#hate hate hate how weird people are about her skirt suit it drives me up a wall

[angomay]

15 for the ask thing ^^

15.) that one thing you see in fanart all the time

OH first thing that comes to mind are redesigns of athena my good friend athena. literally cannot get away from them they are absolutely everywhere

[ask game]

[httpdabi]

Strawberry

Genre: smut, romance? Idk?

Summary: The reunion with your childhood best friend took some turns, and instead of hugs and tears all you wanted to do was kill the familiar stranger, that made your day at work worse.

(Ye, I suck at describing lmao)

Word count: 6.7k

Warnings: 18+ (MINORS DNI), unprotected sex, dom!Dabi, creampie, a bit of dacryphilia, a bit of teasing, rough sex, choking, facefucking.

,,Girl, just hop into the water’’ Mina screamed, taking all the attention you were giving to your phone. You were already regretting the decision you made to join her and Bakugo. You’ve never liked those public pools, and you never understand people who did. Like seriously, children there pee in the water, some of them even poop, who knows ? And its not that you are some hygiene freak, it’s simply a no go for you.

,, Nah, I’m good over here’’ You screamed back, hoping she heard you, as you hid under the shadow of the tree. Sun was also a big minus for you, since 10 minutes were enough for you to get sunburnt and end up with Yoghurt all over your body trying to pamper the burning stings. Plus your pierced nipples didn’t help in this case either, heating up too fast in the sun, since the only peace of clothing that covered them was your swimming suit.

,, You are no fun’’ she pouted, hoping her puppy face will work on you.

Usually on your days off, you liked to enjoy your time at home, reading a nice book or simply lazing around watching a movie, cooking for yourself, and doing simply anything that didn’t include contact with others. Yeah, you had enough contact with people since you were working at the famous café in the city.

People who saw you working there thought that you loved your job. Always smiling, always having so much patience. Truth to be told, you were exactly the opposite. You hate it wholeheartedly. You couldn’t deal with children screaming around all the time, while their parents ignored them, you couldn’t deal with drunk dudes, cat calling you all the time, and you couldn’t deal with rude costumers always complaining about something. Fuck it, you couldn’t deal with anyone.

You felt more than happy once the day came to an end and once you waved goodbye to your co-workers. Nothing against them of course, you loved Mina and Bakugo, but sun, water and loud crowd of people drained your energy out. At that point you found yourself appreciating your apartment and your bed more then ever before.

The next day you woke up pretty late, since you had late shift. Not that you were complaining, you liked sleeping longer, but the fact that you will be working till fucking 10 PM, if not even longer since it was summer, was driving you insane.

Sure waking up early isn’t amazing, but in the morning there wasn’t that much work, and it was much more quiet then in late shift. And sure, some people would consider calling sick, but you didn’t want to be such an asshole toward your co-workers.

Since you will be the one getting the orders on the counter and maybe, only maybe work with ice cream, you decided to wear your favorite comfy skirt, not too long, but also covering everything up. Once you found your fav comfy shirt, you tucked it inside of your skirt and did your casual make up before you left your apartment.

You didn’t like your work, but you were thankful that you could at least get a free meal there, since it saved a lot of time for you. It wasn’t anything special, but at least you didn’t have to prepare anything or stop to buy something before work.

,, DROP THE BEAT’’ Bakugo yelled once he saw you coming, making some weird noises as you gave your best to give them a Top Model walk.

,, TC, TC, TC’’ you repeated, waving your hips from side to side in the beat with the weird sound you and Bakugo made. You hopped beside them, as you took the small pack of cigarettes out of your bag.

Usually after the end of the morning shift, you and your co-workers sit together, enjoying the last minute of the shift exchange together. Of course if there’s a new costumer, one of you would go to work immediately. But most of the time, the café was almost empty at that time, giving you a chance to catch up a bit.

,, Today was pain in the ass, I swear’’ Shiggy said, taking one cigarette out of your package, while Bakugo told you everything you needed to know, if there was something to do and so on. Nodding your head, you lit a cigarette for yourself, preparing yourself for one hell of annoying day that was waiting for you.

Once Bakugo and Shiggy went home, you made your way toward the small counter, preparing everything you needed for the late shift, as you waited for Mina to arrive. You were glad that there weren’t any new costumers, since it gave you lots of time to prepare everything, from ice cream, to sandwiches and drinks.

,, Hiii girl, sorry for being late’’ Mina greeted you happily, while you placed the new drinks into the fridge. It wasn’t anything new for you, she was always late, but you never minded it at all. Your team had some up’s and down’s, but after all, all of you worked great together.

Around 7PM you wished you never got that fucking job. The café was getting fuller and fuller, and people were getting more and more annoying.

,, Can you please serve that table ?’’ Mina asked, pointing on the table where some boys were sitting down. Nodding your head, you took the small notebook and pen, before you made your way towards the table you had to serve.

,, Heyy, what can I do for you?’’ you asked, acting all happy as you prepared the small notebook to write the order.

,, Well, you can blow me off if you are asking that nicely’’ one of them said, making the rest of the boys laugh loudly. Taking one deep breath, you almost rolled your eyes in annoyance.

,, Can I take your order ?’’ you repeated yourself, ignoring the rude comments they gave you, talking about your skirt and how you looked, like you weren’t standing right in front of them.

,, Five beers. Sorry, they really don’t know how to behave’’ one of them, mature enough, said. Giving you one small and apologetic smile. Nodding your head, you just hurried back, wanting to finish their order fast enough, before you did something you would regret later.

Once you bought them their beer, and once they gave you the money, you almost smacked the bottle against the blondies head, when he started checking you out shamelessly. What pissed you even more was the fact that the line waiting for fucking ice cream was already waiting for you.

The whole day was a complete disaster and you wished more then ever to finish your shift and leave the fucking café. At least you had Mina by your side, as the two of you gave each other encouraging words.

,, What can I get for you?’’ you asked, faking a smile at the woman with a child. You were so done with that fucking job, but you couldn’t let the costumers figure that out.

,, Honey, what do you want?’’ she asked her child, as she prepared her wallet. The fact that she was waiting for you to come, and than ask her child what she wants was lowkey pissing you off. They could literally decide before you arrived, but whatever.

,, I want vanilla… Hmmmm, I want mint and strawberry!’’ the little girl screamed excitedly, as you prepared the cone, already putting the vanilla ice cream in it.

,, I’m sorry, we are out of Strawberry ice cream’’ you said, giving her a small smile, as the child started screaming and crying around how she wants strawberry. You had to give your best and stop yourself from throwing the cone against the child’s face. That little girl was old enough to understand what a no means.

,, Sorry sweetie, do you want anything else?’’ you asked, hoping she’ll stop with the whole theater.

,, Noooo I want strawberry’’ she screamed, crying loudly.

,, Just give her raspberry’’ the woman said, rolling her eyes in annoyance like it was your fault that you were out of the strawberry ice cream. Mina noticed that your blood was already boiling, as she asked you if you need some help. Once she heard you saying how everything’s fine, she continued with her work.

NOTHING WAS FINE FOR FUCKS SAKE, NOTHING.

,, What can I get you?’’ you repeated the same question, as a guy approached, holding his phone in his right hand. You looked at him, giving him one fake smile, as you analyzed his face. Black hair, scarred face, few tattoos and lots of piercings. His appearance was pretty much freaking you out, but you had to stay professional and just wait for his order.

,, Hey, strawberry and chocolate’’ he said, casually scrolling the screen of his phone with his thumb. The moment you heard him say strawberry you wanted to quit that fucking job and just move to Poland or whichever country.

,, We are out of strawberry, sorry’’ you breathed out, hoping that the last cell in your brain didn’t die at that moment.

,,Oh ok, then only strawberry is fine’’ he said, giving you a small smile. At that moment you were more then sure that he was making fun of you, even a deaf person was able to catch up that strawberry wasn’t an option anymore after that stupid child made a scene. And that’s when you finally snapped, having enough of everyone’s shit.

,, Which part of we are out of strawberry you didn’t understand?’’ you asked, slamming the cone onto the counter, almost regretting your actions. But once you noticed the way he was trying not to laugh made you snap even more.

,, Are you making fun of me ? Is this funny to you ?’’ your voice was raising with every word you spoke. Once Mina realized that you were having your half mental breakdown, screaming at costumer, she hurried toward you, repeating your name all over again as she tired to catch your attention.

Hearing your name, his eyes widened in surprise, now totally focused on you instead of his cellphone and if Mina wasn’t there, you would probably start a bitch fight with him for even looking at you that way.

,, Woah, what’s going on? ‘’ she asked confused, as you gave the dude death glares.

,,This guy here is going on. He’ll be my 13th reason why’’ you screamed waving your hands in air, not even trying to calm down anymore.

,, Chill out, we only have 30 minutes more till we close’’ she said, patting your back slowly, as she mouthed small sorry to the guy.

,, Oh, 30 minutes ? We’re out of the ice cream’’ you hissed, slamming the glass down, giving him a clear sign that he won’t lick shit tonight. If your boss heard and saw you at that moment, you would be fired in just a second.

After 20 minutes, the two of you happily told the costumers that they have to leave. Before you could leave, you took two corona tests, already working on your own test as Mina went to the toilet to change.

,, OH MY GOD, YOU’RE PREGNANT’’ she screamed, placing one hand over her mouth.

,, Bitch, this is corona test’’ you hissed, loud laugh following your words. ,, And it’s only one line, which means that I’m negative. What the fuck’’ you laughed, placing one test in front of her, thinking about where the fuck did she get all her informations from, since she thought that one line means pregnant. Ignoring the fact that she thought that corona test is fucking pregnancy test.

,, You really overacted today, maybe he didn’t hear’’ she said, as you puffed onto your cigarette.

,, Girl, even my grandma from nursing home could hear that we were out of strawberry, and trust me her hearing aids ain’t worth shit’’ you rolled your eyes, making Mina giggle quietly.

,, But still, he might tell to boss, you don’t know that guy’’ she whispered, as you watched the guy sitting on the bench with his friends. She had a point sadly, he did look like someone who would cause trouble just for fun.

,, You’re right, I’ll go and apologize’’ you said once you saw him wave goodbye to his friends. Taking one deep breath you hugged Mina, before you forced yourself to walk fast enough to catch up with him.

,, Hey’’ you screamed, almost running behind him, hoping he actually heard you. Once he turned around, giving you one hella confusing look, you sighed in relief, placing both of your hands on your knees as you tried to catch your breath.

,, Wow, such a sporty spirit’’ he joked as he watched you fight for air.

,, Yeah, oh my god. I just wanted to apologize for what happened earlier’’ you managed to say somehow, ignoring his comments.

,, Yeah, that wasn’t very nice of you’’ he pointed, taking one cigarette and placing it between his lips. ,,I was ready to write a review on google about the way you treated me’’ he joked once again, but you completely misunderstood it.

,,I KNEW IT, I FUCKING KNEW IT’’ you screamed, pointing your finger in his direction. ,, Look man, I already hate my job, don’t make it any worse’’ you whined loudly, not getting the irony in his voice.

,, Well, let me treat you with dinner, what do you think? And then I’ll think about the review’’ he smiled, using the way you misunderstood his words in his advantage. Once you heard him say that, you definitely regretted the way you acted one hour ago.

,, That won’t work, I have a cat waiting for me home and trust me, he ain’t capable feeding himself on his own’’ you spat, hoping he’ll understand and simply leave you alone, but once you saw him raise his eyebrow at you and giving you one questioning look, you almost rolled your eyes on him.

,, but you can come with me and we can order fucking tacos or whatever’’ you added, surprised that you went that far and disappointed once he accepted your invite.

,,Taquitoooo, I’m home babyyyy’’ you screamed, kicking your shoes as you got inside your apartment. Turning around you found the tall man looking around, analyzing every corner of your apartment.

,, Taquito? You’ve gotta be kidding me’’ he laughed at you. Even tho you just met the guy, it felt like you knew him for ages for some weird reason.

He sat outside on the balcony, as you prepared the two glasses and drinks for the two of you, while he ordered some food.

,, Anyway, what’s your name ?’’ you asked, remembering that you don’t know shit about the man sitting in your apartment.

,,Ah yes, I totally forget that, the name is Dabi’’ he grinned, taking the glass away from you, as he made himself at home.

,, Why the fuck did you call your cat Taquito?’’ he asked, as your cat jumped onto his lap, purring softly, making you just stare at them surprisingly. Taquito didn’t even like your family and friends, yet he was all cuddly with some fucking stranger.

,, Yeah long story short, I was drunk as fuck, found him on the street while I watched the stupid Tiktok about a girl that bought a turtle and called it Taquito’’ you said fast, as you sat there waiting for the food. Once you had a good look of him, something felt off. Nothing weird or scary, but you only felt like you already knew him. Sure, you definitely wouldn’t forget a face like his, but something about his eyes was telling you that you met him somewhere.

,, Anyway, enough about my cat. Did we meet somewhere?’’ you asked, staring at him shamelessly as he played with Taquito.

,, Maybe ?’’ he said, wiggling his eyebrows at you.

,, Cut it. Your eyes are familiar. I swear, I feel like I know you from somewhere ‘’ you confessed, placing a finger on your lip, as you tried to figure out from where you know him.

,, Yeah, I have such a pretty eyes, don’t I’’ he said, blinking fast as he tried to give some weird effect with it.

,, You can’t be that stupid doll’’ he added, when he realized that you still can’t remember him. Sure he changed, sure he went thru some shit and ended up with scars, and sureee he colored his hair black, but still he felt a bit disappointed when he realized that you have no idea who he is.

,, Does a name Touya tell you anything ?’’ he asked, raising his eyebrow at you playfully, laughing loudly at your confused face.

,, Nah, go fuck with someone else, that can’t be true’’ you hissed, crossing your arms on your chest. If you saw Touya, you would remember him, your childhood best friend.

,, Monday, 2PM, old tree house?’’ he said, almost asked about something only the two of you knew, trying not to laugh at your shocked expression.

,, It can’t be’’ you gasped, eyes wide enough, almost popping out of your skull. ,, YOU PIECE OF SHIT WHY DIDN’T YOU CONTACT ME?’’ you screamed jumping suddenly, making Taquito run form his lap, scared from your sudden reaction.

,, Honestly, I forgot what your last name was, so I couldn’t find you anywhere’’ he admitted, happy you finally remembered him. Sure he didn’t recognize you at first either, but once he heard your co worker calling you by your name, he immediately figured everything out, and understood why you seemed so familiar.

,, Are you serious ? And what kind of reunion was that ? I was ready to choke you with a fucking ice cream cone’’ you laughed, still not believing that the stranger sitting in front of you was no one else than fucking Touya Todoroki, the best friend you once had that left you behind and went overseas.

,, Yeah that was one iconic reunion if you ask me’’ he laughed out, thinking about the way you acted few hours ago.

The two of you talked about everything possible, about his life overseas, about the past, your shitty job, your cat and his dislike on every living being. Once it was too late, he wanted to leave, but you simply couldn’t let him go home at such a late hour, since people at the city were pretty weird and the city isn’t the quiet and safe one and after a long time of your insisting he finally agreed.

When you woke up, Touya was nowhere to be found, but he did leave a small piece of paper, with a number and apology written on it. You grinned to yourself, as you hurried to get ready for your work, since you stood up too late.

The day was much better than the last one, only instead of Mina who always managed to calm you down, you had Bakugo who was even more aggressive then you are by your side. You had the same task as last night, but once you saw Touya and his group of friends making themselves comfortable at one of the tables in the corner, you told Bakugo that you’ll take their order.

,, hayyy, alredy know your order ?’’ you asked excitedly placing your hands on Touya’s shoulders from behind, the smile on your face being honest for a change.

,, My girllll, why didn’t you text me ?’’ he whined, as he grabbed your hands and pulled you down, forcing you to hug him.

,, Didn’t the two of you have a huge fight last night because of strawberry ice cream?’’ one of his friends asked, totally confused.

,, We talked it out’’ you laughed, as he placed a small kiss on your cheek, before you finally took their order, almost forgetting you are at work.

If you were being honest, the whole shift was better with him and Bakugo who was cursing every second costumer around. Almost every 15 minutes Touya would end up at the counter, asking for a strawberry ice cream. Every time you would tell him that you are out of it, he would simply ask for the Book of complaints, making you roll your eyes playfully at him.

You were surprised when you noticed that he was actually waiting for you, laughing loudly when Bakugo commented how this whole romantic shit is making him sick.

The next few days the two of you spend way too much together, and first time in forever you actually liked having someone around. Every day he would drop by at your work, and wait till you are done and then the two of you would go home and have a late dinner, while he had cuddle season with Taquito.

On Saturday, you were looking for excuses to call sick, and once Mina told you that the only person who would be forced to jump in was no one else than Rumi, you immediately called them, acting all sick and everything.

After you called, you gave yourself one good deserved nap, not feeling bad anymore since Rumi was the co-worker no one liked.

The loud knocks at your door woke you up, grabbing your phone your eyes widened in shock once you realized that you slept almost the whole day. Rubbing your eyes, you rushed to open the damn door.

,, What the fuck?’’ Touya hissed, once he saw you healthy and alive standing there in nothing but oversized shirt.

,, what? I overslept a bit’’ you gave him a weak smile, as you let him in. You were surprised yourself that you slept that long, but you totally deserved it.

,, I swear, once your co worker told me you’re sick, I thought you died or something’’ he added, following you inside.

,, Yeah, I just needed some rest’’ you laughed, hoping he’ll chill the fuck out. Thankfully he calmed down real fast, almost forgetting about all the worry he had once he saw you all healthy, and once he saw Taquito running happily to him.

There was something comforting in having Touya around again. Somehow it made you feel like a child again, and the fact that he’s staying this time, for real, made your heart skip a beat for some weird reason. He was all the time around, at your work waiting for you, giving you a ride back home or walking you back home, dropping by on your days off with your favorite snacks and so on. Usually you wouldn’t like it, but since it was him, you embraced the affection he was giving you wholeheartedly.

You even became a laughing stick at your work, as your co-workers always made jokes about your new lover boy. Especially Mina and Bakugo, turning every conversation into Touya related one.

Making the drinks some costumers ordered, a yawn escaped your lips. Still sleepy as fuck, you somehow managed to put your attention on your work instead of the lack of sleep.

,, So, how was the date last night ? What did you two do ?’’ you asked, remembering that Bakugo met some girl he liked so much last night.

,, See when two people come together, they perform an intimate act called getting fucking railed’’ Bakugo said, trying to sound as romantic as possible.

,, You’re disgusting’’ you gasped, throwing the small sponge at him, as he laughed loudly, making his way to the costumer that just got in.

You were completely focused on your work, until Bakugo told you that your lover boy is there, and he’ll be the one to get his order. Rolling your eyes, you just let him do it, as you continued with the work you already did.

Bakugo was much louder than usually, probably because his little date went good, singing around you and joking around every now and then. Not that it bothered you, in fact, you were so glad that he showed his unusual side that day, since he’s grumpy and mad almost all the time.

,, I swear the headache is killing me today’’ you whined loudly, hopping beside Touya once you got the chance. You took one cigarette from him, and lit it up, enjoying the peace with almost no costumers around.

,, You seem pretty close with that guy’’ Touya said, also taking one cigarette.

,, Huh? You mean Bakugo?’’ you asked and he simply nodded his head, not taking his eyes from the spiky haired guy. ,, Yeah, we are pretty close’’ you added, puffing onto your cigarette.

,, You like him ?’’ Touya’s eyes met yours, making you feel a bit uneasy with his sudden behavior.

,, No, we are literally only friends and he’s much younger, wait, why ?’’ you were too confused, finding it hard to proceed the whole situation. Changing the topic, he simply asked what you wanna do after work, acting as nothing happened at all.

,, So, that Bakugo guy, he has a girlfriend ?’’ Touya asked, as the two of you made your way to the nearest store.

,, At this point I’m not sure if you are interested in me or Bakugo’’ you joked, dragging your feet lazily.

,, In you, obviously’’

After that day Touya was giving his best to show you how he felt, he was giving his best to show everyone to who you belong. Being a little too touchy in front of his friends and your co workers, in a way that seemed innocent to you, yet clear to everyone else. Small kisses he usually placed on your cheeks, were getting closer and closer to your lips. The hand he usually places around your shoulders, was getting lower and lower.

Even when he comes over, he was using every little chance he had to touch you, using everything you liked into his advantage. He knew how much you loved when someone caressed you, and he did it more than gladly for you. Tracing his fingers against your soft skin, starting with your arms, only to end up with his hand under your shirt, caressing your back slowly, until you would end up falling asleep in his arms.

,, What do you want to watch ?’’ you asked, placing the bowl of popcorn onto the table, while Touya waited for you patiently on you couch. The weather was perfect for nothing else than a lazy movie evening.

Hopping next to him, you made yourself comfortable as you listened to the storm outside. The sound of strong wind and thunder was more then relaxing to you, and for some reason you enjoyed weather like that.

Gasping loudly, you jumped a little once your cat tried to climb onto you, destroying your small enjoyable moment.

,,Taquito get the fuck off her, she has a boyfriend’’ Touya pushed the cat away gently, joking around, as you just sat there and watched him, eyes wide in shock.

,, Do I?’’ you asked, not moving at all.

,, Fuck yes, you do’’ he added, wrapping his right arm around you, pulling you closer to him, as he looked for a perfect movie to watch. He took his time searching for anything interesting, mumbling some words of disappointments as he couldn’t find anything on Netlfix. At the end he played Oh, Ramona! , since none of you watched it and it was it was simply in Netflix recommendation list.

Pulling you closer to him, he started tracing his fingers along your arm, both of you concentrated on the weird movie that was playing on the screen of your Television. You always begged your friends to caress your arm, since you loved the ticklish feeling that always made you sleepy, yet they would always refuse it, giving you some lame excuses how they’re tired and so on.

Now that Touya was doing it without you having to ask him, you tried to enjoy every second of it. If you only knew, how much Touya enjoyed it, almost as much as you did. The feeling of your soft skin under his fingertips was driving him crazy, as he traced them down your tattoos, mesmerizing every inch of them.

The air got steamier in one moment, and you weren’t sure if it was because of the overly erotic scenes that were showed in the movie, or because his hand was now under your shirt, slowly moving from your back, to the side of your hips.

Trying to calm yourself down a little, you grabbed your phone, checking out all of the unread messages in the group chat. The way he moved hiss hands from side to side made you almost way to shaky. It took you some time to write a reply to your friends, and you almost dropped your phone once he put a little bit pressure into his touch, making your skin burn under his palm.

,, You should concentrate on the movie doll’’ Touya said, not stopping his movements.

,, Yeah, sorry’’ you mumbled, dropping your phone beside you, as you tried not to close your eyes in pleasure.

Once the movie got too erotic fro your taste, you found yourself with your phone in your hands again, trying to hide the blush that was spreading across your cheeks. Of course, that didn’t go unnoticed by Touya. Annoyed groan left his lips, as he snatched the phone away from you.

,, You really don’t listen’’ he pointed, hiding the phone away from you, as you complained quietly. The hand that was under your shirt was suddenly wrapped around your neck, pushing you slowly into the couch, there was no pressure in it, but the sudden turn of the whole situation made your eyes widen in shock.

,, Are you bored doll? ‘’ he asked, his face only inches away from yours as he locked your body under his own.

,, No, it’s just.. the movie is too much’’ you whispered, gulping on your saliva as he slowly tapped his fingers around your neck. This time you didn’t have to ask yourself, you knew that he was the one turning you on, and not the fucking scenes from the movie.

,, too erotic’’ you mumbled, making him laugh loudly.

,, You should have kept your eyes on me, instead of your phone, if it was getting to much for you’’ he gave you a smile, a dangerous one.

,, That won’t help’’ you confessed, making him smirk widely as you spoke those words. How could it help, when he was laying beside you handsome without even trying, as his hand was caressing your body gently.

,, Oh, am I turning you on?’’ he asked, mocking you shamelessly, as you tried to avoid his eyes.

Touya didn’t need your reply, the way you acted in the moment was enough for him, and God did he want to fuck you senseless in that moment. His hand moved a bit up from your neck, holding your jaw in one place, as he connected his lips with yours.

His hold on your jaw grew stronger, forcing you to open your mouth just enough so he could slip his tongue inside. Not breaking the kiss, he parted your tights apart, as he hovered on top of you, his hips between your legs, slowly grinding against your clothed core.

You wrapped your arms around him, pulling him closer into the kiss, not giving a shit about the movie or your phone anymore. The way he was grinding against you, the way you could feel his hard dick rubbing against you, made you insane in that moment and you found yourself wanting more and more.

,, On your knees’’ Toyua commanded, breaking the kiss as he sat onto the couch, spreading his legs enough to give you some space between them. Without thinking twice, you obeyed, positioning yourself down, between his legs, as he pushed his hips just a bit to pull his sweatpants and boxers down.

Touya looked down on you, not hiding the smirk on his face, as he slowly caressed your hair. Kissing the tip gently, you looked up through your long lashes, satisfied with the fact that he was going crazy as much as you do. He cursed something under his breath, as you gave him one lick, taking your time and making sure you licked every inch of it.

,, Don’t tease me doll, you’re not in position for it’’ he hissed, as you placed your lips on the tip of his cock. His hand found its way to your hair, gripping onto it, as he brought your mouth farther down him. You wanted to take your time, to play at your own pace, but Touya didn’t let you, he waited too long for this to happened and teasing wasn’t something he needed in the moment.

,, Open your mouth a bit more’’ he growled, gripping your hair tighter then before. He wanted you to obey him, he wanted you to do everything he wanted in that moment and you did, you gladly did.

It was the first time you had someone’s dick deep down your throat, and the feeling you weren’t used to made your eyes glossy so fast as his tip hit the back of your throat, making you gag a little.

Without giving you any time to get used to it, he started moving his hips, as he held your head in place. You could feel his hardness more then clear now, as his hips thrust into your mouth at some lazy, yet strong pace. Focused on his dick, you didn’t even realize that tears were rolling down your cheeks, vision getting blurry as his moves got much faster, not giving you a chance to breath properly.

,, You look so pretty when you cry’’ Touya groaned, getting even more turned on as he watched you get ruined because of his dick. The small amount of mascara you had, was all gone, turning your tears into blurry shade of black. You started gagging, and without even knowing you tried to move away a bit, giving your best to breath through your nose.

Looking up on him, you saw him squeeze his eyes shut, head swung back into the edge of your couch. You could feel your saliva dripping down your chin, and if you weren’t in that position at the moment, you would probably end up blushing. But none of that was possible, since all you could focus on was his dick hitting the same spot of your throat.

Touya stopped his movements, slowly petting your head, as you fought for your breath, coughing loudly, while tears rolled down your cheeks. If it was someone else, you would probably told them to go to hell and throw them out of your apartment, but it was Touya, and all you wanted was to do was make him feel good.

,, My good girl’’ he praised, pulling you up into his lap. You wanted to stay in his lap a bit longer, you wanted to snuggle into his neck and enjoy the moment, but just after he gave you one sloppy kiss, you found yourself under him again.

Touya took your shorts and panties off, throwing them across the living room together with his shirt. In less then a minute, the two of you were all naked, enjoying the feeling of each others skin.

,, Touya, please’’ you begged, feeling his hard erection between your legs, as he sucked onto your neck, leaving wet love bites all over it. Taking one deep breath, he started rubbing the tip of his dick up and down your clit, making you beg for him even more.

,, Needy baby’’ he mocked, placing his tip only a bit into your core, as he continued to tease you, loving every second of the way you were almost breaking down for him.

A loud scream escaped your lips as he entered his full length into you, kissing your jaw and giving you some time to adjust his size. The moment he looked down your body, to see his dick buried deep inside your core, something else grabbed his attention. Cursing loudly, his eyes focused on two shiny pieces of metal, pierced thru both of your nipples.

,, How didn’t I notice this earlier’’ he hissed, lowering his head just enough as he sucked onto your nipple, the contrast of the warm feeling of your skin and the cold metal against his tongue made his curse all over again. His hand found it’s way to your left boob, slowly pinching and twisting your nipple, making you throw your head back, and making it hard for you to concentrate on anything else than his dick that stood still inside you, while his tongue was working wonders on you.

Playing with the small piercing, Touya started moving his hips at a lazy and sloppy pace, making you feel every single inch of him. Touya groaned against your nipple, deciding to waste no time, bringing his cock out and then slamming it back inside almost urgently.

Your hand reached up to his hair, tugging it roughly, as your other hand went up to his back, scratching red lines down helping release some of the pleasure you felt in the moment. Touya rocked his hips quickly, gaining depth with each thrust he made, as you were pulling at his hair lightly, eyes shut strongly as you moaned his name loudly.

He loved how you felt around him, he loved the way you were scratching his back and tugging his hair, yet he wanted more. Placing his hand around your throat, he gave it a small squeeze. It looked like he was asking for a permission, but he wasn’t. In fact it was more like a sign, a little sign for you to prepare yourself for what’s coming.

You didn’t get the little hint he gave you, totally unprepared once his grip around your throat grew stronger, making your breathing stop, as he slammed his hips at ruthless speed. He enjoyed playing with you, giving you only a second to fight for air, before he puts the pressure around your neck again, wrapping his fingers firmly around it.

In one moment you weren’t sure if he forgot about the fact that you couldn’t breath, hand wrapped around your throat for too long making your eyes roll back. You clenched his hair, yanking it tightly, giving him a sign that you need air, only for him to smirk in response as he held it even tighter, thrusting into you with much more force then he did before.

You were more then grateful when he gave you a whole minute to breath properly. But even without his hand around your neck, you had trouble catching your breath since he was hitting your sweet spot all over and over again. Of course, that was your problem and not his.

Feeling your walls getting tighter around his dick, he once again put the not so small pressure onto your throat, forcing the tears out of you as he continued to reach your g spot each time he slammed back inside. Scratching his back, your grabbed his hand that was wrapped around your throat with your own, closing your eyes shut as you found yourself coming undone. You weren’t sure if it was because of the lack of air, or because he didn’t stop his movements, but the orgasm that hit you was the best one you ever had.

In that moment, Touya left your neck alone, smirking to himself as he noticed the marks of his fingertips buried deep in the skin of your neck. Placing his hands onto your hips, he sped up, rocking his hips against your at animalistic speed as he reached his own high.

Groaning loudly he came inside, body collapsing on your own as he slowly fucked his seed into you, as he repeated how much he loves you all over again.

Once the two of you finally calmed down, Touya helped you clean yourself, being extra careful like you were a small piece of glass that was about to break any moment.

Hopping back onto the couch, you rolled your eyes at the view of the ending of the stupid movie Touya found. He wrapped his arm around you, snatching the cigarette that was hanging between your lips and placing it between his own.

,,Oh God’’ you gasped loudly, as your cat jumped on top of you, making you jump a bit in surprise. ,, Fuck off Taquito, I have a boyfriend’’ you pushed your cat lightly away, repeating the words Touya said few hours ago, making him grin widely as he placed a kiss on your cheek.

[idy-ll-ique]

Didn’t Know Where Else To Go.

Pairing: Mob Boss!Sebastian Stan x F!Reader

Genre: Fluff and Angst

Warnings: violence, assault, death, mentions of smut at the end and curse words

Requested: Nope

The hero shows up at the villain’s doorstep one night. They’re shivering, bleeding, scared. There’s also a slightly dazed look in their eyes- they were drugged. They look like they were assaulted. Looking up at the villain, swaying slightly as they’re close to passing out, they mumble “...didn’t know where else to go...” then collapse into the villain’s arms.

Summary: Sebastian Stan: a mobster boss. Everyone in the city hated him. When he meets Y/N, a new bartender at his favourite bar, she makes it clear that she also doesn’t like him. What changes?

Author’s Note: Hey peeps! The aforementioned prompt is something I read on Tumblr and really liked it. So I decided to write a fic loosely based on it. I hope you guys enjoy this! (This has been in my drafts for a long time, I’m currently working on 2 requested fics)

---

Sebastian POV:

"Boss, there is someone at the door."

"Send them in," I commanded, looking up from my book. The person who walked in with him was… instantly recognizable. My jaw dropped— she had been crying. Her pupils were dilated, she was taking short, fast breaths and her voice was frail. "What are you doing here?"

"Didn't know where else to go."

With that, she did the most YA-Novel-Female-Protagonist thing she could do— faint.

It all began 7 months ago. The person who was at the door was Y/N Y/L/N, a bartender at one of my favourite bars ever in the city. The thing is, when we first met, she hated me. Let me take you back 7 months.

Flashback:

I entered the bar, smirking when everyone turned to look at me. They looked away just as quickly, their voices becoming hushed. I looked around, stopping when I saw the bartender. Whoa, this was someone new and damn was she cute. Smiling, I walked over and sat down in front of her.

"Hey, was— oh. What will you like, sir?" I rolled my eyes at her. "Come on, why does everyone do the same thing? What is it about me?" I joked, winking. "Um, the fact that you're a fucking mobster and have been terrorizing the city for the past few years and would kill anyone if they question you? Uh, I don't know, actually," she snapped.

I froze. The woman seemed to really hate me. Here I was, thinking if I buttered her up enough she'd come home with me. I told her my order and looked away from her. "So, why here?" she asked me as she prepared my drink. "I really like this place, I've been here before loads of times. I don't plan to stop," I shrugged.

"Ugh, just my luck," she mumbled under her breath, rolling her eyes in disgust. "Look, you don't have to be fucking rude, okay?" I retorted. "Oh yeah? What are you gonna do? Shoot me? That's what you like to do, right? Kill people. Innocent people, let me be precise. No wonder everyone in the city except your goons hate you."

With that, she slammed my glass on the counter and stormed away from me, going to serve another customer. I was left staring at the glass, my figure shaking with repressed anger. She knew damn well I never laid hands on innocent people. No one in the city hated me.

Or did they?

The shaking stopped. What if she was right? I mean, she was much closer to the civilians than I was, what if they all hated me? "Uh, excuse me," I called out, hating how my voice cracked slightly. She glanced at me. "What do you want?"

"Answers."

"Ask the questions first," she huffed. "Does… does everyone really not like me?" I asked her. She stopped cleaning the glass, set it down and looked straight at me. "Yes. They don't like you. You're a mobster boss, dude! Have you seen films with mobster bosses? All of them, evil as hell. See how everyone in the bar became quiet when you came in?"

She had a point. "You know I would never lay a hand on innocent people," I defended myself, glaring at her. "Look, I'm sorry but we can never be too careful. What if you snap one day? What if you go rogue? Everyone lives in fear. They're afraid of you. And it's not like I can change everyone's mindset all at once."

"I guess you're right," I muttered, downing my drink in one go. "Hey, Mr Stan?" I looked up. "Y/N Y/L/N. I shouldn't have snapped at you," she apologized quietly, holding her hand out. "Doing this to get onto my good side?" I teased and she laughed.

"Come on, man! Doing this to show people you're not all you seem to be." I took her hand and shook it. "It's very nice to meet you, Y/N." She nodded and went back to cleaning the glasses. "Can I get one more drink?"

"I hope you didn't drive here." 

"I came on foot, actually. My house is just down the block." She gasped, startling me. "Mr Stan, giving your address away to strangers? How irresponsible of you!" I couldn't help but laugh. "I guess I trust you to not do anything bad." I spent another 2 hours there, chatting with Y/N.

She was a really fun person to be around. She had completed her education but was searching for jobs. In the meanwhile, she had decided to work here. 

By the time I was done drinking, I was too tipsy to even walk. "K, I'm goin'," I slurred, standing up. "Mr Stan, don't— oof," Y/N hissed as I fell off the chair in my intoxicated state. She rushed around the bar and helped me stand, wrapping her arms around my waist. "You can't walk in this state."

"I need to go home," I whined. "As it turns out, you've stayed long enough and now it's closing time. Let me get my coat." She dumped me on the chair and went to fetch her coat. I admired her from afar. 

She wore a mini-skirt that was flirtatiously snug around her thick thighs and a tank top. When she wore the coat, it extended past the skirt. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun and she was looking very sexy in the dim light. "Damn," I whispered under my breath, smirking.

When she returned, she helped me stand. I draped an arm around her shoulder and we stepped out of the bar. "Okay, which direction?" I pointed to the right and we proceeded to walk. "Have you ever gotten this drunk before? Because it's obvious you can't handle booze."

"Not really, I usually have to stay sober for my job. We need real intellectuals in the mob biz, you can't have drunk idiots running a mob," I laughed, finding it hard to keep myself upright. Shouldn't have drank so much…

"Right now, sir, you are a drunk idiot," Y/N sighed, rolling her eyes. "Thank you, I will take that as a compliment. Plus, you can just call me Sebastian, it's okay." She shook her head and silence fell between us. "Tell me when we're there," she spoke quietly as I felt a headache coming.

"Being drunk sucks," I pouted, "I'm not even having a good time! It hurts everywhere—" "Probably because you fell off the chair." "—and my head hurts! I don't understand why people like to be so drunk." She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"You are seriously reminding me of my ex-boyfriend. He couldn't handle drinks either and I always had to babysit him when he got back home drunk," she muttered. "You can babysit me anytime!" I said cheerfully. "You're drunk, Sebastian, stop flirting with me."

"But you're so cute."

"Thank you, that is very kind of you."

"And se— we're here! That's my house!" She stopped in front of my house and rang the bell. "Is anyone at home or do I have to tuck you in?" she joked. "Nah, my best buddies and right-hand-men live with me. One's name is Chris—" Just at that moment, Chris opened the door.

"Wha— Sebastian? Are you drunk?"

"Sorry sir, I didn't know he couldn't handle drinks. I'm Y/N Y/L/N, the new bartender at Red Tavern." With that, she passed me to Chris. "Thank you for bringing him home, Ms Y/L/N. It's not your fault he got intoxicated, he should've known when to stop. He didn't cause trouble, did he?"

"Oh no, of course not, sir. He's fun to be around," she commented, gesturing towards me. I grinned. "Please, he's really not, you don't have to lie. Anyway, thank you so much again! Do you want a lift home? I can ask Anthony to drive you home." 

"That would be great, thanks. My house is in the opposite direction, it's a bit far…"

"Absolutely no problem. Anthony!" 

A few minutes later, my other friend, Anthony Mackie came downstairs, rubbing his eyes. "Yeah— oh, Sebastian is— damn." He tried to hold his laughter in. "Yeah. While I get him to his room, do you mind dropping her home? That's Y/N, she brought him home." Y/N waved at him.

"Of course, I don't mind. Thanks, Y/N, for taking care of our boss." She shook her head, waving her arms in dismissal. "Absolutely no worries, sir." They walked away, closing the door behind them. "She's cute, right?"

Chris blinked at me. "You have a crush on her!" he guffawed. "Duh, man. Did you even look at her? Girl was oozing sexiness," I smiled in fond memory. "Okay this got weird fast, I'm just gonna take you to bed." He got me to my room, placed me on the bed and left.

As soon as my head hit the pillow, I passed out.

End Flashback.

"Y/N!" I yelled, jumping out of my seat to catch her in time. "Get a suite ready," I barked angrily at a few people, who immediately ran in fear. "And you, get me some water and a blanket." The person nodded shakily and ran out of the room. I picked Y/N up and carried her to the couch, laying her down. I sat next to her, checking her temperature.

Oh no, I needed a doctor. I took out my phone and called my personal practitioner but before I could speak, Y/N coughed. "Y/N," I whispered, cutting the call. "Sebastian, it hurts," she moaned. "Don't worry, doll, I'm calling my doctor. Stay here tonight."

"I don't have anywhere else to go." I froze. "Your house?" I asked. "That's… that's where I got attacked. I can't go back," she cried. "Wait, just— just take rest, we'll talk when you're better. Get some sleep, I'm calling my doctor." I called him again, glancing at Y/N when she took my other hand and closed her eyes. 

I chatted with him for five minutes; he said he'd take half-an-hour to get to my place. "Damn it," I grumbled, keeping my phone on the table. Just then, one of my servants returned with the glass of water and the blanket. I thanked her and she left the room, so it was just me and Y/N.

"Y/N, sweetie, can you please get up for me?" She opened her eyes. "What?" Oh God, she was getting weaker. "Have some water." As soon as I held the glass of water in front of her, she freaked out. Screaming, she pushed the glass out of my hand and it fell to the floor with a 'clang', the water spilling everywhere.

"No, no water, no… no…" She sobbed, pulling at her hair. "Okay, okay, no water! No water! Y/N, calm—" I grabbed her hands and clutched them in mine. She stopped sobbing; looked at our hands and then at my face. I brought her hands to my lips, softly kissing them. "No water. It's okay, Y/N, you're safe with me."

"Safe," she breathed heavily, "That's what he said to me before he poisoned me!" Who was he? Okay, she was getting insanely paranoid now… "I'm not like him, Y/N, I don't wanna hurt you," I whispered, looking straight into her eyes.

"Yes, you are! You both can't handle drinks!" she yelled, her tears beginning to flow once more. "Wait." My nostrils flared. Her ex-boyfriend, he harmed her? "Y/N, please, this is not good for your health, why don't you try to calm down? Breathe, baby girl, please," I pleaded.

She seemed to momentarily come to her senses. "Sebastian…" Without warning, she sat up and flung herself in my arms. And for once, I didn't mind holding her close. "You're okay with me. I'm not him. I am not going to harm you, Y/N, trust me," I mumbled into her hair, rubbing her back.

"I trusted him," she sobbed, "And he tried to kill me." This time, my anger won. I vowed to myself, if I don't kill her ex boyfriend in the next 24 hours— "I am nothing like him. We may have one shared trait," I rolled my eyes at its stupidity, "But I am nothing like him. For once, I wouldn't harm you even in my dreams."

Her sobs started to subside. "That's it, doll, don't cry. I'll keep you safe. Even if I die trying, I'll let no harm come to you." For 7 long months, I missed her. I missed her a bit too much. Every waking moment of mine was spent thinking about the beautiful bartender.

She was in my dreams. She was constantly on my mind. I longed for the moment when I could meet her again and ask her out. Alas, that time never came. 

A week after we met, I had to go to Romania for some important work. I spent three months there and when I was back, Y/N was no longer working at the bar. She found a new job and I had no way of locating her anywhere.

I knew Anthony dropped her home that one time but when I asked him, he told me she had asked him to drop him off somewhere else. From there, he said, she was going to walk alone. He offered to drop her home again, but she refused. Having no choice, he returned without knowing where she lived.

That resulted in me not knowing where she was. I was heartbroken and told myself to stop thinking about her. I became more and more engaged in work, I became moody, temperamental and cold-hearted. Everyone started fearing me more now.

And I finally saw what Y/N meant.

What if you snap one day?

That day was closer than I thought. Even though I became a much more accomplished mobster, there was one thing I couldn't do even if I tried— forget about the love of my life. 

"Seb, it hurts." I was brought back to the real world. "What hurts, baby girl?" I whispered, pulling her closer. "Head. Stomach. Legs. Arms. Heart." I smiled sadly at the last word. "I'll help you heal, Y/N, you don't have to go anywhere until you're better." She nuzzled into my neck. "I'd like that."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "Come in," I called out, it was probably the doctor. Sure enough...

"Mr Stan? Oh, you have a guest." I tried to shift to make space for the doctor, but Y/N whimpered. "It's okay, Mr Stan, she clearly feels safer with you here." I placed Y/N on my lap, covering her with the blanket. "This is my friend, Y/N," I spoke fondly, though I really wanted to add 'girl' in front of 'friend'.

"Nice to meet you, dear, I am Dr Greenwood." With my help, he quickly ran some tests on her. "Hm, she has a fever, her heart rate is very fast and that's not good. Is there any other problem you're facing?" She nodded. "Headache and stomach ache."

"She claims to be poisoned," I added. "Oh dear me! I need to run a blood test, will you be so kind as to extend your right arm?" She did as he told her and he quickly took some blood. "Will she be fine?" I asked worriedly. 

"Well, she seems to be doing okay currently, which means the poison hasn't affected her yet. How about I get back to you by the morning? Just keep an eye on her and if something happens, bring her to the hospital."

"Okay, doc. Thank you." He nodded and got up. "Bye!" Y/N called out weakly; he smiled at her and left, closing the door behind him. "You've got to tell me everything, doll," I whispered, putting her down on the couch. She lay down and I sat on the floor near her head.

"Okay, I will tell you. It was a few hours ago," she began quietly, "I was at home, watching the seventh season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine when someone rang the bell. When I opened the door, my ex burst into the room forcefully. He pushed me."

My breathing sped up. "He pushed you? How dare that asshole—"

"Let me finish?"

"Go ahead, love, I'm sorry."

"Right, so he was very very drunk. And he was talking about how I broke his heart by breaking up with him and how he was so mad at me that he wanted to kill me. In front of me, he popped open the bottle of beer with him and poured an entire bottle of poison in it! An entire bottle! Then he attacked me and pinned me to the couch, forcing me to drink the poisoned beer."

"How did you escape?" I whispered. "By kicking him in the balls. Unfortunately, I ended up gulping down a sip and panicked. Seeing no other choice, I pushed him as hard as I could and he collided with the table. He hurt himself and became unconscious. I ran out of the house to the first place I could think of— here."

"I'm glad you came to me, Y/N, you'll be perfectly safe here. Our security is top-notch," I chuckled. She smiled, too. "Where are Chris and Anthony?" she noticed. "They're in Romania. They decided to stay back."

"Wait, that's where you were this whole time? You didn't come to the bar again and until then, I found another job so I quit. I thought you would never come back. I missed you a lot," she pouted. "I missed you, too. I was actually in Romania for 3 months and when I came back, I couldn't find you. I didn't even know where you lived, I didn't know where to look."

"What matters is now we're back together again!" she squealed. "You should rest for a while," I muttered, running my fingers through her hair. I checked the time, it was almost 2 am. Laughing when she yawned, I sat up. "I guess I should."

"Come, I'll take you to your room." I stood up with Y/N still in my arms. "I don't wanna be alone," she worriedly spoke, "What if he's awake and comes looking for me and finds me here?" 

"No one is finding you here," I sighed, "I'll stay with you, okay? Just tell me your address." Without thinking, she narrated her entire address and looked up at me with sleep-hooded eyes. I walked into the suite my people had readied for her and placed her down on the bed.

"I'm right here, just relax and try to sleep," I crooned, running my fingers through her hair. She immediately closed her eyes, which relieved me because she was listening now. When her soft snores filled the room, I heaved a breath and got up. Covering her with a blanket, I left the room, quietly closing the door behind me.

---

"This is the place," I spoke to myself, stopping my car under the building. I got out and entered, taking the elevator to the sixth floor where she lived. When I reached her apartment, I noticed that the door was still open. I walked in, my gun ready as I looked around the place. Wow, Y/N maintained this place well.

I searched every room thoroughly, starting with the living room, then the kitchen and then the two bedrooms. Shit, did the asshole leave? Y/N told me she left him in the living room. I was about to leave when I heard belching coming from one of the bathrooms. I opened the door to the one closest to me, only to see someone puking in the toilet.

"Ew," I whispered and he looked up. "What the fuck—" He flushed the toilet and wiped his mouth with the toilet paper, "—are you doing here?" I realized he was still under the effects of heavy drinking. "Y/N told me everything," I sneered, hiding my gun behind my back.

"She knows you? Pfft, I knew she was a whore, why would she leave me for a goddamn mobster? Everyone in the city hates you," he jeered back. "Um, why don't you consider this? You're an abusive and possessive asshole and Y/N left you because you obviously were treating her badly?" I snapped.

"Don't get smart with me," he snarled, taking out a knife from his back pocket. "Oh," he snorted when I glanced at the knife, "Yes, I came prepared to cut that bitch up if she tried to fight back." The language he was using to describe Y/N was getting to me now.

"Enough!" I stated firmly, so firmly that even he paused. "I will not have you talking about Y/N like this, you are crossing a line." He returned to laughing. "Care too much about one of your sluts? What is she, your girlfriend?" Okay, he didn't have to rub it in…

"I said—'' I whipped out the gun and pointed it at him, "—enough. If you don't stop badmouthing Y/N—" He interrupted me again by laughing. "Of course, you're gonna shoot me. You like to murder innocent people, that's all you are! A bloody, fucking cold-hearted murderer! Y/N would never leave me for a guy like you! She is your slut!" he spat.

"Are you listening to yourself?! You tried to fucking kill Y/N because she couldn't put up with your abusive ways and your disturbing habits! I do not kill innocent people and I don't plan on killing them ever," I growled, "However, I do make exceptions for abusive boyfriends who treat my friend wrong!" 

With that, before he could retort, I fired three bullets at him. All three hit him in the chest and I watched as he fell against the floor, instantly dead. Some of his blood sprayed on my clothes and face, which made me scrunch up my face in disgust. But as I watched his lifeless body on the floor, a smile bloomed on my face. 

Y/N was safe.

I checked myself in the bathroom mirror, washed my face and decided to go back. But before I could, I realized that Y/N would be spending some time with me and would need her necessities. So before leaving, I packed two full-sized travel bags with her clothes, electronics, footwears, toiletries and sanitation products; anything I deemed necessary for day-to-day living.

Soon, I left the apartment with the bags to go back to Y/N.

---

"Seb?"

I looked up from my book as Y/N sat up, yawning and clutching her head. "Y/N, the results came back, you're going to be fine," I told her happily, sitting down next to her. "Really?" A smile bloomed on her face. "Yes! Dr Greenwood said you didn't swallow too much poison and that you will most likely excrete the amount you swallowed." She nodded.

"That's great news! I'm glad he brought one of those cheap poisons instead of the deadly ones," she giggled. Just his mention made my temper snap. "Oh, don't even talk about that jerk," I snarled, "I took care of him last night and now he won't be bothering you anymore."

She blinked at me. "You killed him, didn't you?" she deadpanned and I blushed. "I mean— I didn't—" I stammered but gave up when she raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I killed him," I muttered, looking at my lap. When she placed her hand on my cheek, I turned to look. "I'm not mad at you. Bitch had it coming."

I burst out laughing at her word choice, which made her smile, too. All of a sudden, she leaped up and wrapped her arms around my neck, catching my lips in a kiss. I stopped laughing and put my arms around her waist, kissing back. Had this just happened? Was she kissing me?

"I love you, Sebastian," she murmured upon pulling away, straddling my lap. I kept the book away and pulled her closer. "Really? I love you, too." She snorted. "Kinda obvious, you killed a man for me. I wasn't going to make a move on you but now I'm sure."

"Hm, my intelligent sweetheart," I grinned, leaning forward to kiss her again. The problem was solved and all was well. "What are your plans for the day?" she asked me, trailing a finger down my face, jaw, neck and chest. "Hm, don't have any," I smirked, pulling her closer.

"Wanna stay and… have some fun?"

"Boy, do I?"

Y/N laughed loudly as I flipped us over, laying down on top of her. Her laughs soon transitioned into moans as I attacked her neck and jaw with kisses.

We did have fun.

A lot of it.

A bit too much of it.

But who cares?

I was finally with the love of my life and everything was good.

---

A/N: Leave a like if you enjoyed! Thanks for reading!

[chrisevansgoodgirl]

give me all your venom, i love that shit

summary: i do apologize. no one asked for this...but i accidentally watched assassination nation. okay, it was intentional the first time. but the twenty times after that while i was writing this were accidental. anyway...smut stuff. webcam smut with love of my life Andrew Barber.

warnings: cheating. age gap. andy gets a little dark. this is prob as dark as i would ever write this perfect, beautiful man. a million and one pet names also.

word count: around 11,100 lol oops

pairing: andy barber  x reader

a/n: so yes, age gap. it’s unclear what that is. go ahead and do what you will. it’s truly none of my business. also...one day, i’ll write in my tags ‘i’m gonna post tonight’ and actually post that night. not 300 nights later!

Laurie was a great woman, pretty much the kind of woman that you had always wished your mom would just wake up one day and feel completely compelled to act like. She was always so nice when she spoke to you, even the times you were clearly a little drunk and practically falling out of your tiny skirts.

She chalked it up to youth, so you’d once been told. That was huge in the little town you lived in. Mostly, if people saw all the skin you were showing, what they thought of you was clearly written all over their faces.

Laurie just liked talking to you. About anything. Everything. School, friends, boys, the future. This interest that she took in you didn’t end when you stopped babysitting for the Barbers, if anything, it made your conversations warmer. It was evident that the little time she could get with you was precious to her.

Jacob was the sweetest kid in the world. You had been apprehensive when she first called you. One reason only: babysitting boys was the worst. They were little demons and their parents either were blissfully unaware or did know and just didn’t care. You’d seen the same show for several years.

Not Jacob. And definitely not the Barbers. They were all so perfect and well-adjusted. You hadn’t been sure what to make of them those first few months. You had briefly suspected that both Laurie and Andy were total sociopaths who’d spawned another little sociopath. Come to find out, you just actually had such a fucked-up family situation.

Jacob loved playing video games with you, even though you were terrible at them. He never got upset when you made him lose, he just insisted that you needed to practice. Around the time you left, you’d started to get a little decent at them. He also enjoyed coloring and reading, two of your preferred babysitting activities.

Still, he was also an energetic little boy and that meant that he had dragged you outside sometimes to play very distracted versions of soccer, basketball, baseball a few times, and football once. Only once.

You’d both ended up covered in mud, it had been raining that morning but neither of you wanted to be deterred by that. When Laurie found you, she was horrified. Maybe a tad amused, seeing as she needed several pictures of the two of you.

You had wanted to walk home that night, the same thing you did after most shifts. The problem was, they had arrived home a bit later than usual. Laurie first, Andy about 10 minutes later. You didn’t want to walk through the house, so while Laurie was still threatening to hose off Jacob outside, you made your way around to the front porch.

Just as Andy was unlocking the front door.

Andy. He was easily the most beautiful man you had ever laid eyes on. Mostly, he was in these perfect god damn suits because he was a lawyer. Other times, he didn’t shy away from tight shirts that clung to his arms and chest, and jeans that did the same for his ass.

The coveted position of babysitting for the perfect, loving Andy and Laurie Baber. It was hilarious that it went to you because you were the only one who hadn’t been desperately trying to get it. All your friends would bend over backward, even though a friend of a friend of a friend, Julia Something, had claimed that Jacob was an utter hellion.

But what it came down to was the fact that Andy looked like he had been made by someone trying to create the perfect human being. Everyone was just looking for a way in and when you got it, no one could believe it. You hadn’t been as serious about babysitting. You liked the families you liked and tended to stick to three to five, but Laurie got your number from one of those mothers. How could you say no?

According to many of your friends, you should have. It was a betrayal, but one they couldn’t be too mad about because only an idiot would turn down an offer like that. They tended to pay generously also, so it took a total of three seconds to decide you were in.

He arched an eyebrow at you. “Back door locked?”

“No, I just didn’t want to walk through the house.”

“Right.” He gave you a once over before turning down to his phone. “Do I even want to know?”

That would officially mark the most words he’d ever said to you in one conversation. Laurie loved you, Jacob claimed that he was never, ever going to allow another babysitter to step inside his house, but Andy hardly even looked at you. That wasn’t uncommon. Most of the dads didn’t care, but those were the families that you didn’t stick with for too long.

“Football,” you explained.

He gave you a surprised look.

“But don’t get your hopes up or anything. Jacob sucks.”

He scoffed.

“Can you grab my bag? It’s just right by the door.”

“Heading home?”

“I should. My parents hate when I work this late, they’ve probably been texting me for the past two hours now.”

“Yeah, one sec.”

He didn’t close the door after him so you could hear Jacob excitedly screaming about his father being home. Andy was a great dad and Jacob idolized him just as much as he idolized Laurie. It was a beautiful family dynamic that sometimes still baffled you. Your family looked much different.

He returned with your bag.

“Thanks.” You took it and turned.

“Y/N!”

You looked back as Laurie was rushing out.

“Oh, don’t walk home, dear. Andy will drive you.”

The look on his face told you that he had not offered and that she hadn’t even run it by him before that moment.

“Oh, no, that’s okay,” you attempted to decline. “Honestly.”

“It’s late and cold.”

“I don’t want to get mud all over the car.” It was an expensive fucking car.

“Nonsense, it’s just a car,” Laurie insisted. “Besides, I paint the house a lot. I’m sure we have a few tarps still. Andy, will you go get one?”

He didn’t need further prompt to disappear inside. Laurie apologized for being late, you told her not to worry about it—more time with Jacob was never a bad thing. She thanked you for everything you did for them and you shyly accepted. She asked about your parents then, and before you had to give an elaborate answer, Andy was back with the tarp.

The drive was awkward.

It had started silent and you tried to hide away in your phone, but apparently, no one felt like texting you in that moment. Prior, your friends had been trying to talk to you nonstop, but wasn’t life just funny like that?

You felt like an idiot just staring out the window. This wasn’t anything you hadn’t seen around a thousand times before; he wasn’t even driving a different way. It looked like you were trying to avoid him and this insane, aggressive part of you just hated to appear weak or caught off guard.

Maybe it was your fault then. You were the one who spoke first and after that, things were just different. “How was work?”

It took him a moment to come up with a reply, and what a reply it was. “Fine. I guess.”

“Cool…” you sighed, clicked your tongue a couple of times, then glanced at him. He was staring forward, eyebrows pulled together, confused. Sure, he’d never taken much of an interest in you, and up to that point, as far as he knew, you’d never taken an interest in him. “What kind of lawyer are you?”

“What kind?”

“Like…a wife kills her husband for all of his money. Where are you in the courtroom?”

He chuckled. “I’m a public defender. I don’t normally get cases like that, unless my boss is trying to get on the good side of some irritating, rich people.”

You hummed. “You like it?”

“I do.”

“Cool.”

“Why all the questions? You want to be a lawyer?”

You snorted. “I was just curious. I don’t really hear you talk about work.”

He didn’t say anything else and you felt shot down in a sense. Most fathers were easy to talk to. They loved to hear their own voice and they loved how you pretended to like to hear every word. Obviously, Andy wasn’t in that group. At least a few of your friends had responded to your texts so it wasn’t terribly awkward. He said goodnight when you climbed out of the car, you said it back and closed the door.

You thought that was that.

After that, any time you babysat, he would drive you home. Laurie didn’t even have to say anything, it was just expected that he would do it. He was the one who spoke on the second drive because you weren’t going to try again. It was just stupid stuff. How you were doing with school. How your family was. How your friends were. How your boyfriend was. Because you had a boyfriend, right? He had asked but you knew that he knew you did, Laurie asked about him a lot. Andy never seemed to be paying attention.

That was how it was for almost a month. Then something just changed. The conversations became something else. He asked you where you wanted to go, you weren’t sure you wanted to leave Massachusetts, but you knew you wanted to put some miles between you and your family. He asked you about the future, where you saw yourself. He told you a little about himself, only what he had wanted his life to look like when he was your age.

He had believed he was going to be a high school history teacher.

It wasn’t weird. You didn’t talk to any of the other fathers like this, but it didn’t feel like something you shouldn’t be doing. He just liked talking to you and he actually wanted to hear what you had to say, what you thought about things.

It was innocent. Even when he started coming home early just to make sure he could drive you home. Even when you started taking your jacket off in the car or crossing your legs and pretending you didn’t notice that your skirt was riding up. Even when he looked at you and you acted like you didn’t see it. Even when you would end up sitting in his car, parked down the street from your house, just talking because he knew you didn’t want to go inside.

Perfectly innocent. For almost six months.

You were walking home from school when you got a text from Jacob. He couldn’t find his science project that you had helped him work on. You could have just told him where it was, but then you wouldn’t get the chance to stop by the Barber house. You showed up and Laurie happily invited you in. It was in the garage, something you pretended to remember after about an hour. Jacob had a play date so when his friend’s parents picked him up, Laurie asked you to stay for coffee.

You did. You wanted to extend your time there because even if he didn’t come home soon, Laurie would tell him you had been there. She would mention you and he would be thinking about you. Which is all you ever really wanted.

But sometimes your plans didn’t really work out. You had been turning down jobs, better-paying jobs, jobs you’d had far longer than the Barbers. They had been friends of your parents, it was how you met them, so typically, word got back to your mother. She felt you were the most irresponsible person in the world and didn’t fail to remind you of those feelings when she sent you seven texts and ordered you to get home.

You didn’t want to deal with the chaos of making her angry by spending any more time trying to see Andy. It was a failed attempt at getting closer to him, and as you were walking down the street, you were almost thankful. What the hell were you doing? Why were you trying to get closer to him? Jacob’s father, Laurie’s husband, your boss. That was it. That was all he could be.

But then, much earlier than you’d ever seen him, he was driving by you. You smiled, waved, but kept going. He was the one who circled back and told you to get in. You didn’t need to be told twice. You wanted to talk anyway, you wanted to tell him what was going on with your mother.

He parked down the street again. It wasn’t dark like it usually was but there was no one around. Everyone was staying warm inside. The heaters were on and you had draped your jacket over your legs. It was freezing but leaving the car was the last thing you wanted to do.

He only spoke when you had finished venting. And it wasn’t in the direction you had thought it would go. “You’ve been turning down jobs?”

Shit. You just shrugged. “A few, I guess.”

“Why?”

“I’m busy.”

“You’ve been around the house a lot more lately,” he pointed out. “Is that how you’ve been so busy lately? With Jacob? With us?”

“I…I just don’t feel like babysitting for them anymore.”

“Because you just want to babysit for us.”

“I don’t know,” you finally said. “I don’t know why I’ve been turning them down.”

“I know.”

You lifted your eyebrows.

He placed his hand on your thigh with absolutely no hesitation.

You couldn’t explain how good his skin felt against yours. Like after running a mile and then finally catching your breath. Or waking up and seeing that you still have hours before your alarm clock goes off. Like when you’re walking down the streets during October and the houses are all decorated. Like when you’re starving and you finally eat something you’ve been craving.

“You want to see me.”

“I like seeing Jacob,” you muttered. You saw his hand move up before you felt it, your breath audibly caught and you shuddered. Pathetic. Weak. Desperate.

“You come over almost every day.”

You turned up to him, trying to keep your voice level. “You come home early every day.”

“I want to see you,” he assured. “Just like you want to see me…right?”

You nodded.

“Because you feel something for me.”

You wanted him, that was the best way to describe it. So fucking bad, so bad you couldn’t think straight sometimes. So bad that when your boyfriend touched you, you nearly got physically sick sometimes. So bad that in your bed, at night, with your hand between your legs, you pictured Andy and no one else.

“And you feel something for me,” you countered.

“I do.”

Before you could respond, his phone was ringing. Laurie, oh god. He saw the look on your face but clearly had no interest in letting those logical emotions—shame, guilt, disgust—grow. “Give me your phone.”

You weren’t sure why you did so. He handed it back to you with a new contact. Under the name: Daddy. You closed your thighs, rubbing them together, catching his fingers where they were still laid over your leg. You were so wet, desperate for some friction.

“You’re going to go inside,” he started. “You’re going to go to your bedroom, strip down, get in front of your mirror, and fuck your fingers. You’re going to watch the whole time. Then, when you can’t take another orgasm, you’re going to send me a picture.”

“Of what?”

“Whatever you want.”

Your mind was reeling. You had never sent naked pictures before, but that was because you knew what would happen if you did. They would get shown to everyone. Andy couldn’t show anyone. Andy wouldn’t show everyone even if he could.

“Okay.”

He arched an eyebrow. “Okay?”

“Yes.”

“Yes, what?”

You swallowed thickly. “Yes, Daddy.”

“Give me your panties,” he ordered. “I want to take them home.”

You wondered if he had done this before, if he did it often maybe. But did it matter? At the end of the day, that wasn’t going to make either of you any less terrible than you were being.

But there was just one problem with his request. “I’m not wearing any.”

His eyes dropped down. “You aren’t wearing panties?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“I…I don’t know.”

“I think you do. Now, you didn’t plan on fucking me tonight. That’s too much too soon. But I am the reason…it wasn’t because you thought my fingers would end up buried in your pussy, not yet… Daddy wants an answer, baby girl.”

Baby girl. Oh, fuck. Instead of speaking again, you spread your thighs and brought your own hand up your skirt. You were soaking, something he could hear when you pressed your fingers down. Which was why you had decided to skip underwear. Any time he was around, in a suit, you were wet.

His hold tightened on your thigh and you let out this small whimper. It was almost deafening in that car.

You pulled your hand back and brought your drenched fingers up to the steering wheel. You just wanted to leave something for him without risking anyone seeing you both in a weird situation.

He leaned forward almost instantly, inhaling as his eyes shut. “Fuck, you smell exactly like I thought you would.” His tongue dipped out just slightly and he licked the slick off the steering wheel, groaning gently. “And you fucking taste…”

Your phone buzzed and you both startled. “Shit.”

Andy sat up, clearing his throat. “Go. Do what I said.”

You went to reach for the door, but he cleared his throat. Oh, god. After what you just did, could you even pretend that you hadn’t surrendered completely? “Yes.”

“Good girl.”

After that, it was all kind of just a blur. You quit babysitting, which was very hard. You really did love Jacob and you were sad for a very long time every moment you remembered that you weren’t going over there to see him. You were never going to that house again, at least that was what you had told yourself.

That meant you didn’t see Andy quite as often, which was probably for the best. But he saw you. Often. Very naked. You sent him nearly hundreds of pictures a month, dozens almost every night. He was never too busy for you and maybe you liked that, maybe that was what made you feel so special. Maybe it was just him, the way he looked at you during those awkward exchanges when your mother dragged you to the grocery store with her and you ran into them. Maybe it was when he would call you even though he was at the office once you got home because he wanted to hear you orgasm. Maybe it was after your boyfriend would drop you off at home—and Andy always knew because you told him, you weren’t going to lie, you had no reason to—and he would ask you if he touched you, if he made you come.

He was your age. Andy was much older. More experienced. He never failed to remind you that that meant he could make you feel so much better. You weren’t sure what you were doing, why you didn’t just break up with him. Security, probably. If Andy ever decided to end this. Whatever it was. At least you wouldn’t be alone.

When Laurie wanted something, she got it. It wasn’t because she was aggressive or just didn’t take no for answer. It was because she was such a good person, how could anyone feel okay disappointing her? You certainly couldn’t.

When she insisted that you come over for dinner, you knew it was wrong. You knew she would rightfully hate you if she knew what you were doing with her husband. You knew she would feel hurt by the both of you, betrayed, outraged, disgusted. But you went anyway, and it wasn’t to flirt with Andy. Sure, you had done that once or twice in the past, but not this time. This time was for Laurie because she missed you. You had quit so suddenly and then it was like you didn’t exist to her at all. You owed her this dinner.

The look on his face when he saw you in the living room told you that he hadn’t been told about this. He looked terrified, worried.

“Look who I ran into this morning!” Laurie called out from the kitchen. She was over the stove stirring some pasta and you were at the table looking at all of Jacob’s drawings he had done in the past few months since you’d last seen him.

You gave him a look. He should know better than anyone why this was something you couldn’t just get out of. He couldn’t be mad at you. And he better not be accusing you of playing with Laurie like this.

He nodded once, just slightly. “Y/N.”

“Mr. Barber,” you returned.

Then nothing, he went upstairs and you returned your undivided attention to Jacob. Around a half-hour later, Laurie had to go upstairs and drag him downstairs, both trying and failing to hide their irritation.

She asked you about the usual after you had all settled in a bit. School was always the start. Laurie told you that school was the most important thing in the world. She had graduated but with a degree that she didn’t utilize. She loved her life, but she had her regrets and she didn’t want you to make the same mistakes.

She moved to family next. You always kept the answers light around Jacob, knowing that Laurie could read between the lines anyway. Your mother joined two different book clubs. Laurie knew that meant she was just trying to avoid your father.

Then your boyfriend. Another thing she wanted you to be careful about. She wasn’t expecting to get pregnant with Jacob when she had. She loved both Andy and Jacob, but she would have loved to hold off for a few years. She told you to take care of yourself first. Take care of your dreams, your future, your body, your identity before you worried about anyone else. Be selfish, be ambitious. She was like a mom; one you never even knew existed outside of television. You often wished she weren’t so nice to you. You knew you didn’t deserve it.

She just wanted to know how he was. How long had you guys been together, again? Right, that was quite a long time, she claimed. Where was he working? The same place still? You felt Andy’s eyes on you the entire time. He hadn’t looked at you for the whole dinner until Laurie mentioned your boyfriend.

Did you know about his politics? She promised it was better to know before it was too late. She knew his parents, knew that they were rather conservative. Everyone there was, though. The chances of finding a perfect man? Well, Andy was already taken.

Had you guys spoken about the future? Not really, not cohesively, but that wasn’t the answer you gave. You knew what he wanted and he pretended that he didn’t know what you wanted, pretended that one day you would just wake up and see it all his way. What does he want to do?

You were thinking about Andy. His hands, his mouth, his beard. You thought about making him mad, jealous. You thought about how he would be short over text and make you send him pictures and videos until he was less angry, then he would call and his voice would be so deep, he would growl orders at you. Fuck. “Yeah…he wants a huge family.”

“Oh.” Laurie nodded, clearly it wasn’t what she wanted to hear. “Well…what do you want?”

“I don’t know.” That wasn’t necessarily a lie, but Andy would give you hell for it later. He told you that was one of the sexiest things about you. That you knew what you wanted. Basically, he just meant it was sexy that you were selfish enough to be getting involved with him.

“Well, just make sure you know before you make any choices that can’t be undone.”

If only someone had given Andy this lecture all the way back. You wondered how things would be if he wasn’t married, if he had never met Laurie, but If he was still here. You wondered what relationship you would have with him.

“You want to stay in Massachusetts?”

You shrugged. Andy wouldn’t let you come later, until you promised you were going to stay. You just had this deep, sinking feeling he wasn’t going to be kind about it either. Good. It had been so long since he was rough with you. Even over text, he was dominant and in total control. He owned you but you were worried he was getting comfortable with that, you worried that he was under the impression that he could be less possessive. Hell no. You were his, undeniably, but only so long as he was going to claim you as his.

“Well, you’re young…the possibilities are endless.”

“Well, I hope you guys break up,” Jacob bluntly stated.

You and Laurie both turned to him with wide-eyed looks. Andy was stunned for a moment, then had to hide his smile by sipping at his beer.

“Jacob,” Laurie scolded. “Don’t say things like that. That was very mean.”

“Well,” he huffed, ‘if she has more time, she can come back to babysit me.”

You scoffed.

He turned to you. “Is it because of him?”

“No, I promise. I’m just…busy.”

“Busy?” He rolled his eyes. “Adults are always “busy”.”

“You know, I think it’s time I put him to sleep,” Laurie scoffed.

“No,” Jacob whined. “I never get to see her anymore!”

Laurie sighed. “Jacob—”

“I’m not going to bed until you promise to come back,” he declared.

“Jacob,” you pleaded.

He crossed his arms over his chest, brow furrowed. “I’ll stay awake forever if I have to.” Then he set his jaw and turned forward. He had never looked more like Andy, where usually, he looked eerily like Laurie.

You really did miss him. Not that you would ever tell Andy, but a part of you did resent him for the fact that you had to quit. It wasn’t all on him, but if he had never let this start, things would still be the same.

Laurie looked completely exasperated and it wasn’t like you didn’t have enough guilt where she was concerned. “Okay, Jacob, if you go to bed, I will try to come back for the summer. You know, I won’t be so busy.” You glanced at Laurie who appeared just as hopeful. “You know, maybe at least a couple of days while you guys are at work.”

“Well, I was going to do this later because I didn’t want you to feel like this was the only reason that I asked you here. We miss you and I just wanted to see you, but…” she glanced at Andy. “I just found out that I’m going to be taking a work trip this summer.”

“Work trip?” you inquired. You weren’t aware that her job would ever require traveling.

“Yeah, just this conference, kind of, for people who work with children. This is the first time we have been invited to it, so it’s really important but I’m just not okay leaving Andy and Jacob alone. Andy’s job…”

“I told you, I could take the summer off,” Andy assured.

Laurie gave him a look. Yeah, that was highly unlikely. Andy wouldn’t know what to do with himself after probably the first three weeks. She faced you. “I don’t want to put any pressure on you. If you can’t come back, we understand. The Rifkins were telling us about your friend, the one who also babysits. Her name is Lily…something?”

Your eyes instinctively went to Andy. He was giving you a knowing look. All your friends would fuck him in a heartbeat. You shouldn’t have cared. If he fucked anyone, you should have had the plan to just walk away. You doubted your ability to do that, unfortunately. And you couldn’t stand the thought of him touching her. Anyone but her.

“I’ll think about it,” you promised Jacob.

He smiled widely. “Okay, I’ll go to bed now. I’m exhausted.”

You smiled.

Laurie took Jacob upstairs after saying goodnight to you. That left you alone with Andy for what you both knew would be just enough time for anything, but you had your limits. Not in the house. Not while Laurie and Jacob were here. You decided it was time to call it a night and he decided he was going to walk you to your car. It was dark after all.

You just rolled your eyes and marched out the front door. You tried to stay in front of him so you could get inside your car first, so he couldn’t grab you or talk to you. You just needed to get out of there, anything that needed to be said would have to wait for that night when he texted you.

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t get my kid’s hopes up.”

That was how he wanted to start? You looked back at him; eyebrows lifted. “You mean yours.”

“Jacob misses you—”

“And you?”

He sighed at you. “What do you want me to say?”

“Nothing, just don’t try to use Jacob against me. I will think about it…there are just things…that could go wrong.”

“Like what?”

“You know what, Andy—”

His eyebrows shot up. “What did you call me?”

You crossed your arms, silently staring up at him. Your back faced the driver’s side door, the handle perfectly in your reach if you needed it.

“Baby,” he warned. “Don’t start acting up right now just because you know I can’t do anything about it.”

“I’m not acting up—”

“Then what did you just call me?”

“Nothing,” you muttered. “I’m sorry, I meant to call you daddy.”

He moved closer then, either hand on the car door behind you.

Your eyes widened in sheer panic and you immediately looked around. It was too dark to see anything, and this was Andy Barber. He was a trusted and well-respected man. No one would think anything even if they did walk out and saw this with their own eyes. He was a damn good lawyer and could convince anyone of anything.

It had been months since you spent so much time with him, but even still, the closest the two of you had ever been was in the car. There was an invisible line that neither of you crossed because you never wanted to get caught. It was always so light out, your creepy neighbors would just sit on the porch from sunrise to sunset because they were desperate for anything.

This was different. There was no one around. There was nothing to stop either of you from taking this further than you ever had. This was the extent of your relationship. Stealing moments. Secrets. But he had never touched you, he’d never kissed you. It was all you could think about in that moment.

“What was all of that?” he asked.

“What?”

“All that bullshit? You lied to Laurie.”

You scoffed. “No, actually, I didn’t.”

“Really? That’s what you want to fucking do with your life? Just be some god damn trophy for that boyfriend of yours?”

You shrugged. “I would love to be a trophy.”

He glared. “You’re smart, okay? And you’re interesting—”

“So, instead of being a trophy, I should be a spectacle? I should entertain people—”

“That is not what I’m saying.”

“Then what are you saying?”

“That I’m fucking angry.”

“About what?!”

“Him!”

Well, mission accomplished. It wasn’t that you were surprised he felt that way, you just weren’t expecting to hear him say it.

He sighed, turning up. He was probably watching the window to make sure Laurie hadn’t heard anything.

“What are you even angry about?”

“I work with his fucking father.”

“And?” you demanded.

He looked down at you after several seconds of staring at the window. “He always fucking talks about you. He thinks you’re going to marry his son.”

You shrugged. “Maybe I will.”

“Don’t.”

“Why not?” you pressed. “Maybe I fucking will, Andy.”

“He’s an asshole. You tell me all the time. And if you think I’m going to let you—”

“Let me?” you scoffed. “You’re married. You can’t do shit.”

The look he gave you told you that was the last thing you should have said. He grabbed your shoulders and turned you away from him, pushing you into the car door.

“Andy—”

 You were in a tiny pair of shorts, despite how freezing it was that night. That must have been what gave him the idea to smack you, more so your thigh than your ass, but it hurt, nonetheless. You slammed your hands over your mouth to stifle your yelp.

There were times when you thought you were going to die if he didn’t touch you. Obviously, you were always wrong, but you didn’t care. Sometimes, when you would plead to whatever or whoever it was up there, that you just needed him to touch you, just a touch, you would claim you didn’t care how. This worked. Even though it really fucking hurt and the cold air was still stinging your skin, this was what you wanted.

“You know what you need to be calling me, honey.” His hand was at the button of your denim shorts and you panicked.

You tried to catch his wrist, but he was much stronger than you. Before you said a word, he had yanked them open, the zipper too. But no, not now, not here. “Daddy, stop—”

“You still think I can’t do anything?”

“Please, not here—”

His fingers pressed against your stomach and traveled down. You instantly lost your ability to speak or think. When he reached the band of your underwear, he scoffed. “Wearing panties? Why?”

What kind of question was that?

“You’re such a good girl, aren’t you?” he cooed. “Such a sweet girl.”

“Daddy,” you whispered.

“Daddy will stop,” he promised. “But only if you want him to. Do you want daddy to stop?”

“Please.” Yes, please. But also, maybe please, don’t. Please, keep going. Please, touch me more because you never have. Please, touch me where we both want you to so bad.

“Okay, but first, I’m going to check if you’re wet. If you aren’t, fine. If you are, well, you know you’re not supposed to lie to me.”

“I’m not lying,” you promised. “But—”

“Shh, baby.” He pressed his fingers down and you felt like you were dying. Honestly, like your life was on the verge of ending because nothing had ever felt so good and nothing should feel so good.

He didn’t go inside your underwear, of course not. He was always teasing you. Instead, he moved down until he felt the material was damp and made a soft, disapproving sound.

“I wasn’t lying,” you insisted, trying not to move too much. If he thought you were enjoying this too much, he might decide to get cruel.

“So, you want daddy to stop right now?”

You wanted to say yes, you wished you could make yourself. However, you stayed silent because you knew he would stop, you knew he would completely withdraw from you until you were begging him. Mostly, you couldn’t force yourself to want him to stop touching you no matter how wrong you knew it was.

“You know, baby girl, daddy wants something from you.”

You almost promised him anything he wanted but thankfully, forming coherent words was still something beyond you.

“Daddy wants you to come back this summer.”

No. That wasn’t going to happen. You knew now that it couldn’t happen. You knew now that if you were ever in a room with Andy, that both of you would get as close as you possibly could, that you would try to touch in any way that wouldn’t raise concern. And if no one was home? If Jacob was upstairs and you and Andy were downstairs? No, you wouldn’t do that to Laurie. Not in her house.

“I can’t.”

“Yes, you can.”

You shook your head. “You know I can’t.”

“All I know is that I don’t like it when you tell me no.”

Which is something he wouldn’t actually know because you had never told him no. This was different. This was about hurting someone who had only ever been good to you. And Jacob—god, Jacob. If you were caught, Laurie would leave Andy and that was the last thing you wanted for Jacob.

“I’m saying no,” you insisted, but your voice was hardly more than a mutter.

He said nothing for several terribly long seconds, then pulled aside your panties and finally touched your pussy.

Your eyes fell shut and you pressed your forehead against the car window. His fingers moved higher until he circled them around your clit and you shuddered. Even biting your lip couldn’t completely muffle the sounds you were making.

He shushed you, a completely patronizing gesture as he was the reason you were being so loud.

“Daddy,” you gasped. “Daddy, please.”

“You want to come on daddy’s fingers?”

You nodded fast. “So bad, daddy.”

“Mm. Well, daddy wants you back, princess.”

“Daddy,” you whined. This couldn’t happen, not now. Where was his fear? Anyone could walk out. Laurie could just glance out the window and see everything.

“Daddy wants to see you back in the house every day. Playing on the floor in your tiny little skirts and your tiny little shirts that you never wear a bra with. Daddy wants to see you biting your lip and pressing your thighs together when you’re watching me, when you think I don’t notice.”

Fuck. You genuinely had thought you were being discreet. He was clearly discreet, however, because you had never noticed that he was watching so closely.

“But more than anything, I want to have you all to myself, baby girl.”

“I…would be babysitting,” you reminded.

“Jacob has a lot of friends. I’ll schedule him some play dates. Say yes.”

“No, daddy, please—”

“Say yes,” he ordered.

“I can’t.”

“I’m not going to let you come until you do.”

The noise you made was a cross between a cry and a whimper, something truly pathetic. He had you scared and he knew it, so he thrust two fingers inside you and when your mouth opened to scream, he wrapped his opposite hand around your neck.

You swore you would come just like that if he didn’t stop. You had dreamt about his hands around your throat. You would try choking yourself when you were making videos for him, but you knew it wasn’t like the real thing. When he would call you, you would always beg choke me, daddy.

His fingers were thick enough to stretch you even though you were dripping. Your mind wandered to his cock. You could feel it against your ass, and even through his pants, you could tell he was big. But it was little more than a theory. You’d never seen his cock because he didn’t send you pictures. Most of your relationship with Andy had been set around your imagination.

He kept you quiet with his hold around your neck, but his fingers fucked into you so hard that the wet sounds echoed down the empty street. If anyone found the two of you, you would be completely humiliated by how evidently desperate you were.

“Daddy,” you gasped when you felt yourself just right there, so close to that edge. Maybe you were biased in the moment in thinking that this was going to be the best orgasm you had ever had. You had toys, Andy had made sure of that, and some of them did the trick. But it was never like this. Close, at times, but only ever when you were making videos for him or talking to him on the phone. It was all Andy, he hadn’t been exaggerating when he was telling you no one else could make you feel so good.

“You close, princess?”

You hummed a confirmation and just like that, he pulled his hand away altogether. The one around your neck was keeping you quiet but your pussy was completely neglected. It was absolutely devastating.

Stupidly, you’d forgotten his grand plan of forcing you to say yes. You weren’t going to, this was so much bigger than this stupid affair. You could live with yourself knowing you were a whore, you could live knowing you were a homewrecker so long as no one else knew, but you could not and would not even attempt to be okay with sheer stupidity. And stupidity was playing this game. You didn’t understand why he wanted to either.

“How do you feel now?”

“No,” you snapped.

“Watch the tone,” he warned.

“God,” you huffed tiredly. “I can’t. No, I’m saying no.”

He simply hummed and with no warning, buried his fingers inside you once more. “Then I guess we’re going to be here for quite a while.”

A whine caught in your throat and you practically choked trying to talk to him. “Daddy, we’re going to get caught.”

“Then say yes. You think you can have an attitude and mouth off and I’m just going to let it go because we might get caught?”

Well, honestly, yes, you had expected that. This was bad and you knew you were fucked up because that was making it feel better. He was pressed against you, hiding you from any eyes that may look outside because he was insanely possessive and didn’t want anyone else seeing you naked. He was holding you so tight that it actually hurt and he was barely letting you breathe, you were getting dizzy and lightheaded and you just needed to come.

He did this to you so many times that you lost track. The only thing you did know was that it wasn’t taking long even though it felt like it. It was Tuesday night and you had been here enough at this time to know that this was a busy night for these rich people. You’d walked out of the house at 7:46. The bathroom light was still on and would be for another 30 minutes at least, because Jacob was a menace when he wanted to be—but never with you. Mrs. Johnson always came home from her cooking club at 8:20 to 8:30. Mr. Garcia would always come out at around 8:15 to leave his trash or recycling, depending on the night of the week. Sometimes, Mrs. Wilson’s grandchildren would stop by for late visits. They were all doctors and lawyers, at least, that was the reason they gave for never coming at a reasonable hour, but they actually just wanted money and knew she would be too tired to say no. Mrs. Taylor’s twin demons you once had the displeasure of devoting your Monday and Friday nights to had to go out every night at 8:30 until 10:00 because of some stupid project they were doing on stars.

Andy had to know all of this also, so you understood that he was just trying to call your bluff.

Well, fuck, it was going to work. You were terrified. There were so many variables, anyone could show up early. Or hell, there had to be some people here with drinking addictions, an affliction for pills, a house fire could start. Or a revealed affair could lead to a staged murder that looked like something else. Andy being so calm was almost worrisome.

But you were more worried about Laurie. Apparently, you weren’t like him. You couldn’t just shut off your guilt surrounding her. You knew you had to try one more time to get out of this. Andy was pretending right now to be so hard, but he was more than soft for you. He spoiled the hell out of you and let you be very bratty even though he put on a whole show that he couldn’t stand it. But you knew that when you gave him a look, when you softened your voice just enough, when you said the right things, that man would give you the world if he could.

In your littlest, whiny voice, you begged him. “Daddy, please.”

He froze for a moment, letting his hand fall away only to take your shoulders and turn you back to him. He was looking at you curiously, also a tad suspiciously.

You simply stared at him with pleading eyes. He couldn’t honestly think this was a good idea. “We can’t do this. Not around Jacob. Not in the house.”

Realization showed on his face and he scoffed. “Oh, baby, you really are the sweetest thing.” He leaned in to press you flat to the car door once more and brought his hand up, slipping his fingers into your mouth. His eyes were on yours the entire time, as you sucked and licked, and then as he started shoving them down your throat. You gagged, tears were running down your cheeks, and you had started rolling your hips, grinding against the bulge in his pants.

“You are the most beautiful little girl in the world, you know that?”

You hummed, thankful that you didn’t actually have to put an answer to that. He never stopped telling you that you were beautiful, that he’d never see someone else like you, but when you really had to think about it, you were just the average insecure person.

“You’re my little girl, yeah?” He pulled his fingers from your mouth, touching your swollen lips. “Tell me.”

“I’m your little girl.”

“Do you know how badly daddy wants to eat your pussy?”

It took you a moment, but when you realized that he wanted an answer, you shook your head. He didn’t talk about it much. He just liked to listen to you, he liked to tell you that he just wanted to be inside you, that he couldn’t wait to feel you around him.

“Mm…I do. I want to lick you for hours until your begging me to stop. I want you to come in my mouth. I want you to grind your pussy all over my face. You have to know how badly daddy wants you on his cock, though?”

“Yes.”

“Say you’ll come back, gorgeous. Of course, Jacob can never know, this isn’t a game. I just miss seeing you. I miss smelling your perfume and hearing you laugh. I miss having you so close.”

“I miss you, too,” you promised. But. There was still a but, even if you didn’t come right out and say it.

You felt his hands moving against your stomach and then you heard the zipper of his pants. Oh, god. He took your hand and slipped it down his boxers, you both shuddered as your skin touched his.

His eyes fell shut and he took a deep breath in. He tightened his hand around yours and began slowly jerking your hand up and down his cock. “What do you think, baby girl?”

“You’re really big, daddy.” And so fucking thick, you were going crazy just picturing yourself trying to ride him. He was much bigger than your boyfriend, much bigger than anyone else you’d ever fucked.

“Imagine my cock inside your beautiful little cunt. I bet it’ll hurt so much that you cry. And I am going to pound that pussy until you are so stretched and used that your boyfriend won’t be able to make you come at all.”

You wanted nothing more, but you also wanted to have a little bit of fun. “I said you were big…but I didn’t say you were bigger than him.”

He pulled his hand and yours out of his pants and the next second, he was on you. His hand was around your neck, his other holding your jaw, and his face just inches away from yours. “You fucking little brat. You’re lucky I don’t make you get on your knees and choke you on my cock.”

“Kiss me, daddy.”

And just like that, he was no longer upset with you. It was hilarious how easily you could push this man into anything you wanted. And he didn’t even care, he just wanted to give you everything you could think to ask for.

He sighed, glancing around. “I can’t do that, baby, not here.”

Then where? That was when you finally understood. He wanted you back so badly, because where else would you be able to do this? He could get a hotel room but if anyone ever saw you, there would be no defense. It would be apparent what you guys were doing. Your house? Your parents were always around. That only left his house and if Laurie was going to be gone…maybe you didn’t see much harm in that.

“Say yes,” he whispered.

You should have never turned around to look at him. He had won, there was no way you could deny him anymore. You nodded. “Yes, daddy.”

He smiled and your heart stuttered. He was the most beautiful man in the world. “I’ll let Laurie know...I’ll tell her this was why I was out here so long. And you, angel, need to go straight home, shove a toy in that pussy, and make some videos for daddy.”

It was weeks later than Andy told you he had a surprise for you. A few months had gone by. You hadn’t returned to the Barber home since the dinner and you kept your usual contact with Andy. Just more sending pictures and videos and texting every second it was possible.

He was still thrilled that you were going back for the summer and regularly checked in just to make sure that you didn’t change your mind about it. You still had a few months and he was constantly worried you would feel a sudden burst of guilt. It wasn’t too farfetched, actually.

When you got home, your mother informed you that you had received a package. She claimed it didn’t say who it was from. You knew what that meant. You had checked your phone that morning and saw a text informing you to expect something.

You texted Andy, I got it, then you went to your drawers to pick out something skimpy and lacy.

Good. Take off all your clothes.

Odd, he usually wanted you wearing something. You did as was asked of you and let him know when you were ready for more instruction.

Go to your bathroom with the box.

Once more, you let him know when you’d complied with his orders.

Open the box.

Inside was another smaller box, a picture clearly displaying the product. He bought you a dildo, a rather large one. You didn’t normally get toys this size, they were harder to film with.

Before you could respond, he texted again. Get it out of the box and clean it really well, then stick it to the floor.

Again, you followed his directions. Once it was set up and immovable, you let him know.

Get your laptop, we’re going to Skype.

That left you naked in front of your laptop that was a few feet away. He had you sitting with your legs bent and spread wide so he could see your pussy.

He wasn’t wearing a shirt, that was the first thing you noticed. The second was his background, you didn’t recognize it.

“Where are you, daddy?”

“Home. My office. Laurie’s sister is in town so they both went out to see her. Focus, baby. I’m going to send you some videos that I want you to watch.”

“Videos?” You had a feeling you already knew what he meant. And mere seconds later, got confirmation through the email link he sent to you. Porn. Not surprising and you weren’t really opposed.

The videos he sent you were all starred older men, many roleplaying as the stepfather, and younger women playing the innocent, naïve daughter. Older than you mostly, but still significantly younger than the men they were fucking. The videos started tame, small, just cheesy scenarios and rough sex following. But as he sent you more, the men became more dominant. They would choke, pull hair, spank, call her degrading names. You didn’t hate any of it.

He wouldn’t let you touch yourself and he didn’t touch himself. He just watched you the entire time, sometimes talking and asking you questions, but he mainly just wanted you focusing on this. He made you keep your legs open so he could make sure you weren’t being sneaky, which was slightly humiliating. You felt that voicing that, however, would be considered talking back.

It was nearly an hour later that he requested you show him how wet you were. Your fingers frantically ran through your cunt and you held them out toward the camera. He told you to pause the video and get on the dildo. You gracelessly rolled onto your knees, your legs just a little tired from the uncomfortable position he’d directed you to hold for so long. You climbed over the toy, one hand holding it as you straddled it.

“Just take it slow, baby girl.”

You carefully spread your knees further, bringing your pussy closer to the head of the fake cock. You heard him shifting as soon as if touched your skin. You weren’t as nervous as you should have been, you figured you were wet enough to take it all. That insatiable longing to be filled and ruthlessly fucked by him clouded your mind.

As soon as it was inside you by what probably wasn’t even an inch, you froze. Yes, bigger than anything you’d ever taken. It stung a little, yet you didn’t want to pull off completely. You kind of liked the pain anyway.

“Keep going.”

“It hurts.”

“Just try for me, angel.”

You set your hands to the floor, once again spreading your legs wider. The ache didn’t dull as you kept going. “Daddy, I think it’s too big.”

“I’m bigger, that’s why I want you to get used to it.”

Bigger? Even though you were struggling to handle this, you wanted him instead of the toy. You wanted him on top, forcing you to take his cock, cooing to you and kissing your face the whole time. This was a flawed plan that he came up with because you were going to need some major convincing to get any further on this thing.

“Take a minute,” he decided, and you needed no further prompt to pull off.

You hissed lightly, looking at it. You had barely made it down the head. So, this was going to be one of those long calls.

“Use your mouth,” he instructed.

That you could do. You leaned over it, immediately dropping down until it hit the back of your throat. Your eyes flickered up to the screen where you saw his arm moving so slowly, back and forth. You would ask later if you could see him, when you didn’t have something in your mouth.

“Baby doll, you are fucking beautiful.”

You hummed, pulling back and then sliding back down.

“Gag on it. I want to hear you choking.”

You prepped your throat by bobbing up and down, taking it a little further each time. It wasn’t until your nose was hovering just above the floor that you gagged loudly. You backed off hurriedly but did it once more, a second time, a third, a fourth, until he told you to stop.

“Stay there, sweetheart, keep it down your throat. Try swallowing around it. I want you to get used to that, too. That’s how I love having my cock sucked.”

You obeyed, attempting to swallow around the thick piece of silicone. Those tries were followed by a lot of short coughs, gagging noises, and your body moving almost violently every time you got just a little too ahead of yourself. You were suddenly very thankful that you’d woken up late, since you’d stayed up until almost 5 in the morning talking to him, and hadn’t had time to eat anything.

“You think you can do it now?”

You hummed and hoped he wouldn’t press for more. You weren’t sure. You were nervous to try but it wasn’t like he was going to let you off that easy.

“Okay, try again.”

Positioning yourself over it, you realized you were much wetter now. Getting the head inside was easy enough but just as soon, it started to hurt again.

“You okay, princess?”

“Yeah.” You turned your attention down and tried to force yourself to relax. You were nervous, double that now because you didn’t want to fail in front of Andy. You wanted to show him that you knew what you were doing and that when he finally fucked you, it was going to be perfect. You didn’t want him to think of you as some inexperienced little girl.

“Remember, take it easy. Don’t hurt yourself.”

You never thought you would have an issue with him babying you. “I wish this was your cock, daddy.”

He hummed as if it was a question but was much more focused on your comfort than your attempts to distract him.

“Mhm,” you returned. “I can’t wait to feel you inside me. I can’t wait to be filled up and dripping with your cum.”

“I’ll cover you in my cum, sweetheart. You wanna try taking a little more?”

You hadn’t moved and it was still aching, but your mind was getting hazy. You were thinking about Andy and how good he was going to fuck you. You wanted it so hard and so fast that you didn’t think the dildo would even suffice. You lowered a tad too fast, earning a disapproving sound from him.

And yes, it hurt, but admitting any type of defeat was beyond out of the question. “Fuck, daddy, it’s so big,” you sighed. You didn’t pull off, but you tried shifting your hips to get a little more comfortable.

“Fuck yourself with it.”

You used your arms for balance and began pulling back carefully before dropping back down. You did this several more times until it was no longer uncomfortably painful. “Daddy?”

“Yes, baby?”

You pushed yourself up, balancing on your knees as your hands came up to your breasts. “Can I see you?”

He arched an eyebrow at you. “You wanna see me?”

You nodded. “Please?”

He sat up, pushing the laptop back as he stood. You finally got to see that hard stomach you had been pressed against that night and it did not disappoint. You had no idea that he was going to look so strong and beautiful—and honestly, what the hell was he doing with you? You were confident enough and sometimes, some days when things were just going your way, you even loved how you looked. But Andy was inhumanly, unfairly breathtaking.

Then you saw his cock and you instantly whimpered. He was so big, bigger than the toy just as he’d claimed. You’d suspected he was exaggerating, most men did. He laid his cock out on the desk, tip leaking, skin angry and red.

“Daddy,” you whispered.

“What, honey?”

“I can’t wait for summer. I need you now.”

“Just be patient. You need to get a little more accustomed to the toy first because I’m not sure I’m going to be able to be gentle.”

“I don’t want you to be gentle.”

“You want daddy to make it hurt?”

“Yes.”

“Touch your clit, princess. I want to see you come.”

Your hand snapped down to your cunt, mindlessly searching for, and at times successfully catching, that hypersensitive spot. As soon as you heard him grunting, jerking himself off to the sight of you, you knew you weren’t going to last long.

You watched his arm move, the way his muscles tensed, you noticed the veins. He wasn’t the kind of man to show off. His suits were always fitted and occasionally, he wore a short sleeve tee, but you were starting to realize he was rather modest. It was this secret that he finally told you, he was finally showing you parts of himself that you never would have known about had he not extended some type of trust to you.

You needed him to fuck you. You needed him wrapping his arms around you and holding you against his chest, hips thrusting into yours. You were bouncing on the dildo now, uncaring of how much it hurt, fingers still rubbing large, unskilled circles into your clit. You were high off him, completely entranced and focused on Andy. “Daddy…”

“You close?”

“Yes. Can I please come?”

“You can come, angel.” He stroked himself faster, opposite hand settling on the desk as he leaned over a little.

You took as much of the dildo as you could and stayed, just focusing on touching your clit. You whimpered and whined as you approached your finish, mewling ‘daddy’ at least a dozen times, and told him several times that you needed him inside you, and promised you would do anything for his cock. He was quiet even though he was still fucking his fist, wanting to hear every sound you were making for him.

You nearly collapsed when your orgasm hit. Thankfully, instead of down—because seriously, this was an obnoxiously large toy and there was still so much that wasn’t inside you yet—you fell forward and caught yourself with both hands. You continued to roll your hips, haphazardly moving your hair out of the way with one hand at a time so he could see your breasts move and just how far down you were getting. One feeling you never quite got rid of, no matter what you were doing, no matter how good whatever you were being fucked with was: his praise was even better than coming.

“Fuck, baby girl,” he blurted out. You heard one of his knees buckle, it hit the desk he was standing behind.

“Are you close, daddy?”

He hummed shortly.

“I wish I was there, daddy. I want to taste you so bad.”

And that was all he needed. With a slight groan, his cum streaked out onto the desk between him and his laptop. His hand slowed but didn’t fully stop until he was done coming. He fell back into his chair, chest rising and falling with his quick breaths.

“You want me to come over, daddy? I could help you clean your desk.”

He scoffed. “Come on, princess, don’t start being a tease.”

“I’m not,” you promised. “Really, I’ll come over if you want me to.”

He finally looked back at the screen, eyes moving over you as you pushed yourself back onto your knees. Though you still felt the toy was too big, it no longer hurt so you were counting this a success. If you continued to use it every day until you were working for him again, fucking him wouldn’t be so difficult. At least you hoped.

“You wanna come over? You’re not scared of getting caught anymore?”

You shrugged. Yes, you were still terrified but your pathetic desire to be touched by that man could make you do some pretty stupid things.

“Don’t be a brat,” he scoffed.

“Then you should come here. My parents won’t notice.”

“I’m not some uncontrollably horny teenage boy you can convince to sneak in through your window. Come on, you just gotta wait a little longer.”

You sighed. “But I want you.”

“I know, trust me, I want you…” His eyes lowered on the screen and he sighed. “I want to taste you, too. Especially after you just finished.”

You leaned forward to grab the edge of the laptop and pulled it closer. “Look, daddy, I took a lot.”

“You did, baby,” he agreed, voice still just a little light. You came down much faster than him. You had to stall and get him ready to go before he decided it was time to end the call. You wanted to see him. In person. And you were not opposed to playing dirty.

“Do you want me to try again? I can do more—”

“No, no, don’t worry about it, angel. You did good today, you need to rest before we do this again. Maybe take a day or two.”

A day or two? Fuck that. He couldn’t see your face, all he could actually see was the dildo still buried in your pussy. You looked down, finding your slick was dripping down the toy. This was going to be easy. You took your fingers and ran them up, collecting what had leaked out of you. You brought it up to your mouth and moaned lewdly—you had to be a little extra, just to make sure he knew.

“Sweetheart,” he warned.

“I wish you could taste me, too, daddy. I’m really good.”

“Come on,” he complained. “Stop it, right now.”

“I could get in my car right now, daddy. We could drive out to that dead-end street by the park. Just one quick, little taste and then I’ll come back home and get into bed and make some more videos for you.”

He said nothing, which you always knew actually meant that you were closer than he wanted to let on.

“Please, daddy? I just need something…summer is so far away.”

“Damn it,” he muttered, finally sitting up straight in the chair. “Damn it, Y/N.”

“I’m sorry, daddy but I really, really need you.” You started to pull your hips up and then slowly slid back down. “Can’t you hear how wet I still am?”

“Fuck,” he hissed. “Okay. Okay, fine.”

You shoved the laptop back, leaning down on your forearms. “Really?”

“But you’re going to keep that toy inside your pussy.”

“What?”

“Keep it right where it is. Get dressed. Drive to the dead-end street. Wait for me. Oh, bring a towel.”

“A towel?” You tried not to sound too excited, but you knew you’d failed. He wasn’t really planning on fucking you, was he? You wanted it, you would never say no to that man, but you hadn’t thought it would be so easy.

“You’ll need to bite down on something when I’m spanking you.”

Oh, fuck.

[btsslowburnfic]

The Arrangement Chapter 8

Series Summary: Desperately in need of money, you answered the questionable ad. AKA-Arranged marriage AU featuring Y/N and Yoongi.

Chapter Summary: First day on the job.

Previous chapter here

------------------------ You received a text message at around 8 am telling you the car had arrived to take you to BigHit. Your aunt had already left for work and took your sister and niece along with her. Your brother had left hours ago so there was no big “goodbye” or anything. You took a look around the small apartment and sighed. It had been really nice of your aunt to take the three of you in. You hoped that you had made the right decision. You put on your backpack, grabbed your suitcases, and headed out the door.

The car was easy to spot. Your apartment complex was not fancy so there weren’t usually vehicles with chauffeurs waiting out front. The tall man waved at you, “ Ms. [Y/L/N]?’ he asked.

You nodded and he walked over to take your bags. “You don’t have to do that,” you politely declined.

“I insist ma’am.” He responded and put the suitcases in the trunk. He moved over and opened the door for you. Fancy. 

“Thank you,” you said as you sat your backpack down on the seat and slid in. This was a definite improvement over the bus or walking, you thought as the car began to head towards the middle of the city.  After a short drive the car pulled into what you assumed was the back entrance of the building and down a ramp into an underground garage. The driver scanned a badge at an outer gate and then had to show an id card at a second guard station a few meters further. Wow, security around here was tight, you thought. Good. 

The driver pulled up next to an elevator and got your bags out. “Alright miss, I assume you’ll have messages about where to go next. Take care.”

“Thank you!” You awkwardly waved as you rolled your bags next to the elevator and took out your phone.

NJ: When you get here, head to the 18th floor and someone will assist you.

Ok. You stepped onto the elevator and pushed the button. Your breathing had started to increase. You found yourself suddenly nervous, remembering that you were starting a new job today, and moving in somewhere new, and you were supposed to marry some basically random dude. Deep breaths. You should have refilled your prescription, you found yourself thinking as you started to become dizzy. Fortunately for you, the doors to the elevator opened and a person got on, pulling you out of your panic attack. 

“Hey! Moving in?” The voice was clear and cute. You looked up. It belonged to a girl either younger than you or with a better skin care routine.

“Oh, yeah. It’s my first day.” You added shyly.

“Nice to meet you!” She bowed politely. “My name is Alice. I moved in last year around this time.” She smiled. 

“[Y/N], it’s nice to meet you as well,” you returned.

“I’m a make-up artist.” She added.

“Oh, how fun. I suck at make-up.” You said before you could stop yourself. 

She laughed. “I don’t know, I think you did a pretty good job for a more natural look,” She said while assessing your face. The elevator dinged at the 14th floor. “This is me. I hope I’ll see you around.”

“Yeah, thanks!” You said, grateful for the distraction. A few seconds later, you arrived at your floor.  You stepped off and found yourself in a very fancy hallway.  It looked like it belonged in a luxury hotel.It was very different from the floors you had seen so far. You scanned the hallway and saw a man in a checkered suit sitting on a chair, leaned over and looking at his phone. You checked your phone again, no new messages. You cleared your throat slightly, unsure if maybe Namjoon had mis-typed the floor or something.

The man in the chair looked up, “Oh. Hello there,” he smiled and stood up. “Jung Hoseok at your service.” He quickly walked over and put out his hand. His suit was quite loud, but it worked on him. 

“Hi. [Y/N]. Nice to meet you.”

“Oh. This will be fantastic. Come with me.” He turned before you could ask him what he was talking about. You grabbed your bags and followed.  He walked quickly as though he was on a mission. You didn’t see any other doors as you followed him.

“Alright, you are in unit 1802. Here is your key card.” He stopped in front of a door and handed you a key fob. “Get settled in. Get cleaned up. The rest of your schedule should be in the App. Security is expecting you in 45 minutes to get your badge. Good luck!” He smiled and turned away quickly, chuckling to himself.

You stood there confused for a minute. What the hell kind of dorms were these? You shook your head and swiped the card. You were expecting a small foyer that would be covered in other people’s shoes. Instead you immediately noticed how quiet the space was and were greeted by a large sunken room with benches lining the perimeter. You stepped down into it, pulling your suitcases behind you. There were a few pairs of shoes neatly stored under the seats. You slipped yours off as well and left your two large bags in the foyer. As you walked further into the apartment,  it quickly became clear to you this was no ordinary dorm. 

The place was massive with gleaming marble floors and glass windows running along the entire length of the large living room. On the left side of the living room was a fireplace, situated next to a large staircase heading up to a loft area. A kitchen was to your right. A few bowls and cups sat in a drying rack. A rice cooker was on. Other than that, there were no indications that people actually lived here.

"Hello?" you called into the space. The living room was sparsely furnished with a couch, coffee table, and TV. You walked through the living room and down a hallway. You found a bathroom, an empty room, and a bedroom. The bedroom had nothing other than a bed, night stand, and wardrobe. You furrowed your brow. Was this your room? Was the empty one yours? Ugh. You imagined Namjoon smirking at you as you walked back into the living room. 

You were looking down at your phone as you entered and paused only because you heard a slight dragging sound. You looked up and saw Mr. Min wearing only grey boxer shorts and shuffling towards the kitchen. His body was lean and pale and he had the tiniest bit of a tummy and wow you felt like a pervert all of a sudden. 

Your face grew red and you didn't know if you should say something or slowly back down the hallway or run for the exit to never return. Unfortunately you didn't get a chance to decide. Yoongi looked over at you. He slowly blinked his eyes as though trying to assess if you were really there or not. "Why the hell are you here?" he asked, his voice deep and gravelly like he had just woken up. 

Your mouth gaped open as though speaking was a new skill. "Umm… I am. I am so sorry. Mr Jung gave me a key and told me I would be staying here." You averted your eyes from his half-naked body, slightly surprised that he didn't seem to be bothered by that at all. 

Yoongi scratched his head, fluffing his hair and let out something like a growling sound. He picked up a remote from the kitchen counter and hit a button, causing the curtains to close halfway and darken the living room. 

"I'm sorry if there's been some sort or mix-up." You tried not to stare. "I'm supposed to get down to security for my badge. I'll talk to Namjoon and get this straightened out, ok?"  You heard a noncommittal grunt and the refrigerator open and a drink tab being popped. You looked over to see Yoongi pounding an iced coffee. He sat it down on the counter and looked at you. You did your best to maintain eye contact. 

"Want one? " He asked. 

'Uh yeah sure." you walked closer still trying to not check him out. 

He pulled another drink out of the fridge and handed it to you. It had a picture of V on it, causing you to laugh. These fucking models were everywhere. 

"Don't worry. I'll kill Namjoon and Hobi myself. You can leave your bags here for now." He said, grabbing his can of coffee he headed out of the kitchen and up the staircase. You stared at him the entire time while sipping the coffee. There's no harm in looking at your future husband you laughed at yourself at how weird this fucking thing was. 

---

You refreshed your make-up in the bathroom before leaving the apartment and then opened the BigHit App to see where the security office was. The building was massive and had its own gym and grocery store. Jesus.  

You exited the elevator and saw Namjoon waiting in a chair. "Oh, so you're still alive?" you asked. 

"Funny. I was going to say the same thing to you." He countered, standing up. "Are your new living quarters acceptable?" 

Your jaw dropped. "It seems like you dropped me into Mr. Mins house" you whispered, looking around. "I don't see how that's very discreet at all. And it seemed like he was surprised by it as well." 

Namjoon shrugged. "Eh it can't be helped. You two will eventually live together anyways right? Why make you move twice? And besides, only Jin lives on that floor and he thinks it's hilarious. He doesn't know about the dating thing but he does think having Yoongi live with his assistant is some kdrama level shit."

You rolled your eyes. *Yeah well Yoongi hates it. You should have told him first." 

"Yoongi hates everything I do so I don't really care. Let's get your badge ready and then you have to start posting. First day on the job selfie, tweet, whatever it is you kids do these days." 

You rolled your eyes at him, "I'm older than you." 

"To the security office Noona! Jesus why didn't you do your make-up? This badge has to be worn at all times." 

"I did do my make-up today, asshole," you responded as the two of you walked around the corner to the security office. He opened the door and ushered you in. 

"Gentleman, here is Ms. [Y/L/N] ready for her badge and photo." Namjoon plastered on his smile, causing you to scowl. 

The men walked you through another set of paperwork, fingerprints, and a photo. Twenty minutes later you had a fancy security badge clipped to your skirt. 

"Stay out of trouble. Stay on top of the App. If you need anything text Jimin. And start posting" Namjoon said, exiting the security office. He headed in front of you and around the corner,suddenly stopping. 

"What the hell is wrong with you?" You heard Yoongi's voice. It sounded like his voice but you hadn't heard him get angry yet. 

"Not now Yoongi, I have a meeting in 15 minutes." Namjoon sighed. 

"You just dropped a girl into my house without telling me and think I'm not going to have something to say about it?" 

"You knew she was starting today. You agreed that the two of you were going through with all of this. What did you think that meant? Huh?" Namjoon said, almost bored.

"Why don't I get a say in any of this?" Yoongi raised his voice, exasperated. 

"You did. You picked her." Namjoon said calmly as he pushed the up button on the elevator. 

"This is such bullshit!" he yelled. You walked around the corner, surprising him. 

The elevator for Namjoon arrived and he got on it, not bothering to look back. 

You walked closer to Yoongi. "Hey. I'm sorry this was a surprise for you. It was to me too. I thought I would be in a dorm with a bunch of other girls." You gave him a sympathetic look. 

He took off his hat and ran his hands through his hair. "I'm sorry it's not you. It's just...ughhh…" He put the hat back on.

"Really. It's fine. It seems like Namjoon isn't interested in our opinions though, huh? I'm a good roommate. I'm quiet and I clean up after myself. And I can cook." 

Yoongi wasn’t angry at you, so his feelings had morphed into pouting at this point. "It's fine I put your bags in the guest bedroom." He pushed a button on the elevator. He sighed 

"Thanks Yoongi." you said, standing next to him. 

“And I can cook too. So don’t think that’s part of your job or anything.”

“Now what kind of wife would I be if I didn’t cook for you,” You teased as the doors opened up. You were surprised to see him blushing. He hit the button for the 12th floor, keeping his head down the entire way.  NEXT CHAPTER

@lidda  @anpanman-sonyeondan  @firefairy1  @cuteipat  @sugaslittlekookies  @janeelizabeth1216 @deeepvibes @gxldenhunny

[itsadamcole]

graduation day pt. 3

fem!reader x finn balor

It’s Christmas now, and Finn and reader have been able to keep their relationship on the down low for four months. That is until the faculty have a Christmas party, where no one’s secrets are safe ... “i really wanna kiss you right now”

word count: 5.3k+

warnings: a former teacher/former student relationship, drinking / being drunk, jealousy, angst, smut, a little bit of public teasing, fluff

— someone wanted a part 3 and this popped up into my head so this is for whoever wanted the part 3. y’all will finally find out where finn teaches in this part .... but part 4? —

masterlist || part 1 | part 2 | part 4 | part 5 || request an imagine here

~ 18+ content below - read at your own risk ~

“Baby,” Finn whines. “Come on. It’ll be so fun. Everyone is gonna be there. Plus, you’re part of the faculty now because ya are Ver’s assistant.”

He stands in front of you in a suit with red and green Christmas themed tie and sneakers. You love Finn, but the tie he’s wearing is ugly.

You look up at Finn and say, “I don’t think I even have anything to wear, Finn. It’s so last minute. You’re literally on your way to the party.”

Your boyfriend pouts and gives you puppy dog eyes. “Please, Y/N. Pretty please. I’ll never ask ya for something again.”

You giggle and say, “We can’t even be together at the party so why should I go? It wouldn’t be much fun for me because I have maybe two teacher friends, one of which you hate because you think he flirts with me.”

Finn says, “I don’t hate him. He just better learn how to stop flirting with my girl.”

You laugh and say, “I need like forty five minutes to get ready because you caught me off guard.” You’re in your Christmas pajamas. A red cami tank top with Santa’s face on it with red and black plaid pants. Those are your pajamas.

Finn gets happy and excited that you said you were going. You walk back into your bedroom and let Finn into your apartment. You walk to your closet to find something to wear.

You call from your room, “So, is this like a formal event or can I wear a short dress?”

Finn says, “A short dress should be fine. It’s not really formal, I just didn’t know what else to wear so I put on a suit.”

You laugh as you raid your closet.

It takes a good ten minutes before you find a dress that would be acceptable for a last-minute Christmas party.

The dress is a dark red, two piece number. The top of the dress is sparkly with a halter top. The fabric on the back is completely sheer except for the line of the zipper, which runs from the collar down to the bottom of the top. The skirt is a little poofy and ends about halfway down your thighs. The waistband of the skirt is sparkly like the top. A bit of your stomach peeks out between the top and the skirt. You wear a pair of dark red heels to match the dress.

You curl your Y/H/C colored hair and do a red and silver smokey eye look for makeup. You add a little foundation, highlight, and dark red lipstick to complete the makeup look. You put in silver earrings and a silver bracelet that Finn got you for your birthday last month.

You leave your room, walking down the hallway. Finn hears you enter the living room and he smiles when he sees you. “Wow,” he says.

Your face turns a little red and you ask, “Like it?” You do a little spin and the skirt flares out a little bit.

Finn walks over to you and says, “I love it. Ya look stunning, my love.”

You look up at Finn and ask, “So what’s the plan? We can’t walk into the party together.”

He says, “I’ve thought about that. I’m going to park in my usual parking spot. Ya will get out first and I’ll be about five minutes behind ya.”

You giggle and say, “Hm. Smart. Except everyone knows your car.”

“Exactly,” he says. “So we’re taking yours. I’ll drive.”

You blink and say, “That’s also smart.”

Finn laughs and says, “I didn’t become a professor overnight. I went though college and training in Ireland and in the United States.”

You say, “You’ve never explained to me how you became a teacher. Is it different in Ireland than it is here in the States?”

He says, “Not really. I needed my Bachelor’s degree, which I got after four years. Then I had to get a basic teaching credential, which I got after 120 hours of training. I taught in Ireland for three years, until I was 25 before I decided to come over to the States to get my Master’s degree in education, then I was offered a job here once I completed my Florida teaching certificate so I stayed and have been teaching in the States for ten years this year.”

You look up at Finn as he talks. He seems so excited when he talks about going to school in Ireland before coming to the United States to teach. It makes you so happy that he gets excited to talk about his journey from Ireland to the United States.

You wait until he’s done talking before saying, “That’s amazing. It’s crazy how long you’ve been teaching for.”

Finn smiles and says, “Yeah, it is. So, shall we head to the party?”

You nod and collect your things, and by ‘things’ you really mean your clutch, your keys, and your phone.

You and Finn leave your apartment building and the cool breeze hits you.

It’s a warm night tonight in Orlando, Florida. You and Finn will make the short drive to Full Sail University, where Finn teaches and you assist.

Finn drives your car and you play on your phone as he drives. You scroll through Twitter and Instagram.

Your phone begins to ring and you see it’s your mom. Your eyes widen and say, “Crap, I never told my mom I was coming home this Christmas.” You had a flight today but didn’t make it in time, which is why Finn showed up and asked you to come to the party.

Finn glances over at your phone to see your mom calling and he says, “What’re ya gonna say to her?”

“Well I can’t tell her the truth,” you say, answering the phone. “Hey, Mom.”

Your mom says, “Hi, honey. Where are you? You should be home by now.”

You say, “Um, yeah. I missed my flight this morning so I won’t be making it home for Christmas this year.”

“I can book you another flight if you’d like,” your mother says. “It wouldn’t be an issues.”

You internally start to panic and say, “No, it’s okay. I’ll FaceTime you, dad, and Y/S/N on Christmas morning to see everyone open presents and everything.”

Your mom says, “I’ll send yours down to you so you’ll have them before Christmas. They’ll probably be in a big box so be prepared.”

You laugh and say, “Alright, Mom. I’ll talk to you later. I’m on my way to a little get together at the school.”

“Have fun,” your mom says. “Stay safe. I love you.”

You say, “I love you too, Mom.”

She hangs up and you sigh. “Not a complete lie,” Finn says, pulling into his parking spot. You laugh.

He parks the car and he looks over at you. “You’ll be coming in a few minutes?” you ask, looking over at Finn.

Finn nods and says, “I’ll be there in about five minutes.”

You nod and say, “I’ll see you in a few minutes.” He smiles and nods before you get out of the car. You walk through the parking lot to the gym area.

In your four years as a student, you’ve heard all about the faculty Christmas parties. You’ve heard all the stories of drama that have happened at these parties. You’re hoping that nothing happens this year but you’re not holding your breath.

In the past four months, you and Finn have begun a ‘friendship’ by having lunch in the cafeteria or his office. You’ve tried to stay away from him as much as you can but it’s hard when he’s one classroom over from you.

Veronica, the teacher you’ve been assisting, has kept a close eye on you since day one. She’s very suspicious of something more than just a friendship between you and Finn because of what happened day one in Finn’s office.

You walk into the gym. Faculty members are all scattered throughout and the gym is decorated with Christmas decor. There are tables are covered with red and green covered with a Christmas themed figure in the middle. Lights and garland hang throughout the rafters. Christmas music is blaring in the large room. There’s a small dance floor section. You see a minibar in the corner. So there is alcohol, which makes you happy. You’re 23 so you can drink legally.

You ask for a Coke and vodka at the minibar before you walk around, trying to find anyone you know.

That’s when one of your professor friends comes up to you. Mr. Seth Rollins. History professor.

“Hey, Y/N,” he says, drunkenly wrapping an arm around your shoulders. “I thought you were going home for the break.”

You laugh at how drunk he already is before you say, “I was, but then I missed my flight this morning. Someone convinced me to come tonight so here I am.”

Seth smiles and says, “Well, I’m glad you’re here. Come dance with me, Y/N. Have some fun."

You look up at Seth and say, "Alright. One dance."

The two of you walk to the little dance floor area. You sway to the beat of the music with your drink in your hand. Seth makes small talk with you as the two of you dance to Santa Claus Is Coming To Town by the Jackson 5.

A few minutes pass by and you decide to start looking around for Finn. Seth notices that you're distracted and he asks, "You looking for someone? Maybe a boyfriend you invited?" Your eyes shoot to Seth when he says the word 'boyfriend'. "So it is a boyfriend. Do I know him?"

You immediately jump into defense mode and say, "No, it's not a boyfriend. I'm just looking around. I haven't met half these people."

Seth says, "Don't think I haven't seen how close you and Finn Balor are. Always in the cafeteria having lunch. It's a little weird considering that you're his former student."

You stop moving and you look at Seth. You say, "I graduated in May. It's been over seven months. I had you as my history professor in my first year. That's a little weird too."

He opens his mouth to talk and he says, "I won't deny that but you're so much closer to Finn than you are to me. Plus, Finn looks at me weird when I'm around you."

Finn does think that Seth has a thing for you. You look the same way at Veronica when she's around Finn. You two get so jealous sometimes, you won't deny that fact.

"Finn looks at everyone weird," you say. "I don't know if you've noticed that."

As your eyes scan the room, you find Finn. He's standing with Veronica and one of the other English professors, Mr. Kevin Owens. You sigh. Seth looks back to see Finn talking with Veronica and Kevin before looking back at you.

Seth says, "You're either jealous or upset that he's talking to Veronica. I heard what happened when she walked into his office on the first day. You told her off and she's been upset over that for the past four months."

You say, "I'm not surprised. She's been harassing him for a while from what I understand. He's been rejecting her."

He laughs and says, "She's been after him since she got hired. The English Department head loves her. Finn's been saying no to her for years but she won't lay off him. Everyone was shocked when you of all people said something to her."

"How many people know that I said something?" you ask, looking up at Seth. 

Seth says, "A lot of people do. I think some people from all departments know what happened. It's not exactly a secret, Y/N."

You facepalm and say, "Great."

After a second, Seth says, "Oh, shit."

You look up at Seth. "What?" you ask. "What's happening?"

"Veronica is all over Finn," he says. "Kevin left and it's just the two of them. He's pushing her away from him."

You turn and look at Finn. Veronica is all over him. Kevin is walking away from them. Anger rises inside of you.

Seth says, "For someone who isn't your boyfriend, you're sure acting like he is. You look so mad, Y/N."

You look at Seth and say, "Excuse me for a second, Seth." You walk toward Finn. Your boyfriend looks over at you and says something to Veronica. She looks over at you and rolls her eyes.

Finn looks at you and says, "Y/N, nice to see ya."

"You too, Finn," you say, looking at him. "You looked like you could use some help." You look over at Veronica, glaring at her. "No offense."

She forces a smile and says, "Full offense taken."

Seth walks up beside you and asks, "Everything okay over here?"

You look at Seth then look at Finn. Veronica says, "Everything's fine. Just making polite conversation. Nothing to be worried about."

Finn is staring at Seth. In Finn's defense, Seth is standing a little too close to you for comfort.

Seth snaps his fingers and says, "Oh, Veronica, I wanted to talk to you about something so can I borrow you for a second?"

She nods and walks off with Seth. When they're out of sight, Finn takes your wrist and walks with you outside the gym. "Finn," you gasp as you walk after him. "I'm in heels. Slow down."

The two of you walk around the building and Finn looks down at you. "Why is Seth hanging around you?" he asks.

"He walked up to me," you say. "I was getting my drink and he asked me to dance. I could ask you the same question. Why is Veronica hanging around you?"

Finn says, "She walked up to me as soon as I walked into the room. It's like she was staring down the door and waiting for me to walk in. Why? Is someone jealous?" He raises his eyebrows at you.

You say, "Every chance she gets, she's all over you. I'll tell her off again, I swear to God, Finn. I will. I'll throw her across the damn room if I have to."

He laughs and says, "Stay around me tonight. I want to make sure ya don't throw her across the room."

You pout and say, "I'm not complaining about being around you but I still want to throw her across the room."

Finn leans down and pecks your lips before he says, "Relax, Y/N. Ya won't want to throw her across the room in a few minutes."

Confused, you tilt your head at Finn and ask, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"That's for me to know and for ya to find out," Finn says. "Come on. Let's head back inside before it looks suspicious that I dragged ya out here."

You nod and head back into the gym with Finn. You walk with Finn to one of the tables. He pulls out a seat for you and you sit down, scooting closer to the table with Finn's help. He sits beside you and says, "Feeling better?"

You nod again and say, "Much."

Right at that moment, Seth and Veronica walk over. Seth sits on the other side of you and Veronica sits on the other side of Finn. You sigh softly and take a large gulp of your drink.

"Everything okay?" Seth asks, seeing you take the large sip of your drink.

You say, "Everything's just peachy."

After you say that, you feel Finn's hand on your knee under the table. The red table cover hides his hand on your knee.

Finn asks, "So what did the two of you need to talk about?"

Seth replies by saying, "I was going to come by and talk about the history behind the book she's going to be assigning her class to read in a few weeks."

"What book would that be?" you ask, looking at Veronica.

She says, "The Diary of Anne Frank. We analyze that book like no tomorrow. Usually, I have one of the history professors come in and talk about the historical context behind the Holocaust and everything. Seth knew this so he asked if he could be this year's speaker."

You look at Seth and say, "Oh, really? Well, I look forward to seeing you come to class in the future."

Finn's hand slide up your thigh under it's right under your skirt. You take another sip of your drink to wash away the nerves. Finn's never touched you when you're at the school, except for the three times you've had sex in his office since graduation day last May.

Seth says, "I do as well."

You finish your drink and look at the ice in the cup. You say, "I'm going to go get another drink. I'll be right back."

You start to get up and Finn's hand slides off your thigh.

"I'll come with ya," Finn suddenly says. "I've been needing a drink myself." He stands up and walks with you to the minibar.

You ask, "What do you think you're doing, Finn? You can just put your hand on my knee like that."

Finn stands beside you at the minibar as you order another Coke and vodka. He leans down and says in your ear, "I did and I will again."

You're handed your refilled drink and look over at Finn. "You're being very touchy-feely tonight and it better stop unless you want the relationship coming out into the open."

He says, "I'm a little drunk and a little jealous that Seth can just openly flirt with ya."

"Now you know how I feel," you say, sipping your drink. "We both get a little jealous, don't we?"

Finn secretly leaves a few soft kisses to your jawline as he says, "I'll lead to some really hot, jealous sex tonight."

You giggle and say, "If you're that lucky. You won't be lucky if you keep kissing my jaw when our co-workers are around."

He smirks and says, "Touche, my love."

After the little conversation that left your core aching for Finn, you head back to the table. Clearing your throat, you sit back down.

You cross your legs under the table in case Finn gets any ideas. His hand goes back to its spot on your thigh when he's settled next to you.

You, Finn, Seth, and Veronica make small conversation.

Veronica asks, "So, Seth, have you been seeing anyone recently? Or have your eye on someone?"

Seth looks directly at you and says, "I have my eye on someone. I don't think she feels the same though."

Finn grips your thigh a bit after he slides it up a bit. You gasp and cough to cover it up. You take a sip of your drink.

"What about you, Y/N? Dating anyone or talking to anyone?" Veronica asks, eyes staring into your soul.

You say, "I'm dating someone but it's none of your business who it is."

Seth nudges me with his elbow and says, "Tell us about him. What's he like? Does he go to school here?"

You look over at Seth and say, "He's not from around here. He's from Europe. France, actually. He's home visiting his family for the holidays."

Veronica says, “Oh, wow. What’s his name?”

Quickly, a name pops into your head. “Francis Blanchet,” you say. Finn’s initials. F.B.

Finn snickers under his breath. Seth asks, “What’s so funny, Finn?”

“Nothing,” he says, pulling his phone out quickly. “Just got a funny text. That’s all.”

Veronica says, “Well, I have my eyes on someone.”

You shoot a glare as Veronica and say, “We’re all aware that you stalk Finn because you’re in love with him.”

Finn and Seth both stare at me as Veronica says, “You’re acting like you’re in love with him or something.”

I am, you think to yourself but you say out loud, “I have a boyfriend in France and Finn never told us if he was dating anyone.”

All three of you look at Finn. He looks at you and says, “I am.”

“There we go,” you say, glaring at Veronica. “Stop chasing a man who’s taken.”

Finn gets up and says, “Alright. I’m diffusing the situation before it gets too out of hand so, Y/N.” You look up at him. “Come dance with me.”

You get up and take Finn’s offered hand that he held out to you after he asked you to dance. Veronica’s jaw drops and asks, “What about me?”

“You sound like a five-year-old and you’re, what, 35?” you ask. “Grow up”

Finn walks away with you, hand in hand.

Snow in California by Ariana Grande is playing. There are a lot of pairs on the dance floor so you walk to the other side, out of sight of Seth and Veronica.

Finn takes you in his arms and you wrap your arms around his waist, both of you swaying to the music.

He’s looking down at you and you look up at him. Finn’s face is close to yours and he says, “Ya are jealous.”

You smile and say, “Maybe a little. She’s claiming you like you’re hers.”

“I’m yours, my love,” Finn says to you. “All yours. I may not show it a lot when we’re here at school but I do love ya. A lot.”

You stare up into Finn’s eyes and you say, “I really wanna kiss you right now.”

Finn’s tongue swipes over his bottom lip and he says, “I really wanna do more than just kiss ya right now. Our little conversation earlier made me a little too excited.”

You bite your lip lightly and say, “Let’s head out soon and we can go to whoever’s place is closer and you can do more than just kiss me all night long.”

He nods and says, “Ya leave in a half hour and I’ll follow behind ya after about ten minutes.”

You nod and pull yourself closer to Finn, staring up at him.

Someone clears their throat and taps you on the shoulder. You turn and see Seth Rollins. “Can I get a dance?” he asks innocently.

You look up at Finn and he has a jealous look in his eyes but he says: “Sure. Find me after, Y/N.”

He hands you over to Seth and walks off. You look up at Seth and he says, “I’m surprised that he said yes. I thought he was gonna kill me right then and there.”

You say, “He’s a little possessive of me. I mean, look around the room. I’m the youngest person in here. He just wants to make sure I’m safe.”

Seth says, “I do too, but if you were my girlfriend then I wouldn’t leave your side.”

You stare up at Seth and say, “For the last time, Finn and I aren’t-”

“Cut the bull,” he says, cutting you off. You close your mouth. “When Ver said that you were acting like you were in love with him, you muttered ‘I am’. I heard you. The way you look at him, I wish you’d look at me that way.”

Seth looks behind you and you glance behind you. Veronica is trying to kiss Finn and you look at Seth. You say, “I can’t do anything without it looking suspicious.”

Seth says, “I’ll handle it.”

He turns to walk away before you take his wrist, saying, “No. I’ll handle it. I don’t care anymore.”

You walk over to Veronica and Finn. You look at Finn and say to Veronica, “What would Finn’s girlfriend think if she found you were moving in on Finn. She's not here but imagine if she walked through that door and saw you trying to kiss her man."

Veronica looks at you before she asks, "What would your boyfriend think if you were defending Finn like you were the one dating him?"

Finn looks over at you and says, "Because she is the one dating me."

You, Seth, and Veronica all look at Finn. Finn smiles and says, "She's Finn's girlfriend." You smile when he refers to himself in the third person. "And I am head over heels for her."

He walks over to you and you stare up at him. Seth smiles behind you as Veronica says, "This is highly inappropriate. She's your former student."

"Keyword," Finn says, not looking away from me. "Former. She graduated in May, she's not my student anymore. She's just my co-worker and my girlfriend."

You giggle and say, "I am."

Finn rests his hands on my cheeks and says, "Ya said how much ya wanted to kiss me earlier. What's stopping ya now?"

You smile and say, "Nothing." Your hands fly to the back of Finn's neck and you pull him down to you. His lips crash to yours and start to move against yours. Seth claps behind you and Finn smiles against your lips.

Veronica says, "Whatever." She walks off.

Seth says, "Okay, okay. Let's not suck off each other's faces in front of everyone."

Finn pulls back and smiles down at you. You look at Seth and say, "Thanks for like not freaking out."

Seth smiles and says, “You guys are cute. I kind of suspected something day one and was waiting for the day that you guys made it public. It was also why I never made a move on Y/N even though I liked her.”

You laugh a bit and Finn says, “I think I’m starting to like ya a little more.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Seth says. “Go home and take care of that.” He motions to Finn’s hand on my butt. “I know how you two are just dying to leave so go ahead.”

Finn doesn’t waste any time in grabbing my clutch and my hand before running out the door. You laugh as you try to keep up with Finn.

***

Finn’s place is the closest to the school. He lives in a three floor Victorian house. You guess with a professors salary he can afford this on his own. You’ve been here a few times before but he likes to come to your apartment.

He parks your car in his driveway and gets out. You get out and walk into his house. Once the front door is closed, Finn’s lips connect to yours and your hands fly to his hair. You smile into the kiss and kick off your heels by the door. Finn sheds his jacket.

The two of you stumble toward the stairs. Finn’s tie comes off and you start to unbutton his shirt as you walk up the stairs.

Once up the stairs, Finn shrugs his shirt off and unzips the top of your dress. You throw the piece of clothing onto the hallway floor and Finn picks you up by your thighs.

The kiss has gotten more intense when you and Finn slip your tongues into each other’s mouths. He pins you against the hallway wall.

“Finn,” you giggle against his lips. “Your room is right upstairs.”

He says, “I can’t wait that long.”

Finn pulls off your skirt and you reach down to unbutton his jeans. He walks upstairs to the third floor and into his bedroom.

You’re dropped on the bed and he pulls off his dress pants. He kicks off his shoes before leaning down and hovering over you.

His lips are on your breasts, kissing and sucking one while his hand groping the other. You moan softly and run your fingers through Finn’s hair as he pays attention to your breasts.

You lift your hips up so your clothed core rubs against Finn’s bulge. He lets out a soft groan so you do it again. And again. Until he pins your hips to the bed.

“Relax, my love,” he says, pulling down your soaked red lace panties. “We’re gonna get there.”

You bite your lip and look up at Finn, saying, “I need you inside of me right now, Finn. Please.” Desperation is laced in your voice.

The room is dark but you know that Finn’s looking at your now fully naked body as he throws your panties to the floor. He gets himself out of his boxers and hovers back over you.

Finn pulls you close to him and kisses you. Your lips move feverishly against his as his top runs through your wet folds. You moan into the kiss.

He pushes himself into you, making you moan louder.

You love when you have sex at Finn’s house instead of your apartment because you can be as loud as you want. Your neighbors can hear you when you’re with Finn in your apartment. There’s no one around in Finn’s house.

Finn moves slowly, letting you adjust to him inside of you. You gasp and moan as he pulls back from the kiss. His lips attach to your neck and he starts thrusting harder and faster into you.

“God, Finn,” you moan, throwing your head back. “Fuck, right here.” He moves deeper into you and he grazes your g-spot with his top.

You moan loudly and your back arches off the bed. Your hands are on Finn’s back, digging your nails into his flesh.

Finn’s now kissing your jaw, panting a bit by your ear.

He mumbles, “I love you, Y/N. I love you so much.”

Finn thrusts faster and you moan, “I love you too, Finn. So much.”

The room is filled with your moans and the sound of skin slapping as Finn thrusts into you.

It takes a little bit before both of you reach your highs at the same time. You release around Finn and he releases into you. You scream Finn’s name as you climax.

Finn helps you ride out your high and kisses you messily. Both of you are breathing heavily as you come down from your highs.

He gets off of you and he says, “Come with me.” He puts on his boxers. You grab one of his shirts and put your panties on. Your legs are a little weak but you follow Finn. His hand is in yours. He pulled the blankets off the bed and he walks downstairs with you and the blankets.

“Where are we going?” you ask, walking into the living room.

Finn gets the fireplace started and you smile. He lays out the blankets in front of it and he lays down. “Come cuddle,” he says.

You giggle and lay down beside him. He wraps his arms around you and you throw your arm lazily across his waist. Your head rests on his chest and you intertwine your legs with his.

The two of you lay in front of the warm fireplace for an hour before a clock goes off.

It’s midnight. It’s Christmas Day.

Finn smiles and looks down at you. “I know we promised not to get each other anything,” he says. “But I have something for you.”

You watch as Finn gets up and grabs a little present from under his tree. The present is big enough to fit in your hand. He sits next to you and holds it out to you.

“Finn,” you say, sitting up and crossing your legs. “You didn’t have to get me anything.” You take the gift from him.

He smiles and says, “I know. Just open it.”

You smile and start to open the gift. Inside the gift wrap is a dark red velvet box. You look up at Finn and he’s smiling. Slowly, you open the box.

Inside the box is a ring with an oval diamond. You look up at Finn again and ask, “What’s this?”

Finn smiles and says, “A ring.”

“Why?” you ask as he takes the ring out of the box.

He holds it out to you and moves so he’s on one knee. Your eyes widen. “The past few months have been some of the best of my life. I love you, Y/N. More than you think. I didn’t know that when ya walked into my classroom a year ago that we’d be here. When ya came to me on graduation day and told me how ya felt, I knew that I wanted ya in my life forever. So, I’m asking ya for forever.”

You stare at the ring in Finn’s hand as he talks.

“Marry me, Y/N.”

[fairyoftbz]

[10:56]

🎄Day 15 of the Christmas project🎄

"Are you ready, honey?” Sangyeon asked from the hall, replacing a lock of hair that had fallen to his forehead from lack of gel. Pushing it away with two fingers, he turned to the stairwell, awaiting your arrival. "I'm coming, just finishing this..." your voice trailed off in your concentration as you applied a final coat of mascara, your mouth hanging open as you gently brushed your lashes. Once this task was complete, you capped the tube before leaving it on your dressing table, turning off the light before going down the stairs, leading you directly to your boyfriend. The latter was still looking at himself in the mirror, the hand in his hair immediately stopping after you appeared in the reflection. You wore a pretty grey, black and white skater skirt and a Christmas sweater, your hair pulled up in a nice bun, leaving your neck open and adorned with a gold necklace. The mouth of your partner dropped abruptly, his eyes widening as he turned to face you.

“You look so beautiful,” are the only words he managed to utter as he stared at you, feeling the blush on your cheeks as his beautiful eyes took pleasure in studying you. Getting closer to you, he hugged your waist before placing a kiss on your temple, being careful not to ruin your makeup. You smiled as you smoothed down the fold of his suit before kissing him quickly on the lips, letting out a chuckle when you see a faint tint on your boyfriend's lips. You wiped it with your thumb, and he puckered his lips, his tongue darting out against your finger, making you laugh. "Okay, let's go, or we're gonna be late, and you know how much my mom hates latecomers," you took his hand and grabbed the car keys that were hanging off the wall, Sangyeon shutting the main door with a double turn before sitting at the wheel.

The trip to your parents' house went off without a hitch, just a little scare when Sangyeon didn't see a patch of ice under some snow. However, he handled the situation like a pro by stepping the wheel to the left, getting you back on the road properly, letting out a sigh of relief as you were safe again. Sangyeon followed your directions to your childhood home, pulled up in the driveway in front of the garage and turned off the ignition. Keeping his hands on the wheel, he sighed, hearing a hint of apprehension in his body. You turned your head to look at him, placing a reassuring hand on his forearm, your gesture forcing him to look at you.

"It's going to be fine, don't worry too much. I'm sure they'll love you," smiling at him before kissing his cheek, Sangyeon chuckled very briefly as his hands fidgeted in fear. He was about to meet your family, taking this big step with you made him very uneasy. He knew that if he made a first bad impression, he would have no way of making up for it. He didn't want to screw up because you were really important to his eyes, and he couldn't afford to make a single mistake, because you were simply perfect when you met his parents last weekend.

"Just be yourself, that's how they're gonna really like you the best," he turned his head towards you and took a deep breath as if he wanted to cheer himself up and nodded, his hand on the car handle. You got out of the car at the same time, the front door of the house opening on your father and your older brother, the latter having his arms crossed against his chest. You took your boyfriend's hand and squeezed it discreetly, assuring him that he needn't to panic. "Here you are, children!" Come in, come in!" your father greeted with a wide smile, warmly shaking your boyfriend's hand as you hugged your brother. "If he ever hurts you, I'm smashing his face in," he whispered in your ear, and you gave him a gentle tap on the shoulder. "Get to know him before judging him, we've been together for a long time," you whispered against his chest before letting go of his grip, hearing your mother come from the living room.

"Oh, boys, you could've waited for me to greet them! Oh my darling, how stunning you are! And you are Sangyeon, right? Welcome loves, just come in,” your mother hugged you and kissed your temple, your father stepping aside to let the rest of the family in. "He's a very lovely gentleman," your mother whispered as you felt your cheeks heat in embarrassment, glad that Sangyeon had made a first positive impression on your mother. She pulled you into the kitchen, asking you about how you were as your boyfriend walked into the living room, your brother and father on his heels. He sat down on the couch and pleadingly looked at you one last time before you disappeared into the kitchen, leaving him like a puppy with two adult Dobermans.

"What did you say to the boys before we got there? They're going to scare Sangyeon away no sooner said than done," you said, looking distractedly behind you, hearing the male voices coming from the living room. "No, no, I didn't tell them anything, I just don't think your brother is too pleased that you are bringing a man home…" your mother's voice trailed off as she concentrated on placing the appetisers on a tray, his words making you frown. "So he has the right to bring a girl home without me saying anything, but he's not happy when I bring someone like Sangyeon home? He's not a guy I picked randomly, we've been together for a while, and I love him,” folding your arms across your chest in annoyance, your mother waved her hand in front of her face. "Don't worry too much Y/N, he's your big brother, he's just being protective," you shook your head before suddenly opening the fridge, grabbing two beers, a bottle of sparkling water and champagne before heading to the living room.

Sangyeon didn't seem too comfortable, and there was a reason for it. Your brother still hadn't uncrossed his arms and was looking at your boyfriend intensely, enough to make him uneasy. When you appeared out of the kitchen, he smiled like a man who saw an oasis as he had just crossed the desert. You beamed at him in the most reassuring way you could, trying not to let him know that he shouldn't stress too much. Your brother could indeed be extremely - too - protective because of some guys who broke your heart many years ago, but Sangyeon had nothing to do with them. He was kind, attentive, and most of all, he loved and cared for you.

"Here," you sharply handed the beer to your brother, uncapping your father's because of his premature degenerative joint disease. "Thanks, Y/N," your father said before you took a close seat next to Sangyeon, placing a reassuring hand on his thigh. You felt his muscle relax at your touch, sending him a quiet smile as your mother arrived with drinks and homemade snacks.

The rest of the day went off without a problem, your mother sending your brother regularly to the kitchen to stop harassing Sangyeon with questions, the latter not feeling reassured when he was with you and your parents at the table.

"Your brother is worse than a detective, he should work for the secret service," Sangyeon took the opportunity that you are alone together at the table to speak to you with more freedom. You put a hand on the middle of his back and rubbed it gently, feeling his heart pounding under your palm. "I know, and I'm sorry… he still has the bad memories of the last men I brought home. He thinks I only date toxic people, so he's worried about me. No matter how much I tell him that I have matured and that I'm cautious about my heart and my dates, he still doesn't want to hear anything,” you sighed, trying to explain your brother's behaviour without taking his defence, your soft voice contrasting with the words that came out of your mouth. You smiled and looked up when the rest of your family walked into the living room again, your parents smiling big at your boyfriend. Your brother's eyes fixed on your linked hands, but your mother nudged him to stop making such a fuss.

"It was super nice to have us, we're gonna be soon, right honey?" "Yeah, we've got a long way to go home," he agreed before clearing his throat. Your mum seemed sad that you were leaving so quickly, but she understood that you still had some way to go, since you didn’t live next door. Your parents got up from the couch, and you imitated them, hugging your mom while your dad shook hands with a big, enthusiastic smile on his lips. “Sangyeon, I enjoyed meeting you. You're welcome home at any time, come back with Y/N whenever you want!" A veil of relief appeared on your boyfriend's face, who smiled very lively at your father. "Likewise, I had a fantastic evening meeting everyone," you sent a knowing smile to your mother, who winked at you. "I have never seen you so happy and comfortable with a man, it's nice to see you with such a big smile on your face. Keep him close to you, he's a good guy, I can feel it," your mother added, cupping your face before kissing your cheek. "Mother's instinct?" You asked with a slight smile, watching out of the corner of your eye as it was your brother's turn to shake Sangyeon's hand. "Text us when you get home, loves!" Your mom yelled from the doorway, wrapped in her cardigan, waving as your boyfriend reversed the car onto the road. You waved goodbye to them one last time before driving off, feeling that Sangyeon was relaxing more and more as you moved away from your parents' house.

“Congratulations honey, you passed the test!" You exclaimed teasingly, your man letting out a huge sigh that made you laugh, looking like he had held his breath as soon as he stepped through the door of the family home. "Are you sure because I don't know if your brother is-" "Stop with him, my parents love you, that's what matters. My brother is a very sceptical person, you also glare when your big sister brings a man home." "Yeah, there is good reason to, she's hanging out with some weird guys." "Well, imagine I was doing the same thing before I met you, so he had to show my exes not to hurt me," you explained, Sangyeon sped onto the highway.

"But has he ever hit one of your exes?" He asked with concern, the question burning his tongue since you told him everything about your brother, making you laugh softly. "Yes, it has happened a few times," you nodded and saw your boyfriend thickly swallow and slowly grow pale. "I'm kidding love! He just threatened them, nothing too serious," laughing out loud at your boyfriend's frightened face, he shook his head and grabbed your thigh to give it a gentle squeeze. "Stop playing pranks on me like that, it's not funny." "You should have seen your face, it was amazing," you chuckled, and he shook his head again before looking at you for a brief moment. "Wait till we get home, he who laughs last laughs longest." "Is this a threat ?" you quizzed with a smirk, your boyfriend chuckling. "Maybe… or an invitation for a good time," you exchanged a teasing glance before you nudge his face with your forefinger to make him focus on the road, the hand on your thigh innocently stroking your skin, going back and forth, each time going a little higher.

[mcwriting]

The Marriage Project (3)

Anddddd I’m back with this bby. Sorry I’ve been slowing down some of my content. Last Friday I had to deal with family health matters on top of schoolwork and a sorority function I had to be at. Anyways. 

High school AU. Tom Holland. Yeah.

Story Masterlist

Warnings: mild language

Rating: Between T and M

Word Count: 2351

% approximately the 3rd week of September %

You’d had two away volleyball games that week and Tom had an away football game, so by Saturday you were exhausted. Your Friday game hadn’t been too far, but the football team had traveled a decent distance, so you figured they’d gotten home late.

You still showed up at Tom’s on time, though, as planned the day before.

Nikki opened the door at your arrival.

“Oh, hey, y/n! Come on in!”

You returned her greeting and entered, looking around expectantly.

“If you’re looking for Tom, he’s not up yet. They got home pretty late last night.”

“I figured that would be the case.”

You noticed that on the dining room table were a few grocery bags.

“Oh, do you need help with those? I can wait on Tom,” you offered.

“No don’t worry about those bags, but if you’re looking to do something, I was about to make some apple pies for a get together tomorrow. I’d love your help.”

You agreed and followed her into the kitchen. After peeling and chopping apples for a few minutes, someone else walked into the kitchen.

“Well who’s this? I don’t remember having a daughter,” Tom’s dad said. You turned to look at him and smile, then continued cutting fruit.

“Oh Dominic you know y/n. She’s the one Tom’s always talking about, competing and whatnot. They’re doing that marriage project together.”

Your face heated up so you continued to look down at the apple.

He talks about me? Like how much he hates me or what?

“Yes of course, how could I forget? You’re one of the best soccer players I’ve seen! Good to see you again,” he said.

“Nice seeing you, too, Mr. Holland.”

“Please, call me Dom. Now how come you’re down here and not with Tom?”

“I was waiting for him to get up. Plus, Nikki promised me a slice,” you grinned.

“Well I’d definitely call that a fair trade. Nikki’s pies are the best in the world,” he turned to his wife, “I’ll be back in a bit. I’m meeting with the publisher today.”

“Good luck, honey. I’m sure you’ll be great,” Nikki encouraged, giving her husband a quick peck.

“Thanks, dear. Once again, it was nice seeing you, y/n. Feel free to come make desserts here any time,” he joked and you just laughed and waved.

A few minutes after he’d left, Nikki spoke up again.

“You know, y/n. I’m glad you and Tom were paired up for this project. I’ve really liked having you around the past few weeks, and it seems like Tom has learned a lot from you. I mean, He even went out and bought some pads and tampons and things for his bathroom this week.”

Now your face really burned. 

“He did?”

“Yeah. He said he’d better be safe than sorry. I’m glad you two look out for each other like that, even if you are rivals. By the way, I made sure he didn’t get the cardboard ones,” she added. With that, you fell into rhythmic silence.

Not long after, you heard footsteps coming down the stairs. From the hall, Tom’s voice called out.

“Mom? It’s almost 2. Have you heard anything from-” he walked through the kitchen door. “Oh. You’re here. What are you doing?”

You grabbed a towel to wipe off your hands as you turned to face him.

“I got here at 1 but felt bad about you getting home late so I’ve just been helping your mom make pie. She promised me a slice.”

“You’re really gonna give her some mom? She doesn’t even deserve to see how they’re made!”

“Oh Tom I swear. Y/n is a nice girl, just get over yourself. But, if you two want to go get to work I think I’ve got it handled from here. I’ll bring you both some when the first one’s done.”

You grabbed your bag and headed up behind Tom and got to work quickly. Eventually you took a break when Nikki brought up pie and ice cream as promised with a couple waters. 

You ate in silence, Tom leaned against his bed and you against the wall across from him, when something she had said earlier popped into your head.

“Hey, Tom?”

“Yeah princess?” he replied, not looking up. You rolled your eyes and continued.

“Your mom said something earlier that I wanted to ask about.”

“If she told you anything incriminating it’s not true.”

“Suuuureeee. Anyways, she said you, uh, stocked up your cabinet in the bathroom. That’s really cool of you.”

“Yeah, well, can’t have you bleeding everywhere now can we? But, em. Yeah. The fact that you were so panicked over something that seems so trivial spoke pretty loud. I thought it’s better to just stay safe.”

You sat in silence for a little bit, just eating.

“Mind if I ask you something?” he said.

“Shoot.”

“What does it feel like? You know? They don’t mention that stuff in health articles.”

You contemplated for a little bit before answering.

“Well… like I said before, it’s different for everyone, but I’ll try my best. Cramps are kinda like being scratched and punched from the inside all at once. Freebleeding just feels like… wet and sticky. I find it disgusting so I wear mostly tampons.”

“Interesting. Thanks, princess.”

Once finishing off your snack, you got back to work. By the time you were done, it was almost 4.

“See you Monday, y/n”

“Yep. Oh, by the way, I have a small volleyball tournament next weekend so I can’t do Saturday. Is Sunday okay or do you wanna get together another day?”

“Can you do Thursday? We just have morning workouts that day.”

“Yeah I have practice last period so I’ll just shower and meet you in the parking lot? We can go to my place.”

“Can’t. I have to take the boys home.”

“If you want, you can take them home and I’ll pick you up. It’ll give me time to shower and change and then we can just carpool.”

“I don’t know. Sure you even know how to drive?”

“I’ll have you know I passed that test with flying colors sophomore year.”

Eventually he agreed and with that you were back out the door, giving one final thanks to Nikki.

%

By Wednesday you and Tom had finished your little quilt and Mrs. Flynn loved it. 

You and Tom obviously didn’t play when it came to grades, even if it was home economics.

Thursday, you were leaving your last class before practice and reminded Tom you were picking him up that afternoon, to which his friends looked at him funny and kinda messed with him.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.”

When you pulled up into his driveway after school, he plopped into the passenger's seat and held out a foil-wrapped object in his left hand.

“What is that?” you asked.

“My mom wanted you to have it. She made bread.”

“Oh. Well thanks. I’ll have to thank her for it next time I see her. You can just set it in the back seat for now.”

You drove back to your place, pulling into the garage and leading Tom through the door. Your parents were still at work, so you told Tom you’d just work in the living room.

“I don’t want them to say anything weird about us being home alone in my room,” you explained.

You sat on the floor quietly typing when you remembered something.

“Hey, how did you do on the calc test?”

“95. You?”

“Damn. 94. I’ll make a comeback next time,” you joked, earning an eye roll.

After a half hour, your mom came home.

“Hey honey, how was your day? Did you beat Tom in whatever you were competing with him in today?” she asked, part joking since she knew of your rivalry well.

“It was fine, and mom. We have a guest, remember?” you said through gritted teeth.

She looked over the couch, where she found Tom waving at her awkwardly.

“Oh. Hi there. I forgot you were coming over today. So sorry about that.”

“No worries, Mrs. y/l/n. I beat her by a point today so it evens out,” he joked. You were annoyed at his banter with your mom and cut it off.

“Okay, well, Tom. Let’s go finish this in my room now that my mom’s home,” you said, getting everything and carrying it to the bedroom.

You tossed your bag and papers on the floor and quickly picked up some random things laying around, such as a pair of volleyball shoes and stray athletic socks. You especially rushed to snatch a rogue lace bra.

From the corner of your eye, you could see Tom standing still, looking around the room like you had the first time at his house.

Your walls were light grey but covered in your paintings and other art. One shelf mounted to a wall held all of your ribbons and trophies from sports, quiz bowl, and art fairs. Your bedspread was baby pink and sheets light yellow, and the same pink was strewn around the room in the form of desk accents and other blankets. You had a large plush cat resting near your pillows.

“Wow. So you’re like… a real girl. Huh.” he stated flatly. You stood up from tossing everything into your closet.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Well, like, you’re all tough and smart and sporty but you have pink everywhere and a stuffed animal on your bed.”

“You do realize women are complex creatures right? Considering we’re human and all?”

“Yeah, of course. I guess I’ve just never seen this side of you. I shouldn’t have worded it that way. Sorry.”

It surprised you to hear Tom apologize over something so small. Usually he would stand his ground, wave you off, or just move on. 

“It’s fine. I just hate when people stereotype, you know? Like I can love science, art, sports, pink, sweatpants, and skirts all at the same time. And I do. And I’m not trying to sound like the ‘I’m not like other girls’ girl, because I am a girl, but I’m more than just one side or the other.”

“So why do you hide the ‘typically girly’ stuff? I’ve never seen you at school wearing a pink dress and makeup. I mean even at dances you always wear dark colors and at parties I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in something other than jeans or shorts.”

You shrugged as you made your way onto the floor next to your computer, Tom following suit.

“I guess I try to stick to one aesthetic. I mean, it already seems to shock the administration that I’m good at and enjoy doing two sports, art, and honors stuff. I don’t think they could handle another layer of me,” you chuckled. “Isn’t there anything you hide?”

He thought about it for a few seconds, leaning his head against the wall.

“Well, I guess you know this now, but I like Spider-Man.”

“Yeah, but it’s considered normal for guys to like comic book characters. When I tell people I like Spider-Man, they just assume I have a crush on the actor. Come on, there has to be something you don’t show off at school.”

“Okay fine. I’ve got a couple. One, I actually like to cook. A lot. It almost kills me to be partnered up with the guys sometimes because they’re so clueless in the kitchen. And two, I love dance. I did it for a bit as a kid but got embarrassed and decided to go the normal sports route. I still go to the Nutcracker every year, though.”

You found yourself smiling at his honesty.

“Really? You know my mom put me in little kid ballet classes for a while, but I was really disruptive in class because I had too much energy, so I got into other sports instead. Has the football team never done a ballet class? I know some schools make them.”

“One summer. Maybe two years ago? We were doing a team building thing and they made us take one. I couldn’t make myself pretend to be bad so I just let everyone believe I was a natural talent,” he laughed, causing you to do the same. “You should’ve seen those guys. That’s probably one of my best football memories.”

You both sit in comfortable silence for a while. You couldn’t remember a time that you both were open to each other without the slightest bit of tension.

After a few more moments, you both got back to work.

%

You didn’t realize that it was past 5 o’clock until your mother was at your doorway telling you dinner was ready.

“Feel free to stay. We’d love to have you for dinner, Tom,” she offered, then went back to the kitchen. 

“Do you mind? I can just walk home if not.”

“Just stay, man. What’s one dinner? I’d feel at least somewhat bad to make you walk all the way home. We’re done for the week anyways, so I’ll just drive you after we eat.”

You led him to the kitchen, where your mom had cooked some ravioli and tossed a salad. You built your plates and thanked your mom, then sat at the dining room table.

You ate in awkward silence since your parents were in the living room. Your dad had greeted you and Tom when he came home from work, not really realizing who Tom was.

Once your plates were practically cleaned, you cleared the table and took Tom home.

“Thanks again for dinner and driving me. Good luck this weekend.”

Who is this guy and where did he take Tom? He never wishes me luck.

“Yeah no problem. Thank your mom for the bread. And good luck on your game tomorrow, too. I hear it’s gonna be a tough one.”

”They just haven’t met me yet,” he joked, then got out of the car and headed to the door. He tossed one last wave back as you pulled away.

%

A/N: I’m happy to be posting the next part and with the free time that I have at the moment of formatting this I’m hoping that I can reedit ch 4 and have it up by next week. As always, love you all and thanks for reading!

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Story Tag List: @jackiehollanderr, @one-big-fangirl, @l0lmk, @primadonnasdream, @bookworm06, @thenoddingbunny-blog

[livebloggingmydescentintomadness]

OK but what you said about pronouns is..... Me lmao like she/her is just what I've been called and they/them doesn't feel right and neither does he/him like maybe they/them could work but like.... The amount of effort involved with they/them pronouns is insane like and its such a small amount of people with those pronouns so not only have I gotta deal with my own stuff to do with they/them and how that still doesn't feel actually right I've also gotta deal with others?????? Like honestly people who go by they/them are so brave and have more patience than I've ever possessed in my entire life.

I've honestly thought I was cis but maybe I'm non binary??? Like I've not for as long as I can remember (which is since I was like 13??) properly felt like I'm female I just didn't know what it was I felt??? Like sometimes I feel male sometimes female sometimes I'm like gender sucks it's weird but yeah I just never really thought maybe I'm non binary until I read your post and went.... Fuck that's me

Honestly tho when anyone calls me woman or girl or lady I'm like ew inside tbh and idk maybe I am non binary but idk and I won't be changing pronouns as I don't have that kinda patience with others or myself tbh

i understand you completely, hon. i don’t really feel like a she, but i also have zero drive to be referred to as ‘they’, so the effort just doesn’t wouldn’t have much reward to it. apparently it means a lot to those who put so much energy and work into telling others to call them ‘they’, and i respect that completely but i just don’t feel it myself.

and yes, i had much the same experience. i was a ‘tom girl’ as a child because i hated wearing skirts or being given dolls, i liked dinosaurs and whales and bugs and lots of other things that were more ‘boy’ things. thank god my mom never forced me to do anything except wear dresses for formal occasions. 

when i was teenager, some well-meaning ladies at my church basically forced a ‘makeover’ on me and put me in makeup and a skirt and heels and i really tried to go with it for a while because everyone was so complimentary, but inside i just hated it. makeup feels unnatural on my face, like it’s wrong for it to be there. i mean, a touch of eyebrow pencil is fine, but lipstick and mascara? i viscerally hate them. they feel wrong. and women’s clothes are so fucking uncomfortable. i hate wearing shoes that pinch, i hate low-cut tops, i hate skirts, and i still don’t like pink. even long before i knew i was queer, i remember looking at the way ellen degeneres dresses and thinking i’d like to wear clothes like that - nice but relaxed pants, shirts, vests, flat shoes.

eventually i just said fuck it, even before i knew i was nonbinary. i went back to men’s clothes and shoes, i shaved my head into a mohawk, i don’t care what anyone thinks. i honestly feel zero attachment to any ‘female’ parts of my body; if it was cheap and easy, i’d just as soon get rid of my breasts and uterus, they just cause me trouble. being called a ‘girl’ never bothered me too much, but when i reached adulthood and suddenly it was woman... yeesh. i don’t like that. feels really uncomfortable.

it took me ages of wrestling around with concepts, but finally the way i managed to describe it is that i feel like a genderless being that was issued a female ‘suit’ to wear, but i don’t feel like it has anything to do with ME. by living in the suit and being grouped with women and subjected to a lot of female experiences, i feel more female than male, but not like that gender is actually me, the soul inside this flesh.

i also have a masculine aspect, which i largely chalk up to the fact that the meat suit has elevated levels of testosterone. i’ve said that if the feminine is the suit i wear, then the masculine is like a hat on top of it. it’s not dominant, but it’s there. it’s pretty common that i have dreams where i’m a man (even that i have a penis, which is a weird experience), and sometimes i’m more comfortable around men just because of how excessively gendered femininity is. like when people make being female all about makeup and hair and clothes and shoes, i’m really like... i think i’m just gonna go hang out with the guys. i can relate more to them than whatever the hell this is.

for ages i thought i was a “bad” girl, because femininity just felt so alien to me. i tried to force myself in the mold but i didn’t fit, so there must be something wrong with me. even when i learned about being trans and nonbinary, i didn’t get it, because i didn’t want to be a man either, and i couldn’t connect with the drive to be a totally androgynous ‘they’. none of the labels i saw described me exactly.

eventually i figured out that i didn’t have to find an exact label or fit an exact mold, i could just be whatever i am and that’s okay. i go by ‘nonbinary’ because it’s nonspecific, and use ‘she/her’ cause i don’t really care and nothing else fits better. i don’t have to follow any other pre-set rules, i can just be as androgynous as makes me comfortable, and i can sit with the guys or the girls depending on who i relate to more at any one time.

so yeah, i’d say you’re probably nonbinary, but i also don’t think you need to stress about it too much if you’re comfortable the way you are. sometimes the most important thing is just knowing there isn’t anything wrong with you.

[lynnkn]

Get It In Writing

Here’s my Pynch Secret Santa for @betterwithoutsense. One of the prompts was non-magic au. Hope you enjoy!

@pynchpromptweek

Read it on ao3!

Ronan was always an outdoorsy type. His mind moved faster when the world around him moved slower. He liked New York, but it was never meant to be his home.

He had come up with the idea to move back home, drunk out of his mind on a Tuesday, after weeks of trying and failing to churn out so much as a short story, let alone a novel. He hadn’t had an original idea since he was fifteen. It made perfect sense if he didn’t think about it too much. At fifteen, he’d created some of his most original ideas, he crafted plots so intricate they made his adult self weep with jealousy. Characters had come to him like dreams. Nothing he’d written since Declan swept him and Matthew off to Alexandria had come close to the stuff he’d scribbled in frayed notebooks between lessons.

If he did let himself think about it, he’d wonder if it had less to do with the change in locale and more to do with his parents’ deaths.

He’d called Blue the next morning. She offered him the couch at her mother’s house while he looked for a place. He calls her again just as the plane lands.

“Don’t hate me,” are the first words out of her mouth.

“Oh, I love when you start conversations like that.”

“I’m stuck at work.” There’s a shuffling and a crash from the other end of the line, followed by voices. At least three of them are yelling out for Blue. “We’re understaffed. Three people quit last week and I’m the only manager left.”

He makes plans to call an Uber as soon as they land. He hates to do it, but he’s left without much of a choice. He’d avoided taxis and the like for most of his time in the city, but every time he did it, it felt wrong. His skin prickled and pulled like even it knew he did not belong in the backseat of someone else’s car.

“But I sent my cousin to pick you up at baggage claim,” Blue says.

“Alright,” he says. “I’ll see you at the house?”

“Yes, definitely! I’ll see you tonight.”

“And thanks for all this.”

“No problem, Ronan.” She huffs a breathy sigh and the phone crackles as she leans in closer to whisper. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too shithead.”

Ronan had met plenty of Blue’s cousins. While the girls come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, they have names like Orla or Chrysanthemum. They wear mismatched clothing and make art out of recycled materials. They’re all indiscriminately weird. He feels confident in his ability to pick a Sargent out of a line-up.

The baggage claim is a confusing swirl of business suits and combat uniforms. He walks past a family carrying a giant banner. But he recognizes none of them. There are no floor-length skirts, no dyed hair. He pulls out his phone to call Blue back when a voice calls out his name. He turns, but he can’t make out who it is. Then he sees him.

He’s leaning against a half-wall, hands tucked into his pockets and a denim jacket tossed over his shoulder. He pushes off with his foot and approaches cautiously. He’s waiting for an answer.

“Yeah,” Ronan coughs out. He’s proud of his own tact and grace for the briefest flash before he opens his mouth again. “Who the fuck are you?”

“Blue said she’d call you.” He shuffles for a moment, grabbing desperately at his phone. “I’m Adam. I’m gonna take you back to the house if that’s cool.”

“It’s fine, man. You’re just not who I expected.”

“Well,” he says, starting a sentence he clearly never plans to finish. “You got bags?”

“Yeah. Wait here. I’ll get them.”

Adam takes the large suitcase and reaches for the duffel, but Ronan shakes his head. Adam shrugs and leads the way to the car. Ronan pulls the bag onto his shoulder and flinches as the bag bangs angrily against his stiff muscles. He moves through the pain, desperately hoping Adam can’t tell he’s struggling.

“So how are you related to Blue again?” he asks, desperate for a distraction.

“Uh, I’m Persephone’s kid.”

He remembers Persephone, long white hair, and a soft-spoken voice. She baked pies and could speak with some level of authority on any topic a person brought up. But she hadn’t had any children that he knew of. And he’s sure he’d remember Adam.

“Oh. Sure.”

“It’s an adoption thing,” he says like he’s not outrageously uncomfortable.

“That’s cool,” Ronan says like he wasn’t wondering. He doesn’t want to push so he lets the conversation float away. He’s a big fan of comfortable silence. The issue is that nothing about this situation is comfortable and he’s drowning in his own goddamn bullshit. He follows Adam to a monstrosity of parts but resists the urge to comment. This clearly isn’t the kind of car a person chooses for themselves. They exchange nervous smiles over the trunk and settle into their seats.

Adam clearly knows where he’s going so Ronan settles back in his seat, watching D.C.fade away. When the world turns green, he lets himself feel at home.

“Blue talks about you a lot,” Adam says.

And that’s the funny thing because he’s talked to Blue a lot in the years since he left, but she’s never mentioned Adam. He searches his memory for any mention or comment on the addition of a new cousin, but there’s nothing. He’d told her about every gruesome, gory detail of his move to Alexandria, of school, and Declan, and Matthew. And then when he’d moved to New York, he’d told her about his building and the shitty people he talked to and he’d laid all this on the line without considering that she was still in Henrietta and her family was changing and he didn’t even know. Why hadn’t she told him? He only lets it sting for a moment. Then he numbs it with a promise to talk to her later.

“Yeah,” he says. “She’s my best friend.”

They don’t talk much more on the drive, but Ronan watches Adam out of the corner of his eye. He’s the kind of guy a teenaged version of himself would’ve fantasized over. His hands grip the wheel and his tongue sticks out the side of his mouth as he focuses on the road. His eyebrows hang heavily over weary eyes. He’s a strange guy, a unique blend of old and young, of new and refurbished. He’s a lot like the car he drives and Ronan wonders if this body is also the kind no one chooses for themselves. But he can't stop staring nonetheless.

The house looks like itself when they pull up and a strange warmth pools through his gut. He breaths in the air as he steps out of the car. It’s lighter here. The air hits the bottom of his lungs and he pulls another breath in just to hold it there. To breathe. If he forgets, he can pretend he’s fourteen and coming over to borrow a cd. Or that he’s ten and coming to watch a movie his parents wouldn’t let him watch. Or that he’s seven and going over to play at a friend’s house for the first time in his life. He could stand out there all day, but he wants to see Maura so he hauls the stupidly heavy duffel over his shoulder and goes inside.

“Ronan? Is that you? Get your ass in here.” Maura’s voice blends with the hum of the laundry machine and children screaming somewhere down the hall and it’s a sound so wrapped in nostalgia, Ronan can’t remember what year it is. He follows the sound to the kitchen where she waits with open arms. He leans down to let her pull him into a hug. Behind him, the screen door slams as Adam comes in behind him, but he doesn’t pull away. “How’ve you been?” she asks, finally pushing him back to take in the sight of him.

“I’m alright.”

“You’re staying with us for a while?”

“Is that a problem?”

“You know it’s not.” She turns back to the counter in front of her. She has a sheet of pepperoni rolls half wrapped and lined up on a strip of parchment paper. She grabs the dough and goes back to work as Ronan leans against the counter, watching her fingers delicately shaping the rolls. “We’re a lot nicer to the boys than we used to be, right Adam?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he says brushing past both of them on his way out the back.

“Oh I’m convinced,” Ronan says.

Adam stops and quirks a quiet smile, the kind Ronan wasn’t supposed to see. He turns back to them. “I promised Calla I’d fix the porch rail.”

“It can wait if you want some lunch," Maura says.

“I’d rather finish it up before class.” He looks like an animal caught in a trap, leaning towards the back door and letting his eyes wander out the window. “But I’ll take a pepperoni roll when I’m finished if you’re offering.”

She nods at him and this seems to be a dismissal because he’s out the door before Ronan can blink. As soon as he’s gone, though, Ronan is thinking about him again. About how strange he is and how much stranger he seems in a house like this. He shouldn’t fit in and yet, everything about him makes sense.

Ronan washes his hands and picks up a strip of dough, following Maura’s gentle instructions. She reaches over and fixes each roll he makes, but he doesn’t mind. He lets her fix his mistakes with no more than an overdramatic eye roll. And she doesn’t comment on his lack of manners. Maura never expected him to be polite, so long as he was kind.

Blue doesn’t make it home for another two hours. By that time, Ronan is full of pepperoni rolls and Adam has gone to class. He waits for her on the porch and she runs and jumps into his arms the moment she sees him. He picks her up, sweeping her feet out from under her. He’d hit a growth spurt a month after leaving town and hadn’t stopped until he was ducking in doorways.

She startles, but he’s strong and he’d chop his own arms off before he hurt her.

Blue and Ronan had been the weird kids of their homeschool co-op. She yelled about the patriarchy during history and he knew more about Irish folklore than algebra. She hissed at the other kids and he hit anyone who made fun of her.

“I knew you’d come home eventually,” she says.

“Then you must be psychic cause I didn’t know until last month.” He hugs her and she still smells like the tree in the backyard and pixie sticks. All is right with the world. She doesn’t look all that different either. She grew maybe another inch or two, but all-in-all, she’s still what he remembers. He wonders if she’s disappointed cause he sure as hell isn’t the Ronan she knew.

The passenger side door shuts and a man climbs out. His hair is neatly combed and his shirt is ironed. He sweeps a hand over his tie and waves at the two of them.

Blue waves back. She glances over her shoulder at Ronan, hesitant and curious. She waits for a reaction, but Ronan has nothing to say. He watches, slack-jawed and stupid as the man approaches. He kisses Blue on the cheek and offers Ronan his hand.

“You must be Ronan,” he says. They shake hands, a sweaty affair that Ronan pulls away from as soon as he gets the chance. “I’m Gansey.”

“Can you give us a minute?” Blue says. He grins back at her and then at Ronan, slipping into the house, leaving silence in his wake.

“Anything else you wanna tell me?”

“Well John Boy, things have changed here on Walton’s mountain.” She laughs at her own joke, watching for Ronan to join her. When he doesn’t she sighs. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You were miserable, Ronan,” she says. “And don’t say you weren’t I could tell. I just didn’t want to rub it in your face.”

“You still should’ve told me.” It burns, like every other little hurt. These days, Ronan can’t seem to feel anything a normal amount. Every prick is a white-hot scorch. Every ache is a broken bone. One day the floor fell beneath him and the pain gets worse every time he hits another level of concrete and earth.

Blue nods and she turns, just enough to the side so Ronan can’t parse out her face. He can’t read her anymore. And so he falls again.

“And what about Adam?” he asks.

“What about him?”

Ronan’s not even sure himself. But he shows up in the same shitty town he’s always lived in and he comes back to a place that had once been his second home and this guy is here, just waiting and he’s everything Ronan thought he’d wanted back then. His perspective is tilting. He thinks about the guys back in New York: Proko, Skov, Swan, and Jiang. He thinks of Kavinsky and how much sense they made. He thinks Adam seems like the kind of guy who’s going to get him hurt. He thinks of how much he’d love to let someone like Adam hurt him.

“Why didn’t you tell me about him?”

“I didn’t know how to,” she says. “It’s not my story to tell.”

“Then why send him to pick me up?” Ronan leans into her, watching for a flicker of something recognizable. The Blue he’d known never lied to him. She was honest, sometimes brutally so and she never hid anything from him. They’d talked constantly over the years. And while he’d unloaded all of his bullshit on her, she’s remained mysterious in regards to her own life.

“I think you’ll like him,” she says. “He needs someone like you.”

“I’m not trying to fuck your cousin, Blue.”

“I’m not suggesting you fuck him. I just thought you could be friends.” She rubs her hand over her eyes, pulling her features in a sharp downturn. “I was gonna say the same about Gansey.”

He lets the breath out of his cheeks and watches the wind blow through the grass. It's grown long, just the way Blue likes it. He lets the wind move him like the grass, swaying gently until he feels grounded. He’s not mad at Blue. Not really. “I’m sorry,” he says.

“I just want to make sure you have a support system here.”

“I do,” he says.

“Besides me and my mom.” She wipes at her eye again and Ronan graciously ignores the single tear.

He gestures to the door and the family waiting inside. “Well then let’s go.”

Blue smiles and Ronan remembers why he’s here in the first place. Blue is something stronger, more prominent than anything in New York. She makes him stronger, louder. It’s not just about Henrietta or the mountains. It’s in Blue’s smiles and Maura’s eyes and the strangeness of them all. This is where his story is waiting for him. It’s always been here. Ronan is the one who left.

Soon they’re all sat around the table for dinner. The conversation is light and easy. No one pushes Ronan to talk about what he’s been doing in New York and he’s eternally grateful for that. They talk about Blue’s job at Nino’s and Gansey’s parents’ real estate business. He promises to help Ronan check out some of the properties in the area. Adam excuses himself early, claiming he has to get up early for work in the morning.

“What do you do?” Ronan asks, helping Maura clear the table.

“I work at the Greenmantles’ farm up in Singer Falls,” he says. And Ronan feels his heart drop all the way to his ass. “It’s this really old shitty family farm that this guy bought a few years ago. And he has no idea how to run a farm so it’s a disaster.”

“Oh,’ Ronan says. “That’s my house.”

Adam’s eyes widen to twice their regular size. “I…”

“It was always kind of shitty,” he says.

“Yeah.” Adam stands awkwardly behind his chair, perhaps waiting for an appropriate time to bolt. Ronan breaks eye contact, hoping to put him at ease.

But the idea of his home, fallen into disrepair bothers him more than he expected. He remembers the Greenmantles. He doesn’t remember them fondly. He turns to go outside for another breath of fresh air. As he heads for the door, Ronan hears the exchange between Adam and his mother.

“You couldn’t have told me he lived there before I opened my mouth?”

“I could’ve,” she says, placing a palm on the top of his head. She plants a kiss on it and walks to the sink to wash out her mug. Adam, for what it’s worth, smacks his head against the doorframe.

He spends the next night, sitting on the blanket with Blue and Adam and their friends. Gansey’s there, as is his friend Henry. Noah, one of Blue’s coworkers turns up with beer. And they sit in the grass watching the stars. It’s not until they’ve been laying there for a couple of hours, laughing and teasing like they’ve always been this way, that Ronan realizes how much he needs this.

As the others trickle inside for air conditioning or food or sleep, Ronan and Adam are left alone for the first time since the car ride.

“Why do I get the feeling you don’t like me very much,” Adam says.

“It’s not that,” Ronan says, hands folded behind his head. The stars are duller here in Henrietta proper, but it’s the closest to home he’s gotten in years. “I just realized Blue hasn’t been telling me shit. I didn’t know about you. It’s not personal.”

“That’s probably my fault. I told her not to tell people.” He bunches a corner of the blanket in a tight fist, before releasing it and smoothing it back out. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry.”

“I just…” He stops, just long enough that Ronan doesn’t think he ever plans to finish the sentence. Then he groans like he’s forcing the truth from someplace buried within him. “Things weren’t good at home so when Persephone offered…”

“You don’t have to explain yourself.”

“Still,” he says. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s all good.”

The beer is warm and settling in Ronan’s stomach in that way that makes him a little worried sometimes, so he sets it aside. He closes his eyes and reminds himself why he stops. Because it would be so easy to keep going. But he actually likes talking to Adam, and he thinks he might even want to remember this conversation in the morning.

“Blue said you’re a writer?” he asks.

This is a tightrope. Ronan calls himself a writer. His father had called him a writer. Even Declan, for all his infuriating nagging, calls Ronan a writer. But he has nothing to show for it. Nothing’s proud of. People use to ask him this and he’d pull out notebooks full of stories. Sometimes he’d just recite stories from memory like Niall once had. But now, he has nothing to show for the title. He’d trusted the story was here, buried in the hills of Henrietta, sleeping, waiting.

“I guess I am,” he says.

“What do you write?”

“Fantasy.” It’s one of the oldest truths he has to give.

“Only fantasy?” Adam asks. “Never anything else?”

Ronan shakes his head. He’d never had much use for anything else. He’d grown up with his father's stories, grandiose and ridiculous. He’d never conformed to the rules of the mortal world and Rona’s narrative imagination took the hint and ran with it. He silently begs Adam not to ask about his work anymore. Hopes to God he won’t ask to read anything. And he doesn’t. Instead, he tips his head up toward the sky, eyes tracing patterns of stars overhead.

“Tell me something about you,” Ronan says when the silence lingers too long.

“Like what?” He doesn’t move, chin tipped up the heavens and Ronan studies the curve of his jaw.

“Anything true,” he says.

“I’m deaf in my right ear.”

“Really?”

“No,” he says. He’s got a gentle smirk that charms Ronan more than he’s willing to admit. “It’s my left.”

“Can you hear me okay now?”

“Yeah,” he says. “It’s quiet.”

The summer passes in hazy waves, washing over him every few weeks as he watches time slip away. He’s done nothing. He’s written nothing. But he tours properties with Gansey and makes art with Blue. He buys a skateboard and lets Noah teach him a few tricks and he let Henry take him to Henrietta’s newest and only gay bar. It’s not the best summer of his life, but it comes pretty damn close.

And then there’s Adam who listens better than anyone he knows. They sit together, nearly every day, either on the porch or in the kitchen. Sometimes they drive miles away from the house in Adam's car, away from Henrietta and they park and they talk.

He tells Adam about the farm and Adam tells him about the trailer. He talks about Declan’s nagging texts about college and Adam talks about using the money from the Greenmantles to pay for classes and textbooks at the local community college.

In September, Adam’s car falls to shit in the driveway and several hours under the hood aren’t enough to fix it so Ronan drives him to work in Maura's car, promising to bring it back immediately so no one got stranded at the house.

He follows the gravel driveway, following the curves and dips just as he had once upon a time. He doesn’t watch Adam, but he can feel himself being watched. “This is where I’m gonna live,” he says, pulling in behind a car too shiny and new to fit in with its surroundings. “I don’t want to buy another place.”

“You mean this is it?” He looks over his shoulder out the window and Ronan watches the line of his shoulder crease. If he could, he’d trace a finger over, push in where the skin dips beneath bone. He turns back before Ronan can pull his gaze away. “This is your perfect house?”

“Is that so hard to believe?”

“No. I guess I just assumed this place would be…”

“Traumatic?”

“Honestly? Yeah.” Adam's gaze floats back to the open field. Ronan can't tell if the expression is jealousy or pity. Maybe it's both. “You don’t see my buying my childhood home.”

“I loved that house. I loved the farm. I could get cattle.”

“You’re gonna buy cows?”

“No, but I could if I had this place.”

“You could always ask if they’d be willing to sell?”

“You work for the guy. Do you think he’d sell it to me?”

He doesn’t answer, just watches the house, eyes full of hope or envy or something dangerous like that. When he turns back, the light of the sunset hits his face and everything seems right. Ronan can picture them sitting on the porch, sipping tea or bourbon on the front porch. He wants this. He wants him. He wants, wants, wants so much it hurts. He reaches, but the whole world lays on a shelf above him, just out of reach.

His mother used to hide cookies on the top shelf, saving them for after dinner. When he closes his eyes, Ronan can see his father’s arm stretched upward pulling the cookie jar down to Ronan. “Just one,” he’d whisper and they’d never speak of it again. Until the next time.

Adam leans forward, pressing warm lips into his and it’s that hand reaching out to him, pulling things down to him that once seemed so impossible he could cry.

He nearly does when Adam pulls away, slowly with a single breath. It was a period, not a comma. It was a thought, not an answer. They let themselves freeze, both leaning over the center console to breathe against one another’s collarbones. This was impossible.

“Do you wanna come look around?” Adam asks.

“Isn’t that a little risky?”

“Mr. And Mrs. Greenmantle aren’t home,” he says. He leans over to unlock Ronan’s seatbelt and the feel of Adam’s arm brushing against his stomach could convince him of almost anything.

“Okay,” he says.

Adam takes him by the hand and leads him around the house, past the empty cow pastures and the shiny new silo. He introduces him to Mr. Gray and the other farmhands and they regale Ronan with stories about Adam at work that make his cheeks flush bright pink.

They climb up the hill and past the old storage shed, just the two of them.

“That thing’s still around?”

“Yeah. It’s old as shit. I can tell.” Adam kicks up some gravel and a small cloud forms around his ankles. “A lot of the old equipment up there’s never been used. Greenmantle just leaves it lying around and sends me up there twice a week to look for something.”

“Yeah. That roof leaks every spring.”

“I know. I keep bugging him to have someone look at it.” He shrugs, the noncommittal gesture of someone who is used to being ignored. Ronan takes care to grip his shoulder with a weighted strength. And he looks at this guy, so fucking beautiful and so capable, and wonders how anyone could see him in any other light.

“Show me the house,” he says, wrapping his other arm around Adam’s waist.

“We’re gonna get caught.”

“Then we’ll have to be fast,” Ronan says. “Lucky for you, fast is my specialty.”

“Stop,” he says. He pushes away, without a second glance and bolts for the barn as soon as he’s out of Ronan’s grip.

“Hey,” Ronan calls after him. He watches as Adam turns, pulling anxiously at his bangs as they flop into his face. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked. I just miss this place.”

He thinks of the smell of cinnamon in the kitchen and the dent Declan’s head made in the hardwood and the green slime stain on the carpet in Matthew’s room. He wants it back even for a moment. He wants it more than anything. Anything except Adam.

But Adam pulls another breath into his lungs and says. “Okay, but we have to be quick.”

He takes Ronan’s hand in his, leading him toward the house, pulling at his finger and the heat trapped between their palms travels all the way up Ronan’s arm. He lets himself be dragged until they reach the porch. He pulls a key from the sconce and opens the front door. The same one Ronan remembered. He could picture his mother, standing in the foyer if he focused.

The craziness of it all strikes him as he stands there. He thought he’d never see this place again, but he’s standing there and he’s so close to what he wants and yet so far. So he pulls Adam in for another kiss, this one messier, hungrier. He buries his hands in the hair on the back of Adam’s neck.

“What are you doing here?”

Ronan turns back to the open door and there is Greenmantle in all his smarmy glory. Ronan previously thought his teenage memories had exaggerated, but he was clearly right all along. This guy simply looks like a bastard.

“Sir,” Adam says. It’s a plea, a desperate Hail Mary from someone Ronan once thought was too proud for such things.

“Get out,” he says. He holds his hand out and Adam slowly drops the keys. He doesn’t look at Greenmantle or Ronan. He watches his feet. Ronan can’t help but watch him. “And don’t come back. You’re done.”

They don’t talk on the way back to the car. There is nothing to say. Adam slams the door as he sits. He makes a sound, so low, so guttural, Ronan would’ve thought it came from one of the animals.

“You took it too far. I lost my job, Ronan!”

“I know that.” He puts his keys in the ignition and lets the engine roar to life under them. He feels better, but Adam clearly doesn’t. “I’m sorry.”

“If I don’t have a job, I can’t keep paying for school.”

“Listen, I know. I’ll help you. It’s not like I’m gonna let your freeze out there.”

“Oh yeah, cause your dream comes before everything else, huh? What about my dream?” He takes a harsh breath and hunches over the dash, refusing to meet Ronan’s eyes. It’s possible there are tears, but Ronan feels too guilty to look more closely.

“What fucking dream, Parrish? Your big dream is to spend the rest of your life slaving away so some dipshit in suit and tie gets to summer in Guam. That’s not a dream. That’s a nightmare.”

“It’s better than this.” He drops his head to his knees, burying his face. He has nothing to worry about. Ronan couldn’t look at his face if wanted to. “I can’t keep doing this.”

“Then let help you find something better.”

“This is why you don’t know anything about Blue. You’re too caught up in your own bullshit to realize the rest of us have stuff going on too.”

He drives Adam back to the house without another word. He doesn’t go inside. He doesn’t want to see anyone else. He wants to drive. He takes the backroads too fast and the curves too sharp. He lets the road lead him to the convenience store just up the road. At least he saves the whiskey until he gets back to the house.

When he wakes in the morning, he doesn’t remember much after he got back. But he’s on the porch, back aching and head throbbing instead of tucked away on the couch, so he’s willing to bet it didn’t go well. Maura is sipping tea at the kitchen table. “Wanna tell me what you were doing out there? With my car?”

He shakes his head. He tests his voice, but it’s rough and gravely. He clears it into his fist before trying again. “Is Adam here?”

“He went to talk to Greenmantle.” She sips her tea again, placing it beside her. She looks up, trying to look him in the eyes, but Ronan stares at the table, the floor, anything but her face. She gives up, crossing the room to fill a glass with water from the sink “Blue and the boys went with him,” she says, handing it to him. "they said they were going to get his job back."

He sips at it cautiously. It lands in his stomach with a splash, so he stops, letting it settle before sipping again. “I need to go see him.”

“Is that a good idea?”

He drains the rest of the glass in one gulp and sets the glass back on the table. “I don’t know,” he says. With a clearer head and a couple of Ibuprofen, he hops in his car and prays for one more miracle.

Mr. Gray is there when the BMW crawls up the drive. He directs Ronan to the old shed, before reminding him to not get caught.

Adam’s got the door to the shed propped open so he sees Ronan coming from a mile away. “Go,” he says once they’re close enough to talk without yelling.

“Parrish, I just wanted to apologize.”

“Don’t pull a muscle.”

“I’m trying to act like a grown-up here. Would you come talk to me?”

“Talking to you got me stuck up here cataloging inventory in the first place. I had to beg for my job back.” He drops an ax beside him with a resounding crack that catches them both off guard. They stare at each other for a moment, caught up in their confusion before Adam turns back to his work. Ronan can’t look away. “Just leave me alone. We can talk tonight.”

The crack returns followed by a crash and Adam’s head dips beneath the stacked crates without time to so much as scream.

“Parrish!”

He rushes forward, forgetting to consider the already fragile flooring. It bends and moans in front of him. He pulls back, leaning over the boxes to get a view of the hole, slowly spreading as bits of wood flake off. “Parrish?” he yells begging his friend or God for an answer.

Both God and Adam seem to have other plans as Greenmantle rounds the corner. “What the hell was that sound? What are you doing here?”

“Parrish, can you hear me?” He waits for an answer. A beat. Nothing. He’s not a patient guy, but he waits for a second longer, prays for so much as a grunt or groan, but nothing. “He fell through.”

“What do you mean he feel through?”

“I’m not a fucking contractor. He fell through the fucking floor. What else do you need to know?”

Mr. Gray is there in an instant. He stays back graciously and doesn’t seem interested outside the basics. “Is he responding?”

“No,” Ronan says. He thanks God that someone else is taking over the situation because he's beginning to feel horribly unqualified. “I think he’s unconscious.”

“Do you have your phone on you?”

“No. I left it in my car.”

Mr. Gray turns to Greenmantle wordlessly. The two exchange looks that seem to cycle through an entire exasperated conversation before Greenmantle spits out “I don’t have service out here.”

“Ronan?” Blue yells, rushing forward. Henry, Noah, and Gansey follow her. He holds out a hand to keep them back. He watches the hole, waiting for it to spread, and feels it bobble beneath him. He’s not safe either and he knows it, but if someone else comes inside, they’re definitely fucked. He looks at her though and the unshed tears in her eyes undo him.

He doesn’t know what to say. He doesn’t know if he can say anything. He’s trapped leaning over a hole and Parrish is trapped and the whole world is pulling in toward him and he doesn’t have the strength to fight it off. Still, he says “I’m okay. But if I move the rest of this place is gonna cave in on him.”

Gansey runs up behind her, wrapping his arms around her. He tucks her into his chest and they both stare back, discomfort clear in their eyes. They flash him matching encouraging smiles through the fear.

“I’m gonna call 911,” Henry yells, sprinting back across the field from where he came. No one stops to thank him.

“Is this really necessary?” Greenmantle asks.

“It may be a while before anyone makes it out here,” Mr. Gray says. “Ronan, if we can get you out, they’ll be able to get to Adam quicker. Can you sit down where you are?”

Ronan pushes a box of small garden tools off to the side, clearing enough of a path for him to sit down. He lowers himself gently, holding his breath the whole way down. He doesn’t release until his ass hits the floor.

“Good,” Mr. Gray says. He leans forward, peering over the mess to meet his eyes. Ronan sees his own fear and panic reflected in the man’s eyes. “Now roll onto your stomach, okay? You’re gonna crawl.”

He pushed himself over, turning as slow as he could. The floor groaned again beneath him. “This isn’t working. This is all gonna end up on top of him.”

“No. It’s not. You’re going to crawl toward me. You ever play army guy when you were a kid? It’s just like that. Keep your stomach on the ground and crawl.”

Ronan crawls. He can't see the other from the ground, but he can hear them talking around him.

“We can’t get to Adam until we’ve got him safe," Mr. Gray says. His voice is calm, but in the overly-controlled way that indicates a person is not actually calm at all. “If we tear down that back wall, we may be able to dig through to him.”

“We might just end up staking more debris on top of him,” Greenmantle says.

“I don’t know how else to access him.”

“There’s a crawlspace,” Ronan says. He pulls himself past an old ladder, taking care to avoid rusty nails and a suspicious stain. He thinks about his last tetanus shot and decides a booster couldn't hurt.

“What?” Greenmantle leans down to stare at Ronan through a gap. Ronan ignores his furrowed brow and exasperated tone.

“There’s a crawlspace underneath.” He pulls himself another inch and Gansey is there offering a hand. He takes it graciously and Gansey pulls him the last few inches off the foundation and through the doorway. Mr. Gray leans over and tugs on his other hand pulling him up. He’s still coughing from the dust and panic as he throws himself around the corner of the building to the small wooden door.

The deadbolt gives way with little fuss despite the copious amounts of rust around it. “Adam?” he yells into the entrance, but there’s still no response.

“I’m little,” Blue says. “I can fit more easily.”

“You’re not dressed for it. There’s ticks and shit down there.” He hurriedly tucks his jeans into his boots and slides through the door before anyone can stop him.

He can see the damage as soon as his eyes adjust to the dark. And then he’s army crawling again. He pulls himself forward, pushing past bugs and dirt and what he thinks was once a raccoon. He crawls until he reaches and a chunk of wood too big to move. He has no leverage in the slim space around him. He can barely push himself up. His shoulders are squished in too tight to move anything heavy. He kicks himself for not thinking of a better plan. He crawls around the wood, blinking dust from his eyes and searching for any sign of Adam.

He peeks past the beam to see a clear space on the other side. He sees the ax to his left. He’s here. He’s somewhere in this place. He’s so close Ronan could touch him except he’s hidden and not responding. “Adam?” he yells one last time.

There’s a groan, soft and pained, but a groan nonetheless.

“Ronan? Can you hear us?” Mr. Gray yells.

“Yeah,” he calls back. “Kinda busy here.”

“You need to get out of there, Ronan.”

“Let me just get to him.”

“Ronan, now!” Gansey yells.

There’s another crack and a plank falls on top of the stack. But it stops as soon as it starts. The dust settles into his eyes and he can’t see in front of him, but he can hear the gasps and murmurs from above him. “I’m okay.”

“Ronan get out now.”

“Shut the fuck up!”

Adam coughs. It’s harsh and pained, but it’s the best sound he’s heard because he can tell where it came from. He pulls the ax toward him. There isn’t room to swing, but he doesn’t want to anyway, not with Adam so close. He smashes it into the block of wood. It doesn’t split, but he’s got enough force to crack and splinter it. With a few more strikes, it breaks away just enough to wiggle. He pulls it back, throws it over his shoulder and there is Adam.

He’s pale, coated in a layer of dust and grime and his temple’s a mess of blood, but he’s the best thing Ronan’s ever seen. He collapses by his side, sweeping a hand over the blood clumping in his bangs. He weighs the danger of spinal injuries against the threat of another collapse. The voices screaming above him win out. He ends up pulling Adam behind him, trying to keep his head and neck as steady as possible.

Mr. Gray waits at the door and Ronan is more than happy to hand Adam over to him. He pulls Adam into his arms and immediately heads for the driveway where an ambulance is pulling up. Ronan falters back a step at the ominous task of pulling himself back out.

When he turns back to the opening, his friends are there. Noah and Gansey reach down, grabbing Ronan by the biceps and hauling him out with minimal assistance from himself. Henry hands him a bottle of water and a towel as soon as he touches the ground again. And Blue says nothing, simply throws herself at him, face into his chest, and hugs tighter than she ever had before. And he lets her.

And when he starts coughing, they help him sip from the water. When he coughs so hard he throws up, they pull him to his feet, dragging him toward the ambulance as well.

In the end, Ronan’s lungs are okay. He’s advised not to inhale large quantities of dust again. He tells the ER nurse where she can go. It’s all quite civil as far as Ronan’s concerned.

Persephone hugs Ronan as soon as she arrives at the hospital. She doesn’t say anything, just wraps her arms around him in a gesture he understands as a thank you. He doesn’t tell her it was no big deal, but he squeezes her back and hopes the message is clear.

Adam’s broken arm, three broken ribs, and moderate concussion are fairly underwhelming as far as structural collapse injuries go. “What did I tell you?” he says that evening when he’s staying awake for more than 30 seconds at a time. “I’m hard to kill.”

No one finds this quite as funny as Adam, but he’s awake and healthy enough to be laughing.

When Greenmantle arrives at the hospital, not twenty minutes before the end of visiting hours, Ronan is fully prepared to drag the man from the room, but Adam stops him. “Actually I’ve been wanting to talk. Please, Mr. Greenmantle. Come sit.” He takes the only seat in the room, facing across from Adam like a business meeting. Adam drops a folder on the stand over his bed. He pulls the papers out and spreads them out. “Here I have copies of my timesheets, dating back to last June with reminders from me to call a contractor about the shed. And you signed off on all these, didn’t you?” Greenmentle nods, Adam's apple bobbing anxiously. “What do you think a lawyer would think of these, Mr. Greenmantle?”

“Well, I — uh.”

“But I don’t really want to sue you.” He sweeps the page back up into a file and slips them back into the folder. “This isn’t some sort of moral high ground thing either. I should sue you. I just think we can solve this without any lawyers, don’t you?”

“I’m sure we can come to some sort of agreement.”

“So what do you say, you sell my friend Ronan your farm and we can all go about our lives.”

“Well I’m sure we can talk about prices, but this particular property is quite valuable. I’ll have to get a fair price for it of course.”

Gansey steps forward, clutching his own folder. This one is red and labeled “Greenmantle can suck my Dick III.”

“Actually we have some numbers here for you, sir.” He shuffles through the papers contained and pulled one from the bottom of the pile. He folds it over and presents it to Greenmantle with a flourish, that is unusually snarky for Gansey. Ronan finds himself charmed by it.

“This is considerably less than I paid, Mr. Gansey.”

Adam clears his throat. “Yes, but let’s pretend I did take you to court. If you look here, this is an estimation of what you’d be paying based on some employer negligence data I found. So all in all, I think you’ll find that to be a very fair price given what you could end up paying.”

“I see…”

“And of course, this way your wife never has to find out about any of this. She didn’t want you spending too much on the property if my memory serves me well.” It’s bold talk from someone who slurred and mumbled his way through the alphabet just a few hours ago, but he’s bouncing back fast. “Sleep on it. Come talk to me again tomorrow.”

Greenmantle shuffles out of the room, clutching the paperwork to his chest. Ronan likes his odds.

The nurse knocks softly on the door. “Visiting hours are ending soon,” she says. “One of you can stay with him overnight if you want, but everyone else needs to head out.” Persephone scoots closer to the bed, wrapping her fingers lightly around Adam’s wrist and Ronan wouldn’t dream of trying to fight her over this.

Ronan pats Adam twice on the leg, a friendly gesture and nothing more, but fingers grip at the hem of his jacket.

“Can I talk to Ronan alone for a minute?” he asks Persephone, who nods quietly and shuffles out with the rest of the crowd. And when it’s quiet and everyone else has become a memory, Ronan pushes himself up onto the side of the bed, leaving little room for Adam to wiggle himself up into a seated position.

“Stop,” he says. “Don’t hurt yourself. Jesus, Parrish. They’re gonna kick me out for good if I knee you in the ribcage.”

“I’m real sorry, Ronan.”

“Don’t do that. Don’t apologize just cause I saved you. I would’ve done it anyway.”

He leans back, petulant as a child. “I’m not. But I went too far and I am sorry.” He grips the blanket like that night under the stars before releasing it again. "What I said about Blue..."

“You weren’t wrong. But I'm gonna do better Parrish. I want to be better.” He watches the way Adam's brow creases and for the first time in a long time, he understands why people keep going when shit sucks. If he’d known that face, scrunched and focused as he chewed on the edge of his swollen lip, was waiting on the other side, he never would’ve considered any other option. This was what people live for, this feeling here. This is what people write poems and songs and fucking dystopian YA trilogies about. There's an entire story in the shit-eating grin. And he found it. The goddamn holy grail. “I just want to see you happy.”

“And that dream thing? You were right," he says. "It turns out I’ve been paddling upstream for nineteen years without ever knowing where the creek drops off.”

“Then you draw your own map and you figure out how to make the water do what you tell it.”

“And what are your big plans, Lynch?”

“Haven’t you heard? I’m buying a farm.”

[everlarkficexchange]

Fate Takes a Break

BY: @ally147writes

RATING: T

PROMPT #50: everlark discovering on their date that they’ve missed each other their whole lives (living in the same city, went to the same high school, going to the same halloween and nye parties, were set up before by different friends but stood each other up, shopping at the same store, etc.) [submitted by @sunflowerslyf]

AN: This ended up being substantially shorter than I was aiming for, but it was nice to get back into fic writing all the same. Thanks to the mods for holding this exchange again, and thanks to all the authors and artists who took part. Your creativity is what is keeping the world spinning right now.

(Not beta’d - all errors are my own)

This date isn’t quite as blind as Katniss was expecting

Still a little bit blind, though. She’s seen the guy before, she’s sure of that. But where? The weird furrowed brow look he’s sending her every time she dips her gaze towards her plate to pick out another choice sliver of cheese-herb-sauced chicken breast tells her he’s got the same weird deja vu thing going on, too.

She sighs and asks, “It’s not just me, is it?”

The guy — Peeta, she tells herself again, somehow not as distinctive a name as it sounds like it should be — huffs a quiet laugh and sets his fork down.

“Maybe we’ve just got those kinds of faces?”

 “You might be right. But I’m not convinced.”

He smiles, a beyond-charming quirk of his lips. “No, neither am I. I think I would remember you if I’d seen you before.”

She blushes, just a little, and takes a sip of water. “Well, it’s our first date,” she points out. “Might as well do the twenty questions thing now.”

“And, what, deprive us of a perfectly good second date activity?”

“This will drive me insane if we don’t work it out right now.”

He drums his fingers along the edge of their table. “Don’t think I didn’t notice you not immediately pass up a second date.”

She runs her hands — nowhere near as damp now as they were at the beginning of the date — along the smooth satin of her skirt. “I could be tempted, I suppose.”

“Hmm. Noted.” He smiles that charming little smile again and leans forward, close enough that she can make out the hints of gold flecked like tiny bursts of sunshine in his blue eyes. “Where do you want to start?”

“Well,” she takes another bite of chicken before she says anything weird about his eyes that she might regret, “you’re obviously not from District Twelve, so —”

Peeta coughs. “Actually, I am.”

There’s a beat of odd silence where they do nothing but blink at each other.

“District Twelve,” she repeats, slower, like there’s a chance he misheard her. “As in, tiny ass coal town about two hours south of here?”

He quirks his brow. “Is there another District Twelve I should know about?”

She narrows her eyes. “Merchant or Seam?”

“Merchant, but I went to D12 Senior High. That was in the middle of Seam, right?”

“Bullshit,” she exclaims, maybe a little too loudly if the dirty looks she’s getting from the snooty old people at their neighbouring tables is anything to go by. “I’d remember if you were there. When did you graduate?”

“Uh, 2008?”

“Bullshit,” she says again, because this can’t be real, can it? “Same year as me. You weren’t there.”

He grins again. “I’m glad we can establish that neither of us remember each other from high school, so strike one for that, but I wasn’t there for all of it. Just… I don’t know, maybe the last three months of the semester? Didn’t seem all that worth going to graduation after not really having contributed anything. Then I got accepted to Capitol University, and —”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she cuts in with a chuckle. “Capitol University. When did you start?”

“Pretty much right away.”

She leans forward, eyes narrowed. “Major?”

He mirrors her. “Double, actually, Business and Arts. You?”

“Environmental Biology. But I had a friend doing economics, so I was around the business school a lot.”

“What was their name?”

She takes the last bite of her chicken and pushes her plate away. “Madge.”

He chuckles. “Don’t tell me, Madge Kingswood, right?”

“Uh…”

“She dated my roommate for about a year.”

“You were Thom’s roommate?”

“Sure was. For a little while after we graduated, too. Last I heard, he moved to District Two. Something to do with gem mining.”

“Hang on, are you the Peter — or, Peeta, I guess — that she and Thom tried to set me up with for, what was it… a double bowling date?”

He laughs, a boundless, joyful sound that pools warm in her belly. “I’m guessing you’re Kat with the lethal aim, then?”

“The lethal aim has more to do with archery. Did you have fun that night?”

“I got stood up, if you’ll recall?” His eyes glitter in the gentle candlelight. “Did you really have food poisoning?”

She blushes again, but she’s not sure why she’s so embarrassed. “No. I just… completely hate bowling.”

“Guess a second date down at the alley is completely out of the question, then?”

“I’d probably dredge up the food poisoning excuse again if you tried it.”

“Also noted.”

They share a smile, one that almost frightens her with the length and breadth of how it speaks of their possible future.

She coughs into her closed fist and dabs at her lips with a napkin. “Well, next thing, I guess you’re gonna tell me you were at all the music nights at the campus tavern.”

“Every Friday, if I didn’t have something due that night. Why?”

“I was in a band that played there about once a month. Drummer.”

“You behind a kit would have been a sight. What was your band’s name?”

“Victors.”

He shakes his head. “Funny. My best friend married your keyboard player.”

Her jaw drops. “You’re best friends with Finnick?”

“We went to the same elementary school. Been friends for years now.”

“He’s kind of a dick.”

Peeta bursts out laughing again. “Yeah, he kind of is.”

“Spend much time around the campus gym, then?”

“I was there on a wrestling scholarship,” he tells her, and the subtle flex of his muscles beneath the deep midnight of his suit jacket catches her attention in a way it didn’t before. “I assume you did the rounds there, too, then?”

She sighs and finishes her water. “Track Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.”

“Hate to say it, but I don’t think our paths crossed there, either.”

“No, but I did go to a few wrestling meets. My roommate enjoyed them.”

He grins again. “Guys in tight spandex, huh?”

She snorts. “Don’t ask me. I barely looked up from my phone.”

“Glad my meets provided such riveting entertainment.”

“I was literally the only one not paying attention.”

“Probably a good thing I didn’t know you were there,” he muses as he takes another sip of wine. A drop clings to the edge of his lips, and the dart of his tongue to catch it is entrancing. “I might not have placed otherwise.”

She clears her throat. “We were way up in the nosebleeds, so there was probably no danger of me distracting you. This is all kind of uncanny, though. I could know you from anywhere.”

He smiles again, a rogue curl flopping forward over his eyes. “Sort of romantic, don’t you think?”

She snorts. “That we constantly missed each other over the years? Kind of sounds like the opposite of a fairy tale.”

“Oh, I don’t know. We’re here now. Maybe the universe thinks we’re inevitable or something? Soulmates destined to be brought together. Maybe that’s why we’re familiar to each other, we were together in a past life or something.”

Her answering laugh is more like a snort. “Or maybe fate took a break, and this is some sort of cosmic screw-up that slipped through the cracks and is bound to fail.”

“Katniss,” he says, the playful glint in his eyes simmering down to something more serious, and strangely earnest. He reaches across the table, just barely grazing his pinkie against hers. It’d be dumb to say a thrum of lightning coursed through her at the touch, so she’ll just keep that thought to herself.

“If I’d seen you or, more to the point, noticed you then, during any one of those times our paths could have crossed but didn’t, any one of those times we were in the same room but I looked left and you looked right… believe me, I would have let you know, and I wouldn’t have let you go.”

“Well,” she says after a long moment, just staring at his finger beside hers, “good thing we’re meeting up now, then, isn’t it?”

That same hundred-year smile passes between them, maybe not quite as scary as it was before. “Yeah, it is.”

[lezliefaithwade]

A Breath of Fresh Air

The summer after my first year of theatre school, I was sleeping on the living room floor of my cousin's apartment in Toronto, trying to figure out what to do with my life. My cousin had been an actor before he became a quadriplegic in a car accident, and as I unadvisedly bemoaned my unemployment status, he said something like, "Seriously? You're complaining about your life? Don't make me burst a colostomy bag." He was right, of course. I wasn't in a wheelchair, though I did have a stepmother who had rendered me homeless because of her dislike for me. She was always saying things like, "Your hair can't be as ugly as that hat you're wearing." Or simply refusing to invite me to things like Christmas dinner. I always admired people with families. My boyfriend at the time was one of five kids who were always doing things together. Their house was always full of noise and activities. Even as a shiksa, I felt more at home there than with my stepbrothers and sisters, who never lost an opportunity to point out that I was weird. I wanted to stand up to them, but not wanting to cause my father any grief, I held my tongue and sought refuge elsewhere. It occurred to me that perhaps I was using the theatre as an opportunity to say things through characters that I couldn't find the courage to express myself.

The Toronto Star was still open on the kitchen table, and I rummage through the Want Ads, that dirty part of the newspaper near the back where complete strangers will soon become complete assholes in your life by forcing you to work menial jobs in humiliating uniforms for minimum wage.

"Find anything?" my cousin called from the bedroom, where two attendants helped wash and dress him.

"Social services are advertising for camp councilors to work with emotionally challenged kids."

"Oh yeah," He said. "That might suit you."

I'm not sure I knew what he meant but, I was beginning to think I'd outgrown my welcome. My cousin probably would have encouraged me to join the circus if the option had been available. Knowing my living room days were numbered, I thought it best to make an effort and apply.

I had no experience teaching drama—no experience working with kids and no experience going to or working at a camp. Despite all that, I was hired. It's worth noting that it's probably not a good sign if you get a job with no qualifications whatsoever.

My official position was Drama Councillor, and I prided myself that with only a year and half of theatre training behind me, I was well equipped to help others benefit from the wealth of my experience. I imagined myself, Maria Von Trapp, teaching children how to sing while they looked at me adoringly. Somehow, I conveniently blocked out the rebellious early stages she experienced and skipped straight to the good parts. Also, I might add, forgetting about the Nazis and having to climb over a mountain. Still, visions of me biking around camp with a group of happy campers behind me filled me with a sense of self-satisfaction.

As I packed my knapsack with deet and a secret stash of Twinkies, I thought of how only three weeks earlier I'd been in New York walking through Central Park and savoring Cappuccinos at outdoor cafés on Columbus. Now, here I was, ready for something different. The wilderness, I imagined, would be a welcome change—fresh air and loons instead of smog and sirens. I thought smugly about my classmates sweating behind visors at take-out windows shoveling fries into cardboard cups or wrapping sandwiches in tinfoil. Thumbs up to adventure, I told myself. The fact that I'd never once in my life enjoyed the great outdoors didn't factor into my mind. All of this changed with each accumulated minute of the 391 Kilometer drive north.

It was late afternoon when I arrived at the compound. Overcast, sullen, it was a place so secluded you'd need flares to find it. It had that distinct aura of someplace time forgot. A place left behind and neglected. In the brochure, the sun was shining, flowers filled the meadow, and you could practically hear laughter floating off the page. What I was looking at bore more of a resemblance to a situation in a Stephen King novel where camp councilors discover a pack of hungry teenage zombies have lured them to a seemingly idyllic retreat. Situated right in the heart of black fly country, I spent most of my days swatting insects so big they seem Jurassic.

During our orientation, child care workers warned us that children with mental health needs tend to run away - a lot and to keep strict attendance records and all eyes on them at all times. "These kids are resourceful and clever," they cautioned. I couldn't imagine being so determined you'd risk your life by escaping through the woods that surrounded us, but then again, I'd never been around children who weren't allowed cutlery before either

I shared my cabin with three other women with who I had absolutely nothing in common. Delia, a humorless 27-year-old cooking instructor who answered every question with a monosyllabic grunt, Jennifer, a 26-year old tennis instructor with massive blond ringlets who talked so quickly she sounded like a record on high speed, and an older aboriginal woman named Sunny who made us all dream catchers and offered advice about how to heal ourselves on days when we'd feel spent. "Remember, these kids need us," she said while purifying our cabin with sage. As I glanced around my assigned bunk, taking in the spider webs and loose floorboards, I had that sinking feeling that comes when you know you've made a terrible mistake. Before long, I was eating copious amounts of peanut butter on stale bagels amid a never-ending supply of starch. I'm not sure who thought it was a good idea to feed children with challenges like anxiety, depression, hyperactivity, and eating disorders copious amounts of sugar and carbs. It certainly did nothing to help them or me.

On the first day of class, I sat everyone in a circle. "Welcome to drama class," I said with a smile. "Let's begin by sharing with everyone a little bit about ourselves. Anything at all you'd like us to know?" A hand went up.

"I'm Tracy, and I hate my stupid ass brother. He can go straight to hell."

"Okay," I said, "That's a start. Who's next?"

Another hand. "I'm Jonathan, and this place sucks so much I wish it would burn to the ground!"

"Fair enough. Anyone else?"

"I'm Jo. I'm schizophrenic. So sometimes I'm Rachel and Julia. You'll know the difference because Rachel has a British dialect, and Julia talks slang."

"O-kay." I glanced at the social workers who sat on the edge of the room and looked at me with an expression that basically said, "We can't wait to see what you do next."

"Let's write a play," I suggested. "Write anything you want. Once you're happy with the work, I'll shape it into a cohesive piece that we'll rehearse and then present at the end of the season talent showcase."

The kids liked this idea. The showcase was a big deal. It was an opportunity for them to blow off some steam and express themselves to friends and family in a creative way. My only stipulation was not to use profanity. As the weeks passed, I was impressed with how well they all threw themselves into this project—all except Eric, the oldest boy in my 12 to 15-year-olds. Eric often wandered around the rehearsal space, unfocused and sullen.

"Any ideas for your piece?" I ask, checking in to see if I could help.

"I'm thinking," he'd say and then pace.

With three weeks left in the summer, I took my well-deserved week off to decompress. My boyfriend came up from Toronto and drove me to his parent's house at Post and Bayview, where caterers were preparing the tennis courts for an outdoor party. I walked into his mother's living room, and she gasped. "What happened to you?"

I didn't blame her. I hadn't spent much time looking at a mirror the past four weeks, but one glance at the large one in their bathroom told the full story. My hair was ratty; I had scabs on my knees, bruises on my arms and legs, and I was sunburnt. I was wearing a vintage skirt and blouse that was probably more Value Village than vintage and a pair of worn, scuffed purple moccasins; in essence, I was wearing slippers on my feet.

"Please take her to the mall and at least buy her a pair of shoes," his mother said, handing me her credit card and then rushing off to make sure the stuffed alligator would float in the pool. That week I ate my way through rugelach, hamantaschen, brisket, and bagels while his family watched me with awe and disgust.

Back at camp, the smell of burning insect repellent greeted me along with the news that the sailing and tennis instructors were sacked for disorderly conduct. Never mind, I had renewed energy and a sense of purpose. There were costumes and props to make. Sound and lighting effects to create. And we needed to rehearse. It was only a tiny stage somewhere on a remote camp in Northern Ontario, but the excitement was palpable. I was excited. This would be the best talent show ever, and my kids were going to blow the socks off everyone there!!!

"Eric," I said, "How's your piece coming along?"

"I finished it," he mentioned casually

"That's great. Can I see it?"

"I want to surprise you. You're going to love it, though. I promise."

I patted myself on the back. Eric had a breakthrough. All my encouragement and patience had paid off. Perhaps I'd helped him have a developmental breakthrough.

"Can you tell me what it's about?" I asked.

"The Beatles."

"Great. Okay," and left it at that.

Talent Night arrived along with parents and family friends. The lights dimmed, the kids performed, and the audience enthusiastically applauded as each "Mighty Mite" or "Spirit of Paradise" breezed across the stage, acting out skits about fairies and monsters and assorted escapades. Finally, it was Eric's turn. Out he came, looking serious and theatrical. He cleared his throat and addressed the audience.

"This is called, The Beatles Last Recording Session. By, Me."

Three of his closest camp friends filed out and took a space on the stage. The audience was silent.

There was a dramatic pause, then the piece began.

"Fuck you, Ringo,"

"Fuck you, Paul."

"Fuck you, George."

"Well fuck you, John."

Then they bowed and left the stage.

Personally, I thought it was kind of brilliant. Needless to say, I wasn't showered with accolades about my teaching methods or the effect I had on kids. I left there having no catharsis about mental health except that giving people the opportunity to express themselves without censor is probably a lot healthier than insisting they stay quiet. I admired the honesty displayed in the kid's work. If only, I thought to myself, I could be half as brave. Wasn't that what I was spending time and money learning how to do?

A week after being home, I found myself packing, once more, for school in New York. Our term letters had arrived with instructions on where to buy character shoes, leotards, copies of The Children's Hour, and Death of a Salesman. The camp already felt like it was 391 kilometers away - soon to be 659. My father drove me to the train station with my stepmother beside him; she was there, no doubt, to ensure I boarded.

"You going to be okay?" my father asked, giving me a hug and slipping a $50 bill into my pocket.

"She'll be fine." Elsie chimed in. "You don't have to worry about her. Let's go."

But I wanted my father to worry about me. Not all the time and to the exclusion of all else, but certainly the appropriate fatherly amount.

As I settled myself on the train, I watched my stepmother pull from father from the platform to the car and thought of Eric's brilliant play. Under my breath, I whispered the immortal words of the Beatles, "Fuck you."

#stepmother #mental health #children #young people #summer camp

[queenofthefallenangels]

Captured Love Part 2

The Shield x OC

Rated: M

Tag Team: @writtingrose @sassymox @queenofthearchitect @florenceivy @mox-made-me-do-it @romans-babygirl-wwe @demonkingsangel @snowpanda18 @mnrtw @yndaree @calwitch @musicallyinclinedthings @baroncorbinsfairytale @viperslunatic

if you want to be tagged just ask :) the other chapters are in the masterlist

I woke up feeling rough hands shaking me awake. I slowly opened my eyes to see Dean eating a burger in front of me as he shook me awake. He smiled at me before he tossed a wrapped one onto me. I raised an eyebrow looking at the food. He rolled his eyes when he noticed me eyeing it. "I didn't poison you if that's what you think."  

"You never know." I said quietly.

"Just eat." He said sitting down in the chair to finish his. He rested his legs on the foot of the bed.

I sighed trying my best to sit up and eat. It wasn't easy not being able to use my left hand as much. I opened the wrapper to the burger lifting up the top of the bun to get the pickles off. When I pulled it off though there was no pickles. I looked at it puzzled.

"I ordered it without pickles since you don't like them."

I looked up at him, "How did you know?"

"Every time you ordered a burger or something that would be the first thing you do. You took the pickles off." He shrugged.

I didn't know how to feel. On one hand, it was creepy to think about him watching me. On the other, it was kind of sweet he noticed something so small. Baron barely noticed my dislike for pickles. "Thank you." I told him softly. I took a small bite out of the burger. I was starving, but still a little weary of taking food from people who locked me in a basement. Even if it had the McDonald's logo on it.

"I got some clothes for you." He said. "it's not much, but better than wearing your work clothes."

"Do I get to shower?" I asked feeling kind of gross.

He nodded, "but one of us has to watch you."

I made a face at him. "We have to make sure you don't run away."  He shrugged. "That's the only way we can."

"Can't you chain me in there like you do now?"

"We would still have to see you naked at some point, dollface." He took a bite out of his food.

"I guess I won't take one." I grumbled.

"I am not going to touch you." He sighed.

"Well, what the hell am I supposed to think?"

He took a drink of his soda, "Be thankful we weren't hired to kill you. Now, eat."

I sighed eating my sandwich. We sat in silence as we ate. I decided to break it, "What else do you know about me?"

Dean gave me a puzzled look, "What do you mean?"

"What do you know about me? How long have you been watching me? You knew about the pickles."

"Long enough. I know more than I think you want me to know." He winked at her.

I raised an eyebrow, "What is that supposed to mean?"  

"That when you take a shower it won't be my first time seeing you naked and you need to learn how to close your curtains, doll."

My eyes grew wide. "W-w-what?"

"You asked." He shrugged.  

I opened my mouth to say something, but than I heard the door open. Roman was walking down the stairs. He threw something at Dean. Dean caught it.

"Dress her in that instead." Roman ordered.

Dean looked at it. It was a white sundress with red flowers on it. "What was wrong with what I got?"  

"Kurt's orders. He said he will be here in a bit."

"This guy is a weird bastard." Dean said shaking his head giving me the dress. He reached in his pocket to get the key to the handcuffs.

"Just do it. Madison," he said, turning to me. "Make yourself look good. Your boyfriend is going to see this." Roman turned and went back up the stairs.

I looked at Dean, "What does that mean?" Dean didn't answer as he unlocked the handcuffs that was attached to the bed. He helped me off the bed. He kept one hand tight on my arm, so I couldn't run. I sighed letting him lead me towards the small bathroom in the corner of the room. The bathroom was cramped. Barely enough room for one person, let alone two.

"Do you really have to be in here with me? There is no way for me to get out."

Dean looked around the room for any way for me to get out. There really wasn't unless I was able to pull a finding Nemo and go down the drain.

"Fine," he grabbed my chin. "But, if you try anything, you will regret it."

I gulped nodding. His face looked serious to where it scared me.

"I will be outside the door." He said leaving me alone in the bathroom. He didn't shut the door all the way. I didn't move to try and close it. I looked at myself in the mirror. My makeup was smudged, my hair was a mess, I looked like a disaster. I discarded my work clothes onto the floor. I turned the water on letting it heat before I got into it. I sat in the water for a bit, letting the warm water relax me before I started trying to wash the makeup off my face. To my surprise, when I reached for the soap, it was the exact soap I always used. "How close have they been watching me?" I wondered as I grabbed for the soap.

-----

"Have you ever had that feeling where you feel like someone is watching you, but when you turn around there is no one there?" I asked Carmella one day during our break at work. "Like, I was at Target the other day, and I swear it felt someone was watching me, but I turned around and no one was there."

"Madi, I am pretty sure you are just being paranoid."

I sighed, staring at the chicken in front of me. "You're right. I don't know what's been wrong with me lately."

"Maybe you should go see someone. You seem really shook up about that break in."

"It's just it was so close to us. It could have easily been me instead of her. They never caught the people either. What if my apartment is next? Baron is always gone. I wanted to get a dog, but our landlord doesn't allow it."  

"Why is Baron always gone?" Carmella asked cocking her head to the side.

"Work, I guess. "

Carmella shook his head, "Yeah, work." She said putting air quotations around the word work. "I am pretty sure I have heard that excuse before. I am sorry, Mads, you two are cute, but something is up with him."

I shook my head, "No, his work has just been hard on him. I trust him."

Carmella sighed, "Just be careful. I would hate to see you hurt."

"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."

"It's hard not to when you are worried about people watching you."

"I am sure it is all just in my head." I said shaking off the idea.

----

I turned the water off as I stepped out of the shower grabbing the dress that Roman had given me. I threw it on. The dress pushed my breast up a bit and the skirt on it felt really short. I smoothed to down trying to pull it down a bit more only causing my boob to poke out more. I sighed. I normally wouldn't have minded wearing a dress like this, but something about where I was made me feel more exposed. There was a soft knock at the door before Dean opened it. He handed me a makeup bag and hairbrush. "Seth brought these down."

I bit my lip and took them from him. I set the bag down on the sink as I began to run the brush through my chestnut brown hair. Dean watched me from the door. I saw him in the mirror. "Why are watching me?" I asked him.

He shook his head almost like he was snapping himself out of thoughts. "Just making sure you don't run off."  

I nodded as I put down the brush picking up the makeup. I never wore much makeup. Just a bit of concealer and eyeliner mostly. Maybe some mascara and eyeshadow here and there. I decided to take some of the red lipstick and put it on to match with the dress. I could still see Dean watching from the mirror. He was trying to hide it, so I ignored it.  

"You ready?" He asked.

I nodded slowly. "I guess."

He grabbed my arms pulling them behind my back. His touch was gentle as he snapped the handcuffs around my wrist. He lead me up the stairs.

"What are we doing?" Dean asked Seth as we met him at the top of the stairs. I noticed he was holding a piece of cloth in his hand.

"We are taking her to Kurt, so he can send Baron a little message." He said as he tied the fabric around my eyes.

"Why the blindfold though?" Dean asked.

"I don't know. It was Roman's idea."

"Oh, but my idea eariler was stupid, but let's blindfold her for no reason at all."

"She can't see where we are taking her." Roman said coming through the doorway.

"I know, but you have to give her the blindfold we used on the last man we killed." I tensed when I heard the words come out of his mouth. Dean chuckled softly as he felt me tense under his hand.

"Knock it off, Dean. You know it isn't the same one." Another hand touched my other arm. My guess was Seth. The hand rubbed my arm softly trying to get me to untense. Dean's hand pulled me away from the other one.

"I got her. She doesn't need you touching her too."

"Well, all you want to do is scare her. She might not want you touching her."

"I didn't know it was about what she felt comfortable with. I am stronger than you so it will be harder for her to get away."

"Stop." Roman boomed as he grabbed me from both of Seth and Dean. "I will take her. Dean, you drive." Roman's hand wrapped around my wrist as he lead me to the  van, helping me in.

We drove for awhile. As we drove, I felt a hand on my knee. They gently rubbed it. I wasn't sure who's hand it was. A three men had rough and calloused hands. My guess was Roman cause I could hear Seth and Dean fighting about how Dean was driving. I didn't know what to think. Roman hadn't interacted with me at all. Just gave orders. My heart stopped when the hand began to move up further up my leg, but then quickly pulled away when they reached the hem of the dress. I swallowed as I sat there for the rest of the ride.

When we got there, I was helped out of the car and lead inside the house. We stopped after walking for awhile. The blindfold was removed from my eyes. I looked behind me noticing it was Dean who had been leading me.  

A bald man stood in front of me. He had bright blue eyes and a muscular body trapped inside a suit. He looked familiar like I had seen him before, but I couldn't place him.

He came near me walking with a weird limp, "Hello, Madison, nice to meet you again. I would have wished it was under better circumstances, but I am afraid your boyfriend wants otherwise." He reached for my face. I flinched trying to move away, but Dean held me tight there.

"I am not going to hurt you." He smiled. He turned to the guys behind me. "You did good. Your pay should be available soon. Come on, I am going to start the video chat soon." He said leading us to another room. The room had a big tv with a camera pointing to the middle of the room. I looked around the rest of the room, it had a couch and loveseat, but they were all pushed back to make this room seem empty. "Set her right there," he said pointing in the middle of the room. He handed Roman a blanket. "Put this over her." Roman nodded as Dean pushed me down to my knees. Roman put the blanket over my body.

I didn't question it. I was too scared to even speak. I could hear them speaking in hushed voices before I heard the TV turned on. I heard what sounded like Skype. It seemed weird that they would be using Skype. I thought maybe they would use something else.

"What the fuck do you want, Kurt?" My heart stopped when I heard Baron's voice. I know it had only been a day or two, but it felt longer. I hadn't ever gone this long without at least talking on the phone with him for awhile. "I got enough problems right now without you bugging me."

"I want my money. You still owe me money for the drugs, I sold you."

"I already told your ass that I am not paying for that shit you sold me. They were weak ass shit and not worth the price. Now, if you will excuse me, I got better shit to do."

"Like, look for your precious girlfriend?"

"How did you know that?" Baron asked confused.

Kurt slowly grabbed the blanket from over my head revealing me. I bit my lip as I saw Baron's face. I could see a bit of fear in his eyes, but his face showed more anger.

"What the fuck, Angle?"

"I want my money." Kurt said flatly. "And I will get it by any means necessary."

"This isn't funny. Give her back. She didn't do anything in this."

"I will once I get my money back."

"I am not paying you the money. Just let her go. She isn't even a part of this."

"You made her a part of this and if I don't get my money, I will.." I heard a gun click behind my head. My heart stopped at it. I saw Baron's eyes grew. I could feel the gun on the back of my head. I closed my eyes, trying to stop myself from shaking. "Have these three kill her."

"You can't even kill her yourself. You have to hire three men to do it. Wow just wow."

"I wouldn't test me, Corbin. I have the upper hand here."

Baron rolled his eyes, "fine, I will get you your money, but" he moved closer to the camera. His face extremely serious. "If any of you touch her, in any way, I will make you regret the day you ever thought of this plan."

Kurt shook his head at this. "You got three months. 90 days. If you don't by then, I will have her killed. Got it?"

Baron nodded. His eyes finally met mine. He mouthed, "I am sorry. I love you."  Before he ended the call. My guess was to call Drew and figure out what to do.

The gun finally left my head. I put my head down feeling hot tears in my eyes. I wish I could just wake up from this nightmare.

[wearejustvisiting]

OCtober 2: Dance

The second day of @oc-growth-and-development ‘s OCtober is at hand! Here’s number 2: Dance

Gina hated weddings. 

Gina hated that just because two people who her dad knew decided they liked each other enough they had to drive an hour to Chippewa, get on a plane and fly however many hours, wear stuffy clothing she didn’t like, and sit for another hour watching people talk. 

But the reception...oh, OH the RECEPTION. THAT was the worst part. If it wasn’t a weird uncle trying to get her to drink, it was a weird unknown trying to dance with her. And if it wasn’t that, it was sitting around and waiting for some other song to come on to go and stand awkwardly on the dance floor to while holding a drink that you’d bury your face in to avoid conversations. 

Gina hated weddings. 

Gina LOATHED receptions. 

And here she was. At a wedding reception. Sitting at a table by the sidelines. Her ‘nice’ glasses on, just wire frames. A simple black dress with sleeves to the elbow to fit with the theme of the wedding. Not like the one where she had to wear a hoop skirt, thank god, but still not what she would have worn. 

“You look like you’re having a great time.” Gina’s father piped up, jokingly, as he sat net to her and patted her back gently. He wore a white suit with a black shirt. Theming. It was dumb. 

“Ohhh yeah, super fun.” Gina wasn’t always this sarcastic, but her dad often let it slide at events like this. Can’t expect her to be sunshine and rainbows when she hates everything going on around her. 

“It’s not so bad, Birdie...you get used to it.” Dad sipped what looked to be champagne.

“How many weddings are we gonna have to go to until you run out of friends who get married, anyways?” 

“Well, I have three more brothers, your mom’s family still invite’s us to their weddings...I’d say a lot.” 

“UGH!” Gina rolled her eyes and looked at her black painted nails, “Are they all gonna be this lame?” 

Dad giggled, “Well...don’t tell him I said this,” Whispered Dad, “But Your uncle Tom’s always been a bit of a bore.” 

Gina giggled, “Really? Like, since you were kids?” 

Dad nodded, sipping his champagne, “Yeah...he was always the one worried about responsibility and things like that, even though he was super young. Only about 12 when I left the house...” Dad put his glass down, putting on a mocking tone, “Desmond, Andrew, we gotta clean the house and scrub the floors with our bare hands!” 

Gina and her dad both laughed. Gina smiled and looked over to him, “Did you ever think he’d get married?” 

“Married, yes. To a stuntwoman? No.”

A song came on. 

There were some cheers, but mostly people just changing their style of dance. But Gina wasn’t looking at that. Gina was looking at her dad. And she wasn’t sure about how she felt. 

Dad’s expression changed, almost in an instant. He looked out on the floor...his smile saddened as he looked down and shook his head. 

“I knew he might do this.” 

“...Do what?” 

Dad looked over, “You know the first dance? The song that plays when a person dances with their spouse for the first time?” He giggled a bit and sighed, “...this song, it was our first dance. Me and Christine. Me and your mother.” 

Gina’s face turned slowly back to the crowd on the dance floor. She clutched her elbows, looking out on the floor.

“...if I asked you to dance, would that be weird?” 

“...What?”

Gina looked to her dad, “If I asked you to take me to the floor and dance, slowly, would that be a weird thing? I don’t want to, like...seem...weird, or...something.” 

Her dad thought for a second. “...I mean, it would be out of character for you, yes. But if you’re asking if anyone else would think it’s weird, then...I don’t think so.” 

“YOU don’t think it’s weird, right?” Asked Gina. 

“...if it’s this that you’re worried about and not the weird animals you bring home or the excitement over spotting a RADAR beacon, then no.” 

Gina grabbed his hand and pulled him onto the dance floor. They danced, slowly swaying as they held close to each other. At that moment, Gina’s dad cared mostly about Gina. Gina, meanwhile, cared somewhat about making sure no one thought this was strange. No one looked. 

So they danced through the song...then another, this one more upbeat. They danced...mostly flailed around on the dance floor, finally getting into the swing of things. Gina was having more fun at a wedding than she ever had because she realized one key fact:

No one can dance at a wedding. So it didn’t matter how bad she was.

Gina hated weddings.

She LOATHED receptions. 

But she didn’t mind this one so much.

[taehyungiestummy]

Blood, Sweat, and Tears -- Chapter Nineteen

Masterlist     Previous     Next

Warning: Swearing

Word Count: 6728

         The last time that I was flung back to the past, I was not yet a teenager, but this time I can tell that I am in my first year of high school. At a gala of sorts that my father put on to have kids of his partners come to mingle with each other, since we all go to the same school. I’m sure that the Fakes are here somewhere, but this is just a memory that I get to relive.

         “I really don’t want to be here,” I groan, leaning against the wall of the ballroom. “What does it matter that we are friends with these kids?”

         I can hear the low rumble of music, but there is no way that I am able to recognize any of the songs. The lights in the room are not as bright as it could be, but I am still able to see everything clearly.

         “We are here to make our father happy,” Yoongi replies. “Becoming friends with anyone here is not required of us.” He’s dressed up in a nice suit and his hair all styled.

         “Someone is going to want to become friends with us,” I roll my eyes, running my hands over the light purple dress that I picked out for this event. Well, that Sooyoung picked out for me. “Everyone wants to be with the Min kids.”

         Yoongi chuckles, “Is that what people call us? The Min Kids?”

         I giggle, “Stop trying to be funny,” I give him a shove.

         It is crazy to see me this playful with Yoongi in such a public setting. He’s always stoic, making sure that no one but I am able to see his kind and caring side. Not since our mother died. This scene is abnormal, but I am sure that Yoongi had moments when he would act like this that were taken from me. It’s not like anyone is coming up to us.

         “You know that I am oh so funny,” Yoongi leans into me, poking my side. “Come on, cheer up. This isn’t the worst thing that you have had to go through.”

         “I know, I know,” I sigh. “I’m just not in the mood to be around all these people. I want to be in bed, snuggling with my stuffed animals, and watching a good show.”

         “That would be nice,” he sighs. “I’d want to snuggle with you though. Having a nice time with my little sister. Still, we have to toughen up and power through the rest of this evening. Then we can spend the whole day together, in your room, tomorrow. Just the two of us with all kinds of snacks.”

         “That sounds perfect,” I let the gummy smile take over my face. “Ugh, can this just be over?”

         “Ah, Yoongi, Areum, I knew that I would find you off together,” my father steps up to us with a grin.

         I feel my heart clench seeing my father alive and happy. It’s been getting harder each day to recall his voice, and his face is slipping from my mind. I can barely imagine going as long without him as my mother. I scarcely remember anything about what she looked like, or smelled like, or sounded like. She is shrouded in fog that will never lift.

         “What are you doing over here?” I ask, pushing up onto my toes a few times in excitement that maybe we can leave.

         “I was coming to grab Yoongi,” my father places a hand on Yoongi’s shoulder. “I wanted to introduce him to a few some people.”

         “What about me?” I grab the skirt of my dress. “Doesn’t anyone want to talk to me with you? I’m just as important as Yoongi.”

         “Maybe next time, pumpkin,” he tenderly smiles at me. “This is a bit more mature than what you are used to.”

         “I know about what is going on,” I grumble. “I know Bangtan’s true purpose.”

         “That’s right, Areum is now a part of the inner workings,” Yoongi slings his arm around my shoulders. “She should start to interact with the partners.”

         “I am going to slowly transition her, but tonight is not the time to show the others that she is going to be co-owner in the future,” my father pats the top of my head. “Don’t worry, Bambi, you will get your time in the sun.”

         “Fine,” I pout, crossing my arms. “Have fun off with whoever.”

         “We love you,” Yoongi and my father swoop in to press a kiss to each cheek.

         “Just go,” I squeal out giggles, pushing them away.

         “Please talk to someone,” my father gently pinches my cheek as he walks away. “Those group of girls over there look nice,” he motions over to some girls that I have been avoiding all night. “Just have fun.”

         Yoongi and my father walk away, leaving me to either stay by myself or find someone to waste time with.

         I notice that the group of girls that my father pointed out is indeed the Fakes that would eventually ruin my life. The ones that would force me to be someone that I was not for years in school, but would help me grow into the person I am today. One that will stand up for myself, and one that will stop doing things for others. It might take a while for that to happen, but I will reach that point.

         “Please do not come talk to me,” I whisper to myself. “Oh god, I do not want to talk to any girls.”

         I understand that so much, little Areum. I hated talking to those bitches every day. I hated wearing dresses and heels to impress them. I hated the person that I became when they showed up. I will never do that to help someone else.

         “Um, hello,” a boy’s voice fills my ears.

         I slightly jump, looking over to see a boy. “Oh, ah, hi,” I give a small wave.

         “I’m sorry if I scared you,” he flashes an apologetic smile.

         That’s Reo, no doubt in my mind. I can understand why I would have liked him back then. He’s super cute, and I guess that he still is to this day.

         “My name is Reo, Dr. Sato’s son,” Reo shoves his hands into his pockets. “And I know that you are Areum, because I just saw you with your brother, Yoongi, and only hangs out with one girl.”

         “Yeah, I’m Areum,” I slightly smile. “I’ve talked to you a few times at the doctor’s office.”

         “Oh yeah,” he nods a few times. “My time at the office kind of all blends together, but I do remember you now that I think about it.”

         “That’s good,” I giggle. “I like to think that I am unforgettable.”

         Reo chuckles, “I can assure you that you are. I’m just kind of stupid.”

         “No, don’t say that,” I slightly pout, reaching out to touch his arm.

         “It’s true. Even with my father as a doctor, I am never going to be like that. I’d rather do something a bit more artistic, but I don’t know what yet.”

         “You have a long time to figure out a career,” I pull my hand back. “We aren’t even out of high school yet. There is so much time to think everything over and find a good passion.”

         “Do you have any idea what you want to do?” He tilts his head slightly to one side.

         “Oh, um, actually, I want to write. Like, I would write for anything. I’d write stories, or articles about whatever. I just want to get my ideas out into the world.”

         “That is a cool idea. I bet you hear this a lot, but I would read your published books, no matter the subject.”

         “I do hear that a lot, but it sounds better coming from someone my age.” I feel my cheeks slowly heating up.

         I cannot believe that I am actually flirting with this boy, and that he is kind of flirting back with me. Two awkward teenagers trying to figure out the dating world, and neither of us really knowing what the hell we are doing.

         “I actually noticed that those girls over there have been looking at you for a while, and I didn’t want you to be ambushed by them,” Reo quickly glances in the direction of the girls that I did not want to interact with. “I’m glad that I was able to get to you before them, because I am having a nice time talking with you.”

         “Me too,” I swish my hands over my skirts. “Dr. Sato is always so nice, so I wouldn’t expect anything less from his son.”

         “Thanks,” he smiles as his cheeks redden.

         I’m not really sure how to feel about this whole interaction. I have never been one to really flirt, and now that I have Taehyung, I don’t feel the need to flirt like normal people do. Even before Taehyung and I decided to label our relationship, I wouldn’t say that we really flirted with each other. I didn’t even know that I had this type of behavior in me. I wouldn’t say I am doing a good job at flirting, either.

         “We go to the same school, don’t we?” I ask

         “Different classes, but yeah, we go to the same school,” Reo nods. “I kind of always wished to be in the same class as you, but I guess the world had different plans.”

         I giggle, “Why would you want to be in my class? It’s not like it is that interesting in my class. Just trying to get through the day.”

         “Oh, um, well, I think you’re cute,” he nervously grins, scratching at the back of his neck. “I’d like to be in your class to sit next to you, and get to know you a better.”

         “You think I’m cute?” I nervously mess with a stand of hand hanging down near my face, knowing that my cheeks are bright red.

         “Really cute.” His cheeks redden even more. “I know that it is weird for me to say that since we don’t really know each other.”

         “It’s not weird at all,” I shake my head, feeling bad that he would think that way. “I think that you are cute, too.”

         “Really? Are you just saying that?” He gives me a small shove on the shoulder.

         “No, I would never do that. You really are cute.”

         “Then what do you say about going on a date with me?” His lopsided smile has my heart skipping a beat at how cute he is.

         What the hell just happened? That was way too easy. I mean, I get that we are young and awkward, but we barely know each other. We just started talking at this party, and now we are going to go on a date. I mean, I guess that Taehyung and I hadn’t known each other long, but in a weird way we did. Oh, I bet I was just happy to have a boy liking me. It could have been worse.

         “That sounds nice,” I shift around on my feet. “What would you like to do?”

         He shrugs, “I’m not really picky. We could go mini-golfing, or to a movie, or out to a diner. Any of those sound good to you?”

         “I haven’t been mini-golfing in so long. That would be so much fun to do.” A gummy smile takes over my face.

         “We should probably tell our dads about our plans, right?” He chuckles. “Neither of us can drive, so someone is going to need to get us there.”

         “Don’t worry, I have a driver. Besides, if we tell them, they are going to ask a ton of questions, and I don’t want to be pestered. I just want to go out, have a nice time, and see what happens next. They can find out once we get closer.”

         “That is very true,” he chuckles. “We need to exchange numbers so that we can figure out what day works to play putt-putt.”

         “Do you have your phone with you? I can just give you my number.”

         “Perfect,” he pulls his phone out of his pants pocket with a grin.

         Our conversation fades away, but the scene isn’t changing to show Reo and I in a new place. In fact, this reminds me of when I was shown my parents being cute off in a room while little me ran pass. There is something here that my brain is screaming at me to notice, but I don’t know what I am looking for.

         I will the memory to widen, and that is when I notice the boy off in the dark. He’s looking in my direction with a sad look on his face. I know in a second that it is Taehyung, and he has been taken from me at this point. He has to watch me fall in love with a boy that is not him. He has to watch me do cute couple things that I should be doing with him. He has to live with the fact that I was forced to forget him for unknown reasons.

         I am so sorry, Taehyung. I am so sorry.

********

         “That was pretty good,” I snuggle into Reo’s side as Yobi: The Five Tailed Fox rolls the credits. “Not something I would have thought to watch, but I enjoyed it.”

         “Animation movies are some of the best in my opinion,” Reo presses a kiss to the crown of my head.

          We seem to be at his house in a theater type room, as the chairs are big and comfy with a large screen to watch on. I seem to be quite happy all snuggled up to him, but my heart now feels repulsed. This is not the boy that I am in love with. This is all a lie. I should have never been with him. It hurts to see this, but I know that it is important that I stay focused.

         “So, um, Areum, I’ve been thinking about us recently,” Reo clears his throat with a cough.

         I tense up, fearing the worst. “What about us? Are we going too slow?”

         “No, not at all,” he sits up, holding me out by the shoulders. “I was fearing that we were going too fast. I mean, we’re alone at my house, all snuggled together, and we’ve only being going on dates for a couple months. I didn’t know if you had a pace that you usually go by, and I have just been waiting for you to make the big decisions.”

         “Oh, um,” I feel my cheeks beginning to heat up. “This is my first real relationship, so I have just been going with the flow. I don’t really know what I am doing. I’ll be honest that there have been times when I was nervous, but I know that it is just you, and you would never do anything to hurt me.”

         That’s what you think, little Areum, but this boy has some evil intentions that you don’t know about yet. He may seem all sweet now, and maybe he was in the beginning, but it is not going to last forever. I wish that I could jump in and stop her from getting hurt. I wish that I could stop myself from getting heartbroken.

         “I’ll admit too, that I have been scared at times,” I nibble on my bottom lip, pulling away from Reo. “With this being my first relationship, I didn’t know what to expect. Our first date was like hanging out with a friend, but each date after that was getting progressively more couple-like. I am so afraid of getting hurt, and I don’t know why. Like, I trust you, and I know that you make me happy. I should just let it go and dive in with you. Then the whole world will know that Areum Min has found someone to be with.”

         “I understand why you are scared, Ari, and I would never hurt you,” he reaches out to grab my hands. “I would never do anything to cause you pain of any kind. You deserve the best, and I want you to know that I will always strive for that. I want to make you as happy as possible. Seeing you smile, blushing, laughing, that makes me so happy. I want you to be able to talk to me about anything that goes on in that cute head of yours,” he brings a hand up to tap my forehead with his index finger. “So, are you ready to become official?”

         I giggle, “Maybe if you phrase it a bit differently.”

         “Areum,” his lopsided smile forms on his lips. “Will you be my girlfriend?”

         “Yes,” I squeal, tackling him into the seat. “Yes, Reo, I will be your girlfriend.”

         “I can’t believe that I get to call you my girlfriend,” he wraps his arms around me, giving me a squeeze. “Ah, this is amazing. This is going to be great. We can go on fancier dates, and we can hang out ever more, and we’ll have to let the city know about us.”

         I chuckle, nuzzling my face into his chest, “I’m not that big of a celebrity, Reo. I doubt people would care if I am going out with someone.”

         “The daughter of the man who runs the biggest business in Seoul has a lot of eyes on her. The same goes for your brother. I’m not saying that we hold a press conference or anything. Just a little social media posting is all that needs to be done. Let all the other boys out there know that you are no longer available.”

         “That sounds fine by me,” I let my eyes fall close.

         A social media post? When did that ever happen? If we really did tell the city, and to an extent the country and the world, about our relationship, how was it kept from me for so long? How did I never see someone talking about the old days? If we were really this serious, how come Reo vanished from the earth? I know that Bangtan has a lot of influence over the city and what happens, so it is possible that once this all blows up, they were able to protect me. That the hackers are able to erase the social media postings, or say that it was just a misunderstanding. Bangtan will always be there to make sure that I am safe.

********

         I watch as younger me makes her way down a Seoul sidewalk in a neighborhood near my old high school. It is easy to tell that I am in my third year of high school based on the bright colors that I am wearing. The Fakes would never let me wear what I truly want, but I do know that the bright colors here are reflecting the happiness inside me. There is a pep in my step that I am just now learning to get back. The only place that I could possibly be going is Reo’s house, but for what reason I hope that I can piece together.

         “A whole year and a half officially together,” I giggle, skipping a couple times. “I can’t believe that we have been together for that long. Two whole years of high school I have spent with him. What a great time.”

         Two whole years of spending time with him. All that time could have been spent with Taehyung, but instead I was falling in love with a heartbreaker. A boy who never deserved my time. Reo never understood just how important he meant to me, and how much that love I showed him was so pure.

         “I wonder what he’s been doing all day,” I look up at the cloud filled sky. It’s not meant to rain today, but it looks like that might not be true. “Not that it really matters, because we are going to watch movies once I surprise him. Just like when we became an official couple. Though, this time might end a bit differently now that we have become closer.” I feel my cheeks heat up as the intimate times Reo and I have float to the surface of my brain.

         What? I mean, I can’t be that surprised that Reo and I had sex when we were together. Two whole years of spending time together, and just a little under that of true dating, means that we would have done a lot of things that I just don’t remember. There are vague memories of this relationship, but it all blurs with the few other brief boyfriends that I had after him.

         I reach Reo’s house, pulling the key out of my pocket that he gave me a year ago so that I could come over whenever I please. I’ve been over by myself as Dr. Sato is off at work, and I rarely see Mrs. Sato as she likes to go on trips all the time.

         I stick the key into the lock, turning it to give me access to the house. I try to be as quiet as I can, trying to shock Reo like the many times he has done to me in the past. My poor dog in training has almost bitten him multiple times for how scared I have been, and I only want to get him back.

         I tip-toe through the ground floor to the steps, doing my best to avoid the ones that squeak as I go to the second floor. It is silent, which is slightly unsettling, but it just means that Reo could be sleeping which will makes this even better. I’ll stop his punches if he wakes up in a fit. Jimin and I have been training for some years now, and I like to think that I am pretty good.

         Ah, training with Jimin started soon after my mother died, and has never stopped. I think that I will be using that very soon on the asshole that I am trying to show my love to.

         I reach the door to Reo’s room, which is closed all the way. Not something that I see a lot, but doesn’t really bother me. “Ugh, teenage boys,” I roll my eyes. “Probably jacked it and then went to take a nap. Perfect for scaring the shit out of him, though.”

         As much as I had wished that was all he had been doing, I can appreciate now that it was something else. It lead me back to the one who was meant for me.

         I fling the door open, “Reo, surprise!”

         I watch as my whole body freezes up, a sadness exploding onto my face as I expose Reo for the true bastard that he is.

         “What the fuck?” My eyes widen and my heart falls to my toes as I take in the sight in front of me.

         Reo and some girl I have never seen before is in his bed, both of them covered in hickeys and clearly naked. It feels like a dream that I have caught my boyfriend in this situation, but there is no denying it. Reo is cheating on me.

         “Ari, what are you doing here?” Reo jumps out of his bed. Surprisingly, he had the decency to put boxers on after having his fun with whoever is in his bed. “Baby, you always let me know when you are coming over.” He walks over to me, but I quickly step out of his reach.

         “I wanted to surprise my boyfriend, but it looks like you have surprised me. Like you always do,” I glare at Reo. “What the fuck do you think you are doing?”

         “Me,” the girl answers with a chuckle.

         “Please, stay out of this,” Reo glances back at the girl.

         “How long has this been going on?” I take a deep breath.

         “A few months,” Reo answers.

         “Months!” I scream. “You’ve been cheating on me for months!”

         “Six to be exact,” the girl says.

         “I told you to stay the fuck out of this!” Reo shouts at the girl.

         “Six months!” The anger boils inside of me, but I fight to keep it under control. “You mother fucking cheater! You bastard! You, you, asshole! Six months ago was our first full year together! And you were already tired of me? I thought you fucking loved me. I loved you!” I feel the tears running down my cheeks, and I swipe at them to make sure he knows that they aren’t for him.

         “Ari, you know I love you,” Reo reaches out to me, but I slap his hand. “Come on, baby, we can work through this. I made a mistake, and you’ve been so busy lately.”

         “A mistake! This is more than a fucking mistake, Reo. And don’t even think to pin the blame on me. This is all on you. A cheater? I can’t believe you!”

         “Areum, please, you are upset right now, and you have every right to be, but we can talk this out. Figure out how to move passed this. It’s not like I’ve done a lot with her,” he motions at the girl in his bed. “Sure, I’ve been hanging out with her for six months, but it didn’t get to this point until very recently. It’s not as bad as you think.”

         “Oh, it’s not as bad as I think?” I growl. “I just wanted to come over and surprise my boyfriend, and I find him in bed with another girl. A girl that he has just fucked. I’m surprised that you weren’t in here smoking. Or is your dad finding cigarettes in your room worse than me finding you with someone else!? You fucking disgust me!”

         “Please, baby, you need to take a few deep breaths,” Reo cautiously takes a step towards me. “It doesn’t have to end this way. We can make it through this. Here, I’ll tell her to leave.”

         I clench my jaw in anger, “That isn’t going to fix this.”

         “And I am not leaving,” the girl snaps. “She’s the one who came over unannounced, and she is the one who should leave.”

         “She’s my girlfriend, not you!” Reo picks up a shoe from the floor, throwing it at the girl who barely dodges it. “You are such an annoying bitch, and I am done with you.”

         “And you are done with me,” I growl, letting the tears fall freely.

         “What?” Reo looks at me with wide eyes. “Ari, please, think about this. I am sorry, and I will do whatever I can to make this up to you. You just have to calm down, and then we can talk this over. We have been hanging out for two years now, and you just want to throw that all away?”

         “For a cheater, without a doubt,” I take the key to his house out of my pocket. “You can take this back,” I toss it towards him. “I won’t be coming over here ever again.”

         “Ari-”

         “Stop calling me that!” I scream. “You don’t get to call me that anymore! I don’t love you anymore!”

         “Areum,” he breaths out, stepping up to me. “I still love you. I never stopped loving you.”

         “Shut up,” I pull my hand back, slapping his across the face with as much force I can muster.

         Reo falls to the floor clutching his face with both hands, tears already streaming down his face.

         “That’s what you get for cheating,” I spit at him. “That is just a fraction of the pain that I am feeling right now. You broke my heart, Reo, and I hope you are proud of that.” I turn on my heel, rushing out of his room. I want to get out of this house as fast as possible.

         “Areum! Come back!” Reo’s voice calls after me, but it just spurs me to run faster.

         “I never want to see his face again,” I mumble as I burst out of the house, running down the street with no real place to go.

         Young Areum races down the sidewalk with tears running down her cheeks as my heart breaks. I knew that my first love broke my heart and pushed me away from dating for a while, but I never could recall exactly what happened as those memories were taken from me. I just accepted that he had cheated, that I hated his guts, and moved on. I didn’t want to dwell on someone who had hurt me.

         I never deserved to go through this. I never deserved to give my heart to someone who never wanted it. My heart was shattered by a boy who gave two shits about me, and I will forever be a different person because of it.

         “This is all for a reason,” I slow down, doing my best to dry my face with my hands. “I was meant to find out now,” I take a shaky breath. “He wasn’t the one, and I should have known that. The one is out there. He’s waiting to love me like I want to love him. So, where are you?”

         He’s waiting for you behind a computer screen, precious girl. He will love you like Reo never could, and you will be happier than ever. You just have to get through this. You will get through this no matter how much it hurts. This storm will lead to a rainbow.

********

         It’s dark and cramped, reminding me of a nightmare that I want to wake up from. However, I know that this is important to learning about my past, and I must be brave for what my mind is about to show me.

         “Areum, please, I still love you,” Reo’s voice chokes out. “Stop this. You are going to regret this.”

         I let out a laugh of sadness and anger mixed together. The knife in my hand dripping crimson blood that comes from the cheater I have tied to a chair. “This is still just a fraction of the pain that you have made me go through.”

         My hair is up in pigtails just like the girl in the nightmare, and the anger within me transcends the memory to present day. All that anger that I had back then pushed me to do this to the boy that had invaded my heart for so long. I could do it all over again with the anger that is beginning to boil within me now.

         Reo looks up at me, regret and fear written all over his face. “Please, baby, you’ve done enough.” Blood is seeping through his clothes from all the cuts that I have scattered over his body.

         “I think you underestimated me, Reo,” I snarl. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to kill you. That means that you would get off easy, and I wouldn’t want that to happened.”

         He struggles against the restraints, groaning as pain shoots through all his open wounds.

         “None of this would have happened if you just would have been a man, and came to me before going to her. All you had to say is you fell out of love with me. That would have been okay with me. I would have moved on in a week, and you could go off and be happy with her.”

         “I didn’t fall out of love with you,” he coughs, spitting some blood out at his feet. “I still love you. I love you so very much.”

         “Instead, you went off, slept with her, and lead me along,” I continue talking as if I never heard him. “A cheater, that’s what you are. Once a cheater, always a cheater,” I sneer. “Don’t worry though, your precious little girlfriend won’t be harmed. It was finally pounded into her dense skull that she was the one in the wrong. Thanks to my boys,” I smirks. “You know, when I saw you two in your bed that day, my heart shattered into a million pieces.”

         “I said I was sorry,” Reo chokes out through a mouth full of blood. “Stop this.”

         “And then, almost instantly, it was glued back together with the fury of what I was witnessing. You should have never messed with me. You mess with me, you mess with my brother, and all my friends. I have an army of boys to protect me. You fucked with the wrong girl,” I point the knife at the tortured boy. “And to think, I told you that I love you. To think that I actually thought that I was going to live the rest of my life with my first love.”

         “Please, Areum, you don’t want to do this.”

         “You don’t get to tell me what to do anymore,” I let the knife fall to the ground. “This is what I have been trained to do when someone fucks me over. I need to do this.”

         “No, this is not the Areum that I know and love. You are letting your anger get the better of you,” he takes a shaky breath.

         “What else am I supposed to do!?” I scream.

         This is my nightmare. The one that has been torturing me for years as I try to figure out if it is a memory or just my imagination. It is not all the same, as before my brain was doing whatever it could to fill out the big missing chunks. Now with all the memories about Reo rushing back at me, I can see the whole picture for once.

         “If you ever tell anyone about what happened today, I will find you, and I will kill you,” I turn my back to him. “Don’t even think that I am joking unless you want to find out for yourself just how evil I can be. You wouldn’t be the first to have their life ended by Bambi.”

         “I still love you, and I will never stop loving you, Areum,” Reo says.

         “I’ll send in a doctor for you,” I start walking towards the exit. “Goodbye forever, Reo.”

********

         The dark and cramped is replaced in a flash with bright white and sparkling clean. That means I can only be in one place: my therapist’s office. It makes sense that I would be back here after the events that I had to go through, but I wish that I didn’t have to relive it. There’s one place on this earth that I never want to go, and it is where I see myself calmly sitting in the waiting room.

         I absentmindedly flip through a magazine that is a few years old. I don’t really care about what it has to say, but I will do anything to try and take my mind off of where I am. “Even if I came here on my own free will,” I mumble.

         That explains why I am not throwing a fit, and why I am all by myself. Even if I hate the man that took my memories the first time, I must trust his skills to wipe my brain once again.

         “Areum Min,” my therapist’s voice cracks me out of my thoughts. “It is a pleasure to see you.”

         I toss the magazine back onto the table, pushing out of the seat. “Pleasure is not the word that I would use, but I am here.” I brush past him into his office. “I just know that you can help me with getting rid of my memories.”

         “Ah, so something traumatic happened. Your father didn’t call to let me know you were on your way.”

         “I haven’t told him about all that went on,” I plop down on the couch as I watch my therapist make his way to lean against the front of his desk. “All he knows is that I broke up with my boyfriend. That fuck,” I grumble.

         “A failed relationship is what brought you here all by yourself?”

         “It’s what I did,” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “I found him cheating on me. Like, in bed with another girl, so you can imagine how angry I was. Furious is probably a better word.”

         “I’d ask you to put it on a scale of one to ten, but I can imagine the number with the way you are right now.”

         “There isn’t a number high enough to portray how pissed I was. I mean, he always seemed happy and like he was in love with me when I was with him. I really thought that we were going to be together for a long time. I really did love him, but forgiving a cheater is not something I can do. He shattered my heart.”

         “I’m not sure what you want me to do? I know that this break-up is hard, but you should keep that with you. It helps you grow.”

         “I want to remember what he did, for sure. I’d like to forget his stupid face, and what I did to him after.”

         “What did you do to him after, Areum?”

         “How much do you know about where I come from?” I finally look up into his eyes.

         He shrugs, “If this has to do with the mafia, then I know enough for you to talk about hurting someone, or whatever else you might have done.”

         “I didn’t kill him, if that is what you are thinking,” I roll my eyes, crossing my arms. “I just tortured him for a bit to give him a taste of what I had felt. He shattered my heart, and I needed to get that anger out. Through it all, he kept telling me that he loved me, and how he was sorry. How can I trust him?”

         “You don’t have to explain yourself, Areum,” he walks over to the cabinet of drinks. “I don’t need to understand why you did what you did. You make your decision, and now you want to have some thing erased. I can help you with that.”

         “This is the one and only time that I will thank you,” I watch as he mixes some liquids together.

         “I must say, there are some side effects with this method.”

         “You’re talking about nightmares, right?”

         He glances back at me, “That’s right. Have you been having a lot of nightmares recently?”

         “Far and few between,” I shrug, lying through my teeth.

         There are some things that you can know, asshole, and there are other things that I will keep to myself. My nightmares are what made me doubt you. They are what led me to wanting to figure out the truth. You will never know the demons that used to plague me at night. Never.

         “Here, drink this,” he hands me a glass with a red liquid in it. “That will repress the memories that you talked about, but leave enough that you remember what has happened to you in vague detail.”

         I take the glass from his hand, tossing it back so it never hits my tongue. “I still don’t like you.”

         “I didn’t think you would,” he chuckles.

         I watch as the drug takes its hold on younger Areum. My body twitching as the unwanted memories are locked away in my brain. Only to be released now when the key has finally been handed to me. To show me that all the hurt I have gone through has lead me to be exactly where I need to be.

         The scene flickers out as I watch my other self get up and exit the office. There is a small pep in her step, but I can’t figure out what she could possibly be happy about. Regardless, as at the movies, the lights come back on, and I am thrust back into the real world. Back to where I have to deal with the boy who made me this way.

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

Holy crap, just like the other flashback chapter, this took a lot out of me. I have made Areum go through so much, and I hate it, but I know that it just makes her a strong badass. She truly is one of my favorites to write for, and I hope that you are enjoying it as well! Thank you so much for reading, and I would love to know what you thought! :D (This is a repost, and I don’t know why this chapter was deleted)

[ninaahelvar]

Chivalry Fell On Its Sword - Gendrya Fic (1/?)

Summary: All Arya wanted so to feel normal and go outside of the damn castle. Now, through a series of unfortunate, she's stuck with a bodyguard that she accidentally flirted with: Gendry Waters.

AO3

A/N: this was made specifically for my friend @wetbreadofficial, and I didn't really plan on posting it but Gendrya was making me sad and I wanted happy gendrya content (also, this was only mildly beta'd, so if there are mistakes....my bad)

“Shit,” Arya cursed, trying to snatch the bag from the narrow opening in the gate. It had been caught in the gap, but she couldn’t take any other exit in her escape.

“Oh, just come loose, you fucking bitch,” she snapped, wrenching the bag back until she went tumbling back onto her ass. To herself, she hissed before she laughed, standing up to rub at the sore spot on her back. But she was free! The little pain she had meant nothing to her now.  

Arya had slipped past the guards for what felt like the millionth time. She wasn’t good at following rules - ever since she was little, Arya snuck away from guards and security, making sure she had the most fun a normal girl her age would. Being royalty, and certainly not the next in line for the throne, was incredibly boring and a rigid existence. All she wanted to do was play soccer and practice kickboxing, and do fun, adventurous things. But that wasn’t ladylike. She had to wear dresses, and be presentable like her sister.

But Arya wasn’t her sister. She was her own bloody person, and ever since she reached her teens, rebelling was the one thing she was incredibly good at. School may not have been her strong suit, but she was smart, she was tough, and she was ruthless when she needed to be. When her late teens came, a university education expected, there was nothing that interested her. So, she told her father that is wasn’t for her - she wasn’t going to be her sister. Ned was good with her, letting her follow her path. She was never going to be a queen - she could live a relatively normal life.

In the press, Arya was thoroughly regarded as the mysterious young stark. Robb was the next king, his role, clear as day, and he kept his chin up and eyes focused on his task. Jon was their orphaned cousin, adopted by their father when his parents passed - he was nowhere in line for the throne, but he was Robb’s closest advisor on certain military matters. Sansa was the perfect picture of all princesses, prim and proper like every girl was supposed to be - caring and giving to the people. Bran was the budding theology professor if his future university studies went the way he wanted - Cambridge was excited to have him. Rickon - well, he was like every other sixteen year old, a weird kid that had no real vision beyond playing rugby whenever he could.

Arya, was elusive. Press days, she was in photos, stood beside her mother or father, but never stayed long. She had found the back passages throughout the palace, and knew the right time to slip the gaze of even her finely turned mother.

It was hard to explain why, but Arya liked being hidden. Ever since she was a child, seeing her siblings made her want to be invisible. It was easier to hide when the eldest sister was beautiful and smart, everything the country wanted a princess to be. All Arya ever wanted to do was play like her brothers. When it came time for university or military service optional, Arya nearly jumped at the opportunity to get into a fight. But she lacked the skill, body structure and height to be fit for military action.

And it crushed her.

She worked as a military aid for some time, a short stint flying into warzones, but never seeing any action beyond it. She trained hard to be a pilot, finding the pits an alternative to getting into a physical fight, but it wasn’t enough. There was nothing wrong with being a pilot, but she much prefered the ground. But that’s what royalty was for, no real action unless you’re a man, and the mechanics and driving is left to the women - if they even wanted to.

So, all in all, Arya’s time with the royal air force and military wasn’t what she wanted, and everything else seemed tedious. Arya wanted more from her life, a grand purpose - she was bound to slay enemies, rule like an ancient king and have her name plastered in everyone’s memory. But what she was left with was a skirt she hated to wear, and make up that was always rubbed off her face. With those hated skirts.

Arya was known around the area. Of course as royalty, but mainly as the princess that often snuck into their town and milled about, going to any store and perusing for a few hours of her freedom. Not many people brought up her royal lineage, apart from those that she hadn’t visited before. The first explanation often gave them enough to leave her alone if she came back. And she always did.

She had managed to make it into town, no alarm bells, a few texts, but at least there weren’t any calls. When she got called by her mother, she knew it was time to get back to the castle.

On this particular day of her escape, she went to the gym. The palace wasn’t exactly equipped with the machines she wanted, nor did it allow her freedom of looking at new surroundings instead of her tired old home. What she didn’t expect when she returned from changing into her workout gear was the head of security, Brienne Tarth, exercising on a pec flye machine, pulling her arms together and letting them stretch apart.

Ducking her head down, Arya tried to move past her, but the ferocious, and terrifyingly tall woman spotted her the minute her arms came apart. “Your highness! You are not allowed out of the palace without -” She was practically shouting across the gym and Arya rolled her eyes, shifting her weight onto the side of her hip.

“Brienne,” Arya said, quirking her eyebrow. The head of security sighed, letting the weight machine buckle and slide back into place.

“You are...one exhausting girl,” she huffed, rummaging through her bag. “Are you coming to train?” she questioned, finding a towel to wipe sweat from the back of her neck. She stood, her height even more intimidating than it was before, but Arya raised her chin to stare back at the woman.

“I just wanted to exercise a bit and walk around the town.”

“Did you leave -”

“Yes,” Arya replied, knowing the question. Brienne huffed, throwing her towel into her bag.

“I really shouldn’t have put Podrick on your detail,”

“You really set him up for failure,” Arya shrugged and Brienne shook her head.

“Poor boy.”

“I’m going to get to it,” Arya said, pointing towards the treadmill. Brienne started to pack up her things, slugging her duffle bag onto her shoulder.

“Be back by eight. I don’t need to explain to your mother why you’re not at home again.” Brienne began

“And you can’t lie to the Queen,” Arya reminded, the failed attempts of Brienne lying because of Arya’s begging had not slipped either of their memories. “I’ll try!” she called, walking towards her machine.

She knew Brienne would protest - say she should be better than trying, but there was no arguing with Arya. She was a free spirit, and time frames were not how she lived.

Working out until her legs nearly buckled and her arms tired far too quickly, she quickly showered. Wandering from the changing rooms, Arya pulled her hair up, trying to fit it into a loose ponytail. Instead, she was practically floored when a wall of a chest got in her way. He nearly knocked her straight off balance, his hands gripping onto her elbows.

“Shit, sorry,” a deep voice apologised. Arya rebalanced, stepping away from him and looked him over, ready to be pissed. But something in her froze, like a schoolgirl suddenly realising her crush just walked into the room. Yet, she’d never met this man before. He wasn’t tall, but he was taller than her - which wasn’t an accomplishment. His head was shaved, as though it were all the way down to the scalp once, but the budding hair was coming through again. Across his jaw small stubble grew, and close by was the smirk of a cocky man.

“Didn’t see you there,” he said, suddenly looking straight forward then down. A smile crack straight across his face, as though he was keeping in a wanted laugh.

“Is that a dig at my height?” Arya raised an eyebrow, waiting for his reply.

The man swallowed, ducking his head down as he rubbed at the back of his neck. “I could barely see you were in the room,” he said, a smirk at the edge of his lip.

“Anyone ever tell you that you’re not very nice to strangers?” she pointed out, and the man cleared his throat, repositioning his stance, as though to gain the upper hand.

“No, but you didn’t let me finish. I was going to say, I could barely see you, now it’s impossible to look away,” he replied, his mouth ajar slightly as his tongue darted out to lick at his lips. Arya huffed out a laugh, taking a step in, and knocking the man off his guard.

“You need to get better at that,” she replied, looking up at him.

He straightened out his shoulders. “What?”

“Flirting. You’ve got the face for it too, your lines just need a little work,” she said, pushing past his shoulder, going towards the exit.

“Noted,” he called out. Arya waved over her shoulder, turning back to briefly to catch him staring. It was oddly refreshing for her - to let herself flirt so openly and not care. She had done it before, but she’d always had a lingering eye catching her and ushering them away before they could even think of getting near a princess. Arya liked being...just Arya.

Captured in a moment, she was just Arya. Not Arya of House Stark. But the moment she pushed the door open, she was the princess again, wandering a town which she shouldn’t have been.

Finding, only a few streets away, a coffee shop, Arya went inside and set up her laptop. She wasn’t doing anything for university - one would have to go in order to do work for it - or even looking up things on her family as some sort of pride thing. Instead, Arya sat and wrote out a speech she was supposed to give at her father’s birthday party in three weeks. Arya wasn’t good at public speaking - drawing attention to herself wasn’t on her to-do list.

But it was her father. And she’d do anything for him.

With a coffee in hand, she tried to write something meaningful to them both, something that might make him cry or even make Robb tear up. But words weren’t always kind to Arya, losing themselves at the crucial moment. Preparing to say what she needed helped - but the boredom was it’s cost.

The bell chimed every so often, signalling a new customer, but it just became an odd occurrence. It wasn’t until someone hovered nearby, tall and straight shouldered that Arya looked up. With a bag hung over his shoulder, and a new coffee in hand, he smiled down to her.

“Ah, gym girl,” he named her, and she rolled her eyes.

“I feel like I need a better name than gym girl, don’t you?”

“Well, what’s your name?” he asked. Arya didn’t know if he knew, he didn’t seem to, otherwise he may have tried to run, or could come on too strong. She just...wanted something normal. He did that for her.

“Private,” she replied, swallowing down the want to connect, replacing it with a wall that had to be built.

“Okay private, you can call me major,” he said with a smile. Arya went back to her laptop.

“A major cunt,” she whispered, but it caught the ear of him. Because he laughed at her snide remark.

“Military codes,” he corrected, and as she looked up, her brow furrowed deep.

“I know that. I’m just calling it as I see it,” she shrugged back.

“You’re kinda rude,” he noticed, tipping his coffee to his lips and drinking some down. Arya reclined back into her chair, hands in her lap as she looked up at the cocky bastard. It was hard to stop smiling when she looked at him - he was extremely attractive, and he wasn’t being a dick like many others had been. She was just defensive. But he seemed ready for that. As though he understood her somehow.

“Well, all this rage builds inside my small body, gotta let it out somehow,” she remarked, smiling back at him. He chuckled at her and she wanted to laugh too, but it felt strange. As though letting herself feel the humour of it all was too much.

“I can see that,” he nodded, glancing down to his watch. “I’ll leave you to it. See you, private.” He gave a lazy salute, going to exiting the store.

“See you,” she said, watching him leave, looking over his shoulder with a small wave in toe,  “major,” she whispered under her breath. She wasn’t going to give him the bloody satisfaction of hearing her say it.

But she couldn’t help but notice that throughout the rest of her time in the coffee shop that she couldn’t stop smiling to herself.

When the night was winding down, the castle looming over the town seeming even more intimidating in dusk, Arya didn’t want to go home. Calling a castle a home was a strange, as though such a building could be a welcoming embrace after a long day. Arya wasn’t one to be waited on, hand and foot. She wandered and moved against what her family name expected of her.

The town dwilded in masses, igniting their lights throughout the town, and the creatures of the night emerged. Those that wanted their night off, crawling from pub to pub, letting their jobs wear them out until they could suffer no more than a nice dinner and a drink - they all came out. Arya liked watching them, wondering what it would be like to be normal like they were. She felt freer than they were, but less free to be...normal.

Finding a group that would not stop chanting, she felt like she was drawn to them like a moth into a burning flame. The Stag Head. They all came wandering in, shouting and greeting everyone inside. The noise was insane, radiating outward, almost filling to the brim with people. And Arya beamed. She almost raced inside, shoving her way into the crowd and finding a spot on the bar. She didn’t get a seat for a while, but she didn’t mind the people - they were happy and loose, letting the night fuel their tired bodies.

Arya sat up on the stool, ordering a craft beer and waited for it to come around. She let the band in her hair come loose, falling around her shoulders and her fingers rubbing at her scalp. Scooping her hair to the side, she rested her elbow on the bar, tapping her foot on the stool’s beam. As a loud cheer echoed over the bar, Arya peered up from scanning the line of bottles on the wall. At the entrance she saw the man she knew as Major.

There was a pulling sensation to roll her eyes at him whilst also smiling until he saw her. Fuck. She was being an idiot. Instead of indulging, she focused back at the bottles. She counted to thirty four before someone met at her side. She almost didn’t want to turn, just seeing his smug face might make her react violently.

She hadn’t experienced...attraction like this. He made her mad at herself for feeling it. It was physical, she thought. He was good looking, and he had a nice enough smile. That’s what made her feel kind of giddy. But most of all, she wanted to punch him in the mouth purely to see if it would stop her from feeling whatever it was.

“Are you even old enough to drink?” he said, and Arya sighed, the smile finally creeping onto her lips.

“Just because I’m short doesn’t mean I’m young,” she said, still not looking his way.

“Sure,” he laughed, and Arya almost cracked, looking to see how wide he was smiling now, “you come here a lot?”

Arya straightened up before leaning back down onto the bar. “Not really. Just kind of stumbled across this place. Quite nice,” she shrugged.

“I’ll let the owner know.”

Finally, Arya looked to him, raising her brow. “Are you just that nice?”

He shrugged. “I know the owner.“

Arya narrowed her gaze at him. “I’m starting to think you’re following me,” she questioned. He scoffed back.

“I live here, you’re the one that’s new here. Are you following me?”

“You’re not that funny,” Arya rolled her eyes as her drink landed in front of her. Arya picked it up, almost raising it to her lips but Major spoke quickly.

“And that’s an expensive drink. You a rich girl or something?” he asked, and Arya scoffed.

“Or something,” she smiled as the glass touched her lips. Major smiled back, waving down the bartender who simply nodded and got him whatever his usual drink was. It ended up being whiskey on the rocks.

The night wound down, the crowds dispersing and the pub turning into an average tavern. Arya was shocked to find herself completely immersed in conversation with Major. He spoke of his time away, wishing he was back home - that he was going to be working with a friend from university soon. Yet, even as she talked to him, she could feel he wasn’t letting something out. She could understand that. But she was royalty pretending to be just...an average woman. She lied, saying she was finishing up university soon, her major being communications. He didn’t understand what she would study, and she said some bullshit about it being too hard to explain.

After Arya’s third beer, Major leaned into her, hand snaking underneath the bottom of her stool. Arya looked back at him, the smile on his face was lazy, mixed with his whiskey - a confidence that he hadn’t exhibited before. Arya stopped her hand from raising, focusing back at the man in front of her.

“What line am I going to have to say to get you to consider going out with me,” he said. And she laughed, resting her elbow on the bar and her chin in her palm. They were inches from each other, staring at each other with an unyielding gaze - as though the first to break would lose.

“Seriously? That’s what you’re going with?” she smirked. He gave back a soft shrug, leaning down a little more.

“I’d like to at least be a contender. Feel like I keep falling over myself when I talk to you.”

“Bet you say that to every girl,” she rolled her eyes. He gave her pathetic lines like that, as though one would break her.

“No. Not every girl,” he said, tilting his head.

“You’re really bad at this.”

“So are you, but you do try,”

“So do you, but I get better, and I make it look easy,” she

“Yes, you do,” he said, suddenly jerking her stool towards him. She finally understood why his hand was under her chair. He wanted this to happen.

“Do you really think you can handle me?” Arya challenged, her brow raised as she stared him down. He softened in a way that made Arya’s heart race. He met her gaze with his own passion. He wasn’t backing down.

“Not at all, but I was counting on that,” he said. He finally found it - the line that broke her. It was as though he was seeing beneath the surface of her, under the walls, and peaking at how she wanted to be treated. She was a threat, she wasn't to be taken lightly. And he didn’t want to - he wanted the handful that she was - even if it were for a night, he wanted her.

Arya shifted forward, letting her elbow slip as the two tentatively leaned into each other. All she wanted to do was feel what his lips were like, if they were tender or rough, if the stubble on his jaw would scrap over her cheek if he pulled her forward like she wanted. But she recoiled first, her phone buzzing in her pocket. She wrenched it free from her jeans, finding her mother calling.

“Shit,” she cursed, the call ending before she could answer it. It was well past midnight, and her mother was only now calling. She was going to be killed before she got home. Fuck. Arya hit her forehead to her phone, standing up and scattering from her things. Major was sputtering out some words, almost standing from his stool, but she sat him back down. “I gotta go. It was nice..flirting with you. While it lasted anyway,” she smiled, waiting a moment, seeing if she’d let herself give in. As her phone chimed again, she knew she couldn’t.

Going for the door, Arya turned back the last second to see him one last time. He was looking back to her, the softest smile spreading across his lips. Everything told her to stay, but the nagging phone in her hand ushered her away from the bar.

When she got back to the palace, the look on both her mother’s and Brienne’s face told her enough - she was dead meat.

And now, a dog on a leash as well.

But...she got one day.

~*~*~

Gendry adjusted his tie, trying not to let on that the night before had gotten to him more than it should have. The entrance to the palace shook him more than it should have - he had been in warzones, but a grand palace foyer had his skin on edge. More than anything, he wanted to get this over and done with - he mainly took this job because his mum’s tavern was having some issues and Jon said the job paid well.

And plus, it was Jon. They’d known each other for nearly ten years, their university days binding them forever. As he waited, at the top of the large staircase, he saw the familiar man from his youth.

“Jon,” Gendry greeted. The short royal perked as he saw him, marching in a determined gate before they finally reached each other.

“Gendry!” he called, embracing him tightly, before leaving an arm’s distance between them.  “it’s great to see you man, it’s been a while!”

“No kidding,” Gendry laughed, pointing to Jon’s face, “keeping the beard, I see,” he said with a nod and Jon scoffed, running a face over his jaw.

“At least I kept my hair,” he replied.

Gendry ran his hand over his head. “Some of us have jobs to do,” he shrugged, “thanks for setting this up by the way.”

“It was no trouble,” Jon said, guiding Gendry up the stairs only to stop mid stride, “but in advance...I’m sorry.”

Gendry went back a step, meeting Jon’s worried look with his own. “Why?”

“You’ll get it soon.” He quickly kept moving and Gendry was left to follow straight after.

“Are you having me shovel horse shit?!”

“You might prefer that in a week,” Jon replied simply and Gendry’s brow furrowed deeper. How the fuck was that meant to be comforting, you prick?

“You’re a cryptic fucker, you know that?” Gendry swore. Jon laughed as the pair were met with a tall blonde woman.

“Brienne Tarth, this is Gendry,” Jon greeted. Gendry extended his hand, giving her a familiar, barely present smile.

“We met for the interview. Getting him to meet his assignment today,” Brienne nodded towards Jon, who had already started to walk off from the pair.

“Have fun!” he called out, going about to wander the halls of the palace - letting Gendry suffering with his lack of information.

“Why does he keep saying that,” Gendry said, pointing his thumb over his shoulder.

“You’ll understand soon enough,” Brienne said, barely registering a shift in tone.

“I’m beginning to regret this,”

“You’ll be on the youngest daughter, Arya. Code name is Nymeria,” she said, handing him a folder full of who he was set to protect.

“Why?” he asked.

“She had a dog when she was younger, and wanted it to be her code name. So, she’s stuck with it now,” Brienne waved the question off, as Gendry slowed down to read over the folder, picking up on a few lines, flicking a few papers over and catching a glimpse of the pictures of his assignment.

Gendry stopped midstep. This had to be a joke right? This couldn’t be the same -

“Hurry up,” Brienne said, and Gendry focused back to her, immediately rushing to keep in step with the head of security.

~*~*~

Arya had positioned the rod up in her walk in wardrobe, locked in between two walls to allow her to do pull ups in her own room. Since she’d fucked up the day before, she was essentially under house arrest until her mother worked out what punishment would fit Arya better.

It would be punishment to Arya - it’d just be another royal outing of some kind, donating to a charity and speaking to a crowd that had no idea who she was.

Arya huffed, locking her ankles in place as she urged her body up again. She’d been working out for nearly an hour before she heard a knock at her door. She was hidden away in her wardrobe, so seeing anyone was impossible in her position.

“Your highness?” she heard Brienne call.

“Here!” Arya grunted, pulling herself up again, and when she saw Brienne walk in, she dropped to the ground. Sitting down, she stretched out her arms, bending and arching her body to not tense up.

Arya stopped the minute she saw the man behind Brienne. Her mouth was dry, and she felt like coughing until she didn’t choke anymore. Because that’s all her body wanted to do - choke on the moment, because this could not be happening. Was this the punishment? Did they somehow find him. She stood, dusting herself off.

“Your highness, this is Gendry Waters, your new bodyguard.” He gave a soft bow as a greeting. Arya wanted to return it, but stayed still. Oh no, this was much worse than punishment. It was unintended punishment and embarrassment. Her mother, or the fucking universe, really knew how to kick her in the gut. “I’ll leave you to it. Don’t you dare scare him off like the others.” Brienne turned on her heels, moving out of the wardrobe.

“Hey! It’s not my fault Sam can’t keep up,” Arya called out just as the door to her room shut.

The two stayed in silence, the deafening way it surrounded them, reminding them of what was being unsaid. They weren’t going to avoid it - and because Arya hated awkward situations, she was definitely going to bring it up. She knew her mind, how she was going to spit it out. Her walls coming straight back up.

“I don’t remember you saying you were a bodyguard last night,” Arya quipped, moving past him swiftly to get to her bed, and reaching for the towel that rested on the edge. She wiped away the sweat on her body, covering her shoulders once she had finished.

“Never mentioned you were royalty either,” he reminded her. “Your highness,” he corrected himself quietly.

“Don’t call me that!” she snapped, her cheeks feeling red hot. She hope the colour didn’t show. More than anything, she hoped he didn’t notice how much she hated him calling her that.

Gendry suddenly stepped into her orbit, catching her off guard. “Or what, your highness?” he asked, an edge to his words. Tempting.

“I have to get back to not being here,” she cleared her throat, moving ahead of Gendry and making her way out of the room without taking a second glance, “keep up or I’ll drop you like dead weight,” she warned, making sure her pace was hard to stay in time with.

“Noted,” Gendry said, walking one perfect step behind her. She was thankful for that, because she smiled so wide, she had to bit her lip to stop the laugh she wanted to let out. Instead, she raised her chin and began walking a little faster to see if he could keep up.

He could. And he did.