#hope everyone else is having a nice pride month

[sapphic-sprite]

I feel like all museums should give me a little LGBTQ+ discount during pride month. Especially if they have any kind of LGBTQ+ exhibit going on right now.

[fangswbenefits]

Obsession

Summary: Miguel tries to convince himself that his obsession with you was justified, but fails miserably as you spend the night over.

Pairing: Miguel O’Hara x spider-woman!reader

18+. Miguel POV. Obsessed and jealous Miguel. Inexperienced reader. Breeding kink. Sexual tension and frustration. Reader has nipple piercings.

Previous parts: 1 & 2 (you may enjoy this one separately, but might miss out on some context)

Miguel tried to convince himself that adding a mic to your digital suit was purely for safety purposes.

He really did try.

But he couldn’t keep from listening in when you first wore it on your way to the spider cafeteria.

He had just briefed a squad and was monitoring Nueva York through a multitude of hovering screens, as he stood on his platform.

Tapping quickly on the flickering surface, he was able to zoom in on you through the ceiling cameras.

You looked absolutely breathtaking.

The suit fit you like a glove and left little to the imagination. He was proud of his work. You deserved wearing something of his for everyone to see.

He saw you approaching a nearby table, taking a seat. In front of you were Jessica Drew and Peter B. Parker with Mayday who greeted you with warm smiles.

The sound of your voice echoed through the walls around him, as you extended your arms.

“Mayday! Baby! It’s so good to see you!”

The little girl broke into a giggle and began wriggling forward on Peter’s lap to reach you.

You promptly took her in your arms. “Did you miss me? Did you?” your voice was slight high-pitched and you wiggled your fingers, tickling her. “Oh, I have a present for her.”

“Really? That’s so nice of you,” Peter beamed.

“I don’t have it here, but I think she’ll love it,” you said, patting Mayday’s back lightly, earning a genuine hug from her.

Miguel felt his heart clench violently.

You were a natural with kids.

You were just too good to be true and he felt his hands clench tightly.

Would he ever be able to have you? To make you yearn for him? To breed you? To have children with you?

“Wait, is that a… digital suit?” Jessica’s voice cracked through the mic.

You had your back turned to him, so he couldn’t see your face, but he felt the warmth in your voice as you spoke, “It sure is!”

He groaned lowly.

There you were… his sweet girl.

“Who gave it to you?”

“Miguel,” you said with that tenderness he had grown to adore.

He could easily get addicted to you saying his name, and he could only hope that, one day, he might hear it a much more compelling setting.

“Miguel… O’Hara?”

You nodded.

From the screen he could see her exchanging looks with Peter.

“It looks really cool!” Peter smiled enthusiastically, inspecting your sleeves. “Wish he’d offer me one, too.”

Jessica chuckled. “Well, I’ve been here with him for months and he’s never given me one.”

Jessica…

It was to be expected. She was no fool. He had scouted her precisely because she was anything but that.

You had been recruited only three weeks ago, but the hold you had on him was tight. He had never felt this way before with someone else.

You straightened in your seat, as Mayday nibbled on your thumb. “Wait… do you think I should give it back?”

Miguel felt his heart jumpstart and panic build inside him.

“No — no! Jessica,” Perer shot her a glare who merely shrugged, before offering you a kind smile. “It looks great on you. Did you pick the colours?”

“Yes! I’m really happy with the final result,” you said, helping Mayday sit at the edge of the table, as you secured her with both hands. “It was his way of showing gratitute.”

Jessica snapped her fingers after taking a sip of her drink. “You’re helping him out with the portals, right?”

“We’re working on portal stabilisation and reduced motion sickness,” you said and he could almost taste the pride and passion in your voice. “We’re making some progress.”

Miguel had gotten used to the random erections you’d awake from him throughout the day. But this one felt particularly painful.

You were so smart and so devoted. He couldn’t even take credit for the progress, because it was mostly just you.

His sweet and clever girl.

He glanced down at the outline of his strained cock, clicking his tongue.

By the time his eyes settled on the monitor, Jessica had walked away momentarily and he saw Peter lean in.

“Hey… are you and Miguel… a thing?”

Miguel froze.

Mayday proceeded to wrap tiny fingers around some of his locks, tugging lightly.

He wish he could have seen your reaction.

“Oh! No! No… we’re just friends,” you quickly said, waving your hands rapidly. “He’s like a mentor to me, really.”

Anger flared inside him. A friend? A mentor? He knew deep down this made absolute sense, but it still made him seething with rage.

Peter didn’t seem all that convinced, but nodded. “Just wondering. He’s not usually this… kind?”

Miguel felt his fangs threaten to emerge as he gritted his teeth.

There had been nothing kind about him building you a suit. He hadn’t done it out of the goodness of his heart.

He wanted to claim you and this had been the easiest and safest way for now.

“Well, I know he’s a grumpy,” you chuckled with a shrug, as you patted Mayday on the back. “Maybe he’s changing?”

You wouldn’t want him to change. Not really. The level of devotion he had for you was unmatched and nothing you could ever have from someone else.

“Maybe you’re a good influence on him?” Peter concluded, tapping his chin. “As a friend, of course.”

“Peter….” he growled lowly.

“As a friend,” you nodded. “Besides, there’s…” but your voice trailed off.

His erection nearly immediately deflated as dread took over.

There’s what?

He turned up the mic’s volume, but winced instead, as you banged on the table.

You cleared your throat. “Well, gotta go! I have work to do.”

Peter took Mayday back into his lap and chuckled. “Don’t forget her present!”

“I won’t! Wish me luck, though,” you said, crossing your fingers as you started to walk away. “I really need these chips to stop blowing and melting on me!”

“Good luck! Say bye bye, Mayday,” Peter waved his hand, which the little girl promptly mimicked with a giggle.

“Bye, baby!” you beamed.

Miguel had had enough.

He switched off your mic with a tap on his watch.

He really had tried to convince himself that his obsession for you was justified. That is was rooted in more than lust and desire, but he wasn’t so sure anymore.

After you moved to Nueva York, he had you working closely to him on portal stabilisation.

But what had started out as something innocent, soon shifted into something else entirely.

Your company brought him peace and quiet, and ticket his brain just the right way to keep him motivated.

Until it didn’t.

Until you became his torment.

He had let you in his life in the hopes that you let him in yours.

The first time you gave him a boner was when he walked in on you in the lab, wearing nothing but a tank top and a pencil pressed firmly in between your lips, as you moved from screen to screen to check on the update progress.

The worst part? You didn’t even notice how utterly delicious you looked and how he could easily bend you over and take you right there.

No.

You just offered him a sweet smile.

One he hadn’t recovered from ever since.

“Miguel?”

He jolted as the voice snapped him from his torturous thoughts. “What?”

Lyla hovered nearby, eyeing him closely. “Fangs out,” she wiggled her index finger disapprovingly. “Pavitr and Hobie are waiting for you.”

His fangs retracted slowly as he tried to gain his composure back. “Why?”

“Mission?” she quirked an eyebrow.

Right.

“Now?”

“You’re already late.”

He growled, tapping on a few screens hurriedly.

“Oh, and Miguel?”

“What?”

The hologram popped near the screen to his left. “You might want to be more subtle when using her in-suit mic.”

He gave her narrow side-glace. “What do you mean?”

“Just saying,” she said, adjusting her heart-shapped glasses. “You’re not the only tech savvy spider here.”

The door to his apartment swung open at once, and he stepped inside ready to decompress from the tiresome mission.

He had made plans with some of your audio recordings and his hand, hoping that would be enough to easy the pent-up tension that had been looming over year throughout the way.

It was a less than ideal situation, but would have to do for now.

That was until he noticed his living room was lit.

Pacing rapidly he was met with you.

In the middle of a pile of papers and electronic components scattered around the floor, he saw you sitting cross-legged with a pencil danging from your lips, his digital suit clinging tightly to your body.

“What are you doing here?”

Your bead snapped in his direction and the pencil tumbled to the floor. “Miguel! Lyla let me in.”

He was rooted in place.

Had it been someone else, he would have flung them through the window with no warning.

But you weren’t just someone.

And Lyla wouldn’t have let someone else enter his apartment, either.

“It’s quite late,” he said, pacing carefully toward you as not to step on anything. “You could have called me.”

You waved a hand dismissively and held a circular metallic object in the other. “Catch!”

Before he could say anything back, you had tossed it in his direction, which he quickly grabbed in between his fingers.

“Found what was wrong with it,” you smiled proudly. “It was stupid of me, really. There wasn’t any thermal paste in it. That’s why it kept blowing up.”

Miguel stared at the chip in his hand and blinked a few times.

“I assumed you were using it from the start,” he said, inspecting the cross section.

You rose to your feet in an instant and joined his site, excitement spilling from you. “These ion batteries should not require thermal paste — not for this amount of energy, at least. But yeah… my bad,” you said, rubbing the back of your neck.

Miguel locked eyes with yours and felt a familiar tingle in his body.

Fuck.

You were just so ridiculously attractive, and he wish he could hear you ramble about tech and science for hours.

“This is really, really good news,” he said genuinely, handing the chip back to you.

He squeezed your arm lightly as encouragement, knowing fully well he should be rewarding you in other ways.

His sweet girl…

You darted back to the floor, gathering some papers. “Sorry for the mess. I just had to figure this out and couldn’t sleep.”

A scientist at heart, you were.

Blood began to rush to his groin in no time. It couldn’t be helped. His body had been so on edge to finally fuck you, that it was in this permanent state of arousal around you.

“It’s fine. I still have those moments,” he said softly, crouching to help you out. “Sometimes I can’t sleep, and I have to do something else.”

“Like what?”

“I either go to the lab, or…” I jerk off to the thought of being buried deep inside you, he wanted to say.

You eyed him expectantly, biting your lip lightly, further hardening his cock.

“Well, it’s a bit late,” Miguel eventually said, standing tall. “Maybe you should get back to your apartment?”

He hated himself for even suggesting such option, but he didn’t want to push his luck. You being here would be fuel enough for the rest of the night as he fucked his hand.

“Oh, you just got back from a mission,” you fought back a yawn, tossing your backpack over your shoulder. “I’ll just leave.”

Miguel nodded, but was crumbling inside.

Your face lit up again. “But this was great, right?”

Please stay.

“You did great,” he said with a short smile. “Go get some rest.”

Please…

You made your way down the hall and waved at him. “See you in the morning, Miguel.”

He should have let you go.

But something took over him, before he could fight it back.

“Actually, you could stay. It’s nearly four in the morning,” he tried to sound as casual as possible, but the excitement was hard to contain. “And we have to head back to the lab early.”

You turned around and he stopped breathing.

Too much?

Then he the backpack slide down your arm, hittingbthe floor with a thud. “Oh, thank you! I really didn’t feel like swinging back to my apartment,” you voice held pure gratitude and he felt his ego soar. “Only… I don’t have any clothes.”

He shook his head as realisation hit him. “Right. Wait here.”

“Okay~”

Bolting into his room, he went through his closet, fetching a shirt and a robe.

But before heading out, he decided to change into some sweatpants and a shirt himself.

His erection welcomed the looser material, and he’d be able to better conceal it from you.

Taking a final look at his cock, Miguel decided to give it a few pumps as if trying to calm it down.

He couldn’t believe his luck.

He couldn’t believe his sweet girl would be so close to him in his clothes and apartment.

And bed.

As he exited the room and handed the clothes to you, he cleared his throat. “You can take my bed.”

You looked up at him. “Oh… no, Miguel. You just came back from a mission.”

“I’m not that tired. Just take it.”

Please.

“Are you sure?”

“One hundred percent.”

Anything that was his was yours. He would give it all to you.

“Be right back,” you said, before disappearing into the bathroom, closing the door behind you.

He immediately sighed in relief, adjusting his cock, feeling the first beads of precum spill from the tip.

How was he to survive this?

Not long after, you emerged again.

He glanced over at the length of you, taking in the sight of his shirt and robe on you. Your legs were still covered with the digital suit, but you looked absolutely ready to be devoured.

But he couldn’t do it.

Not yet.

His cock twitched in his pants, yearning to be inside you.

Then something else caught his attention when his moved up your body.

It couldn’t be…

Two symmetrical protuberances poked through the fabric of your shirt — his shirt.

“Are those…” his voice faltered momentarily, not trusting his own eyes.

You followd his line of sight and giggled. “Oh! Yeah. Got them pierced way back. Wanted to defy my dad and got them out of spite,” you went on, adjusting the fabric of the shirt under the robe. “But eventually kept them. They look cute.”

Cute?

Miguel was at a loss for words.

Your voice mixed with your carefree posture sent jolts directly into his cock.

“I…” he swallowed the lump in his throat. “I didn’t notice them before,” he said, feeling his mouth run dry.

“I was wearing a bra,” you replied with a shrug and a tender smile.

This was almost comically painful.

You were the closest thing he had ever known to innocence as of late. Yet here you stood, wearing just his shirt, no bra, and with your pierced nipples poking through his shirt.

But none of that seemed to matter to you.

You were completely oblivious of how painfully hard he was for you.

“Did it hurt?”

“Terribly,” you said, still glacing down at your breasts and hardened nipples. “But I think it’s worth it.”

The adorable way in which you said it was almost driving him insane.

Just how innocent could one person be…

Before he could even process his thoughts, he spoke, “Can I…”

Your eyes met his and Miguel feared he had now fucked it up for good.

Brilliant, Miguel…

“Oh, you mean… you want to see them?”

Should he back down and just deny his intentions?

“You’ve never seen nipple piercings before?”

He shook his head.

Just as he was about to tell you to forget it, you lifted his shirt, revealing your breasts to him.

He nearly exploded right there and then.

“Oh, please!” she giggled. “We’re people of science, and you haven’t seen this before. Science is all about curiosity and discovery.”

Miguel, however, wasn’t listening to any of that and felt as though he was hypnotised. He could tear his eyes away from your perky nipples and the metal rods that went through them, a tiny spider danging from each of them.

He wasn’t sure when or how he had got so close to you, but he lifted his hand to touch one.

His cock twitched violently and he felt his mind hazy with lust.

“They’re cool, right?” you beamed, allowing him to swipe the pad of his thumb across the tiny spider.

“Yeah.”

Really ‘cool’.

More precum dripped from his tip and had to fight back his fangs from slipping out.

He wanted to bend over and dart his tongue out to play with them. He wanted to tug on them and wanted you to arch your back with a soft moan.

You pulled down the shirt again and he flinched his hand back instantly, swallowing hard.

“So… if — when you have a baby and want to breastfeed… will there be an issue?”

Of course his need to breed you had to surface at the worst possible time.

But he had to know. He needed to know if that would be a nuisance. He couldn’t take any risks and he wanted you completely ready to carry his children.

You shrugged, adjusting the robe around you. “I wasn’t thinking that far ahead when I got them, but I suppose I just have to take them out.”

He nodded, taking a few steps back.

You stretched out with a yawn. “Mind if I go to sleep now?”

“Of course,” he nodded.

You were about to whirl on your feet, but decided against it. “How do you say ‘thank you’ in Spanish?”

That caught him off guard and his eyes widened. “Gracias.”

Then you gave him the sweetest smile. “Gracias, Miguel.

He could cum just from this alone.

How he would teach you the filthiest things in Spanish… how he would whisper them in your ear, knowing fully well you couldn’t understand a word…

You then slipped into his room and closed the door.

He ran both hands through his hair, wanting to let out a scream.

The things he wanted to do to you…

The things you deserved done to you…

He brought one hand down to tug at his waistband, revealing his soaked cock.

Then he bit the back of his other hand.

Hard.

He didn’t even care if he drew blood.

He couldn’t take this anymore.

Engulfed with overwhelming frustration, he pressed his forehead against the tall window that overlooked Nueva York.

He had to calm down, or else he’d have to synthesise a serum to lower his levels of testosterone…

He had to find a way to stop.

As minutes ticked by, he decided to check your bio readings on his watch. Your heart rate had lowered significantly, indicating him you were now asleep.

The predator in him took control again and he paced towards his bedroom, opening the door just enough to check on you.

Fast asleep.

He walked in with careful steps, finally taking in the sight of you on his bed.

The floor-to-ceiling windows allowed for the faintest moonlight to be cast on you.

He felt his heart was about to implode as he drew near, slowly sitting by the edge of the mattress.

You lay on your back, breathing evenly and covered up to your waist with a blanket.

Miguel took a deep and shaky breath.

You smelled of him and his bedsheets smelled of you.

Such a powerful and dangerous combination, that he almost considered gripping his cock.

Bur decided against it.

Instead, he say there, staring at you, absorbing every single detail of your body.

His hand twitched as an itch took over it.

An itch he had to scratch.

He reached out to graze the back of one finger along your forearm, feeling your warmth coating his skin.

His sweet girl…

His imagination ran wild and he had hoped he could have fucked you to sleep, not sliding out of you, making sure you’d take his seed.

Pain swallowed him whole as despair settled.

What if he never managed to make you his?

What if you decided you wanted nothing more than a friendship?

How could he cope?

Suddenly, you flinched and rolled to your side and heaved a deep sigh. “Oh, Tom…”

Miguel was left petrified and his blood ran cold.

Who the fuck was Tom?

Part 4

Masterlist

[heartsofminds]

i'm calling just to hear you scream - part i

"She’s tried to be positive. She’s tried to be kind. She’s trying to be the peacekeeper, but all of that falls out the window when her brother is bitching out everything that fucking blinks and breathes and Richie has slung a sledgehammer into the wrong wall that needed to be knocked down." or Natalie gets fed the fuck up and hires a hospitality attorney before everything else turns to shit. 

a/n: i couldn't help myself at all and had to bite by trying my hand at writing for carmy! what can i say? i love men with trauma that need to be cuddled like newborns! please enjoy the beginning of enemies to lovers to enemies back to lovers fic with a workaholic chef and an overly empathetic attorney. angst is my brand! i hope you enjoy!

Being the peacekeeper of your family is never something anyone ever sets out to be. 

One day you’re normal and live blissfully with the rose-colored lenses of naivety tinting life shades of bashful blush and magnetic magenta. The next day you’re diffusing a spitfire scarlett dispute between your anxiety-ridden mother and impulsively crude older brother while simultaneously taming the balloon of battered blue tears your baby brother sheds who observes from the corner; scared yet somehow unaware of the emotions sucking the oxygen out of everyone. 

At first, it feels good. It feels nice to be appreciated and turned to in moments of darkness. Helpfulness defines your livelihood and gives you the nameplate of the gold star child who can never do any wrong and always finds a solution. But then you realize that is what you ever really are, and you’re both hated for your inability to let things sour and for always having an answer despite uncertainty plaguing every course of action. 

Being the peacekeeper of your family is both a Medal of Honor, worn with pride and graciousness, yet a bullet wound wielded by shame and agony. The tenderness and hurt push on it until you can hardly stand it; half expecting pus to be seeping out in pale yellow heaps because the pain feels so real. 

There are no exit wounds. There are no breaks. There is no humanity or personal identity or room for self-discovery. 

A peacemaker is all you will be and all you will ever accomplish, and you’ll never say it out loud but it’s fucking exhausting. 

Being the peacemaker is something Natalie Berzatto never fucking asked for, yet here she is, playing project manager to her haywire (and sometimes freakishly obsessive) baby brother’s blind-eyed throw of a dart that manifested itself in asking Uncle Jimmy for an eight hundred thousand dollar loan with the promise to have it completely paid back within eight months. 

She’s not one to rain on a parade, but it’s hard to keep marching when your entire life has been putting out the fires of overly ambitious business ventures during unmedicated fits of mania. She had seen it with their dad, with their mom, and with Mikey. Carmen is the last needle needed to complete the fucked up haystack that engulfs their family. 

She’s tried to be positive. She’s tried to be kind. She’s trying to be the peacekeeper, but all of that falls out the window when her brother is bitching out everything that fucking blinks and breathes and Richie has slung a sledgehammer into the wrong wall that needed to be knocked down. 

Natalie has never thought of looking into Botox until now; when her face is set in a permanent scowl and her resting heart rate nears triple digits. Pete had been telling her for the past three weeks that she was doing amazing; that this was an impossible task to complete stress-free, and that the stress was “good” because it meant that she cared. 

Sometimes she doesn’t realize that not everyone has a mom who drives the fucking car through the den during Christmas Eve dinner nor does everyone have a mom who moves all the furniture to the backyard before having to leave for their oldest brother’s high school graduation. Not everyone has an older brother who blows his head off and doesn’t leave a note and not everyone has a younger brother who would lose his head if it wasn’t attached to his body and had his mouth that was spewing hurtful insults by the dozen.

Stress does not mean that you care. Stress means that your eyes are staring at the fucking Sun trying to see where the other shoe is getting ready to drop because there’s always another disappointment and always another phone call to make to the pharmacy for more SSRIs. 

Needless to say, Richie calling Neil “lard ass” on an antagonizing loop after he had pointed out the wrong wall was being destroyed was the last straw. Well, that and the fact she found a new patch of white hairs colonizing on her hairline the other morning. Constant shouted insults, gray hairs popping up overnight, and the colossal secret of a new infant making its arrival into the chaos in October weigh heavy on her. And she absolutely cannot afford to lose her cool and become the kind of bitchy and mean she knows that she’s capable of. 

Your phone number sits inside the LED-lit text thread of a friend she had known in high school. Becca was the older sister of Claire Cantor whom her little brother may have or may have not had a pathetic crush on years ago when he was in high school. 

She feels kind of grimy doing what she is; offering up information about Carmy to Becca to give to Claire who apparently thought her baby brother was the bee's knees (which, if she saw the way he was acting right now, Natalie knows she would run the other way). She doesn’t even think Carmen has the capability to think of anything outside of the restaurant and the menu and how royally fucked they all are. 

She can feel the dull ache of guilt in her chest that comes with knowing how unlikely anything is to come from this, and how wrong she is for pretending like her telling Becca where he grocery shops or if he has a girlfriend or if he was currently looking for someone to date would somehow tether Claire to a world where her and Carmen are a “thing” (because apparently “boyfriend and girlfriend” is too permanent of a word for Chicagoan twenty-somethings to use). 

But she’s doing it for the sake of everyone else! It can’t possibly be as gross and low-lived as she feels it is. 

Becca Cantor is insufferable and can only be taken in small doses, but she’s also a big wig junior partner at one of the most lucrative law firms in Chicago. Natalie hates blowing smoke up people’s asses who don’t deserve it (and in Becca’s case certainly don’t need it), but she desperately needs help and knows that she needs to figure something out before she fucks herself in such a deep hole that she couldn’t attempt to unfuck herself if she tried. 

Your official title is “junior associate” and you had been working at Becca’s firm following your graduation from Northwestern’s Pritzker School of Law a couple of years prior. Becca had said you were amazing; freakishly smart, funny, and hardworking. She also mentioned that you were the best kind of junior associate; the ones that know when to shut the fuck up and when to get the fuck out of the way. The addition added before the text conversation ended was how you were looking to get your foot into the hospitality legal field, and how you were willing to do anything concerning that for free fucking ninety-nine if it meant you would have some experience. 

Natalie sits with her lower lip worried between her teeth and her hands one tick shy of shaking. Her heart beats erratically despite lounging on her couch with the lights off and a re-run of That 70’s Show playing softly in the background. She makes a mental note to bring up the high resting heart rate at her next OB appointment. 

It’s because she’s pregnant. Yes. It has to be because she’s pregnant. 

She shouldn’t be nervous. It would be absolutely ridiculous to be nervous. She’s not nervous. 

She already ran the idea past Sydney and she agreed that they absolutely needed a lawyer in their back pocket. With all of the tax records fucked beyond belief, new workers being hired who actually knew their worth and wouldn’t tolerate not having an actual employement contract, and the lack of permits under their belt currently, a lawyer wouldn’t hurt if getting one turned out to not be as helpful as anticipated. Besides, Becca had said you were doing it for them pro bono which in turn meant free fucking nintey-nine. 

But Natalie had lied to Carmen about how much some fluted cocktail glasses cost to ensure that they purchased the cheaper ones so that she could run the numbers and figure out a way to put you on the payroll. Pro bono or not, you’re doing them a huge favor and part of her can’t put the peacekeeping to rest. 

Her fingers type and untype a novel of characters. She can’t seem to relax her mind enough to articulate what exactly she wants to say. She has one shot to not scare you off and not lose her mind in a fit of fiery rage and not have everything turn to shit and it be her fault. She has to be perfect. 

Fuck. She is nervous. 

Hi! This is Natalie Berzatto. I’m one of Becca Cantor’s friends and she referred me to you. I’m working on opening a restaurant and would like for you to swing by and discuss some things about it if you’re open to that! Please let me know. I’m looking forward to hearing back from you soon! 

Nat’s finger hits the blue “send” arrow in the rounded box of her phone screen the same time she pushes a gag to the back of her throat. She used to work at a marketing firm for Christ’s sake. Cold contacting people isn’t anything new and she’s usually not one to shy away from reaching out to anyone in her personal life first. But she can’t help the fact that she’s never been able to swallow the artificial bubble gummy niceness of reaching out to a complete stranger for the first time. She feels stupid and knows that she sounds even stupider but tries not to think about it. 

Besides, keeping everything together is never easy and she knows that she would be selfish for letting her discomfort prevent her from doing what she knows is best. 

Her breath is stuck in her chest as she eyes the open text thread to an unsaved number; her blue text message staring at her menacingly and breeding contempt as the seconds pass. She gasps loudly whenever she sees the gray bubbles pop up beneath it. Pete pokes his head into the living room with a tea towel in his hand and one of the ceramic plates they had eaten dinner on in the other. His eyes wear concern but he knows better than to confront his wife. Natalie was anything but sugary sweet when she was stressed and the influx of hormones as of late have not been helping. 

You see the message as soon as Natalie sends it. The unknown “312” number finds its way into your notifications and your eyes read over the words in a frenzy. You know that you’re intelligent. You graduated from law school for fuck’s sake, but for some reason you absolutely cannot comprehend the text you’re reading. 

Firstly, you were sure Becca hated your fucking guts. She was a junior partner that everyone hated being assigned to because she pushed all her work onto the associates and nothing ever seemed to be good enough for her. Part of the reason you had to take work home tonight was because she sent you an email with enough passive-aggressive undertone to know that these edits needed to be done now; never mind the fact that the time she took to type out the seven and a half page report about the original report probably took up so much time that she could’ve done the task herself. But yet you replied kindly and have been working through your brain fog and finger cramps since arriving home at six in the evening five hours ago. 

Secondly, hospitality litigation was absolutely above your pay grade. You had taken one elective course on it during your 2L year and did a two-week internship before the start of 3L simply because one of your friends wanted to go on vacation and needed to find someone to cover for them. You know jack shit about hospitality law and you don’t even know why Becca Cantor, of all fucking people, would be so willing to recommend you when she couldn’t care less if you lived or died. 

But of course, you can’t say no. You can never say no, and if this Natalie person was desperate enough to reach out to you via text at 11 PM on a Wednesday, she definitely needed help and needed it now. Besides, you would tell her that you do not need to be paid and if whatever she needs proves to be way too advanced for you, you can always help her find an attorney that knows what they’re doing.

Right? 

It definitely doesn’t mean that you’ll pull an all-nighter and research every aspect of hospitality law in Illinois that you can get your hands on. . .Or look up every department dealing with food and management regulations in the state. . .Or try and look at precedent cases. Your firm gave you unlimited access to West Law. Might as well use it for something slightly more interesting than trusts, estates, and contracts. 

You’re unusually pensive for something you know you would love to do. The ongoing battle as of late has been the dispute between seeking joy and wading in practicality; happiness or falsified peace? 

You rub your eyes with a roughness that would make your optometrist cringe. You know that staring at your computer screen five hours after your contracted work hours ended was the culprit for your dry eyes, but the hours you need are not going to bill themselves. Getting up to get your eyedrops will have to wait.

Replying to Natalie cannot. 

Your fingers type and untype; the feeling of texting back an unknown number foreign and unnerving. 

Thanks so much for reaching out and thinking of me! I would love to. What dates and times work for you, and where would it be best for us to meet? 

The text stares at you on your phone screen. Why do you sound so. . . corporate? Boring? Infantile.

She could probably tell you don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about at all. The feeling of defeat rises in your throat but you ignore it and hit send instead. You’re trying to be better about that; letting your fear of uncertainty keep you from taking action. You’ve come to realize that the hard part isn’t doing the thing. It’s actually sitting in the aftermath of the “thing” and waiting for the rest of the world to catch up. 

You bite your lip so hard it begins to bleed and throbs with each pulse of watery blood that fills your mouth. The gentle suck you give it to stop the bleeding makes it partially numb. 

Fuck you, Becca. Fuck you, Becca. Fuck you, Becca. 

Natalie chirps when your text illuminates her screen. She gasps and sits up; startling Pete who had settled next to her after finishing the dishes. Her eyes curl up in the same way her lips do. 

Fucking finally. 

The world no longer feels like it’ll fall apart.

[bellawoso]

bags.

aitana bonmati x reader

desc: aftermath of falling for your bestfriend …. anddd its short and angsty at the start ☹️

shit. this was bad right? realising the longing glances you had been sending to your bestfriend were not strictly platonic. you dont think you would have minded this much if it was anyone else, but aitana was your closest friend, and a girl.

you hated it.

you hated the way your body betrayed your mind as your cheeks flushed red when aitana turned back around to give you one last wave goodbye.

you hated the way the rest of your drive home was clouded by thoughts of aitana, haunted by her sweet melodic voice which always was accompanied by a strong accent when she insisted she spoke english for you, which she had learnt just so she could communicate better with you.

did she learn it for you, only?

did she feel the same way? the thought disgusted you. if it was a one sided thing on your behalf then you could get rid of it quickly, but if she felt the same way? what could you do? aitana would never shy away from her feelings, always rambling on about embracing her sexuality and welcoming new feelings with love.

aitana would tell you, and if she did - god.

things would become real, you would have to reject her, though the thought of saying no to her made you tense up, would you be able to resist? or would you push her away, pushing away your five year old friendship with her?

even worse - what if you confessed to her?

the night after finals were ones to be celebrated with drinks and dances, even alexia ignored her no drinking during season rules for these nights.

you were the only one in the team not drinking, terrified that if you even looked in the direction of the ‘liquid confidence’ at the bar then it would fuel you to tell your bestfriend how you really felt.

except, what would you say? what did you actually feel for her? was it actually love, or just mere confusion?

does everyone feel like this towards their best friend?

hell - you didnt even know if aitana would feel the same way; thoughts of her leaving your house in silence ate away at you, forcing you to bury every romantic feeling you felt for her.

how could you not feel this way? after sleepovers that felt a bit too domestic to be platonic, and kisses on your cheek that lingered too long to be considered friendly, and the hugs where hand slipped lower than they should have between two friends.

———

aitana came round to your house a few days ago. each time she shows up uninvited you cant help but imagine this being what it would be like if she was your girlfriend, would you greet her with a kiss? a kiss between two girls.

you think you have gotten over the whole sexuality thing.

you spent an entire night last month doing those little sexuality quizzes, and after three hours of choosing the straightest answer for each question, you had actually started to choose answers that were real to you.

progress is progress right?

a week after that you went to a gay bar with your friend. you dont like to think about the part where you walked straight back out,

the next night you went back, forcing yourself to stay there, however you spent most of your night hiding in the toilets, too scared you would encounter someone from the team.

two weeks after that, you phoned your dad. he still lived in england, you honestly didnt know where this internalised homophobia came from, your dad always supporting pride movements back home in london. you could just blame it on a lack of exposure, but you werent really sure.

as you tried to tell him, your throat suddenly became dry and closed up, tears pooled in your eyes, threatening to spill as you spoke the words. it was the first time you had actually admitted it out loud; it felt nice.

aitana was moaning about her lack of love life again, you really hoped she hadnt noticed your glances at her lips, movie night went on, and as usual you fell asleep on your bestfriends lap. because that what bestfriends do, right?

———

the girls were at the club yesterday, mapi and ingrid joint by the hip as usual. you wish you were as comfortable about everything as they were.

you were sat down next to aitana when it happened, some man making a snarky comment about two girls being together, you felt aitana tense up next to you, you held her hands in yours, softly whispering in her ear that it was okay as alexia and irene berated this man about his words.

you excused yourself to the bathroom, needing to think for a minute. splashing your face with water as you looked in the mirror, muttering the words “your fine as you are” repeatedly to yourself, wishing that the more you said it the more it would sink in.

it never did.

a girl walked into the bathroom behind you, you recognised her as being someone that patri was talking to earlier, she looked confident and fearless, and you couldnt help but wish to be as content with who you were as she was.

locking eye contact with the girl in the mirror, she offered you a small smile which you returned with an excited grin, the new spark in your eye at the thought of going back to your bestfriend, as you were going to do something. hold her hand. kiss her cheek. you werent sure yet, but you knew it would just happen.

you rushed out of the bathroom back to the table, about to slip into your previous spot next to aitana, who was deeply engaged in a conversation with patri, alexia, mapi and lucy. until some drunk person knocked into you, causing you to lose balance and stumble onto your bestfriends lap, who gripped onto your hips to stabilise you on her lap.

now, it was common for people on the team to sometimes sit on their friends lap, but the wolf whistle from patri made you tense up as lucy laughed and joked that “you and aitana looked like a couple” you missed the blush coating aitanas cheeks and now only feared that your fellow lioness had caught onto your crush.

pushing yourself off aitanas lap and missing the newfound frown on her face, you rushed out of the bar, needing some fresh air to hopefully cool your face and regulate your breathing.

lucy followed you out, making sure you were safe by your self, and came to sit next to you on the curb.

“you alright y/n?” she asked, “do you really think me and aita looked like a couple” you questioned hopefully.

“it was just in the moment y/n, you were on her lap and her hand were on your waist, its no big deal, honestly, im sorry if it made you uncomfortable”

“no, it is a big deal, for me at least, i- i just, im confused, okay? im making myself uncomfortable because ive decided im into girls at 24 years old!”

lucy, to your surprise, didnt look too taken aback by your admittance “well that was the boldest coming out i think i have ever seen, but im proud of you y/n, okay? just know we all accept you.”

“i- i think i like aitana, but, does she feel the same? i dont want to lose her.”

lucy however, was distracted by something behind you, noticing the sound of the club door opening, you turned around to be met with aitana walking over to you two, lucy stood up, giving you a comforting nod as she walked back to the club entrance.

looking at your bestfriends face as she rambled about how stupid lucy and patri were, as you mindlessly played with the rings adorning her hands which rested on your lap.

except this time when you glanced at her lips, you knew if you two kissed then you wouldnt pull away, too in your thoughts to realise her voice trailing off. until you felt a soft pair of lips on your own, as she grabbed your jaw in her hand, tilting your face to how she wanted.

one of your hands went to her soft brunette locks, and tangled in her hair, playing with the short baby hairs at the nape of her neck.

when you two broke apart, you settled on resting your foreheads on each others, panting due to the restriction of oxygen.

until aitana spoke up “go on a date with me?”

except for the first time, you said yes to a romantic activity with a girl.

———

a year later

yourinstagram

♥️ liked by aitanabonmati, lucybronze and 29,857 others

caption: movie nights turned to living with you amor, happy 1 year 🤍

tagged: aitanabonmati

———

aitanabonmati: cariiii, te amo muchooo

-> yourinsta: i love you

-

lucybronze: no credits to me?

-> yourinsta: im telling leah on you

-> lucybronze: kid! for what?!

-> yourinsta: being annoying.

-

user1: they are so cute together

user2: friends to loversss

———

[silent-sanctum]

hiii mijin! hope you are doing well 💕 can i req a beach day with jotaro and the crusaders, y/n getting hit on, joot getting jealous, pol and kak clowning him, those shoujo anime cliche we all know and love 😂 thanks !

Hello anon! Your beach day request has been heard! Initially, I had this planned to only be at most 600+ words, but then I went ahead and found the plot to be... a lot more 😬 Also this takes place in an au where everyone survives post-DIO's World. Anyways, I hope you enjoy! ♡

Volleyball - Jotaro x Reader

word count: 2.2k

It’s been 3 months since DIO’s defeat and no one else deserves a break more than the Crusaders.

Everyone had time to recover from their injuries and although some had worse wounds than others, they still managed to make it out of the otherwise deadly voyage alive.

It was Joseph’s idea for the team to meet-up once more in a popular beach near New York-to hang out as friends for once rather than just allies or colleagues. He promised that any expenses in relation to this one-time hangout would be covered using the “good old Joestar funds” as the old man put it.

And since the new school year wouldn’t start until a month after, and that being around familiar faces was a nice experience, Jotaro wasn’t opposed into joining, more so after knowing you were going too.

Speaking off, a part of him held onto this ounce of pride when you and Jotaro decided to be something more than being “just close friends” and who would’ve guessed that this decision would be made in the middle of a mission to save his mother.

Now, not only is Holly alive and well but he also gained a new lover for her to dote on and gush with.

And whether it was conscious or not, you both stuck around for each other, often finding ways to meet one way or another. It felt nice to have you here with him no matter the place.

So having to hop on board a plane yet again and fly off to the States for a day or two wouldn’t be too excruciating when he knew you’d be there to make the sudden meeting a bit more tolerable.

Day after arrival, here he was- sitting underneath a beach umbrella in his dark shorts, drinking juice while watching his grandfather and Polnareff compete at a game of volleyball. You were there beside him in the shade, dressed in a loose blouse and shorts, applying sun screen as you attempted to convince him to play a game with the crew.

I’d rather be at home. Despite your many tries, Jotaro stayed stubborn and said he’d be fine watching you play with the guys. You didn’t push the offer again and after a sip of your citrus drink and a quick peck on his cheek, off you went to lead a waiting Kakyoin to the playing field.

And for the next few hours, it mostly stayed like this- Jotaro and Avdol resting underneath the shade, him watching the volleyball match with his Walkman in hand listening to music, the Egyptian reading a worn-out book that’s most probably from his archives, and the rest of the group out in the sun playing their 3rd round.

Throughout his time there, Jotaro kept his eye on the game and on you specifically, mirroring your excited smile and laughter with his more subtle lip curl and huffs. In an addition to having himself be yours, the relationship helped him negate all the passing girls who took interest in him and tried to approach him.

Not that he had a hard time ignoring them to begin with it.

What Jotaro hadn’t considered was the onlooking men taking interest of you, and the thought struck him square in head when as a volleyball match ended, one of the nearby boys- an American with a blonde mop of hair and tan skin- walked over to you all smiling and shit.

Normally, you conversing with someone with the opposing sex wouldn’t bother him this much, but the second he watched the guy offering you an ice cream cone bought from the nearby vendor, he could hear himself scoff and scowl. “Why’d you accept that?” He muttered, continuing to glare at the man consistently keeping up a lively conversation with you. “What are they even talking about this long?”

“Such an irritating sight that is, right?” Jotaro glanced at Polnareff coming over to be annoying and take part in this dilemma. Behind him, Kakyoin followed. Both of them crouched by the delinquent and joined him in watching you talk with a stranger. “Can’t be helped when she’s just as attractive as you are.”

“You didn’t seem to mind it when boys from our school approached her though,” Kakyoin said.

“It’s because I know they won’t risk meeting me when they think of trying,” Jotaro replied. “But I got a feeling that guys from here are more gutsy than in Japan.”

To hammer down on that point, the blond began to point to his biceps and not-so-subtly flexed them for you to see, and you responded with a calm, wide-eyed “woah”. Jotaro rolled his eyes, rubbing a hand over his thick bicep once. “Why not head over there then? If you’re this jealous?” Polnareff said.

“I’m not jealous.” Both the cherry-haired and Frenchman stayed silent, giving him a mere deadpan. “… Fine. Just a bit.”

“So go there and introduce yourself as her boyfriend in your-” Kakyoin gestured over Jotaro’s frame. “-punk delinquent-esque ways.”

“And you can’t judge us for poor advice anymore when Nori here upgraded from telling you how to do things to instead doing things your way!” Kakyoin nodded, bumping fists with Polnareff.

Jotaro judged them regardless with one vertical look-over at the both of them. “I still don’t trust any of your advises. Besides,” he sighed. “After knowing her more, I don’t think she’d like me suddenly walking there and getting possessive.”

“But it’s not being possessive when you’re establishing boundaries monsieur Kujo,” Pol said.

“Don’t call me that,” Jotaro scowled. “Also I don’t get why you two are always in my business. It’s annoying. Leave me alone.”

Not that his “threats” were effective against this duo, who simply shared a look with each other before replying. “What are you talking about? We’re buddies!” Polnareff chuckled, wrapping an arm around the raven-haired teenager. “Who am I to leave a pal behind to wallow in their own self-pity?”

“Also to be honest, it’s entertaining to see you struggle over stuff like this,” Kakyoin said with a smirk. That and paired with those shades he bought from Egypt just made him all the more smug. “Gets all the ladies but can’t handle one-”

“You shut-”

“Hey!” All three paused to look at you waving from a distance with that damn American and his friends still standing near you. “These guys want to play a round but Grandpa Joseph’s tapping out for the day. I’m afraid his bones have become too brittle-”

“No it’s not!” Said the groaning old man plopping down on the sand the moment he reached his and Avdol’s shared blanket. “I didn’t want to overpower those kids that’s all!”

“L-”

“We’re tougher than we look gramps!” The blond called out in return just as Jotaro was about to say something to you. And that didn’t help alleviate any increasing irritation boiling in him. “How about you guys?”

“Us?” Pol asked.

“Yeah! A friendly competition between us youngsters sound good?” He said, ball already in hand. “Just one set of 2v2!”

“I’m down-”

Whatever Kakyoin had to say about accepting the invite got cut off as Jotaro stood from his spot and walked over to your side with his hands in his short pockets. By the time you were beside him, the blond and his posse faltered for a second when they saw how much taller, built, and intimidating this supposed teenager from Japan was compared to them.

“I’m joining.”

You gazed up at him with widened eyes and a dash of pink to your cheeks. “Jotaro-ssi…”

“O-Oh for sure man,” the American cleared his throat, nervous as he looked over his shoulder to his friends. “How about you guys-”

“You chickening out?” Jotaro said in his characteristic blunt mannerisms. “You wanted to play volleyball, looked for a player, and now that he’s here, you’re passing the torch to your buddies?” From the corner of his vision, you crossed your arms facing them, more amused than pissed at his intervention.

He could spot the single bead of sweat dripping down the side of his face and his Adam’s apple bobbing as he tried to play off his cold feet with false bravado. “Nothing wrong than wanting to let my pals have a shot at a game, but since you’re asking for it,” he made show as he tossed and caught the ball. “It’s game on. Though I got to warn you, I have a nasty spike.”

“It’s true!” Polnareff yelled out from the sidelines. “I saw how he moves on the other net.”

Jotaro rolled his eyes and walked off to your side of the field. “Hey, do you even know how to play volleyball?” You said with a whisper. “You haven’t played once during our time here.”

“I’ve watched you and the others play this entire afternoon enough times for me to figure out how to do it,” he said with casual ease, glancing down at you with a shrug. “If a novice can beat an expert Darby at his favorite baseball game, then this will be nothing.”

“Well yeah but you know playing a video game is drastically different than playing an actual game, right?”

He huffed, unbothered. “Makes this better for me.”

With everyone in their respective spots, one of the blond’s friends served as the referee and starting from the other guy’s side, the whistle blew and the ball flew.

True to his word and his ability to study and adapt on the spot, Jotaro managed to keep up with you and his opponents on the playing field, exchanging the ball countless times without break. All the while, the Crusaders watched this one game like die-hard fans at the Superbowl.

It shouldn’t be that much of a shocker when he knew that both of you had physical advantages: Your lithe self allowing you to be more agile and nimble to traverse the court and catch the ball before it fell, while he had the strength and height to send the ball back to the other side, often times targeted to the edges.

And just as the timer was about to hit the 29 minute mark, Jotaro noticed the American get into a stance with a smirk plastered over his tan face. He cocked his head and rose a brow. The nasty spike I assume.

You sent the ball flying to their side and just as he predicted, the blond took over center field and leapt, arm reared and hand poised to deliver his so-called “nasty spike”.

His palm got into contact with the ball’s surface and with a clear smack, the ball was sent flying over to your side. But as he was about to receive, a glint of rose gold zipped past his vision and next thing he knew, the ball was up in the air as if it was caught mid flight to the ground.

One second glimpse at your knowing look, Jotaro didn’t hesitate to follow your footsteps. He leapt off the sand and rose his hand. In that split second, Star Platinum’s purple gloved hand enveloped his and upon contact with its surface, the ball practically launched itself at the American at a raging speed akin to an incoming missile.

The sand erupted in a loud boom, causing a shallow crater with plumes of sand flying off in many directions as the ball hit the ground. It rolled off the now-incapacitated blond stranger’s body.

His friends couldn’t even move nor make the effort to blow the whistle from the shock of it all.

Jotaro tongued the inside of his cheek, casually pocketing his hands back in his shorts as he glared at the American. “Nasty spike ,” he scoffed. “What a joke.”

You whistled, impressed as you looked down the crater. “You did a number on him.”

He reached over to grab your wrist. “Let’s get out of here.” With a gentle tug, you complied to his wish and followed him out the sandy court. He didn’t even bother meeting up with the Crusaders, who were equally stunned at what had happened.

“You’re not at all questioning why I’m not at all offended at you knocking the man out?”

“I’m questioning why you decided to cheat and use Sanctuary midway.”

“The game was ending in a minute anyways,” you said. “And I wanted to finish it off with a bang.”

“By letting me launch a ball at his face?” You smiled and nodded. “And you’re okay with that?”

“He’s a weirdo,” you grimaced. “His fetishes were showing when he said something about how exotic and pretty I was, and it pissed me off.”

Hearing that made Jotaro want to turn around to the guy for one more solid punch to the face. “But I saw you talking to him for that long.”

“Made you jealous, didn’t it?” You said, smug. “I lowkey wanted to bait you into playing a game with me by riling you up a bit, and for you to finish off that creep with what he deserved.”

“I wasn’t-” He bit his tongue, not finishing his train of thought. “I was a bit jealous and I’m glad I got to wreck that shit-eating face of his in the process, but can you not make me feel like this on purpose? It doesn’t sit right with me.”

“Duly noted and I’m sorry,” you said, eyes cast downward as you bowed your head a bit in sincere apology. “I’ll just tell you outright who and when to punch someone next time, promise!”

Jotaro paused in his tracks and with one good look at your determined sparkling eyes, couldn’t help but sigh and smile at you with uncharacteristic fondness.

“Yeah... I’d prefer that.”

[hellsbeenbettersincehesplit]

au where the clown pageant that Fizz quits during is about a month after the end of Season 1, and Charlie and Vaggie were in the audience. They saw Fizz quitting, and Charlie definitely took notice of Ozzie protecting Fizz.

(“Why the fuck are you two dressed like clowns?” Angel asks when they got back.

“Everyone else had merch, so I picked the nicest shirt,” responded Vaggie in her Glitz and Glam t-shirt.

“He was so nice to this one kid, and then he had that song!” Charlie responded while wearing a Fizzarolli hat.

“Wait,” Angel said in disbelief. “You two went to a circus for your date?”

“It was Charlie’s turn to pick the place,” was Vaggie’s only defense.

“It was actually a clown pageant!” Charlie clarified. “Vaggie’s missed so much of hell because I thought she was stuck here in Pride. It’s been three years, and she hasn’t even been to the harvest moon festival in Wrath!”)

And. Well. Charlie sees it, and she immediately thinks of Angel Dust. And if Ozzie could get Fizz out of his deal, maybe he could get Angel out of his. She was… pretty sure Lucifer was on good terms with the other deadly sins? Maybe? And she remembers how badly interfering with Angel’s work life without him wanting her too went last time, but she doesn’t want to get Angel’s hopes up for nothing, so she jumps to calling Ozzie anyway.

(“Let me get this straight,” the king of lust said. “You want me to get involved in overlord politics? No. No way. I stay out of pride for a reason.”

“I can pay?” She really couldn’t, honestly.

“Look, I know I’m the sin of lust, but I have a boyfriend.” And wow, Ozzie looked really happy to be saying that last part.

“And I have a girlfriend. I meant money.”

Ozzie sighed. “Look. I don’t know shit about sinner contracts, ok? If he sold his soul, nobody can just overpower their way out of that. If anyone could, it would’ve been Lucifer, and you’d have gone to him if he could, wouldn’t you?”

Charlie nodded, trying fruitlessly not to let her disappointment show.

“That being said, if you can get a copy of the contract, I… know a guy who may be able to find a loophole.”)

And then, somehow, Stolas ends up agreeing to go to the hotel and reads over the contract. You guys remember when Fizz got captured and he thoroughly read all that legal stuff? It’s that scene again, but at the hotel.

He also brings Blitzø for security. Blitzø meets Cherri Bomb at the bar while she’s waiting for Angel to be done with all the contract stuff. This is the start of a ride-or-die and terrifying friendship.

Anyway, I’m not sure if Stolas would find a loophole or not yet, but I do kind of think he would bc this is Val we’re talking about.

[coyotelip]

☆ second chance.

Regulus and James start dating in high school. 

They're each other's first. 

And Regulus... has expectations. James is an affectionate guy, he likes him in almost everything, so it makes sense that Regulus expects him to be just as good in bed. 

However, his lack of experience plays a role, after all, this is also his first time. On the good side, he really tries, he tries to cover his inexperience with his enthusiasm. But it only makes it worse for Regulus. However, he also tries to be a good boyfriend, so he doesn't tell him about it, but goes on thinking that they just need more time. 

And time passes. Months go by, and nothing changes. And Regulus expects them to just... fall apart on their own. Don't judge him, but back then he clearly didn't know how to talk about the problems, and chose to wait for them to disappear. 

James notices that Regulus doesn't take initiatives, refuses to go out with him, doesn't seem interested. So he starts a conversation that doesn't end well. Or rather, it ends with Regulus yelling and admitting to James' face that he's a complete loser in bed. 

And Regulus walks away, not knowing that he's leaving James with a trauma for many years. 

◇◇◇

James doesn't plan on getting into a relationship, not sure he'll ever recover from his first love, his broken heart, and his crushed pride. 

But Lily is here. 

Even as their friendship develops into a tender relationship, James doesn't allow himself to harbor any hopes that he'll ever sleep with anyone again. 

But Lily is here. 

James may indeed be an inexperienced loser, but in the hands of a caring girl he learns. He is a good student and she is a good teacher. No one is surprised that they marry three years later and have a baby two years later. 

And to everyone around them, this picture looks perfect, but James is constantly facing ups and downs, learning something new every day about being a good husband and father. 

But Lily is here. 

Lily's here while she's not. They just... fall apart of their own. After Harry is born, they have less and less sex, though everything else is just as perfect. Eventually, they just go back to their original phase, back to being just best friends. 

And then one day Lily comes back from the gym and says she's fallen in love. It's not cheating, she and this trainer are just talking, but every day she feels more and more. And James is only supportive and suggests she ask her out. 

Slowly, they work through the divorce and James finds a new place to live. 

◇◇◇

Regulus spends years searching for someone to stay close to and feel loved by. Unfortunately, all of his relationships end in one way or another. His partners only care about their own pleasure, the rich see him as a nice piece of jewelry, and the really nice guys just can't stand his temper. 

Over the years, as he watches Sirius find love and plan his wedding, it occurs to Regulus that the only one who really cared about him was James. And he hates himself for the times he didn't have the patience to stick with someone who really wanted him around. 

Now he realizes that this is all in the past and there is no chance that James will ever want to see him again. Regulus has heard about his family, his child, his beautiful wife. At first he was very skeptical about the news, but the pictures on the network and Sirius's stories convinced him that James had found his place. 

Regulus hadn't. 

An idiot who pushed his own happiness away. 

Sirius's wedding day is coming up and of course Regulus has to be there, so he prepares his best suit, gets a new haircut and sets himself up to have a few nervous breakdowns during the evening. Because that's exactly what you'll feel when you're surrounded by happy couples in love and Regulus is having a romantic crisis himself. 

And he sees James again. For the first time since they broke up in a fight. The last time he remembers James was in tears after Regulus crushed his ego and broke his heart. That time he thought he was pathetic with wet cheeks and begging him not to do this to him. 

This time he sees James again with tears on his cheeks. But they are tears of happiness for his best friend, tears of love for him. James doesn't look pathetic. He looks like a dream, just as tall but now covered in muscle. He's wearing his perfect suit, with mussed hair and beard, but it doesn't make him look dirty. It adds to his charm. it makes Regulus see him from a new angle and feel something he hasn't felt in thirteen years. 

Despite Regulus's fear, James does not react to him negatively. In fact, he greets him with a smile, asking how he has been doing all this time. They sit at the same table as the groom's closest family. They give each other their opinions on the food and other guests. 

Having been on hundreds of dates, Regulus doesn't remember any of them feeling like this, even though it wasn't even a date. 

Day turns into evening and into night, and they find themselves at the edge of a wedding venue. Both are jacketless, with loose ties and cigarettes between their fingers. The amount of alcohol they have drunk relaxes him and gives him the courage to lean in closer as they laugh and occasionally touch the other's shoulder. 

But he's afraid that at some point James will stop it. He has every right to tell Regulus what an idiot he is if he thinks their story doesn't exist and that the man will be willing to get close to him again after all this. James is definitely doing this out of politeness, not to ruin his best friend's big night. 

And James doesn't push him away when they share cigarettes. When they are among the last guests on the dance floor. When they help each other to the hotel and discover that their rooms are next door. James doesn't push him away when Regulus is so tired that he can't walk to his own room and falls on the man's bed, almost falling asleep immediately. 

James doesn't push him away, but holds him close, falling asleep in his suit as well.

[lovelettersfromluna]

You mystify me {Ellie Williams X Reader}

Summary: A new family moves in down the street from Joel, and Ellie just so happens to be home for the holidays. What better way to welcome the newbies than to drag his daughter to their house with a half burnt pie?

Warnings: MDNI, Smut, drug use (marijuana), afab reader, Ellie is horrible with feelings, slight angst if you squint?, Ellie is in college, fingering (r! receiving), scissoring, let me know if I missed anything pleaseee.

an: Hello angels! Welcome to my very first post, it's so nice to have you here. I will admit, I've been going back and forth with my first fic for quite a while now, but I think this may be the one. I don't mention any specific body types/skin tones/eye colors/hair colors/hair types, just to ensure that its inclusive for everyone to insert themselves into. I truly hope you all enjoy, and please feel free to give any tips or pointers for things you'd like to see change for the future. Love, Luna. p.s Happy Pride Month!!!

Word count: 6.7 k

Ellie hated the holidays.

She didn't want to sound miserable, or ungrateful, but she hated everything that came with it. She preferred times like summer or spring, where she could just go home for the break without having anything she needed to be there for. Those times meant she could just lounge around in her childhood home until her dad got home, and they could watch football and drink beers until they both passed out on the couch. No stupid holiday events to attend, no painstakingly long dinners to go to, it could just be them, with no distractions.

But no, the holidays made it painfully aware that those dreams were but a far off memory that she couldn't have for the next five months.

She was home for Thanksgiving break, back pressed up against the soft sheets of her childhood bed as she faced the ceiling, her eyes closed as she inhaled deeply. If she wasn't so miserable over the fact that she was in fact home for the holidays, the scent of warm apples and cinnamon would have caught her attention.

Wait...apples? Cinnamon?

She frowned as she sat up, her soft brown locks brushing against her forehead and cheek bones as she shifted a bit. The kitchen at her dads place went pretty much untouched, seeing that neither of them were great in the kitchen at all. Ellie was raised off of cheap takeout and boxed Mac and cheese, and truthfully she wouldn't have it any other way.

Ellie got up with a low sigh, adjusting the grey hoodie that hung on her skinny frame before she made her way downstairs to the kitchen. The old floorboards creaked underneath her sock clad feet, reminding her of all the times she'd slipped and fallen on the godforsaken floor before.

When she got downstairs, the image of Joel in an apron made her furrow her eyebrows in confusion. He was mixing something in a bowl, his narrowed eyes darting back and forth between the oven and a small timer he had placed next to him on the counter. The sound of the floor creaking caught his attention, and his head shot over towards the direction of his daughter.

"Was just about t'call you down here...need your help with this..uh..." He groaned softly as he motioned towards the cook book he had propped up against another spare bowl he had.

Ellie snorted softly as she pushed herself off of the wall she was leaned up against, watching her father struggle in amusement before she hummed, bringing her attention to the cook book. She squinted a bit as she leaned in, eyebrows furrowing, looking far too similar to her farther before she nodded.

"Apple pie?....Since when do you bake old man?" She teased gently, looking down into the bowl he was mixing. She had to admit, whatever he was working on didn't look half bad. She wasn't exactly an expert, but she had gotten stuck on the cooking channel far too many times when she was too high out of her mind to switch it to something else, and whatever her dad was working on looked....like he was doing something right.

"I don't....not usually at least..." He grumbled out softly, giving the contents in the bowl one last good mix before he squinted at the cook book once again, sighing before he placed the bowl down. He gave the timer one last look before he walked over to the oven, opening it and pulling out the golden pie crust.

"Need you to go and get dressed, you and I are going out" His eyes are focused on pouring the contents into the pie crust, which Ellie had figured out was in deed the pie filling. Ellie frowned as she watched her father work on the pastry, her arms crossed over her chest as her eyes darted up to look at him.

"What? I thought...I thought we didn't have anything to do this week. We were supposed to watch the game tonight, remember?" She practically whined out, sounding far too much like a small child who was not getting their way. This made Joel chuckle softly, because for a moment it reminded him of Ellie when she was much younger, his little soldier.

"Didn't say we weren't watchin' the game kid...just not watchin' it here" He hummed out before he finished filling the pie, and pushed it back into the oven. He took his apron off, hanging it on the handle of the pantry door as he began cleaning up the monstrosity in the kitchen that had came about through his adventures with baking.

Ellie on the other hand, was fuming.

She had a strict 24 hour warning policy before she had to go anywhere, and it was especially important for this policy to be withheld during the holidays. She needed time to prepare, to put herself in the headspace of socializing for the night before actually doing so. It was like she had to charge up her social battery longer than usual for things like this, and it sort of hurt her feelings to think that her dad would disregard that.

Especially when she was under the impression that he felt the exact same way that she did in instances like this.

But instead, he was happily baking a pie for god knows what, with his silly little apron as if he were Martha Stewart herself, and to be quite honest, Ellie was a little pissed off.

She let out an annoyed huff as she circled around Joel, who was leaned up against the sink washing the last set of mixing bowls and measuring cups. She stared at him with pleading eyes, as if begging him to cancel on the ominous force that was pushing them out of their home for the night.

"But you never even said anything about leaving tonight...I...Im not going to Shirley's house again. Her kids look like they fucking bite and her food sucks" She breathed out, causing Joel to laugh softly.

'No. no...I know you're not too fond of her El...." He hummed softly as he turned off the sink, grabbing a nearby towel and drying his hands. He began walking off to his bedroom, to which Ellie promptly followed behind, clearly not done with her whining.

"Then where are we going?" Ellie asked once again, the tall girl leaned up against the entrance door to her fathers bedroom as he disappeared in his closet, most likely changing into a suitable flannel shirt for whoever it was that they so desperately needed to visit for the night. "We've got new neighbors down the street...caught em' movin in when I was comin' home from work last week"

Joel's words made Ellie frown even further, and her eyes trained on him as he moved around the room, grabbing different things from his dresser before moving to the bathroom to continue getting ready. "And? What does that have to do with us"

A low sigh could be heard from the bathroom, the tone in Ellie's voice already letting Joel know that she would not be letting this go without a fight. "It's nice to be neighborly, kid. Plus, it's the holidays....least we can do is bring them somethin' nice". His words were a bit muffled by the towel he pushed up against his face, most likely freshening up a bit. Ellie rolled her eyes, pushing herself off of his door. She was annoyed, she wanted to spend time with her dad, and not some strangers. She knew that moments with him during the fall and winter months were sparse, so she looked forward to them more than she did usually.

She knew there was nothing she could do to convince him to cancel, or to even avoid all of the formalities and let her deliver the pie. And by deliver, she would most definitely drop it at their door step with a sticky note that read "From Joel and Ellie down the street", a sorry excuse of a welcome, but enough so to get the message through to them.

So, she simply turned around and shrugged her hoodie off, stomping her feet against the wooden stairs a bit too loud for comfort to change into something a bit more sensible.

"Your pie is burning by the way" She called out before she slammed her door and promptly began rummaging through her messy closet for clothes.

And thats how they ended up here, at your doorstep with a half burnt pie held between Joel's old, scarred hands. They didn't leave without a small argument, Joel scolding Ellie for giving him a hard time, complaining that she was the one that made him screw up his timer. Ellie would never admit it, but she secretly hoped it would push her dad to cancel last minute.

But it didn't, and she was standing next to him with her fists shoved in her pockets. The fall air had been growing colder and colder with each passing day, and her mouth was already opening to let out another string of complaints to her father about how "fucking cold" it was and that this was "really stupid".

But before she could, you were opening the door. A bright smile splayed across your plush lips that were painted the prettiest deep berry shade. You're shirt was the exact same color, a corset style top that hugged your mid section perfectly, black lace peaking out at the edge of it near your hips and at the top of your cleavage, a simple pair of blue jeans that hugged your hips and ass deliciously, and a tiny blood red heart hung on a thin chain that was around your neck, falling right between your soft tits.

Ellie blinked a few times as she stared down at you, her throat practically closing up, any slick complaints she had ready to fire at her father had died down the second she laid eyes on you. She couldn't stop her eyes from shamelessly traveling down your body, taking in every aspect of your outfit, which caused her cheeks to burn red.

A soft gasp from your lips cut right through her racing thoughts, and you were looking down at the pie that Joel held. "Mr. Miller, I didn't know you baked. This looks amazing!". Despite the state of the pie, you words were genuine, quickly taking the pie from the man and stepping aside so the both of them could step in.

"Your dad mentioned you liked apples...had a few I needed to get rid of....where is he by the way?" Joel mentioned casually, a low chuckle leaving his lips as he thought about the fact that he did in fact make a specific grocery trip just for all of the ingredients for the pie in the first place. He shrugged his coat off, to which you quickly put the pie down in the kitchen before rushing back to the both of them.

You took Joel's coat from him before having it up on the rack. "He's trying to fix a light in the living room, he might actually need your help" You sighed out, watching as Joel nodded before giving Ellie a look, silently urging the girl to introduce herself before he set off to find your father.

You gave her a sweet smile, extending your hand for hers as you gave her your name. "You must be Ellie, my dad said Joel mentioned you when they met the other day. Im really glad you came"

Ellie froze as she looked down at your manicured hand. Your nails were black, and short, painted almost perfectly, a few rings perched on some of your fingers. She swallowed nervously, nodding slowly before she brought a cold hand up to shake yours. "Yeah...yeah im Ellie..." She mumbled out, hating how fucking good your warm hand felt wrapped around your smaller one.

You furrowed your eyebrows a bit at her strange behavior before you nodded slowly, letting go of your hand as she began shrugging off her brown leather jacket. You smiled sweetly, stepping closer to her as you held your hands out for it "Here, I can take that".

Ellie looked down at your hands before looking back into your eyes, her breath hitching in her throat before she nodded slowly, shrugging off her jacket and handing it to you. You gave her a reassuring smile as you hung it up, her eyes following you the entire time shamelessly.

"I don't know about yours, but my dad hasn't stopped talking about you guys coming over all week. I was really happy when he told me Mr. Miller had a daughter, I'd be miserable if I had to listen to them talk about building a deck or mowing the lawn" You huffed out, smoothing down the leather of Ellie's jacket as you hung it up. You turned around, giving her a smile before you nodded your head towards the kitchen, "Well, we might as well head in there, not that they notice us being gone, they were outside for almost an hour when we were moving in" You giggled softly at the memory, trying to ease some of the tension in the air.

Ellie on the other hand, didn't want you to stop talking. The sweet melody of your voice was making her forget all about the irritating rage that was screaming for attention in the back of her head, counting down the minutes until she could leave your house. Now, it was like she couldn't get enough of being in your warm home.

"Tell me about it, he spent the entire afternoon on that damn pie" She sighed out, her hands taking their usual spot in her pockets. You giggled softly, making Ellie's chest burn with pride.

"Is it just you and your dad by the way?" Ellie asked softly as she looked around in your home, looking for any trace of information that revealed any other family members that you may have. You nodded your head as you began walking to the kitchen slowly, leading her behind you.

"Yep. My mom left when I was a baby, so it's been him and I for as long as I can remember" You nodded to yourself, thinking back to your childhood growing up with a single dad. Ellie couldn't ignore the wave of panic wash over her when it began settling in. You were living there now, right down the street from her. You weren't just a hot girl that she could embarrass herself in front of one time and then never have to see again, you were permanent.

Your conversation was cut short once both Joel and your dad caught sight of the both of you walking into the dim kitchen. "There you are, thought you two got lost", your fathers words made you giggle, and you shook your head as you made your way into the kitchen. "Just getting to know Ellie, dad. You had your turn getting to know Mr. Miller, remember?" You teased playfully as you pulled out various dishes from the oven that you had been keeping warm.

Ellie watched as you moved everything to the table, her eyes going wide at just how much you were putting out for them. "Did you make all of this?" She asked quietly in disbelief, to which you nodded with a shy smile on your lips.

Your dad and Joel moved to stand in the kitchen near Ellie, "She takes care of all the cooking, no matter how much I try and help" Your dad chuckled softly, causing you to roll your eyes a bit. "You're just no good at it dad...plus, I don't mind it" You hummed softly as you set the table, stepping back and making sure the placements were enough before you nodded to yourself. "if you two are done talking light bulbs, we can eat".

Ellie couldn't believe she was admitting it, but dinner went well.

She spent the entire night quietly munching on your delicious food, and watching you. Her heart would beat a little bit faster every time you noticed, and gave her a sweet smile, which made her brain short circuit for a few minutes before she smiled back. Both her dad and your dad went back and forth all night about work, their latest projects, and bragging about the both of you.

"Ellie does great in school, she's just started her second year over at UEC" Joel casually bragged, causing Ellie to groan softly. She hated when he did it, regardless of the fact that she knew it came from a place of love. He was always eager to gloat about how smart his daughter is, how much she had achieved and how proud of her he was for it.

Your father raised his eyebrows at Joel's words, the excited expression written all over your pretty face too clear to go unnoticed. "No way, I start my first year in the spring" You smiled excitedly, to which Joel gave Ellie a gentle nudge.

"Would'a look at that, you'll have to show her around, won't you Ellie?". Ellie licked her lips, cracking a half smile as she gave a slight nod, allowing the rest of you to fall into friendly conversation. The familiar sense of panic settling in on her again. Not only would she have to see you every time she was at her dads house, but you would also be fluttering your way around campus. She could only hope she would be able to fly under your radar at least a little bit.

Once you were all finished with dinner, both your dad and Joel had made their way onto the back porch after you had shooed them out of the kitchen, insisting that you and Ellie had everything handled. That's how you found yourself in your current situation, which was Ellie drying the washed dishes, and handing them to you so you could put them away to their correct spots.

"So, how do you like UEC?" You hummed softly as you pushed the last plate into the cupboard. Ellie raised her eyebrows at your question, drying her hands with the towel she had before she hung it on a nearby rack. "UEC is good....pretty chill if you ask me....although im not the greatest person to ask. I only really go to and from class before going back to my apartment and crashing" She mumbled out all too truthfully, which caused you to giggle. "I feel you...im honestly not looking forward to picking up after the break and moving into my apartment."

Your words set off a lightbulb in Ellies head, and before she could even stop herself, she was speaking again. "I could help you move in if you want...Im pretty good with...boxes" She mentally kicked herself for how fucking awkward she sounded, but the excited twinkle in your eye made up for it.

"Really? I mean...you seriously don't have to but...it would mean the world if you did". The soft tone of your voice had her practically swooning, her tongue darting out to lick her lips before she gave you a firm nod. "Yeah, yeah...it's no problem at all. It'll problem even get me out of holiday stuff anyways so...more than happy to" She breathed out.

You smiled excitedly, nodding quickly before you were pulling your phone out of your back pocket, and pushing it towards her. "Here, put your number in. We could hang out or something before break is over". You gave her a reassuring nod before gently pushing your phone towards her once more. Ellie didn't hesitate to type her number in and save it for you.

And no more than a week later, you two were texting every day. Ellie truly could not remember the last time she had been so obsessive with texting someone, the girl always leaving her phone on her bed for hours and ignoring almost every notification that came through to it, either too lazy or too tired to give it any attention.

But now, now she couldn't go ten minutes without rushing to her phone to see if you were messaging her back. Either replying to the stupid TikTok you sent her, or asking her opinion on what outfit you were wearing that day, her phone was glued to her hand. Joel picked up on it rather quickly, the usual whining and huffing that emitted from his daughter every time they had to go somewhere had come to an end, her phone pacifying her completely. He had asked about it one day, curious as to what it was exactly that had her so enamored practically overnight. He received a small mumble of your name, to which her simply smirked and never asked again.

It was another boring Tuesday morning at home, Ellie lounging around her house while her dad was at work, texting you of course. She whistled to herself as she finished making her coffee, until the familiar ding of her phone caught her attention.

ellieeeeee

hm?

whatcha doin today loser

She caught herself smiling softly at your messages far too often

nothin, dad's at work. wbu?

hmmm mine too

wanna come over nd smoke?

Ellie felt herself freeze once she read over your message. In fact, she found herself reading it once, twice, three times, just to make sure she was reading it correctly. It had already been a week since she had been at your house for dinner, and not a day had gone by where she didn't think about you, but she was ashamed to admit that she had been avoiding seeing you in person. She had done a great job so far, finding easy ways to circle around your attempts at bringing it up, but this had been the first time that you outright asked, and she was freaking the fuck out.

And fuck, it wasn't even because she didn't want to, of course she wanted you. She had bee texting you every day since she met you, it was just that...Ellie became so fucking stupid around pretty girls, she always did. She preferred to avoid it if it wasn't in a party setting where it was easy to pretend she was someone she wasn't. But she would be with you, in your home, in your room, and it was pretty damn hard to pretend when it was that....close.

um or not

if ur busy its okay dont worry :P

The next string of messages that came from your end had her panicking, and she knew if she was going to make a decision, she had to make it quick. She inhaled deeply, her thumbs still hovering over the screen of her phone, before she began typing.

nah sorry

not busy today

I can come over now?

plsssss

come come

Ellie let out the breath she had been holding, the air coming out as a loud exhale once she read your responses. She sighed, looking at the time on her phone before she groaned, peeling her body off of the counter and making her way upstairs to get dressed.

Before she knew it, Ellie was at your door.

Her tattooed hand rapped at your door, inhaling the cold air deeply as she promptly brought her hand back to the warm pocket of her jacket. She sighed out, looking down at the little 'welcome' mat that she stood on. She was positive any homey touches were of your doing, and something about that made the corner of her lips tug into a small smile.

When you opened the door, the warmth of your home was wafting onto her freckled face, causing her to audibly sigh in relief. You smiled excitedly up at her, face far too happy and fresh to belong to someone who had been texting Ellie up into the wee hours of the night prior. You quickly grabbed her arm, tugging her inside and out of the cold before you closed the door behind her.

You exchanged little words, eagerly pulling her jacket off and putting it on the same rack that you had the last time she was there. She chuckled softly, looking down at you with a raised eyebrow. "Woah, slow down...your practically bouncing off the walls" She chuckled out, which prompted you to huff softly.

"Are you kidding me? You're the first person im hanging out with that isn't my father, you're lucky im not jumping your bones right now" You giggled softly.

Ellie was secretly hoping that you would.

You gave her a moment to gather herself before your hand was wrapping around her wrist and dragging her up to your bedroom, your lips going a mile a minute about all the things you wanted to do with the day that you would be spending with her.

Your room looks exactly like Ellie imagined it would.

She figures that deep, maroon, berry shade might be your favorite, because it's everywhere. It's the color of your sheets, and your curtains, and you managed to only choose band posters that matched with that dark aesthetic as well. Your room smells like you, like vanilla and violets, mixed with the strawberry candle that you had burning. Its warm, and inviting, and it feels like you.

Ellie finds that it's her new favorite scent.

You hummed softly as you crawled onto your bed, turning around so you were laying with your back against your pretty pillows. Ellie thinks she's died and gone to heaven at that point, because your hair looks so pretty splayed underneath you, and your eyes look so dreamy looking up at her, and your cotton shorts are hugging your thighs so well, and-

She realizes you're talking to her, and she hasn't heard a word you've said, because she is gawking at you.

"Huh?"

You giggled softly as you sat up, crawling over to the edge of your bed and grabbing a black box with dark red roses and tiny stars painted all over it. You pull out a neatly rolled blunt, which is of course rolled with none other than rose petals. She laughs, watching in awe as you bring it to your lips, perching it between them before cupping your hand around it, and lighting the end.

Ellie doesn't think she's ever been more jealous of a fucking blunt before.

You sighed softly, crawling over to your window and opening it up before you blew the smoke out, passing the blunt to her before you moved back to your spot on the bed.

"I said, come sit with me. You look like you're gonna cry" You giggled softly, smiling once she took the blunt from your fingers.

She stared down at the girly looking joint, sighing as she shook her head.

She brought it to her lips, taking a deep inhale before she moved to lay next to you on the bed. The heat filling her lungs cleared her head, and in an instant she was already feeling more comfortable around you, less scared of the fact that you'd think she was a fucking pervert or something.

"Girliest fucking blunt I've ever seen man..." She breathe out, smoke clouding her features as she blew out. You scrunched her nose at her words, taking it back and bringing it to your lips. "S'not girly...just..tastes better than regular papers...plus, its way better for you" You nodded to yourself, moving up the pillow and getting in a comfortable spot next to Ellie.

Ellie rolled her eyes, taking it back from you as you both feel into a comfortable conversation.

Ellie isn't totally sure when it happens, but within an hour, you're both high out of your minds.

You were a giggling mess, finding anything that left Ellies lips to be comedic gold. Your legs were splayed over hers, and she had her hand on your thigh, massaging and squeezing the skin ever so often. You'd be lying if you said it didn't feel good, her hands were so warm, and so big, you wanted them all over you.

Once your laughter died down, you hummed softly. Your hazy eyes traced her features, heart fluttering at how fucking pretty Ellie was. It was clear to you that she was pretty when you first saw her, but her hands on your thighs, and the fact that she was sitting on your bed, looking good enough to fucking eat, it was smacking you right in the face.

Your hands traced her tattoo gently, fingertips leaving feathery touches on her skin. “This is pretty…when d’you get it done?” You hummed out, scooting a bit closer to her.

Ellie hummed softly, welcoming your new position closer to her as she let you position your legs closer on her own. “My ex did it for me like a year or two ago..”. The squeeze on your thigh had your heart fluttering, a soft hum leaving your lips as you continued tracing along the intricate patterns of her tattoo.

"You still talk to them?" Your words were breathy, sounding desperate and needy in your head. To Ellie, you sounded dreamy. Your words were light an airy, and she found herself counting down the seconds until you'd speak again, wanting so badly to hear those pretty words fall from your pretty lips.

She shook her head, her eyes focused on the way your lips were swelling up from how often you bit them. "Not anymore...not talking to anyone right now.." she hummed out, giving your thigh another squeeze.

She felt like she had to let you know that there was no one on her mind right now, not when she was in your room, with your legs splayed over hers, squeezing your thighs with every word that she spoke.

Your eyes twinkled a bit as you stared up a her, swallowing down the whine that was stuck in your throat. Your thighs were on fire underneath her long fingers, your mind clouded with a thick fog that made it hard to see past any better judgment. Ellie was in your bed, touching you and making you feel so nice, and she was telling you that she wasn't talking to anyone.

The cloud fogging your brain wasn't thick enough to distract you from how badly you wanted Ellie, your teeth nearly broke the skin of your lips with how much you were biting down into them, the overwhelming need for the girl nagging at your brain with every passing second.

You decided you didn't want to ignore it anymore.

Without another thought, you were crawling onto Ellies lap, your thighs straddling her waist as you pressed your chest against hers. Ellie let out a shaky breath once she noticed that you were moving, fully expecting you to get up and go to the bathroom or something, and not at all to settle your ass against her lap. Despite her surprise, her hands immediately went to rest on your hips, giving them a gentle squeeze as she stared into your eyes.

"Fuck..." She breathed out your name, her words coming out mumbled as she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. You let out a soft sigh, your fingers going to her neck to toy with the soft ends of her hair as you stared at her lips.

"Is this...okay?" Your words were so soft, barely above a whisper. Ellie felt her core throb at your tone, wanting nothing more than to wreck you completely, turning you into a babbling mess underneath her. Her nod was eager, probably too eager but she didn't have enough in her to even care at that point. Her hands were pulling you closer to her body, desperate to feel more of you. "Fuck...yeah...yeah this is more than okay...Jesus..." She mumbled out quietly, causing you to giggle.

You nodded, humming softly as you studied her face. It was nice to see her this close, taking in all of her little freckles, the little wrinkle in her forehead, you were close enough to even hear the way her breath quickened with you perched on her lap. "Can I kiss you Ellie?..." Once again, your words were soft, and gentle.

Ellie felt like she was going to lose her fucking mind.

She let out a low groan before her lips were pressing against yours, a soft moan leaving your mouth once you finally felt her against you. The kiss was needy, and heavy, and messy and breathy, and it was everything Ellie wanted from you. You simply let her in, letting her kiss you however she wanted, touch you however she wanted, and that stirred something deep inside of Ellie.

Your little whines and whimpers egged her on to do more, touch you more, feel you more. Her long fingers were slipping underneath your t shirt, massaging the skin of your hips as she pulled you in closer. The sounds that bounced off the walls of your bedroom were filthy, low groans and moans and Ellie, breathy little whines from you, and the wet sound of you tongues rubbing together all came together to make the sweetest symphony that was strictly for the two of you.

Your thin shirt did a terrible job at keep your hard nipples discreet. Ellie moaned at the way your tits felt pressed up against hers, and it made her want more.

She broke the kiss, her breath heavy as she pulled your t shirt over your head, and tossed it somewhere else within your room. She sucked in a harsh breath once she caught sight of your pebbled nipples. She immediately pushed you back to lay down, slotting herself between your legs before her wet mouth was wrapped around one of your nipples, and her other hand was rolling the other between her fingers.

Your mind was fuzzy, and she was making you feel so fucking warm. The feeling of her skilled mouth flicking your nipple back and forth with her tongue made all of the blood in your body rush to your core, your pussy throbbing underneath the constraints of your shorts. You whined, your hips moving against her body, desperately searching for some form of friction as your hands came up to thread in her soft hair.

"F-fuck...Ellie..mmpph..ah...need you Ellie...please" You sounded so desperate, so needy, so fucking sweet. It made Ellie smirk against your soft skin, letting go of your nipple with a pop before she looked back up at you. In no time, her lips were pressed against yours again, swallowing your whines as she hummed softly. "Yeah? Need me to play with you baby? Where do you need me, hm? Go on..." She smirked teasingly, her words muffled with her lips smooshed against yours.

Your eyebrows furrowed with frustration as you huffed out, one of your hands coming down to slip underneath her t shirt, tugging at the waist band of her jeans.

"You're so...mmm..fuck...annoying...please fuck me Ellie..." You struggled to speak, especially when Ellie began rocking her hips against you, teasing you with the attention you needed most. You let out a soft moan, giving her shirt one more tug before she chuckled, pulling away so she could pull off her t shirt, followed by her jeans. "So needy...looks like ill have to sort you out then, won't I" She smirked softly as she grabbed you by your hips, pulling you closer as she tugged off your shorts and your panties.

You whined softly as you watched her strip in front of you, feeling the wet spot between your legs grow more and more with every new piece of her that was revealed to you. It was pathetic, how vocal you were being without even being touched, but you couldn't even care, not when she was giving you everything you wanted without so much of a fight.

She hissed softly against your lips, her fingers swiping back and forth between your glossy folds. "Fuck...lil pussy is just weeping for me, huh? Been long since you've been fucked baby?" Her words were taunting, filthy, and they made you huff as your cheeks burned with embarrassment.

"Just...come on El....need to feel you.." You whined, tugging her hand gently to pull her back to her spot in between your legs. She smirked softly as she watched you, her hand cupping your cheek gently before she pressed one more kiss to your lips. "I'll take care of you angel..dont you worry" She hummed out before she slotted herself between your legs.

She gripped your thigh in her hands, positioning herself so that her pussy was pressed up against yours. The feeling had you moaning before she could even move, her wet folds pressed up against yours made your eyes roll back, made your back arch, and if Ellie didn't know any better, she'd think you came just from that alone.

"Fuck...feel that baby? Feel how wet you've got me? thats it...thats a good fucking girl.." She moaned out, her words caged behind her gritted teeth as she began rolling her hips back and forth, her pussy gliding across yours, clit bumping against your own in a way that you had never felt before. It was almost as if she was designed for you, and you her, and it had you like putty in her hands.

"Ah!...y-yeah! Right there Ellie, oh my god" Your moans were breathy and needy, and Ellie couldn't help by smirk down at you, enjoying the show you were putting on for her a little too much. It was like a work of art, the way you just let the pleasure take you, the way you let her take you, it had her wanting to do more, go further, bring you the most pleasure you'd ever felt in your entire fucking life.

And you felt it. In the way she began speeding up, your moans egging her on to keep going. Her hand gripped your thigh tighter, giving her a better grip on your body to allow her to go faster. Your moans mixed together, and the wetness of your cores created a pornographic sound that you would most definitely feel embarrassed about tomorrow, but not now, not when you felt this fucking good.

Ellie moaned loudly, her head falling back as she went faster, feeling her stomach coil in that delicious way that she loved so much. And yours did too, you stared up at her in awe as she fucked her pussy down onto yours, and you whined, eyebrows furrowed with utter pleasure.

"Gonna cum...p-please cum with me Ellie..fuck...please" You didn't even have to ask, because Ellie was nodding her head the second she heard the pleas leave your swollen lips. "Yeah...fuck...yeah baby...gonna cum with you...gonna fucking...oh my god!" And as if timed perfectly, she felt white hot pleasure wash over her, and you felt the exact same.

Your back arched almost painfully, hands fisting the sheets beneath you as you came hard, the wet noises of your pussy's amplifying as Ellie slowed down, riding both yours and her orgasm out.

The sensitivity made you whimper, and Ellie breathed hard as she looked down at your worn out body. Your eyes were heavy, and she knew exactly what it meant. She placed her hands on your hips, pushing herself off of your wobbly legs before she walked off to the bathroom, grabbing a wet rag and cleaning herself up before grabbing another and coming back to do the same for you.

When she returned, you had rolled over onto your side, and your heavy eyes were fighting the drowsy, post sex nap that you so desperately needed. She smiled softly as she watched you, spreading your legs despite the soft, sleepy whine you let out. "I know baby...just gonna clean you up, then we can sleep, yeah?". She took the small noise you made as a response before she carried on cleaning you, taking the dirty rags after and putting them in your hamper before she returned to the bed.

She sighed out softly, gently pulling your sleepy form to lay with her underneath the covers, and almost immediately you were hiking your thigh over her leg and cuddling into her body. A soft, sleepy sound left your lips once again, and before she could even blink, soft snores were leaving your parted lips.

Ellie sighed softly as she stared down at you for a moment before she looked up at the ceiling, a familiar sinking feeling settling in on her stomach as she held you close. She decided shed ignore it, and instead focus on the warm feeling that you brought instead.

She would cross that bridge when she got to it.

[f1povs]

You’re safe with me

Pairing : Sergio Checo Perez x reader

Summary- y/n sister of Carlos Sainz. When he followed his dreams of being a f1 driver she followed hers and became a firefighter. After things went south on a call y/n decided to move in with Carlos.

A/n : so this is an idea I’ve had for ages and thinking of writing a whole story on this idea. This is my first time actually posting something as never had the confidence to post but after seeing so many amazing writers on here and other apps I thought I might as well try so please no hate or negativity. If you have any advice then feel free to share and if you think I should write a whole story then please say and I will do my best 🙏

Y/n watched the world go by as she sat in her favorite park, her gaze distant and unfocused. It was as if she was watching a movie play out before her eyes, with all the characters moving in slow motion. She knew everyone around her, the way they smiled, the way they laughed, the way they lived their lives. But she felt disconnected from it all, as if she were merely an observer in someone else's story. Her mind wandered back to the countless times she had watched her brother, Carlos, race his heart out on the track, cheering him on from the sidelines, her voice echoing above the roar of the engines.

She remembered the day she had decided to become a firefighter. It had been an impulsive decision, born out of a desire to protect those she loved and make a difference in the world. Little did she know that it would lead her down a path filled with heartache and loss, with every victory she achieved coming at the cost of someone else's suffering. But she couldn't help but feel a sense of pride in her accomplishments, even as she struggled to come to terms with the darkness that lurked beneath the surface.

The wind picked up suddenly, rustling the leaves of the trees and sending a shiver down her spine. Y/n looked up, her eyes meeting those of a stranger who was staring at her intently. For a brief moment, they locked gazes, and she felt a strange sense of familiarity wash over her. It was as if this person knew everything about her, all her secrets and fears, and they were offering her a glimmer of hope in return. But then the moment passed, and the stranger turned away, disappearing into the crowd like a ghost. After sitting in the park for a while y/n decided that she couldn’t be here, in this town anymore. Y/n picked up her phone and rang her brother.

Carlos: hey y/n are you okay?

Y/n: um yeah I’m okay. Um I’m just wondering if… I… um… could come move in with you?”

Y/n held back the tears trying to escape her eyes as she spoke to her brother.

Carlos: yeah of course you can move in when are you coming I’ll get a room ready.

After couple hours flight, Y/n smiled as she spotted her brother, Carlos Sainz, standing outside the airport terminal. He looked as handsome as ever, dressed impeccably in his racing gear. Despite the hectic week of training getting ready for the race on the weekend, he'd managed to take time out of his schedule to pick her up from the airport. She hadn't seen him in months, not since the accident at work.

It wasn’t a long drive but seemed like forever. Carlos tried making small talk but y/n wasn’t really interested. She was in a world of her own as she stared out of her brothers car window. No one knew how bad the accident was. All they knew was that y/n was in an accident at work.

Finally y/n and Carlos arrived. The paddock was abuzz with activity, a whirlwind of color and motion that seemed to swirl around her like a dream. She had been away for months, as y/n stepped out of the car the familiar smell of racing fuel and burning rubber hung thick in the air, mingling with the sounds of engines revving and tires screeching. It was like being in a live-action painting, vibrant and alive with the energy of a thousand hearts beating as one. Y/n thought it was nice to be back with her f1 family. Everyone was excited to greet y/n but there was one particular driver who was more excited to see her.

As Sergio Perez turned the corner, his heart skipped a beat. There she was, standing by the lockers with her brothers and his friends, her back to him. It had been months since they'd last seen each other, and the familiarity of her figure was almost overwhelming. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves as he walked towards her. His gaze drifted over her shoulder-length hair, the way it casually fell across her back, and the way she was hugging herself, as if she were cold. He fought the urge to run up and envelop her in a warm embrace, instead opting for a friendly wave as he neared.

“Hey, y/n!" he called out, his voice sounding a little more nervous than he'd intended. She turned around, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips. But the usual sparkle in her eyes had gone. Before her eyes would sparkle in the fluorescent light, and Sergio would find himself blushing, but this time was different.

"Hey, Sergio," she replied, her voice soft. "It's good to see you ." She walked over to him, her steps light. He noticed that she was wearing the same perfume she had been wearing the last time they'd met, and it made his heart race a little faster. But as she got closer Sergio could see something was wrong.

Fast forward to race night

The sun began to dip below the horizon, bathing the grid in a warm, golden light. The race was about to end. Everyone cheered as the drivers rushed past the checkered flag. Max at P1, Sergio at P2, and Carlos at P3.

The three men stood on the podium as they celebrated their wins. The crowd cheered and shouted celebrations. Fireworks exploded overhead, their colorful bursts of light painting the sky with a kaleidoscope of colors. It was a beautiful sight, one that would have filled her heart with joy on any other day. But tonight, the sound of the explosions sent her spiraling back to that fateful night, the night of the explosion that had taken the lives of so many, including those closest to her. the fireworks only served as a painful reminder of the day that had changed her life forever. She couldn't help but shiver as she stood on the edge of the crowd, her heart racing and her palms slick with sweat. The memory of the explosion was as vivid as if it had happened only yesterday: the screams of terror, the heat that seared her skin, the deafening boom that shook the ground beneath her feet.

Sergio Checo Perez stood on his podium and searched the crowd for y/n. As soon as his eyes landed on y/n, He could see the pain in her eyes, the fear that gripped her soul, and in that moment he jumped off the podium and raced to y/n in the crowd. His fellow drivers and his team was shouting for him to come back and celebrate the win but he had to do everything in his power to make her feel safe, to make her feel loved. He knew that the accident was more than a normal accident that can happen on the job like she had said. He knew there was more to the story, he knew that the the memories were painful, he knew what was happening as he has experience people he knew go through the same thing and he could never erase the memories that haunted her, the demons that tormented her every waking moment.

Now, as she sat there, on the floor in the crowd, watching the fireworks light up the sky, she felt him approaching, his presence a warm, comforting blanket wrapping itself around her. He knelt down beside her, his expression a mixture of concern and understanding. "Hey," he whispered, reaching out to take her hand. "You don't have to go through this alone." She didn't know if she could believe him, but for some reason, she found herself leaning into his touch, feeling a small spark of hope ignite within her. "I know it's hard," he continued, his voice gentle and soothing. "But we'll get through this together, okay?"

Her eyes met his, and for a brief moment, she allowed herself to believe that maybe, just maybe, there was a chance for her to find peace, to find happiness again. And in that moment, she knew that she wasn't truly alone anymore.

They sat there together, watching the fireworks explode overhead, their fingers intertwined. As the last of the fireworks faded away, leaving the sky empty and black once more, Sergio leaned forward, his lips brushing against her ear. "You're okay. You are safe with me," he whispered.

Y/n closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of his breath against her skin. She knew he was right. Slowly, she turned her head, meeting his gaze once more. There was something in his eyes that she had never seen before, something that told her that he was in this for the long haul.

As they sat there, the wind picked up again, sending a shiver down her spine. But this time, it felt different. It felt like a new beginning, like a promise of better things to come. And for the first time in a long time, Y/n allowed herself to believe that maybe, just maybe, there was still goodness left in the world, still a reason to keep fighting, to keep going.

Hand in hand, they rose to their feet, the weight of memories and losses not so heavy now. Together, they began to walk through the paddock , their steps echoing through the darkness. As they walked, they talked, sharing stories and laughter, finding solace in the comfort of each other's company. And with every step they took, Y/n felt a little lighter, a little more at peace.

Eventually, they reached a small, secluded clearing, surrounded by tall, ancient trees just outside the circuit. Sergio turned to face her, his eyes searching hers for an answer. She knew what he was asking, and she knew what she wanted to say. Slowly, she nodded, her heart racing with anticipation and fear. He smiled, a soft, gentle smile that made her heart skip a beat, and then he leaned forward, his lips meeting hers in a kiss that was both tender and passionate.

As they kissed, the world around them faded away, leaving only the two of them, their love for each other the only thing that mattered. And in that moment, Y/n knew that she had found her home, her place in the world after everything she had been through. She knew that together, they could face anything, overcome any obstacle. Because no matter what happened, they would always have each other.

[fern-funtime]

| True Blue | ⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊✩°｡⋆˚⁺

wc: 1,089

pairing: Navia x fem! reader

warnings: a little sad, beautiful gay women <3

an: this is kinda bad. i had major writer's block but i started it so i had to finish it, i hope it's good enough to read. oh and happy pride month everyone ･ ͜ʖ ･ -Fern xo ♡

To say you were upset was an understatement, the girl you were in love with was a few feet away from you with a man. A man who was confessing his love.

A man you didn't even know. He gave her flowers and a very expensive necklace, the blue stones matched her eyes perfectly. Jealousy is a very strong emotion and it was overwhelming you by now. All you wanted to do was leave and rot in your bed but you didn't want to leave her, you guys were in the middle of a conversation. It was awkward, you shift in your spot and try to pay them no mind but you feel hurt. You think about how happy she looks, how beautiful.

After a few more minutes she comes back with a big smile.

"Did you see all that?" She laughs while awkwardly holding the bouquet. You gave her a fake smile

"Yeah." you try to be happy for her.

She sighs and plays with her necklace. "Isn't he charming." you feel your heart break slightly. "He seems nice." your words come out less emotional than you wanted. "Are you okay?" she asks softly.

"I don't think I'm feeling well." in response to this she moves her hand to your forehead. "You are kind of warm, you should get some rest."

You smile at her and say goodbye, but not before she gives you a big hug. All you can smell is her perfume and the vibrant roses she was gifted. "I hope you feel better Y/n." she spoke with sincere words.

You felt so guilty for being mad when she's so kind to you. You were now in bed doing exactly what you wanted earlier. You had been crying, your eyes are puffy and your heart is melting into the bed with the rest of your body. How could she ever love you. He doesn't deserve her yet you certainly don't. Maybe he's the love of her life, she'll be happy with him.

Happier than she would have with you.

You didn't even notice you tell asleep until a knock wakes you up. You notice it's now night and you can feel the dried tears on your cheeks. You slowly get up and groggily walk to the door. You open the door and you're met with Navia. She's holding a container and a bag of her belongings. She gives you a big smile and you move aside and let her in.

She walks in and places her stuff down "How are you feeling?" you watch her as she puts her stuff down.

It's muscle memory at this point, there's never a week where she doesn't come over and spend the night at least once.

You didn't even notice you fell asleep until a knock wakes you up. You notice it's now night and you can feel the dried tears on your cheeks. You slowly get up and groggily walk to the door. You open the door and you're met with Navia. She's holding a container and a bag of her belongings. She gives you a big smile and you move aside and let her in.

She walks in and places her stuff down "How are you feeling?" you watch her as she puts her stuff down.

It's muscle memory at this point, there's never a week where she doesn't come over and spend the night at least once.

"Better." you smile at her. A genuine smile this time, you're really happy to be with her right now even if its not in the way you want.

"I made you soup, it's my dads recipe." She grabs a bowl and a spoon. You watch her while she does this and you noticed her necklace was gone. "Where's the necklace that guy gave you?"

She lets out a laugh before saying "I gave it back to him, I didn't say it in the moment because I was flustered but...I have my eyes on someone else." She glances your way before putting the soup in the bowl.

Her eyes lingered for a second longer and you swore the whole world stopped. Confusion was evident on your face and you looked away and tried to wonder who she really liked. 'Me?' you thought before you were snapped out of your mind when she plopped down next to you, rather close too. She handed you the soup and you take in the smell. It smelled like home. "This always makes me feel better when I'm sick."

Instead of smiling you frown at her "I need to tell you something. I wasn't sick...I was mad." She furrows her brows "Did I do something?"

Now you feel really guilty, you made her sad. "No- no of course not, I was...I was jealous of him." you look to the ground. Your nerves had finally set in, you realized you just confessed to her. She thinks for a moment confused until she finally spoke. "You were...jealous of him giving me flowers?"

"You looked really happy...I want to make you happy like he did." You voice faltered a bit and your heart beat picked up faster and you were quite literally freaking out. As soon as you turned to apologize she pulled you into a kiss. It was only a peck as she pulled away quickly. "I am so sorry! I didn't know what I-" you kissed her.

You gave her a proper kiss. And she kissed you back. After putting the soup on your bedside table you both go back to each other's lips. You wrap your arm around her neck and she puts a hand on your waist. You pull away and look at each other for a second. She laughs, and you swear it is the most beautiful thing you have seen. "Have you liked me all this time?" she said in between giggles. "Oh my god. We could have been together all this time."

You start to laugh now before hugging her. "I thought you were into guys!" "Are you saying I don't give off sapphic energy!?" She laughs into your shoulder.

"I thought about it but I wasn't sure I've only seen you with guys." She kissed you on the cheek and you're heart almost explodes. "I love women too, and I love you."

"I love you too." You bring her back into a sweet kiss. "Can you please try the soup now, I worked hard on it." She fakes a pout before grabbing the bowl.

[guttednights]

You.

finally, you have done it. you had broken up with Simon. After months of torture, he sold as some forbidden paradise. the constant bickering, bossing you around, neglecting you, missing dates, and worst of all. not telling anyone he was even in a relationship. God it lit a fire so deep inside of you. you blocked his ass the second you broke up with him. sure it did no good cause he still had a key to your house but, that's a battle to deal with tomorrow. or at least you thought tomorrow. it was 2am and you had finally fell asleep

it wasn't long after you fell asleep you heard the door to your apartment being kicked down. you knew who it was immediately, I mean what other kind of physcopath just kicks down someone else's door?. you quickly get up wrapping a robe around you and walking out. there he is simon fucking Riley staring at you with pure anger.

"SERIOUSLY Y/N?!" "JUST LIKE THAT OUR 5-YEAR RELATIONSHIP IS OVER? OVER ONE FUCKING TEXT!"

as he gets closer, you back away.

"simon i explained everything in detail in that text." you spat with fiery. "I'm not doing this anymore" you look at you door, "and your buying me a new fucking door!"

He grabs you with anger and you panic, he would never hurt you. Right? he would never hurt you? shit I mean yeah he's a killing machine at work, but he's never been physically aggressive.

"thats what your fucking worried about right now? your stupid fucking door?" He practically shook you with his anger.

"Simon I'm not doing this, I already expressed that we're over. get out, Simon."

he towered over you, beginning to spit something at you, but held his mouth, sighing letting you go then turning around and walking out your broken door. attempting to shut it before disappearing.

you sighed as he walked away. it was really that easy all along? that's all it took? you questioned to yourself as you slammed your body into your broken door.

"fuck." you say to yourself as you realize the doors not gonna shut. you just hope for the best as you go back to bed. Simon is gone finally, you think to yourself as you finally fall asleep.

the next morning you wake up, and continue your usual routine. less than an hour later you walk out of your apartment, looking at the door trying to decide what to do. "we'll figure it out". you walk down your apartment complex before heading to work. it was a usual day at work. nothing too stressful.

it isn't 9:30 till you finally close up for the day. gripping your bag close to your side. your nail shop is down the street from a local bar, it's usually pretty busy during the weekdays. It is dark, and the lights from the bar light the walkway as you mindlessly walk. suddenly a drunken man from the bar grabs you.

"aye sweetheart why dont you sit down, and enjoy a drink eh?"

"no. thanks." you jerk away from him but he grabs your waist this time

"ah come on dont be unfriendly, lets have a chat sweetie. You too pretty to be sleeping on a beautiful night like this."

you chuckle trying to be nice "Yeah thanks but no" You attempt to jerk away again but this time the man pulls you hard

"Now dont be a bore," he says with anger as he drags you to the dark alleyway. this can't be how you die. for the first time in years, you're alone without Simon to call, everyone in the bar is too drunk to realize what's happening, and you're small compared to most men.

you panic as you try to break free, pushing him off at your most might. but he doesn't let go, his fingers practically dug into you. "please stop" you panic doing everything you can.

as soon as you start to scream, you hear a loud metal-sounding hit, you look back and see Simon standing over the man with a metal bat.

"she said leave her alone!" he boomed

the man held his head as he scurried off. you held your arm as you looked at him. you start to back up before Simon grabs you. "quit acting an idiot and go home." "before I actually have to kill someone."

you say nothing swallowing your pride and walking away but stopping. "are you fucking stalking me?"

"my stalking just saved your life sweetheart." "go home."

side notes/ babbling: I imagined Simon as joe Golberg in a alternate universe and viola came up with this. I really want to do a part 2, so lmk how y'all feel about this!!!

[minty-mumbles]

Linked Universe Survey 2023

The long awaited results of the survey. Sorry it took me forever, making graphs is hard.

There were 452 responses to the survey as a whole, which is almost double what we got last year, so thank you to everyone who participated!

If you want to see the raw data, you can find that here. I had thoughts about the data, but compiling that into another post would be too much of a hassle. Feel free to send me asks about it though!

The rest of the post will be under a read more as it it large

Demographics

Other: Demigirl (4), Transmasc (3), Grey genderfluid, Unlabeled, Demiboy, Demiagender

Other: Omnisexual (4), Poly (2), Trixic, Abroromantic or Bellusromantic, Demisexual

General Questions

Other: Quotev, Discord, their own google docs

Other: Discord, Variations of "I haven't posted yet, but I pan to" and "I haven't posted my fics in ages",

Other: Wattpad, Deviantart, Discord

Other: Crochet dolls, Custom dolls, Roleplay blogs (2), Fan translations, Headcanons (2), Piano music

The purple section in the “Warriors vs Warrior” chart is supposed to read “Warrior.” I made a typo.

Favorites and Least Favorites

Selected Free Response Answers

im sorry warriors i just can't play your game (it is very very hard. i am stuck very early on in the game)

I love cats meow meow meow

was extremely tempted to put twilight for least favorite. unfortunately he is my favorite to write from the perspective of (he has taken over most of my wips. help) and that probably counts for something. WILD on the other hand. hooo boy how the hell do i characterize this gargoyle. why is he Like That. least favorite it is

Twiddy

very good fandom to be in :) everybody is very nice

It's a straight up crime that Wars lost the aesthetics poll so quickly. He has such a peak Link design with the best colors. Ugh I'm getting wistful.

FROGS. FROGS. FROGS. ALSO HAPPY PRIDE MONTH. FROGS. FROGS. FROGS. FROGS. FROGS.

I will fight Hylia herself and the next person who implies Twi can't handle spice. If we're going to lean into him being southern/Midwestern, which is an alright stero type for our rancher, please keep in mind the culture you're basing him off. The south and midwest can handle their spice, I assure you. Have you ever had authentic Louisiana gumbo? It will melt you tongue off. Or some good old fashion spicy fried chicken? I promise the real stuff has quite a kick. (In all seriousness, though. It's more important that you're having fun. And even I can admit the idea of Twi being an Ordonian who can't handle his spice is more than a little funny.)

I am an OoT Link edgelord and have been since early 2017. So, in September of that year, when an artist by the name of jojo56830 puts out a lineup of nine different Links and the Hero of Time is there – the oldest, no eye, Hero’s Shade armor? I saw that one sketch and just thought “oh this is gonna be bad.” Yeah of course he has the coolest design. By the way, it’s only a matter of time until Fierce Deity shows up in the comic and I have reason to believe it could be this current Dawn arc. Dawn … Dawn of a New Day … and who brought about the Dawn of a New Day? Fierce Deity. Twilight is recovering but still injured and what will happen if he falls again? Fierce Deity is coming and we need to be prepared. In this essay I will—

Remember that time when someone put the whole script of the bee movie in here? I’m not that dedicated, and I don’t have that time, but let us remember and hope someone else does it again this time. Cause someone is bound too. We’re all crazy enough to do it. Alright, love you and stay hydrated pls!

Hi! I joined this fandom really recent but i’ve always seen LU stuff on pinterest and elsewhere. Only recently have i actually took the time to understand the fandom and get back into LOZ stuff and i adore the characters and story! The more and more fanart, fanfics, and comics i see about the different Links the more i love them all. It’s such a pain to pick just one i like or one i don’t like because they’re all so unique. I love this fandom and hope to get more involved!! Have a wonderful rest of your day :]

Epona is an underrated queen

your mom

I really don't get why Zelda is called Artemis. Athena makes more sense???? It perplexes me

Anyone seeing this should check out Breanna’s E!Wild AU

Something something queer every Link into oblivion!

[starboyshoyo]

A Beloved Tradition

Pairing: Luka x reader

Fandom: Honkai Star Rail

Genre: fluff

Word Count: 1.2k

A/N: This piece is a bit more worldbuilding-heavy than the others I’ve done! I enjoyed writing it though, so I hope you like it too!

A paper marriage in Belobog isn’t the only way to show off the love between a couple.

According to the laws of Belobog, a marriage would have to pass through the Bureau of Civil Affairs in the administrative district before it could become official. But as history would have it, those in high places would often ignore the needs of those below. The Underworlders of Belobog, fed up with having their marriage requests delayed or even outright denied, came up with their own ceremonies to acknowledge the love between couples in their community.

A traditional Belobogian Undergrounder’s wedding consists of preparing and seasoning an olm frog, roasting it over Geomarrow ores, and sharing the meal in the heart of town.

- Excerpt from The Heart of Jarilo-IV: Belobogian Customs and Traditions

+++

“I don’t think this is what anyone had in mind when they said to prepare the olm,” you laughed, shaking your head.

Your boyfriend and soon-to-be husband Luka grins at you. “What, you’ve never seen a frog wear a hat before? Expand your mind, sweetheart! This is gonna be the prettiest roasted olm Boulder Town has ever seen.”

In his hands is the main ingredient to a traditional Belobogian miners’ dish- an olm frog. He fiddles with a napkin, folding it into a cap to put on the amphibian’s head.

“Well, he certainly is a handsome olm,” you concede with a fond grin. You lift it up, surveying Luka’s work. Despite the seeming unwieldiness of his mechanical arm, Luka had been able to fold the napkin into surprisingly neat creases, balancing it delicately on the frog’s head. “Still, he’s not as handsome as my fiancé here.”

“Awww, you flatter me~”

A gag from behind you interrupts the sweet moment. Seele and Natasha stand a little ways back, the former holding tongs and turning pieces of geomarrow ore in the stove, keeping it red-hot. “Get a room,” she gags, “You two are sweet enough to make me barf.”

“What Seele means is that it’s good to see the two of you so in love,” Natasha adds, with a meaningful glance towards her adopted daughter. “But we shouldn’t keep your guests waiting. The other dishes are already done- only the olm is left.”

“Sorry, Natasha,” Luka apologized, but it was clear that he wasn’t abashed in the slightest.

“No worries,” Natasha replied. She smiled warmly at the two of you. “I don’t think anyone would blame you for wanting to drag on the festivities for a little while longer. Goodness knows we’ve had little else to celebrate since the blockade”

The four of you were silent for a moment. The halt of trade and transport between the overworld and underworld was a touchy spot for Underworlders- some of them wanted to maintain their pride and wait it out, while others proposed they fight back against the tyranny of the Supreme Guardian in the streets above. The divide caused a lot of trouble for Wildfire, who struggled to keep the peace between two sides.

“… It feels selfish to be celebrating in a time like this,” you admit self-consciously, breaking the silence. “There’s so much else to be thinking about; to be fighting for. But here we are, taking up Wildfire’s time for something that isn’t official business.”

Luka nods, echoing the sentiment. “It feels a bit weird to be off duty for the first time in months. I hope it’s not too much trouble for you.”

“Of course it isn’t!” Seele shakes her head. “We wanted to be here for you guys. Don’t get all sappy on us now, just because we’re being nice.”

“Everyone was so excited for you guys when they heard the news,” Natasha confirms. She takes the tongs from Seele, turning over the geomarrow in the belly of the stove. “Wildfire takes care of our own. And besides, it isn’t just for the both of you. Morale has been high ever since the planning began. It’s good for everyone to see that life goes on, even when times are hard.”

Between Seele’s fierce encouragement and Natasha’s kind words, it’s hard to stay doubtful. “Thank you, both of you,” you say to them, and you mean it.

+++

“Gather round, everyone! Master Oleg would like to say a few words.”

The settling murmur of guests around you roils in your belly as you sit at a table set up in Boulder Town’s square. Luka is lounging beside you with his normal arm flung over your shoulder. The roasted olm rests on the table between you, no longer sizzling hot but still pleasantly warm.

“How much longer before we eat? I’m starving,” he whispers to you with a grin. You nudge him back, shushing him as Oleg begins to speak.

“I’ll try to keep this short, seeing as the groom is getting a little impatient.” He shoots a smile at Luka, then coughs once before clearing his throat. “It’s great to see you all here today, in support of two of our dearest members of Wildfire. There’s a lot to be said about the state of the Underground right now-“ Oleg waits for the murmurs to pass through the crowd to continue. “But I think it’s safe to say that this union between our happy couple is proof that life goes on, both on the surface of Belobog and below. No matter the circumstances, we will find ways to thrive.”

Oleg nods to you. “On behalf of Wildfire and the entire Underground, we wish you two a happy and loving marriage.”

That’s your cue. Picking up the fork from beside the roasted dish, you use it to tear a piece of juicy meat from the side of the olm and hold it out to Luka. He grins and does the same with his own fork. You exchange them, taking the bites off of each others’ utensils- sharing your first meal in the town square, just as couples did for hundreds of years before you. The crowd erupts in whistles and cheers- and just like that, you’re forever bonded to the love of your life. Luka pulls you in for a kiss and you reciprocate, smiling into his lips as he leans his forehead against yours.

Roasted olm is said to taste like chicken, but there’s no way for you to make that comparison. After all, as an Underworlder you’ve spent your entire life by the glow of a Geomarrow furnace. You didn’t have the luxury of the sun or the sky or a grand Overworlder’s wedding. But today has proven that you don’t need any of that to thrive- or to love.

Taking your new husband’s hand in yours, you look around at the people surrounding you. Miners and their families, Natasha, Seele, Oleg and the members of Wildfire, residents of Boulder Town, Hook and the Moles- and of course, Luka.

“There’s more than enough food here for everyone. Please, join us! Let’s eat!”

How very loved you are.

Comments and reblogs are greatly appreciated!

[oh-for-fic-sake-library]

Padawan

Masterlist

Summary: Being captured by your old master was meant to mean torture, interrogation and execution. So why were you here? Why is he being so nice and trying to relive old times. And why the fuck is he giving you affection?

Warnings : swearing, anxiety, fluff, Jedi order bashing?, Emperor Anakin, Suitless vader,

A/N: here is another Anakin oneshot, i enjoyed this though i think it could have been better. But if im honest if i keep tweaking it i will lose my mind. So here you go, enjoy lovelies 😘

Wordcount: around 6900

You shivered in the cold cell, curling your arms around your chest, tugging your cloak tighter trying to fed off the chill setteling uncomfortably into your bones. You werent sure what was going on, theoretically you were meant to have been executed the moment the inquisitors found you, but apparently you were different from the others.

And in a way you were different, youd only been a padawan for a few months when the shit hit the fan. Youd never completed training or been knighted just helped as much as you could during the war and your training.

When the empire rose to power and the other jedi watched carefully youd been ordered to hide. Obi wan had pleaded with you to get as far away from everyone as you could. You hadnt understood back then, why was he giving you orders? Why wasnt your master there with you? Youd asked over and over where anakin was, unable to fend off the fear of something happening to him. You werent supposed to but you and your master had created a bond on the battlefield. A close call had prompted Anakin to seal your forces together in some odd taboo bond.

No one would tell you where your master was, or what he was doing. Finally obi wan had just blurted it out. He was dead. You paused, liar. It was a lie, you knew it was you could still feel him. His force signature was still lingering on the edges of your mind. He was wounded, desperate and above all angry.

Once obi wan had lied to your face youd left. It was disturbing. Why? Why was he lying to your face? What else could he have lied about? Things progressed quickly after that, youd abandoned the order and hid yourself on a tiny planet known for living off the land, trading produce, lumber and gem stones.

The massacre happened, and shortly after the news came. As much as you hoped your master was alive you never wanted it to be like that. He was sith now.To say you never saw the dark side in anakin was a lie. There was rage, pride, ambition even fear. Youd always reasoned it was to protect his loved ones. Even though the code forbid love an attachment, it wasnt exactly a bad thing right? Anakin was still protecting the innocent. So it couldnt be so bad? Useing the dark side for good is still good right? Good and evil are subjective, nothing is inherently bad or good, it all depends on the motive, method and reason. At least thats what youd told yourself to justify his actions.

It's said Anakin had lost himself in a rage and almost killed obi wan on a battle on mustafa. Obi wan had fled, before Anakin could deliver the final blow. The next thing you heard was Padme's passing. Nothing was ever mentioned about the baby. Youd like to say things seemed to quiet down after that but it was only a month or so after padme's funeral that palpantine was executed by Anakin. And the new galaxy order began. Your once master was now the emperor, he ruled with an iron fist and hunting of jedi began. Black robed inquisitors scoured the galaxy looking for force sensitive beings to eradicate. It was a genocide.

Youd managed to hide quietly in your little home, holding down a job in the mines, mineing crytals and gem stones. Your reason was if your below ground you cant be spoted. Occasionally youd feel your old master, his life force brushing yours lightly. As if he was checking in on you. Reassuring himself you were still alive.

Sometimes youd sit and meditate trying to severe the connection between the two of you. His response was immediate and ruthless, he'd plough through your mind pressing back harshly, clawing and burning your mind makeing you cry out. It felt as if he were splitting your head open, searing pains would almost cause you to pass out. Just as you felt your vision blackening he'd pull back leaving a lingering sense of disapproval. A warning of not to try that again. For what ever reason he wanted to remain connected to you.

You guessed it had been just over four days since being thrown into your tiny cold cell. Four days of traveling to maker knows where, with little rest and no food bar a slice of bread and cup of water a day. Sleep had evaded you most of the nights, you were far too cold. And what little sleep you did get was haunted by nightmares. Scenarios of a slow grusome torture and bloody end waking you with a terrified cry. And they werent unfounded, the inquisitors and guards made sure you heard their guesses arohnd your fate. From what you could tell theyxd had specific orders to capture you. No one else, you were the only prisoner on the ship. A highly prized lamb ready for slaughter.

Suddenly the doors were flung open and you were unceremoniously dragged from your tiny cell. Two storm troopers heaved you up by your arms threatening to dislocate them as you almost collapsed, knees buckling after staying still for so long. With harsh shpving and a few curses you were being tugged from the ship. Your panic rose with each step as you realised you were probably being taken to your death. Marching out into the hanger and then quickly ushered into a huge yet quiet building. You had no chance to devidse and escape plan or even figure out where you were.

Within mineuts you were placed outside of two huge doors. The stormtroopers releasing you only to flank you either side, blasters at the ready. You frowned eyeing them and then to tall door once more.

"In there rebel! Now" the tropper to your left ordered with a hard shove to your back sending you into a stagger. You caught your footing just as the door began to open.

"Move it!" The other male barked coralling you into the huge dark room. You shivered feeling more unesy as you spied the room, inching forward. It was dark, the only light was one long pipe surrounding the room, currently set to dim white. Not even bright enough to creat a shdow on the black gloss floor.

You stepped further into the black cautiously, feeling more vulnerable then you ever hd before. Your lightsaber had been stolen by the inquisitors tht hd captured you, you felt nked and alone without it. Not that you carried it around, it hd been tucked away in your home. Yet this was the type of situation you missed having it clipped to your belt.

"It has been a long time padawan" you tensed hearing the voice of your once master. It was upseting, your guts twisting uncomfortably. Youd never thought you would hear him again and honestly? It was something you were all to happy to avoid. It was awkward and confusing. The lights suddenly came to life, illuminating the room and revealed a large black and grey space. Columns lined the walls, the gloss floor had n oddly intricate pattern inlaid into it, a mix of geometric and flowing shapes all defined by their gloss, matte and satin finish. One long glossed gangway directed you stright to the end of the room only interrupted by a set of wide sprawling shllow steps.

It was at that point you realised you were in the fabled throne room of the new sith empire. Shit. Not many left this place outside of a box.

Your eyes rose, following the room to the focal point. A huge black granite slab fashioned into a large masculine throne of straight sharp edges. Finally your gze landed on him. God. He was exactly the same, slightly weathered look to him, taller and slightly more muscular then he had been before. The only real changes were the way he'd matured into a stronger jawline and his eyes were a bright glowing amber. Youd say gold but the hint of orange tipped his gaze in to a more sinister hue.

"I heard you fled the order before i returned. Its unfortunate i wished you had stayed there i was coming to collect you, you know" he paused analysing you for a moment. There was a hesitance to his movments he shifted in his seat leaning to one side on his throne, resting on his elbow, hands clasped casually over his abdomen and his legs spread. You released a breath relaxing somewhat as he lounged back into a non threatening stance in his seat.

"But then again obi wan was always interfering. Im sure he convinced you id abandoned you. It wounds me to think youd hve belived him" your masters voice was acompanied by a deep sigh. His eyes almost looked hurt by the notion. You got the feeling your silence was beginning to grate on him. You could feel the tendrils of frustration creeping aroudn you, his force signature becoming restless around him he was irritated. Irritation to anger and then? Well he wasnt exactly known for tempering his rage.

"I didnt; he didnt say that" you inched forward nervously glancing up at him on the raised black dais his throne sat uppon. His eyes widened, surprize washing over his face, chasing away the brewing scowl.

"Oh? Then why did you flee?" His head tipped forward, just like it had done with every question hexd ever posed to you. Just like that you felt like the young clumsy padawan youd once been. That all familiar teasing your master was known for. You knew from old times he wasnt asking because he didnt know the answer, he knew alright. He was testing you, waiting to see if you would lie to him or be honest.

Unlike others in the order you never lied to your master. You had to trust him, and he you. The more you revealed to him for safe keeping the more he had let you in. Even going as far to bring you home to his wife letting you join them for family meals and stay over in the spare bedroom. Yes youd gotten far with anakin by telling him the truth willingly, and youd not stop that now.

"He lied to me. They all did, they said you were dead but i... felt you. And then it raised other questions about the order, i didnt understand why they were so eager to get rid of me. I couldnt stay anymore when they were so brazen about it" you explained clearly, trying not to babble away and trail off into your confused nonsense.

"Then you are lucky little one, to have seen the truth before it was too late. But then again you were always one for difficult questions. Your veiws on the dark side and the light always troubled the council." He chuckled to himself shaking his head recalling all the times your bombarded him with the why's and how's like a curious youngling thirsty for knowledge. At the time he'd explained everything in line with the jedi code as best as he could. But found himself having to shush you often as you continued to question the code and morals behinde it. He was somewhat proud of you for it, you refused to follow blindly, much like him. You didnt see life as cut and dry as others raised in the temple, in a way anakin was lucky.

"What? They knew?" You anounced curseing yourself at the fear that washed over you. Anakin drew a deep breath, his jaw locking as he felt the fear in you, the sickening twisting in your gut at the thought of those jedi ever scaring you. He opened the bond you both shared smothering you with soft reassurance. Calming you with a blanket of his own force coiling around you just as he had when you would panic alone in your bunk at night. He dreads to think how many times he'd stayed up at night soothing you waiting for you to drift off to sleep before resting himself.

He smirked, despite your initial shock and gasp at his gentle reassurance your own life force welcomed him like an old freind. His smug grin softened when you relaxed into his invisible embrace choosing to ignore all the current circumstances and just accept some comfort, for comforts sake.

"They would call me and obi wan in to discuss it. Your beliefs over useing the dark side for the greater good troubled them a great deal. They even suggested takeing you from me. Wanting to place you with a stricter master." He explained gently, savouring the momentary peace you were allowing him. He didnt want to be at logger heads with you, or for you to fear him. You werent his enemy, and never will be. He loved you, he wanted you to know that.

"It created a great deal of tension between obi wan, the council and myself. I wouldnt let them have you. Your mine and mine alone and i fought to keep you that way. I think deep down they knew i wanted to keep you no matter my path" he soothed you, he needed you to know he had defended you. Fought for you, he had your back no matter what the council said, no matter what his own former master said. He shifted in his set uncomfortably before grunting and rose to his feet.

"So them anouncing my death before they'd even faced me is just another manipulation. They chased you out of the order not to protect you but out of fear. You frightened them little one, your a free thinker they believed once they chased you off and killed me it would protect their precious order." He sneered slowly decending the stairs as he spoke. None of them could see how special you were in the order. They were ignorant.

"Wont you come closer? Id like to see how youxve grown" he spoke after a moment of silence, beckoning you forward to him. He was eager to reunite with you properly.

You steeled yourself and approched him slowly trying to figure out just how much danger you were in. Or if any? It was disconcerting, to look at him he was the same master you knew and loved, the same man youd run to with all your problems and questions. The same person you trusted with your life, the one whod slapped you upside the head when you were getting ahead of yourself.

Yet he was completely different?

He nolonger masked his presence, he felt dangerous and slick. Like oil ready to ignite. He stood tall with no shame or hesitation. There was nothing about him that let you think he wasnt in total control. His eyes though. You couldnt stop glancing at them, they were haunting.

"Not by much i see, still a pipsqueek. Oh Come now, move closer im not going to harm you" he teased your small stature, as he often did. And then sighed beckoning you again whilst stepping towards you himself giving little room for argument. Finally he stood before you and smiled scoffing to himself befor reaching out to you, brushing his hands across your shoulders and straightening your clothing that was still skewed from your rough handling by the troopers.

"Your filthy. But then again why wouldnt you be all those years in the mines" he mused shaking his head at you. You nodded still trying to figure him out. He wasnt shoutingnor attacking you, he seemed well normal? Like nothing had happened and you hadnt been hiding from him and his empire for the past five years of so.

"I should have known, you always were drawn to shiny gems. A collection of crystals hidden under your bed." His face lit up playfully as yours paled again, the panic of being caught settling over you, and slight disappointment.

"You knew?" Your tiny question tore a laugh from him and he patted your shoulders squeezing lightly. It was just like his mischievous padawan to belive she could hide things from him. Not to say it was easy for him to uncover your little collection. He'd found it by mistake after having to carry you to your own bed after a taxing mission left you sleeping like the dead on the flight home. He'd accidentally kicked a small box under your bed and investigated the rattle.

"Of course i did. I knew everything about you my little padawan. I even added to your collection once or twice" he admitted with a smirk watching as your eyes widened in realisation.

"That was you?" Your eyes followed him as he rounded you stopping beside you and slung his arm around your shoulders tucking you against his side. You melted into him, your force coiling around him, tugging at his. It was like youd gone soo long since having this type of comfort you needed to make up for lost time.

He reciprocated taking every opportunity he could to reconnect with you. He wanted to prove so much in such a small amount of time. He wanted you to realise he was free to dote on you, neither of you had to hold back you were allowed to feel now. The simple fact you were already seeking him out soke volumes about how much your abrupt separation had affected you.

"Indeed, i see nothing wrong with treating you to a few gifts for a job well done. As much as the jedi claimed to abide by the code they all had there own forbidden possessions." He quickly moved on, wanting you to know youd ultimatly made the right decision. No one in the order followed all of the rules, they were all hypocrites to some extent. It had always been do as i say not as i do, he wished he'd noticed sooner. The pain and fear he and padme had lived in all those years was unnecessary, everyone head their own exceptions.

"Windu had a small collection of books, obi wan found his own work around; food. Treating himself and others to delicious meals. You had your shiny jewels and i" he stopped himself for a moment giving you a moment to process the betrayals of your ex-superiors. But also pondering if this was the right time to plant a seed in your mind. He had plans. Big plans, plans that would change both of your futures.

You looked at him expectantly, your brow furrowing as you took him in, waiting for him to finish. It was nerve-wracking he'd always been unpredictable. And for him to hesitate over his next words was unsettling.

"I had you and padme. We were tiny but fullfilling family nonetheless" you blinked up at him. What? His smiled grew and he squeezed you to him once more before dropping his head a d pressing a chaste kiss on your hair line. You frowned confused by his claim.

Did he? Did he really feel that you and padme were his exception? That you both belonged to him? In sime fucked up way you did, well you had done. You were his pupil, he could train and punish you as he saw fit, take you to the front lines or confine you to the temple. But as much as you loved him as a brother youd never ever dreamt he felt the same, even though he clearly loved padme and obi wan. You just hadnt thought you were another of his loved ones.

"Were not family" the muttered words were out before you could even think on the consequences. Images of him suddenly crushing you with the force, choking or punishing you for disagreeing with him flooded you. You winced, jerking away expecting him to react violently just like the rumours said. But he didnt instead he, tipped his head down to you, looking at you curiously from the top of his eyes and rose a brow.

"No? Are you sure about that little one?" He cooed down at you teasingingly.

"Well i mean... i err Y-yes; technically we arnet? Well... not now?" You fumbled, mixing your words whilst loo,ing away, your gaze dropping to the floor uncomfortably. It was hard holding his gaze, it was different. The harsh reality of him being a sith was daunting. Seeing really was believing, but he was still your old master. In a way it was frightening to think of how close he was to the darkside when he was training you, when you trusted him; loved him even!

"Then we should do something bout that shouldnt we?" He uttered smoothing your hair from your face tucking it behinde your ear. He froze for a second and then frowned.

"You? Whats this? Your braid is gone" his fingers dived further in to your hair feeling around for the braid he had gifted you alongside his tutelage all those years ago. Once realising it was no longer there he scowled at you, amber eyes searing into your own demanding an explanation.

"i had to get rid of it, people knew what it meant. It was dangerous to keep" you shrugged whislt crossing your fingers holing that he didnt get offended and start lecturing you about it. I mean what did he expect? It was open season on jedi, of course youd got rid of the braid. Thats not to say it was an easy thing to do, to your shame youd cried as you unwove it. Youd watched in the mirror as fat tears rolled down your cheeks, and a bottle of strong spirit standing by to pick up the pieces.

Despite the way everything had happened and his quick descent into the dark side you couldnt help mourn the loss of your braid, it symbolised your entire, lifes work, sacrifice. Youd endured the temple and its teachings. Earned your braid and became a padawan to an amazing powerful man and was well on your way to becoming a knight. And just like that it had to go, everything youd worked for was pulled out from under you.

Your feelings must has crept through your bond, bitter sadness and loathing, regret and guilt entwined int one hard cold mass in your chest. Life was much cruler then you cpuld have imagined. Anakin took a moment to watch you, his force carefully peaking into you coaxing you to share more of your inner conscious with him. It saddened him to see just how much youd lost in the turning of the tides. Youd both lost what you held dear, and although he couldnt regain everything that had been ripped from him, he was adamant that hexd restore as much as he could to his beloved pupil.

"Turn around" he ordered before curling his fingers around your arms and spun you around faceing away from him.

"What? Ah!? Master! Wait no!" You bit your lip cutting off the rest of your complaint. Your face flushed as you called him by his old title. He wasnt your master, not anymore. Not since the rise of the empire! How could you slip up like that. Hes the karking emperor now!

If he noticed tour little blunder he chose not to tease you for it, instead he battled your flaying arms and squirmong with swift swats you your head grunting, huffing down at you as you struggled against him.

"For kriff sake! Will you hold still pipsqueek!?" He cursed out loud before striking the back of your head harder then before, letting you feel his growing frustration. You yipped at the slap and tensed for a moment.

"No- let go, hey? What are you doing?" You cried out after a few seconds trying to tug away from him, spining to face him only to yelp again as this time i stead of a palm to the side of your head there was a harsh tug on your hair from behind your right ear.

"Hold still otherwise i will end up ripping a chunk of hair from your scalp. Then youll have a bald spot" He chided giving another harder pull jerking your head to face forward again. You whined moving your hands to pull at his wrists feeling him fiddling with a length of hair. But your hands were stopped at the last moment. Anakins force looped around your wrists and snapped them back down to your sides squeezing in reprimand before releasing them.

"You were never this fussy before" he muttered to himself as he continued to concentrate of the small patch of hair, expertly twisting it neatly, just like the first time.

"What are you doing?"

"Replacing your braid padawan. I do not like seeing you without it" he huffed quickly, makeing sure to be carefull with his words. He knew yoh well enough, youd never admit to missing the single braid. So he would take the metaphorical fall for it. If he said it was for his sake then your more likely to accept it. Contrary to what you belived in this moment he knew youd do anything for him still. The warmth in your force and calm neediness was enough for him to know you still cared for him, just as he did you.

"But im; thats a jedi thing! We're not jedi! Your not my master, your sith!"you grunted waving your arms around once more only to hiss as the hit and invisible wall that stopped you from reaching back to your hair. You pouted shaking out your fingers, rubbing your now tender knuckles.

"Says the girl who just called me her master? Will you hold still?Honestly where has my good girl gone?" He asked pointedly, sending you a small whisper of amusement through the force as to not frighten you into thinking he was displeased. He had to tread carefully, you were still wary of him. If he had any hope or rekindling this relationship and possibly seeking more then kinship he had to be perceptive to your own mood.

"Probably in the mines pocketing the clear points" you huffed under your breath, still sulking. Anakin bellowed a laugh at that. It really was like old times. Just like he hoped for, not that he wanted togoback to. How things were before, but he had missed being treated like a person rather then an authoritarian entity. But his humanity was only for the likes of you to experience. Everyone else could get karked.

"The jedi may be dead, but that doesnt mean i cant borrow some of their ideas. The padawan braid has always been a symbol of domination, hierarchy. Protection." You gave a small hum in agreement, nodding gently before remebering he was braiding your hair.

"I thought you hated it though? The rules and symbolism stuff?" You pondered out loud trying to make sense of the man. He hated the structure and classes. Everyone in their own box unable to argue of explore anything outside of their designated fields.

"It has taken a while but even i can appreciate the notion of protecting something" you nodded along with him, unsure if it was because you agreed with him or if you just wanted to hurry up and get all this weirdness over with.

"There we go, all mine again padawan. Its much better now dont your think?" His hand glided over the much longer braid, admiring the simplicity of it, honestly seeing you wear the thin braid made his heart swell with a possessive pride. Eventually he tore his eyes away from the symbolic strands,stepping around you dragging the braid forward for you to see before letting it drop to your chest.

"Im not a padawan anymore" your eyes locked onto the braid for a second, lighting up in excitement despite your mild complaint. He coukd feel the instant attachment from you, and mild distaste. It would seem you were uneasy about having such reactions to somthing that had been so sentimental in the past.

Anakin eyed you for a moment and then reached out tucking the braid behinde your shoulder again. It would take some time for things to go back to the way they were, he wouldnt let you dwell on it. You needed to move on with him, join him in his freedom. He didnt move away from you. Instead he cupped your cheek softly, coaxing you to look him in the eye, and began to speak sincerly.

"Perhaps not in the way you used to be. But you are still mine, you always have been. Our connection is absolute with or without you braid. Ah! No, dont you dare. Thats not an invitation to remove it. I will singe it at the root with my saber if you try to remove it a second time" he scolded quickly slapping at your hands at the rose to your hair trying to find the braid he'd just weaved. You whined dropping your hands to your sides as they smarted from the swift stinging rebuke.

"Now i think its about time you got cleaned up and some actual rest. Your dark circles are ridiculous" he instructed crowding you again turning with you and began directing you to an arch set back slightly hidden from veiw by thick a pillar. A passage way to the right of the dias and throne.

"Wha; bathed and bed? I dont... i dont understand arent you just going to kill me? Or or arrest me or somthing?!" You jerked away hastily, almost stumbbling over as you spun around dramatically. Even after the strange calm happiness youd seemed to give one another you were technically on opposite sides of the force. You were unable to truly belive he only had the best intentionsfor you.

"Absolutely not, why would i do that?" Indignat fury washed over his face, setting it into a scowl. His arms crossed over his chest, hands tucking themselves into the crook of his arms as if staving off reaching for you once more.

"Isn't that what youve done to everyone else who escaped the temple, erradicate or interrogate them" your voice carried an urgency. Frightfull and desperate. Your fear of being interrogated and killed spewing like venom on your tongue. He rolled his eyes shifting on his feet before a sardonic smile crossed his features.

"You are different, dont ever put yourself into the same pathetic status as them. And i know you know nothing bout the others stragglers, you think ive not been rooting around that headmof yours?" His announcement irked you somewhat. Sure it was a possibility but for him to out right say he'd been helping himself to your inner thoughts was a whole other dilemma. For two reasons mainly, one did you actually trust him when he admits to such invasions of privacy and two how in the hell did you not notice? Where you really that rusty? Or was this a sith only trick the amber eyes granted you?

"You... you what?" Anakin drew a deep sigh, as much as he wanted to be irritated by your outburst. Your squeeked words disarmed him. He forgot how adorable you could be when the wind was taken from your sails. You shrunk into this sweet vulnerable little thing.

"Sweet girl of course i've been flicking through your head to find information. You think our connection weakened because of our distance?" You squinted at him a sure sign of you thinking too hard, searching for a hidden riddle in his admission.

"Not at all, i always knew where you were. I simply let you enjoy your own life for a few years. But now i want you home again, i do not trust all of my inquisitors. And that silly little planet is one of the next ones to be.. investigated." He waved a hand through to air brushing off the notion of you becoming another victim of his empire. It was preposterous, he wouldnt even entertain your silly thoughts of being executed by reassuring you. Surely you knew he'd gaurd you with his life?

"So you... sent them to get me?" You uttered the question was more of an acusation rather than an actual question. You were just trying to be polite about it. And hold back the nausea and panic brewing within you.

"Yes, why wouldnt i? Your mine. We're family, we are all each other has left in the galaxy." His face softened he finally gave in reaching for you tugging you closer and resting his head against yours for a moment. It was too much for him to resist, yes hexd let you have a few years of freedom but he had missed you. You were the last person he truly cared about, the final piece to his empire. The only living soul he would have along side him. It would take time but soon youd grow to love him more then you once did.

"But they?" You huffed, voice trembling tears threatening to stain your face. You burrowed into him, breathing him in. Letting him nuzzle you sweetly. Youd never been this close to him, sure he yanked you out of the way of the odd laser or two and pinned you during sparring matches and training. But this was more intimate, this was actual affection. Anakin was holding you, hugging you letting you feel how much he cared. It was amazing to finally have something youd craved for so long. This was always forbidden, at the tempke you received the odd hug as a youngling but not very often, affection was taboo.

But even the affection didnt manage to chase away the overwhelming relief and fury swirling inside of you. Releived to find you wont be dieing anytime soon, but fury over the fear and anxiety youd had to go through to get here! It wasnt fair, youd truley belived you were going to be on the recieving end of a lightsaber, or shoved face first into a plasma turbine and have a painfull death consisting of dismemberment. Thats what the inquisitors and troopers had gossiped. Hushed whispers of being tortured and slaughtered. And youd belived them!

"They what?" The air grew cold around you both he leant back, his eyes glowing ominously. You could literally feel the wrath in him. The promise of vengeance and revenge should anything untoward had happened. But whether it was madness or spite you still answered his tumultuous question.

"They locked me up! In a freezing cell and? They made me think i was going to; that someone would torture me! Kill me! And they stole my saber!" You covered your mouth gasping, flushing when you realised you'd just tattled on them like a child. Anakin didnt even blink at the way youd quickly told on the asshats that had captured, imprisoned and scared the crap out of you.

"Then you will be happy to know those that were sent to return you to me are already dead. I wont have gossip about you in my forces. And your saber is perfectly safe, its being taken to my room as we speak. I didnt trust you not to cleave off some limbs before i got you home" his reply startled you. He'd what? He had killed for you? To keep you secret... you frowned as much as it should bother you it didnt. Well not much, your first thpught was 'no! why did he do that for you?' The second louder thought that crossed your mind was 'well good, they were assholes'. It struck you to the core, you should be scared, be horrified that your master hd done such a thing but no. You just felt confusion. It didnt make sense to you so much you couldnt help but ask him, you wanted to understand.

You also wanted to understand your relief when hed anou ced he had your lightsaber. Because honestly? You lightsaber in the hands of a sith isnt normally something that'd calm you. It was a troubling realisation. Despite everythingnyou still held Anakin in high regard.

"Home? This isnt; I dont... i dont understand" you frowned up at him, your voice growing small and unsure. You grew more confused with each statment he made. Was he keeping you here? Did he expect something from you? Was he going to recruit you, give you responsibilities?

"Everything will be fine. Soon youll understand, i have high hopes for us. Our future has never been brighter little one. You'll see soon enough. But for now we will take our time, reacquaint ourselves" he uttered cryptically stepping back from you smoothing his hands over your shoulders. As excited as he was, now was not the time to overwhelm you. He was patient, he will slowly ease you into your new role. Draw you closer and closer, higher and higher untill you took your place beside him. Youd be his empress in no time. He was sure of it. But first he had to rekindle your trust, then he could seduce you.

"Future? What are you going to start training me again? Do you need an apprentice or something?" You pondered wareily, you knew tht sith training was different from jedi, you werent necessarily trained. The master would just anwser your questions, when you asked the right ones that is. But in all honestly you didnt want ny training , or fighting. You simply wanted to live your life, preferably without fear or condemnation.

Anakin shook his head and slipped along side you, capturing your hand before placing it in the crook of his arm before setting off once more. Heading you towards the side exit again.

"Hush.Once you trust me again we can revisit the topic of our new path. For now relax, enjoy your freedom about the palace. You can do as you please inside these walls, have all the pretty gems and polished stones your heart desires." The final teasing words felt odd, he wasnt baiting you but there was a sincerity there. Youd never notice it was infact a subtle manipulation. A well placed temptation solely there to lure you out of your old padwan mentally. He didnt want you to see him as your master, nor did he want you to revert to your old ways and place such limits on yourself again. He wanted you to grow attched to him, to rely on him, to seek him out and enjoy the freedom he'd granted you. but above all he wanted you to fall for him. And it would be hard not to if he gave you everything youd ever wished for.

"Be a good girl for me? Go get cleaned up and straight to bed i will see you in the morning. And remember leave that braid alone, id hate to have to reprimand you so early on" it took a little more then two minutes to exit the throne room. There was a droid waiting by the door expectantly.

"Escort her to the chambers i prepared in my private wing. Shes to bathe, eat and get some sleep. No one is to disturb her" Anakin eased your hand from his arm whislt delivering orders to the droid. You made to argue, still determined to have some answers, preferably less vague. But he hushed you with a motion of his hand and then leant forward tugging you in for another tight hug, squeezing you to hos chest unable to deny his impulses.

"Do as ive asked, rest. I shall see you in the morning for breakfast. Untill then pipsqueek" his whispered low, his breath tickeling the sensitive shell of your ear drawing an involuntary shudder from you. And then he parted from you. Leaving you with a sweet kiss on your cheek before turning on his heel and making his way back towards the throne.

You stood frozen, rooted to the spot lifting a hand to your cheek grazing the spot he'd kissed. Your heart fluttering in your chest and cheeks red. That was new. Suddenly your veiw of your master was interrupted by the service droid instrucing you to follow them deeper into the palace. You nodded stiffly your feet keeping pace with the droid. But did chance a final glance to the emperor as he took his place on the huge throne. Sparing you a single smoldering look as your turned a corner out of sight.

He definitely had a plan, yet you wasnt sure if you feared it. Infact your all to happy to remain here quietly if it meant youd be safe, sheltered and fed well. Despite all of the tragidies within the empire and the heavy handed rule of Anakin your only personal concern was that youd be hunted and killed. It was clear that was no longer the case. It seemed selfish and you did feel somewhat guilty but maybe you could just relax for a while? Enjoy some security and good food and comfy beds. You can overthink and agonise over your moral compass later, when your not filthy, tired and hungry.

[weemsfreak]

Full Circle -Par 3

Part 1

Larissa Weems x fReaderOC

Summary: After Prudence's fathers death, she struggles to get back to her sport, golf. Larissa finally has time to indulge in her long forgotten sport as well, meeting some friends and culprits along the way. Both women hope to find joy on the course, but will they find something unexpected as well? ~6.9k words.

✂ Song that goes well with the fic: Dear Prudence by Siouxsie & The Banshees (linked at bottom)

Note: Hi everyone! So, many people seemed to like the idea of Larissa being part of a country club. I chose golf because I'm more familiar with it than tennis or anything else. There were so many ways I wanted this to go, so I hope that I met your expectations! This is pt 1 of probably 2. (If anyone else wants to be tagged in pt 2, let me know)

Warnings: A bit of misogyny, harassment, alcohol

@dopenightmaretyphoon @danverssawyer @dingdongthetail

Also, you're welcome for blessing your eyes with this image. I wanted to create digital art of her, but I haven't had time, so this is partially AI generated.

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Larissa's life had always been busy, excessively busy. For years, she had been caught up in the rollercoaster of a journey to becoming a teacher at Nevermore Academy, and eventually the Headmistress. She has had little to no time for herself, even during the summer months. However, about five years ago, a weight had been lifted. Well, it felt lighter, as she now had time. Time to return to a passion that she had long neglected and missed dearly. 'You're not getting any younger', she reminded herself. 'Get back out there'.

With that, she found herself at a golf club just outside of Jericho, purchasing a new set of clubs.

After playing alone for most of the season and getting back into the grove of things, she crossed paths with a trio of seasoned golfers: Tom, Glen, and Richard. They had noticed her playing by herself a few times, and one day asked if she would like to join their group.

"What's a pretty little thing like you doing playing alone?" Richard asked, winking at Larissa. The headmistress scoffed at the label, 'pretty little thing'. "I'm just getting back into the swing of things" she replied, trying to brush off his comment. "Come play with us, we've never had the pleasure of playing with a young lady before" Richard replied, wiggling his eyebrows. Tom chimed in, "Yeah, we could teach you a thing or two."

Larissa reluctantly agreed to join the men, and found that their persistent staring during her address wasn't doing her any favors, as her shots were less than ideal. About halfway through the game, Larissa regained some confidence, and started putting more power into her shots. "Pretty good, for a woman" Richard commented with a sly smile. Larissa rolled her eyes at him.

Despite Richards teasing and rude comments, the older men had recognized the potential in the younger woman. They knew that she had strength hidden behind that 'slender frame of hers', as they called it. Hell, she already had the precision.

"I'll make you a deal" Richard smugly said, smirking up at the woman. She straightened her posture and nodded down at him, "Alright." Richard observed Larissa's clubs, noting that they were top of the line. Perhaps money wouldn't motivate this woman. "You got a very nice set of clubs there, it's clear that you have potential. If you beat me on this hole, I'll give you $100." Larissa raised her eyebrows, a bet? She wasn't motivated by the money much, but beating this elderly man and showing them up, well, that was intriguing. "Deal" she said confidently.

As it was, Larissa put her all into everything that she did. Her drive sent the ball soaring with remarkable distance and precision. When it came time to putt, she had hope that she could beat Richard, for she prided herself on her putting skills, which for a lot of people was not a forte. Larissa and Tom managed to finish with a birdie, and Richard and Glen on par. "Well I'll be" Tom marveled. Richard let his eyes rake over Larissa's tall form, a smile pulling at his lips. "She has talent and beauty gentlemen, she's a keeper." Larissa couldn’t' help but shake her head at him as she let out a giggle. "Here you are" Richard said, handing Larissa a crisp hundred dollar bill. "Don't spend it all in one place."

Larissa continued to play with the three men for years, earning their respect and forgoing genuine friendships. She learned a lot from them, not only about golf, but also about life. When a golf season ended, she looked forward to the next. But, as fate would have it, after three seasons Richard didn't show up for golf. Tom and Glen solemnly informed Larissa that he had passed away. She silently thanked him for what he did for her, for he had turned her into a better golfer.

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You have been playing golf since you were a child. Over the years you have learned all the ins and outs of the game from your father, who had been a professional golfer himself at one point. His passion, and yours, for the sport was unmatched. Together you dedicated countless hours to perfecting your swing, honing your putting, and mastering every aspect of the game.

After your fathers passing, you found it very hard to muster the energy or motivation to play, especially without him by your side. Yes, you were grieving, your father and the game. It felt like when you lost him, that part of your life was lost too. Golf, for you, was lost in translation, out of the question, and thrown into the abyss.

And that was how you felt, for the longest time. That was, until your most recent life changing decision. You quickly fell in love with the mountains, greenery, and breath of fresh air that was Jericho, Vermont. You had never ventured far from your hometown, but now, you figured it was time.

Your father had gifted you a set of clubs once you had stopped growing. They were the latest models at the time, and they suited you perfectly. The only club in your bag that was not so new, was your driver. When you were younger and your father had stopped playing professionally, he had gifted you his pride and joy, his driver. After years of wear and tear, though, it was becoming a bit shabby.

You pulled up to the golf course just outside of Jericho, 'West Bolton Golf Club'. You had been here a couple of times recently, your first time back out was harder for you than you had anticipated. Yet, after not playing for a long while, you were still as good as ever. A tad rusty, you will admit, but you thought your father would be proud. You stood your clubs next to a table outside the clubhouse and opted for a sandwich before teeing off. You hummed quietly as you ate, soaking in the sun and the warmth it brought you. It was a beautiful day for golfing, gorgeous in comparison to the other days that you were here.

As you sat and ate, excited to get out on the course, you heard some men laughing at a nearby table. Old men jokes, you thought, never really funny. You turned your attention to them as you watched an older man reach his hand out and playfully swat at a woman's arm. They were all laughing, seeming like they were genuinely enjoying each others company, it made you smile. When you were finished with your sandwich, you walked to the trash and discarded your wrapper, then made your way back to your table. You had caught the eye of one of the older men, as he watched you sit back down and rearrange your clubs. You were glancing at the woman at the table, trying your best to be somewhat stealthy. She was an image, she looked like she was straight out of an old movie. She was definitely a member here, there was no doubt about that. Her whole demeanour screamed wealthy, though it was odd. Usually it would be no surprise to see an older woman at a golf club dressed to the nines, but this woman looked considerably younger than these elderly men. The color of her hair was making you think otherwise, but you'd swear it to be blonde, not white. "Hi there" one of the old men smiled, waving at you and pulling you away from your staring. You smiled and looked around, was he talking to you? He was looking at you. "Hi" you waved back, blushing in embarrassment.

Your attempt to be stealthy was not successful, it seemed. He definitely saw you gazing at the woman, what if she was his wife? The man smiled and made a 'come here' gesture with his hand, to which you stood and made your way to their table. "I haven't seen you here before, you new?" You looked around the table and found six eyes focused on you, two of which were distractingly beautiful. You swallowed, "Yes, I just moved here." The man nodded and responded warmly, "Well, welcome to West Bolton, sit, sit." You returned a quiet thanks before settling in the only empty chair, next to the woman. "I'm Glen, this is Tom" Glen gestured to the man beside him, then turned to the woman, "and this is Larissa." Tom nodded your way, and Larissa extended her hand with an enchanting red-lipped smile. The woman's appearance was nothing short of stunning. She exuded an air of wealth and sophistication, from her golf attire to her jewelry, from her meticulously styled hair to her bold yet elegant makeup. The way she laughed, the way she drank her wine, not to mention her confident demeanor, screamed at you. It was clear now that she was considerably younger than the older men, her porcelain-like complexion fixing you in a trance.

"Nice to meet you, darling" she greeted. You stammered as you shook her hand. You knew that you should give them your name in return, but your breath caught in your throat when the woman's smooth British accent hit your ears. "Y-you too, I'm Prudence." The woman continued to hold your gaze, and you then realized how close you were sitting to her. From this proximity, you could see that her skin was smooth and pale. You couldn't help but feel that you'd hurt her if you touched it. You didn't mean it in the way that she looked old and fragile though, heavens no, but in the way that artists would portray angels- bright, creamy, delicate, exquisite.

"So Prudence, do you play often?" Tom asked, breaking the silence. You shook your head, "Not much anymore, but I used to." Tom gestured to your clubs, "Those are nice clubs you got there." You smiled and nodded in agreement, "Thank you. My father gave them to me, he taught me how to play." "Who's your father? Would we know him?" Glen asked in curiosity. "Paul Clair" you replied proudly. Tom's eyebrows raised, "Paul Clair? From Tennessee?" You confirmed with a nod, "That's him." The old men paused and exchanged glances. "He was excellent at his sport, our condolences" Glen replied. After another moment of silence, Larissa turned to you. "We're going to tee off in a minute, would you like to join us, Prudence?" You considered her invitation, you were intrigued by this woman. But, you were working on your technique, and you didn't want to hold them up.

After politely declining, you allowed the group to get ahead of you before making your way to the first hole. You placed your tee into the ground and set up as you let the fresh air of the fairway fill your lungs, relief flooding your veins. You had always found solace in the manicured fairways and lush greens, which you desperately needed recently, especially today. After teeing off and sending the ball soaring through the sky, you smiled to yourself, "Pru, you still got it".

You took your time to correct your silly mistakes and scold yourself for things about which you knew better, until half way through, when you caught up with the group in front of you. Glen, Tom, and Larissa were at the next hole, joined now by two younger men. You scrunched your face up in confusion, there were only four allowed in a group.

Tom spoke to the newcomers, who looked eager to impress. "Newbies, eh? You wanna learn a few things?" The younger guys exchanged glances before nodding at the old man, "Yeah, sure." Tom demonstrated, setting up the ball and taking his shot, sending it straight down the fairway, out of sight. "Alright, your turn" Tom motioned to one of the boys. You observed the younger men, noticing that they carried themselves rather tall, chests puffed out and chins high. One of them walked up to the tee box and set his ball up, gripping his club and getting into position. The other boy was seemingly fixated on Larissa, and you realized that she was who they were eager to impress. You watched as the ball was sent flying with great strength, but it was a slice, and it landed in the trees. The next newbie took a turn, but didn't make contact with the ball on his first swing. He cursed before trying again and making contact, but not sending the ball far, at all. "Alright, alright" Tom intervened, giving the boys a few tips. After a few minutes, Tom walked back over to Glen and elbowed him playfully. You watched as Larissa chuckled and shook her head, as if she knew what was coming. "Alright boys, I'll make you both a deal." The boys smiled and replied with okays. Tom pointed to Larissa. "If one of you drive the ball further and with more precision than Larissa here, I'll give you each $50." The boys both turned their attention to Larissa, before giving her a one over and a smile. "You boys better buy the woman a drink with your winnings" Glen joked, the boys agreed happily.

You moved closer, eager to see how this bet would play out. Larissa turned to you as you walked up behind her. She smiled, "Shall I give them a run for his money?" You chuckled and nodded your head, "Give it all you've got."

The boys tried again, determined to impress. You had to give it to them, they did better than the first time. "Not bad boys, not bad" Tom praised. "You're up, Rissa." Larissa approached the tee box with a graceful sway of her hips, and placed the tee in the ground. As she set up, you couldn't help but roll your eyes. The boys wandering gazes were venturing lower, they weren't even trying to hide it. Larissa took an elegant practice swing before aligning her club up with the ball. You watched her, captivated by her movements. She was so proper and graceful with everything that she did, every move that she made. She swung and drove the ball, sending it straight down the fairway with grace. "I think that went further than mine" Tom laughed. The boys let out frustrated groans and chuckled in embarrassment. "Well boys, the lady beat you. Don't dwell on it too much, I'll buy you both a drink when were finished." You watched as they all packed their clubs and hopped into their golf carts. Larissa headed to the cart and returned her driver, but before she left, she turned her attention to you and gave you a wink, leaving you in awe.

☼☼☼

1

After a particularly taxing day at work, you sought comfort from the golf course. You decided to sit at a table and order a drink before you started. It was relatively calm tonight, as the beautiful day had turned chilly far too soon. However, the day turned beautiful once more when you caught a glimpse of light blonde hair in a passing group of people. To your surprise, and utter delight, Larissa was sitting at a table, alone. You wasted no time in gathering your belongings and walking over to her. "Hi!" you greeted, gazing down at the older woman. Larissa's face lit up with a smile when she met your eyes, "Hi darling, have a seat."

You settled into the chair beside her and took note of her choice of drink, red wine. You watched as long elegant fingers wrapped around the stem of the glass and manicured hands brought it to her lips. "You blew the boys out of the water the other day, quite impressive" you giggled. Larissa swallowed and chuckled, "Oh, you flatter me so."

You looked around at her empty table, "Where's Glen and Tom?" Larissa waved her hand dismissively, "Sometimes they're too much. I'm flying solo today." You nodded in agreement, "So, how do you know them?"

The woman smiled, reminiscing about the day she met her older friends. "Well, when I first started here, they made a bet with me, much like yesterday. Richard, may he rest in peace, said that if I bet him, he'd give me a hundred dollars." Larissa chuckled, shaking her head, "I got the hundred, and they invited me to play with them. At first they flirted with me and made stupid jokes, but I fired back, and they soon learned that I wasn't going to take any shit." 

You laughed at Larissa's story, "Wow, that's amazing!" The woman nodded, "I still have the hundred, it's on my wall." Your eyes widened in shock, you would've spent that money so fast. "So neither of them are your boyfriend, or husband?" you blurted. Immediately regretting your question, you slapped a hand over your mouth. You don't know what prompted you to ask that, you just wanted to clarify, for some reason. Larissa burst into laughter, throwing her head back as her hand flew to her chest. "No! No love, I'm not with either of them" she replied reassuringly. You let out a breath of relief, "Oh! Okay." Larissa suddenly narrowed her eyes at you. "Did you really think I was that old?" Heat crept up your cheeks, and you felt the need to explain yourself. "Oh, no! I knew you were younger. Well you look younger, but that doesn't mean anything" you smiled, embarrassed. The woman nodded her head in understanding and looked down at her wine glass. "How old do you think I am?" she asked. You froze, you hated that question. Um, 30? 50? You were horrible at this guessing game. "Umm, 40?" you replied sheepishly, it really was your best guess. She smiled, "Close, I'm 49." Your jaw dropped, she didn't look anywhere near that age, not that 49 was old. "How old do you think I am?" you asked. Larissa furrowed her brow as she studied you carefully. You just sat there, feeling like you were being penetrated by her gaze. "Late twenties" she finally said. You shrugged and smiled, "Yeah, good guess."

After Larissa's red was gone, she asked you to accompany her on the course, to which you happily agreed. This woman was a beast at the game, being on par almost every hole (and sometimes under), and never slicing the ball into the trees, water, or bunker. She was a joy to golf with, sharing tips and tricks whenever you needed them. You thought that she would be an excellent teacher. It was apparent that she loved to help and pass on her knowledge.

You watched from behind as Larissa putted, noting the small details of her form. Her putting form, that was. Well, maybe her physical form too. She wore a baby blue colored golf skirt that showed off her long legs and accentuated her wide hips. Her white colored polo shirt fit her perfectly. Her clothes were always pristine with no wrinkles, you could learn a lot from her. Her shoes were white, of all colors, stained with nothing, no grass, no dirt. As your gaze raked over her form from head to toe, you berated yourself internally, for you were no better than any man.

As the sun set and darkness fell, making it impossible to see, you both decided to call it a night. "You did amazingly today, darling" Larissa complimented. Blushing, you packed up your clubs and took them out of the golf cart. "Thank you Larissa, as did you." Larissa's gaze shifted down to your clubs, and she noticed a charm hanging off of your bag. She took the photo delicately in her fingers, "What's this?" It held a photo of your father, which you had placed in a clear case and attached to your bag. It made you feel like he was with you whenever you golfed. "That's my father. I didn't golf for a long time after he passed, so this makes me feel like he's still golfing with me." Larissa looked at you sincerely before running her hand down your arm soothingly. "Well, I'm so glad that you decided to get back to your sport, Prudence. He would be so proud." Larissa smiled down at you before holding her hand out to you. "Can I have your phone for a moment?" You reached into your pocket and handed her your phone, unsure of her intentions. She quickly entered her number into your contacts and handed it back. She had called herself 'Larissa (from golf)' which made you chuckle. "There's my number, incase you ever want someone to golf with, or just to talk to." You smiled up at the lovely woman, reveling in the warmth that her bright blue eyes radiated. "Thank you, Larissa."

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You found yourself driving to a liquor store in Jericho one evening. You had been non stop thinking about wine recently, but you were unsure as to why, you weren't usually a wine drinker. You were searching the store for a brand or variety that may appeal to you, when you set your eyes on red. You had in mind white, or perhaps rose, but something about red was very, very tempting. You picked up the bottle and read the description, you knew it would be strong and dry. You scrunched your face up in question, why was this so appealing to you? Suddenly, you remembered where you got the craving for red, Larissa.

You heard the door bell ding, indicating that someone was entering the store. Speak of the angel and she shall appear, or rather think of her. Her eyes scanned the store as she subconsciously made her way to your isle. She stood next to you and grabbed a bottle of red, the same bottle that you were holding. She didn't notice you standing there at first, and you used that time to take her in. She was wearing a sage green sleeveless dress, and a scarf tied around her head. She adorned nude colored kitten heels, and when you realized how tall she really was, you gasped lightly. Larissa swiveled her head around quickly to find you peering up at her. "Oh, hello love" she spoke, surprised but delighted to see you. You quickly smiled and averted her gaze, hoping she didn't notice your staring, "Hi Larissa." The woman took the bottle in her hands and held it next to yours. "We have the same taste, do we?" she chuckled lightly. You blushed and spoke hesitantly, "I actually never tried red before." Larissa turned to you with a grin, looking you up and down. "Well, I recommend it. It is my favorite, after all." You nodded, if this was Larissa's favorite, you'd at least try it. "So, I take it you live in Jericho?" You replied with a yes. "As do I" she smiled. After you purchased your wine, you walked out of the shop together. "Would you like to golf together again, Prudence? Perhaps Saturday?" You smiled wide and nodded your head excitedly, "I'd love to, I'll see you then."

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2

Saturday rolled around and you were eager to get on the course. You had played a couple of times by yourself recently, and your body ached from the exercise. Being out of practice was defiantly taking it's toll on you.

You played with the older woman, and delightfully you two became closer. You  learned that Larissa was the headmistress of Nevermore Academy, which you were not surprised about at all. When she had told you what type of school Nevermore was, you were a bit nervous, due to being unfamiliar. As you and her talked though, you became increasingly intrigued by Larissa's stories. You learned that her name was Larissa Weems, and you decided that you loved how her name rolled off of your tongue.

"Do you mind?" Larissa asked with a grin, handing you a bottle of sunscreen. She turned around so that her back was facing you, and pointed to the parts of her shoulders and neck that weren't covered by her tan sleeveless polo. "I can't reach very well, but I'm afraid I burn fairly easily."

You poured some sunscreen out into your hand, gently smoothing it over her skin. The warmth of her pale skin, and the contact in general, quickly brought a blush to your face. You tried your best to not miss any spots as you focused on not feeling, or looking, too flustered. Once you applied the sunscreen, you ran your hands lightly down her forearms. On purpose? By accident? You didn't know. Larissa turned around and took the sunscreen from you with a side smile and a flutter of her lashes, "Your turn."

As you spent more time with the headmistress, you quickly found yourself becoming enamored with the tall woman. She was a remarkable golfer, and you both bonded over your similar taste in clubs and similar techniques. She was easy to talk to, she was very sweet, and she was incredibly kind hearted. She had a playful, youthful spirit that was apparent with her constant jokes and antics. She was always ready to bring a smile to your face. Yet, she possessed a mature and responsible side, and when the situation called for it, she could assert herself firmly. You admired this quality of hers, especially since you tended to avoid confrontations. Larissa was the guidance that you needed in life, yet the friend that would support you. You prayed that your connection with the woman would continue to deepen, as you cherished your moments with her.

☼☼☼

"It's a beautiful day for it" Glen remarked, pulling his driver from his bag.

"Sure is" Tom replied. The older men watched Larissa as she prepared to tee off, carefully placing her tee in the ground and taking a practice swing to gauge her aim, factoring in the breeze.

"So Larissa, we haven't-"

"Tom, can't you see that I'm golfing here?" Larissa interrupted, standing and turning to her friend while narrowing her eyes at him. Tom held up his hands in surrender, "Sorry."

After Larissa took her shot, she turned back to him. "I was going to say that we haven't seen you in a bit. Have you grown tired of us old bags?" he joked, elbowing Glen.

Larissa chuckled and shook her head. "No, of course not. I've just been busy."

Tom and Glen teed off, moving to find their place on the fairway. "Busy huh, with what? You're off for the summer, you can't be doing work" Glen exclaimed.

Larissa rolled her eyes, they loved to get her going sometimes. She glanced down at her ball on the fairway, balancing her hand on her club. "I've just been doing my own thing."

Glen and Tom glanced at each other, giving knowing looks. "You've been playing with that young girl, haven't you?" Glen huffed in false annoyance.

The elder men knew that Larissa was interested in women, and they were always supportive. That's why they found it amusing to watch the young men flirt with her, for they didn't stand a chance. Yet, Larissa has been single for a long while, the old men were aware of that too. She didn't want them making jokes about you and her when you were purely just friends. Hell, she didn't even know if you liked women, let alone her. She scrunched her face up at the older men, hoping to appear convincing in her lie. "No I have not, why would you say that?"

Tom chuckled, "I saw your name in the books."

 Larissa stared at them, expressionless, before sighing and nodding her head. "Okay, we have played together a few times."

The old men laughed before moving on to their putting. "Nothing wrong with that" Glen spoke.

"Is she good?" Tom chimed in.

Larissa smiled, thinking back to the times that you two had played together. "Very good, almost as good as I am" she replied, sinking the ball and beating both men by a stroke.

"Shit" Tom murmured.

"Well, bring her out next time, Rissa. We'd love to see her play," Glen suggested.

Larissa gave them a knowing look, "You'd love to annoy her, you mean."

Tom chuckled and placed his hand on Larissa's upper back. "Yes, that too."

☼☼☼

3

Although you were confident in your golfing abilities most of the time, you had always been nervous about golfing with others. You feared that you might hold them back, or appear too cocky, or god forbid have a particularly bad day. Alas, when Larissa texted you and asked if you wanted to play with her and the older men, you had decided that was 'the way of the game', as your father used to say.

You loaded your clubs into a golf cart and sat next to Larissa. Her outfit of the day caught your attention, as it always did. She looked stunning in her red sleeveless dress, which matched her red lips and contrasted nicely against her porcelain skin. She smiled down at you when she saw you eyeing her outfit. She reached out and stroked your arm, making a rush of warmth spread over you as your gaze shot up to meet hers. "How are you today, darling?"

You felt your heart flutter at her question, her eyes brightly boring into your own. She never failed to make you feel cared for and important. "I'm good Larissa, how are you?"

Larissa turned the cart on and shifted into drive, smiling wide.

"Much better now that I'm here with you."

As Larissa drove to the first hole, you dug out a cold alcoholic beverage. You knew it wasn't allowed on the course, as they wanted you to buy drinks from the shop. Sucks for them, you only had so much money, and the prices at the club were steep. "What have you got there?" Larissa asked, peering down at the can in your hands. "Vodka soda, want one?" You dug through your bag, pulling out another. Larissa shrugged and scrunched up her nose playfully, "Sure, why not."

As the day progressed, you found that you were playing rather well. Glen and Tom occasionally made remarks, one about you being so young, and something about Larissa and women. You didn't know what they were getting at exactly, so you ignored them. Larissa and the men shot comments back and forth as you sat in the background in hysterics. The old men really seemed innocent, and you now understood why Larissa liked them so much. By the 9th hole, you had become relaxed and comfortable with their bickering. It was all in good fun, after all.

"Aww, ducks!" you exclaimed, pointing to ducks in a pond while you were passing by in the golf cart. Larissa turned to catch what you were pointing at and stopped to let you enjoy the moment. However, she stopped so abruptly that Tom and Glen almost rear ended your cart. "Rissa, get going!" Tom yelled. Larissa ignored him and turned to you, "Do you want to go see the ducks darling?"

You excitedly nodded your head and exited the cart, walking over to the pond. You observed the ducks happily as they dived for food and quacked, swimming about the small pond. You remembered how your father would point all the animals out to you while golfing, the ducks in the pond, the rabbits in the woods, and the cows that lived next to the golf course, the one back home. You were always scared that if you didn't send the ball straight, it would curve and hit one of the cows.

"C'mon, they're just ducks" Glen chuckled.

"Leave her alone, what are you in a hurry for" Larissa replied, sitting in the cart patiently watching you. She smiled as she marveled over you. She thought that your interest and love for the simple things was adorable, and she would never want to take any joy away from you. She found that, even though you had only played together a few times, you reminded her to slow down and take her time with things, to appreciate them more. In Larissa's busy everyday life, she had forgotten how to do that. She admired the way you thought about things twice, so that you would do them right, but at the same time, you weren't too caught up in the competition, in the hustle and bustle. You went at your own pace and did your own thing, and that was how it should be.

You walked back to the cart and got in, smiling ear to ear. You were grateful for her support, and you appreciated her sticking up for you. "Thanks, Larissa" you said, blushing slightly at her. "Of course love" she replied, reaching for your hand and stroking her thumb over your skin.

You were teeing off at the next hole when Glen noted your worn out driver. "You got a lot of use out of that" he said, pointing to the scuffed up and dented head. You picked it up and brushed it off, "Yea, I guess I could use a new one." "You'd do better with a new one, that one is probably throwing you off" Tom noted. You nodded and chuckled, "I'll get a new one, eventually." Larissa took note of your attitude, it was like something was bothering you. "They have nice ones at the shop darling, we can go look at them" she chimed in. You shrugged, "Maybe another day, I'll have to save up" you embarrassingly admitted.

You sat in the golf cart enjoying a snack as Larissa conversed with the older men. Your jaw almost dropped when your gaze landed on her, the sun cascading around her form and accentuating her red accents. The sky was unusually colorful today, with pink, orange, and yellow hues blended together smoothly. Larissa's smile glowed even more than on a normal day, and her eyes crinkled with joy. She was truly a breathtaking image. An image. You gasped excitedly when you recalled packing your polaroid camera, and you quickly pulled it out of your bag. You looked through the camera lens and focused it on her, your hands shaking as you tried to keep it steady. As you were about to snap the photo, Larissa turned and started walking toward your cart. You pulled away from the camera nervously, hoping to snap a photo without her seeing. You said screw it as you lined the camera lens up with her, ceasing an opportunity that was too good to pass up. She smiled to herself and her gaze met the sky as she made her way to you. You snapped the shot. Candid photos were always beautiful, as they captured the essence of a person. You laid your camera carefully back in your bag, listening to the whirring of the printing photo. Larissa sat next to you, still smiling wide as she gestured to the sky. "Isn't it beautiful, darling?" You looked up at the array of colors, before lowering your gaze to your bag. You chuckled to yourself, debating on letting your thoughts run with the breeze and carry themselves to her ears, 'It's not as beautiful as you.' Alas, you refrained and your gaze met hers warmly. "It really is Larissa, it's so beautiful."

After the 16th hole, you loaded your clubs into the cart and settled in the passenger seat again. You had a few drinks while on the course, which may have affected your performance, but not too much. You were caught off guard as Larissa stepped on the gas, giggling, as she thought it would be hilarious to leave Tom and Glen in the dust. You squealed as you fell gently into the woman, and quickly grabbed the handle to pull yourself away. She raced down the dirt path to the next hole, and you watched as the sunscreen fall out of the cart and onto the ground. "Shit Rissa, the sunscreen!" you hollered. The older woman slammed on the breaks, the cart drifting in the dirt and gravel. You jumped out and retrieved the sunscreen, laughing hysterically. "Geeze, you gotta be somewhere?!" you said, eliciting a cackle from Larissa as she drove down the path. When you stopped, she leaned closer to you and took your hand in hers again. Her plump lips curled up into a cute smile as brown eyes met blue, and you blushed. "You're very fun to be around, Prudence. Thank you for coming out today" she whispered. Your blush deepened as you looked down at your intertwined hands and squeezed hers reassuringly, "It's my pleasure. You're a delight, Larissa."

Glen ended up winning this round, with Larissa in second and you in third. Tom, being the loser, offered to buy the drinks. As you all sat, worn out from the day, a man appeared at your table, "What can I get you all?" He looked younger than Larissa, yet older than you. You noticed that he was paying an unusual amount of interest towards the woman. He talked enthusiastically, and you watched him as he took the old men's orders of beer, your order of a rum and coke, and Larissa's order of red wine. He took Larissa's order last, looking her up and down with a smirk. He then opened his mouth, to your dismay. "I saw you playing today Larissa, not your best day huh? Maybe it's because you're not wearing your blue skirt. That one shows you off nicely" he winked. Before you, or anyone else could say anything, the man walked away. Larissa let out a groan in annoyance and placed her head in her hands. "What the hell is his problem!?" you asked, frustrated and confused. Larissa sighed and turned to you, about to respond, when Glen spoke up. "He's a cocky young thing. He works and plays here. When Larissa first started playing, he challenged her."

"He challenged her, and Rissa beat him! Now he's sour about it" Tom added, rolling his eyes. Larissa leaned in closer to the men and whispered in disgust, "He never leaves me alone. I always see him eyeing me, little pervert."

"He'll get what's coming to him" Tom replied confidently, taking a drink of his beer.

After a drink and some much appreciated golf advice from Glen and Tom, another man made his way to your table and stopped next to Larissa. "Red wine, a fine choice" he said, flashing her a toothy smile. Larissa smiled back and nodded, "Yes, it's my go to." The man looked around the table at the older men, then at you. "May I buy you another?" he asked, gesturing to her drink. Your eyes narrowed at him, how arrogant, it seemed that he had deemed her available to flirt with. Tom laughed and shook his head, "You're barking up the wrong tree pal." Larissa glared at Tom with an expression that said 'shut up.' She then looked up at the man and waved her hand dismissively, "Thank you, but I'm fine." The man replied while eyeing Larissa up and down. "Are you sure? I saw you golfing today, and I'm pretty impressed." Larissa chuckled but shook her head no, about to politely decline again, when you spoke up. You furrowed your eyebrows at the man and placed your hand on Larissa's, "She said she's fine." The man's eyes widened in surprise as they shot to you. He then nodded and headed back to his table. Larissa gazed down at you and chuckled in amusement and surprise, squeezing your hand lightly. She hoped you couldn't read it on her face, but she thought it was precious, how you defended her. "Someone has a crush" Glen spoke, picking up his beer and taking a sip. Larissa smiled, "I'm sure he just wanted to talk about golf." Glen raised his eyebrows as he looked at you, "I'm not talking about him."

Larissa gave him a questioning look before letting go of your hand, "I'll be right back." As soon as Larissa entered the building and was out of sight, the men turned to you. "So, what are your intentions with our friend here?" Tom asked. You tilted your head in confusion, "What do you mean?" "Do you like her?" Glen chimed in. You raised a brow, "Well yeah, I like her. Why wouldn't I?" Tom and Glen smirked at each other before chuckling at your obliviousness. "No, are you interested in her? Do you like women?" Your mouth dropped open as you blushed lightly. You knew the answer to that question, but why did they care? You shrugged, "No, no. I mean maybe, yeah."

Larissa was making her way back from the washroom when caught your conversation. She stopped at the door and discreetly listened in. "Well, she likes women, and she's single" Glen replied, hinting. Larissa's mouth opened in disbelief, they were just casually outing her to you? Okay then. "You know she's 49, right?" Tom laughed. Larissa's mouth dropped further, they weren't ones to talk about age. You chuckled and shook your head at the men, now eager to speak the truth. "I don't care if she's 49, she's fucking lovely." Glen and Tom erupted into laughter at your response, but inside, a toothy smile lit up the older woman's face. Larissa's heart swelled in her chest at your words, you innocent thing you. She returned to the table and settled down next to you, scooting her chair closer to yours. Her eyes crinkled as she smiled down at you, and when you returned a side smirk, she gave you a knowing wink.

☼☼☼

Part 2

[ughgoaway]

ugly sweater party // day 10

content warnings; nothing i think? maybeee swearing but i do not remember <33

a/n; did anyone else have ugly jumper days at school or did I just go to a weird fucking school?? anyway I hope you enjoy this fic!!! (I did not enjoy re-reading it, but when do I ever lol)

word count; 1.8k

(this fic takes place pre-relationship)

12 days masterlist

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“Come on in, Jamie! Nice jumper, very ugly!” you say, smiling down at the little boy whose eyes were bright with pride. Normally calling a student's jumper ugly would end in tears and a stern conversation with your boss, but today it's the very best thing they could hear.

Last month, you were sitting in a meeting, ringing your hands together, trying to muster the confidence to suggest the idea of an ugly jumper day to fundraise for cancer research. Somehow, you pulled yourself together enough to say it out loud. You immediately cringed after you said it, prepared to be shot down. But thankfully, you were met with a chorus of support from your colleagues.

As the days passed by, you had more and more excited children coming up to you saying they found their jumpers and couldn't wait to wear them. You even went out and bought some spares, just in case someone forgets.

And so this event became your baby for the next month. You created flyers and handed them out to everyone. Putting them in backpacks and bookbags to ensure they made it home safely.

You even did some secret stalking on the mum-only Facebook page under your alias “Caroline Monroe”, and were over the moon to see mums talking about how much their little ones are enjoying the idea.

And here the day was, each new child coming in had a smile so big it looked as if their cheeks could split. Every parent is praising you for the idea and the organisation of it all, and you couldn't feel more proud. Finally, you’re fitting in and making use of the degree that caused you endless stress. 

But if you were honest, you were waiting for one student in particular. Not that you'd admit that to anyone, or even yourself, really. Every time a new head of hair came bounding in, you did a double take to see if it was the pile of curls you were hoping for.

Unlike how she was usually, Annie was pretty silent about her jumper, not even telling you if she had one or not. So, to say you were suspicious was an understatement. 

9 o'clock drew closer, and you got the sudden fear Annie wasn't in today. But just before the bell could ring, you saw 2 heads full of bouncing curls running into the school gates. And you couldn't help the splitting grin that came over your face.

“Well little miss Annie…” you begin as you bend down, “what an amazing jumper!! It is very ugly!” You scrunch your face as you say it, the words still not feeling normal on your tongue.

If only the daily mail could see him now, you are sure half the articles they pumped out would be scrapped.

Matty Healy in a matching ugly Christmas jumper to his 6-year-old daughter.

Matty catches your eyes and immediately mirrors your grin, and you can't help but snort at the sight of him. He lifts a finger mockingly and wags it at you, imploring you not to laugh. 

“And you match with your daddy!” You say with a teasing lilt to your voice. You shoot your eyes up to Matty, who is already looking down with more disdain than you thought he could muster at 9 a.m.

“Yes.. thank you, miss y/n” Matty says with a joking quality to his words and one hand on his hip, the other holding his daughter's hand. 

You break eye contact and look back to Annie, who is beaming at you, showing off her gappy smile. She giggles and nods excitedly at you before speaking.

“Thank you, miss y/n!!” she says shyly, burrowing into her dad's leg and grinning.

You make a move to stand but are quickly pulled back down by Annie, who clearly has more to say, as always.

“But do you want to know the very best part, miss y/n?” Annie asks like a spy sharing top-secret information. You play it up, nodding and looking around before leaning in. 

“My daddy MADE my jumper!!” she says with a shriek and a laugh. You immediately brighten up and look up at Matty for confirmation, knowing Annie can… exaggerate at times. 

Matty looks down at his daughter with so much love in that moment you're sure you can feel your heart grow 3 times the size. The pure adoration in his eyes neatly made you need to sit down, but you managed to stay steady on your feet.

Eventually, you gathered the strength to rise to Matty's height and make eye contact with him, and it's then you knew Annie was telling the truth.

Dark circles sat below his eyes, which were also slightly sunken but somehow remained bright. He had clearly been up late working on making these, the thought of which made you dizzy. 

Matty saw the questioning look on your face and began to explain, “My mum loves to knit, and she saw the flyer for today last time she was down. She was very insistent Annie had to have a homemade ugly jumper” he finished his sentence by stroking the top of his daughters head, curling a ringlet of her hair around his finger. 

He continued to fiddle with Annie's hair as he spoke, “I conceded it could be homemade but…” he paused slightly embarrassed of what he was about to say, “I wanted to make it for her, you know? I wanted to do something for my little girl.”

Your silence made Matty nervous, so he began to ramble in the way he does when he feels his heart in his throat, “I know, I know. What an over-the-top dad, but I just can't help myself when it comes to my little peanut.” he smiles bashfully, and Annie giggles at his nickname for her.

Oh god. Those words combined with the shy look on his face caused butterflies to erupt in your stomach, crashing against your sides in a way that almost hurt. But you shook it off, refusing to admit you could feel this way for a parent.

You were professional, and having feelings was not. So you didn't have feelings… definitely have no feelings here! Nope!

“How- how did you make it? Do you knit?” You manage to stutter out after standing in shocked silence for much longer than socially acceptable. An apprehensive look passed over Matty's face briefly, but he quickly shook it off. 

“Uhh I managed to convince Mum to teach me. so she made mine, and I just copied her and made Annie's. Same pattern, just smaller! We Facetimed and worked alongside each other. I struggled at the start, but it turns out as long as I listen to Radiohead whilst I knit, it turns out pretty good!” he grabbed his daughter and spun her around in a flourish, showing off his hard work. A roar of laughter escaped Annie as she spun, obviously entertained by her dad's endless antics.

God, this having no feelings thing is getting harder and harder. Especially when staring into his eyes as his adorable daughter's cackles filled the air. Normally brown eyes are boring but not his. His had something in them that captured your attention, some inexplicable force that dragged you deeper and deeper.

Soon, Annie was desperately asking her dad if she could go show her friends her jumper, and he agreed and bent down. He gave her a brief kiss on the temple and sent her off with a pat on her back and a wave.

Matty once again felt slightly awkward at your silence, wondering if he had said something wrong. Little did he know it was quite the opposite. 

He waved at you and began to walk away, but your brain caught up, and you shouted after him. “Matty!” You say jogging towards him and meeting in the middle of the playground.

Shit. You had forgotten about that. Quickly you decide you're just gonna ignore that and keep rambling, just as Matty would, you're sure.

“Sorry! I'm a bit groggy this morning. I haven't had my coffee yet” You try to excuse your odd behaviour, but Matty shoots you a look that says he doesn't quite believe you.

His eyes shift from yours to the coffee cup in your left hand.

“I just wanted to say that you making Annie's jumper is so thoughtful and sweet” You start to bring your hand up and briefly pause, but then think 'fuck it'. 

You put your hand on his upper arm and somehow resist the urge to squeeze and feel his arm tense.

“Really, not many parents would do something so amazing for the kids. Thank you,” you say earnestly, not moving your hand and staring at Matty intensely.

Little did you know Matty's brain was short-circuiting. Your hand on his arm was the only thing he could focus on. The warmth he felt through his jumper, the slight grip you had on him. He even got lost in staring at your nail polish, red and green for Christmas. 

He felt sick with want the second he felt your touch. Trying to focus on any words coming out of your mouth at the same time you were touching him felt like a herculean task.

He somehow managed to catch the end of what you were saying, just enough to attempt a normal human response.

He internally psyched himself up before speaking, desperate to play it off cool and natural.

“Thanks, I just love her so much.” he said earnestly, but he couldn't be sincere for too long, “and it's not like I have a real job to go to, right? I just dick around with a guitar for a few hours!” he laughs.

“Ah- its- yeah- im-” he stammered.

Well, that's not a great start, is it? He scorned his brain for not catching up to his mouth in time. However, he eventually got them back in sync. 

You smile and giggle at his comment, but you know the real sentiment behind it. You squeeze his arm one last time before removing your hand and beginning to walk away. 

Both you and Matty wave to one another before turning around and walking in opposite directions. You fought the urge to turn around to get one last look, little did you know - Matty was fighting the same urge.

Whilst you won that battle, Matty didn't. He flicked his head around briefly, just long enough to see your bright smile as you greeted another student. Just long enough to feel his heart stutter one more time.