#fic: love’s been shifted now we’re healing

[racerchix21]

Y’all I have this businessman Tommy AU stuck in my head and then I opened Pinterest to be greeted by the top 2 pics of Lou so y’all are getting the beauty of this man dropped on you too 👀

And casual podcaster Buck

[oasiswithmyg]

First Meetings

So’lek x Sarentu!Reader

Hi everyone, this is my first fic ever for anything, this will be with AFAB reader in mind and will follow closely to the storyline of the game, so there will be spoilers. As I'm making this a series, each of these can be read as standalones. I hope you enjoy it ! Any Na’vi words or phrases I use, the English translation will be right next to it, if not then it will be at the end of the fic!

Word count: 2.6k

Masterlist - Next

“It's our world, it's lost…dying, because we didn't fight for it when we had a chance. Now we’re fighting for yours. We’re going to make a difference here. Together.” Priya passionately declared as she looked at you sincerely. Then her eyes widened as she remembered something, “Oh! So’lek was hoping to catch you too. Promised him I wouldn't forget. Tell him I didn’t forget !”

You giggled at how cute and bubbly Priya was, out of all the humans here at the resistance base, you liked her cheerful mannerisms a lot. You could tell that she would be a wonderful friend to have. You nodded and thanked her before you head over to find So’lek.

As you slowly walked through the base, your mind had shifted to the recent events that occurred while you and the others were at the TAP facility a day ago. The reason for the shift being a certain resistance Na’vi.

Oel ngati kameie. I see you.

Those were the first words you heard from him when you woke up after the cryo sleep. Even with all the chaos that was going on at the time, you couldn’t help but feel drawn to the Na’vi who seemed to be very straight-forward, blunt and yet understanding of the situation that you and the rest of the Sarentu had faced.

So’lek, he said, was his name (‘what a lovely name’ you had thought) when you asked him while on the run from the RDA, one of the last remaining survivors of his clan. Although, everytime you think of that memory, alone and running from the RDA, you remember the fear of being separated from everyone and wondering if they were safe. After what happened to Aha’ri, you couldn’t stand anyone else being hurt. But So’lek’s voice kept you moving forward and when one of the RDA in the AMP suit caught you, holding you down as that horrible man, Mercer looked down on you, comparing you to your sister, the only thing you wished and hoped for was that So’lek would keep the Sarentu trio safe, as you almost gave up, He came out of nowhere, shooting at the RDA to save you and told you to run.

When you finally got out of the TAP facility, Pandora was nothing like what Mercer or the TAP said it was. They said that it was a terrifying, vicious, and cruel world. However, to your eyes, It was beautiful, the bright sun, the sounds of the creatures and water of the forest. It was like a new world and you couldn’t believe that you spent so long without it all.

As you walked forward, finding So’lek and the others immediately became a priority, when you finally found So’lek, he was hurt, the concern in you washed over like a wave in your chest, he must have gotten injured while protecting you. You knew at that moment that you wanted to protect him as well, taking his bow and using your Na’vi sense that So'lek told you about, made you realize how much you missed out on life, then getting the dapophet plant to heal him and fighting the RDA, gave you a feeling like no other, it made you feel that you can help, that you can be a protector as well.

However, It was when So’lek asked about your songchord, that made your heart flutter. You can still remember the conversation even though it hadn’t been that long.

“You have no songchord.” So’lek said as he got up after repositioning his shoulder, noticing that the Sarentu he seemed to run into a lot was missing a songchord. There was just something different about her, she seemed very caring and yet so strong in spirit, as he could tell as they were on the run from the RDA. “We had my mother’s, but they stole it” Your voice cracked as you said it, the pain of losing both your sister and the songchord, the only piece of your mother left still hurts you to this day.

Hearing that, So’lek felt anger and resentment flare up in his chest. Not only did they kidnap the Sarentu children, kill his clan and hurt the lands of Pandora, they had the audacity to steal something precious from a child as well. He could not explain the feeling in his chest, he wanted to do something for the Sarentu. “Then we must change that” his voice seemed to soften as he said the words and as he questioned, “What is your name Sarentu ?”.

Hearing his voice being gentle brought heat to your cheeks, and more flutterings in your chest, a feeling of happiness seemed to spread through you, “Y/N, my name is Y/N” you looked at him as your name rolled out your mouth in a hurry. Hearing it, So’lek lips curved up a tiny bit, his smile although small was gentle.

The rest went on with him making sure you understood that you must find your own way as you are a Na’vi and by doing so on your own was the way you can learn and then he finally asked you to join the resistance, hearing how he talked about the resistance made you understand why he was in it and you wanted to join them to help other Na’vi, to help save Pandora. After reaching the resistance base and meeting many new human faces, it was a breath of fresh air, they seemed so kind and you could tell that they were sincere in their welcoming and the work that they do here. The only person you still felt a bit weird with was Alma, but you discarded it as it was probably a long time of not seeing each other. She must have felt that she lost all of you after putting you all to cyro sleep.

Seeing the rest of the Sarentu trio free was another happiness that you could not describe, as you saw them as your family. With you being the second to last youngest, you looked up to Ri’nela and Nor a lot, you tried to be there for them as much as possible, to be listening ear or someone they could find comfort in, especially Nor, as he lost his best friend, your big sister. He was the only one that would rebel at the facility, trying to follow Aha’ri’s footsteps. Ri’nela, she became a big sister to you, but was always worried about what would happen if things didn’t go the way TAP wanted. Then there was the youngest, Teylan, he was like a little brother you never had, he would always hold onto your shirt when he felt overwhelmed and sometimes at night when he felt no one would notice, he would sneak into your bed and cuddle wanting to escape whatever nightmares would plague him. It was why you made a very simple doll out of one of the old clothes you had, you gave it to him saying that at times if he couldn’t see you, that he can always hold on to it to know that you’ll always be there for him. The day you gave him that, he hugged you so tightly, he didn’t let go for a long time. But it worried you how much he seemed to praise and think about Mercer.

Then you were given your first mission, take down one of the RDA facilities near the base which was polluting the land, Pneumatic Tower Echo. It felt overwhelming at first but after seeing how the land, your land, the land of Pandora, was ruined because of the RDA, a determination had stirred up in you. It was what made you destroy the RDA facility as soon as possible. In wonder you had seen Eywa had worked in mysterious ways, the land rejuvenated after the facility was destroyed, with creatures from the forest returning to the land, the flora coming back to life. Teylan called you through the radio in worry after hearing the bang, he and the others were at a flower they found. He wanted you to be there with the others so you could check it out, you had hurried over to the group, slowing down as you and the others came closer to the flower, Ri’nela had gasped in wonder, saying how that it was the flower that opens only for the Sarentu, to connect to Eywa, a Tarsyu. You had looked at it in awe, as you could only barely remember seeing the flower when you were a toddler. Finally, pulling your kuru forward, you connected to Eywa and met your ancestor Entu, the first Toruk Makto, with your will renewed, your heart became content and excited at the prospect of learning more and more about what it means to be a Sarentu.

You stopped reminiscing as you finally headed over to the armory where So’lek was at, looking over his gun. For some reason you didn’t think twice when Priya told you that So’lek was looking for you, your feet seemed to have a mind of their own. So’lek ears turned to your direction as he heard your footsteps approach him, he looked up and his lips curved up automatically, he looked proud as he said, “You did well out there”. You felt happy at his words, that you had helped the resistance in some way. As you looked over at him, you felt curious about the weapon in his hand. “Did the humans teach you their weapons too ?” you asked.

So’lek’s eyes became dull at those words, a resentment growing in his chest as his thoughts went to his clan, from when he could last remember them. You wanted to take back the words immediately, not wanting to see his eyes fill with such emptiness ever again. “No, I saw the RDA butcher my clan. Their bullets slicing them to shreds. That was my lesson.” he explained, his voice low and tense as he continued, “I know how it feels to be among the last of your people. The humans…they are like their guns. Brought here to cause pain.”

You took in his words and you honestly agreed to what he exclaimed. Guns and those strange machines just brought more destruction to Pandora, especially the humans who operated them. But you were confused as well, were the humans here at the resistance base not RDA once ? Voicing this concern of yours, he firmly replied in a hurry, “and I will not make it easy for them to forget. They are our allies now, yes. But, this is not their war. They fight for the ghost of their home world. But we fight for our home.” His words made you think about your time spent at TAP. Although the program was to ensure a healthy relation between humans and Na’vi, it never felt like that. It felt like that evil man had won, “In the end, Mercer got what he wanted, he made us into soldiers.” Your hands clenched tightly at your sides, your tail swishing, agitated and just saying it made you frustrated.

So’lek looked at the Sarentu thoughtfully, he could understand her frustration, her pain and sorrow, he could see how much she wanted to change the way things were and he felt like he wanted to help guide her on her journey, to be her helping hand, he could not explain these emotions well. So he advised her, “You are not what they made you. You are Na’vi. You will learn what that means in time. Starting with this,” he pulled something from the back of his gear, it was a songchord, “I made it for you” he passed the songchord to you, looking at it, you could feel the crack in your heart when they had stole your mother’s songchord from you lessen. You held it in your hands gently, as if it was the most precious thing in the world, which probably was as this was the first time someone, other than your sister and mother, ever made anything for you.

“My own songchord, like my mother’s…” you gently noted.

“All Na’vi wear one. It is your life’s journey for the world to see. For you to remember” He explained the significance of the songchords to you.

“Her’s had more beads on it” you exclaimed in a low tone, trying to remember what it looked like when you last saw it, before Mercer had taken it right out of your hands. You tied the songchord that So’lek had given you on your wrist and examined it carefully, noticing a bead on, your eyes looked at him curiously.

“Each bead is a moment of great importance to the wearer. I have put one in place to commemorate your first steps to freedom. Build on it. Build your own memories. Each one, a new song in your heart.” So’lek explained, noting the soft and gentle look grace the Sarentu’s face. This expression was something he hoped to see, to brighten whatever dark clouds that had been swirling in her mind.

You looked at him, hoping to convey your will to him, “I hope we can. Ri’nela really wants to try. To know what it means to be Sarentu. But at the Tarsyu…Nor seemed confused. Upset.” Thinking about it, after your sister's death, Nor took it hard and felt that it was his own fault for her death, that he did not try harder. He always used to listen closely to Aha’ri with you when she would hum the songs or tell stories of the Sarentu.

“Eywa shows us who we are. And who we can be. But she also reminds us of what has been lost. For your people, that is a heavy burden” So’lek said somberly. He then picked up his gun and started inspecting it again. “The back exit is not so exposed, he may be there.” Noting the worry on your face for Nor, he stated. You nodded with a smile at him, you were about to turn and leave when you remembered, “So’lek,” he turned his head to your voice, a slight shiver crawled up his spine at the gentle caress in the way you said his name, he could see your expression and he felt shocked at the way your eyes looked him in gratefulness. “Irayo So’lek. Thank you so much. For saving me and the others. For giving me strength. For making this songchord and the bead, I will treasure it always and I hope that I can show you my journey through it.”

You turned to leave, feeling the heat rush back to your cheeks at the honest words you blurted out to him, your feelings all over the place. However, before you left, you heard him whisper to you, so that only you would hear, “Be safe.” You felt your heart skip a beat as you nodded to him and rushed out of the base in order to search for Nor.

So’lek did not expect the Sarentu to say such heart-felt words, he had to cover his face because it felt slightly heated. He did not understand what he was feeling, as he did not feel the same with the other Sarentu trio as he did with her. Maybe it was her honest and caring nature that made him feel flustered. For now though, he decided to ignore those feelings. He needed to focus on gathering intel about those who killed his clan and defeating the RDA.

Little did either of them know, that in the future that he would not be able to ignore his feelings and that there would be a bead that represents them on her songchord.

∘ Oel ngati kameie - I see you

∘ Irayo - thanks

Thank you if you've read through to the end ! I would greatly appreciate comments on how it was and any tips to further improve my writing.

[rivatar]

First ever post!! 🫶🏼

Hey y’all!! I’m wanting to start writing Avatar fics, mainly smut (lol). Please don’t be too harsh but I’m open for suggestions and tell me what you think!! I don’t really know what I’m doing haha. And also I wanna start doing requests so lmk!

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Pairing: Dilf¡Jake Sully x omatikaya reader (22)

Warnings: MDNI 🛑, SMUT, age gap, getting caught in the act, p in v, cursing, dirty talk, virgin reader, i think that’s it?

Synopsis: you’re urged to ask your best friend Neteyam to be your mate since the pairing seems beneficial, he denies you and his dad shows you what you deserve ;). Porn with plot.

Word count: 2.6k

Next part!

You were Neteyam’s best friend ever since childhood. For as long as you can remember, you and him were attached at the hip practically. Born on the same year and the first child to your families, you two had a lot in common that resulted in a very close bond. You could tell him anything and he could tell you anything. It was nice having someone to relate to who also happened to be funny, smart, talented, and charming. You’ve always loved Neteyam and he loved you, as friends.

However, as time went on and the two of you grew up, expectations became harsher and duties were falling in line. You’re now both 22 and things have changed now that you’re adults. Taking responsibility in the Omatikaya clan is a right of passage, it’s about showing that you now agree to give your all to the people around you just like all Na’vi are expected to do once they reach a certain age.

Neteyam is going to be the next Olo’eyktan, the most important duty of all along with the Tsahik. You were decently good at hunting and could hold your own, but you were also best friends with Kiri and spent many hours with her and Moat, learning healing skills.

You always knew Neteyam would have to chose a mate once the time came, but you never thought much about it and you were both platonic and never looked at him in a romantic way. You know he didn’t look at you that way either. But once you both turned 21, you had to admit to yourself that he was quite breathtaking in his fully grown adult form. He’s now grown into a strong and healthy man, with broad, muscular shoulders and is as tall as his dad, the present Olo’eyktan.

Today, as you were chopping some food in your hut, you heard a knock by the entrance. “Come in!”, and with that Jake, Neytiri, and Moat approach you with smiling faces. You didn’t expect to see them so you stop what you’re doing and bow your head, signaling “I see you” to them. They return the gesture and Moat speaks up, “My child, we have a very important proposition to bring you.” You nod as in saying to continue, then Neytiri joins in, “Y/n, we know you are a very responsible and nice girl. We also know that you have been steadily learning Tsahik duties with Moat and Kiri over the past few years. We have come here to say we think it would be best for you and Neteyam to be mates and the next leaders for the clan.” she beams.

You don’t know what you were expecting them to say but it wasn’t this. You chuckle nervously and shift in your place. “But Neteyam is my best friend. And anyways I don’t know if he would agree to this, have you brought it up with him?” Jake steps up and says “No, he doesn’t know yet because we were hoping you could tell him and it could be more natural. So it doesn’t seem like we’re forcing you guys or arranging it. It we try to force it, he might rebel. You think you could talk to him? He needs to pick a mate as soon as possible and we know you two get along great.”

You began to feel a bit dizzy and held onto the table beside you. You didn’t want to tell them no, how could you tell them no? So you meekly nodded and said “I will talk to Neteyam later when he gets back from hunting.” Neytiri hugged you and said “I would be honored to have you as my daughter-in-law!” You returned the hug and gave her a weak smile. You felt sick. They said they’re goodbyes and left you with your thoughts.

After 2 hours in your hut thinking on this, you decided you were actually really lucky to be chosen to mate with Neteyam. He was handsome and of course you loved him, so why not? All the girls in the village talk about how much they’d love to mate with him, but only one can be chosen. You had butterflies in your stomach and a newfound confidence as you left your hut, setting out to find Neteyam.

After a few minutes, you rounded a corner and seen the man himself. He looked tired and worn out, but you knew this had to be discussed now. You walk up to him and put your hand on his arm and say “can we talk for a minute? In private?” He lifts an eyebrow but nods his head, slightly concerned something was wrong. You two walk over to the forest, where the chatter of the village can only be heard in the distance. You take a deep breath and just say it, “Neteyam, it’s time for you to chose a mate. I don’t know how you feel about the other girls in the clan but I’ve been practicing Tsahik duties and we already have a bond…” you look at him like he should be able to get your meaning but he just gives you a confused look. So you spit it out, “Neteyam, I think we should be mates.”

His eyes widen and mouth drops a little. Your heart is pounding but you understand the initial shock. He nervously lets out a chuckle and says “But y/n, we are just friends… did you think we were something more?” Your heart drops and mouth dries up. Hot anger boils up in your blood at the embarrassment and denial. “N-no, I know we’re friends now but our duties are changing. We have to do what’s best for the clan’s future.” He looks around and says “but I can’t mate with you, I don’t see you in that way”, he gives you a look of pity and now you are livid. “Why not? Am I not pretty enough for you??” “No, I mean you could make yourself prettier but that’s not the only reason why…” he trails off and your mouth hangs all the way down. Tears flood your eyes and you bolt off. In the background you hear him yell, “Y/n, don’t do this!”

You run through the village, covering your face while crying. You felt so much shame and hurt. You burst into your hut and fling yourself onto the bed, wetting it with your tears. You couldn’t believe he outright denied you. You weren’t the prettiest girl, sure, but you most certainly weren’t the ugliest either! You should’ve never agreed to this or even dreamed it could happen. He could get any girl he wants, why would he pick you?

Night was closing in and you shivered under your covers. You dried up your tears but still felt the sting in your heart at the betrayal. Suddenly, you hear a knock at your door. You’re facing the wall and muster out “who is it?” with no enthusiasm. Much to your surprise, it’s Jake. You scramble out of the sheets and sit on the edge of the bed to then stand up and bow your head and gesture your hand, “ma Olo’eyktan”.

He throws his hand up as if brushing that gesture away, “no need for all the formalities, sweetie.” You nod and slightly smile to be polite. You loved his fatherly way of speaking. You then remember everything that happened earlier and that he probably found out about you being rejected. “I heard what happened and I just want to apologize on behalf of my son. He’s a dumbass” he says bluntly. The human curse catches your attention.

He sits down on the bed next to you. You choke out “I’m so sorry. I thought it could work but I guess I’m not good enough for him. He is probably so used to me by now that he sees nothing special.” A single year rolls down your cheek. Jake slowly shook his head and touched your thigh and your eyes meet his. His eyes are filled with pity for you but also something else, something like hunger. You tingle under his touch.

“You’re a special girl, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about, the stupid skawng. If it were me and I were your age, I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off of you…” he purrs.

The atmosphere changes and you heat up all over. You’ve always thought Jake was a hot dad but you assumed he wouldn’t even bat an eye at you, especially since he has Neytiri.

He slowly rides his hand up your thigh to your most sensitive area. You gasp at the sudden intrusion but don’t stop him. You couldn’t believe this was happening.

“Let me make you feel better, honey. I can make you feel real good”, he smirks. You look up at him with doe eyes and can only manage to nod. “I’ll make you forget about Neteyam, that dumb bastard. You’ll only be thinking about my name now, how’s that sound?”

You feel his voice vibrate down to your very core. And quickly you feel needy, with no shame. It had been a terrible day and you wanted nothing more than to just feel better. “Yes please”

That’s all he needs to hear to start going at you. His calloused hands feel heavenly against your soft skin. He rubs you all over in desperate need like he doesn’t know where to even start. Then he crashes his lips on yours. You greedily open your mouth to let him come in and explore. You’ve never felt anyone’s touch before but he was guiding you though it. You started whimpering and whining and he groans to this.

“Have you ever done this before?”, he asks. You slowly shake your head no and feel a bit ashamed that you have no experience. His eyes get wide and he searches your eyes for answers, “you’re telling me no one has loved this pussy before?” and you simply shake your head again, blushing.

“My God.” He’s painfully hard and can’t believe the sweet prize he has in front of him. He reaches his hand down your loincloth and feels your sopping cunt. His eyes dilate and he realizes how pent up you must be. “Baby girl, you should’ve asked for my help a longgg time ago, you need a good dickin down”, he lowly growls.

You bite your lip and clearly look in distress from needing some relief. He kissed your neck and grazes it with his fangs, while kneading on your breasts under your top. Then he finally takes off your top and reveals the precious sight. He just stares, practically drooling. “Look at these perfect tits, all for me.” You whimper in response.

He starts kissing and sucking on your nipples, greedily tasting them as fast as he can. “Jake!”, you whine.

“Yeahhh, that’s right. My name on your pretty lips.”

He then rips off your loincloth. He marvels at your pretty pussy, wanting to open it like a Christmas present. Then he starts lapping on it. He sounded like a starved man, moaning and groaning on your heat like it’s the best meal he’s ever had. “Ohhh my Eywa!”, you moan out.

He sticks one finger in your needy hole and you throw your head back. “Holy fuckkk”, he groans, “such a tight little pussy for me, gonna have to stretch you out, girl.”

You’re a whimpering mess and he adds another finger in. You cry out in ecstasy and move your hips against him to get more pleasure. “Yeahhh baby, that’s it, fuck yourself on my fingers, use me for what you need.”

His words only edge you on as you start to feel the coil at the bottom of your stomach. You’re seeing stars and his pace is relentless, he coos at you, “gonna cum for me? I know you want to. Let it out, all over me baby.” And that pushes you over the edge as you spill out moans and a slew of Na’vi curses, to which his ears perk up to.

“Didn’t know you had a dirty mouth? I thought you were a good girl?”, he teases. “Won’t you be a good girl, and take my cock, hm?”

You’re still coming down from your high but you get a burst of energy once he takes his loincloth off and his massive, swollen cock springs up to slap his stomach. You can’t believe how big it is, lengthy and girthy. He just grins at your expression and how you can’t take your eyes off it.

“You like it, huh? You wanna get fucked silly?”, he degrades.

“Mhmmm” is all you can manage to get out.

He towers over you and flips you on all fours. You feel his dick at your entrance and close your eyes, anticipating sharp pain. He slowly goes in and let’s out a long groan, “Shittttttt, feels so fucking good”. You only feel the pain for a minute and feel so full. He bottoms out and slowly slides back out and you moan at the sensation. Then, he starts to pick up a steady pace.

“OHHHH, Jake!!! I can’t take it!”

“Yes you can and you are”, he pants. “Taking it so well for me. Keep being a good girl”.

He is absolutely rattling your shit, the sounds of skin slapping and your combined moans and pants filling the small room.

“Such a needy little slut, ain’t that right? Look at you, taking it like a champ. That’s right”, he praises.

He then grabs your braid and pulls you up against him, both still on your knees. He puts one hand on your clit and starts rubbing relentlessly, and the other hand around your mouth because you’re getting loud.

“As much as I love you screaming because of my cock, you don’t want Neteyam or someone to find us like this, hm?” he grunts, still fucking the daylights out of you. To be honest, it gives you a thrill to think of Neteyam seeing his dad fucking you after he rejected you.

You only whimper and bite his hand, as tears are falling out of your eyes now from the overwhelming pleasure. You feel the same coil from earlier rising up, as if you’re about to burst.

“Can feel you squeezing on me, shit you’re gonna make me cum” he pants throwing his head back in pure bliss.

Suddenly you hear shuffling steps at the door like someone just snuck up. You both snap your heads in it’s direction and are faced with Neteyam.

“Dad?!? Y/n?!?”, he shouts.

You freeze a little but are so close to your high you can’t be bothered enough by him. His dad just laughs and says “you see son, this is what you’re missing out on. And boy, does she feel gooddd.”

Neteyam looks horrified but can’t take his eyes off the scene, as if he’s frozen in shock. The blood drains from his face and he just stands there dumbfounded.

“Now watch your old man make a pretty girl cum on his cock. Look at her, she’s cock drunk and just needs that final push.”

He speeds up on your clit and pounds your cervix HARD. “OHHHHH!!!” you moan out.

Jake whispers in your ear, “come on sweet girl, cum on your first ever cock, it’ll feel real nice”, he coos.

And just like that the coil snaps and you feel a hot white rush all over your body. “I’m cumming, cumming, fucking cumminggg” you whine out.

“Yeahhh, that’s it. Making such a pretty mess everywhere”

He lets you ride out your climax and he finishes inside you, “fuckkkk” he moans. You’re both panting trying to regain your breath and strength.

Neteyam still stands at the entryway in shock, unable to get a word out. So much just happened that he can barely process. Seeing you naked and needy under his dad was not what he had planned for today.

“Well son, I can honestly say you fucked up, good luck finding someone better than her.”

[callsign-muffin]

Heal Together: Chapter 5

(Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw fic)

I did it. I made the masterlist and started my playlist as well. They'll be linked at the beginning of every chapter, I'll add them to the old ones as well.

Masterlist + Playlist

Word Count: 1.9k+

You knew that you were good at your job but hearing someone not only tell you that but how you made them feel… your heart was soaring. You studied Bradley’s handsome face. You loved everything you saw, his puppy dog brown eyes, faded scars on his cheek, and a perfectly groomed mustache.

“I don’t know if you quite understand how much that means to me,” You inhaled slowly, “I see a lot of people who don’t get better.”

He squeezed your hand gently, stroking his thumb along the back, “I cannot even imagine what it’s like.”

“I don’t…” You stuttered, “... nevermind. Whatever, it’s not important.”

Bradley sat up quickly, “It is important. What you have to say is important.”

You signed, “I’m just burnt out. I thought that travel nursing, having a change of scenery every contract and the larger paychecks, would help with the feelings of overwhelming exhaustion… from caring for people who will never get better. But it hasn’t.”

“How long is your contract here?” He asked.

“Four more weeks but I’ve already been asked if I want to extend, they’re so understaffed… And I really love San Diego,” You explained, “So I’ll probably do it. But… I just don’t know how much longer I can do it.”

He nodded, selfishly so pleased that she wanted to stay here. “What about another unit? Another kind of nursing?”

You smiled weakly, “I’ve thought about it, I’ve thought maybe now would be the time to pivot towards the kind of nursing I actually want to do.”

“Which is?” He asked, tugging a little at the hand that was still in his, just beckoning for you to scoot closer.

You obliged but couldn’t look him in the eyes, “I wanna deliver babies.”

Bradley’s eyes lit up, “You would be incredible.”

Usually when you told people about your aspirations to go into labor and delivery, they’d say something like, “Isn’t that too big of a 180 from what you’re used to doing?” or “Good luck getting into that specialty.” Nobody ever unquestionably validated your desires.

“Yeah but those jobs are so hard to come by,” You shrugged, “They’ll never hire me.”

“So you’re telling me… that you… the nurse who had me extubated and breathing on my own before noon on the first day she met me, couldn’t get her dream job? Fucking nonsense.” He placed his hands on your shoulders and shook you gently.

You laughed nervously, mostly because you liked the feeling of having both his hands on you. “I mean…”

“Get up and get your laptop.” He demanded, “We’re looking for jobs.”

You blinked at him in disbelief.

He smirked, “It’s an order, Y/N.”

Bradley came back to your couch with another bottle of wine in hand, “Some liquid courage.”

You slid your glass across the coffee table towards him, “No applications are being sent under the influence, just looking.”

He sat down next to you, uncorking the bottle with ease and filled your glass, “Fine but I’m gonna be checking back in with you.”

“How?” You asked sassily, “You don’t even have my number, Bradshaw.”

“Well… I do know where you live but I’d rather be less of a fucking creep and just have you put your number in my phone.”

You held out your hand, “Cough it up, Chicken man.”

He rolled his eyes and handed you his phone, “It’s Rooster, Sassy pants.”

You started putting your information in his phone, “Should I put myself in as ‘Nurse Y/N?” 

Bradley laughed, “I mean you can, but I think we’re past the point of you just being my nurse.”

You raised your eyebrow, “Is that so?” 

“I mean… have you ever invited a patient into your apartment for a bottle of wine?” He asked. 

“I guess not,” you shifted in your seat and finished entering your info with just your name.

Bradley studied it when he took back his phone, “You might want to add a little heart in there… for good measure.” He handed the phone back and winked. Good god, he was so bold. It was so hot.

Your cheeks flushed but you did as you were told, adding a pink heart emoji next to your name.

█ ✪ █▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓█ ✪ █

“Bradley…” Y/N said softly after they had polished off their second bottle of wine.

“What’s got you worried?” Rooster asked, he could hear the concern in her voice.

“I…” she searched carefully for her words, “I’m not sure that you should drive home…”

He chuckled, “Trying to get me in bed already?”

Her cheeks flushed again, bright red. It was the cutest thing he’d ever seen in his life. “That’s not what I was getting at, Bradshaw! Get your mind outta the gutter!”

“Uh huh, sureeeeeeee!” He teased.

“If you have to know,” she explained, “I don’t think you should drive home because we’ve been drinking a lot. And the last thing I want is your ass back in my ICU.”

Bradley loved that she cared so much and was still a little silly about it, “I don’t drink and drive. I promise you that.”

She nodded, “Good because I’d respect you a hell of a lot less.”

“Let’s do this,” he proposed, “I’ll grab an Uber home, sleep off this wine, and then when I come to get my car in the morning, I’ll take you to brunch?”

A smile spread across her face, “I really like that idea.”

Rooster had never been so excited for a hungover Sunday morning in his life. He rarely drank wine, so he woke up with quite the headache but didn’t even care. Leaving Y/N’s apartment was uneventful, in all honesty. He didn't want to kiss her until she made it clear that she desperately wanted it. Yes, they were clearly into each other. But this wasn’t the type of girl he wanted to push too far too quickly, no matter how badly he wanted to taste her sweet lips. 

After showering off the hangover and making sure he smelled fresh, he changed into his usual civilian uniform. Jeans, a white undershirt, a Hawaiian shirt on top, and a pair of aviator sunglasses. Before leaving his bungalow, he checked himself in the mirror at least 15 times. Did he have anything in his teeth? Did his hair look stupid cuz it was still a little wet?

“Get it together, Bradshaw!” He muttered to himself.

He ordered his Uber and directs it right to the parking spot where he left his car in the back of your building. He quickly got in and headed towards the front. Deciding on music felt too time consuming, he just wanted to get to Y/N’s as soon as possible. When he pulled up to the front, he saw Y/N patiently waiting on a bench. Her legs were crossed, she intently stared at her phone, but looked up as soon as she heard the purr of Rooster’s car. A bright smile spread across her face as she stood up, Bradley’s mouth went dry seeing her in a floral sundress. Holy shit.

“Long time no see!” She chirped and tucked her phone into her purse.

Bradley climbed out of his car and met her at the passenger side door, opening it like the gentleman he is, “You look… wonderful.”

“Awww thanks, Bradshaw!” She buckled herself in, “Another Hawaiian shirt, I see.”

He jogged back around the car and hopped into the driver’s seat, “You’ve seen two of the many in my collection.”

When he turned the car on, Scar Tissue by Red Hot Chili Peppers started playing through the speakers.

“I love this song!” Y/N reached over and turned up the volume.

Despite having to drive, Rooster couldn’t help but intermittently look over and admire the woman sitting next to him, singing along quietly, with the wind whipping through her hair.

“Ugh!” She cried out over the music, “It’s so beautiful!”

Before he could stop himself from saying something so cheesy, he replied, “So are you.”

Y/N smiled sheepishly and didn’t know how to answer, so she started singing along with the Chili Peppers, “Blood loss in a bathroom stall, southern girl with a scarlet drawl…”

Rooster just smirked to himself and kept sneaking peeks at her, he loved leaving someone who always knew what to say speechless.

█ ✪ █▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓█ ✪ █ 

You nervously stirred your iced latte a little too intently in its very aesthetic mason jar, trying to figure out how to tell him your news.

“What’s on your mind, Y/N?” He asked, resting his chin on his fists.

You smiled, “I sent in a couple job applications this morning.”

Bradley’s face lit up like a Christmas tree, “That’s amazing! Where abouts?”

“Naval Medical Center, obviously… UCSD, Scripps, Sharp…” You listed off the names.

“All in San Diego?” He asked.

You nodded, “I really really like it here, there’s nothing better than being able to walk to the beach on my day off.”

“I try to start most of my days off with a run on the beach, I don’t even need headphones sometimes… It’s nice to just listen to the waves.” He mused.

The cute server that took your drink orders popped back to your table asking about food orders.

Your eyes widened with embarrassment, you hadn’t even looked at the menu.

Bradley took one look at you and asked for the server to come back in a few minutes.

“I hadn’t even looked at the menu…” You giggled.

“It’s okay, I always get the same thing so I wasn’t looking either.” He said.

You looked down and scanned the menu, “How stereotypically California of me would it be if I ordered avocado toast?”

He chuckled, “Almost as stereotypically California as me, always ordering the breakfast burrito.”

“Are you from here?” You asked, since this was kind of a date, now would be a good time to ask these introductory questions.

“Kinda… My dad was a naval aviator too and he spent some time here before he died. But I grew up mostly in Virginia since that’s where my mom’s family is. But she died when I was sixteen. After college, I commissioned as an officer and haven’t really had a homebase since. I just go where the navy needs me” He explained.

You reached across the table and held out your hand, “I’m so sorry, Bradley. I can’t imagine that kind of loss.”

He sighed and placed his hand on top of yours, “Some days are easier than others, most days are, actually. I don’t remember much of my dad, I get upset with myself for it if I think about it too much.”

“How old were you when he died?” You asked.

At this point, Bradley was struggling to make eye contact with you. You could tell this was a really hard topic for him, “Four.”

“You were just a little guy… basically a toddler.” You tried to comfort him and stroke the back of his hand with your thumb, just like he did to you last night, “It’s not your fault that the memories are hazy.”

He nodded, “Yeah, I guess I never really realized just how young I was when he died.”

You desperately wanted to dig deeper and to learn more about the man in front of you and the people who raised him, but it didn’t feel like the right time. “This feels like a… sacred topic of conversation. Maybe we should put a pin in it and have it another time, maybe somewhere more quiet and private… when you’re ready.”

He squeezed your hand, “I would really, really love that, Y/N.”

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[ino-takumas-baggy-sweater]

A Moment in Time (Ino Takuma x Reader)

First time posting since I rebranded my tumblr to try and get into posting fics here, thought I'd start off with this to put myself out there cause I finished it just a couple of hours ago ) I hope y'all enjoy, Ino is just a little baby and deserves all the love

Small preface: This is set post-Shibuya, but just before Yuta reenters the picture so it does contain brief manga spoilers in the beginning in terms of character appearances. Reader's CT involves sound and emotions, it manifests as a colour-shifting blob that can be manipulated into different shapes and colours to distract, camouflage and other things. It is influenced by inner thoughts and emotions and sometimes takes the form of people she is thinking of or imitates her movements, almost like it has a mind of it's own. (However it's a very small part and only mentioned a couple of times) Also I have no idea if Shoko can actually do the things she is described to do here, so just roll with it

Warnings: blood, mention of a missing eye, shoko's healing, a lot of pain noises, lots of blood :( as happy of an ending as you can have while just coming out of shibuya, fluff

Word count: 1.7k

Shibuya was a mess. So were you, and so was Yuji who has just shown up in front of you for the first time since you departed Jujutsu Tech all those hours ago. “Where’s…” You trail off, your voice raw and defeated as you look pleadingly at him standing beside a man you don’t recognise, “Yuji,” You whisper, tears welling up in your eyes, “Where’s Ino?”

He shakes his head, scrunching his own face up, “Ino got hurt real bad, protecting Megumi and I,” He mumbles, angrily rubbing at his face, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, he’s hurt real bad,”

You quickly race over, your arms pulling him into a hug and letting him hide his face against your neck despite the blood, “Shhh, Yuji, it’s not your fault,” you murmur, “Even if you wanted to you couldn’t stop him from protecting you, he’s a selfish hard-headed piece of work,” Yuji’s body shakes but he makes no noise as he cries, you continue to reassure him softly, knowing what he needs right now is someone to let him know he’s alright. “If he dies-“ You cut him off before he says anything else, “Don’t make a promise like that, Yuji, Ino knew exactly what he was doing,” You bring a hand up to the back of his head and clutch his hair, letting your own tears fall, “You know he promised me he’d protect you, he promised me, not anyone else, me, as if I had a reason to believe he’d do anything different,”

“I hurt so many people,” He sobs, “Nanami is gone, Kugisaki might be too, it’s all my fault,” You push him away from his sanctuary in your arms, holding him so he’s forced to look at you, “Yuji, they’re sorcerers, they’re fucking crazy, they knew what they were doing, we all know what we’re here for and we all know the eventual price we must pay,” You move your hand from the back of his head to his cheek, “You’re worth it, Yuji, you’re so much more than just ‘Sukuna’s vessel’ to us,” The other man finally steps forwards, “She’s right,” His voice is soft, rumbling like a faraway storm, “You’re strong, brother, but that doesn’t mean you have to be strong alone,”

You nod to him in thanks as Yuji’s body stills, no longer wracked with sobs, “Since the first finger you’ve never been alone Yuji, it began with Megumi and Gojo and it will end with all of us, we may not know what it’s like, but we’re here and we care,” A few more tears slip down his face as he lets a small smile grace his lips, “Thank you Y/n,” He murmurs, “Will you stay by my side?” You nod, “I will do whatever I can for you, Yuji Itadori,” You brush your thumbs over his cheeks, wiping away the tears that fall, “Now dry your tears, we still have work to do,” He nods, “This is Choso by the way,” He gestures to the man accompanying you and you finally focus on him for a few moments.

Black hair tied up in messy pigtails, a thick black line across his nose, his clothing loose and shoes that look straight from a goth’s wardrobe, “It’s good to meet you,” You smile as you wonder where he came from, “I’m Y/n,” He nods in return, not quite meeting your eyes but it’s not something that bothers you. You can feel your cursed technique welling up beneath your skin and it seeps out, taking up a crude imitative form of Ino beside you, “Have you seen Megumi since you split up?” you ask, ignoring it. “Last I saw he was with Shoko and Principal Yaga, Ino should be there too, Sukuna sort of saved Megumi, but I don’t know why yet,” Yuji scratches the back of his head while you think for a moment, “Alright, I’ll let you guys get back to the remaining curses, I’ll see if we’re going to move the badly wounded to a safe location,”

You pull him into another quick hug, “I’ll see you soon, okay?” He nods against your shoulder, “Thanks Y/n,” He murmurs as you pat his back. “If you need me, I’m only one call away, don’t be afraid to ask for help,” You say firmly as you grip his upper arms for a moment, before letting go and darting off to where you believe Shoko and Yaga will be based on the directions you were given beforehand.

Once you’ve made your way to the building under the cover of your cursed technique, it drips away into a puddle of red and black that follows you along the ground as you desperately search for Ino. “Y/n! He’s over here!” Shoko calls from a bit further down the rows of bodies, tucked in next to a pillar. Your heart races as you run to her, her hands gently working over his body to find the sources of his pain. You stumble to your knees beside him and cup his cheeks, not caring about the blood as he grits his teeth and groans.

“Shhshhshh,” You gently hush him, stroking the hair back from his forehead, your chest aching as you try to avoid looking into his empty right eye-socket, “Everything’s gonna be ok, you’re gonna be alright,” You murmur. “Hold him,” Shoko instructs softly and you nod, shifting closer and letting him nestle his head sideways against your chest, still facing Shoko. You feel the reverse cursed energy radiating from Shoko as she pushes it into him, frowning as she looks up at his face. An agonized cry falls from his lips and his hands grip you tightly, painfully, but you ignore it and press your lips to the top of his head, “It’s ok Takuma, I’m here, I love you, I’m not leaving,” You whisper.

He struggles and shakes but you hold him tightly, his breaths coming in short wailing gasps, “Is it supposed to hurt him this much?!” You blurt to Shoko, gripped with panic. She grimaces, “I’m growing him an entirely new eye, give me a second!” She seethes. His fingernails dig so sharply into your waist and back that you feel your skin breaking, but you ignore your own pain and just rock him gently. He finally falls limp, breathing heavily and still making small groaning noises every so often, “Stay with him,” She stands, “He needs you,” You nod firmly.

The thought of leaving his side hadn’t even crossed your mind and you work to comb the fingers of one hand through his hair, gently detangling and moving it away from the blood still on his face. You pick up on his breathing pattern and duck your head, breathing loudly and slowly in his ear until he starts copying you, “That’s it, that’s it,” You praise him softly, “There you go,” He digs his fingernails in again, though not nearly as hard as before, and slumps further against you, forcing you to sit back on your butt against the pillar. He buries his face against your chest and you hold him half in your lap, legs spread either side of his waist, “Oh Takuma,” You whisper, finally allowing yourself to feel a wash of relief, “I’m so happy you’re alive,”

He moans softly against your shirt, his hands creeping up your skin at the back and just holding you, “Takuma,” You breathe. “Y/n,” He finally murmurs as he turns his head to the side slightly, his voice rough and low, mouth barely exposed. You let out a soft cry, “Takuma,” you repeat, helping him as he insistently moves up and then flops onto his butt beside you, his eye good as new but his face still covered in blood, “Oh…” you kneel in front of him and look over your shoulder, “Can someone get me a bottle of water?” You call out, but his gentle hands pull your attention, and your body, back to him. “C’mere,” He grunts, his hands moving down your body the closer you get until he tugs you by the hips and you’re forced to straddle his upper thighs.

“What did you say before doll?” He mutters, his eyes swimming with emotion, almost not quite seeing you. “I’m so happy you’re alive,” You murmur, your hands trailing up to his face, “I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you,” He shakes his head, coughing a couple of times, “No, before that,” Someone places a bottle next to your leg and you nod in thanks, looking away only briefly. “Takuma…” You murmur, leaning forward and resting your forehead to his, “I love you,”

He chuckles, his lips spreading into a smile beneath the blood, “I can’t live without you, I don’t want to live without you,” You whisper. “That’s what I needed to hear,” He lets his head rest back against the pillar and you grab the bottle, pouring a small amount of water into your palm and lifting it to his face, “Close your eyes,” You murmur, and once he’s closed them you let the water drip between your fingers onto his forehead and down over his eyelid. You use your fingertips to gently rub the blood off and then rinse his face, drying it with your coat as he opens his eyes again, “You are so pretty,” He murmurs, “And that’s not just the blood loss talking,”

His hands which haven’t deviated once from your hips pull you slightly closer, one trailing up to the back of your head as he leans closer, “Stunning,” He murmurs, his lips brushing over yours like feathers as you share breaths, “Crying for me like this,” He coos, “You’re just beautiful,” You hadn’t even realised you were crying until he mentioned it, his hands grabbing your wrists to stop you from wiping them away, “Takuma,” you whimper softly, struggling against his grip and desperate for validation, “Say it back or let me go,”

His breath fans your neck for a moment and he kisses your jaw, “I love you too,” He murmurs into your skin, “Always have, won’t let you go, I promise,” His mouth trails up to yours, satisfying the flame that roars beneath your skin as he initiates a tentative kiss, one full of love and care. You press further into him, desperately assuring yourself he’s still alive and allowing yourself to forget where you are for just a moment in time.

Thanks for giving me a chance if you got this far, I hope you enjoyed it! Most of my fics start out as self-indulgent writings but then if I'm proud I'll post them somewhere and see what people think, anyway please please feel free to request, send me prompts, anything that comes to mind!

Post dividers from @cafekitsune

[penvisions]

the melting point {chapter 19}

Pairing: Frankie Morales x Baker! Reader (ex EMT! Reader)

Summary: Time passes and heals a lot of things, while others are discussed as the wedding gets closer. Frankie sees the stress weighing down on you amid it all and plans something special…

Word Count: 4.1k

Warnings: hurt and comfort, fluff, light angst, reader has trauma similar to the triple frontier guys, reader is described as having tattoos for plot points, reader is partially handicapped, reader has mobility issues, adult content, adult content, smut, p in v smut, oral (m recieving), the whole gang is here, plus oc inserts, serious conversations, alcohol consumption, alcohol, mentions of past trauma, ptsd, nightmares. that seems to be it, but let me know if i've missed anything!

A/N: as we see this penultimate chapter, i just wanted to take a moment and thank everyone who read, liked, commented, and shared this fic that holds a special place in my heart ♡♡

ao3 link || series masterlist || main masterlist || ko-fi

“We’re going on a trip. Cleared it with your doctors and ensured them we would keep up with your stretches and daily mobility exercises. Does…does that sound okay?” Frankie is making dinner, busy at the stove as he stirs the contents of one pot and keeps an eye on the other. Simple, today, after you had gone to work a shift at the bakery, and he had been in the air since before the sun rose. Lex was in the living room doing her homework, the tv on but muted to allow her to work easier.

You were at the table, having set it up for the meal and now on your laptop answering emails. You look at him over the top of the screen, about to question him when Lex trots in and all but shoves herself into your lap and puts a piece of paper down across your keyboard.

“Mama Pastel, I don’t understand this.”

“Is this your way of asking for help?”

“Alexia, manners, please. Did you ask Pastel if you could sit in her lap, her legs are still very tender sometimes.”

“Yes, papa.” She barely resists the urge to roll the very same eyes peering over at her. She turns to you with a smile so sweet your heart melts. You wrap an arm around her, holding her in place as you shift your legs to hold her weight more evenly. “Mama Pastel, can you please help me with this, it’s fractions. Also, your legs can hold me, right? I…I feel like I need to be close to someone right now.”

“Of course, mija, my legs are always strong enough to hold you. Fractions are no fun, huh?” You smile over at her father, something he catches before he turns back to finish dinner as you lean down to rest your chin over her little shoulder. The soft murmuring of you helping her with the page fills the room, and it’s enough to make you yearn for everyday to be this easy.

But just last week, Frankie had had a rather alarming nightmare, his mind replaying the events of his hearing. He had woken up in a sweat, frantically wiping at his face to rid himself of the white powder he had been indulging in right in front of the judge. You hadn’t been in bed, which further spiked his overwhelming panic. Searching through the whole house to find you sat behind the wheel of your truck, hands tight on the steering wheel as you bowed you head and sobbed. You had a nightmare of your own, dreaming of driving and loosing the feeling in your legs and crashing. You hadn’t said anything other than that, but Frankie read between the lines. You were afraid of hurting them, of causing them injury with the potential for your limbs to suddenly be numb to your control.

“What are we having for desert?” Lex asks as Frankie announces dinner is ready, turning off the stove tops.

“Little Pastel, that’s what you’re turning into.” Frankie pins her with a raised eyebrow, his eyes meeting yours behind her as he settles the pots in the middle of the table on trivets.

His lips are twitching as he tries to tame a fond smile in order to chastely parent. Though you can see right through him, worry and love for his daughter outshining the reminder to be kind and respectful because he knows it’s a reminder that she’s comfortable around you enough to push into your space and seek you out in the ways that she has been. It’s been a little better since she returned to school, feeling more like herself and doing better in crowds. She had even asked to go on the winter fieldtrip, a weeklong thing at a conservation center down South toward the coastline. You had both agreed it would be good for her, even more so since she seemed so excited. But needed her therapist to sign off in the idea before a decision was made.

“Better than little Catfish!” She fired back loudly with giggles that only increased in volume as you tickled her sides and asked her what was so wrong with being like her daddy.

“He’s so good to us, we should both wanna be more like him, I think.” She squeals as she fidgets in your hold, trying not to lose her balance still in your lap. But you don’t let her fall, you wouldn’t dare. You look up at him and offer him a bright smile he can’t help but reflect back before he says to dig in before the food gets cold.

“Thank you,” You wound your arms around his neck, pulling yourself closer to him as his hands helped to guide you into a comfortable position against him. Nestled in between his outstretched legs, you pressed a chaste kiss to the corner of his mouth. You moved to do so to the other side, but he dipped down and captured your lips fully with his own. You had been doting over wedding plans when he had found you in bed, papers and brochures and an open laptop scattered all around you.

“No need to thank me, sweet girl. Want you to be comfortable. You okay with this, not too much pressure on your hips?” His hands were light on you, helping to support you as you stood on your knees over him. But you didn’t answer him with words, instead you planted yourself right over his lap, grinding down on him. The deep groan he graced you with was swallowed by your willing mouth, tongue lapping at his lips to catch the lingering taste of something sweet he had eaten.

“Q-querida, we- you sure this is okay?” Despite his cock stirring in his boxer briefs, his worry for you softened your heart further and you felt adoration for the man beneath you fill your chest with a jittery feeling. You had been lingering, staying up late to greet him after his double, triple flight tour day. It had been marked on the communal whiteboard in the kitchen for weeks now, a reminder that he was still the only one working.

“Frankie, I need you. It’s been so long.” You’re suddenly desperate, having been alone all day. Caring for and totting Lex to and from school, making dinner with her, getting her bathed and settled into bed with a fluffy blanket fresh from the dryer and a bedtime story. You longed for the days to feel just like that, the shadow of Frankie all around the house, in her smile, her laugh, her sparkling brown eyes. Her love for you as strong as the love you had for him and for her in return. The ease of domesticity stirring something in you, making you feel like your skin was too tight and Frankie was the only one who could help abate it.

“I-I want to…”

“Just, let me sit on it. Please, carino, I need to feel you inside me.” You can’t help the whine of your voice, the scent of him fresh from the shower and dressed only in his underwear laid across the bed too much of a temptation.

“Fuck, you can have anything you want, just want you to be comfortable.”

“I will be, once your cock is nestled as deep as it can go, filling me up, stretching me. God, Fransisco, your cock is so beautiful, so thick and hard, and perfect. You’re perfect to me, for me. I love you, mi amor. I love you so much.” You panted against his lips, kisses smothering the words into his skin, his lips, his scruff, the column of his neck. Hands trailing down and releasing him from the fabric.

“Dios mio, mija, you’ve got a mouth on you, don’t you?”

“Let me show you what kinda mouth I’ve got.” You push down further to rest over his shins, hips hinged as you lean down and press an open-mouthed kiss to the head of his weeping head. His hips stutter up, chasing the feeling of your warm breath as you pull back to relieve yourself of his large shirt you had stolen before settling in bed to wait for him.

It’s slow, despite your desperation for the man you loved, the way you take him fully into your mouth and lave at the velvet hardness of his cock with your tongue. Taking him as deep as you could before bobbing your head at a savoring pace. His thick fingers tangle into your hair, gathering it into a mockery of a ponytail to better see your face.

Hallowing your cheeks, you look up at him through your lashes and groan around him at the wreckage you’ve caused. His mouth is hanging open, plush lips wetted by his tongue and puffy from your barrage of kisses. Beautiful eyes blown wide as he takes in the image you create between his legs, blush high on his cheeks as he feels the slight scrape of your teeth along his length. He’s still so warm from his shower, smelling of his woodsy and homey soap. But he chokes on his next breath as you dive down, the head of his cock hitting the back of your throat and you close your eyes to revel in the feeling of him thick and hard in your mouth.

“Get up here,” He moans out, hands letting your hair fall from its loose hold. You readily pull your mouth from him, making sure to lick a firm strike up from his heavy balls to the sensitive tip before moving up to straddle his waist. He shimmies from his underwear completely, shucking them to crumple at the end of the bed along with all the paperwork you had hastily piled together.

His cock nudges against your inner thighs and you take him in a gentle hand to line him up properly while he latches a mouth around your breasts, free from the flimsy camisole you had on just seconds ago. He bites down on the hardened peak as you sink down, slick arousal making it easy for him to stretch you. A wonton moan at the feel of him after so long catches as he grazes that soft, spongy spot at the perfect angle and your hips rock forward suddenly. His hands wrap around your ribs, grounding you, keeping you upright even as you arch at finally sitting flush, hips to hips after what had been nearly six months of being cautious and careful. Nearly six months of waiting and pleasuring each other in other ways.

“I’ve got ya, sweet girl. Just take your time, we’ve got all the time in the world for you to feel good.” He rumbles, voice gravel as he presses kisses all along your neck and chest, nipping at the soft weight of your chest, your lips, your cheeks. Everywhere he could to sooth you while you adjusted to feeling so full once again. “Gonna make you feel good for the rest of our lives, yeah?”

“Y-yeah.” You stutter out, lifting up slightly before sliding back down his length with an obscenely wet sound. His lips capture yours and you hook your arms around his neck, beginning to move against him to spark pleasure across both your bodies.

It was winter, the new year just having passed, Alexia sent off on her fieldtrip, leaving you and Frankie to each other for the entire week.

Open road is stretched in front of you, the tires below you moving quickly and devouring it as quickly as Frankie would allow. You were busy in the passenger seat, one of his hands on firmly on the wheel while the other moved the piece of paper in your hand to get a better glimpse at it over his dark aviators.

“I think we should keep it small, even if the city has rallied to help us.”

“Yeah, I don’t want a huge thing, its already going to be in the paper. An article in the magazine.”

“We can ask them to not do that, if you really want.” He smoothly drifts into the fast lane to pass a slower work truck laden down with a trailer full of yard work machinery, shifting back into the slow lane as soon as he’s passed them and had enough room to safely do so before he glances at you out of the corner of his eye. The flowers, the venue, the caterers, the photographer, everyone one of the local businesses had offered to either donate their services or severely discount you for the event. Wanting to make sure you both had everything you needed or wanted for the momentous day.

It had honestly shocked you, when you discovered just how much the people around the city appreciated your efforts during that fateful last day of the farmer’s market. Offering your shop to those seeking shelter in the chaos, the people you had stopped to help if they were bleeding or limping from the rushing crowds as you searched for your own people amidst it all.

“No, I think…I think it’s nice to have some good publicity for the bakery.”

“Did…did you pick out a date you wanted?” You paused, looking out the window as you felt your heartrate pick up and your nerves spark to life. It was beyond sappy, you realized, but the particular date you had in mind seemed to work out perfectly with all the vendors, with family needing to fly in or travel, with a break for there to be coverage at the bakery and Lex’s school out for the summer…

“I wanted to pick one that meant something to both of us so…I was wondering if the date we first met was okay with you?”

“Sweet girl, that’s…that’s perfect. I was thinking it but didn’t want to influence the decision if you already had your heart set on something.” His hand curled tighter over your thigh, dull fingernails making light marks in your skin.

He helps you out of the truck at the next gas stop. His hands strong around your waist as he makes sure you have both feet on the ground and your cane in hand before he dips to kiss you cheek and lets you loose to make your way into the building. The giggle bursting from your lips and the slight float to the skirt of your dress has him feeling warmth bloom in his chest as he makes sure you have no trouble along the small distance. Someone is exiting just as you approach the door and they do a double take at the sight of your tattoos on display and the flattering form of the dress over your skin, holding the door open for you and saying something you seem to reciprocate.

Frankie busies himself with hooking the gas pump into the tank’s opening and looks up to watch you amble through the store through the wide windows, the guy who held the door open doing on the other side of the pump. You’re slow in your movements around the few aisles, taking in all of the sweet and savory options. But you make sure to grab a dr. pepper and a cherry coke. Mini powdered donuts make their way into your hand holding the drinks to your chest before you approach the checkout.

“She’s a looker, man, good on you.” Comes from the other side of the pump before a vehicle takes off.

“Frankie! I got snackies!” You hold up a plastic bag the second you’re back out the door, shaking it slightly before grimacing and halting the movement, realizing it would make the drinks fizz up. “Oops, my bad.”

“Sweet girl, what did you get us to munch on? We’re only about half an hour out at this point.”

“And where is it we’re going again?”

“Nice try, querida, but it’s a secret. I think you’ll really like it.” He pressed the tip of his index finger to your nose as you enter his orbit. Hand moving to take the cane from you and place it in the truck exactly where you preferred it. It was a beautiful thing, sleek carved wood stained a dark, espresso brown. The hand coated in silver cast to look like blooming flowers to ensure your grip is secure and travel down a few inches. The tip of it capped with rigged silver as well to help with steadying your uneven right side.

He takes the bag from you next, setting it down in the middle of the bench seat, the center console pushed up to create more room for you to cross your legs while you went over stuff. It wasn’t the best position for you to be sitting in for long hours, but you argued it was one of the few ways that brought relief sometimes so he let you do what you thought was best. He had put his foot down and gotten stern with you though, saying that if he noticed it was doing more harm than good that he was going to ask you to try and sit another way.

Truth be told, Frankie would carry you for the rest of your live if you would allow him to. Should you need to be off your feet altogether. A custom wheelchair having been ordered to replace the generic one the insurance company had covered for immediate use after your surgeries. It had been a long conversation, one in which both of you had shed tears during. But the agreement was that it would be stored in the downstairs closet and brought out for longer trips, hospital visits that would take more than a quick pop in and out to ensure no uncomfortable and hard waiting room chairs caused harm, and days where the errands piled up.

While you were recovered from the surgeries and dealing with the trauma of what happened, your legs worked as well as they could. Though the already replaced right one tended to go numb at random intervals the doctors could only explain as part of a degenerative disease that had probably been undiagnosed before the first shooting. The left often got a tingling sensation, sciatic nerve sensitive on both sides making it hard for you to get out and about some days.

Working full time had been another conversation, safety rails installed with the help of the guys all around the house should you be home alone. The showers in the two bathrooms you used were set to be remodeled with ledges for you to set on should you want to, the tubs to be replaced with shower stalls and a fancy tub of your choosing to be put in the master one attached to yours and Frankie’s room.

He worried about the stairs, something that took a longer conversation in which you admitted to feeling like you were flipping his whole life upside down and ruining the home he had carefully curated for him and his daughter. His solution had been as simple as breathing, as loving you: turn the guest room and laundry room into a new downstairs master, expand the kitchen to accommodate the laundry room equipment. The money it would take had caused you to break down, even if Frankie hadn’t batted an eye at the arguably large sum it would require.

Will and Benny had argued that two cousins of theirs that resided in Texas was more than willing to make the trip to oversee the project. They had readily agreed to absolve the labor and graciously discount the materials as long as their flights were covered, and they had a place to stay as for the duration.

You had briefly talked with Joel about it, equal parts meek and steadfast on certain aspects of the project. Insistent that they would be able to stay in the apartment above the bakery. You had promised you didn’t want to be difficult, but the man’s deep twangy voice had assured you that you had every right to be since it was for your comfort.

Trees got thicker on either side of the winding road as the elevation hiked up. Deep in a forest of some part of the northern portion of the state. Somewhere you had no idea of, the GPS on the truck shut off and Frankie leading the vehicle with just the inner workings of his mind. The truck was moved into second gear and the engine rumbled loudly as Frankie continued to drive. He had shut off the radio to concentrate, something you did often as you drove to new places for the first time. A pleased smile pulling at your lips as you discovered things about him that you shared.

Turning off the paved road, the tires crunched over a gravel one as he continued on. You were leaning out of your seat to try and better see the glimpse of bright blue off aways between the trees.

“Almost there, sweet girl.”

“Frankie, what in the world did you plan?”

He just chuckled, jostling your thigh in his grip before removing it. You were about to turn to him when you heard the hum of conversation and laughter through the open window. The gentle splash of water trickling in the background as he rounded one last curve and began to pull up the drive of an impressive looking cabin. It was all dark tones with neutral accents in the form of a large patio that shifted into a deck, stretching out onto a decent sized lake. The water sparkling in the sunshine and temporarily stunning you.

“About time, Fish! Mante, watch this!” Benny hollered as he ran down the length of the deck that jutted out into the water and leapt from the edge of it. Balling up, he made a spectacular splash into the pristine water, causing it to splatter all over the girls lounging on the bank. Morgan and Luciana only laughed as Benny bobbed up to the surface, wiping the water from their skin and turning to wave at you from their spots. Will and Santiago were over by the grill, trading laden down plates with of cooked and raw items from a long wooden picnic table set up right in the middle of the covered part of the deck that doubled as a large patio off the side of the cabin.

“Figured the water would feel good on your hip. Got you a set of trekking poles if you want to hike, but there’s also plenty for us to do around the cabin if you don’t feel like it. Whatever you wanna do, sweet girl.”

“Don’t be hoggin’ the woman, primo.” Santiago sidles up to the passenger door, leaving Will to handle the grill on his own. His sunglasses pushed up into his hair as he reached through the open window to brush an errant wave of hair away from your face and behind your ear. You feel warmth blossom in your chest at the endearing move, grateful for the man that he was and the part he had become in your life even if it had been more than bumpy since meeting him. “Let’s get the week started! C’mon, Fish can unload the truck. I’ve got your favorite beer in the cooler waiting for you, hermosa.”

Before you move through the door Santiago opens for you, you lean over and take Frankie’s face in both your hands to kiss him deeply. Your hands trail down the thickness of his neck to rest atop his shoulders as you scoot across the long bench of the front seat, the center console pushed up. You hook your arms around them to scoot closer to him, pressed your chest flush with his. Tongue licking into his mouth, you sneak your hands into the back of his shirt dip them below his belt and grope at skin beneath. Hoots and hollers rang around the open space hidden in the trees, making your heart soar to be around so many friends, around Frankie.

He seems a little star stuck as you scoot out and walk arm in arm with his best friend toward the hub and bub of the deck, taking a moment before he pushes himself from his won seat behind the wheel and follows suit with a shining grin.

previous chapter || next chapter

taglist: @tanzthompson @clevergirl74 @sullyosully @bitchwitch1981 @anoverwhelmingdin @jessthebaker @peppermintfury @for-a-longlongtime @peppermintfury @tuquoquebrute @readingiskeepingmegoing @christinamadsen @heareball @soft-persephone @vivian-pascal @undercoverpena @undercoverpena-fics

[throneofsapphics]

you really eat up every feysand fic you do, they’re sooo good!! do you think I can request one where it’s feysand x reader and reader gets assaulted by her ex when she’s walking the streets of velaris and she gets home and is in shock. Feysand immediately smells him on reader and they literally murder him. i’m literally projecting it’s ok if you don’t want to write this🖤

taking care of it 

Feysand x Reader

Summary: “We’ll take care of this,” Feyre told her, her voice gentle but she could sense the rage boiling beneath her skin - and Rhys’s. She’s glad they didn’t reach out to touch her. Y/n’s not sure if she could handle that right now.

Warnings: sexual assault, injuries, death blood, panic attack. these are heavy themes, please be cautious of the warnings

A/N: ah you’re so kind, thank you for the request, this was healing to write & for everyone who's been through something similar, you're not alone

She came in, hair tousled, lip busted, and a black eye forming. The events of the last hour rattled her. She’d barely gotten away. Nothing mattered to her now, only getting in the bath and washing his stench away. Washing away the blood dripping from her cut, burning these clothes, and sleeping. Maybe if she slept, she’d wake up to find it was a nightmare. 

She pushed the door open slowly, hoping to slip inside. 

-

Rhys heard the door open, the soft footsteps slipping in. Something was off … wrong. He met her in the hallways, Feyre closely behind him. 

His eyes took in every inch of her - the torn clothing, bruises, blood, the hollow look in her eyes and that scent … he knows that. On instinct, he slipped into her mind. 

A punch struck his - no y/n’s face, her head slamming against the brick wall behind her, an enraged male in front of her, he tore at her shirt, one fist in her hair. A commotion sounded from the other end of the alley, and she took her change, bolting and not looking back. 

Her eyes were wide when he came back out, and lined with tears. 

Rage filled him. Pure, unfiltered rage. “Mor,” he reached out to her, knowing she’s in Velaris. “I need you here. Now.” 

His cousin appeared moments later. One look at y/n, and she nodded, “do what you need to. I’ll take care of her.” 

-

“We’ll take care of this,” Feyre told her, her voice gentle but she could sense the rage boiling beneath her skin - and Rhys’s. She’s glad they didn’t reach out to touch her. Y/n’s not sure if she could handle that right now.

Mor guided her up the stairs, to the bath, and gave her some privacy - without leaving her side. 

“Can I heal these?” She asked with a soft voice, motioning to her bruised face. 

She gave a quick nod, and the female quickly took care of the small injuries. Mor didn’t leave her side the entire night, handing her water and some food, keeping watch in the chair next to her as she drifted to sleep. A tonic prevented any dreams or nightmares. 

-

It didn’t take them long to find the male - and find him bragging. 

He went straight to Hewn City, to the lowest levels - ones where enemies never left alive. Rhys and Feyre didn’t waste any time making sure he had a slow and painful death. After, it was time to feed the monsters living beneath. 

-

When she woke, Mor was gone. Rhys and Feyre were in the room with her. “You’ll never have to worry about him again, darling.” Rhys promised. 

She forced a half-smile on her face and a thank you from her lips. 

“I want to …” her voice trailed, her head pounding as the memories flooded back through her. Of what happened the night before. Her heart raced, breaths coming shallow and fast. 

A gentle caress against her mind helped her breathe, helped her bring her heart rate back down. 

She flinched as the mattress shifted, but it was Feyre. Just Feyre. She forced herself to exhale slowly, calmly. Her hand extended, there for her to take if she wanted to. Y/n eyed it warily for a minute, but slid her hand into Feyre’s. Her thumb ran soothing strokes over her knuckles. “We’re here my love, we’re both here,” she murmured, and y/n managed to drift into a peaceful sleep. 

[niki-phoria]

hello! i’m not sure if you’ll write this but , i would like to request enhypen x older+taller male reader! whereby, enhypen had ended a toxic rs and are now dating m!reader. the fic could be based on comparisons between the two relationship? thank you :)

⋆｡°✩ enha reaction - helping them heal after a toxic relationship

includes: established relationship, use of hyung, implied taller reader, mix of angst and fluff, changed my theme so the line breaks are green now :))

a/n: thank you for requesting !! i hope you like it <33

warnings: previous toxic relationships, mentions of body image/weight, insecurities

male reader (he/him pronouns)

⋆｡°✩ heeseung

(word count 209)

— heeseung has a lot of responsibilities as the oldest member

— he fell into a cycle of constantly trying to help his ex while ignoring his own needs in the process

— so when you go out of your way to pamper him it makes him feel so loved

you stir awake at the noise of ceramic plates clinking against each other and the noise of running water. you sit up from the couch before a dim light catches your eye. heeseung stands in front of the sink; his shoulders are hunched over as he scrubs the dishes you had used a few hours ago for your shared dinner. 

you rub the sleepiness out of your eyes as you stand up, wandering over to stand behind him. “hee,” you whisper, leaning your weight against him. 

“hyung,” he replies.

“what are you still doing up?”

heeseung pauses, glancing back at you. “i thought… you would’ve wanted me to do the dishes. it’s my fault there’s so many dirty ones.”

“no, it’s not,” you murmur, setting the dirty plate back down in the sink. “i want you to rest. you’ve been working all day.” 

you wrap your arm around his waist, guiding him back to the couch. “get some sleep. you deserve it.”

⋆｡°✩ jay

(word count 210)

— jay is a very patient person

— but even he has his limits

— after spending so long with someone who constantly nitpicked his every move, he slowly grew to be immediately defensive

— he admires how calm and levelheaded you are

— it makes him feel secure that you can talk through your issues

“hey,” you say, moving to sit beside jay on the couch. “you forgot to do the dishes last night.”

“i was busy. i didn’t mean to forget.” his answer is quick. the words are sharp as they leave his lips, though you can see his immediate remorse when his shoulders fall. “sorry,” he mumbles.

“it’s okay,” you say, shifting slightly closer to him. you reach over, tilting his chin to look up at you. “this isn’t an argument. we’re just talking.”

deep brown eyes stare into your own, almost searching for reassurance before he lets out a soft sigh. “i know. i’m sorry.” he takes a deep breath before reaching up to take your hand into his own. he intertwines your fingers together, stroking his thumb against your knuckles. “i was exhausted. i’ll do them tonight if you want.”

“why don’t we do them together?” you ask. “we can make dinner too.”

jay smiles at you. “i’d like that.”

⋆｡°✩ jake

(word count 208)

— jake is very excitable

— he’s sunshine wrapped into a person

— so when his ex began shaming him about his “childishness” he started to close himself off

— he loves to share his interests with you

— couple time mainly consists of cuddling and building new lego sets together

you tuck the box behind your back as you enter jake’s bedroom, closing the door behind you. he momentarily glances up at you from behind his phone with a small smile. “hey hyung.”

“i got you something,” you smile. 

jake perks up immediately, sitting up on his bed as he sets his phone aside. “what is it?” 

you hold out the box in lieu of replying, exposing the new lego box set. jake gasps; his eyes widen as he excitedly takes the box from you. “no way…” he mumbles. you smile as his eyes read the words decorating the box before he jumps up to all but tackles you into a hug. “thank you!”

you laugh excitedly as he peppers small kisses against your face and neck. you wrap your arms around his waist to support his body weight as you twirl him. jake leans back to pull you into a sweet kiss before brightly smiling at you. “thank you,” he repeats.

⋆｡°✩ sunghoon

(word count 208)

— sunghoon puts a lot of pressure on himself

— he’s an idol and the visual of his group, so he worries about constantly looking good

— his ex only encouraged his more unhealthy behaviours, putting down his self-esteem and expecting perfection

— so when you praise him when he’s barefaced and has bed hair he immediately becomes flustered

— your reassurance means the world to him

sunghoon stirs awake when you reach up to carefully brushing a stray strand of hair away from his eyes. his eyes flutter open; his lips quirk upwards into a soft smile. your hand falls to rest against his cheek, rubbing your thumb against his cheek. 

a small stream of sunlight illuminates your room, casting a beautiful golden glow across sunghoon. his disheveled hair frames his sharp features. all of his moles are visible without the layer of foundation that usually conceals them.

“you’re so handsome,” you whisper, finally interrupting the tranquil silence. 

“no i’m not,” sunghoon laughs. he playfully swats at your shoulder, shaking his head. 

“i’m serious,” you chuckle. your arm wraps around his waist, pulling his body against your chest. sunghoon shifts so his head rests against your chest; his ear just above your heartbeat. “you’re the most beautiful person i’ve ever seen, hoon.”

⋆｡°✩ sunoo

(word count 208)

— sunoo didn’t realize how much his ex had affected his self esteem until he wasn’t surrounded by their negativity anymore

— he loves when you compliment him

— it makes him so incredibly happy to know you love him

— he tries to pay you back with an equal amount of love and support

“jagi,” you nearly sing the word as you approach, wrapping your arms around sunoo’s waist from behind. you pull him backwards so your chin rests on top of his head, leaning over his shoulder. you smile as you lean down to press a chaste kiss against his cheek. 

sunoo laughs as you twirl him around to face you. your hands rest on his hips just barely beginning to slip underneath the fabric of his gray sweater. the faux leather jacket he had pulled over it lays carefully spread across the side of your couch along with a small, over-the-shoulder bag. his blue jeans fit perfectly; the bottom just barely reaches the top of his shoes.

“you look nice today,” you smile, dramatically looking him over. “those jeans really suit you.”

“you think so?” sunoo smiles, looking down at his own outfit.

you hum, leaning in to pull him into a quick kiss. “you always look amazing, love.”

⋆｡°✩ jungwon

(word count 204)

— jungwon is used to being strong

— he’s the leader and takes on a lot of responsibilities by himself

— his ex had pushed even more pressure onto his shoulders

— so when he finally breaks down, he tries to push you away at first

— cuddle him and let him know everything is alright 

— this moment strengthens your relationship

“jungwon?” he startles at the sudden sound of your voice. he sniffles as you approach, quickly wiping away any evidence of tears on his cheeks. 

“hyung.” his voice cracks slightly as he quickly adjusts his posture.

“hey,” you whisper, bringing a hand up to cup jungwon’s face. you brush your thumb against his soft skin, wiping away a stray tear he missed. his breath hitches as you tilt his face up to look at you. freshly teary eyes meet your own as you pull him into a hug. “it’s okay to cry, wonie. i love you.”

jungwon takes a shaky breath. he buries his face into the crook of your neck as he clings to you. his tears sting against the exposed skin of your neck as your arms wrap around his waist, pulling him even closer to you. “it’s okay,” you whisper. “it’s all gonna be okay.”

⋆｡°✩ niki

(word count 206)

— niki is still very young

— he needs a lot of encouragement and support

— sometimes hate from netizens gets to him

— he internalized his ex telling him to get over it so it shocks him when you’re supportive

— with time and your love he slowly learns to accept himself

niki lets out a small sigh of content as he nuzzles himself even closer to you. his head rests against your chest, just over your heartbeat. his hand slips underneath your shirt, making you jolt slightly at the feeling of his cool skin pressed against your own. niki chuckles, whispering a small “sorry.” 

you simply shake your head, wrapping your own arm around him to rest against his waist. “you were incredible today,” you murmur, raising your other hand up to rake your fingers through his hair. “your dancing was amazing and your vocals are incredible. your improvement is really showing.”

“really?” he asks, shifting slightly to look up at you. you gently scratch your nails against his scalp as you twist the strands between your fingers. “you think so?”

“of course.” 

niki softly smiles up at you before leaning in to press a quick peck against your lips before he relaxes against your chest once again.

[jolapeno]

You truly are too good to us, darlin. 😘 In regards to the #mmvalentinesevent, anything soft between Squid and Soap (especially with his hands). But please, do not feel obligated to do so. I still have to get caught up on your Squid fics, so I'll be more than satisfied for a while. Much love 💛

hands and stars

soap mactavish x f!reader (squid!reader)

warnings: written on phone ha! || wc: 1.1k

He likes the feel of her hands in his.

The way they feel smaller, more delicate. Yet, still so powerful. Soap had seen them disassemble and assemble a gun in record speed; he’d watch them shove men twice her size.

He’d also witnessed how gentle they could be, how they’d press against his cheek and make his pulse quicken. How they’d ball up lightly in his top as she slept, silencing any fears or doubts, ridding negative thoughts away.

When they entwine with his things make sense.

Just like it did when she kissed him down the side of the pub, when she held him close and told him it had always been him.

They had magic in them—her hands—he was sure of it. Not just for the way they make him feel, how they can get him groaning. No, it’s the way they vanish phantom pains and make his skin warm.

“What you doing?”

He smiles, soft—almost to the point it’s barely seen. “Shh, lass.”

He turns one of her hands over, placing his other hand over the top of hers. She feels soft, silken. His thumb brushed over her knuckles, feeling the evidence of scars and healed bones.

If he could, he’d never let go. He’d hold her hand in his until he was forced to part—sometimes, he was. When distance spread between them, miles and miles add into the hundreds.

Now, their backs are pressed against the building wall, fighting the shivers up their spine. The only bit of silence and peace they’ve been able to enjoy in several days.

She doesn’t roll her eyes, but he can tell she wants to. Her freehand pulling at the blanket haphazardly thrown over their legs. Creating the thinnest gap, just enough for the cold to creep in and peck at his legs.

“I hate this.”

“Me holdin’ y’hand?”

She smirks, resting her head on his shoulder, snuggling closer. “No. The fact it’s so cold I don’t even want to joke about fuckin’ you under the stars.”

“Aye… they’re pretty bloody stars, too.”

Turning her head, her eyes—with their own galaxy swirling within them—meet his. “Not as pretty as you.”

“Y’flatter me—“

“I’m trying to woo you.”

It blossoms slowly, his smile. Rids any evidence of a growing smirk, making his cold lips crack from how wide they spread.

“Already wooed, hen.”

He tightens his hold on her hand, squeezing it as he presses a kiss to her forehead. It’s sudden, the feeling of her cold skin against his lips. A huge temperature shift, having already been sure he knew what cold was until he felt it on her skin.

“Mar, y’freezing!”

“We’re sat outside looking at fuckin’ stars, Johnny. What did you expect?”

He lets go, swapping her hand for her waist, pulling her as flush as she can go, and tucking her head under his chin.

She’s perfect. He thinks it so often, but more so the way she fits into him like this. The stars are twinkling above him, but he just wants to stare at her—watch her. Each rise of her lips into one of her winning smirks, dissect each colour that makes up her eyes.

It didn’t creep up on him. He’d thrown open the door for her, let her in—allowed her to become home for him. Something he’s forever grateful he’s the same for her. Her sleepy whispers of him being her safe place, her home, her person.

When she’d first said them, they’d made him feel invincible. Until she sucker punched him in the jaw for being reckless, idiotic—and more words he tries to forget. The same as he chooses to erase how her eyes had sharpened, tears bubbling in the corners.

“You don’t get to make me fall in love with you, and then pull shit like that, MacTavish.”

Her hand slides up his chest, palm flush over his heart. He wonders if she feels it, the heavy thump that’s all for her.

“Y’do that a lot. Place y’hand there.”

It’s silent for a while, his eyes looking up—finding the brightest one, watching it shimmer and shine. Her fingers drawing a shape against his top, the fabric rubbing against his chest.

“I like feeling it—your heartbeat.” She lifts her head, staring into him. “Like having the evidence you’re alive.”

Words catch against his teeth, his throat suddenly dries. His own hand wanted to reach out, brush against her cheek and press a thousand I love you’s against her lips. Tell her he’s not leaving her, not now he’s got her—not after waiting so long to do so.

But, he gets lost in her eyes. Has done since he first got the chance to see them up close—had them be the first thing he sees when he wakes and the last thing at night.

He had always thought it’d be a smile he’d fall in love with, having always noticed them. Until he saw Squid’s eyes when she laughed—when they found him across a room and silenced every sound.

Blinking, he finds her staring. That knowing smile written over her face as if she knows what he’s thinking. She probably does, knowing Mari. Her fingers balled up over the space above his chest, as his own hand rose to take it, bringing it to his lips.

“Since you dragged us out there, you going to look at the stars at some point tonight?”

“Nah,” he whispers, pulling her hand back under the blanket. “Rather stare at the prettiest thing out ‘ere.”

She smirks, sinking down, finding her place under his arm and chin. “Didn’t realise there was a reflection out here.”

“Ay, give ova’ will yer.”

She laughs, until it fades into silence, quickly followed by the softest whisper: “Thank you... for tonight, Johnny.”

“Yer welcome, Squid.”

Pressing a kiss to her forehead, tightening his hold on her as they sit under the stars. Listening to her breathing soften, watching the condensation from it bleed into the air.

“Don’t fall asleep on me, Mar.”

She shifts, ever so slightly. “Shh, baby.”

He smiles. One wider than he’s done for a while, pressing his grin to her hairline, feeling her relax—the most perfect feeling in the world.

[spookyscarydemonbabe]

Work Wife

A/N- I’m slowly starting to get back into loving Gareth again after my breakup, and though i’m still trying to get better and heal from it, i think if i try my best to work on fics for him it’ll make me feel better 🥰 (cause i know Gareth would treat me right 😍)

Summary- You have a pretty close relationship with your coworker Gareth, and you don’t realize you have a crush on him until another coworker finally gives you a label.

Genre- Fluff

Warnings- None :)

Tag List- @imagine-all-the-imagines @thatsthewaythechrissycrumbles

Words- 4.8k

“I’m sorry… you’d fuck the toxic avenger?”

“Are you kidding?!” You nearly shouted at Gareth from your place behind the register, “Of course i would, he’s the good guy, and he’s like the sweetest guy in the whole movie.”

“I don’t know, something about him just turns me off…” Gareth shrugged at his spot at the end of the checkout lane, his hands fidgeting with the paper bags in front of him to make it seem like he was working.

“Oh, but Seth ‘fingernails falling off, acid vomiting, insect-man’ Brundle turns you on?” You giggled.

“Come on! It’s Jeff Goldblum, i think you can cut me some slack for that.”

“Yeah, i guess you’re right.”

You and Gareth were bored at work once again during another one of your shared 8 hour shifts at Bradley’s, and just like usual your conversation turned from talking about cheesy horror flicks to another game of ‘Fuck, Marry, Kill’.

Your friendship was definitely strange, at least it seemed strange when you tried to describe it to other people. You were best friends at work and though you had gone to the same school and even had a few classes in the past all of your conversations outside of your shifts had just been small talk with one another. But once the two of you were on the clock together you were inseparable

You’d talk like you’d known each other for years, pick on one another, and whenever you could you tried to make it seem like every task was a two person job.

Trash run? You needed Gareth to help you lift the heavy bags into the dumpster.

Restocking the freezers? If you were helping Gareth it would go by twice as fast if it was just himself doing it.

Stuck at the register? Well someone had to be at the end to help bag all the customers groceries.

Each and every time you two shared a shift you knew it was going to be fun. He just made the day go by so much faster when he was there with you.

You had been there for a few months prior to him getting hired, you were even the one who trained him, but for some reason you just took a liking to one another. It was nice to be able to work with someone you considered a friend. Even though you rarely spoke when the uniforms were off.

Your conversation at the register was soon interrupted by the sound of someone pulling their cart into your lane, and though the two of you often complained afterwards about having to actually work at your job, your managers knew that putting the two of you together meant that you would always get everything done quickly and correctly.

You gave the older woman a smile and quickly scanned her items, sliding them down to Gareth to bag them up for her.

“Alright, it’s going to be $43.26.”

She handed you a few bills and you quickly grabbed her change, giving her a smile and a wave and Gareth doing the same before turning back to you,

“We’re you even paying attention to what she was buying?” He said with a laugh.

“No?” You said giggling back, “Was i supposed to?”

“That lady was buying Vaseline, condoms, Kleenex, and one of those home life magazines with all the recipes in it.”

The two of you were giggling at the thought of you not even paying attention to notice the strange things she had bought, and at this time of night.

It had been dark out for a few hours and the stores hours changing to be open later during the summer were nice in theory, more hours always means more money, but it definitely brought in a few weirdos evert now and then after dark.

You glanced over at the clock on the wall to check the time.

6:34 pm.

Almost halfway finished with your shift.

You sighed and looked back over to Gareth,

“Still got another five and a half hours until 11.”

Gareth smiled and looked around to see if any of your other coworkers could see the two of you, watching as they continued on with their shifts before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a lighter and what looked to be a pill bottle, though there was no pills inside to be seen. Only a few pre-rolls and some smaller bits of flower stuck near the bottom.

“I think we’ll be fine after our break.” He said with a smile, raising his eyebrows at you before slipping the lighter and bottle back into his pocket.

“Oh thank god,” You said with a smile, leaning over the counter and resting your body onto your elbows to whisper to Gareth without the threat of your managers hearing, “i cant be here another 5 hours sober.”

You smiled at one another and took another look around the store, trying to see if your manager was lurking around. More often than not, if there was a late shift that the two of you shared, during your breaks you’d chill together in one of your cars with some snacks you ‘borrowed’ while your manager wasn’t looking and smoke together. It was a nice little pick me up during all those boring shifts, and needless to say whenever Gareth supplied it always made the rest of the night a little more fun.

“Want to see if they’ll let us go early?” You asked, giving him puppy dog eyes to help convince him to take your side and ask the manager on shift if they’ll let the two of you take your break just a little earlier than normal.

He smiled and rolled his eyes, knowing that meant he would be the one to ask,

“Fine, but we’re doing it in your car this time.

“Works for me!” You smiled and as Gareth walked past you, you quickly grabbed his arm to get his attention, “Want anything? I was gonna grab some chips or something.”

“Yeah, grab me some cherry sours if they have them.”

“Got it.”

You smiled and glanced around the store. No customers. The perfect opportunity to sneak a few aisles over and grab your snacks, just hoping that if your coworkers caught you you’d be able to talk them out of snitching to your manager.

As you saw Gareth walk into the managers office you quickly ran over and saw that one of your other work friends was thankfully stocking the candy aisle. You approached them with a smile and and stood before them as they were kneeled on the floor, placing boxes of charleston chews and bags of jelly beans into their proper places on the shelves,

“Hey, i think a bag of cherry sours accidentally got lost today,” You leaned over and grabbed one of the small bags of the little red candies, hiding them under your shirt, “you know where they went?”

They smiled to you and went back to restocking the shelves,

“Nope. No idea.”

You smirked and took a glance down the end of the aisle, spotting a display with a few bags of chips on it,

“I think a bag of ruffles might’ve gotten lost too, right?”

“Sure.” They said with a laugh, “You sneaking some snacks for you and your little work husband during your break?”

You stood there for a moment and shot them a confused look, thinking over the little nickname they had given to Gareth,

“Work husband?” You said with a laugh, “What do you mean?”

“Are you kidding? I see the way you guys always are always together doing something here, it’s rare to find you two apart. Don’t get me wrong, it’s cute to see how you act around each other but fuck, you guys need to stop making it so obvious.”

They were right, and you knew they were right too. You and Gareth were barely apart during your shifts and you were always around one another, goofing off or making every task a two person job, but having to hear someone on the outside tell you about what they noticed when witnessing your friendship was a little eye opening. Though you were still confused at what they were hinting at,

“Making what obvious? What are you talking about?”

“You mean to tell me you don’t know that you like each other?”

You pondered their statement for a moment as you stood in the middle of the aisle.

It had never crossed your mind that maybe you might’ve had a little crush on Gareth, and though he was sweet and funny and a little dorky, there was never a time you could remember when you had thought about having a crush on him. Maybe it was just how the two of you acted with each other, like your coworker had said, it was rare to see the two of you apart.

And then the little things started to creep back into your thoughts.

Always getting a little giddy seeing your names next to one another on the schedule when you were working the same shift. Paying attention to his laugh or his smile when you were having another one of your regular work conversations, playing ‘fuck, marry, kill’ with all the horror creatures you could think of or trying to see how long it would take for your managers to notice you had stocked all the cereal boxes backwards on the shelf, or even when you were picking on one another for working just a little too hard at your job. The way he would always sweet talk the managers to let you take your breaks early or get an extra 10 minutes just to spend more time with you, sharing a joint in his car while whatever cassette he was listening to played in the background while you enjoyed one another’s company. Now that you were thinking about it, he did get a little more touchy than normal when you were smoking together. It was nothing that would make you uncomfortable, but you noticed he would always move a little closer next to you on the bench seat, resting his head onto your shoulder as soon as he started to feel more relaxed which always ended up with your arm around his shoulder and your fingers playing with his soft curls.

Did he have a crush on you?

Or more importantly, did you have a crush on him, and just not notice it?

“It’s not like that, we’re just…” You tried to think of the right word for your relationship, and though you knew ‘work husband’ and ‘work wife’ described it perfectly, you knew the sound of it would make you blush, “friends.”

Your coworker laughed to themselves,

“I don’t know (y/n), you hesitated a bit on that.”

“We are!” You giggled, “We’re just friends, i swear.”

“Well, maybe you should have a talk with him about it on your break.” They shrugged and you turned your head as you heard footsteps approaching you down the aisle, thankful it was only Gareth coming back from talking with the manager, “i see how he looks at you, talk to him.”

You smiled to Gareth and tried to ignore your coworkers comments as he approached closer to you with a smile on his face,

“We’re good to go on our break,” He waved to your other coworker as they continued on with stocking and handed you your jacket, “here, it’s cold out, i figured i’d grab it while i was back there. And i managed to talk them into letting us take an extra 10 minutes if we get all the freezers restocked after.”

You took it with a smile and checked your pockets for your car keys, your coworker glancing up at you from their place on the floor with a smirk. You lightly kicked their foot and nodded Gareth to follow you through the aisle, making sure to grab a bag of ruffles from the stand before sneaking out the back door to your car. The chilly fall wind blew through Gareths hair and you giggled as he tried to brush it out of his eyes once you reached your car.

You unlocked your side and quickly got in, reaching over to pull the lock and let Gareth in next to you. The keys were put into the ignition and you switched the car on, fixing the heat as Gareth sifted through the collection of tapes you kept in your car, holding one up as he flicked the inside light on,

“Iron Maiden?”

He glanced over at you as you pulled your jacket off once you were well adjusted to the heat and untied your apron from around your waist, setting the chips down between you on the bench seat,

“Yeah sure, just as long as you don’t sing every word.” You said with a giggle.

“You know i can’t make any promises like that.”

Gareth smiled and put the tape into the radio, rewinding it just a bit and pressing play.

The music played softly, and though you tried to focus on the song, your mind was racing. All you could think about was what your coworker had said to you and the current situation you were in.

You and Gareth were alone, it was quiet, a good song playing in the background while he fished out the lighter and the bottle from his pocket. It wasn’t like this was something brand new to you two, in fact this was the third time this week where you had been in a situation like this, but after getting the thought into your head of not knowing if you had a crush on him or not it felt so much more different.

“You alright?” Gareth said to you as he passed you the already lit joint between his fingers.

“Yeah! Yeah, i’m fine…” You said with a smile as you took the joint and placed it between your lips, feeling slightly embarrassed as you took a drag and blew the smoke out of your cracked window, not knowing he had caught you zoning out to the thought of him.

“Alright, if you say so.” He said with a smile and settled into his seat, “You remembered my cherry sours right?”

You quickly nodded after your second hit and passed it back to him, lifting up your shirt slightly and tossing him the bag from underneath,

“You know i never forget our snacks, and i’m offended that you even thought i would.”

You shared a laugh with one another before he took a hit and opened the bag, holding it out towards you to offer you first grab. You reached in and took a few, popping them into your mouth and scrunching your nose up as soon the sour hit your tongue. You glanced over to Gareth and watched as he poured a few from the bag into his mouth, making you giggle,

“Christ, how do you eat them like that?”

He shot you a strange look as he was chewing, swallowing a few to get a sentence out,

“What do you mean? They’re delicious.”

“Oh i’m not arguing that they’re not delicious, but they’re so sour, and you just ate like 10 with no issues,” You snatched the joint from his fingers and took a quick hit, “you keep eating them like that and your tongue is gonna get all torn up.”

Gareth shrugged and poured a few more into his mouth as you took another hit,

“Well if my tongue is gonna get all torn up then so be it, cause i refuse to stop eating them.”

You giggled again and as he swallowed his second mouthful you handed the joint back to him, watching as he took the filter between his fingers and brought it to his lips, stained a light red from the cherry candies. You knew your staring would make you blush and you quickly looked out the window, staring up at the night sky to try and distract yourself from thinking of Gareth’s lips and how sweet they must taste.

Your eyes darted around the deep dark sky, looking over all the stars and trying to focus on finding the constellations before you felt a tap on your knee, snapping you out of your trance,

“(y/n)!” Gareth said, almost shouting at you, with a smile. The joint was held out to you and you took it between your fingers once again.

“Sorry, i just got a little distracted…” You placed it between your lips and took a long drag, noticing that Gareth had moved the bag of chips between you on the seat and inched closer to you. A telltale sign that he was definitely high, and he was definitely looking to feed how touch starved he was.

“You feeling alright?” He asked as you took another hit.

“Yeah, im fine.” You blew the smoke out of the cracked window and offered the joint back to him, which at this point had almost been burned to its end, “Why?”

“Because you’re not,” He said with a laugh, taking one last hit before flicking the roach out the window, “and i know you’re not. You’re being too quiet and usually you’re never able to shut up when we smoke.”

You smiled and playfully kicked at his leg,

“Shut up! That’s not true!”

“It is! You know how we act when we’re high, i get touchy and you ramble, that’s how it’s always been and now i can’t seem get you to want to talk to me. Everything was fine before we came out here, did something happen?”

You shook your head and pursed your lips,

“Nope. Nothing happened.”

Gareth leaned back into his seat, moving his hands into his lap like he was scared to be close to you,

“Did i do something?” You could hear the fear in his voice, and usually it was apparent when Gareth was scared, especially after a bad high and you’ve seen how he’s acted when he was like that. But this was different, and you could tell it was a different kind of fear, like he was nervous he had done something or said something to make the friendship you had beforehand shift.

“No!” You reached out and gently held your hand over his to reassure him that this wasn’t something he had caused, “You didn’t do anything at all, i promise.”

“Then what is it?”

You hesitated for a few moments, nervous to bring up what was really on your mind. This was something that you knew had to be brought up eventually, you just weren’t prepared for it to happen so quickly,

“It’s just…” You looked down at your hand still over his, and Gareth could tell that you were nervous. He moved his hands in his lap as he inched closer to you on the bench seat, gently taking your hand into his.

“It’s alright (y/n) you can tell me. I mean, it can’t be that bad can it?”

You knew he was just trying to make you better, and though you didn’t want to have to confront your possible feelings for Gareth tonight, you knew it had to happen wether you wanted it to or not.

“It’s not. It’s just that…” You took a deep breath trying to compose yourself before having a conversation as difficult as this. The fear wasn’t coming from having to talk to him about your feelings for one another, or lack thereof, but it was from saying something that could possibly ruin the friendship you two had. You didn’t want this to be the reason you lost your best friend.

“When i was inside getting our snacks, someone said something about us. It just got me thinking, you know?”

Gareth moved closer to you, and you looked back up to him as your thighs touched,

“What do you mean? Thinking bad, or thinking good?”

“I don’t know… I guess it could be both.” You said with a gentle laugh.

“What did they say?”

“They said…” You took another deep breath and started to play with Gareths fingers as his hand still stayed in yours to distract yourself a bit, “they said something about us. About how the way we acted with each other was cute and that i was like your ‘work wife’ and you were my ‘work husband’. I’ve just been thinking about it.”

Gareth smirked and looked at your hands intertwined with one another, watching your fingers still playing with his as a gentle blush spread across his cheeks. It may have been dark but you knew him better than that, and you could tell when he was a little flustered, though his silence was a bit worrying.

“Alright, now you’re being too quiet and it’s starting to scare me a little.”

He looked back up to you, a smile still on his lips,

“I mean, that is a cute way to put it.”

You shared a laugh and you smiled, feeling the weight lift off of your shoulders, thankful that Gareths reaction was a positive one,

“I’m just glad you don’t think it’s weird, i feel like i was overthinking the whole thing.”

“Overthinking? About what?”

You shrugged and looked back down at his hand in yours,

“Just us, i guess. Especially because of what they were saying.”

He inched himself closer into you, your sides pressed together, and though this was something normal for you it felt different now that you were talking about your friendship, or whatever it was that you could call your relationship.

“What else were they saying?”

“More stuff about us. Things they noticed.” You said with a little smile, recalling all the little moments you had shared with Gareth since you had started doing your shifts together, “They said that they saw how we act with each other, how were always together, and that they sometimes catch you looking at me a certain way.”

You looked back up to Gareths face and saw that he had his head slightly tilted down, the gentle blush that once covered his cheeks was darker and much more apparent, though it wasn’t out of embarrassment or nervousness. The bashful smile on his lips made it apparent that he knew his feelings were found out, and your eyes widened at your sudden realization.

All of the things your coworker had said were true.

The way Gareth acted around you, how he always went out of his way to make you laugh or smile during even the most frustrating parts of your shift, always being a gentleman around you even when he was high and bit more touchy than usual. It made perfect sense. It was clear to you that he had feelings for you, but somehow you still weren’t sure of your feelings for him.

You tilted your head down just a bit to get a better look at his face,

“Do you like me Gare?”

His eyes moved first to meet your gaze before he slowly looked back up to you, a shy smile still on his lips as he nodded.

You smiled back to him, your thumb moving over the back of his hand as you felt your cheeks warm up at the thought of finally confirming Gareths crush on you.

It was strange.

This was the first time that someone you knew you liked, a guy that was sweet and funny and honest, someone that was your friend that you could trust confirmed that they had feelings for you. It felt like you were back in grade school, starting to get those little crushes on your classmates that you saw every day and get shyer and shyer around them until you got too nervous to say anything. And yet, you still couldn’t be sure of your feelings for him.

You knew you liked him, you loved having him as your friend and as someone that you could trust and talk to about anything and everything, but in regards to romance you just couldn’t be certain until you figured it out for yourself.

“Do you like me too?” Gareth asked, the nervousness in his tone coming back as he looked to your face for any sign of a reaction.

You looked down at your hands, your thumb still slowly caressing the back of his hand,

“I don’t know… I mean, i know that i like you as a person. I love having you as my friend, and i love talking to you and seeing you and being able to spend time with you, and don’t get me wrong i think you’re very cute. I just don’t know if i have those kind of feelings for you, even though i feel like i should.”

Gareth understood exactly what you were saying.

You did really like each other as people, and as friends, and even he had a difficult time convincing himself that he had a crush on you when he first realized it. You both were scared of possibly ruining the friendship that had sparked between you, and it was scary to think about one wrong move or sentence ruining a friendship like that.

“It’s alright if you don’t (y/n). If you don’t like me like that then i’m ok with it, just as long as we can still be friends. I still like you as a person, that’s never going to change.”

You looked back up to him and smiled, and your thoughts were racing in your head. You were fine with just being friends but you needed some kind of closure to confirm wether or not you really had feelings for him.

He was someone you loved having as a friend, but maybe he would work better with you as a boyfriend instead of just a work friend.

“Can i…” You hesitated for a moment, a pit of fear forming in your stomach from the thought of your next few words ruining your friendship, “Can i kiss you? Just to make sure.”

His eyes went wide, the blush on his cheeks becoming darker than before,

“You’re sure that’s what you want? It’s not just the weed talking right? You’re sentient enough to think straight?”

“Yes, i promise it’s not the weed. I want to. I want to know if it’s right for me to feel that way about you. I’m done being confused.”

“Alright, if you say so.” Gareth turned his body towards yours, your hands separating as his went to carefully hold your waist and yours were draped over his shoulders.

You took a deep breath and inched closer to him,

“If i do this, and it doesn’t feel right, it’s not going to ruin us being friends right?”

“Not if you don’t want it to ruin it. If it feels wrong then i promise i won’t ever bring it up. We can just forget it ever happened and when we go back to work we go back to how we were beforehand.”

You pursed your lips and nodded gently,

“And if i don’t feel the same after, it won’t hurt your feelings?”

“Of course not. Well, it might hurt for a little bit, but as long as we can still be friends afterwards then i’ll be ok with it. I’d just be happy to still have you as a friend.”

A gentle smile spread over your lips as you nodded again, taking one last deep breath as your eyes wandered over Gareths face, and he was doing the same.

As your gaze finally fell to his lips, you slowly inched yourself closer into him, your lips gently grazing one another’s as Gareth waited for you to initiate it. Without a second thought, your lips pressed to his, gently taking his bottom lip between yours and the feeling was nothing short of breathtaking.

He held you so gently, his hair felt so soft between your fingers, and the taste of his lips felt so sweet as they were against yours.

This was right.

This was perfect.

This had finally confirmed the feelings you had been so afraid to admit to yourself.

You didn’t just like Gareth, you loved him.

You loved your best friend.

And he loved you back.

As your lips parted, you felt a rush of air enter your lungs, your hands still around Gareths neck as your fingers played with the ends of a few of the curls on the back of his neck. His hands had a firm grip on your waist, his thumbs slowly caressing your sides as you held one another close, your foreheads pressed together as you tried to recollect yourselves after the rush of emotions that had been made apparent after your kiss.

Gareth knew exactly what you were feeling, and knowing that this moment had been one he was waiting weeks and weeks for he was happy to know that what you felt for him was the same way he felt for you.

One of his hands moved up to hold your cheek as he brought you back into him, kissing you deeper than before, and you could feel him smile as his lips were against yours.

Thank god he had talked the manager into giving you those extra 10 minutes.

[a-small-batch-of-dragons]

The Vent

Hi, I really loved your among us fic stuff. I was wondering if you have anything in the works for that at the moment. I just really love your little bean blorbos. – anon

Read on Ao3 Masterlist

Warnings: harm to children (one of the children has a stab wound the gets patched up)

Pairings: none

Word Count: 3176

Black is no stranger to oddities or unusual things happening on runs. They figured that finding a pup and a human hatchling would be the strangest thing that happened on this one. They discover that isn't quite true.

Surprisingly enough, Black’s life doesn’t suddenly make sense again by the time they make it to med bay, but at the very least they expect it when the pup trills a warning before the lights flicker on. The human’s grip flexes around Black’s neck and they rub their back.

“Shh, it’s okay, baby, it’s just the lights. You’re okay. We’re gonna get you patched up, alright?”

The human doesn’t say anything but their hands relax the slightest bit. Black’ll take it. They move toward the closest bed and start to lower the human, only for the pup to scoot down and wrap themselves over the edge of the bed like a tiny blanket.

Black shifts enough to let their maw drop open, their mother tongue rumbling in the quiet room. “What are you doing, pup?”

“It’s too cold for them.” The pup shifts under the human. “This helps.”

Black steals a glance at the human. They haven’t so much as moved, not when Black’s maw opened, not when they started talking to the pup, not even now that their hand is on their shoulder rather than their back. Instead, they’re still curled in on themselves, their hand pressed to their side. Black’s maw rumbles at the scent of blood.

”Can they understand us?”

“They don’t know what words we’re saying, pup.”

“But they could understand me.” The pup’s tendril wraps around the human’s free hand. “We could…I could talk to them. Sort of.”

Well, maybe children of all sorts can just talk to each other. Stranger things have happened.

Black glances around for one of the basic trays. Their expertise is more about making the blood come out of humans, not keeping it in. Still, it can’t be that much different from healing their own kind, can it? They reach for a tin of antiseptic and a roll of bandages. The metal scrapes against a tray and the resulting wave of fear makes their maw whine. They glance back. The poor human—and when did that become a thing?—huddles on the bed with the pup wrapped around them. The pup keeps trilling and rumbling, trying to soothe them. To Black’s astonishment, it sort of works: the human holds onto the tendril wrapped around their wrist and the fear slowly starts to recede.

After a moment, they rumble as well.

The human’s head jerks up as their maw starts to pant, tongue lolling out over the edge of the suit. Black doesn’t try to get closer, rumbling a little louder, and the human’s shoulders slowly inch away from their ears. One of the pup’s tendrils flickers out and Black wraps it in one of theirs, letting the pup guide them closer with little tugs. The human doesn’t twitch or pull away, even when Black comes to stand over them again. Instead, they slowly reach out and touch Black’s suit.

“Hey,” Black rumbles, keeping more of the rasp in their voice than they normally would, “I’m not gonna hurt you, baby. I just want to help.”

The pup trills in agreement. The human’s fingers tighten on one of the snaps before the hand falls limply back into their lap. Black is gonna take that as a good sign and holds up the bandages.

“Can I put these on?”

They nod.

“I’m gonna need to see,” they say quietly, setting the roll down within reach, “can I…?”

The human lets them move their hand away from their side, inhaling sharply when the cold air hits the—fuck, that’s another stab wound. What the fuck happened to these kids? This can’t have just been the reactor vent cover, there’s no way—Black didn’t even sabotage it this run. Nothing happened to it, all they did was an oxygen malfunction and turning the lights off a few times. This must’ve—

Too late, they realize their hand is tightening and the fear swells. They let go and rumble again as the human lets out a near-silent whimper and the pup trills again.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, baby, I didn’t mean to. Shh, shh, you’re okay, calm down, it’s alright. You’re safe, you’re safe, shh, I’m not gonna hurt you.”

Fuck, the human won’t even look at them anymore. They keep a tendril wrapped around the pup’s as trills and rumbles fill the med bay, but the human keeps jerking their head down like they can’t bear to look at them.

”Helmet.”

“What?”

The pup jabs a tendril at Black’s helmet. “The helmets are scary.”

…well, that opens up a whole new set of troubling implications that we’re going to address later.

But first things first, they really do need to make sure this human doesn’t bleed out all over the floor, so no helmets it is. A sloshing sound fills the air as Black puts on their human face, scrunching a few times just to make sure all the muscles work.

“Hey, baby,” they murmur, the rasp more pronounced without the helmet, “it’s okay. I’m not scary anymore, see?”

The pup makes a burbling noise of encouragement and the human slowly looks up. Oh, their little face…Black hadn’t gotten a good look at it in Navigation, too preoccupied with getting them out of the fucking vent, but now…

They have these little dots all over their face that look almost like a new hatchling’s marks. They have the same curling hair at the edges of their face that come from a nestling’s first tendrils. Even their mouth—they must’ve been biting their lips, the rational part of Black’s brain supplies, that’s why they’re so red and swollen, but it looks like a baby’s maw.

They’re starting to see why the pup blobbed onto this little human hatchling so quickly.

“Hey,” they rumble again, even softer, “hi, baby. Can I get you all patched up? Is that gonna be okay?”

The human nods and Black slowly reaches for their side again. This time, they’re prepared for the sight of the stab wound as the human’s blood-soaked hand comes away. They gently—gently!—prod the skin around it, looking to see how deep it is, if it’s infected, if there’s anything that might’ve gotten stuck inside. The human winces and breathes in sharply a few times, but other than that, they stay perfectly still. Black examines it for a few more seconds before they stand back up.

“Can I have you lie down for me, baby? I want to be able to clean this properly before we wrap it up.”

The human eyes the bed warily. Black cups their shoulder.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be right here, so will the pup. We won’t let anything happen to you.”

A sloshing sound as the pup quickly shuffles around, pressing their healed side against the human’s palm. They glance down at it. The pup trills. The human looks up at Black and nods, starting to move and wincing at the pull.

“Whoa, whoa, hey, hey, hey, slow down.” Black gently grabs the side of their ribs—fuck, this human is tiny— “let me help you.”

The pup moves too, getting under their head and shoulders almost like a strange gooey pillow. Their tendril stays wrapped around their hand as Black slowly starts to roll up their shirt and get it out of the way. The stab wound isn’t quite on their side, it’s just between their ribs and their hip. They glance around for one of the rolling chairs and spot it about halfway down the wall.

“Baby,” they call and the human looks, “I’m gonna go get a chair so I can sit down, okay? I’ll be right back.”

The second they touch the chair, it makes a horrible squeaky noise. They abandon it in favor of another one a little ways away, picking it up and setting it at the human’s bedside. The human just watches them.

“I’m gonna clean this,” they say, holding up the antiseptic, “it’s gonna sting a bit, okay?”

The human nods. Black takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. After a second, the human does the same.

“Good. Just keep doing that, okay, baby?”

They keep breathing. Black carefully opens the container and the sharp smell almost cuts right through the mix of blood and fear. They go to start cleaning and the instant it touches the human’s side, they recoil in pain.

“Shh, shh, I know, I know, I’m sorry, baby,” Black soothes, even as bits of froth start to show up on the pup’s body, “I’ll be quick, I swear.”

But the human won’t calm back down, even when Black takes all the scary things away and just talks to them in that low, soothing rumble, they won’t calm down. Even the pup starts to try and rub and trill against them, but nothing works.

“What do we do?”

“I don’t know.”

“But you calmed me down, why can’t you calm them down?”

“They’re not like us, pup.”

“Yes they are! They’re scared and hurt and you said you’d help them!”

Fuck, I did say that, didn’t I?

Well, the human might not be a pup, but they can certainly try. Slowly, they place their hand on the poor thing’s stomach, right where their maw would be. It seems to interrupt some kind of feedback loop; the human’s eyes are no longer as wide and their breathing feels a little more regular. Black dares to lean a bit more weight onto them and a rush of breath leaves their chest, their eyes fluttering slightly.

“Shh, there you go, baby,” they say softly, “it’s okay. I’m right here, you’re safe, just calm down.”

The pup’s next trill sounds far too self-satisfied and smug but Black has other things to worry about right now. Specifically, getting this stab wound cleaned.

“You’re doing so well,” they murmur as they carefully start to clean it again, shushing the hissed noises of pain, “that’s it, it’s okay, baby, I’m almost done.”

The human’s hand shakily covers theirs and Black turns it over to hold it, keeping the warm weight pressed to their stomach. After a moment, a tendril zips from the pup and lands on top. Black chuckles.

“There we go, see? We’re all right here. You’re doing great.”

They reach for the bandages, quickly cutting off a piece and securing it over the wound. They smooth their thumb over it a few times, gently checking for any air bubbles.

“You’re all set, baby, you did such a good job. Here, do you want to sit up now?” The human nods. “Alright. I’m gonna put my arms around you to do that. Ready? Here we go…”

The human is still far too small and far too light for Black’s liking, but they manage to get them sat back up with little issue. Like this, the human’s head is actually a little above Blacks from where they sit on the chair. The pup slithers up to perch on their shoulders, a small head forming out of the mass to peer at Black from too. Black tilts their head to look at them.

The human tilts their head. So does the pup.

Black huffs a laugh. Out of curiosity, they tilt their head the other way.

So does the human, so does the pup.

‘Surreal’ doesn’t even begin to describe it.

“You feel better?”

The human nods. Their hand comes up to their chin and they move it towards Black.

“That means thank you, I think.”

“How do you know?”

“That’s what they did when I brought them food or warned them about something.”

Well. Learn something new every day. “You’re welcome, baby. Are you hungry?”

A gurgle comes from the human’s stomach. Their little face scrunches up in embarrassment and they wrap their arms around themselves. Black chuckles.

“We can get you some food. I’m afraid there’s not much more than rations and stuff left, but there are cookies.”

The human perks up a little.

“Yeah? You want a cookie?”

“I want a cookie too!”

“You can also have a cookie, pup,” Black says, standing up, “come on, let’s go to the cafeteria.”

The human goes to slide down from the bed and Black quickly catches them. Would they have been fine? Maybe, but Black’s not taking any chances.

“Hey, whoa now, we just patched you up, let’s take it easy.” The pup crawls over the human’s shoulders to sit on Black’s too. “What—oh, fine. Come on, you two, let’s go.”

The cafeteria is—thankfully—pretty clear of blood and other less-than-desirable things to have children around, and they manage to persuade both of them to sit and wait at a table while Black goes and gets the food. Unfortunately, the majority of the food seems to be the type that requires some level of human attention—that is, someone who knows how to cook it and keep it from spoiling—and Black has decidedly had other priorities aside from keeping the human food edible.

The good news is that doesn’t apply to the cookies.

Someone else might say that giving a human hatching and an impostor pup a giant pack of cookies and letting them eat the whole thing is a bad idea, but Black has never claimed to be only capable of making good choices and traumatized children deserve all the sweets they can stomach. That’s just a universal truth. It might have something to do with those happy little faces and the trills the pup keeps letting out, it might have something to do with how the human leans into Black and almost snuggles against their suit, it might have something to do with how things are about to get a whole lot more complicated.

It also might have something to do with the fact that Black needs time to think.

Those were not simple injuries. Shrapnel like that very rarely left those sorts of injuries and nothing else. Shrapnel like that didn’t happen unless the ship seriously fucked up, and nothing like that had happened while Black was doing this run. Which meant that either the pup was mistaken and the vent cover wasn’t the culprit, or the vent had been compromised.

Neither of which were particularly good options.

Something nudges their hand. They look down and see the human offering them a cookie. They smile and take it.

“Thank you, baby, that’s nice of you.” They take a bite and try not to wince at how sweet it is. “Tastes good.”

The pup lets out a sloshing noise that could be laughter and Black flicks a tendril lightly against them.

“Are you two still hungry?” Two head shakes. “Alright. I want to go check that vent in Reactor, make sure it’s not gonna hurt you anymore, is that okay?”

“Can we come too?”

“Yes, you can come too. Do you want to walk by yourselves, or—“ the human is already wrapping their arms around their neck— “alright, babies, up we go.”

They hesitate a moment before deciding to go the long way through Storage. Most of the carnage was kept to the other side of the ship, near Comms, but it’s better safe than sorry. Even though they’re slowly coming around to the conclusion that these children have been on the ship the whole time, they’re having a hard time willingly walking them through any places that might not have been fully cleaned. Still, the thought of the two of them scurrying past a dead body in a rush from one vent to another is enough to make them pull the two a little closer.

“We’re almost there,” they say when the pup trills in question.

Reactor’s pale blue lights greet them as the door slides open. Black steps inside and pauses.

“Which vent was it?”

The pup jabs a tendril at the one near the manifolds. “It’s broken on the inside. We couldn’t see it at first.”

Black walks over and crouches down, carefully setting the human underneath the bulkhead. Sitting back on their haunches, they run their fingers carefully around the outside of the vent. Nothing obvious sticks out. They reach for the cover and lift it off with a horrid screech.

“Did it make this sound last time?”

The human nods. Black turns the cover around, looking at both sides, and stops short at the massive blade jutting up from the underside. They flip it over to check, but there’s nothing different about the cover. They peer closer. Someone welded the blade onto the underside of the cover and replaced it.

Now why the fuck would they have done that?

There wasn’t welding equipment like that on the ship. Black doesn’t remember seeing this when they used the vent earlier in this run—or did they?

They set the cover down, thinking hard.

They had used this vent; it’s the same one that leads to the Upper Engine. That’s where they’d killed Brown, but they hadn’t gone through it. They’d just waited there to ambush Brown when they came to refuel, so it’s entirely possible the blade could’ve been there and they’d just never come across it.

But that meant that someone had put the blade there before the ship left dock. Which meant that someone suspected that the vents would be accessed while on mission.

Which meant that someone knew how the impostors got around.

Well, they think as they glance back at the two children, the pup toying with the human’s hair as the human fusses with a tendril, not necessarily.

The humans on board had known that something was in the vents. That didn’t mean they’d known it was Black. If they’d thought it was the children—even if they hadn’t known that it was children they were trying to maim—they might have put things like this on other things too.

”Is this the only broken one?”

“I think so.” The pup shifts a bit. “That’s the only one we found.”

”What vents have you been in?”

“All of them. Except we didn’t go all the way up the one in Weapons.”

Black hums. They’ll have to check that one too.

“Why?”

“I don’t want you two getting hurt,” Black says as they lean the modified vent cover up against the wall. “Come on, let’s go get you two settled in one of the bunks. You must be tired.”

A sleepy sloshing sound accompanies the human as they wobble to their feet, lifting their arms for Black to carry them. They let go once they’re over one of the beds, their eyes already sliding shut. Black tucks the two of them in under a pile of blankets, one eye on the door even though they know there’s no one else here.

Something is wrong on this ship, they think as they look at the sleeping children, and I’m going to find out what.

[racerchix21]

I present to y’all the first edit for @bidisasterevankinard’s businessman Tommy AU idea. Some of the I’m gonna use are courtesy of @bewilderedbuckley & @hippolotamus

UPDATE: I’m aiming to start working on this in late June or early July. I’m moving soon so I’m gonna be busy for a couple weeks plus I have a big I’m trying to finish up (Shovel Talk: Harbor Edition)

General idea I have for now:

Tommy doesn’t do interviews. He never has and definitely never will until one of his “kids” comes into his office for a weekly check in raving about a podcast she’s listening to. She tells him about Abused, Neglected and Healing and how the host also has experienced some of the same things the Paradigm Shifted kids have.

Tommy gives it a listen and decides to try and get in contact with the host, Evan Buckley. He’s trying to convince himself it’s to talk about his nonprofit and not because he has a thing for the voice coming through his laptop speakers.

Tommy Kinard: 45 year old founder of Paradigm Shifted a nonprofit organization that helps children of divorce and helps them stay on the right side of the law. They also work with kids who have experienced abuse. Has been running the program for 20 years and has never once granted an interview with anyone because no one’s ever asked questions about Paradigm Shifted. It’s all about his personal life and nothing else. LA’s Most Eligible Bachelor

Evan Buckley: 21 year old host of the Abused, Neglected and Healing podcast. He’s working towards his journalism degree at USC. Ran away from home at 14 to escape his parents and has been running ever since.

[sirendeepity]

For the fanfic writer ask game:

♥️👻📗

Nikiiiii, my love, it's so good to see you here! <333

❤️ What is your favorite line that you’ve written in a fic?

So, this one's tough. Not because I have the hands of Midas, but because I simply... Have no idea? I did skim through metanoia, though, because if that's where the good stuff is, and I found a few because I'm physically unable to choose just one I really liked, two of which are quote quotes

“I gave him the power he thinks he has now, and by not agreeing on meeting with him we’re just proving his point: that he has something, that he’s worth something. I’d rather die than give him the satisfaction.”

That night was not for deep, belly laughs. That night was for healing what others had broken. To build anew.

while the third is more of a context quote

What caught her attention the most, tho, had been the fact that Rhysand had been ready to put so much of himself, of what he’d been through, at stake. For her. Nesta shifted in her seat, not stomaching the starlight violet any longer. She felt Night caressing her mental shields, purring, asking to get in. She let it. You’re worth the risks. She turned, the bones in her neck cracking with the fast motion, and stared speechless at Rhysand. She’d let him in her mind, yet the voice wasn’t there. He’d said those words out loud, had made sure the stars heard them too.

👻 What is your wildest headcanon?

I answered this one here, bUT I'll give you another one, which is also a spoiler for a possible future multi-chapter fanfic I've been thinking about for a while and recently I'm entertaining the idea of actually try to write it? We'll see. Anyway I have this idea that the Valkyries (well, Nesta, at least, since she's the one who's part of the Inner Circle) will "give up" their citizenship? And they're not members of the Night Court anymore? Or they're just a private citizen like any other? I still have to think this trough, but they're going to do all that because they are going to tour around Prythian to recruit and train more females and officially revive The Valkyries, and make them an army for the people: basically, there will be a base in every Court and legions/battalions for each, but overall they don't belong to a single Court but rather all of them, but really, if you think about it, none at all. They're like an independent army, the "neutral party" which will not stay so neutral if things get dirty. They'll stand for equality and freedom, they'll protect the innocents, and by not "legally" belonging to any Court they won't have a High Lord or High Lady that can order them around and such, so they'll be like an Eight Court of sorts without really being a Court at all. Does this make sense?

📗 Do you want to write something outside of fanfiction? If so, what about?

Oh bestie I'm so happy you asked this because y e s. Yes. Yes, I do. And I am completely cool about it. Not acting weird at all.

I'm almost done with the first draft of this personal project of mine that I've been working on and off for the past ..year..s? But I keep procrastinating so I've been "-10 chapters!!" for the past week, but still. To keep things sweet and short, I'll make you a list, because we love lists on this blog:

Crown of Thorns (4): (high?) fantasy; reluctant found family where each and every one of them is "in it" for their own personal gaining, but what started as a shallow "they took my crown from me so now I'll take it back because I can? and because I'm petty and hold grudges" will turn into "I have to stop the Lord of Darkness from coming back from the dead and destroy the world as we know it, and maybe start a revolution while I'm at it". It's messy, and sometimes I think I won't be able to pull this off the way I intended to (good intentions, bad delivery, you know?) so don't ask me to tell you more than this because I really don't know how without spoiling the entire thing;

Cursed Goddes/Blessed God (2): CoT spin-off that is actually a prequel and kind of explains/shows the events that led society to become the way it is in CoT and yes, I really did dig my own grave with this whole series, but now I'm in too deep to stop so down we go;

Kill Your Darlings (1): dark academia-ish, paranormal vibes and a hint of mystery, too? Think House of Anubis, but everyone is gay and mentally ill. That's it, that's the plot.

The Haven Island series (3): contemporary romance, interconnected standalones following a group of friends navigating life in their 20s, where every story is meant to represent a different aspect of girlhood/womanhood (aka toxic/abusive relationships, motherhood, sexism and mysoginy, etc.)

I'd also like to write something in the dystopian sub-genre, because who doesn't love that feeling of impending and unavoidable doom? But I have absolutely nothing in my hands if not some sort of relationship dynamics that for the sake of logic and coherency I had to cut out from the CoT plot, so, yeah, we're really basing it all on vibes at this point

Ask me a question!

[halsins-herbal-underpants]

an excerpt I added to my fic

I'm terrible about fiddling with my fics long after I publish them lol but I added this part in Control and I REALLY like it and want to show it off so I'm posting it here. The full work on Ao3

This takes place between the end of Act 2 and Act 3, at the stop before hitting Baldur's Gate. My Seldarine drow Dayan (Tav) and Halsin have some very enthusiastic D/s intimacy Dayan requests, with bondage and pain play. Halsin bottoms and he and Dayan have a talk about the experience after.

“So, tell me. Did you enjoy yourself, my love? Did you get the catharsis you hoped for tonight?” Halsin asked softly as he lounged back and basked in the soreness given to him by his lover.

“Mmhhh...it was amazing," Dayan sighed, stretching and groaning a little when bones creaked at the action. "Better than amazing, in fact. There's no word for it. But as to catharsis..." He looked up at the sky, and sighed. "I hope so. I certainly feel more relaxed,” Dayan laughed. “And it was nice to…know what to do, for once. Know what worked."

He lifted a knee and crossed his arms over it, chin lowering to rest on the crook of his elbow. He looked down at Halsin and smiled softly. "I worry so much about every decision I make, now. Whether a grove should be ransacked by goblins - that's easy,” he murmured. “But we’re going into the lion’s den and I don’t know what to do. Everyone’s counting on me and I’m lost.”

“My heart,” Halsin lifted himself onto an elbow, reaching to take Dayan’s hand and bring it to his lips. “You’re not alone in this, I promise you. We are all of us all counting on each other.” His voice lowered and he leaned in. “For as long as I’ve known you – you’ve only ever tried to do what you thought was right. Often at some great cost to yourself.” He paused and smiled, bittersweet. “I know that firsthand.”

Dayan’s brows crinkled. “Halsin…”

A finger to his lips. “Shush. Water under the bridge, as you like to say. But listen now. I speak only the truth.” He tapped Dayan’s chest. “Your heart is the strongest lodestone I know. Follow it, beloved. And I’ll follow you. I will be by your side, always.”

Dayan didn’t trust himself to speak. He just nodded and leaned down to kiss his sweet bear so he wouldn’t see wetness at the corner of his eyes.

He shifted to lie on his side and lowered his head, pressing it against Halsin’s shoulder for a moment; his eyes fell to the druid’s chest and he blinked, lifting his head with a wince. Reaching out, the drow ran fingertips over all the bite and claw marks that covered the elf, all the wounds he left on Halsin’s skin.

“Too tired to heal these away?” he asked, a little worriedly. “Are you all right? I hope I wasn’t too rough…” He paused and looked him in the eye. "How do you feel about it all, now?"

“Not too rough at all, my heart. It was perfect, every moment,” Halsin reassured him. He paused a bit and looked down at his arm, tracing fingers over the scratches and the bites, a soft and tender look in his eyes. "It...I believe it may have been exactly what I needed. I feel - relaxed in a way I haven't in decades. Perhaps even longer." Dayan watched him, not commenting, letting Halsin have his time to get his thoughts out, as the druid allowed for him.

Halsin spoke slowly, scar crinkling as he worked out his feelings bit by bit. "I've had to be in command of...so much, for so very long," he continued quietly. "Not only the grove. Ending the curse...my own emotions, my fears...how I felt about myself. How I felt about - well. Most things." His jaw tightened. "Always in control, always." He paused. "You saw how little that was worth."

Dayan slid his hand over Halsin's and laced their fingers together. "No self-loathing tonight, sunstone, or I'll make you do all the shopping in the city. Every day. With Astarion." Halsin blinked and then laughed, shaking his head.

"Apologies, my heart. Even with all you accomplished I still have moments of-"

"We accomplished, I am going to bite you somewhere tender I swear-"

Halsin gave him a teasing smirk. "Do you promise?"

Dayan couldn't help but laugh. "All right, all right. Settle down, sweet bear, I only have so much stamina." He lifted his hand to gently hold Halsin's chin and turned his face to his, his expression serious. "Listen to me, Halsin. Now I'm speaking truth."

He leaned close, his expression tender and his voice gentle. "You spent one hundred long years with the weight of blame on your shoulders. You agreed with me that the shadow curse wasn't your fault; but I'm quite sure you never believed it."

Halsin didn't refute Dayan's words; they weren't untrue, after all. He just looked down at their entwined fingers, rubbing his thumb over the back of Dayan's hand.

"It wasn't," Dayan said emphatically. He felt Halsin inhale a shuddering breath. "I hope in time the weight will leave you - I think you still feel the ghost of it on your back. But if I can lessen it in any way, my love - then let me start here." He spoke slowly, decisively.

"Halsin, you deserve to be cared for. Doted on! Wholly, fully, without reservation. In every way you need, and want. Heart, mind, body." He brushed a strand of hair from the druid's forehead. "My sunstone. You shine the way through the dark, for so many...you'd let your own light burn you to ash. Don't, please. Let me, let Astarion take care of you when you need it. And even when you don't," he smiled. "More nights like this, yes? More nights when you put the weight down. Promise me."

It took Halsin a long time to find himself able to speak, his throat thick and his eyes wet. His hand pulled Dayan's own to his lips, cupping it with both big paws and lowered his head; Dayan felt warm, wet drops fall over his fingers. He rose onto his knees and without pulling his hand out of Halsin's, wrapped his arm around those massive shoulders and pulled the druid into his chest. He could feel the silent sobs shaking through the elf as he held him, but he didn't speak on it. Just pressed kiss after kiss into the tangle of Halsin's hair and held him until the shaking stopped. He wondered if this was the first time his love allowed himself to express something beyond joyful relief, since they left the curse behind.

"So many different kinds of catharsis," he murmured in Halsin's hair, thinking aloud. The druid sniffed hard and gave a shaky laugh.

"I feel I may have experienced them all tonight, with you, my heart." His voice wavered; he paused, then coughed softly, clearing his throat.

"I promise."

Dayan squeezed the druid tight. "Good boy."

He got another soft laugh from Halsin in response and grinned, pressing a kiss to his bear's scarred brow. He sat back on his heels, Halsin still nestled into his chest, and stroked through the druid's hair for awhile, the two just sitting in a comfortable silence. 

0 notes

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[rosie-b]

Love, Soft as Wings

AO3 Link (You can also read the full story under the cut!)

This is my secret santa gift for @ck2k18! I hope you enjoy it!

Special thanks to @valwaria for beta reading this fic! And, of course, a big thank you to @mlsecretsanta for organizing this event!

The wooden bench creaked under Chat Noir as he shifted uncomfortably. Around him, golden sunlight streamed through the trees of the Tuileries Garden, dancing over his inky wings and casting a long shadow on the ground. 

It had been fifteen minutes since patrol was supposed to start, but Ladybug still hadn’t shown up at the meeting spot. 

Sitting in the park, Chat Noir found himself more grateful than ever that public seating left space for people’s wings. But after waiting for so long, sitting still so that his left wing wouldn’t drag against the bench, the dull ache of his injury was beginning to come back, throbbing slightly underneath the tight bandages binding it.  

Maybe he should sneak back to the mansion for another dose of the pain medicine the doctor had prescribed, Chat mused.  

He gingerly stood up, careful not to jolt his injured wing. It only suffered a fracture in the fall, the doctor had said, but Adrien still needed to be gentle with it, or it would heal the wrong way and cause more problems later. 

As Chat Noir stood in front of the bench, a breathless Ladybug slung her yo-yo around a tree’s branch and landed in front of Chat Noir, her beetle-like wings spread wide. Her cheeks were red from exertion, and it was clear she’d been in a hurry. 

She probably just lost track of time, Chat Noir thought, smiling fondly as Ladybug took a deep breath, bent over with her hands on her knees. The welcome sight of his partner was enough to make Chat Noir forget about the slight pain in his wing. 

“Hello, My Lady! I’m glad to see you could make it to patrol! I was a little worried by how late you were, but I just knew you would never furget about your a meowzing partner.”  

Chat Noir stepped forward as Ladybug straightened to greet her partner. Stealing a hand from her side, Chat raised it to his lips, pressing a quick kiss to Ladybug’s knuckles before she playfully snatched her hand back. 

The edges of Ladybug’s lips quirked up into a smile as she looked at her partner. 

“Really, Chaton? You’re cramming two puns in one sentence now? It’s as if your sense of humor gets worse every week,” she teased, a slight strain to her voice. She was probably just breathless from flying through Paris at break-neck speed, Chat reasoned. 

“You’re complaining, but I know you like my jokes.” Chat Noir grinned as Ladybug put a hand on her hips. “Otherwise, what’s that smile on your face for?”  

Chat laughed as Ladybug looked surprised and then schooled her features into a stern frown. 

“Come on, Chat,” she groaned. “I already made us late for patrol; we don’t have any time to waste with silly jokes! I was thinking we could cover the 19th Arrondissement today, maybe check in on little August and see how he’s doing. He hasn’t been akumatized in three weeks, so we haven’t seen him in a while!” 

Nodding, Chat, too, put on a serious face, though his was much less convincing than Ladybug’s was. “Good idea, My Lady! We’ll be taking the streets, then?” 

Shaking her head in disagreement, Ladybug didn’t notice as Chat Noir’s face fell. 

“I was thinking that since we’re already technically late for our patrol, we should fly over to the neighborhood, to get started sooner. That way, we’ll be done with patrol before dark, and I can get home in time to finish a project of mine.” 

Chat Noir swallowed, inadvertently twitching his wings as he wondered how he could hide his injury from Ladybug. Normally, he would tell her about something like this, but today, he couldn’t think of any excuse for his fractured wing that wouldn’t reveal his identity. 

“That’s a brilliant idea, milady! I agree, we shouldn’t waste any more time before starting patrol. Only, doesn’t a footrace to the arrondissement sound like more fun than just plain old flying does? We’ve been sticking to the skies for days now; don’t you think it’s time to shake things up?” Chat stuck out his lower lip and pouted, knowing Ladybug couldn’t say no to him for long. 

“Oh, no,” Ladybug moaned as she tried not to be swayed by Chat Noir’s innocent, pleading expression. “You know I can’t resist the puppy eyes—” 

“Kitty eyes,” Chat Noir corrected, managing to keep his expression unchanged.

Ladybug let out a light huff. “It’s the same thing. But this time, your little ploy isn’t going to work,” she said, turning away and sticking out her lower lip adorably.  

“Aww, Ladybug,” Chat whined, wrapping his arms around Ladybug from behind and resting his chin on her shoulder. Her folded wings rustled as she turned her head to look back at him.  

Sighing, Ladybug moved Chat Noir’s arms off of her and turned to face him.

“Listen, Chat, if you want to stay on the ground and start patrol a few minutes behind me, that’s fine, but I really do need to hurry this up and go home.” 

Wetting her lips, Ladybug continued, “See, a friend of mine got hurt because of me today. His wing is injured, and now he can’t fly! I need to do something to apologize, or he’s never going to forgive me,” she said thickly, sounding like she was about to cry. 

Chat Noir stared at Ladybug, forgetting about his own worries as his concerns changed to his partner’s slumped shoulders and downturned face. 

“Your friend got hurt today? Ladybug, I’m sure he understands that whatever happened, it wasn’t your fault.” Chat rushed to comfort his lady, feeling a sympathetic twinge in his chest as he thought of the guilt she must be feeling. 

“Yes, it was,” Ladybug said mournfully. “It was all my fault, Chat Noir!” 

Chat frowned, taking Ladybug’s hands in his own and giving them a comforting squeeze.

“No, it wasn’t,” he said softly. “I may not know what happened to your friend — and it’s fine if you can’t tell me, I know we need to protect our secret identities — but I know my Buginette, and she’d never hurt anyone on purpose! Whatever happened must have been an accident, right?” 

Sniffling, Ladybug nodded, pulling one hand out of Chat’s grasp to rub her eyes. 

“Then it wasn’t your fault,” Chat Noir murmured, his tone warm and reassuring.

“Chaton—” Ladybug started, being interrupted by a wet hiccup. 

“It wasn’t,” Chat Noir asserted, holding Ladybug close and rubbing her back gently. “You didn’t mean to hurt anyone, and your friend’s injury wasn’t your fault. Unless your friend is an idiot, I promise you he understands that.” 

Shuddering as she exhaled, Ladybug gazed up at her partner. “Thank you, Chaton,” she said, lips quivering as she forced a smile onto her face. 

“Anytime, My Lady,” Chat Noir breathed. 

As the golden sunlight danced around them, Ladybug threw her arms around Chat Noir, pulling him into a hug. But when her hands brushed against Chat’s injured wing, he let out a stifled whimper. 

Ladybug froze. 

“Chat Noir, is everything alright?” she asked, her voice full of concern. 

“Yes,” he hissed. “Just give me a moment. My-my wing got hurt today. That’s why I don’t want to fly anywhere. I can’t, right now,” he explained sheepishly. 

Pulling back from the hug, Ladybug worriedly looked at her partner, turning him around so she could check his wings for the injury. 

“You got hurt?! Chaton, what were you doing?”   

As Ladybug ran her hand lightly over her partner’s feathers, Chat Noir gulped. 

“Uh — you know, just goofing around.” He tried to laugh it off, but his attempt sounded stiff, and he knew it wouldn’t fool Ladybug. 

Marching around Chat to face him, Ladybug crossed her arms and glared fiercely. 

“Just goofing around? Chaton, your wing is all bound up, like it’s broken or something! I’m embarrassed that I didn’t notice before! I think you should tell me what happened,” she said, making it clear that she was serious. 

Chat Noir reached up to scratch his neck. “I’d love to explain, Milady, but it might reveal my secret identity if I tell you what happened,” he said. “Are you sure you want to take that risk? Because I’ve always wanted to find out who the girl behind that lovely mask of yours is, but you? You’d rather not know who I am.” 

Ladybug frowned, tapping her fingers against her folded arms and tilting her head.

“That’s true, but I think in this case it’s more important for me to know how your wing got hurt. You can take out all the details from the story, right?”

Chat hesitated. His story couldn’t be that uncommon, not in a city as big as Paris! Thousands of people got hurt every day, and anyway, there wasn’t really anything unique about the way he’d gotten hurt. Nodding, he smiled at Ladybug’s relieved look.

“So, then, tell me what happened to your wing! If I understand what you’re going through, maybe I can help take care of you if you need it, Chaton. I want to make sure that you’re going to be okay,” Ladybug said earnestly. 

Chat Noir found himself blushing at Ladybug’s affectionate tone. He’d always wished that moments like this meant as much to her as they did to him, but Chat knew that she probably still loved that other boy— who, he supposed, could even be the friend Ladybug said was injured today. 

Feeling a stab of pain in his chest, Chat Noir shook his head to clear it of the negative emotions in it. The pain in his wing had nothing on the pain of rejection from his Lady, but he couldn’t afford to mope when there were so many bigger things to worry about. Besides, the fact that Ladybug was willing to learn Chat’s secret identity if it meant helping him was proof that she did love him, at least as a friend.

“Of course I’ll tell you what happened, My Lady! I’m honored to know that you care so much for this poor stray,” he said lightly.  

Rolling her eyes, Ladybug made as if to push his shoulder, but then thought better of it. 

“I’ve always cared for you, Chaton,” she said. “Now, go on! We’re still wasting time, you know.” 

Chat Noir coughed. “Right! Okay then, it’s not a very complicated story. A girl I know, someone who’s really sweet and amazing — she’s so kind, Ladybug, I know you’d like her — well, she’s a little clumsy, especially around me. I usually try to catch her if she trips, so that she doesn’t get hurt. And she fell again today, but I wasn’t feeling very graceful, myself. When I tried to catch M— my friend, we both wound up tumbling down the stairs outside our school. I wrapped my wings around my friend to protect her, so she’s okay! But my left wing got fractured in the fall, so I’ll be as flightless as a normal cat for at least a week.” 

As Chat finished his story, he glanced up at Ladybug, who looked shocked. Her face had gone pale, and she was gaping at Chat Noir with wide eyes. 

Chat Noir wondered what she’d heard in the story to make her react like this.

“Ladybug?” he asked, his ears slowly folding back as he waited for Ladybug’s judgment.

Shaking herself, Ladybug wiped the shocked look off her face and forced a smile, instead. Wringing her hands together, she exclaimed, “That’s awful, Chat! But are you — really sure that’s what happened?” She sounded breathless, her tone betraying the worry she felt. 

Chat Noir wrinkled his forehead. “Yes? I’m pretty sure I know exactly what happened to myself. I didn’t hit my head, you know, so I can’t have amnesia,” he joked.  

Ladybug swallowed, her face growing determined.  

“No, no, you don’t understand! You’re saying you have a friend who’s clumsy around you, who fell outside your school today? And you caught her, because you’re just that caring, and wrapped your wings around her as you fell down the stairs? That’s how you got injured?” she asked, her eyes darting back and forth between Chat’s own.

Nodding mutely, Chat agreed, his tail lashing behind him in confusion. 

“Then… I know who you are,” Ladybug said in a trembling voice. “You must be Adrien Agreste.” Her tone was hushed, like she was giving voice to something sacred. 

Chat Noir’s mouth fell open, and he gawked at Ladybug. “You— how did you figure it out? I know I didn’t tell you anything too detailed!”  

Snapping out of her reverie, Ladybug looked embarrassed and somewhat guilty as she threw her gaze around the park, looking for a way out of the conversation. 

“Uhhh... it’s because your father told the press about what happened?” She offered Chat an unconvincing grin as she said this, pressing her pointer fingers together lightly.

Deciding to go with this story, Ladybug nodded firmly and continued on. “Since you’re taking a break from modeling until you recover, everyone knows that your wing is injured. And maybe I saw in the tabloids some pictures of what happened? And I pieced it together from there,” she said, twisting her hands together anxiously. Behind her, Ladybug’s wings were open slightly, ready for a quick takeoff.

For someone who hated liars, Ladybug certainly did lie a lot. And she wasn’t even that good at it, Chat Noir thought to himself in fond exasperation. 

Narrowing his eyes, he leaned in close to his friend. 

“Are you sure?” Adrien asked, taking note of the way Ladybug’s pupils widened and her cheeks flushed red. 

“Eep!” she squeaked as she looked up at her partner, dumbstruck. 

Chat Noir smirked. “Or are you just trying to cover up the fact that you were there when I got hurt, yourself?” 

His mind racing, Chat Noir thought of an old theory he’d had about Ladybug’s identity. It should be impossible, but— was it really?

Adrien had seen many things he once thought were impossible since he received his Miraculous. And if he was honest, he’d been hoping for this particular outcome for a very long time. 

“I think,” he said, stepping even closer to Ladybug, who retreated until the hard outer shell of her wings was up against a tree, “that your reaction seems awfully familiar to me. And I think—” he put one hand on the tree next to Ladybug, effectively trapping her. 

“I think that I know you as a civilian,” he whispered in her ear. Ladybug shivered, looking up at Chat Noir with dark eyes. 

“I can’t tell you if that’s right,” she said, her voice trembling as it came out. 

“That’s okay,” Chat Noir murmured. “I think I can figure the rest of it out, anyway. You had a friend whose wing got injured today, right? And you thought it was because of you.” He poked a finger against Ladybug’s chest for emphasis.

Ladybug gulped, and Chat Noir watched as her throat bobbed, wishing irrationally that he could kiss her. That this exceptional being, who could do nothing but amaze him, would return his affections, so that he could kiss her. 

Maybe someday, he told himself, and forced his attention back to the matter at hand.  

“Let me tell you again, Marinette,” he murmured, and heard Ladybug gasp softly. “It was not your fault that I got hurt today. If it was anyone’s fault, it was mine,” he said mournfully, looking down and taking a step back. “I’m the reason you tripped and fell. I wish I knew why my presence is so startling to you! We are friends now; you’re not afraid of me, right?”

Ladybug hoped that her partner was only joking, but she felt her heart plummet at the sincerity in his voice. His cat ears were even drooping, she noticed.

“Chaton,” she began, licking her lips, “I may or may not be this Marinette you speak of—” 

Chat Noir raised an eyebrow at her dubiously. She waved it off. 

“—but I can tell you this. Marinette Dupain-Cheng is not afraid of you. Every time she’s extra clumsy around you, every time she stutters or runs off in a panic— that’s not because I don’t like you. It’s really the opposite,” she whispered.

Her wings trembled with nervousness as she took a step forward, reaching up to her partner, to the one who’d been injured trying to protect her from her own clumsiness. To the boy who’d always cared for her, who loved her, who had given her a second chance and his own umbrella for shelter when she couldn’t possibly deserve his mercy. 

Inhaling sharply at the touch of Ladybug’s gloved hand on his cheek, Chat Noir looked into her blue eyes hopefully. 

“Are you saying you do like me, after all?” he asked, not daring to dream of more than that. 

Sighing affectionately, Ladybug rolled her eyes. “I’m saying I love you, you dork!” 

“Oh,” Chat Noir gasped, his eyes bright as he clasped Ladybug’s hand to his cheek. “I love you, too!” 

Grinning, Ladybug choked out a laugh. Chat Noir’s voice joined hers, and the two of them laughed at nothing for a minute or two. 

Finally, Chat Noir looked back at Ladybug, his cheeks stained a rosy pink. 

“So, you really do like me, then?” His tone was hopeful as he stared at his partner with starry eyes.

“Love , Chaton,” Ladybug corrected, bemused by her partner’s shyness. “I love you.” 

“You love me,” Chat Noir repeated, full of wonder that such a wonderful thing could be true. “You love me. And I love you, My Lady, so much! But I have to ask,” he said bashfully, “What does that mean for us?” 

Ladybug tilted her head. “What do you mean?” she asked. 

Chat Noir could feel his face growing warmer. “I mean, are we going to date now? Because I know you’ve always said no before, and you’re still pretending I don’t know who you are—” 

“Not anymore,” Ladybug interrupted. “I’ve given that up. You’ve figured me out, Chaton.” 

Chat grinned. “I knew it! But you avoided my question, Bugaboo.” 

Kneeling on the grass in the park, Chat Noir took his partner’s hand and looked into her eyes. 

“Ladybug, Marinette, whatever other names you go by, I love you. Will you please be my girlfriend, and let me hold your hand on dates, and maybe kiss you, if that’s okay?”  

Chat hoped that didn’t sound too stupid. Maybe Marinette would go back to not liking him if he couldn’t sound professional enough! Did he measure up to her standards of what a boyfriend should be, or would she reject him yet again?

Blushing, Ladybug squeezed Chat’s hand and pulled him to his feet. 

“I’d love to date you, Chaton!” she said shyly. “And go on dates with you, and hold your hand, and even kiss you. I want to do everything with you,” she admitted. 

Chat Noir’s face lit up. “Really?” he squealed. “This is the best day of my life! My Lady, I might kiss you!” 

“You keep saying that,” she muttered. 

Chat tilted his head. “What was that?” he asked, his face a mask of innocent confusion. 

Ladybug’s face reddened. “Say that you do! Maybe kiss me you should then,” she said, and winced at her out-of-order sentences. 

But Chat Noir looked just as happy as he had before, golden flecks in his eyes catching the sunlight as he gazed at her, a smile on his lips. 

“Really?” Raising a hand to her cheek, Chat looked deep into her eyes, searching for any sign of hesitation. 

Unable to say anything, Ladybug gave a slight nod. And slowly, as a wind stirred the branches of the trees behind them, Chat Noir leaned forward and kissed her. 

Ladybug’s wings flared out behind her as she kissed him back, happy to finally be with the boy she loved. Chat’s uninjured wing wrapped itself around her left side, soft and comforting. 

And though their kiss was sweet, Ladybug was reminded of what had led to the reveal and everything after it. 

“Chaton,” she said, pulling back from the kiss, “You’re not in any pain from the fracture, right?” 

Opening his eyes, Chat Noir blinked at her owlishly. “My Lady, how could any pain bother me when you finally love me back?” 

Pinching her brows together in worry, Ladybug fretted, “Oh, no, you are hurting! And here I’ve just been kissing you like a fool, when I should have been helping you!” 

“I’m pretty sure I was the one who suggested kissing,” Chat protested. “And you don’t need to worry about me, really. The pain isn't that bad.” 

“But it still is!” Ladybug ran her eyes over the injured wing, a worried look on her face.  

“We should get you back home, so you can rest and recover,” she said. “I know your injury isn’t as bad as it could have been, but it might still get worse if we don’t take care of it properly! You need some pain relievers, fresh bandages, and warm blankets, maybe some hot chocolate, and plenty of sleep. And don’t even think about fighting akumas until you’re fully healed!” Ladybug put her hands on her hips and frowned warningly. 

Fondly smiling at his partner, Chat Noir wrapped his arms around her, enfolding her in a warm embrace. “Thank you for caring so much about me,” he said as his silky black wing curled around her again. 

“Oh, Chaton,” Ladybug said, ruing the fact that her transformation wouldn’t let her wrap her own soft wings around her boyfriend. “I will always love you. You make it impossible to do anything else!” 

Stroking the feathers on the wing Chat draped around her, Ladybug nuzzled her face against his shoulder, enjoying the moment.  

“We really do need to get you home, though,” she murmured regretfully. 

“If you say so,” Chat sighed. “I just don’t want you to leave yet, you know? We only just found out each other’s identities! We have so much to talk about,” he said wistfully. 

Glancing up at him, Ladybug was struck by a thought.  

“Maybe I don’t have to leave.”

“What?” Chat looked surprised, but a hopeful look crossed over his face. 

“It might be risky; Nathalie might discover me, but I could stay with you at the mansion! For a while, at least; I don’t mean for too long! I wouldn’t want to impose.” Ladybug chuckled nervously. 

Chat’s gaze softened as he looked at her. “It would be wonderful if you came home with me,” he said, brushing a stray hair off Ladybug’s cheek. “And I wouldn’t mind, you know. If you stayed longer.” 

“Oh,” Ladybug said in wonder. A blush crept over her face as she looked up at Chat Noir’s lovestruck expression. “Let’s start with changing those bandages, and go from there, all right?” 

Chat smiled. “That sounds purrfectly fine,” he said, bending down to press a quick kiss to Ladybug’s lips. He smirked at Ladybug’s pout when he drew back all too soon for her liking.

Forget patrol, Ladybug thought, this is more important.  

And she pulled Chat Noir back down for another kiss, the last rays of sunlight dancing over the couple as they stood safely in each other’s embrace.

[ladydorian05]

A Home for Broken Hearts ~ Chapter 2

Co-written with @made-ofmemories (she also made the header)

What's this!? Two chapters in one day!?

Yup, two chapters in one day!

You can expect one chapter per week, we'll most likely be posting on Saturdays. And last but not least, we'd love to read what you think of this fic! ❤️ Enjoy!! :D

Word count: 2,810

Master Post

AO3

Chapter 2: Of broken hearts and healing ideas

Robin thinks she’s stealthy, sneaking into Steve’s room, but she might just be the clumsiest person in the entire city and she is not as quiet as she thinks she is, creeping around the admittedly cluttered space. He wakes the minute she opens the door. 

“Rise and shine, Stevie!” She sounds far too chipper, ripping the curtains open and sending him burrowing under the covers when the sunlight hits his squinting eyes. 

“Go away, Robin.” His voice is muffled by the comforter bunched up around his face. It’s too early, his head is pounding and he would very much like to go back to sleep. 

“Not until you tell me what happened last night.” 

He must have woken her when he stumbled into the apartment last night. He doesn’t remember much after passing the threshold, but he must have been loud because Robin sleeps like the dead.

The bed dips as she flops down beside him. He lets out a sigh then rolls over to face her. She’ll drag it out of him one way or another, she always does. Steve had never believed in soulmates, until he met Robin and it was like staring at a part of himself that he hadn’t even known was missing. 

Steve peeks his head out from beneath the blanket and sees Robin’s blue eyes staring back at him expectedly. Laying like this reminds him of the sleepovers they’d have as teenagers, staying up too late talking about everything and nothing. He misses those days, back when all they had to worry about were highschool grades and their shitty part time jobs at the ice cream parlor in the mall where they met.

“I had a date with Heidi. Well, I thought it was a date, turns out she only invited me there to dump me.” He contemplates hiding under the comforter again when he sees the expression on Robin’s face morph into sadness, “Please don’t look at me like that. I’m fine, Robs.”

“Sure you are,” she says, but her tone doesn’t match her words. Damn her and that ability she has to see through every last one of his lies. They do this a lot, Steve pretending he’s unaffected by everything even though they both know he’s got a much bigger heart than he lets on, “So where were you until 3am?”

“Some dive bar downtown.”

“Alone?”

“Alone.”

“How did you get home?” There’s concern creeping into her voice now and he hasn’t even gotten to the best, or maybe worst depending on the point of view, part of his story.

“Some random guy from the bar gave me a ride in his van.” He deadpans.

“What?”

“Yeah, we actually stopped at this- I guess you could call it a construction site?” Steve contemplates without a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

“Please tell me you’re joking.” 

“Will it make you feel better if I say I am?”

“Oh my god. How have you even survived this long?” Robin asks, tangling one of her hands in her hair the way she always does when she’s stressed. She’s taking it better than he expected in all honesty. She’s always been a bit of a worrier. 

“Dumb luck mostly.” He shrugs the shoulder he isn’t lying on, “Now that we’ve established that I’m an idiot, can I please go back to sleep?”

“No. You’re going to drink a glass of water, the biggest one we have. Then we’re going out for lunch and I want to know more about van guy.”

“Lunch? What time is it?” It feels early, too early, not time for lunch. Though that could be down to his pounding headache and the fact he didn’t go to sleep until long after 3am.

“12:30.” He feels the mattress shift again, this time when Robin gets up. She grabs his discarded shirt from the floor and it hits him in the face a second later, “Get dressed I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”

“I hate you,” He says into his pillow, there’s no venom behind it. He looks up just in time to watch her flipping him off as she leaves. 

Robin is sitting on one of the counter tops when he wanders into the kitchen 10 minutes later despite the perfectly good chairs a few feet to her left. She tosses a bottle of tylenol at him, he catches it and mumbles his thanks as he grabs an empty glass from the side of the sink.

Robin’s socked foot pushes into the soft flesh of his side, “That’s not the big one and you know it.” He sets the glass back down and pulls out another from the cupboard, holding it up so she can see it and awaiting her nod of approval before he fills it.

“My car is still at the bar, so you’ll have to drive,” He explains to her, suddenly very thankful for all those driving lessons he gave her over the years. They can pick his car up later, he doesn’t think he’s in any fit state to be driving right now anyway.

“Alright, you ready to go?” She asks once he’s shaken 2 pills from the bottle and swallowed them with a gulp of water.

“Yeah,” He pats the back pocket of his jeans and frowns when he finds it empty, “let me just grab my wallet.” 

He finds his keys on the table by his bedside where he set them after stumbling in earlier that morning, he was sure he’d dumped his wallet there with them but it’s not there. There’s no sign of it after he’s turned the rest of his room upside down either leaving him scratching his head as he sits amidst the pile of laundry he’s dragged out from the basket under the assumption he must have left it in a pocket somewhere. 

“Have you found it yet?” Robin calls. He’d tasked her with searching the couch in case it had somehow ended up wedged between the cushions, it wouldn’t be the first time.

“No.” He sticks his head out of his room to check up on her progress.

“I’m starving,” She whines, “let's just go. I’ll pay. We can tear the place apart looking for it later.” 

“Just, let me check my room once more then we can go I swear.”

There’s a knock at the front door and Steve’s pretty sure that’s the only reason she doesn’t argue with him.

“Make it quick, Harrington!” She calls and he darts back into his room whilst she goes to deal with whoever is knocking at their door on a Saturday afternoon. They hadn’t been expecting company, at least none that he was aware of.

He abandons his laundry theory and turns instead to rifling through his drawers. It’s got to be in here somewhere. He’s onto the second drawer when he hears Robin’s voice ringing through the apartment.

“Hey, Stevie! I found your wallet.” 

She’s holding the front door open, a smirk on her face as she watches him come barreling out of his room then freeze in his tracks when he sees none other than Eddie standing in the doorway holding up what appears to be Steve’s wallet. 

He’s wearing an outfit similar to the one from the previous night, only this time there’s a leather jacket over his t-shirt and there’s a different yet still unfamiliar logo on the front of it. The only major difference in his appearance is his hair, it’s untied today, falling in loose curls down to his shoulders.

“Figured you might be missing this.” He’s smiling as he holds out the Wallet in Steve’s direction, “Found it under the passenger seat this morning.”

“Thanks, man, I appreciate it.” 

He tucks the wallet into his pocket and thinks that’ll be the end of it, but Eddie lingers, twirling one of his rings around his index finger. Steve doesn’t know him well enough to tell whether it’s a nervous habit or just something he does.

“There’s actually something I wanted to show you,” Eddie says, “if you’re not busy.”

“We were just heading out to get lunch.” Steve explains, jabbing his thumb in the direction of Robin.

“Oh Lunch can wait, I want to see this.”

“What happened to ‘I’m starving, Steve, I’m going to waste away if we don’t get lunch within the next 10 seconds, Steve’.” 

It’s a poor imitation of Robin’s voice, one that has her curling her lip at him in disgust. It makes Eddie chuckle though, a sound Steve finds himself really liking, which is maybe a little concerning given the fact they’ve known each other for less than 24hrs. That’s an issue for future Steve to unpack. 

“Come on, what’re you waiting for?!” She throws both of her hands up in frustration, the keys in her hand jangling with the movement. She’s already halfway down the hallway while Steve and Eddie haven’t moved.

Steve and Robin take her car, a modern, bright yellow vw beetle that she had started saving for since before she even knew how to drive, and Eddie leads the way in his van. 

Hellfire looks pretty much the same as Steve’s slightly fuzzy memory of it. There’s a little sunlight streaming through the cracks in some of the window coverings and a lot more people milling around, but it still looks just as much of a construction site. 

“Eddie? Is that you?” It’s a feminine voice, cheery and light. At first Steve can’t determine where it’s coming from until a head of strawberry blonde hair pops up from behind the bar.

“I brought some visitors,” Eddie says to the mystery woman who is making her way over to them, then turns his attention to Steve and Robin again, “This is Chrissy my…”

“Business partner,” She supplies when he struggles to find the words.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Steve.”

“Robin.”

“Chrissy helps me out with just about everything.” He pulls her into a one armed hug and she pushes him away playfully with a smile. It’s clear they’re close, but Steve can’t quite figure out what the story between them is. He is, however, sure there’s more to it than simple business partners, “She’s pretty much the only reason anything gets done around here.”

“Yes, I am, which is why I need to get back to work,” She shares a glance with Eddie that Steve can’t quite decipher, it’s the same type of silent communication he and Robin have perfected through many many years of friendship, “It was lovely meeting you both,” She says, her face morphing back into something more open and friendly when she addresses Steve and Robin.

Chrissy leaves them, navigating through the mess of covered up furniture and construction equipment with so much ease Steve is sure she could do it blindfolded.

“Ok, it’s just over here,” Eddie explains, returning to their original task and the whole reason they’re here in the first place. 

He leads them to the wall where Steve had left the scrunchie last night, but now there’s something beside it, two tickets pinned to the wall with messy handwriting scrawled next to them.

‘James skipped town 3 days

before this concert

and didn’t bother to tell me.’

“Heidi?” Robin questions, ignoring the tickets entirely and looking at Steve’s message from last night, “Steve, did you do this?”

“Yeah,” Steve waves her off, he’ll catch her up on everything over lunch, “but who left those?” 

“Don’t know.” Eddie shrugs, “Found them when I got here this morning. Could’ve been anyone there’s people in and out of this place all the time, construction worker, delivery guy, who knows.”

“Holy shit,” Steve says, running his fingers over the edge of the tickets.

“Yeah, holy shit,” Robin echoes, “Do you know how long I’ve been trying to get him to lose some of the ex memorabilia?” She asks Eddie, “Seriously, you should see his room, it's like a mausoleum in there. He once kept a gum wrapper, with a wad of chewed up gum in it for over a year.”

“Alright, thank you very much for that Robin, but I think that’s enough.” Steve cuts her off with a stern glare.

“A mausoleum for broken hearts,” Eddie muses.

Robin’s face lights up with an idea at Eddie’s words. She grabs the marker from the table they had passed on the way over here, the same pen Steve and presumably whoever left the tickets had used to scrawl on the wall.

‘The broken hearts gallery, leave your heartbreak here’

“There,” She says, stepping back to admire her work, “It could be like a community project, maybe there’s more hoarders like Steve out there who need a place where they can learn to let go.”

“I am not a hoarder,” Steve protests, indignant at the mere suggestion, “It’s a good idea though, maybe it’ll help people.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Eddie interrupts, waving his hands in front of him as he steps between them, “as much as I’m all for self expression. Maybe a literal construction site isn’t the best place for your little art project?”

“It’s the perfect place,” Robin insists, “I can set up some social media accounts, start spreading the word.”

“We could ask for tips for each donation too,” Steve suggests, “You can put the money back into this place.”

“And Steve can help out with the labor, you guys look busy, an extra pair of hands would be good right?” Steve’s glaring at her again, but she’s unphased, “Oh what? It’s not like you’ve got anything better to do.” 

She’s right, she usually is, it’s annoying.

“It would,” Eddie confirms, taking a moment to consider the offer before he says “alright, deal.”

They agree to meet again on Monday at 8am, Chrissy seems thrilled with the news when Eddie calls her over to let her know about their newest volunteer and they share another one of those silent conversations passed through a series of unreadable expressions. 

Chrissy and Eddie are an unusual pair, it was evident the moment Eddie had introduced her to them, and it continues to be evident now. Chrissy is wearing a pair of light wash jeans and a peach t-shirt with a white ribbon tied into a bow holding up her slicked back ponytail, meanwhile Eddie is all dark denim and leather. They couldn’t look more different if they tried. And for all her caution, Robin seems to have taken to them both rather quickly, so much so that he’s surprised she doesn’t invite them to lunch.

They eat at their usual haunt, a little cafe they frequent so often because Robin insists they sell the best apple pie in the whole city. Steve is just glad to have a good cup of coffee placed down in front of him.

Robin spends most of the time with her nose buried in her phone, occasionally passing it across the table to ask Steve’s approval on whatever social media page she’s setting up now. Should it be the broken heart gallery or the broken hearts gallery? Does he think this picture is better or this one? 

“Sure,” He agrees despite not really knowing what the question was. She frowns at him, wrong answer, “Sorry.” 

“I know I kind of just sprung this on you,” Robin starts, her voice is soft a tone she reserves only for serious conversations, “but we don’t actually have to go through with this whole gallery thing if you’re not into it. I just thought it would be good for you to have something to focus on that isn’t...” She stalls, making a few vague gestures with her hands.

“My failed love life or my non-existent career?” He says and she cracks a smile at his bluntness. 

“Yeah, that.”

“I think it’s a good idea, and you’re right. I can’t just mope around the apartment for the rest of my life.” Oh how he wishes he could. 

“Eddie is kinda hot too.”

“Robin!” He scolds.

“What? I’m gay not blind, Steve.” 

“Alright we are not having this conversation,” Steve decides, hurrying to change the subject. 

It’s not like he hasn’t noticed. Maybe if circumstances were different he’d even consider making a move, but he’s in the midst of yet another failed relationship and the risk of making things awkward with Eddie is too great when the guy is letting them use a space in his property for Robin’s idea free of charge.

She holds up her hands in surrender, “I’m just saying.” 

“Show me those pictures again.” 

She obliges, passing her phone over to show him the two very rough drafts of a logo she has put together. 

“One on the right for sure.” 

“That’s what I thought!” She beams, excitedly taking the phone from him and continuing to tap away at the screen. 

What has he let himself be dragged into?

<Chapter 1 ~ Masterpost ~ Chapter 3>