#i said i'd read more fics but i got lazy and went back to watching videos of dogs i don't have and food i can't make

[chiharuhashibira]

𝓗𝓮𝓵𝓵𝓸 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻𝔂 𝓸𝓷𝓮~

Hello, I wanted to write a fic so bad but I am too lazy to open my laptop. So writing it via my phone without proofreading XD

I will edit any grammatical errors and such when I go on my lappy soon HAHA! So please bear with me~

This fic can be read on its own or after 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒖𝒏𝒔𝒆𝒕 𝑰𝒔 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒖𝒍, 𝑰𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝑰𝒕? So enjoy~ (and prepare tissues XD)

Note: I am on my lappy now OwO so Imma grammar check while writing haha!

𝓜𝓪𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓽

𝑴𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝑯𝒂𝒚 𝑾𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒖𝒏 𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔

𝐆𝐢𝐲𝐮 𝐓𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐨𝐤𝐚 𝐗 𝐆𝐍!𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 (𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐀𝐔)

𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫>

Content Warnings: None ^^

Genre: Drama/Angst/Romance

(Image isn't mine, credits to the rightful owner)

Don’t exhaust your heart on something that isn’t worth it.

I can still clearly remember the feeling I've felt since Giyu told me those words. And yes, especially on the part where he told me that he thinks that he'll never fall in love again. I'm sure I've also convinced myself that it's time to let him go.

And there, I told him how beautiful the sunset is.

But look at me now; it's been a year since then, and I still haven't found love. You also guessed it right: there are still remnants of love inside of me that sparkle whenever I see Giyu. He's still my best friend. Nothing's changed.

It's just that perhaps I never showed my vulnerability now as much as I did back then. It seems that he didn't mind. Tomioka is still the same man that I've met before.

Not until Sanemi came. We became close to the point that sometimes I'd spend my weekends with him. We're just friends; I know that, but it is also clear to me that Sanemi likes me. He isn't shy about showing it.

However, it's just that I think I've already exhausted my heart on Giyu and can't feel any romance at all with the guy. He's charming; don't get me wrong. He would do the impossible if I told him to. It's not that I'm using Sanemi or something; it's more like I just enjoy the company that he gives me since I'm still healing from everything.

I was busy contemplating when suddenly I noticed the sideways glance that Giyu was giving me. He seems bored, or... annoyed?

"What's with the glare, Giyu?"

"As far as I know, you're with me, but I think it's somewhere far... or, more like, someone far."

Is he referring to Sanemi? Because if he is, he's wrong.

"Huh?"

"Nothing. You know, if you're bored or what, you can go home. I think I can buy my groceries alone."

"Why are you being grumpy all of a sudden? I'm not doing anything."

"Whatever."

I watched as Giyu walked faster, holding his cart. I felt cold in the pit of my stomach, as Giyu was never this grumpy with me before. He got all the patience and sweetness, and now he gets annoyed easily.

With a heavy heart, I jogged towards him, wrapping my arm around his arm. He seems to not mind at all, but he's still ignoring me. I can't bear with it, so then I grabbed a chocolate from the shelf and showed it to him. "Giyuuuu, I want this," I said in a baby voice. I know my best friend can't resist it.

"Fine," he said, rolling his eyes. I tossed the chocolate on his cart and wrapped my arm around his again. "Why are you so mad? I'm not used to you like that."

"I don't know. Maybe because it seems like I bore you?"

"Who said that?"

"I don't know. Perhaps you can ask Sanemi since you always go out together."

And there, the name popped out of his lips.

"Are you jealous of Sanemi?"

Giyu stopped walking and swatted my arm. "Pfft... Me? Jealous? What are you, my girlfriend? You can go out with him for all I care."

I was so hurt by how he reacted that I ended up standing there, watching as he went on his walk. He noticed it, so then he looked back at me and raised an eyebrow. "Hey?" Giyu asked, wondering why I was just standing there.

I gulped and just turned my back at him, leaving him, despite how he called my name.

"'Pfft, what are you, my girlfriend?' Then don't react that way. Fucker."

Fuming, I threw my bag on the couch and plopped down beside it. I hated the fact that he didn't care. Why doesn't he care? And if he really doesn't, why is he acting like that?

I was so mad and confused that tears started to stream down my cheeks. Never in my life did I expect to get angry at Giyu like this. But then it happened. Just as the decision to try to let go of him happened.

Cutting through my thoughts, I heard my phone ring. My heart skipped a bit. Perhaps Giyu wants to apologise?

So then, I eagerly took out my phone, only to see that it was Sanemi instead, calling me.

"Hello? Sanemi?"

"Hey, how are you—are you crying? Are you alright, Y/N?"

"Oh, sorry, I was watching a drama," I lied. "Uh, how are you?"

"Oh, did I disturb you?"

"Not at all."

"Okay, so I was just wondering if you would like to go out tonight. My treat."

"Sanemi, you're sweet, but I guess I'll turn down the offer for today. I'm quite tired."

"Oh, okay, no prob. But if ever, you can chat with me or anything. Okay?"

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

Beep.

I could hear the dismay in Sanemi's voice, but then, what can I do? I feel bad, but I can't even comfort myself right now. I know I'll just make it worse for him.

Everything just hurts, especially whenever I try to look back.

Giyu Tomioka.

We're more than friends, but less than lovers. And now, what are we? Where is he? Why does it feel like he never cared at all?

Did he even care? Because if he does, he should've checked on me right now. But then, here I am... longing for his attention, even if there is someone who would gladly gave me everything.

I don't know. Perhaps it's still Giyu after all. And it'll always be until I'm nothing but a dimming star into the night, with light fading away as I wait for him.

𝓗𝓮𝓵𝓵𝓸 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻𝔂𝓸𝓷𝓮

Welcome to my other series? XD It was supposed to be a sequel to my one-shot as mentioned above, but yes, you can read this as it is.

The A/N above was written months ago but now, Imma release this to y'all.

Kinda fond of some modern AU stuff as of the moment xD Soooo, feel free to reblog, comment, and request anything!

Also just a heads up, this will be a short series, perhaps 5 chapters max. Just wanted to write this and let this all out 😅

NOTE TO SELF: Make a landing page for the series 💕

Ja ne~

~𝓒𝓱𝓲𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓾-𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓷🌸

𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫>

[btsgotjams27]

All Grown Up ~ JJK | Epilogue

✨ title: all grown up | series ✨ pairing: jungkook x f!reader | ✨ rating: R/18+ ~ minors dni ✨ genre/au: romance, fluff, angst, friends-to-lovers, humor, banter, smut, age gap, best friends little brother ✨ author’s notes: I won’t be updating this series on Tumblr. Please continue this series on AO3 or Wattpad. Links below. This fic is inspired by the k-drama, Something in the Rain. ✨ author’s notes 2: okay, so i do plan on editing the rest of this series! i just don’t know when it’ll be done. ✨ author's notes 3: omfg. i'm finally done editing this fic?? it's literally taken me a whole year bc i've been lazy/busy lmfao. welp, we're finally here! and there will be a small drabble and jin pov i'll be posting soon! ✨ can also read on AO3 or Wattpad

[ SERIES MASTERLIST ] prev | next ✨ drabble - netflix and...

✨ epilogue | wc: 1.2k ✨ warnings: illusions to sex, kissing

The day of Yuna and Namjoon’s wedding was pure chaos. A day before, you receive a call about all floral arrangements being delayed because of the hurricane. The truck carrying everything wouldn’t make it in time for the wedding, which meant you and the other bridesmaids were running around with your heads cut off trying to find flowers for the wedding.

“Bora, bring those flowers over to the king's table,” you gestured to the arrangement sitting by the gift table. At this point, you were lucky to get any flowers for the wedding. It didn’t matter if they were cohesive or not.

“The king's table?” Bora clenched her teeth, looking around to figure out what you were referring to.

“The table we’re all sitting at!” you yelled. God, did you have to do everything yourself?

“Oh--right. Got it .” Bora hurried off, not wanting to be scolded by you again.

You told yourself never to agree to be anyone else’s maid of honor. It was just too stressful. If you were to marry in the future, you noted it would just be an elopement.

Looking at your list, there were still a few things that needed to be checked before you could head off to hair and make-up. There were only a few more hours until the wedding started.

“Need any help?” Jungkook asked, sneaking in from behind, wrapping his arms around your waist.

You peered quickly at him before returning to your clipboard. “Yes, please. Here take these and bring them to table seven.”

“You got it, boss,” he said before giving a quick peck on your lips before doing as he was asked.

Your eyes widened, looking around to make sure no one was watching. “Kook! What if someone sees?!”

He smiled and ran off. Were you excited that you and Jungkook were finally together? Yes, but only a few people knew about your relationship. The next big thing was to tackle your mom, but you didn't even want to think about that right now. You’d deal with that later.

You heard your name, and quickly, you turned to see Yuna running to you.

“The flowers are set up on the tables as we speak, and your bouquet is here. I'll put it in your room, and then I'll return after getting ready.” Your eyes scanned the rest of your checklist, ensuring everything went smoothly.

“Thank you. You're a godsend. I don't know what I'd do without you,” Yuna said, pulling you in for a hug.

You straightened and wrapped your arm around hers. “Let's not find out...again,” you chuckled.

After the hectic morning, you were able to find some time to quiet down and get ready. You slip on the sage green velvety off-the-shoulder bridesmaid dress, the gold drop-down pearl earrings, and the strappy beige Jimmy Choos. You took one last look at yourself in the mirror before grabbing your bouquet filled with eucalyptus, peonies, and blush pink roses.

Stepping out of your door, you found Jungkook leaning against the wall, looking dapper in a three-piece navy suit and hair slicked back, showing off his defined and chiseled jawline. You could kiss that jawline all day if you could. He took one look at you, mouthed a 'wow,'and whistled.

You narrowed your eyes at your hunky man. “Shut up.”

He stepped closer to you and took your hand, spinning you around to get a better look. “Damn, you're sexy,” Jungkook groaned in delight.

“Shhh —”

“You should dress like this more often so I can take everything off.”

“KOOK!”

He laughed and grinned as he tried to bring you in for a kiss. You tried to push him away, but he held on tighter. “I'm not letting go until I get a kiss from you.”

“You're trying to get us caught.”

“Mmhm, I want everyone to know we're together.” He let out a soft giggle as you rolled your eyes.

“Fine. God, you're so bad.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Admit it. You like it.”

“Maybe a little.”

“Ouh, you're kinky.”

“Okay---I'm leaving.” You tried to pull away from him again, but he chuckled and rolled you right back into his arms as he gave you a back hug.

“I'm kidding. I love seeing you like this. Flustered, that is,” he smiled, pressing his lips to your right shoulder, making his way up to your neck, leaving subtle marks behind. You let out a slight whine as he continued.

“I'm going to have to cover up these marks if you keep going.”

“Mm…” He continued, not caring in the world if anyone walked by.

You weren't sure if he even heard you. “Koo…” you muttered softly. He pressed deeper into your skin, and your head began falling back into him. You quickly turned around to face him. “You have five minutes. FIVE!”

“I can do that.” He grinned as he opened the door to your room, letting you go in first.

You quickly straightened your dress and grabbed your shoes, scrambling to get yourself ready again. You ran to Yuna's dressing room and knocked lightly.

“Yuna..?” you muttered before opening the door, peering in to see her sitting in front of the vanity.

“Finally, where have you been?” she asked, putting on a diamond earring.

“Sorry I got held up,” you said, closing the door behind you.

Yuna laughed as she took a look at her best friend. “Uh huh--I can clearly see.” She was pointing to the nipple pasty stuck to the side of your dress.

“OH SHIT –” You quickly grabbed it and tucked it into place. Fucking Jungkook–you told him not to remove the pasty, but he wouldn’t listen. He just had to feel all of you.

“Spare me the details,” Yuna chuckled while matting down her hair.

You nervously chuckled and began walking over to her. She turned to the mirror, taking in one last look before it was time to go. “You look gorgeous. Namjoon is going to cry.”

“He's definitely going to cry.”

You leaned down to hug her from behind. “I love you.”

“Love you too.”

The wedding was beautiful and everything you and Yuna had dreamed about when you were younger. After Yuna and Namjoon's first dance, the MC invited everyone else to join in. You sat there with twinkles in your eyes, watching your best friend so happy. Then you felt a tap on your shoulder. Jungkook stood there with his hand out.

“May I have this dance?”

You gazed at the doe-eyed young man, asking so sweetly. “What about my mom?” you asked, worried about what she would think.

“She'll just think we're being friendly,” Jungkook suggested with a sly smile and puppy dog eyes.

You bit your bottom lip, hesitating to take it. You weren’t just worried about your mother. A slew of people you knew would whisper and gossip about the two of you.

“Come on. I promise I'll behave.”

If there were no one around, you’d dance the night away. You loved the thought of being in his arms–kissing, giggling, touching…

“You better.”

“I don't know if you'll behave, though.”

You lightly hit him in the chest as you stood up. He led you to the dance floor and held you close with one hand on the small of your back, the two of you swaying to the song playing. His honey-brown eyes glistened from the night sky, his smile beaming from ear to ear, revealing the cutest dimple carved within his cheek.

“What..?”

“...I love you,” you softly said as you reached up and pressed your lips against his, forgetting where you were, forgetting all the complexities that came along with your relationship. Nothing else mattered at that moment—just you and him.

✨ previous ~ you deserve everything and more

✨ next ~ drabble - netflix and..

[immagoudaboi]

chonk honk i miss you bao bei

stonk bonk i miss you too achi you haven't written my panda au yet

[ineffablebooklover]

Oh goodness, I'm terrible at writing prompts, hmm......

Are you familiar with D&D/Pathfinder/tabletop RPG's in general? I'd love to see The Crows rolling up characters and playing a one-shot. I can't decide if I'd rather Kaz or Jesper be the GM. Both sound horribly great. 😆

Otherwise, in a very un-original but beloved AU, I'd love to see HP Drarry and Romione + SoC Kanej, Wesper, and Helnik in some kind of Coffee Shop setting (I owned my own shop for the better part of a decade, so I love those).

And Matthias always being alive, please, if you do either of these. ;)

And I don't care about fic length; whatever you feel inspired to do!

💜

The Crow Cafe Coffee Shop AU~ with the Crows, Ronmione, and Drarry

authors note: I got a bit carried away with the idea, and I added some plot. There’s going to be multiple parts to this (yay!) so I guess keep in tune!

Part 1. Kaz’s Crow Cafe

There is a cafe, down some streets in Downtown Ketterdam’s Stave, run by a boy and his friends. There, you can find stories, romance, and most importantly, a decent cup of coffee.

“Not for my coffee, you podge,” Kaz scoffed, slapping away Jesper’s offer of sugar with a glove-clad hand. “I’m just saying sugar prices are getting higher. We need to compensate for this fact.”

Kaz waited for questions, looking around the table. No one said anything. Kaz looked directly at Jesper, who sighed, taking back the sugar and dumping it in his own coffee.

“And how do you want us to do that?”

It was a chilly Saturday morning in early-September, and Kaz was giving his Saturday morning pre-opening briefing.

“Kaz, people come here for the low coffee prices. We can’t hike the prices really high,” Inej added. Jesper nodded, grabbing another packet of sugar.

Kaz sighed. “I know. I’m working on it. Just thought I’d let you two know.”

“Don't mind if I do,” Jesper cut in, pouring the sugar in his overly-caffeinated drink, “but shouldn’t good old Mr. Haskell be thinking about this instead of us?”

Kaz sipped his coffee, shrugging. “‘Old Mr. Haskell’, as you say Jesper, is old and inert.” Kaz sent a glance Inej’s way. “He won’t be doing much about it.”

Jesper just chugged his coffee, bouncing up and ready to start the day.

“Jesper, was it wise to take in that much sugar and caffeine?” Inej inquired as Jesper bounced around the shop.

“Probably, not,” Jesper grinned, flipping the sign to ‘Open’ as a few early-risers started to form a line in front of the Cafe.

A girl with tied back light brown hair entered the cafe first, a stack of textbooks and notebooks in her arms. She ordered a coffee and a pastry, and started working at a table.

She was followed by a tall, burly, blond male who Kaz was sure he’d seen before. Trailing him was Nina, a girl Kaz knew from previous jobs he had done with her to help keep up the profits. Next to the composed blond dude, Nina looked dead tired.

“Why do we even have to get up this early?” Nina whined.

“I have to do things later today and Sunday, this is a good time to work on the project,” the blond replied.

Nina groaned. “Good for you. I was going to get my beauty sleep.”

“Well you get to have a beautiful coffee instead,” Jesper said cheerfully. “Good morning, Nina! What will it be for you and your…” Jesper looked the blonde up and down. “...this hunk of a man, here?”

Nina smirked tiredly. “Yeah, that’s my hunk of a man to you,” she pointed a lazy finger at Jesper.

The blond huffed. “So impudent and improper. My name is Matthias. I will have a black coffee.”

Jesper typed it into his screen quickly. “And no cream, no sugar, nothing sweet?”

Matthias shook his head.

“Anyways, I’ll have a mocha, like 10 shots of coffee and lots of creamer,” Nina cut in.

Jespers slender fingers flew across the board. “Okay so that’s one coffee as bitter as Kaz’s soul, and a mocha with 4 shots of espresso and half of it basically milk. Is that all for today?”

Nina scanned the pastry rack and ordered two chocolate chip muffins. The two sat down, getting stuff out for a project.

Meanwhile, Inej bounced around in her athletic wear, preparing coffees. She finished one for the girl named Hermione, grabbed the apple strudel she wanted, and headed over.

“Hermione?”

Hermione turned, and greeted Inej with a smile. “Thank you. I’ll take those.”

Inej noticed the bigger table Hermione had chosen, and tilted her head. “Are you waiting for someone?”

Hermione nodded. “Yes, my friends. They’re supposed to be here in about an hour, I’m just catching up on studying before they come. Is that alright with…” Hermione stared into the distance, where Kaz stood ominously staring at Inej.

“Oh he… he’s alright.,” Inej lifted a hand to wave at Kaz, who noticed and looked away. “That’s Kaz for you,” she mumbled under her breath.

“Pardon?” Hermione asked.

Inej just laughed nervously, brushing it off. “Enjoy your breakfast!” Inej went back to making coffee behind the counter watching Jesper chat up customers left and right. Inej was glad for his enthusiasm so early in the morning, she never liked taking Saturday morning shifts at 6AM, especially if they had meetings at 5:45.

“How’s it going Jesper?” Inej asked while preparing another cup. Jesper nearly jumped out of his skin.

“Holy- oh Inej. Oh Inej don’t sneak up on me like that. Besides that, I’m doing fine!”

Inej nodded and disappeared behind towers of cups and spouts of coffee. She prepared Nina’s things and brought it over. The two seemed to be arguing.

“I’m just saying- ooh, food!” Nina gasped, sitting up straight for the first time that morning. Inej smiled, placing the coffee and muffins down on the table. Matthias just watched her, arms crossed.

“Enjoy the food,” Inej smiled, then went back to the counter.

Kaz watched her silently from the side, then, noticing the line, straightened his gloves and walked over to help make coffee. They went through orders silently, Inej doing all of the walking, but they enjoyed each other's company. Inej and Kaz would work on an order or two, Kaz would place his finished ones on a counter for Inej to take. While Inej was gone, Kaz would get started on the next thing, and so on.

Eventually, Kaz went into the back and disappeared for a while, leaving Inej with the coffee work.

By this time, Hermione’s friends had come, and their study group looked like they were having a great time, though only ⅓ of them seemed to actually be doing any studying.

By 8, Inej and Jesper switched spots. Inej found that Jesper still loved people-watching, even behind the counter. Or... was he looking for someone?

Her suspicions were correct when a boy walked in, with ruddy, orange-brown curls. Jesper leaned into her, pointing him out. “I think he’s starting to be a consistent customer. At least on weekends. Have you seen him around school?”

Inej had in fact seen him around school. His name was Wylan and he was in Kaz’s math class, and in her Art and Gym class. During lunch, he was usually just drawing something or doing math homework by himself.

Inej nodded, then went back to a customer, leaving Jesper to speculate by himself.

When the boy with golden-brown curls stepped up, she asked what he wanted.

He looked up at the board for less than a second, then back to Inej. “I’ll have an iced coffee. With the cream.” Inej nodded and punched it into the computer.

“Your name?” She asked.

“Wylan,” Wylan smiled. Inej pretended to punch it in as if she hadn’t already.

“And… if you want, the Crow Cafe is thinking of starting a sort of rewards club for regular members. There’s more info up on the board, but all we need is your number,” Inej added effortlessly.

Wylan looked up at the board and back to Inej. “Uh… sure,” he said tentatively. He gave her his number and she pretended to type it in, instead writing it down on a piece of paper after he left the counter. She then looked up at the board to confirm her suspicions. There was nothing about a rewards club. So he can’t read, and yet he still pretends…

She tucked that information away, smirking as she slid the paper into Jesper’s back pocket.

Everything was going pretty smoothly (besides Nina and Matthias’ constant bickering) until the door opened and in walked the most pretentiously blond man Inej and seen, with an even blonder son.

_end of part 1_ thanks for reading, and for the commission!

next commission: Sleeping Beauty AU :)

[heytherejulietx]

Haunted ~ Jughead Jones

Masterlists

Requests are OPEN

Notes - Hi so I’m seriously proud of this fic, and even though I feel like all of my Riverdale fics flop I’m super happy with this, so if you could reblog this and get it more reach that’s be amazing. (Also, on a note not related to this, I am working on the requests and I’m so sorry about the wait for them, but I was having trouble writing them so that’s why I wrote this fic. Sorry everyone they’re coming soon!)

Warnings - Pure angst and hurt. Be warned.

Word count - 5.6k.

Riverdale tag list - @idont-knowrn

If you’d like to be added to any tag list please just tell me!

You and I walk a fragile line

I have known it all this time

But I never thought I'd live to see it break

~

Everything changed when Jughead moved to the South Side. Of course, she couldn't blame him for moving, she knew he had to. With his dad behind bars for a murder he didn't even commit and not being able to stay at the Andrews household any longer, he didn't have a choice in moving. Living in his dad's trailer was better than staying with a foster family whom he didn't know, though living on opposite sides of town and now attending different schools meant they saw less and less of each other. And to be completely honest, Y/N missed him so much. She missed having him stay over at her house before school since her house wasn't far from Archie's. She missed waking up with him in the mornings, being greeted with lazy kisses and warm hugs. She missed sitting with him in class, helping him in math and getting his help in English literature. She missed after school dates at Pop's; sharing each other's milkshakes and helping him write his novel.

But once he'd moved, the cracks in their relationship started to appear. At first it was just missed phone calls and being left on read, though soon it developed to frequent arguments, being stood up on dates for the Serpents, and just not seeing each other much anymore. It hurt her, because she missed her once perfect boyfriend, who was now so caught up with his new school and his imprisoned father's gang to give any sort of time or attention to her. Maybe it was selfish, but Y/N wanted him to focus on her, and not anybody else, even if just for one night. She could tell that their relationship was headed downhill, though she thought that it would be fixable. They had been through so much already, surely this wouldn't break them apart, right?

~

It's getting dark and it's all too quiet

And I can't trust anything now

And it's comin' over you like it's all a big mistake

~

Y/N frowned down at the Pop's menu sat on the table in front of her, scowling at the small printed words there. This was the third time he'd missed one of their dates, or just forgotten about it all together. She was guessing it was the latter, as Jughead had been too wrapped up in the Serpents and with Toni Topaz to think of anything else. She was certain that he was getting bored of her, or tired of her company. He was hanging around with a gang now, his people, so surely his plain old north-side girlfriend was getting tiresome? She took a glance out of the window beside her seat, seeing that the sky was darkening into evening - dark oranges and blues swirled together as the sun went down like an artist mixing paint on a canvas. When she'd gotten to Pop's it was still daylight, but he had taken so long to show that now it was getting dark.

Before she knew it, disappointed tears were brimming in her eyes, and a lump was forming in her throat. Why couldn't he just spare a few hours to go and see her? At first, she had given him the time he quite clearly needed, and the benefit of the doubt. He had just moved and he was adjusting, and she got that, but now it had been weeks and there was still no effort put in from his end. It wasn't like he was even a proper member of the Serpents, so she just didn't get it. 

After another few minutes she had paid for the one milkshake she had drank and the one that had been left sitting on the table untouched, that was meant for Jughead, and then left the diner. It was cold outside, the kind of cold that seeped through your clothes and gave you goosebumps. Though she already felt the cold disappointment that had been sticking with her for weeks, now. On the colder days before Jughead had moved, he would give her his denim jacket as they walked to Pop's after school, but just the thought of that now made her want to start crying. She couldn't remember the last time she had been wrapped in his jacket, or even his arms for that matter.

Before she knew what she was doing, Y/N had pulled her phone out and called him, anger washing over her and replacing the sadness she felt. He picked up after six rings. Usually it would only take one.

"Y/N?" He asked, no 'love' or 'baby'. "Can I call you back later? I'm with the Serpents."

"Couldn't you have spared one night from the Serpents to show up to our date?" She scoffed, lifting her free hand to wipe her eyes which were now streaming with tears. 

"What?" Jughead asked, sounding confused. "We didn't have a date today."

"Yes we did." Y/N sniffled, her lip quivering when realising he'd forgotten. "This is the third one you've missed for Christ's sake, Jug. I shouldn't trust anything you even say, anymore."

"I'm sorry I've been busy." He huffed, sounding more irritated than anything.

"Yeah, you're always busy now." She swallowed back the lump forming in her throat. "Too busy to come and see your girlfriend anymore."

"Y/N, come on-" 

Before he could say anymore she cut the call off, not ready to hear it. Once her phone was back in her pocket she covered her mouth with her hands as she started crying, her chest heaving with each choked sob that passed her lips. Soon it hurt, though nothing hurt as bad as the sadness consuming her from realising he didn't love her like he used to.

~

Holding my breath, won't lose you again

Something's made your eyes go cold

~

It was almost midnight when Y/N heard the rumble of a motorbike turning into her street corner, before she heard the noise cut off right outside her house. It wasn't unusual for Jughead to come and see her after a fight, though it was unusual for them to fight so often. The most they had ever argued before the move was when his father had first been arrested, but she understood that he was just so stressed with everything that he was lashing out at people. Though this was different.

Y/N hadn't moved from her bed since she had gotten home. She hadn't even changed out of her clothes, she had just gotten into her bed and cried. She was still crying by the time she heard her window being pushed open further and someone stepping into her room. Y/N had the covers over her head so she couldn't see him approaching, though she felt the bed dip when he sat down beside her, and felt his hand rubbing her back through the covers. She sat up just enough to turn and move her arms around him, pressing her face into his chest as she started crying again, holding onto him tightly.

"I'm sorry." She heard him whisper into her hair as he wrapped his arms around her shaking body, which only made her cry harder. Did he really mean that? She couldn't be sure.

"Do- do you still love me?" Y/N couldn't help but ask through the tears, needing to know. It felt like he didn't, or that he was loving her less and less every day.

"Of course I still love you." Jughead sighed, his hand lifting to gently run his fingers through her hair. "I'm sorry I've been so distant lately, I've been busy sorting out stuff at South Side High and with the Serpents. I really didn't mean to forget about meeting up with you, okay?"

Y/N sniffled a little as she nodded, just holding onto him a little tighter. Whether she completely forgave him or not was a different question, though she was willing to give him another chance to prove that he really did mean what he said. 

"Hey." He said softly, moving his hand underneath her chin to tilt her head upwards. Her red-rimmed eyes locked with his and she watched his expression soften somewhat when he took in her features, though there was something about his eyes that made her stomach swirl with uneasiness. They were just so cold and unlike him. Maybe he didn't really mean what he had said.

~

Come on, come on don't leave me like this

I thought I had you figured out

Something's gone terribly wrong, you're all I wanted

Come on, come on don't leave me like this

I thought I had you figured out

Can't breathe whenever you're gone

Can't turn back, now I'm haunted

~

After that night, Jughead had promised to make it up to her and come and see her the following weekend at Pop's. And to be honest, she really needed it. Her week had gone absolutely horribly, with Betty suddenly becoming cold and distant towards her. Y/N couldn't fathom why Betty had become so cruel to her; she just knew that the last time herself and the Cooper girl had spoken, it had ended in a long string of insults from Betty then her walking off. So she could really do with her boyfriend's comfort, after her best friend clearly didn't want to be around her anymore.

Y/N sipped on her milkshake at Pop's as she waited for Jughead to show up, his drink sat untouched opposite her on the other side of the table. Once she had hit the ten minute mark she began to grow worried that he wasn't going to show, but thankfully she spotted him pulling into the parking lot of Pop's after she had heard the rumble of his motorcycle outside. A smile was painted over her lips as she waited for him to walk inside, though it quickly faded once she had caught sight of him.

His face was full of cuts and bruises, most of them looking extremely painful. At first she had been worried that he had been in a fight with somebody at his school, though her stomach sank when seeing the leather jacket he was wearing. The leather Serpents jacket.

He had clearly caught sight of her expression, as Jughead sighed as he slipped into the seat opposite her own. "Y/N, I meant to tell you-"

"That you'd joined the gang you told me you wouldn't?" She whispered, her eyebrows furrowed with disbelief. "Why would you do that? They're dangerous, Jug, they're a biker gang. Are you kidding me?"

"They aren't dangerous." He frowned. "They're like family."

"They're like family?" She scoffed. "Oh, and I'm not anymore?"

"Hey, I didn't say that." Jughead frowned a little more.

"Maybe you didn't say it, but you've been meaning it for weeks!" She practically exploded, sitting up in her seat as her waterline burned with the build up of tears again. "When was the last time we both properly hung out together, hm? Or ate dinner together? Or even spoke to each other without arguing?"

"I told you I've been busy, with-"

"With the Serpents, yeah I know." Y/N scoffed. "You never have time for me anymore, and that's all I'm asking for. I miss you, Jug. You could have at least told me that the reason you were too busy to spare a few hours for me is because you were joining a fucking gang."

"What is your issue with the Serpents?" He snapped defensively, making her flinch at the harshness of his voice.

"You said you wouldn't join them, you promised me, remember that?" She asked. "Oh, but maybe you don't, since you seem to be forgetting a lot recently." She huffed, lifting a hand to wipe away the tears that had started falling. "They are dangerous, Jughead, have you even looked in the mirror recently? If you had to do that to join then what else might you have to do now that you're involved?"

"Will you give it a rest?" Jughead snapped, causing her to flinch once more. "Like it or not, I'm a Serpent now, okay? And I'm sorry that since I have this thing called responsibilities now that I can't spend every minute of the day with you." 

"I didn't say that, Jug." She whispered, more tears falling. "I just miss you, we never see each other anymore and when we do it's... it's like you're a different person."

"Yeah? Well if I'm so different then why don't you just find yourself a new boyfriend, then. One that fits the criteria." Jughead scowled as he got out of his seat, shaking his head as he looked at her.

"Hey, wait." Y/N whispered, also getting out of her seat. "Don't go, Jug, I'm sorry." She whispered, reaching out to touch his arm.

Jughead was still frowning as he pulled away from her touch immediately, shaking his head as he just turned away and walked out of the diner, leaving her stood crying as she watched him leave.

~

Stood there and watched you walk away

From everything we had

But I still mean every word I said to you

~

Despite everything Jughead had said, they didn't break up. A few days later Jughead had stopped by her house to apologise, and for once it looked like he meant it. He had been close to tears himself as he ranted to her about everything, but mostly about how sorry he was and how he couldn't stand to lose her. By the end of the conversation she was crying too, and she had agreed to give him another chance. Maybe by this point she should have noticed just how many chances she had given him recently, and saved herself from any future hurt by breaking up with him, though she couldn't do it. She physically couldn't be without him, it pained her to even think about it.

Everything was good for a while. Betty had given her an explanation as to why she had been acting so funny, and definitely one she hadn't been expecting at that - as she had been getting phone calls from the Black Hood - the infamous serial killer who had taken up occupation in Riverdale over the past however many weeks. Whilst it was a complete and utter shock, she had immediately forgiven Betty, as she understood that she had become distant from Y/N so that the Black Hood wouldn't kill her. And things with Jughead had gotten better. Whilst he was still different to the soft and loving boy she had known before the move, he was clearly making an effort, and that mattered a lot to her.

Jughead had been especially better once his father was out of jail. It was a huge relief for everybody to have FP out, and whilst his return meant Jughead having to step up as Serpent King, Y/N was making an effort to try and understand the Serpents more, so she had been helping Jughead plan FP's retirement party in the Whyte Worm.

Though she had also been meeting up with Toni Topaz there, who was helping her learn the Serpent dance for her own initiation. 

Whilst she still wasn't too fond of the Serpents, she wanted to be there for Jughead to make sure he didn't end up getting hurt or imprisoned like his father, so she had agreed to do the extremely sexist 'Serpent dance' and partially join the gang to keep an eye on her boyfriend.

Even though she wanted to keep him safe, on the night of the party she felt horrible. On her way to the bar she felt nauseated at even just the thought of stripping into lingerie and dancing in front of a whole bar of gang members, but once she was there she felt even worse. The smell of alcohol once she had walked into the building was sickening, and it only made her worse. She was almost convinced enough to leave altogether, though once she saw her boyfriend approaching she knew there was no way of getting out of it now.

"Hey." He smiled once he had reached her, planting his hands at her waist as he leaned down to give her a kiss - thankfully the action helped calm her a little. "You look amazing."

The compliment made her blush a little, as she was only wearing a peach skirt and white blouse, though she couldn't help but wonder what he would be thinking later once she had revealed what she was dressed in underneath the good-girl outfit.

Soon the party was in full swing, and somehow she had managed to lose Jughead in the crowd, though she had managed to find Toni sat at the bar instead. Whilst she wasn't extremely fond of the Topaz girl, she was grateful that she had wanted to help her out with the dance.

"Hey north-sider." Toni greeted once she had sat at the bar, stood on the other side of it. "How're you feeling?"

"Like I'm about to throw up or pass out." Y/N told her, scanning the room for a moment before looking back at the pink-haired girl. "Give me something." She tapped the bar, hoping a drink would help. She didn't even drink - but Y/N was hoping that some alcohol would help calm her nerves.

"Are you sure?" Toni asked as she started pouring a liquor into a shot glass for her. "You don't exactly look like you can hold your drink."

"Please, I need some confidence right now, and if that means drinking to get some then so be it." She sighed.

"Alright then." Toni placed the glass on the bar in front of her, looking a little concerned.

Y/N lifted the glass and eyed the liquid for a moment before lifting it to her lips and knocking back the whole drink in one. It burned it's way down her throat and made her start to cough at the horrible feeling, though despite that she put the glass back on the bar and tapped it, signalling that she wanted another.

"Another?" Toni asked. "Are you sure? Maybe that's not the best idea."

"Please, Toni. I won't be able to do this completely sober." She sighed.

Toni just nodded and started to pour her another one, though as she did Y/N's attention was soon locked on the stage a little away from the bar, seeing Veronica and Archie stood there with the Karaoke machine that Y/N had managed to hire for the party earlier in the week. Tearing her gaze away she took the second shot pretty quickly. It still burned horribly on the way down, though she didn't start coughing again. By the time she had taken her third shot, Veronica and Archie had ran off of the stage mid-song, and Y/N had left the bar to quickly move onto the stage, once Toni had said that it was now or never.

Once she was up on the stage she had managed to meet Jughead's confused eyes in the sea of people, and somehow she didn't tear her gaze as she started singing the rest of the song as she unbuttoned her blouse. Y/N tried her best to look seductive and confident as she stripped herself of her clothes and started dancing, and the alcohol did help a lot with that. She was able to focus solely on the dancing as she moved over to the pole on the middle of the stage and spun around it twice, before lowering herself down onto the floor in front of it. The mass amount of people watching her didn't even phase her as she had moved back to the microphone to sing the last few notes of the song, though once she met Jughead's eyes again she felt her stomach sink with nausea. He had that same cold look in his eye again, the one that looked like he had lost all of his love for her.

After the dance was over Y/N had left with her clothes to change in the bathroom of the Wyrm, missing the speech that FP had started as afterwards she went to stand outside by Jughead's motorbike to cool off. It wasn't long before she spotted Jughead walking out of the back entrance of the bar to come and join her, his expression one she couldn't even read. She could just see that he was not happy, not at all.

"Hey," She said softly as he approached, though was met with no reply once he was stood in front of her. "What's wrong? Was it the dance?"

"It's everything." His voice broke as he shook his head. "And yeah. Why would you do that?"

"I wanted to be a part of this." She told him. "The Serpents, your world."

"Why?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowing as he frowned at her. The expression made her uneasy, as it was one she was all too familiar with recently. "Archie knew to cut bait. Now I'm dragging you down. I'm dragging my dad down."

"He's still figuring it out." She told him softly, trying to muster up a genuine sympathetic smile. "And it's gonna be okay, we'll figure out whatever we have to do together." Y/N reached out to place her hands on his chest, though frowned when he had immediately stepped backwards.

"No, Y/N. Mm-Mm." He shook his head. "Not together."

The words struck her like he had just slapped her around the face. Her head tilted a little as a sudden coldness rushed over her body, nausea swirling around her stomach once again. Was he really about to break up with her?

"Y/N, if you stay, I don't know if I can protect you anymore. You might get-" Jughead paused as he ran a hand over his mouth, before planting both of them on her shoulders. "You probably will get hurt. I can't let that happen to you."

Y/N felt her waterline burning with a build up of tears as she stared back at him, starting to shake her head. "That's not your decision to make." She practically whispered.

"Actually, yeah it is." He stepped backwards as he spoke, the painful cold gaze returning to his eyes. 

"How many times, Jug?" Y/N asked as the tears started falling down her cheeks, her voice becoming wobbly with emotion. "How many times are we going to push each other away?" She gave a light push to his chest as she spoke, taking in a light breath as she tried to stop the tears. 

"Until it sticks." The harshness in his voice just made more tears fall as her expression crumpled. "This was my dad's one chance at going straight, and I wrecked it. I'm not going to destroy you, too." He moved to turn and walk away, though Y/N started following instead.

"Just tell me what happened, Jug." Her voice broke as she moved to grab his jacket and turn him around, tears cascading down her face faster as she reached up to cup his face in her hands. "Tell me."

"Please," His voice was weak, and she could see that he was holding back tears, too. "Go home."

Jughead stared at her for another moment before pulling away from her hold, and turning away to walk back into the bar. Y/N couldn't stop the oncoming wave of sobs as she watched him walk away and head back into the bar, her heart aching as she covered her face with her hands. She felt like somebody had just ripped out her chest. He wasn't her's anymore, and she wasn't his.

~

He will try to take away my pain

And he just might make me smile

But the whole time I'm wishin' he was you instead

~

The next day, Y/N had found out on the same night that Veronica had broken up with Archie too. She had been at Pop's trying to fight back a fresh wave of tears, when Archie had taken a seat beside her and started up a conversation with her. She eventually just broke into a fresh wave of tears as she tried explaining to Archie what had happened, and he had moved his arms around her to hug her, trying to comfort her in the best way he could. Though it felt wrong - his arms felt different to Jughead's, they were more muscular and harder. That fact alone just made her cry harder as she held onto Archie, as she wished it was Jughead sat with her instead. But she couldn't seem to let go of Archie - needing the reassuring contact even if it wasn't from the right person. So she just held onto him tightly as she cried, silently wishing it was Jughead instead.

~

Oh, oh, holding my breath, won't see you again

Something keeps me holding on to nothing

~

Y/N returned to Pop's the day after, hoping to catch Archie there again. Though as she had walked though the doors of the diner, instead of seeing her red-haired friend, she saw Toni sat at the table beside her usual one instead. She frowned as she looked at her, knowing she probably knew about what her gone down between herself and Jughead at FP’s retirement party. She had tried to walk part Toni without being noticed, though just sighed when she heard her call her name.

“Y/N?” She asked, causing the girl to force a smile as she turned to face her. “Listen, I’m sorry about what happened between you and Jug at the party.”

“It’s fine.” Y/N shook her head. It wasn’t fine, far from it, but she wasn’t about to stand and talk to Toni Topaz about her feelings, of all people. “It’s probably been a long-time coming.” She sighed.

“Listen, I-“

“Y/N?” Another voice came from behind her, an all too familiar voice, causing Y/N to frown as she turned around and saw Jughead stood there. She hadn’t seen him since the night he’d broken up with her, and hadn’t planned on seeing him for a long while, knowing she wouldn’t be able to handle it. Though instead of tears of sadness filling her eyes like she thought would happen, angry tears filled them together as she put two and two together. She glanced between him and Toni, and just shook her head as the tears started falling. He was meeting up with her, not even three days after they had broken up.

“Nice.” She whispered. “Rub salt in the wound, why don’t you?”

“What?” Jughead asked, before his eyes widened as he looked at Toni before back at her. “Y/N-“

“I don’t want to hear it, Jughead.” Y/N shook her head as the tears fell faster, quickly stepping past him and towards the exit of the diner to head outside. Her vision quickly became blurred with tears as she walked, breathing becoming a difficult task as she pushed back any verbal cries trying to escape.

“Y/N wait!” Jughead called after her. “It’s not what you think, please.”

Y/N turned around to face him as she started full-on crying, despite trying not to. “No, Jughead, I don’t care!” She shouted through her tears, her whole body starting to shake. “Just leave me alone, okay? I can’t be around you right now.”

Whilst Jughead stumbled over his words trying to say something, Y/N just turned around and walked away as she started sobbing freely.

~

Come on, come on don't leave me like this

I thought I had you figured out

Something's gone terribly wrong, you're all I wanted

Come on, come on don't leave me like this

I thought I had you figured out

Can't breathe whenever you're gone

Can't turn back, now I'm haunted

~

By the time Y/N had gotten home, she was a mess. Her chest hurt with each rough cry that passed her lips but she couldn’t stop. Weeks of emotional torture she’d endured, watching Jughead fall out of love with her, and just as things had started to seem okay he’d broken up with her. He had said it was to protect her, because he couldn’t let her get hurt, but was that really the reason? Or was he really just not in love with her? And wanted to be with Toni instead?

Once she had managed to get to her room she just slammed the door and fell to her floor, her hands covering her face as she hunched over. Everywhere hurt; her chest, her throat, her eyes, her heart. She felt like screaming, screaming for hours until her throat was raw and she couldn’t make anymore noise. Though she couldn’t physically stop the sobs long enough to even try to scream.

Her hands were shaking once she’d moved them from her face to plant them on her bedroom floor to stable herself, the shakes travelling up her arms and through her body until her entire frame was quivering with the agonising pain she felt. The tears couldn’t seem to stop, either. It felt like she had been crying ever since the break up, and for the most part she had.

“You’re not gone.“ She sobbed, hitting the floor with her palms before hunching over again as she continued crying. “You can’t be gone!“ The words mixed in with her crying to the point where she sounded like a wounded animal, begging for death. And in a way, she felt like it. Y/N didn’t think she could survive without Jughead by her side.

~

You and I walk a fragile line

I have known it all this time

Never ever thought I'd see it break

Never thought I'd see it

~

Another week passed before she saw Jughead again. The first time she had seen him after the break up it had been an accident, though this time he had asked to meet up with her, and for some reason said yes. Y/N tried telling herself that she had agreed to go simply because she was curious about what he had to say, though the real reason was because she was hoping he wanted to meet up with her to get back together.

For once, Jughead was there before her, though the scene looked so odd. For a start, he wasn’t even wearing his signature beanie - just the Serpent jacket that looked so foreign to her. And there was nothing on the table. Usually when they met up, whoever got there first would get each other’s favourite milkshakes. Though the only thing there was an untouched Pop’s menu.

“Hey.” Jughead said softly once she had sat in the seat opposite him, not beside him as usual. “I’m glad you came. I wouldn’t have put it past you if you didn’t.”

“What did you want to talk about?” She asked, just wanting to get it over and done with. Whilst she wasn’t crying herself to sleep every night anymore or tearing up at the mention of his name, she still didn’t trust herself to be with him for too long, in fear of setting off her uncontrollable flow of emotions.

“I just...” Jughead sighed. “I wanted to say I was sorry, okay? I shouldn’t have been so harsh with you about it. I probably could have done it all in a nicer way to make it easier for the both of us. And, I just wanted to say that I wasn’t meeting up with Toni last week in the way that you thought. Really, Y/N, she just wanted to make sure I was okay.”

Y/N scoffed quietly as she shook her head, a sad smile making it’s way to her face. “And I was thinking you wanted to get back together.” She whispered, though he heard her.

Seeing his eyebrows furrow and the shake of his head was enough to make her eyes brim with tears again as a lump formed in her throat.

“Y/N, I can’t do that.” He whispered, reaching across the table to take her hands in his. “You’re in too much danger with me, I can’t let anything happen to you.”

“I can handle it, Jug.” She tried telling him, though her throat was clogged up with tears and it made talking an extremely difficult task. “I can handle it, please can we just try.” Tears starter falling as her voice broke, her hands tearing from his as they flew to cover her face. After a moment she felt the seat dip beside her as he sat down, his arms winding around her and pulling her into him as she started crying.

“Please don’t leave me.” She started crying, the sound of her heart breaking almost louder than her cries. Almost. “Please, Jug, this can’t be over, I never thought I’d see this break, please.”

Jughead was stiff as he rubbed her arm gently, letting his lips linger on her forehead as a way of trying to comfort her. “I’m sorry.” He whispered, his own voice thick. “I have to. Y/N.”

At that she just started crying harder as she held onto him, trying to soak up his hold, his touch, everything, as she knew once he left she wouldn’t ever get it again. She turned to be completely pressed into him as she sobbed into the cold uncomfortable leather of his jacket, trying to hold onto him for as long as possible. Though she knew everything was over, and she couldn’t even take the thought. She couldn’t stand to live without Jughead in her life, she just didn’t want to.

She was haunted.

[koi-has-joy]

Shinso’s Damn Happy Trail

Warnings: 18+, dd/lg dynamics, swearing, smut, etc.

          A/N: Alright! So- This has been in the works for about a month (?) and it’s something I think about daily. This all stemmed from glorious fanart of Shinso (posted at the end) and a fun and very long conversation with one of my lovely muses, Allie ( @queensynderella ).

Allie wrote the parts pertaining to the reader(fem) we traded off in a sort of conversation like writing. This started as RP and became a whole fic. It was really fun to write as a collab and I really appreciate her patience with me as I was learning and doing my best to keep the story flowing and entertaining. I wrote the Hitoshi parts and we both picked out the gif.

     I’m very happy to finally be able to post this in its completion! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I do. Enjoy!

Word Count: 3,738

     *shinso walks out of the shower like that and into the hallway* jaw slack, eyes bulging and visibly licking every part of him. "You gonna just stare or?" He snaps in front of your face. "U-uh sorry," you scratched the back of your neck as you averted your eyes "nice urhm package." You tumble over your words. He rests his hand on your shoulder bowing his head so his breath tickles your ear. "Yeah, it would look better without briefs… or with you on top of it." Hot breath fanning across your neck as he softly presses his lips against it. Knees growing weak you shriveled away from him slightly. Standing up straight he gave you a lazy smirk before giving you a once over, biting his lip and walking away. 

      Emitting a heavy sigh you felt your face burn and you looked over your shoulder slightly to watch as his muscles contracted as he walked away. Snapping your face forward you took a deep, shaky breath. Shaking your head you walked into the locker room and prepared to shower. The image of his violet happy trail not leaving the forefront of your mind, even as the water rushed down your body. Gliding your hands along your body you stopped to note the slick that coated your inner thigh, along with the warm water. "Fuck." You muttered to yourself. Looking around the room for any sign of people you delved your hand between your folds gathering some of the slick, at the feeling you began to nod your head back in relaxation and pleasure. Until a large hand grabbed your wrist and stilled your movements. 

"Ah ah ah, what a naughty little kitten."

      Yes sir, I certainly am please punish me. - Allie said this out of character but I wanted to keep it word for word in fic as it was in chat. 

"Eager to take what I give you, kitten?" 

*pouts*

"Daddy doesn't like it when you pout, kitten." 

      "I uhm, Daddy?! The hell are you on about Shin? And uh, this is the um showers and uh…."

"So? Did I say you could touch yourself?"

      "No? It's not my fault, ya know if you didn't strut around like… that!"

"Like what?"

      "Like… some kinda Greek god with your whole self on display and that stupid sexy happy trail… It's a hazard." 

      "A hazard? Just because you don't know how to behave yourself, I'm a hazard? Now kitten, that's silly."

      "I am behaving and can I have my hand back please? I'd like to finish… showering, I yeah." 

"Mmm, maybe. Depends on how good you taste baby." 

"T-taste? W-what do you mean taste?"

      "While I'd love to clean off those fingers for you, I'd prefer it from the source. Now, be a good girl and stay still." Releasing your hand he gets down on one knee in front of your heat. Caressing your inner thigh he parts your legs further. Hot breath fanning against you, he grabs your leg and puts it over his shoulder. Licking softly at your folds before diving between them. 

      "Source what- oohh fuck." You mumble as you slam one hand to the wall next to you for balance, scared of your shaking leg holding your weight, other hand instinctively weaving into his soft purple hair. "S-s-shin, what're you- mmmn."

      Pulling away from your heat he looked up at you with a devilish grin. "Ah, just as I thought. You taste so. fucking. good." Each word was punctuated with a kiss against your clit. Palming himself through his now soaked briefs he winked at you before removing your leg from his shoulder. Standing up he grabbed your chin and pulled you into a shallow kiss before moving across your jaw and down your neck. 

       "I don't- - can't think…" You mutter as your breaths become soft pants, mind clouding over before his lips met yours. You wanted to say something else but your mind went blank the further his lips traveled and a soft moan escaped, one hand still planted on the wall as the other slid along his wet abs. 

       A low growl vibrated against your skin. Biting down harshly on the side of your neck, he pulled his head back and licked his lips. "As much as I would love to continue this," he ran his hands along your sides before wrapping around to cup your ass. " the water is getting cold and my little kitten still needs to get clean." He squished the soft flesh beneath his fingers, drawing you against him. 

      "Fuck." You moaned slowly at his teeth in your neck, eyes fluttering closed for a beat. Another moan escaping as he grabbed at your ass. Eyes cracking open at his words, making you arch a brow. "I don't think clean is, is what you're thinking about…" You whispered staring up at him, very aware of him being flush against you. 

      Pushing your body against his bulge he presses a quick kiss to your nose before his right hand lands a smack on your ass. Putting distance between you both he tracks his fingernails down your sides once more before abandoning your figure. "Be a good girl and finish your shower kitten. And maybe later we can discover how 'nice' my package looks buried in you." Once again he starts to walk away. Looking over his shoulder he warned, "Oh, and good girls don't touch themselves without Daddy."

       "I- - what?!" You blurt, eyes wide as he pulls away, jaw slightly slacked. You were flustered and in disbelief that he could just stop, like that. "I… what if I don't listen, huh?" You hollered after him, half-smirk on your lips before turning back to the now cold water. 

       “Such a little ugh!” She groaned, scrubbing at her body as it shivered at the cold water she was left with now. Doing her best to get clean and rinsed off as soon as possible while half-tempted to finish what she had started before shin had interrupted. “How would he even know?” She mused as she let the water beat the last of the soap off her skin and she sighed, shaking her head and turning the shower off before grabbing her towel and wrapping up. “Just do it when I get to the room.” She mumbled as she padded that way.

      Finally hearing the soft click of the door opening he groaned. “Welcome kitten” He sat up on his forearms as he watched you step into the room. “Did you behave for me?” He arched a brow. 

      She stopped and stared at him on her bed with wide eyes that trailed along his still wet body and her now soaked bedding. “The hell Hitoshi? My sheets are soaked what’re you-?” She gulped, cutting herself off as she got distracted by the material clinging to his toned ass. “Did I get myself off you mean?”

      “By that cute reaction I’m going to take a guess that you didn’t.” Sitting up fully, he ran a hand through his slick hair, pushing it up to its rightful place. “And yeah. Sorry, not sorry about the sheets” He winked at you as he eyed your figure. 

      “What if I did huh?” She quipped, chewing her lip to keep from groaning at his chiseled body, averting her eyes. “I can see you’re not sorry but how am I supposed to sleep on them now Toshi?” She huffed, turning mid-sentence to catch his wink making her cock her head. “ What is with you tonight?”

      Chuckling at your attempt to play it off he looked up at your ceiling. “Ya know, lying is a sin kitten.” Standing up he came towards you. Towering over your frame he smirked at your words. “You’ll be sleeping with me tonight, obviously” He huffed as if you should have assumed. “Nothing is wrong, just… feeling a bit more mean, so to speak” Raising his hand to your shoulder he grazed his fingers along your skin. 

      “You’re a sin.” She grumbled as she tried not to stare at his still wet boxer-briefs clinging to every curve they were supposed to hide. She stared up at him, arching a brow and shivering slightly at his touch. “I… teasing is more the word I was thinking. And sleeping in what sense Toshi?” She asked, biting her lip and holding her arms tight at her sides to resist reaching out for him. 

      “Isn’t teasing, in some sense, just a form of being mean?” His other hand ghosted along your side as he placed his hand on your hip, pulling you into him. “Now that was cute.” He snickered at your question. “I was hoping in both senses. But hey, you can do what you want. You’re a big girl.” The hand from your shoulder moved to your chin. Pinching your chin between his thumb and pointer finger as he tilted your head up toward his. 

      “What you did in the shower was pretty mean now that you mention it.” She shot back with a hint of a grin on her lips, gasping softly as he pulled her close. She snorted softly at his words, leaning up slightly towards his lips. “I thought I was supposed to be doing what I was told, Daddy?”

      “Ah, so my girl does listen.” Placing a soft peck against your lips he pulled back slightly. “Good. I thought I was going to have to teach you a lesson” He dipped his head down to glide his lips along your jaw. 

     “Teach me a lesson, huh?” She asked as her gaze met his, soft groan slipping out at the feeling of his lips on her jaw. She couldn’t fight the urge to touch him any longer, one hand settling on his chest as the other reached up to lightly tangle in his damp hair. “And what if I behave, do I get a reward instead?”

     “Mmm, that can be arranged.” He hummed as he moved into your touch. Eyes looking down momentarily as your hand met his chest. Kissing across your jaw, toward your chin and down your neck he relished in the way you felt against his rough body. 

     “S-shit Toshi…” She muttered breathily as her eyes fluttered closed, leaning into his kisses further as the one on his chest slowly traced his abs. “Thought you were t-taking me to your room?” 

      Stopping in his tracks he took a step back from you. Already annoyed by the absence of your touch he grabbed your hand, pulling you away from the door as he moved from the hallways he made his way out of your room. Reaching his door he swiftly opened it and pulled you in. “Tsk tsk tsk. So impatient Kitten.”

      She couldn’t help but grin as they snuck through the halls, freehand clutching her towel tight to her chest and a soft giggle escaping once the door was shut. She looked up at his violet eyes and wound her arms loosely around his waist. “Me impatient? You’ve already teased me *Daddy*, I don’t want to wait.” She murmured in a sultry tone. Throwing him a wink to be cheeky. 

      With a sigh he took a step backward, out of your grip. Taking your hands with his he captured one of them. Leading your hand down to his briefs he had you palming his erection. Hissing at the contact “Maybe.. I’m the impatient one.”

     “Oooh god.” She muttered at feeling his hard cock beneath her hand or the first time, eyes wide as she watched it twitch as she palmed it. SHe glanced up at him, studying his face before curiosity got the better of her and she moved to tug his briefs down enough to let his cock spring free as she gulped at the sight. Licking her lips at the bead of pre at his angry tip. 

      “Ah- fuck” He bit his lip as he watched her movements. “Like what you see kitten?” His hand came down to wrap around its base. “You’re nearly drooling.”

     “Yes.” She blurted almost instantly as she glanced back up at him and bit her lip. “C-can I…?” She asked as she moved closer, fingers sliding along his thighs as she kneeled in front of him with her gaze locked on his.

     Taking a deep breath as he peered down at her his pupils had blown wide, lust-filled deviance played across his features. “I thought you’d never ask” He stroked himself very slowly in front of her face before removing his hand from himself in favor of pushing his still wet hair back. His other hand was scratching lightly at his happy trail as he groaned. 

      A smile flashed on her lips, the movement of his hand drawing her attention back down to his cock. She licked her lips before flicking her tongue in kitten licks against his head as he stroked himself, groaning at the taste of his pre on her tongue. As soon as he moved his hand she wrapped hers around him instead. 

     A low groan left the back of his throat as he watched your movements intently. A low hiss erupted as your hand wrapped around him. “Don’t tease me, Kitten.” his voice was low, husky and intimidating. 

      She gulped at his words, shiver running down her spine. She looked up at him through her lashes as she leaned in to wrap her lips around his cockhead, tongue swirling against it as her hand pumped slowly along the rest. Keeping her eyes on his face as she took as much of his length in her mouth as possible before starting a steady pace of bobbing along his length. 

      Intertwining his fingers in her hair he followed her movements eagerly. The feeling of her warm tongue against his cock made him moan. Tilting his head to the side he eyed her seductively. Hands guiding her actions fluidly. “That’s it, good girl” He praised as he eased his hips into meeting her bobbing head. 

       She groaned against his length at the feeling of his hips bucking forward, slightly gagging as his tip grazed into her throat. She sucked a deep inhale through her nose before releasing her hand and pushing herself down on him until her nose brushed against his purple pubes, a much louder gag sounding as she deepthroated him. 

      “That sounds-” He bit his lip to slightly stifle his moan “so fucking sexy” He used the leverage of his hands to hold her there for a few seconds, relishing in the way her throat constricted around him. 

      Her eyes watering slightly as drool slipped from the corner of her mouth freely. She pulled air through her nose to try and stay down like this for him, tongue pressed flat against the vein on the underside of his length. Another gag making her pull off of him with a soft pop as she gasped for air, moving her hand to stroke him instead. 

     “Fuck, kitten-” He hissed through clenched teeth. Tightening his grip in her hair he tilted her head back for her to meet his gaze. “Guess I was teasing you too much, huh? You’re acting like a cat in heat.”

      “Yes you were, Daddy.” She panted out, emphasizing the last word as she did her best to pout up at him. Her eyes clouded with lust as she let slip a needy little whine, hand still lazily pumping his cock. 

     Smirking down at her he released his hold in her hair in favor of overlapping her hand, guiding her strokes while adding pressure. “I’ll be nicer next time.” He winked down at her with his cheshire grin as a breathless chuckle rumbled from deep within his chest. 

      “N-next time?” She asked, her head tilting slightly as she groaned softly at his hand guiding hers. Her eyes briefly flicking to your cock and back. “What about now, Daddy? Have I behaved enough for a reward?” 

      He growled lowly before he softly spoke. “Mmm- That depends on what you want, kitten.” 

      She shivered at the growl, gulping to try and swallow down the saliva pooling in her mouth. “I want you,” she said as she gazed up at you  with pleading eyes, “I n-need you… to fuck me. To feel y-your cock in me.” 

      Cursing beneath his breath he nodded “I can’t deny you when you beg like that” He removed your hand from his length and helped you to your feet, turning your body he pushed you against the nearest wall.

     She grinned lazily at him, following his lead and pressing her cheek against the coolness of the wall. Instinctively arching her back slightly towards him and taunting him a bit with a wiggle of her hips. 

      His hand gripped your hip tightly while the other guided his cock against your folds, gathering the slick there before lining himself up with your entrance. “Don’t tease me like that kitten.” He whispered against your neck as he leaned over you.

      She mewled feeling your cock tease her folds, arching back into you further. She whimpered at your words and hot breath against her neck. “I’m sorry, Daddy. I just want you so fucking bad… please!” She pleaded, bucking her hips against you with a moan. 

      “Your wish is my command” With a sharp, rough thrust he was buried to the hilt in your cunt. Breathing ragged as he tried to control himself. Adjusting his grip on your hip as his other hand weaved into your hair, pulling you back toward him. “Have you been a good girl?” His voice was husky and raw.

      She choked out a moan at being so roughly filled, her hands slipping slightly against the drywall. “F-fuck.” She muttered breathily, another moan escaping as your fist curled into her hair. “I-i think so?” She blurted out, cunt clenching at the words ‘good girl.’

      “From the way you’re clenching around me I’d say you’ve been naughty.” He huffed, dragging himself out from within you almost completely before another sharp thrust sheathed him again. “Such a slutty little kitty.” He licked a stripe along your neck, groaning from his own game, patience already thin. 

      “Maybe I h-have been.” She panted, moaning deeply at the sharp thrust as she bit her lip. “Are you gonna punish your slutty k-kitty Daddy?” She groaned as your tongue met her neck. “S-shit… please, use me Daddy.”

      Sucking harshly on the juncture of your neck he growled against your skin. “My pleasure” His hand came down roughly against your ass before he began a brutal but shallow pace inside you. 

     “F-fuck, Daddy.” She cried out loudly at the smack, whimpering at the rough pace as her clammy hands slipped and pawed at the wall trying to keep herself from bouncing forward too much with each thrust. 

      "that's right kitten, say it louder" the hand in your hair pulling your back against him. He licked the shell of your ear as he landed another smack against your cheek. "Start counting"

      She moaned loudly at the smack, a shudder running through her. “O-one?” She panted out before burying her teeth in her lower lip to try and keep herself focused beyond you pounding into her. 

      He chuckled darkly "Good fucking girl" his voice was just a breathless whisper against your ear. Smacking the same spot again he released his hold in your hair in favor of throwing his arm around to wrap his large hand around your throat, squeezing slightly.

     She couldn’t help the way her cunt clenched again at that phrase, letting out a broken moan. “T-two.” She muttered breathily, groaning at the feeling of your hand around her neck. 

     The wet sounds of him fucking into you began to drive him crazy with lust. Shamelessly moaning into your ear he began to deepen his thrusts, his hand gripping your hip tightly.

      “D-daddy, please…” She whined between moans, fighting the tension building in her abdomen that was being fueled by your moans. “N-need to cum, please c-can I?” She pleaded feeling the knot start to fray more with each rough rut of his hips.  

      The roll of his hips slowing as his thrusts became more harsh, angled at the special spot inside of you. "Yes- fuck, do it" He panted out heavily, groaning at the feeling of your velvety walls. "Cum on my cock kitten"

     “Sh-shit Daddy!” She moaned deeply as you hitting into her g-spot sent her over the edge, her legs shaking as her orgasm crashed through her.

     Hand squeezing the sides of your throat a slew of curses and choked out moans rumbled from deep within his chest as you convulsed beneath him. His hips began to falter as his own release quickly approached.

      “Ngh…” She mumbled, unable to come down from her own high and twitching from the overstimulation and aftershocks as her eyes threatened to roll back. “Are you gonna c-cum Daddy? F-fill me up?”

      "Only if you beg kitten" The words were slurred and frantic. His hips began to piston more swiftly with renewed vigor. 

      “Mmn pl-lease!” She whined out, her own words broken up by choppy moans and heavy pants. “F-fill me up, I n-need it Daddy, puh-lease.”

      Slowing to a near halt his breathing was ragged. Moans slid past his lips as he released inside of you, painting your insides white.

       She groaned softly feeling you cum inside her, eyes clenched shut as she tried to steady both her breathing and her quivering legs. “Holy fuck Toshi….” She muttered, glancing over her shoulder at him.

       Both of his hands softly held and rubbed soft circles into your hips as he rested his forehead on your shoulder, hot breath fanning against your skin. "Fuck..." 

      She chuckled breathily, lazy grin on her lips. “And to think, all because I wanted to take a damn shower tonight and now I’m dirty again.” She teased, groaning softly as she remembered her soaked bed. “You definitely owe me some cuddles in that bed of yours now Toshi.”

      Pulling out of you with a groan he grabbed your shoulder to turn you around, pinching your chin between his fingers to make you look up at him. Mock hurt flashed across his face as he scoffed "What? Dirty? From me? Never." He smiled as he pressed his lips against yours. "All of the cuddles are yours, kitten" he said with a goofy grin. 

NONE OF THE ART IS MINE! I DO NOT KNOW THE ARTIST BUT I THANK THEM

[kbstories]

And with this third chapter, the fic is complete!

Only Lost The Night

Tags: Recovery, First Kiss, Fishing (non-graphic)

No additional spoilers apply.

>>Read on AO3

<<First Chapter

<<Second Chapter

The coffee comes out of the pot piping hot, quickly warming his mug and filling the morning air with its scent.

Arthur downs it in big gulps, wincing as it burns down his throat. The bad taste in his mouth is gone, though, and his queasy stomach settles with something to digest. The cold sweat he wakes up in every morning, or the tremor in his hands, well – recovery, as it turns out, is one tough son of a bitch, much more so when your alcohol supply is out of reach.

A sigh worms its way out his mouth, clouding white in front of him. There's precious little for him to do in camp – he can barely raise his left arm higher than chest height without pulling some wound or other – and most of the gang's inner workings come along well without his input.

This must be the longest Arthur's been off duty in... a while. It's disorienting, to say the least.

It doesn't help that, additionally to Miss Grimshaw's care – a duty she caries out with a gruff undertone in her voice but an indulgent glint in her eyes –, Charles has been watching him like a hawk, grumbling about his hard work going to waste otherwise.

Arthur would be the first to admit that drinking himself into a stupor a week into his mandatory bedrest was not his brightest moment. It definitely beat sitting on his ass all day long, doing fuck-all to earn his keep.

At this rate, he'll end up going to the dogs like Uncle. Isn't that a fun thought to entertain?

Even now he can feel the man's gaze on him, all the way across camp. Arthur raises his mug in the general direction of Charles's usual post, and plants himself on one of the logs surrounding the camp fire. See, I can be good, too.

A lazy salute is his meagre reward. Arthur shakes his head, only noticing the smile on his own face when he goes to light a cigarette. Drawing deep, he exhales slowly, finding himself enjoying the bite of nicotine on his tongue instead of merely going through the motions.

Maybe he can ask Hosea for one of them crime novels he's been so involved with lately. How was the author called again? Arthur flicks the excess ash to the ground, chasing the name on the tip of his tongue. Nope, gone. Never been his strongest suit, books, but Jack's seems interested too as of late, and with how things have been, the boy deserves some hero's tale or other to dream of.

… not one of Hosea's, then. God knows the kid sees enough blood and death as is.

Gaze lost in the fire and with nowhere else to go, Arthur's thoughts drift like smoke in the wind. To Jack, and how somewhere in this mess, he became Uncle Arthur to him. About that boy Kieran, so desperate for somewhere to belong it's painful to watch at times, and John, who had it all and disappeared who-knows-where all the same. Dutch and Hosea and that ever-shifting dream they keep chasing.

And yet his fingers itch for... something more, something to touch, to hold on to, like a pen or a gun or–

A genuine connection, to tether his very being to something bigger than himself. What if, Arthur thinks.

What if, what if.

He blows another puff into the sky and watches it disappear into nothingness.

*

“Okay. Hunting. Nothin' fancy, just a doe or two. Need practice with that bow, right? Takes a lifetime to master, an' all that–”

“No.”

“Oh for... One ride. To– to the general store in Rhodes, or, uh, to the tree line and back. A glimpse at the fields.”

Charles hitches his elbow on his knee, hand under his chin. “No”, he repeats, the low, serious timbre of his voice crumbling with veiled amusement. A searching gaze is leveled on Arthur, the kind to reveal every weakness hiding under his skin.

“Is that what it takes, Morgan? Two weeks in camp?”

“Ain't beggin' yet”, Arthur mumbles under his breath and throws Charles an unhappy look – Charles, who is currently sitting cross-legged on his saddle stand, confident as a king and entitled like one, too. Behind him, Dyani sniffs Charles's hair and pushes it around with her nose, rubbing his shoulder in the process.

It took Arthur weeks of constant work (and treats) to get the hang of the Andalusian's fickle temper and here they are, chummy like old friends. Traitors, the lot of them. Arthur's shoulders slump in defeat.

“Fine, have it your way.”

The statement isn't immediately followed by action, however. The mere thought of wasting more hours walking a line into the dirt, watching people come and go and feeling their sympathetic eyes on him is revolting to an almost physical degree. Arthur stares at his cot, just a few feet away, and can't bring himself to move.

“Arthur.”

Just his name, without pity. He closes his eyes and rubs his neck, staring at his boots as he struggles to find the right words.

“Just feelin' useless, is all. Can't do nothin' for weeks now an' with the O'Driscolls and whoever else breathin' down our necks... Ain't the man I am, Charles. To sit around an' wait for things to happen.”

A rustle of movement makes him glance up. Charles hops to his feet, easy as anything, and Arthur barely registers he's throwing something until he's grabbed it. A fishing rod? Arthur tilts his head with a frown.

“But you–”

“Teach me”, Charles says simply, and all Arthur can do is shut his mouth and nod, trying (and failing) to ignore how warm his chest feels.

*

Little by little, the smooth lines of graphite connect, fill in blank space, spill over the shadowed fold between the pages and beyond.

The gentle rocking of the boat, the rhythmic lapping of water against lacquered wood, the sting of a wound, still healing – it all fades into the background, there but muted as his attention is bracketed by the edges of his journal.

With the sun warming his back, Arthur draws.

In front of him sits Charles, leaning back just as he is, feet propped up against the boat's curved hull. Rod and line in place, his eyes are alert and search the surface of the lake for any movement, the very picture of endless patience. The breeze plays with a loose strand of his hair before he reaches up and tucks it away.

Charles fishes, and Arthur draws... him.

(Arthur's sketch of Charles by @ISpitznagel)

His shoulder doesn't allow him to sit as he usually does, legs folded close to his chest and journal balanced on his knees, angled away so nobody can see what he's working on. The members of the gang quickly learned that whoever tries is more likely to catch a fist to the jaw than a glimpse at his sketches. What is to others a collection of landscapes and animals and the odd person, to Arthur, well...

Things in his life don't have the best relationship with permanence, as it were. He'd rather commit what he can to paper before they inevitably disappear too.

Charles asks later, “What do you think of when you draw?”, when the light has grown too weak to keep going and Arthur reached for his pack of cigs to occupy his hands instead. Arthur, who drew in his lap instead of on his knees and knows that Charles saw.

He finds he doesn't mind one bit.

“Depends”, he mutters, stretching his legs out as far as the narrow boat allows, bumping against Charles's hip. “Sometimes nothin', sometimes somethin' I can't put words to just yet. Just keepin' track of things, in my own way. Makes 'em less unfathomable, if I may borrow one of them fancy terms.”

Charles snorts, “You may”, his grin there and gone in a flash. He's set aside the fishing rod – with the bucket they brought along filled to the brim with fish, there wouldn't be anywhere to put them anyways –, merely watching Arthur smoke now.

“Never was much the artistic type, myself. Looks all a bit like magic to me.”

Arthur grins back, offering him a cig of his own. Charles shrugs and takes one out of the box, leaning close to the match Arthur lights for him; his face is momentarily lit by its flaring tip, his eyes reflecting the embers' glow.

Their fingers brush and Arthur hums, exhales another smoke-filled breath into the night sky.

“Well I'd show you how, Charles, but if you take to it as quickly as fishin', what unique skills would that leave me with?”

Charles shrugs. “I can think of some”, he counters easily, another step in this dance of theirs that they slip into on nights like these. Teasing words wrapped around tender spots and soft-spoken secrets. Arthur takes the compliment for what it is, shaking his head fondly.

They smoke. Arthur tells Charles of the time he went fishing with Jack, months ago now; how hard it had been for the kid to focus on the fish, and less so on picking flowers.

“Seems the creative sort, you know? Better to let 'em make things. Kid's too young for all this crap we keep puttin' him through.”

“Does Marston know, though?” Charles sighs. “Some days it seems to me like you're more of a father to that boy than he is.”

Arthur frowns, rubs at his chest and that dull ache that, years later, is still there.

“Well, in some ways... Can't up and leave for a year an' expect things to remain the same, I guess. But John cares, or at least I think he does.” A pause. “'cause that's the thing, ain't it? Dutch taught us to give a shit 'bout family an' whatnot but, John an' I, we ain't got the same charisma he does. 's one of those things that's easier said than done.”

For a while, Charles says nothing. Just sits and smokes, looking into the distance. Turning some thought or other in his head, Arthur assumes. Eventually: “Guess you're right. Just doesn't feel good, seeing a kid on the run. Too much of that, as of late.”

“Ain't that the truth”, Arthur nods, righting himself to shake off some of the somber mood weighing on his shoulders. Smirking, he nudges Charles's knee with his own. “Just glad he stuck by that when them O'Driscolls got me. Didn't know I was even worthy of the best damn rescue squad we got.”

Charles's eyes snap to his then, narrowing a fraction. “Huh?”

“Dutch, I mean. An' you.”

“Oh.” That peculiar expression vanishes, Charles's face all-too-neutral. “Guess so”, he repeats, and Arthur draws back a little.

“Did I, uh–“ Glancing down, Arthur fiddles with the burned-out stub, staining his fingers with ash. “Didn't mean no offense, Charles. Been complainin' a lot but I wouldn't be here at all without you. Just wanted to let you know, 'm takin' none of that for granted.”

Suddenly Charles's hand is there, giving Arthur's a gentle squeeze. “Hey. That's not what I meant. Was just somewhere else, there.”

Automatically, Arthur squeezes back.

“Point still stands. Thank you.”

A quiet chuckle reels him back in, as it always does these days, “I'd do it again in a heartbeat, you know that”, and Arthur can't not look up at those words, searching his expression for– What, exactly?

What if, what if. The distance is gone, Charles's gaze warming further as Arthur's thumb brushes over the scarred back of his hand, feeling the calm rhythm of his pulse against his.

“What are we doing, Charles?”

The question is soft, said without any idea where it's headed: a road untraveled, missing from every map yet waiting to be explored.

Charles blinks, taken off guard. He opens his mouth, hesitates, admits, “Whatever you want us to”, sounding just as vulnerable as Arthur feels.

A split-second decision: Arthur tugs, Charles follows, catching himself against the boat. “Arthur”, he whispers, close enough Arthur can feel his breath on his face.

Arthur rasps, “Tell me to stop”, but Charles never does; he leans in, interlacing their fingers in the same moment their lips meet, tentatively – Arthur's eyes flutter shut, his fingers find the collar of Charles's shirt blindly, pull him ever-closer as he melts into it.

They barely part between one kiss and the next; Arthur murmurs Charles's name with the little breath he can catch, and “Fuck”, as Charles's tongue pushes into his mouth and he tastes smoke. His blood sings, throbbing in his veins in a dizzying rush, all the more prominent when Charles's thigh slides between his, caging him in–

The white-hot flash of pain comes so unexpected Arthur gasps, twisting his shoulder away from the pressure. Charles flinches, leans back, “Shit, sorry”, he pants out, mouth spit-slick and eyes wide.

Arthur can barely hear it over how loud his heart is, drumming away in his chest– “'m okay”, he says because Charles looks like he needs to hear it, but he doesn't let go, not yet.

“Come back. Please?”

Charles sways like he's drunk, nods – presses his forehead against Arthur's, noses brushing, but his tone is cautious, now. “We– This is not wise. You need time to heal.”

Arthur laughs, more than a little husky. “Do I look like I care about wise right now? Fuck, Charles.”

Charles's voice isn't faring much better; he hums a low “mmhm” before he kisses Arthur again, fleetingly. “Fuck me, indeed. I swear I had pure intentions with this.”

“You hate fishing. Dunno why you tried to convince me otherwise.”

“... I do, sorry.”

They share a smile, and Arthur shakes his head, tracing the curve of Charles's lips with his thumb.

“I don't mind. I prefer the alternative, too.”

>>Read on AO3

[adapted-batteries]

Day 7: Free Day

Finally, here’s that fic I’ve been talking about for the past week or so.

“Dooooggg Boooiii”

Fandom: The Librarians

Rating: General audiences/sfw, a little language in one bit

Ships: Jazekiel, mention of Fleve

Word count: 5339

also posted on my Ao3 

Summary: Ezekiel struggles with lingering effects after being cured of his lycanthropy, and Stone offers to help. Set after episode 2 of season 3 “And the Fangs of Death.”

_____

It’s been about a month since the whole “werewolf” ordeal. Of course there was teasing when the full moon came around a couple weeks after that mission, mostly from Stone, but it’s not like Ezekiel went full dog or anything. Maybe he had been a bit irritable, but the wolfsbane tea had cured him, like it was supposed to, well mostly anyway.

There were some impulses that lingered, like weird desires for belly rubs or ear scratches (not that he asked anyone to do that). He collected sticks that one time they were in the forest, and didn’t realize it until they got back, dumping them all out of his backpack onto the table in the Annex. Perhaps it was a bit unnecessary for him to dive into that mud puddle when they got attacked by actual ninjas in Beijing, and weirdly enough he didn’t want to shower right away. That stupid blue rubber ball Stone had became the bane of his existence; his focus would zero in on it, and he’d actually chase it if Stone threw it, though Jenkins banned him from doing that in the Annex when he broke a light.

Of course that didn’t stop Stone from taking that damn ball on missions. Thankfully he didn’t bring it out while they were working, but Stone had his fun afterwards. After the last mission, Stone brought out the rubber ball when they went to a bar, right as Ezekiel attempted to hit up a girl, keeping it low enough in his lap that she couldn’t see, but Ezekiel could. The girl probably thought he was wasted by his sudden distraction and walked away, either disgusted or suddenly uninterested.

“Dude, that was not cool,” Ezekiel hissed. Stone was clearly drunk enough that he was ignoring personal boundaries.

“It’s still there?” Stone said, mildly shocked that it worked.

“Yeah it’s still there, it’s not gone away and it’s been at least a month now,” Ezekiel snapped. “The least you could do is lay off. It’s annoying.”

Stone looked down at his drink, like a kid scolded by a parent. “S...sorry, I didn't mean...it was just a joke,” he stammered, ears going red in embarrassment.

Ezekiel hadn’t drank as much as Stone had, but he was still a little buzzed. Now all he could think about was the werewolf incident. “Do you think the wolfsbane didn’t work?” he suddenly asked Stone.

The drunk man’s head snapped up. “Well...uh...I don’t know, actually. We could go ask Jenkins?”

“Yeah, let’s go ask him,” Ezekiel decided, getting up from his barstool and dragging Stone by the arm to the exit.

    Fortunately, Jenkins was still up, reading something at a desk. He merely looked up over his reading glasses when the two somewhat clumsily entered.

“Late night history or magic question?” he asked dryly. “Or maybe you didn’t want me to have one peaceful night to myself.”

“Uh actually, yes, magic question,” Ezekiel responded, ignoring the sarcasm.

Jenkins sat up, not expecting them to answer seriously. “Well then...what is it?”

“Is it possible that my werewolf-ness won’t completely go away?” Ezekiel asked. Jenkins sighed, closed the book, and stood up, walking towards the main table constantly littered with historical documents.

“For some people, the wolfsbane doesn’t eradicate the lycanthropy completely,” the immortal knight said as he thumbed through some old manuscript.

“But you said it was a cure,” Ezekiel countered.

“Well, it mostly is. It will keep you from completely turning, and you can’t infect anyone via biting either. It made your lycanthropy inert, but that doesn’t mean it’s completely gone,” Jenkins clarified. “It will take time for your body to revert back to your human self, especially where it affects your neural tissue.”

    “So he’s stuck with dog brain?” Stone snorted, seemingly forgetting the bar incident until Ezekiel glared at him.

Jenkins just rolled his eyes, uninterested in the petty teasing. “In theory, you can drink more wolfsbane, with some other things, but I gave you the most your body could handle initially. If that didn’t get rid of most of the lycanthropy, there’s not too much else that will.”

At first Ezekiel thought that “time” meant a few weeks, maybe another month, but after two months, it was still there. He could control it more now, not give in to the impulses so much, but that ball still got to him. Stone didn't bring it out much anymore, which was nice, until he did again.

They were doing their various studying in the Annex for a new mission the clipping book sent them on (fair folk showing up around an Irish university, causing issues and occasionally taking people). Ezekiel lounged at one of the desks, feet up, searching through old blueprints and local geographical maps. Stone leaned over an old leather-bound book at the main table, absorbing folklore, and Flynn was upstairs doing the same thing. The girls had gone to do reconnaissance in the town nearby, and Jenkins was in his lab, working on some protection charms.

By pure luck, Ezekiel looked up the exact moment Stone pulled the ball out from under some papers, apparently a subconscious act since he still seemed totally absorbed in the reading. All thought flew to the back of Ezekiel's mind as Stone squeezed and rolled it around on the desk, not realizing the torture Ezekiel felt. No, focus, he chided himself, to no avail. He fought himself for several minutes until the worst thing happened: he whined. That finally startled Stone from the book, especially as Ezekiel shot up from his desk, hand still over his mouth, running through the double doors.

Stone looked up to the balcony; Flynn must've been somewhere against the back wall oblivious to Ezekiel’s speedy exit. He then looked around the Annex, at the desk, trying to figure out what made Ezekiel leave, a question easily answered as soon as he looked down at his right hand. “Shit,” he mumbled, stuffing it in his pocket as he stood up, chasing after Ezekiel.

Once outside the Annex, Stone saw him running up into the park across the street. Stone stayed back, giving him space, calmly walking up to the bridge pillar he had went behind. Ezekiel sat against it, elbows on his knees, head in his hands.

“You alright?” Stone asked softly.

Ezekiel didn't look up. “Do I look alright to you?”

Without answering, Stone sat down next to him, waiting until Ezekiel looked up. He then took out the ball, studying it like it was a specimen. “How do you feel when you see this? Before your annoyance at your reaction, what do you first feel?”

“I feel, well, excited, focused, I forget what I’m thinking about,” Ezekiel answered, breathing uneasily as he looked at the ball. Stone then put it back in his pocket; Ezekiel slumped forward, hugging his knees. “It’s so hard to keep it all at bay. You don’t know how much I want to do “dog things” all the time, it’s unbearable.”

“I didn’t know it was still affecting you so bad still,” Stone responded. “I didn't even realize I had the ball out until you left.”

Ezekiel glanced back at him, judging how sincere Stone seemed, before looking towards some trees. “It’s not like you could do anything about it.”

“That doesn’t mean I didn't want to know. Maybe we can find something,” Stone countered.

“If Jenkins couldn’t, how could we?” Ezekiel sighed in defeat.

“Well that’s a stupid question,” Stone snorted, prompting Ezekiel to look at him.

“I...I know,” Ezekiel said, too lazy to keep the pain off his face.

“Look. If you need somewhere to cool off, I’m sure there’s something the Library can do. You don’t have to suffer alone,” Stone suggested. He looked pretty serious about helping Ezekiel.

“You sound like some counselor,” Ezekiel laughed bitterly.

“That’s apparently what you need right now,” Stone quipped, raising his eyebrows.

“No I-” Ezekiel stopped himself from shutting off again. “Well I guess I do.”

“And if you need someone to throw the ball, well, I wouldn't mind obliging,” Stone added, cracking a smile.

Ezekiel gave a small smile back “Just don't let Jenkins catch you or he'll kick you out of the Annex,” Ezekiel cautioned jokingly.

Stone chuckled, then went serious again. “What all does “dog things” entail?”

“Uh, well, the fetch thing is pretty obvious,” he started, suddenly embarrassed.

“And?” Stone prodded.

“Um, there's, uh, an annoying desire to be petted,” Ezekiel continued. Stone raised his eyebrows again, biting back a smile. “God, this is stupid. I shouldn't have said anythi-”

“No, it's not!” Stone cut him off. Ezekiel looked at him, confused. “I mean I'd…” he trailed off.

“What, you'd pet me?” Ezekiel scoffed, thinking Stone was pulling his leg for another laugh. That is, until he really saw the sincerity, and the blush, on Stone’s face. “You're...actually serious?”

“Forget it,” Stone said, flustered. He started to stand up but Ezekiel grabbed his arm.

“No, don't leave,” Ezekiel said as he pulled him back down. He didn't have to pull much, Stone seemed eager to stay. “Can I take you up on that offer?”

“You really want me to?” Stone asked, watching him.

“Well you're still here, aren't you?” Ezekiel answered. That earned a smile from Stone.

“So, um, how do you want to do this?” Stone questioned.

“Head first, no belly rubs or anything, it's too soon for that,” Ezekiel chuckled nervously. Stone laughed under his breath and nodded.

After a few seconds of silence, Stone hesitantly reached up to Ezekiel's head, watching him intently. Ezekiel tried his best not to seem so eager, but quickly found himself leaning into Stone’s hand as it ran through his hair. “Is that good?” Stone asked him.

“Mhmmm,” Ezekiel breathed, eyes fluttering closed. Stone failed at biting back a laugh. “Hey, don’t mock me, or you don’t get to do this again.”

“I’m not,” Stone paused, sighing before continuing, “it’s...you’re really cute right now.”

Ezekiel opened his eyes, mouth slightly open. “I...didn’t know you felt that way,” he muttered, suddenly looking away.

“You didn’t? Really?” Stone said in disbelief. “Didn’t notice I basically went out of my way to touch you?” He nodded to his hand still in Ezekiel's hair to emphasize his point.

“I thought that was just you,” Ezekiel countered. “And the whole teasing for months, that really threw me off.” Stone was about to say something, but Ezekiel continued. “I guess you were the first to take care of me after I got bit.”

Stone chuckled. “It's been longer than months.” He moved his hand from the back of Ezekiel's head to behind his ear.

“Oh,” was all Ezekiel could manage before a smile appeared on his face, eyes half closed.

“If I'd known earlier, I would've jumped at the chance to do this,” Stone hummed, clearly enjoying himself just as much as Ezekiel was.

“Should've asked instead of teasing me then, hm?” Ezekiel quipped, a smug look on his face.

“I'm sorry, alright?” Stone spread his hand out so he could get both behind Ezekiel’s ear and the back of his neck. “Does this make up for it?”

“Ah, yeah, mostly,” he stuttered, melting under Stone's hand, eyes closing again.

“Mostly?” Stone questioned, eyebrow arched.

“One time isn't gonna cut it,” Ezekiel responded, opening one eye to look at Stone. “Not after months of torture.”

“Fair enough,” Stone said.

“Stone?! Jones?!” a voice called from the entrance to the Annex, Flynn. “I heard footsteps leaving a bit ago. The girls are back, time to go over things.”

Ezekiel’s eyes shot open, panic on his face. “Hey, it’s fine,” Stone soothed, giving him one last scratch behind the ear. “It’s not like he knows why we left.” With a smile he stood up, offering a hand to Ezekiel.

“Don’t tell anyone, ok?” Ezekiel said, trying his best to compose himself once he was on his feet. He didn’t let go of Stone’s hand, though, and Stone didn’t drop his either.

Stone smiled, shaking his head. “I would never.” Turning around partially so his voice would carry back to Flynn, Stone responded, “We’re coming!” He then turned back to Ezekiel, biting his lip like he was thinking about something.

“We should head back,” Ezekiel said, trying to get Stone to move. Not that he didn’t want to spend the rest of the day out here with him, but Stone’s look dripped affection, and he didn’t think he could last long under it.

“Yeah, but before we go,” Stone started, a corner of his mouth curling up like he had a surprise. He looked around before locking eyes with Ezekiel again, closing the already small space between them. Ezekiel watched him with almost nervous anticipation, watching Stone’s eyes dip to his lips then back up to make eye contact, asking a silent question.

Ezekiel had already been way more vulnerable today than he preferred, but he’d be lying to himself if he said he hadn’t wanted to kiss the cowboy ever since he met him, so Ezekiel answered Stone with his own lips. Sadly they didn’t get long as Flynn called for them again. “Guys?!?”

Stone pulled away, albeit reluctantly. “Probably should go now,” he said, voice lower than it had been before. He chuckled at the slightly dazed look on Ezekiel’s face. Ezekiel nodded, still not letting go of his hand, so Stone turned, pulling Ezekiel with him. When Flynn was in view, marching up the slight hill to find them, Ezekiel dropped their hands. Stone glanced at him, giving a sympathetic look, before replying to Flynn. “We were coming, alright? No need to hunt us down.”

“You were sure taking your time about it,” Flynn quipped, looking at both of them. Ezekiel tensed, thinking Flynn was going to say something, but thankfully Flynn added, “Cassandra found some runes running all throughout the town, over doors and on foundations.” He was already turned back around, walking down the hill to the Annex. “As you know, the town existed centuries before the university did, and didn’t incorporate the protection runes, leaving the campus open to the fey.”

“So we have a reverse Wexler situation?” Ezekiel asked, trying to sound casual.

Flynn turned looked behind himself at Ezekiel, brain processing the analogy. “Um, yeah, in a way,” Flynn responded, looking forward again as they crossed the empty street. “A little more complicated though, and not Lovecraftian.”

Once inside, the team devised a plan, gathered supplies, and used the backdoor early the next day. Ezekiel acted like nothing happened the day before, but he noticed Stone watched him more than usual. Thankfully the plan went relatively well, safety runes in place around the campus, and some bargains were made for people who got stuck in the fey.

When they got back to the Annex, it was only two in the afternoon. Ezekiel was tempted to call it a day and go home, but Stone’s persistent eye had made his urges even harder to control it seemed. As everyone started going their separate ways to relax, he pulled Stone to the side. “Hey, you said the Library had a room we could use,” he whispered, trying to act casual, and failing miserably.

“I said ‘probably,’ but we could go hunting for one, if ya want,” Stone responded, voice low, but not a whisper.

“Hey, Stone, Jones, wanna go get a drink?” Flynn asked. The boys look up, startled, thinking everyone had left.

“Uh,” Stone started, glancing at Ezekiel who literally gave him puppy dog eyes. Eve, however, had a much more annoyed look aimed at Flynn. “I think I’m gonna turn in early, ya know. Busy day and all.”

“Oh,” Flynn said, pausing when Eve tapped his elbow, “yeah, on second thought that’s probably a good idea. See you two tomorrow!” He then offered his arm to Eve, and the two walked out the double doors.

“Alright, let’s go hunting,” Stone smirked to Ezekiel, offering his arm to him to mimic Flynn.  Ezekiel gives him a slightly confused look, but takes it anyway.

They made their way to the wall of doors, unsure of which to open. “Why don't we label these?” Ezekiel said, hand hovering over a metallic door.

“No! Don't open that one!” Stone shouted, pulling Ezekiel away by the shoulders. “That's the sunroom...the literal sunroom.”

“See?” Ezekiel commented.

Stone just smiled at him. “I'll be sure to pass it on to Jenkins.” Determined to find something useful, Stone turned right, opening a door every so often. After several minutes and not really useful rooms like “rock room” (a load of rocks on displays), “cave room” (possibly a backdoor to a cavern, but it was dark and there was squeaking so they promptly shut that door), and what looked to be a long abandoned “insect room” (based on dust and empty spots for displays, and the ominously empty habitat tanks), they came to a simple oak door with words inscribed on it.

“What one requires, I shall provide. What does that mean?” Ezekiel said.

Stone stared at the door, thinking hard, before he laughed. The laugh confused Ezekiel even more. “Of course the Library has it's own room of requirement,” Stone clarified, still chuckling to himself.

“What, like from Harry Potter?” Ezekiel asked. He wasn’t gonna get an answer out of Stone though; the cowboy was suddenly really giddy.

“Ok so what type of room do you want? Think about it, then open the door,” Stone instructed, grin on his face.

Ezekiel concentrated for a moment, looking at the door, then reached for the metal door handle. Before he touched it, he looked back to Stone. “Don’t joke, ok?”

“This was my idea...I’m not here to make you a laughing stock,” Stone replied, mildly exasperated. Ezekiel opened his mouth, but instead shook his head and grabbed the handle.

The door swung towards them with unnecessary creeking, revealing a long room with indoor running track material on the floor, walls of simple cinderblock, and lights set inside the ceiling. Against the right wall near the door was a rack with various types of balls, along with some rope and rubber toys.

Ezekiel stepped in first, with Stone close behind. “Woah.”

“So I guess you wanna play fetch?” Stone said as he looked at the rack.

“Uh, yeah,” Ezekiel responded, distracted. If he had a tail, he would’ve been wagging it so hard.

“Which one would ya like first?” Stone asked, watching Ezekiel with amusement.

Ezekiel’s eyes flicked over the whole rack several times. “I can’t pick, I dunno, you pick one.”

“Well,” Stone started, pulling out the rubber ball from his pocket, “I still got this.” Ezekiel’s eyes zeroed in on the ball, mouth slightly open again. Stone smiled, pulling his arm back, ready to throw, pausing to toy with Ezekiel.

“Oh come on, just throw it already,” Ezekiel complained, not quite a whine.

With a snort, Stone threw the ball as hard as he could, and Ezekiel went flying after it. The room actually expanded as his throw reached the far wall, tripping up Ezekiel for a moment before he continued his chase. To Stone’s amusement and mild disgust, he slid down on his knees, grabbing the ball with his teeth before sprinting back to Stone.

“Um, do you have to use your mouth?” Stone asked when he returned. He stuck his hand out anyway for Ezekiel to drop it. He barely had the ball in his teeth, jaw open as wide as he could.

Once he dropped the ball, Ezekiel stretched his jaw, massaging one side. “I couldn't help it, but I’m not gonna do that again.”

“You wanna switch to something else, or keep the ball?” Stone asked as he wiped the ball off on his jeans.

“One more with this, then I wanna try out the tennis ball,” Ezekiel answered, knees bent and ready to run. Stone obliged, throwing just as hard as last time. Ezekiel returned with the ball in hand this time, breathing quicker than before.

After going through a few of the different balls, Ezekiel jogged over to the rack, sweat dripping off his face. “I wanna do one of these rope ones,” he said, picking up a two-foot white rope with knots at either end.

“So like tug-o-war or throwing?” Stone asked, eyeing up the rope.

“Tug-o-war, but like don’t rip out my teeth please,” Ezekiel responded, biting down on one end of the rope.

“Uh, alright.” Stone hesitantly reached out, taking his end of the rope in one hand. “Don’t go at it too hard from your end either.” Ezekiel nodded, rope still in his mouth, then braced himself, pulling slightly at the rope. Stone tensed as well, giving a bit more resistance. After a few moments Ezekiel pulled harder from his end, growling slightly. “Oh, there’s more in ya,” Stone teased, pulling a bit harder. The corners of Ezekiel’s mouth curled up as he growled again and pulled harder. Stone didn’t increase his pull, but he wiggled the rope, giving in to Ezekiel’s pull a bit.

After a few rounds of tug-o-war, switching ropes each time, Ezekiel was dripping sweat. Stone was a bit sweaty as well, but nowhere near as much as Ezekiel. As Ezekiel wiped sweat off his forehead, a small table with two glasses of water appeared next to them. “I can’t believe we haven’t found this room before,” Ezekiel said as he downed the water.

“I’m surprised you hadn’t found this,” Stone replied, drinking water as well.

“I...actually never went this far, at least not after I found my side entrance,” Ezekiel answered. “And when the Library was mixing everything up, kind of halted explorations.”

Stone nodded in understanding. “So what do you want to do now?”

“Um, a shower would be nice,” Ezekiel started. The room shifted; the far wall suddenly much nearer, with two doors in it.

“Well I don’t think you need me to do that...I’m not scrubbing you with flea shampoo,” Stone snickered.

Ezekiel rolled his eyes, but his ears went redder than they were from exertion. “No, but, if you still want to-” Stone’s eyes went wide, but Ezekiel continued, “After I shower, I wouldn’t mind a...pet sesh.”

Stone relaxed a bit, but still chuckled. “Is that what we’re calling it now? ‘Pet sesh’?”

“What else would you call it?” Ezekiel retorted.

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe just cuddling? I mean that’s how I’d describe having the family dog next to me or on my lap while I pet ‘em,” Stone answered.

“I’m not getting on your lap,” Ezekiel scoffed, mildly joking.

“That’s entirely up to you to choose,” Stone added, completely serious.

“I’m, uh, gonna get in the shower then,” Ezekiel stammered, backing towards the doors.

“You do that, I’ll just wait here,” Stone replied, giving him a smile. “Take your time, darlin’.”

Ezekiel’s eyes went wide at the pet name; he gave Stone a weak smile before disappearing behind the door. He didn’t have a hard time relaxing in the shower. The Library was apparently really good at doing exactly what Ezekiel imagined, which was one of those super fancy showers with six body jets, rainfall shower head, stone tiles, and even a loofa.

While Ezekiel showered, Stone sneaked out of the room, making his way to the locker room next to the combat training room. He wasn’t sure about the room of requirement, but the locker room did have magic to keep it and its contents clean. Lucky for Ezekiel, he had his sweats in there. By the time he returned to the room of requirement, Ezekiel hadn’t gotten out yet.

“You havin’ a good time in there?” he asked to the pleasant sounding water.

“I know you left,” is all Ezekiel said.

“I wasn’t tryin’ very hard,” Stone countered.

“Sure you weren’t,” Ezekiel laughed from the shower.

“Anyway, I got a change of clothes for you, so you don’t have to wear your sweaty clothes. They’re my workout sweats, clean of course,” Stone said.

The water shut off as the bottom foot foot or so of the door disappeared, revealing Ezekiel’s feet. “You can hand them under.” Once the clothes were transferred, he added a meek thanks.

A few minutes later, Ezekiel stepped out. The sweats were quite big on him, but he looked comfy. The wall behind him shifted, removing the doors and leaving Ezekiel's pile of clothes on the floor. “This room is amazing,” Ezekiel said as he stepped, barefoot, toward the center. He concentrated for a few moments, making the room shift again.

The room became much darker, lit only by a flickering fire in a stone fireplace in the left wall. A plush-looking couch materialized in front of the fireplace as the walls shifted to dark wood paneling, and the floor changed from running track material into soft, light beige carpet.

“Ok this is amazing,” Ezekiel said as he surveyed his mind's creation.

“Um, where'd you come up with this?” Stone asked looking around the room as well.

“A house I broke into a long time ago had a den like this,” Ezekiel replied as he walked over to the couch and plopped down.

“It is cozy,” Stone added, sitting down next to Ezekiel, leaving a good half of a foot in between them. “So, uh, same as last time?”

Ezekiel shifted in his seat, sitting sideways so he could face Stone. “Yeah.”

Suddenly hesitant like the day before, Stone reached out, weaving his fingers through Ezekiel’s somewhat damp hair. Ezekiel’s eyes fluttered closed, content smile appearing on his face. He looked so relaxed, content, happy, that after a few minutes Stone quit petting, leaving his hand around the side and back of Ezekiel’s neck. Ezekiel’s eyes opened at his stop, a concerned look appearing on his face. “What’s wrong?”

Stone stared at him for a moment before realizing he needed to respond. “No, nothin’,” Stone stammers, flashing a smile at Ezekiel, before leaning towards him. He paused several inches from Ezekiel’s face, expression suddenly serious. “Is this ok?”

Ezekiel furrowed his brows at him. “Why would it not be ok? I haven’t told you to stop.”

“I’d rather have an explicit ‘yes’ than just go off you not stopping me,” Stone sighed.

Ezekiel was truly touched by Stone’s care. “I’ve not had that before,” he mumbled.

Now it was Stone’s turn give a look of almost pity. “Well I’m not gonna do anythin’ without your ok, ok?” He lowered his head slightly, waiting for Ezekiel to respond.

“Ok,” Ezekiel answered, mock exasperation in his voice. “You’re more than allowed to kiss me.”

“Heh, that’s more like it,” Stone replied, closing the distance between them. Ezekiel was shocked about how caring, how gentle Stone suddenly was. It’s not that he didn’t think Stone capable of it, but Ezekiel didn’t usually have it “gentle”  like this; it was a whole new thing for him.

The exhaustion of the day finally hit Ezekiel after a few minutes. He pulled away, but not far, smiling at Stone. “I’d like some more petting,” he stated as he laid out on the couch, head on Stone’s lap, watching the fire.

“Alright,” Stone chuckled, letting him get settled before resuming the petting. Ezekiel hummed, content. “Can I go past shoulders?” Stone checked in with him.

“Yeah,” Ezekiel sighed, breathing growing quite regular.

Stone let one of his hands run up and down Ezekiel’s arm slowly, massaging a little bit, knowing full well he was putting Ezekiel to sleep. He silently thanked Ezekiel’s imagination for conjuring up the comfiest couch he’d ever sat on as he felt himself being lulled by the crackling fire.

They probably would've slept the whole night if Jenkins hadn't opened the door. “What the-” the immortal said as he stepped inside. “So this is where you two went.”

Stone jumped, shaking Ezekiel awake and pushing him off his lap. “What are you doing here?” Stone demanded as he stood, trying but failing at being nonchalant.

“I happen to live here…” Jenkins deadpanned. He was wearing a plush looking robe over some pajama bottoms, and slippers.

Ezekiel became aware of the new situation as he sat up. “How come you never told us about this?” he asked, not even bothering to look embarrassed like Stone was.

“Well, this is a big reason,” Jenkins answered. “I would like to go to sleep myself, without roommates preferably.”

“There's no bedrooms in the Annex?” Stone asked, curious.

“The Library was not intended to be lived in. It's a workplace first. I just happened to adapt it to my needs,” Jenkins replied. Ezekiel didn't seem like he was going to move on his own, so Stone grabbed him by the upper arm, pushing him towards the door. “At least get his shoes,” Jenkins sighed, looking at Ezekiel's clothes still sitting in a pile on the floor.

“I would like those,” Ezekiel yawned, walking on his own to his things. He slipped the shoes on, not bothering with socks, and scooped up the rest. He then walked towards the door, Stone following behind him.

“Goodnight, boys,” Jenkins nodded, ushering them out of the room. “Don't forget to lock up behind yourselves.” As soon as they stepped back into the Library, the door creaky swung shut on its own.

“Well that was weird,” Ezekiel said as they started walking back to the Annex.

“That was the only weird thing?” Stone teased, still a little tense from Jenkins’ sudden appearance. Ezekiel only glanced at him from the corner of his eye in response.

They stayed silent the rest of the way until they were standing outside the entrance. It was night now; Ezekiel's phone said it was almost 1 am. “I can give ya a ride home, if ya want,” Stone offered as they walked to his pickup truck parked on the side of the road.

“Can I come home with you?” Ezekiel blurted, streetlights thankfully not bright enough to show his sudden blush.

“Don't ya think it's a little early for that?” Stone asked.

“Well I never thought whatever...this..is, was normal,” Ezekiel retorted, using his head to motion in between them since his arms were occupied. “And that doesn't mean we do anything, either. I just,” he paused, looking down at his clothes, “sleeping alone doesn't seem as great of an option after that.”

Stone stared at him for a moment, studying him carefully, before shrugging. “If that's what you want, then I'm more than happy to oblige,” Stone answered. “I just want to make sure you're fully on board with whatever we do.” For a split second Stone thought Ezekiel was tearing up, but he quickly forgot as Ezekiel kissed him, short but meaningful. “Alrighty then,” Stone started when Ezekiel pulled away. He smiled at him before turning around to unlock his truck door. Ezekiel stood there, unmoving. “Well, come on then, I'm more than ready to go back to sleep.”

“Sleep sounds amazing,” Ezekiel replied as he walked around to the passenger door, opening it and tossing his clothes in the middle before sliding in himself. Stone had already gotten in on the driver's side and was fiddling with the seatbelt. “You're a really good petter,” Ezekiel said as he put his own seatbelt on.

“Uh, thanks?” Stone said, a little thrown by the compliment as he started his truck. Before he shifted into drive, he looked over at Ezekiel, almost seductive but not quite. “Maybe when we get home you can have some more.”

“I hope that's a promise,” Ezekiel snorted, amused at Stone's expression.

“It can be if you want it to,” Stone returned, lowering his voice.

“Then hurry up and carry me off to bed, cowboy,” Ezekiel practically purred. Ezekiel's sudden shift in intensity made Stone flustered.

“As you wish,” Stone replied with a bow of his head, punctuated by a wink. He then shifted into drive, more than ready to get home.