#if someone said this to me i'd look wildly around the room and go WHERE?????

[kevindavidday]

kevaaron forehead kisses, back hugs, cuddles and more. that's all folks.

[surielstea]

Sneaking Away

Based off this request.

Pairing: Azriel x Vanserra!Reader

Summary: Reader sneaks from the forest house and goes to her mates for Starfall.

Warnings: Smut | 18+ only | p in v | cream pie | dirty talk | nipple play | wing play | slight bondage | exactly 2 uses of (Y/n)

A/N: so I kind of totally strayed from the original request but it was giving me writers block so I completely changed it— the element of sneaking out is still there, hope you guys still enjoy 💙

Starfall was just about to begin and I was horribly late to the party Rhysand had graciously invited me to.

My father had caught me in my most expensive dress and asked where I was going before I got the chance to sneak from the Forest house. I had to conjure up some lie he'd be happy to hear, which was harder than it seemed. I ended up telling him I was going out with a noble named Antony, a made-up male who wasn't Illyrian and definitely not one of the most dangerous men in Prythian, nowhere near someone like the Shadow Singer, who I was going to see in reality.

The High Lord of Autumn had practically demanded he met this male first but I managed to convince him that I was meeting him at a party that I was already late to.

Needless to say, it took me an hour to get out of the overbearing household, then another half hour to escape from my father's spies and maids constantly whispering in his ears.

Once I arrived at the House of Wind I felt the weight on my shoulders lift, and I was actually able to breathe. It was all so much simpler here, high in the sky with people who cared more about my wellbeing than how maidenly I was.

I had noticed the Shadow Singer across the room before he saw me, a rare occurrence that meant his mind was elsewhere. His back was turned to me but those wings were unmistakable. I approached him as silently as I could, my heels betraying me because as soon as I was only a yard away shadows curled around his ears and he whirled around, eyes immediately locking with mine.

I grinned wildly as he took in my appearance, my deep green dress with bedazzling emeralds cascading down the skirt, the fanned-out bottom of the gown morphing into a waterfall of jewels. The fit was tight around all the right places and the slit in the side revealed high up my bare thigh, his gaze not missing a fraction of the skin I exposed.

He didn't take a long time analyzing my dress before his gaze snapped back to my face, my smile, my eyes lined with kohl.

"You done staring?" I tease with a tilt of my head.

"No," He said and I giggled, closing the distance between us with a few strides and wrapping my arms around his torso, my head leaning against his chest as I hugged him tightly.

"I missed you," I murmur and he presses a gentle kiss to the top of my head.

"It's only been a few days," He reminds and I lift my head, looking up at him with a hurt expression. His smile turned soft. "I missed you too," He whispered and I leaned up, interlocking our lips for the first time in what felt like a year. My hold around him tightened and his hands came to my face, one on the nape of my neck and the other on my jaw, holding me so delicately like if he let me go I'd shatter.

"Y/n!" Cassian shouts from the distance and I pull away from Azriel, he's hesitant about letting me slip away but reluctantly he gives in and lets me turn to face the other Illyrian who was coming in from the deck with a bright grin on his face. "It's been years," He groans, approaching the two of us.

"It's been a month," I correct.

"Same thing," He grumbles, before wrapping his arms around my torso and hugging me tightly, I grin as he stands to his full height, my feet dangling off the ground as he squeezes me tight.

"Don't you look beautiful," He places me down and I do a small twirl, Azriel scowls at Cassian as if the male might steal me away, so silently I gravitate closer towards my mate and intertwine our hands.

"Why, thank you, my lord," I curtsy teasingly and he clicks his tongue, annoyed.

"You know I hate it when you call me that," He grumbles, crossing his arms over his chest and I only grin.

"Cass, come back—" A familiar voice shouts from outside and I perk up.

"Rhys!" I leave Azriel's side and rush towards the High Lord. His eyes lock on mine and a smile immediately comes across his features. I practically jump into his arms and he catches me with ease, spinning us around before placing me back down onto the ground. 

"I missed you so much," I tighten my hold around him. It's been fifty years since I've seen the male, fifty long tortuous years while he was stuck with that witch Under The Mountain.

"It's been too long," He sighs, hugging me back with the same tightness.

"When Az told me you were back I nearly grew a pair of wings and flew here myself," I confess and he chuckles, setting me down with a soft smile.

"You look ravishing, all this for me? I'm flattered" He smirks playfully and Azriel's hands come down onto my shoulders possessively.

"Fifty years really hasn't changed you," I sigh with a childlike smile.

"Careful Rhys, they're mated now. I already had a go at her and Az nearly bit my head off," Cassian intones from my side and Azriel all but growls at the red-siphoned male.

"Don't be ridiculous, she wouldn't come all the way from the Autumn Court for you, Cassian," A familiar voice chimes in and Morrigan appears at my other side. I squeal and wrap my arms around her shoulders as she hugs me back tightly. "I love this dress," She gasps as I back away, allowing her to take in my full outfit. "Mind if I take it off you later?" She winks and I flush.

"Gods, does everybody want you?" Azriel grumbled and I looked back at him with a sly smirk.

"Don't hate the player," I wink and he shakes his head in disbelief.

A giggle sounded and I had only just now realized there was someone I didn't recognize standing beside Rhys. My brows rose a fraction as I laid my eyes upon the female, she had light brown hair and eyes so blue they almost seemed lined with starlight. Her dress was gorgeous, and she was even prettier. But it wasn't her beauty that shocked me, it was the obvious thread between her and Rhysand, a golden tether intertwining their very souls. It seemed so clear they were mates, but the way she looked at him made it apparent she had no idea.

"You must be Feyre, Az mentioned a new female joining our male-centric group," I tease and the High Lord grumbles a curse beneath his breath, she smiles softly and takes my outstretched hand, shaking it. "I've heard plenty about you," I flash a polite smile and she returns it.

"Good things I hope," She says and my eyes flick to Rhys, then back to her.

"There's only good things to talk about," Morrigan intones and Feyre tosses her a grin.

"I'm Y/n, the High Lord of Autumn's daughter," I explain and her brows shoot up.

"You're Lucien's sister," She gasped and I nodded with a grin.

"You know Lu?" I tilt my head.

"He, he's my friend," She says her gaze flicking between me and Azriel, his hands on my shoulders, the invisible tether between us that I see between her and Rhysand.

"You guys are, connected," She murmurs and I chuckle.

"Mates, but yes," I correct and her eyes widened further.

"Azriel didn't mention anything," She mutters in apology and I wave her off.

"It's quite alright, he likes his secrets, and I'm technically not allowed to date outside of my court," I explain. "My father wants to keep the lineage, pristine," I huff and her brows twitch together, clearly concerned.

"But you're mates, isn't that an unbreakable bond?" She asked, the curiosity evident in her eyes.

"That's enough questions for now Feyre," Rhysand's hand tightens on her shoulder.

"But," She looked to me curiously then back to him.

"C'mon, Starfall's starting," He gestures her towards the balcony.

"It was nice meeting you," She gives me a small wave and I return it.

"You too," I grin.

Once she was gone I whirl around to face Azriel. "You didn't tell her about me?" I frown up at him. He shrugs.

"I figured the ring on my finger was enough to prove I'm yours," He said, leaning down and pecking my forehead. I melt into his touch, throwing my arms around his neck. "How long can you stay?" He murmurs and I sigh at the idea of leaving.

"Probably a few hours, Eris is covering for me until I get back," I explain and he scowls at the mention of my eldest brother.

"Tell him you're not coming back, just stay here forever," He groans into my shoulder and I smile at the idea, but my grin falters when I remember my mother and my brothers. They didn't deserve to suffer so greatly alone. When Amarantha had come to take over the Autumn Court, Azriel risked his life by showing up at the forest house and taking me to Velaris where she'd never find us. I hated myself for not thinking to warn Eris or at least my own mom. I felt as if I owed them for it because they endured tortures I could only imagine while I stayed safe with my mate for forty-nine long years.

"You know I can't," I sigh. "I love them, no matter how twisted my brothers are they're my family," I say, backing away and looking up at him.

"I'm your family too," He argues and a smirk graces my features.

"Whatever you say, Azriel Vanserra," I tease and his gaze hardens.

"If you call me that again I'm leaving you," He warns and I gasp dramatically before that expression of shock turns into a grin.

"You couldn't if you tried, connected for life remember?" I say, pulling at the bond between us and he groans as if it's a newfound sore on his heart. "I can't believe you fell in love with a Vanserra," I taunt, lifting up and pressing a kiss to his lips which he eagerly returns.

"You never shut up do you?" He grumbles. "You only have a few hours, do you want to watch the stars or find a better way to use that mouth of yours?" He asks and by the look in my eyes, he already knows the answer.

My dress falls to the ground with the clacking of jewels. I step out of the pool of silk now around my feet and look up at him with a smile. I watch as his throat bobs up and down with a thick swallow, his eyes taking in every bare inch of my skin that wasn't covered up by my lingerie the color of midnight. I rarely wore Night Court colors, so this, only for him to see, was a dream come true. "Like what you see?" I tease.

"Yes, I like it very much," He confesses in all seriousness, then, as if he can’t control himself any longer, he surges forward, crashing his lips onto mine. His lips were hungry, his hands coming to my jaw, his thumb pulling at my lower lip and forcing my mouth open for his tongue. I take everything he gives me greedily, my own tongue meeting his in a dance as his hands travel down my waist, my hips, all the way to the backs of my thighs where he finds purchase to hoist me up into his arms.

"You have no idea what you do to me," He confesses into my mouth while walking us towards his bed. I bring my hand down his chest to his hardened length straining against the fabric of his pants and I smile teasingly.

"I think I have some idea," I hum, rubbing down the budge and he grunts, I continue the movement, pressing harder each time until he got frustrated with how much I was teasing, practically throwing me down onto the bed and quickly mounting over me, his hand coming to the hem of my bra.

"As much as I love seeing you in this color, I need to rip it off you," He confesses and I smirk, looking up at him with wide innocent eyes. He mirrored it, then pressed his lips back to mine.

I was already unbuttoning his shirt while he settled between my open thighs. He had unclasped my bra and pulled it off, the lace being thrown onto the other side of the room. I free him from his button-up, pulling it off his muscular arms, his chest left bare.

I grin wildly into our kiss as rough, scarred hands stoke over every expanse of bare skin, my arms, my back, my waist, and finally my breasts. I sighed at the sensation, his callouses brushing over sensitive nipples. I moan as he rolls them between his fingers, flicking over them causing me to whimper into his mouth. He smiles at the discovery of my sensitivity and moves away from my lips and down my neck, my collarbone, then to my breast, taking it into his mouth while his other hand continues its work.

I arch into the intense pleasure as he swirls his tongue around the peaked bud, and when he lightly nips at it my breath hitches, arousal flooding my panties as he continues his sweet torture. "Az, it's too much," I murmur, my hands coming to his hair and attempting to pull him away but he only grabs my wrists and pins them above my head, rendering me tied down.

His tongue continues its wicked movements making me writhe beneath him pitifully, but he doesn't relent. "Az," I whimper, my words slowly turning into incoherent mumbles and moans. He softly bites at my nipple, pulling at it as he backs away and I'm forced to suppress a scream.

So slowly, he takes off my panties, pulling them down my thighs and off my ankles. I tug at my wrists but shadows cluster and tie them tight to the bed. He frees himself from his pants as well, wasting no time as he aligns his impressive member with my entrance.

"You're making such a mess baby." He swipes two fingers through my folds, gathering an embarrassing amount of arousal before smearing it down onto my clit, my breath hitching at the stimulation. A smirk curves his lips as he watches me lose myself after he's barely even touched me. He gathers more of my fluids and lathers his length with it, lubing his cock for an easy entrance. I clenched around nothing, the apex of my thighs pulsating with a need to be filled.

"Az, inside," I murmur, those are the only words I can manage, I was already too stimulated to form full sentences.

"Yeah? You want me to fill you up?" He asks and I nod helplessly.

"Please," I whine. His smirk turns predatory, his tip prodding at my entrance and my cunt twitched, aching to be driven into.

"This okay?" He looks down at me and I nod with a soft mumble. "Words, use your words," He encouraged but I was a mess of whines and tears.

"Yes, please, yes," I manage to get out and his eyes swap love with lust and suddenly he's pushing into me, stretching me out around him and hitting every spot, filling every crevice, pushing me to that edge.

"Az," I nearly scream, my nails digging hard into my palms as I arch, without the use of my hands, I'm left writhing and jolting like an injured animal, prey about to be consumed by its predator.

"Fuck you're so tight around my cock baby," He gritted out, going deeper and deeper while noises slip from my lips involuntarily the farther he goes.

"It's too much," I cry but he doesn't stop, no, he goes faster.

"You begged for this, remember?" He purrs into the shell of my ear. I release a lewd moan as he hits that familiar bundle of nerves that makes me feral. "There?" He hummed and I nodded eagerly. He took his chance and began to abuse that spot nestled so deep inside of me, his thrusts making my puffy, pink folds throb for more, craving that gratification.

He lifted one of my legs up, over his shoulder and met my silent wish, the new position creating an entirely new intense angle.

He continued to pound into my leaking pussy, fluids dripping down my thighs, transferring onto his cock, the wet slap of his balls against my ass making me mewl. "You're so, fuck, so big," I gripe and he smiles against my jaw, continuing his forceful injections as he says, "Poor girl, can only think about my cock, isn't that right?" His hand gropes at my breast before I can even reply, resulting in a guttural moan. He knocks into me deeper, father, harder and it felt so damned good, he was rewriting my definition of pleasure.

"Yeah? Just a mess for me aren’t you my good girl," He crooned, his lips so close to my ear I could feel his breath against it, his teeth lightly nipping at my earlobe.

His hand leaves my breast and travels the expanse of my stomach until eventually reaching my neglected clit, his thumb flicking over it and making gasps of both relief and pain. His thumb switched to tight, torturous circles and I lost all cognitive abilities, he left me defenseless.

"M'close," I warn with teary eyes, looking up at him with helpless devotion.

"Already?" He taunts as experienced hands continue their cruel work, my arousal drenching his fingers but he doesn't seem to care.

"Mhm," I nod with a pout.

"It's okay, come all over my cock," He impels and I was not going to disobey such an appealing demand. He leans down and his mouth returns to my breast, flicking his tongue over it in a similar way he's doing with my clit, creating an explosive feeling of passion.

I reach my climax with his name on my lips, white-hot ecstasy searing through me like a wave crashing, starting at my core and blooming through the rest of me with an unexplainable euphoria that ripped me into a haze of pleasure.

Once I came down from my high he didn't stop, he didn't even slow down. I bit into my lower lip at the intense pain, the overstimulation pushing me over my limit and he delighted in it, loved to see the way I squirmed beneath him. I pulsed around him, walls fluttering against his width as he moved past my perfect spot and bottomed out, his base pressing against mine. He groaned as I contracted around him, reveling in the way my tight cunt hugged his length like a perfect little sleeve.

"Fuck, love," He panted in a wolfish tone, losing himself in the pleasure of it all. "Touch my wings," He whispered and I regained a conscious at that, I had been wanting to forever but he never let me, always pinned down my wrists instead. Shadows slipped from my hands, showing he was serious.

I waste no time before brushing the back of my fingers against the thin membrane of his right wing, my other hand going into his hair. His cock twitches inside of me and his head falls onto my shoulder. I smile at my newfound power, trailing a feather-light touch over a long scar and he whimpers my name into my ear. I clench around him tightly at the sound, his thrusts turning slow and lazy as he approaches release.

I map my fingers closer to his back, finding a central vein that pulsed with life near where his wing began. I pressed my thumbpad to it and he groaned, his cock twitching. "Fuck, baby, let me come inside of you," He pleads.

"Please, fill me up Az," I whine and he meets my request quickly, his warm seed spurting into me, painting my walls white. He came for what felt like forever until he finally pulled out, laying down beside me with a huff. I curled into his side, clenching my legs together in order to keep his release inside of me, mixing with my own.

He turns on his side to look at me, gathering the blankets and throwing them over the both of us.

"I have to go soon," I whisper and he sadly smiles tiredly down at me.

“No, no let me live in denial until it’s time,” He pulls me closer to him, my chest pressing to his. I melt into him, leaning my head on his chest to hear his heart beating so softly against his ribs, a steady beat that oddly brought me comfort.

"I love you." His confession patches over whatever was broken before. I lean upward and press my lips to his, his arm slithering up my bare back and pushing me into him.

"I love you too, Az."

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[bisexualiteaa]

Getting interrupted 🤭

CW: smutty 18+! Suggestive themes, light mentions of/implied smut, getting caught, possible errors and possible OOC scenarios. Otherwise, enjoy! 🥰

John "Soap" MacTavish

- he was a sucker for someone in uniform, so it was no surprise that he would come and constantly visit you down at medical where you worked. It's how you both met and got together after all, so despite the pain and occasionally bad memories that came with it, it still held a place in his heart because you were there.

- he'd never admit it, but sometimes he would get himself hurt on purpose just to visit you, he always loved to see the smile on your face as you would shake your head and rest your hands on your hips before fixing him up perfectly, always having the cure to his every injury or ailment.

- sometimes these were the only moments where he'd get a chance alone with you, enjoying the way you'd always make a little time for him to talk and enjoy each others company for a little while afterwards.

- no one knew you guys were together, everyone knew he had a crush on you because, quite frankly, he wasn't very good at hiding it, but he didn't really want to either. But for the sake of your job, he didn't want to reveal anything should it get you in trouble.

- "you never stay out of trouble, do you?" You asked with a playful grin as you'd just finished stitching up a small gash on his arm. "If I stayed out a trouble, I'd never get the luxury t' see you" he replied with a flirty tone, making you chuckle. "Just be more careful please, I need you in one piece" you replied, kissing his cheek as you sat next to him, having just patched up his arm. "I will, don't worry your pretty head lass, I'll always come back t' you" he assured, making you smile and hum in appeasement before you leaned in, pulling him into a soft, loving kiss. His hand came to cup your cheek as you held his other one in your own, fingers intertwined as you shared in your moment together. When you two were alone together, the world finally felt at peace, no wars to think about, no stress weighing down on you, all you needed to think about was your Johnny.

- So it was no shock that your kiss took a turn to something a little deeper, a sigh leaving you as your free hand rested on his collarbone. "Careful bonnie, go on like tha' and I'll be walkin' outta here with a whole different problem" he said, making you giggle. "Wouldn't half mind fixing that either, too bad you don't know how to keep quiet" you quipped with a grin, making him laugh at your remark. "Cheeky bugger" he replied with a matching grin before pulling you in again, kissing you as if tomorrow you'd be gone.

- But sadly, even the best moments must come to an end, neither of you were expecting the way it had however.

- "Sorry to bother doc, got room to squeeze in a- woah!" Spoke Gaz as he pulled back the curtain, seeing your form loomed over the side of the exam bed, kissing his comrade. You gave a short gasp as you both jumped apart, blushing wildly after being caught red handed. "Shit, I'm SO so sorry!" You spoke, bumping into your cart in your panicked frenzy as you tried to back away and button your uniform back up as to not look suspicious, but it was already too late.

- "Sorry Gaz, appointment got prolonged. Doctors, am I right? Gotta poke around an' check everywhere for some reason" Johnny spoke, nervously rubbing the back of his neck with a slight blush but trying to joke his way out of things, as per usual. Gaz gave a chuckle. "Explains why you come down here so often. Here I thought you were just trying to get a good record built up for disability, didn't know you had a Dr. Feel Good situation goin' on" he teased with a grin. "I'm gonna get in so much trouble.." You muttered, holding your face in your hands out of embarrassment. "Relax doc, your secret's safe with me. I promise. It's about time you finally went for" Gaz assured you before offering a genuinely happy smile to Johnny. "I know all to well of the draw of the uniform myself" he added, looking towards one of the other doctors, her offering a giggle and flirty wave his way. "Well I'll be damned" Johnny spoke with a chuckle. "And looks like she's got an opening, so you two just earned yourself some more alone time" Gaz said, making you and Johnny both chuckle. "I owe ya one" Johnny spoke before Gaz walked away, turning back to you as you closed the curtain again, alotting you both some privacy for just a little bit longer.

König

- You were in his room, laying in bed together, enjoying the time alone after months of him being away.

- It started out innocent enough, just enjoying a movie together, but one innocent kiss turned to two, and when wandering hands found their way down your sides to your ass, playful giggles soon turned to quiet moans and it wasn't long before things turned just a little more heated.

- You were on top of him, straddling his lap as his kisses began littering down your neck, his large, rough hands at your hips moving you back and forth against him. A quiet moan and sigh fell from you, both of you doing your best to keep quiet as not to raise suspicions.

- "How I missed you, schatz" he told you, making you smile with drunken love in your eyes. "Missed you too, Kö" you replied sweetly, your lips now trailing down his neck to his bare chest in a way that he swore injected fire straight into his veins.

- You were topless as you sat there straddling him, indulging in one of those moments of kissing one another deeply, only stopping at the feel of each other smiling before resuming. Light, breathy giggles and quiet sighs of pleasure leaving you as you both were caught up in the heat of the moment.

- That was when you both heard the knock at the door, making you both jump. "Shit" you said quietly but in a panic. "Hide" he replied, getting up to put on a pair of pants, allowing you some time to scramble to grab your shirt and any trace you were here and hide in his bathroom, staying dead silent as you did.

- You heard the sound of him talking to Captain Price as you were hidden, relief washing over you once the door had finally closed and he walked away. You peaked back out from the bathroom, seeing König look at you as the look of panic finally fell from his face. "Close call" you spoke with a grin. "Way too close" he replied as you came back to him. "Ya know, if you just came over to my place, we wouldn't have to sneak around and worry about getting caught" you mused, making him chuckle as he leaned down. "Maybe I like the thrill a little bit" he admitted, making you giggle lightly before kissing him once more, your arms draped over his shoulders as you did.

- "Just keep it down in there" Price's voice spoke from the other side of his door, making you panic once more. "König! This is why we should be at my house!" You said, face red as a beet from fluster, and König couldnt help but grin at your embarrassment. Price gave a laugh as he walked away.

Simon "Ghost" Riley

- Everyone knew you were his, he made it very clear that he would break the neck of anyone who would dare try to have a piece of you, or even look in your direction with malintent.

- He didn't need PDA to show it either, when you both were out with his comrades, or out in public, a protective arm laid around your waist yes, but even when it didn't, all it took was one look from Simon for someone to deeply reconsider their intentions with you.

- So one night, when you were both coming out to his truck for a smoke from a night out drinking with friends, the liquid courage seeping through your veins, you decided to push his buttons a little.

- There he stood, leaned against his truck, having just finished taking drags off of his cigarette before putting it out with his foot. His balaclava was still pulled up to rest on the bridge of his nose, showing off the lower half of his face, so you took the chance.

- You smiled as he grinned when your fingers slid along his jaw and up under the balaclava just a little, keeping it up so that you could kiss him. The taste of smoke, tobacco, and whiskey mixed together in a taste that was just so *him.* You couldn't help the surge of butterflies that came through you as his hands rested on your hips, the way he kissed you always left your mind reeling as they were always so intimate, so shameless.

- "Just couldn't wait, could ya?" He asked, making you chuckle as you bit your lip, your cheeks heating up from the drinks buzzing in you as well as the heat that always burned in you anytime he kissed you. "You know what bourbon does to me, and you know what *you* do to me" you replied with a playful grin, making him chuckle once more as you said it, poking his chest to prove your point before dragging your finger down some. "I'm very aware" he replied.

- Your finger looped into his belt, giving a strong tug to pull him closer to you, your lips just centimetres apart now before you closed the distance once more. "You're playing a dangerous game, lovie" he spoke in a low tone, making your grin only stretch wider. "That so? Gonna put me in my place then?" You challenged bravely, making his eyes hold a different intensity. Hunger, a predatory one at that. "Get your ass in the truck. Now" he ordered.

- Needless to say, it was no shock to him that you both managed to find your way in the back seat of his truck, music playing just loud enough in the background to add to the atmosphere as your panting from the deep kiss filled the air in the car.

- You grinned far too devilishly as you rolled your hips in time to the beat of the song, enjoying your moment of power over him. But he was there to remind you that even if you were on top and straddling him, that did not, by any stretch of the imagination, mean you were in control. His hand came to the back of your head, fingers tangling in your hair as he tugged it back, making your head dip back as he did. You gave a sinful moan as he did, roughly thrusting his hips up into you. "Your misbehavin' has gotten a bit out of hand, love. Someone oughtta teach you some fuckin' manners" he damn near *growled* in response, making you whimper as his hips stilled completely. "Gonna be good f' me? Stop bein' a fuckin' brat?" He asked, making you nod your head yes vigorously, earning another yank on your hair and a powerful thrust up into you. "Answer properly" he ordered. "Yes sir, gonna be good for you, I promise!" you let out, his hand leaving your hair as he started his pace up again. "Then be a doll and take it" he spoke, making your eyes roll to the back of your head as he continued his brutal pace.

- Anyone on the outside wouldn't have known, the music, not too loud to be suspicious, but perfectly loud enough to cover your joint symphony of moans, pants, and grunts, paired with the sounds of skin against skin. So Soap being none the wiser, thought it'd be safe to go to Ghost's truck to tease you both for being gone for so long.

- Then a hand came to the foggy window, smearing enough of the condensation away to reveal the both of you in the back seat. What he wasn't anticipating was the sight of you on top of him, fully clothed thankfully, but it was clear what was going on. "Shit!" You exclaimed when you saw Soap's eyes widen before he looked away, knowing he'd be in deep shit for catching you both. Simon's eyes followed yours to the window, catching sight of the reason why you were hiding your face in your hands. A devious grin came to his lips, deciding to roll the window down some, not too much to show too much, but enough to send you into a panic. "Si! What the hell are you doing??" You asked, making the scot give a chuckle. "Was comin' t' check an' see if you two were still alive, but clearly you're takin' more than a smoke break" he replied. "Started off as one anyway.." You spoke with a nervous look, making him chuckle once again before turning around and walking back. "Try not to kill 'er" Soap spoke before walking back inside.

- You certainly learned your lesson that night, hiding your face that burned bright red as you left the back seat, Simon of course delighted in your torture as you both went back inside to sit back at the table, getting to take in all the knowing grins from his friends as they all teased you for the rest of the night. To Simon's standards of course, he'd never let anyone take it too far. ❤️

[muiitoloko]

If your requests are still open, could you please write an imagine in which reader comes home from the hairdresser all frustrated and in tears because he didn’t do what she asked and Alan Rickman tries to cheer her up and keeps giving her compliments

(I am sobbing because I wanted a bob and my hairdresser wouldn’t cut it the length I wanted and ends up making me feel bad for criticizing his work. I am not a very confrontational person)

Title: The Haircut Catastrophe: A Husband's Remedy

Summary: After an unintentional haircut disaster, you seek comfort in Alan’s humor and warmth. His witty charm helps you embrace the new look, turning heartbreak into laughter.

Pairing: Alan Rickman × Fem! Reader

Warnings: None

Author's Notes: Of course, I'd be happy to write this for you! I'm so sorry your experience at the hairdresser made you feel this way—it’s incredibly frustrating when you don’t get what you asked for, especially when it’s something as personal as your hair. But I promise, Alan Rickman (in the imagine) will make you feel like the most beautiful person in the world, no matter what.

Also read on Ao3

Alan looked up as you entered, the loud slam of the door a clear announcement of your mood. He put his script aside, his gaze instantly softening as you appeared in the doorway with a new haircut, one you'd been excited about all week. He smiled warmly, attempting to play the part of the doting husband, "Well, look at you, darling," he said in that familiar baritone, his words gentle but laced with the charming humor only he could pull off. "You look absolutely radiant. What did they call that one? ‘The Stunning Goddess’?”

At his compliment, your expression crumpled. A small, miserable sob escaped you, and you looked away, fighting back tears. "It’s awful,” you cried, your voice thick with frustration. “I asked them to cut it just a little, Alan—a little—and now it’s so short, it’s horrible. I look like...like…someone trying too hard to be sophisticated and failing miserably.”

Alan's face softened further, though his eyebrows raised just a tad. "Come now, love," he murmured, standing and crossing the room to wrap you in a hug, his arms warm and steady around you as you buried your face against his chest. "It’s hardly a disaster. If I had a pound for every bad haircut I've had—well, I'd have at least six pounds by now."

You let out a teary chuckle despite yourself, feeling the first hint of a smile tug at your lips as he continued. “And frankly, I think you look stunning. More stunning than I could’ve imagined. In fact, I might have to start keeping an eye on you when we’re out, what with all those admiring looks you’ll be getting.”

"But look at it!” you wailed, pulling back to gesture wildly at your hair. “It’s so much shorter! I look like…like a disheveled librarian who lost her way in a windstorm.”

Alan tilted his head, eyeing your hair as if studying a particularly intricate painting. "Darling, disheveled librarian is in right now, didn’t you know? I’m starting to think you’re secretly on the cutting edge of fashion."

You sniffed, half-laughing, half-crying. "Oh, sure, Alan. Go ahead and make jokes. I’m a walking disaster.”

He chuckled, gently wiping a stray tear from your cheek. "Alright, if you insist on seeing yourself as a disaster, then let me say this: I have a bit of a soft spot for you as a ‘walking disaster.’ It’s endearing, truly.” He leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to the top of your head. “And just think, if they hadn’t cut it so short, we’d have been deprived of this moment where I get to be your dashing, charming, long-suffering husband. My chance to shine, really.”

You couldn’t help but laugh, rolling your eyes but feeling your spirits lift a little as you looked up at him. “Only you could turn my tragic hair into an opportunity for your own theatrics.”

"Precisely,” he smirked, one brow quirked in that playful way that made your heart flutter, "and just think how much money we’re saving on shampoo now. Plus, with this new look, you’ll hardly recognize yourself in the mirror, and that’s rather exciting, isn’t it? A fresh start each day.”

You shook your head, feeling laughter bubble up despite yourself. “You’re ridiculous, Alan.”

"And you’re beautiful,” he said, his voice suddenly more serious, his gaze warm as he looked at you. “New haircut, old haircut, wild haircut—makes no difference to me.” He leaned down to brush a soft kiss against your forehead. “You’re my stunning goddess, through and through.”

You sighed, finally letting yourself relax in his arms, the frustration melting away under his warmth and humor. “Alright, Mr. Rickman,” you murmured, resting your head against his chest, “you win. I suppose I’ll survive this haircut after all.”

"Of course you will," he replied smoothly, his voice rumbling with amusement. "And in the meantime, I’ll be here to remind you just how unfairly enchanting you are—disheveled or otherwise.”

You sighed, resting your head against Alan's chest, letting the last traces of frustration ebb away in the warmth of his embrace. But as you relaxed, another thought weighed on your mind, stirring up a different kind of guilt.

“Alan,” you began, voice muffled against his shirt, “I…I have to confess something. I think I may have been a little too harsh on the hairdresser.”

He tilted his head down, his eyes softening as he studied your face. “Oh? What did you say, darling?”

You let out a groan, squeezing your eyes shut as you remembered. “I…well, it wasn’t exactly polite. I told her—very bluntly, might I add—that her own haircut looked like a ‘lopsided bird’s nest.’”

Alan’s lips twitched as he stifled a laugh, a mischievous glint sparking in his hazel eyes. “A ‘lopsided bird’s nest’? My, my, that’s quite the scathing critique. You’re becoming rather bold, aren’t you?”

You covered your face with your hands, shaking your head. “It was awful of me. I’ve never been a confrontational person, you know that. But I was so upset, so frustrated by the cut…I just snapped.”

Alan gently pulled your hands away, a sympathetic smile softening his face. “You’re human, love. It’s perfectly natural to feel upset, especially when something doesn’t turn out as you hoped. And besides, perhaps that hairdresser’s ‘lopsided bird’s nest’ look was her attempt at edgy avant-garde. You might have inadvertently provided her with some much-needed feedback.”

You laughed despite yourself, nudging him lightly. “Don’t encourage me, Alan. I feel terrible. I just… I’m not used to being rude. I try so hard to be kind, but this time—”

He shook his head, cutting you off with a gentle kiss to your forehead. “Darling, we all have moments. Even I have, on occasion, let my frustrations get the better of me.” He gave a theatrical sigh, his tone exaggerated. “I once told a fellow actor that his delivery was ‘a bit like a dying goose’… Needless to say, that didn’t go over well.”

You gasped, eyes widening as you laughed. “Alan! You didn’t!”

“Oh, but I did,” he admitted, with a look of mock horror, “and I still wince whenever I recall it. But I like to think it was a humbling moment, for both of us. Besides, if you can’t occasionally tell a hairdresser her hairstyle resembles a bird’s nest, what’s the point of being married to an actor who excels at saying utterly terrible things in the most charming way?”

You rolled your eyes, chuckling. “Only you could make my rudeness sound like an art form.”

“Exactly,” he replied, his tone sincere as he lifted your chin to meet his gaze. “And remember, no one’s perfect. A moment of frustration doesn’t make you any less kind. But if you’re truly feeling guilty, I could always accompany you back to the salon. We could tell her that the ‘lopsided bird’s nest’ look has really grown on us.”

“Oh, please, Alan,” you laughed, shaking your head. “That poor woman would never recover.”

He shrugged, his lips curving into that playful smirk you loved so much. “Then perhaps we’ll simply enjoy your new look in peace and let bygones be bygones. After all, it’s hardly every day I get to comfort my lovely wife as she mourns the tragic loss of a few inches of hair.”

You sighed, finally smiling without reservation as you looked up at him, the last of your guilt fading away. “Thank you, Alan. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

He smiled, leaning in to press a tender kiss to your forehead. “Fortunately, you’ll never have to find out. And in the meantime, I’ll be here to remind you that, whether you have long hair, short hair, or no hair at all, you’ll always be my stunning goddess.”

[andyxcds]

rosekiller microfic -- fist (aug 2) | @rosekillermicrofic

(๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧ Word Count: 718 tags: mention of smoking and violence. i'd reccomend reading the previous part linked here, or you might be a tad confused, so sorry!!

ᓚᘏᗢ ...

Sharp but tiny rocks paved the pathway that led to the peak of the cliff. They glinted silver in the moonlight and rumbled under the tires of the green BMW. Evan grinned slyly and watched the spray of dust his care left from his mirror, certain that Barty couldn’t see anything three feet ahead of him.

Thirty minutes in the sea cost them thirty minutes worth of a ride home.

“You’re an asshole, Evan,” Barty screamed when the dust cleared from his sight, and he spotted Evan up much farther than he assumed. He hit the pedal, letting momentum push him back into his seat as he sped up to par with Evan, cracking a smirk at one waiting for him.

Evan turned and smiled. “Yours or mi-” He stopped when Barty quirked a brow, and turned down the volume of his car. All his attention, Barty’s, was focused on Evan as though they were racing down a cliff in top speed, and the wind cutting at their twin cars. “Yours or mine?” Evan restated.

“Doesn’t matter,” Barty answered with a shout. For someone who relished having control over everything, he sure was getting comfortable giving Evan the reins to everything. His house, his bills, his car, his life. Barty was going to lose himself and everything that was completely his in Evan. Evan and his piercing blue eyes.

But it definitely mattered, the apartment they were going to. It mattered when they made a couple turns and made it to Barty’s apartment deep in the city. Decisions were made quickly; Evan made a right turn ahead of Barty and insisted his parents were home over the quiet hum of their engines and tires.

It most definitely mattered when they parked right in front of Barty’s apartment building, and caught eye contact with three younger boys, all puffing cigs with drunken smiles on their lips. Barty used to be one of them. Got his fist busted up because of it. Yet he offered them false sympathy by keeping his head high and looking them dead in the eye with a scowl worth lion fur. He felt Evan’s eyes roll ahead of him.

Evan, previously with his shirt and towel slung over his shoulder, began to swing it wildly as soon as they entered the hallway.

“Should’ve beat their asses,” Barty said, fumbling through his keychain for room card. “Should’ve taught them a lesson.”

Evan grasped both towel and shirt and slung it around his neck. “On what?”

“What?”

“On what? What’d they do?” He restated.

An eyebrow shot up on Barty’s face and he hesitated. “For smoking where a sign said not to?”

“That’s some hypocritical shit you have going on, Barty.”

“Ah, piss up a rope,” Barty said, knocking his door open after sliding the keycard through.

With the flick of one switch, Evan was able to take in the thunderstorm that was Barty’s apartment. It was a spacious thing but decorated terribly as it remained every visit. Looking down, his feet were planted before the empty bottles of beer and papers and specks of blood. He wasn’t particularly interested in tidying it up himself.

“Is your bathroom clean?” Evan remained rooted at the entrance of the apartment. He asked this, not with disgust or concern. Rather, he asked this intending to wash off all the blood the sea could not get off him.

“Should be,” Barty trudged over boxes of takeout and reached for a broom and a trash bag. Did Evan make him nervous or what?  Three years of tied tongues and he was still ashamed of the mess he makes when he’s left alone.

“Then come with me.” Barty did as he was told.

*

Forever. It would be this good forever, Evan thought. Barty’s hands combed through his blond hair with his three-in-one bottled soap. Tease. Then Barty’s hands took Evan by the chin, soapy fingers betrayed by his fleeting mind. In that moment, he held his lips above Evan’s for seconds, hot breaths lingering and tickling the hairs atop Evan’s lips.

“You sly fuck,” Evan said and grabbed Barty’s hair and pulling him into a kiss. Barty couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh and faced the consequences blindly as Evan took another hand to dump him into the water below.

[searchingsomewhere]

All Too Well, Finale

{"So please, hurry, leave me. I can't breathe. Please, don't say you love me. 胸がはち切れそうで."}

Make sure you read my note at the end!

poly!Gojo x OC x Geto

All Too Well Masterlist

Part 18

Miho stared at him with wide green eyes. There was a specific fear marring her face, puckering her mouth into a horrified gasp. Suguru stood in her dark room where she had cornered him, lit only by the sunlight straining through the closed blinds. She held her open phone in a white knuckle grip. The bright screen displayed a text message.

Suguru Geto massacred his village last night.

"...Explain yourself. Now," she demanded. Her voice shook.

Suguru stood in front of her, dressed in a black sweat shirt and jeans. His long hair fell to his shoulders. He looked so tired. Dark circles lined his eyes, a level of exhausted that was surely unhealthy reflected in his gaunt face. But his eyes were dark. He looked strange, unfamiliar, as if someone else were looking through his eyes. For the first time in the years she'd known him, being so close to him unnerved her.

"Miho, I-"

"Tell me the truth."

"My morals no longer align with that of Jujutsu society," Suguru said, finally meeting her gaze, "I can't remain here."

"Morals? You murdered an entire-"

"Humanity is too far gone, Miho. Don't you see?" He sounded desperate, "I can't stand by any longer. They don't deserve protection-"

"We swore an oath to protect non Sorcerers! We are bound by that oath-" she began.

"That same oath requires you to kill yourself at a moments notice," Suguru raised his voice to match hers, gritting his teeth, "...and I can't stay here knowing that you'd follow through for those...those monkeys."

She shook her head warily. Tears ebbed into her voice. "...What the hell happened to you?"

Suguru sighed and ran a hand through his hair. For a second, his face changed back into the boy she knew before. Who had kissed her gently all those times. Who's laughter made her heart swell. The same boy who had, just a week ago, slept in her bed with his arms around her. Miho tried to imagine him as he was the night before. Covered in blood. Narrowed eyes watching the corpses of his family with disdain.

He stepped towards her. She stepped back. Hurt flashed across his face.

"I'd never hurt you, Miho," Suguru said softly. "I lov-"

Miho shook her head. "Don't. Don't you dare." Her shaking voice betrayed her hard tone. Her back hit the wall behind her. "Please, Suguru. Please don't do this."

He said nothing, instead leaning over to press his lips against her forehead.

"I'm sorry, Miho," he whispered.

Surguru touched the side of her forehead. It was a simple trick. He could see it in her eyes. She was debating what to do. Seal him, or don't? But he couldn't have that. So when he touched the side of her head, he sent a small pulse of Cursed Energy through her. Those glassy, tearful green eyes slipped closed. Her limp body collapsed to the floor with a soft thump.

Despite himself, he stood there silently. Despite everything in him screaming at him to wake her up, tell her that he was sorry, that he would stay as long as she never looked at him that way again. Suguru clenched his fists, swallowing the lump in his throat.

He walked past her body. Grabbed his backpack. And walked out, locking the door behind him.

----

Satoru pushed through the crowd, shoving past civilians. He whipped his head around wildly, sunglasses forgotten, blue eyes scanning faces for Suguru.

Up head on the sidewalk. He wore his hair half up, letting the rest fall down his back. Backpack slung over his shoulder. Satoru made a beeline for him.

"Suguru!" he screamed. Anger, true, unbridled anger sharpening his voice.

Suguru stopped walking. He kept his back to Satoru.

"You should check on Miho."

Fear shot through him. Satoru's voice cracked. "What did you do?"

Suguru didn't answer him.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Satoru urged, "Even your parents- What the fuck is going on with you?"

"You already heard it from Shoko." Suguru said coldly.

"So you're just going to kill every non Sorcerer? We can't just kill unjustified-"

"It is justified. And significant. And there's cause."

"No, there's not!" Satoru yelled. People walked by them on the street as if nothing was happening. "You know it's impossible. Stop chipping away at the inevitable!"

"You could do it, couldn't you? Don't you think it's funny how if it were you, suddenly this irrational idea would be grounded in reality?"

Satoru's eyes widened. Suguru turned to face him. His face was blank. Impassive.

"Do you think you're the strongest because you're Satoru Gojo?" Suguru asked, "Or are you Satoru Gojo because you're the strongest?"

What was he supposed to say to that?

"You said you loved us," Satoru said in a level tone.

For a split second, he saw the emotionless mask crack. Suguru looked at him sorrowfully.

"...More than anything," he admitted.

"So why? Why are you doing this? We could work it out together. We could help you!"

"I've made my decision. All I can do now is work towards completing my goal."

Suguru turned. He took a second, a breath, and began walking away. Satoru bristled. The white haired boy lifted his hand. He could do it. He had to. The carnage that Suguru would leave in his wake would devastate Japan. If he let him walk free... All Satoru needed to do was kill him. Now.

Pain rippled through his chest. His fingers locked up. Do it! Do it now! Hollow Purple. Even if innocent people got caught in the crossfire. But he remembered every time they took naps together, the three of them. He remembered the lunches, the training, the nights spent playing video games instead of homework. How his heartbeat sounded in the early hours of the morning. Satoru gritted his teeth so hard his jaw locked up. Just do it!

A sob escaped him and he lowered his hand.

Before Suguru got too far, he stopped. Satoru held his breath, waiting.

"Take care of Miho, Satoru. Take care of yourself," the dark haired boy said.

He started walking again. And all Satoru could do was watch him blend into the crowd.

---

Miho's door was locked when he jiggled the doorknob.

"Miho? Miho!" he shouted, slamming his closed fist against the door.

Silence. He couldn't even sense her Cursed Energy. His heartbeat thudded in his ears, panic making his palm sweat. Not her. Not her. I can't lose both of you. Satoru raised his leg and kicked the door down. It splintered away, crashing somewhere inside the room.

The room was dark. Satoru groped the wall for the light switch.

Miho was lying on the floor in her sweatshirt and leggings. Her face was turned away from him, eyes closed. He grabbed her shoulders, shaking her.

"Miho! Wake up!" he urged, "Please, wake up!"

She winced, groaning softly. Her lashes fluttered as she slowly opened her eyes. Relief flooded him and Satoru pulled her into his arms, holding her to his chest tightly. Sobs shook his shoulders and he crumbled, pressing his face into hers. Miho's arms weakly wrapped around him.

"...He's gone...isn't he?" Miho asked.

Satoru couldn't speak. He only nodded, squeezing his eyes shut. Miho began to cry quietly into his shoulder.

They sat there for hours, until their eyes were red and swollen. Then it was time to figure out where to go from there.

---

Somewhere in Japan, a young man with dark hair rode a train into the countryside. It was the last train of the night, and he was the only one riding.

Suguru Geto watched the scenery pass by. The moonlight shined brightly through the window. It reflected on his bracelet. He took a moment to inspect it. The moonlight warped the colors, but he knew them by heart. Brown, green, and blue.

It was something he would remember all too well.

----

Well, folks, this is it. Thank you to everyone who's read from the very start. And don't worry; This is only the beginning of our heroes' journey.

From here out, there will be two sequels with endings, with the first one coming soon. If you want to be tagged when the first installment of All Too Well: Cursed Narrative comes out, let me know in the comments!

Blurb for Cursed Narrative:

Five years have passed since Suguru Geto defected from Jujutsu society. Now adults, the three lovers find their lives entwined together once more as Satoru and Miho attempt to navigate their complicated relationship with the infamous Curse User while taking in students of their own.

[youvebeenlivingfictional]

Kinktober Day 6

Day Five | 🌹Kinktober Masterlist🌹 | Day Seven

Pairing: Josh Lyman x Reader

Rating: Explicit - 18+ Only. Any minors interacting with ANY of these Kinktober prompts will be blocked.

Warnings: Lots of dialogue!!; phone sex; power imbalance; dirty talk; praise kink; masturbation

“Alright, we should wrap this up,” You insist, cradling the phone between your shoulder and your ear, your eyes straying from the wall clock toward your computer. 

“...Why?”

“Because you’re falling asleep over there.” 

“What? No. No.” You hear the rustle of Josh’s sheets on the other side of the phone as he pushes himself to sit up. “I’m up, I’m listening.” 

You smile. “It's alright, Lyman. You’ve had a long day.” 

He gives a muffled grunt on the other side of the phone, and you can practically imagine him scrubbing his hand across his face. 

“You’re one to talk,” He grumbles. “You’re still in the office.”

“Hey, I’m nearly through here. And you have a nice comfy campaign trail hotel room to indulge in.” 

“Not sure I'd call it comfy, but it’s not the worst I’ve been in.” 

“Describe it.”

“Uh…” Josh pauses. “It’s a lovely beige.”

“Oo, fancy.”

“Brown carpet.” 

“That’ll hide a lot of sins.” 

“That’s disgusting, thank you.” 

“How’s the bathroom?” 

“Decent, standard.” 

“Tiny soaps?” 

“Of course.” 

“Love those tiny soaps.” 

“I’ll bring one back for you.” 

“You’re a dear. How’s the bed?” 

“Comfortable.” 

“Well that’s good.” 

“It'd be better if you were here.” 

Your heart skips a beat, your jaw dropping open. Did he just…? You don’t hear a thing from Josh for a few moments, either. Maybe he’s wondering if he said that, too. 

“Wow,” You nervously tease, “You are tired.” 

“I didn’t mean to, uh—” He clears his throat, “Fuck, I wasn’t—” 

“It’s alright, Josh,” You soothe, “I know you didn’t mean it like that.” 

“Right.” 

“Because—you know.” 

“Long day.” 

“Exactly. So we’re fine.” 

“...Would we be fine if I did mean it?” 

Your stomach flips. You hesitantly leaned back in your seat, twisting your office chair back and forth and eyeing your closed office door, as if you expect someone to burst in at any moment.

“...Yeah,” You finally offered. “We would.” 

“You’re not just humoring me?” 

“I wouldn’t do that.” 

“It would be alright if you did,” Josh adds. “What I said is wildly inappropriate, and I am your boss.” 

“You don’t say.” 

“If you were saying this for the sake of tact, it would be understandable.” 

“I’m not, Josh.” 

“Okay.” 

Okay. Are the two of you just going to leave it there—? 

“I wanted you to come with us,” Josh admits softly. 

“On the trip?” 

“Yeah.” 

“What for?”

“I don’t know. Maybe we could’ve gotten a drink.” 

“Oh, a drink,” You chuckled. “Trying to ply me with wine to get me into that hotel bed?” 

“I think ply is a little strong.” 

“Uh-huh.” 

“Grab a drink, and then I’d tell you that I need your opinion on a brief.” 

“A brief. Like a written brief, or your personal briefs? Or are you more of a boxers man?”

“I’m going to let you find that out for yourself at a later date.” 

“I’m looking forward to that. So what’s your move?” 

“My move?”

“Yeah. You’ve got me in your room, I’d be two wines in, ‘cause I drink faster than you do—” 

“Uh-huh.” 

“So how do you, you know…Close the deal? Arm around the shoulder? Telling me I have an eyelash on my cheek and leaning in to blow it away?” 

“Honestly?” 

“Yeah.” 

“I think I’d just—Lean in and go for it.” 

“Kiss on the lips?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Very bold. I’m impressed.” 

“You know, I haven’t gotten the chance to shave in a couple of days,” He adds. 

“Mm, so your cheeks are kinda bristley?” 

“Yeah.” 

“I’d like to feel that.” 

“Where?” Josh’s question makes your stomach flutter. You lean back in your seat, twitching back and forth. 

“My lips…”

“Mhm.” 

“My neck, maybe.” 

“Anywhere else?” 

Man, how much are you willing to give up to this man over the phone.

“Between my thighs,” You whisper. You squeeze your eyes shut in panic, silently praying that you haven’t taken it too far. It takes Josh a moment, but—

“I’d like that, too,” He murmurs. 

“Yeah?”

“Would you let me?” 

“Yes.” 

“If I was in your office with you right now?” 

“Yes.” 

“Fuck,” Josh breathes. Your eyes slide closed as you hear the clanking of his belt buckle on the other end of the phone. 

“Josh, are you…?” 

“Are you not?” 

“Are you serious?” You huff. “I’m at work.” 

“I am, too, technically.” 

“You’re not at a desk.” 

“There’s a desk in the room. You want me to sit at it?” 

“Oh, my god.” 

“...C’mon,” Josh goads softly. “Listen to me.” 

“Josh—” 

“Go lock the door.”

A shiver runs down your spine, and you swallow thickly. You’re not seriously going to…

“Hang on,” You mumble before you stand, gingerly setting the receiver on the desk. You hurry to the door and locking it before you turn, closing the blinds of your office. You reach back, double-checking that the door is locked before turning back to your desk to grab the phone. You move it to the small side table beside your couch. You take in a deep breath, steadying your swelling nerves before you reach down, taking the receiver up again. 

“...Okay.” 

“Is it locked?” 

“Yeah. Blinds are closed, too.” 

“Good girl.” 

You close your eyes at the murmur. He’s said it before when you’ve done well at work—always lightly, and always in passing, but god does it rile you up. 

“What are you doing?” You ask. 

“I’m touching myself,” Josh admits. 

“Are you naked?” 

“Almost…I’m guessing you’re still dressed.” 

“Yes, I am.” 

“Unbutton your shirt.” 

You reach down, undoing the buttons one by one before you push your shirt open. You reach down, shifting your skirt up as well as you lay down. You hesitantly raise your fingers, tracing over where your nipples are pebbling beneath the cups of your bra. 

“Are you still at your desk?” Josh asks. 

“I’m on the couch.” 

“Getting nice and comfortable?” 

“As comfortable as I can get.” 

“I know, you hate that fucking couch.” 

“Okay, not the time.” 

“Sorry,” He laughs. 

“Does that get you hard? Talking about my couch?” 

“No. Thinking about fucking you on it does, though.” 

You grin, laying down on the couch and swinging your legs up. 

“Maybe you shouldn’t have gone on that trip,” You offered. “It would’ve been conspicuous if I’d gone into your room, but it wouldn’t have been so strange for the two of us to be hiding out in here.”

“That’s true.” 

You slide your hand down between your legs, fighting the feeling of utter filth. You’re at work for crying out loud. What if someone knocks on the door? What if they try to open it and find it locked? What the hell are they going to think? 

And why do these nerves feel so good?

Your heart ticks up in your chest, your breath hitching as you swirl your fingers over your clothed clit. 

“What are you thinking about?” Josh murmurs. 

“I’m thinking about you fucking your fist in that insanely beige room of yours.” 

Josh spits a curse on the other side of the phone, and you hear him shifting on the other side of the phone. 

“Are you—”

“Of course I am,” You insist, slipping your fingers beneath the band of your panties as you tip your head back against the arm of the couch. 

“How does it feel?” 

You swallow thickly, trailing your fingers along your plump lips and feeling the wetness gathering there.

“I’m so goddamn wet, Josh.” 

“I wanna taste you,” He groans. “The second I get back—” 

“Mhm—” 

“I’m gonna lay you out on that stupid fucking couch. You’re gonna have to be nice and quiet for me, or everyone’s gonna know what we’re doing.” 

“Oh, god,” You whimper, sinking two fingers into your aching cunt. 

“Or do you want that?” He presses, “Want everyone to know how good I’m making you feel? Want them to hear how I take care of my girl?” 

His girl. Your pussy throbs around your fingers at the assertion. You shift your hips up into your hand, grinding the heel of your palm against your needy clit. 

“Wanna take care of you, too,” You admit.

“Yeah?” 

“I wanna make you cum, Josh. I wanna feel it—” 

“Fuck—Where?” 

“Everywhere. I want it in my mouth, I want it on my skin…I want it inside me, Josh.”

Josh growls low, curses and murmurs of your name falling from his lips. Your body goes hot as you chase your orgasm, listening to Josh fall apart on the other side. You sag back against the lumpy couch, gazing up at the ceiling as your heart races. You suddenly feel sort of silly, half-naked in your damn office. 

“...Still there?” Josh speaks up after a moment, his voice cracking a touch as he does. 

“Uh-huh.” 

“You okay?”

“Yes,” You ease your fingers from your pussy, shivering as the pads brush your tender clit. 

“Regretting it?” 

“No…Are you?” 

“Nope.”

“Good,” You sigh softly. “When are you coming back, again?” 

“Next Monday.” 

“That feels like an eternity from now.”

“I know,” He laughs softly. “But I’ll call.” 

“Promise?” 

“I promise.” 

“Okay.” 

“Wrap up whatever it is that you’re doing and go home.” 

“Yeah, I will, I just, uh…Couple more emails that I need to send.” 

“Make it quick.” 

“No, I will, I will.” 

“Good…Goodnight, sweetheart.” 

“Goodnight.”

Tag list: @missredherring ; @fantasticcopeaglepasta ; @massivecolorspygiant ; @blueeyesatnight ; @recklessworry ; @amneris21 ; @ew-erin ; @youngkenobilove ; @carbonated-beverage ; @lorecraft ; @moonlightburned ; @milf-trinity ; @millllenniawrites ; @chattychell ; @dihra-vesa ; @videogamesandpoorlifechoices ; @missswriter ; @thembosapphicclown ; @brandyllyn ; @wildmoonflower ; @buckybarneshairpullingkink ; @mad-girl-without-a-box ; @winchestershiresauce ; @phoenixhalliwell ; @wild-rose-35 ; @daisyslibrary ; @informally-liz ; @andrastesflamingtitties ; @muchacha-encabronada ; @nerdygirl0414; @elen-aranel ; @ohbee-whatcanyoube ; @kmc1989 ; @quietpainter ; @thedreadandthefugitivemind ; @kaletastrophes ; @nyx2021

[fandoms-in-law]

Stories Chapter 7

chapter 1 chapter 2 chapter 3 chapter 4 chapter 5 chapter 6

Summary: You can ask someone out anyway you like, even by accident with a chair.

/\/\

There was no doubt that this was all positive change, but it felt unreal. From the colour on the walls to the furniture in some of the rooms, something just wasn't fitting in Steve's mind. 

So he wrote. 

He wrote himself a story on a night when he was just at home alone, half an ear listening for the radio as he thought he always would. He wrote of a character being an outsider where everyone insists they belong and of trying to make changes to the place only to find that making a space fit them was even more unsettling as something they aren't used to. 

And he wrote of them finding ways to accept their home could be safe and could be theirs through the people they care about. 

It was both a fantasy and a way of figuring out how he and this family they'd made could help him move past his parents shadows,painted over as he now imagined them to be. 

...

"THIS WAS NOT YOUR PARENTS DOING!!" The yell rang through the house, overpowering the stunned yells of what that were underneath it and Steve was laughing as he hurried from his kitchen to the dining room. 

"Sorry Dustin, I don't think the people three streets away heard you. Did you need to call your mum or something?" He laughed, looking between Dustin, Mike and Lucas as they all stared from the mural to Eddie's painting to the throne at the head of the table. 

"This is your house! You must own it to have done any of this." Dustin insisted, gesturing wildly at the pictures. "What the hell was Will painting elsewhere? Don't deny that's what he was doing when his artwork is right there!" 

Steve shrugs. "You're right, Will did another mural for me upstairs but on that thought where is Will, or your dungeon master for that matter?"

"Eddie insisted on bringing sweets and cakes for a movie night after this and Will offered to help carry them through. Didn't you pass them out of the kitchen?" Lucas explained. "Guessing that's to celebrate your redecoration."

Mike huffed, moving to sit down at the table and start setting his stuff for DnD out. "We are still playing tonight right? This was meant to be the end of our campaign."

"You are, and it's not quite finished so I'm not sure why we're celebrating now." Steve confirmed, falling quiet as he was draped over from behind.

There was only a moment of the relaxed posture before the rings hands around him tensed and Eddie's arms momentarily felt cage like. "You got me that? Steve! If this is how you're asking me out I definitely accept!"

Steve blinked for a second before grinning, leaning his head back on Eddie's shoulder to attempt to see his expression. "Wasn't my intention, cause then I'd have made sure you saw it without the audience, but it beats anything I would come up with. So I'll plan our date while you torment the kids."

A cough from behind them got snickers from said kids. "Not sure we agree with being included with the brats even if Eddie torments us constantly." Jeff said, nudging the pair out of the way to get set up for DnD. Gareth and Grant following behind him. 

"True, you have self-preservation instincts they're still trying to discover."

With a grin Steve wandered out of his dining room to join the others setting up a film to watch. 

Given he'd basically just asked Eddie out and been accepted before doing so kept him from focusing on the film however. Steve wanted the perfect date for them and was struggling to figure out what that could be. 

He had plenty of ideas for dates Eddie would love and he'd enjoy being with him and seeing his reactions but that's not the same as a shared experience. What he really wanted was a date they could work together for something while just chatting. 

And Steve was not going to have a first date be moving furniture around his house. 

... 

The answer came when laughing with Robin over the worst of the customers they dealt with. He could let Eddie teach him a little about DnD just by asking what people would be in it and bake or cook dinner with him. 

It's private so they'll be safe but doesn't focus on anything happening outside of them. Not even the house or the kids would be stealing their focus and it would combine their interests enough they'd both be getting to know each other better. 

And Eddie turning up at Family Video while he was trying to explain and perfect his date idea with Robin just made it easier to plan. 

"You two are giggling over something. What trouble are the kids in now?" Eddie asked walking over to the counter immediately. 

Steve tilted his head to one side. "I'm trying not to ask. They haven't been in here yet today at least. We were planning our date. All I need is for when you're free so it can happen." 

"That was serious? I actually get to date you?" Eddie blinked for a moment. "I should have confirmed after Hellfire cause I wasn't certain you meant it after my comment thanking you for my throne." 

Robin groaned. "Yes. Steve is and was serious. Now when are you free to actually have your date with Steve?"

"Any evening there isn't Hellfire or some party get together. Which includes tonight." He answered now, grinning so widely it seemed to split his face. 

"I get off at 7 so meet me at mine at half past?" Steve suggests. "I'll need to buy a few things on the way home so can't do sooner." 

"See you there Sunshine."

... 

"This is an apron." Eddie stated, looking from Steve unlocking his door to the fabric just shoved into his arms and then to the bag at Steve's feet. 

"Correct. We're making dinner together and going to find out if there's a way for me to understand more about DnD while doing so. Questions?" he explains smiling and leading the way inside. 

Eddie let out an amused huff, following. "Many, but most prominent is why this? I mean I had no idea what you'd come up with but expected something closer to the dates those girls in school gossiped about having with king Steve." 

"In Hawkins? Yeah we don't need to get hate crimed on our first date. Besides this gets us to share our interests together. That's all I try to include when planning dates." Steve shrugged, unloading the bags before glancing over his shoulder uncertain. "Is this okay?" 

Eddie shook his head but his words were soft, "Sweetheart, you care so much. It's perfect." 

chapter 8

[darsynia]

To bring you back to us:

Christy and Neil - pick one (i couldn't choose)?

10 ...desperately

12 ...in grief.

26 ...as an apology

Please and thank you!

Sneaky sneaky, I like it! I touched on all three, but the grief is wrapped up before the kiss. I'd been struggling feeling like my icky holidays had nuked my ability to write on my longfic of these two, and this did help me feel better about that!

TERMS OF SURRENDER

Pairing: Christy Huddleston/Neil MacNeil Length: 2,358 Rating: General audiences Summary: (set during 'Green Apples,' in a universe that mixes the book and the series)

Neil thinks about the loss of his wife and child as he listens to the harmonica's gently hopeful tune of healing. He decides it's finally time to let go of the past and fight for the kind of future his feelings for Christy promise.

Terms of Surrender

The sound of a harmonica was one of the things Neil had missed in Scotland. It hadn’t occurred to him to bring one, but even if he’d had the funds, there wasn’t anywhere to play it that didn’t feel awkward and out of place. Truthfully, he had felt awkward and out of place, but his time spent quietly observing and learning at home had been quite useful abroad. Neil had integrated well, so well that he’d come home more Scots than Cove.

That thought made him think of Christy. As an outsider, her approach had been wildly different from his; where he’d stepped back and sought a niche, she’d charged ahead to forge her own. He couldn’t help but admire her spirit. Neil had come home changed, but Christy had changed his home. Without permission and without vitriol she’d gently but firmly established herself in Cutter Gap as someone with a heart twice as big as her stature, cheerfully taking the good with the bad. If he’d known then what he knew now, he’d have held himself back, been more… guarded around her.

As with so many of the important things in his life, Neil had realized this too late.

That realization was made all the more complicated on a day such as this, as they fought back a disease that threatened to take the lives of children he’d helped bring into the world. There was only so far a man could push away thoughts of the lives he couldn’t save, to say nothing of the apologies he’d held back until he was out of time.

That old familiar guilt struck a discordant chord with the mournful harmonica, enough to force a rueful chuckle from his lips. After all, he owed an apology to Christy, and this time he didn’t have the luxury of locking himself away until his reflection looked different enough to forget the needful.

Neil stood slowly, loath to disturb the delicate tableau of hopeful survival going on in the quarantine room. He remembered seeing Christy step out of the building looking distressed, but given his contribution to that expression, he’d focused intently on his notes in hopes that she’d avoid disturbing him.

Margaret would have called him a coward. “Apologize or don’t, Mac, but don’t pretend you’re taking the high road!”

His late wife’s admonition spurred Neil to walk around the schoolhouse, his steps curving him away from some hard truths and toward others. She’d hated the darkness of the mountains and loathed the quiet that seeped into a person’s bones to linger there. In a sense, loving him had dimmed Margaret’s fiercely fragile light until she’d run out of energy to fight off the disease that killed her. There was no making peace with that. 

He shut his eyes and tipped his head into the light breeze to clear his mind. When he opened them again, Neil saw the dim outline of a figure ahead of him, along the treeline where they’d been collecting firewood. It was Christy. The lanterns leading to the outhouse were just bright enough to see that her fists were clenched at her sides, and her head was tipped back, just as he’d just done.

“There’s solitary, and then there’s lonely. You can be lonely without being alone.”

Those words had haunted him since his wife had said them less than a month before her death. They’d sliced like a scalpel those first months, festered like a wound that refused to heal by a year’s time, before finally burrowing down to ache like a mended bone before a storm. Tonight was the first time he’d seen them as anything but hurtful; his wife had been many things (selfish, sensual, miserable, mesmerizing), but she had always been insightful. How had it taken him this long to realize what she’d really meant? That they could have been solitary together. That Margaret hadn’t needed to be lonely, if he’d been able to teach her how to share his solitude.

Neil stood in the silent shadow of the schoolhouse, his thoughts whipping around like a willow in a windstorm. There was a very clear reason why he was thinking of Margaret right now, and the truth of that scared him. It was the last clammy fear before the fever broke, the surge of adrenaline before closing a wound. He was letting her go, making space.

The thought was as presumptuous as it was intimidating.

“The apology, Mac. Don’t be an ass.”

Neil walked toward Christy slowly, shoring up his mental fortifications for the coming conflict.

“Battling it out with your god, are you?”

Christy shot him a look that he couldn’t discern in the half-light. “No need to poke fun, but yes. I don’t need to part the Red Sea, just pray hard enough for God to pass over this building without taking anyone.”

“Now who’s poking fun?” Neil said. He moved to stand beside her, both facing the fathomless expanse of forest. “I’ve always thought that story was particularly unfair; punishing the children for the sins of the fathers.”

“That’s not too different from feuding, don’t you think?” There was a tightness in her voice that was entirely his fault, top to bottom.

“Maybe I should walk away and start over,” he said, shoving at a small branch with his foot. “I’d come over here to apologize.”

Her silence lasted long enough for him to look over. Christy’s body language was armed for war, but her words were more shield than sword.

“You couldn’t have known about my sister. I’m a stranger, and it looked like I put your patients in danger.”

“You’re hardly a stranger, Christy. Despite my temper, I know you’ve only ever done your best to keep them safe, educated, and happy,” he countered. “I was wrong to shout at you.”

“You--” she broke off, arms dropping to her sides. 

“What? Did I just deprive you of a fight? I’m sure we can find something else,” Neil teased lightly. He opened his mouth to elaborate, but Christy jumped in to interrupt.

“Don’t! Let me savor the moment.”

The amusement in her voice cut straight through to the depths of his heart, as though his years of defenses and baggage were insubstantial in the face of her warmth. 

Christy turned to walk back toward the schoolhouse, and it was in the shock of those feelings that Neil caught her as she pitched sideways toward him, hissing in surprised pain. Immediately he set her hand on his shoulder and knelt down, finding her boot tangled in the ends of the branch he’d nudged earlier. That realization had him swearing under his breath.

“Is it bad? My ankle doesn’t feel--” Christy cut herself off, her voice pinched with fear.

“I was reacting to the culprit, not your injury. I’d tried to kick that branch out of the way. You’ll be fine after a few minutes, it’s just a wrong step.”

“So you swept me off my feet?” she whispered, finishing the sentence just as he straightened back up. The action slid her hand from his shoulder down to his chest-- and they stood with her words hovering between them like a heated breath in the deepest winter.

The lamplight lit her stress-mussed hair in soft gold, edging her features as if she were in an illuminated manuscript. Christy’s eyes were wide as she stared at her hand on his chest, perhaps as shocked as he was that she hadn’t pulled back. Just at that moment, a curl slipped free, and before he realized what he was doing, Neil tucked the soft lock behind her ear in an unmistakable caress.

The sound of her sucked-in breath shot adrenaline straight to his heart.

“I should--” she started, eyes still fixed on their point of contact. With the barest stroke of her thumb, she finally lifted her hand. “I should go. Will you promise to get some rest? I’ll take the first watch.”

The blood rushing in his ears spoke of the many things unresolved between them, and Neil reached out to stop her with a clumsy hand. “Wait--”

Christy pressed her eyes shut, her lip caught in her teeth. He longed to see the nuances of her expression-- was she annoyed but hiding it well? Blushing? Fearful?

“Hold still for a spell, let your ankle rest?” he offered. He didn’t move his hand, and she didn’t move away to dislodge it. For once, he didn’t hear the derisive tones of his conscience mocking those choices. Christy was hesitating, so he added, “I haven’t properly apologized.”

This prompted her to open her eyes and look at him. Whatever she saw there made her sway just slightly in his direction.

Maybe it was the stillness of the night, the hope of healing, the exhaustion from fighting so many things with so much of his strength, or perhaps it was the lightness of his finally untethered heart, but whatever the true reason was, Neil succumbed.

“I’m sorry it took me so long to see you for who you truly are, Christy. Your heart is bright enough to light the whole Cove, and I’m grateful to be touched by it.” He released her arm and turned his hand to brush the backs of his fingers against her cheek, then moved to walk away before he ruined both of their reputations.

Christy stopped him, not with words, but with an action that meant so much more: with surprising strength, she caught his hand, pressing his palm to her cheek. Then she did speak, and he was lost.

“You’re the coal that keeps us burning, Neil.”

The distant sound of the harmonica faded in the space between her action and his stuttering heart. Would John Spencer tuck the instrument into his pocket and make his way to the outhouse? Had he been interrupted by one of the children crying out for their help?

Stepping close, Neil set his other hand on her cheek and said, “I owe you more than an apology, Christy, even more so for this.” Dipping his head, he kissed her, meaning for it to be brief, a promise, not an end unto itself. He was foolish, forgetting her determination to never yield when she could persuade instead. Her hand moved up into his hair, burning a surer path than any bullet meant to stop his brain from functioning.

Despite every passing second marking the time between now and disaster if he didn’t pull back, Neil deepened the kiss, his arm banding around her waist to lift her up, ever so slightly. Then, with the reluctance of a victor forced to leave the spoils of war behind, he stepped away. His whole body buzzed with anxiety and pleasure, but he knew he’d overstepped badly.

“Forgive me, I-- I’ve held that back for quite some time,” he admitted. “When you brought me dinner, I must confess--”

“Oh! Please believe me, I had no idea, or I would never have presumed to take advantage like that.” Christy interrupted, her voice thick with regret. “Fairlight suggested the way to persuade you was through good cooked food. I suppose I failed there, as well!”

Neil took her hand and clasped it with both of his. “Your campaign for Dan Scott had me at your feet. When I realized that was all you’d come for, I was ready to send him to the devil, and the Mission too. The truth is, I’ve fallen for you, Christy. Hopelessly so.”

She lifted their joined hands to her lips. “I’d barely let myself think of such things, but when I dream… you’re always there, smiling at me, quarreling with me, teaching me--”

“Reality is hardly ever that idyllic,” he cautioned. Neil dislodged his hand from hers out of propriety, but inwardly his defenses were being dismantled, one uncertainty at a time.

“Only you would consider arguing with me idyllic!”

“Any time spent with you is a dream, I’ll freely admit that.” He grinned, adding, “If ye wish to prove it’s real, we can go on until I win an argument. Shouldn’t take too long.”

“You are insufferable,” Christy grumbled.

“Would it make it worse if I told you how lovely you look when you’re cross with me? It was all I could do not to--

“If you say something about sweeping me off my feet, Neil MacNeil, I’ll--” She stopped short, clearly realizing that he’d prompted exactly the kind of cross reaction he enjoyed.

“Do I need to?” Neil started, but a bobbing lantern light near the schoolhouse caught his attention. Thinking quickly, he moved to pick up some of the cut wood and branches near where they’d been standing, nodding to Christy to do the same. By the time Fairlight made it around the corner, the two of them were almost to the outhouse.

“Doc find you screamin’ at the sky, then?”

“Bargaining, more like,” Neil said. “I think it ended on a truce?” He turned toward her, selfishly needing to see her indignation.

Once again, she bested him.

“Victory,” Christy asserted. “I had a talk with God, and he sent me a sign of healing.”

Neil angled his arms so that a small log fell off, allowing him to hide his expression as he picked it back up. Thankfully, the two women had resumed their walk back to the front of the schoolhouse by the time he stood up. Healing! Her innocent audacity took his breath away, as always. There was a lot of rebuilding to be done, all of it in the harsh light of day, but he was intensely grateful for that temporary bubble of solitude they’d been able to find in each other.

The thought had occurred before the significance dawned on him, and Neil stopped short, stunned.

Healing. It was something he’d fought to achieve for others his entire life yet somehow was gifted without warning or design, in the middle of the night during quarantine, no less! This new beginning was fitting, he supposed, and like all beginnings, there would be a lot of adjusting to be done for both of them. 

They’d be able to do it together.

[bleachanimefan1]

You Are My Sunshine Part Twenty six

Shattered Dreams,

Freddy ran out of the elevator, stepping into the Atrium. He tried to contact Gregory on the fazwatch. He received no response. "Gregory! Gregory, where are you!?" Freddy cried out, wildly searching for the boy. Ayla, Sun and Moon, along with Roxy, Chica, Bonnie and Foxy walked out of the elevator, meeting up with Freddy.

"Did you find him?" Chica asked him. Freddy shook his head. "No."

"Gregory's never acted like this before. I wonder what set him off. It was like he was afraid of us, like he didn't realize who we were." Ayla murmured. "He was like a totally different person." Her eyes widened and she reached into her pockets, only to find that the paper with the binary code was missing. It must have slipped out when she was dancing with Sun. Gregory must have found it.

"I don't know, but we need to find him. I'm not going to leave him alone." Freddy said. 

"We could look over at gator golf?" Bonnie suggested.

"Or Mazercise, it's quicker over there." Chica replied.

"Are you crazy, lass? I don't think the kid went over there. That maze of yours is ridiculous, constantly changing pathways. It would take hours to solve it." Foxy replied.

"Well, do you have a brighter idea? I'd love to hear it!" Chica retorted, frowning. Ayla hummed in thought, thinking.

Maybe, Gregory did go over there. He was a smart kid. In fact, abnormally intelligent for a child his age. He wasn't normal. Just like her. Lost. Just like her...Ayla's eyes widened a little. Could Gregory actually be an animatronic!? That had to be it! She had the real Ayla's memories from her previous life. So, Gregory must have someone else's memories, who died, as well.

"Ayla?" Sun asked her. Moon noticed as well, his head turning as he saw her expression.

"I think that we should split up." Ayla replied. Everyone's eyes widened in surprise. Sun shook his head furiously.

"Absolutely not!" He shouted.

"I meant that you two can come with me." Ayla reassured him. Sun sighed in relief, glad that he wasn't going to be separated, while Moon silently stared at her. "While the others can go check other areas in the Atrium. It'll be quicker to find him this way." Ayla insisted.

"And then what do we do, knock him out? The kid's terrified of all of us." Foxy replied.

"Just contact Freddy and he can send out your signal." Ayla replied. The robot group split up, heading towards their destinations. Sun and Moon and Ayla headed towards the Mazercise walking inside. It was a small gymnasium covered in foam floors and plush balls and stairs. They left the room to get to the Mazercise maze only to find the door was opened and the pathway blocked.

"Seems like Gregory probably went through here." Ayla said.

"There's a control room right there that will move the maze." Moon pointed out. The three avoided the security bot patrolling the area and walked inside the room. Ayla flipped the switch and a lot of lights lit up as multiple buttons came on as well as the screen showing the maze just outside the room on camera. There was countless movable walls going each way.  

"What kind of sick psychopath made this?" Ayla commented. Then she noticed an opened vent at the other end of the room in the maze. "Look! Gregory must have gone through there!" Sun and Moon and Ayla looked back to the complicated buttons on the wall that controlled the maze. Ayla walked over the buttons and started to push each one randomly.

"This is going to take hours." Moon groaned.

"H-Hours?! We don't have that kind of time!" Sun shouted.

"Done." Both Sun and Moon blinked and turned to Ayla as she pressed the last button and the last wall moved making a pathway towards the vent. She turned back to Sun and Moon who both stared at her silently in the dark in suprise. "What?"

"You're so smart!" Sun exclaimed, hugging Ayla as he wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"I-It's nothing. I've solved puzzles way more complicated than this." She hugged him back. "Come on, let's go!" The three headed inside the room, stepping inside the maze. The path felt like it was going to take forever with so many twists and turns and spirals as they continued to walk to get to the vent. As they reached near the vent, the walls began to move on their own about to crush them. Ayla felt a hard shove to her back as she was pushed towards the vent by Sun. Moon quickly jumped up and stuck onto the ceiling like a spider with his claws. He looked down seeing Sun trapped in a corner with walls surrounding him from all sides and Ayla standing by the vent.

"I'm going on ahead. You two catch up to me when you can." Ayla called out to Moon and Sun.

"No! I'll be right there! Just-" Sun banged against the wall as he slammed his body up against it. He let out a hiss in pain, holding his arm.

"That will take too long. Moon will come over to help you then the two of you will climb over to the vent and meet up with me on the other side." She told them.

"Wait!" Sun cried out. He jumped back when Moon crawled down the wall next to him.

"She's already gone, Sun. Come on. We need to get to her." Sun grabbed onto Moon as he scaled up the wall reaching the ceiling.

"How did the maze move on it's own?" Sun asked Moon. Moon hummed to himself wondering as well.

"I don't know. Probably Vanny." He spoke.

"We need to hurry, Moony." Sun said, urgently.

Ayla crawled through the vent until she reached the end and climbed out. She was in Monty's Gator golf. She looked down below to see Freddy and Bonnie along with Chica and Roxanne on the course. Across from her was a platform leading to a catwalk. Ayla's eyes widen. Gregory! She quickly crawled over to him. Gregory was sitting down with his head tucked into his knees, crying.

"Gregory." She whispered softly to Gregory, trying to not to scare him. Gregory lifted his head and his eyes widen and he crawled away from her.

"Don't come near me!" He cried out.

"Gregory, we are not here to hurt you. Look down there." Ayla pointed down to Freddy and the rest of the gang, showing him. "We've been looking for you. Freddy's worried sick about you."

"He-He is?" Gregory asked her.

"Yes. He cares about you a lot." Ayla nodded.

"I care about him, too." Gregory told her.

"What made you run from us like that?" Ayla questioned him. Gregory looked down avoiding her eyes.

"I-I don't think I'm what I think I am. I remembered something, something awful." Gregory told her.

"What do you mean?" Ayla asked.

"All I remember was a party, an older teenager surrounded by others as well. A robot, like Freddy but older, different. They wouldn't leave me alone and dragged me over to it while I begged them not to. Then I felt a sharp pain on my head and nothing. Everything went dark." Gregory told her. Ayla's widen a little.

"That sounds like a memory." She told him. "I understand. I get them from time to time."

"So I really am dead." Gregory said. 'I'm one of them, a monster."

"No, you're not." Ayla told him, making Gregory look at her. "All I see is a scared little boy, who is also very brave and smart, trying to survive. You're not alone, Gregory. We're all here to help you, if you let us." Ayla said, holding her hand out to him. Gregory looked down at it and slowly took her hand, standing up with her. 

"Let's let Freddy know that you're safe." Ayla smiled. Gregory nodded and leaned over the railings to the catwalk, calling down to the bear animatronic. "Freddy!"

Ayla and Gregory saw Freddy look up to them, along with Bonnie, Chica, Foxy and Roxy, seeing them on the platform.

"Superstar, you're alright!" Freddy shouted in relief. Chica smiled.

"He's okay! Thank goodness."

"Hey, where's the twins? Sun and Moon, weren't they with you?" Bonnie asked.

"We've got separated in the maze. They should be coming back any minute." Ayla answered.

"Then let's get you two down from there. Gregory, it's almost six am! You can leave this place!" Freddy called out. Gregory's eyes widen. Ayla and Gregory thought for a moment wondering how to get down from the platform. The other way was blocked off and it was too far for them to jump. Then a loud roar rang out through the golf course. Ayla and Gregory's eyes widened, seeing Monty riding on one of the rides with his face on it from the ceiling. He hopped off from it, landing in front of Ayla and Gregory. Ayla pushed Gregory behind her as Monty began to stalk slowly towards them. 

"Ayla!" Gregory cried out, pulling on her arm to run. Ayla ran, dragging Gregory behind her when Monty lunged at them as he jumped in the air. He slammed back down on his feet from where they once stood.

"You're not going anywhere."

"Monty! Stop! Leave them alone!" Freddy shouted. The gator ignored him, inching closer to Ayla and Gregory, who backed away from him. Ayla heard Chic cry out "Bonnie! Where are you going!?" and looked down to see Bonnie had hopped along another platform, climbing up to get to them. He landed in front of Monty, stopping the gator from reaching them. "You two skedaddle! I'll hold him back for as long as I can!" The glamrock shouted. Ayla turned her head, noticing some ball shooters. What were they doing up here? Wait a minute, they could come in handy! Ayla grabbed Gregory by his arm.

"Come on!"

Sun and Moon crawled out of the vent, seeing Monty fighting against Bonnie.

"We missed a lot." Moon said.

"There's Ayla! She's with Gregory!" Sun shouted, pointing over towards the two as they ran over to the ball shooters. Sun and Moon hopped across the platform, meeting up with them.

"We're fine! Go help Bonnie! Distract Monty!" Ayla shouted at the two. Moon turned, creepily rushing towards the two fighting animatronics on all fours. "Sun, go help them!" Sun shook his head, placing his hands on his hips. "I'm not leaving you alone again." Ayla sighed. She smiled at him seeing the animatronic turn his head as he looked back at her. She couldn't be angry at him. She loved him but Sun really needed to work his separation anxiety issues. She'll work on it later once this whole crazy thing and Vanny was dealt with. "Fine. Go over to the other shooters and start them up." She told him.

Moon joined up with Bonnie, trying to hold Monty back. "I don't know how you're back. But I'm going to smash you piece by piece until there's nothing left of you to fix."

"I don't know why you're angry at me. But Freddy considers you a friend. Don't make me do this. You're not thinking clearly, Monty. We can help each other!" Bonnie shouted at him. Monty pulled Moon off of him, roughing tossing to the side. Moon quickly grabbed onto the platform with his claws, stopping himself from falling. Then Monty pushed Bonnie back, making him fall onto the platform on his back. Before Bonnie could get back up again, Monty stomped his foot down on the rabbit animatronic's chest, pinning him down.

"Rock and roll!" Monty roared and adjusted his sunglasses. Bonnie struggled to push Monty's foot off of him but the gator, didn't move. He raised his claws getting ready to bring them down on Bonnie. "Say bye bye, Bunny."

"Hey Monty!" Monty stopped and turned his head, seeing Ayla, Gregory and Sun, standing in front of the ball shooters. "Have a nice fall!" The three fired the ball shooters at Monty, hitting the gator. The balls bounced off his body as it pushed him back as he tried to swat them away. He backed up, going further and further until his foot was met with empty air. Monty let out a scream as he fell off from the platform, plunging down to the golf course below. The group heard a snap followed by a crunch and a loud thud.

"Oh my god! Monty!" Chica cried out.  Bonnie got up and helped pull Moon up and onto the platform. Ayla rushed to the railings looking down. Sun and Gregory followed her, looking down as well. Freddy, Chica, Roxy and Foxy were gathered around the gator as he laid on the course. He didn't move as he was out of power. The metal on his endoskeleton was shattered in several places as bits of wiring poked out through them. His legs were snapped and broken off laying a few feet away from the rest of the glamrocks.

"Let's get him into Parts and Services." 

[dragonmasterhiccup]

He rushed to Valka’s side, hand hovering over her shoulder as she struggled to catch her breath.

His expression was painted with urgency, which quickly turned to horror at Valka’s revelation. “Took her?! Thors sake—“ He was cut off by her bursting into a fit of coughs, and he quickly guided her away from the burning hut. “Okay, I’m going to get Hiccup and Astrid, someone needs to stop this fire…” He looked around to already find a plethora of Berkians coming to their aid, buckets of water in tow. “Aye, you need to get checked by Gothi, go find her, I’ll be back with Hiccup.”

———

Eret banged loudly on the door to Hiccup and Astrid’s hut, almost yelling for them to come out. “Hiccup, it’s urgent!”

Once he opened to door, Eret caught his breath, only for a brief moment before he immediately explained the situation. “Your mother’s been hit, her hut’s on fire, but… Danielle’s gone. I, I have no clue as to what happened, but you need to come with me, immediately.”

And with that, he was rushing back towards the scene.

“Valka should be okay, but she’s taken in a lot of smoke. I told her to go see Gothi, which I’m sure she did. But we need to get Danielle back immediately, from the looks of it, this was definitely a coordinated attack, well planned and thought out thoroughly.”

By the time they arrived back at the scene, the fire had already been put out, and Twilight was already there, sniffing around the remains of Danny’s room, which seemed to be the source, since it had the most amount of damage.

The dragon seemed panicked, moving her head around frantically as she tried, and failed, to pick up a scent.

Bounding over to them, she chittered anxiously, bobbing her head with nerves and pacing around wildly.

“Can she not…?” Eret was in disbelief. Was there no scent of Danny’s to be picked up? Had the hunters burned it all off? “Skullcrusher!” The dragon hurriedly made his way to his rider. “Try to pick up a scent over there.”

The Rumblehorn did as asked, but once again, nothing could be picked up.

“Odin help us…”

Valka didn't like to be sidelined, but she knew she'd be of no help after inhaling that smoke.

She nodded, eyes red, and headed towards the healer's hut.

--------------------

Hiccup felt dread building up in the pit of his stomach.

Hunters. It must have been. How did they find Danny? They were so careful...

"Astrid, stay here with Zephyr."

"No way, I'm coming with you!"

"Astrid! There's a fire, infiltrators were on the island, do you really think I'd risk them getting you and Zephyr too? Stay here! Protect her!"

Grabbing his armor, he and Toothless ran after Eret.

Hearing Eret's words, he felt worse and worse. How did they get through the increased patrols?

And Danny! She must be terrified right now. He. Breathed rapidly, waiting for Twilight to catch her scent, to find something, anything to track.

But after both the Nadder and Rumblehorn found nothing, Hiccup stumbled back, hand in his hair.

"They--they could be anywhere, have gone in any direction..."

Usually, plans came to him quickly, he always had a gut feeling of what to do, where to go...but right now, all he felt was a sense of dread.

Inhaling sharply, he said, "Her helmet! Her helmet, did it survive the fire?!"

He started combing through the wreckage, hoping to catch a glimpse of the metal.

[viking-raider]

SWIPE - PART ONE

Summary: Swiping on someone means taking a chance on them, and you and Henry take a big chance on each other!

Pairing: Henry Cavill/Reader

Word Count: 6,523

Warning: PG-13 - Cotton Candy Fluff, Angst, Break up, Open Secret, Long Distance Relationship

Inspiration: Something I read.

Author’s Note: Takes please before Sand Castle! I hope you enjoy it! Line divider by @FIREFLY-GRAPHICS!

If you would like to get notifications for my writing! Just follow my Tag List blog, @VIKING-RAIDER-TAGLIST and turn on the notifications for it! It’s that easy!’

Henry felt stupid for downloading the app, who on this planet would believe the real Henry Cavill would have a profile on Tinder.

But, here he was, sitting on his couch in London, starting at his blank profile, they asked about his passions and for photos of him, he added one from his camera roll that he had taken at an after party and never posted on social media and took a selfie, figuring if he added photos that weren't anywhere on the great wide web, it might make his profile look a bit less fake and like someone trying to be a catfish.

He shook his head at the profile, it wanted to know everything, which he figured was understandable. He added music, gaming, dog lover, running, football, board games, military, reading and cooking to his list of passions and interests. Filled Taurus as his Zodiac and a dog for having pets, before giving the job title, a hard stare.

“What do I put?” Henry asked, looking across the couch to Kal. “Movie Star? Actor? Celebrity—no that's not a fucking job title. Ugh, I'll come back to it.” He huffed, skipping and put none for company and Stowe Boarding School in the next blank section, for education.

“Okay, that's a complicated question!” He laughed, shaking his head. “Where am I living?”

“London, Florida, Los Angeles.” He snorted, before bringing up his phone's keyboard and typed in, the world. “I'm definitely not linking my Instagram to this! Granted, it'll probably help with people not thinking I'm a fake! But the amount of traffic I'd probably get would be insane, and that's not what I want with this profile.” He said, ignoring that field.

But he did add his Spotify to his Tinder, before putting in his gender, sexual orientation and allowing his age and distance to be shown.

“All right, buddy.” Henry sighed, clicking save on his profile, and set his phone down beside him, with an anxious heart. “This is so dumb, no one is going to swipe on me.” He mumbled, chewing on his bottom lip and drumming his fingers on his thighs.

“Fuck it.” He snapped, snatching up his phone and started looking at profiles.

Many of the women he saw in the profiles were very pretty and gorgeous, but either something in their profile turned him off or he just didn't feel a click with them, causing Henry to swipe left on them. He sat on his couch, unaware of the two hours that passed while he checked out profile after profile. He noticed a couple Blue Stars on profiles he looked at, knowing they Super Liked his profile, but felt unease and overly cautious about liking them back.

“I just don't know.” Henry sighed, shaking his head and staring at his phone. “I'm just going to delete it.”

“Seriously!” You yelled, tears dripping down your face. “Now? Now, is when you decide to break up with me!”

“I can't do it!” Your boyfriend of six years screamed back, a vein bulging in his neck. “I can't do this anymore! Keep the fucking flat! Keep the fucking dog too, for all I care! I'm over you and all of this.” He hissed, arms wildly pointing around the living room.

You beat your clenched fists against the sides of your thighs and let out a shrill scream of frustration. “Fine! Then, pack your shit and fuck off!” You huffed, trembling and trying to swallow down your growing influx of tears.

“GET OUT!” You bellowed, stabbing a finger towards the door.

He stared at you for a long time, his brown eyes burning with hateful words and actions he wanted so badly to say to you, but instead, he turned on his heels and stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door with such force it rattled the door frame and walls. You choked on your tears for a moment, before turning away and sitting down on the couch, pressing your hands to your damp face as fresh tears washed over you. You felt the nudge of something cold against your arm and a low whine, the dog you and your boyfriend had gotten together a year and half ago came and sat beside you, poking his chilly, black nose against your elbow, concerned.

Rubbing your palms over your face, you looked down at the pup, staring into his spooky, ice blue eyes, he was your baby. He was a Northern Inuit, all silver, except for a faded mask on his head, that was a soft charcoal color between and up his ears and eyes, before fading off just short of his muzzle. You loved his big, satellite dish ears, especially when he was a puppy, even now, they were still just a bit too big for him, and his plush, double-coat, that you honestly didn't mind shed like crazy. It was no wonder that these dogs were so commonly used as wolves in tv shows and movies, they looked a lot like them.

But, your pup was the sweetest marshmallow in the whole world.

“I'm sorry.” You whimpered, your jaw quivering. “I'm so sorry.” Your voice cracked, before you threw your arms around his thick neck and sobbed anew into it.

“You need to get back out there.”

“No, I don't.” You sighed, shaking your head at your best friend, as the two of you sat in a restaurant, having lunch. “I'm over dating. I have my dog and he's the only man I need in my life.” You told her, picking at the plate of food in front of you.

“Besides, no one will want me, Kelly.”

“Well, too bad!” Kelly proclaimed, picking up her phone. “I made you a Tinder profile this morning.”

“You what!?” You barked, shocked. “You did not!”

“I did, and you'll like it!” She grinned, pulling the app up on her phone. “Now, I only filled in the basic stuff I know about you.”

“Which should be more than I know, we've only been friends since we were toddlers.” You countered, rolling your eyes at her.

Kelly gave you a look, before looking back at the app. “Anyway, the only thing left, that I didn't fill in, was the 'about me', which I was sure you would want to fill in yourself.”

“I don't want to fill in any of it, Kelly.” You told her, sighing heavily and took a sip of your ice water.

“Again, too bad.” She replied, sarcastically. “What do you want to put on it?” She pressed, determined not to take no for an answer.

You drew in a deep breath, knowing she wasn't going to give in, and rolled your eyes at her, before holding out your hand for her phone. “I'll type it in myself, thank you very much, my Fairy Tinder God Mother.” You told her, snarkily.

“If I find out you deleted it, I'll put it back up and run that bitch myself!” Kelly threatened, handing her phone over to you. “Have those men showing up at your apartment, like a blind date.”

“I would kill you.” You remarked, focusing on her phone as you tried to think of something to put in the about me that summed you up; short and sweet. “All right there, done.” You sighed, finishing up and passing her the phone back.

“I'll text you the login information, so you can download the app, then we can look at the guys on it and see if there's any good ones.” She said, sending it to you.

“Really, Getmelaid@gmail.com and I love hand jobs 45.” You frowned, looking over at her, brow lifted. “That's the email and password you set up for me.”

“Yep!” Kelly grinned, incredibly proud of herself, before sliding into a chair beside you. “Now, let's see who Tinder suggests you match up with.”

You sighed, rolling your eyes and shaking your head, you really didn't want to do this, but you humored Kelly. “Fine.” You grumbled, going to the matches and frowned at the first match. “God, no! He looks like he has more beauty products in the bathroom than I do.” You groaned, shaking your head at the profile picture.

“And what the fuck is that about me?” Kelly replied, grimacing at it. “'No special snowflakes, not into plague ridden vaginas.' You are so swiping left on that guy.” She said, reaching out to do it for you.

“Oh, well.” You perked up a little bit. “He's cute, he has a great smile and seems to have a really good job and loves dogs.” You said, glancing to Kelly for approval.

“No, he looks like a dude that takes a girl to an expensive restaurant, makes her pay the bill, then ghosts her.” She shook her head, her face twisting with disgust. “Left!”

“Hey!” You protested, trying to stop her, slapping at her hand. “I still wanna swipe right on him!”

“Friends to let friends swipe on ghosts!” Kelly argued, managing to finally get the swipe on him. “Holy crap, look at this!” She giggled, pulling your phone out of your hand. “There's a Superman profile.”

“What's a Superman profile?” You frowned at her, leaning against her to see what she was looking at.

“This is the guy that played Superman, Henry Cavill.” She explained, checking out his profile. “He is such a hunk, I would let the man fuck me silly and break me in half.” She giggled, licking her lips and rubbing her thighs together.

“It's probably fake though, how could a man like that need the help of Tinder?” You asked, doubtful, looking at the profile over her shoulder.

“Probably, but let's have some fun with it.” Kelly grinned, swapping up.

“What, no!” You protested, grabbing at your phone. “You won't let me swipe right on a real profile, but you'll Super Like a fake one. What's the deal, Kelly?” You groaned, shaking your head at her.

“Oh, just have some fun with him, if this poser is going to try and act like a celeb, then why not play along for a bit.” She chuckled, clearly amused by the thought of fooling this guy.

“I don't like it, Kelly. It's not right.” You sighed, looking at the other profiles.

“You're no fun.” Kelly pouted, batting her lashes at you.

Henry didn't even notice the noise of the airport that he was sitting in, his focus on his screen. He had told himself a hundred times that he would delete his Tinder profile, but here he was, a month later, still on and using it. He had swiped right a few women and spoken to a couple of them, even less believed it was truly him they were speaking too. So, in the end, they stopped speaking. One of the women did end up believing in him, but the connection and conversation started to become strange and a bit on the stalker side, so Henry had to block her.

But, while he was sitting there, waiting for his flight, he got the notification that someone had passed him a Super Like. He sighed, readying himself for another possible disastrous encounter, and opened the notification, but paused seeing the four photos belonging to the profile.

“She's beautiful.” Henry mumbled out loud, licking his lips and shifting in his seat, tapping to see more of profile. “Oh!” His mouth dropped open, seeing the about me, gulping. “That's quite something.” He said, biting his lip, and scrolled back up to the photos. “But, there's something about her. There's just something about her.” He mumbled, his thumb hovering to swipe.

“Oh, what the hell.” He grinned, his thumb shifted and swiping up, just as his flight was announced to board.

While standing in line, Henry opened the private messages and thumbs poised above his keyboard, tapping his foot as he tried to come up with something to say to his Match, he didn't want to come off too strong or awkward, he especially didn't want to come off fake.

“It's so much easier meeting people in person.” Henry mumbled, pocketing his phone, feeling intimidated.

Getting on the plane and finding his seat, Henry settled in with Kal, the thoughts of the private message still tugging on his mind. Groaning, he pulled his phone back out and quickly typed in a message before the flight crew started their safety demonstration and all the passengers' cell phones had to be turned off for take off.

Henry: Hi, I'm Henry.

It was simple, polite and to the point, at least Henry felt like it was, as he shut his phone off and put it back into his pocket, resting his hand on Kal's neck, to settle his nerves.

You were sitting at your work desk, pinching the bridge of your nose as you tried to get your brain flowing on the work on your computer screen, when your phone buzzed loudly on the stack of files next to your elbow.

“Please, Jesus, don't let it be Craig, asking me about the damn report again, or I swear to all that's holy, I will go down to his cubicle and beat him with it.” You growled under your breath, picking up your phone, squeezing your eyes shut as you activated the screen, before looking at the notification. “Oh Jesus.” You gulped, an icy lump of anxiety forming in your chest as you noticed the notification was from Tinder.

Someone had Matched and messaged you.

“Don't be a creep, don't be a creep.” You chanted, opening the notification and felt another blow to your psyche. “You have to be kidding me. I'm going to kill Kelly for doing this to me.” You sighed, reading the message.

Match: Hi, I'm Henry.

“Why, God! Why?” You whined, dropping your phone to your desk and slapping your palms to your face. “Why do I attract the nuts?”

“Because nuts like being in shells.”

You yelped in startled surprise, jumping in your seat and twirling around to face the voice. “Craig, I swear to God, if you sneak up on me again, I'll run over your foot.” You threatened, pressing a hand to your chest.

“Yeah, it's probably not a good thing, with a woman in your condition.” He retorted, narrowing his eyes at you.

“Fuck off.” You hissed, rolling your eyes at him and turning back towards your desk.

“I will, when you give me that report I asked you to finish for me.” Craig answered, glaring at you, hotly.

Rolling your eyes shut and swallowing down the insult you really wanted to spit at him, you turned sideways to the stack of files you had and rifled through them, until you came upon the manila file folder he wanted. “The Lincoln and Monroe case.” You said, handing it back over your shoulder to him, not wanting to see his face, even for the second it took to give him the folder.

“Thank you.” He smiled, smugly, then returned to his cubicle.

“I hope you choke on it.” You mumbled under your breath, then sighed, rubbed your face and turned your phone back over, looking at Henry's message. “When on Tinder, act like Kelly.” You sighed, picking it up.

You: Hey, how's it going?

You stared at your reply for a moment, should you have given him your name back? He gave you his, if he actually was Henry Cavill. But, he could also see your name on your profile, so maybe it didn't matter. If it did, he could simply ask you. Closing the app, you messaged Kelly, sure she would get a real kick out of the Henry Cavill profile swiping up and messaging you.

Kelly: How long are you going to string him along?

You: I don't know, depends on how much of an ass he makes of himself.

Kelly: That should take too long with fakers like these!

You laughed at her comment, knowing she was right, people that cat-fished couldn't help themselves, showing off and causing trouble for the person they try and peg as a victim, but you weren't going to fall for it with this guy, you knew his game.

It wasn't until you were on the way home that you got a reply to your message from Henry, but you decided to wait until you were home to read and reply to it. Setting your bag and keys on the counter and loving on your dog, you made yourself a cup of tea and got comfortable on the couch.

“All right, bud, let's see what this guy's got up his sleeve.” You said, opening Tinder.

Henry: It's going well. I hope you're doing all right. How was your day?

You snorted. “Look at this, Ghost.” You grinned, showing your screen to your dog, as he sat beside you. “Mmhm.” You chuckled, taking a sip of your tea and set it on your side table, beside you.

You: Good to hear. My day went the same it always does, full of legal reports and mountains of file folders. How about yours, Henry?

You tucked your phone between the couch cushions and grabbed the tv remote, flicking the tv on and looking for something to watch, while also waiting to see if you got a reply. Which came a few minutes later.

Henry: Legal reports, you a lawyer or something? As for my day, it's going pretty well. I am a bit tired though, because I had to travel from London to LA for some work.

You: No, I'm a legal researcher for one of the biggest law offices in my area. But, your day does sound a lot better than mine. I would rather be on an airplane, then stuck in a freaking cubicle all day long.

“If he thinks I believe this, he can get wrecked.” You said, looking over at Ghost, who just lifted an uninterested brow at you.

Henry: I wouldn't wish that on anyone, honestly. I saw in your pictures, you have a dog, what is it?

“Oh, he wants to know about you, bud.” You grinned, chuckling.

You: He's a Northern Inuit, almost two years old, called Ghost.

Henry: Ghost? Seems very appropriate by the looks of him.

You: Indeed. I know about your pup, Kal. Haven't seen him on your Tinder though.

You bit your lip, wondering if he would take the bait you set out for him.

There wasn't a message from him for a several long minutes, making you wonder if you had scared him off, but you noticed a new photo uploaded to his profile. Tapping on the photo, you saw it was the Bear, half standing with his front paws on the bottom of a bed, his mouth open and long pink tongue rolled out, like he was smiling at the camera and a clear pair of human legs also showing at the bottom of the photo, like Henry was sitting up against the headboard, when he took the picture.

“Well, I'll be damned.” You choked on your sip of tea, setting your cup down and patting yourself on the chest. “Let's see how easy it is to find this photo, shall we?” You said, doing a reverse search on it, but came up empty. “What do you know, looks like it might be real.” You mumbled, rather surprised and caught off guard.

You: That's absolutely adorable. I would totally steal him from you!

You: I'm kidding. Not really though. Ghost is dying for a brother. Lmao!

Henry: Maybe, when I'm back in the area, Kal and Ghost could have a doggy date?

You bit your lip, staring at his message for a long moment, gulping.

You: Maybe, we can see.

“So, this is the photo he posted, after I mentioned he didn't have a photo of Kal on his Tinder profile last night.” You were telling Kelly during your lunch, the next day. “I did a reverse search on it, and it didn't come up anywhere on the internet and it's not even on his official Instagram.” You told her, finally taking a bite of your lunch that had arrived several minutes before.

“He even suggested a doggy date for Ghost and Kal, when he gets back from LA.” You added, despite your mouth still being full.

“Seriously?” Kelly smiled, setting your phone down, so she could dig into her own food.

“Yeah, part of me thinks it's kinda cute.” You smirked, sipping your water.

“Woman, this dude is a damn catfish, you can't fall for him!” She protested, kicking you in the shin under the table.

“Ouch!” You jerked, rubbing at your leg. “If he's a catfish, how did he get an unreleased photo?” You asked, scowling at her.

“I don't know, but I still don't think it's the real Superman.” She replied, narrowing her eyes at you. “If you fall for this shitter, I'm going to hide your slip on shoes.”

“Ugh! That's horrid!” You retorted, outraged.

“You falling for this guy is horrid!” She said, just as your phone rang. “Is that him!?” She asked, trying to grab your phone before you did.

“Back off, demon!” You barked, smacking her hand with your fork and swiping up your phone. “And yes, it is him.”

Henry: How's the office going?

You: I'm at lunch with my demon at the moment.

Henry: ...Your Demon?

You: My friend Kelly, she's demonic as all get out.

“What is he saying?” Kelly asked, leaning over the table to see your screen.

“Woman, sit down!” You laughed, grinning at her. “What do you care, he's a fake shitter, remember?”

Your phone buzzed and you looked down at your messages, before you busted out laughing. “Okay, Real Superman or not, he's got a great sense of humor.” You giggled, seeing his message about an Amazon sale for Same-Day delivery of Holy Water.

You: That is pure gold!

Henry: You have to do what you have to do. Lol!

“What did he send you?” Kelly asked, seeing you grinning at your phone.

“He sent me an ad for holy water, so I can deal with your demonic butt!” You said, before dipping your fingers into your water glass and flicking droplets into her face. “I just might have to order a case too.” You chuckled, licking your lips.

Henry laughed as he kicked out of his running shoes, returning from his afternoon run and seeing your message. The pair of you had been speaking pretty regularly for the last two weeks and it was going so well, you hadn't gone all creeper, fan girl on him and talking to you was one of the easiest things Henry had ever done in his life. He looked forward to your messages throughout the day, you were usually the first person he spoke to in the morning or the first message he read, as well as the last person or message he sent at night.

He found you to be funny, lighthearted and incredibly intelligent, you clearly loved your dog, which meant a lot to Henry, since he loved Kal just as much, and you didn't seem to mind that he was a big time actor and celebrity, but he did still get the feeling you weren't entirely convinced he was who he said he was; though he couldn't blame you either. Henry respected your caution and even appreciated it, to a point, that you weren't willing to blindly believe he was who he said he was and follow along, it told him a lot.

But, he also wanted to reassure you that he was being truthful with you. He just wasn't entirely sure how to do it, in a way that would cause you to be comfortable. He could be returning home in another two weeks and there was that possible meet up for a doggy play date, you both could take Ghost and Kal to a local dog park, but that worried Henry because he was a celebrity and the possibility of paparazzi being in the area and catching sight of him, then taking photos of the two of you, wasn't something Henry wanted to put you through. Though he did know of a private, indoor dog park he could take the two of you too, he had taken Kal there several times.

There was also the possibility of Face Timing each other or just talking on the phone in general, allowing you to hear his voice. However, asking you to Face Time or talk on the phone made Henry nervous and shy, him asking you on a doggy date had been impulsive.

“What do you think, Kal?” Henry asked, pulling a bottle of Rosemary water out of the mini fridge. “Should I ask her to video call or speak with me on the telephone?” He said, cracking open the white and green bottle, and chugged down the still, Rosemary-infused water. “I want her to trust me, to really trust me, before and if we actually meet in real life.” He sighed, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand.

His phone vibrated on the small table in his hotel room and Henry bit his lip. “Maybe, just speaking on the phone first, would be easier. Then, if that goes well, we can Face Time and when I get back home, we can meet up for that play date with you and Ghost.” He said, staring at his phone, trying to gather the strength and courage to pick it up and ask if you would swap phone numbers with him.

You: The only place I can run to is my bathroom.

Henry chuckled at your message, before staring at it for a moment longer and answering; I was thinking, but this is totally up to you, if you wanted to talk on the phone? He bit his lip and paced the room, phone clutched in his hand.

It took nearly an hour and a half for your reply to finally come, giving Henry the time to shower and have something to eat. His heart was in his throat as he checked your answer, worried you were going to tell him no or that you didn't want to talk to him anymore.

You: Sure.

“Oh, thank god.” Henry laughed, falling back against the couch cushions, a huge smile on his face. “She said yes, Kal!” He called out to the Akita.

Henry: When's good for you?

You: I get off tomorrow, at four. So, any time after that. If it's good for you.

Henry: How about five-thirty? Give you time to relax and eat dinner.

You: Sounds good.

You and Henry exchanged phone numbers, you even installed WhatsApp to make it easier to interact with him and the two of you started texting there, it gave you and Henry a freedom to chat that the DMs on Tinder didn't, like being able to call each other or send photos and videos, if you liked. The first thing Henry sent you through text message on WhatsApp was a video of Kal getting the zooms around the sitting area of his hotel room, making you chuckle at him.

You: Ghost can do tricks too!

“Ghost, you wanna sing for Kal and Henry?” You asked, getting up and turning on your Bluetooth speaker, then found Ghost's favorite song on your Spotify. “You ready?” You grinned, turning your video feed on the Inuit and hit play on the song.

“Let it rip!”

Henry received the video and felt giddy, pressing play on it, he was met with the song, Great Unknown by the X Ambassadors, and Ghost sitting in front of your phone, his big silver body wiggling as the lyrics streamed out of the speakers and every time there was a pause, Ghost would bark and if they were drawn out, he would howl along; even jumping up on his back legs, like he was doing a little dance. Henry laughed at the video, finding it incredibly cute and felt his heart flutter, when he caught the sound of you laughing a little bit at one point.

“I can't wait to talk to her tomorrow.” He mumbled, playing the video again, as he laid back on the bed. “I bet she has a sweet voice.” He grinned, biting his lip, a dreamy look in his blue eyes.

You chucked your shoes across the room as you entered your flat, your heart thundering in your chest as you dropped your bag on the side table and rushed for the bathroom. Henry was supposed to be calling you at five-thirty. Which was in forty-five minutes! You would have been home sooner, if Craig hadn't been an ass and held you later, so you had to scramble, showering and changing into something more comfortable than your work clothes and tossed something simple together for dinner. You had been intermittently talking to Henry throughout the day, but not as much as most days, since your workload was heavier than usual and Henry was up to something of his own.

You had just managed to finish eating and to load your dinner bowl and fork into the dishwasher, when your phone started to ring, a sudden rush of anxious nausea hitting you. But, you quickly nabbed your phone off the coffee table, took a deep breath as you stared at Henry's caller ID on the screen, then hit answer.

“Hey.”

“Hey.” You squeaked, feeling the last of your doubt get pushed out as Henry's soft and deep voice came over the connection. “Did you have a good day?” You asked, grasping to get a hold on yourself.

“I did, for the most part.” Henry replied, smirking, excited that he finally got to hear your voice. “I hope that you did?” He cooed, shifting to get comfortable on the bed.

“It went all right, I suppose.” You sighed, taking a seat on the couch and crossing your legs.

“You sound tired.” He pointed out, his brow pinching with concern. “You all right?” He asked, worried.

“Yeah, I'll be fine, promise.” You chuckled back, shaking your head. “The downfalls of an asshole boss deciding he wants to dump an extra case on me.” You groaned, racking a hand over your face.

“Should he be doing that?” Henry frowned, taking an instant disliking to your boss. “Given, you know?” He mumbled, biting his lip.

You took a deep breath and bit your lip. “It'll be fine. It's nothing I can't deal with. I'm almost done with one of the cases I'm researching for the firm, so it'll blow over.” You tried to reassure him, a lump in your throat, knowing Henry's concern was well placed, but you also wondered why he was even interested in you because of it.

“Anyway, all that's just boring and depressing, what've you been doing all day?” You asked, putting a light and cheery tone in your voice.

Henry laughed, smiling shyly. “I don't know how exciting what I've been doing all day really is.” He admitted, picking at the blanket next to him. “I just met up with my agent about a couple of possible role opportunities and discussed the future of a few roles I'm already tied to.” He explained, resting his head back against the headboard.

“Anything you're excited about?” You asked, hugging a pillow to your chest.

“Maybe.” He sighed, tilting his head as he thought about it. “There's a possible war movie out in Jordan, I've been specifically asked to play a part in. I'd play a Captain in the Special Forces during the 2003 Iraq war.”

“That sounds like it would be a lot of fun.” You replied, propping your feet up on the coffee table and flexing your swollen toes. “If not a tad demanding, it's hot out in the desert.” You chuckled, smirking.

Henry chuckled back at you. “Yeah, it definitely is that.” He agreed, raking a hand through his hair. “And relations aren’t great over there, from what I've heard either. So, it is a tad dangerous, but I do like how the character reads on the script.”

“Well, if they can keep you safe and you like the character, is there anything stopping you from taking it?” You asked, lifting an arm as Ghost came to lay his head on your lap.

“Nope.” He replied, shaking his head. “It doesn't start filming for about a month, and it'll take two or three to film. So, it shouldn't take too much to do.” He said, slowly licking his lips.

“Then, I say go for it.” You said, stroking between Ghost's ears.

“I think I will.” Henry grinned, relaxing against the headboard. “I come home soon.” He said softly, just in case you didn't hear him.

“Do you?” You replied, drawing lazy patterns in Ghost's fur.

“I do.” He answered a little bit louder, before pausing.

You looked down at Ghost and felt your stomach flutter, then felt a shy confidence wash over you. “I think Ghost wants to take Kal up on that Doggy Date.” You said, pressing your lips together and shaking your head, feeling so silly.

You just managed to ask Superman, himself, out.

Henry chuckled, bashfully, grinning like a schoolboy asked out to the dance. “Kal would love that.” He told you, his eyes flickering to the sleeping Bear at the foot of the bed. “We'll be back in a week. We can discuss a good time to meet up, whenever.” He suggested, excited about going out with you.

“Sounds like a plan.” You agreed, letting out a soft breath.

Henry was starting to grow worried, and if he was honest, a bit paranoid. He had returned back to home three days ago, and up until then, you and him texted as usual, you had even spoken on the phone again several times. But the night before he returned, he told you good night, like always, but unlike always, you never replied back, you didn't even read his message.

He paced the mews, a million scenarios bubbling over in his mind.

“What if something's happened to her?” He said, ranting at Kal. “She typically walks to The Tube after she gets off work, what if she'd gotten mugged and she's in the hospital. Perhaps her phone's dead, but why the hell would her phone be dead for three days straight. That's ridiculous.”

A sick feeling washed over Henry and his shoulders slowly relaxed.

“Or she's ghosted me.” He sighed, face falling and stopping in place. “I suppose I can't blame her. Being a celebrity is a pain in the ass on a good day, but being associated with one is just as big a pain in the ass, or she sufficiently got me to relax with her enough and she'll be posting everything we talked about online.” He shook his head and slapped his hands against his thighs and began pacing again.

“No, she wouldn't do that! She's not like that, I just—I just feelit. There's something wrong, there must be something wrong. But...”

It suddenly punched Henry square in the brain what was wrong and he felt like a complete moron for not realizing it first, the two of you had never openly spoken about it, it was the quiet acknowledgment, the bombshell in your 'about me' that had almost cause Henry not to swipe up on you.

“I'm such a fucking idiot! Of course, she would be terrified about meeting me like this, talking and texting on the fucking phone is one thing, but meeting in person makes it real and concrete.” He rambled, scrambling to find his phone and dialed your number, half hoping you would answer it, but knew you probably wouldn't.

However, he prayed you would listen to his voicemail.

“Hey, I know I've been messaging you, and you're clearly not reading them, and I know you watched this call ring, and ignored it. But—God, I hope you listen to this.” He paused, licking his lips and carded a shaky hand through his curls, he was about to make a potentially life changing move. “I know why you're ghosting me, and I want you to know that I don't care. If I had cared, I would have never swiped up on you. But I did, because I saw something in you, I feel something with you. I don't know what the hell it is and I want to know what it is. If you would only give me a chance to.” He cleared his throat and took a deep breath.

“But I'm serious, when I tell you, that I don't care that you're pregnant.” He declared, his voice softening. “Another man's baby or not. I just want a chance to prove myself, and that, to you.” He said, his back straightening as he did.

“Please.”

[capricornwriter5]

OUR SEESAW - Chapter 5

Pairing: Min Yoongi x female OC

Genre: idol au, Suga X female OC, smut, fluff, angst, college romance, friends to lovers, exes to lovers, happy ending. ⚠️Warning: mentions of mental health affections, drugs

Words: 4k

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Chapter 5 - The Truth Untold

Yoongi's inquiry gaze scanned each one of the girl's reactions to scenarios so foreign from what she was used to. Yoongi could picture the places Emmy frequented, but the truth was that not even imagining them he could have an idea of the reality, there were things about Emmy that would turn out to be wildly surprising for him.

The streets where they walked that night were not made with the expensive cobblestones of the most refined boulevards in Seoul, nor did the shop windows were trimmed with designers clothes. The streets that Yoongi and Emmy used to step on were from different worlds, hers, taken from magazines and his, from real life.

Even so, the neighborhood had its magic and Emmy was the first to notice it, since she hadn't stopped smiling looking attentively at every detail around her.

"Look, tteokbokki! It looks delicious, can we go there?" She asked grabbing Yoongi's arm and making him stop. The girl was pointing out a street food stall, it was so small that there was barely room for the owner, his grill, and a table with two chairs.

The pianist looked at her thinking it was a joke, but she kept insisting. 

“The roof is falling and it's starting to snow. I don't think that's a good idea."

Emmy's disappointed face aroused such a new pang and discomfort in Yoongi that he ignored how to interpret it. He had never felt anything like that, and the first thing he agreed to do was fulfill Emmy's wish. The musician did not even suspect that he felt distressed for not being able to please her. However, when he was about to accept eating there, she kept walking. Emmy had noticed something in a store window that had caught her attention. In seconds, she had already left her companion behind and was looking with a stunning smile an object Yoongi couldn't see until he reached her side.

"Do you like cherry trees?" The pianist asked looking at the jewelry box that she was gawping at. It seemed to be quite simple, but the pink details that it had made it stand out from the rest.

"I love them. I had a similar jewelry box when I was a child. Someone who loved cherry trees gave it to me, someone very special to me. It's a pity the store is closed, I'd buy it.” The memory of her grandfather resulted in a sigh through which undeniable melancholy and sadness came out.

“You can come later. Although they may not seem so attractive, these streets have their charm. They're full of those trees."

"Really?" Emmy said recovering her smile.

"We can come so you can see them." He offered without realizing he was already making plans with Emm. Yoongi did not even plan anything with Jin, his closest friend. 

"I'd love it." 

The couple didn't need to walk far when they found the restaurant Yoongi had chosen. To tell the truth, it could barely be called a restaurant, it didn't have a sign or the typical lights of one of these places. It had absolutely nothing flashy on the outside to make people think they could eat there, and on the inside, it wasn't like all the other places anyone would know, much less Emmy. It was like walking into the living room of an old house. The decoration was minimalist, even the tables, for they were made for a maximum of four people. Undoubtedly, the appeal of the place was its cozy and intimate atmosphere, or so the girl thought, since she had not yet tasted how delicious the food was.

There weren't many people, so Yoongi and Emmy had no problem choosing the table they liked the most, and it was precisely the farthest of all.

"You DO like privacy." Emmy commented as she sat down on a comfortable cushion. “How did you find this place?”

“I can't take that credit, it was Jin, my roommate. Since he found it, he eats here at least once a week. When we come together, we always order the barbecue. Would you like to try it?”

Emmy glanced around, but there didn't seem to be any waiter who could cook their meat. Yoongi laughed at the look of confusion on her face, it was so obvious that he had taken her to a place she didn't frequent...

"Don't worry, Emm, I'll cook."

She watched carefully how the pianist did everything, it was so easy for him to make sure the food was at its exact point just by looking at its color and smelling its scent. 

"You make it look like it's the simplest thing to do. I tried to do it once with a friend, but we ended up ruining everything. No joke..." She confessed while he laughed. 

"You're right, it's not that easy. When I started to learn how to cook, I made so many mistakes that I was afraid of burning the kitchen.”  

"You, Min Yoongi making mistakes? Is that possible?"

"You don't know how possible it is," Yoongi said offering her a little piece of meat. "Go on, taste it." The handsome pianist brought the food to her lips, waiting for her to open her mouth, a gesture Emmy wasn't expecting but accepted without hesitation. 

However, Yoongi's deep gaze waiting for her to tell him what she thought made Emmy forget that she was eating, the girl was dumbfounded looking at him. It couldn't be true that he looked that good-looking while cooking; his attractiveness increased enormously when he played the piano, and now it turned out that it also happened when he cooked. 

Focusing on the musician's beauty, she did not notice the moment when a bottle of soju appeared in Yoongi's hand.

"Oh no, no, no! Get that away from me." She said as Yoongi was pouring some soju on her beer. "You don't want to see me after drinking that, I can barely manage to stay calm with a beer, don't ask me to mix it with soju." 

"Don't you like to drink?"

“It's not that I don't like it, it's that I can't. Hobi says I never developed a tolerance for alcohol, and I think he's right."

Automatically assuming that “Hobi” was her boyfriend, Yoongi raised his eyebrows. “Have you known him for long?"

“Let me count… approximately seven years.”

"That's too long. Maybe he's the one who doesn't know how to drink. Why don't you try it with me?"

"Such a bad influence."

The girl ended up doing it, and while she enjoyed the combination of the two types of alcohol, Yoongi brought a napkin closer to her.

"For your lipstick." Emmy did not get the comment nor the reason why Yoongi had lowered his gaze and fixed it on the bottle of soju. "The one that you're using, you know... the usual."

She had started to learn how to read his body language, including his tone of voice, she knew that when his voice went deeper than usual, he was feeling embarrassed just as he was talking at that moment. 

"I'm not using any" She replied. "Actually, I think I've never used one to go to classes." 

"Oh, that's weird... they always look so... colorful." He tried to say while clearing his throat.  

Emm's laugh broke the tension, it was a tender giggle, sweet enough to make Yoongi laugh too, although he had no idea why they were doing it. As always, the spontaneous personality of the girl managed to relax Yoongi and forget about his lack of social skills. 

“And what about you? Now that I think about it, you rarely talk, or I talk too much. Yes, it must be that.”

“I'd say a combination of both, Jin says I don't speak, so it's not just you. But what do you want to know?" He asked drinking the shot of soju as if it were water, obviously, he did have the capacity to enjoy drinking liquor.

"I don't know, so far you're a mystery. What should I know about Min Yoongi?"

"What should you know?" He repeated thinking about it. “You know I like music, but I don't just play piano, I also play guitar. I have several jobs and live with Jin. I'm from Daegu and I have an older brother. Yes, I think that's what you need to know."

"So, no spicy things?"

"Spicy?" He asked with a smirk. 

"Yeah, weird things that you like, or maybe something big like you're married, but nobody knows it."

Yoongi laughed even more and shook his head. 

"I'm single." He clarified. "How about you?"

Emmy was waiting to hear that Yoongi had secret hobbies, or something related to his life, she was joking when she mentioned the marriage; however, his answer surprised her in a good way. What shocked her, even more, was his question. The girl did not expect him to show interest in her love life.

"I'm single too." She answered before taking another sip. 

"I was asking about your weird things."

"Shit..." She thought coughing, the alcohol got stuck in her throat thanks to Yoongi's comment. Yet, the smirk on his face when he noticed her uncomfortable, led Emmy to throw the napkin directly to his chest.

"You idiot!" She laughed. "You need to talk clearer!"

"But it's nice to know it, though..."

The couple drank simultaneously, but that time, the girl finished with her drink and Yoongi refilled it without losing his smile, something weird on him, he was not used to doing such a thing. 

“Weird things about me..."

"Besides entering through windows and stalking people."

Despite being so new, Yoongi's gummy smile was something Emmy could easily get used to, for just as hers brightened up the nights of the mysterious musician, his showed the girl how it felt when someone genuinely enjoyed her company. It wasn't that she didn't feel it with her friends, but with Yoongi it was different, it was more... real, more wholesome. 

"Let me clarify something, I've never stalked anyone, not even you, you bighead! And second, I'm not as weird as you think, I enjoyed simple things. Besides studying law and liking the piano, I don't think there's much to tell.”

"Are you kidding, Emm? I made you a summary of my life, and you only give me that? This isn't fair."

Yoongi's claim made Emmy chuckle, she had never seen him truly interested in a conversation, or at least she hadn't seen him concentrate on anything other than a piano.

“Okay, okay, let's try again. I have an older sister. Everyone in my family is a lawyer, I think I had little choice but to follow the tradition. I've lived alone for a long time, even before I finished middle school.”

"Did your parents accept that?" Yoongi knew that he had asked something inappropriate when he saw how Emmy's face darkened, and immediately a wry smile appeared. "Sorry, that was..."

“As long as I can continue with the family business and I don't give them any more pain in their necks, the rest doesn't matter much to them.”

Yoongi didn't talk and what anyone would have interpreted as a lack of interest, Emmy knew how to read perfectly, the pianist had remained silent to pay attention to her and wait patiently in case she commented on something else. Seeing that the girl preferred to leave the subject there, Yoongi continued with another conversation.

"You said you enjoy simple things, like what?"

“I like spending time with my friends, going out with them, they're really funny. They're like my family. Nara, Woosung, and Hobi have been part of my life for years, I owe them so much." 

Yoongi understood what she was saying, because even though he had never said something like that about Jin and Namjoon, he was also thankful for having them in his life. He was aware of how hard he could get sometimes, and how close he was with his things, but he also acknowledged how many times Jin and Namjoon had tried to help him. Yet, accepting that there were people whose hearts were genuinely kind and selfless was unthinkable for the pianist, his previous experiences were everything but pleasant. 

Yoongi's interest in hearing more from her made Emm continue talking. 

"I love reading, it relaxes me and makes me think about other things. It helps me quiet my mind, sometimes the last thing I want is to keep listening to my thoughts." Aware of how depressive that last sounded, she apologized. "Let's talk more about you. Is there anything else you like other than music?”

"Drinking, that also helps silence those voices we don't want to hear." He said smiling back at her and showing her how much he agreed with her comment. “My dad has a wood workshop, he taught me to carve since I was a child. From time to time, I do some things.”

"That's a surprise, I wouldn't have expected you to carve wood."

"Why not?"

"Your hands," Emm answered looking at them and Yoongi did too, not understanding what his hands had. “They're very soft, and you have no scars.”

Yoongi smiled shyly and soon they were talking about other things. Although the musician was shy at first, he had a charming and interesting personality at the same time. It was simply impossible for Emmy not to want to know more about him and that is how she asked him who had taught him everything he knew about music. To her surprise, he had taught himself pretty much everything he knew up to that point, which made Emmy admire and respect him even more than before.

They both ordered more food and something else to drink while they continued talking without realizing how quickly time began to pass, if it hadn't been for Yoongi's cell phone alarm ringing, making him remember that he had to go to work, they would have continued at that dinner until they shut down the site.

"Thanks for the food, but you shouldn't have paid for everything." The boy said very embarrassed, they were already saying goodbye outside the restaurant.

"I told you I wanted to thank you for letting me stay and for putting up with me all these days."

“You say that as if it was something difficult to do.”

“I, well… I know you told me no, but could you think about it? Could you reconsider being my professor?” Yoongi wanted to say no, all his impulses and even intuition led him to say no, but that refusal didn't come out of his lips.

For a few seconds, he looked at her intently, until some familiar laughter caught his attention, and he could see how Jin and Namjoon were walking together, which was not at all strange considering how much Jin loved that restaurant and that much of his free time was spent with Namjoon.

“I apologize in advance for what you're going to hear,” Yoongi said sighing. “Those two who are walking over here are my friends.”

"No way! So, today was the day to run into a lot of your friends.”

"I don't have that many friends, but it seems that you already know them all."

"Is that Yoongi's girlfriend?" Namjoon asked trying to look casual while he continued walking. 

However, prudence was something that only Namjoon possessed, for Jin was giggling and unable to speak. 

"I hope so!"

The boy almost ran toward the couple with a mischievous smile; however, the gesture on the pianist's face warned Jin to stop. The girl burst out laughing, she never imagined seeing Yoongi as expressive and disgusted by something as he was at that moment.

"Hello!" Jin greeted offering his hand without waiting for his friend to introduce them. "Nice to meet you, I'm Kim Seokjin, Yoongi's roommate, and this is Kim Namjoon."

“Oh! So you’re Jin!” The girl greeted, receiving his hand. "My name’s Emmy, I've heard a lot about you, and also about you," Emm commented smiling at Namjoon.

"Are you the gloves girl?" Jin asked while Namjoon just closed his eyes before seeing Yoongi's reaction.

"Am I what?" Right there Yoongi cleared his throat, warning Jin to stop talking.

"Yoongi, what if you introduce us in a better way so we can all ignore Jin?" Namjoon asked pushing his friend to the side.

After a rather cold introduction by Yoongi, Emmy met his best friends, but she didn't have much time to talk to them, because before paying for the food, she had already written to her driver to pick her up.

"You didn't tell me you were dating her!" Jin's words, as well as the push he gave his friend, brought him out of his thoughts.

"What are you saying? We're not dating."

"You must be kidding me" Namjoon replied. "Dude, what's wrong with you?"

"Nothing's wrong with me, we're just friends."

"Oh, shit! This is the first time that you say something like this! You MUST like her!"

"Stop, Namjoon... I..."

Namjoon was about to continue teasing him, but Jin interrupted them. "Am I the only one who noticed that she has a driver? I don't even have a bicycle!"

"Jin, why do you care?"

"Because our friend's gonna be a millionaire!"

“This is stupid. I've to work, see you at home.”

Leaving his friends with their mouths open and with claims that were heard even when Yoongi was going around the corner, the pianist left.

**********

Emmy arrived at the penthouse where she lived and, as usual, found nothing but luxury. Decorations that were worthless to her, a table of the most expensive wood lit by a chandelier that could easily be worth more than an average family's house. She also looked at her white and ridiculously clean chairs, she had never used them she did not like them. All the furniture had been designed exclusively for her apartment, a gift from her parents, but they never asked her whether she like it or not. If it weren't for the pictures she had with Hobi, Nara, and Woosung on a wall, that place would be completely insignificant to Emm.

The kitchen was the perfect example of what any person would dream to have in their house, it was stunning, yet, she never cooked; in fact, Emmy did not have the slightest clue of what the drawers contained. The sole thing she cared about was her plants, it was only from them that she could feel a little company.

Continuing down the hall decorated with paintings by renowned artists, there was a guest room, a study room, and the girl's favorite place, the library. However, that day Emm didn't want to escape reality through her books, she was in a good mood, the dinner with Yoongi had left a smile on her face, so she went up the marble stairs to her room, which occupied the entire second floor.

The girl walked through the double doors that led to her walk-in closet, which was the dream of anyone who loved fashion, as there were unique pieces from designers from all over the world. However, the girl took the only thing without a fancy label: some smiley face pajamas that Hoseok had given her last Christmas. 

Then, Emm opened the small refrigerator that she had in her room, and taking out a bottle of mineral water, she walked to some glass doors. Pulling them, she breathed in the cool air coming in from her balcony and dropped into a recliner. She would have stayed there for hours if it hadn't been for her cell phone ringing.

"What's up, Hobby?" She greeted with a smile.

"You're wearing my pajamas!"

"If I could, I'd go to class with them."

“You should do it, I'd pay to see that," Hobi answered giggling. "I called you before, were you with the actor?"

“Nope, I was with Yoongi.” Emm's smile and response caused her best friend to hold his cell phone so close that Emmy could only see his nostrils.

"What?! I want to know everything!”

"Okay, but put your cell phone away, I don't want to see your snot."

They were talking for a while in which only the dancer's applause and laughter were heard, but all that changed when Emmy read a message from her other friend.

Woosung. 11:15 p.m. “Bivouac?

Emmy felt a lurch in her stomach as she read that. It was a word, just one, but it contained so much... enough to turn the girl's life upside down. 

"Emm?"

"Sorry, sorry. What did you say?"

“That Nara wants us to go to karaoke, but Woosung hasn't read the messages in the chat." 

"He just wrote to me."

"Well, tell him that we'll see him there."

"I don't know if he'll go, I think he has other plans." Emm's nervousness revealed to Hobi the plans she was talking about. His demeanor also changed, in a matter of seconds, his face took on such seriousness and concern that he didn't look like himself.

**********

A few hours later, Hoseok, Nara, Woosung, and Emmy were leaving the karaoke, they had a great time, they had as much fun as every time the four of them were together. But the atmosphere around the group changed when Nara and Hoseok heard the other two's plans.

“Don't you guys want to come with us? I promise it won't be a wild night, I have a recording session tomorrow." Woosung said.

"How about we go somewhere else?" Nara asked.

“No, Nara, please! One of my best friends will be the DJ tonight."

"The guy from Amsterdam?" Hoseok asked, and judging by his tone of voice and gaze when Woosung nodded, his concern was getting even bigger. 

"You know what I think of that place and that guy."

Hobi's seriousness wasn't something people saw every day, but when he felt that his friends might be in some kind of danger, he reacted like that. Yet, it had been years trying to make Woosung and Emmy react, and not only him, Nara had also tried, but neither of them had achieved anything. The same thing happened that night when they both watched as Woosung and Emmy got into the boy's car and drove away.

“I think next time it'd be best not to tell them. The musician broke the silence, until that moment, he had driven in silence. "I don't understand why they get in that mood, it's not a big deal."

Emm looked at Woosung and then sighted. The four of them had similar personalities. They were friendly, funny, and outgoing people. They were always the life and soul of any party they went to, so seeing one of them with a serious face was something especially rare. 

"It's weird when Hobi doesn't like someone, I think this is the first time."

"Maybe it wasn't a good day for him." Woosung answered turning on the radio and to his surprise, they were playing one of his songs, which made them forget Hobi's warning. 

"Oh my god! You're getting famous! My friend is famous!"

"Shut up! You have way more famous friends," Woosung said laughing.

“But so far you’re my favorite.”

“So far?”

“Just kidding, you know I love you.”

“Oh, come on! Don’t be cheesy and tell me more about the date with your dear pianist."

**********

Unfortunately for Yoongi, his boss couldn't double his working hours. His boss appreciated him for always being so responsible, though, so he made an exception and would let him work nights for a few more hours, but that would only be for a few days, a couple of weeks at most. Back home, he sat down to think about what to do, he was not someone who easily lost his temper; in fact, few things could disturb him, but there was no doubt that his mother's health was a serious matter. Although he had left home when he was very young, he always kept an eye on his parents, in his own way, of course, Yoongi was not the type of person who would call every day to chat.

For a while, he was thinking about options while he drank some whiskey, it had been a gift from Namjoon, a very fine whiskey that he only drank from time to time, especially when he rehearsed at home. Yoongi had already sat down with the guitar in his arms to be able to relax a bit and clear his mind, but that didn't last long when Jin had returned with Namjoon and with them, all the questions regarding Emmy emerged.

"I've already explained it to you many times." Said the musician fed up with the young actor's questions.

“Did you see her Cartier watch, her Birkin bag? What about her Chanel clothes? Everything she was wearing was from the latest collection! And don't even get me started on the diamonds on her bracelets and earrings!" Namjoon was the first to laugh when he heard the analysis his friend had done.

“How do you know all that? You still buy the fashion magazines, right?" Yoongi asked laughing, imagining his friend sitting drinking tea while reading the magazines he liked so much. "Besides, how did you notice that by just seeing her for a few minutes?"

“One second is enough to realize that she's rich. If you get married to her, you won't have to worry about it for the rest of your life."

"Jin, what kind of thought is that?" Namjoon asked offended.

"A practical one."

“It doesn't matter if the girl has money or not, just how Yoongi feels about her, and I saw him very happy. I mean, since when do you have dates when you should be working?” Namjoon asked with a mischievous smile.

“It wasn't a date, it was more of a farewell. I told her that there would be no more practices and she asked me to be her piano professor, but I said no.”

“Did so much alcohol drown your neurons? Why not? Isn't that the same thing you've been doing?" Namjoon asked while Jin just wanted to hit the musician on the head.

“It had nothing to do with classes, she just listened to me while I practiced, I didn't teach her anything. You know what? Forget it, enough with this topic, I need to find another job soon.”

“Did you get fired from one of the thousands you have?” Jin asked.

"No, but I need more money, Geumjae called today, mom needs a doctor soon."

Namjoon and Jin looked at each other, both thinking the same thing but deciding which of the two would tell him, as delicate as Yoongi was, offering help was never something he welcomed. In the end, as an unspoken agreement, Jin was the one to speak.

“I can lend you what I've saved.”

"No," said the musician bluntly. "I appreciate it, but you also have a lot of expenses, you can't run out of your savings."

“Yoongi, use this opportunity, you like the girl, you can't say no to me because otherwise, you wouldn't have let her listen to you all this time. It won't be hard to teach someone you like, plus I guess the pay will be good."

"Namjoon, you should be the last one to tell me to accept something like that."

“Dude, not all experiences have to be so bad, she doesn't look like a bad person. You're missing a very good opportunity.”

"Yoongi, Namjoon's right," Jin said taking a serious look. “If you don't want to accept our help, don't be stupid and proud. That girl’s offering you a job and that's what you need. Not everyone who comes to you is going to let you down.”

The musician ended the topic when he got up from the chair to pour himself more liquor and for a while, no one spoke, until Jin decided to break the tension.

“If you're not interested in her, can I ask her out? If I'm already handsome, now imagine if I were a millionaire, I'd be unstoppable."

"Unstoppably stupid, yes, I imagine so," Yoongi replied opening the door to his room to be alone.

"Hey! I'm older than you, respect me!"

In the solitude and quiet of his room, Yoongi flopped onto the bed. What was he supposed to do? How would he help his mother? How would he continue with his musical studies? Was it time to accept that his dream was too unreal, too unattainable? No, not yet… not good enough yet, far from it. He had to try harder, he was not going to abandon his dream, no matter what it cost him, he would achieve it.

However, Yoongi's determination was far from being an enviable characteristic, it was a double-edged sword, his scourge. While motivating him to keep going, it pushed so much of himself that there were days when Yoongi hated being like that. There were days when he felt that he was not running towards success, but that he was fleeing from a shadow that oppressed him and demanded that he reach the top.

At the same time that Yoongi felt how that shadow, now named anxiety, was approaching to accompany him all night, Emmy sank into what offered her a type of freedom that really didn't exist. Those hours of freedom and furor were expensive, expensive enough that not even she had the way to pay for it.

Both had numerous hidden and unspoken truths that they had never accepted out loud. For years none had been able to see the light they had within and how valuable they truly were. However, fortunately all that would change.

➳ Next Chapter

[ultraintrovertedgryffindor]

Trauma Nightmares - Ben Miller (Escape Room)

I believe I will be at least one of the first people to make an x reader for this character, which is like, unacceptable. Ben is a cinnamon roll and deserves more love. Get👏🏻with👏🏻the👏🏻program👏🏻sheeple

! ! ! Spoilers for the Escape Room movies ! ! !

~~~~~~~~~~

(my gif)

You awoke to the sound of whimpering.

At first, your thoughts immediately went to your dog, maybe he needed to go out? But as you gained more consciousness, you realized it wasn't your dog at all.

You looked over to see your boyfriend's sleeping form in the dark, but you quickly noticed that something was wrong.

You quickly turned on your bedside lamp, illuminating Ben's face to show you his face contorted in a fearful expression, his eyes shut tightly and his fists clenching. He was whimpering and whispering words that only sounded muffled to you.

He was having another nightmare.

As soon as you saw tears streaming down his face, you gently shook him. "Ben." You said as softly as possible, caressing his face. He woke with a jolt, grabbing you by your shoulders tightly, wildly looking around the room in a panic. "Hey, it's okay. It's okay."

Ben was still tense, but his panicked look calmed when his eyes finally landed on your concerned face. He slowly released the vice grip he had on your shoulders. The tension finally being released made you want to wince, but you stayed quiet because you knew he'd feel awful about hurting you, even unintentionally.

Ben frantically ran his fingers through his tangled hair, exhaling a loud shuddering breath.

You took hold of his hand, bringing it up to place a kiss on his knuckles. "It was just a dream."

Ben frowned, "Yeah..."

It was more than just a dream. It was a memory that was even more fucked up being replicated by his subconscious every time he closed his eyes. There were nights where it wasn't so bad, but it was almost always the same...

Ben was in a large room, every inch decorated in a way that would make you think you were in a rich person's mansion. The walls covered with ornate looking wallpaper, the burning fireplace giving the gold patterns a reflective shine. It felt cramped, fancy furniture filling the room that emitted an old, sweet musk that permeated his nostrils. It might've been a cool place to hang out in, if only he wasn't trying to fight for his life.

The walls were closing in as Ben's mental timer counted down, only seconds away from getting crushed to death along with all the expensive looking and fragile furniture, pieces of splintering wood getting lodged in his skin and shards of glass from the chandelier quickly slicing flesh and making him bleed a bright red.

Ben thought he had gotten all the clues, he could've sworn the code for the door was correct. But the walls didn't stop pushing further and further in. The doors wouldn't open. There was no escape. He could never escape...

But he did. He did escape that wretched Minos building and he was here with you, the sweet scent of your freshly washed hair relaxed him more than you could ever know. Just you sitting with him was enough most of the time, he appreciated you so much.

Ben allowed his eyes to close when he felt your soft skin against his, gently running your thumb across his knuckles. Sometimes he wondered if you were an actual angel sent down to help him overcome his PTSD, it felt like it in moments like these.

"Do you want to talk about it?" You voiced softly.

Ben slightly shook his head. "It's the same as always. There would be no point."

You noticed the sweat stains on his shirt and came up with an idea. "How about I run you a hot bath?"

Ben looked at you. "Why?"

You offered a small smile. "It'll help soothe you." And without another word, you pushed your duvet off and stood on the cool carpet, walking to the joint bathroom without waiting for an answer from Ben.

You turned the valve almost all the way to the left, got water soon flowing out of the faucet and quickly filling up the tub. You stepped back into the room to see Ben blankly staring off into space, most likely thinking about his dream over and over again like he usually does.

You didn't understand what he was going through, because you were never in that type of situation. You were never trapped in those escape rooms, and you hoped you never would. The way Ben described it to you, you wouldn't wish it on your worst enemy. You wished you knew exactly what he needed, but alas, you weren't a psychologist and you felt helpless when it came to his nightmares/flashbacks. But you did research soothing techniques for people with PTSD, and it helped some.

Whenever Ben had a horrible nightmare and couldn't escape his own head, he'd allow you to take the lead and you'd try your best to help calm his mind. And tonight, it was a hot bath.

You lead Ben into the bathroom like a toddler, gently undressing him and slowly easing him down to sit in the tub. You smiled softly when you heard him let out a sigh, the hot water feeling like heaven against his skin. But he didn't have to say anything to let you know he wanted you to sit with him, his big green puppy dog eyes were practically begging you.

You quickly undressed, not as gracefully as you undressed Ben, but you soon placed yourself to sit behind him. You wrapped your arms around his torso, and he instinctually relaxed against you, your warm skin proving to be more soothing than the hot water that engulfed the two of you.

You soon entangled your fingers in Ben's long, blonde locks, gently working out the knots from his bedhead and massaging his scalp. You smiled softly when you heard him let out a whiny sigh, feeling the muscles in his back finally untensing in your embrace.

"I hate these fuckin' goddamn nightmares..." Ben voiced.

"I know." You frowned, giving a soft kiss to his shoulder. "I know...I wish I could do more to help you."

Ben turned his head to look at you. "Hey..." He brought his hand up to caress your cheek. "Just being here, with me, is more than enough. I honestly don't think I'd be able to keep my sanity if it weren't for you."

You gently shook your head. "You're strong, Ben. You would be okay."

Ben frowned, turning his head back to stare forward. "I'm not as strong as you think I am."

"You are strong. I wouldn't even survive the stress of a situation like that."

"You'd never know until you were in that place. That was the whole point of that goddamn murder maze. Seeing what someone is capable of when their life is on the line." He huffed, tensing once again at the thought of being back at Minos.

You hugged him tighter, laying your head on his shoulder. "You won't have to deal with that evil place ever again, okay? You're safe now."

Ben chuckled bitterly. "Zoey wants me to fly to Manhattan with her, to try and take down Minos. I don't the universe has much safety in store for me any time soon."

"Ben, I thought we talked about this. You don't have to feel obligated to go with Zoey when you want to move on. It's not your fault if she's still stuck there."

"She saved my life. I owe her everything."

You sighed, you knew you couldn't talk him out of it. Now, life debts, you could understand well enough. Zoey was a sweet girl, a bit intense, but for a good reason. If Ben was going to help her take down Minos, you wanted to help too.

"I'm going with you."

Ben's eyes widened, quickly shaking his head, turning around in the tub to face you. "No. No, you can't. It's too dangerous. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to you."

"And I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something bad happened to you. If you're going, I'm going too, and you can't talk me out of it."

"Y/n..."

"I love you, Ben. And I'll be damned if I don't do anything I can to help you." You finally snapped.

Ben blushed, his lip trembling slightly as tears built up his in eyes once again. "I don't want you to go through what I had to. Minos is run by psychopaths and they'll do anything to people for money. I just want you to be safe, at any cost...I've never felt that way about someone before..."

You smiled softly, leaning towards him and placing your hands on his cheeks before fully connecting your lips with his. "As long as we're together," You started once you pulled away, "I believe we'll be okay."

Ben finally nodded, enveloping you in a tight hug and releasing a shaky sigh. "I hope so..."

~~~~~~~~~~

Ben is my boy, he is very precious so me😊

[lepusrufus]

Double edged scalpel ch.5

Ch.1 Ch.2 Ch.3 Ch.4

Summary: someone please give Nicole a break for the love of Miranda. And there be smut y'all

---

Seeing Cassandra's softer side made something flutter within Nicole's chest. The brunette was a sadist through and through. Witness to that fact was the array of torture devices that littered the dungeons. Not to mention the prisoners she frequently killed, only to haul them on the autopsy tables in her study to be examined, chopped and sectioned by the both of them.

But there was an uncharacteristic sort of gentleness in the way their lips slid against each other, sharp teeth occasionally biting down on Nicole's lower lip but never enough to draw blood. In the way Cassandra would drag sharp nails against flushed skin, but not go beyond the pleasurable amount of pain. Even the glint in golden eyes when Nicole went over some old notes of hers on more tricky anatomy concepts. Having an exclusive look at this side of Cassandra felt beyond intimate and the thought almost made her miss when the brunette spoke from where she was leaning over a notebook.

"Okay let's just wrap this up, I have plans."

Nicole hummed, dropping the liver she was holding in a freezer bag. Most body parts were already bagged and ready to be picked up by Cynthia and her undercooks, they were just putting into practice some things the brunette was curious about. She dropped the now blood soaked leather gloves in the sink and went to sit by Cassandra, who was scribbling some final notes.

"In that case I'll go enjoy a cup of tea," she sighed. "Tea that I had to skip because someone was eager to start on this early."

Cassandra raised an eyebrow at her, accompanied by her usual smirk. "I meant plans with you."

Oh? That was new. The brunette laughed at Nicole's wide eyed expression and snapped her notebook shut. She took her sweet time putting it on the shelf with the others and checking the time, pretending not to notice the redhead's inquisitive expression. Then, she lifted Nicole’s chin with a thankfully not covered in blood finger.

"Don't get me wrong I love it here but," she grimaced, "it gets stuffy sometimes. Especially in summer."

Well, that much was true. The undergrounds of the castle were oddly warm, although not downright hot, compared to what one would expect from a castle. Pair that with the annoyingly humid atmosphere and having to wear a leather apron and gloves so as to not completely ruin your outfit and you got the perfect recipe for discomfort. She really ought to ask Cassandra about installing some kind of better ventilation down here.

"Meet me in the attic in about… an hour." She leaned down and their mouths were so close that Nicole could feel icy breath on her lips.

The attic? She's never been to the attic, it was not only off limits for most staff but also dangerous if rumors were to be believed. Not that she had the clarity of mind to voice any concerns when Cassandra finally leaned in to kiss her, complete with a nip on her lower lip that made Nicole’s breath hitch.

---

The fact that Nicole had no idea how to get to the attic could be a slight problem. She had asked Anita, but not only did she not know, she also seemed mortified by the idea. Another maid just gave her vague directions to look for a ladder on the top floor. As if that wasn't like trying to find the needle in a haystack. Or the needle in a giant castle.

She was just wandering around the top floor, praying not to stumble upon anyone who would be less than thrilled to see her there. A sigh of relief escaped past her lips when she heard familiar buzzing and steps coming towards her.

"Oh Cas-" she swallowed her words when she noticed red hair spilling from underneath a black hood.

"Nicole! What are you doing here hmm?" Her inquisitive hum was way too exaggerated the same way her fangs seemed too sharp when she grinned.

"I was just looking for Ca- lady Cassandra. She asked me to meet her in the attic."

Daniela's mouth fell open, almost forming an O shape. Then back to her characteristic giggle, almost as if laughing at a joke only she knew.

"What, you don't know how to get there?"

"...Not really," she sheepishly admitted.

And that was a mistake. Nicole would've preferred to wander the hallways until Cassandra eventually got bored enough of waiting and decided to come see where her glorified lab partner was. But her plan was ruined by Daniela wordlessly grabbing her arm and pulling her in the opposite direction she was going in. She even went the extra mile to partially turn into a swarm, which made Nicole's panic skyrocket. She didn't mind bugs. But having hundreds of them fly all around you, accompanied by manic giggling was a whole other thing.

Before she knew it though, Daniela let go of her arm, laughing a little at Nicole's stumbling. She gestured dramatically towards a ladder and said:

"There you go. Say hi to Cassie for me."

"Th- thank you my lady." And with a small bow of the head she grabbed the ladder and started ascending on shaky legs.

"And enjoy your date," she called out, once Nicole was at the top of the stairs.

Blushing, she decided to ignore the comment and start looking for the sister less likely to turn her into fly food.

The attic looked… old. It was obvious that people didn't come here often, although someone probably did clean it regularly as there were no cobwebs nor dirt on any surfaces, aside from some dust. It was full of neatly arranged boxes and crates, their contents as mysterious as the castle's inhabitants. Tentative steps took her across ancient floorboards, navigating old rooms.

"Rah!"

Nicole damn near jumped out of her skin, a string of curses spilling past her lips. "Jesus fucking christ Cassandra!"

The brunette only laughed, hands on her knees and pretending to wipe a tear from her eye.

"That's what you get for making me wait for so long."

"I didn't even know where the attic entrance was! Good thing one of your sisters came to my rescue." Nicole rolled her eyes at the last word.

Cassandra stopped laughing, eyes narrowing slightly. "Which one?"

"Uh- Danie-"

"Did she hurt you?" Cassandra grabbed her arms, golden eyes looking for any visible injuries.

Nicole just laughed softly, taken off guard by the display of concern. "No, no. Just gave me a bit of a fright, that's all."

With an eye roll, Cassandra guided her further into the attic, through more dusty rooms, until they reached a short corridor, light spilling from its other end. The room they entered was relatively small, almost half of it occupied by stacked boxes as if it used to be a storage room like the rest of the attic and nobody bothered to completely clear it out. A few pieces of furniture were also present: a couch with a coffee table in front of it and paintings leaning against a wall to collect dust. This room however had a window, left slightly ajar, that allowed you to see the mountains stretching on the horizon, crowned by the beautiful orange hues of dusk.

Nicole moved to the glass to take in the view, mouth almost hanging open, when an ungodly screech from outside made her backpedal straight into Cassandra.

"What the fuck was that?" She asked, eyes widening at the sight of flying creatures circling the towers.

"Mother's flying guard dogs."

"They sound the same way I'd imagine the souls of the damned do." Nicole didn’t take her eyes off the ghoulish creatures, almost as if keeping eye contact would dissuade them from attacking.

Cassandra just shrugged. "Wouldn't be too far off. Also here." She sat on the couch, gesturing towards a cup.

Nicole went to sit by her side, grabbing the mystery cup. She frowned slightly when the steam reached her nose, bringing with it a pleasant minty and honey aroma.

"Tea?"

"Since you were so disheartened about having to skip it earlier," Cassandra averted her eyes, seemingly finding the curtains very interesting.

After a long sip, she let out a content sigh. The warmth was more than welcomed, despite the weather. She set the cup back on the table and turned her attention on the brunette, now fidgeting with the corner of a pillow.

"Thank you," Nicole said, leaving a small kiss on her cheek.

Cassandra smiled and turned around, locking their lips in a kiss that at first mimicked her gentleness, but soon turned hungry when dainty hands made their way to the brunette's nape, pulling her closer. She shifted them both, pushing Nicole down on the pillows littering the couch, until she was laying on top of her, legs on each side of her waist. Her focus was on leaving a trail of nips and kisses down Nicole's neck when the redhead jumped and barely stifled a yelp at another screech from outside.

"Ugh what the fuck is today, scare me out of my mind day?"

"How are you scared of these but countless dead bodies don't phase you?" Cassandra laughed, sound muffled by her position with her mouth against Nicole's neck.

"I used to work on corpses, not on ugly gargoyles that could chew my face off!" She gestured wildly at the window and the few creatures visible outside.

"You what?"

"You...didn't know?" Nicole couldn't help a giggle at Cassandra's confused expression.

"How was I supposed to know?"

"I thought your mother told you already. Or your sisters," Nicole shrugged.

"They knew?!" And, after something seemed to dawn on her, "Oh I'm gonna kick both their asses."

Nicole couldn’t help letting out a small laugh, placing her hands on Cassandra's cheeks and, with a pout for dramatic effect, "Right now?"

As much as the sight was both funny and endearing, the warmth starting to pool at her core was making her beyond impatient.

The indignation in golden eyes was replaced by an all too familiar glint and black painted lips went back to their work on Nicole's neck. Sharp fangs pierced the skin there, just enough to draw a few drops of blood and a whine. After licking every last bit of it, Cassandra's lips moved to the collarbones and lower, hands slowly starting to undo the buttons of Nicole's pesky uniform that was in the way.

When both the button up and the skirt were discarded on the floor Nicole tangled her fingers through black hair and pulled Cassandra in for a kiss. Her free hand went to the back of the dress, pulling down the zipper and guiding it off of the brunette's shoulders. Once both of them were left only in undergarments, Nicole pulled back to look up at the brunette.

"If I knew I was supposed to dress up I would've asked the chambermaid if there's anything fancy in the uniform stash," she said, taking in the beautifully intricate lace of Cassandra's matching bra and underwear, complete with a giggle at her awful joking.

The brunette only raised an eyebrow. "Mhm I can take care of that. Not like you'll need these for long though." Her hands reached under Nicole's back to unclasp her bra and in mere moments that too was on top of the pile of clothes on the floor.

Then Cassandra bent down to crash their lips together, tongue slipping past Nicole's lips when a wandering hand elicited a gasp from her.

Cassandra was by no means a patient person. Quite the opposite actually. But teasingly dragging her nails across sensitive skin only to feel the girl under her squirm and whine when her hand just won't go where she needed it made waiting all the more sweet. Slender fingers started to toy with the edges of Nicole's underwear. After a groan against her lips and an impatient tug of hair, Cassandra finally gave in, slipping two fingers inside her. She felt Nicole arch into her, a broken moan escaping past her lips when she broke the kiss to let her head fall back into the cushions. Cassandra took that as an opportunity to kiss the length of her neck, occasionally stopping to suck or bite at a spot, enjoying every gasp and moan she drew out of the redhead.

With Cassandra's rough pace it didn't take long before Nicole was clenching her thighs around her hand. Cassandra kissed her, swallowing her moan as she came.

The small room in the attic, Cassandra's drawing room she would later find out, was the perfect secluded spot. They spent the rest of the evening enjoying each other. First evening of many.

[quillsanddaydreams]

starry henna

sirius black x desi!reader

—author’s note: this was something I'd been waiting to write since forever. Requested by @sirisuorionblack, thank you so much bby I loved writing it. I hope you enjoy! Sirius attends your sister's wedding which finally makes him confess his feelings.

—warning(s): mentions of food and drink. female!reader (pronouns aren’t used, but is implied).

—word count: 1,754

You adjusted your bangle, before taking a last look at yourself. The traditional salwar you chose for the day was growing on you. Your sister called you, struggling to tie the threads at the back of her dress. Taking them from her hand, you made a beautiful butterfly knot, moving to take a final glance at her. She bit her lip, raising her eyebrows.

“Kaisi lag rahi huun? (How do I look?)” she asked, moving a strand of her hair nervously as you smiled at her encouragingly.

“Bahut sundar, (Very beautiful)” you said softly, hugging her. She sighed. “Itni kya jaldi hai shaadi karne ki? Thoda ruk nahi sakte the? (Why did you have to rush to marry? Couldn't you wait for a bit?)”

She chuckled, pulling back, holding both your arms.

“I’m gonna miss you too, not more than my room though,” she laughed, lightening the mood. She always seemed to know how to do that.

“Now let’s go, we wouldn't want to keep everyone waiting. Especially that boyfriend of yours,” she said a knowing look on her face as you felt your cheeks warm. You protested.

“He’s not my boyfriend—”

“Not yet,” she said, cutting you off. Something about her smirk told you; you couldn’t argue with her. But then again, you didn’t want to.

The two of you moved out of your room, placing the hotel key safely in your bag. It was rather silent in the elevator, you knew your sister was anxious about the ceremony. Not that one could tell that as soon as you arrived at the hall. You gasped taking in the changed decorations. Colorful, studded umbrellas hung from the ceiling and small couches were placed along the edges of the room— mehendi artists sat there with people surrounding them with open palms. Everyone’s eyes landed on your sister as she beamed and greeted them gracefully. You wondered whether you could ever be as elegant as her.

You gazed across the room looking at your cousins, mausis, and other members of the extended family. They all seemed to be enjoying themselves. Seeing James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter at the back near the food stands; you made your way over to them. They looked charming in kurtas you had bought with them earlier. And what a shopping trip had it been.

“No but you have to get it, it’s what today is about—” James said to a tired-looking Remus.

“What is today about?” you asked, amused. They wheeled towards you, their faces lighting up.

“Tell Remus he must get henna,” James pleaded, and Remus swayed his head wildly.

“Well,” you started smugly. “It wouldn’t hurt.”

Remus groaned making Peter snort. You faced Sirius who was staring at you wordlessly. Ignoring the tickling in your stomach, you asked him, “Are you not getting one too?”

Sirius shook himself a little, before releasing a cough.

“Well, I was hoping you would apply some on me,” he said as you raised your eyebrows.

“Me?” you asked, incredulously.

“You are quite the artist and the tattoo would mean more with you making it,” he said. “If you want, of course.”

“I would like that,” you said after a beat.

“You’re looking stunning today by the way,” Sirius added. “You do everyday, but this dress…”

“And we’re invisible again,” James said before you reply. Remus let out a laugh patting him.

“Bet they wouldn’t have noticed if we slowly moved away,” Peter snickered.

Sirius shoved his shoulder casually as you picked up a drink to hide your expression.

“I think you should get your henna done now,” you said, seeing your sister sit down at the head of the room, the henna women sitting by her sides and taking her hands. “I got mine done in the morning. It would take time to dry.”

As James and Peter took Remus away unwillingly, you shifted towards Sirius.

“Come, I’ll find a cone to make some on you,” you told Sirius, taking him by his hand. Moving to one of the couches you asked for some spare henna. The boy nodded, giving you a fresh cone along with some cotton swabs and cleanser.

The two of you proceed to sit at a corner and you put a cushion over your leg for support.

“Where would you like me to draw?” you asked as he offered you his left palm dramatically, running the other hand through his hair— picture of a model. You giggled.

“And what exactly do you want it to look like?” you asked, placing your hand on your cheek.

“I didn’t think much about that,” he pondered. “I do like those vines on yours? Uh— make whatever you like.”

You hummed, thinking. Perchance you did know what exactly would suit him. Cleaning his hand with a cotton swab, you took a cone in your hand and started making little footprints from his thumb to his pinky finger. Sirius inhaled sharply when he realized what you were drawing.

“Tsk, stay put,” you said as Sirius sat up straighter. He looked on to what you created keenly. You caught him gazing at you instead more often than not, making it harder for you to concentrate.

“You never quite told us what this is about,” he said after some time. “I mean it’s pretty great, people getting temporary tattoos before a wedding. And from what I’ve learnt from staying here, everything has a meaning. Does it have a story too or?”

“It’s supposed to wish the bride prosperity and happiness,” you said, remembering what your mother told you when you asked her the same. “A saying goes that the darker someone’s henna becomes, the more loving their partner is.”

“Oh?” he asked curiously, looking at your hands. “If your henna becomes darker later— it would be because of some lover?”

You chuckled.

“Well, according to the saying yes,” you shook your head. “In reality, it depends on your skin and what kind of powder you use to make the mehendi. But it’s pretty to believe the saying, don’t you think?”

“If you have someone in mind, then yes,” he replied.

“Do you?”

Sirius eyed you intensely. Your heart beat faster awaiting his answer.

“I do,” he said. For a moment neither of you looked away from each other. The dholak began to play startling you both out of the trance. You peeked at him and then got on to make little paws to complete the design. Neither of you dared to speak again. The tension seemed almost unbearable.

“Tada!” you said on adding the finishing touches. Sirius observed the design, seemingly delighted with it.

“It’s so pretty,” he hushed. “The paws, the footprints... brilliant! I wish I could do the same for you...”

“You can actually” you said all of a sudden. Sirius furrowed his eyebrows as you explained further. “There is a small space left here you could make something on.”

“You would like that?”

“I would love it,” you gaped as Sirius shook his head. “You can do it, please Sirius, that way we both would have made each other a tattoo.”

“I’m not great at art,” he pointed out. “And what would I even make?”

“Make the Orion belt,” you said, ignoring the heat rising in your ears. “I saw those gorgeous astronomy projects you made and I would love something starry and tied to you too.”

Sirius blushed, abashed.

“If you want that,” he said. You handed him the used cone, having won, and laid out your palm to him.

Carefully marking up the stars he began to fill them in. You bit your lip watching Sirius work. His hair fell over his face, curls licking his skin. He was so caught up in work that he seemed to forget everything nearby.

“I know I’m handsome but I won’t be able to work with you looking at me like that,” he said, unmoving. You flushed, mummering you weren’t making Sirius smirk widen.

“Of course you weren’t.”

Sirius heaved a sigh sitting back, letting you regard the stars.

“It’s beautiful—”

You wanted to say more but your cousin Ruuhan came beside you, grabbing your arm to get your attention.

“Come dance, everyone is!” he said as you grinned. You looked at Sirius in silent question as he shook his head telling you to go on. Your mausis and other cousins were already dancing when you were pulled in. Laughing you moved along with them, dragging your sister to dance along with you.

You spent the night eating, dancing and having fun. The marauders joined you— you gave them your best puppy dog eyes when they said no. Amidst everything, you couldn’t remember the last time you had been this happy. It felt like a high. A happy high. One you never wanted to escape.

The next few days passed in a blur and it was almost too soon you were walking your sister through the grounds to marry the girl she loved. Wrapping an arm with hers you watched all the eyes on you two. Sirius stood along with the marauders, gasping a little when he saw you. You gave him a small nod, expecting him to wink back or give a teasing look, but it never came. He looked at you like he was seeing stars for the first time. Angling your attention towards your sister, you stepped forward. Handing over her hand to her fiancée, you watched your sister get up on the stage. Tears welled up in your eyes. Sirius came to stand beside you and took your hand in his. Squeezing it a little, you gave him a reassuring glance.

“You know; the past few days I’ve realized something,” Sirius said quietly as the ceremony moved on. You gestured for him to continue.

“Love should be celebrated, grandly because,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. “Because you shouldn’t be afraid to show off the one you adore to all around you. What I couldn’t understand however; what were we supposed to do if all others except the person knew about the affection you had for them?”

You sucked in a breath, waiting for him to continue. Sirius took your hand in his, running his fingertips along with the stars he drew.

“I love you,” he whispered so softly you almost missed it. Your heart leaped as he avoided your eyes. You cradled his face, making him look at you. His grey eyes shone angelically under the fairy lights.

“I love you too, Sirius,” you said, pulling him close. The two of you sat with an arm around the other, watching your sister take her vows for life.

—as for the taglist: I don’t make taglists, I have a blog @from-my-quill ​ ​ which is updated whenever I post fanfiction. You could have the notifications on for it and it will work just like me tagging you.

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