#i used to get murderous when people called me short back in the dark times
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You know, most of the time being a 4'11 trans guy sucks, but every once in awhile someone comes along (danny devito, nog ds9) and it isnt so bad anymore
#ive actually gotten better about accepting my height since transitioning#i used to get murderous when people called me short back in the dark times#nog ds9#danny devito#transgender#trans man#i will say im not glad to be 4'11 but at least its funnier than being 5 flat#like at least its pretty funny being under 5 ft#id make a pretty good ferangi for what it counts
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Me and The Devil
pairing: qz!joel miller x afab!reader
how to help the palestinians and what it means to write for the last of us characters
description: joel seeks out revenge on the man who stole from him. he finds you in the process. 14k words
warnings: mdni!, dark content, DUBCON, joel is a bad man, no mention of age (but joel is older than reader), murder, weapon use (g*ns), mentions of drug and alcohol, excessive alcohol consumption from reader, nicknames for reader (sweetheart, little one, etc.), stockholm syndrome, forced withdrawals from alcohol, mentions of non-con, forced proximity, physical violence/assault, reader is freaky and insane, reader has a vagina and boobs, sub!reader, dom!joel, orgasm denial, masturbation, unprotected p-in-v, oral (m receiving), fingering, throat fucking, cumplay/cum eating, dirty talk, name calling, spanking. PLEASE LISTEN TO THE WARNINGS.
author’s note: hi everyone! this fic came to me literally like... january of last year. it sat in the docs forever. and then my wonderful and beautiful friend @amanitacowboy told me to pick it back up and it spiraled from there. she also helped me edit, so i've forever indebted to you, lindsey!! it's probably the meanest joel you will get from me. some of the story has loose ends, but it's intentional *brow wiggle* (; also thank you @pedgito for listening to me blab about this shit forever. lindsey and ali have heard every detail and tidbit in this fic, I swear. thank you for putting up with me! anyway, hope you dirty lil whores enjoy this one!
You thought he was a myth.
The crime-riddled streets of the Boston QZ seemed to lace different stories about him together. You could not understand how a pill dealer could also kill countless guards and top honchos. People would conjure up the wildest lies about the man, so you were always morbidly curious.
You would sit in your apartment organizing the weapons you and your partner laundered through the streets of the QZ, pondering what it would be like to meet the man. You were never the one to deliver the weapons, only ensuring you were getting what you paid for. Your partner, Roger, would dispense the weapons to God knows who.
It was enough to get you by. You never ran out of rations and your alcohol dependency was never a problem.
You were too young to be this beat down. That’s what Roger would tell you, at least.
But the truth of the matter was that before the QZ, you were free-roaming the US with no purpose. You killed a lot of people. When you arrived at the QZ with an ounce of ‘normalcy’ within your reach, you promised yourself never again. The darkness you harnessed would have to be forced down, sitting in the very pits of your being.
When you met Roger, he just needed someone to live in his apartment and watch his stash when he was gone. You did just that and eventually, you formed an odd bond with the older man. He would let you count his rations and drink his liquor. Four years later, you depended on him to bring you back alcohol in return for your watchful eye. If a shipment came in late, you would panic, thinking your addiction would get cut off. You needed something to numb the scrambling thoughts, violent tendencies, and crippling anxiety.
After one tough deal, Roger stumbles back to your shared apartment, venting about the man.
“Fuckin’ Joel screwed me again. Gave him two .22’s and the motherfucker shorted me a bottle of Oxys.”
You were already too far gone to listen to the rest of the rant, finding yourself dozing off on the couch. The alcohol too often consumed you, sending you into dark nightmares that would have you waking up in the dead of night screaming.
By the time you woke up, though, Roger was no where to be found. Him being gone was not the worrisome part, though.
No, what worried you was all the drugs and guns he left out on display.
Springing up from your spot on the couch, you instantly get to work hiding the paraphernalia. When you grab a handgun from the table where you remember Roger sitting before you close your eyes, you feel eyes on you.
You are still drunk and now your stomach is churning. You feel like you may throw up.
There’s a figure standing by the window. Too tall to be Roger.
Your instant dazed reaction is to hold the gun up, and point at the large man who stands in your messy bedroom. You blink away the sleep that’s still in your eyes and stumble a bit as the intoxication still riddles your bones.
“You were sleepin’ when I came in,” His voice is slow and deep and it sends chills down your forearms.
“Who are you?”
You managed to sound pretty confident, even though you were scared shitless. You had not been so rattled since you almost got bit by some infected a year ago. You can make out his clothes, but that’s about it. Dirty jeans, an old green flannel with holes, and dark brown boots.
“‘M Joel. Roger ever told you about me?”
He finally turns to face you. You’re shocked to see a handsome dark-haired man and not some damaged old mug. His eyebrows are perpetually furrowed it seems, but you could also tell he was annoyed you were pointing a loaded gun at him.
You were so terrified, you could not even speak.
He puts a hand up, holding it over the barrel of the gun. “You shouldn’t be pointin’ that at me, sweetheart.”
You just nod, slowly putting down the weapon. You did not want problems with him. You knew what he was capable of.
You also knew your aim would be off if you did try to shoot, still feeling like you were rocking on a boat.
“Sorry,” You mutter, bringing the gun down and to your side. You swallow hard as his eyes rake your entire body, “Yes, he’s told me about you. Other people have, too.”
He looks pleased with that response. He steps away from the window and begins to saunter over to you. His footfalls are heavy. You assume it is because of his filthy brown boots. Or maybe it was the intimidation factor he was playing for you. He did not need to scare you, because you were fucked up and not on your game. He could kill you at any time. Why has he not killed you yet?
“What have people said about me?”
You gulp, sucking in a whiff of his musk. He somehow still smelled good, even though it looked like he had been rolling in the dirt. His hair was pretty greasy but the curls laid perfectly on both sides. He looks like a guy you would avoid in the street, especially in this QZ. The attractive ones were usually the ones who would take advantage of any woman who looked their way.
“They said you’re dangerous,” You manage, holding the grip of the gun a bit tighter, “That you have killed a-a lot of people.”
“Yeah,” Is all he says, before stepping an inch closer, “Yeah, I have.”
You can not look away from him. You are so rattled at the fact that he is good-looking. You vividly remember hearing a couple of dealers talk about how formidable he was and for some reason, you mocked up a man who looked like The Joker from Batman.
He inspects you and your gun and crosses his arms, almost like he is guarding himself. “Now tell me… What did Roger say when he came home last night? I need to know how to handle this situation without spillin’ any more blood.”
You start to panic a bit, but you know you can’t be rash with your emotions. You did not want to be more blood that Joel Miller spills. You did not need to be a notch in his belt.
But you also did not want to rat out Roger. He had done so much for you and you knew deep down, he cared for you in his own sick ways. If you told Joel everything, would that come at cost to him?
What were you thinking? He was a dead man.
He notices your demeanor change and his eyes soften. “Don’t worry, little one. I don’t kill just anyone. Unless they cross me. You haven’t crossed me, have you?”
You do not know why or how, but tears start to spill from your eyes. You know you are not guilty of doing him wrong, but you have heard before that it does not matter in his eyes. By proxy, you are associated with the man who fucked him over. You would be next.
“I have not crossed you, Mr. Miller,” You start to slur a bit, your face getting wet quickly with more tears, “Roger just said you fucked him over. I was too fucked up to hear the rest. Said you didn’t give him enough oxys.”
Joel raises one hand and grabs the bottom of your chin. His skin is rough and callous against your sheeny skin. His whole aura gives off danger. You are too afraid to look at him. You’re trembling, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“That fucker stole them all, that’s why. When I tried to get him to confess his wrongdoings, fucker dipped out of there,” He explains, using his thumb to push one of your falling tears, “We followed him and luckily he swallowed too many pills even to realize we were breaking in. You were pretty out of it, too.”
“I w-was d-drinking last n-night,” You knew you had to get ahold of yourself. You were like sand in his hands, slipping right through his fingers. You were so easy to get information out of. “Where did you take him?”
Joel clicks his tongue, tilting your face so your eyes would look into his, “Don’t worry bout that, sweetheart.”
“Is he going to die?”
“Probably.” He states plainly, his eyes scanning your figure, “You’re going to show me where his stash is and ‘m gonna take back what’s mine.”
Your heart sinks to the floor. Roger was all you had. Without him running the guns and ammo, you had no way of income. You could not do these things yourself, especially now that Joel Miller knew who you were. No one would come near you when they heard he paid you and Roger a visit.
“I’ll show you,” You respond, trying to steady your voice. “Are you going to kill me?”
It was selfish. With him admitting to having to kill Roger, you knew you were fucked either way. Without a dealer or runner, you had no earnings. You were going to rot away in this apartment, dying from starvation. Joel killing you would be a mercy killing and from the sounds of it, he did not show much mercy.
“Just tell me where everything is.”
You shake your head as you step back away from him. Your instinct is to hand him the gun in your hands, proving to him that you are not a real threat. You grab the barrel and give him the grip, shaking it in his direction. “Here.”
He stares at you, the divots on his forehead still prominent. He slowly lifts his flannel. You first see his hairy tummy and then you see he has a 9mm strapped in his waistband. “Don’t need it, sweetheart.”
You keep the gun extended out to him, “You can have another.”
There’s a beat of silence, a bitterness in the air.
“Are you stalling?” Your blood runs cold. You were not, you were just afraid and unsure of yourself. You also assumed he would want your weapon so you would not use it against him. So many assumptions run through your head, that you are not even aware you are creating more uncertainty for him.
Your eyes drop, looking at the gun. “No, sir. Here… Follow me.”
You turn on your heels, walking back out to the dining room, right off the kitchen. You scoot the table away from the rug, the ammo and pills on the table vibrating as it moves. Joel watches your every move, the same unimpressed expression written on his face. You put the gun down on the table before you get on your knees at the corner of the rug. You pull it back, revealing a large trap door Roger installed before you moved in with him. It had a deadlock on it that was only able to be opened with a code.
You think for a moment, your muddled brain trying to remember the numbers.
8-3-6-7-1-9-6-9.
You say it out loud as you open it. When it clicks, you pull down and unhook it. As you toss it away from you, you hear Joel clear his throat. “Move.”
You instantly throw your hands up, crawling back onto your knees and sliding away from the trap door. You glance back at the tall man, seeing he has his gun trained on you. You did not even hear him pull it out. You sit back, pressing your shoulders into the wall opposite of the entrance of the storage cut-out. It’s lined with different drugs, handguns, some shotguns, and lots of pornography.
Joel chuckles darkly, looking into the unit. “Seems like you two are freaky, huh?”
You never assumed Joel thought Roger was your lover, but the inclination made you want to throw up. You shake your head, “He was. Not me.”
His addiction never really affected you in any way. He saved those vices for when he was alone. You do recall one night accidentally walking in on him doing something very disturbing that was forever etched inside your brain. Jerking off over a pillow with a magazine full of very young girls. You never looked at him the same way after that.
Roger was sick in the head, but he gave you drugs. He gave you alcohol. He gave you a place to stay.
Joel clicks his tongue, crouching down to loot through your stash. “You’re too young for’a man his age, anyway. Too pretty.”
The hairs on your arms and shoulders raise at such a comment. You cock your head to the side, watching the man curiously. He thought you were pretty.
He does not say anything else the rest of the time he is picking up bags of pills. He inspects each one, sniffing some of the bags as he does. The illumination from the window in the dining room lights up his face with golden stripes. It made you take note of his amber eyes. They were not dark brown in the sunlight. You can hear people on the street from the partially shattered panels, some dragged-out footsteps, and some hushed conversations. Screaming for help would be no use, people hear women screaming in the streets in broad daylight and do nothing. This QZ was not about justice. It was every man for himself.
Joel stands up, tucking his gun back into his waistband. His eyes laser toward you and you feel his gaze pierce you. “Stand up, you’re comin’ with me.”
You do not try to hide your fear. While you knew better, you silently hoped that he would just shoot you here, let you drown in your own blood in the comfort of your own home. But he was going to take you to a secondary location. You would be dying on his terms.
You push yourself up off the floor, your feet stuttering as you walk over to him. “Can I put on some shoes?”
He nods almost robotically. He watches you carefully as you drag yourself across the living room. You start to realize how torn up the place really is. Roger must have put up a fight because the side table is in pieces on the rug. You step around the splinters and grab your boots. After you tie up your laces, Joel is yanking you up by your bicep and dragging you into the dark alley your apartment opens up into. You were so fucked.
-
Joel is a harsh man, but he does not kill you.
You did not understand why he kept you around. You were eating his food, occupying a room in his apartment, and you were going through horrific withdrawals. He refused to give you an ounce of alcohol. The first couple nights at Joel’s, you were so sick that you violently shook for a whole day straight. You begged Joel through the door to shoot you and put you out of your misery. It was the worst feeling in the world. Your heart felt like it may beat out of your chest.
After the third day, your shakes had subsided and your mind was a bit more clear. You still felt like shit, but it was tolerable enough that you just laid in bed and stared at the floral wallpaper in your new bedroom.
You did not mind being spared, but being locked away was almost worse than death. You noted the mold smell the day you arrived in Joel’s apartment. You could not stop smelling it, no matter what you did. You kept telling yourself you would get used to it, but it always lingered. He restricted you to a bedroom where the window was completely caged. You had spotty natural light that only really peaked through in the evenings.
Joel would bring you a small meal every morning, usually stale bread and a mug of water. On rare occasions, his footsteps would stomp over to your rotting wooden door and he’d unlock the door to feed you for lunch. That only happened twice, though, and it was a bare-bones meal. But every night, right after sunset, he would barge in with a Spam sandwich and a cup of ice water. You would sit on the rusty framed-out bed as he sat in the armchair in the corner of the room by the window. Occasionally he would have a sandwich for himself, other times he would just sit there and watch you slowly eat the meal he provided.
And for some sick reason, you always thanked him.
He would never reply, his jaw slack and arms crossed. You only heard his voice a handful of times since he brought you here.
After two weeks of isolation and staring contests over dinner, Joel finally asked you a question after you finished your Spam sandwich. “Do you want to shower?”
You had not washed yourself in weeks and you could smell yourself. The idea of being able to shower was so appealing, that you actually smiled as he asked it.
Joel guided you across his expansive apartment into his bedroom. The entire place was falling apart, but Joel’s room seemed completely untouched by the times. It smelled like pine as soon as you bounded through the threshold. His bed was made up perfectly, with two pillows on each side. His side table only had one single lamp and a novel that’s title was in another language. Joel snatched you away from soaking up his oasis and forced you into the dated bathroom. He shuts the door behind him, clicking when he rattles the handle.
You swallow, “Are you joining me?”
He shakes his head, turning and grabbing the bar of soap on the edge of the vanity. “No, ‘m just making sure you don’t try anything.”
You narrow your eyes at him, not completely believing him. Joel had not made any moves towards you, so you are not sure why you are suddenly skeptical of his intentions. Even if he did try something, you knew you could not do anything about it.
You were at Joel’s mercy. You did not completely comprehend why he was locking you down in his home and you did not get why you were just going along with it. You used to be a ferocious fighter, but after everything with Roger, you did not know where else you would go if it was not with Joel.
You turn your back to him, hesitantly undressing. Your clothes were disgusting, stained with sweat marks that you left when you were going through withdrawals. As you drop them onto the cold tile, Joel clears his throat.
You cannot remember the last time you were nude in front of another man. Another person. It had to be over 10 years. “I got ya some new clothes. I’ll grab them when you get in the shower.”
You just nod. While you were grateful for new clothes, you were still confused as to why you were here. As you turn on the water, you peek back at Joel. He is not looking at you, he’s looking out the window. His hands are tucked in his pocket and you have truly never seen him look at peace. His face is relaxed and his shoulders are eased down.
You use your hand to gauge the water’s lukewarm temperature before you slip in behind the curtain. The bathtub is an off-white color. As soon as you get under the shower head, you note the dirt and grime combining with the water and spinning down the drain.
You use the bar of soap Joel gave you to clean off your frigid skin. The scent is just a hint of lavender. It must have been an old bar and with age, the smell has faded. As you massage it in, you hear the door creak open and click shut. You assume it’s Joel doing what he told you and then your mind circles back to your previous observation.
Why is Joel doing this?
You ponder the idea that maybe he is a sadist psychopath who just likes the idea of having someone held captive. But you had heard a lot about this man, and while he was a murderer, you never heard about him kidnapping or hurting women. If anything, he was easier on women who did him wrong.
But you were not a woman who did him wrong. You did nothing to him. You simply were in the wrong place at the wrong time. You did exactly what he asked and then you went along with his plans for you.
Maybe he was just lonely?
His deep voice slices through your thoughts, “You almost done in there?”
You nod even though he cannot see you. “Yeah, I’m almost done.”
You rinse the soap out of your hair and turn off the faucet. You peek your head out from the curtain and Joel stands there with a towel in his hands. He laid a pile of clothes on the sink and you noticed that your clothes were gone from off the floor. Joel extends the towel to you and you reach around and grab it.
It’s scratchy, but it absorbs all the beads of water off your body. You wrap it around your body, tucking the end under your right armpit. You pull back the curtain and Joel is still standing there.
You step over the edge of the tub, letting some of the droplets run onto the cold tiles. Joel’s eyes never leave yours, but as soon as you step towards the clothes on the counter, his eyes trickle down your body.
Your heart picks up when his hand comes up to your cheek. Your natural reaction is to flinch away from him, but his motion is quicker than you. He wipes away a water drip off your cheekbone, pulling it down to your jawline. “All better?” He asks, his voice low. You nod, sheepishly. “Yes, thank you.”
He smiles.
“So polite. So pretty.”
And then he leaves you alone, clicking the knob shut as he exits the bathroom.
You get dressed quickly. Joel somehow knows your exact sizes because the cargo pants, long sleeve, and undergarments are a perfect fit. You never even managed to find clothes to fit you this well when you were doing your own stealing and looting.
His words rattle around in your head and you start to panic a bit. You start to formulate a plan. You had to stop thanking him. You had to stick up for yourself a bit more. You had to see where your boundaries were with him. You had to figure out his motive.
It was scary. Daunting. But you knew you could not live like this much longer.
You reach out for the door, but the knob was already turned and being pulled forward. Joel stands by the entrance of the door and you stride out, your head held a bit higher than usual. His face shows confusion, but you do not falter.
“I’m still hungry.”
It is like all the air is sucked out of the room. Suddenly, Joel is nine feet tall and you are an inch short. Your voice was confident enough to pass, but it was like he saw right through you.
“I fed you.”
You swallow, your eyes averted from his face for a moment, “Can I have a snack?”
His frown is more memorable than his smile. It is a permanent fixture in his big scary man aesthetic.
“A snack?”
You almost want to laugh at his condescending tone. But you also realize how you are playing with fire and at any moment this man could snap and kill you. You had to know if you were able to test him, see if you could truly ask him for something and he would be willing to give it to you. This would be your lesson.
So you nod, very matter-of-factly.
He is looking at you like you have four heads, but he bites.
“Fine, I’ll getcha a snack. Why don’t you have a seat on my bed?”
His cadence is giving him away. You can already tell he is not good at hiding his annoyance. You hesitantly walk over to his bed, plopping down rather obnoxiously. Your feet swipe the rug like a child’s would as you wait for him to return to the room. When he comes back, he has a single piece of beef jerky between his fingers.
You narrow your eyes at the so-called snack. You hated cured meats and you were sure to let him know that. “Jerky?”
You are really testing him now. And you can tell by the way his chest rises and falls in one quick breath.
“You seem very ungrateful, little one.”
You reach out to grab the bark but he snatches it back in a quick motion. You crinkle your eyebrows at him, trying your best to feign innocence. With the way he is staring daggers at you, you should fear his next move.
“Beg.”
You feel like your chest cannot take any more air in. Your hand is still hanging in the air, trying to reach out to his offering, but his hand is holding it far from your grasp.
You do not want to beg, this standoff would be part of your resistance to his captivity. In your mind, something would have to give way eventually. You could not sit around and just take his crumbs and passive weird behavior. So, you shake your head no.
“Go to your room. You’ve pissed me off,” His tone is abrupt and rushed. You do not want to push this further, knowing that you have made it an inch with him and were not completely ready to run the mile. You needed to game plan your next move.
You stand up, walking painfully slow to the door and leaving his space. His steps trail behind you, ensuring you did what he asked you to do. You can smell his musk, which makes the hairs on your arms stand up. He smelled good for a man as rugged as him.
When you reach your bedroom door, you grab the handle and turn around to face him. He stares down at you, his pupils dilated.
You make one last plea. “So, no snack?”
You regret saying it immediately. He puts the jerky bit up to his lips, opens them deliberately, and takes a huge bite of the meat. It pulls apart with a crackle and watching it, you know it probably would hurt your teeth if you did something like that. His flexed jaw is a lot stronger than yours. His action is animalistic in a way, reminding you of a lion tearing into an antelope.
And for some reason, it brings a rise of heat from your shoulders to your cheeks. Watching his teeth gnaw on the jerky sends your mind traveling to la la land.
His voice forces you out of your thoughts. “Go to bed. Now.”
-
He stopped bringing you breakfast. Instead of your usual routine, Joel started giving you one small meal a day. You start to resent him and by the looks he is giving you, he is still bitter over your whole scheme with the snack.
You woke up hungry, which only started your day off wrong. You are regretting ever testing him in the first place. You were biting the same hand that literally fed you. The more you think about it, the more you realize that you should be grateful he is even keeping you alive. Why are you even trying to rock the boat with him? In some weird twisted way, he gave you a second chance. You were completely sober from alcohol going on a month now. And while most nights you grieved the burn of it going down your throat, your mind was more clear. You felt more grounded in reality. You did not want to go back to the way you were. Sure, you were hungry, but you were not plastered and sleeping 18 hours a day, and that seemed like a fair enough trade.
But the ache of your chest started to set in. You were feeling impulsive. You do not clearly remember how your body felt before you started drinking so much, but you do recall the aggression that would riddle your bones from time to time. The knee jerk reaction just to let loose. It had gotten you in some very sticky situations, but it was a sort of rush you craved.
After three days of the stalemate, he brought you the Spam sandwich and a short cup of water for dinner. You do not look at him when he walks into the room, and you do not thank him.
You had to get on his good side again. Somehow.
“Are you on a hunger strike or somethin’?” His deep Southern drawl always extending out the end of his sentences. You loved hearing it.
You shake your head no.
“You stopped giving me breakfast,” You grumble, reaching out to the plate he offers you. He shrugs, plopping down in his usual chair in the corner. He does not have his dinner in hand tonight. He leans forward, his elbows resting on his knees.
“You were bein’ an ungrateful little bitch. I am offerin’ you a second chance here and you are not appreciative,” He states, almost sighing. You grit your teeth at his name for you, but you decide it is not worth the argument.
You take a bite of the stale bread. The moan of your stomach subsides for a moment.
“I am appreciative…”
He sits back, his shoulders flexing under his jean button-up. You scan his body, noting his dirty clothes and muddy brown boots. He was always tracking things into your bedroom from the bottom of his shoes and it ate away at your need for wanting things more clean. Your sober mind needed tidiness.
He grunts, “Doesn’t seem that way, sweetheart. Didn’t thank me just now.”
You try to get your thoughts in order before you respond. You take one careful bite into the sandwich, trying to read the man sitting in front of you. He got you sober. He feeds you and houses you even though he could have shot you in the face for being involved with a man who screwed him over. And he is not a bad view to look at when you eat.
“Thank you, Joel.”
He stands up and saunters over to you. As you swallow your bite, your eyes trail up his large frame. You start to worry a bit. Maybe he did not see your answer as genuine.
His thumb begins to trace the outline of your jaw, before slowly making its way up to your cheekbone. You grasp onto the plate tighter, your eyes piercing his as he focuses in on your lips. When you think he’s about to pull away, his palm goes over your mouth and his hand squeezes your cheeks together. His grip on you is painful, his fingers sinking into the divots of your upper jaw.
“You are receptive to feedback. Which is a good thing…” He trails off. Your heart starts to pound against your rib cage as you wait for the other shoe to drop. His hand jerks your head to the right, inspecting your side profile. “You will be good for me.”
You do not know what he is insinuating and are too afraid to speak up. You dip your head down, trying to promise him silently. Yes, I will be good. Please don’t kill me.
He slowly lets go of your face. He brings his thumb up to his lips and licks the very tip of the finger. You watch him bring it back down to your level. You flinch when he brings it up to the very corner of your lip. He wipes away at something like a father would to his young child who had food left on their face.
Joel was violent. But he was quiet about it and that scared you. He moved with such intention and you found yourself occasionally hypnotized by his aura. He was unlike any man you ever met. It could be the fact that others around you made him out to be some enigma, but maybe he was one.
You finally manage to speak up, the sudden tender touch starkly different from the aggression just minutes before.
“What do you want with me?”
It comes out as a whisper, but with Joel being so close, his ears perk up.
His face does not change from the steeled expression. “Time.”
-
He gives you breakfast one morning. You have been sleeping in, trying to use slumber as a substitute for food and it seemed to work for a couple of days. Joel brings in a plate with eggs and some stale bread. You had not seen him bring in eggs before and it shocked you. Your eyes almost well up in tears when he hands it to you in bed.
“Thank you, Joel.”
He sits in his usual spot and watches you scarf down the meal. “I am going to be gone for a couple of days.”
Your eyes shoot back at him, confusion laced in your countenance. “What about me?”
“I’m letting you have access to the kitchen and living room. You’re not allowed to leave. The door will be locked from the outside.”
The thought of being alone for that long scares you. Your thoughts start spinning. Why is he leaving you? Why would he let you be alone? Would you be able to eat?
Joel can see the cogs turning in your brain.
“You are leaving me alone?”
He claps his hands on his thighs as he stands, “I have a run to make. I usually have other guys do it for me but I gotta do this one myself. You will be okay.”
For some reason, your instinct is to worry about him. Going out of the QZ walls is always a very dangerous feat and you knew he would be unprotected from the elements and infected. Joel seems more than capable, but anything can happen. What would happen if he died out there?
“How long will you be gone?”
The question comes out desperate and you do not mean it to. You crawl out from under your covers, planting your feet on the ground. You suddenly felt hot. When the cold air hits your bare legs, you realize that you forgot you discarded your pants in the middle of the night. You were just in your underwear in front of him.
Joel’s eyes flicker down your unclad legs. You had a good radar when it came to men checking you out and as much as you did not want to admit it, you knew Joel was doing just that.
His lips twitch, “Not long. Two days, max.”
You cross your legs, holding your hands in front of your crotch in an attempt to try to shield yourself a bit. You watch him meander over to you, his steps purposeful. Once he reaches about a foot away, your breathing slows as his hand trails up your arm.
You felt this tension rise within the room and for a second you think he may act on his reaction to your legs. But instead, he just clears his throat. You are a bit disappointed and you do not know why.
“I’ll be good, Joel.”
-
You survive the first night. You busy yourself with stuff around his apartment. You decide that you would not snoop through his belongings, only organizing the kitchen cabinets and alphabetizing his record collection. You had found a sense of purpose, filling your day with pointless tasks.
When the second night comes, you decide that you finally need a shower. Joel did not tell you that you could use the bathroom in his room, but you became aware that the other tub did not work and was covered in mold. The smell in the bathroom was enough to make you gag.
You were starting to reek of body odor and you did not want to sleep another night smelling the way you did. Plus, you knew the soap you used when Joel called you pretty was in that shower. He could not be that mad.
So, you tiptoe into his room and wander into his bathroom. When you flick on the light, you notice some of his beard shavings in the sink bowl. To the left of the shower curtain, you spot a jumbled pair of boxer shorts. You feel a pang in your stomach. His face appears in your mind. You cannot stop yourself from imagining him in the room with you, just like he was when you stripped for your shower before.
You step into the cool water, letting it soak you as your hands traveled around your body. Your nerve endings were buzzing as your thoughts pondered the idea of Joel being there with you.
The glimmer of his eyes when you were pantsless days before still rattled around in your head. You had not been desired in so long and with that action alone, Joel made you feel wanted. The tension was so palpable. His close proximity to you, the occasional gentle touches, it was enough to fill your mind with all the dirty possibilities.
Your hand travels down to between your legs. At first it’s only to clean, but as you explore, you cannot help but slip your fingers between your folds. The titillating motion is enough to have you throwing your head back in pleasure. You squeeze your eyes shut, thoughts drifting to how you need an explosive release and you sickeningly want Joel Miller to give it to you.
Your pointer finger and middle spread your folds, rubbing carelessly and eagerly. You have not felt this driven to orgasm in years. You recall the sight of Joel’s stomach the first day you met him. Then you think about the boxers right outside of the shower next to you. Your thoughts spin and suddenly he’s naked in your mind.
Your hand only moves quicker with the thoughts. Your clit is aching with such intensity, you are shuttering and using your free hand to balance yourself on the tub’s wall. The water is pounding down your chest, dripping through the valley of your breasts.
Your eyes open a bit as you try to find your footing and you notice a bar of soap that’s covered in his short hairs. You snatch it up, bringing it up to your nose as your lips quirk up into a smile.
Of course, it smells like him.
You finger yourself faster, his name spilling from his lips as you press the bar into your face. It is almost like you are imagining it is his face stuck to your face.
“Joel… Oh my god, Joel-”
The sound of the curtain being ripped away from its spot makes you completely jump out of your skin. His fierce brown eyes raking down your completely nude frame, hunched over and in a compromising position. He slams his fist against the faucet, shutting the water off in one swoop. You drop his soap to the floor, scrambling backward trying to dodge his rage.
He is pissed.
His hand wraps around your bicep, ripping you out of the tub and onto the tile. Your hip hits the ground first and it sends a shooting pain up your back. He is panting like he just ran a mile, standing over your sopping naked frame.
“What are ya’? A bitch in heat?” He spits. You are so dazed and a bit afraid, you start to shake and raise your hands in defense.
He squats down to you, his eyes scanning your dripping body. His hands work so quick to reach out and grab your face. With clenched teeth, he brings your face close. “Answer me.”
His grip is tight on your face and you do not know if you can even respond effectively. You feel your core pulsate with the way he has a hold of you.
“I-I wanted to s-shower.”
He mocks you, “I-I… You are fuckin’ yourself in my shower like a dirty whore.”
He turns back to check to see if he actually saw you holding his bar of soap. It’s in pieces at the bottom of the tub surround. He pulls his hand away but the sting still remains.
“I-I’m sorry, Joel.”
His gaze falls upon you again, a little less aggravated. “Dry off and get dressed. Sit on my bed when you’re done.”
-
Your mind is all over the place when you sit down on Joel’s bed. He is not in the room but you hear him in the kitchen moving around. You hear the clatter of some plates and then him grunting.
When he barges in,you can tell he is annoyed still.
“You reorganized?”
Your heart pounds with uncertainty. You did not believe that would ever set him off, but you are starting to realize you have gauged Joel incorrectly. “Yes.”
He stops his pacing, his hands still propped up on his hips. “Why?”
“Because I needed to keep busy while you were gone. I also went through and-”
“Alphabetized the records. I saw.”
Nothing was getting past him. Your breathing is labored, the idea of him killing you for helping him be more orderly is so pathetic. You had to go out in a better way.
You clench your hands in your lap, “I did not mean to make you angry.”
He does not say anything, staring at you with an askane expression. He pivots to the dresser beside the bed, opening up the top drawer. He pulls out a pair of gray sweatpants and a beat up white t-shirt. He folds them meticulously, stacking them and then handing them to you.
You reach out for them, putting them in your empty lap.
“Put them on and get under the covers.”
Of all the things he could have said, this surprises you the most. “In my own bed?”
“No, this one.”
You look back at his perfectly made bed. He wanted you to sleep with him?
“Joel-”
“We are tryin’ somethin’ new tonight. Change your clothes while I take a shower with my soap, and be under those covers when I get out,” His outline of directions is seriously rattling you to your core. You felt nervous but almost excited?
You watch him turn on his heels and amble over to the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. Your stomach sinks when you hear the lock click. You look down at the clothes he gave you, raising them up to check the tags.
Just your size.
-
His bed is way more comfortable than the mattress you were cursed with. The blue quilt feels soft and worn under your fingertips. You lay on your back, feeling out of your own body. You hear the water shut off in the bathroom and your heart starts racing. You hear the rip up the curtain and some small stomps as Joel must be exiting the shower.
When the door creaks open and you see him standing in only some boxer shorts, your breathing hitches. His hair is brushed backward and his hairy upper body is a sight to behold. You silently wished you had this image earlier when you were rubbing your clit.
He walks over to his dresser, the same dresser he pulled clothes for you out of, and grabs a plain white t-shirt. He tosses it over his head, pushing his arms out of the holes on the side. It was slightly stained at the collar and it was see-through enough that you saw his dark chest hair still.
“You are sleeping with me tonight,” He announces, walking over to the opposite side of the bed. Your stomach flips when you watch him pull the blanket back and crawl under the blanket. You observe how drastic his mood shifted from ripping you out of the shower. Why did he want you in his bed? What was his end goal? Your core is still sticky with your desire. You secretly wish he would just take advantage of you already.
But he does not even turn your direction. You watch him face his back to you, tuck one arm under his pillow and shut the lamp off.
Your mind starts to race. The bedroom door is unlocked, you can see it in the moonlight. You could easily slip out of the bed in the middle of the night and head for the front door and run.
But it’s the same thought that slipped your mind when Joel left you a couple days ago. You could have jumped out a window, rigged the doorknob to the apartment to get out, but you just never did. Instead, you sat idle inside Joel’s apartment and waited for him to return.
And now you have access to him when he’s at his most vulnerable. What was preventing you from sneaking a pointy object into the bedroom and stabbing him directly in the throat?
Because you needed him. And while your demented and violent thoughts of all the ways you could kill him rattled around in your mind, you knew deep down you would never do it. You craved the need to impress him. To be good for him.
He’s silent next to you, not a sound leaving his body. You are not even sure if he is asleep when you slowly turn on your side, facing away from him as well.
Somehow, you sleep better in his bed than your own.
-
The routine changes after that night.
Joel wakes up as soon as the sun breaks the sky and he leaves you in his bed as he prepares you breakfast. When you hear the door reopen, you always wake up to his frame standing over you with a plate. You rub your eyes as you grab the handoff, propping yourself up on his headboard. He would sit on the end of the bed, nibbling on his own meal.
And then he starts asking you questions.
It starts off with him asking you where you were from originally. You explain how you traveled with a group of people that were essentially raiding other established communities. You had escaped the Baltimore QZ when a bunch of people got infected practically overnight and there was no oversight. When you got out, the people who survived with you became vicious and desperate.
Then he asks you about your relationship with Roger.
You give him the overview. You tell him you relied on him to fund your mind-numbing habits and he left you to look over his stash. When you press him about what he did to him, Joel gives you those eyes. Almost to say “you don’t get to ask the questions here.”
Most days you sat on the couch and read his collection of books. You were not the fastest reader so it took days to get through some of the stories. He had a lot of books about space and a variety of science fiction. He would leave every day, running his usual business. When he got back home, you would still be planted on the sofa, reading. He would slam his keys down and get to work on your Spam sandwich.
Every other night you would shower. After the soap incident, he kept his soap on the very top corner of the shower. When you first noticed it, you smiled sickly.
The sleeping situation is the same every night. You lay on your back, Joel lays on his side, completely facing away from you. Sometimes in the middle of the night, your arms would brush his back and he would stir. You tried your very best not to test his limits even though you had no real clue what they were.
One particular night, the window he kept cracked was letting in the most frigid air. You always ran cold while Joel was like a furnace when he slept. He radiated enough heat to keep a whole house warm. But this night you were shaking under the quilt, your toes feeling like they may fall off.
You turn on your side, facing his expansive back. You are so deliberate with your movement that when your arm falls over his waist, his body jolts. Instead of slapping you away or turning to face you, his body just stills completely, not even a rise and fall of breath.
“What are you doing?” He asks through the darkness, his sleepy voice. Almost wholesome.
You stifle a response, trying your best to sound confident. “I’m cold.”
He finally breathes out, his arm moving down over yours and holding it against his waist. Your heart races so hard you can hardly fathom falling asleep, but at least you were warm.
You start to do it every night, even when the air is balmy outside. You settle on your side, your arm swinging over his waist and pulling your lower half taut with his butt. You never expected you would ever be spooning Joel Miller every night, but here you were, wearing his clothes with your pelvis flush to him.
Your hand finds his hips one night while you adjusted your position. Your hand graces right below his waist and you feel his member half-hard in his boxer shorts. It makes your eyes snap open, the shock of your body waking him up. Your hand does not move, though. You hover it over that spot, curiously wanting to touch him through his shorts.
“Do you feel me?”
His voice makes your throat tighten, unsure of how to respond to such a question. So you just hum and shake your head.
He takes your reluctant hand and pushes it down to his clothed cock, his body pushing back into a bit. Your mind is still a bit fuzzy from your slumber, but when you feel him harden under your touch, you do not want to stop until you finish him.
He is deliberately moving your hand around, pulling it over and under his boxers until you are touching his bare cock. You shutter at how large it feels in your hand and you cannot even see it from how you are laying. Your hand cannot completely wrap around it due to its girth.
“Joel…” You practically whimper, clawing his back to get him to lay back so you can see him. He does not budge, still laying on his side.
Your hand massages the very base of his dick, his curly hair poking your fingertips as you do. You are so eager that as you jerk him off, he grabs your hand to start guiding you slower. When your hand graces his tip, he hisses.
“Gotta take me slow, girl,” He groans, holding your wrist so tight you know it will be bruised in the morning. You do as he says, slowly and methodically following how he likes to be jerked off. After a minute, you can hear his shallow breaths increasing as you bring your speed up just a bit.
“Are you gonna cum?”
You try to say it in a sultry voice, but it comes out rushed and desperate. You just want to see him seize by your own hand. Joel grunts, his grip on your arm practically stilling your movements before he can even finish. You resist his persistent handle on you. You craved to make him orgasm. Eventually, he pushes his hips forward into your hand, sighing as he releases.
You feel the ropes of cum spill all over the back of your hand. As soon as the warm seed empties onto you and his tummy, he rips back the covers and stumbles into the bathroom. He shuts the door so fast, you hardly see him through the dark.
You look at his clear-white fluid on your knuckles and smile in satisfaction.You want him to see your next actions.
The bathroom light spills into the room as he holds out a wash rag to you. It’s obvious it’s the one he just used on himself. You shake your head, bringing your hand up to your lips, extending your tongue, and licking the spend off your knuckles. You swallow, willingly.
He gawks at you, his eyebrows still knitted together, watching you clean off your hand entirely. “Didn’t even need my help. What a good girl.”
-
You wake up with Joel standing over you. It rattles you a bit, his stare zeroed in on your face.
“Mornin’,” He uttered, holding out a small pile of clothes for you. “We are goin’ on a field trip.”
The last thing you expected after jerking the man off last night was an outing. You sit straight up, holding out your hands for him to shove the clothes in your palms.
“Where are we going,” You stammer, pushing the covers down your legs.
His eyes rake down your body as you stand up, almost standing at attention in front of him.
“You’re comin’ to work with me.”
You look down at the clothes he has given you. Some cargo pants, a short sleeve gray top, and even a new pair of underwear.
This is the first outing you have had since being with Joel, so you are a bit nervous thinking about how the outside world may be. It cannot be any worse than it already was, but you worried about how you would be perceived walking down the street with Joel Miller.
The more you ponder the idea, you start to feel more reassured than anything. If you were placed beside anyone, you would want it to be with the guy everyone feared. No one would ever think to give you a hard time.
Joel’s line of work was dangerous but it was also a powerful role to have in this fucked up world in the QZ. You were on the right side of the insanity, in your opinion. Joel was your protection in some demented fucked-up way.
You get dressed as he makes breakfast. This morning, he decides to make you two some eggs that he said were getting old so he had to make them. He likes his eggs runny, so you had to like yours runny, too.
You two sat at the dining table as you ate. He scarfs his down in a minute, while you take your time to savor the different flavor. You missed eating food that was not Spam or plain bread. Joel notes your painstakingly slow chews.
“Hurry up, we got places to be.”
-
The people on the streets pay mind to you now. Before, when you did leave your former place with Roger, everyone kept their heads down. Occasionally people would slam into you with their shoulders, acting like they could phase right through you.
When you walk with Joel, people move out of the way.
The alleyway is not too far from Joel’s apartment. He forces you to walk in front of him, copying every step you make with his loud footfalls. He grabs your shoulders to direct you down a concrete staircase that seems to lead to nowhere. At the bottom, a brute man stands with his arms crossed. You hesitantly stop right in front of him, your eyes taking in all the scars littering his face.
Joel grunts. “She’s with me, Pete. Thomas and Garrett in there with him?”
The man, who’s now known as Pete, just nods minutely. Joel pushes the door beside him open and grabs your forearm to drag you through the threshold. It’s a dimly lit hallway that smelled like dampness and gunpowder. There’s two light bulbs dangling from the paint chipped ceiling that guide you to the end of the hallway. Joel pushes open the door, and you smell that familiar metallic smell.
It was a smell that leaked into your dreams occasionally. It’s so overpowering you can almost taste it.
When you walk in, the room is occupied by three men. Two are standing over the other, their bodies blocking the entirety of the scene. You do note the huge puddle of blood on the floor near a knocked over wooden chair. Joel clears his throat and the two men step away looking at Joel, then you. They have to be around your age, maybe a bit older. The blond man speaks up first as he scans your body.
“Bringing your kid along for the show?”
You glance over at Joel who’s jaw tightens. You watch his whole demeanor shift, his body becoming rigid.
“Get out of here, Garrett.”
The blond man furrows his brows, not understanding why he was really being directed to leave. You can sense a bit of hesitance. “Joel, I’m just kidd-”
“Get the fuck out, now. We don’t need you.”
The man scrambles past you and Joel, shutting the door behind him. The dynamic Joel and his men have is very easy to figure out. Whatever he says, goes. The look the other man is giving him is that of unease.
“He confessed that he stole from our stash. More than once.” Joel walks forward, drawing his gun out. Finally, the man on the floor comes into full view.
And you recognize him.
He was a pill smuggler that had come over to Roger’s a couple times before. He always gave off the vibe that he would take advantage of anyone, especially a woman. He would whisper things about you to Roger and you remember a couple times when he had inappropriately touched you. You believe his name to be Don. Maybe Ron.
His eyes are swollen and bruised. His lip is completely split open and he has a gnarly gash on his left cheekbone. He is tied up, his arms and legs bound by ropes and zip ties.
You are not at all phased by blood, but his beaten body is a bit hard to look at. He was not a nice looking man already, and surely the swelling was not helping him.
His lips part almost like he is about to speak up, but Joel swipes the butt of his gun across his face with insane accuracy.
One thing about you was you did not turn away from violence. Now that you are sober, it's easier to recognize that something was off for you to be so unfazed by the savagery. You sickeningly enjoyed watching people get their karma.
You had no context as to why this man was bound and brutalized in this random basement, but you knew Joel had good reason to set him straight.
“Donny boy, I thought we were friends,” Joel’s voice is dripping with sarcasm. He seems in his element as he squats in front of the man, “And you fucked me over good. Sold out people only to get yourself in this position. Pretty fuckin’ dumb.”
Don can hardly sit up, his body completely tilted with his elbow propping up his entire body weight. You can tell he is struggling to respond, but you hear the faintest voice quip up.
“I told the truth, please,” He begs as he attempts to sit up more. Joel grabs his shoulder roughly, balancing his back on his butt. “I won’t do it again.”
You cannot see Joel’s face, but you know he does not believe that. His shoulders slot back a bit as he stands up and turns to face you. His face is straight, not showing any emotion at all. You notice the gun still in his hand, his finger completely off the trigger.
“You know him?”
You just nod, your eyes peering down at the gun he has directed at you. His eyes flicker back and forth, seemingly contemplating what to say next. He pushes the weapon into your hand, his fingers curling around the grip so that your hand would follow suit. You watch every meticulous move, pulling the safety clip, slipping his hand away and gesturing towards the man.
“You’re gonna kill him.”
Your eyes fly open, unsure if this problem should be dealt with by you. The promise you made to yourself when you stepped foot in this QZ rattled around in your brain as you tried not to show Joel your irresolution. Your mouth is dry when you gulp, “Why?”
His hand presses on your back as he pushes you towards the guy. You are about 2 feet from him and Joel’s face is so close to your ear. It’s the closest he has ever been to you. You can feel his breath on your lobe and neck and it makes bumps scatter across your body.
He raises your arms, pointing the barrel towards Don. As soon as he does that, Don starts begging. His voice shaking, sweat pooling on his forehead, tears pricking at the corners of his swollen eyes.
Joel’s voice is so hushed over Don’s pleas. “He is the one who told me about Roger stealing from me. Little did I know, he was stealing from me, too.”
It is like a switch goes off in your brain. Your eyes are trained forward on the trembling man but it is as if the whole world went quiet when Joel stopped speaking. You hear white noise in your ears and your mind shuts off for a nanosecond. Your pointer finger slots between trigger guard and trigger and you squeeze, your aim right at his head.
You feel the spray explode across your face and suddenly you snap back to your reality.
Your body was overtaken by the need to please. The need to impress Joel. It was also like your own sick revenge. This man is the reason Roger was dead. The reason you got ripped from your normalcy. Your brain had no time to catch up to your body’s actions. Instead of flinching or falling backward away from the body of the traitor, you stand over him like he’s some commodity in a circus. With wonder and curiosity, you lower the gun and smile.
Joel steps beside you, his face expressing fervor.
Finally facing him and forgetting the other man in the room who was just a witness to the scene, you speak up.
“Did I do good?”
A small semblance of a grin spreads across his lips. “Very good, sweetheart.”
-
You and Joel do not stay in the room long after. Very quickly, he ushers you into another room where he checks a cabinet full of guns, looking over each other and counting in a hushed tone. You hear bounding footsteps in the hallway and men talking amongst each other.
The voices are rushed and surprised. One states, “She didn’t even flinch. Joel’s lucky to have her.”
You feel a tickle on your brow and itch it absentmindedly. As you pull your finger back and look at it, it is stained red.
You find a shiny surface in the room of arms and paraphernalia, glancing at your own reflection. The smear of blood goes across your forehead, while the splatter itself is speckled across your cheeks like freckles. Joel stops what he is doing to check you out, his steps trailing up to your back. His breathing is quite labored and as you stare at your own mirror image, you note the look he’s giving you.
His hand goes across your chest, his finger tips starting to dance across your décolletage.
“We gotta clean you up. Can’t have you walkin’ the streets lookin’ like you killed someone.”
He says it while he rubs the blood across your chest, smearing it and massaging it into your skin.
You loved it when he touched you. Even if it was roughly, you counted yourself lucky that Joel felt the need to do so.
“But I did kill someone.”
Your voice does not have any hesitance, you are simply stating facts. Joel’s chin tilts upward, his hand grabbing your shoulder and jerking you around to face him. His face is practically millimeters from the tip of your nose.
He grunts, almost like he’s clearing his throat. “And you didn’t even second guess me. I didn’t even need to push you, you just did it.”
You smirk to yourself, enjoying the slight praise he is giving you.
“And here I thought I was testin’ ya.”
Your eyes flicker up to his, trying to see right into his soul. Testing you?
“Did you not expect me to do it?” You bite.
“I had an inklin’ you’d be loyal. Consistent. Even a bit violent. But I didn’t expect a killer.”
Your chest rises at his statement. You are trying to manage your breathing as his words have a visceral effect on you. It was like he was talking dirty to you. Why did his impression of you mean so much? Ever since you met the man, you were at his mercy and you got off at his reassurance. It was like he was your new vice.
His right hand traces down your bare arm, while his left grabs your jaw. “Let’s get you cleaned up and home, how ‘bout it?”
You agree with a jerk of your head.
-
Once you walk into the apartment again, you are reminded of the smell of mold again. When the scent hits your nostrils, you scrunch your face. Joel is quick to notice the expression because his eyes and hands have not left your body since you shot that guy. He has been watching your every move.
You toe off your shoes by the front door as Joel tosses down the keys. He takes the handgun out of his waistband and places it carelessly next to them.
When he turns to look at you, he crosses his arms. He is studying you as you unzip the jacket he offered you. It was only to cover the blood that stained your new outfit.
“Take it off slow.”
You shoot him a confused look, still trying your best to follow his instructions. You shrug the jacket off your shoulders, letting it purposefully fall down your arms. The blood on your clothes has left semi-permanent spots on your skin. Once the clothing pools to the floor, you stand there at Joel’s mercy.
He clenches his jaw, nodding slowly as he inspects you. “Now the shirt.”
You do not second guess his next directions. You grab the hem of your shirt and draw it upward over your head. The fabric goes across your lips and nose lifting them up awkwardly. You smile when you drop the next article next to the jacket.
The anticipation makes your pussy pulsate. You have thought about this moment for longer than you care to admit.
“Pants.”
The pants are buttoned so you fumble with getting it undone before you are shoving them down your goosebump-ridden legs. When they get to your ankles, you use the opposite feet to step on the fabric and pull them off your feet. You kick them further away than the shirt and jacket.
You are only in your underwear in Joel’s living room. He is looking at you with such confliction. You have never felt very self conscious until this very moment.
“Should I keep going?”
It is an innocent question, but there is lustful intention behind it. There would be a point of no return if he did answer it.
“I was gettin’ there,” He steps towards you, his guise not giving away any of his next movements. His face was still unyielding. “Panties first.”
Your breathing hitches when his fingers wrap around the elasticity of the waistband.
“I’m still c-covered in blood-” “Shut up.”
You nod, sliding the underwear down and revealing your already dripping core. He sucks in a big breath of air as his hand reaches between your legs and swipes at your wetness with the pads of his fingers. Your entire body tenses, the feeling so foreign and exciting that you cannot contain your gasp for air.
Finally his expressionless face changes to a small twinge of a smile, “Dirty fuckin’ girl. Have been wantin’ this for a long time, eh?”
You are afraid to admit it out loud so you just nod. His fingers still make work through your folds and your knees feel like they may buckle with every swipe. Joel notes your position and grabs your face with his left hand, squeezing your cheeks so hard it forces you to look at him and stand up straighter.
His fingers dip into you briefly, making squelching noise so loud that you both groan.
“Joel,” you whimper, sounding desperate and hasty.
He leans forward, pressing his lips to yours. It is a passionate act you did not expect. You did not know that sex would Joel would mean open mouth kisses, but you are thankful for it. His hand releases its grip on your cheeks and wraps itself around the base of your throat. Your lips slip open for his tongue, letting it explore every inch of your mouth. His fingers are making their slow methodical movements around your clit, driving you absolutely insane with desire.
Your body seems so in tune with every movement he makes, but as you makeout with him, you realize it is because he has molded you this way. To curve and bend to his every will and way.
And you loved every moment of it. You thirsted for this type of control. You knew you would not have to worry or have a second thought, ever. Joel was already ten steps ahead and thinking out everything for you.
He pulls away from the kiss, his eyes flickering between your lips and eyes. You note the red tinge of blood on his lips from kissing yours.
“Get on your knees.”
You obey, whining when you realize that means he would no longer be keeping your pussy warm with his hand. Once your knees hit the hardwood, his hands are making work at his belt and jean buttons.
“You know how to suck dick? Or do I gotta do all the work for ya?”
Your eyes fly open at the vulgarity. You tug your bottom lip between your teeth, “Yes, Joel. I’ve done it before.”
Having his dick in your hand last night was one thing, but seeing it for the first time is jarring. He is definitely the biggest you have ever had the pleasure of being in front of. He can tell by the look on your face that you are a bit stunned.
“Let’s see how you do,” He inches his waist closer to your face and slightly ajar lips, “Open.”
Complying is what you do for Joel.
You open your mouth nice and wide as he inches his cock into your warm mouth. You close your eyes, trying to focus on not disappointing him with your gag reflex. You try your best to relax, but his watchful eye is making you feel disoriented.
He pulls out, letting you take a breath, only to push back in more forcefully. You try to stop his intrusion by putting your hand up on his hairy bare thigh, but it is no use. Your closed eyes prick with tears as Joel pulls out again, this time he is slapping his dick across your mouth.
“Keep those fuckin’ eyes open and on me. Open nice n’ wide and relax that fuckin’ throat.”
His demands needed to be met, so you nod and adjust your position, laying your tongue out. He inches in again and instead of resisting, you relax and watch him through your eyelashes. His face twists as he draws back, his cock getting so impossibly close to the back of your throat. When he hits your gag reflex, you grip onto your own thighs tightly to contain the urge to empty your stomach. He smiles sickly at your reaction. “Poor girl,” He teases, snapping his hips forward again. Another gag. “Can’t fuckin’ take me? Guess we will have to train that mouth and throat, huh?”
He keeps fucking your mouth as your eyebrows draw together in concentration. Joel’s loving every moment, watching you writhe under him. Your wetness is pooling on the hardwood and you can already hint the embarrassment you will feel if Joel notices.
You hollow out your cheeks, attempting to assert yourself in the situation. When you do that, Joel pulls out completely. He leans down to grab your arms and lifts you off the floor, dragging your shins against the uneven wood planks. And to your horror, he notices the wetness on the floor. “Drippin’ on the floor like a wet mop, ain’t ya?”
Joel’s eyes were always dark brown, but they look black with his eyes as dilated as they are. His grip on your arms is very assertive and when he pushes you back over the arm of the couch, you can feel your heartbeat in your ears.
“Please, Joel.”
He grabs you up by your armpits, dragging your body across the couch. When you're lying flat, he settles himself between your legs, holding your right leg taut with his hipbone.
“Keep begging,” He demands, a smug expression taking over his face. His eyes scour your entire body, “My little killer.”
The word sends your body into overdrive and you start grabbing at his body, trying to take what you want. He fights your hands, grabbing both of them and pinning them against the throw pillow right above your head.
You want to confess everything to him in that moment. The very moment you laid eyes on him, you wanted to give yourself to him. In every single way possible.
“I want you.”
“I know you do,” He grabs the shaft of his cock and begins his torture. Sliding it through your soaked folds and humming in satisfaction. You lift your hips, trying to get him to slip it in, but he is always quicker than you. “Desperate, ain’t ya?”
Before your face can react to his mocking, his hips snap forward, fully sheathing himself inside you. The meat of your thigh presses against his waist, trying to hold him in that spot, but he does not let up. The pressure is almost too much but the pain is appallingly satisfying.
You cannot even remember the last time you felt this. Your previous sexual encounters were usually hasty and boring. Most were not consensual and left you feeling gross and deprived of release.
The build up between you and Joel was a months long endeavor that left you feeling borderline insane. You could not help but let your desire for him fester.
His pace is not slow in the slightest, but it is calculated. You manage to widen your legs a bit allowing more space for his thighs to take up. As he kneels between you, you get a great view of his muscular flexed thighs.
Joel was a specimen. You could not stop yourself from admiring such a sight, especially when his hands are all over you and his dick is driving into you over and over. You had never been in love, never seen it first hand even, but you knew you love this moment. You love Joel for making you feel so good. That’s not a feeling you have ever had for anyone, let alone a man in this sick world.
“Oh my god, yes,” You clamor, your hands still locked over your head. The tension you feel in the pit of your stomach feels like it may explode, “Please, please.”
He repositions himself, releasing your wrists and pushing your legs up. You are folded in half while his upper body falls over you. You can already see the glistening of sweat across his neck and shoulders. His body locks you on the couch as he continues rocking into you.
“You don’t cum til I say, got me?”
He fucks into you harder now, and from this angle, you do not know how that will be possible. A couple more thrusts and you know you are a goner.
“I feel it,” You choke, trying to clench to prevent yourself from letting go before Joel’s instruction. “Joel.”
“I said hold that shit back,” His pace only speeds up, like he is chasing his own high, “Not ‘til I say.”
The friction is too much. You tug your lip between your teeth and you bite so hard that you start to taste blood. He is not letting up and you know the rope is about to snap. No matter how hard you try, when your eyes roll back and your body goes rigid, you let the release take over everything.
You are screaming, your voice cracking as you do. Joel’s hip stutter when your pussy tightens up around him, but you know he’s only slowing down because you did not listen.
Your limbs feel like jello and being that you are unable to really shift or move below Joel anyway, you just lay there limp. Joel flexes his arms and you can tell as he pulls away from your body that he is pissed.
“Roll over.”
You knit your brows together, still trying to manage your breathing. “I’m sorry-”
He slaps your thigh, the sting prickling down your entire leg. “Roll the fuck over.”
The motion takes almost all of your energy. When you are on your stomach, Joel hauls your ass towards his pelvis. With your ass up in the air, you can feel the cold air hit your spent cunt. Your head is tilted, only able to see Joel in your peripheral vision. He looks down at your pussy, dragging his cock head through your seams. You note how he smiles coyly.
When his lips purse and spit starts to dribble out, you start babbling all sorts of nonsense. The spit lands perfectly between your pussy lips and the top of his red tip.
“You know what happens to girls who don’t listen?”
You keen as he pushes his cockhead into your cunt, “What?”
“Punishment.”
The thrust is so powerful it has your body almost slamming back onto the sofa. As he ruts into you, the moans that come out of you do not sound human. You are already so sensitive from your orgasm, you know that it takes practically no touch at all to set off the chain reaction again.
His grip on your ass will leave bruises, just like all the other bruises he has given you in the last couple months. You count all of them like trophies. All the time Joel has touched you.
When the grip turns into open hand spanking, you know your ‘punishments’ would be something you would enjoy tempting time to time.
They are brutal. With each thrust, his palm comes down on your left ass cheek. All the while, his right fingers are digging scratches all along your ass and thigh. Between the sounds of the smacks and his balls slapping against your skin, you are being sent back into an ever-growing burn in the pit of your stomach.
“Fuckin’ pussy is squeezin’ my cock,” He mewls, his voice gravelly, “You like gettin’ spanked? Hm?”
You restrain yourself from screaming out that you love it. You settle for just, “Please don’t stop.”
You can hear him chuckle behind you, his actions continuing as he bucks into you.
“You’re lucky ‘m feelin’ nice.”
His hips start to stutter as you continue your mewling over his cock. He reaches out to your shoulders, pulling you upward and locking his arm around your neck. He has you in a loose headlock as he fucks you. Your hands rest on your forearm, your nails digging so hard that you leave small half moons on his freckled skin.
His other arm finds its way between your legs, swiping your clit as his thrusts become more labored. Even with the pace slowed down, the small titillating circles he pushes into your sensitive bud sends you over the edge again. As you fall apart in his arms, he spirals into his own climax, fucking his seed so deep into you that you will probably have it dripping out of you for days.
The husky moans he lets out as he empties himself inside you rattles in your eardrum. It was like music to your ears. You finally got what you want.
“You came again without permission.”
You do not respond, just grunt and fall onto the couch.
-
Your body is humming still. Joel’s half-hard cock is still standing at attention as he stands up and walks over to the kitchen. You grab the back couch cushion and push yourself up to watch him wander over the sink. His hand reaches for a kitchen towel and he wets it under the sink faucet.
His ass is so perfect and you silently curse yourself for not grabbing it when he was balls deep in you.
“Come ‘ere.”
You scramble up, your legs wobbling with each step. Joel’s eyes scan your entire body again, enjoying the sight of you so bare in front of him. “Didn’t think you were the one for aftercare.”
He furrows his eyebrows, as he extends the towel to you. “I ain’t. Wipe yourself up.”
Your heart pangs against your ribcage. For some reason you thought being so intimate with him would bring something different out. You are sorely mistaken.
The anger you felt earlier, the blind rage, takes over all your nerve endings again. You cannot stop yourself from lashing out after such a high. A high he gave you.
You slap the towel away, tilting your chin up at him. He has never seen you defiant. His face twists in confusion.
“You made me kill for you. Then you fuck me. And you can’t even give me any decency by wiping your fucking cum off of me?”
The words are like vomit coming out of your mouth. You ever thought you would talk back to him like this. It is the kind of thing you could have been killed for months ago. But now, you both are in vulnerable positions. You want to prove a point. Look at me, appreciate me, love me.
“Excuse me?”
His tone is threatening. But so is yours.
“You heard me.”
As silence cuts through the air, you notice the gun Joel put on the kitchen counter next to a broken coffee pot. He sees you eyeing it and goes to reach for it, but you are closer and a bit faster than him. When your hand wraps around the metal, you point it directly at his hairy chest.
Proving a point with violence was always your specialty. Before the alcohol, and now, after the alcohol.
“You fuckin’ bitch,” He bites, his lips tightening inward, “You put that shit down now.”
You are steady with it, your finger not on the trigger, but only millimeters from gracing it. “No.”
“You’re not gonna kill me. Not after all you just did for me,” His voice is more clipped, his words staggered. His hands raise in the air, almost in surrender. “Put it down.”
You are not sure what your next move should be. The rage now turns into confliction.
You have screwed yourself for snapping so quickly at him and now he was never going to trust you. Threatening him with words would be one thing, but pointing a gun at center mass was absurd. While you wanted to get your point across to him, you knew this was overkill. Your fuse was so short and your urges were unkempt. Acting on impulse was going to get you in major trouble.
In the time you are second guessing your actions, Joel’s already springing forward and snatching the gun from you. You are easy to disarm when you are not prepared for a naked man springing at you in your time of contemplation. Joel grabs the gun, pushing you backward into the kitchen counter and points it at you.
“Now…” His southern drawl carries out the word. Your heart is pounding, the same way it was racing last time Joel trained a gun on you. This time was different. Instead of a look of contempt and uncertainty, he appears to be offended by your actions. “You know damn well that shit ain’t gonna fly with me.”
“Joel-” “Shut your fuckin’ mouth,” He steps closer, the gun still trained on you, “You know better, don’t ya?”
The coldness of the barrel on your right collarbone is enough to send you over the edge. Your eyes flicker between his chest, his lips, to his eyes, “I do. I don’t know what came over me.”
His eyes reflect a silent consideration. He is trying to figure out if he believes you or not. You silently pray he does even if you do not fully believe yourself.
“You are too quick to react to someone tellin’ you know. Knock that shit off now or else we will have bigger issues.”
You knew those bigger issues would lead to Joel putting you out of your misery. You would have to work on impulse control. “It won’t happen again. I will work on it.”
“You’re lucky I love that pussy of yours or else you would have a hole in your fuckin’ head.”
Love.
“You love it?”
He smirks at your candor. He did not even realize he said that. “Get on your knees and beg for my forgiveness. You don’t have time to get a big head.”
“On my knees?”
He clenches his jaw, withdrawing the end of the gun from your skin. It leaves a small circle indentation, solidifying that next time, there may be a much bigger one there. “On your knees, little one.”
divider from @/saradika-graphics
#WELCOME TO MY QZ JOEL#joel miller#joel miller fanfic#joel miller smut#joel miller x f!reader#joel miller x female reader#joel miller x reader#joel miller x you#pedro pascal fanfiction#joel miller fanfiction#joel x reader#joel miller fic#tlou fic#the last of us#pedro pascal#qz!joel#joel tlou#gracieheartspedro#fic: me and the devil#pedro pascal characters
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It's a Match! || 141 x reader
[ Chapter 2 ] || [ Chapter 4 ]
Pairing: Ghost x Reader || 141 x gn!Reader Words: 1K~ cw: some sexual jokes/innuendos Summary: While overcoming recent heartbreak, you decide to join Tinder in search of a rebound. Your friends advise to just Swipe Right indiscriminately... What happens when 4 soldiers from the same squad match with you?
Chapter 3: Simon
After doing the dishes, you moved yourself over to the living room and turned on the TV. Some rerun of an older season of Law and Order was playing.
You started watching but you found your eyes drifting back to your phone…
Against your better judgement, you clicked on the Tinder app icon again. Maybe, maybe you should swipe just a little more.
And so you did.
Today you said ‘Fuck you, Beyoncé’ and always went to the Right, to the Right.
Just as you were pondering another profile, the screen darkened with a ‘It’s a Match!’ notification, making you jump a bit, as usual.
You clicked the profile and your brow scrunched.
You didn’t remember liking this one… Though you obviously did, after all, you were liking everyone.
The only picture wasn’t even anything. It was dark and grainy and the man was wearing a black disposable face mask. If that even was him. Could just be a random picture off-Google, picked by someone who wanted to be anonymous. Not quite a catfish but close enough…
“Simon.” You said softly and dragged your finger through the screen to read his bio. For a moment you couldn’t help but smirk a little. He was sarcastic, a bit strange, but charismatic in his own way.
“Bad jokes, Bourbon, Discreet…” You mused while scanning his profile. “Tall enough.” You read aloud and couldn’t help but laugh at it. That made you feel like he was short.
Against your better judgement for the second time, you decided to send him a DM instead of waiting for him to. Something told you he wouldn’t.
you: tall enough - does that mean you’re below 6ft?
Simon: No.
Simon: Means that I have inches to spare.
you: was that a dick joke?
Simon: No.
Simon: Unless you wanted it to be.
You snorted softly under your breath. Of course he was a smart ass too…
you: ambiguous, i like it.
you: so how tall are you then?
Simon: Does it matter?
you: no. just curious.
Simon: 6ft4.
you: that feels like a lie.
Simon: I avoided putting it for a reason.
you: worried people would call you a liar?
Simon: No use. Going to be called it regardless.
you: that’s fair ig.
you: what’s a traveling consultant?
Simon: Similar to a contractor. Get brought in to help businesses all over the world.
you: what kind of businesses?
Simon: That’s need-to-know.
you: you type so formally and professionally jeez.
you: will i ever get to know?
Simon: Force of habit. Don’t text a lot.
Simon: Not if I can help it.
you: somehow i can tell.
you: what are you doing here then?
Simon: Curiosity mostly.
you: trying to see if you attract any fish? 👀
Simon: Something like that. A friend is on here. Wanted to see what all the fuss is about.
you: i see.
you: got anything yet?
Simon: No. But only created this 12 minutes ago.
you: am i your first then?
Simon: Not my first in anything, love.
Your eyes widened a bit and for some reason you found yourself getting a bit flustered, your face warming up just a bit.
you: does that mean you’ve hooked up with people through a dating app before?
Simon: Something of the sorts.
you: aw, im really not going to be your first.
Simon: That’s alright. You can come see me either way.
Simon: I’m sure you’ll find some other thing to be the first at.
Your breath got caught in your throat and you started sputtering. That came out of left field! He had gone from professional and mild-mannered to… flirty so quickly! Gulping, you tried to answer him with something coherent and funny.
you: idk what if you murder me?
Simon: I promise I won’t.
you: is that meant to be enough to convince me? 🤨
Simon: I’ll leave all my guns at home.
you: the fact you have more than one is not reassuring the way you think it is.
Simon: If it makes it any better, I wouldn’t need a gun to kill you.
Even though you don’t know this man, you can imagine that he’s laughing to himself behind his phone screen, all smug, thinking he’s funny. And, the worst part, is that he is.
you: reassuring. thanks.
Simon: Glad to be of service.
you: i think what makes it worse is that uve not got a pic of ur face.
Simon: Wouldn’t hook up with a bloke with his face covered?
you: no? are u trying to get me axe murdered? bc thats how u get axe murdered simon
Simon: LOL.
Simon: No.
you: u sure? a masked face with a mysterious job and a suspicious amount of guns… sounds like the upgraded version of ghostface… except online rather than over the phone.
Simon: I’ll take that as a compliment.
Simon: You’re funny.
Simon: I like that.
you: thanks.
Simon: Wondering if you’re that funny in real life or if you’d get all shy on me.
you: probably a mix of both.
Simon: How about we confirm that then?
Simon: Meet up with me for drinks. No pressure on time or place. You can even postpone if it comes down to it. My job is unpredictable enough so I might have to postpone too.
Your eyes widened. The first attempt at flirting from him, of inviting you for a shag, had been clearly sarcastic… But this one is genuine.
you: ill get back to u on that, is that okay?
Simon: No sweat.
Simon: And if you’re just being polite and not actually going to text me again then: This was fun. Enjoyed myself. Take care.
You bit your lip to suppress a smile when you saw his polite goodbye. He was… sweet, weirdly enough.
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taglist: @daisychainsinknots , @bunnysdaydreams , @iite-cool , @lahniu , @pagesfalling , @tapioca-milktea1978 , @live-love-be-unique , @thelaisydazy , @littleghosthoney , @bossva , @emotion-no-hot-yes-hotel-trivago , @chamomiletealeaf , @ghosts-hoe
#ikea writes 💚#it's a match! fic#cod modern warfare#cod fanfic#captain john price#john soap mactavish#kyle gaz garrick#simon ghost riley#text story#cod x reader#call of duty x reader#ghost x reader#simon riley x you#simon ghost x reader#simon ghost riley x reader
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Do you think Harry could be scary at times? Like put actual fear into people? Because I think I remember some moments where Hermione was afraid of him or was a least kinda hesitant with him. Like this quote here from HP and the Deathly Hallows:
“You never really tried!” she said hotly. “I don’t get it, Harry – do you like having this special connection or relationship or what – whatever – “
She faltered under the look he gave her as he stood up.
“Like it?” he said quietly. “Would you like it?”
“I – no – I’m sorry, Harry. I just didn’t mean – “
He literally just looked at her, stood, and she was over there stuttering and backing down.
Yes! OMG, yes! Harry can and is scary when he wants to be and I love him for it!
A few more examples that popped into my head:
“I haven’t finished with you, boy!” “Get out of the way,” said Harry quietly. “You’re going to stay here and explain how my son —” “If you don’t get out of the way I’m going to jinx you,” said Harry, raising the wand. “You can’t pull that one on me!” snarled Uncle Vernon. “I know you’re not allowed to use it outside that madhouse you call a school!” “The madhouse has chucked me out,” said Harry. “So I can do whatever I like. You’ve got three seconds. One — two —”
(OotP, 45)
Uncle Vernon reacts to him with anger, which is his fear response. But Harry is talking quietly and deliberately, he isn't shouting and Vernon shuts up and listens, not cutting Harry off with his shouts. Harry actually cuts him off speaking quietly and Vernon lets him. And Vernon lashes out, as he always does when it comes to magic — because it scares him. Harry scares him.
“Well, it’s like Hagrid said, they can look after themselves,” said Hermione impatiently, “and I suppose a teacher like Grubbly-Plank wouldn’t usually show them to us before N.E.W.T. level, but, well, they are very interesting, aren’t they? The way some people can see them and some can’t! I wish I could.” “Do you?” Harry asked her quietly. She looked horrorstruck. “Oh Harry — I’m sorry — no, of course I don’t — that was a really stupid thing to say —”
(OotP, 450)
Hermione stutters around Harry quite a bit. I think she is, like, concerned about him at all times at the back of her head a bit since it takes very little from him to rattle her. I'm not copying it here but you see it too when Harry shouts at her and Ron at the beginning of OotP, Ron argues back a bit, but Hermione gets incredibly rattled. Hermione doesn't deal with Harry's anger well. There are more scenes like the one you mentioned as well.
I'm re-reading Deathly Hallows right now and came upon this scene:
Somehow her [Hermione's] panic seemed to clear Harry’s head. “Lock the door,” he told her, “and Ron, turn out the lights.” He looked down at the paralyzed Dolohov, thinking fast as the lock clicked and Ron used the Deluminator to plunge the caf into darkness. Harry could hear the men who had jeered at Hermione earlier, yelling at another girl in the distance. “What are we going to do with them?” Ron whispered to Harry through the dark; then, even more quietly, “Kill them? They’d kill us. They had a good go just now.” Hermione shuddered and took a step backward. Harry shook his head. “We just need to wipe their memories,” said Harry. “It’s better like that, it’ll throw them off the scent. If we killed them it’d be obvious we were here.” “You’re the boss,” said Ron, sounding profoundly relieved. “But I’ve never done a Memory Charm.”
(DH, 146)
That needs to be talked about more.
Some people like to point at Remus telling Harry that "the time for Expeliarmos is over" as proof Harry isn't willing to kill, but this isn't true. Harry isn't willing to kill Stan Shunpike, whom he considers innocent, Harry was the calmest of the trio and very much considered killing the Death Eaters and chose not to for completely tactical and cold reasons, not ones of ethics or qualms about murder. And I love the dynamic this short scene portrays with the trio a lot. Like, Harry is calm under pressure and calls the shots, Ron offers a way to deal with things, and then Hermione actually executes the memory charms. And here too, when Hermione stepped back, she was scared of Harry (and Ron a little). She doesn't for a second think he wouldn't kill them if he thought it was the right thing to do. She stepped back because she was scared Harry would kill them.
“...Thank you!” said Mundungus, snatching the goblet out of Ron’s hand and stuffing it back into the case. “Well, I’ll see you all — OUCH!” Harry had pinned Mundungus against the wall of the pub by the throat. Holding him fast with one hand, he pulled out his wand. “Harry!” squealed Hermione. “You took that from Sirius’s house,” said Harry, who was almost nose to nose with Mundungus and was breathing in an unpleasant smell of old tobacco and spirits. “That had the Black family crest on it.” “I — no — what — ?” spluttered Mundungus, who was slowly turning purple. “What did you do, go back the night he died and strip the place?” snarled Harry. “I — no —” “Give it to me!”
(HBP, 245-246)
Harry lifts Mundungus and strangles him... and both Mundungus and Hermione are scared of him... because he is scary.
said Voldemort coldly, and though he could not see it, Harry pictured Bellatrix withdrawing a helpful hand. “The boy . . . Is he dead?” There was complete silence in the clearing. Nobody approached Harry, but he felt their concentrated gaze; it seemed to press him harder into the ground, and he was terrified a finger or an eyelid might twitch. “You,” said Voldemort, and there was a bang and a small shriek of pain. “Examine him. Tell me whether he is dead.” Harry did not know who had been sent to verify. He could only lie there, with his heart thumping traitorously, and wait to be examined, but at the same time noting, small comfort though it was, that Voldemort was wary of approaching him, that Voldemort suspected that all had not gone to plan. . . .
(DH, 612)
Voldemort is outright scared of Harry and isn't willing to come near him to check if he's dead...
Like, I am not a fan of the weaker, softer fanon version of Harry James Potter that I see on occasion (obviously everyone can do what they want, I just personally don't like it much when he's portrayed as small and submissive as if Harry has ever submitted in his life). He is not as tall as Ron, but he isn't short either (the same height as James, so likely around 6 feet), he is physically capable of lifting Mundungus even without magic with a single hand and he is so magically capable (more than almost every other character, bar exceptions like Dumbledore, Voldemort, and Snape). No wonder he can be scary, both physically and magically. And yes, Hermione is outright scared of Harry at times. So are other characters.
So, yeah, I strongly agree, Harry can definitely scare people if he wants to, and sometimes even when he doesn't. He seems to have an intimidation factor he isn't fully aware of and therefore doesn't notice all that much.
#harry potter#hp#harry james potter#he is my boy#who i love dearly#and who has anger issues that i rejoice whenever i see them#my boy is kind and compassionate#but he can also be terrifying#hp meta#asks#anonymous#anon asks#hollowedtheory#harry potter analysis
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𝐆𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐋𝐢𝐩𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬, 𝐇𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐬, 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝.
✧IMAGES DO NOT BELONG TO ME✧
✧warnings:toxic/yandere themes, harassment, violence, stalking Blood,
✧synopsis: Serial killer Riki was a rich bratty son of an extremely rich CEO who got away with many murders. However, when his eyes set on her, his new drive was different, for he has fallen in love for the first time, and he wants it to last (I'll do more parts to this if uw<3)
Nishimura Riki would openly murder his victims in torturous manners, but no one would dare to ever take action on him. No one understood how such a handsome, quiet, talented boy ended up being a man almost everyone feared. Though people have started to notice, tiny changes in him. He started smiling...
A smile that rooted from a girl no one would ever believe Riki fell for. Yang Y/n. He notices how your high heels were between 5-7 inches, and yet you're so adorably short under him. He loved your different hairstyles, especially those space buns that match your smiley persona. Though you wasn't the smartest, you are extremely creative on paper, canvas, and on your face. He was observant of all the different makeup styles and glitters you used. Oh and that lip gloss stick. Pretty and perfect, making your lips look oh so kissable.
Riki never stopped killing though, heck he started killing more, there were more shades of blood than the pretty, red lipsticks you owned. How could he stop when so many boys always find a way to get your attention. Whether its slapping or groping you, as if you were just an object to them, or approaching you with flower bouquets. You found it suspicious how the boys who had something to do with you always drop dead the next day.
You spent a little extra time in school today as you had a detention. It was obvious. Mr Choi was definitely biased, he always called you out over stupid things and tries to get you in detention. Anyone could tell he wants you by the way his hands linger and How unprofessional he gets around you. This didn't go unnoticed by Riki either. As you stepped back into his class as you dropped your favourite red lipstick there, you gasped at the scene.
Red liquid splattered everywhere, a scene straight out of a violent horror film. So what if you lose one red lipstick? its better than losing your blood. "Oh princess... don't be scared" a voice called out from behind. You immediately turn around, your face hitting Riki's chest as you stumble back. Riki catches you, holding you tight against his body, a small bloody scar on the side of his face. "I had to teach that pedo a lesson for messing with my doll." he simply said.
"He won't be messing with you for a while hmm?" he chuckled as h forcefully pulled you into a loving, passionate kiss. It was both your and his first kiss, for him a dream come true but for you, a nightmare. He pulled away, his dark eyes staring into yours, seeing nothing but fear, your silence ticking him off. The man swiped blood off of his bleeding cut, and smeared it on your lips. "Hmm... red lipstick looks pretty on you baby..." he chuckled watching you wipe off the blood from your lips "my pretty baby." he darkly said.
#yandere au#yandere imagines#yandere kpop#kpop yandere#yandere enhypen#enha x reader#lee heeseung#nishimura riki#park jongseong#kim sunoo#sim jaeyun#park sunghoon#yang jungwon#yandere enha ot7#yandere enha reaction#yandere enha#bully kpop#bully enhypen#yandere!enhypen#enhypen yandere#enhypen#yandere#yandere jay#enhypen sunghoon#enhypen scenarios#enhypen reactions#enhypen series#heeseung#jay#niki
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Poison and Wine.
Pairing/Au: Javier Peña x f!reader
Words count: 1387
Rating: +18, NSFW
Warnings/Tags: pov second person, angst, smut, reader is described having breast and vagina, no other description of her is given (pic does not represent reader's appearance in any way, it is only aesthetic), oral (f receiving), unprotected p in v (please use protections irl), sad thoughts, yearning, unspoken love.
A/N: Another fic I wrote a year ago, revised a year later. English is not my first language and I have no beta. I hope there are no mistakes but if there are, please excuse me. Writing Javier is not easy for me, I don't know why, but I tried.
It's inspired by the song Poison & Wine by The Civil Wars. I recommend listening to it for maximum effect. Hope you enjoy, thanks for your time!
Archive tags: @pedrostories ♥️
You are in a small room. The moonlight comes in through the window, spreading across the floor in silvery streaks, leaving the rest of the room in semi-darkness. There is a bed in the center of the room, two nightstands on either side, a wooden chair in the corner with clothes haphazardly draped over it. Old curtains frame the sides of the window. The bed is covered with a red bedspread and cheap white sheets. The entire room smells of sex, cigarettes, and cheap deodorant.
On the wall opposite the bed is a small door that leads to a small, rather squalid bathroom. There is a man on the bed. He is lying on his back, his head resting on the pillow. He has short, thick, wavy raven hair, some tufts falling onto his high forehead. His eyes are closed, a strong, harmonious nose that blends perfectly with the rest of his face, shaved cheeks, pronounced cheekbones, full lips. The lower lip is slightly thicker than the upper one, covered by a pair of short, black, well-groomed moustaches, they’re parted, set in a sort of pout.
Neck relaxed, shoulders broad, arms stretched out at his sides, softly resting, hands open on the sheets. Regular breaths rise and fall on his chest, adorned with two small dark pink nipples, deliciously divided by the line of his sternum. His torso is almost completely hairless, except for a thin strip of hair that disappears into his black boxers. One of his legs is wrapped in the covers while the other is spread and the foot almost off the edge of the bed.
Your back rests on the pillow, which you have placed against the wooden headboard of the bed.
You've been watching him sleep for a while, he seems less worried in his sleep, less agitated by the urgency of not wasting time, of achieving the results he has set himself. There is always a tension in him, a restlessness that vibrates in his body. He is incredibly beautiful, you will never get used to how perfectly designed he is to make you lose your mind.
You are just a diversion, someone who calls to clear his mind, to chase away the horror he has to face every day. He never talks about his job but you are perfectly aware of what happens out there, you have seen it with your own eyes for as long as you can remember, you have lived here your whole life. The drugs, the corruption, the murders, the attacks, the bombs, have always been the backdrop to your life.
Most cops are corrupt, violent, double-crossing, you're used to not trusting them. There are few people who really try to do something good, like him. He was immediately kind and discreet, even if a certain cold detachment always remains.
You know he would never take advantage of you in a mean way. But you also know how he always sneaks out the door before dawn, making no promises, barely saying goodbye. You never know when he will call you again.
He takes what he needs and you are so eager to give it to him and he disappears like a ghost. Present in the moment, fleeting the next.
You know he asks you to meet him at these out-of-the-way motels because he’s afraid someone might follow you. You know it’s a way of protecting you as well as himself. But you can’t help but feel like you’re something small in his life, something not worth bringing into the light of day.
And you know you're already in awe, eager to have him, to taste him and feel his skin and his scent.
He smells like leather, cigarettes and tequila, with a fresh underlay of soap and men’s cologne.
You’re naked next to him, a heat still radiates from your lower abdomen and rises in your stomach.
You lie down on the bed, sighing, accompanying the pillow with your hands to slide it under your head.
Eyes on the ceiling, you’re trying to channel your emotions, without letting them crawl out of you.
You can make do with this. You can wait for him to wake up and you can tolerate him quickly picking up his clothes and leaving after a quick kiss on the lips. What he gave you before can be enough.
His hands running down your body.
Hands that can heal and can burn.
His lips in the crook of your neck, nibbling at the soft skin under your ear.
He pushed you, caging you between his body and the door, kissing you without saying a word. Flesh and teeth colliding.
He raised your arms above your head and his mouth trailed down your neck and chest, his mustache scratching you a little, his breath brushing your skin.
His impatient touch undressed you, his feverish fingers running down your tummy, lingering for a moment on the hem of your panties and then making room for them to look for your clit, drawing circles, making you vibrate.
He made you lie down on the bed, then took off his clothes and threw them on the chair.
He threw himself on you urgently, kissing your soft naked skin beneath him. He moved down between your legs to take care of your privates. His tongue was relentless, hungry, insistent as two fingers continued to rub your clit and his other hand was open on your hip. Your fingers were buried in his hair, your moans filling the silence along with his grunts of approval as he felt you tremble and melt for him.
His lips moved up to you, determined not to leave aside even an inch of your skin. You felt him everywhere on your body and you didn't care about anything else. He pulled you against him, wrapped one big, strong arm around your waist. Your breasts pressed against his chest, his cock poking at your entrance, stretching you an inch at the time, sinking into your warm, soaked cunt.
He moved slowly at first to let you get used to it, then harder, deeper. You felt his mouth widen into a smile on your skin as you repeated his name like a prayer.
Javier.
Javier.
Javier.
He held you tight to feel as much of you as he could, hammering your softest spot over and over again. He whispered in your ear, his voice deep, raspy, bouncing in your chest, in your brain, driving you crazy.
His jaw went slack, his eyes darker and full of lust as he came inside you, making you feel like you were one, painting your walls with his cum.
He didn't stop until he felt your pussy twitch and tighten around his cock, your head thrown back, your eyes closed, your mouth agape.
No one has ever made you feel this way, insatiable, overwhelmed by the need to have him more and more.
You are lost.
Empty.
You can't admit it.
You can't face it.
There is nothing you would like more than to feel important to him, someone who gives him peace of mind, someone who can always be by his side.
You know it will never happen but you can't stop wishing it would.
He wakes up. You look away, so as not to let him know that you were doing nothing but looking at him, in the vain hope of at least satiating your gaze, without success.
Javier.
He turns to you, strokes your arm and then sits on the bed, stretching.
He lights a cigarette, completely unaware of the battle raging inside you. He seems calm, relaxed, takes a drag and tosses the ash into the ashtray on the nightstand.
You want to shake him by the shoulders, tell him how hard it is every time you see him go, how painful it is. You want to ask him if he knows how he makes you feel. You do nothing, you just sit there, wrapped in the blankets, inhaling the sweet smell of his sweaty skin.
You smile weakly at him as he gets up, puts out his cigarette, gets dressed, gives you a quick kiss, and walks out the door.
Without saying anything, without promising anything, as usual.
I don’t love you, but I always will.
#javier peña x ofc#javier peña smut#javier peña x reader#pedro pascal#javier peña x f!reader#javier peña#narcos fic#pedro pascal character fanfic#pedro pascal characters fanfiction
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Safe Keeping | 3
Part 1 2 3 4
"What say you, lady? Don't you think the Hound would make a fine husband? He would protect you, yes, and you would bear him many babes." I curtsy again but this time, my voice falters when I speak, "I- I think he would," I turn to my left, "Lord Sandor would make a fine husband... a fine father."
Sandor Clegane x Reader | 6k+ | cw: fem!reader, forced marriage, enemies to lovers, slow burn, angst, emotional unavailability, The Hound being abrasive, jealousy, canon typical casual misogyny/violence, themes/mentions of menstruation/pregnancy/miscarriage, baby fever, typos, etc.
A/N: i made a bunch of shit up in this this chapter so just roll with it (: originally posted on ao3 but felt like posting it on here
Tagging: @otteropera @poisonsage808 @glitterandgoldfinds
I blink harshly and pinch myself, willing my body awake. I force my eyes wide open, doing my best to make sense of the surroundings that were cloaked in black.
We were heading to my family's abandoned estate in the Brown Wood by the Sterling Rivers; finally, the people there would have a present preceding lord to govern them.
I had not been to the estate since my family was murdered when I was 10 and 3. There was a dread and an excitement that tingled in my body at the idea of return.
Right now, however, my head was starting to hurt from sleepiness.
It seemed we could cease for nothing. We, or rather, the horse and Sandor, have been walking for what felt like ages towards naught.
"Perhaps we should stop for the night," I turn to the Hound from atop my horse, whose face was barely visible in the darkness.
"And do what, little girl?" he groans, "you wanna sleep in the mud?"
I feel Lucy lean further into my shoulder from behind. She nuzzles into my neck and sighs; her arms, which were wrapped around me, loosened as she deeper fell into slumber. Daisy, too, was asleep. Much like Lucy, she nuzzled into Sandor's neck, who's been carrying her since King's Landing.
"Our options are currently limited," I tell him.
He scoffs, "a prissy lady like you thinks she can catch a wink of sleep with her head on a rock?" The Hound adjusts his hold on the reins of the horse, "if you find it hard to sleep on horseback, gods, do I have news for you."
I knit my brows at his words, "I don't find it hard to sleep. I'm choosing to stay up with y-"
"And which of us asked you to do that?" he scoffs and eyes me, "shut your mouth and sleep."
"You've been walking for leagues," I whine, "yours and the horse's backs must hurt from carrying-"
"Then shall I throw you away?" he snaps and stops in his tracks. The horse neighs at the sudden halt. I tighten Lucy's arms around me as I look down at him.
He was truly so large; even now as I was perched upon a steed, he barely had to crane his neck up to look at me.
"It'll be fucking easier for me to get by without 3 bitches weighing me down."
I turn away and huff.
Regardless of this, unlike most times, I feel no threat with his words. If he really wanted to get rid of us, he wouldn't have taken us in the first place. This much I knew. Still, I keep my silence on the matter and mutter instead, "I hope we find lodging soon."
Sandor scoffs and continues walking. He adjusts his grip on Daisy as he looks forward, "your hope is just as helpful as your dollies, little girl."
It's nothing short of a miracle that wandered to a town and found an inn. The moment I thanked the gods tough, they laughed at my face.
We flock outside the inn and Sandor immediately calls the worker girl carrying a bucket of potatoes, telling her to prepare us a room. She turns to him, swallowing the immediate terror she felt over his appearance, and choked out there were no rooms left for many claimed rooms tonight. She says we should try the inn another town away.
You could guess how much The Hound liked that.
The girl and I both gasped when the massive man blocked her passage and imposed upon her, "I suggest you fucking make room for us."
"Sandor!" I cry out, feeling Lucy wake behind me.
The girl drops her bucket; it breaks with a crash and out spills the potatoes. She scrams to pick it all up.
Daisy whines in shock of the noise, wakes, and lifts her head. I pull Lucy's arms off me when Sandor kicks the girl's bucket away. She squeals and falls on her bum just as I jump down from the horse gracelessly.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" I stand in his way before he can do anything further to the girl. This causes us to collide and I shuffle back in contact. My feet hit the girl's legs and I lose my balance.
I yelp the same time the Hound grabs me by the arm and snarls, "you stupid fucking girl!"
He rips me into his chest. His iron grip on my arm stings so bad I feel my eyes water. I hiss, "let go of me!"
Daisy begins to stir in his arms. She barks and he wrangles out of his grip. The Hound releases the both of us; the dog jumps out of his arms and comes to my side.
At this point, Lucy is wide awake and jumps off the horse. She fixes her satchel around her and comes to my side. She asks me if I'm hurt and rubs my arm as I did. I tell her to help the girl up as I glare at Sandor.
Daisy is losing her mind barking. It makes the Hound more furious than he was already. He tries to kick her, but Daisy was thankfully quick and managed to run off before he could hit her. She continues barking behind me.
I walk towards him when he makes an attempt to hurt Daisy again. I block his path and grabbing his thick arms, "STOP IT!"
The Hound's eye twitches. He reaches out and yanks my head back by the hair, "you really think you can stop me?"
I whine. I grab the hand on my hair, "she's just a child! It's not her fault there are no more rooms!"
The Hound growls. He releases me roughly.
I shuffle back.
Lucy glares at him as she collects the potatoes and gives it to the weeping girl; she gathers them in her skirts.
"I'm doing this for you, hen-peck," The Hound quips, "and you'd prefer to make me suffer all the way to the next rat infested village!"
"That's not what I'm asking you to do!" I rebut, blood pumping hot with anger, "I'm asking you to leave the girl alone because she's done nothing but be honest to us!"
A chill runs down my spine when I hear him laugh; it's the first time I've ever heard him make such a sound.
"You know what happens to you lot of honest people?" he steps forward and leans down to meet me eye level. I step back but hold his gaze. He he snorts then spits by his side before straightening up, "we lot kill you."
I am equal parts frustrated and scared when he turns around and walks off. Gods know what he will do now.
I call out to him, "I'll find us lodging! I swear it!"
"You go do that, little girl," he growls back as he disappears into the thicket.
I release a breath as I turn around and walk up to Lucy and the girl. Daisy finally stops barking.
"Forgive me, sweet girl," I mutter as I help the weeping thing up. I give Lucy a look and she immediately nods and goes through her satchel. I frown at the girl and brush away the hair sticking to her dampened face, "my husband has rough hands and a sharp tongue."
Her face falls upon hearing this.
Lucy pulls out a coin and shows it to her before slipping it between her belt.
"For your trouble, my dear," I pull away from her, "I hope no one will bother you again tonight."
With that, the girl curtsies and walks off.
"Would you like some wine, my lady?"
I turn to the man, sat diagonal to me. He gives me a beaming smile from ear to ear, hazel eyes twinkling with the morning sunshine. His his rosy cheeks are framed by his mousy blonde hair. He motions to his servant, but then changes his mind a second later. He stands from his seat on the table and grabs the ewer, ready to pour me a glass.
I cover the chalice before me and smile, "water is enough for me, my lord. Thank you."
"Oh," he raises the object, "please. This is special wine from my uncle's vineyard. I tell you there is none like it."
Lucy, sat to my right, lifts her eyes as she chews the duck we had been served.
I shake my head, "I do not doubt it. I do not think it appropriate for me to drink wine, however."
"Nonsense," he shakes his head and smiles, "a cup of wine in the morning will get your blood pumping."
"No, Lord, I do not make issue of drinking during this time of day," I purse my lips, "I mean I am..." I trail off trying to think of the simplest way to explain it, "expecting."
The man tilts his head in confusion.
"Of course, I am uncertain, but..." I turn to my lap then turn back to him.
Lucy chews slowly as she straightens up beside me.
"... I could be with child."
The man freezes upon hearing that. His lips part and his arm slowly lowers.
I offer him a soft smile. He makes a cautious sound, "my apologies, Lady Clegane."
"No. All is well, I assure you, Lo-"
"No," he clears his throat, "it was quite impertinent of me to press upon such a thing with a lady," he nods, "you have taught me a valuable lesson."
I let out a polite chuckle, "glad to be of service, Lord Alistair."
"Please, the Lord of house Alistair is my father," he smiles, "I bid you call me Cedric."
Lucy pretends to clear her throat and then grabs her cup. Our host sees this then stands up to offer, "perhaps you would like to try the wine instead?"
Lucy blinks and looks between him and I. I give her a look then she says, "don't mind if I do, milord."
I chuckle under my breath.
He pours her a cup and she immediately drinks it.
She lets out a breath, "wow. Cedric's right about the wine!"
Both of us perk in shock of Lucy's words.
"Lucy!" I quip.
"What, milady?" she makes an innocent face, "it really is god wine!'
"You cannot call our Lord by his name!"
"But he said not to call him Lord Alistair!"
My jaw drops, "Lucy!"
Cedric laughs, "no. She is right. I did say that." He looks between us, "I pray both of you call me by my name."
I turn to Cedric but do not get to respond as Lucy does it for me, "I am your obedient servant."
Cedric laughs and we make small talk as we continue to finish our morning meal.
Cedric Alistair was a most courteous host. Last night, as our options went dry, I asked the townsfolk where their lord resided, and we walked all the way to the Alistair stronghold in hopes of amity. We were met with much more than that
Not only did he feed me, Lucy, Daisy, and the horse, but he had his servants draw us baths and give us a change of clothes. He refused any of the coin I had to give him, and said it was only right to host a lady this way. He even said he would also have his men look for my missing husband.
Sandor wandered off after our squabble, thus we looked for a place to stay ourselves. I knew partially, he probably needed this time to cool his temper, but I obviously didn't want to be separated from him. And yet, the idea of having Lord Alistair's men look for the Hound made me anxious, as I knew the chances of a fight breaking out between them was high. In the end, told him he did not need to deploy his men because my husband would find his way to us eventually.
Cedric chuckled in surprise when I told him this, remarking I must have quite the capable husband.
Neither of us expected him to walk into the room in the middle of our conversation.
I stand from my seat when I spot him, "Sandor!"
Lord Cedric stands with me.
The Hound is expressionless, save for the way his brows were furrowed. His skin and armor is still covered in blood from the battle of the Blackwater; it's now dried up and brown. His hair and beard is matted.
Daisy, who had been graciously kept indoors and was being fed at the end of the room, runs as fast as her three legs can take her, towards the Hound.
Lucy finds herself standing because of this. She runs up to Daisy, who was now near Sandor. She scolds the dog who is excited to see him. Sandor ignores them both and heads towards me. I meet him halfway, looking his body once over.
Sandor halts when I place my hands on his arms. In truth, the action was instinctive. Seeing him like this in daylight was making my stomach churn. I look up at him, "this is not your blood, right?"
His eyes look heavy as he looks down at me. He huffs, "no."
I nod in relief, "here," I pull away and motion to my seat, "you can have my food-"
"Nonsense," Cedric interjects, turning from us to the entrance of the dining room, "could someone prepare a plate for Lord-"
Sandor reaches past me and grabs the duck on my plate, stuffing it into his mouth.
Cedric turns to him as he does this.
I ask, "could I request a damp cloth?"
Lucy finally calms Daisy down and convinces her to go back to her bowl and finish eating.
Cedric eyes me, then Sandor, then the entrance, "and a damp cloth!"
I watch as Sandor devours the meat, "where did you sleep last night?"
He huffs as he chews. "On a rock in the fucking forest," the Hound grumbles before swallows the duck in his mouth.
I frown at him, "we tried looking for you for a while after you stormed off, but I did not want to lead us any deeper into the forest beyond what torchlight touched."
Sandor gives me a nod, "smart girl."
The compliment fades in an instant when he pushes me aside and sits on my spot, finishing whatever was left on my plate. Cedric and I watch him eat. At the same time, two servants come in with a plate and cutlery, and a small basin bowl and a cloth.
"Good morn, milord," Lucy curtsies at Sandor, who spares her a glance but nothing more.
I circle around to grab a chair from across Sandor and bring it to his side. Cedric holds back whatever he is meant to say as he watches me thank his servant for the bowl and cloth, and prop it on the chair I took.
"Stop!" I hiss at Sandor, just as he reaches to a leg of chicken with his bare hand.
The Hound pulls back and turns to me with slightly wide eyes. In contrast, Lucy's eyes are as big as the moon.
I wring out the towel before taking Sandor's left hand, wiping it. I mumble, "I know you're starving, but you should eat with clean hands, my Lord."
Cedric finally sits down on his chair. Lucy turns to her own hands and wonders if she should wash after touching Daisy.
Sandor gives me his other hand to clean, silently watching me do this.
"Would you like milk of the poppy for your wounds, Lord Clegane?" Cedric asks, unable to tear his eyes from the man's face, "for your burn?"
I turn to him when he says this while. I motion to Sandor, wordlessly allowing him to continue eating now. I wash the towel in the basin, "he's not inju-"
"I would like some milk," Sandor says as he tears himself some chicken.
I furrow my brows at this, turning to him, "but you said-"
Cedric is about to call the order but then my husband's voice cuts him off. The Hound blurts just as I begin to wipe his face, "but only if it's from my wife's teat."
Lucy begins to choke on the wine she was drinking.
My freeze in my spot. I feel my face burn like a thousand suns.
There is a thick tension in the air, only thinned by the sound of Lucy's coughing.
I don't know what to say and so I decide not to say anything. I simply wipe the man's face with bit more force than necessary. He didn't even seem to notice.
The Hound eyes Lord Alistair the whole time he eats. It makes both the Lord, himself, and I severely uncomfortable.
"Sandor," I scold warily.
He does not turn to me as he picks up a cup, "wife."
I watch him chug down water then turn to me. The Hound asks, "you want some duck?"
I do my best not to roll my eyes.
The horses grazed as we took a break near a river. I watch Sandor kneel down by the water and wash his face. I scoff at him, sitting down on a rock.
We were on our way to my family's estate again. Cedric had been kind enough to offer us each a horse. The Hound, however, was too proud to accept a horse for himself, arguing he would not be able to carry the stupid bitch if he got on horseback.
He also rejected a bath, as 'we ought to not waste daylight.'
I look around the surroundings, finding solace in the fact that at least the weather was clear and kind. I watch Daisy run around and dig a hole with her paws; her broken leg did not really help, and yet that did not stop her from using it. I smile at the animal.
I watch Lucy lean into her horse and stroke it's mane. I can barely make out what she was whispering to the steed Cedric gave her. Still, the sight intensified my smile.
I so badly want to give them a good life.
I turn to the tree by my side. I remember how we used to have a tree in Brown Wood, how my father made my brothers and I a swing himself. I want that. I want to do the same for my children. I wonder if that tree was still there. I gasp when I spot a squirrel on the branch.
The Hound is immediately alerted by this and grabs his hilt, "what is it?"
"A squirrel," I point and stand. I walk over to the tree, "look, it's so little!"
Sandor makes a noise and makes a face, "Little?" he releases his grip, "what like you? Shall I get it for you as a pet?"
I turn to him, shocked by his offer. He would get a pet for me?
He walks towards me, "I won't be the one to kill it. Your dog will."
My expression morphs into a scowl.
He clicks his tongue twice then whistles. Daisy barks in response and follows after him. I am somehow angered by her obedience to him. I scoff under my breath, "I suppose dogs recognize each other."
The moment I see Daisy's excitement towards him, I regret speaking such harsh words. I'm glad Sandor did not hear it.
Lucy watches me as I walk up to my horse. Sandor takes me by the waist and lifts me with no fuss. I easily mount the horse and look down at him. I finally find it in me to bring it up after a painfully quiet travel, "you did not have to be so icy to Lord Alistair. He was a temperate host."
Sandor chuckles dryly and grabs the reins of my horse. He begins to walk. Daisy walks beside him as he says, "I'm sure he'd love to warm your bed. And I'm sure you'd want him to."
My face falls at his accusation.
"I'm sure you'd let him."
"Do not speak so low and surely of me, Hound!" I hiss, "these words you sputter weigh heavily on the both of us."
He chuckles again, "is that supposed to be a threat?" He turns to me, "you think I give a shit about words?"
"Well, I do!" I snap, eyes watering in anger and frustration, "and your words hurt me!" I turn away from him, "I have done nothing but try to please you, and you do nothing but try to hurt me!"
"Please me," he grumbles and looks away, "you've done nothing but nag and slow me down!"
I ignore him as I ruefully wipe away my tears, cursing myself for crying over him again.
The Hound is about to bark another string of complaints but stops himself as he whips back at me. He looks for a second, adjusting his hold onto he reins, then turns away, "you should have married the likes of fucking Lord Alistair, little squirrel."
I scoff and shake my head at his new nickname, "well, I didn't choose you, didn't I, Hound?"
Lucy's looks at me, lips parting at sound of the remark.
Sandor turns to Daisy, watching her keep up with him with her three paws, "no, you did not."
We were finally... home.
It was the dead of night when we arrived, and my family estate was as abandoned as ever. The place was called Brown Wood, as it was near a forest which was home to many brown bears. The forest extended to the Sterling Rivers, which got its name for it's clear waters where you could fish for gold. It used to be a haven for both men and beasts alike, now, it was a ruin of darkness.
The people that remained there stayed as far from the forest as they could, fearing what lurked in the shadows.
Sandor had to open the gates himself, as there would be no one to do it for us. The moment we were inside, a chill ran down my spine.
"This was your home, milady?" Lucy asks, looking around the place as our horses tread inside.
I sniffle and offer a smile, mostly to mask the fear building in my stomach, "it wasn't always like this."
"How old were you when you left again?" she asks as she readies to dismount her horse.
Sandor shoos Daisy away before reaching out to help me down. I reply before I do, "10 & 3."
I huff as Sandor sets me down. I look up at him. He looks down on me, pulling his hands that lingered too long away from my waist. Daisy begins to run around and bark. The Hound walks off and shushes her.
Lucy takes my arm and we go inside together.
I thought if we lit candles and the fireplace, I'd feel less scared, but I think I was terrified now. I thought that if I ignored that feeling as I showed everyone around my old home, I'd feel better, but I didn't.
Lucy had decided to take the room near the kitchen, so she wouldn't have to walk so far in the mornings to cook for us. I wasn't exactly sure where Daisy was. It was now only Sandor and I walking down the halls. I was leading us to the master bedroom with a single candle in my hand.
I open the door and step in, "here it is."
I turn to Sandor, stood by the door. I place the candle down my the bedside table. He surveys the room, taking in the cob webs and the dusty furniture, "it's big room."
I lick my lips, "it was bigger in my head, but... it must have just been because I was a child when I was last here."
Sandor looks at me and nods, "I will sleep in the room beside you."
"Wha- wait!" I step forward.
Sandor's boots skid on the floor as he stops himself.
"Y-you're-- y-you're not going to sleep with me?"
Sandor grips the knob, "have I ever slept with you before?"
I feel like I'm going to be sick.
A moment of silence passes.
"You could start sleeping with me now," I offer weakly as I motion around, "there's more than enough space for the two of us."
Sandor shifts before speaking, "I'm going to take a bath before going to bed." And with that, he closes the door behind him.
I gasp when he does. I feeling a heavy dread sliver up my spine.
I roll my shoulders back and roughly brush my arms. I light the other candles in the room and busy myself with changing the sheets. There was a bittersweetness in doing so. This used to be my parents room. I knew where they kept their things and all their things were still in place. One would wonder why every item was still intact and untouched, but then one clearly does not know the horrid tales that befell Brown Wood.
I rip the sheets off the bed, coughing as dust flew around. I do my best attempt at changing the sheets and chuck the musty ones by the edge of the bed.
Once I gave up in fitting the sheets the way Lucy did, I huffed and undid my dress, remaining in nothing but my shift. I then hid under the covers.
My exhaustion should have made it easier to sleep, but the setting was triggering my memories. It wasn't long until I was recounting the one I hated the most. Fear was clawing at me, and soon enough, my mind was playing tricks.
The next thing I knew I was frozen in bed, too petrified to move, but wanting nothing more than to get up and flee, to where, I did not know. I begin to feel tears stream from my eyes, but I'm too scared to make a noise, too scared that it will bring forth the darkness lurking in the shadows.
Somehow, I eventually manage to convince myself to call a name, I do this against a pillow though. Slowly, I call the name louder and louder until I was screaming into the bed, "SANDOR!"
I burst into a shriek when I feel something touch my shoulders.
"IT'S ME! It's me!" he groans, ripping my blanket down, turning me to face him. I sit up and grab hold of his arms. I look at his face, I look at Sandor's alarmed expression. He was in nothing but his breeches but that didn't stop me from grabbing his bare shoulders as I sobbed.
"What's wrong, squirrel?" he pushes my hair away from my face, "why are you calling out to me like this?"
I feel him wipe my cheeks. I miss the gentleness of his touch because I'm too wrapped up in my terror.
I shake my head, "I can't do it."
"Do what?"
"Sleep on my own," I choke out, grabbing his wrists, "please."
Sandor remains still as I move closer to him.
"I swear to you I will stay on my side," I shake my head rapidly, "I will not move. I will not make a sound. I will make myself as small as possible, but I beg that you sleep with me, that you stay with me."
Sandor considers my desperation in silence.
I whine when he pulls away. I repel his actions and throw myself onto him, "please-"
"I'm just going to get my shirt."
"There are shirts here!" I say as I grab his arm and stand from bed. I drag him towards the closet and hand him my one of my father's old shirt. I get on my tiptoes and begin to put it on him. He grunts as I do this, but lets me do it anyway.
"I got it," he quips when I try helping him put the sleeve on.
I watch him put on the shirt. It looked a bit tight on him but I couldn't care less, he would have to make due. I grab his bicep, "so, you'll stay with me?"
Sandor eyes me, pushing his hair back, "I don't have much of a choice, do I?"
I release a breath, "I swear," I shake my head again, "I will not make a fuss! I am a light sleeper! If I do something, simply wake me so that I do not both-"
"I get it," Sandor says, pulling his arm away. I follow him closely as he steps into bed. I quickly follow after him, taking the smallest portion of the bed possible.
"I'm not that fucking massive, girl," he grumbles once he's on his side.
I turn to him, "I don't want to-"
"I'm bothered with you sleeping so on edge that you're going to roll off any second."
I scoot a tad closer to him.
Sandor makes himself comfortable. I slowly let myself do the same.
I anticipate an interrogation from him. I'm sure he wanted to ask why I was crying, why I wanted him here, why I'm so scared, but they never come. He just lays there with me in the quiet. I instead find myself focusing on the sound of his breathing as a distraction to my racing mind. I eventually tire myself out and slowly doze off.
I wake up with a groan. I bite my lip and reach out to the other side of the bed. Empty again.
I sigh and roll under the covers. I freeze when I feel a dampness between my thighs.
I push myself up and pull the sheets down as I sit up. A pool of red was seeping through my shift. A panic shoots through me. I clutch my belly, mortified as I rip up my skirt and see how much blood I've lost. Was this...
I lie back down and try to count the days that I last bled and the day Sandor and I laid together.
I release a breath. The counting is both calming and frustrating.
I sit back up and call, "Lucy!"
I stand from the bed and pull the sheets off, "Margaret!"
I walk to the closet and fish for a change of clothes, "Annetta!"
A voice from afar calls out, "coming, milady!"
Lucy was the one that responded. She gasps when she walks in, eyes immediately on the red of my otherwise white attire, "you're-"
"Not with child," I finish for her, looking over my shoulder, "is a bath prepared for me?"
Lucy takes a moment before nodding, "yes. It's why it took me a while to get here," she walks over to the sheets, "the girls didn't prepare the bath the way you like it."
"I do not mind not having lavender," I pull out a dress from the closet.
"Well, I mind," Lucy turns to me, "you have been aching for a two days now."
I hum, "and now we know why," I motion to the bed she was fixing.
Lucy takes my arm before I can walk off to the bathroom. She speaks my name; she says it in a soft and wary manner. I purse my lips and turn to her. I raise my brows expectantly.
She clenches her jaw, "do you think it is monthly blood or..." Lucy's face hardens.
"My love," I shake my head and offer a smile, "it is simply my that."
My handmaiden is unconvinced, "it's been three moons since you've bled."
"And has that not happened to me before when I was a maiden?" I tilt my head and brush her hair behind her shoulders.
The both of us turn to the door when someone knocks. I tell whoever it is to enter and in comes Annetta. The young farmer's girl was one of the now many servants in Brown Wood. Her eyes widen when she sees the red on my clothes. She scrambles to get something to cover me. I chuckle and assure her it is alright because I will be bathing anyway.
This haunted place lost its ghosts once we took in people to employ. The estate now resembled something like that of my childhood; plenty of rooms were now being used, people were bustling in and out, only except now, all the responsibility was glaringly obvious to me for it was my responsibility... and Sandor's.
It was tedious work, managing a house, managing an estate, managing the whole expanse of what was within the Brown Wood and the Sterling River. The Hound was keen on being obvious to how tedious it was.
I am partially grateful that he was doing his duties-- no, I am grateful that he was. But-
"My Lord," I rise from my seat on the dining table when I see Sandor march down the halls towards me. I smile softy and nod, "good morrow."
"Nothing's good about morrows," he grumbles. Sandor draws the chair at the head of the table back with a screech. He looks down at the table. He turns to me and asks, "where's the grub?"
I decide not to respond and only look over to where the kitchen was, calling for the servants. I sit down and smile when I turn to him, "I was hoping you would join me today."
Three servants walk in carrying our plates of food and an ewer. The Hound watches them place it down and leave.
I stand up again when he takes his plate, "please."
"You know I've got no time for this," he hisses in annoyance, "I have a bunch of sorry fucks' complaints to listen to-"
"I can do that!" I place my hand on my chest, "I can fill in those duties for you."
Sandor freezes.
I turn to the table, "I wanted to speak to you about these things as we ate."
My belly swirls at his silence.
I turn back to him and catch the way he rolls his jaw and wrists. I manage to repress the way I jolt at how he roughly sits himself down. I take a deep breath before sitting down.
The Hound immediately feasts. He makes soft sounds as he chews. The cutlery clanks against the china.
I begin to eat as well, "did you wake before sunrise again?"
He responds by stuffing more food in his mouth.
I look at him as I chew. I look at his burn scar, where his hair started and ended on that side of his face. I notice at how, though he is quick to eat, he is mindful not to get anything on his beard. I notice how he not once looks back at me.
"You needn't wake so early," I offer softly, "you can have someone else-"
"None of the sorry fucks in this town know how to use a sword, not properly. Once I train a few of them, they can train themselves," he takes the ewer and pours himself a cup of wine. He mutters as he brings the cup to his lips, "they keep complaining about the woodland monsters stealing their sheep, but I reckon it's them thieving on each other."
I put my silverware down, "you might not believe it, but the woodland monsters are real."
The Hound sets his cup before him and continues to eat.
I feel a frustrated ire build in me, "I've told you, those creatures are what killed my family. You saw my scar. You know why I cannot sleep without you."
"I didn't say I didn't believe your story," he finally turns to me, "I said they're stealing each other's sheep."
I turn back to my plate and cut up my food, "will you investigate the theft then?"
"What for?" he continues to eat, "I scared those pricks shitless. If anyone is stealing, now they won't."
My face twitches at the thought.
Sandor notices.
He chews for a moment before asking, "what?"
I tense as I turn to him.
He looks expectantly.
I purse my lips tightly before curving it into a smile, "you have been working tirelessly and have... very surely established lordship to Brown Wood, a role that is immensely different to the one you used to have. I know that this is not the life you want or ever thought of having, but I am grateful for your a-"
"You don't have to shield my heart and kiss my ass, squirrel," he leans back on his chair and waves impatiently, "get to the point."
I lick my lips and huff, "your time in service has hardened you, as it would any other man. It has helped you become the valiant warrior you are, but--" I cut myself off to gently mutter, "I feel your way is a bit too coarse."
The Hound says nothing.
I straighten up, "that is why I would like to take upon your load of relating with the people," I reach for the ewer and pour myself some wine, "in this way, you will not have to rise so early to fit all your errands in a day."
He places his hand atop my cup when I try to pick it up.
I pull my head back as he straightens up, "you know I used to wake at the ass crack of dawn for the stupid boy-king, doncha?"
My stomach drops when he leans in.
"So, what?" he narrows his eyes, "you'd do all the talking by yourself?"
I gulp, "ideally-"
"Ideally," he chuckles and pulls away.
"-so that you may use that time for your other responsibilities, your patrols. That is something you're much more accustomed to."
My skin pricks as when laughs harder. It felt like his amusement was laced with poison.
He shakes his head and sighs deeply. He looks at me for a good long moment then tilts his head, "you think I can't do it."
I furrow my brows.
"You think I'm an imbecile who can't solve petty arguments between illiterate boneheads," he begins to flare, "and you don't want the pretty memory of your dead fucking family to be tainted by my monstrosity."
I am appalled by his words, "that's not what I said!"
"You didn't need to," he nods, "shackled to a Hound, you ought to use him like one, right? Never mind giving him a chance."
I feel like a stake pierced through my ribs. His low chuckle squeezes my heart. I rebut, "that is not what I meant."
"And what did you mean?!"
"I want to help you!" I fight back the way my eyes wanted to water, "I want to share your burden! I grew up watching my uncle speak to his people in his house, while you grew up learning the ways of the blade. What I offer is a more logical setup."
"Just like it was logical of you to keep a three legged dog," he quips back.
I scoff in disbelief.
"I suppose you want me to hunt the creatures that butchered your family next, huh?" he scratches his beard.
My face drops at the thought. I rapidly shake my head I disagreement.
He clenches his fist and grits his teeth, "why not? Maybe then you can have your kid with that pretty boy-lord across the meadow."
His words make belly contract. I clutch my belly, painfully aware that I was bleeding between my thighs this moment.
"I'm not with child," I blurt out, unable to contain my tears any longer.
Sandor is freezes, at the sight of the tears and the statement.
"I woke up bleeding," I say between cries, "I've never been regular bleeder. It's not unusual for me to skip through multiple moons."
The next words he says butchers me.
"Maybe it's the gods' will for you not to be a mother."
I stare at him in horror after hearing this. His blank expression is chilling to the bone.
He suddenly stands, "there's always something awry when we speak, and you always end up weeping."
Is this why he thinks I shouldn't be a mother?
"In any case, we ought to not speak to each other at all."
My jaw drops. I nearly choke on my heart, "now you don't even want to speak to me."
"Look at yourself," he raises a hand, "you don't want to speak to me."
"Because you are treating me so cruelly!" I spring up from my seat.
The Hound shakes his head, "I'm treating you just fine. I'm doing you a favor."
Sandor tenses as he watches me shove my chair back and walk away.
#sandor clegane#sandor clegane fanfic#the hound#the hound fanfic#sandor clegane x reader#sandor the hound clegane#sandor fluff#sandor x reader#sandor fanfic#sandor clegane smut#sandor clegane fic#sandor clegane x you#sandor clegane fluff#sandor fic#game of thrones#game of thrones fic#game of thrones fanfic#sandor clegane angst#sandor angst#sandor smut
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Talk to the people that fight the monsters in the dark, skulking in the alleys no one remembers and hiding behind suits and smiling faces in the expensive buildings, they'll tell you stories. They say there's a city block that doesn't belong to the city anymore.
Don't make trouble for the people there. The unspoken statement is that the people there aren't... exactly human anymore. They used to be. But there's worse things in the dark then men with the hearts of wolves or undying monsters that drink the blood of the living; worse than patchwork men that spread disaster in their wake and don't understand why. Sometimes, a terrible mystery ensnares someone, trapping them in promises and story and lies, and drags them away.
What comes back isn't human anymore. It's still a person, though. They reason and understand things, same as the humans they were, once. You leave them alone, the local Union rep says. They're no harm to no one, as long as you don't bring trouble to them.
Don't rat to them, you get warned. If someone who looks too good to be true comes around sniffing for their addresses, you just smile and nod and say you never heard a damn thing. Don't rat them out. Because the people in that place will know, and they'll find you, and your family. You try to throw them back into hell, they'll return the favor three times over.
But it goes both ways; if you watch out for them, mind your business and keep their secrets, they'll help you out.
The Union rep tells you a short little story; he says that most of the time, the people in that city block look the same as you or me. There might be a few signs; a girl with teeth unnaturally sharp and pointy, or a man who knocks on wood and it makes a noise like HE'S made of wood. But if things are going normal, you won't see what they really look like, just a kind of magical mask that hides them. But they got their fancy tricks, and they know all about escaping bad situations.
So if you do your part in the deal, they'll help you out. Pretty much anything; a single mother went down to them after some bad business with her ex came up and her kids went missing. Well, she talked to Pop Hammerfist, the big ol' dude that looks like someone carved a tree into a man. Her ex was on the news in the hospital a few days after, yelling about the trees following him, and her kids were back home safe and sound, and with the ex having already signed a few agreements to pay his damn alimony already.
Or a little boy with a missing cat came up to them and asked for help. If any of the real hunters or Union folk had heard about it, they would have stopped him, but the people in the city block didn't turn him away. They nodded, and listened, a few hours later came back with the little boy's cat, safe and purring up a storm. You help them out, they help you out; I hear that kid tells 'em stuff he heard. 'Spose there's a lesson in that. We're all in this together, long as we don't tear the boat down with us in it.
Reminds me of a story about the lady who brought the cat in, in fact. A big lady; has to go to special shops to get clothes that fit. Weird shiny teeth, too, with the weirdest damn braces I ever saw, if those are braces. You hear some funny stories about her, that when she comes knocking the whole floor shakes, but she couldn't be a sweeter lady. Nice to kids, loves cats, always help out. If she's got the weird habit of speaking in rhyme before she says anything else, well, we all got our promises, I guess.
Well, a while back, we had a Slasher. Yeah; the thing that happens when a Hunter goes bad, or someone just gets too much of a taste for murder. Killing opens up a soul, and some part of us leaks out, or something else gets in. This particular fellow liked to call himself a real genius; a real nasty piece of work that liked making elaborate death traps and leaving people to die. Well, we worked out he was there when they started finding the bodies, and by that point he'd already gotten the Big Lady.
...Yeah, that's the name of that lady I mentioned. Long story.
Well, we found what was left of him, and his death traps. The whole place was smashed to pieces by something big. Big and helliciously strong, I'd say. It was like the set of those torture horror movies got hit by a storm. And they found the guy, or. What was left of him. Looked like a wild animal had bit him up, or a jaguar.
Well, from what we heard, he got her all right. But she might have been a bit more than he bargained for. I'm not sure exactly what she did to him, but they were cleaning his blood and bone off the wall for weeks. They said his skull looked like something real strong had just slugged him, so hard he sorta splashed. Don't make me draw you a picture, pal.
But, yeah. Funny thing is, they said the fist mark was so big you'd need a person the size of an elephant to throw that kind of punch. And we kept seeing cats around the area. Really, really big cats.
..You remember about promises. You keep 'em with the city block folk, because they got all kinds of things keeping promises to them.
What happened to the Big Lady, you ask? Oh, she's still around. Helps out the local Union cell now and then. Good hand if you need brute force.
She don't much like having to handle anything that's got too much iron in it; steel is fine, but not real iron. She saws its an allergy.
...Yeah, I know how it sounds. But we got our funny ways, and she keeps her promises, so keep your nose out of it, yeah?
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the king's gambit: en passant (teaser)
member — seungcheol x f reader teaser genre — angst (kinda), enemies to lovers series genre — smut, angst, fluff, happy ending; one-sided enemies to lovers, mafia boss!cheol, ceo!cheol, sugar daddy!cheol word count — this teaser - 0.7k; full fic - tbd (estimated 25k+) synopsis — Millionaire CEO Choi Seungcheol has never relied on anybody: not his parents, not his friends, no one. The only person that’s gotten him through life is himself and the power his name holds. But even now, with everything he could ever want at his fingertips, his life lacks purpose… until he meets you. teaser warnings — mention of alcohol series warnings — murder, gun violence; poisoning; kidnapping/hostages; mentions of blood; descriptions of sex workers/sexual acts for money; unprotected sex, BDSM elements; mentions of food and alcohol; warnings are subject to change as i continue writing! notes — this is a very short teaser for the 95z collab i'm doing called the king's gambit! there is no completion date for this yet as i'm still working on it (and struggling quite a bit— plot is not my usual thing lol). i've got a solid 13.1k down for now, which is by far the longest i've ever written, and there have been a lot of challenges getting to this point but i'm so excited to give you a little snippet of what's to come! once it's completed i will also be posting this fic on ao3 for readers who find that platform easier to use. i hope you enjoy, and if you do, don't forget to add yourself to the taglist for more updates!!
collab masterlist • taglist form • my ao3
it’s no surprise that seungcheol finds himself back at the casino, making his way over to the bar.
there’s not as many people in the casino at this hour of the morning as there were last night, but even still, most of the machines are full and a few of the blackjack tables are crowded with people eagerly awaiting their turn to waste away all their money.
you scoff when you see him sit down at your end of the bar. “damn, you look rough, mr. choi.” he hates the way his name sounds in your mouth, sarcastic and cruel. he hates that you don’t even know him, yet you already think you have him figured out. “did you have another long and tiring morning of partying?”
he growls under his breath but lets the comment slide, not wanting to do any more fighting today. he’s had enough of it as it is. “if you make me a bone dry martini i’ll give you a thousand dollars, right now.”
“of course, sir. anything for the vip paying customer.”
he sighs, pulling out his phone and setting it on the counter. “if you drop the snarky comments i’ll make it five thousand.”
you pause, the bottle of vodka in your hand. he sounds genuinely exhausted, and you almost feel a little bad for him. you don’t doubt that he has that much to spend, but that much money just for you to stop berating him seems a little extreme. “coming right up,” you say softly, grabbing a glass from the sparkling silver rack. “and you can keep the money.”
you finish pouring the drink and set it on the counter with a cocktail napkin, and he pulls out a thick stack of crisp hundred dollar bills from his wallet. you try to refuse him again, but he slaps the bills down, grabbing your hand and placing it on top of the money so you can’t pull away.
after a second he lets go of you, picking up his drink instead. “i’ll transfer the rest to your account today. go buy something useful.”
you look up at him with wide eyes. “mr. choi, that’s really very generous of you, but i don’t think—”
but cheol interrupts you, sighing again. “just keep it. don’t argue with me. please.”
you study him for a second, noticing for the first time the dark circles under his eyes and the way his hair is mussed like he keeps running his fingers through it. you nod silently, sliding the bills off the counter and pocketing them in your blouse pocket.
cheol’s eyes watch your movements closely, studying you in return. “don’t you have a safer place to hide that? casinos can be a dangerous place.”
you almost want to tell him, what on earth would he know about danger, but you bite your tongue and keep it to yourself. he’s had a long enough day on his own, it seems like; he doesn’t need to hear about all the times you’ve been catcalled and harassed, just inside his own casino. though, even if you did, he doesn’t seem like the type to care.
you shove the cash in your drawer beneath the bar and cheol nods, downing the rest of his drink with surprising ease, considering how strong it is. he sets the now empty cocktail glass down, wincing a little before he slides off of his stool and starts to walk away, leaving without another word.
“wait!”
he stops and turns around, waiting.
you freeze, standing there in silence. you hadn’t expected him to stop. you don’t even know why you’ve stopped him. to ask him if he’s okay? clearly he’s not. to tell him to be… happier? to cheer up? you sigh. this was stupid. “nevermind, i’m sorry. have a nice day, mr. choi.”
he gives you a halfhearted smile and a wave. “yeah. you too.”
you watch him walk away, shoulders hunched and suit wrinkled. you can’t help but be curious about what he’s been up to that’s made him so exhausted, and you begin to wonder if maybe there might be more to this millionaire ceo than you first thought.
> no taglist since this is just a teaser; but, you can join the main taglist here!
> please consider reblogging + leaving feedback! this is the first time i've attempted a longer story like this and it has proven incredibly difficult for me, but knowing you guys are equally as excited for it as i am helps me stay motivated to keep going :)
#[📌] — june.writes#[✏️] — the king's gambit#scoups smut#seungcheol smut#scoups scenarios#scoups imagines#scoups x reader#scoups angst#scoups fluff#scoups fanfic#seungcheol imagines#seungcheol fanfic
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On Call
Marvel | Starker
Peter works nights as an EMT and he's seen a lot of things, but Tony Stark is something new. Ever since he was dragged out of that fire and into Peter's arms he just hasn't been able to get him off of his mind. Despite that Peter's pretty sure that Tony is into some shady stuff.
Rating: Explicit
For H <3
Warnings and tags below
Warnings/tags: Mafia au, blood, violence, murder, emotional trauma, alcoholism
Peter watched the fire spread across the upper windows of the townhouse. It burned fiercely across the upper floors and the kitchen. The living room hadn't yet been touched, creating an anxious arch of destruction. He bounced on his feet, waiting for the firefighters to start pulling people out. The minute one emerged carrying an unconscious man, Peter bounded into action. The man was laid on a gurney and loaded into the ambulance.
"He's breathing. No sign of burns," Peter commented to his partner.
"Pulse ox is low," Ned added as he checked his vitals, but Peter was already prepared with oxygen.
"I've got him. If he's not burned, there's someone else inside for sure," Peter said. "Fire like that doesn't just happen."
Ned nodded and jumped out the back to help the next one. Peter kept checking on the patient. He looked good all things considered. The only injury he found were a couple of bloody knuckles. He held one hand in both of his, looking it over. Those knuckles were pretty calloused. As if they were used to being broken and bloody. Was there a fight before the fire started?
The man woke up coughing, choking on the smoke in his lungs. He grabbed the mask from his face and ripped it off before Peter could stop him.
"Woah, easy- you're safe! You're okay," Peter soothed.
The man looked at him with wild eyes. "What the-" his words were cut short by more coughing. Then his eyes seemed to focus on his environment. He settled against the gurney and put the mask back against his face.
"That's it." Peter patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll get everyone else out."
The man scoffed, almost laughing, but he said nothing. He startled when Ned climbed back inside, but he relaxed again when he saw his face.
"MJ's crew has the other one," he said to Peter. "Sir, were there only two of you inside?" he asked the man.
He pulled the mask away from his face. "Is he alive?"
"I need you to answer the question," Peter said gently. He shivered when those dark eyes flicked back his way. The man nodded and settled again.
"Good. We should be clear to head out soon," Ned said. He made his way up to the driver's seat.
"Don't worry. Your friend is in good hands."
A smirk played on his lips that made Peter shudder.
"I'm Tony," the man offered his hand. He was staring almost too intensely.
"Peter." He shook his hand.
"Accidents don't happen to people like me, Peter. I'm grateful you made it here in time."
"Thank your neighbors for calling."
Tony grinned. "If only they'd mind their business." He put the mask back on as the engine started and the ambulance moved out onto the road. The siren blared overhead. Peter watched the man in the gurney for signs of distress, but if anything he seemed peaceful. He held the mask against his face as if he couldn't bear the straps around his head, but at least he kept it on. Peter had argued with plenty of patients about this before. Tony's words rolled around in his mind.
The police would ask later if he'd noticed anything odd or if Tony had said anything and wasn't sure how to respond when they did. A statement like that could have been a confession as much as it could have been dark humor.
The siren stopped and they parked at the emergency room doors. Ned and Peter helped Tony out. A nurse led them through the halls into a prepared room. As he helped Tony transfer into the hospital bed with a hand on his arm and an arm around his back, he felt the man lean into him. When he looked up his face was a little too close. He turned his eyes away, blushing, but he thought he saw the man smirk.
"You're a good guy, Peter," Tony said, as he settled in. He brushed off the nurse who flitted around to take his vitals.
"What about me?" Ned joked, but Tony ignored him. His eyes were only for Peter.
"Stay that way," he said with a wink.
All Peter could think to say was "Yes, sir."
The incident lingered in his mind for a while, but as busy days came it finally drifted from his thoughts. Only to come rushing back as he sat in the back of an ambulance, stitching together a stab wound. His sleeves were soaked with blood and he was pretty sure some had slipped into his gloves at the wrist.
"We can't keep meeting like this," Tony grinned with bloody teeth. There was blood everywhere. Not all of it his. In fact, Peter was pretty sure the only blood that was his was the stuff pouring out of his gut.
"How do you get yourself into these situations, Tony?" Peter kept his eyes on his work, but he could see the man watching him from the corner of his eye.
"Don't you worry your pretty head about it," he said. He sighed and laid his head down. "You're pretty good with your hands."
Peter laughed. "You sound a bit delirious. How are you feeling?"
"Eh, I've been better. Maybe you can help me out with that."
"I'm happy to help." Peter finished the stitching and gently cleaned the skin once more. It was pretty neat for an emergency job. He spared a glance at Tony as he finished up.
"You sure I can't start the truck?" Ned called from the front.
"How about you go keep watch if you're so antsy?" Tony yelled back.
Ned stepped outside muttering under his breath, "Keep watch?"
Tony turned his attention back to Peter. "Come with me when we're done. We'll go get breakfast."
Peter laughed again. "I think that's the blood loss talking, Mr. Stark. But I'm glad my work is appreciated."
"I mean it, Peter." His voice was so serious that Peter turned his gaze from his clean up to the man's face. "Anything you need, just ask. I'd be dead twice over if it wasn't for you."
"I-" Peter blushed. "I'm not the only one here you know. Someone else could have patched you up."
"Someone else would have given a more damning statement."
Peter turned away. He was right. He hadn't told the police everything Tony said after the fire. He wasn't sure why. He supposed he just didn't want to be involved. And the other guy survived. Mostly. He passed a week later in the hospital, but surely if Tony meant to kill him he would have died in the fire right?
"I think you know exactly what I'm capable of," Tony spoke softly. "And I think you know you could use someone like me on your side. Don't be afraid to ask, sweetheart."
After a moment, Peter turned back around. He put on a professional smile. "Thank you, sir. You're very kind. Let's just get you to the hospital."
"No more hospitals," Tony groaned, already sitting himself up.
"Whoa, hey! Yes, hospital," Peter put a hand on his shoulder to push him back down. He was surprised to find how easy it was. "You lost way too much blood."
"Not this time," he sighed. "Thanks for the help, I'm sure you boys know where to send the bill." He pushed himself up again. This time Peter helped him to stand. Watching the man sway on his feet made him nervous.
"Please, Tony. Let me get you some help."
"You're all the help I need, sweetheart." He grinned. "Don't worry. I've got someone to drive me home."
"Just promise you'll go to the hospital if you aren't feeling any better by the morning."
"Not happening, Pete."
"Fine," Peter sighed. "Give me your phone."
Tony blinked at the order. Then after a pause he pulled a cell phone from his jacket. He unlocked it and handed it over, watching with eyes that were much too curious.
Peter typed his name and number into the contacts. His thumb hovered for a moment, curious about the dozen text messages in the notification bar but he locked it and handed it back.
"There. If you won't go to the hospital, please just call me. I'm not a doctor, but I'm better than nothing."
"Yeah you are," Tony grinned.
The sound of tires crunching as a car slowed down on the street found them. Peter peeked out the door. "I guess that's your guy?"
Tony looked out beside him. "That's my guy," he confirmed. He patted Peter's shoulder. "Get out of here before the other guys show up."
Peter climbed out the back to help Tony down. "What other guys?"
"The ones who won't give a shit that you were just doing your job."
Dread piled on to the already growing pit in his stomach. Yeah, he knew the sort of things Tony got up to. He didn't have to be told. He watched his friend load Tony into the passenger's seat and pulled out onto the road. Then he finally let Ned start the truck and get them away from the crime scene. The police could deal with whoever was in the car that pulled in after them.
Peter kept his phone within arm's reach at all times. A few days passed without him receiving the call he was waiting for. To say he was disappointed would be an understatement. Sure, Tony was obviously a criminal and probably a murderer, but he was so interesting. And besides, Peter's life was far from sunshine and rainbows. He didn't mind a bit of darkness in a man. But that was probably the trauma talking.
After three days of no calls, Peter went home tired and grumpy. He tiptoed through the front door and quietly took off his shoes. The light from the TV flickered. An ad for prostate medication played.
He went to the kitchen to reheat some old take-out that was about a day away from becoming questionable. A spoonful of too hot fried rice was in his mouth when his uncle called his name.
"Peter! Out late again?"
Peter swallowed. He took a deep breath, eyes closed in silent meditation. "I'm working nights now, remember?"
"Are you getting smart with me? Do you know who the hell pays the bills around here?"
Peter bit his tongue to keep quiet, because yes he did know. Because everything but the apartment was billed to his account. Because he switched to the night shift because it paid two dollars more an hour. Because that extra two dollars was the reason they had anything in the fridge besides beer.
He took his food and crossed through the living room.
"Where are you going? I'm talking to you- fucking spoiled disrespectful- you're lucky May's not here to see this shit-" Ben rambled, never finishing even one of his half drunken thoughts.
Peter closed the bedroom door and locked it. He swallowed down the urge to soak in his misery and went to the desk instead. Medical books mocked him with failed dreams of becoming a doctor. EMT training was cheaper. It meant less time in school. He could get a real job faster. No more all day classes and all night working the convenience store counter. He just wished Ben hadn't lost his mind when May died. He wished she were here to see him trying to help people the way she always did. Despite what Ben said, Peter thought she would be proud.
He shoveled in his food until the container was empty then he dropped it on the floor next to an overflowing trash can from all the other nights Ben had come at him this week. Peter dropped into bed and checked his phone one last time before falling into a dreamless sleep.
Peter woke at noon to a car alarm down on the street. He groaned and covered his head. He didn't dare look out the window. Then he heard gunshots.
Groaning once again, Peter dragged himself out of bed. He pulled on some fresh pants and looked outside, still hooking the button. There was a body on the ground. Sighing, Peter grabbed a jacket, his phone, his emergency kit and left his room.
"Where the fuck are you running off to now? Lazy piece of shit- can't even look after your own home- you too fucking good for it with your fucking medical degree-"
Peter slammed the apartment door and jogged to the stairs. There was the sound of glass smashing behind him. Not the first time Ben threw a bottle at him. Hopefully this time he remembered it was there before he stepped in it.
He ran down to the street. At the door, he peeked out, crouching low. He hadn't heard any gun shots in a while. Still, he kept his head down as he jogged across the street. The man laying on the sidewalk was still. His skin was cold. He wasn't breathing. Peter sighed. Another senseless death.
"Help..." a groan came from the alley nearby. A man was sitting on the ground, back to the wall. His hand was pressed tightly against his abdomen, covered in blood. Peter to him and crouched at his side.
"Are you hurt anywhere else?" He pulled his phone from his pocket, already punching in the numbers. Then someone took the phone from his hand.
"He'll be alright," a voice said coldly over his shoulder.
Peter looked up. "Tony? What's going on?"
It all happened faster than he could blink. Tony raised the gun in his hand, a gun Peter hadn't even noticed. He aimed it at the man's head. Then he fired. Gore exploded onto the wall. Bloody flecks hit Peter's side. In shock, he wiped the blood from his cheek.
"What..." he gasped. He couldn't process what he'd seen. Then Tony grabbed him by the arm and hauled him to his feet. He dragged him down the alley.
Peter looked back at the body. At the man he'd meant to save. Behind them followed two more armed men.
"Tony," he tried again to find his voice. "What's going on?"
"I got somebody who needs your help."
"That man-"
"He's nobody, sweetheart. This is more important."
"But..." Peter shuddered. That had happened. It did. It happened. He'd watched Tony kill someone. He should have been screaming for help, but he was paralyzed and if he were being honest, he liked Tony enough to give him the benefit of the doubt even now.
He let Tony pull him along and out onto another street. Another armed man stood by a car with tinted windows. Tony barked at him to open the door and all but shoved Peter inside.
Laying across the seat was a man with curly dark hair piled on top of his head in a bun. He was in a similar state to the man Tony had killed. Blood covered his stomach, his hands, one of his legs.
"Hey," the man smiled. "You are real pretty, aren't you?"
Tony leaned in the door. "Can you fix him up?"
"I don't know. I can try." Peter opened up his bag and started pulling out supplies. "I suppose this is a 'no hospitals' situation?"
"Always."
"Got you to go once."
"I was delirious. You got everything you need or what?"
"It's not ideal, but as long as it's not worse than it looks I think I can handle it."
"Perfect. We'll keep watch. You're on a timer, kid."
"What?"
"Well I don't think you can stitch him up in a speeding car so let me know when he's ready to move."
Tony closed the door, leaving him alone with the bleeding man. He gave Peter a little wave and a grin.
"I'm Bucky."
"Peter," he answered. He would be stunned if this wasn't exactly the way Tony behaved while Peter patched him up. Were all of his friends like this?
Bucky hissed and groaned while Peter put him back together, but he was an overall well behaved patient. There were so many scars on his skin when Peter wiped away the blood. He was clearly no stranger to bullet holes and stab wounds. As a matter of fact, he was pretty sure his left arm was a really wall made prosthetic. The guy was a human pin cushion.
He pulled out three bullets and stitched up the holes. The guy looked pale by the time he was done. Peter took a deep breath before he spoke.
"Listen. I don't know exactly what the deal is here, but you've lost a lot of blood-"
"No hospitals, kid. If I need blood that bad, we'll figure something out."
"What happened when Tony went to the hospital?"
Bucky scoffed. "Too many cops. Too many questions. And Toomes's boys showed up just as we were dragging the guy out of there. He could have been killed."
Maybe it was overstepping a little, but either this guy didn't know how little Peter knew or he just liked the sound of his own voice. "He probably shouldn't have set a man on fire if he didn't want to spend time in the hospital."
Bucky laughed. "He had it coming. It was impressive how long the bitch made it. Scrawny little guy, ya know? We almost thought he was gonna survive."
There must have been something on Peter's face, shock, horror, or maybe disgust, because shut his mouth then. Then he narrowed his eyes. "You a cop?"
"What? No-"
"They why are you fishing?"
Peter put his hands up innocently. "I was just curious. Tony doesn't talk much."
"He doesn't talk for a reason. And you know what they say about curiosity." Bucky huffed. He looked him over before seeming to settle on what to say next. "Tony really likes you, kid. But don't think he won't dump you in the harbor if you become a problem."
Peter's stomach dropped. Of course that's how it was. He could have guessed if he'd thought about it. Tony was dangerous, he'd known that from day one. And yet, he was offended by the idea that Tony would think about hurting him. It was silly wasn't it? To think a guy who would shoot a dying man in the head in broad daylight would be gentle with him.
The door opened behind him and Peter jumped. Light poured in. He hadn't even realized how much the window tint blocked out.
"How's he lookin'?" Tony asked.
"He'll be fine." Peter turned and stepped out of the car. He grabbed his bag, now stained with blood and slung it over his shoulder. "Keep him hydrated. I gotta get ready for work."
He brushed past Tony, that knot still hard in his stomach. A hand grabbed his shoulder and he turned around.
Tony's eyes were so big and brown. "Thanks," he said.
Peter softened. "Anytime."
He took the long way home to avoid the crime scene Tony had left behind. Though as he stood outside his apartment he realized he didn't have it in him to walk past his uncle for a few more hours of sleep. So he walked to the rescue station. Things were quiet enough to grab a nap before his shift.
Peter found himself checking out the window for Tony every now and then as days passed. He still hadn't gotten calls or texts. Maybe Tony didn't like him that much after all. Maybe all the adrenaline made him flirty. He'd thought he'd done his best to put it all out of his mind when he got a call from a blocked number.
"Peter? Is this Peter?" a frantic voice said as soon as he answered. He barely had time to be disappointed that it wasn't him.
"That's me. Who-"
"You the EMT that looks after Tony?"
"I guess so. It's kinda-"
"I'm texting you an address. Get here quick." The caller hung up. Within seconds there was a text containing an address and a blood type. Peter's first thought was 'why the hell is this man always bleeding out?' his second was 'how the fuck am I gonna get blood?'.
That wasn't something they just kept at the station, but there was always some at the hospital and he was pretty sure he knew where they put the stuff that was due to be tossed. No one would notice it was missing. The only problem was, he didn't exactly have a car. Did he take a cooler full of blood onto the subway or ask Ned for a favor and hope he didn't ask too many questions?
"So what's all the blood for?" Ned asked not thirty minutes later.
Peter kept his eyes on the GPS. "Friend of mine?"
"A vampire friend?" Ned teased.
Peter sighed. "I almost wish."
"This about that guy who's super weird and doesn't like me for some reason?"
"What? Tony totally likes you!"
"I don't know about that guy, Peter."
"All I know is that he's hurt and he needs help."
"So he should have called 911 like a normal person."
"I don't think he's a normal person, Ned. He's like-" he stopped himself. "Let's talk about this later actually."
It was an uncomfortably silent ride from then on. The address Peter was given led them to a part of the city Peter had never even seen before. They pulled into the driveway and were stopped by a massive gate. It opened after only a second or two and they carried on. Ned gave Peter a look and all he could do was grimace. At the end of the drive was a house that was incomprehensibly massive. A car was parked, crooked, near the front. As if someone had pulled up in a hurry.
Peter jumped out as Ned stopped the truck. He carried his bag up the steps, noting the dried blood in his path. Someone opened the door for him as he reached it.
"You the guy?" the grumpy looking man on the other side asked.
"I'm Peter," he answered. "Where's Tony?"
"He's this way," the guy turned to lead him through the house. "Who's that guy?"
"He's Ned. He's with me."
"This isn't a plus one situation. Ned stays in the foyer."
Peter looked back at a confused looking Ned. A couple of Tony's armed friends looked very concerned about following this guy's orders. He gave Ned an apologetic smile before he hurried along.
"I thought I'd taken care of it, but he just keeps losing blood," the man said. "I can't tell what's wrong with him. I swear he's delirious. Thought he was gonna shoot me."
"What? Seriously?"
The man huffed. "That's Tony for ya. He likes to point his gun at things that annoy him. He's a good guy though." He pushed open a door and there was Tony.
He was propped up against the pillows in bed. His skin was way too pale. There was blood on the blankets, the pillows, the carpet.
"Holy shit. What happened?" He rushed to Tony's side. His hands were on him, checking him over before the man even spoke.
"I knew you'd come." Tony grinned. "I'm fine. Don't let Happy worry you too much."
"You look awful."
"I've had worse than a bullet in the arm. I'll live."
"Yeah, that's why you're ice cold," Peter scolded. He helped Tony sit up and found his back bloody. It ran from his shoulder. "You pulled your stitches."
"Thought that might be it," Tony laughed.
"See, I told you. Should have let me fix it."
"If you come near me I'll shoot you." Tony pointed a finger.
Happy threw his hands up in annoyance. "Fine, let your little twink do it. Don't ask me for shit, Stark." He stomped away, but he lingered in the doorway. "Just shout if you need something, kid."
"You bet," Peter answered, but he was distracted with Tony's injury.
The room was quiet for a moment as Peter fixed the mess that was Tony's shoulder. He needed more than stitches at this point, but he knew better than to mention a hospital.
"I'm sorry about the other day," Tony said quietly.
"It's not your fault your friend got shot."
"I meant the other guy."
"Right." He hadn't forgotten, but he'd done a good job of not thinking about it.
"You must see a lot if that didn't send you running.”
"Gotta say that was a first for me."
"So why are you here?"
Peter hesitated. He focused on his work for a minute. "Maybe there's something wrong with me."
Tony laughed gently. "You? You run yourself ragged looking after everyone else. Yeah, there probably is."
Peter laughed. "Fine. I'm crazy."
"I hope there's more to it than that."
Peter swallowed. He hid his smile behind Tony's back. "Should there be?" He snipped off the end of the stitching and reached for a bandage, but he gasped when Tony grabbed him. He pulled him in front of him where he could look him in the eye. Then his eyes wandered and Peter's heart sped up. For a long moment, Tony's gaze lingered on his mouth.
"We should finish up," Peter whispered. Dark eyes met his. And then Tony pulled him down to him. When their lips met, Peter melted, but Tony went rigid like he wanted to pull him in closer, take hold of more of him. He took the weight off of him, leaning with his hand into the bed instead, but Tony only pulled him back in. He worried for his shoulder, but Tony wasn't complaining. At least not for a long minute when finally the pain made him grit his teeth.
"Let me help you," Peter breathed against his lips. Tony slowly loosened his grip.
They were quiet. Peter found a bottle of pain meds on the nightstand and Tony swallowed two with argument. Peter finished cleaning him up then looked at the cooler of blood wondering just how necessary it was. They would have everything on the truck to get him hooked up.
"I'm fine, Pete." Peter looked at him, sitting in his bloody sheets.
"We really should clean all that up."
"It's my own blood, it won't kill me."
"Yeah well..." Peter took a look around the room. "I can't just leave you like that. Gotta make sure you're okay. Maybe I'll just crash on the couch."
"Most of the bed's still clean," Tony said. He gestured to the other half of the bed that hadn't bloodied up.
Peter blushed and then he kicked himself for even thinking it. "Well..." he chewed his lip. "Just to keep an eye on you."
"Of course," Tony agreed, but he looked excited.
"For medical reasons."
"Exactly." Tony nodded his agreement.
"Let me just uh... text my ride." Peter turned away and took out his phone. He frantically explained to Ned that he should leave a few things in case of emergency before heading home. Then he silenced his phone to ignore the seven million questions he knew were coming.
He settled into the bed next to Tony. The space looked so much wider from where he had been standing. They were practically touching. He should move over, give the guy some space, avoid laying in the blood puddle and all.
Then he looked at Tony. "Tony... I meant it. I'm just staying to look after you."
"Mhm." He nodded. "You know what's really great for pain relief?"
"Tony..." Peter tried to sound scolding but it was difficult when he wanted to laugh.
"If you make me come to you. I'm gonna pull my stitches again. The choice is yours."
Peter laughed. "I guess I don't have a choice if I want to take care of that arm." He moved in closer while Tony watched him with a grin.
"Atta boy."
Peter leaned in for a kiss. Something about Tony's recklessness only excited him when it should have made him wary. He leaned in closer, pushing Tony back until he was laying properly in the pillows again. Then he swung a leg over his waist. Tony's good hand rested on his hip, but it wandered down to his ass as they kissed.
He didn't mean for things to go further than that, but he couldn't stop himself from rubbing against Tony's hip. Tony groaned against his mouth.
"You'd better not be teasing me, sweetheart."
Peter rolled his hips more purposely. "Does it feel like I'm teasing?"
"Fuck," Tony moaned. He tipped his head back against the headboard. "Wish we could do this properly."
"I think we can manage." Peter reached a hand down between them and found Tony's cock, hard in his boxers. The man stared at him, open mouth, breathing heavily. Peter slipped down the bed, pulling back the blanket in his lap. Then he pulled down Tony's boxers.
He looked up at him as he slipped his cock into his mouth. Tony made a strangled sound before relaxing into the bed and letting Peter have his way. He could feel the way Tony struggled to be still. He felt powerful, holding the man at bay with nothing more than the threat of disappointing him if he pulled those stitches again.
Peter sucked him off while his hand slipped down between his own legs to take out his cock and touch himself.
"Fuck. Come up here, sweetheart. I gotta touch you."
"But your arm-"
"Come on, Pete," Tony pressured. Peter could see just how much he was holding back like he might pop at any second. He did as he was told and crawled back up to straddle Tony's hips. "That's so pretty, baby."
Tony's hand wrapped around his cock. Peter grabbed the headboard, gasping then whining, while Tony stroked him.
"Take your clothes off."
Peter jumped up from the bed at the order. For a moment he felt shy about being watched, but Tony looked so hungry for him as he stripped away layers of fabric. He watched his face as he dropped his clothes into a pile and climbed back onto the bed.
"Lube," Tony said. He pointed to the drawer beside the bed. Blushing red, Peter grabbed the handle and pulled the drawer open. There was a lot more than lube in there with instruments ranging from a vibrator to a glock. But he grabbed the lube and let Tony take it from his hand.
"Grab the headboard," Tony ordered. Peter obeyed, happy for the support when Tony's slick fingers went searching for his hole. He pushed a finger inside him and Peter gasped. He moaned, rocking against Tony's hand. Another finger pushed inside him and he moaned. He looked down and shivered to find Tony watching him.
"Please..." he breathed.
"Just making sure you're ready, sweetheart."
"I'm ready Tony, please."
Tony's fingers left him to slick up his cock instead. Then Peter was finally sinking down on Tony's cock, moaning as it filled him up. He kept his grip on the headboard while he rode him. Tony's hand slid up his thigh to find his cock.
"That's a good boy. That's perfect, baby," Tony encouraged.
Peter only panted and moaned, determined to make Tony cum before he did. He moved faster and slower, figuring out what Tony liked, watching for the way he moaned and his eyes darkened like he was thinking about flipping him over and finishing the job himself. Until finally the man was babbling an endless stream of mostly swears as he grew close.
"So fucking good baby," Tony groaned. "Feel so fucking good on my cock- you were made to ride me. I'm gonna fucking cum in your fucking hole- shit- is that what you want, sweetheart?"
"Yeah, Tony, cum in me," Peter answered.
"Fuck- that's a good fucking boy," Tony moaned. His hand slipped from Peter's cock to his hip, holding him tight while he came. Peter shivered, whimpering at the hot wet feeling. He stroked himself, nearly cumming until Tony pushed his hand away and finished him off himself. One of his hands slipped from the headboard to grab Tony's shoulder as he came, back arching and toes curling. And adding to the sticky mess that was Tony's entire body at this point.
He was in haze as he laid down beside him. He stared at Tony in disbelief of it all until the man kissed him and chased away his racing thoughts. They weren't exactly cuddling, but the look in Tony's eyes was so much more affectionate than he might have expected.
"You're an excellent nurse, Pete," he said. They both laughed. "However can I repay you for all of this, anyway?"
Peter waved his hand. "Don't worry about it."
"No, I'm serious. Whatever you need, just ask. Money, hired guns, you name it."
Peter snorted. "Guns? What, you wanna kill someone for me?"
"Just say the word, sweetheart."
Peter sighed. He looked up at the ceiling. Tony did have an awful lot of money. And power. What would he do if he had those things? "What I need is for my uncle to get help. Go to rehab or something. And I need a cheaper apartment."
"Done."
"Just like that, huh?" Peter looked back at Tony. He certainly didn't look like he was joking.
"Are you doubting me? I've got people. We'll get your uncle to a doctor and then you can move in here."
Peter laughed. "The sex was that good, huh?"
"I could use an in-home doctor." He shrugged and then winced. "Look how often you gotta save my ass. You'd be doing me a favor."
"You're serious?"
"I've never been more sure of anything."
"Alright." Peter laughed. "But ask me again in the morning so I'm sure this isn't the painkillers talking."
Tony laughed with him. "You got it, sweetheart.”
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r/AmITheAsshole: Mahabharat Edition
AITA for taking revenge for my friend's murder?
Act like you're the reddit comments, go!
Bonus cookies for guessing everyone's identities correctly.
This AITA text post is created by our lovely server member @warriorbookworm. We remain in awe of him.
-Mod S
[Image Description: A dark mode reddit screenshot that reads-
"Hi everyone, long time lurker first time poster. I wanted some clarity on a horrible dilemma I find myself in since due to circumstances I will describe (my friends being murdered) I am unable to ask them for guidance.
I(M54) had 2 close friends since I was quite young. My father taught one of them(let's call him S) and the other was his friend(Let's call him R). We enjoyed a lot when we were young but S got caught up in an inheritance battle which kind of put a strain on our relationship. S wasn't aware of the existence of his cousins, so them coming to his place was kinda a surprise. With more kids, his grandfather decided to get a good private martial arts tutor apart from the one their family had already employed for general teaching. Here's where my father and I come into the story. My father favoured a cousin of S'(let's call him D) and he was my father's favourite student. Meanwhile, S had a similar skillset to D's brother(Let's call him V), and they became really bitter rivals. We then met R at an archery contest that my father had organized. D refused to compete with R because he wasn't of the same birth so S decided to give R his own estate and they became really, like, *really*, close after that, if you get what I mean. Now S's uncle and father wanted him to get the inheritance and spoiled him a lot. Finally the estate ended up getting split between S and his oldest cousin, Y. S' maternal uncle, G, was not satisfied with this outcome, and so we all planned a game where Y would be forced to bet the estate. Y lost the game, which led to the cousins having to leave and exile themselves for 13 years(one of the conditions of the game). At the end of the thirteen years S and R tried to trip them up but their grandfather, who had always sided with the cousins didn't let us do that.
D's boyfriend then tried to trick us into giving the cousins their estate back but S wasn't having it. What happened later was nothing short of a bloodbath where P, my father, and many others were killed. I am honestly feeling the angriest about my father who was unfairly disarmed by D's BIL and beheaded in cold blood. I feel sad about his death even though he never really approved how close I was with R and S. but he was still on our side since he was employed by P. He has voiced his disapproval many times when R was in our bed and didn't let him make any decisions regarding this conflict. It was only when my father died that R could step into a leading role. Finally after like 16 long days R was unfairly murdered by D and his boyfriend H while V broke the rules of the wrestling game and murdered S on H's instructions. This made me really mad as my two best friends were gone. With their family's tutor, K and another commander, (H's cousin.) I went to their camp in the middle of the night and set fire to it. I wanted to kill Y, V, D, and their brothers but instead killed their sons(S' nephews) in their sleep. I also gave blunt force trauma to their BIL and idk if he's alive or not.
H called me a heartless monster who killed his nephews in their sleep and took away an implant I had on my forehead(it's supposed to be for my brain) and also gave me a deadly disease. I asked him if he was entirely fair in how my father, R, and S were killed. He said it was the result of their past actions but I don't really see it.
So, people of reddit, AITA for taking revenge for my friends' murders?"]
#r/aita: Mahabharat edition#ashwatthama#this is your only hint#do not disappoint me#incorrect quotes#incorrect mahabharat quotes#hindu mythology#hindu memes#desiblr#hindublr#source: brought to you by IMQ discord server#I'm tired#mod s is always tired#mod: s
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Hello! Me again, back to pester you about lore.
So what's going on with The Drifter? For once I know a little about the character, I read 'A Man With No Name', but I still have questions. From how the book read, Drifter convinced Felwinter to get revenge for the destruction of the village. Did that go anywhere? And what did Drifter get up to for the (unspecified very long) timeskip between the book and the game?
And with the modern day, does the Vanguard know he's running a fighting ring out of the basement? Or does every single guardian look away when Zavala tries figuring out where people keep getting these weapons? I guess first rule of fight club and all that. What's he even trying to do? He seems to be pretty against most of the Vanguard's leadership.
Anyway, another invitation to infodump about your other blorbo. I hope you don't mind XD
If you thought I was long-winded about Eris... She's maybe 400 years old whereas the Drifter may be 900... get comfy... this will not be quick.
"Dark Age was wild times."
I adore the Drifter and a good chunk of how and why I adore him is his voice - both the voice acting and the syntax/diction/phrasing used in the writing, but voice alone does not cover why I find his character so utterly enthralling and fantastic.
I wrote a short piece consisting of Eris telling Ikora what she sees in him in my story Finders Keepers. It's basically a personality analysis and some people have (I think probably accurately) accused it of being a love letter to that character. (Reminder: that link is fanfiction - I wrote it - it is not lore, but it is based on lore. However, everything else I list after this is actual lore.)
But, personality aside, ultimately the Drifter's story is what I find most compelling about him and makes him so empathetic. You mentioned you've read A Man with No Name, but there's more. A lot more.
To start, the Drifter is D2's most violent pacifist.
He doesn't want to fight and when he does, it's vicious. The Emissary of the Nine, formerly Orin (his ex-best friend and/or ex-lover, depending upon how you read it) aptly says "He hates violence. He hates it so much he'll murder anyone who tries to inflict it on him."
In A Man with No Name, we see him go from hiding in a town and having it obliterated by warlords, to running a bar at the bottom of Felwinter peak, to getting Lord Felwinter himself to avenge the town. Drifter doesn't fight anywhere in there and gets other people to do his fighting for him, which is a pretty standard tactic for him. And yes, it is strongly implied that Felwinter does indeed murder the fuck out of Lord Dryden when he says "Call Lord Dryden. Prepare my Iron Banner arsenal."
But then we get Dark Age Drifter entries where he's gunning down Fallen attackers with quotes like "He had never brought himself to shoot a human. Or anything even resembling a human. Risen included." (Bonus mention: notice "Alright" repeated here and compare to his standard Gambit opening of Alright, alright, alright...") Where he's slipping away from non-violence, specifying, in particular, that he won't shoot a human but will defend himself from aliens.
And then he becomes something else entirely in these amazing entries with what I've been calling his Breakneck crew:
Now Otto's a Sword man. He's all about "craft." Technique. Precision. It's disgusting, but I don't care how he does it, as long as it gets done, so I just let him do it. And Otto does it so beautifully that, when he's done, you're standing there holding your guts in your hands and thanking him for the show.
Never touches a gun, that girl. She likes to get close. Likes to look right in their eyes and be the last thing they see.
The chumps that run out to stop us are babies. That's the kicker with Warlords—other than ours, there's not a Ghost in sight here. Just civilians who can barely hold their guns without wetting their pants, who can't aim worth a damn, who stick their necks out for the bad guys with eternal life. Real geniuses.
Cenric stood up. That vein of his looked about ready to pop. Drifter let his feet down as he reached for his rifle, asp-quick. "And you know what we do with rats, don't you, brother."
And the thing I love about this is the character development this speaks to where he goes from pacifist who won't fight at all... to someone who will use a machine gun competently, repeating "Alright" and getting himself used to killing, but not humans, never humans... to stone cold vicious murder-Drifter talking about the lightless who die to his crew in ways that make them (and himself) seem no longer human, to gunning down his own crew, people he felt were a perfect team, when they make deals with warlords behind his back and lie to him about it.
The Drifter started out adhering to an ideal of nonviolence and it destroyed him and everyone he cared for. His sense of self, his principles, everything he believed in is eroded until he completely loses all hope and in order to survive the cruelty of the world he lives in he becomes a ruthless monster.
Either before or after his Breakneck-era crew (it's not clear), the Drifter (under the name Eli) joins the Pilgrim Guard, a group of Titans protecting lightless people as they travel to the Last City. He does this out of a desire/need to be near Orin, a Titan with a complicated past and strong ties to both Queen Mara and the Nine. But then after spending time with Eli/Drifter and the Pilgrim Guard, Orin, the one person Drifter's ever had a deep human connection with, the person he considers his best friend, leaves without a word.
It's very telling that the green snakes, the jade coin, and the red string on those same coins that form such profound parts of the Drifter's symbolism and identity all come from Orin. When the Drifter truly cares for someone, he incorporates part of them into himself, into his identity, making them part of who he becomes, so they live on inside of him.
After his time with Orin, we get into the extremely confusing, contradictory mess that is the Drifter's intersection with Shin Malfur-related Rose/Thorn/Lumina lore. And by this I mean that the Drifter, after fighting alongside people doing genuinely noble good work, in the wake of losing Orin, leaves the Pilgrim Guard and eventually ends up joining the evil cult of evil: following in the footsteps of one of the most reviled risen to ever exist - the guardian-killer: Dredgen Yor.
If you're gonna hang with me, you need to know about the Shadows of Yor. They follow the edicts of a very bad man named Dredgen Yor. And what're his Shadows after? Everything the Light can't provide. I thought they could help me find an answer to the battles of Light versus Light that raged during the Dark Age. But the longer I flew with them, the more I saw they're blind as all those who follow the Traveler. One albatross for another. I was done with 'em.
And while in the cult, in some sort of ritual, he communes with the Darkness directly and gets some sort of Darkness powers (possibly Stasis, possibly something else - it's super unclear) and the Darkness whispers to him his Dredgen name: Dredgen Hope, which is particularly brutal in context with this quote from Dredgen Yor himself:
I care only to give hope to the frightened, huddled masses so that when I come upon them they will have more to lose. Their pain will be greater. Their screams more pure… Nothing dies like hope. I cherish it.
But it is also particularly pointed because hope is the thing the Drifter doesn't have. Trust is the thing he doesn't have the ability to do any more because of his experiences (and is also the name of the hand cannon he wears shoved into his pants). He is the most jaded (literally - constantly fidgeting with a jade coin) character in the D2 universe. He loses everything and leans in on it and follows that path to full evil.
And then he walks away. Because evil doesn't work for him either.
But also (either before or after he's completely left the cult - it's ambiguous, but possibly when he's still entangled but it's already fracturing and falling apart) he finds Orin again (he's using the name Wu Ming at this point - either having returned to it, or because he hasn't changed it yet from Felwinter Peak, or perhaps this happens before Felwinter Peak - the order and timeline is somewhat fuzzy).
Orin does not remember who he is when he finds her the second time (she's pretty nuts at this point - her story is filled with madness and tragedy), and is going insane with grief over losing Namqi (the person she left with when she disappeared the first time) as well as her obsession with the Nine. And the Drifter is once more drawn to her and once more connects deeply with her:
Wu Ming leaves his questions by the wayside as he is drawn inexorably into the gravity well of her desperate honesty. Her confessions lower his defenses. He talks of himself. Of his fear. Of his loneliness. How he feels he is one fingernail away from plummeting into an abyss. How he feels vicious resentment every time he is brought back from the dead: He never asked for the gift of the Light... They make excuse after excuse to meet again. Every conversation is colored by excavated truths; every day they feel they will reach some bedrock that will break them to pieces. It is as frightening as it is intoxicating.
But then Orin finds out about him being a Dredgen, terminates their relationship, goes off to become the Emissary of the Nine and, as someone I was talking with once referred to it: 'it was a breakup so bad he had to leave the solar system.'
Things go very poorly the first time the Drifter loses Orin but the second time is far worse. He has a full-on Lovecraftian 'At the Mountains of Madness' style horror-movie-plot experience with a crew he calls his 'best friends' (which may or may not be all ex-Dredgens but there's at least evidence they might be) out on a frozen planet being stalked and driven to insane levels of paranoia by Darkness creatures able to snuff out their light:
I think I mentioned we're all raving psychos at this point. Well, we did what all measured raving psychos would do. We thought we each had been betrayed by the others. We drew on each other.
The Drifter kills them all to keep them from killing him (at least, that's what he says - no one else is alive to argue). Then his ghost, who up until now has been kind of a moralistic asshole, suggests he hunt down the ghosts of his former crew and Frankenstein them together in order to survive:
And the craziest thing happened. My Ghost snapped... But we would need parts. Ghost parts. And we knew where we could get some... The Ghosts of my former crew all fled as soon as their charges hit the dirt. So me'n mine, we hunted them... "Hey. There's always hope. For what it's worth, I'm proud of you." It was the last thing my Ghost ever said, and the last lie it ever told.
The Drifter's ghost is rendered mute from the experience (either mechanically or due to the trauma of hunting down and murdering other ghosts - it's not clear) but the plan works, they survive, and the Drifter builds the Derelict out of scrap, returning to the Tower where he sets up Gambit.
It's super unclear (again, the Shin-related lore is just a mess and deliberately confusing) but it turns out that Drifter going on about how the Man with the Golden Gun is out to get him is actually a deal he made with Shin to set up Gambit (because, spoiler: the leader of the entire Dredgen cult, Dredgen Vale, turns out to be none other than Shin Malphur, the Man with the Golden Gun, who hunts Dredgens and who the Drifter has been saying is out to get him this entire time) to draw out the truly Darkness-corrupted guardians so Shin can kill them. (And this is ultimately why the Vanguard lets him run a fighting ring in the basement - because Shin convinces them it will help find the truly bad guardians so they can be eliminated).
If you find that confusing, that's because it is. Anything to do with Shin Malphur/Dredgen Yor/Rose/Thorn/Lumnia is pretty much an acid-trip, continuity-wise. It hurts my brain.
As for where the Drifter gets the weapons he gives us for Gambit? To the surprise of no one, he's stealing them. Because of course he is. It's him.
While running Gambit, he ends up visited by the Emissary of the Nine (formerly Orin - same body, different person) and has the Haul attached to the Derelict as a 'gift' in this amazing cutscene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFtmr___dSw
And he pretty much stays in "shifty morally ambiguous guy in the basement" mode until Arrivals when the pyramids show up on Io and we get one of my favourite lore tabs in all of D2: Whispering slab.
The two sit. They speak. They listen. Linkages forged in Light and Dark of traded secrets as the Derelict hangs in orbit around the Earth. Pacts are made. Soon, there is only the silence of knowing left between them.
"Next time you fly over the Moon, dust your boots. Tracking that crap all over my floors."
Both of the Drifter's deep emotional entanglements with Orin happen when he really genuinely talks to her, and now in Whispering Slab, he's genuinely talking to someone else, plus we get the origin of why he calls that someone else Moondust.
Then, during Arrivals, we get the amazing banter between him and Eris, and in Beyond Light they learn to control Stasis together with the result being (in my highly subjective opinion) the best cutscene in all of D2 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQAB-sSi6P0
At the end of Haunted we get Eris' message to him about healing and finding joy , he has this line in Plunder "What we do now matters more than who we were", we end up with the Kept Confidence lore tab during Season of the Witch where the person who previously insisted he trusted no one now is saying: "He didn't trust them. He trusted her" and then in the Gloaming Journeyer tab, he pulls her into a hug and reminds her of what she told him once (in the Prophesy dungeon dialogue): "That we'll live in the night if we have to. We do it for what comes after." (What comes after is dawn, hope, the continuance of existence after the darkest point.)
Someone in a chat I was in once summed up the core dynamic of the Drifter and Eris' relationship perfectly as "He gives her trust. She gives him hope."
There are people online who are very frustrated with the Drifter's character development, feeling that the Drifter has 'had his teeth filed off' and that he 'got his depression cured by getting a goth girlfriend' but I feel that's just people who don't like change. The Drifter has, throughout his entire storyline been constantly changing who he is. Change is part of his many self-constructed identities which he re-creates over and over as his old sense of self is destroyed and remade. Gritty vicious Drifter is still in there and he will be just as brutal as ever if he needs to be.
He doesn't want to be, though. He never has. And as someone who deals with medical-grade depression and who found themselves in a situation where they needed to reconstruct a sense of self to replace the one that was lost, the Drifter finding a way to hope and trust again after all he's been through is an extremely powerful and poignant narrative which speaks to me on many levels.
It's not trite, thoughtless happy fluffy rainbows, friendship-fixes-everything-whee! It's painful and slow and beautiful as the Drifter learns to have healthy relationships with other people. We need stories like this to speak to us at an unconscious level and tell us that even if you're not Eris Morn and you failed, and you gave up, and you didn't make it out of the Hellmouth, and you in fact gave in to despair and completely lost all hope, your experience erasing who it was you were and having that old you replaced with someone else, you can still find hope again. Even if you've been burned so severely by so many, many, negative human interactions that you cannot trust anyone, if you find the right people, you can slowly learn how to trust again.
The Drifter's story has been called a redemption arc, and I guess in a way it is that too but, for me, the essential quality of the Drifter's narrative isn't redemption: it's healing.
Stories have power. We incorporate them into who we are. Dredgen Hope ultimately does live up to his name. Within D2 he is finally starting to heal. I find that idea, of healing in spite of being so altered by one's experiences as to have had to become an entirely different person in order to survive, of being unable to trust and still finding a way to learn how to trust again, to be important and beautiful to have in my subconscious as something to draw from. It is a story that is very much needed by a lot of people. We need to be reminded that we can be irrevocably changed and have everything taken from us and still find a way to trust and hope and love again. That might seem a bit much for a shooty game, but I maintain this is why D2 has some of the best storytelling of any game I've ever played and that the character of the Drifter is a huge part of what makes that storytelling so compelling.
Sorry this took so long to answer. This seriously was as short as I could make it and still say everything that I felt needed to be said. There's more, and more detail, of course, but this is my treatise on why the Drifter is as awesome as I think he is.
That is all.
#the drifter#destiny 2#ask me more things!#lore dump of doom#damn this was long#but so is drifter's life - dude is one of if not the oldest one!#drifteris#eris morn#drifter/eris#the drifter/eris morn#lore ask#lore#destiny lore
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Congrats on 100 followers! Request for your 100 follower special: Yandere!Alhaitham with a very ambitious Akademiya reader, and the prompt: "You just had to go poking your nose around, didn't you?"
Hey there! Tysm for requesting this, it was very fun to write!
Tw: isolation, murder, death, yandere, threats, knocking reader out, torture. Tell me if I missed anything :>
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Alhaitham. He is your Acting Grand Sage. He is a man endowed with extraordinary intelligence and talent.
He lives free — free from the searching eyes of ordinary people, anyway. But somehow, you keep finding him around you.
Could it be fate messing with you?
You still remember very clearly how you two met.
It was an another busy day in Akademiya. You were one of the best students here. You were always researching something. Always being seen in the library. Some even jokingly called you all knowing. You were very hard working, which was the reason you got to the top.
While searching for the book you needed, you heard footsteps coming from behind. It turned out to be your Acting Grand Sage. He asked you what book you needed. After helping you, he took another book and left. This very short conversation that happened, changed your life.
He would always stick somewhere nearby you. Alhaitham didn't seem to have many friends. Maybe the sage wanted to befriend you?
Whenever you two spoke, sometimes you would notice a small smile forming on his lips. One day you asked him why did he even became friends with you. He doesn't seem interested in a lot of people.
"I really like how ambitious you are. You always achieve the goal, no matter what. I find it.. nevermind"
It was very fun hanging around with him. One second you two sit in comfortable silence, the next moment he is having an..argument?..with Kaveh.
But..something seemed off. The way his eyes turned darker whenever your friends..or just anyone would approach. Though, they became even darker when it were your friends. How strange.
And they also seemed more distant now. Usually you all would hang out when you all were free. But now all your time was occupied with green hatstand with tits. You acting grand sage - Alhaitham.
You tried getting him into your friend group, but it didn't go as planned. The awkward tension was so thick, that you could be able to cut it with a knife.
It's alright, you thought. Nothing bad could happen if you go with them instead of the grand sage. He is busy, you are free. He would understand.
Why does it seem like your friend group is avoiding you..? Also.. some of them gone missing. When you interrogated with Alhaitham, he said that they quit. Left back to where they used to live. To how they used to live.
Seemed reasonable, as being a student in Akademiya wasn't easy. But why didn't they tell you about it.. something is wrong. You started having some suspicions about your friend. Ever since you've met him, you were growing distant from the people you hold dear.
So you started investigating.
And that's how, you got here. In this terrible situation.
You decided to follow Alhaitham. To see where would he go and what would he do. Just to be sure he's not at fault for your friends' s disappearance.
For aranara knows how long you were following him, into the deep parts of the forest. It was night already for Archons sake! What is he doing here?
And then, you saw them. Your friends.
Or more like what was left of them. You identified them because of their..torn clothes and hurt faces. Some where still alive, while others weren't. Why did Alhaitham-
"You just had to go poking your nose around, didn't you?"
You turned your face towards your...acting grand sage.
He was not your friend anymore.
He is a murderer.
"Why..?" - you mustered the courage to ask. The hatstand chuckled.
"WHY?!"
You had raised your voice. Your friends pleading you to run away with their eyes.
"It had to be done."
It was all you heard before something hit your head and dark abyss had enveloped your vision.
#yandere genshin impact x reader#yandere genshin x reader#yandere genshin impact#genshin x reader#yandere alhaitham x reader#genshin alhaitham#alhaitham x reader#yandere alhaitham#genshin impact alhaitham#genshin impact#yandere#yandere male#male yandere#yandere x reader#x reader#genshin impact x reader#yandere genshin#yandere genshin au#100 followers event
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What is CURSEBORNE?
This might be of interest to any World of Darkness or Chronicles of Darkness fans or any fans of Onyx Path Publishing and White Wolf in general. We could be getting a new urban fantasy horror game series soon.
On April 10th, 2023 Onyx Path publishing’s blog brought up a hypothetical of making their own urban fantasy game series. Of course this was in response to their lack of any new WoD or CofD products as they do not own the rights to those IPs and must have approval by Paradox before working on anything. Currently Paradox is more focused on supporting their v5 products with their in house studio, Renegade Games and are no longer contracting other studios to right supplements for them for the foreseeable future. Because of this, the 20th Anniversary World of Darkness games and Chronicles of Darkness lines aren’t getting any new releases and what has already been announced and put into production are the only things to release in the near future. The only way for Onyx Path to make more urban fantasy horror games is to make their own and while they only mentioned this as a possibility, the comments section of this blog post exploded into discussions over this new potential game.
The next few blog posts afterwards continued the discussions asking people what they would like to see in a new potential horror game, such as a Masquerade system or signature characters as the comments sections only further spawned more discussion over this new world. Around this time too, Onyx Path announced their new unified version of their in-house system called Storypath Ultra, which should go without saying but will definitely be the system this potential game will be using. Then about a month later, on May 19th, on the official Onyx Path YouTube channel, this video was released https://youtu.be/fL1VPUzoB_Y?si=cR4ZPeb0wf9Kt6mM
youtube
A short seven second long animation of a murder of crows flying against a snowy tree line and the word “CURSEBORNE” forming as they all fly away. A short, mysterious teaser? Well for the next eight months Onyx Path would release a total of 30 videos of similar nature as of writing this post. Strange and short vignettes of classic horror tropes such as fog, spiders and recordings of monsters. Some would even be rereleased with minor differences and even text. I recommend watching some for yourself, there is a really eerie vibe to some. These capture more “modern” horror vibes when compared to WoD or CofD, some even feel inspired by analog horror or urban legends, the “Train” short particular reminds me of Japanese urban legends. Blog posts more or less stopped mentioning this potential game as time went on and mentions were then replaced with a strange picture of a moth, the same one at the top of this post.
On January 31st, 2024, 7:00 EST this website appeared https://www.curseborne.com/
CURSEBORNE, the title in all of those videos. The website has no text, just images of the same moth from the blog just posted all over a black background. Some will slowly fade in. Clicking on them will lead to a new page featuring one of the many teaser videos playing in your browser. Going back to the homepage, you’ll see a moth that appears to be glowing when compared to the others. Clicking it sends you to a Typeform quiz asking “Who are you?”. Answering it gives you a strange title such as “Raptor”, “Gaki”, “Archivist” etc. with a description of how you act. If I’d have to guess, these titles could be the names to new monsters or factions in CURSEBORNE. I’d like everyone who’s interested to please take this quiz and post your results on this post to see how many titles, or “paths” are found.
In short, it looks like Onyx Path is gearing up to make a new urban fantasy game using their own system. It’s not going to be World of Darkness with different names, but its own unique take on the concept.
#curseborne#World of Darkness#chronicles of darkness#onyx path publishing#white wolf publishing#TTRPG#Youtube
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STARS ALIGNED — # CHAPTER ONE !
#DESC. you followed the one cold star that you weren’t told to. your parents has always told you to follow your destiny and fate but the more you heard it, the more you travelled off of your future.
#PAIRS. aquamarine hoshino x gender neutral! reader. slight fem! oc x gender neutral! reader.
#WARNINGS. violence, murder, manipulation, swearing, suggestive themes, dark themes, yandere themes, etc.
#DESPAIROTS NOTE. i started this series in school ,,, 😭 also this chapter wont have a lot of info abt the hoshino siblings or mentions of them but as it progresses, they will appear as i have a project due friday. also its short lmfao.
WHEN LIFE HAS BEEN forcing everything on you, it has bound for you to be driven to manipulation and greed. you were the most desperate person for fame and someone to know who you actually are.
the form of 4stros made you shape a persona that only fans and friends would know, no one actually knew who you were and what your intentions were. to be fair, all you wanted was fame and revenge.
you wanted to kill the person who ruined you, who destroyed your childhood life. you were forced to grow up because of them and your brain was forced to create another personality.
besides the trauma you dealt with, 4stros has grown into a popular idol group. people inspired to be like the group, especially you.
[name] was the leader with multiple fans and love letters with to many creepy stalkers in other, dark places but for some reason, they didn’t get bothered by them.
[name] was an idol and actor, a real life prodigy in action. but who knows, they might use that to their advantage.
maybe help a boy who’s the child of ai hoshino, a popular idol. would they use them too, maybe the two would toy with eachother? who knows, this is your story, not mine.
[NAME] HAD MULTIPLE PEOPLE look down on them when they were younger due to being claimed “weird”, it didn’t bothered them, most things didn’t bother them besides when people actually know them.
“[name] san? you there?” yashiro queried, pink eyes dotting at their leader. [name] smiled at them with a nod, “yes, yashiro chan?” they replied with a tone that would mame fans swoon. yashiro giggled and pecked their cheek before jumping up.
oka opened the door, hair cut and tied into a ponytail with a book that had all their songs, haru and juno were behind her aswell. “juno chan!” yashiro called out and hugged the women, who blushed and mumbled as she hugged back.
[name] walked up to them after waving, “oka chan~ are you done with the new song?” they were quite close to the lyricists face, light red on her cheek as she nodded at the leader who smiled.
“yes, i have.” oka answered with an emotionless tone, the 5 friends have been together since younger days and they’ve all helped eachother through their hardships.
they’ve been 4stro for a 2 years (this is the 3rd year) and this song is for their anniversary, X/XX/2023.
fans all over the place has been waiting for this day to come, expressing their gratitude for them and their excitement all over the 4stro’s fanpage. the anniversary has sky rocketed because of st4rs, the fandoms name.
[name] gave a few instructions before their mother knocked on the door, “[name] san? are — oh! you guys are here! i just wanted to remind you guys that you have school!” their mother reminded quickly and waved at the four friends.
“thanks ma!” [name] gritted in between their teeth, pulling their bag up as the five friends left for school, not before hiding themselves into they got there.
even though getting to school was hard, the amount of times paparazzi has noticed them and tried to invade their life was harder.
especially being classmates with creeps too . . .
“juno chan!” yashiro dragged out the ‘chan’, having juno push yashiro away from her with an annoyed look, the idol group already in class. “yashiro san! leave me alone!” juno whined, clearly enjoying the way yashiro laughed.
haru lightly chuckled whilst oka watched intently before looking back down at her phone, [name] sighed and laid their head down on their desk, peoples mutters being the only thing they heard.
“oh, [name] san!” a familiar girl’s voice rang through their ears, like a gunshot, kana arima stood beside their desk, a smile plastered on her voice.
[name] sat up, their face changing from a scowl to a fake smile, “kana chan!” kana winked at them as [name] just sat there, the same smiled plastered onto their face.
“pleasure seeing you again.”
“pleasures all mine, [name] san.” the two conversed, the classmates just watching with res pigment on their cheeks, having multiple idols in the same room as them.
“you did your hair?” kana asked, pointing at the dyed streaks in [name]’s hair, they lead nodding with a bright smile, having someone to notice at their school.
“i did, kana chan! thank you for noticing.” kana just smiled with closed eyes back at the doll like idol, who’s face returned to a scowl for a second before the teacher came in.
obviously the scowl was noticeably from their friends as they were aware of [name]’s greed and hatred for others, they didn’t point it out since they were all selfish.
they weren’t good people.
and lying to themselves got them nowhere—unlike [name], who admits things are just the way they are.
juno was the most envious, yashiro was the laziest, oka was the most saddest, haru had the most pride, and [name] was the most greediest.
they couldn’t help it. everyone was a horrible person and the more you lie about it, the more ignorant you are. [name] couldn’t help it but feel rage because of them.
“do you remember ruby and aquamarine hoshino?” them. oh them, how could [name] forget them! [name] hated them and their mother, they couldn’t stand the two of them.
“yes, why?” kana grinned before sitting down, not explaining why she had asked. the thought dwelled into their mind, remembering the times that they had seen them.
you met them by visiting a studio where kana was acting at, and surprisingly the hoshino twins were there. “ah! is this one of your friends, kana chan?” you walked up to them with a smile.
ruby blinked at you before smiling, “i love your eyes!” she complimented you, giving a red tint on your cheek. “o - oh, um, thank you…?” “ruby hoshino!”
“and that’s my brother, aquamarine hoshino but most of us call him aqua!” runy answered with cheerfulness that you wish you had.
“nice meeting you, ruby chan, aqua kun. i’m [name] [lastname], the child of hima [lastname], the famous singer, pleasure.”
a dark glint was in your eyes and a smirk plastered on your face, sometimes you wished you could rewatch the face aqua made when he saw you change your personality.
it was delightful to never see them again as they made your blood boil, you couldn’t help it. they were naive people, and you hated naive people.
#kaz’s books. 🔭#000. stars aligned !#oshi no ko fanfic#oshi no ko x reader#oshi no ko#aquamarine hoshino fanfic#aqua hoshino x reader#aquamarine hoshino x reader#aquamarine hoshino#ruby hoshino#kana arima#akane kurokawa#project sekai au#miyako saitou#ai hoshino#ocs
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The Gift (4 of 15) (Witch Steve AU)
previous: Chapter 3 Boys Are Witches Too (Part B) next: Chapter 5 You're Doing That On Purpose (Part A) Ao3 Link - Chapters will be updated ahead of Tumblr Content: 1.5K words, CW: Eddie briefly uses homophobic language against himself.
Last chapter, Steve called back his mother to explain the latest round of the Upside Down and the Hawkins crew heard and accepted Steve's accounting of being a Witch. Now, Eddie wants to have a deeper conversation about what happened when he died.
Chapter 4 Break the Illusion
They had all been talking longer than he had realised, Steve thinks as he enters the kitchen. A window, facing out into the back garden, lets in the soft light of the late afternoon sun, its golden rays spilling over Eddie, creating a gentle halo on the dark cloud of his hair. Eddie's metalhead armor—the oversized black leather jacket, silver wallet chain, and worn jeans—seems incongruous against the peach floral patterns of the backsplash their interior designer installed back in '82.
Eddie has hopped up onto the tiled counter in front of the window, facing the door as he waits for Steve to join him. He’s also returned to that enigmatic expression again, Steve notes, though Eddie’s white Reeboks tap restlessly against the cupboards and his fingers twist at his rings, belying a nervous type of energy. He hopes it’s not him that is making Eddie jittery.
Steve waggles his fingers in a wave from the doorway in an awkward feeling of déjà vu, trying to communicate his harmlessness.
“Why’d you do it, man,” Eddie’s face may not be giving much away, but the tightness in his voice worries Steve.
How does he go about explaining the uncanny to a person who has never experienced it except in short and deadly bursts through a murdering psychopath or a journey through an eerie replica of their town?
Eddie hadn’t acted so reserved before he died, before he was brought back to the revelation that Steve is a Witch. Even in the midst of that damned forest he had been full of irreverant comments while easily swaying into Steve's personal space. The thought that Eddie may look at his white eye now and see the ashen and grotesque Vecna sits heavily in his gut.
Considering Eddie's limited exposure to the variety of mystical present in their world, Steve supposes he can excuse the guy for being tense. A heavy sigh gusts out of him in an attempt to let loose the apprehension stuck at the back of his throat. Determinedly, Steve walks towards Eddie and hops up beside him on the cool tiles, intent on breaking through whatever barrier has sprung up between them.
His hands brush against the back of Eddie’s thigh as he settles on the counter and Eddie whips his head to Steve in surprise, but this time he gets the puzzling sense that it’s like Eddie can’t imagine Steve wanting to be physically close to him.
Steve wonders why that would shock Eddie so much. They had started a tentative friendship, hadn’t they, in the Upside Down? They had shared insecurities and glances of comradery, and silently agreed to protect Dustin as much as they could. They weren’t strangers, is what Steve’s getting at; the experience of the Upside Down was as intimate and bonding an experience as any war.
Maybe that’s how he should approach this, Steve muses, listening to Eddie’s tapping heel create a hollow sound on the blonde wood.
He had gained the best of friends by being honest on a gross bathroom floor the last go round. Perhaps presenting the truth as simply as possible will regain him Eddie’s trust.
“I won’t lie,” Steve promises, catching Eddie’s wide eyes.
“It was risky and pulling you back from the other world was a buzzer beater, even for me. But I don’t think you know what would have happened if you had died. There were so many people, Eddie, who were going to hurt. Who were never going to get over it. I could do this one thing, so I did.”
Eddie scoffs, looking down as he wears at his fingers around the rings, his skin starting to turn an irritated red. “Yeah, I don’t think the local freak disappearing is going to cause that much of a wave.”
“Eddie,” he grabs the other boy’s hand, ignoring the zap of warmth from their connection, the soft humming.
Eddie stills, but doesn’t look up.
“I know you don’t have much reason to have faith in what I can do but believe me when I say that I have the power to See this. And yeah, it would have hurt a lot of people. Dustin…”
Steve has to draw a breath to cover the anxiety he still feels over the tapestries he had unveiled. “Dustin would have been devastated.”
Steve watches Eddie’s lips quirk bitterly through the curtain of his dark hair, his black leather-clad shoulders almost as high as his ears. “Yeah, that shrimp doesn’t know any better,” he says.
“It’s not…” Steve cuts himself off, frustrated. “I’m not great with words, that’s Nance. But it wasn’t only Dustin, Eddie. I didn’t look far, but I Know that there are going to be people who love you so much that they don’t even realise the strength of your loss yet.”
Eddie's fingers tighten around his own and Steve belatedly realises that he’s been holding his hand this entire time. Still, Steve doesn’t drop it, thinking that maybe the connection between them is needed right now, to convey his sincerity.
It’s nice too, the feeling of warmth and affection shared in a simple touch. Other than Robin, it's rare that he has the opportunity to have skin-to-skin contact with anyone these days. At his heart of hearts, Steve is a tactile guy and it's just not the same as when he tousles Dustin's hair or pulls Max in for a side-hug. And, as much as he loves his mother, she never was the demonstrative type, even when he had seen her regularly.
“I think you’ve got a pretty great way with words, Stevie.” Eddie looks up at him from the corner of his one hazel eye, still looking a little tense but something was released with his words, Steve realises, relieved. The knot in his gut unclenching. Maybe being a Witch and deciding to change the tapestry of fate wasn’t going to stop him and Eddie from continuing to be friends.
Steve lets the responding lightness he feels fuel his answering smile, “Yeah, yeah. Don’t tell anyone, they think I’m an idiot. Don’t want to break the illusion.”
“I did too,” Eddie admits guiltily. “Before all this,” he waves his free hand in the air. “I thought you were some empty-headed jock who, while not the worse of the bunch, was certainly a member of the asshole brigade.”
Steve winces, “You weren’t far off.”
“Nah,” Eddie grins, leaning further into Steve's space to teasingly tug on a lock of his hair. He's so close that Steve can smell the warmth of Eddie's cologne and feel the subtle heat of his body.
For a moment, Steve’s breath catches and he’s not sure why.
Eddie seems oblivious as he continues talking, “Turns out you’re a good dude with a head and heart ready to save people. Even people you barely know.” The last of his sentence ends in a deep murmur while Eddie reflects on the bronze strands that he has effortlessly captured between his fingertips.
“Eddie?”
Eddie blinks, letting go to tug at the sable waves over his own ear. He holds up their joined hands. “You don’t mind this?”
“What, holding hands? Robin and I do it all the time.” Robin has a lot of opinions about what she describes as the overly moist and disgustingly warm parts of the human body, but she likes to hold hands just as much as Steve does. Sometimes they’ll watch a film, backs to the opposite ends of the couch but connected by a loose clasping of their fingers.
Eddie sneers, though Steve doesn’t think it’s directed at him. “Not afraid of catching something from the local queer?”
Steve blinks rapidly, trying to remember what that store owner had told him and Robin at their Indy visit. His gaze moves beyond the pale orange tiles that they sit on to the golden amber of the maple island across from them. Steve absently traces the wide space as he cautiously decides on his words.
Drawing on Robin's language and style from when Steve had shared a simliar admission, albeit with far less self-loathing, he shifts back to Eddie, trying to make his eye contact serious and free of judgement, "Thank you for telling me. I’m happy you felt you could share that with me.”
Even as he says the stilted words, Steve feels like an idiot; but his sincerity must have been felt by Eddie because the other man's shoulders drop along with his defensive layer. "Steve,” Eddie laughs. “What are you doing, man? You sound like Twiki.” He mocks Steve with a robotic bidi-bidi-bidi sound.
Steve bumps him with his shoulder in retaliation. “No! I just...” He groans, he really isn’t great with his words. “I have this friend,” he starts carefully. “And we visited this place for the first time last year.”
“Oh, no! Mystical traveller, you've trapped me in a maze of endless possibilities. What riddle do I need to answer to understand your wisdom?” Eddie cries out into the air, bringing both arms up in supplication, Steve’s arm wagging alongside him.
“No, shut up.” Steve keeps laughing, pulling their clasped hands down to rest on the counter between them, before Eddie shakes his whole arm off.
“It was a queer bookstore, and we were talking to the owner about how my friend told me they were gay, and Chris shared about when she outed herself. And it was terrible! Like really awful and she said all she had wanted was someone to tell her that it was okay.”
Eddie’s expression softens and his teasing smile quirks to the side. “That’s really sweet. You’re sweet, Harrington, aren’t you?”
Steve brightens with the compliment even as he rolls his eyes and jumps off the counter, letting go of Eddie as he does. Eddie lets him only to lean forward, elbows on knees, “Sweet little Harrington, looking after his lost lambs and saving the unrepentant satanist of the Hellfire Club.” His eyes are gleaming.
Steve points a bossy finger in his face, pulling it back before Eddie’s mock chomp connects. “Don’t make me regret it, Munson.”
“I think sweet little Stevie, you should just call me Eddie.”
Eddie sticks out his hand and, smiling, Steve shakes it in agreement.
“Oh wait!” Steve drops Eddie's hand, calling over his shoulder as he rushes away, “Wait right there, I’ll be back.”
“Okay.” Eddie sounds amused and a little bewildered.
Steve runs up the stairs two at a time and bursts into his room. Cleaned and folded on his dresser is Eddie’s vest.
He checks it one more time – there are some blood stains that he couldn’t remove from the blue denim for the life of him, but he hadn’t wanted to scrub too hard and wear out the material. He gives it the sniff test as well – smells fine, just like his laundry powder, though he thinks he may have accidentally gotten some of his hair spray on it too. It’ll be okay, Eddie won’t notice.
He runs down to present his offering to Eddie, who's idly drumming his heels against the cupboard again, although now he leans back on his hands while staring up at the ceiling.
Eddie casually glances down to Steve as he bounds into the kitchen, lighting up and quickly reaching forwards as he sees what's in his outstretched hands, “My battle vest.”
Eddie runs a ringed thumb over a dark patch. Steve thinks that the maroon colour could pass for the stain of red wine, but wonders whether Eddie prefers the aesthetic of blood instead — something far more aligned to his admiration for Steve tearing his teeth through that demo-bat.
Nevertheless, he apologises, “Yeah, sorry, I couldn’t get it all out.”
“Nah, it’s fine, Stevie. It’s Metal, right?” Eddie looks up, happy. “Thanks, this has a lot of memories for me. It would’ve sucked if it’d gotten lost.”
Steve feels that warm glow of having done the right thing. He reckons that he may have come out the other end of the Upside Down with another good friend after all.
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#witchsteve#steddie#platonic stobin#stranger things#steve harrington#any unexplained references are detailed in chapter notes on Ao3#eddie munson#paperbackribs writing
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