#i didn’t drop or anything like that i’ve ALWAYS been really careful while carrying it

[skymaiden32]

Welp… This sucks… ;0;

[howlingscarlet]

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥

ㅤ♡ 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: Bucky Barnes x reader

ㅤ♡ 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: Bucky gets a little carried away during a scene.

ㅤ♡ 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬: smut, penetrative sex (readers anatomy not explicitly stated), rough sex, dom/sub dynamics (dom!bucky and sub!reader), safe word/signal used, un-negotiated choking, angst (hurt/comfort), slight sub drop and slight dom drop, Bucky carries reader (super solider strength), doll/sweetheart used for reader, aftercare

ㅤ♡ 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 1,598

a/n: this is my first marvel fic I’ve ever finished :) I’ve been writing for another fandom on another account for almost a year now and was so focused on my wips for that one that I put all my marvel stuff on the back burner but a week ago I was suddenly struck with the motivation to finish this one! I hope you enjoy <3

Bucky needed to have control. You knew this, and welcomed it. After decades of being stripped of his agency and made to be a mindless follower he looked for that sense of authority over his own actions.

He never forced you to do anything you didn’t want to do. He made it clear that you were still calling the shots at the end of the day. He enjoyed the feeling of power that your pliancy provided, but it was your trust that mattered the most to him. He wanted to know that you trusted him to not really hurt you. That you didn’t see him as the monster everyone else saw.

You were more than willing to let him have that control, especially with how much consideration Bucky put into making you comfortable. It was a new dynamic to you, having never been one to explore the world of domination before. So you took it slow. Establishing boundaries, discussing scenes thoroughly, and establishing a safe word system for the both of you.

You found the stop light system worked best. Red to stop, yellow to slow down or check in, and green to go. There was even a system if you couldn’t speak. Three taps to stop, two to slow down, and one to go. And if for whatever reason you weren’t able to do either of those, Bucky was allowed to use your safe word to ensure your safety.

There were rules. Strict ones you and him were expected to abide by.

Despite all these safety precautions you never once had to use them, Bucky was always careful.

But sometimes, people make mistakes.

His burly body hovered above yours as his hips pounded into you at a steady pace. His hands roamed over your body, squeezing harshly at your soft flesh. Your legs were spread wide to accommodate his large body, thighs trembling as he brought you closer and closer to the precipice. Your hands clutched at the sheets and sweat dripped down your bare chest, your eyes pressed shut as the pleasure overwhelmed you. You could feel it in every nerve of your body. Every small noise and softly spoken curse that left your mouth only served as more encouragement to him.

Bucky never talked much during sex. The more he got lost in the pleasure, the less he was likely to speak. But he wasn’t silent. You could hear every groan and moan resonating through his chest and occasionally hear his whispered praises.

So good for me.

So proud of you.

But something about tonight felt different. He had just come home from a rough mission. You could feel the anger steaming out of him as soon as he stepped through the door of your shared apartment. He needed a release, which you were more than happy to give him. Even when he warned you that he had no intentions of being gentle tonight you still obliged excitedly. Having not seen him for a few weeks you wanted nothing more than to just be his for a while.

He was not overstating himself when he said he would not be gentle tonight. Everything about him was rough. His touch, the strokes of his hips, his mouth on your skin. He took you like a depraved animal, and you welcomed it.

As he repeatedly hit that soft spot inside of you that made your nerves spark with electricity you felt his metal hand creeping up your stomach. The coldness of it contrasted against your hot skin making you shiver. Soon, it found its way around your neck and squeezed.

This was not normal. While Bucky had put his hand around your throat before, it was never the metal one and he certainly had never squeezed it so hard. He never choked you.

You found it hard to breathe, your eyes filling with tears. Your eyes popped open as you looked at Bucky panicked, hoping your gaze would get his attention. But his eyes were closed in lust. You couldn’t speak so you tapped his arm three times.

Stop.

He opened his eyes to see your scared expression and immediately stopped, pulling away from you completely and crawling to the other end of the bed from you.

You sat up, coughing as the air finally returned to your lungs. Bucky could only stare at you, chest heaving as eyes wide as he realized what he’d done.

He hurt you.

He hurt you.

He could have killed you.

When you finally looked at your boyfriend you saw how terrified he looked and how tears had begun to settle at his waterline.

“Bucky—“ you started to say.

“I’m sorry,” his voice cracked. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

“Come here, please,” you reached your arms out to him but he only recoiled more. It felt like a stab to your heart, like he was rejecting you. For a moment you wondered if you should have safeworded. Did you disappoint him? Was he mad at you?

“I’m sorry,” he just kept repeating as the tears finally sprung free. You crawled over to him and he flinched as you did. You didn’t touch him, you weren’t sure if he was ready for that yet. But you really wanted him to touch you. Bucky however couldn’t take his eyes off your neck. Red marks were already starting to form and he felt the bile rise up in his throat at the sight of them.

“Bucky please,” you sniffled as your tears started to fall. “I’m sorry I stopped I—“

His head snapped up to look at you, brows furrowed in confusion before it hit him. You didn’t need space right now, you needed him.

He shushed you, pulling you into his arms as he gently held you in his arms and let you cry. “You did so good,” he tried to reassure you. “I’m sorry I went too far. You did nothing wrong, doll. You were so good, I’m so proud of you,” he kissed the top of your head. It settled you a little.

“Why didn’t you ask?” You questioned as you hugged your arms tightly around him.

“I don’t know,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry, I should have asked. I’ll never do that again. I promise.”

“Are you mad I made you stop?”

“No, no baby no,” he shook his head fervently. “I’m mad at myself for hurting you. Are you mad at me?”

“No,” you replied quickly. “I just wasn’t expecting it.”

Bucky placed a gentle kiss on your cheek. It made him sick to know that he did something you didn’t want. He could feel his heart start to splinter. Your trust was the most important thing in the world to him. He already thought he didn’t deserve you and now he was sure of it.

You recognized that look in his face, the look that said I’m a monster.

“I love you Bucky,” you said softly, kissing him tenderly. “You made a mistake but I forgive, because I love you.”

Bucky swallowed down the lump of emotion in his throat, nodding slowly.

“Can we take a bath?” You suggested.

“Yeah,” he sighed. “That sounds good.”

He carefully lifted you from the bed using his unnatural strength, carrying you to the bathroom with your head resting on his shoulder. Setting you on the closed toilet you started the bath, letting it fill and warm up. He kneeled down in front of you, hands gently resting on your thighs. You could see the far off look in his eyes, lost in his own self destructive thoughts.

“Hey,” you cooed gently, pushing his hair behind his ears. “Where’d you go? Stay with me.”

He nodded, kissing at your knee before putting his hand in the rub to test the temperature and adjusting it to be perfect for the both of you. You both sat there in silence as you waited for the tub to fill, his head in your lap as you stroked his hair tenderly. Once it was filled he helped you in, giving you his arms to balance on your shaky legs. He slid in after you, sitting between your legs and leaning back into you. You kissed him behind his ear, grinning when he shivered at your touch.

“I still enjoyed it,” you rubbed up and down his arms. “Before I safeworded it was good. You made me feel so good.”

“Did I scare you?” He whispered, afraid of the answer.

“A little,” you answered honestly. “But you stopped when I told you to.”

He nodded, bringing your hand up to his mouth and kissing at your knuckles. “It won’t happen again, I promise.” He paused for a moment before continuing, “I think we should take a break from the harder stuff. Just for a little bit.”

You picked up your head at that, “Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” he turned his head slightly to try and look at you although it was difficult in the position you were in. “I want you to be safe. If I can’t trust myself to keep you safe then…I think we should just stick to the basics. Just you and me.”

“Okay,” you kissed his cheek and he leaned back into you, soaking in your love and affection.

“I love you,” you whispered in his ear.

He smiled for the first time that night, “I love you too sweetheart.”

After your bath and your discussion you and Bucky both felt better about the situation and that night you fell asleep in each other's arms, only with the gentlest touches and whispered affections.

Thank you for reading! ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ

Comments and reblogs are greatly appreciated!

I do not give permission to have my work copied, translated, reposted on any platform, or put into any Al programs. This is my only Marvel related blog aside from my library side blog @/howlinglibrary (Repost ≠ reblog)

Heart divider by @/adornedwithlight

Mdni/support dividers by me

[reidmania]

Hiii, I’m sorry if this is super awkward, I’ve never sent a request before. (If this has been done before please ignore it). A reader who is really, really clumsy. Like walks into walls, drops everything, constantly having bruises that they dong know how they got there, and they’ve been made self conscious of being clumsy because lots of people have made fun of them? Reader falls down the stairs, or something like that, while carrying something of boyfriend!Spencer’s, maybe a gift for him or something to do with doctor who that he really likes? Like a figurine or something like that. It gets broken slightly, it can be fixed easily, but reader freaks out thinking that Spencer will be super upset and angry with them? But ofc Spencer just cares that reader is okay and not hurt?

If this is a really bad idea please ignore it, I’m not very good with ideas lol. Thanks :)

CLUTZ | spencer reid

summary; reader is shattered when they accidentally breaks the gift they got for spencer, while spencer only cares about them.

warnings; gn reader, mentions of being clumsy, crying, mentions of being insecure, mentions blood and bruises, grazes and injuries, hurt x comfort

an; you didn’t specify a gender so i just made it gender neutral i think but i saw this right before going to my birthday dinner and was ACHING to write it. this is so cute thank u so much for requesting

You think you stopped breathing.

There was a rough thumping in your chest, so you knew you were still alive — as much as you wished you weren’t in this moment — but you think you stopped breathing.

The ground held the pieces of the plastic figurine. The one you had spent waiting in line all morning for the minute Spencer said he wanted it — unfortunately he had to work so he wouldn’t be there and would likely miss out.

You wouldn’t have that when you saw how badly he wanted it.

Only in this moment you couldn’t stop thinking about how if he had been the one to get it, there wouldn’t be broken pieces of the figurine all over the floor right now.

You were making it a bigger deal in your head than what it was, it wasn’t in many pieces, the plastic head had just fallen off, but built up guilt and insecurity made its way through your veins and buried themselves right behind your eyes pushing the tears forward.

You always did this.

No matter what it was, spilling coffee on yourself, tripping up stairs or over your own feet, dropping things or walking into desks and doors. No matter what — you were constantly covered in bruises, no matter how much you tried to be careful its like your body never alined with what was in front of you.

“Baby?” You looked up from the floor where the broken figurine laid. You hadn’t realised you were in fact breathing — although it came out uneven and harsh as you struggled to calm the build of anxiety in your blood stream.

Your eyes landed on Spencer as he looked over you worryingly. Maybe you should’ve stood up from where you had tripped, landing on your knees which were now bleeding with grazes.

You had messaged Spencer to meet you outside, however you had not expected to trip over your own feet in excitement sending the figurine out of your hands and your body to the ground.

You suddenly felt the pain coursing through your legs, a small sound of pain ushered your lips as the tears lining your eyes began to cloud your vision, causing Spencer to be covered by blurry vision.

“Im sorry” You ushered out as your hands sprawled open and closed as you tried to calm yourself down but it wasn’t working. Spencer didn’t say anything for a moment as he bent down to your level, offering a hand to you.

“What happened angel?” His tone was so soft, so gentle, so sweet. The tone you couldn’t feel less deserving of. You took his hand as his other pressed gently under your other arm to help you out as his eyes scanned over your body, lips parting as his eyes settled on the blood pooling a little around the graze on your knees.

“Im so sorry — I am such an idiot! I don’t even- I was just walking, Spence Im so sorry, I know how bad you wanted this and I just completely ruined it, i ruined the entire thing and they’re all sold out I got the second last one, Im so sorry.” You rambled as hot tears fell from your eyes as you blinked, they burnt their trail down your cheeks leaving their residue aflame.

“What?” Spencer furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as his eyes looked down to the floor to the figure that was in two parts. He looked back at you as his eyebrows furrow deepened. His hands gracing over your side in the gentlest touch, just allowing their comforting presence to be known. “Who cares about that— How about you come inside and I’ll clean you up yeah?” He said softly, eyes dropping back down to your knees.

“I care!! And you do!! You wanted this, Spence — And - and i wanted to do this for you. You do so much for me and I couldn’t even get you a bloody gift without completely ruining it.” You ushered out in a broken sob as your hands rose to your face to provide somewhat of a soothing sensation to your skin that felt like on the verge of ashes from the tears that grazed them — but it made no difference.

Spencer frowned as he listened to you speak, his hand paused softly on your hips before rising your face, replacing your hands with his own as he cupped your cheeks softly. “I care about you angel. I care that you are bleeding right now. I care that you are obviously in pain and you are more worried about something that we can fix” He said softly, his thumb rubbing over your cheek softly.

You didn’t say anything as you leaned into his touch instinctively. “Im sorry” You repeat gently as your hands frail by your side. The tears don’t stop but they fall more silently as they continue to fill your eyes no matter your attempt to blink them away.

He coos, “Theres nothing you have to be sorry about sweetheart. You did nothing wrong. Can we get you inside and clean you up?” He speaks so gently and softly it makes your stomach tighten and your chest clench as if someone is holding it in a death grip. — how you deserved him was beyond you.

“I always do this” You mutter, shaking your head. His hands are brushing hairs away from your face and thumbs are brushing the hot tears that fall, his hands providing a cooling sensation over the burning paths of the tears. “I suck” You laugh out, but it’s not all that funny.

He shakes his head as he leans in to press a gentle kiss to your forehead, before he leant down to pick up the figurine that landed on the floor between you and him. You watch his hands work and in moments the head is reattached, theres a little bit a scrape on the plastic of it, but nothing big.

“Easy fix honey. I love it, and don’t get me wrong I am so insanely grateful for you and that you went out of your way to get it but i’m more worried about you” He said, his hand coming to the back of your head to softly drag you into his chest, wrapping his arms around you in a soft hug that he knew you needed.

You bury your face in the warmth of his sweater vest, his lips kissing your hair softly repeatedly. “Let’s go inside and get you cleaned up.. Can you do that for me honey?” He almost whispered as his fingers smoothed out your hair gently.

You finally nodded into his chest as the tears subsided, your breathing came out shaking but less heavy and throaty than it was previously. His comfort providing you a the resemblance of a lifeline.

He thanked you softly as he took his hands in yours, leading you inside the figurine tight in his other hand as he looks over every few steps to make sure you were okay, he could see the pain evident in your face in every step you took and he wanted nothing more than to scoop you up and carry you to his desk but he knew you would just be embarrassed by the attention from other people looking, so instead his hand squeezed your hand gently.

Finally you relaxed against the wall of the elevator and Spencers hands were instantly tucked under your thighs, hoisting you up to wrap your legs around his waist. “Spence” You whisper out as your face goes red.

“It’s just my team, baby. Id rather you not in pain” He said softly as his hand pressed against the small of your back softly. You did nothing more than sigh in response as your head rested against his shoulder softly.

He was bringing you to his desk and placing you gently in his chair only moments later. He was on his knees in seconds, fingers searching through his draw for antiseptic wipes that he kept in there constantly for two reasons.

1, because the world was gross.

2, because you were always getting yourself hurt.

“Gonna sting baby” He said softly, hands working to peel over the individual wrapping. You felt the burn when the wipe hit the graze on your knee, a quiet wince left your lips as your face screwed up.

Spencer frowned as he leant up to the top of your knee over the skin he had just cleaned and pressed his lips softly against it, as his hand continued wiping over the graze gently. “I know darling, Im sorry.” He whispered quietly.

You let the feeling of his lips against your skin take over the pain. His hand scrambled softly back in his draw for bandages.

“Im sorry” You muttered again as he places the bandaids gently across the scarred skin. He looked up at you with eyes filled with nothing but admiration and love, the look making your stomach drop in a way you couldn’t explain if your life depended on it.

He tsked slightly, shaking his head as he pressed his lips gently over your knee again, “No apologies, cmon” He said softly as he used a new wipe to clean his hands before taking yours in his own. “It was an accident. You couldn’t control it and you have no reason to apologise for it, as long as you are okay, I don’t care about anything else” He spoke clearly with so much intent you felt in piece through the insecurity that build up your body.

He leant up to place a gently kiss on your lips. “Are you okay?” He asked softly, once his lips separated from yours he stood up properly, hands remaining in yours as his thumb rubbed over the soft skin on the back of your hair softly.

You wondered how he put up with it, how he put up with you — but then he would looked at you with eyes full of admiration and his hands would graze your skin so softly as if you were something so delicate. He would talk to you as if his entire world depended on protecting you, and then there was no room for insecurity or doubt in your mind when it was all too consumed with him.

“Im okay.”

[ludwigplayingthetrombone]

Finally finished the first part of gai’s 8 gates coma and how kakashi dealt with it rewrite people have been requesting. [tw blood, injury, coma, death discussions, grief]

Kurenai: Kakashi Kks: Ah. Kurenai and...baby, what’s up? Kurenai: You mind if I come in a moment? Kks: Uhhhhh I-

Kks: So what did you need to speak about? Did something happen? K: No, Nothing’s happened. You haven’t gotten to properly see and bond with her yet. Here Kks: You know I’m not fond of kids. K: That’s why I didn’t ask. Hold your arms out. Ok, now, don’t look absolutely petrified.

Kks: She’s ok, I guess [YELP] Oi! Don’t pinch me while I’m holding your baby! K: You wouldn’t drop her. Asuma would haunt you forever! Kks: Terrifying thought, Mirai.... How are you feeling? K: Exhausted. Do you really want to hear how horrifying having a baby is? Kks: No, please don’t tell me.

K: I came over to check on you as well. Any news? Kks: No. He’s still the same. K: Is that why it looks like this in here? Kks: ...Yeah. Doctor said he may never wake up. Since we’re eachother’s medical contacts, Tsunade told me I had to prepare to make hard decisions should it come to that.

Kks: With the council breathing down my neck over a job I don’t want, I had... A bit of an outburst. K: I don’t even blame you. That’s... That they expect you to carry on like normal. Still grieving. The person you love most is gone. But you’re still here. Don’t let them just dust you off and move on again. I’ll always have your back. Kks: You and Asuma always did. Even when I wasn’t grateful for it.

Kks: I can’t tell if they just don’t care or didn’t realize, Gai’s the one who held me together all these years. Only reason I’m still here at all is because of him. I don’t think tenzou, the elders, or the village are prepared for what’ll become of me if I lose him. So, I don’t care anymore. Let them be mad. I won’t give up on him. K: You should talk to him. Kks: huh K: Talk about anything! I’m sure the sound of your voice will help him find his way back. Especially if you sound sad, Kks: uuh

K: I can hear it now, “My eternal rival is sad? Not on my watch!“ Kks: Pretty accurate impression. K: There’s been lots of source material! Kks: Maaa, Your mom’s a huge dork K: Oi! [kakashi chuckles]

K: He’ll be so upset he missed her birth Kks: Oh, devastated. I can’t wait to see the look on Gai’s face, Mirai, when I tell him /I/ held you first! When he wakes up

Kks: Hey, Gai. Kurenai said i should talk to you.

Kks: Feels weird. Most of the people I’m used to talking to like this are all... Dead.

It’s so eerie how silent you’ve been for so long. you’re not even this quiet when you sleep. Your kids come everyday to see you. Naruto and sakura when they can. Lots of others. I’ve been telling them embarrassing  stories from when we were kids since you keep making them wait. Do you remember when I came over while you and Dai were making supper

Dai: Kakashi! Good to see you, my boy! Kks: Id Gai home? Dai: He’s helping with supper! Go on, inside, you’re always welcome! Kks: Ok Dai: Atta boy Kks: Hey, G- !? ummm? Gai: OH!! Rival!! Kks:  Is that a lid?! Gai: Correct!! It stops me from crying while cutting onions! A win for me!!

Kks: Against.... the onions? Gai: Yep! KKs:[snicker] Gai: Laugh all you want! Not everyone can comprehend innovation. Kks: Whatever. You forgot this at the training grounds. I know it’s yours there’s a turtle on it. Gai: See! You’re already tearing up! Kks: Am not Gai: Also, thankyou so much! Kks: Bye, I’m leaving. Gai: Could it be? You’re scared I can cut much faster than you! Kks: I am not scared. Gai: Good, I think we have another lid! Kks: YOU-!

Dai: Great to see growing boys with such a hunger! I’ll never have to prep onions again! Kks: I think about that everytime I chop onions now. You’ve altered my brain with all the ridiculous things you’ve done. Can’t even look at the toys you’ve gotten the dogs without getting emotional

Kks: Just knowing you’re here still, I can barely function. It’s pretty pathetic... Your hair’s getting long. Turning into your dad.

[gai’s heartbeat] Kks: Gai

[gais heartbeat continues]

[gai’s heartbeat continues] Kks: If anything should happen to me, you’ll rush over, right? Gai: Damn right, I will. Dont you worry about that.

[Gai’s heartbeat]

Kks: I miss you

[a-boca-do-inferno]

blueberry (caesar x human!reader)

summary: Man is insecure and, perhaps not so surprisingly, so are apes.

warnings: angst, swearing, fluff

words: 3.6k

notes: can be read as a standalone or a continuation to alone. this is set somewhere between the events of wftpota but he is alive in my heart btw. enjoy x

gif credit

“I don’t care”, you sign and huff, glaring at him. You needed to hurt him; like he had hurt you just now. You point to the cave entrance. “Leave.” 

Caesar shoots you a desolated look, standing in the middle of the rain, completely soaked. He can’t speak. Not this time. He’d done it so many times before, repeating the same thing over and over again. I will change. I will stop worrying. I love you. And now you could see the truth: no matter how much he claimed to love you, his sorrows would always be stronger than his feelings and you just had enough. You were a tired woman. And he knew that, too. 

“Okay”, he mumbles at last with a brief sign as he watches his step and backs away. 

He leaves with his head down and disappears into the dark of the night. You’re only left with the sound of heavy drops smashing onto the floor. The ground now felt like opening up under your feet, but it wasn’t always like this. 

Caesar stared at you with widened eyes, not noticing your presence until you spoke up. A smile spread on his face and he shrugged off his worries, his frown fading gradually. “You… lifesaver.” He gesticulated toward the food you carried with a grateful look. It smelled so good and he didn’t hesitate to grab the bowl of soup, sipping on it and letting out a sigh of relief. “Thank you... for everything”, he signed with his free hand after a moment.

“You’re welcome, now what do you want?” You teased and ruffled his head lightly. Caesar had become a good friend over the past few months. It felt like you’ve known each other for a long time, even before the flu. “Or were you just that hungry?”

Caesar snorted, still drinking the soup. “Both… I think.” He swallowed before adding hoarsely, “sometimes I just need… to see you.” It sounded like a lighthearted comment, but he wasn’t smiling because deep down he knew it was true. You made him feel like he never did with anyone, ape or otherwise. He recoiled in his spot, watching you with attentive eyes. 

And you, to your credit, chuckled quietly with pink cheeks, “well, here I am.” You sat in front of him and leaned forward, resting your elbows on your knees. “You know, Caesar, I’ve been thinking… Maybe you should come stay with me for a while.” 

You were well aware of his problem with loneliness ever since he lost Cornelia and couldn’t help but want to take care of him. Being a leader had its perks and many included a deep sense of isolation, especially when the very lives of a whole species depended on him to make it in this world. Humans were still a constant threat, even amidst the downfall of civilization, but you reckoned Caesar felt lonely long before the apocalypse from the few stories he’d tell you about Will. If anything, being surrounded by his own kind only alienated him more overtime due to the burden of the “crown”.

Caesar tensed up, his eyebrows raising at the unexpected offer. He stayed unmoving for a few seconds, however his demeanor eventually changed into one of contemplation. Perhaps it wasn’t such a terrible idea at all. He’d been greatly feeling the change in environment since they moved and doing things alone had always proven to be harder for him, if more familiar. Taking another sip of his soup, his thoughtful gaze traveled the ceiling. 

“Sure… you wanna live… with my drama?” He finally asked, with an almost amused expression.

“We can be dramatic together”, came the quick reply, as you carried a playful tone of your own. “But really, I think it’ll do you some good. It’s not permanent, I just wanna help you get a little more time to adjust while you sort things out with the council.” You grinned softly, “change is always overwhelming and some company might broaden your horizons, maybe even help with your decision.”

Caesar pondered your words, still with a humorous smile. “I could stay… for a while.” He added with some emphasis. 

“It’s settled then, you can move in anytime you want”, you stood up and patted his shoulder. As you noticed there was a hint of uneasiness lingering in his eyes, you hummed, “consider it my formal thanks to you for taking me in. Now we’re even.”

“Then I move in… tonight.”, he tried to play it off with humor, signing with a smirk. “Don’t like my place… anyways.”

In fact, deep down Caesar was glad to get away from there; especially because he was about to face the most challenging phase of leadership: letting go. By the end of the day, he was all settled into your home. He took your bed under your indignant protests that the floor was a “back killer”, in your own words. You had a way of making him sustain a smile for far longer than he was used to—which wasn’t often—and that was the sole reason for his compliance. 

As you were fluffing the makeshift pillows made out of animal skin, he organized his stuff in the small cabinet you made yourself. You were a handy carpenter. A quiet chuckle reached his ears and he shot you a glance. 

“I didn’t take you for the messy type, I thought all leaders were neat.”

Caesar rolled his eyes, closing the cabinet door. “I only clean… other people’s messes”, he signed with a wry smile. He turned around and leaned against the wall to face you properly, his grin fading into a sterner look. “I’m glad… you’re here.”

“And I’m glad you’re here with me, that way I don’t have to worry about your insomniac ass wandering in the cold”, you threw a stick at him, sitting on the bed with a small beam. “I really do worry and care for you, Caesar. I hope you know that.”

Caesar caught the stick with ease and met your gaze with warm eyes once again. He was clearly touched by your words and his shy grin turned into a real one, despite the tiredness on his features. He came over to sit beside you, much closer than before. 

“I know”, he replied huskily, gently caressing the nape of your neck with his thumb. “And I hope you know… I care about you.” You shivered under his touch and your lips reached for his rough palm as you kissed it. His breath hitched at the sensation of your smooth skin and he touched your foreheads, shutting his eyes.

It was now but a distant, bittersweet memory haunting you while you gathered your things and left your tent-like home with him, preparing to move in with Maurice. You had a close bond with the ginger ape due to his calmer nature; sometimes you even assisted in his classes, too, and he knew better than anyone about the shortcomings of your relationship with Caesar. This time was no different and he offered you shelter right away. He had always been supportive of you two, but never judging when you had a falling out with the boss.

Maurice knew better than anyone as Caesar got older, his stubbornness and overprotective nature only got bigger. You left out a humourless laugh, walking into your new home. Man is insecure and perhaps not so surprisingly, so are apes. And with insecurity comes obsession, along with an unhealthy need for control. Yet you always had too much understanding in your heart. Caesar just needed help, you thought, as you would peck his head whilst he slept soundly on your lap. It was so rare to see him that serene, and you cherished every second of it. 

He still had trouble sleeping; nightmares and such. Your heart ached with the ever present reminder that you just couldn’t make all his pain go away forever, no matter how hard you tried. And God, did you try. Rocking a grown chimpanzee’s body to make him go to sleep wasn’t exactly in your plans when he brought you into the colony, but you gladly took the task. You loved the guy, after all. 

And wouldn’t it be stupid to even doubt that? Still, that’s what Caesar did on occasion. He wasn’t easily upset, but when he was... It often got ugly. You were never a fearful girl, but seeing his angry fits deeply affected you. Soon talking to him became a constant walk on eggshells and if he noticed your change in behavior, he never really spoke on it, which was perhaps his biggest flaw; not communicating. But he was a leader, and a perceptive one at that. Even though he never said it out loud, it must have been clear that you couldn’t take it anymore. There was something telling about the way he simply let you go a few hours before, with no fight. 

“Comfortable?” Maurice eyes you carefully, bringing some blueberries with him to cheer you up. 

You can’t help but grin at the sight. “I am. Thank you.” You sign back and nod, taking a deep breath as you gaze around. “Caesar?” You hum, curious of where he might be. You hadn’t seen him since last night’s argument.

The orangutan shakes his head slowly, pointing at the forest, “he hunts… when angry.”

You snort. “Sounds about right.”

Maurice grunts in agreement, signing softly, “you two… end?”

You take a moment to consider his question. It looked like a break up, didn’t it? Although you weren’t sure if apes even used the concept of “breaking up” with their mates. Every couple you knew in the colony seemed happy together. No trouble in paradise. You shrug and look down. “Maybe.”

“Caesar is… difficult”, he rasps, causing you to smile despite yourself. That’s the understatement of the year. The ape adds, “you like blueberries… for a reason. They’re not… always sweet.”

You scoff at the comparison. No wonder Maurice was a great teacher. You sign with amusement, “except I can smash a blueberry if I don’t like it, but with Caesar, I can’t.”

Maurice laughs deeply. “Fair enough.”

As the night fell again, you watched the apes gather around the fire to hang out after another tranquil day from a distance. Since the war, things were slowly returning to normal and you felt a mixture of relief and anxiety every time the thought crossed your mind; growing accustomed to peace those days was dangerous. Hope could be a friend, but also a great enemy in the apocalypse. Caesar had taught you that through your many late night talks after you made love. A light blush came across your cheeks as you sighed and tried to shake off those memories. 

Dating another species was already a challenge on its own, now add being the leader of a colony on top of that, you were surprised you two had made it that far. When Caesar found you all alone hiding in a cave, struggling to survive on your own, never in a million years did you think that creature would become your closest friend and even lover. He didn’t like or didn’t see the point of those nomenclatures, sure, as he only ever referred to you as his family. If other apes outside Maurice and Blue Eyes knew about the implications of it, though, no one dared speak on it. Yet it didn’t make it any easier to digest whenever you stopped to think about it, even more so amidst his angry fits.

You finished preparing for bed and lay down in silence, staring at the stars. Another summer had begun with the difference of Caesar’s absence by your side as you tried to sleep. You took a deep breath and wiped away some stubborn tears, turning to face the wall. You closed your eyes for a brief second and when you opened them again, a large silhouette appeared on the stone surface and you slowly shifted back to find Caesar standing tall, eyeing you silently.

“Talk?” He signs hesitantly, his expression difficult to read in the dark. You only nod and he approaches you, and as he steps in an angle under the moonlight, you see he’s got a deep cut across his abdomen. You immediately sit up, looking alert. He smiles weakly and waves a dismissive hand, taking a seat beside you. “It’s… fine. Not… serious.”

You frown nevertheless, tracing his bruise and inspecting it. “What happened?”

“Bear.” He murmurs hoarsely, with an amused gleam in his green eyes. You grunt in displeasure and he asks with an almost mocking tone, “worry?”

“Of course I do, Caesar.” You huff indignantly and it only makes him smirk, but you keep glaring at him. “You think it’s funny?”

“Yes”, he says, reaching out to take your hand over his furry stomach. He comes closer, bringing his forehead to yours, “I’m… sorry.” You take a deep breath, closing your eyes. You’re not sure what to say, but he fills in the silence with a low sound, “miss… you.”

“You’re a stubborn old man”, you pull away to look him in the eye, albeit your voice stays tender. He looks humoured by your choice of words. “But I missed you too.”

Caesar’s expression softens significatively. He produces another coo, “forgive?”

You smile and bring his hand to your lips, kissing his knuckles. “Maybe.”

“Brought… present.” He rumbles after a moment and you watch him leave in silence, coming back shortly with a bowl full of blueberries. You grin and Caesar hoots quietly, feeding one to you. You blush and accept the gesture, causing him to nuzzle your face gently, “Maurice… advice.”

You roll your eyes. “That turncoat.” 

Caesar only snickers and shrugs, making a face as he tries a blueberry. He signs and pushes the bowl towards you, shaking his head in comic disapproval, “sour.”

It’s your turn to laugh.

[louloulemons-posts]

Shy smiles

Eddie Munson X Shy!Reader

Summary : Eddie and reader crushing on each other.

Word Count : 1k

Warnings : Not Proofread, major fluff, use of Y/N, kinda rushed, I was in need of fluffy Eddie honestly, idiots in love, very ramble-ly, fem pronouns are used, but readers not described physically.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

He knew you because of Nancy, you were a childhood friend of hers, along with Barb. You were quiet and normally went unnoticed, but not by him. Never by him.

He remembers the first time you caught his eye. You were walking down the hall, waving goodbye to Nancy and didn’t realise he was next to you. Bumping into him, dropping all of your stuff, along with him dropping his.

“I’m so sorry!” You said quickly, picking up his things, along with yours. “I’m sorry too, seems like we were both in our own worlds huh?” He smiled at you, helping you.

Standing up, he handed you a book and you passed him his D20 dice. “I’m really sorry,” you said, meeting his eyes. He was taken aback, you were beautiful. “It’s okay Sweetheart, just mind you don’t hurt yourself okay?” He smiled crookedly.

“‘Kay,” you said, gently. That’s the first word that came to mind. You were so gentle. Not dainty, no weak, but gentle. Like you wouldn’t hurt anyone or anything, you’d do things with care.

Shaking his head slightly, he spoke once more, “Well it was nice to bump into you, you have a good day.”

“You too Eddie,” you smiled slightly. His mouth went slack, you knew him. You knew his name.

You turned from him and carried on to your locker. He stood there, watching you. Not in a creepy way - okay maybe it was slightly creepy. But he was in awe. “Munson!” A voice shouted.

“Let’s go,” Gareth called to him.

“Uh, yeah I’m coming.”

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

That’s the first time he met you. He thought about it often. Since that day he’d had a sixth sense for you. He knew when you walked in a room, or saw you as soon as he entered one.

And then he met Mike Wheeler, which meant he met Nancy, which meant he met you. Properly this time. He saw you often, but you were so quiet, he didn’t want to scare you off.

Playing D&D in the Wheelers basement has become a regular thing this summer.

It was one of the spaces large enough for the boys to hang out, and as Wheeler parents didn’t mind it was perfect. Eddie pushed up from his seat, excusing himself to the bathroom.

Running up the stairs he waved to Mrs Wheeler and Holly. The pair smiled at him and he carried on up to the next floor. Walking to the bathroom, he hummed to himself, but when he went to open the door someone walked out and into him.

Looking down he saw a familiar face. “Y/N,” he breathed out. “Hey Eddie,” you smiled sheepishly, “Sorry for bumping into you, really need to stop doing that.”

He chuckled, “I’m sorry too. How are you? It’s been a while.”

“I’m doing good, college is kicking my ass but you know,” you shrugged, and he noticed how you played with the bottom of your shirt.

“How about you? How’s everything?”

“Well I finally graduated.”

“I heard! Congratulations.”

“Thanks,” his face warmed. “Oh and I’ve got a new job at Hawkins mechanics.”

“That’s so great, I’m so glad for you,” you said honestly. “That you, what is it you’re studying?”

“Oh forensic science.”

“Wow. I’m not surprised, you were always the smartest girl in school.”

“I dunno about that.”

“You were.”

“I think people would disagree, if they remembered me,” you laughed to yourself.

“Well I remember you. Never forgot.”

You looked up to meet his deep chocolate eyes. “You didn’t?”

“How could I? How could anyone forget you?” You face turned pink and warm, which made Eddies mouth lift in a smile.

“Never forgot you either.”

“Little old me?”

“Yeah you Eddie.”

“Well I’m hoping it was good impression I left.”

“Oh the best.” The pair of you smiled at each other, struggling not to grin.

A door opened down the hall, “Hey Y/N you okay?- Oh hi Eddie,” Nancy said, her head popping round the door. Eddie waved, “Wheeler.”

“Sorry Nance, me and Eddie were just catching up.”

“Oh yeah course take your time,” the girl gave you a knowing smile, and shut the door.

“Well I better let you get back to Nancy,” Eddie spoke. “Uh yeah of course.” Looking down at your shoes, you walked past each other. As he was about to enter you spoke, “Hey Eddie.”

“Yeah Sweetheart?” The nickname made your heart flutter. “I was um - I was just wondering,” you played with your fingers, twisting the rings that sat there. “If maybe, and feel free to say no, if maybe you’d wanna hang out sometime?”

Eddie paused, was this real? It couldn’t be, the girl he’d crushed on for so long was asking him out. “Like .. um like a date?” He asked.

“Y-yeah, like a date. If you want. Or as friends.”

“A date sounds good.”

“Great.”

“Great.”

“Gonna need a number to call,” you smiled.”

“Oh um right, I have no pen or paper, but Nancy has my number. You know cause of Mike and stuff. So ask her and call whenever you’d like,” he rambled on quickly.

“Okay, well I’ll call you then.”

“Can’t wait,” he smiled.

“See you.”

“See you.”

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

You slipped into Nancy room shutting the door behind you. She sat up on her bed, wiggling in excitement. “So?” She said.

“I asked him out,” you spoke.

“And?”

“He said yeah!” You almost squealed, she ran from her bed and hugged you.

“Oh my gosh this is so exciting!”

“He um, he said to get my number from you,” you laughed, knowing Nancy had given it to you months ago, practically begging you to call the boy you’d fawned over for years.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

Eddie locked the bathroom door, unable to stop himself from grinning. Fist bumping the air a few times he was beaming.

He looked in the mirror and spoke to himself “Don’t mess this up Munson! She asked you out. She’s gonna call. You’re gonna go on a date.”

His smile was none stop, when he walked past the room you and Nancy were excitedly chatting in, past Mrs Wheeler and Holly, down to the basement.

The boys looked up at him, at his face. “Let me guess Y/Ns here,” Mike teased.

~ / / / * \ \ \ ~

Thank you so much for reading! Please leave any requests 🤍

[eff4freddie]

Touch | Part Five

You struggle to re-establish a purpose in Jackson. But the Miller brothers will always keep you on your toes.

Words: 5.2k

Part Three | Series Masterlist | Part Four

Warnings: smutty smut smut, oral (m receiving), kind of subby Joel maybe?, like shades of subby, whimpers and groans, carpentry

Minors DNI

You envied people who didn’t remember their dreams. Yours lingered with you, so much accumulated horror for your brain to draw upon. The crunching of dried-out fungus under boot. The squelch of blood running over clenched fist. The screams of your sister, reverberating with the screams of your dad, of your mum, of yourself. Formless and vacant of hope, a belligerent and unrelenting slideshow.

You woke with a start in your own bed, alone and trying to piece together how you got there. After Joel had taken care of you on the coffee table you had slumped towards him, head on his shoulder, and took in all the air your lungs could get. The exhaustion was overwhelming and you had felt yourself go limp in his arms, dimly aware of him lifting you, carrying you up the stairs. You’d had enough presence of mind to worry he was going to hurt his shoulder before he had you wrapped up in your blanket. You didn’t hear him leave.

You supposed you should be happy, but you had long started to suspect that it wasn’t really an emotion you were capable of. Even before outbreak day you’d had too much to worry about. You had already come to terms with the fact that happiness just wasn’t something your mind could do. Terror, though. That was your speciality.

At the bottom of the stairs, you peered through the front window at the rest of Jackson going about their day. Ordinarily, you would have been setting up for your first client, but you’d already cancelled them. You couldn’t bring yourself to look into the treatment room, hadn’t been in there since your table collapsed. The excitement of Maria delivering, the thrill of being somewhat useful, had allowed you to forget for a second that your vocation, the one thing that had got you into Jackson and probably saved your life in the process, was over. Without the table you were limited to straddling grumpy men in your kitchen, and that was a whole different job.

You glanced in at the living room, eyeing the coffee table suspiciously. You were running out of safe rooms in your house.

—

You kept your eyes down at the mess hall, only glancing up once or twice to ensure that the coast was clear. You weren’t surprised to see that Ray wasn’t there, assuming that he was manning the radio with Simon trying to scout any danger for Marla and the crew. The expedition was expected to take several days, longer if the weather turned. There was no cause for alarm, no reason to assume anything was amiss. But you knew Ray, and that that wouldn’t stop him.

Halfway through your porridge a tray dropped onto the table in front of you, and you startled, snapping your head up. You felt your stomach flip, the rolled oats no longer sitting comfortably beside the acid and bile in your stomach.

‘Mind if I sit?’ Ellie asked, already settling into the chair. You shook your head, swallowing heavily.

‘No, course,’ you said.

‘You looked lonely, you always look lonely.’

‘You’re very observant,’ you said, not sure if this was truly a compliment.

‘We just got back to Jackson,’ Ellie said, undeterred.

‘So I hear.’

‘I think we’re staying for a while,’ she went on largely without you. Her eyes had drifted to the middle distance, and you could see that she was thinking.

‘And how do you feel about that?’ you prompted. Her gaze shifted back to you, and she shook her head as if the thoughts were clinging to her clothes.

‘I’ve seen you around,’ she said, and you got the feeling she was starting the conversation over again, to see if she could improve it a second time. You let her.

‘Yup,’ you said.

‘You touch people,’ she said simply, and you blinked, had no idea what to make of it.

‘Umm…’ you started, and she interrupted you.

‘Dina says it helps people feel good,’ Ellie continued, as did your concerns.

‘What exactly did she day I do?’ you desperately tried to clarify.

‘You rub people and they feel good.’

Nope. Not better.

‘Massage,’ you spat out abruptly, ‘it’s a kind of therapy, physical therapy…but not like, it’s not…it’s good for your muscles, for your spine.’

‘Right,’ Ellie said, as if this was obvious, and you were very relieved to have got that sorted out at least.

‘You massaged Joel,’ she went on, and you wondered how hard it would be to jam your butter knife into your eye socket and remove yourself from the conversation, if not the planet, completely. ‘He told me it helped. Well he didn’t tell me, but he was all angry and sore…more than normal…then Tommy made him see you and he was better after that. He was his normal grumpy self, not his sore grumpy self.’

‘I’m happy to have helped,’ you said. You had given up trying to predict where the conversation was going, and now you were just tagging along behind her.

‘You did help,’ she said, leaning forward on her chair, up on her elbows on the table. ‘I want to help, too.’

‘You…do?’

‘Yeah I thought I could…I thought I was going to but, it didn’t…’ She looked around the room, flustered, and dipped her head lower to murmur underneath the sounds of the other tables. ‘I thought that I could help people one way, but it didn’t work out, and I just want to see if there’s another…fuck it actually, this is stupid.’

‘No, it’s not stupid,’ you said, and you reached out to put your hand on her arm, but she pulled it back like you had burned her.

‘You probably think I’m too young,’ she said, rolling her eyes but also really seeming to mean it.

‘I was your age who I started learning,’ you said, and watched as her eyes lit up, finally rising back to meet yours.

‘You were?’ she asked, and you nodded, grinning at her.

‘I think so, yeah. I mean, how old are you, Ellie?’

Like a shot her smile dropped, and she slunk backwards and away from you, receding into the chair and appearing to you to deflate to half her size. ‘What, what did I…’ and then you realised, cursed yourself and your remaining three brain cells. She hadn’t told you her name.

‘Who’s been talking about me?’ she asked, so quietly you only just heard. You swallowed. You remembered what it was like to be a teenager, to be relentlessly comparing yourself to your peers, to the women in magazines and on tv, to be relentlessly self-conscious, to be convinced everyone is talking about you and also worse, that no one is.

‘I asked Maria who you both were who you arrived,’ you said, deciding it was safer to talk about Maria then it was to talk about Joel. ‘I saw how Tommy reacted to Joel, and to you, and I didn’t understand what was happening so I asked.’

Ellie nodded, considering this, and you could see she had already worked out that it wasn’t the whole truth, but you hoped it was enough truth that she didn’t disappear on you.

‘What did she say?’ she asked, and you thought very hard and very fast to think of a good answer. You would have preferred a minefield.

‘Just that you were Joel’s kind of adopted daughter and that you’d been out of town for a while…and that she was super happy to have you back.’ You prayed the last part would ring true in some way, that it would be enough to reassure her. ‘Maria cares about you a lot.’

‘Maria doesn’t know me,’ Ellie replied. I don’t trust that he’s not keeping her in the dark.

‘She doesn’t need to, she just cares anyway,’ you said, and you meant it.

A loud group of teenagers, slightly older than Ellie if you had to guess, pushed into the mess hall and you watched as she pulled away from you even further, taking up residence about three centimetres back from her own skin. Her eyes were hard, vacant. You had seen the same look on Joel, and you knew then that she was a quick learner.

‘Ellie-‘ you started, but she was pushing her chair back.

‘Never mind,’ she said over her shoulder as she hurried away.

—

The mood in the town shifted over the next few days. Neither Marla nor any of the other crew had radioed in since reaching the third checkpoint, and there had been heavy, low-hanging clouds threatening the mountains. You had wondered about going in to see Ray, but you weren’t sure what you could say that would be any consolation. You worried, perhaps unfairly but also perhaps not, that you would say the wrong thing, that in your haphazard if well-intentioned way you would lose him, too. Instead, you stayed away.

You also avoided Joel. You felt the urge to keep a respectful distance, to try and pretend like it had never happened, like you hadn’t grasped his shoulders and come harder than you had in literal decades. You weren’t sure if you remembered ever having felt the way he had made you feel in an embarrassingly short period of time, but also you weren’t sure what it meant, if anything. If this was just something that Joel did, how he kept himself busy at the end of the world. You didn’t want to be his distraction, and you didn’t want him to distract you, especially when you had so much to pointlessly worry about.  

You’d had boyfriends, one before outbreak day and two and a half in the years after. A lot of the time it was convenience, sometimes protection, but never passion. You’d read that during times of national crisis birth rates skyrocket and you’d never been able to understand why. Nothing about a brain-obliterating fungus was all that attractive to you. You wondered if what had happened with Joel was just about you finally feeling safe. If it was less Joel and more Jackson. You felt better about things, if that were true. You hoped it was.

You took the short walk to Maria’s, a tray of lasagne in your hands that you’d begged and borrowed at the mess to be able to make. There wasn’t any oregano or basil, so you just got generous with the salt and hoped for the best. You thought about your mum’s cooking, which wasn’t really all that great either. Her method was throwing Italian herb mix in to any pasta sauce in the hope that it would make it taste better than the sum of its parts. It rarely worked, but you couldn’t blame a girl for trying.

You stood on Maria’s porch, not sure if you should knock. You were worried about waking the baby, or waking Maria, or that the wrong Miller brother would be home. You worried that you wouldn’t be welcome, that you’d done too much at the birth, that you had overstepped in some way that you weren’t aware of but that would make it impossible for Maria to now be your friend.

Just as you were about to leave the lasagne on the front porch and make a break for it, the door swung open, and you were met with Tommy’s surprised face.

‘Umm, hi,’ you said, taking a step away from the doorstep without even noting. Tommy looked down at your hands, took the lasagne from you and put it gently on the console inside the door, then wrapped his arms tight around you and pushed all the air out of your lungs. You couldn’t even gasp in surprise.

‘You…’ he said, and he trailed off, and you felt the warmth and the comfort of his arms, and you suddenly thought you might cry. You pulled away, fast.

‘How are they?’ you asked, and Tommy beamed. Looking at him now, you realised he was absolutely exhausted, dark circles under his eyes.

‘Come see,’ he said, pulling you in and shutting the door behind you. You could hear humming, contented gurgling, and followed it into the lounge room. Maria was sitting up on the couch, son at her breast. She smiled when she saw you, and you looked down at the baby in her arms, and felt love physically enter your body.

‘Oh Maria,’ you whispered, and she grinned back at you.

‘I am so fucking tired,’ she stage-whispered, and you had to try hard not to laugh too loud. His little fist was balled up and resting on her chest, and you could see the tiny thumbnail, purple and deep red, and it was too small and too precious for the world around it.

‘I have to go…run an errand,’ Tommy said quietly from the doorway. ‘Will you two be OK?’

Maria waved him off.

‘I ran off the other night before I asked you his name,’ you said, coming to sit beside Maria so that she didn’t have to turn her head to talk to you. She leant into your shoulder, and it was peaceful and warm and the kind of thing you do with a good friend, and you wondered if she’d object to adopting you.

‘We were going to go with Joel Junior,’ she said, and you wrinkled your nose.

‘Too alliterative,’ you said, and she nodded.

‘Also still not convinced about him,’ she said, and you felt something shift in your belly.

‘He was good the other night, with Tommy.’

‘He saw a lot of me I never intended him to,’ Maria said, and your heart sank. Should you have got rid of him? He was there for Tommy, you realised, not Maria. Should you have objected, said something? Had Maria been trying to telepathically tell you to do something, and you missed it? ‘It’s OK,’ Maria said, sensing the way your body had tensed. ‘I wasn’t really paying much attention to him, in fairness.’

‘You were kind of busy,’ you agreed. You listened to the baby suckling quietly, little contented grunts coming from his throat. ‘So, it’s not Joel Junior,’ you prompted.

‘Robin,’ Maria said. ‘There are so many here in Spring, and I love their little songs.’

You reached a hand out to cup his head in your palm. ‘That’s perfect,’ you said. For a long moment you just watched him, the peace of him, so wrapped up and warm and safe in the arms of his mother. You ached for your own for a second, before you pushed the thought away, told yourself this wasn’t the time.

‘It feels different out there,’ Maria said. ‘I can even tell, and I haven’t left the house in days.’

‘Vibes aren’t great,’ you agreed.

‘Tommy’s worried, but he won’t tell me.’

‘The expedition is just taking longer than it should,’ you said. ‘If there was anything to tell I’m sure he would.’

Maria regarded you for a long moment, and you realised she wanted more answers, but you had none to give her.

‘He’s like Joel, like his big brother,’ Maria said eventually, and you felt heat up the back of your spine. ‘Protective,’ she added. ‘To the point of locking you out in the cold to save you from the monster under the bed.’

—

You kind of wished Maria would stop dropping truth bombs on you, then leave you to work through the rubble on your own. You walked the long way back to your place, down behind the hall and past the lake, just to see if you could push her words out of your body through your feet.

It meant that you arrived back on your front step just as the sun was setting, and you were surprised to see the lights in your house on. You were sure you wouldn’t have left them on in the daylight. You pushed the door open, trying to remember if you’d locked it. No one did in Jackson, but you liked to when you were going to bed, partly to believe that you could do anything that might prevent some kind of harm.

‘Hello?’ you called down your hallway, thereby alerting any potential attackers to your exact whereabouts. You rolled your eyes at yourself. Jackson had definitely made you soft.

There were no weapons in your entry way. You considered whether taking your boots off and throwing them would cause enough of a head injury to get away, but it would be harder in your socks. In Chicago you’d kept a baseball bat beside the door, and used it only once.

‘That you?’ you heard a voice call, and you paused. Were you ‘you’?

‘Maybe?’ you called back, and you heard two sets of laughs. One deep and huffy. You’d recognise it anywhere. Your feet moved all by themselves.

Joel and Tommy were standing in your treatment room. The broken table was gone, and in its place a brand new, clearly custom made, massage table stood. Thin enough so that you didn’t need to climb on top of it to rearrange the towels, and just the right shape to give a body a warm and safe place to rest.

Your hand flew to your mouth, and you felt tears pushing hot onto your cheeks. Tommy grinned at you while Joel watched, careful and reserved. You didn’t have words, could barely wrap your head around what you were seeing.

‘You helped so well with Maria, kept her going when anyone else would have quit,’ Tommy said, while you were trying hard to breathe. ‘You did so good, so we wanted to say thank you.’

You let out a gasping, gulping, tearful laugh, nodding your head at him. ‘That’s OK, you’re welcome,’ you said, but you were laughing and crying simultaneously, so it was hard to know if you’d made any sense.

‘It was Joel’s idea,’ Tommy said, smiling at his older brother, who promptly blushed and looked ready to murder him. ‘Come look,’ Tommy said, extending a hand towards you and pulling you by the arm further into the room.

The massage table had built-in padding under a leather cover, that was attached to the wood with studs along the edges. The leather had clearly been something else in a past life, the stitching haphazard and criss-crossing over the base, but you would cover it with towels anyway. You pushed a hand out and pressed down on it, finding it delightfully spongey, and soft. You wanted to lean down and put your nose to it, inhale the leather, the warm sunshine on swatches of yellow and green fields. Inhale a different life, an older one long passed.

‘And here, this is the headrest,’ Tommy said, continuing his tour. ‘It sits in its own little track carved in here, see? So you can remove it or slot it back into place. Maria said that’s what the proper tables used to have, so you could lie face down.’

You nodded, confirming that this was indeed true. You reached out and put your hands on it, let your fingers reach underneath to feel the joins in the wood. They were smooth, carefully crafted. You knew they were Joel’s, carried his strong but gentle touch, his precision, his care.

You gazed at him, completely blindsided by the craftmanship and the generosity. The moment hung in the air, the two of you watching each other. You wanted to tuck your head under his chin and cry into his chest, wanted to rip his shirt off him and shred it with your teeth so he could never wear anything ever again, wanted to hold his face in your hands and keep it, not let the moment pass, let your hands on his skin secure the warmth there, hold the look on his face, for eternity.

‘I should head back,’ Tommy said, and you pivoted immediately towards him and threw your arms around his neck. He laughed, wrapping his arms around you. ‘Now we’re square,’ he said, and you gurgled your acceptance.

After he left, you worried Joel would go, too. Worried that all of this had been obligation, had been at Tommy’s insistence, had been a way of winning Maria over. Worried at how badly you wanted him to stay, worried that it wasn’t just Jackson but that it was him, that it was always going to be him, and that right now every nerve ending was on fucking fire just because he was looking at you. You waited for him to grunt or nod at you and turn his back, but he stayed standing, his brows knitted together, one hand on his hip.

‘It’s beautiful,’ you said, because the tension was starting to mount now that Tommy had gone, and if he kept looking at you like that you were going to combust. Your voice wobbled, and you swallowed glue and razor blades to try and steady it. ‘Where did you get the leather?’

‘Found an old couch lying around, no bother,’ he said. His voice was low, like he thought you were going to run from the room, but in that moment you didn’t trust your legs. You nodded your head because words were failing you, but then suddenly you had too many of them, and they were all going to come out right now, all at once.

‘Its just that the massage table, I know it’s silly…but it was what I used to do before outbreak day, and it was kind of who I am or maybe I just think of it as that, but I just worry that if I don’t have anything to offer no one will keep me.’

Jackson. You’d meant to say you were worried they wouldn’t let you stay in Jackson. But that wasn’t at all what you’d said.

Joel took two steps forward, grabbing your face and rubbing at the tracks of tears on your cheek with one hand, the other snaking behind you to hold your back. You gasped, staring up into his brown eyes, the salt and pepper of his beard, the lower lip you wanted to nip with your teeth. You waited for him to say something, anything, but holding you was also enough. Under his patient gaze your breath slowed, you stopped feeling your heart thundering in your chest, felt your shoulders drop.

‘Joel…’ you whispered, and he was on you then, head dipping down to bite at the skin behind your ear, hand roaming over your hips to cup your bottom, grind you into him, where you felt him hard and heavy against your core.

‘Let me-‘ he started, but you stopped him, gripping him by the shoulder and pulling away.

‘No, let me,’ you said, suddenly bold under his wanting touch. ‘Table’s fixed now, so there’s no excuses.’

He cocked and eyebrow, blinking at you. ‘You want me on that?’

‘What’s the matter, don’t trust your craftmanship?’

‘Baby, a massage isn’t exactly what I-‘

‘Down to your boxers and face in the hole,’ you said, grabbing a towel from a nearby stack and putting it down on the leather.

‘You could at least help,’ he said, grumpy again, and you grinned happily at him.

‘I’ll step out and let you get ready,’ you said, in full-blown professional mode, just to fuck with him. He sighed, but he did as he was told, and you really fucking liked it, actually.

Once he was on the table you draped him, making sure he was comfortable. You rubbed your hands together to make them warm, then poured some cooking oil – the best substitute you’d found so far even if it did make the residents of Jackson smell like fried chicken – into your hands.

‘This might be cold, I’m sorry,’ you warned, and Joel grunted. You were glad he was face down so you didn’t have to see the expression on his face.

You started with his left leg, draping the towel over his hip and tucking it between his thighs. Straight away you could feel the tension there, the tightness of the calf, the hamstring ready to snap. You ran your hands in a vee-shape, thumbs tucked one over the other, up the back of his leg, stopping just below his glute, which you briefly considered leaning over and sinking your teeth into.

Joel’s skin was soft, and unbelievably hot to the touch, and you had to try hard to focus on what your hands were doing so that you could ignore the little whimpers, the little gasps, as you found and massaged away a knot. You ran your hands up the outside of his thighs, felt the muscles jump and tremor under you, dug your fingers into his hip flexors and heard him exhale, an almost sigh, as they released.

You got into trouble when you got to his back. You were aware of the fact that you were soaking your panties, worried that he would smell your arousal, worried that if he kept making noises like that you were going to drown yourself. You worked hard to keep your breath steady, remembered your lessons and imagined dousing yourself in freezing cold water, jumping from your back porch into the frozen lake below Jackson, hoping that might give you some relief.

The wide planes of his skin were marred by scars, by shadows of pain and hurt and memory. He carried a scar, an old one, on his right side, a graze that looked like a bullet, that you decided to ignore. As you pushed hard along his spine he grunted, the muscle seizing under your touch, and you worked against it, kneading at them like dough, lifting the fascia and breaking it down, working the adhesions, until it was buttery and smooth. You focused on Joel’s breath, saw the way his chest expanded as he inhaled, felt the enormous man, so scary and so gruff, so mean and so soft on the inside, gradually give in to you. You felt him relax, the tension leaving his shoulders as you worked them, careful to release the deltoid, to ease off the trapezius now that you could finally get at it properly.

You were tempted to leave him there, relaxed for maybe the first time in years, but you roused him, rolled him onto his back, put a folded-up towel under his head and another over his eyes to protect them from the light. With his face covered you could take your inventory of him. The scar on his right side, jagged and angry and new, the reason he’d been favouring it finally clear to you. The soft smattering of chest hair leading down to a light trail on his pelvis. The towel covering him, but not enough to hide the fact that he was hard, that he had tried to tuck his cock into the waistband of his underwear but that it was too thick, too long to stay fully hidden.

You moved up to his head, to his salt and pepper hair, and carded your hands through it, lifting his head and holding it in your fingertips. You watched as his eyebrows knitted together again, unsure, but then releasing, his mouth dropping open, as you heard his breath, ragged, escaping through his teeth.

‘Let me take care of you, baby,’ you whispered to him, right above his ear, mimicking what he had said to you on the coffee table, what had made you instantly wet and aching. You gazed down his body at the way his cock jumped. ‘Let me take care of this body.’

You let your fingers dig in a little to his scalp, a quiet little moan escaping him, the covering over his eyes giving him a sense of privacy as you unravelled him. You wanted to lean down and suck his bottom lip into yours, wanted to climb on top of him and sink your pussy onto his Roman nose. Wanted to come on his face and his fingers, wanted him to splash his come onto your chest.

‘This body that protects us,’ you whispered, leaning down and placing a kiss on his forehead, on his cheek beneath the towel. Putting his head back down and moving to massage his left arm, lifting it by the wrist and rubbing your hands over his bicep and onto his chest. He glistened, the oil mixing with his sweat under the overhead light, and you couldn’t stop yourself, then, couldn’t help but to bend and place a kiss on his clavicle, licking up to nip at his neck. You felt him shiver, a soft whimper escaping with his breath. You moved your hand from his wrist to his palm, held his hand with yours.

‘This body that serves us all so well,’ you said. ‘Let me take care of this body.’

He gasped when you kissed his belly button, licking and nipping down his happy trail to where his cock was now straining hard against the towel. You pushed it away, taking his cock out of his underwear and pulling them down on his hips, so that you got your first proper look at him.

As you expected he was thick, the veins on the underside pulsing, straining against his want for you. The head was so red it was almost purple, and you wondered how long it had been since a woman touched him like this, since he’d been touched at all. His hand grasped yours, the other fisting the towel underneath him.

When you slipped him into your mouth, inviting him into you, he groaned, grunted obscenities flowing from him. His cock was hot on your tongue, salty as he dripped pre-come into your throat. You kept your eyes on his face, his still covered, as his stomach rippled and his body tremored underneath you. With your other hand you steadied him, reaching up and holding the shaft while you bobbed, sucking hard on the head. You took a second to breathe, leaving little kitten licks on his frenulum, feeling his free hand let go of the towel and grip you by the hair.

‘Fuck, baby’ he grunted, his hips thrusting, pumping up into the air.

‘So strong, Joel,’ you said, before reattaching your mouth to him. He threw his head back, and you considered the irony of him breaking the brand-new table he’d built just for you by coming so hard he splintered the wood beneath him. His body was quaking, his hips bucking up into your wet, warm mouth and it was everything you had dared imagine it would be, right down to his gasping encouragement, down to his needy little whimpers that turned into moans of outright pleasure, of the feeling hot and electric right down to his toes.

‘Jesus, you’re gonna make me…’ he gasped, and you looked up at him, the towel having fallen from his eyes and him staring down at you between his legs, his hand on the back of your neck gentle and guiding, supporting the muscles as you worked him. You kept your eyes on his and your mouth on his cock as he shook, hips rolling, rutting against your pumping hand.

You slipped him from your mouth. ‘Just let go, baby. I got you,’ you said, covering him again as he did just that, shooting ropes of hot salt and desire across your tongue, holding your hand, groaning at the relief of it, at the release, and in that moment you had him, in that moment he was yours, gasping for breath and so soft and languid, looking down his body at you in awe and in wanting, sweat pooling in the hollow of his throat.

Taglist:

@orcasoul

@archofimagine

@hiroikegawa

@littlemisspascal

@ilovejoel-andjavi

@giggly-otter

@harrysrosetatto

@Hjzghi-blog

@daddy-dins-girl

[thehandmaidenofcreativity]

Just so cute? Part II

WC: 4.1k

Rating: 18+, fluff (maybe a little angst?) to smut

Comments: idol!Seungmin and female reader. Longtime friend of SKZ and Seungmin find their footing after some confusion the night before. This could potentially have a third part, if people seem to want it. It is a continuation of Part I.

⋆｡°✩

“Truth or dare!?”

After hearing his last truth question, you feel like you have no choice. “Dare, I guess.”

The delight is plain on Felix's face. Maybe you made a mistake. “I dare you to go down to the store and get everyone ice cream!”

Your sigh of relief harmonizes with Minho’s sigh of disappointment. “Yongbokkie, you need to find a happier medium between your truths and your dares. Plus, she shouldn’t go alone.”

“I don’t mind –”

“Seungminnie Hyung should go with her!” You hope the look on your face is attributed to annoyance at Jeongin’s interruption rather than frustration at his meddling. He shrugs. “He’s had the least to drink.”

Seungmin agrees before you can object. I guess it’s time to talk. But first… “Okay Innie, truth or dare?”

His girlfriend looks on a touch worriedly as he chooses dare. “Great. I dare you to take a shot of whatever condiments Minho wants to throw in a glass.” His face goes a little green while the others laugh and offer their condolences. 

You don’t stick around for the aftermath of your punishment, heading to take care of your own dare. As you’re putting your shoes on, a hoodie drops onto you. 

“You know you really don’t have to come with me, Minnie.” You pull his hoodie over your head, savoring the smell of him as it envelops you, and turn to face him. 

“I know, but I’ve been waiting for the chance to talk to you.”

You consider playing dumb to try to put the conversation off, but you just nod when you see the serious look on his face. “Let’s go then.”

You walk for a few minutes before either of you say anything. 

“About last ni–”

“Noona, I–”

The tension breaks with your laughter. This is Seungmin. Regardless of your confusion over your feelings, you’ve always been able to talk to him. This shouldn’t be any different. You’ve been acting silly. 

“I’m sorry.”

“No, no, you’re fine. Go ahead, Minnie.”

He sighs and looks a little like he wishes he’d pushed for you to speak first. “I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable this morning. I didn’t really think through what I was doing; I didn’t mean to cross a line. I don’t want you to feel like you need to avoid me.”

Despite the darkness of the night, you can tell his ears are red. He’s not looking at you anymore, instead looking down at his feet like a puppy who just got scolded. You take one of his hands in yours before you answer. “You have nothing to apologize for, Seungmin. Did I really seem like I was avoiding you?”

You know you’d been putting off talking to him, but you hadn’t realized that it was so noticeable.

“Kind of?” He steals a glance at you, cheeks puffed out as he considers his next words. “I thought you might stay at our dorm today when the others left or come to my room when you got back. I guess I didn’t ask you to come to me, though, and I’m realizing now that it might’ve looked like I was avoiding you, staying in my room like that.”

“I didn’t think you were avoiding me.” When you get to the store, you have an unspoken agreement to continue this when you return outside. You grab a variety of ice creams and see that Chan texted asking that you bring back the least spicy ramen you can find for a dare. Menace that he is, Seungmin of course grabs the spiciest option, and you text back a smiley and a thumbs up. You can’t help but laugh at Chan’s inevitable demise. When you leave the shop, the mood sombers again, but you’re still close. Seungmin insists on carrying the bags, so you link your arm around one of his. 

“Can I ask why you kissed me this morning?” You’re being a little bit of a coward, still making him carry the burden of the conversation, but you understand where he’s at even less than yourself.

You’re pretty sure he walks for a full minute, lips pressed into a thin line, eyes straight ahead. “Well, it was a combination of things. I’ve always felt like we really connected. Both when we hang out together and when we talk while we’re on the road. I think it’s always been a bit different with you than our other friends. Lately, you’ve been on my mind a lot, but I didn’t want to talk about it and mess up our friendship. I really do value your friendship, and I know the rest of the guys do, too.” He glances at you then, maybe trying to read your expression, gauge your reaction to what he’s saying. You find you’re not all that surprised to hear it. Of them members, he has always been one you felt you could resonate with most. You know how caring and kind, how loving he is with the members, and you’ve seen how his treatment of you is nearly the same. You do have a tendency to gravitate toward each other. God, have I been this dense?

“Anyway, when you kissed me during the game, I got it in my head that maybe you were starting to think of me that way, too. And we never kiss goodnight on the lips like that, though I know we were drunk. And…” He shifts both bags into one hand so he can run his fingers through his hair. He’s clearly flustered. 

“And, Min?”

He says it with a rushed sigh before looking away. “And you felt so good in my arms, and you looked so beautiful; I had to ask.” He comes to a stop, turning to face you. You look up into his eyes, nearly getting lost in their depths. He looks beautiful. “And you said yes.”

You trace his features with your eyes, resisting the urge to run your fingers over those lovely lips, along his strong jaw. Now it’s your turn to be brave. “I did. And it was a wonderful kiss, Min. I can’t say that I’m exactly where you are –”

He starts to look away, his face falling a little bit, so you do reach up to touch him now. Your hand rests against his cheek, turning his head so that he’s facing you again, though he keeps his gaze downcast. Sad puppy vibes abound. “But. I do think I’m starting to catch up.”

His eyes flash up to yours, and you can see his hope. You know you should say more, but for now, you’d rather show him how you’re feeling. You tilt your face up while your hand slides back to wrap around the nape of his neck, drawing his lips to yours. It’s short and sweet. His lips are soft as flower petals; he’s much more reserved than he was this morning. It’s for the best, though. The ice cream will start to melt if you don’t get back soon, plus anyone could see you out here. 

⋆｡°✩

The rest of the walk has a different brand of silence, the comfortable, companionable kind of  quiet shared between people who are just happy to be in each others’ company. 

Reentering the dorm is a little like walking into a riot. Naturally there’s plenty of yelling. Someone (with a death wish, clearly) has strewn as many of Minho’s cat clothes as they could find around the living room. Chan is laughing so hard that he’s crying with Jeongin actively trying to smother Jisung with a pillow on the floor in front of him. It’s perfect.

“Ice cream!” Minho yells when he sees the bags in Seungmin’s hands. He grabs one bag, digging through for his favorite before tossing it to Chan. As he reaches in, he pulls out the ramen with a look of utter betrayal on his face. 

“I asked you to get the least spicy one! Do you want me to die?”

With a laugh, you immediately throw Seungmin under the bus. “I’m sorry, honey. Seungmin told me that one would be best.”

Hand to his chest, fake outrage on his face, Seungmin feigns innocence. “You told me that was for Changbinnie Hyung; I never would’ve gotten that for Channie Hyung.” He stage-whispers to Chan, “watch out for that one, she doesn’t have your best interests at heart, Hyung.”

You venture into the chaos, passing out ice cream, hearing about the shenanigans you missed while you were gone. When you make your way to a less murderous Jeongin and a barely breathing Jisung, you give the latter a little kick. “You guys can quit meddling; we’re figuring things out. 

Jisung beams up at you while Jeongin deadpans, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Whatever you say, Innie.” You plant a kiss on his cheek, bringing out his dimples. 

The rest of the night ends up being a lot calmer than the one before. The group opts to watch a movie rather than getting the games going again. One turns into two, and everyone snuggles up together. When the second movie ends, the others start figuring out sleeping arrangements and who all will be heading back home to their own beds. Seungmin takes your hand, leading you back to his room. The t-shirt you wore to bed the night before is slung over his desk chair. 

He eyes the shirt. “Are you gonna stay over again tonight?” 

You nod, grabbing the shirt as he leaves the room. You’re entering new territory here. It makes you nervous. You consider leaving your clothes on but ultimately decide it would be more awkward to act differently than normal. You’re sitting cross legged on his bed, chewing on your lip when Seungmin comes back in, gently closing and locking the door behind him.

He approaches with a small smile, giving you a peek at the braces he too often tries to hide. You expect him to sit beside you, talk about what you guys are to each other, what you’re becoming. What actually happens is much better. 

His big hands are on either side of your face, lips crashing to yours before he even gets all the way onto the bed. Your tongues clash; he’s kissing you like a thirsty man drinks water, taking as much as he can get. As your arms wrap around his neck, his hands move down to your thighs; he lifts you with surprising strength, sliding underneath you so that you’re straddling him. In your state of undress, his hands easily slide up under your shirt. One stays near your hip, rubbing his thumb over the top of your panties. The other continues up, giving your breast a squeeze before pinching your quickly stiffening nipple between two fingers. 

You gasp into his mouth, excited by his touch and surprised at his ferocity. Your hands swiftly reach down, gripping the hem of his shirt and drawing it up. He breaks the kiss to drop it to the floor and pull yours up and off to join it. Immediately, his mouth locks onto your breast, licking and sucking, while his hand moves to tease at your other nipple. You arch into his touch with a soft moan, one hand in his hair while the other sneaks between your bodies to grasp his cock. It is an impressive length and its girth makes you salivate as you imagine the way he’ll be filling you soon.  

It’s his turn to groan as you start to pump him through his shorts. He drags your mouth back to his and allows you to push him down onto his back. He kneads his fingers into your ass as you grind against him. Even with the remaining layers between you, it feels amazing. Seungmin clearly agrees. “Fuck.”

You smile into his mouth, pleased to hear how you’re affecting him. You start kissing along his jaw, licking and nibbling at his neck, drawing a sharp exhale out of him. With that, his hand appears between your legs, another soft groan escapes his lips when he makes contact with your drenched panties, realizing just how hot he’s made you. The rough circle of his fingers almost makes you want to forget what you had in mind. 

“Noona, I –”

You silence him with a kiss. “Just relax, Minnie. Let me take care of you.” You kiss your way down his body. You’ve seen him shirtless before, but you never imagined you’d have the chance to be this intimate with him. He’s thin, but you can feel how strong he is with each kiss and caress. You stop to nip at his hip, and glance back up to see him smiling down are you, lower lip pulled between his teeth. You tuck your hands into the waistband of his shorts, pausing for just a second before pulling them off along with his boxers, tossing them to join the rest of your clothes on the ground. 

As you settle yourself between his legs, you lick your lips and run your fingertips lightly along his cock. He’s so big. You aren’t sure that you’ll be able to take all of him, but you can’t wait to try. 

Seungmin props himself up on his elbows so he can watch you more easily. He looks almost mesmerized as you drag your tongue from base to tip, eyes locked on his. You wrap your lips around his head and suck hard. A strangled whimper comes from the head of the bed as Seungmin tips his head back, exposing his lovely long neck; you wish you could leave dark marks all over it. 

You take it slow, one hand wrapped around his base while you lick, kiss, and suck along the rest. You gradually take more and more of him down your throat, his melodic moans combatting your discomfort at his size. You can tell he’s doing his best to stay still, to let you do your work, but as you try to take him a little further, his hips jerk up with a “fuck.” You gag, tears springing to your eyes, and pull off for a second to catch your breath. 

“I’m sorry, baby,” he sits halfway up, reaching to cup your cheek and brushing away a tear with his thumb. “It just feels so good.”

You like hearing him call you ‘baby.’ You just smile at him, then lazily drag the flat of your tongue over his tip to collect the precum leaking out. “I’m fine, Minnie. Don’t worry.”

Before you can get back to your work, he pulls your face up to his for a kiss. “As much as I like this, I was hoping we could switch things up.” 

His smile is so relaxed and beautiful. You nod, and he reaches over to dig in his nightstand. “Shit. I’m going to kill Jeongin.”

He flops back over onto his back with a sigh, and you can’t help laughing.

“It’s not funny, Noona,” but he’s chuckling, too. “Things were going so well.”

“They’re still going well, Min.” You lay down at his side and give him a few kisses. “We don’t have to go any further. But if you feel comfortable, I do have an IUD. So as long as we’re both clean, there’s not much to worry about. Granted, I should’ve checked that before I put your dick in my mouth.”

You’re both laughing again. “Don’t worry, Noona; I’m good. I haven’t been with anyone since the last time I got tested. I would never do anything that could harm you.”

And you know it’s true.

“Well then,” you move to straddle him again. You’re still aching for him, the brief interruption doing nothing to slow you down. As you grind your hips, you know he feels the same. As much as you want to take the next step, you loathe to stop. He feels so good. “I guess we’re good to go.”

Before you can do anything else, Seungmin moves suddenly, flipping you so that you’re underneath him. Once again, his speed surprises you as he peels your panties off your body and settles between your thighs. 

He sits back on his heels, his mouth is quirked up on one side. “Almost good to go.”

You pull a face. “Kim Seungmin, it’s rude of you to make me wait for your cock.” 

His smile widens as he leans down to kiss you. But instead of giving you what you want, he shimmies down your body until you’re gifted with the beautiful view of Seungmin’s head between your thighs. You almost want to complain, impatient to have him inside you, but the feeling of his breath ghosting over you paired with that of his hands caressing your hips while he stares up at you with those boba eyes amps up your anticipation. “I got ahead of myself; I need to do something first.”

He teases you at first, kissing the insides of your thighs, your outer lips – his mouth everywhere but where you want it. Where you need it. You slide your hands into his hair, pulling lightly to try to redirect him, and whisper, “Seungmin, please.”

“Patience, Noona.” The smile he flashes at you reminds you that he’s one of the group’s biggest menaces. Luckily, he heeds your plea anyway, and your mind goes blank the second his tongue touches you. He mimics the way you started with him, a nice, slow lick, then swirling his tongue around your clit for a moment before blowing on it gently. You clench and moan at the sensation. 

He works you slowly, teasingly, switching up his technique every time your legs start to tremble. It’s so good and terrible all at once; you don’t know how much more you can take. When he suddenly starts sucking and flicking his tongue up and down, you feel you might implode. If you weren’t so turned on, you might be embarrassed by the whine in your voice.

“Minnie…”

He pulls away and sits up with a grin, almost simultaneously sliding two long fingers into you. His thumb begins circling your clit as they curl inside you. You let out a small whimper. 

He shifts so that he’s kneeling with one hand posted at your side as he pulls his fingers out to stroke himself. You’re disappointed to be left empty, but love watching him spread your wetness along his shaft. 

Seungmin drags the head of his cock through your folds, tapping your clit with his clit a few times before moving to fill the loss of his fingers. When he starts to slide in, you can’t help the moan that leaves your lips. He smiles even wider as he lowers himself down, now braced on his elbows as he slowly buries himself into you. “Tell me how you’re feeling, Noona.”

“Oh, Minnie,” you all but gasp, wrapping your arms and legs around him. Your nails dig into his back as he starts slowly rocking his hips. He fills you so well, hitting just the right spot. “You feel so, oh, so good, Seungmin. God. You’re, uh ah, perfect.”

Whether it’s your words or the squeeze of your body around him, Seungmin can’t go slow anymore. He picks up the pace, and you try to meet him thrust for thrust. He sits back and slides his hands under your knees to fold you so that your knees are at your chest. In this position, you’re unable to kiss him, though it had been getting hard to focus on kissing anyway. Instead you watch the concentration and pleasure on his face as he begins slamming into you; it’s a symphony of skin on skin, heavy breathing, gasps, and moans. 

You start to near your peak, and he must be able to tell. He sits up more, and his hands slide up your thighs to bring your calves up over his shoulders . It’s almost too much for you. You can’t do much more than clutch at the sheets. He pounds into you, his fingers digging hard into your hips. You might end up with bruises. Good as it feels, you need more to put you over the edge. 

“Min… I need…”

He knows. He sticks his thumb in his mouth for a moment before applying delicious pressure to your clit. The friction created with his thrusts has your eyes watering. Your breath is coming out in gasps and moans as you try to say his name. You grab the hand that’s still on your hip. 

“Baby, I’m gonna come,” he pants. 

You can feel the surge in him as he tries to stave it off. It tips you over the edge. Your body is on fire as you convulse around him. Seungmin soon follows you, allowing your legs to fall back down around his hips, he grinds into you. His other hand finds yours, fingers interlocked above your head, and his forehead rests on yours as you ride out your pleasure. 

When the tremors pass, he plants a soft his on your lips before slumping down with his face in the crook of your neck. You wrap your arms around him, relishing the feel of his weight on your body. You lay like that for what feels like forever, breathing each other in as he grows soft inside you. Finally, he sits up and pulls out, grabbing the package of wet wipes from his nightstand for a quick clean up. Then, like the night before, Seungmin lays down, pulling you against him – this time on his back, your head resting on his chest. You fall asleep easily with his arms around you, listening to the steady beat of his heart. 

⋆｡°✩

You wake when you feel Seungmin getting out of bed and pressing a kiss to your forehead. 

“Minnie?” You murmur, trying to reach out and touch him before he moves too far away. He takes your hand and brings it to his lips. 

“I’ll be right back; I just want to start the coffee.”

You let your eyes close again and stretch as he heads to the door. You hear a huffed laugh and open your eyes to see him walking back to you with something in his hands. A basket?

He holds up the note that must’ve been on top. “Minho Hyung thinks he’s funny.”

Your eyes widen, and you sit up as he sets the basket between you. Your cheeks flush as you take in its contents: two bottles of cold brew, two bottles of gatorade, a handful of granola bars and a couple bananas, a package of wet wipes, a bottle of lube, a sleeve of condoms, and – 

“What is this?” You unfold a pamphlet of some sort. It shows a few stick figures doing a variety of stretches to ‘help avoid thigh burn out,’ all with Minho’s signature wrinkly-faced Jureumi. “Do I even want to know what the note says?”

You’re sure your face is as red as Seungmin’s as he reads it aloud:

Darling Puppy, Did you forget you live in a dorm with other people? As proud as I am to know that you’re a competent lover, I think I speak for us all when I say there’s no need to provide further evidence. Here you’ll find a few goodies to aid you in your adventure – remember, it’s important to not only have enough sustenance to maintain your stamina but also to do your best to avoid cramping. Also, keep in mind that not everyone wakes as early as you, so any morning activities should be kept to a minimum volume. In a pinch, biting a pillow can stifle a good number of… interjections.  Don’t make me hurt you, Your Favorite Hyung  P.S. Happy for you, Noona. You’re welcome to stay over any time so long as you keep your dog on a leash.

You’re pretty embarrassed, but luckily you’ve witnessed plenty of embarrassing moments when hanging with the guys. You can’t believe you’d both forgotten to try to keep things quiet. Still, this isn’t even going to be the most awkward sex story from this dorm. Felix will forever hold that crown. And when you’re laughing with Seungmin about it, seeing the unabashed joy on his face, you know you’d do it again, if given the chance.

Seungmin leaves you to shower, saying he’ll go out to get a true breakfast. Typically he doesn’t like to eat in his room, but when he gets back he lays the food between you on the bed then pulls something out of the other bag he brought in. A couple sets of ear plugs. He’s grinning as he brings out a bag of small bows to stick on top. “Think this is a good enough apology gift?”

[hyuk4sbf]

thoughts on txt and somnophilia 👀👀

NSFW CONTENT AHEAD ^_−☆

warnings(?):consent is kinda ? implied but sometimes pretty dubious here plz b careful just in case! both parties enjoy it all tho!!!!

gn!reader to the best of my ability w top!txt :p

ANYWAY! one of my fave topics how did u know<3 under the cut cuz i got a lil carried away idk im embarrassed i dont rly like this … its like 4am and i wrote this on my phone k? T_T

> yeonjun who continues to drop not-so-subtle hints that he wants to wake up one morning with ur mouth on his cock. he’ll be ecstatic when u take the bait, rubbing at his bleary eyes as pleasure licks up his body in flames combusting.

and there you are, lo and behold, mouth working over him with eyes heavy and dark, like you’ve just been waiting for him to wake up and see you and your pretty mouth around his hard-on<3 his tongue laps over his parted lips, dry from the night air, before he leans into you and his mouth curves into a sleepy smile.

smooths his palm over the mess of your hair, thumbing over the swell of your cheek before he hums pleasedly, loudly enough that it breaks off into a moan. ‘to what do i owe the pleasure, sweetheart?’ his voice husky and rough, sounding so full of himself like u can’t feel the tremble of his thighs under ur palms— like he hasn’t been practically begging for this :3c

he’ll press his shin up between your legs as best as he can without hindering ur movement, breathlessly grunting how he’ll return the favour when you make him cum in your mouth<3 (+imagine his pretty golden skin under the morning sunlight that peeks through the blinds … phew!)

> soobin who’s just sooooo sleepy, work tiring and exerting him beyond belief poor baby (_ _).｡o○ but!!!!!! :( he misses u so much, misses the intimacy of having u cum in his mouth while his hands hold urs, just misses ur body against his so badly</3

it was like a surge of adrenaline, a rush through his veins when he saw u after such an exhausting shift. has ur reassuring smile always been this pretty? he practically jumps u then and there in the doorway of ur apartment, lips capturing urs with an eagerness rough enough to bruise and swell.

and now… the adrenaline’s wearing off, eyes quite literally fighting to stay open despite the fact that he’s literally inside u. ‘eyes on me, baby,’ you murmur, riding him with ur hands steadying urself on his broad shoulders. it’s not uncommon that the sex will get overwhelming and soobin’s eyes will fall closed— however, the little hum he gives like he’s listening and the way his eyes only just barely open again at ur command makes u realise this is different.

u click ur tongue, chuckling slightly before u go to move off of his lap. soobin’s having none of that, eyes shooting open again and u really see how tired he is up close like this. he whines, louder than he had been most of the night and wrestles an unforgiving grip on ur waist to keep u seated on his cock. ends up pulling u close, eyes already falling snap shut on him again.

‘c’mon bun,’ you’ll urge him with a giggle, joking that ‘you’re falling asleep at the wheel, silly.’

‘don’t care, keep going… missed you so much. use me and make yourself cum…’ ｖ（＾＿＾ｖ）♪

> beomgyu has the biggest kink for being used in his sleep i’ve ever seen (・・?) that one video of him pretending to sleep on stage and wrapping his own hands around his throat? hm!

ask him bashfully if there’s anything he’d want to try in bed and he’s practically leaping to tell u he wants u to take him while he sleeps. god only knows how many opportunities he gives u on the daily, sleepy bear always tired ‘n napping whenever he can :p he wants so badly to wake up w u riding him and ur hand around his throat :<<<

waking up with a head fuzzy, feeling like his whole body is on fire and— oh! there’s you, mouthing over his cock through his pyjama pants, hands pushed up his shirt and thumbing over his nipples.

you want to be disappointed he didn’t sleep through it, pouting a little where u tease his cock, but he looks so incredibly pretty like this too. eyes blinking like he just can’t quite get used to the morning light, chest already heaving under ur touch and face flushed a pretty red hue<3

he whimpers into the otherwise silent bedroom, hands shaking as they come up to cover his face embarrassedly because fuck he is so hard right now.

‘don’t hide, baby bear.’ u smile up at him, cheeky and smug and so so fucking pretty and he’s so gone.

u laugh at the tears in his eyes, although not unkindly. he’s just too cute (〃ω〃) u move upwards, planting urself in his lap and grinding downwards and fuck he really might just cream his pants at this point and you’ve barely even done anything. arousal is one hell of a feeling!

‘please touch me,’ he begs with his lower lip wobbling, a hand smoothing over the curve of ur ass to encourage u to grind harder into him. you coo, pushing his hair from his face.

‘go back to sleep, baby. can’t use you like you wanted so badly if you’re wide awake, hm?’

he’s never conked out faster in his life, maybe he’s even pretending, who knows? :3

> taehyun who wakes you up with head, peeling your pyjamas and underwear down your legs as carefully as he can and spreading u for him like ur a whole meal <333

head between your thighs as he watches the way your eyelashes flutter and eyebrows furrow with every flick and suck of his mouth and tongue against ur sex, so so so aroused for him even when ur not awake ฅ/ᐠ. ̫ .ᐟ\ฅ

he hums against u when u finally wake, moaning so the vibrations cause a jolt in ur pretty thighs that are already in his grasp. his mouth becomes rougher, used with more intent when he feels your trembling hands finally lace through his hair and tug. his eyes never leave yours, even in the dark as u struggle to keep ur head from rolling back into the pillow. ur eyes screwing shut ‘til there’s static behind ur eyelids because fuck how is he so good at this everytime without fail? didn’t he just wake up too?

palms rubbing up and down your thighs to soothe u through the intensity of the orgasm he gives u, something u weren’t exactly expecting at an ungodly hour of the night while the moon still kisses the horizon, about to clock out for the sun to rise.

he’ll press a kiss to ur sex before he pulls away and moves himself so ur face to face, watching the way ur chest heaves as u try to catch ur breath. he grins, incisors peeking through cutely like he didn’t just make u forget ur own name for a good minute. like he’s not literally hard against your hip and ready to go. u can practically imagine the puppy tail wagging behind him excitedly. he pecks ur lips, sharing the taste of you like it’s simply his chapstick.

‘morning, honey.’

> kai who doesn’t really understand at first why u would want that, what fun would sex be if ur not even technically there enjoying it? he’s not shaming u though!! he’d never dream of that and he’s (somewhat) willing to try just for u!

and oh. that’s when he starts to get it

how could he ever resist u when u always look so delectable pressed up against him of the night time, body soft and warm, pliant, against his?

he breathes shakily through the arousal that licks up his spine, ur breath hot and damp where u sleep tucked into the crook of his sensitive neck. it’s what u wanted, he tells himself, you said it’s okay. that u like it. poor baby is caught in a dilemma of morals, but it doesn’t take him long to work himself up into a frenzy and god hmmmm :( he really needs u right this second </3

shifts u over so delicately, so gently because he doesn’t actually want to disturb u, wrapping himself around u so ur secured back in his embrace. and the guilt starts to shift away, a moan falling from ur lips as u rouse briefly, and he’s so hard, why is he so hard?

he doesn’t know if he could start with actually fucking u in ur sleep, so he settles for this— testing the waters by starting to hump against you while u sleep, rhythm picking up and breath hitching in his throat because it just feels so good, you feel so good.

poor pup’s working himself up so bad :( he doesn’t even realise he’s whining and whimpering rather audibly until ur already awake and stroking his hair, pulling him as close as close can be, and murmuring sleepy praises right into the shell of his ear.

make him cum in his pants, yawn and tell him to fuck u properly as u drift back off<3 ฅ/ᐠ. ̫ .ᐟ\ฅ

leave me ur hard thoughts here !<333

[arminsesposa]

Sick Day

Gojo Satoru x Female Sick reader!

You could never hide anything from your fiancé as he immediately noticed your sickness.

Fluff, somewhat short

Happy Holidays everyone! This may or may not be my last writing of 2023. I’m actually sick so I took some inspiration.

Don’t forget to Reblog! :-)

Satoru Gojo knew his fiancé by the back of his hand. The moment he met you, he fell hard. Never wanting to leave your side, always bothering you, and finally asking you out on a date. The chemistry and connection was ultimately there between you guys as you guys were inseparable. As he finally proposed to you after a couple of years of you two being together. Now living in a shared apartment, Satoru was beyond excited of his new life with you.

As you sniffled and coughed hard, you were dying. Satoru had left to get groceries as you woke up and began to clean. You tried your best to hide your sickness from him, leaving and excusing yourself whenever you needed to cough or sneeze or any sniffle you had hoping you fiancé didn’t catch on. As you made your way to the kitchen to wash the dishes from last night’s dinner you felt dizzy. Was it from the high fever that you’ve been ignoring? Or the chest pain from every cough you tried hiding. As you finished the dishes, you swayed too much almost collapsing as you dropped a glass. As Satoru entered the apartment the sound of glass shattering caught his attention as he made his way to the kitchen only to see you on the floor picking up the pieces of shattered glass. “(Y/N) what’s wrong?” He asked as he placed a hand on your back and realized something was wrong with you. “You’re definitely not feeling well huh” he noticed your body language and how flushed your face was as you faced him. “Im fine” you tried lying to his face as he immediately got up and carried you bridal style. “Honey, you can’t lie to me. I’ve known you since forever! Last time you lied to me was when you told me Megumi had a girlfriend!” He said with a cheerful grin. “Let me take care of you! You always take care of me, and now it’s my turn” he said as he laid you down the bed and covered you with a blanket.

As you groan and complain almost growing pale, Satoru makes you a tea, feeds you a chicken noodle soup (he secretly called Nanami over since he accidentally burned the first one he made) as he sat down at a nearby chair watching over you. “Toru?” You say in a weak and sick tone of voice as you look over at him. The moment you call his name he looks at you and he notices how weak your voice was. The concern on his face only grew as he listened to the tone of your voice as he was starting to get seriously worried about your health. "Yeah Baby? What is it?" He asked. “Why are you still near me? I’m gonna get you sick” you said as you coughed and sniffled trying to tell him to get out of the shared room. Satoru laughed and grinned like an idiot before continuing “I'm staying right here with you. I won't leave you as you recover from this. I'll be by your side every step of this recovery, I promise." He said cupping your face as he saw how sad you looked. As you held his hand cupping your face you immediately smiled feeling so thankful to have such an amazing fiancé. As you decided to scoot on one side of the bed and tapped on the empty side “satoru will you lay down next to me?” You asked with a gentle smile “I know I don’t want to get you sick so maybe it’s not a good idea” you said shaking your head as you sniffled.

The moment you made the request for him to lay down next to you he couldn't help but get a little bit flustered. He was instantly overwhelmed by the pure affection and cuteness that you were giving right now and he quickly snapped out of it the moment you brought up the fact that maybe it's not a good idea due to not wanting him to get sick. He then got his thoughts back in order and he spoke back to you while smiling softly. "Well do you really want me to lay down next to you?” He teased you as you groaned at his tactics. You immediately took back what you said “I wanted you too, but I don’t want you to get sick, so never mind” as he immediately protested and frowned. Those words instantly made him melt a little bit on the inside as he felt an instant wave of affection overwhelm him. The thought of you being so considerate of him and his health made him feel happy and it gave him an instant burst of confidence. "Well it's my job as a fiancé to take care of you so there's no way I'm staying far away from you. If I have to get sick by being by your side, so be it. I'm laying down." He said as he laid down next to you and he covered both himself and you with the warm blanket. As you cupped his face, now facing him you had to ask him to make sure “Satoru are you sure, I don’t want you getting sick” you said as you sniffled once again. The moment he felt your hand cup his cheek like that he felt your love and warmth as The touch of your hand against his cheek made him feel a surge of affection all over his body and he can feel his cheeks instantly turning red. "Well... You're recovering and I'm just gonna stay with you and not leave your side. So if I get sick by it then I'll just have to deal with it." He said wrapping his arms around you knowing that when he gets sick. That you’ll be there by his side no matter what. As you two slept comfortably together in each other’s arms.

[639-hear-me-out-bby]

pairing: namjoon x afab! reader

warning: cussing, mentions of pregnancy (nothing heavy, its just telling a guy you've been seeing exclusively, no labels, that you're pregnant and he's the dad)

a/n: i've had this idea for a while now since i saw this kdrama clip somewhere and as per usual, namjoon is my ultimate crush i cAN'T-- but pls enjoy as i turn my daydreams into words 🫶🏻

"Namjoon, thank you for meeting me today. I know you're very busy but I really had to see you today." My palms sweaty as I sat on the plush seat of the booth. The cafe bustling with all its noise and clinks getting picked up by my racing mind.

"That's absolutely no problem, love. I'll always make time for you." Namjoon said as he slid beside me.

"All that flirting absolutely led to this moment. His pretty eyes and that voice led to the two pink lines on that pregnancy test, you idiot." I mentally scolded myself.

"So... what did you wanna see me about?" He asks as he clears his throat and scooching closer to me. He probably sees my nervous demeanor and he holds my hands set on the table. His thumb caressing over my skin. "Hey, whatever it is, we can always talk it out. You have me."

"I have you? I have you?! We aren't even official and I have you?! You make me wanna rip my hair out and I'm carrying your kid. " My mind shouts but I just stare at him. I see how the sun shines down on him. His brown eyes bore into mine as much as I try avoiding his already concerned gaze.

"I-I'm---," my voice, shaking, betraying me.

"A cup of salted honey latte and a rosehip tea. Thanks." The waitress placed our cups on to the table and went.

I took a deep breath, my fingers tightening around the warm cup of tea. My heart was thundering in my chest, and I could barely keep my voice steady.

“Namjoon… I…” I swallowed, feeling his gaze on me, waiting with that calm patience of his that always made me feel safe. But nothing about this moment felt safe. I was about to change everything.

He leaned in closer, his brown eyes softening as he reached for my hand again, covering it with his own. “Hey… it’s okay, like I told you... whatever it is, you can tell me.” His thumb brushed over my knuckles, sending warmth through me, a comfort I didn’t deserve after keeping this secret.

With a shaky exhale, I finally whispered, “I’m pregnant.”

For a split second, the world felt like it had paused. I couldn’t look at him, my gaze dropping to our hands entwined on the table. I felt his grip tighten ever so slightly, grounding me in that single heartbeat.

He didn’t pull away. In fact, he let out a soft chuckle, surprising me enough to look up. There was no anger, no shock—just that same gentle smile that melted my nerves and turned my racing thoughts to mush.

“Wow,” he said softly, his hand moving to cup my cheek. “I… wasn’t expecting that. But…” He let out a breath, his smile widening. “You’re carrying my baby.

I couldn’t help the way my cheeks flushed. “Namjoon, we’re not even… I mean, we’ve been exclusive, but we’ve never defined anything. I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about—”

He interrupted me, his voice a soft murmur as he leaned closer, resting his forehead against mine. “Y/N, I don’t care about titles. I care about you. I thought you knew that by now.”

“But—” I started, still uncertain, but his fingers gently brushing my cheek stopped me.

“Look at me.” His voice was firm but tender. When I met his eyes, all I saw was warmth, a steady devotion that stole my breath. “I’ve been falling for you for a long time now. This… this is just our next adventure.”

A small, shy smile crept onto my lips as he held me there, our faces just inches apart. “You… you’re really okay with this?”

“More than okay.” He grinned, his dimples deepening in a way that made my heart skip. “In fact, it makes me happy. Happier than I think I’ve ever been.” His fingers slipped through mine, intertwining them as he looked at me with a softness that left me speechless. “And if you’ll let me, I want to be with you. Officially, completely. Because… I think I’m in love with you, Y/N.”

Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes, and before I could say anything, he leaned forward, his lips brushing mine in the gentlest, most heart-stopping kiss. It felt like he was promising me everything—love, support, a future together.

When he finally pulled back, he smiled down at me, brushing a stray tear from my cheek. “So, what do you say, Y/N? Are we doing this together?”

I laughed through my tears, my heart full as I nodded. “Yes, Namjoon. I wouldn’t want anyone else.”

Namjoon grins, his eyes sparkling with that playful glint that always made my heart flutter. “Honestly, Y/N, I can’t say I’m all that surprised,” he said, giving my hand a gentle squeeze.

I raised an eyebrow, feeling my cheeks heat up as I realized what he meant. “Excuse me?” I tried to sound indignant, but the blush on my face betrayed me.

“Well,” he said, leaning in close with a smirk, “considering all the fucking we’ve been doing… I mean, it was bound to happen eventually, right?” He wiggled his eyebrows, clearly amused by the way my face went even redder.

“Oh my god, Joon!” I couldn’t help but laugh, hiding my face behind my hands. “You make it sound like we’re reckless or something.”

He gently pulled my hands away from my face, his expression softening as he looked at me with so much affection it made my heart melt. “Hey, I’m just saying… if anyone was gonna drive me to this point, it’d be you.” His tone dropped to a whisper, “You’re kind of hard to resist, you know?"

I felt butterflies swarm in my stomach as he looked at me like I was his whole world. “You’re not so easy to resist yourself,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper.

“Good,” he murmured, his gaze flicking down to my lips before meeting my eyes again. “Because I’m not planning on going anywhere. You and our baby… you’re everything I want.”

I smiled, tears pricking my eyes again as I leaned into him. “I can’t believe we’re doing this.”

He pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead, holding me close. “Believe it. And get used to it,” he said softly. “I’m here to stay, for both of you.”

As the reality of our new future started to settle in, my mind began racing with thoughts of all the things we’d need to prepare. “Namjoon… we’re going to have to buy so much stuff for the baby.” I bit my lip, the list of necessities already forming in my mind. “Crib, stroller, diapers—so many diapers! And then there’s the hospital bills, and checkups, and I don’t even know if I’ll be able to keep working full-time…”

I looked down, fidgeting with my cup. “I’ve been saving, you know, but… not for something this big. I’m just worried if I’ll be able to make it all work.”

Namjoon listened quietly, a gentle smile playing on his lips as he watched me spiral into my mini panic. Instead of interrupting, he just reached for his phone, unlocking it and scrolling as I continued to ramble.

“And I mean, what if I can’t work for a few months? How will I manage the expenses? Do… do you have any savings? I know you’re doing well with your job, but I just…”

Namjoon placed his phone down on the table, sliding it over to me with a reassuring smile. “Y/N,” he said softly, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “Take a look.”

I blinked, looking down at the screen, and instantly froze. My jaw dropped as my eyes tried to take in the ridiculous number of zeros on his bank balance. My heart skipped a beat, and I glanced up at him in shock. “Is this… is this real?”

Namjoon chuckled, shaking his head at my reaction. “It’s real, love. And that’s just one of my accounts.”

“Just… one of them?” I squeaked, staring at the number in complete disbelief. “Namjoon, this… this is a hundred billion won. How…?” My mind couldn’t wrap around the number, the security and stability it represented.

He laughed, reaching out to gently take my hand, his thumb brushing over my knuckles. “I’ve been working hard for years, Y/N. Saving, investing… all so I could have a future where I wouldn’t have to worry. And now… now I have you and our little one to share it with. So please, stop worrying about the finances. I’ve got this, okay?”

I just stared at him, my heart swelling with a mix of relief, gratitude, and overwhelming love. “I… I don’t even know what to say. You’re really… you’re really ready for all of this?”

He smiled, pulling me closer as his hand cupped my cheek. “More than ready. I’ve been waiting for this, Y/N. I'm not getting any younger. You and our baby—this is what I want.”

Tears filled my eyes as I looked at him, speechless. Namjoon brushed a tear away with his thumb, leaning in to press a gentle kiss to my forehead. “Let me take care of you, okay? You’re my family now. Both of you.”

In that moment, all my worries melted away. I knew, with Namjoon by my side, we were going to be just fine.

[grimreaperschild]

happy birthday

pairings: ooc! soft Wednesday x fem reader

summary: birthdays have never been your thing often sneaking away from your own party to think

warnings: use of drugs, mention of abusive households, angst?, comfort

a/n: got a bit carried away kinda like this one tho :) hope you enjoy ❤️

The “surprise” party had been in full swing for about an hour now and it seemed that everyone but you was enjoying themselves, enid and ajax had jumped in the pool wednesday had disappeared to god knows where, and then there was your parents mingling with there friends they’d invited, pushing myself off the living room wall i trudge to my room.

as i lay out everything in my tray i hear a soft knock on my door “come in it’s unlocked” i yell to be heard over the loud music outside, wednesday steps into my room closing the door behind her with a click “i’ve been looking for you” i roll my eyes at her signature glare “well you found me” she hums and steps closer “you know you really shouldn’t smoke that stuff it’s bad for you” pausing as i bring the joint up to my lips to wet the paper “you gonna lecture me addams or are you gonna keep the birthday girl company” not waiting for a response i stand and make my way to the front door both of us slipping out unnoticed.

the walk through the forest was completed in comfortable silence and i reach my destination in record time as i sit on the grass wednesday settles in next to me “beautiful isnt it” i ask looking at the view of field after felid sprawled out below us “found it after me and dad had an argument when i was 10 been my smoke spot since i hit 14” i bring the joint to my lips and light it enjoying the feeling of smoke hitting my lungs “what about you got any cool spots near home i don’t know about” she thinks for a second and the ghost of a smile crosses her face “there’s an old secluded graveyard a short hike from my house not even my mother knows about it i go there when i don’t want to be bothered reading by pugsley” she bumps shoulders with me and i turn my head “thank you, you know for coming im usually alone on my birthday it’s nice to have you here” she reaches up to caress my cheek “you’ll never be alone mi amor, but didn’t we just sneak away from a party thrown in your name” she quirks an eyebrow at me and i chew on my bottom lip thinking about how to explain it all.

i take a breath and it all comes flowing out “and out of everyone there not once person has noticed, not today or any of the other years i’ve left, those parties aren’t for me weds god even my cake says 16 and i turn 18 this year” i run my hands through my (h/c) hair and let out another exasperated sigh “it’s always been rocky with my parents, they always expect more from me and then i ended up at nevermore and it was like a new beginning yeah they would send me letters telling me how upset with my grades they are but atleast i wasn’t going to bed bleeding anymore” i drop my head onto her shoulder not wanting to continue in fear of crying.

wednesday reaches into her pocket and brings out a little necklace with a “W” on it “i know your not one for big gifts or anything but i wanted to show you how much i care” i try to say something and she cuts me off with her lips on mine i sigh into the softness and pull her closer by her jacket “i meant what i said (y/n) your never going to be alone again not now i’ve got you and this just means you’ll take a part of me wherever you go” resting my forehead against hers i smile “thank you weds honestly this has been the best birthday in a while” she pulls away and stands holding her hand out “dance with me pretty girl”

i oblige throwing the butt of my joint in the grass as i stand it hits me and i stumble slightly into wednesdays waiting arms giggling she puts the necklace around my neck and attempts to spin me but being much shorter than me it fails causing more giggling “who would have thought you couldn’t spin someone nes” a blush creeps up her neck and she grumbles out “not my fault your a giant” i giggle at the statement “it’s getting late we should make our way back” she nods reluctantly knowing neither of us want to leave the bubble we created, the walk back was filled with mindless chatter reaching the back gate she turns to me “you seriously think there are pots of gold at the bottom of a rainbow” her eyebrows raised in amusement “personally i think it’s weird as shit that you DONT believe that addams, honestly your supposed to be the smart one” i smile reaching over her to unlatch the gate “ready to go back in?” she looks up and places a kiss to my jaw “i feel like i should be asking you that question but yeah i’m ready” i smile and push the gate open and am met with the screams of people in the pool “oh and for the record i still think your weird as shit” wednesday looks at me as a smile graces her face “the feeling is incredibly mutual amour”

[midwestmade29]

Heat ❤️‍🔥

My first Adam Cole story Bay Bay! I can't believe it's taken me this long to write one about him because the man is 🔥🔥 AND it's a AU version of him! I had a lot of fun with it and I hope you all enjoy reading it 🖤 Word count: 1.5k Divider by: @saradika-graphics *GIF is not mine

Disclaimers: Cursing, mention of weapons, unprotected sex.

In this story, Cole owns a nightclub and conducts business there. I never specified exactly what "business" he takes care of, but it would be along the lines of taking over/securing certain territories or he’s a bootlegger. (NOT drugs)

When you and Adam end up alone in his office, things start to heat up...

I was sitting at my desk listening to Roddy carry on while my mind was elsewhere. He was trying to strategize for our upcoming meeting that was scheduled for tomorrow night, but I just wasn’t feeling it. We had already covered all the bases for our safety plan which automatically made me feel better knowing everyone had a role and a place to be. In this line of work, there’s always a risk of danger or a chance for things to turn south. Safety is my number one priority.

Matt and Mike usually keep watch outside of my office while Roddy is always with me. I assigned Wardlow to my girl to keep her safe and never leave her side. If anything ever happened to her because of my job, I’d never be able to live with myself. The five of us were always equipped with weapons while extras were placed in areas around the club only we knew about. I’ll be damned if a deal goes bad and the opposing side gets the better of Adam Cole Bay Bay.

“ADAM!” Roddy yelled loudly. The look on my face was pure annoyance when I met his eyes, although he didn’t seem to care. “What Roddy?” I asked through gritted teeth. He continued speaking without missing a beat, “Did you hear what I said? I think we should…” but I tuned him out once again. The guy has no self-awareness.

A sudden knock on my office door added to my annoyance. “Come in!” I snapped while rubbing my temples. When Y/N peered around the door, I instantly softened. “Hi, sorry. I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” Y/N said softly. Roddy interjected before I had the chance to respond, “Actually you are interrupting. This is an A B conversation, so you should C your way out of it,” My mouth dropped open in utter astonishment at how much of an idiot he really is. “Roddy, would you please just shut the hell up? Y/N is always welcome in here,” I scolded before directing my attention to my beautiful girl. “Hi baby, it’s good to see you. Come here,” I motioned for her to join me at my side. Even though she tried, she couldn’t hide the smirk on her face as she sauntered into the room, eyeing Roddy the whole time in triumph. God, I love her! When she was next to me, I swiveled in my chair and pulled her down onto my lap. As if it was a natural instinct, our lips found their way to one another, sharing a kiss that was full of heat and want. Y/N and I didn’t give to shits about Roddy standing in the background likely feeling incredibly uncomfortable.

Even with me biting her bottom lip and tugging to keep her lips on mine, Y/N pulled away. She had her fingers splayed in my hair as she rubbed the baseline of my neck, turning me into putty in her hands.

“So, how are you baby? I’ve been thinking about you all night,” I asked while nuzzling my face against her collarbone. She smells like Heaven. “I’m good! I was popping in to tell you that I was going to have Wardlow take me home. I wasn’t sure how much longer you were going to be,” her voice was sweeter than honey, her eyes my favorite color but they shifted over to my incompetent counterpart leaning against the wall.  “Don’t you have anything better to do than stand there? You make an ugly wallflower,” Y/N jeered. I don’t think I’ve ever been more proud of her! I rubbed my chin trying to hide my smile, but my laughter gave me away. Roddy was clearly appalled when he asked me, “Did you hear what she just said to me?” “Yes, Roddy I did. I think she’s onto something here. Get out,” “Get out? What do you mean-” “You heard me. I said get out. We’re done for tonight, you can leave,” I instructed flatly. He knew better than to protest, so with an exaggerated sigh, Roddy grabbed his jacket and sulked out of my office. I directed my attention back to the beautiful girl still sitting on my lap, looking into her eyes, and being immediately entranced by her smile. “So, where were we?” “Well, I was about to go home but I think I’ll stay since you’re free now,” Y/N winked. I got the impression that she was implying something, so I decided to bite. “I’m glad you knocked on the door when you did. Roddy was killing me slowly with his rambling. Enough about him, I’m all yours baby. What would you like to do?”

Y/N had a mischievous smirk on her face as her hands slinked down from my neck to the tops of my shoulders, her fingers creating a trail down to my chest. She began toying with the buttons on my shirt never breaking eye contact with me. With the first two buttons unfastened, Y/N whispered, “I have an idea,” My cock twitched with excitement when the last button was undone. She took her bottom lip in between her teeth, admiring my newly exposed chest while she slid my shirt down my arms. My pants and boxer briefs were off in the blink of an eye after Y/N stood up, her dress and panties joining my clothes on the floor. My cock grew harder from her supple, naked breasts before me. They were just begging to be fondled by my tongue.

Even though our bodies weren’t touching, I could still feel the heat between us. My body was aching for this girl, I wanted her. I needed her.

“Look how stunning you are baby. How did I get so lucky? I’ll never get enough of you,” my voice overcome with lust the more my eyes took in the sight of her naked body. My gaze caused the most beautiful shade of pink to bloom across her cheeks, but her confidence never faltered. Y/N straddled my lap, her tight cunt hovering just above the tip of my cock making me shiver with anticipation. “Should we lock the door?” I asked only a whisper away from her lips. “Someone could walk in unannounced at any time,” Without hesitation, Y/N responded boldly and assertively, “Let them,” before crashing her lips against mine. She tasted so damn sweet.

With my hands gripping her hips tightly, Y/N sank down onto my cock. Her arousal was silky as it coated me, allowing me to slide in with ease while her walls squeezed tightly. “A-Adam!” she cried out. “So f-full,” Y/N wasn’t wrong, I was filling her to the hilt once she was fully seated, and holy fuck did she feel good around me. “I know baby girl, but you take me so well! That’s it, rock your hips and take what you need from me. Good girl,” my praises nothing more than a murmur against the shell of her ear.

The whimper she let out as I took her nipple in my mouth sent a shockwave straight to the very heart of me, her moans filled my office the more my tongue played with it. My teeth grazed the stiff peak before I sucked hard and released it with a pop. I kissed my way over to her other breast and repeated the same ritual, this time it made my beautiful girl’s head fall back in utter bliss from every sensation my mouth and cock were making her feel. My hands began kneading her ass while my face was buried in her neck as her hair cascaded around us. We were both completely enamored with one another, getting closer to the edge with every rock and roll. When I started meeting her every movement with a thrust of my own, everything began to feel more frantic and fervid. “Come on baby, I know you’re close. I can feel it in the way your sweetness is dripping down my shaft. I can hear it in your whines. Cum for me, let yourself go baby,” In an instant, Y/N completely unraveled. Her body quaked beneath my hands as she refused to yield to her orgasm, still working hard to bring me to the land of ecstasy with her.

 “Fuck, Adam! It’s your turn to take what you need from me, take everything. It’s all yours!” her voice breathy and oh so angelic. Her hand grabbed a fistful of my hair and tugged making me hiss from the sudden sting, but the rest of my body reveled in the sensation. My beautiful girl smiled against my lips when I finally erupted inside of her. I pulled her as close to my chest as physically possible while my cock pulsated deep inside her warm cunt. 

We were still melded together as we came back down to earth, my thighs soaked from the mess we made of each other. “Feel free to interrupt all my meetings from now on,” I teased. The sound of Y/N’s laughter was just as intoxicating as the sexy noises she had been making mere moments ago.

[athena-rocks]

I hate Percy Jackson.

I hate the plot that is, and many MANY parts of it. Now that’s not to say the actors are bad or anything, in fact I think they’re incredible. I haven’t watched the show or read the books but from the clips I’ve seen those actors are amazing and deserve respect and praise. But I am going to go over everything I have against the show in this mini essay of mine.

Like the show and want to counter my points? Feel free to! Leave a comment, reblog with your response, send an ask, all is welcome! I may think very strongly on my points but that doesn’t mean I’m not willing to hear others out, but please welcome my response as well (also anon is on so if you have thoughts but don’t really feel confident sharing them on your account you can send by anon instead, still gonna get answered and no judgement passed :) )

NOW! ONTO MY RAMBLINGS!

First of all, Athena. As someone whose name is literally ‘athena-rocks’ I’m sure you can guess that I feel very passionately about this and have a lot to say.

The first thing I want to bring up is the whole child thing. Athena is a virgin goddess why does she have a child? From what I understand Annabeth is born from her mind, as in thought. Which is immensely stupid. The only account of asexual reproduction I can think of is Hera and the birth of Hephaestus, but even then she had a pregnancy and he was born, he didn’t just show up?? The only being I can think of that just pop up is Chaos, who is seen as both a God and a thing, it is, it’s primordial, so are Athena’s children in this also primordial? No they’re demigods.

Also the idea that Athena just abandons her children? No! There’s literally a myth that directly opposes it! Erichthonius!

Erichthonius is the first king of Athens, before Athens got super amazing and awesome and totally cool and really popular and thus got the totally cool founding myth of Athena vs Poseidon. He was born after Hephaestus tried to assault Athena, he’s autochthonous meaning born of the earth. Some of Hephaestus’s… seed, got onto Athena’s thigh, she wiped it off and threw it to the earth as she ran away and Erichthonius is born.

Now Athena has no obligation to this child, it’s not hers in any form, it came from the man who tried to assault her, yet she still chooses to look after and raise the child! There! She has no reason to do this but does, so why she would abandon the children that she does have an obligation to?

And by all accounts I can find Erichthonius had a good childhood, he’s half snake creature thing and when the daughters of Cecrops (who Athena had given Erichthonius to with him in a basket and told them not to open it while she did something) saw him and were horrified Athena either drove them mad so they killed themselves or dropped a mountain she was carrying in rage. So she cares about him.

Now, the Medusa thing.

Medusa was a monster, the original Greek myth she was always a monster. I understand the appeal of a woman who can defend herself from any man who would dare harm her by just glaring at them, but can’t she just have always been that? Can’t she have just always been a powerful monster who can always protect herself? I’m mostly upset at the Medusa thing in this context because I’ve seen people shipping her with Athena, which is weird as Athena is not only a virgin goddess but a mythological figure who was and in some sense still is worshipped to this day.

There are myths that also actively oppose this, when Cassandra was raped Athena was so furious she drive lesser Ajax mad so he killed himself and for 1000 years they had to send maidens to become Athena’s priestesses to appease her. But Medusa being raped by Poseidon, someone who she’s been known to have beef with? No. Fuck her.

AND ARES!!

Ares who killed someone for harassing his daughter, A BAD FATHER?? A CRUEL MAN??? Anger issues? Sure! I can accept that! But bad father? No.

I think the PJO series just hates the idea of war God’s being good parents and it shows.

I’ll end here, but if anyone would like to add on to this post or argue against me please feel free to. Just don’t be an asshole, I’m fine to discuss peacefully I’m not fine with just being flat out attacked.

Thank you for reading!

[thirstyforcharacters]

Healing

Part 3 of the Mistakes Series

Part 1: Mistakes. Part 2: Reconnection

Summary: The past repeats itself, but Joel refuses to make the same mistake twice.

Warnings: angst!! canon typical violence, brief description of gunshot wound, Joel is finally getting good at emotions :)

WC: 1279

Notes: Hellooooo! I wasn’t sure if I was going to write a part 3, but I was inspired, so I wrote the entire thing this morning! Finally, we get to the fluffy stuff, but of course I still had to sprinkle in some angst! This is definitely the last full installment of the series, but I wouldn’t mind writing some blurbs and whatnot about these two, so if you still want to see this pairing, you can totally send me some requests for that :) or if you just want to send requests in general, feel free to do that as well! thank you all so much for reading this series: I’ve never written this much angst before, so I was afraid it wouldn’t turn out well, but I’m super thankful that you all enjoyed Mistakes!!!

PS: anything in italics is a flashback :)

Things were awkward for a while.

You didn’t feel as though you could fully trust him yet. You were too afraid of him hurting you again. But you adored Ellie, and because Ellie insisted upon you coming over and sharing her stack of comic books, Joel slowly became a more consistent figure in your life again. As spring became summer, you learned to trust him more. You told him about your solo travels, how you had taken out a raiding party single handedly and survived more than one encounter with Infected. He opened up to you as well, telling you the tale of how he and Ellie came to Jackson just a few months ago. You really felt for him: the things they had been through were terrifying, and you could see how much the two had grown to care for each other throughout their journey. And seeing the way Joel loved Ellie gave you hope. That maybe he could love you and not shut you out.

Little did you know that that theory would be tested sooner than you expected.

The two of you were paired up for patrol often (which Tommy said was because “you’re one of the only people he tolerates in this town, and I need a break sometimes.”), and today was no different. You were trudging along the craggy mountain path, stepping over long, broken branches, dodging wildlife, and trying not to make too much noise. During this part of the patrol, you always walked in silence, not wanting to attract unwanted attention. There would be time for talking once you got to the safehouse, a cabin that you were now about halfway to.

The silence was broken by a gunshot. You barely remembered what happened next.

You collapsed to the ground, pressing your hand to your stomach as it became coated with red.

Joel couldn’t speak, couldn’t breathe as he saw you fall. He could only think of the first time.

“Sweetheart, please.”

His pleas fell upon deaf ears. Your eyes had fluttered shut as you lost consciousness, unable to reply.

“JOEL!”

Tess’s shout was the only thing that pulled him from his own head. He had never moved so fast, scooping you up without a second thought and sprinting after Tess, carrying you the entire way to Bill and Frank’s without rest.

“Y/n will be okay, Joel,” Tess assured him, “Frank will take care of things.”

Joel nodded, barely hearing as he ran. He needed you. Holy shit, he needed you. More than he needed anyone else in this god-forsaken hellscape. He loved you too much.

He shook it off, seeing the concealed figures through the bushes. He saw red, going after the raiders with a rage he had only felt a few times. When Sarah was shot. When he killed an entire warehouse of Fireflies for Ellie. And now, for you.

The raiders had no chance. They dropped like flies under Joel’s thunderous fury, with knives sunk into their stomachs, gunshots to their hearts, and fists breaking in their faces until they could speak no more. When they were all dead, the threat of any danger to you taken care of, he ran to your side, seeing your eyes were already closed.

“Shit,” he hissed, quickly tearing off strips of his shirt to tie around you and attempt to staunch the bleeding, “I’ve got you, sweetheart. Not fuckin dying on my watch.”

He picked you up, not unlike the first time, as he ran to Jackson. The year and a half between the first time he did this and now was affecting him: his legs burned and his breaths were ragged. But he didn’t stop. Not for a goddamn minute. He needed you.

It felt far too long before he saw the towering, wooden gates to the town, which swung open almost immediately as the gatekeepers saw the scene before them. Joel sprinted down the streets, carrying your limp body to the infirmary.

The doors burst open as Dr. Casey and two nurses saw Joel, frantically looking around with you in his arms.

“Raiders,” was all he could get out, but they understood.

“Here,” the doctor said as calmly as she could, gesturing toward a table, “we’ll get the bullet out and stitch Y/n up. Don’t worry.”

Joel grit his teeth. Don’t worry? How in the absolute hell was he supposed to do that? But he didn’t say a thing as Dr. Casey got to work. He trusted the doctor fully: she was one of the few people who actually was a doctor before everything went to shit, so she knew what she was doing. But he was terrified. He just got you back, and he could lose you again.

One of the nurses, Allen, who had been there when you were first brought to Jackson, looked at him and said, “Joel. Y/n will be okay. We promise.”

He nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat as the door swung open again.

It was Ellie, who for once, didn’t speak. She just gently took Joel’s hand and led him to their home. And he broke down, holding one of his girls as he cried for the other.

It was a few hours before a knock sounded as his door.

It was Allen, who had a soft smile on his face.

“Y/n’s fine. Lost a decent bit of blood, so she’s still weak. But she’s okay. Do you want to se-”

He couldn’t even finish his sentence as Joel bolted past him in the direction of the clinic.

Ellie giggled, “Sorry, he’s just excited. So I’ll thank you for the both of us.”

Allen nodded, smiling a little wider, “Whole town thought he’d be a grump forever. But having both of you in his life seems like it’s helping.”

She smiled, “It’s not just helping him.”

The door to the infirmary burst open again, but with a much different purpose. You were in the corner. You were bandaged and pretty beat up, but you were alive. You and Dr. Casey looked up at the sound of the wooden doors banging against the wall. You couldn’t help the fond smile that made its way onto your features as a blur of a black flannel and blue jeans burst onto the scene, wrapping you up into his tight embrace.

“I’ll leave you alone,” the doctor whispered before disappearing into a back room.

“‘M okay, Joel,” you murmured, your voice muffled into the fabric of his shirt, “you saved me. I’m okay.”

Hearing your voice confirm the very words he needed to hear allowed him to catch his breath.

“Thought I lost you again,” he said, gripping your shirt with calloused hands.

You shook your head, “Didn’t lose me.”

He pulled away, gently cupping your face in his hands. You could see the wetness beginning to gather in his eyes.

“I-” he swallowed hard, “I can’t lose you.”

“You won’t,” you assured him, “I won’t leave you.”

There was still a bit of fear in you. There was still a chance of him pushing you away as soon as you were healed. You were terrified of that possibility.

But any fear you had immediately washed away as his lips pressed to yours. It was years in the making, and the way you felt when you connected made you wish it had happened years ago. He cupped your face so delicately, and his lips mirrored the softness of his hands, kissing you so tenderly you could cry.

It ended too soon, Joel pulling away to whisper, “I’m not leaving you, either. Ever again.”

And you knew it was safe to believe him.

[cherrywoodmaeg]

Shortcut Pt. 13

Tired. Exam in two days. Procrastination. Enjoy!

A conversation, Part 2

Niphka was surprised how good the hours of sleep felt. Upon waking up, her mind was less clouded by doubt and irritation. She felt calmer, more patient, and prepared to deal with whatever the day had in store for her.

Before long, the two were on their way again. As always, she held him high so that they could easily talk while she carefully stepped over the uneven ground.

Whenever she saw signs of settlement, Niphka adjusted her path. She could still sense the pull of the earth, telling her where exactly she was, and was very aware of the delay their detours caused. On the other hand, it gave her more time to figure things out.

“What do think we should do when we reach our destination?”

He perked up at her question.

“I haven’t really thought that far, to be honest. I’ve been so focused on getting there – but we have to tell someone. Someone with power, influence, like a politician.”

Niphka clicked her tongue.

“Then we can only hope they react swiftly.” And she added, “If they really want to prevent the disaster, that is. Who knows how high up this conspiracy goes.”

She could feel Jon squeezing her thumb tighter.

“Don’t worry,” she quickly said, “I’m sure we will find a way to save the town.”

He nodded, and she gently pressed his forearm between two fingers.

“And what are you going to do after?” she changed the subject.

“Maybe I can work as a carpenter again. Seems like a sailor’s life just wasn’t meant for me.”

“Maybe, maybe not. Look, Jon, I’ve met a few people, and none of them was born ready for the challenges of life. But they grew into themselves. If you really want to be a sailor, or anything, really, you can’t give up at the first sign of trouble.”

He sighed.

“You could be right. Even if I’m not cut out to live a life on a ship, I can still be near the sea, right?”

“I that’s where you want to be, then why not?”

She absentmindedly brushed his back.

“I think I will return to the ocean. I could search for my sisters. Just this last adventure, and then I’m ready to leave.”

Jon put his left hand to the finger that hat stroked him, now resting gently on his shoulder. He held it in place, his touch soft enough as to be barely noticeable.

“Or, you could stay for a bit. I could rent a fisher boat and come visit you from time to time. Make sure you don’t get into trouble.”

Niphka laughed. The lump in her throat didn’t feel bad, instead, a sense of warmth built up in her chest and radiated through her body.

“That sounds like a fun idea. You would also get to have your personal, on-call lifeguard. How does that sound?”

He returned her grin.

“From all my experience in the sailing world, I’m afraid I might rely on that.”

Niphka made through another set of hills. Behind them, an orchard of neatly planted trees stretched as far as her eye could see.

Jon was equally intrigued and leaned forward. She instinctively curled her free hand around him in a loose grip.

“Do you want to steer away again or are you up for lunch?”

That was a proposal Jon couldn’t say no to. It wasn’t quite the right season yet for the apples to be harvested, but even in their green colour, nothing on this planet seemed more inviting to him. He eagerly waited for Niphka to reach the edge of the field. But instead of lowering him to the ground, she dropped him onto the branch of a particularly strong apple tree. At first, Jon struggled to keep himself safe on his new look-out spot, but Niphka didn’t retreat her hand before he had steadied himself.

He wasn’t exactly happy about this new position. However, the branches around him carried more fruit than he could count, and even if they still tasted quite sour, he grabbed one after another. Niphka watched him, laughing.

“Careful, or you’ll choke!”

“Easy for you to say,” he replied between chews, “I’m starving!”

She furrowed her brows.

“When is the last time you have eaten?”

“Ida gave me some bread. She had my coat, and her carriage was broken. I helped her with the repairs.”

She sat on the ground with her legs crossed. She was still above Jon’s eye level, but within comfortable range.

“I’m sorry, I had forgotten to make breaks for that.”

Jon swallowed his last bite. “That’s okay, I could have told you.”

Niphka looked at her hands resting in her lap.

“I need you to tell me these things,” she said, more quiet than before. Before Jon could find an adequate response – telling her that she needn’t worry, that her help was already more than enough –, she looked back at him.

“Let’s not dwell on that. You said Ida had your coat?”

If she wanted to change the subject, Jon would let her.

“Yeah, I think I lost it at some point. Someone must have found it I guess. She told me that she’d been pushed off the road. Whoever that was, they had it before her.”

“That’s unusual.”

“Yah, it is.” He fell silent for a moment.

Ask. Now or never.

“I wanted to ask- Can you tell me what happened?”

“What do you mean?”

“The night that I got lost. I don’t… I don’t really remember that.” Without wanting to, he held his breath for her response. He was scared that his question would upset her, that she’d be angry.

Her shoulders visibly slumped.

“I wasn’t your fault. You had a nightmare, and when you woke up, you didn’t recognize me. I couldn’t keep you from running off.”

While her account of the night made sense to him, something in him refused to accept it. How had he been able to run away, with his legs much shorter than hers and above that, injured?

While he searched for the right words, Niphka continued.

“You were so scared. It was worse than when we met. I think you needed space. But that doesn’t mean that I wasn’t worried for you.”

“So you waited.”

“I waited,” she confirmed. Then, her head bolted up and she stared him straight in the eyes.

“Please, I know you didn’t leave on purpose. But when the time comes that you want to, please, please just tell me. I would never try to keep you with me against your will, do you understand?”

Jon’s heart skipped a beat as he processed what she said. He felt lightheaded and suddenly struggled to keep his balance on the tree branch.

“I-,” he began, “I… I need to get out of – please, get me off here.”

Before he knew it, he found himself gently plucked out of the apple tree and sat down by its roots. Jon took a shaky breath.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, “I just need to know that- ”

“No!” he interrupted, his voice louder than he had intended. “Why do you think I’d want to leave?”

His tone grew desperate as he staggeringly got on his two feet again, not minding any of the pain.

“You think I’m nothing like the men you used to know. Yes, I can’t do much, neither for myself nor for anyone else!” He took a deep breath.

“But still – Niphka, you’ve saved my life! You’re here with me, far away from your home, just to help me save mine! I don’t want to leave! You’re… you’re my hero!”

She shook her head.

“You wouldn’t say that if you remembered. I saw the panic in your eyes. You were scared for your life.”

“Well, I’m not scared now!” he shot back.

Within milliseconds, Niphka’s hand shot at him and pinned both of his arms to the ground, leaving him trapped on the ground.

“How about now, then? Jon Williams, listen to me when I tell you you should be!”

“I don’t care!” he cried hoarsely. “I don’t care! Do what you want, but I just don’t believe that you want to hurt me! I know you!”

He paid no mind to the tears that formed in the corners of his eyes. Okay, so Niphka could crush him in an instant if she wanted. But nothing she had done so far had given him any cause to see her as anything but – …

“You’re my friend!” he pleaded.

Bit by bit, as if time itself had slowed down, he felt Niphka’s grip loosen. When her fingers stopped pressing him down, he held onto them, not wanting to let her go. She pulled away regardless and his grip lost hers.

“I am so, so sorry.”

“It’s okay! I promise, it’s okay.”

Niphka buried her face in her hands. Despite her size, she looked small, defeated. Jon wished that he could somehow console her, embrace her and convince her that his nightmare hadn’t meant anything.

“I need you to trust me,” he said, softly. “Just like I trust you.”

Please.

Her breath was shaky.

“I don’t know what’s happening to me,” she finally said, rubbing her eyes. “I have never felt like this. I don’t know why, I don’t know how, but everything is completely different. Everything is upside-down.”

“Imagine how I felt when a giant fairytale mermaid pulled me out of the water!” Jon urged, insistent on lightening the load both of them were carrying. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t thank the Gods every day since!”

He wanted to move over to her, but he wasn’t sure if his legs would carry him all the way.

“Niphka,” he said, and immediately had her full attention. “Please let me prove it.”

Extending one arm to her, Jon signalled that he wanted her to pick him up. She reluctantly complied.

Carefully, he directed her to hold him closer. When she did, he threw himself into her chest, determined to leave as much of an impact as possible. The height didn’t bother him anymore; all he cared about was making her feel better. Jon held himself as close as he could, tightly clinging to the fabric of her clothes.

Hesitantly at first, then with more heart, Niphka returned the hug. Jon became aware that she could do so with only two or three fingers, but instead of pulling away, he leaned into it.

She was everywhere. He could feel the warmth of her gentle touch, keeping him safe. He noticed her faint smell of earth and a hint of salt. The beat of her heart resonated through his entire body.

He knew that this was just as big a step for her as it was for him. Still, it felt right. For the first time in a while, Jon believed that everything would be fine.

Part 12 < Part 13 > Part 14