#he surprisingly didn't run when i went outside

[moth-brain]

Taken from my front porch, 9/28

[0oolookitsme]

Baby, We're Fireproof

Yes bestie, you are on the right blog and yes, I did write some angst!! Hahaha hope you enjoy!

Verse - Singer!Harry x CEO!Y/n

Word Count - 2.1k

Warnings - some insane making-out at the end ;)

Harry has been writing an album, and while Y/n wants to go easy on him, she just can't adjust to his absence and the fact that he has abandoned their relationship. But Harry is quick to realise his fault and remind her that they're fireproof.

In the quiet of the night, Y/n found herself tangled in a web of thoughts, questioning her feelings curled up into a ball on the huge bed.

Harry was yet again, not home. It had been a week since he started coming home later and later. He said it was because he was very close to finishing his new album, and Y/n wasn't quite sure if he realised that whatever he was doing out there, was beginning to put a strain on their relationship.

She wanted to be mature and let him be, knowing his profession was way different from hers. But the question, 'would he have adjusted like this, for this long?' plagued her thoughts.

The corners of her eyes were moist, and she only felt smaller and smaller as the night rolled on. It was pouring outside and even though the balcony was closed, Y/n could still hear the noise, and it only made her more aware of the static silence looming in the house right now.

She wanted to stop thinking so much, knowing that she was going to reach conclusions even she wouldn't believe herself in her right mind. But when she closed her eyes, sleep didn't come and when she opened them, Harry still wasn't sliding into the bed, next to her.

But she must've dozed off amidst her misery because she woke up the next morning with Harry's body tangled with hers, with his head in the crook of her neck, one arm under her head while the other one remained draped across her stomach and his legs twisted like ivy around hers.

She was sweating profusely. So, she got right up and lowered the AC's temperature so that Harry wouldn't wake up drenched like her. Surprisingly, there was no sleep in her eyes. She felt as awake as she'd been in the early hours of the morning.

Climbing down the stairs with nothing going on inside her head, she got herself a hot glass of water with some added lemon juice and went to sit on the sofa in the living room showcasing the sunrise.

Her shoulders were tense, eyes dry and unmoving. She knew there was going to be an argument between the two of them when he'd wake up. But that's okay, because they truly needed to talk this out before things went spiralling a little too far.

She was ready to sort this out and get the tension over with, but she still had that nagging feeling that he might leave the house without bidding her goodbye, leaving behind a mere note mentioning that he loved her and would miss her in the studio, while she'd be in the shower, preparing herself to sit and talk to him.

But that wasn't going to happen today -- she wouldn't let it.

Soft pads of footsteps perked her ears up, but she didn't turn to see him. She just knew that he was rubbing his eye with a knuckle, something that she'd want to disapprove of him for and he would make the faces at her that she found ridiculously funny and had grown to love.

But then she felt warm hands press against her eyelids, closing them and a mouth breathing near the nape of her neck.

"Why are you sitting down here, hm?" He spoke rather quietly, as if not wanting to disturb the peaceful silence. But the rasp in his voice definitely punctured it.

"I think we need to talk," softly, she held his hands and lowered them so they sat intertwined with hers, upon her collarbones. "Please," she whispered, her tone begging him to listen to her and not distract her.

But he was seemingly working well because her eyelids were still shut.

"Well, we can after I have some cuddles with you," he pushed the topic under the rug, knowing that once they'd be done, the both of them would probably be running late.

"No, H," Y/n said sternly, eyes flying open as she pulled on his arm for him to come in front of her and sit. She didn't say much when he just sat on the coffee table in front, opening her legs and putting his closed ones in the space between.

"Say," he said, his eyes set on hers with a nonchalant expression, but Y/n could read the tension in every flexed muscle of his arm and the tightness in his set jaw.

Y/n took a deep breath then. The only thing easing her nerves was the earnest look in his eyes, like he was willing to sit and actually sort this out.

"Don't you think that we haven't really been spending any time together, as of lately?" She spoke just as slowly as her breathing was.

He only nodded at that, albeit little tensely, urging her on.

"I feel that that has been putting a strain on our relationship."

He was still for a couple seconds, or maybe minutes, Y/n wasn't sure.

"I feel the same, babe, I truly do feel the same."

Y/n sensed a but coming, so she didn't speak.

"But I can't really help it, not for a while," he sighed, and Y/n's gaze lost the softness that had been glazing her eyes.

"You're writing an album, and I'm willing to understand how tough and exhausting that must be, but you can't just abandon us for that," she spoke with nods and shakes of her head, her voice rising a level higher.

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

"I've really been trying to be easy and not go on biting at you for not spending each breath of yours beside me, and it should've been easy but it's not because," she stopped to take a breath, one that shuddered. "Because you used to do that, and now you're suddenly not and I'm sorry that I haven't adjusted to it as quickly as you have!" Her brows rose, adding to her words like she was trying her all to make him see the point.

"And I understand if that's too much to ask from you right now, but at least speak with me or spend some time with me because this is a relationship, Harry!" She wanted to stand up and to pace around, but his hands were on her knees, and she didn't want that loss of contact.

Taking a breath to calm herself a little, she crossed her fingers with his again. "It's like we're mere roommates," she began, looking into his tired eyes, noticing his dark circles for the first time.

She didn't even know when they'd first appeared.

"I didn't realise that," he took a breath as if it was suddenly hard for him to speak. "I didn't realise that, that - that's what I'd been doing," with slumped shoulders, he lowered his gaze.

"But I -- you didn't put in any extra effort, either," he insisted, shrugging his shoulders. "You could've visited me at the studio or asked me to stay for a while longer or - or, I don't know!" He finished frustratedly, flailing his arms.

"Oh?" She said before thinking, then took a long breath. "Alright, I agree that I should've done that. That this isn't a one sided thing since it takes two hands to clap," -- she slumped back, crossing her legs -- "but wasn't it you who left while I was bathing, not even bothering to bid me goodbye for the day? Or to send a text mentioning that you were going to be late or that you were ordering food in the studio itself?" She almost suggested.

"I'm sorry about that, I wasn't thinking straight," he said clearly, rubbing her knuckles with his thumb.

"So why did you begin kissing me and fucking me every time that I tried to bring up the issue?" She said, maybe a bit more roughly that she'd intended.

"I wasn't doing it to shut you down, the hell?" He looked as if she'd accused him of robbery. "It was just mere coincidence! Yes, I should've stopped when you began to talk but you fell into me as well, didn't you?" He was standing up now, a frown settled deep between his ungroomed brows.

"I missed you every second I spent away from you, it was you who I was thinking about constantly so pardon me if I was exhausted out of my mind and wanted to spend some time with you!"

Y/n gaze was the guilty one now. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that," she accepted, her throat too dry for her to gulp.

"I just, I can't believe you'd think so low of me," he sighed. "But it's alright, okay? I know we were both frustrated and not thinking straight," he sat back down and held her hands again.

With his thumb and index finger, he softly gripped her chin to coax her eyes into meeting his. 

"Forgive me? I promise I will never write songs about you again," his frown turned into a grin, and he leaned in to hold her gaze when she broke a smile that melted into laughter.

"I hate you," she mumbled, moving to sit in his lap with her arms wrapped around his shoulders, uncaring about the risk of the coffee table holding their weight unsuccessfully.

"Yeah, I forgive you as well," he chuckled, pressing a chaste kiss upon the lobe of her ear.

"Just, don't forget me," she sighed, wrapping her legs around his waist when he picked her up.

"I really made you think a lot of things, didn't I?" He spoke like he was apologising. "I'm really sorry, love."

He was carrying her up the stairs when she pulled away from the nape of his neck to look at him. "I'm sorry too," she said genuinely, holding his gaze.

"It's okay," he whispered, opening the door to their bedroom by pushing against it with his back before he pushed her onto the bed, climbing in after her and bringing with him the blanket which he wrapped the both of them in, holding her tight against him before he whisked himself away to hold his phone.

"Let's take today off, but don't forget to bring in fresh ideas, tomorrow then!" He said into the recorder and sent the voice message, sliding his phone in his bedside drawer then and lying back down, facing Y/n.

They stared at each other for a little, before Harry broke a smile, making one crack on Y/n's mouth as well. “Baby, we’re fireproof,” he said, smugly grinning, and making her laugh. 

"Kiss me, you fool," she gritted with a scrunched nose, grinning widely until Harry hurried to seal their mouths together, the force causing her to move her head back a bit. 

His scent suddenly filled all of her senses, him being all that she could see, feel, hear, and smell. The same vanilla scent with a light hint of some cinnamon and some woody scent that she’d been missing so terribly.  

His tongue fought against hers until she gave up and he finally had the full access to her mouth. His breath hot against her skin bringing tingles under her skin, and making blood rush to her cheeks and fireworks erupt inside of her. 

Backing away to catch his breath, Harry let out a hoarse chuckle when she came forward in the chase of his lips, causing their noses to smush. Licking his lips, he looked at her mouth for a second too long, seeing a kiss she always let him steal. Cupping the back of her head, he pushed her mouth to his’, relishing in the feeling of just how down bad he felt for her. 

Slowly, he pushed her until her back was flush against the mattress and he was hovering above her, his dainty necklace resting on her neck as he claimed her mouth again, his palms slipping under his shirt that she’d been wearing and making their way around her body without much hesitation due to the map of her body inscribed among the lines on them. 

Her back arched off the bed, pressing her abdomen against his’ while his knee parted her thighs to press up against her core. And as she slumped down into the mattress, the friction between her legs had her swaying her hips for more. 

His hands grazed around her abdomen and stomach, caressing her back before he realised that she didn’t have a bra on. Groaning into her mouth, he pulled back to catch his breath. 

Still heaving, a smirk pulled the right corner of his mouth upwards. 

“Look at you, getting mad at me just because I was writing too many songs about you in the studio,” he teased, and before he could’ve taken another breath, his eyes rolled back as she pulled on the curls near the nape of his neck, and pushed him right back to her mouth once a breath or two had filled their lungs. 

[ceesimz]

The Mountain Is You

Part 2 of 'Our Sun Is Setting'

Can confirm this part is much lighter than the first! I enjoyed writing this, I hope you like it :)

Barcelona. Once a place that felt like home to you, yet now as you clamber into the back of your taxi outside of the airport, it's the same but different.

Same sun, different warmth. Same air, different atmosphere. Same airport, different kind of departure.

Same person tying you down to this city, different dynamic.

If you thought a lot could change in two days, you had no idea what could happen in eighteen months. Turns out, a lot could change too, but thankfully for the sake of your sanity, the mental blows were not so big and not so frequent this time around. You doubt you would be in this situation now, back in the city you love, if it wasn't for your grandparents. They welcomed you with open arms and endless amounts of baked goods as soon as they caught wind of you coming home.

For the first month you stayed with them, most of that time was spent in the spare bedroom they made up for you, not quite holding the confidence or will power to do much else other than feel sorry for yourself. Some days you would walk their dog with them, other days you wouldn't leave the room. Some days you would do as many chores possible for them as a thank you, other days your Grandmother would sit beside you up against the headboard whilst you lay beside her as she read her book out loud, one hand gently running through your hair as she went. Some days you'd all laugh about shared memories of your Mother, other days you'd cry into each other's arms.

Something clicked inside you along the way though. One day you just woke up with a certain determination, and the look on your Grandfather's face as you wandered into the kitchen at 7am was enough to force a few giggles out of you before ushering him to join you on an early morning walk. That was when you voiced your new thoughts to him.

"I think I'm going to start applying for jobs again soon. You know, get out of your hair a little bit." You said to him, smiling when he tutted and wrapped an arm around your shoulders.

"Don't be ridiculous. We're happier than we have been in a while now that you're with us, sunshine." He replied honestly, hugging you into his side.

"I know. I'm happy too, but I do want a job. What job, I'm not sure yet, but I'm going to start looking."

"You don't have to pressure yourself though, okay? If you change your mind at any point, that's perfectly fine. Just do it at your own pace. If you would like, you could print off your CV for me and Granny to hand in to places."

"That's fine, Grandad, you don't have to." You laughed lightly at his suggestion, bringing your hand up to cover his that rested on your shoulder. "Everything is online nowadays."

"Of course. That rules me and Gran out the question then, in terms of advice." He grumbled jokingly, though his classic, cheeky smile rests on his face. "Absolutely no help for you there, sweetheart."

"I didn't think there would be any anyway. I've seen Grandma use the microwave." The pair of you laugh at that, before it falls silent as you walk along the cliff-top coastline. The tone of the conversation shifts a bit when you speak again. "I think I'm also going to start seeing a therapist. You know, for everything that's happened."

"Okay, love. Whatever is best for you." And that's all the reassurance you needed.

The job hunt would forever be an aspect of life you despised. But, two months later, you had secured a job within the local area that you chose to walk to most days, a piece of advice from your new therapist that at first you hated but soon it was your favourite part of your daily routine. Apart from when it rained, obviously.

Things were going well though, surprisingly well, and it set in one evening as you sat in the back garden, watching your grandparents gardening, that the choice you made a few months prior was the right one.

You had managed to keep a certain Spaniard out of your mind for most of the time after that first month of being away from her, until one night you got a notification on your phone.

Spain win the FIFA World Cup after a 1-0 victory against England!

What was the right move now? Text her to congratulate her? Or is no contact best for the time being? Would texting her give her false hope? This was arguably the biggest achievement of her career, her whole life, but as a figure of the past, was it right to dredge everything back up again at such a joyful time?

Your hands faltered over your still cracked phone screen, unsure what to do in such an unusual situation. There was no handbook on what to do if your ex-girlfriend, who you're still in love with and who (hopefully) still loves you too, wins the biggest trophy of her career, nor could a google search be any assistance. And unfortunately, as perfect as they are, your grandparents that had been married for over fifty years now may not be any help either.

So, the only decision you could land on, no matter how much you didn't like it, was to leave it.

Until your finger slipped and liked her celebratory Instagram post later that night. You still followed each other on social media, too reluctant to get rid of that remaining bridge, but your Instagram had lain dormant ever since you had left. That meant you had some insight into Alexia's life post-breakup, guiltily indulging in a late night scroll every now and then which you found yourself in now, whilst she had no idea what you were up to or even if you were alive.

Well, at least she knew you were still here and you still cared for her. Could that be shown in one single social media interaction? You hoped so. Maybe that was a tad bit dramatic though. What else were you supposed to do?

You had the same reaction a year later as you watched Alexia captain her team to an unfortunate loss in the Olympics final. However, it was still a silver Olympic medal, and not many athletes could say they have one of those. A congratulatory text from you may have seemed like the start of a pity party though, so once again you opted out of it. Time and place and all that.

A year on and you were in a much better place, there were no two ways about it. Therapy was difficult, of course it was, but people were right when they say it's one of the best things to do for yourself. You don't think you'd ever been better. Subsequently, that led to an inevitable topic to come into discussion during one session.

"What do you think the... repercussions would be if I... went back to Barcelona?" You asked nervously, looking down at your hands as they fidgeted in your lap.

"It depends what you went to get out of it. Would you go for the city itself? Or for her?"

For some reason, in your sessions, your therapist hardly ever named Alexia. It was always 'her' or 'she', never her name. You figured it was so that you never shied away from the subject which was probably close to being the hardest to talk about, but you were too afraid to ask.

"Both." You answered initially. Your therapist stayed quiet of course, waiting for you to answer truthfully, something she again always did. "Her. Mostly."

"Do you think you're in the headspace for it? You've made so much progress since we first started, so you need to think if it'll aid the healing process or cause a regression."

"Well, she wasn't the problem in the first place. Everything she did for me was perfect, it was the relationship as a whole rather than her specifically. She was... she was perfect." You smiled sadly as you reminisced on your time with her. She really was perfect. "But I was the problem, I think. I was the one suppressing so much stuff and... when I was on my own compared to when I was with her, I was two completely different people. It was like light and day. She had a great effect on me, but I guess it's just figuring out if that was healthy or not. That difference in characters, in mindset."

"See? You've learnt so much from this already. Maybe you should just sit in front of a mirror and talk to yourself, you'd save a lot of money." Your therapist jokes, the pair of you laughing lightly. "So, let's get talking then. Let's figure this out."

And you did. You spent the rest of the session discussing whether it would be suitable for you to go back to Barcelona. The conclusion you came to was a very favourable one, one that made you nervously excited. But what would Alexia be like? Had she moved on? Would she still value you the same? Or would you be old news now? Only time could tell.

The only thing you knew was that it is so much darker after a light goes out than it would have been if it had never shone, and that was the case with Alexia. Perhaps your life wouldn't have been so flipped upside down if you hadn't had met her; such a sweet and loving soul, the purest and brighest light shining onto every dark crevice you'd ever hidden. You'd had a taste of her, and you'd be damned if you didn't at least try for her again. Alexia Putellas wasn't one to lose, and you'd been fortunate to have her in the first place. If it was a one time thing, maybe you'd have to come to terms with that being the case. But for now, getting to Barcelona was just the first step.

Your grandparents definitely approved of you going back, no matter how long for, whether it be one day or one month or perhaps forever. At some point in the past year you had opened up to them about Alexia and they were heartbroken for you. Of course they would be. Your hearts were one and the same. They were the biggest advocates in getting you to go back and see Alexia, and even if Alexia didn't want to see you, you were still going to go to Barcelona. You had friends there, you'd lived a whole life there for just over a year, you'd fallen in love with it before you'd even met Alexia, so regardless of her opinion (even if it did sting like hell) you're still going.

When you booked your flight there, with no return ticket just yet, your grandparents had cheered and dragged you up from the armchair to dance with them along to the music from their old radio. It was a core memory, absolutely, and you'd be lying if you said a part of you wasn't hoping to share this memory one day with Alexia.

However, the day came where you had to do the thing you'd been most afraid of. Contacting Alexia. It was an occasion that definitely called for an emergency video call with your therapist who was very pleased to meet your grandparents for the first time, albeit over Zoom, and the three of them offered any and all advice you'd take until you had carefully curated a text message to send to her.

You:

Hey Alexia, I hope you're doing well. Feel free to ignore this, but I'm coming back to Barcelona soon and I was wondering if you wanted to catch up? If you don't want to, I completely understand. It's been a while and we've both lived our lives without each other in it, so no pressure at all. Let me know if you're open to it. Take care x

Almost immediately, the message was read by her. And just as quickly, the typing icon came up. Safe to say, your grandparents were freaking out just as much as you were.

Alexia:

Wow, it is so good to hear from you. I'm doing well and I really hope things are much better for you. I've been dreaming of hearing from you since the moment you left. I absolutely want to see you again, I don't care how long it's been, so let me know when you're coming and I'll see you as soon as I can. Espero verte pronto, cuídate x

Any longer and your jaw would have been lodged into its place hanging wide open. She wanted to see you just as much as you wanted to see her. The feeling of relief that washed over you upon reading it was gone as quick as it arrived; instead, you were now filled with nerves. No, not nerves, butterflies.

And that's where you found yourself now, your taxi driver navigating the streets of Barcelona towards your hotel in mid-October. It was reaching the evening, so your plan was to start off the trip calmly with a walk around the city to re-familiarise yourself before sunset, then just order some room service for dinner. Simple, but the right way to start what would probably be a bit of a challenging trip mentally.

Despite the low-key nature of the day, you could hardly sleep later that night. There was only one reason, it was obvious. You and Alexia had plans to meet for lunch the next day after her training session. You can't recall an event in your life you had ever felt so excited for, you felt like a kid on Christmas Eve again. A few doubts trickled into your mind every now and then, but you'd grafted for too long now for petty worries to tear down the confidence you had built.

Of course you were eager to see the woman you loved again for the first time in eighteen months, but there was a bigger part of you that was desperate for her to see the progress you'd made. You were proud, and it had taken a lot to get to this point. You wanted to share your pride with her and show her the person you always knew you could be all along. All of your efforts, your hard-work, and your sacrifices had been worth it. You were right to feel proud. And after all, sacrifices were given that name for a reason.

When you did eventually fall asleep, it was with images of Alexia circling in your mind, hoping she still had a place in her heart for you and that she'd love you again for who you are now and not who you were.

Finally, finally, the time came to see Alexia again. You weren't really sure what to expect; it was a unique situation with exceptional circumstances, and you were trying desperately not to put too much pressure on the day. Yet, you were a despairingly hopeful person and the anticipation was almost overwhelming as you were getting ready.

Contact between you both had been little but often, topics never delving too deep which you were so glad about as you wanted to talk to her properly face to face. You had to, it's the least she deserved. Over text, anything could be easily misinterpreted and you weren't about to ruin your chance with words getting lost in translation. Phone calls and FaceTimes were out of the question too, and you were grateful that your individual desperation wasn't getting in the way of going about this the correctly. By no means were you a perfectionist, but there were some things in life that were far too important to be ruined by a lack of patience and all-consuming desire.

Once again, your new and probably your healthiest habit came into play as you decided to walk under the bright October weather to the place Alexia had chosen for the occasion. Neutral ground of course; meeting at her apartment or your hotel room wasn't appropriate... yet.

You arrived at the quaint, little restaurant first, a coincidence you were more thankful for than you'd admit, and you chose to seat yourself at a table off to the side. A bit of privacy from strangers could go a long way for a day like today, you figured. You didn't really want a bunch of strangers to witness the influx of emotions you'd no doubt go through when Alexia arrived.

Soon though, that became a case of if Alexia would arrive, because ten minutes passed since you had arrived practically on time and there was still no sign of the woman. And, rather naïvely, you hadn't planned for her to stand you up. You and your therapist had almost fully mentally prepared you for every other outcome except that one. She did have training beforehand, perhaps that had ran late. Still, your mind was slowly spiralling into overdrive with each second that passed.

Until she did arrive.

The bell over the door rang faintly through the room as it opened hastily, a frantic looking Alexia entering the restaurant. She was really here. Here, basically racing over to you whilst weaving through the tables and chairs and the light scattering of people. Here, still as breathtakingly beautiful as ever. Still Alexia.

She came to a stop in front of you, both of you stuck in a trance as if the world had stopped spinning solely for this moment right here. An anticipatory and contemplative silence settled as your eyes' tracked over every feature of the other, a refresh for the memory of the face you'd so dearly missed.

Alexia was the first to speak - a breathless whisper of your name as if she was in disbelief that you were right in front of her. It triggered something in you, because before you had even realised, you had jumped up from your chair and wrapped your arms tightly around her; a hug you had been dying for for longer than you'd admit. It took a few seconds for her to react but soon, Alexia enveloped you just as emphatically.

The embrace was paired with a few more whispered chants of your name from Alexia - in this moment, for her, it felt like the past months without you she had just been floating through her life, waking up everyday as if it were a chore more than anything. But now, in your arms, she felt alive again. The time without you had been worth it for this single moment here.

"Hey." You mumbled quietly into her neck, smiling uncontrollably when the taller woman squeezed you impossibly more in response.

"Hi." Her voice cracked ever so slightly as she spoke. "Hi."

"You already said that." You teased her lightly, meeting her gaze when she moved back to look at you properly. One of her hands came up to delicately cradle your cheek as if she was scared you would disintegrate at her touch. "Don't be so worried. I'm not going anywhere right now."

"You better not." Alexia murmured, her eyes boring down at you so deeply that it caused your breath to hitch in your throat. "I can't believe you're here."

You blushed at the intensity of her look, gesturing a hand down your body jokingly.

"Live in the flesh." You grinned cheekily, gasping slightly when she pulled you back into herself. "Ale."

"Say that again." She said so quietly you almost missed it.

"Alexia. Ale." You repeated, along with a light kiss to her cheek. She physically deflated in your arms, all the tension you didn't even realise was there dissipating immediately. You saying her name was like the last confirmation she needed that yes, you were actually here.

"I..." She started, leaning back and shaking her head whilst letting out a shaky breath. "I missed you. So much."

You smile and... almost instinctively lean in to kiss her - what were you doing?

"I missed you too." You replied, willing yourself to not ruin it, not now, not when you've made it so far. "I really did."

She returned a smile and reluctantly lets go of you in favour of finally taking a seat at the table. You sit across from her and realise that most of the tables were quite small and intimate, and if you had any remaining functional thought processes left that weren't all occupied by Alexia, you would have thought she'd chosen this restaurant for that specific feature. Your knees grazed against each other under the table and Alexia couldn't stop herself from travelling the small distance with her hands to grasp one of yours with both of hers.

"How are you?"

"Well, that's quite a question. Do you want the short answer or the long answer?" You answer humorously, Alexia shrugging.

"Whatever you want. Say it all or say nothing, I'm just glad to be in your company again." You can't help but swoon a little at her words. "But... I would really like it if you were honest with me. And open. Though I understand if not."

"I'm happy to tell you it all. You best have your listening ears on though." You say, delighted to hear her laugh.

"I do, I swear."

At that, you explain everything from start to finish. From the days you spent in bed, to the first therapy session you had, to the moment you opened up to your grandparents, all the way to the point where you made the decision to come back to Barcelona. The only slightly annoying and poorly timed interruption was from the waiter who asked for your orders, the pair of you quickly apologising and taking one glance at the menu before ordering the first thing that caught your eye.

She listened intently to every word you had to say, not afraid to ask a question every now and then whilst also respecting the privacy you still had every right to. Alexia didn't really feel like you absolutely owed her anything, she just wanted a little context to it all, a little closure and an update on your current state of mind. She just wanted you to be well, she just wanted you.

The whole time you spoke, she simply gazed at you with such a soft and earnest look in her eyes. With her presence that, despite all that time, still had the greatest effect on you paired with your newfound self, you were at peace here.

"You promise that you're better now?" She raises her hand up to you, waiting for you to link fingers with her to secure your truth. And this time, you weren't lying when you answered her.

"I'm so much better." You stated with a shy smile, and that statement felt like the final nail in the coffin to the whole journey you'd been on the past two years.

"You don't know how happy I am to hear that." Alexia revealed with a disbelieving shake of her head. You lift your shoulders in a dismissive shrug, glancing down at your joined hands in the centre of the table.

"Are you... are you angry at me?" You ask. You weren't perfect still, you still had doubts and insecurities.

"What would I be angry about?" Her nose scrunched up in genuine confusion.

"Any of it. All of it."

"Hey." She said, nudging your hand to try and gain your attention. You look up at her and blush a little. "Do I seem angry?" You ponder that for a moment, eyes searching her face, before shaking your head no. "Good, because I'm not. Not at all. What person would I be to react like that?"

"An asshole." You mumble, the pair of you breaking out into laughter after a second.

"I'm proud of you and happy for you. You..." Alexia sighs and pauses, wondering if it's the right time to say what she wanted to say. It's her turn to focus her attention on your hands as she mindlessly traced random shapes on the back of your hand with her finger. "This new version of you, I can see that you're less... weighed down by things. There is a different look in your eyes and though I can't quite describe it yet, I know it's a sign that you feel better and more at peace with yourself. That is all I could wish for, for the person I love."

Sorry, what was that?

"Uh, you sti- you still love me?" You stuttered. You just had to know.

"Yes. I do." Alexia confirms, a sheepish smile on her face. "I was being truthful before you left when I said that I'll always love you. Maybe I shouldn't have said this now. You don't have to love me still. I would... I would understand."

"No, Ale, what?" You shook your head at her and squeezed her hands tightly. "I love you. I'll always love you too. Why do you think I wouldn't love you?"

"Why would you think I wouldn't love you?" She hits back, resulting in you both laughing shyly. "It would have to be really crazy situations for me to not love you, chiqui."

"Was this not a crazy situation? Me dramatically fleeing the country out of nowhere?"

"No, and don't say it like that. You had every reason to leave, okay? I told you that when you left and I'll still tell you that now. I don't resent you for choosing yourself." Alexia argues firmly, bringing your hand up to her mouth so that she could kiss the back of it reassuringly. She halts for a moment, wondering if it's appropriate to do so, but judging by the redness of your cheeks she decides to go through with it. "I... just had a few doubts about this all, but now that you're here my mind has calmed down now."

"Are you okay?" You blurt out.

At the mention of herself, your concern immediately turned to Alexia and how she coped through all this. If you knew her as well as you thought you did, you had a feeling you knew what her immediate reaction would be.

"What do you mean?"

Exactly what you guessed.

"I haven't checked up on you yet. I want to know how you've been doing." You answer, shifting forward slightly so that you were closer to her.

"Why check up on me?" Alexia chuckles nervously.

"Because your girlfriend walked out on you and went off the grid for a year and a half. Forget about me right now, Ale, I want to know how you are."

She pauses looking at you, an internal battle going on behind her eyes that you're all too familiar with, until she sighs once more and her demeanour drops.

"Well, I was worried about you, firstly. Everyday I woke up you were the first thing I thought about and the last thing in my mind before I slept. I don't think you ever left my mind, not for long anyway. I wanted the best for you. And then I guess... I had a few selfish thoughts too. But as I said, you're here, and I don't need to think about them anymore." Alexia told you, a tight-lipped smile on her face. "I don't want to say them now, today is about you."

"No, Alexia, it's not. It's a day for both of us." You urge her to understand that it's okay for her to open up, that it's been a hard time for her too, but part of you knows you most likely won't get that out of her today.

"Amor, please. Let's do this another time, for now just focus on the positive. We can talk about me any other time, just not now, please." She begs with a pleading look in her eyes. "I am okay, I swear. You being here has solved everything, it's the truth."

"Promise you'll open up at some point soon?" It's your turn to hold your hand up for her to make a promise.

"As long as you stay long enough." She jokes, but it's clear to see there is some fear and insecurity there. She does link her finger with yours though, a sentiment that's never lost on you. "How long are you staying for?"

"That's the thing. I don't really have a return date yet." You admit, and the flash of hope in Alexia's eyes ignites a feeling of longing inside of you.

Forget timings and socially standardised timelines of falling in love or healing or whatever it was you were doing, you didn't care anymore. Why delay the inevitable process? You were in love with her and she was in love with you. Taking it slow was overrated anyway.

"What does that mean?" Alexia asks, her heart palpitating at the prospect of your answer.

"It means... anything, Ale. What do you want it to mean?"

Perhaps answering questions with another question wasn't the best habit you'd picked up from your therapist.

"You want the truth?" You nod instantly, your emotions already bubbling and she hasn't even said anything yet. "As long as you are ready for it, and you must swear to me that you are because I don't want to h-"

"Oh my god, just say it, please." You beg, eyes wide in hopeful anticipation, waiting for her to admit the thing you had yearned for all these months.

"I want you back in my life, permanently. I want to be your girlfriend again. No matter how long it takes, no matter how slow you decide to take things, the thing I've wished for all this time is to just be yours again, to have you as mine. I'll do anything to make that happen, I swear by it. You want me to throw stones at your hotel window? I'll do it. You want me to sneak onto your balcony in the middle of the night? I'll do that. You want me to stand outside your door with a loudspeaker and signs? I already have the speaker and words prepared. I'll even stand in the centre of Montjuïc at the next game and sing for you if you really want."

You laugh at every ridiculous idea of devotion that comes out of her mouth, eyes glossy with unshed tears. Except, this time, the tears aren't ones of sorrow or longing, they're tears of exultation and relief. Alexia had waited for you, all this time. There had been no one else for her and no matter how selfish it was, it's the best revelation you've ever had.

"I don't think the culers would be too happy about you singing." You teased, rolling your eyes at the smug and nonchalant shrug she gave.

"I don't care, because it wouldn't be for them, it would be for you." She smirks, leaning in closer. Your foreheads were mere inches about now, a fact neither of you could ignore.

"You sure you want me back?" You mumbled shyly. It was Alexia's turn to roll her eyes now as she fought back the temptation to kiss the doubt off of your lips.

"I want nothing more than I want you." She responded, sounding so sure of herself that it was intoxicatingly enticing.

"Even if it's long distance for a little while?"

"Even then." Alexia smiles, resting her arms on her elbows as she brought your joined hands up together to rest in between you both. She pressed her lips to your hands once more, eyes closed as she does so, before looking back into your eyes. "We will figure out the logistics another time. For now, all I know is that I have the love of my life back and I want to spend every second I can with her before she leaves."

"Love of your life, hm?" You whisper with a shy grin, Alexia grunting at how you teased her for her softness. It was something you'd always done, and she was grateful that that part of you hadn't changed. "Well, what do we do now?"

"I'm hoping that you will let me kiss you, finally."

"In here? With all these people?" There really weren't that many people in there, and the few that were wouldn't even take notice of the sickeningly sweet moment occuring.

"Sí. Déjame besarte, por favor." The sound of Alexia speaking Spanish was something you could never get over, it did things to you everytime. How could you deny her when she spoke like she did?

"I guess." You rolled your eyes and sighed dramatically as if it was such an inconvenience.

Alexia simply grinned and planted both her hands on your cheeks before surging forward to kiss you. However, she pauses for a moment, just taking in your appearance and letting out a huff of disbelieved laughter, then she finally presses her lips against yours. A quiet, muffled moan leaves your throat before you can stop it, and the sound of it causes Alexia to smirk smugly. Frustratingly, the stupid but irresistible thing made it aggravatingly difficult to kiss the life out of her like you so wanted to. The smirk was wiped off of Alexia's face the second you broke the kiss much sooner than she wanted to.

"What's wro-"

"I can't kiss you how I want to when you're grinning like a maniac, pendeja!" You groan, butting your forehead against hers to further emphasise your annoyance.

"Pobrecita bebé." Alexia pouts sarcastically at you whilst gently grasping your chin with her thumb and forefinger. That idiotic, childish grin soon forced its way back where it belongs, and you can't help but smile at the sight of it. "I can't help it, amor! What do you want me to do?"

"Be normal and not do that stupid smirk!"

"Oh, perdóname, I'm sorry I'm so happy that I have you back!" Alexia exclaims, arguing solely to rile you up. What people didn't know about this layered Catalan is that she loved bickering with you or just annoying you in general. You didn't realise quite how much you missed it until this moment now.

"I swear to god, stop being so infuriating and just get o-"

And get on with it she did. You couldn't even finish your sentence before she silenced you in one of the best ways you could think of. And god bless the poor waiter who just wanted to do his job, because when he came to give you your meals, the sight he walked up to was somewhat less than PG. The young guy, who honestly looked no older than 18, cleared his throat louder than normal and the pair of you jumped a mile apart at the unexpected presence. Alexia had to grip the edge of the table to prevent her chair from tipping back, trying desperately to disguise her embarrassment with a tight-lipped smile and rambled thanks to the boy, all the whilst you had to stifle what would be a very loud belly laugh.

"Calláte, that was your fault." Alexia hushed out, her eyes scanning the room to figure out if anyone else had just witnessed that monstrosity. Meanwhile, your face was now bright red due to the laughter threatening to escape out from behind your palm that covered your mouth. It was Alexia's fault really, the shot burst of laughter that barrelled out of you, because she kicked you in the shin as she sipped from the water that had been dropped off at some point during the afternoon. "Dios mío, what is wrong with you!?"

"Sorry, sorry, I'm sorry." You choked out. You took a page from Alexia's book and drank some of your water. As you did, you noticed that Alexia's face wasn't contorted to one of irritation, it was the face she did when she was trying to suppress the overwhelming amount of joy she felt. As someone who was so keen to convey a certain persona, it was one you'd seen a few times since you'd known her, and this was perhaps your favourite look of hers. "I think you'll find it was your awkwardness that was at fault, Ale."

"Yeah, yeah. Eat your food, idiota."

There were periods of peaceful silence as you ate, some conversation here and there, but despite all that has and hasn't been said so far, it felt like there wasn't anything that needed to be uttered. You were both content to enjoy each other's presence again, your eyes meeting every other moment as you ate which resulted in you both blushing and laughing like lovesick teenagers.

It really was tooth-rottingly sweet, and though the dynamic wasn't all too different than it was before, there was solace found in the knowledge that a lot of things had been changed for the better. The prospect of it all was exhilarating, a new path for you both to walk together, and for you there were no longer question marks looming over every part of your life.

The main thing that hadn't changed too much for you, a thing you were relieved about, was the way Alexia made you feel. It was the same as it used to be, except about a million times better. There wasn't so much guilt or gloom that was masked by Alexia, it was all genuine and you already knew that feeling would bleed into your everyday life with her around.

"You said you told your grandparents about me?" Alexia wondered, sitting back in her chair with her hands linked over her stomach.

"I did. They said if this goes well, I have to bring back Barça shirts for them." You revealed with a smile, Alexia chuckling.

"I can organise that for them. As well as tickets to a game if they'd like."

"Alright, Miss Marketing." You roll your eyes at her offer, pausing to take a sip from your half-full glass. "We get it, you love your club. You don't have to spread the message like a missionary."

"I have to win them over some way." Alexia laughs, before her face turns a little more serious and you have a feeling you know what she's about to bring up. "What about your... Dad?"

"Haven't spoken to him since the day I left." You answer, eyes focused on the tracks your finger left behind on the condensation of the glass as it ran around the curve of it. "No idea what he's doing or where he is. Just know that he's alive and that's all I have the energy to care about."

"That's good for you, amor. He doesn't deserve you."

"I know that." You smile genuinely at her, and that's another one of her worries she had for you erased. "I think, out of anyone, my therapist is the one you must give tickets to."

"Mm, yes. I must meet this magical woman one day, I owe my life to her." That charming smirk is back on her face, and you blush at that as well as the sentiment she holds in her words.

"I don't want this meal to end." You mumble in a disheartened voice, reaching your hand across the small gap between you both to grasp one of the hands on her stomach.

"It... it doesn't have to, amor." Alexia starts, catching your attention as you look up to meet her eyes. "You could come over to my apartment. It's been a while since you've been there. The indentation on my balcony chair has left, I think you need to reinstate it."

You roll your eyes at her humour, a soft smile on your face at the laugh she gives at her own jokes. You do think the offer over though - is it too soon? Maybe, but if this counted as a first date, milestones were out the window considering you'd already confessed your love for each other. Did time and patience count when it came to re-conciliating a relationship? Screw it, who cares.

"I'd be happy to come over, Ale. If you want that."

"Are you sure? Because I would love that, except I don't want to rush you or ruin anything if we move too fast."

"Fuck that. I know what I want now and that's you. Who cares what is too fast. I've delayed our relationship once already, I'm not doing that again."

She stares at you from across the table and if it was possible, you'd say her pupils were the shape of a heart with the look she fixed you with. Then she was standing out of nowhere, shrugging her jacket back on whilst you watched her, completely confused, until she held her hand out for you.

"Let's go, ay?" She hums, wiggling her fingers to urge you to move. "No wasting time, you said."

You jut your tongue into your cheek, heart fluttering at her forwardness, and gather your own coat before taking her hand. She presses a soft kiss to your cheek before guiding you towards the exit with a hand on your lower back, a notion she's always done and one you'll always adore.

Silently, she leads you to her car that's parked around the corner and watches with a shy but proud smile as you climb into the passenger side of the car. With every little thing you did, whether that was humming contently as you ate your food or smiling at her absentmindedly every time she spoke, or even just blinking and breathing, she realised she could never verbalise the love she held for you because she'd never experienced it before in her life, ever. Not with pets, not with friends, not with her family. It was otherworldly, unexplainable, and though she wasn't religious, her devotion to you was just as close to that.

Again, there is just light, scattered chatter as she drives you back to one of your favourite places in the world, and once more she guides you to the elevator with her palm pressed to your back. As you stand in the lift, shoulder to shoulder, there are modestly triumphant smiles on your faces, a wordless shared notion sitting between you that everything was worth it in the end. Even if it took a journey and a half to get there, the climb was always worth it for the view at the top.

"What would you like to do now?" Alexia asks as she unlocks her door and allows you to step in before her.

"Uh, can we chill on the balcony? You know it's my favourite spot." You reply with a grin, and Alexia somehow knew you were going to say that, almost as if she's heard those words leave your mouth maybe a few hundred times in the past.

"Of course. You go ahead, I'll get us some drinks."

You nod and walk through to her bedroom, one thing standing out to you; everything is exactly the same as it was before. That comforts you impossibly more than you yourself could ever understand. Future therapy topic?

However, there is one thing that jumps out at you. You walk over to where it stands on Alexia's dresser and pick it up, holding the object in your hand with a smile on your face.

"Ale, why do you have my favourite perfume here? I never once brought it to your apartment." You shout to where she was in the kitchen, no doubt her cheeks a bright pink colour at the fact she'd been caught out.

"Because I bought some, after you left." She replied, and you giggle to yourself at the ever so slightly embarrassed tone that creeps through.

"Liked the smell, did you?"

"Mm. Something like that." She grumbled.

You grin and place it down, heading over to the sliding door adjacent to her bed and opening it. The air that hits you and the sight that greets you causes a wave of familiarity to wash over you, one that you welcome straight away. You take a deep breath and bask in the feeling, leaning on the railing as your eyes raked over the view you adored.

A few minutes later and you hear Alexia walking out behind you, first placing the drinks on the small side table before joining you at the edge. She wraps an arm loosely around your waist and rests her chin on your shoulder, admiring the view of the city that was literally right on her doorstep.

"I missed this view." You break the silence first, voicing what Alexia already knew.

"I missed you." She murmurs, turning to press a kiss to your shoulder when she notices something. "Ah, I knew you never gave that back."

Delicately, she runs her index finger along the necklace that sat around your neck which she had gifted you way back when, quietly delighted to see you still wearing it. And it also aided her in not feeling so embarrassed about the earlier incident where you had found the perfume she bought in memory of you.

"Yeah, sorry about that." You mumble sheepishly, shivering when Alexia chuckles into your neck where her lips soon leave a kiss.

"No, I like that you still have it."

You hum in acknowledgement, content to stay here in the arms of your girlfriend as the locals carried on with the hustle and bustle of city life below you.

"This was my favourite thing about your apartment." You state a little while later, leaning your head against Alexia's.

"I remember." You feel her say it more than you hear it, before a thought clearly captures her attention as she stands up fully, still with her arm around you. "You could come here, uh... full time, you know?"

"You mean move in with you?" It's not the most surprising thing you'd heard from her in all honesty, but it was still a bit of a shock to the system.

"If you'd like. I know I would be happy with that."

"I would too, but... I think that maybe does cross the line of 'too soon' though." You reply with an apologetic smile, but Alexia understands instantly, of course she does.

"That's okay." She comments, one more kiss to your shoulder. "Do you think you'll ever come back to live here again? Barcelona, I mean."

With this city before you, this woman holding you and loving you so gently, and the sea and the sky merging into one in the far distance, you think that maybe life can be simple after all. That starts and ends with Alexia.

"I think it's only a matter of time."

[thef1diary]

Neighbour’s Shower | D. Ricciardo

Summary: You are Daniel Ricciardo's neighbour, and one hot summer day where you desperately need to take a shower, it doesn't work.

Warnings: 18+, penetrative (p in v), unprotected sex, fingering, oral (m and f receiving), slight breast play

word count: 3.8k

Note: did I post this on wattpad and ao3? Yes. Am I going to post it here too? Also yes.

It had been a few months since you moved to Monaco due to your dream job. You had adjusted to the Monaco lifestyle pretty quickly, and you had never been happier. Due to your new job which paid a lot more than your previous job, you were financially stable. You lived in a one bedroom apartment which is a lot bigger than it seems, but the bigger perk was your neighbour.

You actually met your neighbour when you were on your way to work, but forgot your car keys so you had to go back up the elevator. When you entered the elevator, there was a voice coming from outside asking you to hold it open and seemed to be in a hurry. You, being the polite person, held the door open but you didn't know how much your life would change after that. When the man went to press the button to his floor, he realized that you had already pressed it and quickly figured out that you were floor buddies. That instantly sparked a conversation between you two.

"I'm Daniel" he introduced himself, his accent made it clear that he wasn't monégasque. You introduced yourself too, and he repeated your name to remember yet his accent made it sound better.

Your conversation was cut short when you reached your floor but when you both got out of the elevator and started walking the same way, you realized you lived closer than you thought. "I swear I'm not following you" he joked which made you chuckle. "What makes you think that I'm not following you?" You remarked to which he let out a loud laugh. That instantly made you smile and forget that you were running late to work. It also happened to make him forget that he was rushing as well.

Surprisingly, you lived right across from each other, your two apartments were the only ones in that corner of the hall. The others were quite further. "Let me guess, you chose this apartment because of the balcony?" Daniel asked and you nodded. "Yeah, if I'm living in Monaco, I might as well make the most out of the view"

"Touché"

"I'll see you around Daniel" you spoke before entering your apartment, and you heard a "see ya" from the man.

From that day on, you two met every morning. You had early morning shifts since you preferred to be at home in the evening. One day, when the conversation of jobs came up, you found out that he was a Formula 1 driver. You didn't really follow the sport, but your father did which is how you knew about it but clearly not enough since you couldn't recognize a driver in front of you. Then you understood why he also woke up quite early, to train. You looked forward to the days you would see him and walk to the elevator with him. The conversations with Daniel really made your day. Turns out that you weren't the only one.

On the day you weren't feeling too well, you didn't go to work, but a few minutes after the time you would normally leave, you heard a knock on your door. You opened the door to see Daniel Ricciardo with a worried look on his face, a look you didn't see often. "Are you okay?" He sounded concerned. You didn't open the door fully since you didn't want to pass on the flu. "Just a bit sick. Why?"

"I thought you were a bit late so I thought I'd wait but I realized you're never late and now I'm here" he explained, noticing how weird that sounded since you didn't even have each other's phone numbers yet.

You didn't want to make the moment awkward so you joked "awh, you're worried about me? Missed me too much?" You had to turn away to sneeze but when you looked back at him he nodded. "Yeah, I actually like talking to you in the morning, it kinda makes my day" he admitted. You didn't know how to respond to that.

You noted the time "you're gonna be late for your training, don't make your trainer wait too long or he might make you do extra cardio"

"But you're sick" he stated like that was supposed to change anything. "I took the day off. I'll be fine"

You were still standing with only your head peeking out the door and he noticed that yet didn't say anything. "do me a favour?" He asked, and you raised your eyebrow, asking him to continue.

"Leave your door unlocked but go back to what you were doing. I'll be back in a bit" he didn't wait for your reply and headed back to his own apartment. You stood there for a few moments, trying to understand what he wanted you to do but then you did what he asked. You left the apartment door unlocked and went to your bedroom, making yourself comfortable under the covers. You two knew each other for a few weeks and based on Daniel's aura, you knew you could trust him.

You waited for a bit. Listening to the silence, waiting for the door to open. You heard it open and close after twenty minutes, then you heard footsteps and his voice. "I really hope you're not sleeping"

Your apartment had the same layout as his so he could easily figure out where which room was. He knocked on your bedroom door and once he heard you say "come in", he opened it. There he was, holding a tray in his hands. His smile was back and you definitely preferred that smile than the expression you were first met with when you opened the door.

"What's that?" You asked about the tray in his hands since you couldn't see what was on it. "Just some things to help you feel better" He had brought some homemade soup, cough drops, painkillers, and juice.

That day he stayed with you for a few hours, ensuring that you were feeling better. You usually don't like any company when you're sick, watching some shows and rest do the job but spending time with him was definitely something you didn't know you needed that day.

Now, a few weeks later, it was summertime and it was excessively hot. This week wasn't a good week unfortunately. Your car had broken down so you were forced to either take a cab or walk to work. Though you knew if you asked Daniel to drop you, he would've in an instant but he wasn't in Monaco since he had to leave for a race. You were convinced that your week was going bad because he wasn't there to cheer you up. You didn't see his smile when you first leave your apartment nor could you spend time hanging out at each other's place for a movie night.

After that day he took care of you, you exchanged numbers and became better friends. Although you texted each other a lot, it didn't feel the same. Before he left Monaco, he had given you an extra key to his apartment because he told you that some people were meant to come over for furniture deliveries. You texted him once it was over and sent him a few photos of you "living" in his apartment. You pretended to cook in his kitchen and sleep in his bedroom in those pictures but he didn't mind. He actually responded with "How come you don't do that when I'm over?"

Daniel didn't tell you when he'd be back. You had quite a long day at work and you couldn't even find a cab to go home, so you decided to walk since it was only ten minutes. Those ten minutes felt so much longer than it was. By the time you made it to the elevator, you were completely soaked with sweat. You went straight to your home and took off your clothes, making a beeline for your shower.

You turned it on to a cooler setting and held your arm under the water to feel the temperature but it was still so warm. You turned it all the way cold, but the temperature didn't change. It was way too hot for you to take a warmer shower, especially since you wanted to cool down. Unfortunately, you had already took off your clothes. You didn't want to wear those sweaty clothes again but you didn't want to ruin a clean pair of clothes either. You wrapped a towel around you and you texted your neighbour, wanting to ask him if you could use his shower but you saw an unread text message from him. He sent a message mentioning that he reached.

You groaned, it would make it so much more awkward now that he was home. You wanted to ask him if you could use his shower especially since he wasn't home. But now that he was, he would see you in a towel. A part of you didn't want to go but the other part was eager to knock on his door. These past few days, or if we're being honest, since the moment you met him, you were attracted to him. There was no doubt that he's handsome but the unholy thoughts you had about him made you feel guilty of being his friend.

There might've been times where you pleased yourself with him in mind, thinking about what he would do to you. You imagined that Daniel was really good with his tongue because of the amount of times you saw it dart out to lick his lips. You knew he'd be good with his fingers because they were quite long, knowing that he'd hit the right spots. You wondered if he was vocal, perhaps dominant and challenging you to stay quiet which he thrusted into you.

You snapped out of your daze, realizing that you were still hot but now in a different way. You were still sitting in your towel, but the desperation of washing off the sweat was overriding your rational thoughts. That's why you were standing outside Daniel's apartment door, knocking. It took him a while to open the door and you realized why. His hair was drenched and had only a towel wrapped around his waist. He called your name "what's wrong?" He asked as he pulled you in his home by your hand, not wanting anyone else to see you due to your attire.

"My shower's cold setting isn't working and it's too hot to take a warm shower" you stated, keeping your composure as you only looked at him in the eye. He urged you to continue "so I figured I'd ask you if I could use your shower?" You're self control was tested as you watched his eyes break eye contact with you and gaze down your body.

"It's quite hot today isn't it?" He asked, his gazed focused on the part of your cleavage that wasn't covered by your towel. "Yeah it is. So can I?" You asked again and he looked up at your face.

"Normally, I wouldn't mind" Daniel started as he stepped a bit closer to you, making you lean against the door. "But?" You asked.

"But, as you can see-" he paused and gestured to himself which made you finally look at him properly. His skin was glistening, some soap suds still on his shoulders. You realized your mistake. "-I wasn't done taking a shower" he completed.

You opened your mouth to speak but he interrupted you. "I wouldn't mind if you joined me" he suggested. You saw his eyes darken and that damn tongue you dreamed about darted out to lick his lips. Your eyes widened in surprise since you never thought he'd suggest something you only thought about. Your reaction made Daniel think he made a mistake by crossing the boundaries. He was stepping away and about to apologize but you reached out and pulled him in by his neck. As soon as your lips touched, he instantly held your waist, pulling the rest of your body against his.

Your towels were the only cloth blocking you from skin to skin contact but you roamed your hands down his bare chest and back. You nails made lines down his back and he moaned into your mouth, telling you that he liked it. Once you were out of breath and pulled away, he started kissing down your neck, his lips dangerously close to your breasts.

His hands roamed on your legs, inching up the back of your thighs. Daniel's hands went under your towel and gripped your ass making you let out a groan. He brought his face closer to yours but kept his eyes on your towel "let's get rid of this" he easily unwrapped the towel from around you, letting it drop to the floor. He took a look at your bare body, closed his eyes and groaned while biting his bottom lip. "Oh, you're so perfect" he complimented you.

You didn't want to be the only one completely naked so you toyed with the hem of his towel at his waist to hint at what you want. You decided to tease him a bit and not take it off yet, despite how much you wanted to. Your hand wandered down, tracing his abs and v line. Then, you delicately placed your hand around his cock through the towel, feeling how hard it was. You slowly moved your hand up and down, the friction from the towel making him groan. You loved how vocal he was despite how little you were touching him.

While your hand was on his cock, his hands were cupping your breasts. To tease you back, he circled around your nipple, watching it harden but not touching it. Then his thumb and first finger pinched your nipple, slightly tugging it to see your reaction. You felt euphoric, no one had actually paid attention to your breasts before as much as he did, and god you loved it.

You two still had to shower but before you could say anything, Daniel had seemed to read you mind because he picked you up. You wrapped your legs around his waist, feeling his dick rub against the one place you really want it. You were so lost in the pleasure that you didn't realize you were already in the bathroom, nor did you realize you were moving your hips to create more friction.

"So impatient huh?" He teased. Daniel placed you on the countertop beside the sink and leaned in to kiss you again. You watched him turn on the shower and then faced you before taking off his towel. You looked at him, your gaze going lower and lower until you saw what you wanted to see. His cock was hard, precum leaking out but what also caught your eye were his tattoos on his thigh. You saw parts of it before when he wore shorts belonging to his merch but you never saw where it started. It was higher up on his thigh and you almost drooled at the sight.

He walked in the shower which was big enough for two people and looked at you before gesturing you to join him. You instantly got off the countertop and made your way towards him, kissing him passionately underneath the shower head. His kisses were so addicting, and you would happily get drunk on them. Roaming your hand further down, you reached his cock but this time there wasn't a towel to stop you from properly feeling him. You ran your hand up and down his length, sliding your thumb across the tip.

You pecked his lips once more before going down on your knees. You looked up at him and he adored the sight of you on your knees. Placing your hands on the back of his thighs, you placed a kiss on the top of his tattoo, tracing the rest of it with your tongue. It was quite close to his dick but not close enough, he wanted your mouth on him.

"Baby please" he whispered, feeling vulnerable and you were enjoying every moment of it. You placed a kiss on his tip, sucking slightly then releasing it and blowing on it. "Keep teasing me and you'll pay for it" he warned. As much as you wanted to test his limits, you were so, so desperate to taste him. You licked his cock from the base up and swirled your tongue around his tip then finally taking him in your mouth. You tried to take as much as you could without choking and massaged the rest with your hand.

You felt his hand grip your hair slightly tugging on it which made you release a moan around his cock. "Fucking hell, you look so pretty on your knees for me" he commented. While sucking on his cock, you looked up at him and immediately made eye contact with him.

You went on for a few more moments but felt Daniel tugging on your hair and pulled you up by holding the back of your neck. He wasn't agressive, in fact it was just the right amount of force to make you need him more. He wiped the drool off your face with his thumb "your mouth is fucking perfect but I need to taste you"

You saw the man go down on his knees and it was such a hot sight to see. He took your right leg and placed it on his shoulder. It brought your core extremely close to his mouth and he immediately flattened his tongue to lick your folds. Collecting the wetness, he moaned at your taste making you cry out due to the pleasure from both his tongue and the vibrations. You tugged on his wet curls on his head, pushing him even closer to you. He used the tip of his tongue to tease your clit, then went down to slip inside you. He followed that movement a few more times before teasing his fingers around your entrance. "Daniel please"

He moved his mouth away from you, you were almost whining at the loss "please what?" He asked as he slid a finger in then back out. "Use your words darling"

"I need you. Your tongue, your cock. Just fuck me please" You managed to speak up and he was pleased with the answer because he attached his mouth to your core again but going brutally fast. He slid in two fingers with ease, and quickly added another. He wanted to make you cum around his fingers and mouth. And that's exactly what you did. You didn't even have time to give him a warning but your moans that were getting louder was his sign that you were close. You closed your eyes and placed a hand on the shower wall and another on his shoulder to brace yourself.

He stood up, still holding on to you and kissed you deeply, making you taste yourself. "Mhm taste that? That's all you baby. You taste amazing and if it were up to me, I'd make you cum on my tongue until you can't anymore" he whispered dirty words in your ear and you really wanted him to do what he says. But right now, you wanted his cock more than anything.

You rolled your eyes in pleasure at that thought "I need you, so bad" you muttered against his lips and he was more than glad to fulfill your needs.

He picked you up and you instantly wrapped your legs around his waist. Holding you up against the wall, he pushed his cock inside you and you would've been embarrassed at how easily it slid in but you were overcome with pleasure. Daniel watched as your pussy was soaking and every time he thrusted, the wet sounds were heard over the sound of the shower. You arched your back closer to him and he took your nipple in his mouth. Slightly grazing his teeth across your sensitive peaks, it made your head fall against the wall in pleasure.

Already orgasmed once, you quickly reached that point again and since you teased him, he told you that he wasn't going to last long either. He sucked the skin on your breasts, making purple marks that would last a while, reminding you of this exact moment. When he pulled away, you kissed alongside his neck but was afraid to make any marks until he spoke. "Don't be shy. I know you want to" that urged you to paint his tanned skin with purple marks.

Daniel trailed a hand down, putting pleasurable pressure on your clit which was the breaking point for you. You orgasmed on his cock, and feeling your pussy pulsing, he reached his peak as well.

He still held you up, looking at you with a smile on his face and you were sure that your smile was just as big. "That was-" "fucking amazing" you cut him off and he nodded, agreeing with you.

He slid out of you, placing you on the ground and you realized that your knees were weak. He poured the shampoo in his hands and started massaging your head. Following his ministrations, you took some shampoo in your hands and softly scrubbed through his curls. Washing it away, you repeated the process with conditioner then shower gel. You were using his products, which made you smell like him.

He took the shower gel in his hands, and emulsified it before placing his hands on your body. Starting off with your shoulders, then your back. Your back was against him as he brought his hands over your breasts, paying special attention to them once again. Then he did your legs but made sure to rinse his hands before getting to the apex of your thighs. You were incredibly sensitive there so you shivered at his touch. "You still want more?" You asked him, facing the man.

"Now that I got a taste of you, I need more" he replied. "You did make me a promise" you mentioned, referring to the words he said earlier about making you cum multiple times on his tongue. "I did and I will fulfill it" he winked before getting out of the shower and drying himself off while you rinsed your body. He was holding another towel for you and dried you off as well. During that, he had another question "has anyone given you a nipple orgasm?" Daniel asked which made you blush feverishly. You shook your head "no, I don't think that's possible"

Daniel's eyes sparkled, and you knew what he was thinking. "There's always a first for everything" he wrapped the towel around you and cupped your breasts over the towel "they definitely deserve the attention" he rested his head in the crook of your neck and you look at your reflections in the mirror.

[hellfirecvnt]

Don't Piss Me Off (Pt. 1)

John Q. (Simon) X Fem!Reader

Warnings: DRUG USE!! Y/N smokes weed and does coke. Don't do drugs, it's for the bit. Drugs are bad. Don't be stupid. This is self indulgent as fuck. Simon is mean, obvs. Y/N is also mean.

Summary: You're back in your hometown for a few weeks to house sit for your parents. A rivalry dating back to your high school years makes an appearance, but this time, he's met his match.

Notes: I finally found someone angry and hot to fill the Billy Hargrove shaped hole in my fanfic writing heart. Fuck ST. Free Palestine.

You invited everyone to this party. An absolute rager while you're house sitting for your parents. Their home is huge compared to your humble two bedroom house, states away. You've reached out to everyone you can remember from your hometown, and it's surprisingly a lot. The house is packed by the time all the guests arrive. A feeling of accomplishment straightens your shoulders as the music surges through the house. Your pride is promptly diminished when a familiar face you specifically didn't invite steps through the door. Simon.

"Why is he here?" You whisper to the nearest person, but somehow, through the music and loud conversation, he hears you as if you whispered it directly to him.

"I heard there was a party. I followed the clientele." He winks, patting a pocket on his dirty bomber jacket.

"Are you selling drugs inside my parents' house?" You ask, acting mortified. He just smirks, basking in the idea of setting you off like he used to, years ago. Long before you left this town. "Let me get an eighth of smoke and a gram of whatever I can put up my nose." The request visibly caught him off guard. He stares at you with a raised eyebrow as he rummages in his pocket for your order.

"Y'know I don't really-"

"What? You stop selling weed?"

"No, it's just," he tilts his head before shoving the illegal contents into your hand. "You seem different."

"Different?"

"Yeah, like you're not a whiny fuckin' kid blowing up my spot anymore." He chuckles as he slips past you, and dissolves into the party. That's right, years ago, when the two of you were in high school, he was expelled when administration seemingly randomly brought in drug dogs, and his locker was raided. To everyone's surprise, he still graduated from the alternative school and even went on to college, but apparently his pursuit of education stopped there when his well-known temper earned him the boot.

Sure, you were a bit of a late bloomer. A classic loser amongst your classmates. The poster child of people who took D.A.R.E extremely seriously, even though you'd never once given a shit about it. You knew he always blamed you for his getting caught, he made your life hell in college before you moved. You forgot all about him before he stepped through your parents' door.

He's already here, so you decide to let him make his money and spice up your party. It's not like you'll run into him again with the way people keep showing up. A bored town, a boring town seeking any kind of thrill outside the two bars that close at 11 PM.

You're not much of a drinker, so your eighth and blow do exactly what you need them to. The coke keeps you chatty and energetic, while the weed mellows that swinging jaw you'd have. Coke is a special occasion drug, your tolerance isn't something to brag about. You sneak off to the bathroom every once in a while, and no one seems to notice, so you get a little brave, slipping away on the empty back patio to cut out a quick line on your mother's hand mirror.

Your technique is swift, muscle memory from your harder partying days in college. The entire time, Simon watches through a window. He'd caught you in passing, and watched in curiosity as the girl he knew with big, innocent eyes and a loud mouth rails a sizable line of hard drugs. He's dumbfounded, laughing lightly to himself. You clean the glass of the remaining powder with your index finger and rub it against your gums, lifting the mirror to check your nose for evidence of your patio soiree. Just as your eyes meet your own, the patio door slides open, and you're no longer alone in the safety of darkness. "Not your first time with that shit." It's not a question, but it sounds like it was supposed to be.

"Far from it," you sigh, relieved. You don't mind smoking with others, but the coke is something you'd prefer to keep to yourself.

"Could'a fooled me," he strikes a lighter, cherrying the end of his cigarette. "You used to be a fucking bitch." He wraps his lips around those last two words, really annunciating each syllable. It's dark, but there's enough moonlight to see the dark circles around his eyes as he displays that same threatening look he used to shoot at you in college between shoulder checks and vulgar insults.

"This 'fucking bitch' will beat your ass now, Kenny. Watch ya' fuckin' mouth," you mock his accent, as yours thinned out after being away for so long.

"Who the fuck is Kenny?" He looks genuinely thrown off.

"No fuckin' poise. Stay focused. Don't insult me on my own patio, I'll fuck us both up." You're speaking almost gibberish, but the only way to knock him down is to throw him off.

"Who the fuck are you?" Simon chuckles, taking a drag of his cig.

"It's been a long time. I'm surprisingly not 16 anymore. You don't seem very young yourself."

He takes a drag, eyes widening as if he's watching a TV show that caught him pleasantly off guard. "Yeah, okay."

"How are sales?" You ask, running your tongue across your teeth to disperse the numbing of the bitter substance.

"Not bad. You just invite everyone whose name you could remember?"

"Everyone but you, Simon." You sigh.

"Well, I hate it for you, Queen Bitch. But I've gotta make money somehow."

"You could try a job," you say, but after you look him up and down, you change your mind. "Nevermind." He releases a genuine laugh, puffing plooms of smoke from his lips with each heave of his chest. "You still doing that band thing?"

"'Band thing?'" he huffs. "Yes. I'm still doing the... Band thing."

"Yikes, soft spot, huh? Not going great?" Years ago you took his verbal beatings with a cowering stance, and often, tears. Today you're giving it all back to him. The reason for your vitriol is not lost on him, so he takes every blow.

"It's going fine. You should come to a show. Get out of your little rich kid bubble for two seconds." Clocked. You've been clocked. Your stunted social skills stemmed directly from how sheltered and spoiled you were until the age of 18 when you finally realized what your life was, compared to others. You worked and saved your own money and moved away at 20. Away from your shelter, away from your helicopter parents, and realistically, away from Simon.

"Yeah, that'll be the day," you're laughing until you notice something going south right inside the door. A fight seems to have broken out. You burst through the entryway, shoving yourself between the two men. One of them, a tall, broad man steps back, acknowledging the escalation at hand. While the other, shorter, almost shorter than you, seems to only get more angry. "You need to calm the fuck down!" You yell, only trying to be heard over his own volume.

"Get the fuck out of my face, bitch!" The short man spits like venom. You look at him with a raised eyebrow, and something takes hold. Before you know it, your own fist is connecting with his jaw. The crowd is rallying you on, but your hit wasn't enough to knock him out. You're aware that your swing warrants a swing back, but God, you know it's about to hurt even with this dude being the size he is. He swings his fist under and hooks you in the stomach. It's painful, but you can't help but heave a wheezing, breathless laugh at the idea that he swung low because he might not have properly reached your face. He's not even that short, but you can't stop the laughter. That only pisses him off more, and he swings again, this time catching your cheek.

By now, you've both been separated as the spectators realize it was kinda strange to watch a man fight a woman, regardless of how it started. You're still laughing, breathless from the hit and sweating from the cocaine. When you're finally released, the laughing returns to anger and you run half of the party off.

"Party's over, fuck outta here!" You call, harshly pushing the power button on the stereo. "Short stack ruined it for all of you. Get out of my house!" You leave the passed out guests alone, they're safer here anyways. Once you return to the patio, you take your same seat and return to the conversation as if nothing happened. "As I was saying, no. I won't be at a Psycho's show."

"It's Psyops and you fuckin' know that." He speaks harshly before reeling it in, and clearing his throat. "What the hell was that?" He gestures to the door with his thumb.

"I told you I'll beat your ass now, Kenny."

"Was that Kenny? Who the fuck is Kenny?" It's clear he hasn't stopped thinking about "Kenny" since the first time you said it.

"I don't know who that guy was," you shrug. "Can I have a smoke?" You rub your sore cheek.

"Whatever," he tosses a cigarette your way. "What was with the laughing? You just fuckin' insane or something? You been in the asylums this whole time?" He looks almost serious with his inquiry. Like he wouldn't be surprised.

"No, I just-" you start to laugh again. "I imagined him punching me in the gut because he couldn't reach my face." You graze your fingers over your cheek again. "But clearly I was unaware of his lengthy arms or something. He seemed shorter from far away," you chuckle.

"Fuckin' ridiculous," Simon laughs with you, shaking his head.

"Yeah, thanks for jumping in, by the way." You joke, cutting out another line on the small silver mirror.

"Jumping in? For you? A fuckin' snitch?" He raises his eyebrows, as if he's been waiting to address this.

"Oh, fuck off. I didn't fucking snitch on you," you announce before inhaling the line.

"Y/N, it's been years. Just fuckin-"

"Simon, I didn't snitch on you. I didn't know you sold drugs at school. I thought they searched our lockers daily, I didn't think anyone would be able to sell drugs that easily at school." As you're explaining, you realize you never denied telling on him, you just silently took his punishment, hoping it'd eventually stop.

"Are you a god damn idiot? You thought they searched all those lockers every fuckin' day?" He's in disbelief.

"That's what my parents told me," you shrug, rubbing the powder from the mirror on your gums again.

"I ain't buying that shit," he mumbles like a growl. "You got that Mickey kid expelled too. Year before." He's staring you down like he's got you cornered.

"Yeah, because he pushed me down the fucking stairs, Simon. I was in the hospital for a week. He broke my arm." You're shocked that it wasn't common knowledge why Mickey was expelled. "He's in jail right now for the armed robbery of a church."

"Wait, seriously?" Simon huffs a chuckle as he pieces it all together and finally, finally considers the fact that you weren't the snitch.

"Have you ever considered that maybe you weren't very good at it? Selling drugs at school, I mean." You tilt your head, awaiting an answer.

"You really didn't do it," he exhales a cloud of smoke from the cigarette he'd just lit.

"No, I didn't. And you made every single day hell for me. You ran me out of town." You're laughing as you say it, looking down and focusing on rolling a joint, but he keeps his eyes on you. A glint of guilt flashes in his pupils, but you'd never know. He used to wonder if he had a hand in your running off, and today it was finally confirmed. Your laugh carries the weight of everything you were getting away from. A man that feels anger as deeply as Simon does, incidentally, comes with the ability to empathize with pain.

"Alright. Next time, I'll jump in." He relaxes, leaning back into the chair.

"Sounds good." You spark up your joint and take a long drag before passing it to Simon. An olive branch. A silent truce. Forgiveness that he didn't deserve. He takes it from your hand and takes a hit. The usually smooth smoke scrapes into his lungs from the guilt. The feeling quickly dissipates as the two of you get stoned.

You both stay there in those seats all night. You hardly realize the passing of time until the sky begins to light up a pale morning blue. "Holy shit, how long have we been out here?" Simon asks, noticing his empty pack of cigarettes. You throw a five dollar bill toward him.

"I owe you. I smoked over half of those." He stuffs the money in his pocket with a nod. "You can stay here, but if you knock on my door at any point after I go to sleep I will fight you like the little guy." Simon looks around and shakes his head.

"No thanks." He nods and heads towards the door.

"See ya' around, Simon." As he closes your door behind him, something sends a tingle down his spine when he hears you say his name again. A softness directed towards him that he's not used to. It's uncomfortable and new and the sensation of craving more pisses him off. He shrugs his shoulders, physically shaking the feeling from his body before heading off on foot. To where? Who fuckin' knows.

The next day, or that same day, way later when you wake up, you're already planning your next get together as you clean up from last night. It's not as bad as usual, but probably because it got cut a few hours short after the altercation. A feat that you had forgotten about until you caught your reflection while brushing your teeth. A small bruise has formed under your eye where you were hit. "Ha, what a pussy." You lift your shirt to examine your stomach and there's not even a semblance of a hit. "Pussy!" You repeat, louder.

After getting ready for the day, you head to the store to replenish the stock for your next shindig. Your parents always leave their credit card when you house sit. It's the only time in your adult life you don't mind using their money. They hardly notice it anyways.

As you're strolling the aisles of the bodega, you spot Simon. Something in you feels awkward about last night, so you hang back until he leaves. He looks tired and disheveled. More so than usual. And he's a little out of breath like he'd been running. He buys a pack of smokes with the five you gave him and disappears out the door. You make your purchase and tote two 30 packs to your rickety, old van. A vehicle you were proud to buy yourself before you moved out. Simon watches you from the corner of the store, having a smoke before continuing his trek across town. He furrows his eyebrows, trying to remember when he saw you drink anything at all at the party. "She can't seriously be throwing another shit show," he mumbles.

He bolts when police pull into the lot, no doubt still in pursuit of him. They pull up to your van and you stand outside, defensively. Unsure of what in your van could get you in trouble at this moment. "Have you seen this guy?" They hold up a picture of Simon. The way he looked in college, anyways. He's shaved his head now.

"No, I can't say I have." You shrug.

"Take this and let us know if you see anyone suspicious." The cop hands you the paper and you take it with a flat smile. Once they leave the lot, you crumple the paper into a ball and toss it in your van.

Simon just can't shake the image of you he's had in his mind all these years. Shy and afraid. Avoiding eye contact and clutching your books to your chest when he'd loom over you and whisper vicious cruelties. Now you walk with your back straight. You look him in the eye, even when he tries to make you uncomfortable just for fun. You fist-fight people and laugh because you imagined something funny in the middle of getting an uppercut to the stomach. You bought drugs from him the second he walked in the door. You're hardly recognizable.

That night, you're settling in the living room with a movie on the TV. It's a quiet, peaceful evening as you smoke a joint on your couch, enjoying the silence of your own company.

Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock!

Someone frantically bangs on the door before bursting in and slamming it behind them. "Hey! Are you home or what?" Simon yells into the foyer.

"I'm right here, you scared the shit out of me!" You throw a handful of popcorn at him. "Why are you inside my parents' house? What time is it?"

"I don't know what time it is. Shut up, listen, I need to," he seems to search for a softer word than 'hide.' "Stay in here for an hour or two."

"I saw your wanted poster. You're a real outlaw, huh? Arson, right? Hard." He rolls his eyes. "I told them I hadn't seen you."

"Yeah, thanks. I'd hope so."

"You gonna sit down or what?" You ask, annoyed that he's interrupting your movie. He huffs and joins you on the couch and you pass the joint to him.

"The fuck are we watching?" He raises an eyebrow. You stare at him for a second before answering.

"Firestarter."

"Jesus fuckin' Christ," he sighs.

"Yeah, I started thinking about it after I read your charges. Fucking idiot." You laugh. "Broad daylight is brutal."

"Their house was fine."

"Well, you can hide here as long as you need to. I'll be here for a few weeks. But I am throwing another get together tomorrow, so be down for that."

"Again?" He scoffs.

"Yeah. It's way more fun to party in this giant house than my fucking double wide."

"You live in a double wide trailer?"

"Yes. I got out on my own dime. Options are limited where I ended up." You always tell this story like a brag. It's something you're proud of. After all, it's a nice double wide. It's not even in a trailer park... This time.

"Hard." He mocks you and you laugh in response.

"So these are your two options? Party or a movie with barely any volume while you get high?" He leans across the couch to pass you the joint, unknowingly scooting closer with each reach.

"Normally I'm not talking over the movie so the volume is just fine." You shrug. He takes the hint and finally shuts up, watching the movie and keeping panicky eyes on the windows. By the time the joint is finished, the two of you are much closer than before. Not too close, but gravity seems to be doing its thing. Simon can finally see the small bruise under your eye.

"Is that from that guy?" He laughs.

"Yeah, I know. He tried his best," you join in the laughter. Simon raises a hand to brush his thumb over it, never minding to invade someone's personal space.

"There's not even a welt. What a fuckin' pussy," he says as he lowers his hand. You're not sure if you're blushing or not, but you do know that you're frozen for a moment after the sudden, close quarters. You may have grown out of a lot, but you're still pretty fucking awkward sometimes. Simon notices right away. God damn it.

"That's exactly what I said! There's nothing on my stomach either. It's like I fought a toddler." You laugh, your head is clearing up, but not for long. Simon leans in closely, sliding closer to you than before and invading your personal space much more boldly than when he touched your bruise.

"You know how to take a hit, huh?" He whispers, inches from your face. Your eyes are wide and you feel the heat rise in your cheeks when you feel his hand on your thigh.

"You're about to take a hit if you don't move that fuckin' hand," you snap with a wavering voice that you hope he doesn't notice.

"I'm just fuckin' with you. Had to find some way to do it. You're all... difficult now." He laughs at your still red face. He backs down and you roll your eyes, defeated by your own bodily reactions.

"You are God damn difficult, Simon." You jam your finger into his chest, sizing him up, invading his bubble. "You're difficult and it makes you angry. Now, I'm letting you hide in my parents house from the fuckin' police, so please, for the love of god, tone that fuck-shit down." He can't help but grin at the tables you've turned. Your forehead might as well be pressed to his as you tell him what for.

"Calm the fuck down, Y/N. I'm just fuckin' with you. Thanks for the safehouse." His thanks sounds like sarcasm, but you decide it's the best you'll get from him. He keeps his distance after that, but doesn't shift away from you. For the rest of the movie, you catch him stealing glances your way. He's silently reliving the moment you pushed back, a smile cracks across his lips, but you're too focused on the movie.

The two of you fall asleep before the credits roll. You're baked and glued to the couch, he's exhausted from running all day. It's barely dawn when Simon shakes himself awake, startled by something only a mind as paranoid and volatile as his could dream up. He looks at your sleeping form on the couch and checks his watch. "Jesus fuckin' Christ," he mumbles to himself. As he quietly steps toward the door, you call to him from the couch.

"You can shower here if you want. You look like shit. It'd probably be harder to spot you if you weren't filthy." Simon rolls his eyes, but you're right. You rise and stretch from your blanket cocoon. "Fuck, what time is it?"

"Early."

"Useful. The bathroom's down the hall to the right. Toss your clothes in the basket and set it outside."

"Alright," he huffs, unsure how to process your balance between "fuck you" and "I'll do your laundry for you so you can shower."

Simon leaves his clothes in the basket just like you asked and you toss them in the washer with a few of your clothes to fill it up. It'll take longer to wash and dry his clothes than it'll take for him to shower, so you rummage through some of your dad's PJs and leave a pair of soft pants and an old Harvard T-shirt in place of the basket. After a while, Simon emerges from the steamy bathroom, towel-clad. "Are you serious?" He asks, holding up the clothes you've left for him.

"Don't you wanna know what it's like to wear a Harvard shirt?" You jest. "It'll be another 30 minutes on your clothes." Simon rolls his eyes, and tosses the clothes on the couch.

"I'll wait." He takes a seat next to you, the towel secured around his waist. "Give me that." He takes the joint you've barely just started rolling out of your hands. It feels more like a "thank you" than a "I'll do it better" so you let him roll it. It's a gesture of kindness from him, and you accept it.

After a joint or two more, the buzzer sounds on the dryer. "I'll be right back, I threw some of my clothes in there too." You leave and return with a basket of fresh, clean, warm clothes. You dig through and find Simon's belongings, tossing them to him piece by piece. Once he slips off to the bathroom again, he comes back fully dressed. A cleaner, easier to look at version of himself.

"Thanks," Simon nods, but he doesn't retake his seat next to you. "I'll catch you later."

"You coming to the party? For the money?" You grin, secretly hoping to repeat your patio soiree from before.

"For the money." He chuckles as he steps out the door, leaving you in peaceful silence. You fall back asleep right away. Hours later, when you finally awaken, some people are already in the house.

"Jesus Christ, you guys don't knock or nothing?" You rub your eyes. "Don't fuck up my parents' house. I'm gonna go get ready."

"Yeah, yeah," your friends chant back, picking out music to play on the stereo. Once you're dressed and made up to your liking, you return to the party. The size of the crowd doubled in the hour it took you to get ready. As you play hostess, you're secretly searching each room and hallway for Simon, hoping he'd show up, though you're not sure why you're so eager. He was a dick for most of the time you've known him, but even back then, he's a very attractive man.

You pour a round of shots and pass them out, making sure each of your closest pals gets theirs first. You're holding onto one last one, searching for Simon, when you round the corner and see a familiar face. It's the short little shit you just fought the other night. "Aw, god damn it." You sigh, already anticipating the spectacle that's about to unfold.

"You got a lot of fucking nerve throwing another party after the shit you pulled," he says, cracking his knuckles, but you're looking down at him almost, so it's not very threatening

"What? Nerve? Aren't you trespassing right now? Get the fuck out of my house. We're all pushing 30." You're dumbfounded by this weird turf war happening inside your childhood home.

"You think just 'cause you're a broad, you can mouth off to anybody you want and get away with it."

"No, I didn't 'get away with it,' you left a faint little freckle on my cheek with that crabapple you call a fist." And with that, you catch another swing. Just as painful, and this time, no laughter follows. The shot glass is knocked from your hand and shatters on the floor just before you land, cutting up your hands pretty good. "Ah! God fucking damn it!"

"Fuck you, bitch!" The man shrieks, kneeling over you to beat you senseless, but he doesn't get a second hit in before someone's grabbed his shoulders and ripped him off of you. Simon.

He has the short man pinned against the wall receiving hit after hit to the face and stomach. "The fuck you come back here for, dumbass? Playground's already closed?" Simon taunts as he lands blow after blow. The rage in his eyes is palpable. You're on your feet in no time, folding your glass-filled hands in on themselves to swing brick-like fists at the troublesome man. It's you and Simon vs that guy until his friends eventually join in, knocking Simon around and finally dragging their friend out of the function. You wonder what the point of showing up was at all.

Simon helps you wash the glass and small traces of blood from your hands. There's only one significant cut, and a bandaid will have it fixed up in an instant. "Why and how did you manage to land on a pile of broken glass?" He asks, frustrated with the tweezers he's using to remove the tiny shards. "Who keeps inviting that fuckin' guy?"

"I saved you a, uh... I saved you a shot." Your voice lowers as the sentence goes on as you realize how desperate it sounds.

"Saved me a shot?" He laughs. "You were waitin' for me." He grins.

"Yeah, I was hoping to sweeten you up and get a heavier gram this time." You reach into your pocket for money and shove it at him, leaving your bandaged hand in front of him, awaiting your drugs.

"I'll share my personal with you, how about that?" He tilts his head up, looking down at you through half-lidded eyes as he raises a cigarette to his mouth. He already knows you'll be pulling him onto the patio, so he wastes no time lighting it.

"Sounds good, let's go." You lead him to the dark backyard and the two of you take a seat at the table, but you're a chair closer this time, making it easier to share the little mirror. You cut out two lines and pull your hair away from your face. Once the substance enters your body, you're ignited into conversation. You drone on and on, and Simon listens to every bit, quietly hitting his cigarette as he watches you go. Slowly, the adrenaline wears off, and the reality of the ache in your face settles in. "Oh, my God. My fucking face." You brush a finger over the inevitable darkening black eye on the right side of your face.

"Yeah, they uh, kinda fucked us up." Simon speaks through cigarette smoke.

"Do you even know who they are? The short guy?"

"You keep calling him short. He's your height." Simon squints.

"I just feel so much taller than him. Maybe it's the shoes, I don't know." You shrug, snorting another line with the side of your nose that hasn't swollen shut from the fight.

"It's clearly a sore spot for him, regardless."

"You jumped in," you smile, feeling as if this "friendship" has finally been validated.

"Said I would," Simon responds flatly. You roll your eyes and stare up at the night sky for a moment. Inside, the party rages on. Music thumps from indoors, but the sound is well sealed from where you two sit.

"This is gonna hurt so bad tomorrow, huh?" You ask, sniffing through your coke and blood-filled nose.

"Oh, yeah." A drag of his cigarette. "It's gonna fucking suck." He can't help but chuckle, having lived through an ass beating or two in his life.

"You gonna be here when I wake up?"

"Stop asking me so many fucking questions." He waves his hand dismissively.

"Not even to hide?" You smirk.

"I'll come back to hide." He exhales smoke through a small smile. You two are up long past sunrise, and when the last of the coke finally begins to wear off, you head to bed.

"Goodnight, Simon. Don't go to jail today." You chime behind you as you head down the hall. Simon scans the living room and it's emptier than the last party. As in, no one stayed the night. He shifts uncomfortably for a moment, unsure of his next move. Before he knows it, he's face down, passed out on your parents soft, leather couch.

You can hear the familiar sound of falling face-first into that exact couch, and you feel a sense of comfort knowing Simon won't be running from the cops while you sleep. He's gone when you wake up and to avoid any more drama, you hold off on planning your next party. Days go by, and your time house sitting dwindles. Simon hasn't come back, not even to hide.

Weeks pass and you're packing your belongings into your van, giving your parents a hug and assuring them that nothing went awry. They shower you in thanks and love, sending you on your way back home, states away. It feels bittersweet, and you wish you got to tell Simon you were leaving. Maybe give him a phone number or something stupid like that.

Before you leave town, you stop by a gas station to fill up and grab a snack. At the register, a tall man with long locs peers at you from behind the counter. "Is that everything?"

"Yeah, and the rest on pump four." The man nods at your request. You'd be lying if you said you weren't looking for Simon to pass by outside, or hopefully catch him walking somewhere so you can say bye. It's a strange feeling in you to want his presence. As you reminisce about the sheer rage in his eyes as he pulled that guy off of you during the fight, your eye catches something behind the register. A poster for some gritty, underground band. And opening for them... Psyops.

The cashier hands you your bags and you point to the poster. "What's the date on that? The concert thing."

"I think it's tonight," he answers flatly. Your shoulders fall, wondering if this late in the evening means you've already missed him. You shake these weird feelings from your head, reminding yourself that a few days of liking each other doesn't make up for all those years of torment. You continue down the road for a few miles more.

"God damn it!" You burst, cutting a U-turn in the middle of the street, barreling your van back into town. He said he'd jump in, and he did. You told him you'd go to a show.

(Part 2 is HERE!!)

[nariism]

the voice in my heart — i. sae

forced proximity + "oh no, the power went out, however will we stay warm?!" (/s)

synopsis. itoshi sae doesn't like how mushy you make him feel, but the warmth is nice. kinda.

wc. ~600

— for @saetoshi / @yoisagi my love 💗 | event masterlist ✉️

you didn't think it was possible, but somehow itoshi sae gets infinitely more irritable when he's cold.

he scowls more, hands permanently stuffed into his pockets, and sulks like there's no tomorrow. and he shivers, too. an embarrassing amount. (his pride is always severely injured when you ask him if he wants your help to warm up).

your grouchy roommate always found something to complain about when the weather dipped. whether it be the fact that his heater was always running, or that he has to scrape the ice off his windshield every morning, sae has never been able to see the beauty of winter.

"beauty?" he scoffed when you pointed that fact out one day. you were at the kitchen table and he was on the couch waking up from his midday nap—a typical sunday afternoon that he had long since added to his routine. "yeah, i'd rather admire it from inside. thanks."

"come on, don't be so pessimistic," you scolded, sauntering over to him to shove a pillow into his face. he knocked it away with a frown.

"i'm not pessimistic. just realistic. being cold sucks."

and that should have been the end of it. after that, you had stopped bothering him and purposefully trying to tease him with snide little comments about his disdain for the cold.

well. the universe has always had a funny way of fucking with him.

it's the coldest night of the season thus far. the snow storm raging outside has knocked out the power for the entire building and now the two of you are stuck pressed together under the warmth of your combined blankets.

"quit squirming around or i'll kick you out of my bed."

you make an undignified noise. "you wouldn't."

"i will if you don't stop that and go to sleep. i have to be up early tomorrow."

"this was your idea in the first place!"

sae had been the one to text you, after all. he hadn't even asked nicely, only sending you the word HELP in all capital letters as if he were going into cardiac arrest. you had rushed in to see what was wrong only to get dragged into his bed.

his greed for warmth was nothing new to you, of course, but he was careful to be gentle with you. to make sure he wasn't crushing you or making you uncomfortable. it was his way of being nice and somewhat apologetic that you were being treated as some sort of personal heater.

"i hate you," you tell him when he unceremoniously throws his leg over your entire body to keep you still.

"yeah, whatever. sleep before i kick you out."

"you're the one who asked me to share our blankets," you remind him again.

there's a long silence that follows that statement. it's so quiet that you assume he just ignored you and went to sleep without replying. but then he rolls over until his back is to you and he utters out, strained: "we don't speak of this, ever."

you raise a brow, shifting to face his back. "oh? are you embarrassed that i had to keep you warm?"

"i'm not embarrassed," he quickly corrects, even with the waver of his normally dead voice.

you reach around him, back of your hand resting on his cheek. you feel him tense up beside you in bed and you can't help but burst out laughing.

"your whole face is warm."

he groans, pulling the blankets closer to his side and up over his head so you can't observe him any closer. he's worried that if you did, you might have noticed how incredibly red he was growing. something so out of character would absolutely garner a new game for you and he would never hear the end of it.

for someone with an attitude problem about everything, he was surprisingly easy to shut down. maybe it was just you who had that talent, though.

itoshi sae doesn't like how mushy you make him feel, but the warmth is nice—

"i know you're trying to hide from me! if you just wanted to be held i'd be happy to help."

—kinda.

© ALABOADOA 2023 — please do not translate or post my works to other platforms.

[jester089]

Hey, hey! Listen, I had an idea.

have a theory in my head that all the characters are alive in the real life, which means they have a chance to get out. so, what would happen if the reader, for example, died in the real life (for example, put on a headset and... I don't know, shot themself..?Like, their body died, but their consciousness managed to end up in the circus), which means that they couldn't refuse the digital circus, because they simply don't have a physical body in the real world.

how would characters react(everyone decided to run away, but I would like to see the reaction of kinger , jax and pomni) if they managed to find a way out (exit), and when they were about to leave, their s/o said that they can't leave it and they have to stay here forever... like, just stay alone in an unknown place forever. but the reader says that everything is fine, and they will love and remember them all all the time? I just want it look little angst yk🫢 ( I prefer romantic)

I can't speak English good, so sorry for translating Ad I done this with translations

Thank you!!

Left behind

I was going to go to bed but then I saw this request. And I just can't keep my lovely readers waiting. Thank you for the request! And don't worry about your English it was perfectly legible. Plus my friend on discord have made me good at deciphering the most unreadable of things. So while reading your request I had some personal ideas/additions. So I'll, write what you wanted with a little of my ideas. You requested from me so I'm going to put my spin on it.

Kinger

You had grown close with Kinger bonding over both being borderline insane, but not abstracted. When a way out was found he didn't want to leave you behind. NO, he wouldn't leave you behind. You had to force him out of the digital realm so that he could live his life. And it hurt, being trapped in this hollow and ghostly version of the place you knew so well. But at least he could move on with his life. Even if it's without you. When the way out was found Caine disappeared for some unknown reason. So you are well and truly alone. No way of escaping, or dying. The only real way to get away from it all is to lose your mind to the point where you basically aren't human anymore. Kinger missed you back in the real world. He tried to move on but it was hard, knowing that your still trapped in that circus. So he went back to put the headset on again. If their's a set way out now he could visit you! But it didn't work. The pc, the vr goggles, the headset. They were gone... You were gone. So no one's coming to help you.

Jax

When the exit was found he tried so hard to just force you through it. (Like that scene from wreck it ralph where he tries to get Penelope out.) But as to be expected it didn't work. He was so stressed, his mind going over so many different outcomes. "If I leave will they still be here?", "I can't just leave them. After all we've been through. Fuck that. HOLY SHIT! I CAN CURSE AGAIN!!." Surprisingly he stayed with you. He stayed for around a month. But the ghost town of a circus clearly started to get to you two. And after that amount of time he started to care less and less. So he left you a note, then left. Didn't even say it to your face. And back in the real world he'll think about you every now and again. But he made it out of that hell. It's not his fault you didn't.

Pomni

Their is a 100% chance she's going to have a breakdown. She stayed determined to find an exit the entire time she was there. And you supported her every step of the way! And she did it! SHE FOUND AN EXIT! And exit... you can't use... She would freak out and be torn between leaving and staying. She gives you one more hug and kiss and promises she'll be back for you. She'll find a way to get you out from the outside! You hold out hope knowing your lovely is going to get you out of this place. You start writing down the days you've lived in a diary till your S/O gets you out. First 6 months are boring but you hold out hope. You know she'll get you out. You trust her. It's been a year. Maybe time works differently in the digital circus and the real world. Two Years now. Still not gonna give up on her cause she isn't going to give up on me!

ˢʰᵉ'ˢ ⁿᵒᵗ ᶜᵒᵐⁱⁿᵍ ᵇᵃᶜᵏ

ᴵˢ ˢʰᵉ

(Sorry this is so short. I couldn't come up with much and I'm really tired. But I feel like I made at least some 5/10 angst. Hope you enjoyed it!)

xoxo, Jester

[joeys-babe]

Joey B Imagines: Caught Up In You

————————————————————————-

Summary: You and the twins surprise Joe during his last hour at the soup kitchen.

Warnings: Fluff.

Pairing: Joe Burrow x reader

Imagine Univserse: Into the Mystic

————————————————————————-

March 3rd, 2024

“Hey, y/n! Most of the photographers and workers are gone, but Joe surprisingly wanted to stay a little longer. Do you want to surprise him and come down with the twins?” - Robin

Robin had just called me. Joe had already been gone for a few hours, and I was just chilling at home.

“Oh, I’d love to! I'll be there in a few!” - you

“Great! I'll see you in a few sweetie!” - Robin

——

After I got the boys out of the car, I held onto both of their hands as we walked up to the building.

Shortly after our phone call, Robin messaged me and said to come in through the back door since it went straight into the kitchen where Joe would be.

“Dada!!” - Tyson

“You excited to see Dada?” - you smiled

Tyson’s love for his dad never failed to make my heart flutter. I was so lucky to have such an amazing man like Joe be the father to my kids.

“Can you knock on the door for me?” - you

Miles nodded his little head before using his free hand to hit the door with all his might, though it barely made a sound.

“Ty, how about you help him?” - you

Tyson’s knock was just slightly louder, so eventually, I knocked too.

When the door opened and Jimmy was revealed, the boys cheered, thinking their knocks were loud enough.

“What are you guys doing here?” - Jimmy

He smiled as he gave me a side hug, bending down to pick Miles up after.

“Dada!!” - Tyson

“Oh, I see! Let's go find Daddy.” - Jimmy

Jimmy grabbed Tyson’s hand and walked into the kitchen. I trailed behind after shutting the door back.

The place was pretty much empty, other than Robin talking to one of the older ladies who worked there.

“Look who's here! You look gorgeous as always, the pregnancy glow is on point.” - Robin smiled

“Awww, thank you! I threw a pair of baggy ripped jeans in that I knew still fit and took one of Joe’s shirts.” - you smiled

“Well, you look amazing. Joe’s in one of the other kitchens somewhere.” - Robin

Before I could even go find him, Joe strode into the room with Tyson on his hip and a big smile on his face.

“What are you doing here?” - Joe grinned

“Came to see you!” - you

Joe swiftly leaned down for a quick kiss, the smile never leaving his face.

“You look gorgeous.” - Joe

“That's what I said!” - Robin

Tyson laid his head on Joe’s shoulder, and Joe gently laid his head against his for a few seconds.

“Momma pretty.” - Tyson

“Your momma is very pretty.” - Joe

“Awww.” - Robin

I watched Joe subtly roll his eyes, and I smacked him on the arm in response.

“Ow!” - Joe

“Oh, toughen up!” - you laughed

Tyson started wiggling in Joe’s grasp, so he sat him down. Now that his arms were free, Joe moved closer to me and wrapped his arm around my waist.

“How long have you two been together?”

The lady who had been talking to Robin had a smile on her face as she watched me and Joe.

“A little over nine years.” - Joe smiled

“We started dating in high school. I was a junior and Joe was a senior. We've been together ever since.” - you

“Wow! That's amazing! You guys seem so in love.”

“We are.” - Joe

There was a twinkle in his eye when I made eye contact with Joe, and he leaned down to peck my forehead.

“I didn't even know you were married, Mr. Burrow, let alone a father.”

“I keep my family private, but if you follow y/n on TikTok you can see more of my life outside of football.” - Joe

“Oh really? What kind of things do you post?”

“I prank Joe a lot, but I've done some day routines and other trends.” - you

“What kind of pranks?”

“Don’t even get her started.” - Joe chuckled while rolling his eyes

I was about to make a snarky comment in response to his sassiness, but before I could, Miles and Tyson came running into the room.

They each had mini aprons on that matched Joe’s, and Miles handed me one for myself.

“Thanks, Bubba.” - you smile

“Here, lemme help you, Mama.” - Joe

Joe took that apron from my hand and put it over my head, he went behind me and tied the strings around my waist. With a big hand pressed to the small of my back, Joe leaned forward to see my face as he asked a question.

“Not too tight is it? Around your belly?” - Joe

“It's perfect, thank you, baby.” - you

“Of course.” - Joe

He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to my neck, I felt my cheeks heat up so I promptly shoved Joe’s chest.

“Stop that.” - you whispered

“You know you love it.” - Joe smiled

“At home, I love it, not right now.” - you

“Keep that same opinion for when we get home later.” - Joe

I once again shoved his chest, but Jos only pulled me against him.

This boy will surely be the death of me.

——

I don't know how it happened, but currently, Joe was trying to tie Tyson up in his apron.

Joe had the strings around his waist tied as tight as he could get them, and sat Tyson against his chest to where his legs stuck out at either side.

“Baby, help!” - Joe laughed

“What do you want me to do?!” - you chuckled

“Tie the strings around my neck, please!” - Joe

I did as he said and laughed at the sight of Ty strapped to Joe’s chest like a kangaroo.

“This is pretty sturdy.” - Joe

He did various things to test it out, like squatting, doing a jumping jack, and doing random things that had Tyson giggling the entire time.

His laugh only made everyone else laugh, including Joe, who seemed to be having more fun than Tyson.

“Okay, that's enough, Joe. You're making me nervous.” - you

Joe halted his movements and nodded his head, doing just as I said because I had him wrapped around my finger.

I helped Tyson get down, but he wouldn't leave Joe’s side. That big, calloused hand coming down to rub over his little back.

Not that Tyson or Miles were super tiny. They were both in the 90th percentile for height at their age, which is, I guess, what you sign up for when you have babies with a man who’s 6’4.

“Miles’s turn!” - Joe

“No!!” - Miles

Miles went to hide behind my legs, which made everyone laugh. I reached down to play with his hair to comfort him.

“Daddy’s joking, bubs.” - you laughed

“No, he's not!” - Joe

Joe lept forward and scooped Miles up, who was screeching those little toddler noises, and threw him up in the air before catching him.

Miles started giggling when Joe threw him up again, blowing raspberries in his neck before bringing him close to his chest. He was the less adventurous twin, but he always had fun with Joe nonetheless.

“Do you guys have plans tomorrow?” - Robin

“I don't think so.” - you

Joe shook his head, no, so Robin continued.

“How about we take the boys tonight, you guys can come over tomorrow and then take them home tomorrow evening.” - Robin

I looked over at Joe, who was already looking at me, and we both shrugged.

“Fine with me.” - Joe

“Me too.” - you

Shortly after that, Joe helped switch the car seats into his parent's car. He was saying bye when he looked over and saw me about to open my door.

“Bye guy- WAIT!” - Joe

In the corner of my eye, I saw Joe jogging toward me so I stopped what I was doing.

“What? Something wrong?” - you

“I have to open your door. When I gave you that promise ring I promised you that as long as I'm with you, you won't have to open a door.” - Joe

“Joe. I can open my door. Perfectly capable of doing it for myself, you could've continued talking to your parents.” - you

“Nope.” - Joe

With that, he walked away and over to the driver's side of the car. I slid in and buckled up just as he was sitting down.

“I can't believe you drove here.” - Joe sighed

“I can drive, Joe!” - you

“You make me nervous driving while you're pregnant!” - Joe

“Babe, you need to calm down. Just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I can't do anything for myself. We had this conversation many times when I was pregnant with the twins, so you should know this by now.” - you

“I know… I just feel like I have to. You're the one who has to go through the symptoms of pregnancy, weight gain, sickness, and childbirth. I just feel bad that I can’t do anything to contribute.” - Joe

Joe slumped over and stared out the windshield, picking at his fingernails in the process.

I reached one of my hands over and separated his hands in an attempt to stop his nervous fidgeting. The action caused Joe to look up at me.

“You do plenty. I wouldn't be able to get through everything you listed without you. The weight gain, you're always there to hype me up when I'm feeling self-conscious. The sickness, I haven't had much of it, but you're always there to hold my hair and rub my back. The birth part, though I know you were just as nervous as me, you were my biggest cheerleader. I'm not going through any of this alone, Joe, we're a team.” - you

“You should be a motivational speaker… or the person that writes Hallmark cards.” - Joe smiled

“Give me a kiss, goofball.” - you chuckled

Joe leaned forward and gave me a very thorough kiss, his hand cupping my face as one of mine rubbed his chest.

“I love you in that apron, by the way.” - you mumbled against his slick lips

“Noted.” - Joe groaned before reconnecting your lips

————————————————————————-

Authors note: HI GUYS!!!! BACK FROM MY BREAK!!!

This came from my own head!

Hope you enjoyed! 💕💕

[ilovetheriddler]

egon spengler - baking - fluff and smut thank you!

I hope that you enjoy it!

Halloween Fic Event.

A Surprisingly Haunting Taste.

(Egon Spengler x F!Reader.)

Contents: NSFW 18+ 🔞🔞🔞 Oral, Kissing, Fluff.

You carefully laid out everything that would be necessary for the baked goods that you intended to bake with Egon's help. After looking at the various different options, you ultimately decided that baking cookies and then decorating them in a Halloween themed would be perfect. You turned to him to inquire about what type of cookies you were going to make.

"So, Sugar Cookies or Chocolate chip?"

"I very much enjoy chocolate chip, so I feel like that's a safe choice."

You helped him tie his apron in the back. It had a somewhat humorous chemical formula on the front of it that was actually just the make up of what goes into a cake. You found it to be very cute and fitting for him.

The two of you went about getting everything started, with him cracking the eggs and focusing on the wet ingredients, and you focusing on the dry ones, the process was slow but Egon insisted that he wanted to try and make them from scratch, by the time everything was mixed and put in the oven the two of you were already quite covered in flour, it made him look as white as a ghost, and you had to hold yourself back from cracking a ghost related joke or pun.

You soaked a washcloth in the sink, and then took it and carefully started cleaning the flour off of his face. His eyes softened, and he let out a gentle chuckle at your tender and affectionate gesture.

"Dear, I appreciate the help, but I'm more than capable of cleaning myself off."

"I know you are, but I want to do this... is there a problem with that?"

"Of course not. However, I want to clean you off as well, to keep things even and fair."

"Sounds fine to me!"

You expected him to take the washcloth from you, but were a bit surprised when he leaned in and gently kissed your lips instead, allowing it to linger for only a few seconds before properly taking the washcloth and cleaning off your face.

The two of you went back and forth like that for a bit while you waited for the cookies to finish baking. However, one thing led to another, and before you knew it, you were up on the counter, your pants and underwear long discarded, with Egon's head in-between your thighs.

"E-Egon... are you sure you want to do this?"

"I'm absolutely positive dear, I want to know if tasting you while something with a particularly sweet aroma cooking nearby will affect how you taste or if it does nothing. As a man of science, I must consider all the variables."

You watched as he paused for a moment, considering something quietly before taking off his glasses and sitting them next to you on the counter. He moved his hands up your thighs, grasping onto them just tightly enough before spreading them apart just a tad more.

You let out a mixture between an embarrassed squeal and a moan as he buried his face against you, sliding his tongue just barely inside of your folds, eagerly lapping up your dripping arousal and groaning softly as he savored the taste of you.

He continued licking and sucking at your entrance, and your clitoris, it didn't take long with how terrifyingly precise and methodical he was before you were being pushed over the edge, Cumming all over his mouth and lower face with an intensity that only spurred him on more in all honesty.

"Hmm... it's as I hypothesized, you're simply so sweet that no outside factor can alter that, how interesting.... I still think I need to run this test, at least another... two or three times, just to have multiple points to compare, of course."

"Y-yeah, sure... we can do this as many times as you want to..."

And you would have let him... if the smoke alarm didn't go off, the cookies were burned and ruined... oh well, at least you enjoyed yourself.

[jayujus]

rent a boyfriend! - chapter 4

— 04 cocktail party!!!

written ~ 1.0k + smau

heeseung adjusts his tux, sweat building at his nape from nervousness. who would have thought that he'd be taking a girl out that he met from a sketchy site?

he rings her doorbell, unsure if the flowers are too extra or not.

a few seconds later, y/n opens the door, flashing a bright smile at him. honestly, she's surprised he is actually real herself even if she did not really question it. he is a fine man, especially in the suit he is wearing right now and in person. a small smile forms on his face as he hands her a bouquet of dahlias and roses. y/n's smile grows even bigger as she grabs the bouquet from him, pulling him into a hug as she steps outside her apartment.

"this dress is so pretty on you." he whispers in her ear as she links her arm with his, as if they've been a couple for so long. "you look good too."

exiting the luxurious apartment building, y/n is met with heeseung's NOT white van. his car was fairly nice, a black bmw. "you didn't bring a white van?" heeseung raises his eyebrows as he opens the door for her. "did you want me to?" y/n doesn't say anything, putting on her seatbelt. "this is a nice car." heeseung hums, "i got it as a gift by my brother," y/n nods, giving him the directions to the building.

__

once they arrived in the building's huge parking lot, y/n tells him some reminders. "my parents are going to want to meet you right away, just be normal. please," heeseung hums. "don't worry!"

he helps y/n step out of the car, "should i leave the flowers in the car...?" heeseung shrugs, "are you going to come and get it later?" y/n thinks for a few seconds, "actually, i was wondering if you'd be able to drop me off tonight. you don't have to! just wondering." she asks nervously, which makes heeseung blush. "i'll drop you, no worries."

immediately when y/n enters the building with heeseung by her side, she hears her mother rushing excitedly to her, some of her drink spills on the way. "oh my god! y/n! is this the boy you were talking about?" y/n hums, "this is heeseung." her mom flashes a big smile at him, "hi heeseung, we should talk a little bit. i will go find your dad, y/n." y/n sucks in her breath, mouthing a 'sorry' to heeseung before her mom walks away.

about two minutes later, y/n's mom comes back with her dad, who greets heeseung. "you are a very handsome man, surprisingly. my y/n has never had a boyfriend before, so i was worried who'd she bring." y/n covers her face in embarrassment, hinting at her parents to stop talking. "what do you do? what do your parents do?" heeseung purses his lips at the bombarded questions. "i study law. my parents run a family restaur-" y/n elbows heeseung, "his parents are doctors." y/n's parents smile, "wow! that's really cool, y/n, you did a good job finding him." y/n smiles awkwardly, dragging heeseung away a few seconds later.

heeseung furrows his eyebrows when y/n told a lie.

__

heeseung ended up meeting a lot of y/n loved ones tonight. he first met her parents— which was awkward, her friend group, her aunts and uncles, and her sister.

when heeseung excuses himself to the restroom, her sister, jinah, asks, "where did you meet him, y/n?" y/n quickly comes up with another lie. she won't have to see heeseung again after tonight, right? it won't matter. she'll send him the money and they won't talk again. "we met at the mall! yeah! he offered to pay for my stuff so it just went from there...." she smiles awkwardly and jinah knows she's lying. she can tell but she doesn't say anything about it right now. the last thing she wants her baby sister dealing with is more stress than their parents already give her.

when heeseung comes back, jinah excuses herself and the two just hang out by the food, munching on some of the chocolate covered-strawberries while talking about whatever.

"i honestly thought you weren't real, my friends kept saying so. your hair color kept changing in every picture." heeseung chuckles. "my friend sunghoon dyes my hair for me," y/n hums. "i like this color on you." he blushes, jokingly flirting with her back.

"do you want to dance?" heeseung nods and y/n grabs his hand, pulling him with her to the dance floor.

__

the party ended and it was around 1:30 am. y/n was hugging her friends goodbye before being left with just her sister, parents, and heeseung. "heeseung, it was good to meet you. you seem like a nice man and you make my daughter happy, thank you." heeseung smiles at her mom and dad, bowing at them.

he also bows to y/n's sister, "get her home safely." y/n's dad says, to which heeseung nods. "don't worry, mr. jeon. i will."

heeseung considers placing a hand around her waist. he really thought she was the prettiest girl ever but this was only for one night, that would be too awkward.

"thank you for doing this for me, actually. i'll send you the money when i get home." heeseung purses his lips, "you don't need to send me the money, it's fine." y/n raises an eyebrow as she enters his car. "what? no, i'm paying you." heeseung protests but there is no point because y/n continues arguing back.

"i rented you for one night, so i have to pay you." heeseung doesn't say anything else but mumbling an 'okay.'

"you make a pretty good boyfriend, to be honest. do you have any girl you're interested in?" heeseung hesitantly shakes his head. "what about you?" y/n shrugs. "beomgyu's cute but he doesn't like me."

"the atrocious man you posted?" he jokes and y/n jokingly slaps his arm. "be nice!"

"he fumbled, seriously he fumbled." y/n blushes and turns to face the window, "tell me about it."

a few minutes later, they arrive at her apartment building. "want me to walk you in?"

"you don't have to," heeseung asks again and y/n says the same thing, so he just helps her out of the car and she gives him a quick hug. he hands her the flowers he got for her. "goodnight heeseung." she smiles, "goodnight."

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KAIA'S NOTE sorryy this isn't proofread and i'm not the most confident in my writing skills 😣 also if im unable to tag you anymore i wont be able to keep you on the taglist 💔💔

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copyright © jayujus 2024 all rights reserved

[lilacgaby]

day five

~2.2k

chapter select!

he feels her rest in his chest as he picks her up and walks towards the medics.

the sight of her wound makes him cringe, it wasn't that horrific of a wound, but it'd definitely done some damage.

as he walked by, he was congratulated and praised by the small crowd that had gathered outside the alleyway.

he was thanked profusely by genie, as were mirko and jeanist, because they had assumed they'd just saved their life, and not that they were bait the entire time.

the victory didn't feel as glory filled as it would have normally, not when she was injured on her arm, and not because they could've got another hero seriously injured in the process.

not when it wasn't him who finished the fight. not when he just out of reach. again.

he set her down gently in the ambulance, and followed mirko and jeanist as they went back to the agency to file their reports.  he was normally pretty quiet, but anyone could tell he was preoccupied with [name]'s absence.

"cheer up loser, she'll be okay by the time you two lovers get back to the dorms later tomorrow." mirko comforted.

"you fought as best as you could, so don't worry about things that were out of your control. she fought, she won, she got hurt, but she saved people. that's what it means to be a hero."

"you can't save them all, dynamight."

jeanist finally said.

katsuki pondered the words in his head. he knew it was impossible for him to save everyone but..

it's what he expected of himself.

he grunted in acknowledgment of the two's words,

the words that were stuck in his head as he went to sleep that night.

a lot of stuff that had happened recently was still being processed in his head.

mostly the fact that he heard on the phone when mirko let her crush on him slip, that she herself had accidentally confirmed it,

and that she promised to talk about it after the quirk wore off on sunday.

he hated staying up and thinking, he loved to sleep, but he honestly couldn't fall asleep.

he was busy thinking of her.

he finally got enough comfort to close his eyes with the promise that he'd go and see her as soon as he woke up.

he'd ask her to ride the train back to musutafu together.

and on sunday,

he'd be the one to confess.

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

she woke up to the sight of uncomfortable, white lights.

she was in a hospital.

she sat up and eyed the place around her.

it offered her no comfort, but since it looked to be like a hospital meant for kids and teens, there were cute butterfly decals that scattered the walls.

there was a bunny stuffed animal on the side of her bed, with a bouquet of [name]'s favorite flowers accompanying it.

she figured that all her stuff from the hotel was in the suitcase that laid against the wall, with a sticky note attached to the front.

[name] groaned a bit as she sat up, her arm wasn't as bad as she thought, the wound was actually quite small, but it was sore.

it was bandaged well, but blood was already seeping through. she'd need to get it wrapped again before leaving.

as she slowly got up and walked over to pick up the note, she looked up at the time.

it was noon, if she wanted to make it back to the dorms early she'd have to set out soon.

she looked down and read the note:

'see you soon partner! i had to run so i couldn't stay and watch over you :(

i left you a train card with funds in the left pocket,

so text me when you get to the dorms!

- rumi <3'

she smiled at the note, and mentally noted that she had a working card.

as she slowly stretched out her legs, being mindful of her arm, a nurse knocked before coming in.

"good morning ms. [name], how are you feeling this afternoon?"

"sore, but surprisingly not that bad."

"that's good to hear! the doctor asked me to relay a message on your arms condition for you.

while your arm itself will heal just fine, you'll need to get check-ups every month to make sure no nerve damage has been done. you see, that quirk worked by canceling any signal recieved by your receptors in your arm, but since you can move it slightly, i'd be hopeful for a full recovery.

on another note, you have a visitor. would you like me to ask them to wait until you've changed?"

"yes, i hate this gown."

"oh, well alright! i'll call them up in thirty minutes. also, i'll arrange someone to come and wrap your arm again."

"thank you."

her mind wandered as the implications of what she'd just been told set in.

there was a real possibility she could've been left without an arm.

oh well. can't worry about things that didn't happen.

but, the thing she was most happy about was that the oversharing nature of the quirk was something she'd be happy to lose, and all left was one full day.

she changed into civilian wear she found in her bag, and chose something that'd cover the wound on her arm. the hospital lights weren't doing her any favors, but she'd be gone soon anyways.

a knock at the door and an entry took her attention.

it was a nurse, who came to change her arm's casting.

"you can look away if you don't want so see this." the nurse advised, as she slowly took off the cast.

"no, i'm okay."

the wound wasn't pretty. it was stitched closed but it was pretty obvious that they had to use a graft from some other part of the body, because a bit of her internals were showing through.

as fast as she saw it, it left, expertly wrapped once again.

"take a visit to recovery girl once you get back on campus, it'll speed up your recovery and get your arm back to normal."

"okay, thank you."

the nurse bowed as she walked out. just as she was going to shut the door behind her, she eyed someone and held the door open for them.

inside came bakugo, who walked in with a single rose in his hand, and his bag of belongings slung around his back.

"hey."

"oh, hey katsuki. thought you'd already be at the dorms by now."

he held out the rose as he said, "couldn't leave, i was thinking about you."

she flushed, grabbing the rose appreciately. "aw, you didn't have to."

"you were, really cool yesterday. you were the reason we won so, i had to."

"thanks katsuki, but you did great too! i couldnt really focus.. but i saw you handling those other guys like they were nothing."

she praised as she decided to put the rose in with the bouquet mirko had gifted her, it was placed smack in the middle, contrasting with the others.

he was glad she turned away, as she missed the pink tint of his face.

"yeah, obviously i was gonna do great. it was just surprising to see someone rise on my level, that's all."

"aww katsuki!"

"be quiet."

she smiled as she finished putting everything away. katsuki scratched the back of his head as he finally just came out and said it.

"so, uh.. let's go on the train together."

"hm? okay, sounds cool."

"just take the damn bunny and shit, i got your bag."

"huh? i got it--"

"you're injured. let me do this for you."

he didn't hear another word before he walked out, waiting for her in the hallway.

she shrugged and turned back, finishing gathering her things, grabbing the bunny and bouquet, before putting on her shoes, and stepping out.

"let's go."

she nodded, and they walked to the train station together.

before katsuki could tell her not to, she paid for both their tickets using the funds from mirko.

he angrily muttered that she beat him to the punch.

the train to musutafu was empty again, besides the two of them.

they sat next to eachother, eyeing the scenery of the city.

"thanks katsuki."

"for what?"

"i was so scared. so nervous, i really needed you back there. and you came through."

"it's okay to be scared, but you don't have to be.

especially when im around. i'm number one, so i'll protect you. and don't forget that you're strong enough to protect yourself too."

she laid her head on his shoulder, after a few moments he laid his on hers.

the bunny was sat in a seat next to them, holding the flowers she was gifted.

he took the initiative to hold her hand on his lap.

she let out a soft smile, and tightened her hold on his hand.

she let out a yawn as she fell asleep on his shoulder.

"wake me up when we get there."

after he was safely sure she was fast asleep, he sighed heavily, trying to calm the rapid beating of his heart.

❀。• *₊°。 ❀°。

"[name],

hey [name], wake up."

she stirred awake, the sun was setting outside the window, and she was still laying on his shoulder and her hand was still in his.

"oh, g'morning katsuki." she said, still half asleep.

"it's six, dumbass."

"oh, good afternoon then." she gently let go of his hand, stood up, and stretched,

"you ready to be back with our gang of idiots katsuki?"

"yeah, i just wanna go to my dorm."

"oh yeah, you didn't get to borrow my manga last time! i'll sneak to your room later and give it to you."

"what if you get caught idiot?"

"well, i almost died yesterday so, i think ill get sympathy points or something."

"you're insane."

the intercom overhead announced their arrival, bakugo grabbed her suitcase and his own bag, as she grabbed her bunny and flowers.

she stuck out her hand and intertwined it with his.

they walked hand-in-hand back to the dorms where suprisingly,

no one else was.

"guess we're early huh?"

"why are none of those other idiots here?!"

"i think that maybe their missions were extended or they're just coming late. if you're really so interested, just text them!"

"i'd rather die."

"oh.. uh- anyway, this is better! i'll give your manga and then you can head to bed.

he thought it over, before the ghost of a smile came onto his face,

"yeah, that sounds good [name]."

katsuki carried her luggage up to her dorms, she set the bouquet and bunny onto her bed, and grabbed the bag of manga that he'd left behind that one day.

she grabbed his hand and dragged him over to his room.

"okay, since you're taking so many of mine, i'll treat myself to your library, k?"

"uh- fine i guess."

"okay!"

she handed him the bag full of manga, and he laid down, starting to read the next volume of maid-sama.

meanwhile, she pulled the cubby of his shoujo manga he hoarded under his bed. she grabbed the first volume of 'nana' and held it up.

"is this any good?"

"is this any good- it's peak. you better like it."

she laid next to him, starting to read.

the two read for literal hours, [name] groaning when she had to go back to his cubby and grab the next volume.

in all. katsuki blazed through the manga she brought, finishing all but two volumes of maid sama before he'd need to go back to her collection.

[name] read four volumes of nana, the exhaustion from her mission and being on a train setting in.

katsuki noticed her slowing down. she was flipping through pages slower, her head fighting to stay up on the uninjured arm holding it up.

eventually, she fell asleep again.

katsuki, who didn't have the heart, or will, to kick his crush out his bed, laid a respectable distance away from her.

what he didn't expect though, was for her to cling to the closest thing to her, which was him.

with her at his side, her arms slung around his body with surprising strength, he accepted his fate and wrapped his arm around her as he used the other one to cover them with a blanket.

he was about to go to sleep, when he felt his phone start blowing up.

he was suddenly added to a group called..

'OPERATION [NAME] x BAKUGO'

he clicked on the notification.

9:36

flowered[name] was kicked out the group

redrioter109

no way bakubro actually responds dude

altspiderman

that's what i'm sayin

alienqueenslime

he won't respond but he can read

BAKUGO I SEE YOU

read 9:39

shit, he left read receipts on.

redrioter109

bro confess to [name] on sunday

she likes u so just do it

alienqueenslime

DO IT

YOU WONT

el3ctrifying

hes too chicken

he rlly wont

                                                      allmightsolos01

                                                                        fuck you

                                                                        yes i will

                                                                      delivered

he turned off his phone and muted the conversation.

he looked at [name] in his arms and felt his heart explode.

figuratively.

he closed his eyes and fell asleep, their soft, sleepy breaths a lullaby that lulled him into a calm, deep sleep.

he'd confess,

he'd make sure of it.

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taglist (comment to be added!): @cc1306 @reads-stuff-quietly @dazqa @teenagetrash00 @jennapancake @sakurarr1122

[wingedcupcaketimemachine]

Bakugo Fic please

Bakugo Dating Headcanons

Pairing: Katsuki Bakugo x GN!Reader

Summary: Bakugo as your boyfriend

Warnings: mostly fluffy, brief mention of jealousy

Type: Romantic ❤️, Fluff ☁️

A/N: The ask wasn't very specific, so I went with overall dating headcanons. Hope you enjoy <3

Headcanons start below cut

MHA Maserlist

Main Masterlist

A relationship with Bakugo is based in mutual respect

In order to catch Bakugo's attention, you're most likely in the hero course, specifically class 1-A

He would first notice you during the sports festival during your one on one fight

Even if you didn't win, he would be interested in your fighting style and the capabilities of your quirk

He would likely approach you after the festival to do extra training together

One on one training sessions allows him to get closer to you, while also being able to impress you with his quirk

After a few months of training together, the two of you start hanging out more outside of class and training

You often have study together in his dorm for upcoming exams, or work together on assignments

When you actually start dating, you spend a lot more time in each other's dorms

He's also a lot softer when you start going out compared to when you were just friends

He's also a much different person when the two of you are alone vs when you're around others

Even though he isn't the biggest fan of PDA, he does get jealous pretty easily, so he often has his arm around your waist or over your shoulder if he feels that someone is getting too friendly with you

Even though he tends to keep public affection to a minimum, he's all over you in private

When the two of you are alone, he's very clingy, and will lay on top of you for hours while you play with his hair

If you ever try to get up for any reason, he'll pin you down to the bed and refuses to let you leave

Speaking of cuddling, surprisingly, her prefers to be the little spoon, especially when he's had a rough day

Although he acts overly arrogant, Bakugo can sometimes be really insecure, and requires lots of comfort a reassurance

Cuddle sessions as an opportunity are the time where Bakugo is finally able to relax, and show you his vulnerable side

In terms of affection, he loves touching you hair, and equally love when you run your hands through his

In private, he is very physically affectionate and is always touching you in some way

Doing homework? His hand is resting on you back as he explains to you what you did wrong

Watching a movie? His arm is wrapped around your waist as you share a blanket

Training? He'll take any opportunity to pin you beneath him so he can hover over top of you

He also really enjoys hugging you and burying his face in your hair (he finds the smell of your shampoo very calming)

Overall, Bakugo is a very attentive and loving boyfriend (most ly in private though lol)

[vikkirosko]

Hello! I would like some headcanons for Ben Drowned, Eyeless Jack, Homicidal Liu and Ticci Toby with a female reader (platonic if possible) who is very affectionate with them.

Platonic headcanons Affection

🪓Ticci Toby x fem!Reader 🥞

Anyone who saw you and Toby could safely call you best friends. You spent a lot of time together and for the rest it has already become something of a joke. Every time Toby came back after another task, he immediately went to you and you were glad, because you missed him a lot, and even if he came in blood, you were still glad to see him

Toby was very attached to you, especially when his anxiety got the better of him. His tics didn't bother you and you felt calm when he was next to you. You were as attached to him as he was to you. You both helped each other feel calmer, as if there were no traumas and horrors that happened in your lives all the time

When he started having active periods of tics, you were always ready to be around, even when his teammates couldn't stand his company. From the outside, it looked like Toby was pissing you off so much that you just started ignoring him, but you both knew that wasn't the case

No one understood why you were so attached to Toby, but he was glad that he had a friend like you. You were the one with whom he could share all his worries and worries. You were a support for each other, who helped each other not to go completely crazy

🎮 BEN Drowned x fem!Reader 💧

BEN was the one who was by your side very often. He could often get out of your phone, especially if you needed to go somewhere, and you were grateful to him for that. You were very attached to him and could safely call him your best friend, which made BEN grin

It didn't matter to you whether you were at home or on the road. If you had any of the equipment, then you could be sure that BEN was there. You played video games, chatted late into the night. He knew a lot about you, including the fact that when he wasn't around, you started to feel uncomfortable and anxious

Although not everyone admitted it, BEN was sincere towards you. You saw him as a person, not just a ghost who appeared from various gadgets, in the distorted guise of a video game hero. He really considered you his friend, a friend who was not afraid of what he was doing and who he was connected with. A friend who wasn't afraid of being a ghost

For you, BEN was the one who gave you a sense of peace. You knew you could trust him with your worries and problems. Perhaps you were too attached to him, but so far it suited both of you, neither you nor he planned to change anything in your relationship

🗡 Eyeless Jack x fem!Reader 🥩

Jack wasn't someone who usually made friends. He caused a sense of unease even among those who often dealt with him. But for some reason you were next to him, you called him a friend, and even when he came in blood, bringing with him prey in the form of someone's kidneys, you did not run away in fear. You were genuinely attached to him and considered him your friend, which, surprisingly, was mutual

You never interfered in his affairs, realizing that you couldn't help him with his hunting and you weren't sure that you wanted to participate in it. Instead, you waited for him. He didn't come to your house all the time, but he was a frequent visitor there. If someone found out about this, they would think that he was using you and your house became a refuge for him, but you knew that this was not the case. Jack never threatened you or lied on you. He was genuinely interested in your life

Sometimes you thought about what happened to Jack, that he became like this, but you never asked. You knew it could be a topic that shouldn't have been brought up, so you kept quiet. Jack could have asked you about your life, because he didn't know about your family or your daily life. He couldn't calmly go for a walk with you, because someone like him would stand out a lot. You were content with what you had

Jack didn't think that after he stopped being human, he would have a real friend. He didn't understand why you were so attached to him, but he liked the idea that there was a person who was worried about him. He knew he would never hurt you. Jack wasn't going to put you in danger. Next to you, he felt normal again, as much as possible

🪡 Homicidal Liu x fem!Reader 🧣

Liu sometimes missed his normal life. He used to have friends, but now he lived a completely different life. But even in this life, he had a friend. It was you. You weren't connected to the murders, but you knew what he was doing. That's why he didn't understand even more why you were so attached to him

Every time he came to you, you greeted him with a sincere smile, offered him to eat with you and just let him relax in your house. Liu was in no position to turn down such an offer, much less a good company. He knew that if you wanted to, you would have told the police about him a long time ago, but so far you've met him like an old friend

Liu enjoyed spending time with you. Thanks to you, it was like he was going back to his normal life. You could watch a movie together, you told him about your day and if there was anything interesting. It was as if there was no blood on his hands and he would not kill again at night

He treasured his friendship with you and wanted you to continue to interact in this way. It was not so easy for him to find friends who would accept him for who he is, and therefore the fact that you were in his life made his existence better

[coffeebanana]

This was supposed to be for the Ladrien June prompt "morning", but I didn't feel like waiting another week or so 😂.

Excerpt:

[CW for grief/mourning and recent character death (Gabriel)]

Adrien cleared his throat. "I...ran into Chat Noir outside. He said he had to go, but he told me..." He took a deep breath, continuing in a whisper. "I know my father's dead." It was the first time he'd said it out loud, and the words came out surprisingly clear. It was only afterwards, when they hung in the awkward silence following Ladybug's sharp intake of air, that he felt like they were eating him from the inside out. Ladybug's grip tightened. "I'm sorry, Adrien. I'm so sorry."

Read on Ao3, or under the cut!! 💜

The rising sun hit Adrien's back as he forced his front door open, its light casting an eerie glow over the mansion’s battle-torn foyer. Half the ceiling was caved in. The staircase was all but destroyed. And scraps of metal amongst the wreckage glinted gold, like the dying embers of a fire. Like the end of an era.

It wasn't the victory it should have been.

As the door slipped from his fingers, Adrien squeezed his eyes shut and stopped to take a few steadying breaths—a dangerous idea. Police officers were still on site, gathering evidence amidst the wreckage. One of them could easily notice him, and then he might get stuck answering their questions. He needed to move. He needed to remember the simple instructions he'd outlined for himself before walking back inside.

Sneak into the kitchen. Grab food for Plagg. Get out.

Run.

He could cover his tracks later. It wouldn't be too hard to find an excuse for Ladybug as to why Chat Noir hadn't come back after he allegedly went outside to recharge. It would definitely be easier than facing her as his civilian self—as Monarch's son—right now.

But hesitation had cost him. "Adrien?"

Ladybug.

Unable to reply or to so much as glance in her direction, Adrien stared resolutely at a piece of rubble by his feet—a piece which he thought used to be part of the bannister. Tears burned the corner of his eyes, but he did his best to blink them away.

He tensed when he heard her approach, something he wouldn't have noticed so quickly if it weren't for the debris scattered about. Any other day, her footsteps would have barely made a sound against the marble floors.

Too soon, her feet stopped in front of him. He struggled to keep his breaths even, fighting to remain upright when it felt like the entire world was closing in around him.

"I...I thought you were at Nino's," she said.

Had he told her that? He barely remembered any of the excuses he'd made last night. It was hard to recall much aside from how he'd awoken a few hours earlier to find his father's body splayed unnaturally across the floor, his vacant stare somehow still bearing traces of disappointment.

The ambulance had pulled away maybe an hour ago, with no sirens to accompany its departure.

Adrien only realized Ladybug was probably waiting for a response when she grabbed his hand, pulling him back to the present with a gentle squeeze. His stomach swirled. Couldn't she have reached for his other side?

She deserved better than the hand he'd used to destroy his own father.

When he finally managed to look up, he only felt worse seeing the sympathy in her eyes. He quickly looked back to his feet, panic drowning out any response he tried to cobble together in his head.

"Has anyone told you what happened?" she asked.

Adrien almost said no—which would be the truth, technically. Nobody had told him, unless he counted the clarifications Plagg had provided after the fact, details of what occurred after Ladybug and Chat Noir fell victim to Monarch's Akuma. Part of him wondered how Ladybug would tell the story, which parts would she soften or leave out. He wondered what she really thought.

But maybe it was better not to know.

Adrien cleared his throat. "I...ran into Chat Noir outside. He said he had to go, but he told me..." He took a deep breath, continuing in a whisper. "I know my father's dead."

It was the first time he'd said it out loud, and the words came out surprisingly clear. It was only afterwards, when they hung in the awkward silence following Ladybug's sharp intake of air, that he felt like they were eating him from the inside out.

Ladybug's grip tightened. "I'm sorry, Adrien. I'm so sorry."

His gut coiled tightly with some unbearable emotion. He tried to think up something else to say, lips parting as he raised his head to look at her. But the second he met her eyes—so wide and blue and sad—speaking was a lost cause.

His lips quivered. A sob clawed its way up his throat, tugging another one up behind it before the first had even broken free. Ladybug's hand rubbed up and down his arm, and that was all the encouragement he needed to finally release the tsunami inside him.

Adrien had killed his own father.

For months he'd been suffering. Adrien had assumed, when Monarch reappeared from his brief hiatus, that he was okay. That the Cataclysm hadn't been fatal. Instead he'd had a front row seat to his demise—to all the times he cried out in pain while cooking breakfast, trying to pretend everything was fine whenever Adrien noticed.

But if it weren't for that Cataclysm, if Monarch's health hadn't been weakened, then the world might have ended a few hours ago, torn apart and rebuilt in his father’s image. With his parents and Nathalie still alive.

How was he meant to feel about that?

He didn't even know where he was supposed to sleep tonight.

But at least Ladybug didn't hate him. At least he still had one friend in this crazy, twisted world.

She pulled him into her arms as he broke down in tears, as he crumpled like the ceiling and shattered like the windows. As he was reduced to nothing but a shaky foundation, to the dying embers of who he used to be.

Adrien and his cold, lonely home finally had something in common.

...

"Here you go," Ladybug said, sliding a mug of tea across the kitchen counter as she settled onto the stool beside him.

Adrien wrapped his hands around the mug. The water was still too hot, but it took him a few seconds to notice. By the time he loosened his grip, his fingers already stung.

"Thanks," he croaked, his throat raw from crying. He wasn't really the biggest fan of tea, but it had seemed to make Ladybug feel better having some way to help him.

The least he could do was pretend she'd succeeded.

For a while they sat in silence. Adrien stared blankly at his tea, vaguely aware of how Ladybug kept shifting around like she couldn't get comfortable.

"Do you...have any questions?" she asked eventually.

He shook his head. None of his questions were for the living.

"Well," she said, "if you think of any later...I'd be happy to answer if I can. And if there's anything else I can do..." She reached out slowly to touch his shoulder, and it was all he could do not to shake her off. "Is there anywhere you'd like to go? Someone you'd like to see?"

Adrien fiddled with the string of his tea bag, watching it bob up and down. "Am I even allowed?"

"What do you mean?"

"To leave."

"Why wouldn't you be?" When he shrugged, her hand slipped from his shoulder. She slid her stool closer. "Adrien, you're not in trouble. Nobody thinks you had anything to do with any of this."

Maybe they should.

Adrien swallowed. "But...don't I have to talk to a social worker or something?"

"Oh. I, um...I don't know. I guess so, but there's nobody here right now, so...I don't think anyone would mind if I took you somewhere else to wait."

He nodded slowly, hand moving automatically to his pocket. He shifted to pull out the lucky charm he kept there, wrapping his fingers tightly around it. "Maybe I could go to my girlfriend's house."

"That sounds like a great idea," Ladybug said, jumping to her feet. "Let's go!"

Adrien remained glued in his seat, his stomach swirling. Seeing Marinette probably would make him feel better—at least on the surface. But how long could that last? Hiding his identity hadn't really come between them since they'd gotten together, but this was different. How could he hide the worst thing he'd ever done?

But what if he told her and she never looked at him the same way?

Ladybug's stool scraped against the floor as she sat back down, and she sounded upset when she spoke. "Do you not want to go?"

Adrien set the lucky charm on the table and watched the beads blur behind fresh tears. "I'm...scared."

"Why?"

"Because...what if Marinette sees me differently."

"Do you really believe she would?" Ladybug asked in a small voice.

He thought for a moment. "No? I don't know. Probably not, but...she could."

She grabbed his hand, and when he glanced her way there was an intensity in her eyes he couldn't interpret. "I'm sure she won't."

"You can't know that."

"But I do! I—she loves you, right?"

Adrien's stomach clenched, but he managed a nod as a hot tear rolled down his cheek.

"Exactly!" Ladybug said, gesturing nonsense with her free hand. "So there!"

He mustered a small smile for her enthusiasm, but it was short-lived. "It doesn't matter," he said, wiping his eyes. "Things are different now."

"Sure. But...that doesn't mean everything has to change, right?"

He didn't answer, trying to ignore the feelings swirling inside him by poking at his tea bag again. The water was cool enough now that it didn't hurt when he accidentally dipped his finger in, but the idea of actually taking a sip and swallowing seemed foreign. So he kept staring at it until a sniffle came from beside him. He turned to see Ladybug with one hand covering her mouth, tears trickling down her cheeks.

"My lady?" he said without thinking, reaching over to set a hand on her shoulder. Panic spiked through him when he realized what he'd called her, but she didn't seem to notice.

"I'm sorry!" she cried. "I didn't mean to...I'm f-fine! It's just that you—I just want to help you! But maybe I c-can't. And it's not f-fair, that you're hurting. And..."

Her next words were drowned out by a sob. She slumped down on the table, hiding her face in her arms. All Adrien could do was sit there rubbing her back until she calmed down, at which point she pushed herself up slowly, wiping her eyes.

"I'm sorry I let this happen," she said.

"What?" Adrien replayed her words in his head, certain he'd misunderstood. "It wasn't your fault."

"It was my job to stop Monarch from making the wish, and I...failed. Even if he didn't succeed...someone's still paying the price."

"That's ridiculous." It was his fault.

"Adrien, it's fine. You don't have to..." She drew in a shaky breath. "If you're mad at me, I understand."

None of the morning had felt real, but now Adrien was sure he must be caught in some sort of alternate reality.

Maybe the wish had worked. Maybe his mother would walk into the kitchen at any moment.

If only.

"That makes no sense," Adrien said slowly, still trying to wrap his head around things. "If anything, it's Chat Noir's fault."

Ladybug's eyes went wide. "Did he tell you that?"

How was he meant to answer that? "Not...exactly. But he told me about the Cataclysm, and—"

"Please don't blame him for that. I know he feels terrible enough already."

"Because Monarch's dead thanks to him. It's his fault!"

"It's not," Ladybug pleaded. "He was just following my plan, and Monarch caught us off guard, and then..."

"But...but you..." Adrien trailed off, his body shaking.

He didn't know what to say, because technically Ladybug was right. But he didn't blame her at all, and he certainly didn't want her blaming herself.

"It was my fault," he said, knowing it was true. He felt it with every inch of his body, with every useless breath he took.

The guilt consumed him.

"Adrien," Ladybug breathed. "It's absolutely not your fault. How could you even think that?"

Only once he processed her words did he recognize his own misstep. But she hadn't caught on yet. He could still walk this back.

But he wasn't sure he wanted to.

This secret took too energy much to hide.

"It was me,” he said shakily. “It was my..."

He couldn't finish the sentence. He could barely even breathe. But he could see in Ladybug’s eyes that she still didn't understand, so he raised his hand to mimic the motion, stretching out his fingers the way he would if he'd really called on his power. He tried to mouth the word too, but he wasn't really sure his lips obeyed. Slowly, he lowered his hand to the counter, letting it collapse into a fist when he made contact.

Cataclysm.

He watched as realization slowly dawned on her. Then she blinked hard, shaking her head as if trying to dismiss the idea. But her eyes flew to the ring on his hand, widening further.

“Chat Noir?”

"I did this," he said in a broken whisper. "I killed him."

"Oh, Chaton. No." Ladybug stood, wrapping her arms around him. "It was an accident. It's not your fault."

Adrien thought that maybe, if he kept taking breaths so small they barely counted, if he let his mind float away the way it had been threatening to do all morning, then maybe—maybe—he could keep from crying again. But Ladybug rested her head on his shoulder, her warm breath ruffling his T-shirt. And that was all it took for him to come apart again.

...

They ended up on the floor, wedged between both stools. Adrien wasn't sure if he'd fallen off his seat at some point or if Ladybug had carried him here. He didn't care. As long as he could keep lying here with his head in Ladybug's lap and her fingers in his hair, he could somehow keep the guilt at bay. He could stop it from devouring him whole.

But he couldn't stay here forever.

Marinette's lucky charm was clenched in his fist again, and he was afraid to let go.

"Should I tell her?" Adrien asked.

"Hm?"

"Marinette. Should I..." He closed his eyes. "Do you think she'd hate me if I told her the truth?"

Ladybug let out a shaky breath, her fingers freezing in his hair. "She won't hate you. And...yes. I think you should tell her."

"Okay. Maybe I will."

"How about this?" Ladybug said. "If she breaks up with you, I'll date you instead."

Adrien managed some semblance of a laugh. "What about your boyfriend?”

“Mmm." She twisted another strand of hair around her finger. "Somehow I don’t think he’ll mind.”

“All right then. It’s a deal.”

Her offer was a joke—he knew that. But somehow it still felt like a promise.

"Would you...like me to take you to her now?”Ladybug asked. “I still can, if you want."

"Maybe." He thought of the bakery. Of Tom and Sabine's welcoming smiles, the smell of croissants, and being wrapped up in one of Marinette's hugs. It sounded nice. "Give me five more min—" He broke off in a yawn.

Ladybug laughed. "Or you can get some sleep first." Her voice was gentle and steady and safe. "I'll stay with you."

He tried to reply, but his words were engulfed by another yawn. So he settled for mumbling his agreement, squeezing the lucky charm to his chest, and letting his eyes flutter closed.

Maybe in his dreams, the world wouldn't hurt so much.

[ripdragonbeans]

Shakespeare In Love // Modern!Aemond x reader

CW: afab reader, p in v, creampie, second hand embarrassment, oral f receiving, smut

Summary: Your roommate and best friend, Helaena, and her older brother Aegon, have decided that both you and her younger brother, Aemond, need to go on a date. Both of you are too wrapped in your academics so they decided to take it into their own hands to bring you two together.

Ever since the accident, Aemond knew he was different. That everybody stared at him with curiosity and fear. Usually the latter. With a jagged scar running over his face, and a dazzling sapphire in the other. It’s no wonder to him why they gave him those looks.

Aemond sighed, slid his hands into the pockets of his black leather jacket, and braced himself against the cold wind that would hit him as soon as he walked out the door. He was on his way to meet up with his brother and sister, Helaena and Aegon. Surprisingly, they met someone whom they both agreed that they needed to introduce to Aemond.

He still didn't really know why he accepted the invitation. Well, he did, but was confused as to what was the why. At first he agreed to meet up because Helaena put on a pouty face and begged him to. Then Aegon kept pestering the hell out of him, constantly texting him and sending annoying ass Snapchats. But as the day to the meeting creeped closer Aemond couldn't help but feel curious, hopeful even, that there might be someone else to talk to.

Aemond was quiet; he studied hard and put all his energy into his work, but didn't have company outside his family and close family friends.

He picked up his pace to get to the cafe faster, the blistering wind slapping him in the face. Thankfully, he got there without freezing his ass off. Aemond entered the cafe and was instantly welcomed by a cozy warmth and the smell of coffee. He barely had time to take in a deep breath when Helaena called out to him.

"Aems! Over here!" She shouted. Well, not really shouted. Helaena never raised her voice above her usual delicate tone but Aemond could hear her anywhere if she was calling to him.

Aemond gave a soft smile to his sister and rolled his eyes at Aegon, seeing him sprawled over the table, most likely feeling the effects of a hangover. Aemond quickly got his black coffee before joining his siblings at the table.

"I'm so excited for you to meet my best friend, she's an absolute sweetheart!" Helaena exclaimed in a sing-song voice. She leaned closer to Aemond and gave him a sly smile, "and she has a very soft spot for Shakespeare."

Aegon groaned without lifting his head. "Did you seriously just say something about Shakespeare?"

"Be quiet and be nice when she gets here," scolded Helaena.

This time, Aegon rose, putting on the grandest voice he could muster. "Methinks the lady doth protest too much."

Helaena glared at Aegon while Aemond closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He couldn't help himself, he had to correct him. "While the sentiment is the same, that line is frequently misquoted. The correct line is actually -"

"'The lady doth protests too much, methinks.' said by Hamlet's mother from Hamlet."

Aemond's eyes went wide as he saw the girl who finished the sentence for him. She was right behind him, how did he not notice?

She gave Aemond a shy smile and gave him her name. "Hi, I'm Helaena's friend,and I guess I'm Aegon's friend, too."

A high pitched squeal erupted next to Aemond. Helaena never makes such sound unless she’s extremely excited. She shot up from her chair and nearly tackled her.

"I can't believe you made it!"

"Of course I made it, you know I always pull through for you.”

Helaena pulled out of the hug but kept her arm around her best friend.

“And I'm not proud to admit it, but Aegon did help a bit with easing the nervousness of meeting up with…"

Her eyes locked in on Aemond. She had never seen a guy so beautiful and it made her heart flutter a bit. His silver hair fell down just below his shoulders. Against his all black attire his hair and his eye beckoned her attention.

Eye. Only one. A vibrant violet eye, but still only one. In place of the other eye was a black eyepatch that sculpted his face perfectly. What the eyepatch didn’t cover, however, was the angry scar that marred his face.

"Meeting up with you. Yeah, hi, um… I'm -” she stopped herself from introducing herself again. “Sorry, I already said that when I interrupted your conversation. I just get really excited about Shakespeare, you know? And there's so much of his work to digest and analyze and his work is so prevalent even today and can really help actors because his work is just beautiful and -- shit, I'm rambling aren't I?"

Aemond couldn't help but smile at her babbling. It wasn't every day that he came across someone who gets as excited over Shakespeare as him. Even though it was brief, he noticed how her eyes lit up when she mentioned Shakespeare. He could tell she was nervous but her passion covered anything that suggested otherwise.

“My girl is here for a few weeks on her winter break. Initially it was just gonna be me and her but then Aegon brought up that our fellow sibling might need a new friend,” Helaena explained.

She reached out her hand to Aemond. “I’m going to assume you’re the famous, brooding sibling your brother and sister talk so highly of.”

Aemond went to run a hand through his long silver hair. She watched him, completely entranced by his beauty. She knew she was fucked. She knew she was fucked when she interupted their conversaion and laid eyes on him.

“Yeah, I’m Aemond,” he took her hand and gave her a little shake. “Glad to know my brother and sister speak so highly of me to others,” he chuckled.

Her eyes went wide. “Oh fuck, I’m so sorry, no that's not what I meant. I meant that they talk about you a lot and I think you're interesting and oh shit." She proceeded to flop her face on Helaena's shoulder while her best friend patted her head.

Aegon grinned at Aemond. "See? She's just your type. Rambling and all."

A muffled noise came from Helaena's shoulder.

"She’s right. Shut up, Aegon."

Aemond looked at his siblings and then her. He awkwardly coughed to break the tension.

"So…uh…" Aemond had no idea what to say in this situation so he blurted out the first thing that darted through his mind.

"Ya like jazz?" Silence fell as Aemond registered what he said. "God fucking dammit," he immediately snapped his head to Aegon. "Shut the fuck up, Aegon."

"Seriously? That's the first thing you say to someone? 'Ya like jazz?' from the Bee movie?" Aegon was almost falling out of his chair from laughing too hard.

Aemond was too focused on trying not to punch his brother in the face that he didn't notice that she had lifted her face from Helaena's shoulder and softly giggled with her.

“Okay, I’m not gonna lie, that definitely caught my attention, and in a good way,” she laughed.. “Really, it’s a nice break from my stream of consciousness.”

Aemond turned to look at her and gave a small smile. His face now had a tint of color and went down the sides of his neck.

“Glad to be of service, then,” he said, almost giving a theatrical bow before deciding against it. Instead, he opted for a cheeky wink.

Aemond locked eyes and for a moment it was just them. A violet eye meeting warm brown ones.

“And I think that’s our cue to leave, Aeg,” muttered Helaena. She knew Aemond and her best friend would hit it off, but not this quickly.

Aegon clapped Aemond on the back. “Okay, little bro. Have fun on your date!”

Aemond snapped his eye to Aegon and she snapped hers to Helaena.

“I’m sorry, a date?” she asked Helaena.

“Yeah…sorry, girl. But you know you need to go out more, especially after that, and, well, here’s my solution to that. You can’t stay cooped up in your apartment by yourself all the time.” Helaena looked at her and then Aemond. “Both of you.”

She drew in a deep breath then turned to Aemond.

“I’ll give it a shot if you do.”

A date. She was going on a date with Aemond Targaryen, her best friend's brother. The idea shouldn't excite her but she would be lying if she said it didn't make her heart leap up in her throat.

Once Helaena and Aegon left, the rest stood there not really knowing what to do.

"You said you'd give it a shot?" She asked. Aemond nodded. Offering her hand to Aemond, she quickly smirked. "Well then, let's go."

Aemond deeply inhaled, smiled back, and took her hand. She led them out of the cafe and walked them around a block before realizing she didn't know the area at all.

"So…do you know where you're going?" Aemond asked.

"Not really, but that's what an adventure is, right? And this surprise date is certainly one."

Realizing that he was still holding her hand, Aemond pulled his hand away and shoved it into his pocket. Some color stained his face as he coughed and said, "There's a bookshop nearby if you want to check it out."

She stuffed her hands in her pockets as well and glanced a look at Aemond, smiling. "Yeah, sure, that would be great."

In comfortable silence, the two made their way to a hole in the wall bookshop. Her eyes widened at the view. She thought this was going to be your usual bookshop. But this was no ordinary bookshop. This was heaven on earth. What looked like a mess to an outsider was really shelves upon shelves of books that have been loved. Some were donated books with scrawling annotations for the next reader to delve into. Others were sparkling new, completely untouched, books ready to be loved and hated.

"Hey, Aemond!" A friendly voice sounded.

At the counter was a guy who didn't look like your stereotypical bookshop employee. If anything, he was the opposite. His face was worn and he had what looked like an itchy five o'clock shadow. He obviously worked out and could easily be assumed to be an off-standish person but his eyes were kind and welcoming.

"Cregan, hey. Just wanted to show my, uh, date here,the place," Aemond introduced.

Cregan gave you a welcoming smile. "Go on in, my guys. If you find anything you want you know where to find me," he winked at Aemond before turning back to his work.

Aemond took her hand and led them through the shelves, weaving in and out. "There's this one spot here that I think you'll love," he said.

A red tinge creeped up to her cheek as she smiled and picked up her pace to keep up with Aemond. The only thing she knew they had in common was Shakespeare so she could only assume this has to do with those famous works. Her mind flooded with thoughts of The Tempest and Richard III. Those beautiful, and in Richard III's case, subtly distressing, stories.

She once saw this production of Richard III had a grunge, steam-punk style but still maintained some modern form of politics, suits and all. The beauty of it, the darkness splattered with blood, and the eerie chanting of the opening line in Richard's monologue, "Now is the winter of our discontent," over and over again, layered on top of each other until all that could be heard was a cacophony of voices. The mere thought of it sent shivers down her spine and caused her to physically respond.

Aemond felt her little shiver while he was directing her to nook that was what he considered his own private spot. He tugged her hand a little more as they closed in and came to a stop.

"We're here," he said.

She pulled her attention away from her memory and took in the beauty that was before her. Stacks upon stacks of Shakespeare's plays ranging from old and used to new and pristine. There were even programs of professional productions scattered around. She released Aemond's hand and slowly approached the book shelf closest to her. Her hand grazed the spines of these books, these plays, that have granted her an escape from reality.

Aemond watched her as she explored the section. He couldn't help but stare at the wonder in her eyes. While she was flustered and a bit scatterbrained when they first met, here she was calm and inspired. It was as though every step she took was calculated. She stopped at a book and carefully reached for it.

"Macbeth," she breathed out.

She simply stared at the beautiful copy, a collector's edition. The cover was a soft black with gold roses interwoven with snakes. In the middle was elegant silver lettering of the title sitting above a bubbling cauldron.

"You dare say the title aloud?" Aemond feigned concern.

Snapping out of her trance, she smack Aemond with the same play she was entranced with and rolled her eyes."We're not in a theater so we're fine."

Aemond crossed his arms and leaned on the nearest book shelf and chuckled. "Are you telling me that you actually believe in that superstition?"

She gently laid the book down and slowly walked up to him. "Of course I believe it. You'd believe it if the myth became reality to you too."

"I'm sorry, love, but I don't believe you," Aemond said. He silently cursed at himself for calling her love and prayed to the gods she didn't hear him.

She heard him.

"Now," Aemond started, "I've never been involved with a Shakespeare play -"

She was quick to cut him off, "and that's where I have the one up on you." She gave him a little smirk. "Let me tell you the story of the Old Valyria Theatre." She dramatically cleared her throat before beginning the tale.

"On a dark and stormy night -"

"Was it really dark and stormy?" Aemond interrupted.

The storyteller huffed and rolled her eyes. "No, but I was having fun so shut up."

Aemond gave an amused smile and nodded his head to let her continue.

"Anyway, it was fucking August, happy now?"

"Very," he said with a cheeky grin.

"Okay, so it's August and the Old Valyria Theatre decides to take on a Shakespeare show, like any other company does. Such a big brain idea, I know. Out of all the plays, they chose Macbeth hoping the audience would have some knowledge of the play and it's nuances. Old Valyria Theatre had a stellar cast, every actor playing a named role had previous experience with Shakespeare, which is always a plus. Shakespeare is fucking hard."

"Hmmm."

"Don't 'hmmm' me, Aemond. It is! You're distracting me again."

"Wonderful, experienced cast, right? Well, except for the children who played Fleance and Macduff's son; they were menaces to society. Everyone told them the significance of the 'myth' of Macbeth as well as other superstitious within theatre. Of course, like all children, they didn't really care and thought it was all fun and stupid. Until the accident." She stopped and stared at Aemond.

"The accident? Really? I don't think it's truly that dramatic, love, but go on." Aemond shook his head.

"Okay fine, it wasn't all that dramatic but it was still pretty intense. Because these kids were little shits, they tried out all the other superstitions: whistling in a theater, turning off the ghost light when everyone has gone, and yelling good luck. Once the first week of shows were finished, the cast knew they were pushing their luck by continuing the rest of the month but they kept going. The show must go on, right? Well, as they were closing up, the one playing Macduff ran up to the second floor platform and yelled out 'MACBETH!' Everyone in the theater looked at the kid in fear as he laughed his ass off. He was laughing so hard that he had to lean on the railing and, lo and behold, the railing broke and the kid fell off and nearly broke his tailbone. Aemond, I'm telling you the curse is real!"

Aemond cocked his head to the side and pondered the story. "So you're telling me," he started, "that you believe the curse of Macbeth is real because a kid decided to be a little shit, scream it, and then ended up falling off a set piece?" He chuckled and shook his head. "That's just kids being stupid and sets not being properly built."

"It was safe! We had gone on it thousands of times! There's no other explanation!" She argued.

"Okay, okay, I'll take your word for it," he said as he pushed himself off the bookshelf and slung an arm over her shoulders.

She leaned into him and snaked a hand around his waist as they headed out.

"Not buying anything?" Cregan asked when they appeared.

"Eh," Aemond said while the girl beside him called out.

"Next time, I swear!" She giggled a bit and pushed herself closer to Aemond.

The two walked out of the bookshop, still linked to each other. Aemond looked at her and thought she was the most beautiful girl he's ever seen. When he first saw her he knew she was pretty but watching her become so passionate and silly over Shakespeare made everything about her shine.

They were heading back to the coffee shop when Aemond paused, almost tripping her, and blurted out what he's been wanting to say ever since the book shop. "Wanttoheadtomyplace?" He blurted.

"I'm sorry, what? I couldn't make out what you were saying."

Aemond took a deep breath. "Want to head to my place? It's not far and it's warmer and we don't have to spend extra money."

She looked at him with bright eyes. "Yeah, let's go."

It was a bit of a longer walk to Aemond's apartment but neither of them minded it much. Aemond held her hand right, refusing to let it go for even the briefest of moments. He still couldn't believe that a set up from Helaena and Aegon would actually pull through but here she is. This beautiful young woman who is as witty as she is passionate.

Around two blocks away from the apartment Aemond squeezed her hand and came to a stop. "I know I said we'd go to my place but I want to show you this first. That okay? I know it's freezing out here."

She gave him a small smile. "Yeah, sure! I don't mind the cold, really. Kinda makes me feel alive, you know?"

"I do. The cold makes you…feel." He paused for a moment, lost in thoughts when a tug pulled him out of it.

"So this place you wanted to show me? I'm intrigued now."

"Yeah, um, right this way."

He led her through the city, weaving between pedestrians. As brisk as the walk was, she couldn't help but take in the beautiful sights, a dusting of snow beginning to lay upon it all. Shops had their Christmas lights up and began to glow. The smell of pine danced through the air along with sugary sweets as they passed a bakery. The smells and the sights had her so entranced that she didn't realize Aemond had come to a stop.

“I wanted to show you this,” he said as he turned to face you. “I don't know if this is considered moving too fast but something about you feels…right.”

No, I agree, Aemond. It does feel right,” she smiled at him and stepped closer. Wrapped her arms around his waist and resting her head against him she knew he was right. He felt right. This felt right.

Aemond wrapped his arms around her and held on tight, resting his chin on her head.

After a few moments of simply taking her in, he stepped aside to reveal the hidden beauty. It was a lake. A beautiful lake that sparkled even more than it usually would. The ice on top reflected the sun in the most perfect way it was as though it came straight out of a fairytale. Despite the lake being further from the hustle and bustle, it was also decorated with bells and lights among the trees.

“Aemond, this is stunning,” she said in awe.

A slight breeze encouraged the trees to dance and the bells that decorated them jingled a little song. Like the lights on the shops, these lights were beginning to glow as well.

She stepped forward, the pull of the lake too strong to be ignored. Aemond wrapped his arms around her waist and gently rocked them back and forth. She turned to face him and he pressed his forehead against hers. His breath was warm against hers as he gently bumped his nose against hers.

“May I kiss you?” he whispered. It was almost too quiet for her to hear.

“Yes.”

Aemond gently closed the gap between them and brought his lips to hers. It wasn’t a rushed kiss, it was simply soft and sweet.

“‘I kiss thee with a most constant heart’,” he said as they pulled apart.

“Henry IV, Part 2, good choice,” she laughed. “Cheesey, but a good choice nonetheless.”

*“Would you rather I call you my acorn, my knotgrass?” He joked.

“Really? Acorn and knotgrass? That’s an insult!” she said. “If you call me either of those then I’ll climb you and scratch your eyes out,” she grinned.

“Scratch my eyes out? Yeah, that doesn’t seem great but climbing me? Maybe I’ll take that chance.”

Aemond captured her lips once again but there was little softness this time. There was passion. Aemond swiped his tongue across her bottom lip asking for permission. She opened and let him in, all of him in. When their tongues touched it was as though lightning struck her. She wanted him and she wanted more. Her hands moved up to the nape of his neck and pulled him closer while his grip on her waist tightened. When they broke apart they pressed their foreheads together again.

“Can you take me to your apartment now?” She asked him.

“Absolutely,” he said with a kiss.

Aemond grabbed her hand and tugged her away from the lake and back to the sidewalk. This time there was a rush to get to his apartment. No waiting, no time to take in everything. The main goal was to get to the apartment.

The young woman holding his hand couldn’t keep the excitement at bay. Every time he squeezed her hand a shot of anticipation ran through her and straight to her core. All she could think about was his lips on hers, his hands all over her, his hands going under her shirt and -

“Thank the fucking gods we’re here,” Aemond interrupted her thoughts and dragged you into his apartment.

As soon as the door closed she was on him. She took charge and pushed him against the wall but Aemond wouldn’t have that. As soon as his back was against the wall he flipped them over so she was the one pressed against it.

“Trying to gain the upper hand, my flower?” He teased her while kissing down her neck.

“Flower? What happened to acorn? I thought - oh, fuck,”

Aemond brought his lips back up her neck and nipped at her earlobe. “I’m sorry, what was that?”

“I - I thought you were going to -”

He ran his hands down her body only to snake them under her sweater. The skin on skin contact shot pleasure all the way through her.

“Aemond please,” she begged.

“Aemond please what?” he smiled against her lips as he captured them once more.

“Please touch me.”

Aemond immediately brought his hands around her to unclasp her bra underneath her sweater. He slowly brought them back around and gently swiped a thumb over a nipple. His cold hands were quick to harden them and all she could do was whine. She arched her back to get more friction but as soon as she did he took a step back.

“Gods, you’re beautiful.” Aemond took this moment to take her in, her face flushed and her hair slightly messy.

She, however, took this moment to pull his hands back to her and encourage him to take off her sweater. Aemond chuckled at her impatience.

“Slow down, don’t you want to make this last?” He asked her.

“Yes, I want to make it last but I need to get out of my clothes and so do you,” she growled.

Aemond let her take off his clothes. She wanted revenge, though, and she had a plan once she stripped him of his jacket and shirt. He took her hand and led her to his bed. She pushed him down and stepped away from him.

“You want to be a tease? I’ll tease you back,” she told him.

He leaned back on one hand and watched her as she slowly stripped all her clothes off. She swung her hips and played with the hem of her shirt, making sure that Aemond could see just the tiniest bit of her tits before pulling it back down. She walked up to him and turned around to grind her ass on him as she took off her shoes and socks. She could feel him move to grab her but as soon as he did she moved away from him.

“Nope, no touching, Aemond. I told you if you wanted to be a tease then I’ll tease you back.”

She heard him growl in frustration but that only spurred her on even more. With her back still facing him, she slowly shimmied out of her jeans, leaving her in only her panties and sweater. When she turned around Aemond was out of his pants and underwear and touching himself at the sight of her. She smiled at him and lifted the sweater over her head before sauntering over to straddle him.

She bent down and whispered in his ear. “Is this what you wanted, babe?”

“Holy fuck yes,” Aemond responded. Immediately he flipped them over so he was on top and she was laying flat on his bed.

He kissed her hard before dragging his mouth over her jaw and down her neck. He nipped at her collarbone and she tangled her hands in his hair, urging him to go lower. Aemond complied and kissed his way to her tits, slowly circling from the outside of them to the pert nipple. But he wouldn’t touch her where she wanted, not yet. He kissed right next to her nipple then blew on it, causing it to become a peak. She whined and arched her back wanting more. Aemond looked up to see her eyes closed and smiled before finally taking one of her nipples into his warm mouth.

“Fuck, Aemond,” she whined.

“Is this what you wanted, babe?” he parroted back.

“Yes, yes, please!”

“Don’t worry, there’s more.” He switched to the other nipple and brought his hand up to the one he just left to play with it.

It felt so good, she could feel herself soaking her panties. Aemond could feel it too when she tried to grind against him. He smiled against her before letting go of her nipple with a pop and bringing his lips back to hers.

“Fuck, I can feel how wet you are. But I think you need a little more, do you agree?”

All she could do was nod in response as he kissed his way past her tits and down to her core. He kissed her over her panties and made her arch up.

“Patience, babe.”

He placed a hand on her lower stomach to keep her from bucking up as he continued to kiss her over her panties. He soon let go of her to drag them down. Aemond licked his lips at the sight of her glistening pussy. This was all his, she was this wet because of him and the thought drove him crazy. He gave her little to no time to recover before he was back between her legs, kissing and licking. He pressed an open mouth kiss to her center before dipping the tip of his tongue inside her. She cried out in pleasure as he began fucking her with his tongue. He brought one hand up to knead one of her breasts and play with a nipple while the other gently stroked her clit. She could feel the pressure building up.

“Aemond, please, I’m gonna cum,” she cried.

He simply hummed against her and picked up the pace with everything. It was all too much. The pleasure building inside her was coming to a breaking point and with a slight pinch to her clit she soaked him.

Aemond pulled away smiling. “Fuck, you taste perfect,”

He bent down to kiss her and she savored the taste of herself on him. He was hers, she knew it.

“Tell me what you want,” he said against her.

“I want you to fuck me,” she whispered against her.

“Good, because that’s all I’ve been thinking about since the lake.”

He pulled away from her and let her position herself in a more comfortable position while he reached for a condom in a drawer.

“Don’t worry, I’m on the shot,” she grabbed his arm and pulled him close. “I want to feel all of you inside me.”

Something snapped in Aemond that had him on top of her in an instant. His hands were on her tits and he could feel her reaching for his cock. She gently tugged him forward, lining him with her entrance.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Now fuck me, Aemond.”

In a quick motion he sheathed himself inside her as she cried out loud in pleasure.

He let himself settle but she didn’t want to waste any time. While Aemond was catching his breath she moved her hips against him. He gripped her hips and pulled out slightly before slamming back into her. She didn’t want any slow fucking, she wanted fast and she wanted hard.

Aemond’s grip on her hips didn’t lessen as he fucked her into the bed. But he wanted to go deeper. He pulled out of her, making her whine, but was quick to flip her over so she was on her hands and knees. He pushed her down so her chest was against the bed and her ass was in the air.

“Fucking love this pussy, and it’s fucking mine.”

Aemond wasted no time joining them together again. This was even better. She could feel him hit all the right spots, making the pressure build up again. She felt Aemond’s hand snake around her hips as he started to rub small circles on her clit.

He bent down over her and whispered, “I need you to cum on my cock, babe.”

“AEMOND,” she screamed as the pleasure peaked.

“Fucking hell,” Aemond said as he felt her tighten around him. “Fuck, I’m gonna cum. You feel so good, taking me so well.”

“Please, please, please,” she begged. “Please cum inside me, I want it please. I want you.”

Aemond’s thrusts became erratic, his grip on her so tight that they would leave bruises. He began pulling all the way out and slamming back in. With one last thrust he finished inside her, collapsing on top.

Together they lay there, his cock still inside her.

“Fucking hell, that was perfect. You are perfect,” Aemond whispered as he kissed her cheek.

He slowly got up and pulled out of her. “I’m gonna clean us up, okay?”

“Okay,” she breathed out.

When he left the room she rolled over on her back and stared at the ceiling. That was the most perfect fuck she has ever had and it was with someone she actually liked. This was perfect, he was perfect.

Aemond came back with a wet rag and cleaned her up, being careful around her clit and core. When he was done he discarded the rag and got into bed with her and held her.

“So what do we think about this? Want to make this an us?” He asked.

“Yes, let’s make this an us,” she smiled at him and pressed a soft kiss to his lips before tucking into his chest and falling asleep.

*Acorn and knotgrass/climbing and clawing eyes out is a reference to Midsummer Night’s Dream when someone was called an acorn for being short*

[sparrowrye]

Alastor x Fem! Reader {soulmates} Part 8

Synopsis: soulmate AU where you have the same mark on your body as your soulmate, and if your soulmate dies, you die too. Alastor needs to make sure that his soulmate is safe so he can continue his reign - whatever that takes. Though it looks like we have a couple secrets of our own.

Previous Part

Part 8: ignited flame

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Weeks went by and winter came.

Husker had noticed my abrupt silence and depressing mood. He tried to make me talk about the fight with Alastor but I didn't want to talk about anything at all.

My meetings with Rosie were just as depressing. They yielded less and less, though she claims it's helping me use more and more of my magic. I noticed the things that took a lot of effort before now took minimal effort. Such as my appearance.

I sat outside on the porch in the rocking chair. I wrapped myself in a heavy blanket and hid my Demon side away. I could see my breath come in clouds. The field was covered in a beautiful, clean white sheet. The trees were bare but the inches of snow on their branches made them look like a winter wonderland.

Husker joined me on the porch. He didn't bring a blanket but I guessed he was using magic to keep himself warm. In fact, I knew he was because I could see a faint glow of red around him. I noticed this glow whenever he used magic.

"It looks nice," he broke the silence.

"Very."

"Have you seen snow much?"

"Not until I was free," I answered. I could remember how confused and amazed I was when I saw my first snow. I was running around trying to catch snowflakes in my palms. I loved watching children run around and make snowmen in the thick snow.

"Alastor hates snow with a burning passion." Husker chuckled when I stared at him wide eyed. "Most Demons do since, you know, we come from hell and it's pretty fucking hot down there."

"Makes sense." I nodded. "It doesn't bother me."

"Do you want to know how to stay warm on your own?"

"No thanks," I declined. "I like it this way."

Silence fell between us for a long while. I eventually grew tired of playing the same bad memories in my head over and over again.

"Where is he now?" I asked.

"In his study. Doing another broadcast."

I unwrapped myself from my blanket and sat on the steps. I put my hand in the snow and left my mark in the white powder. I looked over my shoulder at him. "Maybe...you will teach me?"

He sat beside me and told me how. I tried a few times before I got the hang of it. My body's temperature rose and stayed at the right spot. My hand no longer felt cold but I could still feel the snow.

I grabbed a handful of snow and shoved it in his face. He mewled like an angry cat and crawled away from me, fur sticking up all over his back. I laughed and apologized. Instead of accepting it, he jumped on my back and shoved my face into the snow.

I sent wind behind him and rolled him off. I let my Demon side out as I pounced on him. We wrestled in the cold snow for awhile, unbothered by the frigid temperature thanks to our magic.

I shoved him off with my legs, like he had done to me one time, and threw a snowball at him. He hissed and ran at me on all fours. I followed his lead and started running away on all four. It was surprisingly easier and faster.

He chased me around the house several times before he landed hard on my tail. The cat and mouse switched roles as I chased him in circles. Finally I jumped on his back and we rolled to a stop on our backs. Snow had started to fall and it gently melted on our sweat soaked faces.

My cheeks started to hurt from smiling. I looked over at Husker who was taking deep breaths with his eyes closed.

"Thank you," I said. His eyes popped open and he turned his head towards me.

"What for?"

"For being fun." I turned back to the gray sky. I put my hand up to catch one of the flakes. "I never...I never really knew how to have fun." I brought my claws back in so my hand looked like normal. "I always watched other people having fun and laughing. It always looked so easy. But I...I never really knew how to do that."

"It must've been awful in those rings." Husker's ears flatted sideways a bit. "I never...realized that they raised fighters from when they were just children."

"If you did, would you have stopped them?"

He was quiet for a long while. "Now, of course. But...back then? I don't know. I was so desperate for money that I was willing to do anything. Even...making a deal with another Demon."

"Alastor, right?"

A moment of silence. "Yeah." He pulled himself up to a sitting position. "I don't want you to be afraid to confide in me. I want you to feel like you can say anything. Even if all you do is complain about how shitty Alastor is being." I sat up as well, watching his face intently. "I know he said not to talk about leaving with me, but you can. I won't tell him."

"What was the deal, if I may ask," I prompted gently.

He casted a sideways glance at me, then looked down at his claws. He was quiet for awhile and I didn't push. He was probably dying to tell someone about his unfortunate fate.

"I...I used to be an overlord in Hell. I gambled with souls for awhile then started gambling up here. But...I lost a few hands. And a few more after that. Until I was on my last one. I didn't want to lose my power, my magic, so I gambled against him for more souls. And I lost my soul to him over a bad game."

There was a long moment of silence again. I searched my brain for something to say and came up with, "I'll bet he cheated."

It made Husker chuckle and made me sigh with relief. He stood up and examined his snow-soaked pants. He held out a hand and helped me to my feet. "You're probably right." He smiled. I returned it. "Well, let's go inside and get dry."

"Sounds good." As we walked up to the house, I noticed Alastor watching from the second story window.

****

The house had finally been fully renovated and back to its former glory. We had running water, working electricity, and restored floorboards and walls. Keeping it clean, though, was proving to be a problem. Bugs still found their way into the old home and dust was still an ever present threat to my sinuses. It didn't help that we couldn't open the windows to air out the stuffy house without losing all the heat from the fireplaces.

Speaking of which, something loud tumbled down the fireplace and landed firmly on the hot coals. I barely stepped into the room when Alastor appeared from the shadows and lifted the soot-covered creature. A big, singular red eye snapped open and made direct contact with my two. My hair stood up.

Alastor let go of it and the soot disappeared in a puff of black clouds. Standing up was a small child dressed in pink and white. "Darling," he looked at me, "meet Niffty. A devilish little thing, she is."

"Whoooah, what are you?" The little girl sped over and disappeared behind my back. She touched my tail then clambered onto my back to touch my wings and horns. She was like a bug as she jumped all over me.

"Niffty?" Husker came into the room. She immediately jumped off me and started her assault on him.

"Hey kitty kitty~" She poked her head out from under his hat. He lifted his hat and pulled her off. She landed on her face on the floor and I worried she might start crying. Instead, she yelled, "Yay, pain!" She suddenly started crawling around on all floors and appeared on chairs and shelves. "This place is awfully dirty."

I side-eyed Husker who took a sip of his alcohol with a growl. Alastor put a hand on my shoulder, making me jump. My hair on my neck and arms stood up even more. He said, "I noticed your trouble keeping the house clean. You did all the hard work restoring it so I employed our little darling, Niffty here, to help." I stepped to the side so his hand fell from my shoulder and so I could face him.

"How many people exactly do you have under your service?" I questioned.

"Oh I lost count." He scratched at something on his cane.

"Knife knife, I need a knife, these little roaches aren't going nowhere," Niffty mumbled. I looked at Husker again but he just growled and disappeared back into the kitchen for another drink.

"She's harmless, trust me," Alastor said.

"I don't," I mumbled. I went back to the fireplace and fixed up the hot logs. I didn't need a stoker as I used my magic to protect my hand and move the logs back to their original position.

"Say, darling." Alastor moved to stand behind me. I quickly stood up and faced him with crossed arms. "Why don't you join me in the library? There's some information I'd like to share with you that I think you'd find rather useful."

"What kind of information?"

"Why so skeptical, dear? I'm providing you with information. Surely you're curious." He didn't wait for an answer and crossed the threshold between the sitting room and the library. I noted that he had to duck to avoid hitting the doorframe.

I let out a strained sigh and followed him. The fire in this room was contained in a small cage in the fireplace. It left the room much colder than the others. Most of the warmth came from the open windows that allowed the sun to shine through when it came out from behind the winter clouds.

"Please, get comfortable," he said as he perched himself near the fireplace. I leaned against the large desk adjacent to him, careful not to let my wings knock anything over. He cocked his head a little but said nothing about it. "How much do you know of magic?"

"Obviously not as much as I thought." I wanted to be smart but my words kept coming out soft. I couldn't rid my mind of his terrifying form the night I fought him. My mind told me it was a nightmare but my body remembered it as real as it was when it happened. I didn't like standing this close to him.

"Before you came here, how much did you know?" The sun finally shone through the windows, illuminating the usually dark room. He slithered to the window and sat down in the sun, his hands elegantly settling on his knees. His smile was wide.

"Nothing, really. Only how to use it." I dropped my crossed arms to my lap.

"So you know nothing of the types of magic?"

"I know they exist but I don't know what they are."

He raised his palm as if expecting someone to hand him something. Something did when I saw a book being pulled off the shelf by itself. It floated past me and landed in his claws. He opened it with one hand and the pages flipped on their own. "There are several and they all have their own levels in them as well. Take a look."

He casted the book towards me, letting it plop in my hands and making me almost drop it. I looked down at the open page to see a series of circles and words. There were three groups: elementary magic, existence magic, and advanced magic. They all had little circles underneath them with different symbols.

In Elementary, it had all four elements. In existence, there was Holy, Hell, Cosmo, and Chrono magic. Advanced had a number of different ones form electricity to poison. "What's Cosmo and Chrono?" I asked.

"Cosmo is dealing with space, like the space between Heaven, Hell, and here," he answered, "Chrono is time." He casted the book back to the shelf it had come from. "Those with Slight magic are only able to use Elementary. Demons can use any and all of them, though some like to specialize in certain ones."

"What do you specialize in?"

He laughed, standing up and bouncing his cane off my his claws. "All of them dear. I'm a master of all the magic there is."

"Even Holy magic?"

Static caught his throat. "Only angels use Holy magic. I wouldn't bother twiddling with such a useless form of magic." He spun his cane and jutted it into the ground. "I believe you will be able to master of all them, too."

"Why would you want me to?" I dared.

"Mastering them will be up to you. I'm going to teach you how to control them properly. Last thing I need is for the house to fall apart because you don't know how to manage them." It was more of a demeaning comment than anything. "And we'll start now." The curtains jerked closed and the doors to both the kitchen and sitting room were slammed shut. I was abruptly thrown into pitch blackness save for Alastor's red eyes and yellow teeth. "Conjure light."

I backed into a chair and fell over it. I couldn't see anything except him. Then I couldn't. All the lights went out and I was left alone in the darkness. "I--I don't--I don't know how!"

"You lack imagination." I turned over to see his red eyes again. I jumped to my feet and backed into a table of some kind. What did this library look like? What was I running into? Why couldn't I remember? "You're limited by your own self." His eyes disappeared again.

I looked down at my hands, though I couldn't see them, and conjured fire in my palm. Something hard smacked my wrist and I clasped it to my chest, snuffing out the flame. I couldn't move my fingers.

"I said light. Not fire."

"Fire is a type of light," I hissed into the darkness.

"Conjure pure light. You want to see, don't you?"

I rubbed my sore wrist and opened my other hand. I tried to picture my own hand holding a ball of light. Yet nothing came of it. Why wasn't it working? Why did it never work for me on the first try?

"Your own mind is holding you back." His voice passed behind me. He was circling me. I could hear his boots hitting the floor. I put my tail out behind me and moved around the objects in the room until I was in a corner. I tried to conjure another ball of light, still nothing. "It's simple, really." He appeared in front of me holding a small circle of light, smiling at me. Then he disappeared into the darkness again.

"Simple for you. I'm the one with a curse."

Something shoved me from behind and I landed on my knees. I threw my tail and wings out to keep him away. I heard him walking in circles again.

"A curse is a trick of the mind. You're not actually cursed. Your mind thinks you are." The distortion and radio static of his voice was making me sick to my stomach.

"The fu--the he--what does that even mean?"

Something hard hit the tip of tail. I yelped and drew my tail in. The same thing happened to my wings and I curled in on myself.

"It means you're chaining yourself to the ground and still expecting to fly." He grabbed hold of my wrist and lifted it painfully high until I was on my toes. "Now, conjure light." His claws dug into my skin but I couldn't break free of his hold. I saw a faint glow of green that outlined his hand, arm and the rest of him. I was too busy staring at him to notice the faint glow of light from my palm.

He noticed my stare, somehow, and threw my hand over my head, making me fall backwards on my tailbone. His red eyes and sharp teeth ignited again. I scrambled back as they came closer and closer. My back hit the wall and I threw my hand up in between us. I squeezed my eyes shut and pictured light illuminating him.

When I didn't feel him touch me, I slowly opened my eyes. Alastor was standing with his arms and cane behind his back. He was smiling down at me. The light was coming from my hand, not from him. I had done it. I had conjured light.

"See, darling? It has everything to do with your mind." He pulled me up by my hand as the curtains and doors opened. Husker and Niffty were waiting in the kitchen, Husker with a look of worry on his face. "But perhaps you ought to read more," his hand tightened around mine, "to expand your imagination."