#i got inspired to make this graphic and here's a way to put it to good use
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
kestrelfiles · 2 years ago
Photo
Tumblr media Tumblr media
𝙶𝙾𝚃𝙷𝙰𝙼 𝙲𝙸𝚃𝚈 —
growing up on the streets of gotham gave nancy an edge she might not have gotten elsewhere, and a habit of getting into business that required that edge to keep her alive. in a city full of vigilantes and villains, she's interested herself in enough problems to have gained a small amount of notoriety — to the heroes, she's a nuisance, but to the villains, she's a problem.
3 notes · View notes
astrocafecoffee · 3 months ago
Text
How to groom yourself based on your rising sign …?? 💫
Tumblr media Tumblr media
✨ FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY, ENJOY ✨
~~~~~~~~~~~~~💖💖~~~~~~~~~~~~~
💖 MASTERLIST
💖 HERA PERSONA CHART
💖 BORN PERSONA CHART
💖 CAREER OF YOUR FS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~💖💖~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Note : inspired by ANITA SIRENE YouTube post. I included some of her points here. Rest is mine.
Tumblr media
Aries ascendant ❣️
Hello Aries rising babies.. let's go !
Hair: Go bold or go home! Try a fiery red hair color (even if it's just a temporary pop of color) and style those locks with some serious attitude. Think choppy layers or a sleek, angular bob that frames that gorgeous face of yours.
Face: Emphasize that natural glow with a lightweight foundation and a subtle highlighter on your cheekbones, nose, and cupid's bow. Make those eyes pop with bold eyeshadow, eyeliner, and mascara. And don't forget to groom those brows - angular and framed is the way to go!
Makeup: Lip color? Go bold red or coral! Blush? Subtle peachy or pink shade. You got this!
Style: Edgy, statement pieces are your jam! Think leather jackets, bold patterned shirts, or distressed denim. And don't forget to add a bold, eye-catching accessory like a chunky necklace or statement watch. Basically masculine style will fit you best. Try red, yellow or orange dresses with minimal patterns.
Taurus ascendant ❣️
Hello! Taurus rising babies 💗
Hair: You guys are all about looking polished and put-together, so go for a sleek blowout or a fancy updo. And don't be afraid to add some subtle layers to frame that gorgeous face of yours! Earthy tones are your jam, so think chestnut, caramel, or honey - they'll complement your Taurus vibe perfectly.
Face:You guys are all about that natural glow, so keep your skincare routine on point and use a foundation that enhances your complexion without looking too done-up. eyeshadow - earthy shades like terracotta, sienna, or moss will make your eyes pop! Eyeliner? Keep it subtle, soft, and brown. Mascara? Go for a lengthening formula that makes your lashes look like a million bucks! And brows? Groomed and full, please!
Makeup : Now, let's talk makeup... Lip color? Go bold with a rich shade like plum, burgundy, or a deep berry color. Blush? Soft peach or dusty rose, all the way!
Style: Style-wise, you guys are all about luxury and sophistication.Try cowboy/cowgirl theme aesthetic. Invest in quality pieces that'll last a lifetime, like cashmere sweaters, tailored trousers, or a classic leather jacket. And don't forget to add a statement piece of jewelry, like a bold cocktail ring or a quality watch.
Gemini ascendant ❣️
Hey, Gemini Rising!
Let's start with your hair.
Hair:You guys are all about looking fresh and fabulous, so go for a style that's playful and versatile. Think choppy layers, subtle highlights, or a bold new color to match your adventurous vibe! And don't forget to add some texture with a styling cream or pomade - you want to look like you just rolled out of bed and still managed to look fabulous!
Face : You guys are all about expressing yourself, so don't be afraid to try new looks and take risks! Keep your skincare routine on point and use a foundation that matches your skin tone.,,eyeshadow - bold, bright shades like blue, green, or yellow will make your eyes pop! Eyeliner-Go for a subtle cat eye or a bold graphic look. Mascara? Make those lashes pop with a volumizing formula!
Makeup: makeup wise, Lip color? Go bold with a bright shade like coral, pink, or orange. Blush? Soft peach or dusty rose, all the way!
Style: you guys are all about mixing and matching. Try academia looks, it will look good on you. Pair bold prints with neutral basics, or try a statement piece like a bright scarf or a fun hat.
Cancer ascendant ❣️
Hey Cancer Rising! let's go babies.
Hair : You guys are all about easy, breezy styles that look like you just rolled out of bed (in a good way, obvi). Think soft layers, relaxed updos, or a nourishing hair mask to keep your locks looking luscious.
Face : You're all about glowing from within, so keep your skincare routine gentle and nourishing. Use a foundation that complements your skin tone, and don't be afraid to add a soft, shimmery eyeshadow to make your eyes sparkle. Think light brown, pink, or peach - soft and pretty!
Makeup : Makeup-wise, go for soft, inviting lip colors like rose, peach, or pale coral. And don't forget to add a soft pink or dusty rose blush to give your cheeks a healthy, rosy glow.
Style: you guys are all about comfort and elegance. Think soft basics, cozy cardigans, and flowy dresses that make you feel like a queen. And tbh don't ever try the dark feminine aesthetic, I think it will not suit you the best.
Leo ascendant ❣️
Hey there, Leo Rising babies! Leshh go!
Hair: You guys are all about making a statement, right? Go for a bold, fierce style that's full of volume and texture. Think subtle layers or a sleek updo that shows off that radiant smile of yours!
Face : You guys are all about glowing up, and I am HERE. FOR. IT! Focus on enhancing your natural beauty with a fierce skincare routine and a foundation that matches your skin tone. And don't be afraid to add some drama with bold, shimmery eyeshadow in shades like gold, bronze, or copper.
Make up : Makeup-wise, you guys are all about making a statement! Go bold with a bright lip color like red, coral, or orange. And add some soft peach or dusty rose blush for a radiant glow that's totally on point.
Style: you guys are all about making an entrance! Pair bold basics with statement accessories and shoes that make you feel like a queen. And don't forget to add some drama with a statement piece like a bold scarf or a fun hat.
Virgo ascendant ❣️
Hello Virgo rising babies! Let's dive in ..
Hair: Go for sleek and polished styles that show off your attention to detail. Try smooth blowouts, precise cuts, and a hint of subtle layers.
Face: Take care of your skin with a consistent skincare routine and find a foundation that matches your skin tone. Add a touch of eyeshadow to enhance your natural beauty. Also pay attention to details like waxing your brows, trimming your nails. Take care of your skin by getting enough sleep and staying hydrated.
Makeup: Keep it natural and effortless with light foundation, defined brows, and a swipe of mascara. You want to look like yourself, just a little bit enhanced! Don't try dark themes that's all.
Style: Pair classic pieces with statement accessories and shoes that add a touch of sophistication. Mix and match textures and patterns to keep things interesting.Try light feminine looks. Experiment with different styles until you find what works best for you.
Tumblr media
Libra ascendant ❣️
Hi,Libra Rising babies.lets see ,
Hair:Go for styles that are balanced and harmonious, like effortless waves or subtle layers.Avoid extreme lengths or volumes.Try a relaxed, natural look that frames your face and complements your features.
Face: enhance your natural beauty with a consistent skin care routine that includes exfoliating, moisturizing and protecting your skin.Find a foundation that maches your skin tone,provides light to medium coverage.Add a touch of elegance with subtle eyeshadow , defined brows and a swipe of mascara.
Makeup:Keep it classy and sophisticated with light to medium coverage foundation, subtle blush, and defined lashes.Avoid bold or bright colors.Try a soft, natural lip color that complements your skin tone.
Style: Pair classic pieces with stylish accessories and shoes that add a touch of glamour. Mix and match textures and patterns to create a look that's both elegant and eclectic. Avoid over-accessorizing , you want to look polished, not cluttered.
Scorpio ascendant ❣️
Hi, Scorpio Rising peoples.
Let's talk about your hair first.
Hair:Go for styles that are edgy and intense, like bold cuts or dark colors. Emphasize your eyes with fringe (or bangs) that create a mysterious vibe. Try a sleek, low ponytail or a messy, undone look. I know you want to look more mysterious 🙂.
Face:Try some skin care obv.You are all about dark aesthetic.Add depth to your eyes with bold eyeshadow, black eyeliner, and voluminous lashes.
Makeup:Keep it dramatic and intense with bold lip colors.Emphasize your features with contouring and highlighting.( Maddy from euphoria, look at her aesthetic)
Style:Pair dark, bold pieces with statement accessories and shoes that add an edgy touch.Mix and match textures and patterns to create a look that's both intense and intriguing. Try vampire aesthetic.
Sagittarius ascendent ❣️
Hellooo, Sagittarius Ascendant!
Hair:Try a longer, layered cut that frames your face and adds movement to your locks.Emphasize your natural texture with a sea salt spray or texturizing cream.Avoid too much heat styling - you want to look effortless, not overdone.
Face:Exfoliate regularly to keep your skin looking bright and radiant.Use a lightweight foundation that matches your skin tone and provides sheer coverage.Define your brows with a brow gel or pomade for a polished look.
Makeup:Add a pop of color to your look with a bold blush or eyeshadow shade.Try a metallic or shimmer finish to give your eyes a celestial sparkle.Keep your lips soft and hydrated with a nourishing lip balm. also yeah, witchy look will fit good on you.
Style:Pair comfortable, flowy pieces with statement accessories that add a touch of adventure to your look.Mix and match patterns and textures to create a look that's both eclectic and sophisticated. As, Sagittarius relates with teacher theme, so try academia/ teacher aesthetic.
Capricorn ascendant ❣️
Huii, huiii Capricorn Rising! Let's see,
Hair:Try a side part and a sleek, low ponytail to showcase your disciplined style.Use a hair straightener or flat iron to add a touch of sophistication to your look.Avoid too much volume or texture - you want to look polished, not puffy.
Face:Emphasize your natural features with a highlighter or illuminator. Define your eyes with a precise brow shape and a swipe of mascara. Keep your skin looking smooth and refined with a consistent skincare routine.
Makeup:Go for a natural, effortless look with light to medium coverage foundation.Add a touch of warmth with a subtle bronzer or blush. Define your lips with a precise lip liner and gloss.
Style:Mix and match textures and patterns to create a look that's both sophisticated and interesting.Pay attention to details, Try elegant accessories, make sure your clothes are pressed, your shoes are polished, and your accessories are tasteful. Try vintage style aesthetic.
Aquarius ascendant ❣️
Hoii, Aquarius Ascendant! Let's see,
Hair: Add some rebellious volume with a texturizing spray.Emphasize your eyes with a bold, swooping fringe.Try a bold, bright hair color to match your vibrant personality.
Face:Highlight your best features with a radiant highlighter.Define your brows with a bold, angular shape.Add a pop of color with a vibrant lip shade. Indeed, the weirder the better 😂
Makeup:Go for a bold, graphic look with black eyeliner and bright eyeshadow. Add some drama with false lashes or individual lashes.Try a bold, bright lip color to make a statement.
Style:Pair bold, statement pieces with comfortable, laid-back essentials.Mix and match patterns and textures to create a look that's both quirky and chic.Don't be afraid to take risks and try new things. Nerdy aesthetic, alien type aesthetic will suit you.
Pisces ascendant ❣️
Hola,Pisces Rising!
Hair:Add some ethereal waves with a curling iron or wand.Emphasize your dreamy eyes with a soft, wispy fringe.Try a pastel hair color to match your soft, romantic vibe.
Face:Highlight your best features with a subtle, shimmering highlighter. Define your brows with a soft, natural shape.Add a touch of magic with a shimmery eyeshadow or lip gloss.
Makeup:Go for a soft, romantic look with light, natural shades. Ethereal look like , try mythical aesthetic or look at cosplayers. That type of make-up will suit you the best.
Style:Pair flowy, feminine pieces with comfortable, laid-back essentials. Mix and match soft textures and pastel colors to create a look that's both dreamy and chic.Don't be afraid to add some quirky, bohemian touches.
Tumblr media
Thanks for reading ✨
-PIKO 💖
551 notes · View notes
silentcryracha · 1 year ago
Text
❍ ‗ Baby Fever (Hyunjin) ‗ ❍
Pairings : Hyunjin x f reader
Genre/warnings : Just fluff! Mentions of pregnancies and giving birth (no graphic/explicit)
Summary : One of your best friends just had a baby, so you and your longtime boyfriend Hyunjin go see the new family, ending the day with unexpected plans.
Word count : 3.3 k
A/n : Damn this turned out long. I truly can't help it apologies (lol). Anyways this is something that I would've wrote regardless I think, but the inspiration definitely came from the recent video of Hyune, Felix and Innie with the baby. They got baby fever and so did I, what can I say :')
ps: There could be errors. Do NOT repost on other socials. Leave feedback if you feel like it, otherwise enjoy! ♡︎
Part two and Three are out!
.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
As soon as you got the call from your best friend's husband, you were overjoyed. The couple had been married for some years by now and really wished to start a family. They encountered some issues along the way, but finally their baby boy was here!
After waiting a day for her to rest a bit, you managed to make arrangements for you and Hyunjin to go see them and the baby and make your congratulations in person. You were both so happy and excited for your friends, knowing for how long they've been wanting to have children.
Around five pm you got dressed, got into the car and headed for the hospital.
"Did you text him already?" your boyfriend asked, placing his free hand on your thigh an softly stroking the clothed skin. You smiled, looking up from your phone and then at him.
"Yes, right now. He told me the floor and room number." you replied, placing your own hand on his, intertwining your fingers. "I'm so happy for them, Hyune. They're gonna be such good parents, don't you think?" a hint of emotion in your voice.
He gazed at you for a second then went back to look at the road ahead, an endearing smile on his face.
"Yes they will. That child really got lucky, he's gonna be so loved." you couldn't help but smile wider and squeeze his hand slightly at his words.
After that, the ride remained in a comfortable silence, the radio softly playing in the background. It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm but not overwhelmingly so. Just perfect.
After about fifteen minutes you reached the hospital and Hyunjin took his hand off you to put them both back on the steering wheel to park. You got out of the car and started walking towards the entrance.
You felt his hand search for yours, so you intertwined your fingers and gave him a small smile that he reciprocated. You entered the building and headed for the elevators, reaching the maternity ward in a few minutes.
"This place is a maze, gosh" you commented quietly and he hummed in agreement. Just at that moment you looked around and found the room's number.
"There it is!" you said excitedly, dragging Hyunjin's hand slightly. He chuckled at your smiley face and stood beside you as you knocked gently on the door. A couple of seconds later the door opened, revealing an older woman that you didn't recognize.
You were a bit taken aback but she quickly smiled politely and moved to the side to let you two enter the room.
"Good afternoon, ma'am" Hyunjin bowed his head respectfully and you did the same, offering a polite smile. Before you could even ask, the lady introduced herself as your friend's husband mother and let you inside, closing the door again behind you.
"It's a pleasure to meet you ma'am, congratulations" you said smiling. She nodded with a happy expression as if to accept the greeting, and then extended her arm towards the other end of the room where you saw your friend laying in bed, a glass of water in her hands.
She was looking over to the side with a smile, towards what you recognized to be her mother and her own husband, whom was gently cradling a small bundle in his arms.
"Your friends are here" the lady next to you announced, reclaiming their attention. Everyone looked in your direction, saying hi to you and Hyunjin and inviting you to come closer. You did, firstly greeting your friend's mother quickly and then bending down to give the new mom a hug.
"Congratulations, I'm so proud of you" you said softly, seeing her eyes a little glassy when you retreated from the hug.
"Thank you, honey. And stop with that face, don't make me cry now!" she exclaimed, pointing at you jokingly. You didn't quite understand which face exactly you were making, but quickly realized that you must've been a little moved too from the little sniffle that you let out. Hyunjin titled his head slightly to see your face at her words.
"Sorry!" you laughed it off casually and circled the bed, getting closer to the new dad whom just smiled as if to invite you to get closer. At the same time, you faintly heard Hyunjin greeting and congratulating your friend too.
"Can I hold him?" you asked quietly, almost timidly. The man nodded with a faint chuckle at your uncertainty and responded "Of course, come here auntie" you smiled and prepared yourself to welcome the baby in your arms as gently as possible.
As soon as he was in your arms you looked down; He was sleeping peacefully, only fussing and moving a little every now and then. The conversations were still going on in the background, but you were completely concentrated on the little guy in your arms.
Suddenly you felt a hand on your shoulder, which made you look up to see Hyunjin standing behind you, towering over you both. He had a small smile and was also looking down at the baby. You didn't even notice your friend's husband moving on the other side of the room to talk with his mother.
"He has cute chubby cheeks." he commented, a hint of humor in his voice but still endeared. You let out a faint laugh, trying to not move too much. That must've woken him up though, because his little eyelids fluttered revealing his cute eyes. You both smiled at the child.
"Oh, hello there. Did you sleep well, mh?" you cooed, lulling him gently. He blinked a few times, looking curiously at the two of you that clearly weren't his mom and dad. Hyunjin raised his and and slowly extended his fingertip to touch the baby's hand.
"Hi, little one. How are you- ...oh!" he gasped softly when he wrapped his little hand around his pointer finger. You chuckled and awed at the same time, looking up at your boyfriend's face that had a cute shocked expression on his face.
"You're already friends with uncle Hyune!" you joked, smiling down at your new nephew. Hyunjin moved the finger gently up and down to make him play a bit.
"Of course we are! See, he's also smiling at her auntie y/n" he chuckled lovingly when the baby did actually smile at you. It was a shy one at first but seeing you both so excited must've convinced him to allow you a bigger one, his eyes turning into crescents.
"He's so cute!" you whined overwhelmed by the sweetness of the moment. "You want to hold him?" he looked at you, a little uncertain.
"I mean, uh..can I?" his gaze searching for one of the parents. At that point you started to feel your cheeks heat up a bit. You forgot that other people were even in the room!
"Sure, go ahead Y/n." your best friend responded with a knowing smile on her face. Still a little embarrassed for forgetting yourself, you gently passed the bundle in Hyunjin's arms. He fixed his position and put him against his chest. He was glad to be wearing a comfortable hoodie in that moment. You didn't say anything for a while, just exchanging silent looks with your boyfriend. The energy between you felt quite intense, but comfortable at the same time.
"See, you guys are already pros at this." you both turned your attention towards the voice. It was your best friend's, which currently had a pretty amused expression on her face. She sipped some juice from her straw and raised an eyebrow at you specifically. You took the hint and shrugged it off with a "Don't be silly, we've been here for five minutes and he was sleeping." you replied, choosing to keep it on the humorous side.
Hyunjin on the other hand was still happily and comfortably cradling the baby, whom seemed to have fallen back asleep in the meantime. You could tell that he started to feel an extra pair of eyes watching him so he decided that it was time to give the kid back to his own parents.
He carefully walked to the opposite end of the bed and with and awkward smile placed the baby back into his father's arms, exchanging a polite nod. He then stepped back again and joined your side, circling your waist with one hand.
"You are a very beautiful couple" one of the two older women commented, with the other jumping in quickly with "How long have you been together?" and "Are you married yet?".
You were a bit shocked at the sudden questions that the two women were throwing at you like dart to a target. You and Hyunjin exchanged a look, both unsure on how to answer. But gladly your friend's husband intervened in your place.
"Mom, stop being nosy. They've only been together for two years, they have plenty of time to think about these things, right?" you both nodded awkwardly.
"All right, all right. The grandmothers have been here all day, I think this our opportunity to say our goodbyes." one said, kissing her daughter on the head and then going towards the father and child to also plant a kiss on his cheek and the little one's head softly.
"Yes I agree, your father has already been waiting for me to get home for an hour. We'll come back tomorrow, my darling." the other lady got on her tippy toes to kiss her son and grandson on the cheek, and then quickly turning to bend down and hug the mom.
"It was a pleasure to meet you both." they got closer, jackets and handbags in hand ready to go. You and Hyunjin bowed your heads again politely. "For us too, ma'ams" your boyfriend replied, before you added a "Have a safe trip home, and good evening".
After that the two older ladies waved goodbye one more time and exited the room, closing the door behind them. You turned to your friend, slightly more comfortable now that you could talk more freely.
"How are you doing? How's the pain?" you reached the side of the bed, sitting opposite to her. She huffed and took another sip of water before replying "Well I mean, my vagina is in shambles right about now, if we want to get into the specifics" everyone laughed except Hyunjin that offered a tight lipped smile, being a little taken aback by your friend's bluntness.
"I am on good stuff now so I'm feeling pretty decently, God help me when the medication wear out though." she kept going. You laughed a bit and then looked up at her husband who was still lulling their son.
"It was worth it though, wasn't it?" you replied, more as a rethorical question than anything. She sighed deeply and reached out to hold the little baby's hand gently.
"Of course it was. He was worth everything." she said, love in her eyes and voice. She exchanged a look with her husband, whom was clearly silently agreeing. You decided to switch your own gaze to Hyunjin, leaving them their private moment.
But what you found was maybe even more intense: your boyfriend whom was now leaning against the wall opposite to you with his arms crossed, head slightly tilted to the side, and an intense expression on his face. You could never mistake the love in Hyunjin's eyes.
You felt your eyes getting teary again so you decided to stand back up and move around a bit, trying to shift the energy in the room.
"In any case, one thing is for sure, this baby boy will be his auntie's best friend. Isn't that right, sweetcheeks?" you smiled at the child that actually did smile back, and even let out a small chuckle.
"Oh wow! I fear that you may be right!" your friend joked, sending funny expressions towards her own baby. "But I don't want auntie y/n to steal you away!" she kept going, making you laugh carelessly, until she added another phrase that made you freeze.
"Hyune, when are you going to give her one of her own?" all the eyes were pointed at him. Your mouth slightly agape, not sure how to respond, but surprisingly his answer was quick and left everyone speechless for a moment.
"Whenever she wants." he replied nonchalant. After a few seconds he detached himself from the wall and calmly walked over the rest of them, caressing the baby's head one more time and then nodding in acknowledgment to both the mom and the dad. "Thank you for allowing us to meet your beautiful son, again, congrats".
He then walked over to you with a small smile,"I have to make a call now so I'll get going to the car. Y/n, you can come when you're ready." he placed a kiss on your mouth, caressed your cheek swiftly and then exited the room. A couple of moments of silence followed, everyone was speechless.
"Damn that was..." the husband began, "Hot." your friend finished the sentence. You picked up your jacket and got ready to say your goodbyes.
"Uh, I think I should go now." you said a little awkwardly, but all you got in return were amused smiles.
"Yes sure y/n, thank you for coming." the man said, leaning forward a bit to peck your cheek. You nodded in acknowledgement at him and waved a bit to the small baby. "Bye little one, let's meet soon" you cooed as he looked up at you with big eyes.
"Thank you for letting us come, and again congrats." you reached down to give your friend a quick hug.
"Yeah yeah of course. Now go to your man, he's waiting for you." then she made the phone sign mouthing at you to call her later. You rolled your eyes and said bye one more time before exiting the room and back to the path for the exit of the hospital.
Your mind was full of questions. You and Hyunjin have been together for about two years now, almost three, and yes you've had those casual questions that one usually asks in the first stages of dating. The ones that go "So are you searching for a serious commitment or do you just want to hook up for a couple of months and that's it?"
Those kind of selective, honest questions. In your case, you had both been clear from the beginning that you were searching for something important, that if evolved in the right direction may end up with some more stable future plans. But you never explicitly talked about getting married nor having a family together.
If you were to be honest, you wouldn't think about it twice. If he proposed to you tonight you would say yes, immediately. If he asked you to have a baby with him, you would immediately say yes. That's the level of love, affection and trust that you had in your relationship, you knew it and he did too. But everything always went on so...smoothly that you didn't even had to bring it up. But maybe tonight was the night.
Those were the thoughts that ran through your mind as you approached the car. Hyunjin was still outside, leaned on it and peacefully scrolling through his phone. His face illuminated by the artificial light in contrast to the reddish, pinkish and orange shades that were in the sky. The sun was setting.
As soon as he noticed your arrival he put the phone in his jeans' backpocket and offered you a sweet smile and a gentle kiss on the lips. You melted into it for a couple of seconds, when he retreated.
"Shall we go?" he asked, making you nod. Always the gentlemen, he opened the car door for you and closed it once you were inside. Then he circled the car and got into his own driver's seat. In a couple of minutes he got out of the parking lot and then started driving.
You were in a comfortable silence, as you often were, but you could feel something lingering in the air, almost as if you were both waiting for the other to speak first. In the end you decided to at least start the conversation with something random, just to break the silence.
"Can I turn on the aircon?" his head turned quickly for a second towards you, then he extended his hand himself turning on the fresh air.
"Are you feeling hot?" he asked. His hand moved to rest on your thigh. It was a habit of his when you two were in the car. You were glad that he did that, lifting a bit of pressure from the situation. Or maybe it was you? Did you read too much into what he said?
"Y/n?" his voice reclaimed your attention making you realize that you forgot to respond to him.
"Uh, sorry honey. Yes, just a little." he side eyed you, squeezing your leg just slightly.
"Is something wrong?" his tone was confused but still gentle. You shook your head, taking the hand that was on your thigh and stroking it a little to reassure him.
"No no...I was just lost in thought." you answered, waiting a couple of seconds to continue, "I was very glad to see her doing so well, And the baby, too. So cute, isn't he?" He nodded, smiling softly while keeping his eyes on the road.
"Yeah. I expected some crying though" he laughed softly and you joined him.
"Well, you were very good. He even smiled at you! You're already friends." you joked, still keeping your tone lighthearted. His smile was a bit more serious though. His gaze landed on you for a few seconds.
"You also did very well." he said with sincerity, "We'll do very well." you head snapped in his direction when he said that. He noticed for sure but chose to play it off. You didn't realize that you were already home.
"What do you mean?" you blurted out. He cleared his throat, a blush starting to creep on his cheeks. He maneuvered the car and parked in front of the building. He waited until the car was off and in place to talk. Then he finally turned his body to you,
"I just mean...you know-" he seemed to struggle a bit with his words but you waited patiently. Deep inside you, you already knew where this conversation was going but the amount of emotions that came with it weren't easy to handle.
"I mean that we would probably do a good job in a situation like this. That is of course if you'll want to be with me to experience it." he finally said, a little quickly maybe, but each and every word sank in perfectly in your mind.
"Yes" the response was immediate, "Of course I want to be with you. Of course I would love to have a family with you. I love you so much, Hyunjin. Like I've never loved anyone, ever" you were getting a little choked up, but he just smiled brightly and then leaned in to kiss you softly. Both of his hands going up to cup your cheeks.
"So, if I supposedly asked you to marry me right now..." his eyes, so sweet and hopeful, looking into yours. You smiled, laughing both in happiness and at the absolute absurdity of the situation.
"Yes! Of course I'll marry you!" you both laughed and kissed again. His eyes were also getting shiny with emotion.
"I'm going to ask you again properly, ring and everything, I promise." he said, making you chuckle. "I just think that the moment was right." you nodded in agreement, also cupping his cheek.
"I know, I love you" Hyunjin kissed you one more time, lingering for a couple more seconds, then rested his forehead against yours.
"I love you too, so much."
.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.
3K notes · View notes
owliellder · 1 year ago
Text
All Pent Up
MDNI 18+
Puppy Hybrid! Leon Kennedy x afab! Reader
Word count: 3.85k
Warnings: Porn w/ plot, unprotected p in v (stay safe), no use of y/n, spanking, crying, slight ass-play.
Description: After a long night at work, you come home to a very pent up Leon. A trip to the park to help with that energy turns a little sour.
Tags: Submissive! Leon, neck biting/marking, begging, cunnilingus, knotting, mommy kink, fluff, near illegal amounts of praise AND aftercare, a lovely creampie to end the morning
Not proofread. I am once again sat here bored at work. More self indulgence since I work the same kind of job aforementioned in this lmao.
Also VERY much inspired by @abp0rns art of puppy Leon, specifically the two I put below the crop. Please check out their art they gotta be one of my favorite doodlers out there.
Edit: cross posted onto Ao3 if it's easier for you to read there (cause it is for me)
Tumblr media Tumblr media
It had been an incredibly boring night at work for you. Working graveyard at a gatehouse meant you did practically nothing. Easy money, sure, but you can only watch so many movies and doodle so much before it becomes redundant.
The only thing keeping you going was making sure your puppy, Leon, stayed happy and comfortable. You'd found him at the shelter a few months back, and though you never considered yourself to be a hybrid kinda person, Leon was just too damn cute at that shelter.
After adopting the hybrid, you quickly fell into a nice afterwork routine; come home, get jumped by Leon, make breakfast while he asked a plethora of questions about your night and made sure you knew just how much he missed you by licking and slobbering all over you. He was the sweetest boy, but man was he excitable.
Some mornings, you'd come home a bit more awake than others. It was random and you're not sure what made that so, but today was apparently one of those days.
~
"-sosososo glad you're home, mommy! I've been so lonely and bored without you!" Leon happily talked on after you'd walked through the door, his golden fur covered tail thumping loudly against the back of the couch. You remained quiet as you let him ramble, reaching up to pet through his messy bedhead with a smile. "I chewed on my toys, broke one of the squeakers though, but you've gotten me plenty of other toys for me to play with!! I really like this fluffy red pig you got me-!"
He continued to talk loudly about everything he did after you left for work only 8 hours prior, running around to grab and show you his chewed up toy and his favorite toy, tail continuing to wag avidly all the while.
"Alright, alright.. settle down, Leon.." You spoke up, cutting off his talk about laying in your bed so you could take a moment to shed your work clothes in favor of some more comfortable lounge wear; an old, faded graphic tee and a pair of soft sweatpants.
The hybrid followed you throughout the apartment while continuing to ramble, albeit a lot quieter now. Clearly Leon had a lot of energy this morning, which wasn't unusual by any means, but since you weren't all that tired this morning you decided that a trip to the dog park would be a good way for him to get some much needed exercise and enrichment.
After making breakfast, you dressed your puppy in a cozy outfit since it was always little chilly in the mornings where you lived, damn cold desert. You only had to reach for the leash for him to start jumping and yapping enthusiastically, making it rather difficult to hook it onto his collar.
You decided to stay in your comfy clothes, seeing as it would keep you warm enough until the sun warmed the air outside.
"Do you think Chris will be there?! Can you text his owner?? Who else is gonna be there?! I can smell the park from here!-" Leon rambled excitedly as he tugged you along to the park, smelling every bush and tree the two of you passed thoroughly. His tail never stopped wagging, those soft floppy ears perked forwards as he moved his head every which way, focusing in on every movement and sound while beelining to the park. He knew the way there, the leash was just to make sure you didn't get lost.
The air was cool the, sun beginning to warm you up. It was starting to bring out your exhaustion, but you wanted Leon to get at least half an hour of playtime in so he wouldn't bug you while you slept later. The thought alone made it easy for you to power through that brain fog that threatened to settle in.
You and Leon walked across the street once the tall chainlink fence that bordered the dog park was in view, the Golden Retriever hybrid practically dragging you to the other side of the street as his excitement grew. There were always other hybrids out early in the morning, the cool mornings were nicer for walks compared to the hot afternoons, at least in your opinion.
Leon was rubbing himself along the side of the fence, sniffing with a large goofy smile on his face. He had playmates that were normally here around this time, namely Chris, a German Shepard hybrid. Though Chris was a little bigger than Leon, they always played nicely, never having gotten into any sort of scuffle.
Chris was quick to notice Leon, running up to the fence so he could sniff him. They rapidly got each other riled up, so the moment you made it to the gate you unhooked the leash from Leon's collar. This wasn't so he didn't get choked out when he launched into the park, no, it was because the last time you forgot to unhook his leash first, you were yanked face first into soggy grass and mud.
The second you unlatched the gate, Leon pushed it open. He sprinted into the grassy park, Chris not far behind before tackling the smaller hybrid with a playful growl. The two roughhoused, chased each other, and played tug-of-war with a stick Chris had found.
You decided to sit on a bench not too far from where the boys played, looking up from your phone every minute or so to make sure their play didn't turn ugly.
Only 30 minutes had gone by before- "Mommy! Mommy!" Leon shouted from across the park, prompting you to look up from your phone. It only took a moment for your eyes to nearly bulge out of your head when you spotted a now brown Leon. His tail wagged, slapping loudly against the thick puddle of mud he was laying sideways in. "Looklooklook! Chris and I found a ball!" he yelled with a grin, Chris holding up the muddy ball high in the air so you could see it.
You sat there dumbfounded for a brief moment before letting your head fall back, breathing in and letting out a deep sigh as your eyes closed. You tilted your head forwards again, letting your eyes open slowly as your annoyance showed clear on your face.
Your puppy could see your expression change even from where he was, his ears drooping more than they were as the mud had weighed them down a bit. Seems like playtime was over.
Chris' owner wasn't all that happy either, walking over to the filthy hybrids only a few seconds sooner than you did. You pulled Leon from the mud by the collar since he seemed a bit stuck, glaring weakly at the now cowering puppy.
"Leon is always getting Chris into some sort of mess." Chris' owner huffed out, clearly irritated with the situation. You frowned, running your free hand over your face with a soft sigh. "I'm sorry, Leon just seems to really like the mud lately. I can't help that Chris follows, but I'll try to keep Leon from the mud." You didn't really care for someone implying your Golden Retriever puppy was a bad dog, but the idea of confrontation mixed with your ever-growing exhaustion was enough to have you just let it go.
After apologizing again, you let Leon shake off the excess mud from his body before hooking the leash to his collar once more, beginning to pull him towards the gate. He was very resistant to leaving, whining and whimpering something fierce. "I'm sorry! ImsorryImsorry! Please I'll be good! Let me stay a little longer mommy! Please I'm sorry! Mommy!"
As pitiful as he sounded, you now had to squeeze a thorough bath in for the hybrid before you were even able to think about sleeping. You continued to drag him along as he fought against you, crying out softly as you finally got him through the gate, closing it before he could run back through.
Your exhaustion was making you irritable, and having to fight to get Leon back home was enough to make you angry. It got even worse when he growled at you.
You stopped walking, the entrance to your apartment building only a few feet away. Turning around to face him, he immediately shrunk down at your furious glare. "Bad boy, Leon." Your voice was harsh, yet also so calm, it scared him. He hated being a bad boy, he never wanted to hear those words together again.
After you started walking again, he followed obediently, staying silent all the way into your apartment. He stood stiffly by the front door once you closed it, watching you stomp away. The puppy was on the verge of tears, his muddy tail tucked between his legs and his ears flat against his head.
Leon's bottom lip trembled the longer he couldn't see you, his ears twitching a bit as he picked up on the sound of the bath faucet turning on. His hands were clasped in front of his legs, head down in shame.
"Leon!" You called out from the bathroom, your tone still laced with irritation, he could definitely tell that much. The hybrid quickly shuffled to the bathroom, trying his best not to get clumps of dried up mud on the carpet along the way.
Leon stood in the bathroom doorway before you gently dragged him in, making silent work of his clothes that were absolutely caked in mud. He knew what to do afterwards, quietly seating himself in the bath, shoulders slumped. The bath was silent except for Leon's weak attempts to apologize, his voice faltering every time once he looked at your face. Your eyebrows were furrowed and you just looked so disinterested.
After the bath, you shooed the puppy off with a towel draped over his shoulders, lazily washing off his collar in the dirty bath water before unplugging the tub.
Leon sat in the living room, drying himself off as best as he could with the towel. Even after, he shook himself off on instinct, the towel left discarded on the floor. He had sat himself on the couch, still slouched with a strong pout on his face.
He knew he was in trouble. His stomach sank when you walked out and stood in front of him with that same irritated look. You then walked and sat next to him on the left. "Lay across my lap, Leon."
The Golden Retriever hybrid whimpered, though he did as he was told, laying himself so his abdomen was laying on your lap, his tail still tucked between his legs. He yipped when you grabbed the base of his damp tail with your left hand, roughly untucking it so you could get a clear view of his ass. "Look at me, Leon."
He turned his head and tilted it back slightly so he could look up at you, his eyes sad and watery. He didn't have anything to say for himself. "You growled at me. You've never growled at me before." You sounded upset, and you were. You didn't want to punish your sweet boy, but him growling at you for something so insignificant deeply bothered you.
Sighing, you pulled his tail up away from his ass even further, grip tightening on it as you felt him try and tuck it back between his legs again. Wordlessly, you drew your other hand back, a sharp smack along with a cry from Leon ringing out in the quiet apartment. You hated having to do this, but he needed to learn.
A few harsh spanks later and the hybrid's ass was bright red and sore, tears spilling down his face as he sobbed out barely comprehensible apologizes in between loud cries every time you brought your hand down on his tender behind. His hands gripped the couch cushion tightly, those pitiful sobs of his tugging at your heart.
Once you feel Leon'd learned his lesson, you gently ran your hand along both his ass cheeks, soothing the hot and red skin while your other hand caressed the base of his tail. You waited until his crying quieted to talk to him again, listening to him sniffle wetly as you let go of his tail to wipe away his snot and tears.
"Okay, okay... there you go, sweet boy. All done. I'm all done..." you whispered to the whimpering puppy hybrid in your lap, shifting your body sideways so he could climb up and lay his head against your chest. You combed your fingers through his hair with one hand while the other stroked the side of his face, clearing the few stray tears that continued to fall.
Leon buried his face into your chest, hiccuping out muffled apologies as he brought his hands up to wrap around you. "I'm sorry mommy. So-.. sososo sorry... Didn't mean to, mommy..."
As he trembled against you, you couldn't help but feel terrible for punishing him that way. He'd never been bad before, the punishment really shouldn't have been so harsh..
You waited until he quieted to speak up again, tilting your head to the side slightly so you could see his face a little better. "...you took that so well, Leon. Such a good boy for mommy, huh?" Despite the suggestive undertone, you made sure to talk softly, careful not to upset the delicate puppy on your chest.
He lifted his head up slightly, nodding weakly as his eyes turned glassy once more. "Please.. I'll-I'll be a good boy for you m-mommy. I'm sorry- I'm so so sorry mommy- I didn't mean to growl- ImsorryImsorryIm-"
You shushed him, running your hand from the side of his face up through his hair as he began to cry again. "You're a good boy, Leon. I forgive you, baby.."
All Leon wanted to do was make this right. He never wanted to be a bad boy again. He hated the way you spoke to him, the way you had looked at him. It was so scary, he wasn't a bad boy, no, he wasn't.
His mind was flooded with everything he could possibly do to make it up to you, tears falling onto your shirt as he pulled himself up off of you. He crawled backwards and sat back on his haunches, giving you a wary look as he tucked his fingers under the waistband of your sweatpants.
"Oh, Leon, sweetheart, you don't have to-" "Please..." Leon's meek voice cut you off, making you pause for a moment before nodding with a smile. His hands trembled as he pulled your sweatpants down, taking your panties with them. The hybrid hiccuped again before bringing his head down between your thighs, putting your legs over his shoulders as he cautiously placed his hands onto the points of your hips
It only took a second before he shoved his face into your cunt, whimpering at your smell and taste as he licked between your folds. You gasped, feeling his tongue eagerly lap up your slick as it leaked out of you, his low whimpers vibrating deliciously against you. "Leon~... oh~.. easy, boy..."
You reached a hand down to gently stroke his hair, attempting to get the puppy hybrid to calm down a bit still. He was obviously so eager to please, though he was still shaken up by the punishment; tears falling from his eyes, quiet sobs muffled by your pussy, eyes closed, and cheeks flushed a beautiful pink. His tail had started to wag again and you were relieved to see it sway slowly. You just wanted to see your puppy happy and excitable again like he always was.
Leon continued to lap at your cunt, keeping himself firmly buried in it. His breathing was a bit shaky but you just let him do what he needed to do, reaching your hand to the right a bit so you could stroke one of his soft floppy ears. He sighed at the feeling, his tail wagging a little faster.
"That's a good boy, Leon~... god- such a good boy for his mommy.." You praised the hybrid as he worked his mouth on you, the praise causing him to whine into your cunt. His eyes peaked open, looking up at you as small tears fell from them. "Good boy~..." You ran your hand down to stroke your thumb between his eyes, prompting him to close them again with a sigh.
Your words encouraged him further, sucking at your clit when his tongue wasn't buried inside of you. The puppy hybrid licked all around, making sure none of your sweet slick was left to waste. He eased his grip on your hips, partially worried he would hurt you, but mostly cause he adored the way you writhed when you drew close to your orgasm. He relished in how you pulled his head impossibly closer, practically grinding against his face, using him. What a good boy he was.
Leon was in heaven when you came, whimpering into your cunt as you gushed against his face. He made sure to lick up everything he could, even dipping down to your ass for a minute, tongue flat against the puckered hole. He'd be mad if he saw the couch got some of your juices.
After a moment, he pulled his head away, resting the side of his slick covered face against your thigh as he looked up at you with those puppy-dog eyes that you just couldn't resist. You knew what he wanted, and who were you to deny him?
"My good boy wanna fuck his mommy? Show his mommy what a good boy he is?" You whispered, to which he eagerly nodded in response, his ears perking up. You could hear his tail thump lazily against the back cushion of the couch, all the while watching him lick his lips. "I-I'll be a good boy for mommy. I'm a good boy-..good boy for mommy.." he mumbled quietly, hoisting himself up onto his haunches again after carefully laying your legs down off his shoulders. His thick cock was leaking pre-cum, flushed red at the tip while his knot was fully swollen. It was hard to look away.
Leon continued to mumble to himself, almost like he was trying to convince himself that he was a good boy. His breathing was still shaky as he watched you flip over, your ass up in the air while you rested your elbows on the armrest of the couch.
The poor thing was practically drooling at the sight of you, frozen in place, just staring at your glistening pussy. Your voice snapped him out of his trance, a hushed "Pretty boy..." causing him to lurch forward and mount you without further hesitation.
You cried out as he shoved his cock into you halfway, stopping only to grab the skin right above your collarbone with his teeth. He made sure he was positioned properly, shifting slightly before pushing his throbbing dick all the way. He whined at the way your slick walls gripped him, his knot pressed firmly against the outside of your cunt.
Leon's teeth broke skin as he began to piston in and out of you. He was drooling, whimpering, moaning, and his tail was wagging so fast. He loved the way his mommy felt, gripping his so tightly, sucking his thick cock in.
His let go of your skin to lick at gently, which was a stark contrast to his fast and rough thrusts. "So sorry mommy- sososo sorry.. never growl at you again- ah~..! I-I'll be mommy's good-.. good boy.."
The hybrid panted next to your ear, reaching his hands up and under your loose shirt to grip and massage your breasts. His fingers pinched and tugged at your sensitive nipples, causing you to moan loudly. You could feel every bit of his cock as he slammed it into you over and over again, the tip kissing your cervix which made you hiss at the slight pain it caused.
"Gonna- hnghh~.. gonna fill mommy up.. gonna be mommy's best boy again..." Leon whined, tilting his head to the side so he could nip at your neck, kissing and licking under your jaw. He sucked numerous hickeys down your neck, making quick work of the other side as well. He wanted you to remember how good he was for you, how much he was willing to do to make things better, what a good boy he was for you.
It didn't take long for him to near his own orgasm, his chin resting over your shoulder as his hands had worked their way back to your hips. He was so close; the sounds of your moans, the sinful way your pussy squelched with slick as he fucked into you, your smell, the lingering taste of you on his tongue, everything was just so overwhelming.
The puppy hybrid didn't have the words to give you warning, only a long drawn out whine as his hips stuttered forward, knot stretching you open. You came again from the feeling, barely being able to clench around his knot. It was just so big.
With his cum pumping into you, you could only groan pleasantly at the feeling of being so full, his knot having basically plugged you to the point that none of it could escape.
You could partially register Leon running his hands up and down your body, anywhere he could reach in his position, bunching up your shirt in the process. His large hands felt nice, helping you come down from your high. He was whispering something, you couldn't make out what, but it was probably the same thing he'd been spewing before.
~
After Leon was able to pull out of you, you made sure to reassure him over and over that he was your good boy, and he'd always be your good boy.
You made him a little snack once you'd cleaned yourself and him up, seeing as the park and your at-home playtime had influenced his appetite quite a bit. You loved to see him happy again; those beautiful blue eyes crinkled with a smile as that fluffy tail of his wagged.
Your body finally realized how tired it was once more, your brain catching up with that as well. You waved Leon, who was elated to follow you, into your room, practically bounding in like a deer. He begged to lay the way you two did on the couch, and again, who were you to deny him?
You laid back, head on your pillow as Leon nestled himself on top of you. He laid his head on your chest, turning his head to the left as he rested his arms on either side of you, his hands just barely tucked up under your pillow after pulling the blankets up over the both of you.
"You're the greatest boy anyone could ask for, Leon. Always taking such good care of me.." you whispered as his eyes closed, his tail going from a lazy wag to a stop as he fell asleep.
"I love you, my sweet boy.."
2K notes · View notes
sunalee · 3 months ago
Text
the hood and the healer
Tumblr media
summary: The town's vigilant always visits your tent with a wound to be taken care of.
with: Kim Mingyu
warnings: historical!au, mentions of injuries, a bit of angst and grieving, open wound (nothing graphic), healer!reader, childhood friends to lovers?, unspoken feelings, fluff. word count: 1500+
Tumblr media
The evening comes, and it’s the time for you to close the doors of your humble hut to rest. Fortunately, there weren’t too many villagers seeking your care today: two children who got into a fight in the streets, a wounded guard who prevented a robbery, and a lady with a skin disease in her knee, who needed weekly treatments to improve her health.
You can’t exactly call yourself the best healer in the realm, your tools aren’t the most advanced, and neither are your skills, much to the short time you’ve been practicing. But you’re proud to help in any way you can. 
The well-being of your patients it’s what matters most, and you do whatever you can to provide that, paying close attention to every ingredient chosen or bought, cleaning and tending them to later produce ointments and other types of medicines. You learned all the recipes from your late father’s journal, your inspiration of healer, who taught you everything you know today.
His manuscripts are now all you have of him since your childhood home was demolished four years ago, on orders of the current governor, Mozan. That tyrant ravished almost every knowledge source in town, monopolizing to his own hands so that people pay more for services they had in abundance. So many valuables, research, and medicines that could bring so much improvement were lost that day, and with your father’s death, you had to learn from the worst scenario how to get back up and move forward with your life. 
It’s been a tough and long process, but even though you still didn’t accomplish a comfortable situation, you’re grateful for what you’ve done so far.
Organizing the glass balm jars on the shelves, you’re startled by hurried knocks on the door, so suddenly that almost makes you drop the jar you’ve been holding. 
Who could it be at this hour? For precaution, you take a medium branch from the pile you gathered early to the fireplace, hard enough to leave a good concussion. You take a deep breath before unlocking the door and slightly opening it.
A tall, hooded-dressed man is waiting on the other side. The white fabric of his haori almost hides his brown uniform underneath it, but you don’t pay much attention to that, eyes focusing on the way the man is holding his arm close, a clear sign of injury.
You don’t need much more than the warm-brownish eyes gazing at you, and the wooden bow strapped to his back to recognize your childhood friend Mingyu. 
“Do you have time for one more patient?” His pleasant, deep voice vocalizes a question a little embarrassed and restrained as if he did something he shouldn’t and now it hurts like hell. And from the way his body is curling forward, he won’t be able to endure that wound much longer.
And you know exactly what got him into this situation. Oh, how much you want to give him the slaps his mother forgot to do. 
Sliding those thoughts aside, you make room for him to enter, guiding the dark-haired man to the futon where you tend most of your clients. You preferred to quiet yourself, feeling down your throat the hard lecture you wish to free, but you let your worry lead you, removing his belongings and upper clothes until you spot the ugly hole covered with blood on his shoulder.
“Arrow.” He informs, hissing when you touch the wound with a white cloth to clean it and inspect it better. “I put some pressure on it on my way here, but I suppose it’s worse than before. It feels like it.”
“Fool.” You whisper to yourself, but Mingyu catches your words, chuckling in response. He has to agree with you on that. He turns quiet, watching you as you meticulously check on him, searching and finding other bruises along his torso and back. He noticed the signs you leave and sadness in your eyes at every scratch found, making him feel guilty for making you so concerned. 
Ensured enough, you return to the main wound. Thank goodness Mingyu wasn’t stupid to ignore it, as without proper care it could quickly become infected and worsen his situation. It isn’t large, but you’ll need to give it a few stitches to close it and quicken the healing process. 
You leave for a few seconds, gathering the material before returning with a basin of water, some more cloths, strips, an ointment, and a canteen of water for him to recover his energy. You offer some seeds to lessen the pain, but he denies them gently, knowing how much you struggle to find these seeds in the woods. He’s been through a lot more pain than this, he can take it. 
“Tell me if it gets too much.” You encourage him while cleaning the wound, gazing at him one last time before taking the needle and twine, and starting to stitch his skin. Mingyu does an excellent job at hiding the intense pain in his body, taking deep and even breaths to relive it. His resilience stuns you so much, how can the patient be calmer than the healer? 
 It’s a horrible sensation, especially on someone so dear to you. It’s something that you pray to never need to repeat. You finally finish the nerve-wracking stitches, content with your work but still nervous as you inspect it for any mistakes. 
“You’re worried.” He points out after a few moments,  noticing the way your body is stressed by the whole situation.
“How did this happen?” You decide to ignore it, gathering the material to start patching him up. 
He sighs. He won’t win this fight. “I broke into one of Mozan’s vaults. There weren’t any patrols at first, but a few archers appeared later on as I collected the coins.” He tells the story so casually that you could believe he does that every day after breakfast. “I got away in time, but one of them hit me in the shoulder as I was riding.” He confesses frustrated,  not quite meeting your eyes. “Don’t worry, I made sure to lose them before I came here.”
You chuckle in disbelief, trying to ingest what you just heard. How can he presume that you’re more worried about two archers breaking into your house than your only friend, who almost died at their hands?
Honestly, you never will understand what goes through Mingyu’s head. But clearly, it’s majority nonsense.
“Was that funny?” He asks, visibly confused. Your urge to hit him grows, but you rather fill your hands with the ointment to rub on his wound. Maybe if you press your fingers just a little harder, it’ll hurt him enough.
But you love him too much to do that.
“Why do you keep doing this?” You can’t take it anymore. You can’t keep watching him putting himself in danger over nothing. “What’s so nice about robbing the rich, hm? Why do you keep risking your life on this? It’s not worth it,Gyu!”
“Of course it’s worth it!” He sneers, getting defensive. He doesn’t want to argue with you, but he won’t just let you assume his purpose is pointless: you need to understand his point.  Pursing his lips, he keeps on explaining. “You know I’m not doing this for money. I’m doing justice to everyone who suffered for the greed of these men. To all who starve, while they stuff themselves with wine and meal. I’m doing this for us, _______.”
“This isn’t the right way to do it, and you know that.” You firmly rebound, even if it’s clear in his eyes the purity of his intentions. His heart is the greatest you’ve ever seen, but his emotions aren’t enough to assure his safety. “Your father would never agree with what you’re doing right now.”
“My father is dead because of them!” He raises his voice, gaze turning into flames for a moment. Breathing hard, he realizes what just happened, and tears start forming in the same place, making you regret bringing up such a sorrowful memory. “He was a righteous man who fell into their trap.” He gulps down, trying to contain his growing emotions. “ -and I’ll not let anyone else suffer as he did. I won’t let any child lose their father the way I lost. And I don’t care if I have to go through hundreds of arrows to guarantee that!”
You stare at each other for slow, silent seconds, until Ren regains his calmness, eyes softening as he realizes how he handled things. You continue to tend to his wounds without muttering words, but you can feel his regretful gaze on you. The only sound echoing in the room is the flames covering the woods in the fireplace.
You finish the last bandage before returning his clothes, not really meeting his gaze.“All done. Try not to make any brusque movements with your arm, and remember to change the dressing around the same time for the next few days.” You give the instructions, holding the now bloody bowl in your hands to discard. “I’ll get you medicine for the pain.”
A gentle hand holds your arm before you can move away, making you stay still as you search for an answer inside those beautiful blazing eyes of his.
“Forgive me… For being so harsh with my words. I know you only worry for me, and I’m immensely grateful for your care.” He tries to apologize, shoulders soothing as you offer him a small smile in return. 
“It’s all right. Forgive me for the things I said to you as well.” You answer, also regretfully. Mingyu didn’t lose his father to a disease like you did, and neither had the honor to stay with him in his last moments; his father was murdered in cold blood, and punished publicly for confronting the tyranny without fear. An honored soldier, who did nothing but protect his people. If you were in his place, you would be just as furious as him. You move closer, rubbing softly his good shoulder. “Now, let me bring your medicine.”
He lets you go this time, taking a moment to look around the room as you search on the shelves.
“Looks like the roof has some holes in it.”
“Termites.” You explain, grabbing a green bottle, the smell of calendula filling your nostrils as you confirm the content. “They’ve been growing fast outside, and ended up coming to my house as well. Once I get enough, I’ll repair the damages.”
“I could help you with the coins, you know.” He not so discreetly proposes, but you know very well where those funds came from. “Winter is coming, and these holes won’t do you any good with the cold.”
“I can handle it, Gyu, but I appreciate the offer.” You leave no room for conversation walking back to him and passing the medicine. “Take twice a day, ten hours apart. It doesn’t taste very well, but it will help you through the pain.” You instruct, noticing after that he doesn’t take his eyes off you as he catches the bottle, amused by your stubbornness. As always. 
“Thank you, _______.” He says, not only for what you’ve done, but for every wound, pain, and struggle you’ve helped him go through, since his childhood. One day, he'll honor everything, starting by giving you a better place to live. It won’t be today, nor tomorrow, but certainly one day.
He rises from the futon and surprises you with a tender, slow peck on your forehead. You’ve never questioned Mingyu’s feelings before, content with just being a dear person to him. 
But perhaps, something deeper could arouse in the future.
“Take care, my healer.” He says with a hint of humor, already dressed with his uniform and belongings. Walking towards the entrance, he turns to you one more time. “Until next time.”
“Not wounded, I hope.” You almost plead, making him giggle so genuinely that brings a smile to your face as well. It’s good to see him well. 
“But that’s the funny part.” He answers with a cheeky grin, and with the last wave, he leaves your hut, closing the door on the way out.
Already missing his presence, you start gathering the used material from the ground, but you find a small bag that wasn’t familiar. There’s a note beside it, but you decide to check the content inside, finding a good amount of gold coins that make you speechless. Shaking your head in disbelief, you open the note, already knowing who gave you such gift:
“You said you didn’t want help with the roof, but you didn’t say anything about the medicine’s price.”
— Gyu.
Tumblr media
© sunalee 2024 — all rights reserved.
174 notes · View notes
baldursgate3tempobsessed · 1 year ago
Note
Hiii!
I love your writing, especially Mirror, Mirror! Are you still taking request? I‘ve been thinking about Ascended Astarion and female Tav/Reader attending a ball for the politicians and nobles of Baldur’s Gate, getting all dressed up and socializing, dancing and Astarion flirting with her all night long. Astarion obviously wouldn’t waste a chance to be alone with Tav/Reader, takes her on a romantic stroll in the gardens and has his wicked way with her somewhere in a dark corner 👀
I can not make Ascnedant Astarion not dark I am SORRY but I can't help myself. The intro to this is sad bad, but honestly it gets pretty fun later down the line. Gotta set up that Stockholm syndrome. You gots it here.
Tw: Murder, Violence, not much but it is there, graphic smut, 18+ sweet dark fluff. I do consider this Stockholm on your end. Very inspired by the in-game quote of locking you away for a decade. Also, never write shit only in tumblr post editor, I lost half of this right before I was going to post last and it almost killed me
~
Astarion was.... aware that you'd been having a hard time as of late. If anyone could empathize with the complications of being a vampire spawn, it was certainly him. Even though his circumstance were obviously much, much worse than yours ever could be.
He was no Cazador. Astarion was different, he loved you. He knew what was best for you. All that needed to happen now was for you to accept it.
And in your defense, you were trying. It had taken a long time for you to finally come to terms with the full extent of power he had over you as his spawn. He would always know where you were through sensation alone. Always ready and willing to drag you back home if need be. He could compel you to his side at any moment, though he did have a bad habit of going out to find you during your little tantrums. It seemed to work better to put you in your place, especially since he had very little self-control when it came to who you associated with. Many a possible friend had died at his hand, in front of your eyes. A waste, really, one that wouldn't be necessary if you would just listen.
But the demonstrations had been useful. Slowly but surely you were learning that the option of secrets between the two of you had died the second he sunk his fangs into your wrist. He had personally put an official stop to all of your extracurricular activities. The things you used to do in your spare time were silly and dangerous, always going out of your way to help the undeserving. But now he had the control to stop you, to sequester you at the estate where you were safe.
You had nowhere to be besides his side and you were finally starting to understand that. Things were so much easier when you gave in and listened, happier and more fun.
Lately, it had almost felt like another honeymoon phase, with your sudden predilection for extreme loyalty. It helped that he could still see into your mind through the new connection, fully aware that your love remained real and pure, if not a bit melancholic. It was silly really, the guilt you felt towards him for letting him ascend. Never mind the thousands he sacrificed, you were too concerned with how power had chanced him.
It was cute. Stupid, but cute. Because obviously it had changed him for the better. How else would he be where he was now? With his hands already in nearly every major part of Baldur's Gate's governance? He had made wide, sweeping moves to gain control in the past year, banking on your dual hero status to deflect from his more... unsavory attributes. But it was working, and in a few years time this city would belong to him. Then the two of you would be on to the next major conquest. A future that you were just now coming to terms with.
And Astarion wanted to reward you for that acceptance. He had been a bit paranoid of late, paranoid enough to not let you out of the house for a solid fortnight. But for good reason. The last of the Gur had come out of the woodwork recently, looking for revenge for their children and fallen comrades. With a specific interest in you. It had made sense, in a way. You were his greatest weakness after all. So of course he had to take it upon himself to personally hunt the last of them down to tear them limb from limb.
But now they were officially gone, and he was finally feeling comfortable with letting you out into the world again. Just not out of his sight. And tonight was the perfect opportunity. He had a mandatory soirée to attend, populated by neighboring nobles and a few powerful foreigners. One that would be so much more entertaining with you willingly by his side. Or forced, if need be. Depending on if you decided to be in one of your moods, though they were a rarity nowadays.
But no, you turned out to be too excited at the prospect of leaving the house to even attempt being a brat. Astarion watched you with a smile as you appeared at the top of the staircase, dressed to the nines. He whistled as he watched you descend, beyond pleased with how you looked. He met you at the bottom of the landing, easily wrapping an arm around your waist before setting a quick kiss to your temple, "You look beautiful pet. Absolutely stunning."
You truly did. A navy satin gown that matched your skin tone perfectly, fitted with delicate straps and a low bodice. Perhaps the slit in the leg was a little high, revealing too much of your perfect thigh for the rest of the world. But you looked too good for him to complain.
You really were so gorgeous, could he be blamed for wanting to dress you up?
You rolled your eyes, but Astarion didn't miss the tiny smile dancing on your lips, "You're the one who picked it out."
"And you wear it perfectly," Astarion praised, already leading you out the door. He kept you close to his side during the short journey, his eyes darting around your surroundings every few moments. His paranoia had been quelled, but it hadn't completely died out. But he had already made the decision that he was going to be on his best behavior tonight, and that included not indulging in his protective nature. You deserved nothing less.
But that didn't stop Astarion from taking some mental notes on those who stared at you too brazenly when you arrived. Part of him couldn't blame them, not when he could understand your thrall better than any one else. But the other, more fun part of himself was too busy imagining ripping them apart for the audacious, lustful stares.
But he didn't drag the two of you out for strictly fun, a fact that he was quickly reminded of when you were approached by the main host, "Lord Ancunín! I'm so pleased that you could make it."
Astarion vaguely remembered who he was, though he was much more interested in his friends than the man himself. The man turned his attention toward you, brow raised, "And who is this beautiful creature?"
Astarion could feel his brow twitch at the insolence. How dare he not know who you were? The Hero of Baldur's Gate, his consort, the love of his life, how could someone of his breeding be so ignorant? You had to many titles to choose from for introductions, so Astarion decided on the most important, "This is the future Lady Ancunín, my fiancé."
He could feel you tense at his side, staring up at him with wide eyes like what he said was surprising. Which was odd. He had been extremely clear about his intentions since the day he ascended, marriage was the obvious next step for the two of you.
"Well it's lovely to meet you," The noble said with a smile, his attention going straight back to Astarion, "Now if you'll excuse us, I have a few matters to discuss with your future husband."
Astarion was startlingly close to hurting this man. What on earth made him feel as though he had the right to dismiss you? He tightened the arm he had around your waist, sneering at him, "There is nothing that you can say that she won't eventually know. Don't waste our time."
Then he proceeded to do just that, wasting Astarion's time with useless information and worthless attempts at allyships. It seemed to be an unfortunate trend as the night progressed, just reinforcing how utterly useless the gentry could really be. Not to mention their constant passive dismissal of you. He really was going to need to start letting you out more often, though he had to wonder if they were even worthy of your presence. He would have been a bit more forceful regarding his own displeasure at their arrogance if you weren’t so distracting.
It was hard to hold onto his own indignation when you seemed so content. You were leaning into him the whole night, smiling softly through all of his inane conversations. Never failing to be adorably pleased at your introduction. It made Astarion want to fawn over you, alternating between whispering sweet nothings in your ear and sweeping you onto the dance floor. All of your pleased laughs and giggles music to his ears.
He kept you close all evening, never allowing you to wander past his sight. His arm stayed firmly around your waist, never quite shaken off after your first waltz together. But you didn't seem to mind. If anything you were glowing under the attention, happy in a way he hadn't seen for a long time. Too long. Beautiful enough for him to have the overly romantic thought that he never wanted the night to end.
Even after he had done his rounds, engaged with all whom he had planned on, he wasn't quite ready to leave. They had all been dreadfully dull, but at least a few conversations would prove useful in the future at the very least.
He started to steer you towards the back garden doors, whispering in your ear, "Take a walk with me?"
You followed him easily, happy to leave the bustle of the ballroom and step into the coolness of the night. You both started walking, hand and hand in a comfortable silence. It was a pretty enough garden, hedges and ivy lining the walkways, a white slightly weathered gazebo placed in the center.
"You know," You said eventually, as the two of you went up the gazebo steps. You leaned against the railing, looking at him with a coy smile, "I don't recall you ever proposing."
Astarion barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes as he crowded around you. It was an unnecessary question, considering how you would have no choice in the matter. But he was playing nice tonight. Astarion grinned at you, bracing his hands on the railing to cage you in his arms, "If you want a proposal, I'm more than happy to oblige."
"I do," You were playing with the lapel of his jacket, looking up at him through your lashes, "Sooner than later if you don't mind."
"Your wish is my command," Astarion murmured, shameless as he started to kiss along the line of your throat, "I'm proud of you pet. You've been an angel all night."
"You haven't given me much to complain about," You said with a small laugh, your breath hitching when his fangs scraped against your delicate skin, hard enough to make pinpricks of blood bubble to the surface.
"You know..." Astarion started, pulling back to look you in the eye. His voice gentle but serious, "It could always be like this. If you let it."
"I... I know," You admitted, biting on your lower lip as you struggled for the words, "I-I want that. I want you. Even if... it's like this."
Astarion would take offense at the subtle dig if it was anyone else. But with you? He was just happy that you were finally coming around, at long last willing to accept the fate he'd set for you.
"You have it," Astarion promised, tilting your chin up to press a light kiss to your lips, "For as long as I breathe my love, you're mine. And I'm yours-"
You kissed him before he could finish, wrapping your arms around his neck, forceful in a way that he had desperately missed. But you were pulling back too soon, your mouth swollen and your lipstick slightly smeared, smiling at him like the precious thing you were.
How could he resist?
"I think you deserve a reward for tonight my pet," Astarion said, leaning in to softly kiss along your jaw, "For being such a sweetheart."
His hands were wandering, already moving to pluck at the delicate straps of your dress, slowly teasing them to drop down your shoulders.
You made no moves to stop him as your eyes darted around the empty space, "H-Here? But what if someone sees?"
"Then I'll tear their eyes out and feed them back to anyone who stumbles on us," Astarion said simply, smiling at the way it made you laugh softly.
"Violence isn't always the answer you know," You said, your breath hitching as he lightly bit your neck. Your dress still slinking down all the while, "I thought we talked about that?"
"Perhaps," Astarion murmured, "But it seems to usually work in my favor."
He had already managed to slip the straps down enough to ease the way, brazenly tugging the fabric until your breasts spilled from the top. He leaned back in, taking the opportunity to slip his tongue into your mouth as you gasped; mewling when he began touching you, shamelessly pinching your nipples just to hear you whine.
He adored all your little noises, so easy to coax out of your mouth. He could feel his own cock pulsing in the confines of his trousers, the feeling getting worse and worse as you started to whimper.
Astarion let one of his hands travel further down, right through the slit in your gown. He traced the seam of your pussy through delicate lace, smiling into the kiss from how the simple touch had your hips pitching forward. He could feel you getting wet, already seeping through the fabric of your panties, your needy cunt already begging for his touch. And Astarion was more than happy to oblige.
He tore them from your hips, letting the tattered pieces fall unceremoniously to the ground before he started to rub his palm against your clit, more slick gushing out as you moaned.
You were clutching at his shoulders, panting into his mouth as he played with you. Your thighs tightened around his hand, your cunt wet enough to fill the air with messy, indecent sounds.
Whatever trepidation you had before was quickly dissolving, a small chant escaping your lips as you two kissed, Fuck me, fuck me, fuck me.
Astarion was more than happy to oblige.
"Hold onto me darling," Astarion ordered, giving you a split second to tighten your grip around his neck before he was lifting you in the air, settling you on top of the thick railing with your legs spread wide. He made quick work of taking his weeping cock out, rubbing it along the seam of your cunt as you moaned. And then he was pushing inside, the slide soaked and easy.
You felt so tight around him, tight and sopping wet as he started to fuck into you. He bent his head down, popping one of your hard nipples into your mouth as you cried out, your nails clawing into his shoulders. You wrapped your legs around his hips, trying to pull him in even closer, despite the fact that he was pressed deeply inside of you. Hitting all of your sensitive places.
He could tell that you were close, your whining getting more and more high-pitched by the second, your sweet cunt pulsing around his cock. Astarion started to rub at your clit again, at the perfect angle to make you tense up and cry out. And just like that you were squirting against his hand, breathing heavy as your orgasm ravaged through you.
Astarion grinned, popping off your breast to kiss your slack mouth. Naughty thing that you were, making a mess all over your fancy dress. He pulled back to look at you, debauched and panting, your pupils dilated at you stared up at him. You looked gorgeous, fucked out and perfect.
He started to fuck you harder, the erotic image was too much for his mind to handle. You where whining with each thrust, no doubt oversensitive as he roughly slammed into you. But you were a good girl, taking it without a single complaint as you held on for dear life, tears springing to the corners of your eyes. But lucky enough for you, you didn't have to wait long.
Astarion spilled inside of you with a drawn out moan, grinding circles into your cunt as you quivered. You pulled him in for another kiss, messily sliding your lips together as he filled you up. The two of you stayed like that for awhile, lazily kissing as he softened inside of you. It felt good, it felt right, the perfect end to a great night.
Astarion pulled out slowly, cooing at you as you gasped at the feeling. Your legs were still trembling as he set you back on the ground, bad enough for Astarion to wonder if he should just pick you up before you crumpled on the floor.
But first...
Astarion dropped to his knees, ignoring your surprised gasp as he spread your legs back apart.
"Hush darling," Astarion ordered as he pushed your dress back up, "Let me have a look at you."
Astarion was aware that he had gotten a little rough near the end there. It wouldn't be the first time he made you bleed during sex, nor the last. But he would hate to do so accidently. But no, your pussy looked perfectly healthy, if not a little swollen. Flushed and pink, your hole still twitching the slightest bit. The sight of your pussy all slick and red was nearly enough to make his mouth water.
"Spread your legs a little further pet," Astarion murmured, looking just to look. He gently added pressure to your shaking thighs until you complied, "That's it. Good girl."
His cum was already starting to leak out of you, the smallest bit of white making it's first appearance amongst your wet folds. No doubt it would be sliding down your legs soon enough. He could do something about that. But then again... the alternative sounded like too much fun.
Astarion stood back up with a smile, patting your pussy once before letting your dress fall back down, "Try to hold it in darling. We wouldn't want to make another mess, would we?"
You nodded slowly, still looking half out of it. A sweet, hazy look still plastered onto your face. You were already leaning in for another kiss, naturally desperate for more contact. Contact that Astarion was more than happy to give. He pulled you closer, kissing you deeply; your fingers tangling in his hair to pull him even closer. He wrapped his arms around your back, dipping his tongue between your lips as you dreamily sighed.
You pulled away first, to his displeasure, but you didn't go far. You rested your forehead against his, smiling softly with loving eyes, "Hi."
Astarion couldn't help but smile back, taking the time to tuck a wild piece of hair behind your ear, "Hello my treasure. Did you have fun tonight?"
"I think you know the answer to that," You giggled softly, "I'm not even sure I can walk."
That he did. And there would be many more nights like it. Though for now, he'd prefer to get you home. He felt a bit reluctant to parade you back out there for the masses eyes, so obviously debauched by his hands. No, the sight of you happy and flushed was for his eyes only. Your night would be ending here.
You squeaked as he swept you up in his arms, already muttering the magic for a portal under his breath. And just like that the two of you were gone, completely uncaring to give any good byes.
The two of you popped right into the entry hall of the estate, sudden enough to nearly scare a maid half to death. Astarion paid them no mind, too busy with carrying you upstairs to the sanctuary of your quarters.
You cuddled into his chest, looking up at him with a nervous look, "Did... Did I do good tonight?"
"Of course you did," Astarion cooed as he kicked the door to the bedroom open, trying to softly drop you on the bed, "Perfect creature that you are, what else could have possibly happened?"
But you didn't let go when he tried to pull back, clinging hard enough for Astarion to simply follow you. But he didn't mind, no he preferred you like this. Needy, wanting, and his. He twisted the two of your around, settling only when he had you laying on top of him. He would set a bath for the two of you later, but for now he was more than happy to lay here, watching as your tired to stay conscious. You always got so tired after sex, just one more silly thing that he was endeared by.
"I love you," You mumbled, your eyes falling closed, "Thank you for taking me tonight. For trusting me. I... thank you."
"I love you too darling," Astarion murmured back, kissing your forehead, "You get better by the day. I really am proud of you."
It was true. You were learning, adjusting. Give him a decade and you'd be completely immersed in your new life, all thoughts of useless things like "freedom" forgotten.
You were his. Until the end of time, you'd be together.
He'd make sure of that.
636 notes · View notes
icarusredwings · 2 months ago
Note
Would you ever write a fic about little wade and how he encounters/copes with his chronic pain? How does Logan help?
Inspired by @bougiebutchbinch thank you anonymous asker for giving me an excuse to traumatize people :)
Bad kitty. 1/2
Tw/cw: Dead dove. Graphic descriptions of cancer pockets, drugging, attempted murder, forcible non consentual (non sexual, medical) touching, angst, hurt/ little comfort, cargiver drop, NOT SAFE for littles!!!
Summary: How is he supposed to apply topical medication to someone who doesn't want touched? Wade doesn't want help, but he NEEDS it. Logan knows he's a bad caregiver for this. He feels disgusting... maybe he is a bad kitty, but Wade needs his medication.
Coming home from walking Puppins, Logan had picked up some sandwiches for them. Kicking the door closed behind him, he shouted. "Wade! I got you that weird sub thing you like. They were out of banana peppers though so-"
He heard sniffling and a soft "Nooo" after watching Puppins go over to her bed inbetween the couch and the wall.
"Uhm... So.. there's that.." He kept talking as he took a few steps forward, confused as to what had made that noise. It sounded almost like a whimper. As if a scared ki- "Aww damn it.."
There he was, curled up tight between the couch and the wall, sitting on the dog's pillow with nothing but a blanket over his lap.
Sniffling, He currently was trying to push Puppins away from him as the pup licked his arm, wagging her bottom excitedly.
"Nnoooo! No p-Puppy- Ouch!" He whined, quickly pulling his hand to his chest, more tears flowing down his face.
Instinctivly, Logan dropped the bag on the table, gasping as he grabbed Puppins away from him. "Did she bite you!?" He asks, giving the dog a concerned look. She *was* a deadpool after all, so sometimes she did like to bite, but the way she looked just as confused as he did made him doubt that she had nipped him.
Shaking his head, He whimpered again, holding his arm as he tried to make himself as small as possible. It was very clear he was trying to be invisible.
"Okay... Hey. What's wrong?" He asks, putting her down as he tries to shoo her away from him.
Shaking his head, he held his eyes closed tight, more tears falling as if he was trying to keep in the noise, a tight lump in his throat, choking on it each time he tried to speak.
"Wade? What's wrong, bub?"
From what he could see, welts and blisters had formed in various spaces on his body, some holes, others popping upwards as tight, painful, and full looking pockets of various colors. The realization had snapped his heart.
Logan had told him he should take it easy for a while instead of willingly letting bad guys cut off his limbs, and he has to assume that this is the result of the extra cancerous cells building up.
If he wasn't already used to such smells and sights, he would probably think Wade was some sort of diseased zombie, his jaw even starting to form a crater of dead skin eating itself, or perhaps had fallen off? He wasn't sure. All he knew, It was bad.
"H-...hurt.."
The smallest voice chirped out, so high pitched and strained. So.. Pained.
"I know.. where?" Logan whispers, not wanting to scare him any, but part of him was freaked out enough at just how quick the welts were developing. These weren't here when he left, were they? No. He would have seen it. He was only gone 2 hours, max.
Then again, Wade was excellent at hiding. Perhaps he had just had enough and finally snapped, all the pain drowning out his senses to the point of needing to physically hide rather than mentally.
"Hurts." He whined again, flinching away from the dogs tongue as she tried to lick him again. She was just trying to help, though.
"No, Pup." Logan muttered, moving her once again. In all fairness, though, Wade *was* in *her* bed.
"Where does it hurt?" He asks again. Sometimes, it was like this. You had to repeat yourself multiple times until he finally understood and awnsered properly.
"Hurts!" Wade tells him again, whining as if frustrated, but the pitch in his throat said just how much it truly did hurt. And that- apparently, was a lot.
"Okay, okay- erm.. But.. where? Here?" He points to his arm as he moves away, clearly not wanting touched at the moment, but nodded.
"Hurts."
"M'kay.. here?" To his other arm.
"Hurts.."
"Alright.. there?" His leg.
Wade nods, gaining tears in his eyes the more worried Logan looks. "Hurts..."
"Uhm.. what about there?" He pointed to his head.
"Hurts....." he whispers.
"Aw man... that's a lot of hurt, bub.. uhm.. Here let me-" only being able to touch his forhead for a split second, He jolted away. "Owch!" He told him, as if telling him that it hurt.
"Fuck, kid, you're burning up."
Whining, he began to sob, his hand having accidently popped one of the bigger ones. It burned to be exposed to the air like this, burned to be touched, hurt to just exist. "..ouch..!"
The thick, hot tears that came from him had burst something because the side of his eye became bloody and slightly yellow filling the side. “Ah Shit- Wade shh… shhh, it's alright.”
Trying to rub his eyes, he cried more, whimpering loudly as he began to panic. "H-hurts!!"
"No no no! Don't-"
About to pull his hands away from him, he had touched another on his wrist, making him let out a high-pitched screech, pulling away.
"N-no!! O-ouch!! Hurts!" He scolded him, keeping himself away from Logan, not understanding why he was hurting him.
"I know.. Go ahead.. tell me." He says, Nodding softly as he stared, allowing himself to get cursed out by the hurt and scared child. Something he's worked so hard on with Wade. For him to raise his voice and tell off people who scare him even when small.
"It's ouch!! No hurt!! .... B-bad kitty!" It was obvious he was hesitant with that last word and for good reason, Logan's heart sinking as he frowned. He didn't think being called that would hurt so badly, but.. it did for some reason. One he didn't understand.
"No- Wade stop. Calm down you're going to hur-" pointing vaguely at his eye, Wade bit him, snapping at him the way Puppins did when you tried to apply cream to her underarm rashes.
"M-mean kitty! Bad!! No hurt!" He continued, getting out his frustrations only to break down again, crying as some stuff began to leak out of the corner of his eye as he pointed at Logan, giving him a proper telling off.
"Hey! Ouch! You aren't supposed to-"
"Hurts!!" He yelled at him. A final decree of anger. It was understandable why he was so hostile. He hadn't been able to process why his skin hurt so bad and all he knew is that it hurt more when someone touched him or in puppins sake, licked him.
"Okay, okay!! God! Sit there then! By yourself!" Logan growled, getting up as he walked off to the kitchen, letting out a big sigh. The bite hadn't been enough to draw blood, but he had a feeling that Wade would stab him or bite his finger off soon enough if he didn't leave him be.
Unwrapping the subs, he thought about what he could do to help him. What he usually did to help. As he went down the list, He crossed out all of the adult themed options and any that had anything to do with touching him. It only left pills and sleep.
If he could get him to go to understand, Logan could take care of his wounds and dress them. It wouldn't help long, but perhaps it would be enough for him to stop crying from the pain. He knew it hurt. He knew it would hurt more bathing him, putting ice on them, rubbing gel on them, and dressing his entire body to the point he would look like a mummy.
Or... he could... glancing down at knife in his hand, his eyes flickered back up to him. If his entire body was hurting this badly.. he could press the restart button.. logically, it was the fastest and easiest way to end his pain. He could make it quick to. Wade's done it before... took a quick visit to death.. cut off his own limbs so they could grow back fresh like damaged hair getting shaved.
He would just need a claw to the front lobe. That should do the tri-
He shook his head, Tossing the knife away as he buried his face into his hands. For fucks sake! He couldn't do that! Why would he even think of that!? Wade couldn't consent. He couldn't- he wouldn't be able to-
Groaning, he bit his tongue with his canines, trying to ground himself as he took a deep breath.
Okay, think. Think Howlett. You can do this. Think. He's not suseptible to poisons, but if he could get him asleep just for a few minutes.. maybe he could give him a big dose? Oh god, like this was any better. Who in their right mind thinks about drugging a kid in pain!? What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he just-
"H-hurts.."
Jumping a bit, he must not have picked up on the fact that Wade crawled out of his hiding spot, whimpering with such scared, pained eyes. "Kitty... ouch-es..."
Wade made another whining noise and then a scream.
Letting out another sigh, he gave him a sympathetic look. "I know, Bud.. Im trying to think.. i.. I don't want to hurt you. I really don't." Picking up the knife again, he focused on cutting up his sub so at least he could try to eat. Distract him for just a few moments.
Maybe he could think of something else. He could convince Wade to hold still. To let him hurt him just a little bit in order to help. Maybe there was a kids show that portrayed help as hurting sometimes in a medical sense? Then he could understand better. Right? Wade learned much easier by animated demonstrations, like that episode of the blue dog when its orange mommy dog went away and the daddy blue dog had to put them to bed, but the kid blue dog was sad. That helped him a lot when Vanessa had to lea-
Quickly looking up, He saw Puppins once again trying to lick his sores, sniffing and whining with her tail wagging. She was trying her best to show Wade that she was trying to help, to be friendly but was shoved away. Quite hard too, making her yelp.
Gasping, Logan came to pick up the dog. "Wade!! Careful! She's little remember!?"
Though the second he raised his voice, Wade broke down yet again, holding where she licked him as it was now seeping a mixture of blood and pus down his leg.
His look softened, turning to quickly make sure her leg was okay. "No more.. leave your papa alone. He's hurting.." He tells the puppy who whined, giving him the biggest 'im sorry' eyes you could imagine from such a tiny dog.
Putting her in the bedroom, he shut the door as he got the massive box of first aid from the closet. It's more of a toolbox, really, complete with a handle.
Coming over, Logan knelt down to look over him, opening the box as he got some wipes, cream and gauze wrap.
He hated being in this situation. But this was the trials of love. And if it meant helping him be pain-free, Logan wouldn't change a thing.
The moment he saw this though, Wade screeched again, kicking the stuff away as he crawled back to the blanket. 'Hiding' under neath of it, Logan frowned. Yeah no.. He definitely wasn't going to let him help..
There was only one thing to do.
Standing, He swallowed as he took a few slow steps towards him, throwing open his claws as he stared down at the shaking, shivering hello kitty blanket. The one that was half soaked with tears, the other about to be with blood.
"Wade? I know you don't know what's about to happen... You don't have to forgive me, but this...t-This is for your own good... You'll feel better... I promise."
Shoving down the twist of his stomach and the yelling in his head telling him to stop, the ones screaming from the roof tops that this was wrong. This wasn't who he was anymore. He's spent months scrubbing his hands clean of children's blood. And here he was, seconds from staining them again.. history repeats itself.. even he knew he couldn't change that. No matter how hard he tried. This is who he was. A killer.
"Im sorry.."
A bad kitty.
87 notes · View notes
katareyoudrilling · 10 months ago
Text
Seen (Javier Peña One-shot)
Pairing: Javier Peña x Female Reader
Summary: You’re the last person Javi wants to ask for a favor, but not for the reason you think.
Word count: ~2.2k
Rating: Mature (18+ only. NO MINORS)
Content Warnings: Alternating POV, reader is a few years older than Javi (Javi could be a variety of ages) and has hair that could be worn up or down, wrinkles and laugh lines, a touch of angst, non-graphic sex
A/N: This isn’t quite what I expected it to be when I started working on it many many months ago.  The idea was inspired by @famouslyanonymous musing that there didn’t seem to be any fics featuring a Pedro boy with a slightly older reader.  I wanted to say a lot of things with this fic and I’m not sure I said any of them, but I hope you enjoy!
Reblogs and comments are always appreciated!
Masterlist
Taglist link in bio (or ask me to add you!)
Tumblr media
“Fine.”
Fuck.
Javi slams down the phone and pinches the bridge of nose.
He needs a favor.  Why does it have to be from you?
He can flirt his way through the department secretaries easily, but you, with your intelligent, assessing gaze… he swears you can see right through him.
The two of you have been crossing into each other’s orbits for a long time now.  He can tell that you know…  You know he’s not some DEA hero.  You can see right through to the failure of a man he actually is.
He takes a long drag on his cigarette before stubbing it out and pushing away from his desk.  “Fuck it.”
He pulls at the back of his neck as he makes his way to your department.  He can already feel the tension headache beginning.  If you won’t do this for him… he’d rather not think about it.
He approaches your desk nervously. “I need a favor.”
“Is that right?” you reply, continuing your work.
“I would really appreciate it.” If he can’t flirt, he can at least try to be polite.
“You aren’t going to compliment my nail polish or tell me how pretty my dress is?”
“Uh… I… what?” Javi stammers.
“I see what you do around here.  Flirting with all the pretty young things to get your way.  Not me though, probably because I’ve got 20 years on most of them and a few on you.”
“What? No! Fuck, you’re the most beautiful woman here.”
“Right,” you scoff.  “It’s too late for the charm, Javier.”
He leans over your desk, gripping the edge.  Moving himself into the halo of your perfume.  “I’m telling you the truth,” he growls.
You lift your eyes to his and his knees go a little weak.
Who is he kidding?  A class-act like you is never going to bend the rules for a man like him.
“Never mind,” he pushes off your desk and walks away.
When he returns to his desk later that afternoon, he’s surprised to find the file he needs sitting on his chair.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
You lean back against the elevator wall and sigh.  It has been a long day and all that has kept you going is the thought of getting out of your heels and pantyhose and onto your couch.
The elevator pings as the doors open on the garage level.  You step out into the cool, echoey space.  That’s when you see him.
He’s standing by your car, exhaling a plume of smoke, somehow not looking green and sickly under the florescent lights.  He must hear the click of your heels on the concrete because he turns and puts out his cigarette as you approach.
“What are you doing here, Peña?  Need another favor?”
“Thank you for the file.  You didn’t have to do that.”  He shifts his weight and looks down at his feet.
“Yeah, well, lord knows you get enough roadblocks thrown in your way.  I don’t need to be one of them.”
Javier chuckles ruefully, “You have no idea.”
“If that’s all, I need to get going.”
“Can I buy you a drink?” Javier looks up at you, “To say thanks?”
Your feet and back are screaming at you not to get taken in by those puppy dog eyes, but there’s something simmering beneath the surface of his gaze.  Something that makes you curious.  His outburst earlier hasn’t left your mind.  You’d be lying if you said you weren’t a little interested in where an evening with Javier Peña might take you.
“Counteroffer.  How about you come over to my place in an hour.  Bring the booze with you.”
Javier’s eyes light up in surprise.
“Don’t get any ideas, Peña.  It’s been a long day and I don’t feel like going to a bar.”
“I didn’t have any ideas.”
You scoff and make your way to the driver’s side door, “See you later?”
He nods.
Javier stands aside as you pull out of your parking space and out of the garage.  You can see him in your rearview mirror smoothing down his mustache, hand on one cocked hip.  It should be an interesting evening.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
You open the door to your apartment and Javi is momentarily stunned speechless.  You’re wearing flowy, satin pants and a cardigan belted around your waist.  You’ve removed your make-up and your jewelry.  You’ve let down your hair.
You’ve never looked more beautiful.
You’re always stunning at work.  Elegant, put-together, gorgeous.  But here, now, you look so soft and relaxed.  It’s as though you’ve taken off the armor you wear to the office.
Like he’s getting a glimpse of the real you.
He always tries to hide the real him.  That façade might not work tonight… a frightening thought.
You step aside and motion him into the apartment.  Javi swallows deeply and forces his feet to step inside.
“I brought whiskey, hope that’s ok.”  He holds out the bottle to you.
“Definitely ok, I had a feeling.” You lead him to your couch.  Two tumblers already sit on the coffee table.  You uncork the bottle and pour two fingers in each glass.
You hand him his glass before swirling the amber liquid in your own.
He watches, mesmerized, as you breathe in the heady aroma and your eyes drift closed.  You take a sip and sigh.  His cock twitches.
“That’s good whiskey, Javier.”
“Call me Javi.”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
You didn’t expect it to be so easy to talk to him.
Somehow you’ve gravitated towards each other.  Your knee now rests against his thigh.  His arm stretches behind you on the couch.  Whiskey glasses sit forgotten on the table.  You only needed a few sips to relax before the conversation and laughter flowed.
Swapping stories of co-workers and old mutual friends.  You realize you’ve never seen him smile before tonight.
It’s a shame.
His smile lights up the room.
Javi arches back against the couch and pinches the bridge of his nose. “It’s getting late.”
You make a non-committal noise in reply because your gaze has been captured by the expanse of his chest you can see through his gaping shirt.
Has his shirt been unbuttoned this much the whole time?  Four buttons undone?  Really?  Why bother buttoning it at all?
Not that you’re complaining as you take in the view of his smooth, golden skin.  You watch, hypnotized, as his chest rises and falls with each breath.
Your gaze travels upward, catching on the divot of his clavicle.  The perfect place to breathe his scent.
His Adam’s apple snags your gaze next as it bobs in his throat.  You have to swallow yourself, saliva pooling in your mouth at the thought of licking your way up his gorgeous neck.
His jawline comes into view.  Strong and angular.  Beautiful.  Especially in contrast to his soft, plush lips.
They part slightly, revealing the most perfect crease in his lower lip.
Then there’s his nose.  Noses shouldn’t be so arousing.  It’s absurd.  But there it is in all it’s aquiline glory.  Like a goddamn sculpture.
You continue your journey up to his eyes and find that he’s staring at you, pupils blown.
Your mouth is suddenly dry as Javi slowly closes the distance between you, never breaking eye contact, giving you time to protest, until his lips meet yours.
A fire ignites in your body with the first touch of his lips.  It burns from your head to your toes waking you up from your slow syrupy thoughts.
You climb onto his lap, knees on either side of his slim hips.  His hands grip your waist.  His heat bleeding through the thin fabric covering your center.
You break away from the kiss, breathless. Javi continues kissing down your throat, tugging at your cardigan.  You sit back and reach between you, untying the belt and letting it fall off your shoulders.
Javi groans as he takes in the thin camisole you are wearing underneath.  Your bra had come off along with the pantyhouse and heels.  Your hard nipples poke against the silky fabric.  They squeeze even tighter as Javi licks his lips.
“Fuck, bonita, you’re gorgeous,” he rasps.  The sound goes straight to your core.
- - - - - - - - -
He didn’t come here for this.
Maybe he hoped initially.  But it didn’t seem to be what you had in mind.
He wasn’t lying when he said you were the most beautiful woman at work.  His eyes rove over your body of their own volition every time your paths cross.  His ears tune into the sound of your laughter and even more to your witty and sarcastic remarks.
But he didn’t expect this… this connection.
You’ve set him at ease.  Pulling stories from his memory that he thought were long forgotten.  The urge to pour out his heart to you nearly chokes him.
You’re too good for him.  Too smart, too strong, too confident.  And oh, are you beautiful.  
And now you’re above him, rocking into his cock, making the most heavenly sounds as you lick into his mouth.  He can do sex and do it well.  He can make up for everything he lacks with a good fucking.
Maybe fucking is all he’s good for.
“Take me to bed, Javi.”
He pauses.  He expected your words, but somehow, they have caught him off guard. It wouldn’t be just a fuck with you.  You’ve gotten under his skin.  You’ve glimpsed his soul.
The words bubble up before he can’t stop them.
“I’m scared.”
- - - - - - - - - - - 
His admission catches you off guard and you sit back.  “Scared? Of what? I know I’m older than you, but it’s not like I’m some dried-out husk and bats are going to fly out of my vagina.”  You push against his chest to get off his lap, annoyed and frustrated.
Javi growls and grabs your ass, pulling you back to him, holding you still while he finds his words.  “Fuck, that’s not what I meant.”  He huffs as he continues, “I’m scared because you… see me.”
The anger burns away as quickly as it came.
“I’m not the man most people think I am.” His big brown eyes that only moments ago held laughter and lust, fill with pain and doubt.
“Who are you, then?”
“Just a man.  Trying.  Failing.”
“I know.”
“You don’t want me.”
“What if I do?”
You’re surprised by your own admission. It’s the truth.  You do want him.  And not because he’s a ‘hero’ but in spite of it.  You want the man you met tonight.
You watch his feelings war across his face.  His body wants you, that is abundantly clear.  You’re pretty sure his mind and heart do too, if he could only trust them.
“Have you been real with me tonight, Javi?” you ask, brushing the pads of your thumbs over his gorgeous cheekbones.
“Yes.”
“I won’t beg.” You’ve lived enough life to know a man that doesn’t want you isn’t worth your time. “But know that I do see you and I want you.  The real you.”
His fingers dig into your hips and he swallows hard. “I’ve never done this.”
“I find that hard to believe.”  That earns you a smirk, some sparkle returning to his eyes.
“You know what I mean.  Real… I’ve never done real.  At least not for a long fucking time.”
“I’m as real as they come, Javi.  Wrinkles and all. Can you handle it?”
He brushes his fingers over the creases at the corners of your eyes and you melt.  “You’re beautiful.”
You bring your lips back to his, gently testing.  He wraps his arms around you, surging up into the kiss.  Heat quickly builds between your bodies as your hands roam freely across his broad shoulders and up into his hair.
He groans against your mouth.
“Take me to bed, querida.”
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Your body is perfect.
Not in the way of youth – firm, angular, unblemished – but well-loved.  Each part of you telling the story of a life well-lived.
He worships each curve of you.  Reveling in what pleasure feels like with someone when he opens himself up.  He kisses your softness, traces each wrinkle with his calloused fingers, delights in the sounds you make as he explores your body.
When you welcome him into your wet heat with a contented sigh, it nearly breaks him in two.  You feel so right around him, moving with him, coming with him.
Sated and drowsy, he lays with you on your bed.  You brush his hair off his forehead and trace your fingers over his laugh lines and the crease between his eyebrows.  He’s lived some life too.
“Still scared?” you ask, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead.
“Yeah,” he rasps quietly, looking up at your soft smile, “but I think it might be worth it.”
- - - - - - - - - - - - 
Masterlist
Taglist in reblog
299 notes · View notes
shady-tavern · 4 months ago
Text
Paint the Town
(warnings ahead for semi-graphic violence, mentioned and implied death, as well as implied suicidal ideation from a side character, please be sure to take care of yourselves)
*.*.*
Part One: Woe to the People of Order
*.*.*
Cameras flashed to a blinding degree, journalists cramped together in numerous seats, leaning forward like a hungry sea, wanting to drag all the heroes within sight under the surface. To peel back every layer until they could unearth secrets and unspoken thoughts, all the things they could use for their next headline, their next big hit to sell millions of papers to impressionable people. 
To people who wanted to see heroes fall as much as they wanted to see them rise.
'The press is not your friend', Olivia's mentor had told her on her first day as a sidekick, the two of them getting ready for their first patrol. She remembered that she had been so nervous her mentor had to help her into her gear. 'Never make the mistake of thinking otherwise. Failure is more delicious to them than success.'
It was one of three lessons that had saved Olivia's hide more times than she could count. Journalists and paparazzi could be quite charming, quite friendly, they had different tactics for different heroes, trying to weasel statements or just a wayward word out of them. Even a hero's silence was something to be used.
They wanted anything and everything they could use in an article, even if they took things fully out of context. Even if they hounded tired and exhausted and often hurt heroes into having outbursts that later made them look unstable and aggressive to the public eye.
Inevitably, there would always be an official apology issued by the hero and their PR manager. Promises to be better and apologies that were not always necessary, gifted to a public that was as mercurial as a bored god looking for entertainment. Or like a hungry, petty little beast that delighted in seeing people struggle in order to make their own, messy lives look prettier.
'I would never make that mistake', they'd say, like they were better, like they didn't have bad days. Mean days. Terrible days. 'You'd really think someone in the public eye had thicker skin.'
Olivia was a little slumped back in her chair, knowing she was only here to show her face since PR was going to do their level best to ensure she would not have to open her mouth. She had made them regret signing her up for interviews until they had stopped, but they couldn't keep her out of the public either.
Not when she was the Number One of the heroes.
One of the younger, rising heroes beside her was downright shining with the attention of the press and his eagerness to do well, to inspire others and promise that he was going to do his best to keep everyone safe.
The press was eating it up. They loved a shiny new star they could polish up, only to later decide just what to do with that shine. Tarnish it? Put pressure on it until it dimmed and vanished? Or were they going to watch it crack under the pressure, shattering into so many pieces not even a champion puzzler could put it back together?
Another journalist was called on for a question and considering the way the guy turned to Olivia, she could tell immediately that he was going to direct his question at her. 
Journalists did that sometimes, going against previous agreements about sticking to certain questions and scripts, to certain heroes, just to speak to her and while asking her anything got them kicked out, they usually left with a new headline in their pocket.
She lived to serve the people, after all, didn't she?
"Rescue," the man said and Olivia saw the PR agent downright lunge for one of the microphones in front of the group of heroes to interrupt, but she was a tad too slow. "Do you have any advice for young and aspiring heroes?"
A rather innocent question and Olivia saw the agent pause, thinking it harmless enough. Olivia was more than aware of the other heroes glancing at her, the older ones with quelling glances and the young and energetic ones eager and hopeful.
The young heroes wanted tips on how to rise, on how to be better. They wanted to soak up the shine they thought she had, as if it hadn't dimmed and cracked and grown ugly and tarnished along the edges over the years. They wanted to be like her.
She had been like that once and while a part of her hesitated, years old but child-young at its heart, she had long since stopped being soft. Had stopped being...kind.
"Get ready to bury your friends," she answered, calm and hard and true and the PR agent reached for her microphone again with a subtle motion for her to stop, but Olivia continued, "Don't let the glam fool you, villains will do their best to break you."
"I'm afraid that's all the time we have today," the agent spoke up, gripping the microphone tighter. "Please turn to Sunshine for a parting bit of wisdom!"
Sunshine was one of the oldest heroes in the business and Olivia knew of the pills he had to swallow on a daily basis to combat his chronic pain from countless injuries sustained in his career and the anxiety attacks he had. 
The agency refused to let him retire, he was still one of their best ones and a great motivator for all the older folk to pursue their dreams – and spend money on the agency. He brought in a generous amount of cash with his hero merch and meet-n-greets.
"To add to what my colleague Rescue mentioned, you never know how long life truly lasts, so live it to your fullest. Pursue your dreams, hug your loved ones and don't forget, no matter the storm and darkness, no matter the strive and pain and fear, the sun will always shine again!"
'Nice save', Olivia couldn't help but think, not bitter or mean, because she liked Sunshine. He was genuinely good, from the tips of his curly hair down to the point of his crooked toes. His very soul was good. He was bright and a little cracked, yes, but shining still. Determined and strong. 
He was made of stronger stuff than she, she thought as she watched him light up the room, the way even the most displeased looking journalists couldn't help but smile at him.
When it came to personality, Sunshine would have long since ousted her from her spot as Number One – he and two others would be great contenders for the position.
Cheers and claps erupted and Olivia didn't bother with the bowing and waving the other heroes did as they rose from their seats. She was a walking PR nightmare and she was determined to remain that way.
For just as much as Sunshine wasn't allowed to retire, neither was she allowed to quit. If the agency didn't let her go and she had to continue to make money for them, fighting battles for them, she was going to make sure they'd regret keeping her on board as much as possible.
The PR agent threw her a viciously displeased look once everyone had gone backstage and Olivia rolled her eyes with as much disdain as she could fit into the motion. 
If the agency didn't want her to say things they didn't agree with, they shouldn't let her attend any public events. Easy as pie. 
They had to occasionally sign her up for interviews though, of course, or there was going to be talk and online spaces in particular had really ramped up the conspiracy theories in recent years. 
People who ran fan pages for heroes had already noticed that she barely said anything anymore, especially compared to when she had first started making a name for herself. 
Rescue used to be a name many people connected with an upbeat, bright hero who had an encouraging word for everyone. Who made people believe in their dreams and a brighter tomorrow.
Olivia had believed the same, before staring down at her best friend's broken body, the spilled blood, the cracked open chest with ribs poking out of skin like a grotesque scene from an over-the-top halloween movie full of gore.
She had believed it, still, right up until her other best friend had died clutching to her hand, panicked and desperate, getting crushed by the building on top of him, begging her in breathless wheezes to help him. To save him.
She dreamed of them and of Owl, her one and only sidekick, who had brought so much light back into her life, only to dangle from a villain's grasp, neck at an odd angle. He hadn't even graduated high school, he had come to work with her for the summer, hoping to become a hero once he was done with school the next year.
They had all been good and kind. Had all wanted to make the world better. But villains were relentless monsters who hunted anything bright and glowing until they could destroy it.
Olivia was about to leave with the other heroes when an alarm blared from her special watch, the little screen at her wrist lighting up with a location, the color behind the black text a bright red.
Only Sunshine's wristwatch lit up too, which let her know that a rather dangerous villain was causing trouble and they were the only two nearby who were qualified enough to deal with that person swiftly. They exchanged a quick glance and Olivia motioned that she'd take over.
Sunshine hesitated, then inclined his head. He was more than capable of going on his own, but Olivia knew that his granddaughter was visiting today. He had promised to look after the little girl for the weekend so his son and daughter-in-law could go on a little holiday. 
He had been looking forward to that for weeks now, a soft smile on his face that she hadn't seen in years.
She knew he'd have to force his family to wait if he went to battle now. He'd have to delay their plans while he wanted nothing more than to be there for his loved ones. To not disappoint them.
Olivia on the other hand had no such obligations. No pets or partners or children and her parents lived on the other side of the country, so she only saw them once or twice a year when she got her mandated time off.
She rushed to the address displayed on the wristwatch, to the location of the hero who had requested help. When she arrived she saw injured civilians dragged off to the side and trying to crawl further away, blood splattered across cracked pavement.
Alarms blared overhead, an automated and crisply pronounced voice, telling everyone to evacuate in a calm and orderly manner.
The entire street looked as though it had gotten hit by a very localized earthquake. Parts of the ground jutted up in sharp shards and broken chunks, all the windows in the surrounding houses were shattered and one smaller building stood visibly crooked, like it might collapse at any moment. 
Her surroundings looked like an unrealistic movie scene from an action flick.
There were only a handful of villains with ground-based powers and even fewer dangerous enough that she got an alert. People around her sagged with relief as she showed up, slumping as though they knew that they were safe now.
Back before she had buried her friends and sidekick, before she had clawed her way through battle after battle, crying and desperate and hurting because the villains just wouldn't stop, she would have arrived with a big smile. She would have told everyone that she was here now and that they were safe. To leave it up to her.
"Call an ambulance and try to get out of here if you can move," she instructed sharply, raising her voice to be heard over the blaring sirens. "Help others if you can."
That was the moment her colleague flew across the street, slamming into a car with enough force it dented metal and shattered glass and she knew immediately they weren't getting back up. Insignia did not have an enhanced metabolism and if their spine wasn't broken from this, Olivia would eat an entire broom.
Her powers prickled under her skin as she stepped forward, reaching over to briefly press the other button on Insignia's wristwatch, requesting immediate extraction and medical help.
"Don't move," she instructed and looked up just in time to see Colossus appear, the hulking, rather new and powerful villain stopping in his tracks upon spotting her. She gave Insignia's wrist a tiny, hopefully comforting pat. "Be right back."
Colossus moved to drag up a chunk of the earth and asphalt to shield himself, but he wasn't fast enough. 
Olivia's abilities were deemed one of the best among the heroes – and one of the hardest to train. Whatever powers her opponent had, hers changed to be their perfect opposition. 
It also meant, however, that she had to improvise on the spot when she met a villain for the first time. Figuring out how to use what abilities she had been saddled with to win often ended in extremely sloppy fights that made people question regularly why she was even considered Number One.
If her enemy had no powers to speak of, if they used technology or sheer combat skills and smarts, she could only hope that she had enough hand-to-hand training to make it.
Olivia was a trained hero, heroes were meant to protect life first and foremost, even those of villains. Heroes were meant to be the good guys after all. They were supposed to represent kindness and integrity and second chances and hope.
But Olivia had buried her friends one time too many, had once stood surrounded by dead civilians, the villain responsible taunting her while the air had been thick with the stench of blood and feces and death.
She had been told she could not leave the industry if she didn't want to be saddled with a massive amount of debt when she decided that she was done with it all. That she wanted to go home for good.
Funny how the agency never told heroes and sidekicks that any and all property damage they caused in fights, fights they could not avoid, would only be taken care of by said agency as long as they kept working for them. If she left, they'd hand her the bills.
Olivia had gotten hurt over and over by villains, had watched others get hurt over and over and she was just done with everything. If people wanted a hero like they existed in storybooks and bright, sparkly ads, she was not the person to look to for that. Not anymore.
She had a street of injured civilians to defend and a colleague unable to move, badly injured and most likely in need of immediate emergency surgery. This villain was not getting back up once she was done with him, no matter how much she'd look like a villain herself later on the news.
Colossus clearly had had a grand old time tossing an under-qualified hero around, as well as injuring helpless civilians. Nothing new here and Olivia didn't bother to hold back.
She had, once upon a time, done her best to avoid injuring villains beyond knocking them out, but when ground-pulverizing powers rose to her fingertips now, she focused on packing as much as she could into every hit.
Colossus and she had clashed once before and he had gotten away only because she hadn't quite figured out the full scope of the powers she had gotten saddled with when facing him and because he had swiftly collapsed a house on a group of terrified civilians.
Villains were nothing but a scourge of the earth.
This time, Olivia knew what she was working with and most importantly, who she was dealing with and the lengths he was willing to go to in order to win or escape.
It was clear he had expected the same slap-dash, somewhat sloppy fight from last time.
It took two hits before he was on the ground, visibly reeling, struggling and failing to sit up again. Other heroes would stop here. They were, in fact, instructed and trained to. To stop when the enemy was down and apprehend them instead. To be better than villains.
But Olivia knew how much the prison facilities struggled to contain people with superpowers, how often they escaped, especially when other villains attacked the place.
There had once been a time when Olivia had thought it didn't matter, that second chances were all the rage. She was done with that, just like she was done with fighting people over and over again because they kept escaping.
She was done with arriving at ongoing fights to find weeping and bleeding and at times dead civilians and even heroes.
Olivia raised her leg just as Colossus turned over on his hands and knees to try and get up, bringing her foot down on his back with a flare of her powers. There was no noise from his throat, not when she heard the sound his spine and ribs made and he fell still, only his chest moving in little gasping breaths. 
He would never again get back up, not after that hit and that was all that mattered at the end of the day. No more hurt civilians, no more broken colleagues. One less evil, permanently removed.
A sudden tingle raced across her skin and she flared her powers slightly, the ground-crushing sensation from before shifting to make her feel like gravity changed its course. Her gaze snapped up, just as the sky grew a deep, dark red, lightning flashing across it.
Floating above her, having managed to sneak up on her, was The End. A villain only three heroes were capable of fighting, herself included. Fuck.
Olivia didn't waste a second, letting the new power coursing under her skin flare out. She could never waste so much as a split second when faced with The End. The grip of gravity shifted within a heartbeat, like the snap of massive fingers, the noise of it cracking through the air. Just in time to slow the descend of The End's meteors and forcing them to a glowing stop right above the skyscrapers of the city.
It felt like her bones were made of metal and at the same time, as though she weighed nothing at all. She felt as though she was as liable to find herself crushed to the ground by the entire universe as she was to float away like a speck of dust on the wind.
"Little Rescue, ruiner of lives," The End shouted, fury making his voice sound like a guttural snarl as he pushed back against her powers, the sky growing darker still. 
Olivia was faintly aware of people screaming in panic behind her, ahead of her, as civilians ran for their lives. Others crawled for their lives, legs broken or bleeding from wounds inflicted by Colossus that needed immediate treatment. 
Treatment they wouldn't get, for ambulances were not allowed near active fight zones and the specialized removal teams were only sent out for severely injured heroes, not civilians. Too many paramedics had lost their lives or use of their limbs when they had gotten caught in battles.
Not that The End cared, of course. Villains never did.
Colossus at her feet was breathing in high-pitched, panting little wheezes, his body utterly unmoving.
The End had always kept his distance, but today he descended when he couldn't force his meteors further, slamming into the ground before her, his meteors crumbling to nothing and lightning started to flash like a thousand storms were getting unloading at once. 
Olivia hurriedly dodged his fist, the air around her heavy and vibrating all at once as Gravity and Space started to clash.
"What a joke this world is," The End growled. "For a monster like you to be seen as good."
"And what a joke," Olivia growled right back, dark anger and fury beating in her veins in tandem with her heart. If she could take down The End, the city would be safer for it. "That you were born."
The End's next punch was heavy with the power of impacting meteors and the empty coldness of space, lightning crackling between like a hungry beast. He laughed, brief and hard and hateful and he snarled, "Well, if you want to act like a hero, then die like one."
He unleashed his powers, nearly forcing her to her knees and she felt the pain of something cracking within her left arm.
The End was ruthless, but so was Olivia, she was sure their faces looked the same under their masks, teeth bared and sweat sliding down brows as they traded blows, booms making the ground shake. The already crooked building toppled entirely and cars got crushed against walls, street lights bending and twisting like they were made of cheap plastic.
Only when Portalia showed up did Olivia realize what The End was doing. Getting her away from his colleague Colossus so someone could save him, while doing his level best to take her out for good. 
She had no idea if he would actually murder her, the deaths he caused had always been indirect, a consequence of his powers laying waste, but that didn't mean much. Not when she knew how badly he could and would hurt her if she was just a split second too slow.
He had been training, however, moving just that tiny fraction of a moment faster than she did. For the first time, as his fingertips grazed the side of her mask, half of it shattered and she jerked back in startled alarm.
"Shit, End!" Portalia shouted in that second. "He's dead weight, get over here!"
Olivia lunged just as The End stepped back, but he had counted on that, ducking and shifting his weight and the next second his foot hit her chest with the power of a truck, sending her flying. She managed to use the powers his presence granted just in time to avoid an impact that would have left her in the ICU.
The next second, with a soundless snap, the powers were gone, as were the villains, leaving behind a thoroughly ruined street, weeping civilians and an unmoving hero. Olivia caught herself against a wall, pain crackling through her like fireworks, but she bit back a whimper and straightened to dig out a backup mask before she helped the civilians.
At least no one had died and Colossus might be out of the business for good.
*.*.*
Her arm in a sling and her body aching with bruises, Olivia wanted nothing more than to crawl home and curl up in her bed and forget today had ever happened.
The agency had taken forever to determine if enough of her face had been visible to compromise her identity, but they had eventually decided that it should be fine. If it turned out they were wrong, they had promised to deal with any of the resulting issues. 
Olivia would hardly be the first hero whose identity had gotten revealed during a fight, they had reassured her. The agency had enough experience in dealing with it and, if necessary, spinning the narrative to a hero's advantage. 
They either paid off the news to keep quiet or they stalled them enough to stage an identity reveal themselves, so any information coming out afterwards from newspapers and news shows wouldn't surprise the public anymore and instead supported the reveal.
It would be a massive problem for her personally, however, if that was the case. She wanted and needed her privacy. Once her real name was connected to her hero persona it would be possible to find out everything. Where she had gone to school, who her neighbors had been. Everything. 
If people showed up at her apartment uninvited as a result of that, she was going to make the news and not for good reasons.
Still, as much as she wanted to lie down and unwind, she really needed to go grocery shopping. Her fridge was empty and she didn't even have toast that she could slap onto a plate for a lackluster meal. 
Never mind that she was on a meal plan, just like the other heroes, to keep her in peak condition and she'd get glared into the ground by her nutritionist if she deviated from it.
The agency had taken her off the roster for a month so she could heal up, since one of the less powerful healers had fixed her enough that she'd by fine by then. The strong healers were busy trying to peace Insignia back together, who had nearly died on the way to the hospital. 
They would move on to heal the civilians after that, if only for publicity's sake. Ever since the agency had noticed just how sales went up whenever they did that, it had become a common thing after battles. 
The healers would be too drained after that to deal with her and Olivia was relieved to get some time off anyway.
While Olivia was glad the healers had gotten the go-ahead to help civilians during work hours, since many of them did volunteer work at hospitals after they clocked out, she still resented the agency.
For one, they deserved all the resentment she could give them and two, if they really cared about people, they would have made that offer far sooner.
Feeling tired and hurt, Olivia dragged herself back out of her apartment to shuffle to the nearest grocery store. Along the way she noticed her powers shifting under her skin once or twice, but she ignored it.
The last thing she wanted was to out some poor person who just wanted to enjoy their day in peace as someone with superpowers. The agency tended to hound people who had them, trying to snatch them up before other organizations could, always hungry for more names, more fame, more money.
There were far more people with powers than the public probably realized and many of them had no interest in becoming heroes. Many of them had powers that weren't useful for fighting at all as well.
And, well, if a fellow hero was somewhere out of costume, they deserved to be left alone. If it was a villain she'd sooner or later try to curb-stomp them anyway and she really didn't want to pick a fight around civilians if it could be avoided.
She didn't want to see more blood today, she didn't want to hear more screams and sobs that would follow her into her dreams, joining all the other nightmare-sounds that liked to greet her more often than not.
The agency had offered her pills for that, but Olivia had taken them only for a month before she quit. She didn't like how they made her feel and that they took away her edge, especially when she got called for an emergency in the middle of the night.
As she entered the store, she became distantly aware of her powers shifting under her skin once more and discarded it, squinting at the rows of bread to see if her favorite was still available. 
Just as she reached out, someone bumped into her arm as the person beside her tried to do the same.
"Oh, my apologies," he said and she glanced up at a tall man. He looked pretty, she noticed distractedly, his smile charming and apologetic.
Then he stilled and stared, his expression going complicated and he looked like he had no idea how to react for the longest moment. Like he was shocked and startled and she resisted the urge to frown at him. She knew there were some abrasions on her face from where her mask had gotten half shattered, so she was willing to overlook his reaction. It probably didn't look too pretty.
"It's fine," she answered, turning back to grab the bread she wanted, determined to move on. 
To her surprise, however, the pretty guy caught himself and said, "I – Sorry." He cleared his throat and seemed to catch himself, putting on a charming smile. He definitely knew that he was good looking, Olivia couldn't help but think. The smile and casual confidence said it all. "I didn't bump your hurt arm, did I?"
"You didn't see my invisible cast?" she asked while giving the side he stood on and had bumped against a dryly pointed look – her very healthy side.
He blinked and laughed briefly, a quickly smothered sound and he seemed surprised at his own reaction. "In that case, why don't you let me buy you dinner as an apology?"
Oh, he was flirting. Olivia hadn't been flirted with in forever and she knew that was her own fault. She was either working too much or, when she was off the clock, looked too sour, exhausted and angry and bitter at the world at large. He either didn't mind that or thought that she was still pretty enough to warrant a night out.
She weighed her exhaustion up against a meal and perhaps some nice company and decided she had some energy left for that. Besides, her apartment would just be glum and silent.
And if this guy wasn't pleasant to hang out with after all, at least she'd eat something before heading home. She could afford a meal outside of her meal plan. Especially if she didn't tell her nutritionist about it.
"Sure," she answered after a moment and put the bread back. Eating out would take care of her shopping for tonight and she could always come crawling back to the grocery store in the morning.
He blinked, looking like he hadn't expected her to agree so easily and then smiled like he was delighted. "Wonderful, do you want to finish up here?"
"No, we can go," she said, briefly glancing down to notice that his basket was empty as well.
"Lovely," he said with another charming smile and gestured for her to go ahead. "I'm Rhys, by the way."
"Olivia," she answered as she headed out of the grocery store with him, dodging around a couple arguing over grapes. "Do you always hit up people you've bumped into?"
"It's my main strategy," he answered easily in mock seriousness, bantering back like it was second nature and she found herself smiling a little.
Rhys made talking easy, easier than it had been in quite some time, as he led her to a small hole-in-the-wall, family run restaurant that she hadn't known was in her neighborhood. Then again, she wasn't out much.
If she was being brutally honest, she expected a nice enough conversation and a good meal and to go home with a pleasant memory. She did not expect the way Rhys and she just seemed to...click. 
From the way he appeared surprised again and again for brief moments and sometimes looked at her like she wasn't what he had expected, he felt the same way.
Dinner was one of the best meals she had ever eaten at a restaurant and she resolved to show up more often in the future. It was only her exhaustion kicking in with a vengeance that made her realize that she had sat there for far longer than intended, chatting with Rhys.
"I'm sorry to cut things short," she said, though Rhys snorted as he glanced at his wristwatch, clearly clocking how long they had sat there together as well. "But it's getting late."
"Oh, no, I'm just as much to blame," Rhys joked and raised a hand to flag the waitress down.
The check was delivered moments later and Olivia snatched it up before he could, ignoring his indignant sputtering as she paid.
"I said it would be my treat," he said and it almost sounded like a pout. It certainly made her smile.
"I guess you'll just have to take me out again, if you want to make up for it," she said and he straightened.
"You would see me again?" he asked and when she nodded, he asked, "When are you free?"
"Whenever," Olivia answered, gesturing at her injured arm. "I'm on sick leave for a month."
There was, ever so briefly, a strange gleam in his eyes. "Oh, is that so? In that case, we can meet here Friday? For dinner again?"
"Sounds good to me," Olivia answered and pulled out her phone. "Want to exchange numbers?"
They walked out of the little restaurant with new contacts in each of their phones and Olivia found herself idling on the sidewalk for a couple more minutes, saying goodbye to Rhys.
His smile was charming when he waved at her and headed the other direction, the faint, easy to ignore shifting under her skin vanishing once he was far enough away from her for her powers to settle down.
She briefly wondered what he was capable of, before she brushed those thoughts aside. It didn't matter if he could fry waffles on his palms or read a book just by touching it, it was none of her business. Besides, she was the last person who'd toss someone with powers into the unforgiving jaws of the agency.
Her belly full with good food and her mood far lighter and better than it had been before, she trudged home, greeting her neighbors who were startled to see her hurt.
"Had a biking accident," she lied easily. Her neighbors were under the impression that she was some kind of huge sports enthusiast and she never disabused them of that notion. "It was fun, though."
She left after a minute or two of conversation, keeping topics light and away from herself. It was easy by now, she knew what to ask to get her neighbors to talk about the things they liked or the things that bothered them and she kept quiet in the meantime. 
The less she told them about herself, the less she risked letting anything important or damning slip.
Her apartment was quiet and cool when she entered, smelling faintly of freshly washed laundry. Kicking off her shoes, she slumped down on the couch, only to grimace in pain as some bruises on her back flared up. 
Groping for the remote, she put on a cheerful movie, one she was familiar with so she didn't really have to pay attention to what was happening on screen.
Her phone pinged and it was Rhys, wishing her a good night. She wished him a good night as well and fell asleep minutes later with a small smile.
*..*
Olivia stared at the newspaper blankly, the front page loudly and proudly declaring that The End had been part of an attack and that none of the heroes on scene had been able to stop him.
'No one to the Rescue' the underlining headline said and she bit back a scoff. She wasn't stupid, she knew exactly what kind of less than subtle callout this was. 
There weren't many people who could confront The End and with her gone and the other two supers occupied with a huge rockslide tragedy, The End had dipped in and out undisturbed, causing chaos.
"And here I was hoping your day was going as good as mine." Rhys' voice made her look up. He joined her with a smile. "What's the frown for?" His smile dimmed a bit. "Did something happen?"
"No, it's fine," Olivia answered. There had been no casualties during The End's attack, even if three heroes were now hospitalized and a number of people had lost their livelihoods and homes and cars in the attack.
Villains just never cared about the pain and misery they caused, but what else was new.
Her mood remained a bit pensive however, even as Rhys accompanied her into the aquarium, the place he had chosen for their first date. While he purchased the tickets, Olivia sent a quick text to her mentor, asking if she was alright and how the other heroes were doing.
Her mentor had seemed more tired than usual lately, a grimness about her that didn't fade even when they met up for drinks at night. It worried her, if Olivia was being honest.
"Here," Rhys drew her out of her thoughts and she pocketed her phone, taking the ticket with a little smile and a thank you. "What has you so preoccupied today? Maybe I can help with it?"
"Distract me," Olivia requested after a moment. "It's just work."
Rhys made an understanding noise and then he did quite a thorough job of distracting her. He knew a lot about ocean life, his gaze coming alive in a way that made him look downright boyish in his joy. Like a child, being awed at the world.
It made Olivia smile and yet, at the same time, it made her realize, as they walked from exhibit to exhibit, that her own life sorely lacked in joys and fascination. It was as though her job as a hero had murdered all the innocence in her heart. 
Her inner child was a silent, wounded thing, unable to cope with the reality that people, that villains, could be so very cruel. The stories and tales she had grown up with, about goodness prevailing, felt ever more distant.
Fairytales were only just that, after all. There were no wise men in funky hats with guiding words, no kind women with helping hands, no little fairies to whisk someone away into magical worlds. Not even trolls that could be tricked with a clever riddle and who ultimately didn't really harm anyone who wasn't very foolish.
But even those thoughts Rhys could distract her from and before she knew it, he held her hand as he showed her a fish with the funniest name in the world. It made her laugh more than anything had in weeks. 
There was a curious thoughtfulness to him as he watched her laugh, but he smiled easily enough when she raised an eyebrow at him.
As they slowly headed towards the exit a good two hours later and Rhys ducked into the restroom, she swiftly entered the souvenir shop to buy him a little octopus plush. He loved the smart little ocean animals and even if she felt a little silly, the moment she presented him with it after they left the aquarium made it worth it.
"Thank you," he said, sounding genuinely touched, before he caught himself and cleared his throat. He looked quite thoughtful now and perhaps a little baffled. "That was very kind of you."
Olivia could only offer a wry little smile to that. "With all due respect, you don't know me very well yet." She looked ahead, watching a giggling group of friends as they left the aquarium as well. "I try to be kind where I can be."
Rhys' expression was still thoughtful, though something else was now lurking in his gaze that made him appear more solemn than before. "In that case I look forward to getting to know you," he said, gently holding the plush between his hands. "Would you like to eat lunch with me?"
He showed her to another hole-in-the-wall restaurant and before Olivia knew it, she had spent nearly the entire day with him. They parted ways in the setting sun, promising to meet up again, Octi, the freshly named octopus securely held in Rhys' arms.
He really was quite cute. And Rhys wasn't too bad either.
*..*
Before Olivia knew it, she met Rhys every other day. He showed her around most of the city to places she hadn't even known existed. 
He also sent her plenty of pictures of Octi in his new home, in one he was perched on the sofa as though he was intently watching a historical drama, in another he was half turned away from the fried fish Rhys had cooked as though disgusted.
It made her smile, it made her laugh. It made Olivia feel brighter, like her very heart and soul got to breathe again. It also made her less than eager to return to her job. She really wished she could quit being a hero and maybe go on a road trip. Find a house in the outskirts of the city with a nice little garden. Maybe she'd even adopt a pet.
The End, on the other hand, was absolutely making himself out to be a nuisance. It was as though he knew that she was out of commission and that the other two high-ranking heroes had to deal with a new emergency across the country. He obviously took advantage of the fact that so few other heroes could stand up to him.
"I've been meaning to ask you something," Rhys said as he looked around her apartment. It was the first time she had him over and he almost seemed hesitant to be here.
There was something slightly troubled in his gaze today and she had no idea why. He hadn't mentioned any problems, aside from some arguments with coworkers.
She made a noise to let him know she was listening as she pulled out pots and pans to prepare a nice brunch. It was raining buckets today so neither of them had been in the mood to walk around for hours on one of their usual dates.
"What do you think about villains?" Rhys asked, sounding far more serious than ever before. She glanced at him over her shoulder, a frown on her face. His expression was serious as well and he was watching her like he didn't want to miss a single reaction on her end.
"Why do you ask?" Olivia answered, reluctant to open that can of worms when they had had such a nice morning so far. 
When the past almost four weeks were nothing short of...amazing, really. She did not look forward to returning to her job in five days.
"I've just been thinking recently," Rhys said and it sounded just a tad too casual. This clearly was a topic he had wanted to bring up more than once in the past. "We haven't really talked about it before."
Olivia stared down at the eggs she had wanted to fry and suddenly her appetite was gone. "I hate them," she answered honestly, not looking up from the food collected in front of her. The vegetables and fruit and bacon and cheese.
"Why?" there was a strange note in Rhys' voice, something challenging, something edged in hard wariness, but she didn't turn around to look at him. 
Maybe he had a friend or family member who had turned to villainy in the past and was worried she would judge him or them.
Granted, there were some people who called themselves villains but who were merely nuisances at best. They were labeled disturbers by the public, even if the term made them pout. 
Sidekicks were usually deployed to handle them. These people slipped in and out of prison easily enough, since most of them only got charged with public disturbance and some minor property destruction. They very rarely killed someone and usually stopped whatever they were doing the moment there were casualties.
"Do you know how many civilians a villain kills on average?" she asked, reaching for the eggs and cracking them into the pan with perhaps a little too much force, nearly crushing the eggshell into many small pieces.
Rhys was silent, as though startled and so she continued. She knew the statistics. She had seen the hospital rooms, she had checked up on victims, on people she hadn't been able to save. On civilians and colleagues who'd never be able to live normal lives again.
"Five point two per year," she answered. "And that doesn't take the injured into account. Currently, we have over a hundred people in the ICU who may never wake up. There are people who lose limbs or get paralyzed, who turn blind or deaf after an attack."
She cracked another two eggs as she spoke, her back tense and ramrod straight. "There are people who lose their livelihood, their homes and cars in attacks. Do you know how many are in life-long debt because of villains today? How many became homeless?"
"Dont," Rhys said suddenly, sounding unexpectedly choked up and startled and unsettled. "That can't be true."
Olivia's answering laugh was more a fanged bark, all aggression and pain and grim acceptance. "Call the hospitals if you don't believe me or check some of the official records that got released after attacks. Just because it's not on the news doesn't mean it doesn't happen. I know the statistics because I helped compile the data."
That revealed more than she had wanted to, so she bit back everything else she wanted to say. She bit back how she had sat with weeping and grieving people after attacks, hiding her own hurts while trying to help in what little ways she could.
She'd never forget the day a mother gripped her hands tightly, her gaze burning with a rage and grief so terrible it would have swallowed the world whole if it had a physical manifestation. 
'Please stop them,' the woman had begged in a voice so rough it had sounded like a growl. 'Just stop them, once and for all.'
She remembered burying her two best friends, her sidekick. She remembered the pain and agony of their loss, of staring at villains who did not feel sorry, not even for one second, about what they had done.
Olivia had chosen the name Rescue for herself when she had graduated from sidekick to hero, because she had wanted to help people. To give them hope. 
There was no hope she could offer in the wake of death. Only justice.
She still didn't turn around to look at him, the eggs sizzling in the pan and she reached for the bacon pack next, tearing it open with her teeth.
"Do you know the statistics for The End?" Rhys asked in a voice like he half didn't want to know. Oh, did she know his statistics. Only too well.
Olivia rattled them off easily enough and Rhys was so silent that she found herself looking back at him. He looked...horrified. To the point where she felt herself softening, tucking away her claws and teeth and helpless rage. He wasn't at fault after all. He was just a guy who had suddenly gotten whacked over the head with an ugly reality.
"It's not your fault," she said and he jolted like he wanted to protest but bit down on the words, looking even more fraught than before.
"I have to go," he said and Olivia paused in surprise. "I'm sorry. I just – I gotta. I'll call you, just..." He fumbled with his words like he didn't know how to start or finish his sentences and then he rushed out of her apartment, grabbing his shoes on his way out.
Olivia stared after him, befuddled and startled, the eggs sizzling merrily.
What had that been about?
*..*
Something weird was going on, Olivia thought as she headed into work, her arm long healed now. She didn't look forward to another day in the costume, but it wasn't like she had much of a choice. Besides, the villains weren't quite as bad anymore recently, for some strange reason.
The End had nearly vanished after being astonishingly active during her sick leave and a number of other villains had become very quiet as well. At least Rhys had called back after running out, apologizing profusely.
Something had shifted between them after that as well and while it felt like it had been for the better, like some kind of careful wall Rhys had kept up had crumbled, he also seemed troubled more often than not.
But no amount of prodding had gotten him to say anything, so Olivia had left him to it. She made sure he knew that she was there for him, but every offer just seemed to make him feel even more conflicted.
Outside of that, he was affectionate and sweet and kind and he didn't mind her strange hours or that she didn't talk about her job much. He didn't either, only complaining whenever one of his colleagues had pissed him off. 
She didn't mind, it allowed her to keep her secrets, even though she felt more and more bitter about that. The agency had a clause in their contracts that they had to be informed if a civilian found out a hero's identity and while Olivia could lie to them, it would only cause a massive headache later.
She didn't want to drag Rhys into her world, even if she knew that keeping secrets was an asshole move. She just...she wanted one part of her life that didn't get tainted by her greatest regret.
Work was grueling that day, a group of villains had banded together and while she had arrived just in time to keep them from killing anyone, she left the encounter with a massive bruise on her cheek and a sore wrist.
"You gotta take better care of yourself," her mentor murmured as she fussed over her.
It felt good, sometimes, Olivia had to admit, to just lean on her mentor a little, even if she was the stronger and higher ranking one between them. There was a sense of security whenever her mentor was around. Like things were going to be okay, somehow.
"I won't always be here," her mentor added and Olivia pressed her lips together, the gentle little feeling in her chest getting snuffed out like a candle in a strong wind. 
She didn't want to think about her mentor dying, of losing someone who had become family to her. Of losing the person who had caught her again and again countless of times, helping her back to her feet no matter how often she fell. Who had held her as she had wept over broken, unmoving bodies.
As they parted ways, Olivia made sure to hug her mentor for a long minute and the older woman didn't protest. They both knew how fragile life was, they both had buried people they had cared about. They both had lost and hurt and despaired.
Still, her mentor was a tough and crafty one, one of the few heroes who had no powers, who relied on gadgets and sheer martial prowess. Her mentor was going to be fine and even if not, she'd last long enough for Olivia or another hero to come to the rescue.
Olivia parted ways after wrangling a promise out of her mentor to meet up for drinks on the weekend and she was glad that she was meeting Rhys for dinner. On days like today she really didn't like sitting around in her silent, empty apartment.
As she headed towards the restaurant, she passed by a couple of young college students, one of them picking up a newspaper someone had left on a bench.
"Do you ever wonder if heroes are okay?" one of them asked, showing the other a headline with a picture beneath. Olivia knew the depicted scene, recognizing her costume and the hero she was dragging out of a partially collapsed building. "Like who saves our saviors, you know?"
Their friend scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous, dude. Heroes save themselves, that's why they're heroes. They do the rescuing."
"I guess," the first guy muttered, dropping the newspaper into the trash.
Olivia turned away, tuning out their conversation as they talked about meeting up for studying with a group of cute students.
Rhys' smile fell when he saw her, her swollen cheek and bandaged hand and she waved him off.
"I tried kickboxing," she answered with an easy shrug. "Please get used to seeing me injured, I like trying new things every couple of weeks."
Rhys nodded, but he looked troubled still so Olivia offered her good hand and he took it, his touch so gentle it was nearly hesitant. He remained softer than ever before during the entire evening, a small frown between his brows whenever he looked at her.
He let her take him home and when he kissed her after they sat down on the couch in the dark, it was with so much care it surprised her when she felt tears prick at her eyes.
"When I met you, I had no idea you would become this important to me," he whispered as he sat in her lap, his knees bracketing her hips and her entire view was filled by him. 
They had left the lights off and so he was only illuminated by the lights of the city shining through the windows. There was something aching in his gaze.
"I..." He paused, his lips pressing together as he raised a hand to trace around her swollen cheek without touching the heated, bruised flesh. He sucked in a sharp breath when Olivia shifted her head to let her cheek rest in his palm. It hurt a little, but it was worth the way his eyes grew wide.
"You really shouldn't trust me like this," he whispered. "What if I'm terrible?"
Olivia couldn't help but laugh softly at that, letting her hands rest on his hips and giving them a little squeeze. She liked his weight on her, warm and solid and steady.
"You make my days brighter," she answered, just as softly, like this moment was a spell that raised voices could shatter. "You make me want to hope for a better tomorrow. How could you be terrible?"
She caught a glimpse of his expression crumbling ever so briefly before he leaned in to kiss her. He kissed her like she was more precious than life itself, then he kissed her like he was drowning and she was air, then he kissed her like they had all the time in the world.
She sank into it, into him, letting him sweep her along, the troubles of the day melting away to be replaced by this wondrous, beautiful moment, cradled in safe hands of the dark. Like they were two secrets that could keep each other safe from discovery.
It made it easy, almost, to bare her heart to this man, to whisper a confession against his lips that had him inhaling sharply and pressing closer. He whispered his own words of love like they were something achingly precious to be presented to her.
Rhys touched her like she was everything he wanted and everything he feared to lose and when they curled up in bed together, Olivia fell asleep with another person beside her for the first time in years.
The last thing she was aware of, was Rhys holding her close, pressing a kiss to her forehead and whispering something that sounded like a shaky, tearful apology.
*.*.*
Olivia was just about to take a bite from her lunch, her stomach rumbling, when her alarm blared, the screen of her wristwatch immediately turning an ominous red as it displayed a location.
Hissing out a curse, she hurriedly grabbed her mask and left the break room, abandoning her lunch to an uncertain fate. If she was lucky, no one had eaten it by the time she came back.
When she arrived on scene, she was breathless, but genuinely surprised to notice that comparatively little had gotten destroyed. No one seemed seriously injured either. In fact, the area was empty of civilians.
It seemed that the newest invention of Gigantor had scared them away. The prowling mech-dogs certainly kept a neat perimeter.
And right there, among his colleagues, was The End, which explained why she had gotten called in. They were robbing a bank from the looks of it and she narrowed her gaze. The End was above such plebeian things as robbing a bank, so if he and the other villains needed money they were planning something big.
"Playtime's over," she called as she leapt down from her perch, landing behind the villains and going for Gigantor first. The more she could take out as quickly as possible the better. She would not win against The End if he had backup.
The villains looked startled to see her and Gigantor crumbled with a wet gurgle, clutching his throat and wheezing for air, some of the hounds leaping forward to protect him, but they didn't seem to be on the attack otherwise, so Olivia swiftly turned to the other villains.
Portalia and Midnight were flanking The End, but they fell back when he stepped forward, turning around. Portalia grabbed Midnight's wrist and they were gone. They probably had headed inside the bank.
Only...Olivia paused as The End fell into a fighting stance, power roiling under her skin. With Portalia working with this group they shouldn't have been spotted in the first place. There certainly wouldn't have been a reason for Gigantor and his inventions to show up.
Which meant this was a distraction.
Olivia hated it when she had no idea what villains were up to and with The End being all over the place in recent months she really had no idea what to expect. Furthermore, most villains didn't team up much, so seeing this quartet together was making her gut tighten in warning.
The End lifted his hands slowly enough that it seemed strangely like he wanted to show he meant to harm. "Rescue," he said and his voice sounded different from the last time she had heard it. There was no more anger there.
He still sounded grim, but strangely hesitant as well. "If you'd let me expl-"
He ducked under her first with a curse and Olivia didn't give him the chance to speak further. She had learned very quickly to not hesitate for a second when confronted with The End. If she did, if she messed up, he'd leave the entire street destroyed. His meteors could crush so much, so much more than just concrete and steel and glass.
She'd be damned before she let it happen again on her watch. She had made that mistake once and had spent days digging people out of the rubble. Dinging corpses out of the rubble.
"Wait-" The End dodged another of her attacks and Olivia's bad feeling grew teeth that tore into her stomach. He wasn't fighting back, why wasn't he fighting back?
A blast of her powers sent him flying and he just barely kept from colliding with a wall, Space and Gravity once more clashing as he activated his powers at last to catch himself.
Gigantor was still on the ground, breathing carefully and feeling along his throat and he did not look like he was going to get up to join the fight, so Olivia followed after The End. 
It turned into a wild chase and Olivia felt baffled and ever more wary and suspicious. The End had never run from her. He had never run from anyone. He had confronted her and all heroes head on, with his powers that made the sky itself shake and the ground rumble. 
He was a force of nature contained in human flesh, capable of destruction so terrible she didn't even want to think of it. He was the storm of all storms, the rage of the universe beyond the little ball they called Earth. He was the death from above and Olivia had once prayed a little, that she'd react in time, that she'd stop him in time, to avoid dying at his hands.
He tried to speak multiple times until he gave up and by the time Olivia managed to corner him in a dead end, she was breathing hard. He was similarly out of breath, looking almost panicked at his situation.
"I don't want to fight you," he hurriedly gasped out, his chest heaving. "Please, just stop."
"I'll stop when villains do," Olivia growled back, lunging forward and missing him by a hair's breadth. 
"I'm stopping!" he shouted, cursing as he parried her blow, his strike unexpectedly lacking the force to hurt her. "Listen to me! Wai-! Olivia!"
For the first time since she had learned her lesson with The End, Olivia froze. He hurriedly backed up, reaching up to grab his mask and pulling it off. Rhys stared at her, eyes wide and beseeching and for a long second, Olivia heard nothing but the ringing in her ears.
It felt like she couldn't breathe as her world crumbled around her.
Suddenly, everything slotted into place. All the little strange moments, the oddities she had chalked up to Rhys being a person with quirks and his own past, one he didn't talk about much. The things he'd ask her, the way he had spoken sometimes, had looked at her when he thought she wasn't paying attention.
He had known who she had been from the very beginning. Had recognized her that day in the supermarket because he had been the one to shatter her mask to reveal a large enough part of her face.
It felt like her chest was being squeezed tight, so tight she had no idea how she kept drawing breath and her throat felt thick and tight, a scream and a sob so tangled together they turned into a ball of pain that held her voice captive.
"You knew," she rasped out just as The End – as Rhys, her Rhys, her kind and sweet and charming and funny Rhys, who had kept sending her pictures of Octi in various situations to make her laugh, who had brightened her entire world with nothing but lies – took a hesitant step towards her. "You knew all this time."
"I did," he answered, voice soft and cracking around the edges like he was holding back his own emotions.
Olivia found herself falling back a step before she caught herself. Her mind began to race, her emotions turning into a storm that tore up her insides, stripping layers off her bones and flaying her heart and for just a second her eyes welled with tears before she forced them down.
"How clever," she whispered and a terrible laugh scraped out of her throat, raw and awful and sharp like shards of glass. "How very clever."
Of course Rhys had wanted to keep talking to her. Of course he had laid the charm on thick, of course he had done everything to keep her around. Her, the Number One hero. How much information had she given him without meaning to? 
Had he looked at her phone whenever she had fallen asleep around him, foolishly, naively trusting him? Had he looked at her laptop whenever she had taken a shower? Had he found out the few identities she knew of other heroes? Was her mentor still safe?
Suddenly his massive activity period during her sick leave made an awful lot of sense. He had known she wouldn't be there and with the other two heroes being all over the news, taking care of terrible messes, he had known no one else would stop him.
"No, it's not like that," Rhys said, taking a step forward again, only to cringe. "It was at first, but I promise you, I meant everything I said."
"I don't believe you." The words dripped like acid from her tongue and they made him flinch back, his expression nothing but pain and regret and suddenly it made her so very angry.
What gave him the right to look at her like that when he had betrayed her? When he had just broken her heart into thousands of tiny pieces, crushing her dreams of the future. She had dreamed of revealing the truth to him eventually, of asking him to move in with her.
Olivia had no idea what to do, she had no idea what she would have done, if Portalia hadn't shown up and grabbed The End, vanishing with him before he could pull free of her grasp, his other hand reaching out to her.
Olivia stood there for a long minute, viciously biting down on the sobs that crawled up her throat like moaning ghosts. 
And here she had thought she had crushed all her naive, innocent hopes and dreams to pieces long ago. All her bright-eyed and bushy-tailed ideas of a better future.
But Rhys had found the last little piece of her that had remained untouched and he had turned it into a mangled, bleeding mess.
She'd think he was doing her a favor if it didn't hurt so very, very terribly.
She shifted to leave, her mind churning, when her phone pinged and she received a message from Sunshine, telling her that her mentor had gotten caught up in a fight across the city. That she has gotten hurt very badly. They had no idea if she'd make it.
*.*.*
Olivia sat beside the hospital bed, staring down at her phone, re-watching the fight between her mentor and Life Eater a third time. The fight had only gotten recorded in fragmented pieces, cobbled together by whatever nearby cameras had survived during the battle.
There was something off about it. Something wrong about how her mentor moved. And yet, there was something eerily familiar about it, like Olivia had seen it before.
Olivia had trained beside her mentor for years, still sparred with her some days. They spent at least one evening of the week together, going drinking and eating and sometimes Sunshine tagged along outside of costume, trusting her to keep her mouth shut about his identity.
But things had been just ever so slightly off for a while now and it took Olivia a fourth re-watch for things to finally click. She had seen fights like these in the past, far and few between, but all the more tragic for it.
Those were the type of fights where a hero had given up. It was an Out fight. A last, final fight. Some heroes weren't even aware of what they were doing, but Olivia's mentor had always been too sharp for something like that. Had always been too self-aware.
Olivia stared at her mentor, at the bandages that seemed to cover almost all of her body. It had been a close thing, she had nearly died on the operation table and it had taken the doctors and healers hours to save her.
Olivia had spent the night in an uncomfortable hospital chair and had only recently been allowed to visit her mentor, to sit vigil at her bedside in the private wing of the hospital reserved for heroes. She hadn't even shucked her costume yet.
Her mind felt strangely empty, her chest tight and she closed her eyes for a long minute, feeling...wrung out. Angry. Exhausted beyond her physical body. A part of her grieved, a part of her raged and no side got the upper hand, leaving her hanging between them and so, so very done with everything.
When her mentor finally opened her eyes, Olivia waited until her gaze cleared enough, until their gazes met, before she opened her mouth, "Why?"
Her mentor closed her eyes again, suddenly looking so, so much older. And so very exhausted. So very brittle. It was a startling, almost frightening sight. To know that the one person Olivia had always been able to lean on seemed more like a husk than a person in this moment.
"I'm tired, kid," her mentor rasped and Olivia knew it would have been easy to chalk her words up to the current situation. The injuries, the hazy consciousness. But she knew better.
She knew the system they were in so very well, that it would not let them go until they were dead. That her mentor, like Olivia herself, had wanted to leave a long time ago.
"I'm done, kid," her mentor whispered, words slurring and then she seemed to have fallen asleep again.
Olivia stared at her mentor, her fists tightening as she replayed her mentor's words. She knew what her mentor meant, how tired she was of this life. Of being unable to escape it.
Stuck being heroes, stuck at the agency. Stuck in a life they had once chosen because they had been so very good. Because they had believed in that same goodness being present in the rest of the world.
Olivia had once thought that that goodness just needed a little saving, a little protecting. A little dusting off and guarding. 
Until her hands had been stained red over and over again. Until she had asked the agency to leave and had been told of the ruin that awaited her if she walked out.
Olivia stared at her mentor, watched her chest rise and fall and the push and pull of emotions within her shifted as the grief was swamped by anger so encompassing and acidic and dark it felt like a growling beast that snapped vicious teeth around her heart, swallowing it whole.
For a second she couldn't breathe, felt like despair was going to twine around the rage like a toxic lover, clinging and refusing to let go, her mind churning, until a thought clicked in place and suddenly she could breathe again.
She knew what she had to do. 
Something rose in her heart, something that refused to stay down no matter how hard it had gotten hit before. It was too bloody to be called hope, too gritty to be idealistic and too angry to be anything remotely heroic.
'I'm so done, kid.'
'Like, who saves our saviors, you know?'
'Don't be ridiculous, dude. Heroes save themselves, that's why they're heroes. They do the rescuing.'
'If you think you're a hero, then die like one.'
Very well then.
96 notes · View notes
bigtreefest · 5 months ago
Text
Essie’s Summer Lovin’ 300 Follower Celebration!!
I can’t believe it, but I’ve hit 300 followers! Thank you so much for everyone who has helped me get here and all the encouragement and love you’ve shown me. You have no idea how much it means💗 *please excuse the terrible graphic that I made on my lunch break. I tried, I swear. 🥳🥳🥳🥳🤷🏻‍♀️
Tumblr media
For the occasion, I’m hosting a writing event! I’d love for you, yes you! to join in the celebration!! I know what you’re thinking: ‘well Essie, how do I do that?’ Let me tell you!!
Gather up all the sweet, summer vibes you can muster, along with one or multiple of the prompts listed below, and write a fic! Prompts and rules below!
Prompts:
*feel free to adjust them accordingly to work better in your fic
- pick your favorite summer song and use it to inspire your fic (optional, and very much not necessary, but encouraged. I love the songs of summer)
Scenarios:
- a character gets a sunburn
- someone lost their bathing suit in the ocean/pool
- a popsicle dripping down someone’s skin
- sand. Sand everywhere.
- beach games got a little too rough
- reading and someone gets the book wet
- putting a flower behind their ear
- babe is a surfer
- watching a sunrise/sunset together
- a long drive together
- putting sunscreen on one another
- rain spoils your summer outdoor plans
- bonfire
- catching fireflies
Quotes:
- “it hurts when I _____” “then stop doing that”
- “I wore this purposely because I thought the tan line would drive you crazy.”
- “what do you mean you didn’t pack snacks?”
- “here, you can share with me”
- “aw man, that was the last one”
- “I’ve got something else you can lick”
- “ew, gross. That’s not what I thought would happen today”
- “who thought a place with mosquitoes was a good idea?”
- “yeah. I know” “I didn’t mean I was hot in that way”
- “you know that one’s my favorite”
- “we’re not supposed to be in here” / “not here”
- “why’s it…sticky?”
Kinks:
- praise
- size
- daddy
- equal partnership? That’s my kink.
- breeding
- oooo! hand
- public sex/trying not to get caught
- overstimulation
Tropes:
- friends to lovers
- enemies to lovers
- hurt/comfort
- last summer together before going separate ways🥺
- vacation fling cut short by having to go home
Environments:
- beach
- pool
- lake house
- ice cream shop/stand
- inside in the ac
- a bar
- resort/hotel
- out on the water/ in a boat
Rules/How to Play:
- Character/love interest must be a CE babe/Bucky (no other Seb babes, however you may be able to make a case for boedecker or destroyer Chris)
- No deeply dark themes, including noncon, murder and death, toilet stuff, incest, or anything you think would be too intense for my poor heart. Dubcon, stepcest, and soft!dark are allowable if you just keep it light and find it necessary, but use your discretion please
- Posts should be at least 300 words, with no upper limit! Please us a ‘read more’ past 150
- fics should be stand-alone. If they are part of a series, they should be able to be read alone.
- tag me @bigtreefest and put the tags #essie’s summer lovin’ 300 follower celebration #summer lovin’ celebration and #essie’s 300 follower special so I can reblog you and add your fic to the Masterlist!!
- be inclusive and considerate!!
- make/write as many posts as you’d like!
- this will run from Sunday, July 13 to Wednesday, July 31, 2024. Late entries will be accepted through the end of summer.
- happy writing and thank you for celebrating with me!!
Tagging those who interacted with my post gauging interest, but all are welcome to join!!
@stargazingfangirl18 @krirebr @ronearoundblindly @witchywithwhiskey @thezombieprostitute @darsynia @jesevans @navybrat817 @jaqui-has-a-conspiracy-theory @brandycranby @universitypenguin @gone-to-fight-the-fairies @delicatebarness @biteofcherry @dreamtinblackandwhite @levans44
130 notes · View notes
call-me-strega · 11 months ago
Text
How to Become a Step-Dad in 5 Easy Steps: part 2 (chapter 1/?)
Here is part 1, lore
Edit: ao3 link now here
They do go to a library in this chapter so there are a lot of references to books in this chapter. I've read some but not all of them so I can say anything about their quality more than as things that I thought sounded interesting in theory. A lot of the stuff at the library was inspired by my own experiences with public libraries.
~~~
Step 2: Get to know them
Within the next 4 months Jason ran into Danny several more times. Each time becoming more and more enamored with the young man. It was hard not to when he saw how kind and hard-working he was.
~
The first time he ran into Danny after their first meeting he actually ran into Ellie first. Well, technically she ran into him but that's beside the point. But if you were gonna get technical about it he heard her little giggles before he saw her.
He had been at the library during some of his downtime to peruse some books and relax. The life of a vigilante crime lord isn't a very peaceful one, go figure. That's why Jason liked taking some time to himself every once in a while whether it was to have tea with Alfred, hang with one of his friends or siblings, or in this case visit Gotham Public Library.
Sure he could've gone to the Manor Library or gotten something online but the Manor was pretty far from the Alley and preferred having physical copies of his books rather than a computer or tablet. Electronics just didn't have that nostalgic book smell or the soft touch of a well-loved page.
Going to the library also came with its own perks. For one, he got to visit Barbie at work. It was always nice to see her as they had this unspoken solidarity between them. The atmosphere was also a plus. There was just something special about being able to be completely solitary yet still have this special connection to the other patrons. Seeing the old man enjoying a novel with his wife, the book club that met on Sundays, the haggard office worker winding down on the weekend with a graphic novel, the young woman teaching herself sign language, the teens goofing off while they were supposed to be studying, a mom reading The Kissing Hand to her kids, all of the various people here for various reasons; all of it made Jason feel like he was a part of something bigger.
He was currently browsing a display of LGBT+ books for young adults that the library had put up for Pride Month. '"Cemetery Boys", "Aristotle and Dante", "You Should See Me in a Crown", "Six of Crows", "Boyfriend Material", "Red, White, and Royal Blue", "Carry On", Oh- "The Song of Achilles" that sounds interesting?'
That’s when he felt a small chill pass behind him. He initially dismissed it as a draft from the air conditioner, but soon after he heard the sound of excited giggles nearby. He didn't think too much of it assuming it was another kid on their way out of the children's section. However, something niggled in the back of his head that this particular giggle was one he was familiar with.
That's when he felt something collide with his leg. He looked down to see a small child with a head of glossy black hair in a red beanie glomping his leg. Suddenly, the child looked up and beamed at him. Jason's eyes lit up with recognition and he laughed.
" Hey there munchkin, how are you?"
Ellie continued to smile, releasing her hold on his leg.
" I'm doing really good Mr. Jason! Daddy told me he didn't have any work today and he said we could go anywhere we wanted! First, we went to the bodega a got these really big breakfast sandwiches! Like really really big! Like the size of my face and we shared! And then Daddy took me to the park and it was really fun! I saw a squirrel there but it ran away before I could pet it! And then we came here and Daddy said we'd make me a library card so I could get whichever books I wanted. He read Oh The Places You Will Go and Where the Wild Things Are to me and then they were gonna have story time and Daddy looked tired from the park so I told him to read one of his space books and rest while I went to story time like a big girl! When story time was over I looked around and saw you so I came over to say hi and thank you for the cookies and food because daddy says we should always say thank you when people give us gifts!"
Damn, the girl sure had one hell of a motor mouth on her. It seemed she and Danny were in the middle of a father-daughter day. It brought a smile to his face to see that she was well taken care of, but based on her very informative rambles, it seemed they were taking care of each other.
" Why don't we go say hi to your dad, huh Elle?"
The young girl gasped, "That's a great idea! Then Daddy can say thank you too! And then you can read with us and come to our house for dinner! Daddy kept saying how he wanted to make something for you too since you made us the-, the- uuh... luz-on-ya and cookies!"
" Whoa there munchkin, how about we just start with hi?"
Ellie nodded with a determined look on her face, she wrapped her little hand around his pointer finger and pulled him along to the semi-secluded corner of the children's section. Sitting there in an armchair next to a small pile of books was Danny, who seemed to be out cold, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy slipping from his fingers.
'Aah he must be tired from moving in and probably from working too' Jason thought to himself. A smaller voice in the back of his chimed in with its own two cents. ' He still made time for her. He took her out and is spending the whole day with her even though he's tired. He's a good dad.' That's when he made up his mind not to disrupt Danny's nap and let him get some rest before he had to tackle the rest of his father-daughter day with his hyperactive six-year-old. He placed a hand on Ellie's shoulder, stopping her as she was about to shake Danny awake, and leaned down to whisper in her ear.
" It looks like you were right about your dad being tired. How about we let him rest for now and I'll say hi another time? Besides I wouldn't want to interrupt your daddy-daughter day now would I?" He started to guide her to a different portion of the library quickly forming a plan, "Hows' bout we do something I think you'll like? Did you know sometimes they bring puppies and kitties into the library?"
The young girl gasped, " REALLY!"
" Yeah, sometimes puppies and kitties can help people who are feeling sad or nervous feel better. They also help teach kids how to act nicely and quietly so that they don't scare animals by letting them read to a puppy or kitty. I can help you sign up to read to a puppy or kitty today if you want? Then afterward, you can go tell your dad and he'll be really proud of you."
The young girl seemed so excited by the prospect that Jason worried for a second that she might explode.
" That's a great idea Mr. Jason! He'll be so proud of me and he'll bring me again! And I'll get so good at not scaring animals that the squirrels in the park will let me pet them! Then, Daddy will be so impressed that he'll let us get our own puppy and Cujo can come live with us!"
Jason winced, perhaps his plan had been a tad too effective. Single parents had a hard enough time keep themselves afloat while looking after their kids, a pet was extra expenses and another commitment to devote time and effort to. Pets were usually out of budget and out of question for anyone living in or near the Alley.
Well, he'd cross that bridge if he ever got to it. For now, he focused on getting Ellie signed up to read to Charlie, the old St. Bernard that was at the library this today. He and the trainer, he squinted reading her name tag, Amanda, supervised the session. Jason would be lying if he wasn't endeared by the sight of a young girl reading Dragons Love Tacos very enthusiastically to a dog nearly twice her size.
" It's nice to see a young father spending time with his daughter."
'I agree' Jason thought before realizing Amanda thought he was Ellie's dad.
" Oh- ah no I'm her -," Jason quickly made up his mind on the least creepy excuse he could find, " -babysitter. Although, her father does make a lot of effort spend time with her."
The dog trainer flushed and apologized for her mistake but Jason waved her off saying it was no big deal. Silently, he wondered how often Danny got time to himself. When he realized what he was thinking he raised an eyebrow at himself before dismissing it as worry for a young parent and wondering how he divided his time to be able to take such good care of his daughter.
Ellie was saying her final goodbyes to Charlie when he got a text from Alfred reminding him he had promised to meet him for tea and some chitchat. Once Ellie returned to his side he let her know that he had had fun seeing her today but that he had to go spend some time with his granddad and that he'd have to say hi to her dad another time. She accepted this with a surprising amount of maturity for a 6-year-old but made him pinky-promise that he'd definitely spend some time with the both of them next time they saw each other. Jason happily accepted and sent her back off to her dad before heading over to the tea shop he and Alfred liked to meet at.
" It is so nice to see you again Master Jason. I'm happy to see arrive in one piece. Usually when you are delayed it is due to some rather -ah, unfortunate hold-ups," Alfred greeted him. He returned the smile, sinking into his seat across from Alfred, ready to unload.
" Not this time Alfie, though it is a bit of a story."
" One I'm sure you'll be pleased to tell me all about," he challenged, raising an eyebrow. Jason just shook his head and chuckled.
" Sure thing Alfie."
~
The next time he ran into Danny and Ellie he was at the grocery store.
Jason had been examining a piece of zucchini when he felt a light, cool breeze quickly followed by the sensation of someone walking past him. A lean figure came and stood nearby inspecting the squash. Jason glanced up, having registered a new presence, before doing a double take. A small grin graced his lips as he spoke,
" Well hey there neighbor, didn't expect to see you today."
Danny looked up, slightly startled before he saw that it was Jason. He smiled back and returned his greeting in a warm tone.
" Hey neighbor, I didn't expect to see you either. Honestly, I was hoping we wouldn't meet till I had made a batch of my family's signature fudge to give you as a thank you when we returned your dishes for the food and for looking after Ellie that day in the library."
" Ah~ the little munchkin told you bout that did she?"
" She was pleased to inform me about how she was learning not to scare animals and how Mr. Jason was sooo nice and even pinky promised to spend some more time with her." he teased.
Jason flushed slightly, his hand coming up to the back of his neck,
" Oh yeah, I hope I didn't overstep my bounds there. She just seemed so excited."
" Yeah, that sounds like my little spitfire!" he chuckled fondly. He took a deep breath and continued. " Well if you don't have anything else going on tonight I'd love to have you over. Ellie has really been looking forward to seeing you again and I can whip up some fudge that you can take home with you if you stay for dinner?" Danny seemed to flush at his own forwardness before rushing to continue, " I mean- not that you have to, especially if you're busy! I just- thought it might be nice to get to know my neighbor, especially since Ellie seems to like you so much! But-"
Jason, who had just finished processing the dinner invite, interrupted before Danny spiraled deeper into his nervous rambles. He place a hand on Danny's shoulder to get his attention and spoke,
" Sure. I'd love to come over Danny." He smiled, puffing up his chest, “ Besides, I have a pinky promise to fulfill.”
Danny returned his smile with a laugh, giving Jason's shoulder an embarrassed shove. Jason grinned at having successfully made the other laugh. The two stared at each other for a beat, coming down from their high of making each other laugh, before flushing and looking away. A look of realization passed over Danny's face and he turned to speak to Jason again.
" You probably have your own groceries to finish and put away. How about you come over around 7:30? I can have the fudge cooling in the fridge while we eat, oh which reminds me, you’re not allergic to anything are you?"
Jason smiled back. "7:30 sounds great Danny and no, no allergies as far as I’m aware, though I’m not particularly fond of most shellfish."
“Well alrighty then I’ll see you at 7:30,” Danny confirmed with a smile and rushed off to continue his own shopping.
And that’s how Jason found himself standing outside the Nightingale residence in a casual maroon 3/4 sleeve tee, a dark denim jacket, and some of his nicer trousers with a bouquet of flowers he put a frankly embarrassing amount of thought into. He figured bringing more food wouldn’t be appropriate since he was a dinner guest, dessert wouldn’t fly either as Danny had claimed he’d be making fudge, and wine didn’t seem appropriate with a 6-year-old also in attendance.
‘Come on Jason, it’s just a casual dinner with your neighbors! Normal human interaction, nothing to be nervous about! You can do this!’
Jason took a breath and knocked on the door. He heard a pitched squee followed by a “it’s him daddy!” come from behind the door. Unconsciously, Jason smiled as he heard the door unlocking. As it opened he was met with a cool breeze from within the apartment and the sight of his two neighbors. Danny was in a pale, moss green apron, smudged with what appeared to be powdered sugar, over a pale blue button up with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and cuffed jeans. Ellie was dressed in an interesting combo of pink crocs, neon green leggings, a sparkly, powder blue tutu, a white shirt with glittery black script declaring her “Daddy’s little princess”, a denim jacket embroidered with flowers and vines on the back and sleeves, and a plastic tiara with a big purple gem in the middle fixed atop her signature red beanie.
“Hi,” Danny greeted a bit breathlessly. His young daughter stood in front of him beaming up at Jason.
“ Mr. Jason you came!” She bounced excitedly on her heels before launching forward to hug his leg. She tugged at his jacket before pointing to her own, “Look! We match!”
With a smile, Jason got down on one knee and offered the flowers to her, “ And what an honor it is to match with such a beautiful princess! Please, accept these flowers as a token of my goodwill m’lady!”
“Thank you!” The girl giggled, accepting the bouquet and scurrying back into the apartment. Jason watched her go with a smile. He then turned his gaze to look up at Danny who watched the whole interaction with a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. He met Jason’s gaze and smiled.
“Why don’t you come in too my good sir,” he teased, holding out his hand to help Jason up. Jason smirked at the opportunity Danny had unknowingly presented him. He took Danny’s hand but made no move to get up. Instead, he ran his thumb over the other man’s knuckles and slowly brought the hand closer to his face. He glanced up once more, teal eyes connecting to icy blue ones.
“Of course my dear king,” he whispered. His breath dancing over Danny’s hand, his lips ghosting over his knuckles. Maintaining eye contact, the kneeling man placed a gentle kiss on his knuckles, watching a beautiful red flush bloom upon the young man’s face.
‘His hand is cold. His fingers have the beginnings of callouses on them. It feels like his hand was made to fit in mine. This feels right’
Jason is snapped out of his reverie when Danny clears his throat. He coughs into his other hand while trying to hide his blush, averting his eyes in embarrassment. He doesn't withdraw his hand however, allowing Jason to continue to hold it. Jason took that as his sign to get up before this got too awkward.
He rose from the ground still not letting go of the other's hand. The pair stood there for a moment with their hands intertwined, as if a message was being passed through their tingling palms. A charge filled the air with an exhilarating tension. The kind you feel before trying something unfamiliar and new that, unbeknownst to you, will become your favorite.
“So, uh, let’s head in then?” Danny said, slowly withdrawing his hand from Jason’s, almost as if he was reluctant to do so.
“Let’s,” Jason replied and the two turned into the apartment.
Danny had Ellie show Jason to the bathroom so he could wash up as he set the table. He had made grilled squash, a macaroni and beef hotdish, and some Greek salad on the side. The three of them sat at the table making some small talk ( how are they liking it in Gotham, how did the rest of daddy-daughter day go, does Jason have restaurant/activity recommendations, would he like to see Ellie’s favorite model airplane, etc.) and laughing with each other over horrible dad jokes and Ellie’s antics.
Jason could feel his chest fill with an almost unbearable warmth. He would’ve sworn it’d have melted him from the inside out if it hadn’t been accompanied by an overwhelming feeling of joy and desire. The traitorous little whisper in his head returned to comment on how much he’d love to be a part of the Nightingale’s family.
Soon enough it was time for Ellie to head to bed and Jason to head out, lest he be late for patrol.
“Here, I can clear off the table while you put her to bed.”
Danny rushed to stop him despite the young child koala wrapped over his torso. “Oh, you really don’t have to do that. I can-”
“Relax your highness, let me take care of this while you put the princess to bed.” He gave Danny a kind look, hefting up the dirty dishes. Danny returned it with a grateful look and turned to go put his daughter to bed. Over his shoulder, Ellie looked up sleepily and weakly waved one last time saying “Goodnight Mr.Jason” in a small voice.
Jason smiled gently at her and replied, “Goodnight princess.”
He then turned back to his task of clearing the table. Moving the dirty dishes to the sink and the serving dishes to the counter. He figured he’d get started on the dishes while he waited for Danny to return. He let his mind wander as he covered a plate with soapy suds. Danny and Ellie seemed like a good pair of neighbors. He doubted they’d cause him any trouble and if they ever unintentionally did, Jason found himself thinking he’d find it rather easy to forgive them. The two were both so welcoming and full of life. They made Jason feel so happy and peaceful tonight. They welcomed him into their home and made him feel as if they enjoyed his company and wanted him around for more than just a cursory “return the favor” dinner. ‘As If he belongs there. With them.’ The little voice returned, prompting Jason to reel in his thoughts. He’s only known them for what? Two weeks? These weren’t the type of thoughts he should be having at this point. He tried to rationalize it telling himself he just missed the domesticity of family dinners like he had when Catherine was in a good stretch or like he had with Bruce, Dick, and Alfred as kid when they were all getting along. He made up his mind to attend one of the bi-weekly family dinners at the manor coming up. It’d be nice to see the little demon brat, big bird, and nerd bird again now that they were getting along like actual brothers.
“Oh! Jason you didn’t have to do that!” His train of thought broken by Danny rushing over to protest him doing dishes. “You’re a guest! You really didn’t have to-”
“It’s okay Danny, I wanted to,” he reassured the fussing young man who pulled him away from the sink. The young man responded by pushing him out of the kitchen and telling him to grab his jacket before turning back to grab something from the fridge.
And there he stood in the doorway, 20 minutes after he had intended to leave, still saying goodbye. Danny pushed a familiar Tupperware container into his hands, which recognized as the one he had given them lasagna in, now full of dark squares of fudge sprinkled with a bit of white and green on top.
Danny smiled as he handed him the sweets. “A family recipe with my own little twist on it,” he winked. Jason gratefully accepted, wishing the young man well and agreeing that he hoped to see the other again soon. And with that, Jason rushed off hoping that he wouldn’t be late for patrol.
~ Later that night Jason returned to his apartment, exhausted. He chucked his helmet off onto the bed and stumbled to his kitchen. He pulled open the fridge in search of something to eat when his eyes landed on the fudge his neighbor had given him. He pulled it out and grabbed a square, giving it a sniff before biting in. His eyes widened at the taste.
The fudge was, well fudgy, but not overly sweet. It had a richness of dark chocolate and a sweeter note from the white chocolate chips mixed in. There were also candied orange peels mixed into it which gave the fudge a bit of chew and acidity to break up the richness. The fudge was topped with pistachios adding a nutty, earthy flavor to the experience. He’s sure that if Martian Manhunter ever tried these he’d accuse Jason of giving him hard drugs. But what Jason liked most of all was the quality only homemade food and family recipes passed down over generations have. He could practically taste the amount of love and thought that went into this fudge.
Jason smiled to himself finishing off his square and decided the save the rest for later. He headed off to bed with a peaceful smile on his face and a warm, full, feeling in his chest.
~~~
I tried very hard to balance out the dialogue and description as well as to not make it too long winded and keep the story moving so please let me know what you guys think. I love receiving feedback so if there is anything you want to see more or less of let me know. I’m also open to suggestions of where Jason should run into our father-daughter pair next.
If anyone's interested here is what the bouquet was comprised of: apple blossom- preference, basil- good wishes, white camellia- you're adorable, goldenrod- encouragement/good fortune, violets- watchfulness/modesty/faithfulness
I actually looked up a real fudge recipe so that I'd have and easier time describing it. You can find it here: https://www.midwestliving.com/recipe/candy/creamy-rich-pistachio-tangerine-fudge
173 notes · View notes
taylor-titmouse · 11 months ago
Text
2023 Book Retrospective
it's pretty much the end of the year, and i've never done this before, but i wanted to take a look at what i managed to do in 2023 and share some of my thoughts on it! i published five novellas this year (though i didn't actually write one of them) plus the public release of the demo and first huge update to You're A Mage on Monsterfuck Mountain. that's a lot!
so let's dig into all that. this will contain some spoilers for the books, because it's hard to talk about them without talking about what's in 'em, so maybe check out my itchio first and grab anything you missed! (but also.... perhaps wait until this weekend before you buy anything. shh.)
Tumblr media
You're A Mage on Monsterfuck Mountain, released in March
TECHNICALLY, the demo was finished and available on patreon around the end of last year, and didn't become public until I'd finished the garden update, which i did finish this year. and what a massive fuckin THING that was. 60k words! 50 illustrations!! the biggest thing i ever put out and technically finished, and the beginning of a move to being less afraid of writing "weird" sex. there was so much bee sex in it. arguably too much bee sex in it. which i'd left entirely til last to do which meant i was writing nothing but bee sex for weeks.
this was the first time i let myself really indulge in writing dubcon for the bad endings, and it was a lot of fun. very often it was more interesting than the deliberately horny routes, because it meant writing a way to be put in the situation, and also making it hot every time. i'm very much of the philosophy with dubcon that even if the situation wasn't Ideal for the character, they're still going to get good sex out of it. i believe i put it at another point as, i'm here to write the pleasure of helplessness, not suffering. to that point, the dubcon endings for the armor, the dryad, and the queen bee were my favorite bits from this.
the fact i never got a second update out this year is a big regret. i finished a bunch of the routes for it, but ultimately i wanted to have things i could release! shortly after publishing the demo and update, i officially put my webcomic on hiatus so i could focus more on my graphic novel, and also spend more time on my writing. having that extra time is probably the only reason i was able to write as much as i did this year, and i didn't want to spend it toiling away on a serial project i couldn't release for months at a time.
which leads us to the release of my first novella of the year...
Tumblr media
House of the Risen King, released in April
now this is when i truly said "i'm just going to write what i think is hot and interesting and not worry about how it's perceived!!" and went whole hog on exhibitionism and monster dubcon cult horror. house was mostly inspired by the ending of Hereditary, and was originally going to be more poltergiesty and played more straight, with vee being harangued by a bunch of horny ghost-demons and nothing more sinister than that. but i've had cult shit percolating at the back of my brain forever, and i wanted to play with ideas i'd first developed in shadow in the shelves with rituals and shadows, so here we are! the scene of hettie fingering vee in the bathtub while vee's god-fucked out of her mind is my favorite.
fun fact, the original seed for this book was actually going to feature max and mortis, my photographer/model couple (that link goes to cohost because i wasn't posting here yet when i was drawing them the most). the idea was they'd go do an urban exploration shoot and mortis would start getting fucked by a ghost while max filmed it, but the more time i spent with those characters the less i wanted to involve the supernatural. which meant i never wrote their book, and had to make a new character to do the idea. and then it wasn't even that idea anymore.
that's writing, folks
Tumblr media
Roger Crenshaw: The Dogs at Duskfall, released in June
... which makes it ironic that the next book is one i didn't even write! r/l monroe @mortalityplays has been my friend for years, and was my editor for a long time (until he got a REAL JOB and didn't have TIME to edit anymore. sobs, cries, kicks a stone and walks into the distance). he's also always been an incredible writer, and for my birthday this year i asked him to write me something. i asked with the expectation of a little short story about our old tabletop RP characters, or a fanfic scene for one of my books he'd edited.
and then he wrote me 20,000+ words digging into the character of roger crenshaw and who he is that perfectly summed him up and tied all his stories together, such that i don't think i ever need to write another one. he did it, he wrote the perfect ending to roger. AND he did it using my favorite of his ocs from our tabletop campaign, AND there's some really hot and sweet smut in it. AND HE DID IT IN LIKE TWO WEEKS.
i loved it so much that i asked if i could illustrate and publish it as an official novella, and to my delight he agreed, and it was so so nice to collaborate with him on it. even if it meant beating our heads against the wall for 30 minutes about the placement of certain images on the page.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
this was a great tragedy. i'd drawn the vagina one first, but an image earlier in the book had to be moved, which affected the placement of everything else. the vagina image had been perfectly at the start of a new page, and then suddenly it wasn't. so i had to do the penis one instead for better placement. tragic!!!
it's hard to pick a favorite scene in something written entirely, lovingly for you. how can i choose between the characters' pitch perfect semantic arguments on the nature of folk lore, the millenium princess-ass memory hopping, or the really really hot smut? i can't. i love it all. thank you r/l for being so good at what you do and writing this for me, i'll treasure it always.
Tumblr media
The Dragon Double Feature, released in May
apparently this came out in may, and not july. i don't know why i've been convinced this came out in july. oh well i can't be bothered to insert it on top of the roger one.
anyway. THIS book. this book exists because i believe at the time i was a bit blocked, and wanted to just write SOMETHING. for a long time i've had the idea of a dragon wrecking a princess' wedding and fucking her in front of the congregation just sitting in my back pocket. it was the 'i know i could just slam this out if i wanted. i don't have to care about it it's just sex and then it's done' fallback idea, and i finally did it!
and then it was too short. i don't like the idea of publishing anything less than 10k words for full price, so i was like. okay. alright. i've always thought fucking an eastern dragon would be hot and have this other idea i was going to use for roger (back when i had an idea for every monster possible for roger), let's just write that. kenta is only kenta because i took a poll for what body type i should pair with a dragon (he was 'big boy', i think the other options were twink, older woman, and average woman). and i was also Really into the movie inu-oh at the time, which is probably obvious with kenta being a blind musician, lol.
the musician and the waterfall was tougher to write because i didn't have a clear vision of how it should end or even how they should fuck (the mechanics of fucking long noodle dragon have challenged me for years) but i'm ultimately pleased with it. it would have been a long time since i wrote something sincerely romantic, and it was nice to go back to it. i'm a HUGE romantic at heart.
both stories are pretty much one extended scene so it's hard to pick a favorite moment from them, but i will say i'm very pleased with how i approached writing the musician and the waterfall, specifically in the challenge i set myself to never use visual description kenta couldn't reasonably guess. writing from the POV of a blind man made me focus in on different senses and ways to describe them.
this book is also, as of right now, my best seller. which is great! i love that for me.
Tumblr media
The Dragon Double Feature 2, released in July
okay i guess THIS one released in july.
anyway i got stricken with the curse with this one. a lot of people wanted me to write a sequel, but i wasn't going to. and every time i say i'm not going to do something, i end up doing it. it's so annoying. this one only happened because i wanted to write a SHORT! a SHORT extra for patreon describing kenta and wakatake's first time having sex as humans.
and then i wrote too much preamble describing their time on the beach. and then i got emotionally invested in unpacking their actual relationship, and also added a third character with mrs arakawa, and had to bring it all together into a story that was coherent and had something to say about the way they loved and ALSO ended in a THREESOME because WHATS THE POINT OF INTRODUCING A THIRD CHARACTER if they aren't all going to FUCK TOGETHER!!
it was tough. but i'm really, really happy with it in the end, and think it's one of the best things i've ever written. my favorite scene is definitely them playing with the hermit crab on the beach. metaphors babie.
the gundrid/eveline story is fine too. lmao. i NEVER PLANNED TO WRITE ANOTHER WITH THEM!! i only did it because the idea of publishing a sequel to a story from a double feature without writing a sequel to the other half of the feature was insane. and now eveline and gundrid are some of my most beloved characters, to the point of writing another book featuring them...
Tumblr media
The Tenebrous Tower, released November
yet another book i'm pretty sure i was like 'i don't need to write this. this character doesn't work for a story on his own, what am i ever gonna do with him' and then i dumped a bunch of fantasy characters into a jar with him and suddenly i had a story. I ONLY MADE ROMICK BECAUSE I WANTED TO DRAW FUCKED UP WIZARD PORN AND MY ONLY OTHER OPTION WAS A GRANDPA!!!
anyway i started writing it as something to do on vacation, and it was just gonna be a bunch of dungeon bdsm vignettes until i hit on a throughline and suddenly i had a story and an emotional arc and damn i did it again. i did it again. i have a book.
i was expecting this one not to do very well because it had multiple prerequisites, but because i am a master of my craft i made sure to write it so you didn't need to read those. and then people read it without reading those. so it worked out anyway and now it's done just about as well as dragons 2. the people love romick, but they especially love the idea of him being destroyed. maybe someday. maybe someday. (except on patreon, where it's already happened)
the final vignette with the doll is, of course my favorite. i think it was a lot of people's favorites.
............................................
and that's everything i published this year! honorable mention to my novel starbuster, which i'd written most of last year, then spent all of october this year revising with the intent of finishing it, only to run out of steam by the time i was done revising it. so it's exactly where i left it last year. just better written. god it would be nice to finish that fuckin thing next year.
my goals for 2024 are, of course: release more books!! i have a big project i've been working on illustrating for the past month that i'd like to release in january, and i've also been working on a spin-off one-shot with mrs arakawa and an oni. i think this coming year i want to Try to blast through some of the one-off ideas i developed this year so they'll quit banging cowbells in my brain. like the sleeping garden. it makes me insane i never actually wrote the sleeping garden.
anyway if you actually made it to the end of this, thank you!! if you've bought all of these books, double thank you!!! i've been able to pay my rent and expenses just with my adult work this year, and it's been amazing and fun and super fulfilling. thank you for supporting me in 2023, here's to a horny 2024!!
181 notes · View notes
gloomyluvr · 1 year ago
Text
GOODNIGHT N GO
in which miles unexpectedly sleeps over
fem!reader x e-42! miles morales
fluff / kinda angst??
warnings!: none
a/n: hiii ! i promised a post. and even tho it's a week or two late, it's here!! i loved this one btw. heavily inspired by ari's song. it's one of my faves. this took me forever cuz i had so many ideas and versions of it and i couldnt decide which route i wanted to go with it. idk hope y'all like it ig. oh and miles is ooc cuz like... idk how he is.
masterlist
“im sorry for coming over last minute.” it was almost midnight when miles had called you asking for a place to stay the night. you were the only person he knew who lived around this unfamiliar area. 
“no, it’s alright. don’t worry.” you looked down at the floor, avoiding miles’ gaze. admittedly, you were nervous. it was your first time seeing miles after your breakup. which didn’t go all too well, but it’s in the past now. 
“if you’re not comfortable with me staying here, i get it. i’ll find some other place.” miles had noticed your uneasy manner. 
“no! it’s fine! it’s late and i don’t want you out there by yourself” you finally looked up at him, “what are you doing here anyways?” 
“oh uhm, there’s this like robotics competition around here, good prize money y’know?” miles hesitated. 
you knew miles better than anyone, you know when he’s lying. he’s making it so painfully obvious that he’s lying. he was probably here for prowler business. but, it wasn’t your place to worry anymore.
“oh, sounds fun.” 
“your mom won't mind?”
“what?”
“your mom wont mind that i'm staying the night?”
“oh uhm, probably not. she’s at her boyfriends house so…” you shrugged
“oh.” 
 miles stood stiffly in front of you waiting for anything to happen. and you stood, well, also stiffly looking around your living room. god, this was so fucking awkward.
“um well, you can set your bag in my room and i’ll get you some old clothes of yours that i… still have.” you admitted, very very embarrassingly. miles slightly smiled, amused by your behavior. 
you led the way to your room, and miles trailed behind you. as he was walking, he looked around the apartment he once knew so well. he took notice of anything new, whether it was recent photos in frames or decorations your mother put up to match the season. 
once in your room, miles gently set his bag next to your bed. he observed you as you got clothes from your drawer. you were dressed in some graphic tee and christmas pajama pants. which miles so happened to have an exact pair of (maybe because you insisted on matching for the holidays and well, who was miles to deny you?)
“here you go.”
“thanks.” miles took the clothes from your hands and walked to the bathroom.
you let out a breath that you didn’t even know you were holding in. why were you so nervous? a couple months ago you guys could act freely around each other and now you guys can barely even make eye contact. there was no denying that you missed miles. you missed the calls that would last for hours. you missed laying together in bed. you missed his laugh. you missed everything and anything about miles. 
you weren’t expecting his call at all. he was the one who decided on no contact after all. and if you were being honest you were mad that he had the balls to ask to spend the night after not talking to you for months. but you didn’t have it in you to say no to miles. 
when miles came back, you were lying on a makeshift bed on the floor scrolling through your phone. it couldn’t have been comfortable. 
“you’re not sleeping on that.” miles immediately advised you. you looked up from your phone with a grin. 
“oh i know. you’re sleeping that.” you got up from the floor and climbed on top of your bed. miles watched your antics with a hand on his hips. you looked at him and he rolled his eyes. 
“well at least i was tryna be a gentleman.” he huffed as he laid down on the floor. you rolled over to the edge of your bed to look at miles who was getting comfy on the floor (which was surprisingly comfortable.)
you wanted him to say something. anything. ask how you’ve been, what you’ve been up to. you wanted to talk to him, tell him the latest drama from your school. anything that would break this god-awful silence. but, nothing ever came. it was late, and if he wasn’t gonna try anything, neither were you. 
you looked at miles’ face, admiring your favorite features of his. he quickly took notice and looked back at you. miles smiled nervously, hoping you wouldn’t notice how his cheeks turned red because of your gaze. fortunately for him, you were as giddy as him, if not more. your cheeks also blushed up and you just couldn’t handle it.
“stop looking at me like that!” you cried before hiding your face in your covers.
“what! ¿qué hice?” miles chuckled, throwing his hands in the air in defense. 
“you know what you did!” you insisted with your face still buried in your covers.
“ ‘m sorry i can’t help it.” he whispered. you shifted to your lay on your side, facing miles.
“miles you can’t say that.” you whispered back. 
“why not?”
“miles…” 
“i know, i’m sorry.” miles mumbled. 
and once again, silence filled the room. you could hear miles’ soft breaths and you were sure he could hear yours.
“k pues, goodnight.” 
“goodnight, y/n/n.” 
15 or so minutes had passed and you still couldn’t sleep. you were tossing and turning on your bed. why couldn’t you sleep? is it because it’s so cold even though it’s august? or was it the fact that your ex was sleeping on your bedroom floor? probably the first one. you shivered, trying to find some warmth within your blankets. why was it so fucking cold? you sigh, there was only one way you were gonna be able to sleep tonight. 
“miles?” 
“hm?”
“you awake?”
“yeah, can’t sleep. why?” miles waited for a response but all he heard was shuffling. then, he saw you standing over him with your pillow and an extra blanket.
“can i sleep with you?” miles nearly jumped at the offer. how could he ever reject you? 
“yeah of course.” miles made space for you on the ground and you quickly set your pillow down next to his. you got under the same covers as him with the extra you brought being quickly discarded. 
it wasn’t until you were fully settled in that you realized your position. your face was merely inches away from miles’. though it didn’t bother you like you thought it would and miles didn’t seem bothered either. in habit, you rested one of your legs over miles’. instinctively miles wrapped his arm around your waist to pull you in closer to him. you brought your hand up to caress miles’ cheek. you closed your eyes as miles rubbed circles on your waist with his thumb.
you missed this. so did miles. but as long as he was the prowler, he couldn’t be with you. despite how much he wanted to. 
336 notes · View notes
watchmegetobsessed · 2 years ago
Text
SUBTLE
A/N: this idea got stuck on my mind and i thought i would just type it out so here we are!
WORD COUNT: 1k
SUMMARY: Harry's not so subtle way of hinting that he is in the mood.
MASTERLIST | SUPPORT ME!
Tumblr media
There are celebrities that never wear the same outfit twice. Some keep them tucked away in their closet, probably hoping one day they will be displayed in museums and some just simply get rid of them once the clothes are off of their bodies.
Well, your boyfriend is definitely not one of these people. He is the king of wearing something over and over again until it’s totally ruined and can’t be worn again. The best example is his crusty Vans he always wears to the maximum before even considering buying a new one. When Harry likes something, a shirt, a hat or a pair of pants, he is the biggest outfit repeater and that’s something you love so much about him, because it’s so mundane, so down-to-earth.
His most worn shirt however is a surprising one. Well, not to you, because he wears it because of you so whenever you spot him sporting it, you know what his intentions are.
It’s a quiet Sunday afternoon, it’s been raining all weekend so you’ve spent most of it snuggled up at home, watching movies, cooking and spending some well-deserved quality time together after such a busy week. For the past hour you’ve been glued to the couch with your favorite chunky blanket and a book that you haven’t gotten around to read during the weekdays. Your tea is set on the side table, an hour ago it was steaming hot, but now it’s more like room temperature and half of it is also gone. A pair of old sweatpants has been your uniform since yesterday and today you paired them with one of Harry’s many graphic shirts. 
Speaking of your boyfriend, you haven’t seen him for a while now. Last time he mumbled something about having a riff stuck on his mind before he wandered off into his home studio. It’s been radio silence since then and you got to focus fully on your fantasy book. 
Harry emerges from the studio after about one and a half hour that he spent strumming away on his guitar, recording a possible new hit song for his next album. Making music usually makes him feel two ways. First one, which happens more often is hungry. His creativity takes a lot of energy and he is a big boy, he needs food to fuel his body and brain as well. The second one however… that’s what causes him the most issues, especially when he is not recording at home and this is what he feels right now as well.
He’s horny.
The song he worked on was heavily inspired by you and the intimate moments he spent with you in the past months and reliving them definitely got him worked up, that’s why he had to put down his guitar and find a solution to his little situation.
But instead of just looking for you, he sneaks into his closet and grabs the shirt he’s been using with ulterior motives lately. He gets rid of his hoodie and then pulls the other shirt over his head before checking himself in the mirror, his eyes scanning over the “Sex” sign over his chest. He can’t help but smile at the sight of the shirt he wore on SNL, which was such an iconic appearance.
He wanders out of the closet and then the bedroom, looking for you with his teeth sunk into his bottom lip to hide his cheeky smirk. He finds you right where left you before his studio session, snuggled up on the couch with your book, your lips moving as you ready but it’s hard to notice. Your eyes are scanning over the lines, one hand holding the book, the other one playing with the necklace he got you for your birthday two years ago. You look adorable and cozy, but he’s also extremely eager to get under that blanket and between your legs.
Clearing his throat he walks closer, failing to pretend like he is just aimlessly wandering around. He peeks at you and narrows his eyes when he sees you haven’t even acknowledged his presence.
“Hey baby,” he speaks up, hoping to catch your attention.
“Mm, hi, what’s up?” you ask, but your eyes are still glued to the page in front of you. 
“Not much. Just checking in on you.” Squaring his shoulders he takes a deep breath before exhaling dramatically, his palms smoothing over the shirt, especially the word written across his chest. 
“I’m good. Did you finish recording?”
Still no peek at him and he is starting to get frustrated.
“Yeah,” he nods and clears his throat again, standing right in front of you at this point, towering over you.
“Good,” you hum.
You’re still ignoring him and now he is determined to have your pretty eyes on him. A series of coughs follows that finally forces you to look up from the book, mostly because you fear that he has a sore throat, judging from the coughs, but when you catch a glimpse of him you see how he’s puffing his chest so you see what shirt he is really wearing. 
“Huh,” you smile, putting your book aside. “Are you trying to tell me something?” you ask, a smirk stretching across your face.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he shrugs, running his tongue across his lips.
“Do you happen to want to have sex?” you tilt your head to the side.
“Oh! Now that you’re asking, yes. Yes, I absolutely do!”
You can’t hold your laugh back as he basically throws himself at you, his lips already kissing you all over your face as he wedges himself between you and the back of the couch.
“You’re so subtle,” you giggle against his lips, pulling the blanket over the both of you while his hands are already wandering under your shirt.
“That’s my middle name,” he grins. “Harry Subtle Styles.”
“What happened to Edward?”
“Gone. He’s dead,” he chuckles before his lips get busy with yours. 
Thank you for reading, please like and reblog if you enjoyed and buy me a coffee if you want to support me!
2K notes · View notes
star-writes-sometimes · 3 months ago
Text
nothing
c.w. - drug use (marijuana), implied fem reader, fluff, idiots in love, pining
a/n - this is just two short blurbs inspired by the song 'nothing' by bruno majors, this is the same remus and r as the look after each other verse (if you wanna check them out look here)
remus was wearing grey sweatpants and a faded graphic tshirt. you were wearing a star wars hoodie and fluffy pyjama shorts. 
you both had mugs full of red wine on the coffee table in front of you. your mug was an care bears mug and remus had a jurassic park one.
the end credits of scooby doo were rolling on the screen. matching pairs of worn doc martens were in a pile by the door and phones were discarded face down on the table.
remus stretched lazily, causing his shirt to ride up and you to get a lovely view of his pretty happy trail disappearing behind his low hanging sweatpants, “wanna play a game now, bunny,” he asked with a slight yawn.
“only if you’re ready to lose,” you said with a cheeky smile.
remus set up mario kart and sat next you on the couch. you sat criss cross applesauce, you socked foot and bare knee touching his leg. he handed you your controller, one half pastel pink and the other half pastel yellow. his were pastel purple and pastel green.
you loaded up the game, you were always player one. you selected your usual character and kart combo, while remus selected his usual character, dry bones.
you played the egg cup, you came first on every course. you were laser focused, leaning towards the screen, the controller clutched tightly in your grip.
you never noticed the way remus would stare at you with an affectionate smile, adoring your concentrated expression. 
whenever he played against james or sirius he effortlessly beat them everytime, rejoicing in watching them lose, he usually hated losing but he didn’t mind it so much when he got to watch you win.
it was worth it to see you smile.
one of remus’ favourite spots to sit was on his fire escape. he had his set up like a proper stoner with an ash trays and pillows to rest on. on those rare nights without rain you would usually find him out there, the window open as some old music pours out from inside.
and more often than not you would join him.
you'd sit shoulder to shoulder, gazing at the stars and humming along to the music, chattering aimlessly.
“do you think aliens are real?” you asked softly.
“more than likely, but i don't think we'll ever have confirmation,” remus replied.
you'd hum softly and bring the pink bong up to your lips for another hit. as you exhale the smoke your eyes flutter shut and you would lean your head back.
“i think you might be an alien,” you would say sweetly, not taking your eyes off the stars.
remus raised his eyebrows, “oh yeah? whys that bunny?”
you giggled softly, the green coursing through your veins made your thoughts slower and heavier, “because you're like, so perfect for me.”
remus chuckled, “that makes me an alien?”
“yeah because scooby doo, y'know?”
“i'm afraid you've lost me, love.”
“theres this scooby doo movie called alien invasion and shaggy and scooby meet this girl and her dog and they are just so perfect for them but then it turns out they're aliens and they can't be together.” you explained with a small pout, “sometimes i worry that the real reason you're so perfect for me is cause you're an alien about to leave me.”
remus smiled affectionately and wrapped his arm around your shoulder, gently moving you to rest on his chest, “you got nothin’ to worry about sweet girl, i promise i’m not an alien,” he kissed the crown of your head gently, “and even if i was, i wouldn't want to leave you.”
you hummed and put down the bong, intertwining your fingers with his, “you promise you'd tell me if you were an alien?”
“pinky promise, bunny,” he brought your linked hands up to kiss softly.
you stared at the stars together silently for a few beats, the only sounds being the traffic below and the bowie record playing inside.
“have i told you lately i’m grateful you're mine?” remus whispered softly.
you blushed and giggled, “shut up,” you said playfully, trying to ignore the butterflies in your stomach.
43 notes · View notes
Text
Oh, I'm A Mess... (Affinity Series)
Tumblr media
Alpha!Bucky x Sweet Little Omega!POC!Reader
Alpha!Bucky x Sweet Little Omega!POC!Reader x Alpha!Steve
Wordcount: 7243
Summary:
You and Bucky have officially bonded! So why does Steve still smell so damn good to you? After getting injured on a mission, Bucky connects the dots and is able to shed some light on the situation. What could this possibly mean for the three of you?
Warnings:
Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Smut, Shameless Smut, Gratuitous Smut, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Domestic Fluff, Romantic Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alpha Bucky Barnes, Alpha Steve Rogers, Shower Sex, Naked Cuddling, Breeding, Protective Bucky Barnes, Bucky Barnes Is a Good Bro, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Steve Rogers Feels
Notes:
Hello, Hello, Hell-O, Once again I started out writing with one plan in mind and well my characters just said "NOPE. This is where we're going. Don't fight it." And thus this, a bit plot heavy, fic was born. Have no fear though, there still we be snapshots of just Bucky and his Omega, as well as some with just her and Steve. What can I say, the characters have officially taken over and I'm just here to transcribe it all to you. Happy reading! This snapshot was heavily inspired by GUESS IM IN LOVE by Clinton Kane. Give it a listen to set the mood if you'd like. Also the lyrics used are from Tears Dry On Their Own by Amy Whinehouse. I do not own any rights to this song and you should give it listen!
Bannner by @cafekitsune Divider by @firefly-graphics
Tumblr media Tumblr media
The hearth is filled with a crackling fire, it’s soft amber glow filling the space with warmth as you lounge in your favorite pj's, wrapped up in a blanket cocoon. A pint of Ben & Jerry's in your lap and Supernatural playing on the flat-screen. Dean Winchester is truly the best distraction. Currently you're all alone in the house as The Avengers have been called away on a quick mission.
Having recently made your bond official, you decided to stay at Bucky and Steve’s for a while, so you can remain close to your mate. You had some paid time off you needed to use or lose at work anyway and this seemed the most appropriate way to utilize it. 
Your phone goes off, alerting you of an incoming text.
My Alpha 🐺: Hello my sweet little Omega. The mission’s over but it’s gonna be a bit before I get home. I have to go to the infirmary when we land. I got injured protecting a group of children. Just got struck with a stray bullet or two and a cut to the forehead. Nothing too serious that my Super Soldier serum can’t heal quick enough, but it’s protocol to get checked out after any injury in the field. See you soon babygirl. I love you 😘 Me: 😲 Oh my goodness Bucky! You better be okay! Get here as soon as you can so I can see for myself that you are still in one piece! I love you too ❤
This news turns your calm energy to one of anxiety. You begin to seek out items to make yourself a nest. A place you can find comfort and safety as you nervously wait for your Alpha to return home.
With your mating bond being still a little new, he can feel just how out of sorts you are and although he’s trying to send calming vibes down the bond you're still out of sorts. It’s increasing his need to protect you and is starting to put him on edge. He knows he can't get to you until he’s cleared by the doctor. 
Steve hasn’t left his side since they boarded the Quinjet. He didn’t sustain any injuries himself and is perfectly fine to leave. He’s only still here because he wants to make sure his best friend is alright. 
He turns to Steve sitting in the seat next to the exam table he is laying on. “Hey, would you mind heading home ahead of me and making sure my Omega isn't scared and alone while she’s stressed out over me. I can’t stand knowing she’s in that house by herself right now. I'm afraid my instincts will take over and I’ll bite someone's head off the longer I sit here feeling her anxiety through the bond and I can't get to her.”
The blonde agrees of course, wanting to make sure you're okay himself. “Yeah, no problem Buck. I’ll make sure to try and keep her calm as much as I can. You just get checked out and hurry home as soon as you're able to. I’ve got her til then, pal.”
“Thanks Stevie. Now go take care of my girl.”
Tumblr media
Upon entering the house, Steve finds you sorting through the blankets in the living room. “Hey there, Doll. Buck sent me to check in on you. Said he could feel your anxiety through the bond. He’ll be here soon. He’s just waiting for the all clear from the Doc once she’s done with anyone with major injuries first.” 
You drop the blanket in your hand and rush to him, wrapping him up in a giant hug, happy to no longer be left alone with your treacherous thoughts. You just need to be held for a moment and he smells like Bucky since somehow his blood is on his undershirt. Seems he had taken off the top half of his uniform at some point. 
The urge to take his blood stained shirt is increasing the longer he holds you. You must have it for your nest. Taking a step back, you thrust your hands underneath the fabric, running them along his abs and up his chest until you can pull it off him. 
Steve stands there motionless, in shock from the unprompted groping you just gave him. He watches as you inhale a big whiff of their mixed scents through your nose, as you clutch the shirt to your chest and face. 
It starts to actually calm you. Which is interesting since you're newly mated and Steve is not your bonded Alpha. Maybe it's because Bucky’s always with Steve and they’ve known each other so long. Maybe it’s because you know what his dick tastes like on your tongue. Or it can be a whole other thing entirely. You’ll have to figure that out another time though, because right now all you care about is trying to stay calm until you lay eyes on your Alpha again.
Yes, Bucky reassured you it’s just surface wounds that’ll easily heal within the day but until you can visually check that he’s okay you're going to continue to feel unsettled. 
A now shirtless Steve, shakes himself out of his stupor and begins to try and relax, releasing calming pheromones into the air. You just want to go back to your nest and continue to perfect it until Bucky is back. So that’s just what you do. “Thanks for coming home to check on me Stevie. It means a lot. Really. I’m gonna head back into the room now though. Holler if you need me for anything.” 
From time to time, Steve ducks his head into the bedroom to check on you. He watches as you fidget with your nest, trying to get it just right. Seeing you like this is doing something to him he can't quite understand. It’s making him feel all warm and content, but also a bit melancholy. 
He’s really struck out in the love department throughout his life. No one seems to just fit for him. He’s very happy that his best friend has found his Omega though. You two really are perfect for each other. Even now, mated to Buck, your scent is still mouthwatering to him. Just your mere presence can soothe his overactive brain. He’s drawn to you like a moth to a flame and even though he’s not quite sure why that is, he truly enjoys the feeling. But that’s a secret he’ll have to keep to himself.
Tumblr media
You lose yourself in constructing your nest until you hear voices filter in through the hall, right as Bucky’s thick scent hits you. “Where’s your shirt pal?”
You run out of the room, pausing once you reach the end of the hall and spot Bucky. Taking a visual account that he’s all in one piece. Other than a cut that is already healing on his forehead, he looks disheveled, but perfectly fine. 
“You're okay.” You whisper and run into his arms. Soaking the bond in relief and love. Burying your face in his neck, saturating yourself in his sandalwood and whiskey scent. You pull back to gaze into those soulful baby blues.
“Hi, babygirl.” He kisses your nose.
“Hi, Sarg.” You kiss the cut on his head. “I’m so glad you're back. But you look a complete mess.” He chuckles at you and squeezes your ass that’s cradled in his hands. “That so Omega?” 
You bite your lip and nod your head. “Mmhmm. Let’s go get you cleaned up.”
“As you wish, sweet girl. Night Stevie. Thanks again for checking in on her” You wave goodnight as your Alpha carries you off into the hall.
Steve watches your retreating forms with longing in his eyes and an ache in his chest until you're out of his sight. 
Someday I’ll have that. 
Tumblr media
Bucky carries you through his room to the en suite, noticing the nest you made on his bed along the way and smiling to himself.
He places you on the counter as he reaches in and starts to warm up the shower.
You take your time undressing him and kissing every bump, bruise and healing laceration. “Keep that up Omega and we won't even make it into the shower. Now lift your arms up so I can help you out of these clothes.” 
You raise your arms and he steals a kiss after he removes your shirt. Tracing his fingers down your torso til he reaches your hips and taps them to let you know to lift them so he can remove your bottoms. He leaves a trail of kisses up your calves and thighs as he makes his way back up. With one more tortuous kiss he lifts you up and carries you into the large walk in shower, now filled with steam and sets you down underneath the waterfall spray.
You reach over and grab the shampoo off the built-in shelf on the wall. “You’re too tall for me to reach you all the way up there so I’m gonna need you to either bend down or kneel so I can get my hands on that scalp of yours.” 
He kneels before you.
With your breasts level with his face, he can't help but sneak a little kiss to your sternum as he wraps his arms around your hips. As you begin to massage and lather up his scalp, you feel the tension leave his body. The content purrs emanating from his chest send vibrations through your lower abdomen. You continue on this way for a few more minutes until it’s time for him to rinse. “Up and at em Alpha. Time to get all these suds out so I can clean the rest of you.”
With a dazed and tranquil look in his eyes, he pulls himself back up. Keeping eye contact with you until he tilts his head back and let’s the water wash away the white lather. As he’s rinsing his hair, you prep the loofah with his favorite soap. Once his head has returned to the upright position you begin to cleanse your Alpha.
You run the loofah along his strong torso and shoulders. Down his large biceps and forearms. Over his thick thighs and defined legs. Purposely ignoring the hardening length rising from his patch of curls. 
Kneeling before him you look up into the handsome face of your Alpha. “Turn around for me please, so I can continue on.” He gives you a little mischievous smirk and takes his time turning towards the wall, giving you his back side. 
You start at the bottom and make your way to the top. Soaping up his calves and the back of his thighs. Skimming over his taut buttocks. Taking your time to worship his strong back and lay kisses across his shoulder blades and scars before you lather them up. You slide the loofah down his arms, pulling yourself closer until your chest rests against his back.
You bring the suds to the rigid thickness standing proud between his legs. Taking your time to cover every inch and making sure you don't miss a single spot. 
You drop the loofah, to aide him in rinsing off his body. Your tiny hands wander over every dip and valley of skin you can reach until you wrap them around his girth and begin to stroke his length. He can't help but moan out at the feeling of you taking such good care of him.
He places his hands against the wall to maintain his balance as he gives in to the pleasure you're giving him.
You deepen the pressure but keep up the languid speed as you feel your Alpha’s breath begin to quicken, groaning out. “Fuck baby that feels so good.”
“Good. You deserve it Alpha. You’re a good man who does amazing things and will put his life on the line for others. Making you feel good is the least I can do.” You lay a kiss between his shoulder blades and increase your speed. 
His breath hitches in his throat and he lets out a deep growl, shaking your chest with its powerful tremor. Before you can even comprehend what is happening your back hits the shower wall and in one solid thrust, Bucky is deep inside you. 
You scream out from the stretch and utter uncontrolled ferality your Alpha just showed. 
“You wanna make me feel good Omega?” 
“Always.”
“Well nothing feels better than your tight little cunt wrapped around my cock as it takes a pounding.” 
Your eyes roll into the back of your head at his dirty words and deep strokes. 
“You have no idea how desperately I want to bury my knot in you right now, Omega." He skims his lips across the sensitive flesh of your exposed throat. "Unfortunately the shower is not the greatest place to be stuck together. What I can and will do though, is fuck you so deep and hard you cant help but turn into an incoherent mess.” 
All you can do is whimper, wrap your arms around his chest and hold on to his shoulders. 
You Alpha is nothing if not a man of his word. He starts fucking you so deep your seeing stars. Pulling orgasm after orgasm out of you, over and over again. You’ve lost track of how many times you’ve fallen over the edge. You have no idea how he’s lasted so long. Damn super serum.  
He couldn't be happier with himself, seeing that cock drunk look in your hooded eyes.
“Look at you, Omega. All pliant and fuzzy headed. Hind-brain taking over. Too bad were not in your nest, otherwise I would for sure be stuffing you full of my knot and fucking a baby into you.” His hips begin to speed up. “Fuck just thinking about you all round with my child growing inside you is making me wanna pop my knot right now and get a head start on our family. Would you like that, my sweet little Omega? Want your Alpha to breed you and keep you full until there’s no way you aren't pregnant with my child.” 
“F-f-fuck please Alpha. Please. Fill me up.” You mumble and slur out as your walls begin to clamp down on him as you reach the precipice of another climax.
“Fuck. You really do want that don't ya, Omega? Your little pussy is squeezing me so tight. Trying to milk me for everything I got.” His rhythm starts to falter. “That’s it baby. Fuck . Need you to come for me one more time and I'll fill you up. You can do it. Come on pretty girl. Come for me Omega. Come. Now.” 
That command was all it took for you to shatter and explode in tidal wave of pleasure. Taking Bucky along the ride with you. If it weren’t for your Alpha pinning your thighs to the wall and your arms wrapped around his shoulders, you surely would have collapsed to the floor. All you can do is cry out as he pulls back at the very last second and pops his knot against the outside of your entrance.
Your greedy pussy milks what length remains inside you for every last drop. Draining him dry as he bites down on your neck, reclaiming his mark into your supple flesh. Chest heaving up and down from the sure willpower it is taking him to not bury his knot deep inside you and making sure not a drop of his seed is wasted.
You take a moment to collect yourselves as the warm water continues to cascade down your skin. You’re placed back on your feet with a gentle kiss and satisfied purr. “Looks like we're both dirty again. You wash my back and I’ll wash yours. Deal?”
You lightly nod your head and laugh at your Alpha’s antics. “Deal. But no funny business. It’s been a long day and I just want to get clean, crawl into my nest and fall asleep wrapped up in your arms.”
“That I can do Omega.” He begins to clean you up as you do the same for him. Trading sweet kisses along the way. Once you’re both fresh and clean, you turn off the shower, dry off quickly and head off to bed.
Tumblr media
It’s time for some skin to skin snuggles, just how you like them. No blanket could ever be as warm as your Alpha’s chest.
You’re starting to drift off when you feel Bucky move his arm as if he’s grabbing something. "Omega. What's Stevie’s shirt doing in here?"
You freeze for a moment before burying your head in his chest and rambling. “It smells like you even though it's mixed with his scent because your blood is on it and I don’t know why but I just had to have it in here. It just felt right, okay.”
He runs his flesh hand lightly up and down your back feeling you begin to slightly panic. “Omega, it's okay. I do have a question for you though.”
You swallow. “Yes, Alpha.”
He kisses the top of your head, sending reassurance through the bond. “Please answer me honestly if you can. I'm truly just curious. I know we're mated now, but has Steve’s scent changed for you since I placed my mark on this pretty little neck?”
You shift nervously. “Umm. No it hasn't. Every other Alpha’s has, but not his.”
He continues to rub your back. “Do you like the way he smells?”
You take a deep breath and answer honestly. No sense in lying to your Alpha. “Yes. I do. Even more so when it's mixed with yours. I can't explain why either. I'm so sorry Bucky. How can I be bonded to you and his scent still smells so good to me. I’m the worst Omega.” You can feel a panic attack coming on. 
He pulls you in closer to his chest, lifts your chin with his metal finger and makes you look him in the eye. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, babygirl. You are not the worst Omega. And quite frankly, I’m not even upset. Rather intrigued, actually. If you're up for it, I wanna test something out.”
You shakily nod your head. “O-okay. What do you have in mind?”
“I’m going to ask Steve to come in here. I’d like to have him join us in the nest, if you're okay with that of course, and see if he’ll sleep here tonight. I know he’s a bit shaken by today’s events too. Is that ok with you Omega?”
Your brows begin to furrow as you think of him sleeping all alone after such an exhausting and your sure, emotional day. “Oh poor Stevie. I don't want him to sleep alone. Of course he can come in here. Technically his scent is already in the nest. Do I need to get fully dressed though? Our skin to skin contact is kind of important to me right now.”
He can’t help but smile at how adorable you are. “That’s all up to you babygirl. I mean the man’s dick has been in your mouth and he’s watched me fuck you more than once. I’m not going through the effort of getting dressed for the little jerk. If he’s uncomfortable he can figure it out.”
You shake your head and laugh at his antics. “You really can be an asshole sometimes. I’ll keep being naked then and just stay under the blanket cuddled up against you for now.” You kiss his chest. “You can go ahead and call him in.”
Bucky calls out and Steve peeks his head through the door. He's a bit taken aback by the feeling of happiness, lust and underlying longing he has as he gazes upon you two cuddled up in your nest. 
“You rang?” He hits you with that mischievous little smile of his.
“I found where your shirt went punk. It’s right under her pillow. Apparently our scents combined does something to her. Go figure. Anyway, I know you’re probably feeling out of sorts after today's mission and we don't feel like you should be sleeping alone. Wanna hop on in the nest and help me keep this little one warm and cozy?”
His eyes widened and his brows scrunch up. “What!? You just recently mated and you want me in your nest? Shouldn't my scent bother you now?”
You start to fidget in Bucky’s arms and look at the blonde. “I can't explain it but it's never changed for me when it comes to you. And he wasn't lying. Your scents mixed together makes me feel calm and safe. I’d really like it if you slept here tonight Stevie. No pressure though if it’s too weird for you.”
He scoffs. “Weird for me. My dick has been lodged in your throat. This is pretty tame.” 
“See told ya” Bucky laughs out as you smack him along his ribs. 
Shaking his head at his best friend he responds to you. “I’m more than happy to join you. There’s only one problem. I sleep in the nude and I’m sure you won't appreciate that.”
A coy little smile lights up your face. “I prefer skin to skin. Your level of comfort is up to you.”
He turns to your mate. “You sure about this Buck?”
Rolling his eyes at his best friend he replies. “Stop being a scaredy cat and just get in already Stevie. You can be awkward about it in the morning, alright pal.”
Not wanting to risk Bucky's temper, he undresses and climbs in behind you as you curl up tighter against your Alpha's chest. He keeps his distance though, laying on his back and staring up at the ceiling.
Bucky can feel your distress thinking you’ve freaked Steve out. “You got something against cuddling up against my girl with me?”
“Huh?”
“You got in the nest, but are way the fuck over there. I’m not gonna bite your hand off.”
“Buck...”
“Fuck this.” He leans over you, grabs Steve’s hand and places it on your bare hip. 
You stiffen at the touch, until Steve scoots closer, his chest flush against your back, wrapping his arm around your waist.
“There. All better now. Get some sleep babygirl.” Bucky lets out a low purr along with Steve that begins to lull you right to sleep.
Tumblr media
The next morning…
Bucky rouses first, as the sunlight reaches his eyes and sneaks out of bed to start some coffee. When he returns to the nest he finds you cuddled up against Steve with your head on his chest, a serene look across your face. He watches as Steve cracks his eyes open and just stares in awe at the sight of you curled up against him.
“You could wake up to that view more often ya know?”
Surprised by his words, Steve looks at his best friend. “What on earth are you talking about Buck? She’s yours. It’s your bite mark on her neck, not mine. This is the only time I’ll ever have this view. I’m just trying to savor it and imprint it in my brain, so I can revisit it when I’m all alone again.”
He softly strokes your cheek and hair.
Bucky can’t stand this pity party any longer. “You’re an idiot ya know that? She clearly has two mating glands and apparently two True Mates. How else would her scent not have changed for you when we mated like it did all the other Alpha’s on the team. And your scent hasn't changed for her either. She told us that just last night.”
Steve can feel himself starting to get agitated. “That’s ridiculous Buck. An omega with two Alpha’s is extremely rare. Don’t patronize me thinking I have a chance here. She’s yours, okay. I get that.”
“And I’m telling you that she might be yours too. What’s so wrong with that?” He inquires. 
“Yes please do tell me what is wrong with that, if that's the case?” You speak up.
Neither of them had noticed that you had awoken.
Steve looks down at you lying on his chest. “There’s nothing wrong with that IF that's the case. I just don't believe it is. I think my best friend and his omega are just feeling guilty that I’m all alone and keep catching them in the various stages of love. It’s ok guys. Really.”
You abruptly sit up.
“You think I pity you? That I'm just humoring you by letting you get close to me when I'm feeling vulnerable. That your scent doesn't provide me a sense of calm and safety just as much as my Alpha’s does. That I haven't been confused and trying to figure out why the fuck you still smell so damn good when I’m now mated to Bucky.” 
Your eyes begin to water. “You think I chose to have somehow fallen for my Alpha’s best friend too.” You slap your hands to your mouth with your outburst and turn to Bucky. 
“I’m sorry. This is just all too much. Excuse me.” You scramble out of the twisted bed sheets, running straight into the bathroom and locking the door, uncaring of your current state of nudity. 
Steve stares after you, mouth agape, as he processes your confession. Bucky just pinches the bridge of his nose. “Way to go, Stevie.”
The taunt shakes him out of his stupor. “How are you so calm right now? Your Omega just basically said she’s also in love with your Alpha best friend.”
Bucky just looks at him with a deadpan expression. “Keyword there pal…ALSO. She isn't any less mine or in love with me because her biology gifted her with two mates instead of one. We’re not typical Alpha’s, so it’s not that much of a stretch to think we wouldn't attract a typical Omega. Unless you're telling me you aren't drawn to her and want to be with her just as badly as I do.” He glares at him. “Now that would most certainly raise my temper.”
Steve lets out a huff. “So you’re telling me, that if I admit to you that I’m drawn to her. That her scent literally calls to me. That I’ve replayed that night we all hooked up together over and over and wish I had gotten a chance to at least have kissed her. That I live for the moments when it’s just the three of us here in the house, locked in our own little bubble, and I hate that I have to go to bed alone while she’s wrapped up in your arms. You're telling me, that saying all of that, doesn't make you want to punch me in the face?”
Steel Gray eyes meet the Cerulean ones of his best friend. Making sure that he focuses on what he is about to say. 
“If I hadn't seen first hand how she reacts to you and cares for you, yeah, you admitting all that shit would make me crazy. But I know my Omega. I see the sadness in her eyes that she tries to hide from me when you go off to bed alone when she’s here. Or the pure joy in them when you compliment her cooking after we’ve shared a meal. Hell she takes care of you as much as she does me. I’ve never seen her do that with Sam. Not that the asshole deserves it any way. He openly flirts with her just to piss me off.”
He stops himself before he gets too far off track. “I’m not going to tell you what to do here Stevie. Especially not with her most likely crying in the bathroom right now. What I will tell you though, is that I’m not willing to let her go even if she does have two True Mates and the other happens to be my best friend. I love her. She’s worth it.”
You’ve heard their entire exchange so far through the door you're resting against. Your tears have dried up and breath returning to normal. A warmth has spread through your chest at Bucky’s declaration. Even though you want to stay in here and protect yourself from further rejection you need to let your Alpha know how much you love and appreciate him. 
You stand up and grab one of his shirts from the hamper and throw it on. You’re feeling exposed enough and need a barrier to further protect yourself. You open the door and catch his gaze as he turns to you. Without sparing a glance to Steve you walk up to him and wrap your arms around his neck.
“God, I love you.” You pull his mouth to yours and lay a soul-deep kiss on him. Resting your forehead against his as you pull apart. “You’re worth it too, ya know. And I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me Alpha. Whether or not that includes some excess baggage. I’ll have to get back to you on that front though.” You place a soft kiss to his chin and turn around in his arms, you need his strength at your back for the next part. 
You take a deep calming breath and stare into the ocean eyes of the golden Adonis sitting on the bed before you. “I’m sorry for my emotional outburst, Steven. It wasn't fair of me to do that. Your feelings and desires are your own and I respect them. No matter how much those words stung I shouldn’t have reacted that way. Again, I’m sorry.” You turn back around and look up at Bucky. “Smells like the coffee’s ready. I’m gonna go get a cup and start breakfast. Eggs and bacon okay or do you boys need something more after the day you had yesterday.”
He knows what you’re doing. Trying to take care of him and take your mind off of the rejection you feel without distressing either of them about it. Damn sweet little omega. Even when she’s clearly hurting inside because of him she’s still taking care of both of us.
“Eggs and bacon sounds great babygirl. Anything else you feel inclined to make is a bonus.” He kisses your forehead and you shuffle out of the room. Leaving the awkward situation before Steve can even really respond to your apology.
Tumblr media
“She could barely look at me other than when she said she was sorry. Which was unnecessary to begin with.” Steve barely manages to get the words past his lips. 
“Yeah, well. She’s trying to protect herself from feeling rejected further. I can bet she doesn't want you to feel obligated to try and make this work because she was upset. She would never want that.” Bucky clarifies.
This shocks him. “What? Rejected? I didn't reject her. I would never reject her.”
As coff escapes the brunettes lips. “Stevie. You told us that you think we're just feeling guilty and sorry for you instead of the possibility that she has two mates. Sounds like a rejection to me, pal.”
“No, no, no. That’s not…I didn't mean it that way. I just meant that I wasn't lucky enough to have something like that be true. Of course I want her as mine. I’d be a fool not to.” He can feel himself start to panic. 
“Well you're a fool who put his foot in his mouth and made her upset. Figure out what it is you want before digging your hole deeper. I’m going to ask you point blank and I want an honest answer. Do you want to be with her?”
Without hesitation he responds. “Yes.”
“Do you think she could be your true mate?”
“Yes”
“Does the thought of her being mine first bother you?”
“Surprisingly, no. You deserve someone like her Buck. She really is perfect for you. I would never want to mess that up. That’s the main reason why I hid my feelings.”
“Okay. Would you want to make us a bonded pack instead of just a bonded pair?”
“Yes. I would. I’d feel honored to be in a pack with you. It feels right.”
“Alright. Then you need to tell her that. I’m not the one who needs reassurance. Make it right with her and we’ll go from there.” He turns and heads out of the room. 
Steve quickly grabs his boxers from the floor, slips them on and follows Bucky out to the kitchen where they find you cooking, hips swaying as you sing along to Amy Whinehouse playing from the Bluetooth speaker on the island. Cant beat cooking and good music to brighten your mood up.
“Even if I stopped wanting you A perspective pushes through I'll be some next man's other woman soon I cannot play myself again I should just be my own best friend Not fuck myself in the head with stupid men He walks away The sun goes down He takes the day, but I'm grown And in your way In this blue shade My tears dry on their own”
You can feel their eyes on you as you finish cutting up the fruit and placing it in a bowl. You spin around to check on the bacon cooking on the stove. “You gonna stand there all morning gawking at me or are ya gonna help out?” 
They scramble to get into the kitchen. Steve beating Bucky just barely. “What can we do?”
You’re still having a hard time looking at him right now but you can get through this. “Um. Why don’t you grab me the eggs from the fridge Steven so we can get them cooked up and Sarg you can set the table while I finish up the bacon. Good?”
Bucky saddles up behind you, wrapping his thick arms around your waist and pulling you close. He runs his nose up your neck and whispers in your ear. “I know you're feeling some type of way right now babygirl, but please just try and let him remove his head from his ass. He’s just scared. I have a feeling you’ll be pleasantly surprised if you hear him out. Plus I’ll be right over there if you need me.” He kisses your temple and heads off to set the table, swatting your ass on the way for good measure. Cheeky Alpha.
As you're flipping the strips in the skillet, Steve hesitantly moves up next to you, an egg carton clutched to his bare chest. “Need a hand with cooking the eggs so you can focus on the bacon?” he tentatively asks. 
You turn to look at America’s Golden Boy and find an awkward and somehow withdrawn man standing next to you. Is this my doing? He looks so sad. Oh Stevie.
You give him a small smile. “Sure. I’d love the help. Hey Sarg, how do you want your eggs?”
“Are we having toast?” He queries.
“Only if you're making it.” You quip back.
“Then I’ll take ‘em sunny side up, extra runny please. Steve can manage not to screw that up.”
“Ha ha. Very funny Buck. What about you, Doll? Any particular way you’d like yours cooked?” He’s got all of his focus on you as he patiently waits for your answer.
“Scrambled will be just fine for me, Steve. Thank you.” You can feel that warmth starting to spread through your chest again the longer he stands beside you, bathing you in his citrus and cedar scent. 
“You got it, Doll.” He gives you that devastating smile of his and you can feel the threads hanging on to your bruised ego starting to fray. Stupid handsome Alpha messing with my hormones.
You continue to cook in silence. The only sound coming from the speaker on the island. You exchange small subtle touches as you pass over one another for this or that as you finish making breakfast and place it on the table. The tension has slowly built and you have no idea when or if it will break. 
Tumblr media
Bucky sits at the head of the table with you to his right.
Surprisingly, Steve chooses to take the seat next to you instead of across the table. After a couple of awkward silent bites Bucky pipes up. “This is perfect, Omega. You're always taking such good care of us.” 
You feel heat rise to your cheeks at his praise. “I can’t take all the credit this morning. Steve helped out.” 
“Well it wouldn't have felt right if you did it all yourself. I’ll always help you out whenever I can, Doll.” He’s gazing at you with such an earnest look in his eyes. 
He reaches for your hand. “Doll, there’s something I need to say before I lose my nerve.”
He has all your attention now. “Go ahead. I’m listening.” You give his hand a little squeeze just as Bucky slides his hand onto your thigh and gives a squeeze as well. Just letting you know he’s right here with you if anything goes wrong. 
“I need you to know that I wasn’t rejecting you. I was feeling sorry for myself and on the defensive. I spoke out of fear and you got hurt because of it. It’s killing me inside that you could believe, even for a moment, that I wouldn't want you.” 
He intertwines his fingers with yours. 
“You’re everything I’ve ever wanted in an Omega and it just so happens that my best friend got to you first. I’ve been harboring feelings for you for a long time now and had just come to terms with the fact that I would most likely end up a lone Alpha forever when your scent didn't change after Buck claimed you. That night we all hooked up was the closest I thought I would ever get to having you. And I didn't even get to kiss you.” 
You cock your head to the side. “You wanted to kiss me that night?”
“Oh little omega, I always want to kiss you.” There’s that confidence you love so much rising back to the surface.
“I just wasn't allowed to. I knew my place and I would never do that to Buck. You're made for each other. So when he suggested that the one thing I crave for, could very much be a real possibility, I felt like a joke was being played on me. How could I be so lucky to not only have found a true mate but share her with my best friend. An omega with two mates was rare even in our day. I didn't want to get my hopes up for it to all come crashing down and I lose not only you but my best friend in the process.”
You push back a blonde lock that had fallen into his eyes back into place. “I get it. I do. That’s why I apologized for my outburst.”
He squeezes your hand in his and places the other against your cheek. “No, no, no. You didn't need to apologize. You had every right to feel that way. I’m just an idiot who was lost not only in his head but in the past as well. I might be this big strong Alpha now, but some of those old insecurities of the smaller me make an appearance from time to time. That was one of those times.”
He runs his thumb along the apple of your cheek. “What I’m trying to say, is that I’ve fallen for you too. It’s more than just being drawn to your scent. No matter how mouthwatering it is. You're sweet and caring. You never exclude me when you’re around and you treat me like a real person not some Superhero to be adored. You keep me grounded and I have never seen Bucky more like himself than when he started seeing you. If you're willing to try and Buck is truly okay with it, I would like to see where this goes. Ultimately I would like us to become a pack. I would want you to be mine as much as you are his. What do you say, Doll?”
You stare into those deep pools of cerulean, full of nothing but adoration and a hint of fear. Placing your hand against the nape of his neck, you pull him forward into a kiss. It starts off slow and sweet, quickly morphing into an inferno of need and passion. You pour everything into this kiss, uncaring that your Alpha is watching, until you pull apart, desperately in need of air. 
His eyes are lust blown and he’s sporting a dopey lovesick grin. “I take it, that’s a yes then.”
Bucky busts out laughing. He can’t help himself. “Oh, man. You really are still that skinny little awkward punk. All dopey eyed after one kiss from a Dame ya like.”
Steve rolls his eyes. “Oh shove it, asshole. I remember you wandering around the house all love drunk when she kissed you the first time. You have no room to talk.” 
You turn to Buck with a slackened jaw. “You got all twitterpated after I finally let you kiss me goodnight? Awww, Alpha.”
Not embarrassed by it in the slightest he leans in towards you. “Damn right I did. That kiss was fucking magical. I’d never felt anything like it before.”
You place a sweet kiss on his lips and then turn to Steve and do the same. “I’m sure this back and forth ribbing between the two of you will never truly die down. So who’s up for movies and snuggles? I might even be willing to be talked into a little heavy petting.” 
You get up from the table, starting to clear the dishes, when Bucky stops you. “Omega let us do that. You are to relax the rest of the day.”
You place the plates back on the table. “Does that mean my movie marathon is a go?”
Steve wraps his arms around your hips and pulls you close, laying his head on your stomach as he gazes up at you. “Yes, little omega. We can have a lazy day full of movies, snuggles and most certainly some heavy petting. Buck and I just have to check in for a quick debrief with Tony, but we can do that over video in my office after we clean up breakfast. Why don't you go make the living room all cozy for the three of us and pick out the movies you want to watch and as soon as we’re done with business we’ll be all yours.”
You’re smiling from ear to ear, thankful this morning has turned around and excited to explore this new dynamic together. Who would have thought you’d have not one, but two True Mates. Best friends at that. You’re sure this ride is gonna be full of twists and turns but you can't wait to get started. 
“Just don’t keep me waiting too long.” You kiss his forehead as he releases you and then place one on Bucky’s cheek as he passes by, taking the dishes to the sink. 
You begin to walk into the living room, grabbing the hem of Bucky’s shirt you're still wearing. “Oh and boys. Clothing is optional.” 
You pull the shirt over your head and continue on your way, sauntering over to the couch, two sets of blue eyes locked on your bare bottom. You hear them both mutter simultaneously “Fuck” before a flurry of movement is heard. 
Knotheads.
Tumblr media
82 notes · View notes