#his protective instincts come out every now and then and at his core he looks out for those around him. now he gets to try again

[candiedfright]

no matter what you do don't think about the fact that ryuu has to be a protector again years after said role was taken from him when he lost his friends in the slums

[thenightwolf51]

"Danny was born a Wayne" AU except he's Bruce's grand uncle. The result of a one time drunken affair, shortly before Kenneth Wayne's death, to a young unmarried woman who gave the baby up for adoption.

(Whether the Fenton's, and therefore Amity, were just ahead of their times or the DC timeline is shifted a bit so that DP happens in its cannon era is up to you. Dealers choice, though now that i know about her i just love badass widowed prohibition leader Laura Elizabeth Wayne)

Danny grows up knowing hes adopted and loved by the Fentons but something (dealer's choice) happens and he loses his family and friends (maybe the whole town goes too?). In an attempt to avoid a Dan situation he flees into the Infinite Realm and doesn't stop.

He just wanders, time passes in its weird Realms way, not that Danny truly notices. A protector spirit thats lossed everything it protected. Its a wonder he doesn't fade and he actually might've if it wasn't for his human side.

But its a tug at his core that brings him from his near catatonic wandering. Gone before he can even understand it but enough to shake him back to himself. Enough to know that hes nowhere near ready to go anywhere familiar so he continues on, his wandering no less pointless but at least he's aware again.

What feels like a relatively short time later he gets another tug, and this time he manages to follow it.

He follows it invisibly through a natural portal that drops him somewhere in New Jersey and all the way to a fancy hospital room in the gloomiest city he's ever seen.

In there he sees his half brother Patrick Wayne, though he wont figure out their connection for a few more years, holding little Agatha. She's adorable in her little dress and pigtails and her sweet face causes that familiar tug he recognizes from what must have been six years ago given the girls age.

Then a nurse comes in and hands a little bundle to what must be the mother (whos name i cant find) and Danny takes one look at the little core tugger who brought him here and just melts. Even without knowing yet that this is his last remaining family, his instincts latch on and he vows to protect and care for the Waynes.

And he does.

He finds his forgetful brother's documents and keeps Aggy company when everyone else is busy and soothes baby Thomas so his poor sister-in-law can get some more sleep. He ices fevers and bruised knees and helps on later games of hide and seek.

He very rarely becomes visible and only to the children. His grief over the Fenton's convinces him its better to protect his new family from the shadows.

Danny explores every inch of the manor, including secret passages and an underground cave system. He claims a forgotten room in the back of the attic as his own, which over the years fill up with knickknacks, heirlooms, and pictures of the family. Even a gift or two from Agatha, who hadn't stopped believing in their shadowy guardian like her brother did when Danny felt they were too old to see him without drawing suspicion.

The manor becomes his haunt and he always knows where each family member is within it. And when any guests have some no good intentions.

And when baby Bruce is born tugging at his core and with the bluest little eyes, he welcomes the fussy little thing. And makes sure dear Martha never knows just how fussy baby Bruce really is, otherwise she might've never had a full nights sleep.

Danny blames himself for not being there when Thomas and Martha die, and promises to never leave Bruces side, practically becoming the boy's living shadow. Watching over him as he gets older, secretly aiding him in his training. Danny feels a bit of pride when Bruce takes some inspiration from the old stories Thomas told him of the shadowy Wayne family protector when creating his Batman identity, glad his nephew still remembers him even if he hasn't shown himself since the now young man was six.

Danny continues to protect and care for the family in a variety of ways over the years even as the family grows.

Lightening Alfred's workload, softening Dick's falls, calming Jason's temper both pre and post pit, hiding Tim's coffee when the boy hasn't slept in far too long, providing plenty of shadows and hiding nooks for Cass, helping Damian hide the litter of kittens he found.

And no one seems to know he's there, except maybe Cass and he's pretty sure Alfred has been know since he first started working for the family. No one knows, that is, until Duke Thomas moves in and lookes right at him watching invisibly from the sidelines.

(@omnicrafts @dcxdpdabbles @hdgnj @ailithnight @nelkcats @im-totally-not-an-alien-2 i dont know, the main point of all this is that Danny's been protecting the Wayne family for decades and no one, except maybe Alfred, knew until Duke moved in)

[mallowsweetmiri]

Remus Lupin x Potter!Reader

Part 2 • Part 3

Summary: the boys try to guess who Remus is seeing after finding a pink bow tied to one of his bookmarks

Warning: oral fem receiving

—————————————————————————

Remus couldn’t help but to fall in love with you. You’d always been sweet, always too pure for this world. When you were kids, he couldn’t help but want to protect you. It was in all the boys instincts to protect their best friend’s little sister. But as you got older, you and Remus began to spend time together without James. Your relationship truly started last summer at Potter Manor, when you and Remus started an unofficial book club when the boys would play quidditch for hours outside. You guys just had so much in common, and you were more comfortable being around Remus than any other boy besides James. So the two of you spent a lot of time in the library, reading books together and getting into heated debates about writing styles. It didn’t take long for his eyes to wander to your lips when you smiled at him, and it didn’t take long for you to notice. Before you knew it, the two of you were sneaking off to your room while the boys played quidditch, and locking the door behind you.

So that’s how Remus found himself with his face buried between your thighs in the middle of lunch hour. You’d been reading a novel with his head in your lap, innocently trying to finish your chapter before class. But Remus couldn’t constrain himself. He didn’t care if you had class in twenty minutes, you could go with your cunt pooling under your skirt.

“Remi,” you whined, pulling his hair into a fist. He hummed into your core, fingers massaging your thighs as you clenched around his head.

“Shh, be a good girl and let me finish,” he said hastily, before diving back into your folds. He let his tongue ruin you as you squirmed on his bed. Your shirt was bunched up now, buttons undone and tits pulled out of your bra. Remus chuckled as he thrust two fingers into you. He loved seeing you come undone. You were always perfect, also so innocent. It made Remus hard thinking about being your first, being the only one to make you come. He ground himself down into the mattress as he felt you begin to tighten up under his tongue. He almost told you to be quiet but his mouth was occupied. You shuddered and let out a whiny moan as you came onto his mouth. He grabbed onto your waist as he kissed your cunt and drank every drop you gave him. As you began to relax, he brought himself over you, littering you body with kisses.

“Rem,” you chuckled, “now you made yourself all worked up.” You grabbed hold of him under his pants. He was rock hard and it made your pussy throb just thinking about it inside you. He chuckled and kissed you.

“I’m saving it for you later. Wanna go on an adventure tonight?” Remus smirked, rubbing his thumb on your hip. You nodded eagerly. You wished you could just come to his dorm at night but it wasn’t exactly possible considering your brother slept three feet away from Remus.

“What time is it?” You asked, suddenly remembering you had class. Remus looked at his watch and sucked through his teeth.

“Uh, time for you to go love,” Remus chuckled as he watched you scramble out of his bed and fix your clothes.

“Remus! I told you I was going to be late, ” you scolded him, grabbing your bag and hurriedly putting your tie on. He only chuckled and gave you a kiss on the head as you ran out the door. He took his time getting ready for his class, which involved having a smoke until his dick got soft again. Remus spent the rest of the day in class thinking about you, daydreaming about how you would look tonight when he fucked you. Like a ghost wandering the castle halls, Remus brought himself back up to the dorm after his last class, immediately wanting to have another smoke. James and Sirius were already by the window when he came in.

“There he is Pads,” James chuckled, ashing his cig on the window sill, “go on and ask him.” Sirius’ brows were furrowed and he looked quite mad. Remus was confused until he saw your book in his hand.

“And what the fuck is this?” Sirius asked, shoving the book into Remus’ chest. Remus felt his heartbeat speed up. He was never one to enjoy lying.

“My book, you prat,” Remus quipped, nodding his head towards James to pass him a smoke. James looked thoroughly amused. Sirius let out a sarcastic laugh.

“Your book my ass! What is this then?” Sirius held up your bookmark decorated with a cute little pink bow, just like the one you wore in your hair. Remus was glad that James wasn’t the brightest because anyone who spent time with you knew you loved to tie your hair up with that exact shade of pink. Okay, maybe only Remus noticed, but he couldn’t help that you looked absolutely adorable with it.

“Erm, a bookmark,” Remus tried to play it off, focusing more on his smoke than looking either of the boys in the face. He’d been dreading James finding out, and wanted the right moment to do so. When you were ready to tell him.

“Yeah we can see that,” James laughed again, “but who’s the girl?”

Remus’ heart sank into his stomach. Fuck. James had her same smile, her eyes too. He couldn’t lie to his best friend, especially when it was his little sister he’d been fucking.

“I, um,” Remus choked on his words. Sirius squinted his eyes in scrutiny.

“I knew you’d been acting strange! All happy recently, I knew you had to have been getting some,” Sirius grumbled.

“No, no. It’s not like that,” Remus said quickly, unable to stop himself. It truly wasn’t like that, he was head over heels for you. You were so much more than a fuck to him, even if he did think about fucking you all day long. James eyes lit up.

“Moony, are you in love?” He clapped hands together and smiled, “why didn’t you tell us? Remus! Who is she?” James was positively beaming with excitement now, looking to Sirius who looked a mixture of confusion and suspicion.

“She doesn’t want anyone to know,” Remus cleared his throat, placing your book down on his bed. This was the truth at least. She didn’t want James knowing, mostly because she presumed he would be insanely controlling over their relationship. Remus wasn’t sure she would be wrong about that.

“But, we won’t tell anyone. We won’t, right Sirius?” James pleaded. Sirius rolled his eyes and nodded in agreement. Remus just chuckled uncomfortably and loosened his tie. He felt like he was choking in there.

“Sorry guys, I can’t break the ladies trust,” Remus turned away from the boys and started to change, effectively shutting down the conversation. Now, both Sirius and James were grumbling to themselves, unhappy with their lack of gossip. Remus let out a breath. That was the first time you two had slipped up. You’d have to be more careful.

“Well, if you seriously won’t tell us,” James sighed dramatically, “do you want to go get dinner?” Remus laughed and agreed, happy to spend time with the boys not thinking about his terribly kept secret. The three of them waltzed down to the great hall, making loud and obnoxious jokes at any opportunity they could find. Remus wasn’t quite sure how you and James were related sometimes, you seemed years older in maturity. Once they reached the Gryffindor table, the boys immediately sat out and began to grub. A few minutes in, James eyes lit up towards the entrance hall.

“Hi, Y/N,” James smiled and waved with food in his mouth. Remus heard you chuckle.

“Hi, Jamsie. You’re disgusting,” you stuck your tongue out at James as you passed by the boys. Remus turned around just enough to see your beautiful face and your perfect hair tied up with a pink bow. Shit. In the split second that Remus had before he turned to face James, he prayed to any and every god he could think of, hoping that James hadn’t noticed your bow. His reddening face and clenched jaw told Remus that he had, in fact, noticed. Sirius looked dumbstruck, shaking his head slowly at you as James stood up from the table.

“Y/N. Come here right now,” James growled, causing multiple heads at the table to turn. You stopped smiling and looked between James and Remus. Oh fuck.

[mokulule]

The Number You Have Called Cannot Be Reached - Part 13

First | Masterlist

Ship: Dead on Main (Danny/Jason)  Fandom: DP x DC Summary:

Danny is just trying to build a portal home, becoming a thief was just an unfortunate side effect of that goal. Now if only this vigilante family would just leave him alone. Especially Red Hood - the semi retired crime lord whose ghost-like presence keeps drawing Danny to him.

Warning! This chapter is pretty rough (I think), please check the tags for triggers before reading if you have worries. Part 13:

The plan had gone off without a hitch. The Ghost had been noticeably distracted ever since Tim had asked Jason to sit their attempts to capture him out. He’d been very grateful though that it hadn’t taken long for the Ghost to appear again in Gotham’s industrial area. Jason only had so much patience. 

Thanks to Babs’ newly upgraded cameras they’d had warning and time for everyone to get together. 

Herding the Ghost to their trap had been a cinch with him only getting away from them a few times. 

The trap was set in a dead-end alley near the power plant which had power lines running through the ground underneath. They were insulated so he wouldn’t sense them. They would only be a problem if he tried to phase through them.

The Ghost froze in place as the trap came to life with electricity every wall covered with the net. It wasn’t just electrified wire it was meant to create arcs of electricity. It needed to be visible, it needed to stop their quarry in place. Tim didn’t actually want to electrocute the guy if he could help it. 

Dick jumped down to land beside Tim and Damian, his escrima sticks ready. 

The Ghost swung around, taking everything in. Then he started to sink through the ground. It was the moment Tim had been waiting for. Everything hinged on this one theory being true; that he wasn’t just afraid of electricity, but that it would stop him from phasing through. He jumped back up with a startled yelp. 

As he turned to face them mouth a thin pressed line, Tim couldn’t help the grin of a well-executed plan.

“Gotcha.”

Finally they could get to the bottom of this! But no! Tim’s instinct warned him before his brain even registered what was happening. Something about the Ghost’s posture had changed; he was looking up, tensing his body for something. 

No!

Tim fumbled for the button, his last ditch attempt even as Dick and Damian sprung forward recognizing the look of someone about to fly. He’d tossed the EMP device earlier in the night and it had attached to the Ghost’s back. He pushed the button now. 

But the Ghost was already flying having taken off like a rocket. There was a half second delay and Tim realized with horror that even if the electromagnetic pulse did anything the Ghost was in the air. 

If it did anything he would fall. 

Oo o oO

There was a pulse like a wave of static and then Danny was dropping. 

Desperately confused he reached for his powers. Flight was as easy as breathing. Gravity was a mere suggestion. Or it should be! Nothing was happening and the roof below was coming rapidly up to meet him!

In reality it only lasted two seconds, but it felt like a terrifying eternity. His arms and legs moved uselessly; without his powers he had no control.

At the last moment he pushed his arms out. His right hand landed first, there was a sharp pain in his wrist before he curled up and rolled over his shoulder, landing on his back. Air punched out of his chest in a wheeze.

His eyes were wide staring sightlessly up at the clouds as he tried to suck air into his stunned body. He needed to get away before they found him. His core was an agitated scream in his chest. But no matter what he did, he couldn’t sink through the roof. 

He rolled up onto his knees with a pained groan, holding his right wrist protectively against his chest. Terror gripped his throat in a vice grip as he pressed his left hand flat on the concrete. He had to focus. Breathe, if he could just take a moment without panicking, he was certain he’d make his powers work. His core felt normal in his chest, they hadn’t suppressed him, not like Vlad did that one time. Frustrated tears pricked his eyes, he clenched his eyes shut, forced himself to take a deep slow breath. If he just found his calm, if he just focused…

There was not even the suggestion of any give. The roof was solid. 

Danny was solid.

There was a clatter and the high pitched whine of several grappling hooks reeling in. Danny’s head snapped up at the sound, eyes wide. He scrambled clumsily to his feet - his body felt so heavy, and his aching legs protested having to lift him.  

They gathered in a half circle around him on their near silent feet - the bats, towering shadows to his blurred eyes. Blood rushed in his ears.

Danny took a step back, barred his teeth in a snarl. 

“Don’t come closer,” he warned, the implied threat was a lie. He couldn’t do anything. He was powerless, weak as a kitten. It would be no trouble for them to capture him. But worse if they could neutralize his powers, they could hold him. Danny took another step back. 

His breath came in short, punched out huffs. Cold sweat made his hair and clothes sticky. Shadows lined in harsh white light leaned over him. Agony- No! Danny shook his head, he was not there. He stepped back, the back of his knees hit a low railing.

He would never go back. 

He turned and jumped.

Oo o oO

Tim didn’t hear any sounds but the blood rushing in his ears. He hadn’t expected the sheer panic the Ghost would have. None of them had. Not even the goggles had been able to obscure how terrified he was. His voice, the first time they’d ever heard him speak, had been thin and shaky, a hollow warning to not come closer. What was he so afraid of? They hadn’t come closer and yet-

Tim felt ill. What did he think they’d do to him, that he’d rather jump off the roof?! 

Jason had been right. He needed help. And now-

The others stood at the edge of the roof. Nobody was moving. Did that mean it was too late? There was nothing to be done?

Numbly, Tim walked up to the edge and looked down. For a moment he saw nothing, but then he caught movement further away, a flash of red- relief hit Tim in a whooshed out breath that left him weak-kneed. Jason had caught him. Tim turned around and sunk down to sit back against the railing.

He hadn’t even known Jason was out here. He must have turned off his tracker. Fuck, he was so relieved Jason had been there. 

He buried his head in his shaking hands. This was on him, his plan. 

His earlier exhilarated satisfaction of a well-executed plan was crumbled and soured, heavy in the pit of his stomach like lead. His gut turned ominously. If he threw up, it would be deserved, he thought despondently.

Oo o oO

Jason went on the Bats’ comm channel only to bark at them not to follow him. With Ghost in his arms shaking and breathing too fast and too superficial, covered in the cold sweat of terror, Jason didn’t want to know what he would do if they did follow him. 

He ran across the rooftops and used the grapple when necessary. The safehouse wasn’t too far away. 

There was utter silence from that sense where Jason usually heard Ghost’s call to him. It should be a relief not to hear his yearning and be unable to do anything about it, but it just felt wrong. Like something was missing.

Jason held him closer.

“It’s gonna be okay, I’ve got you.” The words were useless, he knew that. Ghost had to be running from him for a reason even as he called for him - and Jason could understand why he’d been running from him, Jason was wrong inside, but Ghost was his only hope, and he couldn’t not chase. Right now the words were all he had, and he couldn’t let the others take him. They didn’t understand that he needed help. 

Jason’s anger over what had happened tonight was only eclipsed by his worry. Ghost might be afraid of Jason too, but not like this, not silenced by terror.

Jason repeated his useless assurances as he ran. Ghost was much too light in his arms, too thin beneath the worn clothing. Irrational fear that he would turn to dust in his arms, seized him. 

“You’re gonna be okay.” He said as much to reassure himself as Ghost.

“Please,” Ghost rasped voice unused.

Jason froze, stopping in place, hoping he’d say more. He didn’t. He pushed uselessly at Jason’s chest, still trying to escape. Jason’s heart broke. Frustrated tears pricked at his eyes.

“Please let me help you,” he pleaded. 

Jason didn’t know if his words had gotten through to him or it was just exhaustion, but he stopped struggling. Cynically, Jason leaned towards exhaustion. At this point panic and fear had to be the only thing keeping him conscious at all.

They arrived at the safehouse finally. 

It was one the others didn’t know about. Jason had a few of those as insurance. It was seemingly just a lived-in apartment, open floor plan living room and kitchen in one with artfully placed clutter, a couple of bedrooms and a bathroom. There were weapons and supplies hidden in the spaces between the real walls and the fake walls that appeared to be the apartment’s boundaries, but you’d only realize that if you checked another of the similar units in the building and noticed this one was smaller. 

Jason landed them on the sill, and worked the window open. He didn’t bother with traps, because he didn’t use it often. Using it would have been a sure way to tip off the bats of its existence. No, this and other’s like it was for emergencies, and sometimes when he needed to stash a victim or witness somewhere safe temporarily. And even if someone should try to burgle the place, Jason had some decoy money there, a large flatscreen TV and some other easily taken electronics. It was unlikely they’d find the real supplies when there were easier money. 

He maneuvered them both inside, set Ghost on the couch and closed the window and the drapes. He pulled off his helmet and set it carelessly on the coffee table - it rolled off to land on the floor. Ghost had already seen his face and hopefully, he’d respond better to a human than a mask. 

Moving slowly, trying to make himself less threatening he kneeled down on the floor in front of where Ghost had curled up in the corner of the couch.

“Hey,” Jason said trying to sound calm, when inside he was everything but. He held out his hands in peace. “I’m not doing anything, I just want to talk.”

The emotionless goggles turned towards him. Jason got nothing from him, he only had the defensive body language to read him by.

“Please say something.”

Finally something happened, Ghost’s breath hitched and he reached up to push the goggles away. His eyes were red rimmed and blurry, and they closed as he rubbed at them. Still hiding his eyes he whispered so low Jason almost didn’t hear him, “-just want to go home.”

Jason lowered his hands and slumped forward. Letting him go would be the right thing to do, Jason could argue all the way till Sunday that it wasn’t safe for him right now, with his powers out of order, but that wasn’t why Jason couldn’t promise to let him go. He desperately needed answers. How did he make the pit silent? Was it just him or was there hope for Jason?

“I have questions,” he admitted.

Ghost slowly removed his hands. His eyes were blue and wary as he looked down at Jason. Jason held his eyes and he didn’t know what he saw in Jason as the moment stretched between them, like an elastic pulled to the point just before snapping.

Ghost looked away with a pained expression, and then, unfurling slowly, Jason felt that familiar yearning. Jason shook his head helplessly. He didn’t know what to do. He wanted to help but didn’t know what to do.

“What do you need?” Jason asked.

Ghost looked back up momentarily and then away with a grimace. Shrinking in on himself. “Hey,” Jason said, frustration made him snappy, “I’m just trying to understand! It’s like you’re calling me, but I don’t know how to answer.”

That got Ghost’s attention, and his head snapped up holding his gaze intently.

“You can feel it?” He asked, and there’s this underlying desperate hope, shoved down by a voice desperately trying to hold steady.

“I can, and I just-“ He didn’t know what else to say, instead he reached out a hand to cup Ghost’s cheek. His eyes were wide and liquid and so blue before he clenched them shut and leaned into Jason’s touch with a small whimper. Jason didn’t dare breathe, as that small hum started, the one that was like a purr. Jason’s head was silent now, the underlying anger and frustration gone. In this moment he was just Jason. 

He didn’t even realize he was crying until tears spilled over his cheeks. He ducked his head. It had been some very long weeks. 

“How are you doing this?” He whispered, desperate to know. 

“I’m not sure what you mean,” Ghost answered hesitantly. 

Jason looked up to meet his tired eyes, the dark bags underneath his eyes were so dark and stark in his thin face he looked bruised. Jason looked away. Shame curled in his gut for pushing him this far. For being helpless not to give chase. He would have pulled his hand back if Ghost hadn’t still been leaning into his touch.

Quietly, he admitted, “I have this rage inside of me, you quiet it.”

“Hmm,” Ghost hummed thoughtfully with his actual voice, as he mulled over Jason’s words. “I’m pretty useless right now without my powers, so I don’t know if it’s anything I can help with permanently.”

“Okay,” Jason said quietly. Trapped in this strange bubble of quiet, desperate to break it he asked, “Do you wanna talk about what happened on the rooftop?”

The purring came to a stuttering halt. 

“That’s a no then,” Jason stated. Of course he didn’t want to talk about that, that should have gone without saying. Stupid. He sighed and stood up, drawing his hand back along with it.

“I’m just getting on the couch,” he assured when Ghost protested wordlessly. He sat down leaning heavily into the plush couch. After a moment he lifted his arm in invite. It took five long seconds before Ghost tucked himself underneath the arm. Jason squeezed him momentarily in a pitiful attempt at comfort, but it was all he could do. 

It took a moment but the purr started up again. The feeling of contentment washed over him.

Jason didn’t know how long he sat there, letting Ghost’s purr soothe his frayed mind, but he sat there so long he started to feel the temptation to just close his eyes and sleep. That wasn’t helpful. Ghost himself had fallen asleep at some point, he discovered, as he shifted and found him blinking awake startled. 

The purring stopped. Wary eyes watched him as he moved away.

“Easy,” Jason said lowly as if he actually was trying to soothe a feral cat, “I’m just gonna check to see what food options we have.” 

He watched until Ghost leaned back into the couch. His eyes were mere slits watching Jason when he turned towards the kitchen. 

Ghost needed to eat and making food was definitely more useful than falling asleep. He walked over to the cupboards, and couldn’t help but yawn as he did so. He opened the cupboards one by one, searching for something easy. A lot of the things here had technically expired and were mostly there for appearance sake. The dried herbs and spices, had probably lost most of their flavor, so actually cooking was out of the question, not to mention he didn’t have fresh ingredients here, but one of the canned soups would probably do fine. 

He turned, tomato soup can in hand to ask if that was fine only to find the couch empty. Carefully he set the can down, so he wasn’t tempted to throw it. His hand clenched into a fist reflexively with no can to hold. He walked over to the living room side of the room, just to make sure he hadn’t just moved. 

He wasn’t there.

He was gone.

Jason sighed and sat down heavily on the couch. Of course he was.

Nothing had been disturbed, not the drapes nor the windows. Everything was exactly as Jason had left it. His powers must have returned. Whatever Tim had done hadn’t been that long lasting, a couple of hours at most. He would have simply gone right through the wall.

Of course he had left as soon a he had a chance. Jason hadn’t given him reason to stay. He’d had his chance to talk and he’d wasted it just sitting and basking in his presence.

He leaned his forehead on his hands and pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes. 

He only had himself to blame.

-

So this happened... this is better/worse? At least they got to hug?

Anyways, I think I may go back to shorter tumblr parts now that these two chapters are done (if you're curious this is chapter 7 and 8 in my doc and that's what they'll be on Ao3). The last chapter really couldn't be split and this chapter only had terrible places to split it. Better to end on sad Jason.

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Update: next

[footballffbarbiex]

player: virgil van dijk (ft trent alexander arnold) type: kinda smutty. kinda fluffy. request: The reader being Trent’s sister maybe she a couple of years younger too, and he’s protective over her and she’s sneaking around with virg, and at every moment they are always making out or somthing.

_

"Where you going?" trent asks from where he lays on the couch.

you thought you'd tiptoed downstairs quiet enough but it seems his hearing is better than you thought. "out," you reply, already hugging your arms over your chest instinctively.

"no shit sherlock," he says, expression changing to a stern one as he pads out of the lounge and towards where you stand, phone slipping back into his pocket as he does so as it makes an audible sound for it locking too. "I asked where you were going. and don't -" he cuts you off as you open your mouth to give him a vague answer, "give me some crap about 'just going out'."

"you know I'm only a few years younger than you right? I don't need to explain myself. I'm not a kid anymore," you mutter then instantly regret it. you know Trent's intentions are good, but you also realise that he's constantly having to look out for his own image too. whatever you do, it reflects on him and the way he arches his eyebrows as he stares you down is something else. Trent's not dumb, despite what people may think, and you know he's onto you. it's almost like he can smell him on you.

"I know. I just...you're being careful right? I don't want to see you get hurt."

"trust me T, you'd be the first to know."

-

the feeling of guilt almost choked you as you walked away from the house and though you try to rationalise that you weren't actually lying to him, you couldn't deny that you were certainly hiding something from him. trent had never explicitly asked "are you dating one of my teammates?" and so you hadn't held anything back but it still felt as though you were lying to his face every time you snuck away.

would he understood if you told him? you didn't think so. there were almost 10 year between you both and if trent was worried about you dating someone who is your age, how would he react to who is hooking up with his lil sister? yeah. there was very much a reason the two of you weren't being open.

You're lost in thought, walking and talking while acting on autopilot. You're still not fully taking anything in until you hear the car beep and you snap out of your trance like state. there's no need to see the license plate or the driver to know who it is. opening the door, his aftershave immediately fills your nose and your core clenches at the thought of being near him.

cautiousness has you looking around instinctively before you climb in and take your spot next to him.

"you took your time." comes the deep voice from the drivers side. he waits until you've put on your seatbelt before he leans over for a kiss, one that you happily accept. the moment your lips touch, butterflies erupt within your belly and you feel the smile that's manipulating his mouth.

"and yet you wasted none," you comment when he allows you to pull away for a second. it's the fastest sentence you've spoken in a while before his large hand cups the back of your head, pulling your face and mouth back to his. there's the very tip of his tongue searching for yours to momentarily deepen the kiss and you feel a second pulse developing down south when you remember just how good he is with his tongue.

"how long do you have before he's messaging you?"

"you make it sound like I'm cheating on him." you chuckle to yourself as he grins. "but I'll give it a few hours."

"I'll make sure you get back before he leaves for training then. I do want you to stay over soon though." he tells you as he starts the car and pulls away from where he'd parked.

"how much do you want that?" you find yourself asking out loud rather than keeping it to yourself, though part of you is kicking yourself for putting it out there. but you've asked it now, so you keep your eyes ahead and don't turn to look at him, even though you can see him looking at you from the corner of your eyes.

"enough to want to give you space in my bathroom cabinet for your lil toothbrush and a drawer for your things in the bedroom."

"just a drawer?" you ask, facing him now as you give him a smile while hoping that he can't tell just how much your heart is pounding against your ribcage with such force, you can feel it in your eardrums.

"you'll get everything once I can drop you on your driveway myself without worry."

"you scared of my big brother?" the thought amuses you tremendously.

"pffft. not scared scared. I could still pick trent up and throw him over my shoulder." your gaze drops to where his hand sits on the bottom of the steering wheel, and the other lays in his lap. there's something strangely arousing at the casualness of it all. "but it would make things difficult for you. I don't want that." you can hear that he's talking. you've listened to the words and are momentarily touched by his concern for you, but it quickly fades away as you focus on his fingers. "are you ok, baby?" he asks but it sounds as though you're under water and his words are fuzzy to your ears.

"hmmm?" you half ass ask him.

he looks down, trying to see what's got your attention in such a way and gives a laugh that's as dirty as the thoughts running through his mind. "you're going to make this hard for me to leave you and go to training."

you shift your body in the seat, turning to face him as you lean forward a little. "might see what I can do then" you begin as you shimmy forward a little more, lips connecting with his neck before rubbing over his earlobe, "about getting an overnight bag. I might have to stay at my friend's tonight..."

"there's no maybe about it. you're staying tonight. start thinking of your excuses, have a nap while I'm gone because you're going to be tired tomorrow."

[escapisttt]

redactober 2024!! day 22 milo - ma’

if there was one thing milo didn’t like, it was being sick. but if there was one thing he hated more, it was his ma’s lectures.

authors note: this takes place the day after the inversion, exploring how milo bringing down the ward affected his health specifically and how his mother would react. the first half of this is a prologue!! you don’t have to read it, you can scroll a bit to get to the actual prompt, i just got overindulgent lol. the only information you’d miss is that a day after the inversion, david comes over to milo and sweetheart’s apartment to check in and learn what milo did that night.

word count: 3.6k (oops)

prologue

when milo and sweetheart first reunited with the pack after the ward fell that horrific night, david instantly picked up on milo’s anemic appearance. milo was hanging off of his mate’s arm, the pair walking slowly with measured steps. the sight was more than enough to instantly set david off, his protective alpha instinct swiftly flaring up. milo wasn’t even inside the ward, what could have possibly happened? as david was going to voice his concern, sweetheart beat him to the punch. they widened their eyes at him warningly and gave him a grave look, shaking their head subtly and mouthing the word ‘later.’ the alpha furrowed his brow at this. he knew sweetheart, knew them longer than he’d known his own mate, and with that came trust. the fact that they were trying to be quiet about whatever had happened to milo only filled david’s gut with dread. clearly sweetheart was beyond serious about whatever was going on, so he bit his tongue. though, it didn’t take long for him to investigate further.

david was at the couple’s apartment at 7:30 in the morning the following day; not even a full twelve hours apart. sweetheart answered the door in their pajamas, their eyes wide and attentive: they hadn’t slept. the alpha sighed, stepping into the apartment. “were you expecting me? or someone else?” david asked, though it was more of a deduction. sweetheart let out a dry but amused scoff, shrugging and scratching their head.

“i knew you weren’t gonna take very long. you saw him,” they answered quietly, a mournful, bitter tone. as ever, they were blunt and straight to the point. david liked that about them. but he couldn’t smile about that right now. instead, at the mention of his friend, he squared his shoulders and felt his core instinctively searching for milo’s. his brows pinched together.

“where is he?” sweetheart practically deflated in response, looking as if a rug had been snatched from underneath them.

“he’s in the bedroom. i was uh… i was hoping maybe you’d be able to feel him. jesus…” they mumbled, shaking their head and sighing exasperatedly. they flopped down onto the couch, their legs and arms crossing guardedly with a scornful expression etching onto their face. they looked distantly angry.

david’s brows raised. the bedroom? he didn’t feel a single trace of milo’s core. what he could feel was sweetheart’s anger beginning to rub off on him; they don’t lie, they wouldn’t lie to him, so why the fuck couldn’t he feel milo if they’re saying he’s only a room away? something was wrong. the alpha in him was starting to panic, and david shaw didn’t panic. all the while, sweetheart was following along david’s train of thought just by looking at him. of course, they knew how to read people because of their job as an investigator, but every individual has their unique tells, and you only become fluent in a language with frequent exposure and observation. they had been fluent in david’s for years. they minutely rolled their eyes and motioned to their bedroom door. “go on, go look at him. just don’t stomp, he’s asleep.”

setting aside their sour attitude for a different discussion, david settled on giving them a look before stepping deliberately toward the bedroom. he carefully opened the door and was met with a simultaneously relieving and worrying sight. surely enough, there milo lay in his haggard state. his golden brown skin was sallowed and wax-like. he had thrown his blankets to the side and sweat dripped off of him in buckets, making his dull curls stick to his forehead. for a split second, the sight of david’s father in his hospital bed flashed across the young alpha’s mind, causing his breath to stutter. he drew in a breath and muttered curses, his heart dropping into his stomach. as david’s footing became wobbly in the threshold of the room, he stepped back and looked back at sweetheart, shutting the door. “what happened?”

seeing their alpha’s face, sweetheart’s defensive anger from before dissipated and a pit formed in their stomach, tears welling up in their eyes to boot. they flicked their wrist and slapped their thigh defeatedly, shaking their head as if they didn’t know the answer to that question. david slowly approached them again, sensing that they were about to spill. he sat adjacent to them on their single sofa chair they loved to use for reading. he leaned forward with his elbows resting on his knees and his hands clasped.

“i—david, i—jesus, we did something stupid. so fucking stupid, and i agreed to it. god, i watched him walk right up to it—!” their words surged out in a muddle of syllables, taking odd breaths between already disjointed sentences. they were trying not to cry. david was the first person they were confiding this in, and the first is always the worst. the alpha began shaking his head gently, his core sending out soothing signatures of his aura. this seemed to work a little. even for a non-wolf shifter, the aura of an alpha is calming, especially the closer the bond.

sweetheart took slow breaths, looking to the side away from david. they hated crying in front of others. when david tried to speak in an attempt to comfort them, they hurriedly threw up a hand and shook it, knowing that his words would only make them cry more. they took one final breath before looking forward again and continuing. “okay. we were outside of the ward. milo had been hounding the commissioner all night, trying to get him to help you guys in there, but nothing was happening. so… milo came up with something. he—he said that we needed to bring down the ward, didn’t wanna keep you guys locked in there. a-and some guy he met had already rallied a bunch of students from the university to take care of any shades that would’ve gotten out when the ward was dropped. so that just left the ward itself. with my clearance, we got to the spot where all the magic was concentrated, where the ward was being held up. god, then he looked at me and told me… told me that as a shifter, his body was good at holding magic, that he’s basically made of it since your bodies have to literally change with magic to shift. and so… his idea was to step into the magic and take it… t-take it all into himself for a split second to disrupt the ward and bring it down. and that’s… well….”

david looked at them, their teary eyes meeting his. he was stunned to silence. sweetheart could tell that he was just digesting the information, but they never liked being met with silence; it made them anxious. so, they began word-dumping again. “a-and i told him i didn’t like the idea! we both knew it wasn’t safe, and for a minute after i thought—thought he was fucking dead…. b-but then after all that magic got out of him, he started breathing again and he was vomiting everywhere and i was happy he was alive. i got him to the healers and they said he’s lucky to be alive, and that his threads are burnt to a crisp. they said he won’t be able to shift for awhile, and maybe never again… jesus fucking christ…!”

david sat. he had been staring at the floor as he listened, not daring to interrupt them. he’d never seen them so stirred up, not since his dad’s funeral. and this was definitely worse for them. again, he focused his energy on letting them feel his aura, nodding to himself when he felt their disquieted core become its usual muted rhythm. he took a moment to breathe before he spoke again, looking them in the eyes. “why didn’t you want to tell us?”

their eyes snapped to his, and they sank back into the couch with an almost pitifully defeated expression. “because what we did was so fucking illegal, david. i used my clearance to sneak our way into a place we weren’t supposed to be, and then went against the direct orders of jett to take down the ward. we should both be arrested. but i knew we were at least going to tell you because you’re our alpha and you have no legal obligation to give out any information confided in you by pack members, but no one else. they’d be complicit.” they sighed, but they were at least sounding more like themselves. taking the topic to a logistical standpoint rather than an emotional one was always a good way to do that for them. still, david took their words into consideration.

“not marie?”

sweetheart’s eyes widened, their pupils shrinking as if they were a prey animal caught in the maw of a predator. fear and realization creeped up on them and they gasped, covering their mouth with their hand.

“oh, god….” their words were choked in a sob. they hadn’t thought about her. jesus, they thought, how could they be so stupid? that woman was a second mother, better than the one they were born to; how on earth did they forget? guilt crushed over them and they really felt the tears coming. they weren’t set on hiding it from david anymore either. they tucked their knees to their chest and put their head down, sobbing quietly. but just as soon as they tucked their face away, they heard footsteps come toward them and felt the couch beside them dip with a heavy weight. arms wrapped around them from the side, firm and steady.

“hey hey, that’s fine, it’s okay. i think she’s gonna want to know. just to be sure, ask milo when he’s awake, okay?” he gently guided them, sighing in relief when they nodded. he pulled away but still sat near them watchfully, letting them breathe. they leaned back against the couch and exhaled deeply, looking over at him. after a few beats of silence, they stood up and walked toward the bedroom. they looked back and beckoned david to follow them. they had been away from their mate too long for their liking.

sweetheart opened the door and entered their bedroom, followed by their alpha. they watched milo stir uncomfortably, making them each cringe. but, their presences combined seemed to rouse milo. the feverish man grunted and blinked open his eyes as he rolled onto his side. his mate quickly rushed to his side, snatching up the water bottle on the night stand for him to drink. milo looked up at his sweetheart, smiling blearily at them. then he noticed a shadow in the corner of the room and shifted his gaze toward it. milo furrowed his brows in innocent sleepy confusion, his gaze meeting his alpha’s. “the fuck are you doin’ ‘ere?” milo blurted, met with soft laughter.

~~~

hours after david left, the topic of milo’s mother came back up. after some hemming and hawing from milo’s end, the couple eventually agreed that it would be best to let his mother know about his health. he left it up to sweetheart to invite her over and they let her know that they wanted to see her after the disaster that was the inversion. marie promptly followed up with an agreement and promises that she was going to come over regardless. after hanging up the phone, sweetheart looked at milo who was wearing a pout.

“you didn’t tell her anything about how i am?”

“i said you were tired and a little beat up.”

milo scoffed, followed by a scratchy cough. “aw christ, she’s gonna blow a fuckin’ gasket. ‘a little?’”

sweetheart chuckled softly, happy to hear their mate sounding off with his usual pomp and attitude. they stuck their feet under the covers with him, fighting off the instinct to lay their head on his shoulder. “what else was i supposed to say? come on, she’s not gonna hound you when you’re like this. despite all evidence to the contrary, she loves you,” they tease gently. yet again in typical milo fashion, he scoffs.

“sweetheart, you ain’t seen her the way i’ve seen her. you’re, like, her favorite person ever; i’m her shitty son who now looks like a resurfaced blob fish. slimy-ness and all.” he dragged a finger across his forehead to gather the sweat and wiped it on sweetheart’s arm to make his point, smiling when they waved their hands frantically at him in disgust. he briefly considered being sick like this a good thing if it meant his sweetheart wouldn’t hit him when he made his jokes.

“hey—! nasty ass. maybe i’ll let her get mad at you,” they snarked with a laugh, getting up to grab him another water bottle as well as avoid more shenanigans. they walked to the kitchen and poked their head into the refrigerator. there was still a smile on their face when they heard incessant rapping on the front door. it quickly fell.

they mumbled a curse under their breath before scrambling to the door, adjusting their clothes all the while. on their way, the reality of the situation began to set in and they felt their feet turn into lead. they huffed and swung open the door, donning an exaggerated smile and not fully registering the presence of the woman in front of them. “hi marie!” they stepped aside to let the woman inside, their face falling yet again when she immediately rushed past them. sweetheart was left alone at the door, shutting it slowly in a stupor before jogging after marie. she was standing beside the small kitchen island, taking off her purse in a frantic whirlwind of movement. she spun around suddenly and saw sweetheart, flinching and then quickly putting her hand up and apologizing.

“oh—! i’m so sorry, i ran right past ya’! oh come here baby, i ain’t seen ya’… been worried ‘bout’chu too. god, my babies…” the older woman rambled, her strong emotions getting the better of her. she made a point to pull sweetheart into her arms and squeezed tight, rocking them side to side. sweetheart lets out an exasperated laugh and goes along with it, their mind barely catching up with what was happening. they realized milo may have been right.

“where’s mi’? sleepin’?” she continues on, her eyes wide and hopeful. sweetheart just nodded and motioned toward the bedroom door.

“ah, not asleep but laying down. he’s uh… pretty worn out,” they say with a sad smile. marie gave them a short nod and was already making her way toward the bedroom. before opening the door, she gave sweetheart a gentle smile, saying more with her expression than her words. she was also worried about sweetheart, of course, but her son was her son, and hearing he was hurt had several instincts kicking into high gear. not only was it a mother’s instinct but a healer’s instinct, sending her hurtling toward her one and only child. she entered the bedroom without another word.

just as david’s had, marie’s heart sank. she gasped sharply and her shaky hand covered her mouth, tears quickly welling up in her eyes. those eyes had seen a lot. as the pack healer, everyone young and old came to her with their injuries. when little asher broke his arm climbing a tree, when colm got shot in the stomach on the job, when gabe was dying in the hospital with a piece of metal lodged in his shoulder. images of little milo came to mind as she looked at him now. how many times had she healed a scrape, telling him and david not to roughhouse so much? how many times had she healed a bee sting, telling him to stop going outside barefoot? she’d been there for everything. but god, nothing could have prepared her for this.

her little boy was propped up on a mountain of pillows like a patient in a hospital bed. he looked fake—a copy, a doll. that wasn’t him. she didn’t feel her boy, he wasn’t there. whatever this was was a husk, a joke. she didn’t recognize that. her boy had such pretty dark bronze skin, not this sickly beige. her boy would’ve been smiling and already have cracked a joke, not looking away in shame. she shakily stepped forward and put her hand on the edge of the bed, examining every inch of him.

“…hey ma’.” his scratchy voice cut through the silence. marie almost wished he hadn’t said a thing. tears began sliding down her cheeks, looking at him through those experienced eyes. this was the one experience she never wished to see.

“what happened, baby?” she croaked out, her shoulders gently shaking with silent cries.

milo was reminded of the nights they would spend together as a kid, together in whatever shoddy apartment they would be in at the time. the nights colm wouldn’t come home. marie stayed up late a lot back then, wondering if her husband had drunkenly driven himself into a ditch or gambled away his newest paycheck. she coincidentally cried a lot back then too. but little milo would try his best to dry those tears by pulling faces or giving her monopoly money, because surely that would cover rent, right? it at least brought a smile to his mama’s face. milo shook under the covers, his blood suddenly running cold. he never wanted to be the thing that brought his mother to tears like this. he never wanted to be like him. the thought made something ugly stir in his chest.

“…my threads are burned. had a lot of magic channeled into me during… everything. ain’t gonna be shiftin’ anytime soon,” he answered quietly, only occasionally glancing in the direction of his mother. a small sputter of confusion escaped her. before she could question him more, milo sighed and held up a hand. “i’m sorry ma’, i can’t say anything else… you know how the department is. i saw healers already, they just told me to wait and rest.”

marie’s back straightened, a dumbfounded and almost hurt look on her face. milo was being dismissive. he usually was, being the infuriatingly selfless man he was, but there was something more.

“so—so what, you call me over just to tell me that you’re sick and dyin’—”

“not dyin’, ma.”

“—and what, you want me to be okay with that? you’re annoyed that i’m upset? that i’m askin’ questions? what did you expect me to do, say thank you for the status update?”

“ma’, don’t get so worked up! this is exactly why i didn’t wanna tell you. i fuckin’ knew i had to but i didn’t want to ‘cause you always freak the fuck out! i ain’t dead, am i? relax.”

milo clutched his chest, swallowing after his small outburst. he felt a cough creeping up on him but he tried his best to hide it, holding it in to maintain his dignity. it wasn’t like him to argue with his mother, even less to raise his voice at her. god, he hated it. he watched marie’s expression morph into a quieter frustration, looking deep into his eyes as if trying to peer into his mind.

“i’m allowed to freak the fuck out right now. look at’chu! you know what this reminds me of? this reminds me of your father comin’ home with a limp or bandages around—”

milo’s eyes widened furiously and he bolted upright, cutting his mother off with a fist slamming back against the headboard. “don’t you fuckin’ say that! don’t you compare me to him! i do everything to be the opposite of him! i don’t want’chu takin’ care of me like you had to do for him. i don’t want’chu cryin’ all night, worryin’ like he made you worry.” milo felt his head spin, blood pumping harshly in his ears. he didn’t feel it when tears started flowing down his cheeks. “that ain’t your job ma’. i’m fine. i hate being fuckin’ stuck like this, but i ain’t dead.”

marie was struck. the room fell silent again, but the angry tension was no longer present. instead, marie looked at her child and an understanding was gained. there he was, in the worst shape he’s ever been in after going through a traumatic event, saying that it wasn’t her job to worry about him. he was wrong, obviously, but the thing that hurt the most was that he had no idea how wrong he was. milo always felt it was his responsibility to care for his mother and make her happy since colm rarely did. and now, having himself compared to the man who was the root of every stressor and problem they ever had broke him.

the boy’s mother sat down on the edge of the bed beside her son, enveloping him in her arms. marie’s core spoke to him, but his didn’t answer. she ignored the eerie sensation and just held her boy, letting him cry on her shoulder. “shh shh, it is my job to worry. i’m your mother. i know your daddy made it not feel like that sometimes… i’m sorry for that. you’re so selfless baby, and it makes me so mad. you were always lookin’ out for your mama when i should’a been holdin’ it together better for you. it’s my job to take care of you, not the other way around. not yet. i got plenty more years left in me, you can come back to me later with that.”

the pair let out a soft laugh at that last part. milo’s tears kept flowing but they were quiet and didn’t burn his eyes anymore. he hadn’t let his mother hold him in years, not like this. it only made him realize how much he’d been missing it. perhaps it was the best healing he could get.

@nevaroonie as promised!! ty for reading!!

[rosevette]

·.༄࿔ TAKE ME TO PARIS part 2. my mlist

𝒋𝒐𝒉𝒏 𝒘𝒊𝒄𝒌 & 𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒕 𝒙 𝒇𝒆𝒎!𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓

💋ྀིྀི résumé : the gifts won’t stop, along with john’s paranoia. he won’t even let you out of the hotel.

1.6k words + tags : dumb, ‘naive’ !reader, manipulation, fantasizing, smut, age gap, pet names, fingering, slight non-con, evil intent, brat-taming⭑

୭ৎ … im so sorry yall had to wait so long for this, but im finally finished !! more chapters to come, and I hope you enjoy…if there are any error, ignore! (part 1 here) - sincerely, rose

DAYS PASSED, and John's concern only seemed to intensify. He hovered nearby constantly, his watchful gaze never leaving your side, his protective instincts kicking into overdrive. The gifts from Marquis didn’t stop either, a jewelry a day.

At first, you found John’s behavior endearing, a testament to his unwavering dedication to keeping you safe. But as time wore on, his constant vigilance began to chafe, leaving you feeling suffocated by his overbearing presence.

"I'm just going for a walk, John," you protested, attempting to slip past him as he stood guard by the hotel entrance.

His grip tightened on your arm, his eyes flashing with undisguised worry. "I can't let you out of my sight, not with him out there," he insisted, his tone firm and resolute.

Frustration bubbled up inside you as you shook off his hold, refusing to be caged like some delicate bird.

"I'm not a child, John. I can take care of myself," you snapped, storming towards the door, before the brooding man stopped you and held his position in front of the door.

“I said no.”

His voice was cold, you were getting on his nerves. Paranoid or not, he couldn’t let you go outside.

“Don’t make me repeat myself, my patience has already been thrown out the window.” He glared at you, you could tell he wasn’t joking, but you just can’t help but to talk back.

“You’re such a brute. You can’t keep me here fore—“ You widened your eyes, feeling a hand read gently on your mouth. Fluttering your eyelashes to John’s gaze, your face flushed, your eyebrows narrowing.

“Stop being a brat.” He murmured, his words slipping smoothly through his lips.

Before you knew it, his body already pressed against yours firmly, his weight leaning you against the flat surface of the wall, secluded in your room.

“I’m just looking out for you, is that so hard to understand?”

As John pressed you against the decorative wallpaper, his firm grip sending shivers down your spine, you couldn't help but feel a rush of adrenaline coursing through your veins. His proximity ignited a fire within you, stirring desires that had long lain dormant.

With a defiant smirk, you met his intense gaze head-on, the heat of his breath mingling with yours as you leaned in closer, the tension crackling between you like electricity.

"You're not my keeper, John," you countered, your voice laced with equal parts defiance and desire. "I can take care of myself."

But before you could utter another word, John's lips crashed against yours, his kiss fierce and demanding, leaving you breathless and dizzy with longing. His hands roamed your body with a possessive urgency, igniting a fierce hunger deep within your core.

“Do you understand what no means?” He leaned back, scoffing at your flushed state. Now turning your body around to face him, his eyes trailed your body top to bottom, your heart pacing, knowing what was next.

With a gasp, you melted into him, your resistance crumbling beneath the weight of his passion. Every touch, every caress sent waves of pleasure coursing through you, building to a fever pitch that threatened to consume you whole.

It didn’t take long until you felt his hands start to trail up your silk dress, his hand could be seen rubbing along your thighs through the thin fabric. Each whimper you gave was met with a smirk from John, only fueling his ego.

“Seems like this brat is already so wet for me. Is this what you wanted? To push my buttons to end up like this?”

Your breath hitched as John’s hands explored the curves of your body, sending sparks of pleasure coursing through you with every teasing touch. His words, though laced with arrogance, only served to stoke the flames of your desire, igniting a primal need that begged to be sated.

With a low whimper, you arched into his touch, unable to deny the intoxicating effect he had on you. “N-No I didn’t mean to I…,” you murmured, your voice dripping with seduction as you trailed your fingers along the contours of his chest.

The tension between you crackled with raw intensity, each touch, each whispered word fueling the inferno of passion that raged between you. Lost in the heat of the moment, his fingers eventually met contact with your wet folds, a moan slipping past your lips.

“J-John..” you croaked, squinting.

“I told you there would be punishments for your behavior.” You couldn’t even reply back in time when he had slipped a finger inside your wet hole, gasping into the air. A few pumps from his digits already made you a moaning mess.

Your words caught in your throat as John’s touch sent waves of pleasure crashing over you, rendering you speechless as ecstasy washed over you in dizzying waves. His fingers, skilled and knowing, delved deeper into your core, igniting a firestorm of desire that threatened to consume you whole.

Every pump, every stroke sent you spiraling closer to the edge, your moans echoing in the air as you surrendered yourself to the overwhelming pleasure that John bestowed upon you. His touch was like a drug, intoxicating and addictive, leaving you craving more with each passing moment.

He smirked, eventually pulling his fingers away to bring to his mouth, tasting you. You widened your eyes, wondering why he stopped as jaw hung open, your poor cunt soaked and wanting more.

John’s smirk only deepened as he savored the taste of your arousal on his fingers, his gaze locked with yours as he drank in your reaction with undisguised satisfaction. Your widened eyes and parted lips spoke volumes, your confusion and desire swirling together in a heady mix that only fueled his own arousal.

“Such a sweet little thing,” he murmured, his voice dripping with sinful promise as he leaned in close, his breath hot against your ear. “You want more, don’t you?” He laughed wickedly. This was your punishment. He wasn’t going to continue, he was going to make you wait for it.

He scoffed, leaving you breathless and aching for more as he reveled in the power he held over you. Your body throbbed with need, every nerve on edge as you craved his touch like a drug.

“Clean yourself up, darling,” he said casually, as if nothing out of the ordinary had just transpired between you.

Confusion and frustration warred within you as you struggled to make sense of his abrupt change in demeanor. Had it all been a game to him? A cruel joke at your expense?

With trembling hands, you gathered your wits about you, forcing yourself to stand on shaky legs as you attempted to compose yourself. But the memory of his touch lingered like a fever dream, leaving you reeling in its wake.

Now stepping out of the steaming shower, you sighed to yourself, thinking back to John’s advances just an hour ago. You should’ve known he had a trick up his sleeve just to toy with you.

Before you could dwell on the thought any longer, your phone rang, startling you out of your reverie. Glancing at the caller ID, you frowned in confusion at the unfamiliar number. Hesitantly, you answered, bringing the phone to your ear.

"Bonjour, ma chérie," a smooth voice purred from the other end, sending a chill down your spine.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything." Recognition dawned on you as you realized who was calling. "Marquis," you greeted evenly, masking the tremor in your voice. “How did you find my number…”

"Ah, I know a guy," he replied, his voice dripping with honeyed charm. "Tell me, have you been enjoying my little gifts?"

Your heart pounded in your chest as you struggled to maintain your composure. "I appreciate the gesture," you replied tersely, forcing a note of indifference into your tone.

Deep down, you weren’t scared or threatened that the man called you, in fact, you welcomed it. Perhaps you could use this as payback for John?

The Marquis's laughter echoed in your ears, he had noticed your tone of voice . "Oh, ma chérie, you wound me," he purred. "But tell me, have you left Paris? I haven’t seen you anywhere…”

Yeah, thanks to John. You thought in your head.

“I simply admire beautiful things, and you, my dear, are the most exquisite masterpiece of them all. A shame I haven’t seen you since the auction.

Despite the danger and warning bells ringing in your mind, a rebellious spark ignited within you at the Marquis’s words. You couldn’t deny the thrill that coursed through you at the thought of defying John, of embracing the danger that lurked just beyond the shadows.

As the Marquis’s laughter echoed in your ears, you felt a surge of defiance welling up inside you.

“I’m still here, Marquis,” you replied, your voice laced with a hint of mischief. “And I must say, your absence hasn’t gone unnoticed either.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line, followed by a low chuckle that sent a shiver down your spine. “Ah, so you’re still playing games, ma chérie,” he murmured, his voice tinged with amusement. “I must say, I do admire your spirit.”

The Marquis’s laughter filled the air once more, a sound that sent a thrill of anticipation racing through your veins. “Well then, my dear,” he purred. “Let’s see just how far that taste for danger will take you.”

the end ! part 3 in progress…

© rosevette 2024 . do not copy !

[strawberryspence]

happy birthday, @withacapitalp! i hope im not that late! i am so glad to be your friend and i am glad you were born. ily! long islands on me! 🥂🍾💗

-

There’s this damn spring festival in Indianapolis. It’s pretty popular among young-ins and people from small towns come to visit it every year. There are local vendors, activities, mini concerts. It’s where Eddie thrives the most, he has gone every year since he can remember.

His first mistake was mentioning it to Dustin. The second was agreeing to his insistent pleading if he could come with Eddie to Indy.

Because after Eddie finally said yes. The news— unsurprisingly— reaches El, and wherever El goes, Will goes, and of course, wherever Will goes Mike goes. Then Max hears and also wants in and of course, Lucas also wants to go. So now, it’s the whole damn party. Of course, he can’t handle all the kids. So now, all the adult kids are coming too.

And listen, he thinks they’re all great. But he’s been wanting to get out of Hawkins and away from them to just— breathe. Also, that’s a lie. Eddie doesn’t want to get away from them. He specifically wants to get away from Steve fucking Harrington and all the confusing feelings he have for the very straight man.

Of course, that doesn’t work out.

Because now they're stuck in the middle of a crowd. Eddie has never really understood why people said they felt like a sardine in a can, but right now, he fully understands. He should have known it was going to be busy. It was a Saturday and it’s one of the biggest festivals in town.

He will never say it, but Eddie thanks Steve’s very strong maternal instinct. He can worry for himself right now, because he knows the kids are together due to the very strict buddy system Steve instituted. Now they just have to get to the damn corn dog stand, which Steve declared as their meet up place.

“Eddie.” Eddie whips his head to see Steve staring intently at him. Oh yeah, Steve’s his buddy. “We have to get out of here.”

Eddie nods faintly but doesn’t answer. He has to keep his breathing in check. They’re fine, and the kids are fine. There’s a crowd but they're not after the kids. They're not after Eddie. They’re not after him. It's not an angry mob. Not after him for killing Chrissy. Not—

“Eds.” Steve pushes against the people to get to him. His brown eyes track his face before he sighs in worry, “Hold my hand.”

“What?” Eddie croaks out in disbelief.

Steve looks around, before whispering, "Baby, I think you're one step away from a panic attack. It's too fucking crowded."

And before Eddie can say anything else, Steve captures his hand into his. He doesn't intertwine them together because they're still in public and though they're in the city, it's always good to be safe. But Steve still holds Eddie's hand so tightly, like he's afraid that Eddie's going to vanish from his sight.

"Don't let go, okay?" Steve asks, which is ridiculous, and crazy. Because now that Eddie's holding his hand, clasped together like two ends of the same parenthesis, he doesn't think he could ever let go.

Eddie nods, and Steve pulls him in front of him, shielding him with his arms so people won't bump into him. It weirdly feels like a hug. If he has to describe it, he will say it feels exactly like the moment Wayne hugged him after he came out to him. It's safety, warmth, and overwhelming love and protection.

Steve maneuvers around the crowd like a pro. He dodges people without hitting them and takes them out of the fucking crowd in the middle of the market.

Before he knows it, they're out of the crowd and sitting on a bench. His breathing is finally getting better, but Steve still hasn't let go of his hand. Not when he bought Eddie a drink, not when he instructed Eddie to breathe with him, not when the kids came and asked what was wrong, only to be shooed away.

Eddie's not sure why he's so shaken to the core by this certain touch. He's always been the touchy-feely one. He throws an arm on Steve's shoulders, pats his head when Steve does something ridiculously adorable, and nudges him by the ribs when he says something funny. Steve's never initiated touch, Robin says it's because of the "complete lack of love and care from his parents."

But Steve's right here. Squatting in front of him. Holding his hand as he waits for Eddie to calm down. Looking at him like he— loves him. How could Steve ever be the product of lack of love and care, when he seems to have an abundance of it?

"You doing better, Eds?" Steve asks, his eyes are bright against the lights. He's looking at Eddie like Eddie's something to be cared for, to be loved, like he's something precious.

Eddie wants Steve to look at him like this. Selfishly, he wants to have it for the rest of his fucking life.

Eddie blinks at him, and accidentally, intentionally, stupidly, spits out, "I think I am in love with you."

Steve freezes. He blinks at him.

The world behind them slows down. There's a kid winning a prize a few stalls down, and a man bargaining for a vase on the other end. Someone's order is ready at the food stand and someone just won the bingo. There's a band playing and they're fucking playing Whitesnake's Is This Love.

It's one of those simple, but beautiful moments. Those that make you feel like you're nothing but a small particle in this big, vast world. Eddie basks in those moments sometimes.

However, at that moment, Eddie doesn't. If Steve looks at him like that for the rest of his life, Eddie doesn't think he'll ever feel small again.

He lets the world fade into a quiet noise. Nothing else matters. Nothing, but Steve Harrington.

He just stares at Steve. He just stares as Steve's face breaks into the biggest smile he has ever seen and it quite literally feels like watching a sunflower grow right in front of him. It's a smile that overflows, from the way he beams at him, from the way his eyes wrinkle, the way his nose crinkles.

Eddie's never seen Steve smile this big before and its damn beautiful.

"You sure about that?" Steve asks. There's insecurity in it, but also hope.

Eddie's never been this sure about anything else in his life, so he says, "Yes."

Steve softens, "Alright. That's good."

"How is that good?" Eddie whispers.

"Because, I—" Steve turns over their hands on his lap, and finally— finally— intertwines them. And shit, maybe there is a God, because this feels sacred, a love made just for the two of them.

"Because, I think I am also in love with you."

"I wish I can kiss you here," Eddie says, making Steve laugh, and it spills out of his body so beautifully Eddie wants to keep doing it for the rest of his life.

"Slow down, cowboy," Steve giggles, but the way he tightens his hold on Eddie's hand tells the opposite of his statement.

"Steve! Eddie! Look at this!" Dustin screams from the nearby booth, where El just won him a teddy bear.

"Yeah, you have to come. El's not doing anything. It's just pure talent!" Lucas sarcastically shrieks back.

In the background, El's giggling like crazy. Which 100% means she's using her magic. Eddie can't help but smile at the kids. He's glad he bought them with him to have fun.

Steve immediately stands up at that, their hands breaking apart at the motion. "Oh God. I told her not to use her powers." Steve's about to rush to them— maternal instincts and whatnot— before he stops in his tracks and turns to Eddie.

Steve softens, holding out his hand to Eddie. Eddie takes it without hesitation.

"Don't let go?" Steve asks.

Eddie stares at him, before he whispers a vow just for the two of them, "I won't. I promise."

True to his word, he doesn't let go. Not ever.

Eddie has no intention of ever letting Steve go.

[rhiaarrow]

Hello, hello! The Ghostie with the penchant for long rambling walls of text here to give her unwarranted two cents on the current disagreement between the Tubblings and the Crows!

I'm offering my take as a purely unbiased outsider

(Yes, us Ghosties may be married to the Tubblings but when I first joined the Qsmp Fandom I was a Crow and a Crow only, before I died and became a Ghostie. Thus, while I like both qTubbo and qPhil I don't watch either of them often, ergo unbiased :D )

who has no real reason to attempt to villainise or place either character on a pedestal because to put it bluntly, they are not my cubito.

Without further ado I will begin my ramble.

Today's ramble of course comes with the disclaimer that with me not being a qTubbo or qPhil main there may be areas of their character that I'm not aware of since I don't watch every single one of their streams! Feel free to correct me on literally anything you think I've mischaracterized about your main just please be understanding that nothing is done with malicious intent! :)

I'm not attempting to paint either character as a villain in this ramble, I'm just publishing this in hopes to allow each community to understand that neither cubito is perfect and that's okay!

Okay! For anyone missing context; the current disagreement began when Tubblings expressed feeling happy that Chay was able to be a kid around qTubbo as opposed to being serious with qPhil then the Crows reminded the Tubblings that qTubbo is also attributing to Chay's hero complex through him acting as Chay's egg and asking Chay to protect him. Which has caused both sides to instinctively protect their cubito and is causing arguments within their communities.

As a Ghostie who is more than willing to write 1000 words to raise awareness, and is frankly sick of infighting within the QSMP fandom (it's why I left twitter, please don't bring it here 🫠) I figured I'd try to help 'squash the beef' if you will.

Polite discussions about cubito conflict is fine, going for each other's throats over character takes...yeah let's not do that! :D

Firstly, everyone has to recognize that Chayanne has an almost toxic hero complex. He's had it since the beginning of the server and while neither qPhil or qTubbo is doing it on purpose they are BOTH feeding into it!

He has an overwhelming urge to protect others with no regard for his own safety or wellbeing at times. In the beginning it only extended to eggs. As the older sibling he had a sense of responsibility over them, which was cute! But now it's borderline toxic although it's become so normalized as such a core part of Chayanne's character that no one recognizes it's no longer a healthy mindset.

Now Tubblings can make the defense that qTubbo isn't being entirely serious or that he doesn't truly expect Chay to put his life on the line for him but I watched him look Chayanne in the eyes and BLAME HIM FOR NOT PROTECTING 'HIS EGG'.

Even if that was immediately reincarnated qTubbo who was a little fucked up in the head, even if he no longer fully blames him, even if qTubbo was joking at the time, he looked that kid dead in the eyes and told him it was his fault. Tell me again how qTubbo isn't unintentionally feeding his complex?

Yes qTubbo allows Chay a more carefree space away from his overwhelming need to protect his younger sister and a space to be more relaxed.

Yes qTubbo is joking about a lot of things and a lot of the out of pocket shit he says isn't intended to be taken completely seriously.

BUT you cannot fully disagree with the Crows when they say that qTubbo feeds the complex too. BECAUSE HE DOES, JUST NOT ON PURPOSE THE SAME AS qPHIL!

qPhil is so used to his son being the strong warrior that he doesn't realize that that character trait is actively damaging his son's mental state. His attention is divided between Chay and Tallulah and since Tallulah is more open to talking about her issues he often isn't as attentive to Chay.

Is that a bad thing? Yes!

Is it intentional on qPhil's part? No!

Is it something the Crows need to recognize that qPhil does which unintentionally allows his son to continue to struggle with his hero complex? Yes!

qPhil loves his son unconditionally AND qPhil feeds Chayanne's hero complex are two statements that can and do coexist

qTubbo let's Chay be more of a child AND qTubbo feeds Chayanne's hero complex are two statements that can and do coexist

And as long as both the Crows and Tubblings are willing to understand that neither cubito is perfect and THERE'S NO USE FIGHTING OVER PIXELS then we're good!

- Sincerely a Ghostie who just wants to try to bring understanding between the two fandoms by utilizing her rambling skills!

AGAIN, any severe mischaracterization you feel I may have included is unintentional and feel free to correct anything you feel like I'm misconstruing, they're not my main cubitos so there may be somethings that qTubbo or qPhil mains find to be untrue to the source

HOWEVER if you're gonna call me out for mischaracterizing a character simply because I'm bringing up their flaws and you can't accept a character has flaws, kindly fuck right off :D

[lizzychanstuffss]

Remembrance: Love and Deepspace AU 4

Au premise: So, what if mc actually remembered everytime she's reincarnated, and what if she regrets the choices she's made in every single reincarnation and is finally using this timeline to try and fix it once she realizes this might be her only chance. But she is entirely unsure if the boys remember their past lives with her, so she must navigate all these feelings along with judging if they remember too. AN: Okay this one is a little different cause I am sorta following the main plot but also not in these lol. But I think with Sylus I can do something kinda interesting here. so enjoy what happens in this one. Also yes I am a Sylus girlie so yes I am biased sorry guys >w<

Sylus x mc | Sylus x Y/N | Angst | Route: Sylus | Other Routes

Chapter 4: Sylus Prologue

You didn't think guilt could eat at you more than it already was. First the guilt of killing him in your past and now the guilt of not being able to protect your family. And now the information of possibly being experimented on as a child was all coming together in a concoction of emotions and feelings. Your childhood was fairly blurry even if your past lives were not. But you knew you had to find out who did this to them, and if it was the Onychinus leader then you had to confront whoever it was.

You walked into the dance floor, music pounding in your ears. The bait was set and you already had a catch as a mechanical eye took in your form. It left you quickly enough as a spotlight shined on you and the rest of the people's eyes watching you, looking around the room unsure of what to do next you stood there. Someone then quickly approached and your hunter's instincts took over and you fended them off, and then another came at you with the same vigor. Until someone got you from behind the sting of something being injected into was soon overridden by the sudden wash of fatigue as the drug worked through your system.

Falling to your knees as your vision began to darken you looked up to see a man holding the syringe in front of your face his words quickly turning to nothing as you passed out.

Soon enough you woke up groggy in the back of a car unsure of your location or where you were. You looked to the front seat and saw the man driving so for the moment you figured it was better to just pretend you were still asleep. Although with the drug running through your system you just fell back to sleep entirely.

When you wake again you fine yourself in what seems to be a graveyard the man dumping you in the middle of it, your still groggy still not entirely processing the situation as you look at the man his words slowly coming into focus.

"So then you have the aether core huh?" He looked you over as you barely sat up your hands bound and body weak. He took your face examining it before taking out a pocketknife. Your eyes widened as you tried to speak but his grip was to tight.

"Seems like I should ge-" A black tendril of energy wrapped around the man's hand as he dropped the knife in pain. Soon enough he was lifted into the air as you watched him a slightly sadisitic smile made it's way over your lips as you recognized who this power belonged to instantly. Now why the person with this said power was here you didn't exactly question with as out of it as you were at the moment.

"KIdnapping Onychinus's prey without letting us know....that's not exactly polite" A voice you didn't recognize spoke out from somewhere. The man was already struggling as a man gently stepped by your side giving you a playful wave.

"She's ours by the way. We called dibs a long time ago" Another man appearing by your side with a slight giggle. It made you raise a brow in confusion as one of them headed over to the kidnapper who was now on the ground doubled over.

"You know you were pretty bold releasing the info about the aether core like that in the nest, and drinking from the black glass you sure you aren't just needlessly reckless." The words had a strange fuzziness to them as the drugged still swirled in your system. You weren't really processing what they were saying and the two men must have caught on fairly quickly to it. They looked at each other and then up to something.

Slowly you turned to see what they were seeing and upon the cathedral stood a man. And from his hand black tendrils of energy began to swoop down and then dispatched the man who had kidnapped you before he jumped down himself. You watched him step closer the details finally something you could make out and without thinking as the drug clouded your judgement you called out to him because you know exactly who he was.

"Sylus? Why are you here?" Your words were weak as you called out to him. It made him freeze in place a moment as if you had shot him.

Why is he so shocked? I know him.

You tilted your head still confused by his reaction before he finally composed himself and then kneeling down to your side you looked into his eyes and smiled a warmth overcoming you as you looked at him.

"Why are we here? I want to go home." Your words were somewhat slurred from the drug. Sylus gave a small chuckle before looked over to the two men he brought with him.

"Get the care ready." Was all he said before he scooped up your weakened body in his arms. He was very warm, he always had been when you hugged him in your arms. A soft smile drifted over your features as you began to fall back into sleep as his steady steps rocked you into a comfortable lull.

Soon enough you wake up in someone's bed, silk sheets surrounding you and a pair of red silk pajamas perfectly fit to your size on your body. You looked over to your right and Sylus was right beside you. You had no memory of last night as much as you wanted to so at the moment this entire situation was just incredibly confusing to you.

Slowly you tried to exit the bed before you felt the soft grip of a still-groggy Sylus pull you back. "Where do you think you're going?"

Slowly you looked back at him starting to figure that whatever happened last night landed you in this situation.

"Uhhhh good question...but first my question, what happened last night?" You questioned him as you sat up in the bed and instantly he let go of your wrist a look of concern on his face.

"First, what do you remember from last night?" He questioned.

"Well, I remember going to the nest and then I got drugged...I think and then....nothing" As you spoke, his face fell a sadness overtaking it and then something crossed your mind.

I told him didn't I....

"Sylus...." He perked up a bit hearing you call his name "You know I remember don't you?" You asked simply biting the bullet as it was the only way this was going to go.

"Yes...." His own words trailed off as he looked at you waiting to see your reaction.

You looked down at the bed sighing a bit as emotions didn't quite hit you yet and still. The tears started to fall, and you tried to wipe them away from your eyes as you kept crying. You were confused at still trying to wipe it away "Why..." Was all you could utter before you felt the soft embrace of the man beside you gently petting your hair. He didn't ask questions he was giving you all the time you needed to process this.

"Why don't you hate me?" Was all you could utter. There was several ways you pictured your first meeting to take place and well it was never like this. You couldn't understand though why he wasn't mad, you killed him. He should be furious with you and yet, he just held you so gently so kindly.

Slowly he moved you so he properly faced you, a warm hand cupping your cheek. "Sweetie, why would I hate you? Is it because you killed me?" He said it almost like a joke.

"Yes! You should be angry! You should hate me for it!" You tried to explain but he just shook his head giving you a soft expression.

"We were put in an impossible situation...you aren't to blame for that" His words were soft and comforting as he gently brushed hair from your face. You looked down at his chest gently reaching out to touch the visible skin unhidden from his robe. He simply watched you as you traced over where the wound would have been.

"Y-you r-really don't h-hate me?" You looked at his eyes which were soft with a kindness you had craved to see again for so long, he nodded slowly.

"Something tells me you've been holding this in a long time haven't you sweetie?" The question was more of a confirmation as you slowly nodded before he pulled you in for another soft hug holding you close.

"You don't have to anymore" He whispered into your ear prompting another round of tears out of you as you cried into his shoulder. Your body shook with each sob as you finally could let out the pain you had been hiding for so long from everyone.

[candied-boys]

Luke's POV x F! Reader - Part 9

Warning: Dark Content! See previous chapters' warnings Including but not limited to child abuse/neglect, suicidal ideation, and rape. The dark content is almost entirely drawn from/same as Luke's route. Themes: protection, hurt and comfort, mutual healing, learning to trust, letting yourself feel, and eventually giving into love. Everything is written from Luke's POV.

Part 8

A mirror hangs on the wall. A perfect reflection of the blood-lust masked behind your gentle green gaze, but dyed crimson. A terrifying affirmation of everything you feared, everything you loathe, everything you are capable of.

The genesis of your suffering. The reason your mother abhorred you. The king who let his country fall to ruin and with it your whole world, your only treasure, your life itself. 

You are the embodiment of his atrocities, and he the impetus of your own. 

Run though you try, you cannot escape the blood in your veins. He is the one enemy you cannot defeat. The battle you were destined to lose from the moment you were conceived. Even in your death he will win.

Lashing against every inch of your body, sheets of rain chill you to your core. On countless days such bitter cold has been your only reprieve — restraining your urge to seek vengeance with reckless abandon. 

Your perception of time washes away with each drop that soaks your skin while waves of sickening memories drown out all thought.

Until small hands cup your tear stained cheeks and you find yourself deep in the royal forest, curled up beneath some tree, shaking violently.

“Don't touch me!”

“Don't speak to me!”

“Don't come near me!”

Contrasting the gentleness of Honey's caress your mother's shrieks ring in your ears.

You're angry at her for not seeing you as the helpless child you were, enraged by what your father got away with committing against her, and mad at yourself for being the incarnation of it all.

“Leave. Y’ have to leave. It's not safe for y’ here,” you plead, voice cracking with fear.

If you can't run from yourself, you must at least push her away.

“What are you talking about, Luke? I'm not going to leave you here alone if it's dangerous,” she answers, looking around frightfully at what might be lurking in the woods.

You grab her by the shoulders and shove her off. “No, I'm dangerous! Y’re not safe with me!”

Eyes round with apprehension, she scans you warily — just as she should.

“Luke, what are you talking about? What happened after you met with that minister this afternoon?”

“Nothing,” you scowl. “You just need to go!”

“No,” she frowns back.

“Y’ don't understand! I'm a monster inside! Y’ can't trust me!! Y’ don't know what I might do to y’!” you shout at her.

She flinches instinctively and you pray you don't have to say much more to scare her off, but instead she just sits there.

“Do? What do you mean do to me?”

“The king,” you shudder. “Raped my mother… That's the only reason I'm here! His blood flows in my veins! The monster he was lives inside me too!”

“Luke, you've never even met him…”

“But I know it's true,” you hang your head. “I've thought of nothing but revenge day in and day out for ten years now. I know what I'm capable of…”

There's a pause filled only by the beating of rain on the canopy of foliage before she speaks again.

“And I still trust you, Luke… I've never trusted anyone my whole life… except you.”

“Why…” you hear your voice crack like a child as you begin to sob again. “Why’d it have to be you that night? Why’d I have to go and make this so damn hard!”

“Do you wish you never met me…?”

“No, but...” you protest but bury your face in your hands. “Everything inside me is messed up! There's too many thoughts and feelings now! It's all tangled up and I can't think straight anymore! I hate it — I hate it! I hate it! I hate it!!”

“Then… do you hate me too…?”

Wild gaze locked on hers again you laugh derisively, “Hate y’? Hate y’?! I'm madly in love with y’, Honey! That's the problem! And I can't let myself love y’ because I don't wanna keep living!”

“Live? Luke, what do you mean?”

“I mean what I said. I don't wanna stay alive any longer than I have to. It just hurts too much…”

“You want to be with Leyla, don't you…”

“Yes…” you bleat.

“I understand…” she whispers and thumbs the thick tears from your cheek. “When you go, I'll follow…”

It takes a moment for her tender touch to wear off enough for you to process what she said, but the second you do you catch her by her arms in a panic.

“What?! No! Don't be ridiculous, Honey!”

“I have nothing to live for but you, Luke…” she shrugs.

“Y’ have y’r whole life ahead! Y're hardly seventeen!”

“And you're hardly twenty, but we're both terribly broken and empty inside.”

You can't find words to fight her. Just because your experiences are different doesn't mean her past hurts any less to live with.

“You're the only good thing I've ever had in my life until now. If I lose you after knowing such kindness… I don't think I could go on… so if you go, I'll take your love with me and follow.”

“Honey, no… I can't let y’ die too… Y’ have to go on… Y’ have a beautiful heart. Y'll find somebody who’ll treat y’ better than I ever could… Y'll be loved by somebody whole and y'll forget… about me…”

She simply shakes her head. 

“What d’y mean no?!”

“Maybe I could be loved, but I could never forget you. It's too late. My heart is yours, Luke. I don't want anyone else…”

“No, y’ don't understand! Y’ won't love me after I hunt down and murder the man who killed my sister! I'm a monster inside, Honey!”

“You're not a monster, Luke. You're hurting. Why would I love you less for that?”

You never meant to let anyone in, to let yourself cherish anything, to let yourself feel again.

“So don't push me away while we're both still here… Let me stay beside you?”

“That'll only make it harder to let go…”

“Maybe that won’t be a bad thing… If the weight of your memories with me is enough to hold you back, maybe in time it could outweigh the pain…”

You never meant to let yourself hope again, but here you are, nodding through tears.

Part 10

[biteofcherry]

💐Zombie's Bouquet Event💐

A bouquet for you! Featuring: Steve Rogers; Forced Proximity; Omegaverse; Soft Dark. I hope you enjoy!

++++++

You know you shouldn't go in to work today, so close to your heat. But there was so much work to be done and you couldn't just leave it until you got back. You almost think Steve, your boss, is pushing for you to quit with how much work he's giving you. For being America's Golden Boy he can be a real pain in the ass.

"Eva, where are the reports from the Brunei incident?" Steve walks in from his office to yours as he looks over the latest stack of paperwork you completed.

"Oh, it's the one I'm working on right now, sir," you reply, showing him the current stack on your desk.

At that moment the security alarms blare, all doors and windows locked. F.R.I.D.A.Y. announces a potential deadly chemical leak in the lab. You and the Captain are now trapped in your office with limited air flow and your only a day or so from your heat.

Steve's Alpha instincts flare up and he looks at you, realizing the truth of the situation for himself. The sudden spike in protective-Alpha pheromones almost triggers your heat.

"S-s-sir, I think, I think you need to stay back."

"Why did you come in so close to your heat?" His growl goes straight to your core and you have to pinch yourself to try to stay focused.

"You were the one who was insisting this mountain of paperwork get done before I take that time off!" As much as your Omega was starting to beg for this Alpha's care, you weren't going to let him make you feel bad for this. It was legitimately not your fault.

Steve growls again and you almost collapse on yourself. He and his Alpha know you won't last much longer. He's wanted you for so long. Your stubborn nature combined with your genuine desire to please made him want to claim you the first day you met.

But now is his chance. He knows the security won't be lifted before he's got you begging for his knot and his mark. He'll make sure to fill you with pups, too. You'll be his in every way.

@thezombieprostitute OMG 🤯🥴 I think you kinda killed me.

I knew I would love whatever you write, but you went and drooped my name and suddenly I was out of my seat and pacing the floor 😳 I did not expect that. As I didn't expect my reaction to be so strong.

The intensity skyrocketed!

And this line: Your stubborn nature combined with your genuine desire to please 🥹 it hit so good and true, like I kinda felt seen.

Nghh, but to be stuck with Alpha Steve and have him tend to my heat, even when at first I stubbornly refuse to admit I want him 🫠 and then you added breeding kink 🥵💀

I died in the best way! Thank you! 💖 This is what I'll think of tonight when going to sleep.

[freeflowersofmuseums]

Yandere Bouillabaisse

Hello lovelies! dont know if anyone missed me but now that I'm better at writing and playing FF again, I figured I would try writing another shot. If there's something you really wanna see, just dm me a request! i get the struggle of being in a niche fandom and when there's nearly 400+ characters in FF, it can be really hard to find content for a character you like. With that being said, here are some headcanons and a scenario for the food soul Bouillabaisse!

CW: Collaring, drugging, kidnapping, stealing, jealousy and general yandere tendencies. GN!reader

Bouillabaisse or “bisse” as you called him, was fond of you when he was first summoned. For the small price of 150 soul embers from the store, you had gained an eternal companion. He thought you were simply adorable, his past master attendants were powerful mages or even other food souls who wanted him for their own gain, but you were the only person who gave and asked nothing in return. For that alone, he would provide you his service.

Everything you do enchants him. Your laugh, the way you touch his face, and even the food you provide for him warm his heart. He has never met anyone so kind and generous, he tries to return the favor as best he can. Giving you all sorts of knick-knacks he picks up off the road or the beach.

He is set on following you everywhere, while this isn’t too out of the normal for Food Souls, he takes his position as your personal assistant very seriously. When shopping for groceries, he’ll often quietly tuck fruit in his bag while others aren’t looking. The idea that you have to pay for anything in this world is ridiculous. Don't they know that you're the best master attendant in the world?

You pet him in a way he's so fond of. Gently pushing back the hair that obscures his features. You wash his face before bed, tucking him in with care and preparing delicious food in the morning. He watches as you hum various songs. Flitting about the kitchen like a golden ray of sunlight, preparing a meal that you hope he will enjoy just as much as you do. He'd never known this feeling before… this is love, isn’t it?

He despises the fact that you have to toil away at your job, giving your effort to someone who will never appreciate it and only ask for more. Oh, how he wishes he could simply whisk you away, waltzing on the beaches he knows so well while he covers you in sunken treasure. Pearls complement your complexion the best, he thinks.

It's only when a belligerent man catches your fancy does he comes across the realization that he would kill for you. Bouillabaisse hates every fiber of the man's being. He was almost disturbed that such visceral hatred was able to come from his core. Baisee looms over you while he watches the man offer to take you for a beverage. Taking in every disgusting quality of the man. The conversation only lasts a few minutes at most, but the pain is forever ingrained in Bouillabaisse's heart. If he is to properly protect you from the vile instincts of others, he has to isolate you.

He's so sorry. He doesn’t mean to hurt you he promises! But spiking your drink was the only way he could knock you unconscious and whisk you away. He knows that this is the best option for the two of you, but he hates hurting you! He hates knocking you out forcefully, but he found a happy medium in the form of keeping you drugged just enough to be barely conscious. He finds you adorable like this, constantly coo’ing in awe at your inebriated form. You need his help to do everything, a situation that won't last forever, but something he quite enjoys.

When the two of you reach his homeland, he finally feels comfortable enough to let you recover. He sets you down in a big shell basin that's been padded with all sorts of fabrics and pillows.  Smiling at the fact that you look like a pretty pearl when sitting in the shell. The cave seems to be comprised of a small above-water-level portion where you can breathe comfortably, but the only exit seems to be an extremely long tunnel submerged in water. In order to leave you would need Bouillabisse’s assistance.

He holds you as you kick and scream for release from the caves. He lets a few sparkling tears fall from his eyes. He is so frustrated that you can't see the truth! That the only way you’ll truly be happy is with him, right here where he can give you everything you need.

He feeds you just a drop or two of pufferfish poison.  Just enough to keep you from accessing your magic and prevent him from doing what's right. It makes your body run hot and you struggle with physical activity, but Bouillabaisse does everything he can to provide for you.

Now that he has you all to himself, he needs to find a way to mark you. He needs to own you like you own him. While it's likely not a permanent fix, he fashioned a collar for you. Made from the thicker bones of his tail and metal embellishments. He adores dressing you up and perhaps the collar was simply the start, but ever since he wrapped it around your neck you find that he has an odd fascination with picking out your clothing within the limited selection he carried.

Your relationship with Bouillabaisse has drastically changed but it's hard to get mad when you realize most of his actions come from his almost child-like level of ignorance. He loves you and he's not afraid to say it. Perhaps with enough time or patience, you could even convince him to let you leave. Provided you pay the transportation tax in the form of kisses. <3

Threat level: 4/10

Love level: 9/10

[rainbowfey]

30 "Forever?"

@flufftober

Her soft smile turned into a pained grimace as she desperately reached out for him. Tanjirou sprinted towards her, trying to grab her hand but before he could even come close, she faded away, vanishing into the abyssal void that had devoured everyone he loved. And while her eyes grew dim as the darkness engulfed her, he screamed his lungs out, crying her name.

With a start, Tanjirou shot up, his heart thundering in his chest. He clutched his throat, struggling for air while the anguish suffocating him only slowly faded. While he stared into the dark, he focused his attention on his breathing, desperately trying to calm down. The nightmare still held him fiercely in its claws and he blinked rapidly, trying to fight back the tears blurring his vision.

Breathe in, breathe out. In, out.

And while the pain raging within him only very reluctantly subsided, he clung onto his breathing for dear life. And with each deep breath, he took another step back to reality, leaving the realm of his nightmares behind. Finally, he could breathe freely again, though his chest still felt tight.

Strained, he sank down again but the very moment his head touched the pillow, his heart started racing again and he shot up once more. Tanjirou violently shook his head but he instinctively knew that he would not find peace in his dreams, should he try to fall asleep again now. And the thought of Nezuko vanishing into the darkness once more was haunting enough that he decided to stay awake rather than going back to sleep.

Careful not to wake up anybody else, he slipped out of his futon. His bare feet hardly made any sound as he walked across the room, drawn to the silver moonlight glistening behind the windows like a drowning person to land. As quietly as possible, he opened the door and slipped through the crack.

The night beyond the windows greeted him with its cold embrace and even though his thin pajama barely protected him from the cold, Tanjirou closed the door behind him and walked onto the terrace laying behind the room. For a moment he stood still, marveling at the garden unfolding before him. The moonlight bathed it in its silver glow, blurring the harsh contours of the fountain and the trees lining the garden until everything looked almost soft. Tanjirou smiled faintly at the sight and took a deep breath, relishing the cold air anchoring him in reality. He was alive, Nezuko was alive, and she and three of the other most important people in his life were right behind that door in his back, sleeping peacefully.

Tanjirou heaved a deep sigh and let himself sink down, leaning against the wall separating the room from the terrace. His fingers and feet started feeling cold but he was not yet ready to return to the darkness awaiting him behind the door. Instead, his gaze rested on the silver garden. A soft breeze rustled through leaves and grass and somewhere far away, he even heard the croaking of a frog, followed by a small splashing sound as it jumped into the pond that lay in the heart of the garden.

Oh, to be this small and innocent, Tanjirou thought to himself. He sighed and closed his eyes, the back of his head resting against the wall. His nightmares had started a few weeks ago, occurring only once every few nights. If he was not mistaken, it had started with a fight where for a split second he had thought he had lost Nezuko. Only a moment later, she struck down their foe with a fierce blow but that one second was enough to shake Tanjirou to his core. Since then, the nightmares had gotten more frequent until he dreamt the same horrible dream every single night. And every night, he awoke with a silent scream, tears in his eyes and a fire raging in his chest that nothing but time and calm could soothe. The first few times he had compulsively checked on Nezuko and everyone he held dear, desperately trying to convince himself that they were alright, that this was only in his head. Now, he had gotten used to the nightmare to a point where he at least knew from his awakening on that this was not real.

Another soft croaking pulled Tanjirou from his thoughts and he opened one eye, trying to spot the frog now rustling somewhere in the grass. On a night like this, it was easier to shatter the remnants of his nightmare as the world seemed peaceful and still. Tanjirou opened his other eye and looked up at the sky. The moon hung low, a bit bigger than usual and even though the night was the realm of the demons, Tanjirou felt safe under this all-seeing moon. A myriad of stars sparkled high above him, slivers of hope in an eternal dark. Only a few clouds veiled the sky, thin and weak, not able to drown out the serene moonlight. Tanjirou weakly smiled to himself and closed his eyes again, hoping that he would now find rest. The cold tugged at his skin but the mesmerizing moon kept him in a trance.

“Tanjirou?” a soft voice asked and Tanjirou looked up.

Without a sound, the door had slid open. A pale face looked around the garden and when its gaze fell on Tanjirou, its beautiful cyan eyes widened. Before Tanjirou could say anything, Muichiro quickly vanished back into the darkness of the room, leaving the door open behind him.

Tanjirou sighed when surreal dream images floated back into his mind. Before Nezuko had vanished, the darkness had swallowed Muichiro. His eyes widened, a pleading look on his face, he had reached out for Tanjirou. Tanjirou had desperately tried to reach him, fighting against the force holding him back, and when their fingers had touched, just when he thought he could save Muichiro, the darkness had slung its tendrils around him, pulling him away. And when his hand had slipped out of Tanjirou’s grip, Tanjirou felt a piece of his soul going with him.

Muichiro’s last scream still echoed through Tanjirou’s mind and his chest tightened again. His nails dug into his palms as he struggled to breathe, desperately fighting against the overwhelming sense of loss. He stared into the dark garden, frantically searching for something he could hold on to as the darkness reached for him.

And then, he heard quiet footsteps. The door closed and then, somebody walked towards him. Tanjirou closed his eyes, struggling for composure. He did not want Muichiro to see him like this but the lump in his throat only grew, suffocating him. He gasped for air and his vision grew blurry. He barely noticed how Muichiro knelt down before him, gently placing his hands on Tanjirou’s shoulders.

“Tanjirou, listen to me,” Muichiro said firmly. “You need to breathe, now. Look at me!”

Fighting for air, Tanjirou looked up and met Muichiro’s gaze. It was full of concern and Tanjirou’s eyes started burning. The moon seemed to dim, darkness creeping closer from the edges of his vision.

“Tanjirou, breathe,” Muichiro pleaded, his voice trembling ever so slightly. “We’ll do it together. Breathe in, breathe out.”

At first, Tanjirou’s lungs rebelled against it but when he focused on Muichiro’s face, the panic slowly subsided. Together, they took long, deep breaths. At first, Tanjirou felt like the air around him was too thin but when he kept following Muichiro’s lead, his racing heart started to slow down and he finally felt air filling his lungs once again.

“You’re doing great,” Muichiro said and gently squeezed Tanjirou’s shoulder. “Keep breathing, it will all be alright.”

Tanjirou nodded and kept focusing on his breathing. The pressure in his chest lessened and he felt the darkness retreating, releasing its icy grip around him. Muichiro’s face still looked deathly pale but he smiled at Tanjirou encouragingly. While Tanjirou focused on the mesmerizing cyan of Muichiro’s eyes, Muichiro looked down. When he saw Tanjirou clawing at his own hands, his eyes widened. He let go of Tanjirou’s shoulders and carefully grabbed his hands. Gently, he pried Tanjirou’s fingers open and slipped his own hands in Tanjirou’s, preventing him from digging his nails even further into his skin.

“I’m here, Tanjirou,” he said calmly. “You are safe. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

And when Tanjirou looked at him, Muichiro’s eyes full of concern and affection, he broke. He closed his eyes, desperately trying to hold back the tears that started burning behind his eyelids. He grabbed Muichiro’s hands, holding on to him, his warmth a glowing light in an eternal darkness. His body started trembling and he heard Muichiro say something, but the words did not reach him. He rocked back and forth, trying to free himself from the storm of memories thundering against the borders of his mind. And then, he felt two arms wrapping around him, pulling him close. Tanjirou threw himself into the embrace and buried his face in Muichiro’s chest, feeling his heart beat against his cheek.

“It’s okay, Tanjirou. I’m here,” Muichiro whispered. “I’ll always be here.”

And Tanjirou held onto him for dear life, afraid that if he let go of him, Muichiro would vanish into the darkness. “Forever?” he asked, his voice shaking.

Muichiro pulled him even closer, his warmth engulfing Tanjirou. “Forever.”

The word filled the air around them, silver as the moon, endless like the stars. A word, only one word, and yet a promise greater than the world itself. And in this moment, Tanjirou knew that Muichiro would keep this promise, even if it meant that he would let world would burn for him.

The storm raging within him stilled and suddenly, he heard the croaking in the distance again. The world started to fill with colors and sounds again. The soft breeze rustled through the trees, water bickered and the frog croaked once more. And even closer, he heard Muichiro’s heartbeat and felt his chest moving softly with each breath.

And slowly, Tanjirou started to relax. His tears dried up and the tension left his body. He breathed in and felt the crisp air of a late autumn night filling his lungs. Muichiro’s familiar scent tickled his nose and Tanjirou sighed contentedly, still burying his face in Muichiro’s chest.

“You’re freezing,” Muichiro muttered and for a moment, Tanjirou felt him moving. Then, Muichiro draped a blanket around them both, shielding them against the cold. “That’s better.”

For a while, they sat in silence, Muichiro’s arms wrapped around Tanjirou and the blanket wrapped around them both. Slowly, Tanjirou’s hands and feet started to warm up. And after a while, he finally let go of Muichiro and looked up to him. “Thank you,” he murmured. “I needed that.”

Muichiro smiled at him softly. “Would you like to tell me what’s been on your mind?”

Tanjirou hesitated but then he nodded. He had managed to keep his nightmares and panic attacks from everyone for weeks now, this was the first time he had not been able to hide them any longer. And somehow, that took a weight off his mind. “I’ve been having nightmares,” he started, carefully searching for the right words. “They’ve been getting worse. At first, it was only once in a while but now, I dream the same thing every night.”

Muichiro moved a bit to the side so that he could look at Tanjirou. However, he did not break the connection between them, their legs touching even now. “What is the dream about?”

Tanjirou hesitated. For a moment, he was scared that the panic would return should he talk about it. But then, he saw the warmth in Muichiro’s eyes and knew that he was safe either way. “At first, I am alone,” he said slowly. “There’s nothing around me, just a wide, dim space. But then, people appear around me. In the beginning, they don’t have faces but then I blink and they turn into everyone I love. They’re all smiling at me.”

He paused, struggling for words. Muichiro reached for his hand and gently intertwined his fingers with Tanjirou’s. Grateful, Tanjirou held on to him when he reluctantly continued, images from his nightmare flashing before his eyes. “They surround me and I feel at peace. But then, darkness closes in on us. One by one, they are taken from me, the darkness swallows them up. I can see their fear. I hear their screams when they beg me to save them.”

Tanjirou shuddered and stared at the ground. His voice trembled when he said, “I’m trying, I’m trying so hard. But every time I get close, they get ripped away and vanish. They disappear into the darkness and I know they will never come back.”

Muichiro softly brushed his thumb over Tanjirou’s hand and listened silently. Tanjirou took a deep breath and quietly said, “I can’t save them. I lose everyone I love. I can see their pain when they are swallowed by the darkness.” He paused and looked up, his heart aching when he looked at Muichiro. “I’m reaching out for you and I’m almost there, I can even touch you. And for a moment I think I can save you but then you are taken from me.”

For a moment, they both fell silent. Muichiro’s grip around his hand tightened and when Tanjirou looked at him, Muichiro’s face had taken on a determined expression. “I will never let that happen,” he said, a blue fire burning in his eyes. “I will never let go of you.”

And for the first time this night, Tanjirou felt safe. He leaned against Muichiro, his head resting on his shoulder. “I know,” he said softly. “And I love you for that.”

The words left his mouth, dancing through the air. What has been spoken cannot be taken back. And while the silver moon smiled down at them, Muichiro whispered, “I love you too.”

[bytheangell]

Being Human

(Read on AO3, for @malecdiscordserver By The Angel Bingo prompt: haunted house)

“Come on, it’s going to be fun!” Simon insists, tugging Raphael along by the sleeve of his black knit sweater. “How can I believe you when you won’t tell me where we’re going?” Raphael demands, eyebrows raised.

“It wouldn’t be a surprise!” Simon points out.

“Yes, but I don’t mind that. In fact, I would much prefer knowing where you’re dragging me on Hallow-” Raphael begins, but stops when they round a corner and reach the end of a decent-sized line that’s leading up to a house down the block. There are flashing lights and smoke machines set up outside, giving it a much more eerie appearance than any building in the center of Brooklyn has the right to be. Every so often the sounds of screams can be heard echoing out from the house, though no one seems concerned by it.

“No,” Raphael says, shaking his head.

“You don’t even know-” “I know what a haunted house looks like, Simon. And I know they’re absurd.” “Raphael, please. Humor me. This is your first halloween as a-” Simon pauses, lowering his voice what can barely be considered a whisper. “-human.”

“Yes, I’m aware,” Raphael confirms.

“So let me show you how humans celebrate it!”

“I was human before, you know,” Raphael points out.

“Yeah, but that was ages ago,” Simon says, then winces at the pointed look from Raphael. “Sorry. Not that, you know, I’m trying to say you’re old or anything, just-”

“I know, Si,” Raphael cuts off Simon’s rambling. He considers the house in front of him, the eager expressions on the people in line, and the hopeful expression on Simon’s face before relenting with a sigh. “Alright, fine.”

Simon, after all, is Raphael’s biggest weakness at this point. Ever since Raphael became mortal again, Simon’s been on a mission to give Raphael the ‘full human experience’ of everything he’d missed out on in daytime activities, food, and normal traditions that, as a vampire, Raphael either ignored or actively condemned.

When you’re a literal Child of the Night, there isn’t time for haunted houses and trick-or-treating - not when you have a clan of vampires looking for any excuse to try and get away with a little mischief the second you let your guard down. He’s been in charge of others for so long that it’s difficult for him to come to terms with simply living his own life for himself now.

Especially when the time he has left to live feels so horribly limited.

They reach the front of the line and Simon pays the fee for the two of them to go in. It’s mostly what Raphael expected - loud noises and dark rooms with flashes of light timed just right to give glimpses of disturbing props or people in costumes jumping out at you, almost touching but never quite. It’s… better than he expected, if he’s being honest. This is different from the movies, an immersive sense of being on edge that’s quite impressive the longer he’s exposed to it.

Simon clings to Raphael’s arm more than once, pressing close against him and hiding his face at a scare or two, and that’s quite nice, too. It feels good to still be the stoic one, even now. It’s nice to know that even with such a fundamental shift of being human again, Raphael is still, at his core, the same person.

So he reaches out and takes Simon’s hand as they go from room to room, and places himself protectively between Simon and the more predictable scares, and tries to play it cool when he jumps along with Simon once or twice.

“I knew you’d like it!” Simon proudly declares after the first of several physical reactions from Raphael. Raphael’s instinct is to deny it and point out that an instinctive physical reaction that anyone would have means nothing, but he bites down on the words and gives Simon a fond smile instead.

“It’s better than I thought it’d be,” Raphael says, but it’s all he manages before a man with a (hopefully fake) chainsaw comes at him, cutting his words short as Raphael tenses and steps backward, pulling Simon along with him as they flee the room for the next area.

It isn’t until they’re back out into the fresh nighttime air that Raphael has a real chance to say anything about the experience.

“Well,” Raphael says. “You were right.”

“I don’t get to hear that often” Simon says, half-joking. “I’m glad,” he adds more sincerely.

“Me too,” Raphael admits. “You know, I wasn’t sure that retaining humanity was the right decision at first. I’ve known life as a vampire longer than I knew life as a human, even if I was relatively young as far as immortals go. I wasn’t sure I’d know how to go back.”

Simon considers this for a minute, lacing his fingers through Raphael’s as they start to walk back towards the apartment they share. “I don’t think it’s about going back. I think it’s about figuring out how to move forward, just like anyone else.”

“You’re surprisingly insightful when you want to be, you know,” Raphael points out.

“Don’t tell anyone,” Simon says, putting on his ‘fake serious’ face, lips pursing and brows furrowing. “It’ll ruin my comedic side-kick persona.”

“Your secret’s safe with me,” Raphael promises. “Thanks for tonight.” “Does this mean you won’t fight me so much the next time I have a great idea?” Simon asks hopefully.

“Unlikely,” Raphael admits honestly. “But don’t let it stop you from trying.”

“Never,” Simon promises. “Now, let’s see if we can catch the gang at the Hunter’s Moon before they close!”

Raphael doesn’t argue this time, allowing himself to be dragged down the street at a half-run, embracing Simon’s contagious enthusiasm for the night.

[pastelwitchling]

              The first time Alex had seen Michael’s scars, he’d lain the cowboy down on the bed and kissed the spots with a bare brush of his lips that had Michael’s head spinning.

              “You don’t have to,” he’d started weakly, too busy arching his back as Alex’s tongue swiped across his naked skin to finish the argument, the rest of his thoughts turned to fog.

              The scars had not come from a good place, and every time Alex caught sight of the faint pink marks, long-hidden beneath a smattering of chest hair, he held Michael like he was precious and kissed the marks until Michael forgot his own name, let alone any of the bad memories. Yes, the scars had not come from a good place, but damn it if Michael didn’t love the attention they brought him.

              No one else had ever known what to do with Michael’s injuries, what to do with the nightmares foster parents who had no business being foster parents had inflicted, what to do with Michael’s broken mind and broken body and broken skin. Maria had tried to get him to talk about it, like it would somehow bring them closer together, even though he doubted she’d ever know what to do with the information either. And while Michael knew it had come from a good place, he’d always felt pushed into something he wasn’t ready for and didn’t want. Alex didn’t force him to talk. Alex just kissed him and protected him and loved him.

              Alex shared pieces of himself that left him raw and vulnerable until Michael knew his own haunted mind was safe here, too. Alex, who never let the world in past the surface, let Michael in to his core. Michael wanted so badly to be worthy of that.

              “I love your body,” Alex murmured against Michael’s nipple, his hand drawing lazy circles in the trail of hair leading down Michael’s abdomen, nestling his fingers in the wiry hair between Michael’s legs and pushing an unsteady sigh past Michael’s lips. Nothing Alex ever said felt like consolation or sugarcoating, mostly because Alex didn’t seem to see the point in lying.

              If he told Michael he loved him, it was because he did. If he told Michael he was gorgeous, it was because he genuinely believed Michael was. Alex’s honesty was always a bit intoxicating.

              “I love your body,” Michael murmured, running a hand down Alex’s naked spine, too in awe of his perfect husband and his perfect back and his perfect shoulders to take notice of the way Alex seemed to whisper the words into Michael’s own skin.

              “You’re so beautiful,” he said, faintly kissing one of Michael’s ribs before moving further down. The setting sun peeked in through the drawn curtains, leaving a beam of light along the bed. It lit Alex’s hair and as Alex’s mouth closed over Michael’s skin. Michael watched as the sun hit his eyes and left a line of bright hazel and gold against the dark brown. His heart pounded as Alex slid further down, down, down. He slid a hand into Alex’s hair, heat pooling in his gut as Alex’s tongue licked a long line across his hip, his legs instinctively spread wide as his husband slid in between them.

              They’d been at it for hours, a rare lazy day when Alex hadn’t wanted to get out of bed in the morning and Michael had been all too happy indulging him. Then an hour’s indulgence turned to two, then three, and now they were nearing the evening, and it looked like they were getting ready to start all over again.

              Michael loved his life. Alex’s hands stretched up his body, fingers spread out to touch as much of Michael as he could. His fingers stopped at the scars, rubbing them softly until Michael was arching his back and begging for more of Alex’s tongue. Alex reached up only to pinch Michael’s nipples, his mouth closing over Michael’s cock and taking him to the hilt before he was lowering his hands back down to the scars.

              All the hate that put these here, Alex seemed to silently promise with every touch, I’m going to love you until they can’t hurt you anymore.

              Michael couldn’t take it. He couldn’t take the fierce, protective look in Alex’s eyes as he watched him, as he alternated between twisting Michael’s nipples and rubbing the scars, as he swallowed Michael down as eagerly as though he was always dying for a taste of him. His body damp and his chest heaving, he thrusted up into Alex’s mouth. Alex hummed, sending vibrations throughout Michael’s body that had his mouth hanging open.

              Michael grabbed fistfuls of Alex’s hair, thrusting with renewed vigor into his mouth as Alex continued to touch him in ways that kept him incapable of more than cursing and breathing Alex’s name. The heat in his gut turned hotter and hotter and hotter until Michael came without a warning, his body shuddering harder as Alex grabbed his thighs and pulled him in even deeper, swallowing him down.

              When Alex finally pulled off, kissing Michael’s thigh before he dragged his body up Michael’s, Michael found his eyes darker and hungrier than they’d been this morning.

              Chuckling lazily and out of breath, Michael wrapped his arms around Alex’s shoulders. “You sure you don’t only love me for my body?”

              Alex bit his lower lip as he grinned, wide and wild, before he grabbed Michael’s thigh and hitched his leg up around his own waist. Michael’s smile fell on a gasp as he felt Alex’s hard length press into his own, feeling, as he only ever did with Alex, like the sexiest man in the world.

              “Spread your legs,” he said in a voice like gravel, “I’ll show you how much I love you.”

              Okay, Michael thought dizzily, spreading his legs even further as Alex lined himself. For Alex, he really wouldn’t mind taking second place.

***

I honestly have no idea what this is. I was given the word scars, and this is what I got. Happy malex Monday ❤️