#i was busy being sleepy as predicted

[tatzlyip]

A new meet the artist! Go on and meet me in 2024 now!

[genderless-naper]

healing hearts

trafalgar law x gf!reader

↳ requested, sfw, fluff!

wc: 2.2k, lowercase intended!

after exploring a new island law finds himself having to care for you due to your weak immune system

⇣ credits to the original artist

the island the submarine docked at had a bustling town that was ready to be explored by the heart pirates. you followed your crew mates as they venture through the different stalls and try exotic foods. the overflowing of the townspeople caused you to lose track of your crewmate. you didn’t worry much, and decided to use this opportunity to do some solo exploration.

you talked with some vendors, played with some kids, fed the stray cats, and so much more. at the end of the day you met up with your once lost crew mates at the docked submarine. you all chatted and exchanged experiences regarding the now explored town. you found yourself engulfed in all the fun stories being told, and you hadn’t realized you had started coughing.

the cough wasn’t horrible. it was light enough to be brushed off without a second thought. the only person which the cough raised concerned for was your captain, and beloved significant other. he recognized the patterns of what he called your ‘weak immune system’. it would always play out the same; you go exploring a new area, you meet people and try new things, you seem fine during the moment, but then come down with some of the worst ailment law has seen.

just as he predicted you spent your night in a mess. your cough would become so aggressive it would jolt you both out of your sleep realms. your sneezes would fill the bed with used tissues. an extra bin was readily placed on the floor next to the bed in the situation where you might’ve a bad case of food poisoning and had to throw up. law always prepares supplies the nights he expects you to need them.

this wasn’t the first time your weakened immune system caused law to have to play personal doctor. these strange occurrences leave law to work overtime to be able to cater to your road towards a healthier reality for you. it was natural for him, and be wouldn’t want any other person to be the one to care for you. he made sure he was the only person in attendance to help during these times.

he rubbed your back as you blew into a tissue, “bad night huh? you need to drink some water y/n-ya.”

you blew one last time before responding in a slight raspy voice, “i cant drink anything. my throat hurts too much…”

you attempted to throw the used tissue into the trash, but ultimately missing causing you to sigh in frustration. law sits up in bed and rubs the sleepiness out his eyes. he uses his devil fruit abilities to move the tissues into the trashcan.

he got up to retrieve his kikoku in order to assess your symptoms correctly. he made his way back as he ordered you to lay down and get comfortable. he called out ‘scan’ as he hovered the kikoku back and fourth over your body. once he’s finished he put it away, “it isn’t horrible. it’s just some respiratory virus. were you near anything that could have caused it?”

“i don’t know.”

law didn’t expect you to know the exact cause for your ailment, “it’ll be okay. nonetheless it will take a week or so for you to feel better. maybe this might finally strengthen your immune sy-“

you interrupted the tattooed man as you started to cough up a storm again. law mentally accepted the fact that he would be quite busy for the next week.

throughout the week your symptoms seem to worsen. they would especially peak during the night. law could easily recognize the moments when you were unnaturally out of breath, had a runny nose, slightly puffy eyes, and especially when you’d sleep for hours on end daily. he pitied you because of how susceptible you were to getting sick. when the day for chores came around you protested against the man to let you out of bed, “i need to get my chores done! they’re my responsibility law.”

“i’ll have penguin and shachi complete them.”

you continue to object, “i’m not gonna drag other people into my messes. i’m gonna do them myself.” you tried your best to get out of bed, but in the end your struggles were meaningless. law sat right next to your laying position in bed, and gently rested an arm on your stomach to keep you down.

“you can’t finish your chores if you can barely get up yourself baby. i know you want to help, but as your doctor i need you to focus on getting better first.”

you huffed and shook your head to refuse.

law gave you a look which made you stop your antics. it was an earnest look which alerted you of his serious character, “you need to recover, not do irrelevant chores. you don’t listen to what i say.”

law was tempted to use his authority to command you to listen. the only thing stopping him was that he didn’t want to create a power imbalance between you both. he wanted to show you that he really did care for you instead of just forcing you to listen to what he has to say.

he leans down to your laying position and kissed your hair hoping it will lower your walls, “just let me take care of you y/n-ya”

“but i don’t wanna distract you from your work.”

he shook his head, “it’s not a distraction if it means i get to help you feel better.” he thought of a way to finally convince you, “don’t you always say i work too hard? well i’m taking a break to be with you while you’re sick.”

his logic was too good for you to fight against this time. as you tried your best to find a way to fight back law’s reasoning until a knocking came from the door. you both avert your attention to the door opening.

penguin and bepo poke their heads in. bepo speaks up, “captain! y/n! we were looking all over for you.”

penguin nods, “we’re planning ikakku’s surprise birthday party that’s tonight! you guys have to to make sure you’re there.”

law shook his head and spoke in a protective voice, “y/n is sick. she isn’t leaving from here. the submarine is too cold for her.”

both penguin and bepo whine to the captains response. you pout as you sit up. you gave look a law that could break his heart. it was the saddest puppy eyes he had ever seen you pull.

“but i wanna go to the birthday party…”

law had to stay firm in his decision, “i know you want to go, but we have to focus on you getting better.”

you tried to compromise knowing it would be the only thing to get the logical man to budge, “i’ll bundle up! and i wont have anything that could make me feel more sick! please please please law!”

your pleads were followed by penguin and bepo’s pleads as well. your begs fill the room until the tattooed man’s patience wears thin and he agrees, “you can only go if you’re with me all times. i need to make sure you don’t do something dumb to worsen your symptoms.”

as opposed to the idea as he might’ve seemed law wasn’t that against it. he wanted to make the environment you’re in as comfortable as it could be. that was a difficult task to do on his own since hospitality wasn’t exactly his strength. he figured being with the crew could lift your spirits.

you found the party fun even though your symptoms held you back from doing a lot of things. you couldn’t dance or sing with the members. you had to stay seated on law’s lap as everyone enjoyed themselves. the agreement you two made let law run wild on layering you up. when you questioned why you had to wear 4 pairs of socks he simply stated that he was not taking any chances of the symptoms intensifying. nonetheless you were grateful he cared enough, and agreed to let you have fun during this frustrating time.

your coughing continued their violent attacks. law was next to you during every battle you had against your symptoms. eventually you decided to try to move away from him in fear of infecting him as well.

he immediately pulled you back to him and holds you tight, “what are you doing? we had an agreement y/n-ya. you said you’d be with me the whole time.”

guilt was written all over your face, “i know but..”

“but what? what’s wrong? is something bothering you my love?”

you exhaled, “i just don’t wan’t you to get sick..”

law had to push away a chuckle that threatened to escape him, “not everyone gets sick as easily as you do.”

“hey! that was so backhanded law!” you felt your cheeks redden as the man next to you lets out a murmured laugh.

you crossed your arms and face away from him pretending to be mad, “you’re so rude law. is this how you treat your sick girlfriend??”

you hadn’t noticed a hat being placed on your head. you looked back at law slightly confused just to see law’s ruffled hair without his hat on. you felt the soft plush cover your head, and the brim of the cap hovering over your eyes. the hat looked oversized on you, so law adjusted it to help you see better, “your ears were red. we forgot to cover them up with the rest of you.”

law examined you now fully covered from head to toe (quiet literally). he was proud to see you like this. proud that he was the reason why you were being cared for. he was glad to be the one there for you when you needed it the most. he wouldn’t know what he would do with himself if he couldn’t care for you. it was moments like these he was thankful he committed himself to the research of medicine, and could be the one to care for his loved ones when they need it most.

he pressed a gentle kiss to your still reddened cheek, “hopefully you’ll feel a lot better by tomorrow my sick rabbit”

you giggle at his sudden affection, “sick rabbit? whats that supposed to mean?”

“your nose is red like one. it’s from all that wiping with those tissues.”

you giggled again and rested your body against your boyfriend thankful for the fact that he’s always caring for you.

at that moment you hear the members decide they birthday cake is about to be cut. everyone gathers around ikakku as she cuts the cake with ease. plates of cake were soon being passed around to celebrate. bepo makes his way over to you and law sitting out the way. he held two plates of cake, “i got you guys cake! it’s ice cream cake. we got it from the last island.”

you reach your hand out to take it until law speaks out, “you can have them bepo. ice cream won’t be good for her.”

you were upset, but knew not to argue against law. he was already agreeing to let you do so much when you should be resting in bed. you didn’t want to push his boundaries. disappointment painted your face as the mink rejoins the others taking the rejected cakes along with him.

law senses the shift in your demeanor. he knew he had to stick with his decision, but he couldn’t help to feel bad for you, “i’m sorry y/n. it’s just not the time to have ice cream cakes.”

you hummed quietly, “i know law..”

your shoulders visibly slump as you watched the crew rave about how great the cake is.

the guilt really pulled at law’s heart strings. he didn’t want you to feel left out because of things you couldn’t control. in that moment a lightbulb idea pops into law’s mind, “i’ll be right back baby. wait here for me.”

you were confused as you watched the tattooed man make his away out the room. nonetheless your attention averted back to the crew celebrating and having fun. you continued to eye the cake for a while until law suddenly appears next to you. you figured it was the work of his devil fruit and didn’t question it.

he handed you a mug. you looked at the contents of it. the warmth of the contents emitted steam from the surface which carried a thick chocolate smell. law sits back down in his original position, and pulls you to his lap, “it’s hot cocoa. i know it’s not what you wanted like ice cream cake, but it is warm at least.”

a smile crept onto your lips. although law would prefer you to take something more natural, such as some herbal tea, he knew that you just wanted a treat. sometimes he had the fight the doctor logic in him. he could tell that you’ve been feeling generally disconnected from the crew due to your constant illnesses. if having a treat that wasn’t the best suited for your conditions meant you could find that connection again, then law figured having to take care of you a little longer wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. he would do it as many times as he needed to as long as it was for you.

[littlefluu]

𓍯𓂃𓏧 E N H Y P E N F I C R E C S

AUGUST 19th, 2024 RECOMMENDATIONS

WELCOME TO A SMALL LITTLE COLLECTIONS OF RECENT WORKS I ENJOYED (I was really busy with uni so there isn´t that much new material here! For more recommendations check out my main masterlist) ⤷ GO BACK TO THE MAIN ENHYPEN MASTER LIST WITH EVEN MORE RECOMMENDATIONS ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁

ALL OF THE MEMBERS

love. f. moments where they realize they are in love or when they fall harder than they did before ᝰ fluff, short scenarios, all members .ᐟ₊ ⊹

Maybe in another universe !? by @leaderwon a. enhypen members texts after you pass away ᝰ sad, angsty SMAU, all members .ᐟ₊ ⊹

LEE HEESUNG

teeth by @gyuuberryy f, sug. you were not thrilled about the move in of your new neighbour. mostly because he was so strange and seemed to be hiding something dark. and partly because you couldn’t stop yourself from getting closer to him because of your unwanted attraction. you were determined to expose his dark secret and get rid of him once and for all. but, it was proving to be a difficult task because he was just so irresistible..and needy. ᝰ enemies to lovers, vampire!heeseung x reader .ᐟ₊ ⊹

talk tomorrow by @soobnny f. drunken confessions ᝰ best friends to lovers, heeseung x reader .ᐟ₊ ⊹

predictable predicament by @timextoxhajima f,s. so you're best friends with the campus hottie who happens to be the quietest one in his group of friends. he's different with you though. ᝰ best friend! heeseung, fluff, smut in the least explicit way .ᐟ₊ ⊹

PARK JONGSEONG

7:18 AM by @ashtxrie f. jay surprises a very sleepy y/n with breakfast. ᝰ established relationship, pure fluff, heavy domestic content timestamp, jay x reader .ᐟ₊ ⊹

Naturally by @ikeuverse f,s. ★ jay has always been very private about his love life and physical contact in front of his friends, but a comment from his work colleagues made him rethink some things. ᝰ established relationship, fluff, smut, domestic , chef!jay x fem!reader  .ᐟ₊ ⊹

How you get the girl by @jaylver f, a. ★ Beach parties are supposedly fun and exciting, aren’t they? Wrong. Experiencing college parties is rare for you, but you decided to give this one a go after your best friend’s constant pleas. Things were alright until everything turned sour when trouble found you and eventually you were roped into a fight alongside the campus’ famous hockey playboy. As if that wasn’t enough, the devil himself conjured up an idea that you found yourself being entangled in. It was all fun and games up until confusion arose, feelings being confessed and played, in the end, Jay had to learn how to get the girl, his girl. ᝰ strangers to frenemies to lovers, fake dating au, college sports au, romance, fluff, angst, secret pining, ice hockey player!jay x afab!reader .ᐟ₊ ⊹

SIM JAEHYUN

Car rides by @jlheon f. a sequence of events from your and jake’s senior year ᝰ neighbors to lovers, fluff, highschool au .ᐟ₊ ⊹

SOUL SISTERS f. where layla shows how much she cares about the growing life inside you. ᝰ fluff, heavy domestic content, husband!jaeyun x pregnant!reader, .ᐟ₊ ⊹

break the ice by @jaylver f, a. ★ Punching a guy in the club then kissing him not long after at a hockey game wasn't exactly a fairytale, but for you, it was your reality. The worst part of all it wasn't even the incidents that happened, but the fact that you didn't know him or his name. That was until another stir of events that happened which caused you and him to actually meet, so what was the best way to break the ice after a disastrous punch and a shocking kiss together? A date. It could be love at first sight, or more accurately, it was love at first punch, or … kiss? ᝰ strangers to lovers, college sports au, romance, angst, ice hockey player!jake x afab!reader.ᐟ₊ ⊹

Midnight train (back to you) by @jaylver f, a. ★ You declared to the world that this summer will be yours. Ever since you’ve left home to chase your dream further in Europe, you never dared to look back, leaving your friends and family along with the precious memories there, including your silent love for your closest friend. Years passed, you were making a name for yourself and chasing that fame, settling in perfectly fine and eventually moved on with life. All was well until the transfer window came, announcing a new addition to the men’s first team, who also happened to be your childhood best friend, Jake Sim. Summer in Spain wouldn’t be what it is without experiencing lots of rekindling, heartbreaks, fallout but also a shot at love. ᝰ childhood friends to lovers, college/professional sports au, romance, angst, pining, (slight) slow burn, pro-footballer!jake x pro-footballer afab!reader .ᐟ₊ ⊹

PARK SUNGHOON

Insatiable by @moonhoures s. your vampire bf suddenly becomes clingy which can only mean he’s hungry or horny . . . or both ᝰ non-idol!au, vampire!au, smut, sunghoon x reader .ᐟ₊ ⊹

Fatal trouble by @gyuuberryy f. your roommate is hot. really really hot. and odd too. really really odd. after a strange experience with him, you slowly start distancing yourself from him. but, it becomes exceptionally hard with your feelings coming in the way. how are you supposed to protect yourself if you can’t resist him? the answer is you don’t need to. your fates are intertwined and there's no letting go. ᝰ roommates to lovers, vampire au, soulmate au, vampire!sunghoon x reader .ᐟ₊ ⊹

MS. & MR. President by @jlheon f. seeing your ex in public leads to hiding in a small photobooth with your annoying student council vice president park sunghoon ᝰ non-idol!au, frenemies to lovers, sunghoon x freader .ᐟ₊ ⊹

CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE by @jaylver f, a. ★ Having a one night stand wasn’t your forte, but with the help of adrenaline, and most definitely not alcohol, you managed to rope yourself into one. Worst part of all was the fact that you didn’t even know his name! The only distinguishable part of him was his blinding white hair. You figured you will never see him again after, but you were so wrong. Your friend practically set you up for failure after convincing you to take her place on a blind date to try and drive the guy away, only for it to be the one you slept with, who also happened to be your mother’s best friend’s son that you met right before that.  ᝰ strangers to lovers, college sports au, romance, comedy, slice of life, angst, (attempted) he fell first but she fell harder, slowburn-ish, ice hockey player!sunghoon x afab!reader .ᐟ₊ ⊹

RIKI NISHIMURA

supernova by @star-sim f,a,h. riki was the city's top hero, you were the top villain. when your archnemisis pulls up to your apartment late at night, all battered and bruised, you just sighed and took him in. you were a villain, not a monster! ᝰ hero! riki x femvillain! reader, superhero! au, enemies to lovers, hurt/comfort, fluff, a lil bit of angst .ᐟ₊ ⊹

duck by @jlheon f. you want a sonny angel hipper ᝰ Idol bf! nishimura riki x fem! reader, established relationship, fluff .ᐟ₊ ⊹

MY FAVORITE AUTHORS THIS MONTH @jlheon ★ @jaylver ★ @gyuuberryy

[solarmorrigan]

steddie and 💗 for the kiss ask game!

Hello! Thank you for the prompt, I really enjoyed writing this one <3

💗 slow kiss / gentle kiss / inevitable / soft

Prompt from this post

-

If anyone asks, Eddie will say he prefers to work while standing because he thinks better when he can move around.

And this isn’t a lie; whether he’s crafting a campaign, working on a new song, drawing, or doing some writing, he has a tendency to get up and pace, or to run to grab something for a reference, or stand and try acting something out to see how it rolls, or– well. His desk chair doesn’t really see a lot of use.

So it’s true that he thinks better while standing; it’s just not the main reason he prefers it.

The main reason is that he happens to be a night owl, and his boyfriend—his beloved, his one and only, his baby—is a horrible, horrible morning person. Which means that he tends to go to bed earlier than Eddie. Which means that when Eddie works late into the night, eventually–

“Hey.” A warm, familiar weight drapes itself across Eddie’s back, arms coming up to circle his waist, the voice a sleepy purr in his ear as a chin rests on his shoulder.

“Hey.” Eddie smiles, tilting his head to the side just enough to bump it against Steve’s. “What’s up?”

Steve hums, the sound sighing out of him as he leans further onto Eddie. “It’s late.”

“Yeah?” Eddie glances at the clock; it’s just gone midnight, which isn’t that late, but he’ll play along. “Guess so.”

“I think I’m heading to bed,” Steve says, pulling back just enough to press a kiss to Eddie’s shoulder, before tucking his chin right back where it had been.

“So is this goodnight?” Eddie asks, pressing back into Steve a little.

“Mm,” Steve hums again, more contemplative than in agreement. “Doesn’t have to be.”

“You gonna stay out here with me, then, sunshine?” Eddie teases, and Steve leans a little more heavily against him in retaliation, just enough that Eddie has to readjust his stance so he doesn’t topple over into the desk.

“Bed’s cold without you,” Steve says, predictable as ever. “You should come with me.”

As if Steve isn’t the main reason the bed is warm when they’re both in it; Eddie’s own personal space heater.

“But what if I’m busy?” Eddie asks, nudging Steve with his elbow.

“Are you busy?” Steve asks.

And it’s an honest question, Eddie knows; if he tells Steve ‘yes,’ then Steve will let him be and he’ll head to bed on his own without any hard feelings. But he’s really just been doodling for the last half hour, and he doesn’t mind the idea of being convinced to follow Steve.

“I guess I could find a place to stop,” Eddie hedges.

“Yeah?” Steve asks, turning his head to press a few more kisses up the side of Eddie’s throat.

They’re slow, sleepy, gentle things; not leading anywhere, really, just affectionate. In spite of that (maybe even because of it), they still make goosebumps pop up across Eddie’s skin.

“For you?” Eddie says, wiggling around in Steve’s hold until he can turn enough to face him. “Anything.”

Steve’s bright smile paired with heavy-lidded eyes is probably one of Eddie’s favorite things.

“You’ll find a place to stop your super important doodling, just for me?” Steve asks slyly, and Eddie can’t help but laugh.

Busted.

“Just for you, baby,” Eddie says anyway, leaning in for a quick kiss that really ends up being more of a brush of smiling mouths.

“Well,” Steve says, his gaze warm and pleased, like Eddie’s done something great (the way he always looks at Eddie, the way Eddie will never, ever get enough of), “lucky me.”

[xxsycamore]

Afternoon Sun

╰┈➤ A needy Napoleon makes you take a break from your chores.

Napoleon Bonaparte/f!Reader • rating: E (MDNI) • tags: Gentle Sex; Kissing; Nipple Play; Cunnilingus; Oral Sex; Vaginal Sex; Creampie; Sleepy Cuddles • wordcount: 2,631 • masterlist

"Okay, Napoleon, you can get me down already! I'm not going to run away or anything! Jeez!"

Your pleas fall on deaf ears as the man carrying you in his arms simply elbows the door open and takes you inside his bedroom. It's only when he sets you down on the soft duvet of his bed that he speaks again.

"Here you go."

You pout, but true to your word, you don't run away even as the chance to do so presents itself. However, that doesn't mean you give up on questioning him so easily.

"What's this all about? Coming and declaring that you're whisking me away from my chores? Poor Sebas is left tending to laundry all alone...!"

"I think he'll manage, Nunuche. You've been running left and right all day. I just figured you need a little break."

You watch Napoleon take off his coat and put it on his desk chair's backrest, his statement matter-of-factly and hard to refute. Especially when you've been secretly waiting for the day to be over so you can find yourself in the very same place as you are right now.

Napoleon rejoins you at the foot of his bed, now down to his comfy linen shirt, and pats his lap upon taking a seat.

Not seeing a reason to refuse such a nice offer, you crawl closer to him at sit sideways on his lap, enjoying the way his toned right arm immediately wraps around your shoulders to support your position. His gaze is soft when you meet it with your own, a smile playing on his lips, yet you can't help but think that he's being a little uncharacteristically quiet.

The staring contest is short-lived because he leans in for a kiss, all too soon. This is your "aha!" moment and you hurry to voice out your discovery - but not before placing a thorough smooch on his expecting lips, because you just can't help it.

"Napoleon! Did you take me here because I needed a break or because you were feeling lonely?"

When you take another look at his face, his brow is already furrowed in a little frown, likely from the unsatisfying contact. But it only grows once he actually registers your words.

"Why can't it be both?"

You chuckle at his honesty and give his lips another peck. As if he can be content with this.

Surprisingly, he doesn't push for a longer kiss as you'd predicted, so instead you have the chance to get a little more comfortable in his arms and take a breather. He looks as if he's carefully selecting his next words, so you give him the chance to while entertaining yourself by playing with the white ends of his hair. No matter how many times you try to smooth down the little silvery tuff, it keeps curling up on its own, sticking to the side of his face. It's adorable, especially in a moment where Napoleon is trying to be serious.

"It's just... you're rather busy these days. Getting up from bed so early, later running away as soon as you wake me up. I miss spending a quiet morning with you."

You try smoothing it down again, to no avail.

"Morning, you say..."

"Okay, fine, an early noon. You know what I'm saying, Nunuche."

That's your line, normally. He shouldn't be mad at you teasing him for his choice of words when it's so much like him to do the same to you.

But you don't feel like teasing him anymore. Your gaze moves from his smooth cheek to the intense emerald eyes staring back at you, waiting to be found. You can't get enough of him when he's being like that. Upfront enough with his emotions to make a bold statement and whisk you off your feet, taking you straight to his room. But at the same time afraid of acting selfishly. He'd stare at you as if begging you to say you feel the same way.

Which, you do.

You smile sweetly at your lover.

"So you want to cuddle in bed? Is this what you're saying? Let's do that, then!"

"Nunuche-Wait-"

It takes some effort to topple over a man of his build, but catching him off-guard does the trick. Laughter bubbles on your lips as you tower over him for a moment before rolling to the side, making space for him. Who cares if you're a little bit upside down, dialogally, in bed. Cuddles come in all angles and shapes.

He drags himself up until he's wholly on the bed, tackling you down despite your playful protests. Now he's the one on top, and you're about to say something about wanting to lay on his chest instead, when he suddenly meets your lips with his.

The earlier hesitation long dissipated, you're honestly happy to see him claiming his kiss now. You're glad you communicated your enthusiasm without taking the lead from him, and you're interested in seeing him express the neediness he previously showed.

"Nnnh..."

Oh, he's really getting into it. Trying to keep up with his tempo leaves you as breathless as he is, and the lewd sounds of the kiss make your belly tighten. He sucks your tongue into his mouth, and you let him toy with you as much as he pleases, enjoying his passionate loving show through the gesture, as if you're doing it for the very first time...

"Nunuche..."

At first, you're not sure if it simply fell out of his lips in the heat of the moment or if he's actually meaning to say something, so you just put a hand on his cheek to pull him down again.

"Nunuche, we... should stop."

Hazy but concerned, you look him in the eye with expectation.

"Why?"

"Because I wanted you to rest and now... if we kiss one more time, I would just want to make love to you."

You can tell that's not the reaction he expected to receive because you watch his brows go from being tightly knit together to rising up. You figure out you're smiling in this very moment, even if you're not doing it intentionally.

"I'm...not going anywhere, Napoleon."

Your hand finds his nape as you gently nudge him to shorten the distance again. But there's room for one more whisper before your lips connect again.

"I missed you too, you know..."

Now, you're aware yours seems to be a completely different way of missing each other from the one he talked about earlier. But you're not ashamed to admit it, nor are you ashamed of raising your knee just a little so that it presses firmly against the front of his trousers.

It doesn't really distract Napoleon from kissing you again. If he wasn't doing it with intention earlier, then he surely does now, until you can't help making those small noises into the kiss anymore.

"Need you."

The two words roll off his throat a little hoarsely, and it's so easy for you to slip inside the scenario where neither of you has started your day yet. The only difference is the too many layers between your bodies presently, neither of which being the soft bedsheets. But that too will cease to matter eventually, especially with the speed at which Napoleon works your shirt undone.

Arching your spine off the mattress to let him tug it free from your red skirt, your eyes widen as Napoleon can't wait to fully get rid of the piece of clothing before attacking your chest with his agape mouth. His tongue wets your sensitive skin, letting the air cool it so you start to miss the heat of his breath again.

It takes a couple of inpatient motions but your torso is now completely bare under Napoleon's eyes. He resumes his actions, suddenly being more than precise, as he takes a pert nipple in his mouth and suckles on it.

You toss your head to the side, fingers curling up in a fist with the desire to tangle them in his dark locks instead, all too easily. It will be a little embarrassing to admit you're more worked up than him, but you can't help it when he claims your weak spots like that.

Your composure completely crumbles when he flashes you a look without breaking off his ministrations, and he looks utterly needy at that moment, like he'd be offended if you were to tell him that's enough. The shiver that goes through you builds up into a powerful throb low inside your belly and between your legs, and you already want him inside. But you don't want to rush things, not when he's giving love to every part of you like that.

It's just unfair that you don't have much to do with your own hands while he's slowly making his way down your torso, removing your skirt and your underwear with one swift movement. You want to touch him too, to pleasure him, to show him how much you want him... even if your body takes care of the last part, being more than expressive.

"Nnnh-!"

Napoleon's strong hands have to keep your legs open as he tongues at your swollen folds, the strong currents of pleasure making you instinctively close your legs. Though it seems like he doesn't mind having his head sandwiched tight, his heavy breaths fanning over your heated center. The repetitive flicks of his tongue send your whole body shivering and you hope the whimpers coming out of your kiss-swollen lips are enough of a warning, because you can't for the life of you use your words to tell Napoleon of your upcoming climax.

Judging by the way he's going even harder at it, it's safe to assume he was able to read your body language like he always does. In no time he's sending your body into ecstasy, licking you through a powerful orgasm and letting you buck against his tongue, making a mess of his face.

When he emerges from between your legs, you welcome him back into your arms and you can't not notice he's a little red in the face. It gives you a rush of embarrassment that you gladly accept, coupled with the slight tang of your own juices on his tongue as he kisses you again, not waiting to stabilize his breathing.

You wrap your arms around his neck, similar to how you previously locked him with your legs, and the sound of his metal belt buckle clanking against the prong and suggesting that it's now undone is sending signals to your brain, ones that make the throbbing inside you intensify. Even after such a good orgasm, Napoleon is able to lower your recovery time to nearly zero just by a flick of his fingers. This is how much you need him.

Of course, seeing that he loses no time nesting himself between your legs, he's no better than you. Still, you don't trust him with the task of putting his cock inside you, because he likes to tease a little too much. So your hand slides downwards, between your bodies, and does it instead.

Napoleon looks at your face as he bottoms out in you, inch by inch, he doesn't even waste the time of a blink. There's a fire in his eyes when you finally open your own to gaze back at him, and you cry out his name when he starts thrusting.

"Ahhh...Napoleon!"

"I'm here, mon amour."

Withdrawing a little, his hands find the folds of your knees, holding you open so you can receive his thrusts as he picks up his pace. You're not sure if you're happy to trade his closeness with the delicious new angle of his cock moving inside you, but the latter becomes more and more important by the second. By the time you realize the two of you are being up to no good in the middle of the day, it's too late to care about muffling your moans. They already know.

Still, Napoleon is quick to notice the hitching of your breath, and he doesn't like it when you're too shy to express how he's making you feel. So he snaps his hips inside you in a particularly deep thrust.

"Ah!"

And again.

"Say my name."

"N-Napo...leon..."

Obedient as you are, he didn't need to pry it out of you too hard, and he rewards you with a series of nice and deep thrusts that are more of a pleasant grinding sensation against your deepest parts. You cry out again, ready to tip over the edge again so soon, especially when he lets go of your knees and meets you skin to skin, a part of his weight falling over you like a blanket.

"God, you're so tight and hot around me. Are you going to come?"

You lock your legs around his torso instead of answering, nothing coherent coming out of your mouth anyway other than moans that resemble a broken "yes". You envy him for the ability to tie together whole sentences like that, wishing to feel him throb inside you with a mere word from your mouth too.

"Nggh- Napoleon!"

Or maybe you can do that just fine. His cock swells inside you as his thrusts grow erratic until he lets the strong grip of your limbs completely immobilize him, knowing that you're pulling him as close as possible and he'll get to spill inside you no matter what.

The sensation of fingernails biting into your sides feels a little rough as he grips you harder in the heat of the moment, but it only heightens the feeling when your whole body is glowing with pleasure. You're sure you're leaving little crescents across his toned arms as well.

He erupts inside you, filling you spurt after sput as you spasm around him, milking him for every last drop. You begin to feel so full of his hot come, tears well up in the corners of your eyes. A sense of belonging overcomes you, strongly, as if you can make Napoleon melt into your chest if you hold him like that just a little longer.

He doesn't seem to be letting go of you anytime soon. The little readjustments of limbs that need to be made so he lies comfortable over you are making overstimulation spark all over but it's not unwelcome at all. It makes you clench your insides and feel him remaining there, where he belongs.

"I love you."

It's how you know he feels the same way. You might be having your own way of communicating it, as he always likes to remind, but you still deem it unfair to remain quiet just because you want to be completely still.

"I love you. I love you so much, Napoleon."

Your voice is a little hoarse from how deep in your throat those moans were rolling, but you think he might like the way your words come out. His soft humming sounds happy. And sleepy.

"Napoleon."

"Let me stay inside you for a little longer. Let's turn around."

The air gets trapped in your lungs for a mere second because admittedly, his wish does things to you. But you're able to let it out in the next moment, once you've settled nicely on top of his chest. Just like you wanted in the beginning when things were far more innocent...

"Napoleon.. you'll fall asleep..."

"Mmm."

You're not sure what that means. You just know the whole thing starts to resemble awfully much those late mornings you both missed, even if now it's the afternoon sun that peaks through the curtains to rest on your naked back, like the bedsheets that are missing. Maybe you'll rest your eyes for a moment too.

Taglist: @arsnovacadenza @kimi00twin @g-kleran @thesirenwashere @devonares @galaxyprison   @starshards26 @thewitchofbooks @acethephoenix256 @ikevamp-shrine-2 @nad-zeta @crystal13unny @lordsister @ikemen-banshou   @themysticalbeing @otome-scribbles @rhodolitesrose @kpop-and-otome @queen-dahlia @kisara-16 @chaosangel767 @ikemenlibrary @queengiuliettafirstlady @aurora-morning @ikemenlover24 @mcofthemansion @joy-the-reader @katriniac @ikemen-writer @tele86 @lovely-bubb1es @aria-chikage @babyblue0t7 @rhodoliteschaos @shrimpy-kitsune @nightghoul381 @xbalayage @lucyw260 @kittygrimm88 @lokis-laugh @natimiles @completelyshatteredbrokenmschf @groovylita @my-day6 Let me know if you want to be tagged/untagged!

[guess-my-next-obsession]

A Soft Place To Land

pairing: frankie morales x gn!reader

rating: F (this is really just 579 words of fluff, frankie strips but it’s not sexual)

a/n: the autumn chill is making me romantic for my fictional husband and this is what came of it

frankie masterlist

It was late into the evening when the headlights of Frankie’s truck shone into your living room window. It had been raining all day, autumn finally settling in with an icy chill. You knew how tired he must be, spending his day in the cold, damp body shop he co-owned with Santiago, dealing with cold, damp, impatient customers for the last ten hours.

You, on the other hand, had the day off and never once had to step foot outside the warm and cozy confines of your home. You busied yourself with chores, cleaning the house more deeply than you had in a while, maybe even since you and Frankie first moved in a year and a half ago. Now, fresh out of a warm-vanilla scented bath, you laid reading on the plush sofa Frankie insisted on buying despite it’s hefty price tag, feeling cozy in a pair of soft, fleece-lined sweatpants and a white, cotton long-sleeve.

When Frankie walked in, he looked just as glum as you predicted, a deep sigh leaving his lips as he kicked his boots off by the door while meeting your eye.

“Fucking cold out there,” he said, earning a frown and a nod from you. “You look cozy.”

“I am cozy,” you smiled, curling your finger at him to beckon him closer. Frankie obeyed, walking over to you and bending down to capture your lips for a sweet, icy kiss that left you shivering. “You’re freezing.”

“Let me in, then,” he said, yanking on the blanket covering most of your body.

“You’re dressed in your work clothes,” you giggled, batting his hand away.

“Fine,” he said, standing upright. You watched him with amusement as he started to peel off his clothes layer by layer until he was left in just a pair of black briefs and his socks. “Can you let me in now?”

“Fine,” you sighed, pretending to be burdened by his need to be close to you, when in truth it was what you loved most about him. Throwing the blanket open, you spread your legs to give him room to lay between them, Frankie’s head resting on your chest. You threw the blanket back over him and set your book aside to hold him for a minute, your fingernails lightly grazing the plains of his toned back while he slipped his icy hands underneath the dip in your back, hugging you closer to him. “How was it today?”

“Shitty,” he mumbled sleepily, his cheek squished against your sternum. “Got yelled at.”

“Cunts,” you spat, earning a chuckle from your husband.

“Missed you, baby,” he mused, turning his face to press a kiss over your heartbeat. “So warm…n’ soft.”

You couldn’t help the cheesy grin that spread across your face at the sound of his sleepy voice, your fingers lifting to lightly scratch at his scalp.

“Mm,” he hummed, squeezing you tighter. “Could fall asleep like this.”

“Go ahead,” you murmured, lightly tracing the ridge of his brow with your fingertip.

“Okay,” he said, nestling into you. “Wake me up if I get too heavy.”

“Mmkay,” you smiled, scratching his scalp once more before picking your book back up and resuming your place, Frankie’s soft snores the only sound in the world to you.

Though you wished he never had to face the cold at all, you couldn’t help but admit that you adored being the warmth he came home to every night.

A soft place for him to land.

[starleska]

I hope you had a lovely trip! Hopefully this doesnt seem too demanding, but do you have any jack horner headcanons you're willing to share? Romantic, perhaps even yandere/possessive? Or just general headcanons? If not thats perfectly okay!!!

d'aww thank you sweet anon, i had a great time!! although i am very sleepy now 😴 i'm not even gonna lie to you, i whiled away the train journeys by gazing out of the window and thinking up little meet-cute scenarios with Jack 😂😂

oh HELL yes!! don't you worry, that's not demanding in the slightest - i'd be happy to oblige 😉 honestly this has steered off more into backstory/total fanfic territory, but i hope you like it anyway. i’ve written this with a bit of a feminine-leading-nickname bias, but this is for all readers!! i’m nb myself 🥰 feel free to substitute certain names for others 🔥

'Big' Jack Horner x Reader romantic/yandere headcanons:

historically, Jack hasn’t had much interest in romantic dalliances. coming from an upper-class family with a great deal of wealth means he received plenty of offers even when he was young, from hopeful families wanting to marry into his lucrative business. however, Jack always found the suitors from these families dull and predictable; they knew exactly what to say and how to say it, and their compliance infuriated Jack to no end. 

as a result, throughout his teens and early twenties Jack mostly abstained from romantic connections. it was at this time that he began to increase in size: he shot up like a weed and bulked out enormously, which greatly increased interest from a variety of parties. this came alongside his succession to the head of his pie business, and the flourishing of his criminal empire. although Jack was propositioned left and right, he only engaged in the occasional date and/or lay, and considered them to be stress relief. 

as his obsession with collecting magical artefacts and increasing his power grew, Jack’s dim view of romance as nothing more than fairy tale junk - something he has come to abhor - solidifies into a type of confident nihilism. he believes that he is simply built different, and that truly powerful figures don’t concern themselves with such trivial matters. that is, of course, until he meets you. 

at first, Jack is horrified. first, he believes he has fallen ill; why is his heart beating so fast around you? why does he feel hot and sweaty and clammy all at once when you pop into his thoughts? this quickly descends into a type of paranoia: he is convinced that you must be some type of magical artisan, one who has cast a spell to drive him mad. we know Jack isn’t the patient type, so he confronts you, dragging you into his office and threatening you with the business end of the Huntsman’s Axe from the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale.

rather than the reasonable reaction of terror and attempting to escape, you stammer and blush, almost hyperventilating at the proximity. he’s so much larger than you, and it takes everything you have not to melt into his arms. you manage to tell him that you find him impossibly charming, and just being around him makes you feel lighter. this takes a moment for Jack to process. he questions you repeatedly: “You find me attractive?” “Y-yes.” “You’d like to become an item? With me?” “Yes, sir.”

once he is certain that there is no trickery afoot, Jack is ecstatic with you. the full extent of his smarm and arrogance pour over in waves. Jack is not a man prone to embarrassment , and he makes no secret of your relationship whilst going about the daily business of running his criminal organisation and pie factory. he freely plays with your hair, rubs your shoulders and gives you kisses in full view of all his workers, much to your humiliation, but the way Jack looks at you with approval after every  teasing show of affection makes it all worth it. Jack’s staff even give you a  nickname: The Baker’s Wife. 

in no time at all, Jack becomes your fiercest protector. someone calls a rude comment to you in the street? they’re found the next day, strung up by their thumbs outside the village walls. a debt collector comes to harass you and your family? how interesting: they choke to death on a pie, overstuffed with plums. you soon find that members of The Baker’s Dozen are assigned to keep you safe: following you around his mansion and accompanying you outside without so much as a word. you try to question Jack about these events, knowing in your heart he is responsible, but the way he tells you, “No one hurts my princess,” makes your heart squeeze. indeed, day-to-day Jack treats you like royalty: only the finest garments, cuisine, and entertainment for the love of his life. 

however, in private, Jack lets his sadistic side shine. he is delighted by how easy you are to fluster: how a filthy whisper or a well-placed touch can make you tremble and squeak. he enjoys your size difference, playing with you as if you were a doll, and he chuckles darkly whenever you squirm. there’s nothing he loves more than pinning you against a wall with a blade, enacting the predator/prey dynamic he knows you enjoy so much. he leans in close and breathes into your ear, telling you how small and helpless you are, and how easy it would be to rip you apart. he relishes in making you beg to be touched, how much you crave his silver tongue and those awful, atrocity-stained hands. Jack tells you that you are his, forever, until the day you die: and that is something you love more than life itself. 

hope this is what you were looking for, anon 😉

[generic-sonic-fan]

Team Dark Week: Night

Summary: One member of Team Dark gets tired more predictably than the others. For @teamdarkweek

2,366 words, no content warnings

---

Shadow wasn’t nocturnal. 

The ARK was on a set clock, synced with a time zone called “Central Time”, with red-lighted digital clock faces in every major room aboard. Constantly blinking and changing. The one in the research lab was used to time the experiments. He still remembered the day where he’d run faster than that clock, the day that Gerald had hoisted him up on his shoulders to parade him around and-

In Maria’s room there was a peculiar object. Small, white, and round. Twelve digits spread around a circular face. A small, wide arrow that moved slowly, and a thinner arrow that quivered with every pulse of his heart. 

“It’s not an electronic clock. I think the word is. . . hmm. . . analog,” Maria had explained. “I’ve always had it. It’s probably from Earth!”

She slept with the clock beside her bed. He and she could count along with it to keep their minds off of the day to come.

Only these days, staring up at the ceiling while bound by Earth’s gravity, all was silent. 

Shadow wasn’t nocturnal. 

Shadow wasn’t nocturnal.

—

Rouge wasn’t nocturnal. Frustratingly so. GUN was a human organization, and human organizations worked with the sun, so she worked with the sun. 

It’s not like she hated the sun. The big ball of burning space gas wasn’t the top of her priorities by any means. She had much better things to hate in a much nearer proximity. But that didn’t mean she liked it. She was always, always sleepy while the rest of the humans seemed as bright and as chipper as ever. And of course, humans tended to relate more and thus spill more to those familiar to them, so she had to become just as alert as they were to do her job most effectively during the times that night missions were few. 

She’d gotten good at it by now. This was her world by choice. There was no higher-paying client in the business. Humans loved things like information and secrets on each other almost as much as she loved gems, which was saying something. She knew where she was most valuable, and it was here. 

So Rouge wasn’t nocturnal. Simple as that.

Rouge wasn’t nocturnal. 

—

Omega’s sensors registered motion in the hallway outside of his designated recharge room. His base programming ran through a pre-prepared checklist of possible sources of this motion, and determined the most likely cause to be either one of his organic teammates attending to their bodily functions. 

Omega’s sensors registered more motion in the hallways outside of his designated recharge room. His base programming ran through a pre-prepared checklist of possible sources of this motion, and determined the most likely cause to be either one of his organic teammates returning to their rooms after attending to their bodily functions.

Omega’s sensors registered voices in an indeterminate location outside of his designated recharge room. His base programming could not match this stimuli to any of the conditions on the pre-prepared checklist. This instigated the reboot of his short-term adaptive processing.

Omega exited standby mode. As he unplugged himself from his power cord, a notification popped up- energy reserves were still at a mere 14%. He looked at his power cord, the measly, pathetic, “UL-Rated” cord approved for use in civilian housing infrastructure, and imagined ripping it apart and demanding to be supplied with a more suitable industrial cord. 

His attention shifted when he identified Shadow and Rouge’s voices in the living room. He was too distant for his language programs to make much out of the vocals. He opened his door and traveled to the living room. 

His teammates’ voices went silent as he arrived. 

“WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE FOR AWAKENING AT 12:47 AM?” He asked. 

Shadow looked at Rouge. Rouge shrugged. “Couldn’t sleep.” 

“ORGANIC BEINGS REQUIRE A MINIMUM OF EIGHT HOURS OF REST TO FUNCTION. RETURN TO YOUR ROOMS.”

“No.” Shadow replied. “Go back to bed. This doesn't concern you.”

“THIS DOES, IN FACT, CONCERN ME. I REQUIRE MY TEAMMATES TO OPERATE AT MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY. THIS REQUIRES THAT YOU REST.”

“Oh shut up, would you?” Rouge crossed her arms. “Shadow and I are going out for a little night out and there’s nothing you can do about it.” 

“TRY ME.”

“Sure!”

“No fighting in the apartment.” Shadow parroted Rouge’s oft-cited rule. “Come on, let’s just go.”

“YOU WILL NOT LEAVE ME BEHIND!” 

“Fine.” Shadow said.

“Only as long as you keep it quiet and don’t complain about ‘organic sleep schedules’, alright?” Rouge added. 

“AFFIRMATIVE.” 

Rouge grabbed her keys, Shadow grabbed his jacket, and they left the apartment in short order. Their movement was normal as they descended down the stairs, but once they reached the pavement of the sidewalk, Shadow ignited his rocket footwear and Rouge took off from the ground. They grinned at each other before taking off down the empty streets. Omega wasted no time in activating his own rocket boosters to follow. 

As they raced through the suburbs and onto the 76 freeway, Shadow’s speeds crept further and further towards the sound barrier. His vitals were still within that of mild aerobic activity, whereas Rouge’s heart rate and rate of respiration increased rapidly. This strange, nonverbal race was pushing her limits. 

Building lights faded into the light of individual warehouses as they neared the edge of the city. Upon crossing the last city limit, Shadow gave a single audible laugh, before breaking the sound barrier, shooting off ahead of them into the patchwork of rural roads. 

Rouge shook her head and slowed, but Omega would not let himself be beaten. He increased power to his boosters and gave his own verbal “HA” as he caught the hedgehog, who’d stopped a mere twenty miles out. 

“I won.” Shadow smiled. 

“YOU DID NOT INSTIGATE A FORMAL RACE.” Omega replied. 

Rouge arrived moments later, huffing and puffing as she landed beside them. 

“Good pace.” Shadow said to her. 

He sat down in the middle of the gravel road, looking up towards the stars. Rouge joined beside him, her wings draped over her shoulders. 

Omega stood behind them. He did not need to rest. His rocket boosters did not get worn out and would not get sore. Such was the superiority of the Ultimate Robo-

An error warning popped up in front of his vision. Energy reserves at 7%. 

This was only enough for another forty minutes of operation. Less, if he were to activate his rocket boosters again. 

“Nice night.” Shadow said.

“Yeah.” Rouge concurred.

Omega queried his auxiliary power cells, only to find them empty. His memory banks not-so-helpfully reminded him that he’d spent them to get an extra boost of speed to pursue a fleeing Badnik three days ago, and he had yet to recharge them.

“I’ve been learning the constellations.” Shadow whispered. 

“Really?”

“What do you mean ‘really’?”

“No, not that I think it’s weird, hun.” Rouge said. “Just that, don’t you come from space?”

Shadow laughed quietly. “We couldn’t see the stars very well from the windows.”

“Why not?”

“The light from the planet was too bright.” 

“What light?”

“I’m not sure. I remember hearing something about how even the planet reflects the sun’s light.” Shadow picked up a chunk of gravel from the road, admiring it in his hand. “Or perhaps it was just the brightness of the solar panels. Either way, it blocked out the light from the stars.” 

“Just like city lights.” Rouge concurred. 

Omega engaged in a line of rationale that he never had to before- one that made his rage spike in his processor. He needed to preserve power for the flight back to the apartment. Every power-saving measure, no matter how humiliating, would help. 

He lowered himself to the ground and began offlining auxiliary systems. He reduced power to those that weren’t absolutely vital to his targeting and weapons operation, such as his optics, tactile, and audial sensors. Shadow and Rouge’s voices became muffled and the road ahead became shadowy. 

“That one’s. . . Cassiopea, I believe.” Shadow lifted his arm toward the sky, but Omega couldn’t make out much else in his motion.

“Looks like a ‘W’.” Rouge replied. “Seems a little fancy.”

“I didn’t name it.”

“Of course not. And I’m not one to scoff at sentimentality.”

“Yes, you are.”

“Okay, maybe a little.”

Omega’s rage flared up even further when he received another emergency popup. Energy reserves at 6%.

He tore through his own processor, searching for whatever errant function could’ve caused such a drastic power drain in a matter of minutes. He paused, however, when he found that the function consuming the most power was his own processing, followed closely by his cooling fans. 

He was going to think himself into shut down! How imbecilic! He needed to cease this processing immediately. 

“What are some other ones?” Rouge asked. 

“That one is a star cluster.” Shadow replied. “They’re called the Pleiades.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. It’s what humans call them.”

“Know any more?”

A pause. “No.”

Rouge laughed. Shadow made some motion towards her that Omega’s limited vision could not determine. 

“Sounds like you need to get out more when you can’t sleep.” Rouge said.

“I don’t think someone would like that.” 

There was a pause in conversation. Good. The less Omega processed, the better to preserve power with. The fact that he’d let himself get this underpowered was a vital mistake. To use the appropriate vulgar terminology: fuck that power cable. It was imperative that he retrieve a new one!

“Guess he’s also enjoying the stars.” Rouge said. 

Energy reserves at 5%. 

Omega’s rage exploded within him. He simulated blowing apart the popup with his missiles, then tearing apart the cord with his claws. Of course, this simulation only consumed more power. 

“Omega?” Shadow asked. 

“SYSTEMS NOMINAL.” He snapped back, before diving back into the process of trying to reduce his rage.

A futile strategy, Omega admitted to himself.

“What’s on your mind?” Rouge asked. “Your cooling fans are going crazy.”

“SYSTEMS NOMINAL. LET US DEPART THIS LOCATION.” He instructed his legs to resume a standing position. 

However, his knee joints slowed, his motors whining from lack of power. 

“Something’s wrong.” Shadow hissed. 

“Don’t look at me.” Rouge replied. 

Omega turned and began walking down the road, only for his steps to sway. Locomotion protocols were among those he’d limited power to. 

“Omega! Answer me!” Shadow said. . 

It was time to retreat from this location, now. It was approximately fifty miles back to the apartment. He would have to fire his rocket boosters. . . slower, to have enough power to stay online at least. . . some of the way there. Even precise calculations were slipping form his awareness. 

“Hey, what’s wrong? Are you tired?” Rouge asked. 

“I DO NOT GET TIRED!” Omega replied. 

Something landed in front of him, a blob of pixels lighter than the darkness behind it. “You’re walking like you’ve had one too many at the club. We didn’t wake you up from your much-needed beauty sleep, did we?”

“SILENCE!”

“What are your power levels at?” Shadow’s blob joined beside her. 

Omega lowered himself to the ground so he could shift enough power to his optics to make out their facial expressions. 

“You’re already weakened.” Shadow frowned. “Your attempts at hiding that have failed. Tell us what’s going on so we can help.”

A second of concern slipped onto Rouge’s expression, but she didn’t say anything.

“POWER RESERVES AT 5%.” Omega divulged. 

She regained her smile. “So you are sleepy.”

“I AM NOT ‘SLEEPY’! I AM ON THE VERGE OF IMMINENT SHUTDOWN!”

“Mhmm. We’ve all been there.” Rouge replied. “Could almost fall asleep standing up if you’re in a meeting with information ops. I don’t recommend trying it for yourself, though.”

“He needs to get back.” Shadow said. 

“Of course. I’ll carry him.” 

“You shouldn’t have come with us if you were this low on energy.” Shadow stared at him.

Omega couldn’t generate anything to reply with. 

“Alright, up you go, big boy.” 

Rouge grabbed his arms and took to the sky. With the landscape passing by beneath them without the need for his own locomotion, Omega entered standby mode to conserve power. 

—

He awakened from standby mode with his power reserves at 100%. His auxiliary power cells were even 33% restored. 

The first thing his optics registered was sunlight streaming through his window. He checked his chronometer. The time was 11:00 AM. Noise emanated from the kitchen of the apartment. 

Omega stormed out of his room to find Rouge gathering components for pancakes and Shadow crunching on beans from the Coffea Arabica plant. 

“Someone’s bright and chipper this morning.” Rouge pouted before rubbing her eyes. “Keep it down, would you?”

“I already offered to make you coffee.” Shadow said.

“Oh shut up, you.”

“YOU DID NOT WAKE ME WHEN YOU RETURNED ME TO THIS LOCATION.”

“Figured you needed the rest. Or, hmm, the power down?” Rouge replied.

Omega’s processor, now operating at full capacity, generated seventeen different insults to deny her charge with. However, none of them were persuasive enough to combat the strength of evidence she had to the contrary. 

“POWER PRESERVATION WAS INDEED NECESSARY.”

“Next time, tell us when you’re low on power, alright?”

“UNNECESSARY.”

“You insist on telling us whenever we do something against the best interest of our health. Allow us to return the favor.” Shadow added.

“I DO NOT HAVE ‘HEALTH’.” 

“Fine!” Shadow tossed the bag down, spilling the beans across the counter. “Allow me to put it even more simply: tell us when you can’t operate to your fullest potential. You’d expect nothing less from us, correct?” 

A brief search of his memory banks did confirm that he’d made Shadow and Rouge promise to disclose any organic weaknesses. Omega crossed his arms. “CORRECT.”

“Good. That’s that.”

“Pick up your coffee.” Rouge flicked a bean into Shadow’s lap. 

Shadow scowled at her, but said nothing more. 

“We’ll make sure you’re able to get the time you need to recharge from now on, alright?” She turned to Omega. “Believe it or not, we want you feeling your best, too.” 

—

After four hours of researching Mobian sleep cycles, Omega finally interpreted her meaning.

He was not nocturnal. 

[stargirlfics]

The Gentleman Chapter 5: Éclosion

Alfred Pennyworth x Black Dancer!Reader

Summary: Harsh realities and a dangerous new enemy push you and Alfred to be upfront about your feelings

Warnings: 18+ ONLY, canon typical violence, chemical attack mentions, light angst, soft concerned bf!alfred vibes, romantic gestures galore, brief allusion to smut, fluff & feelings!

Word Count: 4.9k

Note: So happy to be bringing you all more of this story I know it’s been a minute! Hope you enjoy this one, it’s special in a lot of ways! The soundtrack for this chapter and the title come from Èclosion by Tony Anderson which I listened to while writing. It makes me think of what falling in love feels like!

[series masterlist] [series playlist]

Tension lay heavy over the city in the days after the fear toxin attack, people were wary and on edge, the weather even starting to turn cold and dreary while unease hung thick in the air.

Paulie’s Diner was now the site of a police investigation, the entire street blocked off, the news coverage of the attack on a twenty four hour cycle, just barely contained panic swirling over this fear toxin and what it could do. 

You couldn’t lie that it was terrifying, hearing what those who’d been injured said about the toxic gas, what it did to them; hallucinations of a nightmarish hellscape drawing out everyone’s anger and fear, driving them mad. 

It sounded awful and then there was Scarecrow’s chilling warning, the mystery of who he was and what his motives were bringing back eerie memories of the year before and how out of control things had gotten. 

Worry twisted taut in your stomach, exhaustion in your limbs as you finished out your last show of the night, the fourth one in two days in fact, your body and mind run ragged. 

Oz was a smart man but he was predictable.

The new late night hour dance slots added to the schedule weren’t a coincidence, you were sure he was using the distraction to make more money, every dancer working doubles late into the morning hours now, Madame Olena working quick to teach new choreography, a refresher on some pole tricks and sexier strip teases and dances added to the repertoire of shows. 

There were bruises already blossoming on your shins from where you had to push against said pole as you climbed it, inching your way up so the audience could see you float and twirl around it, and as fun as it was, as much as you enjoyed getting to dance with your friends on stage beside you each night, you were tired and sore and just wanted to sleep for a year. 

Certain rituals were getting you through the grueling hours though.

Sleepy phone calls with Alfred before you drifted off when you got home, his sweet encouragement texts and reminders for you throughout the day and how he’d stopped by every other day this week so far to see you even if just to say hello before heading back to the office. 

You’d both been busy since the night of the attack, not finding much time inbetween work to spend the kind of time together that you wanted, a reluctance in both your voices when trying to soften the sting of it likely being the entire week and maybe even the next before you’d get to see each other properly.

That didn’t seem to sway Alfred much though, even when you insisted he didn’t have to go out of his way to come by if he was pressed for time, he showed up anyway, as often as he could. 

You were grateful for it, relieved that he didn’t find your disappointment about your schedules selfish with everything going on, just as content to get any second spent with you that he could. 

Reminders of him were everywhere now too.

The throw blanket on your sofa that smelled faintly like him, the new bouquet of fresh flowers he’d come by one afternoon with, the space near the front door made for his shoes and coat next to yours, like tiny little puzzle pieces were beginning to fill in, ones you didn’t even know you seemed to have all the perfect pieces for.

It made you laugh to yourself now, laid out on the floor in your living room, trying to ease the ache in your muscles, stretching each limb gently while pondering on how tangled up your heart was.

All these feelings were so intense, one part of you cautioning yourself to slow down, not get too invested when you’re not sure he even feels the same, or wants a relationship while another part felt sure about trusting the groundwork that had been laid so far.

So much was going on and you were sure a proper conversation would happen soon, when there was time—if it was Alfred that much you were sure of, knowing he’d never leave you wondering for too long but you did worry. 

Maybe it just wasn’t a good time, with Scarecrow loose and wreaking havoc and the recent reminder that you were under Penguin’s thumb indefinitely; it didn’t bode well for fostering a relationship and in Gotham that was tricky enough on its own. 

But you also couldn’t deny what you were feeling and experiencing. 

Another half suppressed smile coming then, a dreamy breath sighed out at the memory of the previous evening, when Alfred had come by to drop off some takeout only to see you icing your shins, his immediate concern when you greeted him making you laugh, something he didn’t find as amusing in the moment. 

His slightly stern but still soft, “Darling, what happened? Who did this?” made you squirm against the cushions while also making haste to explain before he got too upset. 

The worry on his features faded just a touch after, as he fussed over you, though you didn’t miss his slight eyebrow raise of surprise and intrigue when you said “pole dance”, reminding yourself to circle back around to that subject at a later date…you wanted to see how far that interest went. 

It’s just that he didn’t ever make you feel like these visits were a chore, that’s what you kept coming back to, remembering how his coat and cane were discarded to the side immediately so he could kneel down and take over icing your muscles, soothing hands kneading the stiffness from your calves, insisting that you start eating while he take care of you. 

How could you ever get over that? The gentleness with which he touched you? 

Wanting him felt like oxygen, just as normal as breathing and inevitable as falling asleep, his kisses tasting of hope and something sweet. Things felt different now that Alfred was in your life, the good kind of different, the exciting kind and it almost felt silly to be unsure if you could lean into this but the more you thought about it, the more clarity you came away with. 

There was a reason he spoke to you with such respect, his thoughtfulness about your feelings present in everything, and god the way he looked at you with so much fondness, how his expression could go from sweet to simmering in seconds, leaving you aching, feeling special and adored at every turn, it had to mean something. 

Lost in the web of your thoughts the chime of your phone’s alarm nearly startled you, the time letting you know you had to get ready for rehearsal, your focus now pulled in a different direction and you reasoned with yourself it was best not to overthink this if you could help it. 

The pattering of rain hitting the windows made you wish you could stay in instead, a daydream already forming about curling up with Alfred on the couch, snuggled under the blanket, napping together for the whole evening. 

Rushing out the door before traffic hit you couldn’t help but gaze out in the direction of Wayne Tower, wondering what he was up to, hoping his day was going okay and already counting down the hours until you could hear his voice again. 

Just across the city, staring out at the winking lights of traffic on the streets below, Alfred paced the floor of his study, his thoughts and emotions a tangled mess. 

He couldn’t remember the last time he felt this way, or felt this much about someone, realizing that he’d gotten swept up in it all, reality washing over him like ice now. 

The past week had been stressful to say the least, things were already busy with certain projects and due diligence with investors and financial advisors at Wayne Enterprises, now this fear toxin attack had taken center priority as well, he and Bruce already starting to work around the clock to get a handle on things. 

That meant there was less time available to be with you and even though it had only been a handful of days so far, and despite his frequent visits he still felt distant.

He missed you terribly when you weren’t around and it didn’t take much to see that his feelings for you were really entering serious territory. 

He should be happy about that, he knows he should be, but all there is for him in the moment is fear, because this could only ever end one way and he knows it.  

It was foolish to think he could have something proper with you, something not tainted by secrets that weren’t his to tell, tainted by a dangerous obligation he’d taken on to be at Bruce’s side in his mission as Batman.

That was an obligation he would never ever regret, all of it done out of love it’s just that most of his life had been spent with some proximity to danger and there had been many close calls.

Far too many tragedies had already happened he couldn’t let that become the case for you too. He wouldn’t allow it. 

You were too important to him already and he couldn’t drag you down into all this, especially not now with this Scarecrow figure coming out of the woodwork. 

It did hurt though, just the mere thought of ending things, his heart lurching painfully, not wanting to entertain the thought of letting you go for a single second.

A door he once thought was closed for good had opened the day you met and he let himself get close, captivated in every way, each time hoping it wouldn’t be the last time he would see you.

He was awestruck by how quickly you disarmed him, seeing him so clearly and the fact that you wanted him as well, that you wanted his attention?

He was helpless to do anything except be swept up, but now he had to understand he’d never be able to have that. 

It’d be alright, it would rip him open but this wasn’t the first time he’d chosen duty over feelings, he’d have to find comfort in knowing he had experienced this with you no matter how brief it was, already knowing he wouldn’t quite ever forgive himself for hurting you this way. 

“What’s wrong?” 

The question catches him by surprise as Bruce makes his entrance out of Alfred’s peripheral, still drying the rain from his hair. 

Perfect. Just in time for dinner. 

“Nothing, just working on some numbers in my head. How did it go?” 

His own question had been a deflection, one he’s not proud of but he just needed a second to get his bearings, to screw his head back on straight after thinking of you. 

“Went alright. They don’t have much to go on, Gordon says they’re trying to get a read on the chemical mixture in the gas but that could take awhile. I’m going back to the diner tonight, I have to try and find some clues, whatever I can get.” 

A rough hand passes over the scruff of his jaw as he considers the information, nodding after a moment. 

“I’ll be on standby if you find anything. I’ve been doing some digging myself, nothing concrete so far but there may be more security footage we haven’t seen that could identify him.” 

There's a moment after where it’s quiet, the two men moving around each other in comfortable silence before Bruce caves first, a light chuckle let loose, almost mixing with the downpour of the rain. 

If Alfred were any older he was sure he wouldn’t have heard it but he did, flicking one of his pointed looks at the young man. 

“Seriously, Alfred, what's wrong? Something’s on your mind.” 

He resisted the urge to brush it off or get defensive, softened at this offer to discuss, treasuring these moments of depth with Bruce whenever they came.

All he had to do was say your name and Bruce was nodding, his heart tugging at the sound of it, sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose before explaining further.

“I think I may have to end things. I-I’m worried about keeping her safe through this and ultimately she’s just better off. I’d have to lie to keep her from finding out, from getting involved and I don’t want to have to do that, it’s what’s best.” 

More silence, his heart sinking now that the words had been said out loud, the crushing reality setting in just a little more. 

“But you don’t want to let her go right? You do have feelings for her?” 

Alfred can sense the careful line of questioning, deciding to be truthful as vulnerable as it made him feel, nodding a yes. 

“I do, I have feelings for her.” 

“Good, I don’t think you should end things then.” 

Oh that wasn’t what he was expecting to hear.

“Bruce…it’s not as simple as that, she doesn’t know, she can’t know, that could put her at risk, you at risk, we don’t know when there could be another attack, I can’t let-“ but the words are falling short with a placating hand.

“Look I see the way she makes you feel and I don’t think you should let that go. I can’t let you do that actually, you shouldn’t have to sacrifice that, Alfred,” there’s a moment in between, a look that says he wants to say something else but finding the words is hard, “I never actually told you this but before Selina left town, I met up with her, saw her one last time. She wanted me to come with her and I-”

Alfred’s eyes widen for a moment, a sympathetic nod given as the sentence trailed off because he understood now what he always suspected but never pried about.

He figured Bruce had feelings of some kind for Miss Kyle but of course, his boy had chosen duty over feelings, just as he was contemplating doing himself. 

It was a clever way of calling him out on it he had to give him that. 

“I know you’re worried she’ll get hurt and I know you’re scared she won’t want anything to do with us when she finds out but I see how much you trust her, so I trust her and I think she’s safest close to us. You don’t have to lie to her, tell her just enough for now and we can keep her protected from it for as long as possible, you can tell her on your own terms.” 

His heart quickened, mulling it over, pacing again without realizing, struck by the sincerity in Bruce’s words.

The weight in telling him he didn’t need to make this sacrifice, carefully guiding a stubborn old man out of his head and setting him straight again, because the answer could be that simple for once even if everything else wasn’t. 

He’d be an even greater fool not to try just because it might be hard, knowing already that he’d regret not giving you every bit that he had to give out of fear and his own self doubt, so with a cautious nod he was agreeing, ribs loosening with a breath he felt like he’d been holding in for ages.

Nightfall was approaching now and Bruce had since snuck off after a little more discussion and a flat toned promise to eat dinner before going anywhere else, leaving Alfred sat at his desk with a newfound clarity to things. 

This made sense to him now, the swirl of thoughts racing through his brain. 

He knew how he felt about you and could admit he wanted to be with you, hands buzzing as he racked his mind for how to tell you, because it had been weeks now and he didn’t want to waste anymore time, he needed you to know he was serious and wanted a relationship and by god he hoped you felt the same. 

An idea came to mind on the tail end of his thoughts, Bruce’s earlier words echoing as he pulled out a few pages of his favorite writing paper, adjusting his glasses quickly before he picked up a pen and began writing.

The first snowfall in Gotham was just beginning to blanket the streets, snowflakes melting against the frosty windows while you got bundled up to go out on a date!

A small window of time opened up over the weekend and Alfred had taken the reins on it, telling you he wanted to take you out again, properly and his pick this time, promising to plan something he thinks you’d really enjoy.

You swear your heart skips when you see his sleek car pull up outside your apartment, feet already carrying you down the steps to meet him outside. 

“Hello, love. You look beautiful!” that smooth, accented voice causing your cheeks to burn despite the chill of the snow falling around you. 

Running into his arms he embraced you tight, pressing a chaste kiss to your temple before getting you tucked into the car.

“Thank you, same to you, handsome. I missed you.” your wistful sigh came softly as you put your seatbelt on, already trying to figure out where he was taking you. 

“I missed you too, more than you know. Ready?” His warm hands caressed your knee for a moment, squeezing as you gave him an answering nod. 

The car rumbled to life and you were off, the heat turned up comfortably while you slipped into an easy conversation that continued until he was pulling into a parking spot, one of the quieter downtown streets lit up and glittering through the window. 

“Are you treating me to pastries and hot chocolate right now? Is that the date because if so please say yes!” your excited shiver earned you a laugh when you step out, his cane in one hand and your own clasped around his arm, squeezing his bicep as you walked towards the sweet smelling cafe up ahead. 

“As many pastries as you’d like, darling…I also may have ordered us a special dessert ahead of time too.” his sheepish grin warming your heart. 

He was so impossibly sweet there were times where you wondered what you ever did to deserve him.

“Ooh that sounds fancy, are we celebrating something?” the innocent question hung opened ended as he got the door for you. 

“You could say that, yeah.” 

-

Later, foamy whipped cream lined the edge of your lips from sipping on the hot chocolate you’d taken to-go, Alfred kissing away the sugar quickly after even when you giggled out a protest against his lips.

Rounding the street together, it felt so nice to be this close and receiving his affection, holding hands as you walked.

You found it so cute how he checked to make sure no one was watching before he ducked down for another quick kiss.

Just as cute as when he sat next to you at the cafe, a reassuring hand resting over your thigh, absentmindedly playing with your fingers and the hem of your outfit while you indulged your sweet tooth.

That special dessert he ordered turning out to be one he used to love when he was younger, his wish in sharing it here to make a new memory of it with you.

Oh, he couldn’t be real.

That effortless charm was getting him everywhere and the delight didn’t seem to stop because now you were in front of a quaint, cozy looking bookstore, his arm already at the small of your back guiding you inside. 

The smell of ink and paper filled your nose, a homey feeling in your chest browsing over the shelves; your first bookstore date together.

You couldn’t have been more excited, glancing at Alfred every few seconds, all smiles and bright eyes pointing out familiar titles and old favorites, reading the descriptions of interesting looking novels together, a real and definite shift in the air. 

Something in the eye contact was different…heavier, a weight to it that made you feel short of breath.

Almost achingly so, your body was acutely aware of his closeness to you, the soft wrap of his hand over your waist, how his shoulder bumped into yours when you wandered over to the romance novel section, it made you feel like your chest was caving in, and you weren’t even afraid.

No, you were happy to let yourself collapse into the feeling.

The bookstore made you feel a little like you were in a romance novel yourself, faded patterned rugs draping the wood floors, soft fairy lights hanging above you and the rows of books and haphazard stacks laid out in armchairs all felt whimsical, romantic; perfect for two bookworms turned lovers.

“This is part two of my date plans, you know. Whatever books catch your eye, I’ll buy for you, my treat.

As if he didn’t aready have the key to your heart. 

“Even if the book is an erotic novel?” you beamed back at him, smiling at the one he’d picked up off the shelf you were peering at, recognizing the cover anywhere.

“Oh especially if it’s that.” 

“How crass, Mr. Pennyworth, I would have thought you to be more of a Shakespeare guy!” you joke and pluck the book from his hands, thumbing through a few pages.

“I most certainly am but I do have skills in other areas too, darling. It’s important to be a well rounded reader.” 

He says it with an edge to his voice that leaves you speechless, your brain lagging just a second behind as he leads you further into the store, a beeline made to the poetry section. 

-

A short while later and both of your arms were balancing a stack of books each, you trailing behind Alfred as he lead him you to a secluded spot in one of the reading corners in the store’s second level so now you were sitting side by side, musing over your book picks for each other. 

True to his words, he’d bought you all the books of your choosing along with some he’d gotten just for himself too; a photobook of the English countryside, another about hand to hand fighting and then a few books about chemical compounds finding their way into the mix too.

You didn’t know he had an interest in chemistry but didn’t question it, forgetting about it a moment later when he pulled out a book he found of different black burlesque dancers through history, a little gasp filling the quiet space when he told he got it as a gift for you.

As if you needed anymore reasons to fall for him further, all this was taking the cake.

- 

Hours had gone by, the two of you huddled together sharing stolen kisses in between the last sips of hot chocolate and the turning of pages, truly feeling like you were in a world apart with him, like whatever was happening out there in the world couldn’t touch you, at least not here. 

Heat tingled on your lips when you kissed him again, a little more soundly this time, showing him just how much you missed him. 

It had been too long.

Remembering that the last time you’d been intimate like this was the morning of the attack, part of you wishing you could be in his bed right now, spread out underneath him, taking him until you were making a mess of his sheets but the other part of you didn’t want to leave this moment in time with him, a whole different level of intensity to this all on it’s own.

You’d never felt so connected, so close in your life, so much unspoken sentiment in the way his larger hands were grasping your much smaller ones, holding them warmly before his forehead was pressing against yours.

“I have one more thing to give to you, sweetheart.” 

Your eyes fluttered open then, the gentleness in his whisper wrecking you, sitting patiently as he moved back a bit. Watching with bated breath, he fished an envelope out of the inside pocket of his coat and placed it in your hands, leaving the rest up to you. 

The way your heart was clammoring in your chest and your own anticipation kept you from noticing the nervous jitter of his hands, seconds feelings like minutes while you unfolded the paper, realizing he’d written on it, recognizing his handwriting right away.

With trembling hands you brushed your fingers over where he had written your name, words beginning to sink in as you read the letter addressed to you. 

My love, 

I fear there will never be enough words to describe how dear you are to me but I will try my best to write them all here. I’ve never felt so sure about someone before, about the way you make me feel and how vast those feelings are. The morning we met I had a feeling that there must have been a reason we crossed paths and now I know there was. You must know I couldn’t sleep that night, because all I could think about was if you were okay and if you had made it home safely. I just couldn’t get you out of my head and then there you were again at The Magpie wanting to talk to me and I knew then I was the luckiest man in the world.

Glancing up from the page you locked eyes with Alfred for just a moment, a perfect mirror of your feelings reflected in them. 

Never in a million years did I think I’d ever feel this way again but I do and I need you to know that being a man worthy of your affections is all that I want to be. You were meant to shine as brightly as you do, my darling, I never want you to feel as if you have to hide your talent or temper the big, wondrous ideas you have. They’re all I ever want to hear. You do in fact have my heart, love, as much of it as you want to take, it is yours. 

Tears welled along your lashes as you kept reading, everything in you softened by each line, your heart opening, hatching, blooming at his words, hearing how much he felt for you too. 

…things are less than ideal right now I know, and there are things you don’t know about me yet either, things in my past and certain things in the present that I want to tell you about but have to be careful of first, your safety is always a priority for me but I do plan to tell you in time. Darling, I know how I feel about you and I think and hope you feel the same about me. I cherish every second I get to spend with you, there’s so much I want to show you, so much I want to tell you and do with you by my side if you’ll have me. 

There was one more page left, filled with more words that made your stomach flip with butterflies, those tears threatening to fall because what he was saying was everything you had hoped for and then some.

And you think you understood what he meant about needing to be careful with certain secrets before he could speak about them, thinking on your own situation with Penguin—you still hadn't told Alfred those men where his that had been sent to follow you.

It was wonder how your heart was still inside your chest at this rate, a tear breaking free to fall down your cheek as you finished reading, lingering where he signed his name.

Yours always,

x Alfred. 

The letter lay in your lap as strong hands- no longer trembling- reached for you again, brushing the stray tear from your cheek. 

Your face was cupped so tenderly in his hands you almost started to cry for real, never knowing it could be like this, that you could be told and shown in so many ways that you were wanted and adored.

“I know we haven't really discussed this yet and so much has gotten in the way but I want to say it here and now, I would really love it if you wanted to be mine. Admittedly it has been some time since I’ve dated anyone and I am rusty, you’ll have to forgive me if this could have been better but I do want to be with you, I have all this time.” 

“Oh, Alfred. Yes, of course I want to be yours! I’d love nothing more. And shut up, this was a perfect way to tell me, you’re not rusty at all, old man.” 

You sniffled with a laugh, leaning in to press your forehead against his again, both of you sinking into the moment together, feeling tethered to one another now, connected in a way you hadn’t been before. 

Things had just gotten very real and for as much as you’d pondered and daydreamed of this moment, you didn’t feel an ounce of fear at the gravity of feelings before you.

Trusting in Alfred’s words, ones he’d actually taken the time to spell out to you on paper so you could keep the reminder of his devotion forever, the gesture easing any worry there might have been. 

Snow was still falling outside as you sat together for just a little while longer, Alfred pretending not to notice you sneaking giddy glances at him while you gazed over the letter one more time before stowing it safely away in your bag. 

Your hand finds his, fingers lacing together while you rest your head against his shoulder, closing your eyes contently for a moment when you feel his cheek press against you.

The odds still seemed grim, the whole city on edge with so much uncertainty left on the horizon, cause enough for isolation and the walls around people’s hearts to come up but not here, not with you and Alfred.

You felt stronger for it, having faith that whatever was coming your way in the time ahead, you’d have him by your side and that gave you all the hope in the world.

---

A/N: Soo they finally got their moment! I actually began this chapter with the ending of it in mind already, I was listening to the chapter title song in the playlist and was like oh this is where it would play, this is the moment where he admits his feelings and asks her to be his girl

There were times where writing this chapter was such a challenge but also really exciting and wholesome too! Hope it gives you all the feels it gave me and I'm giving kisses to those who pick up on all the little details in this too, thank you so much for your patience while I write this series and for all the love!

(dividers used are by the wonderful @saradika 💫 )

Let me know what you think!! Thank you for reading as always!

some tags, no pressure! @eupheme @squidlywiddly87 @the-eyes-of-andyserkis @tarabyte3 @tarrenterror25 @ozarkthedog @peachyteabuck @unrefinedmusings @aislupu @mariahthelioness29 @flamingdisputes @ayoarticulate @fluffyprettykitty @kneelforloki @allaboardthereadingrailroad @xoxovivarecs

[blainesebastian]

date night (ccg universe)

words: 3,181 ship: austin butler x reader summary: (3 combined requests) “ @aloversblog requested: luci has a panic attack for the first time and austin calms her down + @aust1nbutlersgirl requested ccg and austin’s first date after having luci + anon requested Austin and reader come home exhausted and unwind by giving each other a custom massage” warnings: none notes: i am back from disney and v sleepy slkdjf but it was so worth it! thanks to anyone who reads, comments, reblogs or likes :) much appreciated!  tag list: @killerqueenfan, @karamelcoveredolicity, @elizabethrosecresswell, @gigisworldsstuff, @stylespresleyhearted

It feels like it’s been a long time since you and Austin had a proper date even though you know that’s not the case. There’s a lot of playing catch up—not just with jobs, passions, your body being yours again, or alone time, but what normalcy looks like now. It’s not that you’ve been thinking about how to take a break from Luci, from being parents, but…carving out space to be with your husband will only strengthen your bond as parents. To be honest, you’re not sure why you hadn’t thought about it sooner. You suppose you wake up busy, there’s barely a moment to settle let alone plan an entire date.

It ends up being Austin’s idea.

You’ve just gotten out of the shower, a large towel wrapped around your body as you comb out your hair and the bathroom door opens. Before you can even turn to look over your shoulder, you feel Austin come up behind you and wrap his arms around your waist.

A soft laugh leaves your lips, a gentle squirming of heat in your chest and sinking between your legs when his nose and lips dip into your neck. He breathes you in before placing a kiss on the pulse of your throat,

“I love the smell of your skin when you just get out of the shower,” He whispers and it’s ridiculous how easy he can make your heart skip beats like that.

“We are not foolin’ around when I’m clean, Austin.”

He smirks and places another kiss on your shoulder before shaking his head, “I’m offended that you think I’m only after one thing.”

You roll your eyes and laugh when he attempts to take down your towel. You turn in his arms and playfully smack his shoulder with the brush in your hand, “Predictable.”

Austin leans down and nips at your bottom lip with his own, “Can’t help it, I miss you.”

And you do understand what he means—you miss him like that too, having time for intimacy, time just made for one another, the feeling of his skin on yours, sounds from his mouth fluttering along your skin, the way his fingers would curl against and inside of you. But not just sex, either, the love language of spending time and having him near.

You reach your hand up to cup his cheek, running your thumb along his cheekbone before you lean up on your toes and kiss him. He hums and picks you up, setting you on the sink counter and slipping between your legs. Your hands move under his shirt and skate your nails down his back, keeping him close, heat pulsing insistently lower and lower. So much for that shower—

And then Luci starts crying.

The moan that leaves your lips turns into a groan, your forehead moving to rest on his shoulder. Austin lets out a short breath, looking over his shoulder at the bathroom door—she’s definitely wailing, maybe a nightmare?

“I’ll get her,” Austin squeezes you, hesitates, not wanting to pull away. You completely understand that feeling. He rights himself, his cheeks a bit flushed, eyes dark as he runs a hand through his hair. “We’re goin’ on a date.” He declares and you raise your eyebrows as he begins to back up out of the bathroom, “I’m serious, a date.”

You let out a light laugh, sliding off the counter. “Alright.”

It takes a few moments to calm yourself down, get your heartrate to stop pounding in your ears, but once you towel dry your hair and pull on some clothes, you feel a bit better. Less like your legs are completely made of jello. Turning the light off in the bathroom, you wander down the hallway to where Luci’s bedroom is, leaning against the doorframe as you watch Austin sit on her bed.

He tugs the covers back and picks her up into his arms, “Shh,” He whispers, “Hey, it’s okay, you’re okay.” Austin soothes, moving her hair away from sticking to her wet cheeks or her forehead. You wince lightly at the sounds coming out of her mouth—whatever she’d been dreaming about obviously scared her.

Though, to be fair, this is the same girl who watches dinosaur videos and kinda likes the idea of aliens and ghosts, so, she’s much tougher than she seems.

“Someone have a nightmare?” You ask, coming in to her room and turning on her nightlight, a small multi-colored lamp on her nightstand that projects pretty pastel colors onto her ceiling. She hasn’t been using it lately, but maybe it’ll help.

“Monsta.” Luci cries, hiccupping as she rests her head on Austin’s shoulder. She’s got a firm grip on his shirt as he keeps her close to him, gently rocking her back and forth.

“There are no monsters, baby, I promise.” He croons, brushing a kiss over her forehead.

Luci does not seem overly convinced, pointing at her closet. You smile a little and move to open up the door, turning on the light. You move some clothes around and motion to her that everything is fine.

“Nothing here.”

“See?” Austin whispers, pressing a kiss to one of her cheeks.

“Bed,” She murmurs, sniffling. She uses one of her hands to wipe her face even though it doesn’t do much. You know that she’s rather distressed by this whole nightmare thing but…she’s kinda cute with her hair a staticky mess, cheeks flushed, in her dino pajamas against Austin’s chest as they try to figure out this whole monster business.

“Under the bed?” Austin asks and you hum lightly, moving towards her bed and kneeling on the floor. You make a very big deal at pulling the covers up and looking underneath.

“No monsters, just some dust bunnies and—” You pull her black dino stuffed animal out from where it fell near the one bedframe leg, it must have tumbled off when she was having her nightmare. “Found a friend of yours. Did you lose him?”

You have the dino kiss her nose and that seems to get her to relax, even giggle as she playfully pushes him away from her face.

There’s a sense of relief that settles on Austin’s shoulders that Luci is no longer upset and both of you tuck her back into bed. Austin lays her down and you put her dino stuffed animal back into her arms. She squeezes it and when her dad pulls the blankets up to her chin, she leans up and gives him a big kiss on his cheek.

“Wow, thank you.” He grins.

“Hey, you got one for me?” You pout from your spot still on the floor and Luci giggles before giving you one too.

You smirk, blowing a raspberry against her neck that makes her laugh before standing with your husband. She seems in much better spirits and leaves the timer on for her nightlight in hopes that it’ll help her fall asleep a bit faster.

“Night baby,” Austin says, slipping his hand into yours as he turns off the bedroom light, both of you stepping into the hallway.

You take in a long breath, moving to the bedroom with him again, your fingers laced like it’s the easiest thing in the world, and maybe it is. You plop yourself onto the bed, allowing him to pull away so he can take off the jeans he has on,

“You know, as someone who’s seen a lot of horror movies, we should probably take her whole ‘monster under the bed’ thing more seriously.”

Austin laughs, mostly air leaving his nose, “Don’t even start.”

You grin, your eyes grazing over his body. No matter how long you’ve been together, this is a sight you never get used to or tired of seeing. You’re particularly fond of the freckles that spackle the tops of his shoulders and his cheekbones, especially after he’s been out in the sun. The wide curls in his hair near his forehead, the shape of his mouth, the delicate silver chain he always has on.

“Did you mean what you said?” You ask, raising your eyebrows when he looks over at you. “About the date thing?”

He smiles a little, wandering over to the bed. Austin reaches out and brushes some hair around your ear, “Course. Just you and me—we’ll get a babysitter for Luci, see if Jillian’s available.”

And you kind of hold your breath because…it’s a great idea, selfish for sure, but you find that you’re trying to convince yourself for a moment. Austin must sense your hesitation, trailing his thumb along your cheekbone, a silent conversation of it’s okay.

Then, “I still know how to wine and dine you; you know.” He points out, making you laugh.

Austin slips between your legs, gently pushing you to lie back on the bed as his own body molds on top of yours, finishing that kiss you started earlier. Austin knowing exactly what you need, that, for sure, you have no doubt.

--

It’s no problem for Jillian to watch Luci, she accepts before you can even get the full question out. It’s a relief because…despite being away from your daughter before, it’s a weird sensation of worry of leaving her to be with Austin. Even though there’s absolutely nothing to worry about? Regardless, the feelings are mostly quelled with having Jillian being the one watching her.

The last thing you want is for your husband to think that you don’t desire this whole date thing, because you do, it’s just…figuring out how it all fits into your new normal.

The beginning of the night is a bit rough, admittedly, you’re tense and stuck in your thoughts. When dinner ends, Austin playfully takes your shoulders and massages them,

“You’re gonna get wrinkles if you keep scowlin’ like that.”

And he makes you laugh and eventually, you begin to melt into his company. Everything’s fine—Luci is safe, having fun with her aunt Jillian, there are no SOS texts and you get the whole night with your husband, time sometimes that is never guaranteed with how busy you both can get.

Once you head to a familiar bar for a drink and you have not one shot, but two, you’ve definitely loosened up. There’s longevity to this date, plenty of the night to string out to get a tiny bit drunk—then again, Austin’s always held his alcohol a little better than you, so you might be the only one getting tipsy.

You’re leaning against the bar, facing Austin, his one arm resting on the bar top while the other remains on your waist. A soft laugh leaves your lips as one hand comes up and covers your face,

“God, how am I already kinda drunk?”

Austin tugs the hand away, grinning, brushing a kiss over your forehead, “Because you’re havin’ fun. Not a crime, you know.”

And you suppose that’s true. You’ve both done what’s responsible—Luci’s with Jillian and you took the subway here so there’d be no worries about driving. Though at this point one of your main concerns is falling asleep on the subway…you suppose there are worse things.

“You think Luci misses us?”

Austin shakes his head, a smile tugging the corners of his mouth, “Last time I checked she was bakin’ a cake with aunt Jillian, so, m’gonna go with a resounding no.”

There’s a soft pout on your lips, “She better leave us some to eat, that sounds amazing right now.”

Austin hums and playfully grasps your chin with his fingers, drawing you into a slow kiss. It never fails to send heat circulating right through your body, like ivy reaching out, coiling, settling. You lean up into the kiss just when he begins to pull away and you don’t give a shit about PDA or whether anyone is actually paying attention to the two of you—it feels too good being pressed up against him, one of your hands brushing underneath his shirt to trace the skin of his lower back.

You two only pull back to breathe, nuzzling your noses in a soft bunny kiss.

A popular pop song comes over the speakers and despite that this is not a dancing bar, a handful of people are swaying to the rhythm of the music where its free of tables. Your eyes light up, squeezing Austin’s hand because you definitely need to move to this.

“You don’t have to come,” You tell him, knowing that while he’s danced plenty of times (especially for a so-called-role) he doesn’t always enjoy doing it.

But he’s walking with you, shifting away from his spot at the bar, “And let someone sweep you up while you’re out here? Not happenin’.”

Austin lifts your shared hands in the air and playfully twirls you, a soft laugh leaving your lips before you end up against his body. Your arms wind around his shoulders as you both dance to the thrumming beats pushing throughout the bar.

There’s one more shared drink and another round of dancing before heading home for the night, snuggling close to Austin on the subway and almost falling asleep (you definitely know yourself). You’re not as tipsy as you were before when you walk through the door, though everything is still very much rose-colored, and you’re exhausted. You sway a bit on your feet by the front door to take your shoes off, holding onto Austin’s arm to stable yourself.

Jillian tells you both that Luci was an angel (which means she was probably a little gremlin, but aunt Jillian knows exactly how to handle that) and that there’s leftover cake on the kitchen counter (score). You definitely owe her a thank you lunch or something, even though you know she’d do it again in a heartbeat. Luci’s obviously asleep but as you grab the leftover cake and two forks, Austin checks on her before closing her bedroom door until there’s a smidge left open.

He follows you into the bedroom, doing the same thing with your door as you sit down on the edge of the bed. You hum, taking a bite of the cake,

“Just as I suspected,” You lick your lips, “Chocolate.”

Austin smiles, moving to you to wipe icing off the corner of your mouth with his thumb before leaning down to kiss you. Then, out of habit, he cups both of your cheeks and drags his thumbs along your cheekbones after pulling back.

“You had a good night, right?”

You set the cake aside on the nightstand before nodding, dipping your chin into his hand and pressing a kiss to his palm, “The best.” You pull your head back to yawn, finally standing from the bed to take your clothes off. You hold onto Austin’s arm to steady yourself again before you strip down to your underwear, swapping out a bra for a sports one.

You haphazardly take your makeup off in the bedroom before ending back up in bed, covers half pulled back as Austin changes clothes. You watch him, because how can you not, a small smile tugging the corners of your mouth as he crawls over your body to lay beside you.

You press your face into the pillow, lying on your stomach, letting out a long sigh as he draws his hand along your shoulders, “Tired baby?”

You hum before nodding, closing your eyes, “You wouldn’t be givin’ out any massages tonight, would you?”

He smirks lightly, quiet for a moment before he makes a noise in confirmation, “Yeah, but it’ll cost you.”

When you open up your eyes, he’s tapping his cheek and you grin as you lean back to press a kiss there before getting comfortable on your stomach again, drawing the pillow underneath you with your arms.

There’s always been something about Austin’s hands, the way he’s able to use them. His fingers move across your shoulders and begin working stiff and sore muscles.

It only takes a few minutes for you to realize you're completely unmatched against Austin's touch, the way he's able to take you apart, melting underneath him. You feel him lean down to press a kiss to the back of your shoulders, his hands trailing up and down your spine, working along your sides. You squirm just a little, a soft laugh leaving your lips,

"Ticklish."

Austin hums knowingly, moving his fingers to press into the muscles in the back of your neck. There seems to be a lot of firmness lingering there, tenseness. A comfortable sigh empties from your chest and maybe this was a completely bad idea because you're not even gonna be able to pay back the favor.

"You're puttin' me right to sleep." You mumble.

You can feel Austin smile, settling half of his body on top of yours. His arms rest along the ones you've got around the pillow and he buries his face into your neck, breathing you in. Seems like that's his exact intention.

--

The next thing you know it, your eyes are fluttering open to sun pouring in through the curtains...which you find super offensive because you've got a pounding headache centering from your ears? Somehow. It's doing this pulsing from your eardrums and pooling behind your eyelids and—

"Oh my god," You mumble, turning in bed to face Austin and press your face into his neck to hide.

Your husband shifts in his sleep, slowly waking up, his hand moving to brush through your hair and keep your close. He stretches his legs out, yawning, but both of you doze in and out until a handful of hours later your bedroom door is opened.

Luci makes her way inside, using the small steps at the end of the bed to crawl up onto the mattress...then ever-so-gracefully plops herself in-between your and Austin's bodies. You feel yourself start, your heartbeat pounding in your ears and even though you kinda feel like death, you can't help but smile as Luci begins to giggle.

"Oh you think that's funny?" You ask her, Austin rolling onto his back and blinking sleepily. Cute. You quickly scoop her into your arms and tug her under the covers, her laughter echoing against the walls of the bedroom, "C'mere you little gremlin."

Austin reaches for the covers and pulls the sheets over everyone's heads, creating a cocoon of warmth, Luci snuggling down between their bodies.

"Did you have fun last night with Aunt Jillian?" Austin asks, threading his fingers through her staticky hair.

She nods, then, "Want pantates."

"Pancakes?" Austin raises his eyebrows, "Full of demands this morning."

You can’t help but laugh as Luci recounts the entire night for both of you, not skipping on any little detail…definitely going to be held up in this bed for a while. Austin lazily drags his hand over to yours, lacing fingers as he listens to your daughter.

The date night was simple but everything you could have asked for—makes waking up on mornings like this, the three of you tucked under the covers and sharing stories, even more special.

[futureslaps]

The Captive - Chapter 28

Chapter 27     Chapter 29

Finally done! I’ve been Uber-busy with various personal stuff the last week, but I managed to get this writing done when I had time. Thanks to everyone being patient in advance!

Enjoy 💙

Kiri knew something was wrong the moment she woke up. The world seemed peaceful, with a warm breeze blowing across the skin she hadn’t covered with a blanket. The ocean lapped at the tree’s roots quietly. Everything seemed fine, but something was missing.

Spider wasn’t next to her.

Kiri opened her eyes the moment she realized it, any sleepiness quickly leaving her as she sat up, instinctively looking through the early light around for the boy.

Could she have somehow missed him completely? Had Spider arrived after she’d fallen asleep, and then woken up before her? She turned to the blankets she’d brought him, but to her dismay, they were in the same place she’d put them. A thin layer of dew on the top confirmed they hadn’t been touched.

Kiri felt a pit forming in her stomach.

Had Spider seen her sleeping next to where he would be, and walked away? Was he still uncomfortable around her?

Spider had seemed…better after she’d talked to him yesterday with her father. Had she missed something…?

Quickly, she jumped down from the sleeping spot, already trying to think of how she could apologize to Spider.

But first, she had to find him.

As Alpha Centauri slowly crept higher, she began to walk through the Metkayina village. Although her mind was fixed on finding her brother, she couldn’t help but notice the way the Metkayina were behaving. Usually, at such an early hour few of them would had stirred, but the village already seemed wide awake. Many of the adults were speaking quietly in groups, serious expressions on their faces.

Something to ask about later…

Kiri kept her eyes peeled, looking for any sign of Spider. As she neared the edge of the village, she did spot a familiar figure in the distance, seated on the edge of a pad. But it wasn’t Spider. It was her dad.

Kiri smiled a little in relief. He could help her find Spider. Maybe he’d even seen the boy if he was already awake.

She approached her father from the side, still trying to think of where Spider could be. Finally, when she was close enough not to need to yell, she called out to him.

“Hey, dad! Have…you…”

Kiri lost her voice as Jake turned to face her, and she got a look at him up close. He was covered in blood, especially around his hands. Multiple deep cuts crossed her dad’s arms, and chest, with one even going up the side of his face. She was silent for a moment, shocked by the sight before her.

Jake looked back at her with eyes red from exhaustion, but his expression looked almost…fearful.

“Dad…what…?” Kiri finally managed to muster the word, unsure of what else to even say.

“There was a…fight.” Jake spoke quietly, mumbling the words like he was embarrassed to say then. “A fight with Quaritch.”

Kiri was stunned.

“But how…?”

Jake predicted the question, and answered before Kiri could finish.

“He got out. Somehow, he got out.” When he saw Kiri’s shocked expression, Jake added “Don’t worry, he’s back in captivity. We’re safe.”

Kiri was quiet again, trying to process the new information.

Quaritch escaped.

And, judging from the serious wounds her dad had sustained, he had been armed.

But he had been recaptured. He had failed.

So why did her dad look so sullen?

Thinking about the possibilities, Kiri recalled her own secret conversation with Quaritch. It felt like ages ago, but she still remembered it clearly.

He means the world to me.

Quaritch had made it clear he would do anything to protect Spider, much to Kiri’s shock. He’d even tried to take the blame for Spider visiting him, knowing it could cause his death if it got out.

Anything…

“Dad?” Kiri spoke shakily, the sinking feeling she’d felt all morning growing deeper. “Where’s Spider?”

Her father closed his eyes when she asked the question and held his head in his hands.

Kiri’s heart sank yet lower. She could feel the tears forming in her eyes, but she repeated the question.

“Where…where is he? Is he okay?”

Jake took a deep breath, then finally answered, almost choking out the words.

“He’s … hurt.”

Kiri’s heart began to beat faster.

“Hurt? What do you mean? How?”

“He’s in the infirmary.” Jake replied, looking down.

Without waiting to see if her dad said anything more, Kiri raced for the large Marui that housed those with the most serious injuries.

Please let it be okay.

Please let it be okay.

Eywa please…

She finally crossed the threshold into the building, and quickly spotted Ronal hunched over a patient. A sky-person arm with blue stripes hung off the side of the table…

“Spider!” Kiri couldn’t help but call out loud, but she saw no movement, and heard no response, she quickly covered the distance to Spider’s side. Ronal turned to her, attempting to stop her.

“Be careful, this is not…”

Kiri ignored whatever the Tsahik had said, her panic suddenly overwhelming her. Finally, she pushed past Ronal, and saw Spider. She gasped at the sight.

Spider’s once-tan skin was pale. He was unconscious, lying limply on the bedroll. And, worst of all, his right shoulder was covered with thick bandages all around. But, even though the dark, fibrous covering, she could see the way his right arm was laying, no…hanging…wrong. And his shoulder. The shape…

Kiri let out a cry of horror.  

How could…

What…

Seeing Spider’s condition, Kiri couldn’t hold the tears back, and they came out in a stream. She started letting out sobs as she fell to her knees next to the boy’s unconscious figure. Her entire world seemed to fade into darkness, consumed by the sudden grief. She had felt the same way with Neteyam, but the pain was still unimaginable.

She should have been there. Whatever happened, she should have stopped it. She knew she could have talked to Spider, talked to her father, even talked to Quaritch. Maybe if she had, then…

“S…Spider…” Kiri croaked . “I’m…so…s-s-sorry…”

She pressed her face into the bedroll, muffling her sobs.

Kiri couldn’t tell how much time had passed, but eventually she heard someone approaching across the infirmary. A hand was laid on her shoulder.

“Kiri…I’m sorry.”

Kiri tried to stifle her crying for a bit, lifting her now tear-stained face to look up at her father.

“What…happened…?”

“He lost a lot of blood.” Jake explained, trying to sound as gentle as possible despite the subject. “and his shoulder’s…hurt. It’s hurt bad. Shattered.”

“Can it be fixed?” Kiri dared to ask the question, and the look on her dad’s face told her the answer.

“It…it doesn’t look like we can. We’re probably going to have to amputate…”

“What about Norm?” Kiri asked quickly.

“Already called him.” Jake explained. “He said he’ll take a look at it, but…it’s bad.”

“You can’t take Spider’s arm. You can’t.” Kiri pleaded. “How would he climb…shoot a bow…swim…”

“We’ll do everything we can, I promise.” Jake cupped Kiri’s face with a hand as he spoke, gently wiping away some tears. “Whatever is best for Spider, that’s what we will do. Sometimes, that choice might be tough, but we have to do the right thing.”

Kiri nodded slowly, although tears still rolled down her cheeks. She turned to look at Spider again, laying a hand on his chest. Father and daughter stood in silence for a moment, the sounds of their breaths the only audible noise.

“How?”

The sudden bluntness of Kiri’s question took Jake aback. When he didn’t respond, Kiri spoke again.

“What happened? How could he get hurt like this?”

Jake stared at his feet when the question was asked, taking a shaky breath.

“Dad?”

“It’s like I said...Quaritch…there was a fight…”

Another shaky breath.

“Spider was there…and…” Jake hesitated, but after a few seconds, he let the truth out.

“He got hit by an arrow.”

Kiri looked back to her father.

An arrow?

How could it be an arrow? The Metkayina didn’t use arrows, and her father had clearly been fighting hand to hand, judging from the cuts. That would mean…

Kiri’s eyes narrowed.

“Who’s arrow?”

No answer.

“Who’s arrow was it dad?”

Her father didn’t look up at her, failing to meet her eyes as he remained silent, his ears lowered in clear shame. It was all Kiri needed to know.

“It was mom, wasn’t it?”

Jake again didn’t answer, only making the sudden rage Kiri was feeling flare even more.

“How...how could she?” She started to raise her voice.

“It was a mistake.” Jake responded quietly, the pain in his own voice evident. But the excuse only made Kiri grow angrier.

“A mistake?” She repeated it sarcastically. “She tried to kill Spider by mistake?”

“Kiri…it wasn’t like that. Your mom would never…”

“She just did! Stop defending her!” Kiri interrupted. “She tried to kill him on the ship, and now here!”

“She was trying to kill Quaritch!” Jake tried to explain, raising his voice.

“And she didn’t care if she hit Spider!”

“We had to stop Quaritch, he was trying to kidnap Spider. We needed to…”

“THEN I WISH HE SUCCEEDED!”

Jake grew silent at the words Kiri yelled. He faced his daughter, half shocked, half devastated. Kiri stared back at him, tears running down her face. But her eyes were hard. After a moment of silence, she continued.

“I wish Quaritch could have taken Spider far away from here! Far away from the people who want to MURDER him! ” The words were half yelled, half choked. It was painful to say, but she couldn’t hide her true thoughts.

“Kiri, it’s not…I…” Jake stumbled over his words, still too shocked to properly respond.

“Stop…just…sto…” Kiri’s sentence was interrupted by another sob as everything started to sink in. The sense of betrayal, and devastation were overwhelming. She fell to her knees next to Spider again, this time making no effort to stifle the loud, body-shaking sobs. She was too hurt to care.

Behind her, Jake watched in silence, his own eyes moist. He wanted to say something, but he knew nothing could make things better this time.

(…)

Quaritch tried to adjust the position he was in, growling quietly as every injury on his body seemed to flare up in pain with the effort. But the binds were strong, and he was kept in the same upright position against the post, hands and legs tied together so tight they almost cut off circulation.

Finally, he gave up, taking a few deep breathes as the razor-sharp pain he was feeling slowly faded into a constant, painful throbbing.

It hurt like hell, but it was nothing compared to the other pain he was feeling. The one that had started the moment an arrow 7 feet long hit his son right in front of him. The sight had hurt him so much, he might as well have been hit by the arrow himself, directly in his heart.

When it happened, he’d been angry. He’d been shocked. But, more than anything else, Quaritch had been afraid.

It was a new feeling for him. Quaritch had dealt with injuries before. He’d been injured himself countless times during his years of being a soldier, and he couldn’t even imagine the number of people he’d seen take all manner of hits. But nothing compared to the way he felt when he saw Spider hit. The sight of his son’s bloodcovering his hands had made Quaritch feel sick. In a way nothing else ever had.

For that moment, nothing else had mattered. The moment he was sure Sully was trying to help Spider, Quaritch hadn’t hesitated to turn his full attention to his son. He had completely let his guard down. Any notion of trying to fight, or of trying to hide how much he cared had gone out the window.  

It hadn’t been until he’d handed Spider off to the natives’ healer that the events of the night had actually started to sink in.

Sully knew.

Not only had Sully caught him with Spider, but his enemy had seen the way he reacted when Spider was hurt.

And, for some reason, he was still alive.

Once Spider was out of his hands, and he’d been dragged off, surrounded by warriors, Quaritch had started making peace with the fact that he was about to die. But Sully had kept him alive. Was the man really that committed to going through with his so-called “trial”?

Quaritch scoffed quietly, and started to take in his surroundings, clearer now that it was morning. He was out in the open now, tied tightly to a post. There was no chance of escape this time. He couldn’t even move his hands.

At least I have fresh air. He thought bitterly.

As he scanned his surroundings, his mind went back to Spider. The last time he’d seen his son, he’d still been unconscious. Pale and weak. Quaritch was by no means an expert in treating injuries, but he knew his son had come very close to death.

Was he still unconscious? Was he okay?

Was Spider calling for him right now? The way he had when Sully had dragged him away?

The thought renewed the tight feeling in Quaritch’s chest. Now more than ever, he wanted to be by his son’s side. But he couldn’t.

He’d probably never see Spider again.

For now, all he could do was hope Spider could pull through, and that Sully wouldn’t react to badly to everything.

The recom tried to relax in his binds, letting his exhaustion overcome him. As he fell asleep, he thought of Spider. He tried to think of their time together, before the battle, but the image of Spider being carried away, pale and unconscious was frozen in his mind.

If only he could talk to Spider and know he’s alright. See him alive and well. Just one more time.  

Will Jake ever truly come to his senses?

Thanks for reading!

Taglist: @yesthisismycurrenthyperfixation, @onlyreadz @drinking-tea-and-be-obsessed, @buzzing-honeybee, @babyymeme

[aislingsurrow]

Aisling Surrow, Seer and Spellworker

Always looking for roleplay and friends! Please, message me!

As the Warrior of Light

From the great island of Vylbrand, Aisling was born on the day that would become the Calamity. That day left Eorzea, Limsa Lominsa, her home of Aleport, the Source, and her own soul irrevocably changed.

Aisling always had feelings and dreams, fluttering certainty. After the Calamity, those vague shapes and ideas solidified into vivid visions- dreadful knowledge- and sights of times and places she should've been unable to see. Her visions predicted a catastrophe in Aleport- though she only realized it after the fact. Seeing her failure- and her own potential- she set out for Limsa Lominsa, for the Arcanists’ Guild. She sought to learn more about her ever-present ability- and to make use of it to help and protect.

And I think you know the rest...

As a Roleplay Character

Aisling is an innkeeper's daughter- living in Aleport with her mother and father, Cecelia and Edvard Surrow. Plagued with feelings, dreams, and visions, she has been studying to try to control and understand them. Arcanism from the Arcanists’ Guild in Limsa Lominsa, as well as (secretly) Astromancy from an expatriate of the Sharlayn colony on Eorzea.

Thanks to her family's inn (The Sleepy Surrow Burrow, the best place to rest your head and heart in Aleport!) Aisling is able to travel across Eorzea, the world, and help do business for her family. She connects with vendors and merchants, scholars and priests, warriors and more. You'd be surprised who shows up at the Burrow.

Hooks

Do you want to play with Aisling? Here are some ways they might connect-

Are you a traveler? Have you stopped in Aleport? Perhaps you spent the night at the Sleepy Surrow Burrow and met the strange, dreamy daughter of the proprietors...

Arr, mateys! Aisling's father was a member of the Kraken's Arms, and only finally settled into an innkeeper's life when Admiral Merlwyb outlawed piracy. Are you a pirate? Tied to Limsa Lominsa? You may know Edvard Surrow and his daughter...

Potent magics circle around Aisling. Her visions grow increasingly vivid and clear with every day, especially as she connects more strongly to the stars above. Are you a magic worker? Do you seek the strange and unusual? You may come across a Lalafell woman who has been touched by fate...

About The Roleplayer

Age: 30 From: The US Timezone: EST Looking for: Friends and fun, chill vibes, ease, creativity and eagerness, roleplay both in-game and out of game

Some Notes

Aisling is (at least) 26 years old, and therefore an adult. I won't post any NSFW pictures, but please be aware I will be making references to Aisling being an adult woman who fucks.

I'm aware there can be contention around how to treat Lalafell in roleplay, and that makes me quite sad! So I won't go near it. If you are unable to engage with a Lalafell character as an adult person, we won't be good roleplay partners.

Link to the Basics of Aisling Surrow!

[this-is-krikkit]

Hey Sunshine 💜💜💜

As I didn't annoy you yet today, I'm here to:

1/ remind you that I exist & I can be a pain in the ass in case you forgot 😈

2/ request 13 "Don't move" for the Drabble Prompts post 📝

3/ send you a hug 🫂

See ya!

Mwah 😘

VV !! 😏😉 thank you for the request 🤗

1/ i can't forget that you exist, i love you too much for that ♥️♥️ and you're never annoying 😘

2/ i technically don't have to honor that promise since my choice lost, but i couldn't resist writing it down anyway… and I'd already used that line before you even sent in the ask, so it feels like the stars were aligned for me to post whatever the f this is!!

3/ hugging you right back ♥️🥰 and i really hope you like this!!

send me prompts and i'll write a drabble

lingua (ao3 link)

Tags: modern au, nsfw, nsfw use of piercings, afab levi ackerman, amab hange zoë, t4t, trans levihan, don't like don't read, he/him pronouns for Levi, she/her pronouns for Hange, porn with feelings, don't do this at home (no really don't you're supposed to wait longer)

.

"Hey, pretty boy," Hange singsongs under her breath when she enters Levi's studio, the entire one room apartment bathed in a gorgeous sunset orange at this late hour of the day.

As she predicted, he's still out cold from his previous night shift as a nurse, and she hesitates as she closes the door as quietly as possible. It's hard not to feel guilty at the thought of waking him up, but she's got two major excuses she thinks will make it worth it.

The first one is silly, idiotic even, and if Levi doesn't approve, will turn into a total disaster of a surprise.

The second is slightly embarrassing. Hange's historical thesis has been keeping her way too busy lately, and both money and the ER team schedule have been so tight that Levi has needed to work double the usual amount of additional hours, which resulted in them not seeing each other for over a couple of weeks now. And okay, she's got that other trivial mission in mind for tonight, but if she's being honest, this kind of a gap between shared moments simply isn't something she can stand for a day longer. It has been eating away at her for a solid week now, and she realized today that she just missed him to fucking much not to cut her afternoon studying session short, promising herself to start earlier tomorrow morning, and sneak into Levi's apartment –using the key he'd pretended to have forgotten at her place, barely two months into their still blossoming relationship.

She takes off her shoes and jacket, throwing them on his beloved worn out leather chair in the corner of the room, easily dismissing the twinge of worry she'd felt about the earful she's definitely going to get for that later, before she goes to lie down next to him on his sofa bed. She lightly brushes the longest strands of his hair away from his eyes and looks down at his gorgeous, peacefully sleeping face, unable to resist kissing him lightly on the nose and chuckling when it crinkles in reply.

"The fuck you doing here, Four-eyes?" he asks without opening his eyes, voice barely audible through its sleepy grogginess.

He sounds as angry and grumpy as he always would to a stranger's ear, but his arms wrap around her body and drag her on top of him anyway, his hands traveling up and down her back and lightly scratching along her spine like he knows she loves.

"Couldn't stand to be cooped up in my cave like a hermit anymore, so I decided to escape and come see my boyfriend," she replies, only pecking his lips once before sliding down to kiss her way to his neck.

She pauses there, inhaling his usual comforting scent and losing herself in the enticing warm drowsiness he's cocooned into and almost deciding to fall asleep here and there -when did she sleep last, again, anyway? she can't recall- but she's got something to do, so she tears herself away from this heavenly spot and drops kisses downards until she reaches the years old scars on his chest.

"Tch, I was sleeping. So annoying," Levi complains, even as his hips immediately roll and start seeking friction against Hange's body.

But she's got a plan, a serious plan to surprise him with that new piercing she's so psyched over, and not even her growing arousal will deter her from it, she mentally scolds herself -no matter how uncomfortable her jeans are starting to feel and how much parts of her are begging her to respond to his movements right now.

"Is this annoying?" she asks, wrapping her lips around one of his nipple and only letting the tip of her tongue wet it, before moving to play with the other one the exact same way.

"Yes, it is," Levi speaks up, sounding much more awake now, glaring down at her. "You know how much I hate it when you tease.”

Hange's brain comes up with a dozen counterexamples to that statement, but she lets it slide.

"Relax, babe," she chuckles, leaving another trail of kisses down his belly, "I've got a surprise for you."

She hooks her fingers in his underwear's elastic and slides it down his legs when he obediently lifts his hips up to help her out. She takes a moment to allow her hands to roam back up his limbs, marveling at the powerful muscles she can feel right under his skin.

"I don't like surprises," he lies again, just as Hange finally settles between his thighs, her short nails still digging into the skin of his hips as her mouth hovers over him.

"Oh, you don't?" she asks, faking surprise and feigning to go and unhook one of his legs like she's about to get away. "Never mind then, I'll go–

"Don't move," he warns, using the force of his legs to push on her back and keep her where she is.

Hange grins at the lust in his voice and lowers her face enough that her mouth can part his lower lips gently, and a low moan escapes her through the intimate kiss when she realizes how wet he is already.

"Damn, what were you dreaming about that got you so worked up?" she wonders against him.

She's not even really asking, not when he's already panting and he somehow tastes even better than she recalled, not when she has to stop herself from ruining her big reveal by eating him out like he deserves right now, by drinking every drop of fluid his body can produce to quench her thirst and make him writhe some more beneath her newly accessorized tongue.

"You, actually," Levi confesses, sounding almost as shy as he does out of breath.

He's staring straight down and into her eyes as he says it though, looking both terrified and determined to get his point across, and Hange really doesn't know how she manages to hold back when he's pulling this brutal honesty barely hiding a mountain of vulnerability act on her -the very one she knows is too soon to reveal how it makes her heart hammer in her chest every single time she witnesses it.

Still, she somehow succeeds in reigning it in, only swallowing thickly before she replies.

"Ha! Never heard you admit that before," she half jokes.

And it's not actually untrue. She knows the physical effect she has on him, she's seen, felt and tasted it before, but Levi's hasn't been very vocal about this stuff so far –not unless they're in the middle of it and his brain gets foggy enough that he starts blabbering barely audible affectionate words to her she thinks she'll never get enough of. He's an action over words guy, much better at conveying how much he likes the way she's now slowly pushing the tip of her tongue in and out of him by threading his fingers through her hair and pulling her even closer, much more comfortable with tilting his hips towards her to try and get more of the contact he so desperately craves right now than by begging out loud for it.

"So, that's the big –fuck– surprise?" he asks between moans he can't keep in, "you driving me mad by edging me like this for hours? Cause that's hardly fucking surpri–

Hange opens her mouth wider and, before he finishes his sentence and her nerves get the better of her, lets the flat of her tongue and the hard metal of her now thirteen days old piercing come in contact with Levi's clit, lightly but firmly stroking it.

Levi startles and yelps at the unusual feeling, tugging at her hair in shock, but Hange's hands settle his hips back down before he can move again.

"Easy, easy," she chuckles, and lifts her head up high enough to proudly show him her new toy. "That's the surprise! You like?"

He freezes on the spot and stares down at her in silence, mouth agape and eyes open wide, and some of her confidence starts to wear off.

"You don't?” she asks instead, much less enthusiastic suddenly. “Shit. I'm sorry I scared you. You know how long I've wanted one of these, and I just thought this would be a funny way to show–

"You lied,” he cuts off her nervous rambling, frowning though his hand is now rubbing at her scalp gently where he pulled a little too hard before.

"What? How?”

“I'm obviously not the only reason you got out of your dorm in the last two weeks," he accuses, with a pout she almost can't tell is fake.

But there's a playful glint to his eyes that she's getting more and more familiar with as she spends more time with this relaxed, open side of him she loves so much, and she decides to mess with him right back.

"Who says I didn't do it myself?" she teases, wiggling her eyebrows.

His entire demeanor changes then, so fast she startles when he sits up and angles her head higher and away from where he needs her the most. He takes a deep breath and settles his free hand on her jaw to keep her mouth open, carefully studying the piece of jewelry.

"Hange Natsu Zoë, for the sake of your immune system and my sanity,” he starts as he looks back up and into her eyes, “you better swear to me that you did not pierce your own fucking tongue."

Hange barks out a laugh at the seriousness in his tone, shaking her head free and pushing him hard enough that he lies back down.

"Truth be told, I watched a couple of Youtube tutorials on the topic," she admits when she's back into position, gently and effortlessly sliding two of her fingers into him, relishing in the shiver she can feel spreading through his body at the smooth intrusion -and how well it works to make him forget whatever he was going to retort in reply. "But it didn't seem worth the risk to end up in the ER while you were on triage duty."

Levi clicks his tongue at her, but it turns into a hiss when she puts her lips over his clit and lightly sucks on it, twirling her piercing around it once it's trapped inside her mouth.

She releases it right when she can tell Levi was nearing his peak, and wordlessly apologizes by hooking and thrusting her fingers faster and faster in and out of him. She alternates between rubbing either the metal piercing and the muscle of her tongue on him, careful not too put too much pressure as he tends to get sensitive.

But Levi doesn't seem to remember that, and he cants his hips closer to her mouth still, his powerful thighs squeezing her head between them, stronger and stronger as she quickens the pace, her mouth and hand working in tandem as she ignores the building pain in her jaw and the need to breathe.

He comes with a loud strangled cry that vaguely resembles her name, and she almost loses focus as she realizes that. She doesn't stop swirling her tongue over him, avoiding his clit and gathering every drop of wetness she can feel leaking out of him to drink it hungrily. Her fingers fight against his squeezing walls to keep pushing against that sweet spot inside of him, drawing out his orgasm and making his entire body shake as he rides the tide.

"Fucking hell," she hears him sigh when he finally releases the pressure around her head, his legs falling heavily on each side of her body onto the mattress.

Hange takes a deep breath in when she's free, wipes her nose, chin and fingers on the sheets and grins up at him and his blushed, fucked-out face. He lazily reaches down and she complies, dragging herself upwards until they're face to face.

He kisses her without needing to think about it like he used to in the early stages of their relationship. His tongue ventures into her mouth immediately, languidly exploring and eager to play with the new addition, and Hange regretfully parts from that exciting enthusiasm when he tugs a little too forcefully at it.

"Careful! It's still sensitive. This shit needs like two months to heal properly."

Levi frowns again at that, and Hange has to bite her lips to stop herself from commenting on just how adorable he looks, trying to look all strict and serious when half of his brain is clearly not completely functional yet.

“Were you even supposed to do that so soon?" he worries, cupping her face into his hands.

It's almost too gentle a moment to ruin it, but Hange's never been one to refuse that kind of a challenge.

“Was it that bad? You know, you have to tell me if you don't like–

The rest of her sentence is muffled behind the hand he's just shoved against her mouth to keep her quiet. She loses tracks of whatever she was going to say anyway when she looks down at him in forced silence, at his rosy cheeks and nose, at his parted lips, at his dilated pupils and the odd determination she can see growing in his eyes.

“I love it,” he whispers softer than she's ever heard him speak, not even glancing down at her mouth.

He removes his hand, thumb caressing her upper lip as he goes, and she feels herself mirroring the gorgeous, easy smile that show on his own face, unable to tell if she's more frustrated or exhilarated at that maybe hint that he could have been talking about something other than her oral skills.

[shallowseeker]

Eight-letter words

weird Rowena Friday drabble

Featuring a very bored Rowena, a Sam who is bad at games, an overly curious Jack, and an annoyed Dean. (And Cas, who doesn’t get words wrong.)

///

"You said you were working on a crossword puzzle, but that's not a crossword puzzle," Jack murmurs, peering over Rowena's shoulder.

Rowena stops scribbling and blinks tiredly up at Jack's innocent, bright eyes, wishing for all the world she felt even half as spry.

To tell the truth, she'd put the crossword puzzle away ages ago.

Rowena adores even the crustiest of old books, and the intricacies of magic still capture her attention as much they did on her very first glimpse of the town whore sprinkling an old drunkard's cloak with a glittering, untraceable poison.

But this "research day at the bunker" lulls her into a sleepy haze of nothingness. She becomes a mind-melting puddle of sloth. Bless him, but Sam Winchester's way of doing things tries even her inexhaustible academic appetite.

Speaking of, Sam Winchester is now gazing across from her with his large, sad hazel eyes and a juvenile pout that's rather out-of-place on his aging face.

"I thought you were making good headway with the Reginald Scot papers," he says. His usual clinical timbre borders on a whine.

She drives her pen harder into her pink notepad. "Oh, Samuel. Even an intellectual scholar-witch such as myself needs a moment to unwind."

Jack wrinkles up his nose, and he must be bored too, to be standing to close and taking such an interest in her things. "And you're unwinding by making a...list now? It says: F, M, K? Is that a Magical Grid?"

Rowena snatches her notepad away from the sneaky Naphil, but he paws at her other papers next.

"And you didn't even finish the crossword puzzle. Can I have it?"

She sighs. Crossword puzzles are more demonic that Ouija boards, really. "Have it it, fledgling."

She boops his nose for good measure, and before long, the lull sinks into the room again.

Sam settles into his chair with a squeak, Jack scrawls mindlessly on the crossword puzzle, and Rowena dutifully returns to the rambling literature of one Reginald Scot and his 1584 idiocy concerning The Discoverie of Witchcraft.

Before long, she cautiously slides to her notepad again, and Sam Winchester actually has the nerve to shoot her a dirty look for it. As if she's not doing him a favor by being here for "bunker research day" in the first place.

"Hey, hey Sam," Jack pipes up, so suddenly that it even makes Rowena's muscles jump, "what's a seven-letter word for green?"

Sam's eyes dart up. "Uh, how about, uh...verdant?"

"Oh. That fits! Thanks, Sam."

Sam, funny boy that he is, looks proud for all of three seconds. Then, he's diving back into his dusty old tome. Unseen, Rowena scribbles a heart on her notepad; then, a glittering princess crown.

"Sam."

It's Jack again.

"Yes?"

Sam's patient tone wavers just the tiniest bit.

"What's a seven-letter word for old?"

"Withered."

"That's eight letters."

"How about ancient."

"Oh. Yeah, that's totally it. Thanks, Sam.

"Sam."

Silence.

"Sam. Sam?"

Sam licks his lips, and Rowena imagines an hourglass running rapidly out of its sand. "Yes?"

"What's a fifteen-letter word for prediction?"

That brings Sam up short. His forehead wrinkles. "Uh, Jack, I'm a little busy with this right now."

Rowena leaps at the opportunity for a good needling, "Oh, he's just saying that because he doesn't know, Jack."

Ah.

There go his shoulders, creeping up towards his ears.

Delicious reaction, really. If Sam were a cat, he'd be all bushy by now.

"That's not why."

"Oh, ok," she singsongs, "Then answer the wee bird. What's a fifteen-letter word for prediction?"

Sam glares at the table, not willing to admit to anything. So cute. "Uh, Jack? Why don't you go ask Dean. Or Cas? They might like to play with you."

Jack looks nonplussed for some reason. "They went to the kitchen ages ago."

"Well. You could go to the kitchen and ask them?"

"I don't want to."

"Because?"

Jack huffs. "Because they always solve it too fast. You're much funner to play with because you don't get them right away."

Sam looks offended, and Rowena has to stuff her fist into her mouth to keep from laughing.

Oh, but Sam likes being the big-brained boy of the bunch, doesn't he?

Sam says his next bit too casually: "Dean's not that good at that kinda stuff."

Jack gives him a dubious look, like Sam's either stupid or lying.

"But anyway," Sam rushes out, perhaps dismaying at the obvious tenor of jealousy threading itself through his tone. "Just tell them to let you guess for a bit. Only ask them when you get stuck."

"They won't."

"They will if you tell them. Come on, they let you win all the time at tic-tac-toe."

Jack purses his lips, and it's so adorable how he draws himself up taller. "Actually, I'm good at tic-tac-toe, Sam," he explains, obviously none-the-wiser to reality. "But they're weird about word games. Haven't you played online Scrabble with them?"

Sam doesn't really like the phone games. Even Rowena knows that. She's played online Scrabble, Words, and Jeopardy with Dean, Mary, Cas, and Jack, but never with Sam. It occurs to her for the first time that maybe he doesn't like the games because he can't worm his way into insta-victory, like he can with supernatural and legal topics.

"Well, go get them anyway. Okay?" he says, sounding exhausted in a way that deflates Jack on the spot.

"Okay."

Mercifully, Jack leaves. Even for Rowena, the silence is welcome. Jack is adorable, sure, but his crossword pestering was getting to her, too. Just a bit.

She goes back to her Magical Grid, as Jack had called it.

She starts doodling genitals next.

Just because.

Eventually, Jack trudges in looking dejected. And lo and behold, the crossword puzzle is complete. He lays it on the table and solemnly pushes it towards Rowena. It's all filled out in Dean's handwriting, and Rowena snorts.

"Too fast?" she chirps.

"They get...excited." Jack sighs.

Poor dear.

"Anyway, what about your Magical Grid?"

Oh, no. Jack's already leaning over by the time Rowena realizes her doodles may be a wee inappropriate for his eyes.

Oh, well.

He hyper-focuses on the doodles this time. "Are those...hearts, jewels, and...penises?"

Dean overhears only the last word as he marches in wearing his little waist apron, and the withering stare he shoots Rowena is the exact one fashionable witches used to give her when she had wanted to join their much-more-popular covens.

Rowena matches it with a cheesy, over-the-top grin. "'Lo there, Dean."

Then, Jack tries to get her attention again. "I thought you were working on something important. I thought you were doing magic."

Rowena giggles, purposefully avoiding Sam's disappointed stare. "This is important. I'm making a special list."

"F, M, K? Is that the start of some kind of cipher? Are these hieroglyphs?"

Rowena just cackles and taps Jack's warm, little cheek. "No."

Sam's cottoned on: "Rowena." And he's massaging his temples like she's clonked him clean over the head with something heavy.

"I can't decide, Samuel. Who goes where on my list, between you, Dean, and Castiel. I change my mind every day, but today I'm finding the decision very difficult indeed."

"You're rating them?" Jack whispers, eyes roving over her strange doodles, and then to the names Sam, Dean, Cas up in the corner. "Am I on the list?"

Sam makes a grotesque, strangled noise.

"No, dear." Then, just to tease Sam, "but maybe when you're older and become a big, strong angel you can be on the list."

"Oh, gross," Sam mumbles, and that clues Dean into something.

"What do you mean by list?" he demands, twisting a fist in the pocket of his cooking apron. "Izzat a ranking grid? Like a kill-list? What?"

"Not a kill list. Well, one of you. Not all of you."

When Sam groans again, Rowena decides to just be out with it.

"This is my lit’l FMK list. Fuck, marry, kill. I'm trying to decide which of you I'd do what to on this particularly day, if pressed."

Jack's eyes go wide. "Oh."

Dean doesn't look much better, except that she can tell he wants to know, despite himself. Curiosity killed the cat, after all, and Dean is one curious cat. He covers his interest by scowling and crossing his arms, "Ha. We don't even care."

"Don't you?" she trills, and Sam shifts uncomfortably in his seat, too. Even he wants to know. Blasted, competitive Winchesters.

"Ideally," she whispers to Jack, like this is some great wisdom she's imparting, "you'll want to meet someone you've tried to kill and failed, and someone you want to fuck and marry. It's a holy trinity, see."

He nods, like he understands. (He doesn't.) "Uh, right."

"But it changes day to day, alas. For example, today I can't decide if I'd rather sleep with poor Samuel or marry him."

Jack nods. "Right. The waitress on our last case said, 'sometimes, you just have the sex.'"

"Smart boy."

Dean's face-palming back there. Pot-kettle. He spews more filth on a minute-by-minute basis than Rowena could ever dream of, then acts all shocked whenever she has something playfully naughty to say.

"Of course... Every day, without fail, I choose to kill Dean."

Castiel, of course, has chosen this moment to enter the room, and he looks appropriately alarmed at the mention of killing Dean.

Dean just looks offended.

It's glorious.

"Hey! I'm a great lay!" he shouts, turning the prettiest shade of pink.

This, if anything, makes Castiel look even more alarmed. "Is this for another crossword puzzle?" he ventures, tracking his eyes around the room, like he's deathly afraid of the answer.

Jack is chipper: "No, it's for Rowena's fuck, marry, kill list."

Cas raises an eyebrow. "Her what?"

Jack chatters on: "It's a list she makes every day. One of you she'd marry, one of you she'd have sex with, and one of you she'd kill. Though it looks like she'd kill Dean. Every day, she says."

Now, Castiel looks offended for Dean, and Rowena can't resist pushing the game a little further.

"Of the remaining two of you, Castiel, I'm not sure who is going to win. You or Sam?"

"What exactly entails 'winning' in this instance?" Cas grouses, and Rowena ignores him--starts talking over him to get to the good part. She just thought it up, after all.

“I’m so glad you both agreed to play!”

She rips off two clean sheets from the back of her notepad, and then she fumbles around the table for two number twelve pencils. With Jack as assistant, the paper and pencils get thrust towards Sam and Cas, respectively.

"Get ready!" Rowena shouts, trying to get them nervous for the build-up. "On your marks, get set--"

"Wait. What are we doing?" Sam gushes out, getting more nervous than Rowena could have ever hoped.

"Why, you're writing down the words that first come to mind, of course."

Cas's expression flattens. "We are?"

"That's the game, Castiel."

Rowena hears Dean say lowly, "Just play her stupid game, aight?"

"What's an eight-letter word for sexy? Go!"

Sam's so caught off-guard, he sputters.

"Come on, Sam. You can win!" Jack cheers, and Dean looks comically insulted.

"Hey, you're cheering against Cas? He just helped you solve your whole crossword puzzle back there."

"Cas is too good at crosswords," Jack quips back. "It's only fair."

And oh, Sam's still stuttering, how adorable! But Castiel is...scribbling. Hmm. Dean's velcro'ed to his side, but from what she can tell, they aren't cheating.

Sam stares in wide-eyed horror at his blank paper. Rowena surmises he was more of a "study guide guy" than a "scholars' bowl guy."

"Uhm, uh. Sexy, let's see. Sexy. Seductive?"

"Write it down, Samuel. It's not a verbal exam."

Dean snorts.

Sam growls, "Shut up, Dean."

Jack stage-whispers: "Sam. Seductive has nine letters, not eight."

Sam reddens and grits his teeth. "Thanks, Jack. Uh. How about? Uh," he counts out some letters on his fingers, whispering. "T-e-m-p-t-i-n-g. That's eight."

"Bzzt. Time's up. Pencils down, please. Did everyone get a word written down?"

"Rowena! That was, like, ten seconds."

Ah, that lovely whine again.

"That's the point, Samuel."

Cas, ever the literal one, just drops his pencil on the ground. Dean rolls his eyes, before trying to peer over his shoulder with what might be a little too much interest.

"Well, Samuel? Let's have your eight-letter word for sexy, mm?"

"Uh," Sam clears his throat. "Tempting. T-E-M-P-T-I-N-G."

Bless him, he sounds like he stepped out of the National Spelling Bee. She barely restrains from teasing him over it.

Jack claps, and even to Rowena it feels a wee bit sarcastic.

It's so fun.

“Very good, Samuel. Very good. Tempting. Noted. Fabulous choice."

She traces the outline of one of her doodled hearts. Hmmm. Her eyes snap to Cas, but he doesn't flinch. "And your word?"

Cas glances apologetically at Sam.

"Uh, alluring," he grumbles.

Rowena's eyebrows raise, and she chortles. That's a good choice, too. Rowena had honestly expected a bit of rude commentary or at least a few cheeky pop-culture references from The Dean Winchester. Disappointingly, he's as still as a statue, staring hard at the side of Castiel's face.

And then Castiel keeps going, voice entirely too dry for the kind of list he's calling out: "Sensual. Luscious. Arousing. Stunning. And lastly," he pauses. "Beddable."

Rowena traces the outline of the penis on her notepad. "Beddable," she repeats heartily, giggling.

Sam's just grimacing, "Beddable? Really?"

Honestly, she'd been expecting some encore laughter. Dean's definitely letting her down.

"Beddable!" She calls pointedly.

No luck.

"Is beddable the same as sexy?" Jack murmurs, too curious for his own good.

Cas tracks his eyes over to Dean, but for only a moment. "I have more words, but I assumed you wanted modern English vernacular."

"Wow," Sam coughs. "That's. Yuck. You've been hanging out with Dean too much."

Dean comes alive again, and his body convulses, like Sam's sent him into some kind of awkward seizure. "What? I--me? I'm not hanging. You're hanging."

Sam frowns. "What?"

Dean coughs. "What?"

Castiel valiantly swoops in for a save: "Dean's television and internet viewing habits have more bearing on my slang than my extensive vocabulary," he explains.

Bless him.

It doesn’t erase the awkwardness.

Jack leans forward. "So. Who won?"

Rowena doesn't miss a beat. "Samuel."

Sam looks arrogantly pleased, and for a moment, Rowena wants to announce that no, she's changed her mind. Today she's decided, for the very first time, to put Sam on her kill list.

Then he smiles a little.

Bullocks.

She can't do it.

"Yes," she announces. "Samuel, trusted friend and fellow academic, gets to marry me today. It's an astonishingly high honor if I do say so myself." She winks at Jack. "It's good to marry your friend, you see. It makes for many a wonderful late-night conversation."

Dean's ears go very red, and it distracts her for a moment.

Jack smiles. "I'm sure anyone would love to marry you."

Aw.

"Why, thank you, Jack. And dearest Castiel, you get to be my one-night stand tonight. Congratulations. Really, you're both winners when you think about it."

"He can’t tonight. Tonight's movie night," Jack supplies unhelpfully.

Rowena steamrolls past that.

"Your word list was incredibly..." Here, she rolls her words on her deepest, throatiest purr, "stirring, despite the dry delivery. Then again, that's the whole appeal of trying to...completely unhinge a stoic partner...isn't it?"

Rowena tries to snatch Castiel's gaze, but he looks quickly away, clearing his throat.

Ah, it's so delicious to embarrass Castiel. She throws her best bedroom eyes at him, just for good measure, and there. Ah. He's looking down and fiddling with his little blue tie.

So precious.

But Castiel jumps a bit when he gets a full blast of Dean's mean side-eye.

They look at each other for a bit, and Rowena doesn't know quite make to make of the myriad of tiny micro-expressions she finds there. Overall, Cas looks sheepish and Dean looks annoyed. Maybe. She makes a mental note to tease Castiel more often, just to pick and parse whatever thing Dean's got going on about it.

"Hey, stirring is also an eight-letter word."

Sam, still self-satisfied, returns to his book. "Yes, Jack. Yes, it is."

Rowena supposes Sam's ignoring everything outside of his own wordsmithing victory.

And that's probably for the best.

He didn't even really win, when it comes to the raw total of many words he'd come up with.

Rowena said he'd won, and he'd taken that completely at face-value.

Bless him.

[frogwithhatto]

IV has a surprise for you

Pairing: IVxreader, reader is gn/no specific pronouns are used!

Summary: after having a busy week IV has a gift for you. (This summary is so bad but I swear it’s exactly that)

Tw: none? I think (please correct me if I’m wrong), a dash of suggestiveness at the end

Notes: had to get this one out because I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Enjoy! :)

The weather outside was gloomy. The piercing wind had seeped through your layers of clothes on your way home and the dark clouds promised rainfall. You take in a deep breath glad to finally be home as you closed the apartment door. The warmth (and lack of wind) instantly relaxing you.

It had been a rather tiring week for you and you were happy to finally relax and try to avoid going outside for most of the weekend. The weather was supposed to stay inclement anyway.

You start to remove your jacket and shoes shivering at the loss of warmth when you notice that your prediction had proven true as droplets of rain started hitting the window.

Making your way towards the bedroom in the rather small but comfortable apartment you and IV shared you hoped he wouldn’t get caught in the cloudburst. Deciding to change into something more comfortable you opt for a pair of sweatpants and one of IV‘s hoodies. It was a bit oversized on you the sleeves going a little past your fingertips. You pull the collar of it towards your face burying your nose and cheeks in the soft fabric. Closing your eyes you inhale, his scent makes you feel warm and mushy.

You two hadn’t had much time for each other this week mostly being too tired from the day and instantly going to bed as soon as you got the chance to. You had often gone to bed without him even being home yet. His rehearsals with the band lasting until way past midnight.

You think about what shows you two were going to catch up to during the weekend as you make yourself a cup of tea. Maybe it would help warm you up more quickly and if not at least you had some good tea.

You wrap yourself in a blanket as you take a seat on the couch near the window. Steamy tea in one hand and the book you had snatched from the coffee table in the other. You let out a content sigh taking a sip from your tea and opening the book. The sounds of the rain and wind from outside and the smell of the herbal tea creating a comfortable atmosphere.

——

It must have been a few hours since you initially sat down your tea was long gone and you may have nodded off a bit. The book still laying on your chest as you had covered yourself in the blanket and put on the hood of your IV‘s sweater for added comfort.

As the key turns in the lock and the apartment door is pushed open you suddenly jolt awake. It takes a few seconds for you to realise that IV had just come home. You rub your eyes in an attempt to get them used to the sudden light and get rid oft the grogginess. You stretch your arms above your head to get the rest of the sleepiness out of your system.

IV had already put away his guitar case and slipped off his shoes and jacket once you get up. He’s busy locking the door again as you wrap your arms around him from behind pushing your face against his back. „Hey love.“ you mumble most of the sentence getting lost in the fabric. He must’ve still heard you because you can hear the small laugh he produces at the nickname.

IV turns wrapping his arms around you and pulling you in for a hug. After a few seconds which definitely feel way too short for you he pulls away. „You look cute.“ he states as he taps your still pulled up hood and you can hear the smile in his voice. You beam up at him and he puts one of his hands on your cheek lightly stroking it with his thumb. You wrap your arms around his neck.

„I’ve missed you.“ you whisper.

„I’ve missed you too…So much.“ IV whispers back.

You can tell by the pained look in his eyes that he means it. That he feels guilty for coming home late more often than not. Coming home to the hallway light being left on by you so he wouldn’t enter a dark apartment and you having put a little note on the kitchen counter which told him that you had made food and leftovers could be found in the fridge. He would smile at the little doodles you put on the note and make sure to close the bedroom door with as little sound as possible to not disrupt your sleep. Not before checking on you though, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear, leaving a kiss on your head and mumbling „Thanks love.“

It’s such simple words which you two had just exchanged gazing deeply into each others eyes in that moment but you don’t need more. You could start apologising and going on about why you just hadn’t had the time for the other one. But all that was put in those few words and the knowing look you shared. It was in the past and what counted was the that you were together now.

„Can I kiss you“ you ask gazing up at him lovingly. When he eagerly nods at your words you move his mask up and out of the way. Hand still on your cheek he leans down to brush his lips against yours. Your eyes flutter close and you lean into the kiss deepening it as he pulls you even closer. A fuzzy feeling spreads throughout your body and you can feel the love in his touch. The love only you receive from him and you can’t help but smile into the kiss at the thought. Your smile and the happiness radiating off of you cause him to smile as well. IV pulls away and you stare into the others eyes as you both grin at each other like idiots.

Suddenly his expression changes. „Oh my.. I totally forgot wait I got something for you!“ he states and you can feel his exhilaration. You look at him confused as to what he’s referring to. He frantically pats down all of the pockets of his pants and lets out a triumphant „Aha!“ when he finally finds what he has been looking for. Producing a flat box from one of his pockets he looks at you and smiles.

You’re still confused „I haven’t missed anything, have I? It isn’t some special day right?“ you ask starting to panic at the thought of having forgotten about him.

„No no calm down love. I just wanted to get you something.“ he tries to soothe you.

He takes your hand in his and leads you to the couch both of you sitting down opposite from each other. He tucked one of his legs in while the other one stayed on the floor as you sat crisscross your knees touching lightly. You’re curious now as to what he had gotten you but couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty for not being able to return the favour.

IV put the box in your hands barely able to contain his excitement one of his legs bouncing up and down.

„Open it.“ he urges gesturing with his hands to the box.

As you pull up the lid of the small black box in your hands he can’t help but feel a bit anxious.

What if you didn’t like it? Or worse hated it and thought it was a silly idea. No.

He stops himself he knew you would love it.

As you see what’s inside your eyes widen and you look at him in disbelief mouth slightly agape. It’s one of his most treasured possessions, one of the rings he’s constantly wearing threaded onto a slim silver chain, both had been polished up.

„I-I adore it.“ you finally burst out breaking the silence and taking the necklace out of the box. „I thought that way you always got a little part of me with you.“ he smiled as you admired the carefully crafted chain. You instantly put it on the weight of the ring sitting comfortably around your neck. IV just watches you, smiling feeling indescribably lucky.

„How do I look.“ you ask striking an overdramatic pose as you laugh at him.

„You look stunning love, as always.“ he responds and he just can’t take his eyes off of you.

You wrap your hands around his neck as he pulls you closer by your hips to straddle his waist. Your hands travel up his neck and you gently hold his halfmasked face in your hands. In that moment he feels so cherished and loved by you. IV feels hopeless as he could never put in words or gestures how much and how deeply he felt for you.

„Thank you.“ you whisper pulling him out of his own thoughts. Your faces are merely inches away from each other and he decides to close the remaining distance placing a soft kiss on your lips. It’s sweet and makes him feel fuzzy as you both pour all of your feelings for each other into it.

As you pull away he starts to place little pecks on your face, starting at your cheeks. You giggle as you playfully try to pull away nose scrunched up at his adoration. IV tries to keep you as close as possible one of his hands staying at your hip grip tightening and the other travelling up your back.

You let out a squeak as he suddenly pushes you on your back him now lingering above you. You both giggle as he pushes his face in the crook of your neck continuing to place little kisses there as well. He mumbles little „I love you“s after every kiss and every one of them makes your heart jump.

All of a sudden IV stops near your ear and proceeds to whisper something in a low voice which causes the playful energy to shift to something else…

„I wanna see you wearing nothing but my necklace at some point.“

[hasufin]

This is all true.

I'd like to add a little bit of context.

See, Ronald Reagan was an actor. And, being blunt, kind of an idiot. But he was popular. And because for a while he was the head of the SAG, he kinda had union credentials so he was palatable to the left as well as the right.

But here's the thing: he was an astoundingly disinterested POTUS. He did not attend cabinet meetings. You know, the meetings which are meant for the heads of the various government agencies to talk to the POTUS, and get direction on policy? He wasn't there.

He had no fucking clue what was going on. This is a thing which was politely known at the time. It was sort of, "Ronnie says stuff, but then we get the various Secretaries to tell us what's really going on".

What you had, essentially, was various vaguely shadowy "special interests" running the show with no supervision. And as a result you go a lot of people doing all the things they wanted to do but that nasty evil government - with the "regulations" and "laws" and "concern for the lives of citizens" wouldn't allow.

You have repeal of all sorts of environmental regulations. Massive union-busting. The CIA selling cocaine to inner-city blacks in order to finance illegal arms deals. (I fucking wish I was making that one up, it sounds like an over-the-top movie plot).

The Reagan administration consisted of the absolute worst people - and many of them were not just greedy corrupt assholes, we're also talking rapists, pedophiles, and so forth - being given unchecked power at the highest levels of government. It was the mob being babysat by a dementia-addled, sleepy grandfather who didn't think he should be babysitting at all.

And they, predictably, loved it. Those eight years were the best for the worst people in our country, and an unmitigated disaster for the nation.

Those same people have not forgotten. They have been looking for another Reagan. They didn't get it in Bush I, he was too bland and couldn't keep the American people distracted. They didn't get it in Clinton - while he was business-friendly to an unpleasant extent, he did make the pesky occasional foray into not ruining America. They pretty much had it with W. but he was a little too involved in running the country. Obama was not to their tastes. But then you get Trump. And Trump is, on paper, exactly what they wanted: loud, stupid, distracting, and completely unable to oversee the government.

Their big problem with Trump, really, is that he thinks he can do the job, so they've got to devote a bit more effort making him believe he's running the show; and that he is far more hateful than Reagan. Reagan mostly killed people with disinterest: Trump wants to have them shot. It's a work in progress for them, I suppose.

But that's their goal with Trump: have him on stage doing rallies and drawing attention while they proceed to strip the country for parts and sell it off to the highest bigger.

Realize that between Reagan and Trump, you will find the legacy of the complete destruction of America.

the funny thing is that i don't think younger people - and i mean those under the age of 40 - really have a grasp on how many of today's issues can be tied back to a disastrous reagan policy:

war on drugs: reagan's aggressive escalation of the war on drugs was a catastrophic policy, primarily targeting minority communities and fueling mass incarceration. the crusade against drugs was more about controlling the Black, Latino and Native communities than addressing the actual problems of drug abuse, leading to a legacy of broken families and systemic racism within the criminal justice system.

deregulation and economic policies: reaganomics was an absolute disaster for the working class. reagan's policies of aggressive tax cuts for the rich, deregulation, and slashing social programs were nothing less than class warfare, deepening income inequality and entrenching corporate greed. these types of policies were a clear message that reagan's america was only for the wealthy elite and a loud "fuck you" to working americans.

environmental policies: despite his reputation being whitewashed thanks to the recovery of the ozone layer, reagan's environmental record was an unmitigated disaster. his administration gutted critical environmental protections and institutions like the EPA, turning a blind eye to pollution and corporate exploitation of natural resources. this blatant disregard for the planet was a clear sign of prioritizing short-term corporate profits over the future of the environment.

AIDS crisis: reagan's gross neglect of the aids crisis was nothing short of criminal and this doesn't even begin to touch on his wife's involvement. his administration's indifference to the plight of the lgbtq+ community during this devastating epidemic revealed a deep-seated bigotry and a complete failure of moral leadership.

mental health: reagan's dismantling of mental health institutions under the guise of 'reform' led directly to a surge in homelessness and a lack of support for those with mental health issues. his policies were cruel and inhumane and showed a personality-defining callous disregard for the most vulnerable in society.

labor and unions: reagan's attack on labor unions, exemplified by his handling of the patco strike, was a blatant assault on workers' rights. his actions emboldened corporations to suppress union activities, leading to a significant erosion of workers' power and rights in the workplace. he was colloquially known as "Ronnie the Union Buster Reagan"

foreign policy and military interventions: reagan's foreign policy, particularly in latin america, was imperialist and ruthless. his administration's support for dictatorships and right-wing death squads under the guise of fighting "communism" showed a complete disregard for human rights and self-determination of other nations.

public health: yes, reagan's agricultural policies actually facilitated the rise of high fructose corn syrup, once again prioritizing corporate profits over public health. this shift in the food industry has had lasting negative impacts on health, contributing to the obesity epidemic and other health issues.

privatization: reagan's push for privatization was a systematic dismantling of public services, transferring wealth and power to private corporations and further eroding the public's access to essential services.

education policies: his approach to education was more of an attack on public education than anything else, gutting funding and promoting policies that undermined equal access to quality education. this was, again, part of a broader agenda to maintain a status quo where the privileged remain in power.

this is just what i could come up with in a relatively short time and i did not even live under this man's presidency. the level at which ronald reagan has broken the united states truly can't be overstated.