#i told y’all it was gonna be novel
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GAH i didn't wanna do this bc im a gemini & i talk a lot if im unsupervised lol BUT YALL WERE POSTIN SOME SAPPY SHIT SO I WANTED TO JOIN (so sorry this is gonna be so long i apologize in advance)
this wasn't initially the road i was gonna take while talking about this but ofc if u read any of my writing or know me in any capacity, it shouldn't surprise you that we're getting sad lol
as i stood next to my partner watching the midnight fireworks last night, i had a fleeting thought -
16 year old me didn't think i'd still be here at 26 -
i didn't expect to still be on this earth in 2023
when i was around that age my home life was really shitty and abusive and lonely and my only saving grace at the time was the family i found within the one direction/5sos fandom. there were so many times then that my fandom friends saved me, literally.
i wouldn't be here today without them.
i stopped being in fandoms around 2016 and while i still have MANY long term close friends from that time, we all have gone our separate ways interest wise.
I didn't realize just how much i missed being a part of a community until i joined tumblr again. the austin/elvis fandom welcomed me with open arms & filled me with that same youthful joy and connection as i had when i was 16. and even BETTER bc this fandom has blown me away with how kind and gentle and loving it is
point is - i’m grateful that i AM still here, that i’ve been here long enough to meet you and experience this amazing fandom.
it's insane to me to think i would've never met some of the brightest stars of my days without walking into that theater that day. my year would've been so empty, lonely and sad without you all, so thank you all from the bottom of my cold lil heart - you all showed up in my life when i needed u the most
(something weird about this 1D -> Elvis/Aus pipeline is that when i went back to see the day i saw the movie the first time it was on July 23, aka the 1D anniversary 👀 lil weird)
i initially made this blog solely for my fanfic but i'm glad i branched out - though i still wanted to take the time to anyone who's interacted w my writings, even if it was just help with plot or moodboards. my heart skips a beat when my writing is a point of conversation.
thank you to the beauties who grace my dash everyday, even if we don't talk often 💖
@feverkitten @p-oolshark @pearlparty @avengen @presleys @mrsniallhoran505 @missmaywemeetagain @marooosa @eliseinmemphis @elvisabutler @lovininapinkcadillac @aconflagrationofmyown @austinsmutler @heartbrake-hotel @dre6ming @flwrs4aust @rosaminny @presleysdarling @woundmetender @rainydayz101 @ggwritesstuff @golden-kiwis @lattedreamer @weak-aesthetic @bcofl0ve
and of course to my almost daily babes, my days would be so empty without you all and my heart would be so deflated - i never thought i'd end up with a group like this
@succsessions @lllsaslll @cryingabtab @elvisfatass @loving-elvis @nora-nexus-34 @lavenderelvis @luluthesandgoose @powerofelvis @bisexualwvtson @samfangirls @lindszeppelin @infatuatedharleys @ab4eva @sagesolsticewrites @slowsweetlove @areacodefan @jelliedonut @steph-speaks @star-shard @foreverdolly @purejasmine @oh-my-front-door
and how could i ever forget the two that really roped me in @karamelcoveredolicity @troubleinapinksuit - even though it was through war, violence & lawsuits (lol) that our love was carved from, it is the most magical. i am so honored and so grateful to call you friends
one of my biggest goals for 2022 was to make new friends - ones who are reliable, kind, like-minded, supportive, generous, loving - because i was feeling so lonely & unloved, and to my surprise this goal was met ABUNDANTLY by you all, i really can not stress how much you all mean to me
extra special shout out to @bisexualwvtson for setting up the christmas card exchange, it was probably my favorite part of this holiday season - those cards made my whole christmas and i will cherish them forever
i love you all so much its DISGUSTING how much i love you - i don’t know how i would’ve made it through this year without you all - and it makes me so fucking sad when i think about all the memories that wouldn’t have happened without austin/elvis/you guys - it is because of you all that i have some of the best and happiest memories of this year, thank you ❤️
i hope that we are together for a long long time - i know that i am, i’m here for the long haul 💗 pls be in the nursing home with me breaking hips to Elvis songs
love, mel xx
(I APOLOGIZE IF IVE MISSED ANYONE I TRIED MY BEST TO REMEMBER EVERYTHING MY BRAIN IS TRASH SO IM SO SORRY PLS DONT BE OFFENDED IF I MISSED U I LOVE U)
#i love this fandom#i told y’all it was gonna be novel#IM A GEMINI WHAT DO U WANT FROM ME#happy new year#mushy mel#also so fucking sorry this is so late lol#pls this is just my brand#sorry this is so long lol#this is all over the place jesus#i’m so sorry y’all lol
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A ramble of major spoilery thoughts after the prime premiere screening (episodes 1+2)
Under the cut. Very big spoils, I’m warning you.
My head is jumbled after the masterpiece I witnessed and all I’ll summarise are reactions and some stuff y’all already know from other screenings
Episode 1:
CROWLEY AS AN ANGEL OH MY GOODNESS HE WAS SO HAPPY AND JOYFUL AND HIS HAIR WAS STUNNING. Aziraphale definitely had love heart eyes at him and the whole “oh look at you, gorgeous” thing was legit. Crowley said that and Aziraphale smiled thinking it was aimed at him and then turned as he realised what he meant, the whole cinema room went awwwwww.
No one told me Gabriel fucking rubs his naked self fully against Zira whilst hugging him, I actually died.
GOOD OLD FASHIONED LOVER BOY DOES PLAY WHEN CROWLEY IS RUSHING TO THE BOOKSHOP TO PROTECT AND APOLOGISE TO AZIRAPHALE. AAAAAAH
The whole cinema erupted in laughter when Crowley had to do an apology dance and I was screaming. He did end it with a ballerina pose I cannot. Aziraphale said he had to do that apology dance in 1650, 1793 and 1941 (so I hope we see that in the 40s minisode)
Aziraphale being all adorable listening to his records before he got interrupted by Gabriel aaaaaah
GABRIEL SAYS “I LOVE YOU” TO AZIRAPHALE AND ZIRA SAYS THANK YOU and then goes “I…hmm” SAVE IT FOR YOUR HUSBAND
Aziraphale is so sweet with Maggie but he has no fucking clue how to be a landlord i stg. Maggie also mentions the lockdowns, so the lockdown audio clip is canon.
Episode 2 Part 1 The Minisode:
The way Aziraphale enters this episode, dramatic ass bitch
I absolutely loved Azicrow’s initial argument about Crowley being evil and killing the goats and then the reveal he never killed them. ZIRA’S SMUG FACE BECAUSE HE KNEW CROWLEY WOULD NEVER HURT ANYTHING. Plus why do they look like they’re gonna kiss in that argument, I saw Zira looking at his lips… maybe his beard
Ty’s character is so camp when flirting with Zira oh my goodness
Gabriel’s long hair reveal got the crowd roaring
CROWLEY TEMPTED AZIRAPHALE INTO EATING AND HIS REACTIONS OH MY GOODNESS
The way they work together to trick the angels into thinking the kids are brand new is comedic gold
The very final scene of the episode is absolutely stunning. They’re both vulnerable and I love the line “I’m a demon, I was lying” comes back in so many ways this episode
CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW EVERY REVIEWER SAID FRANCES MCDORMAND WASNT GOING TO BE BACK AND YET WE HEARD HER AND SAW HER NAME IN THE CREDITS
Episode 2 Part 2 Present Day:
CROWLEY SLEEPING IN HIS CAR, MOVE IN WITH YOUR HUSBAND DUMBASS
AZIRAPHALE CALLED THE BENTLEY “OUR CAR” and said he learned how to drive 90 years ago
Crowley’s romantic wooing involves a downpour of rain, sheltering under an awning and looking in to each others eyes to realise whats been there the entire time… ARE YOU OKAY CROWLEY
Crowley didn’t know Jane Austen wrote novels and knew her from a crime background. He picks up Pride and Prejudice in Aziraphale’s bookshop aaaaaaah
When Gabriel is alone alphabetising Zira’s books, he comes across P&P and reads the first sentence. THEN PICKS UP ANOTHER BOOK AND ITS THE FUCKING GOOD OMENS BOOK. NEIL I CANT BELIEVE YOU DID THIS
Anyway these are my initial reactions so sorry for the ramble. I hope y’all who haven’t been to a screening get to indulge and look forward to whats coming in just over a day now!
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*that tiktok sound* hey!!….. hey…….. how y’all doing………..
i have a lot to say but lemme start off by saying i am SOOOOOooOoOoO sorry for ghosting this blog for a year. same thing’s been happening with wattpad. i ghosted 2 fics on there. and that includes my original dystopian scifi novel that has been in self development hell (as i like to call it)
my only explanation is that i grew unmotivated and grew out of writing fics. it came to a point where im just maladaptive daydreaming, the maladaptive daydreaming takes over and it doesnt let me actually create anything. the other reason is timing. i worked my ass off and finally graduated college with a 4.0 GPA, i did more commercial modelling and runway for a university fashion show so i can build my portfolio, i work full time and my pay is big, i made more art in my sketchbook... basically i just lived my life outside of tumblr.
another thing, the giant elephant in the room, i met cameron monaghan and morena baccarin at fanexpo canada! cameron went through my sketchbook, signed my jerome/jeremiah fanart, and asked me if i was an art student. after i told him i was rejected twice, he looked through every single page in my sketchbook and told me, "aw. well, fuck 'em!" that "it looks like [you] don't need art school" after all. he saw my reservoir dogs acrylic portraits of mr. pink and mr. white and told me he used to watch that film almost 600-700 times when he was 12. he then took a pic of my Grace Van Dien fanart (when i met her in 2022 at fanexpo canada) and he told me he's gonna send it to her. i had no idea they even knew each other.
i couldn't afford a table selfie+autograph combo at morena's autograph sessions so i only paid for a selfie. i said "oi" and "obrigada" to morena before and after taking a selfie with her and she said thank you back with a big smile :D so fanexpo was surreal.
i've always wanted to meet cameron monaghan and after years of writing fanfic for jerome and jeremiah valeska and other gotham fandom character imagines, i *finally* got to meet him.
ive been thinking about coming back and writing again, not just tumblr but on wattpad and getting serious with my original scifi dystopian novel. there's so much that i wanna do in life other than become financially stable and become a successful petite model until i no longer look the part. its hard for me to write because i get so easily stumped. even when i create some ambiance and rewatch the fandom to get inspired, it just drops again. writing is hard. that is why i have respect for my mutuals and my favourite famous authors that got me to write when i was 12. (lol) and anyways, i made new friends and im the happiest ive ever been romantically that i dont need to *imagine* anything with a fandom character, i do it for those who imagine it themselves!
im so sad to come back here and see that a few of my mutuals are inactive or have deactivated. and i became like them and abandoned my work. to be fair, my writing isn't that good, and it still isn't, and if i get something written and published here or on wattpad on a professional hardcopy of my book, i won't believe that it's my best work - and i aced my creative writing elective in my program, so that's a bummer.
i think meeting cameron is giving me a nudge to get back to writing. it feels weird wanting to write jerome/jeremiah fanfic after interacting with the actor himself for less than 5mins of his time, and that he's a human being that experiences human stuff like we all do, the only difference is that he's famous. im not sure if it healed my parasocial mindset with my fave celebs. i do want to take my time and write *something*. i am not doing the requests that have been in my drafts and inbox for a year (sorry :O) im just gonna take my time and readjust and get something down.
<3 mad love to my mutuals @myriadimagines @spacetalbot @arrogant-sonofa-bitch @littlemissvincentvega @emcon-imagines @writerdream22 @jjsmaybank20 @witchthewriter @musicallisto @locke-writes @zodiyack @mahvericks @karasong @moonlit-imagines @randomfandomimagine + many more moots
#mk talks#cameron monaghan#gotham#jerome valeska#jeremiah valeska#morena baccarin#leslie thompkins#misc
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It’s Ridiculous, But I’ll Always Love You
A Lloyd Hansen Love Story
~~
Part 1
~~
Okay, this is too make up for my last Lloyd Hansen story (I’m really sorry y’all). This popped into my head while I was working on my Ransom story, and it wouldn’t leave me alone, so now I’m working on Lloyd and Ransom stories at the same time, because I clearly hate myself. Now, I will give y’all a heads up and let you know that there will be a few parts that might make ya cry, but it’s not like the last Lloyd story, I PROMISE.
Thank you to @fuckingbye for an amazing mood board (as always). You’re perfect and I love you.
Lets get to it.
Word Count: 38,582 (me and my fucking novels)
Warnings: SMUT (Minors DNI OR I WILL SNITCH), 18+ ONLY, Fluff, Swearing, Drinking, Smoking, Cheating, Angst, Toxic Relationship, Minor Abuse, Lloyd Hansen (because he’s a walking warning), Violence Gun Violence (it’s Lloyd), Slight Family Drama, Depression, Daddy Kink, Degrading Kink, Crying, Arguing, Child Trauma...I think that’s everything?
Song(s) That Inspired This Chapter: I’m Sorry That You’re Jaded
I do not give consent/permission for my works/stories to be posted elsewhere. I do not condone this type of behavior, this is for entertainment purposes only.
~~
“Mom!” your son, Travis, yells as he runs towards you, Lloyd following behind him at a leisurely pace; a slight scowl on his face.
Of course.
“How was your week with dad?!” you ask enthusiastically, laughing as you almost fall over from the excitement of embrace.
“It was great! We went to a football game, the park, the aquarium, and so much other stuff!”
“Did you get your schoolwork done?” you ask with a chuckle as you cock an eyebrow at your ex-husband.
“Yup! Dad helped me with math before we left for the football game! He told me he can see me being a quarterback one day!”
“I bet he did,” you chuckle, “go inside and get ready for dinner. Stuffed shells and salad tonight.” “Hell yeah!” he yells before letting go of you and running into the house as Lloyd chuckles.
“Watch your mouth!” you yell after him, before getting up, “Lloyd.”
“Hey Little Hummingbird,” he smirks.
“We’ve been divorced for four years. You can’t think of another nickname?”
“It’s the only affectionate one I have for you at the moment. The other ones are too...dirty.”
“Don’t be a dick. What’s wrong? You look annoyed.”
“Sometimes, I forget how much he’s like you.”
“Says the one who I’m sure encourages him to say ‘hell yes’. What happened? Am I grounding him?”
“No, he didn’t do anything wrong. Got into a little disagreement at the park, and like his Mother, he showed me why I was wrong.”
“Well, in that case, he’s perfect and I’m getting him whatever he wants tomorrow,” you smile as Lloyd just shakes his head and chuckles. “Are you staying for dinner?”
“Ya know, I could stay every night if you’d just take me back.”
“It would be so easy, if you hadn’t cheated.”
“A minor infraction,” he scowls and you roll your eyes.
“Are you staying or not?”
“Can’t. I have a mission to pack for.”
“Lloyd.”
“Don’t start. Denny called while I was on my way over-”
“You know I’m looking at houses next weekend! You agreed!”
“It’s work, Hummingbird.”
“Seems like you’re loyal to everyone except me,” you bite, and by the look in his eyes, you know you’ve hit a sore spot.
“You know I’m sorry-”
“Am I supposed to feel special because I’m the only person you’ve ever sorry to in your life?”
“I don’t wanna argue with you, Y/N. I’ll make it up to you. Hell, I’ll buy whatever house you decide on.” “I don’t want you buying me shit.”
“Still the most gorgeous and most stubborn woman I’ve ever known. Can you just agree? I’ve gotta leave in two hours.”
“The universe just loves to work in your favor, doesn’t it?”
“Y/N-”
“I’m obviously gonna take him, Lloyd. I’m not leaving our son with some stranger. Especially with the line of work you’re in.”
“I’ll make it up to you.”
“Yeah, whatever.”
“Don’t get upset, my pretty little flower,” he coos as he wraps his arms around your waist.
You hate how much you’re always reminded of how much you miss his touch whenever he makes any type of contact with him. Asshole.
“Let me go, Lloyd. I swear to God, I’ll knee you in the nuts.”
“We both know how much I love it when you try to get rough with me.”
“Lloyd-”
“I’m not trying to fuck you over, Y/N. It’s just work. I will make this up to both you and Travis. I promise, okay?”
“Yeah fine, whatever,” you sigh. “Travis,” you call as you reluctantly break out of Lloyd’s hold, “come and say so long to your dad! He’s gotta go away for a bit!”
“What?! No!” your son yells as he makes his way back to the doorway. “You promised me-” “It’s work, Trav. I have to go.”
“What the-”
“Watch your mouth,” you warn. “Don’t give your Dad a hard time. He said he’ll make it up to you and he always does. Now, give him a hug. He has to leave in a few hours.”
Travis lets out a heavy sigh but hugs his Lloyd tight nonetheless, “I hate your job.” “Sometimes, I do too. We’ll do something when I get back, okay?”
“Yeah,” he mumbles solemnly before letting go and running back inside.
“I can’t seem to get it right with him,” Lloyd sighs.
“He’ll forgive you. He always forgives you.”
“And you?”
“I’ll get over it. I always do.”
“I love you.”
“That’s nice,” you mutter, running a frustrated hand through hand through your hair, because that little statement still means more to you than it should.
“Saying it back won’t make us married again, Hummingbird.”
“Why say something that isn’t true?”
“Why lie to the world’s best liar?” he smirks.
“Just go. I don’t have the energy today and you have to go.”
“I’ll call you when I’m on my way back.”
“Sounds fair enough...Lloyd, have you pissed anyone off lately?” you question as an uneasy feeling starts making its way into your stomach.
“According to you, I piss everyone off all the time.”
“I mean more than usual.”
“Nothing you need to worry about.”
“Lloyd.”
“What’s wrong, little Hummingbird?”
“Something feels...off. I don’t know. I just don’t have a good feeling.”
“Everything is fine. No one knows where you live, no one would dare dream of attacking you to get to me, and you have protection even when I’m not here. You’re fine.”
“Something doesn’t feel right. Be careful, okay?”
“Seems my sweet little butterfly still cares.”
“I fucking mean it, Lloyd. Be careful.” “I’ll be fine, Hummingbird,” he reassures you before kissing your cheek then turning to walk away.
Something you always tell him you hate, but you and him both know it’s bullshit.
“Do you still have that pistol I gave you?” he asks, turning around and facing you once he reaches the bottom step.
“I always keep it on me.”
“If you’re really feeling that paranoid, make sure it’s loaded and always on you. I’ll check in after I land, okay?”
“Okay.”
“I love you, Y/N.” “I love you too, Lloyd.”
You watch him walk back to his car and look around for anything suspicious. After being with Lloyd for forever, you’ve learned that every and anything is a possible threat. When you don’t see anything out of the ordinary, you close the door and make your way into the dining room.
“Who’s up for pasta night?!”
**
Technically, you’ve known Lloyd since your Freshman year of High School. He was on the football team and you were in the book club.
Needless to say, you two never interacted.
Sure, you’d heard of him (him being the star quarterback and all), but you two were in two completely different social groups. He made the speeches for the assembly’s to get everyone about football season, and you made sure to have your headphones on when he did. He dated (or fucked) all the cheerleaders, and you took pictures for the school paper. He was voted Homecoming king, and you and your friends made fun of the people who were obsessed with that kind of thing. He was prom king, and you didn’t go to prom.
You two just led completely different lives.
Then came college.
“Thought I knew you from somewhere,” he said, smug grin on his face as he approached your desk after Psych class. “We went to High School together.”
“May I help you with something, Hansen?” you asked, very obviously annoyed as you packed your backpack.
“Don’t get all sour on me and I haven’t even done anything yet,” he taunted with a chuckle.
“Lloyd Hansen: world’s biggest asshole, star quarterback, campus’ biggest womanizer, straight A dickhead...how may I help you, Hansen?” you sighed as you stood up and slung your backpack over your shoulder. “How may I help you?”
“I thought we’d have lunch together.”
“Now, why would that big brain of yours come to that conclusion?”
“Because I know how much you don’t want to,” he grinned at you.
And that’s how it started.
It didn’t matter how or how often you said no, Lloyd wouldn’t give up. You could conclude that the chase is what drew him in. Every woman on campus (even the fucking teachers) threw themselves at him.
And then there was you.
All you wanted was to stay clear of him because, if anything, Harvard made him worse than he was in High School. He was more arrogant, more annoying, way more of a dickhead, and more of a womanizer. While everyone else flocked in his direction, you made sure to stay as much out of his line of site as possible, which only made him want you more.
Then your Junior year came.
“Y/N, we never get you out of your dorm! Now, we finally get you to come to a party, and you’re not even gonna drink?!” your best friend, Tina, pouted as she tried to make herself heard over the music.
“I don’t want to sleep all day tomorrow, and-”
“Y/N, it’s a party!” Tina laughed. “Just have a drink!”
“Tina-”
“You’re a straight A student! One drink isn’t gonna hurt!”
Well, soon enough, one drink turned into one too many
“How’d they get the Virgin Mary to leave her dorm?” Lloyd laughed as he stumbled a little, approaching you with his red Solo cup in hand.
“Leave me alone, Hansen,” you slurred as you leaned against the counter to stay upright.
“Well, the poet-”
“Lloyd, I am not like every other girl here. I’m not impressed with all the shit you can quote from dead old guys. Go...go away.”
“Let me impress you with something else then,” he smirked.
To this day, you still blame the alcohol for the reason you gave in to him at all. You were both drunk, so he wasn’t even all that charming.
“Lloyd,” you moaned as he laid you down on what you can only assume was his bed.
From the look of the room, you had a hard time imagining that it could have been anyone else’s room.
“Such a dirty little hummingbird, aren’t you? Letting me eat your pussy in the kitchen where anyone could see,” he hummed as he ripped your dress off.
What an asshole.
“Please!” you whimpered as he took his shirt off.
“Felt so good, didn’t it?”
“Lloyd, I fucking swear-”
“Jesus, a needy little whore, huh?”
“Then satisfy me!”
“Ask nicely,” he growled before slapping you.
It’s painfully annoying how much he knew what you needed. Even before you did.
“Lloyd-”
“Ask nicely,” he warned again before he slapped you harder.
“Please!”
“Please who?”
“Please, Lloyd!”
“Who?” he growled before slapped you again.
“Please daddy! Please!”
“There’s a good girl,” he smirked before he crashed his lips into yours, as you both fell back on the bed.
You’d always had rules about hooking up, and one of them was them was that you never kissed. For as much as you wanted to push Lloyd off, it felt so fucking good to get kissed with so much passion.
You’d never been kissed so good in your life.
“You want daddy to destroy this pussy, little Hummingbird?” he husked as you two broke apart.
“Please,” you whimpered as you clawed at his chest.
“What will give me in return, hmm?”
“Anything you want,” you promised him.
God, how did he manage to turn you into the biggest idiot in such a short amount of time?
You and Lloyd kept each other up all night, pleasuring and torturing each other in all the ways you could think of, before finally bowing out at 2am. You were usually smart enough to leave after all was said and done, but Lloyd wore you out and he wasn’t kicking you out. You don’t even remember falling asleep, you just remember him letting you rest your head on his chest.
When you woke up the next morning, he was still fast asleep, so you grabbed a pair of his sweats and his crew neck, and quietly slipped out. It really didn’t mean anything to you that you let him eat you out on some dirty kitchen counter top at a party, because isn’t that what college is for? Being crazy and stupid? However, the attention you received after started to annoy the shit out of you.
“Okay so, if you would have told me that alcohol makes you that wild, I wouldn’t have encouraged you to drink so much,” Tina laughed as she caught up to you as you were leaving your English class.
“It was just sex. It’s not like I injected myself with heroine or did a line of blow off of someone’s ass crack. I let Lloyd Hansen eat me out during a party.” “Exactly!” she laughed, “Lloyd Hansen-”
“He’s not God.”
“Around here he is!”
“Only because you all make it so.”
“Isn’t that his crew neck?”
“It’s comfortable and I overslept.”
“When are you seeing him again?”
“Never?”
“Y/N-”
“It was sex, not some lifelong commitment. He fucks whoever and whatever he wants all the time. I’m not anything special to him.”
“He let you stay over.”
“Yeah? So?”
“Lloyd never lets anyone stay over. If he does, he wakes up early enough to kick them out in the morning.”
“I left-”
“Denny said he’s not happy about that. He expected you to be there.”
“That was a dumb thing to expect.”
“He likes you, babe,” she laughed as you two continued your trip to the library.
“Tina, he’s the same piece of shit hes always been. The only difference is that I got drunk enough to let him get his hands on me.”
“You don’t even want to consider the idea of one date with him?”
“I don’t want to consider the idea of anything with him.”
Too bad Lloyd had other plans.
“It’s been two weeks and you haven’t come to see me,” Lloyd growled quietly as he aggressively took a seat across from you in the library.
“Well, look who it is,” you mumbled, not even bothering to look up from your book, “I’m amazed you could find the library, honestly.”
“What the fuck is your issue?”
“Currently? You distracting from my work.”
“We fucked-”
“Exactly. We fucked. There was no exclusive agreement made that I’d come and see you, fuck you on the regular, or that we’re dating. I know that you know that more than anyone else. It was a college party, we fucked, and now it’s over. Sorry I didn’t leave you a goody bag,” you scoffed as you started to take notes.
“You didn’t seem to hate me so much when my face was buried between your legs.”
“The fact that I even let you touch me lets you know just how fucking drunk I was. You’ve been trying to get into my pants since Freshman year, and it took you until I got shit faced at a party to fuck me? It wasn’t anything special.”
“Why isn’t it?”
“Why shouldn’t it be?”
“Because I’m your Huckleberry,” he smirked.
It’s sad and pathetic that, that’s all it took for him to win you over. A cheesy line from what you would come to find is his favorite movie. It took a bit of back and forth, but Lloyd Hansen eventually talked you into going on a date with him. You could tell by how hard he was having to work, he was getting annoyed.
However, one date turned into two. Two turned into study sessions and late night phone calls. Soon enough, you were the only woman on campus holding all of Lloyd’s attention, and pissed off every other woman. You found yourself giving a damn about football and showing up to almost every game (which he made a big show of every single fucking time), and he stayed up with you during the nights when you studied entirely too much over the things you already knew for an exam.
Eventually, you two became boyfriend and girlfriend.
“What would think of me with a mustache?” he asked one night while you were studying in his dorm.
“Stop watching so much damn ‘Tombstone’,” you laughed.
“Shut up. What would you think?”
“You mean, would I still fuck you? I don’t know, Huckleberry. I guess you’ll have to grow it out and we’ll see,” you shrugged. “If it stops you from letting me ride your face, then I don’t want it.”
“Now why would I ever tell you to stop doing that?” he smirked as he pushed your books off the bed and you burst out laughing. “Exams are over, aren’t they?”
“Lloyd-”
“You kept daddy waiting for so long,” he continues as he took your shirt off, “and now you bring up riding my face?”
“Daddy,” you moaned as you lost all resolve.
“Hummingbird, I’ve been patient with you. It’s time for my reward.”
“Fuck,” you sighed as he ripped off your panties.
“Am I still your Huckleberry?”
“Always, daddy!” you moaned.
“There’s my good girl. My perfect little Hummingbird,” he smirked before he dove between your legs and started fucking you with his tongue.
In a short amount of time, you two had become inseparable. It’s not like you ever meant to fall in love with him; he was an asshole, he was rude, he was unforgiving, he was prideful, he was boastful, and he was arrogant.
Arrogant as fuck.
But with you? He was different. You could almost say that he was a gentleman.
It didn’t take long for you to see that he was a bit unhinged, especially when he was playing football, but somehow you found a way to make an excuse for it.
Then, everything changed.
“So, I’ve been talking with Denny-”
“That’s never a good thing,” you sighed, as laid down on Lloyd’s bed.
“I would be a good fit for the CIA-”
“HA! No you wouldn’t!”
“Fuck you!”
“Lloyd, you barely listen to your football coach. You think you can handle training for the CIA?”
“I’m not that bad.”
“Lloyd, just stick with-”
“I took a test.”
“So, we’re keeping secrets now? That’s great,” you scoffed as you got up. “I didn’t keep a secret, Hummingbird,” he scowled.
“Don’t fucking get cute with me! You didn’t tell me about it-”
“Cause you’d try and talk me out of it!”
“We had a plan, Hansen!”
“We can still stick to it-” “We quite literally can’t if you’re joining the fucking CIA!” you huffed as you put your shoes on.
“You’re not fucking mad at Tina-”
“I’m not in love with her or thinking about marrying her!”
“Oh, don’t be dramatic, Hummingbird,” he mumbled.
“I’m going back to my room-”
“No you’re not,” he growled, grabbing your arm and pushing you against the door. “We’re talking about this!”
“Oh, now you wanna talk about it? Too fucking bad!”
“Y/N, don’t make a big fucking deal out of-”
“You lied to me! You don’t get to be annoyed-” “I didn’t fucking lie!”
“You weren’t fucking upfront about it! I’m going back-”
“No you’re not!”
Instead of deciding to keep the back and forth going, you opted to knee him in the nuts.
It’s truly cute how thought that was going to get you out of his room.
“There you go, being a little bitch!” he groaned, his on you still tight as he thew you onto the bed.
“I’m leaving!”
“Hummingbird, it’s really a shame that you haven’t figured out how this works,” he chuckled darkly as he took off his shirt and threw it across the room, “you don’t fucking leave until I say so, and I say that we’re not done talking about this.”
It’s not lost on you that and you and Lloyd were never in really a normal or healthy relationship. You two got off on arguing and getting physical with one another. In fact, on more than one occasion, his housemates had to check to make sure you two weren’t killing each other.
You were sure that Lloyd would never actually physically hurt you. If anything, he let you hit him a lot more than he ever put his hands on you. He knew he was an asshole and 90% of the times when you slapped him, he knew he deserved it. Occasionally, he’d get rough and throw you against the wall or grip you by your neck, but that’s how you two usually ended up in bed anyway.
Why the hell should you give a damn?
That’s also why Lloyd loved you so much though.
You weren’t afraid of him, you didn’t take his shit, you put him in his place, and you were just as sexual and wild as him. He’d met his match. He couldn’t control you (something he both loved and hated), you were witty as hell, you were smart as whip, and you constantly called him on his shit.
In some ways, you two were a match made in hell; so to Lloyd, it meant you two were a match made in heaven.
You two stayed up arguing and fucking for hours that night, but at the end of it all, his mind was made up and you weren’t going to breakup with him. Somehow, you’d become in love enough that putting up with his shit didn’t seem like too much, though Tina would beg to differ.
You two just understood each other. There wasn’t anything necessarily wrong with Lloyd. His parents (while snobbish and infuriating at times) loved the hell out of him, supported him in everything he did, and his Mother made sure to always tell him how proud she was. Whatever Lloyd decided to do, he was good at. No matter how hard or challenging, he excelled better than anyone else. If he wasn’t going to be number one, he didn’t see the point in doing it. It also helped that his parents were loaded and he had every opportunity in the world lined up for him.
No, Lloyd didn’t have some terrible backstory as to why he turned out a little unhinged. He just did and he was good at hiding it from everyone. Everyone except you.
As for you? You just were what you were. No, you definitely didn’t hate people as much as Lloyd did, but you did your best to stay away as much as possible. Your parents had gotten by, by living paycheck to paycheck, but taught you the value of being kind and patient with others, but to never be a fool. They loved to throw little parties and had lots of friends. The day you got your acceptance letter from Harvard (on a full scholarship), they partied all weekend with their friends. There was no short supply of love in your house, and you (for the most part) cherished that. Maybe that’s why you were able to handle Lloyd so well.
You both could tell that neither of your parents were expecting the two of you to be together, and it wasn’t hard to see that they didn’t really like each other, but they saw how happy the two of you were. So, when Lloyd proposed after graduation, both of your parents worked together to throw you the very best engagement party. Yes, there was back and forth about where it should be held, how much money was spent, but it was overall gorgeous and you two were happy.
For the longest time, you two were so happy.
It’s not like either of you didn’t know that Lloyd was sociopath, but you always handled it well, and that always made him feel normal. When he got kicked out of the CIA, you weren’t surprised in the slightest, but you never rubbed it in his face. When he was assigned to the private sector, you weren’t necessarily happy about it, but accepted it with as much grace and dignity as you could.
“It’s a job!” Lloyd yelled as he followed you into the kitchen of the house his parents bought for the both of you as a wedding present.
“I don’t wanna talk about it anymore, Huckleberry,” you sighed, grabbing a bottle of Jack Daniels off the shelf, as well as the cigarettes you kept beside it.
“Hummingbird-”
“Lloyd, I love you. I feel like after all the time, it’s very obvious just how deeply and truly I do. However, this? I need to process it.”
“What’s wrong with it?!”
“Let’s not do this right now.” “No, tell me!”
“Lloyd, you’re fucking insane! You didn’t get kicked out because you’re too soft! You got kicked out because you don’t know when to fucking stop! Now, you have your own private fucking sector that you’re in charges of, and it’s supposed to be okay?! All of this is supposed to be a good idea?! We’re fucking married! Besides the fact that I absolutely hate this for you, what about me?!”
“You know there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do-”
“Lloyd, you have this job because the CIA can’t do the jobs you’ll get assigned! Your enemies are gonna be way worse!”
“I will always keep you safe, no matter what! You know that!”
“Lloyd-”
“This is good! It’s good for us! I can provide-”
“I have my own fucking job that pays me well enough!”
“Hummingbird, I’m good at this. Really fucking good at this. It’s what I’m meant to do.”
“I don’t want to talk about it anymore, Lloyd. If this is what you’re gonna do, it’s what you’re gonna do. You always do what you wanna do, so why should that change now, right?”
“Hummingbird-”
“I don’t feel like talking about this anymore,” you shrugged, grabbing a lighter, along with your drink and cigarette, before you made your way out on to the patio.
That was one of the roughest weeks you two had, had in a while. He wasn’t backing down and you weren’t changing your position.
Maybe that’s when it all went wrong.
It was the first time you weren’t giving Lloyd all of your support, and it hurt him more than he wanted to admit, because Lloyd was prideful before anything else. Nonetheless, you two were just as in love as you two had always been, and a year later, you were pregnant. Initially, you were both over the moon, but the reality of his job started to set in, and soon enough it just became another argument for you two to have. He wasn’t going to quit and and you weren’t going to change your mind about wanting him to do something else.
Nine months later, you welcomed Travis Michael Hansen into the world, and you both fell in love with him instantly. You’d both agreed on the name Charles (after your grandfather because Lloyd wanted to name him Doc and...no), but while you were sleeping, he decided he didn’t like like it and told them Travis. Too tired from being tired when you woke up, you let him win that round.
Lloyd shocked you both with how good of Father he was. He was very hands on, he got up to take care of Travis when he would scream at three in morning and you were too tired, he read to him, and he even took time off of work when he thought that Travis was close to taking his first steps because he didn’t want to miss a thing.
For all of the faults that he had, Lloyd was a good Dad.
Years went by and for just as good as they got, they also got that much worse.
“Lloyd, I can’t fucking do this by myself! I need you here!”
“Don’t fucking start, Hummingbird. I’m working-”
“I’m working! I’m working, raising our son, making sure that everything-”
“I’ve told you over and over again that you can quit!”
“Lloyd, you are not the only person who likes their fucking job! Why should I have to-”
“Because you’re a fucking mom now!”
“You’re a fucking dad!”
“It’s your fucking job-”
“Fuck you, Hansen,” you scoffed, grabbing your glass of wine before you got up, “go straight to hell.”
From then on, the arguments got harsher and the nights got lonelier. Even when he was home, you didn’t sleep in the same bed as him. You weren’t strong enough to deny him what he wanted from you most (which was intimacy), and staying away was the only way to not give in.
Then, one night, he came home from a mission and you could easily tell that everything was about to change.
“What the he is all this?” you asked as you walked into the kitchen, seeing Lloyd seated with two glasses filled with red wine.
“Is he sleeping?” he asked solemnly.
“We’re still at the age where it doesn’t take much for him to want sleep. Having a four year old has it perks,” you smirked as you sat down. “What happened?”
“You know I love you more than anything-”
“Just spit it out. What happened?”
“I cheated,” he sighed.
You drank your entire glass without taking a single breath to stop, before you instantly refilled it.
“Hummingbird, we can work-”
“I want a divorce, Lloyd. Simple as that.”
“We can work this-”
“I told you that would be where I drew the line. That, and I can’t keep fucking do this with you anymore.”
“We can figure this out-”
“We’ve been “figuring this out” since we graduated from college. You’re a selfish bastard-” “Don’t act like you didn’t play a part in this!”
“Because I won’t open my legs for you, it’s my fault?!”
“You’re not available at all! Not even to talk! You’re constantly punishing me for not doing the things you want and deny me any ounce of affection!”
He had you there.
“This isn’t Harvard. We’re too old to just fuck this away-”
“I have never cheated on you before!”
“But you’ve fucked me over before and I can’t...we both can’t keep hurting each other anymore.”
“We don’t have to do this,” he sighed, his voice cracking as he fought off his tears.
“I can’t keep settling. I can’t keep making excuses for the shit that you do. I’m not another one of your punching bags.”
“You know I love you.”
“It’s clearly not enough,” you laughed humorlessly as you sniffled. “This is just done.”
“Hummingbird, we can make this work.”
“Give me a good reason to.”
“Because I’m your Huckleberry.”
You reached across the table and grabbed his hand while smiling mournfully at him, “no, not anymore.”
You couldn’t even blame him for cheating, honestly. You denied him of yourself in every way possible. You pushed him away, not because you wanted to, but you wanted to him to choose you over everything. When you’re honest with yourself, you purposely pushed him away because you were hurting. You’d been hurting for so long and you’d stop talking about it, which was something Lloyd was big on when it came to you. He didn’t give a fuck about making sure anyone else was happy, but when it came to you? He needed you. He needed to know what you were thinking and how you felt about everything, even if it wasn’t happy.
That was one of the many true perks of being with him; he didn’t care if you had something positive or negative to tell him, he just wanted to know your true and honest thoughts. He needed to know where you were at all time mentally and emotionally. You shut yourself down and, after trying to reach you so many times, it made sense that he just went for comfort elsewhere.
In the end, you told him you wanted nothing (even though he tried to give you the house), got your own house, you both evenly split your time with Travis, and you two were divorced.
As simple, and as painful, as that.
Of course, Lloyd pulled every trick he could, claiming that movers missed a few thing, but you knew he hid them in attempt to see you.
“Where the fuck is it, Lloyd?” you scowled as you made your way inside the house.
“Where’s what?”
“My Mother’s fucking charm bracelet! You know what? I don’t have the time or the patience for this today. Plus. Travis is sleeping and I don’t want to wake him.”
“Maybe we should look for it together,” he suggested with a smirk.
That should’ve been for signal for you to leave, but you missed him just as much as he missed you. You were just as pathetic.
“Fuck,” you sighed, as Lloyd shoved you against his bedroom wall. “We can’t!” you whispered as you wrapped your arms around his neck.
“Oh yes we can,” he chuckled. “If I recall correctly, we’re very good at it,” he teased as he undid your jeans.
“Lloyd,” you whimpered, not even slightly embarrassed by the moan that leaves your mouth when his hand started teasing your sensitive bundle of nerves.
“My little Hummingbird is so wet for daddy,” he groaned as he got on his knees, “don’t worry, daddy’s gonna make it all better,” he promised before he ripped off your panties and buried his face in between your legs.
Every part of you knew that you should stop, but it felt so good to have him again. Even if it was just for a moment. It had been so long, and you could tell just how much he loved and missed you. By the time he finished you off with his tongue, you told yourself that it would only be one time. You just needed a fix and that would be it.
That was such bullshit.
You couldn’t even pin it all on Lloyd, because the second you two got started, you couldn’t stop. You didn’t want to. It’s not like you filed for a divorce because you stopped loving him, it just wasn’t working anymore. You missed him, you were still deeply in love with him, and he was your soulmate. Lloyd Hansen is no saint, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s the only one for you.
He pulled you apart in every position you loved, your body writhing in pleasure while your head and your heart were at war with each other, and his name leaving your mouth like a silent prayer every time he brought you off. During the final round, he whispered that he loved you, and you said it back without any hesitation. There was no sense in hiding the truth, because you’d always been an open book to Lloyd to begin with.
When you both a fell asleep that night, he held you tight, like he was afraid you’d disappear like the night when you two first slept together.
He was right.
When morning came, you woke up first (because made the mistake of facing the blinds), and his grip had loosened just enough for you to slip out. You knew it would hurt him, but the night shouldn’t have happened in the first damn place. Almost as soon as you stepped foot inside your house, the texts started coming. You truly didn’t want to hurt him, but you knew you two couldn’t get back together. It would be great for a while, then it would all go back to shit.
That’s what always happened.
It was easier in college. You two would argue, things would be said and sometimes things would be thrown, you’d storm out, you’d ignore him for a day or two, he come to your dorm, you two would fuck like rabbits, and everything would go back to how it was.
That’s not the case anymore.
You two have a child and his job was only becoming more and more dangerous. You were tired of feeling like you were the only one doing all the work, and tired of feeling like Lloyd didn’t put you first. Yeah, he loved you, but it wasn’t enough for him to truly put you and Travis first. At some point, you had to draw the line. You weren’t even holding the cheating against him, you just couldn’t keep up the act anymore. All of it was tiring and even if you’d be alone forever, you couldn’t deal with the pain he made you feel. He was your world and you just felt like an awkward painting hanging up in his.
“So we’re back to you sneaking out after-”
“That’s the only time that’s happening again,” you quietly interrupted as Travis ran past you and into the house.
“Hummingbird-”
“It can’t happen anymore, Lloyd. I fucked up, but I’m not strong enough to keep this up with you. We’re divorced.”
“Because you filed for one!”
“Lloyd, I don’t wanna argue. It’s part of the reason I filed for the divorce in first damn place. Just...we had our time together and now it’s done.”
“You still love me-” “What does that have to do with anything? For as much as we love each other, we can’t seem to get any of this right. It’s not enough for us!”
“Why can’t you just let it go?!”
“Why can’t you quit your job?”
“Hummingbird-”
“Lloyd, we have to stop hurting each other. I know your main setting is asshole and mine is bitch, but we do love each other, and we’ve gone through too much to be cruel to one another. I don’t want to hurt you and you don’t want to hurt me. Besides, we have Travis now and we have to do our best for him.”
He let out a frustrated sigh but didn’t say anything, because as much as he didn’t want to admit it, he knew you had a point. Even if that point broke his heart, and made him angry because he wasn’t getting his way, he did love you too much to ever truly hurt you.
He pulled you close and kissed you so passionately that you went weak in the knees. When you two broke apart, you could see the pain in his eyes, but you could also see the look of defeat. He looked you over before he let you go and walked off.
And that was that.
It’s not like Lloyd hasn’t made advances towards you since, and you almost give in, but it’s been bearable for the most part. His pride and anger does get the better of him sometimes, which causes him to be an asshole and you two to argue. He gets mad that this isn’t just a phase for you and that you’re actually sticking to it, and it causes him to be...well, Lloyd. Sometimes it’s a drunk text about how he had a threesome and he couldn’t figure out why it took him so long to cheat on you, sometimes he’ll call during those threesomes just so you can hear him getting those other women off and how desperate they are for him, and other times it’s just the cold shoulder.
Which is somehow so much worse.
You know he never means it, but it doesn’t make any of it hurt any less, and when Travis is fast asleep, you sit in your kitchen and drink; crying until you’re desperate for sleep. So, in return, you stopped telling him you love him, or showing him any sort of affection at all, really. Maybe it was for the best. The only time you tell him that you love him is when you get the feeling that he’s in serious danger. Which is why you’re so damn worried now.
Yeah, Lloyd checked in when he landed and told you all was fine, but the lack of communication is driving you insane. Yes, it’s always like this for your own safety, but right now, not constantly knowing that he’s safe is making everything worse. The last time you felt like this, he ended up almost getting killed. Some brat named Sierra Six was keeping something from him, a drive or something (you don’t ask questions because you truly don’t care to know), and Denny sent Lloyd to get it back. In the end, Six was killed, Suzanne was killed, and Agent Miranda was killed. Lloyd was in a coma for a while and you stayed by his side every second of every day (which you never told him about) and his and your parents were happy to look after Travis. You think it helped to keep all of their minds occupied, cause it was the first time you saw all of them truly get along with one another.
Now? You don’t know what it is, but something isn’t right. God, you just hope he’s okay.
**
“Mom, dad said these are-”
“Put it back, Travis,” you said as your son tries to hand you some protein drink.
You’re gonna choke Lloyd when he gets back.
“Why don’t you ever want me to bring up Dad?” he scowls as he resumes his job of pushing the cart through the grocery store.
“Because you always bring him up when you want something.”
“That’s the only time I can bring him up, because you hate him.”
“I don’t hate your Father, baby.”
“Well, you sure as shit-”
“TRAVIS!”
“You never like to talk about him,” he mutters.
You’re gonna beat the shit out of Lloyd when he gets back.
Travis is a very good mix of you and Lloyd, and you figure that’s God’s way of playing a joke on you. He has Lloyd’s athleticism, your love of art, Lloyd’s love of movies, your love of music, your patience and big heart, Lloyd’s smart ass mouth, and both of your tempers. On more than one occasion, you and Lloyd have had to make trips to the school because of his temper. Either, he’s calling a teacher a dumbass or shoving other kids into lockers because they annoy him, and it’s very obvious that he’s a product of the both of you.
The kid is only eight.
“It’s complicated, okay? Maybe one day, when you’re older.”
“I’m old enough-”
“You’re 8 with the mouth of a damn sailor,” you mumble. “Do you want any lunch meat for school?”
“Dad said I should keep eating those grilled wraps you make. Something about protein and all that.”
“Your Father would know all about that,” you scoff as you shake your head. “Then we’re all set.”
“Can we watch an action movie tonight?”
“If you watch your mouth for the rest of the day and finish up your homework. One movie.”
“Is Dad gonna be home soon?”
“I hope so,” you sigh as you feel a pair of eyes on you.
You look over to the butchers section and see a man watching you intensely.
Great.
Yeah, you have one of your pistols on you (something you’ve kept on you since Lloyd left), but it doesn’t help that you’re out in public with your son. Maybe you are just being paranoid, but it really doesn’t. After almost losing Lloyd, you’ve learned to always trust your gut.
“What does Dad even do?” Travis asks, completely oblivious to your anxiety and stress.
“He takes care of business for your Godfather when he can’t.”
“Doesn’t Uncle Denny work for the government or something?”
“Something like that. What’s with all the questions?”
“I don’t know. I just miss Dad and I wish he was around more.”
“Me too, kid,” you sigh as you two make your way to the self check-out line.
“Is that why you two aren’t together anymore?”
“You and the questions today!”
“I’m allowed to have them!”
“Don’t worry about it, okay? Just know that we both love and think the world of you, and we’d do anything for you. You’re the center of our universe.” “Then why is he always gone?” he sighs and your heart breaks.
You’ve been asking yourself the same question for years.
“Hey, how about we watch ‘Tombstone’ tonight?” you smile at him.
“Really?!”
“Just don’t let your Dad know when gets back, deal?”
“Deal,” he laughs.
There’s no way in hell you’re going to let Lloyd know that you cracked and watched his favorite movie to make your son happy. Cocky son of a bitch doesn’t get to rub that in your face.
Checkout is a breeze and you and Travis load everything into your truck without an issue, but you still feel uneasy. Between going to the bank and not seeing your usual teller, feeling as if you’re being followed whenever you go to work, and now the feeling like the new butcher was watching you at the grocery store, you just can’t shake the feeling that a storm is brewing. You don’t know who the fuck Lloyd pissed off, but you wish he’d come back already.
You’d feel a lot safer if he were back.
“Alright, Mary’s gonna be here in a bit-”
“You said we were gonna watch ‘Tombstone’!”
“Calm down!” you quickly interject as give him the key to the house before starting to unload the groceries. “I just have some work to do. You knew she was coming over-”
“You and Dad always have to work!”
“At least I’m here!” you snap before you can control yourself. “Trav, listen, we have a whole weekend together and I promise to spend every minute with you after this. I just need to close on this deal. I promise you, I tried my hardest to get out of it, but my boss doesn’t want the client speaking with anyone else. It should take two hours at most, okay?”
“I hate your boss.”
“That makes two of us, sweetie.”
“You promise it’ll only take two hours?”
“I’ll do my best to keep it down to one. Listen, if you don’t give Mary a hard time, I’ll even let you stay up and watch a horror movie.”
“Really?!”
“Yeah, it’s Friday, why not?” you laugh.
“Thanks Mama, I love you.” “I love you too. Now, lets get all of this crap in the house, huh?”
“I’ll get the door,” he yells over his shoulder, already running to unlock it.
Now you feel like shit.
It’s not lost on Travis, Lloyd, or you that you always make Travis a priority, but that doesn’t matter right now. He’s upset because he misses his dad, and now you have to work too. You’ve done your absolute best to be there for Travis as much as possible, but they’re some things that are out of control. It makes you feel a little bad for always being so angry with Lloyd about his job, but you also take into account that your job is a lot less dangerous.
However, you both have a child and you’re more than sure that he just wants to feel as normal as the other kids in his class. Their parents aren’t divorced and one of them isn’t flying off on random ass trips most of the time. You know that Travis is reaching an age where he’s gonna want and deserves more answers, but one, you don’t know how to deal with the fact that he’s growing up so fast, and two, you don’t know how to explain all of shit to him.
“Your dad is basically a contract killer, we got a divorce because I felt like he didn’t care about us enough, and we both miss each other terribly but don’t know how hard we try, we can’t seem to work anything out. We love you the most though and that’s what matters most.”
Yeah, for as smart as you may be at 34, you’re not smart enough to figure out that conversation yet, and you’re sure as shit that Lloyd isn’t either.
A rapid tapping on your door pulls you out of your thoughts, and you’re instantly running to the front door.
“I’m so sorry I’m late!” Mary breathes as you usher her in.
“Please don’t feel bad,” you chuckle, closing the door behind her. “Thank you so much for being so flexible. With Lloyd leaving so suddenly, without any warning, I appreciate the help.”
“I would do anything for you and Travis, you know that,” she smiles awkwardly.
You know the poor girl feels like she’s paying penance at times, because she slept with Lloyd during his revenge tour, but you never blamed her. If he could get you, and you absolutely loathed him when he first approached you, you knew he could get anyone.
Lloyd Hansen may be a complete and total dick, but he’s also a charmer when he wants to be.
“The longest all of this should take is two hours, but I’ll do my best to get it done quicker. Travis is starving, so I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to help in the kitchen, but you also have the option to order food. My card is on the kitchen countertop, so get whatever. He usually loves Chinese food, but it’s Friday and he’s his Father’s child, so pizza may be the best...why am I telling you all of this? You’ve watched him long enough that you know everything.”
“I promise, everything will be fine,” she smiles. “Good luck with your deal!”
“Yeah, I’m gonna need it,” you smile at her. “I’m gonna go upstairs now, okay Trav?!” you call from the living area entry way and, almost instantly, Travis is running towards you and wrapping his arms around your waist.
“You sure you can’t just hangout today?”
“I promise to make it up to you as soon as it’s over.”
“I love you, Mom.”
“I love you too, hun,” you tell him sincerely before breaking yourself out of his hold. “I promise, the second I’m all done, I’m all yours,” you smile at him.
With that, you’re rushing upstairs and hoping onto the call just in time.
You gotta take him Disney World or some shit when everything calms down.
For the first thirty minutes, everything is fine and as it should be, then you hear a commotion downstairs, followed by gunshots.
“Are those gunshots I-”
You close the laptop before he can finish and grab your pistol.
You fucking knew something was wrong.
You quickly and quietly make your way to steps before you hear another set of gunshot.
Travis.
“Are you sure she’s his wife?!” one person yells.
“They have the same fucking hair and that’s her card on the countertop! It’s gotta be her!”
“That’s the woman you saw at the bank?!”
“Is that the woman you saw at the grocery store?! If we don’t get this right, Andrew will kill us!”
“It’s gotta be her!”
“You sure we got the kid?!”
“I’m positive! We gotta- ah, shit!” the one guys yells as you run down the steps and you start shooting.
You hit one of them in the arms and the other in the leg, but they’re able to get away. You would be more than happy to go after them, but Travis. He’s all you care about right now.
You make your way into the living area and see Mary dead on the floor; two shots to the chest and one to the head. You have to search for Travis (he’s always been a smart kid), but once you find him, you instantly fall apart.
“Mom-”
“Shh, don’t say any thing,” you cry softly as you cradle him in your arms. “I’m gonna call for help and you’re gonna be fine.”
“It hurts!”
“I know, baby, I know. Just focus on anything else right now,” you cry as you take out your cellphone, frantically dialing 9-1-1. “Tell me about the football game you went to with Dad,” you sob, doing your best to keep your cool.
You know that you being a complete wreck isn’t going to help a damn thing. As Travis tries to goes on about the game he went to with Lloyd, you explain to the operator that hes been shot in his ribcage, his stomach, and you’re pretty sure in his hip. You can’t get a good look because you can’t stop fucking crying and there’s so much blood everywhere. Soon enough, the medics arrive and they’re taking Mary out in a body bag and while the other set of medics are tending to Travis.
You don’t want to leave his side, but once again, you’ve been with Lloyd long enough to know that you always need to take precaution. You’re quick to run upstairs and grab your purse, your phone, your second pistol, and any sensitive information. When you make your way downstairs, you grab your credit card that was on the kitchen countertop, as well as the pistol you shot the perpetrators with, before quickly following the paramedics out.
You send Lloyd a handful of text messages, as well as your parents and his, but no one is answering. The paramedics try to offer you a sedative, but at some point, you threaten to bite them if they don’t leave you alone.
You don’t need a sedative, you need Lloyd.
About 20 minutes after you arrive, both you and Lloyd’s parents show up, asking every fucking question known to man.
“I can’t do this right now,” you sob as they keep pushing for more answers than you can provide. “I need you all to stay here. There’s something I need to do.”
“What’s more important than taking care of your son?!” Lloyd’s Mother sobs.
“Finding your fucking son, his Father!” you snap, getting up and storming out.
You don’t mean to yell at her, just like you didn’t mean to yell at the paramedics, and just like you didn’t mean to yell at the doctors when they told you that there’s a strong chance that Travis might not make it. You don’t mean to snap at anyone, you just need your soulmate. Which is why you find yourself in a car service and on your way to CIA headquarters.
“DENNY!” you scream as you storm your way inside, scaring even the security guards.
“Ma’am, you can’t-”
“GET IN MY WAY AGAIN AND I WILL KILL YOU!” you scream. “DENNY CARMICHAEL, GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE!”
“Ma’am-”
“Get me Denny Carmichael, or I wear to GOD, I’m going to start killing people. You think Lloyd Hansen is crazy? Just wait until you have to deal with his ex-wife.” “Shit,” you hear one of the guards mumbles before he runs off.
Smart man.
It takes all of 40 seconds before you hear Denny yelling, “WHAT THE FUCK, Y/N?!”
“Call Lloyd and bring him back. I don’t care what the fuck he’s doing, I don’t care how important it is, get him back here, now!”
“You know I can’t...why are you covered in blood?!”
“GET HIM BACK HERE, DENNY! This isn’t a fucking request!”
“Y/N, you know I can’t just-”
“Travis has been shot, Denny. He’s been shot and he might not make it.”
“....what?”
“Someone is mad at Lloyd and they went after us for revenge...none of that matters right now! Your fucking godson is in surgery and his Father needs to fucking be here! I don’t care how important this mission is, you get him back here, and you get him back here now!”
“Okay okay, I’m on it. Just please-”
“I don’t see you on the FUCKING PHONE, DENNY!”
“Jesus, I’m on it! Just...lets get you back to the hospital, okay? Trav needs you both, so lets get you back.”
“Denny...I can’t handle this...I can’t do this without him,” you sob, finally breaking down as you collapse onto Denny and sob into his shoulder.
“We’ve been through this with Lloyd. It’s going to be okay. He’s a Hansen, isn’t he? If I believe he’s gonna pull through, then you have to, too.” “I need him home, Denny. I can’t handle this without him.”
“I’ll get him back here, lets just get you to the hospital, okay?”
All you do is nod and Denny leads you both out as he makes his way to his car.
Denny knows that you’ve never forgiven for him for when Lloyd almost died, but you also know Denny loves Travis. He loves both you and Travis more than he cares to admit, because (like Lloyd) he hates showing any other emotion besides hard ass.
However, besides the fact that Denny actually cares about you, he also knows how much you and Lloyd are still obsessed and in love with one another. So, instead of leaving your side when you two arrive at the hospital, he sits next to you and lets you rest your head on his shoulder. You hear his soft sobs, and you want to be there for him, but you just can’t in the moment. So much has happened and your brain (as well as your heart) can’t figure out how to make heads or tails of all of this.
Hours go by and you’re almost asleep when you hear Lloyd yell, “WHERE THE HELL IS HE?! WHERE’S MY SON?!”
Sleep is probably something you’ll never experience again in this lifetime.
“Mr. Hansen-”
“WHERE THE FUCK IS MY SON?!”
“Lloyd-” you call sleepily as you make your way out into the hallway.
“YOU!” he shouts before shoving you against the wall with his hands around your neck.
“LLOYD!” his Mother shouts.
“Tried...tried to get you back...earlier,” you cough as you waive everyone else off. “Didn’t...answer...”
You know he’s not actually going to hurt you, but he’s also never been good at processing bad information, and this is earth shattering news.
“Let her go, Lloyd!” Denny demands.
“You were supposed to be watching him!” Lloyd yells, ignoring everyone else. “Where were you?! Getting your cunt fucked by some other-”
He’s cut off by you slapping him hard across the face, and his grip instantly loosens.
“Where were YOU?! I was at home, with our son on the weekend that you were supposed to have him! The fucking weekend you requested in the first fucking place! Look at me, Lloyd! Where the fuck does it look like I was?! I was there, in the house, when two people came in and shot Mary, thinking she was me, and then-”
“They thought...”
Lloyd’s eyes go from anger to full blown rage, and he instantly lets go of you.
“We have the same hair color and my credit card was on the kitchen counter-”
“Can someone explain to me what the fuck is going on?!” your Mom yells.
You give Denny a look and he’s quickly ushering everyone back into the waiting room.
“Where is he?” Lloyd asks softly after a few moments, trying to think as well as control his rage.
“He’s still in surgery.”
“Are you-”
“I’m fine, Lloyd. Physically at least.”
“You’re moving in with me for the time being.”
“Lloyd-”
“It’s just fucking safer that way. This isn’t a discussion or a debate, you’re packing what you need, selling that house, and moving in until you find a new one.”
As much you want to disagree with him, you know he’s right.
“I’ll pack some things-”
“Pack everything you need. I’ll get fucking movers if needed. I don’t want you back in that house at all.”
“Lloyd-”
“I can’t deal with them trying to take you away from me twice. I’ve already got Travis to be worried about...I can’t be worried about you too, Y/N. You may not believe it, but you are my whole world, you always have been. I’m not strong enough to deal with it.”
You make your way over to him and wrap your arms around his waist, and he gives you the tightest hug hes ever given you.
“I can’t lose you,” he whispers softly into you hair, and you force yourself to hold back tears.
“I can’t go to that house alone, Lloyd. Not because I’m scared, but because...”
“I know, baby. How long has he been in surgery?”
“6 hours,” you sigh.
“Lets go now, drop your stuff off at my place, and we’ll come back, okay?”
You just nod as you let go of him and take his hand. Neither of you bother telling your families your plan, because you need a break and Lloyd will just start yelling. You grab your purse and he sends Denny a text telling him you two will be back shortly.
The car ride is somber and quiet, Lloyd holds your hand the entire time, and you keep checking your phone to see if they’re any updates. Tina has sent you a handful of texts, but you don’t have the strength or energy to respond. You haven’t slept for hours, you’re now covered in dried blood, and you’re body is dehydrated from all the tears you’ve cried.
By the time Lloyd pulls up to your house, you just want to take a fucking nap.
“Pack some clothes and I’ll leave post-its on the things you really want, so the movers know what to pack,” Lloyd tells you softly as you both stand in the doorway of your house.
The reality of whats happened in the last few hours hits you all over again, and you just stand there frozen.
“Hey, nothing is gonna happen. I’m here,” Lloyd promises, gently placing a hand on your lower back.
“How...um...how will you know what to...” you sniffle.
“I know you well enough to know what matters and what doesn’t. Just get clothes, okay?”
“I don’t know...the living area is where everything...I don’t know if anything’s been cleaned...it doesn’t look like it so...ya know.”
“Let me worry about everything, you just get some clothes,” he urges as his phone goes off. “It’s Denny.” “Is it an update?!”
“If it were, one of our parents would have called. I’ll take it and take care of everything else, you just grab clothes.” “Okay,” you sob softly.
You make your way past the kitchen and living area as quickly as you can, and practically run up the steps. You grab two suitcases, and just pulling things out of your drawers, not even paying attention to what you’re grabbing. You pull out drawers from your makeup dresser and just dump all their contents in, and you’re about to do the same thing with the drawers from your nightstand when you hear a loud thud.
“FUCK!” Lloyd yells and you’re instantly running down the steps.
“What’s wrong?! Are you okay?!”
“I’m fine, I’m fine. I’m sorry, Hummingbird.”
“Is Travis-”
“There’s no update.”
“What’s wrong-”
“You don’t need to hear it right now.”
“Lloyd, don’t push me out. Not right now. What did Denny say?”
“A message was left for me. They’ve got eyes on Travis and they’re coming for you next-stop, I’m home now,” he tries to calm you as he rushes over to you and wraps his arms around you.
“Travis-”
“I won’t let those fuckers get their hands on you or Travis. I promise.”
“Lloyd-”
“Did I promise to always to take care of you?”
“Yes, but-”
“But nothing. Those pieces of shit only went after you because they knew I wasn’t around. It’s not gonna happen again. It’s never going to happen again.”
“Lloyd...what about you?”
“If I have to die to protect you then-”
“I can’t lose you,” you confess softly.
“Then I’m not going anywhere,” he promises you sincerely. “Finish packing and I’ll get started on marking things up.”
“Lloyd-”
“Do what I said,” he demands gently.
You take a few moments to get yourself together before returning back up the steps. You’re quick to gather up a few things before closing up your two suitcases and slowly making your way into your son’s room. You mean to grab some of his toys and a few shirts you know that he loves, but end up just sitting on his bed and looking around.
How did everything get so out of control? Aren’t there supposed to be some sort of rules? Isn’t there a line you don’t cross? Yeah, they’re all ruthless killers, and killing you would’ve been one thing, but going after your son? You know Lloyd goes to extremes, you’re not a fool, so maybe this is penance. However, for as terrible as Lloyd is, he’d never go out of his way to kill a child. The ones that hes killed were assignments, and while that’s not something to be celebrated, it speaks volumes. Lloyd did work and this was retaliation. Travis had nothing to deserve this besides be a Hansen.
The best one.
“Hummingbird?” Lloyd calls softly, pulling you out of your thoughts.
“He has...favorite shirts and toys...I want him to have them, ya know? God, he loves this house so fucking much. Between the pool and the swing set, I think he wants me to leave it to him when I die,” you laugh with a sob.
“He’s going to be-”
“Don’t. Don’t give me false hope, Lloyd. I can’t...after everything, I can’t deal with it right now-”
“What did you tell me while you were pregnant?”
You instantly remember what he’s referring to and chuckle softly as you wipe your eyes, “Hansen men are the worst, so they’ll survive anything out of spite.”
“Our boy is a Hansen, isn’t he?”
“I wouldn’t have anyone else’s kid.”
“Then he’s gonna be just fine out of spite,” he smiles at you, but you can see the weariness in his eyes. “We’ll go to my house, you can take a shower, and we’ll head back to the hospital.” “I don’t have time to shower. What if he wakes up? He’ll-”
“He’ll need to not see his Mother not covered in his blood. Shower and we’ll head back, okay?”
“Lloyd-”
“Hummingbird, just trust me, okay?”
How could not?
You nod before heading over to Travis’ drawers and grabbing his favorite shirts and pajamas. You pull out his little duffle bag and pack it, putting in a few of his favorite toys, before giving his room one final look over.
“It’s going to be okay,” Lloyd promises you softly.
You close the door behind you, going back into your to grab your laptops and chargers for all your devices, then quickly follow Lloyd down the steps. Once you two are back in his car, you just keep your eyes on the house as he pulls out of your driveway.
You’d made a whole new life for yourself, and just like that, it was gone.
You two are half way to Lloyd’s when you realize, “We have to go back! I have to get the photo albums! His baby pictures, our wedding photos, family-” “Calm down, Hummingbird. I packed them. They were the first things I grabbed.”
“Are you sure you got all of them?” you ask frantically, turning around and checking the backseat.
“I’m sure. Just rest. You’ve been doing everything...just try and let me take care of things. I know I’m a dick, but at least I’m capable of getting things done,” he smirks.
You let out a small giggle as you get comfortable in the passenger seat and take a deep breath.
You forgot how nice it is when you and Lloyd work together instead of against each other.
When you two reach his house, he makes you go inside and take a shower while he brings all of your things into the house. It doesn’t hit you how worn out you are until you start taking off your clothes. Seeing them on the floor, the blood that’s now dried onto your body, makes you realize just how long you’ve been awake, and how much has happened. You make the water as hot as you can stand it, and let out a sigh of relief when it hits your skin like a million tears that you haven’t cried yet.
You lean against the shower wall and think over everything that’s happened over the last few hours, days, and months. It would be so easy to be enraged with Lloyd, because you begged him for years to quit his job, but you know hes just as torn as you are, if not more. You know how much he loves you and Travis, even if he isn’t always the best at showing it, and you know he’d take a bullet for either of you in an instant. Lloyd is a lot of terrible things, but he’s also an amazing Father. For as much as you want to be angry with him and scream at him, you know how much he loves and adores Travis. It’s not like he became a saint when Travis was born, but he did stop being so angry all the fucking time.
For all of the things that have gone wrong between the two of you, Travis isn’t one of them.
You laugh when you see a bottle of your favorite soap on the shower floor and shake your head. You know it’s not for any of the women he brings over, cause it’s never been touched and is close to it’s expiration date.
Lloyd Hansen: always the dreamer.
You grab a wash cloth off the rack next to the shower and let it get soaked before squeezing more than a handful of soap out of the bottle and scrubbing yourself as hard as you can; almost breaking the skin. You figure, if you can scrub hard enough, you can scrub the pain away. Yeah, it’s bullshit, but it’s still worth a shot, isn’t it?
“Hummingbird?” Lloyd calls as he softly knocks on the door.
“Hmm?”
“Are you okay?” he asks, coming into the bathroom.
“Gotta get...there’s more blood than I realized-it’s not mine,” you assure him instantly when you see the alarm in his eyes.
“When’s the last time you ate something?”
“Jesus, I don’t know. Probably...” you trail off before you fall into a fit of laughter.
“Babe?”
“I’m sorry...it’s not funny at all,” you breathe as you lean against the shower wall, “I just...we went to the grocery store. I spent over $200 on groceries that are just gonna go bad,” you laugh. “I spent over $200, saw my son’s attacker at the fucking butcher counter, and it’s all gonna spoil. Mary got killed because I had a fucking meeting and left my card on the counter, so she could order a fucking pizza because I didn’t have time to make his favorite meal and it was a sort of peace offering! Even though I had just spent a shit ton of money on groceries! You gotta see the humor in that, can’t you? It’s kinda funny?” you laugh as your tears start to fall.
“Hummingbird-”
“This is all my fault! This happened on my watch and-”
“Don’t you dare. This isn’t your fault-”
“You were all too sure of it in the hospital!”
“That was...you know me and my temper. This-”
“Lloyd...he’s fighting for his life and it’s my fault,” you cry as you slide down the wall.
“My sweet little Hummingbird,” he sighs, getting into the shower and getting on the floor with you, wrapping his arms around you and holding you close.
“You’re gonna ruin your clothes!”
“Fuck my clothes,” he chuckles and you laugh into his chest as you wrap your arms around him tight.
Its moments like this when you remember just why you fell in love with Lloyd. He can be so fucking sweet and caring, and he reserves that small part of himself for you. No, it’s not some Disney fantasy, but it’s enough for you. Truth be told, if Lloyd would have told you that he’d quit his job, you wouldn’t have asked for the divorce. You would’ve looked past the cheating and found a way to fix everything that was wrong. The divorce didn’t happen because of lack of love, it happened because worrying about him and Travis all the fucking time was taking a toll on you emotionally and mentally.
Keeping a pistol at your bedside, in the glove compartment, sleeping in your car outside of Travis’ friend’s houses when he would go to sleepovers, keeping another pistol in your home office...it just became too much, and it’s not like Lloyd didn’t see it, he just refused to acknowledge it. You just weren’t built like him, and you didn’t want to be. However, in his defense, it’s not like he ever hid anything from you. In his own Lloyd Hansen way, he really did try. Lloyd has never hidden just how much he loves you, and he always took all precautions to keep you safe. When Travis came along, he tried even harder to keep you both safe.
It’s not lost on either of you that the love you feel for one another has always been complicated.
“We have to get back to the hospital,” you mumble as you wipe your eyes.
“Y/N, I mean it. None of this is your fault. The way you love and lookout for him...the both of us really, this isn’t on you. I’ll kill those fuckers and I’ll keep you both safe.”
“Lloyd, what happened?” you ask, looking up at him.
“Another time, okay?”
“Don’t keep-”
“I’m not saying that I’m not going to tell you, I’m saying that enough has happened and I’ll tell you after you’ve had some rest. Plus, you know your parents are gonna have a million questions.”
“I can’t fucking deal with them right now,” you sigh as you lay your head on his chest again.
“We’ll get through this, Hummingbird. So will Travis.”
“I love you, Lloyd.”
“I love you too,” he responds softly before pressing a soft kiss into your hair.
You two stay on the floor a little longer before decide it’s time to get up. You make sure all the blood and soap is off of your body, before getting out. Lloyd hands you a towel before getting out his clothes and wrapping a towel around his waist.
Even with clothes on, the man makes you weak in the knees, but it’s been so damn long since you’ve seen him naked. You can’t stop yourself from staring.
“I set you up in the spare room next to mine,” he smirks as steps into his shower shoes.
You can’t even blame him for being arrogant this time. Tattooed gorgeous fuck.
“Why-”
“Travis’ room is right across from mine, and I know you’ll feel better. It’ll make me feel better having you both so close.”
“Travis isn’t home.”
“He will be. I want all of his care happening here.”
“How are you so calm with him being at the hospital now?”
“Denny’s still there and he’s not gonna let a thing happen to him.”
“He has-”
“His Godson and you are his top priority right now. Get dressed and we’ll leave,” he tells you softly, walking over and kissing your forehead softly before leaving the bathroom.
You look yourself over in the mirror and let out a heavy sigh.
You’re gonna need a vacation and multiple spa days when all of this is over.
When you get into the spare bedroom, you smile at the three photo albums that are on your bed. He really is thorough. You throw your towel off to the side and rifle through your suitcase for something to wear but, for as silly as it is, nothing feels right. You stand there in your underwear and literally throw all of your clothes around, trying to find something, but nothing works.
“You ready?” Lloyd asks as he walks into the bedroom.
“I don’t know what to wear. How silly is that? Our son is still in surgery, and I’m trying to figure out what the hell to wear.”
“Anything will be fine, Hummingbird.”
“Then you pick, because I don’t know,” you sigh as you step aside. “I don’t know anything right now.”
“He’s going to be okay, Humming-”
“What if he can’t walk? What if...Lloyd-”
“I can go back by myself if-”
“No,” you sniffle as you dry your eyes, “I can do this. I need to be there for him. I need to be there for the both of you-”
“I’m fine-”
“You’ve never been good at lying to me, so I don’t recommend starting now,” you smile softly.
Lloyd says nothing as closes the small space between you two and kisses you passionately and walks you both back towards the bed. You don’t even fight him because you need it. You need him. Soon you feel the edge of the bed against the back of legs and you know you two need to stop.
For multiple reasons.
“Lloyd....we don’t have time...we need to get back,” you moan as he guides you back onto the bed before continuing to kiss down your body.
“It won’t take me long to make you relax,” he coos softly as he pulls your panties down. “We both need this, please,” he begs softly.
Before you have a chance to make an argument, you feel his tongue on your clit, and you lose all resolve almost instantly.
“Fuck,” you sigh, gripping his hair as you grind your pussy against his face.
Four years is a long fucking time to be without your soulmate intimately, and you can tell that Lloyd feels the same by how desperate he is to bring you off. When he easily slides two fingers into your weeping cunt, you start massaging one of your own breasts as you arch your back a little.
“So close you,” you whimper as he starts pulling on your clit with his lips, you know you’re not gonna last much longer. “Baby...baby, please!” you beg as you prop yourself up on your shoulders and meet his loving gaze.
Lloyd slides a third finger in and curls all three, and you know you’re done for.
“Oh my...fuck, LLOYD!” you scream out as you squirt all over his fingers, knowing his face will be glistening your juices.
He fucks you through your high with his fingers while he kisses his way up your body. When his lips on yours again, the taste of you ever present on his lips, you can feel just how desperate his for you on your inner thigh.
“We don’t have time for that, Hummingbird,” he husks as you start to undo his pants. “Gotta....fuck,” he groans as you start to stroke him.
“Just wanna return the favor,” you moan. “We don’t have to do that, I just...you gave me an orgasm-”
“The way I’ve been getting off to the thought of you...we don’t have time,” he moans as he forces himself to stop you.
Of course, him getting forceful with you only makes you long for him more.
“Another time, Hummingbird. We have to...Jesus!” he exclaims as you grind your hips against his. “If you still...fuck, if you still want this when we get back, I’ll be more than happy to destroy this perfect little body.”
“I love you, baby.”
“I love you too, Hummingbird. More than I’ll ever be able to put into words,” he promises as he slowly pulls out his three fingers and you whimper in protest. “Wear the ‘Alice in Chains’ shirt with your black jeans,” he sighs as he gets up. “He can’t see you right now, but I can.”
As he walks out of the room, you lay there for a second, coming terms with another thing that was never supposed to happen, before getting up and getting dressed.
By the time you two get back to the hospital, both of your families are beside themselves, and Denny looks worn out. Also, Tina is here, and she looks just as concerned as she is anxious.
What now?
“Has there been any change?” you ask Denny as Lloyd makes his way to the nurses’ desk.
“One of the bullets hit his arteries,” Denny starts, “they were able to fix it, but the hit he took to his stomach...it was harder to get out than they expected-”
“How bad is it, Denny? And don’t bullshit me.”
“That’s why the last part has taken so long. That wound might be the one that kills him-hey!” Denny shouts, catching you as you collapse. “I said might, you don’t get to quit on him! If I have hope, you have to have it too!”
“Denny-”
“He’s still fighting, Y/N. No one has declared him dead, so he’s still here-”
“Denny-”
“He’s still here, Y/N,” he quickly interrupts. “You have to hold on to that for now.”
You rationalize everything he says with a nod before accepting his help with getting up, then making your way to the waiting area and sitting down in one of the waiting room chairs. Soon enough, you’re joined by Lloyd and you take his hand in yours before laying your head on his shoulder.
“You need to eat something, Hummingbird,” he coos softly.
“You eat something.” “I already did,” he chuckles and you playfully hit his arm. “C’mon, lets go to the cafeteria. It doesn’t have to be anything big, but just eat something. I already know you’re going straight for the wine when we get back. Eat something, please?”
“Since when do you ask nicely?”
“Since I know when to tread lightly,” he scoffs before kissing the top of your head and you laugh softly.
“I want him to be okay.”
“I know baby, but you have to be okay too. If anything changes, you know they’ll all get in contact with us immediately.”
“Fine...shit! Mary’s family and my job-”
“It’s all been taken care of. You’ll talk to Mary’s family when you’re ready, and her funeral has been covered. Just focus on Travis for now,” he tells you gently.
“Something small?”
“Something small.”
You both make your way out, hand in hand, and you don’t miss the way your Mother looks at you.
She’s clearly unhappy about it.
“We’re gonna grab a bite to eat, be back in a little,” he tells everyone, without even stopping.
“Babe, can we talk for a second?” Tina asks, looking from you to Lloyd.
Alright, what the fuck is going on?
“Sure, come with us to the cafeteria.”
“Just you.”
“Tina, what’s-”
“If it’s not an immediate update about Travis, you can talk to her when we get back,” Lloyd practically snaps before pulling you along with him.
If they slept together, you’re blowing up the fucking building...once Travis is safe, of course.
“Lloyd, I swear to God, if you slept with Tina-”
“I haven’t slept with Tina since Freshman year of college, and that was only because I wanted to know more about you. Well, that and we were both shitfaced.”
“Then what was that all about?”
“After you eat.”
“Lloyd-”
“After you eat,” he tells you more firmly before walking off towards the counter to place his order.
Fine.
“Why’d you get me a grilled cheese?” you ask as he sets a plate down in front of you.
“Well, they don’t have dumplings or pasta, so this was the next best thing,” he smirks and you laugh as you flip him off. “You said you saw one of the guys at the butcher counter in the grocery store-”
“I’m pretty sure I saw both of them at two different places, cause I heard them both trying to confirm that it was me when they shot Mary...something about how Andrew would kill them if they didn’t kill the right person.”
“Did one of them have a tattoo of an anchor between his thumb and forefinger?” Lloyd practically growls as stabs at his chicken salad.
You’re so happy hes finally started listening to you and just started eating more salad.
“The bank teller did. Uh, I didn’t go up to the butcher’s counter, but the guy had a short, brown, curly hair, and a tattoo under his eye that said ‘pain’.”
“Mother fucker!” he proclaims as he slams his hand down on the table.
Well, at least he seems to know who they are.
“Lloyd, calm down-”
“I’m gonna fuckin’-”
“Huckleberry,” you plead softly and he softens almost instantly.
“You haven’t called me that in forever.”
“Four years does feel like forever,” you smile weakly. “Tell me what’s going on. Is this why you don’t want me talking to Tina?”
“I don’t want you talking to Tina because I’m going to fucking kill her, and I have to refrain from doing it in front of our fucking family,” he mutters dangerously before shoveling a fork full of salad into his mouth.
“I’m sorry, come again? Tina? She did this?”
“I’m sure not purposely, because she loves you, but she has a very big part in all of this.”
“This doesn’t make any sense! She’s Travis’ godmother, she wouldn’t...how do you know?”
“It’s my job to know, Hummingbird. I told you, I always keep an eye out for you. Granted, she got the fake information I left, and her little workers went rouge, more than likely trying to prove themselves, and that’s why everything went wrong.” “Lloyd, she loves-” “She loves you and Travis. She hates me. I guarantee that’s why she wants to talk to you in private. The way she looked at you, the way she looked completely out of her fucking mind when she got here...this was never supposed to blow back on you. Which, poor fucking Tina, but I’m still gonna fucking kill her.”
“Lloyd, please just tell me-”
“You’re not eating.” “I’m sorry, I’m still trying to comprehend the fact that you just told me that you’re going to murder my best friend!” you whisper harshly.
“People die-”
“Fucking don’t, Lloyd. Not while our son is fighting for his life. Do not sit here and tell me how people die all the time, like we live in the same fucking reality!” you snap and he sighs.
After all this time, it’s completely insane to you how he always forgets. He would come home to feel normal. After being surrounded by killers all fucking day...it has been a while though. A while since you two have had a real and honest talk...you’re both the same, but have changed in so many different ways.
“You need to eat-”
“Do you have to kill her? We don’t even know-” “You don’t know what happened, I do. I can’t let her live, not after this.”
“Lloyd-”
“You’ll see after she talks to you. Eat.”
“Lloyd-”
“Hummingbird, please eat. I know it’s been over 24 hours since you’ve last eaten anything, so please eat.”
“How do you know so much about all the damn time?” you scowl before begrudgingly take a bite out of your sandwich.
“Just because we got a divorce, doesn’t mean I stop keeping tabs on you.”
“Lloyd-”
“I didn’t file for the divorce, you did.”
“I didn’t cheat, you did.”
“Lets not fucking do this here.”
“You’re the one keeping fucking tabs-”
“I’m not doing it to be your fucking hall monitor. I’ve have you watched so I can keep an eye out on your and keep you safe. Just because I fucked up doesn’t meant I don’t love you. You know why I did what I did-there’s an update!” he tells you as his phone goes off.
“How do you-”
“It’s my Mother, we should go-”
“Lloyd...” “He’s fine, Hummingbird. I promise,” he reassures you softly.
You both make your way back to the top floor, hand-in-hand, and you take not of how much tighter his grip gets once you get closer to where everyone is congregated.
God, how you wish you two would’ve been able to work all shit out, so you’d be able to go through this together. Not as Lloyd Hansen and his ex-wife.
“He made it through the surgery,” the doctor smiles as you both approach him. “It was touch and go for a while, but he’s strong-”
“He’s a Hansen,” Lloyd smiles proudly and you roll your eyes.
“That he is,” the doctor laughs, “he’s still not out of the woods. He hasn’t woken up and we don’t know when he will, and he’s going to need a lot of therapy, but he can go home-”
“Today,” Lloyd quickly interjects, looking towards Denny who just nods.
Whatever expenses you thought you were gonna have to worry about, they’re gone.
Your tax dollars hard at work.
“Mr. Hansen-”
“He comes home today. Whatever medical supplies he needs, he’ll have them, and whatever care is needed will be provided around the clock. My assistant is on his way and he’ll go over everything with you. Travis is not staying here.”
“Lloyd-” “He’s not staying here for another minute,” he snaps towards his Mother.
And that was that.
Soon enough, information is being taken down, plans are being made, Lloyd is all but shouting demands, he’s choosing caregivers only he trusts, and Denny is giving him the next six months off.
“What just happened?” you ask as you get in the passenger seat of Lloyd’s car.
“You don’t need to worry about it.”
“Lloyd-”
“You’ve done enough, Hummingbird. Let me take care of the rest.”
“He’s our son. I should know-”
“All you need to know is that you’re safe. Travis is safe, you’re safe, and I’m never letting anything happen to either of you ever again.”
“What about Tina?”
“She’s going to come over tomorrow night to talk to you. She’s gonna tell you everything and then I’m gonna stick a fucking bullet into her brain.”
“Lloyd-”
“She doesn’t get to get away with this. I know you love her and all that shit, but they’re some things that are unforgivable. This is one of those things.”
“You haven’t even heard her side-”
“I know her side, I don’t need to hear it. My son was almost killed, you were almost killed...I don’t give a fuck about how bad she feels. She’s lucky that I didn’t kill her on the spot.”
“Huckleberry, please just tell me what happened.”
“Don’t fucking call me that just because you know it makes me soft.”
“Then fucking calm down and talk to me-”
“You don’t need to worry about anything from here on out-”
“Lloyd...you still don’t get it,” you chuckle softly as he pulls into his driveway. “You aren’t not out of harms way, so I’m going to worry! This isn’t over because Travis isn’t in fucking surgery anymore! You think I married you because it seemed like a fun idea? You think I was fucking bored? You think I didn’t have other guys gunning for my affection?! I fucking love you, Lloyd! I don’t know if you’ll be okay and...lets just not get into this now. Too much has happened, Travis is getting set up in the house, we both need sleep...Huckleberry, if you don’t get it by now, you’re just never gonna get it, and I’m really sorry about that,” you shrug before getting out of his car, and slamming the door shut.
Fuck him.
If he still doesn’t get it after all this time, then fuck him. How dare he?! He should know you well enough to know that you wouldn’t be this stressed out and frustrated over someone you don’t you don’t give a shit about. The divorce never fucking mattered. Lloyd has been the center of your universe since you fell in love with him. Hell, since you fell in like with him. Then you two went and had Travis, and it just added on. Yes, you know Lloyd has his flaws and isn’t perfect, but he’s your perfect mess. You tried to not fall in love with him, but it clearly didn’t work.
Every mission he goes on scares you, because you’re not sure how he’ll come back, if he comes back at all. Every time you see him, you commit it to memory, because you might not ever see him again. You re-read his affectionate texts because your heart still yearns for him all these years later. So, if he doesn’t understand that you divorced him because you love and care for him too much, and you always will, then he can go fuck himself.
He’s slow to follow behind you, and you feel his intense gaze on you, and you know he’s going through everything in his head. As the doctors go through everything with you, and the caregivers set everything up, you wonder if he’s even listening.
You’re probably gonna have to write all this shit down for him later.
“Is there anything you need or want us to do before we leave?” one of the doctors asks as she packs up her things.
“We’re fine,” Lloyd nods as he stands off to the side.
“I know you’ll have round the clock service, but here’s my number just in case of any emergency,” she smirks at Lloyd, handing him her card before she walks out of Travis’s bedroom.
She’s a bold one, ya gotta give her that.
“I’ll sit with him so you can rest-”
“Denny’s made sure the house is heavily secured. Lets both go lay down.”
“What if he-”
“They’ll wake us up,” Lloyd reassures you, kissing your temple softly as you wrap your arms around his waist.
He’s a piece of shit, but he’s your piece shit. Divorced or not.
You lean into him for just a moment, before forcing yourself away. You slowly and quietly make your way to the room set up for you, as Lloyd goes into his bedroom and leaves the door cracked; and you tell yourself it’ll all be okay. All of you will be just fine.
You toss and turn for about an hour before you force yourself out of bed, and make your way to Lloyd’s bedroom and knock on it softly.
“You know you can always come in, Hummingbird,” he replies nonchalantly.
“I can’t sleep...”
“Get in,” he encourages, turning the covers on his bed down, keeping his attention still on his phone.
It’s not like you need much convincing.
“What’s happening?” you ask as you settle into his bed.
“Denny is still in the middle of a panic attack, so there have been 30 other guards assigned to protect this house-”
“That’s not what I mean, Huckleberry. How are you?” you ask softly as you lay your head on his chest.
“Just rest right now.”
“Lloyd-”
“You have enough on your mind and on your plate. We’ll talk about me after you rest,” he promises as he presses a soft kiss into your hair.
“Don’t...Lloyd, don’t fucking go and put yourself more at risk than you already are. Do you understand?”
“Humming-”
“I fucking mean it. I can’t do this without you...I can’t...I can’t live in a world without you. I’m already dealing with Travis....don’t you fucking...” you trail off as you start to sob.
“Changes are going to be made, Hummingbird. I swear to you, I’ll never put you through anything like this again. Concerning Travis or myself.”
“I love you, Huckleberry.”
“I love you, Hummingbird. Just sleep,” he urges, stroking the side of your arm as he kisses the top of your head. “Sleep.”
For the first time in a long time, despite all hell that happened that day, you’re able to fall asleep almost instantly. Feeling safer and more loved than you have in years.
**
When you wake up, Lloyd is gone but you can hear him yelling about something downstairs. You sit up to an open door and you see that the door to Travis’ room is open. You grab your phone before getting out of bed and slowly make your way to his room.
“Has he woken up at all?” you ask the doctor softly.
“Not yet.” “Is he...will he wake up? Lloyd interrupted the other doctor he could really say much...”
“We’re monitoring him closely. Yes, the surgery went better than we all expected, but his body is still weak. He took on a lot, so we need to-”
“No, I get it...I understand,” you sniffle as you take a seat in the chair by Travis’ bedside. “Can we have a minute?” “Of course,” the doctor nods with a soft smile before leaving.
“Hey sweetheart,” you sob with a weak smile, taking Travis’ hand and squeezing it softly. “It’s Mom, I finally have time,” you laugh humorlessly. “You always want to hear stories from when your Dad and I were together, so here’s a fun one,” you chuckle as you start searching through your music library, smiling once you finally find ‘Sea of Love’ by Cat Power and playing it.
“I can not begin to explain how much your Dad hates this song, but it’s one of my favorites. We got married in Hawaii and I annoyed the hell out of him until he agreed to let this be our first song. From that day on, I always played it on our anniversary, and we would dance in the living room. No matter how busy either of us were, we stop to dance to this song. Then, I got pregnant with you,” you sob with a smile as you wipe your eyes. “If you were ever wondering where you got your impeccable taste in music from, it’s me because I made you a playlist and played it ever single day that I was pregnant. Jesus, your delivery was a shit show. Your Dad was yelling at doctors, I was pelting the staff with ice chips because of course, that would make you come out faster, and your Godfather was running around like a chicken with his head cut off because it was the first time that he had ever truly given a damn about anything....both sets of grandparents were crying messes...it was a circus. However, 9 hours later, at 8 pounds and 13 ounces, you were brought into this world. You didn’t scream and you didn’t cry, you just looked at me and smiled, and we were instantly best friends. The moment your Dad laid eyes on you, he was in love with you. Everything else that was wrong didn’t matter. Holding you for the first time...I knew my life was complete. I had you, your Dad....nothing else mattered. It was everything. Soon enough, I fell asleep, but your Dad was too wired. He refused to put you down until the nurses took you from him. When I woke up, he was holding you and walking around with you while this song played,” you sob even harder as you dry your eyes. “I’m so sorry, baby. I should’ve been there. If I could’ve taken those bullets for you, I would have. I’m so fucking sorry, but please...I need you to hang on. You haven’t even begun to truly annoy me, you don’t know how to drive a car, you haven’t gone to or avoided your prom...you have a whole life to live and I’m excited to watch you live it. You are the sweetest soul and the world needs you, so please...please, just hang on for us. Your Dad and I need you so much...please,” you start crying uncontrollably and you feel an arm wrap around you.
“He’s going to be okay,” Lloyd promises softly.
“Lloyd...,” you sob as you lean into his waist. “How did...he’s a good boy! He didn’t do anything to deserve this!”
“I know, baby,” he responds, his voice cracking as he rubs your back. “It’s all going to be okay. I swear to you, everything will be fine.”
“I gotta get out of this room,” you sniffle before pausing the song, getting up, and walking out.
You go into the spare bedroom that was set up for you and rifle through your purse, until you find your pack of cigarettes. You then quickly to make your way downstairs and into the kitchen, ignoring the mercenaries that now occupy the massive living area, and grab a wine glass. You fill it to the brim before grabbing a cigarette, lighting it, then taking a seat at the dinner table.
Yeah, Lloyd hates you smoking in the house, but you think you’ve earned a pass for the next few days.
“I thought you quit,” Lloyd sighs, coming into the kitchen and pouring himself a glass of scotch.
“Well, our son is upstairs fighting for his life, so I figured I’d really commit for a while,” you mutter before taking a drag from it.
“Just say it,” he says as he takes a seat across from you.
“Say what?”
“This is my fault.”
“I’m not gonna throw you a fucking pity party, Lloyd,” you chuckle humorlessly, “not right now.”
“If this wasn’t my job-”
“If this wasn’t your job, if I hadn’t been working, if I hadn’t left my credit card out, if I hadn’t had my blinds closed, they’re a lot of fucking ‘if’s so don’t sit here and try to get me to blame you. I may be a cunt, but I’m not that fucking petty.”
“I blamed you.” “That’s because you’re a fucking asshole.” “Y/N-” “Lloyd, I don’t wanna fucking do this with you. I haven’t felt this terrible since you were in that fucking coma-”
“That’s why you never came by?”
“God, you are such a dick,” you scoff. “I was in that fucking hospital all day, every day, until you got out of that coma. When they tried to tell me I had to leave, I punched a male nurse in the face. Don’t fucking sit here and try to tell me how much I do or don’t love you, because you have no fucking idea. You can’t even begin to fathom how much you truly mean to me. How much you’ve always meant to me.”
“Then why not take me back? Why not make this work?”
You knew it was coming.
“Lloyd-” “Answer the question, Y/N. You’ve been dodging it for four years-”
“I haven’t dodged shit!”
“You haven’t fucking answered it!” “You really wanna fucking do this today?!”
“You’re already here!”
“Fine. You wanna know why we can’t just “work this out”? Because fuck you! It’s not even the fucking job! It’s you! Nothing is ever enough for you! There can never be a conversation, you just have to be right all the time! You just have to know every single fucking thing! No one else can ever be right! I love you! I love you to the point that I made myself miserable for the last two years of our marriage so that you could be happy! I had two fucking miscarriages, Lloyd! TWO! You wanna sit here and fucking tell me that I’m so selfish? That I’m a cunt?! You have no room to fucking talk! I have given you everything I have in me, and it wasn’t enough for you! I wasn’t enough for you! You are Travis’ hero, and it’s not enough for you! You have a higher kill count than anyone in the fucking agency, and it is STILL NOT ENOUGH! You’re hurt?! You’re wounded?! You and Travis are my entire universe and you still don’t fucking get it! You think that I don’t know you’re a fucking lunatic?! You think I don’t know that you have a couple of screws loose?! I LOVE YOU ANYWAY, YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE! I love you and you keep missing the point! I was never expecting roses and warm hugs everyday from you, but I expected you to at least meet half way sometimes! But you never fucking did,” you sob. “Then you, being the piece of shit you are, went and fucking cheated, and you know what? I’ll take responsibility for that. I pushed you away and took away the one thing you really needed: affection. Fine, I’m a bitch and it’s all my fault. However, you couldn’t just let it be a clean split, could you? No, because Lloyd Hansen can never just accept the things he doesn’t like, can he? You just have to be a dick about it. The texts, the fucking phone calls, the blatant lack of respect for me at all! Yet, I’m always defending you to Travis. Making excuses as to why you miss his birthday parties, why you aren’t able to go to his soccer games, why you can’t go on the family camping trips, just to make sure you’re still a god in his eyes! Now, after all the shit that’s happened, you’re gonna fucking sit here and tell me that I wasn’t at the hospital while you were in that fucking coma?! You’re gonna fucking try and tell me about shit you don’t even know about?! You know they were going to let you fucking die?! They were just gonna stop working on you and I threatened each and every one of those fuckers, because a world without you in it, is a world I don’t wanna fucking live in for whatever reason! You wanna know why can’t we work things out?! Because of you! The issue has always been you! So don’t fucking sit here, being all self righteous, like I haven’t done my absolute best to make you happy since this shit show started!” you yell, ashing your cigarette on his table, because fuck him.
Lloyd says nothing, but he looks at you as if he wants to throw you across the room. Whether it’s because you ashed your cigarette on the table or because of what you said, you’re not really sure. Instead, he gets up and storms out, knocking a chair over on his way out.
Great.
You don’t know why you took the bait. You knew he was picking a fight because he feels like shit, and he needed you to yell at him. He knows how to push all the right buttons at the worse time, so when you didn’t yell at him for Travis, of course the failed marriage was the next best bet. You know he blames and hates himself for everything, but Lloyd doesn’t know how to vocalize feeling like shit or failure. That’s why you feel so fucking special when he apologizes for anything, because he never apologizes to anyone for anything.
Maybe Travis if he feels especially bad about something.
However, you took it too far this time.
It’s not like anything you said was wrong, but you didn’t have to be so fucking harsh. God, he didn’t even know about the fucking miscarriages. Yes, Lloyd Hansen is a complete and total asshole, but he’s also the love of your life. There’s a way to go about everything, and you screaming at him wasn’t the way to go about that. Yeah, he needs to feel like an asshole because it fuels his...whatever the fuck is wrong with him, but all of that at once...that wasn’t the way to do it.
You’re slow to finish off your wine before slowly making your way upstairs to his bedroom, and the scene in front of you shocks the hell out of you.
He’s sitting on the bed and crying.
To this day, you’re convinced that Lloyd Hansen has never cried, not even as a baby. Out of pure stubbornness. Sure, his voice has cracked a total of two times since you’ve known him, but hes never actually cried. As far as he’s concerned, crying is a sign of weakness. Sure, you can cry because you’re a woman, but Lloyd? He’d never dream of it. He’d get shot in the dick before he’d cry, let alone let someone else actually see it happening.
“I’m sorry, Huckleberry,” you sigh, closing the door behind you as enter the room. “I took it too far-”
“It’s what I fucking deserve.”
“Stop it. Don’t do this to yourself, not right now.”
“I was a horrible husband and I’m a horrible Father-” “No you aren’t,” you tell him softly as you stand in front of him.
“Don’t, Y/N. Don’t fucking stand there and tell me-” “Travis couldn’t have a better Father, honey. All you’re doing for him, all you’re going to do for him, it’s more than any other parent would do. Us? It’s not like all parts of our relationship were awful.” “I didn’t make it easy,” he sniffs as he wipe his nose with the back of his hand.
“I was able to give you a run for your money from time to time,” you chuckle and he scoffs as he wraps his arms around your waist. “I never stopped loving you, Lloyd-”
“Why? There’s no use cause we both know I’m not worth loving,” he questions as he looks up at you. “Because,” you smile down at him as you caress the side of his face, “you’re my Huckleberry.”
Two fools. You two have always been a pair of fucking fools.
“Lloyd,” you moan as he kisses your hip and unbuttons your jeans.
“Don’t tell me ‘no’, Hummingbird. Please, not when I need you so much,” he begs as he pulls your jeans and panties down.
“We shouldn’t...fuck! Baby!” you whimper as he starts to massage your clit with his tongue. “God, you’re so fucking good at that!”
“Always taste so fucking good,” he mutters as he easily slides two fingers into your dripping pussy.
“Oh God...fuck!”
“I’m gonna destroy this perfect little cunt, Hummingbird,” he promises as he fucks you faster with his fingers.
“Please,” is all you can get out as you grip his hair.
He resumes his assault on your clit with his tongue, before pulling on it with his lips and sucking on it. You grip his shoulder tight as you try and hang on and ignore all of the voices in your head telling you this is a terrible idea.
You know it’s a terrible idea, for a million reasons, but right now you just need him. You’ve been without his touch for so long and now, you just need his love. You need him to make you feel okay, because everything is happening so fast at once.
“I’m so fucking...ah, ah, AH SHIT!” you cry out as you coat the lower half of his face and fingers with your release.
“I’ve missed you, Hummingbird, and God, you still get so fucking wet for me,” he husks as he removes his fingers and sucks your essence off of them. The groan that leaves his mouth somehow makes you even more feral. “Take that fucking shirt off, let me see you,” demands softly as he takes off his own shirt.
Who the hell are you to disobey?
Instantly, you’re taking off your shirt and bra, and you can’t help but feel a little prideful at the way he marvels at you. After all this time, he still looks at you as if he’s never seen anymore more beautiful in his life.
“Gonna make you feel so good, Hummingbird,” he promises as he grips you tight and whips you onto the bed.
“I need you. I always fucking need you,” you whimper as you undo his belt buckle, getting fed up when you can’t stop fumbling with the damn thing, so you just force them down.
“Do you still love me?” he asks as thrusts himself inside of you, never breaking eye contact with you.
“Fuck!” you gasp, grabbing at nothing as relish in the pleasurable sting you’ve gone so long without. “It’s only ever been you for me! I’ll love you forever!”
“I love you, Hummingbird,” he broods as he fucks you harder and faster.
You feel like you’re on a cloud. Yes, you’ve had other relationships and hookups since Lloyd, but no one knows your body like he does. He knows all the right angles, what positions make you wild for him, and how to get you where you’re always desperate to be.
Lloyd knows you better than everyone else in every way.
“Don’t know how I’ve gone so long without you,” he groans as he pins your hands above your head, entwining his fingers with yours.
“I...I love you so much,” you whimper as you wrap your legs around him, grinding your hips against his. “On...only one for me!”
“Taking me so fucking well...fuck, this is still the best little snatch, baby! So fuckin’ wet!” he mumbles as he forces himself upright and forces himself deeper.
“OH MY GOD!” “Fuck! Squeezing me so damn tight!”
“Lloyd...I...I...holy shit!” you cry out with tears streaming down your face as you turn your head away.
“Look me, Hummingbird,” he demands gruffly, “wanna see your fucking face when you...fuck!”
“Please...need to...need to- FUCK!” you scream as you squirt hard and you pray this isn’t the first thing Travis hears if hes woken up.
“JESUS...FUCK!” Lloyd exclaims as he fills you, collapsing on top of you, releasing your hands as you wrap your arms around him.
Fuck, you’ve missed him.
“You tired?” he asks as he sits up and you both catch your breaths.
“Not even close.” “Such a good girl,” he smirks as he pulls out and flips you over, “cause we’re just getting started.”
Two fucking fools.
Once again, you know it’s a terrible idea, but you can’t and don’t want to stop. For as terrible as he is, Lloyd has always been your home. He’s always understood you, always accepted you as you are, always loved you, and has never made you feel less than. In his world, no one is worth saving or loving. No one except you. Besides the fact that he can easily give you orgasm after orgasm, he’s your person. He’s your person and your best fucking friend. Nothing feels right until Lloyd’s back in your life.
He’s nothing but chaos, but he’s the only way your world makes any sense.
“Daddy...too much! Can’t-” “Yes you can,” he grunts as he fucks you hard from behind, slapping your ass, hard. “This bed has never been so fucking wet!”
“Please...need to...oh my GOD, don’t fucking stop!” you whimper as you strangle the pillows.
Well, the ones that are left.
“Still such a filthy little thing! Still a dirty little Hummingbird?” “Only for you, daddy!”
“Fuck! Go ahead, fucking make a mess!”
“JESUS!” you scream as your arms give out and you make a mess for him, just like he loves.
“Good fuckin’ girl,” he praises as he fills you, pulling out just to watch the mixture of your juices run down your leg. “Best little cream hole.”
“Lloyd,” you whine as you lay down.
“I know, you’re tired, Hummingbird,” he coos as he smooths his hand over your ass before slapping it again.
“Daddy!”
“We’re done, I promise,” he laughs as he gets off the bed, “I’ll take care of you.”
He goes into the bathroom and you get comfortable as you settle under the covers, ignoring how wet the sheets are because of you.
“You okay?” he asks, coming back with a wet towel so he can clean you up.
He came on every part of your body, so it’s honestly the least he can do.
“It’s been a while, but I can still handle you, Hansen,” you giggle as you try and keep your eyes open.
“Sleep,” he urges as he gets in bed next to you and holds you close.
“You’re not sleeping.”
“I have work to do.”
“I’ll work with you.”
“You’ll never stop being stubborn, will you?”
“Nope,” you smile as he starts laughing. “That’s why you love me, Huckleberry.”
“And I’ll never stop.”
“Thank you, Lloyd. For coming home early and...being here-” “The fact that you have to thank me for that proves just how much of terrible-”
“Stop it, Lloyd,” you hum as you lay your head on his chest. “Even if you weren’t always the best husband, you are the best Father. I love you.”
“You need to rest.”
“You need to rest.”
“I will. For now, just take a nap, at most.”
“You’re a good Father, Lloyd. You’re a good man,” you promise with a yawn.
“Sleep.”
As you rest, once again feeling safe and loved, you hope you’re providing for him the same feeling he gives you.
You hope that he feels the same peace you do.
**
Lloyd’s P.O.V
“How’d they get the Virgin Mary to leave her dorm?” I laughed as I stumbled a little, approaching you with his red Solo cup in hand.
“Leave me alone, Hansen,” you slurred as you leaned against the counter to stay upright.
“Well, the poet-”
“Lloyd, I am not like every other girl here. I’m not impressed with all the shit you can quote from dead old guys. Go...go away.”
“Let me impress you with something else then,” I smirked before I got on my knees and lifted up your dress.
“Lets see if that tongue is as impressive as all the girls say,” you shrugged before you took a sip of your drink.
The challenge was more than accepted.
Before you could bitch about me ripping your panties off my tongue fucking that perfect little honeypot between your legs.
“Oh fuck!”
And I’ve been addicted ever since.
I half expected you to stop me. Yeah, you were drunk, but that didn’t change the fact that you hated me. The fact that you actually let me eat you out in the kitchen at a frat party, blew my fucking mind. Letting me carry you up the stairs into my room?
I was sure I was dreaming.
“Oh my God!” you moaned as I fucked into relentlessly. “Never felt so fucking...never felt so fucking good! Never felt so full!” you whimpered as you clawed at my back.
“Yeah? Never been stretched this good?” I chuckled as I looked at this blissed out mess that you were.
“N-no, daddy! Oh...feels so...fuck, LLOYD!” you cried out as you came hard, messing up my sheets, and I had no choice but to follow your lead.
You and that fucking pussy of yours.
“I’m gonna go,” you panted after a moment.
Usually that would’ve been fine with me, but I waited so fucking long for you and before I could stop myself-
“Just stay. You’re too drunk and you’re already in a bed-”
“Can’t-”
“No point in leaving, Hummingbird,” I shrugged as if it was no big deal.
It’s funny to me to this day that you’ve never asked about that nickname, you just accepted it. Yeah, later on, I found out you love hummingbirds, but that had nothing to do with the nickname.
It was one of the first things that attracted me to you.
You were so fucking quiet in High School. You never said a thing unless you were around your friends or teachers called on you, and made sure to keep it that way no matter what.
You hummed a lot though.
Whether it was something you came up with, or your favorite song, you were always humming. You tried to keep it to yourself, but if anyone listened close enough, they’d hear you.
I always heard you.
It’s not like I ever fucking meant to pay attention to you, but once you had my attention...that was the end of it. There was no point in talking to you when we were in High School, because I already knew you wouldn’t give me the time of day. I figured we’d run into each other whenever either of us came home from college and I’d make my move then. So, imagine my fucking surprise when we got into the same damn college.
Maybe that’s why I worked so damn hard. College was a fresh start, but you were already wise to my bullshit and that’s fair. However, I wanted you and I wasn’t about to give up. Then, I saw you dancing with Tina in the living room and you looked so fucking happy and carefree. You looked so fucking perfect so, of course, I was determined to destroy every part of the goodness in you.
My plan was to fuck you and leave you begging and desperate, but that’s not what happened, is it? You made me beg for you and it pissed me the fuck off.
I woke up and you were gone.
Granted, you’re the only person I’ve had to chase after or even wanted to, but of course it made me want you more. You didn’t need or want a single fucking thing from me, you weren’t impressed by my football status, you didn’t care about my grades, and you sure as fuck didn’t care about the fact that every woman on campus wanted me. You truly were solely focused on your schoolwork.
So, of course, I had to fuck that up after going too long without your attention.
That was the problem though, wasn’t it?
After only one night, I needed more of it. More of you. I tried to not think about you, how you felt, the sounds that left your mouth, or the way you held onto me like your life depended on it. I tried to to not need you, but after two weeks without, I knew I was fucked. Hell, I knew it after the first damn day.
So, I talked you into a date. God, you were so fucking annoying about it.
“I’ll pick you up at 6 and we’ll head over to-” “I hope you don’t think we’re leaving this fucking campus,” you scoffed as you started to pack up your books.
“Why the fuck would you want our first date-” “I don’t care about how much fucking money you have, Lloyd. You want my attention? Earn it. Fancy restaurants and a nice car aren’t going to get you anywhere with me, Huckleberry,” you smirked at me. “See you at the cafeteria on Friday at 6,” you stated plainly before walking away.
Of course you made me work for it. It was stupid for me to think this would be simple, because if it had been, I wouldn’t have wanted you. From day one, you’ve always been a challenge and I’m nothing but a fucking sucker for a good challenge.
However, soon enough, you became more than that to me. Before I knew it, my entire life revolved around you. I needed you by my side on campus, I needed you cheering me on at football games, I needed your opinion on everything, I needed to be in your space at all times...
I was in love with you.
I never imagined falling in love, because I never believed in it. Yeah, my parents have been married for over 30 years, but it’s a sham. They’re both equally terrible to each other, so why the hell should I believe anything between them is real? So, when it came to you, I was skeptical, because why wouldn’t I be?
To this day, I still find it funny how much you didn’t wanna love me back. You tried to fight it so hard, but every date I asked you on (and I stress asked you on, because you were such a fucking brat about it), you never turned down. Soon enough, you were just as in love with me as I was with you. That makes me the asshole though, doesn’t it though?
I never told you that I had been talking to Denny about the CIA since Freshman year. Every time I tried, we were having a good day. The little trips I would surprise you with, the impromptu study sessions I couldn’t get you to take a break from, the weekend dinners with your parents...there was just never a good time.
Then, I finally told you, and it was a fucking shit show.
“Where are you going?” I sighed as you got out of my bed.
“Back to my fucking dorm, like I told you.” “Hummingbird-”
“We fucked, Lloyd. We fucked like we always do, it doesn’t change shit.”
“I don’t see what you’re so fucking mad-”
“YOU COMPLETE ASSHOLE!” you shouted at me, finally looking at me, “I fucking love you and you know that! And what does that love get me? A sociopathic asshole!
“Do you want me to pull you back into bed and-”
“We can’t fuck this problem away, Lloyd! You kept this from me and now-”
“You know that I’m more than capable-” “I LOVE YOU! YOU FORCED YOUR WAY INTO MY LIFE AND I LOVE YOU MORE THAN I HAVE LOVED ANYTHING OR ANYONE....you know what? Fuck you. You’re a fucking piece of shit and you can go fuck yourself,” you scoffed as you toed on your sandals.
It’s not like you were wrong.
“You know that I’d never-”
“Lloyd, I can’t have this argument with you and I don’t fucking feel like it. You wanna fucking join the CIA? Then go ahead.”
“Why are you-”
“You piece of shit! What if you get seriously hurt?! What if you don’t make it back to me?! You expect me to just be okay? You think I’ll just live on and love again? Fuck you!”
“Don’t be so fucking dramatic!”
“I swear, I fucking hate you!” you yelled before storming out.
That should’ve been enough, shouldn’t it? I should’ve thrown it all away and made you the center of my world, but you’re right.
It’s never enough for me.
I got you to forgive and then marry me, and it was the happiest moment of my life at the time. I should’ve told Denny I wasn’t going to join him, but that wouldn’t have been in my nature, would it? Since I knew you weren’t leaving, I ignored what you wanted. I knew I could keep you safe, so I did whatever I wanted. Of course I noticed you getting fed up with my shit, but I was always able to reel you back in, so it didn’t phase me.
I was getting my way and that’s what mattered.
Then you got pregnant.
“Jesus, I know I don’t matter to you, Lloyd, but-”
“Fuck you! You know you’re my entire world!”
“Yeah okay,” you scoffed as you poured yourself a glass of orange juice, “it’s not just about me anymore though-” “I’ve kept you safe for all these years-” “We’re having a fucking baby, Lloyd! We are bringing a child into this world! You can’t always-” “I’ll never let anything happen to you or our child!”
“Whatever,” you laughed as you opened the door to the patio. “Keep fucking thinking you’re God for as long as you want, but you’re fucking us all over in the end. Fuck you.”
Of course you ended up being right, because fuck you.
Travis was born and he was perfect. How could he not be? He’s a fucking Hansen. At first, everything was perfect and you seemed to calm down a bit. Then, my missions got more dangerous, you couldn’t go out when you wanted, Travis rarely ever left the house, and then came the great debate of him being home schooled.
“You’ve lost your fucking mind if you think our son is being fucking home schooled,” I chuckled incredulously.
“What else do you want?! If I can barely leave the house-”
“He needs to have some sense of normalcy!”
“I swear to God! I can’t go to the fucking grocery store without someone fucking watching me, but our son can happily go to Kindergarten? What fucking sense does that make to you, Lloyd?!”
“I’m fucking trying-”
“No, if you were trying, you’d quit your fucking job!”
“Don’t start that shit!”
“I’m tired of excuses! I’m tired of all this-”
“Mama!” Travis called from his bedroom, and I could tell he was having one of his night terrors.
“I’ll go-”
“He said ‘Mama’, ‘not absentee Father’,” you sighed as you put your wine glass down.
“That’s not fair!”
“Don’t,” you laughed as you walked away from me, “don’t fucking try and tell me about what’s fair and what isn’t. You made me love you just enough to accept a life that’s total and complete bullshit.”
That’s when it started to fall apart. Two fucking miscarriages? Those arguments are starting to make a lot more fucking sense.
“Lloyd, you were gone for almost a month. Travis still young! You can’t just keep-” “Can you not use our son as a weapon against me?! Besides, why stay around when you refuse to try again for another child?!”
“Fucking watch it!” he growled as you reached for a wine glass.
“All you fucking do is drink wine and smoke! You’re fucking moody or crying all the fucking time-” “Lloyd, I swear to God!” you screamed, as you opened the bottle and almost filled your glass. “Shut your fucking mouth about shit you don’t fucking know about!” “Well, if you’d just fucking talk to me-” “YOU’RE NEVER FUCKING HERE ANYMORE!” you screamed before you stormed out.
The sleeping in separate rooms, not talking to one another, arguments over the dumbest things, finding reasons to avoid one another...
I was losing you.
I couldn’t really blame you though, could I? Because it was all me. I was the one unwilling to compromise, because I need to be in control all the time. So, I pretended that I didn’t see the issues, and pretended to not understand that I was the fucking problem. Then, my pretending turned into resentment, because how could it not? You were the only person in my life to make me feel any normalcy or love, and then you just took it from me. You took it like it was nothing.
So, since you hurt me, I had no choice but to hurt you.
Yeah, I remembered what you said about cheating, but I was so sure that I could get you to stay, because I always could in the past. I never wanted you to leave, I just wanted to grab your attention again. I hated every second of it, because she wasn’t you.
She wasn’t my home.
For all my clever thinking, I knew it was over the second I walked through the door. The look on your face let me know that you were still hurting from our last argument, and you didn’t even look a little excited to see me. However, I’ve never lied to you and I wasn’t about to start then.
I was so angry with you for filing for the divorce, because I didn’t want to acknowledge that it was my fault. Nothing can ever be my fault because I’m a god, right?
So, because you refused to back down, I of course had to be a piece of shit about it. I knew the phone calls and texts were hurting you, but I told myself it was worth it because you hurt me. Because I’m a selfish fuck, and that’s a fact that’s not lost on either of us. I would see it in your eyes when you would drop Travis off, but you’ve always been too good for me and never said anything.
Then you started dating.
“So, you’re just bringing our son around anyone?” I bit once Travis ran into your house.
“I don’t wanna argue with you, Lloyd,” you sighed, clearly tired of the back and forth we constantly went through. “How was he this week?”
“You’re dating a fucking lawyer?”
“It’s only been two dates. Why are you having me followed?”
“So that I know you’re safe.”
“Lloyd, you can’t keep doing this-”
“Just come back to-”
“I’m sorry, didn’t you call me last week so I could hear you fucking two other women? Hearing you command them and telling them what positions you wanted them in?”
“You know-” “I don’t tell you how to live your fucking life, even when you go out of your way to hurt me, so don’t start telling me I can’t try to fucking move on,” you snapped as your eyes started to water.
Why can’t I ever put my fucking ego and pride aside? Why do I always have to hurt the one person who makes living worth while?
“Are you seeing him again?”
“It’s really not any of your business. Now, how was Travis?”
“He wants to know when his Mother became such a fucking whore.”
“God, you are such an asshole! See you next fucking week!” you cried before you slammed the door shut.
As always, I took it too far.
“What?” you sobbed when you answered the phone later that night.
I’m such a fucking asshole.
“I’m sor-” “Save it, Lloyd. You always go out of your way to hurt me, then fucking apologize.”
“I love you.” “Don’t. Just don’t, okay? I am trying my hardest to get all of this shit right, you’re always going on some fucking mission-”
“I miss you.”
“You can’t keep doing this to me, Lloyd,” you sobbed. “I’m not some fucking toy that you can just play with-” “Just come back to me, I’ll make changes-”
“Will you quit your job?”
“Hummingbird-”
“If you’re not quitting, we really don’t have anything else to discuss.”
“We have everything left to discuss.”
“Why is that?”
“Because I’m your Huckleberry and I love you.” “Then why don’t you treat me better?” you asked before you hung up.
It’s not like it wasn’t a fair fucking question. You give me everything and I give you bare minimum. It’s not lost on me that you’re more than I deserve, but if I could just stop trying to control everything all the fucking time...stop trying to control you, this could work. I can’t though, can I? There are just parts of me that won’t change. Not really for lack of trying, but it’s embedded into my system at this point.
I couldn’t stop myself from looking into the guys you were dating, secretly threatening them, and watching what you were up to. No, I never told you, but I knew you knew you. The scowl on your face whenever you saw me let me know that you knew. It’s not like you ever said anything to stop it though, so you clearly didn’t have a problem with it. We’re complete fucking fools for one another, so knowing that I was desperate for and needed you, made you just as happy as it made to know that you were still in love with me.
Even if you refused to say it out loud.
It’s not like you ever took getting back together off the table, you still wear the Hummingbird necklace I got you after our third date, and I know that you love me just as much as I love you. If I can get my shit together, I know you’ll take me back, but I need you to compromise. It’s not fair to ask of you, but I can’t just give all of this up. It’s the only thing that keeps me normal around you. Yeah, you accept me flaws and all, but you deserve better.
I want you to have better.
“What?” I ask as a soft knock breaks me out of my thoughts.
I know I told you I was going to work, but leaving your side...it’s been so long since I’ve had you like this, and I just can’t pull myself away from you until I have to.
“They found the guys,” a mercenary tells me as he opens the door softly.
“Alive or dead?” “Alive. They’re in the cellar.”
“I’ll be down there in a minute.”
As I go to get out of bed, your grip on me gets tighter, “It’s okay, Hummingbird.”
“Where..what’s going on?”
“You sleep. We’ll talk about it later.”
“Travis-”
“He hasn’t woken up.” “Lloyd-”
“Rest, Hummingbird,” I encourage before I press a kiss into your hair.
“I love you, Lloyd,” you tell me lazily.
“I love you too, Hummingbird.”
In a matter of seconds, you’re back to sleep and it makes me melt all over again. I know we’re not together anymore, and I know it’s my fault, but having you like this...I’m going going to fix all of this.
First, I’m going to make sure Travis is okay, then I’m gonna make you mine again.
I’ll never lose you again.
**
Y/N’s P.O.V
You’re awoken by your phone buzzing on the floor. You roll around for a bit, trying to regain consciousness, before feeling around on the floor for your pants, and fishing your phone out of your pocket.
Tina.
In all the chaos, you’d forgotten all about what Lloyd said. You checked the time and saw that it was 10pm, and you’re sure shes been calling you for a while.
You take a deep breath before answering, “hey.” “Hey is everything okay?! I’ve been calling-” “Yeah no, I’m just exhausted. I’m honestly even sure what day it is at this point.”
“I can come over another day-” “No, it’s fine. You seemed like you really needed to talk to me.” “Yeah, I’ll head over now-”
“I’m at Lloyd’s. He feels better having both Travis and I close after everything.” “Oh,” is all she responds with.
God, please don’t let Lloyd be right about this.
“I’ll let him know you’re coming by. Do you remember the address?”
“Yeah, I’ll see you in a bit,” she responds softly before hanging up.
Fuck.
You’re slow to get dressed as you go over what happened just a few hours ago, and what’s about to happen. How can so much happen in such little time? Literally everything was fine and then in an instant, your entire world is flipped upside down and falling apart.
And how did you respond? By fucking your ex-husband.
What now? You know him well enough to know that this isn’t going to be a one and done kind of thing. It’s not like he didn’t know that you never stopped loving him, but now you’ve let him in again. Physically, emotionally, and intimately. So, he’s gonna try and work his way back in, which isn’t even the main issue. The real issue is that you want to let him back in.
You’ve missed him so damn much and he’s been amazing (for the most part) about handling all that’s going on. You want to fall asleep in his arms again, you want his kisses to wake you up in the morning, you want everyone in one fucking house again, you want to be with your soulmate again.
Being with Lloyd is the only thing that makes you feel sane.
There’s his job though. He’s not going to quit, and it’s clearly not getting any safer. It’s not lost on you that Travis is across the hall fighting for his life, because someone wanted revenge on Lloyd. However, it’s also not lost on you how much more protective he’s going to be over the both of you now.
Why can’t any of this shit be easy?
To make everything all that much more complicated, even if it turns out that Tina isn’t responsible for the hell you’re currently in, Lloyd has decided that she is and he isn’t going to change his mind. From the tone in her voice, you already know she’s coming over with a fully loaded gun, and the last thing you need is for a fucking gunfight to break out where your child is currently laying unconscious. Something you wouldn’t put past either of them, because when they’re both angry enough, they’re both unreachable.
And Lloyd is way past furious.
You scoff when you notice all the feathers all over the floor from one of the pillows you both destroyed. In your defense, if he hadn’t been fucking you completely senseless, while biting and sucking on the hollow part of your neck (which he knows makes you crazy), then you wouldn’t have started clawing at the pillows so fucking hard.
You quietly exit the room and make your way to Travis’ room, where he’s still unconscious.
“Has there been any change at all?” you ask the new doctor sitting next to his bedside.
The one who gave Lloyd her card. Great.
“No, but that’s not a bad thing. His vital signs are good and nothings happened to cause any alarm. We just have to wait and see when he’ll wake up.”
“If he’ll wake up,” you sigh as you walk over to the bed and take his hand in yours, “I love you, sweetie. Your Dad and I love you so much,” you promise softly, fighting back tears. “I’ll be back in a bit to check on him,” you nod towards to the doctor as you let go of Travis’ hand.
With that, you leave the room and close the door behind you. You want the both of them to hear as little as possible.
Once you’re finally downstairs, you only see half the mercenaries in the living area, which means work is being done. You look out the window and see that Lloyd’s car is still home, because he likes to drive himself when he’s angry. He likes to piss people off while driving, so they’ll get out and wanna fight, and he beats the shit out of them and gets his anger out that way.
Like you’ve told him before, it’s not lost on you that he’s a lunatic.
But where the hell is he? You know he wouldn’t do anything in the backyard, and it’s not even because he’s afraid of someone seeing. It would get too messy, and it’ll drive him insane. Same with the garage. Lloyd needs everything to be clean and neat at all times.
Well, almost at all times.
“Where’s Lloyd?” you finally ask one of the mercenaries.
“He told us-” “Where is he?” you demand more than ask again, cocking an eyebrow.
“He’s...uh...he’s...”
“You know, you really have to ask yourself, how crazy someone has to be to marry Lloyd Hansen. What could they be capable of?” you warn with a growl. “Now, where is he?”
“He’s downstairs, in the cellar,” the poor man quickly explains as he points towards the direction it’s in.
Since when has there been a fucking cellar? Then again, it has been a few years since you’ve been in this house.
“Thank you,” you smile sweetly before turning and making your way to the door.
The second you open it, you can tell that a lot of people have been killed down here. It’s the one part of the house that isn’t painted, the lights are flickering, the walls are stone, there’s no carpeting, it’s cold, and they’re dried blood smears on the wall.
It’s downright terrifying.
The closer you get to the bottom step, the more you regret your decision to search for Lloyd. Yes, you know what he does for a living, but this is the first time you’ve actually seen this part of his life. While hes never hidden anything from you (since you chewed him out in college), hes also never shown you this side of him. The unhinged side? Yes. The murdering side? No.
You quickly start making your way down the hall, and the closer you get to the end of it, the louder the grunts become. As you walked past the other closed doors, you don’t even want to begin to think about what goes on in them.
“You know,” you hear Lloyd chuckle menacingly, “my torture process is usually a lot worse than this, but making you bleed is just too damn fun. “Please-”
“Where the fuck is Andrew?!” he shouts, and you’re more than sure hes punched the man in the face.
Jesus.
You knock softly on the door and get me with a gruff, “What?!”
“It’s me” you respond softly.
“Be right back, Pork Chop,” you hear Lloyd breathe.
Soon enough, he’s opening the door and you the sight of him has you wet almost instantly. His hair is wild and some of it matted to his forehead, his knuckles are covered in blood, he’s breathing heavy, they’re beads of sweat on his forehead, and he’s dressed tight fitting all black clothes, with black loafers to match.
The fact that he also looks so wild and feral has you ready to jump on him and fuck him in front of everyone. Maybe you are just as unhinged as him.
“Is everything okay, Hummingbird?” he asks softly as he cleans off his hands with a white cloth.
What the hell did you come down here for? Oh, yeah, that.
“Tina is on her way here.” “Talk to her down here in that room,” he sighs, pointing at the room two doors down.
“Lloyd-”
“I know I’ve done things that have hurt you in the past, but its never been anything on this scale. I wouldn’t do this if I wasn’t sure. I don’t want to take anything else from you, but she has to go. I can’t forgive this. The only reason she isn’t dead yet is out of courtesy towards you,” he mutters, fury burning in his eyes.
“She’ll want to know why I wanna talk to her down here.” “Tell her it’s in case you two start yelling at each other. This cellar is soundproof.”
“Lloyd...are you sure?” “Do you trust me?”
“I always have.” “Then trust me on this,” he assures you softly.
You can’t help but find it funny that he can switch his attitude so fast when you’re around.
“How will you know...?”
“They’re a million little tricks I’ve put down here. I won’t be far at all.” “Just...let her at least explain her side of it. Hear her out and then, if you still think...”
“Hummingbird-” “Lloyd, please. I’ve been through hell these last few hours? Days? I can barely tell which way is up at this point. If you’re going to kill my best friend, I at least want her to have a fair chance,” you sigh.
“Fine,” he agrees begrudgingly.
You resist the urge to kiss him before going to leave, when he grabs your wrist, pulls you close, and kisses you passionately.
You swear you can kiss him all fucking day.
“I’ll be close by, okay?” he breathes once you two break apart, before turning his attention to back to everyone else in the room.
You honestly forgot about them.
“Hook the cables up to his chair,” he demands, his tone authoritative and menacing like he hadn’t sweet with you seconds ago. “If I can’t beat an answer out of him, maybe I can freeze it out him. I want it on the highest setting until I get back, you understand me?”
“Yes, Mr. Hansen,” one of the mercenaries answer, “what about the other man?” “See if survived the waterboarding. If he did, see if you can get him to talk. If he won’t, break his ankles and shoot him in his knee caps,” Lloyd shrugs before closing the door.
Of all the times for you to be turned on.
“I’m sure she’ll be here soon, Hummingbird. You should get upstairs.”
“Lloyd, you promise-”
“I swear to you, I’ll be fucking fair. You may not like the outcome, but I’ll wait and hear her out.”
“Thank you.”
Your heart is heavy as you turn and start on your way back down the hall and up the stairs. You believe Lloyd when he says you’ll hear her out, but when he’s this sure about something, you know it’ll take a miracle to change his mind. If he were the one who got attacked because of her actions, he truly wouldn’t care, but hes always known how to outsmart her and hit her where it hurts. However, it was an attack on you and Travis, and he’s having a hard time not seeing red.
As soon as you reach the top step, you hear the doorbell.
Here we go.
“Hey,” she greets you with a warm smile and a hug, which return, since it’ll probably be the last one you ever give her. “How’s Travis?”
“There hasn’t been a change, the doctor is upstairs with him right now.” “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“For now, it’s just a waiting game,” you smile weakly. “Lets have this talk down in the cellar. Lloyd’s working down there anyway, so he’s not gonna be around, and it’s soundproof. If we start yelling, and I have a feeling we will, I don’t want everyone hearing. One of the mercenaries might tell Lloyd, and he’s already hot headed-” “When isn’t he?” she scoffs.
“Tina.” “I’m sorry, that was a low blow. His son is...I’m sorry,” she sighs. “Lets go,” she smiles weakly.
You two make your way down the steps in silence, and when you reach the room Lloyd told you to go to, you hear gun shots followed by the most agonizing scream you’ve ever heard.
Guess that guy didn’t talk.
“So, what’s up? What happened?” you ask as she closes the door behind the both of you.
“Just...we’ve been through a lot, Y/N. So, please just hear me out.”
Fucking great.
“What happened, Tina?” you sigh, your hands on your hips because you’re already exhausted.
“What happened to Travis....what almost happened to you...it wasn’t supposed-” “The fuck does that mean?!”
“They weren’t supposed to go after you! Lloyd was the fucking target and they had been tailing him. He was supposed to be back on the day that everything happened, but when he wasn’t back, they decided to-” “Are you fucking shitting me?! WHAT THE FUCK?!”
“It wasn’t...listen, how much do you know about Prague?” “Lets not fucking talk about Prague,” you laugh incredulously as you start to pace.
“I’m sorry, but if we don’t, you won’t get it-”
“I’m never going to get it, because you know how much I love him! You saw how I reacted when-”
“He killed Suzanne!”
“Tina, you better be fucking kidding me,” you scoff in disbelief. “You wanted the love of my life killed, because he killed your revenge girlfriend?!”
“She wasn’t-” “Don’t fucking say she wasn’t! You started dating Suzanne to get back at Denny! You couldn’t stand her just as much he couldn’t! She tried to kill Lloyd, and almost did, and he killed her instead! It’s his fault that he’s good at his job?! You saw how broken up I was when he almost died! All the hell I went through, the panic attacks, the sleepless nights, trying to take care of Travis-”
“Lloyd killed a girl-”
“BECAUSE IT WAS HIS JOB!” you shout at her. “Jesus, I know that he’s a prick, but you and I both know that when it comes to work, he does what needs to be done no matter how bad he may or may not feel about it later. It’s not like he goes out of his fucking way to kill kids! No, this is about your fucking bruised ego. Denny fell out of love with you, Lloyd kicked you out of his office when you got hysterical, and you felt humiliated. Did you forget that I’m your best fucking friend and you told me all of this?!”
“Y/N-”
“So what? You put out a hit on him and it fucking backfired? No surprise there,” you mutter.
“Don’t be fucking cruel!”
“I’m sorry, my son is fighting for his life and I was almost killed! YOU DON’T GET TO TELL ME NOT TO BE CRUEL!”
“Y/N-” “What happened, Tina?!”
“I met Andrew at bar and I had seen him around because of work,” she sighs, running an exasperated hand through her hair. “We had a few drinks, we got to talking, and we realized that we have a common enemy-”
“Lloyd. You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me,” you laugh humorlessly.
“I only gave him Lloyd’s information and he had his guys follow him around-”
“Tina...fuck you,” you laugh, “fuck you for all of this!”
“He was supposed to be-”
“YOU SAW ALL OF THE HELL I WENT THROUGH! AND YOU WERE GOING TO PUT ME THROUGH IT ALL OVER AGAIN?!”
“HE ISN’T GOOD FOR YOU OR TRAVIS!” “YOU DON’T GET TO DECIDE THAT! YOU DON’T KNOW HOW HE IS WITH HIM! YOU DON’T KNOW HOW HE IS WITH ME BEHIND CLOSED DOORS! YOU DON’T KNOW!”
“YOU WANNA BE WITH SOMEONE WHO MURDERS CHILDREN?!” “IT IS HIS FUCKING JOB! YOU DON’T GET TO SIT HERE AND LECTURE ME ABOUT SHIT WHEN YOU’VE CRIED TO ME ABOUT ALL THE INNOCENT PEOPLE YOU’VE HAD TO KILL! I MARRIED HIM, I HAD A CHILD WITH HIM, HE OWNS MY HEART AND SOUL, AND BECAUSE OF SOME PETTY FUCKING VENDETTA, WHERE HE DIDN’T ACTUALLY DO ANYTHING WRONG, YOU WERE...GOD! I HATE WHEN HE’S FUCKING RIGHT! I FUCKING HATE YOU FOR THIS, TINA!” you scream as your tears start to fall. “Do you understand that Travis might die?! He may not ever be able to walk again, we don’t what his memory will be like if he wakes up...he almost died because of-”
“Y/N...babe, I’m sorry...I didn’t think-” “No, you didn’t fucking think! Did you forget that you had to keep Travis for two weeks because I wasn’t even capable of cooking?! YOU WERE GOING TO DO THAT TO ME AGAIN OVER A PETTY DISAGREEMENT-
“I WOULD HAVE BEEN THERE-”
You don’t even jump when the gun goes off from the side of the room. You just breathe heavily as she falls to the ground and try to feel something. Your best friend not only betrayed you, but is also the reason why your son is fighting for his life, and shes been killed right before your eyes and yet...
You feel nothing.
“If it makes you feel any better, I really wanted to be wrong,” Lloyd sighs as he wraps his arms around your waist from behind.
“I don’t feel anything. I’m all out of fucking feelings,” you mutter, leaning against him because leaving his side seems impossible at the moment. “Have either of those guys said anything yet?”
“I haven’t gone back in-” “I want to go in with you.” “Hummingbird-” “I wasn’t asking.”
Lloyd lets out a heavy sigh but nonetheless, presses a soft kiss into your hair before taking your hand and leading you out of the room. You take one last look at Tina’s dead body before he closes the door. You hear him clear his throat as he places his gun back into the waist of his pants.
“You sure, Hummingbird?”
“I just saw my best friend get killed. I’m pretty fucking sure I can handle two pieces of shit who tried to kill my son.”
“Y/N, don’t be mad at me for-” “I’m not mad at you, Lloyd. I’m truly not. I’m just fucking tired and I want this over with. I want Travis safe, I want you safe, and I want...I just want all of this to be over.”
“I know, Hummingbird. I promise, as soon as I find out what I need to, I’ll finish everything.”
“Then we should get in there.”
“I guess you’re right,” he sighs.
He pulls out his phone and sends a quick text before shoving it back in his pocket and leading you into the room.
“Looks like you’ve got a visitor...oh, you look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Lloyd chuckles as you close the door behind you two. “There’s a pathetic little thing lying on the floor in the other room. Get rid of her,” he commands to two of the mercenaries, before returning his gaze to the shivering man in the chair. “As for you-”
“Mr. Hansen-”
“I’m working!” he snaps.
“I understand, but the other guy...he’s gone.”
“I guess he really wasn’t a daisy,” Lloyd chuckles. “Get rid of him, he’s of no use to me now. Drop him into the bottom of the ocean, or chop him up and get rid of him in the tub, it really makes no difference to me,” he shrugs as he once again turns his attention to the man in the chair. “Do you wanna tell me where Andrew is, or do you wanna try out another form of torture?” Lloyd asks sarcastically as he takes out his pistol.
“Please, just-” “Boring,” he sighs, rolling his eyes as he fires a shot into the guys arm. “Tell me what I want to know!”
“He’s gonna-”
“He’s not going to do anything I won’t do much worse! Now, tell me where the fuck-”
“Lloyd,” Denny interrupts as walks through the door, “we need you upstairs.”
“Denny-” “It’s an update on Andrew. They just caught two guys trying to break-in. Committed suicide before we could get anything out of them, but they came with a note.”
Lloyd sighs and drops his head, “we keep getting interrupted, Pork Chop. I’ll be right back. Lets go, Humming-” “I wanna stay in here,” you interrupt softly, which has Lloyd quickly turning all of his attention towards you. “What?” “You go, I’ll stay.”
“Y/N-” “I’m fine, Lloyd. You go, I’ll stay,” you repeat, not taking your eyes off of whimpering piece of shit in the chair.
Lloyd lets out another heavy sigh, but says nothing as he heads out and closes the door behind him.
“I don’t know why you’re crying, he’s taking it easy on you,” you shrug as you make your way over to the weapons table. “No, I’ve never seen him kill anyone, but I’ve also known him for a while now. He’s good at his job for a reason.” “Please, I’m sorry-” “No no, I talk and you listen,” you interrupt with a kind smile as you pick up Lloyd’s butterfly knife. “It’s not as sharp as it usually. He probably used it for work and never got the chance to sharpen it. Ya know, Lloyd fucks with his toys,” you chuckle. “I’ve been fucked with his guns, he would test out how strong his ropes were by tying me to the bed or tying me up and made sure that no matter how hard he fucked me I couldn’t get out, he liked to cut my underwear off with his knives, he has a bit of a blood kink so every once in a while he would “accidentally” cut me while cutting off my clothes. Lost a lot of cute underwear during our relationship,” you sigh as you shake your head.
“Ms. Diaz said-” “Oh, Tina? She’s dead. Nothing she says holds any weight anymore,” you shrug as you make your way over to the guy. “You were so desperate to make your guy happy, and now look? Tied to a metal chair, freezing your balls off, crying like a bitch, all bloodied up, and your little buddy is dead,” you laugh as you stand in front of him. “Where’s Andrew?” “I don’t know!”
“Lies irritate me,” you scowl before grabbing his hand and stabbing it.
“FUCK!” “Where is Andrew?” “I don’t-” “Lying,” you sing as pull the knife out and start to cut off his fingers.
“I DON’T KNOW!” “Lie, lie, lie,” you tsk as you add more pressure and cut the bone. “Where is he?”
“PLEASE!”
“Oh look, I took off two fingers,” you laugh as you toss them on the table. “I’m nowhere near as skilled as Lloyd is, so you’ll have to forgive me for that. Anyway, wanna keep this up? Or do you wanna tell me-” “I WAS PROMISED-” “Still not the answer I’m looking for,” you shrug as you start cutting his ear. “Now, where is?” “LONDON! HE’S HIDING OUT IN LONDON! KNIGHTSBRIDGE, LONDON! THERE’S SOME HOUSE...IT’S FAMOUS HOME...HE’S THERE!” he wails as you cut through the last of his ear.
“Good boy,��� you smile at him before kissing his forehead. “You stay here and someone will be down to see you soon,” you promise him sweetly as place his fingers and ear in a white cloth.
“Please...please...d-don’t kill-” “Don’t kill you? Oh honey, that’s for Lloyd to decide,” you smile as you wrap up the cloth then make your way out.
You’ve never done anything like that in your life, and you never thought that you would, but your patience and discipline have all but dissolved. Your son still hasn’t woken up, your best friend is not only responsible for all of this but intentionally going after your soulmate, and now this asshole sends someone else to attack all of you?
The good girl is on leave right now.
“Lloyd, we’re at least able to narrow it down to two different-” “I want an exact location!” Lloyd shouts at Denny, as you enter the kitchen. “He sent someone-”
“He’s in London,” you state flatly as you drop the cloth containing the fingers and ear on the table on the table. “Knightsbridge, London. He said it’s a famous home, so I have a good guess that it’s that place where they hosted Picasso.”
Both of them just look at you with pure shock and amazement in their eyes.
“Someone tried to kill my son. I want him gone. If you have more questions, I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to answer...if he’s still alive. I’m not a doctor, so I don’t know how these things work, but he was still begging when I left-” “You did this?” Lloyd asks, trying to hide how turned on he is.
“That I did.” “Come with me, lets talk to him together since you’re clearly more persuasive than I am. Denny,” he smirks as he turns his attention to his bewildered best friend, “give me about 20...30 minutes to have an exact location.” “Lloyd-” “It looks like I’m not the one calling the shots anymore,” he laughs as he gets up. “Lead the way,” he smiles at you.
He holds your hand as you lead him back down the steps, and for the entire short trip, you feel his eyes on you intensely. You know that he never thought you’d be capable of doing something, but he doesn’t hate the fact that he now knows that you are. If anything, it just makes him feel closer to you.
“You did this, Hummingbird?” Lloyd asks softly once you two are back in the room, wrapping his arm around your waist and pulling you close. “You did so good,” he praises against your neck before kissing it.
Feeling him hard against your the back of thigh only makes you even more desperate for him.
“He doesn’t want you to kill him, daddy,” you moan as he teases kisses up and down your neck.
“He doesn’t want me to...that’s cute,” he laughs as he pulls out his pistol. “You’re gonna tell my Hummingbird whatever the fuck she wants to know.”
‘My Hummingbird’. God, you love the sound of that.
“I told her-”
“You didn’t give her an exact address,” he tuts as he shoots him in the leg.
In no time at all, Lloyd had more than all the information he needs, all the while teasing the shell of your ear with the tip his tongue.
“What do you think, Hummingbird?” he asks as he unbuttons your jeans with one hand, while the other is still pointing the gun at the blubbering mess, “should I let him live?” “N-no daddy,” you moan as he slides his hands down your panties, his fingers quickly finding their mark and starting to tease you.
“P-please,” the man blubbers.
“Sorry,” Lloyd smirks against your neck, “you heard my Hummingbird.”
It’s embarrassing how hard you came when he pulled the trigger on his pistol.
“We have to stop,” you whimper as Lloyd continues to massage your clit with two fingers.
“Do we?” he husks before biting your earlobe. “I think we should keep it up.”
“Fuck!”
“You want me to beg? I can get on my knees right now-” “Lloyd-Jesus Christ you two!” Denny scowls and you smile as you feel the rumble in Lloyd’s chest as he chuckles. “You need to get upstairs so we can plan how you wanna go about this.”
“Isn’t that why they call you the Chief?”
“This is your revenge, jackass,” Denny snaps back.
“Go,” you laugh softly, “I need to check on Travis anyway. I’ve been away far too long.”
“We can go together and then-” “Lloyd,” you laugh, hating how good and loved hes making you feel.
“I’ll come up after, okay?”
“Sounds good-shit!” you moan as he removes his fingers.
“You’re sleeping in my bed tonight,” he chuckles before licking his fingers as he walks away.
Are you even sure this is your life anymore?
You scoff and shake your head as you look at the dead idiot in the chair, before you finally make your way out of what you can only call Hell. You’re still trying to wrap your head around what the hell has taken place over the last 2 days? 3 days?
When is the last time you ate? When’s the last time Lloyd ate?
As you make your way into the kitchen, you ignore everything that’s going on and start searching for menus, when you realize the time.
12am.
Looks like you’re cooking.
“You don’t have to cook,” Lloyd sighs as you start taking out pots and pans.
“We need to eat. I’m sure everyone needs to eat,” you chuckle humorlessly. “Though, I don’t know how the hell I’m going to feed everyone. How do you all feel about sandwiches?”
“Hummingbird, I’ll send for food and have it brought up to you-” “It’s 12am, Lloyd.”
“What does that mean to me? Get upstairs and I’ll bring up some food to you when it gets here.” “You don’t know what I want.”
“I always know what you want,” he smirks.
“Lloyd-” “Jesus, I’ll feed you too, Denny. Calm down,” he scowls.
You laugh as you start to make your way out of the kitchen, but Lloyd grabs your wrist as you walk by and it tugs at your heart. You wrap an arm around him and kiss the top of his head before letting go and making your way into the living area and starting on your way up the stairs.
It’s not lost on you that you can’t just get back with Lloyd like nothings happened, but that doesn’t change the fact that you want to. You want to so bad that it’s actually starting to hurt. Yes, the last few days have been hell, but hes been by your side for all of it. Hes been by your side, hes been amazing, and all of it has made you realize why you fell in love with him in the first damn place.
He’s always going to be your Huckleberry.
“Am I allowed to lay on the bed with him?” you ask the doctor as you lean against the door frame of Travis’ room.
“Just be gentle,” she warns softly.
You ease into bed with him and grab the remote off the nightstand.
“I promised you ‘Tombstone’ and that’s what we’re gonna watch,” you tell him softly as you kiss the top of his head.
You settle in next to him and lay your head on his shoulder as you find ‘Tombstone’ on some streaming service, and start playing it. “Has there been any change?” you ask the doctor.
“Everything is the same,” she smiles softly.
Of course it is.
You give her a small smile and nod before focusing your attention back on the screen. As you sit and watch, a small smile comes to your first as you remember the first time you watched it.
“We’ve been dating for four months and you still haven’t watched it,” Lloyd grumbled as you two laid in his bed.
“Why do you want me to watch it so bad?” you laughed.
“Because it’s my favorite movie!”
“Lloyd, will it really make you that happy if I watch it?”
“I’ve been asking every damn day for the last two months, so yes, it will make me that happy, Hummingbird.” “Jesus, alright. Put the damn thing in,” you laughed as Lloyd practically jumped out of the bed.
He talked through the whole damn movie.
“So, I’m guessing your Doc Holliday in all this?”
“Of course I am! He’s the most badass out of all of ‘em!”
“A fair point,” you laughed as you got up and started to get dressed.
“Where you going?”
“Back to my dorm, Huckleberry.” “Stay the night.”
“I have spent the last three nights here and I can tell that Tina wants to hangout.”
“Who gives a fuck about Tina?”
“Clearly I do since she’s my best friend.” “Go to breakfast with her tomorrow or something.” “You can’t always get your way, Lloyd.” “Why not?”
“Now now, don’t get all soft on me.”
“I would fall in love with someone who has a mind of her own,” he muttered before he could stop himself.
That made you freeze.
“Wh...what? What did you say?” you asked, slowly turning around to see that Lloyd was sitting straight up.
“Nothing.” “Yes you did.” “It doesn’t matter, because it’s not a big deal.”
“Then why don’t you want to say it again?”
“Hummingbird-” “Did you mean it?” “Yes.” “Then say it again.”
He was quiet and his breathing got heavy before he finally repeated, “I love you.”
You were back on his bed and straddling him instantly. You cupped his face and kissed him passionately, while Lloyd wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you close.
“Say it again,” you breathed once you two broke apart.
“I love you.”
“Are you just saying it because you want me to stay over?”
“Y/N, I have never said that to anyone. Maybe my parents on their birthdays. I have now told you a total of three times and we both know that they’re a million ways for me to get you to stay without admitting how I actually feel. I love you.”
“I love you, Lloyd,” you smiled before you took off your shirt.
“I thought you were gonna hangout with Tina tonight,” he smirked as flipped you over on your back.
“I’ll take her to breakfast.”
In all honesty, you stopped watching the damn movie because it became too painful. Remembering that moment and how perfect everything was, him telling you that he loved you for the first time...it was too much. For the longest time, you thought that Lloyd showed Travis the movie out of spite, because it’s not like he isn’t that much of an asshole, but then you really thought about it. The amount of people who know anything personal about Lloyd are three: Travis, you, and Denny, and you’re honestly not even sure if Denny knows that ‘Tombstone’ is his favorite movie because that would mean that someone besides you would know that Doc Holliday is his hero.
It would also mean that he’d have to admit that his whole ‘tough guy’ persona isn’t his own...well, the being a psycho part is 100% him.
“Your Dad holds his gun just like that,” you laugh softly to Travis, as you watch Doc Holliday, walk away from the barber who was trimming up his mustache.
“Don’t reveal my secrets to him,” Lloyd mutters as he enters the room, two containers in hand. “Besides, I don’t hold my gun behind my back, I hold it in front of me.”
“Yeah, but you still hold it the same way, and don’t reveal your secrets? Says the man who wanted to name him Doc, like that wouldn’t have been a dead give away,” you smirk.
“Lloyd,” the doctor smiles at him.
Of course hes fucked her.
“Has there been any change?” he asks you, completely ignoring the woman in the chair.
“He squeezed my hand a little, but he hasn’t opened his eyes.”
“That’s good, right? It means he’s showing signs of improvement?” he questions, eyes hopeful as he takes a seat next to you.
“It’s a very good sign,” the doctor smiles at him.
Maybe she should go to bed with him tonight.
“Shit! I missed the gun fight!” he scowls as he passes you a container of pasta.
“I can always rewind it, it’s not like you missed it by much,” you laugh as you grab the remote, “what poor soul did you bully into making this?”
“How do you know I didn’t make it?”
“Cause you can’t cook for shit,” you scoff as you rewind back to his favorite scene and he flips you off.
“My Mother made it.” “Then take it back, cause she can’t cook for shit either.” “Shes hired a chef and I’m more than sure it’s because of something my Father said.”
“Don’t tell me Stef is getting sensitive now...Lloyd, did this chef just start making food yesterday? This is terrible!” you cough as you spit it out and press play on the movie.
“She had to make this, cause this tastes awful!” he laughs as he takes your container away from you. “Jesus, I’ll get-”
“We’ll get something in the morning. We’ve gone this long without eating. Another couple hours won’t hurt us,” you shrug.
“Hummingbird-” “We’ll get breakfast, I promise. Lets just finish the movie and go to bed. We both need rest, its been a long day,” you sigh.
“You did good today, Hummingbird,” Lloyd praises as rests his hand on your thigh.
“Thank you, Huckleberry,” you sigh, resting your hand on top of his.
Why can’t you two just work it out?
When the movie comes to an end, you both give Travis a kiss and tell him you’ll see him first thing in the morning, you tell the doctor goodnight and bids you a good night as well before giving Lloyd a suggestive smirk.
This is why you’ve got to stop fooling around with him.
“Burn this,” he tells one of the mercenaries as he passes him the two full containers.
“Goodnight, Lloyd,” you tell him softly as you make your way to the room you were supposed to sleep in last night.
“What do you...goodnight?” “I’m going to bed, it’s been a long day and-”
“Don’t do this to me, Hummingbird. After last night...don’t make me sleep alone.”
“Lloyd.”
“Y/N, I can’t sleep without you in my arms and I know you can’t sleep without me by your side.”
Fuck.
“Lloyd,” you moan as he lays you down on the bed, quickly getting to work on the front of your jeans. “We have to...we’re not...fuck!” you sigh as he easily slides two fingers inside of you. “Feels so...shit! Lloyd!” you squeal when he starts massaging your clit with his thumb.
“You look so fucking good when you’re so desperate, Hummingbird,” he coos as your toes curl.
“Need it...need to fucking cum, please!” you whimper pathetically, clawing at the bed.
“So fucking gorgeous,” he whispers as he curls his fingers inside of you, finding that spot that makes you come alive for him and picking up his pace.
“Fuck!” you sob, coating his fingers with your release.
“Take off that shirt. It’s time to get you cleaned up,” he demands with a low growl, slowly removing his fingers then bringing them up to his lips.
“Lloyd-”
“You’ve been a good girl all day, don’t start acting up now,” he warns in the tone that makes you want to do any and every everything for him.
Why can’t you just stop?
“Fuck! Daddy please!” you beg as he pins you against the shower wall, water already on and at the temperature you love.
“Never dreamed that my good little Hummingbird could be so bad,” he groans as he kisses down your body.
“I’d do anything to...to keep you both s..safe! Oh fuck! You and that tongue! That’s it daddy! Bring your good girl off!” you encourage, gripping his hair tight as your pussy against his face.
One of these days, you’ll be strong enough to tell him no...sure.
“Right there, daddy! Oh fuck!” your cry out, looking down and meeting his intense gaze. “Gonna fuckin...YES!” you scream, trying to stay upright as your orgasm washes over you and your legs almost give out.
“You want it?” Lloyd smirks after he cleans up between your legs, licking up your body at a tortuously slow pace.
“You know I do!”
“Tell me what I need to hear,” he demands with a soft husk once he’s by the shell of your ear.
“I love you! I will always love you!”
Before you have a chance to prepare yourself, he’s hoisting you up and forcing your legs around his waist, before thrusting himself inside of you.
“Oh God!”
“You were gonna make me sleep without you? Make me go without this perfect little honeypot? I shouldn’t let you cum at all!,” he growls as he wraps a hand around your throat and grips it tight.
“Fuck, please! Aht! That’s...please!” you beg desperately, grinding your hips against his as you claw at his back.
“But you did so good today, my little Hummingbird,” he praises, and you clench around him, as his movements start to pick up. “Saw the video, heard you get the information...God, I want to bend you over and fuck you right in front of that poor fuck when we went back into that room.” “Daddy!” “Oh, someone’s close,” he chuckles darkly, “you don’t fucking cum until I tell you to, understand?” “Shit!” “Do you understand me?” he questions again, slapping you hard.
God, it’s been so long.
“Fuck, yes daddy! Anything you say! Anything you want!”
“Good girl, I was beginning to think you forgot how this works,” he taunts, as your toes curl in a weak attempt to fight off your release.
“Feels so good!” “Yeah? You love when daddy’s fat cock is deep inside you? Filling this tight little cunt?”
“Feels fucking amazing! You’re so good to me!”
“You’re mine, Y/N. You’ve always been mine and you’ll always be mine, understand me?” he whispers against your neck before biting and sucking on the hollow of it.
“Lloyd,” you whimper as you lull your head back against the shower wall.
You have no fight left in you to tell him ‘no’ anymore. Doing it the first time was hard enough, but now? After everything that’s happened, walking away is beginning to feel impossible again. Yeah, you’re well aware that he would’ve acted like this if you’d never left in the first place, but it was all too much. It’s not like it isn’t too much now, but seeing just how seriously he takes you and Travis’ safety...it’s been emotional last few days, and Lloyd has truly been the only reason you’ve been able to stay anchored.
“I can’t be without you, Hummingbird. I can’t...I need you, baby!” “Fuck, I need you...too! Need you so much! Please...too much!” “Squeezin me so fucking tight! Christ, let go for me!” “LLOYD!” you scream out, gripping him tight as you squirt, slowly fading out of consciousness.
“Could stay buried deep inside this pussy forever,” Lloyd growls as he fills you to the brim.
Lloyd rode out both your highs, whispering sweet nothing against your chest, while caressing your thighs.
“I love you, Hummingbird,” he tells you softly as he sets you down.
“I love you, Huckleberry,” you mumble.
“You okay?”
“Mhm,” you mumble lazily, regaining your balance as he passes you a wash cloth.
“Want me to wash you?”
“I can handle it, just give me a minute,” you giggle softly, taking it from him.
Taking a shower together was never good for you two, because even after you two would have sex, Lloyd wouldn’t keep his lips and hands off of you.
This time is no different.
Lloyd gets on his knees for you at least two more times before he finally lets you clean yourself up, but he still won’t stop pressing you against the wall and kissing you all over, and don’t protest because it’s the happiest and most relaxed you’ve been all day.
In some ways, it feels as if you two are back in college.
“What happened to start all of this?” you ask when you two finally get out of the shower.
“Hummingbird-” “Lloyd, tell me what happened. I know you’re tired, but I am too. I deserve to know why.”
“I know you do,” he sighs as he wraps a towel around you. “Andrew pissed me off-” “Everyone pisses you off, Lloyd.”
“This...he made a comment about you. It was a couple of months after we had that huge argument about me bailing on Travis, which I wasn’t,” he scowls and you roll your eyes, “and you stormed out. I never liked Andrew to begin with, but Denny needed me to go on this op with him, because he likes to think he can do whatever, whenever-” “So, he thinks he’s you?”
“I’m actually good at what I do, Hummingbird,” he smirks. “Anyway, we’d just finished up, and I was gonna go out for drinks and write up my report like I always do, and he wanted to come along. He wouldn’t shut the fuck up about it, and I knew Denny would be up my ass if I killed him, so I told him he can come as long as he shuts the fuck up,” he finishes with a growl.
“Then what?” “Some pricks can’t hold their fucking drinks. After only two drinks, he’s going on about he’d bend you over and show you who’s boss, how he’d be able to keep a woman like you in line, he’d make sure to keep you quiet with his dick in your mouth...the more he drank, the more he wouldn’t stop talking about it.”
“Oh fuck,” you sigh.
“Sure, I could’ve slit the walking void’s throat right then and there, but where’s the fun in that for me? So, after he passed out, I left him at the bar and set some...traps.”
“Lloyd-”
“Should’ve kept his fucking mouth shut. Anyway, when he woke up, he was locked up at headquarters, and was...punished for his “crimes”. To pour even more salt on the wound, I recorded myself fucking his fiancée and sent it from her phone, so when he finally got out it was the first thing he saw when he checked his phone.”
“LLOYD!”
“Should’ve kept his fucking mouth shut,” he repeats with a shrug. “Anyway, it wasn’t hard to put two and two together after that. He quit, Tina was around me and my office out of nowhere, then this shit happened. He’s not a slick as he thinks he is. His little bitch boys weren’t as smart as they thought they were. I fucked up because I didn’t think that anyone would be stupid enough to go after you and Travis, but I’m more than sure Andrew promised them something if they didn’t fuck up.”
“Why do you always have to add insult to injury? Why couldn’t you-”
“You’re mine, Hummingbird. Married or not, you are mine, just like I’m yours. He doesn’t get to talk about you like you’re some...I couldn’t just leave it alone. You know me well enough and long enough to know that was never an option.”
Why is it that simple words, from him, make your brain go stupid? Why is your heart always louder than your brain when it comes to Lloyd fucking Hansen?
He pulls you close and kisses you passionately and, for just a moment, everything feels as it should. Then, you remember the doctor in the other room and push him off. Yeah, you two already sex, but it doesn’t change the fact that, that issue still hasn’t been resolved.
You push him off of you and roll your eyes before storming out of the bathroom. The heavy sigh that leaves his mouth breaks your heart, but he’s the one who decided to bring her here.
“You’re mad at me,” Lloyd sighs once you two are finally in bed.
“I’m not mad-” “You’re not happy with me, and I know it’s not because of Andrew.” “At best, I’m annoyed,” you begrudgingly confess, “and don’t pretend you don’t know why.”
“I didn’t hire her to hurt you,” he starts. “Before I knew that you threatened everyone to keep working on me, she was one of the Doctors credited with saving my life. If she could save my ass with how fucked up I was, she should work on Travis if something happens. If I wanted to hurt you, I would’ve been a dick about it.” “I know, but it’s painfully obvious that you fucked her-”
“I only did it because I thought you hadn’t come to see me and I was pissed. She made advances towards me, I had no reason to say no, so I fucked her. It was just once and it didn’t mean anything, she doesn’t mean anything. I never returned any of her texts or phone calls.”
“It’s not like I have any right to be annoyed-”
“Don’t start that.” “Lloyd, don’t. This doesn’t change the fact-” “What if we compromise?”
“Compromise?” you ask, sitting up and facing him.
Since when is that word apart of his vocabulary?
“I’m not saying that I’m going to quit, BUT-” he quickly interjects when he catches your roll your eyes, “I spoke to Denny about it, and I can...I can do desk work. More suit and tie shit and no more field work,” he mutters.
“Lloyd-” “You’ve gotta meet me halfway, Hummingbird. I’m trying.”
“Too much has happened-” “It’s nothing that can’t be fixed or worked on! We’re both guilty, and I’m very obviously the more guilty party in all of this, but you pushed me away-” “Because I wanted you to put Travis and I first!”
“What do you think I’m doing now?!” “Not quitting!”
“Hummingbird, you love me just as much now as you did then, if not more. You never take that necklace off and instead of throwing your engagement ring out, or selling it, you added it to the chain. You know that my love for you has never stopped or changed, we both...we can fix this. I’m still the same man you fell in love with, made a little bit better because I had you in my life, and you’re just as perfect as you’ve always been. I know I’ve hurt you and I was a petty piece of shit, and I’m sorry, but it’s not gonna happen again. I want to do right by you and Travis and I can, but you have to have to meet me halfway. You’ve known me long enough to know that this is the closest I’m ever gonna get to a fucking desk job.”
“Why can’t you be a weapons specialist or run your own weapons store? Why do you have to-” “Because it makes me happy, and you know how many few things actually do that. Yes, you and Travis make me happier than I ever thought I could be, but I’ve found my calling with my job and for as much as you hate it, I’m fucking good at it.”
“Lloyd-”
“Meet me halfway, Hummingbird. Please,” he begs softly.
This would be so much easier if you didn’t love him so much.
“I can’t just...I have to think about this, Lloyd. I mean really think about it,” you tell him softly.
“Hummingbird-”
“I’m not saying ‘no’, Lloyd. I’m saying I need to think about it. Yeah, we’re madly in love with each other, and we always will be, but it’s not like this relationship has always been healthy to begin with. I want to be with you, I know Travis wants us to be together, but I can’t just say yes to make you happy. I’ve done more than my fair share to make you happy, and I need to truly think about this. If we’re going to raise Travis together, we can’t be together like we were before. It won’t work.”
“You promise to truly think about it?”
“I do,” you smile at him.
Almost instantly, Lloyd is pulling you down and kissing you passionately.
“Lloyd, we need rest,” you giggle with a moan as he kisses down your body.
“We have enough time and energy for one more round, Hummingbird,” he mumbles against your skin before disappearing under the covers.
As Lloyd takes his time bringing you off with his tongue and fingers, you lay there (lost in pure euphoria) and wonder if you two really should give it a try? Is all of this, you and him, really worth trying?
One thing is for sure: you’re not against the idea of it.
**
“Lloyd, we don’t have time for trips! We finals coming up and-”
“You and I both know you’re gonna pass, so don’t give me some bullshit excuse about how you need to study, Hummingbird.”
“I wasn’t gonna say that I need to study, you need to study!”
“I’ll be fine-”
“Lloyd, we’ve been driving for 4 hours-”
“Which means we’re almost there! Will you stop worrying?”
“Where are you taking me?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“Lloyd-”
“You trust me?”
“Unfortunately.”
“Then just be happy,” he chuckled softly as he placed his hand on your upper thigh.
“Lloyd-”
“You wore my favorite dress.”
“I thought we were going to breakfast!”
“This early?”
“You never know with you. I showed up for a sunrise breakfast that I thought was a early morning run with you once, and I’ll never make that mistake again!” “Yeah, but your ass looked great in those sweats,” he smirked and you playfully punched him in the arm. “Hummingbird?”
“Hmm?”
“Remember a couple of months ago when I kidnapped you from the library and we fucked under the stars?” “Yeah,” you scoffed.
“You remember what I said?”
“About our future?”
“Yeah.”
“No matter what happens, you’ll always look out for your little Hummingbird and you’ll always love me. There’s never going to be anyone or anything more important to you, and that you’ll take care of me for as long as eternity allows.”
“Did you believe me?”
“I always believe you, Lloyd.” “I love you, Hummingbird.”
“I love you too, Huckleberry.”
The rest of the trip didn’t take long, but you didn’t stop showering him with questions. However, by the time you two reached the destination, you couldn’t help but laugh at where he took you two to.
“Huckleberry Farms?!” you laughed.
“I figured it would be a good break for you, Hummingbird,” he smirked.
“But you-”
“You come first. You need a break, so I’m giving you one.”
There was no sense in arguing with him when he was like that. When Lloyd wanted to do something for you, he was dead set on doing it, no matter what. So, you just decided to let yourself enjoy the day and make the most of whatever he had to offer. Lloyd loved to spoil you, especially when he felt you were stressed out or too high strung.
However, it really was the best day.
He rented out the farm, had all your favorite breakfast foods made fresh, indulged in your silly desire to pick berries, gave you piggyback rides whenever you wanted them, and made sure to have whatever you were too shy to ask for packed up and sent back to your dorm.
It was like something out of a fairy-tale.
“Lloyd, we have to get back,” you giggled as placed kisses up and down your neck, as you two walked down one of the fields.
“You don’t want anymore berries?” “Lloyd, I’m going to turn into a berry if you keep feeding them to me,” you laughed.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the CIA thing. I promise to never lie or hold anything back from you again.”
“I’m still not happy about it,” you muttered as you looked up and stuck your tongue out at him.
“But you’re still here,” he laughed.
“Because I still love you. Even if you are the most insufferable asshole in the world.” “One of my many charms,” he chuckled, “how strong do you think your love is for me?”
“Despite your need to be a complete asshole at times, I think my love is strong enough to handle it. I think the love I have for you is strong enough to survive anything in this life and the next. It’s strong enough to love you just as much on your good days as well as your bad days.”
“You really think so? Flaws and all?”
“Flaws and all, Hansen. There’s only you for me,” you smiled at him as he came to a standstill.
“That’s good, cause it makes my next question a lot easier to ask,” he said as he got down on one knee.
“Oh my God! Lloyd-”
“I know that I’m not the easiest one to love or get along with, and I know that I don’t make this easy, but I love you, Y/N. I think I’ve always been in love with you, I was just too arrogant and cocky to admit it before, but you were patient. You’re nicer than I deserved, more understanding than anyone I’ve ever met, extremely loyal, you’re fucking gorgeous as hell, you’re annoyingly smart, you have an extremely dark sense of humor, you...I can go on forever about why you’re so fucking perfect,” he chuckled and you giggled as you wiped away your tears. “I know I don’t make any of this easy, but I swear that I try my fucking hardest for you, and I will always try my hardest for you. So,” he started as he pulled the black velvet box out of his pocket, “will you marry me?”
He burst out laughing when you knocked him over with the hug you tackled him with. He wrapped his arms around you and kissed you passionately and you unintentionally ground yourself against him when you went to sit up.
“Ya know, we do have the farm to ourselves,” he smirked as burst out laughing.
“Lloyd!”
“Give that finger,” he laughed as he took your left hand and placed the engagement ring on your finger. “I love you, Hummingbird. Until the end of time.”
As you toy with your engagement ring, that sits on the chain right next to your hummingbird, your other hand brings your cigarette up to your lips and you take a drag from it. You can’t stop thinking about that day. It was the best day of your life, at the time, but it also feels like a lifetime ago. No, maybe you and Lloyd aren’t ever supposed to get back to that place, but how do you two get to a place that’s better? Especially, after everything that’s happened between the two of you.
“I thought you quit those damn things,” your Mother sighs as she makes her way out onto the back deck.
“Ya know, for as much as you hate Lloyd, you sure do sound like him a lot,” you mutter.
“I don’t hate him-” “You don’t like him.”
“Can you blame me?”
“Stay out of it, Mama.”
“I’m guessing by that mark on your neck that you two are back together?” she questions as she takes a seat next to you.
“We’re gonna try and see if we can work things out.”
“After all of this?” “Please-”
“Do you see how you’re living?! All that you’re going through?!”
“Mom-” “And you were clearly okay with not telling your Father and I everything from the beginning-” “I told you he works for the CIA!”
“You never told us that your life would be at risk! And now look! My grandson is upstairs fighting for his life and guards are watching the house! Do you know how that makes me feel?!”
Whatever patience you’re holding on to has just left the building.
“How you...how you feel?! He’s my son! I held him in my fucking arms while he bled out! I was the one trying to be strong while I had a dead babysitter in the kitchen, who’s only dead because she’d been mistaken for me, while I tried to calm my son down! I was alone! How do you feel?! How the fuck do you think I feel?! I already went through this shit with Lloyd, and now I have to go through it again with our son!? I’m so fucking tired of everyone preaching to me like they know the hell I’ve gone through! You don’t know a damn thing, so stay out of it!” you finish in a huff.
Your Mother is quiet before saying, “because I was out of line, that is the only time you will ever speak to me like that. Do you understand me?”
“I swear to Christ-”
“Y/N-”
“No, you don’t get to come here, criticize me or Lloyd, and then tell me I can’t speak to you in the manner in which you deserve! You don’t know all the hell that either of us have been through, or how hard Lloyd has been working to find the man responsible! So yes, when you come over and start talking shit, I will talk to you in the way which you deserve!”
“I’m just trying to protect you-” “I DON’T NEED IT RIGHT NOW!” you shout at her. “I don’t need anyone else telling me how bad Lloyd is for me or how much better I deserve!”
After everything with Tina, the last thing you need is another fucking lecture.
“I’m not trying to upset you-”
“He’s waking up!” Lloyd says as he makes his way outside. “He started stirring in his sleep...he’s waking up,” he smiles with tears in his eyes.
You can’t even think. You just make your way inside and push past everyone in your way, before racing up the steps and almost bursting into Travis’ room.
“Mom?” he calls softly.
“Mommy’s here, baby,” you sob with a giant smile on your face as you make your way into the room.
“Are...are you okay? What happened?”
“You’re fine, so I’m fine. Don’t worry about what happened,” you sniff as you make your way over to his bedside, “all that matters is your safe now and everything is going to be okay,” you smile as you cup his face, kissing his forehead. “Your Dad is here and so am I, and we promise to keep you safe.”
“My body hurts,” he croaks, his voice still hoarse.
“We’re gonna get you back to yourself in no time. We have football practice starting soon,” Lloyd smiles, and you can see the tears welling in his eyes.
“Are you hungry? Is there anything you want? What can he have?” you ask the doctor, finally looking up to see that there’s a new doctor.
While the doctor is going over his dietary restrictions, for the time being, your Mother runs downstairs and you know she’s making him something to eat.
“When can he start physical therapy?” Lloyd asks as he takes a seat at the edge of the bed.
“We’ll see how he feels in a few days and that’ll help us figure out the best time to get started.” “You’re gonna stay, right Dad?” Travis asks weakly, but hopeful.
“I’m not going anywhere. Your Mom and I are gonna be right here in this house every step of the way,” he smiles at him, but you can see the pain in his eyes.
The fact that Travis would have to question whether or not he would stay with him during a time like this breaks his heart, and he knows that he’s going to have to start making changes and making them soon.
Soon enough, your Mother comes back with a tray full of food that Travis can only some of, and Lloyd is texting Denny to tell him that Travis is awake, only for Denny to come running in a few moments later with good news of his own.
“Hey Lloyd Jr.,” Denny smiles towards Travis, a few of his own happy tears falling. “The sooner you get better, the sooner we can get you back to the shooting range.”
“The shooting...?! LLOYD!” you shout as Travis starts laughing softly.
“I’m joking,” Denny laughs and you flip him off. “I do need to speak to the both of you though.”
“Mom-” “We’ll both be right outside the door, baby. I promise,” you smile at him before ushering both Lloyd and Denny out into the hallway. “Mom, listen to the doctor and stop trying to feed him,” you warn before closing the door behind you.
“He’s in the basement,” Denny tells the both you before you even have a chance to ask what’s going on.
“Is that fuck alive?” Lloyd practically growls and you say a silent prayer, BEGGING God that your Mother stays in Travis’ room.
Shes never seen him unhinged and the last thing you need is for this to be the first time she sees it.
“He’s alive. A bit beat up, the asshole put up a fight, but he’s alive. How do you wanna handle it?”
“Hummingbird, you go back in there with Travis and I’ll-”
“I want to go.”
“You don’t have to deal with this, Hummingbird. This is my mess. I did this.”
“That is a hell of a thing for you to say to me.”
Lloyd nods with a smirk before opening the door open a little and telling Travis, “we have to go down to the basement for a little bit, okay? Listen to your grandmother.” “You said you’d stay-”
“We’re all gonna stay in the house, we just need to have a talk in the basement. Behave yourself and we’ll watch whatever movie you want when we come back up, okay?” Lloyd tells him in a stern voice.
Daddy indeed.
As the three of you start on your way down the stairs and to the cellar, you’re nothing but amazed by how quickly both of their demeanor’s change. It’s not lost on you that Lloyd is extremely good at what he does, God knows he has more than enough crazy to do it, but this is the first time you’ve seen it in real time. He’s not coming home and telling you about a shitty mission, or fucking you until you can’t talk to get over a mission: you’re actually watching him work. You don’t mind watching him work, because the people he’s killing now...well, they deserve it.
Maybe that’s how you’ve been able to stomach his job for all these years.
You constantly told yourself that he was doing what he did, because whoever he was hurting deserved it. You’re not some naive idiot that thinks that government is pure and true in all of its activities, and you’re not dumb enough to think Lloyd is some saint at heart, but you also know him well enough that he’s loyal. Yeah, he cheated on you, but he also didn’t lie to you about it. He would do anything Denny asks and Denny wouldn’t ask unless he really needed it.
If Lloyd is Doc Holliday, Denny is definitely Wyatt Earp.
When you all reach the cellar, Denny and Lloyd are quick to grab guns before continuing down to the end of the hall.
“You sure about this, Hummingbird?” Lloyd asks, his hand on the doorknob.
“I’m stronger than I look,” you nod towards him.
Lloyd chuckles before opening the door, and once again, his demeanor changes almost instantly.
“Well well, looks like we’ve caught the ugliest fly in our little trap. Hello, Andrew,” Lloyd chuckles with a sinister smile.
Okay, maybe you should have stayed upstairs.
“Brought your little bitch so you could show off?” the man sputters out, spitting out blood all over himself.
“Awh c’mon! Our little game of cat and mouse wasn’t fun for you? I had a blast!” Lloyd smiles while feigning innocence at the same time.
“Should’ve killed you when I had the chance!”
“I’m really loving the fake optimism,” he chuckles, “because you and I both know that’s bullshit. You never had a chance, because you were never good enough,” he almost whispers as he makes his way over to the man that’s tied up to the bloody metal chair. “You weren’t good enough to take that mission on your own, you weren’t good enough to keep your fiancée or satisfy her, and you weren’t good enough to kill me or my family. You’re no daisy at all, you’re a waste of fucking time and your Mother would’ve been better off swallowing you. Maybe that’s the problem. Maybe you’re just a botched abortion,” Lloyd laughs before back handing the shit out of him.
All Andrew does in response is spit at Lloyd and it makes you laugh, because that’s one of Lloyd’s softer insults.
“If you didn’t want to be friends anymore, that’s all you had to say,” Lloyd sighs before backhanding him again.
“I thought I made that pretty fucking clear when your kid got shot,” Andrew sputtered with a dark laugh.
Maybe you’ve been around Lloyd too long, but that statement alone is all it takes for you to snap. You push past a mercenary, grab Lloyd’s pistol, flip it easily enough and pistol whip the asshole in the chair.
“Ah, I see the draw of you, you’re a feisty little bitch,” he chuckles darkly, sadistic grin coming to his face.
He’s a tough ignorant piece of shit. You’ll give him that.
“You know,” you start as you backup slowly, “I was gonna be nice and let Lloyd just kill you. Not as a courtesy to you, but because I’ve experienced so much shit in the last few days and I’m tired. However, I’ve had a change of heart. I think you I want you to experience just some of the pain I’ve gone through these past few days,” you smile at him before ripping off his pants (which was easy enough because of all of the damn holes in them), then turning to Lloyd. “Where are the cables?”
“Right over there, Hummingbird,” he smirks, nodding towards the wall while not even attempting to hide the fact that he’s turned on by the new side of yourself that you’ve discovered.
“You think I don’t know Lloyd’s torture tactics? I’ve worked with him, you ignorant bitch!” Andrews calls, coughing up blood.
“I’ve never seen a single thing Lloyd does, so this is all from my head,” you giggle as you clamp one of the cables down on his barely covered cock (his boxers have clearly taken a beating also).
“FUCK!”
“Don’t tell me you’re getting sensitive on me! I haven’t even done anything yet,” you pout as you attach the other clamp to the upper part of his inner thigh.
“Stop! Stop, I’m sorry, okay?!” the man pleads desperately.
Either you’re crazier than Lloyd, or this guy really didn’t expect you to be this broken up about him trying to kill the two most important people in your life.
Dumbass.
“You’re sorry? That’s...I’m so happy you’re sorry,” you laugh maniacally as you grab the electric cable box and hook cable cords to it.
“God, she’s such a little Devil, isn’t she?” Lloyd muses with a smile.
“Gun please?” you ask politely as you hold out your hand, and Lloyd is all too happy to give it to you.
“Please-”
“Too late to be a little bitch about it now,” you chuckle softly as you shoot him in the kneecap. “You’ll soon come to find that Lloyd is the least of the problems,” you promise as you shoot the other, popping it like a bloody zit.
You attach the cables to the electric box and turn it up to 60.
“Now, I’ve never done this before,” you smile innocently, “so this is gonna be an experiment for the both of us.”
You press the little black button and a small smile comes to your face as painful and pitiful cries leave Andrew’s mouth.
Alright, you’re starting to understand why Lloyd loves his job so much.
“You tried to kill my son!” you all but growl after you release the button.
“I didn’t tell them-”
“There’s no use in coming up with an excuse now,” you shrug before pressing the button again.
“PLEASE! PL...PLEASE!” he cries out and you hear Lloyd chuckle behind you. “STOP!!”
“Does it hurt?” you ask as you turn up the wattage. “Does it feel terrible? I promise it doesn’t feel nearly as terrible as holding your child in your arms while he’s bleeding out.” “I’M....PLEASE!”
“Just a little bit longer,” you promise, still holding the button down giving Lloyd back his gun.
“Ll-Lloyd! MA...MAKE HER-”
“She’s the one running show,” he laughs not hiding any of the pleasure he finds in all of this.
“Before you die, I just want you to know the ounce of the pain I felt and that I’ve been feeling since all of this shit happened. Burn in hell you piece of shit,” you spit before finally letting go of the button.
“Please-”
“Finish him,” is all you tell Lloyd before dropping the little box.
“Lloyd-” “Goodnight, Dewdrop,” Lloyd smiles.
Once again, you don’t even flinch when you hear the gun go off. You just stand there and look at the lifeless mess in front of you. In that moment, it hits you. You finally understand how Lloyd feels and why he does what he does. No, it’s not perfect or ideal, but it helps a lot with all of the issues and anger that everyone tends to hide away. Of course, your anger was only concerning Travis and Lloyd, but you’re now able to understand how Lloyd’s line speaks to him.
Every bit of anger, understandable or not, was released in the work that he did. The shootings, the torture, the belittling, the self assured attitude...you understand it. Lloyd has always been unhinged, that’s never been lost on anyone, and this job is the only thing that keeps him from going off the rails completely.
No, you don’t want to take that away from him, but you also can’t keep living like this.
“Take him out and get rid of him,” Lloyd demands and it pulls you out of your thoughts. “You and I are gonna have a little talk later,” he whispers seductively before turning his attention to Denny. “Is this finished?”
“It’s done.”
“Good, we’re gonna get back upstairs to our son. He’ll be asking for you soon enough, so whatever work you have to do...”
“I’ll be up soon,” Denny smiles softly before addressing everyone else. “Clean this room out. I don’t want any traces of what happened these past few days. No residue; make what happened disappear. Disobey and there will be consequences.”
How the fuck are they able to fix their emotions so fast? You’re still ready to burn everything down.
Lloyd can sense your anxiety and grabs your hand, leading you out of the room before saying, “tonight, Hummingbird. I’ll take care of you and make all of this better.”
You both spend the rest of the day with Travis, Denny, and both sets of your parents (you try to get them to limit their time but neither are having it). Travis drifts in and out of sleep, which the doctor explains is to be expected. He’s stable and in good condition, but he’s been through a lot of trauma. The doctor also says that he’s gonna have a rough road to recovery. However, overall, things are looking up and you feel confident.
For the first time in a while, you feel like you can breathe again.
“We’re gonna be right across the hall, Honey,” you promise Travis as he grips your hand.
“What if-”
“I’ll never let anything like this happen to you again,” Lloyd promises him.
Usually, Lloyd hates when Travis gets emotionally and starts crying (it’s something you two have argued about in the past), but you’re more than happy to see that he understands that is a fair response to everything that happens. Yes, you know that Lloyd is a more than capable parent, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s a dick most of the time.
“Mom?”
“I’ll be right across the hall with your Father, I promise. I’ll check on you before I go to bed.”
“We both will,” Lloyd assures him.
Travis doesn’t say anything, he just nods and you both make your way over to him and kiss him on the forehead.
“We love you so much,” you smile at him, giving his hand a soft squeeze.
“I love you...love you both,” he yawns as he quickly succumbs to sleep.
Both you and Lloyd quickly and quietly make your way out, and let out a breath you didn’t even know you were holding.
“He’s okay, Hummingbird. He’s going to be okay,” Lloyd tells you softly, kissing the top of your head as he takes your hand in his. “I want someone outside this door at all times. I don’t give a fuck if you have to take a shit, you don’t leave this spot until someone is here to take your place. Do you understand me?” he instructs one of the mercenaries.
“Yes sir.”
“If you fuck this up, Andrew will have gone through a walk in the park compared to what I’ll do to you.”
The mercenary gulped and Lloyd smiles in satisfaction.
“Good boy.”
You’re all set to go into the room that has been set up for you, but Lloyd’s grip on your hand tightens, and he’s pulling you into his room. It’s not lost on you that you can say no, but once again, you don’t want to.
“Don’t look at me like that,” you breathe, backing up until your back is against the wall.
“Like what?” he asks, kicking the door closed.
“Like I’m your prey.”
“Hummingbird, you’re my entire world,” he coos as he makes his way over to you.
“Lloyd, we can’t keep doing this. We haven’t...don’t,” you moan as he grips your neck and starts to caress it with his tongue.
“If you really want me to stop, I will,” he promises before pressing soft kisses up and down your neck. “If you don’t want me to ever touch you again, I won’t.”
“Lloyd,” you sigh with a moan, running your hands through his hair.
“I love you and I’m sorry. I’m sorry for all of this, but please,” he begs as he gets on his knees, unbuttoning your jeans, “please just think about taking me back.”
“Lloyd-”
“Think about it while I make you feel better,” he pleads before licking your clit.
At the end of the day, there’s nothing you won’t do for Lloyd, and taking him back...well, it can’t be too bad, can it? If there’s a way for you two to work it out, isn’t it worth giving it a shot? You both are still deeply and madly in love with each other, and you both-
“Shit!” you moan as quietly as you can as he curls the two fingers he has inside of you, grinding your pussy against his face a little.
All you’re doing is encouraging to pick up his pace, because Lloyd’s most favorite thing in the world is bringing you off.
“Pl...please,” you beg pathetically, gripping his hair tighter than you mean to, as you grab at nothing.
You force your gaze on him, and see that his gaze on you is both soft and intense. You don’t need him to vocalize that he’s begging for you. He needs you just as much (if not more) as you need him.
“I’m yours,” you whimper softly, “I’m yours !”
He pulls on your clit with his lips and that’s all it takes to send you over the edge. He takes his time cleaning you up, never breaking the gaze, before starting to kiss his way slowly up your body. The touch of his fingers are teasingly soft against your skin, and it makes you ache for him even more. The ghost of his lips on your collar bone make you whine in protest, and you hear him chuckle softly as he pulls on your black tank top, pulling just enough to expose your tits as he maneuvers the both of you to the bed.
“Baby!”
“Still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid my eyes on! Never gonna be without you again, Hummingbird,” he husk, getting you on the bed and on your back, before taking one of your nipples into his mouth, licking and sucking on it like he hasn’t had you time and time again over the last few days.
“I need you! Please!”
“Gotta keep quiet, Hummingbird,” he chuckles after releasing your nipple with a ‘pop’, while you undo his pants. “So fucking desperate!” “I need you inside me, baby! I always fucking need you!” you confess with a sob.
“I love you so fucking much,” he groans as he thrusts himself inside of you.
“FUCK!”
“Always such a warm fucking welcome, Hummingbird!”
“I want you...want you to show me...how much you love me,” you whimper, grinding your hips against his.
“I’ll take all night just to make sure you get the point,” he promises before pinning your hands above your head, “so, hang on tight.”
You both do your best to keep quiet, but it’s hard not scream out in pleasure every time Lloyd brings you off. It feels like the first time you two made love all over again. No, not the drunken chaos that was you two hooking up at the frat party, but the time after that.
“Lloyd,” you moan as he grips your hip tight, before he caresses then hooks it over his waist.
“I could listen to my name leave your mouth all fucking day,” he grunts as he fucks into you harder and faster. “I love you so fucking much! God, the greediest little fucking cunt!”
“I never...never wanna be without you again,” you confess softly as as your orgasm builds. “So...so full! Lloyd!”
“Do you need it, Hummingbird? Do you need it as bad as I do?”
“Fuck...yes! Yes please!” you sob as you dig your nails into his back, the feel of his breath on your neck pushing you even closer to your release. “Feels so good...having you...having you like this! All mine!”
“Forever!”
“Shit!” you cry out softly as as you squirt your release all on his cock and the bed.
“Such a good girl,” he husks as he shoots his load into you, coating your walls with his release.
There’s no use in fighting it anymore. There’s no use in telling him no.
“Lloyd,” you breathe as you come down from your high, trying to silence all the voices in your head telling you not to say what you’ve been thinking all day. “I’m not...I don’t know if we can ever be together again-”
“Hummingbird-”
“I’m not gonna lie to you and tell you something you want to hear just because we’ve had amazing sex these last few days. However,” you quickly continue before he has a chance to interject, “I’m not against trying.”
“Wait...what?”
“I love you and you love me. It’s not perfect, it’s messy, and there’s a lot to work on, but it’s worth working on. We’re worth working on.”
“Hummingbird, don’t say it if you don’t mean it.”
“I’m not promising you anything other than me trying. We’ll do our best and see how it works out. I want to make this work, Lloyd. I miss you and...I miss us. I wanna try again,” you confess reluctantly.
“Say it again,” he demands as he starts to move within you.
“I wanna try again,” you giggle with a moan, wrapping your arms around him again.
“Say it again,” he begs desperately.
“I wanna try again!”
“And to think, I was gonna give you the option of sleeping in the other room tonight,” he smirks and you burst out laughing.
You and Lloyd keep each other up for hours, repeatedly telling one another how much you love each other and how you’re both determined to make it work. When you both finally bow out, you letting Lloyd hold you close because it’s the only way you’ll feel like you’re home, you think about all you’ve told him in the last few days.
No, it’s not exactly what he wants to hear, but it’s honest and that’s what he wants more than anything. You’re not giving him false hope, and you’re also not giving him no hope.
You’re giving him just enough to go on.
As you rest your head on his chest, feeling safe and loved in his tight hold on you, you fall asleep praying that things can finally go how you’ve always wanted them to.
Hoping and praying that you and Lloyd have finally gone through enough shit to finally get it right.
**
1 Year Later
“Mom! Dad! Keep up!” Travis calls as he runs towards Cinderella’s castle.
“Why the fuck did we bring him to Disney?” Lloyd growls under his breath as giggle quietly.
“Because he almost died and now he gets everything he wants. Plus, it’s his birthday,” you smile at Lloyd before turning your attention towards your son, “we’re right behind you, sweetie!”
“Where the hell is Uncle Denny?!”
“TRAVIS!” you shout as Lloyd starts laughing.
You’re truly going to choke him out.
“Where is Uncle Denny?” Travis scowls as he rolls his eyes.
“Right here,” Denny chuckles as he throws out the cup that contained his drink.
Since the shooting, a lot has changed. Lloyd made good on his work and has stuck to desk work, only doing physical work when he absolutely has to, he’s been around for Travis and all of the activities he participates in, Denny comes around more (at Travis’ request), and you and Lloyd purchased a home together.
Much to your parent’s dismay.
“So you’re just gonna take him back? After everything?” your Mother questioned, standing in her kitchen with her arms folded across her chest.
“Please, I don’t need it.”
“You need to listen to your Mom, she’s just looking out for you,” your Father sighed before he took a sip of his whiskey.
“Yeah, I know, okay? If there’s anyone who knows, it’s me. I’m the one that fell in love with him, I’m the one who married him, had his kid, argued with him, cried over him, divorced him...it was all me! I don’t need anyone telling me how terrible he can be!”
“Yet, you’re going to get back with him?!” your Mother shouted.
“We’re not back together, it’s just for convenience. Travis feels safer this way-”
“Don’t bullshit a bullshitter, babygirl,” your Mother scoffed as she threw her cooking rag down.
“Can we not argue about this? I’m really not in the mood.”
“Y/N-”
“You never liked him anyway!”
“Him? His parents? How can you like him?! Let alone love him?!”
“He’s not as terrible as you think!”
“Didn’t slam you against a wall and choke you when Travis-”
“He didn’t hurt me! He never would!”
“Y/N, you’re not safe with-”
“Travis and I are safer with him than anyone else! Jesus, I’m not a child! I don’t need you both to agree with everything I do, I’m just trying to make you aware-”
“Did you know that they’re still people watching our house? Watching where we go?!”
“He’s just trying to keep you both safe-”
“Safe from what?!”
“FROM WHATEVER ENEMIES HE MAY HAVE!” you yelled, tired of the constant back and forth with them.
“Y/N,” your Father sighed, clearly tired and fed up, “if you’re going to be with Lloyd, we obviously can’t stop you. We’re both very aware of how much you love him, and you’ve always been too stubborn to listen. Just make sure that the life you have with him, is the life you really want. Yes, love is a hell of a drug, but don’t get too addicted to it. Don’t get too addicted to him,” he warned.
It’s not like you don’t know that they both were making valid points. Yes, Lloyd lives a dangerous life, and he’s 100% certifiable, but you also know that he’d do any and everything to keep you and Travis safe. From the moment Lloyd stepped foot into your life, he has become the center of your universe. All you ever wanted was a full and happy life with Lloyd, and unfortunately, that’s never going to change.
“Stop it,” you giggled as Lloyd hoisted you onto the counter, quickly ripping your panties off. “Travis is sleeping!”
“So be quiet,” Lloyd smirked as he got on his knees.
“Lloyd-”
“Do you like the furniture, Hummingbird?”
“Yes daddy,” you moaned as he easily and skillfully pulled down your panties.
“Is there anything you want that we don’t have, baby?” he asked as he massaged your clit with two fingers.
“No...Huckleberry!”
“Is there anything you need?”
“Only you, daddy. Only ever need you,” you sighed as he started to fuck you with his fingers.
Yes, you two had many sweet and romantic, you two never stopped being sluts for one another, but that doesn’t mean the arguments ever calmed down.
“I have done everything you’ve asked of me, Hummingbird!”
“You could just fucking quit!”
“We agreed to desk work-”
“Lloyd, stop it! Stop acting like I’m being unreasonable! It’s not safe-”
“Hummingbird, you promised me you’d try-”
“I have!”
“Its only been 4 months! Its been 4 months and you’ve been complaining since day one!”
“Lloyd-”
“I need you to meet me half way on this!”
“AND I NEED YOU TO QUIT!” you screamed before you stormed out.
“Y/N,” he growled as he followed after you, “stop being a fucking brat!”
“I’m being...then how about I just fucking leave?!”
“Stop it!” he demanded as grabbed your wrist. “You fucking told me you’d try, so you need to at least fucking try!”
“Let me go!”
“I will when you start behaving!”
“Behaving?! I’m not a child!’
“Then stop acting like one!”
“Lloyd, let me go or I swear to God-”
“What will you do, Hummingbird?! Hmm? Cause you’re not fucking leaving me!” he shouted as he slammed you against the wall.
“Stop it!”
“You have to fucking try! Stop threatening to leave every time something doesn’t go your fucking way! Stop trying to bully into doing whatever the fuck you want!” he demanded hotly as he undid your jeans.
“Lloyd-”
“You don’t want to leave, you want to get your way, and daddy’s told you about being a spoiled little brat, hasn’t he?” he husked as he forced your pants down, before he slid his hand down your panties.
“You’re such a fucking asshole,” you moaned before slapping him.
“Don’t be a little bitch, Humming!” he growled as he started fucking you with his fingers.
“Fuck!”
“You need daddy to be rough with you, is that it? It’s been so long since I’ve treated you like my own little fuck toy, I forget just how much fucking need it!”
“Lloyd-”
“What’s my fucking name?!” he snapped before slapping you with his other hand, while fucking you faster with his fingers.
“Fuck!”
“You better not fucking cum until I say so! Now what’s my fucking name?”
“DADDY!” “Good girl,” he chuckled as he removed his fingers.
“DADDY!”
“I’m gonna spend all night reminding you who is in charge. Lucky for us, Travis is spending the night with his grandparents, so feel free to be as loud as you want, Hummingbird,” he smirked as he shoved his fingers into your mouth. “I think we’ll start with you sucking me off until I’m satisfied and we’ll work our way up from there. Sound good, Hummingbird?”
It’s not surprising that sex is what always brings you both back down to earth, instead of yelling and throwing things, because the whole thing started because of a college hookup. No, it’s not necessarily healthy, but it helps get you two to someplace. Plus, you’ll never turn down sex Lloyd. That’s just as a good as it is bad as far as you’re concerned.
No, it’s not always a walk in the park, but you and Lloyd do your best to make it work. Lloyd holds his tongue when you do or say something he doesn’t like, he tries his best to not take charge of everything, and he finally fucking listens to you. What makes you happy, what makes you anxious, what your fears and doubts are, and what want for the both of you.
In return, you try your best to to control your temper. You don’t yell when he stays late, you don’t go silent when he has to do physical work, you don’t shut him out when he makes you upset, and you don’t resort to petty activity when he pisses you off. You both make an active effort to be better than you two were before because, after staying up for hours and talking about it, you both know that you two won’t last long and it’ll make Travis’ life harder.
It hasn’t been the easiest year, but its been worth it.
“Are you happy?” Lloyd asks as Travis drags Denny off in the direction of the ride.
“Yeah, I think I’m pretty happy,” you chuckle softly. “It’s not always easy, but it’s much better than it was before.”
“Yeah, Hummingbird? You feel like you can tough it out?”
“I don’t see why not,” you smile at up at him. “We’re better than we were before, we’re happier, we’ve grown and learned more about ourselves and each other...I think we needed some time apart to get to a good place.”
“I love you, Y/N.”
“I love you too, Lloyd. So much more than you’ll ever know.”
“Yeah? Then you wanna do me a favor?” he smirks as he gets down on one knee.
“Huckleberry...”
“You have been the center of my universe since I first laid eyes on you, and I knew that you were the one for me. It hasn’t been easy, and we’ve both made mistakes along the way, but we’re still standing. Yeah, this relationship isn’t always a daisy, but it’s no thorn either. I have never felt this way about anyone, and I’m sure I never will again. I want inch of you, every day, for the rest of my life. The good and the bad, the ups and downs, the happy and the miserable. So, I’m hoping that you’ll do me the honor of marrying me...again,” he chuckles as you dry your eyes.
“I’ll marry you over and over, again and again, every day for the rest of this life and the next,” you laugh as he places a new hummingbird ring on your finger.
It’s amazing how quickly everything goes from wrong to right in your world.
“HANSEN!” a man yells as he goes to pull out his gun.
Lloyd is quicker, pulling you down and covering you, before pulling his own gun out and firing off two shots.
You would be in love with someone who gets into a fucking gunfight at Disney.
It takes a moment, all the screaming and running only add to your anxiety, but Lloyd’s hold on you is tight enough that you know he’s okay. You look over and see Denny covering Travis, and let out a breath of relief.
“Are you-”
“I want you out of this, Lloyd. If we’re going to be together and be a real family, I want out of this for good.”
The look in Lloyd’s eyes lets you know that he’s truly on the fence about what choice to make. Does he leave the life that makes him and try something to keep you and Travis safe and happy, or does he walk away from you and all hes ever wanted?
For once in his life, you can truly see that Lloyd doesn’t know what the hell to do, and you don’t know if you’re scared for him or yourself.
~~
taglist: @maroonsunrise83, @autumnrose40, @fuckingbye, @companionjones, @emerald-evans , @whiskeytangofoxtrot555, @mazda098, @pono-pura-vida, @nomadstucky
#fanfiction#fan fiction#fanfic#fan fic#lloyd hansen#Lloyd hansen fluff#Lloyd Hansen fic#Lloyd Hansen fanfic#lloyd hansen smut#the gray man#the gray man fanfic#the gray man fanfiction#chris evans characters#lloyd hansen x reader#lloyd hansen x y/n#lloyd hansen x you#Lloyd Hansen x fem! reader#Lloyd Hansen x y/n#Lloyd Hansen
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Please tell me your opinion on pregnant Babe? I’m curious
I enjoy the bit, but personally I’m not into pregnancy in any aspect, so I’m not pinning my hopes on actually seeing Babe be pregnant onscreen.
I haven’t finished the novel yet, so I can’t say whether I feel like it would match Babe’s character or not. With that said, I do know that people’s decisions on wanting to get pregnant can change—I’ve seen it with a person I’m close to who said they never wanted to have children, pregnancy was a big fear of theirs, and then they changed their mind after a miscarriage, where they went through genuine grief at the loss and ended up trying for a kid (and having one) after that. And I love their kid to death. I still don’t want to have one or raise one myself, but I can accept that their experience is different from mine.
Which is to say—if Babe were to change his mind because his life has changed, I wouldn’t find it unrealistic. Just because I can’t relate doesn’t mean I can’t understand.
But even still, like, I can’t even look at people’s baby bump pictures on socials, I have to cover the screen—I’m so serious when I say pregnancy makes me uncomfortable LMFAO. Y’all are not gonna catch me asking to see Pavel with a baby bump, as much as I think he’d enjoy it himself.
I do really love the thought of Babe and Charlie adopting Andy tho, esp after they told Andy they’d help him in S1. I think Pit Babe has a lot to say about found family, and it would be nice to see that continue in S2. We’ve seen how damaging and abusive foster parents like Tony can be, so I would like to see the flipside of that, with Babe and Charlie adopting a kid with the intention of giving them a loving home.
But I also love how a large portion of the fandom treats pregnant Babe like a chew toy that they won’t let go of, it’s a lot of fun imo. I’m capable of covering the screen when there’s something I don’t want to see.
tl;dr I don’t have a personal need to see pregnant Babe or any pregnant character in anything ever, but I do think these conversations are part of what define Pit Babe fandom.
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Hey y’all,
I’m gonna go on hiatus again for a month, avoiding all social media. Making a proclamation like this seems to be the only thing that is effective “enough” (meaning that at some point, I’ll probably break the vow of staying away, but a few days away is better than none).
I’ve been struggling with my mental health due to everything in my life being too overwhelming for me to handle, which you can probably tell by how many times I vented for January. As a result, I’ve resorted to doom-scrolling across 3 different apps (Tumblr included) to help me feel better temporarily.
Overall though, it makes me feel much worse because I feel guilty about wasting time and procrastinating, and I’ve lost quite a few hours that I could have used for studying. (As if I wasn’t procrastinating enough without social media. Without social media, my procrastination has always been 4 walls and my thoughts, and whatever activity I could do at whatever ungodly hour of the night).
Then I’m also saddened by the fact that writing my fan fictions or novels, or even reading, would have been healthier coping mechanisms. And I’m always frustrated about not having time for these things (though the writing is understandable because I can’t write when I’m mentally burnt out…and I’m past burnt out since 2022).
I’ll probably still stop by to vent since this site is my safest mode of diary-keeping. I will miss you all, my mutuals and followers and seeing your posts and your tags under your reblogs💙
It will also sting to be cut off from my only sources of news for such a long period, but maybe it will allow me to focus more on the crisis here at home until I finish prepare my first-aid/medical kit, go-bag, and escape plan. I still have classes to get through and then I start rotations near the end of March.
I don’t know how long things at home will be “stable” enough. I found out from my mom a couple days ago that my dad found the handgun that was hidden (the one mentioned on a previous diary entry). Neither of us has asked him about it. We just know that it’s no longer where it was and neither of us have moved it.
Whatever happens, just know that I’m determined to come back and determined to live as long as the universe wills it. Toodles for now, stay safe, stay hydrated, stay awesome ❤️
(My dad has been discreetly digging through their room searching for the handgun for so long that it was only a matter of time until he found it. Another instance of my mom not listening to me. I told her the day that she and I previously found it, to let me store it in my room but she refused. Now he has it. I don’t know what she was thinking making it easy for him like that)
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ok here’s all my Thoughts about mq s3 and why it’s probably the weakest season so far.
tl;dr It just feels like they wrote themselves into a corner with how s2 ended and then didn’t know how to continue on from there. And it’s disappointing! It’s back to how it was in s1 where the only real strong character arc is Ian and Poppy’s, and the rest of the characters are just kinda… there to do funny stuff. And it’s not the worst thing in the world and they kiiiinda pull it together a little in the finale, but it’s disappointing because we know they can do good character arcs for all the characters simultaneously, because they did that in s2! Also fuck NFTs
Rest is under a read more bc I told y’all I’d write a novel
let’s compliment sandwich this so good things first:
The GrimPop storyline was good! Easily the strongest aspect of the season, tho I feel like Ian Winger-speeching himself out of the conflict was maybe a bit too easy? It was a good speech, I liked it, it fits their weird toxic codependent relationship well, but I would have liked to see him doing more for Poppy. Ah well, still good.
The bad is uhhh a lot. I don’t even know where to begin.
Actually let’s start with the metaverse/NFT shit, because it was shit and really soured me on the first half of the season. I get why these topics were included, it was a hot issue when they were writing the season, but it sucks how they were implemented. First off, it’s aged like milk, what with the multiple crypto crashes and NFTs kinda disappearing out of the collective consiousness (thank christ). Second, the fact that there’s no talk of the negative aspects of NFTs. Atrocious, especially concerning Rachel, who, being ostensibly the leftist of the group, should really at the very least have brought up the negative impact on the environment that NFTs/crypto has. Unfortunately, it does make sense why this happened. Ubisoft was one of the first game companies to use NFTs in their games, and Rob Mcelhenney owns one of those ugly fucking apes (I hope for his sake he’s sold it already), so he’s clearly invested in this shit. Obviously neither was gonna shittalk NFTs when they have such a big monetary stake in them. Hugely disappointing, but not surprising.
Now the characters... let’s start with Dana, because her “character development” was easily the most baffling to me. Like. Who is this? Where did this mini-Ian come from? This isn’t who Dana was. She had confidence, sure, but not Ian levels of delusional confidence. And like, what was the point of making her so much like Ian? How did that serve her character? Most she did was act like a kind of mediator between Ian and Poppy, but what did it do for her? The last ep kinda wrangles this into her being fed up with them and starting her own thing, but like, she was happy to hang out with Ian for most of the season. I dunno, I can kinda see what they were going for, but it doesn’t feel like there was a proper build-up to that final episode.
Let’s go to everyone’s favourite tumblr sexyman, Brad. Again, the last episode blatantly states his “arc” (working his way up to being in power again), but like. All the stuff inbetween doesn’t feel like it really adds up to anything. I mean, what did him being the janitor really... do. He acts like he’s up to something, but then he isn’t, and by ep 3 he’s already just doing HOMIE stuff again. I think it could have been so much more fun if he’d actually used his position as a janitor to weasel his way back into monetization. Like, digging up dirt on people and stuff. And again the build-up to the finale wasn’t really there. Oh, he wants a challenge now? He never talked about that. Where did that come from? Why not seed that more? Also, would have liked for his eating disorder to be addressed more. It’s so rare to see men with eating disorders on tv, it could’ve been something special. Maybe next season.
Rachel... I’m highly skeptical of her suddenly being “dumb”. Like sure, she was always shown to be a little airheaded, but it feels like they really turned it up to 11 and like... for what? It reminds me too much of how Britta was treated in later seasons of Community, and that was shitty then and is shitty now. It’s just wild to me that they’d have this whole arc in s2 about her finding her passion, and then they just throw it away. She could’ve been the new writer instead of the new HOMIE! Also, if she’s so dumb, how can she be made the new HOMIE at all. That’s a high fucking position, and you expect me to believe they just gave that to some rando ex-tester? I know MQ isn’t realistic, but I have my limits. And then they kinda lampshade that by having Brad be like “oh I engineered this” but that just feels lazy. Like my brother in christ you put her in this storyline, don’t act like it all meant nothing now. Also I know capitalism is a hell of a drug and I love me a corruption arc but could we for once have a leftist character on tv who like. Sticks to their guns and isn’t a massive hypocrite. Please.
THE LACK OF REAL STORYLINE BETWEEN BRAD AND JO. Hello he went to jail for her??? Hello?? Can we address this? Even a little? Maybe in the ep called TO CATCH A MOUSE?? It wasn’t even a mouse but you named it To Catch A Mouse and then you don’t have some sort of conversation between the mouse and the shark hello? Do I have to do everything myself around here??
Also, C.W. @kaitcake1289 already wrote a good post on this but I’d just like to reiterate what a disappointment it is that his death seemingly has zero impact on anyone. And it could have been such a good way to tie all the characters together, which I think was sorely needed with how divided they were between MQ and GrimPop. The grief they would all feel from losing the studio’s weirdo grandpa could have been such a nice overarching theme. And it could all impact them in different ways and drive their arcs this season! Just a missed opportunity, and frankly a weird way to treat the death of one of the major characters. Even Pierce’s death in Community was more impactful, and he left because there was major beef between the actor and the showrunner.
I’m a bit hmm about the idea of Dana/Jo/Brad in their own studio, bc I just don’t think splitting the characters up like this worked out this season, but we’ll see. I hope they have an actual plan this time lmao.
Okay other end of the compliment sandwich uhhhhh. I think David’s arc was decent. It was nice to see him get along with Jo and to see him stand up for himself. Um. The Christmas ep was very good. Sarian was another banger backstory ep. In general there were loads of jokes I liked! I’m just disappointed with how the characters that weren’t Ian or Poppy were treated.
#mythic quest#jo has thoughts#many thoughts#not sure it all makes sense#anyway#s2 > s1 > s3 u cannot change my mind
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Spoilers for TOUCHSTARVED demo below the cut
He fucking ate me what the fuck he fucking ate me I was not expecting that at all
Like. I defs went into it being like well if he kills me that’s just the price I have to pay ig but I was just. Not expecting it to actually HAPPEN what the Fuck
I am just. Wow
So I die obviously and it forces me back to the previous choice, I wrap that up and then it lets out into the part where you choose which love interest to pursue and I am genuinely shook like I do not know who to choose anymore
Because Vere is the best one like come on 😫 But dude just straight up fucking ate me I think it’s pretty safe to say I can’t trust him anymore 😭 I’m not gonna sit here and try to tame him or whatever like, I have my own problems, I don’t have time to have the one person I choose to trust be literally okay with eating me at any moment. That’s bananas.
But I don’t want anyone but him 😭 He’s so beautiful and charming and troubled and magical, fuck.
I CAN’T BELIEVE HE ATE ME
I mean I kinda respect the creators to be honest like, you play with fire, you might just get burned. They actually went through with the threat rather than it just being horny.
There is, of course, also the possibility that some players did foresee and desire that outcome. Not my bag but y’all do you
But damn. Yeah.
I don’t know, it does feel like maybe jumping the gun a bit????? Like I assume that with all of the characters, there’s supposed to be sort of a “can I really trust them?” tension to the dynamic and this kinda just completely destroys that. I think we can now say pretty safely I can NOT trust him. Can’t trust him not to FUCKING EAT ME anyway
I mean like...I guess there are worse things. He could have sold me into slavery, tortured me, experimented on me, turned me over to the Senobium where they would have done the same, who knows. That last one did scare me, actually, but I figured the Senobium didn’t know about me yet, so they couldn’t force him to do anything to me. The only risks I felt I really had to face were those associated with his choices, and I deemed them acceptable in light of what I might gain from him.
And I paid the price for taking those risks. And now...I don’t even know.
He confided in me, he told me about himself. I felt connected to him, I was anxious to free him, I was starting to trust him. Was that all a lie? Or did he only trust me with that information because he never planned to let me leave alive?
I could still try to pursue him, be more careful. Things might end differently. But what would be the point? My trust is so thoroughly shattered now that I don’t know if I could ever feel close to him again. I wish I could talk to him, interrogate him, which I obviously can’t since that’s not how visual novels work, but also how completely deranged would that be if I could, like, “Oh, just so you know, I’m pissed at you right now cos you fucking ate me in an alternate timeline” and how would he even respond??? I guess he’d probably just be a dick about it. “I did warn you,” he’d say. And I’d be like, okay, but I didn’t think you’d actually do it, sure, you’re dangerous, I’m dangerous! We’re all here trying to figure out what the fuck is going on with ourselves and how to not hurt other people. I didn’t realize you meant that you were that out of control of yourself, or that you truly didn’t care about other people at all. Lots of people say they don’t care for people and they don’t proceed to fucking murder any random stranger they see. I feel alienated too. I thought we could feel alienated together. I thought we had something. But it was just manipulation. It was nothing.
I thought I was reading him accurately. I thought it was just bravado, melodrama, to hide his own fear and insecurity. I thought that beneath all that, he wasn’t really a monster.
But I was, apparently, wrong.
I guess?
I really don’t know. Does he deserve a second chance?
God how am I even entertaining this HE FUCKING ATE ME jesus christ
Maybe he didn’t mean to. Maybe he regretted it.
And maybe I could help him to be better if I tried.
But is it really fair to ask that of me? There’s helping your partner to grow as a person and then there’s living in constant fear of violence from the person you’re supposed to be able to trust the most.
Fuck, now that I think about it, this really makes me distrust the others as well. They were literally all hanging out, relaxed, in a bar, having drinks as friends. Could they truly not know that Vere is that kind of person? Or do they just keep him around in spite of how insanely dangerous he is?
Wouldn’t Leander be incredibly pissed if he found out Vere ate me? Does Vere not care what Leander thinks at all? Or does Leander truly not care? Is he willing to shake off Vere’s casual murders in order to maintain that friendship (or alliance)?
Actually for that matter...does Leander not know that Vere is under the control of the Senobium? How could he let Vere into what is essentially a Bloodhound stronghold if Vere could literally be commanded to do anything the Senobium wants? I mean, it’s possibly Leander doesn’t know, like I said, maybe Vere only shared that with me given my impending death. But...something feels really off.
God I even noticed he had that very similar pleased expression to Valdemar and I thought it was just an unfortunate coincidence I IGNORED THE RED FLAG 😭🤣
I’m...very disappointed. Not, like, in the game necessarily. None of this is necessarily a criticism of the game. Just personally disappointed. I really wanted Vere. I really wanted to trust him. And I got a slap in the face.
No one else is even half as appealing to me. Mhin was my next choice, but I’m so shaken...I no longer trust my ability to read people anymore. Because, like Vere, I feel that while Mhin could be dangerous, I basically understand their personality, and I can protect myself from any actual danger. But can I? Clearly my skills of perception are not so astute as I thought. Will Mhin murder me as well? Or, more likely, simply leave me to die?
I’m now faced with choosing based not only on my estimation of their personality, traumas, whether I feel drawn to and connect with them as a person, but rather whether my immediate, physical safety is at stake. I mean, I find Kuras’ vibes absolutely repellent. Vere can be arrogant and testy, sure, but it reads to me very much like someone feigning strength to hide weakness—much like he strategically hid his leash and put on a persona in order to hide his vulnerable state when I first met him. And while he can be prickly, it more often than not comes off as playful, flirty, or just someone who is emotionally exhausted and not really able to regulate exactly how they communicate all the time. I mean, he strikes me as a bit of a mess and a bit insecure, not as someone who is genuinely malicious, manipulative, or feels superior to others. Kuras’ arrogance feels more sincere, and also completely cold, like he truly does not care what I think at all. Still, he doesn’t seem like he would murder me or leave me to die. Then should he be the one I put my faith in, even if I find him personally insufferable? And he seems to trust and work with Leander and Mhin, so if they’re not trustworthy, then how could Kuras be? Like, I’m really tilted at the fact that they seemed to all be friends, so if one of them is objectionable, then the others are either clueless or complicit, neither of which inspires much confidence.
I’m gonna replay the scene and see if it was more obvious what was going to happen than I thought, like maybe I missed some key detail or blatantly overlooked something obvious due to my horniness. I mean, the choice was “Resist him” or “Surrender” and he had me pinned to a wall. It was hard not to read that romantically/sexually or at the very least for the sexual tension to cloud my judgment. I just...Fuck. He was making me feel so good, so safe, so comfortable. Reading my mind, reassuring me about the things that hurt me most. I thought he was doing that because he liked me, wanted me. But it was empty...he was just playing me...I was nothing to him. How horrible.
Maybe I’m wrong. I’m probably being dramatic. I mean, I’m definitely being uncharitable. I still feel like he must have at least been conflicted about what he was doing or regretted it afterward, I simply cannot believe that everything about his character was just a calculated lie to achieve this simple end. He could eat anyone, after all. Maybe he got scared of the prospect of intimacy and decided the reframe the situation in the way that put him in a position of power and was therefore more comfortable, even if it might deprive him of the rewards of being loved and lead to serious regrets after.
I don’t know, this is all so strange to me. Maybe this is common in visual novels, but coming from The Arcana and Last Legacy (which are obviously inspirations for and share creative talent with this game), this came entirely out of left field. I really look to these kinds of romance games to relax, open up, and feel close to the characters. Having to be on my guard at this level is unfamiliar and maybe something I can’t really accept. It won’t be a relaxing experience if I have to worry about things like being murdered by the love interest. (Again, I know some people are into that stuff, no shade, it’s just not really for me.)
Maybe it could be a different kind of experience from how I usually play these games. Maybe I could just enjoy the story. But it’s definitely different.
Anyway, if anyone else has played and has thoughts on this interaction, I’d be super curious. (But I’d appreciate if you could try not to spoil me as I haven’t played past that point and may still want to continue eventually.)
#text#reaction#video games#visual novel#otome game#demo#prologue#Red Spring Studio#TOUCHSTARVED#Vere#monster boy#violence#spoilers
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Let me know what u think!
this contains LN12 spoilers ⚠️
I wonder when the next light novel will come out. I feel like in the next LN they will continue showing that katarina still thinks of her past life family and misses them like they showed in LN12 this was showed by her dreams, fever, and what keith told us ( katarina having frequent fevers when she was younger and saying their names when she was asleep )
There’s also the fact that jeffrey tells geordo how katarina could turn evil if she falls in the wrong hands and how the mastermind might be targeting her. And there’s also how Keith is scared that she might disappear??? Like that has to be some sort of foreshadowing. I also wonder if anyone is gonna find her secret out since we know that geordo and keith (and maybe some of the others) know that she’s been hiding some sort of secret. I also wonder if the mastermind somehow knows about katarina being reincarnated and that’s why he’s targeting her.
Anyways, what are some theories y’all have I would love to hear them !!
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You Can’t Repeat the Past
Shuri x black!fem reader
Angst or something like that
A/n: Yeah I said I would write a Riri fic, but ngl I didn’t have any good ideas, so instead yall get a Shuri fic that is VERY loosely inspired by my least favorite novel, The Great Gatsby. This is not proofread at all btw…
Shuri walked around the party observing her guests, these were now her people. This was the first party that the royal “family” has thrown since she became queen. Yet the only reason it happened was because of her. Shuri’s other half, they hadn’t spoken since the snap when her then girlfriend lost one of her relatives. But this was what Shuri believed could be a second chance.
“Well how is moping around the party gonna get y’all back together? You should be out enjoying yourself!” Riri told her when Shuri came to stand next to her at the bar. “I’m just not sure what to say…” She turned towards you, watching as you reconnected with your old friends Nakia and Okoye, you still kept in contact with them.
“Just dance with her I don’t know, here let's go!” Riri smiled, dragging Shuri to the dance floor. "Circles" by Meg thee stallion was playing. Which happened to be one of your favorites, like many Shuri arranged for the DJ to play tonight.
That’s when you saw her, she seemed stiff but she was definitely having fun. Oh, you missed her so much.
-
“And here it is! Open your eyes my love,” You opened your eyes to see the ceiling of her lab became an observatory. She added a pretty blue sofa, which turned out to be able to become a bed. There were posters consisting of all of your favorite constellations and what times of year to see them best. She had surely outdone herself this time. You have always been interested in astronomy since you two were kids, so it was the perfect gift for your 1 year anniversary. “Shuri! Thank you so much!!” You said jumping up and wrapping your legs around her waist in a hug. “You must tell me about all the stars, now that we can see them.” You smiled widely at her, beginning to explain the constellations that she’s heard you talk about for the millionth time.
-
You snapped out of your trance when you saw her walking towards you. “Your highness-” “Please don’t call me that Y/n” “Shuri…. It’s been so… long” The both of you stood there in silence for a moment. “Come with me,” Shuri said. Grabbing your hand and leading you to one of the private rooms. “I just wanted to tell you how much I missed you” she sighed, rubbing her thumbs over the tops of your hands. “I missed you a lot too…” You said trailing off. “Let tonight be like one of those nights” The two of you spent the entire night catching up with each other, even falling asleep cuddling in Shuri’s bed.
-
“YOU CAN’T MAKE TIME FOR ME ANYMORE” you screamed back at Shuri. She had been neglecting you for the past few weeks, and the loss of your aunt was weighing down on your mind. “WELL MAYBE NOT EVERYTHING REVOLVES AROUND YOU”. In her eyes you were trying to leave her, you wanted to study abroad for your degree, even though she believed the best universities were here in Wakanda with her. “Shuri… we need a break..” You said, choking on your words. You had arguments like this for the past few days over the pettiest decisions. Whether it be eating lunch without her or Shuri spending too much time in her lab, and you were tired of it. With tears in your eyes, you left the room, staying at your friend's house before immediately moving to the US to study.
You woke from the sunlight peeking through the curtains, you remembered where you were. You were in bed with your ex-girlfriend, aka the Queen of Wakanda. As much as you missed her, you knew that you could no longer be together. You slipped from her grasp and turned towards her once again. She seemed to feel the discomfort of you moving from her grasp. But you had to leave, as much as you wished you could, you could repeat the past. Slipping out of the palace you headed towards the nearest hotel. Planning your return to your new home in the US.
A/n: This is so bad 😭😭 I know I just wanted to get something out and my anxiety has been killing me so this is what I have rn.
Tags: @homie0sapien
#shuri#shuri angst#shuri x fem!reader#shuri is so hot#shuri x f!reader#shuri x you#shuri x reader#shuri x fanfic#black panther fics#shuri black panther#black panther#black panther wakanda forever#wakanda forever#shuri imagine#Spotify
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Oh I can add readmores on mobile now. Y’all want some planetswap? Have some planetswap
———
Fulgrim walks into one of the many sitting rooms in the imperial palace, nodding politely to Konrad and Vulkan, who already occupy one of the couches, before he sits primly in a plush armchair. The dataslate he’s brought with him illuminates when he activates it to continue reading the novel it contains, but he’s distracted barely moments later by Konrad clearing his throat.
“We were supposed to have dinner last night,” he says from his position upside down on the couch, the little puzzle in his hands discarded and watery blue-grey eyes trained on Fulgrim. “Your highness.”
“Oh,” Fulgrim gasps, “I’m so sorry, Konrad, I… I got sidetracked and it slipped my mind entirely. Please, let me make it up to you?”
Konrad purses his lips and narrows his eyes slightly. “�� Fine. If you tell me what was so fuckin’ distracting.”
A blush rises to Fulgrim’s cheeks.
“N-now, Konrad, it’s rude to pry,” he stammers in an attempt to be scolding, “a-and you likelier than not know already, with your… Ways.”
“Well, then, I don’t forgive you.”
“Konrad!”
“Be as cagey as you fuckin’ want, I’ve been on strike before, I can hold out as long as I want.”
Fulgrim huffs and looks back down at the dataslate, but fidgets a little as he continues to read, until finally-
“Oh, fine,” he sighs. “If you must know-”
“I really must.”
“Don’t interrupt. If you must know,” at this, a grin begins to creep across Fulgrim’s face and he lifts a hand to cover his mouth as his gaze darts to the side, “Ferrus… Well, he carried me off to his quarters and… Had his way with me.”
“He what!?” Vulkan stands so quickly his long leather jacket cracks like a whip with his movement, and Fulgrim raises his hands placatingly.
“Oh, no! No, no! Not like that! I promise you, I was… A most enthusiastic participant!”
Vulkan sits back down, arms crossed. “Well. Good. It’s about time you two figured out what’s going on between you.”
“Ah. I was not aware until last night that anything… Was, ‘going on’,” Fulgrim murmurs, then furrows his brow in confusion.
Konrad has somehow twisted his arm around at the shoulder so it’s the only part of his right side up, and is extending his closed fist towards Fulgrim. Fulgrim, in response, leans forward in his seat slightly and… Clasps Konrad’s hand in both of his own, patting it gently with a confused smile before letting go and sitting back.
“I expect you both to be present for the wedding,” he adds offhandedly as he goes back to his reading, then sighs and looks up once again when Konrad and Vulkan merely stare at him. “What now?”
“Wedding?” Vulkan chokes out, solid black eyes wide.
“Yes. He’s taken my virtue. I know Father says religion is false, but I cannot simply unlearn my upbringing entirely in a day, and so I’ve told him I expect us to wed now, and he agreed.”
“Oh, is that all?” Konrad says as he turns himself upright in a maddening tangle of limbs. “Just… You’re just gonna get married now?”
“I don’t see what’s so puzzling about this,” Fulgrim says archly. “I would have been married had I stayed on Caliban, likely to someone I knew even less than Ferrus.”
“You fuckin’ what!?”
Fulgrim frowns. “Likely to a woman as well, now I think about it… The fortresses on Caliban are rather isolated, so either she or I would have moved to the other’s home to keep-”
“No, back up,” Vulkan says. “You would have been married to a stranger?”
“I was the son of a knight,” Fulgrim says, as if he’s explaining the most obvious thing in the world. “My marriage would have been a matter of politics, not romance. I did meet the woman I believe Luther would have married me to, once. She was a fine person.”
“Huh,” Konrad says. “What was she like?”
“Her name was Rhiannon. She was the daughter of another knight, Sir Bradwen, and his wife, Lady Olwen. She was polite enough to me, well-versed in etiquette, literate, and spoke well at the supper Luther hosted for her parents’ visit. We spoke about music, and art, and poetry, and when we attended mass the next morning, she was appropriately pious and respectful. Perhaps a month later, the Emperor arrived to retrieve me, and so any negotiations that would have been happening between Luther and Sir Bradwen would have ended.”
“Well, I’m fascinated by this now,” Vulkan says, leaning against the arm of the couch with his chin propped up on his hand. “What would they have to negotiate about?”
Fulgrim sighs and sets aside his dataslate. “I'm not going to get to read this afternoon, am I? Very well. Sir Bradwen’s fortress, Preselau, was somewhat even more far-flung than the others, but it was the only one with still operable mines within its walls, and produced most of the metals and stone for the planet. Had Luther strengthened an alliance between Celliwig and Preselau, he would have had greater access to the products of the mines. Conversely, Celliwig was one of the more central fortresses, and we were blessed yearly with a great bounty of crops from our farms. Had I and Rhiannon married, Luther would have been obligated to send a portion of the harvest to Preselau. They would have negotiated about particulars and percentages, as well as Rhiannon’s dowry.”
He smiles, and folds his hands politely in his lap. “What was marriage like on your planets?”
Konrad snorts and wheezes with laughter. “Hold on, hold on, no, I’ll tell you, I just remembered this really funny joke.”
At nods from Fulgrim and Vulkan, he grins and pretzels himself further on the couch. “Okay, so there’s these two kids in this one foundry, right? And they’re working the line right next to each other, and they get nice and efficient, so much so they can do their jobs without needing to really pay attention, so they get to talking while bored one day. Well, turns out they get along real well, and some romance sparks up. Eventually, they both make it to fifteen, and yeah, they don’t have to get married, but they wanna have kids one day, so they gotta, to get put on the waiting list for permission. They put in all the proper requests, an officiant makes the trip from one of the mines, yada yada yada. So they’re standing there, the officiant gets through, ‘We are gathered here to witness the union-’, and the Executive Clans’ accountant stands up and says, ‘Hold on. Nobody said anything about a union’!”
His laugh sounds like a seabird being throttled, but Vulkan and Fulgrim simply stare silently at him, confusion written across both their faces, and his laughter stops when he realizes.
“Alright, what part didn’t you get,” Konrad grumbles.
“You had to ask permission to have children!?” Vulkan yelps as Fulgrim tips his head curiously and asks, “What is a union, in this context?”
Konrad blinks a moment. “Alright. Fulgrim’s question first. A union is an agreement between the Executive Clans and the workers that the workers get fair compensation for their labour, and I stop breaking into the Executive Clans’ suites and killing them.”
“Ah,” Fulgrim says, “a peasant rebellion.”
“No,” Vulkan says, firmly, despite clearly barely holding back laughter. “How do you two get along so well?”
Konrad and Fulgrim both shrug.
“Regardless,” Vulkan says, “a union is not a peasant rebellion.”
“Well,” Konrad says, and Vulkan grimaces and wiggles his hand a bit in the air.
“A union,” Vulkan continues, “is when the workers somewhere team up to negotiate better - fair - compensation for their labour with their bosses. We had them on Nostramo, but they were… Ineffective.”
“Yeah, cause you were the only one with a fuckin’ spine on your planet,” Konrad scoffs. “Anyway, you want me to explain the kids thing or not?”
“Yes, please explain that part.”
“So, Chemos had no fucking resources that we weren’t mining or machining ourselves,” Konrad says. “All our food was imported. Had to keep real careful population documentation, make sure we ordered only as much as was needed. Machines needed more or less constant supervision, too, so people couldn’t be dropping off for parental leave willy-nilly.”
“That’s… Horrible,” Vulkan says, and Konrad shrugs.
“’s better now. And at least it was for practical reasons, unlike Caliban’s bullshit.”
“A child born out of wedlock being considered without a father is practical,” Fulgrim says archly. “And there was nothing stopping men from claiming their bastards as their own regardless.”
“See, this is why shit’s gotta be matrilineal,” Konrad says.
“Man, I don’t think we even had birth records on Nostramo, let alone marriage certificates,” Vulkan mutters, then scoffs, “Sure didn’t have death records.”
“People didn’t get married, on your planet?” Fulgrim is clearly and poorly trying to hide his look of shock.
Vulkan shrugs. “I’m sure some of them did. But for the most part, it didn’t really matter. You love someone, you live together, try to keep each other safe. You have a kid, you’re too busy worrying if you’re gonna live to see ‘em grow up to think about any familial line shit. I think the only place that kept records was the mines, some of the other corps, and maybe a couple back-alley rippers who kept patient logs. We sure didn’t have a government to keep any.”
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After seeing @peonyblossom’s rec for a writer I haven’t read, I had to rectify that situation immediately! And I was NOT disappointed!! In fact, I was so beyond excited to find this fic that I’m gonna go so far as to make this the eighth writer I’m recommending to y’all this month 💕
I was so excited to click on the link and find this story over at ao3! You’ve no idea!!
First off, Ethan’s heart skippin a beat has me all awww!
"Nothing?" Tobias raises an eyebrow, "You want me to believe that?"
"Nothing?" Tobias raises an eyebrow, "You want me to believe that?"
"...No." Ethan shakes his head, "Not really."
haha this seems like something Tobias would say. Not ‘you expect me to believe that’ but a ‘do you want me to’. Gah it seem like such a small thing that one word makes all the difference. It’s so respectful! Like okay I’ll believe it if you want me to. Love this!
Not them having a place to go for private talks and moments!!!
“Look, Tobias, if you murdered someone and need to bury a body I won't turn you in but I am not getting involved." Ethan says, jokingly.
"What? No! Nothing like that." Tobias chuckles a bit, "Also, coward."
Ethan can't help but chuckle too, "I've dealt with you for almost two years already and I am not that attached to you to commit a felony."
"Boooooo." Tobias sighs lightheartedly, "Keep telling yourself that, but I know you're not above helping me bury a man."
This whole exchange lol is fuckin perfection!!! Plus that last bit, ‘…I know you’re not above helping me bury a man.’ The other connotations here are *chef’s kisses*
But this whole exchange that follows is so important to see in fiction!! Like it’s a scary terrifying thing to come out, even to friends. Coworkers and people that hold your freakin livelihood in theirs hands is even worse. The steps one needs to take to do that are… man (gender neutral) I don’t even wanna go back to thinking about that.
Ethan nods, "Alright. I guess...Tobias is Tobias."
But gah! this exchange just prior and this line in particular might as well have been me when this all went down with my partner. (Maybe a few more swear words lol but not directed at me just my partner trying to comprehend what that meant for us and settle into a new view of me and us. It’s a bad habit he picked up from me 😅).
Tobias smiles at that, "...And you're still Ethan."
But ugh! my little non-binary heart! This is beautiful!!
This reminds me of something a friend told me when we were going through a rough patch after my realization. The change is vocabulary for the other person takes some getting used to and it all comes down to ‘they are mine’, whether that be friend, partner, family, or something other. If you feel they are your’s in some meaningful way, that is all that matters and that is something worth fighting for and learning for and growing for.
To see this written out and this story told makes me so beyond happy!!
Okay now that I’ve had a trip down memory lane and taken y’all with me (sorry), I just gotta say that I loved this all! It was beautifully written and so in character and, my freakin gods, you handled this topic so well and so beautifully!!
Thank you for sharing it with us @jaredkau <3 <3 <3
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A motorcycle sounded in the distance. It was a welcome relief to the group, huddled on the elevated edge of a rock quarry a distance away from the city skyline of Atlanta, now fallen disheveled and dark from an onslaught of bombing.
Survivors of the epidemic, the plague that swept through their entire lives and turned them into characters of a dystopian novel in a cruel twisted irony, swam with comfort to know their lone hunter and lookout was safe. It was days since he went out to scavenge and never returned.
It was never said aloud; no one wanted to give it strength. They thought him dead.
Despite the loss it would be to the unit that depended upon each person for survival, his death would only encourage a fouler, crueler attitude from said survivors’ elder brother, by far the worse of the two. The camp was his punching bag when mood struck him. He howled in laughter at vicious comments. His haunted smile as he gutted animals, blood-soaked hands, rolled their stomachs as they watched, still hungry for what he provided. Only sparingly, as it was his kill. He only allowed what he wanted. It was best to keep on his good side.
The good side had not been seen since the disappearance of his little brother.
Now that the sound of the motorcycle approached, his interest was pricked. He rose from his stump stool to observe the long winding road that cut up the hillside to the camp.
“Yeah!” He called. “I told you he’d be back.”
“No one doubted him,” a young man said. Large damp stains beneath his arm spread through the letters across the chest. Sheriff’s deputy.
“Bullshit. Y’all wrote him off,” the man mumbled as he watched the shadow of an approaching bike ascended the road. “I raised him a man. He’s tougher than anyone in this camp.”
It took a while for the motorcycle to reach the approach of the camp. By then, everyone had risen, interested in the story of what happened to their solo lookout on his journey. They never expected good news. The world was soured to good. They only hoped for okay. He was safe, okay. That was all the hope they allowed, in a world turned to hellscape.
His brother approached first. He, the one to notice the passenger attached to his younger brother’s back.
“Well, well, well. We was all wonderin’ what would keep you,” he bellowed. The southern accent appeared thicker. “I guess we don’t have to guess no more.”
The younger brother dismounted. “Got on the trail of a deer. Took longer to hunt it down.”
His brother laughed. “Ah. That’d be it. Couldn’t be from the broad.” He gestured to the woman still on the back of the bike. Her lips were cracked. A split near the center of the swollen redness dripped blood. “You ain’t got the equipment for a girl like that. Hand her on over to a real man, son. I’ll show you how it’s done.”
“Shut up, Merle.”
Merle Dixon appraised the woman. Her legs shook as she dismounted the motorcycle. “You don’t know how to make a girl’s legs shake like that. I do.”
The younger brother wrinkled his nose but said nothing.
The devious glint in Merle’s green eyes returned. He ran his tongue along the bottom of his lip as he looked at the woman delivered to him like a present meant for unwrapping. “Come on, girl. You’re with me now.”
“Leave her alone.”
The group started to gather around. The lure of a fresh kill tempted their hungry bellies as well as their curious minds.
A new survivor added a flair to the otherwise terrified life they led. It was all they could do to leap for joy to have a new person to distract them – even if it was only a moment – from what they knew to be reality.
“What you gonna do with a woman like that? Tell her that stupid Chupacabra story? Whine about getting lost in the woods for nine days like a pussy?” Merle reached his arm out. His fingertips neared her. “Quick draw won’t be enough for you, girl.”
Daryl Dixon – the younger brother – took an uncharacteristic step forward. His hand pushed out. “I said back off.”
A hardness came to the edge of Merle’s eyes. His younger brother in his shadow, below his chin, against him.
“You forget yourself, son? You wasn’t nothin’ without me. I’m your kin. You gonna trade that for some broad you don’t even know?”
A few came close. Arms crossed, question or disbelief written on their faces with the hollow exhaustion of hunger and fear long baked into their skin.
The brothers were thicker than thieves. Neither showed loyalty to anyone, except each other. Both were fire tempered, with Daryl being easier to reason with than his elder, but not by much. The one defining quality that the group knew of the Dixon brothers: they would never turn. Merle and Daryl held their relation above the needs of the many.
A smart person would never guess that a single woman would jostle the bond.
“What’s your name?” A black woman asked softly. She took a step forward, which the new woman noticed. Her eyes instantly dropped to watch the motion of the woman’s feet. “I’m Jacqui.”
The group saw. Their breaths caught collectively. Jacqui stopped her approach.
Daryl kept his narrowed eyes on his brother a minute longer before he relented. “Eloise… That’s ‘er name.”
Eloise said nothing. Her eyes stayed at the group, examining them. She was relatively clean. Dirt and blood smeared against her dark jeans, shredded at the tops of her thighs and knees, with a western style holster loose around her hips. Womanly curves still held at her body, mostly at her thighs and ass with still a show of breast left.
Most of the women in camp had lost all sense of weight from the lack of food. Scavenging was difficult to keep so many fed with their base so far away from civilization. What little they ate was low in fat and calories. Wild mushrooms picked from the wilderness, what little game there was to be hunted from nearby was a sliver for everyone, at best.
Their new survivor showed that she had done a fair bit of surviving without them.
She wore a stylish, black leather jacket, more for show than it was substance. It was torn in some places. The cuffs were stained with the makings of walker death.
“How did she survive so long in the city?” A tall brunette woman marveled as she flicked the length of her hair behind her shoulder.
Daryl shrugged. “Found her tryin’ to jack the bike.”
“I thought we said stick close,” said the sheriff’s deputy. He put his hands on his hips, the clear stance of a police officer. Daryl knew the motions. Behaviors did little to erode even in the end of the world. “We can’t risk people getting close to the city and getting bit.”
“I caught a trail. What you want me to do? Abandon it so a walker can eat instead of us?” He growled.
“Just think we can make safer decisions, that’s all.” The deputy shrugged his hands away from his hips. He looked off to the group in the distance. His mind thought of something. It eventually left. It brought him back to the new member brought for his acceptance. The survivors were a group together. It was a joint effort to remain alive. Adding another member meant more work to stay alive.
He kicked his boots in the gravel. “We’re already stretched the way it is.”
“We can’t just turn her away,” the brunette breathed. Her eyes looked to him in disbelief.
“To hell with her,” Merle grunted.
It was the quietest he’d been. Ever.
Daryl dropped the crossbow from his hand. Redness came to his nose as he inhaled. “What’s that, Merle?”
“To hell with the bitch,” Merle said with a cruel smile. “We don’t need any more.”
A height gained to the otherwise squinted look of the younger Dixon brother. It read as disbelief.
“She’s good with a knife,” he reasoned. He turned to the apparent leader of the survivor group. A muscular man with broad shoulders, curly dark hair and a hooked nose. His face read total arrogance at what he saw before him. Heat grew in Daryl whenever he caught that dignified gaze of the so-called cop. “She could cut the sack off a hog with one throw.”
On second look, there were blades in her holster. Large knives, smaller blades, a machete. Some were holstered against her thighs in matching black fabric that blended into her jeans.
The eyes of the group focused on appraising her. Eloise took a step away. Her eyes still unblinking, unwilling to let them leave her sight for a second.
“If that were true, you wouldn’t be walkin’ so straight, little brother.”
Merle gave a harsh chuckle. He was resigned to the matter. His back turned. A bottle of something was stashed away in his saddle bag ready to take him far away from the musings of assholes.
An older member of the group, Dale, frowned. “She’s awful jumpy.”
The tall brunette crossed her arms. “Wouldn’t you? Imagine the city. You’d have to be to survive there.”
“Hold on. Hold on,” Shane said. “We can’t just accept anyone into the group. We have to think about the safety of everyone here.”
“Another set of eyes keeps us safer,” Dale reasoned.
“Another mouth to feed,” Shane countered.
Jacqui was quiet. She kept her eyes focused on Eloise, who did very little but look to Daryl every so often.
There was trust built between the pair. She was nervous, but not of him.
“Does she talk?” Jacqui inquired.
It split through discussion of whether another person could be supported. Daryl had gone red faced again at the suggestion that she be turned away.
Jacqui’s question stopped the building frustration.
“Can she, I mean.”
He nodded. The glisten of ocean blue eyes flashed back to his passenger. Her palms rested against her thighs. Eyes locked at the group before her. It only broke away when Daryl turned.
They caught in each other’s gaze.
“Go on. They’re too noble to turn you away.” His fingertips reached the strap of his bow. It was slung over his shoulder. “I’ve got a kill to clean.”
The trophy hanged from the back end just behind the bitch bar. Its hide only pierced by a singular hole, just wide enough for an arrow. It was slung over his shoulders and walked upward toward the camp.
His older brother stood at the crest of the hill. He watched his brother ascend. They met in a silent acknowledgment before they both took hold of the deer and lowered the body. Merle handed a knife. Daryl grabbed one of his own from his pockets and began the arduous task of skinning, gutting, cleaning and harvesting the meat.
Eloise pulled the satchel from her back. “Got my own stuff.”
Although there was give in his expression, the leader remained firm. “We’ve got rules in this camp.”
“We can tell her the rules later,” the woman beside him snipped. “She looks traumatized. Let’s bring her in and feed her.”
Eloise eyes stayed at the man in front of her. A large threat, the trickle of sweat down her back. “Your rules. What are they?”
His hand went to his hip yet again. “Got any weapons? Ammo?”
“Just my knives,” she answered.
“What happens when you run out of knives?” His dark brow raised like he’d made a good point.
Her face remained stoic. “Don’t know. Hasn’t happened yet.”
There was a spread of reaction through the people in front of her. They shifted. Glances exchanged one to another.
The addition of another skilled fighter was impossible to pass up. Fighters were few and far between. So close to the city, walkers were aplenty with a growing hunger that would draw them out into the surrounding areas. It would only be a short while before the camp was attacked.
“We’re a group. Everything we do is as a group,” Shane explained. “Every person is an asset. Stupid mistakes mean you won’t stay. Do you understand? We won’t share our supplies with just anyone. You have to earn your place.”
“I have to turn over my gear?”
The dark arch of her brow furrowed. She shifted her weight.
Dale shook his head. “What’s yours is yours. A person can only ask. You’ll still have your privacy.”
“We have chores. Every one has a chore. Every day it gets done.”
Eloise nodded.
Her eyes casually drifted upward a gravel incline where a man, for a split moment, caught her look before returning to a hollow deer carcass.
The deputy sighed. “If you leave camp, tell the watch where you’re going. They stand on top the RV. They’re our eyes. Alright? Pitch your tent anywhere. Just don’t go too far from the group. We’re safer in numbers.”
Jacqui gave a polite smile. “I think I know a spot.”
Eloise followed the lead through the camp which was more of a casual term for people all huddled together with little supplies, dirty faces, and fear stricken in their souls. Only a few gave her curious glances as she passed.
There was an RV parked along the side of the cliff that faced down the long winding road to camp. It was the very road that carried her on motorcycle to this group of survivors.
She kept quiet, asking no questions of the state of their survival. Bare boned bodies were answer enough. Sunken cheeks and jutted hips, the tell-tale signs of starvation. It explained the needy look in their eyes when they noticed the deer. Its blood drained through the gravel, staining it deep red mixed with brown dirt.
Jacqui was a patient woman. Her kind smile was unassuming. She asked if the space for her tent was alright.
Eloise shrugged.
“It’s near Daryl’s,” Jacqui replied gently. A glimmer of hope overtook her eyes. “Merle’s, too, though.”
The real reason the spot was vacant. It was the edge of camp where the Dixon’s lived.
“I can find another spot closer, if you like.”
“I can manage,” Eloise said.
Jacqui was a dark woman, so skinny and slender. She looked emaciated more than the rest. The type to give up the food on her plate for someone else, Eloise guessed.
But a smile. It was nice to see – even under the pretenses of what it was.
“There’s a quarry just over there.” Jacqui pointed behind her shoulder. “Down the road. You passed it on your way in. You can swim in it or bathe, if you wish. There’s a few fish in it. Little ones. They can’t cause too much harm.”
The sound of a trickle of water filled the air. She couldn’t smell it, but the sense of water was near.
“You’re quite clean,” the woman audibly observed.
“I found a pool.”
An awkward moment stood between them. Eloise had no words to say. Jacqui wanted to be supportive, as it was clear that all survivors were scarred in one way or another, and this woman’s few words were signs of a troubled mind.
The group was lucky. They stuck together, battled it out to survive with more bodies to defend the weakest.
Alone. Alone and in an overran city.
The horrors pictured in their minds of what Eloise had to survive were more than they could stand to think. Only dreams to what she truly endured.
Jacqui clasped her hands together. “I’ll let you get to it then.”
Eloise bobbed her head. She was eager to set up her tent and get out of eyesight.
It was a simple tent large enough for three sleeping bags side by side. There was one, black and densely lined, laid out by the flap at the mouth of the tent. A machete laid alongside it. Otherwise, the pack stayed packed in a corner. Personal items remained tucked away and safe. The knives were a constant accessory. Never to be removed.
Later that day the venison was roasted and divided amongst the group. Eloise was present but made no move for the ration. Instead, she watched the others eat. Their greedy mouths and fingers eating as much as they could without stepping over someone else’s cut.
She sat alongside the fire, knees tucked against her chest, silent. Eyes consumed with the flames, expressionless.
The two Dixons were off to their own side far away from the others gathered. Their hands shined from the glisten of juicy fats as they squeezed from the meat. Merle tore at his chunk aggressively. His dirty yellow teeth punctured the golden-brown meat with an audible sound.
The fire was kept small. It never grew beyond a flicker of light, a hint of warmth in the cooling air.
River birch and American Hornbeam trees rustled in the evening breeze. Dusk fell. The glow of the horizon the last dwindling of light brought the survivors closer. Most gathered around the few small fires in the center of their camp.
A certain stillness captured the group. Tension and anxiety at the darkening sky, more glances at the rustle of the leaves, in question if it was the wind or a stalking walker intent to feed on their gushing organs, warm blood, taut white tendons, red flesh of their split muscles, or the contents of their bowels.
Even the loudmouthed Merle stayed close to the fire. He caught sight of their new guest. She hadn’t moved since she sat on the ground the hour before.
He cleared his throat. “Don’t talk. Don’t eat. I’m startin’ come round to her. We could do with less backtalk round here.”
Daryl gave his brother a wayward look. He made no effort to jump to her defense.
“I’m sure she’s in shock.” The lanky brunette wore a long flannel over her previously bare shoulders. “Living in the city on her own. Couldn’t be easy.” Round brown eyes looked to Eloise. “It’s okay. You don’t have to be scared. We aren’t going to hurt you.”
Eloise made no effort to reply. A blank stare was all that answered their welcome......
Read more on fanfiction. net https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14201814/1/EWMN
#the walking dead#fanfic#fanfiction#twd#daryl dixon#merle dixon#daryl dixon x oc#rick grimes#season one#atlanta survivor camp#motorcycle#shane walsh#zombies#walkers#walking dead
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Foad Excerpt [7]
It’s been a whole ass month since I shared a raw snippet lmao oops
I got my writing mojo back and I’m making good progress though! I just hit 31k today ☺️ Here’s a snippet in honor of it. It’s probably longer than what I should be sharing, but fuck it! In honor of the milestone, we ball.
All fluff between Emily, Arthur, and Ilya as they relax at a garden party being held at the uni. This is actually one of my favorite scenes so far. I almost shared the more angsty, climactic half of it but I just shared some angst in the word search tag I did a few days ago. Plus I don’t want to spoil too much ;)
Taglist: @wordwizards @flowerprose
•••
I run my fingers along the sides of a heaping glass of sweet tea bought from the refreshments table. Arthur, at my request, fans me with Ilya’s book—a copy of an old Russian novel none of us are familiar with. It isn’t long before he fumbles with his pockets, taking out a silver coin. Be flips it in the air before sliding it across the table. “A penny for your rose, Ilya, what do you say?”
Ilya pushes all his spare flowers towards us. “Take ‘em all. I’m done anyway.”
Arthur plucks a rose from his pile. Using a pocket knife, he cuts the stem little over halfway, and whittles away all the remaining thorns. Meanwhile, Ilya weaves the last stem into his crown.
“Lovely work.”
Arthur glances up from his work. “Quite. How’d you learn something like that anyway? Pardon if I’m wrong, but you don’t strike me as the artistic type of fellow.”
“I’m not. I picked it up to surprise Cal.”
“Aw, isn’t that lovely? You know, that reminds me of a bloke I once knew back in secondary. This was after I went back. Big sort of school, so new kids weren’t at all uncommon. But this fellow—he was the beefy sort of type, you know. Rugby player. Thing is, he had the most demanding witch of a girlfriend…”
The rest of their talk melts into a slush pooling at the sides of my sweating tea glass. The rich brown liquid is a prism catching the few strands of sunlight that peek beneath our umbrella. On the table, it projects glimmering visions of Matthieu’s eyes.
His absence hasn’t been lost on me. I must’ve given him a dozen reminders of this event within the past three days alone. My hair has gone white stressing the significance to him, not that he isn’t already aware. The Agricultural Society is the backbone of Ravnna’s funding. Our pride. This is their chance to display the fruits of their monumental care for their craft. If not for the sake of nature, I would’ve at least expected him to at least come for that. The fact that it means something to the people he cares about. But low and behold, what does the man text me this morning?
“Sorry babe I’m gonna be late. Y’all go without me.”
A simple line without a rhyme nor reason. While a late entrance would be superior to his complete absence, I’m still expecting a strong excuse.
I check my phone. Nothing new. Only the time shifting.
“Haven’t heard from Matt, have you?” Ilya asks.
I cross my arms. “He told me he’d be late, but he never said how late. God only knows if he’s planning to show up at all.”
“Depends on how bad his uncle needs him.”
“That’s what he blew this off for?” I slam my wedges against the ground. “Fuck. I’m happy it’s not anything else, but… Dear Lord. They act like those trees are going to sprout legs and walk away.”
Arthur and Ilya share a laugh.
“You act like he didn’t tell you or somethin’.”
“He didn’t.”
“Logger, isn’t he?” Arthur takes a sip of my tea.
“Yes. Also that’s my drink.”
“But I bought it with my money, love. Technically it’s mine.”
I twirl my hair and give him my richest fake laugh. He rests his elbow on the back of my chair, all pride and playfulness. Speaking again. I fall deadpan.
“Careful with the roses, love, some of them have thorns.”
Arthur, unchanging, returns to his pruning. “And some like to think their thorns are much sharper than they realize.”
Ilya breaks out in a fit of laughter. I’m shocked he isn’t falling with how harshly he’s leaning back.
“Oh quit your laughter over there!” I snatch one of the thorn-laden stems Arthur broke off and throw it at him. “It wasn’t that funny.”
“Yes it was.”
Your smile says it all, dearest,” purrs Arthur.
“You—“ I slap his shoulder. “Shut up! This isn’t a smile. Even if it was, it’s surely from the heat and nothing else. God knows that joke was so dry, I can hear my Grandpappy coughing.”
Ilya keels over the chair next to him. “Oh my God, Em.”
Arthur, groaning, buries his head in his hands. At this point, I can’t resist my lips springing up like the flowers surrounding us.
“Lord almighty, this entire conversation has to be cleansed.”
“Hand me my book, Em,” asks Ilya as his hand pops up from the table.
My lungs birth a half-formed laugh that more so resembles a breath of air. I throw his book across the table.
“Too lazy to fetch it yourself, huh?”
“Damn right.”
Arthur clears his throat. Between his fingers, he twirls the freshly cut, dethroned English rose. He says nothing but wears a smile—go figure. Is there some sort of question he’s expecting me to answer? Perhaps a continuity error between the strands of silk petals? Before I can ask him such, he raises the rose to my ear, intertwining it with my curls.
“Love,” he says while his breath, like the late summer sun, tantalizes my skin. “Won’t you take a walk with me? For the better part of an hour, all you’ve done is sit here waiting for the likes of some guy to show up. Take a look at where you are, darling, we’re in paradise! I don’t want to see you wasting any more time not savoring it.”
My heart is exiled to my guts, where it becomes a feast for the wriggling maggots churning my intestines. I reach for my phone. If Matthieu catches me alone with him… The thought of that possibility is enough to bring me chills. It’s best if I wait here for him, really, but… without any news of his arrival… I could very well be damned to this chair for another hour before I get so much as a text claiming he’s on his way. In the grand scheme of things, what is a brief little distraction?
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Let’s Talk About Rowan
I’m gonna be honest with y’all… I really didn’t feel all this chemistry between Rowan and MC that I’ve seen people talking about. They had some mildly fun banter in chapter 1, but I just could not tap into the romantic connection two people who should have known each other better than anyone else and were in love were supposed to have.
And maybe that’s partially due to me just not being attracted to him at all. I think that aspect is way more important in these CYOA visual novels than is sometimes acknowledged. Especially for a chapter like the first one because, for better or worse, the visuals are static. It’s not like we’re watching a movie. We can’t actually see the characters’ body language — the glances that are just a bit too long, the coquettish smiles, how they gravitate toward one another, kiss/touch each other, etc. And we also can’t actually hear the flirtation, teasing, or sincerity in their voices. We can only use our imaginations to picture those things. Which is completely fine for regular books where you can still create your own image of a character.
But for a visual novel where you’re combining both pictures and narration, everything has to come together because you’re hindering the player’s ability to create their own image. When you put the reader in the middle of a scene that’s classic to spy themed media like the one in chapter 1 — where the goal is to introduce the relationship between perfect partners by showing just how damn good these two people are together professionally, emotionally, and sexually — but the description/narration is nothing to write home about, the character art is too lacking, or both.… you’ve already dropped the ball. So while I did enjoy the first chapter, it wasn’t enough to sell me on Rowan.
And that might have been okay for me personally if not for the other more general issues. But basically, we just didn’t get enough time with Rowan. There weren’t enough opportunities to learn about him as an individual and also see how he and MC worked together. We were told that they were great partners. But when were we shown that, really? I feel like the writers thought chapter 1 alone was enough to accomplish that, but it wasn’t. And instead of trying to do this big plot twist/reveal with Rowan actually being The Contractor…
which BTW maybe don’t tease the character in your promotions or allow players to customize them if you want people to enjoy that, PB 😒
…the story would’ve benefited from a string of additional flashbacks mainly showing MC and Rowan’s partnership/relationship, what led up to Rowan defecting from GAIA, and then tying back into him faking his death. Because The Contractor reveal wasn’t a good predictable kind of thing. It was bad predictable and ultimately kept me from feeling any type of way about it even though it seemed that we were supposed to. Imo if the writers had just acknowledged what a predictable twist it was from the beginning and actually clued us in on the details of it, it would’ve been much more enjoyable to wait for the MC to find out AND much easier to then feel the poignancy of that betrayal and his actual death along with MC.
#choices tpa#choices the phantom agent#playchoices#by ‘sexually’ I meant like chemistry wise btw#wasn’t sure if that was clear but I couldn’t think of how to describe that in one word along with the other things lol#ALSO I’m actually hella salty bc I saw some VIPs talking about this book and they gassed the ever living fuck out of it#saying that it picks up in the last several chapters and there were so many twists and stuff like that#I was truly waiting until the last chapter to make sure I didn’t miss anything exciting#and when I found out they were talking about the Rowan thing I was like 😐😤😭#even him dying was not surprising to me#long post
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Dev Daries
Feb 3, 2023
IT’S (me again announcing) BLACK HISTORY MONTH AYYYYYYEEEE!!!!!!!
Okay, some updates of the Crushed variety???
[image ID: a screenshot of the Itch.io page for the visual novel Crushed. end ID]
There are a few things I’d like to tweak before making the page public this weekend, one of them involving 1-2 more/different screenshots. Maaaaaybe some cute little graphics made via Canva?? But I’m starting to get an idea of the visual theme for this project. And it’s happening a lot faster than it did for HSD 😂
[image ID: a screenshot of a cell phone with an ongoing text conversation. end ID]
If this conversation looks familiar, that’s on purpose. I just want to bring your attention to what I’ve accomplished since last time LOL! All that’s left now is to replace the white bubbles with a different color, which is annoyingly not simple??? I also keep putting it off because that requires making A Decision. And I’m decision-ed out 💩
As y’all are aware, this is for the Black VN game jam. The original plan was to have a small enough project that could be done by or before Feb. 28, but this thing kind of ballooned and I’ve scaled back to “release 6-7k word demo with completed art and graphic assets, music, and text”.
As of the time of this post, the full 20k something words are coded. I can technically play through the whole thing including the three endings and it’s quite a thrill. I cannot wait until y’all get the same opportunity!!! (Ending 2 still makes me sob like a baby, wheeeeeeeee!)
The plan is to have the game out Summer 2023, but that is dependent on 1) how fast the art is finished (because ya girl is thinking unlockable CGs, but also there’s the sprite art which ahaha is the highest priority...ugh) and 2) how I’m doing health wise. But I will keep y’all posted, and of course I’ve got fun things to share as we wait for the full game to release!
CGs might be up in the air but...voice acting is a thing that’s happening??
Just tonight I had my first live direct with a voice actor y’all and now I see why so many game devs become addicted to incorporating it?!?!? (It’s partial VA so don’t get too excited but get a lil excited because the finished product is gonna sound so cool.)
At this point you’ve maybe seen the character reveals?? Or you’ve seen me Crying On Main and missed the self-reblogs 😭 y’all, I did not want to do a m!MC game!!!! I even went as far as making a post saying I wouldn’t make a BL game (note to y’all, back up ya shit AND never say never). But one of my unwritten mottos for this studio is to tell stories. Tell the stories that won’t let me know peace until they’re out.
And Crushed wouldn’t have worked with an f!MC. And I quickly found out it this story wouldn’t work unless it was bi Black boy.
the biphobia out here is something I’m going to fight until I’m 6ft under
Black boys and their stories are not a monolith, and I’m sick of teen media being written for adult consumption while disrespecting the teen demographic
one Black teen is going to play this game and it’s my hope, my desire, that they will feel less hollow inside when they finish...
So anyhoo. That’s your update.
If you’re looking for my “special brand” of game reactions and uncensored thoughts, I promise I will make the side blog public sometime 😭 I’ve been switching energy to books and I’m still trying to prove an author I adore wrong! When I asked her how does she balance gaming and reading, she looked into the camera and told me ‘you don’t’ and I hate that years later she’s still right...
And that’s that! I’m off now 🤪
- Gemini
P.S. I still plan on doing the bad endings for An Everyday Love and making it everyone’s problem, and that’s like half the reason I’m dragging my feet, so forgive me
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