind to spend more time with Zabini. As you’re walking you feel eyes burning into the back of your head.

Heading back to your common room from the library alone before curfew was a usual trip for you. The dark, empty corridor never scared you, it actually brought you peace. Ariana was the only one who preferred to study with you, but today she wanted to rest.

Fever dream high in the quiet of the night

While turning a corner you trip over something you don’t see, hands wrap around torso preventing you from falling. You drop your books and loose papers on the ground. You immediately push yourself away from the person holding you up.

It’s so dark out, you can’t see the tall figure, however, as you bend over to pick up everything you dropped, his shoes look expensive.

And so you do what you do best, apologize,“Oh Merlin, I’m so sorry. Are you okay? Than-”

You feel the person slightly freeze but not enough for you to process it, “My god, what the hell is wrong with you?”

Now it’s your turn to freeze. You’re afraid to look up, you’re afraid to even move. All of a sudden everything is different, you understand what Sophia means when she says the lights are yellow and actually do light up the night. You look at your clothes and see your yellow set. Everything yellow.

You’re not even sure why but you thought you had more time to find them. You’ve collected all your things and you’re still there staring at the ground. How are you supposed to tell this guy you’re not interested?

As you stand up, you stare into the eyes of Theodore Nott and you’re not sure what you feel. His eyes are so brown, his hair is so brown and he looks so attractive in his Slytherin uniform.

You’re both just standing staring at each other and you’re not sure what to say to him. Should you rip the bandaid off?

“Okay so, I don’t want you and you don’t want me, right? Let’s just pretend this never happened,” he has the straightest face ever.

You’re grateful he said it first so you didn’t have to but you’re not sure why you’re heart skipped a beat, almost like his words hurt you. “Okay.”

You’re not sure what else to say and you’re also not sure why your heart is now beating so hard in your chest. The colors don’t even matter anymore, what only matters to you now is that he’s in front of you and that he was just in front of you a few hours earlier, yet you never spoke one word to each other.

You thought the conversation was over, you thought he would walk away. He clears his throat, “Okay well then, let’s shake on it,” he says as he extends his hand out to you without looking away from your eyes.

You look at his hand and in a beat place your hand in his, slowly shaking it. “So we agree to not tell anyone,” looking back in his eyes. Your heart starts beating faster and your mind starts racing. You pull your hand back and say, “Goodbye then,” you walk away and don’t look back.

Ariana wakes you up the next morning, saying something about almost being late for breakfast.

As you get up, enter the bathroom to get ready and put your uniform on, you curl your hair and put it in a ponytail with side pieces out.

As you exit the bathroom you see Sophia sitting on her bed. “What do you all say about sitting with Blaise and the boys for breakfast this morning?” she says with a grin.

Ariana claps her hands together, jumping up and down, “That would be so fun. Last night was so fun!” Throughout the night she became good friends with the boys by gossiping about the teachers and student drama in the school.

Violet gives Sophia a small smile, “I think that would be nice.”

All eyes turn to me, I roll eyes in sarcasm, “Okay, let’s just go or all the blueberry muffins will be gone and you know how I feel about that.”

You follow Sophia to the Slytherin table and as the boys see you all approach, you see Zabini say something to them, making them scoot over. Sophia casually sits next to Zabini at the end of the table. You sit down first, scooting over for Ariana and Violet. Riddle is to your right, Nott directly across from you, and Violet to your left.

You immediately begin looking around for a blueberry muffin but don’t see one, the only one you see is on Notts plate. So you go for the second best option, banana bread.

“Aw we were too late? I’m sorry hun. Tomorrow will be better,” Sophia says with her positive attitude. You give her a smile and try to not continue the conversation.

“Late for what?” Riddle asks with a mouth full of food.

“Nothi-”

“Y/N loves her blueberry muffin for breakfast,” Violet says as if it’s the biggest secret in the school. You shrug because it’s true, there’s nothing better to start your day off with.

“Here then.” Nott holds out his plate offering you his muffin. The guys give him a look as if he just told them he’s joining the circus.

“No, it’s yours,” you say, giving him the exact same look.

He pushes the plate closer to you, “Take the damn muffin if you’re going to be complaining about it.”

The energy has completely changed, “Woah man, what the hell?” Berkshire says, sitting to Notts left.

Your eyes narrow at him, push the plate away and in your calmest voice say, “I didn’t complain about any damn thing, you’re getting hysterical Nott. Why don’t you calm down?”

And with that, he storms out of the Great Hall leaving his friends to question exactly what happened.

You’re left staring at where he was sitting, hurt in your chest but you both made this decision. And if you bleed he’ll be the last to know.

It’s been two weeks since you have found Nott, two weeks since you’ve been trying your best to avoid him, and two weeks since you’ve been failing at it.

You’re sitting in the library with Cedric working on your project. You’ve been working for hours and for hours Nott and Berkshire have been sitting in your line of view doing ‘homework.’ You turn back to Cedric, this grade is more important than some boy.

For some reason, Nott can’t look away from you. His mind is going crazy knowing you’re avoiding him. He’s the one who made this decision, why can’t he get you off his mind?

He thinks about the first words you spoke to each other and regrets being so harsh towards you, he wonders if you hate him for that. He wonders if the words on your skin have taunted you forever and if that’s truly why you don’t want a soulmate.

Colors haven’t faded for him, probably because he keeps following you, trying to be close to you. The color of your hair and eyes, your after school outfits. Your smile and the way you tilt your head back when you laugh. He cannot look away from you.

Berkshire realizes Nott isn’t paying attention to him at all, turning around to see what he’s staring at. “Merlin, is she your soulmate or something?”

Notts heart skips a beat, “What are you talking about? O-Of course she’s not,” trying his best to play it off.

Berkshire gives Nott a look, “You constantly follow her around, you threatened Cedric to not make a move even though he has a soulmate, you always save a blueberry muffin at breakfast in case she sits with us, you always-”

“Are you a detective or something?” Nott says narrowing his eyes.

“Listen, I just think that, if you have something to say…you should say it before it’s too late. I should go, I’m meeting Olivia but…think about it,” he says as he gets up leaving to meet his soulmate, a glint in his eyes.

“Wait,” Nott stops Berkshire, “Don’t tell anyone.”

“I promise.”

As he sits there waiting for you to finish with Cedric, the words Berkshire said can’t leave his mind. Cedric’s soulmate walks up to the table with a smile greeting Y/N, his arrival makes Cedric get up and says goodbye to you.

Nott takes this opportunity to walk up to your table and simply sit down across from you, taking Cedric’s former seat. You simply stare at him, not knowing what to say. His eyes are so brown, his hair looks so soft, and his sweater looks so warm you just want to reach over and feel every part of him.

You’re both staring at each other in silence, both afraid to make the first move, your heart is beating so fast and you can’t think of a single thing to say to him.

He takes a deep breath, looks in your eyes and says, “I know you probably don’t want to talk to me right now but I can’t stop thinking about you and colors are brighter when you’re in the room, I need to see your smile and hear your laugh everyday or else I- I can’t think about anything else and you seem so okay but I-”

To say you’re in shock is an understatement, you’re afraid to open your mouth unsure of what will come out. You reach over the table and hold his hand in an attempt to calm him down, “I’m not okay,” you say looking down at your hands as he starts drawing circles, “I think about you all the time, it’s exhausting.”

“I never thought finding my soulmate would feel like this, I never thought choosing my own path would be the wrong option.” You give him your biggest smile and he stares at you with a glint in his eyes you’ve never seen before. “So, how should we go on about this? Do we tell everyone now?”

You let out a nervous chuckle, “How about we start to get to know each other first?”

“I already know everything about you. You love blueberry muffins, cats, you don’t have a favorite flower because they’re too hard to choose from, you don’t drink your drink until after you finish eating, you hate people who chew with their mouth open, you-”

“Okay! Wow, you really do know me. Have you been purposefully following me?” You say in a teasing tone, your heart warming at the fact that your soulmate knows you, the real you.

You see his cheeks heat up and his head lower, “What? No! Uh-no, I-”

“Nott,” you say pulling your hands back from his, giving him a small smile, “I’m just joking around.”

He grabs your hands back pulling them into his, the warmth of his hands helping with the cold of the library. “It’s Theo.”

Your cheeks warm up, “It’s Y/N.”

It’s been a week since the conversation in the library and having a soulmate was better than you have ever heard. Theo and you haven’t gone further than holding hands in secret and sharing pecks on the cheeks and the corner of each other’s mouth. It has been excruciating holding back from kissing him, but you want him to make the first move.

For the past week, you woke up early in the morning to meet with Theo before breakfast. You told your friends you went to the library to get some extra study hours in. For some reason, they never questioned you and you never questioned that.

They don’t know you meet Theo in either The Room of Requirement or an empty classroom and just talk about anything and everything. Before it was blueberry muffins and now this is the best way to start your days.

This morning you’re laying on the couch in the Room of Requirement with him on top of you as you play with his hair in silence. “Can I admit something to you?”

“Of course you can,” you say furrowing your brows.

He looks up, grinning like a devil, causing you to stop playing with his hair. “I tripped you. When we met, I saw you walking, I saw you in your mind and for some reason I just wanted to…touch you. Which I knew I needed to do because I’ve never felt that way. I’ve never wanted to feel someone’s skin against mine. I don’t want to keep secrets just to keep you.” His voice getting deeper as he talks and your heart beating faster as the air grows thick with something you’re unfamiliar with.

You can’t look away and your skin is burning. Was it always so hot in here? You don’t know what to say. His eyes are so brown, the brown you love. You only have one thing to say, “Kiss me.”

He doesn’t hesitate, holding himself up with his right hand so you’re laying underneath him. He grabs your jaw with his left hand and immediately places his lips on yours. The kiss starts off gently, with you running your fingers through his hair, as you pull on it he immediately begins deepening the kiss, his left hand now cupping the back of your head pulling on your hair.

Typically when walking towards the Great Hall with Theo, you both arrive before anyone and walk to your separate tables, waiting for your friends without suspicion. However this time, with everything that happened, you two were a little late.

You both arrive at the Great Hall and see your friends sitting together, giving you both looks as if they’ve been expecting you. Now your mind is racing with probabilities. Is your shirt ruffled? Is your hair out of place? Are Theo’s buttons unbuttoned? Is Theo’s hair ruffled?

Theo and you sit down seats away from each other as casual as you can as if that would be less suspicious. You serve yourself breakfast, ignoring the silence and obvious topic you’re trying to avoid.

Riddle scoffs, “Okay, I’m tired of this, when are you two going to tell us?” He says looking only at Theo.

“What are you talking about?” Theo says, furrowing his brows feigning confusion.

Ariana speaks up, “Y/N, we really thought you would tell us if anything happened.”

“I understand why you wouldn’t but finding your soulmate is something massive that you needed time to process-”

You cut Sophia off, “Soulmate? So you all know then.”

“We know.” They all say in unison.

“Wait, how? Besides Berkshire who promised not to tell…” Theo said.

“Wait Berkshire figured it out?” You ask.

Berkshire nods his head as he says, “Oh c’mon it was so obvious. He was stalking her, obsessed with blueberry muffins, his mood would change when she was around, he switched seats to be near her, guys around her would suddenly not be-”

Theo narrows his eyes, “Okay, you could’ve stopped a long time ago. We get it.”

You look at your friends, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you guys, it was all just complicated.”

They all look at each other and Violet smiles, “We get it Y/N, we all noticed you’ve been happier too.”

Ariana adds in a teasing tone, “Plus you two weren’t that secretive walking back to the dorms before curfew. I must say though, you actually looked cute, his arm around your shoulder.”

Your cheeks warm up, the fact that they know and it’s now official, setting in.

You turn to Theo, finding him already staring at you. You immediately give him a smile and look into his eyes, his eyes are so brown, the brown you love. He smiles back and-

“Yuck! You two are disgusting, I’m trying to eat my breakfast here,” Malfoy says.

“Alright Theo, let go,” you say getting up from the table ready to get away, “we’ll see you guys later.”

“Theo?” All the boys say in unison.

Theo intertwines your fingers together, glad he doesn’t have to hide you two anymore. “Just keep walking,” he says. However as he leads you out of the Great Hall you don’t miss the teasing “Aw’s” coming from your friends.

He leads you out of the Great Hall, into an empty classroom. He closes the door after you enter and presses you up against the door. He holds your face in his hand, “Please tell me they didn’t scare you off.”

You tilt your head back while laughing, “Of course not.” You peck his lips and pull back too fast for his liking.

“Good because, for whatever it’s worth…I love you, ain’t that the worst thing you ever heard?” He says looking down at you with a shy smile.

You wrap your arms around his neck, shaking your head, “I love you,” pulling him down so your lips could meet.

You pull back and stare into his eyes, his brown eyes, the brown you love so much.

—

send any requests you would like thank you

I totally edited this after I posted

I know theo doesn’t have brown eyes btw it’s more of a reader(me) thing thanks

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sabrinasopposite · 4 months ago

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cruelest summer ☀️

charlie baker x reader (enemies to lover)

summary of the cruelest summer;

☀️ the baker boys were forced to go to summer camp. charlie knew this tradition would continue, but he wasn’t the only one who didn’t want to go. he would have much preferred to stay in midland and and try to work things out with beth. yet tom insisted.

as soon as the baker boys arrived at the summer camp, chaos ensued. it was typical for the bakers' arrival, and charlie had to get things under control — though it was hard to focus with his old childhood crush working at the camp as a counselor. ☀️

"No—end of discussion," Tom said as he walked down the stairs of the big house where the Bakers were currently living. The family had slowly adjusted to their new surroundings in Chicago. It had been difficult for each of the Bakers, but somehow, they made it work.

Yet for Charlie, it was still hard being so far from Beth. They hadn’t broken up—not yet.

That’s what Charlie hoped, though Beth seemed to see things differently. It was difficult for both of them, not being able to see each other and share kisses on the lips and cheeks. Now they had to wait until every second weekend just to be together. For Beth, it was tough, but Charlie tried at every opportunity to be in Midland. He loved her dearly, but maybe that wasn’t enough.

“But Dad, I wanted to visit Beth. It doesn’t make sense to go to this stupid camp every year,” Charlie protested as he followed Tom.

“Charlie, I know you’re upset about it, but it’s a tradition. Your grandpa always took me to that camp every summer, and I loved it.”

“You stopped going to that camp when you were 15. I’m 17, and it doesn’t make any sense,” Charlie scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“Charlie, it’s not going to change my mind. Now go pack your stuff.” Tom entered the kitchen—or more accurately, the chaos.

“But why are Nigel and Kyle staying home?” Charlie wasn’t about to let that slide. He searched for any excuse not to go to the camp, but it seemed like he was constantly losing the battle.

“Your mother and I thought they’d go next year. They’re still too young for it.” Tom shrugged as he cleaned the mess on the kitchen counters.

“That’s okay? But I have to go? Come on, Dad—”

“Charlie.” Tom’s voice raised a little more than usual, and that’s when Charlie knew there was no changing his mind. Furious, Charlie shook his head and headed to his bedroom to pack.

If it were just one week, Charlie could have dealt with it. But three weeks? That was off-limits. It wasn’t that he hated summer camp—it was fun. When he thought back to previous summers, he remembered being one of the most mischievous kids there. He pulled pranks on the counselors, snuck out to the lake, played truth or dare with the girls, and made out in the tents until a counselor threw water inside. Most importantly, though, he always teased a girl who made his heart race—Y/N Y/L/N.

Y/N and Charlie were the definition of chaos. People said the Bakers were the perfect example of it, but they hadn’t seen Y/N and Charlie together.

Sometimes, Charlie teased Y/N so much that she once stuck a gooey marshmallow in his hair.

Another time, Charlie pushed Y/N into a bush full of bugs.

Then there was the night Y/N snuck into his cabin in the middle of the night and put makeup on his sleeping face.

Or the time when he was dared to kiss Y/N in the tent while she had her eyes closed.

Ever since that summer before high school, they hadn’t seen each other. For some reason, Y/N never returned to camp, and Charlie still thought about that kiss. Maybe it was the reason she never came back.

But she didn’t know it was Charlie—that’s what he told himself.

Henry knocked on Charlie's door and peeked his head inside. "Did you convince Dad?"

"Does it look like it? If I had, I'd already be gone—maybe even throwing a big party," Charlie chuckled, though disappointment tinged his voice.

"Man….I was hoping he’d change his mind this year. I mean, even I get bored," Henry sighed.

"I'm sorry, H, but let’s make the best of it." Charlie walked over and ruffled Henry’s hair affectionately.

☀️

The next day was pure chaos. Everyone was running around the house while Tom packed up all the boys' belongings.

"Jake, you can't take your skateboard with you. You know that," Tom said.

"It's me with the skateboard or nothing," Jake replied, raising both hands in protest. Tom sighed and placed the skateboard in the car.

Charlie adjusted his cap and took one last look at his message to Beth, who still hadn’t replied. She was upset that Charlie couldn’t make it to Midland, and she had every right to be. But at the very least, she could have texted "I love you" back.

Kate walked over to Charlie and patted him on the back. "Are you alright, Charlie?"

"Do I look alright?" he snapped, then sighed. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"I understand you're grumpy about it, but believe me, it’ll be fun! Maybe this time you can join the counselor group instead of pulling pranks on them," Kate suggested, looking at her son, who managed a small smile.

"Don’t worry, Jake has studied my pranks—I’m sure they’ll be fine."

"Please, do me a favor and keep them under control," Kate said, giving Charlie a concerned look. "...I promise."

"Okay, now let’s get to the car. We need to say goodbye to you guys!" Kate smiled.

The ride to camp wasn’t very long. Tom kept talking about his funny moments at camp to try and keep the boys excited, but they all wore the same uninterested expression—except for Mark, who was thrilled. He loved nature, especially the animals, and he was excited to reunite with his old friends who joined the summer camp every year. The thought of group activities in nature filled him with joy.

Charlie stared out the window, watching as the scenery blurred past. Everything looked the same. He had hoped there might be something different this time, but it was all exactly as he remembered—the same trees, the same signs, the same winding road to the camp.

By the time they arrived, it was 3 p.m. Tom had been chatting the whole time with Derek, the camp’s owner. They had met at the camp when they were younger, and now Derek was running the place.

The boys grabbed their bags from the car. The camp buzzed with energy as kids and counselors moved around, unloading luggage and searching for their assigned cabins. Mark eagerly rushed ahead, already spotting some of his friends. Jake and Henry dragged their bags behind them, looking less enthusiastic but still chatting about what they might do first.

Charlie, however, moved slowly, his bag slung over his shoulder. He wasn’t in a rush. As the others searched for their cabin assignments, Derek approached him with a smile. "Charlie! Good to see you again," Derek said, clapping him on the back. "I’ve got something special for you this year. You’ll be in your own room—kind of a reward for being one of the older kids now. You’ll have a bit of privacy."

Charlie forced a smile and nodded. "Yeah, thanks," he mumbled. Derek seemed proud of the gesture, but Charlie didn’t share his enthusiasm. His own room sounded like more isolation, not a reward. He glanced around at the other kids already settling into their shared cabins, laughing and joking with their friends.

It didn’t feel special to him—it just felt lonely.

"Derek, is there a possibility that Charlie could maybe work here as a counselor? Maybe organizing sports?" Tom asked with enthusiasm, catching Charlie's attention. Work with kids? Sure, he could handle his siblings, but spending the summer interacting with other kids wasn’t exactly on his bucket list.

"Dad—" Charlie began, but Derek cut him off.

"That's not a bad idea. Actually, I just got a call that one of our counselors couldn’t make it—he wanted to visit his boyfriend in Texas. You know how long-distance relationships go," Derek explained casually, while Charlie shot a pissed glance at Tom.

Derek clearly understood what the camp counselors needed. Why couldn’t Tom see that this wasn’t something Charlie wanted?

"If you’re up for it, Charlie, you could take that spot. It’s not too much work, and hey, you'd get paid $20 an hour," Derek added with a grin.

Charlie’s mood shifted slightly at the mention of money. Maybe that could save the summer after all. If he saved up, he could visit Beth sooner than planned.

"Alright, fine. I’ll do it," Charlie finally agreed, his voice lacking excitement but at least sounding resigned.

Tom’s face lit up with approval. "That’s the spirit, son! You’ll do great," he said, patting Charlie on the back. "Well, I better head out. Keep an eye on your brothers, and try to have some fun, alright?"

Charlie nodded and gave a quick goodbye to his dad, watching as Tom got back in the car and drove off. As soon as the car disappeared down the dirt road, Derek turned to him with a more relaxed smile.

"Glad you’re on board, Charlie. You know, the counselors this year are much younger—most of them are around your age, so I’m sure you’ll bond with them pretty easily. They’re a fun group," Derek said.

Charlie raised an eyebrow, unsure if that would really make a difference. He wasn’t here to make friends, but at least he wouldn’t be surrounded by people way older than him. Maybe, just maybe, the summer wouldn't be a total disaster after all.

"Yeah, we’ll see," Charlie muttered, grabbing his bag.

☀️

After settling into his cabin, Charlie tossed his bag onto the bed and took a deep breath. The room was basic but comfortable enough—just a bed, a small dresser, and a window that looked out onto the campgrounds.

Once he was done unpacking, Charlie decided to head out and explore his surroundings. The camp looked just as he remembered: the lake shimmering in the distance, canoes lined up by the dock, kids already running around, and counselors setting up activities. Nothing had changed, yet somehow, it felt different now that he was one of the staff.

As he wandered through the camp, he spotted a familiar sight—an art station, complete with easels and colorful paint splatters covering the ground. He hadn’t given much thought to it until he saw someone adjusting the easels. She was facing away from him, but something about her posture and the way her hair caught the breeze felt oddly familiar.

Then it clicked.

Y/N.

Y/N Y/L/N, the girl who used to challenge him at every turn, the one who teased him just as much as he teased her. The one he hadn't seen since that infamous summer before high school, when they shared that awkward but unforgettable kiss.

He was about to call out her name when she turned around. There she was, looking even better than he remembered. She had grown up in all the right ways—confident and sharp-eyed, with a smudge of blue paint on her cheek that made her look even more vibrant.

But when her eyes locked onto Charlie’s, her expression quickly shifted from neutral to something bordering on annoyance. It was as if all the memories of their past antics came flooding back.

"Well, if it isn’t Charlie Baker," Y/N said, folding her arms and raising an eyebrow. "Here I was hoping my summer would be free of your brand of chaos."

Charlie blinked, momentarily taken aback. "Y/N? You’re a counselor here? For—" He glanced at the easels. "Art?"

"Yeah. Not that you'd know anything about it," she shot back, wiping the paint off her cheek with the back of her hand. "What’s your excuse this time? Did they finally run out of people to put up with your pranks, so now you're stuck with running the sports program?"

Charlie smirked, trying to maintain his cool, though her teasing stung. "Nah, just filling in for someone. But wow, Y/N, you haven’t changed a bit. Still packing that same fiery attitude."

Y/N narrowed her eyes, though a reluctant smile tugged at her lips. "And you still have that same cocky grin. Must be exhausting to keep that up all these years."

Charlie chuckled, shaking his head. "I figured you might have mellowed out by now. Guess I was wrong."

"Disappointed?" she asked, arching a brow.

"Not really," Charlie admitted, though his eyes lingered on her a moment longer than he intended. If anything, he thought she looked better than ever, but he wasn’t about to let her know that. At least, not yet.

Y/N sighed dramatically, tossing a rag onto the art table. "Well, try not to make too much trouble this summer."

Charlie grinned. "Wouldn’t dream of it."

As Y/N turned back to the art table, Charlie couldn’t resist the urge to follow her. He sauntered over, hands in his pockets, and leaned casually against the table.

“So, Y/N,” Charlie began with a playful lilt, “where have you been hiding all these years? Haven’t seen you since that unforgettable summer before high school.”

Y/N didn’t look up from her work but let a sarcastic smile creep onto her face. “Oh, you know, just off having a blast and avoiding people like you. It’s been a full-time job.”

Charlie chuckled. “Avoiding me? Surely, I’m not that memorable.”

“Yeah, well, it’s amazing how quickly people forget the endless stream of pranks and trouble you caused,” Y/N shot back, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “I’ve been busy with school like every normal high schooler.”

As she turned to grab more supplies, Charlie noticed the array of vibrant paints on the table. An idea sparked, and he grabbed a pot of red paint. With a mischievous grin, he gave it a quick shake and, with a flick of his wrist, let a splash of red land right on her shoulder.

The children around the art table burst into laughter, their amusement evident. Y/N froze, her eyes widening as she glanced down at the paint splotch. Slowly, she turned to face Charlie, who was struggling to hold back his laughter.

“Seriously?” Y/N said, her voice a mix of irritation and exasperation.

Charlie’s grin widened. “Just thought I’d brighten up your day a bit. You know, you’re looking even more colorful now.”

Y/N’s eyes narrowed. “And you’re still as charming as ever. Must be exhausting trying to stay that annoying.”

“Ah, come on. You know you missed me,” Charlie said with a wink. “Can’t let you forget about me that easily.”

Y/N rolled her eyes but couldn’t suppress a reluctant smile. “I wish I could.”

Charlie laughed, feeling a rush of nostalgia mixed with excitement. As Y/N grabbed a rag to clean the paint off her shoulder, Charlie’s playful grin stayed in place. Maybe this summer would be more interesting than he’d thought, especially with Y/N around to keep him on his toes.

☀️

Later that afternoon, Charlie found himself in the middle of a lively soccer game with a group of energetic boys. He was reveling in the game, showing off his skills and thoroughly enjoying himself. The boys cheered, their laughter echoing across the field as Charlie deftly maneuvered the ball.

Meanwhile, Y/N and a group of girls watched from the sidelines. They exchanged sly glances and whispered among themselves. ,,Okay girls, like we planned it out alright?” ,,why are we doing this again Y/N?” one of the girls asked Y/N with a giggle.

,,Cause we are independent women and we are better than them” ,,What does independent mean-“ ,,Be quiet Maya” Another girl snapped at Maya.

With a smirk, Y/N decided it was the perfect time for some well-deserved payback. She quickly gathered some flour and a water balloon launcher, and the girls readied their arsenal.

As Charlie focused on scoring yet another goal, Y/N signaled the girls to launch their surprise. Flour-filled balloons soared through the air and exploded over the soccer field, coating Charlie and the boys in a cloud of white powder.

“What the—?” Charlie’s shout was muffled as flour covered his face. He blinked through the haze, spotting Y/N and the girls hiding behind a tree, barely containing their laughter.

“Oh, look at that,” Y/N called out, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “Charlie Baker, covered in flour. Who would’ve thought your soccer skills would include a new career as a walking pastry?”

Charlie, trying to wipe the flour from his eyes, shot her a playful glare. “Nice aim, Sweetheart. I see you’ve perfected the art of pastry warfare.”

The boys erupted into giggles, turning the prank into a full-blown flour fight. Charlie joined in, tossing flour back at the girls with a grin. “Guess you’re the reigning champion of the prank league now.”

Y/N smirked, hands on her hips as she surveyed the mess. “Just thought I’d give you a taste of your own medicine. You didn’t think I’d let you get away with that paint job, did you?”

Charlie laughed, shaking his head. “No, I guess I should’ve expected this. I’m impressed.”

Y/N rolled her eyes dramatically. “Well, it’s not like you’re the only one who can dish it out. But don’t get too comfortable. I’m just getting started.”

As the flour fight reached its peak, with kids running around covered in powder and laughter filling the air, a stern voice cut through the chaos.

“Alright, that’s enough!” Counselor Mark stormed onto the field, his face a mixture of frustration and disbelief.

Mark, known for his no-nonsense attitude, took in the scene of flour-covered kids and smirking counselors with a raised eyebrow. Charlie and Y/N, still covered in flour, stopped mid-throw and turned to face Mark.

Charlie, his face smeared with white powder, tried to suppress a grin, while Y/N wiped a bit of flour from her cheek and put on a sheepish expression.

“Seriously, guys?” Mark said, his tone sharp. “This is not what we’re here for. I get that it’s all in good fun, but look at this mess.”

Charlie shrugged, still trying to keep his playful demeanor. “It was just a bit of fun, Mark. We were trying to keep the kids entertained.”

Mark’s gaze shifted to Y/N, who raised an eyebrow in a mix of defiance and amusement. “And I’m sure Y/N was just doing her part to make sure everyone’s summer here is memorable, right?”

Y/N folded her arms and tried to look contrite, though her eyes betrayed her amusement. “Yeah, you could say that. I guess we got a bit carried away.”

Mark sighed, his frustration not entirely masking his grudging admiration for their creativity. “Well, carried away is an understatement. Next time, let’s keep the pranks out of the organized activities and focus on making the summer fun without turning it into a disaster zone.”

Charlie nodded, trying to look apologetic. “Got it. We’ll keep it in check. Just thought we’d add a little excitement.”

Mark’s expression softened slightly as he glanced around at the kids, who were now eagerly helping clean up the flour. “Alright. But remember, the real goal here is to be role models. Let’s show these kids how to have fun without making a mess.”

“Understood,” Y/N said, giving a small, rueful smile.

Mark nodded and turned to help with the cleanup, leaving Charlie and Y/N standing in the middle of the field, still covered in flour.

,,What a great role model you are” Charlie smirked.

,,Shut up, Baker.” Y/N shot him a glare.

☀️

helllooooo simps for tom welling! as the end of summer (its september so it means autumn season idgaf) I wanted to release this short one-shot with this hottie (:

if you are interested for a series or another part hmu ☀️

x naomi

#charlie baker #charlie baker x reader #cheaper by the dozen #tom welling #tom welling x reader #charlie baker tom welling #clark kent #summer fics #summer camp #tom welling cheaper by the dozen #cruel summer

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so-long-soldier-writes · 8 months ago

Text

It's a Cruel Summer, With You

kai parker x reader | requested

summary: kai's never had anyone tell him they love him. he panics when he hears it for the first time.

tags: based on cruel summer by taylor swift, mild enemies to lovers, drinking / alcohol, secret relationship, summer love, love confessions, fear / panic, past trauma affecting relationships, emotional hurt, unrequited love (but not really), break-up, heartbreak, unhappy ending, one teensy edgar allen poe reference

word count: 5k

a/n: anon, i apologize once more for the amount of time this took! i hope you like it, and i hope i did taylor swift justice. 🩷 i also hope it makes sense bc sometimes i feel like my thoughts are just all over the place 😅

You were staring daggers into the back of his head, three days after a drastic turning point in their lives. And he, feeling your eyes upon him, turned to face you and smiled. That enraged you like nothing else; no man had ever had such an audacity with you, to raise the hell that he had and still offer a smile. You looked back down at your drink, still fuming, and still aware of him watching you, and texted your friends about it. One replied with an equal disgust, another sent a funny-to-her joke, and there was no response from the third.

“Maybe he’s got a sweet spot for you,” she had said.

“Ha.”

A sweet spot that’d make him kill you last, maybe.

You rolled your eyes exhaustedly, but by the time you looked back down, someone had slunk into the booth across from you. You jumped, then rolled your eyes a second time at the realization of who it was.

“Hey cutie.”

“Don’t call me that.”

Kai shrugged, unbothered. He kept eye contact with you in a way that made it hard to look away; his blue eyes seemed to pierce right into your soul. They weren’t bright, like Damon’s, but instead had a touch of darkness in them. Like storm clouds rolling in on a bright, sunny day. They threaten rain, but you’re not sure if the downpour will come today or tomorrow.

Kinda like how he came into Mystic Falls.

“What do you want?” You bit, after about thirty seconds of staring.

“Are you scared of me?”

“Excuse me?”

“Are you afraid of me?” He repeated, eerily softly.

“Why would you think that?” Forced bravery is better than none, especially when faced with Kai Parker.

“There’s a slight tremor in your voice. Only one finger touches the table, as if you’re unable to settle. You struggle to meet my eyes.”

“What are you, a psychologist?”

“I’m a sociopath.”

Shocker.

“So?”

“I notice things.” He took a sip of your coffee. Reached out across the table, met your eyes, and sipped your drink. Again, the audacity. “I spent a lot of my childhood isolated. I had a lot of little brothers and sisters, and they were all taught to be afraid of me. I know how to read the signs.”

“I’m not afraid of you.”

“That’s what they’d say, too.”

“Well I’m not your siblings, and I’m not putting up an act. I don’t trust you, and I think you’re an ass, but I’m not afraid of you.” Your statement’s bold, but he had struck something fierce in you. A nerve, maybe on purpose, that wasn’t going to let him win this time.

Kai smiled at that. His gaze dropped to the table, surveying your hands once more. His own pointer finger dragged along the wood. “I like you, Y/N. You’re plucky.”

The words took a moment to register - Kai saying he liked you. Kai didn’t like anyone.

He got up to leave, causing you to turn towards him, prepared to jump out of the booth if you had to. “Well don’t.”

He cocked his head. “What?”

“I don’t want you to like me. I want nothing to do with you; you said it yourself, you’re a sociopath, and I don’t need that kind of bad energy in my life.”

That seemed to be funny to him, judging by the way he chuckled. “Okay, Y/N.” He put his hands up in surrender. “I won’t like you then.”

And with that, he was gone.

Of course, he wasn’t gone - gone. Kai was never gone - gone from anything, even when people yelled at him to leave. He would disappear for a couple days, but he always came back.

And somehow, after your interaction, you’d see him more frequently at the grill, too. He’d never talk to you, but you could feel his gaze. His stone cold blues would linger on you, almost like an animal stalking prey.

It made you anxious, jittery. But somewhere, secretly, also a bit excited.

He was dangerous in a way that drew you in. He had this aura about him that intrigued you as much as it scared you. You knew what he had done, and what he was capable of, and yet he still occupied the curious corners of your mind.

And somehow, he seemed to know that.

♫

How it happened from there is something you still question. Death glares became stolen glances, became blushing smiles, and by the next time he joined you at your booth, you didn’t try to fight him off. Kai ordered an uncharacteristically pink cocktail to match your own tropical choice. Neither said much as you both drank the rum mixtures down to the ice. You communicated in eye contact, mostly, as if daring the other to speak. Your stubborn personalities that should’ve clashed seemed to meld together instead. An intense staring contest was born. You found yourself entertained in the game, and quickly, enjoying it, too.

The booze soaked your brain as you continued to drink; your thoughts were fuzzy, and whenever you tried to catch them, they’d dissipate like cotton candy dropped in water. When Liv closed the restaurant around midnight, she unknowingly crashed the floodgates that weakly stood between you two. Ten feet out onto the street, you fell into him and he held you up. You laughed in his arms, partly due to your own drunken state, but partly that it’s Kai keeping you on your toes. He held you tight until you found your footing, just for you to crash your lips onto his unsuspecting own. The witch, taken aback but not opposed to it, let you taste him for a moment before kissing back. He pushed you up to the nearest wall, feeling and exploring, before hailing a ride back to your place.

It had been forever for both of you. The uber driver with a ‘no touching’ rule sobered you up a little, but not enough to make you think twice about it. By the time he laid you down on your sheets, any doubt in your mind had fizzled out. He was a gentle lover, much to your surprise, likely because it was such an unfamiliar feeling to be so intimate with another. The little control you tried to take was met with a laugh, and you understood the signal. You didn’t mind being underneath him, though, nor did you mind him staying the night.

Guilt struck you when you first woke up in his arms, but not enough to barr yourselves from meeting again. The first few times you had to be drinking to convince yourself it was okay, but the more morning-afters you spent together, the less ashamed you started to feel. With time, nights started to feel less like hookups and more like something else. He became something you adored when you had, and craved when you did not. The feelings were mutual, though harder to pull out from the siphon, until you asked him directly, putting both your hearts out for the other to grab.

“What are we?” You asked, head leaning on the vending machine as he fetched himself a post-high gatorade. A bag of cookies were held in your own hand from the exchange you made one minute prior.

“Having fun,” Kai replied.

“Kai…”

“Or so I think,” he followed his words, questioning the look on your face.

“Are we anything more? Will we ever be?”

A loud voice down the hall that vaguely resembled his sister made a sharp remark to another person. His response sounded closer, as if they were heading in your direction. Kai grabbed your arm and muttered a simple cloaking spell until they both passed. Liv and Tyler both disappeared into her room, then Kai removed his hand. His touch lingered on your skin for a moment. You’ve grown to quite like the feeling.

“I don’t know,” he confessed, “I’m not exactly the person for relationships, if you aren’t aware. I’m a sociopath that was locked in complete isolation for eighteen years.”

“I don’t care.” You grabbed his hand and laced your fingers together. “I like you. I don’t want this to stop. I want it to be more.”

“I’m not built for this.”

“But do you want it?”

His mouth went dry as he already knew the truth. He did. He wanted you so much, but fear held him back like a dog on a leash. He didn’t have much slack. “I want you,” he finally said. “I want this to work.”

“I’m not good at relationships, either. We’re figuring this out together.”

Kai seemed to accept that better, and two minutes later, he climbed back under the sheets with you, turning on a movie and sharing snacks until you fell asleep.

♫

As your relationship progressed, it was tested, like all relationships ever are. You grew closer, more comfortable, as summer went on. Much of your time spent together was at night; you hadn’t told your friends, not ready for their questions nor their judgment, nor did you want the word out to his coven yet, afraid of whatever wrath his father could bring if he were to disapprove. You were still figuring things out, still learning about each other, and testing yourselves through time, and that was okay. Life isn’t something to be learned in a day, it’s something in which to be present to see where it takes you.

So, you let yourselves live, to do just that. On top of rooftops and beside small creeks, you snuck out to enjoy each other’s company. Mystic Falls has a lot of places to hide if you know where to look.

A couple times, you’ve almost ran into others. More than anyone being Liv and Tyler, also avoiding her father. Once, you’ve ducked under bushes to hide from Bonnie. Kai kissed your neck while his hand was clamped over your mouth, daring you to give away your position, while playfully inhibiting your chance to do so.

Sometimes, you were drunk when you found yourselves venturing the town together. The bar in which neither Matt nor Liv worked became a hotspot for you. But instead of ending the night short, you opted to explore the late hours in each other’s company. The alcohol wore off quickly, but the drunkenness brought on by your unconfessed love never did.

Kai, as it turns out, was easy to fall in love with. He was charming when you first met, but you were tickled to learn that underneath his manipulation tactics, he could be just as endearing authentically. He was a jokester and a flirt, whether across a room when you’d spot each other in public, or when you were hanging out together alone. You were never afraid to be alone with him. If your friends knew you were out with him, alone, at night, they would’ve freaked, but he always made you feel safe. And, once he felt comfortable being vulnerable with you, he revealed a side that could be sweet, too.

Even after arguments, you were able to patch things up as if they hadn’t happened. Sometimes, he’d be bristling and volatile, but you knew that a lot of his anger came from a place of fear. You learned what to say that would calm him down; you told him what he needed to hear to feel safe again. You’d provide him with the comfort he’d always desired, and when he settled, he’d melt into your touch and softly request forgiveness.

You complimented each other perfectly. And while it took you a moment to name the emotion, the feeling had been there all along. It was love.

♫

You were only slightly drunk the first time you realized the truth. Kai was painted in perfect, purple lighting, and his eyes seemed to sparkle when they met yours. You stumbled towards him and put your arms around his neck. He caught you, hands finding your waist. The music seemed to fade out as you swayed with him to the beat. It was as if a bubble captured you both, drowning out the rest of the world, making him your world, and in that moment, nothing else existed. You kissed him quickly, desperately, like an addict gone too long without a hit. He met you halfway, equally addicted.

And then, because you were young, and stupid, and courageously in love, you blurted out the words swimming restlessly in your mind,

“I love you.”

You looked up at him, not expecting an answer just yet, but to offer an encouraging smile. Before your gaze even reached his, his body tensed. His hands felt like ice upon your nervously warmed skin, and his once-strong grip on your waist loosened. Kai wore an expression of confusion, different from the emotion that you tasted on his lips. You opened your mouth to retract the words, but nothing came out. The bubble that consumed you seemed to crack; the music previously blocked filled your eardrums once again.

A fraction of a second later, you were guided to a hallway by your fingertips. The narrow path reduced some of the music, but most of the traffic. The man of your affection took to one wall, leaving you in the middle. You tried for his hand after he let it go, but dropped it at the discomfort he seemed to feel in having you hold it.

You racked your brain for the right words, but nothing seemed perfect. You stared at the ground beneath your feet for a half second longer until he spoke,

“You can’t do that.”

“What?”

“You know what I mean.”

“I’m sorry? I don’t. What did I do wrong?” He only shook his head, prompting you further. “Was it what I said or when I said it? Because I don’t think it’s wrong of me to confess what I feel for you when I know that it’s true.”

“It can’t be true. You can’t feel that for me.”

“Why not?”

“Because…”

“Provide me with a reason,” you interrupted, “or let me do as I please. I want to love you. I do, and I won’t apologize for it.”

“Y/N-”

“We’ve had some tough times together, I know we have, but we’ve gotten through them. We - us, together - have worked through so much to get here. Of course I love you, there’s so much effort and, and, love, that connects us.” You paused, letting your thoughts catch up to your mouth. “You don’t have to say it back. You don’t even have to acknowledge it, if you’re not ready. I know it’s a big step.”

“You can’t go there, Y/N.”

“I know, okay, maybe it was too much, too soon. I’m sor-”

“No, you can’t ever go there. You can’t love me and you shouldn’t. I’m not designed for relationships, they’re not meant for me. Do you not remember the things I’ve done?”

“We’ve talked about this, Kai. You confided in me about your fears, but we handled them, I thought. Do you not remember what I said?”

“I do, but-”

“‘Tell me every terrible thing you ever did, and let me love you anyway’.”

“By Poe,” Kai finished.

“And it’s true. I don’t care about the things you’ve done. I want to love you, and I do.”

“But you shouldn’t. You shouldn’t excuse the things I’ve done just because you want to see me for someone who I am not. You shouldn’t be so desperate to see a difference in me that you convince yourself you love me.”

“What?! Kai, I’m not excusing nor am I desperate. I know you’re different from the you that wrought pain upon the town. That guy’s gone, buried, with this you in his place. And I quite like this you, and I’ve learned to love him, because his progress is worth loving. He is worth loving. You are.”

“The old Y/N would never say such things about her sworn enemy. You’d never dare hold his hand, nor kiss his lips, nor say such things, because you’d know better, and if you did, it’d be because of some horrible nightmare, or some instance where I spelled you to get what I needed, because Y/N, we’re living in a fantasy, and none of this is real.”

“I don’t understand! This is real! We’re here, together, and we were dancing, and we were happy, and now we’re in this hallway. Still together, but now questioning if the summer we’ve spent together has all been a hoax, or if that’s the booze talking.”

“I’m not drunk.”

“You have to be, to think what you’re saying is true.” You paused, heartbroken, and afraid to show it, but pretty sure the choke in your words already had. “So are you saying you’ve never meant it? All the times you’ve kissed me were just folly? Or the nights we stayed up until the sun rose again were only dreams I made up?”

“That’s not what I meant, Y/N. I know what we’ve done, and I know we’ve shared moments, but a fantasy is all this is for us. Something we want, but cannot have. We have to wake up some day.”

“I disagree, I think we can make it work.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. This was never supposed to be a long-term thing.”

“But we said it could be! We said it could make it work!”

“And that’s what makes it a fantasy! We both know that’s a lie.”

“Kai, I don’t understand. Ten minutes ago, we were fine. Yesterday, you gave me a kiss that swept me off my feet; that replaced all my organs with butterflies; that made me feel like full-bloomed roses on the nicest day of the year. You made me feel cherished, and happy, and beautiful, but now, I feel like I’m on the end of a well-thought out joke, and everyone’s finally allowed to laugh.”

“I’m not saying this to break your heart. I’m just trying to be realistic.” He reached out to wipe a tear from your cheek, but you smacked his thumb away.

You couldn’t stop the tears from falling, but you still tried to talk through them. “I thought we were being realistic when we stayed up talking, all those nights, about how we knew each other’s flaws but were willing to work through them anyway. I would think, if we weren’t, we wouldn’t have spent a whole week together and considered getting an apartment to share, because we work just that well.”

“That only proves my point further. We haven’t been together long enough to make big decisions like that.”

“Then we’ll put it on pause and address it later.”

“Y/N-”

“Why are you doing this? Why does it seem like you’re giving up on us? Why are your words sounding like a preface to a break up?”

“Because they are,” he confessed, “because they have to be.”

“What do you mean, ‘they have to be?’”

“We can’t work. You can’t love me.”

“But I do, and I want to, and we do! We’ve managed to make it work, despite our-”

“But how long do you think we can keep this up? When will our differences outweigh our desires to stay together? When will we tell your friends about us? My family? We are too different for us to work, and I’m too damaged to be loved by you. We have to stop living in this fantasy.”

“I can’t believe you’re saying this. Do you even know what you’re saying?”

“I’m not drunk, Y/N.”

“So what, have you been planning this? Have you been waiting for the perfect time? Funny, that the perfect time seems to be when I tell you I l-”

“Don’t,” he interrupted, “don’t say it again.”

“What?”

“The less you say it, the less you’ll believe it.”

“That’s bullshit. I believe it in the deepest corners of my heart. You’re etched into my bones. You’re the shimmer of light in the darkest parts of my mind. I love you, Kai Parker. I love you, and I don’t want to apologize for it, and I won’t believe that I’ve made this all up in my mind. It’s okay that you don’t love me, but don’t you dare try to say you feel nothing.”

“Y/N-”

“‘Tell me all the terrible things you’ve done, and let me love you anyway’.”

“You can’t. I won’t let you.”

“You don’t have a choice. I don’t. I can’t control my heart nor its desires. It wants you; you have it. Tell me you don’t crave it. I know you crave love, Kai. I know it in the way you kiss me, and in the way you hold me. I know it from the time you confessed, at two in the morning when you were too tired to hold back, and I know it from when you told me, clear as day, on that Wednesday afternoon. I love you, and I’m not afraid to love you. Why don’t you give in to what I know you want?!”

Because your love isn’t mine to take.

Because I don’t deserve it.

Because you’re a gemstone, perfect and pure, and I’m the dirt from which it was pulled.

“Because I don’t feel the same for you,” he said instead, “I’m not capable of love. I’m a sociopath, and anything I’ve ever said was for my own fleeting pleasure. It’s over now. I’m done. I’m bored with us.”

“What? No. Something’s wrong. This is not the same Kai I spent the summer falling in love with. Are you Damon in disguise? Pulling some sick prank?”

“I’m not, Y/N. It’s me, being realistic, and telling you I don’t love you, and I never will. It’s time to go home, Y/N, and to your own bed, in your own sheets.”

The tears streaming down your face run your make-up, but you can’t find it in yourself to care. “But my sheets smell like you.”

“Then wash them.”

The harshness in his tone was unlike anything you’ve ever heard before. When you finally brought yourself to meet his eyes, there was no light inside them, no humanity. His jaw was tensely set, and for the first time in months, you saw the Kai that everyone feared when he had broken himself free of his eighteen-year punishment. Scared and sorrowful, you backed away from him. He didn’t follow. You backed further and further away until you were stumbling out of the bar. The wicked August heat kissed your neck like he used to - passionately. You grabbed your hair, fumbling it up into a bun to get it off your skin, then searched for your phone to call a ride.

As the white sedan approached your meeting spot, you trained your blurry vision on the door, but Kai never came out. He never shouted your name, hurried down the steps, nor caught you in an apologetic embrace, blaming his temporary ignorance on too much to drink. He never peered through a fingerprint-stained window, watching you from the glass, wondering if it's too late to take back what was said. It was just silent, as car engines roared and drunk couples chattered around you.

When your ride finally came, you cried harder than you ever had in your life. Your driver glanced to the backseat, but didn't know a good time to interrupt, so he didn't. He offered a polite smile as you got out, thanked you for the five-star rating, and made sure you got in your apartment safely before pulling back onto the road.

You barely made it through the door before crashing on the couch. Exhaustion settled in your bones halfway through the drive, and you couldn’t even think about climbing the stairs. The worst headache of your life pounded in your skull. Water was too far of a walk, so you let it throb.

You tried your best not to think about Kai. His words rang in your head on repeat like an old antique bell - loud, heavy, constant. It almost felt like the whole night was a fluke. A nightmare. A spell, perhaps done by his father, or one of your disappointed friends. When you wake up, he’d be there, kissing your fingertips as the smell of coffee fills the air. You let this thought comfort you, and let it soften your heart. Although, deep down, you knew the truth.

He wouldn’t be there. He didn’t want you.

You’ve never known pain like this before.

♫

You can only ignore your friends for so long. Blaming a long to-do list can only give you so many excuses, and when Caroline messages you mid-afternoon on a Friday if you’d meet them at the Scull Bar, you realize you don’t have any more excuses left. So, cautiously, you pull yourself from your bed and drag your feet to your closet. You still haven’t washed your sheets, despite wanting to be rid of his once-comforting smell. It’s more stubbornness than anything, refusing to do the chore. If he thinks throwing a piece of fabric in the wash will rid you of him, he’s a damn fool.

You hadn’t been lying. He owns a part of your heart, and that can’t be simply washed away with some eco-friendly detergent.

Truthfully, you think, ignoring the heaviness in your bones as you enter the Scull Bar, the only way to remove him would be to carve out your heart entirely; to separate it from its lifeline and from all that’s familiar. But, you can’t, so you choose to let it bleed instead, and hope it doesn’t seep through your clothes.

A vague sadness hangs above your heads, but none of your friends know the cause. You told them you were tired before joining them. You must not have gotten a good night’s sleep.

After all, it’s the first time in Mystic Falls where something tragic isn’t happening. Damon and Elena are planning out their lives, Stefan and Caroline are newly together, and Bonnie and Enzo, a quite unexpected pair, seem to be happy. Jo is five months pregnant, and Kai has left her alone. The girls wonder if that’s of his own volition, or if someone or something is distracting him, but you don’t offer any suggestions. When they then ask you about your own dating life, you only shrug. They tease playfully, having no idea about the wreckage your heart is still trying to piece back together. The cause seems hopeless. You don’t even have the energy to confide in them.

The topic finally changes, but only because the one who dropped your glass heart enters. You turn when you catch a bit of his familiar cologne, but remind yourself he’s no longer yours and turn again just as fast. The girls let their gazes linger on him as if daring him to bother them, and for a moment, Kai wonders if you told them. But then, as they shrug and go back to their conversation, he knows you didn’t. Otherwise, they’d be hurling bitter words and sharp tools at him for breaking their best friend’s heart.

And honestly, he wishes they were.

It’s what he deserves, after all.

♫

“I love you,” you had said, only a couple weeks ago.

His heart stopped. His throat went dry.

The words seemed to have been shouted at him, despite the booming bass around them. You weren’t yelling, though, you were simply telling the truth.

A truth he wasn’t ready to hear. A confession he didn’t know how to process.

How could you, a perfect person, love him, someone so tainted and dark?

How could he ever love you the way you deserved?

He did love you, of course. He knew it long before you ever confessed, but it was never something he felt okay to share.

You always made him feel safe. Comfortable. Dare he say it, loved.

But love was something he had never felt before, and to have something means that it can be lost. And to not lose it tragically, he must be the one to take it away.

Hearing the words fall from your lips was both the best and the worst thing he could ever hear. He craves love, he knows he’s admitted it. He craves it more than anything else in the world. But wanting it and having it are two very different things, and now that he has it, he regrets asking for it.

He had to hurt you then, before your soul could be completely shattered later. He had to stop it. Right then. Before he let you in too much and you got too attached.

So, he lied.

He broke his own heart with every word, but it was nothing compared to the damage he knew it was doing to your own. He wanted nothing more than to sweep you into his arms, hold you tightly, and say it was all just a spell - an outside force trying to drive you apart - but he couldn’t. His fear of hurting you triumphed over his love for you. His mouth spoke before his mind could process the words he professed. He became unrecognizable to himself by the time he delivered his final blow. Your tears stained your perfect face and your posture was defeated, but he was no longer the one that could offer any solace. He was now the one that ruined you, and there was no coming back from what he had done.

How terrifying it is, that three little words can make or break you.

How terrifying it was, to wake up the next morning and realize the damage caused. To have to come to terms with the fact that he had broken the only good thing in his life. To imagine the love of his life sitting on the couch, stirring coffee, with a head full of questions neither will ever be able to answer.

“I love you, Kai Parker. I love you, and I don’t want to apologize for it…”

“I love you,” ain’t that the worst thing you’ve ever heard?

#malachai parker x reader #kai parker x reader #tvd fanfiction #kai parker oneshot #kai parker angst #requested #taylor swift cruel summer #kind of a songfic but not really?#kai parker fics #unhappy ending

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sweetprfct · 9 months ago

Text

Cruel Summer

Aaron Warner x Fem!Reader

Summary: You and Aaron Warner have been secretly seeing each other since the beginning of Spring. The problem is that your parents are part of Omega Point, the rebel group of The Reestablishment. While Aaron’s father runs The Reestablishment along with other leaders from other continent. From secret meetings to I love yous, you start questioning if all of this is worth taking the risk.

Author's Note: Okay, it's long, I know! I'm sorry. I keep yapping and yapping in this chapter. Anyway, there's a full on detailed smut in here so please take this as a warning. Anyway, this is the only fic I'm uploading this week because I'm going to be in Vegas. I'll be accepting requests in my box, while I'm gone. I'll be preparing two one shot fics when I come back. So, enjoy this for now! :)

Disclaimer: 18+, mention of violence, smut, MINORS DNI

Wordcount: 6.3K

part one - part two - part three - part four - part five

You fluttered your eyes open and slowly adjusted your vision. You heard the soft patter of the rain outside and watched the raindrops slide down the window. The blue hue that blanketed outside meant the day was slowly starting. Your eyes shifted at the clock on the bedside table and saw that it was 5am. You knew you had to go. You were already an hour late, and Kenji was probably worrying about you already. Worse, he was probably irritated over the fact that you were late again.

However, you didn’t want to move. You didn’t want to go anywhere else. You just wanted to stay here. You and Warner had a long night last night, looking through all the documents again and still found nothing. It was the same every night. Just no evidence at all. Sometimes you both felt like giving up, but you both knew there was a missing piece of the puzzle that you both couldn’t seem to find.

Feeling the bed move, you felt Warner’s arm wrapped around your waist and pulled you close to his body. Your back pressed against his chest, and a soft approving hum escaped his lips as he buried his face on your hair. You looked over your shoulder and smiled before softly rubbing his arm that was around you.

He was warm and his skin was soft.

It made you feel safe.

“I have to go.” You whispered.

You felt Warner’s arm tightened around you. You chuckled softly and turned your body around to face him. He only pulled you closer in his arms. Your index finger softly poked his nose, and he gave you a sleepy sleepy smile. His eyes were still closed as you studied his facial features in front of you.

Beautiful. You couldn’t help but think.

So beautiful.

“Kenji is going to be furious.” You added.

Warner exhaled a deep breath before opening his eyes slowly. His green eyes stared at you as you tried poking his nose again. He tried to bite your finger, but you pulled it away just in time, making you giggle softly.

“You’re always worrying about Kenji, love.” His voice was tired and husky.

“He always covers for me and if Castle and my parents ever find out where I am, I don’t want him getting in trouble.”

Warner didn’t say a word as he pulled you in his arms tighter, your face pressed against his chest, and he tucked your head under his chin.

“Stay for a little longer.” Warner murmured.

If it was up to you, you would stay here forever with him. You didn’t know exactly what kind of relationship this was between the two of you but the more you spent time with him, you knew you were falling for him even more. You didn’t know what Warner felt about you. You couldn’t help but wonder if this was just a physical relationship to him. You wondered if he ever decided that he was tired of you, he would just leave. The thought of him leaving you made a knot in your stomach as you reminded yourself to not give in to your emotions. You knew falling for him would break you into a million pieces, and you already have risked a lot by sneaking out every night with him.

But it was worth it, right?

As the question lingered in your mind, you realized you didn’t even know the real answer to that question. This could just be a physical thing and you were risking everything just for a little summer hook up? Slightly pulling away from him, you gave him a small smile, pressed a soft kiss on his cheek before sliding yourself away from his arms. You picked up your clothes from the floor and put them on and when you turned around, you saw Warner watching you the whole time. A small smile tugging on his lips.

“What?” You asked.

Warner got up from the bed, put on his pants and walked around the bed before wrapping his arms around your waist. His emerald eyes studied you carefully. You felt the blood rushed to your cheeks as he studied each of your features and his hand cupped your cheek, his thumb brushing your skin gently.

“I can’t get over how stunning you are.” Warner whispered.

You felt your limbs almost giving out, the wind almost knocking out the oxygen in your lungs as you wrapped your arms around his waist. A whine caught in Warner’s throat as you left kisses on his bare chest. You looked up at him with half lidded eyes as he closed his green ones. You could feel the heat radiating between the two of you, and you couldn’t help but wonder just for a moment…

One moment.

Maybe all of this was worth it.

“Please…” Warner breathed heavily, his eyes fluttering open so carefully. “Don’t leave so soon.”

“I have to.” You finally pulled away but Warner pulled you back in his arms, his face nuzzling your neck.

“Okay, but I’ll see you tonight?” He murmured.

“Of course.” You grinned before finally pulling away completely from his arms.

You felt the hole in your chest as soon as you left the cabin. Warner’s absence made you feel empty. He was like a missing piece of puzzle in your life that you couldn’t seem to understand. He fits perfectly but somehow, whenever he wasn’t around, you felt that hollow emptiness inside of you.

As you carefully walked back to the base and shook out the thoughts from your mind, you held your knife tightly in your hand, ready to attack just in case. The walk back to the base was always hard, you could always feel yourself getting anxious that you might get caught but so far, you were okay.

You hoped.

“You know, one of these days, I don’t know what I’ll have to tell them.” Kenji said as soon as you arrived back at the base.

“It’s fine, Kenji. I will take the blame, I promise.” You said, entering your room. “I won’t let them get you in trouble for my mistakes.”

You sighed and flopped yourself at the edge of the bed. Kenji closed the door behind him and saw the melancholy in your eyes. He walked up and sat next to you. For a moment, there was a comfortable silence in the room and then you sighed and laid on your back, staring at the ceiling.

“What happened?” Kenji asked.

“Am I insane?” You asked, running your hands through your long hair. “I know this all started because I want to make sure Omega Point takes down The Reestablishment but how come…”

You shook your head, a heavy breath escaping from you. You closed your eyes and Kenji looked over his shoulder and studied your expression. Kenji technically didn’t really understand your feelings towards Warner. He didn’t understand why you would sneak out every night to see him even if you had mentioned that what you and Warner have was just a physical relationship. That you both probably just got too lonely in that cabin.

“You love him.” Kenji muttered.

Those three little words made your body stiff. You couldn’t move, your cheeks flushed as you stared at the ceiling. It was just a simple three little words, so how come it was making you feel like this? How could those three little words inject so much emotion through your veins? It was almost like a drug that made your head spin. The thought of Warner made everything spin.

“What?” You were finally able to move your body as you sat up. “No, I don’t.”

Kenji tilted his head and raised his brow at you. He wasn’t stupid. He was your best friend, and you have known him for years. He could tell when you were lying. You may be saying that, but your eyes were saying something else.

“If you say so, Princess. I, too, would be risking everything for someone that I’m not in love with.” A hint of sarcasm was in his voice.

Your face flushed even more. You bit your lower lip and sighed, laying on your bed again and grabbed your pillow, burying your face on it. Kenji chuckled softly and patted your knee before getting up.

“C’mon, Princess. We have lots to do today.” Kenji said.

“I’ll be there in a sec.” You murmured through your pillow.

“Okay, well, hurry up before Castle thinks there’s something wrong.”

You heard your door open and closed as Kenji walked out of your room, leaving you in your own thoughts. After a few minutes, you finally got up, changed into some fresh training clothes and met Kenji at the training room. The two of you had been training to fight. Castle had suggested for you two to learn just in case it would be needed in the future. That whole idea got your mind pinwheeling again, wondering if Castle and your parents knew something that they weren’t telling everyone else. You even noticed that Sonya and Sara had been spending too much time in their laboratory. You wonder what kind of medicine the twins have been trying to prepare for all of you.

“Do you know what’s going on?” You asked Kenji later that day.

“What do you mean?” Kenji was lifting some weights as you stood on the corner, watching him.

You were taking a break after finishing cardio, and you were sort of feeling lazy to do weights today. Setting the weight down, Kenji sat up and took a big gulp of his water and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

“You know…” You shrugged. “What Castle and my parents are planning. I mean… It’s sort of obvious there’s something. You and me training? The twins stuck in their lab? They must be creating some type of medicine for everyone.”

“Sonya and Sara are always trying to create some type of medicine.” Kenji said, nonchalant.

“But no, Princess. Castle hasn’t told me anything. What about you and Warner? Besides the constant sex…anything?”

You threw your towel at him and rolled your eyes so hard, it almost fell off your head. “No, he can’t find a real record of why those kids are disappearing. There’s one thing though… they’re put in some kind of asylum? Some kind of prison?”

“Where’s the prison?”

You tilted your head, giving him a glare. “You really think I would withhold that information from you if I knew?”

“Maybe Warner knows.”

“No, he doesn’t.” You answered that too quickly and confidently.

A playful smile tugged on Kenji’s face as he started lifting weights again. You sat on the mat and sighed, your head hung low as you played with your fingers. You couldn’t get the thought of Warner out of your mind. You kept asking many questions that you didn’t have the answers to.

“You know, Princess.” Kenji said, sitting up again. “Sometimes it’s better not to overthink too much. You will make yourself crazy.”

“Yeah.” That was all you could manage before getting up from the mat and started weight lifting with Kenji.

The rest of the day was slow. You had taken a nap right after training. You were so exhausted that Kenji had to come knocking on your door to wake you up when it was time for dinner. However, you couldn’t manage to get up from your bed and eat dinner with everyone else. You couldn’t seem to face everyone and act like you haven’t been sneaking out every night and seeing Warner—the one person they probably thought was their number one enemy. You couldn’t face them and act like you haven’t been fucking their enemy.

You knew they would never understand.

So, you sneaked out of the base a little early. Kenji was going to be furious at you, but you needed to get out of there. Sometimes it felt suffocating just to be stuck at the base doing training and preparing to take down The Reestablishment. Sometimes you just need a different environment.

Your hand was in your jacket pocket as you walked towards the forest. You held the knife tightly inside your pocket, prepared for anything that could come up behind you. As you gazed up at the sky, you noticed that you could actually see the moon tonight. Sometimes the sky was so cloudy or was covered with a thick fog that you could barely see it.

Tonight though, it was bright and big.

You couldn’t help but stand on the front porch of the cabin and stared at it for a moment. It was a reminder that this world used to be so beautiful, so enchanting. Now, it was all left in ruins, and it was just the moon that was left that could remind you that there was still so much out there. So much you didn’t know and haven't seen. You wondered if anyone out there was looking at it too and thinking about the same thing. You wondered if people out there missed how this world used to be.

Were you ever going to see the other continents out there? Were they suffering the same as everyone was here in Sector 45 and North America? Was this going to be forever? How will Castle and your parents manage to rebuild everything if they were successful with their plan?

“Hey, love.”

Your thoughts were interrupted when you heard the cabin door creaked and opened. Looking over your shoulder was Warner standing in front of you, his hand held out for you. You couldn’t understand how he managed to look so beautiful all the time even with just the light inside the cabin illuminating from behind him. Every time you looked at him, he was so gorgeous. So beautiful. You couldn’t find the right words to really describe him because there were moments where you wonder if he was even real.

The heavy feeling that you were feeling in your stomach immediately faded as your hand touched his. He always managed to make your insides calm and peaceful. Just one touch. One kiss. All your fears would perish.

“What are you doing out here, love? It’s dangerous.” Warner whispered, pulling you into the cabin.

“I was admiring the moon.” You said. “We barely see it these days.”

You didn’t notice it then when you were outside because it was so dark but now that the soft light from the lamps that illuminated the cabin surrounded you, you noticed something in Warner’s eyes.

Fear.

“What is it?” You asked.

“I think my father is hiding something from me… besides the missing children.” Warner heavily sighed, walking closer to you.

“Why do you think that?”

“I mean, I’m not surprised that he is hiding something, but it’s the thought of him knowing about you.”

Warner’s concern for you made your heart swell a little bit. You saw the terror in his eyes as he gently brushed your hair away from your shoulder before cupping your face in his hands. His eyes stared deep into yours, his face inches away. Suddenly, the clock stopped. Your pulse was wild. Butterflies invaded your veins as he gently brushed his thumb on your cheek. You kept reminding yourself that this was just a physical relationship but how come, it felt like it was something else?

Something more.

“I’m—I’m fine.” You tried to find your voice. “I’m okay.”

“You don’t know the capability my father has,” Warner said. “If… he takes you away from me…”

He shook his head repeatedly, his eyes closing like he was in pain. Like he could feel the pain in his core from the image of you being taken away from him.

“Warner, I’m okay. I promise.” You reassured him. “No one followed me here.”

“I know, love.” He murmured. "I know you're always careful."

You reached your hand to touch his cheek gently, his face leaning against your touch. His chest was heaving as he pulled you in his arms for a tight embrace. You have never seen Warner like this before. The terror in his eyes and the way he held you. It was almost like if he would let you go right now, he would lose you forever, and you didn’t like that. You didn’t like how he was this terrified because you were okay.

Everything was fine.

You didn’t want him to worry about you at all.

“Do you want to go see the moon?” You asked, trying to make the subject lighter. Your cheek was pressed against his chest, and your arms were wrapped around his waist tightly.

“It’s gorgeous tonight.” You added, lifting your head up to look at him.

A soft approval hum escaped him as he buried his face on your neck, a soft kiss planted on your skin. His hands gripped your hips tightly, pressing your body against his. Then, his hand slipped under your shirt, caressing your sides softly and feeling your heated skin under his touch.

“Lift your arms up.” He whispered in your ear, kissing the line of your jaw.

You did what he told you to do as he pulled your shirt over your head and found its home on the wooden floor of the cabin. His hands roamed your body from your sides to your back and then, he found the hook of your bra.

“Take it off.” You whispered, kissing him deeply.

And just like that, your bra had joined your shirt on the floor. Your fingers fumbled on the buttons of his shirt and slipped them off his broad shoulders. Your hands studied every inch of his heated skin, sliding them on his chest, down the curves and valleys of his muscles on his stomach and then, you slid them on his back. You felt him slightly flinch under your touch, and you immediately pulled away.

“Sorry.” You breathlessly pulled away from the kiss.

Warner shook his head, gazing down at you. His eyes were dark and full of desire.

“Don’t apologize.” He said. “I’m just not used to it. I… I want you to be able to touch me with no limits.”

“I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable.”

“You could never.” He murmured before pulling you in his arms again.

This time, he scooped you up and carried you towards the back door of the cabin. There, the moon illuminated the lake, and it looked so magical. Almost too unreal that the water was still fresh and untouched unlike the rest of the world around you. Warner smiled, setting you down in the water, making you shiver slightly from the cold soft breeze that was hitting your skin. Under the moonlight, Warner’s eyes glimmered. It made him even more beautiful through your eyes.

“I have never felt this much peace before.” Warner said, his hands finding your waist. “You’re the only one that understands me. I know I’m someone who really doesn’t know how to communicate well but with you, I feel… different.”

“Warner.” You whispered, your hands sliding up his chest.

“No,” He said. “It’s Aaron. I want you to call me by my name.”

“Aaron.” You whispered.

A smile lit up his face, dimples indenting his cheeks as he brushed your hair back, leaning down to press a soft kiss on the blade of your shoulder. You breathlessly gasp as you slide your hand at the back of his neck, pulling him close to you. Feeling his skin with yours was the kind of connection that you never had before. It made you feel closer to him.

“I love that.” He said.

Then, his green eyes went soft. His eyes studied your features, his whole expression turned into something so peaceful. You have never seen it before as he cupped your face between his hands. You gazed up at him, feeling your heart beating right out of your chest. There was something about the look on his face that made you nervous. Made you forget about the world around you and made you forget the running thoughts that have been occupying your mind lately.

“I love you.” He whispered, his voice full of emotion.

You heard yourself let out a gasp. Your limbs were petrified, and you couldn’t move an inch. Warner—Aaron just told you he loved you. You had to blink your eyes a few times to make sure that you weren’t dreaming. That you heard him correctly. You didn’t know how long you were paralyzed like that until you had noticed his soft eyes turned into worried ones.

“Love?” He murmured, brushing your cheek with his fingers.

“Aaron, I—”

“I mean it, love.” He breathed heavily, his whole face was full of emotion for you.

Then, he said the words again, carefully and word by word. “I love you.”

When you were finally able to feel your muscles move, you pulled away from him. You found everything so dizzying. It was happening so fast that you could barely find your footing as soon as you found yourself back on the rocky ground. Grabbing the towel, you wrapped it around your body as Aaron followed right behind you. Your back was turned to him, and you stared up at the night sky, holding in your tears that were welling up in your eyes. This was something you have been thinking about. Something that you wanted, but you were also too terrified that this was not going to work out.

Everything was too complicated.

Too dangerous.

“Love, I could feel your emotions towards me.” He said, carefully taking your hand in his and turning you to face him.

You could barely find time to get some air in your lungs when Aaron held you in his arms again. Every part of you was slowly cracking into pieces. You couldn’t breathe, you couldn’t adjust your vision clearly, and you wondered if this was it. You wondered if you were slowly dying, and if this was what it felt like to die. You stood in front of Aaron, you felt his embrace in yours, but your soul was suspended in the air. You were looking down at this moment from above, and you kept telling yourself to move.

To say something.

Anything.

You told yourself to go back down into your body.

“Aaron,” You finally were able to manage to find your voice.

“I know how you feel about me. How much you love and want me. I could feel that in every bone of my body, love. I could feel everything that you feel about me. Your fears, your love for me… The way you want me like the way I want you too.”

Your heart has fallen to the ground.

You couldn’t find the bandwidth to take in anymore of his words because if you heard one more word from him, you were sure you would completely break into pieces. You would collapse right here in front of him. Aaron took a step back from you, both his hands rubbing both of your arms softly. He could feel your body shiver from under his touch.

“Let’s go inside. You’re cold, love.” He said, wrapping his arm around you.

As soon as you arrived back inside, you picked up your clothes and slipped them on. Aaron slipped on his pants before wrapping a blanket around your shoulders to keep you warm. He could see you shivering from the cold, and you weren’t really sure if it was because of the cold or because of what just happened.

“Love—”

You shook your head, holding up one hand to stop him from continuing. You stood there and stared at him for a moment. He was in his grey sweatpants, no shirt on, and his eyes were staring into yours. Your lips trembled as you played with your fingers nervously. You could see the hesitation in Aaron’s eyes as he slowly and carefully took a step towards you.

“I… thought…” Aaron murmured. “...we have something.”

“We do.” You answered him too quickly. “Do you know how long I have been dreaming of this moment?”

You saw Aaron’s tensed shoulders dropped, his jaw unclenching as he crossed the room and cupped your face. His eyes were full of different emotions and as you whispered his name, he kissed you so softly. So soft and gentle and at the same time, it was desperate and hungry. You have been wanting this. You have been dreaming of this, and it was here. It was happening in front of your eyes. It was happening so fast, and everything was spinning.

Your legs were almost giving out, but Aaron was quick to catch you in his arms and pinned you against the wall. You couldn’t remember when the blanket had found its way to the floor, but you didn’t care. You only cared about this moment. A breathless gasp escaped from him as he parted from the kiss, pressed his forehead against yours and smiled.

“Aaron, I’m scared.” You whispered. “I’m so scared.”

“I’ll protect you with my life, love.” He pressed a soft kiss on your forehead.

“I can handle myself, you know?”

Aaron’s smile grew wider, his fingers softly stroking your cheek. “I know that. I know how strong you are, and I know how smart you are but that doesn’t mean I won’t do everything to make sure you’re safe.”

You exhaled a sharp breath, your arms wrapping around his neck. “We’re gonna die.”

“Let all hell break loose then.” He said before pressing your body against his and kissed you deeply.

You ran your fingers through his golden hair as Aaron tugged on your shirt lightly. Pulling it over your head, he pressed soft kisses on your neck. You threw your head back against the wall, closing your eyes as you felt your skin caught on fire from every spot that he kissed. A moan was caught in your throat as Aaron smiled through the kiss and trailed his lips down your collarbone. Your hands gripped his shoulders tightly as he slipped his hands under your thighs and lifted you up, your legs wrapping around his hips.

“God,” He whispered. “You’re so beautiful. So gorgeous.”

You felt your cheeks flushed as Aaron carried you towards the bedroom and set you down gently on the bed. He used his inner thigh to part your legs and set his knee between them, towering over you and leaning down to kiss you passionately. You could feel the heat that was washing over his body as you let your hands roam on his bare skin. Your lips were caught on his jawline and down his neck as Aaron breathed heavily, his fingers tangled through your hair. He pulled you close as you continued to kiss down his bare chest, your hands softly roaming the sharp muscles of his arms.

“Aaron…” You whispered, pulling away. “I love you.”

Something sparkled in Aaron’s eyes as soon as he heard those words from your lips. His hand slipped at the back of your head and kissed you deeply.

A soft moan escaped from you, and you felt his fingers tugging on your pants.

“Please… take them off.” You begged.

In one smooth motion, Aaron’s hands found the waistband of your pants and immediately pulled them down together with your underwear. You have been naked in front of him many times. Almost every night. But this time, it felt different. Like this was the first time you were intimate with him in a different way. Back then, you could care less how you would look in front of him but this time, you didn’t know why, but you sort of felt insecure. As if he was seeing the real you for the first time.

You felt your cheeks flushed along with the rest of your body as Aaron’s eyes studied every inch of you. It made you feel vulnerable, and you carefully covered your chest with your arms, looking away from him.

“Hey,” He smiled, gently taking your arms away from your chest. “Don’t hide from me, love. You’re so beautiful.”

You gazed up at him with half lidded eyes before you felt his lips kiss your chest. You bit your lower lip as he squeezed your breast softly with his hand, his mouth sucking on the other one that made you moan loudly. Your fingers had found his hair again as you arched your back, while his lips trailed down your stomach. Soft and gentle kisses covered your skin, his hands gently sliding down your sides before Aaron stopped right at the bottom of your torso. You were breathing heavily, and he could see your chest heaving when he looked up at you. One hand clutching the bedsheet in a fist, while the other in his hair.

“Aaron…” You whispered his name, and it made his eyes go darker with desire.

“Yes, love?”

“I… need you.” You opened your eyes and found him towering over you again.

A smile tugged on his lips as you flipped both of you over and you straddled his hips. He still had his pants on, and you couldn’t help but wonder how it was so unfair that you were completely naked in front of him already and there was this piece of fabric blocking you from touching him skin to skin. You tugged down on his pants and threw them on the floor with the rest of your clothes. You left heated kisses on his chest, your hands touching every inch of his body. Every curve and hills of his muscles. You kissed the tattoo that sat right on the bottom of his torso.

You kissed every word, every letter of it.

Every pain that he suffered through his life. Every dark thought. You wanted to kiss away all of it.

Your lips trailed down and kissed his inner thigh and smiled when you heard Aaron moaned softly from your touch.

“Come here.” He whispered, pulling you up and pressed your naked body against his.

He flipped the both of you over again, hovered over you, leaving heated kisses down your body and parted your legs before kissing your inner thighs. You gasped softly as his fingers found your wet clit and gently played with it.

“Aaron—” You whined, arching your back.

He moaned softly, kissing your other thigh before his mouth found you. You bit your lower lip to keep yourself from screaming his name as he licked and sucked you on the right spot that made your legs tremble. Aaron trailed his lips back up to your body before kissing you again, tasting yourself in his lips. His hands slipped under your thighs, letting your legs wrap around his hips. He trailed kisses down your neck and sucked on your skin lightly.

You breathlessly gasp at each kiss he left as you gripped on his shoulders.

“Aaron, please….”

“Tell me, love.” He whispered in your ear, kissing the spot just below it. “Tell me what you want me to do.”

“You… I need you inside me.” You lifted his head, cupping his face in your hands.

His green eyes were full of want and desire. He set both his elbows on either side of your head and smiled softly at you. You have never seen him like this before even after the many nights you have spent with him in this bed. Tonight was different. Tonight, he was showing you every vulnerable part of him. Tonight, this man in front of you was different.

This was Aaron Warner.

The real Aaron Warner.

The one who has been hiding behind a cold façade. The one who suffered from his father’s violent behavior.

The one that loves you.

Taking his member, he carefully slipped himself inside of you, soft gasps escaped from the both of you. He slowly thrusted and kissed you deeply, your moans being muffled by his kiss. He buried his face on your neck as he continued to move, and his thrusts started to quicken. Your hands gripped tightly on his shoulders, nails digging into his skin.

You wonder if this was a good way to die.

This moment where everything was just you and him. This moment where you could drown in forever.

You wonder if you were now in heaven.

Because everything stopped. Everything was now all hazy as you felt him move deeper inside of you. You were feeling all the emotions that you haven’t felt before. You heard yourself make sounds that you haven’t heard before. You could barely open your eyelids as you pressed your forehead against the blade of his shoulder.

“God, Aaron.” You moaned loudly, and it only made him thrusts deeper and faster inside of you, hitting you at the right spot.

“Yes, yes—!” You whispered through his fiery skin.

Aaron groaned softly, his mouth finding your breast again as he sucked and licked on it and kept his thrusts at a pace. You arched your back, your eyes closing, and your head started spinning. You have forgotten everything around you. You have forgotten where you were or who you were. You have forgotten your name. All you knew was this.

This moment right here.

You felt your walls tightened around Aaron, feeling the pleasure building up inside of you. He reached up to you, kissing you deeply as he hit you on the right spot once more. His kiss muffled your screams. He moaned your name in your ear, feeling your walls tightened around him. Pleasure washing over the both of you.

Everything shattered into pieces. Everything unraveling, coming undone and coming together at the same time. Stars were twinkling in your vision as he kissed you once more and slowed his thrusts inside of you. Both of your bodies flushed and both of you were panting heavily. Your face pressed on his neck and your nails were still digging on his shoulders. You could feel your legs trembling as you slowly unwrapped them from his hips.

“I love you so much.” He whispered breathlessly.

He pressed a soft kiss on your forehead, while you closed your eyes and enjoyed this peaceful moment with him. This was something you never thought you would ever have in your life. After everything that happened in this world, you never thought that someone could love you. Someone could care about you. You never thought you would experience love in this dark and shattered world. He gazed down at you, carefully pulling himself out. His absence inside of you already made you miss him.

“I never knew what life was like until you.” Aaron murmured, fingers brushing your cheek.

Then, he brushed a strand of hair away from your sweaty forehead, still trying to catch his breath. You could see his face and body were all pink and flushed.

“You gave me a reason to keep going. To stay alive. A reason to fight something for.”

His voice cracked as he lightly grazed his nose against your cheek, breathing you in.

Tears welled up in your eyes as you turned and pressed a soft kiss on his lips before parting again. You knew about the struggles he has faced. The violent upbringing he had because of his father and hearing those words escape from his lips, you couldn’t help but feel all the emotions washed over you. You never wanted him to feel like that again. You never wanted him to experience that kind of violence again. You never wanted him to feel as if his life was nothing because to you?

He was everything.

Aaron furrowed his brows as soon as he saw the expression on your face.

“Hey, what’s wrong, love?” He asked, cupping your face, worry washed over him. “Are you hurt? Did I hurt you?”

You shook your head as you took his face in your hands. You couldn’t really say anything. You couldn’t manage to find the right words as a tear rolled down your cheek. Aaron’s thumb gently brushed the tear away, his eyes still full of concern.

“You gotta tell me what’s wrong, love. I need to know if you’re hurt or not—”

“I—I’m not.” Your voice croaked.

You saw the muscles in Aaron’s body unclenched as he blinked his eyes for a moment. He settled himself next to you, pulling the covers over the both of you and reeled you in his arms.

“What is it, love? What’s on your mind?” He asked, his voice was almost a whisper, you barely missed it.

Your heart was still pounding hard in your chest, you could hear it drumming in your eyes as you let your nose softly grazed on the line of his jaw. Aaron’s one arm was around you, his hand softly rubbing your arm. You set a hand over his chest, just right above where his heart was, and you could feel it beating hard.

And you kept thinking that it was beating hard for you.

“Everything you went through…” You breathed him in, pressing your face on his neck. “You deserve so much more.”

You felt Aaron pulled you tighter in his arms. He didn’t say a word for about a minute before he set his index finger under your chin, lifted your head and gazed down at you.

“You’re the only one I care about now.” He whispered. “I’ll do anything to protect you. To be with you.”

Pulling him in, you kissed him deeply. Aaron cupped your face as he smiled through the kiss. At this moment, you didn’t want to think about anything else. You reminded yourself that you also deserved to be happy. You just wanted to enjoy this peaceful moment with him. This happy bubble that surrounded the both of you. You knew this was a breakable heaven, but with Aaron, you’d fight for anyone and anything now.

You’d fight to keep this.

You’d fight, not just for him, but for your friends and family too.

You’d fight for love.

**********

Taglist:

@gracie-221 @his-littlefox @hannahmarie71 @ecliphttlunar @indythefandomhoarder @reminiscentreader @hrtsbecca @soulaires @shattermelyhfmlblog @wildesqdreams @pookiebearnancy @ant-thebooknerd @aaronwarnerobsessedmylove @boliviajane

#Aaron Warner #Aaron Warner x Reader #Aaron Warner x You #Aaron Warner x Fem!Reader #Aaron Warner Imagines #Aaron Warner Fics #Aaron Warner Fanfics #kenji kishimoto x reader #kenji kishimoto #kenji kishimoto x you #kenji kishimoto fanfics #kenji kishimoto imagines #shatter me #shatter me series #shatter me fanfics #shatter me fics #shatter me trilogy #blairrwaldorfs #cruel summer

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lil-miss-brainrot · 5 months ago

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acswy should be to the byler fandom what all the young dudes is to the marauders.

the plot. the world building. the quality of writing. the style of writing. the way the authors are able to develop the characters and relationships (most notably byler’s) with such eloquence, emotion, realism, and attention to detail. the sheer length of the story. the way they tie in well known byler references like the blue, yellow, and green color coding. the way they’ve completely immersed us in the mainline fanfic while enhancing our experience with companion fics, a beautifully curated playlist, and a literal quiz to find out which cabin we, the readers, would be in if we were truly apart of this fictional world? this is such a service to the byler community and i want so badly to share it with ALL OF YOU

#i’m actually losing it #clearly i have no shortage of incredible things to say about this fic #every byler #and i mean EVERY byler should read it #byler #acswy #a cruel summer with you

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reddthekingg · 2 days ago

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nearly finished reading acswy and I can confirm is lives upto the hype

#byler #will byers #mike wheeler #stranger things #byler brainrot #byler endgame #fanfiction #byler fanfic #fanfic #byler tumblr #acswy #byler fic #A cruel summer with you

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hauntedhowlett-writes · 2 years ago

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Title: cruel summer | chapter 6

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5

Pairing: No outbreak!Joel Miller/Female Reader

Rating: Explicit (18+ MDNI)

Chapters: 6/6

Read on AO3 | Masterlist | Join a tag list

Summary: Joel takes a contracting job renovating a master bedroom and bathroom while the homeowners are away for the summer on a cruise.

He wasn’t expecting their twenty-three year old daughter and the thoughts he’d have about her.

Author’s Note: This is the end! Thank you all so much for enjoying this little fic that I have loved writing. Requests are open if you have anything you wanna see in the future 🥰

Additional Tags/Warnings: explicit sexual content (18+ MDNI), age gap (23F and 38M), mild/moderate angst (resolved!), alcohol consumption, discussions of family dynamics, semi-public sex, unprotected p in v, oral sex (f receiving), slight fem dom?, dirty talk, pet names. Let me know if any are missing!

You don’t hear from Joel the next two days, save for the text he’d sent the night he dropped you off at your apartment with a broken heart. He said he’d fix this and god, you want to believe him. But silence doesn’t feel promising.

Your dad has called no less than twenty times since that night. You’ve let them all rot away in your voicemail graveyard. You don’t have the motivation to do much besides sit on the couch for your daytime crying and move back to your bed for your nighttime crying before exhaustion finally wins and you fall asleep.

There’s a knock at your door on the third day, but you don’t make any move to answer it. You hear the key turn in the lock and your mom enters the apartment.

“Oh, sweetheart,” she says gently, setting down an armful of groceries in the kitchen before sitting beside you on the couch, smoothing your unwashed hair from your face with a gentle hand. “I’d ask how you’re doing, but I think I know the answer.”

Tears prick at your eyes. “It hurts, mama.”

“I know, baby,” she murmurs. She pulls your head to her chest. “Have you heard from Joel? Or your daddy?”

“No, I haven’t heard anything from Joel. Dad’s called a bunch, but I…I don’t wanna talk to him, mama. He was so mean.”

“You gotta think about where he’s coming from. You’re his only baby, his little girl. He’s having a hard time separating the baby he used to rock to sleep from the woman who can make her own choices. And he reacted with the heart of a dad, not the brain of a logical man.”

You sniff. “That doesn’t make it any better.”

“I know. You don’t have to forgive him. I’m spittin’ mad at the man myself. But I just wanted you to know.” She presses a kiss to your head. “Now, help me put those groceries away. I have somewhere I gotta be in an hour.”

________

Joel nervously scrapes at the paper label on his beer bottle as he waits for his lunch guest to arrive. He’s been a wreck the past couple of days, trying to keep it together in front of Sarah while his mind wanders to you, your last words to him ringing in his ears.

I love you, Joel Miller. I hope you find it in you to not be a coward and love me back.

That’s exactly what he intends to do. He just needs someone on his side.

Which is why he texted your mom a few nights ago, asking if he could talk to her.

The woman in question approaches the table and Joel stands to greet her, holding an arm out for a handshake. She only rolls her eyes, pulling him into a hug that surprises him. When she seats herself, the waiter swings by and takes her order for a glass of Chardonnay before leaving the two of them to stare at each other.

“So. Joel Miller. You love my daughter, huh?” She asks. He swallows nervously.

“Yes, m’am.”

“And my husband was an asshole to you about it?”

He considers his response. “It..uh..could have gone better.”

She nods. The waiter drops off her wine glass and she takes a dainty sip. “Well. Tell me the whole story.”

So he does. He leaves out the more salacious bits, because your mom doesn’t need to know about what happened in her kitchen, instead focusing on how you drew him in with your sweet disposition and he was helpless to avoid falling in love with you. He tells her about bringing Sarah over and how you played with his little girl like she was the only thing that mattered in that moment. He talks about the trip to the aquarium. He mentions his stupid attempt at pushing you away.

“And I can’t do that again, m’am. I don’t want to. I told your husband that she’s the best thing that’s happened to me since Sarah was born, and I meant every word.”

The whole time, she stays quiet, sipping her wine. Occasionally, a small smile will pass across her lips.

“You know, my own daddy didn’t like my husband when he first met him. Thought he was a no good troublemaker. I think my husband forgets that he’s just as in love with someone’s daughter as you are with mine. And one day someone will love your little girl, and you’ll think they’re not good enough for her, too. It’s the curse of being a father.”

Joel nods, unsure of what to say. Your mom finishes her glass of wine before continuing.

“I think you should join us for dinner tonight, Joel. And I promise to change the gun safe code before you get there.”

________

Joel shows up at your parents house with a bottle of wine and enough nervous energy to power a small city. He feels like he might throw up as he waits for someone to answer the door.

Thankfully, it’s your mom. He hands over the bottle of Chardonnay he brought and she gives him a kiss on the cheek.

“Chin up. You got this,” she says, patting him on the shoulder and guiding him to the living room.

Your dad is sitting on the couch, a glass of whiskey in hand as he staunchly refuses to meet Joel’s eyes. He takes a seat in one of the accent chairs.

“My wife says I owe you an apology,” your dad says. “And that I need to get my head out of my ass before I lose it up there for good.”

Joel has to fight back his laugh, biting his lip hard.

“I just want my daughter to be happy. And she’s right, she’s an adult now. I forget, sometimes,” he continues. “She used to ask me to check for monsters under her bed and in her closet. Hard to believe that same girl is about to graduate college. Become a doctor. Save the world. All the best things I always wished for her. And I also used to wish she’d find someone to love her. And I can’t begrudge you for being that person. So, I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for?” Your mom shouts from the kitchen. Your dad rolls his eyes.

“For being an asshole. And ruining your date,” he grumbles. He drains the rest of his drink.

“Thank you, sir,” Joel replies. Your mom enters the living room.

“Excellent. Now, come on, Joel. Let’s talk New Year’s Eve plans.”

________

It’s New Year's Eve and your mom showed up at your apartment just after dinner with a garment bag and a stern expression.

“You are coming to the party, young lady,” she insists. “Now get in the shower.”

You do what she asks with heavy limbs. You still haven’t heard from Joel. Your dad’s phone calls have stopped. You’re not exactly looking forward to seeing him tonight.

When you get out of the shower, your mom is wielding your blow dryer like a weapon. You sit at your desk while she styles your hair for you. You do your makeup under her watchful eye, then slip into the shiny silver dress she brought for you.

“Gorgeous. Come on. Let’s go.”

She hustles you into the passenger seat of her car and drives to her house. There’s a whole line of cars parked along the curb, and you groan at the idea of having to mingle with their friends.

“Alright, in you go, chop chop,” your mom says, shooing you from the vehicle. You enter the bustling house, forcing a smile as some of your dad’s business colleagues and your mom’s friends say hello, pulling you into hugs and cheek kisses.

Your mom brings you a glass of champagne, pulling you along at her side as she talks with her guests. When the doorbell rings, your mom politely asks you to answer the door.

When you do, you feel like you’re hallucinating. Standing on the front porch is Joel, dressed in a suit, his wild curly hair slicked back and his face clean shaven.

Christ, the man can wear a suit.

“Hey, baby,” he says.

Seemingly out of nowhere, your dad appears beside you. “Hey, Joel! Come on in, can I get you anything to drink?”

You look between the two men, feeling like you’ve stepped into the Twilight Zone. Have you missed something?

Your dad shakes Joel’s hand, all smiles, and your questions only multiply. Joel squeezes your hip as he passes by, following your dad to the kitchen for a drink. You trail behind them, confused as hell as you watch them chat like they’re old friends and your dad pours him a glass of whiskey.

“Uh, Joel?” You ask. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Sure, sweetheart,” he replies. He excused himself with your dad and you lead him upstairs to your childhood bedroom, his palm hot on your lower back.

In your room, you shut the door and take a deep breath. “Joel, what’s happening?”

“I fixed it,” he says, setting his glass down on your old dresser.

“You fixed it,” you repeat incredulously. “What does that mean?”

“It means,” he says, stepping closer and slipping an arm around your waist, “I’m all in. No more runnin’. No more secrets. No more bein’ a coward. It means I’m yours, and you’re mine, and nothin’ is gonna change that.”

You blink at him. “But…my dad—“

“Met with him and your mom. Had some good talks. He just wants you to be happy, baby. He did threaten that he knew a good place to hide a body if I hurt you, though.”

“Why didn’t you call me? Or text me?”

“Because when I came back to you on my knees beggin’ for forgiveness, I wanted to have everythin’ squared away.” He drops down to one knee, then the other, looking up at you with those big brown eyes of his as his hands grip your hips. “So, can you forgive me, baby?”

You smirk. “I could probably be persuaded.”

“Naughty girl,” he murmurs, trailing a hand up your calf. “You want me to earn it?”

“Yeah,” you whisper, voice already breathy and your core clenching in anticipation. “I think you owe me a real thorough apology, Joel.”

He grins at you as his fingers reach the hem of your dress, urging it up your thighs until it’s bunched around your waist, exposing your panties underneath. He gently pulls them down your legs, eyes glued to your face as he does. He urges you to step out of them once they’re around your ankles.

Tossing them to the side, he lifts one of your legs and situates it on his shoulder, opening you up to his hungry gaze.

“Missed you so much, sweetheart,” he murmurs, pressing his lips to the inside of your thigh. “Was goin’ crazy without you.”

“Less talking, more apologizing,” you demand, breathing already labored.

He huffs a laugh against your skin before angling his face toward your center, his nose brushing your needy clit as he licks a broad stripe through your folds, his tongue dipping into your entrance. Your head drops back against the door with a groan.

“You gotta be quiet, can’t have all those nice people downstairs knowin’ you’re gettin’ your pussy devoured, huh, baby?”

You bite your lip to hold your noises as he returns to his apology, licking and sucking and biting at you until you’re a writhing mess.

“Joel!” You whisper-shout, tugging on his hair. “Want your cock, baby, please?”

His lips are shiny with your essence as he stands, hands working his belt and fly open in quick succession. He presses a messy kiss to your lips as he frees his cock, an arm wrapping around your waist to lift you up, your legs automatically circling his hips. His hot length slides against your clit and you moan into his mouth, the sound swallowed in his kiss.

He presses you against the wall so that he can use one hand to position his cock at your dripping entrance, pressing his hips forward to drive himself inside you. Your arms cling to his shoulders as you gasp at the stretch.

“Christ, darlin’,” he whispers against your neck. “I’m not gonna last long like this.”

“Don’t care,” you reply, swiveling your hips in an attempt to get him to move. “Come on, baby, you’re not gonna make me cum standing still.”

Joel chuckles darkly, drawing back and slamming harshly up into you, the power of it knocking the breath from your lungs. He pounds into you harshly, his hands sure to leave fingertip shaped bruises on the skin of your hips and ass where he holds you to drag you over his length.

“Touch yourself, pretty girl, I need you to cum with me,” he demands. You slip a hand between your bodies, fingers circling your clit with little finesse as you work in tandem with Joel to reach your release.

It shatters over you in a consuming wave, your legs going tight around his waist as you lean forward to bite your scream into his shoulder. You feel his cock pulse inside of you as he presses in deep, his release warm as it fills you to the brim.

You slump against him, boneless in the aftermath. He presses a sweet kiss to your shoulder before gently lowering you to the ground, an arm looped around your waist to support you as you try to stand on shaky legs.

He tucks his softening cock away into his boxers, pulling his pants up. He locates your panties on the brown and kneels down to help you step back into them.

“Not gonna steal this pair?” You tease. He nips the inside of your knee in retaliation.

“Only because I’m not about to send you out in your parents house with my cum dripping down your thighs,” he replies, situating the fabric on your hips before pulling your dress back down over your thighs. When he stands, he pulls you into a deep kiss, his palms framing your cheeks. “I love you,” he says as he pulls back.

You grin at him, smoothing your fingers through his mussed hair. “I love you, too.”

________

You rejoin the party, your hand in Joel’s as he leads you to the kitchen for a drink refill. It’s nearing midnight, and your dad has turned on the TV in the living room to the ball drop in anticipation.

The man in question is in the kitchen with your mom, the two of them flushed from their drinks and the heat of the full house. Your dad gives you a tentative smile.

“Hi,” he says as the two of you approach. You release Joel’s hand to pull him into a hug, his arms wrapping around you tightly.

“I’m sorry, baby,” he whispers.

“I know. Thank you, dad,” you reply. You don’t miss the shine in his eyes when you pull back and kiss him on the cheek. “I love you.”

“Love you, too,” he tells you.

The noise in the house starts to grow as the ball begins to drop, the countdown echoed in chorus by the party goers. Joel hands you a glass of champagne, pulling you into his side as he starts to join in.

“3…2…1! Happy New Year!!”

Joel tilts your face to his, planting a kiss to your lips, in front of everyone. When you pull away, your mom tugs you into a hug and your dad shakes Joel’s hand, both men smiling.

And you can’t help but think how amazing it is that one summer can change your whole world.

Tag list: @huffle-punk @telepathay @johnwatsn @hopelessromantic727 @caatheeriinee07 @leeeesahhh @whereasport @pedr0swh0r3 @yellingloudly @dragon-of-winterfell @mydailyhyperfixations @liati2000 @endlessthxxghts @fake-bleach @thedeadsingwithdirtintheirmouths @lovebandrry @str84pedro @daddy-din @missgurrl @paleidiot @mattmurdock1021

#no use of y/n #joel miller x reader #joel miller #joel miller fic #joel miller smut #joel miller x female reader #joel miller x you #joel miller fanfiction #joel tlou #joel x reader #cruel summer #complete fic #complete

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grumfield · 1 month ago

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this has been largely the worst year of my life by no small margin knock on wood but the one upside is that while my entire life was falling apart i was just starting to get into obikin/sw and because the hyperfixation train stops for no man or catastrophe i clung to that shit like a life raft which means I’m like trauma bonded with this fuckass franchise forever

#reading obikin fic while finding out my father tried to flee the country with my money and leave me with 400k in secret debt #changed me ngl. like omg the bad dad franchise…and my dad…oh my god #you can track on my blog when I was having breakdowns this summer because I would post about something violent or humiliating happening #to obi wan kenobi. like I always do but these were particularly cruel. he’s like my stress ball

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exyzedd · 1 year ago

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¯⁠\⁠_⁠ಠ⁠_⁠ಠ⁠_⁠/⁠¯

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akechi-if-he-slayed · 4 months ago

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as you guys can see im coping with the multi hour ao3 outage very well and very sanely

#one is my personal laptop one is my school laptop. u can probably tell which.#shuake ao3….shuake fic RETURN TO ME #ofc it happens on my school holiday when i have free time for once. SIGH.#in case u were wondering this is a shuake cruel summer edit i found on yt and it only has a few likes but it’s SO GOOD. WATCH IT !!#shuake #persona 5 #ao3 #ao3 down

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sweetprfct · 8 months ago

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Cruel Summer

Aaron Warner x Fem!Reader

Author's Note: Finally, it's here! So sorry for the delay! Work has been crazy and will continue to be crazy for the next few weeks, so thank you for being patient. Here's part 3! Things are about to go a little faster...

Disclaimer: 18+, mention of violence, smut, MINORS DNI

Wordcount: 5.1K

part one - part two - part three - part four - part five

Aaron’s fingers softly stroked your hair as you laid on top of him, your chin set against his bare chest. You both have woken up way too early, and you both decided to just enjoy this peaceful morning. Your eyes scanned his facial features as your finger stroked his cheek softly. Comfortable silence surrounded the both of you. Aaron slightly smiled at you as he leaned down to kiss your forehead. You felt the electricity rush down your body the moment his lips touched your forehead. You carefully closed your eyes, burying your face on his chest.

“It’s been four months.” Aaron murmured.

“Four months?” Your voice was almost a whisper as you pressed a soft kiss on his chest.

You felt him breathe heavily, his hands that were stroking your hair ran down your bare back, caressing it softly. It made you feel sleepy as you smiled softly and enjoyed his gentle warm touch.

“Four months since we saw each other.” He said. “Four months since I realized I love you.”

You couldn’t help but let out a soft approving hum and your cheeks flushed. His gentle touch on your back was slowly letting you fall asleep, but you were trying your best to keep yourself awake and listen to his voice. You moved yourself up and buried your face on his neck, feeling Aaron’s grip around you tightened. He pressed a soft kiss on your hair, making you smile against his skin. You couldn’t believe that it has been four months since you have been doing this. Four months since you risked everything for this.

“Four months since I stopped using my simulation.” Aaron added.

Suddenly, you gazed up at him with furrowed brows. “Simulation?”

Aaron nodded his head, burying his face in your hair and breathed you in. Sliding your hand on his chest, you stopped right above his heart and felt his heart skip a beat. Unfortunately for you, you seem to be the only one around here who didn’t have any powers. The only way for you to be able to feel Aaron’s emotions and energy all the time was when you could feel or hear his heartbeat.

“Before you, I didn’t know how to live. I didn’t know what the point of everything was.” He exhaled sharply, his green eyes finding yours.

“What do you mean?”

Suddenly, you felt your heart race, nervous and terrified at the answer Aaron was about to tell you. You watched as he pulled you close and buried his face on your shoulder.

“Hey,” You pulled away, sitting up on the bed. “What is it?”

You cupped his face between your hands as he tried to avoid your eye contact.

“I didn’t care then.” He murmured. “I would use a simulation machine to kill myself. Shoot myself repeatedly.”

A small gasp escaped your lips. The words that slipped out of his lips got your limbs frozen. You couldn’t believe what he just said and the fact that he did that repeatedly made your heart shatter into pieces. You couldn’t even comprehend it. You couldn’t imagine losing him and the fact that he kept trying to do that to himself— even if it was a simulation— you couldn’t wrap your mind around the idea of it.

“Aaron…” You whispered, tears welling up in your eyes.

“I’m sorry, love.” He wiped your tears that rolled down your cheeks. “I didn’t mean to upset you like that. I just… I wanted to be open to you.”

“No…No.” You shook your head, immediately clinging yourself onto him. “Please don’t apologize. I never wanted you to feel like that again. I love you so much. I don’t want to lose you.”

“You won’t, love.” He whispered, his hand rubbing your back softly. “I’m right here.”

“You’re everything to me.” You whispered.

You felt Aaron slightly smiled as he pulled you in his lap and his fingers stroked your cheek gently. A soft kiss planted on your forehead again.

“No matter what happens, I’ll protect you with my life.” Aaron pressed his forehead on the blade of your shoulder, kissing your skin softly. “That’s a promise, love.”

You turned to face him, taking his face between your hands and kissed him passionately. These last few weeks with Aaron had been heaven ever since you both had admitted your feelings for each other, and you wished you both could finally find some hard evidence to take down The Reestablishment. You wished it was that easy.

Coming back to Omega Point later that day, you were immediately called into Castle’s office. You didn’t know what you would be expecting as soon as you entered. Your parents were nowhere to be found. They were probably busy with other things, you thought. Castle sat behind his desk, his hands intertwined together in front of him, his usual braids tied up into a ponytail, and his brown eyes studying you as you walked towards his desk. You couldn’t help but feel nervous. You wondered if he knew something. You wondered if he caught you sneaking out and that was why you were called in.

“Good morning, Castle.” You gave him a small confident smile.

“How are you, dear?” Castle asked.

“G..Good.” You hated how that came out.

You didn’t know why you were so nervous. If Castle ever found out what you have been doing, you would just simply explain it right? Aaron was on your side. They didn’t have to worry about anything. However, you weren’t too sure if Castle and your parents would believe you about that. Looking around his office, you sort of told yourself that maybe the missing presence of your parents was a good sign. That maybe you weren’t in trouble after all.

“Well, I called you in here today just to check in how you and Kenji are doing with training.”

A sigh of relief quietly escaped from you. Your shoulders finally dropped from the nervous tension.

“Oh, we’re good, sir. I think we’re getting better everyday.”

“That’s good.” Castle got up from his chair and walked around his desk.

He sat against the edge of his desk in front of you, his arms crossed in front of him. Suddenly, you felt your heart start pounding on your chest again as you saw the expression that washed over Castle’s face. A knot started forming in your stomach as you waited for him to say something. The silence between the both of you felt like eternity as you started playing with your fingers nervously.

“Is there anything that you two need?” Castle asked. “Any equipment or more training to be added?”

“N…No.” You swallowed all your emotions. “We’re fine, sir.”

“I haven’t seen you around the base lately, is everything okay?”

Your heart was drumming in your ears, you could barely hear Castle’s voice. You could feel your body stiffened even more. Your thoughts pinwheeling, and your mind asking so many questions if this was a test. You wonder if Castle knew anything, and he was trying to test you if you would tell him the truth. You kept your shoulders straight as you nodded your head.

“Yes,” You tried to keep your voice straight. “Just need some fresh air sometimes. You know… to think.”

“Well, we’re here for you if you need anything, especially your parents. They worry about you sometimes.”

You pursed your lips and looked down at your fingers. “I’m fine, Castle. I can handle myself.”

“I know you can. We know you can.” Castle reassured. “We just want you to be safe. You’re intelligent and frankly, I think you’re pretty good at sneaking out and spying around here.”

Your head snapped back up at Castle, who let out a soft laugh as your eyes widened. Did he mean anything by that? Why did he mention that? Was he trying to tell you something? Or were you just being paranoid?

“What… What do you mean?” You could barely ask him the question.

“I mean I know how you are. You always knew how to spy around here without anyone knowing. I even told your parents we couldn’t keep a secret from you without you finding out soon enough.”

You gave him a faint smile and nodded your head. Castle gave you a warm smile before patting you on the arm softly.

“Just let me know if you ever need anything.”

“Thank you.” You gave him a smile before walking out of his office.

A relief washed over you as you walked down the hall. You knew that conversation could have gone in ten different ways, but you were just glad that it went well. You couldn’t help but ponder over the idea if Castle was giving you a message that he knew something, or he truly just didn’t know what you have been doing these past few months. Either way, it was making you anxious.

“You know your mood these days is so confusing.” You were startled by Kenji, who appeared behind you.

“Jesus.” You froze in your tracks, your hand immediately went above your chest.

“No, it’s Kenji.” He teased as you tilted your head and glared at him.

“Yeah, well, from the way you appear out of nowhere all the time, I might see him sooner than you think.” You said sarcastically as you continued down the long hallway.

The fluorescent lights were so bright, it made you feel like you were in a hospital. You hated the lighting in these halls, and you just wanted to go into your bedroom, close the curtains and stay in your bed. Your anxiety was currently quietly attacking you, and you just wanted to be alone.

“Don’t tell me you’re off to see Warner again.” Kenji said.

You paused in your tracks immediately turning to face him with wide eyes.

“Shh.” You whispered. “Are you trying to get me in trouble around here?”

“With the way you have been seeing him, I’m surprised you still make it alive every morning.” Kenji argued, his eyes widened also.

You let out a deep sigh and said, “Kenji, he’s on our side. Please stop judging him.”

You saw Kenji roll his eyes. “He’s an ass and how do you know that he’s not backstabbing us?”

If Kenji couldn’t even believe you this easily, what would happen if Castle and your parents find out? You knew they were going to do everything in their power to let Aaron stay away from you. That idea made your heart race faster, and your anxiety was getting worse. You needed to shut your mind off, this wasn’t helping you at all.

“I trust him, so please.” You argued, a hint of pleading in your voice.

“I still don’t trust him.” Kenji shook his head.

You exhaled a sharp breath and leaned against the wall, feeling defeated. You wouldn’t be able to convince Kenji anymore and at this point, you didn’t want to try anymore. The only way he would believe Aaron was if they would actually see each other, but you doubt that would help at all too. You heard a small gasp escape from Kenji and saw his eyes widened from the corner of your eye.

“What?” You asked, turning to face him.

“Ohmygod.” He whispered in disbelief. “He… No way…!”

What the fuck was he on about?

You furrowed your brows, confused as to what he was talking about. You watched as Kenji repeatedly shook his head from the realization that just hit him. Then, realization also hit you when you realized what Kenji was talking about. Your eyes widened as you shook your head, your index finger found your lips as you tried to tell him to keep his voice down.

“Kenji!” You whisper-yelled.

“No, he doesn’t!” Kenji argued as if he was reading your mind. “No way… That man… He… He doesn't have emotions!”

“Kenji, I know you two had some bad past before and yeah, I know he tried to shoot you, but he isn’t like that. I swear.”

Kenji’s disbelief washed over him as he walked closer to you. His eyes were wild, and you have never seen him like this before. You knew that he only cared for you, but he just didn’t understand it. He never understood what you and Aaron have. Your heart was beating hard in your chest, you swore it was about to jump off and drop to the ground. You couldn’t find the right words to really argue about this subject anymore because no matter what you said, no one would believe you. No one could see what you see.

“Are you serious, Princess? You actually believe that he is in love with you?” Kenji said it like he was disgusted by the thought of it.

“Yes, I do.” You argued, your voice was surprisingly calm. “I’ve seen it. I feel his love, and I know he won’t betray us. I know that.”

Kenji pinched the bridge of his nose as he continued to shake his head in disbelief. In the beginning, he tried to understand your little hook up but now? He couldn’t believe it, and he couldn’t even believe that you weren’t coming into your senses about this. Kenji tried to process the information that he just received, and he was trying his best to believe what you were telling him but it still sounded ridiculous in his head.

The man was heartless and cold.

“Kenji, I know that it sounds bad but—”

You carefully touched his forearm to calm him down but before you could finish your sentence, everything went dark.

High pitched ringing in your ears was the first thing that you noticed when you gained consciousness, followed by the feeling of pain radiating through your body. You didn’t know where you were. You were sure you were on the ground, but you couldn’t see anything. Your ears were still ringing, and you could smell smoke. Panic washed over you as you tried to move your body, but you couldn’t seem to. Pain kept searing through your whole body as you squeezed your eyes and tried to flutter them open.

“K…Kenji?” You could barely hear your voice, everything was echoing.

You were dazed out and confused and at the same time, adrenaline was running through your veins. You didn’t know how long you were on the ground but when you finally adjusted your vision, you gasped in fear as you saw a thick smoke surrounding you. You tried to turn your head, but everything hurts. You found the wall next to you broken and pieces of it were all over you and all over the floor. You knew a big piece of it was crushing your leg at the moment. Reaching for your forehead, you felt blood, and it made your heart race even faster.

Where was Kenji?

He was just with you, but you couldn’t see anything from all the smoke, and you could hardly breathe.

“Kenji?!” You exclaimed, grunting as you tried to force yourself to get up from the ground.

You gritted your teeth through the pain and cried out as soon as you saw the part of the cement wall was on your leg. Your head was dizzy as you tried to look around and found Kenji’s body just not too far from you. He was unconscious and you tried to pull your leg from under the cement, but it was too heavy. You let out a scream as you breathed heavily.

You have to do something. You couldn’t just stay here. You have to keep your mind aligned.

You reached to try and push the cement wall off your leg, but you were too weak. You were trained for this. You should know how to survive this, so how come you couldn’t think straight right now? How come the adrenaline in your body wasn’t helping you at all? You let out a deep breath before trying to push the cement wall again using all your strength. As you screamed in agony, you pulled your leg from underneath it and laid back down on the ground, breathing heavily.

You coughed up all the smoke that you were currently inhaling as you turned your head towards an unconscious Kenji.

“Kenji!” You called out.

Using all the strength that you have left, you tried crawling towards him, pushing away all the debris that was on your way. As you reached for his hand, you felt two hands grab you by the arm. You couldn’t see who it was with all the smoke that was surrounding you as you tried to pull yourself away from their grip.

“Mom! Dad! Castle!” You yelled out before feeling another pair of hands grab you by your waist.

The smoke was getting worse, and you couldn’t leave Kenji right there. You struggled from the grip that was holding you back, but you were also starting to lose oxygen in your lungs from all the smoke. Your vision was getting blurry as you felt a small pinch on your neck that you swore was a needle that was injected through your skin.

Then, everything went dark.

“Where are we going, mom?” You asked, watching your mom packed your bags.

“Somewhere safe, honey.” Your mom zipped up your bag and turned you around, slipping the backpack on your back before kneeling down and cupped your face.

“Just trust me, okay?” Your mom stared into your eyes. “We’re gonna go somewhere safe. You get to see Kenji again soon.”

You watched as your mom grabbed another duffel bag and packed the rest of your things. Then, you saw Cassandra enter your room with her own bag. She looked a bit scared, but you always found her confidence so admiring. Even if things were hard, she never loses hope nor confidence that everything would be fine.

“Cassandra, mom said we’re going somewhere?” You asked, confused.

Her eyes shifted towards you, and you could see the sad smile that suddenly tugged on her lips.

“Here.” Your mom handed her a second bag before cupping her face in her hands. “Please be safe.”

You furrowed your brows and asked, “Cassandra isn’t coming?”

Both of them turned to you as Cassandra walked towards you, taking your hands in hers. “I’ll come find you, I promise. Just go with mom and dad first. Kenji will be there too. He’s going to take care of you too.”

Tears welled up in your eyes as you shook your head repeatedly. “No. No! I’m coming with you!”

“No, you’re safer with mom and dad.” Cassandra let go of your hands, but you were quick to wrap your arms around her waist, stopping her from her tracks.

“I’m coming with you.” You cried. “We’re sisters. You promised wherever you go, I will be there too.”

Cassandra tears welled up in her eyes as she pulled your arms away from her waist.

“I’ll find you, I promise. For now, you have Kenji. He promised me he’ll be there for you no matter what.” Cassandra whispered.

“No, I don’t want Kenji! I want you to be there!” You cried out.

“I’ll find you, okay? I promise.” She kissed your forehead before finally walking away.

You shook your head, reaching your arms for her, but she was gone. “Cassandra!”

Your mom held you back as you tried to slap her hands away from your body, but she was much stronger than you. Your mom’s arms wrapped around you as you sobbed. You were only 12 then, and Cassandra was 19.

That was the last time you ever saw her.

Everything was quiet.

Peaceful.

Is this what it felt like to die?

No pain.

No worries.

Just peace.

You felt your soul suspended in the air. You didn’t know where you were. Everything was pitch black, but you felt so calm. It was almost like you could feel your fear but you knew there was nothing to be afraid of. The fear that was inside of you felt numbing.

“Hey.” Cassandra sat next to you on the front porch.

The sun was just setting on the horizon. You wrapped your arms around your legs as you wiped the tears that rolled down your cheeks. You have spent the afternoon crying on the front porch after your mom had scolded you for not doing the chores right.

“Just ignore, mom. You know how she is.” Cassandra said, her eyes staring directly at the pink clouds in front of her.

“I’m never gonna be good enough for her.” You whispered. “You know, she loves you more.”

Cassandra shook her head. “No, she doesn’t.”

“Everyone always loves you, Cassandra.” You gazed up at her. “You’re the smart one. The older, responsible one. I don’t know what I’m good at.”

You hung your head low, holding back the tears that were welling up in your eyes. You sniffed and wiped your nose with the back of your hand.

“You’re always better at talking to other people than me.” Cassandra gave you a warm smile. “People always love your charm and wit.”

You scoffed, shaking your head. “But never the smart one.”

Both of you looked over your shoulder when you heard your mom’s voice arguing with your dad. Both of you sighed in unison as you stared back at the pink sunset that was in front of you.

“We’ll go somewhere nice someday.” Cassandra gave you a reassuring smile. “And you’re going to be an artist, and we can buy a nice house on top of a hill with a nice view of the city.”

You smiled at her idea. “Then, you and your girlfriend or wife would be with us too. I’ll have someone too, and he’ll love me in the best possible way.” Your eyes sparkled. “Then, Kenji can come visit too. He’s my best friend. He’s always welcome in our home.”

Cassandra laughed softly, pulling you into her arms. “Wherever I go, I’ll take you with me.”

“Promise?”

“Yes.” Cassandra smiled.

A sudden wave of pain washed over you. Your leg, your head and every bone of your body.

The pain was excruciating.

Fluttering your eyes open, you were greeted by a bright light. Everything around you was a blur. You adjusted your vision, blinking your eyes repeatedly. As soon as your vision cleared up, you were first greeted by a tiny window above the wall across from you, light coming through it. You were still a little dazed out as you reached to touch your forehead. You let out a small groan, feeling the cut that was there but was now bandaged up. You grunted softly, pushing yourself up from the uncomfortable bed that you were laying on and saw your leg was all bandaged up too.

Thank god, it wasn’t broken. You could still move it.

Your eyes studied the four walls that surrounded you. A toilet and a sink was sitting across the room and a metal door with a small opening in the middle. It was one of those doors where you could find in a prison where they could insert food in the small opening. You groaned in pain as you tried to push yourself off the bed. Your eyes studied the small room. The cement walls were dirty and full of scratches. It was like a wild animal was in here before.

You walked towards the metal door and yanked the handle with all your strength but it was no use. Of course, it was locked up.

“Help!” You screamed, banging your fist on the metal door. “Get me out of here!”

“Hey!” A soldier from the other side used the end of his gun to bang on the door. “Stand down!”

“Get me the fuck out of here!” You screamed, banging your fist repeatedly and harder on the door.

You saw your knuckles started bleeding, but you didn’t care. You wanted to get out. You needed to get out. What happened to Kenji? Your parents? Castle? Sara and Sonya? Brendan and Winston? The rest of the Omega Point?

Ohmygod, Omega Point.

The realization was just now hitting you. Omega Point was destroyed, and you couldn’t help but wonder if it was because of you. Did you get caught?

Aaron.

You were supposed to meet him tonight. Did Aaron know about this? Was Kenji right? Was he playing double agent and used you the last several months? Your heart was racing as you slid your back against the metal door and fell on the floor. You pulled your knees closed to your chest.

This was your fault.

What if all this time Kenji was right? What if Aaron had played you all this time? The thought of it made your heart shatter in pieces. You didn’t know what to believe anymore. You didn’t know where you were, and you didn’t know if the others were even alive. You remembered Kenji on the ground unconscious. The guilt was slowly eating you up as tears welled up in your eyes.

“I’m so sorry.” You whispered quietly to yourself. “This is all my fault.”

You couldn't imagine everyone being dead. You kept telling yourself that they were okay. That they were still alive, but you honestly didn’t know if you should believe that. Panic shot through your body as you moved yourself back to the bed.

It was all your fault.

All your fault.

The words repeated in your mind as you breathed heavily, tears streaming down your face. You were weak. You always thought with your heart and not with your mind. Your mom always told you that. Curling on your side, you clutched your hand above your heart and closed your eyes.

“Hey, are you okay?” Kenji sat at the edge of your bed.

Your eyes were bloodshot red because you have been crying ever since you have arrived at Omega Point. It was the first time you saw Kenji since you and your parents moved to the base.

“I miss Cassandra.” You whispered, wiping your tears. “Why did she leave like that?”

Kenji shrugged, moving himself next to you and wrapping an arm around your shoulders.

“I don’t know.” He said. “She said she had to do what she had to do.”

“It’s not fair.” You murmured. “I thought we’re in this together no matter what.”

Kenji softly rubbed your arm as you clung onto him, burying your face on his shoulder.

“Please don’t leave me too.” You sobbed.

“I’m not going anywhere, Princess.” Kenji smiled. “I’m always next to you, no matter what. I’ll take care of you, while Cassandra is away.”

Time was frozen inside your prison room. You didn’t know what time it was and how long you had been in this room. You only knew if it was daytime or nighttime through the small window above you. You had pushed your bed against the wall and stood on top of it to see what was on the outside through the small window, but it was unfamiliar. All you could see were fences and soldiers guarding outside.

It was raining again.

You had slept for hours after breaking down again earlier, but you didn’t know how long you had been sleeping. You woke up and saw someone delivered some food through the small opening of the metal door. You were trained for this. You didn’t know if you should trust the food that you were given, but the aroma of it was making you hungry even more. You sat on your uncomfortable bed, knees closed to your chest, arms wrapped around them and stared at your food on the floor.

It was just a piece of bread and a soup, but you couldn’t bring yourself to eat it. You didn’t know what they had put in there. Sliding yourself from your bed, you walked towards the sink and turned on the faucet to hydrate yourself. Water was the only thing that kept you going, but you knew you had to feed yourself somehow. Turning around, you studied the room, trying to see if you could find a weak spot for you to be able to dig your way out and escape.

You sighed. You couldn’t focus right because your body was feeling weak and the more you were trying to avoid the food that was sitting on the floor, the more the thought of it kept itching your brain. You laid on your bed and stared at the ceiling. You tried to focus your attention somewhere else but being trapped inside this room was making you crazy. You needed to figure something out to get out of there. You needed to find the others. You hoped that they were still alive, but you weren’t too sure about that anymore.

Shifting your eyes towards the food, you slowly got up from your bed and grabbed the piece of bread that was sitting on the plate. You smelled it for a moment and your fingers played with the crust before tearing it apart. You slowly held it up in front of your lips before finally eating a small piece of it. You felt your stomach thanked you for finally feeding it as you tore apart the bread again and ate the rest of it. Then, you grabbed the bowl of soup and ate the rest of it too.

Leaning your back against the wall, you took a deep breath and closed your eyes. You felt fine. Maybe the food wasn’t poisoned at all. You moved yourself back on your bed and buried your face on the palm of your hands. You didn’t know what to do. You couldn’t understand anything or whatever was happening. You didn’t know if Aaron was still to be trusted. You didn’t know if Kenji or your parents or the others were still alive.

You just wanted to scream. You felt so weak. Tears rolled down your cheeks as you sobbed in your hands. The guilt was killing you slowly, and it would be all your fault if everyone was dead. It was your fault for making such a reckless decision.

How could you let your heart lead you like this? You weren’t thinking at all.

You should have listened to Kenji in the first place.

Then, your attention was caught when the door swung open and three soldiers entered your room.

“What are you doing?” You gazed up, tears staining your cheeks as you moved back.

“Stand down!” One of the soldiers yelled, grabbing you by the forearm.

“No, wait! Let me go!” You struggled in his grip as another soldier grabbed your other arm.

The third soldier wrapped his hand around your jaw, tilting your head as you tried to struggle in their grip.

“Let me go—!”

Just like that, a needle was inserted in your neck and darkness took over you.

************

Taglist:

#Aaron Warner #Aaron Warner x Reader #Aaron Warner x You #Aaron Warner x Fem!Reader #Aaron Warner Imagines #Aaron Warner Fanfics #Aaron Warner Fics #Shatter Me #Shatter Me Series #Shatter Me Fics #Shatter Me Fanfics #Kenji Kishimoto #Kenji Kishimoto x Reader #Kenji Kishimoto x You #Kenji Kishimoto x Fem!Reader #cruel summer #blairrwaldorfs

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chimivx · 7 months ago

Text

ghosting ↠ txt

now playing ↠ light my love • greta van fleet

He left you with letters. Envelopes that took you five years to finally read, acknowledge. They take you back through your past, forcing you to make moves not only for yourself, but for your family, for your children… His children.

part three of six ~ masterlist

word count ↠ 2264 warnings ↠ (same for all parts) 18+. mentions of drugs, alcohol, smoking. swearing. explicit sexual content. these people have kids, there’s family talk, pregnancy talk. absent dad, messy family ties. stepsib shit, stepcest. infidelity. if any of these things bother you, please keep scrolling . if i missed anything PLEASE let me know!! a/n ↠ if you are new to this story, don't start here! please go to the masterlist! major thank you to everyone who's read this story. <3 xo posted ↠ 6/12/24 ~ midnight est.

~ september 2020 ~

Four tiny feet pitter pattered on the beige tiled floor behind you as you rounded the corner of the hall into the kitchen. Both in little blue tee’s and diapers, your twins clung to your tail, never letting you have a moment in peace. Now that they were completely mobile, always running instead of teetering everywhere, they were experts in hunting you down. The two were almost two, their birthday only a couple weeks away.

“Mama!” Chan shouted when you paused at the counter, the doors and drawers of the kitchen all made of a rosy toned wood with warm grey tops. “Mama, help!” His words were spoken half correctly.

“Help, help!” Sunoo watched his brother, his pudgy hands gripping the hem of his shirt. He looked up at you with his big brown eyes that had potential to melt you into the floor.

Peeking over your shoulder, giving them a sly smile, your fingers worked at the plastic bag you had slapped to the countertop. Both boys giggled, Chan gripping his cheeks as Sunoo tossed his hands in the air.

As they grew older, as they came into their own, it got easier to tell them apart. Identical in nearly every way, you and Soobin fought through some hard times within their first year of life. Sleepless nights of accidentally swapping them in their cribs, leading into exhausting days of putting the wrong onesie with the wrong name on the collar of the wrong kid… The day they turned eight months old the two of you had had enough and painted Chans middle finger red.

Now that they were about to turn two, there wasn’t any nail polish needed. The twins took after you in many ways, but it was evident that Chan took after his father the older he grew. His features were softer, rounder. His chin came into the same perfect point, his cheeks and lips fuller than his brothers.

It wasn’t something you dwelled on, unless it was past midnight and you and Soobin were curled in the center of your bed beneath the warmth of the blankets where you’ve shed many tears. As much as they got from you, they got from him, and though Chan seemed to swipe his entire face, you’d have to one day deal with looking him in the eyes, everyday, for the rest of your life.

That face looked up at you now, and though you were conditioned to yearn at this point, you were on an exciting mission, one your boys were going to help you with.

“You both get one, okay?” Pulling out two hamburger buns from the plastic bag, you handed one to each twin while they giggled and danced on their toes. They stared at the bun in awe, like they were awarded pure gold instead of just simply helping their mother, holding bread. “What are they?”

Sunoo glanced at you and held it up. “Bread!” His tiny shout couldn’t pronounce the R sound.

Chan eyed his brother, then laughed aloud. “Bread!” His shout was the same.

“It’s a bun,” you said with a smile, taking one out of the package for yourself. Two steps away was the oven, and sure enough the twins waddled behind you, watching everything you did laser focused. “Mama’s gonna put hers in here.”

“Why?” Sunoo asked, pointing at the grey oven. “Mama, why?”

“Why?” Chan parroted, holding his hands out to the side in question. “Why, why?”

Sitting down on the floor, crossing your legs beneath you, the boys squatted next to you. “Because, we’re gonna surprise Daddy, okay?”

“Okay,” they both said, Chan staring at the bread.

“Bun,” he babbled quietly. “Bun, bun, bun.”

“Yes!” Half shouting, both boys jumped. “Oh, I’m sorry,” you laughed, pulling them both into your lap. Sunoo giggled, Chan tried to wriggle away. “Mama’s happy.”

“Happy?” Sunoo’s little voice mumbled, relaxing back in your hold. His twin froze, then did the same, looking up at you in question. “Mama, happy.”

“Happy,” Chan said, neither twin able to pronounce the first letter yet.

Kissing them over their fuzzy hair that was barely long enough to do anything with, you sighed. “Mama’s so happy,” you said, then blinked a couple times. The unease in your gut, that was most likely simply nausea, rolled through you. This time was already much different than the last. “And nervous.”

“Why?” Chan asked, mumbling the word a few more times, turning the bread around in his fingers, inspecting it. The twins were barely two but had an excellent idea of how to keep conversation already, even if it wasn’t on purpose and just what they were used to hearing from their parents. Sunoo watched you, a calmness within him inspiring your own.

“I think because this time it’s…” You cut yourself short, not wanting to finish any thought that came to your mind. Looking down at your boys, at the two who changed your life forever, who have already taught you so much in their two short years of life, you didn’t mean anything you could say at the end of that thought.

This time it was real? The babies sitting on your lap, gazing up at you like you’re their whole world were very much real. This time it’s because you’re doing it with a husband and not doing it alone? Soobin’s been around since the start, this time wouldn’t be any different. No thought made sense. There was no reason to be upset, no reason to feel lost.

Beneath this roof, with these boys, all three of them, you were safe, you were loved, you were taken care of. Adding another little one to mix would be nothing short of incredible.

Amidst your inner turmoil and the boys sitting patiently on your lap, the front door popped open, sending the twins to their feet. Shouting different variations of the word Dada, or Daddy, their little feet took them flying around the corner and down the hall, leaving you behind with nerves shooting through every vein.

Soobin greeted the boys, his light hearted tone warming your heart. “What are you holding? Are you eating those?”

“Bun!” Chan shouted, and you giggled quietly, unmoving from the floor. Tucking your knees into your chest, you bit your bottom lip and waited.

“Yes, bun, good job,” Soobin said, then groaned as the boys laughed. Knowing he scooped them up in his arms, he’d definitely be headed this way. “Why do we have them, is Mama cooking?”

“Mama, hide,” Sunoo told him matter-of-factly. “Mama, bun, hide.”

Soobin made a sweet sound, encouraging them both to keep talking. “Mama has a bun, too? Did she hide it?” Their voices came closer, eventually turning the corner where Soobin spotted you on the floor, failing to hold back a smile. A smirk grew on his lips. “What’s going on?” All you could do was shrug. Chan whined, wiggling around, so Soobin set them both on the floor, stepping a bit closer to you. “Are you okay?” He dropped his chin a bit, a serious glimmer shooting across his expression.

“Yes,” you answered fast, nodding. Soobin nodded back, slowly, then lifted his eyes to the counter and the package of hamburger buns there. “Do you want one?” When he looked back at you, he laughed, utterly confused.

“What?” He reached down toward the boys who were waving their buns at him. “Buns, yes!” Crouching down to be the same height as the rest of his family, Soobin took the buns the boys offered him, then laughed. “What the heck is going on?”

Chan and Sunoo, stepping backward, both proud that Soobin had taken their offerings, had folded their hands over their chests, then looked at you. “Mama, bun, hide,” Sunoo said again, pointing at you.

“Is this a new kitchen game, or something?” Soobin asked, furrowing his brows.

Shaking your head, you pressed your lips together. “Not a game.”

“Mama, bun, hiiide!” Sunoo drug out the words, bouncing on his knees.

Soobin shot him a wild look, and decided to finally play along. “Oh no! Where is it?” Chan laughed maniacally, then skipped toward the oven. Sunoo watched him, then followed, running to his brother's side, throwing his arms around his back. “Show me!”

Looking at you for approval, you bobbed your head. “Show Daddy, go ahead.”

“I swear, if this is some prank to scare me,” Soobin muttered, glancing at you.

A grin erupted over your face. If you had to pick your favorite thing you’ve learned about him over the years, it was how easily scareable he was. “I promise, it’s not.” You hoped.

This had the potential to really scare him.

Chan gently pushed his brother off of him, then pressed his face against the window on the front of the oven, his nose squishing against the glass. Sunoo copied him, taking up the space next to him. Soobin let out a soft laugh at their faces, then shook his head.

“Where is it at?” He sat on the floor and scooted closer to the boys, moving behind them. Taking them both by the waist, he pulled them onto his lap and side eyed you. The twins covered their cheeks and laughed, the sound echoing off the walls. Folding your hands together, the skin clammy, you squeezed your own fingers and gulped. “This game is… easy!” Soobin tickled the boys, one hand on each belly, and they giggled incessantly. “I’m going to win!”

“Daddy, win! Win!” Chan shouted, his high pitched voice making you laugh.

Soobin, shifting Sunoo into the middle of his lap, reached up for the handle on the oven and pulled it open, revealing the hamburger bun on the center grate. Gasping aloud, twins shouting with excitement, Soobins eyes squeezed shut with laughter. After a moment of the boys losing their minds, he gave you a look.

Heart rate skyrocketing, electricity buzzing beneath your skin, you couldn’t ease your smile. “What?” You asked in the quietest voice.

Soobin looked at the bun, then back at you. “What do I win?” The twins sat up in his arms, babbling nonsense to each other while watching their parents converse. “I found the bun.”

Your jaw dropped open. Taking a look at your masterpiece, an idea you stole from the internet, you huffed a laugh. “What is that?”

Soobin did a once over of the dormant oven. He shrugged. “A hamburger roll in the oven?”

“Bun!” Sunoo shouted before grabbing Chan's ankles, the two attempting to wrestle on their giant of a fathers lap.

Soobin widened his eyes and smiled. “Bun, right, a hamburger bun in the oven, thank you, Sun.” Meeting your gaze, your half disappointed, half amused gaze, Soobin adjusted his posture, sitting up straight. “What?” He sighed, seemingly defeated. “A hamburger bun, that’s in the oven.”

Moving closer to him, you whispered, “Just a bun.” Sliding a hand over his thigh, dragging it over his pants and then around his back and up the back of his shirt, you smiled at his sudden flusteredness. “It’s just a bun, Soobin. Where is it?” His brows nestled in the center of his forehead, his eyes darting to your lips for a second. “In the oven,” he said, tone lower than ever before.

“Who’s oven?”

Hesitating, his booksmart brain doing the math, he whispered, “Our… oven.” The room grew quiet, the twins having resorted to chewing on their fingers or inspecting their little toes. Soobin blinked twice, thought to himself, then, all at once, the puzzle clicked. “Your’s, holy crap,” he whispered in a rush, spinning on his bottom to face you, the twins laughing as they moved with him. “Your oven, there’s a bun in… Oh my god?”

Leaning into him, over the twins, caging them beneath the two of you, you smiled. “We’re having a baby.” Tipping his head backward, eyes squeezing shut, he sighed. After a few moments of the boys patting him, asking him what was wrong, he took their hands to soothe them, then gazed at you with teary eyes.

He couldn’t say much, you knew if he tried he’d cry. Wrapping your arms around his shoulders, you pressed a kiss to his lips, a long one that triggered some tears anyway. Pulling away, touching your forehead to his, you drug your thumbs over his cheeks and whispered, “You’re gonna be a dad.”

Soobin’s face lit up for a moment, then pulled into a sure as ever smile as he cradled the twins. “I already am.”

10/7/2021

…At least that’s what Taehyun told me! That you love your new sister so much. Hard to believe you weren’t even three yet before she was here. I’m excited for you, to have a sister. I only grew up with a big brother. Now you guys are the big brothers! It’s your responsibility to protect her. She’s got a great dad, and we already know she’s got the best mom. That makes you guys the best big brothers. You’re getting older now, you’re becoming your own people, that’s… that’s so cool. I hope you guys are the coolest kids around. But, I also hope you guys are the happiest kids. When I see you, you’re laughing, and it’s the most amazing sound I’ve ever heard in my life. Still baffles me that you’re here, that you’re mine. I think about you everyday. I’m gonna get it straight at some point, I promise. I’m gonna do it for you. It’s gonna be okay, we’ll be okay. Hug her, love her, she deserves it…

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