#i pulled this entire week out of my ass [looks up to sky] this ones for you joseph

[rendevok]

My illustrations for CJC Week 2022 - unofficially titled Green Carnations

Done in collaboration with my friend Zee, who wrote a lovely fic by the same title.

[oneforthemunny]

🪡 🪄 🌙

janitor!eddie, smut, rain.

minors dni. smut. really sweet smut. a little voyeurism??

"I thought the weather man said it wasn't supposed to rain today?" You squinted towards the greying sky, a dark cloud rolling towards your home.

"Yeah, maybe it'll pass." Eddie shrugged, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his gloved hand. "Hope it does, anyway. I don't want the mulch to flood away."

It had been two weeks since you both had moved in together, bought a house, and spent every waking second unpacking and sprucing up the little fixer upper.

Well, almost every second.

The other time was spent pawing at each other, pulling the other close, shoving clothes off in every square inch of your new home. There was something so sexy about domesticity, Eddie decided.

The weather had promised clear skies for the next two days, which turned out to be false. You felt a wet glob fall on your shoulder as you were bent over the flower beds pulling overgrown weeds, and before you knew it, a furious rain storm was pouring relentlessly down on the two of you.

You scurried, trying to pick up your gloves, the gardening tools so they wouldn't rust, sprinting with Eddie to the small covered porch for shelter, dripping from the pelting rain.

"Shit," Eddie huffed, rain droplets running down his face, his neck. A single drop of rain tracing down the vein of his neck, the one you loved to nip at. "So much for clear skies, huh? No chance of rain my ass. That weather guy needs to find a new career, because this is the second time he's- oof!"

Eddie's rant was cut short, words stolen by your lips, feverishly pressing into his. It was his favorite interruption, one he'd never complain about.

Your hands pulled at his soaking shirt, the wet cotton heavy and tight against his skin, wringing the water out in your fists. The rain continued to drive, bouncing off the grass and the edge of the concrete slab you were on, sheltered by the covering.

"Sweetheart," Eddie groaned, rain droplets sliding down from his own soaking hair and skin to you. "What're you doin'?" He muttered, a teasing grin of a smile that told you he knew exactly what you were doing.

"Mm, you look really good wet." You muttered, hands knotted through the base of his neck, tugging him closer to you.

"And you said you wanted to do it in every room of the house." Your eyes lit with sparks of excitement, adrenaline running through Eddie's veins. "We haven't done it here."

"H-Here?" Eddie's voice cracked, eyes wide. His heart hammered with adrenaline, looking at the neighbors over the wood fence. His cock rushed with excitement, the thrill of it, leaving his head reeling and rushing.

"Baby, what if they see?" Eddie muttered, though his hips didn't move from your grasp, didn't wiggle aways when you reached for the button of his jeans.

"They won't, Eddie. The fence will cover us." You grinned, lips curling in a devious little smile.

And who was Eddie to deny you? He'd be a fool. A fool who would never know what it was like to feel you, wet chest to wet chest, rain running down the two of your bodies as you rocked slowly on top of him, the rain pouring over the two of you.

It felt entirely romantic, ethereal, like something out of the fantasy books he'd read, or the rom-coms you'd make him watch; having sex in the rain, getting soaked from the elements, clinging to the other, so vulnerable in the outdoors but hidden.

Eddie didn't care about the grass in his hair, or that the mulch had definitely washed away. Not when he got to hear your small whimpers of pleasure, drowned out by the steady stream of the rain, finishing with you, buried deep inside you.

There was a patch left in the grass for weeks after that. A rutted, soil exposed spot from Eddie's back. Every morning, Eddie would look at it, grinning smugly at the memory. He hoped it would never grow back, stay there forever as a reminder.

[spidermans-l-o-v-e-r]

Rainy days

Will I edit this now that I’m posting it here? NOPE

Pairing: Steve x Bucky x Reader

Word Count: Hmmm I don't even remember when I wrote this

Notes: Man we aint gon talk about when I'm posting this

Today was a shit day. Brad from accounting spilled his coffee on your brand new white shirt, your boss called you in to tell you the deadline had been moved up a week and a half, there was no toilet paper in the bathroom and to top it off you’d grabbed the wrong lunch that morning and ended up with a leftover container of plain spaghetti noodles instead of your onigiri you’d make last night.

“This day literally could not get worse. I truly don’t think it could like what could actually happen” You grumbled as you got into your car, slamming the door shut. You pushed the break and hit the button.

Nothing.

You pushed the break and the button again.

Nothing.

Famous last words as they say.

“Are you shitting me!?!?” You screamed at the top of your lungs, you kicked your feet and slammed your hands into the steering wheel

“What did I do! What did I possibly do to deserve any of this!” You screamed to no one as you sobbed in your car. Was it a bit dramatic? Yes. Did the sky decide to just open the flood gates at that exact moment? Also Yes.

You stared blankly at the rain, watching it stream down the windows. It was heavy and unforgiving as thunder cracked above you, you looked down at the heels on your feet, your brand new light pink ones. The weatherman said it was supposed to be a sunny fall day. It was supposed to nice and cool and dry. Comfortable even.

You laid your head on the steering wheel and just sat there, listening to the rain fall. If you weren’t so broken it would have been peaceful. You tried the button one more time and it still wouldn’t come on.

You reached blindly for your phone and grabbed it, punching the favorites button and holding it up to your ear.

“Hey Doll, are you on your way home yet?”

You sniffled and shook your head, not that Bucky could see you.

His tone changed quickly to worry “Y/N? Where are you?” You heard his voice a little further away, he was already searching for your location.

“You’re still at work? You got off 20 minutes ago is everything okay?” You can hear him moving around knowing he’s already ready to head out of the door and take out anyone he needs to.

“Can you guys please come pick me up.” Your voice is wobbly and small “My car broke down in the parking lot. I’m okay I’m safe I just need you to come get me.”

“We’re already in the car, we’ll be there in…what seven? Eight minutes?”

You hear Steve’s voice “Like seven”

“Yeah seven minutes okay? Keep the doors locked and stay alert”

You smirked a bit. Your workplace was 15 minutes from the house. 22 ish if the lights were in a mood. “I promise I will, see you soon.”

Steve and Bucky arrived in exactly seven minutes. You heard the tail end of Steve’s conversation as they approached the car, umbrella’s in hand. “Okay we’ll wait… thanks for the lights” Tony was a sweetheart sometimes. Bucky unlocked the doors and opened your side up, he leaned against it as he held an umbrella.

“Your escorts have arrived” he smiles a bit at you. Steve is behind him frowning, you know you look awful right now your makeup ruined your shirt ruined. But it’s not really meaning much now that they’re here. Bucky unbuckles your seatbelt for you and holds open his arms.

“C’mere doll..” his voice is soft as he hugs you to his chest, Steve comes around and squishes you between the two of them.

“You’re okay baby girl we’re here now”

You cry into Bucky’s chest as they hold you, Steve pulls you away and guides you to their car, opening the door for you. Tony had finally taken away Steve’s tiny ass car privileges. He bought him a truck fit for two super soldiers and created an entire course for Steve to practice driving with it. You remember relaxing with Pepper in lawn chairs while sipping on drinks as Tony had a whole aneurysm teaching him to drive. Bucky sat in the tailgate occasionally breaking up fights but sipping on his own drink as well.

Steve got in the truck after you, pulling you into his lap and holding you tightly to his chest, you melted into his ridiculously comfy chest, his large pecks plush and comforting. He chuckled and stroked your hair, kissing your head.

“You warm enough? Do we need to turn on the heat?”

“Trust me I do not need the heat with you furnaces in here”

Bucky started up the truck and turned on his music, something soft, something he’d play often when you couldn’t sleep. You never knew what it was but it was nice, something from another time.

“Tony should be here any minute now and then we can leave” Steve says as he puts his legs up, cradling you against his body. You lay there for a bit, still sniffling against Steve’s chest. He chuckles as he keeps stroking your hair

“Come on beautiful, it’ll be okay.”

It’s quiet for a bit as you all wait, Bucky and Steve making light conversation and you chiming in a couple times but not really saying much. They’re a little worried, they know it was just a bad day but they can’t help it.

Tony arrives 15 minutes later all ready to take your car away and work it over and see what happened. Bucky gets out and handles everything for you. The car gets loaded onto a truck and taken away to his workshop. Tony reassures you from his own car that he’ll send a car for you first thing in the morning and that you’ve been called out of work for the next week. You look out of the window and smile

“Tony thanks really but I can’t be out that long I have a project to work on and-“

Tony puts his hand up “Don’t worry I’ll have someone else on that tomorrow. I bought the company! You just rest up kid!”

Your mouth drops and before you can even protest he speeds away and Steve yanks you back down into his lap. Bucky starts up the truck and starts on his way, driving the three of you back to your shared apartment.

Once back home Bucky starts a hot shower for you and Steve goes into the kitchen immediately. He says he’s got a surprise for you for dinner and to go take a nice long shower. Bucky surprisingly keeps his hands to himself, making sure you’re nice and clean and taken care of, giving you soft kisses and little caresses.

“I know what’ll make you feel better” Bucky comes up behind you as you’re putting your hair serum in, he kisses your bare shoulders softly and puts his arms around you, watching you comb your fingers through your hair.

“What’s that?” You ask as you look at him in the mirror. He pulls open one of the drawers in front of you and takes a bottle of lube out. Your eyes go wide as he leads you into the bedroom, letting your towel drop.

“I know you’re tired and hungry so while Steve is cooking for you let’s just cuddle okay?” He pushes you back on the bed carefully

“Why do we need that?” You point at the bottle “for cuddling”

“Because it’s your favorite kind of cuddling.” He jokes as he takes off his boxers he’d put on when he went to see if Steve needed help, you bite your lip as you look at him, trying to keep your eyes on his. He smirks as he pours lube into his hand, coating his cock in it as he rubs it slowly. You drool a bit as he gets nice and hard, his cock glistening in the light. You squeeze your thighs together and he leans down, giving you a kiss as he eases you onto your back. He pours more lube onto his fingers and spreads your lips, rubbing it up and down teasing you before carefully sinking his fingers in, they go in easily and your hips buck. He chuckles as you fuck your self on his fingers, moaning softly as you tighten that coil in your belly, winding it up tighter and tighter. His thumb rubs your clit as he pumps his fingers in and out and you moan louder, your hips losing control as you cum over his fingers, he keeps pumping you through your orgasm, grinning wickedly as he watches the way your body reacts to his fingers

“Good girl, cum for me so I can make sure you’re wet enough.” He praises as you lay there, your body jello, your legs trembling. He pulls you up on the bed so your head is on the pillows. He strokes himself a few more times and gets on the bed with you, kissing your hair. He wipes his hands on a napkin from the bed and throws it into the trash can

“Nice shot” you giggle and he smiles, adjusting your body again so you’re facing him. He grabs your leg, lifting it up and positions himself between your legs, his head teasing your entrance as he pushes into you. You let out a long, low moan as he fills you to the hilt. He puts your leg back down and you adjust yourself a bit, your head nuzzled into his neck.

“Thanks Doll” he whispers in your ear as he pulls a blanket over the two of you and wraps his arms around you. You’re practically purring as he rubs your back while kissing your head. “We can stay just like this. You take a nap, you deserve it.

“You want to stay l-like this?” You blush as your cunt squeezes around his cock. He nods as he groans softly, adjusting himself again.

“You need a nap sugar and I know this always makes you feel better… let me do this for you”

“Oh and this has nothing to do with how it makes you feel?” You smirk as you snuggle into him again, closing your eyes.

“I didn’t say it didn’t make me feel amazing” he chuckles, pushing his long hair back. “Do you want to talk about it?”

You sigh “what’s there to talk about? Today was shit. I can’t believe Brad wasn’t looking where he was going he never looks where he’s going! A-and he ruined that new shirt you and Steve got me I can’t stand that asshole! I have absolutely no idea what the hell is wrong with my car-“

“Tony’s handling that” He interrupts and you smile

“Do I need to pick the color?”

“Yes and if you’d like a specific model let him know.” He chuckles as you roll your eyes, adjusting again. You move your hips a little, rolling them on his cock and he looks at you, raising his eyebrow

“He doesn’t have to do that… I can just get it fixed.” You ignore the look he’s giving you and keep gently rolling your hips.

“It’s not often an Avenger gets a happy ending Y/N… let alone two. Let him take care of you. You know how much he loves you”

You run your fingers through his fluffy hair and smile “Maybe we can invite him and Pepper over sometime for dinner”

Bucky nods, kissing your neck gently. “Yeah I think he’d like that..” He moans in your ear as you keep moving your hips on his cock, it’s not enough to make him cum but it’s enough to keep him nice and hard inside you. You feel him, warm and thick, filling up your insides. You can feel the way your tight hole stretches around him, his balls pressed against you he’s so deep. They’re so full and firm against you, you can’t help but dream about them exploding inside you, breeding your tight cunt like he loves to do.

“Are you feeling any better?” Bucky asks, his voice husky as you reach down to rub his balls between your legs. Your breath hitches as you feel them

“Y-yeah I think I am”

You're just starting to massage his balls when there’s a knock at the door. Steve stands in the doorway, in just an apron, and your mouth drops wide open.

“S-Steve?” Your voice cuts out

“I thought it would cheer you up!” He grins widely as he brings a tray into the bedroom. Bucky pulls out sighing loudly and you whine as you sit up without him. He sits up and picks your waist up, using the metal arm, it sends a chill through your hot body and sits you right back down on his cock. You cry out and he chuckles, holding your hips in place.

“I hope you’re hungry, I made lasagna” he sets the tray in front of you and Bucky but neither of you can concentrate on anything but him. God that man’s ass was something else. You can practically feel Bucky throbbing inside you at the sight of him, you’re both drooling over him.

“I think I’m hungry for something else” You mumble and Bucky nods against your shoulder

“Definitely hungry for something else”

[dance-on-the-moonlight]

"stupid, emotional, obsessive little me" | M.R.

➵ summary: you're in love with your best friend, and he doesn't know it.

➵ pairing: mattheo riddle × fem!best friend

➵ warnings: angst, unrequited feelings, 1st pov, spelling mistakes

➵ song i'd like to imagine was played is solas

➵ masterlist

part one | part two

I am not beautiful, but I could be.

If I changed my hair, or had darker skin, if my hair wasn't unruly and bleached, if my eyes weren't a weird shade between green and blue, they almost looked grey, if my nose wasn't as big and nostrils as wide, or my lips big and dry and if my teeth weren't small or if my gums didn't show when I smiled.

Maybe if I looked like her I'd be beautiful.

 But comparing is a shit thing to do, a bad virtue she had and couldn't rid herself off of, so instead of sulking and watching him whisper sweet nothings to the pretty girl, something that makes her quietly laugh, she turn her gaze towards the parchment in front of her. A blank page watched back, a few splotches of ink dropped from her quill that trembled slightly in her hand.

I am so failing at History of Magic if I don't start, at least, taking notes. I sighed deeply, sneaking a look at Hermione's paper to see her page already filled completely. Discreetly leaning in towards her I tried to copy her notes, thankfully she didn't say anything and just scoffed before resuming her writing.

My notes came out completely sloppy and messy, like they always did, but with the ink droplets it was completely illegible. I pursed my lips before ripping the parchment and standing up along with the rest of the students as the class ended.

Catching up to my friends, I wave to Hermione as she goes to find the rest of the Golden Trio. Theo and Enzo were bickering about something as we piled in the Great Hall, the chatter of other students went unnoticed to me as my thoughts swirled in my head. I sat on the bench, throwing my bag next to me, elbows on the table as I rest my head on my palms.

"What's up your ass today, Y/N?", Theo nudged me with his shoulder. "I'm failing History and the school year hasn't ever properly started." Not entirely a lie, but still not the whole truth.

Not sure how would it sound if I said that what bothers me is the fact my best friend already has a girl and it's only been a week since the school year started. But it's not like it's a surprise, really.

Theo's hand found it's way across my shoulders, pulling me into him as he chuckled. "No worries, we'll fail together, that way summer school won't be as lonely." I snort, slapping my hand across his chest.

"Why are we talking about summer school already?", my body went rigid at sound, every muscle in my body freezing, only hoping Theo doesn't notice. Mattheo moved my bag gently on the floor before sitting next to me, his body angled towards us as he leaned a bit to get a closer look at us. A scarred brow lifted as his eyes danced between Theo and me. Theo squeezed me gently before removing his hand, a teasing smile on his lips.

"We just like to make plans in advance, isn't that right, principesa?"  I roll my eyes at the nickname, he rarely uses it. Mattheo hummed, averting his gaze from us.

I was looking through the window as the rain slowly fell from the sky. A few of the students that were outside ran inside as fast as they could as to not get wet. Eyes gliding over to the pair that stayed behind, slowly dancing in the rain, not caring who saw or how wet they'll get. 

My heart was gripped by two hands, crushed and twisted, a boulder of emotions pressed on my chest. It pushed and pushed on my lungs until it felt like I couldn't breathe. I tried to take a breath, but a rope around my neck tightened with every attempt.

I felt like I was drowning.

I raised my wand, my heart burning with jealousy at something I'll never have. A simple spell I learned last year with Hermione, made the rain stop in it's tracks mid air. The pair halted with their dancing, with giggles I swear I could hear all the way up here, they ran inside.

 When i couldn't see them anymore the rain fell again with the flick of my wand, but my heart still burned.

Shaking my head, I made the rest of the trek towards the Astronomy tower, it was cold up here. My teeth clenched as the wind whipped my hair, stray raindrops acted as the tears I refused to let flow down my cheeks. 

In the far left corner sat and old piano, it had a propped leg by some folded parchment, the chair squeaked under my weight and the tiles were out of tune. Nobody really knows how did an old piano end up here or why it was still here. There were speculations of course, but they were nothing more than that.

I like to tell myself it was left here for me.

With trembling fingers I played a song of my heart, an out of tune beat just like the piano tiles. My fingers were red, and my nose runny by the time I heard his voice.

"I didn't hear you play since last summer." His voice blended in with the thunder that hid the sound of me hitting the wrong key. My body trembled, despite the warm cloak that he draped over my shoulders. Eyes never straying from the dirty keys I let out a breath, thankful for the rain that left my cheeks damp. 

"Couldn't sleep?", I decide on saying, my voice coming out hoarse and wrong. "Yeah." His voice sounded broken, like the last key, in the far right that I needed to finish the song. Fingers hovering over it for a moment before I rested my hands in my lap.

 I want to ask him of what he dreamt, which nightmare plagued his mind now; even if I knew all of them by now. Instead I scooted on the creaking chair, making space for him which he gladly accepts. I rub my hands together, feeling the bite from the cold now that the son is over, his hand twitches as if he's gonna reach for me, but instead he puts it in his pocket, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. 

He took a deep breath, smoke whirling around us, carried by the wind as my eyes trace a raindrop that follows the slope of his cheek. Brown eyes find mind, a small smile on his lips and I blink away the fog in my mind. His curls are all over the place and I have to force myself to not reach up and run my hand through them. It's like he hears my thoughts as his fingers brush through his curls, the same hand drapes over my shoulders pulling me closer to him. 

My lungs were crushed by the weight of my unspoken words. But I'd rather choke on them than loose what I have here. The only sound I could hear, is the one I can't control when he's near, it's the beating of my wild heart.

part 2?

[whousestypewriters]

friends till the end right? - k.a x reader

pairing: kai azer x reader

requested: yes / no

warnings: swearing

a/n: im living off of these crumbs until i get my hands on reckless fr. this'll be he last fic queued/posted until i get back lovelies. hope you enjoy mwah <33

taglist: @nqds, @lxvebelle, @reminiscentreader, @off-to-the-r4ces, @ecliphttlunar

@tornqdowarnings

kai azer was your friend.

your bestfriend.

you grew up together, he, just one week older than you basically being your guide into life. you both know he's full of shit and that he just likes to brag that he's older.

you've been by his side for all of it. the awful way edric treated him - which you still want to shove a dagger up edric's ass for by the way - to sneaking into the kitchen and eating lemon tarts with him.

you're his other half and he's yours.

he was by your side when your parents died, never once leaving you during those awful days. he pulled you out of your slump and brought you back to life.

so yeah....

you were close.

and although you were possibly the closets friends in ilya. you wanted more. you wanted to be the girl he looked at in every room the girl who he would recognise anywhere. you wanted to be his girl.

but that wasn't happening anytime soon. it was mere delusional thinking.

"hey, darling," kai's voice snaps you out of your thoughts. "you just gonna lie there all day?"

sighing you open your eyes and look up to kai. "it is rather comfy," you grumble at him. shutting your eyes and the image of kai and the colorful morning sky out.

"well its not my fault you tripped mid-spar."

"EXCUSE ME?" you practically fly up off the ground in anger. "I DID NOT TRIP YOU LITTLE SHIT-" you yell before kai cuts you off with a hand to your mouth.

"hush, you don't want to wake the entire kingdom with your loud ass mouth, you'd think you were a damn amplifier not tele."

you scoff and shove him back, causing him to stumble a little. "i'm going to murder you in your sleep."

"i get to look at your pretty face while dying? thats the greatest gift," kai smirks at you before shoving you back into a nearby tree, "and that was payback for shoving me."

"you deserved my shove. I didn't deserve yours," you huff leaning against the tree while kai looked at you from a few feet away. "what?" you ask. "do i have something on my face? if its dirt im blaming you, i've got lessons all morning after this."

he had an indecipherable look on his face. it only added to your confusion when he stepped closer, his body crowding yours the heat rolling off his skin and onto yours. still looking at you strangely he raises his hand slowly moving towards your face.

"what are you doing?" you meant it to sound questioning and stern but it just came out all breathy and high pitched.

his hand brushed you cheek as he raised it and pulled a twig from your hair. "you had something in your hair," his voice was soft and the moment crackled between the two of you.

there was no reason for you two to be standing that close. it was purely choice. and when kai's head dipped a little you almost gasped at how close you two were.

this was it, oh my god, you were getting your moment? that delusion was turning into a reality.

your breaths mingled together and you're ninety percent sure when kai's hand cupped your cheek and the other grabbed your waist you died a little inside - in the good way.

this was it.

"good morning guys!" a voice came from the other side of the training grounds as kitt strolled leisurely into the area.

kai stepped back from you quickly and headed over to chat with his brother but not before sending you a look that made you want to grin like a school girl.

maybe those delusions weren't so wrong after all.

[acourtofmarvels]

You Called

Rhysand x she/her POV

Warnings: Miscommunication :D

Word count: 2746

Rhysand watched as she danced under the starfall. Absolutely beautiful. The most beautiful female he'd ever layed eyes on.

She was his mate.

That word seems foreign in his head. 200 years old, he never thought he would ever find his mate.

She didn't know though. The bond hadn't set for her. At least thats what he thought. He'd known for about 20 years now. His brothers had some suspicion but he didn't tell anyone.

He tried for about 15 years to get the bond to set for her. He wanted it to come naturally and not be the one to tell her. It's not the right time, he thought. So he gave it a rest for now.

He couldn't be around her though, so he distanced himself for 5 years. Only approaching or speaking to her when needed.

Her POV

"Did I do something to Rhysand?" It was late at night, Starfall was over. I had drug Mor to stay with me in the House of Wind. Usually we would stay at the townhouse but I wasn't feeling entirely sure I was welcome.

"What do you mean?" Mor mumbled. She was very drunk and trying to sleep. I didn't drink much tonight, which was not normal for me. I always go all out for nights like this like but I had to much on my mind tonight. I couldn't even fully appreciate starfall.

I had a nice night, don't get me wrong. But the whole time I just had this aching pain in my chest I didn't understand. 

"He just seems different. He barely talks to me anymore. Barely even acknowledges me. I don't know what I did..." He can't possibly know. 

"Babe, just relax. It's probably nothing. He gets in moods sometimes." More voice was quiet. I know she was fighting sleep to talk to me. I shouldn't have had this conversation at a time like this.

"Some long ass mood..."

***

"Az! Please wake up! Open your eyes, Azriel." I shook his shoulders. We had been shot down from the sky. When he hit the ground he was knocked unconscious. Even with the ash arrow through my wing I was still able to land.

We had been on a mission for the past 2 weeks. We were flying home from Spring Court when multiple ash arrows started flying through the air. Azriel blocked most of them from me but I still got shot. I couldn't grab him in time before he hit the ground.

It was night time. I could barely see anything through the trees and the dark sky.

I could hear footsteps and voices getting closer. I must protect Azriel. I'm wounded but I won't go down without a fight.

I needed to get help. I covered Azriel's body with my own as I closed my eyes. Rhys. I wasn't sure if I could reach him from this far. Rhys I need you. What if he has me completely blocked out? Rhysand please, they're coming.

The footsteps were close. I pried myself off of Azriel, pulled my sword off my side and stood up straight. My body ached. I could feel the poison from the arrows weakening my body, making me sicker by the second.

I think I blacked out, fighting these people, whoever they were. I didn't stop, couldn't stop. My body was drenched in their blood, or maybe it was my own blood.

I was overpowered. Knife to my throat. This was it. This is where I die. I can't save Azriel. I can't save myself. Killed by men in masks.

"Cowards," I choked out, blood dripping from my mouth. "Show your faces."

"Illyrian scum." The one holding the dagger to my neck said viciously. "Don't worry. We'll send your wings to your High Lord. Then we'll take his when we-" his sentence was cut short by his head coming off his body.

I gasped as the dagger nicked my neck slightly. The rest of his men began screaming loudly, holding their heads as they all fell to their knees. Then, absolute silence. And they were all dead.

I turned around quickly, still on the ground to see who killed my attackers. I let out a sob as I saw his familiar, piercing violet eyes.

He was on his knees before me, taking hold of my face in his hands. He looked over at all my injuries.

"You came," my voice failed me. I was holding onto him for support. I knew I was about to lose consciousness from the ash poison and the loss of blood.

"You called. Of course I came. What happened?"

"Azriel, you have to take him. Take him home now, Rhys." I pleaded with him, tears I had been holding back began to roll down my face. "He's hurt. I couldn't wake him up. Take him, please."

Rhys whipped his head over to Azriel who was unconscious in his own puddle of blood. I was praying that he was just unconscious and not...

"I'll be back for you." Rhys placed a kiss on the top of my head before he picked Azriel up in his arms and winnowed away. 

He's gonna be okay. He's gonna be okay. He's gonna be...

I'm not sure how long Rhys was gone. Minutes or seconds but I was growing tired. My body was failing on me. I was defeated. The poison was still in my system. I had to stay awake.

"Keep your eyes open," the order was from my High Lord. Not my Rhys. 

"I'm tired Rhys." He picked me up off the ground. I wrapped my arms around his neck weakly. 

"You're gonna be okay sweetheart. We're home now. Just keep your eyes open." I could hear other voices around me. I could recognize Madja's voice. But I was only focused on Rhys. He set me down on a bed and began to walk away. 

"Please don't leave me." I held onto his hand tight. His promise that he would never leave me was the last thing I heard before I finally slipped into sleep. 

That's me. Why can I see myself sleeping? Is this a dream?

"She's okay, we've got her." I looked around the room, Madja was by my beside working her magic to heal me. 

"What the hell happened?" My line of vision went to Mor as she burst into the room. My heart was beating so fast, anger coursed through my veins. 

"Keep your voice down." That voice rang in my ear as if I just spoke. Rhysand. Rhysand spoke. Where was he? "They were attacked outside of Summer. They're okay."

I was looking at myself again. Aching sadness and guilt ran through me. No. No this wasn't me. This isn't what I'm feeling. I see myself through Rhysand's eyes. These are Rhy's emotions I feel.

His emotions were overwhelming. Everything he felt for me was maxed out to 100. He felt sick. Guilt was the most I could feel. Then sadness... Anger... Regret.

He felt guilty for not getting there sooner. For not being able to protect his brother and me. Sadness for the state we were both in. Anger for the men who hurt us. And regret for not making them suffer longer. 

Mor was talking to Cassian. I could hear their voices but I couldn't make out what they were saying. Rhys was tuning them out as he watched my sleeping figure on the bed. His thumb rubbing circles on the back of my hand. 

Theres something else here. I can feel it within him but... but I don't know what it is. 

I finally awoke hours later. That was such a weird dream. Or at least I thought it was a dream until I looked to my right and Rhysand was sitting beside me. His hand was still holding onto mine but he was fast asleep. 

He didn't leave. He stayed like I asked. He looked cold. I should give him my blanket. 

I barely moved a centimeter in my bed before Rhys woke up. "Are you okay? What's wrong?" He moved closer to me. He placed a hand on the side of my face gently as he looked me over. 

My whole body warmed to his touch upon my cheek. He was so close. 

I opened my mouth to speak but my mouth was far too dry. Rhys noticed immediately, using his magic to bring me a glass of water. "Here." His voice was so soft as he brought the glass to my lips so I could drink.

I was trying not to laugh at his protectiveness. I know he was worried, had been worried. But I'm alright now. I wanted to tease him but maybe I'll take this attention some more.

"I'm alright," I assured him. I took the glass from his hand and placed it on the nightstand after I took another sip. 

He kept looking me over. I was sore but I know my wounds have healed now. 

"You can go now, I wouldn't want to bother you any longer." I tried to remove my hand from his but his grip only tightened. 

"You could never bother me," he sounded hurt by the word I used. "And I'm not going anywhere."

Damn you heart. Don't flutter now. You can't do this.

I tried to slowly inhale and exhale out my nose, trying to calm my breathing. He can't know how I'm feeling. He can't know that I'm his mate. 

"Azriel, is he alright?" I tried to cover up my nervousness by thinking of something else. Why does he keep staring at me?

"Azriel will heal, it will just take longer for him. But he'll be back to himself in no time." 5 years. This was the longest conversation we had in 5 years. He pushed me away right after the bond snapped for me.

I honestly didn't know how to react after it. It was so unexpected. I had know Rhys for so long, he was my family and my best friend. Why did it take so long for this apparent bond to snap into place? Was the Cauldron playing a game with us?

I'd always had a little crush on him but always pushed it aside. Falling for my High Lord? It was embarrassing. Everyone in Velaris most likely had a crush on him. How could you not? Have you seen him?

He still hasn't let go of my damned hand. Gods, it felt like my hand was on fire. 

There was silence for so long. Rhys wasn't looking at me. He stared down at our conjoined hands. His brow furrowed as he was deep in thought.

"You seemed surprised when I arrived. Like you expected me not to come help you." He seemed angry.

My face heated up in embarrassment. "I-I just didn't think you would be able to hear me from so far away."

"No, that's not it. You expected me not to come to your aid. Why?" 

I was flustered. I hated he could read me so well. My shields were always in tact so I knew he wasn't in my head.

I tried to pull my hand away but his grip only tightened. "Let me go." He of course let go at my wish. 

"Why did you think I wouldn't help you?" His voice raised slightly.

He would keep pushing if I didn't give him an answer. He had no right to be mad at me. I should be mad at him. "Because you have been cold! Distant! Did you know this is the longest conversation we have had in nearly five years? I did expect you not to come. You hardly speak to me and when you do, you answer with one worded responses. You avoid me. Do you think I haven't noticed when you make some sorry ass excuse to leave when I enter the room? I don't know what I have done for you to dislike me so. So sorry for expecting you to not come to my aid when i ask of you."

I was furious. If my body wasn't so sore and tired I would have stormed out of the room dramatically. Now it's just awkward because he is sitting there not saying anything. Not denying it either.

"You think I dislike you?" His voice was so quiet I almost didn't hear it.

"Why else would you ignore me?"

He looked like he wanted to say something else but he bit his tongue. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair. "You are not ready for that answer."

So he admits it. He has been pushing me away. Purposefully it seems. The answer 'I'm not ready for'. Asshole.

I hated myself for the tears that weld up in my eyes. My mate doesn't even want to be around me. 

"You don't get to decide what I can and cannot handle." I looked away from him, crossing my arms over my chest.

"This isn't easy for me." Gods I wanted to punch him so bad.

"I have zero pity for you. Must be so hard pushing someone away who has done nothing but love you." I was already humiliated enough, why not put a cherry on top. Might as well tell him how I feel.

"No, no. Don't say that. You don't love me." He was pacing back and forth in front of my bed now.

"Of course I love you. I have loved you even before we-" I was the one who bit my tongue this time. 

His eyes bore into mine. "Before what?"

Can he really not feel it? This bond between us? I feel it in every bone in my body. From the bottom of my feet to the top of my wings.

"Before what?" He almost yelled.

"Before we were mates!" I yelled back at him. "There! I said it! Are you happy now? Get the fuck out!" I threw a pillow at him.

"How long have you known?"

"Get out, Rhys! I don't want to have this conversation right now." I threw another pillow at him. It was all I had around me. He caught it and threw it at the wall behind him.

"Goddamit it, Y/N! How long have you known?"

"5 years. 5 years of feeling this bond with someone who has given me the cold shoulder."

"15 fucking years I tried. I tried 15 years for the bond to set into place naturally for you and of course the second I stop trying... The moment I stopped putting myself through all that pain and decide to give you space it fucking clicks."

I think my heart stopped beating for a second. I was temped to reach my fingers to my neck and check my pulse to make sure I hadn't died.

"What?" I almost didn't even hear my own voice.

"I've known for 20 years that you're my mate and loved you for even longer before that. Guess the cauldron really wanted to fuck us over." He walked back over to the side of the bed and sat back down in his original spot. He let out a sigh of defeat. 

"How could you not tell me?" Tears rolled down my face. 

"You didn't tell me either..." I almost rolled my eyes. I had my reasons, I wanted to know his. He must have picked up that I wanted a legitimate answer. 

"I... Wanted you to love me, for me. Not because we were mates." He looked down at his hands folded in his lap.

"Rhys..." I pleaded him to look at me. "Rhysand." He lifted his head finally. "You're my best friend. I am lost without you. Sometimes I-I feel I cannot breathe without you. My heart beats for you," pushing through the pain I moved to the side of my bed. I grabbed his hand and placed it over my heart. "It has always beat for you."

"You are my everything," he replies, taking my own hand and placing it upon his heart as well. It felt as if our heart's were both beating erratically in sync. He leaned forward till our foreheads were pressed together. My eyes closed on instinct, the tears still rolled down my cheeks.

"I thought I lost you. I have never been more terrified in my entire life," he whispered, his voice cracking slightly.

"I am here." I pulled away only an inch. I placed my other hand on the side of his face, beckoning him to look my in the eyes. "I am not going anywhere."

"I love you with everything that I am. I cannot live without you. My heart calls your name." He wiped the tears from my face before pressing our lips together.

Acotar Masterlist

[needtotouchsomegrass]

𝐆𝐨𝐣𝐨 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 / 𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐟𝐟 / 𝟏𝟖+

There’s not much that could defeat Gojo Satoru. Given the fact that he is the strongest. But seeing you - his best friend’s little sister - dancing in a tight dress might be his biggest weakness.

𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐬 / 𝐠𝐨𝐣𝐨 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 / 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭

“Gojo you need to come too”, that’s where it all had started. You inviting him to your birthday party. The reason for his current suffering. But how could he have possibly declined? He’s known you since you were a little girl building castles in sand.

There you are now, in your little tight dress, surrounded by your friends on the dance floor. The dress perfectly highlighting your body’s curves. From your chest, down your waistline, cupping your ass beautifully.

Gojo sighs. It’s a delightful sight, though it shouldn’t be in the first place. You are still his best friend’s little sister - off limits to him.

“Aren’t you gonna dance”, your brother asks plopping down next to him. “Nah I’m a little sore from hitting the gym earlier today.” What a lame excuse. “Pff that’s never stopped you before. Are you getting old or what ?” Satoru chuckles over his friend’s comment.

“Nah never.” The two of them laugh.

“You know, y/n really insisted on you being here tonight. She wouldn’t shut up about it this entire week leading up to today.” Warmth spreads in Gojo’s chest. You had been mocking him for a life time before you started to show your gratitude towards him.

He had been like a second big brother to you. Someone who stood up for you and made sure you were okay. Needless to say that Gojo was good at doing such things.

“No really man, what’s up? You seem so absent today.”

Shit. Is it that noticeable?

He pulls his eyes off of your hips working from side to side on the dance floor.

“Who’s in your mind”, your brother asks smirking. Your sister. Y/n. The girl I’ve known for all of her life.

“No one. What makes you think that?” His friend shrugs. “I don’t know….you’re not dancing, didn’t make a move on dancing with y/n either. Nor have you talked much tonight.”

Gojo sighs. “It’s nothing. I’m just tired from work.” “Man if you’re afraid y/n might get upset about you having a girl, don’t worry. I think she’s having a thing with that Jeremy guy over there”, he points at a tall blonde guy, who’s dancing close to you. Too close for Satoru’s liking, if he was being honest with himself.

Your brother’s words stung in his chest.

“It’s - I’m not seeing anyone”, he admits. “My my, the gojo isn’t seeing anyone at the moment.”

He shakes his head, annoyed by the mocking tone in his friend’s voice.

“I think I’ll get some fresh air real quick.” His friend nods before joining the others on the dance floor.

Gojo passes them heading out. The sky illuminated by a few stars he stands outside the club, trying to find a way of handling this.

Love is the worst curse of all. Desires even worse. How would he execute that?

He sighs, running a hand through his hair, frustration growing inside him.

What should he do about this matter? About his feelings towards you. His growing boner from looking at you.

“This is so fucked up”, he mutters beneath his breath.

“Hey, are you alright out here”, you say making your way to him. “Oh yeah, just needed to get some air.” You nod. “I thought you were gonna leave, so I wanted to check on you”, you admit nervously playing with your hair.

“Y/n I wouldn’t just leave. I’d let you know. You know.” You nod again. Gojo is quite the straight-forward person. He’d let you know when you look like shit or when to better not bother him.

You frown concerned. Something’s off today. Maybe he’s feeling out of place. He shouldn’t though.

You nudge his arm with your elbow, meeting his blue eyes. You’ve always thought that it’s an insane shade of blue. Beautiful.

“What’s wrong, you don’t seem like yourself today.”

You step in front of him, trying to get him to look at you.

“Satoru?” He sighs.

What’s that expression on his face? Is he alright?

“It’s you”, he mumbles. “What”, you ask not really understanding the meaning of this.

He finally looks up, meeting your gaze.

“It’s you. The reason why I’m acting like this. It’s your fault.” You frown in confusion. This doesn’t make any sense.

“How could this be my fault?” He laughs frustrated. “I like you…..y/n.” Your eyes widen at his confession. “I know I shouldn’t because I’ve see you grow up like your brother himself but I - I can’t stop it. Trust me I tried. It never worked out. I want you.”

He‘s fidgeting with his hands nervously, eyes everywhere else. He’s actually losing it.

You take his hand in yours giving it a soft squeeze, gaining his attention.

“Toru”, you chuckle eyes dropping down to his lips. Your heart beats in your throat making it impossible to speak. “Hm?”

Your hand cups his cheek, feeling that well shaped jaw beneath.

Without giving yourself a second to rethink you pull him into you, your lips meeting his in a wild kiss.

He responses to your moves. Strong hands sliding around your waist, pressing you against his chest. You feel each muscle of his sculptured body - you had seen during summer break - beneath the fabric of his shirt.

His hands squeeze your ass softly, having you moan in his mouth.

Gazes locked both of you try to regain the ability to breathe stable after breaking apart.

Gojo swallows. He had imagined what if would feel like to hold you, kiss you and …..make you his countless of times.

“Maybe we should head somewhere else”, he suggests cheeks flushed.

Could you really get away with this? It’s your birthday after all, your friends and brother came for you.

“I can’t just leave Toru”, you sigh. “I know we - my car’s not far.”

You chuckle by the way he’s fidgeting around nervously.

The two of you head to his car, continuing that make out sesh there.

You’re placed in his lap, hands running through his hair while he’s leaving bruises all over you neck, his waist rolling up to meet yours every now and then.

His eyes wander up and down your body in such ease - taking in the tiniest detail.

“This damn dress”, he whispers more to himself before pushing it up your legs, revealing your black lace underwear.

You blush. This man had seen you growing up but this, this was different. More intimate than anything else the two of you had done.

You push his face away with your palm.

“Stop staring.” He laughs. “I’m not staring, I’m admiring. That’s something else love.”

You try your best to hide the smile on you face.

Within one swift move he has you pressed against his chest, back arched, his finger buried inside you.

“Hmmm that’s alright”, he mumbles against your skin. The sensation of him licking and then sucking your sensitive skin, has you going crazy.

His hard length growing beneath you only worsens your growing desire for more. More of him.

You lean down to his ear. His heart hammering in his chest the same way yours does.

“Toru I need you”, you whisper hearing him swallow at your words.

You grind against him gaining a deep groan coming from his mouth.

You repeat the same move but this time a bit slower. Another groan. You smile enjoying to see him behave like that.

His hands sneak in between the two of you while he’s working his way down your throat and neck again. You gasp feeling his tip brush your entrance.

The two of you lock eyes. If we do this now, there’s no turning back.

You give him a nod, placing a quick kiss on his reddish cheek.

Gojo Lifts your hips for a short second before pushing himself past your wet folds.

Arms wrapped around his neck you pull him close to your chest. “Holy fuck”, you breathe feeling him go deeper and deeper until he’s completely filling you up.

Gojo wipes a tear of your face as he waits for you to adjust to him. Mumbling comforting words.

“You’re doing great love.” You chuckle.

You take a deep breath, the pain having faded, before you start moving your hips up and down his length.

“Ugh fuck”, Gojo moans head leaned against the headrest of the driver’s seat.

His hands cup your ass cheeks, giving them a soft squeeze as you start to go faster.

The air gets thicker around the two of you.

“Toru I ah -“, you moan feeling yourself get closer to your high. A tingling feeling building up in the pit of your stomach each time his length is hitting the spot that’s driving you insane.

Your legs shake at the sudden pressure Gojo is causing on your clit, his thumb rubbing circles on you.

Eyes locked on you, smirk in his plump, red lips, he keeps torturing your other sweet spot.

“Cum for me princess.”

He starts to move his hips upwards in sync to your movements hitting your g-spot while rubbing your clit. It doesn’t take long until that kind of penetration is too much for your body to handle.

You start to tighten around him, legs shaking, as you dig your nails into the skin of his neck.

A groan rumbles through him as he continues to thrust into you. Slow and deep.

Only a few seconds later his head is leaning against your collarbone, his length twitching inside you.

He places a soft kiss on your chest as he holds you close still buried inside you. You run your hands through his hair.

It was just the two of you in that moment.

“We’ll sort things out once we’re more sober”, you laugh gaining a humming “hmm” from him in response.

You smile placing a soft kiss on his temple.

~ the end ~

⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡

𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 ♡

[writeforfandoms]

Fast Car 3

Find my Simon Riley masterlist

The end of the last planned fic for the zombie au! Not to say I will never write more, because who knows...

You start to find a new normal in this town. It's... different. But in a good way.

Warnings: Swearing, flirting, these two are bad at communicating, bit of one upsmanship in terms of flirting, feels.

Word count: 1k

Over the next week, you explored the entire town. Word spread fast that you were a mechanic, which had people asking you about all kinds of things. 

You really weren't sure how exactly how a clock worked, but you tried fixing it anyway. 

It worked well enough. That seemed to earn you a reputation, one you'd be happy to run with. 

Except Ghost followed you. Every. Single. Place. You went. He followed you into town every day, a silent shadow stalking you relentlessly. He never said a word to you, didn't even try to be friendly. 

By the third day of this treatment, you weren't sure if you hated Ghost… or wanted to jump him out of sheer frustrated attraction. 

The feeling did not lessen with time. Which left you glowering at Ghost every time you spotted him lurking about, even as you ignored any pooling heat between your legs. 

Look. He was an ass, but he was a good looking one. Big, strong, clearly able and not afraid to throw his weight around. 

And if that was it, you probably would have been able to ignore your attraction to him. There were other good-looking single people in town after all, you could have found someone else to pursue. 

Except he was kind, in small ways. A group of three children swarmed him, clearly used to him and not at all afraid. He took turns picking up the kids and dangling them by their ankles, much to the kids delight. 

You watched all of this from a garage, working on breaking down an engine to pull fluids for the truck. 

The second Ghost looked over at you, you lifted one oil-streaked hand to wiggle your fingers at him. Mostly because you liked poking the metaphorical bear. You refused to be afraid of him. 

(And it was easier to poke fun at him than it was to face your growing attraction to him.) 

He just looked back to the kids, saying something to them before leading them away. Back towards town, probably. You wouldn't be surprised if he didn't trust you around kids. He didn't even seem to trust you around inanimate objects.

You scowled. Damn. Well, guess you weren't allowed to get distracted anymore. 

But you thought about how gentle he could be. Too often for your sanity. 

You blamed the zombies. 

Now if only he'd be less of a jerk… you'd be in real trouble. 

It wasn't long until you were elbow deep in the truck again, alternately whistling and swearing as you worked, oil on your hands and sweat on your face. You surfaced to grab a rag, sort of cleaning your hands so you could get a drink. Gaz's girlfriend was too nice to create extra work for, so you were careful not to dirty the glass, grabbing it with the rag.

Ghost emerged from the house, wearing just a t-shirt and carrying an axe. You paused in your work to watch him, curious. 

You were not prepared for him to set up within easy viewing distance, splitting logs for firewood. 

You nearly spilled your water. 

Fucking hell. That was just not fair! 

You looked down at yourself, considering. You weren't done working yet. You'd have to bathe later anyway. 

Might as well make a show of it. 

It only took a moment to peel off your outer layer, tossing it aside and leaving you in a sleeveless bottom layer. One sneaky look confirmed that Ghost was still working, setting up the next log to chop. So you got back to work, too. 

Thunder rumbled in the distance, and you pulled yourself away from the truck, surprised to see it had gotten darker. Clouds covered the sky, the temperature dropping quickly. 

You swore, more colorfully this time, and grabbed your things quickly. You needed to run back to town, to get inside before it started pouring. 

You closed up the car at light speed, aware the car had a garage and would be fine. You didn't even bother to dress properly, just ran for the path towards town. 

You hadn't made it far when a shout of your name made you pause. You half-turned to look back, finding Ghost approaching rapidly. 

“What?” You asked, a little irritable, glancing up at the sky almost nervously. It hadn't opened up yet, and mentally you begged the rain to hold off just a little longer. 

“Faster to come inside,” Ghost offered, stopping in front of you. Closer than he normally stood. Close enough that you could see he was still breathing a little hard with exertion. 

“I'll make it home,” you said, not at all sure of that fact. 

“Come inside.” This time, it sounded more like an order. 

You crossed your arms over your chest. “No.” 

Ghost sighed hard through his nose, muttering something that sounded like “stubborn”. “Please.” It was the single driest, least plea-like word you'd ever heard in your entire life. 

“I'll just go home.” 

The sky chose that moment to ignore your own, much more sincere, pleas. The first fat raindrop landed on your nose, and then the torrential downpour started. Everything got drenched within seconds, you included. 

“Just come inside,” Ghost growled, one hand out between the two of you, though he didn't touch you. 

“Why?” You hadn't meant to say that, but you didn't retract it either. You lifted your chin, blinking rapidly against the onslaught of rain. 

Ghost didn't say anything for a long moment. Then he grabbed you, hand fitting perfectly to your waist, pulling you close until he could kiss you. 

Everything around you ceased to exist. The rain didn't matter, the chill seeping into your skin didn't matter. Nothing but the feel of his lips against yours, the little chafe of his stubble against your skin. 

You opened your eyes slowly to find him close, the brown of his eyes dark in the rain. He didn't say anything else, letting his actions speak for him. 

“Okay,” you agreed, a little fuzzy, running hot despite the cold. “But I'm calling the shots.” 

That was the first time you ever saw him smile at you.

[slippinninque]

✨🦋You (Learned To) Like Pretty Things, Too🦋✨

a/n: thank you for all the love and encouragement that you all give! I'm grateful for every pair of eyes that land on my scribbling! I love me some soft!Fontaine and I hope to do more of these! tell me what you think!

warnings: MINORS DNI, 18+, cursing, long-fic, sensual/erotic moments, clothing kink, weed/smoking,

Fontaine pulled up outside of your work, leaning up against his car and looking like an absolute dream after such a tedious week. You met him with a sweet kiss, smiling against his lips when he hummed.

"Now why you tryin' to get me in trouble with Ms. Glenda?" Fontaine pinched your chin when you pulled away. He took your hands into his, rubbing his thumbs over your knuckles.

Your face felt hot. You sorta forgot that you were still in the middle of your work's parking lot, but who would really care anyway?

The entire week you worked your ass off and cleaned up the messes of other overworked employees. You deserved a public smooch at least.

You took a peek over your shoulder.

Sure enough, there was Ms. Glenda slow-moseying to her car as she looked over her shoulder at the both of you.

That old woman was the gossip. Anything that she hears, everyone will have heard by the next business day.

" 'Night, ma'am!" you called, giving a wave and not waiting to see Ms. Glenda's response. Fontaine snickered at your wide-eyed expression of embarrassment, opening the passenger door for your escape.

"Good night, ma'am." Fontaine called as he rounded to the driver's side. You couldn't hear what Ms. Glenda said, but it made him shake his head with a little grin.

'Messy ol' granny...'

Once inside the Pontiac, you felt the greys of the day melt onto the road.

Fontaine's fingers tapped a rhythm on your thigh and he cruised right onto the highway.

At your questioning look, he just shrugged a bit, "Missed you, wanna ride around for a bit witchu."

You smiled and snuggled into the passenger seat, "Well, that's fine then! "

He patted your thigh and asked you to put on some music. While slipping through stations, you told him about your day. The emails you send and the calls you had to suffer. Off went your wedges and you took the tie from you hair, scratching your fingers into your thick roots.

Eventually your conversation lulled with the both of you enjoying the ride. Fontaine's ass would mess around and drive out of state if you didn't have to clock in the next morning.

The thought left you feeling dreamy. You and Fontaine trade in your cars for a little RV and you both roam the states. You yearned to see Fontaine beneath the the open sky, you wanted to kiss him and taste salt water on his lips. There was something about him that gave you the impression that he'd love camping.

'Soon,' you promised yourself, feeling around for a moment before Fontaine's hand found yours.

"Fontaine!"

-----

"Why you sayin' my name like that? I ain't even touchin'you like I wanna..."

Fontaine's tone was teasing and his golds flashed with a smile that ignited the butterflies in your stomach.

Your mouth dropped open when Fontaine made one final right. Then you were parked in a tucked away space, facing familiar frosted windows.

A bougie boutique that you were brave enough to peruse only online. They had the best quality stuff when it comes to luxury and it wasn't that far away from where you worked. How Fontaine found out, you'd never know.

"How'd you know about this place, 'Taine?"

"What, shit's exclusive or something?"

"No. At least...um, can they do that?"

"It ain't--I checked for memberships an' all that shit."

Of course Fontaine checked, because he's Fontaine. If the boutique did have a membership, not only would you be enrolled but he'd probably be extra about any available perks as well.

You couldn't explain the sudden feeling of shyness that came over you.

As if could see them fluttering into your chest, Fontaine reached out and tipped your chin towards him.

"Now, lemme say that you be wearin' them slacks lately, sexy as hell."

"You think my slacks are sexy?"

"Sexy as hell," Fontaine patiently assured, "I wanna see somethin' else though. You've been working hard and what you be sayin' to me? You deserve nice things."

His imitation of you made you grin but you couldn't stop the sass.

"Hm, a lot of people say that y'know."

Fontaine hummed and brought his face closer, now squishing your cheeks to kiss your pursed lips. He moved back just enough to ask,

"Remember our deal?"

"Ye', I r'member ouhr deah."

"Good. Imma give you a stack an' your going spend it on what you want. You gonna bring me change?"

"...No..."

That got you another kiss before he released you to smile-pout to yourself.

"That's what I wanna hear. Now let's get go fo' I take your pretty lil' self to the back seat."

"Yes, Big Daddy 'Taine."

.....

You opened the front door when you heard Fontaine pull up, staying behind the wood for a few final moments as he swept in like a rain cloud.

"So, you gonna tell me why you've been duckin' me all day--

His grumbling snapped off into a grunt at the sight of you. Grinning while you locked up, you couldn't help but to think 'success!' as his silence stretched on.

Fontaine could only stare, expression both stunned and delighted. Eyes running from your hair to your heels, taking a half step back to take in more of you.

He ran his hand down his face and the motion made your mutinous brain blurt a thought about him not being into it. Was it too much? Too dramatic?

"Jesus Christ of Nazareth."

Covering your face as you lost battle with your composure, you went a little pass him to strike the pose you've been practicing for hours.

"Just call me 'pretty', that'll do just fine."

He whistled lowly, swiftly getting back in your space. He pulled you into his arms, twisting you both and looking down at your swishing hem. You couldn't help but to ask if he liked it.

"Don't ask me questions like that when your lil' ass was holding out. How the hell did you hide this from me anyway?"

"If you must know, a lady can get a lot of mischief done in 20 minutes when left on her own," You batted your eyes at him coyly, "That move you had to shoot while we were at the boutique gave me more than enough time."

For all appearances, you appeared to be a professional burlesque dancer. Your hair bounced as a result of a bomb perm rod set and you wore his favorite perfume.

The panty set you wore were only gleaming, clear quartz beads strung daintily together, acting more like decorations. The matching bra gave you the perfect push n' plump. That wasn't all, though.

You found a radiant corset, the butterscotch color adoring your brown skin when you had it on. Handsewn with champagne and clear crystals, some close into the fabric while others trickled down on silk strings. It bracketed your cinched form prettily and it reminded you of twinkling stars.

Honestly, the corset was for Fontaine and the robe was for you. The color was the same of the corset and the completed look cast you into a glow. Soft, extremely sheer material that was lined with plush faux fur at the sleeves and hem. Whenever you walked, it felt as if you were being followed by clouds.

You decided to wear it beneath the corset to an attendant's suggestion. It sealed the deal and even you couldn't help but flaunt to yourself in the mirror as you finished getting ready

He groaned appreciatively as he ran a few knuckles along the curves of the corset, going down onto a knee to peer closer at the beading and crystals. He lifted he hem of your robe, making an appreciative noise at the of the texture. The sight was enough to take your breath away.

"I have go back and tip those ladies again." you made a note to yourself.

"This is some good shit, pretty girl." he rubbed at your cinched waist and chewed his lip at the sight asking,

"Ain't think you'd do me like this. You good, though? Are you comfortable--these shits can get tight."

Already expecting the question, you nodded as sincerely as you could, "Those women there are the experts. Took really good care of me. One of them said this is something like training wheels to what she normally wears--it's more comfortable than I thought."

"Good. This a bad mu'fucka, goddamn." Fontaine stared up at you with hungry eyes, "Matter of fact, c'mere sweet thing..."

He stood and herded you to the couch and sat you down, then sitting flush at your side to press a kiss to your lips. Every other kiss would come with a grunt or a mutter to himself about how pleased he was that you were all for him.

The last of your anxiety slipped away. Fontaine's hands-on rumination lulled you into that buzzy space where you wanted nothing but pull him on top of you.

Then he had to be disruptive, suddenly standing as if he got popped with hot-comb.

""Hold on, lemme wash my hands--better yet, lemme go shower real quick."

You turned away from him, dramatically rearranging your furred hem, "Oh, so you're just going to leave me here like this?"

Honestly, you were expecting some bodice ripping. Maybe him bending you over and knocking a few beads off of you. You pouted up at him, hard.

Fontaine's leaned down enough to press a kiss to your nose, pulling back enough so you can see his eyes drink in your form up close.

"I ain't touching my sweetie with dirty hands and when I come back, I'm takin' my time." he pinned you with a fervent look when your eyes finally met.

"So, have all that you want done by the time I'm back on this couch. Understood?"

Your answer was fluttering your robe around yourself, curling a leg up onto the couch and draping your arms along the back of it.

Fontaine's grin was smooth as he clasping his hands before him, you saw him considering to stay for a moment before he turned away. A moment later, there was the sound of something clattering into the tub and the shower turning on.

You laughed up at the ceiling and couldn't help kicking out your legs giddily. All your jitters gone now and replaced with anticipation, you got to your feet to get one more thing.

......

It felt like ages before Fontaine returned, but when he did you sat up straight.

You smiled at the way he stopped to take you in again, unfairly handsome in his black tank and grey sweats.

Feeling foxy, you crooked your finger at him to come closer and his answering laugh held promise at it's center. When he was close enough, you lifted a leg to show him your pointed heel.

Fontaine's gaze kept yours while he took hold of your ankle. He took another half step closer, the heel of your pointed-toe pump pressing into his sternum.

"You found 'em " he breathed, running his fingers along where the soft, crème suede meet your skin. He felt the point of the shoe, down the arch, and along the heel before placing it back onto his chest.

"Mhm! The pointy-shits! I had to make my own pompom, but I think it's cute. What do you think?"

Fontaine didn't say anything at first. He pulled your leg across his lap when he sat down next to you. Fontaine ran his free hand down from your ankle to where jewel met softness, making your breath stutter.

"I ain't doin' much thinking. Just wanna to feel you."

You shivered in anticipation. You kept your leg straight as it was lifted to meet Fontaine's face. One of his hands was busy kneading your thigh as he closely inspected the mesh before rubbing his cheek against it.

"Fontaine..." You couldn't help the girlish giggle. He gave a roguish grin before hiking your leg higher, making you squeak. The robe spilled around your semi-split and Fontaine gave a lewd whistle as he stared between your legs.

"Do you like the color? I know how you feel about purple and all, but gold has been growing on me lately."

"Gold is all you ever are, baby."

"Oh my--stop it, you!" You shook him off and primly scooted to lounge on the opposite end of the couch.

Fontaine was set to prowl after you when you held up a finger to him. You pulled out a blunt and lighter from your cleavage and presented them to him, wriggling your brows.

Fontaine's head reeled back before he chuckled. He came close enough to take it, and you plucked another one out as you stretched your legs back over his lap.

He shook his head and flicked the lighter, both of you sharing a flame. You leaned back into the arm of the couch and sent your smoke into the air.

You both sat there, smoking and enjoying the sight of each other. Despite you being the one wearing all the fluff and fancy, Fontaine had those arms out and the scent of his soap wafted enticingly every time he ashed his blunt.

His expression was soft, those jewel-dark eyes roaming all over you when he finally spoke,

"Thank you...for doin' this."

"Thank you? Why would you thank me?"

"I know I can be a bit...assertive at times. I ain't want you to think I wanna control you, y'know wha' I'm sayin?"

You only nodded your head, looking at where the smoke curled away from the tip of his blunt.

"I like being seen by you. You showed me things I didn't--I convinced myself not to want and now...I want them. I only want them from you."

The words drifted in silence as Fontaine's eyes finally still on yours, prompting you to continue.

"I wanna know you want, 'Taine. How can I give it to you?"

"Lookin' like what you are. Valuable. Precious. My perfect lil' Venus. Anythin' I could want--you already gave. Just tryin' to catch up."

"You already did, pretty." Fontaine ran a finger from your knee to the tip of your heel, reverently.

Your eyes misted as you as you lost your words. Speechless, you only wanted one thing in the moment.

Fontaine saw the change in you, putting out his blunt the same time as you in time to welcome you back into his embrace. You pushed a little more until you stretched over him in a sprawl.

Words couldn't express how you felt, the feeling bouncing in your heart. Love didn't seem like it was enough. All you could do was kiss him and hoped that he understood.

He enveloped you at once with restless hands. You chimed beneath his touch as he felt every crystal and bead, leaving them to swing against each other as he moved on.

Fontaine kissed you slowly, savoring every sound you made. Teasing you for more, pulling away enough to make you lean after him. You wanted to feel more of him, running your hands beneath his tank to the warm skin beneath.

When you felt his hands go to the back of your corset, you wriggled in protest until Fontaine pulled back with a pout that had you laughing.

"Don't make that face, I almost forgot--I got something for you, too"

Fontaine released you pretty easily at that, but you didn't have to go far. You reached beneath the couch to pull out a small box. Still sitting on his lap, you flicked off the lid to show him what was inside.

Brow raised, Fontaine reached out to remove the polaroid camera from it's casing. You bit your lip, feeling where he was hard beneath you.

"So, I was thinking, we could start a little...album together." You whispered, resuming your sprawl across his chest after tossing the box aside, "Of all the things I wear for you. Maybe this is more of a gift for the both of us but wouldn't it be fun?"

After all, you hadn't even touched the other things you've brought from the boutique. All of your focus was on pulling a fast one on Fontaine. He shifted, briefly pressing against you as he sat up further against the arm of the couch.

Much to your delight, you can tell Fontaine was flustered. He was fiddling with the camera, his smile surprisingly meek as he finally spoke,

"Can I take one for my wallet?"

"Anything for you, Big Daddy 'Taine."

Fontaine's smile appeared in full force and it felt so good to see that you sighed, melting against him and meeting in the middle for a other kiss.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

end notes: phew, this took a long while and i thank you if you read to the end lmao. i'm still learning how to write and post on this site and i'm building up more courage to experiment but thank you so much to those who check back in!

Let me know if I y'all wanna know 'bout them pictures he took 👀👀

taglist: @megamindsecretlair @mysterychick93 @thadelightfulone @mag1calenchantr3ss @cocoeffects @wide-nose-and-wonderful @hobiesmain @thickeeparker @prettypink-princesss @longpause-awkwardsmile @thadelightfulone @motheyesofnight @nickidub718 @eggnox @kindofaintrovert @sageispunk @blowmymbackout @daariesqueen@sevikasblackgf@justabovewater20@mybonafidefeelings @mcondance

[cherrycola27]

false god

Series Warnings: Mythology!AU. Language, alcohol, drinking. Military inaccuracies. Mutual pining, unrequited love. Allusions to and eventual smut. Minors DNI. 18+. Individual chapter warnings will come as needed. Banner Credit @thedroneranger

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Chapter 5:Dagger 🗡

You would never come out and ask your brother, Zeus, for something, but all day Sunday, you wished that he would take the slightest bit of pity on you and make it rain the entire week.

But no, he's an ass like that, and on Monday morning, Apollo and his chariot were already crossing the sky as you dragged yourself out of bed and got ready for work.

You spent the entire weekend trying to formulate how you were going to interact with Bradley—no—not Bradley—Rooster, at work.

You decided the best method was to ice him out as much as possible. Sure, you'd still have to fly with him, but you didn't have to talk to him on the ground. You didn't have to be his friend.

It was better that way

After getting ready and giving Hyrda and Cerberus their goodbye pets, you headed out. You were waiting for the elevator when the ding of the bell let you know it had arrived.

The door opened, and the one person you didn't want to see was there—Rooster.

"Morning, Hades." He greeted you as he held the door open.

"You know what, I think I'll take the stairs." You deadpanned before turning on your heels and headed for them.

"Hades! Angel, c'mon, don't be like that." Rooster called for you, but you were already letting the heavy door slam behind you.

Anger filled your body with each step you took. How dare he still try to call you that ridiculous nickname, like he didn't just break your heart days ago.

You stomped out of the stairwell and towards your Range Rover. You noticed that Rooster was standing beside his Bronco a few spaces down from your car. You kept your eyes forward, focused on getting to your car without talking to him.

You heard him call out to you, but you ignored him, jumping in your SUV and driving off without giving him a second thought.

Shut him out, just like you always do

You cranked your music up loud, and your speakers were booming as you pulled into your reserved space on base. You quickly parked and collected your things and walked towards the building. You made it inside and were about to tuck yourself into your office for a few minutes of peace before heading out for training for the day.

You'd just sat down to look over some notes for today when a knock at your disturbed yoursilence.

"Hades?" Jake's voice came as he gentle opened your door.

"You can come in, Hangman." You said to him.

Jake came in and closed the door before taking a seat across from you.

"Can I help you with something?" You asked him.

"No, well—kind of. I wanted to apologize for Saturday." Jake said, almost bashfully.

You raised your eyebrow at him. You weren't expect that this morning.

"I was a real dick to you at my party. I shouldn't have thrown you in the pool. Really, I was just really trying to goof off, and I didn't mean to hurt you or give you a PTSD attack. You said you didn't want to get in, and I should have respected your boundaries. I hope you can forgive me." Jake says in earnest.

"I appreciate your apology, Jake. You're not a bad person. You just don't have the best listening skills or the best impulse control. Work on actually hearing what others are saying, and you'll be a better person and a better pilot." You tell him.

"I'll try to keep that in mind." He says as he shoots you his thousand watt smile. "Ready to get to training?" Jake asks you as he checks his watch.

"Not really, but I guess I have to be." You sigh as you stand up from your desk. Jake quickly hops up and opens the door to your office and gestures for you to go first. You nod your head before exiting your office and heading down the hall.

Jake makes small talk with you as the two of you walk together towards the briefing room. He says something funny before the two of you enter, and Rooster doesn't miss how chummy you are with Jake as you walk right by the empty seat next to him and take the seat next to Hangman.

A pang of jealous flashes through him as Jake pulls out your chair for you before taking his. Rooster wonders why you're being so friendly with him after what happened this weekend. But then again, Rooster realized he probably deserves the cold shoulder that you are giving him.

Phoenix elbows him in the ribs and points to you and Jake while giving Rooster a questioning glance. Rooster shrugs his shoulders and shakes his head.

Soon, Maverick comes in and gives assignments for the day. Rooster hopes that you'll cool down and the two of you will be able to fly together again.

Unfortunately, his hopes are dashed the moment the two of you are in the sky. You're out of sync. Questioning each other, making mistakes that the two of you never make.

You lash out at Rooster when Phoenix, Bob, and Coyote are able to get a missile lock on you because Rooster didn't listen to your directions.

You're fuming when you get out of your plane and make your way over to him. You jab your finger into his chest and glare up at him. "When I give an order, you need to listen to it. I told you to break left, so why in the hell did you break right!" You shout at him." Rooster looks at you with wide eyes. In the four months that you've been here, several members of the team have stupid things in the air, but you've never lashed out at them like this. He sees the fire burning in your eyes. Before he can defend himself, you start on him again.

"If you can't listen to me, I will ground you so fast that it will make your head spin!" You yell at him.

"Angel, I—" He begins, but you cut him off.

"Stop calling me that! It is Hades or Commander Kolasi. Have made myself clear, Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw?" You seethe.

Rooster's jaw ticks. He rolls his shoulders back as he looks straight ahead before defeatedly saying, "Yes, ma'am. My apologies, Commander Kolasi."

You swallow thickly and are about to say something else, but Maverick comes over to the two of you. "Hades, Rooster, is everything okay? Did something happen between the two of you? That wasn't your best flying today."

Rooster looks at Maverick before looking at you. He isn't sure what to say, so you speak. "No, sir, Captain Mitchell. Nothing happened. Nothing at all. Right Rooster?" You glare at him.

"Just having an off day, sir." Rooster responds. "Okay, well, hopefully, the two of you can get it straightened out before the new class of recruits come in in two weeks." Maverick says. You ask if you are dismissed before promptly walking away.

"What did you do, Bradley?" Maverick asks Rooster when you're out of earshot.

"What makes you think I did something?" Rooster tries to defend himself. Maverick gives Rooster a knowing "dad look" and shakes his head. "Because no woman goes off on a man like that if he didn't do something. I've been on the receiving end of that rage more times than a care to count, and it was always because of something I did." Mav says.

Rooster hangs his head because he knows Maverick is right. "I fucked up." Rooster says. Maverick shakes his head. "Whatever you did, fix it. You guys are the best team I have. Don't make me ground both of you." He pats Rooster on the back before heading to his office.

Rooster treads down the hallway to your office and knocks before you let him. He doesn't miss the way your face falls when you see that it'd him.

"If you came here looking for an apology, Lieutenant Commander, I'm afraid you're wasting your time." You tell him as gou type some things on your laptop.

"I didn't. I just came to say, that I don't understand why you're so upset with me, but for the sake of the team, can we please call a truce at work? Neither of us wants to get grounded. So you can hate me outside of base, but on base, can we be civil?" He says.

"I have no problem being civil, as long as you can communicate with me." You tell him with a stoic face.

"I can do that. And I'm sorry about earlier today." Rooster says you nod your head and turn back to your work as he sees himself out.

Tuesday was better. You and Bradley were able to successfully avoid getting shot down by Hangman and Fritz, but there was still a riff between the two of you.

Wednesday night, Cerberus and Hydra stared at the door all evening, waiting for Rooster to come through the door with pizza and treats for them.

"He's not coming." You told them as you sat on the couch

He's not coming ever again

As the weeks passed, you found yourself being less cold and bitter towards Rooster, but you still wouldn't call yourself his friend anymore. You could tolerate being around him, but that was about it.

Phoenix had dragged you out to the Hard Deck for the first time in over a month. You wanted to have fun, but without Rooster by your side, you felt like an outsider to your friend group.

You'd always been an outsider

You were content to sit and watch everyone as you drank your beer, but the senior wallflower of the group, one Bob Floyd, had other plans.

"Hey, Hades. Can we talk?" Bob asked you as he sat down next to you and offered you some peanuts from his cup.

"Sure, Bob. What's up?" You asked him.

"What happened between you and Rooster at Jake's party?" Bob asked. You choked on your drink, this is not where you expected this conversation to go.

"What do you mean, Bob?" You tried to play coy.

"I mean, after Jake threw you in the pool, Rooster was ready to rip his head off. You should have seen how furious he was. And then he went to go check on you, but after he came back out to get your things, something was different about him. He wasn't himself." Bob explains to you."I tried to talk to him, but he was just—I don't even know the word." Bob continued.

You didn't know what to say to him. What could you even say?

"Nothing happened, Bob. Rooster came to check on me and made sure I was okay and then asked me if I wanted to leave." You lied to him.

"Bullshit." Bob said flatly. Your eyes went wide. In the five months that you've been a Dagger, you'd never heard the mild-mannered WSO curse.

"That's bullshit, Hades, and we both know it. And another thing, you've started calling him 'Rooster' and not Bradley. And he's stopped calling you 'Angel.' Something happened between you two, and we all know it. So, spill." Bob stated.

You could feel his glasses covered eyes staring into your soul as you sat there. You looked around to make sure no one was listening and let out a heavy sigh.

"Fine, you're right. Something did happen. Rooster kissed me." You admit to Bob. "Oh." He said a tad surprised. "What happened after that?" Bob asked you.

"He pulled back and panicked and apologized and asked if we could pretend it never happened, that he didn't know what he was thinking when he did it." You say sadly.

"And from the tone of your voice, I can tell that's not the reaction you were hoping for. Was it?" Bob conclues.

"No, it's not. I have feelings for Rooster, and I thought maybe he had them for me, too, but I was wrong." You sigh.

"I really care about him, Bob. I haven't felt this way about anyone in a very long time." You say.

Three thousand years if you're being technical

"Rooster has feelings for you, too. You haven't been here to see how mopey he has been without you here. He hasn't played the piano in over a month. He's like a sad, lost puppy that's been kicked." Bob tells you.

"Well, he sure has a funny way of showing it if he does have feelings for me." You roll your eyes and take another drink.

"Rooster isn't the best at expressing himself. I think you two should talk." Bob tells you before Phoenix and Javy come and wrangle him away.

You take a moment to let Bob's words sink in. Maybe you should try to talk to Rooster. But you need some time to think about what you would say. You need to clear your head.

You decide to call it an early night. You grab your things and go pay for your tab before driving home.

"Did you talk to her, Bob?" Rooster asked him as he caught the WSO by the arm. "Is she still here?" Rooster looks around for you hopefully.

"I did talk to her, but if you want to know what she's feeling, you need to put your big boy pants on and talk to Hades yourself. I'm not your middle man. And no, she isn't here. I think she left." Bob says as he shakes lose of Rooster's grasp.

Rooster sighs and heads to the bar to pay his tab. "You know that piano is starting to get dusty." Penny smirks as she takes his credit card from his hand.

"Penny—" Roostet begins but shr shakes her head. "I don't know what you did, Rooster, but if you care about that girl, I suggest you fix it." She tells him.

"Did Mav talk to you?" Rooster asks her. "More like he came home ranting about how you were flying." Penny smiles. "And you've been looking like shit every time you come in here." Rooster hangs his head. He definitely hasn't been at his best lately.

"Talk to her, Bradley. That's the only way you can fix it." Penny tells him. Rooster nods his head and turns to leave. They were all right.

Penny, Bob, Mav—he needed to talk to you. He just wasn't sure what to say.

.............

You spent the majority of Saturday pacing around your apartment. Cerberus and Hydra tracked you every move and listened to the one-sided imaginary conversation you had. Bob was right. Talking to Rooster would be the only way to move forward.

You missed him. You missed your Wednesday pizza sessions. You missed the easy conversation you could have with him. You missed the way he made you feel. You missed his friendship and his sense of humor and how he always made you smile.

You just didn't know how to tell him that. In theory, it should be easy, but in practice, it was extremely difficult. You didn't know if you could look at his perfect face and stare into his honey brown eyes and tell him that it was torture not being his friend these past few weeks. You were still angry with him, but you were more angry at yourself and how long you'd let this sad song go on.

You'd tried to find the right words, but they weren't there. You needed some space to think.

You quickly made your way down to your bedroom and opened your closet. Piles of clothes stared back at you. One advantage of being over three thousand years old was the fact that you had money. You invested in corporations and stocks as they were just taking off, and they paid dividens. You didn't outwardly flaunt your wealth, but you treated yourself to certain luxuries. You clothes and your vehicles being some of them.

You combed the space and settled in a black top and a pair of skinny jeans. You slipped some black over the knee boots on and grabbed a black leather jacket from the hanger.

You pulled your hair back before securing it in place with an Hermès scarf. You placed your favorite tortoise shell Gucci sunglasses in your well loved Tory Birch tote.

You then went to the small safe in your nightstand and punched in the code before taking out the keys to your most prized possession.

After packing a few snacks and a water bottle, you left your apartment and headed for the elevator. You took the lift to the very bottom floor of the covered parking. The spots were lined with luxury cars that screamed "new money" at you. There were shiny, new, and untouched.

You walked over to your corner spot and smiled as you set your eyes on your cloth covered beauty. You striped the canvas off and tucked it in the trunk before stepping back to admire your 1968 Shelby Cobra in midnight black. You'd bought it new all those years ago and taken care of it. Over the years, you had it repainted to include blue pinstripes, and you had the convertible top replaced, but most of it was still original.

You placed your things in the passenger seat and climbed in. You opened the glove box and grabbed your leather gloves, and slipped them on before wrapping your fingers around the steering wheel.

You turn the key, and the engine roars to life. You shift into gear and a pull out of the parking garage. You turn the dial on the old radio until some beach tunes come through on the speakers. You'd once thought about replacing the radio, but the pops and cracks and static that come through give it character.

The wind rushes past your face as you take in the smell of the salt air while you drive down the highway. You head north towards your favorite lookout. You'd stumbled upon it by accident the first week that you'd been in California.

It wasn't much, just a small parking lot that overlooked the ocean, but in the three hours that you spent there, not a single soul showed up. You were able to take in your first California sunset and really let yourself take a breath and think about how you were going to handle yourself at your new duty station.

You sighed as you followed the curve in the road. Fewer and fewer cars were around you until you were the only one.

Alone, like you were meant to be

You turned the radio down as you approached the turn-off for the overlook, and it appears to be empty. You're thankful for that, but the moment you turn in, you see it. An all too familiar blue Bronco parked at the far end of the lot.

"You've got to be kidding me." You mumble to yourself.

He really is like the neighborhood stray

You quickly pull into a space and realize you have two choices.

One, you could turn around and go home, and Rooster would be none the wiser.

Or, two, you could park beside him and actually talk to him.

You sigh, you were already planning on talking to Rooster, so what better time than the present?

You pull one spot over from him. He has the Bronco backed in and the tailgate down. He doesn't notice you at first.

"Hey, stranger." You say as you walk up to him. "Hades?" He looks at you and blinks a few times, as if he's not sure that it's really you standing there or a figment of his imagination that he's conjured up.

"Hi." You say shyly.

"Did you—" He shakes his head. "No, Rooster. I didn't follow you here. I found this place my first week in California. I come here to think, to escape the noise." You tell him. There's a long silence between the two of you. "Are you hungry? I brought a picnic with me because I was planning on spending a few hours here. You tell him.

He nods his head, and you smile. You turn your attention back to your car, and Rooster follows you with his eyes. "Holy shit! Is that yours?" He asks as he cranes his neck to see.

"Yeah, she's mine. A 1968 Shelby Cobra. She's almost all original. I had to replace the convertible top a few years ago, and I got her repainted. But other than that, she's original. It's my prize possession." You tell him. Rooster hops off his tailgate and steps over to admire the sleek black car.

"I guess that explains your attire." He chuckles. "A vintage car deserves and proper driving outfit." You say as you grab the basket of food from the passengers side.

You walk back over to his car and spread the blanket you brought over his tailgate. You take out the sandwiches, nuts, cheese, and water you brought with you and offer him some.

You spend a few minutes in the quiet of each other's company. With every passing moment, you realize just how much you've missed him.

"I'm sorry." Both of you blurt out at the same time.

"What?" You say again in unison. You both laugh. Rooster pauses before speaking again.

"I'm sorry about what happened at Jake's—well, I'm more sorry about how I reacted and treated you afterward. That was wrong of me. I wasn't trying to hurt you, Hades. I care about you a lot. You icing me out this past month has been torture for me." Rooster confesses to you.

"I miss our Wednesday nights together. I miss eating pizza and watching trashy reality TV on your couch. I miss sneaking bits of crust to Cerberus and Hydra when you aren't looking. I miss how you laugh when someone does something stupid on Big Brother. To someone on the outside, it may seem stupid to miss something so mundane, but to me, it's the highlight of my week. It gives me something to look forward to. But most of all, Angel, I miss you." He tells you in earnest. He looks at you with his big brown eyes, and you can't be mad at him anymore because you feel the same.

"I miss you too, Bradley." You admit.

He smiled and looked at you with starry eyes

Bradley, you had called him Bradley, and that made his heart swell. He had missed the way his name sounded coming from your lips.

"I miss our friendship, and Cerberus and Hydra miss you too." You tell him. "I'm sorry for how I've been treating you. I'm so used to people leaving me that I forgot what it was like to have a friend."

"I told you that you were stuck with me." Bradley laughs.

"Can we be friends again, Bradley?" You ask him. "Yeah, Angel, we can be friends again." Bradley smiles as you.

Friends

You wanted more, but this was better than nothing

You spend the rest of the evening talking with Bradley until the sun sets. Both of you head home shortly after that.

You pull into the parking garage and head down to the lower level. Bradley meets you there and helps you cover your car.

He then races to the other side of his Bronco to open the door for you. You shake your head and laugh at him over the gesture.

He drives both of you to your designated level of the parking deck and hops out. He jogs over to your side before you've even had a chance to unbuckle and opens the door again. He helps collect all of your things and walks you to your apartment door.

"Would you like to come in? I'm sure Cerby and Hydra would love to see you." You tell him.

"I would love to come in, Angel." Bradley smiles at you. Cerberus practically levels Bradley when he comes through the door, and Hydra curls back and forth between his legs as he stumbles towards your couch.

He stays with you until the late hours of the evening, and even though it's been a month since the two of you have really spoken, it feels like no time has passed.

Reluctantly, Bradley pulls himself away from you and Cerberus and Hydra and bids you all good night.

Later, when you are going through your apartment and checking all the lights and locks, you notice something.

There, sitting by itself on your kitchen island, is the shiny silver key to his apartment.

You smile as you place it back on your key ring. You don't plan to ever take it off again.

Taglist: @roosterscock @shanimallina87 @teacupsandtopgun @mayhemmanaged @wkndwlff @roosterforme @daggerspare-standingby @dakotakazansky @startrekfangirl2233 @hecate-steps-on-me @cassiemitchell @na-ta-sh-aa @katieshook02 @desert-fern @je-suis-prest-rachel @soulmates8 @sometimesanalice @diorrfairy @eli2447 @xoxabs88xox @djs8891 @roosters-girl @sebsxphia @rosiahills22 @dempyrean @callsign-magnolia @alchemxx @gretagerwigsmuse @withahappyrefrain @lt-spork @multifandomlover4life @beccaanne814 @bradshawsbaby @seitmai @kmc1989 @bcarolinablr @roosterisdaddy36 @itsdesiree86 @waywardhunter95 @hisredheadedgoddess28 @whatislovevavy @asshlyyyy @inkandarsenic @lillyrosenight @tomanybandstolove @jiminie-08 @dingochef @laracrofted

[theaveragepsychoticbitch]

Idk if the formatting will stay corrupted when I post this ask but it was mad regular when it was just sitting in my inbox?? but uh, Gods bless. I dont think I'm all that good at sub reader, and I may be ass at writing insecurities as I gotta be careful not to trigger myself lol, but I am gonna enjoy writing this thanks for requesting me beautiful (Also, I'm not much of a daddy person but I LOVE Master kinks.)

A/N: OMFG TUMBLR FUCKEF AND I HAD TO DELETE AND REWRITE EVERYTHINGGGG

I proofread like half of it yall imma do the rest in a couple days💀✋🏾

Fem!Sub!Insecure!Reader x Soft Dom Odin || NSFW lol || Breeding kink, Master/Slave use (ion know too much bout that dynamic lmao so you gon have to bare wit me), insecurities, and raw dogging (my staple)

Odin can't help but notice the slump of your shoulders, persistent ever since the other day. You'd gone to see Aphrodite for the first time, wanting to greet the entire greek pantheon personally upon your introduction as his wife. You left all smiles and laughter, yet despite saying it'd gone well, you possessed an air of sadness about you, and it's lingered throughout the week.

You sigh again, pulling him from his pondering. Your seat in the windowsill is backed by a view of the gray sky, ice cold rain pounding the glass. You have to be cold.

You jump upon finding your husband behind you, wrapping you lovingly in a thick blanket. The expression on his face is uncharacteristically soft, and in your heart you know he loves you... but why?

Why does he love you, when women as beautiful as Aphrodite exist? The lowest ranking goddesses glow with divinity, an inhuman shine to their very aura that you could never recreate. When you entered that room, you'd never felt more mortal. You were drawn to them, their beauty and grace calling out to you, leaving you with no choice but to gaze in awe.

You think you feel tears on your waterline.

How could he truly love you when surrounded by women like that?

"Women like that?"

You blink, feeling the warm tears slide down your cheeks as your face heats up. You didn't mean to say that aloud, by the gods. But it's too late now, and his simple question and deadpan face have broken the dams you worked so hard to maintain all week.

"Women like that! Like Aphrodite, like the other goddesses. They're beautiful my love, beautiful in a way I can't compare."

He tries to speak, but you rush over him, the snot filling your nose choking your speech and corrupting your voice. "How can you caress my scars when presented with unblemished skin? Look me in my eyes when theirs sparkle with such power? How can you even stand my voice! The goddesses of this forsaken place sound as lovely and hypnotic as sirens, even when their screeching at the top of their damned lungs!"

You cough, gasping for air. You hadn't taken a breath in that entire monologue. Your throat hurts from screaming, and at some point, you'd stood up and thrown away the cover he gave you. The cold air from the window spread goosebumps across your back, down your legs and arms. But it was fear that made you tremble, fear he'd see the logic in your words and leave you in the dust. Fear you'd walk the palace halls one day, haunted by the sounds of pleasure your husband brings out of other women, like so many wives here in Valhalla do now.

Your coughing dies out and leaves nothing but silence. Even your sniffling is quieted under his stare. The rain fades away and you find you can't even breathe as you wait for his word.

"I walk among these women everyday, yet you are the one I've chosen. Does that alone not set you apart from them?"

You blink at his tone– darkened with an unknown emotion, yet somehow still soft on your ears. His hand is on the small of your back, nudging you closer. The other cups your cheek.

"If you think yourself to be in a sea of gold, then you must be the diamond of the bunch. In my eyes, you shine brighter in your mortality then any divine being could ever hope to. Your scars are sweet against my lips, and your eyes as bright as the stars. Your voice is the one thing I bow to, my love, your beauty the one thing I praise."

It's silent again when he finishes, but you hear your heart breaking. Breaking for yourself, because how could you have been so blind? To ever in a million years think this man could do anything other than love you...

He chuckles, kissing your ear. "Say my name, Beloved."

Chaste kisses are placed softly about your face. Your forehead, your neck, your cheeks. And all the while you're crying, you love this man so much. "Odin..."

You try to pull back but find he's holding you to his chest. "Odin?"

"My name."

You blink, then smile. "Baby?"

He smiles into your neck, and you think he's having a rare cute moment. "Not that one."

Your smile takes on a confused twist.

Then, it hits you.

He chuckles again, this one filled with a bit of sadism.

"...Master?"

"Perfect."

In a show of heavenly strength you're transported from the window to the bed in the blink of an eye. As you sink into the bed, he tops you, fitting himself between your legs like coming home.

Your lips come together in a clash of lust and passion, the chastity of earlier long forgotten. Your hands tangle in his hair as he fondles you through your clothes. You could feel his hard on through his clothes, the familiar press against your heat filling you with... love?

Love... that's exactly what it was. You loved this, loved this treatment, loved to see your ever-quiet, ever-composed husband fall to pieces when he touched you. His stoic persona peeling back to reveal a man so head over heels he'd stomp on his pride in his rush to hump you like a dog in heat.

Hell, when he's fucking you like this, how could you have ever thought he'd leave?

Your right hand leaves his hair to help him tug at your clothes, the left sliding down to feel his muscles rippling under the skin of his back. He's finally gotten your chest bare, and latches onto the first nipple he sees, blindly working at the fabric to reveal the other tit. His battle-roughened fingers graze its peak, then pinch, hard enough to make you gasp and jump.

His tongue drags out similar sounds. Flicking the cute bud, circling it, right before sucking on it like it'd fix all his problems. Your fingers do away with his clothes with practiced motions as your eyes close, arching up into his touch.

You can hear him moaning almost silently as he kisses your chest, and you swear you hear him whisper, "Sweet."

You sigh at the feeling, at your adoration for this man.

He pulls back, and in the low light you admire the creases of his chest, the scars that litter his skin like stars in the sky. One hand parts your legs, spreading you open, admiring the sight of your clit twitching while arousal pours over your asscheeks to stain the sheets below.

His other hand takes your wrist to lay your palm flat over his heart. He's dragging your palm across his torso, over his heaviest scars, while rubbing electrifying circles into your clit. You tear up again as your legs twitch at the direct simulation. Even breathes turn to pants, and you feel your hips trying to rut into his touch. But your eyes never leave his. No, no– you hold his gaze and hone in on the feel of his skin on your hand, on the feel of realization like a new dawn in your mind.

"Do my scars horrify you?"

You can't tell if your tears are from pleasure or pain; the emotional kind. But they're pouring worse than the rain outside now, and you feel your nose getting stuffy again. "Of course not, my love."

He didn't mind the slip up this time. "If these do not cause aversion, how could your own bring you such despair?" Two fingers slipped inside you, and you gasp, fucking down on them instinctively. His thumb speeds up to match the pace of his fingers, and you pull him down into a kiss. His tongue tangles with yours, sucking on it and exploring your mouth. You kiss him back just as hard, running your teeth gently over his lips and tongue in turn.

"You are mine. You alone can see me like this. You alone can look at me like that, kiss me like that. I only want you–"

He smirks, and you think you're on the verge of cumming.

"Afterall, who else can take me so well? Who could look as pretty when I'm filling them up, watching my seed pour from their warmth? Do those goddesses beg like a good girl for me to stuff it back in? Present themselves as a willing slave, to be used until I've had enough? Until I've put a baby in them?"

Your eyes roll, your back arches, and the world turns white as you orgasm on his fingers. Trembles shake you, but big, comforting hands are working you through it so well. You rock into him until he pulls away, and despite the looming threat of overstimulation, you whine at the emptiness.

"Answer me, slave."

"N...no one, Master. No one except... Me."

You can't see it as your eyes are still closed, but he's smiling. Just a little, but it's full of more joy than a kid on Christmas.

A haze sits over your mind. His voice is the only thing you know now.

His thumbs take either side of your labia and spread you further, coaxing the juices out. He stares for a long time, unable to look away right up until his dick is so hard it aches. He forces his eyes to close, fumbling to pull it out. You both sigh when it slaps against your cunt.

"Please, Master... Cum inside me."

He looks up to find your eyes are just barely open and trained on him. His demeanor softens even more somehow, despite how out of place it seems.

"Anything for the prettiest girl in the world."

He slides in, fitting as though you were made for him. Your walls are warm and grip his cock like they missed it, arousal continuing to overflow and drizzle out, just barely able to slip around his cock. He puts a hand to your stomach, pressing down and make both your eyes roll as he feels how deep he is.

He thrusts– once, twice, rocking you, opening you up. From there on his pace builds to something fast and rough. Your nails drag down his back till blood is drawn, the pain fueling his manic humping. Screams of Master! Bounce through the air as he fucks you, drunk on the drag of his cock against your gspot. Your own hand goes down to rub at your throbbing clit as tears cloud your vision to the point of blindness.

When you arch, his hand is at the small of your back, helping you, holding you. Your bodies press together and you can't help but think, 'fuck. He's beautiful.'

You allow your eyes to close as a smile spreads across your face. Your husband is beautiful. So you are, you have to be,

"Beautiful."

Your eyes drift to your husband's face upon hearing his voice. Velvety and deep, and filled with roughness from his approaching orgasm. You laugh, a breathless thing. "You too, Master." You say, batting your lashes.

His chuckle is equally breathless, "'M gonna fill you up now, lovely girl. Take all of me."

An order, one you'd jump to obey.

You joined at the lips in a passionate kiss, your finger working your clit hard as the other hand holds the back of his neck. He holds your legs in a mating press and strokes deep, hitting your deepest spot before releasing inside with a shudder and groan.

You throw your head back as your own body freezes from the force of your orgasm. You're wracked by shudders and hear naught but the sounds of your own broken moans. You can feel him inside of you, spilling his seed for you alone to keep. It's warm, and you can't help but relax at the feeling.

Odin stays inside for long moments after, holding it in, before pulling out. You blink at the sudden loss, to exhausted to do much else. You let yourself be gathered in an embrace, lazily enjoy the soft kisses he presses to your face.

"In the morning, we'll shower. For now, we rest." You hum your affirmation. His arms are tight around your body. You have no choice but to sink into his embrace, sink into a deep, deep sleep.

Right before you drift off, you hear him whisper,

"I love you, my gorgeous wife."

You wish you'd stayed awake long enough to respond back.

-------

A/N: yes yes I know this and many other ask have been sitting in my inbox for months😓writing is hard okay?? And I am very very sleepy all the time. This was fun to write but god did I hate writing the smut. Ion know nothing about master kinks, I use them in my own lil way so the formal way is unknown to me😭but uhh, I hope you enjoyed, and requester if you see this I'm sorry🫶🏾🥹I love you🥲

[ofstoriesandstardust]

west coast, best coast (b.r.b.)

a/n: i cooked this up a few weeks ago and as usual @gretagerwigsmuse​ encourages me to write literally every thought that pops into my brain.

summary: Bradley shows Sunshine why the West Coast is the best coast. 

or: the sunrise fic

flight risk masterlist

warnings: future Bradley and Sunshine, west coast best coast always, kylie wrote fluff who is she, unedited

word count: 1k

Something nudges you, drawing you from your sleep, but you figure Bradley must be moving so you shift, tucking your head into the pillow. 

He nudges you again, followed by a whispered, “Sunshine?” 

You groan, lifting your head and blearily blinking your eyes open. “What Bradley?” 

“C’mon, I wanna go for a drive.” 

After pressing the heels of your palms to your eyes in an attempt to ground yourself and wake up, you blink once more, realizing it’s still dark outside. “Wha- Bradley, the sun isn’t even up yet.”

“Exactly.” 

You chance a look at him. He’s clad in black sweats, a UVA crewneck thrown on. “’M going back to bed.” You mutter, rolling over on the bed. 

“Sunshine, no, nope, c’mon.” He says, reaching out from your arm and rolling you back to face him. “C’mon, get up. Humor me just this once.” 

“Our entire relationship is me humoring you.”

He huffs in an attempt to be annoyed but the grin on his face is giving him away. “Let me do something nice for you. ‘Specially after your bad week.” 

You huff, finally sitting up in bed. “And your idea of doing something nice for me is getting me up at the ass crack of dawn?” 

“It’ll be worth it, I promise.” 

You throw your legs over the side of the bed, standing up. “It better be Bradshaw.” 

-

“Why are we at the beach?” You ask, squinting. Bradley puts the car into park, the volume of his playlist titled beach drives lowering. “And why’d we have to stop to get burritos?” 

“It’s not a beach trip without a breakfast burrito from San Diego’s finest hole-in-the-wall taco shop.” He responds, turning the key in the ignition off. “This is why I told you to grab a sweatshirt. C’mon.” 

You sigh, pulling the passenger door open, grabbing the burritos as you do. Bradley throws open the trunk, grabbing some blankets. He shifts the blankets into one arm, interlocking his fingers with yours as the two of you walk down towards the beach. 

The parking lot at Mission Beach is just outside of Belmont Park and while it would normally be a nightmare to find a spot, the beach a crowded and littered mess, it’s currently deserted save for a few of the surfers. Bradley leads you mid-way down towards the beach before he stops, tugging his hand away to lay down the blankets. 

Once he deems the blankets perfect, the two of you sit. The sand is cool against your toes as you wiggle your shoes off before bringing your legs in to be sat criss-cross. Bradley hands a burrito to you as the both of you shift, the sun barely peeking out of the horizon. 

The rise of the sun is slow but peaceful. The yellow hues slowly turn red and pink at the edge of the water, color streaking through the sky. 

You pause, mid-chew. Bradley’s got his head in your lap, having inhaled his own burrito as he keeps his eyes on the water. Your left hand is curled up into his hair, other hand on your burrito. 

“Did you bring me out here to watch the sunrise?” You mutter lowly and Bradley turns, a grin spreading across his face. 

“Finally caught on to my master plan, did you?” 

You give a half-shrug, taking another bite of your burrito. “’S pretty.” 

“It is isn’t?” He says, eyes never leaving you, even as yours turn back to the crashing waves. “Kind of like you.” 

You duck your head, feeling your cheeks blush. “Stop.” You mutter. He chuckles, shaking his head as he also turns his gaze back to the sunrise. 

“I used to come out here a lot in high school.” He says after a minute, causing you to glance back down. them. “To surf, you know? Early morning is some of the best times to catch waves. It was a way to get away, to not have to deal with Mom’s diagnosis. But then I stopped coming out here to surf and would drive here every morning just to see the sunrise, even though it made me late for my first period. There was just something so... so grounding about watching the sun rise. Like it was a new day and a new chance to get things right. Out here, it’s calm, just you and the sand and the waves and the sunrise. One of the things I’ve missed most since I moved away.” 

You wrap what’s left of the burrito in the foil, tucking it into the plastic bag to keep it safe from the seagulls. “Kind of how I’ve felt about sunsets? The end of the day meaning there’s always a chance to try again tomorrow.” You nudge Bradley and he shifts, sitting up just long enough to allow you to lay down on the blanket and cuddle  into him. “But I think I understand why you love the West Coast so much.” 

“West Coast is the best coast.” 

You snort, nudging his shoulder. “Shut up surfer boy.” 

“Hey, you’d think I was so hot in my wet suit.” 

You give him a skeptical look. “Is anybody hot in those things?” 

“I make it work.” 

There’s a beat before you both break into giggles and Bradley grabs you, rolling over so he’s over you, forearms resting next to your head. He’s got a soft smile on his face, eyes moving over you like he’s committing this all to memory. 

“What? Gotta a little guac on my face?” You joke, try not to squirm under his gaze. You had never quite got used to the way Bradley openly looked at you with so much love, like you were his whole world. It still made you breathless and dizzy. 

If anything his smile only grows. 

“I love you Sunshine. So fucking much.” He leans down, pressing a featherlight kiss to the side of your mouth. “Thanks for choosing to do life with me.” 

“No where else I’d rather be.” You whisper. 

“You’re the love of my life, you know that? Never thought I’d find this.” 

One of your hands finds his, intertwining your fingers with his before you press a soft kiss to his knuckles. “I love you Bradley Bradshaw.” 

[vivalas-vega]

move on / jake ‘hangman’ seresin x reader / part two

I’m back !!! I took a little writing hiatus while I dealt w some personal stuff, hopefully not taking anymore writing breaks soon :) I decided I had more story to tell with these two -- lmk what you think!

move on / jake ‘hangman’ seresin x reader / part two

add yourself to my taglist

read part one

word count: 3.1k

warnings: some angst, some sadness, best friend rooster!!! (or maybe... 👀 hehe no I’m kidding, unless 👀) seriously we all deserve a roo in our lives. I’ve given reader a callsign in this one, meet birdy!!

The Hard Deck roared with life just as it usually did on a weekend, various Navy personnel and civilians alike celebrating the conclusion of another week but the chatter and music didn’t quite reach your ears as you sat sandwiched between Rooster and Bob nursing a lukewarm cider as your mind was somewhere entirely different. Somewhere softer and sweeter, a moment you had replayed probably a thousand times over the last two weeks. 

“Jake, I’m serious, cut it out!” you squealed, grabbing a pillow to defend yourself from his ruthless attacks but it was no use, it was tossed aside before you could even attempt to hit him as his fingers continued tickling into your sides and pulling giggles from your lips that were like music to his ears. They were so pure and unfiltered, a sound of amused joy though you were doing your best to convey otherwise. He finally rested, giving you a moment to catch your breath and he couldn’t help but chuckle as you immediately tensed below him feeling his hands snake across your waist to pull you closer.

“I come in peace, I promise.” he whispered into your hair, pressing kisses along your collarbone and you sighed in content. 

“You’re a pain in my ass,” your words were entirely convincing as he looked up to see the smile tugging at the corners of your mouth and you looked at him as if he’d hung all the stars in the sky.

“Yeah, but you love me anyways.” He continued kissing along the expanse of your exposed skin.

“Unfortunately.” Though it wasn’t unfortunate at all. He made his way up to your face, brushing your hair back that had been left awry after your unsuccessful attempts to squirm away from his attacks to lay kisses along your cheekbones.

“I love you too, Birdy.”

And then when you awoke, he was gone. No note, no trace, and your logical explanation had been he decided to hit the gym before meeting you on base. Something that happened so frequently you didn’t even question it as you went about your morning. Suspicion didn’t creep in until he wasn’t there in the locker room to greet you, no quip about you slacking on your workouts and leaving you in the dust, and certainly no teasing in your ear as you ran drills in the air all day. But this could be explained, right? When you arrived home and noticed that there were in fact some of his things missing, essential things like toothbrushes and his favorite tee shirts you thought something must have happened back home, an emergency that left him running to the airport without time to even wake you, he’d call you just as soon as he could to tell you everything… but that never came. So now here you were, two weeks later in the Hard Deck as you grappled with the fact that he wasn’t ever coming back. There was no explanation.

Rooster and Bob were having a silent conversation that you didn’t pick up on until suddenly Rooster’s hand on your knee broke you from your thoughts. “So uh, have you heard from Jake yet?” He grunted as Bob reached behind you to hit him in the arm, clearly that wasn’t what Bob had in mind when he encouraged him to engage you in some kind of conversation to get you out of your head… a place they both could only assume wasn’t really a good place to be right now.

“What do you think?” you replied, setting down your glass.

“I’m sorry.”

“No sense in apologizing for something you didn’t do, Rooster.” You got up rather suddenly, muttering something about the cider being useless as you went to seek out Penny at the bar who greeted you with a bright smile.

“Hey sweetheart, what can I get you?” 

“Something strong,” you sighed and she quickly rimmed a shot glass with salt before pouring top shelf tequila and topping it off with a lime wedge.

“Might as well be efficient, right?” You gave her a smile before throwing it back, welcoming the burn as it slid down your throat. The burn reminded you that you were in fact here and alive, and the alcohol coursing through your veins helped you return back to your old self even if only a little bit. Maverick watched with worry in his eyes, shooting Penny a look that she nodded away. Penny had been everything you needed her to be these last two weeks. She was no stranger to being left hanging by cocky flyboys, but what she wouldn’t tell you is what Jake had done far surpassed anything Maverick had ever pulled with her… at least Maverick would give her a heads up, even if only a brief email or phone call. This was something else entirely but she chose to ignore that, and showed up in all the right ways. She always poured exactly what you asked for, knowing the right moment to make you a mocktail with a drop of alcohol in the straw and she never asked you about anything you didn’t provide to her first. Everyone else walked on eggshells around you, not sure of how to act or what to say, and always somehow asked the wrong questions at the wrong times but you couldn’t even blame them. You knew they were trying their best and you don’t know what you would do if the roles were reversed. 

You returned to your friends, arranging the pool table for a new round and Coyote offered to play with you. You tried to hide your grimace, you felt bad for the cold shoulder you’d been giving him. It wasn’t Coyote’s fault, he was just as shocked as you had been but it didn’t change the fact that you knew he’d talked to him, knew where he was and maybe even knew the reason. They were facts that were difficult to reconcile but you gave him a forced smile anyways as Rooster made his way down to the bar to talk with Penny in hushed tones as he often found himself doing these days.

“I don’t want to hear it, Bradley, she’s fine.”

“She’s not fine, Penny. I’m honestly getting scared, she’s either here drinking herself half to death or she’s locked away in her room in the pitch black refusing to speak with anyone.”

“It’s been two weeks, she only really accepted things a few days ago. Give her time.” He looked over to see you lining up your shot as you leaned over the table, smiling as he saw a glimpse of the old you… someone so bright and vibrant, the life of every room you walked into, drawing people to you like moths to a flame. But it was extinguished just as soon as it appeared as you sank your ball and looked up to realize it wasn’t your usual opponent on the other side of the table.

“Cyclone and I talked about grounding her, she’s a risk to herself right now.”

“Do that and you might as well put the final nail in the coffin, Mav.” Penny said, sliding a glass down the bar and shaking her head as the two men looked at her horrified. “I’m serious. There were two things in this world that got Birdy out of bed: flying and Jake Seresin. She already lost one, don’t take away the other. Just give her time, things will turn around.”

But the thing was… they didn’t. Weeks turned into months and everyone watched as you became just a shell of the girl you once were, moments where your laughter would have rang out above everyone else’s were silent and bets amongst teammates were all but ignored. You were as good as you always were in the air, not wanting to give anyone any room to take something else away from you, though you were a little more ruthless. The first deployment had everyone on edge as you put yourself into danger within the first few minutes of the mission, pulling out unnecessary maneuvers that should have ended with you and your aircraft in a million little pieces, and you didn’t even get the reprimand everyone had been hoping for when you arrived back to base because it was that behavior that made the mission a success and you went without the reality check they desperately thought you needed. Nobody knew what to do, and even Penny had reached the point where she was starting to get a little concerned. At month seven there was a knock on your door in the late evening hours that quickened your pace and got your hopes up though logically you knew you would only be disappointed when you opened the door to reveal Rooster.

You wordlessly stepped aside to allow him in as you resumed your previous position on the couch. There was a glass of water in front of you and nothing playing on the TV and Rooster had to take a deep breath to calm his reaction to seeing you this way. He set a beer in front of you and flicked on ESPN to watch game highlights just as the two of you had done every night the last few months. Rooster was at a loss and was showing up in the only way he knew how to. His heart was completely broken seeing you this way, his best friend he once considered the strongest person he had ever met so thoroughly broken by Jake Seresin. It filled him with anger and made him sick to his stomach but he would never show you that. He would wait until you finished your beer, taking the empty bottle to the kitchen and turning off the TV and all of the lights, gently pulling you up and down the hall where the two of you would brush your teeth in your bathroom before he would help you into bed and take up his spot on the couch. Tonight was different though.

“Roo?” It was the first word you’d spoken since he arrived an hour ago and at first he thought he was imagining it as he pulled the covers over you but he knew he wasn’t once he saw you looking up expectantly at him.

“Yeah, Birdy?” 

“Can you uh… I’m sorry, nevermind.” You shook your head as you went to settle in but he placed a hand over yours, eager to do whatever it was you were about to ask of him. You hadn’t asked him or anyone else for anything since Jake had left and he was ready to chip away at this crack you had revealed to him.

“Come on, what is it?” he asked gently and when you looked back to him he could see the fine mist coating your eyes and sending pangs through his heart.

“Can you stay? I haven’t- I can’t sleep and I just… I really want to sleep.” Your voice broke on the last word and before his brain could fully catch up he was kicking off his jeans and sliding into the other side of the bed, careful to keep enough distance to not spook you but that was thrown to the wind when you reached for him. He was quick to pull you into his side and hold you as close as he could. You had dodged everyone's attempts at physical contact with you and he silently wondered when the last time you had this kind of comfort was. The realization it was likely the last night Jake was in this bed with you had him squeezing tighter. You wrapped an arm around him and nuzzled into his chest when he heard it, the sniffles you were trying to conceal.

“Birdy, please talk to me,” he whispered as he pressed a kiss to your forehead, “come on, you can’t keep bottling this up.” 

“That last night was perfect.” you said, and he stayed silent, deciding to let you get it out at your own pace and in your own time. “We spent the night with you guys at the bar, we came home and made terrible microwave nachos, and then we stumbled to bed and had sex, honestly really bad drunk giggly sex but that’s what made it good, and then we stayed up talking about nothing in particular. He told me he loved me and we fell asleep and then just like that he was gone. I mean, how do you go from that to vanishing into thin air?” You had never told anyone this, what happened that night when you two left had been a silent question of the entire group but no one wanted to ask you. Because you were right, the night had been perfect. Everyone had an amazing time at the bar and when you yelled out that you wanted nachos Jake was quick to sweep you off your feet and get you home so you could have them. Watching you leave they all thought to themselves they wanted something like that, they wanted the kind of love that flowed so generously between the two of you. 

“I wish I could tell you, Birdy.” he sighed, rubbing reassuring circles into your waist as your fist balled up the fabric of his shirt. He felt your frame begin to shake as you finally let out what you had been holding in this whole time, sobs wracking your body and Rooster just held on tight, whispering reassurances in your ear and telling you to let it all go. 

“I just don’t know why I wasn’t enough to make him stay,” you whimpered and Rooster’s heart cracked wide open. He shifted, sitting up slightly and pulling you with him as cradled your face and wiped the tears that showed no signs of stopping.

“No. Birdy, you are enough. You are everything and if he didn’t see that it has nothing to do with you and everything to do with him. This is not your failure, it’s his.” 

You shook your head, “I just… I keep replaying all these moments, trying to pinpoint where it went wrong, when he made his decision and I can’t- I can’t find it. There are supposed to be warning signs, it just doesn’t make sense.” Another sob overtook you and Rooster pulled you back in, letting you drape your weight across him and wishing he could do more. He adjusted the both of you back into a lying position and enveloped you in his arms, and when your sobs quieted and your breathing evened out he carefully snagged his phone from the nightstand and texted Maverick, telling him he finally got through and the two of you wouldn’t be on base tomorrow, he wanted to make sure you had plenty of time to catch up on sleep. 

Things did finally start getting better. Rooster took a mile with the inch you gave him and you spent your nights wrapped up under covers with him as you finally let him in and the days held glimpses of your old self. Smiles became more genuine, you weren’t as reckless in the air, and you even laughed at Fanboy’s dumb jokes once in a while. It wasn’t perfect, not by a longshot. Rooster held you tight each and every night so you could finally get the first peaceful sleep you’ve had in months, gently shaking you awake when a nightmare rattled your frame but night by night it got better. He eventually returned to his place on the couch, and then one day something changed and you didn’t need him in the house at all. Everyone knew you were still healing, still recovering but you had turned the corner. 

And when Jake suddenly reappeared at the Hard Deck just as suddenly as he had left you took it in stride. Everyone subtly watched as your two figures sat on the beach just beyond the window and waited for you to break, but that moment never came. When you returned and took Rooster’s beer from his hand they thought you would be angry, maybe at least cry, but you didn’t. You went right back to heckling Pheonix at the pool table as if it had never happened, but Rooster knew. When he drove you back to your place he sensed the silent turmoil waging a war on your mind, and walking into the foyer of your home you didn’t even need to ask. He followed you down the hall, where the pair of you settled into bed and you crawled into the arms that had grown to feel like a second home to you. 

“He said he was sorry,” you finally said, breaking the silence. 

“Do you believe him?”

You shrugged against him, “I don’t know. He said he still loves me.”

“Did he say why he left?”

“I didn’t ask.” You nuzzled your face further into his chest, eyes growing heavy as he rubbed your back.

“I’m really proud of you, Birdy.” You looked up at this, giving him a soft smile as he looked down at you.

“I don’t know if I’ve told you this or not, but thank you.”

“What for?” He raised an eyebrow at you.

“For this. For being here, for giving up several months of your life to constantly be here.”

“Nowhere else I’d be, Birdy.” You laid your head back down and absentmindedly rubbed your thumb along his chest.

“I promise you one day you won’t have to sleep at my place.”

“I mean it, Birdy, there’s nowhere else for me to be until you don’t need me here.”

“You’re my best friend, you know that?” 

“I’d sure hope so,” he chuckled and you laughed with him. “What are you going to do?”

“There’s not much I can do. He’s restationed with us so… I guess figure out how to coexist. I just… I don’t get it. He leaves, I don’t hear from him for a year, then he just shows up saying he’s back and that he still loves me.”

You felt him shake his head above you, “I don’t get it either, and don’t hurt me for saying this but I think you should talk to him.”

“Seriously? What happened to all that ‘him leaving is explanation enough and you don’t need him’ shit you’ve been telling me?”

“Seriously. I know you, Birdy, you can’t be around him without getting to the bottom of it. If you don’t ask him why he left, all the progress you’ve made the last few months is going to go out the window.” 

You sighed, “I know.”

“Plus, I’m fully invested right now, I also need to know.” he teased and you playfully swatted his chest.

“Go to sleep before I push you off this bed, Bradshaw.” you laughed. 

“Goodnight, Birdy.”

[smolthealmighty]

Spinaraki Week 4 Day 4: Cracks and Home

Old Hag Look at My Life (I'm a Lot Like You Were)

As Tomura’s world falls apart, his grandmother’s vestige comes to his unlikely rescue. It turns out they’re a bit more similar than he thought.

When Tomura Shigaraki came back to himself, his mind was achy from his mater’s reveal, his voice was hoarse from screaming, his body was scattered to the wind with barely any pieces left, and to his surprise the woman who everyone called his grandmother was holding him in her muscular arms. While he appreciated the sentiment, he couldn’t help but wish a certain someone he actually got along with (and who’s arms held the same strength) was comforting him, instead of this hero lady he’d never met but who dictated his fate in absentia.

“I know you’re not happy to see me,” Nana said, “But I hope you’re willing to put up with me long enough to keep you alive. One For All and All For One did quite the number on you, the quirk and the man I mean.”

“If you call getting smashed into bits and having my entire worldview torn into just as many pieces ‘having a number done on me’,” Tomura sarcastically threw back, “Then I’d hate to see what you’d consider to be worse!”

“No, no, I’m not sure anyone could’ve survived that combination. But you’re not just anyone, are you?” Tomura started at that, but his grandmother gently aimed his face to look at her sincere -and maybe proud?- expression as she continued.

“You’ve been through so much, you’re so very strong. And even with everything All For One has put you through, all the lies he spun and all the strings he pulled to mold you into what he wanted, you still managed to untether yourself enough to find your own goal and make your own connections. You found friends, and you dedicated your aspirations to them. You loved them, you helped them. It’s not what I’d call hero work, but in a vacuum I can’t deny it’s heroic. I only wish someone better could’ve been around to guide you, so you had the opportunity to try your brand of heroism, and for that I am sorry.”

Tomura was speechless at the apology that came two decades too late, but when he thought about it, he was -begrudgingly- at least a little bit glad someone had finally told him that not only could he be a hero after all this time, but that he was a hero for the people who mattered to him the most (and if it also flew in the face of everyone who wanted him to fail then that made it all the better).

“Wait,” Tomura asked, horror taking over as an idea of starting to dawn on him, “how the hell do you know any of that?”

“Well,” Nana squirmed, “we are currently in a vestige world residing in your mind, and you’ve got a lot stored up in here. What you’ve touched, what you feel, what you’ve destroyed, what you create, what you hate, what you love…”

“Oh no, please tell me you didn’t see anything weird.”

“Of course not,” Nana reassured, “Falling in love with a close friend isn’t weird at all.”

“Grandma!”

“I can see why you adore him, such a sweet and earnest boy.”

“Grandma!”

“And beautiful eyes and scales to boot.”

“Grandma!”

“Sorry, sorry, I can’t help it,” she snickered in a way that betrayed she wasn’t sorry at all, “It’s just that I can understand how you fell for him, after all I fell in love with your grandfather in very similar circumstances.”

“… Grandpa tied with you in Smash Bros after joining your criminal organization, then endeared himself to the point you didn’t think twice about wiping Mount Fuji off the map for him?”

“No not like that,” she corrected, “We started as friends too, but our shared love was astronomy instead of video games. One time he blind-folded me and had me use my quirk with him steering, and when the blind fold was off, I realized he floated me into an area of sky with zero light pollution, just in time to watch the nova explosion of T Coronae Borealis. My impulsive ass proposed to him on the spot, skipped the dating phase entirely.”

Tomura went bug-eyed at that, but didn’t interrupt as Nana continued to reminisce, “You know, even when we exchanged our vows and eventually had your father, I knew that marrying him automatically put a target on his back. It was only a matter of time before he would get caught in the crossfire of my line of work, and in the end, even all the safety measures we took didn’t keep him safe, but I entangled us anyway. I figured that a life with him in it, however tragic and brief, was worth living more than one where I never knew just how loved and cherished I could be. Especially if that meant I could give that same amount of love back to him.”

“…Grandma,” Tomura mused, “I feel like you’re trying to tell me something.”

“I think you might’ve inherited that outlook from me,” Nana suggested, “Seeing as you were initially on the fence about undergoing the shadiest surgery known to man for the sake of power, only to decide it was worth it literally moments after your sweetie confessed that he ‘loved those warped horizons you made’, thinking that a power upgrade was just what you needed to make him even happier! You’re just as impulsive and intense when it comes to love as I was!”

“Don’t call Spinner ‘my sweetie!’ We didn’t even get the chance to pick out pet names!” Tomura cringed, then cringed harder and pouted after realizing he outed himself.

“Well, maybe you’ll get that chance,” Nana supposed, surprising Tomura with her switch to a serious tone.

“My hands, my son’s hands, your family’s hands have been holding you back for so long. So please, let me use my hands properly this time,” she whispered, moving her arms to cradle him a bit more firmly now that he wasn’t falling apart at the seams, “Let me be the hands that hold you together, that push you forward, that guide you as you take your next steps, and support you now when you need help the most.”

As she spoke, Tomura felt multiple hands slightly nudging him. Looking down, he watched as the other vestiges of One For All pressed the gathered up pieces of him together. A man wearing goggles on his head held one leg, another with a high-collared jacket handled the other. He watched as arms were positioned by two men in similar-looking combat gear, his torso aligned with his head by someone with cracks running down his face.

Once every particle was in its place, a vestige that appeared remarkably similar to Tomura placed his hands over the cracks on his chest, and suddenly that crack began to heal. The cracks did not disappear, but instead were welded together, leaving golden scars in their place. As the other vestiges repeated the process on the rest of his body, Tomura noticed a golden, foggy vestige carefully fusing each finger of his destructive hands to his palms, thankfully without the telltale holes of All For One’s quirk, but also saw that vestige slowly grow dimmer with every piece he fixed.

“You’re not really making them all give up their souls and fade away just to keep my destructive ass alive…” Tomura joked as he turned to his grandmother, who he realized was also fading away as his peripheral vision took on more of a golden hue, “…are you?”

“It’s a shame you think destroying is all you can do, when you know that you’ve had a fair share of creating things too,” Nana remarked, “and I’m willing to bet that the bonds you created with your friends are something not even your hands can obliterate.”

Tomura knew he couldn’t say a thing to disprove that statement, he wouldn’t even dare to entertain the thought of purposefully getting rid of them. “I can’t promise I won’t start another fight when I wake up, especially not if my friends are the ones in trouble. Sorry grandma.”

“That’s alright,” Nana chuckled, the grin on her face identical to the maniacal one Tomura sometimes saw in the mirror, “What kind of Shimura’s would we be if we didn’t act intensely for the people we love, just as intensely as we love them in the first place? Can you promise me something else then?”

“Depends, what is it?”

Nana bent down to whisper in her grandson’s ear, and though her final request made his face erupt into a blush, he readily agreed as they faded into darkness and whatever lay beyond this realm.

“See if you can make that delightful Player 2 of yours my grandson-in-law.”

[rainbowcaleb]

FICLET FRIDAY: In the Rain

Characters: Essek and Molly | Rating: T | Prompt: wet | Word count: 612 | CW: none | Pairing: developing relationship, Shadowmauk

“You are being quite…” Essek takes a slow breath in through his nose and out again. He is working on a personal goal this week, or as personal as a strong suggestion from Jester can be. “Quite something.”

Molly kicks in his general direction, but as they are perched on the edge of a garden wall right now, the movement is entirely useless. Not even the heavy rain is moved by their boot or their will to splash. “The word you’re looking for is stubborn.” They grin, water trickling down their face and probably into their mouth. Essek wonders if it tastes warm or cold. 

“Yasha will remove my head from my shoulders if I allow you to catch a cold.” Essek gestures towards the umbrella floating beside him. It's a simple trick well within the wheelhouse of his float, and lets him keep both hands free. 

Molly slides along the stone wall, sweeping their legs out until they’re lying back facing the clouds above them. Their hair is tangled with some of the slick gold and red leaves the rain has shaken from the nearby trees. “You’re not allowing me anything, Essie, I’m just enjoying the rain and you are helpless to stop me.” 

“I’m not helpless.” Essek mutters, then tries to breathe again, Jester’s voice ringing in his mind. He is practicing social skills per Jester’s request, as she has gotten under his skin with the annoying but accurate observation: he’s been trapped in Rosohna court too long, and all his words are either too stiff or too snark.

“You sure about that, hot boi?” Molly is draped like a painting against the wall now; all that’s missing is a velvet cloth and artfully placed fruit. They’re smiling at Essek like he’s the one caught out in the rain with nothing but a white shirt and too-tight trousers.

“You’re ridiculous.” Essek takes a few steps forward, slowly, not wanting the umbrella to drift behind him and expose his own robes to the weather.

“I never pretended otherwise.” Molly sits up and pats the space next to them.

“We’re running late.” Essek resists the urge to cross his arms, it will do him no favors.

Molly pointedly looks at the space they are gesturing to again. “And you don’t know how to relax.”

“I am working on it. It doesn’t require being late to meet the rest of our friends.” Essek is closer now, steps from Molly.

“Just sit your hot ass down for a second and enjoy the rain on your face. Have you ever gotten wet in your life, Essie?”

Essek doesn’t need to look to know what expression would be on Molly’s face: the shit-eating grin is all in their tone. He doesn’t answer, just drifts closer, his own float spell betraying him. 

Molly finally has him in reach and grabs for the umbrella. Essek isn’t fast enough.

“Mollymauk!” He exclaims, raising his hands to try and cover his hair. 

“Oh calm down, I know you can just spell it better. I’ve seen you refresh those curls after the mildest of winds.” Molly folds the umbrella shut and brushes a few stray leaves from the space beside them, the invitation clear. 

Essek can see no getting out of this, so he picks up his already immediately sodden robes and lifts a bit higher in the air until it's easy to pull himself up and sit on the wall. 

He squints up into the grey sky. “I don’t see the appeal.” 

“Give it a sec.” Molly leans back, their body arched up towards the sky, closing their eyes against the rainfall. Essek can’t help the way his eyes linger on the droplets against their skin, the smile curving their lips. Perhaps the appeal is not in the weather, but in its effects. 

[chaoticbardlady99]

Floozy (Astarion x F! OC)

Chapter 1: Cat and Mouse

Synopsis: Imogen finally feels comfortable enough to go to the Flaming Fists to report Astarion after several regular clients of hers go missing. Imogen improvises to survive the Nautiloid in spite of being told she won't.

Content Warning: Violent imagery, sexual imagery, promiscious, mentions of sex work, the title is applicable to the story I promise, low self-esteem, homelessness, parental drug use, child neglect, eventual fake dating, Cazasnore makes an appearance, kidnapping

AO3

“Well, hello, Darling,” a man muses, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around before.”

   Imogen slowly turns around and is met with semi-glowing red eyes, a gorgeous face, and an even more awe inspiring smile. She eyes him suspiciously and he looks taken aback. 

 “You must not be very observant then,” she says in a cold voice, “I work here four days a week.” 

  “Really? A woman as beautiful as yourself? Working in Sharess’ Caress?” the man says with feigned disbelief all over his face, “do your clients know they are lucky enough to be in the presence of a Goddess?” 

 He’s fucking with me- I just know it.

 “They did,” she states, “until you took all my regulars and did Gods only knows what with them.” 

     The mask he was wearing shatters- hard. The sheer panic on his face is enough for Imogen to know that her suspicions are correct- her regulars are no longer walking this earthly plane. She turns on her heel- leaving the beautiful man in a storm of terror. 

 She had been onto him for months now and his face alone is enough for her to tell the woman at the front that she will be back. If he’s murdering people, then he needs to be stopped. She needs money- she can’t have every regular she has die on her and now that he seems to have moved onto her, well…

  Imogen looks up and down the street for a Flaming Fist- the night sky is bright with moonlight and there are masses of people walking around. She let’s out a huff of frustration when she realizes it’s going to be significantly harder to find a Flaming Fist than she thought. 

   Pushing through the crowd and occasionally having some handsy man or woman grab at her in her skimpy outfit, Imogen finally finds a Flaming Fist guarding the gate into the Lower City. A sigh of relief leaves her body, but then someone is pulling her aggressively into an alleyway- if anyone notices, no one follows them. 

 “Pain in my fucking ass,” the man from earlier snarls before turning on you, “what do you think you’re doing?”

 “What do you think you’re doing?” she shoots back.

  The two are staring at each other with equal amounts of contempt and venom, but Imogen sees an excruciating amount of fear in his eyes as he peers down at her.

 “You need to come with me.”

 “Absolutely not,” she scoffs, “I know for a fact that you kill every person you take home- I’ve been watching you for months. I just needed a direct confession and your facial expression is more than eno-”

  He slams her up against the wall and Imogen gasps- whether out of fear or arousal, she can’t be entirely sure. His cologne fills her senses and he is positively magnetic. He smirks at her while leering back.

“Darling,” he says through gritted teeth, “I’m not the one who does the killing.”

 She searches his face for any signs of deception and is utterly surprised when she doesn’t find any. Imogen’s face softens, much to both of their surprises. She’s actually not that tough of a person, she had just practiced that speech so many times in the washroom that it was second nature. She is far more passive- the one men and women enjoy fucking as hard as they can because she’s been marketed as “being able to take it”. 

 She couldn’t, not really, but she needed the money to survive so she took it. 

  The fear in his eyes- it’s not because of her telling the Flaming Fists. He’s afraid of another entity entirely. Who, what, or why- she doesn’t know, but it would be remiss of her to not offer to help in any way she can. 

 “Is there anything I can do to help you?” she pleads, “we could go to the Flaming Fists together- you don’t have to-”

“No,” he hisses, “I can’t do that. You can help me by coming with me.”

 “I can’t do that.”

 “I know,” he says through a choked whisper. 

   His hands are suddenly around her neck and she’s struggling to breathe. She looks at him with pleading eyes and notices his own eyes are even brighter now.

 “It’s always such a shame when cattle won’t listen. Don’t you agree, Astarion?”

  A voice from further down the alleyway causes her to begin fighting back harder and she immediately recognizes the man- Cazador Szarr. For whatever reason, that doesn’t surprise her. He’s always been kind of off putting, weird, and sadistic when any of her clients invite her to attend a soiree with them (paid, of course). Everyone else is charmed by him, but Imogen knows better. 

 The man, Astarion nods his head, but his eyes are looking at her as if to communicate that he is sorry. That he did not want to have to do this to her and that she was just unlucky enough to have crossed his path tonight. 

 Tears begin to fall down her face and she focuses on Astarion as Cazador begins walking towards them. Her heart races and she feels all the hairs stand up along her neck and arms. He is going to kill her- she can see it in his eyes and she begins to sob harder as he strokes her cheek and forces her eyes to look into his. 

 He looks hungry. 

 She whimpers in fear and he smiles darkly- massive canines peeking out from underneath his lips. Imogen begins to realize there may be worse things than death. What if this man does what he did to Astarion to her? She doesn’t want to murder people.

 “Aren’t you a delicious little thing,” Cazador says, his hands trailing down the front of her chest, brushing one of her nipples before gripping her breast through the fabric, “I have a feeling we are going to have a lot of fun together.”

  Tears go rolling down her face even faster now. Cazador begins to slowly undress her by untying the back of her dress. Astarion’s hands begin to tighten again around her throat, her airway more closed now than it was before. She puts her hands on his wrists and pleads with him in her mind to fight whatever this is, don’t kill her- please. 

  Except the situation quickly gets worse. 

 A mind flayer comes up from behind Cazador- he barely catches the invasion in time and the man disappears into a cloud of red mist and Astarion drops her to the ground when the Mindflayer grabs him, another one coming out from the shadows towards Imogen. 

 She weakly tries to get up, but it’s no use- she is too weak and delirious to successfully get away and she’s forced to give in. Astarion is screaming and trying to attack the creature clinging onto him- the screaming stops abruptly and Astarion drops like a dead weight on the ground.

 Imogen can’t decide if she just has terrible luck or if she just needs to get the fuck out of Baldur’s Gate already. She doesn’t fight the Mindflayer like Astarion did, but suddenly, she’s floating off into space- the world no longer privy of her and her no longer privy to the world.

         *************************************************************************

 When she wakes up again- she’s in an entirely different place and the smell of Sulfur assaults her nose as her pod opens. Imogen gingerly jumps out and looks around- grateful when she sees something resembling a door. She fights the vomit that crawls up her throat when she sees that the door is made of some kind of flesh.

 Thankfully, it opens without her assistance and she steps inside with gentle footsteps, remaining along the edge of the room until she is certain that no one else is in there but the strange voice from the floor above. 

  The elevator system is actually pretty neat, but coming across a brain talking to her as a man looks up at her does actually make her begin coughing up bile and shaking. She gets up, scrambling to run down the path leading away from the grotesque sight.

 “NO! Please SAVE US!”

  “I’m sorry!” she yells back, “but I promise I would if I thought I could stomach it!” 

“PLEASE!!!!”

 The plea was desperate and it pulls at her heart strings. Imogen stops and begrudgingly trudges backwards- putting her fingers into the skull. 

   Gods, this is disgusting!

     One of her fingers accidentally slips into the brain and she has to suppress the gag threatening to leave her throat. She doesn’t want to alarm the poor thing.

 It pops out and walks around for a bit, before looking at her? Imogen isn’t really sure, but ‘Us’ decides to join her on this little adventure.

     The hot air and sulfur is all consuming- Imogen feels dizzy. This is all too much and she’s probably going to die. Whether it be by turning into a Mindflayer or being killed by someone else- she’s not sure if she has a preference anymore. She just wants the hell out of the Hells. 

  As if on cue, a sword is thrusted into her face and a creature from a race she has never seen in her life is staring at her. Imogen nearly falls backwards from trying to get away, but thankfully they reach a mutual understanding.

 “We need to kill the Imps,” she states as if that’s the easiest thing in the world, “then we will find a cure on the Material Plane.” 

  Imogen feels herself go as white as a sheet and the woman cocks her head at her.

 “What is it, istik?” 

  “I-I don’t know how to fight,” she admits.

  The woman blinks at her a few times before she begins to walk away.

 “Wait- don’t leave me here!”

 “You are of no use to me,” she spat, “unable to fight- Vlaakith preserve me. It will be a miracle if you survive any of this at all.” 

  Imogen swallows thickly and doesn’t argue with her- instead, she follows behind her and stays out of sight while she fights the imps. Us stays nearby, remaining her loyal, weird pet companion. 

  Imogen will let her do the heavy lifting and clear the path ahead. There has to be a way out and Imogen is determined to find it. She is not going to die here.

  After the woman climbs up the disgusting looking nets and disappears, Imogen walks over to one of the corpses that is wearing a robe. 

  Imogen looks down at her current outfit and then at the robe. She’s going to have to change. No one is going to take her seriously dressed like this and she needs at least something to attempt to defend herself with. 

  “I am so so sorry,” she says to the poor man she’s stripping, his eyes glassy with death, “I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t have to- I hope you can forgive me.” 

  The robe is far too large on her shorter frame and it’s rather loose. It sits awkwardly on the curve of her hips, breasts, and ass. She groans- this is going just sooooo well already. 

   She takes the dagger and cuts the robe to her knees and the arms until they are at her elbows. Sticking the dagger in her makeshift belt (fashioned out of her previous outfit). The next body she finds thankfully has a pair of boots that are her size so she discards her sandals and shoves her feet into the poor dead person’s shoes- once again apologizing profusely for messing with them in death. 

  The next climb is not nearly as disgusting now that her feet are covered and she is expecting the odd texture under her hands. Imogen finds that she’s actually a lot stronger than she realized- she’s not even breaking a sweat. Sex is apparently excellent exercise. 

  She’s met, once again, with a room decorated in gore, except this time, there is a woman screaming and yelling as she slams her hands against the glass. Imogen races over and the woman looks relieved.

 “Oh thank the Gods,” she breathes, “please help me- the other survivor, she left and she’s already working on taking down the ship.”

  Wonderful.

 “Do you know what they used to close you in in the first place?”

   Imogen can tell the woman is struggling to calm down enough to think clearly. 

 “Hey, look at me,” Imogen says softly, the woman looks at her on the verge of tears, “I’m not leaving you here to die alone, if you die, I die- breathe. Tell me what you remember.” 

Imogen goes in the direction the woman gestured to and begins searching through the pockets of the dead- there’s another person in here, but unfortunately- they are a Mindflayer now. That one woman must have wandered in here thinking this was the way to the Helm.  

  A stone-like object is warm and pulsing in her hand as if it’s come to life. This must be the key that is missing in the console. 

 She sprints back this time and holds up the rune as she runs over- the woman cheers in relief and Imogen quickly releases her from her prison. Imogen wants to know why she specifically felt like she had authority over the console to control it, but figuring out all of this nonsense is going to have to wait. 

 “Thank you,” she says, “you have no idea how grateful I am for you right now.”

  Imogen smiles, “no problem- I’m Imogen and this is Us.”

  The woman eyes the creature with uncertainty, but decides it’s not worth questioning. 

 “Shadowheart,” she says while walking back to the pod, grabbing something.

  Imogen decides she doesn’t care- as long as this woman is willing to help her get out of here and back to Baldur’s Gate so she can say goodbye to her home and move the hell away, she can do whatever she wants. 

  The ship lurches suddenly and both of them go flying across the room- being thrown all the way to the opening Imogen came from. Both parties scream in terror as they watch the ground get closer and closer. 

 The ship’s descent and gravity force Imogen’s grip to release. Shadowheart tries to grab her and their fingers merely brush. Imogen free falls- the ground coming closer and closer as she braces herself for her death. 

 Only it never comes- a woman stands in front of her with a smile before Imogen unceremoniously drops to the ground. Her battered body begs for sleep and she gives in- hoping no more tragedies will be brought upon her so she can finally rest.