#guess he’s the only guy I have a sliver of an idea of his outfit and stuff.

[officiallyeminent]

was drawing my own character based on that Butcher Vanity music video by Yi Xi. Still on the fence if im gonna finish the other two scenes.

(Scenes on the left are my drawings and on the right are from the video.)

design still largely unconfirmed, the OC’s wings and stuff is supposed to be based off Harmonia axyridis, or the Asian lady beetle, because this OC in question is a cannibal. He performs magic shows and seduces his special fans into his room where he kills them and hence eats them.

(fun fact: the Asian Lady Beetle(s) are also cannibals.)

since Butcher’s Vanity is about cannibal(ism), I thought it’d be cool to draw him in that kinda style. But it turns out having a bright yellow background may not fit his colour scheme very well… so I just pretended he removed his top ish tux / suit coat thing and drew him with more white instead to balance them colours out ^^

looking back on it I don’t really like it anymore? Proportions kinda look bad but I thought I’d post it anyways.

extra sketch:

[beautouslysandy]

Laughing In The Rain

By-Sandy

Sodapop Curtis x GN!Reader

Warnings:Zero, just fluff with soda

Word Count: 1,031

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-You are a care-free sweet-hearted person, you have many people in your life but there is only one person you wanna spend it with and that is Sodapop Curtis. The boy next door, in simple terms. -You get butterflies just thinking about him. He is your dream and he just doesn’t know it. You haven’t seen him a lot since he dropped out of school. You miss seeing his smile when you’d was eachother in the halls. You miss seeing him everyday in History class. You miss him so much. -You guys have know each-other for 4 years, you aren’t the best of friends but your still pretty close. You know almost everything about him, not in the creepy way of course.

-Little do you know that he is missing you too.

••••••

It was a murky and rainy evening, you were at your desk studying for upcoming exams. Your desk faced the window so you could look out onto the street. Great for people watching is what you and your dad always joke about. You tap your pencil on your desk repeatedly, your growing bored and frustrated with studying this material. You look out the window zoning out. You love the rain, you love the smell of the freshly wet grass, the feeling of it hitting your skin, and for some odd reason you lived for the stormy grey the sky and clouds turn during a rainstorm. You enjoyed the little things no one else did. You came back to the present time, you say two little girls in rain attire jumping in puddles, you laughed to yourself as you thought it was adorable. You eyes wander to see the Curtis’ house and some of their friends out on the porch. They were knocking on the door, all huddled together trying to get through the open door first. You have this idea to go out into the rain and just enjoy it. You chicken out at first cause you don’t wanna embarrass yourself, you then begin to wonder why would I be embrassed if I am enjoy something I like. ‘Screw it.’ You thought to yourself.

You get off the desk chair and leave your studying to another time. You were about to walk out the door when you hear your mom’s voice call to you. “Y/N L/N, please tell me you are not going in the rain wearing that?” She said peeking out of your parents study examining your outfit like it was a report card.

I look at my outfit, I had on dark blue flare jeans with white roughed up shoes and a white sweater with your sliver locket.

“What do you mean?” You asked confused with what was wrong with your outfit

“Put a jacket on, young lady. Then you can go play or what not in the rain.” She said sternly with a smile.

“Okay, ma” You say willingly as you grab your black rain jacket and put it on. You open the door and close it, you take a deep breath. And as you guessed it smelled like freshly wet grass. You are pretty sure you have candle of the smell somewhere in your disorganized room.

You walked out into the rain, you giggled as your hair got wet. You went to grab the hood of the chair to put it on then you found nothing and then it hit you that you had forgotten that this rain coats hood was murdered last year after your little brother had the smartest of ideas to use it to play tug a war with the neighbors dog. You sat down on the sidewalk and played with the grass just enjoying as the rain hit your skin. You smiled with your eyes closed and took a deep breath again. You picked a dandelion out of the grass surprised that it wasn’t ruined by the rain. You twirled the stem around with your fingers. You zoned out until you heard a familiar voice saying:

“Y/N? Why are you sitting on the sidewalk when it’s raining?” You looked up to see Sodapop, you were shocked for a second then turned pink.

“Uhm..I just like the rain thats all.” You said almost like it was a question.

‘Gosh Y/N do you have any social skills?’ You thought to yourself.

“Oh. Me too” He said with a smile.

You chuckled awkwardly, “That’s nice.” you said uncontrollably

“Uh yeah.” He said sounding a little sad

This conversation was going no where. Until you said:

“So how’s been?” You said confidently, you even added a smile. You felt your skin turning pinker by the minute. He smiled, glad to find a topic. “It’s been great! As you know I am working at the DX full time now and..” He began sitting down right next to you looking you in the eyes. He’s eyes were sparkly, he didn’t have a rain coat on or anything just a white t-shirt, his DX short sleeved button up and hat, and his shoes and oil stained jeans. You completely zoned out, you didn’t anything he said and you found him looking at you happily and waiting for a response.

“Oh I am sorry, I zoned out” You said awkwardly and a bit embarrassed.

He looked at you with same sparkle in his eyes and replied with “Thats okay! Happens to me all of the time! I will just repeat what I said…” and he did.

———

You don’t know how long you guys have been out there but you didn’t care and he didn’t seem to either. Most of your conversation had been filled with laughs and giggles. It’s was still raining and y’all were soaked but it didn’t matter, you were happy. “So..” He said picking at the grass, picking out a strand of one from a patch of crab grass on your lawn. “Would you like to come over and hangout?” He asked looking at you with his perfect smile.

You didn’t say anything at first, you have never been invited to a boys place before. “I-I..uhm” You were speechless and you were so flustered.

He looked at you confused “We can just stay out here if you want, I was just getting a little cold that’s all.” He finished with his smile.

“No no no. I just went blank, sorry. I would love I mean like to hangout with you or I mean you and your friends. Uh sure.” You said quickly as you felt heat find your face, you had totally weirded him out you were thinking.

He laughed softly as he looked at the ground then he looked and you and said, “I was hoping you would say that.” He stood up and held out his hand which you quickly took.

He turned and gave you a kiss on the check before leading the way to his house. When I tell you almost squealed and turned 50 shades of red I mean it. Believe me.

Thank you for reading!

-Sandy

[sunjaesol]

the smile you gave me (it’s magic)

juke | meet-cute au | tw: alcohol + annoying men in bars | written for @alexjulies as we have the same headcanons about luke

What Julie Molina was about to do was horribly unfeminist and Flynn would hate her forever, but really, it was all the man’s fault - as usual.

She rejected his advances three times now in the last hour. The bartender gave her a drink on the man’s tab and she sent it back, the man brought it himself (introduced himself as Levi) and she politely declined once more. The third time he asked her to dance and then she fled to the bathroom. Julie wasn’t the biggest partygoer, occasionally joining Flynn for happy hour - like today. Her friend was late however, due to an emergency meeting at a magazine she worked at and Julie had to endure the bar alone. Grave mistake. She should’ve just waited at a McDonalds or something; even if she’d look out of place in her cocktail dress.

im there in 15!! hang in there <3 <3

Julie groaned. Great. Fifteen more minutes in a smelly bathroom stall as women outside were drunkenly crying in front of the mirrors and babbled about their own grievances regarding men. For such a universal problem, she had hoped all men would’ve taken the hint by now.

No, she didn’t want to dance. No, she didn’t want a drink. No, she wouldn’t give her number to someone that kept pushing and coming into her personal space. Levi could fuck off. It was bad enough how he had given her a suggestive once-over like he was deciding whether he wanted brunette or blonde tonight.  

The reminder angered her, pushed her out of the stall with a scowl. Was she really going to let a dumb man (nay: boy) ruin her night before it even started? Her songwriting session with Hayley Williams had gone really well and she deserved to celebrate that! She deserved to end her day on a high note! A quick look in the mirror to assure her make-up hadn’t smudged, she marched out the bathroom back into the dimly lit bar.

Her eyes scanned the room, relieved to not catch Levi close-by. Did he give up and leave? Was he cornering another girl? Whatever. As long as he wasn’t bothering her, she’d be able to breathe and maybe forget about the altercation.

If he did bother her again, she’d use her privilege as a girl and yell at the top of her lungs that he was harassing her. Surely then security would kick him out, right?

Over by the bartop was clamour, two men pulling each other into a laughing embrace as one hauled their backpack over their shoulder as the other dropped it. Changing shifts, Julie noted, halting on the man that had arrived. Well then. The theory that bars only hired attractive people seemed to be correct, the guy straight from a CW show. Mussed up brown hair, sharp features, big eyes, cute smile. A ten out of ten.  

He shrugged his red shacket off, fully black outfit beneath and began washing off discarded glasses. His muscular arms made her throat dry up; he wasn’t attractive, he was hot.

(Oh God. Was she just as bad as Levi, gawking over a stranger? But wasn’t part of his job that girls were supposed to gawk over him? More tips and all that? Julie decided she shouldn’t feel too guilty.)

Her feet moved on their own accord towards the bar, sliding into a leather high stool and wondering what she’d order as she waited for any of the bartenders (him?) to approach her.

Luck was on her side, the new bartender pressing his hands into the counter, brows raised expectantly. “What can I get you?”

Her lips tutted, debating between a margarita and a strawberry mojito. Both were appealing and at a marginally low price. “What’s better?”, she asked. “Margarita or mojito? Honestly.”

He grinned. “Honestly?”

“Yeah.” She crossed her arms atop the counter, a brush away from his hands. “I’ve bartended before. I know you have to lie a little.”

His muscle tee shifted around as he chuckled, slivers of tattoos peeking through on his chest. Her eyes averted, hoping she was a bit more subtle than she felt, and kept them trained on the stacks of whiskey in the glass rack.

His fingers drummed on the wood. “The mojito, then.” Leaning in as if imparting a secret, he added: “We’ve been buying the cheaper tequila. Gotta pay those bills.”

Satisfied at his reply, she gave him a pleased nod. “Okay. A mojito, please.”

He pushed himself off with a click of the tongue, as if he auctioned her something, and turned to grab the ingredients. As he poured the rum into a tall glass, he fell into casual conversation she was all too familiar with.

“You here alone?”

“Waiting on a friend.” Eager to distract herself from the reason why she waiting, and what caused her to wait in a fucking bathroom, she asked: “What’s the tattoo?”

The bartender paused for a beat, as if momentarily forgetting he was inked up, and then tugged his shirt out the way to showcase more skin. Had she not been so curious, she’d focus on the fact that he was defined as hell. The tattoo was a detailed sun with an ocean wave drawn inside. More uncovered: a play and pause button, ‘now or never’, a stick and poke tattoo of a lightning bolt. It was as if she herself doodled onto her skin and then left it there, but it somehow worked. It was personal. Maybe she was also a bit intrigued since he seemed especially interested by music. Granted, it was LA. Everyone was some type of artist with varying degrees of success. Still - she was curious.

“They’re cool,” she complimented, him going back to making her drink with an appreciative grin.

“Thanks.”

“Was the lightning bolt a drunk decision?”, she teased. The only instance someone got a stick and poke tattoo was when they felt chaotic or impulsive.

His grin widened, throwing crushed ice in the glass. “That obvious? Yeah, me and my boys all got one. This whole idea of-” He waved his hands around, trying to find the right words. “-bonding us together for life, I guess.”

Warmth thudded in her chest at his story, endeared by the way his voice became lighter when he talked about his friends. They must be like brothers to him.

As he placed the completed drink in front of her, she contemplated her answer. She’d rather keep talking to him than wait for Flynn in silence. “That’s nice. Having friends like that, it’s special.” Twisting her wrist, she showed her own tattoo. “I got this one when I turned eighteen.”      

They were two, small butterflies dancing on the inside of her forearm. When her mother passed away, she always knew she’d get something to commemorate her. Doodles of butterflies marked her skin in high school, finally becoming permanent when she was allowed to. Knowing everyone inevitably asked about the why, she continued talking.  

“It’s, you know, it’s about metamorphosis and beauty and transcendence and I just-” She caught herself before blabbing her sob story to a stranger. With a chuckle, she muttered: “It’s a reminder that change is good.”

When Julie looked up at him, she was struck by the wonder on his face. He didn’t look as confident as he did before, probably taken aback by her sudden spiritual spiel about butterflies - or by her, in general. The thought let a quiet thrill course through her.  

He snapped out of it, a smirk falling on his lips as his nail chimed against the glass. “It’s on me.”

“Is that a move?” Her head tilted, amused.

“You want me to lie or be honest?” The man leaned across the counter again, much closer this time. “Cool tattoo, by the way.”

She laughed, biting back a silly grin from blooming. This was his job, she reminded herself. Act all cute and get her to buy more drinks so that eventually, her tab would be enormous. It was like winning once at a game of poker and then becoming cocky.

Coy, she ripped her gaze from his and sipped on her drink. She’d let him simmer for a bit.

That was when it happened. Her unfeminist deed that would make Gloria Steinem shudder. Levi, the devil reincarnated, shot her a smug look from the other side of the bar. Swerving past people to the beat of the music, he tried approaching her again.

Julie groaned behind her glass, her good mood instantly shattered once more. Why couldn’t this idiot take a fucking hint?!

“Damn,” bartender mused, “I thought my mojito skills were good.”

The brash words tumbled out at a rapid pace, her need for a solution trumping her pride. “There’s a guy coming onto me right now and you need to help me ward him off. Please.”

He grimaced. “Yeesh. Ex-boyfriend?”

“Worse,” she bit. “A fool.”

A stressed smile pinned itself on her cheeks as Levi sidled beside her, one arm bracketing her left. Her back tensed as she shot a quick, pleading look at the bartender. He zeroed in on Levi, mouth curled downwards.    

“There you are,” Levi grinned. “Thought you left.”

Julie didn’t entertain him anymore. “I’ve told you. I’m not interested.”

He dismissed her. “I see you got yourself a drink? What is it?”

“I’m not interested,” she snapped, eyes flickering once more to the bartender. Was he really not going to help her?

It spurred him into action, his arm reaching over to create a barrier between Levi and her. “Dude, you heard her. Back off.”

Levi snarled. “Can you not? This is between me and her.”

“No, actually,” he exclaimed, blunt. “I’m her boyfriend.”

Her vigilance got her acting swiftly, shifting her expression into a believable nod and placing a hand on his outstretched arm.  

“He is?” Levi was gobsmacked, a hint of anger lacing his voice.

“Yeah,” Julie bit, silently thanking him when he played along and enveloped her hand with his. Her final strike spit his venom right back in his face. “So can you just leave us alone?”

The man rolled his eyes with a scoff, kicking one of the stools and mumbling a string of curses. “Bullshit…”

When he was out of sight again, having stormed off like a petulant child to a shadowy corner, Julie let out breath of relief. “Finally!” Shooting the bartender a bright smile, she kept babbling. “You have no idea how annoying that is. And smart idea - the boyfriend card always works!”

He squeezed her hand, worried. “You sure you’re okay? That was fucked up.”

“Yeah…” She trailed off, the soft touch reminding her of his words from before. Squeezing back, she watched as the pinch between his brows vanished. “I’m okay.”

They kept their stare for a beat, the revolving pop music and excited chatter merely background noise. Neither have let go of their hold on each other. She didn’t want to either; his hand was warm and gentle and a calloused thumb absentmindedly caressed her skin. Levi should learn from this.

Sometimes, a connection just happened.

He let go first, collecting himself into a casual stance that was far more amusing than it should be. Ducking beneath the bar and grabbing a beer, he tapped it against her glass with a cocky nod. “My name’s Luke.”

Julie matched his expression. Luke. Luke, the bartender. It fit him perfectly. “I’m Julie. Are you supposed to be drinking on the clock?”

“I work in a bar,” Luke deadpanned. “It’s expected. And I’m sure Jack can handle it.”

“Why would he have to serve alone?” she inquired teasingly, eyes glimmering with challenge. If there was one thing she loved, it was getting the upper hand in a fun game of flirting.  

He lifted his bottle with a wink. “I’m drinking with you.” A pause, his gaze matching her intensity. Damn. He was a good opponent. “Unless you want me to go?”

She shook her head, took a sip from the mojito and wiggled her brows. “Cheers to warding off annoying men, fake boyfriend.”

“I better get some good karma from this,” he joked. “Cheers!”

(Later that night, she’d realise Flynn never came by. When she asked what happened, Flynn told her she had walked in and saw Julie completely wrapped up in a conversation ‘with that cute bartender’ and left. The joyous announcement that Julie got his number made her friend screech over the phone.

Julie went back to the bar many times. Drinking and talking bled until deep in the night, once till closing time and then he walked her to her apartment. He didn’t resist when she kissed him, his lips kissing back with hunger.

It didn’t take long for the ‘fake’ to be scrapped from that label.)  

🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸

@blush-and-books @willexx @bluefirewrites @ourstarscollided

[bbyboybrock--archived]

Happy New Year (Colby Brock Imagine)

Summary: *REQUEST* Can you do one where they are strangers and meet each other during a new years eve party and then end up kissing each other when the ball drops and make it super romantic (not in covid times) pretty please

Written: 2021

Word Count: 2,040

Warnings: Swearing, mention of being roofied, breakup

Masterlist

I sit in the uber, waiting for everyone to get out. Maybe they’ll be too excited about the party to realize that I went home. Maybe I should escape out the other door and disappear into the night. I didn’t even want to come out tonight in the first place. After the year I’ve had, going to an influencer party is the last place I want to attend. Unluckily for me, my best friends were tired of me staying in my apartment all day, every day, and refused to let me ring in the new year alone. Sadly, this meant that I had to go with them to a party because my apartment gave off “depression vibes” and that “wasn’t the move” for 2021. That’s the only thing that I agreed with them on, the vibe thing, not going to a party. 

After nearly a year of quarantine and processing a breakup, my place is a bit of a disaster. If it wasn’t for Janie ambushing me every day last week to help/force me to clean up, my apartment would still look like that cave where the grinch lives— minus Max. There were various alcohol bottles collecting dust on the counter. Not in a “she’s spiraling very rapidly” sort of way, but in a way that you could tell that I had a rough few weeks and the occasional wine night with the gals. There were boxes, mostly from March and April, that I still had yet to throw out after impose buying a bunch of stuff. My closet had turned into my bed because that was the only safe space that wasn’t cluttered with food packaging or tainted by memories that no longer bring me joy. I hadn’t properly seen my floor in months until we pulled back the layer of filth. I forgot that I had carpet. Still, after all that, I managed to make videos every week without fail.

“Y/N, c’mon, you’re not escaping this time. Let’s go so you can forget that asshole and that backstabbing bitch.” Persephone begs as she pulls me out of the car. Once out of the car, she adjusts her long, dark brown curls and smooths out her dress before reconnecting to her boyfriend’s hip. They both match with their gold and black outfits. All of my friends and their significant others match. Ophelia and her girlfriend are wearing silver and blue while Janie and her boyfriend are wearing maroon and gold. They all look like gods and goddesses and here I am wearing green and sliver on my own. Could I be anymore single?

“I’m not going to do it, I was just thinking about it. Don’t worry. I have to get footage for the vlog anyway. Gotta prove that I did something other than stay home this year. My fans are getting concerned.” I pull out my camera and get a few clips of everyone.

“Might as well get some pictures then so people will believe you.”1 Ophelia winks before grabbing me and leading us to what I’m assuming is the designated photo spot. There’s even a line. This is going to be one of those nights.

****

“Aw, fuck…” I mutter to myself as my drink gets knocked out of my hand. This house isn’t big enough for the number of people that were invited. 

“I am so sorry! Here, let me help you.” The guy who bumped into me extends his hand for me to grab. I’m sober enough to know not to take completely random strangers' hands at parties, especially in LA, but I’m also drunk enough to not care. He looks nice enough and I can spot Ophelia and her girlfriend Zoe keeping an eye on me from the corner of the room. I guess everyone is taking turns to make sure I don’t bail.

Against better judgment, I take this beautiful stranger’s hand and let him guide me out of the house to the backyard. It’s less crowded out here, maybe because there are more activities to do inside. Out here, I can actually breathe even though people are smoking and vaping out here. The music is quieter. The music is still loud, but like it would burst your eardrum like the music inside. I get a better look at the guy who brought me out here. He’s not bad looking, and I really hope that’s not the alcohol talking. He has the most relaxing blue eyes I’ve ever seen on a guy. His hair is dark brown with a bit of, I think, purple in the front. He looks as threatening as a pug, but looks can be deceiving.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t get any on you did I?” He asks as he scans my body, not in a creepy way. Which is a nice change of pace.

“My feet but they’re just shoes so I don’t care. I call these my going out shoes, they’re made for moments like this so you’re all good. I’m Y/N by the way.” I stick my hand out for him to shake. He looks at it puzzled for a second before it registers and he grabs my hand and gives it a firm shake. 

“Right— I spilled your drink on you and basically kidnapped you from the party and you don’t even know my name. It’s Colby, Colby Brock.” Colby shakes my hand a little too long before quickly pulling it away.

“I’m Y/N, you can get the last name later,” I bite my bottom lip, close my eyes, and mentally slap my head. “That was lame, wasn’t it?”

“It’s fine. It’s a thousand times better than anything I would have come up with. Just blame it on the alcohol.”

We both laugh before Colby singles that he’ll be right back. I watch as Colby disappears a small group of people. I take off my shoes and walk to the pool, dipping my feet in as I sit. The cool night air is soothing me. It’s a nice change from the stale scent of my apartment and the sweaty bodies inside the party. I look up to the night sky. The light pollution makes it impossible to see what stars and constellations are above us. Whatever I’m staring at right now feels peaceful, like they are aligned or not in retrograde. I have no idea what any of that means, but I do know that I’ve been around Ophelia too much.

Colby taps my shoulder when he gets back. He kicks off his shoes and socks before joining me in the pool, not even rolling up his pant legs. He’s going to regret that in a few hours. He hands me an unopened can of Truly. I take it from him and open it myself. At least I know he’s not a creep. He opens a can of White Claw and sips it before breaking the silence.

“I have to be honest, Y/N.” Colby looks forward, taking another sip.

“Oh no, what is it?” I ask nervously.

“The real reason I dropped your drink is because I saw some asshole slip something in your drink.” Colby finally looks at me and I can tell he’s serious.

“Wait…what? Someone tried to… Any you thought the best was to inform me was to spill my drink all over me?” I’m more taken aback by the idea of me almost getting roofied than anything. That would have been the perfect way to end this shit storm of a year.

“In hindsight, I planned to spill your drink. I didn’t mean to get any on you. I’m not a hundred percent sober right now so that was the downside of my plan. Don’t worry about the guy, my friend Corey went after him.”

“Wow— Uh, thank you. I mean it. I don’t think I could have dealt with… that on top of everything else I had to handle this year.” I take a sip of my drink and swing my legs in the water. 

“Do you want to talk about it? I’m not big on talking about serious stuff with strangers, so I’ll understand if you don’t want to. However, we’re both getting hammered, if we aren’t already, so the likely hood of us even remembering this conversation tomorrow let alone who we are slim. So if you need to vent, vent.”

I weigh the pros and cons of actually venting everything to this beautiful stranger. Maybe it’s the alcohol talking, but I decided to say fuck it. The year is almost over anyway, might as well get rid of this baggage and start the year fresh.

“Long story short: after months of quarantining together Axl, my boyfriend of 10 years, cheated on me. The entire time we were in quarantine. With my younger sister, who I let quarantine with us so she wouldn’t be alone and not have to fly back home to be with our parents. And to top it all off, I found out about it on my birthday when I walked in on them fucking each other on my bed.” I take a larger sip of my drink before leaning back and staring back at the virtually starless sky.

“Holy fucking shit,” Colby leans back to join me in looking at the sky.

“Yup! We met in preschool and started dating when we were 13. She’s four years younger than us to that’s annoying.” 

“Not to be that guy, but I don’t know what you expected when you started dating a guy named Axl.”

“… You’re right, that is a pretty douchey name. I literally ignored the biggest red flag in my entire life.”

Colby and I laugh again until it fades. I don’t think I’ve laughed this much, like actually laughed, in months. It feels good. Inside the house, the crowd starts counting down from 15. Colby must have heard it too because I watch him turn his head from the corner of my eye. I turn my head to face him. He really does have beautiful eyes. Like the ocean.

“This may be a dumb idea and I know we don’t know each other, but do you want to be my new years kiss?”

“I may regret this in the future, but what the hell.” We both sit up and adjust our clothes.

It might be risky to just kiss a random stranger at midnight, but who cares. We’re most likely not going to be in each other’s lives after tonight anyway. But by God, I could do much worse than kissing Colby. Unless I’m very drunk and the drunk goggles are seriously fucking with me. It’s not like I’m going home with him, my friends won’t let that happen. Maybe after this party, we’ll go our separate ways and never see each other again. Maybe we’ll run into each other in a random store in LA or at some creator convention.

The drunken yells of party-goers inch closer and closer to midnight.

“Three,” Colby whispers, moving his hair out of his face.

“Two,” I take one more small sip before finally setting my drink down. Colby does the same. My heart is beating a loud, steady rhythm in my chest like it’s about to burst.

“One,” We whisper at the same time before slowly leaning in.

As our lips touch, it felt like time had stopped. The beating intense beating in my heart only intensifies the longer our lips stay pressed together. One of Colby’s hands finds my face why the other reaches for my thigh, but I can only focus on how soft his lips are. My stomach starts forming knots as he tries to deepen the kiss. I don’t know if it’s everything I drank tonight coursing through my veins or the fact that I haven’t been kissed in months, but I slightly part my lips. The mixture of Colby’s scent and his body heat wash over me like they’re intoxicating my senses. The kiss ends just as suddenly as it started. We both pull away and just stare at each other in awe.

“L/N,” I breathe, fixing my hair.

“What?” Colby takes another sip of his drink.

“My last name is L/N.”  

[fific7]

Dangerous and Divine - Part 14

Billy Russo x Reader

Summary: Billy Russo is an itch you don’t want to scratch. But he’s all over you like a rash.

A/N: This does not follow canon, it’s mainly fluff & lemon zest 🍋 The GIF is from Exposed, unreleased pilot show in case you’re wondering 😌... Billy vibes.

Warnings: 18+ NSFW due to sexual content including unprotected* sex between consenting adults. Some drinking & swearing.

*Irl, please don’t go wild in the country without protection.

(My GIF)

She’d find some excuse about missing evidence or statements to call him back in, or something along those lines. He was too good a catch to let him escape, and she wasn’t prepared to allow that to happen. And Dinah Madani, as anyone who knew or worked with her soon found out, was one very determined lady.

The weekend following the op, Dinah had literally just sat and wallowed in her apartment, several bottles of wine, takeout and the TV being her only companions. She stewed and stewed about the Russo Situation, as her mind categorised it. She really wasn’t going to let this lie, she was the one who should be with him.

By Wednesday morning, Dinah was sitting in her office scrolling through various witness statements again on her laptop, tapping her pen impatiently on the desk as she did. She’d spent the last two days scrutinising them.

Her mind was working overtime, trying to come up with a plausible excuse for calling Russo back in. It had to be cast-iron, otherwise her co-workers and possibly Russo would smell a rat. She started reading through an eyewitness report from just prior to the shooting; this one might do, as it mentioned seeing Russo (‘tall guy in a black army outfit’) raising his gun just before one of her team had actually shot the guy. She might be able to say she needed him to go over his exact movements at that point, as she didn’t think it had been described in micro-detail in his own statement.

Her internal phone rang, and she grabbed the receiver - it was her boss, the Special Agent in Charge or SAC. “Sir?” His gruff voice sounded annoyed, “Can you come to my office, please?” She frowned, “I’m just going over the -“ but he cut her off, “Now, Madani!” “Of course,” she replied, putting the phone down and getting up from her desk. What’s got his panties in a bunch, she thought as she left her office and headed along the corridor to his.

She knocked and heard a terse “Come in!” and entered his office. One look at his beetroot face made her wish she’d been out on a call somewhere. His blood pressure only ever got this high if some really big boulder of shit had come rolling down the hill and dropped on him.

“Siddown,” he grunted, and waited until she was sitting opposite him. He heaved a big sigh, interlacing his fingers as he placed his hands on the desk in front of him, then stared across at her.

“Dinah... I’ve received two official complaints about you.” She gaped at him. Definitely hadn’t been expecting that.

“What? Who from?!!!” she demanded. He exhaled a breath; even he’d noticed Dinah’s ‘heart-eyes’ for this guy. She wasn’t going to like this.

“Billy Russo, and a friend of his.”

“Oh, let me guess!” She said a name, “That’s his ‘friend’, isn’t it?!” He nodded, “Yes. They both allege that you acted in an unprofessional manner during the case which has just been closed.”

“Unprofessional, how exactly?” she questioned him. His beetroot face went an even more vibrant shade of red, and he cleared his throat, “Russo alleges that you made unwanted sexual advances to him, and that you... uhhh, you engaged in an act of voyeurism while he was having sexual relations with his girlfriend.”

Dinah felt a flush spreading over her face, and she huffed out a breath. “And her? What did she have to add to the mix?” He held her angry gaze, “She said you carried out a totally unnecessary interview with her, solely to obtain information about her relationship with Russo.” She couldn’t stop herself from spitting out, “Huh! Relationship!”

He raised an eyebrow at her, “Dinah, you do seem to be rather more.... interested in Russo than the casework would require? Did you engage in a personal relationship with him during the course of the case?” She crossed her arms over her chest, “No! Well, yes.... to an extent! He took me out for lunches a couple of times and drinks one night, but that’s as far as it went!” More’s the pity, supplied her brain.

“Well, Dinah, I can’t sweep this under the carpet I’m afraid, as they’ve made the complaints official. Their statements have been made and filed with Professional Standards.”

Her eyebrows rose, and for the first time, a sliver of trepidation made its way into her mind. “I see. I didn’t realise it had already been fast-tracked to them.” He shook his head, “Not fast-tracked, Dinah - just following standard procedure. They came in to speak to PS yesterday, and they’ve just contacted me as your line manager to make me - and in turn, you - aware that the complaint’s been filed.” She chewed the inside of her lip; she was having a hard time getting her head around the fact that only two days after he’d come to the final briefing, he’d returned to the office and filed this complaint.

“PS will be in touch with you to arrange a formal hearing to investigate the complaint. They’ll give you a copy of the statements made, and you’ll be able to have an advisor with you.” He looked down at his hands, before meeting her eyes again, “I’m sorry this has happened, Dinah, but it has and things have just got to take their course. I’m not going to suspend you but for the moment, until this is resolved you’ll be on desk duties only.”

Her mouth tightened, but she gave him a brief nod and managed to say almost civilly, “Yes, sir.” He leant back in his chair, “Okay, that’s all for now.” She got up abruptly and left the office, making sure she didn’t slam the door. Although she really, really, wanted to.

She walked back to her office, this unexpected development turning over and over in her mind. She carefully closed her office door, but then kicked her desk viciously, her anger boiling over. This was obviously her idea, thought Dinah, it’s got to be! She just didn’t see Billy as a complaint-filing kinda guy.

Well, his little lady friend would soon find out she picked the wrong woman to fuck with!

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Billy’s eyes opened slowly, and he stretched his arms and legs fully out, yawning. His right hand met empty space - he was by himself in the bed. He sat up and pushed the covers back, leaning over the side of the bed and grabbing his boxer briefs off the floor.

He got up and pulled them on before wandering through to his living area.... ah, there she was. Making coffee and toast for them. Moving silently up behind her like the sniper he was, he grabbed hold of her then burst out laughing as she gave a small shriek.

“Russo! You sneaky bastard, you nearly gave me a heart attack!” His mouth went to the spot behind her ear and he placed a small kiss there, before suddenly licking the entire side of her face. “Russo!” she yelled again, but he heard a small laugh at the end of it. “Mornin’, angel.” He started peppering kisses all over her face and neck, and she laughed again, “Do you want this coffee or not?!” and then just managed to grab a slice of the toast as it came flying out of the toaster. He grabbed it out of her hand and started looking around for the butter and a knife.

“Yeah okay, sweetheart, let’s have our coffee an’ toast. It’s just I didn’t get my Thursday mornin’ kiss when I woke up,” he pouted over at her. She grinned at him, “Oh my god, you know you really are the sappiest of big saps! I’m just not gonna stop calling you out on that. Big bad Marine, yeah right.”

He reached for her and crushed her up against the the worktop, kissing her ferociously and running his hands all over her. He could hear her making little mewling sounds so he upped the ante, sliding his briefs down with one hand, then grabbed her hips and boosted her up onto the counter. He pushed her long t-shirt (actually his t-shirt) up over her thighs and slid his hard-on inside her. He felt her legs wrapping themselves around his waist, pulling him closer to her and settling him in. Billy closed his eyes, head going back at the feeling of being sheathed inside her. He felt like he was losing control of himself, he wanted her so much. He began thrusting, wildly, pushing deep inside her - his brain told him he was going at it like a teenage boy on his first sexual adventure - but he couldn’t stop himself.

Suddenly, he felt himself releasing and gave a long disappointed groan, his forehead dropping onto her shoulder. “Uhhhh... no,” he groaned again, kissing her, “Sorry, angel - got too excited. Couldn’t hold it.”

She leant forward and kissed him, “No need to apologise, tiger... happens to the best of them.” He frowned, “But not to me, sweetheart,” stroking her hair back and kissing her eyebrow, “that’s a first! What are you doin’ to me, woman?!” He had seriously never come so quickly in his life. Thinking back to when he lost his virginity - 15 years old in the group home with one of the older girls - he remembered that even then he’d lasted longer. Not much longer, but still.

He smiled at her, “You know I think I am whipped,” he said, laughing.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Laughing back at him, she jumped down off the counter and ripped a couple of paper towels off the roll next to the toaster. Dampening them under the tap, she handed one to Billy and they quickly cleaned themselves up. He eased his briefs back up over his slightly damp thighs, and noticed she was going through the lower cupboards. “What’ya lookin’ for, sweetheart?” She opened another cupboard door and peered inside it, “Clorox or whatever....” He opened the cupboard door under the sink and took out a spray bottle, handing it to her with a raised eyebrow.

“Gonna disinfect yourself, angel?” he smirked at her, “I mean I know what my rep was like in the past, but I always wore a condom.” She smacked the bottle against his butt, “Just the countertop, honey... we’ve just had sex on it if you recall!” “Owww! Ahh...okay, right,” he nodded, and she grinned back at him, “I can see I’ve still got some house-training to do for my puppy.” He mock-frowned and smacked her ass lightly, “Not a puppy, sweetheart!”

“I don’t know why you object to that, Billy - puppies are cute!” He popped the toast slices back in the toaster to reheat them a bit, “Puppies piss and shit all over the place and dry-hump people’s legs!” She burst out laughing, “Wow! I didn’t realise you were so puppy-phobic, Russo!” “I’m not! I just don’t want to be compared to one,” he protested. She finished spraying the counter and wiped it all down.

Leaning up, she kissed him softly, “Oh okay... Hurt Male Ego alert!! What d’you wanna be, poppet... a tiger?” She went back to attending to the coffee. “Well, you did call me tiger earlier, so yeah - I can live with that,” he grinned. “I might just call you poppet.” He nudged his shoulder against hers, “You’d better not.” She brandished to coffee pot at him, “Try and stop me!” Just then, Billy heard his phone chime in the bedroom with a new text message.

He strolled back through there and picked it up, his mouth pulling into a line as he saw the sender’s name.

Dinah: Russo, I don’t know what game you think you’re playing, but I want to speak to you about this complaint you’ve filed.

Russo: I don’t think that’s a good idea.

Dinah: You owe me an explanation.

Russo: Do I? And an explanation about what? It’s quite straightforward.

Dinah: No it isn’t. You meet me tomorrow at the Chelsea Piers, 10 AM. Then you’ll be nice and close to your little girlfriend and you can go running back to her afterwards.

Ouch, thought Billy, someone’s still jealous.

Russo: OK I’ll meet you for a 5-minute talk and that’s it.

Dinah: And keep this to yourself, Russo.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Billy walked back through to the kitchen, tapping his phone on his chin as he went, deep in thought. Did he tell her about this, or just keep quiet? He couldn’t work out why Madani was so insistent on an actual meeting. His gut told him nothing good could come from this, he just knew it. He wasn’t absolutely sure of the details, but he was under the impression that Madani should not be in contact with him when there was an active complaint against her. He’d better be damn careful when they met tomorrow.

She’d finished pouring the coffee and buttering the toast and turned to him with a wide smile as he reappeared, holding out a plate and cup to him, “Here you go, poppet.” He took them from her, smiling back and shaking his head, “Poppet! Do I really look like a ‘poppet’?!” he said, following behind her as they left the kitchen area. He leant forward and planted an open-mouthed kiss on her neck. “You look like a big sap,” she laughed back, “but a very sex-ceeee one in just your briefs,” and rubbed her body up against him, making him groan.

As they made their way over to his sofa, he thought to himself that maybe he’d just stay silent about it, his angel was in a good mood and he didn’t want to place a black cloud over the day. Both of them had decided to have a day off from work, he had plans for the two of them and he didn’t want to spoil it all. He made up his mind as he looked over at her, she was smiling at him and his stomach did a backflip as it had been doing a lot lately.

Yeah, he’d just not mention it.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

@blackbirddaredevil23 @galaxyjane @omgrachwrites @behindmyeyes-insidemyhead

[getyallsshippingjuice]

Wedding rings and children's vows part one.

Really it was just a series of bad/good ideas that led to this. All starting with a man who had not been invited to the wedding…

 Janus was petty when he wanted to be. To the point of showing up at his cousin’s wedding despite not being invited. Not that he and his cousin had ever been close, or even gotten along but that was no excuse to leave him out. Not when almost everyone else was there too. 

 So he invited himself ready to make a rather double sided and unflattering toast when the time came only to have a much much better idea when he saw the two twin ring bearers who looked to be around six. The only difference between them was one was wearing a red tie and the other one was wearing a green one. He guessed that was just so everyone could tell them apart as they were identical otherwise. Both young enough to be easily fooled into, ‘losing’ the rings. 

 He made his way over to find the two complaining about the uncomfortable outfits they were being forced to wear, which gave him an angle to work with.  “You know, you could make everyone else just as uncomfortable.” 

 They looked at him. One of them narrowed his eyes. “Oh yeah?” 

 “Well if you were to hide the rings and not tell anyone where they are then…” Janus shrugged watching as the twins looked at each other.

 “What do we say if they ask then?” Red tie asks.

 “Make something up, say you ate them.” That would work right? Kids ate weird things all the time. That was believable. The twins agreed and Janus left to go enjoy the chaos from a safe distance. 

---

 Remus slipped the rings in his pocket, “Ok! If someone asks, then I’m the one who ate them.” 

 That made sense. Roman nodded, “Yeah!....when do you think we give them back?” 

 “He didn’t say anything about giving them back. I think we’re supposed to keep them.” Remus said, looking around to make sure no one could overhear them. 

 “What do we do with wedding rings?” Roman demanded ditching the weird fancy pillows that they were supposed to carry the rings in on. 

 “Well...we could use them!” Remus said excitedly. “You could marry me!”

 “You want to get married?” Roman asked, “Is that allowed?” 

 “We’ve got rings, that's all you need right?” Remus asked.

 “I think you need the guy to say the stuff.” Roman said, pointing to the priest. 

 Remus rolled his eyes, “Well then let’s ask him!” Remus said, grabbing Roman’s hand and dragging him over.

 The priest looked at him. “Can I help you?” 

  “Yes hello we need you to marry us but fast cuz I don’t wanna have a boring long wedding.” Remus said firmly.

 The priest blinked before laughing a little under his breath. “We’ve got time. Sure. why not?” 

 The ‘wedding’ was short and was just the Priest asking them to make up some vows mostly because he wanted to see what they would come up with. 

 “I promise to love you lots and lots and never ever steal your candy again, at least not a lot.” Remus said as seriously as possible trying to not smile like a maniac.

“I promise to love you forever and to never tell on you even when you do bad things.” Roman said that being the most important thing he could think of to promise. 

 The priest told them to just do a handshake instead of a kiss and the photographer managed to catch the moment. The priest was called away before he could see Remus pull out the rings, having mixed up the steps a little bit. 

 They didn’t wear them for long before the music started and they were being rushed over to a spot to wait for their cue to bring the rings out. 

---

 Janus was loving this. The kids were stone faced and never gave on what happened to the rings. There was a sliver of doubt in his mind that two six year olds could lie that well. So he had to check. “So where are the rings?” Janus asked after a very pissed off mother stormed away.

 They looked at each other before back at him. “We ate them?” Clearly confused. 

 Janus gave them thirty dollars to never tell anyone that he told them to do that. 

 ---

 Roman was staring at the too big ring on his finger while sitting under one of the tables. Remus had told him to wait there cuz he had an idea. It was taking forever though. In reality it had only been a half hour but to him it was forever.

 Remus came back with a small wedding cake with two of their travel toys stuck on the top. A scuba diver and a knight. Remus’ ring was balanced on top of the scuba diver’s head. “My ring was too big so I put it there. It kept falling off.” 

 Roman stared at the cake, white with light pink swirling designs on the sides. “Where did you get that?” Roman asked, putting his ring on the knight.

 Remus shrugged, “It was the small top one, they don’t need four cakes!” He paused, “Is it ok?”

 Roman beamed, “I love it!” 

 They ate the cake with their hands before wiping their hands off on their clothing. Then playing with their toys, rings safely in their pockets. 

 The rings end up in special hiding spots in their rooms, and they spend the next two weeks joined at the hip for their ‘honeymoon’.

@shut-up-its-funny @pumpkin-padparadscha  @remrom-cola

[lovingmyselfcore]

Protect You Chapter IV

Oh my god I did it. I wrote a thing for this thing!! You guys are def getting other writing things from me this week but idk what it'll be bc apparently my brain is god and works in mysterious ways (is that offensive?)

Significant lack of Cardan today and I apologize for that but he will deffo be in the next part (if you've read the end of this then you know)

Chapter IV; Some Attempted Breaking and Entering ft. Nicasia being Nicasia and I hate her :)

“Ow,” I deadpanned.

Oriana looked up at me, mouth pinched at the edges, “Jude.” She had the way of saying my name (always has) that perfectly conveyed her distaste at my existence and scolding me for whatever I had done.

We were in Vivi and I’s apartment, Oriana had me propped on the counter while she adjusted my sling and bandages. Every time she saw the injury she grimaced in disgust, which meant that was her only current expression.

“When Vivi does this it’s much quicker,” I muttered, crossing my ankles and swinging my legs against the counter.

“Well, Vivi has had weeks of doing this for you.” Oriana pulled the bandage tighter and my ‘ow’ wasn’t deadpan anymore.

I didn’t think she was going to speak again but she did, “Training,” She scoffed. “I can’t believe you injured yourself so severely.” She looked up at me, “But at least it wasn’t a gunshot wound. At least your life isn’t as dangerous as that.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. Lying always has been my specialty.

Oriana pressed her lower body into my legs to keep me still against the counter. “Stop banging, you’re going to dent or chip it.”

I rolled my eyes and her grip tightened on my arm before she released me entirely.

“All done.”

I rolled my shoulder as best I could, “Great.”

Oriana stepped back and I hopped off the counter. Grabbing my jacket and slinging it over my available shoulder I called back to Oriana, “I’m going to work, Dain needs me.”

I was two steps from the front door when Oriana caught me by the shoulder. “Tayrn’s engagement party is tomorrow night,” She said it like I hadn’t been thinking about it since it was announced.

“Don’t worry,” I grinned at her, “I’ll be there to make everyone’s life hell.”

~~~~~~~~

“Jude,” Lilliver waved her hand in front of my face. “You’re spacing. Everything good?”

“What? Oh, yeah. It’s just…”

“The party.” Garrett said, matter of factly.

I gave him a look. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“Well lucky for you, you’ll be spending the whole time on a job,” Garrett said. Van and Lilliver winced.

“What?” I asked, meeting Garrett’s eyes. He didn’t flinch away from the harsh edge to my voice, the undoubtedly even harsher look in my eyes.

“Dain wanted us to tell you,” Van said, raising his voice as the music caught a crescendo.

We were in some day club that was clearly only for rich people. Sitting at a table tucked in a dark corner, watching as Dain mingled amongst the crowd. Shadows in the shadows, I mused. Weirdly appropriate.

I wasn’t sure who it was, but someone had rented the place and filled it with the highly respected, feared, higher-ups. Dain had heard about the event and invited himself, using the situation to make connections, and further the ones he already had.

He’d dragged us with him, of course. It was 11 at night, I was supposed to be curled on the couch with Vivi, eating ice cream out of the tub and watching Criminal Minds or beating up the punching bag in my room until my knuckles had split, even through the bandages and I couldn’t feel my arms. It depended on my mood.

But Lilliver had called me, said Dain needed his shadows, and that Garrett was waiting outside my apartment building. He had been. I have no idea how he got my address, but I’d refused to let him be my ride. He was too unpredictable, I couldn’t give him that blind faith. So I’d yelled to Vivi that my bike was out of gas and I needed hers and I’d pay her back for the miles, took her keys, and trailed behind Garrett’s car. And now, here we were.

I was nursing a glass of whiskey, mostly to calm my nerves as I followed Dain with my eyes, watching everyone who got too close to him.

“You don’t think anybody would try anything?” I’d asked when I got here, sliding in next to Lilliver in the booth.

“Someone’s done it before.” Van had muttered grimly.

I arched a brow, “What happened to them?”

Van just looked at Garrett, who was eyeing everyone and everything like they all had guns and were about to start shooting people.

I got the message and hadn’t inquired further.

“What does he want me to do?” I asked now.

“Locke’s a friend of Cardan’s.”

“I’m aware.”

Garrett rolled his eyes and I glared at him.

Resting my forearms on the table and leaning forward until I was closer to Van I said, “But Dain isn’t worried about Cardan taking the power, is he?”

“No.”

“But,” Lilliver cut in. “Locke has been seen with Madoc and Balekin. Being with Madoc isn’t that weird-”

“Yes, it is.” I interrupted.

“But Locke is going to be Madoc’s son-in-law. How is that weird?” Garrett asked, tearing his gaze from Dain.

“Madoc hates Locke, he isn’t very happy about Taryn marrying him.”

“For what he did to you?” Van asked.

I snorted, “You’re overestimating him. Nah, he just thinks Locke is a stuck-up prick who doesn’t deserve everything he has.”

“Fair,” Lilliver murmured and I nodded my agreement.

“But Balekin?”

I shook my head, “You don’t know Madoc like I do. If he’s talking to Balekin and it’s not about just security stuff? It can’t be good. Throw Locke into the equation and anything could happen.”

“Great,” Van drawled with an exasperated eye roll.

“So, Jude,” Lilliver asked after a moment of silence. “You have a good outfit, right?”

~~~ A few hours later, I was sitting on my couch, crossing and uncrossing my legs, waiting for Vivi to be finished getting ready.

“Viv!” I yelled.

“Patience is a virtue!” She screeched back from the bathroom.

“Anybody that has time for patience is wasting their life,” I muttered to myself, trying to relax back into the couch unsuccessfully.

I was too stiff all over, shoulders tight, leg muscles straining as I dug the soles of my heels into the carpet as if trying to keep myself on the ground. I curled my fingers into the plush cushion of the couch.

I was wearing a gold dress and matching heels, a small handgun strapped to one thigh, a knife on the other. The slits up the legs of my dress would allow me to retrieve them but kept them hidden enough from prying eyes.

Vivi was taking too long. I rose slowly from my place on the couch and walked to the bathroom. Some Taylor Swift was playing from the Bluetooth speaker perched precariously on the windowsill and Vivi swayed to the beat, slivers of dying sunlight curling in through the window to wind around her gold curls. She was touching up her mascara so she didn’t look at me when I entered.

“I know I’m taking forever, but you should be thanking me for not making you go too early.” I rolled my eyes and leaned against the doorway, not saying anything in response.

Suddenly Taylor’s voice cut off as Vivi’s phone rang. “Can you get that?” She asked me, but I was already reaching for it. I had to twist my arm half under her upper body to get to the other side of the countertop but I eventually reached it and glanced at the caller ID.

“Heather,” I said.

Vivi looked away from the mirror to blink at me and I took that as my cue to answer.

“Hey, Heather,” I said.

“Jude?”

“Yeah. Vivi’s busy being narcissistic so you get to talk to me instead.”

Heather’s laugh sounded like a fairy. “That’s alright, you’re not bad to talk to.”

“Thanks for lying to me,” I replied, leaning against the doorway again. “Is everything okay?”

“Oh, yeah. I just knew the engagement party was soon and figured I’d talk to Vi now before she gets too drunk to do anything.” I snorted, “That’s a very fair assessment. We would’ve been at the party already but Vivi is taking forever.” The last word was louder and Vivi stuck her middle finger up at me without even turning to face me.

Vivi finally set down the mascara wand and turned to me with her hands on her hips before making a toddler-esque grabbing motion.

“Well Vivi’s finally done getting ready, but she wants to talk to you.”

Heather snorted, “Nice. Well, have fun at the party, Jude.”

It was my turn to snort.

Heather’s voice got softer, “It’ll all be fine. You don’t have to stay for very long, and maybe you can find something to distract yourself with.” Oh, I have something to do, alright.

“Thanks,” I muttered before handing Vivi the phone. “Hey, baby,” Vivi said immediately and I shook my head. She stuck her tongue out at me before turning away and I took that as my cue to leave the bathroom.

~~~~

I was physically unable to stay still.

Vivi and I didn’t own a real car, so we’d called an Uber, and sitting in the backseat, I was doing everything but stay still. Vivi kept side-eyeing me when she glanced away from her phone, but she hadn’t said anything.

I was bouncing my leg, tapping a rhythm on the door of the car, the seatbelt, the seat below me, my arms.

Vivi paused in her texting, probably to Heather, to clamp a hand on my knee. It didn’t do much to actually stop my movements but it got me to look at her. “Why are you so nervous?”

“I’m not,” I said stiffly and turned away.

Vivi sighed and took her hand off my knee. “You can talk to me, Jude.” She whispered.

I didn’t respond.

~~~

Locke lived in a mansion. I’d been there before but it was still impressive. What took away a bit of that was that I knew he hadn’t worked for it. He was just a rich kid, born and raised. Like all the others that had looked down on me my entire life.

He fit in with Cardan.

Vivi thanked our Uber driver as we stepped out of the car onto the winding stone pathway leading up to the front door.

As the car sped off Vivi linked her arm through mine and yanked me forward to start walking to the door.

“Stop looking at the house like it murdered your cat,” Vivi muttered, her arm tightening briefly around mine.

I tried to school my scowl into something more neutral. It wasn’t easy.

“We’re here for Taryn,” Vivi continued, “You might not even have to see him, or them together at all.”

I nodded mechanically as my eyes drifted to the window on the second floor that I knew belonged to Locke’s bedroom. Would he keep his secrets locked in there? Taryn could get in there, so maybe not, but it was worth a shot.

Some servants pushed open the door to let us inside and Vivi and I froze in the doorway. It looked like some kind of fancy 1800s ball, but with smaller dresses.

“Is that Elowyn?” Vivi whispered. I followed her gaze. It was, indeed, Elowyn Greenbriar in all her glory, perched near a huge window as if preparing to leap out and make a run for it soon. She was eyeing everyone with that look of judgment that seemed to be a Greenbriar birthright, looking more expensive than Locke’s mansion itself.

“I didn’t think she and Locke were that close.”

“It’s not just her,” I realized, as my eyes fell on Cealia, who was worming her way through the crowd of people to reach her sister.

But Vivi had noticed something else. “Nicasia’s here,” She hissed. “And she’s headed this way.”

Vivi and I’s arms were still linked so I tugged lightly and dragged us deeper into the house and crowd of people, effectively disappearing from Nicasia’s line of sight.

I wasn’t ready to deal with her quite yet.

I breathed deeply through my nose and snatched a glass of champagne off a tray nearby, scanning the room.

How could I slip away and snoop without being detected?

“Hey, Jude.” I tightened my grip on my flute of champagne and turned to face Nicasia. Her expression wasn’t pleasant, so I didn’t bother trying to act pleased to see her, either.

“Nicasia,” God. Why did she have to be so pretty, a long, flowing dress that was so many different shades of blue, I couldn’t even count them. It looked like it was tailored to fit her-it probably was, actually. It rippled as she moved, like ocean waves on the shore. Her hair was loose for the most part, aside from a few intricate braids woven in that she had curled around a single finger.

She plucked the champagne from my hand and sipped leisurely. It made my blood boil.

“I figured you’re one of the few people who hates being here as much as I do.”

I grudgingly nodded and her answering grin was sharp.

“Why are the Greenbriars here?” I blurted before I could think better of it.

Nicasia blinked at me before responding. “Because they’re Greenbriars. They do whatever they want when they want.”

It wasn’t a real answer and I had a feeling that she wasn’t just being difficult; she didn’t know, and hated that she didn’t know.

Well, Nicasia and I had something in common.

“Are they all here?” I asked.

She shook her head, “Balekin was here for a total of fifteen minutes before he vanished somewhere,” She gestured vaguely, lips turned down in disgust. “I haven’t seen Dain anywhere, but the girls are here. And Cardan,” She added, pretending like it was an afterthought.

My gaze automatically shot into the crowd, taking note of every face. But none of them were Cardan.

“Do you love Locke?” She asked scornfully.

“Do you?” I shot back, like we were third graders.

She rolled her eyes, “I’d rather crawl naked over glass.”

“Then you have my answer.”

She just looked at me for a beat

Nicasia drained the glass and thrust it back into my hand. She gave me a final judging once over before strutting off in the other direction.

~~~~~~ The next half hour was nothing but mingling; I had to make it clear I was here, that I supported this. After Nicasia had left me alone, I gritted my teeth and dove into the cage of hungry sharks.

I slipped back into the darkness, listened to aristocrats talk to each other, pretending they were all above each other and felt the weight of the gun shifting under my dress; the cold metal pulsed like it was branding me.

I pretended I was one of them; the lies felt warm and comforting on my tongue, honey on a warm summer afternoon.

The realization hit me like a truck: I couldn't entirely blame this on the Shadows' crash course training these past few weeks. I had always had the capacity for this; lying and manipulating and scheming came as effortlessly to me as breathing. I had been born for this. The thought should've been terrifying, but it settled beneath my heart, caged in my ribs with a comforting weight that couldn't be ignored.

“Excuse me,” I murmured and slipped away from the group I’d been attempting to charm.

Balekin hadn’t resurfaced and I wasn’t stupid enough to think he’d left the party entirely so as I slid along the walls of the second floor of Locke’s mansion, I kept my ears and eyes tuned to catch any and all movements.

Locke’s office.

Yes!

I glanced around, feeling like I was in some kind of cliche mafia movie before attempting to turn the door handle. Locked. Okay. Not great. I could work with it though.

Being Madoc’s daughter and Vivienne Duarte’s sister gave me access to an arsenal of weird abilities to use in a pinch.

I reached up to my hair before remembering I didn’t pull it up, so I turned my attention to my clutch, hoping there was a bobby pin or paper clip or something in there.

I’d let my guard down.

I heard his uneven steps coming towards me too late.

“My sweet nemesis,” Cardan slurred. “What do you think you’re doing?” ~~~

Tag List: (Let me know if you want to be added or removed)

@ladyofbloodandroses @cultofvamps @itsmentalbreakdownhours

[rudysrings]

Okay but if you’re still taking requests how bout one w Jeff wittek w the whole billboard thing w Todd and Natalie but instead it’s Jeff x y/n and David accidentally exposes their relationship and maybe have y/n be the drunk texted since Jeff doesn’t drink 👀 I hope that made sense lol.

A/N: I’m totally still taking requests :) This is one of the best ones I’ve seen yet… thanks for the awesome idea and hope you enjoy! 

David had finally gotten his filming done for Monday’s vlog and was currently editing. As usual, it had involved several extreme events, some of which ended up with Jeff covered in crow feathers. Hence, Jeff was in the shower. 

David noticed Jeff’s phone light up where he had tossed it on the couch. He noticed that the contact was not just Y/N, but it had a tongue and red heart emoji next to it. (As well as the squatting monkey looking creepily over to the side and a clown, but David figured that was a joke.) On some weird impulse, David tried out Nerf’s birthday and found that it worked as Jeff’s pass code. A wide, scheming grin spread across David’s face as he read what you had sent Jeff. In essence, you were asking him to pick you up, but the way you asked made it obvious that you were wasted. 

Giggling, David took a screenshot and sent it to his own phone, deleting any evidence before Jeff came back. When Jeff picked up his phone, flopping down on the couch to scroll through it, David continued editing, looking for a reaction in his peripheral.

Jeff’s eyebrows furrowed, before he chuckled softly. He got up, grabbing his jacket and keys. He was halfway out the door, before he called out, as if it was an after thought, “Gotta go feed Nerf, David.”

Sure you do.

Jeff found you at the bar you often frequented on karaoke and trivia nights, today being the former. You were singing some god-awful rendition of a Katy Perry song, clearly drunk off your ass. Jeff smiled, walking over to the stage.

He gulped as he realized he could see up your miniskirt if he wanted to, not that he would. His eyes were hooded as he took in your halter top and the thin belt you wore over your hips. That fucking belt. You didn’t even need it. It rested on your bare skin, but you loved the way it made you feel all the same, not to mention the way it drove Jeff crazy. He wanted nothing more than to grab onto it, or even bite the sliver of skin it hid. Maybe you would let him another day.

Your eyes lit up with an elated smile as you saw your boyfriend of only a few weeks, pointing to him as you swayed your hips. 

“ ‘Cause baby you’re a FIIIIIIIIIIIreewOOOOOork!”

Jeff was forced to watch, completely smitten, as you finished off the song with drunken splendor.

Once you were done, Jeff couldn’t help but notice the sleazy looks and overenthusiastic cheers and applause you were getting. It was karaoke night, for Chrissake, he thought.

Giggling, you let yourself fall into Jeff’s arms. He held you tightly, helping you down from the stage, struggling with his self-control as he took in the now familiar smell of your body wash and realized that your top was backless, his hand meeting the smooth skin of your back, making him shudder. 

You sighed into his ear, furthering his lustful haze. “Hey, Jeffrey. You came…”

Jeff had his arm around your waist, and yours around him as he guided you to the exit. “ ‘Course I came, doll,” he whispered into your hair.

Once you got outside, he led you to his car. Jeff backed you up against the door. He looked at you for a moment, and it seemed to you that he was fighting an internal battle.

You eyed his lips, which were full and red from him biting them during your performance. “Can I kiss you?” 

“I thought you’d never ask…” Finally, you heard him curse under his breath and bring his hand up to the back of your head, the other to your waist, pulling your lower half against him. His mouth covered yours completely, his tongue slipping into to stroke yours. You gasped at the sudden entrance, grabbing at his hair and tugging, eliciting sinful noises from him. 

You slid your hands down his neck, gripping his collar and trying to bring him closer. His lips trailed away from yours, down to your collarbone where he forcefully placed kisses.

In the mean time, you softly kissed his neck, trying not to leave any marks, but couldn’t help yourself from nipping at him, soothing the abused skin with your tongue immediately after.

A catcall from a passing stranger brought the two of you to your senses and you pulled apart. Jeff’s hands remained at your hips and he leaned his forehead on yours, catching his breath. 

“Wheree’d that come srom Jeffrey?” You slurred.

Jeff shook his head at your state, chuckling. “I hope I haven’t overstepped. It’s this fucking belt, doll.” He fingered it, and you let out a bubbly laugh at the ticklish feeling. 

You’re phone dinged with a message and you pulled it out, seeing that it was David. “He wants help editing.”

Jeff shook his head. “You’re in no state to drive to David’s right now.” He sighed. “And I can’t drive you, because I just left him saying I had to feed Nerf.” He slumped his head onto your shoulder. “Fuck, I wish we could just tell everyone.”

You played with the hair at his neck and said, “We will. Just not right now?”

Out of respect for you, he nodded against your skin. “Just ignore the text and say you were asleep if he asks tomorrow. I’m driving you home.”

Jeff wouldn’t meet your eyes. You pulled his chin up and despite your intoxicated state, managed to say convincingly, “Dontchyu ever doubt how I feel about you, Jeffrey. I don’t wanna hide you. I wanna celebrate us when iss right, ya feel me?”

Jeff smiled, bending slightly to nudge your nose with his. “Fuckin’ right I feel you. You’re fuckin’ adorable.”

***

David really took Erin’s idea of putting the texts up on a billboard seriously. Within a couple of days, he had it up in Hollywood and was inviting everyone to come see it. He invited you and Jeff at the same time, along with Todd, Ilya, Jason, Zane, and Carly.

You were confused as to why you were in the middle of a random street of Hollywood, but with David, you never knew what to expect. You shot a look at Jeff, who had his arm around Todd, as if to say What the fuck is going on.

Jeff simply shrugged, biting his lip as he looked you up and down, telling you subtly that he really liked what you were wearing. You had on a romper that had really low sleeves, so your lacy underwear was clearly visible. You checked him out too, your arm looped in Carly’s, fluttering your eyelashes dramatically and smiling, fanning yourself subtly as joke, to show him how much you liked his current outfit, a sleeveless shirt and joggers. When David asked you guys to turn around, you turned while smiling, but your jaw immediately dropped as you saw a giant billboard with your smiling face on it, beside it, a series of texts. As you began to recognize the messages, your heart dropped to your stomach.

“No,” You whispered.

Y/N: Jeeeefffreyyyy

karaoke nigh

i miss you

i hate that i can’t show you how much

akchually maybe i can… if you come pick me up, then maybe i can show you just how much i miss you l8r 2nite?

or not… if u don’t want that then that’s cool 2 :)

i dranked too muhc

“You muthafucka…” Jeff was smiling for the camera but it didn’t reach his eyes. He pulled you into him, tucking you into his chest. 

You pushed him away, accusation in your eyes. “Why would you send him that, Jeff?” You asked low, so that the others wouldn’t hear.

Jeff flinched. You always called him Jeffrey. Though he hated it at first, it had grown on him. He shook his head. “What? No…I didn’t…” He looked over at David. “How tha fuck d’you get that, ay?”

David giggled. “You were in the shower when you got the texts, bro!”

The others had gone quiet.

Feeling humiliated beyond belief, you began walking away from everyone, pulling your car keys out.

A/N: I think I might make a part two to this… sorry it got really steamy. I didn’t mean for it to happen but it just did i guess. Let me know if anyone would read a second part?

[mammonspeanut]

...Pretty... Mine

This is pretty much part of a dream of mine. So keep in mind it might not make the most sense or be anything like i usually write lol. I don’t know if it worth writing up but I think it is cute and I just kinda want to save it ???  It is pretty much a crossover between Obey Me and A3!  It has quite a length so meh lol it’s dumb I think lol 

"Ugh, Lucifer," you sighed as you let yourself fall onto your bed after a long day. Feeling for your phone on your soft covers you sigh out loud once more.

" What does he think he is doing?" you ask yourself as you finally feel the icy edge of your phone.

Unlocking it without looking you then open the message he had sent you.

 I'm picking you up at 8:30 next Thursday for dinner. Put on something nice. Miss you - Lu 

"As if I had anything nice," you grumble as you gently touch his pact mark on the side of your neck. "Idiot" you huff as you trace the outline before getting an idea.

 Inhaling deeply you close your eyes as you let your fingers caress a pact mark over your heart, feeling the warmth from it glowing you smile before whispering to yourself.

 "I will literally RIP-" Asmodeus started before noticing where he was. +

Letting out a deep annoyed groan he turns into his demon form before clearing his throat and swirls around, "Which mortal dares to call upon the avatar of Lust." 

"I'd say someone that needs help from the BADDEST BITCH IN  ALL THREE REALMS!", you chimed, jumping out of your bed only to collide against Asmodeus who ran up to hug you. Hugging and squealing you both exchanged hugs and I miss you's.

 "Soooo who is he???", Asmodeus asked as he held your hands. 

"You are so dumb! Lucifer asked me out for dinner and I obviously have nothing to wear or a sliver of an idea how my make-up and hair will look like and and ughhhhhh", you explained only to feel Asmodeus peck you onto your lips. 

"Honey, you called the perfect demon and don't you dare think I will go easy on you we are doing the full program," Asmodeus said excitedly squeezing your hands gently. 

"Will you be a treasure and help me the day of?" you begged, squeezing back 

"Duh, I don't half-ass anything. As soon as you have time, call for me and we will get things ready!", the petite demon giggled, wrapping his arms around your neck. 

---

After a week of visiting almost all stores in all three realms, going to a seamstress and visiting more than one beauty parlor, Thursday had come quicker than expected.

"I brought everything," Asmodeus chirped happily as he hung a large bag onto the back of the door. Looking at its content, Asmodeus dramatically huffed. "I am so hurt that we don't have the same size or else I would steal this," 

Grabbing you by the waist, Asmodeus guided you to the vanity he had set up. 

"Lucky for me because I wouldn't have anything to wear tonight," you laughed taking a sip of your water as you were met with silence you looked into the mirror only to watch him run his fingers through your freshly washed hair. 

"I can't wait to see what you look like later," Asmodeus mumbled before pressing a kiss onto your cheek, "Let's get started we only have a few hours left,”

---

 As Asmodeus helped you into your dress, you both heard a knock at the door. "Yes?", you called out as Asmodeus closed your zipper.

 "It's me Yuki," Yuki called "Can I come in?" 

"Uh... yeah sure I am decent," you called while Asmodeus ran his hands over your curves making sure the corset underneath would not leave any lines. 

"I can't have you going outside looking like a -" Yuki rambled, entering the room suddenly choking on his words as he saw you. 

"I'm not completely done but pretty much done. I guess?" you chuckled nervously as Yuki approached you to touch the fabric out of the demon realm. 

"This fabric is perfect for you... but something is missing..." he mumbled walking around you before running out of the room. 

"Is he okay? I mean I put the outfit together it needs nothing else," Asmodeus huffed folding his arms as you squished his face. 

"Just wait and see what he thinks is missing.." you teased while he helped you close the clasps of your heels. Bursting back into your room, Yuki held up a golden belt. 

"This!" he panted, instructing you to stand up so he could wrap it loosely around your waist. 

"This looks like Lucifer's, to be honest," Asmodeus said as he watched the young boy make a knot into the belt. 

Walking back Yuki stood next to Asmodeus "Perfect" both whispered in unison 

“Ready to show her off?”, Asmodeus asked Yuki. 

“Ready when you are,” Yuki grinned as both boys exited the room before you. 

“So since everyone is here in the living room, Hey Lucifer, it’s time to show off our favorite person.” Asmodeus sang as you stood around the corner. 

“I already know that all of you won’t know how to behave when she comes around the corner” Yuki sighed defeated shaking his head. 

“Bet!”, Banri called out 

“You never know how to act right, shut up,” Sakyo said hitting Banri upside the head making Juza chuckle. 

“Please don’t start reciting a poem,” Azuma teased nudging Homare who just woke Hisoka and Belphegor up with marshmallows.

“I can not determine when inspiration hit’s me,” Homare sang. 

“I hope inspiration hits him unconscious,” Itaru mumbled focused on his phone playing against Levi as Omi leaned against the wall. 

“I am kind of excited,” Tsumugi said as he put his head into his hands while a grape flew into Beelzebub's mouth behind him. 

“OI, non of ya creeps are going to look at ‘er!”, Mammon said jumping up from his seat only to be hit in the face with a book from Satan “You are the biggest creep now sit down dumbass,” 

“Why are you guys even here? I don’t remember inviting you,” Lucifer sighed, rubbing his temples.

“I bet she looks like a triangle!”, Misumi called out, making you giggle around the corner as everything went silent. 

“What the-” Masumi asked.

“Why am I cursed with these people,” Sakyo sighed as Lucifer patted him on the back, “I ask myself the same every day,”

"Come in," Asmodeus whispered while Yuki waved for you to come out. 

Taking one last nervous breath, you gently placed one foot in front of the other, your black heels clicking against the wooden floor.

Rounding the corner, you made your way to the middle of it. Feeling the men’s eyes follow the movement of your hips, you felt as if the already quiet room had suddenly become even quieter. 

Stopping next to Asmodeus and Yuki you nervously shifted your weight onto one leg, stretching out the other. The men’s eyes grew wide as they watched it splitting the gown allowing them to peak at the semi-sheer black thigh high stocking that was held up by a garter belt, disappearing under the Bordeaux red fabric, draped over your body. Mouthes dropped as eyes followed your curves, which the corset underneath accentuated as you fidgeted with your necklace while you clenched onto your purse with your free hand. 

Looking over all their faces to see a sliver of reaction, you noticed a marshmallow tumble out of Hisoka's Open mouth. Slowly placing one foot in front of the other you walked over to him smiling as you bent over.

Your hair falling forwards as you looked him into the eye you wiped some fluff from the corner of his cheek before placing your finger into your mouth licking off the sweet gooey candy from your finger.

"You look so cute when you look at me like that." You sighed as you ran your fingers through his hair before cupping his face, his usually half-closed eye now wide open.

".... pretty.." he mumbled as he kept his eye locked on yours. 

Flashing a smile, you picked up the marshmallow, wanting to put it back into his mouth. After refusing you bit off half of it smiling before hovering the piece close to his mouth. Almost in a trance, he opened his mouth, allowing you to feed him the remaining half.

"Good boy..." you giggled, stroking his cheek.

Looking up you check the clock noticing you have some time left before you had to leave, catching Omi's eye and mouthing you asked if Hisoka had already eaten dinner. Shaking his head, you wink at him indicating that he should make a bowl for Hisoka.

"Do you want to eat dinner love?" You cooed 

"No...."

Your lips knowingly curled into a smile before you ask again  " Do you want to eat with me?"

Seeing his eye look back and forth between yours, he nodded. Motioning for Omi to bring the bowl of food you sat down on the table in front of him.

Holding the bowl you gently blew onto the food before hovering the spoon in front of him, as expected he shook his head denying the warm meal on the spoon. Remembering what had happened seconds before, you ate first before scooping up another portion.

"Now be a good boy.." you mumbled, watching as he opened his mouth ready to eat from the same spoon.

"He...he's actually eating ..." Banri whispered, impressed as everyone watched you feed yourself and then Hisoka.

After emptying the bowl, you gently placed it next to you before leaning towards him.

"Such a good boy, you ate everything up," you tittered surprised at the fact that all you had to do to get him to eat healthily was to share your food.

"...kiss" Hisoka demanded as he watched you get up from the table you sat on. Giggling you bent over your noses almost touching as you fixed him with your eyes.

"Where?" you asked in a hushed tone.

You watched as Hisoka pointed at his lips, slightly parting them as he looked up. Smirking, you traced the outline of his face with your fingertips.

"You sneaky boy." you chuckled before pressing your soft lips against the ivory skin of his cheek, holding the kiss for a few seconds longer than you should.

"You're so cute when you look at me like that." you purred into his ear.

“We got to go,” Lucifer snapped impatiently

Looking into Hisoka’s deep green eyes once more, you watched as his cheeks turned a softer shade of pink as he sat in silence next to Homare. Turning to leave, you suddenly felt a hand wrap around your wrist and tug you back.

"Don't go..." He said roughly as you lost your balance on your heels plopping down into his lap. You noticed the murmurs of the others watching suddenly became louder.

Surprised by his reaction you cooed, "But I have to Lucifer invited me after all, " 

Looking over at Lucifer squinted his eyes before wrapping an arm around your waist  "No... Not with him."

Watching Lucifer narrow his eyes you laughed, "Well with whom else? " 

Silence filled the room before you heard him mutter one word that made your heart skip a beat

"Me" 

[larryssunflower]

The Non-Royal Romance, part eight

past parts:  one - two - three - four - five - six - seven

tagging usuals but if you wish to be removed or added let me know! <3- @simplyaiden-blog @butindeed @mfackenthal @addictedtodrakefanfic @confessionsofabrokegirl​ @american-duchess​ @drakelover78​ @monosodiumglutamateme​ @crookedslimecreatorpasta​ @mrsdrakewalkerblog​ @traeumerinwitzhelden​ @gardeningourmet​ @speedyoperarascalparty​ @agent-zephyrkah​ @liam-rhys-x-mc-x-constantine​ @snyggflicka​ @texaskitten30​ @annekebbphotography​ @irishwhiskys-blog​ @nomadics-stuff​ @msjr0119​ @catlady0911​ @twinkle-320​ @i-bloody-love-drake-walker​ @drakewalker04​ @bigmemesplz​ @jovialyouthmusic​ @sleepwalkingelite​ @choices-lurker​ @pintobomb @moneyfordiamonds​ @mskaneko​ 

This one is pretty long sorry lol

-The night following the Fox Hunt: Alana’s perspective-

As much as I love horseback riding, it really kicks my ass sometimes. After our feast in the lush mountains surrounded by ancient ruins, we endured the rocky trek home. As we descend the trail, my mind is clouded over with insecure and jealous thoughts, nodding absentmindedly as some suitor talks to me. I was determined to immediately dislike the beautiful woman talking to the man I like very much, but she was so nice. It makes it so much harder to hate her because she was clearly flirting with Drake. I haven't been through those kinds of pangs of jealousy before, but I can say with certainty that it sucks. It’s not like I have a right to be jealous, Drake and I aren’t in a relationship, we don’t have any obligations to each other, yet when I saw him with her all I could think about was how pretty she was and how much he probably likes her and how much I wished it was me who was smiling and laughing with him in public. I thought it was just a harmless crush, but it feels like so much more than that now.

Over the past weeks, I assumed Drake was just talking to some guy over his earpiece, not a gorgeous woman. All my childhood insecurities come flooding back and all I can do is stare forward as we make our way down the mountain, demanding myself not to cry. Not only do I feel distanced because of what happened with Drake when he had those night terrors but now he isn’t my personal bodyguard anymore and we barely talk. it’s too much. I didn’t realize how much I care for him until now.

Eventually, we arrive at the Applewood manor and the nobles and suitors find their way to their bedrooms for the night, some waddling uncomfortably. I drop down from Mac and someone comes up to lead him back into the stables. I brush myself off and look up, surprised as I see Drake standing in front of me. “Oh! Drake, hey” I say awkwardly and he smiles. “Princess, I’ll be escorting you to your room tonight.” He says and my eyebrows furrow in confusion. “We had some trouble with some equipment and Silverman was needed for an hour or so, so I volunteered to take you to your room. Shortly after Silverman should be back at your door,” Drake explains, and I nod, quietly celebrating in my head. We walk in the large manor, our footsteps echoing off the walls. The two of us make our way through the tall hallways, a slightly awkward silence hanging before I break it. “Hey, Mage was really nice, have you known her long?” I ask, and Drake smiles fondly, warm light from the chandelier above us casting a soft shadow across his sharp features. My heart breaks just a bit more. “Yeah she’s great, we’ve known each other for a while, we became friends when we were in training together for the service. Even though she is focused on tech, we had the same basic training,” Drake tells me, and I nod along, looking down at my muddy riding boots.

“So, have you guys ever...?” I question him, my heart hammering. Drake looks at me for a moment before he understands what I’m saying. “Oh!” He laughs. 

laughs. 

“No! No, we have not- or will ever- no.” He laughs, shaking his head. “Why not? I mean, she’s very beautiful and you are handsome and- and why not?” I stutter, my face burning at my rambling words. Drake just smiles, “I’m pretty sure I’m not her type,” He shrugs simply, looking forward. I scoff, “How are you not her type?” I blurt out before I can even filter it from my falling out of my mouth. I gulp nervously and sneak a glance at him but he just chuckles that wonderfully sexy chuckle. “I’m not her type because I’m a man,” he says amusedly, and my mouth forms a little ‘o’ in realization. Suddenly my heart feels a whole lot lighter. “Oh! Well yes, that’s a valid reason,” I laugh and Drake chuckles. Yep, there is no way I could dislike Mage.

We walk up the last set of wooden stairs and finally arrive at my bedroom door. Our footsteps slow and eventually stop. I turn to look up at him. We stare at each other for a moment in silence, the only sound being the rain beginning to patter against the panes of the windows beside us. Our gazes stay unbroken, and I try to tell him it all through my eyes. How I was so jealous for no reason, how I am positive I won't fall for any suitor, and how badly I want to kiss him until I can't breathe. Drake suddenly looks away, scratching the back of his neck. “Hey uh I have to run, but Silverman should be here soon,” Drake says, and I nod. “Thank you, Drake, it was like the good old times,” I say with a slightly pained smile. He smiles back with the same expression and a nod, before walking away. I step into my room tiredly, planning on climbing into bed and thinking about Drake for a couple of hours before drifting off.

I sigh, closing the door behind me and locking it. I make my way over to my dresser eagerly, ready to get out of this stupid riding outfit. Relief washes over me as I relieve my poor feet of my god awful boots. I smile to myself as I fold my jacket up. Drake and Mage weren’t flirting. I know it’s stupid, but the idea of Drake being with anyone else makes me feel sick. I remove my shirt and riding pants, leaving me in my underwear. As I rummage through my suitcase for my pajamas, I notice a yellow sliver of light grow on the wall in front of me and hear the creak of my door opening. I whip around, covering myself up in instinct.

There stands one of the suitors, Tariq I believe, staring at me with wide eyes, a key in his hand. I gasp and fumble trying to cover myself fully, my heartbeat hammering in my chest. Where is Silverman? “I knew it! We do have a connection! I was second-guessing myself but here you are in my room, undressed.” He says, his voice laced with amazement. I sputter in horror. “What, no! What are you-“ I start but he nears me hungrily. I know I can’t fight him. He is taller than me and definitely stronger. My stomach is twisted in fear, tears prickling my eyes. I wish Drake was here. “Tariq I don’t want- no-“ I start again, but he just shakes his head. “Shh, no need to speak. I understand your message loud and clear-“ he says, his voice laden with lust, and he reaches his hand to caress my arm, making me recoil in disgust, my back hitting against the rough edge of my dresser, making my perfume bottle fall and shatter on the floor. 

 “Hey! Get the hell off her!”

Tariq stops and turns, giving me the view of the doorway, but I didn't need to see him to know that it was Drake. He came. Just seeing that familiar silhouette sends a wave of relief over my body. 

Drake starts nearing Tariq, fuming. “But she’s in my room-” Tariq starts and Drake scoffs. “That's bullshit and you know it. Now get out.” Drake orders, clearly trying to stay calm, although I can tell he is the angriest I have ever seen him. “No,” Tariq says stubbornly, and in an instant they are in a full-on brawl, fighting each other. I watch in shock and partly in relief. I have never seen this type of pure anger from anyone let alone Drake. He was annoyed at me before when I was stupid while skiing, but he wasn’t like this. His face is almost animalistic as he punches Tariq square in the face. Surprisingly, Tariq gets a few good hits in, but before long, he forfeits, ducking out of Drake’s reach and running out the door. “Yeah get the hell out!” Drake shouts after him, slamming my door, breathing heavy. “Drake,” I say softly, my heart thundering in my chest, tears flowing from my eyes.

He turns and I run up and hug him. “T-thank you- I didn’t know what he was about to do,” I sob quietly. Surprisingly, Drake embraces me back, enveloping me in his body heat and making me calm down, finally feeling safe once again. I can hear his heartbeat hammering in his chest from the adrenaline. It's oddly comforting. He’s never hugged me back and although its a small thing, its the most wonderful feeling. Like when he caught me on the yacht, the way I feel at this moment, grateful, relieved, and safe. “It’s okay princess, it’s over now,” he says softly in my ear. I don't want to let go of him, but I know I have to. After a couple minutes, I gently untuck my arms from around him, stepping back and wiping at my wet eyes. He glances down at me and immediately looks away, his cheeks tinted. “Um Princess, you’re..” he says, and I look down, realizing I’m still in my underwear. “Oh! shit sorry,” I curse quietly, laughing, embarrassed. This isn't how I pictured him seeing me in my underwear for the first time. I grab one of my nightdresses and slip it own and turn around to see Drake examining his bloody knuckles.

“Drake, you’re hurt,” I say walking over to him. “ it’s not a big deal, just some scrapes and bruises. Nothing I can’t handle,” he says, brushing it off. I roll my eyes at his stupid pride. “Drake for once, just let me help you,” I plead softly and he looks at me for a moment, the harshness fading from his dark eyes, and nods silently. I grab him gently by the forearm and lead him over to sit on the edge of my four-poster bed. “Wait here,” I say, and grab the first aid kit from the bathroom. I come back and drop the kit on the bed. “Okay, give me your hands,” I order, and he complies, lifting his hands up to me reluctantly. I take his bloody, calloused hands in my smaller ones, looking at the cuts closely. After examining the extent of his knuckles, I grab some alcohol disinfectant wipes and start lightly dabbing them on his cuts. He sucks in breath dramatically. “Damn, have anything for pain in there?” He says jokingly, and I smile. “I have a bottle of whiskey,” I suggest, and he grins that wonderful grin, the one that prompts those oh so beautiful dimples, a mischievous look in his eyes. “Whiskey it is then,” I laugh fondly, reaching over and grabbing the bottle from a display on my nightstand. I hand it to him, and he glances it over with an impressed expression. He takes a swig while I clean his other hand. “Damn, that’s good,” he praises and I chuckle.

We stay in a comfortable silence as I wrap his knuckles, one hand at a time while his other holds onto the bottle of whiskey. I reluctantly let go of his warm hand and he brings it down to his side. I hate the feeling of letting him go. “Want some?” Drake offers, tilting the bottle towards me. I smile, taking the bottle. I tilt it back, taking a drink. The amber liquor burns as it runs down my throat and into my chest, settling there. I give him the bottle back to continue patching him up. I glance over the bruise on his arm that I can’t do much about, and realize he must have taken some hits to the abdomen. “Drake I need you to take your shirt off,” I say awkwardly, clearing my throat. He raises his eyebrows. “Trying to get me undressed are you Princess?” He asks jokingly, making me blush, the alcohol definitely not helping me there. Drake takes his shirt off anyway, and I see the huge bruise forming on his side. “Oh my- Drake this is a huge bruise. I didn’t realize Tariq could do that much damage to someone like you,” I say in surprise, leaning in closer to his body to inspect the red and purple stain on his skin. “Someone like me?” Drake asks.

My eyes fly up to meet his and I realize how close I am to him. I can feel the warmth of his body heat. He looks down at me expectantly. I clear my throat, backing up from him, my heartbeat quickening, trying not to think of all the ways he could look at me like that in other situations. “Uh- yeah someone who is um- well built and-“ I stutter awkwardly, but Drake just chuckles. “I’m messing with you Alana,” he says in his deep raspy voice, taking another swig of whiskey, making my stomach do a somersault. I can’t remember the last time he called me Alana, not Princess. I stand there, frozen, blinking at him. I realize how much I like hearing it come out of his mouth. God, that mouth... He notices my expression and realizes what happened and shakes his head with a sheepish smirk. “Heh. This whiskey is really hitting fast,” he says, laughing lightly. I laugh slightly with him as he places the bottle on the floor. I notice that his lip is split. “Hey- You have a split lip,” I say, and his eyes widen slightly as he brings a finger to touch his lips. “Huh. Seems like it,” he chuckles, clearly tipsy. What a lightweight. I smile.

 “Can I?” I ask, holding up a fresh wipe. He stares at me for a moment before nodding. I realize that I need to get better access to his face so I gently guide his knees apart, and step between them, coming face to face with Drake. My heart is beating hard again, this time in nervousness instead of fear. I shakingly dab his cut, acutely aware that he is staring at me. I’m nearly done when he speaks. “I’m sorry for going off at you the other night when you asked about-“ he starts but I cut him off. “Seriously don’t be sorry. If anything I should, I was the one being nosy. I’m sorry for pushing you like that,” I say genuinely, and he shakes his head. “I’m not mad at you for that, it makes sense. You wanted an explanation...I could never be mad at you,” He finishes softly, his voice low. “Except when I put myself in danger,” I chuckle, making him crack a grin. “Yeah maybe then,” He says, his eyes moving up to meet mine. 

Our faces are mere inches apart, and my breath hitches in my throat. Our smiles fade as we stare into the eyes of each other. The alcohol is coursing through my veins, making me feel lightheaded. To be honest, at this point I can't tell whether its the alcohol or him. He glances down at my lips which makes me dart my tongue out to wet them self-consciously. Thunder suddenly booms from outside, making both of us jump. I look over at the dark window and the flash of lightning outside. I glance back to Drake to see he's is staring at me in a way that makes my legs feel like jelly. He suddenly grabs my face, pulling my mouth to his. 

A noise of surprise gets stuck in my throat, and my eyes flutter closed. All I care about is the feeling of Drakes's lips and the faint taste of whiskey and blood. I’m dizzy with happiness like I’m drunk. Drunk on him. I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss. His arms wrap around my waist and we seem to fit together like we were meant to be here, in each other's arms. I moan softly and break our kiss to pepper open-mouthed kisses on the underside of his jaw.  “Alana,” He says in his low husky voice, which makes me sigh with content. “I love it when you say my name,” I whisper, bringing my hands up to run through that hair. God, I've wanted to do that for so long. He leans into my touch, his eyes closed. 

I kiss his lips again, and he responds, pushing back passionately, making sparks fly between us. I gasp slightly at his intensity, heat coiling in my stomach. More. More. More my head chants as we kiss, completely lost in him. His taste, his smell, his kiss. can't even process what is happening until he pulls away, and steadies me by my shoulders. I blink in confusion, and he looks at me, the most pained expression across his face. “Wha...” I mumble, searching his deep brown eyes. “Alana... I can’t. It’s not right.” He says quietly. As his words fall out his mouth my heart breaks once again. His rejection is like an electric shock, and I falter backward, away from him and his damn expression. “Shit, I promised myself I wouldn't let this happen. I don't deserve you. YOu are going to be the queen and I’m your bodyguard. Not even that! Not anymore anyway,” He mutters as he puts his shirt back on. I shake my head, tears springing to my eyes. He's not actually- “That doesn't matter,” I say bitterly, resenting my damned title once again. Drake stands up, shaking his head gently. “You know it does. It’s just not right. It's not fair to you. No matter how much I want... It just can't happen,” He insists. “What about what I want Drake?” I ask indignantly, my chest heaving. He just shakes his head again. “I’m sorry Alana. Trust me, I am,” He says, before he walks past me, and out my door. 

I stand there for a while, staring into space, in disbelief at what just happened.

----

The next morning is rough. I laid in bed for a couple minutes, replaying last night over and over, making the hole in my chest grow bigger. It was so good until it wasn't. All I know is that I can look forward to partying and forgetting it all tonight at the Beaumont Bash. I’m on my way now, early. I could use Maxwell’s smile. He always finds ways to cheer me up. I just have to decide whether I will tell him about Drake or not. 

Our car pulls up to my good friend’s home, and I force myself to stop thinking about Drake. I rush up to the front door, ringing the bell obnoxiously and wait for a couple minutes before the door swings open. Holding the door open, is Liam of all people. I widen my eyes. “Oh! Liam, how great to see you,” I say, making him grin. “Princess Alana! What a nice surprise, you’re early!” Bertrand says from behind Liam before he can speak, making me smile. “Yeah sorry, I didn't think you guys would mind, I was hoping to see Maxwell before the party,” I explain.  “Well come in, come in!” Bertrand insists, so I do, smiling at Liam as I pass by him. It's strange, Bertrand knows how the kind of friendship Maxwell and I have, yet he keeps trying his hardest to get me to choose Maxwell, despite Max’s relationship with Allie. Or the fact that I see Maxwell as my brother. It doesn't matter, either way, I couldn't choose Maxwell and do that to Allie. Or to Maxwell. 

Speaking of the devil, Maxwell appears at the top of the staircase. “Al!” He enthuses, running down the stairs to me and engulfing me in a hug. I laugh, hugging him back. “Max! It’s been like a day! Far too long!” I exclaim, and he nods, his lopsided grin on his face. He glances over my shoulder, then looks at me with a knowing look. “Hey! I uh need to finish up some things, why don't you keep Liam company until I get back?” He asks with a suggestive tone. I smile and roll my eyes at him, hidden from Liam. “Yeah totally,” I say cheerfully, turning to Liam, who grins. 

Liam and I decide to take a walk through the Beaumont vineyards, Silverman trailing a bit behind us. I bask in the warm sunlight as we walk. “This is so beautiful,” Liam comments, his voice calm. I nod. “I love it here. I can’t wait until tonight though, it will be crazy,” I laugh, making him join in. “Yeah so I have heard,” He chuckles. We walk in comfortable silence for a bit, strolling through the beautiful countryside. “You are an extraordinary person, Alana,” Liam says suddenly, making me turn to him with a surprised smile. “How so?” I ask, curiosity getting the better of me. He smiles, looking anywhere but me. “Well, I think you were very brave to do this whole suitor thing, as you have never even been introduced formally to the kingdom. And they already love you, by the way, Cordonia I mean, and that's just from a couple weeks. You have a way with people. You just capture the attention of everyone around you, not because you demand it, but because they feel you deserve it. We can tell how genuine you are.” Liam says, slightly sheepish. “Liam, that was beautiful. I haven't heard anyone talk about me like that before,” I smile, tucking my hair behind my ear and glancing back over to him.

“Like that! Just you doing that small thing makes me want to kiss you and give you everything I have!” Liam laughs, making me chuckle. I stop, making him look at me. “Do it then,” I say quietly, my heartbeat quickening. “D-do what?” Liam asks, his eyes slightly wide. “Kiss me,” I say with a smile. Maybe Drake was right. He and I could never work. With Liam, we wouldn't have any problems. He is a sweet guy who actually wants to be with me, he would be a great king, and I can actually choose him at the end of this and we would be happy. Liam grins and brings up his hand, gently tucking my hair back and caressing my cheek. He leans in and kisses me gently. 

no sparks.

Slightly frustrated by that, I kiss back harder. Come on... they have to appear. I need to feel something. We kiss for a moment before he pulls away with a huge grin on his face. At least he enjoyed it. “That was amazing,” Liam breathes. I smile. Maybe it will get better. If I choose him, eventually I’ll fall for him, and it should all work out. 

Right?

My phone buzzes, a text from Max. ‘Okay, you guys kissed so now give me attention’ I snort. “Creep,” I mutter, and Liam gives me a confused look. “Oh! Sorry, its Maxwell, he kind of needs me. I’ll see you later?” I ask, and Liam nods, “I hope so,” He says with a wink, making me smile before turning and going to see what Maxwell wants.

--

Maxwell meets me in his boutique, and he presents me with a dress. “Hey, I know you probably have thousands of dresses, but I really like this one and its Beaumont colors so it would look good for us if you wore it,” He says with a hopeful smile, holding up a long navy dress with silver details around the hem. Perfectly simple. “Bertrand put you up to this didn't he?” I ask amusedly, and Max smile sheepishly. “Yeah, I’m sorry. He just really wants us to look good, you know with all our financial problems and all that,” he says, looking down. That's the thing about Maxwell, he genuinely hates asking people for help when he needs it, or when Bertrand puts him up to it. “Hey its okay, I know how he gets. I’ll wear it. It's beautiful,” I say, earning a grin from Maxwell. “Thanks, Al. Oh hey, that kiss with Liam looked pretty good,” Max says, raising his eyes up and down suggestively. I roll my eyes. “You are so creepy. You guys seem to be friends, I’m guessing you're rooting for him to be the one I choose?” I ask knowingly, and Max shrugs. “I know your type,” “That’s debatable” “and he is actually a decent guy who is head over heels for you. You should listen to how he talks about you Al,” Max says, making me feel even worse for not feeling it back. For now at least. “I thought you were rooting for my bodyguard,” I say jokingly, making Max roll his eyes. “Yeah I could tell you liked him, but I was mostly kidding. I’m sure you guys would be great but it's not really realistic, you have to choose someone, and your mom would definitely not approve of your bodyguard,” Max says as he rummages through some clothes. 

He makes sense. That's what I hate so much about it. But Drake sees it the same way apparently. I ask Max to leave so I can get ready, and he does. Before long, People are arriving, and music is playing. I finish getting ready, putting my hair in a french twist-like hairstyle. I step out of the boutique, walking over to the grand staircase. “Princess Alana of Cordonia!” The herald announces, and I smile as I gracefully make my way down the stairs. I glance at the bottom and see Maxwell dressed up talking to Liam, who is wearing a suit with the same navy colored tie as my dress. Maxwell was sneakier than I thought.

Once I fully descend the staircase, Maxwell offers his elbow and I take it as he leads me into the ballroom. “I can't believe you made me and Liam match,” I say through the teeth of my smile in Maxwell’s ear. “Oh don't be so dramatic,” Is all Max says, making me roll my eyes. 

I’m at the head table once again, sitting next to Maxwell. The food is delicious and the company good, I have no reason to complain. I still find myself once again roaming the room with my eyes, searching for him. Weirdly, Drake is nowhere to be seen. He is usually standing with some people in suits. Is he gone because of what happened? I think, a sick feeling settling in my stomach. 

The dinner goes by quickly enough, and before I know it, its time for the party to truly begin. The older guests, including my mother, decide to go to bed, while us youngsters wait in the foyer for the famous bottle opening ‘ceremony’. Liam joins Maxwell by holding the champagne bottle, and Maxwell smashes it with a sword, and everyone cheers. Music starts thumping from somewhere, and in an instant, the party has really started. 

The night is amazing. We dance and drink the best cocktails in southern Europe. Maxwell tries to shoot apples off of people’s heads blindfolded and somehow a horse is walking around, a suitor passed out on it’s back. I dance my problems away, kiss Liam a couple times, forcing myself to not think about Drake. 

The party is in full swing, and everyone is plastered. I personally didn't drink as much, as I must keep some sort of shred of dignity, being a princess and all that bullshit. I realize I need a break from all these drunk people and loud music. It's not as fun to party with intoxicated people when you are practically sober. I sneak off and make my way to my favorite room, the Beaumont study. Its a room with large windows, dark wood paneling, and s comforting old book smell. I loved reading in there when I was younger. I open the door and see a guy looking at some book, and I jump in surprise. “Oh! sorry,” I say so he turns around, and its Drake. I didn't recognize him in a white shirt and denim jacket, not his usual suit. My heart just about falls out my ass. 

“Princess,” He says, that same pained look on his face. I sigh and close the door behind me. “Drake,” I say bitterly, crossing my arms. He looks at me for a moment, and I expect him to say sorry or comment about the other night. Instead, he clenches his jaw slightly, looking down. “So Liam huh?” He asks, and furrow my eyebrows. “What?” I ask, taken aback. “When I uh, came in earlier, I saw you two... Kissing.” He says, visibility struggling with the last word. I scoff. “Oh, so you have no problem kissing me like you did the other night then just leaving. But, if I try to get over you with someone else, it's unacceptable. Is that what you are saying?” I ask anger boiling within me. He has no right to dictate my feelings like that. “Yes,” He says, looking up at me. I scoff. “Ugh! You are unbelievable-" I start, but falter as he grabs me by the waist and pulls me close to him. “What is unbelievable is how much I want to kiss you right now and make you forget who Liam is,” Drake says, his voice low, making me gulp. I have some self-control, but he is making it really hard for me. “You can't do that Drake. Toss me away then get mad when I kiss someone else. You need to decide. Are you with me or not?” I ask, my heart thundering in my chest as I search his warm brown eyes.

“You. It will always be you,” He breathes, and in an instant, our lips are attached. My heart soars as I kiss him back, and there they are again. The sparks. He breaks the kiss and starts kissing my neck this time, licking and sucking at the skin. I gasp at the sensation, heat coiling in my stomach. I grip onto his shoulder until he's satisfied with the mark left. That's the thing about Drake. He doesn't hesitate with small polite kisses, he leaves me breathless with his intensity, his strength. He's the kind of man who pushes you up against a wall and kisses you until you can't breathe, aka my type of man. 

He kisses me again, and I bring my hands up his white t-shirt, running my hands over his chiseled torso. His hands run up and down my back, at some point one of his hands drifts over my ass, giving it a squeeze, making me squeal in surprise, and he stops, seeing if I'm alright. I just laugh. “Sorry! I just wasn't expecting that!” I say giggling. He cracks a grin. “No, I’m sorry, it kind of just happened,” He chuckles, somewhat sheepish. “Don't apologize, I liked it,” I say mischievously, my heart light. “Well then,” He says, then proceeds to grab me just under my ass and lift me up, and I wrap my legs around his waist. I giggle and kiss him deeply.

Liam who?

---

Omg, that was so long guys lol - 5k words! I didn't notice until after it was written oops! I have been so excited for you guys to read this chapter cause it's so juicy!! also sidenote and know all us know that Liam is really a freak who has sex in practically public lmao but not in this fic, haha I hoped you guys liked it! Love you all <3

[starcourtsteves]

The Aftermath

Request: After the Battle of Starcourt, Steve and the Henderson siblings go back to the Henderson house for a sleepover so Steve and the reader are catching up/finally relaxing in bed (she was with the Kids and Steve in the Russian base). Dustin eventually crashes in his sister’s room for mutual comfort.

Steve Harrington x Henderson!reader

Warnings: sweet Steve, a bit of scared Dustin, morning laughs

Officer Callahan rubbed his ear periodically, a remnant of Joyce Byers’ painful grip as she told him to take those kids home.

Those kids were now piled in his squad car — Steve in the passenger seat and you and Dustin in the back. The clamor of ambulance sirens and flashing lights in the Starcourt parking lot gave way to the occasional street lamp and sixties crooners on the radio. Every time a pothole made the car lurch reminded you of that godforsaken Russian elevator plummeting deep below the mall, but Steve’s gaze in the side mirror brought you back to ground level.

Dustin was nestled under your arm but determined to stay awake to give Callahan street-by-street directions.

“It’s on the right. Yeah, right here, don’t blow past it.”

“I got it, champ.”

The car hadn’t rolled to a full stop before the three of you were up and out, desperate for a sense of normalcy from the Henderson home. Steve’s hand found yours like clockwork and Dustin let you ruffle his hair as he fell in step toward the back porch light, that single bulb left on in case either of you ever came home late. Which was all the time.

Callahan cleared his throat loudly. “Harrington, you need a ride home?”

He was met with three judgemental stares. Steve held up his hand clasped with yours for emphasis, because apparently Callahan was the only person in Hawkins who hadn’t seen Steve constantly at your side.

“Alright, well don’t forget to tell Mrs. Henderson that you’re home safe. And she can call the police station in the morning if she has any questions.”

“We got it, champ,” Dustin quipped.

Steve muttered in disbelief, “Pretty sure it was us who fought the Russians. We don’t need babying.” His bruising eye twitched at the memory.

You and Dustin shared a look as the squad car pulled away.

“We’re not telling Mom anything till morning.”

“Obviously.”

Stillness and quiet enveloped you as soon as the door was shut. Chaotic Russians and flayed monsters were worlds away from carpeted floors and La-Z-Boys and it was tempting to lay down then and there.

Dustin snapped out of the trance first and headed for the bathroom.“Alright, I gotta get this grossness off of me.”

Steve didn’t even have to speak before you leaned into his waiting arms. You shifted after a moment, wrapping your arms tighter around him and breathing deeply into the hug. The two of you hadn’t had a second alone since the whole ordeal began, though Steve tried to make up for it by asking if you were okay dozens of times.

And he was still in that habit, apparently.

“You alright?

“Better now.”

Steve pulled back with a tired grin that grew wider when he saw a smear of blood on your cheek. “Whoops, let’s get that off of you.”

He brushed it away and you almost relaxed into the touch until you saw the blood again.

“Shit, we gotta get you cleaned up.”

“It doesn’t even hurt that bad anymore —“

“Shut up, Harrington.”

“Uh, okay, that hurt more than this does, Henderson.”

You swiveled back around, knowing you’d find that smirk on his face. Steve being playful was as constant as the rising sun and after a few days of having other things on your minds, you needed this. Needed to keep the mood normal and light.

You took him by the arm, giving a gentle squeeze that he couldn’t resist. “Steve, will you let me clean your face up?”

“I guess it’s not a bad idea.”

It took awhile because Steve’s wincing had you pausing with pity, but the white kitchen rag was soon dyed pink. You dampened a fresh one and held it out to him.

“I’ll let you take it from here, sailor. I don’t wanna press too hard.”

He fiddled with the knot on his uniform, a reminder that he was still wearing that ridiculous outfit, but the grin never left his face. Hopping down off the counter, he took the rag and used his other hand to tug you close.

“Hey, thanks.” The kiss was short and sweet but your nose still bumped a cut on his cheek. “Ow…”

“Yeah, there might not be much of that for awhile.”

“Ha, wrong. I’m not gonna let some stupid Russians stop me from kissing my girlfriend.”

Your head tilted endearingly as he stole another, more gentle kiss. A simple nod down the hallway led both of you to tiptoe toward your room and Steve closed the door with cartoonish caution. Your bed was barely made but you didn’t bother to move the covers before collapsing on it upside down, crossing your shoes over your pillows.

Steve followed suit, thumb automatically brushing over yours when he intertwined your fingers. A deep breath rocked his chest.

“I haven’t laid down in awhile without being tied to a chair.”

“They definitely weren’t the most accommodating hosts.”

A beat of silence. Another few breaths. You squeezed Steve’s hand with your eyes still glued to the ceiling.

“I was worried the whole time, you know. Didn’t show it around Dustin and Erica but then that stupid general guy took you away and...” You stopped before you could get too choked up. Shifting to your side, you gingerly touched a gash on Steve’s forehead. “God, they really did a number on you.”

He gave a wry smile. “Not the first bad guys to use a mouthy idiot as a punching bag.”

Your fingers idly brushed through his hair. “I just wish they wouldn’t use my mouthy idiot.”

“Better me than you or Robin.”

“Believe me, that isn’t how we felt.”

You winced at the memory of hearing his pained groans echoing down that metallic hall and leaned away again. Too far for Steve’s comfort.

“So I was wondering, is it sexist that they didn’t hit girls?”

Laughter peeled from both of you, just like he wanted. He knew you’d been scared just as bad as he was, but seeing you still upset made his chest ache. So he rolled toward you and basked in the smile that his silly question brought to your lips.

“Robin and I were debating that, actually,” you replied. “We haven’t decided yet.”

Quieting down after a few more giggles escaped, you kissed an unbruised spot on his cheek and snuggled down against his shoulder. As if you were just two young lovebirds hanging out on a Friday night. As if you hadn’t just defeated an interdimensional evil.

“Hey, I’m glad we’re home.”

“Me, too.”

Just when exhaustion threatened to drag both of you to sleep, there was a quiet knocking on your door that felt as loud as a train whistle. Steve froze and a dozen explanations raced through your mind, none of them plausible enough for your mother at the moment.

But it was Dustin’s voice that came from the hallway. “Are you guys naked?”

“Dude, seriously?” you groaned.

“Hey, I gotta make sure my innocent little eyes don’t see anything disgusting.”

“We’re fully clothed, Dustin,” Steve whisper-yelled. “Jesus.”

Dustin opened the door a sliver to peek in. Steve gestured to his uniform and gave your sleeve a tug for good measure before a satisfied Dustin finally stepped into the room. The Star Wars pajama shirt swallowing his frame made you smile. Some things never change. Thank god.

“What’s up?” you chirped.

“I just...uh, I wanted to make sure you guys were okay. With all the shit that happened, you know.” He got quieter and looked at the floor. “I’m sure it was scary.”

Your heart nearly cracked in two and Steve nodded when you glanced at him. Pushing a middle schooler to admit he was scared never worked so you had to take matters into your own hands. Literally.

“C’mere, Dusty.”

Steve chimed in and patted the bed between you. “Yeah, your sister here could use some comforting.”

Dustin sniffled and gratefully clambered over you to that middle spot. His wet curls were plastered on your arm but you didn’t care, not when you had your two favorite boys safe and sound. You smiled softly at Steve, sending a silent thank you for letting Dustin crash.

He beamed right back and you fell asleep to that sweet view.

…

By the next morning, shoes and bloodstained rags were carelessly tossed on the floor and your neck was cramping in a number of spots. As you lifted your head to stretch it out, you had to stifle a laugh at the heartwarming sight next to you.

Steve was splayed on his back and Dustin was curled into Steve’s chest, both occasionally snoring.

Tired muscles implored you to stand and stretch, which also gave you a better vantage point on the two sleeping forms. A particularly loud snore made Dustin stir and as soon as he got his bearings, he cried out and nearly shoved Steve off the bed.

“Gross! Get off me.”

Poor Steve jolted awake, eyes wide with terror. “Dude, what?!”

“You two sleeping beauties were cuddled up together,” you offered. “I wish I’d had a camera to capture it.”

Steve socked Dustin in the shoulder and followed with an accusatory finger. “Hey man, you’re the one who crawled in right there.”

“Yeah, because you gestured to that spot!”

“Boys, don’t worry, I’m not gonna ruin anyone’s reputation by tattling.”

“I was...ugh, right there with Steve frickin’ Harrington.” Dustin’s head fell into his hands, then snapped up to glare daggers at the culprit. “Pick the right Henderson to get cozy with next time!”

“Don’t think I won’t.”

Steve followed through with his declaration by marching over to you for a hug and dramatic kiss and you played along, laughing into it when Dustin gagged.

Just when more threats were gonna go flying, Claudia Henderson’s voice rang out down the hallway.

“Dusty? Where are you, honey?”

“Oh shit.”

[kiruuuuu]

Thank you so much @bdiduk2003​, both for your compliments and the request :) I’m always happy to see your name pop up 💞 Even though I shifted the focus a little, I hope you enjoy this piece in which:

Mute’s Halloween outfit overstays its welcome and Smoke demonstrates what a good dad he is. (Rating M, some sexual elements + heaps of fluff, ~3.5k words) - Thanks a lot also to @i-dnt-know-either​ for allowing me to reference your wonderful Halloween fic!! 💙💙💙 It’s not required but highly recommended to read it first.

.

“I really should’ve gotten you some heels”, Smoke drawls, still lazily palming the not uninterested dick right next to his face.

“Want me to moan an octave higher, too? Because I’m not sure I actually can. Might sound like a cat dying.” Mute continues to struggle with getting that blasted dress over his head, wondering how he managed the previous evening. Not having been hungover must’ve helped. It’s early morning now, darkness lurking outside the windows still. They’ve only gotten about three hours of sleep in total, and those not even as a whole but scattered in between frotting and petting and more making out. Smoke had mentioned picking up Charlie after breakfast, and so they decided in favour of staying up the entire night before crashing completely as opposed to waking up like zombies. As a result, Mute’s crotch is sore and so are his nipples and all the bruises on his neck from Smoke acting like a vampire, and still his boyfriend is insatiable.

“Babe, you could yodel for all I care, I’d still fuck you.”

“Is that a challenge?” Finally, Mute manages to pull the playboy bunny outfit back on – Smoke requested a reprise of last night and if it helps tire him out, Mute is more than willing to dress up once more. Even so, his partner is more interested in playing with his half-hard cock peeking out between the lace instead of marvelling at how good he looks. Mute has to admit, the piece of clothing does flatter his physique.

“That depends entirely on whether you can actually yodel or not. Do we have any fishnets?”

Mute rolls his eyes but spreads his legs when questing fingers nudge them apart, already preparing for round number… he’s not even sure, actually, lost count somewhere along the way. “Are you sure you can go again? Or will this end in half an hour of aimless humping?”

The only reply he gets is a bright smile and a finger pushed inside, at which point he stops caring and gets into position to guide the tip of his cock into Smoke’s mouth, partly for the actual stimulation and mostly to shut him up. A tired, hungover Smoke is a Smoke full of bad ideas, and maybe this way he can prevent at least some of them slipping out.

A ringing stops both of them in their tracks. They exchange a meaningful glance.

Unimpressed, the sound continues.

“You should probably get that”, Mute sighs and withdraws all body parts from inside other body parts so Smoke’s hands are free to accept the call. Whoever thinks it appropriate to disturb anyone at this hour, the morning after Halloween, should be shot.

“Is she alright?”, Smoke suddenly blurts out, voice full of worry, and Mute’s stomach drops instantly, all annoyance forgotten and replaced with mild panic. This sounds serious and he doesn’t breathe until Smoke slumps in relief. “Okay. Then what else – really? Where? Gotcha. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

Mute likes absolutely nothing of what he’s just heard. “Charlie?”, he guesses and earns a nod.

“She, uh, got picked up by a sergeant, Driscoll. Sounds like local police.”

Pardon him? “She what.”

“Something about trespassing – I don’t know, and I don’t care. All I know is that we’re picking her up now.” Smoke is already halfway out the door, pulling on jeans and disregarding his lack of underwear. “Come on!”

“I actually know that guy”, Mute provides helpfully and rises as well, begins gathering clothes. “If she really has broken some laws, he’ll let it slide. He likes me.”

“You’re a godsend, babe. Now get rid of that costume and let’s go.”

Sure, no problem. All Mute has to do is take it off again and replace it with reasonable human clothes. No biggie. Piece of cake. After all, he wants to look presentable when facing any kind of law enforcement, and wants to set a good example for Charlie, and doesn’t want to appear like a cheap hooker Smoke dragged along. Easy.

Easy peasy.

“James.” The slight panic in his voice has his lover shift his attention back to him. “The fucking thing is stuck. I can’t get it off.”

They stare at each other across the messy bedroom.

“You can wear your coat?”, comes the weak suggestion and while it’s a good one, Mute shakes his head.

“Gave it to Manu the other day. She hasn’t returned it yet.”

“Put on jeans?”

“The bloody lace won’t fit.”

Another silence. Smoke is radiating impatience and Mute vaguely understands, he’s also worried about Charlie having gotten into trouble, about her hanging out with the wrong crowd and having made choices she might regret later. He knows how important she is to Smoke. Is aware of how important she is to him.

.

A minute later, he’s sitting in the car next to Smoke, boxer briefs peeking out from under the scandalously short dress and struggling with a hoodie he grabbed on his way out, all the while having to listen to Smoke trying to sugarcoat the situation: “Look, if you hide the top, you can pretend you just forgot to put trousers on or that you’re going as, uh -”

“The zip’s broken”, Mute sighs in defeat and demonstrates that the zip is, indeed, broken. So no hiding any part of the dress, except for the back. Wonderful. Great. Just what he needed. “Just forget about it. She’s seen you in worse.”

“She’s seen me in socks with sandals, true, but she’s not seen you in a dress like this. In a come-stained dress. I’m not making this any better, am I?”

“You might wanna stop talking, yes.” From what he knows, Charlie went out with friends to a Halloween party and was meant to sleep over at one of their places – Smoke seemed familiar with the name, so it’s surprising they ended up at the police station. Charlie is picky and, while drawn to troublemakers, she sticks with the sensible ones. The ones who know how to blow up the chemistry lab and yet refrain from doing so. She really takes after her dad in a lot of ways.

It’s not until they’ve actually stepped inside the building that Mute considers what they must look like: him in a very short dress, sneakers without socks, a sliver of bright orange boxers visible under voluminous lace with suspicious stains, a ratty red hoodie finishing the whole ensemble, and then Smoke looking like a homeless person, with the two of them undoubtedly smelling like one as well. At least they washed their hands. Well, Mute did. He doesn’t actually remember whether -

And then he notices the three teens gaping at them in shock. One of them is Charlie, the other two are siblings Mute has met once or twice before, the girl having attended the same elementary school as Smoke’s daughter and the boy only being one year older. And all of them are dumbstruck.

At least they seem to be alright, that’s something. Sighing, Mute turns to the perplexed-looking police officer apparently in charge of the three kids and greets him with a nod. Maybe if he pretends everything is normal, he won’t have to justify himself. “Sergeant.”

Recognition flashes on the man’s face. “Wait – I know you! What was your name again?”

“Mark Chandar. Pleasure seeing you again, Mr Driscoll.”

“Of course! What a coincidence.” They shake hands, the other man now beaming. Mute knows him from his days in Cambridge, was close friends with his daughter and hopefully left a lasting good impression on her dad. “Apologies for not recognising you right away, the, uh, ears threw me off.”

Fuck. He’s still wearing them? Well, taking them off now would only draw more attention to it – except that the teens’ eyes have unanimously shifted upwards to stare at his long bunny ears.

“What are you up to these days, Mark?”

He didn’t come here for friendly conversation, in any case. “Losing bets”, he replies defeatedly and watches as Charlie’s aghast expression tilts over into unbridled mirth.

To his relief, Smoke draws their attention back to the matter at hand: “I’m Charlotte’s father. So what happened?”

“Oh, yes. We received a call from a local farmer about teenagers trespassing in one of his fields and lighting a small bonfire. When we arrived, we only encountered these three next to said field. As it was very early in the morning and quite far away from… anything, really, we brought them back here and contacted you.”

Smoke furrows his brows in displeasure and Mute mirrors him – setting fire to things isn’t one of Charlie’s hobbies and neither is trespassing. She’s a model student where her marks are concerned, even if her classroom behaviour sometimes leaves things to be desired, but overall her rebellious phase has involved dyeing her hair, listening to wild music, cooking all the spicy food Smoke can’t stomach and drinking a few mixed beers here and there. It could be a lot worse.

“It wasn’t us”, Charlie chimes in, now serious again. “Gavin was driving us home and he wanted to keep the party going somewhere random, we even tried telling him that it was a bad idea but he wouldn’t listen. We didn’t climb the fence with them and waited by the road, but they must’ve bailed without us.”

“So you had nothing to do with the fire and didn’t even trespass?”, Smoke clarifies, to which his daughter and the other two teens simply nod. The two siblings seem to intimidated to lie, and this version fits more with what Mute expected, so he turns back to Driscoll.

“In that case you can let them off with a warning, right?”

The sergeant fixes the three with a grave look clearly meant to deter them from any future trouble, but he nods. “Yes, I suppose I can. Maybe you should choose your friends more carefully. Can you drive the other two home as well?”

“Sure.”

And just so his reputation isn’t permanently tarnished, Mute makes some more polite conversation while Smoke herds the teens outside into the car. Their relief is palpable, none of them acquainted with ending up at a police station, and therefore they’re grateful to be rescued. Driscoll threatened to call the siblings’ parents regardless, so they might face some more stern words, but Charlie is her usual relaxed self now.

Well, she should be. She’s chewing on her lip, however, and avoiding Smoke’s gaze in the rear-vision mirror.

“Was this seriously your Halloween costume this year, Mark?”, she blurts out as soon as he’s joined them in the car.

He responds with a weary sigh. “I should know better than to keep betting against your dad by now.”

“Who’s that?”, the girl sitting next to Charlie wants to know quietly.

“Mark? He’s my second dad.” And Mute would be lying if he claimed his heart didn’t skip a beat at that. They took some time warming up to each other, but when she invited him on a concert and he let her have a few sips of his beer, their friendship was sealed. He has trouble viewing her as a daughter since they’re barely ten years apart, but whatever it is that binds them together, they’ve reached mutual respect and understanding. “And apparently trying to get on next month’s Playboy cover. Mark, this is Roisin and this is Niall.”

“I told you we should’ve insisted on costumes”, Roisin continues in a stage whisper, “imagine Gavin in that. Or, even better, Mike. Oh my God, Mike in heels.”

“Why does everyone keep going on about heels?”, Mute wonders out loud and prompts an embarrassed giggle from Charlie’s friend, but Smoke isn’t laughing. All he does is drive through the English countryside, eyes on the road, mouth shut. He’s listening, though. And Mute gets the feeling he’s missing something.

Behind him, the three teens joke around some more, with Niall getting more and more boisterous as time passes and Roisin giggling endlessly – he’s not sure why they’re friends, but Charlie seems to like them, so he leaves them to it. They recount their own party from the previous night and gossip until Smoke stops the vehicle, pointing with his chin.

“Thanks, Mr Porter!”, Roisin hurries to say, with her brother echoing her less enthusiastically, and then both of them hug Charlie before jumping out and racing up the stairs. Probably hoping their parents are neither awake nor have received a phone call from Driscoll yet.

On the back seat, Charlie is back to chewing on her lip.

“Did you set anything on fire that wasn’t meant to be?”, Smoke asks, turning around to examine his daughter closely. And wait.

She just shakes her head, apparently expecting the questioning. “No. Of course not. I was careful, I built a proper pit for it and all.”

Wait. Mute looks back and forth between them.

“Did you remove all traces afterwards?”

“Yes, dad. Please. I’m not an idiot.”

“Why did you go into the field in the first place?”

It’s the first time Charlie actually looks embarrassed. “To stargaze. But then Niall said I couldn’t actually make a fire without a lighter, so I had to prove him wrong.”

“And it was only you three involved?”

“Yeah. We asked to be dropped off there. It was just us.”

“Anything else you have to say?”

She nods, sounding earnest. “Sorry for worrying you. And thanks for picking us up.” When Smoke remains quiet, she adds: “Thanks for getting us off the hook, Mark.”

He continues to be flabbergasted by the exchange – Charlie is not in the habit of lying, but looking back, he begins to understand: she doesn’t lie to Smoke. Everyone outside is fair game. He supposes this is what they call paternal instinct – he would’ve believed her everything. “No problem, Charl. I love making a complete fool of myself in front of casual acquaintances.”

This seems to break the ice, and the two Porters let out a laugh along with a breath they’ve been holding. “You look fantastic”, Charlie lies smoothly. “But why are you still wearing it?”

“That reminds me, we don’t have anything for breakfast”, Smoke announces brightly, inconspiciously changing the topic. “We should go shopping.”

And Mute just groans.

.

On the way through the parking lot, Charlie is back to being her bubbly self now that she knows Smoke isn’t mad at her, laughing unselfconsciously at most jokes and giving a rundown of her Halloween while Smoke feeds her bits and pieces of their own. Mute mentions Blitz’ collar and Charlie is both intrigued and scandalised, and when the topic shifts to Jäger’s cat ears, her eyes light up in a very familiar way. Seems like Mute already knows what he’ll get her for Christmas. They pass by a few leftovers from the past night, a handful of costumed drunken blokes swaying in place and holding a contest for the loudest burp.

Just as they’re walking past them, the wannabe-Jack-Sparrow who indubitably glanced at Mute’s attire yells for everybody to hear: “Ewww, a homo!”

Without missing a beat – and before anyone can even react –, Charlie replies loudly: “Ewww, heteros!”

Mute swallows a grin. He can’t encourage her because Smoke has been trying to teach his daughter the non-confrontational approach in a ‘do as I say, not as I do’ way, and all her dad does is walk a little faster now, gently pulling her with him. It’s not that they couldn’t beat these guys to a pulp. It’s not that Smoke wouldn’t normally make a huge display or ridicule arseholes like this. This is purely about didactics.

“The fuck did you call us, brat?”, roars severely underweight Batman whose fake abs hang on his thin frame sadly.

“I’m sorry you missed out on so much necessary education”, Charlie shoots back, cheeks reddening in anger, and then Smoke guides her through the sliding doors into the Tesco’s. “Wow, those idiots are dumb. They don’t even know what hetero means, that’s ridiculous, they thought it was an insult or something, how can you -”

“Charlie.” Smoke stops, regarding her calmly and waiting until she deflates.

“I know, dad. Pick my battles. But I get so bloody annoyed at guys like them. Bloody Niall is almost as bad, you didn’t see his face when I introduced Mark. Tosser.” Smoke is still looking at her, a fond smile on his lips which only grows when she rolls her eyes and stomps off. “Walk away, I know. Not worth my time and efforts, I won’t change their minds anyway, no need to force a confrontation, blah blah. I know.”

Mute’s heart continues melting when Smoke just laughs and captures his daughter in a hug to press a kiss to the top of her head. “Now all you gotta do is translate your knowledge into actions, sweetie. And Niall is someone whose opinion you can influence – you’re friends with him after all. Those lads outside? Worthless. They won’t listen.”

“I guess.” She doesn’t seem appeased but at least she’s not stewing anymore. While they scour the aisles for the unhealthiest breakfast they can find (Smoke insisted on a full English), she turns to Mute, curious. “Did you have to deal with crap like that a lot?”

“I won’t lie, outfits like this increase the frequency drastically.” She snorts yet seems to understand it’s a topic on which he’d rather not elaborate – in time, she’s become adept at reading him and leaving him alone if he’s slightly uncomfortable. It’s just one of the many reasons why he likes her so much.

If he’s honest, he’s on Charlie’s side, but fully understands where Smoke is coming from: she’s a teenager and while she’s capable of defending herself, a bunch of drunken men is too much for her to take on. Despite her tough attitude, she hasn’t developed a skin thick enough to not let hateful comments get to her either, and Smoke would rather she get angry than be riddled with self-doubts.

Regardless. If it was for Mute, he’d at the very least have given them a show for free. Just out of spite. Spite is a great motivator.

“You go get the eggs, we’ll fetch some toast”, Smoke suddenly decides and directs Charlie to the back of the store while dragging Mute with him to the front, ignoring his weak protests.

“We have more than enough toast”, Mute gets out just before he’s dragged past the bread aisle and pressed against the glass front, warm lips capturing his and a tongue pushing its way inside his mouth immediately. He’s always ready to make out with his boyfriend, no matter how little sleep they’ve gotten, no matter whether his dress is riding up and clearly exposing Smoke groping his arse, no matter whether anyone can see them, but this comes a little unexpected.

Then he understands. Anyone can see them. And so he starts kissing back with the appropriate enthusiasm.

Both of them are grinning when they separate, and maybe they’re overdoing it a little with Mute slapping Smoke’s arse so loudly it actually echoes and Smoke blowing the stupefied blokes outside a kiss, but neither of them care.

“You’re the most hypocritical dad I know”, Mute mutters as they hurry back to reduce suspicion, “and somehow she still turned out fine.”

“And you are the second best dad I know.”

“After yourself?” Smoke wordlessly beams at him. “Of course after yourself. Why did I even ask.”

.

By the time they’re leaving, the drunkards have disappeared and Charlie seems to have forgotten all about them anyway, bragging about how she managed to win a bet against Niall about how many marshmallows they could fit in their mouths. As Smoke is returning their cart and leaves them to put their groceries in the car, Mute can’t help but reference the earlier topic: “Be prepared if you actually want to confront him about his views, Charl. He might not take it well.”

“Oh I kinda expect him to go mental. But that’s okay. I’ll just date his sister.” And a wink conveys that this is meant to be a secret between the two of them, for now.

Mute just shakes his head. He could’ve met Charlie on her own, without ever knowing who she is, and he would’ve guessed her to be related to Smoke in some way. Like father, like daughter.

Not that he’s complaining. In fact, he’s looking forward to making breakfast with his two favourite people in the world. He’d just… prefer to get changed beforehand.

[darling-young-demons]

Gone

Hello again everyone! This is another ‘short’ story about my lovely muse Scott! Another sad memory from him, in this case about the night he lost his family. This is a sad mess, just a warning, dealing with marital issues. There’s going to be more of these as I love to write about this guy! Anyways, happy reading!

@originofthedark

It all started during the small party they had for Dantanian’s first birthday. While his birthday had been about a week past, Scott and Tristan were only now both able to clear their busy schedules to invite various friends over to give gifts for the baby. It was nothing as big as most of Scott’s parties, instead being a much more intimate and private event, after all, it was for the baby. He had been happy to entertain his guests, showing off his now one-year old son to every visitor that had made their way into the manor.

The night was calm mostly, carrying his son around, going from person as he gushed to each one about how perfect his boy was. The guests had given him various gifts ranging from new clothes to various toys for the infant. By the middle of the celebration, everyone had given gifts and birthday wishes to Dani and cake had been distributed as people mingled together, small chats filling the rooms. Now as much as he enjoyed small talk with his guests, it had been some time since he had actually seen his wife around. Eventually he had caught sight of Tristan in the group, talking with an old college friend of theirs before catching his attention. “Well, well, well there’s a handsome guy, oh and you look nice too Scott.” He chuckled, eagerly picking his nephew out of his arms, “It really is a cute look, but I must say, it looks better on Dani here, isn’t that right baby?” He cooed, the infant giggling as he reached up for his face.

Scott had thought of the wonderful idea of them wearing matching outfits for the party, going out of his way to order custom suits that had fit the both of them. They both wore a lavender dress shirt with gray pants and a royal purple pair of suspenders with a bowtie to match. “Oh well look at me, he’s got his looks from his father, hm? Then of course his mother is certainly a looker as well, and his uncle…” He teased, a smirk on his face. “Speaking of, have you seen your sister? I do not believe I have seen her for some time now…”

“Cynthia? Hm… I… I think I last saw her by the cake, check around there. If not, I would ask William, he may know where she is.” He spoke, kissing his nephew’s forehead, only for him to spit and coo back at him, “I assume you want him back… Do you want dada, Dani?”

The boy looked to his father, his arms reached out to him as he giggled, repeating his words, “Dadaa! Daaadah! Dada!” He cheered, making the harpy grin as he took him back into his arms. “Ah yes, tell your dada all about it, lets go find your mama, eh?” The baby spoke gibberish to him, as if he was having some kind of deep conversation that no one else could understand.

Tristan chuckled lightly, brushing the baby’s short black hair back, “He loves to hear his own voice, wonder where he gets that one from…” He spoke, glancing up at Scott with a small smirk. “Go find my sister, I’m going to talk to the others, bye Dani!” He spoke as they had separated.

Making his way towards the cake table, he saw his wife’s face come into view, talking to his brother. Now while Scott was a bit of a territorial person, he never had a problem with Will, since he was family, but it wasn’t hard to notice how much they seemed to talk, more than what would be expected. Lately, it had been getting the better of him, making him question their interactions. The harpy quietly walked to the couple, seeing his wife glance over to him. She seemed… Annoyed by him coming over. He really needed her to talk to her, if something was bothering her, he wanted to console his wife. The mustached man glanced up to Scott, giving a small smile, “Hello, Scotty, why hello little man.” He spoke, leaning down to the infant’s height, gently squishing the baby’s cheeks.

“Hey Will, well hello my beautiful wife.” He spoke with a purr, eagerly wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her in close. He leaned in, moving in an attempt to kiss her lips, though she turned her head, instead only getting a peck on the cheek. Scott was many things, but he wasn’t dumb. He frowned, leaning in a bit to her, “Cyn… Can we talk please...? Tell me what’s on your mind?” He asked, biting his lip. By then, William had walked off, going to grab drinks for the three of them.

She gave a small sigh, shaking her head, “It’s nothing, Scott… Just… Do we need to have all of these people here...? It seems too much… I think it would have been nice to have just Tristan, William, you and me…”

He rose an eyebrow, “What do you mean? Everyone adores him! They are all giving him so much! We have to show off a bit with our handsome man! As good looking as his daddy!” He smirked, trying to tease her. However, she did not seem to take too kindly to it, giving a scoff as she took the baby into her own arms.

“Dammit Scott. Can you worry about anyone else besides yourself for once in your life? This isn’t about you having to show off to all these people. This is m… Our son! He’s not some toy for you to just throw around! It’s always about you and your ego… And to think you want a family…” She then swiftly turned around, starting to walk away.

Well that was. Sudden. What the hell could have gotten into her? Though he wasn’t going to give up that quickly. He can’t just let her walk off all pissed off, it would only make things worse. “Wait what… Cynthia! Wait a minute!” He spoke, grabbing her arm, “Come on, you don’t want to show everyone Dani? He’s adorable, the world would love to see him! You can’t say that you’re not proud of him!”

Cynthia sent a glare his way, rolling her eyes at his words, “Of course I am proud to have him, that doesn’t mean I’m going to parade him around as if he’s some kind of attraction. He’s just a child. You have a lot of nerve even talking like this, as if you’re this amazing parent, showing him off as if you’re a great father. You’re barely even with him! Leaving us all the time for fame… You should be ashamed of yourself…” She growled, pulling her arm out of his grasp.

“Hey! Don’t even go there, I’m not around as much as I would like to be, but goddammit, it's to keep the money coming. You wouldn’t know that since you’ve never worked a day in your life! You’ve always had everything you’ve ever wanted given to you on a silver platter! Besides, you’re not that alone are you? William is always here… You two have become quite close may I add…” He threw in there, her last comments getting a bit on his nerves. He supposed that was one of the more unfortunate things about marriage, you know the things that would hurt your partner the most.

“Oh, fuck you, Scott! You wouldn’t be anywhere near as rich as you are now if it wasn’t for my money! You are nothing! You always go off and act all big and tough as if your shit doesn’t stink! Well guess what you are a piece of shit! All you are is just a pathetic little, poor boy that knows if you didn’t have the money that I gave you, then no one would even care about what your name is then you’d be the one who’s all alone, won’t you?” She spoke, venom clear in her voice. “Grow the fuck up, Scott, maybe if you actually acted like a man then you could be a decent father…”

Now that one hurt. It felt as if she had stabbed the knife into his chest and twisted the blade. She really knew how to get him going, but did he know how to send it right back at her. “You know maybe if you weren’t such a frigid bitch all the time you wouldn’t be alone? But that’s not want you want huh? Should I ask my brother how warm it is between your thighs? I’m sure your dad is really proud that his heir is just some whore that did nothing with her life besides spread her legs for anyone who’ll give her attention since you’re too much of a cunt to have people actually want to stay! At least they don’t have to deal with your attitude anymore!” He yelled, resulting in the baby beginning to cry, various onlookers glancing over at the scene, including Tristan.

There was not a moment of hesitation as his wife sent a sharp slap across his face, glaring up at him. He realized that he had fucked up the moment those words came out of his mouth, but it was far too late now. Looking into her eyes, he could see a mix of anger and hurt, tears brimming up as she tried to hold them back. “Do not dare talk about my father again. You will never be even a sliver of the great man he was… Dantanian deserves so much more than the scumbag he got…” She spoke, turning away from him and angrily walking away, seeing Will follow close behind. Tristan had walked up to him, a look of concern and confusion on his face as he placed a soothing hand on his shoulder.

By time morning had come, all the regret had completely taken over, leaving him with an uneasy stomach. The bright sun beamed in through the window, hitting his eyes, causing him to awaken. That night, they had both slept in the same bed, but neither of them had dared to face the other, a cold empty space between them. Now, with the steam blown over, the harpy figured it was a good time to talk about what had happened. “Cynthia… I… What I said last night… It was stupid, some of the stupidest shit I have ever said in my life… Listen, I’m… I’m sorry for everything I said… I just… I love you dear, and I don’t want to lose you… Not now nor ever… Can we… Can we just talk about this and…” He started to trail off as he rolled over, seeing the empty spot in the sheets compared to where his sweetheart had normally slept. “Dammit…” He mumbled under his breath, simply standing up and tying his robe around his waist.

He wandered around the bedroom and master bath, seeing if she had been in one of those rooms, finding no sign of her at all. He walked to the crib, expecting to find his baby boy inside, only to be met with nothing. That was… Odd to say the least. Maybe she had simply gone downstairs with him? As he left their bedroom and proceeded to walk through the hall, he caught a glimpse of something outside the windows. One of his cars had been parked outside, one that he had gifted to his brother from what he could see, William packing various bags and such into the backseat. What starstruck him the most was to see his wife and son, seemingly preparing to get into the car. Where the hell were they going? Yes, they had fought the night prior, but it had been the first of its kind in several months. She wasn’t… Leaving, right? She couldn’t be! That was insane!

Whatever he believed; it didn’t make it any easier to watch his family get into his brother’s car. Maybe it was innocent, he had some very nasty things, maybe she simply needed time to relax, cool down after everything that had happened. Though something inside of him was going off… It didn’t feel right. Though he felt worse when he saw his brother peering back at him. Was that...? Guilt…? Why would be look so… No, it couldn’t be. His overreacting before had gotten him in trouble, he couldn’t go giving in now. He watched them intently, eyes gazing down as every move they made. It only made him feel worse… As he watched the car begin to drive away, that sense of unease washed over him again. Well then, it wouldn’t hurt to look to see how much was left behind. Everything may be fine, however… Just in case, he should at least look. As he walked back into the room, it finally hit him, falling onto his knees with a loud thud, his hands cupping his face in sorrow.

Sitting on the bedside table laid Cynthia’s wedding ring, although it wasn’t as fancy and luxurious as most things in his home, it held so much more power. It only hurt more to see it left behind, just like him.

**********

Tristan had gotten home late that night, wanting nothing more than to go to bed and relax. Though once he had walked in through the door, he was caught off guard by most of the staff waiting for him in the main hall. The butler, Nicholas had come right up to him, taking his hand between his own, “Master Tristan…” The older man spoke, “Thank goodness you are home!” While normally he wouldn’t mind the greeting, it was clear to the twin that something was wrong. The frantic way that Nicholas spoke, the worrisome looks on the staff’s faces. Before he had a chance to ask what was happening, the butler began to urge him to follow up the stairs, starting to explain the situation, “Lady Cynthia, Master William and Master Dantanian are all gone. They seemed to have left early in the morning, before any of us would have been on duty… Master Scott is here, but he had locked himself in the master bedroom and seemed to push something in front of the door, we were unable to move it out of the way. We tried giving him meals throughout the day but he refuses to eat, refuses to leave the room… We do not know what to do… We figured he may be more open with you here…”

His head was spinning at his words, his sister was gone with his nephew? Why would Will be gone too? While he knew they had a fight this seemed a bit too much. “I… Alright… Call the groundskeeper up here, he would have tools correct? Take the door off of its hinges so we can get in… I need to make a quick phone call…” He ordered as he walked off, pulling out his phone and calling his sister. It was quick to send him straight to voicemail, worrying him on what the situation could be. He then tried William only to be met with the same response. He tried them both two more times, leaving frantic messages asking what was going on and where they were. “Dammit…” He mumbled under his breath, going to check on the situation. He watched as the groundskeeper unscrewed the hinges off the door, several of the staff all helping up move it. “Scott!” He called, immediately going inside, climbing over the dresser that had been pushed in front of the door.

What he had seen inside the room was shocking to say the least. It was in complete disorder, furniture thrown and flipped over, cabinets emptied of all their contents and scattered all over the floor. The grand painting they had done of the four of them was ripped to shreds, the only faces in tact being his and Scott’s. The room was dark as well, no light in the slightest. The canopy bed along the wall had its curtains closed, so it wasn’t hard to figure out where the other had been. He looked at the staff, giving a small sigh, “I will talk to him… Give us some space please… Tell Chef to make us some gourmet hot chocolate, please..? And if he thinks of anything else that would be comforting just make it.” He told the butler as he walked towards the bed. “Scott..? Hey… It’s me, Trist…” He spoke quietly, turning on the bedside lamp and opening up the red curtains.

He was greeted by a sad sight, seeing his friend laying flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling before he had noticed him walk in. “How did you…? Oh… Trist…” He spoke, seemingly taking a moment to recognize who he was. He slowly sat up, giving a soft groan as he did so. Looking into his eyes, it was clear what he had been doing, being red and puffy as he tried to wipe some leftover tears. “I… Cynthia left… If uh… If you were looking for her… Or something… I… Sh-She’s gone… With William…” He spoke, moving to pull his knees to his chest, moving so he did not have to look back at him, “She… She was right… I’m nothing… I deserve to be stuck here alone… She deserves better… Dani deserves better…”

Tristan frowned, sighing softly, “Scott… She’s… You don’t know if she’s gone forever… Maybe she just needed to blow off some steam or…” He trailed off, seeing Scott pick up the ring that his sister had left behind. Before he had the chance to say anything, he could hear his friend start to sob, his body shaking violently as the situation took him over again. He didn’t hesitate to climb into the bed, wrapping his arms as tightly as he could around him, trying his damndest to calm him down. “Shh… It’s alright… You’re not alone… I’m here, and there’s no way in hell you’re not going to be seeing your son… He deserves to be around his father… But… Just forget about her now, ok? She’s not right, you are fine the way you are, my sister can just be too picky for her own good…”

The harpy whimpered, listening to his words as he held on tightly to him. His head leaned on his shoulder as he tried to relax himself. Tristan’s gentle hands running up and down his back was soothing already, but he was still worried. “Trist… I… I don’t wanna be alone… You… You’re not gonna leave me too right..? Please god I don’t…” He whimpered, looking him in the eyes as tears openly streamed down his cheeks.

“Hey… I told you already, you’re never gonna be alone… I’m right here for you… I’m not leaving…” He told him, moving to cup his cheeks as he wiped his eyes. “I promise… I’m not going to leave my best friend…” He told him, smiling sadly. The harpy looked back at him, sniffling as he leaned his forehead against his. He was glad that it was too dark to notice the blush on his cheeks. He wrapped his arms around his neck, hugging him close as he felt small sniffles against his shoulder again. He was hurt now, but he was going to be ok, he would be sure to make him happy again, he cared about him too much to see him so distraught. Things were going to be ok, he was sure of it.

[oflokismischief]

Christmas At Lux || Discord

Summary: After being trapped alone with Clint for two hours in France, Loki is in desperate need of a drink, and good company something a certain Archangel just happened to give.

Written With: @ofwarriors

Michael: He sat at the bar and surveyed the club below. It was different than the last time he'd been here. Lucifer had it redesigned in some gaudy and dramatic Christmas theme. His waitstaff wore what he assumed were Christmas elf costumes, but it was hard to tell seeing as the outfits themselves were barely existent. In terms of who'd won the silent battle of décor here, he had to give it to Zatanna. Michael picked up his bourbon and took a sip before looking at the patron next to him. "So, what brings you here tonight?" he asked. "Curiosity or boredom?"

Loki: Had been stuck in France with Clint for another two hours when they'd finally figured out how to get out and find their way out of Zatanna's. Clint immediately went on the hunt for his son Hayden who Nat had stolen away, the god wanting nothing more than a nice drink decided to check out the Lux club.  If anything he could at least have the burn in his throat to take his mind off the fact he'd greatly enjoyed being 'lost' with Clint. Just before he could take a sip of his drink he turned towards the male who'd spoken. "Drinks, if I'm being honest" he replied taking great interest in the not human before him. "but this will hardly do much for me outside of enjoyment. Why are you here?"

Michael: He sensed magic about the man that was similar to Zatanna's. There was also a heaviness in his heart. Guilt? Loss? He couldn't read it. The emotions were too intertwined. "Ah, the drinks," Michael pondered. "I can't quite feel them myself, but I hear if you tip Maz well she'll make them nice and strong," he remarked as he took a sip from his own glass. "I have to admit, this isn't my usual scene. My brother owns the place. I guess you can say I'm just here to support," he shrugged.

Grant: Grant had never been one for the holidays, growing up his family didn't have much and they didn't really celebrate much. He tended to try and be working this time of year but he wasn't able to get placed on an op this year. Why he had ventured out into the chaos that was beyond him, and all he wanted was a good drink. He sat down at the bar before ordering a beer, listening in on the conversation around him. "Your brother? The guy going around calling himself Lucifer?"

Loki: could tell this human wasn’t one at all, he wasn’t so much a God but something close. Things were turning quite interesting on Earth which made him glad his brother sent him here to keep an eye on things. " I can't either but something about two lonely people met in a bar sounded so wonderful to me" he chuckled softly before looking back at the new gentlemen and the other finally connecting the dots " if your brother is Lucifer does that make you Michael? Much too handsome to be either Raphael or Gabriel." He teased the male of course letting the mischief show in his green eyes. " such a good brother you are there was a time I would've counted my elder brother against you....but times change and people grow apart"

Michael: "Two lonely people meet at a bar? Come on, now, you're better than that old cliché," teased the archangel before turning to look at the other gentleman that had spoken. "Unfortunately, that's him," he laughed. "It would appear he's made quite a name for himself. Mostly because he seems to be compelled to name drop himself any chance he gets," he replied with a shake of his head. What could one expect from an angel that was banished due to his own bloody vanity and pride? "I am Michael," he acknowledged to the other man. He seemed quick to catch on that things here were not as they seemed. "I'll be sure to let Gabe and Ralph know they're runner ups, but for our sake let's hope they don't make an appearance." Lucifer was lucky it was Michael who was summoned here. Despite his brother's idiotic and childish schemes, Michael was the more patient of the four principal archangels. Gabriel and Raphael would have ripped heaven and earth apart to put Lucifer back in his rightful place. Michael was content just keeping the balance in check for now anyway.

Loki: Chuckled softly looking at the other "Nothing wrong with old cliché" He replied before sipping the drink that he knew would do nothing for him. He had to admit he didn't know this Lucifer but he could sense no lie in Michael's voice when he talked about how much his brother enjoyed name dropping. " Nice to meet you Michael, and I'll appreciate you keeping my love for you hidden from the others, who knows maybe you'll also be able to protect me from them should they make an appearance. " He chuckled softly before looking at the other he wondered, for a quick moment what it would be like to get the male drunk simply for the fun he was sure to follow. "You can't get drunk on this stuff you say? would you like to try something that my family makes? The recipe has been passed down through the generations?" 

Michael: "I'd say your secret is safe with me considering you never gave me your name," teased the archangel. In a town full of mages, monsters, and metahumans he could be just about anyone. "but, if it does come down to it, I've been dodging Ralph and Gabe effectively for centuries now. I'm sure I can help you avoid them too," he laughed before looking down at his cup. "Bootleg liquor, huh? If it's as strong as you say it is, I'm afraid I'm going to have to pass.  I've got work in the morning," he said, nudging his head toward Zatara's Magic Shop.

Loki: smirked at the other it was true he'd all but guessed the others name but never gave his in return " Loki at your service" he replied holding out his hand in a greeting gesture. " well I'm very thankful for whatever help you provide after all I'm the lover of the family, not the fighter" he replied before chuckling softly " bootleg liquor? I'll have you know this was made by the finest brewery in my hometown, plus it's not that strong for those who know their limits, just a taste? I'm pretty sure you look like one who can hold their liquor" he offered before smiling "I've never been there, but I've heard good things about it, never really felt the need too, what do you do for Zatara?"

Michael: He shook Loki's hand with good spirits. "God of Mischief, huh?" The angel had been around long enough to know the Asgardian myths which Christianity eventually displaced on this plane of existence. Loki reminded him greatly of Lucifer. Young, mischievous, and a tad misunderstood. The Lux was a fitting place for a man like that. He could already see the gears working in this smooth talker's head. He wanted to see what kind of mischief he could get up to by getting an angel drunk. Not that it was possible. Michael slid his cup over to Loki. "I've been drinking around the world today at Zatara's. I suppose its only fair to try a bit of Asgard too." He'd indulge him in one drink before retiring for the night. "I'm the artifacts curator for the shop," he replied.

Loki: He shook the other's hand feeling his smile slip to his lips when the male knew one of his many titles "a Fan of Asgardian Myths I see, makes me smile to hear that name from your lips, what's life without a little mischief?" He teased after all he wasn't call sliver tongue simply because the man was quick with his words. Loki could tell the angel didn't believe him about how strong the ale would be but then again that was part of the plan anyhow. With a wave of his hand, he made a flask appear before pouring two full shot glasses of Ale before chuckling softly "I see we had similar ideas, I got stuck in France for a little bit" He replied before looking at the male with great interest "A curator? what kind of artifacts do you guys deal with? are all just magi inbound things?" He replied before grabbing his drink to sip it.

Michael: "I had a brother who was all about mischief. He runs this club now and happens to not find me nearly as charming these days," he laughed. The parallels between their mythos didn't escape Michael. He supposed history repeated itself quite frequently. He watched as the flask appeared in Loki's hand and smiled to himself. It reminded him of Zatanna's stage tricks and theatrics. Were all mages this animated? Certainly, the ones he gravitated to were. "I suppose that's as good a place as any to be stuck. Did you at least try the baguettes? They're delicious," he replied as he took the small shot glass in hand. "A lot of it is magi based. Zatanna's amassed a dangerous amount over the years. And then there are some items that date older than the magi themselves. You're more than welcome to stop by and take a look. Naturally, all the fun items are kept in storage though," he laughed, holding up his glass to the god in a cheers gesture before knocking back the drink.

Loki: "I find you charming and I'm still all about mischief maybe it's just a sibling feud I've had a couple of those I'm sure you know" he replied softly knowing that his bit of theatrics was something the other would appreciate after all he worked with the great Zatanna did he not? " of course I did, one thing these mortals are quite good at is food, what was your favorite country to visit?" He questioned smirking before cheering the angel and downing his drink very much the same way "I'd love too so long as your working, while I know plenty of magi I'm afraid the type of artifacts you know about are things I thought useless to learn. Back home we had something similar on display but most of them were fun items it should be interesting to see what you deem dangerous and why"  he chuckled switching back to regular alcohol knowing the angel would try another glass for fear of getting drunk.

[theangriestpea]

Mercy Killing

TW: Sexual assault reference

A/N: I couldn't think of a good way to end this one so it ends kind of abruptly and weirdly. My bad. My next day off isn't until Friday of NEXT week. So no telling when I'll get the next one out.

Mood board by @southsidersweetpea!

Chapter Ten: Lucky

Lavender’s eyes fluttered open as bright beams of sunlight filtered in through her blinds. Her head was throbbing painfully, stomach completely empty, and mouth dry as if it had been stuffed full of cotton all night. Bits and pieces of her memory eased back into her mind. Her confrontation with Kitty, drinking with James, playing pool, and…not much after that.

She had definitely thrown up at least once though, that she was sure of by the taste in her mouth. If she had had any nightmares last night, then she couldn’t remember them. That was good, at least.

A scent she recognized wafted into her nose, a scent she chose to not think of as her favorite even though it secretly was. “Sweet Pea?” Lavender asked, her voice coming out cracked from how dry her throat was. She was confused as to why he was there. Shouldn’t he be with Kitty?

Sweet Pea had already been awake. He had been lost in thought, staring at the wall as he held her close. He knew she wouldn’t remember last night. He knew and it already hurt his heart.

“Why are you here?” She dared to ask, confusion laced in her tone. She wanted to turn onto her side to look at him but that would have required to her lay on her still sore ribs.

“Someone had to make sure you didn’t choke on your own vomit.” Sweet Pea replied, pulling away from her now that she was awake. She suddenly felt cold without him. She was about to ask why Fangs didn’t do it but he interrupted her, “Why did you drink so much last night? Trying to impress your boyfriend?”

Lavender looked up at the ceiling, the light was hurting her eyes. “It makes me feel good.” She said, her voice barely above a whisper, “it helps me forget.”

Sweet Pea knew unhealthy coping mechanisms when he saw them, he had a few himself. However he knew going down this road could potentially be dangerous. Especially if she wanted to jump anyone that gave her attention when she was drunk. Any lesser man would have taken advantage of her and, though he hated to admit it, some of the other Serpents were lesser men. What if James had been the one to go after her? Would she have given herself to him at that moment too? Was it just luck that it was him?

“Oh God, James!” Lavender forced herself to sit up, creating more distance between them. She rubbed her eyes and groaned at the pain brought by sitting up quickly. “I left him there, didn’t I? What happened?”

He stared at the back of her head blankly. It was just as he predicted. “What’s the last thing you remember?”

“That bitch making me hit in the eight ball.” Lavender grumbled, her distaste for Kitty evident by the sound of her voice.

“You went into the back room to get another bottle of tequila to play another round. After you didn’t come back for a few minutes I checked on you and found you making out with Fangs. Then he had to carry you to the bathroom before you threw up all over him.” Sweet Pea said carefully, wondering if she’d believe him.

Lavender could remember kissing someone, and knowing it was someone she truly cared about made her feel somewhat better. Fangs was probably drunk too anyway so it didn’t matter much. There was a small smile on her face that Sweet Pea could simply not ignore.

Her smile quickly fell, “did he see? What happened with James?”

“He left looking pretty pissed.” Sweet Pea said calmly. “He didn’t have to see to know what happened.”

“Fuck.” She breathed out, getting out of bed to see that she was wearing a rather suggestive looking nightgown that she didn’t even know she owned. “Who dressed me?”

Sweet Pea rolled his eyes, “Toni and Cheryl. But you picked out the outfit.”

“I did?” She looked at herself in the mirror. Suddenly she felt very exposed as she noticed him staring at her in the mirror. “Stop looking at me!” She snapped at him as a blush crept across her cheeks.

He let out an annoyed sigh as he looked away from her.

“I better go apologize…” Lavender mumbled to herself, rummaging through her dresser for something more appropriate to wear. “I feel terrible.”

“As you should.” Sweet Pea said, but he didn’t think she should feel terrible for making James angry but rather for the way she threw herself at him and not remembering. How she seemed relieved to have been kissing Fangs and not anyone else. He needed to go home. Clear his own head.

Lavender felt her heart ache at his words. She didn’t mean to make anyone feel bad last night. She just drank way past her limit to make herself feel okay. Sweet Pea got out of the bed, he took a moment to stretch and Lavender found herself admiring the sliver of toned stomach that peeked out from under his shirt as he lifted his arms over his head.

She still didn’t understand why he was here, not really.

Sweet Pea didn’t say anything as he went into the other room to grab his keys and go home. He had slept in his clothes last night and needed a shower to get the smell of alcohol and cigarettes off of him.

Lavender bit her lip at his silence before quickly throwing on jeans and a tight fitted tee. She grabbed her keys to drive to James’ trailer located in another trailer park on the other end of the Southside.

*~~~~~~~~~~~*

Lavender arrived at James’ trailer, her heart thumping loudly in her chest. Would he even want to see her? Should she have called first? Why was she so impulsive sometimes?

She got out of her beat up Honda and walked up to his door, knocking on it. The silence seemed the drag on before she heard the door unlock and open. James didn’t look surprised to see her. He bit back his anger as he opened the door for her to come in.

Lavender anxiously stepped inside, not liking the look on his face. It wasn’t calm and collected like usual. There was this silent rage behind it that even she could detect.

He pushed the door shut, the wood slamming against the frame so hard that she jumped. Suddenly she knew this had been a mistake. A terrible mistake.

His hand shot out to grab her by the upper arm and pull her to him, his grip so tight that she knew it would bruise. Then a memory struck through her. The same grip on her that night. Holding her down and laughing, blue eyes flashing in the light of the nearby streetlight.

And then she knew where she recognized him from.

Lavender desperately tried to pull away from him, but he was too strong. James could tell by the look on her face that she knew. It wasn’t hard to figure out. His free hand went to the bottom hem of his gym shorts and he pulled them up so she could see the ghoulish skull tattoo that was the mark of a Ghoulie on his upper thigh. “What, Shanna? You really think I was interested in you? When you look like that?”

He laughed and god she knew that fucking laugh. She wanted to scream but she was frozen from fear. Her eyes wider than they’d ever been before as they looked at the smirk on his face. “You made me into an idiot last night, and I’m going to tell you now that you’re not going to do that again. And you’re not going to tell anyone about me either or else my boys and I will show you what we have in store for round number two.”

She couldn’t breathe. She could no longer feel the effects of her hangover as dread washed over her. Round Two. Would she even survive a second round of what they put her through? Did they not thoroughly break her the first time?

“W-Why?” She managed to choke out. “Why me?”

James stared her down, his face leaning down as if he was going to kiss her. She tried to pull away from him. “Jonathan Rhodes screwed Penny and Malachai over once pretty bad. Consider this payback.”

Her father had some kind of dealings with Ghoulies? Why? What was he doing with them? His answer just created more questions for her. Her attack hadn’t been just a run of bad luck. It had been premeditated. God, he had been so nice to her. Why was she such an idiot?

Sweet Pea was right the multiple times he called her dumb. He’d probably say it again when he found out. Rub it in her face, I told you so type deal. Or maybe he wouldn’t. Maybe he’d understand. Maybe he’d hold her for once during the day like he did during the night.

“What kind of girl sneaks off to make out with another guy while she’s on a date?” James asked her, making her swallow hard. “Guess what they say about you female snakes is true. You’re all loose. I’m surprised we had any trouble getting that knife handle into you.”

Again she wanted to scream, she pulled away once more but he just readjusted his grip on her bicep. “Now, you’re going to act like this conversation never happened. You’re going to pretend that you’re still into me. You’re going to continue to go on dates with me. And you’re going to be mine.”

Her eyes were on him but they weren’t focused. She was trying desperately to not think too deeply into what he meant by that. Another part of her was trying to figure out an escape. She could knee him but that would probably be a very bad idea. Seeing as this was his reaction to her just kissing another guy, what would he do if he found out how Fangs and Sweet Pea held her at night? What if he figured out they were watching over her like two adorable hawks?

Hawks that had been totally right about him. Hawks she should have listen to but didn’t and now she was in this horrible situation. “Are you listening to me, Shanna?” James asked, noting the look on her face. She seemed to be a million miles away.

She could only nod her head, afraid of what her voice would sound like. Afraid that she might break down fully. She didn’t want that. He didn’t deserve to see her like that. There were only four people on that short list and none of them where here right now.

James let go of her, stepping back though he still kept the same superior air about him. “You’re going to make up for your father’s mistake. How unlucky for you that he died before getting a chance to pay his dues.”

He laughed again and Lavender visibly flinched at the sound. The one person that made her feel normal. The one that didn’t constantly ask her how she was feeling or doing or treating her like she’d break. The one that made her smile at school when everyone else just made her want to cry. He just had to be a monster. It just couldn’t have been real. It was never real.

“Now, I’m actually busy today. So run back to your little reptiles and remember, we made up. I accepted your apology. We’ll be going out again soon.” James said, opening the door back up for her. Lavender nodded numbly, again she was unable to actually say anything. He practically shoved her out before slamming the door once more behind her.

Lavender felt numb. Not the good kind of numb that alcohol sometimes made her feel, but the terrible sinking numb that happened whenever too much was running through her head. She walked into her car and got in, quickly driving off to create as much distance between her and James as possible.

First she went to Fox Forest, parking her car and resting her head on the steering wheel. The first few minutes she was silent. Then, tears slowly started to crawl down her face. Lastly sobs shook her so hard that her ribs shot painful reminders through her body as to what the Ghoulies had already done to her. Her grip on the steering wheel was so tight that it was hurting her fingers. She wanted to crawl into the forest and die. Just wither away and forget all that was happening to her.

Two hours she sat there in hysterics before finally running out of tears. She didn’t want to be alone anymore. She need to tell someone what just happened. She was in too deep. She’d drown without a life jacket.

Lavender wiped her face and eyes before pulling out of her parking space and driving back to Sunnyside. She let herself go on autopilot, driving into her trailer’s driveway and parking there. After turning the car off, she got out and just started walking. There was no set destination, she just let her feet take her. Eventually she found herself in front of Sweet Pea’s trailer and she didn’t know why. Maybe this once he’d be nice to her. Maybe he’d realize how much trouble she was in.

She took a deep breath before going up his few stairs to knock on his door. After a few moments of hearing someone shuffling around inside, the door opened to reveal a topless Sweet Pea.

Lavender was too distraught to take in the view. She didn’t even notice he was half naked as she looked up at his face. It was evident that she’d been crying. In fact, it looked like she was about to do it again at any moment. “Rhodes?” He asked, confused by the sight of her. Didn’t she go to see James?

He realized it must have went very badly for her to come to him. He opened his mouth to speak but another voice overpowered his, “Sweetie Pea? Who’s at the door?”

A pained look crossed Lavender’s face at the sound of Kitty’s voice. She finally noticed his state of undress and quickly took off as fast as she could. She wanted to see him, confide in him, open up to him finally, and here he was with someone else.

She didn’t understand. Why did this feel like rejection when they weren’t even together? Why was her heart shattering? Worst of all, why was she surprised?

Once at her trailer she quickly got in and found a very concerned Fangs on her couch. “Sweets said you-“ He was cut off by her rushing over to him and clinging to him, yet another cry escaping from her broken form.

“Hey, hey, shhh.” Fangs said, rubbing her back. Sweet Pea had told him that she went to see James. He had the same thought that SP did, that it must have gone badly. “Was he that mad?”

Lavender went silent. That’s right. She couldn’t tell. She had worked up the courage to tell Sweet Pea but he had crushed it. Now she hadn’t the strength to tell even her best friend. “N-no,” She stuttered out. “That’s not it.”

“What is it then?”

“I can’t,” was all she could get out before tightening her grip on him. “I just can’t.”

Confused didn’t even begin to cover what Fangs was feeling. “Is this about you making out with Sweet Pea last night?”

Her head shot up to look at him, “What? He told me I made out with you?”

Fangs tried not to laugh. Sweet Pea had told him that he’d lied to Lavender about what happened. He had been too embarrassed to admit in front of her that he had kissed her back while being pretty much sober. He had only had a few shots compared to the fourth of a bottle and two drinks she’d had. Plus he had a much higher tolerance.

“Right, he lied. You practically jumped him in that store room. You two were getting very friendly by the time I found you.” Fangs said, wondering why she looked so mortified. Last night she had been so happy. Drunk but happy.

“So he carried me to the bathroom?” She mumbled her question, already knowing the answer.

Fangs nodded, “yes. And he demanded that he be the one to stay with you last night.”

Lavender planted her face into Fangs’ neck. She didn’t want to hear this. He wanted to be with her? Then why was he with Kitty just now? “I’m so confused.”

“Is it really that confusing? You have undeniable chemistry that both of you refuse to acknowledge.” Fangs said. “Maybe if you just gave it a chance-“

“I can’t.” Lav quickly said. “I’m with James now.” The way she said it made Fangs feel unnerved. Like she was afraid. His suspicion of how her talk with him only grew even more.

“Okay…okay, let’s just Netflix and chill without the sex then.” Fangs said, pushing his own worries away for the time being in order to comfort her.

[timeoutforthee]

Trick or Treat-Spooky Month

Summary: Even more Child!Roman and Deceit and Big Brother!Virgil and Logan, complete with more feelings than anticipated, and some minor Analogical.

TWs: sympathetic deceit, let me know if I need to add anything else

Words: 1,790

@sanderssidesspook

“No.”

Virgil is darkness. Virgil is bitterness. Virgil is not going to break under the puppy eyes of a seven year old.

Roman sticks his lip out, and holds out the costume more insistently.

“Pleeeeeease, big brother?” And, oh, he’s pulling that card.

“Ro,” Virgil says, looking at his ceiling, because he’s rolling his eyes and not because he’s avoiding that pouty look, shut up, “I have helped you find your costume. I have made your tail. I have given you scales-”

“The best scales in all the land!”

“Sure. I think I’ve fulfilled my big brotherly duties.”

“Nooooo,” Roman whined. “You have to come with me.”

“I don’t have to do anything.”

“Fine then. You want to.”

“I beg to differ.”

“...is that a yes? I don’t know what that means.”

“No, Roman. Mom can take you like every other year.”

“But...but I picked this outfit out just for you. Don’t you like it?” Roman said, “I thought you could be my brother-witch who cursed me into being a dragon. Wouldn’t that be fun?” And, oh shit, now his eyes are getting watery.

No, I am strong, dammit!

“Roman…,” Virgil stops as Roman’s lip trembles and he realizes he is very, very weak and pouty children have too much power in society, “Fiiiiine.”

^

“I hate it.”

Logan smiles from behind his little brother, who has black and yellow scales painted on the top half of his face. To make this new costume, they got a plain black onesie, and they painted the accurate markings (okay, not completely accurate. D.C. had taken some creative liberties and Logan couldn’t say no) on the back. After some searching, Logan found some yellow contacts that were comfy enough for his brother to wear, so they were in as well. They even stuck some fangs on his teeth, and they were surprisingly staying in place.

“I’m glad,” Logan said as his brother walked over and hugged his leg. Keeping with the theme, Logan had dressed up in khaki shorts, a tan shirt, and a hat, going for a zoologist, “Don’t smear your makeup.”

“I’m a snake.”

“Yes.”

“I’m squeezing you to death.”

“That’s a boa constrictor, D.”

“I am a magic snake. I have all the best parts of every snake. So I can squeeze you to death if I wanted.”

“Ah, I see. In that case, I am very afraid,” Logan says, not being able to fight back a smile, “But if you want candy, we better get going. So you’ll have to let go of my leg.”

^

“I think I made your costume too amazing, Virgil,” Roman frowned, “You look better than me.”

“I think you’re just saying that because I have more glitter than you,” Virgil says, looking in the mirror.

And, boy, does he have glitter. He has no idea how Roman found this stuff, and he’s definitely going to have to talk to their mom about this. His pants are bell bottoms, because apparently those still exist, and they are covered in purple glittery spiderwebs. His top is a simple black one, except for the black bat wing sleeves (he’s kinda living for that aesthetic though, not gonna lie.) He has a gigantic plastic belt looped around his waist. His shoulders are covered by a sheer black cape that, again, has purple glitter covering it. It’s all topped off with a hat, which is, of course, purple.

Virgil suddenly regrets having a favorite color.

“...Virgil?”

“I will add more glitter to your scales.”

Roman grins, “Thaaaaank you!”

They make their way out to the kitchen, where they haven’t cleaned the makeup and facepaint up yet. Roman sits sideways on the chair, so his tail doesn’t get in the way. He has a black dress on, coming down to his calves, because he insisted that he had to show off his ankles, which needed to be in striped socks, Virgil! Virgil has somehow constructed a tail out of cloth and stuffing. They’ve added wings, which were originally bat wings, but now were painted green. He has a classic pointy hat, or at least it was classic, until he insisted on painting it with glitter glue.  

The real star of the outfit, of course, were the scales. They were a gradient of dark blue to light green, with glitter in the dark blue area. No matter how much they tried, they couldn’t think of a way to recreate fire, so Virgil had dabbed a little bit of black lipstick into the center of Roman’s lips, to make it look like ash.

“You know, this means you have to wait until you get home to eat the candy,” he warned.

Roman pulled back and looked at him seriously.

“For fashion,” he said, “Anything.”

Virgil had to turn to his head to the side, so he could make sure he didn’t laugh in his brother’s face. Roman frowned.

“I don’t see what’s so funny.”

Since he was adding more glitter, this time in the green area, he went ahead and added some red glitter in the center of the black lipstick. Roman smiled.

“Are you going to do your makeup, Virgil?”

“I always do my makeup.”

“Are you gonna do your makeup fun?” Roman’s eye lit up, “Are you going to add glitter?”

“Absolutely not.”

^

Virgil was weak. That’s what he was going to tell anyone who looked at him weird for having a glittery spider on his temple or eyebags that were made of purple glitter.

Which he might have to do, because the cute guy from his math class is right there, and Virgil looks ridiculous, so of course that’s when this would happen. Maybe he could just blend in, be invisible, they’d walk right by each other-

“Virgil?” Logan says from the other side of the street.

Of course not, Virgil looked like a goddamn road flare.

“Heyyyy, Logan,” Virgil says, pausing on the sidewalk.

Roman sends a look over his shoulder, “Oh? Logan?”

“Roman, I swear to God-”

He tugs on Virgil’s hand harder, all but dragging him to Logan. Logan is looking at him curiously, and Virgil is lucky he can hide under his hat.

“Hi!” Roman says, beaming up at Logan, “I’m Roman! Virgil’s favorite little brother!”

“You’re my only brother.”

Logan snickers, then pauses. “Wait, Roman? Are you in Mr. Patton’s class?”

“Ummmm...yeah?”

“I’m just asking because I believe my brother is in the same class.”’

“Who?”

“Logan, I totally didn’t get any good candy-” D.C. freezes as he looks up and sees Roman talking to his brother.

Roman looks over and narrows his eyes. The witch near him seems to sense the danger, because he immediately whispers “Roman, be nice.” Something in D.C.’s stomach drops, because for a normal kid, you don’t have to be told to be nice.

“D,” Logan whispers, holding his arm out. D.C. runs and ducks behind him, not even accepting his hug. His lip is trembling and he definitely doesn’t want his classmate to see that. He feels Logan’s hand in his hair, and he tries to relax.

Virgil is confused. But there is a crying child behind Logan, and that is never good, and his little brother might have caused that, but also is this kid the one Roman said called him lame? He looks down at his little brother, who just looks back at him in confusion.

“D...are you...okay?” Roman asks, carefully.

“Yes.” He’s squeezing his eyes shut so the tears don’t come out.

“D…,” Logan sighs, “I think there’s been a misunderstanding. You see-” D.C. frantically pokes his older brother in the leg, shaking his head.

“What misunderstanding?” Roman asks.

Logan sighs, and looks over at Virgil, even though he knows Virgil can’t help him explain maladaptive coping skills and childhood trauma to seven year old.

“D.C. lies sometimes,” and he is decidedly not looking his little brother, because he might be crying, and Logan simply couldn’t handle that.

“Lies? Why?”

“I can totally control it,” D.C. says, his voice watery. Roman wrinkles his eyebrows.

“He...somethings are hard for him, so he feels the only way he can control things is by lying,” Logan is desperately looking at Virgil, hoping he at least understands. Virgil gives the slightest nod of his head, then kneels down so he’s eye level with Roman.

“You know how I get panic attacks because I feel like the world is too much?”

“Yeah…?”

“D.C. feels like the world is too much, so he lies to make it a little less. He can’t control it, just like I can’t control my panic attacks.”

Logan can hear his little brother sniffling, so he cards his fingers through his hair, reminding him he’s there, even if Roman doesn’t get it, even if-

But Roman is putting everything together, slowly. If he lies...and he called him lame...and he can’t control it…

His cheeks turn red. Oh.

“Oh…,” he says out loud, slowly.

D.C. is still holding on to his brother, even though his knuckles are turning white. He pushes down any sliver of hope, because Roman didn’t understand, he couldn’t-

He blinks and suddenly Roman is holding out a hand. He takes it slowly, and then he’s being pulled along, hand clutched in Roman’s.

“Roman, you can’t go anywhere without me,” Virgil reminds him.

“You wouldn’t let me out of your sight if I tried,” Roman says, still strolling along.

Logan snickers as he and Virgil trail after them.

“Where are you going?”

“We’re going to battle a dragon.”

This time Logan full on laughs, and Virgil feels himself flushing. He just had a cute laugh, ok?

“A dragon?” D. C. asks. He’s stopped crying but his eyes are still a little red.

“Yes,” Roman says, very seriously, “And through our epic battle, an unbreakable friendship will form.” Then he leans back and starts whispering to D.C., who immediately starts giggling and whispers back.

Virgil narrows his eyes, “What are you guys-”

“There!” Roman shouts suddenly, making a beeline to a patch of grass in between two houses.

“Wh-Wait!” Virgil says, “What about trick or treating?”

“Oh,” Roman says, smiling, “I guess you’re just going to have to do it for us.” He shoves his  plastic pumpkin into Virgil’s hands.

“We’d really hate it,” D.C. says, pushing his bag into Logan’s hands. Then they both take off, even though they make sure they’re in clear view of both of their older brothers.

“Did we just get set up?” Virgil asks.

Logan smiles at him and he blushes.

“Accept our fate, Virgil,” he says as they walk up to a new house, ringing the doorbell.

“Trick or treat.”.