#i wish that i had a candle so i didn't have to use this overhead light

[narcan-necromancer]

[the-fiction-witch]

Wakey Wakey

Media The Artful Dodger

Character Jack Dawkins

Couple Jack X Reader

Rating SMUT AFAFAF!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I sat on my bed flicking through my book, the fire burning bright enough to light my room, the house quiet and content my family gone for travelling for at least a few weeks. A storm was overhead battering everything in its wake, the darkness of the storm and of the night coming together to provide a dark void of endless night. 

I perked up a little as I heard a knock. 

For a moment I was frightened as to what could have caused such a sound, but I looked around my room and soon enough jumped! as I saw someone at my balcony door.

But I knew who it was, so I fixed my nightie and rolled my eyes taking a candle over and opening the door the sounds of rain flooding in, as he stood there soaked though. 

"Hello."

"Hello, you fancy a bit of brain surgery?" Jack smirked as he came into my room,

"Is this what you think flirting is?" I sighed, 

He was sheepish for a moment "...yeah," 

"Come on, take your clothes off," I said going to throw another log on the fire,

"Ohh... I didn't think it was gonna work that well?" He smirked eagerly getting his jacket off,

"You're soaked if you don't take them off you'll get sick," I told him, grabbing a towel from my linen cupboard and throwing it at his head,

"Thank you y/n." He sighed, he stripped the rest of his clothes off and wrapped the towel around himself, so I took his clothes and set them on the clothes horse to dry,

"Come sit by the fire," I told him as I set my kettle on its rack letting the fire heat the water, he nodded and came over, sitting on the sofa by the fire wrapped up in the towel, Once the water boiled I poured him some hot tea, and handed it over 

"Ooohh thanks." he smiled sipping to warm his insides, 

"You're welcome," I smiled going and fetching another towel "So? what brings you to my humble abode then Dr Dawkins?" 

"Well, I know your family is gone-" He began but stopped short as I threw my towel over his head using it to dry his still dripping hair "Ohh thank you, But I know they gone so I figured I'd come to keep you company," 

"Thanks very kind of you Jack," I smiled taking the towel off his head and kissing his cheek. 

"Well, I have to be nice to my fiance don't I?" 

"You should be nice yes." I laughed, 

"So... I've been thinking."

"Ohh dear, don't think too much now Jack you'll give yourself a headache."

"Very funny. but seriously, I've been thinking."

"About?" I asked sitting in my chair,

"I should really make the time to come up and see you more often, I feel bad when I don't."

"It's fine Jack I know your busy working."

"I know but, I don't like leaving you all alone so long," he said, 

"That's very sweet," I smiled 

"You'd like to spend time with me?"

"If I didn't want to Jack I'd have left you out in the rain." I chuckled, "Also my family isn't here why didn't you just use the front door?" 

"... Hu, Strangely that thought had not occurred to me." 

"Silly boy,"

"I know," He yawned "Ummm You've made it far too cosy in here. I'm getting sleepy." 

"My apologies for having a cosy bedroom."

"You mind if I stay tonight?" 

"Well..." I began, "You really shouldn't, but you are all warm and dry I send you back out you're just going to get all wet again." I sighed, "Alright,"

"Can I stay... in your bed?" he made eye contact with a sweet smile 

"Alright," I rolled my eyes playfully

"Could maybe..."

"Yes, Jack?"

"....Could we cuddle?" 

"Alright." I rolled my eyes a little but moved over to the sofa and cuddled him laying my head on his shoulder and nuzzling into his neck, he smiled down at me and wrapped his arms around me too,

"Umm... My dearest y/n." He cooed, "How I wish this rain would never end, so I may remain in your arms longer." 

"Well, we shall just have to savour the rain."

"I shall savour every drop" He smiled giving my lips a gentle soft kiss, I smiled and gave him a gentle kiss back before we cuddled up again, 

"You smell nice,"

"Do I?"

"Umm," I nodded,

"I'm pleased I could be pleasant to you dearest." He yawned,

"Come on Dr Dawkins. Bedtime." I told him getting up and offering my hand he happily took it leaving his towel on the clothes horse with his clothes and I took him to my bed, I took my book away and helped him into bed plumping the pillow and tucking him in, he yawned very comfortably 

"Can you sleep with me?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," I smiled climbing in too and nuzzling up to him so we could cuddle with him holding me close our noses touching, 

"Y/n?"

"Yes, Jack?"

"Can I fall asleep in your arms tonight?"

"Of course," I smiled wrapping my arms around him too, "Goodnight Jack,"

"Goodnight Y/n." He smiled pressing one final kiss to my lips before with a few happy sighs and shifts we gently drifted away to sleep. 

I woke up listening to the rain still attacking the house, but I knew it was early morning, I softly opened my eyes seeing Jack still deep in his sleep so I pressed a kiss to his forehead and carefully climbed out the bed doing my best not to disturb him, I went across my room making sure to keep the fire burning to keep the room warm, I checked his clothes and they where to dry so I took them and folded them on the table at the end of my bed for him, I did want breakfast but I didn't want to make any till he was up, so I made myself a tea on the fire's flames and paced my balcony windows as I sipped it. 

He grumbled a little so I turned and noticed him half asleep running his hands over the bed and looking for me 

"Good Morning," I cooed 

He sat up not even opening his eyes, yawning for a good few seconds and scratching his messy bedhead "Morning dearest." he Yawned 

"Ohh my, that was a big yawn."

"I'm tired." he pouts 

"Aww well stay a few more minutes in bed if you like?"

"No, I'm up. Just about," he said rubbing his neck "You sleep okay?"

"I always do when you're here."

he blushed a little, "Yeah I always sleep better with you too." 

I smiled setting my tea down and running back to bed jumping on him and pushing him onto my mattress for a cuddle, he laughed at me but wrapped his arms around me anyway "Breakfast?"

"I am hungry,"

"Good, I'll go make breakfast." I smiled patting his chest before I tried to get up but he pulled me back "Whoa... Hello" I laughed at the surprise of being back against his nose 

"Hello," He smiled giving me a sweet kiss "Now you can go."

"Silly boy." I giggled getting up and heading out of my room down to the kitchen, I made some hashbrowns, some eggs, and some toast and got a big jug of orange juice taking it all upstairs. When I returned Jack was exactly where I left him clearly fighting with himself on whether he was going to go back to sleep or wake up,  "Breakfast." I smiled setting it on the table.

"You're an angel." He smiled climbing out of bed and rubbing his eyes as he walked across to the table "Thank you Y/n" he smiled kissing my cheek as he made himself a plate and a large glass of juice, we sat together and ate breakfast or well I nibbled and he consumed it as if he hasn't been fed in a week, 

"Peckish?" I laughed 

"I don't often eat breakfast, don't have time to make it or if I do I get called off for something else. It's nice to sit down and have breakfast, especially with you,"

"That's sweet Jack, well once we're married I'll make sure you get breakfast every day before you leave for work."

"You will?"

"Course got to keep the doctor fed." 

"You're too good to me," he winked sipping his juice,

Once breakfast was done I returned it to the kitchen and when I got back he was yawning 

"Ummm I needed a nap."

"A nap? You just woke up!" I laughed "I think they've got you working too hard if you're like this." I laughed,

"I can't help it, your place is so cosy. Plus the rain makes me sleepy." 

"Alright," 

I took his hand and took him back to bed, I gave him an extra couple of pillows and even an extra blanket tucking him in tight and kissing him on the head "There, That nice?"

"That's lovely," He blushed a little making himself cosy "Can I have a cuddle?"

"No, because then I'll fall asleep."

"Please dearest?"

I rolled my eyes a moment but crawled into bed and sat tapping my thigh, he happily moved and laid his head in my lap with a wide smile, I softly began to pet his hair taking my book from the table and reading to him, I know he struggles with his reading so I like to read to him sometimes let him just shut his eyes and listen and I know he likes it too as already he began to drift away, so once I knew he was asleep I kissed his little head and let him rest. 

I went and got dressed into one of my little day dresses that was comfy for a rainy day, I went to my desk and grabbed some paper writing some letters and notes that I needed to get working with.

Eventually, he sat up, "Humm?"

"Ohh Hello again." I laughed, 

"Hello, Dearest."

"Hello, Jack."

"How long was I asleep?"

"Uhhhh?" I pondered taking his watch from the table, "An hour."

"An Hour! Ohh sorry,"

"It's alright Jack you've been busy working I wanted to let you sleep." I smiled as I wrote with my fountain pen, He smiled and moved getting his pants and shirt on coming over as he snapped his suspenders on he came and sat beside me 

"What are you writing?"

"Just letters."

"Alright," he smiled as we sat together for a good while "You're so sweet and beautiful you know that?"

"Aww thank you Jack, you're very sweet and handsome too" 

"Can we have a cuddle?" 

"That would be lovely," I smiled 

we both moved closer and closer until he laid his head in my lap again,

"Cosy Jack?"

"Yep."

"Alright" I laughed getting on with my work petting his hair as I worked humming to myself a little I finished up after a while of writing until I noticed his little wheezes "Jack..."

"Mmm?" He groaned nuzzling closer and almost purring as had fallen asleep,

"Awww such a sleepy boy" I cooed "Wakey Wakey..."

He jumped a little sitting up as he realized he had fallen asleep on my lap,  "Humm? ohh..." He sighed "Sorry."

"You are so sleepy today Jack, Dr sneed been working you too hard?"

"A little," He yawned "It would help if he did some work sometime." 

"aww you poor thing,"

"Didn't help I've been getting up early these last few days," He cooed, "And you're just so very cosy and cuddly it just makes me so happy. I love you so much Y/n."

"Aww, I love you too Jack." I smiled kissing his cheek, 

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course,"

"When we get married... do you want to have children?"

I smiled at his question, "I would, would you?"

"I very much would, How many?"

"Three." I smiled, "Two girls and a boy."

he chuckled, "I think that would be lovely,"

"Anything else? when we get married?" 

"A cute little house... with a garden."

"I'd like that Jack, and maybe a little dog for the children to play with."

"A very cute little dog." He smiled, "So I can wake up every morning give my sweet wife a kiss, pet the dog, go down and eat breakfast looking out to the garden and send the kids to school before I head to work." 

"That sounds like the most beautiful morning,"

"I know it will be" He smiled, 

"Do you think... I could cuddle in your lap some more?"

"No more lap jack you'll go back to sleep."

"Can you sit on my lap then y/n?" he asked, "Does my lap look better?"

I rolled my eyes a little and moved to sit myself on his leg so he could wrap his arms around me and my back against his chest, he chuckled and adjusted me a little so we were both cosy, and after a while he gave my shoulder a kiss 

"I can't wait till you're mine dearest."

"I can't wait either," I smiled, 

He then pressed one kiss to my neck, I blushed a little but didn't move, so he tightened his grip on me a little hugging me a little tighter and kissing my neck again only one little kiss but enough to make me feel so happy inside, He then took my hand in his and whispered in my ear "Can I stay with you today?"

"You're welcome to stay Jack, as long as you like."

he smiled a little and stroked my hair "I like you sat here."

"Why?"

"I get to hold you so close." He smiled bringing his face and lips into my neck he gently blew air across my skin before slowly pressing small kisses to my neck "Your skin is so soft" he whispered and I couldn't control my playful giggles he merely continued his kisses so slowly and calculated waiting patiently between each one, his kisses slowly grew more intense until as he kissed my neck his teeth graced my skin, not enough to bite me but enough to make me feel his teeth, he repeated this just slow soft kisses occasionally tenderizing my skin by gracing his teeth on it "Hmmm... do you like when I'm this close to you?" he whispered slyly 

"I do," I admit, 

He chuckled with a familiar sly grin, he continued his kisses now starting little nibbles on my skin pressing his teeth more meaningfully "Do you like these little nibbles on your soft lovely neck? Hmm?" He whispered 

"I do," I admit,

"Just one bite dearest?" he pleads running his nose across my neck before he continues his kisses and nibbles 

"Little ones," I whispered back,

He smirked and continued his bites gently barely anything between his kisses and nibbles which were getting very intense "You enjoying them? Hmm? Umm so soft... so sweet." He asked nibbling purposely on a more sensitive spot I couldn't answer him, so he kept nibbling and kissing for a while "Can I bite your neck once more dearest?" He whispered, "I just can't stop."

"You can." I gasped as now his bites became more aggressive leaving his teeth marks on my skin for a few seconds each time 

"Do you like my bites Y/n?" He whispered as he licked the spot he bit before kissing it again he would do this over and over up and down my neck like a vampire to my jugular, 

"Very much Jack," I almost moaned feeling him so close to me giving me such attention 

He continued with a prideful smirk, getting harder with his nibbles, kisses and bites. "I'm glad you're enjoying it." he smirked getting even harder "Hmmm..." He groaned leaving a hickey on my neck "How was that Dearest?" he asked licking his hickey 

"Ohh jack-" I gasped feeling him force a hickey into my skin he continued biting and nibbling my neck around my hickey to ensure my attention for it, "Uhhh! Jack!" I moaned twisting my fingers in his hair, which he took as a sign to get even more intense "Uhhhhh!" I moaned grabbing his hand that had been settled on my waist this whole time moving it under my dress to my thigh

"Ohh?" He smirked "That what you want y/n?" he whispered between kisses stroking my thigh higher and higher "Hmm? That what you want dearest?" he licked my hickey as he smirked and I could only nod, he teased me further stroking my hip under my dress "Ummm..." he groans now all but attacking my neck with kisses, bites, nibbles and licks. I could feel he was hard against my leg I tugged on his hair almost pulling his hair to bring him closer and he took the hint intensifying his work on my neck 

"Uhhh jack" I gasped moving his hand to where I so desperately needed him 

"Oh?"

"Please jack,"

he smirked and whispered deeply in my ear "Yes dearest." he smirked stroking my mound before rubbing on my throbbing clit 

"Uuhh uhhhh uhhhhhhh" I whined as he continued with my neck at the same time by now my neck looked as if I had been in a fight covered in hickeys and bite marks all down one side of my neck, not caring the marks he made just wanting to make us excited I moaned as he made a hickey on my most sensitive spot while he slipped his fingers inside me still rubbing my clit with his thumb but I clamped my hand over my mouth to stop my moan even if my eyes rolled back a little 

"Ohh..." He growled "Such a cute little thing," he cooed "Do you want me to stop?" he whispered and I shook my head "Alright," he smirked nibbling and kissing as his fingers worked but not fast enough I grabbed his wrist and tried to make his hand move faster but he pulled back "Ohh I see," he whispered nibbling my ear "Y/n..." he groaned kissing down to my collar bone and across my gasping chest giving him more space and more real estate to leave hickeys and bites, I tugged on his hair to pull his lips to mine for an intense make out till he pulled back "Let me see them."

"What?" I blushed but with my quick breaths my chest was rising and falling so fast his eyes lingered there 

"Let me see them," he growled "Let me see them y/n." He whispered in my ear making his fingers move much faster

"Uhhh Jack please!" I gasped I took his hand away and moved it to the ribbon tie of my dress I went to help him but he pushed my hand off

"I want to do it." he smirked, he then picked me up in his arms like a bride and carried me to bed laying me down on my back, he unlaced my dress making sure to be agonizingly slow before he tugged it off me leaving me naked on my bed, he smirked down at me pulling his suspenders down and threw his shirt to the side He gasped a moment before he took my hands resting them on his shoulders and letting me slide them down his chest "Feel how breathless I am for you, feel hour quickly my heart beats for you,"

"And feel how I do for you," I smiled and rested my wrist on his neck,

"Hmmm... you are more perfect than any other woman I have ever met" he gasped, "Are you sure you want me?"

"Yes Jack" I gasped, throwing my head back against the bed,

"That's all I need to hear Y/n,"

 He didn't need another word he pulled my legs up and open before tugging his trousers down, he stroked his hard shaft a couple of times before he held the base and guided himself inside me he groaned as he found his way, he held my hips a little raised as he was stood and I was laid on the bed to ensure the best pleasurable angle as he began his almost violent thrusts but this was normal for Jack, as the moment he's allowed to he will not control himself but I rather liked it, seeing him often so composed and calculated a slave to his hormones and needs, I didn't hold back my screams given often when we did this my family would be in bed or his colleagues on the side of a door but as we were alone I didn't have to hold my screams back, he didn't hold back his grunts and groans either which I found sexier then I like to admit, the bed creaking as he thrusted I knew I was close clawing down his back in desperation for the pleasure that was building and building and building until I hit it screaming and clamping my legs around him my eyes rolling back and my jaw hung open, pleasure rushing though my body jack kept going for a while but he was slower sloppier unable to control himself much longer until he moaned loudly and quickly pulled out sending his seed across my stomach, 

"Sorry y/n-"

"It's okay, we haven't had time alone in a while" I giggled, pulling his head into my chest to catch our breath for a while "Do you think you have the energy for more?" I asked tenderly stroking his shaft and he was still hard,

"More? you sure you want more?"

"More" I pleaded

"hmmm you're pretty cute when you beg,"

"Don't make me beg too much Jack you won't like me when I'm too... desperate," I smirked stroking his chest and his neck till I reached his hair and I tugged on it hard pulling his hair 

He smirked and chuckled at little at me pulling his hair slightly and biting his lip "Maybe I like you when you're desperate dearest." he smirked 

I pulled him down to kiss me pulling our lips into a heavy makeout before I pushed his head down 

"Ohh? All alright." He smirked as he began kissing and licking my clit as mercilessly as he did my neck 

"Uhhhhhh! Uuuuuuhh! Jack!" I squealed 

"ummmm! I love when you're loud for me Y/n" he growled as he began to suck, 

I did my best not to scream at the feeling of such intense pleasure but I pulled his hair so he came back to my face "I need you. Now." I half pleaded and half demanded 

"Really? You need me dearest? hmmm?" He smirked grinding himself against me as he had now gotten hard again, 

"Yes" I nodded grinding back on him "Jack, More, Please."

"Are you sure?"

"More!" I demanded digging my nails into his hips and flipping us over so he laid in the middle of my bed and I crawled over his lap 

"Ohh very demanding dearest." he smirked and I didn't hesitate to move to let him slip back inside me "uHhh fuck-" he gasped leaning on his hands to keep himself up a little, I didn't waste my time starting to ride him bouncing and grinding as fast as I could resting my hands on his stomach, he did his best to keep quiet smirking hard as he watched me ride him his hips working with me so we could move more intensely on one another, the bed springs creaking with each thrust and bounce but I didn't care, his eyes squarely on my breasts as I bounced "UUghhhh! I'm already close y/n!"

"Just a little longer Jack." I pleaded 

He smiled biting my neck a little as he took my hips and moved them even faster than I could on my own and he thrusted so hard up into me I had no choice but to squeal 

"UUghhhhhhh! JACK!" I screamed as I hit my wall of pleasure biting his neck as I did but he quickly threw me off onto the bed leaning his head back as he sent his seed across his stomach 

"Fuck- you were... certainly excited weren't you-" He groans gasping desperately given he just had two rounds without much break collapsing on the bed trying to get his head straight,

"I love you, Jack,"

"I love you too," He smiled 

I got up and fetched us both something to drink given we were both now tried and dehydrated, 

"You really like it when I nibble your neck don't you?"

"I do," I giggled,

"Hmmm maybe I'll start kissing and nibbling you again?"

"Really?"

"Yeah? That sound good dearest?" 

I smirked sitting up on my knees and stroking down his chest giving his shaft a few gentle strokes and rubs, 

"Ummm... yes?"

"Just testing."

"testing?" 

"If little Jack has enough energy for me." I cooed feeling him get hard again, 

"Always Y/n." He gasped, 

"Round three?" I asked innocently, 

"Fuck I love when your family isn't here." He smirked pulling me into a kiss I happily kissed back and then pulled back and turned my back to him looking at my pillows, he quickly came close his hands roamed my body squeezing my breasts a little before he pushed me to bend over and quickly pushing himself back inside me as he held my hips, "Uhhhhh Jack!" I smirked moving my hips back and forth to start our thrusts, and he wasted no time getting utterly merciless on me I had to keep my hands on the bed to keep my head from being thrusted into the pillow slightly giggling at the sound of our hips meeting over and over but it was often overshadowed by just how deep he could get like this, and after a while, he began to slow, "Don't slow down." I pleaded

"I'm already two shots down y/n. I'm not exactly got a lot of energy left." 

"Ughhh Jack!" I complained moving my hips myself to keep the speed the same, he moaned loudly and moved his hands from my hips to my breasts twisting my nipples as he mercilessly thrusted with enough to tip me over the edge "UHHhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Yes! yes JACK!" I squealed doing my best to ride it out he tried to slow me but I just kept at the pace until his hips bucked quickly -

"Ughhhhhhh! fuck- " He groans forcing himself out and sending his seed across my back, "Sorry- sorry-" he gasped

"It's alright Jack." I smiled, cuddling up to him a little and giving him kisses "You're tired." 

He gasps fast and hard "You are an evil little thing when your horny y/n."

"I can't help it," I giggled "I love you so much"

"I love you too" He smiled playing with my hair 

"Jack..." I whispered after a while of resting 

"Yeah?"

"Again?" 

He chuckled a little "You evil little thing,"

"More." I cooed stroking his shaft and feeling him get hard again for me "Aww little Jack does have some more energy."

"You know I can't resist you." he smirked leaning on his elbows, "Go on then dearest."

I giggled and jumped on his lap this time with my back to him so he could play and tug on my hair as I bounced myself violently desperate for this burning ache to be cured I glanced over my shoulder at him and saw him gnawing at his lip trying desperately to keep his head straight he pulled my hair hard 

"Slow down dearest. you're gonna make me cum."

"Isn't that what you need?" I smirked jiggling my butt as I bounced 

"You know I do" he growled holding my hips and thrusting hard inside me 

"uhhhhhh Jack!" I squealed bouncing faster and harder he often pulled my hair to make me arch my back as I bounced until I began to rub my clit 

"AH ah ah!" He smirked slapping my hand off "That's my job." he smirked rubbing on my clit mercilessly which was enough to tip me over the edge squealing loudly and squirting down him, he let me ride it out moving hard and fast until he pushed me down onto the bed and sent his seed across the sheets "I love you so much y/n

"I love you too Jack" I smiled giving him a gentle kiss as we both lay sweaty, gasping trying to process ourselves, given the last... god knows how long we had been at this like literal rabbits.

Once I had the strength I climbed out of bed and went looking for where my dress ended up quickly slipping it on and fixing my hair having a drink after all that. when I looked back to the bed Jack was fast asleep so I let him rest for a while getting started on dinner, once it was cooking I went back up and found him still asleep so I giggled climbing onto the bed and onto his lap "Wakey wakey"

"Humm? Ohh sorry y/n I think I uhh I think I died for a minute" 

"Really?" I giggled giving him some water, 

"I did just cum four times... I'm surprised I didn't just pass out" he chuckled 

"That's true." I giggled "So.... dinner's cooking."

"Good, I'm starving after all that" he smiled giving me a kiss 

"So... it's gonna be about an hour?" I cooed stroking his chest 

He gasped a little his eyes widening "I'm gonna love marrying you aren't I?"

"Yes you will" I smirked tugging him into a kiss and dragging him down into bed with me...

[annwrites]

⸻ birthday.

· pairing: chainsaw angus x lilsister!reader · type: one-shot (collection) · summary: it's your birthday. · tw: domestic violence · word count: 1,138

Today is your birthday. You don't consider it a special day. Not anymore. Maybe you did when you were little—for the first few years of your young life—but now it's just like any other day.

You spend the day cleaning like always, running through your normal routine while Angus is off at the lab. Or elsewhere.

He didn't tell you where he was going this morning.

You hadn't asked.

You wonder sometimes which he prefers: you showing interest, so he can feel like he's important to you for more than just your survival—even if he's the thing that's slowly killing you—or seeming indifferent; your nose kept out of his business. Literal or otherwise.

That evening, Angus returns to the smell of lasagna wafting through the house. He finds you on the couch, reading a mass-market paperback, a throw-blanket resting over your legs and lap.

He extends a hand toward you, the other hidden behind his back. "Here."

You reach up, smiling, gently taking the plush object from his grip: a cheap brown teddy bear, that's holding a red heart, which says 'Happy Birthday!' in white thread. You try to imagine him walking through a store with it in-hand and fight back the urge to laugh at such an image.

You hug it to your chest, staring up at him, your cheeks now flushed. "Thank you. I love it."

He jerks his head in the direction of the kitchen. "C'mon. One more thing."

Your brows furrow. "The lasagna is still cooling. I just took it out."

He shakes his head, reaching down, taking your hand, your teddy falling onto the floor. "Not about that."

You rise from the couch, tossing your blanket aside, looking back over your shoulder at your forgotten gift as he pulls you in another direction, feeling sorry that this is the little guys new home.

You promise yourself mentally that you'll take good care of him.

You're currently seated at the dining-room table that's positioned in the middle of the kitchen, the oak-wood surface gleaming against the overhead light. The tablecloth is currently in the dryer. You'd forgotten to pull it out earlier. You still have placemats, though.

Angus sets a single cupcake—with light-pink frosting and rainbow sprinkles atop it—down in front of you, a single candle stuck in the middle.

Now you know what he'd been hiding.

You release a breath of relief then.

He walks over to the junk drawer, retrieving a lighter, a flame sparking to life as he lights the wick.

You lean forward, softly blowing, and it fizzles out.

You look back to Angus, who's currently leaned back against the stove, his arms crossed.

"What'd you wish for?"

You give him a pleasant lie, hoping he can't tell that it is one.

"I already have everything I want."

He nods, just once. "Let's eat."

The two of you dine in silence, your cupcake sitting in the middle of the table.

You're saving it for dessert.

You'd offered to split it with Angus once the two of you were done, but he'd said he'd gotten it for you to have.

He'd let you use the fine China for dinner tonight that had come from your grandmother. It was one of the things he took from the old house when the bank repo'd it after your dad's 'suicide'.

You're very careful not to leave a single scratch on the porcelain.

Once dinner is through, you forgo putting the plates in the dishwasher, instead choosing to hand-wash them with a soft sponge instead.

Once they're clean and dry, you turn around to return them to their home in their specific cupboard across the room, but you trip over Angus' foot.

You fall, and they shatter.

You stare in horror at the ruined dishes, beginning to shake. "I—I'm so sorry."

You scramble to begin picking them up, your lasagna likely to make a reapperance.

He loudly scoots his chair back and you flinch.

He kneels down, quickly grabbing you by the hair at the back of your head, staring into your terror-filled eyes. "Do you have any fucking idea how much those were worth?"

You blink up at him, still on your hands and knees. "I didn't... I didn't mean to. Your foot—I tripped."

He raises a brow, his nostrils flaring, pulling harder against your scalp. "Are you trying to make this my fault?"

You begin vehemently shaking your head. "No, no, of course not. It was an accident. I...maybe I can try to super-glue them back together? The big pieces."

He grabs your face in his free hand, squeezing your cheeks so hard you're afraid he'll break your temporomandibular joint. You won't be eating again for some time if he does, you suppose. Not solid foods, at least.

He won't be spoon-feeding you, that's for certain.

He sneers. "They can't be fucking fixed. I should've known better than to let you near them. You break everything you touch."

A quiet sob escapes your lips.

"I'm so sorry," you say, choking back tears.

"Stop fucking crying!" He shouts, shaking you.

You squeeze your eyes shut, willing it away. Hoping that when you open them again, he'll have disappeared.

Finally, he tosses you to the side.

He grabs your cupcake from the table, throwing it onto the floor.

Now you'll have to mop again.

There goes your dessert.

Along with your perfect night.

And your birthday celebrations, no matter how small.

"Clean it up," he spits, stalking out of the room.

He looks to the table over his shoulder. "And put the goddamn tablecloth back. Don't need you scratching it up and ruining it, too."

Once the kitchen has been tended to, and you feel numb instead of like all your nerves are frayed—you'd cried yourself to the point of exhaustion—you find the living room empty.

His car isn't out front anymore.

And your teddy's head is lying across the room, stuffing protruding from its neck.

You pick up its body, and its head, going into the bedroom.

You'd stuck yourself more than once, and it looks a little funny—you're no seamstress—but you'd managed to put him back together again.

You'd sung yourself a nursery rhyme while fixing him. That one about an egg.

It never did say that's what he was in the song.

You hide your new friend away beneath your secret floorboard that Angus doesn't know about—the one beneath the rug under the bedframe—and suddenly don't feel so lonely.

Now you're both trapped in darkness you can't ever escape. Broken things that've had to be mended. Neither of you quite the same after being 'repaired'. Pieces of you missing afterwards that you can't properly fit back inside.

At least you'll suffer together.

Happy birthday, you whisper to yourself.

[inthishousewestanspiderpunk]

*David Attenborough voice* And so dear reader, we have come to the fourth and certainly not last, installment of the circus AU series. Here, we see the wild Félix Madrigal, being chastised by his mate for missing curfew. Whilst very different, they get along famously and have produced three offspring, yet surprisingly, none have inherited their mother's red hair. Stay tuned as sometime in the next few weeks, there should be another fic up and published. This is Charlotte signing off and I hope you have a pleasant day :) x

Pepa sighed impatiently and leaned against the frame of hers and Félix's tent.  Come on, come on, where was he? Shutting up the tent for the night didn't take that long, did it? She looked up and sighed as a small grey cloud hovered overhead as an indication of her current mood. "Gracias, Papa," she muttered sarcastically, flinching as spots of rain began to fall down. Out of all the gifts the candle had to bless her with, it had to be this, didn't it? It couldn't have been invincibility? At least that would have been useful, especially paired with Javier, Luisa and the other strong and stunt performers. She was just about to give up and go inside when the familiar rustle of shoes against dry grass came up from over the small hill. Félix smiled as his and Pepa's tent was in sight, with Pepa waiting outside for him...rather...miercoles. Okay Félix, get it together, just say sorry and hope she doesn't notice you were late. Oh she will totally notice, but hey, worth a shot?

"Pepa! Amor!" he shouted brightly, taking her arm and plastering tiny kisses along it. Usually this would reduce her and the surrounding area to a hot and heavy mess, but not today. She instead snorted in disgust and pulled away from him. Félix paled. Oh. She knew. "Do you know what time it is?" she asked lowly, folding her arms. Félix looked down at his watch. "Vida, it's only half past ten..."

"Half past ten. Half past ten when bebé Félix knows mami doesn't like him out past nine thirty."

He gulped and nodded slowly. So this is where she was going with it. Félix felt his heart hammering against his chest and he got lightheaded as all the blood up and left his brain in lieu of his pants, which were now painfully tight. "Si," he whispered, a sweat forming on his brow. Pepa pulled on his pants and gave a quick look before snapping the waistband. Félix squeaked. "Si what?" "S-si Mami..."

She smiles and pushed his head to her chest whilst stroking his hair. "Buneo, eso es correcto."

Félix whimpers a little. They hadn't done Mami Pepa for a good few months and he always forgets how hard it gets him, to be at the complete mercy of a weather goddess such as Pepa Madrigal. Just having her request that he call her Mami; it did things to the man. Being typically reserved for when Pepa was truly pissed off with him, it put him in a state of terrified horniness that he often longed for but never wanted to be in.

Pepa spots how hard Félix is and arches an eyebrow. "Ay, so hard for me. We're going to have to do something about that aren't we hombrecito?" she purrs, her nails drumming along his clothed girth. Félix hisses as they dig in ever so slightly. Being this turned on and imprisoned by his clothing was sheer torture. "M-mami?" he managed to stutter out with a crack in his voice. "Can I take my pants off? They're getting kinda-" he was cut off by a finger on his lips. "Not yet mi bebé, you need to beg for it." Félix couldn't help himself as he let out an indignant whine; this was not going to impress Pepa one bit, but he'd be damned if he wasn't going to cum in his pants there and then. "Tan desesperado...que patetico." She almost pitied him as he looked longingly like a lovesick puppy. Félix gulped and shuddered, but ultimately decided to comply with her wishes. She was mami after all and only good boys deserve her attention.

"Por favor?" he whispered, giving a pout for affect. Nothing. If anything, this beautiful creature in front of him loosened her grip and yawned. With trepidation, Félix put his hand right above her centre; it was always kept neat, with slightly greying but still ginger curls decorating the outside of it and a core that was screaming with heat. Above it was a hidden yet still swollen pink nub that drove Pepa insane. He delicately brushed against her bloomers, feeling the arousal seep through the material. Pepa immediately straightened up and shivered with longing, oh that was it, right there. She paused before conducting herself and cooed. "No toques Mami ahi pequeño," she chided softly, guiding his fingers out of the way. "You didn't ask mami's permission, did you?" Félix shook his head, feeling rather like a naughty schoolboy who had been caught. "Lo siento Mami," he whispered, scuffing his shoe on the floor for affect. Pepa didn't say anything. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck with her pussy rutting against his crotch. Félix hissed again as he felt the heat transfer to the head of his cock. He was so close to Pepa and yet so far; fucking tease.

She leaned in closely and whispered in his ear, nipping the lobe. "Sigue a mami como un buen chico." His hand(or fingers, rather) is taken in hers and he is led inside the tent. With a click of her fingers and nothing more, he is ordered onto the mattress and told to wait whilst she prepares. "If you wait for mami like I know you can, you can take your pants off. That's only if though."

Félix finds himself trembling whilst he awaits the next order; cold? Nerves? Anxious trepidation? He listens as his wife pulls a few toys out of a red velvet chest that held their supplies. Pepa slowly wonders over, now in nothing but a corset and her bloomers, the corset fully emphasising her petite curves and breasts. He could already see a pink flush across her pale skin which only complimented her firey hair. Félix had never seen her look more beautiful and intimidating at the same time and if he were to die then; fuck it, he'd be happy. She raised a single eyebrow, clearly happy with him waiting. Without saying a word, Pepa gently takes his wrists with one hand and bends her head down, whispering on the skin. "So pretty for me," she marvels as she straddles him, her slim yet surprisingly strong legs squeezing against his thighs. Félix watches intently as she bounds his wrists together with a silk blindfold; not so tight so that circulation was lost, but not so loose that escape was possible. She tilted her head and put her fingers under his chin, lilting his face up to meet hers. "What do we say, chiquito?" "Gracias Mami." "For..." He had to think for a moment. "Tying me up?" "Bueno. And do you know why you are tied up?" "Because I was helping the guys?" Pepa tuts and shakes her head, booping his nose. "Mi niño tonto. Mami tied you up for not listening." She sighs a little and humps his cock, keening at the sensation "When mami tells you half past nine, she means. Half. Past. Nine. Not ten. Not quarter to three. Half. Past. Nine."

Félix shudders with arousal. "Si Mami. Bebé Félix is sorry." He hears the shuffle of material as his pants and his boxers finally come off, causing his cock to spring out almost comically. Pepa giggles at this, having always found it rather amusing and wraps her fingers around it. "Good, that's what Mami likes to hear." Her head bobbed down and Félix whimpers as she closes her lips over his tip before quickly popping it back out and leaving a connecting trail of pre cum and saliva on her mouth. "Mami likes it when bebé does as he's told. It tells mami bebé listens and wants to please her." She explained this in a low and sultry tone, never once losing her grip. "And bebé wants to please mami, doesn't he?" Félix is breathless and merely squeaks in response. "Mmhmm." "Good..."

The next few minutes are pure torture for the man as he is worked by Pepa, sometimes with her mouth, kissing and full on wrapping her tongue around his cock and other times using just her usually soft hands (Félix often helped with moisturiser). It didn't take him long to be reduced to a babbling wreck who was completely under Mami Pepa's spell. "M-mami, I'm close..." he whispered, letting out a breath he had been holding whilst being used as a personal fuck toy. "I know bebé," she muses as she begins to slow down. Félix notices this and looks up as best he could. Oh, fuck...she wouldn't.

Pepa's eyes met her husband's at the same time; the dangerous flecks of gold dancing indicated his fear as a reality.

She fucking would.

"Tell Mami..." she started, never once losing eye contact. "Why she should let you cum? I mean, it's not like bebé deserves it," she added with a scoff. "After all, bebé never told mami that he'd be late. Leaving poor mami alone and cold in the rain." "But it wasn't raining-" "In her own personal rain," Pepa emphasised, her eyes momentarily going almost orange. A shiver went up Félix's spine. Despite it being humid and the couple almost drowning with the moisture in the air, he swore it suddenly got cold. "Mami doesn't think it is fair that bebé should cum when bebé wasn't fair on Mami." He was about to respond, when Pepa squeezed his cock, almost crushing it in her grasp. She began pumping again, with such vigour, such, such....anger. "Especially when Mami works hard to feed her familia and her grande... tonto... idiota... bebé de marido doesn't even give enough of a thought to let her know that hey, I'm going to be late tonight, no biggie. Well it is a biggie, we have a routine, it's a routine for a reason." Pepa continued to mutter under her breath as she squeezed and pulled at the base, not even noticing a wind being whipped up.

This was too much for Félix, seeing her so angry and infuriated with him, knowing he'd been a bad boy and the tightness of the restraints, yes, he deserved every bit of- "DIOS MIO, PEPA!" he groaned and writhed as he came messily over her hand, some of it splashing onto her cheek, which was dealt with by wiping it on his chest, making the white stand out against all that hair.

"Pepa....that was....that was..." Félix found himself struggling to say the right words as he began to calm down. His heart was hammering and his now over sensitive penis was flopping lifeless back to its usual position.

Pepa smiles sweetly, kissing his temple and pinching his cheek. "Mami is proud, bueno chico." Félix blushes a little and giggles, clearly lovestruck. He doesn't even comprehend that she is standing up and beginning to walk away from him still tied up and covered in cum.

"Pepa?" he asks, moving his wrists; they weren't hurting as such, but they were beginning to be a bit uncomfortable on his skin.

"Back soon, bebé," was all she said, looking behind one last time before disappearing outside to the communal bathroom.

"Pepa!"

[janshu]

In The Shallows...Part One.

Summary: @hanji-is-life more merman!Bakugo and so I shall provide! I was hoping to get this out much earlier, back in may because MerMay but better late than never I suppose! You, a marine biologist, take a scuba dive to see the local fauna off coast and you find more than you ever could've bargained for...

Word Count: 1.5.

Warnings: None but minor curses, mentions of the ocean, an illusion of drowning. Viewer discretion is advised at least.

How did you manage this?

You hadn't walked on the beach, much less roll around in the coarse substance. So how did it manage to get into your pockets? This was a new jacket so how?

A short walk from the parking garage to the pier was all it was, no beach travel involved yet it had wormed its way into your pockets, in between your toes and nearly everywhere else. 

Your team chuckles at your discomfort finding your squirming the funniest thing on the planet as they loaded up the sizable vessel for the day on the water. For the past several weeks you had been cooped up in a lab studying the samples others brought to you but now you were given the green light to head out into the field yourself. Your goal for the day was to gather samples, check on the status of the coral nursery, and a checklist of other menial tasks. A full plate all things considered, much better than getting a migraine staring through a microscope at sea water until you either give up or get sent home. 

Waves battered against the hull of the boat while you and your fellow colleagues suit up in scuba gear. The goal wasn't to go to the bottom of the ocean, far from it, fifteen meters was the maximum for today so simple snorkeling hear wouldn't cut it. You didn't get your diving certifications to be stuck in a lab. The salt spray refreshing against your skin for the few seconds it was vulnerable while you changed from your outfit into the designated wetsuit. Not the full suit that covered your body from head-to-toe, just a body one to keep your core warm when your swimsuit didn't offer much protection.

The boat came to a stop right around where the GPS locator dinged where the nursery site was and the captain gave everyone a thumbs up as you and your fellows attached their fins, tanks, SPG's and all the other necessary equipment. One-by-one each of them held their regulators to their mouths and fell back into the blue ocean below until it was your own, to which you received a wink instead while everything turned upside down.

Ten, twenty, thirty, a hundred. Regardless of how many dives you've had you'll never get over the beauty of the reefs. Each time serving something new, change was ever present in your line of work. Never seeing the same specimens twice to witnessing a rare species and everything in between. The sunshine overhead casting glittering ripples on the sandy floor, catching your eye on the schools of fish that swam by as their scales gleamed in different patterns. This was the closest feeling you had ever come to your childhood dream of becoming a mermaid. When you wished on your birthday candles and shooting stars to holding your breath underneath tub water in hopes gills would magically appear. That's what started this career. Maybe it was a long forgotten portion of your evolved brain from life's time in the ocean but you felt at home, a familiar sense of belonging that you didn't have on dry land. This was where you were meant to be but sadly your wishes had never come true and you were cursed to remain a land-dwelling mammal.

The beeping in your ears ripped you from your fantastical daydreams to remind you of the harsh reality. This is as close as you were going to get but that wasn't so bad, it was better having a little than nothing at all. Looking at the gauge meter it showed that you have roughly an hour left of oxygen which meant you had been in the water for an hour already. How time flies when you're having fun, absorbed in your daydreams, and checking on coral and taking samples.

"Hey, could we switch our tanks out without getting oxygen narcosis or are we screwed in that department?" Your voice came over the radio built in the full face masks everyone in the diving team used no doubt scaring those who were lost in thought as you just were. 

"Y/N...do you really want to stay out here longer? Shitting Christ, you should be glad you're out here in the first place!" The captain's voice responded from the safety of the boat. "Now get your asses back up here n' we'll head on ba-...what was that?"

"What was what?" 

A chorus of responses chimed in immediately after, some crackling from the distance they were from the source and others sounding as if they were a foot away.

"Nothing, never mind, must've been a Manta Ray. Forget about it. Just get your shit and come back, I'm gettin' hungry and its close to lunchtime so hurry up." The static cut off as he put down the radio and looked out into the churning ocean. The massive shadow he had just seen passing by the boat putting him on alert, he didn't want to witness any reef shark's feeding frenzy.

"We can come back tomorrow, Y/N. Nothing's stopping us from that, right?" Another voice, one of your favorite colleagues suggested. That was right, you were there and your boss hadn't explicitly said that this was a one time thing. Another visit would do some good to see if the biometrics have changed in a span of twenty-four hours.

"Alright, okay, we'll come back later for a differential test."

The group had a collective sigh of relief. You were notorious for loving the ocean to such a degree you'd do anything to stay in a while longer, they were all content with leaving now and coming back later if it meant they wouldn't see your sad pouting all the way back to the van. Picking up their equipment and vials everyone began swimming back to the boat now most of them making small talk and discussing their plans for the weekend while you were once again lost in your thoughts.

Something impossibly dark darted through your vision. Blocking out the beautiful view of the turquoise water and colorful life like an angry, ominous storm cloud. A blanket of blindness shrouding all light for a moment but it felt like an eternity as dread sunk in the pit of your stomach, anchoring you to the spot. The warm water now felt cold, goosebumps running up your bare arms and thighs like pinpricks. The heart that had been so calm in the home of your ribcage now pushing adrenaline through your bloodstream, adjusting to a state you weren't acting on. Fear. That wasn't a Manta Ray or a comically large Stingray that was something else entirely. A predator that crashed against the fragile cage of safety, security and believing you were untouchable in shallow depths.

You were reminded of the psychologically scarring and irrational fear of one's ankles being grabbed particularly in the ocean by a shark, the part of your lizard brain firing signals all across your synapses to detach the leg. If only. A fair trade, being left alone at the price of a limb but unfortunately humans couldn't detach or regrow whatever they lost.

That fear was horrifically evoked when something far more firm than a limp leaf of seaweed wrapped around your ankle. Slimey, cold as death and tipped with five sharp points. Reminiscent of a hand, a very large hand. Expanding across your bare skin like a calloused cuff that threatened to break the skin, sink into the meat and tear your foot off entirely. However, that didn't seem to be happening. No cloud of your own blood instead the safety of the boat got further and further away, turning into a speck barely seen in the shallow water.

"Wait, wait no! What the fuck?! Let go! What the hell?" When your brain managed to get over its fear and shock of the situation your fight-or-flight instincts kicked into high gear and your body began to thrash around against the hold. If it was a shark hitting it in the snout and eyes was imperative to get it to release but what if it wasn't? What else could possibly have your leg in its grip with a goal of pulling you away from the boat?

A flurry of indistinguishable voices and noises came over the radio. From yelps, screams and to curses but the thudding in your ears and the furious splashes drowned them all out, everything became topsy turvy, what was the bottom of the ocean and what was the surface became an abstract concept. The primal urge to escape was ripped away when the respirator giving you oxygen was unceremoniously and harshly ripped from your mouth, the hand that had done it orange and black. The water was salty, like you had dumped an entire container of table salt into your mouth and you washed it down with a sip of water. It was invasive, slipping down your throat into your lungs as they tried to gulp air instead. The more you inhaled the harder it was to move. Your limbs becoming as heavy as cement bricks. Unconsciousness began to consume everything, your body down to your mind. The eerie sensation of falling was the last thing before everything faded to black...

[holycatsandrabbits]

Love’s Endless Light: A Good Omens serial romance

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Chapter 4: Watch By Our Side

CW: childbirth

651 AD, East Anglia

Crowley was drinking wine and watching Aziraphale drink wine, and he wasn’t sure which was more fun. Aziraphale wasn’t quite tipsy yet, but his cheeks were flushed a pretty pink and his blue eyes shone. It was an ironic beauty, an angel indulging in human pleasures.

Crowley was about to make a rather devastating rebuttal to Aziraphale’s opinions on the current Pope when Aziraphale suddenly stopped chattering and looked up. Crowley knew that look. He scanned the restaurant nervously in case the Heavenly message that Aziraphale was receiving said something like Be there in five, save us a table. Not that the other angels ever seemed to want to spend much time with Aziraphale, but—

“It’s not from Upstairs,” Aziraphale said, sounding curious. “It’s a human. Praying to me.”

“What, by name?” Crowley grinned, delighted. “Aziraphale. Do you have a cult?”

The angel immediately flushed a much brighter red. “What? Certainly not.”

“You sure? No devotees on their knees, lighting candles, venerating that greatest of angels, Guard of the Eastern Gate of—”

“Stop that. I do not have a cult. Just someone who needs help.” Aziraphale clunked his glass down on the table. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to see what’s going on.”

Crowley clunked his glass down right next to Aziraphale’s. “I won’t excuse you. I’m coming too.”

Aziraphale glowered at him. “You are not. People who pray to angels do not wish to be visited by demons.”

“I know,” Crowley said with a smirk. “That’s what makes it so much fun. Anyhow, if it turns out you do have a cult, I can help scare them off for you. Your defeat at the hands of the Serpent of Eden would certainly dampen any overzealous admiration.”

“Oh, good Lord,” Aziraphale breathed. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

It was immediately clear, though, that there was no cult. Aziraphale’s miracle landed them in a dirty alleyway beside a solitary woman, groaning with pain. Aziraphale came to his knees beside her in the dust. Despite not appearing as an angel in glory, Aziraphale seemed to glow anyway, dressed all in white against the muck of the alley.

“Crowley, she’s in labor,” Aziraphale said. “Twins.”

“Where do you want to go?” Crowley asked.

“Anywhere clean.”

Crowley snapped his fingers this time and the three of them appeared in Crowley’s small, tidy room in the nearby village. Crowley knew where Aziraphale was staying in London— how he instinctively knew Aziraphale’s whereabouts was a bit of a mystery to Crowley, one he didn’t want to investigate very far (and Satan forbid he think on the question of why)— but heavenly guards were not meant to sleep, and Crowley guessed that Aziraphale would not have a bed.

Aziraphale held the woman easily in his arms, as if a fully pregnant human weighed not more than a cup of wine. Crowley remembered Aziraphale carrying him that time in Gaul, with the consecrated hill, and a not-entirely-unpleasant shiver went up his spine.

“Don’t worry, my dear,” Aziraphale said as he laid the woman down on Crowley’s bed. “You’re all going to be just fine.”

The woman grasped Aziraphale’s wrist. “Are you— are you really an angel?”

“You should turn your lights on,” Crowley advised.

Aziraphale looked up, and Crowley saw a deep sadness in his eyes, one that went all the way back to a street fight in Mesoamerica and a child frightened of an angel in glory.

“Just a little,” Crowley said. “Just your overhead maybe.”

Aziraphale still hesitated. Crowley found himself giving the angel a reassuring smile, and for some reason Aziraphale seemed to trust it. He closed his eyes a moment, and a glow grew around his head, bright and full as any angel’s halo, and yet different from any Crowley had ever seen: not white but gold, not cold but warm. Crowley had the unpleasantly undemonic thought that Aziraphale was even more beautiful with his halo shining than he had been when flushed with wine.

“Lowest setting,” Aziraphale said nervously. “What do you think?”

“Didn’t know it had a low setting.”

“Well, it does now.”

The woman in the bed seemed to calm as she gazed on the angelic glow. “I’m Aziraphale,” the angel said, taking her hand. “And I believe you are the first human ever to pray directly to me.”

The woman grimaced as a contraction gripped her. “I saw you in a book,” she gasped, when she could. “It had a picture of you in the Garden of Eden. Somebody told me your name and I never forgot it.”

Aziraphale was smiling now. “Oh, how lovely.”

Crowley smirked. “Was I in it?”

Aziraphale gave Crowley an amused glance. “Don’t worry, I’m sure it captured your best side, dear.”

“I tried—” The woman looked apologetic. “I prayed to God, but I don’t think He listened. I don’t blame Him. These children are by a man married to someone else. I just—” She looked down at their joined hands. “I’m sorry, but I thought that if you were a minor angel, then maybe you wouldn’t be so busy. That maybe you could spare a few moments for a fallen woman.”

Aziraphale’s eyes looked wet, but he gave no other sign of distress. “Don’t be afraid,” he said quietly. “You aren’t alone.”

Crowley had never seen a birth before. Aziraphale must have, because he didn’t seem surprised by all the noise and mess. Crowley planned to assist by staying out of the way, but Aziraphale firmly thwarted that by handing Crowley an infant. Crowley’s surprise must have been obvious because Aziraphale took the time to remind him that there was a second infant still coming.

The baby Crowley was holding was tiny and messy and very mad, which Crowley supposed made sense. After all, he had been somewhere warm and protected with his mother, and now he was somewhere cold and unfamiliar with a stranger. The baby’s hands were curled into little fists and he yelled much more loudly than Crowley would have guessed he could. Crowley summoned a blanket to wrap him securely and held him against his chest. After a moment, Crowley thought to give himself a heart beat, although he normally didn’t bother with one in his corporation. The baby seemed to respond to feeling it, which was to say that he yelled slightly less loudly.

After the second baby was delivered, the woman slumped back against the bed, exhausted. Aziraphale cleaned everything with a gentle miracle and looked over both infants carefully.

“Are they all right?” the mother asked anxiously.

Aziraphale smiled at her. “Perfectly.”

The woman started to cry, which she had not done during the birth. Aziraphale handed Crowley both infants without hesitation, as if he thought Crowley might somehow understand how to hold two infants at once, which he absolutely did not, but fortunately, he figured it out. Aziraphale put his arms around the mother and held her close.

“I was sure God would punish me,” the woman sobbed. “For being with a married man. No one I knew would help me, and I thought He was going to take my children.”

“God works in mysterious ways, and by an ineffable plan,” Aziraphale said, in such a pained voice that it cut through even the babies’ wails. “Don’t worry about mistakes that you think you’ve made. Just focus on your work, and those you love. That’s— that’s what I try to do, anyway.”

Aziraphale pressed a kiss to the top of the woman’s head and Crowley felt an angelic blessing echo through the room, which made his skin itch just when he didn't have hands free to scratch.

“There’s no need to fear,” Aziraphale said to the woman. “I’ll keep watch over you.”

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My previous Good Omens serial: Mr. Fell’s Bookshop

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Image text: Love’s Endless Light by Dannye Chase (HolyCatsAndRabbits) Chapter 4

As Aziraphale and Crowley slowly fall in love over the millennia, Crowley discovers that Aziraphale is keeping a very dangerous secret.