#i usually watch him drive away and when he rounds the street and heads back south be honks and kinda waves at me

[mostly-imagines]

At Least I’m Not Alone at the Wake

jason todd x fem!reader

aka how jason feels safe even when he feels like he’s dying

HEY today we’re going to play a game where we practice reblogging fics: if you read this and like it—reblog!! ie, if you like and dont reblog i might block bc im getting sick of the lack of decorum

warnings: angst w comfort throughout

It took less than thirty seconds for the silence of the night to drift into sounds of shrieks echoing off the buildings along the street. The sharp contrast had you and Jason bolting upright on the couch, ears on alert. It only took a few seconds more of listening for you to realize you’re not hearing shouting—it’s laughter. Maniacal, uncontrolled laughter. 

There’s a beat as you both freeze upon the implication, the unsettling realization dropping in on you. You barely have a moment to process it before Jason’s pushing up from the couch and heading towards the bathroom.

“Close the window,” he grumbles.

You blink as you register his words before jumping up to do as told, quickly sliding the frame shut and locking it. He returns soon with an armful of towels in hand, and you stand back as he stuffs a couple along the window sill with rough movements. He goes throughout the apartment, doing the same to the other windows. He rounds back to the living room window, looking down at the street with a heavy look on his face. 

You trust that the towels will do their job in preventing the laughing gas from getting in the apartment, but they’re unable to block out the bellows of hysteria.

He backs away from the window, letting the living room wall hold his weight. You both listen to the harrowing echoes with still bodies. 

You watch him, waiting for a reaction. You don’t mean to, but you know you’re looking at him like he’s a loaded spring. You try not to, you know how much he hates how his family does that to him, but fuck, it’s hard not to worry about him.

When Joker incidents have come up, they’ve usually been something you’re able to ignore or even get ahead of and drive out of the city. But this is raucous and chaotic, clearly enough to shut down the city from the inside. Besides, Jason would be booking it out of here if he thought there was any chance of a clean getaway in this.

But you know he’s got no interest in inserting himself in anything Joker related, especially something so destabilizing.

While you know Jason’s family cares about him, of course they do, but you’ve noticed they sometimes put Gotham’s needs first and his second. So the severity of this attack is concerning for you for two reasons.

“Will they…” you shuffle, “Will they need you?”

He’s quick to answer, voice firm. “No.” A long moment passes before he adds on, quieter, “They won’t want me out there.”

You nod to yourself, trying to relax your body. You being on edge isn’t going to help him.

You watch as his head thumps against the wall, eyes squeezed shut. He’s tough—you know he’s tough. He can withstand a hell of a lot more than you’ll probably ever even know. But even for Gotham, this is a lot. And even for someone who hasn’t been through what Jason has, the ringing repetitions of laughter are maddening. You wonder if this is what the Joker hears in his head. You wonder if this is what Jason heard.

The intensity of the laughing increases, more people likely becoming exposed to the gas. You think you can hear it in one of your neighbor’s apartments too.

He thumps his head against the drywall again, hands clenching at his sides. It takes one more forceful thud for you to move over to him, cradling your hand to the side of his head, holding him still. He lets you, though he still doesn’t open his eyes.

“Jay,” you say softly, stroking his hair. “Let’s take a shower, yeah?” Normally you’d try for a bath to calm him instead but you hope the waterfall from the shower might be enough to drown out the noise.

He takes a second to respond, letting your hand bear the weight of his head. “Yeah.”

His voice is splintered though, and his shoulders droop as he stands up fully. He waits to move until you start to lead him, flinching at every spike of laughter. You reach back and take his hand, giving it two squeezes. He squeezes your hand back but doesn’t loosen his grip.

As you enter the bathroom he wastes no time getting straight to the shower nozzle and turning it on. You press the door shut behind you, sealing out a decent portion of the chaos. You decide against turning the overhead light on, opting instead to let the small pink-shaded lamp provide a warm glow that you can easily maneuver throughout the shadows in. You figure he needs a more tranquil atmosphere than the harsh white light the bathroom ceiling can provide.

You turn to him in time to catch him pulling his shirt up harshly, movements jerked and impatient.

You place a gentle hand on his forearm, “Hey.”

He pauses his actions, eyes on the floor.

You don’t say anything else, but he understands your objection regardless. You remove your touch and he peels his shirt off slower, kinder to himself. 

You wait to make sure he continues this method with the rest of his clothes before you start to remove yours.

The downpour of water on the tiles does it’s intended job in creating your own little sanctum away from the noise. You climb into the shower after him, standing in the stray mist sprays that made their way past him. The bits of water that do manage their way to you are hot—not scalding, but hot enough that you know his chest is going to start getting numb very soon standing in front of the stream like this. 

You trace lines over the muscles of his back, outlining them and every little indent of a scar. When you run out of canvas on his back you move onto his arms, right then left.

It’s not until you trace down his wrist that you realize his head is angled down. You don’t need to be standing in front of him to know that his focus is zeroed in on his scar and you’re not sure how long it's been that way. Too long, in any case.

“Jay,” you say so softly that the water nearly drowns you out. “Will you look at me, please?”

He does turn to you, slowly, but he doesn’t look up.

You hold his face in your hands, nudging him to look up at you. He looks tired, drained. 

You know he has to hear that laughter in a different way than you do. It’s uncomfortable and frightening for you, but for him, it’s layers upon layers of the sound he heard while he was being beaten to death. And even beyond that horrible trauma, the reminder of it brings forth every memory of what happened afterwards, not to mention the heavy baggage you know he feels over being here at all. And you can see it all mulling behind his eyes.

“You know I love you,” you tell him with sincerity. His gaze stays heavy and you can tell it’s a struggle for him to hold the eye contact.

You lean up to press a kiss to the corner of his mouth, catching his bottom lip slightly. Your next kiss meets his lips fully. You have to push up on your toes a little bit but he does the work of meeting you halfway. It’s a slow, intimate exchange, as fluid and serene as breathing.

“I love all of you,” you murmur against his lips. You let your hands fall to his chest, resting as gently as they can over his pecs. “Everything about you.”

You kiss the top of his Y scar, trailing down soft pecks to where it forks off. You feel his shoulders sag a bit, tension forcing its way out of him. You lean down to continue your kisses down the vertical line marking his abdomen, your hands lightly following in your wake.

He says your name painfully, like he’s begging you to stop. You’ll give him partial reprieve, taking his hands in yours and kissing his scarred knuckles. It’s his instinct to push affection away, you know that, but you also know that he needs it. That’s why he doesn’t stop you now—he knows he needs it—it’s just a lot for him all at once, emotionally. Which is why he gives no warning before he picks you up by your thighs and pulls you close. 

He’s got you a full head higher than him and he uses the difference to hide his face in your neck. Sometimes he feels like that’s the only place he can go. He maneuvers you around so your back is pressed up against the wall as you hold each other tight.

You stay in there like that until the water runs cold, and then some. You have to nudge him a bit into setting you back down then, but he does, letting you collect and wrap the both of you in towels. The second the water turns off you can hear the cackling through the walls. 

As you return to the bedroom, he only bothers to pull on a pair of boxers before collapsing his weight onto the mattress. The lack of layers won’t help him any, but you know why he did it.

He can’t always look after himself the way he should—he disregards his own needs and has trouble even thinking of what could help him. You’ve developed a mind for it though—for him—and you know that being exposed and vulnerable like this isn’t going to help him calm down. He prefers being covered up when he’s stressed, it gives him more security, you think.

You open up the dresser and dig through for his most comfortable hoodie and sweatpants. He takes them from you, but he looks remiss at the thought of exerting anymore energy right now, so you help him tug on the clothes, successfully blocking out the now icy air from the AC. 

Once he’s fully clothed he pulls you forward to sit on his lap. You stumble a bit on the way but he compensates by holding you very tight, not giving your body any option to fall. His grip on you tells you that he’s not concerned with you getting dressed too, which you’re perfectly willing to oblige.

You have to force him to let you break away a little bit so you can reach over to the nightstand and grab your phone and earbuds.

“Movie or music?”

He doesn’t say anything, only nods his head once at the end of your sentence. You take that to mean music and open up your playlist on your phone, handing him the headphones.

There’s a harsh spike in the hysterics outside, mixed with what sounds like screams, and it has Jason flinching hard. You think you can see tears welled in his eyes as he fumbles to get the headphones in his ears. He takes the phone from you and picks the first song he sees and turns the volume up, up, up.

You shift yourself around so that you’re laying back against the pillows, giving him room to lay down over your legs, wrapping his arms around your waist with a firm grip. You pull the hood up over his head, but keep your hands woven underneath, threading through his hair. 

His cheek mushes against your bare stomach, and with the way he’s laying, you’re sure the earbuds are digging uncomfortably into his ear. He makes no effort to move in any case. You can hear the song playing word for word, and while the noise exposure concerns you, if there was ever a time to let it go, it would be now.

You’re both wrapped up nicely in the blankets and you can only see the tip of his nose and a few strands of ivory hair strewn past his forehead. Despite all the snug layers, he shakes a bit under your touch.

He falls asleep before the problem outside gets wrapped up, and you turn down the music. Not all the way, just enough that he can rest in peace. 

After a while the giggles die down and aside from a few first responder sirens, things get quiet again. About twenty minutes later, Nightwing ducks in through your window and scares the hell out of you. The interaction does not, however, wake Jason up, which is how you know tonight took a very heavy toll on him.

Even though the lights aren’t on in your bedroom you slide down from the pillows a bit more and let the blanket and Jason drown your chest out from visibility.

Nightwing gives you a silent, if not awkward, wave and scans over Jason. Even in the dark can see the worry in his eyes. He looks back up at you and throws up a questioning thumbs up with a tilt of his head.

You nod and he nods back slowly as he takes one more look at his brother before hopping out the window.

You peer down at Jason and brush his curls back gently. His hold on you tightens just a bit as he turns in his sleep.

reblog or get out seriously

[coolasakuhncumber]

I think my 4 year relationship just ended over a message.

[loveanddeepdick]

ೀ you’re not my girlfriend??

geto x f!reader || this was funny to write, it’s a bit short but i think it’s cute

cw: alcohol (he gets drunk), GOJO CAMEO WOO, small argument if you squint, microscopic amount of angst, crack and fluff, mentions of sucking dick

┈┈・୨ ✦ ୧・┈┈

it was about 10pm on a friday when geto, gojo, and some others were out having a small drink after a meeting. they agreed it was a celebratory gathering to start the weekend. after a couple rounds, gojo had realized geto had been more quieter than usual, taking note of his eyes drooping and posture leaning back and worth slowly.

“the fuck? are you good?”, gojo chuckled, patting him on the back

“‘want my girl.. m’tired as shit.”

it wasn’t too late, so gojo called you and thankfully, you picked up.

“hi, gojo, what’s up? something wrong?”

“yo, uh, nah but i think your boyfriend is about to knock out.. i think you should come pick him up. we’re at the local bar down the street”

“what?! jeez, m’coming!”

you groaned, running out of your shared apartment, taking your car and driving it to the small bar located on the corner of the street a few blocks down, somewhere you knew geto and his friends visited often when they wanted to celebrate.

┈┈・୨ ✦ ୧・┈┈

rushing in, you half expected you boyfriend to be knocked out already but he was fortunately unfortunately awake. gojo spotted you and helped geto up, helping geto carry his own weight with his arms.

“sugu! oh my gosh, what did i say about not—“

“who the fuck are you?”, getos eyes raked over your body—lingering on your chest—before looking back up with a scowl.

gojo nearly drops geto in shock of what he was hearing. suguru geto? the suguru that was head over heels obsessed with you?

“i have a girlfriend.. don’t.. don’t fucking touch me”, geto slurred out, eyes dropping and barely able to stay open

you took a step closer, stifling a laugh as you moved your head to try to match with his swaying neck.

“baby, it’s me i’m—“

“i said i have a girl.. so leave me alone. wanna get out of this fucking shithole and go home to her.. she’s on the way here so go away..”.

“suguru!”, you nearly shouted as you took his face in your hands and opened his eyelids with your pointer and thumb, “it’s me, hello?”

geto’s face stayed frozen, focused on your for a few seconds before he stumbled forward and enveloped you in his large frame, letting out a quiet whine and almost falling asleep right on you. you stumbled backwards, barely even able to catch him.

“sugu, honey, are you okay?”

“you came for me.. i thought some stripper was trying to take me home”

“wha—?”

“i missed you. satoru stinks like shit.. let’s go home”, he drunkenly mumbled, rubbing his nose in the crook of your neck, traveling up to take a strong whiff of your hair.

gojo stepped forward, helping you get him into the passenger seat of the car, buckling his best friend in so he wouldn’t fall over hit his head.

“don’t give your girlfriend any trouble, suguru”

you laughed, thanking him and bidding him a good night as you drove back home.

┈┈・୨ ✦ ୧・┈┈

“i have a migraine, angel.. can you suck me off?”, he groaned, his head lolling side to side on the car seat headrest.

“yeah, yeah”, you sighed with a smile, “let’s see if you can even make it home”

you giggled, watching him groan as he rubbed his eyes. you were definitely going to tease him about this the next day and thank god gojo took a video of all of it.

[unreliablesnake]

Simon says (Simon Riley x reader)

Summary: Simon doesn’t want to let you be alone when you’re drunk, so you end up at his place. After he wakes up, the two of you play a little Simon says.

Note: That little snippet became pretty popular. Thanks, guys, here’s the whole thing. / If you want to know when I post new stuff, follow @unreliablesnakefics and hit the get notifications button.

Warnings: smut. afab reader. minors dni!!!

“You suck!” you slurred once you grabbed Simon’s shoulder to steady yourself.

He only let out a sigh and rolled his eyes. Things hadn’t been the best since the breakup, but he wasn’t about to leave you here on your own when you were this drunk. So he wrapped an arm around your body to keep you up straight, then began to walk towards his car.

Through the whole ride he was begging the universe not to make you throw up in the passenger seat, but you were a clever girl and knew when to make him stop the car so you would empty your stomach onto the street. He put his hand on your back, trying to calm you with a circular motion since you were cursing under your breath.

When you closed the door and signaled him it was okay to move again, Simon hesitated. “You okay?” he asked kindly. When you nodded in response, he let out a sigh and leaned his head against the headrest. “I’m not letting you stay alone tonight. Wouldn’t want you to choke on your own vomit. You’re staying at my place, okay? I’ll take the couch.”

“I’m fine,” you tried weakly before raising a hand and opening the door again for another round of vomiting. You didn’t see Simon roll his eyes at you, for which he was grateful, but he was glad to see a change in your behavior when you sat back. “Fine, let’s go.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

“You okay now?”

“Yeah.”

Simon’s lips curled into a smile as he watched you. “Can you say anything else?” he asked as he swept a strand of hair out of your face.

You made a face and he couldn’t help but laugh at it. Instead of making a comment about how weird you were whenever you got drunk, he started the car and began to drive to his place. You dozed off halfway there, and he listened to the quiet snoring as if that was the most adorable sound in the world.

Because in a way it was. When you were sober, you pushed him away. Now that you were drunk, you didn’t. He preferred this setup, he missed you every day, and keeping his distance was incredibly hard. He wanted to respect your decision to end the relationship, but despite your best effort to keep him at arm’s length, he was always drawn to you.

When he parked the car, you were still sleeping, so he decided to carry you inside instead of waking you up. You had changed your perfume. He remembered the scent of the usual one you wore when you went out, but this was certainly different. Simon didn’t like it that much, but he wondered if it was only because it told him you felt like it was time for a change after the breakup.

He took you to his bedroom, cautiously placing you on the bed then leaving a soft kiss on your forehead. “Sleep tight, love. I’ll be outside if you need me,” he said quietly.

“Can you stay with me?” you mumbled in your sleep.

At first he thought he hadn’t heard you right, that he was just imagining things, but then you repeated it. Simon smiled to himself before lying down on the empty side of the bed next to you, an arm protectively wrapping around you immediately. You moved a little to be closer to him, your eyes still closed as you slept.

Eventually Simon fell asleep too, but his dream wasn’t free of you. He couldn’t stop thinking about what you might need to give him another chance. A friend’s advice? A big romantic gesture? Whatever it was, he was more than happy to give it to you.

In the early morning, before the sun came up, he woke up to you resting your head on his chest, while your arm was wrapped around his body. When he tried to peel you off gently, you just tightened your grip on him. “Stay,” you asked him. How could he say no to that? So he kissed your head and watched you sleeping comfortably, but he was soon reminded that you were slowly waking up. “Creep,” you noted with the hint of a smile.

Letting out a quiet chuckle, Simon raised your hand and placed a kiss on its back. “You should make up your mind. One moment you want me to stay, the next you call me a creep,” he scolded you.

“Why did I let you go?” you suddenly asked, your chin now on his chest so you could look him in the eye.

“That’s something only you can answer. You never really gave me an explanation,” Simon pointed out.

You let out a sigh. He could tell you were thinking hard about the reason, but couldn’t really find what it was. Before speaking up again, you kissed his chest and tightened your grip around his body. “I was an idiot.”

Simon had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from agreeing, too afraid a comment like that would push you away again. When he felt your hand slowly moving down his body, heading straight under his sweatpants, he couldn’t help but wonder if he should let you do this. He didn’t want to cross a line, he didn’t want to use you in any way, even if it was you who made a move on him.

“What are you doing?” he asked hoarsely. As you reached into his pants and grabbed his semi-erect cock, Simon gulped. God, he wanted you so badly, it was torture. But he needed to know if you meant it, so he said the first thing that came to his mind. “Let’s play ‘Simon says’, love. How does that sound? Just like in the old days.”

“But you’re so mean when we play that,” you said with a pout when he pulled your hand away from his pants.

“Simon says kiss me,” he began with a smirk.

With a short giggle you did as you were told, giving him a slow, sensual kiss that he missed so much. Simon put his hand on the back of your neck, eventually slipping his fingers into your hair to grab a fistful of it. You moaned into his mouth, but never broke the kiss. He loved that; he loved it when you acted like a little kitten, sounding almost like you were purring while you kissed him.

After he kissed the tip of your nose, he looked you in the eye and waited to see if you wanted to say anything. But you knew the rules. No talking while you played this game. “Good girl.” He swept a strand of hair behind your ear, then said, “Simon says slowly take your clothes off.”

A small, wicked smirk crept on your lips as you stood up on the bed and sensually began to shake your hips, as if you were swaying to a song only you could hear. He sat up and leaned his head against the wall while he watched you slowly take your shirt off. You threw it away and reached back to unclip your bra, but instead of quickly removing it, you cupped your breasts and pushed them together for a moment.

Simon couldn’t behave, and he flashed a smile at you before he groped his cock through his pants. You pouted, clearly unhappy that he didn’t want you to help him with that. But he wasn’t about to let you handle it, instead he motioned you to finally get rid of that bra. Being the good girl you were, you did just that, and then moved on to your jeans which you unbuttoned and slowly pushed off of yourself along with your panties.

He drew in a sharp breath. “I wanted to take those panties off of you,” he complained, earning a surprised look from you. “It’s okay, I didn’t tell you. Come here, baby.” He opened his arms, but you didn’t move. “Look at my vigilant girl,” he laughed. “Simon says help me out of my pants.”

This time you moved and got his sweatpants off. Simon could tell drool was already pooling in your mouth as you watched his now fully erect cock fall on his stomach. You had always been like that, clearly nothing changed in the past few months. You kneeled next to him on the bed, sitting on your heels with your hands resting on your thighs. Weren’t you an obedient little girl for him?

“Simon says answer me this. Are you one hundred percent sure you want this?” You gulped and nodded. You looked certain and sober, so he gave himself the green light to go on. “Simon says give me a blowjob,” he finally gave you the order.

Your face lit up like a Christmas tree, and you lowered your body to run your tongue along his shaft. His cock twitched in your hand, his excitement slowly getting the best of him. When he felt your soft lips around the head, he tangled his fingers into the hair on the back of your head and followed your movements without being too rough with you. There will be a moment when he can push you down on his cock, but now he just wanted you to get used to his size again.

You took him in your mouth, trying to take more and more in, while your hand twisted and turned around the base as you gently began pumping. He could see the satisfied little smile on your lips when he let out a deep moan and you let his cock fall out of your mouth with a loud pop.

He enjoyed it more than ever before. Maybe it was the months that had passed since the last time you’ve been together, but it was heavenly to have you like this again. He gently smacked your ass which drew a moan out of you. It wasn’t enough to stop you though, because you picked up your pace and began to let the tip get closer and closer to the back of your throat.

“Fuck, sweetheart, you’re too good for me,” he said quietly, earning a side glance from you. “It’s okay, keep going.” He knew what was on your mind. You had always told him you were just right for him, that he shouldn’t belittle himself. He told you about his past before, so no wonder you became so protective of him. You’d always been like that; worrying more about others than yourself.

Simon was pulled back to reality when he heard you gag, but that sound only made him push your head down a little more. He knew he was close, he could feel the orgasm building up in his core, so he pulled you off his cock and told you to speed things up and don’t waste your town deepthroating him. Being the good girl you were, you followed his instructions and he soon came into your mouth. You swallowed every drop and then even licked him clean without being told to do so.

“C’mere, baby,” he told you, and you immediately moved over to kiss him. Simon let you, he took his time enjoying the kiss, but then you broke it and leaned back and put your hand in front of your mouth. “That’s right, you screwed up.”

“I’m sorry,” you whispered guiltily.

“It’s okay,” he began as he rubbed your back. “But that means playtime’s over. You know the rules.”

You threw your leg over his body to straddle him, his cock touching your ass as you leaned down to l. “Come on, Simon, I know you want this. Let’s see how fast you can make me come,” you purred in his ear before playfully biting his earlobe.

He just shook his head at this. “Maybe it’s better this way. I’m not entirely sure those few hours were enough for you to sober up.”

“Please,” you began to beg.

But he only laughed at this. “You still have your hands, love, if you’re really that desperate for an orgasm, you could just as well give me a show,” he suggested.

“Can I borrow your fingers?”

“No.”

“Then it’s not good enough,” you said with a pout before lying down next to him.

He pulled you closer and placed a soft kiss on your cheek. “I still love you. If you’re willing to give our relationship another chance, I promise I’ll make you come so many times you’ll be begging me to stop,” he told you, earning a stupid little giggle from you. “You don’t believe me?”

You turned on your side to look at him. “It’s the opposite. I vividly remember that happening before. So another chance, huh? Let’s see if you can do it again, big boy,” you said with a laugh.

[capquinn]

i can’t stop thinking of taking care of quinn after a game 🥹 he’s so tired and sleepy, all his limbs are sore so you offer to wash his hair in the shower and it’s so calm and domestic.

i desperately need to leave so many kisses on his beautiful face 😔

You’re waiting just outside the dressing room, off to the side where it’s quieter, away from the echo of voices and the hum of disappointed fans slowly filing out of the arena. The air still buzzes with the energy of the game, but it’s tinged with a heaviness — the weight of a hard loss on home ice, the kind that lingers.

When Quinn finally steps out, he looks worn, his shoulders rounded, his hair damp from a post-game rinse, and there’s a look in his eyes that shows he’s replaying every shift in his mind. The usual spark in his eyes is dimmed, replaced by something tired, a mix of frustration and exhaustion. But then he spots you, and a small, almost grateful smile pulls at the corners of his mouth. He doesn’t say a word, just closes the space between you, slipping into your arms and melting against you in a way that’s rare, like he’s finally letting himself breathe.

He lets out a long sigh, his hands settling on your waist, pulling you close. The tension seems to ease just a little, the world around you fading as he leans his forehead to your shoulder, taking a moment just to exist here, with you, away from the weight of the game.

“Hey,” you whisper, your hands moving gently over his back, each touch slow and steady, like you’re drawing out the tension with every pass. After a few moments, you murmur, “want me to drive us home tonight?”

Quinn lets out a soft chuckle, shaking his head as he pulls back slightly to look at you. “I’m okay,” he replies, his voice low and steady, but you catch the tired glint in his eyes.

“As long as you’re sure,” you smile, brushing a loose strand of hair from his forehead.

With a gentle squeeze of your hand, he tugs you towards the exit, falling into an easy rhythm beside you. His arm slips around your shoulders, drawing you close, and you lean into him as you make your way through the quiet hallways and out to the car, his fingers tracing light, absent patterns on your shoulder as you walk.

The drive back is quiet, the streets dim and familiar. At a red light, he reaches for your hand, giving it another squeeze before settling it on the console, where you gently rub your thumb over his knuckles. He doesn’t say much, but every now and then, he glances over, and you catch the soft smile he gives you, the one that says thank you without needing the words.

As soon as you’re home, Quinn barely manages to kick off his shoes before he’s pulling you in close again, his hand slipping around to the small of your back, head tucked on your shoulder with eyes closed for a moment, just breathing you in.

“You’re really wiped, huh?” you say softly, fingers lightly scratching at the base of his neck.

“Yeah,” he murmurs, lips grazing your shoulder, “just one of those nights.”

You smile and take a step back, slipping your hands under his blazer to slide it off his shoulders.

“Alright, let’s get you sorted,” you say, pressing a light kiss to his collarbone as you unbutton his shirt.

He hums in appreciation, the familiar rhythm between you both easing the edges of his exhaustion.

"Shower?" you murmur, your voice soft, already drifting down the hall toward the bathroom.

Quinn's nod is slow, almost lazy, as he tips his head back against the door frame, watching you with a half-lidded gaze as you slide out of your jacket.

He takes his time following, each step weighted, and by the time he joins you, the bathroom is filled with a gentle haze of steam, the air warm and inviting, ready to offer him a respite.

You’re already under the warm stream, your head tilting slightly as the water cascades down, welcoming the steam as it swirls around you. When you see him approach, you shift over a little, making space for him to join you, and he steps in slowly, eyes already closing as the water pours over his head.

Once he’s settled under the stream, you gently close the distance between you, stepping in close until your chest is flush against his back. Your hands come up to settle around his torso, holding him loosely, a silent reassurance that you’re here for him.

For a moment, he just breathes, taking in the warmth of the water and the quiet, steady support of your presence behind him. There’s no need for words as he lets his shoulders drop, leaning back into you, letting himself relax, if only for a while.

With a gentle touch, you reach for the shampoo, lathering it in your hands before threading your fingers through his hair, careful and soothing. You work in slow circles, letting the suds build, your fingers tracing paths over his scalp, easing out the tension he holds there. Each movement is deliberate, unhurried, as if your hands could wash away every bit of disappointment weighing him down.

He lets out a quiet sigh, leaning a little more into you, his posture softening as your hands move gently through his hair, each touch a small gesture of care.

It’s an unspoken language between you — the way you know he doesn’t want to talk about it just yet, doesn’t want to break the silence with words. Instead, he leans into your touch, lets himself be cared for, lets the day dissolve under the warmth of the water and your hands.

You guide him to tilt his head under the stream, rinsing away the shampoo, and your fingers comb carefully through his hair, making sure every last bit is gone. He opens his eyes briefly, glancing sideways at you with a soft, grateful look that says more than words ever could.

Reaching for the body wash, you work up a lather in your hands before beginning to massage his shoulders, moving down his arms, his back, over his hips… the soap slipping over his skin as you press gently, releasing the tension that still lingers. His breathing slows, his chest expanding with each deep breath as he lets himself sink into the feeling of your hands easing away the last of his strain.

As you both step out of the shower, wrapped in the warmth and lingering steam, you grab a towel and hand it to him, then reach for one yourself. You catch his eye, and he gives you that tired look, the one that says all he wants is to be close to you.

Smiling softly, you step closer, your hands gently framing his face as you press a kiss to his jaw, then his cheek, and finally to the corner of his mouth, each touch soft and grounding.

His eyes flutter closed, and he leans into each kiss, a small, tired smile tugging at his lips. He lets out a slow sigh, his shoulders relaxing as he opens his eyes again, a hint of warmth returning to his gaze.

“Thanks,” he murmurs, voice low and softened by exhaustion.

He leans in, his face close to yours again, and then his mouth brushes against yours, warm and unhurried, a touch that lingers. His hand comes up to cradle your cheek, steadying himself in the closeness, his breath mingling with yours savouring the quiet connection.

You just smile, resting your hand over his before leading him out to get dressed.

Once you’re both in cozy clothes, you settle on the sofa, flicking on the TV to something low and soft — a random movie just for the background. Quinn sinks down between your legs, resting his head in your lap, a small, tired smile crossing his face as he looks up at you.

Your fingers find their way back into his hair, carding through the damp strands, and he closes his eyes for a moment, letting out a long breath. The weight of the night still lingers, but here, in this quiet space, it feels a little lighter.

After a while, you notice that he’s been staring at the ceiling, biting his cheek just like he always does when he’s overthinking. His hand rests on your knee, fingers tapping absentmindedly, the weight of tonight’s loss still weighing on his shoulders.

“Hey,” you say softly, brushing your fingers a little more deliberately through his hair. “Keep staring like that, and you’re going to burn a hole in the ceiling.”

A small, reluctant smile tugs at his lips, but he doesn’t meet your eyes, his gaze still distant. “Just… thinking,” he mutters.

You tilt your head, keeping your tone light but gentle. “Dangerous territory,” you tease, your fingers tracing soft circles along his temple. “Wanna talk about it?” you ask quietly, leaving him with the choice to open up if he wants to.

He lets out a long sigh, his hand squeezing your knee slightly as he finally speaks. “It’s… I don’t know. I know it’s just one game, but when you’re the one who’s supposed to set the example, it feels like…” He trails off, searching for the right words. “It feels like I let them down. Like I should’ve done more. I keep replaying it, you know?”

You offer him a soft smile, your hands smoothing down over his chest, tracing slow, gentle lines along the fabric of his shirt. You keep the motion steady, one hand resting lightly over his heart, the other moving in a calming rhythm across his collarbone and down to his chest, settling there as he continues to talk.

“I mean, I know it’s a team loss,” he says, his voice a little lower, a little rougher. “But as captain, it… It’s on me to make sure we don’t fall apart out there, to keep everyone together. And tonight…” He sighs again, biting his cheek. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m just… maybe I’m taking it too personally.”

You just keep running your fingers through his hair, letting him get it all out. The movie plays softly in the background, forgotten as he lets out everything he’s been holding back, every bit of frustration and self-doubt he’s been carrying since the buzzer.

And then he finally falls quiet, a little sheepish as he realizes he’s been rambling.

Quinn looks up at you, a slight, embarrassed smile on his face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to go on like that.”

You shake your head, smiling softly. “Nothing to apologise for.” Your fingers brush through his hair again, reassuring and gentle. “You know I’m always here for you.”

He chuckles, a bit self-conscious, before bringing your hand to his mouth and pressing a soft kiss to your palm. “You’re too good to me,” he murmurs, his voice warm and grateful.

You give his hand a squeeze. “Someone’s got to be.”

⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

requests are open - let’s daydream!

[daisymbin]

crossing lines - lee jihoon

warnings: none

pairings: lee jihoon x reader

genre: drunken confession

wc: 1.2k

a/n: again...FUCK HYBE

drunken confessions series

check out my masterlist! // jihoon's m.list

it was late, way later than either of you usually stayed out, but tonight was different. everyone had gathered for mingyu’s birthday, laughter and stories filling the night as drinks kept flowing around you. normally, jihoon would avoid the alcohol altogether, the guy who’d nurse a soda while the others threw back rounds, saying he didn’t like the taste or couldn’t afford to feel off-balance with his schedule. but tonight was different.

you’d watched him quietly from across the table as he poured himself a drink, then another, and another, with a distant look in his eyes you hadn’t seen before. concern tightened in your chest as you glanced over, hoping he’d meet your gaze so you could tell if he was okay. when he caught your eye, he only offered a half-hearted smile before downing yet another glass, one you knew he wasn’t used to.

by the time everyone decided to head out, jihoon was a little unsteady, the tipsiness clear in the faint flush of his cheeks and the softness in his eyes. you walked alongside him, watching his steps carefully as the two of you wandered through the quiet streets, the night air cool against your skin.

“jihoon… are you sure you’re okay?” you asked quietly, not wanting to make him feel called out but unable to hold back your worry. “i’ve never seen you drink like that.”

he shrugged, his gaze fixed on the sidewalk in front of him. “i’m fine,” he muttered, his tone flat, almost annoyed.

still, you stayed close to his side, just in case he needed you. you’d never seen him like this, never seen him drink this much, and the way he seemed so closed off only made you worry more.

after a few minutes, you tried again. “it’s just… it’s not like you,” you said gently. “you usually stay away from this kind of thing, so… if something’s wrong, you know you can tell me, right?”

he stopped suddenly, his hands clenching at his sides as he turned to look at you, his expression hardened with frustration. “why are you always like this?” he snapped, his voice low but sharp. “always hovering, always checking up on me?”

his words stung, his tone harsher than you’d ever heard from him. “jihoon, i’m just worried—”

“yeah, well, maybe you don’t need to be,” he cut in, his gaze dark and tired. “maybe i just… maybe i needed a break from all of this. from… from you.”

his voice cracked slightly on that last word, and you could see the way his shoulders tensed, as if he hadn’t meant to say that, as if he was fighting with himself. a silence stretched between you, the words hanging heavy in the air, and you struggled to find something to say, anything to ease the hurt simmering beneath his words.

“why… would you need a break from me?” you asked softly, your heart pounding as you tried to make sense of his words.

jihoon let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head as he looked away. “because you make it impossible,” he muttered, his words slurred but filled with a quiet frustration. “you’re always so… so kind. so nice. it drives me insane.”

“what… what do you mean?” you asked, your heart feeling caught in your throat.

he sighed, running a hand through his hair in that familiar, frustrated way. “you don’t get it, do you?” he said, his tone softer now, almost resigned. “i tried… i tried to forget about you. i thought maybe… maybe if i drank, maybe if i could just let go for one night, i’d stop thinking about you. but no. you’re always right there, making it impossible to forget.”

his words hung in the air, and for a moment, you weren’t sure if you’d heard him right. “you… you’re trying to forget about me?”

he let out another bitter laugh, his gaze still fixed on the ground. “yeah. because it’s always you. i hate how you just… get stuck in my head like this. you’re always there, and i can’t… i can’t just ignore it.”

your heart felt like it was racing as you processed what he had just said. “jihoon…”

he shook his head, his expression softening as if he was exhausted by his own feelings. “do you know how hard it is?” he asked, his voice barely more than a whisper. “to see you every day, to know you’re right there, and to know that you… you probably don’t feel the same way.”

you stared at him, your own feelings swirling as his confession settled over you. “jihoon, i…”

he shook his head again, trying to brush it off. “forget it,” he mumbled. “i shouldn’t have said anything. just… just ignore me.”

but before he could move, you reached out, gently grabbing his hand. he froze, glancing down at where your fingers were wrapped around his, his expression softening as he looked up at you.

“i don’t… i don’t want to forget, jihoon,” you said softly, your voice barely louder than a whisper. “and i don’t want you to, either.”

his gaze held yours, something fragile and hopeful flickering in his eyes. “what… what are you saying?”

jihoon looked at you, searching your face as if he was trying to memorize every detail. his hand was warm in yours, and the closeness felt like something you’d both been keeping at arm’s length for far too long. a charged silence filled the air, and you could feel your heart pounding, every word he’d just confessed still hanging between you.

“i… i don’t think i can just forget what you said, jihoon,” you whispered, your voice unsteady but honest.

jihoon’s eyes softened, his gaze flickering down to where your hands were still intertwined. "but im scared, I don't know how to act around you and- what if our friendship...I cant lose you." jihoon admitted softly

you took a step closer, feeling your pulse quicken as you looked up at him. “maybe… maybe we can just try.” you said, the words escaping before you could second-guess them.

for a moment, he looked at you, his eyes searching yours like he was on the edge of something he couldn’t put into words. “you’re making this really hard, you know that?” he whispered, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

“i know,” you replied softly, unable to hold back a smile of your own. “but i think it’s worth it.”

he hesitated, his gaze flickering between your eyes and your lips, as if he was still wrestling with himself. then, finally, he gave in, leaning in slowly until his forehead rested against yours, his breath warm and steady.

“if we do this,” he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper, “there’s no going back.”

“i don’t want to go back,” you whispered, feeling the weight of every unspoken feeling you’d both held back for so long.

and in that moment, with the world quiet around you, he finally closed the distance, his lips meeting yours in a kiss that felt like it had been waiting forever. his hands found their way to your waist, pulling you closer as he let himself be vulnerable in a way he never had before as he kissed you, slow and deliberate.

[mountttmase]

If I Lost You

Note - this fic was such a struggle for me but we’re here and we made it 😂 I know I haven’t uploaded in a really long time by my standards so I’d love to know what you guys think and also thank you to my besties for your help on this one, I couldn’t have done it without you 🩷

Pairing - Mason Mount × Reader

Word count - 7k

Warnings - angst and fluff

There was nothing Mason hated more than traffic. Traffic coupled with a later than usual training session was even worse

He’d been sat pretty much stationary for around 20 minutes now, slowly moving every couple of minutes but he hadn’t made it far. Eventually turning his playlist over to the radio so he could listen out for traffic updates but the flashing blue lights up ahead let him know what was happening.

He was right in the thick of it, no option to turn around and go another way, but not close enough to the front to be able to get around it yet and when a few more police cars came up to join the scene he realised it must have been a bad crash.

So he did the only thing he could do and waited. His mind wandering off to far away places that he tried not to visit too often and once he realised he was starting to spiral he quickly switched the radio back over to his playlist so he could distract himself.

It was only around 15 minutes later he’s made it to the front of the line, watching the traffic warden wave a few cars forward at a time to drive into the oncoming lane to get round and soon enough it was his turn.

He knew he shouldn’t have, but there was something making him want to look at the scene as he drove by. Head turning to the left of him to see how bad it was and the sight before him shocked him to the core.

The car was on its side, bonet crushed from hitting a lamppost and he could tell the windows had been broken to get whoever was inside free but after a few seconds the realisation that something was wrong slapped him in the face.

He knew that car. It was yours.

It was the colour that alerted him first. That specific shade of light blue he’d only ever known you to have but as he looked closer he could tell it was the same make and model as yours too. The panic rising up his chest until he thought he might have been sick but the sound of beeping horns shocked him out of his trance.

He couldn’t sit and wait and let himself process anything, the traffic officer waving him forward but it was like he was having an out of body experience. He wanted to get out and find you, the urge to scream your name was on the tip of his tongue but he did as he was told and drove forward, leaving the scene of the crime behind him but he felt too weird to carry on too much longer and pulled into a side street so he could park up and sort himself out.

There wasn’t much he could do, you hadn’t spoken in months and the only other person the pair of you had in common would no doubt tear him a new one if he called asking after you and he also didn’t want to worry everyone if it was nothing. He still needed to do something though and In the end he decided to text you in hopes you’d get back to him soon and settle his mind. You always had your phone in your hand so he knew this was the easiest way to grab your attention and hopefully speak to you.

The rest of the drive home, albeit short, was a nightmare. He couldn’t concentrate on anything and was constantly messing up but he made it back in one piece. Running inside so he could turn the news on immediately, hoping for any sign of what had happened whilst he sat and panicked. Not being able to think about anything other than knowing you were okay.

This was hell, and he hated it. But the way he was feeling for you right now was mostly his own doing.

You’d met Mason a few years ago at the after party for the final of their euros. Your best friend's brother was Rashy and she’d invited you along to watch the final, and although it had ended in heartbreak there was a certain brown eyed boy you and the rest of the world couldn't seem to tear their eyes away from.

You knew it was over for you when he came over to console Marcus, seeing how genuinely kind and concerned he was for his friend made your heart thump and when the pair of you were finally introduced you didn’t miss the way his eyes flickered over you.

He couldn’t stick around too long, needing to get back to his family but you caught eyes a few times throughout the night and when you were at the bar alone he used that as his in to come and speak to you properly.

It was his smile that caught you first, but it was hard not to notice his big brown eyes and musical laugh. In the end standing and chatting until the night was pretty much over and you had to go your separate ways but he gave you his number and made you promise to message him as soon as possible.

You didn’t know what you were expecting from Mason, but what you got was a blossoming friendship and you were more than thankful he was in your life. With you living in Manchester and him in London it was hard to see each other, Mason constantly referring to you as pen pals but you took what you could with him. Going to watch him play at Wembley sometimes and seeing him in the summer or whenever he has some free time for a few days gave you something to look forward to and you loved getting to know him on a deeper level.

It was very much a will they won’t they type of relationship. As much as you adored Mason, you didn’t want things to change and you knew long distance would be hard until just over a year had passed and you decided to take the plunge. The pair of you in Greece with a big group of the other boys and their girlfriends and Mason confessed he hated the thought of maybe seeing you with someone else and was willing to put the work in for you if that’s what you wanted.

And you really did.

Being Mason's girlfriend was everything you thought it could be and more. He was still his cute charming self but you felt free being able to be with him in the way you’d secretly always wanted. Your first kiss being a little awkward but he kept you relaxed and let you go at your own pace. Kissing all over your face until you were ready to try again and now it seemed as if you couldn't get enough of him.

It did come with its own set of challenges though. Being away from each other a lot of the time took its toll and even though when you were together you always made it count, the goodbyes were getting harder and Mason couldn’t stand to see you cry everytime he had to leave again. Or your sad face on FaceTime when you spoke in the evenings when you were apart, wishing he could reach out and touch you but he was never able to give you the comfort he so desperately wanted to.

It was around March of 2023 when it all came crashing down. Mason had a lot on his plate with an injury that wouldn’t go away and Chelsea’s new owners not treating him the way he should have been. You could tell he was more down than usual and planned a trip to go stay with him for a week so he’d have someone to come home to and someone to cuddle after a long day but at first you felt like he didn’t want you there at all.

You still remember the night before he ended it all. It’s like he was back to your Mason for a bit as you made dinner and spoke on the sofa until the early hours until you went up to bed. It was like he held you extra tight that night and whilst you figured it was just because he’d missed you and he’d had a nice night you now wondered if there was more behind it. Maybe thinking he should hold you properly if it was the last time and then out of the blue, he turned your world upside down the next morning.

He tried to give you the usual spiel of it’s not you it’s me and you were about to cuss him out for being so ridiculous but one look at him and you could see how much he was struggling. Telling you he hated that he couldn’t give you what you needed at that it broke him seeing you so down when he already had so much on his plate. You knew he needed to lighten his load, you just hated that it was you that would be cut off.

You didn’t argue with him, it being clear that he couldn’t take it but you spent the rest of your day packing up your stuff into the early evening where he made you stay for one more night so you weren’t driving home in the dark.

You felt stupid, making sure he was okay even though you felt like you were dying inside but you loved Mason and even though this was hurting you more than you could possibly imagine, you kept on a brave face for him. Telling him you’d still be there if he needed you and not to hesitate calling if he needed someone to talk to.

Sleeping in the guest room that night hurt more than anything he’d said to you over the last 24 hours but you remember him coming into your room at around two am as your cries had kept him awake. Holding you and shushing you in hopes you’d get some sleep but it didn’t work and all you wanted was to go back in time and undo everything he’d said but you couldn’t. So you stayed awake and tried to remember what it felt like to hold him, what he smelt like and how his skin felt pressed up against yours.

‘Can we make a deal?’ He whispered all of a sudden and you nodded into his neck in hopes he’d feel it, knowing your voice wouldn’t hold up if you tried to speak. ‘I want you to live your life and forget about me, yeah? Like if you meet someone new I want you to go for it. But in five years time, if we’re both single, do you think we could try again?’

‘I’ll see’ you whispered, knowing he wasn’t happy with that answer by the way he kissed your hairline softly but he let it go. Knowing he didn’t have a leg to stand on after what he was putting you through.

You left the next morning early, him giving you an emotional goodbye on his doorstep but you were ready to go home and be on your own now. Mason asking if you could still be friends and if he could text you and you stupidly agreed before getting away as fast as you could but you only made it one street away before you had to stop for a big cry. Wanting to get it all out before you began your drive home and after 15 minutes you set off again. Your phone going off every so often but you ignored it until you were back in the comfort of your flat and when you saw they were all from Mason you felt sadder than you expected to.

You were curious as to what he’d deleted but you didn’t have the energy to ask so you sent him a quick reply telling him you were fine and going to sleep before taking yourself straight to bed. Too tired to be upset or over think anything and when you woke up the next morning things still hurt but you’d resigned to your fate of being his friend again.

A friend.

So you spoke here and there for a while and even though you were broken it was a fairly easy split. You remained civil and on good terms and it broke you to see how unfairly he was being treated on the field and with his whole contract saga. He kept going though like the Mason you knew and loved but when the news hit he’d had surgery it felt like your world had tumbled upside down.

You felt useless, wanting to help him as much as you could but he was so far away and you’d already used up all your holiday so you did your usual and let him phone you when he needed a chat.

Not too long after his surgery everything seemed to fizzle out. Nothing happened as such but your texts and calls came few and far between until there was nothing and when the news broke he was moving to Manchester you felt too awkward to text him. Not wanting to give the wrong impression that you expected something from him now so you left it so he could come to you.

He never did though.

You weren’t sure why he didn’t, but Mason had his own reasons. Not wanting to drag you back into the mess of his life and the fact you’d stopped messaging him made him think you were done with him and he didn’t have the heart to face your rejection no matter how much you were on his mind.

So he moved to Manchester and didn’t reach out, even though he thought about it everyday, and tried to rebuild his life without you. He was doing well but you were always there in the back of his mind, even thinking he’d seen you a few times and his tummy jumped each time before he realised it wasn’t you. He’d wanted to message you more than anything but he didn’t have the guts, even though you’d both promised to stay friends the messages had become so few and far between and now there was nothing.

As soon as Mason was inside he ran to the living room to put the news on, pausing the TV as soon as it showed the aftermath of the accident so he could get a better look before playing again to where it was panning past what he thought was your car. He managed to stop it at a point to be able to examine it more carefully and he could feel the nerves rippling through him.

Same colour, same make and model, same sticker on the back window with where the car came from, different number plate…

Different number plate.

Mason let out a sigh of relief. It wasn’t you. Someone was clearly hurt and that wasn’t good but he couldn’t deny he felt lighter at the fact it wasn’t you who was in harm's way. Falling back into the cushions of his sofa so he could take a few breaths to steady himself.

You were okay.

He felt a little silly now, panicking so much when you were clearly fine but as the minutes wore on he managed to talk himself back into a frazzled state.

He didn’t know what it was, not being able to settle and focus on anything but you. Now you were back on his mind, all he could see was your pretty eyes and perfect smile.

He knew nothing about you anymore. The only piece of information left being the address of your old flat and now he was getting to know the area he knew you weren’t too far away. But he didn’t know if you were there anymore and if he did turn up whatever the chances you would even want to see him?

What if you’d moved on? Surely Rashy would have told him but Mason couldn't stand the thought of turning up at your house and a random guy being there. No doubt he’d be taller than him and funnier and be able to make all the time in the world for you and the thought of seeing you with someone who’s everything Mason isn’t made him miserable.

It was like there was an itch in his brain that he couldn’t scratch, not able to settle as his mind came out with random questions to make him doubt what he already knew. He decided against messaging Rashy, presuming he wouldn’t have much of an idea either and he didn’t want to start worrying everyone unnecessarily if there really was nothing wrong.

Maybe he read it wrong and it was your number plate? Or maybe you’d changed your number plate and it was you all along? Why hadn’t you answered his texts yet either? Was there an innocent explanation or had he missed something and it really was you that was hurt?

The only thing he did know was that he couldn’t stay in and drive himself insane. Eventually coming to the conclusion that a run would clear his head so he quickly changed into some shorts and a hoodie before setting off. No particular place or destination in mind, just the need to let off some steam and clear his mind.

When the rain started to fall he cursed under his breath. Too far away from home to turn around and avoid it and also not done with his run as he was still feeling on edge so he grit his teeth and carried on. Weaving in and out of streets until he started to recognise where he was a bit more.

Maybe it was just a coincidence he ended up here, like in the back of his mind this is where he needed to end up to finally put his mind at rest but as he stopped to get his breath just outside of your building he only felt worse.

Your car which you always parked in the same spot was nowhere to be seen, and the flat he knew to be yours had all of the lights off but the curtains were open. Like you’d been out and not made it home yet to shut them and he felt sick to his stomach at the thought.

‘No no no no no’ he whispered under his breath, not understanding where your car was and it seemed like only the worst possible outcome was the right one.

He knew it was a bad decision to come here but he’d done it anyway and now his mind was spiralling more than he thought possible.

He thought about going home but the need to see that you were fine with his own two eyes outweighed everything else and before he knew it he was running up the path and standing outside your front door with his hand poised to knock.

What am I supposed to say? He thought. I thought you were dead so I came to check you were alright? No, he couldn’t but he knocked before he had a chance to think of anything else. Waiting anxiously as he heard a few noises from behind the door but if you were there then you were taking forever to answer.

As soon as you opened the door he felt his body flood with relief. Your hair was pointing up in all different directions and he could clearly see the pillow marks on your cheek. A shocked and confused expression painted your features as you realised who was standing in front of you but he just felt his heart swell before his face crumpled as he tried to hold the tears back.

‘Mase? Mase what’s wrong?’ You asked, reaching forward to touch him in some way but you second guessed yourself before you got there. Not knowing if he wanted you to touch him but he looked distraught so you pushed your thoughts to the side and pulled him into the doorway. ‘Mase, you’re soaked. Come inside, it’s okay’

‘I’m sorry’ he told you, his voice wobbling as you shut the door and the feeling of warmth engulfed him immediately. He felt self here.

This feels like home, he thought. The place was unchanged from when he was last here and he stood awkwardly in the hall as you shut the door before leading him into the living room just around the corner.

‘Sorry, you've caught me at a bit of a bad time’ you laughed as you tidied the blankets off of the sofa and reset the cushions so you both had a place to sit. Flustered that he’d turned up so randomly and in the back of your mind you wondered if it might have happened one day but you chalked it off as being a silly daydream in the end.

‘Danger nap?’ He asked and you felt your face flush at the way he’d caught on so quickly. ‘Don’t worry, I remember them well’

‘Well I’ve been having them a bit more frequently since I’ve got no one to tell me off anymore’ you joked but you saw his face drop ever so slightly. ‘Take a seat, you want a drink or anything?’

‘I’m fine, thanks’

‘You sure? I’ll get you a tea you look like you need warming up’ you told him softly before scurrying over to the kitchen and he felt his chest warm with how kind you were to him. Hearing the kettle flick down before you came back to close the curtains and then run over to the cupboard under the stairs. ‘Take your hoodie off Mase, you’ll catch a chill. I’ve got you a towel and I’ll turn the heating up’

‘Sorry, this is probably the last thing you needed tonight’ he sighed, grabbing the towel to run over his hair once he’d taken his hoodie off but the shoulders of his top were still wet and now he was sitting here waiting for you he felt silly.

‘No don’t worry about that, I know we haven’t spoken for a while but I always said I’m here if you need me’ you told him shyly. Sitting down next to him so you could place his tea on the table before sending him a reassuring smile

‘I know’ he huffed. ‘I just feel a bit dramatic now that’s all’ he told you, trying to laugh it off but you knew him and you knew something was on his mind.

‘What’s going on? Why are you here?’ You pushed gently, trying to get him to open up a little bit more and when his eyes fell to his lap you weren’t sure if he was about to tell you or not. Thankfully he did after a few moments but you weren’t prepared for the words that were about to tumble from his lips.

‘There’s um… well there’s been this big accident on the main road out of Manchester. It’s all over the news and I was stuck in traffic for like 45 minutes until I could get round it’ he told you but you were unsure as to why he was updating you on the traffic when you’d asked what he was so upset about.

‘Okay?’

‘The car that crashed… well I thought it was yours’ he told you, his voice wobbling at the end and you felt your heart shatter as you realised what was wrong now. ‘It’s the same colour and make and everything and I… well I was out of my mind worrying that… i don’t know that you were hurt or something-‘

‘Oh Mase’ you breathed, cutting him off as his voice got more and more emotional and all you wanted was to pull him into a hug but you weren’t sure if that was what he wanted. In the end you just reached for his hand and you were surprised at how tightly he gripped onto you.

‘Sorry I bet I sound insane’ he laughed, wiping his eyes with his free hand and you felt your heart break for him.

‘No no it’s okay’ you reassured him, placing your other around your already clasped ones. Hoping he’d keep on talking but you let him take his time as he was clearly overwhelmed and upset by everything that had happened tonight.

‘It was on the news and I saw it wasn’t your number plate so I thought you were fine but then i managed to talk myself out of thinking that and I tried to text you, but i didn’t hear anything back but I guess you were asleep’ he smiled, squeezing your hand gently and you smiled sadly back at him.

‘I never got a text from you, I don’t think I did anyway’ you told him. ‘I was only asleep for like ten minutes. I did see some texts but it was a number I didn’t recognise and I thought it was a scam thing so I didn’t bother looking properly cause the number wasn’t saved’

‘A scam?’

‘Yeah I keep getting those texts like Evri has your parcel but it’s damaged and the details are lost. Please send your address, bank details and blood type so we can attempt a redelivery’ you joked and you felt your tummy flip when he let out a little laugh.

‘No it’s my fault, my personal number got leaked a little while back and when I moved up here I thought it would be a good idea to get a new number. I texted most people but I wasn’t sure if you wanted to hear from me so I just kept your number in my contacts. I completely forgot you wouldn’t have it saved’

‘You know that makes a lot of sense actually’ you smiled, watching his eyebrows pinch together in confusion and you thought his expression was adorable. ‘I sort of texted you last week. You know, after your goal? I didn’t hear back from you’

‘Shit, I’m so sorry’ he sighed, his free hand dragging down his face and you could tell he was annoyed with himself as he rolled his eyes.

‘No it’s alright-‘

‘No cause you probably thought I was ignoring you and I wasn’t’ he told you, almost pleading with you to make you believe him but you already did and when you sent him a soft smile he let out a big sigh he’d been holding in. ‘Where’s your car? It's not parked out the front?’

‘Chrissy upstairs moved out and I was next on the list for a spot in the underground car park so I park it down there now’ you explained, releasing how shaken he must have been and still was to know you might have been hurt and when one of your hands let go to touch his shoulder, his eyes snapped up to yours. ‘Are you alright, mase?’

‘No’ he whispered quietly, his glossy eyes looking back down to his lap and as much as you wanted to push him you also didn’t want to scare him off so you sat waited for him to come clean and tell you what was going on in his head. ‘I know it’s stupid but like… I realised if I lost you then… well it felt like my world was ending in all honesty’ he confessed, laughing slightly but you could tell there was no humour in it l. ‘I know that’s dramatic but all I could think about was everything I’d never told you, all the things I’d never be able to say to you again, you know? Never be able to hold you or kiss you…’

‘Kiss me?’ You whispered. Unsure as to why he’d said that at the end as you’d been broken up for almost a year now but you couldn’t deny his confession made your heart jump. If truth be told it hurt more than you thought it would when he didn’t reply to you a week ago and seeing him so heartbroken on your doorsteps just now was a shock. But the words falling from his lips right now were even more of a shock.

‘Sorry’ he mumbled, his voice thick with tears as he shook his head but you didn’t want him to shut down on you now. You wanted him to keep talking, to see if he’d say the things you’d been waiting a year for him to admit so you carried on stroking his skin and letting him get himself together.

‘No no it’s okay, I just wasn’t expecting it’ you laughed, looking up at him to thankfully looking back at you with a small smile on his face. ‘Now’s your chance Mase, what do you wanna tell me’ you whispered, wondering if he’d say anything at all but ever the unexpected he said the last thing you thought he would.

‘I love you’ he whispered instantly. The words sending a tingle down your spine and you almost lost your breath. ‘I’m still so fucking in love with you and the though of you not being around anymore hurt more than I could tell you. Not that I’ve tried, but I can’t love anyone else like I loved you. Like I still love you, y/n’

‘Mase-‘

‘I know it’s been a while and you won’t feel the same but-‘

‘Mase stop’ you whispered, your eyes stinging at the thought of what he might be doing but the sincerity in his eyes kept a spark of hope alive. ‘Are you sure? I think you’re in shock a bit, you may want this now but what about in a month's time? Or two? I can’t go through feeling like that again’

‘I’m sure, i promise’ he nodded, dropping his eyes to his lap before taking a deep breath and you knew he had more to say. ‘I know we said if we were both single in five years we’d come back to each other but that’s too far away for me and I don’t wanna give anyone else the opportunity to have you. People like us, we’re meant to meet in a few years time when we both know who we are and what we want for ourselves but I don’t wanna do that. I want us to work through it all and grow together, you know?’

‘Mase-’

‘I pushed you away when I should have held onto you tighter. I think about you… all the fucking time and I can’t be without you’ he sniffled. ‘I know it’s incredibly selfish of me but I don’t want you to be just a chapter in my life when you’re the whole damn book baby’

You couldn’t help but laugh at his last line, your chuckles seeming to break the tension a little bit as he smiled at you and you could feel your heart in your throat at all the sweet words he’d spilled to you tonight.

‘Sorry I know it’s a lot but I just needed you to know’

‘Well thank you, and you know I care about you so much Mase-‘

‘Oh’ he sighed, trying to remove his hand from yours as you hadn’t told you him loved him back and he felt a bit embarrassed but that wasn’t your intention.

‘No Mase, wait I just… look it’s a lot to think about’ you laughed, squeezing his hand tighter so he couldn’t move away. ‘Just give me some time to take it in, yeah?’

‘Sorry’

‘No please don’t be sorry’ you told him before a quietness settled over you for a moment. Not really sure what you were wanting to say and knowing Mason had said enough for a lifetime tonight so you went back to what you thought you did best. Looking after him. ‘Listen, have you eaten? I’ve got a pasta bake to put in the oven and you know I always cook for about five people’

‘I haven’t eaten’ he laughed ‘Too busy worrying that you'd been flattened’ he joked, rolling his eyes and you couldn’t help but let out a loud laugh at his attempt at humour.

‘Well let me make us something to eat, And we can hang out a bit and catch up, yeah?’ You asked hopefully and thankfully he nodded in agreement.

So you made the pair of you some dinner before getting settled on the sofa. Keeping the tv volume on minimum so you could talk and it was like having the Mason you fell for back with you. But your heart broke even further when he explained to you how hard the last year had been for him, from being sold to the constant injuries and feeling pretty lonely up here some nights when it was just him and his family and friends had to go home.

Soon enough your plates had been discarded to the coffee table as it was your turn to open up. Not that you had as much to say but he was interested all the same in hearing about your life and getting up to date with all the people you used to talk about together. Updating him on your job and all the changes that had been made before he commented on how even with all the changes your flat was still the same and it made him feel happy.

‘Hey Mase?’ You asked quietly when you saw him try to suppress a yawn and you knew he’d realised you’d seen when the bridge of his nose turned red like you used to love.

‘Yeah?’

‘Do you wanna stay here tonight?’ You asked, his eyebrows shooting up in shock as he clearly hadn’t expected you to ask anything like that but now you had him back here you didn’t want to let him go.

‘W-what?’ He mumbled, scratching the back of his head like he did whenever he got nervous but you send him a reassuring smile in hopes that would help.

‘I mean you don’t have to, but it’s late now and I won’t be having you walking home or paying for an Uber. Unless you want me to drive you home-‘

‘No you can’t drive me, I don’t want you driving back on your own’ he argued back but you were both smiling so you let out a little laugh before being a bit firmer with him.

‘So you’ll stay then? And I’ll drop you home on my way to work?’

‘I think that could work’ he nodded but you knew he was shy about it even though he had no need to be.

‘Okay perfect’

‘Do you still keep that blanket in the cupboard?’ He asked and you felt a wave of disappointment flood you.

‘Oh I um…’ you trailed off, realising he’d got the wrong end of the stick and you knew you needed to set him straight no matter how awkward it might get.

‘What’s up?’

‘Well I thought you might want to sleep in my bed? You know like… with me?’ You explained, his face a mask of shock as the words left your lips but you knew you needed to put the idea out there.

‘Oh’

‘Sorry I’m being silly’

‘No I want to, I just didn’t wanna push it you know? I wasn’t sure if that’s what you wanted’

‘I do’ you smiled. Holding your hand out for him to take and you felt your heart give a squeeze and he gently took it in his. ‘And I think it might be what you need’

‘I think so too,’ he laughed. A shy look on his face as you walked him through and into your bedroom and once you were inside you sent him a reassuring smile. ‘Get in, I’m just gonna use the bathroom and I’ll be with you’

You left him to sort himself out, quickly applying your skincare and trying to keep calm before returning to your room. Seeing Mason was already in bed and that he was still in his T-shirt but he’d stripped down to his boxers on the bottom half and you caught a cheeky flash of his thighs as you lifted the covers up.

You knew what you wanted, and what he probably wanted too so when you got yourself under the covers you turned away from him as you shuffled up close. Your back against his chest before taking his arm so you could wrap it around your body and you could tell from how stiff he was that he wasn’t expecting it but it only took a second for him to settle down and nuzzle into your neck.

‘I don’t think I need to wait until the morning’ you suddenly heard him whisper after a few moments and you felt your heart begin to pound. ‘I never ended things with you because I didn’t like you or I didn’t see us going anywhere. It was more that I didn't like myself. You’ve been the right person for me this whole time and I knew it long before we were friends, like it had always been my plan to make you mine and then when I finally got you I let you go’

‘Well you know what they say, Mase’ you whispered, holding him to you tighter and you felt him lightly kiss your shoulder. ‘If you love something you should set it free. And if it’s yours it’ll come back’

‘Will you come back to me then?’ He asked, his voice sounding more vulnerable than he intended it to. ‘Cause I’ll always come back to you’

‘I think we can work something out’ you whispered and you felt him stiffen before moving back so he could roll you over to face him. His eyes wide and glossy as he looked at you and you could tell you’d taken him by surprise.

‘Really? You’d wanna try again?’ He asked. Lip wobbling and it all became too much for him so you reached out to stroke his cheek and catch a few of the stray tears.

‘It just wasn’t our time back then, Mase. I get that now and yeah it sucked but if it’s really what you want then it’s what I’ve wanted since things ended’ you told him softly. Kissing the end of his nose as he shut his eyes softly. ‘I’ve been yours from the second you looked at me’

‘I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t want this, or if you were seeing someone else’

‘Well lucky for you, you don’t have to worry about any of that’ you told him and you didn’t miss the look of relief on his face. ‘Things will be easier now we're closer okay? We can see each other more and all the things that drove us apart won’t be a problem’

‘You really think it’ll be that simple?’ He whispered, the hope in his eyes made you want to reassure him even further.

‘I think so, yeah. You said earlier you still loved me right?’

‘I did’ he laughed, not meeting your eyes as he blushed and you thought he was the most adorable thing you’d ever seen.

‘I still love you too’ you whispered, so quietly you thought he might now have heard you but from his reaction you knew he did. Letting out a shuddery breath before he hid his face. Giving you room to kiss all over his cheek until he had the courage to look at you again. ‘Shall we go to sleep?’ You offered, noticing how exhausted he was after a long evening and once he’d nodded you turned back onto your side and let him hold you close. Smiling at the way he was kissing your shoulder softly and nuzzled into your neck.

‘Hey Mase? Can I ask you something before we go to sleep?’

‘Anything’ he whispered, and the sound of his voice made your heart jump. Knowing he really would answer absolutely answer anything you asked him and this was something that had been plaguing your mind for a year.

‘That day I left to come home and you texted me the whole way, what did the message say that you deleted?’

You felt him let out a small chuckle, squeezing you a little before huffing and you knew it was something he probably never wanted to admit. You didn’t want to push him if that was the case but after a moment you felt his lips on your shoulder again as he began to speak.

‘It said, I think I’ve made a mistake. Can you come back and we’ll talk’ he told you quietly and you felt your heart pound at his confession. ‘I gave it ten minutes and said to myself if you hadn’t replied in that time then it wasn’t meant to be’

‘Mase’ you whispered, your eyes full of tears as a wave of regret from not checking your phone washed over you but he was quick to reassure you everything was fine.

‘It's okay, I’m glad you missed it’ he laughed. ‘It would have only made things worse probably. I needed that time to go through whatever was going on and realise how much I actually need you. Cause I really do’

‘I’m here’ you mumbled, turning you head to look at him and his whole face lit up as he looked down at you.

‘So am I. And I’m never going anywhere again okay?’

‘Me too’ you told him firmly before he finally lent down and placed the softest kiss to your lips. A feeling you’d waited almost a year for and when he pulled back to look at you, you almost felt disappointed but you could tell he was greedy for seconds. Diving right back in but with a bit more force this time and you let him do as he wished thankful the universe had brought him back to you.

[thetriumphantpanda]

retrograde, we'd shake the frame of your car

Oh look, it's a new instalment of our favourite neighbourhood DILF. Thank you so much for your continued support of this silly little series of mine. Please continue to reblog, comment and like if you're enjoying this!

Pairing | dbf!Joel Miller x Female Reader

Summary | Joel drives you out of the way of prying eyes for a 'date'

Word Count | 3.4k

Warnings | As usual, just dbf!Joel in general, alcohol consumption, dirty talk, fingering (f), unprotected PiV sex (Don't do this) and talk of contraceptives.

Part 1 | Part 2

Series Masterlist | Main Masterlist

The late afternoon sun is beating through the kitchen windows as you rinse the plates in the sink before stacking them in the dishwasher. You smile to yourself as you place them exactly where Joel had told you during your party, before your mind wanders to more unsavoury thoughts of him. 

Your parents are sat in front of the television as you wrap up clearing up for dinner, making sure the leftovers are packaged in the fridge. You’re about to grab a cold beer for your dad to enjoy whilst he watches his shows when your phone vibrates in your pocket.

Joel.

Fancy going for a drive? 

Sounds ominous. This hasn’t been your plot all along has it? Sweeten me up so you can take me down a back road and murder me? 

Joel. 

Damn. You caught me. Guess I’ll just have to take you down a back road and fuck you instead. 

Give me twenty and pick me up at the end of the road. 

You pull out the beer for your dad but leave the bottle you were going to take for yourself, walking it through to the living room. You hand it to him but don’t sit down like usual. 

“I’m gonna go for a drive,” You announce, “Been cooped up here all day, just want to get out for a bit.” 

Your mom looks up for her gossip magazine and raises an eyebrow, “You be careful now,” She warns, “And be back by eleven, okay?” 

“I’m twenty-five mom, do I still need a curfew?” 

“Whilst you’re living under our roof without paying rent, yes you do.” 

You sigh but relent. You must admit she is right. You hadn’t wanted to stay longer in New York once you’d graduated, thinking the job market in Austin would be less competitive, but it was still a slog trying to find a job that paid well enough that after your student loan payments were gone, you still had money to enjoy life. 

You grab your keys and head out of the door, driving your car a few streets over to make it look like you did indeed go for a drive on your own, parking it up in the parking lot of the church. You say a quick prayer of forgiveness to the Lord for leaving your car in his driveway so you could go and live in sin for a few hours, before you’re jogging the few streets back over to wait on the corner of the street for Joel. 

Within minutes he’s pulling up, rolling his window down with a wicked smile on his face, “How much for a few hours, sugar?” He finishes with a wink. 

“I’m outta your price range, Miller.” You shoot as you round the front of his truck and slip into the passenger seat. 

“Huh, weird,” He comments as he pulls away from the curb and starts driving, “Last time I checked you were free for me.” 

“Well then, aren’t you lucky?” 

“Very.” He says with a smile, as he free hand snakes to rest on the skin of your thigh, squeezing gently as he continues to drive to God knows where. 

You smile when you realise he’s pulling the truck into the reserve a little ways out of the suburbs. You’d been here before, sometimes on your own when you needed to clear your head, Sarah had asked to go hiking one weekend when Joel and Tommy were both working, and you think you briefly remember a high school boyfriend bringing you here so he could kiss you. 

The spot that he pulls into is secluded. There are trees that shade the small area that he parks in but there’s still a nice view of the lake through the windscreen of the car. The sun is starting to set, creating a mix of orange and red hues in the sky and it’s quite a romantic spot, you think to yourself. 

“You knew exactly where to come,” You muse as you undo your seatbelt, “You bring all your girls out here, Joel?” 

You turn to look at him and he has a smirk splayed across his lips, “You want the truth?” 

“Always.” 

He chuckles, “I used to bring Sarah’s mom here, when things were still good,” He points to a tree in front of you, “I actually think Sarah was conceived against that tree over there,” You gasp in shock at his admission, swatting at his bicep which has him laughing, “You asked for the truth!” He accuses. 

“So, you bought me here to reminisce?” You ask, “Gonna fuck me against the tree to relive your youth?” 

“You want me to fuck you against the tree?” 

You shake your head, “Not really, don’t think my hips and my back are up to the job.” 

“Don’t be so silly,” He chuckles, “You’re the young and agile one out of the two of us,” He’s finally undoing his own seatbelt, “But that’s good because I definitely don’t have the stamina to hold you up and fuck you like you deserve.” 

You look out to the lake, you can see the slight breeze is lapping the water to the shore and it’s so hot that you think dipping your toes into the water might offer some relief, “Wanna dip your toes, Miller?” You ask, nodding your head to the water. 

You don’t give him much time to respond, opening your door and stepping down from the truck as you break out into a jog down to the water’s edge. You can hear him open his door and the crunch of the gravel under his shoes as he moves to join you. By the time he catches up to you, you’ve already shed your sandals and you’re into the water up to your mid-calf. It’s not as relieving as you thought – the sun has been beating down on the water all day, so it’s like a lukewarm bath. 

Joel is kicking off his boots and tucking his socks into the top of them. You watch intently as he rolls the bottoms of his jeans up past his ankles before he’s wading into meet you. You can sense he doesn’t want to get his jeans wet, so he’s not moving any further once his ankles are covered in the water, so you wade into the shore a little, scratching the itch of desire to be closer to him. 

When you’re within reach, he’s taking hold of your wrist, turning your gently before his other arm is wrapped around your waist, pulling your back flush to his chest. You lean your head against his shoulder as you listen to the sounds of the breeze rustling the trees, the water lapping at the shore and the odd whistle of birdsong. 

“This is nice.” You mumble, turning your head to look up at him. 

“Yeah,” Joel sighs, bending down just enough to kiss you chastely on the lips, “Wish I could take you out properly, darlin’.” 

You spin in his arms so you’re facing him now, a teasing grin spread out on your mouth, “Has Joel Miller brought me here on a date?” You tease. 

“Maybe I did,” He smiles at you, “There’s even a cooler with beer in the truck.” 

He leads you from the water, stopping to let you put your shoes back on, so you don’t hurt your feet on the gravel. He motions for you to sit in the bed of his truck once he’s laid down a blanket for you. He pops the cap off two bottles of beer, making sure he insists he’s only having one so he’s safe to drive you back later. 

He settles into one of the corners, letting you sit between his thighs, leant back on his chest. It’s weird, sitting here like this, not worrying about the fact someone might see you, or hear you, but you can’t say that you hate it. After a week and a half of stolen moments and sneaky fucking, you wonder what it is the both of you are doing together, but you don’t bring it up. You want to enjoy this before launching into the inevitable question of ‘what are we?’ 

You finish your beer quickly, Joel opting to savour the singular drink he’s allowing himself, but he tells you to help yourself to another from the cooler, which you do, “This all seems very wholesome Miller.” You comment. 

You feel him shrug behind you, “Just wanted ya to know I’m not just here to get my dick wet,” You hear him take a sip, “I mean, I am because it’s fantastic, but I don’t wantcha feeling like I’m usin’ ya.” 

You want to add something meaningful to the conversation but you’re treading on dangerous ground. In all your fantasies about this situation it was never meant to be something serious. He was going to fuck you once, tell you it was a mistake and that would have been it. Nowhere had you imagined being led against him in the back of his truck like this. 

The sun is setting fast now, and you can sense that the darkness won’t be far behind, then you’ll need to go home. You put your half-finished beer back in the cooler, moving around so you’re still between Joel’s thighs, but just kneeling to face him now, “Kinda want you to get your dick wet now though.” 

“That so?” He raises an eyebrow and finishes the rest of his beer in a big mouthful, “You’ll need to come here then, won’t you?” 

His hands are dragging down your sides to reach your hips before he’s shifting his legs, so they’re not as spread, settling you onto his lap in a similar way to how you’d been the first time you’d done this. You settle yourself down on his lap and let your lips crash to his. 

He’s squeezing his hands on your hips, gently moving you in his lap so you’re grinding against him, just enough that there’s friction for both of you, whilst he opens his mouth when you rub your tongue along his plush bottom lip. You let your tongue mix languidly with his own as you continue to grind your hips into his, there’s no need to rush, not when you don’t have to worry about your parents walking in on anything, so you’re going to savour every second of this.

“Look so good on my lap, pretty girl,” He praises when you pull away, just a touch, from his lips to get some air, “Feel what you do t’me?” He’s bucking his hips up into yours where you can feel his growing erection in his jeans. 

You move forward to kiss him again. This time it’s more desperate, a clash of teeth and tongue. You take his bottom lip between your teeth at one point and nibble, which causes a hiss from his lips of mixed pleasure and pain. His hands have dropped from your hips and their now rooted under your skirt, gripping fingers into the meat of your ass so hard that you think you might bruise there tomorrow. 

You let a moan fall from your lips when he bucks his hips into you again, feeling the bulge in the front of his jeans rub at the front of your underwear, but it’s not enough anymore. 

“Joel-” You gasp, “Need- more.” 

“What do you need?” He whispers, “Tell me, pretty girl, and I’ll give it to you.” 

“Want you to make me come.” 

He doesn’t say anything in reply, just moves his hands to hook into the waistband of your underwear. You lift your hips enough so he can pull them down, but he doesn’t seem concerned about taking them all the way off just yet. 

“I’ve got a feeling of déjà vu.” You breath out, referencing the fact that you’re in exactly the same position as you were that first time, even down to the way his thumb is teasing along the seam of your pussy right now. 

“At least this time there’s no risk of your dad waking up and shooting me.” 

“I kinda- ohhhhh,” You trail off as his thumb dips between your folds to gather your slick before achingly bringing his finger up to touch your clit, “I kinda like the risk.” 

“Naughty girl,” He’s muttering, but he doesn’t seem to care all that much because he’s thumbing tight circles on your clit that have your hands gripping at his shoulders and your head thrown back in pleasure, “Might not be your daddy that catches us tonight, but still, plenty of opportunity for someone else to walk by and see me with my fingers in your pussy.” 

He's keeping his thumb on your clit, but you feel one of his thick fingers slip inside of you and curl in the way he’s learned makes you come undone with minimal work. You listen as he chuckles when you start grinding your hips down into his hand, fucking yourself on his fingers, “Always so tight for me sweetheart.” He praises. 

You’re letting out little gasps and moans as he works another finger inside of you, thumb never leaving your clit where it is rubbing tight and purposeful circles. You’re sure if anyone were to stumble upon you it would be hell of a sight. You with your head thrown back, grinding down onto Joel’s hand to meet the upward thrusts of his fingers, his name falling from your lips a mile and minute and Joel with his head buried in the crook of your neck, licking hot stripes with his tongue along your skin. 

“Don’t stop,” You gasp out, “God I’m so fucking close Joel, don’t you dare stop.” 

“Wouldn’t dream of it darlin’.” He mumbles against your hot skin. 

Within seconds you’re clenching around his fingers and crying out into the canopy of the trees as he pushed you over the edge into oblivion. When you hear the shout of his name echo around you, you bite down on your bottom lip to stop any other sounds alerting someone to your presence as he works you through the aftershocks. 

He’s pulling his fingers from you, looking straight into your eyes when he brings the fingers that were inside you to your lips, “Go on, baby, clean yourself off my fingers.” 

You open your mouth and stick your tongue out. He presses the two fingers onto the flat of your tongue and you’re sucking them into your mouth, rubbing your tongue over them to clean your slick off him. It’s depraved but the look in his eyes makes it worth it, he’s hungry for you, looks like he’s about to devour you in a second. 

He pulls his fingers from your mouth, replacing them with his own tongue. You can hear him groan when he tastes you on your own mouth, “Fuck, you taste so sweet, pretty girl.” 

You don’t have the brain power to respond – instead, your hands grip his belt and start to undo it, pulling it through the beltloops. Then, he’s the one undoing the button on his jeans, tapping your hip for you to sit up so he can shuck them far enough down his thighs, along with his underwear, so that his cock is finally free. 

Your pussy clenches around nothing as you feast your eyes upon it. Sure, you’d felt it inside of you not two days ago, you knew he was big, but seeing it in front of you was another story. What you wouldn’t give to wrap your lips around it right now. You would, but you were desperate for him to fill you. 

You reach a hand out as you’re settling yourself back on his hips again, guiding his cock to rest at your tight heat, “Go on sweetheart,” He encourages, a hand coming to cup your cheek, “Sit yourself down on my cock for me.” 

You do exactly as you’re told. Joel slides into your slick pussy easily, despite the stretch, and its mere seconds before you still yourself for a moment when he’s buried inside you to the hilt. You can hear his quickened breathing below you – it’s good to know he feels the same as you do when he’s enveloped in your warmth like this. You start to move your hips, grinding into his own and the friction it creates is delicious. You can feel him nudging the sweet spot inside you as he moves. 

You look down at him, his eyes glazed over and his head leaning against the truck. He pushes himself forward as his hands lift your shirt up and over your head. You make no complaints when his fingers pull the straps of your bra down your shoulders and he pulls the cups down, freeing your tits in front of his face. 

“Knew you’d have such pretty tits, baby.” He’s mumbling before he takes a nipple into his mouth, running his tongue over the hardened bud whilst his other hand is working on your other. 

Everything that he’s doing is spurring you on. You feel him bring his knees up to rest against the back of your thighs, which gives you more leverage to start bouncing on his cock in earnest. His mouth doesn’t leave your chest except to switch from one nipple to the other, rolling each between his teeth, using the flat of his tongue to soothe each when he’s done. 

You’re half aware of the fact that your combined ministrations are causing the truck to shake beneath you – a squeak added to the sounds of you both gasping each other’s names, but if Joel doesn’t seem to care, then neither do you. 

“Baby, I’m gonna come,” He’s breathing out as his mouth finally pulls from your chest, one of his arms is wrapping itself around your waist, pressing you into his chest, the other rests on the back of your head, bringing your face to his neck where you start peppering kisses as he takes control, “So fuckin’ tight, and those pretty sounds you make in my ear, I’m close.” 

He’s fucking up into you now. You’re so wet you can hear him sliding in and out of your pussy, the feeling of his balls slapping against your skin with every upward thrust just another added stimulant in what proves to be an orgasm that catches you by surprise. 

As you’re moaning Joel’s name into his neck and clenching around him, you’re vaguely aware that he’s moaning your own, pulling your body off his cock as he spurts thick ropes of cum across your inner thighs. You stay still, listening to the sounds of your combined heaving breaths before he’s whispering into your ear, “That was fuckin’ close baby, didn’t wanna pull out.” 

You’re leaning back a little, pressing a kiss to his cheek, your sex-scrambled brain talks before you think, “Maybe I should go and get the pill?” 

His hands are cupping your face now, searching your eyes for evidence that you’re telling him the truth with your words, “You want that?” He asks, “Want me to be able to fill your sweet little pussy full of my cum?” 

You’re climbing off him now and shimmying down the truck bed, picking up the edge of the blanket to wipe yourself clean, “I’ve never let anyone do that before,” You admit with a shrug as he’s pulling his jeans back up around his waist, “I think I’d like it though.” 

“Well, I ain’t gonna pressure you sweetheart,” He says, following your lead in getting down from the truck bed, setting the blanket and cooler back in the truck, “But if you don’t wanna do that, might be an idea for me to start wearin’ something whilst we fuck, I’m sure as hell not wantin’ another kid right now, and I’m sure you don’t either.” 

You can’t deny that he’s right, you’ll have to think about it when you don’t have a million and one hormones running through your body telling you to scream that you just want him to bend you back over and fill you up regardless, “I’ll have a think.” You promise as he’s wrapping his arms around your waist to kiss you. 

What was supposed to be a quick peck on the lips turns into five minutes of you pressed up against the truck door, making out like horny teenagers who don’t want to say goodbye to each other. You suppose that really is what you are, just horny adults instead. 

“Come on,” He says, breathless, when he pulls from your kiss, “Let’s get you home, sweetheart.” 

Joel Miller Taglist - @winwin70@jessie8605@trulybetty@amanitacowboy@morning-star-joy@tieronecrush@leeeesahhh@babeincolor@beee-haw@kirsteng42@mirandablue1@sixxslut@impala1967dwinchester@flash2412@gimmebackmysoul@kelp-dreaming@gracie7209@voteforpedro09@brittmb115@karokaroxx@amb11@heartfairy @grumpy-the-tired @Lillilotus @doctorstatic@morallyinept@southernbe@elissaa@pop-sugar102@u-luciferssatanicdaughter@alyhull@purplerain44@harryleatherfit@lovely-ateez@emilianamason @bootyliciousposts @lorilane33 @casa-boiardi

[torialefay]

can u do prompt #6 w/ i.n? (:

public sex with jeongin 🤫

jeongin x reader (f); smut 🔞

• you had been teasing innie all day. to be fair, it was his fault. why did he have to look so damn good?!

• in his fitted top and his tight pants, you couldn't help but stare at the lines along his body.

• he had promised to take you out for a shopping date. anything you wanted would be yours.

• you'd done your rounds at some of your favorite luxury brand stores and you'd chosen a couple of things here and there. as cliché as it sounded, you really did love shopping. the way your boyfriend looked at you, helping you pick out clothes and eyeing you with a smirk when you tried them on for him, was driving you crazy.

• the two of you had decided on one last stop- a department store that was just across the street.

• as you strolled around, you couldn't help but notice how great jeongin's waist looked in his tight shirt. jokingly at first, you made sure no one was around you before running a hand along his chest down to his waistband.

• "you've got to wear this shirt more often," you winked. "you look good today," you smiled, flirting.

• this was one of your absolute favorite things to do- just to get innie riled up in public where there was nothing he could do about it.

• "hush," he looked down at you, playfully shoving you into one of the clothing racks surrounding you.

• you gasped down at your arm dramatically, the one that had been pushed into the clothes. you opened your mouth to make a shocked face.

• "innie, i can't believe you," you joked while pouting, rubbing your arm as if he'd actually hurt you.

• "oh no baby, are you okay? did i hurt you?" he took a step closer to reach for your arm and rub it. he looked genuinely concerned.

• you saw this as your opportunity to strike again.

• "i was just kidding innie, i'm fine," you said, grabbing his hand and pulling his body in closer to yours. you let your hand run along his lower torso and rest for a moment on his pelvic bone.

• "but i could be doing better," you whispered, moving your hand down to graze his bulge.

• he frozen suddenly, beginning to look around the room. it was empty. well, apart from the two of you and a shit ton of clothing racks.

• "baby, we can't. we're in public," he looked down at you, scolding.

• you contemplated for a minute before leaned up on your toes to get more level to him, leaning your head up to his ear.

• "please innie? we can be quick," you whispered, smiling and going to land a soft kiss to his neck and ear. if you were gonna talk him into this, you'd have to seduce your way into it.

• you let your hand grab fully to his bulge which, you didn't think you were just imagining, was getting a bit harder than usual.

• his eyes shot wild, but he didn't back away. you just smiled, eyes filling with lust thinking of how hot you were making him. you could tell he was thinking.

• "we would get in so much trouble," you said, as you began to massage him through his pants. you watched as he huffed out a breath, getting physically antsy. you knew he would give in. you just had to keep going.

• you made sure to rub him slowly, taking your time to let him feel everything and formulate what you wanted to say to him.

• "just trust me baby, i need you. come with me?" you asked, rubbing your hand up and down his shaft over his shorts. you cocked your brow awaiting his response.

• he stood there for a moment shuttering at your touch. you could tell he was getting horny and fed up with you.

• he didn't say anything, just took a step in closer and placed his hand over yours, encouraging you to jerk him harder.

• you smiled and paused for a minute, getting wet at how needy he looked. how willing he was to risk everything in this moment for a quick minute with you.

• you made sure to give his cock one final hard but slow jerk before grabbing a few random items off the racks around you. you swiftly took his hand in yours, making your way down the aisles to find the fitting rooms.

• once inside, it was all bets off.

• you must have flipped a switch in jeongin as he all but ripped your clothes off of you, letting out a low growl.

• "shhhh," you instructed him. you whispered as quietly as you could, now standing naked in front of him. "someone could walk in. we can't let anyone hear us innie."

• he took your advice, but didn't look sympathetic. he grabbed your wrist, spinning you around until you almost lost your footing and fell with your arms into the door. luckily, your arms caught you and stabilized you from going all the way down.

• by the time you'd caught yourself and realized what had happened, jeongin had already let his pants and underwear fall down. he was now ferociously palming himself in his hand.

• you let out a surprised gasp as you felt his tip along your pussy folds, beginning to quickly rub up and down from behind in your bent over position.

• and HOLY FUCK it felt good. you didn't realize how worked up you'd gotten while trying to tease jeongin this whole time.

• you savored the sweet sensation it gave you when he rubbed the tip of his cock along your clit, making you want to let out a moan yourself.

• without warning, he plunged himself deep inside you, bottoming out with his first stroke.

• everything in you wanted to scream out at the sudden stretch. you wanted to cry to him about how big he felt inside you. but you couldn't. you bit your lip, breathing out as slowly as you could instead. you gripped the door in front of you, bracing for what was to come.

• innie noticed your reaction and spread a smile across his face. he knew you were gonna get what you deserved. but he also knew he had to be quick. it was only a matter of time before anyone else came in.

• he started pounding into you quickly, going harder and harder with each thrust. the grip he had on your hips holding you right where he wanted you.

• he didn't hold back, testing his limits of how rough he could get before the sound of skin hitting skin got too loud. he was convinced to fuck the shit out of you.

• you tried your best to hold on and stabilize yourself as he threw shots into you. each stroke felt so pronounced and so hot in this new environment. your wetness was building and you just hoped it wouldn't be too much to make the noises louder. but FUCK with how deep he was hitting, you couldn't help it.

• you let your mind drift a bit and focus on how his dick felt inside of you, how he was angling himself in just the right spot to make you feel good. how animalistic this all felt with him giving it to you like this.

• all of a sudden, you heard footsteps. innie did too as he stopped his thrusts to wait out and see what was going on.

• you listened as someone situated themselves into the changing room a couple of doors away. you heard the rattling of hangers as someone was freeing the clothing from them.

• feeling bummed, you let your face droop a little bit, mentally preparing yourself to straighten up and get fully clothed.

• you had to bring a hand to your mouth to stop from gasping when you felt the sudden movement of jeongin wrap a hand around your waist and pull you to standing, still with his dick inside of you.

• he took a couple of low, slow strokes to see how much he could get away with now. once he felt comfortable, he began to pound in as much as he could.

• he reached the other hand around to your clit, trapping you in a hug that he could fuck into.

• as he rutted his hips up, he began to slowly circle his fingers around your clit, just the way you'd shown him you liked it.

• you almost jumped at how suddenly it was so sensitive, like the tiniest touch would send you into overdrive.

• jeongin was relentless with his hands and his thrusts. eventually, it got too overwhelming for you and you knew you were close to cumming.

• "jeongin," you panted out.

• "shhhhh," he whispered against your neck into your ear. in as lowly of a voice as he could get out. "i'm close too. i'm gonna cum. get ready."

• and with that, he rutted his hips as deeply into you as he possibly could, his face scrunching up from the pleasure of how good you felt around his. you were too tight for him to last any longer.

• you let yourself focus on how deep he was hitting you and how amazing it felt to be so fucked out.

• a shock of pleasure shot through your clit, making your knees feel momentarily weak. then again, then again. suddenly, a surge of pleasure came over you, starting at your clit, making your toes curl and the warm, catatonic sedation run up your legs and into your back. your legs completely gave out as you gave in and let the orgasm take over.

• jeongin continued to finger you ferociously until you were convulsing on him, having him completely support your weight as he continued to fuck into you.

• you could do nothing but cover your mouth to keep any screams or tears from escaping as you rode out the biggest high of your life.

• as jeongin placed his last hard, deep strokes, he suddenly bit your shoulder, stopping himself from moaning out as he came inside you.

• he continued to pump in until he had felt his complete release.

• once you had both calmed down and were off of your highs, jeongin stabilized you and took himself out of you before slowly turning you around to look at him.

• the look on your face was so fucked out that he wanted to take a picture. he wanted to have a physical reminder to show you what happens when you tease him.

• quickly he reached for his phone on the bench behind you two, toggling to the camera app and snapping a quick photo of your face. he smiled cockily before letting out a chuckle at how cute you looked. what he'd done to you.

• "quit that, you perv," you whispered as you pouted and crossed your arms, trying to act tough.

• he laughed before bringing his hands to your cheeks to squish your face lightly. "oh so I'M the perv?"

[im-gonna-sing-the-doom-song-blog]

hi!! i love ur writing sm and i wanted to request a jealous jason fic🤭🤭could be either sfw or nsfw but i’m leaning towards nsfw hehe😚can’t wait to see what u cook up!

HI! Thank you so much for the sweet words. I’ll start working on your request asap! And I’ll make it super spicy 😈🔥

So this is gonna be a two or three parter fic and it’s DARK…

ASKS ARE OPEN!

THE POISONOUS GREEN. A TALE OF JEALOUSY

JEALOUS JASON TODD:

WARNINGS:

NSFW Smut

DESCRIPTION: How could you drive him to this? Jason is really all you need. “STOP PLAYING GAMES. YOU’RE MINE”

The sun was setting over Gotham City, painting the sky in hues of red and orange as if someone had spilled their drink across the heavens. It was a typical day in Gotham, but for Y/N it was anything but ordinary.

She was walking home from work, her body swaying slightly to the rhythm of the city sounds. She lived alone, a fact she was quite proud of. But tonight, something felt different. As she rounded the corner onto her street, she saw Jason, her boyfriend standing outside her apartment building, leaning against the wall like he owned the place.

"Hey," he said, his voice deep and smooth. He pushed off the wall and approached her, those damn dimples flashing in his face.

Jason followed her inside, the door slamming shut behind them and him wondering when he’ll get a same key. His eyes raked over every inch of her, taking in her curves. They were always so fucking distracting, but tonight they seemed even more tempting than usual. "You know what pisses me off?" he growled, stepping closer until there was barely any space between them.

Y/N blinked up at him, confusion clear in her eyes. "What?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady despite the way his proximity made her heart pound.

His hand shot out, grabbing her chin roughly and tilting her head back. "How fucking easy you are."

….

His grip tightened on her chin, forcing her to look directly into his eyes. There was no mistaking the anger swirling within them, but also...something else. Something dark and hungry. "You're always giving it away so easily," he spat out, his voice low and rough. His other hand came up, yanking her shirt down to expose the swell of her breasts, held high by the tight bra she wore.

A growl ripped from his throat as he leaned down, lips hovering just above her exposed skin. "And don't think I don't notice." His words were a hot whisper against her flesh, sending shivers racing down her

His voice was low and rough, filled with a raw edge of fury. He watched her closely, looking for any sign of fear. But all he found was curiosity. And that only made him angrier.

"I'm sick of watching you throw yourself at anyone who looks at you twice," he snapped, letting go of her chin and reaching for her shirt.

The moment his hands touched her, she felt a jolt of electricity shoot straight to her pussy. She bit her lip, feeling wetness pooling between her legs. It was like he had some kind of control over her body. And fuck if that didn't turn him on even more.

His fingers hooked into the waistband of her pants, tugging them down just enough to expose the black lace panties she was wearing. Without wasting another second, he shoved his face between her thighs, inhaling deeply. Her scent was driving him crazy, making his cock throb painfully against his jeans.

His nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply, savoring the intoxicating scent of her arousal. His fingers dug into her soft flesh, gripping her thigh tightly as he pressed his face against her pussy. Yanking down her panties with his teeth, he spread her wide open, revealing her glistening folds to his hungry gaze.

"Fuck," he muttered under his breath, staring at her dripping slit. "You're soaked."

His finger traced over her swollen clit, rubbing small circles around it before sliding lower. He pushed a single digit inside her, curling it upward to stroke her G-spot.

He finds her sweet spot and rubs it firmly. He loved how wet she got for him, but the fact that she was this turned on for someone else (or so he lets himself believe) was pissing him off even more.

Without warning, he pulled away from her pussy, stepping back to look at her. "Who was the lucky guy?" he demanded, his voice cold and harsh. His hand moved quickly, grabbing her chin and tilting her head back forcefully.

"You better tell me," he snarled, his other hand reaching out to rip open her shirt, exposing her tits to his hungry gaze….”Stop playing games. You’re mine”

TO BE CONTINUED.

[daryltwdixon]

The Heart of Us: Chapter 10

Notes: now all I wanna do is write make out scenes ive missed them

The next morning, you wake to a quiet gesture of comfort: a steaming cup of tea held out to you in a calloused hand. You blink sleep from your eyes, propping yourself up on the hardwood floor with one hand, and look up to find Daryl crouched in front of you. His dark eyes, half-hidden behind the unruly curtain of his hair, meet yours with an almost shy intent.

“What’s this?” you ask softly, the corners of your lips tugging into a smile.

He shrugs, glancing away like the gesture is no big deal, “Saw they had some. Remembered ya liked it.”

You reach for the mug, the warmth seeping into your fingers as the peppermint scent wafts up to meet you. Memories surface unbidden, each tied to a simpler time. Tea on the Greene porch during hushed mornings. The first haul of peppermint from the prison garden, planted on a whim because Rick had indulged your quiet plea to plant it in that barren place. Each memory feels like a small, fragile treasure, and the thought of Daryl noticing something as simple as tea—it presses against a tender part of you.

“Thank you, Dare.” Your voice is quiet, weighted with sincerity.

He doesn’t answer, just dips his head in a way that makes his hair fall forward, a shield against any further gratitude. You sip the tea slowly, savoring the warmth that blooms in your chest, both from the tea and from him. Across the room, he moves with his usual, restless energy, his hands searching for something to do, though he doesn’t seem in a hurry to leave. Outside, the others are stirring, the low hum of voices and shifting footsteps hinting at the world waking up again.

“They said explore,” Rick’s voice carries from the front steps, drawing your attention. His face peeks through the doorway, his gaze landing first on Daryl, then sliding to you. “Let’s explore.”

“Nah,” Daryl grunts, his arms folding across his chest as he leans back against the railing, “I’ll stay,”

You glance down at your mug, still warm in your hands, and then up at Rick as you stand and make your way over to the threshold. “How big even is this place?” you ask.

“Big,” Rick replies, his tone softer now as he shifts his attention back to you. There’s something warm in his expression as he watches you sip your tea. “Did a couple rounds last night while y’all were asleep. Just to get a feel for it.”

You nod, so that’s where he went when he escaped for an hour.

Rick lingers in the doorway, his gaze flicking between you and Daryl before he looks out at the empty street. There’s a wistfulness in his voice when he says, “Lori and I used to drive through neighborhoods like this. Thinking, ‘One day.’”

Daryl exhales sharply, his voice low. “Well... here we are.”

Rick’s lips twitch in response, but his eyes remain guarded, “We’ll be back,” he says after a moment, stepping further out onto the porch. Just before heading down the stairs, he turns back to you. “You comin’?”

You glance at Daryl, who’s already settled himself on the floor of the porch, his knees drawn up, his posture tense and inward as he leans against the railing. He doesn’t look at you, but you can read the discomfort in the way his shoulders hunch slightly, the way his fingers flex against his knee. Too many people, too much unknown—it’s written all over him.

Setting your half-empty mug on the railing, you move toward him. Leaning down, you cup his chin gently in your palm, tilting his face up toward you. His blue eyes flicker with uncertainty, but he doesn’t pull away. You press a kiss to his lips, firm but full of quiet affection. At first, he freezes, the way he always does when confronted with tenderness, but then his mouth moves against yours, hesitant but warm. A flash of memory surfaces—his hands on you yesterday in the shower, the heat of his touch lingering on your skin, the way his breath had hitched when you told him just how much you loved him–when you showed him how much. When you pull back, there’s a faint pink flush creeping across his cheeks, and you wonder if he’s remembering the same thing.

“I’ll be back,” you murmur, brushing your thumb across his jaw before straightening. He nods once, quick and jerky, his gaze darting away as if to mask the emotion you know is there. With one last look at him, you follow Rick down the stairs, the weight of Daryl’s silent nervousness still lingering in your mind.

➳

The air is still and heavy, with the faint scent of freshly cut grass mixing with the warm sun overhead. You glance over your shoulder at Rick, his steady stride slowing as you veer toward the side road. He raises a brow, questioning without words.

“I’ll check this side,” you say, jerking a thumb over your shoulder. “Catch you later.”

Rick nods, reluctant but trusting. His gaze lingers before he moves on, leaving you alone with the soft shuffle of your boots against the pavement. You realize, it’s not that Alexandria is so quiet that sets you on edge, it’s that people…aren’t quiet. They’re not watching each and every noise they make, not worried any clamor of voices will draw the dead in. You can’t shake the unease gnawing at the edges of your mind, the kind that comes from places that feel too safe.

The houses blur together as you walk, each with its pristine lawns and decorative wreaths hanging from the doors. It’s almost unsettling. The knife you’d grabbed earlier from the butcher block flashes briefly in your mind, but then you curse under your breath. It’s still back at the house.

The sudden sound of shrieking slices through the calm, sharp and frantic. You freeze. The voices tumble over each other—high-pitched and panicked. Adrenaline suddenly bursts through your veins–there’s no thought, just movement. Your boots pound against the pavement as you sprint toward the sound, lungs burning with the memory of too many times when screams meant too much.

Your fingers twitch, seeking a weapon you don’t have, as you round the corner. Your breath hitches, braced for blood, for chaos, for something you can fight.

Instead, there’s laughter. Loud, unrestrained, and impossibly normal. Kids race across a yard, their shoes kicking up patches of dirt as they shriek and dodge one another. One of them tumbles onto the grass, breathless and giggling, before springing up to join the chase.

You stop short, the momentum leaving you in a rush of confusion and something uncomfortably close to embarrassment. The pulse pounding in your ears doesn’t ease, though. Your body doesn’t seem to care that the danger isn’t real.

“Hell of a rescue,” a voice drawls, pulling your attention sharply to the side. He’s leaning against the pillar of the front porch, arms crossed, a smirk etched across his face like it’s permanent. 

“They’re playing,” he says, like he’s explaining something to a child. He tips his head toward the yard, his grin widening when you don’t respond. “You know, tag? Fun? Or is that not something you do where you’re from?”

“And who are you?” you seethe through your teeth, fists balling at your sides.

His smirk deepens as he pushes off the pillar he leans on, stepping down the porch steps with deliberate cockiness, “Name’s Aiden,” he holds out his hand, which you barely glance at, “I’m Deanna’s son,”

You breathe out sharply, forcing the tension in your shoulders to ease, but the heat in your face lingers. He’s watching you too closely, his smirk sharpening as the silence stretches and he finally drops his hand.

“Thought something was wrong,” you finally say, the words tight and clipped. “Figured I’d check.”

“Yeah, well, welcome to Alexandria. Not everything’s a crisis here, but I guess it takes some people longer to adjust.” His gaze flicks over you, filled with that same easy arrogance that makes your skin crawl.

“Better to check than ignore it,” you bite out, even as the adrenaline starts to fade, leaving an uncomfortable hollowness in its place. “Not gonna apologize for that.”

His chuckle is low and infuriating, his hands sliding into his pockets as he takes a step closer. “Relax, I’m just messing with you.” There’s something sharp in his tone, a kind of teasing that doesn’t feel playful. “But, hey, you’ve got spirit. Maybe it’ll come in handy on a run—if you can keep up.”

You frown, your jaw tightening. His smirk only deepens, like he’s already decided how this conversation will go.

“I’m in charge of the supply runs,” he adds, his tone turning almost smug. “You wanna make yourself useful? You’ll need my approval. What’s your name?”

You roll your eyes at him, muttering, “Y/N.”

“Right, well, Y/N , seems like you’re quick on your feet. If you wanna see us work our magic feel free to join the next run,” he winks, turning away back into his house. You’re half tempted to lift your middle finger at his back, but getting out of here…going outside these walls again. 

“Hey!” you call to him, following up behind him. He twists, that stupid smirk still plastered to his clean shaven face, “when do you leave next?”

➳

Daryl

His finger snags on the crossbow held in his lap, the sharp bite of metal slicing clean through his skin. He curses under his breath, pulling his hand back and bringing his thumb to his mouth. The taste of copper lingers as he licks the bead of blood away, his jaw tightening. Stupid. He should’ve been more careful, should’ve been paying attention. His fingers return to the weapon, moving with an urgency that borders on compulsion. Adjusting and readjusting, he works at the springs like the crossbow might fall apart if he stops.

The morning drags, but he hasn’t left the porch. He’s told himself a dozen times he’s just waiting—waiting for Rick, waiting for a plan, waiting for something. But deep down, he knows better. The house is too clean, the air too quiet, and the thought of stepping back into the neat little streets of Alexandria makes his skin crawl.

Kids’ laughter drifts faintly from somewhere down the block. He shifts uncomfortably on the railing, the noise grating in a way it shouldn’t. It’s not the sound itself—it’s what it represents. No weapons, no fear, just play. Like none of it ever happened. Like they’ve all forgotten how fast it can turn.

The front door creaks open behind him, the familiar sound yanking him out of his thoughts. His head jerks up, squinting as Carol steps out onto the porch. Except... it doesn’t look like Carol.

“Time to punch the clock and make the casseroles!” she chirps, and his eyes narrow in disbelief. She’s wearing some kind of cardigan, clean and pressed, her hair styled into soft gray spikes. She looks like someone’s grandmother—someone who’s never held a knife to survive. His lip curls.

“What?”

“Dinner for the older folks,” she says, her voice softening like she’s explaining it to a child. “Moms who need a break, people who can’t cook. Good way to meet the neighbors.”

He stares at her, searching for the Carol he knows—the one who’d burned two bodies in a quiet act of mercy, the one who’d blown up Terminus to rescue them. She looks ridiculous, he decides, like she’s playing dress-up.

He scoffs, the sound low and bitter. “Alright.”

Carol smirks, and it’s almost a relief to see the glint of her old self there. “At least you finally took a shower,” she teases, her voice dropping lower. “And let me wash that vest sometime—we’re supposed to keep up appearances. Even you.”

His jaw tightens, but he doesn’t rise to the bait. She keeps going anyway, a faint smile tugging at her mouth. “At least Y/N actually left the house.”

The mention of Y/N sends a ripple through his chest. He fumbles slightly with the crossbow, his fingers hesitating before forcing themselves back to work. She’d left this morning with the rest of them, hesitant but still moving. That’s more than he could bring himself to do.

“I don’t plan to start now,” he grumbles, “and you look ridiculous.”

The laughter of the kids drifts back again, bright and sharp against the quiet. He exhales through his nose, the knot in his chest tightening. Y/N’s trying to figure this place out, just like him, but she’s braver than he is. Always has been. He pictures her now, moving through Alexandria with that cautious edge, her sharp eyes darting over every corner like she expects the worst. He knows the feeling.

His fingers slow on the crossbow as his thoughts drift, unbidden, to Beth. The hollow ache in his stomach twists sharply, and he sets his jaw, shaking his head. He doesn’t know why she lingers so much lately, why the memory of her face keeps sneaking in. It makes his stomach churn, and his fists clench until the muscles in his hands ache.

He forces himself back to the crossbow, tightening a spring with more force than necessary. He’s got no use for ghosts. No time for them. He has to push through, push past it. For Y/N.

The crossbow finally clicks back into place, every piece tightened and secure. He sets it across his lap, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. Alexandria hums faintly in the background, too soft and too loud all at once. He can’t imagine himself here, not really. But then he thinks of Y/N, and he knows he’ll try anyway. Even if it tears him apart.

The familiar rhythm of her boots on the pavement pulls him from his thoughts. He looks up as she makes her way down the road, her steps quick and purposeful, though there’s a tension in her shoulders. By the time she reaches the porch, her face is flushed from the heat, strands of hair clinging to her damp skin.

“You haven’t even moved,” she says with a soft chuckle, but there’s something else in her tone—something careful. When he meets her eyes, he sees it: concern.

He grunts, a wordless response, and shrugs his shoulders like it’s nothing.

“I think I might go for a supply run with the guys who are in charge of them for this place,” she says, her voice measured, like she’s already rehearsed it.

His head jerks up at that, eyes narrowing as they snap to hers. He knows she sees the shift immediately, the way his grip on the crossbow tightens just slightly.

“Glenn, Noah, and Sasha will be there, Dare,” she adds gently, like that’s supposed to ease him. Her voice is calm, but he catches the way her lips press together when she finishes speaking. Like she’s bracing for the argument.

“I’ll come,” he says low, the words more growl than offer.

“It’s just a test run,” she explains, her tone softening. “See how we fit in with the group. I need to do something. If I stay here another second, I might explode.” She tries to laugh at her own words, but when her gaze meets his again, the smile fades.

He doesn’t like it—any of it. Her standing there in that thin shirt, sweat sticking it to her skin in ways that make him want to grab his vest and throw it over her shoulders. Her leaving with a group of people she barely knows to God-knows-where. He shifts in his seat, jaw clenching as the words pile up in his throat.

“Don’t gotta prove nothin’,” he mutters, his voice rough but quieter now.

Her hands slip into her back pockets as she sighs, her head tilting slightly. “It’s not about proving anything. I just…” She pauses, searching for the words. “I just need to feel useful. Like I’m doing something. Sitting around here—it’s not me. You know that.”

He knows. Of course, he knows. It’s the same for him, that constant itch to be moving, to be doing. But the thought of her out there—without him—settles like a stone in his gut.

“You don’t know these people,” he says, sharper than he means to.

“I don’t,” she admits, “but Glenn and Sasha are going. Noah too–they’ll have my back. It’s not like I’m heading out alone.”

His eyes flicker over her face, searching for cracks in her confidence, some way to pull her back. He finds none. His fingers tighten around the crossbow, and for a moment, he considers just getting up and going with her. But he knows her. It’s not that she doesn’t want him with her, he just needs to trust. She needs to know he trusts her.

He exhales, rough and frustrated, leaning back against the porch post at his back. “Fine,” he mutters finally, the word bitter on his tongue.

She watches him for a moment, her eyes soft but unreadable. Then, without a word, she reaches down and takes the crossbow from his lap, her fingers brushing his as she does. He stiffens slightly, instinctively protective of the weapon, but when she leans it carefully against the porch railing, he lets her.

The air shifts between them as she steps forward, sliding into the narrow space between his knees. His breath catches, his hands hovering uncertainly in the space where the crossbow used to be. She tilts her head, watching him with that look that always undoes him, a mix of stubbornness and something softer. He swallows hard, his eyes flicking over her face before dropping to her shirt, where the fabric clings damply to her skin. His jaw tightens.

The closeness pulls at him, stirring up memories of yesterday, of his hands braced on her waist, her skin slick and warm under his palms in the shower. He remembers the way her breath hitched when he pulled her close, the soft press of her body against his as the water rushed over them both. It wasn’t just about cleaning off the grime of the road—it was something deeper, something he can’t put into words, but he feels it now like it’s stitched into his chest.

His hands move without thinking, settling on her hips, then sliding up to rest at her waist, just like they had then. She’s so close he can feel the heat of her through the thin fabric, the scent of her skin faint but mixed with something new–something like lavender and honey from yesterday. His fingers flex, gripping lightly, the memory making his skin flush with heat.

She smiles, leaning in just enough that her forehead almost touches his. He can’t stop himself—his hand comes up, brushing a damp strand of hair from her face. The gesture is clumsy but careful, and when she doesn’t pull away, his breath catches again.

Then she kisses him. It’s soft at first, almost tentative, but when he pulls her closer, it deepens. His fingers slide back to her waist, holding her firmly, and for a moment, the rest of the world fades. It’s just her, the warmth of her body pressed against his, the faint taste of salt and sweat lingering on her lips.

“You gotta trust me, I’ll be alright,” she whispers.

“I trust ya,” he grumbles against her lips, “Don’t trust these people.”

When she finally pulls back, her hands rest lightly on his chest, her eyes flicking between his. There’s a faint laugh in her throat, breathless and warm, as she shakes her head. “You’re impossible,” she murmurs.

His gaze drops to her shirt again, the way it clings to her, and his brow furrows. Without a word, he reaches for the flannel tied around her waist, tugging it free. She laughs, soft and disbelieving, as he starts pulling it over her arms, buttoning it up for her, the rough pads of his fingers brushing lightly against her stomach.

“Can’t have you walkin’ around like that,” he grumbles, though his voice is low, almost shy.

“It’s hot out,” she teases, grinning as his fingers fumble slightly with the last button.

“Don’t care,” he mutters, tugging the flannel snugly into place.

She laughs again, leaning into him, her forehead brushing his as she murmurs, “You know you don’t have to worry so much, right?”

He doesn’t answer, his hands resting at her hips now, thumbs brushing against the soft fabric of her flannel. He doesn’t know how to tell her that worrying about her is as natural to him as breathing. So instead, he just nods, pulling her close for a moment longer before letting his hands fall away.

“You’d better come back,” he says quietly, his voice rough.

Her smile softens, her fingers brushing lightly over his knee as she steps back. “Always.”

He watches her go, the knot in his chest tightening as the distance grows between them. His crossbow sits forgotten at his side, his hands flexing restlessly as he waits. For her.

[sassenach77yle]

||COUNTDOWN ||SEASON 3 EPISODE 03 || ALL DEBTS PAID ||

#83daysofoutlander☆

“Sometimes I wondered if I could rightfully blame you,” he said, almost thoughtfully. “He looked like Bree, didn’t he? He was like her?” “Yes.”

He breathed heavily, almost a snort. “I could see it in your face—when you’d look at her, I could see you thinking of him. Damn you, Claire Beauchamp,” he said, very softly. “Damn you and your face that can’t hide a thing you think or feel.”

There was a silence after this, of the sort that makes you hear all the tiny unbearable noises of creaking wood and breathing houses—only in an effort to pretend you haven’t heard what was just said. “I did love you,” I said softly, at last. “Once.” “Once,” he echoed. “Should I be grateful for that?” The feeling was beginning to come back to my numb lips. “I did tell you,” I said. “And then, when you wouldn’t go…Frank, I did try.” Whatever he heard in my voice stopped him for a moment. “I did,” I said, very softly. He turned away and moved toward my dressing table, where he touched things restlessly, picking them up and putting them down at random. “I couldn’t leave you at the first—pregnant, alone. Only a cad would have done that. And then…Bree.” He stared sightlessly at the lipstick he held in one hand, then set it gently back on the glassy tabletop. “I couldn’t give her up,” he said softly. He turned to look at me, eyes dark holes in a shadowed face. “Did you know I couldn’t sire a child? I…had myself tested, a few years ago. I’m sterile. Did you know?” I shook my head, not trusting myself to speak.

“Bree is mine, my daughter,” he said, as though to himself. “The only child I’ll ever have. I couldn’t give her up.” He gave a short laugh.

“I couldn’t give her up, but you couldn’t see her without thinking of him, could you? Without that constant memory, I wonder—would you have forgotten him, in time?” “No.”

The whispered word seemed to go through him like an electric shock. He stood frozen for a moment, then whirled to the closet and began to jerk on his clothes over his pajamas. I stood, arms wrapped around my body, watching as he pulled on his overcoat and stamped out of the room, not looking at me. The collar of his blue silk pajamas stuck up over the astrakhan trim of his coat. Frank didn’t come back. I tried to sleep, but found myself lying rigid in the cold bed, mentally reliving the argument, listening for the crunch of his tires in the drive. At last, I got up and dressed, left a note for Bree, and went out myself. The hospital hadn’t called, but I might as well go and have a look at my patient; it was better than tossing and turning all night. And, to be honest, I would not have minded had Frank come home to find me gone. The streets were slick as butter, black ice gleaming in the streetlights. The yellow phosphor glow lit whorls of falling snow; within an hour, the ice that lined the streets would be concealed beneath fresh powder, and twice as perilous to travel. The only consolation was that there was no one on the streets at 4:00 A.M. to be imperiled. No one but me, that is. Inside the hospital, the usual warm, stuffy institutional smell wrapped itself round me like a blanket of familiarity, shutting out the snow-filled black night outside.

19 TO LAY A GHOST~VOYAGER

[ironychan]

Scary Monsters

@dysphoria-sweatshirt @30spiders @sweatersexual @angrylittlesliceofpizza @writer652

Part 1/? - Rocco’s Closet

Part 2/? - School for Monsters

Part 3/? - The Waternoose Family

Part 4/? - The Terrifying Humans

Part 5/? - Hiding Places

Part 6/? - Nobody’s Fault

Part 7/? - Edge of Disaster

Part 8/? - Caged Monsters

Part 9/? - The Journey Home

Part 10/? - Portorosso

Harry didn't want to get back in the pram, so he scurried along the cobbled street with the rest of the group as they made their way downhill to the Pescheria and harbour. Luca and Alberto were busy telling their families about the monster world, but they did their best to keep an eye on their unwanted companion. This was not easy. Harry was like a curious puppy on its first walk, dashing back and forth across the street to take a closer look at everything.

“Mamma mia!” the woman who ran the laundromat exclaimed, dropping a pile of sheets as Harry dashed past her to look in the window. She stared for a moment with one hand over her heart, then took in the presence of Luca and Alberto and made herself calm down. “I'm sorry, young... man,” she managed. “You startled me.”

“I'm a monster,” said Harry smugly. “I'm supposed to be scary.”

“You certainly are,” she agreed, gathering up her sheets again – these had been clean, and were now covered with dust and would need to be done again. “Lovely to have met you. I'm sure I'll see you again.” She hurried back inside and shut the door.

A minute or so later, a man driving a truck loaded with boxes of fruit stopped to watch them go by. Harry grinned and waved to him. The man waved back halfheartedly, and waited until they rounded a corner to start his truck again.

“It looks like the humans here are scared of me,” Harry said suspiciously. “You said they wouldn't be.”

“They're not screaming and running away,” Alberto pointed out. “They're just not used to you yet.” Humans in Portorosso had mostly accepted the idea that just because something looked frightening didn't mean it necessarily was, but that didn't mean they liked scary things, even ordinary sea monsters.

“I think they're a little scared of monsters,” Harry said. “If they weren't, we wouldn't even have any doors to this town.”

“It depends on the monster,” said Luca. He glanced back over his shoulder at Rocco, who was still scowling into his gelato.

They arrived at the piazza. As usual there was a gaggle of children here, kicking an old volleyball in order to get around the local legislation that forbid playing football in the streets. Harry watched for a minute, bouncing up and down in excitement, then ran up to them.

“Can I play?” he asked eagerly.

The boy who had the ball snatched it off the ground and backed towards his friends, who gasped in horror.

Luca quickly reassured them. “It's okay! This is Harry. He's with us.”

Harry smiled hopefully.

One of the taller kids, a girl, spoke up. “You can't,” she said. “You've got... too many legs. Rules say only two is allowed.”

“Oh,” said Harry, though he looked at them suspiciously.

“Come on, Alberto lives over here,” Luca said, gesturing towards the Pescheria.

One of the teenagers in the town, a boy called Amerigo, had been hired to mind the shop while Massimo and Giulia were waiting at the train station. He smiled as the group approached, then his eyes widened when he saw Harry among them. Like the others, though, he reasoned that if this strange creature were with Luca and Alberto, then it must be all right, and that was enough to keep him from panicking.

“You've got a new friend,” he observed.

“This is the Pescheria,” Alberto told Harry. “Massimo catches fish, and Giulia and I sell them here or deliver them to people's houses.”

Harry examined a basket of bream on ice. “Weird fish,” he said. “They all look the same. Where are the ones with two heads?”

“We don't have any two-headed fish,” Luca said.

Harry moved on down the length of the shop, while Amerigo watched cautiously from behind the counter. “Oh, these look more normal,” said Harry, pointing at another creature. “What's that?”

“Those are squid,” Alberto said. “We cut them into rings and fry them. It's called calamari. Much nicer than eating them raw and getting ink all over you!”

“What about that?” Harry pointed to a black-and-white photograph of a group of people posing with an immensely long silvery fish, at least four metres, in the piazza.

“That's a regaleco,” said Giulia. “Papà caught it by accident. See, there's me.” She pointed to herself in the photo, a very small child of four or five standing by Massimo's side.

Harry continued to scuttle around the shop, examining the merchandise and decor, while people from the piazza began to gather in the doorway to stare at this new and bizarre arrival. Nobody said anything, as they did not want to be rude, but there was a general feeling of unease in the air. Luca and Alberto could feel it keenly, but Harry seemed oblivious, and upon noticing the crowd, he went up to greet them.

“Hi, everybody!” he said. “Wow, I didn't know there were so many humans. Kids' rooms only have maybe one or two at a time. Hi,” he said to one kid. “How are you doing?”

The girl gave him a sideways look and did not reply.

Not at all discouraged, Harry looked up at Old Tomasso, who was staring back down at him. “Hi! Do you need a son?” he asked.

“Ah, I'm a little old to be raising children,” Old Tomasso replied. “You might ask my daughter, Viola, though she and Giacomo already have a couple kids of their own...”

“Is she here?” Harry asked eagerly.

“Well, I'm starving!”s aid Alberto loudly. He grabbed Harry by the shoulders and steered him towards the interior door. “Time for you to try some human food! We'll treat you to the most delicious thing our world has to offer – trenette al pesto!”

They dragged Harry up the stairs to the living spaces above the shop, leaving Amerigo to deal with the curious onlookers. There, Massimo and Alberto got to work on dinner, while Daniela, who'd been learning some human cooking, declared that she would make dessert. Harry had looked exciting as they climbed the narrow stairs, but the kitchen itself was obviously a disappointment to him. He looked around the cramped little room dubiously as people got to work.

“Do you live here?” he asked. “Or are you the servants?”

“This is our house,” Giulia said, insulted. “We don't have servants.”

Harry frowned. “Well, who cleans up after you cook?” he asked. “Who scrubs the floor and cleans the windows?”

“We do,” she told him. “We do everything ourselves.”

“Where do you sleep?” he asked next.

“Upstairs – there's one room for me and Alberto and one for Papà, and the bathroom.”

Harry examined her face, trying to figure out if she were joking.

“Nobody has servants,” Giulia added. “That's from, I don't know, medieval times.”

“Farmhands might count as servants,” Lorenzo Paguro mused. “Like those two boys Atinnia Trota has working at her place since her husband died.”

“Are all humans this poor?” asked Harry. “Where are the normal people?”

“We're not poor!” Giulia huffed. “This is normal! If you want rich people, the richest ones in town are the Visconti family, and even they don't have servants. They've got some employees who work in their vineyards, but that's not the same. Signora Visconti does her own cooking.”

Harry sat down on the bench below the stairs, where he watched thoughtfully as everybody else pitched in to get food on the table. He appeared to be re-thinking this whole expedition, as if he didn't want a new family if that were necessarily going to come with work. Luca kind of hoped that was true. Harry's father wasn't very nice, but Harry belonged in his own world and they needed to get him back there as fast as they could.

There was no room for so many people to sit down around the tiny kitchen table, so they headed out to the yard to eat as the sun set and the first stars began to come out. Daniela and Luca set the table, and Massimo brought out the extra-large pot that could hold enough pasta for everybody. Seeing all this made Luca so happy to be home he nearly cried – it reminded him of the evening after the race last year, when the sea monsters had first been welcomed to Portorosso. Even Alberto was getting a bit misty-eyed, although he'd never admit it. The two boys dug into their favourite dish with gusto.

Harry didn't look so excited about it. He tried the trenette al pesto, but just shrugged.

“We need to figure out how we're going to get back into the monster world,” Luca announced. That was a problem he wasn't sure how to solve. Any door they might go through was just going to lead into the factory, and that was the last place they wanted to arrive. He frowned, chewing on a mouthful as he considered it. “What happens to the doors when the kids get too old to be scared anymore?”

“They go to storage,” said Harry. “They check them out every couple of years, but you can't open them from this end. You need the equipment.”

“So we'll have to find somebody else who's got a monster and wait there... but then when we get into the monster world they'll grab us right away,” said Luca. That wouldn't work at all. Mr. Waternoose might even have a special watch on doors from Liguria in case they tried to come back.

“Aren't there any doors anywhere else?” asked Alberto. “I mean... there's other scare companies, right?”

“Yeah,” said Harry, mouth full. “And there's a few at universities and stuff for research purposes, but they don't lead to kids' rooms.”

That sounded promising. Luca seized on it. “What doors are those? How do you find them?”

“I dunno, they're closet doors,” said Harry.

“There are other kinds of closets besides bedroom ones,” Helena observed thoughtfully. “There's linen closets, storage closets, broom closets...”

“Signora Marsigliese has a storage closet in her grocery store,” Giulia offered. “It's where she keeps stuff when there's no room for it on the shelves yet.”

“Oh, they won't use one in a shop,” said Harry, “especially if somebody lives there. The researchers don't actually want to meet any humans. They just want to find ways to stabilize the link, make it more energy-efficient, improve door matching, that kind of thing.”

“So nowhere there's people at night,” said Luca. “Where's got a closet that's closed at night?”

“Somewhere like a museum?” asked Helena.

“There's no museums in Portorosso,” said Alberto.

“No, but they've got lots of them in Genova,” said Giulia. “There's the Museum of Natural History, and the Maritime Museum, and Mamma does work sometimes at the Palazzo Spinola, which is going to be a museum someday but they have to restore it first because it got damaged during the war.”

“That's the one I'm thinking of,” Helena said. “There's one of the former bedrooms where I've helped touch up the frescoes, and I've never seen anything myself but there people working there full-time who swear it's haunted. They hear footsteps and see lights in the middle of the night.”

Luca did not believe in ghosts, but if closet monsters were a real thing then they might well be the explanation. “That's gotta be it!” he exclaimed. “There's a closet in there, right?”

“There's one where they keep paint and tools,” Helena agreed. “It's got a big sign on it that says solo personale autorizzato.”

“A lot of the ones the researchers use have signs like that,” Harry confirmed.

“Perfect!” Luca grinned. “So we just have to go back to Genova!”

“Now wait a moment, young man,” said Daniela. “I'm not sure I like the idea of you going back there, no matter how you get in. This monster world is obviously dangerous. Back me up, Lorenzo,” she said to her husband.

Lorenzo nodded. “Your mother is right, Luca. This really isn't your problem.”

“Yes, it is!” Luca insisted. “Louise and the others need our help. We're the ones who got them in trouble in the first place. Right, Alberto?”

“Right!” said Alberto through a mouthful of pasta.

“Well, you certainly can't go by yourselves,” Daniela said. “You have to at least take a grownup with you.”

“Oh, that's a good idea,” Giulia put in. “Like I said, Luca, your Mom's scary. The monsters will respect her.”

It was hard to say whether Daniela had really meant herself when she'd said a grownup, but that didn't seem to have been the part of the suggestion that startled her. “I'm not that scary!”

“Yes, you are,” chorused Alberto and Luca.

“No, you're not,” Harry scoffed.

“You haven't seen her get mad,” Luca told him.

Feeling like they had at least an approximation of a plan made Luca feel much better, and although he wouldn't have said it he was very reassured by the idea of taking his mother along. They wouldn't feel nearly so adrift and terrified in that strange world if they had a proper grownup with them.

After supper it was time for the kids to get into their pyjamas. Harry didn't have any with him, and nobody else's would have fit him, so he was given one of Massimo's extra shirts. It was as huge and awkward on him as Louise's monster-sized nightshirts had been on Alberto and Luca, but he didn't seem to mind.

The person who did mind was Giulia. Although she was too polite to say so, she was clearly uncomfortable with the idea of Harry sleeping in her room, so the boys offered to also sleep over so it wouldn't just be the two of them. Luca had hoped this would avoid any arguments. It did not.

“You don't like me,” said Harry accusingly, as they rolled out sleeping bags on the floor.

“No, you're fine,” said Giulia, without looking at him.

“Alberto and Luca said you'd be cool.”

“I am cool,” Giulia insisted, annoyed. “It's just that I haven't known you very long yet.”

Harry wasn't at all impressed. “You're scared of me. They said you'd be fine, but you're scared of monsters. I bet you're scared of them, too. Everybody here is, even if they try to be nice about it.” He smiled to himself. “I bet I could be in charge of this place in no time.”

“Giulia isn't scared of anything,” Luca said loyally.

“Sure,” Harry said, “so why doesn't she have a closet, then?”

“Because there isn't room for one,” said Giulia. “This house is very small.”

“I noticed.”

“And I don't need one anyway,” she added. “I keep all my stuff on my shelves, and my clothes go in the drawers. My school stuff mostly stays at Mamma's house in Genova, because that's where I use it.”

Harry considered that as he built a little nest for himself out of blankets. “What do human kids learn at school? Do you learn about monsters?”

“No,” said Luca, “because humans mostly don't believe in monsters, not even sea monsters like us. Nobody knows about us except the people in Portorosso and some of the ones at school.”

“And a lot of them think it's a joke,” Giulia added. “I didn't even believe in sea monsters until I met Luca and Alberto, and I didn't believe in closet monsters until I met you today.”

Harry frowned. “See, that's what Dad says – he says humans shouldn't know about us, because what you don't know is always scarier than what you do.”

“That's probably true,” Giulia observed. “Now that I know about sea monsters, they're not scary at all.” She looked at Alberto and grinned. “In fact, Alberto is the least scary monster I've ever met.”

Alberto stuck his tongue out at her.

“I think he's scarier than I am,” Luca said.

“Now, I think if humans knew about us, they'd be even more scared,” Harry went on, “because then they'd know we could be lurking there, waiting to jump out at any moment.”

“Or we'd just take the doors off all our closets,” said Giulia.

That clearly hadn't occurred to Harry. He blinked, then scowled, annoyed at being outwitted.

Harry couldn't lie down flat like a human or a sea monster, so while the other kids bedded down, he nestled into the pile of blankets he'd built, looking rather like an egg in an Easter basket. Everybody else began to drift off, only to discover that Harry snored. It wasn't loud, but it was a whistling sort of noise that was impossible to ignore. Giulia had to stuff her head under her pillow in order to block it out.

Halfway through the night, Giulia woke up again, as she sometimes did, and rolled over to get more comfortable – whereupon she found herself looking into multiple glowing eyes that blinked in unison. She inhaled sharply and sat up, clutching at the covers.

Harry started laughing. “Boo!” he said.

“Harry!” groaned Luca from his bed on the floor.

“I knew it! I knew you were scared of me!” Harry cackled.

“It's the middle of the night,” Alberto scolded. “Go back to sleep!”

Harry continued to giggle to himself as he settled down in his little nest again. Luca gave him a disapproving frown and looked at Alberto, who wasn't going to stop at frowning and had gone all the way to a nasty scowl. The two silently agreed that the first thing they were going to do when that haunted closet at the museum opened was to shove Harry in, and after that they wouldn't take any more help from him.

In the morning, Giulia got up first, and noticed that Harry was still asleep. She crept over and knelt next to him, leaning in so her nose was only an inch from his face. It took him a moment to realize she was there, and then a couple of his eyes flickered open, and he screamed like Signora Brugnole did when she saw a mouse.

“Now who's scared?” asked Giulia, and got up to go brush her teeth while Harry sat there panting.

Luca and Alberto had already been half awake, but were jolted to full alertness by Harry's cry. They yawned and rubbed their eyes and looked at him, then both lay down and pretended to go back to sleep. He'd deserved that.

Helena had crespelle ready when they came downstairs for breakfast. They were thinner than Louise's pancakes but were served with ricotta and nutella, and she'd also sliced some bananas to put on top. The kids sat down and dug in, and Massimo came to sit with them and sip his espresso.

“Giulietta,” he said, as his daughter put bananas on her breakfast. “Your mother and I have been talking about money.”

“Uh-huh,” Giulia said, then whacked Alberto's wrist with her butter knife as he reached across the table. “How about pass the nutella?” she suggested to him, as he shook the stinging joint.

Harry, meanwhile, looked down at his own plate dubiously. “Is this it?” he asked.

“What more did you want?” asked Giulia. She passed the nutella and knife to Alberto, and gave him a plate for Luca.

“How about bacon?” asked Harry. “Or eggs? Or waffles? It's just tiny pancakes with cheese, and some coffee?”

“You don't want to eat heavily first thing in the morning,” said Helena firmly. “It's not good for your stomach.” She poured her espresso into milk, and added a little bit of cocoa. “As we were saying, kids, I didn't think we'd all be heading back to Genova. I have enough money to pay for my own ticket, but not for the boys or Signora Paguro.”

That wasn't what any of the kids had expected to hear, least of all Harry. “How can you not have money for train tickets?” he asked. “They cost nothing.”

“Obviously they cost something,” Giulia told him, “if they were free we wouldn't be worried about it.”

Luca was not discouraged. “We'll have to earn the money, then,” he said.

“How?” asked Massimo. “I cannot hire all three of you for extra besides your pocket money.”

“I've got some I've saved,” said Alberto. “And we can do odd jobs around the town. I've done that before!” Sometimes he'd even managed not to break anything.

“So have I,” Giulia agreed.

“And I can help,” said Luca.

“How much money will we need for the tickets?” Giulia asked her mother.

Helena did a brief bit of math for one adult and three youths, assuming Harry would go in the pram again. The figure she came up with wasn't too daunting, so after they were done eating, the kids got dressed and set out to do some work.

“I'm gonna head up the hill to where the older people live, and ask if they need anything done in their gardens,” Alberto announced. They almost always did, and while pulling weeds and turning over soil were tedious, there were very few ways he'd found to do them wrong.

“I'll do deliveries, and keep the tips,” Giulia said.

“I'll go with Alberto,” Luca said.

“Great!” Alberto nodded. “You can do your big eyes thing, and they'll pay us extra.”

“How about me?” Harry asked, scuttling out into the yard to join them. Helena had decided to wash his little sailor suit while the kids were out, but that left the problem of what he would wear in the mean time. Massimo had gone through some old things and found a shirt he'd worn as a child and had kept to use as rags someday. It was a bit too big on Harry and had to be pinned so he wouldn't step on the hem, but it was clean.

“You want to help earn money?” Alberto asked, a bit suspicious. Harry clearly wasn't interested in work – he seemed to think money was just something people had in infinite quantities.

“No,” said Harry. “I need to find a new Dad, remember? Where are these Visconti people you mentioned?” He had evidently decided that he wanted not just a new family, but a new family with money.

“They live over the hill in the vineyards,” said Giulia. She checked her list of deliveries. “They've ordered some naselli... they must be having visitors because it's quite a few. Signor Visconti likes to schmooze people who are thinking about buying his wine.”

“I'll go with you, then,” Harry decided.

Giulia tried not to groan. “All right,” she said, “but you have to help. Do what I tell you to do, and don't wander off, you got it?”

“You're not my mother,” Harry told her.

“Do you want to stay at our house, or not?” Giulia asked. “Because if you do, you have to do what I say, got it?”

Harry snorted. “Fine.”

The boys headed up the hill to find some work to do, and Giulia attached the cart to her bike while Harry, under her direction, brought out boxes of ice and fish for delivery. He made a face as he handed her the first one.

“It smells,” he said.

“It's fish,” she told him. “Don't fish smell in your world?”

“I dunno, I've only seen them when they're already cooked,” Harry said. “And the ones in the pond at the zoo, that you can feed. Those don't smell.”

“They're not dead,” Giulia said. She climbed onto the bicycle. “Keep up, I'm not slowing down for you.”

She wasn't training for the race yet, not so early in the summer, so despite her words Giulia didn't hurry as she cycled up the hill to the first of her day's deliveries. Harry scuttled after her, looking around at the town and the people as they went. His many legs seemed able to carry him quite quickly, so she sped up a little.

Their first stop was the home of Signora Tarasco, where Giulia knocked on the door with a box of fish in her hands. The door opened, and Giulia proudly held out her merchandise. “Sardines, as ordered!” she announced. “Fresh from Papà's nets!”

“Ah, thank you, Giulia,” Signora Tarasco said. She took the box from Giulia, and then her eyes went to the waiting bicycle and cart, and she saw Harry standing next to it. For a split-second she just blinked at him, trying to figure out what she was seeing, then she screamed. She almost dropped the box, but grabbed it at the last moment, only for it to tip and pour dead sardines all over herself. Giulia dived to catch the fish, but could not grab them all, and ended up with two in her hand while the rest splattered on the pavement.

“Oh, my goodness!” the woman exclaimed, with a nervous giggle as she clutched the now-empty box. “You gave me a start! Wha... um... is that another of your friends, Giulia?”

“That's Harry,” said Giulia, picking herself up. “He's the monster from Rocco Marsigliese's closet.”

“No, the monster from Rocco's closet used to work for my Dad, but he fired her,” Harry corrected. “But he's a jerk, so now I'm looking for a new Dad, like Alberto.

“I saved these,” Giulia added, offering the fish she'd managed to grab.

“Oh... oh yes.” Signora Tarasco reached out and took them, her eyes locked on Harry. “I just... oh, dear, I ruined the rest of them. Let me... let me pay you for those.” She fumbled for her coin purse.

“You don't have to do that,” said Giulia, looking at the rest of the order, scattered on the cobblestones.

“No, no, it's only fair,” Signora Tarasco said distractedly. She gave Giulia a handful of coins without bothering to look at or count them. “Keep the change, dear,” she added, and shut the door, her only objective being to put something between herself and Harry as quickly as possible.

Giulia scowled and shoved the coins in her pocket. “Okay,” she told Harry, “you're going to have to stay behind the cart while people answer doors.”

“Luca and Alberto said the humans here would be fine,” Harry said, arms folded. “I'm starting to think they lied to me.”

“People will be fine once they get to know you,” Giulia told him. “Until then, you're scaring them. You're never gonna find a new family like that.”

Harry just sniffed. Evidently he thought if the humans were scared, that was their own fault.

They moved on to the next house. Harry would stay back with the cart while Giulia handed over the deliveries, but he refused to hide behind it. In fact, he seemed quite interested in people's reactions to him. Giulia explained who and what he was over and over, and people were polite but clearly uncomfortable with his presence. At least he didn't go around asking people if they wanted a child, like Luca and Alberto said he'd done in Genova, but she suspect that was merely because he'd already decided who his first choice was. If so, he was destined for bitter disappointment.

Giulia saved the Visconti family's fish for last, partly because it was furthest from home, and partly because she dreaded what Harry might do. She was sure it would be embarrassing at best and catastrophic at worse.

Harry himself perked up considerably when he realized there was only one box left. “Are we going to the Visconti house now?” he asked.

“Yeah,” said Giulia. “Although... how would you feel about having an older brother?” Maybe she could discourage him in advance.

“An older brother?” he asked.

“Yeah, they already have a son,” Giulia said.

Harry thought about that a little. “What is he like?”

“He's the biggest jerk in the world,” said Giulia. “Even worse than your Dad, I'm sure. He kept this town under his evil empire of injustice for years.”

“He did? How?” Harry wanted to know.

“Because everybody was scared of him!” Giulia said. “You never knew when he was going to show up and make your life miserable, just because he could! We finally kicked his butt last summer, and nobody takes him seriously anymore.”

They crested the hill and coasted back down it into the valley, where the vineyards were spread out around the big house where the Visconti family lived and ran their business. The villa had originally been built in the 18th century by their wealthy ancestors, with yellow walls and big cypress trees out front. It was now in rather poor repair, with the plaster flaking and cracks in the wall from the earthquake that had happened before Giulia was born, but still imposing. Harry grinned when he saw it, and would have gone right up the double staircase leading to the front door, but Giulia shook her head.

“Deliveries go around the back,” she said.

She led the way around the gravel path to the back garden, where the kitchens were. Harry frowned.

“This looks like a servants' entrance,” he said.

“It used to be,” Giulia said, “but I told you, nobody has servants anymore.”

“Why not?”

“Because it's snooty. It's like you're saying you're better than anyone else. The Viscontis don't need servants – they do that anyway.”

They passed the garage. Giulia had been hoping Ercole wouldn't be there, just because she didn't want to see him, but he was, checking the air pressure on his Vespa's tyres. He looked up as she passed, then did a double-take.

“Porca paletta! What is that?”

“Is that him?” Harry asked excitedly. “Their son?”

“Yes. Ignore him,” Giulia instructed.

But Harry scuttled right into the open garage. Ercole crab-walked backwards, then scrambled to his feet as if to flee. If that were his intention, he changed his mind when Harry got too close to his precious Vespa. “Hey!” he exclaimed. “Don't touch that!”

“Are you the one who used to have the whole town under an evil empire?” Harry asked eagerly.

Ercole knew exactly where he'd heard that. “For your information,” he said, moving his Vespa aside so that it wasn't too close to this odd little creature. “People in this town used to love me until those sea monsters came along. Now it's sea monster this and sea monster that, and nobody has time for real people anymore.” He peered suspiciously at his visitor. “What are you?”

“Aren't you scared of me?” Harry asked.

“You can't be scary if you hang out with Spewlia,” Ercole replied. “You're just a little bug. You should mind you don't get squashed like one.”

Giulia rolled her eyes, but on the whole this wasn't as bad as she'd feared. She knocked on the kitchen door. “Signora Visconti!” she called out. “I've got your fish!”

[indigosunsetao3]

A Reason To Try

Chapter 2 - Overrun

Masterlist of Chapters

Warnings: 18+ - No minors Please read the tags on AO3 for any of your triggers

Alex Keller X Original FMC 6.9k words - AO3 Link

“I know E,” Mads said quietly as her nephew whined in the backseat. He did not want to get up, having only been asleep a few hours. He cried the whole time and had an absolute meltdown when Madeline tried to get him to put on proper pants. She had conceded to pajama pants, his favorite Batman ones, if he would put his shoes on himself. She didn’t say a word when they ended up being a pair of mismatched sandals, she just threw his sneakers into the duffle. She barely had the capacity herself to throw on weather appropriate clothes herself, her head pounding from the stress and the start of a hangover.

“It’s still dark out,” Everett stated as he wiped at his face. He had started to come around a bit and had been able to buckle himself in the booster as Madeline pulled out of the parking garage. It was under the apartment building and they hadn’t seen a single person as she threw their bags into the trunk. She had forgotten to zip up Josephine’s from earlier and had to scoop the pill bottles and some other items back into it hoping she hadn’t missed anything. “Where are we going?”

“Mom found some friends to take us to her office in Georgia,” Madeline answered as she waited for the automatic garage door to open up. When it clicked into place she pulled out and found that there wasn’t a single person outside, too early for even the runners to be out. The roads remained empty as she rounded out of the apartment complex and Madeline blew the redlight to make the left onto the main road. Her sister had emphasized they had to go right now and she wasn’t going to waste any time waiting for no reason.

“Why are they going so early?” Everett asked with a groan as he threw his head back against the booster seat. He had certainly learned his dramatics from her.

“They’re in a hurry is all,” Madeline said as she pressed her foot harder on the pedal as the GPS told her she’d arrive in nineteen minutes. “And if we want to go with them, we need to hurry as well.”

Everett didn’t answer after that, he just huffed and turned his head to look out the window. Madeline kept her eye on him in the rearview mirror as she cruised through the streets, knowing she would be pulled over in an instant if the police saw her. It drove Josephine crazy how fast she was when she drove, stating she followed too close and darted around enough to make her sick, which meant Josephine usually drove when they were together. Madeline had been taught how to drive by a car enthusiast when she was sixteen, the guy old enough to go to jail if he had been caught with her. His method was if you weren’t leading the pack, you were going too slow and Madeline followed that same mentality now.

The further she delved into Boston though, she found there was more activity, people were actually out and about and she had to slow down. The bar scene was just starting to wrap in some places and Madeline watched as a group stumbled out and headed down the sidewalk. She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel impatiently waiting for them to cross the street when a taxi came flying down the road from the opposite way. She knew what was going to happen an instant before it did. She screamed and hit the horn in a last-ditch effort to warn them right before the car plowed down the group.

“Cover your eyes!” Madeline yelled to Everett whose eyes were wide as he stared at the building where the car eventually stopped. “E!” Madeline yelled as she turned around and nudged his knee, “look away from it.” When he turned to look at her, she faced the accident. Despite being in a rush Madeline found herself sitting there staring in shock.

The driver of the car pushed the door open and fell out and she watched them jerk uncontrollably as they fell to the ground, hands scrabbling at their throat where blood was pouring. Their passenger got out a moment later and ran flatfooted at the people that were making their way toward the scene to help. Then the passenger, a young woman, leaped on a man twice her size and tackled him to the ground, and began ripping at him with her hands. Others tried to pull her off but she was unstoppable as she snarled and fought them, biting and ripping at them.

“Oh my God,” Madeline muttered as she stared, feeling as if she were in a dream. The taxi driver was up and had grabbed the closest person to him and sank his teeth into their throat. He didn’t hesitate, didn’t flinch as blood coated his skin, he just moved on to the next person. People were realizing what was happening and started to scatter instead of helping. She was so busy watching one side she didn’t see another person run up at her car.

“Oh fuck,” she nearly screamed as someone started beating on the driver’s window and kicking at the door. She hit the gas before thinking and the car squealed at the sudden power surge. Everett was screaming in the back and Madeline joined him as she swerved around a small group of people running to the accident. They certainly didn’t look like they were coming to help, based on the blood all over their clothes and the crazed looks in their eyes.

“What’s happening?” Everett asked, crying again, as he turned to try and look back behind them. “Aunt Mads, why are those people hurting one another?” His eyes were wide as he waited for an answer and his hands were holding onto the booster seat arms like a lifeline.

“I don’t know,” Madeline answered truthfully, her eyes darting over to her window that had blood running down it from the person’s bloody hands pounding on it. “I don’t know what is happening E,” she continued as she slammed the brakes hard when a police car came down a side street and cut them off with lights and sirens going. She groaned at the yank of the seatbelt before hitting the gas, foot to the floor, to get to their destination. She hoped wherever this place was that they were headed to wasn’t dealing with this. She had no idea what she would do if they couldn’t get out. “Just sit back in your seat and close your eyes, yeah?” She said looking up at him in the mirror again, “we’ll be out of here soon.”

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“Come on Farah,” Alex muttered as he paced the empty room holding the phone to his ear. He had called three times now and it just continued to ring. “Pick up,” he muttered before hanging up with a frustrated sigh. Things were moving quickly, too quick, and he was second guessing leaving her for the umpteenth time. He had been uneasy about it from the start and now that things were already much worse than they thought, him being here was useless. They didn’t need him or his resources to help get down to Venezuela, they just needed to sneak in and extract without all the political fanfare.

He was staring out the window, mentally going through a list of what he could do. What resources he could tap and favors he could call in to get back to Farah? He was about to hit dial again when the phone rang instead and he answered it before it had a chance to even finish the first one.

“Farah,” he said a bit relieved and agitated. “Where have you been?” He asked as his eyes darted up to the clock and figured out the time difference. It was almost eleven in the morning there.

“Busy,” Farah answered and she sounded rushed. “Alex, it’s already a disaster,” she stated as he heard people yelling in the background. “We’ve been lied to, it’s spread everywhere. Russian forces pulled out right after you left. They left everything behind and just disappeared.” He heard her yell an order, muffled so she must have tilted the phone against her chest.

“Goddamn it,” Alex said as he turned heel and reached for the door. He was leaving.  He wasn’t going to wait here and let her struggle and suffer on her own. “Is the sickness there?” He asked as he jogged down some steps to try and find Price. People were running around the place like mad and he had to press himself up against a wall to avoid being bowled over by a man sprinting down the hall with cases of weapons.

“I haven’t seen it,” Farah answered and Alex breathed a small sigh of relief at that. “But sick people have been seen in the city,” she cut off and Alex heard someone talking to her in rapid succession. “I have to get back and save those we can.”

“Farah, no,” Alex stated harshly. “You need to stay away from it. You need to stay alive and lead the people,” he reasoned and he heard her huff. “I’m coming back,” he stated not knowing how he was going to manage it just yet. He had done many favors for people over the years and never asked for anything in return. It was time to start cashing them in, beginning with Laswell. “I’ll find the first flight.”

“You are not,” Farah answered sternly. “You have a job to do. I sent you on it, you will finish it.”

Alex shut his eyes at the command. He had defied orders before, to stay with her, so he could defy them again to get back to her. How many times had he bled for her, almost died for her, broken his own heart over and over just for her. This wasn’t any different. Everything had done these past few years had been for her and he wasn’t about to stop that now.

“I am,” Alex said as he yanked open a stairwell door. “You can’t do this alone.” He knew he was being a bit irrational at his haste but the panic of her being there without him had been consuming him for a while now.

“I am not alone,” Farah answered, her voice taking an icy tone that he had only been on the receiving end of one other time and it had nearly shattered him then. “I survived without you before Alex, and I can do it now. Do not doubt my abilities or my team.” There was a pause before, “I do not need you.” The silence was a long one and the stab of hurt made Alex’s steps slow to a halt again as he gripped the phone hard to his ear. “You are my second, I have given you a command. You will finish the mission.”

“Farah,” Alex tried as he stared ahead not really seeing, his mind’s eye picturing her face. The same face she had given him when he had confessed he couldn’t just be a bedwarmer for her anymore the last time they had been together. That his feelings were eating him alive and he needed to know what she was thinking. She had told him that she couldn’t be anything more to him than that. Stated he needed to accept her position, that it wasn’t going to change, and he should move on. Her ambitions were too high, life too busy, to even think about settling down; especially with her second. Feelings would make things a disaster and she gave him the ultimatum of figuring it out or leave. “Please,” he finally tacked on knowing it was futile.

“We will be fine. Call me when the job is complete,” she stated and Alex couldn’t tell if she actually was masking her hurt at her own words, or was just that disconnected between her job and her heart. “Goodbye Alex.”

The phone disconnected and Alex sighed, curling his hands in a frustrated gesture feeling the phone digging into his fingers. He knew she was done with the conversation and there would be no changing her mind. When her brother had betrayed her, she had declared him an enemy without a second thought and they were family that had grown up and survived together. Alex hadn’t been around that long and he knew she would not hesitate to push Alex away if it came between her and her goals. Shoving the phone into his pocket he headed back to the office to gather his belongings and head to the transport.

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“We’re here,” Madeline breathed out as she looked at the GPS. She had made it in the nineteen-minute time frame it originally predicted, even after stopping and watching the horrific scene at the bar. She had pulled over to parallel park on the street, ignoring the no parking sign. Her sister could pay that stupid ticket. “Let me get the stuff from the trunk, do not get out before I come get you,” Madeline instructed as she killed the engine and shoved the keys in her coat pocket. Everett nodded, he had been quiet the rest of the car ride, only sniffling every now and again.

With shaking hands, Madeline opened the car door and looked around before darting to the trunk to dig out the bags. She had to adjust the strap on her sister's backpack a few times before slinging the duffle over her shoulder and shoving it behind her. She looked around again before slamming the trunk shut hurrying around to the side of the car and yanked open the door. Everett was already out of his seat waiting for her and his hand clasped hers hard as she helped him out.

Their feet crunched over the salt pellets someone had poured out over the sidewalk as they went. The buildings along the street were dark, all of them office buildings and warehouses. Madeline glanced at the scribbled post-it in her other hand to make sure she had the right address. She hadn’t even thought to ask her sister what the place was, and honestly who the hell John Price was anyway.  Was he another scientist? Doctor? She was pretty sure it wasn’t Josephine’s boss; his name was something like Bart which still made Madeline laugh because that did not sound like a stuffy scientist name.

“There’s a man lying on the sidewalk,” Everett blurted out suddenly and Madeline glanced down at him before following where he was pointing. There, in fact, was a man lying on the sidewalk and Madeline froze her steps to look at him. He was bundled under a blanket and had a few layers of clothes on that she could see. She narrowed her eyes a bit trying to determine if he was just a person that had found the least hard part of the ground to sleep on for the evening, or if it was something else.

“We just need to go around him quietly,” Madeline reasoned as she scooted Everett around her to walk on the side closest to the road now. “He’s probably just sleeping,” she stated giving Everett a reassuring smile as they got closer.

“I want to sleep,” Everett muttered before seeing Madeline put a finger to her lips to indicate for him to be quiet.

They sidestepped the man and he didn’t move, and Madeline held the breath she had been holding. She tried to look at him to see if he was even breathing, unable to tell with all the layers, not that there was anything she could do anyway. Once they were around him Madeline found a break in the wall they had been following. There was a gate that was propped half-open and she saw the number drilled into the brick, this was the address.  Shifting the bag on her shoulder a bit she headed through it, quickening her steps as she saw people through the windows bustling about. They were the first people she had seen since they left the house that didn’t look crazed, or dead.

“Stop,” came a voice as Madeline reached the door and yanked it open. She blinked a few times as a flashlight blinded her and she winced away. She quickly let go of the door and stepped back as a man dressed in a solid black military uniform aimed the light beam at Everett who pressed hard into her side.

“I’m here to see John Price,” Madeline said, grateful her voice didn’t shake like she knew the rest of her body was doing. “Do you know where he is?”

The man didn’t answer her but spoke into a microphone on his headset stating two people were looking for Captain Price. He watched the two of them as he listened to whoever was on the other end talk. She moved her hand from Everett’s to gently rub his head, realizing she hadn’t put him in a hat and it was freezing outside. His ears were like little icicles and she pressed her hand over one, pushing the other into her leg, to try and warm them a bit. Her eyes darted to the building where people were moving around still and she shifted on her feet.

“Can we wait inside?” She asked as they continued to stand in silence for a few seconds. “It’s freezing out here,” she tacked on as the guy glared at her. “And I’ve, well, it wasn’t a fun ride over here and I’d much rather be inside.”

The guy looked her up and down one more time before nodding his head toward the door indicating she could step inside. She shifted and pulled the door open before gently pushing Everett through, he was clinging to her hard and she had to shuffle step in before the warmth hit them. She looked around the room, it was a big open space with a reception desk that had someone behind it and she walked over. The man that had stopped them had stayed outside on some sort of guard duty.

“Hello,” Madeline said as she rested a hand on the counter, which was up to her chest. It reminded her of an old police precinct, eerily similar to one that she had visited too often to bail out yet another ex. “I, ah, don’t know if he told you,” she continued pointing with her thumb to the guy outside the window. “I’m here to see John Price?” The woman looked up at her with a disinterested glance and didn’t say anything so Madeline continued, “my sister Josephine Martin sent us, said for me to ask for him. We’re on a bit of a tight schedule.” That caught the woman’s attention.

“Do you have IDs?” She asked as she moved to lean over the counter edge and glanced down at Everett who was staring up at her.

“Oh yeah, hang on,” Madeline answered as she quickly let her duffle fall to the ground with a thump and she bent down to dig around. It was a disaster inside, and she had to pull a few things out before she found the first passport, Everett’s. She handed him his before she dug around some more and found her own before standing up and taking E’s back and handing them to the woman. “I’m Madeline, he’s Everett,” she said a bit lamely as the woman flipped open each of them.

“Everett Martin,” she said and closed Everett’s, “and Madeline Torres,” she finished not sounding impressed. She looked at the passport for a moment before flicking her eyes up to Madeline then back down again.

“Yes,” Madeline answered a bit confused. “I’m Josephine’s sister. She asked me to come here, and ask for John Price.” Were all these people dense Madeline wondered as she looked around.

“We have clearance for two Martins,” the woman answered. Madeline felt her stomach plummet as she looked at Everett for a second. “Where’s the boy’s father?”

“What? His father isn’t around, asshole has been gone for over a year.” She normally tried not to talk bad about Everett’s father in front of him but she was too worried to really think about it. “I’m Everett’s Aunt, I’ve been taking care of him while my sister has been working,” she babbled and moved to dig out her phone. “I’ll just call her and she’ll-” she started but the woman cut her off.

“I only have clearance for him. No one mentioned Torres,” she explained a bit clipped.

“Josephine’s maiden name is Torres, she never changed it after the divorce,” the woman just stared at her. “You’re expecting me to send my six-year-old nephew alone with you?” Madeline snapped as Everett grabbed her even harder. “Let me just call Josephine,” she continued as she fumbled in her pocket.  “Or get John down here,” she tacked on a bit snippily, “I’m sure Josephine gave him our names.”

“How do I know you didn’t just take him and left his father behind?” The woman asked and Madeline was sure she felt her eyes bug out of her head.

“I’m sorry, are you insane?” Madeline asked a bit sarcastically as she let her hand hang limply for a second out of the shock of the outlandish accusation. “I am his Aunt, I live with them. I want to talk to someone else because you clearly are not getting it.” She finally got her phone out of her pocket and swiped through it to call Josephine and hit dial. The phone rang. And rang. And rang. The woman just watched her before calling someone else over and explained what was happening to them.

“We can take him to John. He’s upstairs,” the new person stated. “But until we get approval you will have to wait,” he stated. He was at least a little nicer than the woman.

“I,” Madeline started as she glanced at Everett. She couldn’t risk him not being able to leave and get to his mom but she didn’t want to send him alone either. She really needed Josephine to pick up. She tried calling again, wedging her phone between her shoulder and ear to squat down in front of Everett. The phone just kept ringing. “Everett, you are going to have to go with them,” she stated and winced as she saw the tears start up again. “I know, I’m sorry. I’ll be right behind you, we just have to work out paperwork,” she tried explaining and Everett clung to her.

“No,” Everett said firmly as he clung to her and she glanced up at the two people who were being impossibly thick about the whole situation. She knew her face was portraying a ‘see I told you’ look but they didn’t budge. “I’m scared Aunt Maddy,” Everett wailed and she sighed, peeling her phone off her ear and dialed again before wrapping Everett up in a hug.

“I know E,” Madeline answered as she rubbed his back gently, “I am too but it’s okay.” She was lying, this wasn’t okay but she didn’t need him to have a meltdown again. “I’ll be right behind you. They are going to take you to mommy’s friend,” another lie she was presuming, “and John will make sure you are okay.” She stared at the two adults who didn’t seem to have an ounce of empathy in them as they just watched the scene in front of them. “Damn it,” she muttered as Josephine still didn’t pick up.

“Can’t I wait with you?” Everett asked as he looked up at the two people watching. “If you’re coming anyway,” he tacked on. Too smart for his own good.

“You need to get situated,” Madeline answered as she pointed at his mismatched shoes, “and put on proper sneakers. I promise I am right behind you,” she said as she stood up and glared at the woman as she shoved the duffle at them. “His shoes are in there,” she instructed as she snatched up her own passport again and threw Everett’s in the bag. “You’ll need to carry it; he won’t be able to.”

Everett lost it when the man came around the counter to take him upstairs and Madeline slammed her cellphone down on the counter and grabbed him. He was howling and she hefted him up as he wrapped his arms and legs around her tightly. He was overly tired, stressed, and was probably still trying to process the shit they had seen on the way over. Now he was being told he had to go with intimidating looking strangers which was the final straw for him.

“You tell John Price to come down here, right fucking now,” Madeline demanded of the woman, done trying to play nice. “No,” she interrupted the woman when she opened her mouth, “right now. I don’t care if you have to drag him down by his goddamn ear. My nephew is not going until I talk to him. Maybe he understands what happens when someone gets married, they get a new name from their sister. I don’t understand why it is such a hard concept for you.”

At the same time, Alex was in the stairwell just a floor up and he heard the faint sound of a child crying. It was been enough to catch his attention. There was only one child that would be around at this point, the scientist’s kid, which meant they had somehow made it after all. He called over his comms that the civilians they were escorting had arrived before pushing open the door to the main room. He caught the very frazzled woman’s rant and couldn’t help but smirk, despite himself, at the thought of anyone dragging Price down by his ear. She certainly looked like she would try it though, and Price may cow to it out of sheer surprise.

“Someone looking for Price?” Came a voice and Madeline turned on her heel to see a man walking over, having appeared from a stairwell at the end of the room.

“Yes,” Madeline said quickly, stepping away from the counter toward the guy. He was tall and she had to tilt her head back up to see him fully. He was dressed differently than the other people she had been speaking with. He was in a simple pair of jeans, though he had a thigh holster with a pistol in it, and a t-shirt over another long shirt and a brown military vest topping it all off. She noted the American flag on the vest and an insignia of some sort on his shoulder guards. Maybe Price was a military man. Josephine really should have given her more details.

“Are you him?” She asked but the guy shook his head quickly so she continued talking before he could interrupt. “Do you know where he is? My sister Josephine Martin sent me here,” Madeline said trying to talk a little louder than Everett who was still wailing. “They’re telling me that because my name is different, I can’t go,” she sighed and rubbed Everett’s back as his little fingers dug hard into her back at her last words. “I’m Madeline, Everett’s aunt. My last name is Torres, it’s Josephine’s maiden name. She never changed her name back after she got divorced.” She knew she sounded desperate and probably giving this guy way more information than he needed, or wanted, but she didn’t care. “And his last name is Martin like his mom.” She finished indicating Everett whose face was thoroughly burrowed in her hair.

Alex took in the scene before him and he stared at the woman behind the counter who seemed like she was being defiant for the sake of it. It was obvious the boy was stuck to this woman, Madeline, like glue. Price had stated that it was Josephine’s sister bringing her son which meant this had to be the aunt.  He didn’t know why the shadow was being so obtuse, especially given the situation that was rapidly unfolding outside and around the city. Who else would be showing up at this hour asking for John Price except for someone that was sent specifically to find him.

“Let’s go. I’ll take you to Price,” Alex stated and the woman behind the counter opened her mouth but shut it as Alex glared at her. “This your bag?” He asked and Madeline nodded as he snatched it up and slung it over his shoulder without hesitation, cutting the shadow one more side-eye as she crossed her arms watching him. “I’m Alex, I’m working with Price on this,” he explained as he gestured for her to follow him. “The Shadows are a bit robotic, afraid to do anything their operator doesn’t tell them explicitly to do,” he tacked on loud enough for those behind the counter to hear him.

“Seem a bit idiotic,” Madeline answered truthfully, having no idea what Shadows meant, perhaps that was another military thing. Everett adjusted to twist his head out of where he had buried it to look around when he realized they were walking. “Think you can walk now bud?” Madeline asked him as he rested his cheek on her shoulder. “I love you but you ate too much spaghetti last night,” she teased as he wiggled against her even more, locking his ankles around her waist, he was not going to let her put him down.  “Fine,” she said and adjusted her grip a bit.

They were about to clear the door to the stairs when there was the sound of gunfire and breaking glass. Madeline instantly flinched, ducking down to her knees and twisting Everett so her back was to where the sound of the gunfire came from to protect him. She was curled around her nephew, her hand on the back of his head to hold him close as he shrieked. The sounds were echoing and Madeline resisted pressing her hands over her own ears as the shouts erupted from the soldiers in the room.

Alex saw it all happen in rapid succession. The glass blew out when it was pelted with gunfire from a rogue gun being fired as the guard outside was attacked. The idiot hadn’t lifted his finger off the trigger as he was flung back into the window. Alex also flinched and ducked a bit, moving himself out of instinct to cover Madeline’s back with his own body. He had thrown the duffle down on the ground in favor of getting his pistol out of the holster and safety off as he assessed the escalating situation.

“You hurt?” Alex asked, not taking his eyes off the windows and seeing more movement outside. People were rushing about outside but he wasn’t sure if that was the Shadows or something else.

“No,” Madeline answered as she felt Alex pressed up against her back. “No, we’re alright,” she continued as she checked her hands to make sure there was no blood on them.

“Good-” Alex stated before cutting off as someone leaped through a broken window and made a beeline for the soldiers behind the counter. The intruder was covered in blood, one arm ripped to bloody ribbons and snarling. He raised his gun and took a shot, catching them in the shoulder so they wheeled to the side a bit from the hit, but they didn’t slow. It was one of those things.

“Get in the stairwell,” he instructed suddenly. He stood up fully and grabbed Madeline under the arm to heft her up, bodily dragging her back to her feet without much effort.

Madeline glanced over her shoulder at Alex to ask him where to go after getting in there when she saw the soldier that was on guard duty outside hanging halfway through one of the windows. He was leaning impossibly far back with a person, the guy that was sleeping on the sidewalk, on his chest scratching and clawing at his face as he screamed. She was transfixed as the soldier screamed, his helmet knocked off and his impossibly young face contorted in fear and pain as the other guy tore him apart.

“Go,” Alex said a bit more urgently as he shoved Madeline again with one hand on her shoulder to snap her out of her daze. As the screaming from the young soldier died, he twisted back around to take a shot at the man who had attacked him. This shot didn’t miss its intended target.  He hit the guy right in the temple, the blood spraying everywhere on impact.

The attacker fell instantly back out the window but the man he was attacking was jerking around and Madeline heard a feral sounding growl come from him. That was enough for her to finally get moving. She bent down and scooped up her duffle and bolted for the stairs. It was hard work trying to go up the steps with Everett in her arms and the duffle dragging along each step as she went. Her legs were burning with effort as she barely cleared the first seven stairs to the halfway mark to the second floor when she heard Alex fire again. The snarling and screaming seemed to be echoing in her skull before the stairwell door slammed shut muffling the chaos. She looked over the railing to see Alex standing there for a moment preparing to shoot if anyone came through but after a few seconds, he backed up toward the steps.

“They’ve breached the building,” Alex said into his comms as he kept his back pressed to the railing as he went up the stairs rapidly. “I’ve got the civilians, the kid, and his aunt,” he tacked on waiting for Price to come back. “We’re in the stairwell on our way to you.”

“Get to the transport,” came Price’s voice quickly. “Graves has the cars outside ready. No time to finish prepping,” he said before cursing. “They’re all over the damn place, where did they come from?”

“They’re probably drawn by the gunfire. Shit infects them quick,” Alex answered before a loud bang on the stairwell door made him jump. His eyes shot to the hollow metal door before glancing up at Madeline who had frozen in her trek. He quickly put a finger to his lips before digging into one of his vest pockets. He pulled out a new magazine and clipped it into the pistol, putting the half spent one away in another pocket to reload later. He had no idea how he was going to get out to the transport with two civilians and just a sidearm for protection.

“We’re getting overrun,” came Graves. “Put a little pep in your step boys.”

“We’re almost there,” Price answered, “where are you Echo?” There was gunfire in the background of his comms and Alex could also hear it coming from outside the stairwell.

Alex didn’t answer as the banging on the door intensified, the pounding rabid and only getting louder as more fists and feet joined it. They had to get out of there and outside quickly, their only option was an emergency exit that had a big red sign on it that would sound an alarm if opened. They were going to just put a big neon sign on their backs when that high-pitched wailing started. He weighed his options before waving his hand to indicate for Madeline to come to him.

“You’ve got two fucking minutes,” Graves snapped before someone in the background shouted in terror.

“Echo 3-1,” came Price again. “Do you copy? Get to the goddamn transport.”

“Copy,” Alex barely whispered and Price seemed to get the hint. He didn’t come back again.

Madeline shuffled down the steps as quietly as she could, shifting Everett back to her already exhausted left arm to try and get a breather. She slipped the duffle at Alex’s feet before flinching as the door groaned under the assault from the other side. Despite the chill, sweat was running down her back and she felt flustered, flushed, and completely overwhelmed. Everett wasn’t helping either, not that it was his fault but his panic was ricocheting hers up tenfold. He was whimpering and she shifted him again, feeling like her arms were going to give out, her legs shaking from the exertion.

“We have to get to the transport,” Alex said very quietly, his eyes never leaving the door where the threat was just on the other side. It was lucky their predators didn’t know how to use door handles, at least not yet anyway. “It’s outside around the back of the building. A few SUVs,” he continued to explain and he saw Madeline’s eyes widen at the thought of having to run outside. “It’s not far if we go out that door,” he nodded his head at the emergency exit.

“The second we open that door the alarm will sound,” Madeline said, having seen the warning signs on it. “They will be all over us,” she gasped. “I can’t run, not with him,” the panic was starting to tighten around her throat with a stranglehold. “Can we go upstairs? Just barricade...barricade in until,” she stated, her voice a hoarse whisper as she felt her body begin to vibrate with impending doom. “I can’t...we’ll never,” she was heaving for breath and shifted for the stairs. He could run for it, she wasn’t doing it.

“Give him to me,” Alex said, his eyes staring hard into hers, keeping his tone even but with an edge of command. “I can carry him. You’ll need to get the door, and then get behind me. Hold onto my vest and don’t let go,” he stated and he saw her shake her head in fear. “Listen to me,” he put a hand on her shoulder and gripped hard, giving her something to ground and focus on aside from the adrenaline that was coursing through her veins. “I know you’re scared, but you need to fight through it. We need to get to those cars, to the team. We stay here, we’re done for. They will not wait for us,” he nodded his head at the emergency door. “We have a minute left. It’s now or never.”

Madeline felt the panic whine in her throat before she heard it. Everett was holding onto her like a leach but she nodded once at Alex willing to go with his plan even if her instincts were screaming to go hide. He had helped this far so she had no choice but to trust him now. If she didn’t they were dead and his plan at least gave them a shot.

Alex didn’t wait for her to say anything in confirmation as one of his hands came around Everett’s waist, snaking its way between his little body and hers. Madeline felt her nephew attempt to hang on tighter but Alex wrenched him free relatively easily and the boy screamed. The pounding on the other side kicked up a notch and snarling joined the sound which drew all of their eyes for a moment.

“It’s okay, E,” Madeline said quickly as she scooped up the duffle. She would ditch it if it got in the way of running but she needed to try and keep it, all their clothes and other items were in there. “He’s going to help us, just hold onto him, alright? I’ll be right behind you, yeah? We get to the car and you can sit in my lap.” She rubbed his back absently as he stared at her with watery eyes before nodding. Under normal circumstances, her nephew had never met a stranger, a small blessing since she was sure if he was shy of other people this would be ten times harder.

Alex didn’t give Everett a chance to say if he was okay with this, there wasn’t time to coddle. He shifted Everett more on his side, grabbing his tiny wrist with his hand that held his pistol to wrap it around his neck. The boy seemed to get the memo and his other arm looped around the back of Alex’s neck and he held his hands tight together, burrowing into his side almost painfully tight.

“If something happens you get him there,” Madeline ordered as Alex situated Everett, the boy was too distracted by his own hiccupping and crying to pay attention to what Madeline was saying. “Just...keep him alive. He's priority.” Her eyes darted to her nephew before she let out a shaky breath knowing that she just signed off on allowing him to leave her for dead.

“I’m keeping you both alive,” Alex said as he held onto the kid with his left arm and prayed that his bullets would hold out and he hadn’t just lied. “Get the door.”

Madeline nodded before her shaking hands pushed on the red paddle on the door. She felt it resist for a moment as if the mechanism was questioning if she really wanted to do this. She continued to press and there was a click as the lock gave way then half a second later the piercing alarm started. The cold air hit her face like a slap and Alex quickly pushed past her shouldering the door open more. The hand with the pistol grabbed hers and securely tucked it around one of the loops of his vest before he raised it in front of them and they began to run.

[mountttmase]

A Mountain To Climb: The Sequel

Chapter Two

Note - thank you to everyone who left me feedback for the last chapter 🩷 this is technically the first chapter where something new happens so I really hope you love it 🙊 feedback would be appreciated as always 🥰

Pairing - Mason Mount × Reader

Word count - 3.3K

Warnings - series will contain fluff, smut and angst

Masterlist

Sunday nights were your favourite. You loved getting into bed early with fresh sheets and new book but tonight your usual routine was out the window.

It was almost 11pm and you were still sat on your sofa, trying to find the courage to pull yourself up when your phone buzzed.

Before you knew it, your phone was ringing and you couldn’t help but smile as you hit the answer button.

‘Mason, what are you playing at?’

‘Go look out your living room window’

‘What?’ You laughed, getting up slowly and making your way over but Mason kept quiet, the only noise coming from him was a few little giggles that made your heart thump. You pushed the curtain ever so gently so you could peek outside but now you knew why he was giggling. There he was, stood outside of his car as he waved up at you with that cheeky smile of his you’d missed this last week or so. ‘Mason Mount, what the hell are you doing here’ you laughed as you waved back at him.

‘Was on my way back from Chilly’s and I’m a bit peckish. Thought you might want to join me for a late night drive through run’

‘Mase… I’m in my pjs’ you giggled and you could see him laugh from the window.

‘I don’t care. We’ll be in the car so it’s not like anyone will see you. Come on, be a little reckless. I haven’t seen you in over two weeks’ he teased and you hated to admit he was right. The last time you’d seen Mason in person was two Fridays ago when you’d gone over to apologise and explain yourself. You’d spent the whole day together in the end but the pair of you had been fairly busy after that and even though you’d spoken every day you hadn’t managed to see each other.

Your resolve was quickly wearing away as you looked down at him and when he playfully dropped his lip you knew you were done for, huffing and rolling your eyes as he smiled up at you.

‘Get in the car, I’ll be five minutes’ you told him and you watched him celebrate like he’d scored a goal as he made his way round to his door.

You quickly ran to your room, slipping out of your shorts and into a pair of joggers before pulling on the matching hoodie and a pair of trainers. Your hair was a mess on top of your head but you didn’t have time to do anything with it let alone sort your face out so you grabbed your phone and keys and made your way down.

His head shot up as soon as you slid into the seat next to him and you offered him a shy smile as you got plugged in. You could feel yourself blushing as your heart thumped in your ears at being so close to him again and it took all of your willpower to glance over to him. He was looking back at you with the same red cheeks and shy expression and you felt a bit better.

‘Hi’ you smiled before letting out a little laugh and he smiled back before starting the car.

‘Hi’ he winked, before focusing on the road. ‘Thank you for joining me’

‘Didn’t really give me much choice, did you?’

‘I mean if you were comfortable with leaving me on the street then you could of but I’m glad you came to the right decision’ he joked and you rolled your eyes whilst trying to surprise a smile.

‘Did you have a nice time at Bens?’

‘Yeah it was alright, his girlfriend is away so-‘

‘So you can finally be together freely without her watching’ you cut him off, teasing him about how close they were but he just huffed with a smile.

‘Very funny’ he grumbled, but he couldn’t say anything else as he pulled into the queue for the drive through. There were only a few cars in front and he was soon enough he was relaying his order to the employee before facing you. ‘What would you like?’

Rather than tell Mason so he could repeat it, you unplugged yourself so you could lean over him, his face right next to yours and you spoke your order into the speaker and you almost jumped when you felt his hand gently rest on the back of your right thigh that was kneeling in the edge of his seat. Once you’d finished you turned to him, his face a lot closer than you realised and his eyes automatically looked down to your lips, seemingly too caught up in you to hear anything else that was going on.

‘Mason?’ You asked and he looked up just as you nodded over to the speaker.

‘Oh shit, sorry’ he laughed as you made your way back to your seat. ‘Sorry can you say that again?’

‘Can I get you anything else?’ The employee laughed and you watched as he scratched over his chin nervously.

‘No thanks mate, that’s all’

The drive round to the next window was quiet, the pair of you only speaking when you offered to pay. He brushed you off like you were delusional and it wasn’t long before he was parked up and you were dishing out his food to him.

‘You know for a small guy you sure do eat a lot’ you told him, horrified by the amount he’d ordered.

‘Who you calling small?’ He laughed, trying to flex his arm muscles and you’d be lying if you said your weren’t a little bit impressed. ‘Ive been putting loads of work in thank you very much’

‘Yeah but surely eating all this crap this late in the day can’t be good for you?’

‘Ah I’ll just put in an extra hour at the gym tomorrow it’s fine’ he winked and you felt yourself blush again.

Everything felt so new again with him, like you were just starting to get to know him. It was true in a way as this time you knew what direction you would be heading in and although you were still nervous about it you were also excited to finally be with him how you had always wanted to deep down. You could tell you were still both incredibly shy with each other but you just needed a little time to get into the rhythm of things.

‘I can’t believe we’re sat in a McDonald’s car park this late a night. I need a picture to commemorate this’ you laughed, grabbing your phone and awkwardly taking a picture of the pair of you with all your food and your heart thumped at his cheesy smile.

‘So what’s new’ he asked before shoving a handful of chips in his mouth and you couldn’t help but laugh at how goofy he was.

You sat and talked as you ate, updating him on the very little that had happened since you’d seen him a and he told you about training and the last game. You could tell he was a bit shy too but as you spoke the pair of you grew in confidence and the conversation flowed.

‘You’ll have to come to the next game, give you a chance to wear your Chelsea shirt’ he winked and you nodded at him nervously.

‘I never did thank you for that’ you laughed as you polished off the last your your drink. ‘So thanks’

‘Anytime’ he winked before he started rubbing his belly liked he’d eaten too much. ‘Maybe that extra burger on the side was a bad idea’

‘You think?’ You smiled, gathering all the rubbish into the paper bag so you could leave his car clean. ‘I’m just gonna pop to the loo so I’ll dump this inside’ you told him, scurrying off. You fancied something sweet on the way out so you sneakily ordered a small McFlurry and made sure to ask for an extra spoon. When you got back in the car he raised his eyebrow at you when he caught sight of it before laughing. ‘I got an extra spoon so we could share. You want some?’

‘Well it would be rude not to’ he smiled and you both lent in so you could share.

‘I thought you would be too full up for this’ you smiled and have gave you a little shrug.

‘There’s always room in my dessert tummy’ he winked ‘which reminds me, I need to put an order in for some more cookies’

‘Does that mean I’ll get paid this time?’

‘In a way’ he laughed and you felt your face flush at what he was implying as he finished off the last spoonful. ‘You fancy going for a bit of a drive?’ He asked and you nodded at him with a smile, glad he didn’t want to take you home yet.

You’d been driving for around 20 minutes when he told you he wanted to talk you somewhere close by but you’d been driving through country lanes for a while and you weren’t sure where he could want to take you but you agreed anyway.

‘What is it with you and taking me to weird forest’s. At least you had the decency to take me in the day last time’ you commented as he began driving up a muddy path that lead to god knows where and even though it was dark and no one could probably hear you scream for miles, you still felt safe.

You watched out the window as he pulled into a little empty car park, but it was the view in front of you that had you awestruck. The twinkling lights of London were shining in the distance and you turned to give Mason a smile, only realising then that he was already smiling at you.

‘Come on’ he motioned, making out like he wanted you to get out of the car and you looked back at him like he was insane. ‘What?’

‘It’s midnight, Mason. It’s bloody freezing’

‘Well we can keep each other warm’ he told you before opening his door and stepping outside. You thought he was mental, but the thought of maybe being close to him outweighed anything else you were thinking right now so you got out and followed him round to the front where he was perched on the bonnet. When you were in reach he pulled you by your arm so you could stand in between his legs, your back to his chest as he wrapped his arms around your middle and you felt yourself melt into his body as you rested your arms on top of his. This was the sort of contact you’d been craving from him for two weeks and you felt your heart pound as he settled his chin on your shoulder. ‘Is this okay?’

You could only nod, too nervous and afraid that your voice would betray you but he held you tighter so you could look out at the view together. It all felt so romantic and surreal as you felt his heart beat faintly against your back and you slowly stroked circles over his hands with your thumbs.

‘Should I find it weird you know so many romantic places in the woods?’ You asked him quietly, trying not to disturb the comfortable silence but you smiled as you felt his chest rumble with laughter. ‘I know you said we’re mountaineers now but I didn’t expect you to bloody take me up one’

‘I wouldn’t exactly call this a mountain, more of a large hill. And since you’re the first person I’ve ever brought here then no’

‘Really?’

‘Yeah, saw it online last week and I knew we were close by so I thought we could check it out’

‘Aww have you been researching cute date ideas for us’ you joked but by the way he held you tighter and nestled into your neck you knew you’d hit the nail on the head.

‘Hush up’ he laughed, and you turned in his arms to face him. Your hands planted on his shoulders as his wrapped around your waist and you could still make out his cute blush in the dark.

‘So is this what this is, a date?’ You joked and you watched his face get even pinker.

‘You’re such a tease’ he laughed before you lent forward and kissed him on his nose. When you pulled back you could see he was looking up at you with a shy smile before he kissed your cheek, sending a shiver down your spine as you finally felt his lips on yours in some sort of way before he pulled back to bump his nose against yours.

You wanted to kiss him so much, and you were pretty sure he wanted to kiss you too but you were both a little scared so you took the plunge first, leaning forward to attach your lips to his for the sweetest most innocent kiss you’d ever shared with anyone. Lips barely touching at first as you both smiled but you felt everything you needed to, just like you always did around him.

‘I’ve been waiting for you to kiss me all night’ he whispered, causing you to laugh as you nestled into his neck and wrapped your arms around his shoulders, pulling each other impossibly closer as your heart thumped from nerves.

‘I’ve been waiting for you to do it’ you chuckled, smiling onto his skin as you felt him rub his nose against your cheek in order to get you to look at him again so you looked up with a blush before he lent over to kiss you. He was more forceful with you this time but only just, pulling you in with one arm whilst the other snuck slightly lower to pinch your bum as you threaded your fingers through his hair. A soft hum of appreciation filtering through his lips as he gently kissed you.

‘Thank you for coming out with me tonight’ he told you, brushing some hair behind your ear as you felt your knees go weak.

‘Thank you for making our first official date McDonald’s’ you laughed as you placed a gentle kiss on his nose.

‘You do that a lot’ he laughed and you looked back at him confused.

‘Do what?’

‘Kiss my nose’

‘Oh, I didn’t realise’ you laughed, blushing and you hid your face from him.

‘Don’t hide. I like that you do it’

‘Really?’ You asked quietly looking back to him and his soft smile was melting you.

‘Of course. It’s very cute’ he told you before pressing a quick kiss to your nose. ‘It can be our thing’

‘I’d like that’ you laughed before pulling him back into a hug. You fit together so perfectly and you felt an overwhelming sense of calm take over as he held you in his arms, your head slightly tucked into his neck as he rested his lips on your temple. You were both silent, the only sounds you could hear were a few leaves rustling in the wind and the odd cricket or two and even though you were starting to get cold you were pretty certain there was no where else you’d rather be. ‘You know what this reminds me of?’

‘What’s that?’

‘Remember we went for that walk when we first met?’

‘Yeah, took me days to convince you to see me’ he laughed, pinching your sides gently as you nuzzled into his neck a little more.

‘Oh shush’ you laughed, rolling your eyes at the memory of trying to get Mason to leave you alone. ‘It feels like we’re at the end of our walk where we got look out again. Like we’re back to the start so we can restart’

‘I like that’ he told you softly, kissing along your jaw and you could sense the smile in your voice.

‘Me too’ you smiled, holding each other even tighter as another comfortable silence took over you.

‘You cold, baby?’ He asked you after a few moments of quiet and you smiled into his neck at the pet-name before shaking your head against him. ‘You are, I can feel you shivering. Come on, let get back in and I’ll crank the heat up yeah?’ He told you but you showed no sign of moving, too comfortable in his arms. In the end he stood up, moving forward and causing you to step back. Still holding on to him for dear life as he walked you to your door and even though you couldn’t see a thing and you were relying on him guiding you, you felt safer than you had in a while. ‘Come on, let’s get you in’ he laughed and you pulled back to give him a cheeky smile.

‘I want a kiss first’ you whispered and it didn’t take much for him to dip his head down and kiss you again, squeezing your sides gently as you got lost in each other for a few moments.

‘Come on you big baby’ he chuckled before opening your door and gently pushing you inside. He was slipping in next to you just after and it was only when he started blasting the heat you realised how cold you were. Without a word he reached over and took your hands in his, rubbing them together so he could get you warm quicker before bring them up to his lips to blow onto. Once he felt like you were sufficiently warm you watched him press kisses along your knuckles and you felt yourself melting at the gesture before he looked back up at you with sad eyes. ‘I guess I better get you home. It’s nearly one and you’re gonna be miserable tomorrow if you don’t go to sleep soon’

‘I’m not ready to go home’ You pouted, knowing that he was right but you weren’t happy about it.

‘How about we compromise and I take you the long way back?’

‘That could work’ you smiled and with a final kiss placed on your hand, you got plugged in and he set off.

He drove with his hand placed on your thigh now and you played with his fingers as you spoke about some upcoming plans.

‘So if you’re free, maybe I can take you out? Like on a proper date rather than for a big mac’ he laughed and you gave him a shy nod. ‘Perfect, I’ll sort something out for us’

You were home quicker than you’d of liked to of been and you huffed as he pulled up outside your building, resting your head on the shoulder of the seat so you could look at Mason and he did the same meaning you were only a few inches apart.

‘Thank you, Mase. I had a nice time’ you whispered and his whole face softened as he smiled.

‘So did I’ he told you before leaning over and kissing you lightly. ‘Come on I’ll walk you to your door’

You both traipsed up the stairs hand in hand and you had to lean against the door when he gave you a kiss goodnight since your knees felt so weak which only got worse when he pulled back to smile at you.

‘Night gorgeous’ he whispered and you responded by kissing his nose which he reciprocated with a smile.

‘Night Mase’

‘You make sure you go straight to sleep, yeah?’

‘I will I promise’ you laughed as you finally pulled away from each other, unlocking your door and stepping inside. After a final kiss he made his way back downstairs and you watched from your window as he made his way to the car, peering up one last time to give you a wave before driving away.

[saintsir4n]

5

WARNINGS: LIGHT SMUT AND ANGST

___

1914

SOFT lips pulled Tommy away from his never-ending thoughts.

Confined in Eden's room, the couple were wrapped up in her light sheets, she adorned his overshirt and Tommy couldn't look away, even after just waking from his slumber.

Thankful for her mother's night shift and her father helping Jeremiah with carving little Isaiah a new toy, Eden didn't have to sneak Tommy into the house for once, so they spent hours between her sheets.

The February weather was a nightmare, so they had no choice but to get naked... for warmth of course.

Tommy made sure to take his time with Eden, he knew her body, the moans that escaped her whenever his fingers glided against her delicate skin, how she trembled beneath him, the whimpers she let out in response to his praises, or how she gasped for air at the slow and steady pace he went just for her comfort. Although he usually tended to her desires she knew he could never be completely gentle for long, driving her to shudder and scream under the moonlight, no doubt waking the street. 

His hands, like whenever they were out never left her, nor did his eyes as he pleasured and brought to light her darkest fantasies. His moans were the source of her undoing, just like his twisted tongue, compelling her and lapping up every nectar that emitted from her. I love you, oh saying that only pulled Eden deeper into his grasp.

"Y'know you twitch in your sleep?" she asked against his lips. Throughout the night, she woke up after thinking she had an intruder, but no it was just Tommy twitching beside her.

"I was dreamin'," he mumbled, turning away from the skylight creeping past the curtains and trailing his finger over the black madonna, resting on her cleavage.

And she traced over the Romani sun that decorated his skin, "Of what? Were you gettin' tickled or somethin'?"

She could've sworn she heard him mutter something in his sleep, kařo, fi, nivă, presumably rokker so she didn't understand a word.

He snorted, "Just dreamin'."

"Is that all I'm getting out of you?"

Tommy didn't reply, instead, he just stared at her, with his half-open eyes, completely enamoured by her being. Even in the morning, she looked so effortlessly beautiful, her scarf that protected her hair, slid off, leaving her hair slightly muddled and frizzy, but he didn't care. He spent that last hour or two dreaming of her and it wasn't often he dreamed, he left that to his aunt, but the images of the future flashing through his mind were enough for him to stay asleep.

He leaned over, caressing Eden's skin, peppering kisses over her jaw, worshipping her like the very saviour he proclaimed her to be. His lips found her neck, occasionally nipping at it, only to be soothed by his tongue after.

Torturously slow, the bloody bastard was teasing her.

"We gotta stop," she breathed out, trying to push off of him, but he didn't relent, still kissing her neck and letting his fingers wander between her legs, grunting when she slapped his hand away, "Tommy."

"Yeah, you said that a lot last night... Tommy, oh Tom," a deep chuckle escaped him when he received a glare from her.

"You and your fucking voices," rolling her eyes, she touched her neck, feeling a small ache, "there better not be a mark there."

"And why not, it's never bothered you before," he said, throwing his arms behind his head, watching when she got out of bed, wobbling slightly and picked up her handheld mirror, that rested on her desk.

Her room might've been small, but she knew how to make the most of it; bed, dresser, desk and even a small space for a rug for when she wanted to read. Tommy liked it, it was so...Eden.

"Because no one can usually see 'em," before he could retort, she rushed to the peak out of the curtains, "You have to be out of here in twenty. Mum'll be back by then and no doubt Dad will be round soon to get his packed lunch just before leavin' again."

He reached down to pick his pocket watch off of the floor, "I thought you said we had until seven."

It was only six.

"Remember last time when they caught us? Dad threatened you with his revolver and Mum chased me through the house with a slipper, got a mean bruise on my arse because of that."

A ghost of a smirk tugged on his lips, "Yeah, you had a matchin' one from me."

Eden whined, "I mean it, Tommy."

"I'll come to find you later, it's your day off," he got off the bed, reaching for his undergarments, letting Eden sneak a peek at him just before he put them on.

"I promised I spent it with Enzo and Dotty," she hesitantly uttered, watching as he tensed upon hearing her comment.

"Where?" he snapped his head towards her, awaiting the dreaded response.

"At Enzo's...don't be mad." she nervously bit down on her bottom lip knowing exactly where this conversation was about to go.

Tommy slowly cocked his head to the side, "And you can do that here, no?"

She rapidly shook her head, "Enzo said his mum is making us some food and I couldn't pass that up."

"You could but don't want to," he pointed out, putting on his trousers with haste, feeling his anger boil.

"It's not like that."

He scoffed, "It never is."

Tommy walked up to Eden, too irritated to care and pushed his overshirt off of her shoulders, leaving her exposed.

"Tommy!"

He grabbed her robe and tossed it at her, continuing to get ready to leave, knowing if he didn't he would say something he would regret.

"The fuck is wrong with you?!" she tied up her robe quickly, becoming uncomfortable with his abrupt mood swings.

She understood why he was upset, but he didn't have the right to do what he did.

"Oh I don't know, perhaps it's the fact you questioned my friendship with Gretta, whilst knowin' full well that you spend your days off routinely meetin' up with your ex," he ranted, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Don't be like that, he's my friend and Dorris will be there."

"Doing what, swapping spit with Angel Changretta and what will you be doing? Having a catch-up with the other one?" he snapped, slipping on his shoes, and grabbing his waistcoat and shoulder holster.

Her face twisted up, "Luca won't be there, at least I think, besides he knows I'm with you."

Tommy strode past her, slipping his gun into the holster and reaching for the door, ignoring the hurt breaching her face.

"Like that matters to the likes of him," he retorted.

She blinked rapidly, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Not sparing her a glance he grabbed the handle, "I'll meet you later."

"Tommy–"

"Bye Eden."

He left without so much as a kiss on the cheek.

She heard the front door slam shut and it's wonder that the whole street didn't wake up.

"Until we meet again Eden," she mocked and fell back onto her bed, "Fuckin' git."

–

"Porca miseria!" Enzo cursed and immediately received a smack to the back of his head from his mother. There were a lot of things Audrey Changretta would abide by, but using the lord's name in vain was not one of them. "Ma!"

"Lorenzo, what did I tell you," Eden tried helping Enzo, but one look from Audrey made her raise her hands, "next time I hear you use the lord's name in vain I'll drag you through the town by your ankles, you hear me?"

"Yeah."

"What did you say?" she asked, holding her hand to her ear, Dorris and Angel had to suppress their laughter.

"Yes mother," he gritted out.

"Watch your tone when you're speaking to our mother," Luca nudged him, leaning back in his chair as Audrey laid out more food for them just before she headed to work.

"Now, I'll be back at four, Luca keep your brothers in line and girls, make sure the house stays clean."

And with that, she took her bag and coat and left the house.

Audrey Changretta loved three things in life, her sons, her husband and their safety. She liked to know where they were just as a precaution, it wasn't too much to ask in her eyes, but clearly, it was to them. Luca made sure his brothers stayed in line, especially when their father was out on business and most of the time, he was.

"Honestly 'Renzo, do I need to wash that mouth out with soap?" Luca spat, with his American accent slipping slightly.

"You ain't my father."

"Jesus Christ," Angel muttered into his hands, tired of his brothers constantly fighting.

Luca scoffed, "Well he ain't here, so I am, stay in line."

Enzo leaned forward, "You know what —"

"How 'bout we go to your room?" Dorris interrupted.

"Yes, to avoid whatever this will turn into," Eden gestured between the brother's irked faces and stood up.

"You hate me that much Cara?"

Eden sighed at his question and ignored how effortlessly Luca's Italian accent rolled off his tongue.

"It's Eden Luca, Eden."

"I'm aware...Eden," he elongated her name, annoying her further, but what caught his eyes was the pendant dangling from her neck and a couple of purple blotches to go with it, "when did you become religious?" he jabbed his finger towards in, catching everyone's attention, "Last time I put the cross anywhere near you, you screamed."

"I remember that too," Angel laughed, "thought it burnt you or somethin'."

Enzo tutted, "No brother, you got it all wrong, she ain't religious, she got that as a gift from Shelby."

"For Christ's sake Enzo," Dorris shoved him and he received a pinch from the Dawkin's woman.

Angel turned to Luca, seeing the sneer on his face.

The two things the three brothers had in common were their hate for Small Heath and the Shelbys.

Luca hated Small Heath, he wasn't born there so he didn't care for it. New York is where he belonged and only came back to help out his family. Angel was different, cooking distracted him from his hatred, one day he hoped to open a restaurant, it wouldn't be long until he did, but until then he worked in one of the restaurants south of Digbeth. But with Enzo, he was born in Birmingham, he didn't have much of an accent compared to his brother's, but also wanted to get out of what he called 'the town worse than hell.'

And another reason why he and his brothers believed that Small Heath was worse than hell was all because of the Shelby family, not like their mother agreed with them.

Leaning over, Luca asked Eden, "So Shelby huh, that's still going on?"

He didn't know what he was more annoyed by, the love bites that she didn't bother to cover up or the pendant.

"None of your business," Eden moved closer to Enzo, "now let's go and eat."

"Come on Enzo," Dorris nudged the boy who took his time getting up, finding himself too comfortable sitting down.

Angel scoffed at how Dorris was trying to avoid him, "Dotty, amore, talk to me, you still can't be mad."

"I will because I am and I am because you haven't apologised for goin' to that whore's house," she referred to Lizzie Stark once more, still angered over the events that she saw taking place a couple of weeks ago.

"I helped her with her bags," Angel exclaimed, standing up.

Dorris tilted her head, "So if I let another man help me–"

"You wouldn't dare," he sent her a pointed look then picked up his glass of whiskey.

"You see Edie," Dorris stressed and argued with him.

Eden slowly regretted spending her day off at the Changretta's and Tommy was already mad at her for doing so and honestly, she didn't blame him.

"Thinkin' 'bout lover boy?" Luca taunted, his eyes hadn't left her for a second.

"She always is, now move on," Enzo thought it was pathetic how his eldest brother was behaving.

"Move on?" Luca turned to him with a coy smirk, "how 'bout you go and get a girl, you're around 'nough of 'em."

Enzo gritted his teeth but had nothing to say, which only amused his brothers more. Eden and Dorris turned to them in irritation.

Angel chuckled as a wolfish grin grew on his face, "That's true Enzy, I wonder if you're still a virgin, have to be with the lack of girls comin' round."

Dorris frowned, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"And I'll have you know, he's been with plenty of girls, some with more grace than you Angel," Eden snapped back.

Luca cut in, with a devious smirk, "More grace than you with that black madonna 'round your neck, bet he painted it on or stole it."

Glaring at him, Edie gritted out, "What's your problem?"

Luca sauntered around the table and towered over her, his thick strands got in his eyes, but she didn't miss the rage swimming in them.

"You think Shelby knows you were with me first? Or did you fake it for him?"

"Stronso," Enzo yelled.

Eden was quick to push him away, "Fuck you."

Her patience went out the window and her anger was stinging her eyes.

Angel was starting to get annoyed by the whole ordeal, "Leave it alone Luca." He reached for Dorris' hand, seeing the way she wanted to charge at his older brother.

"Why? —" Luca lunged forward, accidentally knocking over a glass, smashing it across the floor, with some pieces launching around, and unfortunately hitting and piercing Eden's hand, "Merde."

She hissed in pain and everyone went to check the damage.

"Cara, I never meant to... are you okay?" Luca panicked, whilst his youngest brother pushed him away.

Eden gulped at the sight of her hand, parts of the glass dug into her skin, Dorris was helping her pull it out but she just continued to hiss in pain.

Tears pooled in Eden's eyes but she wouldn't let them fall, not in front of Luca.

"I'm just gonna go," she whispered, taking the cloth that Angel gave her to clean up some of the blood.

Enzo shook his head, "We can bandage it up, Angel, get the first aid kit, the fuck is a tea cloth gonna do?"

Eden waved them all off, "It's fine, I have my own at home okay? I'll be alright."

Dorris watched as she reached for her coat, "Edie the quicker we clean it, the less chance of an infection."

"I am a nurse Dotty," the small smile Eden sent was to reassure her friend there was no malice behind her words, "I'm fine, it's only a cut... or a couple. Give me a sandwich and I'll be on my way."

Enzo quickly grabbed her favourites from the table, then made a mental note to get Angel to make her favourite soup so he could bring it over.

"Are you sure, pretty girl like you bleeding and leaving our house? Not a good look," Angel stepped back at the glares he received.

Eden said for the last time, "I'm fine."

Luca stared at her longingly and disregarded his youngest brother's side-eye.

"Eden..."

She ignored Luca and pressed kisses to her best friend's cheeks as Enzo placed two sandwiches in her bag.

"Bye."

–

"Stevie right?" she ran into the man as she walked past to the Marquis of Lorne pub. She hated the bar because she could never get served even with Enzo by her side.

Catel Road was a place she and many other women avoided for their safety, despite it only being nine in the morning.

A cheeky grin spread on his face, "Surely you didn't forget my face after school?"

Eden thought he was a looker, even if he was covered in various fruit juices from the stool he ran. He was fair-coloured, quite stealthy and of average height.

"Of course not, what did you need?" he stopped her abruptly from making her way home and she didn't know why.

"The Shelbys are on their way," he informed, glancing behind him, causing her eyes to widen and grip the cloth wrapped around her hand.

"What?" she almost screeched, all the colour practically drained from her face when she saw their silhouettes approaching. What's Tommy gonna think when he sees my hand?

Stevie's face filled with worry when he caught her injury, "Is your hand okay –"

"Eden!" they jumped at Tommy's voice.

John yelled, "Edie girl..."

"Shut up John." they heard Tommy say.

"Thanks, Stevie, but you might need to go."

"You sure? I can handle them if you need me to," he recalled a conversation he had with Enzo they had a few days ago about him needing to protect his best friends, especially from trouble.

Eden winced at Shelby's loud voices and shook her head, "Don't take this the wrong way but they'll handle you, now go, I need you alive."

With one last nod and cheeky smile, he took his leave and left her to the herd of men coming her way.

"Fuck sake," Eden muttered.

"Who the bloody 'ell was that?" John was the first to reach her, nodding to the man she was talking to, but before she could respond, Tommy's crazed eyes landed on her hand as did his best friend Freddie and older brother Arthur.

Tommy roughly grabbed her hand, "What the fuck is that?"

"Have you been drinkin'?" the stench of booze almost took her out, she nearly choked on the aroma when they all neared closer, It was barely ten in the morning. When he squeezed her injury, she grunted and reeled back, "Christ's sake, that hurts."

She pulled away the cloth, only to see the damage, the pressure he'd applied made only made the blood trickle down her hand, fortunately, she took all the glass out of her hand but that didn't stop them from asking questions and making assumptions.

"How did it happen, who bloody cut you?" John pressed on, adjusting his cap and looking around at all the people who passed by. "Weren't the nutter you were speakin' to was it?"

"No one's cut me," she murmured, dismissing the insult spewing out of his mouth and confused yet not entirely surprised that they reached that conclusion.

"One of the men you love talkin' to?" Tommy no longer had a filter when he drank.

"Thomas..." Eden warned, but he didn't seem to care.

John's gaze darkened, "Look's like someone cut you, Edie."

Freddie rolled his eyes at the boy, "John."

He was the least intoxicated, only due to the amount of venting Tommy was doing when they were in the snug of the Garrison, for once he couldn't keep his mouth shut about his relationship troubles, Freddie wished he took the drinks out of his best friend's hand.

"What, there's a fuckin' gash on her hand, she needs those to work y'know?" John's protectiveness of Eden was evident, ever since school he was the one who constantly made sure she was alright.

"Think she's aware of that Johnny," Arthur spoke lowly, resting his hand on his shoulder, "you alright Eden?"

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Eden nodded, "I'm fine, it was a mishap."

"A mishap? We'll cut 'em a smile each..." John was blinded by his rage.

"...then it's off to the cut with the fuckers," Arthur was all for it.

"Tell me what happened," Tommy demanded, ignoring his brothers.

Eden took a step back, "It was nothing."

"Then tell me!" Tommy suddenly yelled, startling her.

"Don't scream at me!"

"I'm not screamin'!" he said... screaming.

Tommy had the type of rage that only took a match to light which was funny because smoking tended to keep it at bay.

Eden hated to look in his eye, it was like he saw her as an enemy, something needing to be eliminated, even John, in his drunken state could see and took a step forward.

"Tommy," Freddie and Arthur hushed him after seeing the look on Eden's face.

She looked scared.

Eden tried to explain, "He just... it was a glass and it dropped –" When his hands came in contact with her face she early flinched at the suddenness.

Tommy's eyes erratically darted over her face, demanding to know an answer.

"Who did that to you? I'll find out, you know I bloody will."

"It was an accident, alright."

"Who... was... it?"

"Luca —"

Tommy started to laugh, making her reel back. Freddie made sure his best friend was pulled back because the brothers wanted him to fight Luca Changretta for the fiftieth time and only needed the smallest reason.

"Luca fuckin' Changretta done that?" John screeched, spitting out his toothpick, coming to softly grab Eden's hand but she backed away.

Eden pinched the bridge of her nose out of frustration, "It wasn't on purpose, Christ, will you lot calm down?"

"Suppose he did that after you let him have another go?"

Tommy's question rendered them all shocked.

None of them was expecting him to speak to Eden like that, the woman who had his heart before she even looked his way. All that effort to get her, just to be thrown away in a matter of seconds. All that love he proclaimed for her, was washed away with half a dozen glasses of whiskey.

John turned to him in mild contempt, "Fuck sake, Tommy..."

"The fuck did you'd say?" she yelled, tears pooling in her eyes at the accusation. Twice, her virtue was brought into question, but this time it cut deeper than the blades stitched into their caps.

Eden was finally a victim of the blinder but his weapon of choice was words, which was typical for Tommy.

Arthur sighed, sobering up slightly, "Tom leave it."

Eden choked up, hating that she was induced to tears, "Fuck you."

"He's been drinkin' Edie," Freddie excused his behaviour, all while trying to calm down Tommy, but he was never too good at it, he tried his best, but it was Greta's job, but she was at home sick, had been for a few days leaving him to reign in the unstoppable force that was Tommy Shelby, "he's speakin' out of his bloody arse."

"You don't say," she snapped, rolling her teary eyes. "I don't care if he's drunk."

Tommy was truly like a horse, with a set of blinkers on, eyes narrowing onto Eden, not letting him see anything else, or even hear any reason.

He wanted to hurt Luca in ways he hadn't even thought of, but that would only provoke some sort of war.

He had to be smart about it, but the whiskey flooding his veins prevented that, so the only person he could take it out on was Eden...because in his mind he warned her about going to the Changretta residence.

"Bet you'd care what Changretta has to say ey?"

"Fuck you, Thomas."

Only this morning they were laying in silence, enjoying the breeze that cooled over their warm bare bodies and now... she didn't even know what the fuck he was.

"What 'ave you gone and said that for?" John shoved his brother, who shoved him back.

"Bye Thomas," Eden mumbled, ignoring Freddie's attempts at walking her home and just leaving the men to their madness, not wanting to be subjected to any type of abuse.

It was her bloody day off.

It's not like Tommy seem to care that she was in pain, physically or emotionally he just wanted some sort of reaction.

He claimed that she was his haven, but what was he? Her hell... she wouldn't be fucking surprised if he was.

"Tom, come on," Arthur stepped between his brothers, but it didn't help.

"Get the fuck off of me," Tommy pushed them all away, yelling as his woman was disappearing from his vision, "Eden!"

Sliding his hands down his face, Freddie muttered, "Well you're fucked."

Tommy glared at him, "Shut it, Freddie."

John scoffed, "Truly fucked it you did. Martha's gonna 'ave my fuckin' balls for this."

"As if she doesn't already, John boy," Arthur lit a cigarette, which John took off him.

"Well you just upset her friend," John sneered at his older brother, "mine an all or did you forget that?"

Ignoring his words, Tommy glared at the spot where Eden was previously standing.

"What are you gonna do?" Freddie questioned his best friend, wondering how he was going to get out of the grave he dug.

Tommy stared in silence, blocking out all the noise around him, it's all noise, the Changrettas were just noise, the whole fuckin' street was full of noise and he needed it silenced, all of it.

He didn't care when or how he was going to do it, just as long as Eden was still his and only his.

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a/n:

al pacino as 𝗮 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝘂𝗰𝗮 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗮

ken wahl as 𝗮 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗮

vittorrio gassman as 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼

obviously, my man al pacino is smaller than luca but just imagine him to be taller.

tommy's jealousy is becoming a problem i can understand why he was mad that eden was spending time at the house where her ex lives, but he was out of line for the comments he made in the last scene. in canon you all know he's a possessive man, i had to tone it down for the story because it's pre-war tommy, but his true colours will peek through.

overall, how did you find this chapter and all the dynamics?

btw, I’ll post new chapters on this platform every week.