#if this kind of show is your thing please watch fellow travelers

[troglobite]

me, sobbing loudly, vision completely obscured by tears, watching the credits on the final ep of fellow travelers: oh my god look the intimacy coordinators and dialect coaches! you guys did incredible work! [more active sobbing, voice completely wobbling and weak]

[bobawitch]

hey, i love ur writing sm!! i was wondering if you could write a platonic chris fic (or romantic, whatever u feel like writing), where they're at a party or smth and he helps the reader out when a guy keeps hitting on her and won't take a hint. thank u in advance if you write this!

a/n: omg tysm for the request and the kind words. im glad you enjoy my writing and i loved this prompt. hope you enjoy <3

pairing: ace/aro reader x chris (platonic)

cw: this does have themes of some sexual harrassment and could be found triggering to some readers. please read at your own discretion. she/her pronouns used and y/n used.

wc: 1308

Halloween night. As was said in Mean Girls it’s one of the only nights of the year when a girl can dress in a revealing way and not get absolutely destroyed by other people for it. Now you found that trend a bit cliche but who doesn’t enjoy looking good for a party? It was a party held by the triplets who had quickly become some of your favorite people in the world. Chris especially, he was your best friend. He was like a twin flame for you, plenty of the fans asked if the two of you were dating but you were quick to admit that you are aromantic and asexual. When you first told Chris he seemed a bit confused and proceeded to ask you as many questions as his funny little head could come up with. You didn’t mind answering questions and you actually appreciated that he tried to understand your romantic and sexual orientation. After that it was history, Chris was like the brother you always wanted. You spent almost all the time with each other, going to concerts and sports games together. You frequently traveled with the triplets back to Boston and Mary Lou absolutely adored you. She’d often call you to get opinions on things she was planning to buy. The triplets found this absolutely adorable and would often tease their mom about it. Mary Lou liked to call you her daughter and honestly you didn’t mind it that much. 

You were currently sitting in Chris’s room watching him pick which costume he wanted to go with. Part of him debated going as Steve Harrington again, or maybe just being the 80s jazzercise coach again. You on the other hand had decided to be a little witch. Basic enough that you weren’t stressed out but could still be cute. Although you didn’t fully send into the sluttiness that usually surrounds Halloween you did have some skin showing. Chris told you you looked amazing which made you gush, you thanked him before calling him corny. “What? Corny!? I can’t compliment my best friend now??” You laughed at Chris’s fake offended face. “Nope!” You teased before looking back down at your phone. You scrolled through tik tok for a bit longer before pushing yourself up to stand. “I’m gonna wait in the kitchen.” You said and Chris nodded. “Ok, see you in a bit.” 

Within no time the triplet’s house had flooded with people, mostly people you knew but a few friends brought their new partners. One person’s partner brought their brother to the party. He was a tall built fellow with sandy blonde hair and hazel eyes. He was definitely conventionally attractive though that mattered little to you. You noticed out of the corner of your eye that he was staring but you just avoided him by walking away. You were currently sitting over on the couch next to a socially exhausted Nick. You nudged his shoulder and he smiled at you with a slightly pained expression. “How you doing bud?” He sighed and rested his head on your shoulder. “I’m so tired. Why are there so many people all the time?” You sighed, laying your cheek to the top of Nick’s head. “Yeahh, parties are kind of a lot.” As you both sat and sighed in antisocial feelings Larray danced his way over to Nick, grabbing his hand and smiling at you. “Mind if I take him?” You looked at Nick who seemed to get a little excited by Larray coming to him. You smiled at the man and nodded. “Go for it.” Nick soon got up and walked away with Larray. You leaned back into the soft couch, closing your eyes for a moment before taking a sip of your root beer. You only opened your eyes upon feeling the cushions next to you sink. You turned your head to see the brother that had been staring at you all night. You furrowed your brows in confusion, quickly looking to make sure you knew where Matt, Chris, or Madi were just in case. Though in the midst of your scouting the man had gotten closer to you. “Hey hot stuff, what’s your name?” You looked at the man, suddenly feeling the need to grasp your cup a little tighter. “Uh, Y/N. Can I help you?” The man smirked and leaned closer to you, placing his arm on the back of the couch behind you. “Let me make you a drink. You look interesting. I want to get to know you.” You tried to put a polite smile on your face before shaking your head gently. “Oh uh I’m sorry I’m actually aromantic and asexual so I’m not really interested in anything.” You found that most of the time if you just told them you weren’t into it they’d leave you alone. Hopefully this guy was the same, but to your dismay the man’s smirk didn’t waiver after you turned him down. You began to stand, seeing that he was standing with you. “Oh come on, I’m sure you just haven’t found the right guy for you.” His hand grazed your wrist, soon holding it with a frightening strength. Your heart began to race and you tried to move your arm away from the guy. “No thank you, I’d like to walk away now please.” He pulled you closer to him and you shut your eyes, fear overcoming your entire body. But instead of hearing his creepiness again you heard a familiar voice. “Hey bro she said she wasn’t interested.” You opened your eyes to see Chris standing between you and the guy. He was still holding your wrist yet you were focused on Chris and the anger that seemed to radiate off his body. “Hey man, we aren't looking for any trouble. Sweetheart and I were just about to leave. No need to get angry.” The guy said, his grip tightening on your wrist. He tugged you, making you step closer to him and farther from Chris. “I’m not gonna tell you again dude. Leave her alone.” You reached out to Chris, trying to let him know you were ok. That you could handle it and that he didn’t need to worry but it was too late. You saw the guy’s mouth open but Chris was staring at his hand that gripped onto you. 

Within a flash you saw Chris lunge at the guy, connecting his fist to his face and repeating. Suddenly the room fell silent as the creepy guy fell to the floor, CHris stradling to land a few more blows. The upbeat music was all you could hear for a moment before you snapped out of your daze. You quickly moved forward, grabbing Chris’s arm and forcing him to look at you. “Chris stop please!” You pleaded with your best friend, his ocean eyes boring into your own. He stopped punching the guy before letting you help him up. “Get out of my fucking house.” Chris said down to the man. “And do not EVER come back.” The guy looked at you before wiping blood away from his mouth and scrambling to his feet. He looked at Chris’s heaving body before turning and leaving, pushing multiple people away as he made his way to the door. You looked at everyone around you, most were speechless and your eyes landed on Nick and Larray. You sighed and grabbed Chris’s hand, intertwining your fingers before pulling him away from the party. Slowly people began to speak again but it was muffled behind Matt’s door. You shut the door and looked at Chris who looked directly back at you. Without a word you wrapped your arms around Chris’s torso, tears streaming your face as you buried yourself deep in Chris’s chest. He wrapped his own arms around you as he tried to catch his breath. He held you close to him as you sobbed, not wanting to let you go. “If I ever see that guy again I’ll beat the shit out of him.” You smiled gently at that, slowly calming yourself in his arms. “Thanks Chris.” “Of course Y/N. I love you, call me if anyone ever treats you like that again.” “Ok, I will. I love you too Chris.”

[geekywritings]

Reunion

Got a few more requests done! So please, enjoy!

The request: “ Hello, I hope you're having a good day/night! May I request a cute Cal Kestis x Reader fic where they talk about their time as padawans? Maybe they found each other again after all this time. :) “

____

„What planets do you still want to visit?”

Cal turned toward you, his fellow Padawan, as your eyes were still focused on the starry sky above you. Peaceful evenings on a desolate moon like this, where you could just lie in a field somewhere and watch the galactic display above you were rare and you always tried to make the best of them.

The two of you had become apprentices during the war, your Jedi path thus vastly different from the one walked by your Masters.

“I don’t know.”, Cal replied honestly to your question. “I think I’d also be happy serving on Coruscant.”

You pulled a face at the admission, your adventurous spirit revolting at the idea of staying in one place. But just because it wasn’t to your liking, it didn’t mean that it wouldn’t suit Cal. The calmer and more spiritual of you two, life at the temple was probably exactly what would make him happy.

“I can see you becoming a teacher… or even as part of the Council one day.”, you mused, your eyes following a shooting star across the dark firmament.

“And what about you?”, Cal asked, clearly curious.

“I’m going to explore the galaxy.”, you announced, lips spreading into a smile. “I wanna travel the Outer-Rim and help those in need. Maybe I’ll even go into uncharted territory to see what’s out there.”

Cal chuckled. “Sounds just like you.”

This time you turned, directing your smile at your childhood friend. “But I’ll come and visit you at the Temple, of course. And bring back souvenirs.”, you promised, realizing that a life completely apart just wouldn’t do.

The entire evening was filled with dreams, what-ifs and adventurous plans for your futures. All of which would never come to fruition….

10 years later

“I can’t believe you visited so many places…”

Cal turned toward you, his fellow survivor, as your eyes were focused on the starry sky above you. Such moments were rare amidst the war against the Empire and this was the first time you had the chance to lie on a field on a peaceful planet such as Koboh.

“And I can’t believe you were on Coruscant all this time.”, he replied, noticing the irony in that. You had met by pure accident and hadn’t left each other’s side since.

“I figured I’d hide where they’d least expect a Jedi to be.”, you shrugged. The underworld of the city planet was huge, offering plenty of refuge to those who knew how to navigate it.

“Tell me more about Dathomir… And Bogano… They sound fascinating.”

Cal made himself more comfortable by folding his hands under his head, trying to figure out where to begin. There was so much to tell, both places being vastly different from each other. Meanwhile you had turned to your side, looking at him expectantly.

“You know, I think I’ll just show you.”, the redhead finally decided, making you blink.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes, why not? We deserve a break after that last mission. And I’m sure you will enjoy Bogano.”

The ravenous landscape, the cute fluffy Boglings and the impressive structure of the ancient temple sounded like just the kind of things that would earn him one of those smiles and laughs he loved so much.

“And what about Dathomir?”

“I’ll ask Merrin if she knows some nice places… Don’t expect an ocean vista or anything though.”

You chuckled as you already envisioned the Nightsister’s face at being asked to play tourguide.

“What about after the war?”

Your question had Cal turning toward you, trying to read your expression.

“What about it?”

“What do you wanna do?”

Cal fell silent. He hadn’t thought that far ahead. After the purge, he didn’t dare to dream anymore like he had as a young Padawan. Noticing that he wasn’t about to say anything, you gathered all your courage to speak yourself.

“I thought we could settle down somewhere… You and I… somewhere quiet and peaceful.”

Cal’s eyes went wide, lips parting in surprise. Settling down? You? With him? Suddenly an image appeared in his head. A small home, a garden, the two of you sitting on a bench with BD-1 running after a little red-haired child….

Realizing that he still owed you a reply, Cal smiled, one of his hands reaching out for yours. “I’d like that.”, he said. “But are you sure? What about your exploration plans?”

“I think we will do quite a bit of traveling before all this is done… Besides, I want to enjoy growing old with you, Cal. And settling down sounds perfect.”

It did to him as well. As long as it was with you.

[spinningwebsandtales]

Lollipop

Nicholas D. Wolfwood X FemReader

Rating: T+

Warnings: Suggestive themes, arguing, and mild threats

Word Count: 3.1k

(A/N:) I am on the bandwagon y’all! I watched Trigun years ago and enjoyed the series thoroughly so I was skeptical about Trigun Stampede until I gave it a shot and now I am obsessed. Especially over this doofus right here although Vash holds a special place in my heart. So I had this idea and it’s mainly just a self indulgence thing that won’t leave me alone until I write it! So to all my fellow Nicholas fangirls this one is for y’all! Until next time happy reading! ~Countess

How you met Nicholas D. Wolfwood was a complete blur in your mind. While you no longer had a place to call home, you found yourself wondering the barren planet trying to find someplace you could live. Most towns didn’t like strangers, so it didn’t surprise you when you were ran out of several towns. People looked out for themselves and their own and you couldn’t blame them. If you had a home yourself, you knew you’d feel the same. But the next town seemed more welcoming as you were able to find a room and a place to grab a bite to eat. That’s when the trouble started, as a lone traveling female there was shady characters at every corner ready to take advantage of you. You could hold your own against them and even carried a weapon for protection you kept hidden in your boot underneath your pants leg. It was then while you were enjoying your dinner a few men jumped you, pinning you against the chair. Their lecherous gazes made you squirm and before you could even reach for the concealed weapon another man stepped in. He wasn’t the biggest man you’d seen, but he still had muscles hidden under the suit. His sunglasses pressed up on his nose hid his eyes from view while his black locks seemed like they hadn’t been trimmed in awhile. The five o’clock shadow dusting his chin gave him a handsome roguish air and despite your situation you swallowed at the attractiveness of the stranger.

“That’s no way to treat someone, especially a lady,” he spoke tossing the cigarette from his lips to the floor, stomping it out with his shoe.

“Mind you’re own business priest,” one snarled while nastily grinning at the newcomer.

The stranger seemed thoughtful for a moment before sighing, “I’m not really a priest. I’m more of an undertaker and I’ll show you just how good I am at my job if you continue to refuse to unhand your victim.”

“Teach him a lesson,” the leader of the men nodded towards the dark suited man.

You watched, speechless and a little curious. Not many people stood up for others, especially when it came to you. You had always had rotten luck, even as a child and here you were hitting the jackpot for once in your life. The leader of the men held onto you tightly while the other two surrounded your would be hero. You almost yelled for him to leave and save himself, but before you could utter a word the two thugs were on the ground, unconscious leaving the remaining one to gape in awe. The stranger dusted his hands, stepping over one of the fallen men.

“Now that I’ve proven myself a little, care to unhand her now?”

You were suddenly released while the last man standing fled, screaming like he’d been lit on fire. The stranger, that had put his neck on the line, fixed his ruffled suit coat, before he came towards you. You took a wary step from him, thankful for what he just did for you but you couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy as he was still a stranger to you. His lips quirked into a pleased smirk seeing your reaction before he held out a sheet of paper towards you.

“My fee,” he said waiting for you to take the offered paper.

“Fee,” you asked incredulously taking the paper from him. 30,000 double dollars smacked you right in the face, you suddenly felt faint. “What’s this for?!”

“Rescuing you of course,” he replied like it was the most obvious thing.

“I didn’t ask you to!”

“Think of it as a kindness out of my giving heart. I also gave you a big discount,” he reached into his suit pocket for a cigarette. He placed it between his lips before lighting it.

“Yeah giving heart. By giving if you mean giving out bills then I could definitely agree. I don’t have this kind of money! I barely had enough to get something to eat!”

He tsk’d, “Such a shame.”

You watched him walk away, trails of cigarette smoke the only thing lingering around. The other patrons watched the  exchange between you two cautiously. All you could do was shrug before sitting down and finishing the rest of your meal. 

You paid with what little money you had left before leaving the restaurant. You had to find where the next town is and how far as you knew you couldn’t stay now. Not with that so called undertaker causing a stir only to charge you and abandon you to whatever fate that those criminals were cooking up in vengeance. What you didn’t expect was to see the same man that had the gall to stand up towards your attackers and to say you owed him money leaning against the building you had rented a room in. He looked up at the sound of your footsteps, his dark eyes crinkling in delight.

“Well if it isn’t my favorite gal,” he greeted warmly like he hadn’t wiped his hands clean of you not twenty minutes ago.

“Since when,” you asked a ting of annoyance in your voice.

“Since I found out you rented out the last room,” he replied cheerfully. “Think you can help your hero out here?”

“I thought I owed you money, you creep,” you snarled.

“That’s water under the bridge,” he waved his hand. “I helped you, you help me. That’s what we’re put on this dust ball for isn’t it?”

“Not necessarily.”

He glared, “Look, if you share your room with me, I’ll forget about your debt to me.”

“I shouldn’t have a debt in the first place,” you argued.

“My lifestyle isn’t free y’know? I promise I won’t do anything untoward towards you,” he patted the tightly bound cross shape luggage as a vow.

You sighed not wanting this argument to continue any longer. Maybe if you helped him out this once you’d never have to see him again. “Fine. But if you do I’ll kill you in your sleep.”

“Fair enough.”

Night fell over the rough town quickly and you found yourself sitting stiffly on the bed as the night creatures yowled across the darkened desert. Your weird dark stranger seemed to be quite at ease as he leaned back on the tattered couch snoring up a storm. While you wanted to sleep, you worried about him doing something once your guard was down, also his snoring was making it impossible. The thought of smothering him with a dust covered pillow was becoming more tempting by the second. You had walked so far and in such harsh conditions, your body was screaming to get some much needed rest. His snoring seemed to be calming down some and your eyelids were winning the battle against staying awake. You finally succumbed falling into a deep slumber. 

A hand patted your cheek.

“C’mon wake up. It’s time for check out,” a chipper voice pulled you from the darkness.

“Wha?”

“Good morning beautiful!” Your stranger was in your face causing you to stumble backwards only to fall off the bed. “Do you know you drool in your sleep? It’s kinda cute.” 

“Oww,” you groaned. “What time is it? And why were you watching me sleep?!”

He chuckled, “Time to leave and you’re adorable. Less mean when you’re sleeping.”

“Like you’re such a saint.” You stretched, popping your spine. “You can go now, my debt is paid as ludicrous as it was.”

“Nah,” he replied. “I think we need to stick together a little longer. I heard you asking about the next town and I’m actually heading that way myself. Why not go together?”

“Because I am really beginning to hate your guts,” you rolled your eyes. But you couldn’t help but think how much safer it would be if you traveled with him. You began to ponder if it would be worth the headache. The want of companionship won out and you agreed. Now you were walking right behind the man watching the cross sway against his back.

“Nicholas,” he spoke out of the blue.

“What,” you asked.

“The name is Nicholas D. Wolfwood.”

“(Y/N). (L/N). I’d say it’s a pleasure to meet you but it really wasn’t,” you grinned wickedly.

“So mean,” he turned away knowing you’d stay right with him.

A couple days passed and you found yourself warming up to the undertaker known as Nicholas. When he wasn’t teasing the daylights out of you, he was actually fun to be around. While you knew you would probably pay for it later he shared his water and what little food he had. He knew a lot about the desert and he shared information with you during the trek and around the campfire. It wasn’t every night you both got to share in the warmth of an open flame, it was only if Nicholas deemed it safe enough. He wanted to keep you both hidden from bandits or cut throats who would kill you both in your sleep and take everything from your corpses. You shivered violently at the thought of being snuck up on. The nights that you both couldn’t afford a fire he would curl up against you, sharing each other’s body heat to fight the cold of the night. One night you punched him in the nose when he got too touchy feely. Nicholas no longer tried groping you.

“Y’know for a priest you sure aren’t very angelic or pure,” you said one evening while watching him across the fire.

“Not a priest,” he spoke ripping at the meat in his hand. “Undertaker.”

“Whatever,” you rolled your eyes. “I just figured people of your kind would be pure.”

“Nah,” Nicholas shook his head. “This place steals purity as it steals moisture from the ground. I’m sure you’re not as pure as you’re trying to lead on.”

You scoffed, turning from the flames to hide your blush. “I’m as pure as they come, thank you.”

He chuckled hiding his movements by the crackling flames. You looked up, startling at the closeness of him. His face leaned into yours before taking your chin in his calloused fingers.

“Want me to sully you before the world does,” a mischievous glint sparkled in his eyes. You refused to answer, blushing beet red before decking him in the cheek. Laying sprawled out on the sand while holding his throbbing cheek, Nicholas laughed like a madman.

“I was joking,” he continued to laugh. “Ow.”

“Your demeanor said otherwise,” you argued. “I’m going to sleep. Don’t touch me or I’ll do worse than punch you.”

He set up still rubbing where you punched him. “I knew you were packing a weapon.”

You ignored him for a moment until curiosity won out. “How?”

“Your gait is different on your right leg. It was either blisters on your feet or a weapon tucked in your boot that catches on your pants leg.” He moved back to the other side of the fire so you would relax a little more. “You never complain about your feet hurting so it had to be a weapon.”

“You’re smarter than you look,” you snorted turning away from him again.

“Not just another pretty face,” he chuckled darkly. “Get some sleep. I’ll keep watch and I promise not to do anything to you.”

“Better not Nicholas or I’ll show you what I’m packing in this boot.”

“Knife,” he simply said and you stiffened.

“Shut up,” then you went to sleep.

Weeks later and you were beginning to wonder if the town you both were walking to even existed. The desert was becoming harder to bear, especially after you both ran out of water a couple days ago. Food wasn’t too hard to come by, as long as you didn’t mind eating bugs raw or the rare lizard every now and again. Sometimes you would come across a plant that carried a little water. Nicholas always let you have the most of it and it made you feel a little guilty. He would console you that he was used to living this way. It wasn’t until the next day you were beginning to go crazy from lack of water. Nicholas seemed unperturbed as he hummed to himself kicking at the sand every now and again, like a childish dance. Your mouth felt like sand and you prayed that you would arrive to your destination soon. Nicholas turned around to check on you, a lollipop clenched between his teeth instead of the ever present cigarette. He waved at you, crossing his eyes. You wanted to punch him again for enjoying himself while you were miserable. It made you wonder if he treated other people like he did you, cause he seemed to really enjoy getting under your skin. But you wanted a sucker too and you wouldn’t get candy with a salty attitude. His throat bobbed up and down as he swallowed. Your mouth moistened a little as you tried to drool in want. You shook your head refusing to beg him for one stupid lollipop. A little green monster kept it’s place in the back of your mind, when Nicholas popped the treat from his mouth licking his lips. You whimpered at the sight of saliva glistening in the sun. Desperation was making you weak at the thought of any kind of moisture. But you wouldn’t stoop so low as asking for the sucker his perverted mouth was lavishing.

“Nicholas,” you cringed at your voice.

“Hmmm,” he looked back trying to hide his look of pleasure. He had been teasing you on purpose just waiting for you to break.

“Would you happen to have another lollipop,” you tried to ask disinterested.

“Sorry sweetheart,” he smiled wickedly waving the treat back and forth. “This is my last one.”

“Oh,” you said in disappointment. “That’s okay, I didn’t want one that bad in the first place.”

He sat the cross shaped package down sliding down the dune that you were standing at the foot of. “Don’t be shy now. You can have mine.”

“No,” you shouted quickly before clearing your throat. “No thank you that’s yours. I can wait until we make it to the town.”

“That could be days,” he replied. “Think you can hold out?”

“I’m sure,” the unsurety in your voice made him crook an eyebrow.

“Want a lick? Say ah,” he shoved the pink lollipop in your face.

“I’m good,” you dodged.

“Don’t be shy now,” he cackled. “It’s just my saliva. Your mouth has to be soooo dry.”

“No it’s not,” you screeched when he poked you in the side. He slid the sugary treat into your mouth. You clamped your lips around it, cheeks blood red before moaning at the little bit of moisture seeping into your dry mouth. He watched you close your eyes in bliss while the sucker moved around in your mouth, the stick turning circles.

“Better,” he asked leaning closer causing you to shrink back a little.

Your flustered face betraying you, “A little.”

“Good,” he said reaching back into his suit pocket. You thought he was going for another cigarette to replace the sucker only for him to pull out another one. He unwrapped the blue treat sticking it in his mouth.

“You said you didn’t have another one!”

He smirked, “I thought you really wanted mine. That’s what you asked for.”

“I did not! I specifically asked if you had another one,” you grabbed his collar. 

“I heard you say you wanted mine by the look in your eyes not your voice,” he replied matter-of-factly.

“That doesn’t even make any sense!”

Nicholas grabbed your wrists pulling you closer into his firm body. Wrapping one arm around your waist as his one hand kept both of your wrists in a strong grip.

“Maybe I wanted to give you an excuse to stop dodging me,” he purred. “Now that we shared an indirect kiss maybe you’ll let me take a shot at a real one.”

“Not going to happen,” you trembled trying to yank from his grasp.

He leaned down, nose brushing against yours before removing both of the suckers from your mouths. The sun relentlessly beating down but completely forgotten as you drowned in his gaze. You couldn’t focus on the fact that your lips were chapped and your mouth still dry. All you could see was a man that had irked you but cared for you in his own way. You hadn’t known him long but he had been more genuine than anyone you had ever met. He brushed the hair from your eyes before slotting his lips against yours. While chapped, there was still a softness to his mouth and he tasted like strawberries and blueberries from the suckers he had indulged in. Nicholas moaned at the sugary taste still lingering on your tongue as he explored your mouth. You shivered as he petted your tongue searching out what little taste you had left. Seconds later he parted from you, panting from the lack of air in his lungs. Your lips already swelling a little from his diligent lips that left no part of your lips unexplored. You melted against him, leaning your head against the bare part of his chest, where he kept his shirt buttons unbuttoned.

“Lollipop,” he cooed.

“Hmm,” you grunted still unable to form words just yet.

“I think I’ll call you lollipop from now on,” he grinned. 

You opened your mouth to protest the ridiculous pet name, to which he silenced with another kiss. While he still got on your nerves you couldn’t deny there was something about Nicholas D. Wolfwood that was beginning to grow on you.

“Do you have any friends,” you asked when he let you go again.

“Yeah I have several.”

“How do they deal with you?”

“I can grow on a person,” he grinned.

“Like a fungus? Mold? Canker sores?”

“You can be really mean (Y/N),” Nicholas pouted. “See if I give you anymore treats.”

“How shall I go on,” you scoffed walking off. Nicholas scampered after you picking up his cross. He slid on the sand before getting back to your side. He took your hand kissing the back of it before you both started back on your journey not knowing what would happen next. You couldn’t help but look forward to the unknown as you walked hand in hand with your annoying undertaker, that destiny brought to you.

[candycandy00]

The Dark Carnival - Shigaraki x Reader

AU fic about the League of Villains as members of a 1920’s traveling circus/carnival, and everywhere they go, people tend to disappear. Each chapter will feature a new Reader getting mixed up with one of the members. This is a dark fanfic so please don’t expect happy endings!

Smut. 18+. Violence. Death. Blood. Whips. Oral sex. Creampie. Rough sex (the sex is consensual though).

It was your sister who convinced you to go to the traveling carnival that had just arrived in town. She’d been watching the progress of the huge colorful tents being erected in the empty field behind the school, and she’d come home to tell you of the exotic animals she’d seen being led from enormous carts to steel cages. To make her happy, you agreed to go with her on the first night it was open. 

You noticed him right away. How could you not? He was the ring master, as well as the lion tamer. He was dressed in a blood red jacket, a black and red vest underneath, with white pants and black shiny boots. A black hat sat atop a mess of white hair that spilled to his shoulders and framed a surprisingly young and pretty face. A few faint scars marred his visage, but to you they only added to his mysterious charm. 

But his eyes entranced you most of all. They were the color of his jacket, the color of blood. So unusual, but so incredibly beautiful. You were mesmerized by him, by the way he moved across the sandy floor of the tent, the way he cracked his whip to get the lions to do his bidding, the way the rest of the performers seemed to move around him as if he were the true star of the circus. 

The other performers were alluring in their own right. A white haired fire dancer covered in burn scars, nude to his waist, piercings on his lips and nipples connected by thin dangling chains. A sharply dressed magician who wore a glittering mask over his eyes and charmed every young lady lucky enough to be selected as his volunteer assistant for the evening, his hands sliding over their bodies as he helped them in and out of various contraptions. A lovely young knife thrower in a striped corset and fishnet stockings, laughing gleefully as she outlined the bodies of her adoring fans in knives. A ruggedly handsome ventriloquist who wore a bow tie and suspenders over his tightly fitting shirt and chain smoked as he made his puppet say outrageous things. And finally, the Lizard Man who was dragged out covered in chains, even his mouth bound shut, as if he were a danger to everyone there, but with long shaggy pink hair and shockingly kind eyes that made everyone in the audience want to free him. 

Even when the others were performing amazing feats, your eyes sought him out. When not in the middle of the biggest ring, he usually stood leaning against the lion cage, arms crossed, watching his fellow performers. At the end of the show, he stood near the tent’s exit, periodically bowing to patrons as they left. As you walked by him, your heart raced. Your eyes met his, and the intensity of his stare made heat rush to your face. 

The second night, your sister didn’t have to convince you at all. You were eager to get to the big tent and take your seat, a bit closer to the ring this time. As the handsome ring master moved around, cracking his whip at the lions, his eyes drifted over the crowd. Was it your imagination, or did they seem to linger on you? 

You shifted in your seat, feeling nervous and excited. You watched his performance with rapt attention, barely even hearing your sister when she asked if you wanted some cotton candy. The only treat you wanted was standing in the middle of the ring, holding the whip taut between his hands as he suddenly ran his tongue along the length of it. Several ladies in the audience gasped, but you could tell from the looks on their faces that they’d enjoyed the spectacle. 

The third night was the last performance, and you sat in the front row, face flushed, eyes shining as you committed his every move to your memory. You didn’t want this to end. The thought of going back to your drab, boring life while the ring master rode out of town made you feel a deep sadness you couldn’t explain. 

So after the last performance was done and everyone had gone home, you decided to sneak back into the carnival to get one last look at the man who had captivated you so strongly. Perhaps, you thought, you could even speak to him or get his autograph. 

It was a crazy impulse, and you’d never been the type to follow such whims, but once the idea was in your head, you couldn’t resist. 

It was pitch dark when you snuck back into the carnival grounds. All the bright swirling lights were turned off, all the rides gone still. As you crept along, you wondered which tent belonged to the ring master. You didn’t have to wonder long. 

He stepped out of a small tent among a row of similar tents, lighting a cigarette then crossing his arms, tilting his head to look up at the cloudless sky. He was so beautiful in the starlight that your breath caught in your throat. You stood there for a moment in the darkness, peeking out from behind a nearby crate, just enjoying the sight of him, thrilled by the thought that you were seeing him in a private moment that the other women in the audience would never get to see. 

Someone in the distance called out a name that sounded foreign to you, and the ring master walked toward the voice, leaving the immediate area of his tent. Had that been his name? You’d never heard one like “Tomura” before. 

Regardless, his tent was now unguarded, just sitting there empty, ripe to be looked through. You hesitated for a moment, wondering if you should really go through with this. You wanted so badly to get a glimpse of his personal space, to perhaps get even a tiny inkling as to who he really was. But what if he came back and caught you? You could just say you were lost, right? 

You crept over to his tent and carefully pulled the fabric of the opening back, glancing inside. It was lit by a few small lamps with clear glass globes, so you stepped on in. 

The space was nothing shocking. There was a bed, a dresser with a large mirror, a huge wooden trunk, and a wrack of colorful clothes that all looked similar to the outfits he’d been wearing during the shows. Still, you felt amazing just being in there. You ran one hand along the dresser, then went over to the clothes and smelled of them. To your surprise, they didn’t smell like animals or any typical circus odors. They smelled fairly fresh. 

Suddenly you heard footsteps outside the tent. He was back! In a panic, you completely forgot the plan to say you were lost and instead dove behind the clothes, easily slipping out of view. 

You heard the flap of the tent’s entrance open and then heavy footsteps walking through the tent. You carefully parted the clothes a tiny bit and peered out. You found the ring master standing in front of his dresser, looking at himself in the mirror. As you watched, he began removing his clothing, piece by piece. You heart rate sped up as more and more of his toned body became visible. Without realizing it, you’d started breathing heavily. 

Suddenly he turned his head toward the clothes and said, “Who’s there?”

You froze, an instinctive fear overtaking all your thoughts. Why were you so frightened? The worst that could happen was that he’d be angry and you’d be embarrassed. But something deep within you told you to flee. You ignored it. 

The ring master grabbed his whip from the dresser and cracked it toward the the clothes you were hiding behind, causing them to slide to the left and reveal you standing there in your pink floral sundress. 

He regarded you with a cold, penetrating stare and asked, “What are you doing in my tent?”

Even half dressed, he was imposing. 

“I’m sorry, I got lost,” you managed to squeak out. 

He stared at you with those red eyes, as if he could see right through you. 

You decided to fess up. “No, that’s a lie,” you admitted. “The truth is… I’ve been so drawn to you. I’ve come to every performance, and I find myself enamored. I just wanted to see you one more time before you leave town. I thought maybe… you could give me your autograph.”

His face broke into a somewhat eerie smile. “If that’s true, I can give you something much better than an autograph.”

Right there in the tent, just a few feet away from you, he pulled his cock out. You gasped and looked away, unable to believe he would do something so brazen. Then you remembered that you’d been hiding in his tent, watching him undress. To him, you were probably the brazen one. You looked back at him, at the long, pale shaft in his hand, growing larger and firmer before your eyes. 

“Come here,” he said, and your body seemed to move on its own. You stepped over to him, your heart hammering in your chest, and he put one hand on your shoulder, gently but firmly pushing you down to a kneeling position before him. You found yourself at mouth level with his now fully erect cock. 

You looked up at at him, uncertain, but he put his hand on the back of your head, threading his thin fingers through your hair, and pulled you closer. By reflex you opened your mouth, and his cock slid inside. You closed your lips around it, licked at it with your tongue, savoring the taste of him. He watched you, his expression unchanged as you pulled back and ran your tongue along the length, wanting to give him pleasure more than anything else in the world.

Finally, your licking and sucking seemed to have an effect, as his grip on your hair tightened. He pulled out of your mouth and said, “Hold out your tongue.”

You obeyed immediately. He grasped the tip of your tongue with his thumb and one finger, pulling it a little further out, then shot his cum directly onto it. The warm sticky fluid drizzled down your bottom lip and chin, but you managed to bring most of it into your mouth, where you swallowed it. 

He grinned down at you. “Good girl.”

You stood up slowly, not wanting to do anything that would displease him. It was as if your whole body existed just for him. You’d never been so entranced by anyone before. 

He reached forward and undid the buttons on the front of your dress, then pulled it down to pool around your feet, leaving you only in bra, panties, garter belt, and sheer stockings. You blushed, lowering your eyes, but he took hold of your hand and pulled you over to the bed. 

After pushing you onto your back, you watched in confusion as he unspooled the whip and held it up. “Put your hands above your head,” he commanded, and you did. 

The next moment, he swung the whip, and it coiled tightly around both your wrists, holding them together. You cried out in pain as the whip stung your flesh, and you noticed that it was covered in tiny sharp briars that pricked your skin and caused little drops of blood to trickle down your arms. 

He stood over you, watching your face, as if waiting to see if you would beg him to release you. But you didn’t. You would let this man do whatever he wanted with you, if it meant getting to spend even one more moment in his presence. 

After a few moments, he climbed onto the bed, and pulled a small knife from his boot. You drew in a sharp breath, wondering what he was going to do with it, but he simply used it to cut off your bra and panties, leaving the garter belt and stockings. 

He moved down and pushed your knees apart, then used two fingers to spread you open. You gasped as he leaned forward and ran his tongue along the inside of your folds, prodding at your clit with the tip. You arched your back and moaned. He alternated using his tongue and his fingers to pleasure you, making obscene sounds with the wet arousal dripping out of you, bringing you to climax faster than you ever thought possible. 

As you shuddered through your orgasm, he got to his knees between your thighs and positioned himself at your entrance. You barely had time to register what he was doing when he thrust inside you. You bucked against the whip restraining you, your whole body lifting off the bed, the briars biting into your wrists. It hurt. All of it did. But he was so beautiful, you would have let him whip you as if you were a misbehaving lion. 

He pulled back and looked down at where your bodies were connected, his expression vaguely displaying surprise. You assumed he saw blood and realized you were a virgin. He grinned at you again and thrust back in, burying himself in you. 

You whimpered but you wrapped your legs around his waist, pulling him even deeper into you. All those other women and girls in the audience were so obviously smitten with him, and he may have bowed to them as they left or graced them with a smile, but you were the one he was fucking. You were special. 

He reached one hand up to stroke your hair as he continued thrusting in and out. “For a virgin, you can take it deep,” he said, clearly meaning it as a compliment. 

You clenched around him, the praise causing your arousal to spike. You looked up at him with teary, lust-filled eyes. “P-please… wherever you’re going… take me with you!”

He looked you in the eyes, but said nothing, so you went on. 

“I’ll do anything you want! I don’t think I can live without you!”

His eyes shifted away from your face as he muttered, “You won’t have to worry about that.”

“What?”

He suddenly kissed you on the lips, pushing his tongue into your mouth, making you forget what he’d just said as one of his hands groped your breast. The sudden actions, coupled with the sensation of his cock repeatedly hitting a very sensitive spot inside you, brought you over the edge again, leaving you whimpering against his mouth. 

Moments later, he shot his seed inside you, so much that you felt like it would leak out around his cock. 

He pulled out and stood up, then walked over to retrieve his pants from the floor, leaving you shuddering on the bed, the whip still digging into your skin. 

When he stepped back over to you, he pulled the whip free. It hurt, possibly more than when he originally hit you with it, and blood kept sliding  down your shaking arms. He coiled the whip back up and leaned over you, rubbing the whip against your breast, the briars scratching over the nipple. You hissed and tossed your head back, enjoying the pain. 

He watched you with something like amusement, smiling down at you as he dragged the whip down, then rubbed it against the tender flesh between your legs. It wasn’t hard enough to draw blood, but your body was already so sensitive that the sensations felt much sharper than they were. You moaned and reached for him, wanting to pull him closer, wanting him to kiss you again. But he abruptly stopped and stood back up, looking toward the entrance to his tent. 

You followed his gaze and saw several figures walking into the tent. It was the other performers, all five of them, dressed in casual clothing as they crowded in and stood around, none of them seeming the least bit surprised to find a naked young woman in the ring master’s bed. 

“Oh, you’re not finished yet?” one of them asked. You were too confused to notice which one. You tried to cover your nudity with your arms as you scooted to the back of the bed. 

“I was just about to,” the ring leader said, uncoiling the whip and stretching it tight between his hands. 

“What’s going on?!” you cry, feeling completely exposed and vulnerable. 

The fire dancer laughed. “The boss is about to finish you up. At least he showed you a good time first, from the looks of it.” His eyes very pointedly moved to the wet sticky spot on the sheets. 

You couldn’t take this any more. Things were getting crazy, fast. You jumped off the bed and ran toward the tent’s entrance, but you only got a few feet before you heard a familiar sound, the whip slicing through the air. A split second later, you felt the spike-covered whip wrap around your neck, cutting into the delicate skin of your throat, causing blood to trickle down to your chest as you struggled to get your fingers under the whip. 

You were jerked backwards, toward the end of the bed, and you watched in horror as the ring master slung his end of the whip over a metal hook hanging from the tent’s ceiling and pulled, causing you to be lifted off your feet, hanging you. 

You struggled wildly, kicking and jerking as your oxygen ran out. Just before you were about to black out, you were able to extend one foot to touch the end of the bed, giving yourself a tiny bit of leeway to suck in some air, your fingers clawing at the whip. The motion forced you to spread your legs apart, and you felt the ring master’s cum, tinted red by your blood, pour out of you. 

You heard some of the other performers laugh, and one of them said, “Fuck, you really filled her up, boss!”

You looked down at the ring master, who was holding the end of the whip firmly, using it to squeeze the life out of you. You couldn’t understand why he was doing this. When he finally met your eyes, he looked… regretful? “Sorry,” he said in a quiet voice, “I can’t keep a pet. I always end up killing them. Best to do it now before I get attached.”

Your eyes widened as he suddenly jerked on the whip, pulling you further into the air and out of reach of the bed. You jerked and kicked, desperate to find some footing, desperate for mercy, but none came. You got one last look at those beautiful red eyes as you lost consciousness, and died. 

The next morning, the dark carnival loaded up and headed for the next town, leaving your body in a shallow grave. 

[deandoesthingstome]

Hi friend! I saved this ask for today because who doesn't need a serotonin boost on a Monday, right? 😘

So, here we go!

8. What I like the most about your writing I love that your writing is rather fast-paced and that you really know how to keep suspense high. Your writing throws the reader right into the story, enthralls you, and it doesn't let you go. I also love that you use a vivid or lively kind of language. (And since I mostly have to look up a few words, I get to extend my vocabulary that way 😊)

11. Something I wish/hope you write Let's jump to Night Moves, chapter 4, the scene with Walter in the shower, aka things that live rent-free in my head:

God, he wanted to show her how right she was. Wanted to see her lean back for him, hang her head off the side of a bed and stare up at him, waiting for him to put his cock deep down her throat.

Well, I want to see that, too 👀 So if you and the muse ever decide to elaborate on that, I'm so here for it, you know 😏

Also, I adore your latest Geralt piece travel the breadth of extremities and I hope we'll get to read more Geralt fics from you someday 😍

Maja. Friend. Fellow fic writer. Please, please forgive me for the delayed reply. I got this on Monday and I squealed with delight from all the serotonin and then I promptly ignored you while I posted Ch 6 of Walk with Me.

I hope you understand, and I think you do considering your reaction to the installment as well as your comment about the thing you like best about my writing and I really am so flattered that it comes off that way for you! I'm gonna put the rest under the cut because it got wordy!

Also, and this goes for anyone reading: never hesitate to ask about a missing reply. Tumblr IS notorious for eating asks.

As for Walter and Alex, well, I hope you understand why I had a hard time making that scene a reality given what she goes through. I felt like the pressure and intensity of that position would cause her some damage, especially because Walter is going to have a hard time going easy on her while he watches her tilt back and beg for him. He doesn't mean to hurt her, of course, but his animal instinct is gonna take over, like a switch is gonna flip, brain short-circuit, something, when he sees her shift around all on her own with no prompting from him. He'll remember the way he felt about her the first time he laid eyes on her and he will have no control, right? Right??? If I ever get an itch to revisit them down the road when she's healed up a little more and able to take him that way, you'll be the first to get a tag. PInky promise!

Geralt is a heady whisper of desire to me. He flits in and out of my consciousness at the oddest times. I only know him through TWN; never read the books or played the games, so the inspiration comes from the show, and of course, of-fucking-course, Henry himself. And it may be an unpopular opinion (I see various takes from the blogs I follow) but I'm also a Yenralt lover. I sometimes feel bad taking him away from her. We'll see if the second part of S3 (which is only 3 episodes long???) will wind it's way into any more passionate trysts with him. But I also fear when the end comes, I'll never find the same desire for LH's Geralt. Especially because I'm probably not watching it. Ugh.

Thank you again, Maja. Heart you!

[daisymeade]

Birgir's slides!

Most of them are going under the cut and Ulbrig's will be at the bottom for spoilers' sake!

GALFREY: Everyone really told Galfrey, "Now that the Worldwound is closed and we've wrung every ounce of usefulness, influence, and symbolism out of you how about you leave? I can't even be mad at her for saying no (all she's ever known is duty. What else should she do? If Iomadae was worth her salt, she'd have rewarded Galfrey by making her an angel of the goddess' heavenly host.) I like to imagine Birgir is invited to the palace on occasion.

HULRUN: Glad to see this man chilled out some. Maybe you should just retire though, bro.

WINTERSUN: Marhevok you dumbass, Gundrun was right there!

STORYTELLER: I love this old man so much and I'm ridiculously happy for him. 🥹

SEELAH: I'm pretty sure this is a "didn't finish their personal quests" slide, but I DID! I was not consistent in my Law versus Good responses...I feel so bad about thiiiis.

LANN: Live your dreams, bud! Though the sea adventures aren't true because Birgir has no desire to do that lol.

EMBER: I won't soon forget her saying that she didn't want to punish people into being good but that, "You're stern sometimes, but you were right. I'll do it again if I have to." 😭

NENIO: I went out of my way to finish her questline so I have no idea what this was about. She even called me by my name after the Enigma dungeon! So I rebuke this energy. 😂

DAERAN & WOLJIF: These three showing up in Absalom sounds like a hysterical idea.

SOSIEL & TREVER: The first slide really said, "Yay, Sosi got married! Now be sad again about Seelah." :(

REGILL & GREYBOR: Nice, lowkey endings for the both of them.

ARUE: FINALLY!!!! Something good for Seelah. I love these two and their friendship so much.

Nocticula became the Redeemer Queen and moved to Elysium. I'm so pleased for her. 🥹

The Abyssians (Shamira, Baphomet, Deskari) are busy being evil, ofc.

The slaves built a citadel where the Nexus camp was to protect themselves. Very cool and powerful of them!

Xorges is a Pathfinder!!!! 💚💚💚

Irabeth is still doing her Eagle Watch thing and I'm sure Anevia has a cute dress on making bread for when she comes home.

AND LAST BUT MOST IMPORTANT:

Ulbrig and Birgir got married! Wherever Birg may travel, Gundrun is home now.

Also I'm calling it: Birgir is Jernaugh's child's godfather once they're born. He's gonna help support that widow and her kid, as fellow Erastilans and people. 😤 Kind of mad they didn't get an end slide.

[the-ragingenby]

Cross-post:

Dear Fellow Traveler

Chapter 4

Spencer shoved his phone into his pocket, turning to face Gideon who sat leisurely in an armchair. “I was talking to a friend. That’s all. He was worried about me. I was stuck at the university with a murderer running around, remember?”

Gideon’s mouth twitched into a tight frown. “I heard the FBI was here helping the Richmond Police Department.” He said slowly, carefully watching Spencer’s face. “And you were consulting.”

“That’s right.” Spencer replied, keeping his voice flat. He had already come to the same conclusion Gideon was probably alluding to: the BAU was here. And Morgan was a part of it. Gideon was right all along, but being part of the BAU didn’t seem all that bad! In fact, helping them out was kind of…exhilarating. At least, it was a lot more exciting than just working with the police department.

“I can hear you thinking, kid, stop it.” Gideon sighed. “I know you must think that the FBI is some sort of grand entity, but they can still fail. They often do.”

“I know that Gideon, but they still save lives! And doing that is probably the most noble thing anyone could do. They’re not perfect, but nobody is. Still, I think they do more good than you give them credit for.” Spencer defended.

Gideon did not reply, leaning back in the chair. “Anything new from…” He was quite obviously changing the subject, but there was no fighting with Gideon.

“Well, even if there was, you’re in my apartment, for some ungodly reason. I doubt he’d show up knowing you’re here.” Spencer tried, but failed, to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

“Spencer, so long as I’m here, you’ll be safe. There’s really nothing to worry about.” Gideon assured him, his expression softening into something kind, a rarity for the man.

“I’m going to bed. You can take the guest room, if you want.” Spencer offered, knowing that Gideon probably wouldn’t sleep tonight. After all, he’s already set up camp on my chair. With a light shake of his head, Spencer disappeared into his bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

[6:47 pm]

uN0wN: Using Gideon to hide from me. How original.

Spencer’s breath caught in his throat. It had been over a month since he was last contacted by him. He could feel his hands begin to shake as he pushed his phone away. He stared wearily at the screen, fingers twitching in anxiety.

[6:48 pm]

uN0wN: Don’t worry, we’ll meet again soon. But, regrettably, not today.

Spencer sat and stared for fifteen minutes, barely willing himself to breathe. Once he was certain there were no more messages, he let himself relax a little. He thought about Derek, and for just a moment, considered calling him. But I don’t want to drag him into this mess. I couldn’t do that to him.

Instead, he opted for a text. No matter how horrible he was feeling, once he fell into a groove, talking to Derek made all his problems seem miles away. Spencer wasn’t sure what this feeling was supposed to be, but just thinking about Derek made him feel all warm and fuzzy.

[7:03 pm]

throughthe_Reids: Sorry about cutting you off like that. You sounded like you wanted to say something?

[7:04 pm]

De-Reel_Morgan: It’s no big deal. So long as you're safe.

[7:04 pm}

De-Reel_Morgan: And it’s nothing important.

[7:05 pm]

throughthe_Reids: Well now I’m curious. Indulge me?

[7:05 pm]

throughthe_Reids: Please? :3

[7:06 pm]

De-Reel_Morgan: You make it real hard to say no to you.

[7:07 pm]

De-Reel_Morgan: But it’s embarrassing, so.

[7:07 pm]

throughthe_Reids: Then it’ll just be another thing for me to make fun of you for. Come onnnn, tell me.

[7:08 pm]

De-Reel_Morgan: Fine, fine. I was going to ask if you wanted to hang out. Like in person. I have a few days off of work, so I immediately thought of you. I just wanted to finally see your pretty face.

Spencer couldn’t help but smile. He really wants to meet me? It would be so nice to finally meet him. And he called me pretty. That fuzzy feeling was back, and Spencer didn’t want it to ever leave.

[7:10 pm]

throughthe_Reids: But I mean, you work for the FBI. I would think you already know what I look like. Penelope can find anyone and everyone.

[7:11 pm]

De-Reel_Morgan: I know, but I wanted to respect your privacy.

[7;12 pm]

De-Reel_Morgan: Besides, waiting for something you want is part of what makes it worth it, right?

Spencer felt his face grow warm with embarrassment. He’s never felt so…appreciated before. Is that the right word? No, no, that’s not it. It’s something more. Something more…meaningful.

[7:15 pm]

throughthe_Reids: Then I’d feel horrible making you wait any longer. What were you thinking?

[7:16 pm]

De-Reel_Morgan: Honestly? Garcia’s planning the whole thing. She heard one little offhand comment about me wanting to meet you and took the reins of the whole thing.

[7:17 pm]

De-Reel_Morgan: I wouldn’t be surprised if she came and kidnapped you from your place. She’s very conniving.

[7:17 pm]

throughthe_Reids: Tell me something I don’t know.

Secretly, Spencer was hoping to use his down time to hang out at the animal shelter again, but this works too. And it’s been a while since he’s seen Penelope. He missed her.

[7:18 pm]

De-Reel_Morgan: You sure you’re alright though? I heard someone talking in the background before you hung up.

[7:19 pm]

throughthe_Reids: I’m feeling better now that I’ve gotten to talk to you.

[7:19 pm]

throughthe_Reids: It’s not a big deal though. Just a friend crashing at my place.

That wasn’t entirely a lie, but Spencer didn’t want to unload his whole situation onto Derek. He’s had a busy day, I don’t want to give him something else to worry about.

[7:20 pm]

De-Reel_Morgan: Alright. But you’d tell me if something was going on, right? I want to help, if I can.

[7:21 pm]

throughthe_Reids: Yeah, I promise.

[7:21 pm]

throughthe_Reids: But I’m fine, really! You’re worrying over nothing.

[7:22 pm]

De-Reel_Morgan: You’re overcompensating, which indicates lying, but I’ll overlook it and choose to believe you.

[7:23 pm]

throughthe_Reids: Ugh. You were being so romantic, and now you’re calling me a liar. Heart: broken.

[7:24 pm]

De-Reel_Morgan: Mhm. You know I love ya.

[7:25 pm]

De-Reel_Morgan: But I’ll quit bothering you now. Maybe you’ll finally go to bed early.

[7:26 pm]

De-Reel_Morgan: Good night, pretty boy.

Spencer dropped his phone back on the bed, pressing his face into his hands with a silent scream. If he felt hot before, now he was practically burning up. No one’s ever said these things to me and meant it. At least, I think he means it. But, I’m not sure if I really deserve all these affections…

[7:31 pm]

throughthe_Reids: I’ll choose to listen to you. This time.

[7:32 pm]

throughthe_Reids: Night, Derek. <3

Spencer cringed at the last minute emoticon. Maybe it was too forward, but it was too late to take it back now. After all, he’d already sent it. He reached to push his phone away, when he got one last message from Derek.

[7:33 pm]

De-Reel_Morgan: <3

Spencer went straight to bed after that.

~

The next morning, Spencer poked his head out of his room to see that Gideon was gone. Honestly, it didn’t surprise him. Gideon did say he wanted to hang around until he was sure Spencer was safe.

As he was trying to decide what to do with himself for the day, his phone began to ring. Spencer hardly glanced at the caller ID before picking up. “Hey, Penelope. Long time no hear.”

“Spencer! Hey!” Penelope greeted, chipper as usual. “Hopefully Morgan actually asked you out and he’s not being a bum. But I’ve come to tell you my plans!”

“Plans?” Spencer asked slowly, still a little groggy.

“Well, it’s a surprise. Kind of. But what I will tell you is to make some space in your apartment.” Penelope explained.

“And that’s not cryptic at all.” Spencer deadpanned. “You have to give me more details then that or I might not do it right.”

Penelope let out a dramatic sigh. “If I explain any further, the surprise will be ruined. Your apartment is a two-bedroom, two-bathroom type deal right?”

“Yeah…?” Spencer was surprised she remembered. The last time she was here was ages ago.

“Then take your extra bathroom and just empty it a bit. And get some old towels and clothes too. Ones that you don’t mind getting dirty. Or destroyed.” Penelope went on. Spencer paused, trying to figure out what it was exactly that Penelope was hinting at.

“And I suppose Derek knows what’s happening?” Spencer muttered as he moved to do as Penelope instructed.

“Of course! And I made him pinky-promise not to tell you, no matter how cute your puppy eyes get. So you aren’t getting anything out of him either.” Penelope chirped. Spencer let out a huffing laugh, setting down a few towels and piling a few others in a corner.

“Well there goes my plan to get info.” Spencer mocked disappointment, but he had to admit that he was actually really excited. “How’s Sergio? I heard you were still hanging onto him for a coworker. Does he miss me?”

“Obviously.” Penelope snickered. “He’s such a sweet little guy. I’ll bring him around to visit again sometime.”

“I’m holding you to that.” Spencer huffed, stepping out of the bathroom.

“Anyway, get yourself ready. Nothing too formal, just wear your normal clothes. I’ll come fetch you in half an hour. Ciao!” Penelope signed off before Spencer could respond.

“Oh boy.” Spencer sighed. He wasn’t even sure what to expect, but he got ready as instructed.

Time seemed to crawl by, but eventually Penelope showed up at his door. “Hey, nerd.” Penelope greeted with a deep bow when Spencer opened the door. “Your chariot awaits.” Spencer fought hard not to roll his eyes.

“Hi, Penelope.” Spencer pulled her into a hug, laughing gently. “And by chariot, do you mean the subway? Unless you’ve finally decided to start driving.”

“Okay, it’s actually more complicated than that. But, long story short, one of your surprises is downstairs. So, let’s go, go, go!” Penelope dragged Spencer out of his apartment, graciously allowing him to lock the door behind him, before continuing to drag him down the stairs and into the parking lot.

“Penelope, my legs are perfectly capable of walking on their own.” Spencer chuckled, glancing around and trying to figure out which car she was pulling him to.

“Oh, hush. You walk much too leisurely.” She huffed in response.

“I can take it from here, Garcia.” A low voice laughed. Spencer looked up to see a man leaning against a black sedan. It looked to be a sports car, but then again (as much as he hated to admit it) Spencer was not as well-versed on specific car models as he would have liked. “Hey, pretty boy.”

Spencer froze, looking the man up and down. “D-Derek?” Now, he knew from what Penelope described that Derek looked good, really good. But he wasn’t expecting a literal god of fitness. He’s way out of my league.

“I’ll leave you guys to it! Prentiss, JJ, let’s ride!” Penelope raced over to a black SUV, sliding into the backseat. Before they drove off, a blonde rolled down the passenger side window and smiled at the both of them.

“Treat him well, Morgan. One wrong move, and you’re done.” She threatened.

“Don’t worry, JJ. I’ll behave, I swear.” Derek promised. JJ rolled her eyes and waved as they drove away.

“Sorry about that, Spence. They’re a little overprotective. But they all mean well.”

“Was that your team?” Spencer asked, blinking in surprise as Derek moved to open the car door for him.

“Yeah, but they’re also some of my best friends, so they’re helping me out a little.” Derek explained, motioning for Spencer to enter. Spencer sat in the seat, pulling his messenger bag into his lap, giving him something to fiddle with.

“It’s, uh, good to finally meet you.” Spencer murmured, feeling more nervous (and awkward) than he had expected. He's gonna find out I’m not as charming as I tried to come off as.

“I figured that you’d be cute.” Derek said as he started the car, turning out of the parking lot and speeding down the street. “But, God, you’re adorable, so the pretty boy nickname definitely sticks.” Spencer pressed a hand against his mouth as he let out a quiet wheeze of shock. Hearing that in person…I think I’m having heart palpitations.

“You flatter me. But I’m sure you’ve said that to plenty of other people.” Spencer winced at his tone, but surprisingly enough, Derek just laughed.

“I’m sure you’ve heard your share of stories from Garcia.” Derek chuckled. “But I promised a long time ago, to both myself and her, that I wouldn’t break your heart. You don’t deserve that.”

Spencer was stunned. “That was…forward.” Derek laughed, then shrugged.

“I don’t want my pretty boy thinking I don’t mean it.” He whispered, just loud enough for Spencer to hear. “And we’re here!”

Spencer hadn’t realized that they were actually at the animal shelter he usually volunteers at. “Why’re we here?” He asked, though he didn’t expect an answer. Derek smiled widely, parking the car and turning to look at him.

“It’s part of Garcia’s surprise. She told me how much you love being here. She set up something else too, but that comes later.” Derek slid out of the car and opened the door for Spencer, who sheepishly thanked him.

As they walked inside, a couple of the staff members greeted him warmly. “Dr. Reid! It’s a pleasure to see you again.” Jenna, the general manager, greeted. She outstretched her hand for Spencer to shake, but he waved instead. “Oh, right. The germs thing. Sorry.”

“Oh, no. It’s alright. And it’s good to see you too. Though, I thought I said you can call me Spencer. I’ll even take just Reid.” Spencer laughed gently. Jenna waved her hand dismissively.

“Nonsense. You’ve gotta be proud of your title. You worked so hard for it, four times over.” She insisted. “Anyway, we have the room ready for you! So come on!”

“Room…?” Spencer questioned, slowly following her lead. Derek walked at his side, occasionally stealing a glance at him. Jenna stopped in front of the room typically used for customers to meet their possible pet before adoption.

“Here you are! The kittens will be out shortly.” Jenna announced, shoving Derek and Spencer inside. Spencer shot a half-hearted glare in Derek’s direction as he had the audacity to laugh at him.

“So Penelope decided to book a…kitten meeting day for me?” Spencer asked, finding a relatively clean spot to sit on the floor.

“Yeah, something like that.” Derek plopped down beside him, keeping a respectful distance. “Can’t tell you anything more though. She made me promise.”

“So I heard.” Spencer sighed. “And I was so hoping to finagle some answers out of you.”

“Sorry, pretty boy. You’re just gonna need to be patient.” Derek smiled at Spencer’s exaggerated pout. “I’ll make it up to you later. That sound good?” Spencer nodded, though he was more focused on the door as it opened and a pair of kittens bounded in.

They ran straight for Spencer, one settling in his lap while the other scrambled up onto his shoulders. Spencer fought back laughter as Jenna stuck her head in. “Enjoy, you guys!”

“Now, what are your names?” Spencer murmured to them, carefully checking the collars around their necks. The smaller of the two was a ginger tabby, with dainty white paws carefully gripping onto Spencer’s sweater, fighting to keep his balance on his shoulders. “So your name is…Felix? Ew. We’re changing that right away.”

Now, the larger kitten was a deep gray, almost black but not quite, with a splash of white on the tip of his tail. “And yours is Smokey.” Spencer shook his head, causing Felix to bat at his hair. “If I was working when you guys came in, you wouldn’t have been stuck with such boring names.”

“What kind of names are you going for?” Derek asked, chuckling as Smokey clambered from Spencer’s lap and ambled over to Derek, nudging affectionately against his hand. “Hey, buddy.”

“Well, they look like a bonded pair to me. So maybe some names that go with each other.” Spencer paused to extract Felix’s paws from his hair, making it look messier than usual.

“So like a dynamic duo?” Derek lifted Smokey into his arms, gently petting him. Spencer nodded, placing the wriggling kitten back onto the ground. “What about Quinn and Finn?”

“That sounds stupid.” Spencer huffed. “Unless you guys like it?” The two kittens paused in their antics to let out a collective mrow of displeasure. “See?”

“Alright, alright. No rhyming. Got it.” Derek chuckled, placing Smokey on his head while he thought. After a few minutes, he had another idea. “How about this: Mojo and Milo. Y’know since one of them’s got a lot of spark in ‘em. And the other just seems like a Milo to me.”

Spencer considered the names for a moment, then looked to the kittens. “What say you?” Smokey and Felix let out another mrow, though it was much more pleasant. “I guess you aren’t half bad after all, Derek.” Spencer stuck out his tongue at the man, who laughed gently and nudged him.

“See? I’m learning.”

“Alright, Felix. You are now Mojo. And Smokey, you’re Milo.” Spencer decided. Hearing no complaints from the kitten crew, Spencer decided to take it as a victory.

Spencer wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but the kittens finally fell asleep, exhausted from running around. He and Derek were just talking, though it was different from over the phone. Getting to see how Derek’s expressions changed, how excited he got talking about things he liked, Spencer wouldn’t trade it for anything.

“We’d better get going soon.” Spencer decided after a while. “But I’d hate to wake them up.” At that, Derek smiled softly.

“That was Garcia’s other surprise.” Derek murmured, watching Spencer’s shocked expression with amusement. “These little guys need a home, just for a little while. So, she signed you up to foster–”

“Of course I will!” Spencer gasped, beyond excited. He took Derek’s hand, startling him just a little. “So long as you’ll come by to help sometimes.” Derek pulled Spencer’s hand close, pressing a gentle, chaste kiss to it.

“Anything for you, pretty boy.” He murmured, smile growing ever wider at Spencer’s embarrassment. The jerk!

Once he’d calmed down enough to form coherent sentences, Spencer and Derek called Jenna over and she set them up with a carrier. “All the paperwork has been filed, so there’s no need to worry. Take good care of them for us, and keep me posted.”

“I will.” Spencer said, bowing slightly to thank her. She waved her hand dismissively.

“There’s no need for that. Now get outta here, you lovebirds.” Spencer felt a blush creep up his cheeks. Was it really that obvious? But then again, I’m not really hiding anything either.

“Thanks again, Jenna.” Derek spoke for Spencer, mouth twitching into a smile. With that, he herded Spencer back to the car. “You get flustered so easily. It’s cute.” Derek chuckled as he carefully placed the carrier at Spencer’s feet. Despite everything, the kittens were still dead asleep.

“No, it’s not.” Spencer huffed, more playful than anything, as he pouted.

“Mm. It is to me. And I think that’s what matters here.” Derek replied easily, taking care to stay well within the speed limit as he took Spencer back home.

To Spencer’s surprise, though he really should have expected it, Penelope was there to greet them with take-out in hand. “It looks like you guys had fun!” She chirped, following them inside as Spencer unlocked the door.

“You didn’t have to go through all this trouble though.” Spencer said, immediately taking the kittens to the spare bathroom to get them set up.

“You love me for it though!” Penelope called. “And I totally didn’t buy everything you needed and put it in the bathroom while you were away. No. Only a crazy person would do that.”

Spencer rolled his eyes, taking in the newly arranged bathroom, complete with an expensive-looking litter box, a big fluffy bed, and all the toys a cat could want. “Thank you, Penelope.” He laughed, opening the carrier to let the kittens out.

They stretched widely and let out little yawns, before padding to the bed and curling into one another, falling asleep almost instantly. Spencer left the carrier, just in case they wanted to go back inside it, and quietly shut the door to allow them to get adjusted. After washing his hands, he returned to the group.

“I was literally just here to drop off food. And get deets, of course. But call if you need me!” Penelope bowed and slipped from the apartment, presumably back to her friends that picked her up that morning.

“She went through the trouble of going to that Indian place I like.” Spencer smiled, taking one of the styrofoam containers from the bag and began to eat.

“Yeah, Garcia’s really thoughtful. It’s part of why everyone likes her so much.” Derek added, spying at the other container. He popped it open and carefully tried its contents, before nodding, pleased with the flavor.

After they finished, they sat in comfortable silence for a while. Derek being here has been one of the best days of my life. I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed going out with someone so much. “Thanks. For being here.” Spencer murmured, fiddling with his hands.

Derek laughed, then smiled. “Pretty boy, I wouldn’t trade this for anything.”

[featherxquill-yuletide]

Dear Yuletide Writer 2024

Dear Yuletide Author, 

It's been a while since I posted one of these! (holy shit 2016 how does that feel like half a lifetime ago). Thank you for offering one of the fandoms I requested this year! I'm excited to play again and I'm glad we matched.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of things I like: worldbuilding, small character moments, atmospheric setting, casefic, crackling dialogue, missing moments, unlikely pairings (romantic or otherwise), older women with rich interior lives, realistic bodies, things unspoken but very much felt. 

I don't really have any major DNWs (I'm pretty game, or pretty stupid? idk) and I'm open to everything from gen to full-on smut (except where otherwise noted). I prefer romantic or sexual interaction of any variety to have a sting in the tail (I'm not super into fluff in general) and I prefer for any smut to come from a place of character, but yeah, have at it. I don't think I really need to say 'keep all characters over the age of 18' given who I've requested, but yeah, that. 

Onto my individual requests:

Request 1

Slow Horses (TV)

Characters: Catherine Standish, Jackson Lamb, Louisa Guy, Roddy Ho

DNW smut in this fandom, please. I don’t mind flirting or shippyness if you see it, but I’ll need convincing, so do the fic equivalent of buying me a drink first, yeah?

Things I love about this series: the whip-smart dialogue, the unlikeable characters that sneakily trick you into loving them, the moments of humour and unbearable tension. The character I’m most drawn to is Standish, so please make sure she is included in the story. You may add any or all of the other characters as you wish.

Some ideas I’d love to see, if they take your fancy: missing moments at Slough House between these characters. I’m currently reading Mick Herron’s book series alongside watching the show, and I’m charmed by the connection between Catherine and Roddy that the books hint at but the show doesn’t really explore, but I’d also love to see Catherine bring her particular understanding of people to any of the residents of Slough House - what kind of understanding does she have with Louisa, or fellow addict Marcus (though he’s obviously at a quite different stage in his journey), or touchy and damaged Coe? Explore that twisted codependency between Standish and Lamb some more - I like the dysfunctional parents vibe they have and would love to see it played around with over time. How has their dynamic shifted as people cycled through Slough House? Do they have a history before that? Feel free to bring in characters not at Slough House, too - what would a lengthier interaction between Standish and Taverner look like if they got stuck in a car or lift together for some reason?

If you prefer a more ensemble cast, give me a case fic - the team solving a mystery despicable or benign, dealing with another brilliant idea of River’s, or maybe even dealing with something supernatural, if you care to invoke a bit of Ben Aaronovitch or Neil Gaiman. The slow horses fucking over the Park is also always a delight.

Request 2 

Butchered Tongue - Hozier (song)

This request is very open. Basically, I adore this haunting little number. It evokes for me stories of travel and homecoming, violence and trauma, protest through voice and language. The narrator could be a person meeting people and collecting stories, or a witness to colonial violence. It could be a story of voices silenced and found, of people searching for the idea of ‘home’. I love the juxtaposition of earth as both a place of burial and a place for growth, of places close and distant that all have similar stories. I’d love for you to write about whatever journey this song takes you on.

Request 3

Hamlet - Shakespeare

Honestly, make this one as fucked up as you like. Hamlet is my favourite Shakespeare play, and although I’ve taught it as many times as I can, my interest has never been all that academic. I love the way it’s one big soap opera, all the dysfunctional relationships in it and the different possible motivations of the characters.

Gertrude is consistently the character I’m most drawn to, so I chose those three characters because I’d like some combination of Gertrude/Claudius, Gertrude/Hamlet or Gertrude/Claudius/Hamlet in all their fucked up glory.

Some questions/prompts: why did Gertrude marry Claudius, and how is that working out? Was it purely to avoid the power vacuum that her husband’s death left behind, or did she really want him? How is the rank sweat of that enseamed bed? Is it all she ever wanted? More than she bargained for? Was that poisoning plot all his idea, or is she the master manipulator?

And what is Hamlet’s obsession with his mother’s sex life? How much more intense have interactions between them been? Is Hamlet jealous of Claudius? I am absolutely here for all the twisted mother/son dynamics you can come up with.

If it helps, my preferred staging of this play is the 2009 RSC production with David Tennant (currently available on YouTube). I would love to read something both kinda hot and deeply discomfiting.

Request 4

Arc of a Scythe - Neal Shusterman

Scythe Curie, Scythe Faraday, Scythe Rand

I love this series! I love this world, the it's not-really-a-dystopia-actually of it all. I love the politics of Scythedom and the complexity of feeling around the idea of taking human life, the rituals the various scythes have for coping with the moral burden of their duty (or not, as the case may be - pretending that there isn't any moral burden and this thing should be fun).

I've chosen all the characters for this tagset because, with these three characters, why not? That said, you don't have to include all three of these characters. I'd like my gift to involve Curie, who is my favourite, but you can decide who you would like to write about her interacting with.

Some ideas: I love the canonical relationship between Curie and Faraday, so if you'd like to write me a moment from their seven-year affair, I'm all for that in whatever form it takes. I love a good bit of angst, too, so what was the first time they saw each other again after 70 years like? Make it emotionally fraught and achey and full of longing, or make it adult and moving on and finding closure, whatever appeals to you. BUT. These two were done DIRTY by canon, so I'd also love it if you FIXED THAT. Are there, somehow, two copies of Curie now in existence? Did she get revived somehow on earth in a way that the Thunderhead/Cirri never learned about, so now there's the version 2.0 we met in Gleanings, but also the OG revived on earth and getting to have her retirement off grid somewhere with Faraday? MAKE IT HAPPEN. My only note here is that I'd prefer to see these characters as adults with a bit of life experience, like we see them in canon or at least after their first turn-of-the-corner or two. I'm not really interested in Curie's years as an apprentice, so I'd prefer if you avoided that.

If you're more interested in Rand, I'd love to see an interaction between her and Curie. Have they interacted at Conclaves over the years, or was there a time when Rand considered breaking away from Goddard, sought out a more old-guard mentor and got rebuffed? If you can make me believe a femslash moment between them, I'd be into it, or could there be a time where Rand was involved in raising new apprentices that Curie had something to do with? Does she have a special skill she has demonstrated to terrified new apprentices?

I absolutely welcome treats, my main is featherxquill, and you'll also find me on Twitter by that name. Thank you for writing for me!

[spacecadetomoly]

I’m firmly on team “American Dad was always good”, but about a year into the show moving to TBS the plots got a lot wilder and weirder and I think we can all agree that was a good thing. Rabbit Ears (which is in either season 14 or 16 depending on who you ask, the numbering system of AD seasons is kind of messed up and Wikipedia and varies streaming services can’t agree on what the “correct” number is) seemed to be a turning point where the show really hit its stride and started putting out consistently great episodes pretty regularly, but there’s a lot of homeruns and hidden gems even before that.

Now, the thing about American Dad is that while the continuity of the show is very loose there IS a lot of character humor and callback gags. Thus, it can be hard to recommend a perfect place to start for people who don’t want to go back to season one when the show wasn’t as good and work their way upwards through over 300 episodes because a lot of the jokes work best when you have a solid understanding of the people, the places, and the weird logic on which the stories run.

That’s why I’ve put together a few “American Dad Starter packs” with episodes that either follow a specific “arc” or theme to help new comers who want to try the show out a way to ease their way into in and see if it’s style of humor is for them.

For each pack I’ve given you the episode names, but not what number or season they’re in because like I said it tends to vary depending on where you’re watching, so you’re going to have to do some googling sorry. A trick I’ve found that usually works is to look them on Wikipedia and past about season eleven if the episode list you’re seeing doesn’t match that go back 2 or 3 seasons.

Enjoy!

Pack one: “Roger’s Personas” Episodes: Fellow Traveler, The One That Got Away, Jenny Fromdabloc, Shallow Vows, The Dentist’s Wife, Ricky Spanish, Persona Assistant Description: For people who want to better understand why and how Roger the alien is like 300 different people at the same time and society as a whole just rolls with it.

Pack two: “Let’s get Spooky!” Episodes: Rabbit Ears, Echoes, Hot Water, Enter Stanman, You Are Here, Exquisite Corpses, Salute Your Sllort, Family Time, The Three Fs, The Witches of Langley, The Pleasanting at Smith House Description: Most American tv shows only do horror themed episodes around Halloween, but at some point the writers of American Dad realized “Wait, we can write episodes with horror elements whenever we want! Even if it’s not Halloween time!” so now we get like 3-4 spooky episodes per season and there was much rejoicing. To be clear: these are just a few of my favorite spooky episodes, there’s actually way more than this.

Pack three: “Jeff’s Space Adventures” Episodes: Naked to the Limit One More Time, Lost in Space, The Longest Distance Relationship, Holy Shit Jeff's Back!, Bahama Mama, Roger's Baby Description: Jeff gets sent to space, try to guess how this story arc will begin and end and then see just how wrong you are.

Pack four: “Danuta and Nerfer” Episodes: Faking Bad, "Shark?!, Funnyish Games, One Fish Two Fish, Roger Needs Dick, Beyond the Alcove, Please Please Jeff, Cow I Met Your Moo-ther Description: Hayley has these two friends named Danuta and Nerfer. They started out has a background character (Danuta) and a one-off gag (Nerfer) respectively, but the writers kept making jokes about them and kept bringing them back up and eventually had them move in together and buy a bunch of bats. Why? Probably because their names are hilarious. I know that’s why I like ‘em. Anyway, here’s a few episodes where they’re either mentioned or make an appearance.

Pack Five: “Christmas with the Smiths” Episodes: The Best Christmas Story Never Told, The Most Adequate Christmas Ever, Rapture’s Delight, For Whom the Sleigh Bell Tolls, Season’s Beatings, Minstrel Krampus, Dreaming of a White Porsche Christmas, Gifted Me Liberty, Ninety North, Zero West, Santa Schmanta, Yule. Tide. Repeat, The Grounch Description: The Simpsons does the best Halloween episodes, Bob’s Burgers does the best Thanks giving episodes, and American dad does the best Christmas episodes. These are my firmly held beliefs, feel free to fight me in a field if you disagree.

Pack Six: “That one episode guest staring and co-written by The Weekend” Episode: A Starboy Is Born Description: I couldn’t figure out what I could pair this with to make it a “pack”, but I still felt like I had a moral obligation to let people know that this exists and they should watch it.

okay, I'm intrigued. around what season does american dad actually start getting good/creative/etc?

Even though the writers completely changed more than once it was still kind of a smooth climb, I'm gonna guess because new writers probably started out trying to keep consistent with its original tone but slowly learned they could do whatever the heck they want. Some of the funniest weird ones start around season 16-17, and every season moves even further from "Family Guy" shittiness than the last to where its only major downside becomes the boring art style. From 15 or 16 onwards a lot of the writing is overseen by Soren Bowie, one of the funnier Cracked writers who never turned out to be a big jerk

[mafaldaknows]

Why the fuck you all have to constantly deny the chemistry between Timmy and Russell even if you haven't seen the movie? Why the fuck do you have to stand here every day to putting down a work that two actors who admire each other have done when out of here so many people who have seen the film are praising them and how they are together? What's your problem? In what world do you think Timmy can only have one person that he worked well with and everything else sucks or doesn't deserve praise? Can you go beyond the ship for a fucking second and be objective? Just for once? You all are acting pathetic.

Hello, Anon:

I know that I say this a lot, but are you lost, Darling? You seem to have mistaken me for someone who:

Cares what you think

Publicly expressed the opinion that Timothée Chalamet and Taylor Russell lack chemistry when I haven’t even seen the movie yet

Contrary to what you might believe about me, I don’t automatically assume anything about anything. I do my level best to consider the facts in front of me before I form an objective opinion. While I might enjoy hypothesizing along with my fellow shippers for fun, because that’s still a thing that I enjoy, I also still stand by the assertion that “I know nothing, Oliver”, and therefore prefer not to speak in all-or-nothing absolutes, even within the sacred spaces of the Charmiesphere.

I have not publicly disparaged anything about Bones and All (2022) except to ponder why Timmy’s pants were hemmed about an inch too short at the London premiere, because that’s really the only thing I can comment on with any kind of authority, as a professional costumer/seamstress/dresser/stylist. I will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you might’ve mistaken me for someone else within this fandom.

I’ve traveled to a new city every week for the last few weeks now, and have had little time to keep track of everything that’s going on. I’m out living my best life, and so should you, Anon. Life is far too short to spend fretting over other people’s opinions about things that should be of no interest to you.

FWIW, I arrived in NYC this Tuesday in time to stand in line for standby tickets for Bones and All (2022) at Lincoln Center but instead chose to take a postprandial stroll through Central Park West with my beloved, to people-watch and enjoy the sunset, in the greatest city in the world. Because life is short, the sunset was spectacular, and we’ll never experience that beautiful moment together ever again.

📸: @mafaldaknows

After an inexplicably out-of-place gondola, complete with fully-outfitted gondolier, appeared out of nowhere on the lake, we stumbled upon some random guy who rolled up his Adidas track pants to fish for change in the fountain.

The signs of my favorite ship are always there, even when I’m not looking for them. The Universe winks. And has a sense of humor, too.

📸: @mafaldaknows

I’m not entirely sure why other people’s objectivity regarding the chemistry between these two obviously talented costars should matter so much to you. Why insist on this absolute validation from someone you don’t even like?

Isn’t it enough to know that you yourself enjoy them together, in what I assume is yet another impeccable movie by the inordinately masterful and talented Luca Guadagnino? You can enjoy whatever you enjoy without anyone else’s approval, which I shouldn’t even have to say to you, especially if you’re a grown adult.

While this answer probably does not address your rant questions, I’m not entirely sure why you think that I’m somehow obligated to do so in the first place, in this space, the content of which is wholly controlled by me, and only me. If you do not enjoy the content that I provide in this space, I invite you to kindly please block me so that you are guaranteed never to see anything I post ever again.

Thanks for your comments. 🗺🙃🤷🏻‍♀️🎪🤹‍♀️

[sophiria]

could you do a yandere gojo x reader? how would he act is he violent or kind and manipulative? i think it would be kinda cool. please do your own twists too.

Thank you for the ask, lovely anon <3

As you color me blue

Yandere!Gojo Satoru x handmaiden!Reader

Warnings and tags: manga spoilers, implied codependency, undertones of controlling, obsessive and possessive behaviour, undertones of manipulation, mention of a kiss, mention of blood and death related to other people, Gojo is both sweet and dark

Word count: 800 words

You've been Gojo's handmaiden for the past ten years. There's no one who knows his habits, likes and dislikes more than you do, and Satoru absolutely adores that about you. He loves your devotion and the fact that you only see him, no matter how many people come in and go out of his household. When a guest bothers you too much, Satoru makes sure they never step foot inside his family's property ever again (that is, if he leaves them alive to see another day.) He had been ready to start a war when a certain fellow sorcerer suggested he hand you over to them, and the only thing that stopped him was your soft touch on the small of his back. He loves that despite no physical relationship (not yet anyway) between the two of you, there is still intimacy lingering in the comforting, treasured gestures you often exchange. Every time the other employers of the estate notice such loving touches, they don't say anything. They know the head of the Gojo family strongly dislikes you being questioned, and they definitely don't want to find out what he's capable of if he comes to know someone aggravated you (once, a fellow maid suggested in front of Satoru that you were acting improperly with him. After that, you will never see her again.)

Gojo spoils you quite a lot, from hiring seamstresses that fabricate custom yukata and kimono according to your tastes (though they always have to be in different shades of blue, because Gojo Satoru wants your clothes to match his eyes, especially if you are to stand next to him during meetings and ceremonies), to delicacies always waiting for you in the morning. He buys you elegant jewelry, the books you want to read, and the makeup products you want to wear (here too, he tells you that he'd rather you wear different shades of blue when it comes to eyeshadow and eyeliner.)

Satoru doesn't want you to leave the property on your own. And when he permits you to step outside of the residence, he has to be there with you, watching every move you make and determining the path you will take that day. Sometimes he uses his ability to teleport to travel outside Japan and allows you to see the places you have always wanted to visit, but the journey doesn't usually last more than a day. He tells you that it's for your safety and that you have no idea about the kind of vile enemies he has (and you always listen to him because the Strongest Sorcerer knows best, and there's no one you want to please more than Gojo Satoru.)

You are forbidden from taking a lover while you are employed at Satoru's residence, a rule that he had personally included in your work contract (and after those fools who worked for him showed an interest in you? Gojo would rather you not know where they end up after he dismisses them.) Your constant and complete dedication to him doesn't bring you any friends, and you end up having just colleagues with whom you don't really spend your free time. Then again, you don't really have much time off. Because when Satoru Gojo is not dealing with matters of the Jujutsu world, he is everywhere you are. He's there with you when you wake up, at breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner. He's there with you at night too, lulling you to sleep as he tells you about his day. While you aren't a Sorcerer, you can see Curses, and Gojo makes sure you know everything about Jujutsu (especially the terrifying parts, so that your desire to meet the people in his orbit slowly decreases. He already has to tolerate you being around other Sorcerers when they visit his estate, and he can't stand anything more than that.)

When Kenjaku seals him inside the Prison Realm, time doesn't pass for Satoru, but for you, it does, and you lose him for over a year. Once he comes back home to you, covered in the blood of those who dared to separate the two of you, he finds you draped in his favorite kimono, a turquoise one with pink cherry blossom patterns. He takes you in his arms, and you don't care about the smell of copper as you weep and hug him tightly. As Gojo coos reassuring words and he listens to you mumbling about how you were lost without him but refused to mourn him because you had faith, he leans forward. Then, he takes your chin between his index finger and thumb and finally kisses you for the first time. Your lips are warm and wet as he tastes your tears of adoration for him, and he smiles inside your mouth. You're entirely his, and for you, Satoru Gojo is the only divine being you'll ever worship.

[vee-isaweirdartist]

Ah yes, an opportunity to show my silly sad fella:

(Art is old WAAAY before I had to leave Instagram, hencee the watermark being my user there)

This lil guy is Faker_Test.zip, a enemy test for frontiers! originally his concept was a corrupted coco, but one corrupted so badly, that they don't even remember what happened, they're just lost in anger, and once Sage entered the cyberspace their only mission was to watch Sonic & friends fight, or the player in this case, so eventually Faker could turn into a glitchy version of sonic, and replicate many things the very player does, even guessing the player's moves to be quite the small, yet dangerous Enemy.

.. Sadly, he was scratched, and the team just left models, concept art, code and the very ai Faker uses, in a .zip file on Frontiers.

Eventually, one of them young teens with such a love of breaking games and seeing whatever leftovers the team made, discovered Faker's file, unzipped him and, once he noticed his purpose.. he put it in his game.

After some weeks of playing and messing with Faker's ability to learn, he discovered something a bit somber, Faker's files weren't attached totally to Frontiers so, the little fellow could just go in and out if he pleased, thankfully Faker didn't know that..

until that moment.

Faker never was finished

Faker never was chained to the game since, the team never finished his code

Faker only knew this person behind the screen, he had to learn from them and, give them a challenge.

and so he learned to escape, with no back ups, with nothing more than a note left on the teen's computer

"Thanks for freeing me, and playing with me."

After a while being in a .zip, seeing how everyone plays and plays and.. enjoys this other enemies you never got to be part of, it's kind of sad. You know deep care and excitement was put into your creation.. yet even your own creator doesn't question the orders to, hide you. A big grief was already destined to be born in such a naive yet smart mind made out of code.. Faker just wanted to accomplish his destiny but, even that teenager that awakened him reacted badly their first interactions.. if he couldn't become a lovable character or enemy, what could he be?

And that's when, traveling within many platforms to sink more in his grief and pain and rage, he saw quite the interesting recommendation.

Sonic.exe, a creepy, menacing fictional being.. maybe they were fictional or maybe not? his ai couldn't really catch a grasp of it.. but people loved it. They loved the aggressiveness, the blood, and these egocentric beings only made to be edgy creepy drawings of Sonic. Of course

If he couldn't be lovable being kind, might as well, even against his own beliefs, become lovable being someone's biggest fear.

(Sorry for taking this as a whole yapping trigger I'm so autistic for my own little silly goofballs )_!$(!_)

I want to see everyone's EXEs, grimdarm / creepypasta OCs, etc., doesn't matter what franchise!! I wanna see your spooky lil' fellas, even if they're just silly guys.

[marvelouspeterparker]

professor’s sweetheart

pairing: professor!tom holland x student!reader

summary: professor holland teaches british literature at your university. you hadn’t expected much when you signed up for the course, but the experience is everything and more than you could have hoped for. 

word count: 15.1k

warnings: there is smut in here but it’s not the main focus (wild, i know)

notes: uh yeah i’d say just don’t fuck your professor? this is purely fictional. be safe, you know how it is <3

also she wrote a professor!harry styles fic, but if i hadn’t read that (over and over) i probably wouldn’t have been inspired to write this. so check out @songbirdstyles​ !

i listened to this playlist while writing it if ur interested :)

give me feedback please!!

“What class do you have next?” Your friend, and roommate Liz asked. You were both walking out of the cafeteria. It was 1:15, you had just finished lunch and you had fifteen minutes until your next class. You pushed the doors open together and braced yourselves as the cool late September breeze hit you, blowing your jackets open. You put both sides of the jacket together in front of you and crossed your arms to block the cold out. 

“Um,” you thought back for a moment, the cold temporarily knocking your senses right out of you. “British Literature.”

If you were being honest, you had taken this course because it fulfilled one of your requirements, but in the end it felt like one of the most rewarding parts of your college experience so far. The material was interesting, and instead of being bored out of your mind throughout the whole hour and a half of class––it was actually entertaining. You had your professor to thank for that.

“Oooh,” Liz twisted her lips to the side to suppress a knowing smile, but the look in her eyes gave it away. “With Professor Holland?” She asked, batting her eyelashes innocently. 

You rolled your eyes and bit your tongue to hide your smile. “Yes,” you shoved her playfully to the side making her step in a pile of leaves, the crunch under boots loud as ever as it carried through the crisp air. “Shut up.”

You and Liz had been roommates since your first year at university and had now spent four, coming up on five semesters rooming together. Luckily, you really hit it off, and easily fell into a routine together, forming a bond as you ate lunch and dinner together, studied in the library, had dance parties in your dorm, and more. You knew each other inside and out, often having random late night conversations while you procrastinated your work or couldn’t sleep, about literally anything and everything. Bottom line is, you trusted each other, which is why she knew about your sort-of-crush on Professor Holland. 

To be fair everyone had a thing for him, he was just that kind of guy. He was sweet and compassionate and funny. Professor Holland was one of those genuine professors who sincerely cared about their students and their well-beings. He was incredibly understanding. He’d schedule dozens of meetings with his students all in one day just because he wanted to help and make sure they were all alright. He liked to check in every now and then, not because he had to, but because he wanted to.

From what you could tell he also seemed like a people person. No matter who he was with, whether it was a student, his teaching assistant Jacob, or his fellow professors––he was always attentive, cracking jokes, enjoying the conversation. Everyone seemed to love him. But you could also tell that a part of him was just a tad bit cocky, but in a joking and love-able way. 

All this goes to show that you spent way too much time thinking about him, and observing him, which could either be seen as really endearing or really creepy. 

“Look I’m just saying,” Liz shrugged, “Enjoy the class.” She nudged you, “I know I would.”

Realizing you were approaching the writing and arts center, and Liz’s next class was in the building across the street, you sent her off. “Yeah yeah, okay. Bye.” You tightened your arms around you and scurried off, skipping a crack in the sidewalk and walking up the steps to the building. You opened the door and were immediately welcomed by a rush of warm air and let out a sigh, rubbing your hands together as you made your way to the lecture hall. 

You pulled your phone out and checked the time, 1:22. You still had 8 minutes to spare. You were still walking and only glanced up from your phone right as you were about to walk into the door and were stopped suddenly when you crashed into a hard chest. You immediately felt two warm hands grasp your arms to steady you and were suddenly enveloped by the smell of tea and mint. 

“Woah! I’m sorry, love, are you alright?”

You froze as you looked up, feeling very much like a deer in headlights as you realized you quite literally crashed into your professor. “Oh––um,” you swallowed, suddenly feeling like the air was escaping you. You cleared your throat trying to save yourself from anymore embarrassment. “I’m fine––I’m sorry, that was my fault. I wasn’t looking––” You paused when you noticed the small smile on his face, his warm eyes making you forget what you were going to say.

“It’s alright, Y/N. It was partially my fault as well, I was too focused on––” he seemed to snap out of some trance, straightening himself up as his hands dropped back down to his sides and into his pockets. “Uh, well that’s not important.” He pulled one hand out of his pocket––he was wearing those blue slacks that you thought made his thighs look great, respectfully, of course. He checked the time on his watch and you had to stop yourself from ogling the veins in his arms as he did so. 

He looked up at you, brows furrowed playfully and you actually had to remind yourself to breathe. “You’re almost ten minutes early. You that eager to see me?” He ended his question with a teasing smirk and your mouth opened and closed a few times before you managed to string together a response.

“I––um, I just really like this class and you––you’re my favorite professor.” You blurted out, your cheeks heating up as you realized what you just admitted. You had to force your eyes to go back to their normal size after they practically bulged at the realization of what you said. “And I mean, I just happened to get here early so...I thought I might as well get settled in.”

Your professor cleared his throat, trying to hide his smile as he glanced down at his shoes for a moment then back up at you. “Well then.” He extended his arm, pointing towards the open door of the hall and stepped aside. “Please, after you.” 

You gave him a small smile in return along with a quiet thank you and stepped through the door. But before you could walk over to your seat, you felt him lean over behind you to talk lowly in your ear. He was standing a respectably close distance, but his presence was so overwhelming it was as though you felt him everywhere. His breath caressed the smooth skin of your cheek as he spoke. 

“I’m technically not allowed to have favorites, but I do appreciate that you enjoy having me as your professor, darling.” It shouldn’t have had such an effect on you, really, it shouldn’t have. But something about him referring to himself by his title really did something to you. You took a sharp inhale as you stood up straight, your whole body on high alert as you turned your head towards him, your eyes refusing to look at his and instead finding solace in the fabric of his navy blue button up––which he’d rolled up to his forearms. 

“And if it means anything, I rather do enjoy having you in my class as well.” You snuck a peek at him, lifting your gaze slowly and only caught a glimpse of his soft lips as he smiled before walking over to his desk. 

You felt your heart pounding in your chest as you walked up the steps to your usual spot in the middle row, near the aisle. Your legs felt like they were going to give out any minute, and the man hadn’t even touched you––well not in the way you wanted him to, anyway. But enough of that. 

You checked your phone again, trying to calm down your heartbeat as you took in a deep breath, 1:28. People started shuffling into the class, the overlapping sounds of chatter and laughter rupturing the energy the room had when it was just the two of you. At 1:32 Professor Holland started the class, getting everyone’s attention smoother than anyone should be able to. You could almost feel everyone’s eyes focusing on him, some weren’t even listening to him, they were just so entranced by how good he looked and the way he sounded––his accent was just so endearing, you had to admit it. 

The hour and a half went by rather quickly but today you were more aware of yourself, of Professor Holland––even more than usual. It seemed as though his eyes would travel to your direction more often, after he made jokes as if to see your reaction, or while he paused in his speeches. 

At the end of the class, despite there being dozens of other students moving around you, you felt as though your professor was watching you as you made your way out of the room. But it had to be your imagination, there was just no way. 

When you got back to your dorm, Liz still wasn’t back yet so you decided to take a shower and spend some time relaxing. You had already done your work for the next day and your other work for the rest of the week––well, you decided you’d do it later. 

You changed into sweats after your shower and hopped on your bed, deciding to switch between your apps for an hour or so––honestly you’d lost track of time. Liz strolled in soon after, closing the door with a loud groan, throwing her bag on the floor.

You smiled, looking up at her from your lying position on the bed. “Hello to you too.”

She grumbled in response, finally looking at you. When she noticed you were already wearing your pajamas she pointed to you, her brows raised. “Good idea!” She immediately went to her drawers and picked out a random pair of sweats and an oversized sweatshirt, changing with lightning speed for someone who was sluggishly groaning not even a minute before. 

She grabbed her phone and sat on her bed opposite yours, cross-legged, facing you. She looked at your face for a few seconds before squinting her eyes at you. “You have something to say. Spill.”

You rolled your eyes, a smile on your face. 

She looked at you pointedly, “Well go on.” 

So you told her about your encounter with the infamous brit today, how you bumped into him, what he said to you, the glances he sent your way. When you finished recounting everything you took a deep breath, “But––this could all just be in my head you know, just me overreacting.”

She stared at you with a dead expression. “Are you fucking dumb?”

“Hey!”

She ignored you, rolling her eyes while she tried not to laugh. “Dude he totally wants to fuck you.” She said nonchalantly.

Your eyes bulged, “W–What do you––What?” 

“Oh please, it’s so obvious.”

You opened your mouth but when nothing came out, you paused and looked down at the carpet. After a few moments you looked back up at her to find her with a knowing smirk on her face. “Are you serious?”

“Of course I am, when am I not?” When you were about to speak, she interrupted you. “Don’t answer that. But look, it seems like he’s into you. I think you should hit that.”

“But we––that’s not allowed!” You paused, “Is it?”

She laughed, “A ha! So you do want to!”

“Oh shut up, you already knew that. Everyone wants to, it’s not a big deal.”

She made a face, “Yes, but you’re the only one who actually has a chance at getting it.” 

You looked at her, a skeptical look on your face. “Even if that was true––he’s still my professor…”

She sighed, rolling her eyes. “Yeah but it’s not like it’s in the handbook or anything. Plus, you’re both legal adults, so. There you have it. You’re free to bone.”

“You did not just say that.”

“But I did.” She smiled, lying down in her bed. “You really could, though. Just don’t tell anybody.” When you didn’t say anything else, she spoke up. “Okay I’m gonna take a nap now. You have a lot to think about.” 

You ignored the last part and went back to your phone, “Yeah you do that.” 

Throughout the rest of the afternoon and night you couldn’t stop thinking about this whole situation. This was bad...Or was it? It seemed all too complicated, that was for sure. You weren’t even sure he looked at you or thought of you that way. 

You fell asleep playing all the pros and cons of hypothetically getting with him, your mind an endless loop of your professor, his voice, how he sounded when he practically whispered that he liked being your teacher. This was all too much.

❊❊❊❊

All of your senses were in overdrive. All you could feel were the hands tracing every curve of your body, playing you like a toy they’d made themselves. The tongue, teeth and lips following and leaving marks everywhere the hands traced. All you could hear was that sweet, rough voice telling you praises and calling you endearing names as your whole body shivered from the pleasure. Your eyes locked in on the ones staring up at you with pure hunger and awe as you ground yourself down on his cock.

“That’s it darling, just like that. You’re doing so good for me.” His lips curved into that oh so familiar smirk. “I taught you well, didn’t I?”

You woke up sweaty, your shirt sticking to your torso, a wet patch on your panties, your nipples pebbled in the cool air of your dorm room. A sex dream. Of course you had a fucking sex dream about him. Fuck. You were just lucky that your next class with him was on Thursday so you didn’t have to see him today. Because that would not help you at all. 

You checked the time on your phone, squinting at the brightness before turning it all the way down, 10am. You got out of bed with a groan and took your toiletries bag and your towel to the bathroom, deciding to take a shower this morning, instead of later on at night. Lord knows you certainly needed one. A cold one too.

You were frustrated, frustrated with yourself for feeling this way about your professor––sure, he was only a few years older than you, but it was the principle of the matter––frustrated that you were overthinking this entire thing, and most importantly you were annoyed because you were extremely horny. 

When you got into the bathroom, you locked the door and set your stuff down. You put your hands on both sides of the sink and looked at yourself in the mirror. Who are we and what happened? You sighed and grabbed your toothbrush, brushing your teeth quickly and aggressively, since everything seemed to be a hassle this morning. You’d hoped that once you hopped in the shower, you’d calm down. 

When you made your way inside, you sighed contently at the feeling of the warm water pattering against your skin, freshening you up immediately. Your nipples were still hard, between your legs still wet. So you brought a hand down between your thighs, the other to your breast as you stood under the water––almost as though the water was washing away the sinful act and thoughts right at the source. You laughed at the thought, nope, nothing can wash this away. 

You squeezed your breast and tugged at your nipple, rubbing your sensitive bud just the way you liked. You were still sensitive from...your dream, so it didn’t take long for everything to build up. You couldn’t help yourself, your mind brought back the remnants of last night that you remembered, the way his hands gripped you when he steadied you, the way his arms looked, and you came with a whimper that was louder than you would have liked. You bit your lip, closing your eyes and resting your head back on the tiles as the water continued to fall on you. 

When you came back to your dorm, Liz was on her way out but she stopped, raising her brows at you, “So have you come to a conclusion?”

You walked past her into the dorm, “Go to class, Liz.” You heard her cackle down the hallway as you closed the door. 

You got dressed casually, not rushing since there was nowhere for you to go and decided to go to the local cafe near the school. You needed to clear your head and get some work done, and you definitely would not get any of it done in your dorm. Not today, anyway. 

You checked the weather and seeing that it was a little warmer today, you put a sweatshirt on, grabbed your bag along with your phone and your laptop and you were on your way. The breeze felt refreshing this morning as you stepped out of your dorm. Your walk to the cafe was only ten or so minutes but it felt good. 

Stepping into the little shop, you were immediately hit by the aroma of coffee and sweets, surrounded by the sound of light chatter and utensils clattering on the wooden tables. The warm light above you brought a sense of comfort as you made your way over to the counter. The line was rather short so you managed to order your usual drink and snack quickly. As you were waiting for the cashier to hand you your things, your eyes scanned the shop––the ambience was rather nice and the talking almost felt like background noises. You wouldn’t mind staying here to work.

As you gathered your things, you turned around in search of a free table––which would be the deciding factor in whether or not you would stay, you did not want to awkwardly share the small table space with some stranger. You took a few steps into the seating area and almost choked on your breath when you made eye contact with the last person you wanted to see today. 

He smiled charmingly at you, teeth and all and quickly made his way over before you even had a chance to think of escaping. “Y/N!” He stood in front of you, his eyes bright. He was actually happy to see you? He was always happy to see everyone, it didn’t mean anything. 

His voice snapped you out of your annoyingly loud thoughts.  “Fancy seeing you here.” He nudged you playfully, “How are you?” He was wearing a very tight white button up that was unbuttoned until the third, showing a generous amount of his chest, a grey suit and pants, along with a messenger bag slung over his shoulder. It took you a few more seconds than it should have to process that there were actual words coming out of his mouth.  

You forced a smile onto your face but the more you looked into his eyes, the more genuine it became, almost impossible to wipe off. “I’m good. Was just grabbing breakfast before I start my work. You?”

He raised his cup, “Same as you. Have a bit of time before my next class.” 

You noticed that you couldn’t tell what exactly was in the cup and your curiosity got the better of you. You pointed to the cup clasped in his fingers, “Is that coffee?”

He furrowed his brows in mock offense, “I only drink tea, darling.” He leaned his upper body forward to whisper to you, his cheek almost touching yours, “I’d think you would know that about your favorite professor.” He tutted playfully as he stood up straight again, watching you, a look that you couldn’t quite pinpoint in his eyes as he watched you over his cup, taking a teasingly long sip. 

You looked up at him, your mouth slightly open, not a clue what to respond. When he pulled the cup away from his mouth he looked down at you, his gaze drifting down and you’d never felt more exposed, despite the fact that you were wearing two layers of clothing. “I like your sweatshirt.” He smiled, glancing down at it before looking directly into your eyes, his head lowered slightly.

Your eyes widened in surprise and your head snapped down to see your spiderman sweatshirt looking back at you boldly. Oh––Oh. You lifted your head back up to find him still smiling at you softly, he didn’t seem to be teasing you at all. “Um thanks.” You could feel your cheeks heating up, despite the cool air that swept your legs as someone opened the door to the cafe. “Are you uh–– a marvel fan?” 

He pursed his lips playfully, “Yeah,” his hand came up to rub the back of his neck, “Yeah you could say that.” He licked his lips and took another sip of his drink.

Your eyes, with a mind of their own, trailed down the column of his throat, following the vein on the side of his neck, the way his adams apple bobbed as he swallowed the warm liquid. The action almost seemed provocative, in both meanings of the term. 

Suddenly you felt very hot and you knew that you had to get out of there before you made a fool of yourself in front of everyone, but most importantly him. You perked up, “I uh––I have to go professor, but it was nice talking with you. See you tomorrow!” With that you quite literally ran off, wincing as you turned around, having noticed the way his lips parted as if to speak, a furrow between his brows appearing out of confusion and concern. You really had to get control of yourself. 

You practically berated yourself as you speed walked away. God, that was so stupid. And not to mention, incredibly rude! He’d probably be upset with you now, or maybe even mad. It’s just––unbelievable what he did to you, without even actually doing anything. It took you the entire walk there to realize that you unconsciously made your way back to your dorm––so much for the library. But you’d had enough social interaction for today, so you decided you’d stay there.

You got in your bed and buried yourself under the covers, deciding you needed the comfort of being hidden in your mattress after the embarrassment you’d just experienced. You lied there just staring at the plain, white ceiling for way too long until you let out a loud huff and sat up, before grabbing your computer to start your work. 

Deciding to check your college email before you started, since they were incessant and it was easy to miss something, you scanned down the list of messages in your inbox. Your eyes skimmed through the boxes on the left of your screen, notifications that your professors left feedback on your assignments, the weekly newsletter, club events, a message from Holland, Tom––

You shut your computer immediately, eyes bulging as you held your breath. You swallowed thickly, as you stared into nothing in front of you, your eyes barely taking in anything, your mind a big ball of fuzz. 

After taking a few deep breaths, and telling your overdramatic brain to calm down, you opened the laptop again. Biting your lip, you hovered your mouse over the message, reading over the small bits of information you could see in the preview.

Holland, Tom

Just checking in

Hi Y/N, I just wanted to make  …

You could feel your heart beating through your chest. Oh God––Wanted to make sure what?? The sensible part of your brain said to just open it to figure it out for yourself. But the irrational, idiotic part of your brain was yelling at you to not open it under any circumstance. What if he wanted to make sure you didn’t get the wrong idea? Did he know how you felt about him? Were you that obvious? Maybe he thinks you’re clinically insane and wants to make sure you’re getting the attention you need? You did run off like a crazy person, after all. 

You shut your eyes tight and groaned loudly into your hands. Liz walked in and whistled lowly, taking in everything in front of her. You looked up, confused and looked at the time, realizing it had already been two hours since you first left the dorm, meaning she was done with her classes for the day.

“What’s up?” She took a seat at her desk, propping her legs on the table as she leaned back.

You waved her off, deciding it would be best to let this blow over and ignore it for now. You’d go back when you were in the right state of mind. 

She started telling you about her day and annoyingly, your brain decided today would be the day that it would not shut off. Your brows were furrowed as you tried your best to focus on what your friend was saying, but she wasn’t even looking in your direction, staring up into the air above her as she spoke animated, hands waving around, so she didn’t even notice you struggling to pay attention. 

Your eyes kept flitting back to the screen of your computer, your fingers swiping across the trackpad to turn it back on when the screen’s brightness lowered every now and then. 

Liz looked back at you and stopped her spiel. “Alright what’s up with you?” 

You sighed deeply and looked up at her. “Sorry, sorry. I just––I saw Professor Holland today––”

“Already?” She interrupted you, a goofy smile on her face. “Damn, you work fast.”

You threw the nearest pillow at her, “Shut up! I didn’t fuck him.”

“You should’ve.” She pointed out, holding the pillow to her chest. 

You glared at her until she raised her hands in surrender, then continued, your eyes bouncing from object to object in the room as you babbled. 

“I went to the cafe and I saw him and he came over to me and we started talking––and he whispered in my ear and he was joking around with me and he sipped his tea and he was super close to me and super hot, and I couldn’t handle it so I basically ran off without giving him a chance to say bye.” You took a deep breath, “And then he sent me an email after I saw him and I still haven’t opened it because I’m scared and I don’t know what he said…” You took another breath and looked at your friend, blinking as she just stared at you.

After a moment, she spoke up. “Dude just open the email.”

Your eyes widened almost in offense. “Did you not listen to anything I just said?”

“Yeah you practically fucked in the cafe then you got scared and ran away.” She spoke nonchalantly and you could tell she was fighting off a smile. “Look, eventually you have to open the email anyway, you can’t just ignore it. So just do it and rip the bandaid off.” You were about to speak up when she interrupted you, “I promise it won’t be half as bad as you think. We both know your mind is absolutely filled with the craziest ideas.” 

You huffed and fell back down on the bed, not bothering to argue since you both knew she was right. 

“Shit, I’m starving.” She looked at the time, “Yeah it’s about time for me to eat food.” She stood up, “Come on, let’s go.”

“Can you please get something for me?” She knew you well enough that you didn’t have to tell her what to get. You gave her your best smile and shrugged your shoulders.

“Are you serious.” She looked at you, deadpan, standing like the little emoji of the woman standing in place with her arms at her sides. 

You had to suppress your smile, “What if I see him?” You asked incredulously, lying further in the covers. “I’d rather stay in here and hide, for now.”

“You have class with him tomorrow––”

“That’s why I said for now.”

She cracked a smile, rolling her eyes as she grabbed her things, “You’re ridiculous.”

“Love you!”

“Yeah yeah,” she waved her hand and walked out the door. 

A few moments passed after Liz left and you sat up yet again, putting your computer on your lap as you swiped the trackpad, making the screen light up again. You checked the time, it had been almost an hour since he sent the email, you really shouldn’t make him wait any longer. Not that he’s waiting at all, he probably didn’t even notice that you hadn’t responded.

You inhaled and exhaled slowly, swallowed your nerves and clicked on the email. 

Holland, Tom

Just checking in

Hi Y/N, 

I just wanted to make sure everything was alright. You seemed kind of stressed when you left earlier and I’m hoping it wasn’t because of anything I did. Can we check in tomorrow in my office? Hope everything is going well. 

Warmest Regards,

Professor Holland

He wanted to meet tomorrow after class. In his office. Alone. 

Oh, fuck. You could hear Liz in your head going Yes, fuck. But you quickly shoved her aside. 

You read over the email about five times to make sure you weren’t misinterpreting anything, because that would be even more embarrassing. You clicked the reply button and slowly wrote out your response.

Hi Professor Holland,

Everything is fine, but thank you for asking, I appreciate the concern. I’m free tomorrow after class if you’re available then.

Thank you!

Y/N

You hit send and not even two minutes later, you received a response. 

Hi Y/N,

Perfect! I’ll see you then :)

Warmly,

Professor Holland

How on earth were you supposed to focus on your work now? More importantly, how were you going to focus in class tomorrow?

❊❊❊❊

The next day, the butterflies in your stomach would not calm down. When you stepped into the class, he was talking to another student and you tried to sneak past to your seat unnoticed. You thought you’d succeeded but once you sat down and looked up, you made direct eye contact with him and you swear you stopped breathing. You barely even recognized the sound of everyone moving around you, getting ready for class to start. 

He parted his lips and reluctantly turned back to the student still talking to him, snapping out of his daze, but not after glancing back at you. You swallowed and sank down in your seat. This was going to be a long class. 

At 1:35, class started. Professor Holland stood up and clasped his hands, making his way to the middle of the floor in front of everybody, his voice reverberating through the room. 

“Good afternoon everybody. Hope you’re all doing well.” His eyes found yours and you bit your lip nervously. You could see him swallow as he watched you, before moving his gaze elsewhere. Was that because of you? Surely, it had to be a coincidence. Maybe you made him uncomfortable. Oh great––

He went on, seemingly unfazed, eyes darting back to you subtly before continuing. The discussion soon turned to the book you’d just been assigned to read. The book was rather lengthy but there were always so many things to talk about within only a few pages––which you loved, so it was taking you all a while to go through everything together in class. 

The conversations often took up a lot of the class time since Professor Holland simply loved talking and he always found everyone’s interpretations interesting and worth exploring––eager to hear our classmates perspectives. He also often said that he was not good at using technology, so he preferred to just talk and show rather than use his computer. Honestly, you found it endearing.

The conversations were always interesting to listen to, people never failed to give you insight on things you hadn’t even thought of before, but sometimes––some people were just a little stupid.

Someone brought up a slightly sexist point that made absolutely no sense but since you weren’t the one to call someone out in front of a room full of people, you stuck to your facial reactions instead of audibly responding. You turned back to the front of the class to see Professor Holland’s opinion to find that he was watching you, trying and failing to suppress his smile. 

He put both hands in his pockets which you found ironic considering they would jump out any time soon––he loved to talk with his hands. His eyes got serious, the smile on his face a little less friendly as he addressed the sophomore who made the comment. “I don’t know if you’re aware of how ludicrously sexist that comment you just made was, but now you know.” He turned to the rest of the class. “Remember to think before you speak. This isn’t to necessarily call anyone out. It’s a warning. Senseless remarks will not only affect my view of you, but your grades as well.” 

He went on and tried to shape the boy’s comment into something appropriate to discuss and you honestly couldn’t focus on anything else he said, you were just looking at him in awe and in shock. Sure, this was the bare minimum, but since it was so rare to see, it was very noticeable and even impressive when you noticed it.

God, you adored this man.

Near the end of class, he announced the next assignment, a paper you’d have to write about a comparison you made between any point in the story, a character, a theme, a hidden meaning, etc. and something in our modern reality, a social norm, a popular belief, etc. Your essays were always very open ended in this class, giving you room to write about almost anything you wanted to. Your professor knew that the assignments would be more enjoyable if there was some choice involved. He truly was good at his job. 

“Look, reading’s hard sometimes, I get it. I’m dyslexic, so trust me, I understand. But I never let that stop me.” He paused to look around the room and it was so silent you could hear each other’s inhales and exhales. The power he had over a room full of around one hundred people was insane, and in a weird way, also turned you on. “I know the book is massive. Listen to the audio books if you have to, I don’t mind. But get the work done either way. It’s not for me, it’s for you. I want you to get the best grade you can in this class.”

“Bring me interesting material. I don’t want to fall asleep reading your work.” He joked and smiled proudly when laughter filled the room. “The essay is due in two weeks. Good luck.”

There were a few thank you’s and goodbyes scattered around the room as he sent everyone off, people scurrying from all sides to the exits. 

You took your time gathering all your things and took a deep breath when the last few people made their way out, silence soon surrounding the both of you. You put your bag over your shoulder and walked down the carpeted steps, suddenly finding the dark grey pattern to be the most interesting things you’ve ever seen––and also watching your steps so that you don’t fall down them in front of him. You could barely hear the soft patter of your shoes as you walked down. When you finally got the main floor you looked up and saw him waiting for you patiently, things in his hands, a smile on his face. 

“Let’s go then, shall we?” You nodded shyly and he led the way, his office only a hallway away from the lecture hall. You found it slightly odd that he didn’t try to make conversation on your way there, since he always loved to. But you tried not to think too hard about it. Maybe he was just tired. 

When you reached his office, he opened the door and let you walk in first. Your eyes immediately scanned the room out of curiosity as you stepped inside, noticing his desk, the wood a dark mahogany which was covered with stacks of papers, picture frames, pens, and a few marvel funko pops––so he really was a fan. You’d never actually been inside of his office before. It was an intimidating thought for you to be in his office with him, alone. You just didn’t want to embarrass yourself. 

You turned to him and gestured to the chair across from his desk, “Do I just––”

“Please,” he interrupted eagerly. “Make yourself comfortable.” 

You took a seat and he set his things down next to his desk before sitting as well. His hair was coiffed to perfection today, curls sculpted nicely, a dark blue suit on his body with a black shirt underneath. He took off the suit jacket and put it on the back of his chair and you could see his veins and muscles bulging and shifting in his arms as he moved. He clasped his hands in front of him on the desk and wow he had nice fingers. You really had to get a grip on yourself––

“How was class today for you? Well, besides that one disappointing comment.”

You smiled, “I always enjoy the class, but yeah that was uh, disappointing as you said.

“I think your interpretations are always very insightful and very interesting. It’s almost a shame that you don’t share them with the whole class but part of me likes it that we keep them between us.” Oh? “Plus, I know how scary it can be talking in front of all those people. I almost shit myself first time I taught that class––”

You let out a surprised laughter and he couldn’t help laugh as well. 

“Shit, sorry! I mean––” He sighed, “Language, sorry. I’m British.” He shrugged, “Can’t help it.”

You shook your head, “It’s okay. Personally I think curse words spice up conversations.” You smiled proudly when he laughed at your joke. 

His smile radiated a more nervous energy after his laughter died off. “When you ran off yesterday, that wasn’t––was that because of me? Because if I did something to make you uncomfortable I’m so sorry.”

You tilted your head, trying to think of a way to explain. “No it wasn’t, well––it kind of was?” You had no idea why you would tell him this, but apparently your mouth was moving without agreeing with your mind first. 

There was almost a pout on his face and you had the sudden urge to reach over the table and smooth it out with your lips. “It’s just, well––You make me just a little bit nervous, to be honest professor.” You looked down at your lap and back up at him timidly.

He raised his brows, “Oh––”

Your smile was strained and you wanted nothing more than to be swallowed whole by the floor. 

“Well that’s not a bad thing, is it?” He looked at you almost, hopefully?

You laughed, “No trust me, it’s not.” Your eyes widened at the realization of what you’d basically just admitted to him and you didn’t know if you should feel embarrassed or relieved when the smirk appeared on his face.

But the words that he uttered next cleared that up for you. “Well, if I’m honest, you make me nervous too, darling. And definitely not in a bad way.” He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, almost teasing you with how good he looked.

You licked your lips, your mouth suddenly feeling dry, crossing your legs, your thighs squeezing together, and he definitely noticed, his eyes trailing down your body as he licked his lips as well. 

The tension in the room was so thick but you found that you didn’t want to escape it, if anything you wanted to carve your way through it, stay for as long as you could until it snapped. 

Your professor spread his legs, his hands coming down to rub at his thighs as he watched you and the sound of your heartbeat pounding filled your ears. It was almost as if there was an unseen force pulling the two of you together, but before it could there was a knock at the door. 

The both of your heads snapped to the door to find it opening slowly. Jacob, Tom’s teaching assistant popped his head in. You had talked to him a few times, he was always very nice. He didn’t attend every class, but you guessed that he would be attending the next one. “Hey man.” He turned to you and smiled, “Oh hi Y/N.” You waved and let out a small hi in response. He turned back to the professor. “Your next class is starting like––” He looked at his watch. “Now.” 

“Shit, sorry man. Lost track of time.” He got up and you did too, smiling sheepishly as you grabbed your things, getting up from your seat. “I’ll be right there.” Jacob nodded and closed the door.

You both made your way over to the exit slowly, still reeling from what maybe could have happened and what you both obviously thought of. The silence was loud around you, but it wasn’t scary this time. 

“Let me know if you need any help with the upcoming assignment, alright? Don’t be afraid to stop by if you need to.” His gaze dropped down to your lips for a split second before reaching your eyes again. “For anything.” He looked at you with an expression you couldn’t describe but quickly tried to mask it with a smile as he opened the door for you, his eyes practically holding yours captive. 

“Thank you, professor. I will.” 

You stepped out and he watched you for a few moments before closing the door. You looked back, smiling as you caught his eye and as soon as he stepped back in the office, you practically ran out of the building and to your dorm, a stupid grin on your face. 

“Holy shit.”

❊❊❊❊

When you practically burst into your dorm room, scaring Liz half to death before you told her what happened, let’s just say she wasn’t surprised in the slightest.

“I fucking told you!” She flopped onto her bed, still staring at you pointedly as she did so, a smirk on her face. She pointed at you before dropping her hand down dramatically by her side. “You like, owe me a soda now or something.” 

You rolled your eyes but you were so giddy the smile still hadn’t dropped from your face. “Well I do owe you for getting me lunch yesterday, so maybe I will buy you one.”

❊❊❊❊

Over the weekend, you started working on the essay for British Literature and you were already about halfway done since the topic you chose actually interested you. But you found yourself questioning if you were writing it properly as you went on. You weren’t sure if it was because you wanted it to be near perfect since you’d found out he paid extra attention to you, or maybe you just wanted to talk to him again––you’d never know. 

After discussing with Liz, you decided you’d stop by his office on Monday afternoon once you were done with your classes. You knew he liked to stay in his office until late at night sometimes, he always said we could stop by whenever, if we needed something. So you decided to take advantage of that, shoving down your anxious thoughts and doing what you wanted. 

Liz may or may not have convinced you to wear a shirt that was––aesthetically pleasing, to put it, specifically in the chest area so you were more than eager to see your professor’s reaction. You were a little nervous, you didn’t want it to seem like you were trying too hard, but you thought you looked good in this shirt, and you had a right to feel good about yourself. Since it was a little chilly outside, you hid it under a sweatshirt for now.

You got to his office and found yourself staring at the dark wood, hesitating to knock on. After taking a deep breath you rapped your knuckles against the door. 

You heard a faint Come in! And you took a deep breath and opened the door slowly to find him sitting at his desk, “Hi Professor Holland.” He was finishing some notes on a student’s essay but his head snapped up immediately at the sound of your voice.

He dropped his pen and sat up, “Please,” he motioned to the seat across from his desk and you smiled gratefully before settling down. “What can I do for you? Everything alright?”

His eyes looked sincere and concerned and you could feel your insides melting a little bit. 

“I just––I really want to do well on this essay,” He nodded for you to continue, “But I’m just not sure if I’m going in the right direction.”

 He nodded understandingly, “Well let’s have a look, shall we?”

You reached down to grab your things when he stood up and walked past you, your eyes following him in confusion. He gestured to the couch, a somewhat impish smile on his face. “Just thought it would be more comfortable––and easier for us to look together, of course.”

You nodded, a small smile on your face as you picked up your bag and sat next to him on the couch. “Right, of course.” It was a loveseat so there wasn’t much room for either of you to distance yourselves.

You got out your computer and opened up the essay. You had already opened it before you got there, not wanting to have to awkwardly wait for it to load. Yes, you overthought things but––it helped sometimes. “I see you came prepared,” he joked and you couldn’t help but smile. He really did notice everything, didn’t he.

“Well I’m really confident about the topic of my essay, I think it’s interesting. But I feel like I may be adding too much into the paper, and I’m not sure if I’m overthinking things or if I should take some things out.” 

“I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think. I meant it when I said I appreciate having you in my class, you know. I always love reading your work. You write well.” 

“Thank you, professor.” Though you saw his eyes darken at the title, he commented on it.

“You can call me Tom when we’re alone, darling. No need for formalities.”

“But I like calling you professor––” Your hand shot up to cover your mouth and you spoke before he could, ignoring his smile, “I mean um. Tom––Okay I can try that.”

His tongue passed under his teeth, a devilish smirk on his face as he watched you squirm under his gaze. “No you know, now I think professor is growing on me.”

You pursed your lips, rolling your eyes. “Prof––Tom.”

He raised his hands in surrender, “Alright alright.” 

“Why don’t you read it to me? It’s easier to see where you can improve when you hear it out loud.”

You swallowed nervously, nodding your head as you brought your laptop closer to you. “O––Okay.”

You started reading your paper out loud, voice becoming slightly steadier as you went on, two fingers scrolling up the trackpad. He made comments as you read, only praise––and with each compliment you felt yourself getting hotter. Very good. Always write so well. Nice point there. Mhm. Good girl, that’s an excellent point. He shifted his way closer to you gradually as you read on and when his thigh touched yours, you had to tell yourself not to jump from the contact.  

He placed his arm on the back of the couch, basically around your shoulder and you had to smush down the urge to throw your computer and climb into his lap. His thighs did look very inviting with the way he was sitting, though. 

He moved closer to you and you could feel his breath cascading down over your shoulder as he brought his hand to the trackpad, his arm over your thigh, fingers scrolling through to where he had a few suggestions. 

When he finished his few remarks, you could hear the proud smile in his voice. “See, I knew it wouldn’t be as bad as you thought. You’re a good writer...” He paused and you turned your head slightly to find his lips mere inches from yours, his eyes trained on your mouth. His words were barely a whisper when he spoke up again, “A good student.” You both leaned in slowly and his hand came up to hold your cheek lightly. “Bet you’d be a good girl for me too.” 

You gasped lightly and leaned forward, giving in and finally pressing your lips to his, both your hands grabbing his jaw. He moaned immediately, his body pressing into yours as you twisted to face him, his other hand coming around your waist to pull you in. You felt your laptop slipping off your thighs and squeaked, making the both of you laugh and pull away, flustered. 

“Careful, love.” Tom grabbed the computer and put it down on the floor gently, confirming that you saved your work before pushing the lid closed. 

The air in the room was hot, thanks to Tom in general, but also thanks to what you just did. So you pulled away and couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Tom’s pout when he thought you were getting up to leave. Since there wasn’t much space on the couch, you stood up to take your hoodie off and you heard his breath hitch when his eyes fell upon the shirt you were wearing. “Christ-”

“Now what’s this?” Tom said almost to himself, his eyes staring at you in wonder and awe. “Never seen this little number before.” He noticed the clothes you wore? His hands were already aching to feel you again, reaching out for you subconsciously and you bit your lip to calm your smile as you sat back down, letting your sweater fall to the floor softly. 

“What, this old thing?” You joked, looking down at the shirt––yeah, you looked good. “You like it?” You looked up at him, a cheekily innocent look in your eyes.

He put his hands around your waist and pulled you into his lap, enjoying the gasp it elicited from you. You put your hands gingerly on his shoulders and the way he was looking up at you made you never want to leave this position ever again. You tilted your head and licked your lips and Tom couldn’t take it anymore, he kissed you again, hands gripping you firmly, anchoring you to him. He pulled away after a good while, wanting to look at you again, his lips parted, practically panting like an animal. You really had an effect on him, but he did the same to you. 

His eyes were taking you in, basically capturing a mental image for later. “God, you look heavenly, darling.” You squirmed in his lap and bit your lip when you felt a bulge growing underneath you. He leaned forward and left a trail of kisses on the tops of your breasts, leaving a few teasing nips and sucks here and there. You squealed, your hands coming up to run your fingers through his hair. You pulled his head up by his hair and the look in his eyes looked absolutely feral––like he wanted to eat you. 

You were about to lean in and kiss him again when a knock at the door surprised the both of you. You both jumped off of the couch as Tom threw out excuses. “Yeah just a second!” You straightened out your shirt as Tom did the same to his pants and you picked up your things. 

When he saw that you were settled, he took a deep breath and answered the door. His colleague and best friend Professor Osterfield, was standing there, a grin on his face. “You div, are you ever going to be on time for our monthly meetings?––” He stood up straight when he noticed you standing behind Tom. “Oh, I didn’t know you had company.” He looked between the two of you and it seemed as though he pieced everything together. Maybe Tom had told him about you? If he did, you wouldn’t be worried Tom didn’t seem like the type to tell unreliable people his business––and they were best friends after all.

You smiled at him in acknowledgement as moved aside to let you pass. “Sorry,” you looked between the both of them, “I’ll let you get to whatever you have to go to.” You looked at Tom once you were out of his office, “Thank you for the feedback, professor.”

You could see him fighting off his smirk before he replied, “Of course.” His stare was impenetrable as he looked at you, “Feel free to come by whenever.” You could see the hidden meaning in his words and let the hint of a smile show, before nodding and walking off.

Harrison looked at him, a pitiful smile on his face. “I hope you know what you’re doing, mate. You should be careful, for the both of you.”

Tom sighed, not wanting to have this conversation. “I know, man. Let’s go.” 

❊❊❊❊

You found yourself missing Tom as soon as you left. God, this was kind of pathetic. But at least your feelings weren’t necessarily one sided––he did say you made him nervous too after all. You doubt he’d say that if he just wanted to fuck you––he was better than most men. And sure you might be a little biased, but at the end of the day he had a good heart and he was educated. So bonus. 

When you stepped into your dorm, your roommate was sitting on her bed, snacks in hand as she looked at you expectantly. “Now these,” she gestured to the food on her bed, “are either for a story time, to rebuild your energy or both.” 

You laughed and changed into your pajamas, starting to tell your best friend about everything that just happened. She often interrupted with her reactions and comments.

Oh. My. God.

Shut. Up.

You’re fucking lying! 

“But we didn’t fuck.”

“Boo––”

“Yes, boo.” You laughed, “Professor Osterfield knocked at the door and dragged him off to a meeting so.” You shrugged.

“Professor Osterfield...is that the hot blond one?” You nodded and she continued expressing her feelings for the man. “I’d let him teach me a few things––”

“Literally bye.”

She laughed, “What? Come on have you seen him––”

“I’m a little preoccupied with another professor to be honest.”

She nodded, handing you a bag of chips as you settled in your bed. “True. And oh how lucky you are.” You smiled in agreement. 

❊❊❊❊

Today was the day the essay was due and though you normally handed it in at the beginning of class, for once, you didn’t and you could feel Tom’s gaze following you as you walked up the steps to your seat without so much as a glance in his direction. You’d stopped by his office a few times over the past two weeks since Harrison interrupted you, but you never did anything more than kissing and grinding. You were both too scared of getting caught, but that doesn’t mean you hadn’t thought about doing more in there.  

Tom liked to have physical copies of the essays, just in case technology decides it’s against him (his words), so everyone had until 8pm tonight to drop it off by his office. You were definitely going to use that to your advantage. 

You didn’t wear anything provocative to class, you didn’t really want that kind of attention today, plus you knew that Tom’s interest in you wasn’t solely based on your appearance. So you put the revealing items on under your clothing. And honestly, the thought that no one knew what you were wearing underneath it all only excited you even further. 

You crossed your legs, relieving your tension and biting your lip as class went on, enjoying how flustered Tom would be every time he looked at you. You felt so submissive when you were alone with him, but when you were in public like this? Free to tease him subtly from a distance? That’s where you had all the power. 

You had him blushing and stuttering throughout the whole class, though it wouldn’t have been easy for everyone else to notice, for you it was so obvious. He kept rubbing his hands together, pacing around as his eyes darted to you every few minutes. At one point he went over to sit down at his desk, which he rarely did while teaching––and you were fairly certain it was to hide a bulge in his pants. All thanks to you. 

In the middle of the class, you felt your phone vibrate in your bag and pulled it out just to see if it was an emergency. You were pleasantly surprised and could feel your whole body react when you noticed who the message was from.

Tom: Having fun, are you?

Your eyes shot up to the front of the room and you bit your lip to contain your smile when you noticed him glaring at you.

Y/N: I always have fun in this class, professor ;)

You put your phone away afterwards and focused on the class, knowing it was killing Tom that you weren’t giving him more attention. Your heart was racing and your panties had a wet patch by the time class was over. You had a feeling he was going to try to keep you after class, so you hurried up and gathered your things, sighing in relief when a few students went up to his desk to talk to him. 

You smirked to yourself and headed straight for the door, your head high on your shoulders. But just as you were about two feet from the exit, Tom spoke up. 

“I assume I’ll be seeing you later, Miss Y/L/N?”

You turned around, eyes slightly widening as you noticed him, the group of students near him.

He smirked slyly, “To turn in your paper, remember?” His eyes were giving you a knowing look.

You swallowed, nodding as you smiled at him innocently. “Of course, professor.” You enjoyed the way his eyes darkened only slightly, only noticeable to you. “See you then.” With that you walked out.

❊❊❊❊

You practically skipped to his office at around 7:45, before knocking at the door, four knocks in a specific pattern––the code you’d made together. 

“Come in, darling!”

You walked in and quickly shut the door, a chuckle escaping you. “You know someone could hear you from the outside one day, right?”

He shrugged, “I’ll just blame it on my accent. Could call everyone darling, they don’t know any better.”

You laughed. “Okay well––Professor Holland,” you said, loving the way he looked at you when you uttered his title. “I brought this for you.” You took out the printed essay and placed it on his desk.

He pushed his chair out, his eyes following your every move as he spread his legs. “Oh is that right?” 

You took the invitation and took your reserved seat in his lap, linking your arms around his neck as you looked down at him. “Mhm, still want a good grade in this class you know. You are my favorite professor after all.”

He smirked smugly, licking his lips. “And you,” he kissed your lips before pulling away briefly, “Are my favorite girl.” He brought his hands up your back and pulled you into him as he kissed you again. This time, longer and deeper, wanting to feel you as much as possible. “Teased me so much in class today.” You smiled into the kiss and he continued, “Almost wanted to take you over my knee right there in front of everyone.” 

You moaned audibly and he brought his hand up to your neck, gripping you softly but firmly, giving you room to pull away if you didn’t approve. When you leaned further into his grip, he grinned and pulled you closer. You started grinding down on him, basking in the desperate groans and sighs you were coaxing out of him, the way his movements became more frantic as he bucked into you. 

After debating with yourself in your head for a moment––struggling to think properly with his hands all over you, you got off of his lap and smiled at the small whines of protest he let out before reaching for his belt. You made eye contact with him and noticed how wide his eyes were, hopeful, hungry, but hesitant. 

His hands reached for yours, “You don’t have to, darling. If anything I should be doing this first. God knows I’ve thought about it.”

You pouted, trying your best to ignore his words and focus on the task at hand. “But I want to,” you kissed his cheek, “I wanna make you feel good, professor.” He nodded, barely able to speak.

“Yeah? You wanna be a good girl for me?” 

You nodded eagerly, licking your lips as he pulled himself out of his trousers. “More than anything. Wanna make up for earlier.” You got down on your knees, mouth practically salivating at the way his member stood tall against his abdomen, his tip leaking with precum. 

Your hand wrapped around him just as a knock sounded at the door. Professor?

The both of your eyes widened, the both of you looking around for some sort of answer before he ushered you under the desk, tucking himself back in hastily, pulling his chair as much as he could and sitting at the edge, hiding his unbuttoned and unbuckled pants. Luckily for the both of you, the back of the desk reached the floor, so whoever it was wouldn’t be able to see you hiding underneath. “Uh––Come in!”

The person walked in and you recognized the sound of her voice, she often spoke up in the lectures. You couldn’t remember her name, though. You do, however, remember that she often spoke up only to get Tom’s attention. You’d heard her gush about him in the halls just outside his class in the hopes of him hearing her. You couldn’t blame her, but the thought still irked you. “I just wanted to give you my paper. I hope it’s not too late.” 

Tom checked the time on his watch, 7:58. “Nope,” he laughed breathlessly, trying to compose himself, “Not too late at all, in fact just in time.” 

She handed her paper to Tom and he gave her a tight-lipped smile, trying his best not to think about the fact that your hands were trailing up his thighs and that he could feel your warm breath hitting the exposed part of his member––he really hadn’t payed attention when he tucked himself back in. 

Before he could send the girl who’s name you still hadn’t remembered off, she took a seat across from him and he swallowed nervously, a little frustrated since he was so close to getting his cock in his girl’s mouth. 

It seemed that you somehow read his thoughts because as soon as the girl kept talking for another two minutes, you pulled his member out and stroked him, licking up his shaft and he tensed, taking every ounce of self control he had not to look down at you. His hand reached down and held your cheek gently, just wanting to feel you. You nuzzled into his palm and he had to bite his lip to suppress his smile, not wanting the student across from him to think his endearing expression was meant for her. 

You honestly completely tuned out all the words she was saying, your sole focus pleasuring Tom. But you didn’t miss the flirty and falsely innocent tone in her voice. You couldn’t see her but she was no doubt batting her eyelashes at him as well. 

When she made a comment about how good his shirt looked on him, you couldn’t help yourself, you sucked his tip into your mouth with no warning, making him groan unexpectedly. You paused, eyes wide and playful as your mouth stayed around him.

“Are you okay professor?” 

He let out a strained smile, “Yes, Emma, Sorry––” So her name was Emma. “I just uh banged my knee on the desk.”

She hummed a small okay and went on.

He caught your eye, trying his best to keep his expression neutral, but boy was it hard. Especially when you were looking up at him like that, with his cock in your mouth. You licked around his tip and lowered your mouth around him and he had to force himself to focus on the girl who was still talking to him.

You were not playing fair but quite frankly you didn’t care. You were making him feel good and yourself too. Your hand was pumping him, your tongue swirling around him as quietly as you could, while your other hand found its place between your thighs. 

In the middle of Emma’s speech, Tom’s eyes drifted down and widened, his breath getting caught in his throat when he noticed your other hand, moving between your legs. He stuttered out an excuse, unable to tear his eyes away from you for a moment, “Uh, Emma I’m so sorry––I just have so much work to do, but feel free to come back––” he paused to swallow when you sucked harder around him in reaction to his invitation. “Come back next week if you have any problems or anything else you’d like to discuss.”

She hesitantly but respectfully said goodbye and was on her way, closing the door behind her.

Tom’s hands immediately shot down to hold your head, his mouth dropped open as he watched you, approaching his high. “Shit, that’s it darling that’s it. So fucking good for me.”

“I’m gonna cum––” he warned. You simply hummed around him and sped up your movements, feeling yourself clench as he panted, his hips bucking slightly as he came into your mouth. You unfortunately weren’t able to cum but you were sure there’d be other chances. You popped off of him and swallowed his load before licking up his length teasingly slow. “Fuck, such a good girl.”

He pulled his chair out and brought you up to stand between his legs, tiling his head to look up at you, his hands rubbing up and down the backs of your thighs absentmindedly. “Was someone a little jealous?”

You shrugged, trying to act nonchalant but failing to fix your annoyed facial expression. “Maybe.”

He tucked himself back into his pants and stood up, chuckling as he squeezed your cheek. “I’m yours.” He pecked your lips, before looking in your eyes, “And I’m most definitely repaying the favor when we get home. I mean––if you want to, of course.” Home. 

You couldn’t help but smile, “Yeah––Okay.” 

You’d never been to Tom’s house before so this felt like sort of a big deal to you, but you were going to try and calm your racing thoughts and heart. You and Tom agreed that you would go around the corner of the building for him to pick you up in his car, not wanting to risk anyone seeing you.

As soon as you were settled in, seatbelt on, Tom drove off and honestly the thrill of having to hide was exciting to the both of you. His hand was gripping your thigh throughout the whole drive and you could tell it was meant as a reminder that he was there for you, but also that he could barely contain himself. 

Seeing Tom drive you, the flashing street lights illuminating his face, highlighting his jawline, his hand gripping your thigh––this was a sight you knew you wanted to see more. The intimacy of it all made you warm inside and the feeling of Tom’s fingertips digging into your skin only riled you up further.

You leaned over to kiss his cheek and he smiled at the feeling of your soft lips drifting over his skin. “Darling––” His words were cut off by a harsh moan when you trailed your lips down to his sweet spot, the noise almost too loud for the quiet, tense air in the car.

You teased, licked and bit at his skin, not afraid to leave marks. It was Friday now, if anyone saw them on Monday, they would just assume he’d had an eventful weekend. Honestly, the thought that no one would know that you were the one who left those marks excited you––it would be a secret between you and Tom, a thing for the two of you to share on your own.

Tom’s hands were now gripping the wheel and your thigh with force, trying to get his bearings. “You’re being very naughty today, love. Can’t say that I don’t love it though.”

You smiled sinfully into his neck, continuing your actions. Your hand slid over his thigh teasingly slow to rest on his bulge, fingers squeezing ever so softly and he practically jolted in his seat. “Christ––love unless you want me to crash this car I suggest you stop.”

You pulled away, satisfied with how much you’d riled him up. He almost whined at the loss of contact, subconsciously upset that you’d actually stopped. But as your hand reached back down to find its place between your thighs, his tone shifted. 

“Don’t you dare touch what’s mine. That’s my job.”

You actually felt a shiver pass through your body and you squeezed your thighs together at the sound of his dominant voice, excited for what was to come.

When you made it to his apartment, you barely had time to take in the scenery and take off your shoes and jackets before he dragged you to his room. But from what you saw, the decor was simple but elegant, much like Tom. His bedroom was the same, but again, you weren’t too focused on it.

He turned on the dim light in his room, wanting to be able to see you as he pleased you. He stepped closer to you and placed his hands on your waist, looking deep into your eyes. “You still want this?” 

You nodded absolutely certain. “Want you to take me.”

His pupils dilated and he pulled your shirt up and over your head, licking his lips, eyes widening when he noticed what you were wearing and you couldn’t help but smile.

“Christ, were you wearing this all day?” 

You nodded again. “The underwear’s matching too. Wanna see?”

He got down on his knees, a teasing but desperate tone to his voice. “You’re a smart girl, don’t ask stupid questions.” He unbuttoned your pants and pulled them down along with your socks, mouth dropping open as he got to see the full set. 

You ran your hands up and down your body teasingly as he stood up. “Do you like it?”

He shook his head, smiling in disbelief, “Again with the silly questions, love.” He leaned in to kiss you, pulling away to take off his clothes. “You look like a goddess, darling.” You could feel your skin heating up from his words and his stare. He pulled you in for another kiss before bringing you onto the bed.

You lied down in the middle and spread your legs, waiting for him eagerly as he lied down between them. “Can’t fucking wait to taste you, love.” 

He pulled your panties over to the side and licked into you, his tongue softly swiping through your folds. His eyes rolled back as he moaned into you, “Taste just as perfect as you look.” He slid his hands around your thighs and pulled you in closer, smiling at the small squeak you let out.

His tongue was exploring you, finding all the spots and all the tricks that made your toes curl and your breath hitch. He was keeping this all to memory, memorizing the way you feel, the way you look. When your breaths quickened and your fingers tugged at his curls, he locked his arm around your stomach, slid one, then two fingers inside of you and sped up his movements, moving his head from side to side as he hummed onto your clit. 

Your body tensed and you held onto him for dear life as the knot in your stomach gave out, the pleasure spreading all throughout your body. Your mouth dropped open in ecstasy, your neck craning back and Tom couldn’t look away from you. You looked like a painting and he wanted to commit it to memory. 

He let go of you and kissed his way up your body, soothing you with his lips. Your legs were still twitching slightly, your stomach clenching and unclenching when his kisses reached your cheek. “Look so pretty when you come for me.” He kissed along your jaw, “Can’t believe you’ve deprived me of such a beautiful sight for so long.” He kissed your lips and tugged your bottom one between his teeth, before looking at you, eyes wide, “You gonna give me the privilege of seeing it again?” 

You smiled, your hands coming up to hold his cheeks. “You can see it whenever you want. As long as you’re the one making it happen.” You pulled him to you and kissed him, the both of you moaning into the small gaps between your mouths. 

He started to pull away but you whined and pulled him back making him smile. “I’ve gotta get a condom, love.”

He tried to get up again but you pulled him back down, “M’on the pill Tommy.” You looked up at him, pouting and he almost gasped––the effect you had on him was insane. “Just fuck me please.”

He didn’t need anymore convincing, grabbing a hold of his cock and swiping it through your folds, groaning out loud at how good your wetness felt. You bucked your hips and realizing you were getting desperate, he finally slid into you and all your senses immediately tuned into him. 

Just like your dream––All of your senses were in overdrive. All you could feel were the hands tracing every curve of your body, playing you like a toy they’d made themselves. All you could hear was that sweet, rough voice telling you praises and calling you endearing names as your whole body shivered from the pleasure. 

His eyes were watching your face, taking you in as he thrusted into you, making sure you were enjoying everything he was giving you. You felt absolutely amazing and so did he. “So perfect for me, darling. That’s it.” He bit his lip and sped up, making your jaw drop as you stared into his eyes, completely open and vulnerable to him. His touch was tantalizing, even better than your fantasies which only meant you’d become more addicted to him and what he could do to you.

He grunted, angling his hips when he found your spot, hitting it over and over, bringing his hand down to play with your clit. “Told you I wanted to see you cum again, pretty girl. So you’re gonna cum then I’m gonna fill you up. That sound okay?”

You nodded eagerly, eyes watching his every move as your hands gripped his arms, your thighs burning invitingly as they stretched around him with every thrust. Then you uttered that one word that always had him almost inappropriately weak for you. “Want to be full of you, professor.”

His jaw slacked and he paused for a slight moment before picking up his pace, faster than before, hips chasing after both your highs, fingers still rubbing you just the way he learned, just the way you liked. “Fuck-–”

A few more thrusts and flicks of his wrist and you were tensing under him, your pussy clenching around him as he let out broken curses and moans, losing his rhythm and releasing into you with a groan. 

He rested some of his weight on you for a moment, the both of you smiling and laughing breathlessly as you took in the moment. Your hands came up to play with his curls and he sighed, leaning into your touch. He lowered his head into the crook of your neck and left a few soft kisses, coaxing some sighs from you as well.  

After a moment, he rolled over and took you with him, making you nuzzle further into him, his arm wrapped around you, your leg slung over his waist. His hand was rubbing up to your ass and down to your thigh, lulling you to sleep while simultaneously riling you up again. 

He kissed your forehead and you kissed his chest in response. “That was fucking amazing, love.”

You nodded and hummed in agreement, “Even better than my dreams.”

He pulled back to look at you, you could hear his heartbeat quicken and you tried to hide your face in his chest. “You had dreams about this too?”

That made you lift your head up to look at him. You could see in his eyes that he wasn’t joking but you were still slightly shocked. “Too?”

He smiled, licking his lips, “Well maybe we should discuss them, and try them out for ourselves.” His hand found its way between your legs again, making you moan but that didn’t stop you from responding.

You nodded, “For research purposes, of course.”

“Of course.” He grinned, “See, I knew I taught you well.” He leaned in to kiss you deeply, “My girl’s the perfect student.” 

You spent hours exploring each other's bodies as you reenacted your dreams, both exceeding each other's expectations every time. By the time you fell asleep in each other's arms, it was late at night and you were sweaty, and tired, but overwhelmingly pleased.

❊❊❊❊

The next Friday, it was halloween. Liz had somehow convinced you to go to a halloween party with her. On top of that it was a frat party. And even worse, you dressed up as a school girl because it was all last minute and you didn’t have any time to get a costume. 

“Oh come on Y/N, you look hot!”

You turned in the full length mirror to look at your ass that was almost visible in this mini skirt. “You think so?”

“Duh.”

And that’s all the convincing you needed to go out. You needed a little college fun. You hadn’t been to a party in who knows how long because you were always focusing on your work. You deserved this. Also Liz said it was a celebration of your “lay”, yes, she said lay. 

“I’m just saying you cannot let me get with him again.”

“Liz it’s literally his frat house that we’re going to and we both know you have little to no self control.”

“Well damn. You couldn’t have sugar coated it?”

“What, you want me to throw a packet of splenda on you?” You joked.

She shoved you, “Dude shut up,” she laughed.

You looked down at your bare thighs that were only partly covered by your thigh high socks and rubbed your arms, regretting not bringing a jacket when Liz spoke up again. “Oh shit, is that Professor Holland?”

Your eyes shot up and made direct eye contact with him. He was wearing a hoodie and some sweats but he still looked great as usual. His eyes trailed down your body and soon your shivers were no longer because of the cold. 

“I’ll just wait here.” Liz said suggestively and you walked over to Tom. 

“H–Hi.”

He put his hands in his pockets to stop himself from reaching out to touch you, he didn’t know who was around. “Well hello to you too.” He looked into your eyes, a smirk on his face. You rubbed your arms quickly for warmth, and Tom had to control himself to not look at your chest, even though he could see your nipples hardening from the weather through your shirt. He wanted nothing more than to hold you in his arms and take you home. 

“Any plans?” You asked.

“No, I'm just about to go home. I’m uh guessing you have somewhere to be?” His eyes traced your figure again.

“Yeah um me and Liz are going to a frat party.” You pointed back to your friend and gave him a small smile and shrug. “She convinced me.”

He wanted to kiss you so bad but he had to restrain himself.

“Be safe tonight, yeah?” His eyes were comforting, as they always were, but this felt almost more personal? Almost like he didn’t want you to go. And honestly, after seeing him, you almost didn’t want to either. You never defined your relationship with him, so honestly right now he was like a friend with benefits––professor with benefits, if you will. 

You nodded, licking your lips nervously. “O––Okay. I will. You be safe too!”

His eyes followed you as you walked off, your friend pulling you along, obviously whispering to you, probably about him. You looked so fucking good and everyone else was going to see that too. It’s not like he owned you or anything, but part of him really wished he could claim you, openly care for you and be affectionate. His thoughts were a mix of wholesome and raunchy and he had no idea how to act.

He almost felt wrong but he couldn’t get the thoughts out of his mind, the way you looked up at him sheepishly, the innocent look in your eyes while you were wearing that mini skirt. His cock was bulging in his boxers ever since he first laid eyes on you. When he got home, he made his way to his bed, undressing almost immediately. Lying down in the middle of the bed, just where you were days before brought a flood of memories into his mind, only making his member throb even more. He tugged at his cock, spitting in his hand to make it slick.

Images of you were flashing in his mind as he sped up his movements, desperate for a release. 

He was dying to get a taste of you again. The memory of the way you felt under his fingertips, the way your muscles clenched when he hit the right spots. The way you tasted when you were dripping onto his tongue. The way you looked at him when you came, your lips parted to release broken moans and whimpers. The way your fingers gripped his curls as your body tensed. It was all enough to make him spill over his hand, his breaths coming out in quick pants as his head dropped back onto the pillow.

“Fuck.” He really had it bad for you. 

❊❊❊❊

Tom had texted you during class on Tuesday to meet him in his office when you were done with classes for the day. When you stepped into the room, he locked the door immediately, bringing you over to his desk, his lips chasing yours. Screw worrying about people hearing you, he wanted you. Now. 

“God, just seeing you in that tight little costume––you have no idea how badly I wanted to ravish you. The thought of all those dumb frat boys seeing you in all your glory like that––I was absolutely beside myself.” So that’s what this was about. His hand came up to hold your cheek, his eyes fiercely staring into yours and you nuzzled into his touch, your hand holding his wrist softly and his eyes softened at the sight of you.

“I’m gonna absolutely devour you.” You gasped and he smiled, pulling your pants along with panties down. He sat you down on his desk and got down on his knees, licking his lips. “As soon as I got a taste of you, I knew I wouldn’t be able to go without it ever again.” He kissed your thigh, looking up at you. “You gonna let me have a taste again? Wanna make you feel good, lovie.”

You nodded, swallowing roughly, “Y––Yeah. Yes please.”

He chuckled breathlessly, “Such a polite little thing you are.” He kissed his way from your inner thigh to your center before licking a torturously slow stripe from your hole to your clit. You let out a sigh and gripped the desk, your fingertips becoming lighter at how hard you were already holding it.

His hands held your thighs open, putting them over his shoulders, holding you in place. His tongue was languidly licking you up and down, savoring your taste and your moans, coaxing them out of you one by one, nonstop. He looked up at you and your breath got caught in your throat, the look in his eyes fierce, almost as if he could see your bare soul and he clearly liked what he saw. He brought his lips to close around your heat after every other swipe of his tongue, passionately kissing your heat. 

“So fucking good, angel. Always the best for me.”

You nodded, licking your lips, one of your hands coming to grab at his curls, making him growl into you. “Only for you, Tommy.”

He didn’t stop his tongue or his lips until you came, your back arching, fingers frantically grabbing for whatever you could hold, lip trapped between your teeth to muffle the moans that so desperately wanted to escape into the quiet air of the room. He kept going until you had to pull his head away from you, overwhelmed by all the pleasure and scared that you would scream and alert everyone in the building about what you were up to.

His hands were caressing your thighs, eyes looking at you in awe, almost too innocently for what you’d just done. He stood up between your legs and leaned in to kiss you, letting you taste yourself on his tongue and his lips. 

He pulled away to look at you, hands holding your hips as your legs wrapped around his waist. You brought your arms up to link around his neck, looking up at him appreciatively and absolutely spent. “So do you think I should wear school girl outfits more often?”

He laughed, his hands holding you tighter, “If you do, my head is never leaving between your thighs.”

You smiled cheekily, batting your lashes at him. “Promise?”

He’d never gotten down on his knees quicker in his life. Let’s just say it took you another hour before you left his office.

 ❊❊❊❊

Over the past few weeks it had become a routine for you to go over to Tom’s office to seemingly “work on your assignments and review,” so it wasn’t out of the ordinary for you to show up unannounced Friday afternoon. Without meaning to, though, it seemed you showed up a little too early, and ended up overhearing part of Tom and Harrison’s conversation. 

“I can tell Y/N means a lot to you, mate. Don’t lie.” Your heart dropped to your stomach as you skidded just in front of the door, about to turn the corner inside. You backed up and stayed pressed to the wall. Luckily no one really stopped by this side of the building at this time on a Friday, so no one would find you snooping around in the middle of the hallway. 

“No I just––”

No. He said no––Okay you weren’t going to freak out. This always happens in the movies, and then the main character runs away before hearing the most important part and they overreact. So you decided to just...wait it out. 

So you waited and waited. And the more the silence overwhelmed you, the louder it got. You could feel the tears starting to form in your eyes because you really thought your feelings were mutual. But just as you inched your foot backwards to walk away, he spoke up again, his voice quiet. 

“She means everything to me, man. I––It scares me, honestly. I just don’t want to mess it up.” 

This time the tears fully formed in your eyes, but for the absolute opposite reason. You smiled and wiped at your eyes, not even bothering to hide anymore as you turned the corner, surprising Tom, his eyes widening as he took in your appearance. Harrison turned around to see you and his gaze filled with concern as well. 

“Tom––” your voice was quiet but there was a smile on your face. 

“Darling––” He rushed over to you and grabbed your hands, wiping your cheeks with his thumbs to catch the few tears that escaped. “What’s wrong, are you alright?”

Your hands came up to hold his wrists as you looked into his eyes, “I heard you talking.” 

His face dropped in realization and he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. 

Harrison cleared his throat and subtly made his way out, “You guys have some things to discuss.” He put a hand on your shoulder and you both smiled at each other appreciatively before he walked out, shutting the door behind him. 

Tom took your hands and brought you over to the couch. “I hope I didn’t scare you off, love.”

You shook your head immediately, even climbing in his lap to prove him wrong and he smiled gratefully. “No! It’s just that we never really talked, you know, about us.” He nodded and you took that as a sign to continue, enjoying the way his hands subconsciously slipped under your shirt to rub at your skin soothingly. “I like you Tom, obviously. But I like you a lot.” You linked your hands behind his neck. “I think I might be falling for you.”

His eyes started tearing up as well, as he smiled, “Yeah well, I think I’ve already fallen for you, darling.” 

You looked into his eyes and your smile brightened, “Okay maybe I lied––I’ve definitely already fallen for you as well.”

You both laughed lovingly, pulling each other in for a sweet kiss.“Look,” Tom started, licking his lips. “I don’t know what this means for our future, but all I know is I don’t plan on letting you go any time soon.” 

You kissed his lips softly, “Well I don’t plan on leaving any time soon either.” 

“Good.” He looked at you and you felt as though your soul was out and open for him to hold and love. “Cause you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, Y/N and I don’t ever want to lose you.” 

You could feel your eyes tearing up again. This felt good. This felt like home.

[gladerwolfstarkimagines]

Request: Imagine being Lin Beifong’s daughter and having a crush on Iroh II

Tags: @tincdraws

Growing up as the daughter of Lin Beifong metal and earth bending were your whole life. You learnt to earth bend by the time you could walk and your mother had you in training from a young age so you graduated from the earth bending school at the top of your class with your eyes firmly set on following in your mother’s footsteps whilst also trying to emulate your grandmother’s success. You had a sharp focus and nothing else really caught your attention. You had friends but training came first and dating seemed something superficial you could live without. Republic city was your life and you would never dream of leaving it but your mother had other ideas.

Your mother thought you needed more worldly experience before you joined the police force so she sent you to the fire nation to gain some training as an officer. She claimed the fire nation had some of the best officers in the world and that they would help you learn invaluable real-life experience. You did not agree and protested the whole thing. All your training had revolved around the needs of Republic City specifically and you couldn’t see how you’d learn anything new about how to protect your city by travelling all the way to fire nation but your mother refused to change her mind and that was that.

So you were shipped off to the fire nation fresh out of the academy. Your mother had spoken to Firelord Izumi and it was agreed you’d be staying at the palace so not only would you be unfamiliar with the environment, you’d be in a place where every small look, word or action had large consequences. You didn’t know much about the fire nation and couldn’t really recall the royal family. You were aware your grandmother was very close with the late Firelord Zuko but since then things had changed. Although your grandmother’s friends (mainly Katara) had tried to keep the group close it was hard with everyone scattered across the four nations and so with each generation the group had drifted further and further apart. You knew Firelord Izumi had a daughter older than you and a son around your age called Iroh. You recalled meeting Iroh when you were younger at some event in the south pole but couldn’t remember much more than a serious fire nation child. So you arrived on the steps of the palace utterly out of your depth determined to see these three months through so you could return to your beloved city. You were shown into the palace immediately, your belongings taken by maids who refused to let you carry them yourself as you were a royal guest. You weren’t used to finery so proceeded through the palace partly in awe and partly in utter confusion why someone needed this many paintings of old men everywhere. You were finally shown into a large room. “Ah you must be y/n Beifong” a voice called and you turned to see someone who looked vaguely familiar. You knew he wasn’t Firelord Zuko or Firelord Izumi’s husband as he was too young so figured by his royal outfit this was Izumi’s second child the prince. “Prince Iroh, it’s an honour to see you again” you said bowing and he chuckled “I bet you thought that would be a winning line with any fire nation citizen didn’t you? Because we’re still all obsessed with honour like we were centuries ago?” Iroh asked and you hesitated. “If I caused any offence...” you started but Iroh cut you off breaking out in a large smile “no I was only kidding, it is a winning line we are still obsessed with honour”. You watched as Iroh laughed at his own joke surprised, you didn’t expect the prince of the fire nation to be like this. You figured royalty lacked the ability or the clearance to have a sense of humour but apparently not. “So have I really not changed since we were eight?” Iroh asked and when you frowned he elaborated “you recognised me but the last time we met was just over ten years ago”. You paused “ow no I didn’t actually recognise you, you were young, dressed in fine clothes with royal hairpins, not to mention you’re in the palace...you had to be the prince”. “Good deductions officer” Iroh said saluting you before he grinned “i’m in training too”. That piqued your interest “really? for the fire nation army?”. He nodded “yep! I’m an officer but my hope is to be general one day and to fully earn it, rather than just get it because of who my family is...hopefully in a few years i’ll get there”. “I’m sure you will” you agreed and Iroh led you into a large dining room. “Are we dining alone?” you asked confused and Iroh smirked. “Why? Not pleased with me?” he asked and you rushed to assure him that wasn’t the case when he laughed again “I’m joking again y/n, I know my grandfather told you the whole family would be dining with you in his letter to your mother but he, my parents and sister were all called away to an urgent matter and asked me to fill in as we’re similar ages”. “Ow” you nodded “that makes sense...is everything okay?”. Iroh nodded “everything’s fine just boring fire nation stuff...so shall we?” he asked holding out his arm to you. You weren’t sure if this was appropriate so averted your eyes and only took his arm lightly. Iroh smirked at your caution and led you into the room.

The meal with Iroh was nice. He was friendly, hard-working and interesting. You soon got used to his humour and learnt not to take him too seriously. You hadn’t met many other people your age who shared your passion for a military career and found it was nice, a sentiment Iroh apparently shared. He enquired what you were doing the rest of the week and when you replied nothing as training didn’t start for another week he soon had several of your days planned out with fire nation sights to show you. Iroh seemed to understand you didn’t know much about the fire nation so planned to take you to all the important sites as well as areas relevant to the army to peak both your interests. You enjoyed the prince’s tours greatly and even when training did start you continued meeting with Iroh regularly. You liked his company and were surprised that didn’t fade the more time you spent with him, if anything it grew more and more. You thought he’d be a spoilt entitled prince but he was kind and considerate pleasantly surprising you.

You didn’t become aware that you liked Iroh as anything more until one of your friends at the academy pointed it out. Since starting training you were progressing well, you achieved high grades and were held in high esteem by your fellow recruits. You had made some friends and often trained with them after the academy retired for the day. After a long training session you were heading to the palace when one of your friends called out to you “hey y/n some of us were going into town to celebrate our class’s good progress, do you want to come?”. You smiled pleased they wanted you to come when you remembered you couldn’t go “I’d love to Shani but sorry I can’t I have plans”. “Of course you do” she smirked as your other friend Aizori grinned “is it with Iroh by any chance”. “Actually it is” you said frowning at their shared look “why?”. “Ow nothing just it’s not every day your friend is dating the crowned prince”. “Me and Iroh are not dating!” you cried “our families are old friends that’s all”. “Uh...hu, if that’s true then what are your plans together may we ask?”. “We’re attending a party at the palace”. “Together?” Shani asked and you blushed “yes but he only asked me because it’s a formal event that’s apparently really boring so he wanted a friend there, trust me we’re not dating”. “But how can you resist?” Aizori asked “I’ve only seen the prince a handful of times but he seems to get better looking every single time! How don’t you get lost in those golden eyes and that chiselled jaw? The royal family has some amazing genes not even a Beifong can resist”. You paused considering it. For you looks weren’t very important so you didn’t tend to notice them. You held work ethic and determination as much higher priorities and Iroh scored very highly in both but in looks...you honestly couldn’t say. “I’m not sure I’ve noticed” you admitted and the girls rolled their eyes not believing you.

When you arrived back at the palace your friend’s words were ringing in your head and when you next saw Iroh something felt different. You took note of his looks and were surprised by what you’d found. Iroh was attractive, very attractive, how had you missed that? You stared at Iroh wondering if his eyes had always been that bright? Was his jaw always that sharp? His hair that good regularly when he frowned “why are you staring at me?”. “Nothing” you cried and he paused before shrugging “Are you ready to go?” he asked “the party has already started” offering you his arm. You nodded and took it cautiously following Iroh into the ballroom.

You could see why Iroh had wanted to invite you, everyone in the room was at least 60 years old or some stiff nobel person from an ancient line of fire nation families. All they seemed to want to discuss was old family bloodlines, territories or ancient traditions. After your fifth boring ambush by some old fire nation man Iroh pointedly headed for the gardens. You frowned as he exited discreetly, closing the door behind him, and headed away from the hall. “Iroh I’m pretty sure the party is inside” you commented and Iroh grinned “I know but I can’t take another second in there so humour me? One lap of the gardens then we’ll head back, please? I know you haven’t seen them properly yet so how about a tour?” Iroh holding out his hand to you. You rolled your eyes but took his hand happily. 

Iroh led you around the gardens explaining the different flora to you and their history. “I spent so many parties hiding in here as a kid” he grinned “this place is so huge they couldn’t find me for hours”. You smiled at the thought “my mother would’ve killed me if I did that”. “Mine did” Iroh chuckled “but I’d honestly rather face her wrath than some boring commander who wants to lecture me about our family’s history and why it’s so important...they’re literally my own family and even I don’t care” Iroh cried making you smile. “I see why you escaped out here so often, I’m very grateful formal parties were not a part of my childhood”. Iroh smiled and went to comment when the smile was wiped from his face and he grabbed you, quickly pushing you behind a large fern. “Iroh what are you...”. “Shhh they’ve come for us” he hissed and you frowned when you heard a voice. “Prince Iroh?” a man you recognised as the palace coordinator called “Are you out here? You’re needed inside”. You smirked and Iroh rolled his eyes “they’re relentless”.  “Master Iroh if you’re out there please return to the ballroom, your mother’s orders”. There was silence and then the sound of the butler coming closer. Your eyes widened and Iroh put a hand over your mouth pushing you further into the bushes. “Prince Iroh?” a voice called literally right beside you and Iroh smirked as you grabbed his arm in surprise. You heard a sigh and the sound of the man retreating. When the footsteps died away Iroh dropped his hold on you and you both burst into laughter. “I thought we were going to be caught and then royally punished...literally” you added and Iroh smirked “I wouldn’t let them punish you, it’s not your fault I dragged you out here”. “True but I didn’t try hard to stop you”. “You did encourage me” Iroh nodded thinking “okay it’s all your fault”. You gaped laughing “I never said that! You are such a liar” you cried pushing him and Iroh laughed grabbing your arm “okay okay maybe we share the blame 50:50?”. “No way” you smiled and Iroh paused “60:40?”. “I think 90:10?” you said grinning and Iroh sighed “fine, i’ll take 10% of the blame”. You shook your head at how wonderfully infuriating he was and smiled at him fondly. Iroh grinned back and you realised suddenly how close his face was to yours. Iroh seemed to notice too, he glanced down at your lips and you panicked moving away from him suddenly. There was an awkward tension in the air and you broke it with a cough “so want to show me more of the gardens then?”. Iroh nodded “right this way my lady” the awkwardness gone and led you further into the garden.

When you were safely hidden from the ballroom Iroh stopped walking, explaining this was one of his favourite spots in the whole garden and you gratefully took a break sitting down. “I can’t believe you’ve already been here a month” Iroh commented and you nodded “I know only 2 more to go then my mandatory 3 months work experience is done”. Iroh frowned “mandatory...so you could stay longer if you wanted to?”. “Hypothetically” you agreed and Iroh hesitated “do you think you’d extend it? Hypothetically?”. You paused “I’m not sure, I have enjoyed the fire nation far more than I thought I would but I’ve always wanted to complete my training as quickly as possible, I hope to be chief of police one day and I’ll need many years of service for that...”. Iroh frowned “isn’t the youngest chief like 41?”. You nodded “yeah so i’ve got time I guess, maybe i’ll stay for longer...is this just so you have someone to skirt your royal duties with?”. Iroh laughed “maybe...I like you being here, it’s nice not being the only person under 30 in every room”. You smiled “well i’m glad my presence isn’t displeasing to you...you’ve been pleasant as well” you added blushing and Iroh grinned. “Wait did I make a Beifong blush? That’s like a legendary occurrence, this is amazing!”. “Stop it” you cried but Iroh wouldn’t let you turn away “no, this will go down in history, Beifong blushes are rarer than dragons so I’m soaking up every second”. For the second time that day Iroh stared at you closely and you blushed more under his gaze but this time you didn’t move away. Iroh continued gazing at you before he lightly moved his hand to your cheek “y/n...” he said softly leaning in closer when a figure appeared. “There you are!” a voice cried and you both jumped away from one another. Your jaw dropped when you realised who it was and you dropped into a bow “Firelord Izumi...i’m so sorry I didn’t see you approach”. “Rise child you did nothing wrong” she said warmly “my son on the other hand...” she trailed off glancing at Iroh who paled. “Hey mom” he frowned and she raised an eyebrow “really? That’s all you have to say? No apology or grovelling”. “Erm I’m sorry for ditching?” Iroh offered and Izumi sighed. “Y/n would you please excuse us, I want to have a word with my son”. “Of course” you agreed bowing and you rushed away.

Iroh returned not long after with his mother and told you he had to stay in the ballroom for the rest of the party. You agreed to stay with him and he smiled gratefully at you making you blush and look away rapidly. The night passed and neither you nor Iroh spoke about what happened in the garden. How he’d almost kissed you and how you were going to let him. You couldn’t believe your own recklessness. What good did you think would come out of kissing the prince of the fire nation? You were obviously not an appropriate match and so there was nothing to be encouraged there. You resolved to never find yourself in that situation again and decided to just stay as friends no matter how much you got along or how attractive he was. Getting involved with a fire nation prince was not responsible behaviour. So after that night you made sure to put distance between you and Iroh. You didn’t stop seeing him you just made sure to emphasise it was a friendship. You didn’t let yourself get caught up in him the way you had in the gardens and always kept a level head. Iroh never tried anything or mentioned that night either and you supposed he picked up on your not so subtle hints. You carried on as before but there was definitely an unmentioned barrier between you which you never let fade.

You left the fire nation 2 months later. You didn’t extend your stay as with your feelings for Iroh you didn’t think it would be wise. Iroh saw you off and hugged you tightly before you got onto the airship. “It’s been nice having you around Beifong, I’ll miss you”. Iroh’s words made you hesitate and you hugged him tighter. For that time in Iroh’s arms you imagined what would have happened if you’d kissed him in the gardens that night. Iroh didn’t strike you as someone who flitted from person to person taking what he wanted, you think if he wanted to kiss you he must have felt something for you too and perhaps would have suggested dating. You imagined all the things you’d have done together but as a couple and wondered if you’d made a mistake, maybe you should have just gone for it? But then reality set in. If you really wanted to be chief of police then you couldn’t have short relationships with high ranking members of the fire nation. Other candidates could use it to show you had compromised morals and there was no way it would be a long term relationship due to your lack of fire nation heritage. Sure the fire nation was pretty progressive but that didn’t really apply to royalty. They had thousand-year-old traditions to uphold that couldn’t be broken easily so Iroh was never a long term option for you. Therefore all logical signs said you’d done the correct thing not persuing something with him...so why did it feel so shit? You finally pulled away from Iroh and he noticed your expression. “What’s wrong?” he asked and you shook your head looking away “nothing i’ll just miss it here...promise you’ll keep in touch?”. “Cross my heart” Iroh smiled “you’re not someone I intend to let slip away, expect a visit every time I come to republic city”. You pushed away the rational voice in your mind telling you to keep a distance from him and smiled “you’ll always be welcome and I’m very much looking forward to it”. Iroh blushed “thank you y/n” and you nodded back, just looking at him in admiration before catching yourself. “I should go...” and Iroh nodded “safe travels” and with a final look you walked away.

2 years later

After your departure you and Iroh stayed in regular contact and your letters only halted when he was deployed by the military but the second we was out he would write and arrange to come visit you in Republic City. You still thought about him and your feelings for him regularly and every time you saw him you knew your crush hadn’t lessened. You loved Iroh’s visits and soon they became the thing you cherished most. You told yourself all of this was fine because you’d never act on your feelings but sometimes you wondered if Iroh felt something too? You’d catch him staring at you or he’d blush if you smiled at him in a certain way. The very idea of Iroh liking you made you very excited but you also knew it would only lead to heartache. He wouldn’t be allowed to settle down with someone outside the fire nation so it didn’t matter if he liked you too. So you settled for his friendship which was more than enough for you. When Iroh was posted in republic city when he became general you were thrilled and you only continued to grow closer.

However republic city wasn’t as peaceful. There had been multiple attacks on the city from Amon’s chi blockers to Vaatu’s take over and you and Iroh were constantly pushed into the fray. Multiple times you’d faced staggering odds and every single time you wondered if you should confess your feelings to Iroh in case the unthinkable happened but every time you chickened out. You and Iroh had been safe every time but there was only so much you could push your luck.  

You’d been wary of Kuvira’s take over of the earth kingdom from the very start. Your aunt Su Yin had told you all about her so you weren’t surprised when she set her sights on Republic City but that didn’t mean you weren’t terrified. The avatar and her friends informed you what you were facing and you weren’t sure how you could even think about facing a giant mecha suit with spirit cannons. Iroh shared your sentiment but as general of Republic City’s army he was forced by President Raiko to lead his troops out there. Watching Iroh take to the front line you were swept with the desire once again to be honest with him, to tell him how you felt before it was too late. You decided three was too many times to chance it and so decided to finally tell him how you felt. You made your way to the general’s tent and found Iroh with Korra discussing strategies. You greeted them both warmly before making your way to Iroh’s side “could we please talk? I have something to tell you”. You knew Iroh had a hundred things to do but he nodded warmly squeezing your hand “of course just give me one second to...” when the radio sprang into action. President Raiko had surendering to Kuvira’s demands. Republic City was hers.

The avatar was furious and you matched her sentiment. You and Iroh joined her as she met with other leaders in the city like Tenzin and your mother and they all agreed something had to be done to stop Kuvira. A plan was quickly assembled, it was agreed that airbenders would attack the suit from the sky and earth benders would attack from the ground. You didn’t actually expect to damage the suit, you only had to distract Kuvira long enough for Korra to get inside. You were agreeing fervently getting ready to leave with your cousins when Iroh grabbed your arm. “Wait Y/n are you sure you want to do this?” he asked nervously “that mecha suit is dangerous there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to stop it”. I know but it’s my home, I swore to protect it and I won’t break my oath. I have to try and help”. Iroh sighed thinking and you watched him wondering what he’d say. “I understand why you’re doing it and I want to come too”. You paused pleasantly surprised “You do...but I thought President Raiko told you to retreat and surrender?”. “He told me to surrender the army not that I couldn’t personally engage in fighting, i’m not fighting as a general but as plain old Iroh” he announced proudly and you smiled “there’s nothing plain about you even without your titles”. Iroh beamed at you “Does this mean you agree? We can fight this giant together!”. You nodded your head “okay let’s go meet up with the others”.

You and Iroh rushed after the others and found them all suiting up. “Finally” your mother said spotting you but she frowned when she saw Iroh with you “y/n tell me you didn’t bring the general who is also the prince of the fire nation into this”. “She didn’t, I volunteered” Iroh spoke up “I’m not here as a general or as a prince but as a civilian so, where can I help?”. “You know your mother won’t like this” Tenzin commented and Iroh nodded “I know but some things are worth facing her wrath for” he said shooting you a smile and you blushed.

So it was agreed Iroh would stay. Your mother thought it would be best to place him on the roof with the airbenders, she ordered him to shoot lightning at the joints to try and cause some malfunctioning. When you’d all suited up the teams said their goodbyes and Iroh appeared in front of you. You didn’t have long, Kuvira’s giant suit was already in view and the ground shook whenever it took a single step. Iroh stared at you and sighed heavily “Y/n...”. “Don’t say it like that, we don’t have time and we’re both going to be fine okay?” you said faking a smile but Iroh saw right through it. “What did you want to tell me earlier?”. You froze caught off guard and blushed “I...I just wanted to...it doesn’t matter”. The ground jumped and Iroh looked at it nervously before stepping closer to you “I think I can guess what you were going to say”. “You can?” you asked nervously and Iroh smiled “yeah...you had another Beifong blush moment and I’ve noticed you do them around me a lot”. You went bright red and Iroh chuckled “yeah like that...”. You looked down embarrassed but Iroh took your hand gently “don’t, I blush a lot around you too”. You smiled blushing more and Iroh chuckled softly. “Y/n are you ready?” your mom asked and Iroh gripped your hand tightly. “Wait I want to tell you everything before you leave” Iroh cried but you squeezed his hand gently. “It’ll be okay” you smiled “you can tell me everything later and I think I can guess too”. Iroh grinned blushing “later then...just got to get through this”. “We’ll be fine, this is what he trained for” you smiled confidently “I promise I’ll see you on the other side”. Iroh nodded and stared at your lips, he went to move in when your mother called “y/n are you coming or are we leaving you behind”. “I’m coming!” you yelled and stepped away from Iroh “mothers” you commented and he smiled “go, i’ll see you after” and with a last look you both rushed off to your assigned group.

The battle

The fight went about as good as could be expected. The suit swatted the air benders away like flies and your group’s earth, metal and even lava bending barely slowed it down. But it didn’t matter, all that mattered was the avatar and her team managed to find a way into that thing and your team cheered when you saw she’d done just that. Now the fight was Korra’s so you let your guard down when suddenly the machine began malfunctioning. Your mother yelled for you all to take cover but you were too far away from the building. The suit exploded with a blast and you saw a blinding light and then black.

After the suit exploded everyone assumed the battle won. Half the air benders went after Korra to help her with Kuvira and the other half went to the ground to make sure the others were okay, of course Iroh went with the latter. He saw Bolin, your aunt and cousins but no sign of you or your mother. They told him they were all searching for you and he rushed to join in. With each street he passed his heart began to sink when finally he spotted you! In the arms of your mother unconscious. Iroh ran forward dropping to his knees beside you. “What happened?” he cried and your mother clutched you desperately “that thing exploded and she was too far to get into cover, it hit her sending her flying through the street and now she’s...she’s...”. Iroh saw the blood seeping through your mother’s hands where she held them against you. “No” he said viciously “y/n won’t...she can’t! We need a medic” he yelled loudly before taking off his jacket to wrap around your wound. “Maybe I can cauterise the wound?” he asked “seal it to stop her losing so much blood?”. Lin paused “I think the wounds too big but it’s worth a shot”. Iroh nodded and Lin lifted the bottom of your uniform. Iroh saw a large gash across your stomach and winced. He lit his hand on fire and pressed his hands against the wound. You gasped suddenly and your eyes shot open. “Y/n” your mother and Iroh cried in unison and you blinked trying to make sense of the situation before you groaned in pain. You tensed trying to get away from the burning but your mother held onto you “please y/n just hang on Iroh is trying to cauterise your wound”. “It’s not working” you grimaced resisting the urge to scream “Iroh stop! Please!” you cried and he yelled in frustration moving his hands away from you. “No it has to work if it doesn’t then you’ll.....we need a medic down here” he yelled again but he knew everyone else was spread out and there were no healers in the group. “It’s okay” you said breathing heavily as the situation dawned on you “Iroh it’s alright”. “No it’s not” he cried sinking onto his knees beside you “it’s not y/n, you can’t...you have to fight this, you can’t leave me”. You nodded “trust me i’m trying but Iroh if I do...”. “No y/n don’t even think about it! I won’t let you go it’s not going to happen”. “I don’t think we have a choice” you admitted trying to smile but Iroh just shook his head “but we never got our shot, we never got to talk, I never got to tell you...I love you y/n” he said simply “I have for years, that’s why I never found anyone from the fire nation because the perfect person for me is you. I know there’s traditions and rules but I don’t care, I don’t want anyone else but you. I’d give up anything for you and we were finally heading in that direction and now that stupid spirit cannon”. Tears leaked down Iroh’s face and you reached out a hand to him shakily. He took it and you stroked his face “it’s okay, i’m sorry for being too scared and cautious, I’m sorry for wasting our time together but I love you too, I hope that’s enough”. Iroh nodded “It’s more than I ever hoped, you didn’t waste time you have nothing to be sorry for y/n Beifong, do you hear me?”. “I do” you smiled before coughing in pain and your mother clutched you tighter. “Y/n” your mother cried and you smiled up at her “it’s okay mom, don’t worry. It’s all going to be okay”. You clutched her hand against your chest and took Iroh’s other one. “I’m with the two people I love the most, I’m happy. This is the best way for it to...”. “Stop” Iroh said crying but you just gripped his hand tighter “Iroh look at me”. He blinked through the tears but looked at you. “It’s okay, I promise you everything will be okay”. Iroh just said your name softly and rested his head against yours. Your mother wrapped her arms around both of you and you held onto both of them the best you could when you felt the world fading away. You heard sobbing and your mother faintly saying your name until everything turned dark and it was over.

Epilogue

Following your death the fire nation, earth kingdom and republic city all paid their respects in their traditional fashions. A statue was raised by your mother in the spot of your death and every year on the anniversary of your death both her and Iroh would visit it. Iroh and your mother supported one another following your death being the only one’s who understood how monumental the loss of your life was. They managed to get through it together and although neither of them ever stopped loving you they found a way to carry on. Iroh never married, he couldn’t even consider the idea and his family never pushed him to. He still lived a long and happy life. He was very involved with his sister’s children who he loved dearly and his family never stopped supporting him. If he went quiet and got a teary look in his eye or if he struggled serving in the earth kingdom they understood. Your family also treated him like one of their own, with Lin even calling him her son on a few occasions, and he was invited to all your family’s events in recognition of your love for him. Your memory never faded and when Iroh’s life eventually ended he passed on to find you waiting for him. He knew all the suffering and heartache was over, you were finally together at last. 

____

So initially I was going to write a happy ending as well but then I thought screw it, I want to cry so I killed off the reader...but I can release the happy ending as a part two if anyone wants it. 

Edit: For the happy ending version click here

[rayofsunas]

s/o goes on a mission with them.

A/n: so, as you may or may not have seen by my recent “updates” I’m obsessed with genshin, and I’m pretty sure for one day I played for a solid 5 hours- my eyes hurt pls. but I did miss writing, I’ve just been unmotivated and busy with college stuff (mainly stressing, I haven’t even started my essay yet shh). n e ways, here’s an update, I hope this quenches your thirst 🙊

Summary: s/o goes on a mission with them. 

Parings: Kaeya/Reader, Diluc/Reader, Xiao/Reader, Scaramouche/Reader (all with a fem reader)

Warnings: crack, swearing, worrying Teyvat bois

Word count: 1.7k

Kaeya

when you’re assigned to be on a mission just the two of you, you assume he’s happy, and don’t get me wrong, he totally is!

usually you’re never on missions together, deciding it was better that way because you both get distracted (you realized after marrying, space was always nice too, space was healthy)

though the decision mainly came about because you two good around a lot... and other things 😏

no but deep down he’s worried when you go on this mission together, it’s been a while since the two of you have, a little too long, and the nerves came back

he’s always worried whenever you go on missions, and sure he’ll always be there to protect you when he’s with you (not that you need it) but anything can happen

sure taking out a bunch of Hilichurls was deemed easy, especially together, but he still worried

he never said a word about it though, he’d always keep a watchful eye on you (he does have a reputation to keep after all)

“Ya know, you did well today.” You said plopping down beside your husband, using your pyro ability to light the twigs and leaves in front of you.

“Of course I did,” he boasted, eye lighting up in the dark of the night. “What kind of Knight would I be if I hadn’t, babe.”

You groaned in annoyance, this was the ever so haughty husband you knew.

“Please, I could’ve easily wiped your ass if it weren’t for the fact that we haven’t been paired together in a while; I forgot about your skill.” You teased. The cryo user glared at you.

“Skill? Surely, I have more than one.” He snipped teasingly. Your head shook, feigning innocence. “Are you sure?” A hum sounded in your throat. “I couldn’t tell... Maybe if you hadn’t been staring holes into me every time I used my sword, I could see your progression.”

Kaeya visibly tensed, but he tried to make it go unnoticed, you saw his shoulders raise slightly. 

“Hmm?” You laughed wholeheartedly. 

“Don’t ‘hmm’ me, mister.”

Despite having been caught, a grin spread across his face, he was enjoying your teasing tonight it seemed.

“There’s a reason we don’t go on missions together, but, I did have fun with you today, despite the worrying part.”

Diluc

um, the ever so stoic and emotionless fire boy is WORRIED AF

and he accidentally lets it show

he’s totally fine if you’re only going against a few low-rank Hilichurls and Slime, but against any of the Hypostasis’s, he’s worried for your wellbeing (after a few days of trying to beat one of the Hypostasis’s I finally did, APPLAUD ME PLS, I was crying)

the very first mission you went on together, the job was done quickly and without much trouble, but before and after, he would not stop asking you if you would like to be escorted back to the Knights headquarters

he said it was his duty to protect any and every Mondstadt Citizen

you knew he was also just particularly worried about you

despite being worried, he is happy you’re here, though wishes it were under different circumstances other than battle 

he rarely sees you, so it’s a nice change to be placed on a mission together instead of alone, you missed each others company

BUT HE’S STILL WORRIED

“I’m a Knight of Favonius, I don’t particularly need to be escorted back, I appreciate your concern though.” Poor Diluc, the face he made looked like pure defeat, you used the Knight of Favonius card on him. And yes, you were capable, but he did know a certain Knights of Favonius Captain who he loathed a little too much,

“That’s why I’m worried.”

You scoffed at his jab, though it didn’t necessarily hurt too much.  

“Please, I can handle myself. We’re not all like Captain Kaeya, but even then give him some credit!”

“I know you’re more than capable but-”

”No buts! Let me do what I know how, please. Or else I could slip up, and then actually put myself in danger.”

“Okay...” You nodded, sending a soft thanks to your lover's way, but he just stared at you before muttering, “But let me escort you back to Mondstadt.”

👁 👄 👁

“I’m sorry, did you hear a word I just said?”

“I see your skills darling, but-” He paused, noticing how your arms folded across your chest. You were annoyed. “I’d much prefer if you took care of the greatest battle of all; Kaeya.”

“Kaeya does not need my assistance.”

“He’s probably in a ditch somewhere, and it would be much appreciated by Jean if we did not leave him to rot there,” Diluc explained. 

You had seen Kaeya earlier, and yes although he usually frequented the bars and whatnot, he was surprisingly sober. He hadn’t promised he would stay that way, but it would take hours for said man to get completely drunk to the point where he was immobile. You had only left Mondstadt four hours ago. 

“Amber can find him. She did last time,” He watched in disbelief as you sauntered off towards the hill in front of you, dead set on continuing your mission. “Come on I see an Electro Hypostasis ahead.”

“Also, you could’ve just said you were worried about me, instead of trying to send me back home! Kaeya is fine, worrywart.”

Xiao

it’s not that he’s worried about you and it’s not that he shouldn’t be worried either 

he can be both given the right moment

the only reason he doesn’t want you going with him is because he claims he focuses better on missions alone

you could understand where he was coming from, but you would’ve liked to have gone with him when he first left

you mentioned going on a mission with him in Liyue the night before he locked you in your Liyue Harbor Guesthouse room 

you were still asleep when he’d snuck out and had found a note in the sheets where he’d previously been sleeping hours ago

it read, went on a quick mission, be back soon. - Xiao

...one of the cleaning ladies had come to your rescue after seeing various lounge chairs from the hallway stacked and pushed against the door (she was supposed to clean the room that morning after having seen Xiao leaving, figuring it was empty to begin cleaning)

she was shocked to see you hurriedly throwing your shoes on and grabbing your spear, confused obviously

she’d asked if you were being held against your will or if you were in danger, but you’d dashed off before you could give her an answer

eventually after asking a few Liyue Harbor Merchants, you were able to get a rough estimate as to where your boyfriend went

when you finally caught up to him, out of breath, he was somewhat shocked to see you

“Hey!” You called after the ancient man, watching with glee as he turned around with wide eyes. “Locking me in the room seriously?”

“I didn’t think you’d catch up. I left hours ago.”

“I thought so too. But one of the Merchants gave me a shortcut to your destination.”

“Interesting.” He said, hand going to his chin in thought. 

“That’s it? That’s all you have to say?!” 

“Interesting.” You mocked 

He stared blankly, without a doubt the gears working in his brain, spinning and ticking at an unbelievable rate. 

“No, one more thing... How did you get out of the room? I barricaded it.” 

👁 👄 👁

Scaramouche

you better be someone who can handle yourself, and you probably are, or else he would not be able to stand being with you romantically AT ALL

he’s had you practice with him, just to show him what you’re capable of, before he ever allowed you to travel with him

after deeming you a worthy opponent, he decided you would fair well with him

he would’ve never allowed you to come if he knew you’d be a burden, slow him, or get hurt

after you proved yourself, he does not doubt you so he’s not going to be worried at all

he’s only worried if you start slowing him down, then he’ll think you’re incompetent to be traveling together

if you slow him down, you’re being sent home, no questions asked

though because he does love you, you receive a bit of a less severe punishment for doing something wrong on a mission

he may ask you once or twice to keep up with him, or take your enemies out without less hesitation, but that’s if he feels particularly generous, most of the times he’s harsh and will not tolerate your mistakes, no chances given

fortunately for you, he felt extremely generous today

It was truly evident that you were slowly pissing off the sixth Harbinger and he was losing his patience with you. Yet you continued flirting with him to get a rise out of said man (yeah, same); he often reacted, and you enjoyed it when he did. You liked seeing him react and appear differently than always being so uptight and mean.

It was a common belief that he often traveled with a young woman, who had Pyro for a vision, and she was strong but often loved to distract and tease her fellow Harbinger. You were not so surprisingly, that young woman.

“Keep up, I won’t ask you again.” 

Today, you were on a mission together which wasn’t rare, but your other mission was to piss him off as much as you could. So, you purposely walked behind him, very slow. Pretending to take in the chilly scenery of Snezhnaya, although you had seen it thousands of times, acting as if it was something new. 

“You said that the last two times.” You said, cheerfully laughing to yourself when you heard him growl lowly. He didn’t pay any mind to your retort but began showing more signs that he was aggravated.

He hissed, “There’s not much to admire, you can barely see.” Yes, he was right, he’d caught onto your antics very fast, but that didn’t matter.

“As I said, if you keep slowing me down, I’ll continue without you.” Your eyes rolled. Would he?

“Leaving a member of the Harbinger behind wouldn’t be very honorary, but if I must, I will.”

A pout took shape on your lips. “Please, you wouldn’t leave your lovely girlfriend out here to freeze would you?”

“You have pyro abilities, you would fair just fine.”

“Hmm... I suppose so, but I’d get lonely.” 

“Then be quiet and walk faster.”

1.13.21, rayofsunas